iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Two American citizens detained by Houthi rebels in Yemen have been released in Oman as part of an agreement negotiated by the State Department. Under the deal some of the injured victims from a Saudi airstrike in Yemen last week that killed 150 people were treated in Oman in exchange for the release of the two Americans.



"We welcome reports that two U.S. citizens who had been detained in Yemen were released and have arrived safely in Oman," said Mark Toner, deputy spokesman for the State Department. "Consular officers from the U.S. Embassy in Muscat stand ready to provide all possible consular assistance.



"We are deeply grateful to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and the Government of Oman for their assistance in facilitating and supporting the release of our citizens," Toner said. "We recognize the humanitarian gesture by the Houthis in releasing these U.S. citizens. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of any other U.S. citizens who may still be held."



In Lausanne, Switzerland, Secretary of State John Kerry also acknowledged the release of the Americans, which he said was part of a diplomatic agreement worked out in recent days.



Kerry declined to identify the two Americans released by the Houthi militants.



The release of the Americans comes just days after the United States launched Tomahawk cruise missiles that destroyed three radar systems that had been used by Houthi militants to target three failed missile attacks directed at the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason in the Red Sea.



On Friday, senior administration officials said there was "no doubt" that Houthi rebels had been responsible for the failed missile attacks. They also stressed that the American missile strikes were only in direct retaliation for the attacks on the ship and did not indicate that the U.S. was getting involved in the broader military conflict in Yemen.



For much of the past two years, the Houthis have been fighting with military forces from a Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen to restore the government overthrown by the Houthis in January 2015.



The United States has scaled back initial intelligence and air refueling support to that coalition because of airstrikes that have resulted in many civilian casualties.



The Obama administration announced last week that it was reviewing that assistance in the wake of the deadly airstrike targeting a funeral hall that killed 150 and injured hundreds more.



On Friday, American officials had characterized that airstrike as "egregious" and that it was carried out with "absolutely no justification."



On Saturday the Saudi coalition acknowledged that the airstrike on the funeral hall was carried out without following proper procedures and "wrongly targeted the location, resulting in several deaths and injuries.



It said that appropriate action would be taken on those responsible for the airstrike and that compensation would be provided to the victims families.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Our heroes this month are the loyal RSVP volunteers and all those steadfast individuals who give us canned goods, food, clothes and donations of money, monthly. Without them I could not do my job well.

Why? As you have been told, over and over, I am always looking for funding to continually support my families. Aided by many people, like my RSVP volunteers, I look for support everywhere. As September was Hunger Awareness Month, two events, the TomatoFest in downtown Auburn and the Food Providers Network Hunger Walk, were rousing successes. I told you about TomatoFest last month and how wonderful it was downtown. Did you know that the city of Auburn took on the responsibility for the liability insurance for the TomatoFest so more proceeds would go to central New York food pantries and soup kitchens! But I have to tell you about the first Food Providers Hunger Walk. Forty people met at Emerson Park and raised almost $300! The money goes directly to the Central New York Food Bank and then is distributed to Cayuga County food pantries and soup kitchens that participated. Auburn Mayor Michael Quill gave us a sendoff and upbeat speech. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, the walkers, folks who pledged and sponsors. It was an unbelievable day! Looking forward to next year's walk.

How can October top that? We will not try, but we continue our fund-raising course, overturning every stone that we come across and every avenue we can think of, as we continued with our annual Harvest Dinner last week. We sold 80 dinners. The food was scrumptious: ham and very good scalloped potatoes and yummy desserts. All were homemade by our wonderful volunteer cooks. My thanks to everyone for their help. October is also the month when Lowes on Grant Avenue is opening their managers winter coat, hat and mitten drive, as they have done for the last three years. Auburn United Methodist Church will again be sponsoring the Potato Drop on Oct. 22 and Woodsmen Life Insurance, on the same day, is sponsoring a food driver for our Thanksgiving baskets at Tops. Thank you also to Kathy Zamniak and Bob Piorun Productions for the Dance to the Music Revue, a fundraiser for us on Oct. 1 and 2 at the Auburn Public Theater. As you can see I keep trying and October is filling up with worthy causes helping my families. Thank you.

Remember, volunteer, donate or reciprocate in kind, by giving back.
Open enrollment for 2017 health insurance coverage will commence Nov. 1, 2016, and conclude Jan. 31, 2017. Signing up for a health insurance plan can be confusing and daunting but there is help. Certified navigators are on site at the Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency Inc. and the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce to assist residents and small businesses in Cayuga and Seneca Counties with navigating the health insurance enrollment process.

The New York State of Health Marketplace, which offers an organized, one-stop application process designed to help people shop for and enroll in affordable, qualified health plans (nystateofhealth.ny.gov), is operated by the state. Individuals, families and small businesses can use the marketplace to compare insurance options, calculate costs and select coverage online, in person with a navigator or through the call center. The marketplace is the only place to qualify for and receive financial assistance, such as advanced tax credits and cost-sharing reductions.

One customer explained in her own words how helpful it was to have assistance through C/SCAA when applying for health insurance:

"We had made several calls to an independent broker who was recommended to us but received no return calls for over three weeks. After trying to enroll and being locked out of the self-service website, we needed extra help. We obtained the list of health insurance contacts from the New York state website and left messages with several of the contacts. Imagine our surprise when we received a return call from a navigator within a day of our call. What makes this impressive was that the message was left the Friday after Thanksgiving and she returned the call the next day, Saturday. An appointment was set up on the following Tuesday at the Career Center. The navigator was knowledgeable, professional and compassionate in her dealings with us. The process was completed after some phone calls to determine the problem areas with the application attempt. Even a follow-up call for more information was handled promptly by the navigator. My daughter never had to deal with health insurance choices at her job of 15-plus years, and now needing to select her own coverage from the huge list on the state website was very confusing to her. We are both very thankful for the excellent services the navigator provided."

C/SCAA and the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce offer in-person assistance at multiple partner locations throughout Cayuga and Seneca counties, including C/SCAA, Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce in Auburn; Fair Haven Community Church; Lang Memorial Library in Cato; Port Byron High School Annex; Scipio Town Hall; St. Matthew Episcopal Church in Moravia; Trinity United Christian Church in Union Springs; Weedsport Library; C/SCAA in Waterloo; Interlaken Reformed Church; Ovid Federated Church; and Seneca Falls Community Center. The Chamber navigator will come to small business locations in both Cayuga and Seneca counties upon request. Site schedules are updated monthly and may be accessed at cscaa.com/health_benefit.html.

Individuals, families and sole proprietors who have already enrolled through the marketplace for 2016 coverage will be receiving renewal notices soon. The notices will be delivered either through the mail or via email, depending on the method chosen during the initial application process. Small businesses will receive renewal notices based on their internal open enrollment period.

The renewal notices will contain health plan information and will indicate whether enrollees are required to update their application to continue health insurance coverage in 2017. Failure to complete requested information could result in loss of coverage. Furthermore, failure to carry health insurance for individuals or family members could result in a monetary fine. The fine may be paid on federal income tax returns for each full month an individual or a family member doesn't have coverage. Individuals can receive assistance to submit updates to their application through the help center at (855) 355-5777 or in person with a certified navigator.

To make an appointment or for more information, please contact C/SCAA at (315) 255-1703 in Cayuga County, C/SCAA at (315) 539-5647 in Seneca County, or the chamber at (315) 252-7291 and ask to speak with a certified navigator.
AURORA  Wells College President Jonathan Gibralter outlined his vision for the small liberal arts college at his inauguration on Saturday, vowing that new efforts to boost enrollment, enhance campus facilities and recruit more students from upstate New York will keep the college from closing its doors.

Gibralter, who began his term as president in July 2015, stood at a podium in front of Macmillan Hall and assured students, faculty and village residents that Wells, with fewer than 600 full-time students, will survive even as small colleges are finding it increasingly hard to stay afloat.

For the first time in history, I dont think we can be absolutely certain that all small liberal arts colleges will persist on for generations to come, Gibralter said. You only have to look back at this past year to see evidence of at least three small colleges that have closed their doors forever.

I resolve to you today that this will not be the fate of Wells as long as Im here as your president, he continued. Gibralter, who earned his Ph.D. in human development from Syracuse University, became the 19th president of Wells after serving for nearly 9 years as president of Frostburg State University in Maryland.

He spoke to an audience of about 200, including faculty and alumni, laying out the tools that Wells must use to distinguish itself and attract students, who he said increasingly see college as a financial burden rather than an investment.

For generations, Wells College, while never included in the list of the Seven Sisters in American higher education, was considered by many to be one of the finest in the country, Gibralter said, referring to the seven prestigious current and former womens colleges in the Northeast. (Wells College, a womens college since its founding in 1868, began accepting men in 2005.)

The hallmark of a Wells education has been a very high quality liberal arts education delivered by a world-class faculty, and I repeat, a world-class faculty, said Gibralter, adding that Wells has always focused on sustaining small enrollment and creating an environment where professors can connect with students in a very different way than at many larger colleges and universities.

Gibralters initiatives include creating an environmentally friendly, sustainable campus; advertising Wells aggressively through a bold multimedia and marketing strategy; finding new sources of revenue and efficiently accessing current ones; and enhancing the technological capability of the campus (If any of our visitors have AT&T, dont even bother looking at your phone, he said).

But above all, Gibralter said, is sustaining and increasing the colleges enrollment.

Recruiting students has become an enormous challenge like never before imagined for colleges around the country, he said.

The college plans to direct more effort into advertising through traditional outlets and on social media, Gibralter said, in order to make sure that students are aware that Wells College is a viable option for their future.

Gibralter noted that students who apply to Wells from upstate New York are more likely to attend and more likely to ultimately graduate, which is why he intends to focus recruiting efforts on a rough, 100-mile radius, making some exceptions for Buffalo, which is about 130 miles from Aurora.

The recruiting radius will grow, but Gibralter said Wells first must be certain that we will be a presence in our own backyard.

Aurora Mayor Bonnie Bennett presented Gibralter with a key to the village, and noted the intricately entwined  some people would say, inextricably entangled relationship between Aurora and Wells.

For our part, were indebted not just for the jobs and the economic vitality Wells has brought over the years, but also for benefits that are much more intangible, Bennett said.

She said Wells has provided the village with a diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds that make our village far more cosmopolitan than its size would predict, adding that it was rare to find a small, rural village with such a vibrant culture.

Bennett, who has been mayor since 2010, said that the mutual dependency of Wells and Aurora doesnt always make for sweetness or light, but that Gibralter will be able to tread the line because he is a determined, enthusiastic leader who is open to innovation.

Before the inauguration began, Gibralter was musing with colleagues that wearing his presidential medals from previous colleges would be too much bling, making him feel like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

Asked if the Wells Presidential Medal he received on Saturday was weighting him down, Gibralter said it wasnt too bad.

I think I can bear the weight of it, he said.
Chocolate doughnuts, old-fashioned doughnuts. Doughnuts with sprinkles, doughnuts with nuts. Plain doughnuts, bear claw doughnuts and even doughnut holes. If its in the doughnut family, you can get it at Happys Donut Tree Too.

Owned by Jhony Ngin and wife Heang Oam, the south Napa bakery has been serving up deep-fried dough seven days a week for the past 20 years.

It feels like my customers are my family, said Ngin.

But come November, big change is coming to the doughnut haven.

The couple sold their doughnut shop to another family and plan to semi retire, they said.

Im very sad to sell the business, Ngin said.

However, now that their two children have graduated from college and have good jobs, they can stop rising early each morning to bake endless batches of doughnuts. Ngin said hes ready for a break after years of standing on his feet for 10 to 12 hours at a time.

While Happy Donut has been a success, its a family business that almost never happened.

Ngin, 50, and Oam, 48, grew up in Cambodia during the 1970s and 80s genocide orchestrated by the Khmer Rouge regime.

As children, their individual families were displaced during the war.

During the conflict, the Khmer Rouge assigned their families to different work communities in Cambodia. Divided into camps by age, Ngin and Oam worked from sunrise to sunset, often with little to eat.

We ate plants  anything we could find, Oam said. We tried to survive day by day.

During this time, Cambodians were being removed from the camps left and right, Ngin recalled. They killed people every single day. His own father and other relatives were taken away. Their bodies were never found.

Heang Oam said she has seen the 1984 film The Killing Fields. In reality, it was 100 times worse than that, she said.

Ngin said he did not fear for his own life during this time.

It was pointless to worry. We could not do anything, he said.

After the war ended, each family was forced to cross the border into Thailand to enter refugee camps.

Thats where Oam and Ngin first met. Later, each family immigrated separately to California  Ngin to San Francisco and Oam to Santa Rosa.

They were among the very lucky few. An estimated 1.5 million to 3 million people died during the Cambodian conflict.

In the early 80s, the Oam and Ngin reconnected by chance at a wedding in Modesto.

They were married in 1988 and have two children: Jovi Oam, now 27 and Cynthia Oam, now 24.

Cynthia Oam grew up in Napa, attending local public schools and enjoying the comforts of life in the U.S. Its hard for me to believe they lived that kind of life in Cambodia, she said.

The doughnut shop was like a second home for this young woman.

Theyd take me there in the mornings, then take us to school, then come back in the afternoons, she said.

As a teenager, there were so many times I didnt want to go in the mornings, she said.

My dad would come home smelling like doughnuts. There was a point where I hated eating doughnuts.

But once she left for college, she realized what the shop meant to her.

It reminds me of home.

Doughnuts arent a traditional Cambodian food, said Cynthia Oam. But new Cambodian immigrants found that such a business was easier to start and operate in the U.S. More Cambodian families began opening doughnut shops.

Cynthia Oam said the previous owner of the Imola Avenue shop gave the business its somewhat curious name. In the 80s, there was another bakery in Napa called The Happy Donut Tree.

She said she thinks Happys Donut Tree Too was inspired by that other shop but was also the result of a language mishap. Today, many locals call the bakery Happy Donut or Donut Tree.

Ngin said that his bakery makes about 40 different kinds of doughnuts using six different kinds of flour mixes. On a weekend, Happy Donut can sell as many as 1,000 doughnuts a day, they said. The shop usually closes after they are sold out, which is common.

Any doughnuts left over at the end of the day are donated to the Food Bank.

Happy Donut customer BJ Petprasert said she didnt want Ngin and Oam to sell the shop. Shes been eating Happy Donuts for 20 years.

Its good, she said, simply.

On Wednesday, Petprasert showed up at the shop late morning to find its cases empty save for two doughnuts and one lonely bagel. But Petprasert wasnt worried. Oam had saved her a sugar doughnut, her favorite. The two women sat down for a short visit over coffee.

Customer Jason Poti of Napa visited Happy Donut shortly afterwards and bought one of the last two doughnuts that morning.

A coffee and a doughnut in the morning is pure enjoyment, Poti said. He plans to continue to visit the shop after the new owner takes over.

Well have to see how the new fellow does, he said.

Ngin and Oam said another Cambodian family had bought the bakery. Ngin will help train the new owner, he said.

The siblings considered taking over the shop, but their parents wouldnt hear of it, Cynthia Oam said.

Cynthia Oam lives in San Francisco and works in marketing for Lyft. Jovi Oam is a new police officer in St. Helena.

I think they just know how hard the work is and they dont want us to work in those conditions, said Cynthia Oam.

We didnt come here for you to work in a doughnut shop, they told Oam. They think that as American-raised children there are so many more opportunities out there for us. They wanted better for us, she said.

Jovi Oam said hes not sure what his parents will do to fill their time.

I think my moms going to go crazy. But I think it will be good for them. They have been working hard their whole lives.

Heang Oam said she has returned to Cambodia twice, but Ngin has not. I have no desire to return, he said.

In his mind, I can see where I used to live, he said. Thats enough for him.
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"Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for first engagement," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.

As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pulled out of this year's Saarc Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistan's state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason.

Afghanistan and Bangladesh too followed suit citing the same reason while Sri Lanka held that a Saarc summit was not possible in India's absence.

The BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit will be held here later on Sunday.

--IANS ab/ksk

( 298 Words)

2016-10-16-10:22:08 (IANS)
The 32-year-old actress took to her social media handle to share the exciting news.

She took to Instagram to post a photo of the newborn and captioned, "There goes the neighborhood. Daisy Josephine Sudeikis. Born, like a boss, on #internationaldayofthegirl."

This happy news comes shortly after the 'House' star revealed the sex of her child while discussing American presidential race under Decision 2016.

"As someone who is about to have a daughter, this hits me deep in my core. #NeverTrump," she wrote on social media with a political ad at the time.

Wilde had earlier talked about parenting and babies expressing high hopes for her children.

"I hope to raise a child who values people for what's within them, and yet I hope he experiments with his own identity and who he wants to be," she shared, adding, ".I'm grateful now that my parents let me go through my own process of self-discovery, and I think you can't restrict kids in that way."

"They have to make mistakes, play, and then figure it out in the end," she said. (ANI)
Scotland-based saxophonist and composer Brian Molley, who has collaborated with Rajasthani folk artistes for a yet-to-be titled music album, feels there is a huge market for music in India. "I hope that this album is liked by the Indian audience as much as we enjoyed making it. I got a great response from the audience when I performed (with his band Brian Molley Quartet) at RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival) 2016 on Friday... which is great and positive. There is an enormous market for music in India." "From classical, folk to even Bollywood, everything is a big part of the culture here. I am just trying to be open minded as I can when I make music here. It's a vital thing to be a musician and be open minded as there are many things that you can learn," he told IANS on the sidelines of the festival that is currently taking place at Mehrangarh Fort here. The album, which he made with Rajasthani folk artistes, comprises jazz, world music and Rajasthani folk and it has been tentatively titled "Journeys in Hand", personifying the collaboration of the musicians from the two countries. The album will release next year. Talking about his experience working with these musicians, he said: "The one thing I really like about folk musicians whom I met is that they are very open minded, which is really great, especially when you are from different music backgrounds. Rajasthani folk music is great, it's such an incredible form of music." Molley also says he is trying to bring possibility of wider things that one can do with these art forms to preserve them for future. "We try and develop the possibility of that music with these collaborations and to preserve it. We are looking forward to come up with more ideas on how we can mix it well with many other associations," he said. Since 2012, Molley is performing with his band members -- Tom Gibbs on piano, Mario Caribe on bass and Stuart Brown on drums. In spring 2013, the band recorded their debut album "CLOCK (BGMM)", which released to critical acclaim in October that year. In 2014, the quartet made appearances at Glasgow and Manchester Jazz Festivals and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the prestigious Creative Scotland curated 'Made in Scotland' programme, in addition to an extensive Britain tour in autumn. Brian Molley Quartet performed at RIFF for the first time in October 2015. "We did perform at RIFF last year and that was the time we took a short tour of India as a band. This was the time when we learnt some of their (folk artistes) music in the practical sense. There are specific things about Rajasthani music and rhythmic structure, which is amazing," he said. "We were very clear of making things open enough and bring some sort of elements of harmony and development through this album," he said. (The writer's trip is at the invitation of RIFF organisers. Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in) --IANS nv/nn/vt ( 517 Words) 2016-10-16-17:18:08 (IANS)
Delay in the patents for various innovations can slow down the improvement in the field of medicine, said health experts here on Sunday. According to them, there is an inordinate delay in granting patents in India, which ranges from five to 10 years and in most cases the idea becomes obsolete. Although the government has started indulging in many schemes and provisions, patients are yet to reap benefits from them and hence many physicians themselves have indulged in creating innovative therapies or treatments that can be made available to patients at a very economical cost, experts said. The doctors were attending a conference where they and experts revealed various innovations for the benefits of patients. Members from the Intellectual Property Rights were also present to discuss with the doctors how to protect their intellectual properties. "Patents for innovations by the doctors should be speeded up in India. These out-of-the-box ideas by the physicians will ensure that the expenses of all the treatments do not put a load on the patient's pocket and some innovations help generate a positive relation between the patient and the hospital," said Ram Prabhoo, President of the Indian Orthopaedic Association. During the conference, the participants spoke about various innovations aimed at easing the problems in the field of medicine. The major concern was to speed up the patents on all of their techniques. Prashant Jha from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences said that he has created a Feto Maternal device that can assess fetal distress, and can be helpful for patients as well as doctors. "We have come up with a app named TNM that helps standardise the diagnosis for different types of cancer and its stages. This app has a 20-second Questionnaire which needs to be filled with just a yes or no and immediate diagnosis of the node of cancer and its stage is revealed," said Palak Popat, associated with city based Tata Memorial Hospital. According to Popat, the app will become helpful for junior doctors, radiologists and general practitioners who are not specialists in Oncology. "This app will help provide immediate information to the patients and their family," said Popat. --IANS rup/sm/vt ( 374 Words) 2016-10-16-17:46:08 (IANS)
Congress party leader Sandeep Dikshit has said Russia plays an important strategic role insofar as India is concerned and hoped that it would continue to do so in the future as well. "We have a very old relation with Russia. Earlier also we have bought aircrafts from them and it this should continue whenever our forces require them.'' Dikshit told ANI. "When the whole world refused to sell their weapons to India, it was Russia who came forward. And whenever the Indian armed forces needed arms and equipment, it was Russia who fulfilled our demands. Hence, we should continue engage with them," he added. During the BRICS Summit, India and Russia had announced plans to set up a joint venture to build helicopters in India. India will buy surface-to-air missile systems from Russia as the two sides strengthen their military relationship. The pacts were signed after talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa. India and Russia also signed a number of agreements in several fields including infrastructure, defence, ship building, science and technology and railways. (ANI)
Telling the Congress Party that it has no right to preach to the government or to progressive, democratic and secular forces of the country, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Sunday blamed the former for creating a contemporary fragmented society for vote bank politics and, added that had it not done so, Jawaharlal Nehru, the nation's first prime minister, would have introduced the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). "The Congress is responsible for the contemporary fragmented society. It is the Congress that initiated vote bank politics. Had it not done, Pandit Nehru (first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru) would have brought the Uniform Civil Code. The Congress' social philosophy is a reactionary social philosophy and they are behind the fundamentalists, so the Congress has no moral right to preach to the government or to the progressive, democratic and secular forces of the country," RSS ideologue Professor Rakesh Sinha told ANI. Dubbing the Congress as a party of "reactionaries" and having "blinkered vision", Professor Sinha said, "Due to their blinkered vision and intention of vote bank, the Congress party is no longer a supporter of progressive positions, and they are behind the reactionary forces." His reaction came in the wake of former union law minister and Congress veteran M. Veerappa Moily stating this week that plurality, diversity and multiplicity is the real valuable culture of the country, and thus, the implementation of UCC is next to impossible in India. The RSS ideologue, however, sought to know as to when there was no demand for a 'Hindu Civil Code', the Government of India formulated the Hindu Civil Code and that was a progressive step, but who stopped them from bringing the Uniform Civil Code; if they legislated it for Hindu society, why did not they legislate for a Indian society? Accusing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of bowing before fundamentalists, Sinha said, "Despite the clear and unambiguous directive and the verdict of the Supreme Court of India to formulate Uniform Civil Code, Rajiv Gandhi who bowed down to the fundamentalists' pressure." Moily, who was reacting to the move of the Muslim Personal Law Board (MPLB) to boycott the UCC while terming it as "not good for the nation", said the concept and the design of India is unity in diversity. "So, it is not uniform, we have hindered castes, then have 100 personal laws. I think this is impractical and one can't implement personal law that very strongly governs the lives of the people of this country," Moily had told ANI. (ANI)
She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership.

The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the side-lines of the visit.

During the visit, Prime Minister May alongside Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

The Summit will be an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business to business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, IPRs and higher education.

The two sides had agreed to hold the Summit during Prime Minister's visit to the UK in November 2015. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today will hold bilateral talks with Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the two-day BRICS Summit which entered to the concluding day. While Nepal Prime Minister arrived to attend The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) BIMSTEC outreach retreat yesterday, Bangladesh Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive today. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to hold talk with Sri Lanka President and Bhutan Prime Minister who have already arrived yesterday. Yesterday, the Prime Minister had held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Xinping and South Africa President Jacob Zuma. In the afternoon, BRICS leaders are scheduled to hold meeting with the BRICS Business Council. The evening will mark BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit and BRICS and BIMSTEC Leader's Summit Dinner Reception, an advisory from Ministry of External Affairs said.UNI AKM JW0752 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-980157.Xml
"Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for first engagement," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.

Prime Minister Modi earlier welcomed the Sri Lankan President on his arrival.

"A friend comes to India...glad to have President @MaithripalaS visit India for the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit," he tweeted soon after Sirisena landed at Dabolim Airport.

Heads of states and governments of the five BRICS nations will meet later in the day on the second day of the BRICS Summit in Goa.

Global economic and political situation, terrorism, climate change, Sustainable Development Goals and increasing people to people contact form the agenda of the Summit.

India is likely to pitch for united fight against terrorism.

Goa Declaration and Goa Action Plan will be adopted at the end of the Summit, which will focus on intra BRICS Trade, finance and industrial cooperation as well as cooperation in education, health, agriculture, energy and disaster management.

Later this evening, Prime Minister Modi will chair the BIMSTEC meeting, which will be followed by the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meeting. The seven-member BIMSTEC bloc consists of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. (ANI)
President Pranab Mukherjee has condoled the death of 24 devotees in a stampede during a religious procession at Dumaria on the banks of Ganga river in Rajghat area, connecting Varanasi and Chandauli districts of Uttar Pradesh. The President has written to UP Governor Ram Naik, condoling the loss of lives in a stampede in Varanasi yesterday.In his message, the President said, ''I am sad to learn about the stampede in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh in which a number of persons have lost their lives and others are injured. I understand relief and rescue operations are currently underway.""I call upon the State Government and other authorities to provide all possible aid to the bereaved families, who have lost their near and dear ones as well as medical assistance to the injured.Please convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. I wish speedy recovery to the injured persons," he added. Death toll in the stampede during the Samagan of Jai Baba Guru Dev reached 24 with five more people succumbing to their injuries in the hospital, reports that came in last said.More than 20 people were injured and four of them are in critical condition.The stampede occurred on Ganga bridge when the devotees were taking out a religious procession from Maldihiya in Varanasi to Rajghat.UNI NY SDR SHS 1117 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0431-980257.Xml
To put a halt on suicide case on Bandra Worli sea link, Mumbai Police has told Taxi Unions to take radical step and inform their taxi drivers not to stop their taxis on the sea link as the increasing number of suicides has become headache for the Police.Last week, one Pradeep Yadav (27) attempted to commit suicide at the sea link but was detained by the police on duty. Over a squabble with family members, Pradeep in anger boarded a taxi and asked the taxi driver to stop on Bandra Worli sea link. After stopping taxi he perched himself on the railing and was going tojump into the sea but Sea link supervisor stopped him and after protracted 25 minute drama handed him to the Police. On the basis of this incident, Police had a discussion with Taxi Unions over not stopping taxis on Sea link. Alfred Quadros, leader of Mumbai Taximen's Union while talking to mediapersons said, "There was always restriction for taxis to stop on Sea link but now Worli police has told us to inform all taxi drivers so we have written it down in Union office and also sent messages to taxi drivers not to stop, because of rising case of suicides at Sea link "UNI AAA NP SHS 1158 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-980222.Xml
Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh will lead the party leaders in burning the effigy of 'Chitta Ravana' (colloquial term for synthetic drugs in Punjab) at the site of the Dusshera-eve clash between Youth Akali Dal and Congress leaders in Ludhiana last week.

Modi will attend an event of medium and small enterprises in Ludhiana on October 18.

"As soon as Modi starts speaking, the 'Chitta Ravana' will go up in flames," Amarinder Singh said.

"I will personally burn the Chitta Ravana, let them try and stop me if they can," Amarinder said, challenging the Akali Dal government in the state.

"I want to show the Prime Minister what kind of goondas he is supporting," he added.

Amarinder said the Congress leaders will burn 'Chitta Ravana' effigies in all the 117 assembly constituencies of the state on Tuesday.

The Congress leadership had blockaded Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's official residence for the last three days, demanding action against Punjab Police officers who allegedly played a partisan role in the Youth Akali Dal-Congress clash on October 10 and later booked six Congress leaders.

The sit-in outside Badal's residence here, which continued even at night, ended on Saturday night.

The protest ended after the Punjab government ordered the transfer of Ludhiana Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Jaswinder Singh on Saturday evening.

Badal also ordered Director General of Police Suresh Arora to probe the clash.

The Akali Dal leadership is getting edgy over the 'Chitta Ravana' issue as the Congress party accused some Akali Dal leaders of patronising the illegal drugs trade in the state.

--IANS js/py/vt

( 299 Words)

2016-10-16-12:50:08 (IANS)
At least 24 persons died and 60 others were injured in a stampede during a religious procession in Varanasi on Saturday.

"I am sad to learn about the stampede in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh in which a number of persons have lost their lives and others are injured. I understand relief and rescue operations are currently underway," Mukherjee said in his message to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh.

"I call upon the state government and other authorities to provide all possible aid to the bereaved families, who have lost their near and dear ones, as well as medical assistance to the injured," he added.

--IANS ruwa/ask/vt

( 131 Words)

2016-10-16-12:52:08 (IANS)
In a bid to bring down the crime rate, the Chennai City Police launched a storming operation last night and detained more than 600 people on various charges. Police sources said, as part of the operation, police intensified patrolling and conducted vehicle checks and searches in hotels and lodges in a bid to arrest history sheeters, who were on the run, and execute the non-bailable warrants issued against them by the courts. During the night-long operation, 462 people were detained on suspicious grounds. The sources said three criminals against whom Non-bailable warrants were pending, were also arrested, along with 10 others under Sec 109 and 110 of CrPc. A total of 133 people were held on charges of drunken driving, the sources said.UNI GV CS 1227 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-980342.Xml
After a brief lull, Pakistan yet again violated the ceasefire on the Line of Control(LoC) in Nowshera Sector of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir."Pakistani troops this morning fired unprovoked at forward Indian posts on the Line of Control in Nowshera sector," defence spokesman here said.He said Pakistan fired small arms, adding, "own troops responded effectively and gave befitting reply to the enemy."No injury or casualty was reported in exchange of firing, he said adding that intermittent firing was on till the last reports came in.UNI VBH SDR SHS 1213 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0431-980328.Xml
Death toll on the Rajpur Ganga bridge stampede has mounted up to 25, while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has suspended five police personnel including city Superintendent of police for gross negligence of deaths.The incident took place in Ramnagar police station area of Varanasi yesterday when thousands of followers of Jai Gurudev were proceeding towards Domri village in Chandauli for the two-day samagam (camp).Police said today that they were working on various theories that led to the stampede that claimed 25 lives. Earlier police had claimed that the organiser took permission for the gathering of 3000 people but surprisingly, the crowd swelled up to over one lakh leading to major chaos and stampede like situation.ADG law and order Daljeet Chowdhary, who is camping in Varanasi, told UNI here today that they are investigating through many theories, including rumours being termed as the reason behind the stampede, to know the actual cause behind the mishap. However, eye witnesses say that the rumour started about collapse of the bridge after a person fell in the river just when a train passed through the bridge.However, the death toll reached 25 after a woman died in the hospital during treatment. Now of the deceased 21 are women while rest 4 are male. Only 14 of the deceased have been identified so far.Over 50 injured including 3 in critical condition were getting treatment at different hospitals in the Varanasi city.An organiser of the event, Sant Ram Chaurasia, claimed that a rumour that the Rajghat bridge was collapsing led to the stampede. Chaos prevailed and the stampede occurred, he said.Police investigation claims, the followers of Jai Gurudev were moving on the narrow road to the Rajghat bridge. One man died of suffocation because of the surging crowds, which led to commotion. According to an eyewitness, there was a lot of chaos as people were pushed and shoved and many died of suffocation. The Rajghat bridge, known as Malviya bridge, is in good condition. It is a double-deck bridge over the Ganga connecting Varanasi to Chandauli district. The bridge has a rail track on lower deck and road on the upper deck. It is one of the major bridges on the Ganga. Grand Trunk Road passes through the bridge.The Uttar Pradesh government has also launched a helpline service for any information related to the stampede near Varanasi .The number is 0542-2508464 .Meanwhile, Mr Yadav tweeted that the Superintendent of police (SP) city Sudhakar Yadav, SP (Traffic) Kamal Kishore, Circle Officer (CO) Rahul Misra and in charge of Ram Nagar and Mughalsarai police station were suspended for gross negligence leading to deaths.Action against five officials was initiated on the basis of the preliminary report of the principal secretary (Home) and the DGP and action against more district officials is likely to follow soon. Yesterday, the CM had directed the Commissioner, Varanasi, to institute a magisterial inquiry into the incident. He had announced an ex gratia of Rs five lakh each to next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 compensation plus free treatment to the injured, who have been admitted to different hospitals in Varanasi and Chandauli. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also an MP from Varanasi, expressed anguish over the incident and asked senior officials in Varanasi to take stock of the situation. He also announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured.UNI MB SDR SHS 1211 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-980262.Xml
The CPI-M Tripura state unit today took out protest rally against BJP for accusing the ruling left front to mobilise its cadre to attack BJP state president Biplab Deb on October 14 night.The CPI-M state committee denied the allegation and stated that Deb's driver had been in scuffle with local club members, which has resulted a counter attack on the vehicle and when Deb intervene the irritated members abused him."But the way, BJP state committee blamed CPI-M party for the incident; it is totally false and fabricated to malign the party in public. With this allegation BJP cadre suddenly yesterday afternoon stormed the residence of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar breaking security cordon and created unrest," CPI-M state committee said in statement.They however, pointed out that BJP has been unnecessarily accusing CPI-M and terrorising the situation and the party called commoners to join in sustained protest against unethical politics of BJP.Meantime, police last night arrested three accused persons identified as Santanu Bhattacharjee, Bappa Chakraborty and Dilip Roy all of them are active member of CPI-M in Ramnagar area following complaint of Biplab Deb.The accused were allegedly carried out violent attack on BJP state president Deb on October 14 last night and assaulted the driver of Deb followed by destroying his vehicle. Later, the miscreants targeted Deb and his family members but attempt was foiled as his personal guard opened fire on air.A large number of BJP workers demonstrated in front of the Chief Minister's house suddenly yesterday afternoon protesting attack on Deb alleging that CPI-M party was behind them.At least six BJP workers sustained injury as police resorted to baton to disperse the agitating party workers. Several police personnel including the officer-in-charge of the West Agartala police station Narayan Saha also sustained injuries during the melee.Meanwhile, BJP vice president Subal Bhowmik alleged that police charged baton on the peaceful demonstrators without any provocation with the instruction of the Chief Minister Manik Sarkar who has been encouraging the anti-social and party miscreants against opposition for his narrow political interest.He said the matter has already been brought into the notice of the party's central leadership and home minister Rajnath Singh and the party will soon launch a state-wide agitation. Earlier on October 11 last, some miscreants belong to another club of the locality made similar attempt on his vehicle when he was moving with his wife. Specific FIR against the criminals was lodged but none was arrested yet, Bhowmik stated.He added after since general election more than a thousand of attacks in different natures had been carried out on the BJP leaders and workers by the ruling party cadres. In no case there is minimum action against the criminals.UNI BB RN SHS 1240 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0311-980299.Xml
The Right to Information (RTI) Week was observed across the state under the theme, "RTI and role of NGOs and CSOs". Official sources said in Zunheboto the occasion was held at Deputy Commissioner's conference hall yesterday, where the RTI-TOT of Zunheboto Obed Achumi as resource person said with the enforcement of RTI information and documents pertaining to various Departments have improved. Mr Obed also spoke on the role of Civil Society Organizations (CSO) where it could take up education and awareness programmes through RTI. CSO could also promote good governance and social equity by accessing information. In Mokokchung, chairmen from the 18 wards and representatives from Ao Senden, Watsu (Women's Conference) and AKM attended the programme, which was held at the conference hall of Additional Deputy Conference (Planning) Mokokchung. SDO (C) Mokokchung Sachin Jaiswal delivering the keynote address said RTI was a strong weapon for all the people of the nation to question so that the answer could throw light into the matter. He also said to the participants that as torch bearers of the town and the community, they must update themselves and disseminate the knowledge on RTI to the lower section of the people, especially to those in the villages so that their rights are protected.In Mon, the RTI week was held at Deputy Commissioner's conference hall Mon town with Relise Sangtam, EAC Mon as the chairperson and Rohbi Sangtam EAC and Tumben P. Tsanglao EAC as the resource persons under National Information Commission. There was an interaction hour among the NGO & CSO leaders and resource persons. The programme was attended by NGO leaders from Konyak Union, KNSK, Konyak Students Union and CSO leaders of all the ward presidents and Gaon Burhas, the reports said. UNI AS RN SHS 1305 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0311-980399.Xml
The Nagaland Cabinet of Ministers of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) has appealed to the Coordination Committee on Fuel Adulteration (CCoFA) to call off the proposed NH 29 bandh, by assuring that the charge sheets would be filed and submitted within the next ten days. According to the official sources this was contained in a communiqu issued by Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang and officiating Chief Secretary R B Thong after the emergency meeting of the State Cabinet that was held yesterday in the residential office of the Chief Minister Nagaland.The Cabinet deliberated on the representation submitted by the CCoFA, demanding the transfer of two fuel adulteration cases to CBI and the proposed bandh to begin from tomorrow, on October 17, in the event the demand was not met. In the joint communique, Mr Zeliang and officiating Mr Thong stated that the Cabinet made a three-point resolution after due deliberation of the issue and also taking in consideration of the detailed SIT report on the progress of the investigation, with inputs from the Chief Secretary and DGP along with other officers. The three resolutions, which included, as the investigation by the SIT is in advance stage, it is not advisable to change the investigation agency at this juncture. The DGP was directed to instruct the SIT to submit an interim report to the Government and also file charge sheets in the court within the next 10 days.And the Chief Secretary would convey the decision of the Cabinet to the representatives of the CCoFA and in the light of substantial progress made by SIT, whose mandate is to comprehensively cover the subject matter as given in the two FIRs and also the fact that the charge sheets would be submitted in 10 days, ask them to call off the proposed bandh on National Highways from tomorrow, the 17th October. It may be mentioned that the CCoFA, comprising of over 20 civil society organizations, had on September 23 served a 15-day ultimatum on the Nagaland Government, demanding that the CBI be brought in for a thorough investigation into the fuel adulteration racket and to re-arrest all the alleged fuel adulteration kingpins, who were released on bail. The CCoFA was not satisfied with the state inquiry, as the case is a huge scandal, where the inclusion of several bureaucrats and Ministers cannot be denied, for which CCoFA demanded CBI inquiry. UNI AS RN SHS 1321 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0311-980407.Xml
The case has been registered under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) in connection with the recovery of confidential Defence Ministry documents from his house in South Delhi's Defence Colony.

The FIR was registered on Friday by Colonel Puneet Ahuja, an officer posted in the Ministry of Defence, alleging that the Ministry is the custodian of the classified documents that were recovered in the raid.

According to the FIR the documents pertain to policy planning and Force Development branch of the Defence Ministry.

Bhandari is already under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income-Tax (I-T) Department for allegedly holding a 'benami' property in London.

The IT Department had been carrying out an investigation against Bhandari and the OIS Group in connection with a tax evasion case.

Earlier in June, the IT Department carried out searches on two Bengaluru-based business premises associated with defence consultant Sanjay Bhandari, who is under investigation for ascertaining the sources of about Rs.70 crore received by his companies between 2009 and 2014. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held bilateral discussion with Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit which is underway here today. Union Minister for External Affairs Shushma Swaraj, Ministry of External Affairs spokersperson Vikas Swarup and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were part of Indian delegation.Earlier, the Prime Minister held bilateral talks with Sri Lanka President Maithripala Srisena on the sidelines of BRICS Summit which entered second and concluding day today.Mr Srisena and Mr Tobgya were here to attend BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit in Goa.UNI AKM SDR SHS 1403 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0431-980477.Xml
Patna police have seized 350 bottles of foreign liquor from Nawada and Banka districts and arrested four bootleggers in this connection.The accused were identified as Pappu Paswan and Santosh Kumar alias Mojar.A Nawada report said that liquor was seized from a truck on National Highway 82 near Nadriganj village under the same police station area in the district by the police, following a tip off. The consignment was being smuggled from Jharkhand, when it was intercepted by the police. An intensive interrogation of nabbed bootleggers is on to nab other members of their gang. Banka report claimed that 15 bottles of foreign liquor were seized at Mirzapur village under Barahar police station area in the district. UNI DH AD SDR RJ 1648 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-980644.Xml
With the party's rank and file totally confused and the election campaign in haywire, the dispute within the first family of the ruling Samajwadi Party could witness a 'truce' for the time being, with the focus now shifting on the party's Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2017 polls. With total confusion prevailing in the SP and even rumours of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav floating a new party with an election symbol of ' Motorcycle' going on in political circles, the family members have now rallied behind Akhilesh for making him the party's CM candidate after SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday announced that the new legislators will elect the Chief Minister. Though some of the senior leaders claimed that the father-son dual had reached such a point that there was no chance of return of any compromise, but still a section of the leader were trying for a truce so that the party was saved and they can go united in the elections. However, the UP ministers, MLAs and the 163 SP candidates, whose names have been announced so far, are the harried lot in this dispute, as now voters have started asking them on which side they are-- in Akhilesh side or Mulayam. But still the bickerings continued after SP state president Shivpal Yadav yesterday said that he will propose Mr Akhilesh's name for the post of Chief Minister, if the party returned to power in the 2017 Assembly elections. Mr Shivpal made this comment in Etawah yesterday, but he did not elaborate and said there was no question of projecting him as the CM face now. "The whole Samajwadi family is united, and if SP returns to power, I will myself propose Akhilesh's name for the post of Chief Minister," said Mr Shivpal. "Some people enjoy power out of sheer destiny and some due to family legacy, while there are some who do not get what they deserve, despite hard work. But, I feel satisfied serving people and I have the blessings of 'Netaji' (Mulayam Singh Yadav)," said Mr Shivpal, making an indirect comment on Mr Akhilesh. However, the ongoing tussle in Samajwadi Party's first family took a new turn and a new ray of hope for conciliation emerged, when party General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav shot off a letter to his cousin and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, cautioning him that he (Mulayam) would be held responsible, if the party's fortunes plunged in the forthcoming Assembly elections.Writing this terse letter yesterday, a day after Mulayam said that MLAs and parliamentary board would select the next CM, Ram Gopal said in it that Akhilesh was undoubtedly the most popular leader of the state and under him, UP has seen unprecedented development works. Ram Gopal said if SP has to win the elections, Akhilesh must be made its CM face. He has warned that Mulayam could take any decision that he wanted, but if the party's tally fell below 100, he alone would be held responsible. "The same people who worship you for raising Samajwadi Party and would hold you responsible for its decline also. History is ruthless. It spares no one," Ram Gopal has said. Indirectly referring to the way Akhilesh was being hounded within the party and the family, Ram Gopal has written: "The turn of events in the past few days have left the cadre in a state of dejection. It has also given rise to resentment against party leadership." Ram Gopal's intervention has come at a time when Akhilesh's leadership was being questioned and he was being attacked within the party and the family. When Mulayam received this letter in Delhi, he immediately rushed to Ram Gopal's residence and the two got closeted for over three hours to sort out their differences. Ram Gopal has started his letter with an emotional pitch recalling how Mulayam had raised and established the party with his hard work and how it achieved a thumping majority in 2012. Then he mentions the party's supporters are pained over the manner the party which was on the top had been forced to decline due to wrong advice of a handful of people around him. 'Those who are advising you are zero in the people's eyes," Ram Gopal has told Mulayam. Ram Gopal has cautioned Mulayam against these advisers, saying that due to their "ill-advice", the party's prospects in the assembly polls would take a beating. The Rajya Sabha member is considered on the side of Akhilesh in the present family feud. In 2012, it was Ram Gopal who first proposed Akhilesh's name as the next CM and openly questioned the way Mulayam removed Akhilesh from the state chief's post and appointed Shivpal Yadav last month.UNI MB SDR RJ 1538 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-980302.Xml
Irrigation officials today said the release of water to TamilNadu which was released as per the apex court directions so far was nowput down, due to alarming depletion in the KRS reservoir and theother dams upstream, since last night.

Sources said the river water was stopped as goods rainsdownstream KRS was bringing good inflows into Tamil Nadu beyondBelegondlu gauge centre on the border in Chamarajangara district.

Sources said authorities will provide detailed information onjustifying the move before the Supreme Court during the hearing ofthe case on October 18, besides driving home the point that theKarnataka Government had complied with the SC order directing it torelease 2,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu daily from October 6 to 17.

The water levels in the Cauvery reservoirs continued to fall inthe last two weeks, The Water level at KRS, with an inflow of 870cusecs and an outflow of 238 cusecs. The level at KRS stood at 81.20ft. against an optimum level of 124.80 ft. This is compared to thelevel of 108.77 ft reported on this day last year, sources said.UNI BSP RS CS 1705

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0287-980690.Xml
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who arrived at Kullu today to preside over the conclusion of the Week-long International Dussehra Festival, met the relatives of Justin Alexander Shetler, a 35-year-old adventurer and social worker from the US, who went missing from Parvati Valley, almost a month ago. Shelter's mother, C Susanne Reeb, who has come from the US and Jonathan Sleeks, a family friend from the United Kingdom, urged the Chief Minister to help them and speed up the rescue and research operations.The Chief Minister on their request offered the services of his official helicopter, which took off today from Bhuntar to conduct search of the missing trekker carrying along Justin's mother and other family friend, Jonathen along with police team. He assured of all possible assistance from the Government in tracing Shetler. Meanwhile, FIR had been lodged with the Kullu police as Susanne firmly believes that the Naga Baba with whom her son stayed for few days somewhere near Mantalai lake, has hand in his kidnapping.The relatives of Justin Alexander thanked the Chief Minister for services of his official helicopter for searching the missing trekker.Meanwhile, SP Kullu Shri Padam Chand said that two sortie would be conducted today to search the missing trekker. He said that two teams of police had been deployed to conduct search operations on foot in interiors of Parbati Valley.Naga Baba had been detained by the police and he was being questioned. He said that the porter, Shri Anil had been accompanying the team of police who had gone on foot to conduct the search operations, though Baba's porter is also under scanner. He said the police was making all out efforts to find Justin. Earlier, Shetlers mother had hired a private chopper to search for her son and urged the Government for helping her to find out her son through official helicopter too.UNI ML KS AKC RJ 1734 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0292-980539.Xml
Urging Punjabis the world over to celebrate the occasion in a spirit of compassion and humanitarianism, Captain Singh said the spiritual teachings of Sri Guru Ram Dass ji continue to lead us like a beacon of light.

''The world is today caught in the grip of a multitude of problems and Sri Guru Ram Dass ji's philosophy can show us the way to get out of those,'' said Captain Singh, adding that the values the great spiritual leader had lived for, continue to hold relevance for everyone, even today.UNI JS SDR RJ 1852

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held bilateral talks with Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit which is underway here today. Briefing media persons about the meeting, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, ''The Bhutan Prime Minister said the people and the government of Bhutan were deeply concerned at the deteriorating security situation in the region, caused entirely on account of terrorism. He said terrorism in all its forms is unacceptable, but cross border terrorism and he specifically used the word cross border terrorism is truly the worst form of terrorism. He said the whole region and the international community had stood with India in the aftermath of the Uri terrorist attacks and Bhutan stands shoulder to shoulder with India.'' ''In particular, he praised Prime Minister's leadership on the issue, both diplomatically and on the ground. He then conveyed his appreciation for government of India's assistance which is touching the lines of every Bhutanese. In this context, he referred to the 84 big projects which are being implemented with Indian assistance and the 595 small development projects which he said had reached every village and town of Bhutan. He also said that people of Bhutan fondly recall that the Prime Minister had chosen as the first country for his first overseas trip after he became Prime Minister. He talked about two or three projects that had been announced during the Prime Minister's visit. He said that the e-library project had been going very well and 72 schools had joined that project. He praised the initiative to double the Nehru-Wangchuk scholarships which have now enabled young Bhutanese to access some of the best educational institutes in India.'' The Prime Minister thanked the Bhutan counterpart for the very strong support that Bhutan had rendered after the Uri terror attack as also the solidarity shown in relation to the SAARC summit and said the co-operation in the hydro-electrical sector was very significant because it was also contributing to offsetting carbon dioxide emissions. ''There was a discussion on the upcoming 50 years of diplomatic ties between India and Bhutan which is coming up in 2018 and he sought PM's advise and suggestions as to how both countries could celebrate the occasion in a befitting manger,'' Mr Swarup said. Union Minister for External Affairs Shushma Swaraj, Ministry of External Affairs spokersperson Vikas Swarup and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were part of Indian delegation.UNI AKM SHK 1920 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-980944.Xml
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup today clarified that the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was coincidental and not planned one. Responding to a question during media briefing, Mr Swarup said,"It was entirely coincidental that in the leaders' lounge all three were present at the same time. The bilateral between Nepal and China had already ended, so I don't know on what basis people are calling it a trilateral and all that. It is perfectly normal in a multilateral setting for leaders to be together in a lounge. So I don't think you need to read too much into that." The statement came after reports of about a chance meeting of the three leaders at the hotel where of BRICS Summit was held. ''Chinese president Xi Jinping was already at the lounge, when Prachanda who was waiting for his turn, to head for his own hotel in a designated convoy, entered the lounge and the two leaders got talking. PM Modi was also happened to be there because he was to go with the leaders and they were all to walk together. So it was just entirely coincidental that in the leaders' lounge all three were present at the same time. The bilateral between Nepal and China had already ended,'' the spokesperson said.UNI AKM SHK 1937 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-980972.Xml
Placing the Global Investors Summit scheduled here on October 22 and 23 in the cross-hairs, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Arun Yadav today said that mafia, not capitalists, attended earlier such events and secured allotment of precious government land. "The result of such conclaves has solely been handing over of tracts from the government land bank to investors at economical prices. When will the dispensation tell the public as to how much employment generation was achieved and how many industrial units established as a consequence of such conferences? In the name of summits, the Government is wasting revenue received from the populace's earnings," he told the media here. Returning fire at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya for the latter's statement vis--vis 'schism' in the Congress, Mr Yadav said that Mr Vijayvargiya should first put his own house in order. "The BJP and its regime in this state are divided over the protest against purchase of Chinese products. They are two-faced as on one hand, the dispensation is inviting investors, while on the other, BJP workers are doing objection gimmickry," he added.UNI XC-AC RJ RAI1937 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-980918.Xml
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today expressed shock and grief over the tragic fire incident in village Sukhnai of district Kishtwar, in which a large number of houses were gutted. The Chief Minister has expressed sympathy towards the affected and instructed the divisional and district administration to provide immediate help and support to all those affected due to the devastating blaze. More than 50 houses and other structures were gutted in a devastating fire in the village. However, there was no report of any loss of life.UNI BAS VS RJ 1935 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-980938.Xml
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the first BIMSTEC Outreach Summit to be held today will be an unique opportunity for BRICS and BIMSTEC leaders to hold a conversation on prospects for closer partnership and coordination. Making a statement after conclusion of BRICS Summit here, he said, a highlight of the Goa Summit would be the outreach to the BIMSTEC countries. ''The Heads of State, Heads of Government and Leaders from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, together with India, collectively constitute the BIMSTEC, are in Goa as the special guests to 8th BRICS Summit. The first BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit will be held later today. This will be a unique opportunity for BRICS and BIMSTEC leaders to hold a conversation on prospects for closer partnership and coordination.'' ''As home to nearly two third of humanity, BRICS and BIMSTEC together can potentially unlock immense synergies with huge benefits for all our people,'' he said and thanked the leaders from the BRICS countries for their unqualified support in ensuring a successful 8th BRICS Summit.UNI AKM SM SHK 1925 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-980794.Xml
Union Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister M Venkaiah Naidu will be visiting Bhopal tomorrow to review progress under various new urban missions in Madhya Pradesh.State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Secretary (Urban Development), Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh, central and state level Mission Directors of new urban missions, launched by the Union Government over the last two years, and other senior officials will be participating in scheme-wise review of progress, an official statement said today.Madhya Pradesh is one of the leading States in the country for which substantial investment under different new urban missions have been approved by the Central Government. Most of these investments are under Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), launched in June last year.Since the launch of new urban missions, an investment of Rs 25,515 crore has been approved for improvement of basic infrastructure in cities and towns of Madhya Pradesh.Under Smart City Mission, a total investment of Rs 16,242 crore has been approved under Smart City Plans of 5 mission cities. This includes; Indore--Rs 5,099 crore, Jabalpur--Rs 3,998 crore, Bhopal--Rs 2,719 crore, Gwalior--Rs 2,250 crore and Ujjain--Rs 2,176 crore.Under Smart City Mission, the Central Government provides an assistance of Rs 500 crore per each city selected in the 'City Challenge Competition'.Under Atal Mission, Central Government has approved an investment of Rs 3,707 crore under State Annual Action Plans (SAAP), so far. This includes; Rs 1,656 crore for 2015-16 and Rs 2,081 crore for 2016-17. Under AMRUT, central assistance to be given is in the range of one third to half of the project cost based on population of the cities.Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), construction of 59,061 houses for urban poor in Madhya Pradesh has so far been approved involving an investment of Rs 5,566 crore. Under this scheme, central assistance ranges from Rs 1.00 lakh to Rs 2.30 lakh per house.Mr Naidu and senior officials of Ministries of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation will be visiting one or two states each week for reviewing progress under new urban missions. Such review has so far been done in respect of Gujarat and Goa. Similar review in respect of Kerala will be taken up on October 18.UNI NY RSA RJ 1955 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-980992.Xml
In a message, the Vice President said, "I am saddened to hear of the tragic loss of life in a stampede in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh yesterday. I understand relief and rescue operations are currently underway.

''I join the people of the country in conveying my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wish speedy recovery to the injured persons.''

According to UNI reports from Varanasi/ Chandauli, the situation in Varanasi and its adjoining Chandauli districts normalised today after the stampede at the Jai Guru Dev function on Rajpur Ganga bridge in Ramgnagar area, in which 25 people were killed and over 50 injured.UNI NY RSA RJ 2004

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Three workers were killed and another seriously injured in a boiler explosion at the Tuticorin Thermal Power Station (TTPS), here this evening. Police said as per preliminary information, maintenance work was underway at the 5th unit of TTPS, when the blast occurred. There were three fatalities of workers. The injured worker was rushed to the government hospital in a critical condition. The identity of the deceased and injured workers was not known immediately as the TTPS officials could not be reached for comments. TTPS has five units with a total installed capacity of 1,050 Mega Watts. UNI GSM VS RSA 2047 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-981045.Xml
A teenager who escaped from the Bhiwandi remand home has been arrested by the officials of Thane police here, police said today. Police said a team of police personnel who nabbed the teenager were recognised at a function here by Thane Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. Those felicitated and given cash reward were psi Pravin Ahire, Rushikesh Sapkal, PN, and Sharad Sanap the PC attached to the MFC police station at Kalyan. It was in the month of April last the 22 year old girl was brutally killed by the gang lead by the teenager who also allegedly raped the girl. The gang also stole valuables worth Rs. 1.6 lakhs from the house of the girl. On April 14, the gang broke into an apartment in Kalyan and killed a 22-year-old girl after the minor gang member raped her. The victim had recently appeared for MPSC (Maharashtra Public Service Commission) exams. According to the police the teenager first killed the girl and then raped her and fled with the mobile phone of the victim and started using the same when the police traced and arrested him and three others who were major. Lodged at the Remand home the teenager escaped from the remand home on October 03, and was on the run since then. The thane police did not not give up and continued the hunt for the teenager. It was on Friday the teenage criminal the gang leader came to meet his mother at Milind Nagar when the police who had a tip off and in waiting pounced on him and arrested him the police said. It was few days after the arrest of the teenager his father felt depressed and died, which also left his mother alone. Two teenagers who also escaped along with the arrested are still at large, police added. UNI XR SM SDR RJ 2005 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-980996.Xml
One person was killed and two others sustained injuries as a speeding truck hit their motorcycle today. Sukhwinder Singh, accompanied by his wife Anita and son, was heading to Amritsar to pay obeisance at Sri Durbar sahib on the occasion of Sankranti when the accident took place. As soon they reached PAP chowk, a speeding truck hit the motorcycle killing his wife on the spot and injuring him. Singh and his son, residents of Kailash Nagar in Ludhiana, have been admitted in a private hospital here. UNI XC JS AKC RSA 2046 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-981008.Xml
The 8th BRICS Summit and BIMSTEC Summit Outreach today ended with Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanking the leaders of the two blocks. In his concluding remarks at the plenary session, the Prime Minister said,''I thank all of you for your observations and remarks. We are most encouraged by the optimism and sense of purpose that has marked our conversation today. I am deeply grateful for your ideas and suggestions. We have agreed that the global landscape today called for strengthened partnership both within and between the regions. In this efforts both BRICS and BIMSTEC can play their part and lay a sound basis for building effective solution to global problem. ... I look forward to working with each of you to progress on our discussions and find meaningful modalities for concretising them. In the end let me say that it has been a real honour and immense pleasure in hosting 8th BRICS Summit and BIMSTEC Outreach Summit. I am most grateful to all leaders for their contributions and full support in our work.'' The session was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Jacob Zuma, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Thailand Vice Foreign Minister Virasakdi Futrakul and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.UNI AKM SHK 2147 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-981133.Xml
The Congress on Sunday accused the Narendra Modi government of diverting attention from real issues by raising matters like 'triple talaq' which is already before courts. "The matter is in the Supreme Court and we do not want to get into any controversy. BJP's policy is to divert from the real issues concerning the people," Congress General Secretary in-charge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad told media persons here. "They raise issues like Article 370 and triple talaq just make it a political agenda. We are not going to get into this trap of political agenda," he added. --IANS sid/vd ( 110 Words) 2016-10-16-22:28:08 (IANS)
''Army Jawan identified as Sepoy Sudees Kumar,24, was martyred when Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate and unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts along the Line of Control in Rajouri sector,'' a defence spokesman here said.

He said that martyred Sepoy is survived by his wife and hailed from Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh.

''The Indian Army responded appropriately to the unprovoked firing by the Pakistan Army,'' he added. Earlier in the morning after a brief lull, Pakistan violated the ceasefire in Nowshera Sector.

"Pakistani troops this morning fired unprovoked at forward Indian posts on the Line of Control in Nowshera sector," the spokesman said.

He said Pakistan fired small arms, adding that , "Our troops responded effectively and gave a befitting reply to the enemy." Intermittent firing lasted for some time but ended at 0800 hrs.UNI VBH VS RSA 2226

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Targeting Pakistan once again, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the time for condemning the state sponsored terrorism was long gone, and it was time to stand up and act, and act decisively. Addressing the first BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit here, the Prime Minister said terrorism had become the neighbouring country's favourite child, and the child was now in turn defining the fundamental character and nature of its parent. ''It is, therefore, imperative for BRICS and BIMSTEC to create a comprehensive response to secure our societies against the perpetrators of terror,'' Mr Modi said. The Summit was attended by heads of all BRICS nations and of BIMSTEC countries. However, Thailand was represented by Vice Foreign Minister Virasakdi Futrakul. The Prime Minister said terrorism, radicalisation, and transnational crimes posed grave threats to each of the nations as geographical barriers and borders posed no limitations on those who wished to harm the societies. '' They not only threaten the lives of our nationals, but also block the march towards economic prosperity,'' he said. He said though BRICS and BIMSTEC had been shaped by different contexts, and were located in different geographies, they, representing two thirds of humanity, were joined by a common vision and commitment to peace, stability and development. ''They were also united by similar challenges and concerns that shape our domestic choices and international partnerships. ''India is privileged to belong to both these groups,'' he said. Unequal development, food and energy insecurity, poverty eradication, the impact of climate change, and the growing threats posed by terrorism and transnational crime were the main challenges of BRICS and BIMSTEC nations, Mr Modi said. But, he noted, alongside these challenges, there existed a large basket of economic opportunities. ''With 1.5 billion people and a combined GDP of 2.5 trillion US Dollars, the countries of BIMSTEC have shared aspirations for growth, development, commerce, and technology. ''Their quest for economic prosperity can shape the agenda for building economic partnerships with BRICS,'' Mr Modi said. Similarly, BRICS represents large emerging economies, G-20 member-states and two permanent members of the Security Council, and its linkages with BIMSTEC economies will enlarge the regional and global sphere of dynamic growth and prosperity, he said. The convergence of purpose and priorities between BRICS and BIMSTEC provides a perfect opportunity to shape ties in the fields of energy, agriculture, technology, fisheries, and culture, and structure trade, investment and commercial partnerships, he said. These countries should pool resources to fight terrorism and transnational crime, he added. ''To me, the areas of Commerce, Connectivity, Culture, Security and Disaster Management appear promising in identifying collaborative possibilities,'' the Prime Minister said. He said connectivity, including digital, was one of the areas in which BIMSTEC countries could benefit from cooperation with BRICS countries. He also identified health, skills, education, and other services as the areas of cooperation and said India will be happy to take a lead in this direction. UNI AKM/NAZ RSA 2203 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0104-981178.Xml
A 35-year-old RSS worker, who was also a BJP office-bearer, was hacked to death by a group of people in the busy Cantonment area in the city today. Police sources said eight people were returning from a RSS meet in Shivajinagar police limits and the deceased, identified as R Rudresh, was attacked by a group of people who came in motorcycles. They attacked the RSS worker with machetes before escaping. A police official said they had clues over the identity of the assailants and they would be apprehended soon. The incident occurred at the busy Halasur locality in the city when eight people, including Rudresh, were returning from a RSS meet. Only the deceased was wearing RSS uniform while others were wearing formal dress. Eyewitness sources said the motorcycle-borne youths attacked the RSS worker in a flash and fled the scene before others accompanying him could realise what was happening. They tried to catch the attackers but they fled the scene. Rudresh is said to be the president of Shivajinagar shakha of the RSS and secretary of the BJP Shivajinaga Assembly segment. He was returning after participating in a 'patha sanchalana' routinely conducted at the local RSS 'shakha'. Sources said a business feud could be behind the attack on Rudresh who was a real estate agent and a milk vendor. UNI RS VS RSA 2319 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-981193.Xml
State Department spokesperson Mark Toner on Saturday said that consular officers from the US Embassy in Muscat, stood ready to provide all possible assistance, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We are deeply grateful to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and the Government of Oman for their assistance in facilitating and supporting the release of our citizens," Toner said, adding "We recognise the humanitarian gesture by the Houthis in releasing these US citizens."

The US calls for the "immediate and unconditional" release of any other American citizens who may still be held, the spokesman added.

A Houthi official said on Saturday that his group released the two US nationals detained in Yemen's capital Sanaa on charges of espionage in a deal meditated by Oman in return for allowing a Houthi delegation to return home.

"We handed over the Americans to Omani authorities on Saturday ... they will be airlifted through the same Omani plane that carried the national (Houthi delegation) and arrived in Sanaa at noon," the official told Xinhua news agency.

He said that one of the Americans is an English teacher who was arrested on September 21.

--IANS ksk

( 222 Words)

2016-10-16-09:48:07 (IANS)
May will visit India from November 6 to 8 accompanied by a business delegation, according to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry.

"She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership," the statement said.

"The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit," it stated.

In July, May succeeded David Cameron who resigned as Prime Minister after 52 per cent of voters in Britain opted to exit from the European Union in a historic referendum held on June 23.

Modi met with May on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, in September.

"During the visit, Prime Minister May alongside Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India," the External Affairs Ministry statement said.

"The Summit will be an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business-to-business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, IPRs (intellectual property rights) and higher education," it stated.

The two sides agreed to hold the summit when former Prime Minister David Cameron hosted Modi during a bilateral visit to Britain in November 2015.

--IANS ab/ksk

( 254 Words)

2016-10-16-10:18:09 (IANS)
US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, fighting to overcome setbacks and polls showing a tough path to the White House, doubled down on his claim that the US election is rigged against him.Trump challenged accusations from several women that he made unwanted sexual advances toward them. Trump spokesman Jason Miller denied a new allegation that surfaced yesterday, saying there was "no way" Trump had kissed a woman without permission 20 years ago at his Florida resort.Trump told an outdoor rally in New Hampshire yesterday that the media was sharing the accusations against him to boost Democrat Hillary Clinton and damage his own White House hopes.Trump has presented no evidence for claims he has made for months that the election could be fixed to prevent him from reaching the Oval Office. Leaders on both sides of the political spectrum worry that this rhetoric, which supporters sometimes repeat in interviews, undermines the democratic process."It looks to me like a rigged election," Trump said in New Hampshire. "The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing completely false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect her president."He started the day tweeting several times that the election was being swayed by a media conspiracy."This election is being rigged by the media pushing false and unsubstantiated charges, and outright lies, in order to elect Crooked Hillary!" he said in one Twitter post. He reiterated similar claims at a later rally in Bangor, Maine.Clinton, a former US secretary of state, led Trump by seven percentage points in the most recent Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll of voters. A new analysis found she was heavily favored to reach the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the presidency.Trump's campaign said on Saturday it had raised a total of 100 million dollars in September, mostly from small donors but also including a 2 million dollars monthly contribution from Trump.At the same time, the campaign squabbled with the Republican party in Ohio, a key swing state in the November 8 election, whose Republican leaders have not been shy about concerns with Trump.Yesterday, Trump's Ohio state director released a letter saying that Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges "no longer has any affiliation" with the campaign. Borges responded that the state party had been actively helping Trump there.Trump's speech in New Hampshire was intended to focus on a plan to end deaths caused by opioid overdoses, something he often mentions on the campaign trail. But he deviated from policy proposals to air his allegations of election-rigging and his response to new groping accusations, 24 days before the election.Trump has been fending off the accusations since the release of a 2005 video in which he was recorded bragging about making unwanted sexual advances toward women. Trump has said the boasts were merely words and he has denied each of the allegations.The latest woman to come forward, Cathy Heller, 63, of New York, told the Guardian newspaper that in or around 1997, Trump kissed her on the lips upon first meeting her during a Mother's Day brunch at his Florida estate. She told the newspaper she leaned away, then turned her head, and he kissed the side of her mouth.Reuters could not confirm the allegations by Heller, who has contributed to Clinton's campaign. The Guardian said it spoke to a relative who saw part of the interaction."There is no way that something like this would have happened in a public place on Mother's Day at Mr. Trump's resort," Miller, the Trump spokesman, said in a statement. "It would have been the talk of Palm Beach for the past two decades."On Saturday, Trump deemed "crazy" another woman, Jessica Leeds, now 74, who said he groped her on an airplane in or around 1980.He also denied allegations of unwanted contact by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on Trump's show "The Apprentice," who said he kissed her during a meeting about a possible job. Trump said Zervos' first cousin called her a "huge fan of Donald Trump," referring to a letter the campaign released to media.Trump also told the New Hampshire crowd that he and Clinton were "like athletes" gearing up for the final presidential debate on Wednesday in Las Vegas, and he implied Clinton might have been on drugs during their last match-up."I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate," Trump said. "In the beginning of her last debate she was all pumped up at the beginning and at the end she was like uh, take me down."REUTERS JW0413 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-980134.Xml
British Prime Minister Theresa May will lead a delegation of small and medium-size businesses to India in November as part of efforts to bolster trade with countries outside the European Union as Britain prepares to leave the bloc.The November 6-8 trip, May's first bilateral visit to a country outside Europe since she took office in July, will be in pursuit of her ambition of forging a new global role for Britain after it leaves the European Union, May's Downing Street office said in a statement.The European Commission is responsible for trade negotiations for the EU and some countries have said they will not negotiate a new deal for Britain until it has actually left the bloc."As we embark on the trade mission to India we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade," May was quoted as saying.She said past trade missions had focused on big business, but she wanted to adopt a new approach and would take small and medium companies from every region of the United Kingdom.Among them will be Geolang, a cyber security company based in Cardiff in Wales, Torftech, a biomass energy company based in southeast England, and Telensa, a company focused on high-tech wireless street lighting systems, based in Cambridge.May will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her visit, and the two heads of government will together inaugurate a tech summit in New Delhi.Liam Fox, Britain's secretary of state for international trade, will join the visit, during which a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed. REUTERS JW -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-980148.Xml
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today it was "highly likely" that Scotland would hold a new independence referendum before 2020 after Britain voted to leave the European Union.Asked on ITV's Peston today programme whether she would anticipate a second Scottish referendum before 2020, Sturgeon said: "I think it is highly likely given the situation we're in ... If anything what has happened since then has probably made me think that even more so than I did the morning after the referendum."Scotland voted by a large margin to remain in the European Union, while overall Britain voted to leave in a referendum that has reignited talk of a split between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. Scots rejected independence two years ago.Sturgeon told her Scottish National Party's annual conference last week the devolved government was preparing for all possibilities including independence after Britain leaves the EU. REUTERS AKC RAI1533 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-980571.Xml
Somali security forces shut down a newspaper and arrested an editor, the Somali journalists' union said today, the latest crackdown in what reporters say is a climate of intimidation.Intelligence officers stormed the offices of Xog Ogaal, confiscating computers and cameras, and detained an editor, Abdi Adan Guled, on Saturday night, the National Union of Somali Journalists said."This has all the hallmarks of state security harassment and hounding of a leading independent journalist," said Omar Faruk Osman, the union's secretary general. "Abdi Adan Guled is the latest victim in a prevailing situation of persecution of independent voices in the Somali media."It was unclear why Guled was arrested, but the union said it was the first time the government had acted against the paper, which has been publishing since 1991.Somali authorities did not return calls seeking comment. Security forces and officials frequently detain or threaten journalists whose coverage has offended them.Many media houses are concerned that intimidation will increase when twice-delayed presidential elections are finally held. They are currently scheduled for Nov. 30.Somalia has been convulsed by instability, violence and lawlessness since early 1990s following the toppling of military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.The Islamist insurgency, al Shabaab, also frequently targets journalists. At least 32 journalists were killed in Somalia from 2010 to 2015, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.REUTERS VS RAI2230 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-981172.Xml
The Islamic State-allied faction of Boko Haram which last week freed 21 of more than 200 Chibok girls kidnapped in April 2014 in northeast Nigeria is willing to negotiate the release of 83 more of the girls, the president's spokesman said today.Around 220 girls were taken from their school in 2014 in Chibok in northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people.A faction of the militant group released 21 of the girls on Thursday after the Red Cross and the Swiss government brokered a deal. They were brought from the northeastern city of Maiduguri to the capital Abuja to meet state officials."These 21 released girls are supposed to be tale bearers to tell the Nigerian government that this faction of Boko Haram has 83 more Chibok girls," Garba Shehu, spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone."The faction said it is ready to negotiate if the government is willing to sit down with them," said Shehu, adding that the state is prepared to negotiate with the branch of Boko Haram.The Islamic State-allied splinter group said the rest of the kidnapped Chibok girls were with the part of Boko Haram under the control of figurehead Abubakar Shekau, according to Shehu.Boko Haram has apparently split with a big group moving away from Shekau over his failure to adhere to guidance from the Iraq- and Syria-based Islamic State, which in August named Musab al-Barnawi as its new leader for West Africa.But that appointment was later dismissed in a 10-minute audio clip on social media by a man purporting to be Shekau, exposing divisions within the jihadist group that has plagued Nigeria and neighbours Chad, Niger and Cameroon.Information Minister Lai Mohammed on Thursday denied reports that the state had swapped captured Boko Haram fighters for their release and said he was not aware if any ransom had been paid. He said a Nigerian army operation against Boko Haram would continue.In recent days, the Nigerian army has been carrying out an offensive in the Sambisa forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram.The militants controlled a swathe of land around the size of Belgium at the start of 2015, but Nigeria's army has recaptured most of the territory. The group still stages suicide bombings in the northeast, as well as in neighbouring Niger and Cameroon.REUTERS VS BL2305 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-981179.Xml
French President Francois Hollande has said he does not plan to ease the pressure on Russia over its support for the Syrian government in its fight against rebels, but that he remains ready to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war, a regional French newspaper reported today.Putin cancelled an Oct. 19 visit to Paris after Hollande said he would see him only to talk about Syria."Vladimir Putin does not want to seriously discuss Syria. I am ready at any time, but I will not ease the pressure," Hollande said in the interview, published on Sunday evening.He added that the absolute priorities were a cessation of bombing, a ceasefire, humanitarian aid and the opening of negotiations. REUTERS VS RAI2329 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-981203.Xml
Jonathan O'Dea, the New South Wales Parliamentary Secretary for Major Events and Tourism, speaks during the "Shanghai Night" gala dinner in Sydney, Australia, Oct. 15, 2016. Australia will leverage its tourism exports to build people-to-people and country-to-country relationships, developing a deeper cultural understanding to foster wider business development in the Asian century, the "Shanghai Night" gala dinner on Saturday heard. (Xinhua/Zhu Hongye)

SYDNEY, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Australia will leverage its tourism exports to build people-to-people and country-to-country relationships, developing a deeper cultural understanding to foster wider business development in the Asian century, the "Shanghai Night" gala dinner on Saturday heard.

Australia's economic future is tied up in the Asian region however business leaders have consistently argued knowledge of foreign language and cultures has been lagging.

The issue can be pinpointed to Australia's dire language education sector where changes from compulsory to language learning in junior years to voluntary in secondary and tertiary education have been falling. The proportion of grade-12 students studying a foreign language in Australia has dropped from 40 percent in the 1960s to 12 percent in the present school year, according to Asia Education Foundation.

"Tourism fosters a deeper knowledge and understanding of each other's culture, values and institutions, and provides opportunities to form new friendships and professional relationships that will endure for many years," Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a message to the "Shanghai Night" gala dinner on Saturday.

"Shanghai Night" at the New South Wales state Parliament House culminated "Shanghai Week in NSW" that began on Thursday, a promotional campaign by the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Authority to foster two-way tourism with Australia's largest city, Sydney.

The resemblance between Shanghai and Sydney was the only reason the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Authority needed to host "Shanghai week in NSW" in Australia's largest city, the Economic and Commercial Councillor at the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Sydney Wang Hongbo told the dinner.

"Both are very open, both are huge and metropolitan, and both are really valuing this idea of multiculturalism, this idea of mutual understanding" Wang said.

Tourism isn't just about economic success and driving sustainable development, but increasing people to people links where differences are appreciated, but commonalties and values are developed and explored.

"The more Australian visitor that comes to Shanghai, the more Shanghai needs to come to Australia," Shanghai Municipal Tourism Authority vice chairman Cheng Meihay said.

"The closer that we come together, the better we understand each other, the more opportunities to further engagement at every level including tourism, trade and culture."

Shanghai Week in NSW was just a warm up for the 2017 China-Australia Year of Tourism where both governments will implement a program of events to promote a strong relationship through two-way tourism.
KUNMING, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- After three years of clinical practice in India, Bechu Shelley Mathew returned to his alma mater in China for his graduate studies.

A native of Thrissur in India's Kerala State, Mathew, 28, is now majoring in anesthesiology at West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

Mathew studied medicine at the same university nearly 10 years ago, attracted by its good reputation as well as the mild climate and tasty food in Sichuan Province.

"More importantly, I was interested in the differences between the Chinese and the Indians, in medicine and in culture," he said.

Mathew believes traditional Chinese medicine and ayurveda have their respective strengths. Further medical exchanges between the two countries will hopefully cure more complicated diseases and serve for the benefit of the Chinese and Indian people, he said.

"Before I came to China, I thought very few Chinese were able to speak or understand English," he said.

To his surprise, language was seldom a problem and learning Chinese was not a pressing task. "As a result, my progress in Chinese is sluggish."

Medical students from other countries are not rare at Chinese universities, as a result of intensified cooperation between China and its Asian neighbors in the medical and public health sectors in recent years.

Khin May Than's decision to study medicine in China was a coincidence.

She was attending university in Myanmar's Mandalay when she fractured her leg in 2012. "My parents sent me to a Chinese hospital for treatment, as medical conditions in Myanmar were poor."

During her treatment in China, she missed a major test. "Unwilling to revise for the same course again in the new semester, I chose to continue my studies in China," she said.

She attended a vocational school in Dehong Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province, just a six-hour drive from her hometown Namkham.

This summer she completed a month-long internship at Dehong Hospital, bringing her one step closer to being qualified for clinical practice.

Dehong Hospital received nearly 6,000 in-patients from Myanmar between 2011 and 2015 and conducted more than 2,000 operations, said Shao Guorong, the hospital's Party secretary.

Last year, the hospital's out-patient department treated more than 50,000 patients from Myanmar, he said.

"Meanwhile, medical workers from Myanmar often visit the hospital for academic exchanges, clinical consultations and training," said Shao.

At a recently concluded forum on public health and disease prevention for China, Bangladesh, India and Myanmar in Dehong Prefecture, the delegates agreed these Asian neighbors should enhance cooperation in their fight against epidemics including malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis and dengue.

Following the forum, Dehong vocational school signed an MOU with Bangladesh National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine for academic exchanges and cooperation.

"The two sides will work together more closely on disease prevention and control, and will carry out personnel exchanges and joint research projects," said Sha Yuzhuang, head of the Dehong vocational school.

Medical cooperation is also going on with many other Asian neighbors including Nepal, Laos and Vietnam, hoping to build up a cross-border mechanism to safeguard public health.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks at a press conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, June 24, 2016. (Xinhua/Scottish government)

LONDON, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon announced Saturday plans to open an investment hub in Germany's capital city of Berlin as part of a four-point plan to show the world that Scotland is open for business.

The Scottish first minister outlined her plans in a closing keynote speech to the annual SNP conference in Glasgow.

Her 45-minute speech, which earned a standing ovation from a packed conference hall, made it clear that a self-rule Scotland, separate from the United Kingdom, remained her goal.

"Make no mistake, the threat to our economy is not just the prospect of losing our place in the single market, disastrous though that would be. It is also the deeply damaging, and utterly shameful, message that the Tories' rhetoric about foreign workers is sending to the world."

"More than ever we need to tell our European friends that Scotland is open for business," she said.

In a reference to two of the ministers chosen by Prime Minister Theresa May to spearhead Britain's exit from Brussels, Sturgeon said: "We cannot trust the likes of Boris Johnson and Liam Fox to do that for us."

She then announced her four-point plan to boost trade and exports, by taking Scotland's message "directly and in our own voice" to the very heart of Europe.

"We will establish a new Board of Trade in the Scottish government. Secondly, we will set up a new trade envoy scheme, asking prominent Scots to help us boost our export effort," said Sturgeon.

"Thirdly, we will establish permanent trade representation in Berlin, adding to our Investment hubs in Dublin, London and Brussels. And, fourthly, we will more than double the number of Scottish Development International staff working across Europe," added Sturgeon.

In another attack of May's London-based government, Sturgeon said: "The difference between the Scottish and Westminster governments is this. They are retreating to the fringes of Europe: we intend to stay at its very heart, where Scotland belongs."

Sturgeon outlined more spending on the National Health Service in Scotland, a new phase in this childcare revolution with the first ever review of its kind into the way children in care are looked after.

She also said hundreds more business would soon be paying workers a living wage, and more smaller firms would soon be exempt from paying any business rates.

Describing the SNP as the only effective opposition in the Westminster parliament, Sturgeon was critical of both the main opposition Labour Party as well as the ruling Conservatives.

Saying she first joined the SNP 30 years ago, Sturgeon said in all of those years she never doubted Scotland will one day become an "independent country", adding: "I believe it today more strongly than ever".

"I've always known that it will happen only when a majority of our fellow citizens believe that becoming independent is the best way to build a better future, together," said Sturgeon.

"And make no mistake, it is the opponents of independence, those on the right of the Tory party, intent on a hard Brexit, who have caused the insecurity and uncertainty. Independence would bring its own challenges, but with independence, the solutions will lie in our own hands."

She concluded her speech with a rallying call: "The time is coming to put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands. Let's get on with building the country we know Scotland can be."

Earlier this week at the start of the conference, Sturgeon announced that legislation would be presented to the Scottish Parliament next week to pave the way for a second referendum on a split from London.

Two years ago Scottish people voted to stay as part of the UK, but on May 23, by more than 60 percent they voted to stay as part of the EU.

Sturgeon wants Scotland to have access to the EU's single market, even if Britain quits Europe. But the message from London has been that as the majority of people of Britain voted to leave the EU, all parts of the UK would sever ties with Brussels.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 15, 2016. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

GOA, India, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin here Saturday, and the two sides vowed to advance bilateral ties and boost cooperation within multilateral frameworks.

Xi arrived in the western Indian state of Goa earlier in the day for the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

He recalled that leaders of the five countries met last month on the sidelines of the 11th summit of the Group of 20 major economies in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, where they had an in-depth exchange of views on promoting BRICS cooperation and reached many important consensuses.

China, said the president, hopes that the BRICS summit in Goa will achieve positive results and inject new impetus into BRICS cooperation.

As China will hold the rotating chair of BRICS in 2017, Beijing stands ready to work with Russia and all other parties concerned to make a success of the ninth summit, he added.

Noting that both China and Russia are permanent members of the UN Security Council and major emerging-market countries, Xi said the two countries should strengthen coordination and cooperation within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and other multilateral frameworks.

The two sides, he added, should jointly promote a more just and reasonable international order and safeguard the interests of the emerging-market countries and developing countries.

Recalling that he and Putin held a fruitful meeting last month in Hangzhou and reached important consensuses on advancing the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, he said the two sides should now earnestly push for their implementation.

Putin, for his part, said he is delighted to see that Russia and China have maintained close communication at high levels and in various fields, which is very important to consolidating bilateral ties.

Russia is committed to enhancing cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks and supports China in hosting the ninth BRICS summit next year, he added.

Calling China an important economic partner of Russia, Putin said his country is willing to deepen cooperation with the Chinese side in such areas as energy, transport infrastructure, aviation manufacturing and space.

Moscow, he said, also supports the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union in aligning its development strategies with the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt initiative and carrying out cooperation with the Chinese side.

The two leaders also had an in-depth exchange of views on the Korean Peninsula situation and other global and regional issues of shared concern.

They agreed to maintain close communication and coordination to jointly safeguard peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the common interests of the two countries as well.

India holds the rotating chair of BRICS this year, and a summit has been scheduled for the weekend in the coastal state of Goa.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. aerospace firm Orbital ATK is expected to launch its sixth resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday evening, using an upgraded version of its Antares rocket that exploded on liftoff two years ago.

If everything goes well, the two-stage booster, powered by new RD-181 engines from Russia and carrying a Cygnus cargo ship, will blast off from Virginia's Wallops Flight Facility at 8:03 p.m. EDT (0003 GMT Monday).

Under the U.S. space agency NASA's commercial resupply services contract, Cygnus will carry to the ISS more than 5,100 pounds (2,313 kilograms) of science and research in support of dozens of research investigations, as well as crew supplies and hardware.

The new experiments will include an investigation that looks at fuels that "burn very hot at first, and then appear to go out, but actually continue to burn at a much lower temperature with no visible flames," NASA said.

"Data from this investigation could help scientists develop more efficient advanced engines and new fuels for use in space and on Earth," it said in a statement.

Cygnus is also carrying a new station research facility that will enable a new class of research experiments by allowing precise control of motion in the microgravity environment aboard the ISS.

Particularly, an experiment that interests many is the Spacecraft Fire Experiment II (Saffire II), which studies how flames grow in space, but it will occur after Cygnus leaves the space station and before it re-enters Earth's atmosphere.

NASA said nine experimental samples of varying materials will burn for Saffire II inside an empty Cygnus resupply vehicle.

The space agency has planned three such experiments, and the first took place in June at the end of Cygnus's fifth ISS resupply mission.

Also onboard were a lighting system studying the effect of lighting on sleep and daily rhythms, a tablet app collecting health-related data, and a new way to measure neutrons, part of the radiation exposure experienced by crews during spaceflight.

The upcoming flight will be the first resupply mission to launch on the upgraded Antares 230 vehicle, and the first launch from Wallops since an Antares rocket and its Cygnus resupply vehicle were lost seconds after liftoff in October 2014.

An investigation into the accident found a failure in one of the two Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 engines, leading to a decision by Orbital ATK to replace them with RD-181, which was developed specifically for Antares by Russians.

The AJ26 engine is a refurbished version of the Soviet-era NK-33, which was originally designed to launch the massive Soviet N-1 rocket to the Moon.

Since the accident, two Cygnus resupply missions were launched on United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets to the station from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Virginia-based Orbital ATK is one of two U.S. companies that provide ISS cargo services for NASA. The other company is California-based SpaceX.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 15, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

GOA, India, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi here Saturday and the pair exchanged views on enriching their countries' partnership and enhancing cooperation within multilateral frameworks.

The development momentum of China-India ties is encouraging, and a healthy and stable China-India relationship is conducive not only to both countries' development, but to safeguarding the developing countries' reasonable interests in global governance and international systems, said Xi.

China and India should constantly enrich their strategic cooperative partnership and chart the course of bilateral ties in line with the fundamental interests of their peoples, added the Chinese president.

The two countries should maintain high-level communication and dialogue at all levels so as to expand consensus, improve mutual trust and deepen cooperation, he said, adding that they should also raise the level of cooperation in various fields and continue to push forward cooperation on major projects such as railway and industrial parks.

China and India should consolidate pubic support for bilateral friendship by boosting exchanges between their political parties, local governments, think tanks, cultural bodies and media organizations, Xi said.

Meanwhile, the two countries should support each other in participating in regional affairs and enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the East Asia Summit, he added.

Meeting Modi in the western Indian state of Goa on the sidelines of the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Xi said the Chinese side is willing to work with India to carry on the positive momentum of last month's Group of 20 summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou and push for positive results of the BRICS summit in Goa, so as to send out a positive signal of confidence, solidarity and cooperation.

The Chinese president also called for joint BRICS efforts to deepen practical cooperation and elevate cooperation to higher levels, as well as to strengthen communication and coordination on major international issues so as to safeguard their common interests.

China, which will hold the rotating chair in 2017, is willing to work with India and other BRICS members to successfully host the ninth BRICS summit next year, Xi added.

For his part, Modi said it is in the two countries' as well as the region's common interests for India and China to maintain frequent high-level exchanges and strategic communication.

India and China have the responsibility to join hands and turn the 21st century into an Asian century, said the prime minister.

India is willing to strengthen cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks including BRICS and the SCO, Modi said, adding that his country supports China in hosting the BRICS summit next year.

India is the last stop of Xi's ongoing Asia tour, which has already taken him to Cambodia and Bangladesh.




WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department said Saturday that the two U.S. citizens who had been detained in Yemen were released and have arrived safely in Oman.

State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said that consular officers from the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, the capital of Oman, stood ready to provide all possible consular assistance.

"We are deeply grateful to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and the Government of Oman for their assistance in facilitating and supporting the release of our citizens," Toner said in a statement. "We recognize the humanitarian gesture by the Houthis in releasing these U.S. citizens."

The U.S. calls for the "immediate and unconditional" release of any other U.S. citizens who may still be held, the spokesman added.

A Houthi official said on Saturday that his group released two U.S. nationals detained in Yemen's capital Sanaa on charges of espionage in a deal meditated by Oman in return for allowing a Houthi delegation to return home.

"We handed over the Americans to Omani authorities on Saturday ... they will be airlifted through the same Omani plane that carried the national (Houthi delegation) and arrived in Sanaa at noon," the official told Xinhua on the condition of anonymity.

He said that one of the Americans is an English teacher who was arrested on Sept. 21.

The Houthi delegation, which also includes delegates of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's party, had been stranded in Muscat since August following the collapse of peace talks with the internationally-backed Yemeni government sponsored by the United Nations in Kuwait.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 15, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

GOA, India, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Saturday that his country is ready to align development strategies with Nepal and hopes to build the two neighbors into a community of shared destiny.

"China and Nepal are close neighbors linked by mountains and rivers," Xi said in a meeting in the western Indian state of Goa with Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on the sidelines of the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Since the two countries established diplomatic ties more than half a century ago, China-Nepal relations have withstood the vicissitude of the international situation and maintained sound and stable development, Xi said.

China, he added, attaches great importance to developing relations with Nepal and is willing to work with Nepal to deepen practical cooperation.

He called on the two countries to strengthen high-level contacts and political communication, and enhance mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns.

He also called for concerted efforts to carry out the consensuses the two sides have reached on beefing up cooperation on connectivity, free trade and energy and continue to push forward cooperation in their pursuit of development.

China is ready to support Nepal in its post-earthquake reconstruction, especially in restoring infrastructure, people's well-being and historical relics, he said.

China, he added, encourages its reputable businesses to invest in Nepal and take part in the construction of special economic zones and industrial parks in Nepal.

He also urged the two sides to strengthen cooperation in agricultural industrialization, water conservation, irrigation and hydropower generation.

On people-to-people exchanges, the president said the two sides should increase exchanges and cooperation in such areas as tourism, education, culture, youth, media and local affairs.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining coordination within the frameworks of the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

For his part, Dahal said the Nepal-China friendship is time-honored and unbreakable, for it is established on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and features mutual respect and trust.

Nepal highly appreciates the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in China's neighborhood diplomacy as well as China's support for its peace process, post-earthquake reconstruction and national development, he said.

Nepal views China as a reliable development partner and is ready to develop a more comprehensive partnership with China, he added.

Dahal also conveyed Nepal's willingness to participate in connectivity construction within the frameworks of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Moreover, Nepal is ready to enhance coordination with China within international and regional multilateral organizations, added the prime minister.

Nepal is a member of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a regional mechanism which is aimed at connecting South Asian and Southeast Asian countries and also groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

On the margins of their summit in Goa, Xi and other BRICS leaders will hold dialogues with their BIMSTEC counterparts.
Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe attends the opening ceremony of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Lome, capital of Togo, Oct. 15, 2016. The Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) opened Saturday in Lome, capital of Togo, with the adoption of a landmark charter on maritime safety, security and development in Africa expected later the same day. (Xinhua/Zhang Gaiping)

LOME, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- African leaders on Saturday signed a landmark charter that aims to preserve the continent's maritime security and safety.

The Charter on Maritime Security and Safety and Development in Africa was signed on the last day of the six-day African Union (AU) Extraordinary Summit on Maritime Security, Safety and Development.

Among other things, the Charter aims to prevent national and transnational crimes, including terrorism, piracy, armed robbery, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal and unregulated fishing.

"Our common desire to have such valuable legal instrument should also translate into our determination to make it applicable and operational through its ratification," said AU chairman Idriss Deby, also Chad's president.

AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, however, said that the Charter "has shortcomings."

In a side event on Friday, she said "The Charter mainly focuses on safety and security issues, not development."

She called on delegates to continue to make suggestions and help AU draw up an annexure to the Charter in the future, which responds to the development side of the maritime space.

Of the 54 AU member states, 38 are coastal or island states. Over 90 percent of Africa's exports and imports are transported through the seas, oceans and waterways.
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and 12 others wounded when a mass shooting broke out in Los Angeles on Saturday, police said.

The police had one suspect in custody and were looking for a second in connection with the shooting which occurred in the West Adams district, Los Angeles.

The shooting broke out at a West Adams home that may have been turned into a makeshift restaurant. Police arrived the scene around 12:30 a.m. local time.

"It's a bloody scene with shell casings everywhere," Sgt. Frank Preciado of Los Angeles Police Department said. He said that there were around 50 people inside the place.

Preciado told local media that three men left the restaurant and returned with firearms and began shooting at another group of people, while others at the restaurant also opened fire. The scene turned into a gun battle location.

"When we got there, there were three people dead and people running everywhere," Preciado said. "We had multiple people with gunshot wounds."

The shooting continued in the driveway out of the home. "We have been told by some folks in the area that there was a makeshift restaurant there," according to Lt. Chuck Springer of the LAPD's Southwest Station.

A large number of officers from across Los Angeles were sent to the scene to search for the runaway suspects. Witnesses were looking for by the police in the neighborhood.

One female resident told local media that "it was just 'pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. It didn't stop. It just kept going. ... Really loud."

"It was a series (of gunshots) first, like really fast, then a pause, almost like someone reloaded," she said. "It was specific, as if someone was pointing at people." And she estimated the total gunshots could be around 20 shots.

"We must take action against easy access to firearms and the thoughtless, indiscriminate, murderous use of them," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "We cannot tolerate these tragedies multiplying in communities across America."

The motive for the shooting remained unclear.

The genders and ages of the victims were not disclosed at this moment.

One male suspect was taken into custody and another remained at large. Police did not disclose the suspect's identity.
China Eastern Airlines, one of the three largest air carriers in China, announced on Sunday the establishment of its Guangdong branch, to further tap the South China market.

It plans to launch routes from Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong to various destinations in countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia, and then routes between Guangzhou and Americas and Oceania.

Domestically, it will expand its network between Guangzhou, the provincial capital, and air hubs in Shanghai, Kunming and Xi'an, while exploring markets in Shantou, Zhuhai and Zhanjiang in Guangdong.

Guangdong province stands as one of the most dynamic regions economically in the country and the new branch is also meant to serve the country's "Belt and Road" strategy, said Liu Shaoyong, chairman of China Eastern.

With the Guangdong branch, China Eastern's capacity for the Guangdong market will increase faster than before and hopefully faster than the market average, said Dong Bo, chief marketing officer of China Eastern.

China Eastern will be entitled to apply for more new routes in the Guangdong market, said Zhai Zhigang, general manager of the Guangdong branch.

China Eastern's Guangdong branch will fly mainly Boeing aircraft, expanding its fleet by five to eight planes annually to have 60 planes in Guangdong by 2020.

Currently, the company runs daily 120 flights from six cities in Guangdong to 59 domestic cities and three overseas destinations, carrying more than 10 million passengers annually.

Listed in New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai, with its headquarters in Shanghai, China Eastern carries more than 100 million passengers a year, which ranks it the seventh among all airline firms globally. It runs a fleet of 580 planes.
MEXICO CITY, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Mexican prosecutor general's office (PGR) said on Saturday that it was investigating the possible disappearance of 19 migrants from Honduras as they travelled through Mexico.

Leonor Figueroa, the head of the investigation unit for migrants, said in a statement that their disappearance was reported by their relatives who had been interviewed at the Mexican Embassy in Honduras.

According to Figueroa, the investigation will see the PGR send agents to the Central American country as part of the office's program for missing people.

"We decided with the International Committee of the Red Cross, with families and with Honduras authorities that it was worth looking into these reports," she said.

The PGR said that 19 migrants had disappeared at various dates and in different places across Mexico as they were en route to the United States, with the cases being gathered by activists in Honduras.

The PGR's unit is already looking into the cases of 30 other migrants who have disappeared in the past.

Around 400,000 Central American migrants cross Mexico every year to get to the United States, most of them coming from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, according to figures from the Mexican government and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Image provided by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) shows UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (R) shaking hands with Haitian Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 15, 2016. Ban arrived on Saturday in Haiti to make a tour to the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Matthew and met with government officials and humanitarian organizations working in the country. (Xinhua/MINUSTAH)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Haiti on Saturday to tour the regions devastated by Hurricane Matthew in early October.

After arriving at the airport of Port-au-Prince, the capital, Ban boarded a helicopter to fly to the southern city of Les Cayes, which took the full force of Matthew after it made landfall on Oct. 4.

Media summaries of various casualty reports have put the death toll at over 1,000, with around 175,000 people made homeless.

The UN chief was accompanied by Haitian Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles. Upon arrival, Ban spoke with some of the refugees, sheltering in a local high school.

"I was very, very sad when we saw such total devastation. But all the people of the world are with you," he was quoted as saying by French newspaper La Croix. "The United Nations are by your side. We will mobilize all resources to help you."

Just before Ban's arrival, a scuffle broke out between angry locals and UN peacekeepers at a base in Les Cayes, with around 100 people throwing rocks at food trucks.

Haiti is also facing a worsening cholera outbreak which has ravaged the country in recent years. A number of studies have linked the outbreak to a group of UN peacekeepers from Nepal, a responsibility the UN acknowledged in August.

In a press conference with Haiti's provisional President Jocelerme Privert, prior to leaving the country, Ban expressed his deep sorrow at what he had seen.

"I am here to offer my solidarity and to tell the Haitian people that the world is on your side at this difficult time. The international community will always be here to help in the reconstruction of the areas devastated by the hurricane," he said, according to Spanish news agency EFE.

Addressing the attack on the food trucks, Ban said that "the most vulnerable suffer the most" when these actions occur.

Finally, he announced that the UN had called for 119 million U.S. dollars in urgent donations and would open a fund to help victims of cholera.

Related:

UN relief wing calls for more funding efforts to help Haitians affected by hurricane

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to appeal to the international community for 120 million U.S. dollars in emergency funding to provide life-saving relief to 750,000 Haitians affected by Hurricane Matthew, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Friday.
Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (L) and Chen Dong meet the media at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Oct. 16, 2016. The two male astronauts will carry out the Shenzhou-11 mission. The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 17, 2016 Beijing Time (2330 GMT Oct. 16). (Xinhua/Li Gang)

JIUQUAN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong will carry out the Shenzhou-11 mission, a spokesperson said Sunday.

The 50-year-old Jing will be commander of the mission, Wu Ping, deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, told a press conference.

The two male astronauts will board the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft early Monday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Wu said.

The spacecraft will dock with orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 within two days and the astronauts will stay in the space lab for 30 days before returning to Earth, the spokesperson said.

It will be Jing's third spaceflight following his Shenzhou-7 mission in 2008 and Shenzhou-9 mission in 2012.

With a safe flight record of 1,500 hours as an air force pilot, Chen became China's second group of astronauts in May 2010, and was selected as a crew member of the Shenzhou-11 mission in June 2016, Wu said.

Born in central China's Henan Province in 1978, it is the first time for Chen to carry out such a mission as a crew member of China's manned spacecraft.
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile, but it ended in a failure, Seoul's military said on Sunday.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement that the DPRK fired what is believed to be a Musudan missile at about 12:33 p.m. local time on Saturday (0333 GMT) near an airport in the DPRK's northwestern North Pyongan province.

The test-launch, the JCS said, failed as the missile exploded soon after its liftoff.

The failed launch came on the day that the United States and South Korea wrapped up their joint naval exercises that kicked off on Monday in all of the three seas around South Korea.

The U.S. military mobilized its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to participate in the week-long drill, which also involved seven U.S. warships and some 40 South Korean battleships as well as fighter jets, maritime patrol airplanes and helicopters.

On June 22, Pyongyang launched a Musudan medium-range missile, flying some 400 km after reaching as high as 1,413.6 km. It was seen as a considerable technological advance and the first success by the DPRK after several failures.
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile, but it ended in a failure, Seoul's military said Sunday.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement that the DPRK fired what is believed to be a Musudan missile at about 12:33 p.m. local time on Saturday (0333 GMT) near an airport in the DPRK's northwestern North Pyongan province.

The test-launch, the JCS said, failed as the missile exploded soon after its liftoff.

The failed launch came on the day that the United States and South Korea wrapped up their joint naval exercises that kicked off on Monday in all of the three seas around South Korea.

The U.S. military mobilized its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to participate in the week-long drill, which also involved seven U.S. warships and some 40 South Korean battleships as well as fighter jets, maritime patrol airplanes and helicopters.

The missile launch was the latest in a series of provocations by the DPRK following its fifth nuclear test last month. Pyongyang said on Sept. 9 that it successfully tested a nuclear warhead that can be mounted on ballistic missiles.

The DPRK has claimed it already secured a nuclear missile technology capable of striking the U.S. mainland. The medium-range Musudan missile is known to have a range of 3,000-4,000 km that can reach the U.S. military base in Guam.

On Sept. 5, Pyongyang launched three Rodong missiles from its east coast as part of efforts to enhance its capability to deliver nuclear warhead. Rodong missiles are known to be capable of striking U.S. military bases in Japan.

The DPRK is expected to attempt another launch of a Musudan missile as the latest test failed. After several failed attempts, the country conducted its first successful launch of the missile on June 22, flying as high as 1,413.6 km and traveling about 400 km.

The South Korean military has closely monitored the moves of DPRK forces, with all possibilities left open for another nuclear test and the launch of a long-range ballistic missile.

Increased activity was detected in the DPRK's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site, indicating preparations for another nuclear detonation in the near future.

In its Tonchang-ri rocket base, which Pyongyang calls Sohae Satellite Launching Station, the moves of personnel and vehicles were spotted. It boosted worries about the test-launch of a long-range rocket.

The DPRK's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 was followed by the launch on Feb. 7 of a long-range rocket. Seoul's military is worried about another long-range rocket launch by the end of this year following the fifth nuclear test in early September.
Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (L) and Chen Dong meet the media at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Oct. 16, 2016. The two male astronauts will carry out the Shenzhou-11 mission. The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 17, 2016 Beijing Time (2330 GMT Oct. 16). (Xinhua/Li Gang)

BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Astronauts with China's Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft, which is scheduled for blast-off early Monday, will be special correspondents for Xinhua News Agency during their space mission.

Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong, the two male astronauts, will board the spacecraft at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Wu Ping, deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, told a press conference Sunday.

In addition to conducting their target tasks, the two special correspondents will share their work and life in space via text, audio and video through Xinhua's media services.

It will take the spacecraft around two days to dock with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-2, and the astronauts will stay in the space lab for 30 days, Wu said.
XINING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- When Karma Namgyal turned his hands to the craft of silverware a year ago, he thought it would be a way to stop being a burden to his family.

For free tuition and one meal a day, he joined a program in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the northwestern province of Qinghai.

The three-year course is part of a local poverty relief program. Master craftsmen from across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were invited to pass on their skills to 60 students from poor backgrounds.

After one year of his raining, Namgyal, 21, now has high hopes for his new skill. "If everything goes well, I might start my own shop, or become a teacher, he said. "My two brothers will go to college, and my parents won't have to work so hard."

The school currently has 10 teachers. They are paid over one million yuan (about 150,000 U.S. dollars) annually, and this is covered by the local government. Each student's family gets an annual grant of around 3,000 dollars during the duration of the course, according to Nyima Tashi, head of Qumarleb County, where the school is based.

This is a new approach to poverty relief, rather than just offering money, materials and teaching skills are now on offer, chiming with the Chinese adage: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

Just one block away from the school lies a barbershop, it only recently opened but has already secured a positive reputation among locals, as all its services are free.

This is a similar program to the silverware course, 80 young people from families living under poverty line can learn to become barbers. Customers have their hair cut for free, while the trainees get hands on experience.

"Students here have more practice than those in my hometown," said Liu Bin, a teacher from Sichuan Province. "We also recommended 15 outstanding students to receive further training in more developed areas."

Besides craftsmen and barbering, Yushu's vocational courses cover driving, vehicle repair, cooking and dancing, all selected for locals' needs and with places for 875 trainees.

The prefecture has 30,571 people, or 35.3 percent of its population, who live under the poverty line, meaning they have a per capita net income of less than 446 dollars a year.

China plans to lift all of its poor population out of poverty by 2020, with efforts including job creation and relocation of poor people. There are still tens of millions of Chinese living under the national poverty line.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the 3rd United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, or Habitat III, in Quito, capital of Ecuador, Oct. 17, 2016. The United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, held in Quito from Oct. 17 to 20, will set global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development for the next 20 years. (Xinhua/Santiago Armas)

QUITO, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, to be held in Quito on Oct. 17-20, will set global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development for the next 20 years.

The meeting, also known as Habitat III, will attract 45,000 participants from around the world, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, according to Ecuador's Minister of Security Cesar Navas.

Habitat III is expected to see the signing of the Quito Declaration on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements for All, and the adoption of a new Urban Agenda.

"The Conference is a unique opportunity for ... governments ... to integrate all facets of sustainable development to promote equity, welfare and shared prosperity," said Dr. Joan Clos, the executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat).

DECADES OF MOVEMENTS FOR BETTER URBAN LIFE

The migration from rural to urban areas after World War II rapidly accelerated through the 1960s and 1970s. Inequality between countryside and cities made millions across the world flock into cities in pursuit of economic opportunities, leading to the expansion of slums and other illegal settlements in the periphery of major communities, as well as increasing crimes, diseases and chaos.

However, many nations' responses to such chaos were uncoordinated and scattered, which is why the United Nations decided to launch a common dialogue concerning urbanization.

The first UN Conference on Human Settlements, known as Habitat I, was held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976. Its declaration enshrined the concept that "adequate shelter and services are a basic human right." It also led to the creation in 1978 of UN-Habitat, the UN's department for human settlements and sustainable urban development.

In 1996, Habitat II took place in Turkey's Istanbul in a far more inclusive manner. National and local governments, NGOs, academic institutions and private companies were all invited to provide their opinions on how to manage urbanization.

Important topics were discussed, such as women being excluded from urban development and the population trapped in poverty due to their living conditions.

This summit also came up with the concept of sustainable human settlements and the Habitat Agenda has since then become a global call for action.

In December 2014, the UN General Assembly decided to host Habitat III in Ecuador in October 2016. The decision was made as global urbanization witnessed rapid acceleration in the last 40 years.

In 1976, 37.9 percent of the world's population lived in urban regions. The number rose to 45.1 percent by 1996 and now stands at 54.5 percent.

As part of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, which seeks to promote the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015), the Quito summit aims to become a lynchpin of future urban development planning.

KEY TO FUTURE URBAN PLANNING

Ahead of Habitat III, numerous countries submitted national or regional reports on their urbanization processes, which were compiled into a global report.

Nowadays, fresh challenges of urban development like growing anger over inequality, and big data solutions, communications technology and the popularity of smart phones even in the poorest parts of the world, have arisen.

Under such circumstances, Habitat III has been highlighted for its pivotal role in meeting the new Sustainable Development Goals, so as to "make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable", according to the conference's official website.

From dozens of discussions, roundtables and panels in the coming days, Habitat III attendees are expected to gather and share relevant information, and present a fresh vision for the future of urban development: the New Urban Agenda, whose content was hashed out at previous UN meetings.

The agenda says cities shall remain manageable in size, public transport is a top priority, and urban development is crucial in eradicating discrimination and ensuring universal access to services regardless of people's economic status. Urban residents are also viewed as essential agents of change.

However, some common frustrations remain.

Although countries have vowed to report regularly their urbanization progress, their moves are voluntary, igniting fears that the New Urban Agenda may be unbinding.

UN-Habitat hopes that the increasing responsibility given to local governments will serve to ensure progress. After all, it is local governments that have to pay for the price of urban pollution, traffic congestion, city sprawl and illegal access to public services, to name just a few.
Wu Ping, deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, addresses a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Oct. 16, 2016. The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 17, 2016 Beijing Time (2330 GMT Oct. 16). The spaceship will take two male astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong into space. The spacecraft will dock with orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 within two days and the astronauts will stay in the space lab for 30 days before returning to Earth. The 50-year-old Jing will be commander of the mission. It will be the first spaceflight of 38-year-old Chen and Jing Haipeng's third. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

JIUQUAN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m. Monday Beijing Time, China's manned space program spokesperson said Sunday.

The spaceship will take two male astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong into space, said Wu Ping, deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

The mission will be carried out with a Long March-2F carrier rocket, Wu said.

The spacecraft will dock with orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 within two days, and the astronauts will stay in the space lab for 30 days, she said.

After that the Shenzhou-11 spaceship will separate with Tiangong-2 and return to Earth within one day, Wu said.

The mission aims to transport personnel and materials between Earth and Tiangong-2, and examine rendezvous, docking and return technologies.

During the mission, the spacecraft will form a complex with Tiangong-2. The complex's capabilities of supporting astronauts' life, work and health, and astronauts' abilities for carrying out flight missions will be tested, Wu said.

Other objectives include conducting aerospace medical experiments, space science experiments and in-orbit maintenance with human participation, along with activities to popularize scientific knowledge, she added.

The two astronauts will undertake ultrasound tests during space travel for the first time, cultivate plants in space, and test the three winners of an experiment design competition for Hong Kong secondary school students.

Several technical alterations have been made to Shenzhou-11, though its main functions and technical parameters remain basically the same with Shenzhou-10, Wu said.

To meet the needs of this mission, the orbit control strategy and flight procedures have been adjusted to adapt Shenzhou-11 to the change of the rendezvous, docking and return orbit from 343 kilometers to 393 kilometers from Earth.

The layout of cargo loading has been adjusted to enhance transportation capabilities for the mission.

To further improve the spacecraft's reliability and astronauts' safety, wide-beam relay telecommunications devices have been equipped, which will significantly expand the scope of telemetry, tracking and control, as well as improve the space-ground communication support capabilities when the posture of the spacecraft is changing rapidly.

To verify future space technologies and meet the demand for prolonging the service life of rendezvous, telemetry and tracking devices in a future space station, such devices in Shenzhou-11 have been upgraded, according to Wu.

Certain technical alterations have also been made to the carrier rocket, she said.

Tiangong-2 has been maneuvered into a near circular orbit 393 kilometers from Earth, where it will rendezvous and dock with Shenzhou-11, Wu said, adding Tiangong-2 is now "ready."

Launched on Sept. 15, Tiangong-2 has been orbiting for a little more than one month, and remained "in a good condition," with subsystems and equipment operating normally, Wu said.

Since Tiangong-2 entered orbit, its payload equipment has completed self-inspection and initial configuration, and space experiments, since Sept. 22, have been carried out as planned and produced results.

"According to in-orbit testing and experimental data, Tiangong-2 has delivered the desired results. The 'report card' is satisfactory," Wu said.

Since China initiated the manned space program, she said, it has signed a number of cooperation deals with space agencies of many countries and international organizations.

In the future, China will continue to actively pursue international exchanges and cooperation in equipment development, space application, training of astronauts, joint flights and aerospace medicine, and share the fruits of China's manned space efforts with other countries, she added.

"Shenzhou-11 is a new beginning. It marks the imminent end to the exploratory stage of China's manned space program," said Zhang Yulin, deputy commander-in-chief of China's manned space program.

With the establishment of its own space station, which is expected around 2020, China will carry out manned space missions on a regular basis, with spacecraft launched several times a year, instead of once every several years, said Zhang, also deputy chief of the armament development department of the Central Military Commission.

Besides astronauts, engineers and even tourists will then hopefully go to space, Zhang added.
Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (L) and Chen Dong meet the media at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Oct. 16, 2016. The two male astronauts will carry out the Shenzhou-11 mission. The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 17, 2016 Beijing Time (2330 GMT Oct. 16). (Xinhua/Li Gang)

JIUQUAN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou-11 mission, Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong, met the press Sunday ahead of Monday's launch.

Sitting under a national flag, the astronauts appeared in good spirits and answered several questions.

"Although the job is challenging, risky and dangerous, there is nothing more I would rather do," Jing, 50, who is commander of this mission, told reporters.

It will be Jing's third spaceflight following his Shenzhou-7 mission in September 2008 and Shenzhou-9 mission in March 2012.

"[For this mission] we have improved our ability to deal with emergencies, first aid and space experiments," Jing said.

Born in central China's Henan Province in 1978, this will be the first time Chen has been a crew member of China's manned spacecraft.

"I will treasure every moment in space and ensure I record my experience in my diary and enjoy the out-of-this-world scenery," Chen said.

With a safe flight record of 1,500 hours as an air force pilot, Chen was named one of China's second group of astronauts in May 2010, and was selected as a crew member for the Shenzhou-11 mission in June 2016.

They will depart early Monday for the launch site and board Shenzhou-11 at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

Shenzhou-11 is expected to dock with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-2, which was launched from Jiuquan on Sept. 15. The astronauts will stay in the space lab for 30 days before returning to Earth.
BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cultural shows and English games were among nearly 20 activities on offer to tens of thousands of visitors to the Beijing Foreign Language Festival 2016 over the weekend.

Since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is a keyword for this year's event, citizens were able to learn about the history of the Olympics, in addition to language activities, according to a spokesperson with the city's foreign affairs office.

At one booth, in the cultural show zone, a woman from Krakow, Poland, whose English name is Anna, taught visitors some simple Polish phrases. "We designed games about the geography and customs of our country. Winners got traditional Polish desserts as prizes," she said.

Li Hua, 65, from Beijing, talked about her trip to Australia last year with Australian teacher Dick Hamilton. She is a regular participator of her community's English Corner.

"Learning English helps me stay young," Li said.

Chen Zhaochun, one of nearly 100 students from Beijing Tongzhou Taihu School who attended the festival, said she had never expected learning English to be so much fun.

"At school, it was just rote learning. But today, I played games and met new friends," Chen said.

Zhu Fang, a teacher with the school, said the event gave the students an opportunity to speak English in real life, as the rural school has no foreign teachers.

"Some of my pupils told me they now want to work as volunteers during the Winter Olympics in 2022," Zhu said.

Hamilton said the festival was the perfect atmosphere for practicing English.

The two-day event was jointly held by Beijing's foreign affairs office and the "Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages" campaign.

Chen Mingming, who heads an advisory group for the campaign, said the Olympics needs the support of China's citizens, and improved English proficiency will help make the athletes feel more welcome.
BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The eighth BRICS summit is being held in India's Goa, a month after the Group of 20 (G20) Hangzhou summit. It is widely expected that the G20 consensus would boost BRICS' participation in global economic governance.

IMPROVING GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

During the G20 summit in China's Hangzhou, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- to make joint efforts to improve global governance while attending a BRICS leaders' meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

The top Chinese leader called on BRICS members to promote the reform of the governance structure of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, with an aim to boost the representativeness and say of emerging markets and developing countries.

At the BRICS meeting in Hangzhou, leaders agreed on the prospects and momentum of their economies and the fact that they will continue to be strong engines of the world economy.

The countries are committed to promoting emerging economies and developing countries to play a bigger role in international affairs and global governance, which will contribute to building a robust and more balanced global economy, said the statement after the BRICS meeting.

BRICS leaders said that the IMF quotas fail to reflect current global economic realities, urging G20 members to step up efforts with the IMF to increase quota resources and review the distribution of quotas and votes to ensure a fair reflection of emerging and developing economies.

They called for the completion of the 15th general review of quotas and the creation of a new quota formula before the 2017 IMF annual meeting.

"Despite skepticism, the BRICS were able to put pressure on the IMF and the World Bank to increase the voting share in these global institutions," Srikanth Kondapalli, professor in Chinese Studies at India's Jawaharlal Nehru University, said during an interview with Xinhua.

BRICS gathers the world's five major emerging economies, which represent nearly 3 billion people or about 40 percent of the global population, with four of its members (excluding South Africa) among the world's top 10 most populous nations.

In December 2015, the U.S. Congress eventually ratified the IMF's 2010 quota and governance reform plan, which had been blocked for years. After that, China became the third biggest shareholder of the IMF, and Brazil, India and Russia were also included among the top 10 shareholders of the institution.

Swaran Singh, professor for diplomacy and disarmament at India's Jawaharlal Nehru University, said "BRICS presents an alternative voice with great potential for making a valuable addition to global governance."

"BRICS leaders must ensure that they do not lose out on this great opportunity to make a difference," he added.

NDB EXPECTED TO PLAY BIGGER ROLE

At the G20 Hangzhou summit, Xi also called upon members of the emerging-market bloc to drive the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) to implement the first batch of projects and boost the bank's management level and financing capabilities.

The bank should promote the capabilities of macro research on the contingent reserve arrangement in order to enhance financial security for BRICS countries, he said.

Kondapalli praised Xi's proposal. "As a concrete proposal, the New Development Bank of BRICS has taken off with projects now being evaluated for execution," he said.

Back in 2012, facing the plunge in commodity prices and a sluggish global recovery, BRICS economies generally experienced slowing growth rates, and some even saw negative growth. However, combined domestic and international pressure inspired a strong will among the five emerging countries to strengthen their cooperation.

So far, the BRICS have developed over 60 cooperative mechanisms, covering various fields such as economy, trade, finance, agriculture, education, science and technology, culture, and think tanks. The cooperation in finance has become the most fruitful, with the NDB as a good example.

Over the past year, the NDB has become a tangible force behind the mutually beneficial cooperation within the BRICS. It has also pushed forward a reform of the international financial system, which could no longer objectively reflect the profound changes in today's global economic order.

The NDB has also set forth a new set of operating rules for the international financial system with an emphasis on equality both within the BRICS and between donor countries and recipients, which set up a new model of international aid and a new type of partnership, said Wang Lei, a researcher on BRICS cooperation with Beijing Normal University.

But there's still room for the bank to improve itself in financing, according to experts. For example, the NDB should offer more financial aid to developing countries in Latin America to give them more options, said Bruno De Conti, economics professor at the University of Campinas in Brazil.

"This could help those countries to avoid some harsh requirements imposed by the IMF and the World Bank without losing chances of development," he said.

IMPLEMENTING G20 AGREEMENTS

While hosting a BRICS foreign ministers' meeting on the sidelines of a series of UN conferences in New York on Sept. 20, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that with the support of the BRICS nations, the G20 Hangzhou summit was a success and provided ample direction for the future development of the world economy.

He urged BRICS nations to take the lead in implementing the agreements reached at the G20 summit while remaining an engine for global economic growth.

The G20 Hangzhou summit has endorsed a 2030 action plan for sustainable development and proposed an initiative to support industrialization in Africa and the world's least developed countries.

The BRICS bloc should urge the developed world to deliver on its promises to developing countries, helping them reach development goals, Wang said.

"Coming soon after the G20 meet in Hangzhou, which gave a great brainstorming opportunity to BRICS leaders, the Goa summit should be able to rejuvenate the spirit of BRICS with several new initiatives and announcements in various sectors," Singh said.
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Sunday condemned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for its test-launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile, which was seen as ending in a failure.

Seoul's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the DPRK's launch of a mid-range ballistic missile violated UN Security Council resolutions regardless of whether the launch succeeded or not.

The statement said Seoul strongly denounced Pyongyang's repeated provocations, which posed grave threat to peace and security on the Korean peninsula as well as in the entire international society.

According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the DPRK fired what is believed to be a Musudan missile, which can strike U.S. military base in Guam, on Saturday afternoon from northwestern DPRK.

The launch appeared to have failed as it exploded soon after the liftoff, the JCS said.

The DPRK is forecast to attempt another launch of a Musudan missile as the latest test failed. After several botched attempts, Pyongyang conducted its first successful launch of the missile on June 22, flying as high as 1,413.6 km and traveling about 400 km.

The foreign ministry said the DPRK provocation was a challenge to the UN authority as it was conducted amid the ongoing consultations among UN Security Council members over fresh resolutions over Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test.

The DPRK said on Sept. 9 that it successfully detonated a nuclear warhead that can be mounted on ballistic missiles. The fifth test came just eight months after the country's fourth atomic device test on Jan. 6.

The South Korean ministry said the DPRK's reckless act would only strengthen the international community's will to bring sanctions and pressure toward Pyongyang, urging the DPRK to realize a fact that such provocation would deepen its isolation and economic difficulties.
MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least one civilian was killed and four others injured Sunday as a bomb blast rocked Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital city of northern Balkh province in Afghanistan, a local official said.

"An explosive device planted by unknown militants inside a bud vase on a street in Mazar-e-Sharif city exploded at around noon, killing one person and injuring four others," the official told Xinhua but refused to be identified, saying authorized officials would talk to media.

However, he added that all the victims are civilians and out of four injured persons three of them are drug addicts who used to live on streets.

Meantime, Aziz Shakir, a medical practitioner in Mazar-e-Sharif civilian hospital has confirmed that a death body and four injured persons had been taken to hospital.

Mazar-e-Sharif is 305 km north of Kabul.
PODGORICA, Montenegro, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Montenegro's parliamentary election kicked off Sunday to form the new government and decide the future of the country's memberships in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU).

The election runs from 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) to 8:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Sunday. People will choose their representatives among 17 candidate parties and coalitions.

Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) which currently has 31 out of 81 seats, will fight for his seventh mandate at the helm of the government since 1991 with an aim to make progress on the path to European integration and membership in the NATO.

The main opposition coalition the Democratic Front (DF), which has 17 members of parliament (MPs) so far, built a campaign trying to topple Djukanovic's government and organize a referendum on the EU and NATO memberships.

Other participants include the Key Coalition that currently has 13 MPs, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) with six MPs as well as Alternative Montenegro, Positive Montenegro, Democrats, and a number of minority parties of Serbs, Albanians, Bosniaks and Croats in Montenegro.

The threshold to enter the 81-seat parliament is three percent of total votes for regular parties or 0.7 percent for minority parties.

According to the State Electoral Commission, more than 500,000 people are eligible to vote in the election.

The regular parliamentary election in Montenegro, the tenth in history since the introduction of a multi-party system and the fourth since it gained independence from Serbia in 2006, was announced on July 11 by Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic.

In the previous election held on Oct. 14, 2012, a coalition of the DPS, the SDP and the Liberal Party won 39 out of 81 seats, and managed to form the government together with minority parties.

However, the government lost the majority in the parliament at the beginning of this year when the SDP left it for different political views, which forced the DPS to form a transitional government in May together with a part of the opposition parties in order to organize a fair and free election.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi addresses the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, Sept. 20, 2016.(Xinhua/UN Photo)

CAIRO, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- "Egypt's vote went to both the French-Spanish resolution and the Russian resolution (over Syrian crisis) last week, and this was not a contradictory stance," official MENA news agency quoted the Egyptian president as saying on Sunday.

Egypt has recently voted for a Russian draft resolution at the UN Security Council over Syria, which is believed to have disturbed Egypt's biggest Gulf ally Saudi Arabia although Egypt voted for a rival Western draft resolution.

Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said his country's foreign policy is moderate, balanced, open and independent.

Sisi's remarks came in an interview with the editors-in-chief of three daily state-owned newspapers, MENA said.

"Egypt's foreign policy does not interfere in other countries' affairs, and that is what makes the country's relations with the world strong," Sisi said during the interview.

As for the Syrian crisis, Sisi said, Egypt's stance was clear at the United Nations Security Council.

Egypt said it voted for both resolutions, which failed to pass at the world body, out of keenness on a relief for the Syrian people, particularly those in Aleppo, regardless of any political considerations.

"The common denominator in these two resolutions was that they called for a ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, and this is the important thing to the Egyptian state and people," Sisi stressed.

Sisi also spoke about what some considered as a crisis with Saudi Arabia that erupted following Egypt's voting on the two resolutions and then Saudi ARAMCO Company stopped sending shipments of petroleum products upon a signed contract.

Media reports claimed that Saudi Arabia ceased deliveries of fuel supplies to Egypt after the North African country backed a Russian resolution over Syria at the UN Security Council.

"The issue needs more coordination between Egypt and our brothers in the kingdom in order to clear things up," he said, adding that the shipment is part of a trade agreement signed during a visit to Egypt by Saudi King Salman Ben Abdel Aziz in April.

"We do not want to blow things out of proportion. Egyptian-Saudi relations are brotherly and strategic, and are not affected by anything," he stressed.
Members of the organising committee celebrate the adoption of the Kigali Amendment on October 15, 2016 in Kigali./ AFP PHOTO / Cyril NDEGEYA

KIGALI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- History has been made in the Rwandan capital Kigali as the world witnessed the amendment of Montreal Protocol to curb global warming hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs) gases in largest climate breakthrough since Paris.

HFCs substances, which are used mainly in refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, have a global warming effect up to 15,000 times greater than carbon dioxide and are the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emission, according to climate change experts.

A successful amendment to the protocol signifies the international community's commitment to practical action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement - limiting global warming to 2C, and the more ambitious target of 1.5C.

After week-long intense negotiations, international leaders and ozone preservation and low carbon development experts from nearly 200 countries struck a landmark deal on Saturday.

Rwanda hosted the high-level meeting of the 28th Meeting of Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP28) from October 8 to 14 at the Kigali Convention Centre with an aim of reaching a global agreement on an ambitious amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs.

Tina Birmpili, Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) speaks during the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP28) in Kigali, Rwanda, Oct. 10, 2016. The MOP28 kicked off here on Monday, with some parties and environmentalists calling for action that will help put the world on the path toward reducing hydroflourocarbons (HFCs). (Xinhua)

The agreement represents a significant step forward in implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change, which will legally enter into force next month.

Speaking to reporters shortly after passing the Montreal protocol deal, Erik Solheim, said the success in Kigali on HFCs is enormously important move in fight against climate change.

"Last year in Paris, we promised to keep the world safe from the worst effects of climate change. Today, we are following through on that promise," said UN Environment chief Erik Solheim.

"This is about much more than the ozone layer and HFCs. It is a clear statement by all world leaders that the green transformation started in Paris is irreversible and unstoppable. It shows the best investments are those in clean, efficient technologies," he said.

Under the agreement, reached after the five-day long grueling negotiation, the developed countries, including the U.S., Japan, Canada and west European nations, will reduce HFC use first, followed by China along with a large number of other developing countries.

Vincent Biruta, Rwanda minister of natural resources who was also the president of the meeting, said that the Kigali amendment is no longer a dream but a reality and it go down in history that a major climate deal was sealed in Rwanda.

Participants attend the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP28) in Kigali, Rwanda, Oct. 10, 2016. The MOP28 kicked off here on Monday, with some parties and environmentalists calling for action that will help to put the world on the path toward reducing hydroflourocarbons (HFCs). (Xinhua)

"Passing the Kigali Amendment is truly a success. It shows the world that meaningful action on climate change is possible and that we stand a real chance of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We have made history today and we should all be very proud," he noted. "Your commitment to a prosperous future and your willingness to come to the table in the spirit of collaboration is not only the hallmark of the Montreal Protocol, but also the best of humanity."

The Kigali Amendment is the result of seven years of negotiation. Under the amendment, developed countries will start to phase down HFCs by 2019 while developing countries will freeze their levels of consumption in 2024, with some starting the freeze in 2028.

The amendment comes just weeks before the 22nd Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 22) in Marrakesh. The adoption of the Kigali Amendment builds momentum for even greater success in Morocco.

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), HFC emissions are growing at a rate of about 7 percent annually. If the current mix of HFCs is unchanged, increasing demand could result in HFC emissions of up to 8.8 gigatons of CO2 equivalent per year by 2050.

Montreal Protocol is regarded as the world's most effective environmental treaty.

It was first signed on September 16, 1987, and is widely considered to be one of the most-effective multilateral environment treaties ever negotiated. It's the only treaty in the United Nations system to which every country is a signatory.
Sacks of maize donated by China are displayed at a warehouse of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Mogadishu, Somalia, Oct. 12, 2011. Delegations from China and WFP attended a handover ceremony of China's donation to the Somalia humanitarian relief effort, and visited WFP's humanitarian programs in the Somali capital on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Faisal Isse)

NAIROBI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has promised it would feed 600,000 school children in Kenya in 2016.

The world food organization has been conducting the school feeding program for the past 30 years, says WFP Kenya Country Director Annalisa Conte.

Since 2009, Kenya, whose economy has been rapidly expanding for it to fund the program using domestic resources, has also been complementing WFP efforts to fund the school feeding program.

Pupils at Makina Primary School in Kibera slum, Nairobi, capital of Kenya, line up to get their lunch, March 20, 2012. The urban slum school is under a feeding programme by the World Food Program (WFP). The WFP spends USD 16 million annually to feed 630, 000 children in Kenya's urban and semi-arid areas. (Xinhua/Tom Maruko)

According to the WFP, it costs between 0.1 to 0.12 U.S. cents to feed each pupil per day.

The government is currently funding 1 million school children under the Home Grown School Meals Programme (HGSMP).

The program is conducted mainly in arid and semi-arid sub-counties in order to improve access to education in the areas.

A file photo shows students wait for lunch at Jamhuri high shool in Nairobi, Kenya, Oct. 16, 2012.(Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

The school feeding program is an investment for Kenya's future, says Conte. "We have seen that the school meals has increased the school attendance level particularly in areas where poverty and food insecurity still persists."

Kenyan Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang says the school feeding program has helped to increase the country's transition rate from primary to secondary education.

"So we are going to gradually increase our funding because of the benefits of the program," Kipsang says.

WFP last year provided school snacks or meals to more than 17 million school children in 62 countries, nourishing their bodies and feeding their dreams.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.

Each year,the WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.
SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Troops of India and Pakistan Sunday exchanged heavy fire and targeted each other's positions on Line of Control (LoC), dividing Kashmir, officials said.

The firing happened in Nowshera sector of frontier Rajouri district, some 220 km southwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Pakistani forces today resorted to heavy firing and shelling on Indian positions and civilian areas in Naushera sector of Rajouri district along LoC," an Indian army official said. "The firing and shelling started at around 5:00 a.m. and continued for three hours."

Indian defense officials said their troops guarding LoC retaliated and the exchange lasted until 8:00 in the morning.

There were no casualty report to the Indian side due to the firing.

Reports said the cease-fire violation took place after a week-long lull.

Both New Delhi and Islamabad accused each other of resorting to unprovoked firings and violating cease-fire agreements. Both sides maintained that their troops gave befitting reply.

The troops of India and Pakistan intermittently exchange fire on 720 km-long LoC and 198 km International Border (IB) in Kashmir, despite an agreement in 2003 to observe a cease-fire. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the cease-fire however remains in effect.

Tensions between the two countries escalated because of the ongoing civilian protests in Indian-controlled Kashmir that saw around 90 civilians dead and over 12,000 others injured.

The situation worsened between New Delhi and Islamabad following a militant attack on Uri army camp last month that left 19 troopers dead and subsequent claims of Indian military that it carried out "surgical strikes" inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir inflicting significant casualties on infiltrators and their supporters.

Pakistan, however, rejected Indian claims about "surgical strikes".

Reports said over 25 cease-fire violations along LoC were recorded after "surgical strikes" claim.

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into India and Pakistan controlled parts.

New Delhi blames Islamabad for fanning Kashmir protests and accuses it of sending armed militants into Indian-controlled Kashmir, an accusation Islamabad strongly rejects. However, Islamabad says it only provides moral and political support to Kashmiris.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.
ANKARA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 2 Turkish police were killed after a suicide bomber detonated himself during anti-terror operations carried out by the police in Turkey's Gaziantep province on Sunday, Dogan News Agency reported.

The explosion occurred when Turkish police raid a suspected terrorist cell house in Besyuzevler district of Gaziantep city. At least two police were killed and 10 were injured by the bomb blast.

Ambulances were dispatched to the scene of the incident, and the injured were transferred to local hospitals.

Meanwhile, one Turkish soldier was killed on Sunday by a roadside bomb from the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) militants in southeastern Turkish province of Hakkari, Dogan added.

Turkey has put more effort in fighting terrorists groups in both its southeastern and eastern regions and the northern Syrian and Iraq.
MANILA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday a nationwide smoking ban will be implemented.

Duterte said he will sign the executive order prepared by the Department of Health (DOH) on the matter.

"Yes, it will be followed and the implementation will follow the Davao experience," he told reporters in southern Davao City before leaving for Brunei.

Duterte, who had been a mayor of Davao for 23 years, had imposed smoking ban in the city.

"If you want to smoke, find a place where it is allowed," the President said.

He said statistics would show that many Filipinos die of smoking.

The DOH, citing a report of the World Health Organization in 2005, has said the use of tobacco continues to be a major cause of health problems worldwide. During that period, there were an estimated 1.3 billion smokers in the world, with 4.9 million people dying because of tobacco use in a year.

If the trend continues, the number of deaths would increase to 10 million by the year 2020, 70 percent of which would be coming from countries like the Philippines, the Health department said.
HELSINKI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua)-- Finnair has banned carrying Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices on all of its flights, reported Finnish national broadcaster Yle on Sunday.

Due to security risks, the airline does not allow passengers to carry Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices on its flights, not only in their checked luggage, but also in their carry-on luggage.

The prohibition also applies to transit passengers from other airlines to Finnair flights.

In addition, the airline said that the devices cannot be shipped as air cargo in its flights.

Earlier in September, Finnair started to prohibit Galaxy Note 7 phones in checked baggage, but allowed passengers to carry the handsets in their cabin luggage. However, the phones must be shut down during the flights.

Several cases of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 battery explosions have happened worldwide since the new products were released in August this year.

On Oct. 11, Samsung announced to permanently stop its production and sales of the Galaxy Note 7 smart phones globally after failing to solve the battery problems.
DAMASCUS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have taken full control over a northern town of religious significance for the Islamic State (IS) group, a monitor group reported on Sunday.

Backed by Turkish warplanes and tanks, the rebel fighters captured the town of Dabeq in fewer than 24 hours since the attack began, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog said the rebels have also controlled several areas around Dabeq, a town in the northern countryside of Aleppo province.

During the battle, the IS had brought in 1,200 fighters to defend the town due to its religious importance.

The Ankara-backed rebels recently launched a wide-scale offensive against the IS positions in northern Syria, aiming to capture the areas in the hands of the group earlier than the Kurdish troops.

Observers believe that Turkey does not want to see the Kurds expand influence near its borders as a result of the long-standing enmity between them.
Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (L) and Chen Dong meet the media at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Oct. 16, 2016. The two male astronauts will carry out the Shenzhou-11 mission. The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 17, 2016 Beijing Time (2330 GMT Oct. 16). (Xinhua/Li Gang)

by Xinhua writers Xue Yanwen, Li Guoli, Xiao Sisi

JIUQUAN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese astronaut Jing Haipeng is about to become the first Chinese to go into space for a third time, as he was selected to be commander of the upcoming Shenzhou-11 manned space mission.

Jing will work with fellow taikonaut Chen Dong and dock with China's Tiangong-2 space lab, where they will live and work for 30 days.

Jing was involved in the Shenzhou-7 mission in 2008, when astronaut Zhai Zhigang completed China's historic first spacewalk. In 2012, He was also the commander of Shenzhou-9, China's first manned space docking mission.

The 50-year-old astronaut is also about to set another two records: Clocking more than 45 days of spaceflight, making him the only Chinese astronaut to have traveled in space for this length of time.

He and Chen will also fly higher than any other Chinese astronaut, as their rendezvous with Tiangong-2 will be around 393 kilometers above ground level.

Apart from their designated tasks, Jing will also work as a Xinhua space correspondent, covering the mission and answering netizens' questions. The content that he creates will be broadcast via Xinhua's media channels.

NEVER STOP DREAMING

On this, his third time in space, Jing said he was "just as excited as before, but after two missions and 18 years of training, I feel calmer this time."

Many people ask Jing what motivates him, and he always answers, "I truly love what I do."

Time has done little to diminish his enthusiasm.

"I have had different dreams in different stages of my life. When one dream is fulfilled, I come up with another one. A person should never stop dreaming," he said.

The length of time that the two astronauts must spend in the space lab -- 30 days -- will pose the biggest challenge. Once inside Tiangong-2, they must carry out experiments related to in-orbit equipment repairs, aerospace medicine, space physics and biology.

They will undertake the highest number of tests of any manned space mission, according to Lyu Congmin with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

As commander of the Shenzhou-11 mission, Jing is prepared for any eventualities.

Known for his calm demeanor, Jing is often described by his colleagues as being a hard worker, while he admits he is a perfectionist.

"I can't sleep if I leave a problem unsolved," he said.

Chen Dong and Liu Yang, China's first female astronaut who had worked with Jing in the Shenzhou-9 mission, said that Jing also pushed his colleagues to better their practice. He is an inspirational team leader.

FROM RURAL CHINA TO SPACE

Born in a village in the northern province of Shanxi, Jing was named after a mythical bird that has wings like clouds.

At the time nobody could ever have thought that this baby would fly, too. Jing first showed an interest in aviation when he was a teenager and told his father that he wanted to be a pilot.

Jing registered for an aviation exam in 1984 but failed the recruitment process due to "physical reasons."

But this did not dissuade him. The following year, he enrolled with the People's Liberation Army aviation school. Upon graduation, he was relocated to a training base in Jiangsu Province. He had clocked 1,200 hours of safe flight time before he was enlisted as an astronaut.

In 1998, he was selected to be one of China's first astronauts, and was among six candidates trained in 2005 for the Shenzhou-6 mission.
CAIRO, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Supply Ministry said on Sunday that it has contracted for 134,300 tons of sugar that will be directly pumped into the local market next month, in a move aimed at regulating the market amid price hike and a shortage of the essential commodity, official MENA news agency reported.

Supply and Internal Trade Minister Mohamed Ali Meselhi made the announcement during a meeting with a number of heads of companies and the ministry's sectors, according to MENA.

The meeting aimed at following up measures and mechanisms for providing basic goods and foodstuffs at low prices to curb price hikes and alleviate the suffering of low-income families.

Egypt is facing a sugar scarcity due to an acute dollar shortage, leading to a current rise in prices of the unsubsidized sugar to reach 9-10 pounds per kg from four, five, six pounds per kg in August.

Meselhi said the ministry has also contracted for another 500,000 tons of sugar to secure stability in home markets.

The Egyptian official underscored the necessity of tightening up control and inspection measures on different outlets and supply complexes across the nation to ensure commodities reach people with the announced prices and to stop any monopolistic and smuggling practices.

On Saturday, the ministry said it set the commercial price of subsidized sugar at six Egyptian pounds per kg to be available at the ministry's sales outlets, adding that it will continue to sell subsidized sugar for five pounds per kg within the ration card system.

According to the ministry, 71 million people use the government's subsidy cards to buy essential food goods.

In June, the agriculture ministry announced that Egypt's sugar production reached 2.2 million tons in 2016, around 900,000 tons less than the local demand.

Egypt has been struggling to survive a sharp economic recession that developed over the past five years of political turmoil and relevant security issues, leading to the decline of tourism, exports, foreign investments and foreign currency reserves.

The foreign currency reserves at the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) declined since the 2011 uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak from 36 billion U.S. dollars in early 2011 to 19.59 billion at the end of September.
A C-47 aircraft made in 1944 is seen at Kunming Changshui International Airport, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Oct. 15, 2016. The C-47 departing from Australia in August successfully flied across "the Hump" to arrive at Kunming on Saturday. It's final resting place is the Flying Tiger Heritage Park in Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as a historic exhibit. The Hump, or the "death route" over the Himalayan mountains was operated jointly by China and the United States from 1942 to 1945 to transport military supplies from India to Southwest China. (Xinhua)

KUNMING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A transportation plane once used by the "Flying Tigers" arrived in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province on Sunday.

The plane, a C-47 airTrain, which was manufactured in 1944, traversed the hazardous "hump route" over the Himalayas to raise money to repair the blindage once used by Clair Lee Chennault, the leader of the "Flying Tigers," a U.S. air squadron that helped the Chinese fight the Japanese during World War II.

The plane departed from Australia in August and has made stops in several countries.

It currently has five crew members, including two from the United States and three from Australia. Their average age is above 70 years old, each boasting vast experience of flying the plane.

The plane will eventually fly to Guilin, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where a heritage park for the "Flying Tigers" has been established.

The American Volunteer Group, which was given the moniker the "Flying Tigers" afterwards, was formed in 1941.
JERUSALEM, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli human rights group said Sunday it will continue its struggle against the Israeli control of the Palestinian territories despite a rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We will continue saying the truth in Israel and abroad: the occupation must end," B'Tselem said in a statement.

The uproar came after Hagai El-Ad, B'Tselem's executive director, participated in a special session of the United Nations Security Council on Friday, where he urged the Security Council to take actions against the expansion of the Jewish settlements.

On Saturday night, Netanyahu lashed out at the group, calling it a "shoddy and unhinged" organization.

He said the group has joined the "chorus of mudslinging" and accused it of spreading "false claim that the occupation and the settlements are the reason for the conflict."

The prime minister said he would move to ban young national service volunteers from working with B'Tselem.

National service is the non-military alternative for those who do not want to serve in the Israel Defense Forces.

B'Tselem, established in 1989, is one of the largest human rights groups in Israel. It works with local Palestinian volunteers to use video to document the daily life and alleged violations of human rights in the occupied territories.

Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, home to millions of Palestinians, in the 1967 Mideast War and has been controlling it ever since despite international criticism. The Palestinians wish to establish a state in these territories.
MOSCOW, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Participants of a multilateral meeting on Syria in Lausanne, Switzerland have reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining the integrity of the war-torn country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

All parties to the talks confirmed their commitment to preserving Syria as an "integral, independent and secular state" and letting the Syrian people determine the future of their country, the ministry said in a statement, calling for joint efforts from all parties to this end.

On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, together with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Qatar, met in the Swiss city for discussions of restarting the political process in Syria after a ceasefire agreement reached between Moscow and Washington in September has barely held.

At the talks, the Russian side reiterated the need to separate the so-called moderate opposition from the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham militants, also known as the Nusra Front, and other terrorist groups.

Earlier this month, the United States unilaterally suspended talks with Russia on a Syria settlement and accused Moscow of failing to fulfill its commitments under the ceasefire agreement reached on Sept. 10.
TIRANA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The exports of Made in Albania products amounted to 6.2 billion leks (around 50 million U.S. dollars) in the period of January-September, data published by the Albanian ministry of agriculture showed Sunday.

Albanian agricultural exports marked a significant growth of 1.1 billion leks in the 9-month period of 2016 compared to the same period of 2015 when exports amounted to 5.1 billion leks, the Albanian ministry of agriculture reported.

The growth of agricultural exports during the first nine months confirmed once again the positive performance and the upward trajectory of Albanian agriculture sector, also seen an engine to Albania's economic growth.

According to statistics of the ministry, agro-industrial exports amounted to 3.6 billion leks in the nine month period compared to 3.1 billion leks in the same period of the previous year, whereas the livestock exports have increased to 2.4 billion leks from 1.8 billion leks. (1 U.S. dollar = 125 leks)
Along the sensory arc tracing color to taste, the heavy-handed influence of Spanish Colonialism that began more than 500 years ago in the Southwest can still be seen in modern day. None, however, are so physically lasting and astounding as the bright retablos and tinwork of the Spanish Colonial artistic tradition.

And for many artists working today, the same methods in effect for centuries have remained a constant.

The 13th annual Celebraciones de la Gente Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 22 and 23  the last of the Museum of Northern Arizonas Heritage Festivals and co-presented with Flagstaffs Nuestras Raices  will double the number of artists showing in the art market, including retablo painters following the Spanish Colonial tradition.

Regular museum rates apply, with weekend passes available to celebrate the fine art and Day of the Dead-inspired crafts, music and dancing plus insightful lectures from experts from archaeologists making new discoveries in Mexico to stories of Flagstaffs Hispanic pioneer families. After-hours admission is $5 to see the ofrendas (altars) in the Golightly Courtyard.

To learn more, call 774-5213 or visit Musnaz.org.

Dead Mans Palette

Jerry Montoya calls a village outside of Albuquerque home. There, he teaches elementary school children the fundamentals of art  especially drawing.

The Spanish Colonial tradition includes jewelry, furniture making and even intricate straw inlay. Montoyas own work, he said, plays heavily into his style and teachings. At home, he is a tinsmith and painter with a specialty in retablos, or small colorful depictions of saints  santos  on pine.

To qualify as a traditional master of his artform, Montoya described his use of a dead mans palette of red, orange-red, blue and yellow that allows him to paint with the landscape itself.

The all-natural pigments are handmade from vegetable and mineral dyes available in New Mexico, and are mixed to create different colors. The artistic group to which he belongs, the Spanish Colonial Arts Society of Santa Fe, also makes their own gesso  a base that smooths a surface and grips pigments  and a varnish made of pinyon sap.

This is how it was done 400 years ago, Montoya noted.

Although modern technology allows him to purchase these raw pigments from companies rather than scour the desert for yellow sagebrush and indigo flowers or the maroon beetle juice from the tiny cochineal, with a laugh he said it still hasnt saved his kitchen sink from colorful experiments.

Yet this is only one way Montoya pushes the limits of his work.

Pushing bounds

In the last 10 years, Montoya said, hes been breaking into a different method of working with tin  though still married to the traditional form. In the Spanish Colonial Art Society, there is also a division of innovative work into which his repujados fall.

This free-hand embossing creates a look similar to lithography in its thin lines and relationship to drawing, but size is the definitive factor. While traditional repujados are small, Montoyas can be as large as two feet tall and more than a foot wide.

He added, I didnt invent the method, I just push it.

And this artist pushes further still in the imagery amalgamated in his mind and brushed onto his canvas.

Spanish Colonial art varies in color and depiction depending on the region  whether deep into Mexico or in the farthest corner of the Southwest. The most popular santos in New Mexico, Montoya noted, are St. Francis of Assisi, Saint Anthony and the Virgin of Guadalupe. He even recently completed a commission of St. James for the Bishop of Gallup.

Classically trained in arts education at New Mexico State University, Montoya explained his roots to religious iconography stretch back. But it was in 1999, after a heart attack, when the idea cemented.

At that point I felt, well, this is a good time to start, he said. It doesnt hurt to have a little spirituality in your art.

For Montoya, this type of Spanish Colonial art is the trifecta where the history of the materials and the depictions of saints, an artists freedom to play with each portrayal, and spirituality converge.

I like to say theyre not just paintings of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the hood of a 57 Chevy, Montoya said. Thats part of the culture, but its different.

Still, the artist is quick to say as a santerro, he only paints saints. If the owner then chooses to have the piece blessed, then it is a santo.

Otherwise its just a piece of artwork, he said, noting the viewers freedom to contemplate both the beauty of the piece and its meaning.

He added, Would you not go into the Sistine Chapel and not adore Michelangelos work because its in a cathedral? Where do you draw the line?
TEHRAN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's naval fleet departed for Azerbaijan's port city of Baku on the Caspian Sea, Press TV reported on Sunday quoting a senior Iranian navy commander.

Damavand destroyer and Joshan missile vessel with 200 navy forces on board headed to Baku for a three-day visit, said Rear Admiral Afshin Rezaei Haddad.

The fleet is set to convey the message of peace and friendship from the Islamic republic, said Haddad.

"The dispatch of the fleet is meant to demonstrate that the Islamic Republic of Iran is making efforts with all might to enhance security in the Caspian Sea," he added.

Iran has sent several fleets with the same mission from the country's northern and southern waters to the high seas, he said.
TEHRAN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned on Sunday the recent terrorist attack in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, reported the official IRNA news agency.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi expressed the ministry's condolences to the families of the victims as well as the Egyptian people and government.

Qasemi warned against the spreading regional terrorism and extremism, urging for global cooperation to combat this issue.

Egyptian security sources said on Friday that 12 soldiers were killed and six others injured in an attack against a security checkpoint located 85 km west of the town of Al Arish, Sinai Province's capital city.
BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters on Sunday activated a level II emergency mechanism to cope with approaching Typhoon Sarika and Haima.

Typhoon Sarika is expected to make landfall in Hainan on Tuesday morning, while Typhoon Haima will hit Guangdong in south China on Thursday.

Heavy rain and gales will affect the southern coastal areas in the coming days, according to the headquarters.

The headquarters urged local authorities in south China to take precautions and sent six work teams to Hainan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to prepare for aid and relief.

China's State Oceanic Administration also issued a storm warning on Sunday, as coastal cities in Hainan and Guangdong will see heavy precipitation up to 180 centimeters from Monday to Tuesday.
NANJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Meteorological disasters have been blamed for the destruction of at least 50 billion kilograms of grain in China annually, according to official statistics.

Climate change is having an increasing impact on food and agriculture, with each rising degree Celsius causing 10 percent of grain losses,according to figures released Sunday at a promotion activity in Nanjing for the 36th World Food Day.

China is one of the countries most affected by meteorological disasters, with droughts causing about 60 percent of all the losses in the country, according to officials at the activity.

Xu Xiaofeng, deputy head of China Meteorological Administration, said that immediate measures need to be taken to address the issue.

"We need to play down the effect of meteorological disasters in grain production, harvest, storage, processing, packaging, transportation and consumption," Xu said.

China managed to diminish grain losses with a variety of measures in the past few years, including building new granaries and repairing old ones, as well as upgrading transportation equipment, said Xu Ming, deputy head of State Administration of Grain.
A visitor checks a Samsung Note 7 Smart phone at Samsung's stand during the 2016 IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Fan)

BERLIN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- German airline Air Berlin said in a security note on its website that the carriage of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is prohibited on all flights of Air Berlin group.

The Note 7 mobile phones are not allowed to be brought on board immediately since Saturday, a spokesperson of Air Berlin was quoted by German media.

"Safety is always the highest of priorities for Air Berlin," according to the security note.

The airline has already prohibited the use of the devices on its flights before.

Meanwhile, another German airline Lufthansa also announced to ban Galaxy Note 7 on all flights related to the United States.

According to a Lufthansa spokesperson, the ban would soon possibly apply to all other Lufthansa flights.

Singapore Airlines earlier said it will ban the mobile phones since Oct. 16. U.S. regulators issued an emergency order on Friday that the devices would be banned on all flights since Saturday noon.

In Europe, Finnair has banned carrying Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices on all of its flights, reported Finnish national broadcaster Yle on Sunday.

Due to security risks, the airline does not allow passengers to carry Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices on its flights, not only in their checked luggage, but also in their carry-on luggage.

The prohibition also applies to transit passengers from other airlines to Finnair flights. In addition, the airline said that the devices cannot be shipped as air cargo in its flights.

Several cases of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 battery explosions have been reported since the new products were released in August. Samsung announced on Oct. 11 to permanently stop its production and sales of the devices globally.
CAIRO, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Egypt is keen to facilitate measures and remove obstacles facing investors in order to attract investments into the country, Egyptian Trade Minister Tarek Qabil said on Sunday.

According to Egypt's official news agency, the Middle East News Agency, or MENA, the minister commented while meeting with a delegation from Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries company.

The delegation asserted the company's eagerness to establish numerous development projects in Egypt, as it is considered one of the most important markets in the Middle East and Africa, reported MENA.

Egypt is struggling to overcome a sharp economic recession in the past five years of political turmoil and related security issues, leading to a decrease in tourism, exports, foreign currency reserves and foreign investments.

Many foreign investors complained of Egyptian bureaucracy which delays business as it becomes time-consuming to get official permits and the specified lands for their projects, in addition to the current dollar shortage crippling importers.

Egypt recently reached an initial agreement with the International Monetary Fund to receive a 12 billion U.S. dollars loan to reduce its budget deficit and carry out a three-year exacting economic reform program including subsidy cuts and additional taxation.
HOHHOT, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Ejina Banner, a county which until very recently was virtually unknown in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has clocked up more than 60,000 tourists every day this month, twice the number of its residents.

This boom in tourism is closely linked to the launch of the Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft, which will blast off at 7:30 a.m. on Monday from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern part of Ejina.

Within two days of leaving Earth, the spaceship is expected to dock with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-2, which was launched from the same center on Sept. 15.

At dawn Sunday, some keen space fans, weighed down by tents and telescopes, were already setting up camp, readying themselves for the launch after consulting local herdsmen about the best viewing location.

"It will be extremely exciting," said Zhu Xuedong from Beijing. "It's such a rare opportunity."

Home to China's only launch center for manned spacecraft, Ejina has seen an injection of government funding to support the local community and environment, making it increasingly attractive to tourists.

This year, the surface area of Juyanhai Lake, located in the wasteland of Ejina, stood at a 12-year record high of more than 42 square kilometers, after the government in 2000 started to control water use on the upper reaches of the Heihe River that feeds lake downstream.

"The water level has been stable in recent years. There are six fish species living here, with an annual output of 0.8 tonnes," said Altanqeqeg, who runs a lakeside restaurant.

Conservation efforts have boosted growth of the diversiform-leaved poplar, which now covers 440,000 mu (29,300 hectares) of land, up from 390,000 mu in 2000. Meanwhile, the area of desert and wasteland has declined by 39 square kilometers, according to the local forestry bureau.

The improved environment has reduced the havoc often wreaked by the region's notorious sand storms.

"Years ago, I experienced the first sand storm in my life here. Today, all I see are trees. The change is extraordinary," said Xiong Tianhua from southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Before its astral ambitions were set in motion, Ejina was known for the Heicheng ruins, the largest and best preserved ancient city on the Silk Road. It was once the capital of Xixia Kingdom, which disappeared more than 700 years ago.

Archaeologists have been assigned to help protect the site from desert sand and the impact of tourists' visits.

Some herdsmen in Ejina care more about the space launch than others, since some had to move from their ancestral homes to make way for the launch complex.

In 1958, more than 1,400 herdsmen left their homes in the oasis of Ejina along the Heihe River, to make way for the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and embarked on what was to become a nomadic life spanning years.

"That's my hometown. I left with pain, but my sacrifice was worth it," said Oyongerle, 75.
TOKYO, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Ryuichi Yoneyama, an anti-nuclear candidate, has won the gubernatorial election in Niigata Prefecture, home of the world's largest nuclear power plant, according to the exit polls of major media outlets here on Sunday.

The result was seen as a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling administration who favors bringing the nation's nuclear power plants, idled in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in 2011, back on line.

The Asahi newspaper, Nippon Television and Japan's public broadcaster NHK have all said that Yoneyama was assured victory in the gubernatorial election according to their exit polls.

Yoneyama, 49, have never held office before.

"Let me clearly say that I cannot accept the restart of the (Kashiwazaki-Kariwa) plant under the current circumstances where I cannot protect people's lives and live as I have promised," Yoneyama was quoted as saying to his supporters on Sunday, with reference to major concerns in the area over the plant's checkered safety record.

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power station, located in the towns of Kashiwazaki and Kariwa in Niigata Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan, was central to Yoneyama's winning campaign, with incumbent Governor Hirohiko Izumida, who was not seeking reelection, also voicing skepticism over the safety of the plant's restart, likely adding support to Yoneyama's bid, local observers said.

Yoneyama, a doctor as well as lawyer, who was backed by the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) and two other smaller opposition parties, saw off a challenge from former mayor Tamio Mori, 67, who was backed by Abe's pro-nuclear ruling Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition, albeit in a tight race.

Mori, who had held his position as mayor since 1999, had failed to generate enough local support as he had not made his stance on the reopening of the huge seven-reactor facility clear enough, aiding Yoneyama who was widely seen before the race as being Izumida's logical successor, observers said.

The latest result will deal a fresh blow to Abe, who sees firing up Japan's aged nuclear plants as central to his energy policy.

The nation is struggling under the deficit of only having two of its 42 reactors back online after the Fukushima crisis - the worst commercial nuclear accident in history and the most devastating since Chernobyl in 1986.

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant itself has been no stranger to accidents and controversy, as in 2007 an earthquake caused reactors at the plant to catch fire and leak radioactive materials.

As with Fukushima Daiichi, the 8 gigawatts plant in Niigata is also owned and operated by the embattled Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which is currently under state control.

Following TEPCO's numerous coverups, continued misinformation and other monumental gaffes related to the ongoing Fukushima disaster, public opinion towards the utility has remained indignant and distrusting.
LONDON, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The first parliamentary elections in Britain since the June 23 EU referendum take place this week to find MPs to replace former prime minister David Cameron and slain Labour politician Jo Cox.

Voters in both constituencies, Witney as well as Batley and Spen, will vote on Thursday, with the results announced in the early hours of Friday morning.

Even ahead of the voting, despite the upheaval caused by the referendum and Brexit, no shocks are expected.

Cameron quit as prime minister within hours of the announcement that Britain had voted to part company with Brussels. Later he decided to leave politics altogether, creating a by-election in Witney, in the county of Oxfordshire, to replace him.

Last year Witney, with 80,000 voters, re-elected Cameron as their Conservative Member of Parliament, leaving the other 40 percent of the votes divided between Labour, UKIP, the Liberal Democrats and other candidates.

It is almost certain that this coming Thursday barrister Robert Courts, aged 37, who is deputy leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, will romp home in what is considered a safe seat for the ruling Conservatives.

In Northern England, the big political parties, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, UKIP and the Green Party, all decided not to contest the seat vacated by the brutal murder of Labour MP Cox.

They took the view that it would be disrespectful to fight for a seat in Parliament made vacant under such tragic circumstances as the brutal murder of a British member of parliament.

Still, the same rule did not apply to others, and on Thursday a number of minority party and independent candidates are standing in Cox's Batley and Spen seat in Yorkshire, Labour's candidate, former television soap opera star Tracy Brabin, is virtually guaranteed success, leaving her nine challengers following behind.

The two by-elections, called for different reasons, paint a picture of the process that paves the way to the road Westminster, considered as the "mother of all parliaments".

Under British electoral law, any British resident is entitled to stand for parliament. They need support from just 10 voters in the constituency they are aiming to represent, and they have to pay a modest deposit of 500 pounds (610 U.S. dollars), which is repaid if a candidate receives five percent or more of the votes cast in the election.

Although the vast majority of MPs represent the major political parties, people bidding to walk the corridors of power can stand under any banner, or none.

In Witney, Courts will face competition from 13 candidates, most of them almost certain to lose their 500 pounds deposits.

Candidates such as Lord Toby Jug (Eccentric Party), Mad Hatter (Monster Raving Loony Party) and David Bishop (Bus-Pass Elvis Party), and the One Love Party candidate Emilia Arno, adds color, fun and spectacle to the often starchy world of British politics.

In Batley candidate Ankit Love is representing the One Love Party, one of the 10 candidates standing on Thursday. Three independents are standing alongside the BNP (British National Party), and the National Front, with a candidate going by the name of Corbyn Anti standing under the "English Independence" badge.

In the coming days each candidate and their supporters will be busy in both constituencies, desperately trying to win support from voters.

Those that lose will take their defeat with a smile on their faces, and pack away their colourful election materials, until the next election.

In the 2015 general election almost 4,000 candidates competed for the 650 seats in the House of Commons. More than 300 were independents or from minority groups, including 27 Monster Raving Loony candidates. From that group, just one independent made the journey from ballot box to Westminster.
HANOI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- In Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi, in the past few days, visitors have had the chance to watch beautiful girls and women dressed in "Ao Dai" during a festival held here to promote the traditional costume.

The three-day festival called "Hanoi Ao Dai Festival 2016," which opened on Friday, is being held under the theme "The Quintessence of Vietnam's Ao Dai."

The event, which aims to promote the traditional garment among the youth, has drawn the participation of 32 designers to showcase their Ao Dai designs in 38 booths.

Thanh Thuy, one of the designers at the festival, told Xinhua that "more and more young Vietnamese females prefer wearing Ao Dai."

Ao Dai, a tight-fitting silk tunic worn over trousers, is not just the formal costume for festive activities anymore, said Thuy.

Traditionally, Ao Dai was the standard costume for ceremonial occasions such as national holidays, weddings, New Year's Day, graduation day, and also used as uniforms for high school students or for those working for airlines or hotels.

"Modern Ao Dai's are far more functional, which enables women to wear it in their daily lives or even at work," said Thuy, adding that one of her customers wears Ao Dai to go to work almost everyday despite it not being compulsory.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Van, 24, an office worker in Hanoi, told Xinhua that although she loves Ao Dai, she hardly had a chance to wear it in the past, as the costume was always associated with formalities.

"Now, with the emergence of the modernized Ao Dai, I can wear the costume to work, looking graceful and feeling comfortable at the same time," said Van.

Explaining the differences between traditional and modernized Ao Dai, the designer said "The easiest way to distinguish the two kinds is by looking at their lengths. Despite both being very fitted, newer Ao Dai can have modified necklines, sleeves and be knee-length, while traditional ones need to follow stricter rules in terms of neckline, length and sleeves."

As a young fashion designer who wants to develop new looks for the Ao Dai, Thuy said her generation has more kinds of fabric to create traditional and modernized Ao Dai.

"We can renew the image of Ao Dai by using new kinds of patterns, traditional embroidery, ribbon embroidery or by applying heat-printed fabrics," said Thuy.

Speaking to Xinhua while choosing the dress for her own wedding party, Nguyen Thi Hau, 28, said that every different color and design of the garment shows the character of the person wearing it.

For example, students wear simplified white Ao Dai to show their purity, innocence, and young beauty, said Hau, adding that brides prefer to wear a pink or red Ao Dai at her wedding to bring luck and happiness.

Admitting that Vietnam has no worldwide famous Ao Dai brand, Thuy said due to its featured forms, many people thought Ao Dai was solely for Vietnamese people.

However, in the past few years, Ao Dai, which connotes the notion of "cover everything, but hide nothing," has appeared on international fashion catwalks and factories have begun to produce Ao Dais in large numbers.

These Ao Dais are now sold in Vietnam and around the world and the export of the Ao Dai has influenced global clothing designers as far away as Paris, France and New York, Thuy noted.
Flagstaff voters will have a chance to weigh in on seven ballot measures this election season, including five local measures and two statewide items.

Candidates for Flagstaff Mayor and City Council were asked to weigh in on how they planned to vote on each measure. Each candidate was given the option to include a two-sentence explanation of their vote.

* * *

Proposition 410 is the Coconino Community College tax override that would raise $3 million a year for seven years.

--Nabours: Yes

--Evans: Yes. "Education is extremely important and it is unfortunate that our state is not adequately funding our community college."

--McCarthy: Yes. "I served on the Community College Citizens Panel, and know how this will help students prepare for good jobs."

--Brewster: Yes

--Shimoni: Yes. "Enabling students from different backgrounds and socioeconomic levels to gain an education and advance in life is critical. This is our communitys way of saying, yes, we believe in, value and support education."

--Odegaard: Yes. "Based hearing from large and small Flagstaff employers Im convinced we need to have a skilled workforce for our community."

--Oravits: Yes

--Whelan: Yes. "We must support the Coconino Community College (override) 100 percent. CCC is one of our most important links to workforce training programs.

* * *

Proposition 411 would continue an existing sales tax to support the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transit Authority.

--Nabours: Yes

--Evans: Yes. "I 100 percent support our public bus system. As the city grows, we need to make sure we have an adequately funded public transportation system."

--McCarthy: Yes. "This will not increase taxes, but will continue good bus service, which gets cars off the roads and is critical for those without cars."

--Brewster: Yes.

--Shimoni: Yes.

--Odegaard: Yes. "We need to continue the service. NAIPTA is working as intended and for 70 percent of the riders the NAIPTA system is their only transportation."

--Oravits: Yes

--Whelan: Yes. 'This should be fully supported."

* * *

Proposition 412 is a bond issue that would raise $12 million toward a new municipal courthouse downtown.

--Nabours: Yes

--Evans: Yes. "We need a new courthouse and we have needed one for a while. While there might have been other ways to get the funds to build it, this is a dire need."

--McCarthy: Yes. "I support this city-county partnership because we need an improved courthouse, and added parking downtown."

--Brewster: Yes.

--Shimoni: Yes. "Our town is growing and there is a need for an improved court house. After the failing of the previous municipal courthouse bond failed I am glad to see a better proposal, one I think residents can get behind."

--Odegaard: Yes. "The city municipal court facilities cannot be sustained in their present condition. This is a reasonable request for the efficiency, safety, and the morale of city officials, staff, and the citizens of Flagstaff."

--Oravits: Yes. "It is very important this passes because without it we will have to put good money after bad to keep the current antiquated courthouse safe and operational."

--Whelan: Yes. "It is needed and there is parking component that will benefit downtown businesses."

* * *

Proposition 413 would require voter approval before 300 acres of city-owned land on McMillan Mesa can be changed from open space.

--Nabours: Yes

--Evans: Yes. "This is a citizen initiative that I totally support. I think the citizen initiative is a response to a lack of trust in the current council."

--McCarthy: Yes. "This will cost the city nothing and will protect valuable open space."

--Brewster: No. "Limiting development in the area of Gemini Drive increases housing costs overall."

--Shimoni: Yes. "I support our community protecting open space, which is a big driver of our economy, quality of life, and unique character. This will not hinder development on private land but rather protect public open space and connectivity."

--Odegaard: Yes. "At first I had reservations about supporting this proposition because Id like to have seen some land set aside for affordable housing. However Prop. 413 is what we have to vote on."

--Oravits: Leaning yes. "I am leaning to a yes vote but before I vote on Nov. 8th I want to re-read the entire proposition. I also want to be 100 percent sure that the land for the future Veterans Home remains available."

--Whelan: Yes. "I support this important citizen initiative because it does two things: 1. Make sure that city owned undeveloped land adjacent to, and near Buffalo Park, is managed as park. 2. Requires that city council ask the voters if/when it wants to sell/develop/lease the land.

* * *

Proposition 414 would gradually raise the minimum wage in Flagstaff to $15 per hour.

--Nabours: No

--Evans: No. "There are some hidden impacts to small businesses, social services and individuals who receive state assistance."

--McCarthy: Yes. "$10 next year and $15 five years from now is reasonable."

--Brewster: No. "It is a business decision by owners."

--Shimoni: Yes. "When we empower our middle and low income workers, we empower our businesses too. It is a win-win for the whole community and I am glad to see decision power brought to the voters."

--Odegaard: No. "After hearing from so many local small businesses and the non-profit community."

--Oravits: No.

--Whelan: No. "I oppose this proposition because it is not the best solution for our city. I would like to participate in a task force comprised of not only workers, but also owners and managers of Flagstaff businesses of all sizes and profit margins to determine what is best for Flagstaff."

* * *

Proposition 205 is a statewide proposition that would legalize recreational marijuana.

--Nabours: Undecided. "There are persuasive arguments on both sides."

--Evans: Yes.

--McCarthy: Yes. "Although not a perfect initiative, it will decriminalize adult use of a substance that is already commonly used, and treat it in a manner similar to alcohol."

--Brewster: No.

--Shimoni: Yes. "We need to decriminalize the use of recreational marijuana by adults, and regulate it like we currently regulate alcohol. Its a personal freedom issue, as much as it is a criminal justice issue."

--Odegaard: Neutral. "I like the idea in that if you are in possession of an ounce of marijuana it would not be a felony charge. I have also seen the effects of marijuana as a starting point with the move onto harder drugs that was devastating to a family."

--Oravits: Did not respond

--Whelan: Yes.

* * *

Proposition 206 is a statewide proposition that would gradually raise the state's minimum wage to $12 per hour.

--Nabours: No

--Evans: Yes. "I think the statewide proposition is a good compromise."

--McCarthy: Yes. "No one can live on the current minimum wage."

--Brewster: No. "It is business decision by owners."

--Shimoni: Yes. "I believe minimum wage needs to reflect the true cost of living. The federal government sets minimum wage based on an average cost of living in the entire country. However, minimum wage should be adjusted and based on local conditions. "

--Odegaard: No. "The proposition does not designate between full-time and part-time employees with the mandatory paid time off aspects of the proposition, which will be difficult on small businesses."

--Oravits: Did not respond directly, but in previous interviews has indicated he does not support Prop. 206.

--Whelan: Unsure.
Fighters from the Free Syrian Army cheer and react as they fight against the Islamic State (IS) group jihadists on the outskirts of the northern Syrian town of Dabiq, on October 15, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have taken full control over a northern town of religious significance for the Islamic State (IS) group, a monitor group reported on Sunday.

Backed by Turkish warplanes and tanks, the rebel fighters captured the town of Dabeq in fewer than 24 hours since the attack began, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog said the rebels have also controlled several areas around Dabiq, a town in the northern countryside of Aleppo province.

During the battle, the IS had brought in 1,200 fighters to defend the town due to its religious importance.

The Ankara-backed rebels recently launched a wide-scale offensive against the IS positions in northern Syria, aiming to capture the areas in the hands of the group earlier than the Kurdish troops.

Observers believe that Turkey does not want to see the Kurds expand influence near its borders as a result of the long-standing enmity between them.
PARIS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Four people died and 14 others were injured late on Saturday night after a balcony collapsed in Angers, western France, where young students were attending a housewarming party, local media reported on Sunday.

The accident occurred late on Saturday night in a recently-constructed building located in the center of Angers, when over a dozen of people were on the third-floor balcony which collapsed suddenly, said the newspaper Le Monde.

As the balcony fells, the structure smashed off two lower floor balconies and the 4 victims, including three men and a woman, were found in the rubble, said the newspaper Le Parisien.

Several of the injured people who were admitted to Angers CHU hospital "were seriously injured, but no life-threatening is engaged", said Michel Pichon, director on duty of the hospital, quoted by local media.

"The cause of this tragic accident is obviously accidental," said a source close to the investigation.

The mayor of Angers, Christophe Bechu, announced immediate expertise to detect possible defects "in the construction of the building".
DHAKA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh on Saturday executed Asadul Islam Arif, a leader of banned militant local outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), who was convicted of killing two judges in 2005.

"Arif has been hanged to death (Saturday) at 10:30 p.m. (local time)," Jannatul Farhad, official of a jail in the country's southwestern Khulna district, about 140 km southwest of capital Dhaka, told journalists at the scene.

Earlier in the day Bangladesh ordered to execute death row JMB militant.

Senior assistant judges - Jagannath Pandey and Sohel Ahmed - were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Jhalakathi town located in the southern coastal part of Bangladesh on Nov. 14, 2005 when they were going to the court on a microbus.

The suicide bomb attack on the judges followed the series bomb blasts by JMB men across the South Asian country in 2005.

JMB, campaigning for the establishment of Islamic rule in Bangladesh, carried out a series of bombings in 63 out of the country's 64 districts, including capital Dhaka on Aug. 17, 2005, leaving two people dead and 150 others injured.

Hundreds of JMB leaders and activists were then rounded up while six top leaders of the group, including Shaikh Abdur Rahman, were hanged in 2007. Enditem
by Robert Manyara

NAKURU, Kenya, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Emerging need to protect forests from destruction to promote sustainable environment in Kenya has pushed communities into conservation activities as they focus on long-term benefits.

Simon Sururu is the chairman of Logoman Forest Station Scouts, which constitutes of 20 young men from Ogiek community monitoring and rehabilitating 20 hectares of the Logoman Forest, a sub-station of the larger Mau Forest Complex, spanning five counties in Kenya's Rift Valley region.

"My children will suffer in the future if I don't take care of the forest," said Sururu who lives on the fringes of Logoman forest in Nakuru county.

In the last decade, Mau Forest Complex has attracted local and international attention due to its exposure to extensive destruction from illegal harvesting of trees for firewood, charcoal and timber.

Although there have been relentless efforts from the government to save the forests, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), state entity responsible for protecting forests, still reports of the existing challenges of degradation.

Review of the forest laws in 2007 brought in a new aspect of community involvement in conservation activities, which created an opportunity for raising awareness on necessity of environmental conservation.

The new drive, which has given way to the establishment of the group of community volunteers in the Mau, now called for forest champions.

"I have seen rivers dry and droughts hit us so badly but I didn't know it had a connection to the forest until I received training on forest conservation," Sururu said.

KFS, together with a community representative organization, Ogiek Peoples' Development Program, trained them four months ago on the significance of forests to mitigation of climate change and community development.

"We depend on rain to grow crops and if there is none, everybody will suffer. Trees bring rain, prevent soil erosion and keep the air clean," Sururu said.

KFS allocated the Ogieks the section of the forest to conserve as part of the process of community participation in safeguarding the natural resource.

Ogiek is a minority community living within the Mau ecosystem, and has, for centuries, lived on forest resources, including wild berries and honey from bees reared on hives mounted on nectar producing trees.

While the community, through forest associations, takes role in replenishing the forest with indigenous trees as agreed with KFS, the scouts working for free.

"It's challenging to achieve a 10 percent forest cover without community engagement," Daniel Kobei, executive director of the Ogiek Peoples' Development Program said.

According to him, communities living adjacent to forests must be actively engaged in conservation activities since their livelihoods are directly dependent on their existence.

He said communities should not only be educated on benefits accrued from forest conservation but also be engaged in every aspect of rehabilitating natural resources, including making decisions on how to utilize them for efforts to control environmental degradation.

He said a lot of work has to be done in creating awareness among Kenyan communities on relative impact of deforestation on climate change.

Sururu said he has started to nurture his children to respect the environment through tree nurseries and planting trees in his homestead, a habit which Kobei emphasizes as a strategy towards creating an environmental-friendly generation.

"It is a good thing to see people willing to protect the forest for free which is what the scouts are doing. That means they know the importance of the forests," said Kobei.

Joseph King'ori, KFS officer in charge of the Logoman Forest, says an empowered community is an informed society indispensable to creating and maintaining sustainable environments.

"We need communities to create a Participatory Management Plan which will guide on how they engage in conservation of the forests," he said. Enditem
ALGIERS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Algeria is speeding up the process of its transaction settlement with China's currency yuan, Algerian Industry and Mines Minister Abdeslam Bouchouareb said on Sunday in Algiers.

The Algerian minister said adopting the yuan will help not only the settlement of trade transactions with China, but also the conclusion of contracts in the fields of construction and public works.

He made the remarks at a press conference held jointly with Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Qian Keming. Earlier on Sunday, the two sides signed a framework cooperation agreement to boost industry cooperation.

According to Algerian Customs figures, China is the largest commercial supplier of Algeria in 2015, with 8.22 billion U.S. dollars out of a total of 51.5 billion dollars import bill of this North African nation.
Abu Dhabi's economic development department said on Sunday that a delegation bound for Shanghai will promote the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital in China's business hub. (Xinhua/Li Zhen)

DUBAI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Abu Dhabi's economic development department said on Sunday that a delegation bound for Shanghai will promote the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital in China's business hub, reported the UAE's state news agency WAM.

The delegation is tasked with bolstering economic cooperation in trade, industry, investment and exchange of information between the both cities, reported WAM.

The delegation is led by Khalifa Bin Salem Al-Mansouri, acting under-secretary of the department of economic development in Abu Dhabi.

Al Mansouri said the trip followed Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's visit to China in December 2015.

Al Nahyan is the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE's armed forces.

During the crown prince's visit, both sides signed an agreement to establish a clearing hub for China's currency yuan in the UAE.
GOA, India, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, issued here Sunday a joint declaration after a leaders' meeting, looking to play a bigger role in and contribute more to the global governance system.

The Goa Declaration was a result of the eighth BRICS summit that was held on Oct. 15-16 in the western Indian state of Goa, under the theme of "Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions."

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Zuma attended the meeting.

The document said the BRICS members expressed satisfaction with the approval of the first batch of loans by the New Development Bank (NDB), particularly in the renewable energy projects in BRICS countries, and with the NDB's issuance of the first set of green bonds in RMB, as well as the initiation of BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) that has strengthened the global financial safety net.

Noting that BRICS countries represent an influential voice on the global stage, the leaders extended gratitude to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his contribution in the past 10 years and congratulated Antonio Guterres on his appointment as the next UN chief, pledging continuous support for the world body.

On the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the declaration urged developed countries to honor their commitments to achieve 0.7 percent of gross national income commitment for official development assistance to developing countries, adding that those commitments play a crucial role in the implementation of the sustainable development goals.

The five BRICS leaders, who just met last month in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou when China hosted the 11th summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies, welcomed the G20 Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda adopted during the Hangzhou Summit and committed to its implementation by taking bold transformative steps through both collective and individual concrete actions.

Commending China for the successful hosting of the Hangzhou summit and its focus on innovation, structural reform and development as drivers of medium and long term economic growth, the BRICS leaders emphasized the importance of the implementation of the Hangzhou summit's outcomes, which will foster strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, contribute to improved global economic governance, and enhance the role of developing countries.

The bloc pledged to enhance consultations and coordination on the G20 agenda, especially on issues of mutual interest to the BRICS countries, and promote issues of importance for the emerging market and developing economies.

The BRICS countries will continue to work closely with all G20 members to strengthen macroeconomic cooperation, promote innovation, as well as robust and sustainable trade and investment to propel global growth,improve global economic governance, enhance the role of developing countries, strengthen international financial architecture, support industrialization in Africa and least developed countries, and enhance cooperation on energy access and efficiency, said the document.

On the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s reform, the bloc reaffirmed its commitment to a strong, quota based and adequately resourced IMF.

Noting that borrowed resources by the IMF should be on a temporary basis, the BRICS countries said they remain strongly committed to supporting the coordinated effort by the emerging economies to ensure that the 15th General Review of Quotas, including the new quota formula, will be finalized within the agreed timelines, so as to ensure that the increased voice of the dynamic emerging and developing economies reflects their relative contributions to the world economy, while protecting the voices of least developed countries, poor countries and regions.

The declaration welcomed the inclusion of the RMB into the Special Drawing Rights currency basket on Oct. 10, and urged advanced European economies to meet their commitments to cede two chairs on the Executive Board of the IMF.

On the security front, the bloc strongly condemned the recent attacks against some BRICS countries, and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, while stressing that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other reasons.

The bloc agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating international terrorism both at the bilateral level and at international fora, and called on all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism.

On environment protection, the BRICS countries welcomed the Paris Agreement and its imminent entry into force on Nov. 4. They urged developed countries to fulfill their responsibility toward providing the necessary financial resources, technology and capacity building assistance to support developing countries with respect to both mitigation and adaptation for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

They also emphasized that the comprehensive, balanced and ambitious nature of the Paris Agreement reaffirms the principles of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, including the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances.

India, South Africa, Brazil and Russia conveyed their appreciation to China for its offer to host the Ninth BRICS Summit in 2017 and extended their full support, said the declaration.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, which gathers the world's five major emerging economies.

The bloc's members have seen their cooperation growing over the past decade, especially the establishment of the NDB and the CRA in 2014.

Despite economic headwinds in the BRICS countries and external skepticism about whether the bloc is losing its power over recent years, the IMF said earlier this month in its latest issue of World Economic Outlook that in emerging market and developing economies, the 2016 growth will accelerate for the first time in six years.
LAGOS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A governor in Nigeria Sunday dismissed the assertion that President Muhammadu Buhari's three-day visit to Germany was more of a medical trip than official engagements.

Rochas Okorocha, governor of Southeast Imo State who stated this to reporters in Abuja, debunked the allegation, saying that the official engagements of Buhari in Germany, had no connection, whatsoever, with medication.

The governor was part of the president's entourage to Berlin, Germany and was reacting to media interview granted by a local social commentator, Junaid Muhaamed.

Muhammed had alleged that Buhari visited Germany on Friday to seek medical attention over an undisclosed illness.

Okorocha said the visit to Germany only ended on a compassionate note on Saturday, with the president's convoy veering off its way back to the airport in Berlin to visit a Nigerian military officer receiving treatment in a hospital there.

Garba Shehu, the President's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, had on Saturday said Buhari visited a Nigerian military officer receiving treatment there as he rounded off his three-day official visit to Germany.

The officer, Brig.-Gen. Sani Aliyu, the Acting Commander of the 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, survived a ghastly road accident while on a duty tour in the North-East on March 8, 2016. Enditem
HELSINKI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Finnish government seems to make a turnaround in its policies regarding higher education as a Finnish Nobel Prize winner Bengt Holmstrom added weight to expert suggestions about additional funding.

Finnish Education Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen said on Sunday that the government now plans hundreds of millions of euros in capital funding to restore the capabilities of Finnish universities.

Interviewed on the news service Lannen Media, Grahn-Laasonen referred to the advice given by Holmstrom, one of the 2016 Nobel economics laureates. The accent will be on funding teaching and basic research, the minister said.

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Economics, or officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, has been awarded jointly to Oliver Hart and Holmstrom "for their contributions to contract theory."

Holmstrom has maintained Finnish citizenship despite moving to the United States.

In August this year, Holmstrom and two other Finnish economists appealed for a restoration of funding and suggested sales of public property as a financial source. The Finnish government has major holdings in publically listed companies and controls majority ownership in some.

Sunday's announcement was described by Finnish media as a total reverse of the higher education policy.

Before the government led by Juha Sipila was formed in May 2015, universities were already required increasingly to attract private financing from the society. As that was not feasible in all subjects, the cutbacks of public funding began in 2015 and resulted in layoffs and terminations of some programs.

Since taking office, the current coalition government has severely reduced budgeting for universities, causing dismissals even at professor level.

In the interview published on Sunday, Grahn-Laasonen hoped the word about the revised policy will be heard internationally. She referred to recent reports about scholars leaving Finland for research opportunities abroad.

"We must now see to it that Finland has an attractive environment for international experts, and for Finnish researchers to come back," Grahn-Laasonen was quoted as saying. The implementation of the policy would begin next spring in the 2018 budget planning.

The would-be funding in the form of a capital infusion did not receive unanimous applause in universities. According to the new plan, the actual increase in revenue would depend on the yield of the capital, some critics said, and they suggested direct spending instead.

Grahn-Laasonen responded late Sunday by saying that an increase in direct funding would not be possible.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

GOA, India, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday, vowing to deepen bilateral pragmatic cooperation within the Belt and Road framework.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the eighth BRICS summit in the western Indian state of Goa.

China-Sri Lanka relations have seen positive and healthy development momentum, said Xi, noting that China will work with Sri Lanka to carry forward the traditional friendship cultivated by generations.

Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as well as the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement on Rice for Rubber, he said, calling on the two sides to take the opportunity to cement traditional friendship and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to lift bilateral ties to a new high.

In 1952, Sri Lanka withstood the pressure from the United States and other Western countries and signed the famous rice and rubber agreement with new China, and in doing so, opening a chapter in the history of friendly exchanges between the two countries.

To further their relations, Xi suggested the two sides maintain high-level contacts and political communication, and continue to show mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests.

China appreciates Sri Lanka's support for and active participation in the Belt and Road construction, said Xi.

He called on the two sides to deepen cooperation in the sectors of trade, port operation, infrastructure construction, port-vicinity industrial parks, production capacity and people's livelihood.

He said the two sides should continue to advance their mega cooperative projects such as the Colombo Port City and Hambantota Port.

Xi voiced hope that the two sides will make good preparations for the activities celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and encourage more exchanges among all sectors of society, including local affairs, Buddhist community, youth, think-tanks and media.

The Chinese president also suggested the two sides expand cooperation in the fields of tourism, ocean, security and disaster preparedness and mitigation.

He said the two countries should enhance coordination within multi-lateral frameworks and continue to support each other in international and regional affairs.

For his part, Sirisena said the time-tested relations between the two countries have gained a stronger momentum under the new situation.

He thanked China's assistance for Sri Lanka's development as well as China's support to his country on the international arena.

Sri Lanka adheres to the one-China policy and is willing to strengthen coordination and communication with China in international and regional affairs, he added.

Sirisena said Sri Lanka is willing to speed up the implementation of relevant economic and trade agreements with China as well as cooperation on maga projects. He welcomed Chinese enterprises to increase investment in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is a member of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a regional mechanism that is aimed at connecting South Asian and Southeast Asian countries and also groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand.

On the margins of the BRICS summit in Goa, Xi and other BRICS leaders held dialogues with the BIMSTEC leaders and representatives.
A longtime educator who is prioritizing school funding and veterans courts is hoping to unseat one of two Republican incumbents in the Legislative District 6 race for the state House of Representatives.

Democrat Alex Martinez served in the United States Navy Reserve before working as a school superintendent in Leupp, Parks, Sanders and an isolated school district in Alaska.

Thorpe, who lives in Flagstaff and previously worked in the software business, was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2012. Barton, a resident of Payson and former employee with the city of Safford, was elected to the state House in 2010.

Barton did not respond to interview requests from the Daily Sun for this article.

Guns

Martinez supports universal background checks for gun sales and says a bill passed by the state legislature this year allowing for concealed carry on public streets through college campuses is a tragedy waiting to happen.

Barton, on the other hand, was a was a prime sponsor of a bill to allow students and faculty at public universities, colleges and community colleges to carry a concealed weapon on campus. Thorpe didn't oppose the idea.

If a college or university chose to allow firearms, I would suggest that they only allow people to carry on campus who are trained in the use of firearms, and who have a valid concealed carry weapons permit, Thorpe wrote in an email. Additionally, I would suggest that these individuals (students, staff and faculty) should work closely with campus police, almost in a deputy-like capacity.

Cops, courts and budgets

Referencing his status as a veteran himself, Martinez wants increase the number of special courts for veterans where the goal is to steer veterans toward assistance and services rather than jail time.

Hes against private prisons, saying he would do everything he could to do away with them. Thorpe said the director of state corrections assured me that private prisons provide a great deal of value for Arizona.

Martinez also would work to roll back many of the tax cuts the legislature has enacted over the past several years, saying the state hasnt recognized major revenue gains from them. An analysis by legislative budget staffers this spring showed corporate tax cuts enacted during the recession will actually leave the state with $350 million less per year by the time theyre fully implemented.

On his campaign website, Thorpe said Arizonans need the lowest possible taxes, though the legislator said he would support giving citizens the ability to vote to increase gas taxes and wants to increase Highway User Revenue Fund dollars for city and county roads.

Arizonas schools

Thorpe, who is chair of the Government and Higher Education Committee, believes Arizonas schools need smaller administrative staffs and overhead and students need a wide array of choices. Both Barton and Thorpe supported a bill to restore previously cut funding to Joint Technical Education District classes in Arizona.

For Martinez, education is the biggest and best investment the state can make and he said he would push for the state to fund universities and community colleges as close to 100 percent as possible. He would like to see a change in how schools are funded to give rural schools a boost and is against programs that give state funds to students who want to transfer from public schools to private ones. Thorpe and Barton were co-sponsors of a bill to expand the eligibility for those Empower Scholarship Accounts, also referred to as vouchers to attend private schools.

Thorpe, Barton and Martinez voted for Proposition 123, but Thorpe and Martinez disagree about Common Core with Martinez supporting it and Thorpe saying it needs to be repealed.

Martinez also proposes funding that would be dedicated to helping schools implement and develop core standards for sexual education programs.

Thorpe called the idea another new costly program that has nothing to do with teaching the core curriculum, and will divert classroom time and resources.

Federal, state and local layers

Thorpe and Barton voted against the bill that included an expansion of the low income childrens health insurance program Kidscare last year. Martinez, on the other hand, said he would support it even if the state had to pick up the tab later on due to reduced federal funding.

The preventive health savings from the program would benefit the state in the long run, plus, its the right thing to do, Martinez said.

The Democrat disagrees with several bills supported by Barton and Thorpe that established state preemption over local regulations on things like drones, plastic bags and vacation rentals.

Im going to take the Republican point of view which is local control is the most important issue for us and we shouldnt have the state usurping local control from cities and counties, Martinez said.

Hes also wary of proposals to transfer more federal public lands to the states.

The first thing I can see is the state gets involved and sells it off to developers, he said.

Thorpe and Barton are fully behind the idea, referring to the fact that only 17 percent of Arizona is privately owned, which makes for a smaller tax base to support schools and local government. While the federal government does pay counties to compensate them for federal lands within their boundaries, Thorpe suggested a way to increase those revenues could be for the state to charge the federal government $50 per acre in property taxes to gain about $1.5 billion annually for education and local government.

On the topic of public lands, Martinez supports the idea of a national monument around Grand Canyon National Park while Thorpe is against the idea saying it will "encumber" a total of about 50,000 acres of state trust and private lands.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Republican Party headquarters in Orange County of the key swing state of North Carolina was firebombed overnight, local police reported Sunday afternoon. Graffiti saying "Nazi Republicans leave town or else" was found nearby.

A bottle of flammable material was thrown through one of the building's front windows, starting a fire inside, a CBS-WNCN report quoted police source as saying.

"The flammable substance appears to have ignited inside the building, burned some furniture and damaged the building' s interior before going out," said a statement on the town website for Hillsborough, where the incident took place.

"The office itself is a total loss," said Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of state Republican Party.No one was hurt and no damage estimates were available.

On the side of a building next to the Republican headquarters, graffiti saying "Nazi Republicans leave town or else" was spray painted in black paint, according to the police.

The North Carolina Republican Party released a statement Sunday afternoon calling the incident a "hate crime", saying they would increase security at events and offices.

"Whether you are Republican, Democrat, or Independent, all Americans should be outraged by this hate-filled and violent attack against our democracy," said Woodhouse.

"This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our community's safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation," Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens said in a statement.
HAVANA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A ship from the Venezuelan navy arrived in Cuba Sunday with a load of humanitarian aid to help repair the eastern side of the island, which was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew in early October.

According to official news portal Cubadebate, the military transport vessel, Tango 62, unloaded 396 tons of aid at the port of Santiago de Cuba, located around 50 km from the province of Guantanamo, which was severely affected.

The cargo includes front loaders, electric transformers, dump trucks and 1,125 units of sheeting for house build.

In a welcoming ceremony, Venezuela's Minister of Housing, Manuel Quevedo, said that Venezuela will also be sending help to Haiti in the coming days.

Engineers from the Venezuelan army and Cuban specialists have begun working on a new bridge linking the municipalities of Baracoa and Moa, as the previous access was destroyed when the hurricane caused the river Toa to surge.

A first Venezuelan ship, Tango 63, arrived in Cuba on Oct. 13, bringing heavy construction machinery and 20,000 square meters of roofing supplies.

Matthew, considered the most powerful hurricane in the Caribbean since Felix in 2007, battered Cuba's eastern coast but left no casualties.

However, it brutalized parts of Haiti, killing over 1,000 people, according to media estimates, as well as at least 43 people in the U.S., 4 in the Dominican Republic, 1 in Colombia and 1 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
DAMASCUS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 31 people were said to be killed on Sunday by airstrikes on rebel-held districts in Syria's northern city of Aleppo, a monitor group reported.

Warplanes carried out four airstrikes on the rebel-held neighborhoods of Qaterji, Sukkari and Bab al-Naser as well as other areas in eastern Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

At least 10 families are struck under the rubble, which could likely raise the death toll, the UK-based watchdog group added.

The Observatory, which says it relies on a network of activists on ground, accused the government forces of being behind the airstrikes and the shelling.

Meanwhile, battles continued between the Syrian army and an array of ultra-radical rebel groups in the southern countryside of Aleppo, amid reports of a progress made by the government forces in the Khan Tuman area, according to the Observatory.

For its part, state news agency SANA said at least 29 rebels were killed by a military offensive against the rebel positions in the rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo.

On the international arena, the United States and its Western partners were mulling to impose sanctions on the Syrian government and Russia over the situation in Aleppo, where the West accuse the government forces and Russia of committing "war crimes."

Imposing sanctions is the "tool" the United States and the Western powers are seeking, instead of engaging in a war on the Syrian army in Syria.

"We are pursuing diplomacy because those are the tools we have," said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry following a meeting Sunday with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in London.

"I do not see a big appetite in Europe for people to go to war," he said.

This comes amid heightened tension between Washington and Moscow over Aleppo, particularly after the Syrian government forces have tightened the siege on eastern Aleppo with the help of Russia, and urged the rebels there to surrender.

The U.S. and its allies want Russia and the Syrian army to halt their attacks on eastern Aleppo, while the Syrian government and Moscow want to dislodge the rebels out of that area.

Aleppo, located near the borders with Turkey, is Syria's largest city and once an economic hub. It has been a focal point of clashes between the Syrian army and the rebels.
A picture shows desruction as Syrian pro-government forces advance in Aleppo's Bustan al-Basha neighbourhood on October 6, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 31 people were said to be killed on Sunday by airstrikes on rebel-held districts in Syria's northern city of Aleppo, a monitor group reported.

Warplanes carried out four airstrikes on the rebel-held neighborhoods of Qaterji, Sukkari and Bab al-Naser as well as other areas in eastern Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

At least 10 families are struck under the rubble, which could likely raise the death toll, the UK-based watchdog group added.

The Observatory, which says it relies on a network of activists on ground, accused the government forces of being behind the airstrikes and the shelling.

Meanwhile, battles continued between the Syrian army and an array of ultra-radical rebel groups in the southern countryside of Aleppo, amid reports of a progress made by the government forces in the Khan Tuman area, according to the Observatory.

For its part, state news agency SANA said at least 29 rebels were killed by a military offensive against the rebel positions in the rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo.

On the international arena, the United States and its Western partners were mulling to impose sanctions on the Syrian government and Russia over the situation in Aleppo, where the West accuse the government forces and Russia of committing "war crimes."

Imposing sanctions is the "tool" the United States and the Western powers are seeking, instead of engaging in a war on the Syrian army in Syria.

"We are pursuing diplomacy because those are the tools we have," said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry following a meeting Sunday with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in London.

"I do not see a big appetite in Europe for people to go to war," he said.

This comes amid heightened tension between Washington and Moscow over Aleppo, particularly after the Syrian government forces have tightened the siege on eastern Aleppo with the help of Russia, and urged the rebels there to surrender.

The U.S. and its allies want Russia and the Syrian army to halt their attacks on eastern Aleppo, while the Syrian government and Moscow want to dislodge the rebels out of that area.

Aleppo, located near the borders with Turkey, is Syria's largest city and once an economic hub. It has been a focal point of clashes between the Syrian army and the rebels.
BELGRADE, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Serbian government adopted a draft agreement on mutual visa-free regime with China, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic announced on Sunday at a joint press conference with Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Manchang.

The Serbian government session on Sunday in the city of Nis discussed and approved unanimously the draft agreement of visa-free regime between the two countries, which will allow holders of ordinary passports of both countries to have a visa-free entry for a stay of less than 30 days.

At the press conference after the session, Dacic and Li agreed that "this is a historic day for relations of the two countries."

Dacic specified that once the Chinese government accepts the agreement, citizens of the two countries will not need visas for visits of less than 30 days.

"This will have a positive effect on the development of cooperation in all areas -- from political relations and economy to tourism," Dacic said, adding that this will strengthen exchanges in culture, science and education.

He added that Serbia's proposal is a result of its friendship with China and mutual trust that has been built between the two countries as well as a result of the comprehensive strategic partnership established between the two countries.

Li said that China highly appreciates the decision by the Serbian government, and the Chinese government will adopt this agreement and it will be put into effect quickly, adding that this shows that the two countries have mutual trust and confidence.

"Once the agreement is put into force, more Chinese tourists and investors will come to Serbia and more Serbian people would be able to travel to China," Li said at the press conference.
by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A refugee woman and her son lost their lives on Sunday off the Oreokastro hospitality center in northern Greece after being hit by a car in an accident, police said. It sparked tension with refugees.

The refugees protested by setting fire to the car and rubbish bins. The 76-year-old driver has been arrested.

The woman and the boy succumbed to their injuries within minutes, while a girl was slightly injured, according to Greek national news agency AMNA.

Police forces were deployed in the area to restore order.

Currently more than 60,000 refugees are stranded in Greece after the closure of borders along the Balkan route to central Europe earlier this year.
Photo taken by the author shows scenery in Wuzhen, east Chinas Zhejiang province. (Source: Photo provided by the author)

An annual theatre event kicked off on Thursday in Wuzhen, east Chinas Zhejiang province.

Under the theme of Gaze Beyond, the Fourth Wuzhen Theatre Festival invited artists and performers from 13 countries and regions, with nearly eighty theater shows to be staged, according to its official website.

This years Wuzhen Theatre Festival consists of four parts: Reviving Classics, Celebrating Shakespeare, Physical Theatre and Incredible Discovery.

Besides, this festival will also hold competitions, dialogues and forums, providing platforms for young artists to roll out their shows and to exchange ideas about theatre performance.

This festival will last until Oct. 22.

Co-founded by several Chinese actors and directors, this festival has become a cultural symbol of Wuzhen, this 1,300-year-old water town.

Thanks to its protection and restoration, Wuzhen was named a candidate for the World Cultural Heritage List of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2001.

With various kinds of performance, the Wuzhen Theatre Festival has injects vitality into the town, as more and more artists, performers and audience in and out of China begin to arrive.

Meanwhile, Wuzhen itself has drawn worldwide attentions in recent years, due to its hosting of the World Internet Conference, an event participated by guests from over one hundred countries and regions.
Image provided by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) shows UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (R) shaking hands with Haitian Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 15, 2016. Ban arrived on Saturday in Haiti to make a tour to the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Matthew and met with government officials and humanitarian organizations working in the country. (Xinhua/MINUSTAH)

Related:

UN relief wing calls for more funding efforts to help Haitians affected by hurricane

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to appeal to the international community for 120 million U.S. dollars in emergency funding to provide life-saving relief to 750,000 Haitians affected by Hurricane Matthew, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Friday.
No matter who voters elect to represent the First Congressional District next month, they will get a candidate who has promised to be uncompromising in his defense of Arizonas coal industry.

Instead, what separates Democrat Tom OHalleran and Republican Paul Babeu are their opinions on how to improve the healthcare system, the solution for illegal immigration and the management of the regions public lands, timber and other resources and treatment of undocumented immigrants.

OHalleran is a former Republican state legislator who, after losing his bid to get reelected in 2008, has worked with conservation organizations including the Verde River Basin Partnership and Keep Sedona Beautiful.

Babeu has been the sheriff of Pinal County for eight years and previously served on the Army National Guard and as a Chandler police officer.

The candidates themselves have raised a total of about $1.6 million so far, and, like previous years, this race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in the nation.

Natural resources and public lands

Both candidates agree on the benefits of restoring the millions of acres of forest in the district using logging and prescribed fire. Babeau also said he would try to roll back requirements like environmental impact studies he believes are slowing down restoration work and would greatly restrict the EPA and the Forest Service to allow safe thinning of the forest. In the same breath however, Babeu said he supports giving additional funding to the Forest Service to speed up that same work.

Babeu supports a continuation and expansion of mining and logging in northern Arizona and is against a proposal to create a national monument on lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. He would advocate turning over more federal public lands over to the states and dismissed concerns about the financial burden of managing those lands, saying the state should increase logging and mining to generate the needed revenues.

OHalleran is against any expansion of uranium mining in the state and supports the monument proposal, saying its needed to protect the Grand Canyon watershed. He opposes any proposal to turn federal lands over to state hands saying it already doesnt take appropriate care of the acreage it has and doesnt have the resources to take on more.

Immigration and foreign relations

Like Kirkpatrick, OHalleran said he would vote for the Gang of Eight proposal for immigration reform that would create a 13-year path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, boost funding for border security infrastructure and agents and implement nationwide e-verify. Babeu said he would not vote for the proposal. Only when the border is secure will he talk about how to deal with the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country, Babeu said. He also would not support a path to citizenship for those in the country illegally, but would get behind a special work permit that wouldnt come with the right to vote.

Babeu supported Senate Bill 1070, the states controversial immigration law, while OHalleran said he voted against the elements of it that came up when he was in the legislature.

When it comes to the threat of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, Babeu aligns with Sen. John McCain, agreeing that the United States should confront the militant group with troops on the ground in the Middle East  McCain said 10,000 and Babeu agreed  sent as part of a multinational force.

While disagreeing with any effort to screen refugees by their religion, current background checks for Syrian refugees arent sufficient, Babeu said. He wants to see the U.S. focus its money on safe zones in the Middle East instead of accepting more refugees into the country.

OHalleran said he wouldnt support sending ground resources to the Middle East conflict but would approve of supplying equipment and training and authorizing special operations forces. Instead of stricter background checks, OHalleran said the United States' visa program should be reexamined to make sure people arent overstaying their visas.

Beyond coal

Both Babeu, who calls himself a climate realist and OHalleran, who prided himself in forcing the Bureau of Reclamation to consider climate change in modeling of the Colorado River system, acknowledged their support of coal comes despite the fossil fuel being an enormous contributor to human-caused climate change. Navajo Generating Station is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the nation, according to ProPublica.

Even so, in what many are calling a clear bid for tribal votes, both candidates said they will do everything from rolling back an Environmental Protection Agency haze rule (OHalleran said it needs to be re-looked at) to challenging the Obama Administrations Clean Power Plan to preserve current operations of four coal-fired generating stations and one coal mine in the district. An estimated 1,700 jobs are coal-related in northern and eastern Arizona, many of those are held by Native Americans.

When asked about their ideas for economic development beyond coal, Babeu said the regions timber industry needs to be revived. He also supported greater lending opportunities on Native American reservations.

OHalleran said theres a need to expand broadband into rural areas including reservations, improve education resources and create more job training opportunities. His jobs plan also calls for allowing tax credits for jobs created on the reservation.

Healthcare solutions

Babeu has slammed the Affordable Care Act, proposing an alternative that reduces the government's role, and would vote to repeal the key components of the legislation even if there wasnt another program in place to replace it.

OHalleran, who has been forced to defend the legislation many times before, rattled off data about Obamacare leading to an all-time high in the number of people with health insurance and extending the life of Medicare. Some tweaks need to be made though, like better negotiations of prescription drug prices and a review of compensation for doctors and nurses, OHalleran said.

Questions about the past

Both candidates have tried to bring up questions about each others pasts. Babeu continues to pound on OHallerans switches on parties and issues. OHalleran said it was not his views and values that changed, but those of the Republican Party to the point where he couldnt identify with it anymore. When it comes to at least two topics, gay marriage and abortion rights however, OHallerans position has changed. OHalleran voted for tougher penalties for doctors performing partial-birth or late term abortions and for parental consent to be required before a minor can receive an abortion. He also voted in favor of putting a constitutional amendment question on the ballot that would define marriage in Arizona only as a union between a man and a woman. Now, OHalleran said he supports a womans right to choose and believes gay marriage is the right thing.

For his part, Babeu has struggled to explain his two years spent as headmaster at a Massachusetts boarding school investigated by the state for abusive practices in the early 2000s. A home video shows Babeu speaking about and extolling the benefits of the schools disciplinary practices like grouping, where children were forced to stay within an arms length of one another wherever they went, physical restraint by staff and cornering, where children were forced to stand in a corner for extended periods of time. All were cited as dangerous and excessively punitive by the state. When asked whether he still condones those practices Babeu never directly answered the question.

Never have I been a behavioral health professional, he said. A lot of things have changed in 16 or 20 years in medicine and how we care for at risk youth so absolutely there is a different way of... Im not in that industry. Im in law enforcement

He later continued, That is where mental and behavioral health professionals that I'm not made those decisions. How could I ever second guess those professionals?

Babeus support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has also been in the news recently since Trumps comments about sexually assaulting women caused Sen. McCain to withdraw his support for the candidate.

But Babeu said hes sticking by Trump.

Comments about women and actions are completely different things, Babeu said. I don't support it and it is appalling he would say such a thing, yet we're at war and have severe issues in our economy so all of these issues when you look a totality of what's happening in America that's critical, that's not the thrust of my campaign.
Is the great American charade over now? You know, the "bring us your huddled masses, equal opportunity home of the free and land of the brave?" I have long thought we (as a society) have not made nearly the strides we lay claim to. Now, after all the proudly "politically incorrect" nonsense, (entertaining as it was,) we must face ourselves as a nation. American citizens still stand with a presidential candidate who boasts about sexually assaulting women (and under-age girls; why is nobody saying the word "pedophile?") because he can, because money and fame allows him to do anything. Does "Make America Great Again" mean anything besides perpetuating a system where we continue to stand by, or step aside even more, to allow this behavior to continue?
Next month when we elect our representatives in Washington we have other clear choices than just those at the top of the ticket.

For years as part of the delegation representing home-building issues in Arizona, I traveled annually to Capitol Hill to meet with our representatives. During those visits we talked with them all, with one exception  John McCain. He never once made himself available to meet with us. Even then, he seemed more concerned with his national image, rather than his job representing us.

In stark contrast, Ann Kirkpatrick is one of the most approachable elected officials with whom I have ever worked. She honors her roots and everyone she represents  not only those who share her party affiliation. Her record shows that she has consistently been willing to work across the aisle, as a state representative and in Washington. Unlike Senator McCain, she has never ignored her constituents or strayed from them in the pursuit of greater celebrity.

Our other choice is between Tom OHalleran and Paul Babeu. In his years in the legislature, Tom OHalleran was always available and interested in his constituents concerns, regardless of the party line. He comes from northern Arizona, but his issues represent the entire district. Paul Babeus concentration on southern border issues displays his indifference for the balance of our district, and his emphasis on crime demonstrates his ignorance of the responsibilities of a federal representative.

It is time we elect those who represent all of us and who are willing to work with everyone to get things done. Ann Kirkpatrick and Tom OHalleran have proven they can do that. They deserve your vote.

JEAN RICHMOND-BOWMAN

Flagstaff
The ads regarding Proposition 205 are contradictory so I went to the actual text of the proposition to see what it actually said and found the following:

First, monies in the marijuana fund are to pay the costs of the marijuana licenses and control in carrying out the provisions of Proposition 205.

Second, the marijuana fund reimburses the Department of Revenue for reasonable costs to administer and enforce payment of the taxes deposited into the fund.

Third, one-half of the license fees collected are to be paid to the locality in which a marijuana establishment is located although there is no provision regarding what the funds can be used for.

Of whatever is left, 40 percent goes to school districts and charter schools for education-related expenses including teacher salaries, construction, maintenance and operating costs of any K-12 programs. Then, 40 percent goes to schools that certify at the beginning of the fiscal year that those funds will be used to provide full-day kindergarten. Whatever is not used by the end of the fiscal year is to be returned to the Marijuana fund for redistribution.

Finally, 20 percent goes to the Arizona Department of Health for the maintenance of poison and drug information centers.

I wonder how much the schools will actually receive if this proposition passes?

JUDITH LEARY

Flagstaff
Mother: Adams killers better bat in the crease

This was revealed by his grieving mother Radica Seenath from her home in Tobago yesterday.

At about 7.25 am on Friday, Jotis, a supermarket employee was found dead on the beach in Mayaro, and, according to reports, his body had washed ashore bareback and clad in a shorts with his feet bound with what appeared to be the twine used to repair fish nets.

An autopsy is expected to be performed at the Forensic Science Centre, St James tomorrow.

Seenath, who is originally from Mayaro, is expected to arrive in Trinidad today.

Jotis last post to Facebook on Thursday night showed a bottle of beer in a grocery shopping cart. It was reported that he had gotten paid on Thursday and friends last saw him in a KFC restaurant purchasing food.

Seenath described her son as honest and hardworking who did not deserve to die the way he had.

Up to now I cant eat, she told Sunday Newsday. I know they kill him but justice will prevail. Dont worry, little do they know that Adam is a Tobagonian and everybody praying for him. Everybody went to church this morning (yesterday) and they praying, so the killers better bat in the crease because Tobagonians getting together for Adam. She said his brother Adam, 16, had asked Jotis to come home but he said no.

He was happy in Mayaro, said the mother of six. Jotis was the fifth child and first son after four girls and he grew up and went to school in Tobago. Having done well in school, Seenath said her son chose to stay in Mayaro when she brought him over four years ago to see his ailing grandfather who has since died.

He could have gotten work in Tobago but he wanted a change and thats why he didnt want to come back to Tobago. All her children live comfortable lives in Tobago and Jotis had his own place to stay, she further said.

Jotis cousin Beena Isaac, of Mafeking Village, Mayaro, told Sunday Newsday he had lived at her home for a few months after his home was destroyed by fire.

He left my place after someone gave him a beach house to stay in but he would always visit me and even promised to spend Divali here with me. He was not a bad person but a hardworking young man who greeted everyone with a smile, said Isaac.

Investigators said Jotis was not know to be involved in criminal activities and are continuing their investigations
Archbishop Harris: Skimpy mas bad for children

Speaking to Sunday Newsday during yesterdays opening session of Consider This: A National Conversation on Protecting Children From The Harmful Effects of Pornography, at the Hilton Trinidad, St Anns, Harris said the images of masqueraders in scanty costumes had the potential to contribute to the sexualised environment at Carnival.

The Archbishop suggested that this scenario could have a disturbing impact on young children who may have already been exposed to pornography in some form or fashion.

I think part of the solution is that we get back into Carnival and start re-creating our Carnival, he said.

I think we have submitted to a Brazilian colonialist way where Carnival is concerned and that is bad. If we get back to what Carnival originally was, I think things will start getting better although there was always lasciviousness in Carnival. Harris was responding to a contribution by psychologist Alicia Hoyte, during an open forum, about the effects of the Carnival culture in fuelling sexual deviancy.

He said some consideration must be paid to Carnival to ensure the desired results were achieved.

I think we have to study it a little, Harris said.

Carnival is an important part of our culture and so we have to study it but I have always said that Carnival is a good thing.

But when good people move away, then they open the door for others to come in. The Archbishop said it was no secret that TT had one of the highest rates of pornography use in the world.

Everybody knows that Trinidad is one of the worst in the world where pornography is concerned with online hits and all that kind of thing. It is extremely bad, he said.

Harris urged the organisers of the conference - the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission - and other stakeholders to galvanise their efforts to work against this scourge. He said potential State involvement in the fight, by way of policy, will only come through continued lobbying.

Harris also said sex education must be part of the curriculum at all Roman Catholic schools.

We should have sex education in schools but it depends on what you mean by sex education.

But there should be sex education in schools, he said, adding that the ill effects of pornography should also be part of the curriculum.
(BRA) Day for cancer survivors

When some people think of plastic surgery, they think of the cosmetic aspects such as breasts augmentation, liposuction, and face lifts. However, those procedures fall under the umbrella of cosmetic surgery, which enhances the appearance.

Plastic surgery on the other hand, focusses on repairing defects and can assist patients in terms of function or self-esteem.

These help repair or improve disfigurements such as burns and birth defects or deformities as a result of trauma such as gunshot wounds or vehicular accidents, and mastectomies.

This month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr Errol James intends to highlight Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day, which is observed on October 18.

James explained that BRA Day was conceptualised by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to inform women of their options after full or partial breast removal.

It became very obvious to plastic surgeons that women who have these life-saving procedures often experience a drop in their self-esteem.

As a result some of them sought to have various procedures done to recreate a breast mound after they finished chemotherapy and radiation therapy, he said.

He noted that support is critical from cancer diagnosis to remission but sometimes womens partners leave them, either during treatment or after their breasts are removed. This, he said, could be a serious blow to a womans self esteem and could negatively affect the way women see themselves.

Therefore, to observe the occasion, he has organised a lecture demonstrating the various breast reconstruction procedures and their outcomes on that day at 50 Luis Street, Woodbrook at his practice, Beacon Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery.

James stated that many women were not aware of the options available to them in Trinidad and Tobago, so the response to such procedures were not as good as it could be. The public at large is invited as breast cancer not only affects the patient but the family, including the spouse, children and extended family, he said.

James explained a few of the o p t i o n s a v a i l a b l e to women, one being that after the breast is removed, tissue expander is under the skin for six to eight weeks. After the skin has expanded to the appropriate size, a permanent breast prosthesis is placed under the skin. He noted doctors could even fashion a nipple so that a woman feels more natural if she has to remove her clothing.

Instead of expanders, a vacuum device, called a brava, could be used to expand the skin, and fat could be injected into the space to create a breast.

Another method is to take muscle from the abdomen or back to create a mound.

He added that general surgeons have worked with plastic surgeons to perform nipple spearing mastectomies where the surgeons may not have to remove the womans nipple. It is becoming more and more evident that the plastic surgeon and the general surgeon should work more closely even before the initial surgery is done so there could be collaboration in how to approach each patient as each and every patient is different in their morphology, he said.

ABOUT THE DOCTOR Born in Woodbrook, it had always been James hope to return from New York in the United States to practice his art in TT, which he has been doing on a regular basis for the past year.

He told Sunday Newsday his desire to pursue plastic surgery was sparked when, as an intern at the Port-of-Spain (PoS) General Hospital, he saw two children horribly disfigured by burns. They eventually died and it left an impact on me. I wanted to get into a discipline where I could help patients like these who had disfiguring injuries which could be turned around, he said.

Further spurring his desire, he recalled that a family member received severe burns from bursting bamboo. She underwent 24 surgeries in Boston and later became a gymnast in New York.

When one sees that everything is not necessarily hopeless, and that, with some education and advise, people could live full lives, it is imperative to try and educate patients and bring techniques to areas where these may be lacking, he said.

James graduated from The Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland but was homesick and so he returned to TT in 1979. Here, he interned for a year at the PoS hospital, then spent six months as an Accident and Emergency doctor.

His further surgical education took place at Columbia University in New York where he studied general surgery, plastic surgery, and then trained in plastic surgery for two years.

He has been practising plastic surgery since 1990, working in both private and public practice in New York.

James acknowledged that the techniques and practices being carried out in TT was appropriate but the volume of the work to be done is great. Patients come to me sometimes because they have been waiting for a while to get their surgeries and they want it done more quickly, he said.

He admitted that, even in the United States, the amount of work in the area of plastic surgery was challenging to doctors, so he was not surprised that assistance in handling the number of cases was necessary in TT. Its a matter of providing care to the general population, he said.

Despite the minor shortfalls in the local industry, James said he greatly believed the Caribbean had the potential to fortify research projects into various agents that could be used in plastic surgery.

There is a storehouse of knowledge in the Caribbean that we have gotten from our grandparents, etc, ways of healing which I think we could bring to the world, which we have not tapped into significantly enough, he said.

Therefore, James challenged younger physicians to look into research that is Caribbean-based to bring healing to the world at large.
CANCER is a small c

The first signs of her cancer came in 2010 when she developed two painless lumps in her neck.

She was told by local medical practitioners that she had salivary gland blockage which she thought sounded reasonable.

She returned to Canada to have her doctor was away and his replacement was only doing emergency cases.

Hannays-Abraham decided she would have her full physical the following year.

One day, while still in Canada, she was making her bed and struck her toe, experiencing a lot of pain. Her foot was swollen and she was worried that she had fractured her toe. She went to a hospital and doctors asked about the I dont know what he said, she recalled. After the diagnosis she went home and cried. Hannays- Abraham was grateful that she was in Canada as she would not have been able to afford the battery of tests had she been in Trinidad.

Once she found out she had cancer she wanted to deal with it immediately but she had to do tests and get back results. She was put on chemotherapy six weeks after and also on drugs. Hannays-Abraham was informed her cancer had no cure and she was at Stage II which, along with Stage III, indicates larger cancers or tumours that have grown more deeply into nearby tissue. They may have also spread to lymph nodes but not to other parts of the body.

She said the chemo was quite pleasant but had a fear that her hair would drop out and that she would become violently ill so she pre-emptively cut her hair short and installed wall to wall shower curtains. But she experienced neither of these symptoms.

One week after she started chemo she had a breathing problem and had to position herself upside down to try and breathe. Her niece Christine Hannays called 911 and in minutes police, fire and ambulance arrived.

On the way to hospital, paramedics told her she was experiencing recruitment where the antibodies attack the chemo which is effectively poison. She was given blood thinner to prevent blood clots and kept overnight. The next day she saw blood over the place and exclaimed somebody bleeding.

That was me, she recalled.

She underwent chemo once every three weeks for six hours but was asleep during the process.

Hannays-Abraham was told the cancer would go into remission after chemotherapy but would reoccur every three to five years. It came back late last year while in Trinidad with the sign of swelling.

She had to return for her regular check up so decided to wait two months but the swelling got bigger until her cheeks looked like Popeye.

Like before, she experienced no pain.

After tests it was confirmed that she had to start chemo again though an upgraded version which made her forgetful, she calls it chemo brain, skin dryness, dry mouth, a little palpitation and shortness of breath.

On how she handled her condition mentally, Hannays-Abraham said by avoiding stress and worry and keeping positive is very important.

She was so positive she was asked to counsel other cancer patients in Canada and was able to help a number of people.

Now I appreciate that I am not as advanced as a lot of people.

But I still say that whatever stage youre that stress, that worry (is not good). I intend to go out with a big smile on my face, whenever.

Simple, she said.

On where her positivity comes from, Hannays-Abraham said it is her personality and the support she received. One thing she does not do is go online and dig up information on her cancer.

I figure the doctors know about that, she added.

She took her diagnosis in stride and reasoned that in this day and age there are treatments and research into a cure.

Hannays-Abrahams friends are organising a fundraiser for her in the form of a back-in-times party next month. She said this was very nice for me adding there is a lot of expense with cancer including the travelling back and forth to Canada. She also expressed concern about local reports of people having difficulty getting their cancer medication.

These things a little scary, she added.

At 65, Hannays-Abraham is basically retired but still does assignments with advertising company AMPLE, where she worked previously. She recalled she was laid off back in 2009 and if that had not happened she would not have gone to Canada and discovered she had cancer.

Little miracles happen all the time, she commented.

In terms of theatre, Hannays- Abraham has not been able to perform because of her travels.

She was able to act in the film Doubles with Slight Pepper back in 2011 and has been assisting her friend Theresa Awai on her plays and short stories.

I miss, miss being on stage, she said.

Hannays-Abraham said people still recognise her from Westwood Park and during one Carnival a guy asked her for her fictional twin sister.

She said when she came back home she assumed everybody knew she had cancer and responded to their shocked expressions with a calm, I not leaving yet. She said her husband and friends were surprised she had not lost weight and that her face was not drawn. She noted the unbelievable support from friends and also family.

For those with cancer she encouraged them to have a good laugh, to not let people upset them, take their meds, try some of the things that grandma advised like the plant moringa and orange peel tea, get a pet to reduce stress and to keep in mind that it is not the killer it used to be.

I want people to realise that (cancer) is a small c, she stressed.

The back-in-times fundraiser for Hannays-Abraham will be held on November 5 at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Westmoorings. For more info: Call 622-5627, 682-0596 or email lisavpod@gmail.com.

What is follicular lymphoma?

Follicular lymphoma is the commonest single type of lowgrade non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is a slow-growing lymphoma that develops from B lymphocytes (B cells). It is called follicular lymphoma because the abnormal lymphocytes often collect in lymph nodes in clumps that are known as follicles (lymphona.org.uk).

Abraham was put under her she had follicular cancer .
Francis: More help for State-school students

State-school students won just 17 scholarships, compared to 372 awards won by denominational schools, revealed Education Minister Anthony Garcia, on Thursday announcing the Presidents Medal winners, even though more students attend the former.

Francis, speaking to Sunday Newsday on Friday at the Lower House, observed a boost in students literacy and numeracy and in the aesthetics of schools will result from the Governments School Improvement Programme, popularly known as the Laventille Project.

It will look at parenting.

All the research shows that successful students succeed basically because their parents are directly involved in their education.

At some of the schools where we dont have high achievement, that parental involvement is not as acute. So we are trying to actually bridge that gap, by using that project. He said once that project is used in Laventille, it will be tweaked and rolled out elsewhere where students are under- performing.

We realise that at school level, leadership is very important, in terms of having a board and having a principal who can manage the school. He said some schools lack these. So we are really trying to bolster the leadership at the school level by giving them a framework to manage their school and manage all of the tangibles and intangibles that make up a school. Francis also spoke of remedial work for very low-performing students.

Many government schools get students who get below 30 percent in the SE A (Secondary Entrance Assessment) Exam. This year we had 3,500 such students. He said this is too many students scoring less than 30 percent in English and/or Math, out of the 18,000 students who wrote the exam.

Its far too large, so were going to do a tracer where were going to make an intervention, targeting them for literacy and numeracy but also following them through their progression through school, Francis said.

One of the things weve noticed at the primary level is that students who do poorly at Standard One are the same students who also do poorly at the SE A Exam (in Standard 5).

Theres a direct correlation.

So Im thinking that if they enter Form 1 at secondary school and we can make an intervention at Form 1 in terms of literacy and numeracy and we can trace them, then we can look at their development and ensure that they dont just pass through school without having made an improvement in these critical areas (literacy and numeracy). If you can read and count that is a platform for learning and development, but if you cant read your secondary schooling is really lost on you Sunday Newsday recalled former education minister, Hazel Manning, saying students scoring below 30 percent at the SE A Exam should not advance to secondary school.

Francis replied, If you really think about it being in primary school or in secondary school doesnt change their state. You need to deal with not where they are but the state they are in. If we could address that at secondary level, if we could bring in specialists to help with the literacy and numeracy, then education becomes meaningful.

Leaving them at the primary level humiliates them. So theres a psychological aspect to it, so one has to be careful that in trying to help, you dont do more harm. Francis said some students are misdiagnosed, when in fact they have physiological problems such as sight and hearing, which are not detected by their schools. He said the Ministry will bolster the staffing of Student Support Services (SSS), to assist in this, although a big philosophical change is also needed.

We can get them to be more interventionist as opposed to reactionist, Francis said of the SSS. At this point they wait until something happens and then they go and assess, maybe this child has problems because of X, but if we could get them (SSS) to work with the School Supervision Division and get them to work with the student before it reaches that position, then theyll make something meaningful. He also said teachers must be aware of the hidden curriculum whereby they can influence students outside of the formally-delivery syllabus.

Told there is much to be done, Francis said, You can be overwhelmed by looking at the magnitude of work, but I have a simple philosophy.

If you eat a whole loaf of bread, one slice at a time, youll finish the bread. So well try to tackle this one slice at a time. Saying he has had concerns about the performance of State schools including as reflected by their share of scholarships recently, he said if they can be given more resources it becomes a more level playing field in education.

A strong principal makes the world of difference, especially if a principal can bridge that gap in terms of getting the parents and the community involved. We are re-instituting the school boards.

The issue is that in the government schools the school boards dont have authority. So we are looking at that framework to see if we could improve it, to have some teeth so they can make an impact on the school. Francis concluded, Fixing education is like juggling ten balls at the same time, but it has to be done.
Ready to align development strategies with Nepal: China

India,Diplomacy, Sat, 15 Oct 2016 IANS

Benaulim (Goa), Oct 16 (IANS) Chinese President Xi Jinping said that his country is ready to align development strategies with Nepal and hopes to build the two neighbours into a community of shared destiny.

Xi met with Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Saturday along the sidelines of the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS.

"Since the two countries established diplomatic ties more than half a century ago, China-Nepal relations have withstood the vicissitudes of international situations and maintained stable development," Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying.

He called on the two countries to strengthen political communication, enhance mutual support on each other's core interests and to promote cooperation in their pursuit of development.

China is ready to support Nepal in its post-earthquake reconstruction and take part in construction of special economic zones and industrial parks in Nepal, Xi added.

For his part, Prime Minister Dahal said that Nepal views China as a reliable development partner and is ready to develop a more comprehensive partnership with China, he added.

Dahal also conveyed Nepal's willingness to participate in connectivity construction within the frameworks of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Nepal is a member of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a regional mechanism which is aimed at connecting South Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

On the margins of their summit in Goa, Xi and other BRICS leaders will hold dialogues with their BIMSTEC counterparts.

--IANS

vgu/
Mass shooting in US kills 3, injures 12

United States,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sat, 15 Oct 2016 IANS

Los Angeles, Oct 16 (IANS) A mass shooting at a restaurant in Los Angeles killed 3 people wounded twelve others, police said.

The police have one suspect in custody and are looking for a second in connection with the shooting which occurred in the West Adams district, Los Angeles.

"It was a bloody scene with shell casings everywhere," Xinhua news agency quoted Frank Preciado of Los Angeles Police Department as saying.

There were around 50 people inside the place, he added.

Preciado told local media that three men left the restaurant and returned with firearms and began shooting at another group of people, while others at the restaurant also opened fire. The scene turned into a gun battle.

The shooting continued in the driveway of the restaurant, which is located in a house on a residential block, Los Angeles Times reported.

"When we got there, there were three people dead and people running everywhere. We had multiple people with gunshot wounds," Preciado said.

A female resident of the neighbourhood estimated the total gunshots to be around 20.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said: "We must take action against easy access to firearms and the thoughtless, indiscriminate, murderous use of them."

"We cannot tolerate these tragedies multiplying in communities across America," he added.

--IANS

vgu/
China will launch a manned spacecraft on Monday morning to transport two astronauts to the Tiangong II space laboratory, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Wu Ping, deputy director and spokeswoman for the agency, told reporters at a news conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Sunday that the Shenzhou XI will blast off at 7:30 am atop a Long March 2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan center. It will carry two male astronauts  Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong.

After its launch, the spacecraft will travel two days before docking at the Tiangong II. Then the astronauts will enter the space lab and stay there for 30 days, which will be the longest space stay by Chinese astronauts, Wu said.

The core tasks of the Shenzhou XI mission are to test rendezvous and docking technologies for the country's planned space station, to verify the life support capability of the spacecraft-space lab combination as well as conduct scientific research and test engineering experiment, Wu said.
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Hollande pays tribute to Nice truck attack victims

France,Terrorism, Sat, 15 Oct 2016 IANS

Paris, Oct 16 (IANS) French President Francois Hollande presided over a national ceremony paying homage to the 86 victims in the July 14 truck attack in Nice, calling for unity to combat terrorism.

The ceremony took place in Nice on Saturday in the presence of the victims' families, injured people, the country's main political leaders and Nice local officials.

The names of the 86 victims were read out and one white rose was placed for each of them during the ceremony.

"What has been struck on July 14 is national unity, unleash violence to unborn division, spark fear to fuel stigma. No, this evil business will fail," Xinhua news agency quoted Hollande as saying.

Meanwhile, the French president warned that the "war (against terrorism) will be long" and "the threat remains high, more than ever."

On July 14, 2016, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian-born delivery man with his truck careered around 2 km through the crowd before being shot dead by police units. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

--IANS

vgu/
Trump hints Clinton was drugged in last debate

United States,Politics, Sat, 15 Oct 2016 IANS

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Washington, Oct 16 (IANS) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has hinted that his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, took drugs before their second debate last week and asked that the two of them be tested before their third and final debate.

"Athletes, they make them take a drug test. We should take a drug test prior to the debate because I don't know what's going on with her," Trump said on Saturday at a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

"At the beginning of her last debate (October 9 in St. Louis, Missouri), she was all pumped up at the beginning. And at the end...she could barely reach her car," he said, adding that he was "willing" to undergo drug testing before their next debate on October 19 in Las Vegas.

The Republican candidate, who has stoked a number of rumours about Clinton's health and stamina in recent months, criticised his rival for not programming a campaign event for this Saturday, and claimed she is not prepping for their next debate but instead is resting up for the debate even though it's still five days away.

"I said forget debate prep. I mean, give me a break. Do you really think that Hillary Clinton is debate-prepping for three or four days? Hillary Clinton is resting, OK?" the magnate said.

His campaign had said that when the Federal Bureau of Investigation was probing her handling of e-mails when she was secretary of state, "she said 39 times she couldn't remember anything", and maybe that was why she has to prep so much for the debate - she has a bad memory.

The magnate has stepped up his attacks not only against Clinton but also against several Republican leaders for failing to support him and against the media following the release of a 2005 video in which he is heard making sexist remarks, after which a number of woman came forward to accuse Trump of sexually abusing them some years ago.

"The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing completely false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect her president," Trump said with reference to Clinton.

But the Republican candidate vowed to defeat the "rigged" system, while also denying all the accusations of sexual harassment made over the last week by half a dozen women.

--IANS

ksk

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The reluctant, misunderstand creator of 'Superman' (Column: Bookends)

Delhi,National,Opinion/Commentary,Art/Culture/Books, Sat, 15 Oct 2016 IANS

Humankind's capacity to comprehend pales before its ability to misinterpret or misappropriate -- and neither prophet nor philosopher is immune. For the latter, none can beat this lonely, tragic but most misunderstood philosopher, sought to be owned by both extremes of the political spectrum (and many others), but still going on to influence a large swathe of the cultural and intellectual history to our times.

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), whose 172nd birthday would have been on Saturday, was arguably one of a trinity, along with Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud, from a German-Central European cultural milieu who have shaped the world we live in -- though whether for good or worse can be debated.

Though all had their share of grief in their life, Nietzsche was the worst sufferer -- for unlike the others, his thought was also hijacked, and used to support the things he was most against -- anti-Semitism, racism and nationalism. The most egregious culprits were the Nazis -- due to the complicity of his own sister.

But on one hand, he outstripped the other two, for despite being unlucky in life and love, contradictory and provocative in thought but most accessible too (for a philosopher and that too a German philosopher), almost unknown in his time and spending his last decade as a mental wreck, he would prove more durable.

A key inspiration for existentialism, post-modernism, post-structuralism and deconstructionism, among others, Nietzsche would also go on to influence trends in art, literature, psychology, especially psychoanalysis, politics and popular culture.

A partial list of those who read him with interest or were influenced by him include philosophers Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Michel Foucault, Theodore Adorno and Ayn Rand; sociologist Max Weber; composers Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler; novelists Franz Kafka, Joseph Conrad, Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, James Joyce and D. H. Lawrence; psychologists Freud (who was almost a disciple), Carl Gustav Jung, Alfred Adler and Abraham Maslow; poets Rainer Maria Rilke, W.B. Yeats, and Muhammad Iqbal; painters Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso; playwrights George Bernard Shaw and Eugene O'Neill, as well as authors like H.P. "Cthulhu mythos" Lovecraft, Robert E. "Conan the Barbarian" Howard, and Jack London. Among other readers were the Nazis (though it is not clear if Adolf Hitler actually read him) and Benito Mussolini; and Charles de Gaulle and Richard Nixon.

But what was his philosophy all about, and why is it important? It is because he posed important questions such as "Is God dead?", if morality is just a "useful mistake", can science explain anything, what education should be like and whether we should give primacy to instinct over reason, and why maintaining individuality is important.

In about two decades, Nietzsche produced a considerable amount of work, dealing with subjects like morality, aesthetics, tragedy, atheism and consciousness. Prominent motifs include the dichotomy (but not always) of the Apollonian and Dionysian influences and approaches to culture, the "master-slave morality", how to live after the "death of God", "Ubermensch" (usually translated as 'Superman' but more correctly "Over-Man", and based on individual accomplishment, not racial descent as per the Nazis) and eternal recurrence, positing a cyclical view of the universe, existence and action.

A plus point is his easy, readable style, though being paradoxical, polemical and provocative, unlike the dense language and special vocabulary of the usual philosophy classics. Nietzsche had a particular fondness for the aphorism -- the "soundbite of philosophy" -- with some best-known examples being "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you", and "What does not kill him, makes him stronger" (not "What does not kill me, makes me stronger").

And he had not his qualms about his own capability. His 'autobiography' "Ecce Homo", has sections titled "Why I am So Clever" and "Why I Write Such Wonderful Books".

Though well-regarded on the continent, even despite the Nazi attempts to suborn him by selective use of his works, Nietzsche didn't have an easy time in the English-speaking world. First, the translations were very bad, the attitude of those like Bertrand Russell was negative, the prevailing Analytical School had nothing much to do with his theories, and even P.G. Wodehouse was critical. "You would not enjoy Nietzsche, sir. He is fundamentally unsound," Jeeves tells his master, Bertie Wooster, in "Carry On Jeeves".

It was only due to the new translations of his works like "The Birth of Tragedy", (the rather unfortunately ambiguously-named) "The Gay Science", "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", "Beyond Good and Evil", and "Twilight of the Idols" by German-American philosopher Walter Arnold Kaufmann and Oxford scholar R.J. Hollingdale did the English world appreciate him.

Though Nietzsche is readable in the original -- and worth reading -- the best course will be to begin with a guide like Laurence Gane and (illustrator) Piero's "Introducing Nietzsche: A Graphic Guide" or Michael Tanner's "Nietzsche: A Very Short Introduction" in the admirable Oxford University Press Series.

(Vikas Datta is an Associate Editor at IANS. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)

--IANS

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British PM to visit India in November

India,National,Politics,Diplomacy, Sat, 15 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) In what can be seen as a significant diplomatic gesture, British Prime Minister Theresa May, in her first bilateral visit outside of Europe, will come to India in November.

May will visit India from November 6 to 8 accompanied by a business delegation, according to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry.

"She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership," the statement said.

"The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit," it stated.

In July, May succeeded David Cameron who resigned as Prime Minister after 52 per cent of voters in Britain opted to exit from the European Union in a historic referendum held on June 23.

Modi met with May on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, in September.

"During the visit, Prime Minister May alongside Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India," the External Affairs Ministry statement said.

"The Summit will be an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business-to-business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, IPRs (intellectual property rights) and higher education," it stated.

The two sides agreed to hold the summit when former Prime Minister David Cameron hosted Modi during a bilateral visit to Britain in November 2015.

--IANS

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Kejriwal urges Amit Shah not to scuttle his rally

Gujarat,National,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Surat, Oct 16 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged BJP President Amit Shah not to disrupt his rally due here on Sunday evening.

"I have learnt that Amit Shah is trying various methods to scuttle the rally," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader told the media here.

"He is sending his people to different places (where I go) to stage protests," Kejriwal added.

"I appeal to Amit Shah that today's rally is not my rally. It is a rally of the Gujarat people and I request him not to put any impediments."

Asked about the arrival of a Delhi Police team here to arrest Delhi legislator Gulab Singh, the party in-charge of Gujarat, Kejriwal said it showed the BJP was scared of the AAP.

He said Delhi Police had arrested 13 AAP legislators in the national capital so far on various charges.

Meanwhile, AAP legislator Gulab Singh reached a police station here to offer himself for arrest.

Kejriwal is due to address an AAP rally in Surat along with party leader Kumar Vishwas.

--IANS

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UN to set global goals in sustainable urban development

Ecuador,International, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Quito, Oct 16 (IANS) The UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, to be held in Ecuador on October 17-20, will set global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development for the next 20 years.

The meeting, also known as Habitat III, will attract 45,000 participants from around the world, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, according to Ecuador's Minister of Security Cesar Navas.

Habitat III is expected to see the signing of the Quito Declaration on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements for All, and the adoption of a new Urban Agenda, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Conference is a unique opportunity for... governments... to integrate all facets of sustainable development to promote equity, welfare and shared prosperity," said Joan Clos, the Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

The migration from rural to urban areas after the Second World War rapidly accelerated through the 1960s and 1970s. Inequality between countryside and cities made millions across the world flock into cities in pursuit of economic opportunities, leading to the expansion of slums and other illegal settlements in the periphery of major communities, as well as increasing crimes, diseases and chaos.

The first UN Conference on Human Settlements, known as Habitat I, was held in 1976 in Vancouver, Canada. Its declaration enshrined the concept that "adequate shelter and services are a basic human right".

It also led to the creation in 1978 of UN-Habitat, the UN's department for human settlements and sustainable urban development.

In 1996, Habitat II took place in Turkey's Istanbul in a far more inclusive manner. National and local governments, NGOs, academic institutions and private companies were all invited to provide their opinions on how to manage urbanisation.

In December 2014, the UN General Assembly decided to host Habitat III in Ecuador in October 2016. The decision was made as global urbanisation witnessed rapid acceleration in the last 40 years.

In 1976, 37.9 per cent of the world's population lived in urban regions. The number rose to 45.1 per cent by 1996 and now stands at 54.5 per cent.

--IANS

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CPI-M seeks Modi's intervention for peace in Kannur

Maharashtra,National,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Kannur (Kerala) Oct 16 (IANS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in Kerala on Sunday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention for peace in the Kannur district.

"The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is being guided by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah and hence Prime Minister Modi has to intervene to bring an end to the violence in the district," said state CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Interacting with the media here, Balakrishnan said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was willing to call a peace meeting, if the RSS requested for it.

Since the Vijayan government assumed office in May, seven murders have taken place in this district -- of four BJP activists and three CPI-M workers.

Last week alone, two killings took place.

"Vijayan is the Chief Minister of the state and it is he who has the authority and powers and should take the lead calling for a meeting that could bring about peace in the district," said senior BJP leader M.T. Ramesh.

"We have time and again said that we will certainly do our role if such talks are initiated," he told reporters, reacting to Balakrishnan's statement.

Meanwhile, Loknath Behra, Kerala Police chief, said that investigations into the killings and violence are going on.

--IANS

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Indian, American protesters denounce Trump for divisiveness

United States,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics,Religion,Diaspora, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Edison, New Jersey, Oct 16 (IANS) Presidential candidate Donald Trump's address to an anti-terrorism rally organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition drew protests by some Indian Americans and Democratic Party politicians.

At a news conference held some distance away because of the tight security surrounding Trump, New Jersey Assemblyman Raj Mukherji said: "If you are a real Hindu, you are also a Muslim; if you are a real Hindu, you are also a Christian; if you are a real Hindu, you are also a Jew.

"Because that is what my diaspora community believes in, and that is why we are overwhelmingly going to elect Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States," he declared.

Congressman Frank Pallone said Trump would create more divisiveness in New Jersey because of his comments against Muslims and immigrants.

Appealing to a broader South Asian community, he added: "It's important for us to be here today to say that (Trump's) values are not the values of ... the South Asian community."

The news conference was organised by South Asians for Hillary.

The New Jersey representative of the group, Amit Jani, said: "We don't think it's right for someone from out of the state to come here and raise political issues with our faith and say they speak for over 3.4 million Indian-Americans across the country, even more Muslim-Americans, and the South Asian communities as a whole."

Muslim community leaders Shariq Ahmad, Sam Khan and Imtiaz Syed, and Hindu community leaders Raju Patel and Sunita Viswanath of the Coalition of Progressive Hindus also spoke at the news conference.

The protesters, however, were vastly outnumbered by the 8,000 people who came to the Trump rally.

A clutch of protesters gathered in front of a banner announcing the Trump on the route to the venue rally with signs that read, "End Caste apartheid," "Dump Trump" and "South Asians Against Trump".

A series of opinion polls by the National Asian American Survey showed that Trump's support among registered Indian American voters slipped from 11 percent in May to seven percent this month, while his Democratic Party opponent, Hillary Clinton held steady at 71 percent.

--IANS

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AAP MLA arrested in Surat ahead of Kejriwal rally

Gujarat,National,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Surat, Oct 16 (IANS) Gulab Singh, an AAP MLA from Delhi and the party in-charge in Gujarat, was arrested here on Sunday, hours before a rally by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

A Delhi Police team which had flown from the national capital made the arrest after Gulab Singh, who has been in and out of Gujarat for months, made himself available at the Umra police station.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders confirmed Gulab Singh's arrest. He becomes the 14th AAP legislator in Delhi to be arrested.

Earlier, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Gulab Singh for failing to join an investigation in Delhi in an extortion case involving his associates.

Kejriwal had then asked in a tweet if Gulab Singh would be arrested ahead of his Surat rally.

Gulab Singh's driver was arrested last month along with an associate in Delhi.

Delhi Tourism Minister and AAP leader Kapil Mishra accompanied Gulab Singh when the latter reached the Umra police station shouting "Inquilab Zindabad" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai" on Sunday.

Mishra later tweeted that the Delhi Police, which was in a hurry to arrest Gulab Singh before Kejriwal's rally, had now told the legislator that they would return to Delhi by train when tickets were available.

--IANS

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India wanted fair deal in Kigali - and got it: UN environment chief (IANS Interview)

Rwanda,Environment/Wildlife, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Kigali (Rwanda), Oct 16 (IANS) India knows the subcontinent is vulnerable to climate change but it also wanted a fair deal to phase out gases that are making global warming worse, a deal which also serves Indian development, UN Environment Chief Erik Solheim has said in an interview to IANS in the Rwandan capital.

He believes that US President Barak Obama reaching out to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders has been critical to achieving a landmark deal on Saturday to phase out the heat-trapping organic compounds -- hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) -- and replacing them with climate-friendly alternatives.

"I am so glad! This is such a victory for Mother Earth. Up to half a degree of global warming is avoided and thus less droughts, cyclones and destruction of our beautiful planet," was the first reaction of Solheim after the amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was endorsed in this Rwandan capital.

The amendment is the single largest contribution the world has made towards keeping the rise of global temperature to "well below" two degrees Celsius, a target agreed upon at the Paris climate conference in 2015.

Hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) are widely used in refrigerators, air-conditioners and aerosol sprays.

Following seven years of negotiations, the 197 Montreal Protocol parties reached a compromise, under which developed countries will start phasing down HFCs by 2019, while the developing countries, including India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, will phase them out at a baseline of 2024-2026 and a freeze date of 2028.

The baseline year determines the level at which the HFC consumption in countries are capped.

Solheim said that the UN Environment has worked extremely hard over a number of years for this to happen. "In the beginning it was slow. But this year we all speeded up with the aim of concluding the deal in Kigali. So many people are to be thanked for this great victory."

About India's role in the amendment reached to cut out use of HFCs, he said: "India knows that the subcontinent is more vulnerable to climate change than many other parts of the world. So India has desired to phase out the dangerous climate gases. Understandably, India as a main player in international affairs has also wanted a fair deal, a deal which also serves Indian development. That is exactly what we have got," Solheim told this IANS correspondent.

Solheim -- who said he was inspired by the life and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace and non-violence, in the global fight against climate change -- said the US played an important role in convincing India to go for a freeze date of 2028 -- instead of 2030.

"I want to pay tribute to the leadership provided by President Obama and Foreign Secretary Kerry. The fact that Obama has reached out to Prime Minister Modi and other world leaders has been critical. Negotiators are good and important people, but for deals to happen, the top level of states must be involved."

Regarding the role of China -- the world's largest HFC producer -- during negotiations for an amendment to the Montreal Protocol, he said: "China has been a most constructive player in this process, pushing for urgent and decisive action."

"China is so big both in terms of emissions and in terms of business solutions and technological change, that it is fair to say that without China we could not have reached any agreement in Kigali. China deserves the warmest of thanks."

He candidly admitted that there were differences of opinion among the signatories to the Montreal Protocol over the amendment.

"Indeed. If you read media summaries from 1987, when the Montreal Protocol was agreed, many said it was too weak and full of loopholes. The world has proved otherwise. I am confident that we will achieve the Kigali ambitions well ahead of time."

"When governments send strong signals to the private sector, business will step up and develop new refrigerators and new air-condition systems much faster than we believe. And those who are slow in turning around will lose markets."

Regarding allocation of the Multilateral Fund to the developing countries to help industry successfully phase down HFCs, Solheim said: "One beauty of the Montreal Protocol is that donors have been very responsible and delivered the promised money on time. I am confident that will continue when we are now also stepping up on climate."

At the four-day-long 28th meeting of the Parties to the 1989 Montreal Protocol that ended on Saturday, more than 150 countries also agreed to provide adequate financing for reduction of HFCs, the cost of which is estimated at billions of dollars globally.

The exact amount of additional funding will be agreed at the next Meeting of the Parties in Montreal in 2017, said the UNEP.

Grants for research and development of affordable alternatives to hydrofluorocarbons will be the immediate priority.

The new agreement will see three pathways for different countries.

The A2 (developed) countries have agreed to a baseline of 2011-2013 with cuts in HFCs beginning in 2019. In fact, the US, the European Union and other countries have already started this process.

A5 (developing) countries have agreed to two sub-groups with two different baselines.

A5 Group 2 includes India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq -- with a baseline of 2024-2026 and a freeze date of 2028 (two years earlier than India had originally proposed).

China, Brazil, South Africa, Argentina and more than 100 other developing countries committed to freeze their HFC production and use by 2024.

(Vishal Gulati is in Kigali in Rwanda to cover the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. He can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

--IANS

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The Root, by ALLISON KEYES

Posted: October 16, 2016

Tourists are returning after the 2011 protests to visit awe-inspiring historic sites like the pyramids and the tombs of great pharaohs.

The Great Sphinx of Giza ALLISON KEYES/THE ROOT

Karim El Minabawy stands on the Nile Terrace at the Semiramis InterContinental Hotel in Cairo, grinning as he gestures at the rainbow of lights surrounding the iconic river.

See these colors all around?  It is an amazing view by night. Three oclock in the morning, you see these colors until sunrise, says El Minabawy, adding that it is the city that does not sleep.

The river is dotted with brightly lit cruising restaurants, casting pink, blue and green lights across the water, and there are hotels that overlook the banks of the river and the pulsing night life of revelers out for a stroll. Even from the balconies of many facilities, you can turn off the lights in your room and sway to the cacophony of bouncy music that blasts from the hot spots along the river.

We have two icons in Egypt: the pyramids and the Nile, says El Minabawy, president of Cairo-based Emeco Travel Egypt. Around the Nile, we have all of our attractions, our night life, all of our entertainment.  Most of the hotels are downtown. You can see the 6th of October Bridge, the longest in all of Africa.  You will see such fantastic dream scenery, always by the Nile. Its a mix of entertainment, the food and enjoying [Zamalek] island.

El Minabawy was speaking to a group of international journalists on a media delegation arranged by the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (AmCham Egypt). The visit, including Cairo, Luxor and Sharm El Sheikh, was aimed at increasing tourism in Egypt, which was hurt badly by the 2011 protests that forced President Hosni Mubarak from power. Security is still tight in some places, but tourists are beginning to return, and theres a lot to do, and jaw-dropping sites to explore.

The Pyramids

Obviously, the first thing one should see is the pyramidsand Giza is smack dab in what locals call Greater Cairo.

They can be seen in all their splendor from the frenetic expressway on the way, and when you get there, they simply take your breath away. Tourists stand on sand that was once walked upon by pharaohs and crane their necks to look up at Khufualso known as the Great Pyramid. It was built as a funerary complex for that pharaoh, beginning around 2575 B.C. One can ride camels or horses between the pyramids and can even enter the largest and smallest. There are many vendors, some of whom can be a bit aggressive, and available for purchase is everything from painted parchment to small statues of the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet.

In the same complex stands the immense Great Sphinx of Giza, believed to be around 4,500 years old. Her ruined faceshe seems femalehas what some describe as Negroid features as she stares majestically toward the rising sun. You cant stand between her paws anymore, but they are the size of a city bus. Tourists were taking numerous selfies, including some in which they appeared to be kissing this iconic limestone figure. It almost feels as if the human-headed lion is speaking, if one only knew how to listen.

You can actually hear its voice if you take in the spectacular sound-and-light show, and see the pyramids and the sphinx lit with brilliant colors, as the massive monument tells the story of the rule of the ancient Egyptians.



Prime Shopping

Whether you are a serious shopper or simply a student of history, no tour of Cairo is complete without a visit to historic El Moez Street. Not only are there gorgeous mosques along one of the oldest streets in Egypt, but there is also a buzzing bazaar where you can watch artisans working on their creations on the street. There are also coffee shops where you can take a load off and people-watch, and you might even run into a vendor with a monkey that might hop on your shoulders for a visit. Be careful, thoughhe may bite! The street is lit up like a Christmas tree at night, with throngs of tourists and locals wandering through to pick up a thing or two.



Fans of history must visit the iconic Egyptian Museum, which is currently displaying about a third of the objects found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1922.



A friendly Sphinx stands outside to greet you, but once you get inside, youll have to catch your breath over the breadth of pharaonic objects inside. There are life-size statues of the king, who died at the age of 19, as well as jars that once contained wine, which were buried with him. Tourists can also see, in bright living color and in person, the iconic funerary mask that has traveled the world. But be prepared to spend some time, since every available bit of space in this museum is taken up by amazing, sometimes surprisingly brightly colored artifacts.



Outside of Cairo, the charms of Luxor beacon, including the historic Valley of the Kings and Queens. The first tomb, that of Ramesses IV, gives tourists a stark look at how hieroglyphics that are faded in the sun can become bright as stars deeper inside. Some of the tombs look as if they were painted only yesterday, and the images will blow your mind.



You should also see the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, the only female pharaoh, which is breathtaking.



On the East Bank of Luxor stand two of the most recognizable temples in the world. You can still see remnants of the brilliant colors that once adorned this spectacular monument.



At night it is brightly lit, so one can see the incredible detail that still adorns the obelisks and the columns of this temple, dating back to around 1392 B.C. An aisle of Sphinx stands out in front and once connected Luxor to the jaw-dropping Karnak Temple, which also hosts a colorful and cool sound-and-light show.



Beautiful Beaches

Once youre done with the culture and history, you may want to hit the beach. Sharm El Sheikh, on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, has water so clear that tourists can see nearly to the bottom from the plane. Spend some time on the beachor, better yet, go scuba diving or snorkeling off Tiran Island. Hop on this boat for a day of water sports, great food and friendly company you wont soon forget.



You might also take a crack at a genuine bedouin dinner in the desert, where you can nosh on Egyptian delicacies, ride a camel and watch amazing feats of fire dancing while lying back on a comfy cushion. If you stay at the Four Seasons Resort in Sharm El Sheikh, one can be arranged for you.



The bottom line is that, yes, security is still very tight in many places, including the airport at Sharm El Sheikh and even at the five-star hotels in Cairo. But tourists are returning to this North African nation, and a life-changing visit to historic sites that are thousands of years old is worth it.




Swaraj India to contest Delhi civic polls next year

Delhi,National,Politics, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Swaraj India, led by former AAP leader Yogendra Yadav, on Sunday said it will contest the municipal corporation elections in Delhi in April next year.

In a press statement here, it said an eight-member Delhi election team under the leadership of Swaraj India General Secretary Ajit Jha has been set up.

The first meeting of the party's presidium, its highest decision-making body, was held in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh on October 14 and 15.

Speaking on the occasion, Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav said: "The government of Delhi, the Lt. Governor and the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi are playing political games in the national capital, for which the people of Delhi are paying the price."

"The people of Delhi want representatives who can serve them with dedication. Swaraj India will contest these elections to provide Delhi with a meaningful alternative," he added.

The 'Delhi election team' has since initiated the process to select candidates, the statement added.

Swaraj India was formed on October 2.

--IANS

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A mini-truck runs over two in Kolkata

West Bengal,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Kolkata, Oct 16 (IANS) Two persons were killed when a speeding light commercial vehicle hit them at Strand Road near the Calcutta High Court on Sunday, the city police said.

"At about 7.30 a.m., a Tata 407 mini-truck hit two persons -- a male, 19, and a female, 42 -- at Strand Road near the High Court and ran away. The victims were walking through when the vehicle hit them," said an officer of Kolkata police Traffic control.

The victims were rushed to the SSKM Hospital where they were declared brought dead. Their identities are yet to be established.

"It seemed the victims were relatives. The hunt for the vehicle and the accused is still on," the police officer said.

Most of the recent accidents took place in the city due to reckless driving during late night and morning hours, according to the police.

--IANS

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Surgical strikes: Foreign Secretary, DGMO to brief parliamentary panel

Delhi,National,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics,Terrorism, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Top officials including Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and Director General of Military Operations Lt. Gen Ranbir Singh are likely to brief the parliamentary standing committee on External Affairs on the army's surgical strikes.

"Briefing by the Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, Defence Secretary and Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) on the subject 'Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC)'," said a notice ahead of the committee's meeting here on October 18.

The parliamentary standing committee on External Affairs is headed by Congress' Shashi Tharoor and has high-profile members like Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, BJP's Varun Gandhi, Sugata Bose of the Trinamool Congress, Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party and Mohammad Salim of the Communist Party of India-Marxist.

The opposition parties including Congress have accused the BJP-led government of trying to derive political mileage from the surigical strikes. The government has dismissed the allegations.

On Friday, Parliament's Standing Committee on Defence was briefed about the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army on terror launching pads across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir on September 28-29 night.

Army's Vice Chief, Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat, had briefed the panel headed by BJP's Maj. Gen. B.C. Khanduri (retd.) for about half an hour.

According to informed sources, information provided to the defence panel is already in the public domain.

The strikes by Indian army, in wake of a terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that left 19 soldiers dead, have further raised tensions between India and Pakistan.

--IANS

nd/sm/vd
Facebook signs up for EU's Privacy Shield data treaty

United States,Technology, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

New York, Oct 16 (IANS) Social networking giant Facebook has agreed to adopt a new European Union (EU) data accord that allows personal information to be transferred to the US, potentially sparking yet another privacy row, the media reported.

Facebook has quietly signed the Privacy Shield -- a controversial treaty that allows US technology companies to transfer EU citizens' details abroad. It will apply to certain advertising data and its new Workplace service for businesses, the Telegraph UK reported on Saturday.

Privacy Shield, a replacement deal that was designed to provide extra safeguards for Europeans, came into force in July. Google and Microsoft have already adopted the treaty.

Facebook signed up at the end of September, although only two aspects of the social network use it.

The first is Workplace, a special version of Facebook that allows company employees to communicate, which was launched last week.

The other is its "Ads and Measurement" technology that uses customer data supplied by other companies to target adverts.

Other user data is not covered by the treaty, although it can be transferred to the US under secondary legal measures, the report said.

"We have signed up two important parts of our business to the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework - Facebook at Work and our relevant Ads and Measurement services," a Facebook spokesman confirmed the report.

Facebook's adoption of the treaty is significant because the prior US-EU agreement, Safe Harbour which was abolished by the European Court of Justice as a direct result of legal action against the social network by privacy campaigners.

However, it is likely to lead to further scrutiny of the Privacy Shield deal from Facebook's critics, the report stated.

--IANS

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Delay in patents can slow down improvement in medicine: Experts

Maharashtra,National,Technology,Health/Medicine, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Mumbai, Oct 16 (IANS) Delay in the patents for various innovations can slow down the improvement in the field of medicine, said health experts here on Sunday.

According to them, there is an inordinate delay in granting patents in India, which ranges from five to 10 years and in most cases the idea becomes obsolete.

Although the government has started indulging in many schemes and provisions, patients are yet to reap benefits from them and hence many physicians themselves have indulged in creating innovative therapies or treatments that can be made available to patients at a very economical cost, experts said.

The doctors were attending a conference where they and experts revealed various innovations for the benefits of patients.

Members from the Intellectual Property Rights were also present to discuss with the doctors how to protect their intellectual properties.

"Patents for innovations by the doctors should be speeded up in India. These out-of-the-box ideas by the physicians will ensure that the expenses of all the treatments do not put a load on the patient's pocket and some innovations help generate a positive relation between the patient and the hospital," said Ram Prabhoo, President of the Indian Orthopaedic Association.

During the conference, the participants spoke about various innovations aimed at easing the problems in the field of medicine. The major concern was to speed up the patents on all of their techniques.

Prashant Jha from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences said that he has created a Feto Maternal device that can assess fetal distress, and can be helpful for patients as well as doctors.

"We have come up with a app named TNM that helps standardise the diagnosis for different types of cancer and its stages. This app has a 20-second Questionnaire which needs to be filled with just a yes or no and immediate diagnosis of the node of cancer and its stage is revealed," said Palak Popat, associated with city based Tata Memorial Hospital.

According to Popat, the app will become helpful for junior doctors, radiologists and general practitioners who are not specialists in Oncology.

"This app will help provide immediate information to the patients and their family," said Popat.

--IANS

rup/sm/vt
Varanasi death toll rises to 25

Uttar Pradesh,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Varanasi, Oct 16 (IANS) The death toll in Saturday's stampede here in Uttar Pradesh has risen to 25, with one of the injured succumbing to his injuries overnight, police said on Sunday.

Authorities meanwhile said that 20 of the dead had been identified. And seven of the injured were still in critical condition in hospital.

Police officials said they were trying to ascertain the identity of the remaining five dead. More than 50 people were being treated at various medical facilities in the temple town.

The stampede occurred at the 130-year-old Raj Ghat bridge on the banks of river Ganga where a religious congregation was to be presided by Acharya Pankaj Baba, disciple of late Jai Gurudev, a religious and spiritual leader from Mathura.

The dead include 20 women and five men, police officer Anil Kumar Singh told IANS.

On the second day of the congregation on Sunday, Pankaj Baba paid tributes to those who perished in the tragedy and they were 'Satsangi Shaheed' (Spiritual Matryrs).

The dead have been identified as Naval Kishore Mishra, Savitri Mishra, Rajwati, Ramwati, Sumitra and Vimla Devi from Delhi, Rampatti Devi, Dashtarth Singh, Prithvipal Singh, Israti Devi, Susheela Devi and Mallu Devi from Rajasthan, as well as Prithvipal, Ashok Kumar, Kamlesh Devi, Kamini, Sarla Devi, Sohanlal, Indu and Keshwati from Madhya Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the dependants of those killed and Rs 50,000 each to those injured.

He has also suspended five senior district officials ,including the Superintendent of Police (City) of Varanasi and the traffic in-charge.

The Divisional Commissioner of Varanasi has been asked to get a magisterial probe conducted into the reasons behind the tragedy.

The Prime Minister's Office is monitoring the treatment of the injured, an official told IANS.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha.

The stampede occurred at around 1.30 p.m. as thousands of people took out a procession.

Police attributed the stampede to the "impatience" among the participants due to the prevailing heat and humidity.

Varanasi District Magistrate Vijay Kiran Anand blamed Acharya Pankaj, the successor of Jai Gurudev and the organiser of the two-day congregation in Domri village.

"The organisers had told us that 3,000 people would come but over 300,000 turned up," he said.

Pankaj Das in turn blamed the administration for failing to take proper measures.

--IANS

hindi-md/mr/vd
Afghan government to probe fall of Kunduz city

Israel,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Kabul, Oct 16 (IANS) The Afghan government will investigate the recent fall of the Kunduz city to the Taliban militants, spokesman for Presidential Palace Haroon Chakhansori said on Sunday.

"The reason for the fall of Kunduz would be investigated and those found responsible would be punished," Xinhua news agency quoted Chakhansori as saying.

Kunduz city, the capital of the northern Kunduz province, 250 km north of Kabul, fell to the Taliban militants on October 3, forcing more than 22,000 families to leave for safer places, besides hundreds of others, mostly civilians, being killed and injured.

Government forces, after days of fierce fighting, were able to dislodge Taliban militants on October 12 and since then normalcy has been returning to the city.

However, Taliban militants, according to locals, still pose threat to the city and its residents.

--IANS

py/vt
Philippines President Duterte now to enforce smoking ban

Philippines,Politics,Health/Medicine, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Manila, Oct 16 (IANS) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said a nationwide smoking ban will be implemented.

Duterte said he will sign the executive order prepared by the Department of Health (DOH) on the matter, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Yes, it will be followed and the implementation will follow the Davao experience," he told the media in southern Davao City before leaving for Brunei.

Duterte, who had been a mayor of Davao for 23 years, had imposed smoking ban in the city.

"If you want to smoke, find a place where it is allowed," the President said.

He said statistics would show that many Filipinos die of smoking.

The Department of Health, citing a report of the World Health Organization in 2005, has said the use of tobacco continues to be a major cause of health problems worldwide.

During that period, there were an estimated 1.3 billion smokers in the world, with 4.9 million people dying because of tobacco use in a year.

If the trend continues, the number of deaths would increase to 10 million by the year 2020, 70 per cent of which would be coming from countries like the Philippines, the Department of Health said.

--IANS

py/vt
Dubai smartest city in Gulf region: Study

United Arab Emirates,Science/Tech,Business/Economy, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Dubai, Oct 16 (IANS) Chinese ICT giant Huawei on Sunday said Dubai is the smartest city in the Gulf region in relation to strategy and execution.

The emirate of Dubai has emerged number one in a Smart City Index that examined the smart city campaigns across 10 Gulf Arab cities, Xinhua news agency cited the company as saying.

The Gulf emirate stood out for its "strategic vision coupled with a clear understanding of the practical requirements to deliver on its vision", said Huawei and research firm Navigant which conducted the study.

"While we realise that each city is different and has its own smart city needs, we valued the strategic impact of the governments' vision and even more important how effectively a government of a city or emirate executes that strategy," Safder Nazir, an executive at Huawei Middle East in Dubai, said.

The Smart Dubai roadmap has targeted the delivery of 1,000 services by next year across 100 initiatives, said Huawei.

As of September this year, it had documented more than 500 current and planned smart services and initiatives, of which 150 have been completed, it added.

Eric Woods, research director at Navigant Consulting, said: "Dubai stands out in this Navigant Research ranking as a leader among cities for its strategic vision and ambitious implementation programme."

Dubai's neighbour Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and Doha, the capital of Qatar, were contenders in the smart city index. Kuwait city ranked 10th and therefore last.

The five-day fair hosts 4,000 exhibiting companies and expects 100,000 trade visitors from 150 countries, according to the organiser Dubai World Trade Centre.

--IANS

py/vt
Decision on timeline for giving possession to Singur farmers on Monday

West Bengal,National,Politics, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Singur (West Bengal), Oct 16 (IANS) The West Bengal government will hold a meeting on Monday to decide on the timeline to start the process of providing physical possession of land to Singur farmers, senior state Minister Partha Chattopadhyay said on Sunday.

"About 870 acres of land has been made cultivable. We will have a meeting on Monday at Nabanna (state secretariat) and I will submit a progress report to the Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee). She will take the final decision on the timeline for starting the process of giving physical possession to farmers," he said after a meeting with Hooghly district officials here.

Chatterjee had ealier said he was happy with progress and hopeful to start the process of giving physical possession of land before October 21.

On September 29, Banerjee, in a Hooghly district administrative meeting, had set a October 21 dateline to remove all constructions from the Tata Nano project area as the state government was given the responsibility to return the land to farmers by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court, on August 31, struck down the land acquisition made by the erstwhile Left Front government for the small car factory and ordered the land be returned to the cultivators within 12 weeks.

Redeeming a pledge she made years ago, Banerjee had returned 9,117 land records to farmers and compensated 800 peasants from whom land had been taken against their wishes.

--IANS

bdc/lok/vd
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Government raising 'triple talaq' as diversion: Congress

Delhi,National,Politics, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) The Congress on Sunday accused the Narendra Modi government of diverting attention from real issues by raising matters like 'triple talaq' which is already before courts.

"The matter is in the Supreme Court and we do not want to get into any controversy. BJP's policy is to divert from the real issues concerning the people," Congress General Secretary in-charge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad told media persons here.

"They raise issues like Article 370 and triple talaq just make it a political agenda. We are not going to get into this trap of political agenda," he added.

--IANS

sid/vd
Jenna Coleman, Tom Hughes searching for home

United Kingdom,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

London, Oct 17 (IANS) "Victoria" stars Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes are moving in together and are searching for a house.

According to a source, the duo, who play Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the popular drama show, have been secretly dating for almost a year and are now viewing properties to buy together in North London, reports dailymail.co.uk.

The couple have been looking at houses in Hampstead, the source said.

"Jenna has been telling everyone she has fallen madly in love. She and Tom are looking for a place to buy together. They have been keen to keep their relationship under wraps."

"Their whole courtship has been a bit cloak-and-dagger, and they have been careful not to be photographed together," the source added.

--IANS

sas/nn/
Terror mothership with global links in India's neighbourhood: Modi

Goa,National,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics,Terrorism,Diplomacy, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Benaulim (Goa), Oct 16 (IANS) In a clear reference to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the "mothership of terrorism" was in India's neighbourhood and linked to terror modules across the world.

Modi's speech at the restricted BRICS leaders' meet, parts of which were tweeted by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup, also said that the neighbouring country sheltered not just terrorists but also "nurtures a mindset" which backs terrorism for political gains.

"In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development. Tragically, the mothership of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood. Terror modules around the world are linked to this mothership," Modi said at the meeting attended by Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Jinping of China, Jacob Zuma of South Africa and Michel Temer of Brazil.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also attended the restricted meeting.

"This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains. It is a mindset that we strongly condemn," Modi said, exhorting BRICS states to "stand and act together" and speak in one voice against the threat.

Modi also said that the growing arc of terrorism today threatened the Middle East, West Asia, Europe and South Asia and that terrorism's "violent footprints put at risk the security of our citizens and undercuts our efforts aimed at economic growth".

Modi called on BRICS countries to work together for early adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism and step up practical cooperation against terrorism.

The Prime Minister also spoke of critical challenges that confront the world and underlined the need for a clear roadmap to revive the global economy.

"Our increasing inter-dependence means that our march towards economic prosperity cannot be separated from the emerging geo-political context. BRICS, therefore, must play an active role in setting a direction that supports our common aspirations and goals.

"I firmly believe that the simultaneous development of Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India is the best bet for global growth and development," Modi said.

Modi said the "unhindered flow of skilled talent, ideas, technology, and capital across borders was imperative to kickstart the growth process".

--IANS

maya/mr/ksk
Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez paid tribute to Morocco for its cooperation with Spain in intelligence sharing and counter terrorism cooperation.

In an interview with the magazine of the victims of terrorism (Fundacion Victimas del Terrorismo), the Spanish Minister described Morocco as a great ally in the fight against terrorism, expressing full satisfaction regarding the excellent cooperation between the security services of the two countries.

We share intelligence and operational data with Moroccan security services, he said, adding that joint operations have been carried out simultaneously in the two countries.

The Spanish Interior Ministers comments were made after the two countries security authorities successfully conducted a joint operation that led to the arrest, last Wednesday, of four individuals suspected of being militants of the Islamic State group.

Diaz noted that cooperation between Moroccan and Spanish authorities represents a lever in terms of fighting terrorism.

The Spanish minister stressed the need to remain vigilant, pointing out to the 190 Spanish nationals who have joined the ranks of terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq since 2014.

He said that 25% of those Spanish foreign fighters have been killed in Iraq and Syria and that 15% have returned to Spain.
Moroccos Permanent Representative at the UN, Omar Hilale, made in New York before the UN member states a presentation on the challenges and logistical aspects relating to the organization of the global climate summit, COP22, in Marrakech on November 7-18.

In this respect, Hilale shed light on the Paris Agreement, which sets the goal of fighting global warming, as part of a vision of collective efforts and sustainable future. This agreement, said Hilale, stresses the principle of shared responsibility by taking into account the challenges facing the least developed countries.

He said Morocco is satisfied that the Paris Agreement will enter into effect on November 4, 2016 following the achievement of the ratification process in a record time.

King Mohammed VI will chair the upper segment of the conference which will be attended by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Invitations were also sent to several African heads of state to attend a summit on November 16 to examine the climate challenges facing Africa.

COP 22, the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will highlight major climate successes achieved this year and showcase global action as nations turn toward implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The Government of Morocco will serve as the Presidency and host of COP22, the first such meeting since the historic adoption of the Paris Agreement by all nations at COP-21 in Paris, France, in December of last year.

Last week, the Paris Agreement officially surpassed the thresholds necessary for it to enter into force less than one year after it was adopted, sending a powerful signal to world markets that we are moving towards a low-emissions economy with unprecedented resolve
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Clinton is still trending toward a victory. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

With just over three weeks left until Election Day and as many as 1.5 million votes already cast, two new national polls conducted following the second presidential debate show Hillary Clinton expanding or consolidating her lead over Donald Trump in a four-way matchup. One, from NBC News/Wall Street Journal, has her leading by 11 points, 48 to 37 percent (up six points from mid-September), while the other, from ABC News/Washington Post, has her leading by four points, 47 to 43 percent (up two points from their previous poll conducted before the first debate). The two polls also offer mixed insight into how much Trumps Access Hollywood video, in which he bragged about his ability to sexually assault women, has influenced the race.

The ABC/WaPo poll indicates that while roughly seven in ten respondents believe that Trump probably has made unwanted sexual advances on women and only 38 percent believed his apologies over the Access Hollywood tape were sincere, just one-third of respondents said the video made them less likely to support Trump (the same voters already profiled as unlikely Trump supporters in the first place). Some 40 percent of voters also agreed with Trump that his video remarks were simply locker room talk, including 56 percent of non-college-educated white women.

Photo: Washington Post

On the other hand, the NBC/WSJ poll has Clinton now up 20 points among women, compared with only eight points in the ABC/WaPo poll. The NBC/WSJ poll also found that awareness of the Access Hollywood tape is extraordinarily high, as it is now the fourth-most-recognized story in the history of the poll, with 95 percent of respondents having seen, read, or heard about the video. However, while 64 percent of registered voters were concerned about the tape, only 32 percent said that it disqualified Trump from being president, compared with 53 percent who didnt feel that way.

Regarding Trumps counterattack over the Access Hollywood tape, only about a third of voters in the ABC/WaPo poll thought the Clinton sex scandals were a legitimate issue in the race, while 55 percent thought Trumps treatment of women should be a factor. The percentage of voters who thought that Hillary Clintons handling of those scandals was a legitimate concern was evenly split at 48 percent in the NBC/WSJ poll.

The two polls, both conducted from October 10 through October 13, do not offer any sense of how the recent allegations of sexual assault made by multiple women against Trump over the past week are influencing voters.

One area where the polls definitely agree is that Trump is declining in several key dimensions of support. The ABC/WaPo poll indicates that enthusiasm among Trump supporters has dropped from 91 to 79 percent over the past month, and that the number of overall registered voters who think Trump is honest and trustworthy has dropped eight points to 34 percent. The NBC/WSJ poll indicates that Trump still leads Clinton when it comes to perceptions of honesty, but his lead over Clinton in that regard has fallen only four points, 38 to 34 percent. That same poll indicates that Trump is losing ground to Clinton on the issues of trade and the economy, essentially showing them in a tie at this point in the race, findings which are consistent with the ABC/WaPo poll results.

Clinton supporter enthusiasm, meanwhile, has ticked up two points to 83 percent in the ABC/WaPo poll, and the number of Clinton supporters who admitted they might still change their mind about their vote has also dropped from 16 to 9 percent. Fifty-nine percent of voters think Clinton is qualified for the office of president, while only 39 percent feel that way about Trump, and Clinton still maintains an advantage when it comes to temperament. Roughly 90 percent of Clinton and Trump supporters hold a strongly unfavorable view of their candidates opponent, however, which is yet another indication that post-election divisions may prove difficult to mend.

That antipathy seems to be bleeding over into voters personal lives as well since another new poll, by ABC News/SSRS, found that 90 percent of Americans often speak about the election with their friends and family, leading to increased tension in those relationships for 37 percent of Americans  more so among men than women:

Photo: ABC/SSRS

That same survey indicates that 29 percent of Americans do not think that it is appropriate for children to pay attention to this election.

In addition, some new battleground-state polls are out as well. Clinton is up by six points over Trump in a new Nevada poll by CBS/YouGov, and up five points in Colorado and four points in Florida via a pair of Gravis/Breitbart polls. A new poll from Christopher Newport University also shows Clinton up by 15 points in Virginia, indicating Trumps support is at only 29 percent there overall and that he is now losing women to Clinton 50 to 26 percent and losing men for the first time 37 to 32 percent. The same poll, conducted from October 11 to 14, also shows movement among independent voters to Clinton from both Trump and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson with Clinton leading in military households 38 to 32 percent.

But while Clinton is clearly winning the race according to polls, can those numbers be trusted? FiveThirtyEights Nate Silver weighs in on what should potentially worry Clinton in the remaining weeks of the campaign:

Were getting to the point where a Clinton loss would require either an October surprise  maybe Wikileaks has something more damaging up its sleeve than what its shown so far, although even then it could be drowned out by all the news Trump is generating  or a significant polling error. On the prospects for a polling miss, let me state this carefully. Its not that the arguments for why the polls could be underrating Trumps support (e.g. the supposed presence of shy Trump voters) are all that strong. There are reasons to think the polls could be underrating Clintons support instead of Trumps, in fact. But polls arent always as accurate as they were in the past few presidential elections, and given the large number of undecided voters, they could be off in either direction. A 6- or 7-point polling error is just on the outer fringe of whats possible based on the historical record in U.S. elections.



With that said, its not the massive polling miss that would concern me if I were Clinton. Instead, Id worry about what might happen if Trump was on a rising trajectory as Nov. 8 approaches, having cut my lead down to 3 or 4 percentage points, and then there was a more modest polling error on the order of what we saw in advance of Brexit, where the final polls were off by about 4 points. Polling errors of that magnitude are considerably more common than 6- or 7-point errors.



And again, no poll results have come out that factor in the recent accusations of sexual harassment and assault made against Trump by various women over the past week or Trumps response to those claims, so its possible that those allegations, coming so soon after the Access Hollywood tape, may compound the candidates troubles. Also, as Silver adds, the Trump campaign is not exactly well-positioned, structurally or temperamentally, for a strong finish:

This post has been updated to incorporate Nate Silvers overview analysis, in light of the ABC/WaPo and NBC/WSJ polls.
has he had some face work done?

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nose job





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I thought you were kidding, until I pulled up of his old pictures. bb Ted Bundy has Patsy's vanity for sure

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Could this lead to them re-opening the case? If so, by all means...

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No, because at the time of murder he had not yet reached an age of criminal responsibility, meaning he can't be tried for the murder even as an adult. But the civil lawsuit will definitely play out like a criminal one, so wrong move Burke.

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the ex Police Chief & author of Foreign Faction was like yeah i hope they do sue me then i can get their depositions.

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I thought it was reopened a few years ago?

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he looks like a creepy adult-mannequin-child version of elijah wood

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lol he does

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I just came to see if somebody mentioned this. Yikes. If I was Elijah I'd sue.

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HSM zac efron + elijah wood

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Elijah doesn't deserve this

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ia :(

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He can play him in the movie if there is one.

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lol mte

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he also looks like he could be a puppet from mr rogers

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does this guy really have a case? he was just sharing his expert opinion so.



anyway, I dont think it will ever be solved. it'll just be a bunch of LIKELY guilty people.

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I mean...the guy said it definitively. I think there's a case.

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even if he said it "definitively", thats just his opinion. his opinion is that its "definitive".

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it could be argued he's a public figure anways, not that strong of a case imo

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i don't think so. the show put a disclaimer on the end anyways. pretty sure they're protected.

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Knew it. Anyway, I've watched like 25 hours of Gotham for fucking 2.5 minutes of Tommy Flanagan. Fuck that.

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LOL i wanna watch gotham for jamie chung, but honestly i couldn't get past the first 3 episodes bc selina kyle is such a shitty actress and so is bruce. i cannot stand them!!

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She must be on a recent episode because I haven't seen her yet.

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Spitz is so level tho. Like in the Diane Schuler case he didn't mince his words, just gave his professional opinion straight

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What did he say about Diane?

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Diane's husband was trying to go with the whole "she must have had a stroke or an aneurysm from a bad tooth!!!" and Spitz was like "mate...she was drunk and high when she died."

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Omg I totally forgot about him being on that case.

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Thank you for reminding me to get back into hate-watching Dr. Phil.

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lol this me as well. i fall down a hole and can't stop watching.

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I knew there had to be a word for it.

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I don't know why I keep watching those train-wrecks he often has on the show.

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sometimes you just need to feel better about your life

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Ngl with all the mysteries being solved left and right this year, I'd still be genuinely shocked if this is ever solved.

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what mysteries? i need to read up on this.

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Jacob Wetterling and Lori Ruff are the ones im thinking of but there have been a spate of other cases getting solved. The unresolved mysteries Reddit has more info on those cases.

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A cold case I was intrigued by was solved a couple of years ago! Can't remember the victims names but the killer was Beverly Noe if you're interested!





Basically she was scared her son would lose custody to his ex so she murdered the ex, a daughter she has from another relationship and I believe the ex's sister.

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Right? Every time I go onto r/UnresolvedMysteries it seems like yet another old/wellknown case has been solved. I'm glad so many families are finally getting peace, even it means they have to contend with knowing that their loved ones are gone.

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This case was basically solved. They just can't prosecute, because Burke was too young (9, the minimum is 10 in Colorado). Even the grand jury turned out to have wanted to prosecute the parents for accessory/collusion/whatever the legal term is, but the DA squashed it and slapped a gag order on things.

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oh yea y'all predicted he'd do this.

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spitz is like 90, don't think he cares that much

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I feel like CBS and all of their lawyers had every angled covered before they made this series idk. Not sure how much of that protects individual people but I assume CBS was prepared for such a possibility. No wonder Fleet and Priscilla White didn't want to be on camera when meeting with them.



In unrelated news he looks so much like his mother.



Edited at 2016-10-16 02:23 am (UTC)

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yeah. they had a disclaimer at the end. there's no way this will go through.

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Yup no way CBS didn't have its lawyers lock this shit down. In a way it only solidifies Burke's guilt more, bc CBS was so confident in having its experts talk about it so frankly on the air.

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his parents refused to release his medical records (they did release their own). but smearing feces around the house points to ...yes. as an adult i have no idea what he's like beyond the dr. phil special and even though people will bend over backwards to defend him being 'just nervous' i would say it also points to yes.

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His Dr. Phil interview was pure creeptastic and he gives me really weird vibes but I still don't see how the family would have been responsible... especially with how heinous the crime's nature is. What family could do that?

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"What family could do that?



oh my sweet summer child



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Lmao mte. There's legit a man in my state who burned his family alive and left? A mother who "gave away" her baby when she didn't.

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The guy who replaced my dad at his last army assignment (DC- computer stuff) came home one day and just killed his wife and kid like it was no big deal.

And that's not even the worst thing I've heard people do to their families.

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lol perf response

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Lol right?

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mte, they were/are a WEIRD, rich family.

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I think if Burke did it they panicked and didn't know what else to do but finish the job (sorry I know that sounds awful) and stage everything else. I think it aligns pretty well with the autopsy findings about the initial blow not killing her. I think whoever did kill her thought she was already dead after the hit to the head. People kill for a lot of stupid and simple reasons and under such circumstances I think they panicked. It's fucked up to imagine what was going through their minds in those moments.

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1. plenty of families do this, and worse.

2. the crime isn't that gruesome - just fucking sad and tragic with a lot of questions raised.

3. siblings getting into fights and severely hurting one, or even killing one, has happened. its happened between kids at school, too. kids dont have the mental capability sometimes to judge the moral limits of their own anger and jealousy, or to know when to stop, or to even see how dangerous something could be. (IE there was a family in my city where 2 brothers got into a fight over the TV and the one brother shoved the tv set onto his brother in anger - it was a huge deal/talking point in my community for a while).



its possible Burke lashed out and killed his sister (accidentally, or not realizing fully what his actions meant) and his parents staged a crime scene/break in so he wouldnt have his life ruined, or they wouldnt lose both their children. its a lot easier going through life being viewed as victims than as assailants/abettors to a child murder and they probably knew that.

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You never watch the news, huh?

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Yeah, you should really look up Victoria Martens.

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What family could do that ?



A mother was just arrested , she watched her boyfriend and his female cousin rape , drug , and murder her child and the mother said she got off on it . People are fucked up

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oh my bb....

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my friend was repeatedly (years) raped as a child by her mother's boyfriend. when she finally spoke up about it, her mom got mad at her and didn't believe her at all. the guy was never arrested, nothing. he's still walking free today.

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The CBS special seemed to pretty much prove Burke did it and the parents covered it up to protect him. I don't know if Burke was diagnosed with a personality disorder, but his childhood interviews (which they showed) were really creepy and waaaaaaay off. Some personality disorders can't be diagnosed until the person is an adult (antisocial, frex).

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Idk but people who have been interviewed who knew the Ramseys have mentioned that he was kind of a loner. Also he put feces in his sister's bed or something. That's not normal.

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Yuck, the faeces in her bed, in her chocolate Christmas gifts and hitting her with a golf club the year prior is whacked out behaviour



And the family claiming he was asleep the whole time but in recent interviews he admitted he was awake. And the family claiming they went to bed in the same clothes as what they went out to their Christmas party in. They didn't sleep at all that night.



The simplest explanation is probably right. He did it.

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spreading of feces in children is a sign of abuse which imo makes it even more likely it was the parents and not the kids

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Wrong Impression is MY JAM since I was like 10 lmao. I love the music video where she's riding on her bike it's so pretty. I belt that shit in my car all the time.

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same! I had the biggest crush on her when Torn was a hit lol

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You say celebrities but the only celebrity I see is Kylie Minogue.

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mte

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The campaign was created by Joshua Sasse, who's engaged to Kylie Minogue. They said they'll not tie the knot until same-sex marriage is legalized in the country.



Oh

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lol I forget which celeb couple it was, but they totally did the "we won't get married until the gays can!!!" Then it became legal in California and they went and got married, even though it was still illegal in most the country.

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Anna Faris and Chris Pratt and Brangelina

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I feel like Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard said this as well



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I miss Galavant

this is Sasse with the shirtI miss Galavant

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Aww he's a cutie.

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No one gives a fuck what he looks like with a shirt on. He should've just painted the logo on his bare chest.

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kylie looking like dolly's daughter

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Lucky ha

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way besides the point but they're missing ACT on the shirt.

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They have tassie on there, how much more can you ask for???

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lol I always forget about ACT too

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i support this 5sho

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why has australia been so slow on this? I'm sure the reasons are complex but is there a strong evangelical population or something?

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It's mostly due to politicians. While Labor has finally come around on the issue, the Liberals (conservative party, not actually liberal) are hellbent on delaying it.



I don't think there's a big evangelical population here, tbh.

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The funny (frustrating) thing is that a higher percentage of Australians support marriage equality than Americans did when same-sex marriage became legal in the US. It's just their political system rn that's fucking things up.

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Australia's actually one of the least religious countries in the world. I think it's something like 75% of the population wants same-sex marriage to be legalised, it's literally only the fucked up conservative politicians who are unfortunately in power doing everything they can to stop it.

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we have old white religious men running the country

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Get it together Australia, ffs.

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It should be legalized everywhere!

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This country continues to embarrass me

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The latest meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Algeria, on September 28, brought some relief to producers, with the price of oil finally trading above $50 per barrel for the first time in months. News of a preliminary deal, whose implementation is scheduled for November, was met with optimism in Kazakhstan, a major oil producer and exporter in the former Soviet space, second only to Russia. Yet, the deals success hinges on a variety of factors beyond Kazakhstans reach. First, the OPEC members need to agree among themselves on the rules of play to avoid cheating. Second, Saudi Arabia and Iran need to put their rivalry aside to reach a durable compromise, while Tehran still insists that it will not agree to any production cuts until domestic output reaches certain pre-sanctions levels. Third, there is a non-OPEC country, Russia, with its own ambitions and an ability to disrupt the stabilization of oil prices if it decides to try to win more market share at the expense of the

oil cartel (RBC, Inform.kz, Rosbalt.ru, September 28).

The recent change of prime minister in Kazakhstan (see EDM, September 19), with Bakytzhan Sagintayev succeeding his boss, Karim Massimov, who moved to chair the National Security Committee (KNB), is above all else a reflection of President Nursultan Nazarbayevs economic concerns. The Kazakhstani economy will not grow by more than 0.1 percent this year, after 1.2 percent growth in 2015 and 4.3 percent in 2014. This is far below the 67 percent expansion achieved when the price of Brent crude oil consistently exceeded $100 a barrel. Next years GDP growth is expected to reach approximately 1 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank; but it will depend on the governments ability to implement structural reforms. It is clear, nonetheless, that no government, however creative and hardworking, is able to consistently do what should normally be done over several decades. Kazakhstan still depends on oil exports for over 60 percent of total government revenues and a quarter of its GDP (Kapital.kz, September 9; Kursiv.kz, July 17; Matritsa.kz, April 28).

One of the Kazakhstani governments biggest fears is the repetition of social unrest like what happened in the western city of Zhanaozen, in Mangistau Oblast on the Caspian Sea, on December 16, 2011 (Independence Day). That year, hundreds of oil workers took to the streets to protest low salaries and unhealthy working conditions at two local energy companies, Karazhanbasmunay and Ozenmunaygas. The former is co-owned by the national oil company KazMunayGas (via its main production subsidiary, KMG E&P) and Chinas CITIC Group. The latter belongs to KMG E&P, whose second-largest shareholder, after KMG (58 percent), is China Investment Corporation (11 percent). The protests lasted for more than eight months and ended in bloodshed. Clashes between protesters and the riot police resulted in 16 dead and over 100 wounded as Kazakhstan experienced the highest bout of instability since independence (Inform.kz, December 17, 2011; RIA Novosti, December 16, 2011; Tengrinews.kz, June 6, 2011).

The specter of Zhanaozen hovered again over the city this past September, when employees of a drilling company called Burgylau took to the streets to demand higher pay. They complained about poor sanitation, having to purchase spare parts with their own money, and unfair remuneration. It took local authorities several weeks to formulate a response, although there had earlier been a short-lived strike at Burgylaus main production facility at the end of July 2016. The regional governor of Mangistau, Alik Aydarbayev, visited the site in person to reassure the striking workers by promising them additional contracts from the shareholder, KMG, for at least 34 new wells by the end of the year. He also said that wages would soon be realigned with KMGs unified salary grid, even though Burgylaus statutes do not provide for such a harmonization (Forbes.kz, October 6; Radio Azattyk, October 6, August 1; Lada.kz, September 29). Related: Can We Trust The Saudis To Stick To The OPEC Deal?

The problem in the wider Mangistau region is bigger than it actually seems. While Kazakhstan prepares to relaunch production at the giant Kashagan oilfield in neighboring Atyrau Oblast, the majority of Mangistau deposits are almost entirely depleted. Oil from Kashagan was stopped for three years in 2013, but will certainly require more spare hands in the next few months and years. The North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC) consortium, whose shareholders include both KMG and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), looks keen to pump at any price in order to recover its initial investments. However, the increased employment opportunities are unlikely to be a boon for the Mangistau workforce because it is comprised mostly of low-skilled workers, not high-qualified engineers. Thus, it will be much easier and more convenient for NCOC to hire among the local population of Atyrau rather than to relocate workers from the south (Kursiv.kz, October 5; Inform.kz, September 24; Vlast.kz, September 15).

The Zhanaozen predicament clearly speaks to the need to diversify the Kazakhstani economy away from hydrocarbonsand doing so as quickly as possible in spite of the resistance of vested interests, entrenched bureaucrats and big business. According to most forecasts, the price of oil will stay below $5055 per barrel in 2017, amid global oversupply and weaker-than-usual demand from China, India and other important consumers. With the 76-year-old Nursultan Nazarbayev still in power, Central Asias largest economy would obviously be significantly better off if it embarked on reforms before the inevitable presidential succession. The current oil crisis and the economic stagnation it has spawned are both a risk and an opportunity for the country. Political stability is a key element of the ideal recipe for Kazakhstan, which saw a new wave of terrorist incidents in JuneJuly 2016. The country needs strong leadership to weather the ongoing downturn (Forbes.kz, July 18; Kapital.kz, June 6).

By George Voloshin via Jamestown.org

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Who is Kimberley Motley? The international litigation attorney, former Mrs. Wisconsin and subject of "Motleys Law," a documentary screened at the recent Milwaukee Film Festival, defies simple labels.

Motleys complex mixture of intellect, courage and creativity captivated audiences at two recent appearances in Milwaukee. The 41-year-old North Side native who opened a law firm in Afghanistan and is representing clients on every continent except Antarctica spoke about her work and her life after the screening of the documentary and at Mike Goushas "On The Issues" forum at Marquette University Law School.

Motleys path from her childhood home in the Berryland public housing project to her status as the only foreign attorney practicing in Afghanistan seems, to one former colleague, like a natural progression.

"I really liked her approach to work," said Deja Vishny, homicide practice coordinator at the Wisconsin State Public Defenders Office (SPD). Vishny worked with Motley in a trial skills program and as her supervisor when Motley joined SPD after graduating from Marquette Law School in 2003.

Vishny was impressed by Motleys care for her clients and her pursuit of a concept Motley calls "justness."

"To me, justness means using laws for their intended purpose, which is to protect," Motley said. "Its the legal reality that I fight for on behalf of my clients," she added. "Justice is the poetry and justness is the prose."

Vishny also pointed to Motleys tenacity in fighting for her clients best interests. She recalled a case in which Motley observed that a prosecutor was relying on an inaccurate interpretation of words spoken by an African-American client. According to Vishny, Motley searched for an expert witness knowledgeable about African-American Vernacular English.

Motley said that exposure to social issues such as substance abuse and teen pregnancy in her poor neighborhood were beneficial for her and her siblings growing up. The tough situations they saw around them helped them learn early about the real world, she added.

Motley and her siblings were raised by their Korean mother and African-American father and attended predominantly white schools. This led them to feel comfortable interacting with all kinds of people, she said. And like other children of immigrants, the experience of speaking to adults on behalf of their mother helped them develop strong speaking skills at an early age.

In an appearance following the documentary screening, she noted that her father was heavily invested in his childrens education. The second child of four, Motley attended St. Albert Elementary School, a private Catholic school, and Whitefish Bay High School through the recently discontinued Chapter 220 voluntary integration program. In addition to her law degree, Motley earned bachelors and masters degrees in criminal justice from UW-Milwaukee.

Though he is thankful for the educational opportunities their father provided him and his siblings, Motleys younger brother, Jay-Sun Bowman, said his fathers harsh rules and discipline created a tense atmosphere in their home.

"(Our father) was very hard on Kimberley and protective because (she) was a girl. Her freedom was more restricted and she wasnt allowed to go to prom, talk to boys or any of that," Bowman said.

"A lot of people look at Kimberley now and say, 'How could you (work in Afghanistan)? Youre in harms way,'" Bowman said. In response to a question about safety she said, "I know its unsafe. I know I can get on a plane and leave whenever I want to."

Motley said she joined the U.S. Department of State as a legal trainer in Afghanistan in 2008 to make money. "It was a family financial decision."

After a year, she decided to open a private litigation firm to represent foreigners in jail there. Since then, her client base has grown to include diplomats, news agencies and corporations from many nations. Though she spends about 70 percent of her time working on private criminal and corporate cases and some civil litigation, she spends the other 30 percent representing Afghani and other clients suffering human rights violations, who cannot pay for her legal services.

Motley researches Islamic and Afghan law. Calling herself a "legal archaeologist," she described several cases in which she succeeded in bringing relief to young women sold into marriages that effectively enslaved them. Motley argued one of those cases before the Supreme Court of Afghanistan. Currently, she is one of a number of lawyers working to free Malaysian political prisoner Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister. Modest about her pro bono work, Motley said, "I consider myself to be a global investor in human rights."

Motley, her husband Claudiare Motley and their three children, ages 20, 15 and 10, reside in North Carolina. Claudiare Motley, a finance expert and recent law school graduate, also works in the family business, Motley Law. He was injured by a gunshot to the face while visiting Milwaukee for a high school reunion in 2014. Now recovered, he and Kimberley are working to help the perpetrator, a teenager who was paralyzed during a later gun crime.

The Motleys still have many family members and friends in the city, and Kimberley says she would return to work here if she had a case. "My focus has always been litigation," Kimberley said. "I go to different countries and I litigate cases in court. I am a court person."
From Consortium News



Russian President Vladimir Putin after the military parade on Red Square, May 9, 2016 Moscow.

(Image by (Photo from: en.kremlin.ru)) Details DMCA



If the dangers weren't so great -- a possible nuclear war that could exterminate life on the planet -- The New York Times over-the-top denunciation of all things Russian would be almost funny, like the recent front-page story finding something uniquely sinister about Russia using inflatable decoys of military weapons to confuse adversaries.

The Oct. 13 article, entitled "Decoys in Service of an Inflated Russian Might," was described as part of a series called "DARK ARTS ... How Russia projects power covertly," suggesting that the nefarious Russians aren't to be trusted in anything even in the case of "one of Russia's lesser-known military threats: a growing arsenal of inflatable tanks, jets and missile launchers."

The bizarre article by Andrew E. Kramer, one of the most prolific producers of this anti-Russian propaganda, then states: "As Russia under President Vladimir V. Putin has muscled its way back onto the geopolitical stage, the Kremlin has employed a range of stealthy tactics. ... One of the newer entries to that list is an updating of the Russian military's longtime interest in operations of deceit and disguise, a repertoire of lethal tricks known as maskirovka, or masking. It is a psychological warfare doctrine that is becoming an increasingly critical element in the country's geopolitical ambitions."

What is particularly curious about Kramer's article is that it takes actions that are typical of all militaries, going back centuries, and presents them as some special kind of evil attributable to the Russians, such as Special Forces units not dressing in official uniforms and instead blending in with the surroundings while creating deniability for political leaders.

American and European Special Forces, for instance, have been deployed on the ground in Libya and Syria without official confirmation, at least initially. Sometimes, their presence is acknowledged only after exposure because of casualties, such as the death of three French soldiers near Benghazi, Libya, in July.

Indeed, one could argue that the United States has excelled at this practice of stealthily entering other countries, usually in violation of international law, to carry out lethal operations, such as drone assassinations and Special Forces' strikes. However, rather than condemning U.S. officials for their sneakiness, the Times and other mainstream Western publications often extol the secrecy of these acts and sometimes even agree to delay publication of information about the covert attacks so as not to jeopardize the lives of American soldiers.

U.S. Propaganda Network

The U.S. government also has built extensive propaganda operations around the world that pump out all sorts of half-truths and disinformation to put U.S. adversaries on the defensive, with the American financial hand kept hidden so the public is more likely to trust the claims of supposedly independent voices.

Much of that disinformation is then promoted by the Times, which famously assisted in one major set of lies by publishing a false 2002 front-page story about Iraq reconstituting its nuclear weapons program as a key justification for the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Yet, the Russians are called out for activities far less egregious than what the U.S. government -- aided and abetted by the Times -- has done.

You could even view the Times' article citing inflatable weapons as proof of Moscow's perfidy as itself an example of another U.S. psychological operation along the lines of the Times' article accusing Iraq of obtaining aluminum tubes for nuclear centrifuges, when the tubes were actually unsuited for that purpose. In this new case, however, the Times is heating up a war fever against Russia rather than Iraq.

Yet, as in 2002, this current psy-op is not primarily aimed at a foreign adversary as much as it is targeting the American people. The primary difference is that in 2002, the Times was helping instigate war against a relatively small and defenseless nation in Iraq. Now, the Times is whipping up an hysteria against nuclear-armed Russia with the prospect that this manufactured outrage could induce politicians into further steps that could lead to nuclear conflagration.

As German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier wrote in a recent opinion piece, the current tensions between Washington and Moscow are "more dangerous" than during the Cold War.

"It's a fallacy to think that this is like the Cold War," Steinmeier wrote. "The current times are different and more dangerous" because there were clear "red lines" during the Cold War where the rival nuclear powers knew not to tread.

Though Steinmeier, as a part of the NATO alliance, puts most of the blame on Moscow, the reality is that Washington has been the prime instigator of the recent tensions, including pressing NATO up to Russia's borders, supporting an anti-Russian putsch in neighboring Ukraine, and helping to arm rebel groups fighting in Syria alongside Al Qaeda's affiliate and threatening Russia's allied Syrian government.

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Readings for 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time: EX 17: 8-13; PS 121: 1-8; 2 TM 3:14-4:2; LK 18: 1-8;

Amy Goodman is in trouble. She's the television journalist my wife and I had dinner with last summer. She's the host of "Democracy Now: the War and Peace Report" -- a daily news hour on the Pacifica Radio and Television network.

In the face of mainstream media's refusal to cover significant grassroots events and issues, Ms. Goodman's program has been called "probably the most significant progressive news institution that has come around in some time" (by professor and media critic Robert McChesney.) In addition to sources such as OpEdNews, Information Clearing House, and Alternet, "Democracy Now" is an invaluable fountain of information about issues that touch all of our lives. Amy's program is an example of what can be accomplished for peace and social justice in the face of overwhelming odds.

Anyway, Amy is in trouble. Or should I say that judges in the North Dakota legal system are in trouble. I mean the court's black robes there are about to tangle with a woman who is stronger and more committed than all of them put together.

The issue at hand is a charge of criminal trespassing against Ms. Goodman. It stems from her coverage of Native American protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline -- a nearly 2000-mile, multi-billion-dollar construction stretching through North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. The pipeline cuts across Sioux Tribe sacred sites and burial grounds at their Standing Rock Reservation. Defense of those holy grounds has brought together thousands of Native Americans from across the country and Latin America, as well as indigenous peoples from around the world.

On Labor Day weekend this year, while Amy was covering that resistance, security forces of Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), the pipeline's builders, set dogs on the Standing Rock "Protectors" (they refuse the name "protestors"). She filmed a dog whose mouth was dripping with Protectors' blood.

Amy's honest reporting (protected by our Constitution's First Amendment) proved offensive to ETP, their security forces, and to the local police. Hence the charges.

_____

Please keep all of that in mind as we attempt to understand today's liturgy of the word. In the context of an unjust legal system, our readings raise the question of what it means to "pray always." Jesus says it means persistently demanding justice. Amy embodies that meaning.

Actually, the readings compare what might be termed men's intermittent way of praying with women's unrelenting persistence. For instance, in today's readings, men shockingly pray that God might intervene to slaughter their enemies.

In contrast, the woman in today's gospel is in it for the long haul. She indefatigably confronts the power structure of her day as her way of "praying always." That is, like Amy Goodman, she persistently works to bring her world into harmony with God's justice. According to Jesus, that's what prayer means.

Take that first reading from Exodus... Did it make you raise your eyebrows? It should have. It's about God facilitating mass slaughter. It tells the story of Moses praying during a battle against the King of Amalek. It's a classic etiology evidently meant to explain a chair-like rock formation near a site remembered as an early Hebrew battleground.

"What means this formation?" would have been the question inspiring this explanatory folk tale. "Well," came the answer, "Long ago when our enemy Amelek attacked our people, Moses told Joshua to raise an elite corps of fighters. During the course of the ensuing battle, Moses watched from this very place where we are standing accompanied by his brother Aaron and another assistant called Hur.

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From Salon

Just when you thought that big banker greed had surely bottomed out with the 2008 Wall Street crash and bailout, along comes Wells Fargo, burrowing even deeper into the ethical slime to reach a previously unimaginable level of corporate depravity.

It's one thing for the giants of finance to cook the books or defraud investors, but top executives of Wells Fargo have been profiteering for years by literally forcing their employees to rob the bank's customers. Rather than promoting a culture of service, executives have pushed a high-pressure "sales culture" since at least 2009, demanding that frontline employees meet extreme quotas of selling myriad unnecessary bank products to common depositors who just wanted a simple checking account. Employees were expected to load each customer with at least eight accounts, and staffers were monitored constantly on meeting their quotas -- fail and they'd be fired.

That's why the bosses' sales culture turned employees into a syndicate of bank robbers. The thievery was systemic and not subtle: Half a million customers were secretly issued credit cards that they hadn't requested. Fake email accounts for online services were set up without customers' knowledge. Debit cards were issued and activated without telling customers. Depositors' money was moved from one account to another. Signatures were forged -- and, of course, Wells Fargo collected fees for all these bogus transactions, boosting its profits.

This is not a case of a few bankers gone rogue, but of a whole institution gone rogue, rotting from the head down. Some stories of corporate villainy make me throw up my hands in astonishment. But this one is so putrid, it makes me literally throw up.

The sorry, still-evolving saga of Wells Fargo systematically stealing from its small depositors is a gag-inducing story of executive-suite greed. Start at the very top, with CEO John Stumpf, who claimed at a recent Senate hearing on the scandal to be shocked and "deeply sorry" that thousands of his employees had been opening bogus accounts in the names of non-English-speaking and elderly customers.

The silver-haired bank chief assured senators that he and other top bosses knew nothing about this massive breach of the bank's code of ethics, blaming low-level employees and firing 5,300 of them.

Go here to see Video: Wells Fargo Fires Thousands of Employees for Creating Fake Accounts

But John: First, weren't you the one squeezing those employees relentlessly to push customers into multiple accounts? Second, how could you possibly not notice a huge crime spree that rampaged throughout your bank's branches for seven years? Third, what about all those calls that honest employees made to your "ethics hotline" every day? And, fourth, while you now cravenly blame your $12-an-hour employees for this bank-run mugging operation, it turns out you read about it in a 2013 expose by The Los Angeles Times. Why didn't you stop it then?

Stumpf didn't act because he was busy stuffing his own pockets with the loot, hauling off more than $100 million via his personal pay in the last four years alone. What a deal: Workers are pressured to rob customers, then they get fired, while the boss of the caper grabs a fortune and protects all the higher ups -- and he expects to get away with it all by making a non-apology to some senators.

But the chief is not the only one who should be held accountable at Wells Fargo. Where were its board members, who are empowered and duty bound to set, monitor and assure ethnical corporate behavior from the top down? For seven years, this 15-member board of governance sat idle, apparently incurious about the corporation's flagrant, widespread thievery, even after the report by the Los Angeles Times exposed it. Far from investigating and clamping down, the board kept shoving multimillion-dollar bonuses at Stumpf and other top executives. This is a powerhouse board, made up of top executives from other corporations, former government financial officials and big-time academics. And they are extremely well paid to be diligent, receiving as much as $400,000 a year to keep Wells Fargo honest.

What's at work here is the ethical rot that now consumes America's entire corporate system -- a system that steals from the many to further enrich the few, buying off the integrity and vigilance of those who run it. Excuse me, but I have to go throw up now.
India,Russia to set up joint venture to build helicopters in India

India and Russia on Saturday announced plans to set up a joint venture to build helicopters in India, which will also buy surface-to-air missile systems from its former Cold War ally, as the two tighten their military relationship.



The pacts were signed after summit talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India's western resort state of Goa, where leaders from the BRICS group of emerging nations are meeting.



Indian military officials have said the plan is for the joint venture to build at least 200 Kamov helicopters required by the country's defence forces, and is part of Modi's drive to build a defence industrial base in the south Asian nation.



The S-400 surface-to-air missiles are meant to strengthen India's defences along its borders with China and Pakistan, Indian military officials have said.



Other heads of the BRICS club of leading emerging nations -- Brazil, China and South Africa -- were also gathering for this weekend's summit that is expected to focus on trade and counter-terrorism.



Putin is seeking to seal deals with India in an attempt to help revive Russia's recession-hit economy, following sliding oil prices and Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.



Among the agreements expected are Moscow's delivery of its most advanced anti-aircraft defence system to India, a deal that has been in the pipeline for several years. India, the world's top defence importer, is undergoing a $100-billion upgrade of its Soviet-era military hardware, as it looks to protect its borders from arch-rival Pakistan and an increasingly assertive China.



Modi and Putin will also focus on strengthening energy ties to meet India's growing thirst for fuel and electricity for its fast-growing economy.



Russia's biggest oil company Rosneft is expected to acquire India's Essar Oil in a multi-billion-dollar deal, according to local media reports, quoting officials involved in the agreement.



The menu is vast, India's ambassador to Russia, Pankaj Saran said at a briefing on the talks, without detailing the deals to be signed.



It is more than a relationship, it is a partnership and very justifiably it has been described by the two leaders as both special and privileged, as well as of course strategic, he said.



It is very deep and very intense and it is poised to grow even further.



Saran said he also expected them to discuss India's tensions with neighbour Pakistan, which spiked after last month's attack on the Uri army base that killed 19 soldiers.



Modi has sought to isolate Pakistan internationally since the attack that India blamed on Pakistan-based militants.



Subsequently, India claimed to have conducted "surgical strikes" against militants over the border in Pakistan. All such claims were rubbished by civil and military leadership in Pakistan.



We have conveyed our views to the Russian side. We are confident that Russia will reflect upon our concerns, Saran said.



But Putin is seen as unlikely to weigh into the dispute between the rivals, as Moscow also eyes closer defence ties with Islamabad. Russia and Pakistan carried out their first joint military exercise last month



Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed during talks late Saturday to work to resolve recent frustrations between the regional rivals, an official said.



Meeting on the eve of a BRICS summit of leading emerging nations, Modi and Xi agreed to further cooperate to combat terrorism and to work to reduce India's gaping trade deficit with China.



But Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said there was no resolution on China's decision to block India's entry to a nuclear trade group.



India wants to become a member of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to get better access to low-cost, clean energy which it says is important for its economic growth.



But China has so far declined to back India's request, saying it wants to wait until a consensus emerges at the group.



Our broad concerns in the current state of the relationship were conveyed to the Chinese side, Swarup said after the meeting -- their third this year -- in the Indian beach state of Goa.



The intention was that both sides would narrow down the areas of difference since the commonalities far outweigh (the differences), he said.



Our expectation and hope is that China will see the logic of what we are saying. There was no immediate comment from China's side.



New Delhi was also frustrated earlier this year when Beijing blocked its request to add a Pakistani militant group chief to a UN sanctions blacklist.
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Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump

Considering that Hillary Clinton, from the recently concluded email investigation, is charged with gross negligence, dereliction of duty, was recommended that she lose her security clearance, while pathologically lying to congress, the press and the American People; and even though she was not referred for indictment because she is a Clinton: Will you? 11.84% Vote for Hillary 78.78% Vote for The Donald 9.39% Vote for none of the above 245 total vote(s) Voting has Ended!

And now for your additional voting pleasure:

What should be the priority of the Federal Government after the "Pulse" massacre: Should we turn our attention toward destroying, earadicating ISIS as Candidate Trump suggests, or, as Democrats' President Obama suggests, broaden our efforts to effect stricter Gun Control laws to limit "Gun Violence?" 88.24% After many years of trying to degrade and contain the murderous ISIS, we should make it the nation's policy to destroy ISIS immediately. 3.68% Gun Violence in America can be eliminated by limiting access to guns for all American citizens. 8.09% I don't care either way; I just live here. 136 total vote(s) Voting has Ended!

Should Americans be thankful for North Carolinians setting precedent in taking a stand for their state's right to manage the safety of their public facilities, where separation of the sexes remains, or should they follow Bruce Springsteen's lead and boycott the state as bigots since they will not allow grown Transgender men to use the same bathrooms /locker rooms as pre-pubescent girls? North Carolina is right to control the separation of the sexes as a matter of decorum and safety. North Carolina is a bigoted state to not require that children of opposite sexes share the same public facilities with adults of the opposite sex, although misidentified - the Transgender. I generally prefer the natural environs of the vacant, although rather public, large tree. 236 total vote(s) What's your Opinion?



Here are the big election cycle political issues and Donald Trump's and Hillary Clinton's positions on what each wants to see and make happen, according to political analysts John Porter, James Kouri, John Snyder and others who've contributed their analysis to Conservative Base. The news media - according to its own email exchanges with the Democratic National Committee - are pulling out all the stops in their Trump attacks and avoiding true reporting about Trump's and Clinton's plans and ideologies:is for an entire Western Hemisphere of open borders, free travel with no restrictions as to identity or the numbers of people entering these countries, including the U.S. She wants a mirror image of the European Common Market. It is estimated up to 600 million people could freely migrate here.is for completely closed borders with strict limitations and extreme vetting on who and how many people are allowed to enter the U.S. He is soundly opposed to the European Common Market concept.is opposed to substantially increasing the size and strength of the U. S. Military forces. This in its self means a weaker military presence in the world. She, like Obama, doesn't believe we should be a dominant military power.is in favor of substantially increasing both the size and strength of the U.S. Military forces. This would be restoring us to the strongest military presence in the world. He, like Ronald Reagan, believes we should be a dominant military power. The Military is in the worse possible position since WWI.plans to substantially increase Federal Income Taxes on both individuals and all businesses, large and small, and increase the inheritance tax rate to 65% of what someone, upon their death, leaves to their children or family. Increase the number of brackets to eight.plans to substantially lower taxes on all individuals and all businesses, large and small, and totally eliminate the inheritance tax all together on what someone, upon their death, leaves to their children or family. Decrease the number of brackets to three.has stated she has no desire to open any of our trade agreements with foreign nations to renegotiation. She is satisfied with NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) in spite of an $800 Billion dollar trade deficit with our trading countries, and is in favor of the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership). She believes NAFTA has boosted the American economy, in spite of a terribly slow and sluggish economy with over 95 million American workers having left the work force because there are no jobs available to them. She wants to continue the same policies.has stated he wants to open our current trade agreements and renegotiate the terms of those agreements and make them more fair for the U.S. He is very unsatisfied with NAFTA and will not sign on to the TPP without further negotiations. He believes NAFTA has destroyed American manufacturing jobs and greatly weakened our economy. He sites the huge trade deficit and so many leaving the work force as evidence of it. He wants to put plans into motion that will halt American Companies from leaving this country and bring those back which have left.wants to appoint judges who will make rulings that will be more in line with modern day Liberal and Progressive ways of thinking, possibly infringing on the right to bear arms, the right to free speech, and religion (especially Catholics and Evangelicals) being targets of change.wants to appoint judges who will follow the Constitution strictly. The right of citizens to own guns, speak freely in all matters, and freedom of worship will not be infringed.(This issue alone could effect our nation for generations to come.)wants to leave Common Core in tact and is opposed to school choice. She wants local school boards to teach what they are directed to teach by Common Core Standards, and parents send their children to the schools they are directed to, eliminating school competition.wants to eliminate Common Core and is in favor of school choice. He wants to return all school subject content selection to the states and local school boards, and parents can send their children to the school of their choice, creating school competition.wants to keep, as is, what is referred to as Obamacare, expand upon it and finally morph it into a national government paid and managed medical system with no competition, much like Canada.wants to completely repeal Obamacare and have it replaced with a free market medical system, eliminating the regulation restricting insurance companies to certain states, allowing them to sell nationwide, creating fierce competition.does not believe we are at war with Radical Islamic Terrorists, will not recognize them by name. She recently said, "I am not worried about terrorism in America."believes we are at war with Radical Islamic Terrorists, does recognize them by that name. He recently said, "We are at war with Radical Islamic Terrorism." "They declared war on us and we need to declare war on them and fight to win."
Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association

Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America.
The owner of a new casino lounge and liquor store on Billings West End said hes aiming to open next month, before Thanksgiving.

Sapphire Lounge and Casino and its sister shop, Sapphire Liquors, will occupy about 3,100 square feet in the Montana Sapphire development on Shiloh Road, owner Kevin Welter said.

Although its two doors down from another gambling spot, Dottys Casino, Sapphire is in a great spot to attract customers, Welter said.

The exposure on Shiloh, obviously. Everything is moving out that area. Weve got a patio with about six to eight tables thats overlooking the conservation area, he said.

Welter, 34, added that he will compete with Dottys a little, but hopes the two will draw customers from other casinos on the West End.

The Sapphire Lounge will be upscale, with 20 machines, good lighting and a growler fill station with eight rotating taps of Montana-brewed beers, he said.

The business wont serve food but will have food trucks park in the spacious parking lot, Welter said.

Welter is part owner with his father, Corey Welter. Kevin Welter will at Sapphire Lounge daily, and the business will have 12 to 16 employees.

The Welters also own Magic City Casino, and Kevin Welter formerly ran the Alpine Casino, which is now closed. The restaurant inside the Alpine, Three Brother Bistro, is also closed.

The Welters control the liquor license for that business and plan to use it for a different casino, Kevin Welter said.

Sapphire Lounge & Casino will be open 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week. The address is 4010 Montana Sapphire Dr. suites 5 and 6.

Dental practice on Zimmerman

Construction of a new $2.5 million dentists office has begun at 1601 Zimmerman Trail on Billings West End.

The project is owned by endodontist Cameron Townsend and dentist Brady Keller. They have said theyre partnering with periodontists Brian and Amy Fuller and orthodontists Adam and Marlene Ostby on the project, known as KT Dental Properties.

The group bought last year the 1.4-acre parcel, which was originally farmland owned by the Zimmerman family. They farmed in the valley for decades and started selling parcels to developers in the early 2000s.

Clinic adding parking

A former Underriner Motors lot will become employee parking for Billings Clinic.

Construction is underway at the lot at the corner of North 30th Street and Sixth Avenue North to build an 88-space lot, clinic spokeswoman Julie Burton said.

The lot will add a total of 40 parking spaces to the Billings Clinic campus, she said. The space had formerly been used for some parking.

Space will be upgraded to include paving, striping and other amenities, she said.

The lot will be finished in November and fenced with controlled access.

Joliet coffee shop opens

Revenant Coffee opened Monday along Highway 212 on the south end of Joliet, owner Casan Roth said.

Roth had bought the building in 2014 at 602 W. Front St., which was formerly a salon. She operated the salon for about a year before it closed, then decided to try something else at the spot.

I thought, Ive worked in coffee shops, Ive managed a coffee shop, and thats what this area needed, said Roth, 27, who lives between Billings and Laurel.

Revenant Coffee sells drip coffee, mochas, Americanos, lattes, smoothies, teas and other drinks. Most customers are commuters driving from Red Lodge into Billings for work, she said.

Revenant Coffee is open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to noon Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday. Its located next to 212 Bar & Grill.

Billings car shop expands

The owners of Big Sky Collision Center in Billings announced last week they have purchased Crash Repair Center in Livingston.

CEO Matthew McDonnell said the owners, the McDonnell Group, are looking forward to entering the Livingston market. The McDonnell Group also owns Big Sky Collision Center and A&D Auto Body in Bozeman.

Crash Repair Center will continue to operate under the same name. Destry and Chris Jacobs of the McDonnell Group will take over operations, McDonnell said.

The McDonnell Group has 68 employees.

Haikus from the valley

Goodbye till next year

Beartooth Pass. Load up some snow

to thrill the skiers.

Editor's note (Oct. 17): The hours for Sapphire Casino were incorrect in a previous version. This version is correct.
This website is intended for U.S. visitors only.
As I approach my third week of work here at the Post-Star, I am finally getting around to writing my first blog post.

But what should I write about? That seems to be the burning question.

Do I jump right in to blogging about the news or do I go the route of the obligatory, introduction blog and introduce myself to the Post-Star readership?

My colleagues have all given me the logical suggestion of introducing myself in the opening blog post. That way you, the reader, know who I am and what to expect from me.

So here goes nothing  a free-flowing, pseudo-introduction to Dan King, the man behind the blog.

Last month I was hired to be the weekend editor at the Post-Star. That entails editing throughout the week, as well as some other tasks. But I'll spare you from the details of my day-to-day grind. I've already learned a lot here.

Prior to taking this job, I was associate editor of the Whitehall Times. While there I covered high school sports, local government and anything else happening in the Birthplace of the U.S. Navy, even the occasional Sasquatch-related story.

I was in Whitehall for two and a half years, from May 2014 until last month. That was my first professional journalism job, and I learned plenty while there. I grew very close to that tight-knit community.

My roots in this area are deeper than just Whitehall, though. I know this area like the back of my hand.

I'm a 2010 South High graduate, born and raised in South Glens Falls, where I still live.

After graduating from South High, I made my way west, attending Niagara University, where I double-majored in communications and social studies education.

That's where my passion for journalism started.

Niagara's Communications Department focuses on the role journalism  and communication as a whole  plays in changing the world.

When I was at Niagara there was a lot going on around the world that reflected our department's focus. Wikileaks was becoming a powerful entity for political change, the Arab Spring was in full swing, and a year after my graduation, cartoonists at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were murdered for drawing the prophet Mohammed.

Journalism is powerful.

You may ask, what brings a recent college graduate with a passion for journalism back to his small town home? The mountains.

As I write this blog post, I'm still nursing a couple scrapes from a hike up Street and Nye Mountains  my most recent excursion into the Adirondack High Peaks. My goal is to hike all 46 of them, and thus far I've done 29.

So, that's enough about me. Sorry if the previous 420 words read like a cover letter for a job  I guess that's the nature of an introductory blog post.

We're still working on figuring out exactly what this blog will cover, so stay tuned.
I am sure that most everyone reading this is an honest person, just looking to save money for their family. When you head to the store, you have a stack of coupons you want to use, they are for the right items, and you have made sure everything is correct. Unfortunately, there are people out there who are not so honest while using coupons. And there is an entire corporation dedicated to making sure they are punished for the fraud that they create and benefit by.

The Coupon Information Corporation, or the CIC, is a not-for-profit association of consumer product manufacturers dedicated to fighting coupon misredemption and fraud. Yes, fraud. Many people, groups and even some stores have committed fraud with coupons over the years. Thankfully, the CIC takes this very seriously.

So, what is coupon fraud? Coupon Fraud is defined as intentionally using a coupon for a product that he/she has not purchased or otherwise fails to satisfy the terms and conditions for redemption, when a retailer submits coupons for products they have not sold or that were not properly redeemed by a consumer in connection with a retail purchase, or when coupons are altered/ counterfeited. This is very serious because when it happens over and over again, it ends up costing the stores and businesses a huge loss over time. Sometimes millions of dollars. It is equal to stealing from the store.

This May, a woman from Phoenix was convicted in an astonishing landmark case of counterfeit couponing, the largest in the history of the United States. This housewife was sentenced to two years in state prison and fined $5 million for her leading role in a $2 million dollar coupon-fraud ring that shocked her family and government officials. She was making intricate copies for free coupons that totaled in value anywhere from $2 to $70.

When this happens, it has a negative effect on the honest people that use coupons every week. The stores and manufacturers have to make their money back from these huge losses, so that results in prices of items going up, less sales and possibly stores not accepting coupons because of the fear of being given a fraudulent coupon.

In my monthly class at The Post-Star, I go into detail about using coupons, saving money, finding monthly deals and how it will benefit your family and your pocket book. There are free giveaways during the class as well. Please join me for my next class at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. Feel free to call 742-3309, or go to poststar.com/couponclass.

Head over to my blog at Making Cent$ About Extreme Couponing to find some great deals around the region this week. Post your questions, comments and deals in the comments section.
GLENS FALLS  One hundred years ago today, Glens Falls native Charles Evans Hughes was wrapping up a three-day presidential campaign train tour throughout Nebraska, according to the Indianapolis News on Oct. 16, 1916.

Hell be resting on the 16th in Lincoln, the newspaper reported.

But unlike this years highly controversial presidential race, the campaign between Hughes and incumbent Woodrow Wilson was remarkably civil, said Erin Coe, the director of The Hyde Collection, as she welcomed a packed auditorium at The Hyde on Saturday afternoon to a celebration of Hughes life and his bid for the presidency.

He lost by a narrow margin, she said.

Inviting the audience to step back 100 years, Coe painted a portrait of the social and political issues that colored the election that year.

World War I was raging in Europe; the U.S. had not yet entered. In 1916, women did not yet have the vote; horse and wagon was still the primary mode of transportation, she said. In the arts, Charlie Chaplin had just signed a contract making him the highest paid film star, and the first exhibit of Georgia OKeeffe opened at Gallery 291 in New York City.

The event at The Hyde was part of Charles Evans Hughes Day, funded in part by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities and created to commemorate Hughes achievements and celebrate the legacy of this Glens Falls native.

He was a phenomenal statesman, said Dennis OConnor, chair of the Charles Evans Hughes Day Committee.

In a detailed and lively tribute to the man who went on to become secretary of state and chief justice of the Supreme Court, James B. Kobak, principal of Hughes, Hubbard & Reed LLP, the Manhattan law firm that was once Hughes practice, spoke. He was 13 or 14 when he graduated from high school. He was home schooled. He had the highest score ever on the New York State Bar exam, and I guess he used that to his advantage and taught bar preparation courses, he said to a crowd responding with laughter. While this is not in our law firms history, in 1888 he married the bosss daughter.

Kobak talked about how Hughes spearheaded many reforms, always returned to the area and how, during the years he had an active law practice, he would work countless hours on cases in New York City and then come to Lake George for recuperation.

Hughes was born in Glens Falls in 1862 and although his family left the area, he maintained his ties. He served as governor of New York, secretary of state, chief justice of the Supreme Court and was the Republican nominee for the presidency.

And because Hughes figured prominently in the womens fight for the vote, the event featured a selection of suffrage songs by Tisha Dolton and Sandi Rogers of Columbias daughters. Dressed in period clothing, the women sang several a cappella selections with lyrics such as, votes for women sure to win, our struggle waxes strong ... votes for women keep it up, votes for women sure to win.

Several state and local lawmakers offered remarks, including a Glens Falls mayoral proclamation honoring this prominent statesman. New York Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, read the entire New York State legislative resolution adopted this summer, declaring Saturday Charles Evans Hughes Day, and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, read from the official congressional record honoring Hughes. Assemblywoman Carrie Woener, D-Round Lake, said, It is fitting that we honor someone today whose legacy is going outside the party platform and working independently and thinking independently about issues that matter to the people of the state of New York.

Woener continued.

As somebody who had to run twice as somebody who only won once, I think it probably is true that had Charles Evans Hughes run again in 1920 after women got the right to vote, he probably would have won and the world would have been a different place.

The afternoon event at The Hyde wrapped up with a visit from Hughes, played by William Loughrey. And in an exchange with Saratogian reporter Paul Post, Hughes shared insights into his life, interests and decisions.

Loughrey as Hughes told a tale of a time he was on a ship with actor Will Rogers. They told me I was the best comedian on the boat, he said, adding that at dinner the people he was dining with ordered temperance drinks. I said, give me a good scotch, and everyone changed their order.
Perhaps no issue has been as controversial among Idaho hunters as the idea of auction tags, which would give the highest bidder access to some of the most sought-after hunts in the state.

It has led to a major shake-up on the Idaho Fish and Game Commission, behind-the-scenes arm-twisting and a major division within Idahos hunting community.

At the bottom is a fundamental dispute about how hunting rights should work.

One side sees Idaho as the last true bastion of the North American Model under which game animals and the right to hunt them are shared by all, and each person has an equal shot at a coveted hunt, regardless of their means.

Idaho is unique in the Western states, said former Fish and Game Commissioner Mark Doerr. We are one of the only states that does not have a major auction tag program. Its still a state where a hunter can buy a tag over the counter and go hunt.

The other side thinks the state is leaving lots of money on the table by refusing to issue more auction tags, money that could be used to maintain the health of game populations.

If (wealthy hunters) can contribute, I think we need to give them the opportunity, said Doug Sayer, chief business officer of Premier Technology and a longtime advocate of expanding auction tags.

The debate over auction tags came to a head during the January legislative session, when Sen. Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, and House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, introduced a bill that would have forced the Fish and Game Commission to issue a number of auction tags.

A bill enacted several years ago allowed the Fish and Game Commission to issue about a dozen auction tags per year, but each year the commission has decided against the idea. Bairs and Moyles bill would have changed language that said the commission may issue tags, to language saying the commission shall issue such tags, forcing their hand.

The bill didnt make it far, in part because of vocal opposition from sportsmens groups and few indications that lawmakers could expect support from the Fish and Game Commission.

A few months later, Gov. C.L. Butch Otter decided not to re-appoint Fish and Game commissioners Will Naillon, of Challis, and Doerr, of Kimberly, a move that was widely seen as an effort to push them out because of their stance on auction tags.

Thats most certainly the main issue, Naillon said.

Otter refused to comment.

Naillon said he asked two questions of any proposal put to him as a commissioner: What is good for wildlife? and How does this benefit the average sportsman? While he saw that a few auction tags could raise lots of money for wildlife conservation, he worries it could also be the first step down a road that leads Idaho away from an equitable model of hunting access.

Its a small step, but its a step in the wrong direction, he said.

Utah has enthusiastically embraced auction tags, and it now sells hundreds of them every year under its conservation permit program. The conservation permit program in Utah generated some $33 million between 2001 and 2014 for groups such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which work to make sure game species are healthy.

Kenny Johnson, chief of the Administrative Services Section of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said the sale of auction tags has greatly benefited game management.

The fear is you lose some public permits, he said. On the opposite end, (its) in trade for some of the stuff the state agencies dont have resources for.

The benefits can be very large for species such as bighorn sheep, Johnson said. With such a rare species the state can only issue a few tags each year. So unless those tags fetch a hefty sum, there isnt enough money for projects meant to help the species recover. By auctioning off those tags, the state raises a lot more revenue.

There are very few of those, Johnson said. Theyre worth a lot on the open market.

Sayer pointed out that many funds raised through auction tag sales are matched three-to-one with federal money collected through taxes on guns and ammunition.

If you sell a bighorn sheep tag for $100,000, that can mean $400,000 for conservation projects, he said.

Idaho auctions one bighorn sheep tag for a hunt near Hells Canyon each year, and Sayer sees it as a model for similar programs for moose, mountain goat and other big game species.

In my mind its a program thats worked for almost three decades, he said.

But where Johnson and Sayer see a success story in Utah, some sportsmen and women think issuing more auction tags could push Idaho toward a future in which hunting is a rich mans sport.

Idaho State Bowhunters president Tad Sherman, who just returned from a bowhunting trip during which his 11-year-old son bagged a deer, said hunting is an integral part of his family life. He typically gets tags for multiple species each year.

Its something I have the opportunity to do every year, he said. In Utah you have to hope that you can draw a tag. You might be sitting three or five years waiting for a hunt.

For Sherman that would mean missing out on opportunities to bond with his son. For him, hunting is really about spending time in camp with his family, exploring the woods with friends and putting meat on the table. If he gets a trophy buck, thats a good year, but it isnt why he loves hunting.

Naillon also worries that moving toward more auction tags might fundamentally change Idaho hunting culture and the nature of game management.

Idaho manages to get as many people out in the field that they can, Naillon said. Utah manages for trophy hunters.
LAKE GEORGE  The second annual community Appreciation Dinner for former Marine Sgt. Eddie Ryan will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Elks Lodge at 32 Cronin Road in Queensbury.

The committee is in need of items for a silent auction at the dinner.

All proceeds go directly to Sgt. Ryan and his family to help supplement what the VA provides him for physical therapy. Sgt. Ryan and his family are Lake George residents.

Ryan was wounded in Iraq on April 13, 2005, when he was shot twice in the head. He has spent the past 11 years recovering.

Sgt. Ryan has made tremendous progress over the past year and was able to stand briefly, with assistance from his wheelchair, for the first time in 11 years. He is now working on balance. This would not be possible without the additional physical therapy sessions paid for in addition to what the VA covers.

If you would like to donate something to be auctioned at the dinner, call 791-4268.

People are encouraged to order tickets, $15, in advance; call 791-4268.
FORT EDWARD  Close to 70 members and friends of the Fort Miller Reformed Church gathered Saturday morning to celebrate, not the founding of the church, but the 200th birthday of its building, a lovingly maintained example of an early 19th-century Federal-style public structure.

Church archivist Mac Sanders explained that the white-frame building was designed for both public meetings and worship services. From 1816 until 1822, church services were offered occasionally by a minister who traveled from Argyle. The Reformed Dutch congregation was not organized until August of 1822.

This why we have fairly sparse architecture, with no religious symbols, Sanders said.

Paul McCarty, Fort Edward town historian and executive director of the Fort Edward Historical Association, said Fort Edward marks the northern end of Dutch influence along the Hudson River. This was the Dutch Reformed Church when I was growing up, he said. (It is now a member of the Reformed Church in America.) The community of Fort Miller, located just above rapids on the Hudson, was an important stop for log rafts going downriver, a center for industries that took advantage of the water power, and part of the canal routes that paralleled the Hudson. It had its own town hall, a small building to the rear of the church.

Bill Krattinger, historic preservation program analyst for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, gave some context for the buildings architecture. In their simplicity and lack of adornment, Dutch churches were similar to Congregational churches in New England.

They bring a sense of sophistication to what had previously been a frontier area, he said. The Federal style, a uniquely American development, grew out of Roman-inspired British architecture of the 18th century, interpreted in locally available wood instead of stone.

Churches were often remodeled as tastes changed and congregations grew more prosperous, but the Fort Miller church is a pretty pure artifact, Krattinger said. Many of the churches he visits as part of his job are deteriorating because dwindling congregations cant afford to maintain them. Its good to see one that is well-loved, he said.

Dan McEntee, spokesman for State Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, and Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, brought proclamations from the state Senate and Assembly. Small congregations like Fort Miller are the bedrock of our communities, Woerner said. Theyre a place of safety, a place of succor.

The congregation of about 60 members raised $60,000 recently for repairs, restorations and improvements, especially to the interior, Sanders said. The next goal is to modify the front entrance and restroom to make them handicapped accessible. We want to return to the 1816-1822 model of the building as a community meeting place, Sanders said. Two proposals are to open the churchs sanctuary and dining hall for art shows, as some churches in the Netherlands do, and to hold town government meetings there.

But well continue to be a church, Sanders said. Theres no question about that.
Historical Society to meet Saturday

FORT EDWARD  The Washington County Historical Society will hold its annual meeting Saturday at the Rogers Island Visitor Center. Coffee hour begins at 10 a.m. with the business portion of the meeting starting at 10:30 a.m.

Lunch follows the conclusion of the business portion of the meeting. Boxed lunches, which are $9, must be ordered by Wednesday. This years lunches are being prepared by Historic Grounds in Whitehall.

The program will be a choice between an open house at the Wing-Northup House or a tour of Rogers Island. For further information or to order a boxed lunch, call 747-9108 or email wchs@wchs-ny.org.
GLENS FALLS  Sixty-five films and 50 filmmakers are coming to the city this week for the first Adirondack Film Festival. And the celebrity-studded two-day event promises the red carpet glam, swag and thrill of screening new and award-winning films alongside Emmy-winning writers and directors.

This one is above and beyond, said filmmaker Jess Levandoski, who curated the show for the Adirondack Theatre Festival, the events producer. It feels like a big festival  it has films that may not have been seen peppered in with bigger films.

Just a seed of an idea at this time last year, the film festival has ballooned into something much bigger than its organizers could have ever imagined, said Chad Rabinovitz, producing artistic director of the Adirondack Theatre Festival and director of the film festival. All the stars aligned. We are bringing notable names and headliner films, he said. There are Emmy winners here, and some films are all new and you can see it before Sundance.

Rabinovitz continued.

Girl Asleep hasnt made the film festival circuit yet and it has only been screened in one Texas location. Trespass Against Us wont be released in the U.S. until 2017, he said.

The Adirondack Film Festival runs Friday and Saturday with films scheduled at venues just steps away from one another  the Wood Theater, 190 Grille, Crandall Public Library and The Queensbury Hotel.

Many of the films, with the exception of the headliners, will be screened twice.

Maybe you are having drinks Friday night and you are talking with a filmmaker, you can catch it on Saturday, said Levandoski. Everything is within walking distance. Take a chance on it, you will be happily surprised.

According to Rabinovitz, the ATF board approved the film festival in January and since then has been scrambling to pull all the pieces together. That means lots of planning, reaching out to industry contacts and searching for quality films that are tied to the festivals theme.

Rabinovitz said that because they are a theater company, he wanted to bring films that had a connection to theater in some way. Like the film Dont Think Twice.

Its about an improv group trying to make it on TV, he said, adding that the films co-star, Tami Sagher, the main writer for Inside Amy Schumer, will be available after the films screening for questions and answers. She will be here, watching with us.

Famed Hoosier director David Anspaugh will be on hand for an audience discussion following the special 30th anniversary screening of Hoosiers.

Rabinovitz said he recalls first watching the film with his dad, and he and Anspaugh have worked together. Hes got the best stories, he said. He is a fascinating guy. 

Levandoski, the director of programming for the festival and curator of content, said it was her job to go out and dig through content. Additionally, there were 250 films submitted for consideration. It was her goal to screen about 30 films, she said.

There were so many quality films submitted from New York that we added a Made in New York segment, she said.

In making her selections, Levandoski said she took into consideration the quality of the story and acting, and she tried to find a balance of male and female directors.

Rabinovitz also told her that the area would respond well to comedy, and that figured into her search for the right films for the festival, Levandoski said. This has a high comedy push, she said. Our comedy panel is brilliant.

On Saturday, the Comedy Writers panel at The Queensbury Hotel will feature the countrys top comedy writers including Opus Moreschi, the head writer and supervising producer of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, who has three Emmy awards and a Peabody award. Rabinovitz said that Moreschi is considered the top comedy writer in the country.

To be certain the screenings are of the highest quality, Rabinovitz said they put in $5,000 worth of equipment, including bigger screens and high-definition capability for the festival.

It is a higher-end, cleaner, more polished way to do it, he said.

To add to the top-drawer feel, there will be red carpets, limos for filmmakers and loads of swag. There will be so much swag, Rabinovitz said. We are looking to start out as a major player thanks to our generous sponsors.

There are 30 different sponsors, he added. There will be five screens in a one-block area. We made it extremely affordable  and with a VIP pass there is so much swag, first admission to every film, panels and a party every night, along with free food at the parties, unlimited popcorn and soda. Youll see the red carpets. We are bringing a Hollywood flair to downtown.
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Dirk Sandefur has cast himself as the experienced choice in Montanas lone contested Supreme Court race.

At campaign stops, Sandefur makes frequent mention of his 14-year tenure as a Great Falls District Court judge, seeking to draw a contrast with opponent Kristen Juras lack of judicial experience.

Asked what else might distinguish him from Juras, Sandefur gets straight to the point.

My opponent has a public record of zealously advocating extreme pro-censorship, anti-stream access, discriminatory, and anti-out-of-state corporate taxation positions, Sandefur wrote in a September email. Right or wrong, she cannot change her stripes and divorce herself from her vehement agenda biases.

Sandefur hit the same notes in recalling his decision to jump into the race to replace retiring Justice Pat Cotter. He said he hopes to defend the courts integrity from out-of-state corporate interests that had returned to back another inexperienced, ideology-driven candidate in yet another attempt to buy our court to shape and influence it for their own purposes.

The 54-year-old former Cascade County prosecutor and Havre police officer has cited a law review article he said shows Juras evidence of bias against Montanas perennially popular stream access law.

The article, co-written by Juras, criticized the expansion of public access to rivers via private land in several states and critiqued previous Montana Supreme Court rulings.

Montana differs from many states in allowing people to fish and boat on all streams below the high-water marks, so long as they dont trespass on adjacent private land. Some states consider the stream bed part of the private property and limit recreational access.

Juras, a University of Montana law professor, has called the 1985 law a good balance of private rights and public access and said she will enforce it.

Sandefur said he did not have a favorite U.S. Supreme Court justice, but hastened to mention he had won the support of each of the Montana Supreme Courts former justices.

He did not specifically answer a question about which cases he would recuse himself from.

He also declined to cite state Supreme Court rulings he agreed and disagreed with, explaining those decisions cannot and should not be measured by whether people agree or disagree with the outcome.

Despite the state Supreme Court contests apolitical tag, conservatives have lined up behind Juras, while Democrats have gravitated toward Sandefur, forcing both candidates to deny accusations of political bias on the campaign trail.
By mid-September, Kristen Juras had already racked up 53,000 miles on the campaign car she bought just a few months earlier.

Juras, a University of Montana law professor in the midst of her first bid for public office, is seeking the Montana Supreme Court seat soon-to-be vacated by retiring Justice Pat Cotter.

Between the candidate forums, debates and dozens public appearances, it sounded as if shed hit every corner of the state.

Its the most challenging thing that Ive ever done, but its also very rewarding, Juras said ahead of a September candidate forum in Seeley Lake, the fourth of 10 such appearances with opponent and District Court Judge Dirk Sandefur. Its been quite a learning experience.  Im learning a lot more about politics.

Sandefur, who won a contested race for his Great Falls judicial seat in 2002, has repeatedly underscored the fact that Juras has never served as a judge, painting himself as the only candidate qualified for the job.

Yet Juras has not shied away from the discussion about her qualifications for the states highest court.

In fact, the 60-year-old Conrad native thinks she has exactly the qualities that court needs.

My opponent has only worked for the government, she wrote in a September email. We already have five justices on the court with a government background, but none with 34 years experience representing small business owners, farmers, ranchers, nonprofit organizations and individuals.

Juras has told crowds that the state Supreme Court is not known as being business-friendly because it lacks consistency, pointing to more than 100 times the court reversed itself between 1990 and 2000.

Juras named retired Justice Sandra OConnor, the first woman ever appointed to the nations highest court, as her U.S. Supreme Court justice.

She did not specifically answer a question about which cases she would recuse herself from.

When asked in September about a time when her ethics were questioned, Juras told a Great Falls audience she stood her ground even when the governor calls and asks the president of the university to terminate my employment with the university.

In 2012, Juras prepared a report for an interim legislative committee on centrally assessed property taxes that in part criticized the Department of Revenue. Juras had completed the study under contract for Cablevision/Bresnan, a company in the midst of a campaign to lower its tax burden.

She said then-Gov. Brian Schweitzer was upset with the reports findings and called on UMs president to ask for Juras resignation.

Schweitzer has denied ever calling for her exit.

Despite the state Supreme Court contests apolitical tag, conservatives have lined up behind Juras, while Democrats have gravitated toward Sandefur, forcing both candidates to deny accusations of political bias on the campaign trail.
The state paid out at least $63.6 million in 151 tort and negligence settlements under the two most recent governors. And it's likely that total is higher because about a dozen additional cases are sealed or considered confidential by the state.

The lack of transparency, especially around settlements with state workers, has become an issue in the governor's race.

In May, the Gazette State Bureau requested basic details on all settlements handled by the Department of Administrations Risk Management and Tort Defense Division. Nearly all cases about alleged negligence by the state are routed through that division.

The agency identified about 200 such lawsuits between Jan. 1, 2005, and May 31, 2016, and released basic details on 151 cases that were not sealed by court order. The people or agencies involved as well as the value of the remaining settlements remain unknown.

The agency says it is processing The Gazette State Bureau public records request, reviewing each case to see what can legally be released based on the settlement agreements, state privacy laws and constitutional requirements for both government transparency and citizen privacy.

Those cases could range from slips on staircases to allegations of abuse by prison guards, based on reports of similar suits in other states.

The biggest settlement listed in the public records release was in 2011. It divided $43 million among more than 1,300 plaintiffs who claimed the state had not done enough to warn workers and area residents about the hazards of asbestos-tainted vermiculite mines in Libby. The second largest was a $3.5 million settlement with Jim Bromgard, who alleged violations of his civil rights by state and Yellowstone County employees that led to his wrongful conviction and imprisonment for more than 15 years.

Lawsuits against state governments are common, although whether the results are made public is frequently a matter of dispute.

A handful of Montana's confidential or sealed cases entered the public spotlight this week when a Bozeman Chronicle story suggested the state was violating public records laws by not releasing information about settlements with former state employees. It cited an anonymous source who suggested the state used confidential payments to cover up misdeeds.

The states online checkbook shows payments to at least 42 former state employees totaling more than $745,000. In 2013, at the start of Gov. Steve Bullocks first term, Montana launched a transparency website that included all state payments and employee salaries.

Republicans seized on the Chronicle report to slam Bullock, a Democrat seeking re-election. In a press release, challenger Greg Gianforte characterized the settlements as what looks like an attempt to silence whistleblowers.

Like others in his party over the last several months, Gianforte had asked Montana reporters to talk with aggrieved former state employees who he suggested had been retaliated against for highlighting mismanagement in their departments.

Some of the incidents the GOP referenced were found by legislative auditors to be without merit. Many Republicans continue to insist there was, in fact, wrongdoing while others focus on the failure to release records they consider public.

What do these state employees know that Governor Bullock doesnt want exposed? read one of several tweets Thursday from the Montana GOPs official Twitter account. Another read, A LOT of money has been paid out by Governor Bullock to keep his corruption quiet.

Bullock said insinuations that he had fired and paid off employees who raised concerns about state government were flat wrong. He also argued the settlement figures reported by the Chronicle were presented without context, including that such settlements also have been made under numerous previous governors.

Troy Carter (of the Bozeman Chronicle) wouldnt have even seen the settlements if I hadnt put the states checkbook online, so I hope we see that part of the transparency is good, Bullock said.

In a statement released Thursday, Department of Administration staff wrote that state law expressly prohibits state agencies from releasing private information about state employees, citing a statute that classifies all but a few specific personnel records as confidential.

If any employee sees any inappropriate activity, they are encouraged to blow the whistle to ensure a work environment that respects all employees and taxpayers, Bullock spokeswoman Ronja Abel wrote in a statement. The governor is committed to a fair and inclusive work environment. As Attorney General, the governor requested legislation to strengthen Montanas False Claims Act," which provides some whistleblower protections.

Bullock said Thursday that he was not directly involved in settlement agreements and is only made aware of critical situations.  He said he leaves the decisions and details to the agencies involved.

Settlements dont come up to me as governor, he said. "That sounds like Im passing the buck, but if an employee gets a settlement, its not like Im signing off on it.''

Asked where the line should be between public disclosure and confidentiality, Bullock said it would have to vary case-by-case.

Pressed on whether there are alternatives, such as releasing multiyear totals by agency without releasing the names of the recipients, Bullock agreed it might be possible to release more information than has been in the past.

I think thats something we could certainly be looking at for sure, he said. I think one of the great things about this job is you get to wrestle with this stuff, right? And figure out what the answer is.

If what were doing is just protecting the state, thats one thing, he said. But we also have the privacy interests of those individuals.
READ MORE: GII cites NDC for vote buying, incumbency abuse[The practice of vote buying is] an insult to the intelligence and dignity of the unsuspecting voters. We call for a stop to such acts of vote buying and also entreat the electorate to desist from yielding to such needless enticements.A new report by a group of civil society groups, including the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, has accused both the governing party and the leading opposition party of abuse of incumbency and vote buying.It describes vote buying as The bishops have also expressed their profound support to the Electoral Commission after it dismissed 13 presidential aspirants last week for failing to fill out forms properly.
We have had enough of electoral violence on the African continent and you owe it a duty to this nation to be professional and truthful in the discharge of your duties.

Addressing a two-day workshop for the media in Kumasi, he reminded them about the need to be accurate, factual and balanced in their reports.

The programme was put together by the NPC with support from the European Union (EU), to build the capacity of the media to provide effective coverage in the coming polls.

Mr. Azuimah indicated that, the journalist had critical roles to play to keep the nation united and calm.

The NPC, he said, was therefore determined to deepen the conversation with the media to promote responsible journalism, to bring down political tension and prevent ugly clashes.

He announced plans to organize training programmes for the owners of media houses, to get them to properly streamline things to aid their workers to stick to professional ethics.

Mrs. Elizabeth Kankam-Boadu, the acting Ashanti Regional Chairperson of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), asked her colleagues to exercise good professional judgement at all times.
President Mahama, the National Democratic Congress presidential nominee, on Tuesday October 11 challenged Dr Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party vice presidential nominee, to provide the cost of the cedi redenomination at a campaign rally in the Ablekuma North Constituency.

According to the president,

 president Mahama said.

But speaking on Joy FM's Newsfile Saturday, Kwaku Baako said the "President goofed and goofed big time" when he threw the challenge to the former deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana.

The veteran journalists added: "it was just politics...propaganda on a political platform which all of them do anyway...but in this case it is the President so you take him on, you deal with it but because he is our president, we are showing some little moderation and respect in dealing with this matter.

Dr Bawumia in response to the president's challenge said it is another demonstration of incompetence by the president.

Apart from the fact that the then Governor disclosed the cost as far back as 2007, if the President really wanted to find out the cost of the redenomination, he could simply have asked his VEEP who was Bank of Ghana Governor, especially when the President was Head of the Economic Management Team between 2009 and 2012, Dr Bawumia wrote on his Facebook page in response to the presidents challenge.
Doe Adjaho said this in parliament at a symposium organised in memory of the late speaker of parliament Justice J.F. Annan.

Adjaho in December 2015 was declared by the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision to have violated Article 60 (11)-(12) of the 1992 Constitution when he declined to be sworn in to act as President when President John Mahama and Vice-President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur travelled outside the country in November 2014.

The nine-member panel presided over by Justice Sulley Gbadegbe said there was no ambiguity in articles 60 (11) and 60 (12).

The Speaker is obliged to swear the oath each time he assumes the Office of the President. There is no ambiguity in articles 60 (11) and 60 (12), Justice Gbadegbe said.

Commenting on the ruling for the first time, the speaker said he was following the precedent of Justice Annan, who served as speaker for two terms and took the oath as an acting speaker once during the two terms he was the speaker.

"So I thought I should go by his precedent and that landed me in the Supreme Court," he said.

READ MORE: Speaker of parliament squares off with critics over Ford gift motion

He also cited an instance where had to politely turn down a request from the vice president who was travelling to Nigeria for him to be sworn in as acting president.
READ MORE: EC reports Nduom et al to the police

Filled with bitterness, the disqualified APC flagbearer threatened to make sure that the 'whole' election result is cancelled if "a presiding officer of the EC makes one common mistake, without signing" the election declaration result form.

I shall ensure that the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections are nullified in this country should I realize that any of the EC staff has failed to properly fill any pink sheet, he stressed to cheers from the small crowd gathered to listen to him.

He continued: why should the EC disqualify some of us on the grounds of negligible mistakes on our forms and yet expect us to pardon it when its members and staff commits same in the upcoming elections. No! I shall ensure due court processes are followed to ensure that the elections are nullified.

The goal of the EC, he said, was to reduce Ghana to a two party state.

Since he was disqualified about a week ago, the APC flagbearer has struggled to come to terms with his current predicament.

Ayariga, a week ago, said the EC chair Charlotte Osei was not 'fit' to be the head of the commission, using crude language like 'who the fuck are you' and 'foolish' on her.

Gender activists are yet to condemn his onslaught on Charlotte Osei.

Hassan Ayaria is often accused of not being a serious presidential candidate and a comic relief in the presidential race. Some analysts have even accused him of doing the bidding of the governing National Democratic Congress.

Shouting on top of his voice, the disqualified APC flagbearer said he is still in the race despite his disqualification.

READ MORE: EC to begin balloting positions for qualified aspirants

"I have come here today to demonstrate to you that I have not stopped campaigning and I will never stop campaigning," he said. "No, no, no...," he screamed.

He called the mistakes on his nomination forms that resulted in his disqualification as mere errors.
President Mahama has said the wave of tax cut proposals in the NPP manifesto will collapse the economy, urging voters to ignore the party's manifesto.

Bawumia, baffled by the president's comments, said a president who has collapsed the economy in the last eight years now claims an alternative proposal will rather collapse the economy.

"The NDC and President Mahama are going around saying that these tax reductions as part of our comprehensive programme of economic reform and our manifesto promises will ruin the economy. I am so baffled. You are the President and you have presided in eight years over the collapse of our economy. If you knew the plan that could work with the economy and be successful, why havent you implemented that plan in eight years?, Bawumia said in response to the president's comments at the Nyankpala Campus of the University for Development Studies in the Northern Region.

Bawumia blasted the president's lack of understanding of the NPP's manifesto, urging the president to focus on the economy he has collapsed.

"If you know what can work for our economy, why is the economy collapsing in your hands after eight years? You clearly dont understand the economic plans underpinning the NPP manifesto; your task is to make our economy work and is clear you cannot do it so you clearly have no legs to stand on in saying that the NPP plan cannot work because your own plan has collapsed the economy and we are bringing a new plan for the economy and this new plan will work, he stated.

The NPP running mate highlighted some taxes that were reduced under the erstwhile Kufour to make a case that reducing taxes will not harm the economy as the president appears to suggest.
The region is one of the strongholds of the ruling party, however, many residents, as well as chiefs, have expressed dissatisfaction at the lack of development under the watch of president Mahama.

Nonetheless, the party's branch in the region says residents are poised to welcome the president.

We can confirm that the Presidents campaign trail is in the Volta Region; and he is starting from Monday," NDC Volta Regional Youth Organizer, Egypt Kudoto told Citi FM.

The Volta Region is having a smooth campaign in terms of our commitment to ensuring that we give the President the kind of numbers that he needs to secure the first round victory. I can say that in spite of all those other challenges; in terms of all other candidates who are going on the independent platform, we still have it going very well with us, he added.

The president's travel to the region follows massive campaigning in certain constituencies in the Greater Accra.

President Mahama is currently in Togo to attend the African Union Extraordinary Summit on Maritime Security and Safety and Development in Africa.

The summit is expected to be attended by many African leaders, including those of landlocked countries, and experts in the field.
The campaign launch was graced by party bigwigs such as the running mate of the party, Vice President Paa Kwasi Amissah Arthur, incumbent Member of Parliament for Asawase, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, Deputy General Secretary, Koku Anyidoho and National Organizer, Kofi Adams.

READ MORE: Mahama woos E.T Mensah with appointment promiseThe campaign was launched under the theme: Asanteman Ani Dawoso.

Addressing thousands of party supporters gathered at the Jubilee park, Vice president Amissah-Arthur urged them to intensify their campaign to ensure the party is re-elected.

According to him, it is the only way the party can be achieved the targeted one million votes in the region.

He noted the party since assuming power seven years ago has improved the lives of many Ghanaians.
Steve Bullock arrived at the Montana governors office with a good track record of bipartisan accomplishment in four years as attorney general. Bullock brought a less confrontational style to the office, an asset for a Democratic governor elected with a Republican-majority Legislature. Working with Democrats and Republicans, Bullock achieved significant accomplishments for the people of Montana in the last legislative session:

For the first time, Montana extended Medicaid coverage to the poorest residents, regardless of age. The HELP Act was supported by Montana health care and business leaders.

The Disclose Act increased transparency in Montana campaign finances.

Jonathan Motl, Bullocks nominee for commissioner of political practices, was confirmed by the Senate, marking the first time in eight years that a COPP was confirmed.

The Bullock administration steered the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Water Compact through the Legislature with support from major Montana ag organizations and approval of Republican Attorney General Tim Fox.

The biennial budget included a modest inflationary increase for K-12 public schools and enough funding to continue a tuition freeze at state colleges and universities.

Bullock negotiated $3 million in biennial state funding to help meet the needs of abused and neglected children. The number of reports of child abuse has skyrocketed in the past few years.

There were also failures in the session, notably the defeat of all infrastructure bills.

Meanwhile, Bullocks Main Street Montana initiative brought business people together to brainstorm plans for moving Montana forward. High quality education accessible to all Montanans is the foundation for moving our state forward. As a graduate of Montana schools and the parent of students now in school, Bullock understands the importance of public education.

Greg Gianforte, Bullocks Republican challenger, lacks that crucial commitment to quality education for all. He should not be in charge of the budget where public K-college education is a major expense area.

Gianforte is running as a successful entrepreneur, touting his business acumen. Certainly, there are good business practices that must be applied to government. But running the state of Montana is much different than operating a private business. The state is expected to serve far-flung residents in small communities, and residents of cities up to and larger than 100,000. It isnt always cost-effective to deliver public services over a large area, but its necessary.

Bullock has made mistakes over the past four years, and weve called him on them. For one thing, flights on the state plane must be primarily for official state business, and taxpayers must be fully reimbursed for any costs associated with nonofficial business.

Bullock, like Gianforte, has proclaimed that hes against a statewide sales tax. But Bullock, unlike Gianforte, hasnt closed the door on letting local voters decide how they want to generate revenue for city government.

As far as being cautious with state money, Bullock deserves credit for insisting on a minimum ending fund balance of $300 million when the biennial budget was set by the 2015 Legislature. If the budget had spent more money  as some lawmakers of both parties wanted  Montana would be facing a negative balance in its checking account come summer 2017.
We commend the Electoral Commission for all the measures it has put in place to ensure peaceful, free, fair, transparent, and credible elections, the Catholic bishops said in a communique signed by President of the Conference Most Reverend Philip Naameh, who is also the Archbishop of Tamale.

We strongly urge that the Commission should be provided with all the logistics necessary for the elections. We call on Ghanaians to repose trust and confidence in the work of the Electoral Commission throughout the period of elections, the communique said.

The disqualification drew a furious response from some of the disqualified candidates.

The Progressive People's Party has dragged the commission to the court to get the decision reversed.

Nana Konadu's National Democratic Party is also expected to drag the EC to the court on Monday over her disqualification.

READ MORE: Mahama storms Volta Region Monday

The communique also urged presidential nominees to be measured in the promises they make if they "know they cannot fulfil, because this amounts to deceiving the people of Ghana.
ALSO READ: Comedian narrates how his mum almost lost her limbs

However, the ace comedian told Punch's entertainment desk, Saturday Beats in a recent chat that he had to focus on comedy simply because of money.

Now seen as the godfather of Nigerian comedy, it's no surprise that Ali Baba made his first N1 million in 1994, long before many actors ever dreamt of getting that rich.

According to him, Comedy was bringing more money than acting, dancing and photography, even till date. I was a young guy that people believed could not make it, so I wanted to prove everybody wrong. They thought that being a comedian was for people without a future but I made them realise that it was not about the act but the delivery of service. As soon as it was clear that there was service being provided, people woke up to it. I chose stand-up over acting because I was charging N50, 000 in 1993.

"I made N1.6m in 1994 from Satzenbrau and as of that time, there were a lot of movie actors that could not even smell that amount for three years. I went on a tour with Satzebrau and made N1.6m. I was able to make that amount of money because people did not know there was money in comedy. At first, they said I married someone because of money but when they started to realise that there was money in comedy, they started writing, how comedians smile to the bank.

Ali Baba was also quick to correct a misconception about comedians delving into acting, saying that it was simply to broaden their creative horizon and had nothing to do with money.

Comedians do not shoot movies because they can make money from them. We make more money from stand- up shows than we make from movies. I have played in about two movies, you spend at least three weeks shooting a movie and you would make the money they are paying you for that movie at a show. For every entertainer, you will look for all platforms to entertain yourself.

"Jamie Foxx went into music and he won Grammys, he went into movies and he won an Oscar award; Jamie Foxx is a comedian. LL Cool J is a rap artiste but he also acts and nobody has screamed blue murder. Will Smith was a comedian, turned rapper and actor, nobody has screamed blue murder. What is just happening is that a lot of people do not understand that as an artiste, you need to express yourself in different ways.

If someone sees me hold a photography exhibition, they would begin to wonder when Ali Baba delved into photography. They do not know that I started taking pictures since 1978. If someone sees me drawing, they would ask when I started drawing but I have been doing that since when I was in secondary school. Someone could see me dancing and be wondering but I was the third runner-up in John Player in 1981. There was a time someone said that there was a comedian in Nigeria who was the first person to perform in an aeroplane and I replied the person that I did that in 1993 with Nigeria Airways across Africa. People do not know because it was not reported. I have acted in several flicks, I did My Guy in a movie Barsorge shot in 1997 and I was in the soap opera, The Honourables. The only reason I stopped acting was because there was no money in it, he said.

Ali Baba has since squired many young talents after him and is seen as a veteran in his field, an achievement which is well attained.

He trained the likes of AY, Basketmouth, to name a few, who have gone on to make a name for themselves in the same field.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
ALSO READ: 3 arrested for parading themselves as EFCC boss

A High Court sitting in the state capital sentenced the accused identified as Muhammad Adamu, over the weekend.

The information was contained in an email sent to Sunday Punch by the spokesman for the commissions zonal office in Gombe, Mr Gbenga Aroyehun.

Mr Aroyehun revealed that the commission charged Adamu for impersonation after he pretended to be one of its operatives at the Executive Secretary of the Gombe Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board with the aim of extorting money as well as other benefits from the board.

He said that the secretary of the pilgrim's board petitioned the commission, alleging that Adamu presented a list of false officials of the Gombe zonal office of the EFCC, adding that the suspect demanded unspecified amounts of money to induce the EFCC officials.

ALSO READ: EFCC arraigns fraudster who ran employment racket

The spokesman for the anti-graft agency also stated that other charges brought against Adamu include an attempt to commit an offence and possession of forged documents.

The judge also ordered that the convict pay a restitution of N45,000 to one Musa Haruna, being the sum the convict falsely collected from him and a fine of N50,000, he said.
The unknown gunmen raided the station on Friday, October 14, with explosives, with which they blew off the roof of the station, with the aim of emptying the armoury.

News correspondents gathered that the late police inspector was shot in the legs, chest and stomach by the gunmen and efforts by doctors to save his life had been unsuccessful given the extent of his injuries.

The other two policemen who were injured in the attack are currently undergoing treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

Speaking on conditions of anonymity, a policeman said that the armed men attacked the police station at about 7:20pm on that fateful day and laid siege to the place.

They drove in recklessly and took over the entire police station. Some even jumped the fence and took strategic positions. They surrounded the station and started shooting indiscriminately. After shooting armed policemen on duty, they headed for the armoury.

We suspected that they came to loot the armoury because that was where they first visited after demobilising our men. In fact, they emptied the entire place, he said.

Addressing the rising suspicion that the gunmen may have attacked in a bid to break out a high profile detainee, the police source said, That is not true because nobody was detained in the cell as of the time the incident took place.

Speaking in an interview with Punch correspondents, the Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, Alberto Adeyemi, confirmed the death of the inspector as well as the injury and hospitalisation of the other two officers who are recuperating.

The Commissioner of Police, Etop James, has visited the place on a fact-finding mission. We have launched an investigation into the attack, he said.

ALSO READ: Two police officers reportedly killed in shootout with gunmen

The Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, reacting to the incident on Saturday, October 15, described the attack as sad and unfortunate.

He said, This is not a good development but we are working hard to close the gap and ensure the safety of the people.

Fayose added that it was disheartening that something like that could happen in the state.
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He said the First Lady has done Nigerians a lot of good by boldly exposing the things going on in her husbands administration.

Mrs. Buhari, in an interview with BBC,told the whole world that some people who did not work for Buhari to get to power have hijacked his government.

That statement must have infuriated Mr. President, who was in Germany at the time, causing him to fire back, saying his wife belongs to his kitchen and living room.

According to Daily Post, Ezeife said I have read some reactions already. I think in my judgment, the lady, Aisha, has done a great favour for both Buhari and Nigerians. For Buhari, she has let people know that what is happening in government is not all Buharis fault.

Anybody who takes what is happening in government as order from Buhari will not have much respect for him because what is going on doesnt reflect intellect or even conscience.

But now, we know that the people who are controlling the affairs of the country are not the people Nigerians gave their mandate to. Buhari cannot be as poor in judgment as what we are seeing happening from the seat of power.
Malam Lawal Maidoki, National President of the group said that the event was to mark Abubakars 10th anniversary as Sultan.

He said after a meeting with various Islamic organizations in Sokoto State, that the focus would be on the journey so far and challenges ahead.

We all believe that, the basis on which the entire Sultanate was built upon was based on knowledge and Daawa.

So, we as representatives of Daawa, therefore, felt that we are the most appropriate group to look into what the Sultan has done over the last 10 years.

We will look at the challenges encountered, proper solutions and advises on areas that needed improvement.

Basically, we will make suggestions on how to move the Ummah and the country forward, the president said.

Maidoki noted that the Sultan had taken solid steps so far in all areas of development, including the unity of Muslim Ummah, education and openness, as well as respect for other members of the society.
According to Daily Post, the group might ask the government to pay a huge ransom for the girls in their custody.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu confirmed the release of 21 Chibok girls on October 13, 2016.

According to BBC News reporter, Stephanie Hegarty,the girls might have been released in exchange for the freedom of four Boko Haram prisoners.

A source who spoke to Daily Post, said The truth is that those Chibok girls are now Boko Haram members, having married the sect members and become radicalised.

The remaining 83 girls are with a top leader of Boko Haram and those are the only ones we are going to work for their release in the next phase of our negotiations which starts immediately.

The others had since become Boko Haram members, having been married off and radicalised into Boko Haram as soon as they were captured over two years ago.

I think the guys are settled on the idea that the cash must come ahead of the release since they had proved to government that they are reliable by releasing the 21 girls, last week, without many conditions attached.
Since taking office in January 2013, Attorney General Tim Fox has worked to:

Streamline voter registration with drivers licensing.

Raise awareness of the number of untested rape evidence kits stored by Montana law enforcement agencies. He obtained a federal grant for testing that could lead to prosecution of rapists.

Reduce the wait for chemical testing of suspected illegal drugs from 11 months to two months.

Collaborate with the Montana Medical Association in educating health care professionals and the general public about the risks of prescription drug abuse.

Champion tougher penalties for repeat DUI offenders.

Expand eligibility for the 24/7 Sobriety testing program.

Protect Montana consumers through litigation and education.

The most effective changes for Billings and Eastern Montana on Foxs watch involve the Montana State Crime Lab. Longstanding friction between forensic pathologists has been resolved. Three new highly qualified pathologists have been hired and one works full time in Billings, so autopsies can be conducted here, instead of in Missoula.

The lab is now under the direction of a scientist who has raised the professionalism and performance of the very busy staff.

A new satellite crime lab opened in Billings earlier this year with staffing and equipment to analyze samples of suspected illegal drugs. The satellite has speeded up the process of getting results in cases throughout central and Eastern Montana. The closer proximity of the satellite lab also allows the regions law enforcement officers to minimize the time they must devote to transferring samples to the lab.

The satellite lab wasnt Foxs idea. It was proposed by Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito and championed by legislators from Billings and Eastern Montana. But credit Fox for getting the satellite up and running  even after it was discovered that the authorizing legislation didnt actually include the needed appropriation.

Republican Fox has joined a number of national lawsuits on behalf of Montana, some important to Montana, some not. But overall, he has succeeded in managing his myriad duties as head of the Department of Justice. He and his staff effectively presented bipartisan legislation that became laws to improve the protection of Montana citizens.

Democratic attorney general candidate Larry Jent is a long-time Bozeman attorney, who served in the Montana Senate. He sponsored DUI law reform. Jent also carried the bill that made Montana Highway Patrol salaries competitive with pay for deputy sheriffs  and provided a funding stream to support the plan, which is still working.
According to Punch, Mohammed said the President went to treat an undisclosed ailment, but his aides made it look like a state visit.

He also said those hiding Buharis sickness are making the same mistake the aides of Late President Umar Yaradua made.

Mohammed also stated that those behind the cover up do not love Buhari more than the Nigerians who voted for him.

According to him, The reason the president travelled to Germany was not what it was advertised to be. The trip is basically a medical trip. It was undertaken for medical reasons. It was only converted to a state visit as an afterthought and that tells you the level of contempt the handlers of the president have for Nigerians. We blamed the handlers of YarAdua for the way they kept his ailment secret.

Now, Nigerians have a big surprise awaiting them. They have not been told the truth about the real state of the mans (Buhari) health. He is our president. Nigerians elected him into office and we must never allow individuals to play with our intelligence and do something stupid and dangerous to our country. I hope and pray that next time, the Nigerian people would be told the truth. Its a medical trip; they (handlers) issued statements to camouflage the real reason behind the trip.
President Buharis media aide, Garba Shehu, on October 13, 2016, confirmed the release of the girls by Boko Haram.

Abubakar described the report as misleading, baseless and unfounded, adding that the Army is committed to working with sister security agencies to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls.

He said The Defence Headquarters attention has been drawn to an online and newspaper publication insinuating that there is a mix feelings among Nigerian military ranks and files as a result of the recent release of some Chibok girls.

The military wishes to state unequivocally that the Armed Forces will continue to work closely with all our sister security agencies to achieve more feat in this direction.

The military also want to debunk the baseless and unfounded story that there is disquiet in the military over the condition of release of the girls.

The Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies are one, working together to finish the war on terror and other criminalities which can be done covertly or overtly.

The most important thing is achieving our strategic objective. The DHQ has said before that negotiation with the terrorists or any other group rests purely on our respected political leaders. The military operations to rid our land of terrorists continue.

It is important to state that not all information are meant for public consumption due to processes which is purely political. More so, the ongoing military operation is making unprecedented progress with rescue of many captives held by the terrorists.

The general public should discountenance with this baseless and misleading story. While the Armed Forces holds the media veritable partner, it urges the media to be mindful and clarify with the military when reporting security and defence issues bothering on sensitive national matters of this nature.
On October 13, 2016, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu confirmed the release of 21 Chibok girls by Boko Haram

According to Daily Post, Sani said he also brought in Switzerland and the Red Cross to transport the girls to safety.

He also said "Well I actually did not take part in the negotiation but I was the one who drafted the master plan for the negotiation, and I was also the one who invited the Swiss and the RCRC into it, and I was also the one who linked the Swiss with the person who negotiated.

This master plan started from 2014 but it was followed through with the effort of the person who negotiated ,who happened to be Mustapha Zanna, a lawyer in Maiduguri. I was the one who brought Mustapha Zanna in with Switzerland and the RCRC.

Sani also expressed hope that Boko Haram will soon release the remaining Chibok girls.

He said I believe that this government has achieved what has never been achieved and there I have the confidence that the other girls will also be released through the same process that was taken for these ones to be released.
Abdullahi (APC-Umaisha/Ugya) made the call on Sunday in a statement issued by his Press Secretary, Mr Jibrin Gowna, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Keffi.

NAN recalls that about 276 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok by some Boko Haram insurgents in Borno on April 14, 2014.

On October 13, 2016, the Federal Government confirmed the release of 21 of the kidnapped girls in addition to the 50 that had earlier escaped from the abductors.

The speaker said that the release of the 21 girls had proved that the federal government was committed to ending militancy and other security challenges in the country.

The statement called on Nigerians to join hands with the government towards tackling the security challenges facing the country.

The news of the release of 21 abducted Chibok girls is not only exciting but also give us the hope that the remaining Chibok girls will be released in due course so that they can reunite with their families members for the overall development of the country.

The development over the release of these girls by Boko Haram has also signalled the hope of the country to overcome its present security and other challenges.

We are commending the federal government and security operatives efforts and commitment for a job well done towards ensuring the release of the abducted Chibok girls, Abdullahi said.

He also urged the federal government to do more in order to ensure the safe return of the remaining Chibok girls and other abducted Nigerians in the interest of peace and national development.

Besides, he urged Nigerians to be patient and support government policies and programmes, adding that better things are coming ahead to improve the standard of living of citizens.
Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, the acting Director of Defence Information, Defence Headquarters, made the pledge in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Saturday.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on April 14, 2014, over 200 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, were abducted by Boko Haram terrorist group.

In addition to those that had escaped from bondage, efforts of the Nigerian military and other relevant agencies paid off with 21 of the kidnapped girls released two days ago.

The general said the Nigerian Army was happy with the success recorded, pledging to do its best to rescue the remaining girls still being held hostage.

We are all happy, there is no Nigerian that is not happy with this development; it is not all information that we disclose, there are certain operations which cannot be disclosed.
According to Punch, a source in the anti-graft agency said one minister from the South-East is being investigated for allegedly moving huge sums of money outside Nigeria.

The source also said the minister, who is said to have shares in a telecommunications company, helped the laundering of funds abroad.

Although the EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said he is not aware of any investigation, the source said The commission has commenced investigations into alleged corrupt practices by some serving ministers. In fact, the cases against the two of them have got to an advanced stage. One of them is from the South-West while the other is from the South-East.

The one from the South-West is under probe for alleged questionable award of licences to firms which involved billions of naira. His counterpart has a different case. He is being probed for aiding illegal movement of millions of naira by a major telecommunication firm out of the country. The minister is believed to have some shares in the telecommunication firm. You can be sure that both cases are progressing and have got to an advanced stage.

According to reports, the investigation of another minister from the South-West by the EFCC Special Operations Unit, has reached advanced level.
Fayose also said Obasanjo is the cause of corruption in Nigeria, and described him as a laughing stock.

The Governor said the former President is trying to cover up something, because of his frequent visits to the Presidential Villa.

Fayose added that Obasanjo is supporting the Buhari administration because he wants to protect himself.

According to Daily Post, he said "Im not ready to take issues with Obasanjo because if you are talking about corruption today, Obasanjo is the cause. (What about) the N50m Obasanjo (allegedly) gave each lawmaker for his failed third term agenda?

I was an Obasanjo boy. Obasanjo cant be celebrated as a saint in Nigeria. When he talks, I just shake my head. Sometimes, when he goes to the [presidential] Villa, I wonder if he has shame at all. When he was [the president], Buhari was not visiting him regularly. Obasanjo is behaving like somebody who wants to cover [up] something at all cost.

I want a former president that will know this nation does not belong to one man. Most of the problems in this country were caused by Obasanjo. The impeachment of a governor by four lawmakers was done during Obasanjos tenure as a president. Tell me where the moral is.

We should not deceive ourselves. The fact that he is supporting the government of the day tactically is to protect himself. Sometimes, I ask if he is looking for a political appointment. Have you seen Ernest Shonekan and other former presidents visit Buhari like he does? He is becoming a laughing stock. That is the way I see it.
He also said the DSS was picking on him because he ordered the release of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

According to Today News, Justice Dimgba said the DSS men came with warrants that did not bear his name, but still arrested him.

In a letter to the Chief Justice Of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dimgba said When I asked, they first presented me with a search warrant for a No. 19 Ogbemudia Crescent, Apo Legislative Quarters, Zone E and which had a John Inyang Okoro as defendant. When I explained to them that my house address was not No. 19 Ogbemudia Crescent, Apo Legislative Quarters, Zone E, and that my name was certainly not John Inyang Okoro, on the search warrant, the DSS team leader explained that there was a mix-up, and then presented me with another search warrant for 30 Ogbemudia Crescent, Apo Legislative Quarters, Zone E, but which had A.F.A Ademola as the defendant.

When I also explained that I was not A.F.A Ademola but that my name was Justice Dimgba, the DSS team leader stated that whatever was the case, they (the DSS) were under instructions from above to search Justice Nnamdi Dimgbas house.

He also alleged that the security agency had earlier arrested his Registrar and was asked to provide them with testimonies that could implicate me in the performance of my official duties.
It said the clash occurred because of flagrant disregard to an earlier ban by the police on public procession in the state.

The Commissioner for Information,Malam Muhammad Garba, made this known in a statement to newsmen in Kano on Saturday.

This unfortunate violation of police order by the Shiites and taking law into their hands constitute criminal breach of law and order and will not be condoned henceforth.

The government, therefore, reminds the group and the general public of the ban of any form of public procession in whatever guise without prior authorization, Garba said.

He said that the government would deal with any person, group, organization or individuals that violate this order.

According to him, this is part of government's effort to ensure maximum security of lives and property and maintenance of law and order in the state.
If you are one of many Montanans who wasn't eager to embrace either the Republican or Democratic presidential nominee, welcome to the pragmatic-decision club.

The next president of the United States will be either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Continuing irrational, vulgar, bullying behavior from Trump has confirmed what many of us long suspected: Trump is in no way fit to lead our great nation. Among innumerable examples: His mockery of a disabled journalist, his bragging about sexually assaulting women, his racist tirade against the judge presiding in the Trump University fraud case, his chummy praise for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. In the second presidential debate Trump said he would have a special prosecutor investigate Clinton and put her in jail. Imprisoning one's political opponent is right out of the Putin playbook.

Trump is ripping the GOP apart.

Clinton has her flaws. Keeping secretary of state messages on her private server was wrong, a mistake for which she has apologized. Her email misuse and other allegations brought by GOP members of Congress been investigated exhaustively. Clinton is probably the most thoroughly vetted candidate to ever seek the U.S. presidency.

A vote for Clinton is more than a vote against Trump. Those of us who actually pay federal income taxes and arent in the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans would get a better deal with Clinton's tax policy proposals.

Clinton has a decades-long record of standing up for children and disadvantaged citizens. She was a strong early proponent of the federal Children's Health Insurance Program, which today covers tens of thousands of Montana kids with low-cost or no-cost insurance.

In the U.S. Senate, Clinton worked effectively across the aisle and teamed up with George W. Bush to get needed aid to victims of 9/11.

Clinton is respected by U.S. allies around the world, and she stood up to Putin as U.S. secretary of state.

Clinton's positions on small business and public lands reflect values shared by Montanans. She has proposed steps that would reduce the tax and paperwork burden now borne by small businesses. For example, she has proposed giving small businesses the option of taking a standard deduction. She proposed doubling the immediate write-off for investments. She proposes to streamline regulations on community banks and credit unions  vital lenders for small businesses.

Clinton's plan for conservation and stewardship focuses on responsibly growing the outdoor economy. She would double the funding for the Land Water Conservation Fund. She has a goal of increasing public access to federal land in partnerships with private landowners and state governments. She strongly opposes the sell-off of federal public lands. She proposes a one-stop shop in USDA to help farmers and ranchers connect with programs to support their conservation practices.
The actress also spoke about how she grows herself as a filmmaker, the definition of a good film, challenges as a filmmaker among others.

On how she grows herself, the actress who recently produced the movie "The Arrangement,"says, "I read a lot. I read online a lot. I take courses online. I go for workshops. There is this New York Film Academy coming soon, but I'm sure a lot of people don't know about it. But because I am online, reading, I am searching, I am trying to get my knowledge, I am trying to know more, because that's my passion."

On filmmakers she would love to work with, the filmmaker reveals that she would love to work with and learn from Kunle Afolayan, Emem Isong and Lancelot Imaseun.

Igwe also spoke about the birth of her acting career, her future projects, among other interesting topics.
He said this while speaking to Punch on the need for the Yoruba race to form one united regional front.

According to him, If there is anybody that Asiwaju has brought up and made and they want to turn around and pull him down, they too will pay dearly for it.

He said they are conspiring with his (Tinubu) enemies to rubbish him. The people that betrayed Pa (Obafemi) Awolowo died mysteriously.

The greatest thing a man can offer his leader is loyalty except if the leader is wicked. Most of the people Asiwaju Tinubu and I brought up betrayed us. They are only bringing curses upon their lives. If you wine and dine with enemies of people that brought you up, you are a betrayer.

Fayose also called on all Yoruba leaders, irrespective of their party affiliation to rally together, adding that there is strength in unity.

Read an excerpt of his interview below:

Could this be the reason you recently canvassed for regional integration among Yoruba states?

Regional integration can only work if we remember our basis. We are first Yoruba before we are Nigerian. Our leaders must come together. You know my position on Asiwaju (Tinubu) and Im not in the All Progressives Congress and will never be. When we were campaigning for the election of former Governor Kayode Fayemi, Asiwaju invited me to join the party and I said no.

Regional integration is wonderful and desirable because in our unity lies our strength. But when it is politicised, it will take us nowhere. We should come together irrespective of political affiliations. Americans will always say, God bless America even when they lose an election. This is the attitude we must inculcate.

The leaders must rally round to strengthen ties. We are contributing so much to the values of Nigeria than for our leaders to be rubbished cheaply by people who got greedy because of the opportunity given to them. We cant begin to celebrate because of political gains. These same leaders brought them from obscurity. It will not be in our interest to watch these ingrates because of our political differences.

How could some of them have got to positions of relevance if not for God? And the same leaders, they are conspiring with his (Tinubu) enemies to rubbish him. The people that betrayed Pa (Obafemi) Awolowo died mysteriously.

The greatest thing a man can offer his leader is loyalty except if the leader is wicked. Most of the people Asiwaju Tinubu and I brought up betrayed us. They are only bringing curses upon their lives. If you wine and dine with enemies of people that brought you up, you are a betrayer.

I support regional integration based on issues not politics; based on truth, not politics; and based on development, not politics. For me, anything that can promote this region and enhance the life of the common man, that is what I will support.

What do you think of some ex-APC Governors loyalty to President Buhari against Tinubu?

I dont want to take issues anyhow with anybody. There is a Yoruba proverb that says, It is the calabash that will show you where to tie the rope on its body. A Judas is a Judas. If a family is peaceful, it is because the bastard in that house has not grown to the age of maturity. The day he attains maturity he will brew troubles in the family and eventually scatter it. I dont want to start mentioning names or attacking individuals. But, it must be noted that conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it.

If there is anybody that Asiwaju has brought up and made and they want to turn around and pull him down, they too will pay dearly for it. They know themselves. Judas knew himself. This is not the beginning; they have been doing it before now. The thing is just coming into the open. A betrayer will always be a betrayer. Im not an APC man and Im not holding brief for Asiwaju Tinubu. But, I believe in the Yoruba nation and I believe in our leaders.

As much as I believe in Asiwaju, I believe in our PDP leaders too. Dont forget, even in the North there are leaders that when they were being maltreated I condemned it. I dont hide because the truth is what I stand to represent.

And anything that will take away the honour and dignity of our leader like Asiwaju Tinubu, we will rise up against it and expose those behind it. It is common in Yoruba land for people who are supposed to watch your back to collude with external aggressors and destroy their leaders to take such (leadership) position. It will never work.

You spoke glowingly of Tinubu. What informed your decision to defend him in spite of your political differences?

Like I said, for every nation and region, there are leaders. Even, if I dont like Asiwaju, he has attained an enviable height in his political endeavours. He has done so well economically. He has led his people to wherever they are today. I cant stand here and be denying the obvious. But if by tomorrow we have political issues, I will still say my own.

I will tell him the truth; that is politics. But when we get back home, he is a leader. Chief Bode George is a leader. A number of them are leaders of the South. We cant say because they are in other political parties they should be rubbished and we will be clapping. No, I cant clap. It is true Im not a member of the APC and I will never be.

The fact remains that honour should be given to whom honour is due. There is nobody  mother, brother and sister  that will wish, with the efforts Asiwaju has put into Nigeria and his party, that he should be disgraced. It will be unfortunate for the Yoruba nation if they short-change Asiwaju in APC. When they bring anything to the South-West, they wont give me. They wont give PDP but they will give a Yoruba man.

And one of the leading lights that can bring such opportunity is Asiwaju Tinubu. When PDP was appointing ministers, they came from the party and not from APC. But should we say we should cut them down? No. When a man is in a position of authority in the North everybody says, Ranka dede. But here we begin to pull him down.

That is not good. A lot of people can misunderstand this and say Fayose is going to APC. They are daydreamers. APC is not doing well now. It is only a mad man that will say he is going to APC. It is only a mad man that will say he is going into a house that is collapsing every day.

It is a matter of time; if PDP lost power after 16 years, APC will lose it in four years. There is no way they can cross that line. There is an implosion in that party. The only thing holding them together is government and power.
ALSO READ: 156 schools remained closed following threats from Boko Haram

The resumption follows a directive issued by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) to striking members, reports the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Since schools nationwide reopened for the new academic session in September, public schools in the state have yet to resume due to the fact that the state government is yet to pay eights months backlog of salaries to the teachers.

The union resorted to strike action after the state government reneged on it's earlier agreement in May to pay half salaries to the state workers until there have been improvements in the state's finances.

Chairman of the Bayelsa chapter of the NUT, Mr KalaaMa Toinpre, told NAN on Sunday, October 16, that the teachers finally suspended the strike over the weekend.

According to the leader of the union, the decision has been passed on to all the members who were directed to resume work immediately.

The state working committee of the NUT at the weekend resolved that we should suspend the ongoing strike and return to the classroom following series of negotiations with the state government.

We have secured some agreements from the state government in writing that at the end of this month, October, two months half salary of the outstanding be cleared in addition to the two months half salary already paid.

Having secured the commitment of the state government to commence clearing the backlog, we shifted grounds and decided to suspend the strike and return to work.

We at the state executive of the union are grateful for the solidarity of teachers who resisted ploys to sabotage the struggle for the welfare of teachers and to factionalise teachers in Bayelsa. We shall remain united, Toinpre said.

Meanwhile, the State Commissioner for Education, Mr Markson Fefegha, earlier disclosed in a statement that the state government would commence monitoring of teaching and non-teaching staff compliance at public schools in the state on Tuesday, October 18.

Fefegha also revealed that a team of inspectors would be sent from the Ministry of Education, to monitor the resumption of schools all around the state.

He added that the directive from NUT makes it compulsory for all teaching and non-teaching staff to resume work from Monday, October 17.

ALSO READ: Commission approves establishment of new university in Bayelsa

Fefegha went on to warn that all staff who intentionally absent themselves from duty would be declared to be "ghost workers" and will be immediately replaced.
The wedding will reportedly be sponsored and organised by the Jigawa Government of the state.

The Local Government Information Officer, Alhaji Mustafa Namadi, made the revelation on Sunday, October 16, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse.

According to him, 10 couples already agreed to get married. He said that the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the wedding in the area, Malam Idris Yakubu, made a call to traditional as well as religious leaders to enlighten their followers on the importance of the programme.

Yakubu reportedly made the call when members of the committee paid a visit to the District Head of Birninkudu, Alhaji Garba Hassan, in his place on Friday, October 14.

According to Namadi, the LOC chairman said that religious leaders play an important role in ensuring the success of the programme.

Namadi and Yakubu jointly appealed to the leaders particularly imams, to sensitise the public at the weekly Friday sermons in their respective communities.

He added that the district head also promised to hold a meeting with the village and ward heads, enlightening them on the need to support the programme.

NAN earlier reported that the Jigawa government set up a 19-member committee on July 16, which would organise mass weddings for widows and divorcees in the state.

The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abdulkadir Fanini, was made the head of the committee.
Water has become a very important issue of late although it has been monitored since before Nevada became a state. The Nye County Water District Board was established to deal with the management of water resources in all of Nye County. Go to their home page at URL; http://nyecountywaterdistrict.net/ for additional information. The following is a quote from their web page:

Water has become a very important issue of late although it has been monitored since before Nevada became a state. The Nye County Water District Board was established to deal with the management of water resources in all of Nye County. Go to their home page at URL; http://nyecountywaterdistrict.net/ for additional information. The following is a quote from their web page:

Nye County has long recognized the need for water resource planning and management. The bill forming the Nye County Water District (NCWD) was approved on June 18, 2007 by the Nevada Legislature pursuant to Nevada Revised Statutes 2007, Chapter 542, under Selected Special and Local Acts. The bill, also known as the Nye County Water District Act, became effective July 1, 2007.

The NCWD was formed to develop sustainable sources of water vital to long-term economic development, protection of the environment and the well-being of the residents of Nye County. In addition to other powers and duties of the governing board outlined within Chapter 542 of the Nevada Revised Statutes, the board is authorized to levy and collect certain taxes; to incur indebtedness and issue bonds; to acquire land, water rights and property of every kind; and to construct any work for the development, importation or distribution of the water of the district.

The NCWD is working to :

 Develop a long-term sustainability plan of development for the water resources in Nye County;

 Evaluate and mitigate the environmental impacts associated with resource use;

 Better define the groundwater and surface water resources conditions; and

 Define alternative approaches for the management of the water resources of the region.

The NCWD service area includes all real property within the boundaries of Nye County, Nevada.

So here we are 6  years later and what is the status of the four bullets above?

Where is the long-term plan? If there is one then why is the State Engineer engaged?

Do we have any soil or water samples from Yucca Mountain or the Nevada Test Site?

Do we know if these are impacting the Nye County water resources? Which way does the water flow?

How much water do we have? The recharge estimate is 12,000 acre feet per year and Pahrump Valley is using an estimated 13,352 acre feet per year; that is a shortage of 1,352 acre feet per year and this has been going on for years. Have we used all the available science to estimate the water resources? Have the authorities used an Electromagnetic Airborne Survey (EMAS) to support their flow surveys? For more information on the EMAS, do a computer search for the San Pedro Upper basin Study that was done in Arizona in 1997. Also, for more information on the current statistics for Nye County please visit URL: http:/water.nv.gov.documents/presentations/Pahrump.pdf. There you will find a 46-slide show on this topic  very interesting.

What alternative approaches have been suggested for the management of water resources of the region? Presently there are 72,343 acre feet of groundwater rights in Pahrump Valley; fortunately we are only pumping 13,352 acre feet per year. What if those owning the water rights chose to pump what they own? Some tough management decisions are looming just around the corner. What has been done to manage this?

Bottom line: As part of any plan, I recommend the county consider; first, get the best estimate of how much water is actually in the aquifer(s) of Pahrump Valley and Nye County; second, determine how many aquifers there are; third, determine if Amargosa Valley and Pahrump Valley water resources are potentially connected through Stewart Valley; fourth, determine which way the water flows from a potential contaminant perspective.

In closing, I recommend all of you visit the sites above and then familiarize yourselves as a minimum with NRS 534.110(6 &7), 534.030, NRS 534.080, NRS 533.450 and NRS 534.037. We all have a vested interest in this whether or not you own a well or are paying for water and sewer and if we dont manage our water resources, the State of Nevada will.
Instead of looking north for an abundant source of water for future growth in Southern Nevada, should officials be scouting West?

Instead of looking north for an abundant source of water for future growth in Southern Nevada, should officials be scouting West?

Its a question readers ask almost every time theres a discussion of water use in the Silver State. They wonder whether investing in seawater desalination today makes more sense in the long run than tapping into politically untenable and possibly unreliable sources of water from our already parched region. You know, like the proposed pipeline project from White Pine and Lincoln counties and the Snake Valley area of Western Utah.

Its not a simple issue. Its taken California the better part of four decades and a record drought to embrace desalination as an option. After weighing cost and environmental concerns, California is finally tapping into a limitless source of water rights in its own backyard with the construction of its first $1 billion desalination plant in Carlsbad 35 miles north of San Diego. Once its up and running in 2016, it will produce 50 million gallons of drinking water a day from the Pacific Ocean.

Its considered the largest ocean desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere, and if promoters of the practice have their way it wont be alone for long. The Carlsbad Desalination Project is the first of several plants in various stages of development. While most of the worlds desalination facilities are located in areas where fresh water is extremely scarce, improvements in technology and increased necessity are making them more viable.

Removing salt from sea water is expensive. Its cheaper to tap groundwater and increase conservation, but as drought becomes more the norm than the exception in the West it seems self-evident that the best possible future wont be found in draining every reservoir, sucking dry every waterhole, and turning arid land into barren sand.

It makes sense to me to spend a couple billion bucks to create desalination plants on the coast and trade the water produced for water from the Colorado River.

Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager John Entsminger calls desalination a viable future resource option, but also notes the challenges ahead. Expense is a key consideration, but so is scale. Carlsbads 50 million daily gallons is great, but Southern Nevadas system moves 900 million gallons a day.

Its not a drop in a bucket, but its a very small piece of what California will ultimately need for their purposes if they were to embrace desalination as a major part of their water resource portfolio, Entsminger says.

His figures show desalinated water costing approximately $1,500 per acre foot, about five times the price of delivering water from our local resources. And that doesnt include construction costs.

While Ive seen statistics that show lower costs, hes right when he says, Its pretty expensive water.

Looking ahead 30 years or so, he adds, partnering with California or Mexico might be part of a wise strategy.

Meanwhile, increasing conservation and improving the infrastructure by finishing the third intake from Lake Mead remain priorities.

Price is always a consideration, but expense is a relative term in Nevada. We live in a state whose top political owls thought it was a wise idea to finance billions of dollars to create a high-speed party train from Las Vegas to Victorville, Calif.

Some will call large-scale desalination a pipe dream, but its hard to argue cost when the experts have endorsed a rural county pipeline and pumping plan that could cost as much as $15 billion to construct.

In that light, a $1 billion desalination plant sounds almost reasonable.

While I wouldnt pretend to understand the complexities of our water politics, its safe to predict that increasing populations and continued drought are going to put the kind of high demand on our already stressed water supplies that only large-scale desalination and wastewater reclamation will be able to meet.

And the future might not be as far away as we think.

John L. Smiths column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. E-mail him at jsmith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295.
An East Moline school for children with special needs has launched a fundraising campaign for a playground where the children can run around safely and have fun.

The Center, or the Black Hawk Area Education Center, is designed for 150 or so children who benefit from a special school setting. The students are ages 3 to 22 years old, with severe physical, emotional or intellectual disabilities that require intensive instruction and services.

The Center's current playground is dated and insufficient.

"Play is the business of children, all children," the school's Marcia Lintz said. Lintz has been employed by The Center since 1988 and is helping to raise funds for the new playground.

It is important to have a safe, rubberized surface, with a fence and appropriate playground equipment for the students.

The Center is working with NuToys Leisure Products of LaGrange, Illinois, on the design. Expected cost is $255,000, and the fund drive so far has raised $50,000.

NuToys, Lintz said, is the same company that worked on Bettendorf's Rocket Park. Of importance is the special rubberized playground surface, which is an estimated $65,000 of the total cost.

"This is safer if the students fall; they won't injure themselves as easily," Center director Christan Schrader said. "And some children put items in their mouths, like rock. This should improve the safety as far as falls and choking hazards are concerned."

There are five ramps with guard rails to meet the accessibility goals that include several types of equipment. These ramps tie together and lead to a hexagon-shaped deck, the main feature of the new playground.

The Center's current playground has dated equipment on a grass surface and is surrounded by a chain-link fence.

According to Lintz, the need for a new playground became more apparent after The Center added 3-year-olds with special needs to the school population.

The students come from 13 local school districts and an area of 1,250 square miles in western Illinois.

The new playground surface would be much easier to maneuver for children in wheelchairs. There also is shade provided, important on sunny days for some students.

This is a first-of-its-kind project for The Center, which Schrader said is funded by local school districts. Member districts don't have extra dollars for this type of project, so the school decided to seek help from donations. They hope to get the needed funds in the next few months and start the playground in 2017.

"These kids should get to play freely, too," Lintz said. "It should not all be structured play for them."
For over a quarter century, our states stream access laws have been under attack by out-of-state billionaire landowners. Professor Kristen Juras is among those who would seek to eliminate Montana citizens right to use and enjoy Montana rivers and streams.

Juras family has a history of attacking Montanas stream access law. Juras is the niece of Jack Galt. In the mid 1980s, he sued the state of Montana, asking the court to declare Montanas stream access law unconstitutional and to block access to one of Montanas greatest treasures, the Smith River. More recently, Juras cousin, Bill Galt, referred to Montanas stream access laws as thievery.

Juras has been careful not to reference the Galt v. State case by name, or to disclose that she is the niece of Jack Galt. Juras doesnt tell the Montana voters that she believes our stream access law is subject to other legal attacks which she has written about in a law review article, or that her article was cited as persuasive legal authority by billionaire James Cox Kennedy in his anti-public access case, or that she characterized Montana stream access laws as a monumental erosion of private property rights.

If the issue of stream access for fishing, rafting, hunting, or other recreational activities, is even remotely important to you as a Montana voter, you simply cannot trust Kristen Juras to protect and uphold the Montana stream access laws.

Matt Tourtlotte

Billings

Editor's note: Attorney Matt Tourlotte has served on the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission as the Region 5 commissioner since 2013.
The city of Bettendorf must condemn private property before it begins work on a long awaited  and contested  erosion-control project along a portion of Stafford Creek, the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled last week.

The decision affirms a Scott County District Court ruling a year ago that determined the city does not have the right under its existing easements to work along the waterway west of 18th Street near Tanglefoot Lane.

The latest judgment comes 10 months after Bettendorf City Attorney Kristine Stone filed a notice of appeal when a Scott County judge ordered crews to stop the stream bank stabilization work.

According to court documents, the city must condemn land along its permanent 25-foot drainage easements before work can proceed. Additionally, the ruling orders the city to compensate homeowners for the devaluation of their property that the taking will cause."

Attorney Mike Meloy, who represents the three homeowners on Kingsway Drive, filed a challenge in early 2015 against the citys plan to remove vegetation and reshape the creek bed in his clients backyards.

Meloy called last week's ruling a very important property rights victory for every homeowner in Bettendorf.

The city doesnt own any land back there, said Meloy, whose clients, Everette and Jennifer Hamner, Judy Skogman and Susan Himes fear losing their privacy, vegetation and property value. The government can only take land upon payment of just compensation.

Stone responded last week in an email saying she does not "have any idea what the potential costs would be for the additional ground that would be needed to complete the project."

If the city decides to pursue the project "in its current form," Stone said, we would engage an appraiser to make that determination.

Meanwhile, residents whose property abuts the southwest side of Stafford Creek on Tanglefoot Court have wanted the city to curb erosion there for years.

Last November, the city hired Bettendorf-based Hawkeye Paving Corp. to do the job for $647,610.

According to court documents, the work would:

 Remove all trees and foliage within the 25-foot easements on both sides of the creek.

 Install a retaining wall on the Tanglefoot Court side of the creek.

 Add a 70-foot coconut wood log along the creek on the Kingsway Drive side.

 Install chain-link fences throughout the creek bed.

 Install on one property a 25-ton rip-rap wall (collection of rocks along and on the creek bed).

 Reseed the area with a variety of grasses and plants.

 Regrade the slope of the back half of the backyards on Kingsway Drive, making those areas about twice as steep.

In the courts opinion, the scope of the work exceeds the purpose of mere maintenance or installation of sewage or drainage utilities, according to court documents.

In its appeal, the city argued the district court "erred in concluding the project exceeded the purposes of the 1968 easements and the scope of the work contemplated constitutes a taking."

If the city decides to follow through with the project, a real estate consultant estimated the three homeowners along Kingsway Drive should each be compensated between $27,500 and $30,250 for the work that will increase the steepness and slope of their yards, according to court documents.

Theyre (city of Bettendorf) acting like theyre doing my clients a favor, when in fact theyre devaluing my clients property," Meloy said.

Stone deferred further comment until the Bettendorf City Council's scheduled work session on Oct. 24, when city officials will create a policy for stream bank improvement projects in the future, she said.

"The appellate ruling and what it might mean for the viability of future projects will be discussed with the council at that time," Stone said.
Big names visited the Quad-Cities last week as we're about three weeks from Election Day.

1. Pence rallies GOP

First up was Mike Pence, the Indiana governor who is Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate. He spoke Tuesday night to an enthusiastic crowd at the Scott County Republican Party's annual Reagan Dinner. The event also attracted Iowa GOP heavyweights, including Gov. Terry Branstad and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley.

2. Bill helps Hillary

Then former President Bill Clinton took center stage Thursday with a campaign rally at Davenport North High School. Clinton was in town as part of a two-day bus tour in Iowa to drum up support for his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and to urge Democrats to vote early. He also made an impromptu stop at a restaurant in the city of Clinton.

3. Greeting Grassley

As if that wasn't enough politics, Sen. Grassley made other stops in the Quad-Cities. The longtime senator is known for visiting all of Iowa's 99 counties each year, and Tuesday he spoke to employees at Cobham Missions Systems in Davenport. And in a meeting with our editorial board, he defended his decision to deny hearings for President Barack Obama's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa also was in the Quad-Cities, touring the Rock Island Arsenal and visiting with Chamber of Commerce folks.

4. No decision

There was other news around town besides politics, and there was a meeting in Ankeny Tuesday that will affect the Quad-Cities. The Iowa State Health Facilities Council is considering whether to allow a for-profit company to build and operate a 72-bed psychiatric hospital in Bettendorf. It has supporters and some strong detractors. After 10 hours of testimony, however, the council suspended the hearing. It will pick up with more testimony Oct. 27.

5. Trial testimony

A Rock Island County jury is hearing graphic testimony about the May 2015 shooting death of Zachary Phillips. Lamaree E. Wilson-Neuleib, 18, of Moline is on trial, charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm. Testimony began Wednesday and could wrap up Monday. On Friday, Erik Roberson, who was shot multiple times but survived, told the jury about that day.

6. Ill elephant

One of our elephants technically on loan from Niabi Zoo to the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas had a health scare recently but is doing better now, reported Barb Ickes in a column that you could find only in the Quad-City Times. Sophie has an incurable uterine infection that nearly killed her this month, zoo folks in Little Rock told Barb. "She's gotten a lot better," a zoo spokesman told us. Babe and Sophie are living in Little Rock because the aging elephants have more room to move and the weather is warmer for them.

7. Haunted education

Speaking of interesting stories you could find only in the Times, reporter Jack Cullen spun a tale about Bettendorf Middle School students exploring haunted places in the Quad-Cities. It's part of the project-based learning at the school, and the students didn't turn their research into written reports. Instead, they learned about podcasting, and they presented their findings that way.

8. Loss at Deere

An influential figure in Deere & Co.'s recent past died earlier this month, and the news was released on Tuesday. Hans Becherer was chairman and CEO of the Moline-based firm during the 1990s and led the agriculture giant into record profits. Beyond that, he is credited with being a major driver in the development of Moline's downtown. Becherer died Oct. 6 in Colorado.

9. Raising the grade

The Mississippi River isn't doing well, barely passing with a D grade by America's Watershed Initiative. The upper Mississippi does only slightly better than its lower portion, scoring a C. For two days last week, officials and interested parties were doing their homework, talking about programs and projects that could raise those grades during the Upper Mississippi River Conference. River Action Inc., the Davenport-based nonprofit, organized the event at the iWireless Center in Moline.

10. Party time

OK, well, we didn't throw a party, but it was our birthday on Saturday. Our Bill Wundram noted the occasion in a column we published Saturday, noting that the small type at the bottom of that front page said, Volume 161, Issue 1. No confetti, no cake, but pride in our work here at the paragraph factory.
You can understand why Beth Carvey teared up: this was goodbye.

The bear claw necklace that had been her favorite artifact at the Black Hawk State Historic Site museum since she began working there 35 years ago was going away, and this was the day.

After sitting down to refreshments and sharing some pleasantries, the time came for her to hand over the necklace  a focal point of the museum's collection since it opened in 1939  to Johnathon Buffalo, a Meskwaki historian from Tama, Iowa.

The necklace had been acquired from an unknown Meskwaki (formerly called the Fox) by John Hauberg, Rock Island philanthropist, historian and collector, sometime around 1918, Carvey said. He probably paid for it, but the amount is not recorded. It had been a focal point in the museum that is named for Hauberg.

Buffalo was reclaiming the necklace under the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act, passed into law in 1991. Among other things, the law provides for the return of museum artifacts of cultural significance to their respective nations.

The necklace made with the claws of grizzlies, the fur of otters and the beadwork of people living around 1850 belonged to the Meskwaki Thunder Clan and was worn by the clan's head man while in council, Carvey was told. The head man of the Thunder Clan could break a tie in the question of going to war or maintaining the peace.

Because the necklace belonged to the clan and not to an individual, no individual had the right to dispose of it, she was told. The necklaces are regarded as sacred and as having their own guardian spirit.

Carvey had long known that it could be reclaimed. One of the first times she had met Johnathon Buffalo he joked about "bringing a U-Haul" to the museum.

The Hauberg necklace  actually owned by the state of Illinois  is the fourth the Meskwaki have retrieved over the past few years, Carvey said. The first was purchased for $60,000 from Sotheby's, an international auction house headquartered in New York, and two others were returned from museums.

"He (Buffalo) said that after they got the first one back, it began calling for the others," Carvey said.

No other objects in the Hauberg museum are currently under claim, she said.

The museum holds some "trade silver"  bracelets and the like  that were part of an Indian gravesite near the Milan-Rock Island border that was unearthed in the early 1900s. Because these objects came from graves, they definitely qualify under the act, but tribal representatives "have told us they want us to hang on to them," Carvey said.

The museum also holds a buffalo headdress that was used in the dance that was performed before the hunt, but Carvey isn't sure if it is considered sacred, and no one has asked for it back.
Quad-City Times presidential debate watch party

When: Doors open at 7 p.m. Debate from 8-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16

Where: Figge Art Museum, 225 W 2nd St, Davenport

Cost: Free. Cash bar and light snacks.

Now that both parties have trotted out sexual assault victims as political props, Im not sure how much worse it can get. Im not sure how much further away we can get from discussions of policy or how much more this election can alienate moderate voters. Nothing would surprise me at this point and the three weeks between now and Nov. 8 is a lifetime in politics.

I wonder how long it will take us to recover from this one. It feels less like an election and more like a culture war. We cant see each other anymore. We cant talk anymore. We cant understand each other.

The interesting thing is  in many non-presidential races -- intellectual conservatives and liberals arent that far apart on some of issues. This week, during editorial board meetings with candidates, I asked both Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Democratic U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack the same question about Medicaid reimbursement. Professionals cite low reimbursements as one of the biggest obstacles to solving Iowas mental health crisis. Grassley and Loebsack, one day apart, answered my question with the same set of solutions. There was a glimmer of hope to hear a Democrat and a Republican on the same page about something so important. Granted, its not a perfect equivalent because the men arent running against each other.

Elsewhere, theres little place for common ground.

This election has weakened the foundation of both parties. It has sidelined moderates. It has ended friendships. The rhetoric has become so frenzied, its impossible to have a real conversation over the screaming.

This week, I found a great sense of relief to hear people arguing over whether or not Bob Dylan should have received the Nobel Prize for Literature. It was a nice distraction.

This election is almost over. We have a couple dozen 24-hour news cycles and one more presidential debate to watch. The Quad-City Times editorial board invites Quad-City voters, battered that we are, to come to the Figge Art Museum and watch the debate with us on Wednesday, Oct. 19. The editorial board will be there, including Editorial Page Editor Jon Alexander, Publisher Deb Anselm and myself.

The debate is 90 minutes long and runs from 8-9:30 p.m. Well open the doors an hour before the debate starts for socializing. There will be a cash bar and light snacks. Well also offer the opportunity for discussion and socializing for an hour after the debate. It should be an interesting chance to think through what we heard, offer each other insight or  in the case of this election  some moral support.

This week, I had a phone conversation with my grad school advisor and he described his reaction to the debate as a mix of horror and fascination. He said he hates every minute of it, but cant look away. Thats probably how many of us feel.

Ive run out of new thoughts to have about this election or interesting things to say about it. Unfortunately, the thing about roller coasters is you cant get off, even after it makes you sick. You cant get off until the ride is over.

Until then, we can support each other through the home stretch. I hope to see you on Oct. 19 at the Quad-City Times final presidential debate watch party.
Back to school shopping this year brought sticker shock for families in Iowa and elsewhere. This wasnt over pencils and notebooks but a life-saving device that kids with severe allergies have to have available at all times. The EpiPen cost has jumped more than 400 percent since 2007. Paying as much as $600 per product is a lot of money, especially considering families like one in Polk City, Iowa, with four kids who need EpiPens. The shelf life is about a year, so the EpiPen needs to be replaced, and parents try to stock the item in multiple places, like grandmas house, in case of emergency.

The price increases brought scrutiny on the company, Mylan, that sells EpiPens. Iowans asked me to find out what was going on, and I started asking questions. Soon afterward, Mylan announced steps to help patients afford the product: more patient discount coupons and an authorized generic version. Still, the company wont lower the price, and daily headlines tell us the EpiPen is only one of many prescription medicines busting budgets. So what can and should be done to hold down drug costs?

One of the best ways is to increase competition, where drug companies are encouraged to innovate and produce new products and the marketplace works to drive down prices. Driving down prices also requires making sure drug companies are playing fair and not gaming the rules. The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission enforce the antitrust laws and investigate anti-competitive behavior. Companies arent allowed to engage in unfair or deceptive practices that end up harming consumers. The agencies need to be assertive in enforcing these laws.

Im a co-sponsor of two bipartisan bills that would help address drug company practices that have delayed the availability of generic drugs and kept drug costs high for patients. One is the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act. This bill would deter brand name pharmaceutical companies from blocking less expensive generic alternatives from entering the market. The brand companies do this by denying access to the drug samples that generic makers need to develop their generic versions. The second bill is the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act. It would help end the practice of brand name and generic manufacturers using anti-competitive pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market.

Another way to lower costs is making sure drug companies arent gaming taxpayer-funded public health care programs. Medicare and Medicaid are big customers for prescription drugs and medical devices. When they overpay, the taxpayers overpay, and so do the beneficiaries who face out of pocket copayments. My office found that Mylan relies heavily on Medicare and Medicaid for its EpiPen revenue. Meanwhile, the federal agency that runs those health care programs says Mylan has been overcharging Medicaid for EpiPens. This might have cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Where was the federal agency while this was going on? The taxpayers are getting short shrift, and the Obama Administration has not done its job here. Im continuing to ask questions. The Justice Department, and other agencies, now seem to be paying attention.

Yet another way to drive down drug costs is the reimportation of prescription drugs from other countries where product safety and effectiveness can be assured. The Food and Drug Administration already has the power to certify the safety of such drugs. The agency hasnt wanted to use this power for reasons that are unclear.

The FDA also needs to continue to make progress on its backlog of generic drug applications. When a company has submitted an application for a generic product, consumers deserve a timely answer on whether that product is ready for the marketplace. And while the FDAs no. 1 job is protecting public safety, the agency also needs to make sure not to impose unneeded regulations that prevent patients from getting new alterative or generic drugs as soon as possible.

There may be other steps that would ease the sticker shock of sky-high prescription drug prices. In the meantime, Im working on legislation and oversight efforts that will make a big difference for consumers and the people of Iowa.
NATION

N.C. buildings take $1.5B hit from hurricane flooding

Flooding spawned by Hurricane Matthew has caused $1.5 billion in damage to 100,000 homes, businesses and government buildings in North Carolina, according to a state estimate.

The figure released late Saturday represents one of the first detailed analyses of damage from the storm, and it's part of a growing picture of Matthew's financial impact.

With floodwaters yet to recede in some communities, officials say the number could fluctuate.

"I do think that there may be more out there," John Dorman, an assistant state emergency management director, said of whether the number could grow.

Dorman said the state's computer modeling combines property records, topography and stream gauges to estimate how many feet of water have affected a given building  and how much damage that water caused. The state also used manned aircraft and drones to verify projections.

Truck goes off bridge, 4 die in crowd below

A member of the U.S. Navy was arrested after the pickup truck he was driving plunged off a San Diego bridge, killing four people and injuring nine at a festival below, authorities said.

Authorities identified the driver as Richard Anthony Sepolio, 25, who was stationed at the naval base on Coronado Island across the bay from San Diego. His rank or job description was not immediately available.

Sepolio was alone in the truck Saturday afternoon when he lost control and it struck a guardrail and fell 60 feet onto a vendor's booth at Chicano Park, California Highway Patrol Officer Jake Sanchez said. He was taken to the hospital with major injuries and was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs causing deaths and injuries, the officer said. It wasn't immediately known when Sepolio would be arraigned.

WORLD

Thousands march against gay marriage

Tens of thousands of people have marched in Paris to call for the repeal of a law allowing gay marriage, six months before France's next presidential election.

The protesters ended up at Trocadero Plaza, near the Eiffel Tower. Police estimated the crowd at 24,000, while organizers gave a figure of 200,000.

They were also protesting Sunday against the use of assisted reproduction techniques and surrogate mothers to help same-sex couples have babies.

Assisted reproduction is allowed in France only for infertile heterosexual couples and surrogacy is banned.

The group organizing the march presents itself as promoting the traditional family model of "one mother and one father." It hopes to influence the debate before the presidential election next year.

None of the major candidates in the election attended the march.

Spacecraft closes in on Mars

The European Space Agency dispatched an experimental probe Sunday on the final leg of its quest to land on Mars, part of a mission aimed at exploring the red planet's atmosphere and searching for signs of life.

The Schiaparelli lander separated from its mother ship as scheduled, flight director Michel Denis announced to applause at control center in Darmstadt, Germany. That set it on the way to a controlled descent to the surface on Wednesday.

Schiaparelli will take images of Mars and conduct scientific measurements on the surface, but its main purpose is to test technology for a future European Mars rover.

Pope canonizes gaucho priest and others

Pope Francis canonized Argentina's "gaucho priest" Sunday, bestowing sainthood on the poncho-wearing pastor with whom the first Argentine pope shares many similarities, from a taste for mate tea to a dedication to bringing the ministry to even the most isolated people.

Francis honored Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero along with six others in a Mass before a crowd of 80,000 in St. Peter's Square, saying the new saints, "thanks to prayer, had generous and steadfast hearts."

"The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them," the pope said.

Also made into saints were two Italian priests, Lodovico Pavoni and Alfonso Maria Fusco, French martyr Salomone Leclercq, French nun Elisabeth of the Trinity, Spanish bishop Manuel Gonzalez Garcia and Mexican layman Jose Sanchez del Rio.

Born in 1849 in the province of Cordoba, Brochero was one of the most famous Catholics in the Argentina of Francis' youth. He died in 1914 after living for years with leprosy that he was said to have contracted from one of his faithful.

Brochero was beatified in 2013, after Pope Benedict XVI signed off on a miracle attributed to his intercession. Francis moved Brochero closer to sainthood soon after being elected pope, and cleared him for sainthood earlier this year.

At the time of Brochero's beatification, Francis wrote a letter to Argentina's bishops praising Brochero for having had the "smell of his sheep." That's a phrase Francis has frequently used to describe his ideal pastor: one who accompanies his flock, walking with them through life's ups and downs.

"He never stayed in the parish office. He got on his mule and went out to find people like a priest of the street  to the point of getting leprosy," Francis wrote.

A papal biographer, Austen Ivereigh, says Brochero exemplifies Francis' idea of a priest.

Among the parallels shared by the two Argentines is Brochero's spirituality, which is deeply rooted in the Jesuit spiritual exercises dear to Francis. Francis, who like Brochero adores his mate tea, has exhorted his pastors to travel to far-flung peripheries to minister to the poor, as Brochero did on his trusty mule Malacara.

Argentinians, many waving flags, made the journey themselves to Rome to see Brochero elevated to sainthood, including Argentine President Mauricio Macri and his wife.
Manasa Pagadala of Rock Island and Maram El-Geneidy of Bettendorf, both students at Rivermont Collegiate in Bettendorf, were among the 700 students from Iowa and throughout the nation who were recognized at The University of Iowa Belin-Blank Center's recognition ceremony Sept. 25 at the Iowa Memorial Union on the University of Iowa campus.

Students were recognized for exceptional performance in the Belin-Blank Center student talent search, receiving scholarships for Belin-Blank Center summer residential gifted programs, for being Gold Key awardees from the Scholastic Art and Writing Program, for being student research presenters at Iowa Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, for being awardees for Invent Iowa State Invention Convention, participants in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Excellence and Leadership Program and participating in the Second Student Training Program.
Casper police arrested four women suspected of prostitution and one man suspected of soliciting prostitutes in an undercover operation Thursday evening.

Police arrested Bailey Bruce, of Evansville; Cassandra Combs, of St. Paul, Minnesota; Canisha Martinez, of Casper; and Alexandra Tyler, who was homeless, on suspicion of prostitution. Officers also arrested David Mangus, of Casper, on suspicion of soliciting prostitution.

Undercover police officers contacted the women through online advertisements and the women agreed to perform sex acts in exchange for payment ranging from $150 to $350, according to arrest affidavits. Police arrested the women when they arrived at the location where they previously agreed to meet.

Mangus responded to an online ad posted by officers and agreed to pay an undercover officer posing as a prostitute a quarter-pound cheeseburger and medium fries from McDonalds for sex, according to an arrest affidavit. Officers arrested Mangus when he arrived at the predetermined location with the bag of food.

Hookin for cheeseburgers isnt normal, Detective Dan Dundas said, though sometimes drugs or other valuables can be exchanged.

The sting was part of an annual nationwide effort by law enforcement, called Operation Cross Country, to rescue underage victims of sex trafficking. Last year, 149 underage victims were rescued across the country and more than 150 others were arrested, according to the FBI.

Casper police rescued a 16-year-old girl who had been trafficked to Casper from Colorado in a 2014 sting that was part of the nationwide operation. A federal judge sentenced the girls trafficker, Joseph Jovon Dawson, to 10 years in prison for transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity.

The ultimate goal of investigating prostitution in Casper is to find underage victims of sex trafficking, Dundas said.

Many prostitutes and traffickers in the region travel along Interstate 25 and Interstate 80 and advertise through online sites like Backpage.com, Dundas said.
Four small businesses are up against an April 1, 2017, deadline to relocate from the Gate City Building on Second Street before it is razed to make way for Black Hills Federal Credit Unions new headquarters, slated to start construction next year.

Gate City owner Don Mattson had built in plenty of lead time for his tenants when he made the deal to sell the property to BHFCU earlier this spring, but three of the four businesses have already moved or have firm plans to relocate yet this fall.

Tim Hamilton will relocate his Sand Scripts stone engraving, etched glass, awards, gifts, stamps and tags shop to 410 Maple Ave., hopefully by the middle or end of November, he said.

Hamilton said the space, three blocks straight east of current location, offers the garage area he needs to allow movement of large stones he engraves.

Its definitely got more room than Ive got now, so thats a good thing, he said.

The building at 410 Maple Ave. is currently occupied by Allen Automotive Repair. I was not able to learn what their plans might be before news deadline on Thursday.

Sand Scripts former neighbor, JJs Engraving, is now located at 215 E. North St.

Owner Pam Stainbrook made the move on a weekend last month, re-opening her trophy, plaque, nameplate and badge business without missing a beat on Sept. 26.

Stainbrook said the new location is more suited to her shop than was the old storefront, which never really relinquished the atmosphere of a small engine repair shop formerly housed there.

The new place was unoccupied for a year or two after a beauty shop left, she said.

Its nice to have something a little more homey, Stainbrook said.

She has also expanded with the addition of a printer and laser engraving machine purchased from Jerry, Elaine and Hollee Hook when they closed Sign & Trophy/Westex in late August and retired.

That opened my world up to be able to provide more services, Stainbrook said.

Dakota Fine Rug Cleaning moved to 2340-D Deadwood Ave., owner David Randolph confirmed Thursday.

Randolph had expressed earlier concern about finding a place with suitable water availability and drains, but the 1,800 square-foot space in the Summit Industrial Park fit the bill, he said.

He moved at the end of last month, but is still getting up to speed with full cleaning capabilities for fine rugs.

Within a week Ill be fully set up, Randolph said.

That leaves Black Hills Tent & Awning as the sole occupant of the Gate City Building.

Were still here, still looking for a spot to relocate to, said owner Robert Hengen. That leaves us as the lone ranger.

Hengen said hes been on the lookout for a new place either to lease or buy, but hasnt come across the just-right location just yet.

But the doors are still open and business is good, Hengen said.

And in the meantime, construction of a new location for Armadillo's Ice Cream, at the corner of Main and Second streets, is hitting full stride. Armadillo's will close at their old location this fall and reopen on the east side of Second Street next spring.

The old location will be torn down, also as part of the BHFCU building project.

New pizza place

That bright yellow building going up in the vicinity of Aspen Dental in the Rushmore Crossing Shopping Center is slated to be South Dakotas second location for Mackenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub, according to a spokesperson for Midland Atlantic, manager of Rushmore Crossing.

According to their website, Mackenzie River Pizza originated in Bozeman, Mont., 22 years ago and is operated by Glacier Restaurant Group of Whitefish, Mont.

There are currently 23 restaurants, including 14 locations in Montana, three in Idaho, two in Spokane, Wash., two in Indiana and one each in Bismarck and Sioux Falls.

Menu specialties, along with gourmet pizza, include flatbread sandwiches, burgers, fish tacos and Kentucky Bourbon bites.

No other information, including a potential opening date, was available.

Grand openings

Elsewhere in Rushmore Crossing, Ross Dress For Less, just west of Boot Barn, celebrated its grand opening last weekend.

Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts opened this week at the Haines Station Shopping Center, taking over the space and hiring many of the former employees of Hancock Fabrics, which closed all of its remaining stores earlier this summer.

Bath & Body Works joined up with White Barn Candles and opened on Oct. 7 in a new space near The Buckle in the Rushmore Mall.

Breast Cancer event

Orders of specially-made pink appetizer chips sold through the month of October at Buffalo Wings & Rings restaurants will help fight breast cancer.

Manager Nick Kallander of Rapid Citys Buffalo Wings & Rings restaurant, located near the corner of Sheridan Lake Road and Catron Boulevard, said the promotion was born of an idea brought forth at a company-wide convention earlier in the summer.

Every pink chip order at BW&R will mean a dollar donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation to benefit cancer prevention and cure programs.

At the end of the month all the stores are going to combine their totals and they hope to raise at least $10,000, Kallander said.

A good sign that the campaign is already a success: a limited number of breast cancer awareness T-shirts for sale during the promotion sold out quickly, Kallander said.

(Editor's note: The above story has been changed to correct the spelling of Don Mattson.)
Just listening. Sometimes thats the best thing you can offer a veteran facing the transition back to civilian life.

Dont be afraid to just listen to them, said Jerry Derr, one of the organizers of the Sgt. Colton Levi Derr (SCLD) Foundation. We need to give our veterans a place to go and a message.

Derrs message hits close to home. His son, Sgt. Colton Levi Derr suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following his combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Colton Derr completed more than 500 combat missions during his tours. He committed suicide in April 2012 following his Afghanistan mission.

He is not alone. An estimated 20 or more veterans and one active duty soldier commit suicide every day.

We lost our soldier, said Jerry Derr, of Caputa. But his death is not going to be in vain.

The family organized the SCLD Foundation as a way to raise awareness of the issues facing veterans, including PTSD, traumatic brain injury, veteran suicide, homelessness, multiple deployments and the effect they have on our veterans and their families.

We want family members and the community to be aware that when their sons and daughters come home from the war zone, the war isnt over, he said. We want to be a resource to educate the public and legislative body about some of the issues they face and help the veterans successfully transition from a warrior to a veteran civilian.

The foundation will host its annual "Gallantly Forward Gala" on Saturday, Oct. 22. The fundraiser will be held at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in LaCroix Hall. The doors will open at 5 p.m. and the event will start at 5:45 p.m.

The gala will feature a social hour, dinner, a silent/live auction and live music with Orion Potter and Wyoming-based musician Mark Williams. Tickets are $35 and must be purchased beforehand.

Dr. Julie Ertz will emcee the evening and former U.S. Army Capt. Neil W. Fotre is the nights main speaker. Fotre deployed to Afghanistan with Colton Derr and will share his personal experiences about making the transition from the battlefield to civilian life.

Since the foundation started in 2012, they have assisted countless veterans, Derr said, including helping veterans get a service dog, pay bills, purchase a vehicle, find and pay for an attorney, move in to a new home, pay mortgages and pay funeral expenses.

These veterans become part of our family and they carry that message forward, he said.

Keeping emotions locked up

Helping veterans overcome the challenges they face when trying to find a job is one of their missions as well.

Veterans are a wealth of knowledge and resources, Derr said, but entering the job market is an uphill battle. Between 20 and 30 percent of veterans come home with PTSD, Derr said. Less than half of them are getting treatment.

If they are put on medication, start counseling and have to go to the VA for follow-ups, it impedes their ability to provide for their family, Derr said.

But its a catch-22, because if they have PTSD and arent getting help, they wont be able to provide for their family, he said.

Some simply wont ask for help. Colton did not confide in anyone that he was struggling.

No one knew he had issues, Derr said. He kept that all locked up.

A brotherhood and camaraderie is often built on the battlefield, and some veterans struggle to walk back into a community and connect with people. The foundation wants to help with that, Derr said.

We all need a battle buddy, Derr said. Maybe theyre not in uniform, but theyre in your community or your family.

Just recently, Derr spent time with a veteran who had attempted suicide three times.

We took him out, had breakfast, took him shopping for winter gear and got him a cellphone to start looking for a job, he said. At the foundation, were here to listen and to tell them theres hope.

Benefits for veterans are not always guaranteed, Derr said, and jumping through hoops to receive benefits can be overwhelming. Some of them get tired of fighting, tired of the door being shut in their face, he said.

Colton would be proud of the way his family has moved forward with a purpose, Derr said. I believe Colton is guiding us, and I believe he is smiling down on us, he said.

The gala is a great way to raise funds and awareness to continue the work, Derr added.

This is our community and we need to come together as a community and rally around these veterans, he said. We want as many veterans there as we can and let them hear a message of hope.
Editor's note: As a public service, the South Dakota Newspaper Association, which represents daily and weekly newspapers across the state, asked former Sioux Falls Argus Leader editor Maricarrol Kueter to do a series of articles on the 10 statewide ballot measures that will be considered by voters in the Nov. 8 election.

As a service to our readers, and to help create a more informed electorate, the Rapid City Journal will publish the material over the coming days. We kick things off today with an analysis of two election-reform proposals.

South Dakota voters will have the opportunity to completely overhaul the states election system, potentially doing away with the current primary system and infusing public funding into campaigns.

Those are key elements of two significant election reform issues  Initiated Measure 22 and Constitutional Amendment V  on the 2016 ballot.

IM 22

Initiated Measure 22 would rewrite campaign finance laws to limit contributions, require additional reporting, regulate lobbyist activities, create an ethics commission and set up a system for publicly funded campaigns.

Amendment V would provide for nonpartisan ballots in federal, state and county elections.

Proponents of both measures say the political system needs reform because current laws stymie public participation in elections and limit candidates for public office.

"We arent going to drive big money out of politics, but we want to reduce the influence of big money in politics," said Don Frankenfeld, a former legislator from Rapid City and co-chair of the Initiated Measure 22 campaign.

A much-discussed portion of the measure would set up a publicly funded campaign finance program. Each registered voter would receive two $50 credits. Voters could assign those credits to participating candidates who would then redeem them for money from a fund set up by the state. That fund would be capped at $12 million, according to the proposed law.

"You become literally invested," Frankenfeld said of the financing system, adding that voters are then more likely to participate in the process.

He thinks the measure could have national significance as states look to institute similar reforms.

Ben Lee, state director for the South Dakota Chapter of Americans for Prosperity and chairman of Defeat22, takes an opposing view.

"It isnt what it appears to be," he said of the proposed law.

Using taxpayer money to fund election campaigns and potentially pay for robocalls, ads and other materials is "simply wrong," he said.

Lee called the 34-page ballot measure a "monster" of a policy change that would affect more than 70 state laws.

And, since the credit program is topped at $12 million, only 120,000 of the states more than 535,000 registered voters could take part, he noted. Everyones tax dollars would go into the fund, but only one in five would determine how the money was spent, Lee said.

Frankenfeld acknowledged that the measure is lengthy, but says the various parts of the proposal work together.

Campaign contribution caps and disclosure requirements will limit the involvement and influence of special interests and reduce their control on elections, proponents say.

"We hope to empower average voters to participate in the election process," Frankenfeld said.

South Dakota is the only state that does not limit gifts lobbyists can give to elected officials, he said. This measure would add those limits.

Lee said the general fund appropriation that would go to the campaign fund means less tax money will be available for other state needs.

The added disclosure requirements go too far, as well, he said, and would limit privacy rights of individuals.

AMENDMENT V

Advocates of Amendment V want to eliminate the states partisan primary and general election system.

Democrats and Republicans currently vote in primaries to select candidates who then represent their parties on the general election ballot.

This amendment would create nonpartisan elections, instead. Candidates for elected federal, state and county offices would not be identified by party affiliation on primary or general election ballots.

Voters could vote for any candidate. The top two candidates with the most votes would advance to the general election.

Supporters of the measure say it would mean more candidates and more voters, which are good things, according to Joe Kirby, Sioux Falls, a spokesperson for Vote Yes on V.

"We want people to vote on individuals and issues and not just on a party endorsement," Kirby said.

The change also would open up primary voting to Independent voters.

They currently can vote in the Democratic primary, but not in the Republican primary.

This measure would reduce partisanship and could lead to more moderate candidates winning office, according to Kirby. That can help eliminate partisan gridlock and provide for more cooperation among elected officials, he said.

"It re-defines the role of parties and they'd no longer be gatekeepers to the system," Kirby said.

But the opponents say the measure provides less transparency and takes away information from voters.

"When you look at Republican or Democrat (designations) then you know what that means," said Will Mortenson, chairman of the Vote No On V group. "Voters can be trusted with that information."

He said attempting to drastically change state laws in order to try to get certain people elected is wrong. You shouldnt change the system to try to provide for "favored political outcomes," Mortenson said.

The measure actually limits voters choices since a third option would never be available in the general election, he said.

It also would favor candidates with money since name recognition would be a major factor.

Amendment V would be a major constitutional overhaul that would require the rewriting of state election laws and that is unnecessary, Mortenson said.

"This could be the first ballot measure in South Dakota history that comes in and tries to take information away," said Mortenson.

Ten questions are on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. You can learn more about the various ballot questions at the S.D. Secretary of States website, sdsos.gov.
CUSTER | The Black Hills National Forest received a national award last week for its accomplishments in promoting accessibility.

A news release from the Forest Service says the national forest, headquartered in Custer, won the 2016 Accessibility Accomplishment Award to a Forest Service unit.

The award recognizes the service's "sustained commitment and dedication to foster broad understanding, support, and implementation of universal design concepts across the full range of the forests recreation and administrative facilities and programs," according to the release.

Those accomplishments include improved accessibility by building and maintaining accessible paths, restrooms, overlooks, fishing bridges, fishing docks, areas for picnicking and providing beach access mats.

Partnerships are also key, according to Forest Service, which is why officials at the Black Hills National Forest say they have worked with organizations like the Forest Recreation Management, South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Custer State Park and volunteers to achieve their goals.

The forest was nominated by Region 2 for the award and selected by a national review team, according to the release, "for the long standing and solid commitment of Forest leadership and employees."

"The Forest Service has a long-standing commitment to integrate the highest accessibility standards into new or updated facilities, which results in an improved overall experience for all visitors," according to the release.

Black Hills National Forest Civil Engineer Paul Bosworth, and the Forests North and South zone engineering teams were also nominated and recognized for their work.

Toys for Tots returns

HomeSlice Media Group is partnering with the U.S. Marine Corp and Toys for Tots to bring Toys for Tots back to Pennington County, according to a news release from the media group.

This will be the first year of the partnership between HomeSlice and Toys for Tots. Their goal is to gather 20,000 toys.

HomeSlice employees in Rapid City and Sturgis will organize drop-off points and events for donated toys, books and games.

"We are excited to bring the Toys for Tots program back to the Black Hills!" MaryAnne Whittle, vice president of broadcast for HomeSlice Media Group, said in the release. "We have seen the need in our local communities and plan to partner with local organizations and businesses to secure thousands of toys for those that need them this holiday season."
I could end up in jail on Election Day.

Ever since graduating from college as a liberal arts major several decades ago, Ive always asserted Im equally ignorant in every academic area.

But, after writing a few dozen books and several thousand newspaper and magazine articles, I always thought I could read. That is, until I tried to digest a sample ballot for next months general election in South Dakota.

It took me nearly 20 minutes, and that was only to decipher the scaled-down version of the numerous and complicated measures on the Nov. 8 ballot.

The problem is, according to South Dakota state statute 12-18-15, which carries the ominous heading, Voting without delay  Maximum time in booth or machine  Re-entry prohibited, by law Ill only have 10 minutes to cast my ballot that Tuesday.

Forget the contentious presidential election. Discount the congressional races. Disregard who is running for the state Legislature or the PUC. Those are easy decisions.

But South Dakota voters should be very afraid of the 10 constitutional amendments, referred laws and initiated measures facing South Dakota voters in this years general election. I know I am.

The person voting shall cast his vote without delay, the 1993 law commands. No voter may occupy a voting booth or voting machine already occupied by another, nor occupy a voting booth or machine for more than 10 minutes.

Thankfully, late last week South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs, the supreme arbiter of state elections, assured me that no one is going to jail if they take a little more time than usual to check their ballot boxes and return their tally to election officials in the convenient privacy sleeve in which it was presented.

Its never been enforced and obviously, within reason, if they're not falling asleep in there, I dont see that (law) ever being enforced unless its a situation that was totally unreasonable, Krebs said. We just ask voters to be respectful of each other and, at the same time, we dont want to rush people either.

Thank heaven, because even after reading the state Attorney Generals succinct explanations of all the measures on the ballot, Im still not sure if pay-day lenders should be able to charge a maximum of 18 percent or 36 percent annual interest (or what happens if both measures pass?); whether we need to expand rights for crime victims; establish non-partisan state elections; revise state campaign finance and lobbying laws while creating an ethics commission; allow corporations and nonprofits to charge a fee for any service provided; or permit employers to pay the youngest among us less than the established minimum wage.

And, Ive learned Im not alone.

Lawrence County has already handed out 2,000 sample ballots. Meade County ran through 750 sample ballots for one of its two legislative districts, then ordered 750 more from its printer.

I think its above normal, said Meade County Auditor Lisa Schieffer, who has been working in that office for 24 years, 18 as the top dog. In looking at the ballot, I would almost go vote absentee so I didnt have to go to the polls.

The full text of the 10 measures was published in the Rapid City Journal legal advertisements last week and consumed eight full pages of newsprint.

Krebs, Schieffer and Lawrence County Auditor Connie Atkinson encouraged voters to pick up or request sample and absentee ballots well in advance of the election. Schieffer said her staff had been scattering sample ballots in communities throughout her county, as well as at senior centers and retail outlets.

Were trying to push them to our citizens and ask them to stop by, get a sample ballot, and take it home and read it, she said. And were really pushing absentee ballots. Weve sent out or had people come in and cast 925 ballots thus far. In 2006, one of our last big elections, almost a third of our voters cast absentee ballots.

The bottom line is voters need to take the time to educate themselves and review the ballot ahead of time, the secretary of state said.

Krebs also said that sample ballots are available, as well as details on every legislative race in South Dakota, online at sdsos.gov. Schieffer noted that an app for mobile devices called Vote 605 allows voters to track the progress of their absentee ballot through the system. It also provides users with precinct polling places, a sample ballot, specific legislative districts, and access to their county auditor.

But, Krebs warned voters that it is illegal under South Dakota statute to take a ballot selfie, the act in which a proud member of the American electorate, fulfilling their civic duty, might take a photo of their marked ballot.

It actually has happened, she said, adding, We dont want excitement getting in the way.
Students receive FFA scholarships

The South Dakota Future Farmers of America (FFA) Foundation has announced the recipients of three $100 scholarships for students placing first in each of the three SD Regional Range Evaluation Competitions this fall in Wessington Springs, Wall and Roslyn. The recipients are Aaron Linke, Sanborn Central/Woonsocket FFA; Mark Stangle, Philip FFA; and Levi Johnson, Webster FFA. The scholarships are designed to encourage and reward students' accomplishments in the field of range management.

Amphitheater dedicated in honor of Schallenkamps

Black Hills State University will dedicate the new amphitheater on campus in honor of Kay Schallenkamp, retired president of BHSU, and Ken Schallenkamp, retired BHSU professor of business law. The Schallenkamp Amphitheater Dedication will take place Monday at 1:30 p.m.and is open to the public. The amphitheater is located between Meier Hall and the Peaks Residence Hall Complex on Yellow Jacket Lane in Spearfish. Following the dedication, the public is invited to the reception in the Joy Center.

'Movement, Muscle, Measure' exhibit at Mines

The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is hosting a new art exhibit entitled "Movement, Muscle, Measure" by Michael B. Baum at the Apex Gallery on campus. The exhibit includes up to 40 drawings from four different series, exploring the intersection of kinesiology, drawing and technology. Baum serves as an assistant professor of art at Black Hills State University and the curator of Ruddell Gallery. Baum has also been the recipient of a career development grant through the South Dakota Arts Council for a series of drawings entitled "Heart to Heart." The exhibit will run through Oct. 28.

Rapid City students get SDSU scholarships

South Dakota State University announced the following students as scholarship recipients for the current academic year: Bradley Drake, Tessa Loberg, Kiley Medler, Christine Muilenburg and Charles Pugsley. All five of the students are from Rapid City.

Freshman Impact program turns 10

The Freshman Impact program will hold an event to mark its 10th anniversary, with the general public invited to the first fundraising Prime Rib Dinner/Auction at Crazy Horse Memorial on Oct. 29. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley will be the speaker. The auction preview begins at 5 p.m. with a buffet dinner at 5:30 p.m. Meal tickets are on sale at freshmanimpact.com, or send checks and donations at 22732 Rando Court, Box Elder, SD 57719. Cash, check or credit card accepted at auction. Free admission to Crazy Horse Memorial included. Freshman Impact is a one-day event coordinated among local agencies, state and federal law enforcement, fire, rescue and other first-responders that educates teenagers on the devastating effects of poor choices. The program's goal is to immerse freshmen in pre-planned crisis situations and equip them with the tools to make healthier decisions.
More fresh fruits and vegetables and lower sodium entrees are among the changes the Meade School District has made in an effort to improve the nutritional value of meals it feeds its students.

For those efforts, Darlene Barnes, Regional Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service from Denver, presented the district with a Certificate of Appreciation last week.

"I know it's been tough, but what they are doing is working," Barnes said.

Barnes referenced statistics that show consumption of vegetables by school children has increased by more than 16 percent over the past four years.

The updated meal standards first introduced in 2012 featured more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy, as well as less sugar, fat and salt.

"Lunches are healthier and more nutritious. We continue to move forward because it's all about the kids," she said.

Meade School District Food Service Manager Joe Schaffer was candid with Barnes about how difficult the first year under the new guidelines was.

"When you lose money for the year trying to figure it out, it's even harder yet," he said. "I worried about my job and the jobs of my staff."

Students weren't buying school lunches, which meant less money in the food service budget.

Schaffer said he soon realized that he needed to stick with foods that students related to, which fell into the category of "fast food."

Sturgis Brown High School freshman Cody Hayford said his favorite entree at the high school is nachos. And, he has noticed that the food service is offering many more fruit options.

Subtle nutritional changes were made such as offering a chicken sandwich on a whole-grain bun instead of white, or cutting back the sodium level in foods students found appetizing.

Before updated nutritional standards were implemented, the acceptable sodium level was 1,650 mg on average for school lunch. That has since dropped to 1,420 mg. The figure is an average for five lunches throughout the week.

Schaffer says on the day he offers super nachos at the high school, the sodium level may be about 1,500 mg, but then he offers a lower sodium entree on another day during the week to make up for the nachos.

Schaffer worries that more mandates on the horizon may be unrealistic, such as a meal having no more than 940 mg of sodium in 2017 and 640 mg of sodium in 2022.

"I don't know how much more we can go in that direction," he told Barnes.

He points to the fact that one ounce of ketchup contains about 360 mg of sodium. When they first implemented the new guidelines four years ago, Schaffer was forced to offer low sodium ketchup packets. Students were only give one packet. That prompted some students to bring their own ketchup to school.

"We had a couple who brought a bottle of ketchup and kept it in their locker," Schaffer said.

Bridger Gordon, a junior at Sturgis Brown High School, says changes to the school lunches have been subtle.

"They haven't been real noticeable," he said. "One thing I've seen is that they changed from crinkle cut fries to more of a baked seasoned potato slice."

Gordon believes it's a good thing for the district to offer healthier options that students want to eat.

"The lunches help satisfy me, even a high school student, to stay focused throughout the day," he said.
Donald Trump has stated repeatedly that his brand is all-important. Well, if what he says in that infamous recorded open-mic conversation with Billy Bush in 2005 about grabbing women's crotches uninvited is true, then his brand should be his prison number.

He didn't help himself at the second presidential debate with Hillary Clinton, which was as down and dirty as it could be. With its town-hall format, he was free to roam around the stage while Clinton spoke. It looked for all the world like he was trying to intimidate her, while she ignored him. It certainly didn't help him with the women's vote. Of course, his poll numbers with females already are in the toilet, and they probably won't escape the swirl this time, as he looked like a hulking stalker on the stage. When he spoke, he left the impression he was a mugger with a sinus problem.

He had been driven into the ground with the disclosure of his lewd comments, but down in the mud and sewage is Donald Trump's natural habitat, and he showed himself to be a strong believer in the maxim "the best defense is a good offense." Throughout the campaign, Trump has shown on a daily basis that he is the champion at being offensive, and he demonstrated it anew even before the debate started: He held a media event to display the women who, over the years, have claimed they were sexually abused by Bill Clinton. Trump's point was that what he insisted was just "locker room comments" back in 2005 didn't compare with the sex crimes actually committed by Bill Clinton in the decades before.

Frankly, that's an arguable point, but did I mention he was referring to Bill Clinton, not Hillary? Hillary, according to the women accusers, was mainly guilty of viciously trashing them, also an arguable point. On debate night, the question was which of today's candidates is the worse abuser. That one Trump won hands down.

Whatever the truth of Donald Trump's idiotic sexual-assault braggadocio, he demonstrated that his abuse was not just limited to that realm. He also displayed a nasty willingness to abuse power. Speaking about Hillary Clinton's deleted emails, he said, "I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation, because there has never been so many lies, so much deception ..." etc.

He went on to threaten to "jail" her. That's straight out of petty dictatordom, something his comrade Vlad might threaten, but it's nothing new. He also referred to her as "the devil."

It's fair to guess that after the confrontation was concluded, millions of American had this compelling desire to take a shower. But it's also fair to assume that we've felt that way during the entire campaign. The good news is that it soon will be over. The bad news is that before it is, there is one more debate. Appropriately, it will be held in Las Vegas.

Actually, depending on the result, it might be only starting, but at least this two-year national humiliation will be history, and then, depending on the result, the United States of America will have some major work to do on improving our once-proud brand.
WASHINGTON | Let's begin with the People magazine writer who says that Donald Trump took her into a room at his Mar-a-Lago estate  while his pregnant wife was changing her clothes upstairs  and "within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat."

Natasha Stoynoff is an experienced journalist with six books to her credit, and her story is similar to those told by others. A second woman says she, too, was groped by Trump at the Florida estate. Two other women told The New York Times of being accosted by Trump, one of them groped and the other forcibly kissed. A former Miss Washington says Trump "continually grabbed my a--" at a beauty pageant. Another woman alleged in a lawsuit that Trump pushed her against a wall and tried to put his hands up her dress.

Trump denies it all. But there is reason to believe these stories of sexual assault  let's call it what it is  because of Trump's own words about the way he treats women.

This is the very behavior Trump boasts of in the "Access Hollywood" videotape that surfaced last week. He relates how he "moved on" co-host Nancy O'Dell, a married woman, without success. He says that when he sees beautiful women, "I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait." He says that "when you're a star," you can "grab them by the p----. You can do anything."

At last Sunday's debate, Trump tried to dismiss those unguarded words as "locker room talk." Pressed by moderator Anderson Cooper, he claimed never to have actually done any of these things. Imagine how that denial sounded to women who knew otherwise.

The creepiest new revelation comes from CBS News, which discovered footage from a 1992 interview in which Trump says of a 10-year-old girl: "I am going to be dating her in 10 years. Can you believe it?" And there have also been reports in the Guardian and BuzzFeed about Trump walking in on contestants in the Miss Teen USA pageant when they were half-dressed.

Ick.

The story here is that the Republican nominee for president of the United States appears not to be a rakish lothario but a sexual predator who uses his wealth and power, including his physical strength, to force himself on women.

Yet vice presidential nominee Mike Pence  who calls himself "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order"  tells audiences that Trump is "a good man." There are no words for such hypocrisy.

The GOP claims to stand for traditional family values. Indeed, some leading Republicans abandoned the Trump Titanic when the "Access Hollywood" tape made it impossible to pretend the party had nominated a candidate worthy of the presidency. But others  notably Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell  have stuck with him, hoping to survive the electoral disaster they fear is coming.

Inside the gilded Trump Tower bunker, the self-described habitual groper is reported to be in a constant rage. His narcissism leads him to blame everyone else for his predicament  the women who alleged the assaults, the news media that seek to hold him accountable, the Republicans scrambling for the lifeboats. He will never, ever blame himself.

Trump and his inner circle apparently believe that screaming about Bill Clinton's sexual peccadilloes will somehow excuse or neutralize what we have learned over the past week. But Hillary Clinton is on the ballot, not her husband. Voters know the difference.

They also understand that women who suffer sexual assault often do not immediately come forward. In a story that People posted Wednesday night, Stoynoff described what happened after Trump allegedly jumped her at Mar-a-Lago:

"I tried to act normal. I had a job to do, and I was determined to do it. ... 'You know we're going to have an affair, don't you?' he declared, in the same confident tone he uses when he says he's going to make America great again. 'Have you ever been to Peter Luger's for steaks? I'll take you. We're going to have an affair, I'm telling you.'"

Stoynoff wrote that "like many women, I was ashamed and blamed myself for his transgression. ... I was afraid that a famous, powerful, wealthy man could and would discredit and destroy me."

Back in New York, "I asked to be taken off the Trump beat," Stoynoff wrote. Most Americans feel the same way.
Referred Law 19 and Amendments T and V address the political process in South Dakota. In one case voters are being asked to overturn a law passed in the 2016 session of the Legislature. The amendments seek to change how the state does redistricting and how future elections are held.

Amendment V

Of the four ballot measures that address campaign reform this year, none would be more evident to voters than Amendment V, which creates nonpartisan elections for every statewide office, including governor, attorney general, secretary of state, the state Legislature and Congress.

The proposed amendment, which has Democratic and Republican supporters, makes two major changes in the state's elections.

First, it creates an open-primary system where every registered voter can participate. Currently, the state's Republican primary is closed to independent voters, while the Democratic primary is open to them.

Secondly, the primary election is nonpartisan, which means all candidates in a district are on the same ballot but in name only as party designation is not included. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary face off in the general election.

Opponents of Amendment V claim this measure makes the ballot less transparent as voters will be deprived of key information, which is the party affiliation of the candidates. Rather than an open-primary system, they call it a "hidden primary" in the ballot argument opposing the measure. They also claim nonpartisan elections will actually harm independent candidates by making it more difficult for them to get elected.

Currently, no independent candidates and only a handful of Democrats are serving in the state Legislature. Republicans, meanwhile, dominate the Legislature and hold every statewide office.

In fact, the Republican super majority is such in South Dakota that many of our legislative elections, especially West River, are determined in Republican primary elections as Democrats and independents often do not field candidates in races that are considered foregone conclusions, which deprives voters of vigorous debates on the issues.

As a result, a candidate who only wins a primary race can be elected to the Legislature with fewer than 4,000 votes in a process that disenfranchises around 115,000 registered independent voters.

The status quo is also having a negative impact on voter turnout. For example, only 22 percent of voters statewide participated in the primary election in June.

An open, nonpartisan primary will likely encourage more people to run for office, candidates to work harder for votes and, most importantly, greater turnout on election day. It also is unlikely to radically alter the makeup of the current Legislature. In Nebraska, which has had nonpartisan elections for years, the Legislature is 71 percent Republican. The amendment also doesn't prohibit candidates from running as Republicans, Democrats or independents. Finally, it is important to note that city, county and school board elections are already nonpartisan in South Dakota.

The Journal editorial board recommends a "yes" vote on Amendment V.

Referred Law 19

As is the case with all referred laws on the ballot, this is a bid to overturn a state law. In the 2016 session, the Legislature approved a bill that, among other things, prohibits registered Democrats and Republicans from signing nominating petitions being circulated by independent candidates. It also requires Democratic and Republican candidates to get more signatures on their nominating petitions.

In making the ballot argument for the law, Rapid City lawmaker Brian Gosch writes: "Passage of Referred Law 19 will mean fair and honest elections, increased transparency and will prevent abuses of the election process. Republicans drafted this bill, Republican legislators passed it, and a Republican governor signed it. Every voter, especially Republicans, should support Referred Law 19."

Opponents argue that it will make it more difficult for independents and others to run for a statewide office.

Any law that prohibits registered voters from signing any candidate petition clearly limits free speech and is undemocratic at its core. Everyone should be encouraged to participate in the election process.

The Journal editorial board recommends a "no" vote on Referred Law 19.

Amendment T

Every 10 years after U.S. Census results are released the states are charged with looking at voting district boundaries to determine if they need to be realigned. Currently, the South Dakota Legislature is charged with the redistricting task.

Amendment T removes that authority from a committee of 15 state lawmakers and grants it to a nine-member redistricting commission that would consist of three Republicans, three Democrats and three others unaffiliated with the two major parties. The State Board of Elections would select the committee members from a pool of up to 30 applicants. Those in the pool also cannot have served in an elected or party office for three years prior to the appointment and three years after their term ends.

Supporters of Amendment T say it will remove politics from redistricting, while opponents claim a commission undermines the will of the voters who elect lawmakers to the Legislature.

It seems, however, that letting the majority party determine voting-district borders invariably politicizes a process that should be exempt from the partisan warfare that is prevalent in todays elected bodies. An approach that takes the politics out of redistricting will foster more confidence in the results of the political process.

The Journal editorial board recommends a yes vote on Amendment T.
CHARLO  A pheasant hunter from Missoula was injured by a grizzly bear with two cubs Tuesday afternoon near Ninepipe Reservoir on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Germaine White, education and information specialist with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, described the incident as a surprise encounter that took place in dense cover off Olsen Road, south of the reservoir.

The mans condition is not known. White said he was taken to a hospital, but she did not know if it was a local one, or one in Missoula.

Initial reports said it was unclear whether a grizzly or black bear had attacked the hunter, but Sgt. Dan McClure of Tribal Fish and Game said Wednesday that his ongoing investigation had concluded it was a grizzly.

Bears are currently in the stage of hyperphagia, a period when they consume as many as 20,000 calories a day as they prepare for hibernation.

McClure said game wardens with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks were taking a statement in Missoula from the victim, who was hunting with friends who were elsewhere when the encounter occurred. He had not yet received the statement, McClure said, but understood the man had reported the incident to authorities himself, and had not called his nearby friends to keep them from trying to locate him in the area where the grizzly and her cubs might still be.

Authorities were notified at approximately 2:15 p.m. Tuesday.

White encouraged hunters to use extreme caution at a time bears are very active can often be found in cornfields, and foraging for food in thickets and dense cover.

When youre out, you need to make noise, and travel in a group of three or more people, she said. If you surprise a bear, the outcome is never good. Were in that time where bears are consuming as many calories as they can.

The entire Mission Valley is bear habitat, CSKT bear biologist Stacy Courville said, and is home to both grizzly and black bears.
Privacy Policy

RealChoice is a BlogSpot blog. You get whatever privacy you get when you post on a blog. As Blogmistress of RealChoice, I do not collect information on my users or those who post comments. I will delete spam and offensive comments, and thoroughly cooperate with law enforcement, as I did in the case of Ted "Operation Counterstrike" Schulman, if people make terroristic threats on my blog.



So fight nice, kids.


Comments and links to reports on science, and its applications.
America must return to conservative principles of less government,reduced taxes, less spending and a balanced budget! Cut,cap and balance!
Kathmandu, Nepal: A youth named Baikuntha Belabase, originally from Siddara VDC of Arghakhanchi district has been arrested by the Nepal Police here in Kathmandu on the charge of extorting money from commoners and businesspersons in the guise of a commander of an armed group.

Nepal Police have said that Belabase was nabbed from Manamaiju of Kathmandu based rented room. He had been extorting money projecting him to be the commander of an underground armed group named Al-Qaida World Organization South Asia and Nepal (AQWOSAN).

Police have a claim that he had not only been extorting money in the guise of AQWOSAN commander but also the several other pseudo armed groups such as Armed Defense Army Force and Tiger Liberation Front with different names like Agni Jwala, Bibash, Ashina and among others.
New economic numbers confirm what we already knew about Wyomings economy this year: Things have been rough.

Income, employment and sales tax receipts continued to fall sharply this year, according to three reports released recently by the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division. But the reports covered only the second quarter of 2016, which ended in June, and some of those figures have since perked up.

The overall economy is stabilizing for third quarter, said the states chief economist Wenlin Liu.

He said the summer months had shown improvement. The unemployment rate did not increase, and there were no new jobless claims coming from mining workers.

Liu also noted that the number of oil and gas rigs had increased in September from eight to 13, boosting sales tax revenue by about $1 million as energy companies purchase equipment to bring the new rigs online.

But the reports still attach hard data to a economic decline that began in 2015 and continued into this year.

In the second quarter, sales tax was down 17 percent statewide compared with 2015 -- a fall in sales related to mining accounted for 40 percent of the drop.

Apartment rental costs dropped in many counties: 25 percent in Converse, 13 percent in Natrona and 11 percent in Campbell from the year prior.

(Teton County, always an economic outlier in the state, showed an increase of 42 percent from 2015 with a two-bedroom apartment averaging $1,826 this year.)

Home value lagged behind the Mountain west region and the nation as a whole.

While home price appreciation since last year was up 10.2 percent in Colorado, 7.6 percent in Idaho and 6.2 percent in Montana, Wyoming saw an increase of only 2.7 percent.

In Casper, new single-family home construction permits dropped by a steep 49 percent compared with last year.

Personal income in Wyoming declined 1.5 percent in the second quarter, compared with a 3.2 percent increase nationwide.

Decreased earnings in the mining and farm sectors were most dramatic, at 22 percent and 47 percent, respectively. Manufacturing and education/health saw the largest increase in income, at about 5.5 percent each.

While tourism was also up, 5.6 percent, the report said the increase was entirely due to higher visitation at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

The statewide change would have been negative without the contribution from Teton County, the report said.

But even with the months following June showing signs of stabilization, another report covering employment through August showed that the state has long way to go.

There were 4,600 fewer mining jobs in August compared with the year before, 1,400 fewer in transportation, 1,300 fewer jobs in each of construction and wholesale trade.

Statewide, the number of jobs was down 3.3 percent.

Also released was the Wyoming Cost of Living Index, which measures the price of a variety of goods across every county in the state. Teton, Sublette, Campbell, Carbon and Laramie have the highest prices in the state while Niobrara, Platte, Lincoln-Kemmerer and Big Horn have some of the lowest.

Natrona County was squarely in the middle when it came to consumer prices.
KATHMANDU, Oct 16: A meeting of the Legislature-Parliament today unanimously endorsed a proposal tabled seeking permission to send earlier presented three elections-related bills to the respective committees for clause-wise deliberations.

Deputy Prime Minister Bimalendra Nidhi introduced the proposal before the meeting to send 'Bill to Amend and Integrate Laws related to Functions, Duties and Powers of the Election Commission- 2073 BS'; 'Bill to Amend and Integrate Laws related to Voters' List- 2073 BS' and 'Bill to Amend and Integrate Laws Related to Political Parties-2073 BS' to the respective committees for clause-wise deliberations.

Likewise, the meeting has also decided to send the Rajarshi Janak University Bill- 2073' to the respective committee for starting the clause-wise deliberations with endorsing the proposal towards that end tabled by Education Minister Dhaniram Poudel.

Similarly, at the meeting, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Shankar Bhandari presented the Forest ( second amendment) Bill- 2073 BS along with the report of the Environment Protection Committee that was later approved by the meeting unanimously . RSS
GOA, Oct 16: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is presently in Goa in course of attending the BRICS- BIMSTEC Outreach Summit, today called on Sri Lankan President Maithiripala Sirisena.

On the occasion, matters relating to operating direct flights between the two countries and hosting the stalled 19th SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ) Summit were discussed at the meeting held at local Leela Hotel.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal said though Nepal and Sri Lanka are somehow far in terms of geographical location, both countries need to play role in the overall development of the South Asia and in the maintenance of cordial relations among the SAARC countries.

Emphasizing on the need of holding the Summit of the regional body as soon as possible, he said the member countries should have common views regarding this.

The Prime Minister, on the occasion, also requested the Sri Lankan President to reconsider the capital punishment handed by Sri Lanka to a Nepali citizen Chet Bahadur Thapa ( Lalitpur) on a case of drugs smuggling and make effective measures to control trafficking of Nepali women to the gulf countries via Sri Lanka.

Stating that Sri Lanka shares friendly relations with Nepal, the Sri Lankan President underscored the need of making collective efforts to organised the SAARC Summit. He said Sri Lanka was positive towards the concerns put forth by Nepal. RSS
KATHMANDU, Oct 16: A proposal by Nepal before the trilateral meeting among Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping has received a positive response.

Prime Minister Dahal who is presently in Goa, India in course of attending the BRICS- BIMSTEC Outreach Summit introduced the proposal before the meeting that was held on Saturday night, according to Prime Minister's Press Advisor Gobinda Acharya. On the occasion, the leaders from three countries discussed about the matters relating to mutual benefits and interests.

Besides, Prime Minister Dahal and Chinese President Xi held 'a one-on-one meeting' that lasted for around 20 minutes.

During the trilateral meeting, Prime Minister Dahal reminded that during his previous tenure as the head of the government of Nepal, he had emphasized on the need of tri-party strategic understanding among Nepal, India and China.

"Nepal lies in between two giant neighbors- India and China. We wish to reap benefits of this geographical specialty by working as a dynamic bridge between the two countries," the Prime Minister said on the occasion. In response, the Indian Prime Minister and the Chinese President welcomed the proposal floated by Nepal and gave their consent to it.

Reminding that Gautam Buddha, Pashupatinath and Janaki connect Nepal, India and China, PM Dahal said Nepal in modern history could serve as a bridge to maintain cordial relations with India and China.

He also said Nepal wants to establish balanced, friendly and strategic relationships with both the neighbours for itself to reach its development goal.

On the occasion, Chinese President Xi said Nepal could serve as a bridge between India and China, saying geography of any country would not play a decisive role in terms of many things like development.

He also praised the role of Nepal in keeping the relations between China and India at equidistance while expressing belief that the relations between the three neighbours would be strengthened in the future.

Likewise, Indian PM Modi acknowledged there are geographical, emotional and cultural relations between India, Nepal and China. RSS
GOA: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is to address the meeting of the heads of state and governments of the BIMSTEC member states as well as the BRIC-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit here today.

The Summit is expected to help outline areas of collaboration between the two groups of states and also provide important opportunity for cooperation and collaboration for under-developed countries like Nepal in the region.

The BIMSTEC member states representing the SAARC region have been invited as invitee member to the BRICS conference.

Along with Nepal, hosts India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka are taking part in the Summit.

Prime Minister Dahal is also scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi this evening.

Matters relating to mutual interests and cooperation, as well as new areas of collaboration are expected to be discussed during the meeting.RSS
WASHINGTON, Oct 16: Passengers and flight crews will be banned from bringing Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on airline flights under an emergency order issued Friday by the Department of Transportation in response to reports of the phones catching fire.

The order, which goes into effect on Saturday at noon EDT, says the phones may not be carried on board or packed in checked bags on flights to and from the United States or within the country. The phones also can't be shipped as air cargo.

The department initially said that passengers attempting to board planes with the phones might face fines, but later clarified that such passengers will simply not be allowed on planes. Passengers who try to evade the ban by packing the phone in their checked luggage may be subject to criminal prosecution in addition to fines. Packing the phones in checked luggage increases the risk of a "catastrophic incident," the department said.

Passengers who are currently traveling with Samsung Galaxy Note7 phones should contact Samsung or their wireless carrier immediately to obtain information about how to return their phones and arrange for a refund or a replacement phone, the department said.

Samsung has recalled more than 2.5 million of the smart phones, citing a battery manufacturing error. The South Korean company discontinued the product earlier this week, less than two months after its August release.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been nearly 100 reports of batteries in Note 7 phones overheating in the U.S. One fire erupted on a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this month. In another case, a family in St. Petersburg, Florida, reported a Galaxy Note 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.

The Federal Aviation Administration had previously warned passengers not to pack the phones in their checked bags and to power them off and not charge them while on board planes.

"We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident in flight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk."

Samsung said in a statement that it is working with the department to make customers aware of the ban. The company also urged Note 7 customers to get a refund or exchange their phones by visiting their wireless carrier or retail store. Samsung has a website athttp://www.samsung.com/us/note7recall/ and a phone number, 1-844-365-6197, for customers with questions.

The Note 7 isn't the only gadget to catch fire thanks to lithium-battery problems, which have afflicted everything from laptops to Tesla cars to Boeing's 787 jetliner. At least three U.S. airlines are adding new fire-suppression equipment to fleets in case a cell phone or laptop battery overheats, catches on fire and can't be extinguished.

Rechargeable lithium batteries are more susceptible to overheating than other types of batteries if they are exposed to high temperatures, are damaged or have manufacturing flaws. Once overheating starts, it can lead to "thermal runaway" in which temperatures continue escalating to very high levels. Water can extinguish the flames, but doesn't always halt the thermal runaway. Flames will often reappear after initially being quenched.

Lithium batteries are ubiquitous in consumer electronic devices. Manufacturers like them because they weigh less and pack considerably more energy into the same space than other types of batteries.

Earlier this year, the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency that sets global aviation safety standards, banned bulk shipments of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries as cargo on passenger planes until better packaging can be developed to prevent a fire from spreading and potentially destroying the plane.
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sacw.net - 16 October 2016

compiled by Aashish Gupta, Praavita Kashyap and Reetika Khera

The Aadhaar project, to provide a unique number to all residents in India, was packaged as a welfare-enabling programme. It was sold as an initiative for greater inclusiveness in welfare, a tool against corruption, greater efficiency and so on. Six years down the line, there is mounting evidence of the destruction of welfare programmes due to Aadhaar-linkage. Moreover, the Aadhaar project has a sinister side to it a it is a surveillance-enabling programme, which threatens privacy and democratic practice. People have been lulled into believing that privacy is the price we have to pay for better implementation of welfare programmes. In fact, the Aadhaar project is endangering both a welfare as well as privacy.

The UIDAI claims that over a billion people have been enrolled into the system, several legal challenges to the project have been filed (but not heard for over a year), a law has been passed, but the interim orders of the Supreme Court that attempted to rein in the project still stand, but have been flouted with impunity. The Aadhaar project with all its fundamental weaknesses and dangerous effects, is steadily becoming a part of daily life for millions.

In order to create greater awareness on the worrying aspects of the Aadhaar project, pasted below are excerpts from articles which discuss each of these aspects: the propaganda on welfare, exclusion and disruption of welfare programmes due to Aadhaar, the legal concerns, surveillance-enabling aspects of the programme, as well as some indications of the commercial interests that might be behind it. These different links represent some of the writings that have been published in the media. The last part of this email contains a short explanation of the current status of the project and the Supreme Court orders in the context of the passage of the law. Please feel free to contribute futher resources as well as anecdotes and testimonies.

For more details, including how you can be part of a campaign, please write to rethink.uid[at]gmail.com

Overview

aAadhaar was built on a techno-utopian foundation to plug leakages. It abridges the rights of citizens, and imposes severe hardships on the poor.a (Threats to Citizenas Rights, Usha Ramanathan)

aThe Aadhaar Bill, passed as a money bill, has uncertain benefits, and opens the door to mass surveillance. This danger needs to be seen in the light of recent attacks on the right to dissent.a (The Aadhaar Coup, Jean DrAze)

aIn view of the afore-mentioned concerns and apprehensions about the UID scheme, particularly concerning the contradictions and ambiguities within the Government on its implementation as well as its implications, the [Standing] Committee categorically convey their unacceptability of the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 in its present formaThe committee would, thus, urge the Government to reconsider and review the UID scheme as also the proposals contained in the Bill in all its ramifications and bring forth a fresh legislation before Parliament.a (And the UID juggernaut keeps rolling on, Reetika Khera)

Propaganda on welfare and savings

aUID cannot prevent exclusion errors. Other technologies, simpler, safer and cheaper than UID, can help reduce corruption and improve portability.a (UID: Does Evidence Matter?, Reetika Khera)

aAadhaar was supposed to be a "game-changer" and improve the implementation of welfare programmes. Indeed, it is living up to its game-changing promise - except, it is doing this by wrecking welfare programmes.a (Yes, Aadhaar is a game changer in wrecking welfare, Reetika Khera)

aWhile the government painted a highly exaggerated picture of savings from the direct benefit transfers for LPG, the media played along with this portrayal.a (Big Mediaas Take on Aadhaar-LPG Savings Saga Highlights Why We Canat Trust It, Reetika Khera)

Exclusion and disruption of welfare programmes due to aadhaar

aThe UIDAI project had two important goals a provision of ID documents to everyone, and better inclusion into government programmes. While both goals are desirable, the experience so far tells a different story. On the first (providing ID documents to the ID-less), the project has achieved next to nothing so far (only 0.22 million out of nearly 830 million Aadhaar numbers were issued to the ID-less). On the second, the UID project cannot do much. The UIDAIas understanding of the source of exclusion was inaccurate.a (UID: From Inclusion to Exclusion, Reetika Khera)

aThe imposition of Aadhaar-based biometric authentication in the Public Distribution System threatens to disrupt recent progress with PDS reforms. It also deprives millions of people of essential food entitlements.a (Dark Clouds Over the PDS, Jean DrAze)

aSome of the most vulnerable people, Rajasthanas elderly poor, have been denied meagre pensions due to errors in linking their details with Aadhaar numbers.a (Rajasthanas Living Dead, Anumeha Yadav)

aPilot cash transfer projects taken up in Jharkhand for MGNREGA wages have achieved little success due to a variety of logistical, human and technological problems. A year after the launch of these projects, the problems remain unsolved.a (To Pass Biometric identification, apply vasline or boroplus on fingers overnight, Anumeha Yadav)

Legal concerns

The Aadhaar Bill has been passed with no public consultation about the privacy safeguards necessary for such a database and no provision for public or independent oversight. The rights to liberty and freedom of expression cannot survive if the right to privacy is compromised. (Privacy is a Fundamental Right, Chinmayi Arun)

aCritics say the Aadhaar Bill does not address concerns over privacy, even as government is rushing the Bill without adequate parliamentary scrutiny.a (Seven Reasons Why Parliament Should Debate the Aadhaar Bill, Anumeha Yadav)

aIn 2012, the Justice A.P. Shah Committee suggested nine distinct principles canonising the right to privacy. An analysis of the Aadhaar bill shows that it does not even recognise some of these nine principles.a (The Basis of Privacy, Apar Gupta)

aThe concept of Aadhaar appears to be good. In Utopia. But after going through this Act, I am a little worried about how this system can be misused by our dear politicians and bureaucrats. I just donat trust the people who will handle this system. They are known to be incompetent in matters related to technologya (Aadhaar Act, Why You Should Panic, Meghnad S)

Surveillance

aWhat technology has broken cannot be fixed by the law. Aadhaar is a broken technology; it is surveillance technology disguised as developmental intervention that identifies people without their consent and authenticates transactions on their behalf.a (Aadhaar is actually surveillance tech, Sunil Abraham)

aThe lack of a public debate on the effectiveness or safeguards created for the Central Monitoring System, NATGRID, and Aadhaar puts data at the sole discretion of the government.a (Towards a database nation, Chinmayi Arun)

aThe cult of technology is intolerant to blasphemy. For example, Shekhar Gupta recently tweeted saying that part of the opposition to Aadhaar was because aleft-libs detest science/techa . Technology as ideology is based on some fundamental articles of faith: one, new technology is better than old technology; two, expensive technology is better than cheap technology; three, complex technology is better than simple technology; and four, all technology is empowering or at the very least neutral. Unfortunately, there is no basis in science for any of these articles of faith.a (Surveillance Project, Sunil Abraham)

Commercial interests

aInformation being collected for the unique identification project will be sold back to the government through specially created, privatised, for profit utilities.a (Your data, going on sale soon, Usha Ramanathan)

aan investor noteasaid that the implementation of DBT for food subsidies can result in Rs 45,500 crore annual rise in disposable incomes of targeted households, which in turn can drive a 14 per cent increase in rural FMCG demand. Hindustan Unilever, Colgate and Dabur are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries, the brokerage said. While the methodology adopted by Ambit could be questioned, there cannot be any doubt over the business opportunity Aadhaar and DBT linkage offers for another segment - the mobile phone operators and the software companies.a (Aadhaaras Identity Crisis, Joe Mathew)

afrom the welfare perspective, other than being an employment guarantee scheme for the recession-hit IT/BPO sector, there is no apparent need for the multi-million dollar biometric Aadhaar databaseaLike those opposing Aadhaar as a matter of principle today, Mahatma Gandhi too refused to get fingerprinted a not because he had something to hide, but because fingerprinting legal citizens is..a violation of civil liberty that sets the stage for a police state.a (Why Nandan Nilekanias Sales Pitch is Hard to Buy, Siddharthya Swapan Roy)

The Status of the Project

After the Aadhaar Act of 2016 was passed many have wondered whether the challenge to the project in the Supreme Court have now become redundant. A short explanation is given below a

The petitions before the Supreme Court are not infructuous. They were filed to challenge the entire UID project. The fact that there was no law at the time of the initiation of the project was only one of several challenges presented in various petitions, and therefore the petitions before the court remain valid. The batch of petitions referred to as Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) & Others Versus Union of India & Others has been referred to a Constitution Bench which has not yet been constituted. In the meanwhile the orders of the Supreme Court in K.S. Puttuswamy continue to hold. The two orders dated 11 August and 15 October 2015 are particularly important. The 11 August order restricted the use of the aadhaar number to PDS and LPG, and made even that could only be voluntary use, and they had asked that it be advertised that enrolment was also not mandatory. The Supreme Courtas reasons for restricting use of the UID was because, if the number was used in multiple data bases, they saw that the challenges that had been raised in the court about surveillance, profiling, tracking and violations of privacy would have to be resolved before anything so drastic as the project could be permitted; and it was possible after all that the court may hold the project, or aspects of it, unconstitutional. The 15 October order allowed the government to use it in a few other fields, again voluntarily - and that was the promise on which the use was permitted. The 15 October order expressly says that the government may not change the conditions - either of voluntariness or of expanding the fields - without further orders from the court. The passage of the law makes no difference to this. The 2016 Act nowhere authorises the `seeding of the aadhaar number in any database. This is very important. This is a significant omission in the law, especially as they have been trying to do it these past years, and so certainly knew that that was one of the things happening in the field, and something that the government was itself doing. The 2016 Act clearly speaks only of `authentication, viz., asking the UIDAI database to verify that we are who we say we are. So asking anyone to put the number in any other database (the LPG database, for example, is unsupported by the law). The UID number and the UIDAI database can at best be used for `authentication.

So to make Aadhaar mandatory is a-

a in contempt of the Supreme Court orders, which, you may clarify to the authorities, as in force, and will be so long as the case is pending before the court

a not supported by the 2016 Act, which does not authorise seeding
Dawn.com a October 13, 2016

The family of Asia Bibi is waiting anxiously for the Supreme Court to announce her appeal in a case that has been ongoing for over six years.

Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, has been on death row since 2010. She was accused of committing blasphemy in 2009. A trial court had found her guilty of the crime and awarded her the death sentence. The Lahore High Court (LHC) upheld the sentence.

In 2011, former Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who spoke out in support of Bibi, was gunned down in broad daylight in Islamabad. His assassin Mumtaz Qadri was executed earlier in 2016 after the court found him guilty of murder.

The lawyers of Bibi have approached the SC as a last resort, seeking repeal of her sentence.

A day before the hearing of Asias final appeal challenging her conviction and death sentence for blasphemy before a bench of the Supreme Court, [International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) released Questions and Answers about the case.

The Q&A explains the allegations against Asia Bibi and describes her blasphemy trial and appeal before the LHC.

What are the allegations against Asia Bibi and when was she convicted?

Asia Bibi was convicted for blasphemy under section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code for allegedly defaming Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The offence carries mandatory death penalty under Pakistani law.

The allegations against Asia Bibi are that she made three adefamatory and sarcastica statements about the Prophet (PBUH) on June 14, 2009, during an argument with three Muslim women while the four of them were picking fruit in a field.

Read more: The untold story of Pakistanas blasphemy law

The prosecution also claims Asia Bibi aadmitteda making these statements at a apublic gatheringa on June 19, 2009 and asked for forgiveness.

A trial court convicted Asia Bibi for blasphemy in November 2010 and sentenced her to death. The Lahore High Court (LHC)upheld her conviction and confirmed her death sentence in October 2014.

The Supreme Court (SC) admitted her appeal in July 2015. The first hearing of the appeal before the SC was scheduled to take place on October 13, 2016.

What was the evidence in support of the allegations against Asia Bibi?

The prosecution presented seven witnesses to support the allegations of blasphemy against Asia bibi.

Two eyewitnesses, Mafia Bibi and Asma Bibi, claimed they heard Asia Bibi make the allegedly blasphemous remarks, and later aadmita to making the statements during a apublic gatheringa a few days later.

Other witnesses included the complainant Qari Muhammad Salaam, a local cleric, who claimed he heard about the alleged blasphemous statements from Mafia and Asma and got a criminal complaint for blasphemy registered with the police; three police officers who registered and investigated the case; and a local resident, Muhammad Afzal, who alleged he heard Asia Bibi admit to making ablasphemous remarksa and seek pardon at the apublic gatheringa .

What was Asia Bibias defense?

Asia Bibi stated she had a aquarrela with Mafia and Asma on June 14, 2009, over their refusal to drink water brought for them by Asia Bibi because she was Christian.

She claimed asome hot words were exchangeda during the argument, after which Mafia and Asma, alongside Qari Muhammad Salaam and his wife (who taught Asma and Mafia the Quran), fabricated the blasphemy case against her.

Asia Bibi also stated that she had agreat respect and honour for the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the Holy Qurana and never made the alleged blasphemous remarks.

What are some of the problems with Asia Bibias conviction?

In its judgment in Asia Bibias case, the LHC conceded athe defence has not defended its case with the required seriousnessaa

Yet, despite acknowledging possible violations of the right of a fair trial, particularly the right to an adequate defense, the court went on to uphold Asia Bibias conviction and death sentence.

Further, the trial court used Asia Bibias statement as an admission of guilt, finding that the ahot wordsa exchanged between her and athe Muslim ladiesa were aswitched into a religious mattera , and concluding that the ahot wordsa must have been anothing other than the blasphemya .

Curiously, however, the trial court rejected the notion that the altercation over water was a possible motive for the prosecution eyewitnesses to falsely implicate Asia Bibi for blasphemy.

The LHC too did not probe further into Asia Bibias statement, and held that there was no possible aill willa between the eyewitnesses and the accused for them to fabricate the blasphemy allegations.

Both courts also disregarded discrepancies in the accounts of the witnesses regarding the apublic gatheringa where Asia Bibi allegedly aadmitteda her guilt.

These discrepancies included significant differences in the number of people allegedly present at the apublic gatheringa (ranging from 100 to 2,000 in the different testimonies); how Asia Bibi was brought to the apublic hearinga , and how long the ahearinga lasted.

The courts also failed to apply atazkia-tul-shahooda (inquiry undertaken by the court to establish the credibility of witnesses), without which defendants cannot be convicted or punished in hadh (capital punishment) cases for certain offences under Pakistani law.

During the entire course of the proceedings, neither court considered which of the three statements attributed to Asia Bibi were ablasphemousa and why, or what was the areasonable persona standard in the interpretation of section 295-C to meet the threshold of blasphemy.

Additionally, both courts did not consider whether Asia Bibi possessed the requisite criminal intent to commit the crime of blasphemy, despite the Federal Shariat Courtas ruling that blasphemy is an aintentional or reckless wronga .

The prosecutionas failure to prove all elements of the offence, including the requisite intent to defame Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) calls into question the convictions by the trial court and LHC.

How does the application of blasphemy laws violate Pakistanas human rights obligations?

The application of Pakistanas blasphemy laws has been denounced for a variety of reasons.

Last year, the Supreme Court of Pakistan held that individuals accused of blasphemy asuffer beyond proportion or repaira in the absence of adequate safeguards against misapplication or misuse of such blasphemy laws.

Confirming the SCas findings, ICJas 2015 study on the implementation of blasphemy laws in Pakistan found that more than 80 per cent of convictions by trial courts are overturned on appeal, very often because appellate courts find evidence and complaints fabricated based on apersonal or political vendettasa .

The ICJ further found the following systematic and widespread fair trial violations in the application of the blasphemy laws, which also apply in Asia Bibias case:

Intimidation and harassment of judges and lawyers that impede on the independence of the judiciary and the right to a defense;

Demonstrable bias and prejudice against defendants by judges during the course of blasphemy proceedings and in judgments;

Violations of the right to effective assistance of counsel;

Rejection of bail and prolonged pretrial detention;

Incompetent investigation and prosecution that do not meet due diligence requirements under the law;

The prosecution and detention of people living with mental disabilities;

Inhumane conditions of detention and imprisonment, including prolonged solitary confinement; and

Vaguely defined offences that undermine the rule of law because they leave the door open to selective prosecution and interpretation.

The ICJ opposes the criminalisation of the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and religion or belief in Pakistan in the shape of the blasphemy laws and considers them a flagrant violation of Pakistanas international human rights obligations, including its obligations to respect the rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of expression; and equal treatment before the law.

Furthermore, mandatory death sentence a including under 295-C of the Penal Code a violates Pakistanas obligations to respect the rights to life, to a fair trial, and to prohibit torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, said ICJ.
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Daya is ready to shuffle off this mortal coil.

The 77-year old patriarch of a middle class Indian family suffers from recurring nightmares. After one such episode, he bluntly declares to his family that he is ready to die. His son Rajiv (Adil Hussain) is puzzled but kind of okay with it, until Daya makes one request - well, more of a demand - he wants to die in Varanasi, the holy city on the Ganges river.

A dutiful son, Rajiv acquiesces to his father's demand. However, his job and his daughter's pending marriage weigh heavy on his mind, so he's secretly hoping for a quick journey there and back.

The father and son arrive at the Mukti Bhawan (Hotel Salvation) in Varanasi and settle in. The hotel is a place expressly designed for people like Daya who are looking to end their earthly journey by the banks of the Ganges, so room turnover is high.

The manager/priest, Mishraji, sets the pair up in a room, but lets Daya and Rajiv know that they have 15 days, then they'll have to make other arrangements. The countdown is on, Daya must acheive enlightenment before the 15th day, or be forced from Salvation. Along the way, father and son learn some things about each other and even more about themselves, and the journey ends up being far more rewarding than the destination.

Writer and director Shubhashish Bhutiani's Hotel Salvation is depiction of an obedient son's attempt to guide his father through his last days is a not the depressing philosophical drudgery that one might expect. Instead the film is filled with laughter, joy, revelations, and a kind of spirit of redemption that the title suggests.

The script is minimal, efficient, and wonderfully adroit in its ability to establish characters and relationships through suggestion, rather than blatant demonstration. The actors in turn are allowed to establish themselves through their mannerisms, and Lalit Behl (Daya) and Hussain are particulalrly exceptional in that regard.

Daya's journey is one of discovery. A widower for years, he meets a woman names Vimla who first came to the hotel with her husband ages before him with the expectation that the couple would die together. When her husband passed away almost immediately, Vimla stayed at the hotel biding her time until it was her turn.

When the two meet early on in Daya's stay, the friendship blossoms, and while never explicitly romantic, their interactions suggest an awakening for both that helps them ease their own transitions. Daya finds life in his new surroundings, he finds surprises, hobbies, and the kind of salvation that God cannot give.

Rajiv's journey, on the other hand, is one of realization and restructuring of priorities. He sees his father as a man, rather than a burden for the first time in a long time. While he's away in Varanasi ushering Daya through to the other side, back home life is going on without him and his inability to manage both sides is a struggle. His job is suffering, his daughter's betrothal is falling apart, and all he can do is beg the local merchants for his father's daily milk. Learning to let go is a struggle, but it's a lesson well learned at the Hotel Salvation.

Hotel Salvation definitely takes on some weighty topics in its search for enlightenment, but thankfully Bhutiani takes on most of the heavy lifting for the audience. We think about life and death, sin and redemption, filial versus financial duty, and the terrible, wonderful bonds of family; and we do so in a wonderfully charming way.

The backdrop of this holiest of Indian cities allows the film to unfold at its own pace, free from the rush and bustle of modern metropolitan India. Varanasi has become a huge tourist draw, but Bhutiani wisely contains his story to the hotel and its immediate surroundings to focus on the story of a man and his father coming to terms with each other and life.

In the end, Hotel Salvation is a celebration of all the things we miss when we stop looking around at just how amazing life can be, and sometimes a reminder is all it takes to remember to smile.
Its definitely not every day that a film festival holds a world premiere of a new silent film directed by the great Ozu Yasujiro. Although there are probably still plenty of films, Japanese or otherwise, that have never been presented to the general public, one tends to think that in this day and age everything that can be discovered has already been discovered.

Due to technological advancements, the world of international cinema seems a lot smaller than it probably used to in times when Ozu was making some of his beloved classics, but it would be rather foolish to assume that it doesn't hold any more secrets. The immense thrill and excitement that comes with every new finding only makes one wish that some of the other works that got lost before and after World War II would magically reappear.

Screened as part of Kyoto Internaional Film and Art Festival's focus on silent cinema, the aforementioned never-before-seen Ozu film is a short, newly restored 20-minute version of a 1929 film called Tokkan Kozo, aka A Straightforward Boy. The film premiered at the Yoshimoto Gion Kagetsu theatre near Kyotos famous Yasaka Shrine on October 15th.

According to the officials at the Toy Film Museum in Kyoto, where the picture has been found, its an almost complete version of the full-length original, as it includes some additional scenes and intertitles that are missing from the previously discovered copy, which has been widely available on YouTube for some time now.

While short and simple, the picture, which revolves around a malicious boy (played by Aoki Tomio, a famous child actor of the pre-war period) and his inept kidnapper (played by Saito Tatsuo, Ozus longtime collaborator), is indeed a lot more tasteful and funny than most of the contemporary comedies produced worldwide. Although the film doesnt really have any of the so-called Ozu-esque features, the visibly innovative storytelling technique and perfect comedic timing show early signs of huge talent.

The grand premiere of the film was later followed by a screening of Ozus 1931 feature The Lady and the Beard, which is considered to be a representative film of the nonsense comedy genre, exercised by the director during the silent era. The 75-minute picture can be viewed online as well and is a definitive must for Japanese cinema fans.

For some reason, the big and historically important event attracted less people than one would have expected based on the media attention the whole discovery story gained in the past two months. Perhaps the beautiful weather encouraged people to go out and explore the old capital. For what its worth, the premiere definitely felt satisfingly private. Yet what made it particularly interesting and enjoyable was the appearance of Ichiro Kataoka, a modern-day benshi, who narrated both films to the accompaniment of Yanashita Mie and her piano.

The impressive and handsomely entertaining live performance, combined with the old-school atmosphere of the venue, more than made up for the somewhat disappointing attendance figures. The whole event was presented entirely in Japanese, and only the first film had English subtitles. Whether theyre actually needed is arguable, but they would certainly help the viewer understand some more difficult bits.

Undeniably, watching a silent picture on the big screen might pose a bit of a challenge for people who are accustomed to enjoying mainly audio-visual experiences on a day-to-day basis. Although, in theory, during the silent era the figure of a benshi wasnt considered to be an indispensable part of the film, he nevertheless played a very important role in the development of cinema-going culture. His performance couldve either enhanced or ruined the movie. The complexity behind live narration can certainly be a factor as to why its often treated as art.

The sheer pleasure of seeing such an unusual spectacle, and in such a wonderful setting, made the whole visit to Kyoto, the birthplace of Japanese cinema, unforgettable.
The Lost City of Z, an unabashedly old fashioned, bows-and-arrows school boy fantasy based on David Grann's non-fiction bestseller of the same name, stars Charles Hunnam as a British army officer turned explorer, Col. Percival Fawcett, who had a perilous obsession with the Amazon jungle.

Despite years of being stationed overseas and proving his leadership abilities, according to his sneering superiors Fawcett "had a bad choice of his ancestry" -- his father was a drunkard and a gambler, and therefore forfeited his advancement in the army. With the help of the uppity Royal Geographical Society, together with Britain's interests in rubber industry in the Amazon, Fawcett is granted an expedition into Eastern Bolivia to map the fuzzy Bolivian and Brazilian border deep in the jungle.

The two-year expedition means being away from his spirited wife Nina (Sienna Miller) and his young son, Jack. But man must do what he's got to do -- to restore his family name in good standing in a rigid society and be a hero and whatnot.



Fawcett's small team, including Costin (Robert Pattinson) and Manley (Edward Ashley) with an Indian guide, goes up the river only to be attacked by various Indian tribes and suffer diseases and hardship. But the explorers not only find the source of the river, they also find evidence of an ancient civilization: broken potteries and sculptures of human figures.

After returning home, Fawcett becomes an advocate against the general notion of the natives of America as arrow chucking, cannibalistic savages who are forever stuck in the early Iron Age. Finding the lost civilization in the Amazons becomes an obsession for him.



With the backing of rich patron/fellow explorer James Murray (Angus Macfadyan), Fawcett and his team set out a second expedition, despite angry objections from Nina. When disease and the unforgiving climate of the jungle becomes too much for out-of-shape Murray, they have to abandon the mission. At home, the accusations fly and Fawcett strains his ties with the Royal Geographical Society.



The first World War interferes with Fawcett's obsession as he is sent to the frontline, where he sees many of his friends die and himself getting injured in the horrific battle of Somme. Now nearing 50, and his son Jack a young man, father and son try once again to find the lost city.



You can't escape the shadow of Werner Herzog when it comes to making a film set in the Amazon. Aguirre, The Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo, about a man's obsession and his futile attempt to wield the course of nature both spiritually and physically, are towering examples to measure up to. All the hardships and suffering in the making of these films are justified by the breathtaking end results.

It might not be fair to compare, since Gray is a very different kind of filmmaker, who prides himself in emotionally fine-tuned dramas. Despite all the glorious pretty picture show, well-rounded characters and fine acting don't really suit the adventure genre. But that's just it. His attempt at showing 'it's the journey not the destination' lacks a proper bravado and zeal, constantly interrupted by Fawcett struggling with domestic life and in finding his stature in the rigid society.



Shot on 35mm by Darius Khondji (who also shot Gray's period piece The Immigrant), The Lost City of Z is a very handsome movie. Gray does his best to be faithful to the source material and instill every character with humanism. But I find Nina Fawcett's proto-feminist character too propped up to be believable in otherwise this male-oriented adventure film.

There is nothing particularly wrong with The Lost City of Z. I buy that one man's obsession -- 'a man's reach should exceed his grasp' -- is a worthy subject for a movie. Obviously, it's much less offensive than that last Indiana Jones film or Apocalypto when the depiction of natives are concerned. But do we need another film about a white man's journey to validate another culture's worth in this day and age?



The Lost City of Z (and as well as The Immigrant), as a sumptuous and elegant epic it might be, doesn't quite justify all the effort put in by everyone involved.

The film had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival. It is being distributed by Amazon Studios in theaters in early 2017.

Dustin Chang is a freelance writer. His musings and opinions on everything cinema and beyond can be found at www.dustinchang.com
Maliglutit, the latest film by Zacharias Kunuk (The Fast Runner), is essentially a spiritual remake of John Ford's seminal Western classic, The Searchers. This time, the action is set entirely in Nunavut, Canada's most sparsely populated territory and home to what is perhaps North America's least-understood indigenous group, the Inuit people.

The film takes place on an expansive -- at times seemingly limitless -- tundra, dotted every few kilometers with igloos and dogsleds. The time- period of the film is unclear, though the characters brandish what appear to be early-to-mid-century firearms, confirming that it must take place post-contact. Still, Kunuk does not opt to mirror John Wayne's savage Indian foes with white ones in his movie. The violence and kidnapping in Maliglutit is instead perpetrated by Inuits from another tribe. This choice depoliticizes the film to a certain extent, which seems to be fine with Kunuk, who spent much of the after-film Q&A stressing that he wanted to make his own Western-style yarn, free of cultural obligation and political commentary.

The original The Searchers is indisputably laden with racist comments and ideals. It is a story told almost entirely from the vantage point of white settlers who loathe the Indians they're pursuing, and it's understandable to hope that Kunuk would bite back with a reversal from an aboriginal perspective. At the same time, it's unfair to impose revisionist wishes onto him -- and reviewing a film for what you wish it was, rather than what it actually is, always proves to be a dubious practice. This review will not be doing that.

As a Western (for lack of a more setting-appropriate term), Maliglutit nails the sense of both constant struggle and limitless possibility. Though the characters are natives rather than homesteaders, they live off the land and brave the elements in a very Ford-esque manner. Their lives are simple by necessity -- they hunt, they cook, they talk, make love and sleep. When food is scarce they pray to spirit gods to guide them to their next catch. As with Kunuk's previous work, all of the action is gorgeously filmed in graceful wide-angles that capture the breathtaking scope of the landscape.

When a father and son leave in search of caribou, their remaining family members and their camp are ravaged by surly, rapacious foes who kill everyone but the wife and daughter of our hero, the mother and sister of his son, whom they kidnap. This sets in motion the mythical 'search,' which in this case is facilitated via dogsled rather than horseback. Our father-son duo lurches steadily, if not swiftly, behind the captors, with only two bullets to their name.

Given the dogsled pace, Maliglutit creates a strange kind of suspense. It's a slow uncertainty wherein the concern is not that our heroes will be shot or trapped, but that the huskies will stop in protest and allow the foes to take an insurmountable lead. The on-foot chase scenes feel equally antithetical, as the women futilely attempt to shuffle away in animal-skin coats that probably weigh nearly as much as they do. Bursts of violence aside, this is an enchantingly stilted revenge tale that weaves the pace of remote tundra life into its DNA, and proves a wholly unique experience because of it.


 "Cost-Benefit Analysis and Retroactivity: The brief for respondent in Beckles v. U.S." | Main | New Equal Justice Initiative animated video explores explores Americas lynching history 

October 15, 2016

Federal inmate refuses Prez Obama's commutation

This USA Today article, headlined "Obama grants clemency to inmate  but inmate refuses," reports on a notable response by one federal inmate to receiving clemency. Here are the interesting details and some historical context:

When President Obama announced a program to grant executive clemency to drug offenders given long mandatory sentences, Arnold Ray Jones did what more than 29,000 federal inmates have done: He asked Obama for a presidential commutation. And then, after it arrived on Aug. 3, he refused to accept it. Jones turnabout highlights the strings that come attached to an increasing number of Obamas commutations: In this case, enrollment in a residential drug treatment program  which has been a condition of 92 of Obama commutation grants. Jones is the first to refuse that condition. If Jones had agreed to complete the the program, he would be out in two years. He still has six years left on his original 2002 sentence for drug trafficking, but Jones may be counting on getting time off for good behavior, which would have him released in April 2019  eight months longer than if he had accepted the commutation. Jones, 50, is in a low-security federal prison in Beaumont, Texas. The unusual rejection came to light last week, when Obama commuted the sentences of 102 more federal inmates. With the 673 previous commutations granted, the total should have been 775  but the White House accounting had only 774. At about the same time, the Department of Justice updated its online record of Obama's commutations and updated Jones' entry with the notation: "condition declined, commutation not effectuated." The White House and the Justice Department declined to talk about the specifics of the case. But inmate records that Jones submitted as part of his court case show that he used crack cocaine weekly in the year before his arrest, and that drug treatment programs he's completed in the past have been unsuccessful. The Bureau of Prisons describes its Residential Drug Abuse Program as its most intensive treatment program, where offenders are separated from the general population for nine months while participating in four hours of community-based therapy programs each day. Jones' mother said Thursday that she was excited about the news of Obama's commutation and wasn't aware that it was rejected. "I dont know about him declining or anything. I'm looking for my son to come home," said Ruth Jones, of Lubbock, Texas. Unlike pardons, which represent a full legal forgiveness for a crime, commutations can shorten a prison sentence while leaving other consequences intact. And as Obama has increased his use of commutations in his last year in office, he's also gotten more creative in adapting the power to fit the circumstances of each case. Unlike the more common "time served" commutations, which release a prisoner more or less immediately, many of his commutations since August have been "term" commutations, which have left prisoners with years left to serve on their sentences. At the same time, Obama has also begun to attach drug treatment as a condition of many of those commutations, beginning with Jones' class of 214 inmates on Aug. 3  the single largest grant of clemency in a single day in the history of the presidency. That day, White House Counsel Neil Eggleston  who advises the president on commutation applications  explained the new drug treatment condition in a blog post on the White House web site. "For some, the president believes that the applicants successful re-entry will be aided with additional drug treatment, and the president has conditioned those commutations on an applicants seeking that treatment," Eggleston wrote. "Underlying all the presidents commutation decisions is the belief that these deserving individuals should be given the tools to succeed in their second chance." Since Aug. 3, 22% of the commutations Obama has issued have required drug treatment. Conditional pardons and commutations have been part of presidential clemency almost since the beginning. Presidents have used that power to induce prisoners to join the military, leave the United States or even  in the case of President Warren Harding's pardon of socialist Eugene Debs  that the clemency recipient travel to Washington to meet him. President Bill Clinton imposed conditions in 34 cases, usually insisting on drug testing.... But even with conditions, it's extremely rare for a recipient to reject clemency outright once it's granted. P.S. Ruckman Jr., a political scientist who has cataloged 30,642 presidential clemency actions dating back to President George Washington, has found just 16 clemency warrants returned to the president unaccepted. Take President Herbert Hoover's 1930 commutation of Romeo Forlini, an Italian man serving a seven-year sentence after being caught by the Secret Service selling fraudulent Italian bonds. That commutation was granted "on condition that he be deported and never return to the United States." Forlini rejected that condition, and two weeks later Hoover granted him a full, unconditional pardon. "There's a guy who played his cards right," Ruckman said. (Alas, Forlini was arrested in New York in 1931 trying to pull off a similar scam on an undercover detective.)

October 15, 2016 at 07:00 PM | Permalink

Comments

RDAP, prison's residential treatment program doesn't end after 9 months or even when an inmate gets out of prison. It's a 3 part program and all parts need to be completed to get credit, that means the 9 month in prison program, the monthly prison program after that and then the ongoing halfway house portion. RDAP allows for early release (usually 6 months) for some inmates, part of their screening process depends on an inmate's history of substance abuse "before" entering prison. They are usually put in halfway houses for 3-6 months early release (so called, prison-lite) where they must secure a 40 hr a week job within 15 days of arrival, attend weekly drug treatment counseling, submit to random drug screens, abide by strick rules and curfews, have every move pretty much monitored and live with alot of other inmates who may have come from prison levels much more secure than their own.

The early release is worth it for alot of inmates, even with all the prison type restrictions. Those who can stay clean seem to do OK.

For many others, the rules, drug treatment counseling, having to get a job, it's not what they want so they'd rather just finish their prison time where they are and get on with the life they want to lead when they get out without RDAP restrictions.

To each their own, I guess.

Posted by: kat | Oct 16, 2016 10:04:46 AM

The restrictions actually get in the wat of maintaining a full time job. Gonna work odd shifts and some riotating shifts. Cant be in 2 places at once, this is the word from the street. For many the RDAP program sucks, for some its helpful, but a pain in the Dupa.

Posted by: MidWestGuy | Oct 16, 2016 4:40:55 PM

MWGuy, agree it is a continuing disruption to getting on with ones life with Big Brother still looking over your shoulder.

Posted by: Ben | Oct 17, 2016 8:18:06 PM

A few thoughts - brings to mind the "old law" inmates who would refuse parole. It was unusual (most inmates were at least eligible for parole after 1/3 of their sentence) but for those who were not offered parole until LATER in their sentences, they could be released with Good Time (generally knocking 1/3 off the sentence), with the expectation taht their post release supervision would be shorter and/or less comprehensive. An inmate could not be forced to accept parole. There was also one case, involving, IIRC, an anti-nuclear weapons protester, who wanted to decline Good Time as a political act. The inmate was NOT allowed to refuse the Good Time though, theoretically, she could have committed disciplinary violations to lose at least some Good Time. And to respond to Ben, regardless of whether Mr. Jones accepts the commutation, he will be subject to Supervised Release regardless of when his ultimate release occurs.

Posted by: anon | Oct 18, 2016 10:44:58 AM

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The North Dakota coal industry is aiming to change the face of energy technology research as it moves toward a carbon-free future.

Were going to proceed as if its on the horizon because it is on the horizon," Lignite Energy Council President Jason Bohrer said of carbon-dioxide regulation. "We know CO2 rules are coming."

In order to meet the challenges in energy development, there needs to be a change in research and development philosophies in the state, according to Bohrer.

We could become the place that doesnt just identify new technology. We could be the place (companies) come to demonstrate and prove technology, he said.

In support of that vision, the EmPower Commission, a group of representatives from the state's energy industries formed to develop North Dakota's energy policy, identified a gap in large-scale commercial demonstrations.

While a lot of lab-based research has been done in the state, no commercial-scale trials have been implemented to deploy technologies into the field. And the Lignite Vision 21 Program, which was created to help fund new lignite energy facilities, caps its projects at $10 million.

We fund it up to where its time to push it out of the lab, Bohrer said. We cant build unproven, but promising, technology.

So, the LEC is planning to ask the legislature to develop a new program to do just that.

Historically, North Dakota has not been the place where industry builds billion dollar research projects: One disadvantage is the distance from other major energy development that has taken place in Texas. Most companies, to date, build in Texas or outside the country.

Having a way to help fund a commercial trial might be one way to spur that type of investment in North Dakota, according to Bohrer.

The next step

Project Tundra, started by NRG Energy, could provide a starting point.

When oil prices stagnated, NRG ended its work on Project Tundra and ALLETE Inc. and Minnkota Power Cooperative took up where they left off. Now, the goal of Project Tundra is a large scale retrofit of Minnkotas Milton R. Young Station near Center with scrubbers to capture carbon emitted by the plant.

To date, carbon-capture technologies have been deployed commercially on smaller scales, including a 115-megawatt unit of Boundary Dam Power Station near Estevan, Saskatchewan, and on a 240-megawatt project at Petra Nova Parish Holdings LLCs W.A. Parish power plant near Houston, which NRG is a partner on.

So far, the project is counting on U.S. Department of Energy and industry funding, but, with new programming, the state could play a role.

Ideally, the coal industrys proposed new energy investment program would have $250 million to $300 million funded for 10 years. Bohrer said industry would like to make the fund permanent through taxes on coal extraction. Also, like the LRC, Bohrer said industry envisions it with peer review and project vetting.

Industry understands the 2017-19 budget may not allow for the program to be funded now, but it would like to create the program so it will be ready when money is available, according to Bohrer.

Transformative technology

The program would not be limited to coal projects: It would cover any large-scale transformative energy technology, Bohrer said.

For renewables, that could include large-scale battery storage for intermittent wind and solar power or cellulosic ethanol for the biofuel industry.

Our utilities own a lot of wind, said Bohrer of an industry that is working to balance competing goals of using wind power and maintaining coal power efficiency.

When the wind blows, wind is a cheap and clean form of energy. But having to ramp coal plants up and down to adjust for when the wind isnt blowing decreases the plants efficiency. The development of large-scale battery storage could help, putting North Dakotas utilities at the forefront in addressing the challenge of integrating wind without disrupting ongoing operations at coal plants, Bohrer said.
PITTSBURGH | Siouxland native Dr. Timothy Billiar has received the Friendship Award, the highest recognition bestowed by the People's Republic of China to foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the country's economic and social progress.

Billiar is a George Vance Foster professor, chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and associate medical director for UPMC International.

Billiar was nominated for the Friendship Award by Central South University in Changsha, Hunan, China, for his work in developing student and physician exchange programs and for his role in developing a Chinese medical student research training program at the Pitt School of Medicine.

Every year, 50 foreign experts are selected for the Friendship Award. This year recipients came from 18 foreign countries and included experts in the fields of industry, science and technology, medicine, agriculture, energy, environmental protection and education.

Our collaboration with colleagues in China has been of great mutual benefit as we work to advance medical science. I am truly honored to receive this recognition from the Chinese government, Billiar said.

Billiar traveled to Beijing to accept the award from the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs at a ceremony hosted by Vice-Premier Ma Kai on Sept. 29 at Zhongnanhai, the seat of government in China.

Billiar is the son of Dr. Robert Billiar, a South Sioux City veterinarian.
Jelinek has served in two positions on the NATM board. She continues to be an active learner involved in many statewide programs. She cohosts a math camp for students at Central Community College and was the 1993 Presidential Awardee for Excellence in mathematics training for Nebraska.
LOS ANGELES | When producers were thinking about remaking The Rocky Horror Picture Show they knew whoever they put in the leading role would be compared to Tim Curry.

You lose if youre comparing to Tim Curry, says producer Lou Adler. So, he and others put out a blanket call for performers who could sing, dance, move, not someone who could duplicate his work.

Enter: Laverne Cox, the transgender star of Orange is the New Black. She was just what they were looking for  the right actor who could come in here and breathe life and fun into this, says director Kenny Ortega.

A fan of the original  and Curry  Cox first saw the film when she was in college. I thought, What is this? It felt like me. I had started transitioning and I was in this androgynous phase. I had a shaved head and I wore makeup every day to ballet class. Dr. Frank-N-Furters song, Dont Dream It, Be It, became a personal mantra.

Because Curry was also cast in the remake  hes the films narrator  Cox had the opportunity to talk shop.

She was very cool, Curry says of their first meeting. She allowed me to watch rehearsals.

Curry loved Coxs work in the floor show (it was really rather wonderful) and gave his approval.

That meant a lot to the actress because I love him so much.

To make sure the good doctors were different, Cox quizzed Adler about the productions inspirations. He pointed her toward 50s rock and roll and old Hollywood divas. Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis. We also looked at Tina Turner, David Bowie and Grace Jones. It was a hodgepodge of a lot of influences.

Dancers  who Cox calls the Transylvanians  gave her plenty of energy to withstand hours of dancing.

There were many days I was so tired I didnt know how I was going to do it, she says. They had so much energy and so much commitment, it was just magic.

Curry says the new edition should inspire younger viewers to check out the original. Recently celebrating its 40th anniversary, the first film took eight weeks to shoot, became a cult hit and gave birth to midnight showings that continue to this day.

I had no idea what was going to happen with the film, Curry says. The play was a big deal, but whoever knows with a movie?

Now in a wheelchair after suffering a stroke more than three years ago, the Emmy-winning actor thought producers wanted him to play Dr. Scott, the character whos already in a wheelchair. They thought the narrator was a better fit and I enjoyed it quite a lot.

While on the set, Curry says, waves of deja vu swept over him. The films themes  give yourself over to absolute pleasure, among them  are still relevant. The songs, too, are infectious.

Although Rocky Horror became a calling card for Curry, it wasnt the only stellar credit on his resume. The 70-year-old played Mozart in the original company of Amadeus, starred in Annie on film and, most recently, endeared himself to audiences as an award-winning voice-over artist.

As permanent as Rocky Horror is on his resume, Ive only seen one production of it in New York, with Terrence Mann, who was very, very good.

Like Hamlet, he says, the character is meant to be played by others. I dont need it again. I really dont. Been there, done that. The T-shirt is worn out.
SIOUX CITY | Not long after the pumpkin patch at Harvest Hallow Pumpkin Farm was planted, an early spring storm packing hail rolled through Le Mars.

Owner Kathy Wagner worried about some of her more than 30 varieties growing on 2 acres of land.

"A few of them were up and kind of got pulverized," she said.

While a pumpkin shortage is predicted in various parts of the Midwest due to heavy summer rainfall, Northwest Iowa pumpkin farmers say their crops look excellent two weeks before Halloween.

Wagner said she'll take barely two steps in the patch before coming upon 10 classic Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins. Last fall, she dealt with rotting, something pumpkin farmers in Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois are reporting this season in their fields.

Pumpkins need lots of water, but too much rain and a hard frost can cause a crop to rot. Pumpkins thrive in warm conditions, but a drought will also harm a crop, causing the yield to be smaller and lighter.

"Even somebody told me Colorado was having a shortage of pumpkins, but here we're good," said Wagner, who grows Atlantic Giants, Wee-B-Littles and every size pumpkin in between.

"We've got some that are big enough that it takes a couple of people to get them up into a wheel-barrow. We've got a lot of variety of big ones this year."

Dave Huitink, owner of Pumpkinland just outside of Orange City, Iowa, said he is very pleased with his 2016 crop of pumpkins, which number in the thousands.

"They did very well and the quality looks real good on them," he said. "We've heard of a few places that didn't have such good crops, but we can't complain at all."

Pumpkinland's varieties include the traditional Jack-O-Lantern, Touch of Autumn -- a bright orange pumpkin the size of a softball that's good for painting -- and dozens more. Huitink said he tries to raise about every pumpkin variety that's been developed.

"We've got blue ones and white ones and peach ones and tan ones," he said. "The big thing lately has been the stackers, where they stack three different flat pumpkins on top of each other that are three different colors. People kind of enjoy that for a decoration."

Wagner said more of her customers tend to gravitate to green and orange pumpkins that aren't completely ripe yet. Some pumpkin varieties mature as early as late August.

If you want your pumpkin to last through Halloween and then some, Wagner recommends choosing a pumpkin that's completely orange, free of blemishes and has a nice firm handle. Unless the pumpkin freezes, she said it should keep.

"I'll pick 20 or 30 pumpkins and bring them up to my garage. My garage has some heat in it. I'll still have pumpkins in January," she said. "As long as they don't freeze and they've got no bad spots on them, they should last."

Wash the pumpkin with water and a little bleach to prevent rotting. The soil left behind on pumpkins harbors bacteria. The bleach solution will kill the bacteria and help preserve the pumpkin, according to Wagner.

Huitink said you can buy your pumpkin now, but he advises waiting until a day or two before Halloween to carve it. A pumpkin won't last long after being chopped and sliced. If you plan to paint a pumpkin, come to the pumpkin patch with a subject matter in mind.

"Kind of imagine that shape on your pumpkin and if the shape fits it," Huitink said. "That's why we have all different kinds. We try to accommodate everybody."
HULL, Iowa | Western Christian High School in Hull dedicated a $7.1 million addition and renovation in October, welcoming alumnae from every decade back to the 1930s.

Guests toured new administrative offices, a new student commons and renovated areas such as the old gym, which is now an event center, a backstage area, an FFA wing and more.

The private school has raised $4.8 million in pledges, expectancies and cash for the effort. The balance has been secured through loans, some of which come from the Western Christian Foundation.

The school, which was founded as Western Academy in 1919 in a large home in Hull, began as a Christian school to primarily educate teachers and pastors. Since 1927, it has been located on the north side of Hull, a Sioux County community that's home to three high schools, including Boyden-Hull and Trinity Christian.

Western Christian was so named because, at the time it was established, it was the first school affiliated with Christian Schools International to stand west of the Mississippi River. Enrollment peaked at more than 500 students in grades 9-12 some five decades ago. Currently, enrollment is 274, a spike of 25 students from one year ago.

Western Christian didn't operate for one academic year in the early 1930s, thanks to the Depression. When payments for the school building couldn't be made, Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which was operated by the Christian Reformed Church, assumed the first mortgage for $10,000 and was awarded title of the building.

The history of Western Christian High School is displayed on several panels that line the south wall of the new student commons. The area features historic photos as well as tidbits about Western's founding and rich academic and extracurricular history. When class reunions are held in this new space, as they were this summer, composite photos from the graduating class are presented.

"It is fun to see our current students look at those older composite photos and make connections to people who have graduated from Western," said Dan Barkel, high school principal.

Just across the hall near administrative offices set off by large windows is an ever-changing Western Christian history case that displays a 1922 diploma, a number of band uniforms and other items bearing the school's name and insignia.

Down the hall is Western's old gymnasium that has been renovated into the high school event center. Barkel said that while students, faculty members and boosters sought a new auditorium, such an endeavor wouldn't fit within the confines of this project. So, members of the building committee challenged the pros from Cannon Moss Brygger Architects to transform the gym into a multi-use facility.

"They really succeeded in doing that," said Barkel, who came to Western Christian to lead the choir program 25 years ago.

The old gym now has a new floor, new lighting, heating/air-conditioning units and sound boards for better acoustic delivery. There are also 350 theater seats that fold up along one wall and extend to center court before rolling as one unit to the front of a stage that has been enlarged.

"We did our plays and music programs on the stage in the old gym and the acoustics were horrible," Barkel said. "The major thrust of this portion of the project was to make the area better for our fine arts programs and chapel."

The Hull Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday night helped baptize the new event center with a Night of Hope event to raise funds and awareness to fight breast cancer.

"It's a wonderful facility, with room and much better acoustics and lighting," said Shelly Van Otterloo, executive director of the Hull Area Chamber of Commerce. "The new sound system alone helps us feel like we're doing a better job for the entertainers we are hosting."

The project also realized the gutting of the old music area and the installation of new systems for heating and air conditioning in classrooms throughout the high school. A new FFA wing, established in the former family and consumer science area, already is seeing widespread use as the ag program numbers 92 students, healthy enrollment for a first-year effort directed by rookie teacher Kylie Miller.

The science classrooms were also renovated, allowing teachers to split classrooms for traditional desk work and that done in labs. The classrooms and labs are divided by windows, giving teachers the chance to observe students working in both areas.

Work continued throughout the structure, as interior designer Michelle Rosenboom, a Western grad, led the effort, including work on the Western "senior bench" area, a popular one during a pair of five-minute breaks each day. The top level of the high school was also painted by a pair of Western supporters, aided with the receipt of grants from Diamond Vogel Paints and True Value.

"The paint matches the new construction," said Barkel, lauding the work done by general contractor Poppema-Sikma Construction of nearby Sheldon, Iowa. Again, principal contractors Robert Poppema and Dan Poppema knew the area well. Both men are Western grads.

"We are really pleased with it," said Barkel, noting how construction took the entire 2015-16 academic year. "It was our first major construction project in the past 20 years."
SOUTH SIOUX CITY | When Evelyn Rice died 11 years ago, her children planned to bury her next to her parents at the cemetery in Walthill, Nebraska.

"The crematorium broke down," said Jean Rice LaMere, of South Sioux City, the second of three children. "So we waited."

During this wait, LaMere moved her mother's possessions and discovered a letter from Washington, D.C. The letter writer asked if Evelyn sought to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, next to her husband, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class John Rice. Evelyn had filled out the form. She hadn't told her children, though.

John Rice, killed in action while leading troops into battle in Korea, was buried at Arlington on Sept. 5, 1951. The interment, with full military honors, came some 364 days after his death and eight days after his burial in Sioux City's Memorial Park Cemetery was refused because of the cemetery's bylaws that, at the time, restricted burial to Caucasians. Rice, a Winnebago Indian raised on the Winnebago reservation in northeast Nebraska, was known by his Indian name "Kay-La-Che-Manika," or "Walking in the Blue Sky."

News of his halted burial on Aug. 28, 1951 enraged Sioux Cityans, shocked citizens throughout the U.S. and reached the White House, where President Harry S. Truman rushed word to Evelyn Rice that her husband could be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with the government paying all expenses.

"The President regrets the unfortunate development regarding the burial of Sergeant John R. Rice," the telegram read. "The Department of the Army will contact you to make all arrangements for interment at Arlington if you wish."

Rice was posthumously thrust into the national spotlight, forever linking Sioux City and the Korean War. Sixty-five years after his burial at Arlington, the Journal begins a series of profiles on local veterans of the Korean War, a three-year conflict dubbed, "The Forgotten War."

It's a misleading moniker, an injustice to the 1.8 million veterans who served there, and the families who sent them off, then prayed for their return. It's an especially sad label for 37,000 families, who, like the Rices, lost a loved one in Korea.

Removed just five years from World War II, these soldiers, Marines and sailors fought bitter cold, oppressive heat, and an unforgiving terrain matched by enemies from North Korea and China hellbent on advancing and capturing a country and her people for its own dark purposes.

In this series, you will meet farmers, educators, engineers and more, young men -- and a woman -- who came of age fighting the spread of Communism and returned home to raise children, build businesses and add to the rich mix of their communities. These veterans will gather to be recognized in a Veterans Day program at 2 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the Betty Strong Encounter Center, which partners with the Journal to present an exhibit, "Korea Remembered," in their honor.

Forgotten? How can Jean LaMere forget a war that claimed her father's life? LaMere was but a 2-year-old toddler playing on the Winnebago farm the day her mother learned of his death. Though she can't recall, and her mother didn't speak of it much, the following year before his burial and the racist act of denying him his ultimate resting place at Memorial Park left an indelible mark.

Wasn't this, after all, the kind of perverse set of values our troops fought to stop at Korea's 38th parallel?

The question brought tears to LaMere's eyes as she examined a portrait of her late father this month. "Our mother lived through all of this and she always said that we, her children, were as good as anyone else," LaMere said.

Fellow soldiers said Sgt. 1st Class John Rice wasn't as good as anyone else, he was a notch better. One of 25,000 Native Americans to serve in World War II and one of 22,000 to fight on the front lines, Rice toiled as an infantry scout for three years. He fought in New Guinea and the Philippines, was wounded and contracted malaria.

He wed Evelyn Rice in 1945 and re-enlisted in the Army two months after his discharge. "He wanted to make the military his career," LaMere said.

He served in Korea with the Eighth Regiment, First Cavalry Division. While leading a squad of riflemen against a fierce enemy assault near the village of Tabu-dong, he was killed by enemy fire on Sept. 6, 1950. For his leadership and valor, Rice was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and other military honors.

His body came home nearly one year later, then traveled with a military escort from Oakland, California, to Winnebago.

Evelyn Rice paid $100 for a lot in the veterans' section of Memorial Park, the closest military burial ground. She planned to be buried next to him.

That changed in the minutes following the graveside service when a cemetery official notified Dalton Boyd, funeral director, of the bylaws at Memorial Park. When the burial plot was sold to Evelyn Rice, it was reported, the salesman didn't inquire about Rice's race. The reason? Evelyn Rice was Caucasian.

Evelyn Rice told the Journal in 1951 she didn't notice the "Caucasian-only" clause in the contract. "When these men are in the Army, they are all equal and the same," she said. "I certainly thought they would be the same after death, especially in the military section of the cemetery."

Rice's body was returned to the funeral home and a 24-hour guard mobilized.

The next day, upon learning the news, President Truman publicly chastised the cemetery. The controversy evoked outrage across the country, tarnishing the city's image. Sioux City leaders quickly denounced the cemetery's decision and the city's mayor traveled to Winnebago to publicly apologize to Rice's family and tribal members during a meeting at the local American Legion post.

Evelyn Rice humbly accepted Truman's offer for a burial at Arlington National Cemetery, one that took place on Sept. 5, 1951. Maj. Gen. Charles B. Palmer, Rice's former commander in Korea, delivered a five-word eulogy: "He was a fine soldier."

Other soldiers wrote his widow, letters left among her possessions, personal notes hailing this "perfect soldier" for his calm under duress, his courage, his loyalty.

Evelyn Rice, who didn't remarry, spoke about the saga later in her life, but not at great length. She was present when a parade was held in Sioux City in John Rice's honor on the 50th anniversary of his funeral service here, on Aug. 28, 2001.

Evelyn Rice died four years later, at age 83. And, thanks to a breakdown at the crematorium, her ashes were laid to rest atop her husband, at Arlington. "It took one year after Mom died for her ashes to be buried at Arlington," LaMere said. "That's ironic, as it was the same for Dad."

Jean LaMere studied a photo of her parents, young and much in love, parents embarking upon a life with daughters Pam and Jean, and baby son, Tim. She placed the photo upon her father's Army uniform and shared a detail the Rice children have treasured for decades.

"Dad was killed in Korea, at Tabu," she said. "Tabu. It was the only perfume our mother would wear. We think she believed it helped keep her close to him."

Marcia Poole, director of The Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center/Betty Strong Encounter Center, contributed to this story.
MASON CITY | Everyone in Iowa, it sometimes seems, has a Chuck Grassley story.

They met him at a town hall meeting. Or at a charity event. Or when he visited their workplace. They tell him these stories when they run into him.

I met you when you came to ...

For 36 years, Chuck Grassley has represented the state of Iowa in the U.S. Senate. In every one of those years, he has visited each of the states 99 counties.

Not only has Grassley become a fixture in Iowa politics, having tapped into the states penchant for incumbent loyalty, but he has thrived. He has won re-election five times, never by fewer than 30 percentage points while each time garnering at least 60 percent of the vote.

Hes been very, very good at crafting an image, and I dont mean to suggest thats a false image, but hes very, very good at crafting an image of a guy who works hard, whos an Iowan we can all sort of identify with  the Butler County farmer, that sort of thing, who works hard, whos honest, straightforward, said John Epperson, a political science professor in his 40th year at Simpson College in Indianola.

Theres also a kind of aw-shucks demeanor to him, Epperson said. He doesnt look or sound like a politician. Theres a certain un-slickness, if thats a word, to him. And hes been very good at, very careful at projecting that persona. And thats appealing to Republicans, certainly, and its appealing to independents and Democrats.

In seeking a seventh six-year term in the U.S. Senate, Grassley, now 83 years old, is being challenged by Democrat Patty Judge, who like Grassley got her political start in the Iowa Legislature.

Grassleys role in the U.S. Senate changed during his current term, and it put him at the forefront of a political firestorm that led Democrats to think they could finally mount a serious challenge to his re-election.

When Republicans took control of the Senate in the 2014 elections, Grassley went from the minority partys leader on the Senates Judiciary Committee to its chairman. (You may remember the video of Iowas 2014 Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Braley warning attorneys at a fundraiser that Grassley, a farmer from Iowa, could become chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Braley lost that election to Joni Ernst, who is serving her freshman term.)

One of the more prominent roles of the Judiciary Committee is to hold hearings on the presidents nominations to courts, including the Supreme Court. But when President Barack Obama in March nominated Merrick Garland to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Republican leaders said they would not hold any hearings until after the November election, effectively blocking any of Obamas nominations to the high court.

Grassley stood with Republican leadership, and the opposition roared. Democrats and liberal advocacy groups howled, accusing Grassley and his fellow Republican leaders of playing politics with the Supreme Court. The issue is initially what prompted Judge to get in the race.

But Republicans have cheered Grassleys decision, and the issue has not appeared to move independent voters like Democrats had hoped.

The race with Judge may be the closest of Grassleys career, but he still holds a comfortable lead, according to polls. An Iowa Poll published last week by The Des Moines Register showed Grassley leading Judge by 17 percentage points; three polls in mid- to late September showed Grassley with leads of 17, 12 and 17 percentage points.

Although he is a pretty partisan guy, I think, if you look at his rhetoric and his voting record, he avoids getting tagged with that label, Epperson said. Because, we all know, he visits every county every year; he comes back regularly to the state.

Grassley described the Judiciary Committee as filled with some of the Senates most liberal Democrats and most conservative Republicans, but despite that, the Supreme Court issue is the only one that has been controversial, he said.

Grassley said he is proud of the 13 bills approved by the committee that have been signed into law by Obama, including measures that address human trafficking and opioid addiction and legislation designed to provide assistance for victims of sexual assault.

If you have a knack for working across party lines, it can be done, Grassley said, adding that he thinks he has a good working relationship with U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the top Democrat on the committee.

If re-elected, Grassley said among the bills he would like to continue to work on in the committee involve reforming sentencing and patent laws.

Unfinished business is one of the things that keeps Grassley going back to the Senate, he said.

Theres always going to be unfinished business, he said.

Grassley said he also was motivated, at age 83, to run for another six-year term in part because of the 2014 retirement of former fellow longtime U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin.

By Harkins final term, he and Grassley gave Iowa the most-tenured pair of senators in the nation. Should Grassley not be sent back to Washington, the state for four years will have two freshmen senators.

I said with (Harkins) retirement that that would be a reason for running again, to help a new senator get a start, Grassley said. Actually, Sen. Ernst doesnt need any help. ... Shes a self-starter. But you do have to build up seniority.

Although he would be 89 at the end of his next term if re-elected, Grassley appears to be in remarkable physical shape for his age. Thanks to an exercise regimen he started just 18 years ago, he runs three miles four times a week. During a visit to a Des Moines television studio this fall, he spontaneously did 22 pushups.

The Energizer bunny from New Hartford, said Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. "I dont know that I could keep up with him. I know that I couldnt jog with him."

Kaufmann said he is impressed by more than Grassleys physical stamina. Kaufmann said that when he spent a day with Grassley at the U.S. Capitol, he was struck by how Grassley did not, like other senators, have staff members plugging him with talking points before media interviews.

So the mans talking to millions of people in the context of his perch as a U.S. senator, and the guy just talked from memory, and he still had that same homespun way of approaching it. And not one time did he falter, Kaufmann said. The mental capacity I think probably impressed me most. ... The guy hasnt lost a beat, mentally or physically, given the age hes obtained.
Burleigh County Sheriff's Department is assisting North Dakota Game and Fish Department in investigating an alleged shooting situation on Sunday that resulted in a death, according to Maj. Steve Hall.

The incident occurred mid-morning Sunday at a rifle range south of Bismarck, Hall said.

Game and Fish owns the range where the victim was shot, he said. The victim was brought to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

The sheriff's department has not released any details on the victim pending notification of family.

Its still a very fluid situation, Hall said.

Hall said the sheriff's department and Game and Fish are conducting an active investigation, and there should be more information available Monday.
In a moving ceremony held in the Martin Luther King Jr. Transportation Center on Oct. 6, the Celebrating Community Project paid tribute to four individuals who dedicated their lives to identifying with and helping improve the circumstances of Siouxlanders living in marginalized communities.

As their bronze busts were unveiled, attendees heard about the lifetime work of each of this year's honorees - Asian American honoree Nguyen Thi Hong Cuc, Children honoree George Boykin, Disabled Americans honoree Dick Owens and Hispanic/Latino Americans honoree Tomasa Guerra Salas. The vision and outstanding execution of artist Mark Avery and the Foundation is matched only by the vision of what will ultimately be 14 honorees (including Rev. King) that America can live up to the promise of equal opportunity and justice, and it is worth the fight to attain it.

Recipients Hong Cuc and Tomasa Salas gave endlessly of themselves to help their fellow immigrants adjust and adapt to their new country; so resolute was their belief in the promise of America, it became their life's work to make it real for others, too.

They arent alone.

Id like you to meet Tom LoVan and hear the story of his family's arduous journey from immigrant to United States citizen. He graciously shares his story because he firmly believes that immigrants enrich our country and he wants us to learn about each other so we wont judge by ethnicity or skin color.

Tom was born in Laos in 1963 to parents who had fled their original homeland, the Tai Federation, when their country was dissolved in 1954. They received asylum in Laos where both parents worked for the U.S. Embassy  his father as a cook and his mother as a secretary. In 1978, after the Indo-China War expanded into Laos, they fled once again, this time to Thailand where they were arrested by the Thai police as illegal immigrants. Subsequently, his family sought asylum and was placed in the United Nations camp in Thailand, where 80,000 people were crammed into a small campus and where the family of five was allotted five gallons of clean water, two fish and one cup of rice per day. Tom recalled that the refugees were held in such low regard by their hosts that Thailands name for this camp was zero. As in zero dignity, zero rights  they were nothing. Because the LoVans had been staff for the U.S. Embassy, they were admitted as refugees to the United States and underwent rigorous interviewing by the State Department. The interviewers were former C.I.A. operatives who spoke fluent Laotian; it was obvious the interviewers knew the answers before they even asked them  that is how thoroughly the family was investigated before being approved and processed.

Tom insists they were fortunate, even though they lost their home and their possessions and interrupted his and his brothers education, because there were many Laotians who had to stay in that U.N. camp for 10 years. The LoVans were part of the second batch of Tai Dam refugees sponsored and brought to Iowa under Gov. Robert Rays Taskforce for Indochinese Resettlement (renamed the Iowa Refugee Service Center). The Methodist Church in Marcus, Iowa, sponsored the family, so at age 16 Tom became a Marcus high school student and his father went to work at K Products, starting life over in a strange land with a strange language and entirely new customs. What wasnt strange, though, was the sincere welcome and climate that encouraged him to flourish under a national constitution that offered freedom and opportunity.

Tom became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1980, then pursued an education and a career that would allow him to give back to his new country that he loves  his home. For years he was an interpreter for the courts (county, state and federal) and for Lutheran Social Services. During President Clintons time in office, Tom was invited to the White House, after which he passed security clearance and flew on Air Force One to Vietnam, where he served as a translator for the president.

Today, Tom is living his purpose-filled life as associate pastor for Morningside Lutheran Church, having been inspired as a young man by Rev. Kings dream and powerful example. In closing our conversation, Tom stated, If we want the American dream, we must have immigration and overcome our fears and prejudices.

Toms story, as well as Hong Cucs and Tomasa Salas, reminds me that they have been able to face hard challenges and, right now, they are my inspiration because as a nation we have no end of hard challenges ahead of us.

Next week: Jim Wharton

Katie Colling is the executive director of Women Aware, a private nonprofit agency. She was elected to two consecutive terms on the Woodbury County Extension Council and serves on several civic-organization boards. She and her husband, Ron, live in Sioux City.
In looking to the future of service at Sioux Gateway Airport, local leaders should, in a modern sense, follow the famous advice shared in an 1865 New York Tribune editorial by newspaper journalist Horace Greeley about the doctrine of Manifest Destiny.

In other words, "go West."

With service to and from Chicago and Dallas established, the logical next step for improvement in local air service is addition of direct flights to a destination in the West, like Denver.

Introduction of service to the West and addition of more flights to Chicago and Dallas were among the goals for Sioux Gateway Airport discussed at a joint meeting between the Airport Board of Trustees and City Council on Wednesday.

"We always want to go West," Mike Collett, assistant city manager, told The Journal after the meeting. "We're still missing that one piece of a direct connection."

Service to the West remains our number-one Sioux Gateway Airport priority.

In the larger picture, we give credit where credit is due.

Again today, we commend local public and private leaders for navigating the sometimes-turbulent complexities of the multi-faceted air service challenge with success in recent years and users of Sioux Gateway Airport for supporting those efforts. The fact local air service dialogue today is about growth instead of survival is no insignificant sign of progress.

In 2011, the future of air service in Sioux City was bleak because Delta Airlines, the local carrier, had threatened to pull out of our local market unless it began collecting federal subsidies because its local routes lost money and because a House transportation subcommittee had proposed to reduce Essential Air Service funding (American replaced Delta at Sioux Gateway Airport in April 2012). Another blow was the decision in 2014 by Frontier Airlines to pull its well-supported service to Denver after only four months.

The fact two carriers, American and United, submitted bids for Sioux Gateway Airport service in 2015 and the addition by American earlier this year of service to Dallas speaks to interest in this market and support for local air service (occupancy for the flights to Dallas in the first four months of service averaged more than 80 percent, Collett said during the meeting on Wednesday). The fact American receives no federal EAS subsidy for providing local air service is another signal of this market's growing strength.

Without question, air service is one important key to local quality of life and economic growth.

More work, such as addition of flights to the West, is needed, but in our view the city continues to move in the right direction on air service, something the traveling public should appreciate.
LINCOLN -- Nebraska's wide grasslands, fields of golden corn and gushing aquifers make the state a nearly perfect home for cows content to live a quiet life of chewing cud and being milked.

That was the sales pitch the past several years as Nebraska sought to woo dairy farms from states like Texas and California, where the Holsteins were being squeezed out by drought, development and environmental regulations.

Last year, it seemed to be working. After decades of decline, the number of registered dairies in Nebraska bumped from 181 in 2014 to 184 in 2015, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

But it turned out to be more of a blip than a renaissance. The state lost 20 registered dairies as of September, dropping the total to 164.

It's not because of a lack of interest in the state. Nebraska has a list of dairy farmers who have said in writing they'd be happy to move here, state Ag Director Greg Ibach said during a recent interview.

The problem is that they can't find anyone to buy their milk.

"All of the sudden the plants that were begging for more milk, the cows caught up with the amount of processing capacity," said Rod Johnson, executive director of the Nebraska Dairy Association.

"The pipeline is full."

It's an issue up and down the Interstate 29 corridor, the dairy belt of the Midwest, Johnson said.

Dairy Farmers of America, the main cooperative force in Southeast Nebraska, confirmed it doesn't need any more milk from the state.

"Due to a number of factors, including the export market, supply is currently outpacing demand in the Nebraska area," spokeswoman Kim O'Brien said in an email.

This summer, dairy farmers were losing on every gallon because of overproduction, although prices have rebounded slightly since. The National Milk Producers Federation recently reported prices in the region ranging from $14.20 to $15.70 per 100 pounds.

In August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would buy 11 million pounds of cheese to help reduce a 30-year-high national surplus. The cheese is to be distributed to schools and food banks across the nation.

U.S. butter and cheese has been expensive on the world market for much of the past couple years compared with dairy from other places like Europe and Australia, causing U.S. suppliers to lose market share, although price disparities have narrowed in September, according to the .

Dairy is an economic development cash cow. A study done last year by the state Ag Department at the direction of the Legislature found a single cow has a $5,000 local economic impact.

"Taken a step further, Nebraska's 55,000 dairy cows generate $275 million annually in local economic activity," the study said. That doesn't include the value added by Nebraska's 10 milk processing plants.

In two other studies, economists at Iowa State University and the University of Minnesota estimated a dairy cow's statewide economic impact with in-state processing at $23,000 and $25,000, respectively.

Hoping to tap into the rich dairy bounty, a coalition of state commodity groups has been sinking time and effort into attracting new processors to Nebraska.

"We call ourselves ," said Johnson.

The issue, he said, is that processors want to know there are enough cows and milk to meet their needs, but to get those farmers, the state needs a processor.

"It's kind of the chicken or the egg, which comes first? Our challenge is to bring everybody together at one time," Johnson said.

Half of the state's 10 processors, including Prairieland Dairy near Firth, process milk produced by their own cows.

Dwaine Junck gets up each morning at about 5 to check the cows and get his kids ready for school.

His family has run a dairy near Carroll since the 1940s.

For him, Nebraska's full milk pipeline means less competition and lower prices for his milk. And the declining number of dairies in the state means fewer local businesses catering to dairy's unique needs.

"If we had more dairies in the area ... there would be more support industries, the equipment dealers, the repair people," he said. "Well, we can't get more dairies in the area if there is no place to sell the milk."

His milk went to a string cheese processing plant in Ravenna until Leprino Foods closed it in 2013 citing, among other reasons, difficulty in getting enough milk.

Now, like 60 percent of the milk produced in Nebraska, Junck ships his out of the state.

Nebraska's dairy herd peaked in 1934 with 820,000 cows producing 2.9 billion pounds of milk annually. Today, the number of cows is closer to 55,000, but each of them produces more milk.

In 1934, each cow produced an average of 3,500 pounds of milk; today, an individual cow produces an average of more than 21,000 pounds, thanks to improved nutrition and genetics.

Nebraska's dairy farms have also gone through consolidation. The state lost 553 dairy farms over the past 15 years, a 75 percent decrease. The average number of cows per dairy farm went from 98 in 1999 to 214 in 2010, according to USDA statistics.

Last year, 52 percent of the dairy cows in the state were housed on just 14 farms.

Still, the amount of milk produced in the state has remained relatively stable at just over 1.1 billion pounds a year, according to USDA statistics.

The vast majority of Nebraska's remaining dairy farms are in the eastern portion of the state, where they are closer to processors, highways and population bases like Lincoln and Omaha that have plenty of mouths to gobble up ice cream and cheese.
IOWA CITY - Albia Democrat Patty Judge recently stood on an outdoor veranda at the newly opened Hancher Auditorium on the banks of the Iowa River and took a moment to admire the fruits of her labors.

Not far to the south was the old site of the University of Iowa's venerable performing arts venue, a place the former Iowa lieutenant governor in Gov. Chet Culver's administration visited numerous times in her role as the state's Homeland Security Advisor during the darkest days of Iowa's historic 2008 floods.

"This was a real struggle. I was here when the water was up and the old building was full of muck and was deemed un-savable," she said. But eight years and countless discussions later, Judge was able to see that the time she spent battling nature, bureaucracy and obstacles had a long-term payback as she toured the reopened building on the day of its grand return.

"This is an unbelievably beautiful building. It's great that it's back," said Judge, whose memories take in the evacuations of St. Luke's Hospital, the Linn County Jail and a large swath of downtown Cedar Rapids, along with the slow trek of rebuilding Iowa's second-largest city from its worst calamity.

"The way we came through this flood in 2008 - both the response and the recovery. People ask me: what is the thing that you remember most or are proudest of in 20 years? That has to be it. It was also the most challenging and the one that just makes you want to pull your hair out," she noted. "I know this was a real struggle."

Being no stranger to struggles has come in handy for Judge in her return to Iowa's campaign trail after a six-year hiatus. She is facing another seemingly insurmountable challenge in seeking to unseat GOP icon Chuck Grassley, a six-term U.S. senator who is making another bid for re-election on Nov. 8.

Judge's David-versus-Goliath quest to defeat Grassley - the only Iowa politician to garner a million votes in an election - captured the imagination of humorist Garrison Keillor, who traveled south from his prairie home in Minnesota to champion her cause as an underdog trying to root out an entrenched incumbent.

It was her can-do attitude that prompted her to jump into the political arena in 1992 while raising three sons with her husband at their Monroe County cow/calf operation after working as a registered nurse, running a real-estate business, and mediating disputes between farmers and lenders during the depths of Iowa's farm-debt crisis of the 1980s.

Like Grassley, Judge got her start in the Iowa Legislature, serving in the Iowa Senate before taking the nontraditional path of parlaying her farm background into her first statewide political bid as a candidate for secretary of agriculture.

"I know a little about firsts, folks," Judge recently told an Iowa rally for Hillary Clinton, a Democrat seeking to become America's first female president.

"I was the first woman elected as secretary of agriculture in Iowa. I'm going to be the first person to beat Chuck Grassley in 42 years," she noted.

It's that fighting spirit - be it for working families, rural communities, the underprivileged or the disadvantaged in Iowa - that drew pediatric nurse practitioner Pat Clinton to Judge. She credited Judge with taking on powerful medical interests as a state senator to enact on of the strongest bills in America to add full prescriptive authority to nurse's scope of practice - a health-care change that was especially beneficial for rural Iowa.

"If it wouldn't have been for Patty, that wouldn't have happened," Clinton said. "Patty was just incredible for pushing that legislation through. That's why I've been a huge supporter."

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said Judge impressed him as a tough, hard-working advocate for rural Iowa during the years he sat next to her in the Iowa Senate and later when she served as state ag secretary during the eight years that he was governor.

"She knows how to work in a bipartisan way, which I think we need more of," said Vilsack, who now serves as U.S. secretary of agriculture. "She's a hard worker. She cares deeply about folks in rural Iowa and has dedicated her life to keeping small family farms viable."

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said Judge's extensive background in public service and the private sector has made her "very grounded" with common sense. "Patty Judge is Iowa," she said while campaigning for Judge.

Some of that experience for Judge has been a baptism by fire: farming and mediating through the debt crisis of the 1980s; being the first female ag secretary in a male-dominated industry; being second in command of state government hard hit by the worst economic calamity since the Great Depression during a housing crisis of 2008 when many saw their retirement wealth shrink by double-digits, such as the $4.4 billion loss to the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System; and wrestling with the decision whether to challenge Grassley or devote her nursing skills to caring for her granddaughter, Millie, who has faced heart-related health issues. In the end, it was her son, Joe, who told her "You need to go run this race because you're the one person who can take on Chuck Grassley, you can stand up to him and we will take care of Millie."

Not everyone has been on board with Judge's return to Iowa politics, including labor groups displeased with Culver administration decisions and progressive farm groups who feel she was too close to corporate interests during his stint as ag secretary.

Chris Petersen, a longtime Democrat and former head of the Iowa Farmers Union, said he won't be voting for Judge or Grassley in Iowa's 2016 U.S. Senate race.

"I'm going to write in another Democrat because I think she's too close to industrial ag and entities like that," Petersen said. "I understand the Supreme Court stuff and all that, but I just can't vote for her. I just can't."

However, Vilsack hoped Iowa voters, especially Democrats, would take a longer view of the 2016 race.

"I think you have to understand that you have a choice. It's not a choice between what you perceive to be the perfect candidate and Patty. It's a choice between Patty and Chuck Grassley and, at the end of the day, Patty is going to be more sympathetic and more understanding of the struggling small farmer on issues involving the environment, on issues involving regulations, on issues involving markets and that kind of thing than Chuck is. For progressives, that's the choice you have," he said. "You don't want the perfect to be the enemy of the good."
Butchered cattle and bison, and other dead and missing livestock have been reported near the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline protest camp, the North Dakota Stockmens Association said late Saturday.

The NDSA and the Sioux County Sheriff's Department are working with other law enforcement agencies to investigate two cases near Cannon Ball, the association stated in a release.

According to the NDSA, one case involves a dead saddle horse, four dead cows and more than 30 head of missing cattle. The other involves three dead bison. In both cases, some animals appear to have been butchered, the release said.

Cannon Ball is near the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Sacred Stone Camp, though the NDSA Chief Brand Inspector Stan Misek said they dont know who was responsible for the incidents.

Theyre missing from right beside the camps, right there, Misek said. We dont know. We dont know for sure. Were just putting it out there and hopefully somebody will come forward.

The NDSA advised livestock producers in the area to keep an extra keen eye on their herds after the reports and is asking producers to report any suspicious activity to authorities immediately.

Misek suggested producers keep an up-to-date head count, be on the watch for any unusual activity or strange vehicles in the area and notify the NDSA or law enforcement of anything out of the ordinary.

The NDSA also is offering a reward of up to $14,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person stealing, butchering or shooting cattle, horses or mules in the state.

Anyone with information about the cases should call Misek at 701-223-2522 or 701-720-2430, or Sioux County Sheriff Frank Landeis at 701-854-3481.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
Anne Arundel Hall dedication (L-R) Father William George, chair, Historic St. Mary's City Commission; Regina M. Faden, executive director, Historic St. Mary's City; Dr. Tuajuanda C. Jordan, president, St. Mary's College; Sven Holms, chair, Board of Trustees, St. Mary's College; Chip Jackson, vice president for business and finance, St. Mary's College.

ST. MARY'S CITY, Md.

(Oct. 15, 2016)St. Mary's College of Maryland and Historic St. Mary's City held a dedication ceremony Saturday for the new Anne Arundel Hall located at 47407 Old State House Road. Construction of the $34 million project began in July 2014 and the new Anne Arundel Hall opened for classes on August 29, 2016."Anne Arundel Hall represents a unique partnership between the College, the State of Maryland, and Historic St. Mary's City that will greatly benefit our students and the College community, as well as the entire region," said Dr. Tuajuanda C. Jordan, president, St. Mary's College. "The reconstructed Anne Arundel Hall enables students, faculty, and staff in the areas of anthropology, museum studies, and international languages and cultures to hold classes, conduct research, and study in a modern, state-of-the-art facility."Also within Anne Arundel Hall, The Center for the Study of Democracy is located in Anne Arundel Hall North and Historic St. Mary's City's museum is housed in Anne Arundel Hall South. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The courtyard joins all three buildings in a historically rich setting."For the first time in the museum's 50-year existence, we will be able to care for the irreplaceable artifacts from Maryland's first colonial capital. These collections include materials that span thousands of years of human habitation in the region. They are a resource for understanding our past to tell us where we came from and how we became who we are today. The new facility is an invaluable resource to support our mission of research and a place to preserve more than 5 million artifacts from St. Mary's City, as we hold them in trust for current and future generations to study," said Regina Faden, executive director, Historic St. Mary's City.Anne Arundel Hall is built to meet LEED Gold certification. The landscape design includes nearly four acres of meadow and native vegetation in order to provide habitat and promote biodiversity on campus. A grey water system uses rainwater for irrigation and toilet flushing, expected to save 72,926 gallons of water each year. A 19.2 kW photovoltaic roof array will supply 3.6 percent of the building's total energy costs. Rapidly renewable finishes, including bamboo flooring and interior blinds, cork tack boards, and natural linoleum flooring, reduce the depletion of finite raw materials by replacing them with materials that can be harvested within a ten-year cycle or shorter. A projected 86 percent of all construction and demolition waste was recycled or salvaged.The three buildings that comprise Anne Arundel Hall total 39,000 square feet. Smithgroup JJR served as architect of the project and Gilbane Building Company oversaw the construction. Landscape project designer was Lan Hogue for Michael Vergason Landscape Architect.
Mars habitat concept NASA

NASA is offering $1.1 million in prize money in Phase 2 of the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge for new ways to build houses where future space explorers can live and work.

The three-part competition asks citizen inventors to use readily available and recyclable materials for the raw material to print habitats.

Phase 2 focuses on the material technologies needed to manufacture structural components from a combination of indigenous materials and recyclables, or indigenous materials alone. NASA may use these technologies to construct shelters for future human explorers to Mars. On Earth, these same capabilities could also be used to produce affordable housing wherever it is needed or where access to conventional building materials and skills is limited.

Shelter is an obvious necessity as we prepare to explore worlds beyond our home planet, but space and weight aboard our vehicles are precious, and taken by the many other resources we will need for survival, said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate. Thats why we are seeking the technology to reuse the materials we will already be carrying, and combine them with what is already available at our destination, which is, in this case, soil. We recycle here on Earth  why not on Mars?

NASA has partnered with Bradley University, in Peoria, Illinois, and sponsors Caterpillar, also in Peoria, Bechtel, and Brick & Mortar Ventures, both in San Francisco, for Phase 2 of the competition.

Innovation, collaboration and experiential learning, three of Bradley Universitys core values, are at the heart of the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge with NASA and Caterpillar, said Bradley University President Gary Roberts. The challenge provides an unparalleled opportunity for students and faculty to network, create relationships with mentors and explore new ideas as they partner in creating solutions for our world and beyond.

Registration for Phase 2 is now open; teams have until Jan. 31, 2017 to sign up. The challenge will culminate in a ground competition in August 2017 at the Caterpillar proving ground facilities in Peoria. Phase 3 will focus on fabrication of complete habitats. Phase 1 of the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge, a design competition, was completed in 2015.

NASAs Centennial Challenges Program uses competitions to draw citizen inventors from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to push technology forward for the benefit of space exploration. Centennial Challenges is part of the agencys Space Technology Mission Directorate.

For more information about the competition, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/3DPHab

To register, and for the official rules and documents, visit: http://bradley.edu/challenge
DEVILS LAKE -- The Devils Lake Regional Airport is on its way to a record year as its passenger numbers continue to soar, a trend opposite of what most North Dakota airports are seeing this year.

The airport boarded 486 passengers in September, according to numbers released this week by the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, breaking another monthly record this year. Devils Lake has set a record every month this year except for one, and its likely it will have enough passengers to break its record for yearly boardings, airport manager John Nord said this week.

The airport has boarded 4,776 passengers through September, more than 1,400 up from last year at that time. The most Devils Lake boarded in a year was in 2011 with 5,488.

Boarding numbers at the airport have been on an upward trend since Great Lake Airlines left Devils Lake in early 2014. After Great Lakes started flying from Devils Lake in 2012, the airport saw a drastic drop in numbers from its record year in 2011 to just shy of 3,000 in 2012 and 2,667 in 2013. SkyWest took over in 2014, and numbers began to climb slightly.

With United Airlines, Devils Lake likely will climb toward 6,000 boardings by the end of the year.

Downward trend

Devils Lake has bucked a downward trend seen by most airports in North Dakota. The eight airports tracked by the Aeronautics Commission have boarded 776,534 passengers this year, a 12.83 percent drop from last year.

A drop in oil prices, which in turn has forced the energy sector to reduce its workforce in North Dakota, has no doubt had an effect on boarding numbers across the state.

The largest hit to boarding numbers, at least by percentage, has been seen at the Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport, which boarded 1,383 passengers in September, more than 2,100 fewer than September 2015. The airport has boarded 12,292 passengers this year, almost a third of what it boarded at this time last year.

The airport lost its connection to Minneapolis when Delta Airlines pulled out of Dickinson in December, and that played a large role in the decline of boardings, Aeronautics Commission Director Kyle Wanner said.

When you completely remove an airline and a destination from an airport, that obviously has repercussions on the boardings at that airport, he said. You have less seats, so you cant board aircraft if there arent aircraft to board.

The numbers are difficult to compare because Dickinson had two airline services in September 2015 and now has one, Wanner said. January will present better comparison numbers, and he expects Dickinson could see a plateau or even some growth then.

Sloulin Field International Airport in Williston, which lost American Airlines to Houston, also has seen a decline in passenger numbers with 5,510 boardings in September, down 8,313 passengers in September 2015. So far this year, it has had 50,847 passengers, a 39.77 percent decrease from last year at that time.

Grand Forks International Airport also saw a slight decline in September boardings with 8,853, dropping roughly 460 passengers from September 2015. Through September, the airport has boarded 96,608 fliers, an 8 percent drop from that time last year.

Fargos Hector International Airport boarded 29,418 passengers in September, slightly down from 31,121 passengers in September 2015. Its also down in year-to-date numbers, boarding 292,738 passengers this year compared with 332,243 last year at this time.

Aside from Devils Lake, Bismarck and Jamestown are the only airports in the state that have seen increases this year. The Bismarck Airport boarded 21,802 passengers last month, a slight increase over the September 2015 boardings of 20,234. Through September, Bismarck had 197,064 boardings, 4 percent up from last year at that time.

That increase may be attributed to Dickinson losing Delta. With only one air service in southwestern North Dakota, passengers will travel to other airports if they present better deals and access to other cities.

The Jamestown Regional Airport saw the largest percentage increase from last year for September boardings for North Dakota airports, clocking in 930 boardings for a 57.89 percent increase. Jamestown also holds the highest increase for year-to-date boardings, hitting 8,360 passengers through September. Thats a 48.89 percent increase over last years numbers.

Million passengers

Though numbers are down, North Dakota still is seeing more boardings than it did pre-oil boom.

The Aeronautics Commission counted 483,911 passengers through September 2007. Year-to-date boardings steadily increased for four years, with North Dakota boarding 639,089 passengers through September 2011.

Yearly totals jumped dramatically in 2012, going from 872,169 passengers in 2011 to more than a million boardings in 2012, a milestone for North Dakota. Those numbers topped off in 2014 with about 1.24 million boardings before dropping to 1.18 million in 2015.

If you would go back as far as 2008 and look at our state system plan, we werent supposed to surpass a million until the 2030s, Wanner said.

The holiday season is closing in, a time when airports are flooded with passengers who travel across the country to visit families. Wanner said he is confident North Dakota airports will board more than a million passengers by the end of the year, adding he is not worried about the decline at other airports since the state is ahead of projected growth.

When you look at where we are to date and the historical numbers for the following months, were pretty certain we will surpass that one-million mark, he said. We had a huge influx obviously with the growth and the boom, and obviously weve come down a little bit, but we are still way ahead of where we were pre-boom.
Horse Racing New Brunswick played host to the final card for 2016 on Saturday afternoon (October 15) at Exhibition Park Raceway.

Todd Trites was crowned the track's driving champion on Saturday. He is a former Maritime dash-winning driver and one of the most popular catch-drivers on the circuit.

Meanwhile, Saturday's fastest mile was turned in by the best pacer in New Brunswick this season. Dr. Mitchell Downey, the meet's top trainer, guided Fall Bliss to victory in the day's featured $1,350 Preferred class in 1:59.1.

An eight-year-old son of Blissful Hall, Fall Bliss scored his fourth win in a row and 11th victory of 2016 racing campaign. Three-year-old K D Overdrive was runner-up in the day's main event.

Daniel Crouse, 28, was victorious in his career debut as a trainer during Saturday's card as his 10-year-old pacing gelding Ideal Ticket won in 2:02.1 with Trites aboard.

That wraps up the 2016 racing season that saw a total of 15 race dates. Horse Racing New Brunswick would like to thank all horsemen for their support along with everyone who played a part in the success of this past season.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Exhibition Park Raceway.

(With files from HRNB)
This week, Freehold Raceway hosted four New Jersey Futurity races for two and three-year-old pacers and trotters.

The first of the four New Jersey Futurity races took place on Thursday (Oct. 13) for three-year-old trotters with a purse of $22,000. Dominion Beach, with driver Marcus Johansson moved to take the lead from Inukchuck Chuck just past the half-mile mark to win in 1:57.3. Inukchuck Chuck finished second while Heal The World came in third.

This marks win number six with earnings over $170,000 lifetime for the Nancy Johansson trainee. Ernst Gerbaulet bred the Muscle Hill colt.

Friday (Oct. 14) continued New Jersey Futurity action with the two-year-old trotters battling for a $23,500 purse. Andy Miller sent Southwind Prius to the front from post position three only to relinquish the lead at the head of the stretch eventually finishing third. Joe Bongiorno guided Southwind Woody around some road trouble to win in 1:59.1, holding off a late surge from Romancing Rachel.

The Muscle Hill-Winkys Star colt was bred by Southwind Farm and notched his first lifetime win.

The conclusion of the racing week held two races for pacers on Saturday (Oct. 15). The first of the two was the third race of the day. The $20,300 New Jersey Futurity for two-year-old pacers was won by the favourite Every Way Out. Driven by Tim Tetrick, Every Way Out wired the field from the rail position in 1:55.1. The only mare in the race, Misqued, out-paced the other colts to finish second. Notenough For Me finished third.

This win pushed the If I Can Dream-Every Play colts earnings to $181,805. Bulletproof Enterprises bred Every Way Out.

In the seventh race, another favourite, Boston Red Rocks dominated the $26,000 three-year-old pacer division. Tim Tetrick coasted the Steve Elliott trainee to the wire in 1:53.4.

Bred by Andray Farms, the Rocknroll Hanover colt boosted his lifetime earnings to $988,588.

Freehold Raceway also honoured long-time paddock judge Mike Fuschini in the eighth race on Saturday. Drivers, trainers, and grooms joined Fuschini's family in the winner's circle to commemorate the loss of an amazing individual. He will be missed by everyone whose life he touched.

(With files from SBOANJ)
In this week's Rewind Robert Smith reviews the stellar career of Hall of Fame horseman Jack Kopas who celebrates his 88th birthday today (October 16).



Jack Kopas and the great Super Wave share a moment together.Originally purchased for $5,000 he went on to win almost $500,000 for London, Ont. owner Dr. George Boyce DVM (U.S.T.A. photo) Jack Kopas and the great Super Wave share a moment together.Originally purchased for $5,000 he went on to win almost $500,000 for London, Ont. owner Dr. George Boyce DVM (U.S.T.A. photo)

Way back on October 16, 1928 the tiny community of Lumsden, located in the Qu'Appelle Valley region of south-central Saskatchewan, welcomed its newest citizen. The bouncing baby boy, the first born son of Ryerson and Minnie Kopas was named John but has forever been known as 'Jack'. He was their sixth child but their first and only son, followed by one more sister. Undoubtedly his parents envisioned their son becoming a grain and livestock farmer as most people were in that area. While their dreams were based on sound footing, the young Kopas decided early in life that his aspirations would lead him elsewhere.

I recently had a lengthy and interesting conversation with Jack as he shared a few 'tidbits' of his lifetime of memories and involvement in the sport he has loved for so many years. Although still at times referred to as a "Westerner", he has spent much of his life and certainly the majority of his racing career in the East. His introduction into the sport started early and at the age of 16, he was already at the sport's showplace, Roosevelt Raceway working as a groom for Jim Kealey. Now with over 70 years of memories, accomplishments and accolades, Jack is a pretty special man. I am honoured that he took the time to chat with me; I will remember it.

By the time he was about 20 his mind was made up to follow a career with the horses. In our conversation he said, "My thinking was if I'm going to starve to death I might as well do it doing something I love." And so it was; and so it has been. Jack made his first lifetime start as a driver in 1949 at the nearby Fort Qu'appelle, Sask. fairgrounds track. His travels soon led him East as the sport was pretty 'small time' in Western Canada back then.

"If I had stayed back home, I would have never made it," Jack told me with a laugh. "Racing at a few fairs and small town tracks on holiday race days was about all there was back then."

In 1958 Jack and his wife Alice and infant son left their home area in Western Canada and made the long eastward journey to Quebec, settling in Three Rivers. Despite not knowing many people Jack was fortunate to hook up with a prosperous horse owner named Michaud who helped get him started with a number of decent horses. Not long after this though Mr. Michaud died suddenly. His estate sold all of the horses leaving Jack in the proverbial position of high and dry; somewhat alone with a wife and small child to support and unable to speak French to add to his woes.



A scene from the earlier days of the career of Jack Kopas taken in 1963. He is shown here at age 35 following a win at the Three Rivers track with Success Hope along with co-owner Raymond Burgess and son Dick at the horse's head. The trainer of this horse was Jack McIntosh, one of those who spotted the potential in Jack's driving ability before he became well known. A scene from the earlier days of the career of Jack Kopas taken in 1963. He is shown here at age 35 following a win at the Three Rivers track with Success Hope along with co-owner Raymond Burgess and son Dick at the horse's head. The trainer of this horse was Jack McIntosh, one of those who spotted the potential in Jack's driving ability before he became well known.

Somehow things worked out and Jack's career continued its then slow but steady climb. After several years of racing on the Quebec circuit he was encouraged to move to Ontario and try his luck there. Around 1965 he made a permanent move to the London area after already racing at the Western Fair track. Jack was very definite in saying "from here my career in the sport really took off."

One of the first orders of business in moving to the London area was the establishment of their home base at Ilderton, a small hamlet just north of the city limits and described as halfway between Lake Erie and Lake Huron. A nice little 10-acre plot which eventually included a 17 stall barn was the ideal spot. Today some 50 years later they are still there. Jack said, "There are no horses now, probably just a few rabbits roaming around."

The formula for success that applies to any horseman starts with getting good racing stock. By the mid 1960's the Kopas barn was steadily attracting more and better horses, several from the ownership of veterinarian Dr. George Boyce of London. In 1968 a 'super' horse named Super Wave then just a two-year-old was the talk of racing. In the next few seasons his career blossomed under Jack's guidance. He was the headliner in Jack's operation and was soon followed by many more such as full brother Springfield and also Shadow Star, who captured some huge events like the Battle Of Brandywine and Sheppard Pace. While Jack had a 'ton' of good ones, Super Wave put him 'on the map' to stay.



Jack is seen in a warm up prior to race time (Hoof Beats) Jack is seen in a warm up prior to race time (Hoof Beats)

In the mid 1970's the talent parade continued, led by Jade Prince, Nat Lobell and Super Clint to name just a few. Also emerging at this time was the next generation of the Kopas family as Super Clint with son John driving posted a big upset in 1977 at Lexington when they defeated Governor Skipper in what was then a world record time. With each passing year more and more young pupils joined the operation which was growing by leaps and bounds. The success rate with colt performers became the trademark of the stable.

Because of the limited availability of stabling for young horses at London's Western Fair track, Jack decided to begin winter training in Florida. Vividly recalling the cold climate where he was born and raised, it was not a difficult decision. At his peak, the numbers reached 85 head with half headquartered at Ben White in Orlando and the rest at Seminole Downs. Jack recalls with pride that besides enjoying the business and being successful, he was also pleased that his stable operated pretty smoothly under the guidance of son Roger who for many years served as barn boss. "We had a lot of good people who worked with us over the years and helped to make things go."



For many years the Kopas stable wintered in Florida and their barn at Ben White was often a favourite spot for snowbirds. I had the pleasure of a few visits as shown in this photo as I chatted with groom Alex Hammond, who is on the left (D.M. Smith photo) For many years the Kopas stable wintered in Florida and their barn at Ben White was often a favourite spot for snowbirds. I had the pleasure of a few visits as shown in this photo as I chatted with groom Alex Hammond, who is on the left (D.M. Smith photo)

Many champions emerged from the Kopas barn and to name them all would surely fill a few volumes, more than a reminiscence like this can hold. He had success with all types of horses and fared well with pacing fillies such as world champion Roses Are Red, a multiple stakes winner, and also Areba Areba, a winner of over $300,000 in a smaller purse era. Add to that the many great performers from prominent owners such as Armstrong Bros. and Almahurst Farms. Armbro Bramble, Alberton, Blizzard Almahurst, Centre Square, Savilla Lobell and the list goes on but should also include the memorable grey filly Keystone Wallis.

In 1988, the year that Jack was elected to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame he was still putting out champions when Armbro Feather was a standout for the Armstrong Bros. stable. Then a four-year-old, she was driven by son John and trained by Jack and Alice's other son Roger.

In 1995 he was enshrined in the U.S. Hall of Fame at Goshen and is also a member of the Western Fair's Wall of Fame along with Super Wave.



Jack Kopas proudly displays a trophy won by Super Wave. Always a distinctive part of his racing silks was the Maple Leaf shown on his sleeve (Harness Horse) Jack Kopas proudly displays a trophy won by Super Wave. Always a distinctive part of his racing silks was the Maple Leaf shown on his sleeve (Harness Horse)

From a very humble beginning, racing at numerous small towns like Fort Qu'Appelle and many other whistle stops where the purses were lucky to reach the $100 mark, Jack Kopas forged quite a career. In reminiscing about his long tenure in the sport he regrets that his father died at such a young age which prevented him from seeing the young fellow's life plan work out as well as it did.

Jack recalls the fatherly advice he reluctantly received, "Sonny, you'll starve to death if you keep fooling with those horses", but obviously the outcome was otherwise. The senior Kopas did have a liking for horses and cattle but only those with a white face, Jack recalls. At one time he raised and sold some of the highest quality Clydesdale horses and Hereford cattle found in all of Western Canada.

I would like to extend my birthday wishes to Jack and Alice and to their entire extended family. Congratulations on a very long, successful and colourful career and thanks for your continuing sense of humor, an important element not always present in folks of your age. As we signed off our conversation I said "Thank you so much; I should have enough info now to put together a pretty good story" to which Jack replied, "YES; you should have plenty of good old fashioned B*** S*** by now!!!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK!!
On a brilliant fall Saturday, The Meadows Racetrack & Casino brought down the curtain on its 2016 stakes season with four Keystone Classics for two-year-olds competing for total purses of $460,796.

The freshmen were as brilliant as the weather, as Caviart Wonder, Giveitgasandgo and Caviart Cherie all established stakes records. Scott Zeron sparkled as well, piloting five stakes winners  the three record-setters among them. Zerons cache included three victories for trainer Noel Daley and a pair for Caviart Farms.

Highlights of Saturdays Keystone Classics:

$111,399 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace

The record by Caviart Cherie may have been the most unlikely  she entered the Keystone Classic a six-race maiden. Her trip was improbable as well, as Zeron sent her inside Big City Betty, who was jumping shadows for Aaron Merriman and making Zerons winning move more perilous than usual.

Aaron took the three-wide path to be safe, and I just kind of squeaked up the middle, Zeron said. It opened up a doorway for me to take, and my filly responded.

The daughter of Well Said-Caviart Sarah scored in 1:51.3, eclipsing Robin Cruisers previous stake mark of 1:52. Big City Betty settled down to finish second, three lengths back, while Terrortina shot the Lightning Lane for show. Daley conditions Caviart Cherie for Caviart Farms.

Brazuca and V String captured the other divisions. Although Brazuca upset PA champion Agent Q in a Liberty Bell division, bettors sent Agent Q off the favourite. Just as she did in the Liberty Bell, Brazuca zipped to the front for Dave Palone and held off Agent Q by one and a quarter lengths in 1:53. Gotthisone Hanover was third.

I dont ever watch the toteboard, said Tom Cancelliere, who trains the daughter of Bettors Delight-Knock Three Times  acquired as a yearling for $65,000  for John Cancelliere and plans to send her to the Breeders Crown. I come with my filly prepared to the best of her ability, and we go. And Im lucky enough to have Dave driving her. He does a great job with her.

With four fillies in the hunt late, V String had just enough to hold off Pittstop Danika by three-quarters of a length for Zeron, Daley and owners The OK Corral and Andrew Roberts.

When I was able to get that second-over trip, I was going to take it every day of the week, Zeron said. The flow was nice and solid, and when I asked her to go three-deep, she was great.

$103,800 Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot

There was nothing unlikely about the performance by Giveitgasandgo. It was his seventh straight victory and extended his bankroll to $264,240. He was parked with cover past the quarter, but prevailed in a career-best 1:54.4, erasing the old stake record of 1:55.2 held jointly by Keystone Activator and Pilgrims Taj. The time also equalled Suttons track record and is the fastest in this division this year on a five-eighths-mile track. Meteoric was second, beaten half a length, with Monsta Hanover third.

We definitely went a lot faster fractions than I wanted to, Zeron said. But he delivered when it came down to it. I tried to slow him up down the backside to give him a breather at some point in the mile, and I think I almost put him to sleep. Hes a great big horse, so it was hard to start him back up again late.

John Butenshoen trains the Yankee Glide-Mazda Hanover ridgling for Harmony Oaks Racing Stable, David Miller, Lawrence Means and VIP Internet Stable.

The other division went to Andy M, who broke his maiden in 1:57 for Aaron Merriman, trainer Chris Beaver and owners Mark Moger and Albert Delia Jr. Soho Hanover missed by a nose while Equestrianconxtion completed the ticket.

Hes high speed, but its the end of the year, and hes starting to feel it a little bit, Merriman said. He was a little more bumpy than usual, a little rougher, and I had to help him a little, but he trotted the turns super.

$119,399 Two-Year-Old Filly Trot

When Caviart Wonder blitzed the front half in :27.2/:56, even Daley, her trainer, figured she would come back to earth.

Once she did that :27.2, I thought shed be in a bit of trouble, Daley said. Shes a beautifully gaited little thing, and shes been bomb proof all year. But I didnt think she was that good.

Yet Caviart Farms daughter of Muscle Massive-Won An Done kept right on truckin, prevailing in 1:54.2. She lowered Fashion Athenas stake record of 1:55.1, Frau Bluchers track record of 1:54.4 and trotted the fastest mile in her division this year on a five-eighths mile track. Dangle Then Deke was five and a half lengths back in second, with Miss Da Line third. Daley said Caviart Wonder, a $20,000 yearling purchase, is eligible for the final of the Kindergarten Series.

Gins Tonic and Crann Tara took the other splits. Gins Tonic had lost all 10 career outings before Mike Simons guided her to a Lightning Lane score in 1:56.3, two and a quarter lengths better than Trixie Dust. Long Driveway earned show.

Weve been taking our time with her, and she shes been in with some really tough horses, said J. Neal Ehrhart, who trains the daughter of Muscle Massive-Dont Say Dont  an $8,000 yearling acquisition  for Virginia Ehrhart. So we didnt abuse her. We raced her where she was comfortable. Youve not seen the best of her yet.

Crann Tara ground out a first-over victory for Marcus Miller, trainer Linda Toscano and owner William Donovan, putting away EZ Passer by three-quarters of a length. Lexi Marie finished third.

It was a pretty measured move, Miller said of the daughter of Donato Hanover-Shan Riches. I thought as long as she didnt make a mistake, she was the best one in there, so I was being pretty careful getting her through the turns.

$126,198 Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace

When Dragnet Alert blazed to a world record 1:49.2 at The Red Mile last week, it was the mark of Sheer Desire and Palone that he wiped out. So there was a poetic touch when Palone swung into the sulky behind him for the Keystone Classic. The Dragon Again-Jettin Jenna gelding responded with a front-end score in 1:52 for trainer Chris Oakes and owner Crawford Farms Racing. Maconupwithedragon was a ground-saving second, one and a half lengths back, with Photobombr Hanover third.

I think hed rather chase than be on the lead, Palone said. He has a lazy way about him. But as soon as they came to him, he swelled up. I just didnt want to take any chances.

In his division, Eddard Hanover matched that time with a front-end score for Mike Wilder, two and a half lengths ahead of the rallying Mikes Z Tam. Northwest Yankee earned show.

I got to drive him on Adios Day, and he really raced huge. He circled the field and got nailed in the lights, Wilder said. Today, I wanted him on the point if I could get there, and he was great. He grew into a nice colt.

Ron Burke trains the Dragon Again-Edra Hanover gelding for Burke Racing Stable, JJK Stables, Larry Karr and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.

Summer Side, the 1-5 favourite, had to fight off a stiff challenge from Point Somewherelse to down him by three-quarters of a length in 1:52.4, with early leader Cinnabar Dragon third. Zeron drove the son of Well Said-Beachy Lady for trainer Ray Schnittker, who owns with Howard Taylor. Summer Side now boasts a career bankroll of $161,936.

It became a duel down the lane, and my horse was never on the front before, Zeron reported. He was a little lazy up there. It was an all-out stretch drive, and it made for a great race.

(With files from The Meadows)
At least 11 people have died and several more are missing in heavy flooding in central Vietnam.

Tens of thousands of homes have been completely submerged by water. Local authorities mobilise army and police to rescue trapped residents in central Vietnam following torrential rain.

The communist government has ordered local authorities to mobilise the army and police to rescue trapped residents following heavy downpours.

Officials say at least 11 had died in the flooding with some 27,000 homes under water in the region.

The death toll was seven in Quang Binh province. Conditions are however improving. Now safety troops can reach areas which were isolated by flooding.

Though rainfall is expected to ease, officials warned the region could be hammered again if typhoon Sarika in the South China Sea reaches Vietnam.

The 2016 Asian monsoon is one of the strongest in many years, and has been intensified by the El Nino natural phenomenon which sees Pacific water temperatures rise and leads to droughts and severe weather worldwide.

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Democratic-NPL Party candidate Eliot Glassheim is campaigning to be a voice for compromise in the U.S. Senate and break up the partisan gridlock that he says has paralyzed Washington, D.C.

The long-time state representative from Grand Forks indicated he could duplicate the model of Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., by reaching across the aisle to come to legislative solutions. He said its the approach he takes in the state Legislature.

Its time to show people that the government can govern  and get their work done, said Glassheim, adding he would protect and improve programs, such as Social Security.

One of the issues  that hasnt been talked about, but it should be, is Social Security. It needs more revenues and less spending combined, Glassheim said.

Both parties need to quit kicking the can further down the road, according to Glassheim. The Social Security Administrations most recent projection has the trust funds for Social Security being depleted in 2034.

Glassheim said he is willing to break from his party on energy policy, if it doesnt have the state's interests in mind.

There ought to be different rules for different basins. Fracking in Pennsylvania is far different than fracking in North Dakota, said Glassheim, adding that strong environmental standards still need to be in place.

Glassheim, 78, who has overcome a bout with cancer, said early in the campaign he wasnt sure hed be able to travel extensively on the campaign trial. He said his health and energy have been better than expected and plans for swings throughout the western part of the state and a number of smaller towns this month. Stops in Fargo and Bismarck also are planned.

Were going full-bore, said Glassheim, conceding he cant match Sen. John Hoeven's organization and large campaign chest.

Glassheim, referring to his stint on the Grand Forks City Council during the 1997 flood that overwhelmed the city, said he took a position of "stop talking and start moving dirt"  a philosophy that needs to be embraced in Washington to solve problems.

Glassheim, who concedes his candidacy is a long shot, also has taken aim at Hoevens support of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

I have a sense this will be a wave election. Whether the wave election will come this far inland, Im unsure, he said.
The wind boomed and howled Saturday, but it didnt deter more than 700 high school students from all over Washington state who gathered in the Kalama High School gym to help prepare 100,000 meals for needy families.

Students formed lines, surrounded by giant tubs of dried rice, beans and macaroni, taking turns pouring carefully measured cups of ingredients into meal bags that would soon go to local food banks.

The students were here as part of the annual Association of Washington Student Leaders conference, hosted this year by Mark Morris and R.A. Long high schools in Longview. The association, a division of the Association of Washington School Principals, partnered this year with the United Way of Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties to organize the conferences service project.

Grace Johnson and Sophia Konugres of Ballard High School and Amanda Yang and Maddy Turner of Ingram High School all traveled from Seattle for the three-day conference. The girls took turns funneling macaroni noodles, dried cheese, and vitamin-enriched seasoning packets into a larger meal bag. Several students at the end of their table then weighed, sealed, and labeled each package and carefully placed it in a cardboard box.

The table then let out a huge cheer  the first of many  when they filled a box.

Each bag is a meal for a family, Grace explained. Each package contained enough food for six people, meaning each box contained 216 meals.

According to Northwest Harvest, a Washington nonprofit food bank distributor, one in five Washingtonians relies on a food bank. This room is going to pump out 50,000 of these bags, Sophia said. And theres two sessions so theres going to be 100,000 by the end of today.

The meals packaged over the next three hours would later be distributed to Lower Columbia CAP, Wahkiakum Food Bank, Kalama Helping Hand, FISH of Cowlitz County and Woodland Action center, with each organization receiving 20,000 packaged meals.

That means a lot to me, thats just so great, Maddy said.

The meals will have a large impact in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties: according to FISH of Cowlitz County, 26,000 individuals from more than 7,000 households received food assistance from the organization in 2015. Children under the age of 18 make up 40 percent of FISHs food recipients.

You guys are amazing, you guys are rockstars, staff adviser Kelli MacCleod told a group of students as they worked.

At another table, Sophomore Jacob Hammond of Wahkiakum High School and senior Lindsay Wilson of Kalama took turns putting the finishing touches on meal bags, including tagging each with a sticker bearing the expiration date. Neither of them had participated in a service project like this before.

My favorite part (of the conference) is this right now, Jacob said.

Other students, like ninth grader Max Quinn from Camas, have made community service a habit.

My family, we make lunches and go around Portland and give them to homeless people, Max said. We try do to it every Christmas.

But Saturdays project was special, with hundreds of students cheering, yelling and singing to pop music piped in to the gym.

Its like a big family coming together, Max said.
Under the sparkling chandeliers and dark wooden entryway of the Monticello Hotel, butcher paper is taped to the floor to protect the rugs from dust and workmens boots. Bright yellow signs announcing the need for a hard hat are posted throughout the lobby. Behind the front desk, saws screech from inside the ballroom.

These are the signs that the hotels multi-million renovation is underway after new owners purchased the historic property for $2.8 million.

We were so excited we were beside ourselves. Ive been here my whole life, and to think that I am involved with what is currently going on at the Monticello is just phenomenal to me, said Kathy Nelson, a part-owner and investor, leaning forward for emphasis. I was raised here in Longview-Kelso knowing that that is the place.

The renovations now will focus on the first floor; crews have removed the raised floor in the ballroom, exposed the original plaster ceilings, torn out old carpet in the bar area to reveal original tile, gutted the kitchen and chiseled out mortar in the original vents in the ceiling.

Nelson, her daughter Breanna Alleman and their partner Hollie Hillman have become rising entrepreneurs in the town in recent years, building on the success of their legal marijuana businesses to invest in two restaurants and now, the Monticello Hotel. They have emerged as the new hope behind the historic but long struggling hotel.

Nelson, Alleman and Longview residents Mike and Brenda Young are doing business at the hotel as Five Star Longview LLC, which will run the restaurant, ballroom and cafe. Theyre renting from Monticello Place, a private company owned by a group of Seattle area investors as well as Alleman and Nelson. Monticello Place owns the building and will manage the apartments.

We take opportunity when opportunity presents itself. And Ive been doing that my whole adult life; looking for the thing, said Nelson, who is in her mid-50s.

How Nelson came to own part of Longviews most iconic property is an unlikely story: It begins with a skeptical but successful foray into the marijuana business and culminated with a meeting and business partnership with a Russian emigre.

When the financial crisis hit in 2008, Nelsons business selling vacuums fizzled out. Instead she switched to the health care industry, where she became a home health provider to a patient who used medical marijuana to control pain.

I, at the time, didnt know the (medical marijuana) industry and thought, Thats a bunch of b-. Its an excuse!  she recalled. Yet she witnessed how marijuana transformed the patient, easing his pain and improving his mood.

I thought, theres something to this. So my awareness was there, Nelson recalled.

In 2013, Nelson, Hillman and Alleman opened Marandas medical marijuana collective on Ocean Beach Highway. Customers flocked there because police raids had shut down two other area collectives.

I was greeted with humongous thanks from the medical community that needed a place to go  who were very, very appreciative of me taking the risk. I didnt know if they were just going to close me down and arrest me, Nelson recalled. By November 2013, they opened their second location on West Side Highway in Kelso.

When recreational pot became legal in Washington in 2014, Nelsons group transformed one of the Maranadas locations into one of the states first recreational pot shops, called Freedom Market. Later they would teamed up with Todd and Rachel Bratton to open a second Freedom Market on 14th Avenue.

In February last year, the Freedom Market entrepreneurs agreed take over Marys Bar & Grill (which was in the same strip mall as the Kelso pot shop) after its owner fell ill, Nelson said. Although there was a learning curve, the venture proved successful enough for the company to invest again in another restaurant and bar just six months later on Washington Way now called Union Square.

It wasnt long after that a group of investors from the Seattle area, including immigration attorney Katya Stelmakh, came knocking on their door.

I met Breanna and Kathy when our group was looking for a local experienced restaurant operator to lease the first floor of the hotel. My partners and I were impressed by Breanna and Kathys professionalism and local knowledge and we ultimately offered them not only a lease, but an ownership interest in the hotel, Stelmakh, an owner of the Monticello Place, said by email.

Originally from Belarus, formerly part of the Soviet Union, Stelmakh has lived in the U.S. for several years. Shes the only principal listed on Monticello Places business license and real estate transactions records. The newly formed private company is made up of a group of Seattle investors, including Stelmakh and Tacoma engineer Sean Comfort, but they have declined to release the names of all the people invested in the group.

The individual investors just saw potential in this famous historic property and decided to invest, Stelmakh said.

The Monticello Hotel had been on the market since mid-2014, and although there were plenty of inquiries, most potential buyers were hesitant to take on the complex property, said Paul Young, a Vancouver real estate broker who represented the sellers, Phil and Ginger Lovingfoss.

It was by far, of all the properties I represented, the one that I got called on the most. After talking to people for about 30 minutes, most would say, That sounds very interesting, but its beyond their skill set what youre looking for, Young said.

It took about six months to close the deal, as the buyers did feasibility studies, due diligence and working through an attorney to access Phil Lovingfoss, who was incarcerated.

The buyers were very professional. They were obviously very determined and wanted to get the deal done, Young said.

Young applauded the buyers plan to restore restaurant, cafe and ballroom while keeping the top floors apartments.

Having been around the property for a couple years, I think that is probably the best plan for the property, Young said. I had always kind of had doubts about the demand for someone to come in and try to convert everything back to a hotel.

The renovation of the first and third floor is underway, and it will cost at least $1.7 million, according to documents filed with the county. The first floor is expected to be complete in the next six months, if not sooner.

Although the property had struggled financially in years past, the new owners say restoring the building back to its historic roots and ensuring that it feels like a unique experience will contribute to its success.

We have hired a highly professional management team to manage the hotel renovation and operation, Stelmakh said. We understand Monticellos historic significance for the community and aim to restore the property to its former glory. 

Nelson added, Each area of the first floor, whether its the dining room, whether its the Crystal Ballroom or the coffee shop  Its going to be an experience. Each piece of it is going to have its own pizzazz.

Nelson said shes really just one part of a three-member team with Hillman and Alleman. She said the thirty-somethings driving the operation, along with a team of dedicated staff.

It is wonderful getting to work with my mom, to get to see her every day and to be on such a great journey together, said Alleman, who is Five Stars CEO. A Longview native, Alleman was married at the Monticello in 2011 after graduating from Washington State University in 2010. She added that shes excited about bringing it back to its former glory and historical roots.

Already the hotels new Facebook page is flooded with comments of excited area residents and people giving the hotel five-star ratings even before the first floor is reopened.

Were going to have a huge burst of opportunity to show we can provide the quality of service and quality of food. So we are very much aware that there is a lot riding on the first (few months) and we are feverishly working to make sure that weve got our ducks in a row to provide it, Nelson said.
To fight the increasing obesity and diabetes problems among the people, Irish government has announced a special kind of tax, called, sin taxes on the sugary drinks. However, it is delayed until April 2018 so as to coincide with the UKs introduction of their own sugar tax.

The sin taxes were introduced this week by an Irish politician and Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, and on the same day, WHO (World Health Organisation) has recommended a hefty 20 percent tax on sugary drinks, citing reasonable and increasing evidence that appropriately designed taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages would result in proportional reductions in consumption.

It was also claimed by the Irish Beverage Council that there was international evidence of a 100 per cent failure rate of sugar tax in addressing obesity levels, which rather muddies the cola. FYI, the likes of France, Mexico, Hungary, Chile and Barbados have all implemented levies on sodas over last five years.

A recent survey showed that after the introduction of sugar taxes sales of these drinks have fallen by 6 percent in Mexico since 2014, however, the decrease was slower last year. While, the Danish example is also surfacing as an counter  the Danes abandoned their sugar tax in 2014, but that move was largely a pragmatic response to consumers getting their sugary beverages in Germany instead.

In a recent interview, Kevin Keane, policy and public affairs director for the American Beverage Association, said the tax defies common sense. If soda sales are going down and diabetes and obesity are going up, how can they make the claim that were a cause on these issues? asked Keane, whose organization provided every cent of the $503,000 in reported contributions to No on 2H, the issue committee fighting the tax locally.

Were doing our part with these meaningful programs and doing it aggressively, Keane said. If youre worried about these disease issues, youve got to roll up your sleeves and try to make a difference and change peoples behaviors.  A tax, thats lazy.
If elected to a second term, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said people can expect more of his North Dakota common-sense approach to legislating at the federal level.

Hoeven, 59, likened a campaign to a lengthy job interview. He has crisscrossed the state meeting with constituents, touting his record working on farm bill legislation, pushing for funding for the unmanned aircraft systems test site in Grand Forks and efforts to knock down federal regulations he says would negatively impact the state.

I work hard every day in Washington, D.C., to bring North Dakota common-sense leadership to the Senate, Hoeven said.

His record of hard work and collaboration make him stand out and he believes North Dakota residents will take notice, according to Hoeven.

Almost every bill Ive sponsored is bipartisan. I have an ability to work with people to get things done, Hoeven said.

Hoeven has been called out by his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Eliot Glassheim of Grand Forks, on his support for the GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Hoeven dismissed talk that his support of Trump is a negative for him.

Certainly, I dont agree with everything Donald Trump says or does, but I do think hed be much better for our state and country than Secretary Clinton, Hoeven, who is a staunch opponent of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

A highlight in his term in office was playing a key role in working on the latest farm bill, which he says should be good for North Dakota producers. He was on the conference committee that helped refine the final version of the five-year bill, which provided more funding to the state than in the past and included a strengthened crop insurance program.

Crop insurance is another area thats important for North Dakota farmers. Weve seen how important that is now with the low ag prices, Hoeven said.

Energy policy also has been at the top of his list of priorities.

The very first bill that we passed was the Keystone XL pipeline bill, Hoeven said of the proposed project that was sidelined after several years of review by the State Department.

Hoeven also has fought to stop the Environmental Protection Agencys Waters of the United States rule. He says the rule is an overstep by the federal government that strips states of water oversight.
Scientists at the US space agency NASA have rescheduled the main rocket burn called the period reduction maneuver (PRM) to slow down the orbital period of Juno spacecraft that is orbiting Jupiter. Previously, scientists had planned the burn to initiate on October 19 to decrease the orbital speed from 53.4 days to 14 days.

The decision was made in order to further study the performance of a set of valves that are part of the spacecrafts fuel pressurization system. The period reduction maneuver was the final scheduled burn of Junos main engine.

Telemetry indicates that two helium check valves that play an important role in the firing of the spacecrafts main engine did not operate as expected during a command sequence that was initiated yesterday, said Rick Nybakken, Juno project manager at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The valves should have opened in a few seconds, but it took several minutes. We need to better understand this issue before moving forward with a burn of the main engine.

Scientists at NASA and Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver held a meeting and decided to delay the PRM maneuver. Researchers explained that the most optimal time for the maneuver will be when spacecraft reaches closest to the Jupiter which will be on December 11.

Mission designers had originally planned to limit the number of science instruments on during Junos Oct. 19 close flyby of Jupiter. Now, with the period reduction maneuver postponed, all of the spacecrafts science instruments will be gathering data during the upcoming flyby.

It is important to note that the orbital period does not affect the quality of the science that takes place during one of Junos close flybys of Jupiter, said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The mission is very flexible that way. The data we collected during our first flyby on August 27th was a revelation, and I fully anticipate a similar result from Junos October 19th flyby.

It has been over five years when NASA launched the Juno probe on 05 August 2011. The spacecraft reached the Jupiter planet on July 04 this year with an aim of exploring the largest planet of our solar system.

First mission to Jupiter was conducted 45 years ago and since then seven mission have been started to explore the largest planet of our solar system. Juno is the best possible attempt by the scientists to explore the planet and gather necessary information. In addition, Juno is only the second spacecraft to orbit Jupiter. Galileo was the first probe to orbit the planet from 1995 to 2003.

Juno is a solar powered spacecraft with the primary aim of searching for clues about how the planet formed, including whether it has a rocky core, the amount of water present within the deep atmosphere,mass distribution, and its deep winds, which can reach speeds of 618 kilometers per hour.

NASA scientists had swtiched off the scientific instruments including cameras on the spacecraft while it was entering into the orbit in order to prevent any damage to the equipment. It took nearly a week for the first snap of Jupiter. In addition, all the scientific instruments are fully functional now.

As of now, Juno takes 53.5 days to complete its one elongated orbit around Jupiter. The mission is planned such that the spacecraft has to complete its one round around the planet by 27th of August at 2,600 miles above the planet. Juno missions entire cost is over $1.1 billion.

JPL manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASAs New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for NASAs Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA.
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India and Russia on Saturday signed 16 agreements across multiple sectors following delegation-level talks co-chairedd by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin here. "New horizons in the #IndiaRussia partnership. PM & Prez Putin witness exchange of 16 agreements and 3 announcements across fields," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted following the 17th annual bilateral summit between the two countries.

Among the agreements signed were procurement of the S-400 air defence system and construction of 1135 series of frigates in India. Another agreement was signed to set up a joint venture to manufacture helicopters. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed for setting up an investment fund of $1 billion. Agreements were also signed for developing smart cities in Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, and for developing transport logistics systems for such cities.

Another important agreement was signed for the joint study of a gas pipeline to India from Russia. According to separate agreement, a Russian consortium comprising energy giant Rosneft Oil Company, commodities trader Trafigura and private investment group United Capital Partners agreed to purchase 98 percent of Essar Oil for $10.9 billion. Rosneft also signed an agreement with ONGC Videsh for education and training in the oil and gas sector.

Both sides agreed to extend cooperation in railways development and to increase the speed of trains between Nagpur and Secunderabad. An MoU was signed between India's ISRO and the Russian state space agency on collaboration in space technology. An agreement was signed on cooperation on international information security.

Another MoU was signed for expansion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation between India and Russia. A road map for celebrating 70 years of India-Russia diplomatic ties was also announced. Another announcement pertained to cooperation between the two countries on international issues.

IANS
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim in Dhaka to see poverty elimination progress

bdnews24.com :

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has arrived in Dhaka to see firsthand the progress Bangladesh has made in eliminating poverty.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith received him when an Emirates aircraft carrying the chief of the global lender touched down at Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday afternoon.

At the airport, Economic Relations Division Secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin and Bangladeshs Alternative Executive Director in World Bank Headquarters Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan were present.



World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh Qimiao Fan and other officials were also present.

The last time a World Bank (WB) chief visited Dhaka was in 2007, when Robert Zoellick headed the global lending agency.

Soon after Bangladesh's emergence in 1971 following a war with Pakistan, the then World Bank chief Robert McNamara visited Bangladesh.

Former World Bank chiefs Paul Wolfowitz and James Wolfensohn also came to Bangladesh during their respective tenures.

Kim left for Dhaka after attending the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington.

During his visit the WB president will participate in the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty celebrations on Monday and also deliver a public lecture.

Finance Minister Muhith considers the WB chiefs visit as a recognition of Bangladesh's success in its campaign against poverty.

He said that the visit of the WB president was the right opportunity to showcase Bangladesh's success in the fight against poverty so far.

Among other engagements, Kim will participate in a public discussion on poverty elimination in the country on Tuesday. The prime minister will be present at the meeting.

He will then speak at a panel discussion titled, "End global poverty by 2030, the Bangladesh experience.'

On the same day he will head for Barisal to inspect a few World Bank financed projects there.

He will `see firsthand the progress Bangladesh has made in transitioning successfully to a lower-middle income country, despite daunting development challenges`, the World Bank release said in a statement.




The coal industry is looking to Congress for support as a new presidential administration approaches.

I think we have opportunities to go forward regardless of the next president, said Jason Bohrer, president of the Lignite Energy Council.

Candidates, if elected for president, can lead the nation into very different energy policies.

This climate debate is going to continue; its not going to go away, John Hoeven, R-N.D., said. The American public wants our country to deal with the issue.

Presidential quandaries

A potential Donald Trump presidency raises two concerns.

Trump, who historically denies the existence of climate change, could jeopardize the energy sector's research and development, in which industry has already invested. That is coupled with another concern about the push to decrease government spending, which could cut into research funding, Bohrer said.

How do you get through to someone who doesnt believe in climate change at a time government spending is so scrutinized? Bohrer asked.

Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said he is not worried about a Trump presidency because Trump always references clean coal in his energy talks.

On the other hand, a Clinton administration might offer more interest in problem solving.

Industry could catch her interest as it works to develop clean energy technologies that keep coal in the mix, such as Project Tundra and the Allam Cycle, a zero-emissions natural gas technology that industry is trying to adapt for gasified coal. Bohrer said these are solutions that could be taken overseas, giving Clinton a way to help solve climate change problems internationally in such developing coal-dependent countries as India.

Lets give her a solution that tackles climate change but also keeps industry afloat, Bohrer said.

One drawback: There are concerns that the constituents of a Clinton administration may not be willing to consider coal no matter the circumstance.

Senate confirmations key

Cramer said, no matter who is elected, a new president must learn theres a reason for Congress and believes he or she will be more attentive to the legislative branch.

Senate approval might have to be a little more rigorous," he said.

Bohrer echoed Cramer, saying industry is asking senators to be as critical as they can in the nominee confirmation process, especially in confirming federal agency heads and a new supreme court justice, who will likely have a say in industrys court battle against federal regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., said it will be important for any U.S. Environmental Protection Agency appointee to commit to reviewing the Clean Power Plan, giving industry a longer and more workable timeline to develop the technology to reduce emissions and still keep coal plants operational.

If youre concerned with the climate, you need to be concerned with clean coal, Heitkamp said.
Merkel wants to beef up sanctions against Russia

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives at the EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium,

Reuters, Berlin :

Angela Merkel wants to get other European Union member countries to agree to step up sanctions against Russia because of its role in the war in Syria, a German newspaper cited sources close to the German chancellor as saying.

The issue of sanctions is due to be discussed at an EU summit on Thursday and Friday. Both the EU and the United States have already imposed economic and other sanctions on Russia for its seizure of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, and for its support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung cited the sources as saying it was proving hard to get the agreement of the Social Democrats - the junior partner to Merkel's conservatives in Germany's ruling coalition - and other EU countries on tougher measures, but that "resentment towards the Russians has increased". The attack on a U.N. and Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy in Syria last month and Russia's actions in Aleppo have contributed to that, the newspaper cited the sources as saying.

Western powers have accused Russia and Syria of committing atrocities by bombing hospitals, killing civilians and preventing medical evacuations, accusations that they reject. The United States has said two Russian warplanes bombed the aid convoy, but Moscow denies this.

U.S. President Barack Obama told Merkel by telephone that he would support "a tough response" if European countries could agree on that, F.A.S. cited sources as saying.

It cited the sources as saying further sanctions were being considered against the aviation industry or in sectors that affected the Russian Defence Ministry.

A German government spokesperson could not immediately comment on the report.

On Oct. 7, Merkel urged Russia to use its influence with the Syrian government to end the bombardment of Aleppo. She did not address sanctions directly, but said the international community must do all it could to bring about a halt in the fighting and get supplies to civilians.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that Germany needed to make a national effort to deport migrants who do not have the right to stay in the country.

After an influx of almost 900,000 migrants last year, some Germans fear their country is being overrun by foreigners. Merkel has attracted criticism for her migrant policy and her conservatives have lost some support to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD).

In the past, when smaller numbers of asylum seekers arrived, those who were not granted the right to stay were not deported rigorously enough and that needs to change now, given the high number of refugees and migrants, Merkel said.




No electronic device in exam hall

CU Correspondent :

The administration of Chittagong University in an action imposed embargo on the aspiring students to carry electronic devices including electronic watch, SIM facilitated pen, memoryoptioned calculator and the mobile phone to keep the admission test fair and to halt the unscrupulous quarter.

CU admission committee secretary SM Akbar Hossain, confirmed it to the correspondent, saying the university authority took the decision to combat the unscrupulous quarter who grab the advantage of the electronic device.

The university authority also formed a monitoring team to watch out the situation. They also urged the students and concerned persons to call them if found any guilt of fraud by the evil forces.

Meanwhile, the university authority also called upon the students not to be confused if any one aired any question or questioned draft over social communication site Facebook as there is no any scope of question exposure.

The students were also asked to carry two-copy-passport-size attested photos and original registration card of SSC and HSC. All out information is found in the university's website www.cu.ac.bd.
Sunny scorches the cover of Exhibit magazine



Exhibit magazine, Indias premier gadget, lifestyle and technology magazine shot with gorgeous actress Sunny Leone for the cover page of October Issue.

While striking the right pose, Sunny said, Being a tech enthusiast I am very pleased to be on the cover of Exhibit Magazine.

Sunny Leone left us in awe rolling her beautiful hands and pecking the One Plus 3 with her sensual lips. Featuring the most desirable women all over the globe Sunny Leone, the October issue talks about 54 tech indulgences to lust for, The Tale of Tesla. The October issue also talks about Talk to your Gadget - The Rational Way, Wheelz in Action, 15 Alternative movie streaming options, Modern Fashion VS Vintage Fashion amongst others.


Low food prices: Good for your pocket, bad for small farmers

Baher Kamal :

What would be your reaction if you were told that food prices are steadily declining worldwide? Good, very good news, you may say. But do the 600 million small, family farmers, those who produce up to 80 per cent of food in some regions, think the same way? Definitely not at all.

In fact, declining prices could thwart international efforts to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty, says the head of the United Nations leading agency in the field of food and agriculture.

People need affordable food, but prices must provide decent livelihoods for small-scale family farmers, says Jose Graziano da Silva, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

"Low food prices reduce the incomes of farmers, especially poor family farmers who produce staple food in the developing countries. This cut in the flow of cash into rural communities also reduces the incentives for new investments in production, infrastructure and services,"

To avert these negative impacts, Graziano da Silva urged steps to be taken to guarantee decent incomes and livelihoods for small-scale producers.

Globally, food prices are believed to be back to their long-term downward trend in real terms, as supply growth outpaces demand.

This follows the price surges experienced during the 2008-12 period and a prolonged period of volatility in food markets, Graziano da Silva on Oct. 3 told Agriculture and Trade Ministers and other government officials and experts, attending a high-level meeting on agricultural commodity prices at FAO's headquarters in Rome.

"As policy makers, you are confronted by the challenge of keeping nutritious food affordable for the poor, while ensuring good incentives for producers, including family farmers," he added.

Providing disaster risk reduction and management training to Laotian farmers. Credit: FAO

Providing disaster risk reduction and management training to Laotian farmers. Credit: FAO

Graziano da Silva underscored the need to consider the current decline in agricultural commodity prices in the context of the international community's efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Make trade work for all?

For his part, World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevedo believes that "under the right circumstances" trade provides people with opportunities to join global markets and helps to create incentives for producers to invest and innovate.

The "historic decision" struck in Nairobi in December 2015 by WTO members to eliminate agricultural export subsidies will, according to Azevedo, "help level the playing field in agriculture markets, to the benefit of farmers and exporters in developing and least-developed countries."

On this, Graziano da Silva points to the potential of trade in contributing to global food security and better nutrition, specifically underlining its potential role as an "adaptation tool" to climate change - countries that are projected to experience decreasing yields and production due to climate change, will have to resort to the global markets to feed their populations.

But he also noted that increased openness to trade "can also bring risks". If not well managed, it "can undermine local production and consequently the livelihoods of the rural poor".

The elimination of agricultural export subsidies that affect prices in global markets could be one way to improve trade so that "it benefits small farmers in developing countries and creates prosperity in rural areas." Graziano da Silva said.

"The aim of these policies is to build a virtuous cycle of local production and local consumption," he added. "To succeed, such measures need strong collaboration between the institutions responsible for agriculture, rural development, trade, the environment, nutrition, health and social security."

To better develop future scenarios on the long-term behaviour of agricultural commodity prices, Graziano da Silva said that FAO seeks to boost its modelling systems to better understand possible price swings and changes in trends and assist countries to formulate appropriate policies.

Dealing with this, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook points out the high probability that over the next 10 years some abrupt price surges may occur, mainly as a result of climate change.

According to this Outlook, prices for the main crops, livestock and fish products all fell in 2015, signalling that "an era of high prices is quite likely over for all sub-sectors."

Meat prices fell from record highs in 2014, dairy product prices continued declines that started in 2013 and 2014, while crop prices fell further from their peaks in 2012, it informs.

The main factors behind lower prices

The main factors behind lower prices have been "several years of robust supply growth, weakening demand growth due to the overall economic slowdown, lower oil prices and further accumulation of already abundant stocks."

Over the ten-year Outlook period the demand growth for food is expected to slow progressively. Global population growth, the main driver of demand increases, is declining, while income growth in emerging economies is projected to be weaker.

At the same time, the Outlook reports, consumers, especially in populous emerging economies, show a declining propensity to spend income gains on consuming more basic foodstuffs. Demand for meat, fish and dairy products will grow relatively strongly, inducing additional demand for feed, in particular from coarse grains and protein meals.

"Demand for agricultural commodities for biofuel production is projected to stagnate due to the lower energy prices and more conservative biofuel policies in several countries."

But how many family farmers are there?

There are more than 570 million farms in the world and more than 500 million of these are owned by families, according to food and agriculture experts Sarah K. Lowder, Jakob Skoet and Saumya Singh, who elaborated a background study for the FAO State of Food and Agriculture 2014.

"Family farms represent the vast majority of farms in the world, but less of the share of the world's farmland, which means that they are, on average, smaller than non-family farms," say the experts.

Regarding their seize, they estimated that most of the world's farms are very small: worldwide more than 475 million farms are less than 2 hectares in size and more than 410 million farms are less than 1 hectare in size.

The most comprehensive possible estimate of farmland distribution worldwide suggests that:

 84 per cent of the farms are smaller than 2 hectares and they operate about 12 per cent of the farmland.

 Conversely, 16 per cent of the world's farms are larger than 2 hectares and they represent 88 per cent of the world's farmland.

Although farmland distribution would seem quite unequal at the global level, it is less so in low and lower-middle income countries as well as in East-Asia and the Pacific (excluding China), South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the experts.

In short, there are hundreds of millions of small, family farmers facing the ugly side of the declining food prices' coin.



(Baher Kamal is Senior Advisor to IPS Director General on Africa & the Middle East. He is an Egyptian-born, Spanish-national, secular journalist, with over 43 years of experience).
Modi brands Pakistan mother-ship of terrorism

(L-R) Brazil\'s President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Jacob Zuma pose for a group picture during BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and Sout

Reuters, Goa :

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi branded Pakistan a "mother-ship of terrorism" at a summit of the BRICS nations on Sunday, testing the cohesion of a group whose heavyweight member China is a close ally of India's arch-rival.

Modi's remarks to a meeting of leaders from the BRICS-which include Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa-escalated his diplomatic drive to isolate Pakistan, which India accuses of sponsoring cross-border terrorism.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have been running high since a Sept. 18 attack on an army base in Kashmir, near the disputed frontier with Pakistan, killed 19 Indian soldiers in the worst such assault in 14 years.

India later said it had carried out retaliatory "surgical strikes" across the de facto border that inflicted significant casualties. Pakistan denied any role in the attack on the Uri army base, and said the Indian operation had not even happened, dismissing it as typical cross-border firing.

"In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development," Modi said in remarks to BRICS leaders who met at a resort hotel in the western state of Goa.

"Tragically, the mother-ship of terrorism is a country in India's neighborhood," the 66-year-old prime minister said, without directly naming Pakistan, in a series of tweets of his remarks issued by the foreign ministry.

Modi's hostile comments were not, however, reflected in a closing statement he read out to reporters.

"We were unanimous in recognizing the threat that terrorism, extremism and radicalization presents, not just to the regional and global peace, stability and prosperity," he said. "But, also to our society, our way of life and humanity as a whole."

No immediate reaction was available from Pakistan's foreign ministry.

Modi's posturing overshadowed the gathering of a group that was set up to boost economic cooperation, and made it possible for the nationalist leader to present himself at home as tough on national security.

"Modi is aware that such language wouldn't get the consensus necessary to make it into the final communique. Including it in his speech ensures it gets wide circulation anyway," said South Asia expert Shashank Joshi.

The summit achievements were incremental, and included establishing an agricultural research institute and speeding up work on creating a joint credit ratings agency.

Also on Sunday's program was an outreach session with leaders from a little-known group of countries from the Bay of Bengal region whose key attribute, from India's point of view, is that Pakistan is not a member.



Modi's hard line on Pakistan marks a departure from India's tradition of strategic restraint, and New Delhi has won expressions of support from both the West and Russia over the army base attack.

Yet China, a longstanding ally of Pakistan that plans to build a $46 billion export corridor to the Arabian Sea coast, has been cautious in its comments.

Modi and President Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting on Saturday evening and accounts of their conversation emerging from both sides pointed to clear differences of opinion.

In one remark reported by the state Xinhua news agency, Xi said that China and India should "support each other in participating in regional affairs and enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks".

The dispatch went on to refer to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). This grouping includes Pakistan, which was to have hosted a summit in November that collapsed after India and other members pulled out.

The final summit declaration repeated earlier condemnations of "terrorism in all its forms" and devoted several paragraphs to joint effort to fight terrorism. It did not, however, level any blame over the tensions between India and Pakistan.

"So far, we haven't seen any indication at all that China is softening its public support for Pakistan. India did not expect differently," said Joshi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
BD wants electricity, Nepal rail link

Staff Reporter :

At a ministry-level meeting here on Sunday, Bangladesh stressed for electricity while Nepal wanted rail link from Mongla port to Birganj of Nepal through India.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed told media after the meeting at the Commerce Ministry that Bangladesh would build hydrocarbon power plant jointly with India in Nepal as it (India) situated in between the countries. Nepal's Commerce Minister Romi Gauchan Tsakali led his country's delegation at the meeting while Tofail Ahmed headed the Bangladesh team.

Sources said, Nepal wants to import goods by using Mongla port as it will help carry the goods to that country within a short time through rail transit. The country thinks it will be easy to carry essential goods through Bangladesh's Rohanpur border of Chapainawabganj, Sindabad road of India and Birganj of Nepal. Nepal expects that this route would be active by 2018 and they urged Bangladesh to start Visa for Nepal's citizens on land road from that time, the sources said.

Bangladesh emphasized to implement Khulna to Mongla railway line as early as possible, through which the country will be financially benefited, Tofail Ahmed said.

On the other hand, the Indian Railways is working to link northeastern states with the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has already undertaken survey works for providing rail connectivity to countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, they said.

There is already a railway link between India and Bangladesh and for the Indian government, the priority is to establish an Indo-Bhutan rail link, for which studies were carried out in 2008 that include Kokrajhar-Gelephu, Rangiya-Samdrup Jongkhar, Banarhat-Samtse, and Pathsala-Nanglam.

Indian railways are also working with the Nepalese government on the feasibility of railway links and is said to have identified areas from where it will connect not only to northeastern states but also to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The government is hopeful that the project will be implemented on time and will enhance trade within neighbouring countries.
Stage set to hang JMB man Asadul in Khulna

Khulna Correspondent :

The stage is set to hang Asadul Islam alias Arif, a leader of Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh (JMB) at Khulna Central Jail Sunday night for killing two senior assistant Judges of Jhalokathi district-Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Pandey in 2005.

Asad might be hanged after 10.30 pm on Sunday, according to jail sources."All preparations have been completed to carry out the execution of JMB leader Asadul Islam on Sunday night," Khulna Central Jail's superintendent Jannatul Farhad told journalists on Sunday.

Talking to journalists Md. Nur-e-Alam, additional district magistrate of Khulna district administration said an intensified security vigil was enforced in and around the prison complex where extra policemen joined jail guards.

"Authorities temporarily blocked adjacent thoroughfares for ordinary vehicles and pedestrians movements," he added.

Authorities earlier on March 30, 2006 executed simultaneously six of the seven condemned militants - JMB's founder chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, Khaled Saifullah, Abdul Awal, Ataur Rahman Suny and Iftekhar Hassan Mamun - at different jails.

They all faced the trial in person but the seventh convict, Arif, was on the run since the 2005 murder of two judges Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Pare. Law enforcement agencies arrested him from Mymensingh on July 10, 2007.

The outfit made visible their strong existence in the country staging near simultaneous blasts in 63 of the 64 districts on August 17, 2005 when only two people were killed as JMB at that visibly preferred not to use the splinters in their homemade time devices.

Additional District and Sessions Judge of Jhalkhathi Tarique Ahmed Reza on May 29, 2006 had sentenced the seven JMB leaders to death on charges of the judges murders. The JMB assailants killed the judges while they were going to the court in a microbus.
Last deadline now Dec 30

Staff Reporter :

The government has set last deadline for relocating tanneries from the capital's Hazaribagh area to Savar within December 30 this year.

"Hazaribagh tanners must relocate their factories to Savar by December 30 otherwise gas and electricity supplies will be snapped from their establishments," said Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu.

The minister made the statement while visiting to Tannery Industrial Park at Hemayetpur of Savar on Sunday noon.

He was accompanied by Industries Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan. The minister expressed his displeasure over the unnecessary delay in relocating tanneries from Hazaribagh area by their owners although the government has provided them all facilities to run factories at the industrial park.

"Although the government asked them several times to shift their factories to Savar, the owners are delaying unnecessarily resorting to various tricks," said Amu.

Issuing warnings, the minister said, "This will be the final deadline and there will be no scope of time extension further. If the tanners do not abide by the December 30 deadline, the government will disconnect their gas and power lines from the next day.

He also assured that the authorities would complete the remaining work within the period.

"The government would scrap contracts of the tanners who are yet to start their factory relocation process. They will also face legal actions," he said.

Earlier, the tanners missed several such deadlines issued by the government.

On April 1, the government suspended rawhide supply to Hazaribagh tanneries as they had failed to meet the March 31 deadline.

The government then again extended the March 31 deadline till April 10 following a request from the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), the implementing agency of the tannery estate project.
Money-making in name of human service

A syndicate is running 'ambulance service business' at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), taking advantage of inadequate number of ambulance in the hospital.

This syndicate comprising hospital staff and drivers are pocketing handsome amount of money every day from carrying patients and dead bodies.

Sources said, most of the times they virtually compelled the patients' relatives to avail their ambulance charging higher than other services. Even, it prevents patients to choose alternatives.

The syndicate has also set up an illegal ambulance stand on both sides of the road in front of the hospital to run their business. Around 50 ambulances remain parked there every day without any effort by the authorities concerned to remove the illegal parking. Sources said the syndicate has also deployed a line man who collects Tk 300 per day from per ambulance parked from main outdoor gate to emergency areas. "Our hospital employees and staff are operating the service from behind the scene. They are the owners of most of the ambulances," an official of DMCH's transport pool told The New Nation yesterday, seeking anonymity.

He said ward boys, drivers and officials from hospital administration are also involved in the business.

Four people, including a pregnant woman, were killed and three others injured when an ambulance ran them over inside the hospital on Saturday. Investigation Officer of the case, Shah Alam, a Sub-inspector of Shahbagh Police Station told The New Nation yesterday that the ambulance driver is Shohag and he had no driving license. "The driver is on the run to avert arrest," he said.

DMCH sources said Abdul Haque Rana is the owner of the vehicle and his father was a former employee of the hospital.

"We have no adequate number of ambulance in our transport pool hindering smooth ambulance service to the patients," Brigadier General Mizanur Rahman, Director of the hospital, told The New Nation yesterday.

"We have only five ambulances. We need at least 40-50 ambulances to smoothly handling the service," he added.

Mizanur Rahman said that the hospital is also run by inadequate manpower.

"We wrote to the Ministry to fill the manpower gap and provide adequate number of ambulances," he added.

When asked, he said, operating private ambulance service by our staff is beyond his knowledge.
Trump challenges Hillary to drug test before debate

BBC Online :

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has accused rival Hillary Clinton of being "pumped up" during their last debate, saying they should both be tested for drugs before the next one.

He also suggested the presidential race was looking like a "rigged election".

The comments came in the wake of the publication of a recording in which he made obscene remarks, which sparked a string of sexual assault claims. Polls suggest Mr Trump is losing ground in some of the key battleground states. Speaking at a rally in New Hampshire, Mr Trump said Mrs Clinton had been

"all pumped up" at the beginning of the last debate but could "barely reach her car" at the end. "We should take a drugs test," he said. He did not provide any evidence to back up his claim. More personal attacks, by Laura Bicker, BBC News, Washington Donald Trump's personal attacks on Hillary Clinton are on the increase. He's nicknamed her Crooked Hillary, said he would put her in prison if he was elected president, described her as not having the stamina for the job and now he has accused her of taking some kind of drug.

His rally speeches have become increasingly agitated and he has stepped up his rhetoric aimed at casting doubt on the fairness of this election, saying it is being rigged by a corrupt media pushing false allegations and outright lies.

He may be trailing in the polls but he is managing to attract thousands of people to his rallies and raise funds.

Meanwhile the Clinton campaign has hit back against Mr Trump's contention that women accusing him of sexual assault are part of a scheme to help elect Mrs Clinton president.

Voting was to be encouraged and not "dismissed or undermined because a candidate is afraid he's going to lose", Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said.

Mr Mook said he expected a record turnout because voters could see through what he described as Mr Trump's "shameful attempts to undermine an election weeks before it happens".

Kristin Anderson told the Washington Post he touched her through her underwear at a Manhattan nightspot in the 1990s Summer Zervos was a contestant on The Apprentice in 2006, and said he forced himself on her at a Los Angeles hotel and began "thrusting his genitals" in 2007

Jessica Leeds told the New York Times that when she was 38 he touched her "like an octopus" in the first-class cabin of a flight in the 1980s

Natasha Stoynoff told People magazine that he "forced his tongue through her throat" when she went to interview the Trumps ahead of their first wedding anniversary in 2005

Temple Taggart, former Miss Utah, told NBC News he kissed her on the lips in 1997, when she was 21

Republican House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said he was "fully confident" that the November election would be carried out "with integrity", according to his spokeswoman AshLee Strong.

Mr Ryan, the most senior elected US Republican official, has said he will not defend Donald Trump in the wake of the recording of the nominee's obscene comments.

However, Mr Ryan has stopped short of ending his endorsement of the Republican candidate.

The latest person to come forward is 63-year-old Cathy Heller, who told the Guardian newspaper that Mr Trump grabbed her and "went for the lips" during their first and only meeting 20 years ago, during a Mother's Day event at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. A spokesman for Mr Trump rejected the claim.

Mr Trump has denied attacking any of the women who have made allegations against him, saying the claims are part of a plot to damage his campaign. The final televised debate takes place on Wednesday.




In New York, more than 150 people assembled in a flash mob at a Syracuse shopping mall.

In Nevada, a pickup truck plowed through a crowd of mostly American Indian demonstrators in downtown Reno.

And in North Dakota, Minnesota and two other states, activists face charges of tampering with valves on five pipelines carrying Canadian crude oil into the United States, leading to several arrests.

All three instances last week involved people showing solidarity for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in its fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. What started as a handful of self-described water protectors camping at the confluence of the Missouri and Cannonball rivers in April continues to attract worldwide attention and inspire protest actions, resolutions and other shows of support.

Those directly involved, as well as academics observing from afar, see a number of reasons why this particular pipeline controversy has resonated so loudly and drawn such impassioned response.

For Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Dave Archambault II, plans by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners to run the four-state pipeline through the tribes unceded 1800s treaty land and under Lake Oahe  a reservoir that provides the tribes drinking water and was created in 1960 by flooding the fertile Missouri River bottomlands without the tribes consent  is relatable to indigenous peoples worldwide struggling to protect their own resources.

More than 300 tribal nations from around the world have written letters of support for Standing Rock, and most of those have sent members to stake their flag at the main protest camp just across the Cannonball River from the Standing Rock reservation, Archambault said.

Were trying to protect it, and water is one of the most important things to life. It is the most important thing. It is life. Its a simple concept to support, to stand behind, he said.

Walter Fleming, a professor and head of the Department of Native American Studies at Montana State University in Bozeman, describes it as an exercise in sovereignty. While the pipeline route avoids current tribal lands, it crosses historical tribal lands the Lakota feel they never gave up.

Indigenous peoples worldwide being somewhat subject to colonization  this is an issue that people can respond to, he said.

Interests vary

As of last week, at least 19 cities in 13 states had passed resolutions opposing the pipeline or supporting Standing Rocks opposition to it, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.

Anti-fossil fuel activists have found a focal point in the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile pipeline, which would be the largest out of North Dakotas prolific Bakken oil fields, carrying approximately 470,000 barrels of crude per day to a hub in Patoka, Ill., with the ability to expand to up to 570,000 barrels per day.

It might not resonate in terms of just tribal sovereignty issues. Its taken on a more general kind of air of concern, Fleming said. And so non-Indian allies, theyre finding a place to join in those concerns.

Groups from overseas are weighing in, too. In a picture that looked like it could have been taken at a family reunion in Scandinavian small-town North Dakota, 30 members of Green Cross Sweden posed for a photo and captioned it Sweden stands with Standing Rock before posting it on Facebook.

The photo was liked and shared several hundred times in three days before Facebook removed it, said Tonia Moya, executive director of Green Cross Sweden, a branch of the Green Cross International network, whose goals include resolving conflicts arising from environmental degradation.

Moya said the indigenous rights movement Idle No More that began in North America has spread all over the world, including Sweden. She noted the indigenous Sami people of far northern Sweden, Norway and Finland are among those represented at the camp in southern Morton County that has been called the largest gathering of Native Americans in more than century.

It is considered shameful from a Swedish or European perspective that Native people are having to nonviolently fight off the U.S. government to protect their survival, their ancestral lands and their water, she said.

Social media plays role

The movement has allowed people from distant places to feel like theyre a part of it by funding the purchase of supplies or gathering and delivering them, Fleming said.

Social media  including real-time video of protest activities such as actress Shailene Woodleys Facebook video that led to her arrest Monday at a construction site near St. Anthony  also has engaged people in a way that wasnt possible when Native American activists occupied Alcatraz Island for 19 months in 1969-71 or during the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation on South Dakotas Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Fleming said.

Images of the militarized police response and Dakota Access private security personnel using guard dogs against protesters during a Sept. 3 clash, conjures up the 1890 massacre of more than 250 Lakota by the U.S. military at Wounded Knee that became a symbol of U.S. government policy toward American Indians, Fleming said.

I think there is that undercurrent of, I wont say fear, but concern that were looking at a potential for a more volatile response down the road as both sides get more entrenched, he said.

Reinforcements requested

Twenty-seven protesters were arrested Monday at construction sites near St. Anthony, the most arrests so far in one day. The rest of last week was relatively quiet until Saturdays 14 arrests, even as Dakota Access began construction east of Highway 6 within a 20-mile zone west of Lake Oahe where a federal appeals court ruled Oct. 9 that construction could resume.

Mark Tilsen, an Oglala Lakota from Porcupine, S.D., posted a video to the Sacred Stone Camps Facebook page asking everyone in this nation and internationally who is skilled in civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action to come to Standing Rock for a month of action starting Oct. 17.

We need bodies on the ground. We need people here who are dedicated and willing. This is not a tourist action. This is not a party. We are here to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline, he said.

The Red Warrior Camps Blake Snake Killaz, who have been at the forefront of the nonviolent direct actions at construction sites, also made a Facebook plea Thursday for reinforcements from skilled and trained Warriors prepared to evict the Dakota Access Pipeline and protect our homelands and way of life.

Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said law enforcement supports legal and peaceful protests.

Its important that they know this call to action is a request to participate in unlawful and illegal activities, and that shouldnt be condoned, he said.

Forty-three officers from Wisconsin who arrived in Morton County a week ago to help with the protest response were expected to return home by Sunday, and the state isnt sending additional rotations as originally expected, Kirchmeier said. The sheriffs department is in touch with other states to replace them, he said.

Well have the numbers we need, he said.

Chairman sees common goal

Of the 123 people arrested before Saturday since protesters started disrupting construction in mid-August, 106 were non-North Dakota residents from 30 different states and Canada.

Most of the arrests have been for criminal trespass or other misdemeanors that are non-extraditable offenses, meaning out-of-staters can leave North Dakota without fear of police coming after them to face the charges.

What really concerns me more is the long-term relationships the Standing Rock tribe and the people here and the people of Morton County, Kirchmeier said. When this is over, were still here.

The county estimates it has spent $1.8 million on law enforcement efforts to address protest activity, while the state estimates it has spent $3.7 million. Gov. Jack Dalrymple said last week costs could exceed the $6 million being borrowed from the state-owned Bank of North Dakota, depending on how the situation unfolds.

Criticized by protesters for what they claim has been a heavy-handed police response to a peaceful protest, Kirchmeier said the main goal since Day 1 has been the public safety of everyone involved, including protesters, pipeline workers and law enforcement. He said those who have joined the protest seem to be against all kinds of different things and arent necessarily focused.

I think the original cause has kind of shifted from what Standing Rock had originally wanted to get across, he said.

Archambault acknowledged pipeline opponents may have different motives but said they align toward a common goal that wont be drowned out by distractions like low-flying aircraft buzzing the camp or the National Guards presence or unlawfulness by some protesters.

Why are people from around the world finding support for this? Its because of that water, and its not because of all the other noise going on, he said. Its because people are saying, Standing Rock has a right to clean water.
How human trafficking is so easy through Ctg Airport

SHAH Amanat International Airport at Chittagong has turned out to be the 'safe gateway' of human traffickers. A group of rescued persons from the Airport few days back made the disclosure that unscrupulous human traffickers had smuggled out around 2,000 people through Chittagong Airport in last one and a half years when only 50 were rescued. It means that traffickers have nexus with Airport Personnel and it means they are equally involved in trafficking. We must say the Airport Personnel must be nabbed and punished to seal the loopholes.

The New Nation on Saturday in a report said most of the victims were trafficked on promise of lucrative jobs in Libya when manpower export to Libya is banned because the country is going through long civil war and there is no peace and security for anyone. Traffickers also promised to send them to Italy when thousands of people are drowning in the Mediterranean Sea on daily basis. It appears that traffickers are using Chittagong Airport when strict vigilance at Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has made such attempt almost impossible. But what appears to be highly repugnant is when traffickers are rooming the country's villages to recruit young people why Local administration and security intelligence are not seeing it.



But news disclosure said these agents take the people out of the country and hold them in captivity as they abandon them on the way or on Libyan coast. Meanwhile, they force their families to pay huge money for freedom. According to media report 29 people were rescued last week; as they were about to board the plane at Chittagong Airport for Dubai en route to Libya. They had fake visa on their passport.



Most rescued were at first gathered in some residential hotels in Dhaka and then taken to Chittagong as some travel agents arranged their flight. It appears that law enforcers have identified some agents and travel agency owners and trying to arrest them. This is how thousands of people perished in Thai jungle few years back on way to Malaysia and now traffickers are using routes for Libya and Italy to cheat innocent people who are desperate for jobs abroad to end their unemployment. Some are also trafficking people to Nepal to send them to Malaysia, but holding them captive and realizing ransom for freedom.



It goes without saying politically influential persons are giving shelter to human traffickers and the trade is going unabated despite regular alarm by media to stop the human predators making fortune on people's helplessness. We wonder why the government is persistently failing to stop the human trade and save the people so easily lured and cheated on promise on good jobs abroad. These criminals can't be allowed to perpetrate the crimes unchecked.


Education in peril!

Teachers' shortage acute at Govt high schools

M M Jasim :

Academic activities of six government high schools in Pirojpur district are not running smoothly because a good number of teaching posts have long been vacant in these schools.

Sources said, the total teaching posts of these schools are 161. Of them, 67 posts are now vacant.

The scenario is reportedly the same in most of the other government high schools across the country, hampering the academic activities tremendously.

Some of the school teachers in rural areas told The New Nation that no teacher's recruitment took place since 2012 to fill up the vacant posts in government schools.

At least 188 government schools in capital Dhaka and other district towns are facing varying levels of teacher's shortage for years, they said.

They said the schools, particularly in the rural areas and the district towns, are affected most than those in the capital city as many of the teachers managed to get posted in the schools in Dhaka and the divisional cities.

Acting Head Mistress of Bhandoria Bandar Government Girls' High School Shopna Roy said, "No teachers were recruited for accounting, English, physics, geography, Bangla and Social Science subjects."

"Guest teachers are taking classes for those subjects. In return, we give them remuneration," she said.

Acting Head Mistress of Pirojpur Government Girls' High School Nazma Ara Khanom said, "We have not had a geography teacher for more than 12 years."

She said, out of a total of 52, we have 30 teachers.

The number of students is 1,523.

"The posts of two clerks have remained vacant since two years. We have only one fourth-class employee among a total of five," the acting head mistress added.

Meherpur Government Girls School is facing the shortage of 23 teachers, including four English teachers and five Bangla teachers, said headmaster Subash Chandra.

He said the school is running with 30 teachers while it should have 53. Many of the vacancies occurred five years back, he said.

Shortage of teacher forces the school authorities to often hold joint classes which obviously affect teaching quality, he said.

He said the performance of students appearing in three public examinations from his school deteriorated due to teachers' shortage.

According to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), vacancies have occurred in 1,750 teaching posts out of 10,006.

Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers' Association President Insan Ali told The New Nation that the government should immediately recruit new teachers to fill up the vacant posts in the government schools across the country.

He said that the students became the worst sufferers because of teachers' shortage in so many schools.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry officials said that it would not be possible to recruit new teachers for 328 government schools until the appointment rules are amended.

They said that the amendment of the recruitment rules became essential since the government upgraded the status of secondary school assistant teachers to class II in 2012.

Besides, they said, now only the Public Service Commission is authorized to recruit secondary school teachers.

Joint Secretary to the Education Ministry Ruhi Rahman, who looks after the secondary schools, said, the exercise to amend the recruitment rule is now at the final stage.

Director General of DSHE Professor SM Wahiduzzaman said, they have no hands to recruit any teachers in government high schools. They can just request the Bangladesh Public Service Commission, he said.

He also hoped that the problem would resolve if the government recruits teachers from Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS).
Find out financiers, mentors of terrorists

Goa\'s Science, Technology and Environment Minister Alina Saldanha and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali welcome Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the Indian state on Sunday on her arrival to attend BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit.

UNB, Goa :



Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged BIMSTEC leaders to find out the mentors, masterminds, abettors, financiers, arms suppliers and trainers of terrorists and extremists to defeat terrorism.



"We must be prepared to take strong actions against terrorists and their supporters. I firmly believe that within BIMSTEC we should be able to strengthen our cooperation to address terrorism and rise of violent extremism," she said.



Sheikh Hasina was delivering her statement at the BIMSTEC Leaders' Retreat held at the tourist city of Goa.

Chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Retreat programme was also addressed by leaders of other BIMSTEC countries.



In Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said, her government has taken a 'zero-tolerance' approach to terrorism and violent extremism. "We've also taken massive awareness programmes for the youth, for families, for educational institutions. We've succeeded in disintegrating the homegrown terrorists."



Hasina said, as she stood there as one of the four founding leaders who had inspired the launching of BIMSTEC way back in 1997 and during the past 20 years, BIMSTEC has made progress in connecting our two regions.



"Understandably, our progress has been slow, but the groundwork has been done. It's now time to hasten the process of integration," she added. Hasina said time has come to seriously re-look at how BIMSTEC could be made more effective and result-oriented one as well as to draw synergies with other groupings.



"While we've 14 areas of cooperation under BIMSTEC, I believe we should try to focus more on some key areas like trade and investment, energy, connectivity and counter-terrorism for next five years. Regular ministerial meetings on the key areas of cooperation are important for building momentum," she said.



To improve the lives and livelihoods of the people of the region, Hasina said all should aim to develop regional projects which will effectively connect BIMSTEC to the peoples as well as ensure the organisation's sustainability and visibility.



For funding regional projects in the long run, the Prime Minister said, "We may think of a funding mechanism of our own, while collaboration with external funding sources can also be explored."



Questioning the commitment of all when she observed that they are yet to finally conclude the BIMSTEC FTA - which was negotiated in 2004, Hasina said, "We need to reiterate our political will in favour of the FTA implementation. "It'll help enhance our intra-regional trade and will boost the BIMSTEC activities and programmes. We may target to finally adopt the four FTA-related Agreements during the 20th Anniversary of BIMSTEC next year."



Mentioning that the transport connectivity working group has already met, she expressed her belief that the good work would continue on planning, implementing and monitoring of the prioritized projects, with the active support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).



"For enhancing connectivity, we may consider a coastal shipping agreement. We would also like to see the MoU on Grid Interconnection signed and implemented at the earliest, for better sub-regional grid connectivity and energy trade," she proposed.
China`s investment is set to boost BD`s economy but we have to be ready

The landmark visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Dhaka ended in signing of 27 Agreements and MoUs for funding of a total of 28 projects at a cost of 21.5 billion under China's "strengthening investment and production capacity cooperation" abroad. Both China and Bangladesh have also announced upgrading the two countries' relationship to strategic partnership level. With six more projects and programmes in the list total Chinese pledge stood at $24.45 billion.



Moreover, another list of 22 projects are under consideration, a joint statement said, "The Chinese side agreed to consider and encourage Chinese enterprises to explore cooperation that includes power, ICT, river management, infrastructure and other areas. Many believe that the Chinese massive investment plan in the

region may be a game changer bringing about new reality in the ground.



Major projects China has taken up for investment include Padma Bridge rail link, Expansion strengthening of power system network, Marine Drive Express Way, Power plant in Payra, Sylhet Akhaura Dual Gauge rail lines and Dhaka-Sylhet four lanes highway, Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Express Way, Karnaphuli tunnel, power grid and such others which may invariably change the country's face.



Upgrading the manufacturing capacity is one of the major areas; which may create millions of jobs significantly improving Bangladesh's geo-political standing. We are happy China has decided to boost Bangladesh's economy to a new height.



Bangladesh has to forget politicising and employing incompetent people in important positions. The money and projects themselves do not guarantee success for the economy. There has to be competent people to do the job. There is need for the government to realise that the government itself is facing mismanagement all over. All pervasive corruption is hindering efficiency attracting irresponsible people to important posts of the government.



Indications are that Chinese companies may invest upto $13.6 billion in addition to government to government financing.



Our leadership must prove upto the expectation to utilize the fund at a time when over $ 22 billion of such bilateral and multilateral development assistance is left unutilized, mainly because of poor political leadership and poor project implementation capacity of our bureaucracy.



The investment of China in such a big way is surely a happy sign, but China alone cannot ensure success of the projects. The government has to create safe condition for investment.



China knows how to implement major reforms in its politics and legal system to attract foreign investment. China is not a socialist country of Maoist days. China calls itself socialist democracy. Market economy is that which has helped China to achieve the miracle.



China is making similar investment in other South Asian and Central Asian countries as part of President Xi Jinping initiative to recreate the old Silk Route and connect Asian markets with Europe by rail and road connectivity and maritime shipping. It wants to create new market to create buyers by expanding economies of the region to sustain its double-digit growth.



It has already offered $53 billion investments to Kazakhstan, besides hefty investment packages to three other central Asian countries. It has also offered $46 billion to Pakistan, $20 billion to India, $1.4 billion to Sri Lanka and 800 million to Maldives.



Strategic observers made no secret that the Chinese plan is going to create new reality in the region. But Indian leadership is still hesitant to understand the extent of that reality.



Senior government leaders in Dhaka have been assuring Chinese massive investment in Bangladesh will not affect relations with Delhi. All sides have to accept that the world is inter-connected and inter-dependent.



Many also apprehend if the government proves incompetent and greedy and if the projects fail then how Bangladesh will be able to repay the huge debts. China must have known the weaknesses of our system. So our expectation will be that China will have to involve closely to see that the money is not wasted and projects do not fail.


The Undead Archives

I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world.
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FORT TOTTEN -- In 2008, Spirit Lake Nation tribe member Cora Whiteman lost her teenaged daughter, Jami, 14, to suicide.

As the Whitemans went through the traditional healing process that follows such a loss, Cora said it was as if they received a message from Jami; to tell other youth contemplating suicide to stay in this life.

From there, Cora and her family went to their community -- and to Washington, D.C., for a forum on youth suicide -- to speak publicly to prevent others from following that path.

We wanted to get her message out there, Whiteman said. Not only that, we wanted to talk about the pain parents go through when they lose someone to suicide. Losing a child, its not the same as losing another relative, another family member.

Last week, a Spirit Lake suicide prevention program received a federal grant for more than $195,500 in funding. If the program goes as hoped and the money continues to be available through the Legislature, that sum could grow to more than $977,000 over the next five years.

The project, known as the Recovery and Wellness Outreach Suicide Prevention Program, has a broad scope, including objectives such as training peer mentors, building awareness of suicide and the red flags of suicide ideation, tearing down stigmas related to mental health and improving the intervention process for at-risk youth.

Through that approach, the Spirit Lake tribe wants to decrease the number of suicide attempts among people aged 24 and younger by 10 percent each year over the life of the grant.

In a grassroots strategy, the program has a goal to train 80 youth as peer leaders and 30 adults as mentors. Other checkpoints for the project include screening 400 youth for suicide warning signs and providing prevention services to 900 youth and 300 adults annually.

Spirit Lake Tribal Planning Director Ila McKay said suicide is a prominent public health issue on the reservation. She estimated at least suicide a month over the last year.

Theres a lot of pain, a lot of confusion and a lot of anger in the community, McKay said.

As of 2015, suicide was the second leading cause of death nationwide among American Indians and Alaska Natives aged 10 to 34 years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control. Among that same age group, the suicide rate was 1.5 times higher for native populations than for the national average.

In North Dakota, suicide is the leading cause of death for the general population between the ages of 15 and 24.

At Spirit Lake, the latest grant -- which comes through the Native Connections program administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- has yet to be implemented. The tribe maintains a suicide prevention coalition called Wiconi Ohitika, or Strong Life.

This past fall, McKay said, the coalition encountered a clustering of suicidal ideation within a group of children who had formed a pact to commit suicide before returning to boarding schools to begin the academic year.

We knew who these kids were, so the community, along with the suicide prevention program and the substance abuse program, did some intervention, she said. The district council hired a night monitor to kind of watch the community as it slept -- that really saved at least four lives.

After the interventions, the pact was not completed. McKay said the children went on to receive behavioral health services.

Suicide rates increasing

Alison Traynor, suicide prevention director of the North Dakota Department of Health, said suicide rates have increased in the state.

Though increases in suicide have been widespread, rural communities tend to show higher rates, Traynor said. Its not yet clear exactly why that is, though there are various theories that point to circumstances such as low levels of access to mental health services coupled with a greater prevalence of lethal means, including firearms.

For many rural communities, there are a lot of factors that create a perfect storm, she said. Rural areas seem to be especially affected by those factors.

In some previous years and decades, weve done better than, say, Montana and South Dakota and other states, but were really in that zone now where our rates are higher, Traynor said. Whatever that is causing the challenge is definitely impacting us.

Native American communities, many, if not most, of which are rural, are doubly impacted by additional variables identified by the North Dakota suicide prevention program as discrimination, historical trauma and acculturation.

In 2015, slightly more than 30 percent of deaths among North Dakotas American Indian population were attributed to suicide, compared to 17.3 percent for the the states white population.

According to the CDC, the national overall rate was about 13 percent in 2014.

As a subset of both the wider U.S. and North Dakota population, Native Americans are at the highest risk for suicide. While rates have been rising as a whole, the climb has been especially steep for the states native populations.

In 1980, the percent of American Indian deaths attributed to suicide was about 25 percent.

Traynor pointed out 2014 as the lowest year for suicides for the states American Indian groups in some time, with a total number of seven deaths and a roughly 19 percent rate.

As far as rates go, the relatively small size of the American Indian population can cause clusters of suicides to register as sharp increases, Traynor said.

Deaths totals might not be high compared to the larger population, but the human toll remains great, she said.

One suicide is too many, and spikes shown here represent devastation for families and communities, she said.

Traynor encouraged anyone considering suicide, or who knew of someone else thinking about ending their life, to call the National Suicide Lifeline number at (800) 273-TALK (8255). It is free, confidential and answered locally by the FirstLink call center.

Its a healing

Darla Thiele, a Spirit Lake tribal member, only recently became directly involved in community efforts dealing specifically with suicide prevention.

Thats not to say she hasnt had experience with the subject. Thiele directs an equine therapy program on the reservation intended to curb substance abuse -- a condition closely tied to suicidal ideation -- among the tribes youth through positive interactions with horses.

That program, known by its native name as Sunka Wakan Ah Ku, was recently awarded a grant of its own for more than $340,000.

From her experience, Thiele believes many suicide attempts go unreported on the reservation, but she added interpersonal efforts can make a difference in steering youth towards help.

She credited Whitemans approach to the subject and said the mother has so far made a big impact with her work.

People will call her, and Ill refer people to her, Thiele said. (Whiteman) does it on her own time -- no matter what time of day or night, shell get up and go to assist families with services. Shell help with whatever, like any traditional healing or traditional help that they want.

On her end, Whiteman said theres still much to be done to curb suicides at Spirit Lake.

She said she was overjoyed with the grant and the opportunity it presented to strengthen existing services while adding new ones. As someone deeply affected by the problem, Whiteman said being involved with the solution gave her a way to move forward.

Its a healing, not only just for yourself and your family, but its a healing to help other families that way too, she said.
Pre-purchase property inspection is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom. Its not something that most people have heard about, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years with the rise in property prices and increased demand for high quality homes.

What are the benefits of pre-purchase building inspection? What can you expect to find out when you pay someone else to inspect your home before you buy it? And what should you look for during an inspection?

Many people want to know if theyre buying a house thats been well maintained or if its had any serious problems. If youve found a place on the market that seems attractive, but then discover some issues after moving in, you may not be as excited about buying it as you thought you were.

Its important to do your due diligence when looking at properties. A lot goes into making a property appealing to potential buyers, from the landscaping to the flooring to the kitchen appliances. The same applies when inspecting a property  there are many things that need checking over to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Here are some of the benefits of performing a pre-purchase inspection:

You get to see exactly what will happen to your money

When you go shopping for a new car, youll probably be shown several different models. You might even be shown one that looks like a great value, but doesnt fit around all of the extra features that you want. When it comes time to actually buy the vehicle, however, you wont have seen how your money will be spent on it once you drive it off the showroom floor.

Likewise, when you shop for a new home, you dont really know what youre getting yourself into until you move in. In order to get a feel for whether the home youre considering is what you want, you normally have to spend quite a bit of time inside it. This allows you to learn more about everything that youre going to be spending your hard-earned cash on.

A pre-purchase building inspection gives you much the same kind of experience without having to spend thousands of dollars. Since youre paying for the service, you can expect to see exactly what youre paying for, instead of just seeing a vague idea of what you might end up with.

You find out about potential major repairs

Some buildings are very expensive to maintain, which means that owners often neglect them for the sake of saving money. While youre paying for a building inspection, youre also paying for a professional who knows how to spot signs of trouble and repair work that needs doing.

If you notice that a particular area of your new home needs fixing right away, you can call in an expert to take care of it quickly. If you find that theres something wrong with your boiler, you wont have to wait weeks for a plumber to come over and fix it. Instead, youll have access to a solution immediately.

You can save hundreds of pounds by finding out about potential problems early on

One of the biggest expenses when you first buy a home is the cost of moving in. Many people dont realize this until its too late. Buying a home involves not only paying for the actual house, but also for moving costs, furniture, and other items that have to be moved along with the home.

Having a good idea ahead of time of what youre likely to encounter can help you avoid these kinds of costs. If you know youll need to replace the plumbing system, for example, youll be able to put together a budget for the expense and plan accordingly.

You can protect your investment by finding out if the homes been well cared for

While there are plenty of people who think that houses always look better when theyre newly built, youd be surprised at how well maintained older residences can still look nice. Sometimes, though, those homes need some additional maintenance to keep them looking their best.

This could involve repairs that arent so noticeable or small improvements that you wouldnt consider otherwise. Even worse, some houses have fallen into disrepair without anyone noticing. This is why having a professional perform a building inspection prior to purchasing a home is such a big benefit.

Not only will it give you insight into the state of the property, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing youre not getting taken advantage of. As long as youre aware of the potential pitfalls, youll have less reason to worry about the state of your new home.

You can use information gathered during a building inspection to negotiate a lower price

If youre worried about buying a home because you suspect that it may need extensive renovation work, you may already have a rough idea of how much work youll need to do to bring it up to scratch. That knowledge can come in handy if you decide to buy the home.

You can use all of the details that you gather during a building inspection to present a realistic picture of what the home is worth to prospective buyers. If a potential buyer thinks that the home is worth more than what you paid for it, you can try negotiating a lower price.

You can sell your home faster and for more money

If you decide to list your home on the market soon after buying it, youll need to price it accurately in order to attract buyers. But if youve already done a thorough building inspection, youll know exactly what work is needed and what the current market conditions are.

In other words, youll be able to make a more accurate estimate of the amount of money youve invested in the home and how much its worth. If you find that youre selling your house for close to its full market value, you can use this information to convince the potential buyer that your home is worth the asking price.

Even if youre planning to stay in the home for a while before you decide to sell, the fact that you did a thorough building inspection will give you more confidence when listing it. Prospective buyers will know exactly what theyre paying for.

Your home will hold its value longer

As mentioned earlier, the value of a home depends heavily upon the condition of the building itself. If your home is in bad shape, potential buyers wont be interested in buying it. On the other hand, if youve performed a thorough building inspection and know what sort of repairs are necessary, you can offer your prospective buyer a compelling reason to invest in your property.

When you buy a home, youre essentially agreeing to have it inspected periodically to ensure that it stays in top shape. Not only does this allow you to avoid expensive repairs down the road, but it can also increase the value of your home.

You can make smart decisions about property investments

Buying real estate isnt as simple as just driving a couple of minutes to pick up a house. There are lots of considerations involved, ranging from location to cost. The same is true when youre investing in property.

If you find a house that meets all of your requirements, youll want to make sure that you have a solid understanding of where it stands with regards to the rest of the market. If you havent spent enough time researching the area, you could inadvertently end up with a bad deal.

There are lots of resources available online that can help you determine the overall level of competition in your area. They can also help you figure out if there are any properties that meet your requirements that you didnt know about.

If you own rental property, you can use the information to identify tenants who might cause damage

If you own rental property and youve noticed that certain tenants consistently cause damage, you can use the results of a building inspection to identify them. You can then contact them directly to let them know that youre watching them closely and that you dont appreciate the problem theyre causing.

They might start taking better care of their homes, which would be good news for everyone. It could also be the case that youll find out that theyre responsible for previous damages that werent caught during a previous visit.

You can make smarter decisions about hiring contractors

If youve hired contractors to build or repair your home, you might want to ask them for references. However, unless you perform a thorough building inspection, you might not know exactly what to look for.

For instance, maybe you only checked the roof for leaks or the walls for cracks. You might not have looked underneath the foundation for anything that could cause a future issue. By performing a building inspection, you can ensure that you hire reputable contractors who will be trustworthy with your money.

You can avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition

Of course, the main benefit of structural inspections perth is that it helps you avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition. Before you make the decision to buy a home, you should do whatever you can to find out about the state of the building.

You can also ask your realtor about what sorts of inspections are typically recommended. Some agents say that its standard practice to check the heating system, the roof, the electrical wiring, and the floors. Others will tell you that they recommend that you check the entire structure.

Either way, if you choose to hire an inspector, youll find out exactly what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost to do so.

As a result, it can be concluded that a pre-purchase building inspection is highly important for the buyers because it provides transparency regarding the current conditions of the structure. Additionally, the building owner is made aware of any upgrades or repairs that are required, which could lead to a fair deal throughout the purchasing and selling process.
Translating your website into Arabic is just one step toward attracting Arabic speakers. To be successful, its important to really understand your audience and what motivates them. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) represents an attractive opportunity for foreign and domestic companies looking to tap into the large Arabic-speaking market. This blog will cover some brief but important facts of the Arabic-speaking UAE.

The UAE is located at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the south, as well as sharing sea borders with Qatar and Iran.

UAE Demographics

The UAE was established in December 1971 and is a federation of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain.

Abu Dhabi is the capital and Dubai is the largest city.

Islam is the official religion.

The population is 9,287,190.

The currency is the AED (Arab Emirates Dirhams). 1 USD is equal to 3.654 AED.

UAE Languages

Arabic is the official language.

Gulf Arabic is an Arabic dialect used, commonly referred to as Khaliji.

Modern Standard Arabic is used in all official publications and entities; it is referred to as fus-ha.

English is considered a second language, and most local people speak English. One of the main requirements, when applying for a job is a knowledge of English.

You will find materials in many restaurants, hotels and malls translated into English, Russian and Simplified Chinese, as a majority of tourists speak those languages.

UAE Culture

The culture is firmly rooted in Islamic traditions. Islam is not only the religion, it is the way of life.

The dress code is relaxed and foreigners can practice their own religion and traditions.

Emiratis wear their traditional dress in public. Men wear Kandura (white shirt-like garment), woman wear Abaya (a black robe that covers womens clothes) and a headscarf called Sheyla.

Taking pictures of strangers, especially women and children, is restricted. However, normal tourist photography is acceptable.

UAE has appointed a Minister of State for Happiness  Ohood Al Roumi. The UAE is ranked as the 28th happiest country in the world and the happiest country in the region.

UAE Consumers

Buses and taxis operate everywhere in the UAE. Dubais metro is spread out to almost all areas of the city, which keeps expanding to newly built areas.

24/7 hyper markets, pharmacies, hospitals operate all over the UAE.

The UAE leads the Middle East and Africa in mobile phone penetration.

91% of the population access the internet.

According to UAE law, there are five types of business establishments applicable to foreign entities who want to establish a formal presence in the UAE: a permanent establishment, a branch office, an entity in a UAE free zone, a civil company, or to enter into a commercial agency agreement.

UAEs Future

The UAE is constantly developing and growing, the leading growth industries are: media and entertainment, engineering, construction and real estate, oil and gas, retail/trade and logistics, and production and manufacturing.

UAE Commercial Companies Law requires each company established in the UAE to have one or more UAE national partners who hold at least 51% of the companys capital. Some companies are exempt from this.

The UAEs GDP growth rate is currently 2.4% and is expected to rise to 4.3% by 2020.

Tourism is a main source of income for the UAE.

Construction, expanding manufacturing and a flourishing services sector are helping the UAE diversify its economy.

When you arrive in the UAE, you feel like you are somewhere in the future, everything in the country is done for the comfort of the people. The UAE strives to continually innovate and there are many attractions and numerous business opportunities for foreign and domestic investors.
President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war?

You voted:
Dont'a Hightower, Jamie Collins

New England Patriots outside linebacker Dont'a Hightower, left, and outside linebacker Jamie Collins, right, in the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

(Steven Senne)

FOXBOROUGH -- New England Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins is expected to miss Sunday's game versus Cincinnati with a hip injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Once again, the Patriots will enter a game with half of their stud linebacker duo healthy enough to play.

Including Sunday, Collins and Dont'a Hightower have been on the field together in just five of the team's past 15 regular season games -- Weeks 1, 4, and 5 of this year, and Weeks 15 and 16 of the 2015 season.

And here's the snap breakdown in those games:

Week 1 (2016) -- Collins 100 percent, Hightower 95 percent

Week 4 (2016) -- Collins 100, Hightower 91

Week 5 (2016)-- Collins 83, Hightower 46

Week 15 (2015) -- Collins 100, Hightower 50

Week 16 (2015) -- Collins 100, Hightower 68

So to drive the point home further: In the past 15 regular season games, Hightower and Collins have both played over 50 percent of snaps just three times.

In 2015, Collins missed four games due to an undisclosed illness. He has been more durable than Hightower, who consistently battled injuries and has often played through them.

Since the beginning of the 2015 season, Hightower has either missed practice or participated on a limited basis in 15 of the 23 weeks in which the Pats submitted an injury report.

No one can question Hightower's toughness, but there is no doubt that he is an injury-prone player.

When the Patriots contemplates long-term contracts and future priorities, they must consider the durability of their star linebackers, both of whom are set to become free agents after this season.

As for Sunday?

With Collins out, Barkevious Mingo could see an increased role. Mingo is an exceptional athlete with a skill set similar to Collins. Rookie Elandon Roberts, who projects more as a run-stopping linebacker, could be an option, too.

New England's No. 3 linebacker, Jonathan Freeny, was placed on injured reserve Saturday.
The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

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Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

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Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

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Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

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Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

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Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

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Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

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Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

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How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
David Pirsein, president and CEO of First National Bank in Pinckneyville, was re-elected regional vice chairman of the Community Bankers Association of Illinois at the association's annual convention held recently in Kansas City, Missouri. Pirsein serves on the association's board of directors as well as its strategic planning committee, and chairs its education committee, according a press release from Community Bankers Association of Illinois.

Pirsein has been an active community banker for more than 38 years. He currently serves as finance chairman of the Pinckneyville Community Hospital Board, and as immediate past president of the Foundation for the Future of Pinckneyville Board. Pirsein also currently serves as a director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago where he is member of the Public Policy and Operations and Technology committees. Pirsein previously served two terms on the St. Louis Federal Reserve Boar where he held the position of audit committee chairman for several years. He graduated from SIU with a degree in finance and banking and has attended many banking schools, according to Community Bankers Association of Illinois.
In that capacity, he serves on the association's of Illinois board of directors, as well as its strategic planning and special events committees, according to a press release from the Community Bankers Association of Illinois.

Dosier received his bachelor's degree in business from McKendree University, Lebanon. In 2001, he was Business Leader of the Year with the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce and also its past president, and he was inducted into the Academy of Excellence at McKendree University in 2008. He is a board member with the Southern Illinois Research Park and Carbondale Business Development Corporation and former board member with Southern Illinois University Foundation-Carbondale, according to the Community Bankers Association of Illinois.
Complete Family Eyecare of Herrin hosted an open house and ribbon cutting on Oct. 6 at its new full-service eye care office in Carbondale, located at 1241 E. Walnut St., which opened for business in September, according to a news release from Nic Skovgaard.

Dr. Teresa Myers, a Harrisburg native, has moved to the Carbondale office after serving as an optometrist in Murphysboro and Mount Vernon. Myers graduated from Illinois College of Optometry and has been a member of the American Optometric Association for more than 20 years. She has continuing training in treating pediatric patients, ocular disease, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, according to Skovgaard.

Rudolphs Complete Family Eyecare, owned by Dr. Chase Rudolph, has been open in Herrin since 2010, and recently moved into a new building at 3121 S. Park Ave. near the intersection of Illinois 13 and 148.

For more information about Complete Family Eyecare of Herrin, call the Herrin office 618-942-5465, the Carbondale office at 618-529-3452, or visit www.drchaserudolph.com.

 The Southern
13Pro, a regional business organization, will be hosting an Etiquette Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 27 at Walkers Bluff for high schools students in the Jackson and Williamson County CEO Programs.

According to the event website, the dinner is a mentoring event and an opportunity for area high school students and professionals to meet and network. The event will begin with "mocktails", following by a pasta dinner. The dinner is intended to be conversational, yet instructive  13 Pro and community members will guide conversation and answer students' questions.

The event, including attendance and dinner, is free for students in the Jackson and Williamson County CEO Programs. Local business leaders or community members are invited to join for dinner and serve as informal panel members for student mentoring.

For more information about the event, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/13-pro-etiquette-dinner-tickets-28427955781.

 The Southern
MURPHYSBORO  Jackson County Superintendents say they can no longer rely on the state for stable funding for its schools, so they have decided to ask the voters of the county for more revenue.

On Nov. 8, voters in Jackson County will vote on a 1 percent School Facilities Sales Tax to help with upgrades on schools throughout the county.

The question that voters will see is Shall a retailers occupation tax and service occupation tax (commonly referred to as a sales tax) be imposed in Jackson County at a rate of 1% to be used exclusively for school facility purposes?

According to the Jackson County Superintendents, the tax would generate about $5.4 million for county schools. The funds would be dispersed by enrollment by the Illinois Department of Revenue.

The funds can only be used for new facilities, renovations, security, technology, infrastructure, land acquisition, energy efficiency, fire prevention, parking lots, and building and roof repairs.

The tax cant be used for direct instructional costs, textbooks, detached furniture, computers, salaries or operating costs.

The superintendents say the revenue comes from everything currently included in the municipal and county sales tax base. However, cars, ATVs, boats, unprepared food, prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and farm equipment will not be taxed.

A motto for the tax is if it is not currently taxed, it will not be taxed.

Chris Grode, superintendent Murphysboro Community Unit School District No. 186, said this is something that his facilities need because county schools have been deficit spending because of education funding problems.

We need to diversify our revenues and we need to try and increase our revenues, he said.

The first hurdle has already been cleared, Grode said, which was getting 50 percent of the school districts to approve the referendum. Murphysboro, Unity Point, Giant City, Elverado and Trico all jumped on board, he said.

Now it is up to the voting population, which requires a simple majority.

Facility needs

Grode said his need for the additional revenue is because of a growing enrollment in the Murphysboro school district. He said if he wants to keep his class sizes at the elementary school below 25 students, he may need to add on to his current buildings.

Every superintendents thought is always trying to be as nimble and flexible as we can be as an organization, he said.

He said the proposed tax would take all of the burden off property owners for revenue for the schools, and shift it to anybody coming in and out of the county and spending money.

Lori James-Gross, superintendent Unity Point School District No. 140, said her district is facing a similar problem.

She said there is a need to add additional classrooms to house the pre-K students. She said the students are in a portable classroom and have to walk outside to eat lunch, so teachers are dealing with the weather factor on top of trying to facilitate 3- and 4-year-olds from one place to another.

That takes a lot of time, James-Gross said.

She said Unity Point has lost about $1.2 million in revenue in the past five years because of the proration of general state aid.

This revenue would give us the chance to address our facilities and maintenance issues and free up money in our present budget to protect quality student programming, she said. It gives us great flexibility within the district.

Kevin Spain, Elverado Community Unit School District No. 196 superintendent, said he is also faced with outdated facilities.

He said the Elverado district was on the Capital Development Boards list to build a new school since 2004, but that funding has fell through. Now, he has two schools in the district that are each about 70 years old.

He said the tax could be used to finance new construction of a school or renovate an older building.

Nathaniel Wilson, De Soto Grade School District No. 86 superintendent, said his most immediate need is a new HVAC system. The one he has installed has problems producing heat.

He said there are two 17-year-old units, and the heat exchangers are burned out. It would cost Wilson about $12,000 to replace the heat exchangers or about $42,000 for a new unit.

It doesnt make sense to pump $12,000 into a unit that is probably going to fail anyway, Wilson said. I cant put $84,000 into two new units either. I dont have that in my budget at all.

He said the district could use bonds to raise the money, but the sales tax would provide a revenue stream that doesnt just burden the local community, but the surrounding region.

Additional taxes

The biggest municipality in Jackson County  Carbondale  recently increased taxes on food and beverage sales by 2 percent.

The new tax in Carbondale brings taxes on food and beverage items to 10.75 percent, and if this school sales tax is approved, it would make such items 11.75 percent. Taxes on all other items would be 9.75 percent, matching the sales tax inside Du Quoins business district as the highest sales tax in Southern Illinois.

Michael Shimshak, Superintendent of Carbondale Elementary School District No. 95, said if the tax is approved by the voters, the decision on how the money would be used would come from his board of education.

He said if the board decided to abate property taxes with the added funds, it would represent a reduction of about $100 on a $100,000 home during the first year, according to figures from Stifel, Nicolaus and Company, a national investment banking firm.

Grode said none of the superintendents like the idea of taxes, but he can be certain what his tax money would be spent on.

Every dime that is spent on the penny tax would go toward the property owners in this community and toward local workers, he said, adding that Jackson County is the only county on the Illinois 13 corridor that isnt benefiting from the tax.

As educators, not politicians, we have to ask for this, James-Gross said. For our students and our communities, period.
A Carmi man was arrested after a multi-county police chase Friday, according to Energy Police Department.

The chase began 8 p.m. Friday in Royalton when a vehicle, suspected to be involved in drug activity, failed to yield, leading the Roylaton Police Department to pursue it westbound on Illinois 149, according to a news release from the Energy Police Department.

The pursued vehicle then headed southbound on U.S. 51 into Carbondale, through the city's northeast side, traveling eastbound in the westbound lane of Illinois 13 toward oncoming traffic.

The vehicle was able to evade law enforcement on Illinois 13 and Reed Station Road by traveling through residential yards and fleeing the scene, according to the release. Royalton Police pursued the vehicle through both Franklin and Jackson Counties.

At about 8:30 p.m., an Energy Police Department K9 unit reacquired the vehicle traveling eastbound on Illinois 13 at Cambria Road. Energy Police attempted to stop the vehicle as it crossed Samuel Road on Rt. 13 and the vehicle failed to yield.

The suspect vehicle failed to stop at multiple traffic control devices, reaching speeds of over 115 mph, and continued to flee northbound on Illinois 148, police said. The pursuit traveled through Williamson, Franklin, and Jefferson Counties.

An officer with the Ina Police Department deployed spike strips and the vehicle subsequently lost its front drivers side tire, according to the news release. Engery Police then executed a tactical maneuver, terminating the pursuit in Jefferson County.

The pursuit ended on Illinois 148, just south of Mount Vernon.

Gary D. Perkins of Carmi was taken into custody. According to police, Perkins was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Mount Vernon for medical conditions unrelated to the pursuit.

An investigation is ongoing related to drug and weapons activity.

Formal charges for aggravated fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, speeding 100 mph/35 mph speed zone, and numerous traffic related offenses are pending the review of the Williamson County State's Attorney's Office.

Energy Police were assisted by Illinois State Police, Royalton Police Department, Carterville Police Department, Herrin Police Department, Christopher Police Department, Sesser Police Department, Ina Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.
HARRISBURG  Gov. Bruce Rauner plans to appeal a judges order to reappoint a former mayor to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, according to Saline County Circuit Court records.

Former Harrisburg Mayor Eric Gregg was fired from his post on the IPRB in October 2015 after allegations surfaced that he was violating Illinois law by earning outside income. Members of the 15-member parole board are prohibited from holding other jobs.

Gregg contested the termination in court, and on Sept. 26, Judge Todd D. Lambert ruled that he had been wrongfully removed from the position and issued an injunction restraining the governor from interfering with Greggs position.

The court ordered that Gregg be granted relief for his lost salary and pension benefits in the amount of $78,027.

The governor has filed a petition for the judge to stay the judgment pending appeal, court documents show. A hearing on the motion will take place Oct. 21.

The former mayor, who is largely credited with seeing Harrisburg through the aftermath of a devastating tornado in 2012, was appointed to the $86,000-salaried position on the IPRB in April 2013 by then-Gov. Pat Quinn.

In August 2015, the Belleville News-Democrat reported that Gregg signed a statement in a bankruptcy filing that his monthly income was $11,184  $4,027 more than his state salary.

Last October, Gregg said it was simply a typographical error and that the income was meant to be reported as his wifes, under nonfiling spouse in the bankruptcy petition.

The governor has limited powers of removal when it comes independent judicatory bodies like the IPRB. The Sept. 26 ruling found that the facts did not support Greggs removal on any legally sanctioned grounds.

The record speaks for itself, said Greggs attorney, Tom Crosby. Were hopeful that the governor will agree that he made an error and rectify it by putting Eric back on the board. Theres never been a question that his service on the board has been exemplary.

Greggs term on the board runs through 2019.

The governors office did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
SPRINGFIELD  A campaign-season film that takes a critical look at Democratic Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago is coming to the small screen starting this weekend.

The film from Illinois Policy Action  the advocacy arm of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute, which has close ties to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner  will begin airing Saturday in the Decatur television market. Showings are scheduled in the Quad Cities, Bloomington and southern Illinois markets in the coming days, and there are plans to make it available online later this month.

Titled Madigan: Power, Privilege, Politics, the film has stirred controversy since it was announced in mid-September.

It comes as Republicans are spending millions of dollars in campaign money, much of it coming from Rauners political fund and personal bank account, to tie Democratic candidates for the General Assembly to Madigan, who is also chairman of the state Democratic Party. Rauner and his fellow Republicans hope to cut into the Democrats supermajorities in the House and Senate in the Nov. 8 election.

The hour-long movie, which premiered this week at movie theaters in Springfield and Downers Grove, is in line with the Republican message that Madigan and his decades in power are to blame for Illinois many economic and fiscal woes. The Illinois GOP has said the party had no involvement with the film.

Because Illinois Policy Action is registered as a tax-exempt social welfare organization, it is barred from participating in partisan politics. The designation also means the group doesnt have to disclose its donors or most of its expenditures.

Spokeswoman Diana Rickert said when the film was announced that the group wont ever get involved in party politics and that its release was timed to coincide with the election because thats when voters are most engaged.

Information on how much the group paid for airtime altogether was not yet available Friday from the Federal Communications Commission. However, the organization is spending $27,000 to broadcast the film a total of five times on TV stations WBUI, WICS and WRSP, which reach households in the Decatur, Springfield and Champaign-Urbana areas, said Jennifer Valenti, the stations local sales manager.

One of the controversies surrounding the film is how much interview subjects were told about who was producing it.

Capitol Fax blog creator Rich Miller, whose political column appears in newspapers around the state, has said he wasnt told Illinois Policy Action was involved and wouldnt have agreed to an interview if he had been. Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, a frequent critic of Madigan, wrote that he knew the group was involved but apologized for taking part because doing so was inconsistent with the Tribunes mission as an independent newspaper.

There has also been inconsistent information about how involved the Illinois Policy Institute was in the production.

The team at Illinois Policy Action was enthusiastic to give us complete creative control in order to produce a film thats fair to its subject and participants, executive producer John Papola of Austin, Texas-based video production company Emergent Order said in a prepared statement late last month. Their stated goal was to shine a light on a vitally important person in their state about whom the general public knew very little.

However, following a screening for the press Tuesday in Chicago, Papola acknowledged that the film was written by the Illinois Policy Institutes Austin Berg.

Austin brought a wealth of knowledge to the table that would have been very difficult for us to produce from scratch, Papola said, according to Politicos Illinois Playbook.

Viewers should bear these facts in mind as they watch the film, said Jay Rosenstein, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who teaches at the University of Illinois. Rosenstein had yet to see the film as of Friday, but hed watched the trailer and read news coverage about it.

This movie has already been sort of promoted and branded as a documentary, and from what Ive seen and heard, it certainly doesnt fit the definition of a documentary to me, Rosenstein said. Theres a big universe of nonfiction film, and documentary is just one small part of that.

He added, When a so-called documentary has been produced and financed by an organization that is clearly a partisan political organization, you already should be suspicious.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been updated to note that the locomotive will also make stops Wednesday in Prairie du Rocher and Chester in Randolph County and pass through Thebes in Alexander County, without stopping.

WOLF LAKE  A historic steam-powered locomotive pulling six cars will come through Southern Illinois on Wednesday on its way to a celebration in Memphis.

Locomotive 844 will stop in Southern Illinois on Wednesday from 9:45 to 10 a.m in Prairie du Rocher; from 10:30 to 11 a.m. in Chester; from 11:30 to 11:45 a.m. in Gorham; and from 12:15 to 12:30 p.m. in Wolf Lake; the train will pass through Thebes at 1 p.m. without stopping. At the whistlestops, the train will stop and onlookers will be able to see the steam and smoke blowing from the locomotive, said Kristen South, a spokeswoman for Union Pacific.

Locomotive 844 will be pulling six other cars, including a boiler, a baggage car and an extra locomotive, in case 844 has problems. Those who see it will probably see the billows of smoke coming from the train, she said.

Think "Back to the Future, Part 3," and the locomotive steam engine that was in that, South said.

"It gives you goose bumps when you see it, she said. Its something that many of us will never see in front of us.

The locomotive was the last steam engine built for Union Pacific Railroad and delivered to the company in 1944. It has never been retired from from the Union Pacific's fleet service, earning it the name "Living Legend."

It weighs 454 tons (the combined weight of 140 full-size pickup trucks) and has wheels that are 80 inches high  higher than five stacked vehicle tires. The locomotive has made enough trips to have crossed the United States four times.

This is the train's first multi-state trip since 2012, when it had some work done on it, South said.

We have not planned any parties or celebrations along the way, but we always see thousands of people (celebrating)," South said.

South said it is interesting to see the social media posts that people make about the locomotive coming through their area.

"People post all over social media," she said. "Its just really neat, people are sharing videos and pictures.

"Its just really neat to see all ages appreciate history.

To see the locomotive's schedule, visit http://tinyurl.com/844Tennessee.
To the Editor:

All Americans believed the virtues of the FBI were both incorruptible and impregnable. We perceived this agency to be a foundational part of our justice system. We were secure and confident in the knowledge that the FBI could not be bought. In our collective mind, American justice would never be subverted as long as the FBI was at work to guard our most cherished principles of fairness and legal uprightness.

And so it was throughout the decades until Bill Clinton surreptitiously met with United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch on an airport tarmac in Phoenix. Life changed for all of us on that day.

Make no mistake about it. President Barack Obama was willing to compromise a highly revered agency to protect Hillary Clinton. In a nearly unprecedented maneuver, the FBI threw away generations of historic credibility by wrongfully proclaiming Hillary Clinton's innocence. In effect, FBI Director James Comeys actions made it appear as if his agency, and not Obamas Justice Department, had the plenary authority to preemptively shield Hillary Clinton from being required to account for any criminal misdeeds she may have committed.

We should all be exceedingly saddened when it seems as if our laws are not uniformly applied and enforced. More importantly, however, is the shockingly stark realization that we, as individuals, must personally protect the national standards we hold dear.

We are the ones who must carry the banners of justice. Let us hereafter carry those banners with fiercely incorruptible and impregnable resolve.

Chris Tabing

Coulterville
Genres : Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring : John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald

Director : John Ford

Plot Synopsis

Sean Thornton (John Wayne, Sands of Iwo Jima), an American boxer with a tragic past, returns to the Irish town of his youth. There, he purchases his childhood home and falls in love with the fiery local lass, Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O Hara, Rio Grande). But Kate's insistence that Sean conduct his courtship in a proper Irish manner with matchmaker Michaleen Oge Flynn (Barry Fitzgerald, Going My Way) along for the ride as chaperone is but one obstacle to their future together; the other is her brother, Red Danaher (Victor McLaglen, Rio Grande), who spitefully refuses to give his consent to their marriage, or to honor the tradition of paying a dowry to the husband. Sean couldn't care less about dowries or any other tradition that might stand in the way of his happiness. But when Mary Kate accuses him of being a coward, Sean is finally ready to take matters into his own hands. The Quiet Man would go on to win two Academy Awards in 1953, including Best Director (John Ford) and Best Cinematography and received five more nominations including Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (McLaglen)."
It's interesting facing a piece of controversial filmmaking and looking at through an aged lens. Time passes quickly and a good documentary can serve as a neat little time capsule reminder of how things once were. Sheldon Renan's 1981 documentary 'The Killing of America' lit up a storm of controversy in its day. As an unflinching examination of America's fascination with guns and the juxtaposition of violent acts, the film may have once been a lightning rod in its day, but has since become almost quaint by today's standards.

Where 'The Killing of America' and it's 20-minute longer Japanese-language counterpart rise and fall is due to its intention. This was a film that was designed to shock its audience with uncensored (or at least damn near close to it) images of actual people being shot and killed on screen. From Charles Manson to Charles Whitman to John Hinckley Jr. and his failed assassination attempt of then-President Ronald Reagan, 'The Killing of America' paints an alarmist picture of events using actual event footage to piece together its narrative of gun violence and American culture. The film tries to be equally optimistic and pessimistic with its outlook towards these events. While the film works to show the audience a so-called "way out of the problem" it falls into the pit of being almost too exploitive.

My first encounter with this film was an introduction to documentary class I took in college. This class wasn't geared towards handing students a camera and tell them to film something from life, but to understand the tricks of how to make an effective documentary. When it came to showcasing footage manipulation and how to make a short event seem more dramatic, segments from 'The Killing of America' among other more recent works were shown. The reason this film was shown was for its use of the infamous JFK assassination footage shot by Abraham Zapruder and the use of footage surrounding the attempt on Reagan. My professor wasn't using these scenes to shock or make a statement about the film's intention, they were merely pointing out how the footage had been altered for effect. In spite of what the footage looks like today, Zapruder was not cool as a cucumber when he shot the footage of Kennedy being killed, it's actually quite wobbly given that the camera wasn't mounted on a tripod - for this film it was stabilized to remove the shaking and allow the audience to focus on the horror of the event. As for the Reagan shooting, the footage was slowed to a crawl. While it may not seem like a very long moment as you watch it, you do start to feel an anxiety waiting for Hinkley to make his move. You almost want to yell at the people on the screen like some sort of omniscient god-like observer who can somehow turn back time.

Throughout the film, Chuck Riley provides a somber narration that works to tie together all of the random events. But therein lies one of the larger issues with this documentary - its randomness. While it certainly provides a graphic and unflinching look at violence in our country and the aftermath of horrific shootings - 'The Killing of America' does start to feel rather piecemeal. Bits and pieces on their own resonate, but taken as a whole the film just doesn't connect. My reaction to seeing this film in its entirety could stem from the fact that 'The Killing of America' hasn't aged all that well in the subsequent 35 years after its release. When I said in my opening that this film seems "quaint" today, it's because by all accounts it is. Turn on any news program or cable channel today and you'll no doubt see something just as graphic and shocking. After a summer filled with dash-cam footage, cell phones, and people being shot while on Facebook Live, 'The Killing of America,' almost feels tame by comparison.

All age and footage issues aside, my real issue with this fascinating and still somewhat shocking documentary is that it catalogs these events without ever really giving credence to motivation. By uniformly lumping these unrelated events together in one big hunk, it becomes all too easy to forget that a number of these events such as the Manson Family stemmed from issues with mental illness. John Hinkley Jr.'s need to show his love for Jodi Foster after watching 'Taxi Driver' is mentioned, however, it's almost dropped in as a passing thought. As I watched this film I found myself facing a frustratingly overt sense that in almost every case the fact there was a gun involved is the reason to be shocked. Not that the event in question actually happened, but that a gun was used in the incident. For me, this shortchanges the bigger and more relevant socioeconomic issues.

Taken as a whole, 'The Killing of America' certainly is an interesting and oftentimes fascinating look at a very troubling issue. Whether or not either the English language version or the Japanese version obtain their goal is going to be on a case by case basis. Though longer, the Japanese cut doesn't really offer a much more substance. There is a bit more material about more recent serial murderers of the era like John Wayne Gacy, but that material seems tacked in rather than being organic to the central idea. Just because I had a middling detached reaction to the film doesn't mean others necessarily won't have a more passionate response. The best I can say is that it's a film people should see. Even after 35 years, 'The Killing of America' raises a number of important questions and makes some great points. Check it out and see it for yourself. That is possibly the best recommendation I can make for it.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'The Killing of America' arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin. Both cuts of the film, the 95-minute cut 'The Killing of America' and the 115-minute Japanese version 'Violence U.S.A.' are pressed onto a single Region Free BD50 disc. Housed in a sturdy Blu-ray snapper case, the disc loads to the main menu and features traditional navigation options.
Hurricane Matthew impacted the lives of Claflin University students and their families on the South Carolina coast.

It hit early Saturday morning around 6 a.m., junior Jordan Geddis said. It got very windy, I mean extremely windy, and when it started to rain, I knew we werent going to be going anywhere soon.

Geddis is from Charleston and was concerned about his family and their wellbeing back at home.

I called later on, not immediately, but I did check in with my loved ones, Geddis said. My parents told me it flooded pretty badly and that a friend of mine had a huge oak tree fall on his house.

Another Claflin student and Charleston resident, sophomore Angel Chedikai, left Orangeburg for her hometown of Charleston, where authorities had warned residents to evacuate prior to the storm.

My mom is a nurse, so she had to work. So we didnt evacuate. We just toughed it out, went grocery shopping, filled our cars up with gasoline and stocked up on flashlights and candles.

The hurricanes true effect did not become evident until daybreak.

I spent a majority of my time playing games and sleeping, Chedikai said. So by the time I woke up the next day and looked, I realized we had floodwater 7 inches high and lots of downed trees.

It was terrible. We were stuck inside for three days.

On the Claflin campus, senior psychology major Nakia Avila said water flowed into her dorm room during the storm.

The campus was without power for a whole 24 hours, Avila said. The only place that had power was the cafe. Everybody was in there, and never left.

Sophomore Preston Williams was another of the many students who stayed on campus during the storm.

I was really affected by the power outages, Williams said. Because of those power outages, I wasnt able to finish some of my work like I wanted to.

While the hurricane did take away power and other amenities from the students, it did have its moments.

It was interesting to see some students walking around outside during the storm. Williams said. They were just walking around like it was a regular day.

And there were lessons learned.
I felt sad, fifth-grader Xaiver Isaac said after learning of the flood in Louisiana that left many students and schools with almost nothing.

Isaac and fellow fifth-graders of Whittaker Elementary School helped collect school supplies and food to send to Greenbrier Elementary School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after hearing about the effects of an August flood.

The students are members of Whittakers Junior Beta Club under the direction of Ruby Edwards, the schools guidance counselor.

They are so excited about it because kids want to help but they just dont know how, Edwards said.

She said she had first seen the news of a Clarendon County school collecting supplies for Baton Rouge and wanted to join the efforts as well. She asked her fifth graders, and they gladly lent helping hands to the cause.

Fliers were sent home listing items students at the school could bring in to donate including notebooks, pencils, pens, book bags, folders, board games and more.

Edwards said they were looking for any items that could be found in a classroom because after speaking with the Louisiana schools principal, she learned they had lost everything and the school itself was almost completely under water.

Every morning, the students would travel around to various classrooms collecting the items that had been brought in.

Each Beta member had a certain grade level to go to, Edwards said, adding that they would bring the donated items to a storage room where they would sort them into different boxes.

We were able to get about 15-20 boxes full of stuff, she said.

The group started the project on Aug. 24, and they collected items until Sept. 7.

Parents. We had some churches, we had the students, we had the faculty and staff. Thats how we got all of this stuff, Edwards said.

In its second year at the school, this was the Whittaker Junior Beta Clubs first service project of the year. Edwards said the club aims to do a service project focusing on helping the community each semester.

We try to train our children to grow up to be good citizens, she said.

Dr. Teresa Jennings, first year principal of Whittaker Elementary, said once she heard of the project, she was in total agreement that it would be a great thing to have the students involved in.

Ive seen that these students have a will and a desire to want to help others, Jennings said. It shows me that our kids ... that theyre wanting to help, that theyre wanting to give.

Instilling this trait in the students is important for their growth, she said.

Jennings added, When were preparing students to say that theyre college and career ready, it goes beyond standards."
From across the nation an army of men, and a few women, is on the move. They are deployed with tools and gauges, maps and their own know-how in a critical battle. They are shock troops fighting the flooding in North and South Carolina.

They are electricity linemen.

When disaster strikes, the nations electric utilities spring into action, sending equipment  which can range from temporary lighting to the familiar bucket trucks  hundreds and thousands of miles to the battle.

When these first responders reach the site of disaster, they go to work down manholes and up poles, struggle with knotted wires and fallen trees.

The work is hard and the conditions are dangerous, but there is a camaraderie that binds linemen from different localities in a common purpose and danger. Those who more usually might rely on a bucket truck, in fine conditions, take out their climbing gear and up the pole they go.

The constant danger is electricity itself: the threat of electrocution. Up the pole, there are many other dangers. The pole may be weakened and critters seeking safety may be up there, from raccoons to venomous snakes.

When the lights go off, life as most of us know stops. It does not grind to a slow halt, it stops. Elevators, air conditioners, heating systems, ovens, refrigerators, televisions and computers are stranded. Even the pumps for removing water from a flooded basement need electricity.

Everyone knows that in an emergency, it is vital to restore the juice. The linemen, often several sleeping in a single motel room or in their trucks, are the heroes who work as many as 19 hours straight to do that.

It is rewarding, exacting and well-paid work. A spokesman for the American Public Power Association explains that pay varies, depending on the part of the country, but $100,000 a year is common and earnings shoot up with overtime, as in emergencies. The association represents more than 2,000 publicly owned utilities, serving about 14 percent of the nation's electricity consumers.

So it is astounding that for a number of years both the publicly owned and the large, investor-owned utilities, which the Edison Electric Institute represents and account for 80 percent of the power supply, have been having a devil of a time finding workers prepared for a very secure life that has its moments of high drama  as is the case right now with the crews restoring power to areas devastated by Hurricane Matthew.

The problem is that even the most enthusiastic young person cannot just go up a pole without a lot of training: four years of training.

In the world of labor, electric utilities are not the only ones gasping for help. There is an artisan labor shortage and it is worsening. One truck operator reckons there are vacancies for at least 50,000 truck drivers. Similar shortages exist for electricians, pipe-fitters, sheet metal workers, stone masons, welders and many other skilled artisans.

If all the manufacturing jobs that politicians say they would like to bring back to the United States were to arrive next year, there would be no workers to build the factories, nor a trained workforce to make the goods. The unemployment crisis  so emphasized in this election year  is with the unskilled.

Part of the artisan problem may be that too many young men and women are being herded into colleges without any knowledge of alternatives for which they might have more aptitude and interest. More college is always seen as a virtue. But who needs four years of college to become an Uber driver?

When the APPA tried recruiting in high schools with a video, they found teachers trashed the video. Schools are rated on how many graduates go on to college, not on to training in trades offering job security and satisfaction.

There is a future up the pole.

-----

Llewellyn King is executive producer and host of White House Chronicle on PBS. His email is llewellynking1@gmail.com. He wrote this for InsideSources.com
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It's tough watching a filmmaker or a star's career low point. It's especially difficult when the individual in question was responsible for some of your favorite movies when you were growing up. Such is the case of Finnish director Renny Harlin as well as star Jackie Chan and their latest effort 'Skiptrace' co-starring Johnny Knoxville. Produced and released in China, 'Skiptrace' was a huge hit internationally, but as a film, it's little more than a muddled constipated 'Midnight Run' knockoff. The action sequences are inventive and showcase the familiar Harlin flavor with some Jackie Chan flair, but the forced comedic moments and some slipshod editing keep the film from reaching its full potential.

Bennie Chan (Jackie Chan) is a dedicated Hong Kong detective on a mission to avenge the death of his partner at the hands of the international criminal known as The Matador. For years Chan has been convinced that billionaire Victor Wong (Winston Chao) is the man he's after, but Wong's political connections require Chan to find irrefutable evidence about his criminal dealings. Making matters worse for Chan is his niece Samantha (Bingbing Fan) has gone undercover at one of Wong's casinos in order to find the evidence they need.

Luck would have it that professional gambler, con man, and cheat Connor Watts (Johnny Knoxville) happens to be staying as a VIP at the casino. When some Russian gangsters he cheated catch up to him, Connor tries to run away to the safety of his private suite but instead manages to be the only witness to Victor Wong killing a young woman. With her dying breath, the woman gives Connor her phone - which supposedly has some information about Wong on it. Now that Connor is on the run, Bennie Chan will have to capture Connor from Russian gangsters, secure the phone, get across Mongolia, and back to Hong Kong inside of two days so Connor can testify and put Wong behind bars.

It's hard to know where to start with a review of 'Skiptrace,' the film is just a mess. From the near-incomprehensible opening to the odd and prolonged flashback sequence involving people the person flashing back couldn't possibly know to the frequent cutbacks to previous scenes to constantly remind the audience what already happened mere minutes ago, 'Skiptrace' is a logic headache. This is a simple story. Cop has to get criminal back to home base to testify before several groups of bad guys kill said criminal. That's it. All they needed to do was set up a simple A to B to C plot thread and just go with it. But director Renny Harlin and his team of editors decided it was best to start at C, go back to A, jump to G, show us B, and then pick things up at O and hope that makes sense as the audience moves on to Z. On top of that, there is a very bizarre randomness to the film's use of subtitles and dubbing. One moment Jackie Chan and Bingbing Fan will be having a conversation in Chinese with subtitles, the next shot they'll clearly be speaking in Chinese but they'll be needlessly dubbed, and then the very next shot will be back to Chinese with subtitles. Like I said, it's a mess.

While Harlin hasn't lost a step with his action staging - a fight between Jackie Chan and Eve Torres as a Russian assassin involving a Matryoshka doll was particularly inventive and humorous - his sense of story timing and comedy don't align. In his heyday, Harlin was a reliable hand at some inventive action movies. 'Die Hard 2: Die Harder,' 'Cliffhanger,' 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' are all prime examples of his abilities at handling comedy, story, and action. With 'Skiptrace,' it just feels like he's going through the motions. Staging a quick action scene so the film doesn't become too boring, but he never takes the time to help the characters feel like real people. Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville have some great bits together, there are some very good, genuinely comedic moments, but they're not in service of the story or the moment - it's just what those two guys do best but this is hardly their best work.

By the time 'Skiptrace' was over, all I wanted to do was watch 'Cliffhanger' and remember the good days of Renny Harlin movies. Heck, at this point I would even settle for 'Exorcist: The Beginning,' at least it was competently put together by comparison. 'Skiptrace' was an unfortunate reminder of how filmmakers and action stars fade. I suppose the best I can say about this film is that it is at least watchable, but it isn't very good. Those coming into this film hoping for the glory days of Harlin-helmed action films, Jackie Chan hijinks, and Johnny Knoxville one liners will likely be left wishing they'd watched something else.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'Skiptrace' arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 'Lionsgate' and is pressed onto a Region A BD-25 disc. The disc is housed in an eco-friendly Blu-ray case with identical slip cover and comes with an Ultraviolet Digital HD voucher. The disc opens with trailers for past, present, and future Lionsgate releases before arriving at an animated main menu wth traditional navigation options.
The Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA), the first of the ethnic groups to sign a ceasefire with Naypyidaw, accuses Burmese army Battalion 292 of launching an offensive on October 1 against its base in Wan Boi village, Donglao village-tract, in southern Shan States Mong Kung Township  specifically against a rehabilitation center that the Shan militia has established to help treat drug users in the area.

Lt-Col Sai Nguen, the RCSS/SSAs Peace Team secretary, said that the Burmese army broke the terms of the NCA, and that its commanders did not issue any warning ahead of the incursion.

According to the NCA, both sides are obliged to cooperate in drug eradication efforts, he told Shan Herald on Monday. That is precisely what we are doing as per our agreement. We are treating those who are addicted.

They [government forces] knew that we were operating this kind of work, but they still attacked us, he explained. And they took away the drug addicts after overrunning the base.

On October 7, Shan Herald reported that local residents in Donglao had witnessed the Burmese troops arresting and detaining at least 10 other villagers.

The Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) reported that during the recent clashes, a number of local villagers were arrested, tortured and even killed.

It was confirmed by a local MP that some 2,000 civilians had fled their homes to escape the fighting.

The state-owned Myawady Daily news journal published an article on October 10 that counter-accused the RCSS/SSA of arresting and detaining villagers in the Donglao area.

According to its report, the Shan armed group had arrested 25 people. The government mouthpiece further maintained that those villagers who had been detained by government forces were released on October 7 at an administrative office in Namlant tract of Hsipaw Township.

In response, Lt-Col Sai Nguen denied that the RCSS/SSA had detained local villagers in Donglao.

These people are not prisoners. They are the drug addicts who are being treated at a rehabilitation center, he said, adding that the Myawady Daily report was incorrect.

The Shan army spokesman said that government forces never cooperate with them on these issues, and that they had an agenda of trying to make the RCSS/SSA look bad in the eyes of the local public.

They always create problems when we are simply trying to help people, he said.

Signed between eight armed groups, including the RCSS/SSA, on October 15 last year, the NCA includes a provision that those signatories be removed from the terms of the Unlawful Associations Act, and that persons previously detained under that Act be released.

The accord also allows the ethnic armies to implement initiatives in their territories that fall under the following sectors: health, education, and socio-economic services, as well as environmental conservation, drug eradication, cultural promotion, international and national aid, and private sector activities.

According to Chapter 3 of the NCA document, all sides are obliged to distribute military codes of conduct throughout their command structure.

BY Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
News / National

by Staff reporter

IN a case that has attracted the ire of farmers, the Botswana government has killed and burnt more than 400 cattle that strayed into that country from Zimbabwe in just over a month.The Botswana government, which is seeking to protect its quota of beef export to the European Union engaged Zimbabwe early this year and vowed that they will shoot any cattle that will stray into the country to guard against the spread of the Foot and Mouth disease.Authorities from the neighbouring country started shooting cattle that strayed into their territory on the first week of September. According to information obtained from the Department of Livestock Production and Development (DLPD), more than 400 cattle have been shot and had their carcasses burnt by the Botswana authorities.The data showed that Beitbridge District has been the most affected as farmers in the area have lost 396 beasts that strayed into Botswana. In Mangwe, 11 cattle were shot and burnt. The figure could be higher as the department indicated that it was still collating figures in Gwanda and Bulilima districts.Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister responsible for livestock Paddy Zhanda said while the development was not good to farmers and the country, it was upon the farmers and communities that live close to the Botswana border to ensure they look after their livestock."It (the shooting) is not nice, people should look after their cattle to avoid losses. We might need to visit the affected areas soon to sensitise them," he said.DLPD Matabeleland South provincial livestock specialist Mrs Simangaliphi Ngwabi urged farmers to adhere to proper livestock management techniques through ensuring that their cattle do not encroach onto the Botswana side."Botswana officials informed us that they would shoot cattle that strayed into their border and the Deputy Minister (Zhanda) went on a campaign sensitising farmers at all border areas to desist from letting their animals stray into the neighbouring country. We can't put the blame on Botswana for shooting our cattle because they issued a three months warning before starting the shooting."They can't risk losing their EU export licence because our farmers have let their cattle cross into their borders. Their economy is largely driven by trading in beef, business is business and as such we shouldn't play a part in them losing their EU quota. We therefore advise our farmers to adhere to proper livestock management which entails checking the movement of their animals from time to time," Mrs Ngwabi said.Another livestock specialist, Mr Mhlupheki Dube reiterated Mrs Ngwabi's sentiments saying there was nothing sinister about the shooting of cattle that would have crossed into Botswana as the neighbouring country was making efforts to protect its niche market."They are protecting their market which has set standards to meet. It's our farmers' responsibility to look after their cattle, it's not Botswana's. Although it is painful for our farmers to lose their livestock they have to acknowledge that Botswana is protecting their business interests and by trespassing our animals will be tampering with their bio-security systems," said Mr Dube.
By Trend





Alongside negotiations with Hungarian MOL Company to export 140,000 barrels per day of crude oil, Iran is finalizing talks with Austrian company OMV to a sign mid-term oil export contract.

Iran sold a 1 million-barrel spot oil cargo to OMV recently, but it wants to sign mid-term contracts (12-month) with European companies, Fars reported Oct.14.

Iran is exporting about 2 million barrels per day (mb/d), doubled since January 2016 after implementation of a nuclear deal, but currently sells only spot oil to European companies.

Before sanctions, EU was importing 18 percent of Irans total oil and gas condensate exports which was 2.5 mb/d. Currently, less than 8 percent of Irans total oil exports is delivered to Turkey and EU.
By Trend





Tehran has reacted strongly to the Gulf Cooperation Councils announcement that was read during the closing of a joint meeting with Turkey recently.

Countries which have violated their neighbors territorial integrity with their intervention and through war and terrorism are not entitled to advise others against intervention, part of an announcement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry read, Tasnim news agency reported October 15.

The Iranian ministry in the statement denounces terrorist adventures in Syria in particular, calling for global response to the catastrophe.

Elsewhere in the statement, the Foreign Ministry rebukes the GCCs statement over the sovereignty of three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf.

It also reprimands the GCC for lack of goodwill in its references to the Iranian nuclear deal, aka Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
By Trend





Ministerial meeting on Syria in Lausanne, Switzerland has not resulted in a ceasefire agreement, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday, TRT Haber reported.

"We have informally exchanged views on the situation in Syria, although we have not reached any specific ceasefire agreement. But it was not supposed to happen," Cavusoglu said in an interview with the TRT Haber broadcaster.

He also noted that there were divided views among the meeting participants with respect to what should be done first  to achieve ceasefire or to separate terrorist groups from moderate opposition.

"Everyone, including the Turkish side, shared their views and proposals on how to achieve the truce and to deliver humanitarian aid to Aleppo. First of all one needs to achieve a ceasefire but the fight against the Daesh terrorist group must be continued," the minister said.

The foreign ministers of Russia, the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Jordan and Qatar took part in the talks on the Syrian settlement.
Waha Capital, a leading investment company based in Abu Dhabi, has appointed Alain Dib as the new chief operating officer, a role that involves leading the companys investment businesses.



Dib joins Waha Capital after a 20-year-long career at BNP Paribas, where he held senior investment banking positions, including in leveraged finance, acquisition finance, high yield debt and convertible bond origination.



His last position was as head of equity capital markets for Europe, Middle East and Africa at the French bank.



Welcoming the appointment, Salem Al Noaimi, the managing director and chief executive officer of Waha Capital, said: "Dib has senior international investment banking experience in all the major asset classes, and is therefore a perfect fit for Waha Capital."



"The company has achieved above-market return on equity in recent years as we have pursued a strategy of diversifying our asset base and income streams. We are confident that Alain will achieve further success leading our talented investment teams," he stated.



Waha Capitals investment business is structured into two divisions. Its Principal Investments division invests directly in several companies, including New York-listed AerCap Holdings NV, UAE-based Dunia Group, and National Petroleum Services, while its Asset Management division offers equity and credit funds to third-party investors.



Prior to this, Dib was managing director, head of equity capital markets EMEA, for BNP Paribas based in London and a member of the corporate finance management UK and CIB Management Committees.



He also headed the banks Restructuring and Advisory Group, the Distressed Finance Group, and was joint-head for the European High Yield Group.



Dib also worked at Deutsche Bank as a managing director in its European Leverage Finance Group.



On his new role, Dib said: "I am excited by the opportunity at Waha Capital, because the company has established excellent multi-year track records in both direct investments and in capital markets."



"We are therefore in a very strong position to attract third-party investors, while our strong financial position allows us to deploy further capital in both sides of the business," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Transport to discuss further how Abu Dhabi Airports can develop the countrys international airport on the island of Mahe.



Signed by Ali Majed Al Mansoori, chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, and Joel Morgan, Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport, the MoU further strengthens the ties between Abu Dhabi and the Seychelles.



Al Mansoori said: Abu Dhabi Airports is delighted to be able to work closely with the Government of the Seychelles on the redevelopment of their international airport. As the Seychelles grows in popularity as a holiday destination for UAE tourists and visitors from around the world, the need to keep up with the demands and expectations of the travel market has never been more important. Our aim is to help to deliver an updated passenger terminal operating to the highest international standards.



"This MoU enhances our growing international reputation as a world-class airport operator, driving us further towards our vision of becoming the worlds leading airports group. We look forward to the benefits that this agreement will bring to both countries.



Morgan commented: It is a pleasure for me this day to sign this memorandum of understanding confirming an interest by both parties to enter into talks discussing the future and way forward of our airport operations at the Seychelles International Airport.



"Our discussion will focus on what can be delivered for Seychelles and what improvements can be further made so that our airport can be not only a step ahead, but leaps ahead of the competition for generations to come," he said. - TradeArabia News Service
Bahrains main human rights body can now make unannounced visits to detention centres as part of a raft of amendments to increase its powers, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.



To read further, please visit GDNonline.






Genetec, a leading provider of open-architecture and unified IP security solutions, is highlighting the latest next generation security and access control solutions at the ongoing Gitex Technology Week in Dubai, UAE.



The company is showcasing new features and advantages of its IP access control system, Synergis, which is part of Genetec's continuing efforts to address incidents and security threats by empowering security operators with a forward-looking approach that unifies access control with video, communications management, intrusion, and more.



In order to give visitors a clearer understanding of the new solution, the company has a demo booth located at their partner stand at the DWTC.



According to the company's senior executives, today's markets are veering away from traditional and outdated access control solutions and have now migrated to a more open and modern IP access control system--offering more technology options, greater scalability and seamless integration with existing business and security systems.



The Synergis IP access control system (ACS) has been designed and engineered to meet the needs of modern and growing organizations, from controlling access to cardholder management, printing badges and conducting investigations, said its top official.



"Historically, access control systems were concerned with securing access through a door or to a facility and managing access rights - from a vendors and end users perspective, the conversation on security ended there," explained Firas Jadalla, the regional director for Middle East and Africa at Genetec.



"Today, the security landscape has evolved and new threats, specifically cyber-security threats, have emerged. Access control system should not only secure doors, but it should itself be protected from cyber-attacks," noted Jadalla.



"During this years edition of Gitex, we are showcasing and demonstrating next generation technologies and trends that are shaping the physical security industry. We are looking forward to meeting potential customers from various industry verticals in the region," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Shuaa Capital Saudi Arabia (SCSA) said the construction and fitting works on its Centro Shaheen Jeddah Hotel has been completed and is set for handover to the Rotana Hotel Management Company to begin operations.



Centro Shaheen is the first of a series of three hotel properties that SCSA has been constructing and developing as part of the Shuaa Hospitality Fund I. The other two hotels - Dammam Rayhaan and Riyadh Centro - are due for handover in the next twelve months.



This is an important day for Shuaa in Saudi Arabia. After many years of work, we have handed over our first property. We are proud of our achievement and we are certain Rotana and the management team will enjoy every success in the operation and management of the property, remarked Abdulrahman Al Hareb, the chairman of Shuaa Capital.



The Shuaa Saudi Hospitality Fund I is a Shariah-compliant, close-ended real estate investment fund launched in August 2008 and established in partnership with Rotana Hotel Management Company. The committed capital for the Fund I is $145 million.



Shuaa Saudi Hospitality Fund I owns direct or indirect interest, through SCSA managed sub-funds, over the three aforementioned properties. SCSA, in its capacity as fund manager, had arranged and secured a Murabaha facility with Banque Saudi Fransi for each property.



"We are encouraged by the upturn in business travellers coming to Jeddah. Now that our doors are open, our property is well positioned to cater for the increased demand especially as we are so conveniently located, close to many local attractions as well as the international airport," stated Abdulelah Al Shaikh, the chairman of SCSA.



"This is our first delivery from our Saudi Hospitality Fund and the remaining two properties in Riyadh and Dammam are due for completion by the end of 2017," he stated.



Our firm has long built this niche investment platform in Saudi Arabia that targets the hospitality sector. By handing over the keys to Centro Shaheen, we have demonstrated commitment to our investment strategy and our shareholders. We are grateful for their long-term patience and we now look forward to capitalising on the growing demand by business travellers for good, quality hotels, said Al Shaikh.



The 252-room Centro Shaheen, situated in the heart of Jeddahs central district, is a business hotel built to meet the demands of the new generation of travellers.



The hotel has an all-day dining restaurant, gym, meeting rooms and valet parking. It is conveniently located on Al Madina Road and is close to Haifaa Mall and other major commercial centres. The Jeddah Corniche is five minutes drive and the King Abdulaziz International Airport is only 20 minutes away.-TradeArabia News Service
News / National

by Staff reporter

ONLY 1 500 voters will be allowed per polling station during the 2018 harmonised elections, while a new voters' roll will have photographs of registered electorate members, it has been established.An indelible ink marker will be used, with biometric technology capturing polling data and deregistering voters with physical profiles that feature at more than one polling station. These and other innovations feed into Zimbabwe's overarching plan to align electoral processes with international best practices.The reforms will cost roughly US$30 million, and will be funded by donors and Government. Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Chair Justice Rita Makarau told our Harare Bureau, "To manage the queues and to be voter-centric, we have decided to go polling station-specific. This means we will allocate each voter to a particular polling station. Our thresholds will not exceed 1 500 (voters) per polling station. (We have come up with 1 500) because we believe this is the maximum number any polling station, given the number of polling officers we deploy, should be able to process from 7am to 7pm."Anything above that will actually stretch our polling officers and compromise accuracy and the integrity of the entire process.So we have decided to put the threshold at not less than 800 and not more than 1 500 voters per polling station."Polling station-based voting is provided for by Section 22A of the amended Electoral Act. Previous elections in Zimbabwe have used ward-based voting, resulting in long queues as one could vote at any polling station in their ward. However, the latest innovation engenders greater transparency as witnessed during trials in recent by-elections. Justice Makarau said Zec will soon invite bids for supply of biometric voter registration technology."Just to clarify, biometric voter registration is not an Election Day technology; it is simply a technology for voter registration before the election. Our voting is not going to be electronic because we have a biometric voter registration system. The system means that in addition to your details like date of birth, names, and ID number, we are also going to capture some of your biometrics. We will capture your face and fingerprints digitally. That will give us a new voters' roll with more integrity. The presiding officer will be able to check if you are the bonafide voter. So, the picture is going to be an additional feature to our voters' roll."
Welcome to Transfigurations! This blog is intended to serve the orthodox Anglican community and the wider Christian community. We pray that all that is posted here will be faithful to the Scriptures as the inspired word of God, speak the truth in love, edify, bless and transform this local body of Christ, and be an impetus for revival, repentance, prayer and intercession!
So when they butt-stroked me to the head from an AK-47 and I was bleeding down the side of my face and they threw me back in the cell I could
Monday support meetings

Alcoholics Anonymous: 6:30 a.m., 917 N. Beech; 8:30 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 10 a.m., 328 E. A St.; noon, 500 S. Wolcott; 2 p.m, 917 N. Beech; 5:30 p.m., 1124 Elma, Imitate the Image Church; 5:30 p.m., 328 E. A; 6 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 7 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 8 p.m., 328 E. A. Douglas: 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back). Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: (307) 351-1688.

Al-Anon: Noon, 701 S. Wolcott, St. Marks Church.

Narcotics Anonymous: Noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 7 p.m., 302 E. 2nd, Methodist Church; 8 p.m., 4700 S. Poplar (church basement). Web site: http://www.urmrna.org.

NAMI: 7 p.m., 133 W. Sixth St. Info: 234-0440.

Teen Addiction Anonymous: 3:30-4:30 p.m., Boys & Girls Club Teen Center. Info: 258-7439.

Adult Children of Alcoholics: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., 12-24 Club, 500 S. Wolcott St., Suite 200.

TOPS Weight Loss: 5:30 p.m., Weight Loss Support Group TOPS #246, Wyoming Oil & Gas Building, 2211 King Blvd. Use NE door entry. Info: 265-1486.

Pumpkins with a purpose

Come Join Meals On Wheels for our second annual pumpkin patch. Pumpkin sales continue through October 31. All pumpkins are grown in Wyoming. Hours of operation will be Monday through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Meals On Wheels Building, 1760 East 12th Street. For more information or questions please call the office at 265-8659 or visit us on the web at www.mealswheels.com . Find us on Facebook under Natrona County Meals On Wheels.

Free depression screening at CWCC

Central Wyoming Counseling Center offers information about depression and other mood disorders during the month of October from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, in its main lobby, 1430 Wilkins Circle.

What is a depression screening like? Guests will learn about depression and complete a confidential written screening. Finally, each participant will discuss the results of their screening with one of CWCCs mental health professionals. Attendees will receive educational materials on depression and other mood disorders.

Senior dancing Mondays

Free to Seniors 60 or older. Join the tap dancing group of Joyces Senior Stompers. It is fun easy clogging, the exercise for both mind and body. It helps to keep flexible, coordination and build strength. Exercise is important to increase lung capacity, burn calories, relieve stress, and it is fun. The more you challenge yourself, the more fun it is. We meet on Monday morning at 10:50 a.m. for beginners and 11:15 a.m. for intermediate at the Casper Senior Center. Call Joyce Sisk 237-4908 for more info.

Polio eradication at Rotary

Dr. Robert Tello will address Rotarians and guests regarding polio eradication at a noon luncheon meeting at the Parkway Plaza. This month is World Polio Month. Dr. Tello graduated from the University of Iowa Medical School in 1973 and is a board certified doctor of internal medicine practicing in Loveland, Colorado. He served as a Naval Commander in the Persian Gulf War where he earned the Bronze Star and the Navy Commendation Medal.

Pumpkin Patch open at FCC

The Pumpkin Patch at First Christian Church, 520 CY Ave., is open 4 to 7 p.m. FCC has chosen Central Wyoming Hospice to receive 60 percent of its net proceeds from the patch this year.

Tween Monday

The Natrona County Library will host a Halloween craft activity for students in grades 4-6 at 4 p.m. Tweens will turn old, recycled books into spooky creatures. All supplies provided. Call 577-READ ext. 5 for more information.

QPR suicide prevention

Learn to save a life in as little as 90 minutes. The Prevention Management Organization of Wyoming in partnership with the 12-24 Club and the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force is offering this free training from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the 12-24 Club (500 S. Wolcott). QPR will teach you to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. This months training is tailored to meet the needs of individuals in the faith community. For more information, contact Anna Edwards at 472-5991 or email her at aedwards@pmowyo.org .

School board candidates forum

Natrona County School Board candidates will participate in a public forum at 6:30 p.m., at 6:30 p.m. in the Natrona County Library Crawford Room. The forum will be moderated, with candidates having opportunities to respond to questions and concerns raised by citizens. Submit questions in-person the night of the forum, or in advance by emailing reference@natronacountylibrary.org. Please use School Board Forum in the subject line. The forum is free and open to all ages, sponsored by the Natrona County Library and League of Women Voters of Casper. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information.

Locals audition for Nutcracker

Calling local student dancers to audition to perform side-by-side with the professional company in Moscow Ballets Great Russian Nutcracker in Casper. The selected children will perform in the Great Russian Nutcracker on Dec. 7 at the Casper Events Center.

Moscow Ballet soloist and audition director Olena Nalyvaiko will conduct auditions at 7 p.m. at Beautiful Feet Academy of the Dance Arts, 2113 E. 12th St. for dance students from the area. Student dancers, boys and girls, ages 7 to 17 years, and who have at least one year of ballet training, may audition for ancillary roles such as Party Children, Mice, Snowflakes, Angels and more. The auditions are free, there may be a casting fee.

Sign up to audition today at www.nutcracker.com/youth-auditions. Performance tickets are at www.nutcracker.com.
GILLETTE  Campbell County public schools could lose about $5.4 million in state funding because of a drop in student enrollment caused mainly by the downturn in Wyomings energy industry.

Because state public school funding is based on a three-year rolling average of enrollment, the district wont experience the full effects of a big drop in funding until three years from now.

Campbell County school administrators say they are using that time to look at ways to save money now in preparation for future budget cuts.

We want to make sure we try to use a scalpel rather than an axe in making cuts, Kirby Eisenhauer, assistant superintendent of instructional support, said.

Enrollment in Campbell County was 9,177 on Oct. 1, 2015, before an economic downturn struck the energy industry. With layoffs in area oil, gas and coal industries, the districts enrollment fell to 8,697 students on Oct. 3, ending more than a decade of growth.

That loss of 480 students also is the largest in the state and nearly half of the 1,020 students Wyoming schools lost between Oct. 1, 2015, and the start of school this fall, according to a survey conducted by a coalition of school districts in the state. The loss statewide may end up higher or lower overall, because five school districts didnt participate in that survey.

Superintendent Boyd Brown said the district is in as good as shape as we can be going into an uncertain time.

Brown said the district has about $18 million set aside in cash reserves, about 90 percent of the amount the state allows school districts to set aside.

We have contingency plans, too  all the way down to closing elementary schools and secondary schools if we have to, he said.

The district already has cut nearly 33 full-time equivalent employees over the past year and left many positions vacant to cut costs. It doesnt plan to offer any retirement incentives to reduce costs more, but school district trustees did unanimously pass an updated reduction in force policy in September.
Voters in Senate District 4 will choose between a five-term state representative and a prominent local attorney.

Rep. Ken Esquibel, a Democrat, and Tara Nethercott, a Republican, have been campaigning in the district, which has seen no shortage of signs supporting the two candidates.

Esquibel, a railroad engineer, has represented House District 41 since 2007 and is seeking to move into the state Senate.

Nethercott is seeking her first political office and is an attorney at Woodhouse Roden Nethercott LLC.

Both candidates support Medicaid expansion, but they diverge on other issues.

Senate District 4 takes up much of north-central Cheyenne and the northwest quarter of Laramie County.

The seat is currently held by Tony Ross, a Republican, who is not running for re-election.

Much of the information in this story comes from candidate forums held by the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters.

Esquibel

Esquibel, who is currently the House minority whip, said his experience in the Legislature would help him be effective.

Being in the Legislature 10 years, I have a record, and I want voters to look at that record, he said at a League of Women Voters forum Tuesday night.

He has touted legislation he has helped pass under Govs. Dave Freudenthal and Matt Mead.

Look at the legislation Ive sponsored, look at how Ive reached across the aisle, he said. Its been a great honor serving in the Legislature.

In recent candidate forums, Esquibel has touted his participation in efforts to get Wyoming coal shipped abroad from ports on the West Coast.

He is opposed to the state taking over federal public lands, saying such a move would result in Wyoming residents losing access to those lands.

Esquibel said he supported Gov. Matt Meads original budget proposal this past session, which called for using some money from the states rainy-day account.

He has said previously he wants to avoid making cuts to services used by residents and criticized some cuts the Legislature made this year, like those to services like STRIDE Learning Center.

Esquibel noted he is the only railroad engineer in the Legislature and said he felt its important to have diversity in that body.

Nethercott

Nethercott has said economic diversification is one of her top priorities.

She said at the League of Women Voters forum on Tuesday that she believes its time for new leadership, and she is committed to Wyomings future.

Nethercott said she thinks its enticing that Wyoming could control federal lands and said shed welcome a conversation on the topic.

However, Nethercott also said she is not sure if Wyoming has the financial resources to manage federally owned lands at this point.

She also said if the state took over federally owned lands, public access would need to remain available.

Nethercott said its important to continue to work toward economic diversification, and she said she supports Constitutional Amendment A, which will go before voters in November.

That amendment, which would give the state treasurer more flexibility investing state funds, could result in more money being brought into the state, which Nethercott said could be used for diversification efforts.

Nethercott said she could support using the states rainy-day account to fund some state services on a temporary basis, and said she is confident energy markets will rebound.

Im committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our state, she said at a recent candidate forum.

At the same time, Nethercott said she will work to create a regulatory environment to benefit Wyomings economy.
SHERIDAN  Sheridan police say a man was killed in a home intrusion early Sunday.

Police say they got a call about 3 a.m. from a woman in the home who told them an unknown intruder broke in.

Police say a man in the home tried to get the intruder to leave, but the man refused.

The man in the home got a shotgun and tried to force the intruder to leave.

Police say when the intruder refused to go, the man with the shotgun fired and killed the intruder.

Authorities have not released the names of the people involved.
The Wind River Reservation tribal court remains open despite an end to federal funding and an escalating disagreement over its status.

When the federal contract that funded the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribal Court ended Sept. 30, the Northern Arapaho began funding the court independently.

But Shoshone Business Council chairman Darwin St. Clair Jr. wrote in a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs last week claiming that the expiration of federal funding for the court has has caused relations to reach a boiling point and create an environment where no credible law and order exists.

The Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone have been embroiled in tribal court litigation since just before the end of federal funding. The Arapaho claimed in court documents that the Shoshone sought to shut down the court in the days before federal funding expired.

On Sept. 29, Chief Judge John St. Clair wrote an order barring the Shoshone from unilaterally interfering in the operations of the court.

All shared programs need permission from each [tribal] Business Council for any action pertaining to funds, personnel, management and any other operational decision, St. Clair wrote.

On Oct. 7, St. Clair issued a decision holding members of the Shoshone Business Council in contempt of court for continuing to attempt to exert control over the operations of the court.

Members of the council face sanctions including fines up $150 and 30 days in jail. A hearing on the matter will be held Wednesday in tribal court.

On the same day as the contempt judgment was released, Shoshone chairman St. Clair Jr. sent his letter to the BIA requesting that either the agency set up an independent court on the reservation or restore the previous funding model.

St. Clair Jr. said the Shoshone no longer recognize the authority of the tribal court.

NAT is now paying the Judge and having him enter orders as the puppet of NAT, he wrote, referring to the Northern Arapaho Tribe.

The Shoshone assert that Chief Judge St. Clair was an at-will employee and that the tribe ended his employment on Oct. 3.

Arapaho chairman Dean Goggles fired back in his own letter last week, arguing that the BIA was barred from establishing its own court on the reservation. He said the Shoshones claim that the tribal court no longer had authority was false.

The Shoshones arguments are untethered from any notion of separation of powers, and therefore a violation of that Tribes own laws, Goggles wrote.

In a further complication, Superintendent of the BIAs Wind River Agency Norma Gourneau wrote a letter to both tribes on Oct. 4 informing them that the BIA intended to set up a Court of Indian Offenses  essentially an independent BIA court  on the reservation effective Oct. 1.

But as of Friday, no BIA court had been established, and the tribal court was open and continuing to hear cases.

BIA officials did not respond to questions about the status of the tribal court.

The Shoshone and Arapaho Tribal Court has administered the joint tribal legal code since 1987. The court was overseen by the Joint Business Council that the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho used to manage services on the reservation, which they share.

But in 2014 the Northern Arapaho left the Joint Business Council, an act the tribe said effectively ended the council and its authority over reservation programs. The Arapaho subsequently sought to receive federal funding to independently run services  including a court, a game and fish department and water program  to serve its membership.

The Eastern Shoshone maintained that the JBC retained its authority even without Arapaho participation and continued to use the council to negotiate with the federal government and private companies.

The BIA also proved reluctant to recognize the dissolution of the joint council and has highlighted the difficulties of having, for example, two distinct hunting codes on in a single geographic region.

In a February lawsuit the Arapaho claimed the federal government was failing to respect its tribal sovereignty. That case is awaiting a ruling in U.S. District Court.

The case centers around a series of 638 contracts, through which the Bureau of Indian Affairs covers the cost of a variety of programs that the federal government is mandated to provide Indian tribes. The contracts help those tribes administer the services independently.

All the 638 contracts on the reservation, which had been negotiated with the JBC, expired Sept. 30. Programs including the court remain in flux until the district court rules on whether the federal government is required to enter into separate 638 agreements with the Shoshone and Arapaho.
SALT LAKE CITY  Zion National Park's continuing popularity has sparked discussions of limiting the number of visitors.

Park officials are planning several public meetings to discuss how to combat overwhelmed facilities and increased land erosion.

Zion is expecting a record 4 million visitors this year.

Among officials' proposals is to cap the number of daily visitors through a reservation system instead of a first-come, first-served basis.

Park spokeswoman Aly Baltrus said they are accepting feedback from the public.

People can submit comments and view strategies that have been proposed at the National Park Service's website.

The park is aiming to have a final plan by fall 2018.
Two decades ago, before welfare reform, a social workers I knew would advise single women with kids to get married.

It was his conviction that marriage was the only path out of poverty for these clients.

In most cases, he was right.

Twenty years after the big welfare reform law was passed, the number of clients on the cash program is way down, but eligible single parents still collect significant benefits through food stamps, Medicaid and child care assistance.

The reforms transformed the welfare program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, from an open-ended entitlement into a temporary safety net called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Whereas AFDC offered any qualifying family guaranteed benefits, TANF attached strict time and work requirements on benefits. Congress imposed a five-year limit on TANF benefits and allowed states to set even shorter time limits.

Critics said all the reforms did was increase the ranks of the working poor, who were stuck in low-paying jobs.

Supporters of the reforms said they were essential to end the cycle of generations of families on welfare permanently and to make them self sufficient ultimately.

In the beginning the the contractors pushed the clients to work at any kind of job in order to meet the federal work participation requirements.

My late daughter, a Navy veteran, was on the TANF program for a very short period of time. She had to spend every day looking for work and then reporting at 4 p.m. to a welfare representative then housed at the community college in southeast Cheyenne. Many times, the person she was to report to wasnt even there.

She received no counseling. Her fellow veterans advised her to get off the program as quickly as possible. So she took the first job she could find and became a cafe waitress. But she continued to receive food stamps, Medicaid and child care assistance.

During that early stage, Wyoming slashed its TANF rolls by 94 percent, more than any other state.

It was not hard to understand how that happened.

Some recent studies suggest that welfare reform has reduced the number of children in poverty.

Child poverty overall fell between 1996 and 2014, because of household earnings, lower taxes, several refundable tax credits, food stamps and other non cash benefits, according to a new study by the Manhattan Institute, a New York-based think tank, issued in August.

Mary Ann Budenske is a Casper attorney, founder of the Poverty Resistance food pantry and thrift shop and a longtime advocate for the working poor.

She has been highly critical of welfare reform in the past.

I think that welfare as we knew it was a joke and trapped people in poverty for so many reasons, she wrote in an email.

But what we have now isnt a lot better. People are getting jobs but low pay keeps them in poverty.

I see community colleges as doing a good job in helping people get an education and a path to a good job, she added.

A huge flaw in the current program is the fiscal cliff effect, according to an August 2016 Wyoming Department of Family Services report to the Legislatures Joint interim Committee on Labor, Health and Social Services.

This is the terrifying drop in benefits that welfare clients experience if they get promotions and earn more money.

The result is a disincentive for clients to improve their financial situation.

For example, a single parent with two children who got a promotion from $7.25 to $13 per hour would go from having $306 left for discretionary spending to minus $59.98.

The department is suggesting steps to ease the transition, including cash incentives to the client to get or maintain self-sufficiency and for employment and training programs.

Minnesota and some other states, meanwhile, are taking a long-range approach with their welfare parents, almost all of them single mothers.

In the county offices going down this road, the counselors pay less attention to work participation than to a clients progress on job retention, educational attainment and working with counselors to develop a long-term work plan.

They are reforming the reforms.
News / Regional

by Staff reporter

A 33-year-old Catholic brother who was a teacher at Driefontein Catholic Primary School in Mvuma committed suicide by hanging after nine Grade Four school pupils whom he was teaching reported him to the school authorities for alleged sexual abuse.Acting Midlands police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwende confirmed the incident which occurred last week when Brother Benedict Matura of Driefontein Mission in Mvuma committed suicide following allegations of fondling nine Grade Four pupils at the Catholic run school."I can confirm that we received a report of sudden death where Brother Benedict Matura who was a teacher at Driefontein Catholic Primary School committed suicide. However, we are still to establish the reasons why he committed suicide. His body was found hanging from a tree branch at the teachers' cottage after he had failed to report for duty the previous day. The body was taken to Muonde Hospital Mortuary and we are still carrying out investigations," she said.However, a source at the school told Sunday News that Brother Matura was in the habit of fondling girls in his class and was reported by some of the girls to the school headmaster. On the said date, the source added, Brother Matura was summoned to the headmaster's office where he was informed of the allegations being levelled against him."Brother Matura was summoned to the headmaster's office soon after assembly where he was asked to write a report on the allegations of sexual abuse that had been reported by the nine girls from his class. The girls alleged that Brother Matura was in the habit of fondling their breasts in class. The school headmaster also informed him that he was going to report the matter to the police and mission authorities," said the source.Brother Matura, the source said, left the headmaster's office and disappeared, only to be found dead.
Its election season, and the day Americans will cast their ballots in a number of extremely important races is approaching quickly.

That means the voting public is barraged with round-the-clock coverage of the presidential candidates  state by state, issue by issue, scandal by scandal. And while the race featuring Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is certainly important, the outcome of many local and state-level races will have significant effects on life in Wyoming  in some cases more significant than the occupant of the White House. Those important contests shouldnt become lost in the White House hoopla.

If you care about any of a number of issues important to Wyomingites  from the future of the public lands in the state to health care to education to how we save, spend and invest our money  these choices and the people who make them matter a great deal.

Every two years, American voters have the opportunity to tell our leaders how theyre doing and what they want to see from their government. The right to vote is a privilege, and its our responsibility to take advantage of it.

Local news organizations do their best to help you get to know the local candidates who are seeking your vote, and todays edition is a big part of that. Its the day your Star-Tribune contains In Their Own Words: A Voter Guide. On Wednesday, the guide will appear in the Casper Journal.

The special section offers candidates a chance to talk directly to the voters. People running for office in Wyoming were asked questions about issues important to their constituents, how they would work with people of other political stripes as well as their philosophical perspectives. Many of them took the opportunity to write down their responses to help voters make informed decisions.

The answers to those questions matter. The guide will help voters elect people who will truly represent them, from ideology to communication style.

You can also hear from U.S. House candidates when they debate Oct. 20 in Casper.

Every vote matters on Nov. 8. Its important to remember that you can cast your vote now, too  early voting has been available in Wyoming since the end of September. The process, technically called absentee voting, is not just for people who will be out of town or otherwise unavailable. Its open to anyone who would like to participate in our democratic right at a time thats convenient for them.

To participate in early voting, contact your county clerk. To find your polling place, visit http://soswy.state.wy.us/Elections/PollPlace/Default.aspx. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. If you want to vote but arent yet registered, its OK to head to the polls on Election Day anyway  Wyoming offers same-day voter registration.

In a presidential election year, local and state races are often overshadowed. Dont let that happen this year. The winners of these contests will wield significant influence on the lives of Wyomingites in the coming years. Get to know your options, choose wisely and vote  that is all you have to do to earn the satisfaction that comes from participating in the greatest democracy on Earth.
Editor:

I'm writing to correct two mistaken, negative notions that are circulating about Audrey Cotherman, candidate for HD 57. In one of her more recent acts of public service Audrey served on the Natrona County Schools Board of Trustees. She was first elected to fill part of a term remaining after a previous member resigned. After completing that short term she was elected for the following full term. Despite rumors to the contrary, School Board records clearly show that while a member of the Board Audrey served as Board President and also as Board Treasurer.

It is also alleged that Audrey is refusing to declare her political party affiliation. This belief is entirely false. Her party preference is shown, unmistakably, following the standard practice of displaying a large image of the relevant political logo (elephant or donkey) on her signs and mailings.

It is true that some of other local candidates are not advertising their affiliations, at least on their outdoor signs. Still others use non-standard illustrations, leaving the interpretation up to the observer. Notable among these exceptions are Liz Cheney's buffalo and Chuck Gray's bucking horse with rider, both of which images are widely displayed on their advertising material. Perhaps Ms. Cheney believes the buffalo bolsters her questionable claim to Wyoming pioneer ancestry and values. Mr. Gray may be attempting to cultivate the impression he attended the Univ. of Wyoming (he didn't) and that he is steeped in the cowboy spirit, rather than communicating the reality that he is politically inexperienced and a newcomer to this state.

I've known Audrey Cotherman for decades. I'm confident she has the experience to work for constructive solutions for Wyoming because she knows the Wyoming way as exemplified by the Code of the West. Audrey is certainly the best choice for HD 57.
Editor:

It is shocking and deeply lamentable that we are still just talkin, not yet walkin Medicaid expansion. Those who think MedEx is only about insurance coverage for the disadvantaged dont see the proverbial forest. This matter directly and indirectly affects the quality of life of every single resident of Wyoming in a number of ways.

We first pay in greater overall medical costs, then in higher premiums and co-pays when the delivery system has to absorb uncompensated care of the uninsured. We pay and pay, and still our working poor, disabled and elderly are not adequately tended. Besides these obvious direct costs, there are indirect ones with far-reaching after-effects.

The availability of services, especially for some specialized and emergency attention, will remain limited here, keeping travel to Colorado for those treatments unavoidable. Meanwhile, the quality of care that we can access will continue to suffer. We must ensure that hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and private practices are strong, and ready when we need them. That also entails keeping medical professionals on the job right here, not fleeing south. Wyomings health services providers overwhelmingly favor expansion.

A healthy workforce is as essential to Wyomings fiscal recovery as good roads, schools, recreation options and tax relief. Removing any part of the budget burden off of our disadvantaged enhances the economy that much more since they spend right in their own communities, not in Fort Collins. Investments in the well-being of people are prudent and indispensable. Its why Medicaid expansion is soundly supported by a host of businesses and associations clear across the state.

Government services meant to keep communities vigorous weaken with each cut they take. The majority of voters of all political persuasions see Expansion as one vital and viable means to ease the states financial crisis.

Stress induced by the many battles over adopting this measure eats at the joy of living amidst Wyomings beauty. The failure to find consensus, the loss of trust in elected representatives, the dashed hopes of the infirmed and their loved ones undermine the peace of mind of us all.
Under absolutely no circumstance should bumbling Wyoming take over United States lands. Wyoming is the ultimate example of what kind of damage a group of ill-informed, greedy, self-righteous career politicians can do to public land. This state will sell off every bit of the best to its elite friends, and then the money will disappear down the rathole with the rainy day funds. Imagine this: bankers (read: money launderers), oil and coal polluters, stockgrowers and others who suckle from the public nipple will be able to buy what they want and state will put the money back in the accounts it maintains with the state's banks where they will be as unwilling as ever to use it. Lands we the rockhounds, hunters, anglers, photographers, artists, hikers, bird watchers/counters, wildlife observers have enjoyed for generations will be locked up tighter than Fort Knox leaving us looking in from the outside as timber falls, fracking breaks precious aquifers, poison coal is blown from rare habitat and sweeping views are spoiled. Public land is our treasure, not the bargaining chips of the elite.
The front page of last week's Sunday Star-Tribune elicits some comments. The first is that no industry will ever come close to replacing the taxes generated by mineral production. I did a study of Wyoming taxes some years back and the result was that one job in the mineral industry generated about 40 times the revenue to the state that any other class of jobs do. The reason is that the mineral industry pays a gross value income tax of about 12 percent with no deductions on the value of its products. About half of this revenue goes to the counties and half to the state. The only way this can change is to have a major revision of the tax structure.

The second issue is the concept that higher fines result in more worker safety. Worker safety is the responsibility of the employer with the supervision of the state safety inspector. All the fines cannot generate worker commonsense. Fines may cause the employer to make the workplace safer but they do not affect the worker. Highway accidents in Wyoming are added to workplace accidents to create the totals. It is difficult for an employer to determine seat belt use, for example. There needs to be some form of compliance enforced by the agency on the worker in the form of fines for negligence. I am a partner in a firm regulated by MSHA (probably the most stringent agency) which has had accidents by employees after they had acknowledged having had training not to do some act and yet the company was fined for the worker carelessness. Fines will only prevent careless accents when they also apply to the worker.
LONDON  The United States and Britain on Sunday acknowledged the Western worlds weak support for any military action against Syrias government as they sought ways to pressure President Bashar Assad and his chief backer, Russia, to halt a deadly offensive in Aleppo. They tried to present it as a possibility, nevertheless.

After a meeting of 11 governments opposing Assads rule, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson each insisted all options were on the table. But their stark explanations about the danger of resorting to military force appeared to rule out such a move.

The result was a somewhat schizophrenic threat that was unlikely to scare Assads government or Russia as they move to crush the last rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syrias largest city.

When a great power is involved in a fight like this, as Russia has chosen to be by going there and then putting its missiles in place in order to threaten people against military action, it raises the stakes of confrontation, Kerry said after the meeting in London.

He said no one should be lighting a fire under a larger sectarian war in the Middle East or one drawing in superpowers against one another.

Johnson said Britain wanted to ratchet up pressure on Assad, Russia and Iran.

No option is, in principle, off the table, he told reporters.

Quickly expanding his answer, he added: Be in no doubt that these so-called military options are extremely difficult and there is, to put it mildly, a lack of political appetite in most European capitals and certainly in the West for that kind of solution at present.

So weve got to work with the tools we have, he said. The tools we have are diplomatic.

The gathering in London came amid mounting international frustration with the 5 year conflict, which has killed as many as a half-million people, sparked Europes worst refugee crisis since World War II and enabled Islamic State militants to emerge as a global terror threat.

Kerry on Saturday launched a new diplomatic process with what he described as the major international players in the war  the U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. The renewed effort replaces last months U.S.-Russian cease-fire, which collapsed within days, and Washingtons now-abandoned talks with Moscow on a military partnership against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida militants.

Sundays gathering included Americas Arab allies from the meeting a day earlier along with European countries that were left out.

There is no step forward for a cease-fire, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.

Even the U.S. has expressed skepticism about the chances for a diplomatic agreement with Assads military supporters.

But President Obama doesnt seem likely to approve an American military intervention before leaving office. He has consistently rejected such action against Assad, including three years ago when the Syrian leader crossed Obamas red line by using chemical weapons.
FAIRLESS HILLS, Pa.  To the Republicans in the red Cant Afford Katie T-shirts, its as if Donald Trump doesnt even exist.

These activists have been sprinting through Pennsylvania neighborhoods, talking to people about how bad Democrat Katie McGinty would be as a U.S. senator. Here to help save Republican Sen. Pat Toomey  and, more broadly, the partys control of the Senate  are employees and volunteers for Americans for Prosperity, the best-known group financed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch.

Similar scenes are playing out in North Carolina, Florida and Ohio.

In addition to having nail-biting Senate races this year, those four states are some of the most important battlegrounds in the presidential race. Yet the Koch activists interacting with millions of people who could be Trumps most crucial voters arent supposed to utter a word about him or Hillary Clinton, a Democrat theyd been preparing for years to attack.

Four years after spending heavily in a futile effort to prevent President Obamas second term, the Kochs have pushed all of their resources down ballot. And their resources are ample.

The brothers and many of their wealthy donor friends who fund the political and policy groups known as the Koch network have no interest in backing Trump. In a television interview in April, Charles Koch called Clinton and Trump terrible role models and trashed Trumps monstrous proposal for a temporary ban of foreign Muslims entering the U.S.

In the months since, the Kochs never considered engaging in a Trump-Clinton match.

Instead, Koch groups have spent about $42 million on TV, radio and digital advertising in Senate races.

Trumps campaign has eschewed traditional political grunt work, leaving that to overworked national and state Republican parties, which must advocate for GOP candidates from Trump down to the local council members.

Outside groups led by a former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., continue to spend on ads  theyll hit about $100 million by Election Day. But the Senate GOP campaigns could really use help on the ground, and thats where the Koch network comes in. Americans for Prosperity and other groups employ more than 1,200 across 36 states.
Greyhound Lines Inc. has expanded its rural service in Southern Arizona, adding stops in Amado and Green Valley with service to Tucson or Nogales.

Were pleased to work with the Arizona Department of Transportation on this expansion, which will allow customers to travel farther and discover more within the state of Arizona, said Paul Egger, regional vice president for Greyhound.

The bus line, which offers WiFi at no extra charge, power outlets and reclining seats, has been in Tucson since 1969.

A new Tucson terminal is under construction for Greyhound at 801 E. 12th St.

The Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District bought 46,107 square feet of vacant land for the $1.9 million project.

The 1,500-square-foot terminal is expected to open by the end of the year.

Once the terminal is constructed, it will be leased to Greyhound Corp.

Greyhound has been in a portable building near Broadway and Interstate 10 in downtown Tucson since 2006, when the city relocated the terminal from Congress Street, next to the Rialto Theatre, to make way for student housing.

The new service will pick up passengers at the following locations:
Monsanto Corp. bought 155 acres in the Avra Valley northwest of Tucson last week, solidifying its efforts to build a greenhouse there to grow corn and soybeans for research.

The St. Louis-based company paid $3.74 million Wednesday to a company owned by the Kai farming family of Marana for the land, county records show.

The acreage of the purchase raises questions about what if any operations or projects Monsanto plans for the site besides the seven-acre greenhouse. The timing raises questions about why the company bought the site before a proposed tax incentive deal with Pima County is brought to the Board of Supervisors for approval.

A Monsanto spokeswoman didnt return a phone call or an email seeking comment on the purchase. Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said in an email that he hasnt heard anything from Monsanto about the purchase, so he cant answer questions about it.

The purchase came nearly two months after Monsanto said it plans to build a greenhouse on seven acres in the Tucson area. The company has said it will hire 40 to 60 employees and its representatives have said it will invest $100 million.

It came a few days after the Star reported that Pima County and Monsanto are negotiating a possible incentive deal that would reduce the companys property tax burden on the site by two-thirds. That proposal probably will go to the Board of Supervisors in November or December, Huckelberry has said. The company has said it plans to start construction on the greenhouse by the end of 2016.

The incentive being considered would expand the countys foreign trade zone to include the Monsanto site. Inclusion in the zone reduces import duties and would offer Monsanto other benefits besides property tax abatements.

Monsantos proposal is opposed by two of the five county supervisors. They are Democrat Richard Elias, an outspoken liberal and environmental advocate, and Republican Ally Miller, a fierce critic, in general, of Huckelberrys economic development efforts involving incentives.

Monsanto is popular among many farmers who say its seed research and other operations have increased crop production and crop resistance to herbicides. Its unpopular with other farmers who believe it has too much power, particularly after its recent takeover by Bayer, another seed giant and pharmaceutical manufacturer. The company is also opposed by some environmentalists who dont like its use of genetically modified seed crops and its production of the Roundup weedkiller, although Monsanto has said it doesnt intend to plant many, if any, GMO crops in the Avra Valley greenhouse.

Republican Supervisor Ray Carroll, another outspoken environmentalist, said hes still neutral on the proposal, adding hes been sympathetic to most county economic development efforts. Supervisors Sharon Bronson and Ramon Valadez, who are Democrats, havent commented on it yet.

On Friday, Carroll said the large land purchase shows that maybe Monsanto has ideas for other uses. Theyre buying a lot more than they need for a greenhouse. I can only assume theyre doing it to make sure they have plenty of room to expand into any other ancillary outgrowth of the arid land greenhouse operation.

As for the purchases timing, Carroll said the company seems to be putting the cart before the horse.

These people have shown their hand, theyre making a gung-ho move here. Usually, they wait, to see how your foreign trade zone went down and your tax incentives are approved, he said.

At the same time, Carroll said hes supported several recent job-creation incentive packages including those for WorldView and Caterpillar. He made it a point to say that Monsanto hasnt announced plans for any activities here that have been controversial elsewhere, such as GMOs.

Miller took Huckelberry and the Monsanto incentive package to task on Facebook last week.

Just read the Monsanto article in the paper, Miller posted on Tuesday. Well now, another back room deal being negotiated?? People are outraged? It is about time.

These deals need to be thoroughly researched and vetted. Lets see how many days notice we get on this deal before it is served up for a rubber stamp! Disgusting that I am hearing about this in the media as a county administrator does the deal in the dark of night. Disgusting! Pima County taxpayers deserve better! Miller said.
For more than a decade, Raytheon Missile Systems has been making missile interceptors that destroy their targets in space.

Now, the Tucson-based company is adapting those capabilities to develop small, disposable military satellites that give ground troops on-demand views of their locations.

Raytheon has modified some of its manufacturing lines in Tucson to produce relatively inexpensive satellites for a program called Space Enabled Effects for Military Engagements, or SeeMe.

The program, managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, aims to give ground forces the ability to get high-resolution satellite images of the battlefield via their smartphones or other hand-held devices, within 90 minutes.

In contrast to military spy satellites as big as a bus that cost $1 billion or more, Raytheons nano satellites weigh about 50 pounds, are roughly the size of a 5-gallon paint bucket and have an expected base price tag of less than $500,000.

The SeeMe constellation was designed to use some two dozen satellites, each lasting 60 to 90 days in very low-Earth orbit before falling out of orbit and burning up.

DARPAs request for SeeMe designs caught the attention of the folks at Raytheons sprawling missile plant at Tucson International Airport, which was looking for new markets.

We determined we could easily translate our capabilities and technologies into the emerging small-space market, said Randall Gricious, business-development lead for Raytheons small-satellite business.

It turns out that small satellites are very similar to missiles  they have similar subsystems including power, propulsion, guidance, avionics, communications and sensors, Gricious said.

In Tucson, Raytheon Missile Systems already builds two kill vehicles for ballistic missile interceptors designed to destroy enemy missiles in space  one for the Ground-based Missile Defense system and another for the Standard Missile-3, part of the mainly ship-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system.

In 2015, the company completed a $9.2 million expansion of its Space Systems Operations factory at its airport plant.

Funding interrupted

Whether the new effort translates into actual business is still uncertain.

Raytheon won a $1.5 million SeeMe design contract in 2012, and two other companies were awarded similar contracts in 2012 and 2013.

DARPAs SeeMe program lost funding a couple of years ago, but it is being kept alive by Raytheon and other contractors with some DARPA support.

Despite the loss of future funding and launch delays, Raytheon still hopes its SeeMe satellite prototype will be flown into space sometime next year.

The company already has adapted some missile technologies to space vehicles.

In 2009, it modified a high-resolution synthetic aperture radar from a tactical missile to both the Indian Chandraayn-1 and NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter missions that detected ice on the moon, Gricious noted.

The interest in small military satellites comes as the commercial market for small satellites is booming.

Spaceworks Enterprises, an Atlanta-based space engineering company, predicts that launches of satellites in the 1-50 kilogram class (up to about 110 pounds) will double to more than 400 annually by 2022.

The global small-satellite market is estimated to be worth $2.2 billion this year and is projected to grow to $5.3 billion by 2021, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 19 percent, according to the research firm MarketsandMarkets.

Backlog of launches

One major factor that could cut into those forecasts is the limited availability of launch services.

Much of the growth in small-satellite deployment is being driven by small, modular satellites known as CubeSats, which were developed by scientists at California Polytechnic University and Stanford University in 1999.

Launches of CubeSats  which are assembled in roughly 4-inch cubic units  and similar small satellites accelerated in the mid-2000s and peaked in 2014, but last year launches dropped due to limited launch capacity and launch failures.

A couple of dozen companies are working to bring new small-sat launch vehicles to market including launch-industry giants like Orbital ATK and startups like Vector Space Systems, which announced last week it would build its headquarters and rocket production facilities in Tucson.

Several launch failures from late 2014 through 2015 contributed to the growing backlog of small-satellite launches, Spaceworks said.

Failures of launch provider SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket last year and again on Sept. 1 has put launches of many small satellites  including Raytheons SeeMe prototype  on hold while SpaceX investigates.

Raytheons Gricious said the companys SeeMe satellite is scheduled to ride into space aboard a Falcon 9 along with the primary payload  an Asian communications satellite  and 86 other small satellites.

The launch has been pushed back several times for various reasons, including the Falcon 9 failures, Gricious said.

Our best guess for launch is first quarter 2017, he said, adding that the prototype recently completed final testing.

The other two companies that were awarded SeeMe design contracts, California-based Millennium Space Systems and NovaWurks, a Northrop Grumman tech spinoff, are also awaiting prototype launches, though Millennium tested its craft in a high-altitude balloon flight in late 2013.

DARPA program manager Jeremy Palmer said though the government program formally ended in 2014, the agency has been monitoring the progress of Raytheons satellite closely and the prototype will be stored until a launch vehicle is available.

Flying commercial

A space-policy analyst said the Pentagon has been looking to increase satellite-level intelligence capacity because existing military satellites  including huge surveillance satellites built by defense giants like Boeing and Lockheed Martin  cant handle demand.

A system like SeeMe would put satellite data into the hands of troops on the ground, but the Pentagon planners have their eyes on the fast-evolving commercial small-sat industry, said Brian Weeden, technical adviser to the Secure World Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit promoting sustainable use of space.

My guess is all this commercial activity, which is starting to solve some of these problems, may have played a role in why this program didnt get the funding, he said.

Indeed, during comments at a conference on small satellites last year, the commander of the Air Force Space Command said the military will move slowly and look to the commercial sector for help with its small-sat programs.

When the commercial sector starts investing money and starts proving capabilities, just like in the launch business, were going to walk into that with eyes wide open and figure out how to take advantage of those capabilities, Gen. John E. Hyten said in a keynote speech at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics/Utah State University Small Satellite Conference.
The Obama administration has intensified a clandestine war in Somalia over the past year, using Special Operations troops, airstrikes, private contractors and African allies in an escalating campaign against Islamist militants in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation.



Hundreds of American troops now rotate through makeshift bases in Somalia, the largest military presence since the United States pulled out of the country after the Black Hawk Down battle in 1993.



The Somalia campaign, as it is described by American and African officials and international monitors of the Somali conflict, is partly designed to avoid repeating that debacle, which led to the deaths of 18 American soldiers. But it carries enormous risks  including more American casualties, botched airstrikes that kill civilians and the potential for the United States to be drawn even more deeply into a troubled country that so far has stymied all efforts to fix it.



The Somalia campaign is a blueprint for warfare that President Obama has embraced and will pass along to his successor. It is a model the United States now employs across the Middle East and North Africa  from Syria to Libya  despite the presidents stated aversion to American boots on the ground in the worlds war zones. This year alone, the United States has carried out airstrikes in seven countries and conducted Special Operations missions in many more.

Continue reading the main story



American officials said the White House had quietly broadened the presidents authority for the use of force in Somalia by allowing airstrikes to protect American and African troops as they combat fighters from the Shabab, a Somali-based militant group that has proclaimed allegiance to Al Qaeda.



In its public announcements, the Pentagon sometimes characterizes the operations as self-defense strikes, though some analysts have said this rationale has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is only because American forces are now being deployed on the front lines in Somalia that they face imminent threats from the Shabab.

And there is nobody yet powerful enough to stop you or stupid enough to prevent you from ruining yourself, you send your military where ever it pleases you. Sometimes, as in Somalia under George Bush The Smarter, you fuck up and appear to go home. But that is only for public consumption.Unlike Marshall Dillon, there are no face to face duels on Main St. There is a lot of sneaking around and hoping there are no disasters so the Pentagon can keep "blooding" their warrior princelings in preparation for stellar careers in Washington.
Tucsons aerospace manufacturing industry has pulled up from a post-recession nosedive, and new space-related jobs expected here will add to that momentum.

With Arizonas overall attractiveness to aerospace manufacturers at a high, according to a recent report, Tucson should get a fair shot at more aero jobs as the industry is expected to grow.

Vector Space Systems announced last week it will open a small-rocket manufacturing plant in Tucson, potentially employing some 200 workers.

Thats welcome news for the local aerospace manufacturing industry that lost an estimated 1,700 jobs from 2010 to 2014 before rebounding last year.

Vector is building at Pima Countys emerging aerospace park south of Tucson International Airport, where WorldView Enterprises plans to lease a county-built facility and eventually employ hundreds of people building and launching stratospheric balloon vehicles from the nascent Spaceport Tucson.

Theres no question momentum is on our side, said Alex Rodriguez, Southern Arizona vice president of the Arizona Technology Council.

Rodriguez said landing Vector Space was the result of strong, new cooperation and collaboration between Pima County, the city of Tucson, Sun Corridor Inc. and other industry and economic-development groups.

Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry told the Star last week that the county is actively courting eight other companies that could bring a total of more than 3,500 jobs to the region.

At least one of those companies is an aerospace firm that could bring up to 1,000 jobs, according to county documents that dont name the prospects.

During remarks Thursday at the Tech Councils Southern Arizona Tech + Business Expo, Vector CEO Jim Cantrell said his company looked at other locations to build its operation.

The company got an attractive incentive offer from Florida but Cantrell, a space-industry veteran who has lived in Tucson for eight years, said he was impressed with the reception he got from the Tucson community.

They were really interested in doing business with us, Cantrell said. Im surprised and humbled by how many people think this is a very cool thing.

University of Arizona economist George Hammond said any new space jobs would add to a local aerospace sector that shed jobs after the recession and during federal budget sequestration in 2013.

Hammond said the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics showed aerospace employment in the Tucson area at 11,400 workers in August, up from 10,700 in August 2015 and 10,500 in 2014.

Job growth in aerospace is a hopeful sign, and adding to whats already a large cluster in Tucson is a good thing, said Hammond, director of the Economic and Business Research Center at the UAs Eller College of Management.

Tucson and Arizona have long been among the top areas for aerospace, recently ranking fourth among the states in both industry revenues and payroll in a 2012 study by Deloitte.

In 2013, a report by the Economic and Business Research Center at UAs Eller College found that Tucson has the biggest traded cluster, or concentration of related companies and institutions, in the nation for missiles and space vehicles.

The report, by Eller business-research center director emeritus Marshall Vest, found some 17,500 employees locally in missiles and space vehicles.

Most of that is owing to the presence of Raytheon Missile Systems, the worlds biggest missile maker and the regions biggest private employer with nearly 10,000 workers.

But many smaller companies in the Tucson area supply Raytheon, and smaller firms like Paragon Space Development Corp., NP Photonics, Ridgetop Group and AGM Container Controls are significant local contractors to NASA that employ hundreds of workers.

On a statewide scale, Arizona is the most attractive state for aerospace manufacturers, according to a September report by the accounting firm PWC.

In its third annual Aerospace Manufacturing Attractiveness Rankings, PCW said Arizona topped Florida, Georgia, Utah and Missouri in the top five.
At the end of Monday nights candidate debate, Arizona Sen. John McCain reprised themes of honor and duty that have been the touchstones of his career.

Ive been blessed to be able to serve this nation and Arizona in the most noble fashion, he intoned after Democratic challenger Ann Kirkpatricks closing statement. I believe serving a cause greater than ones self-interest is the noblest of all things one can do.

This comment wasnt surprising coming from the man who spent 5 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and wrote a 2008 book called Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life. But there was a whiff of hypocrisy in the statement, considering McCain had just, finally, said he wont vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Drawing on his own military experience, McCain has long made what feels like a classically masculine appeal to behave courageously and with honor. The argument isnt strictly for men, but it probably appeals more to the traditionally male mind and draws on the largely male customs of the military.

The problem is, when McCains traditional, honor-bound masculinity came up against Trumps cartoonish alpha-male posturing, McCain did not take the brave route. He waited till the coast was clear in his re-election bid, then announced he would not vote for Trump.

You can look at the McCain vs. Trump conflict as a competition between different versions of proud masculinity: selfless vs. selfish.

The comment Trump made in 2005, and revealed Oct. 7 by the Washington Post, is in keeping with the character of the man Trump has presented during his career and this campaign. In fact, its a logical extension.

His appeal is built on the idea that we need a man  a real leader  who doesnt care about social niceties and pursues his own and the countrys interests ruthlessly. Last week, Eric Trump explained his fathers comments on grabbing women by saying he is an alpha personality.

Thats certainly what Donald Trump is trying to communicate. Remember how he said that avoiding paying income taxes makes me smart? How about when he called Jeb Bush low-energy? And when he mocked Marco Rubio for sweating on a debate stage?

When we get in with Putin we need people that dont sweat, Trump said. Can you imagine Putin sitting there and waiting for the meeting and this guy walks in and hes like a wreck? No, you got to have Trump walk into that meeting, folks. Well do very nicely.

It was all about establishing Trump as the ruthless male in the pack. And it was no coincidence that Trump and supporters pointed to Putin as a model to emulate. Putin is, of course, a ruthless killer of opponents whom vice presidential nominee Mike Pence hailed as a strong leader.

If you read Peter Pomerantsevs 2014 book, Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia, you come away with the sense that cold sociopathy is the male ideal promoted in Putins Russia.

That is not, of course, the masculine ideal McCain has promoted throughout his career. He advocates selfless courage, not selfish ruthlessness.

Now, granted, it is fair that McCain has wanted to support his partys candidate for president, since hes a leader of the party and received its presidential nomination in 2008. But think about the transgressions he was able to overlook before deciding hed had enough:

 Trump saying in July 2015 that McCain and, by logical extension, other prisoners of war are not war heroes because they were captured.

 Trump proposing in December 2015 to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.

 Trumps attacks in June on a federal judge overseeing a civil case against Trump because the Indiana-born judge is of Mexican descent.

 Trumps insults in July against the parents of Humayun Khan, a U.S. soldier killed in combat in Iraq whose father spoke at the Democratic National Convention, condemning Trumps proposal to ban Muslims as unconstitutional.

This was a particularly potent moment for McCain. Khans father, Khizr Khan, said McCain was a family hero. Khan had sent McCains book to his son on duty in Iraq. Khan implored McCain to abandon Trump, but the senator didnt show the family the bravery that they believed he had. Instead he issued a strongly worded statement:

It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party. While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us.

Why would he keep supporting Trump even then, even when his Republican colleague, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, had stood up to Trump?

Consider the state of McCains race when these incidents occurred. Up until Aug. 30, 2016, McCain was still facing a primary challenge by Kelli Ward. Rejecting Trump outright could have pushed more Republican primary voters into Wards camp.

Even before the primary, pollsters were checking the state of the expected general-election race between Kirkpatrick and McCain and found it close.

When Trump attacked Curiel for his Mexican heritage in early June, the Real Clear Politics average of polls on the race showed him with a 2.4 percentage-point lead over Kirkpatrick. When Trump attacked the Khan family in August, the polling average showed McCain had a 5.5 percentage-point lead.

Then McCain won the primary and opened up a substantial lead in the polls. On Oct. 7, when the world heard Trump had say that stars like him can get away with grabbing womens genitals, McCains average lead was 16 points. Courage was now an option.

At the debate, McCain explained what finally turned him: When Mr. Trump attacks women and demeans the women in our nation and in our society, thats a point where I just have to part company.

But if he were being more upright he would probably have said, Now that Ive got an insurmountable lead, Im content to part with Trump.

The episode was a missed opportunity for McCain to display the values he extols  to show what a selfless, courageous man does when faced with a selfish, ruthless one.
Arizona is gearing up to adapt to a new federal education law by listening to those who matter most: educators, parents, students and the public.

The Arizona Department of Education is crafting its plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, which will go into effect in the 2017-2018 school year. It is the latest reauthorization of the national Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which defines education goals and accountability measures.

ESSA replaces the previous version of the law, known as No Child Left Behind, which many educators associate with stringent accountability requirements.

Its intended to give states more control and flexibility, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Changes include more flexibility in administering tests, getting rid of the highly qualified teacher requirement that measured educators effectiveness based on student achievement, and allowing states to come up with a consolidated education plan, rather than a separate plan for several sections of the law.

For Arizona, the changes mean there could be more than one test to measure how students are doing, simplifying the teacher certification process and less stringent reporting requirements for schools, said Charles Tack, a spokesman for the state education department.

While there is much work to be done before a final plan goes to Gov. Doug Ducey for approval and to the federal education agency for evaluation, the ADE wants to explore a menu of testing, meaning districts and charters could choose tests other than the state standardized test, AzMERIT. The changes in ESSA, in conjunction with state law approved in March, allow for this.

Our primary goal was to make sure that the state plan reflected the needs and desires of everyone across our state, whether its parents, teachers, districts, business community, nonprofit partners or general public, Tack said.

Parents, students, teachers and various organizations had a chance to comment on the draft plan, released last month, via a survey. Results showed that educators, parents and students most valued:

Diverse curriculum and course offerings

Qualified teachers and administrators

Goal-based measures for students

Graduation rates as part of measuring school success

Increasing school funding as a way to ensure students and schools success

Perhaps the most challenging question the state is tasked with answering is, How do we determine the effectiveness of a school? said Calvin Baker, superintendent of Vail schools and a member of the state board of education.

He said he prefers measuring tangible results as opposed to actions or programs.

But I dont have an answer to that question yet, Baker said. Im listening carefully to all the parents, educators, businesspeople and other groups who are offering ideas to the state board.

The added flexibility will not translate to success if the state Education Department does not transfer authority to schools, teachers and educators, said Jason Freed, president of the Tucson Education Association, which represents teachers in the Tucson Unified School District. It wouldnt be much different from the federal government having strict requirements.

If we continue to have elected officials making determinations for education as opposed to asking educators and their expertise being utilized, then were going to see issues, Freed said.

This is an opportunity for the state to set goals and work on closing achievement gaps by figuring out what truly represents how and what Arizonas children are learning, said Erin Hart, chief operating officer at Expect More Arizona, an education advocacy organization.

An updated draft of the states ESSA plan will be released in coming weeks, incorporating the publics comments.

After another review period, the governor will review the plan in January 2017.
Ewen Whitaker never walked on the moon, but he mapped it and named its features. His work made it possible to select sites where Neil Armstrong and the Apollo astronauts were able to land safely and explore the lunar surface.

Whitaker, the last original member of the University of Arizonas Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, died Tuesday at the age of 94.

He was hired by LPL Director Gerard Kuiper to help create an atlas of the moon, first at Yerkes Observatory at the University of Chicago and later at the UA, where Kuiper established the Lunar and Planetary Lab in 1960.

When President John F. Kennedy announced in 1961 that America would land on the moon by the end of the decade, moon-mapping became critical to that effort and the lab grew exponentially.

According to the Lunar and Planetary Labs website history, Whitaker pioneered the technique of combining ultraviolet and infrared images of the moons surface to make compositional maps.

The maps were instrumental to the selection of landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions.

Planetary scientist William Hartmann, one of the laboratorys first three graduate students, said Whitaker was an unassuming man with a wonderful sense of humor. He was this jolly, witty, English guy, just a generally wonderful person to be around.

When the famous scientists of the day would visit, it was really remarkable  they did not know as much about the moon and planets as Ewen did. He knew each mountain and each crater and each crag and he knew the names of them, Hartmann said.

Whitaker was born in England and was astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich when he saw Kuiper speak at a conference in Ireland in 1955.

Kuiper was enlisting help for creating a moon atlas, something Whitaker had already started. Whitaker, in a history he wrote about the early days of LPL, said he later found out that he was the only one to respond to Kuipers request.

At the UA, he wrote: We started up in very humble surroundings. We had one Quonset hut where the Science Library is now.

The team soon moved to the new Physics and Atmospheric Sciences building and by 1965, with the space race heating up, Kuiper secured NASA funds for a new building, now named the Kuiper Space Sciences Building.

Whitaker retired from the UA in 1987, but he continued to participate in its programs, especially the Apollo gatherings, said Maria Schuchardt, data manager of the Space Imagery Center at the lab.

Throughout the years, he didnt have a computer, so a lot of people would get in touch with me to ask him questions about the moon. The last time I saw him, somebody was asking about the Surveyor mission, so I dropped the email off at his house. He was always kind and gentle and just a delight to be with, she said.

LPL Director Tim Swindle called Whitaker our remaining link to the founding of the lab and very much a part of its history.

He was gracious, he was lovable, and in the 1960s, he knew more about the moon than any person in history.
To the surprise of Charlie Singleton, news that a parking ticket had been following him for just shy of a quarter century arrived at his Tucson home a few weeks back.

Around midnight on May 7, 1992, an officer wrote that ticket  now worth $101.50  and left it on a vehicle brazenly parked in front of a sign that said, in no uncertain terms, that parking was not allowed there, according to the original ticket and a court official.

But Singleton, who had gotten married just a few days prior, says that he and his wife were on their honeymoon enjoying themselves roughly 3,000 miles away in Hawaii that evening, a timeline he ran by his then-newlywed wife. County marriage records support the story.

She has a better memory than me, he said with a laugh.

The northwest Tucson intersection where somebody illegally parked  Camino Martin and Jeremy Place  was near a country Western bar that Singleton had gone to a few times, but other than that he could think of no reason that he would have been in the area.

In a final twist, his month of birth was listed as November 1911, making him just shy of 105 years old. Singleton is, in fact, in his 50s.

Singleton told the Road Runner that hes not looking to avoid responsibility, and has gotten other tickets in the past and paid them promptly. What hes looking for is a chance to argue his case, a chance hes likely to get, according to a court official.

I guess if there was a legitimate reason that I received a ticket while I was in Hawaii, then prove it and Ill pay my dues, he said.

So, whats the story of this strange parking ticket? The Road Runner spoke with city and county court administrators to find out.

Doug Kooi, administrator of the Pima County Consolidated Justice Court, where Singletons case was filed, did not try to dispute Singletons account, but made an important point about parking violations that doesnt necessarily apply to other civil traffic violations.

The citation was left on the car. He could have been anywhere in the world. Its where the car was, Kooi said, adding that those citations stay on the books until the court learns (the owner is) deceased or the person pays it.

As stated in county ordinance, The person in whose name such vehicle is registered is prima facie responsible for such violation and subject to the penalty thereof.

In other words, it doesnt matter who parked there; all that matters is whom the car is registered to, even if theyre in Hawaii. The fact that nobody was in the vehicle when the citation was issued also explains the wildly inaccurate birth month attributed to Singleton in court records. Kooi said that when older record systems were in use, they automatically filled in blank dates-of-birth with 1s, thus 11/11/1911.

As for the car, a 1982 maroon four-door Subaru, Singleton said that he had indeed once owned it. However, he said that he sold that car around the time he picked up a Ford Expedition in 1991.

Now hes now on the hunt for a paper trail to prove that he had sold the vehicle and someone else did not take the required steps to register it. As to his chances before the judge wholl hear his case, Kooi said that such appeals are a pretty mixed bag.

The judges listen for those extenuating circumstances and rule (on) each one, he added. Judges often tell me that cases like this come in groups of one. Everyone is individual.

But what about the most interesting thing about this case: the extraordinarily long time it took for his ticket to find him?

Kooi said that such delays are often due to drivers not updating their addresses with the state Department of Motor Vehicles when they move, meaning that notices bounce back to the court or collection agencies. The Road Runner will confess he has not always updated addresses in the most timely fashion, but Singleton said that hes tried to do a good job of that.

The exact reason(s) for the long delay is difficult to discern. What we do know is that it was the states Fines, Fees and Restitution Enforcement (FARE) program that eventually tracked him down, less than two months after receiving the case from the countys previous contractor Valley Collections, which had had the ticket for more than 3 years.

Kooi said his court had a very good relationship with Valley, and dropped them over the summer because of a mandated move to FARE. That program dates back to 2003 and helps state courts with outstanding fines, fees and restitution payments in civil, criminal and traffic matters, including unpaid parking tickets.

However, Chris Hale, Tucson City Court administrator, said his office has had much better luck with FARE than the collection contractors it used before 2003, when the court became among the first FARE participants.

With previous contractors, Hale estimated that collection rates were sometimes less than 10 percent. But between fiscal year 2004 and FY 2014, the most recent full year included in data he provided, Hales court turned over roughly a quarter million dollars in outstanding fines, fees and to FARE, which collected nearly $70 million. Some years theyve successfully tracked down more than half of outstanding payments.

Hale also said that unpaid fines can spiral out of control and lead to larger consequences, one of the reasons he said people should not ignore them.

You have to deal with it because its not going to go away, he added.

Singleton certainly isnt ignoring his fine anymore, but hes got a different challenge than many others.

How do I prove that theyre wrong? he asked.

DOWN THE ROAD

The section of Pima Mine Road that passes under Interstate 19 will be closed Wednesday and Thursday while the Community Water Co. of Green Valley carries out paving work, according to a release from the Arizona Department of Transportation. Ramps to and from the road (Exit 80) will also be closed during work hours between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Message boards will direct interstate drivers to alternate exits.

There will also be work on Interstate 10 this week, with overnight lane closures planned at I-10s bridges over Craycroft Road. Left lanes in both directions will be closed between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

Dates and times for two additional city of Tucson crack and fog seal projects are also out. Crews were to work overnight on the Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyon road intersection, between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

On Wednesday, crews will start work on Craycroft Road between the Rillito River Bridge and Glenn Street with the same overnight shifts. At least one lane of travel in all directions will remain open during the work.
Tucson Water might expand its service area  to include a planned Marana school site  for the first time since it cracked down on that practice nine years ago.

On Wednesday, the Tucson City Council will discuss what would amount to a water service swap between Tucson and Marana. Tucson Water would serve the school site in return for giving up its obligation to serve seven other Marana land parcels.

Its outcome could hinge on whether the proposal saves water for Tucson or not. The answer appears unclear.

One councilman, Paul Cunningham, opposes the service extension on a number of grounds, including a concern that approving the request will lead to pressure on the council from other landowners.

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and Councilman Steve Kozachik said theyre not concerned about this request setting a precedent and would be inclined to support it if the water savings are adequate or if it otherwise strengthens the water system. For now, Kozachik is dubious about the savings estimates.

As the proposal stands, Tucson Water would deliver water to a new Science Technical Enginering Math (STEM) school in Marana, at a range of 20 to 45 acre-feet a year. The 20-acre school parcel lies in the Dove Mountain area north of Tangerine Road, next to a parcel the city is obligated to serve.

In return, Marana would agree to serve seven parcels far away, in the Continental Ranch area along Interstate 10.

Tucson Water first estimated the proposal would save the utility up to 125 acre-feet a year, nearly three times the maximum that it would provide the school.

After an activist critic challenged the estimates, the utility dropped the savings ratio to 2-to-1. The critic, Carolyn Campbell, says thats probably still too high.

Even if this wasnt against water policy, its not a good deal, said Campbell, director of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection.

The school site doesnt meet Tucsons existing water service policy. The policy requires that any new service outside city limits go to parcels surrounded on three sides by parcels the city serves, or by vacant parcels it has agreed to serve once theyre developed.

Starting in late 2007, Tucson refused to serve outside its existing service area in a temporary measure. A formal policy to that effect was adopted in 2010.

Russell Federico, a Marana Unified School District official, said the new school will provide enhanced learning opportunities that prepare our children for employment in a society with increasing demands for a technological skills and analytical thinking. The citys extension of water is needed before the district can acquire the land and build the school.

Its uncertain if the district can get Marana water service in that area because the towns water infrastructure is quite a distance away, said Federico, the districts operational support director.

Among the lands Marana would agree to serve under the proposed water swap is the site of a new, centralized transportation and operations center for the school district.

That project plus the new school would generate more than $30 million worth of construction work, Federico wrote in a letter to Tucson officials.

Cunningham said its not his role as a Tucson councilman to support Marana economic development with water service. He wants assurances that reclaimed water will be put on the school sites turf, as its used on many Tucson school grounds.

I think any time you deviate from the the path of the water policy you compromise the stability of the policy, he said. Why have a water service policy when you can change it on a whim?

In a memo to the council, however, Assistant City Manager Albert Elias said approval of the water swap shall in no way alter the water service policy ... (and) shall in no way set a precedent that obligates mayor and council to future modifications.

Kozachik and Rothschild agreed.

Any time we can strengthen our water service area, then we shouldnt take the view that it can never be changed. We should take the view that the facts can change so the area can change, Rothschild said.

By Campbells calculations, the new Marana school site would likely use more water than Tucson would save on the seven parcels.

Two of the seven parcels that Marana had originally agreed to take over serving turned out to be county-owned open space parcels that currently cant be developed. Late Friday, Tucson Water said it has found two other parcels for Marana to serve.

A third parcel  the site of the planned Marana transportation-operations center  would need up to 33 acre-feet of water, Tucson Water estimates. Campbell said she checked with three other school transportation facilities, including Tucson Unified School Districts main administration-transportation center, and found that none uses even two acre-feet a year.

Two other parcels are already developed as businesses and one uses no water, she noted, wondering why they require the city to serve them additional water.

Tucson Water based its estimates on the parcels zoning. It could someday allow much more development there, utility spokesman Fernando Molina said.
Two years ago, Cecilia Arosemena, who was born in Mexico but who has spent most of her life in Tucson, became a U.S. citizen. She didnt register to vote, however, after taking her oath of citizenship.

Arosemena wanted to belong to the larger community, and she sought stability and peace of mind. As for voting, well, she believed her vote would not matter. Voting was not high on her priorities.

That changed however.

Now I want to vote, says 33-year-old Arosemena, a mother and a chef.

Recently she registered to vote at the YWCA of Southern Arizona-Frances McClelland Community Center on North Bonita Avenue in Menlo Park, where she is the owner of Dish for Dosha, which specializes in the preparation of healthy foods. Her decision to register to vote came after some personal and political reflection, and pep talks from her YWCA colleagues.

Some of the inspiration came from the other side of the globe, she said, after listening to a Burmese woman talk about the struggles for human rights and democracy in her Southeast Asian country. Additional inspiration came from the history of American women and ethnic minorities in the fight for the right to vote, an issue which continues in a number of states that have erected barriers toward widening voter participation. And in the building she works in and where we talked, it has a history of encouraging greater civic participation by Tucsonans.

Registering to vote and voting, she added, is the minimum we can do for our community.

Arosemena, who was born in Guaymas, Sonora, and graduated from Palo Verde High School, is one of a growing number of Latinas and Latinos who are registering to vote and whose votes in elections are growing. And that trend does not bode well for the Republican Party which is struggling with its presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

Anecdotal evidence across the country shows that Latinos and Latinas have registered to vote because of Trumps attacks on immigrants and Mexico and Mexicans. Harder evidence shows that more than half of Latino registered voters are leaning toward the Democratic Party.

The Pew Research Center recently wrote that 54 percent of Latinos continue to say the Democratic Party is more concerned for Latinos than the Republican Party and a mere 11 percent say that Republicans have greater concern. The remainder believe there is no difference between the two major parties.

The percentages are not much different from four years ago when Latinos said they favored the Democrats over Republicans 61 percent to 10 percent.

But when it comes specifically to Trump and what he has said about Latinos and immigrants, Pew reported that 74 percent of Latino registered voters say they have given quite a lot of thought to the presidential election and they are absolutely certain they will vote.

The erosion of Latino support for the GOP is causing headaches for the party. The Republican Party is headed toward full-time minority status if it cannot reverse its decline among Latinos (and Asians and women for that matter.)

Political history has an example. California Republicans witnessed their spiral downward in the 1990s when then-Republican Gov. Pete Wilson gave his full-throated support for Proposition 187, a strict anti-immigrant ballot measure, in his 1994 re-election campaign.

This year could prove to be a pivotal year. A new voter like Arosemena has turned away from the GOP because of Trump, and the partys social and cultural politics which are not friendly to women and minorities.

As she became more aware of how politics and public policy intersect, it became apparent that she could not support Republicans. Mind you, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, was not her first choice. She wanted Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator.

But casting a vote for a third party candidate for president or none at all is not an option, she said. She will vote for Clinton because I dont want hate to win.
A nonprofit group will be donating books for Pima County sheriffs deputies to give to kids they encounter in the field.

Books to the Rescue, whose mission is to encourage young children to read, will be delivering books to the Sheriffs Department San Xavier District Monday at 11:30 a.m., department spokesman Deputy Cody Gress wrote in a news release.

The nonprofit pilot program aims to give comfort to kids in crisis and supplies books to law enforcement agencies across the country.

The donated books will be used by deputies with the aim of giving free books to children they encounter while on patrol or out in the field, Gress said.

By providing these books to deputies, (Books to the Rescue) is also giving us the opportunity to have a positive impact in the community we serve, he said.

The public is invited to attend the 11:30 a.m. presentation at the San Xavier District station, 2545 E. Ajo Way.
More than 100 people turned out Saturday for a ceremony to inter the remains 27 veterans who were recently identified with the assistance of a national organization.

The veterans along with two spouses, all of whom were identified in Arizona, were honored and laid to rest with full military honors at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Marana.

Dozens of representatives from all four branches of the military and U.S. Veterans Services were present, as well as coordinators from the Missing in America Project, or MIAP, the group that helped identify the veterans.

Bob Day, one of the Southern Arizona coordinators for MIAP, started the ceremony by introducing his group, which has identified the remains of veterans dating to the 1800s.

MIAP, which is active in 30 states, coordinates with funeral homes and the Veterans Association to identify remains,and give them the military honors that they deserve, Day said.

Many of these veterans are indigent, homeless or just off the grid, he said. Often the family doesnt even know that their loved one is in Arizona.

Roughly a dozen representatives from veterans groups across Southern Arizona lined the semicircle pavilion, holding flags that fluttered in the breeze as Navy Cmdr. Jonathan Morton called out a final roll call of the deceased veterans names.

Several American flags were held outstretched by active duty military members, as Taps played in the background.

The flags were refolded with grandeur, and presented to family members of the veterans, who sat on the stage with service members and representatives from Martha McSally and Anne Kirkpatricks offices.

After the presentation of the flags, the 27 gilded urns were taken one by one to the columbarium and tucked into their niches as family members stood by, many of them crying quietly.

Andrea McCammon received a flag in honor of her husband, Jerry Lee, and watched as his ashes were escorted down the walkway and placed into their niche, surrounded by the remains of men and women who also served with honor.

With his internal struggles, he felt that nobody cared, McCammon said. Obviously thats not true. Im so grateful to be a part of this.

McCammon said that she still carries Jerry with her, as she rests her hand on a small green vial hanging around her neck. She hugs the flag to her chest as she walks away, a serene smile gracing her face as she remembers Jerry Lee.
Help India!

By TCN News

Chennai: Police allegedly lathi-charged on protestesters during a march organized by the Tamilnadu Thowheed Jamath cadres.

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Tamilnadu Thowheed Jamath cadres of Triplicane Branch, Chennai were distributing the pamphlets to remove the fear among the public about the fake propagation about the doomsday which was based on Mayan Calendar. Police hence entered the house and arrested TNTJ Zam Bazaar President Yacoob and also raided the house of TNTJ Chennai South District president Abdul Raheem.















Seeking the justice TNTJ office bearers approached the Assistant Commissioner of Triplicane, Senthil Kumaran, but in vain.

TNTJ South Chennai hence has for protest on December 22, Saturday. According to organizers police used force to disperse the crowd, in which several people got injured, including 60 year old Nasar, who had a fracture in hand and another eight year old boy was attacked. Over twenty men were got hurt. They were briefly detained also.

To decide the next the round of action TNTJ met on December 29 and they have announced that on January 3 they will lead a massive jail bharo rally.

They demand actions against erring police officers.

Link:
Help India!

By IANS,

Kathmandu : Nepal Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai is planning monthly overnight stays in the countrys rural regions in order to keep himself well-informed about the peoples concerns, RIA Novosti reported.

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The prime minister will visit a different rural area every month to interact with local representatives of political parties, civil society, social workers and local organisations, the Himalayan Times daily quoted a statement from the prime ministers office as saying.

Bhattarai has been prime minister since August 2011. He was previously a Maoist rebel leader and then deputy chairman of the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

When the Maoists suspended their armed struggle in 2006, Bhattari took the post of finance minister.

After voluntarily laying down arms, the Maoists won about a third of seats in the Constitutional Assembly in the April 2008 elections. The assembly abolished Nepals monarchy at its first meeting in May 2008, but several governments later, Nepal is yet to achieve political stability.

The opposition is now demanding the resignation of Bhattarais coalition government for failing to lay the groundwork for adoption of a new Constitution.


Help India!

New Delhi : To help Indian farmers in achieving healthy yield in pomegranate production, Israeli experts visited India to update scientists and farmers on the new technologies available to increase the production of fruit, an official with the embassy said Thursday.

The visit comes under the backdrop of agriculture cooperation between India and Israel in which seminars are held by experts in both countries.

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Were here to train the trainers. The main activity in these centres is R&D (research and development). Were trying to adapt Israeli technology to the Indian conditions and were sure well get good results, said Itzhak Kosto, Israeli expert, who was in India, to organise a two-day Pomegranate Seminar at the Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence for Fruits at Sirsa.

We want to avoid or to save farmers from doing mistakes while adapting of new technologies and were sure it will lead to good results.

The Israeli expert updated scientists and farmers on fertigation which is the term used to describe scientific way of supplying fertilisers to plants by mixing it in drip irrigation, apart from pest and disease management, nursery know how and post-harvest practices.

Scientists from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and farmers from Sirsa and adjoining districts participated in this seminar.

The visit is a part of cooperation between the two countries which includes setting up of 30 Centers of Excellence in nine India states in coordination between the NHM (National Horticulture Mission), states governments and the government of Israel through Mashav, Israels Agency for International Development Cooperation.


Help India!

By Shafeeq Hudawi, TwoCircles.net

Kannur: The murder of a 19-year-old RSS-BJP activist on October 12 added one more name to the list of victims of relentless political violence in Kannur district of Kerala. Ramith, hailing from Pinarayi, the home village of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was killed in a revenge action that followed the murder of CPM leader K Mohanan, who was killed by allegedly by a group of BJP-RSS activists on October 10.

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Photo credits: Facebook pages of BJP and CPI (M)



This has, once again, indicated that Kannur remains Keralas most politically violent area.While the CPM is alleged to be literally working with its party symbols the sickle and hammer, the RSS and BJP are known to resort to violence as and when there is a clear political motive.

The political rivalry among CPM, RSS and Congress here dates back to 1960s.

It could be perceived as a continuation of the rivalry between landlords, which later gave way to rivalry between peasants and landlords after the arrival of Marxist parties in Kerala. The defense extended by common men and peasants against the landlords here later transformed into political violence and the parties stood as the custodians of this trend, says Malayalam short story writer Vinoy Thomas.

Vinoys Malayalam short story, Moorkhanpambu, which means cobra, points fingers to the historic aspects of the political rivalry.

Landlords here used to form their own gangs and provided them with arms and martial training.

The strongholds of various parties here, also known as party villages, remain closed and inaccessible for other party workers. And the outer world and police too is less cognizant about the activities, which includes arms training and bomb making here.

This habit of being closed and isolated intensifies the violence here. The notorious party village system is one of the major villains, says Malayalam writer Shihabudheen Poithumkadavu.

Since 1960s, more than 180 persons from Marxist, Congress and Hindu right-wing have been killed in the district in various violence.

The violence has claimed several lives this year. Besides Ramith and Mohanan, RSS-BJP activist Bineesh from Thillankeri was killed by CPM workers. He was murdered in retaliation of the murder of CPM worker C V Dhanarajan, who was hacked to death by rivals in July. BMS activist C K Ramachandran of Annur in Payyannur was killed by CPM activists on July 12. This is in addition to two CPM workers and one RSS worker, who were killed in explosion while making crude bombs.

The district has been witnessing a spurt in violence since May, 2016. According to figures with Kerala police, over 300 incidents of political violence have been recorded in Kannur in the last eight months.

The police has arrested cadres from all the parties spectrum: since May 2016, 458 CPM workers, 190 BJP/RSS workers and 42 Congress have been arrested. And this number excludes any fresh arrests made in the recent cases.

If media reports are taken into account, the present District Police Chief Kori Sanjaykumar Gurudin is already on the radar for his impartial action that has irked district leadership of the CPI(M).

Vinoy says that the strict enforcement of law had brought temporary relief in 1990s during the tenure of Congress leader A K Antony.

Political parties also fail to contain violence as they perceive retaliation as a matter of pride. Rather than taking up sincere steps leaders here prefer challenging each other, Shihab says referring into the recent hate speeches by CPM and BJP leaders Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and M T Ramesh. The duo, while attending party meets here, added fuel to the violence.

Shihab also put blame on media for adding fuel to the issue. The local media often gives these leaders slots to challenge and play blame game, he said.

Vinoy says that though the common men here want to restore peace the political parties dont allow them to do. The youngsters here want to go foreign countries and earn their livelihood. But, they are included in police cases by the party activists themselves and deny them opportunity to go abroad, he alleges.

No instant remedy is suggested for the politics of hatred. Kannur is the birthplace of prominent writers, artists and academia. But all of them have migrated to other places. Whenever you hear the term Kannur, it brings the picture of political leaders to your mind, Shihab says.

Shihab, hailing from Valapattanam in Kannur, shifted to Thrissur in central Kerala in 2000.

According to him, peace could be attained only if the cultural activities replace the current brand of politics here. Cultural activists should lead the efforts to bring peace, not political leaders as they cant initiate nothing sincere. Besides, social scientists should conduct a study and suggest long term remedies, Shihab says.
The Pakistani government and Military have stated that Indias surgical strikes did not take place. Despite the denial, a high-level meeting took place between the military and civil government. During the meeting, the government voiced concerns about pakistans increasing isolation amidst international demand to target terrorists. The military officials indicated that the government is free to arrest anyone. To this, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif replied that the government and police do arrest terrorists but the military works behind the scene to free them.

Dawn and Cyril Almeida

The journalist who reported this was Cyril Almeida of Dawn. One of Pakistans most respected journalists, Almeida has written extensively about the army, amusingly calling them 'the boys'. He is brave enough to overlook the dangers associated with criticising the army, but also eloquent enough to display a fair and balance account. However to some, Almeidas work is blasphemous. The military is seen as the back-bone of Pakistan.

Apart from states that have military dictators in power, no other country, especially a nuclear-armed democratic power, has a military as powerful as Pakistans. There is a saying one comes across whilst studying Pakistani politics; every country in the world has an army, only the Pakistani army has a country.

Through Pakistan's history the army has acted with impunity. Any criticism and one is called a traitor for daring to ask questions from glorified public servants.

Good terrorists, bad terrorists

It is without a doubt that the Pakistani military harbours terrorists, lovingly referring to the ones who target Afghanistan and India as good terrorists, whilst the ones who have brought Pakistan to its knees are bad terrorists.

Hilary Clinton famously once said that Pakistan cannot keep snakes in its backyards and expect them only to bite its neighbours. Therefore, the meeting between the civil government and the military is much appreciated with the military giving the go-ahead to start targeting terrorists within Pakistans borders. However, the military werent relying on Dawn publishing an article about it.

Weakness of the civil government

Some civil officials gave accounts of the meeting to Dawn and Almeida to show themselves in a positive light internationally and locally; that the democratically elected government is standing up to the military and ordering them to stop protecting the good terrorists. However, the military doesnt broadcast news unless it makes them look good. Pakistans officials, whether civil or military, have very big egos that need to be tended to.

Between the power struggle Almeida found himself in hot water. The government officials who leaked the story tried to shift the blame to Almeida, putting him on an exit control list. How is placing a journalist, who citied official sources, on a no exit list fair?

The Nawaz Sharif government looks weaker than ever done before, firstly by leaking the story to appear more powerful than the military, then by bowing under military pressure to name the source and banning a journalist. How can reporting on a government and army meeting be punishable? And what a severe punishment at that! How dare Almeida fly to Dubai for a family holiday, whilst the government has to present itself to the army?

Job advert: Pakistani military needs a marketing general

The Pakistani army has a Twitter general. General Director of the Inter-Services Public Relations Asim Bajwa took charge of the press conference at the surgical strikes target spot. Bajwa did something that the Pakistani army has never done before.

Journalists were allowed to investigate the scene and form their own conclusions. Could it really have been the beginning of something new? No.What the army really needs is a marketing general, someone who understands that Almeida's article on the meeting actually received praise.
On Friday, two additional women made allegations of sexual assault against Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump. Kristi Anderson, claimed that he slid his hand under her skirt while Summer Zervos, a former "Apprentice" contestant said that Trump kissed and grabbed her in 2007.

Trump shoved his hand up my skirt, says Anderson

Speaking to CNNs Anderson Cooper, Kristi Anderson, said that she was with her friends at a nightclub in the 1990s when someone suddenly shoved their hand up her skirt. Later, she recognized the man to be the Republican presidential candidate.

Anderson says that she had never met or spoken to Trump before the incident happened. According to her, she never thought much about it then since she did not consider mental abuse or manipulation as a form of assault.

Trump kissed me twice on the lips, says Zervos

In a separate incident, Zervos, a former "Apprentice" contestant said that he kissed her on the lips twice. Earlier, Zervos had claimed that Trump had touched her breast and kissed her aggressively. Zervos made the damning allegations during a press conference organized by Gloria Allred, a women rights attorney who has represented other women in sexual assault cases.

Zervos claims that the incident happened when she contacted him concerning employment opportunity in Trumps Organization but was asked to meet him privately in Beverly Hills.

Zervos says that during the meeting, he kissed her and said he would love to work with her.

Trump denies the allegations

During a rally on Friday, the Republican presidential candidate denied Andersons allegations and termed them "false" and "nonsensical". Trump argued that since he rarely sits alone, there was no way he could have made such moves without the other people noticing what he was doing.

According to him, the media gave Gloria Allred the same weight as the president of the United States and treated her unfounded allegations as facts without taking time to verify them. Trump says that such actions show that the system is broken.

Trumps denial of Andersons accusations come hard on the heels of other accusations made by several women against the Republican candidate this week. The women claim that Trump groped or kissed them without their consent.
Alentejo, in southern Portugal, is becoming the new tourist destination for those who seek good wine, great food, and also a warm climate and enchanting landscapes. The Wine is the first and foremost reason behind this recent success, but lots of foreigners - mainly, Americans - are finding that this land "beyond Tagus" (the ancient meaning of the word "Alentejo", in Portuguese) is good not only for the wine, but even for real estate investment. Last year, the New York Times chose it as "one of the 52 places to go in 2015". Find out why.

Alentejo wine region

The wine region is making a steady way to get international recognition, not only for the wine, but also forEnotourism. Unlike Douro, where the grapes of Port are cultivated since the 18th century, wine in Alentejo is recent, dating to the late 80'sand 90's. However, the "terroir" characteristics, along with Portuguese know-how, quickly produced excellent wines.

There are eight sub-regions, taking advantage of local diversity in micro-climate (the Moura region is one of the hottest in Europe) and terrain. Redondo, Borba and Reguengos produce quite smooth and easy to drink red wines. Reguengos de Monsaraz was chosen as the European Wine City 2015.

Spending vacations in Alentejo

The region is way bigger than Algarve, counting for a third of the area of Portugal but the islands, and stretches between the Tagus river and the southerner province. This is a land where you find lots of castles, some of them built by the Moors during the Islamic domination period, andalso the biggest artificial lake in Europe, that of the Alqueva Dam.

In the west coast, you find tons of small, unspoilt beaches, ideal for surfing or family vacations, like Porto Covo, Milfontes andArrifana.

Alentejo is a big rural area, sparsely populated. In fact, it's one and a half the size of Wales, but with less than 750.000 inhabitants. Tourists find here peace and the true easy-going lifestyle; this is so true that people from Alentejo are subject to other Portuguese popular anecdotes about being too "slow" and not work-lovers.

Along with its unique gastronomic traditions, gathering still some Islamic influence, the whole region is a paradise for the "Slow Movement".

Investing in Alentejo?

Portugal was already known for a great tourist place. It has a good, warm climate throughout the year, specially in Algarve, long established as a destination for British sun-seekers. It's cheap, and the Euro didn't change that significantly. It has high levels of security and is politically and socially quite stable, which could be somewhat surprising, given the IMF and European Comission financial rescue it suffered over the last few years.

The rise of low-cost air services, like Easyjet and Ryanair, made it even cheaper to get there, and the main cities of Lisbon and Oporto are witnessing a tourist "boom"; Lisbon City Hall has already established official talks with Airbnb to regulate this unexpected success.

It's soon to see if Portuguese "capitals" will become new versions of Barcelona, crowded with tourists. But Alentejo is quite different. It's big, it has a bunch of old, interesting cities (Evora and Elvas and UNESCO's World Heritage), and has a lot of countryside to explore. You won't have the feeling of being in a tourist-oriented spot, rather to feel immersed in genuine Portuguese culture.
A group exhibition that draws from the diverse local, national and international artists that have been featured at the renowned gallery since their original opening.

October 15, 2016  January 7, 2017

DECADE

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of 516 ARTS

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 15, 6-8pm

Music by Le Chat Lunatique

Food provided by Slate Street Cafe

Member Preview & Artist Talks, 5-6pm

In celebration of our 10th anniversary, 516 ARTS presents DECADE, a group exhibition and series of off-site projects that draw from the diverse local, national and international artists we have worked with since we opened. 516 ARTS is a hub for world-class contemporary art in Albuquerque and New Mexico as well as a beacon for the arts in the Downtown revitalization process. This exhibition explores a wide variety of themes and practices that 516 ARTS has explored since its inception including environmental/land-based art, street art, new media art that intersects with science and technology, public art and socially engaged projects.

The site-specific projects around the city are points of access to contemporary art that connect back to the exhibition at 516 ARTS and Downtown. By bringing 516 ARTS out to other parts of the city, this exhibition spreads awareness about the urban core and its connectivity to the rest of the city.

In her catalog essay for the inaugural 2006 exhibition at 516 ARTS titled GREEN, writer Sharyn R. Udall wrote,Even as 516 ARTS helps to raise the presence of the arts in Downtown Albuquerque, it will be judged ultimately not on where it lives, but what it does.as it comes of age, it promises to access and interpret New Mexicos artistic riches in unprecedented ways, functioning as a portal, right in our midst, to the extraordinary. The old neighborhood will never be the same.

Reflecting back on the decade involving over 1,000 artists presented in over 150 exhibitions and public programs, 516 ARTS has become synonymous with a fertile and inspiring source for cutting edge, contemporary art discourse that bridges the local, national and global spheres.

Artists:

Jessica Angel (Colombia) David Leigh (New Mexico)

Leticia Bajuyo (Indiana) Eliza Naranjo Morse (Santa Clara Pueblo/Espanola, New Mexico)

BioCultura (New Mexico) Aaron Noble (California)

Michael Berman (New Mexico) Patrick Nagatani (New Mexico)

Erika Blumenfeld (Texas) Lisa Nevada (New Mexico)

Adrian Esparza (Texas) Chip Thomas (Navajo Nation)

Tom Joyce (New Mexico) Floyd Tunson (Colorado)

Catalog essay by Lucy Lippard, renowned author, curator, activist and critic.

OFF-SITE PROJECTS:

In addition to the exhibition featuring the above artists in the gallery, 516 ARTS presents the following off-site projects spanning all quadrants of the city:

 jetsonorama Mural & Dance Tours

Visual and performing arts come together with the environment and climate change issues in this collaboration between photographic wheatpaste muralist by Chip Thomas (aka jetsonorama) and choreographer/dancer Lisa Nevada at the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, 7851 2nd St. SW (South Valley).

 The T House by Biocultura

Biocultura (Andrea Polli and collaborator John Donalds) are creating The T House, an interactive, environmental art and technology installation inspired by a traditional teahouse on the grounds of Farm & Table Restaurant, 8917 4th St. NW (North Valley).

 Amplitude II by Leticia Bajuyo

Guest artist Leticia Bajuyo is building a monumental horn sculpture made from recycled CDs in the glass atrium in the lobby of the Tony Hillerman Public Library, 8205 Apache Ave. NE (Northeast Heights).

 Mural by Aaron Noble

Guest muralist Aaron Noble is creating a mural in his unique style blending comic, collage and abstraction on the prominent, glassed in wall of Tamarind Institute, 2500 Central Ave. SE (Southeast/UNM).

 Imperial Building Mural

While the above projects are all temporary projects for DECADE, a new, long-term public art mural will be created this fall by a past 516 ARTS artist to be selected from call for proposals in partnership with the City of Albuquerque Public Art Program. The site is the new Downtown grocery store, 205 Silver Ave. SW (Downtown).
China boosts soft power by training foreign journalists Updated: 2016-10-17 06:46 By YUAN ZHOU/ZHANG ZHIHAO(China Daily)

Win Tin (right), from Myanmar, and Pham Thi Hai Ha (middle), from Vietnam, visit China Daily newsroom during their training program in Beijing on Sept 28. [Photo/China Daily]

On a recent Saturday morning in Beijing, Win Tin, 66, a veteran journalist from Myanmar, was enthralled by a lecture at the Communication University of China on setting up a digital studio, from floor layouts to overhead light temperatures to software.

Two months ago, Tin, with 25 years of experience in journalism, started an online news outlet, Northern Light Media, but realized he knew little about online media.

So he jumped at the offer to join a 10-day media workshop provided by the university's China-ASEAN Center of Training that targets media executives and journalists from Southeast Asian countries.

"I want to be a lifelong learner, and China is the country I'm most interested in," said Tin, whose fellow trainees, totaling 21, come from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The training programsupported by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Huaneng Industry, a State-owned energy companyis not the first international project at top Chinese journalism schools.

Since 2014, the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China has trained at least 10 journalists from African media each year in an exchange program organized by the China-Africa Press Center. This year, the program has received 28 African journalists, the largest group yet.

Every year, the university also admits five young journalists from Pakistan. In nine months, "they studied various aspects of China, built friendships and strengthened their Chinese counterparts' understanding of Pakistan", said Zhong Xin, director of the school's international affairs.

Tsinghua University's master's program in global business journalism, taught in English, admits 20 international students each year. About 200 of them from 50 countries have graduated, said Hang Ming, the program's co-director.

Some programs that train foreign journalists at CUC and Remin University programs is fully paid by schools or sponsors, while the master's program at Tsinghua costs 39,000 yuan ($5,850) per year. Most of the training is done in Beijing, with opportunities for trainees to visit rural areas or small cities.

Hu Zhengrong, president of the CUC and a lecturer of the program for Southeast Asian journalists, estimated more than 100 foreign journalists study in China each year, most from developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

"China is the world's second-largest economy and a significant stakeholder in global affairs, but its soft power needs to manifest itself through people to people, heart to heart dialogues," Hu said.

"Training foreign journalists in China allows them to experience the country's full complexity, thus ensuring more objectivity and consideration when they portray China to their audience," he added.

CUC provides practical training in new and innovative techniques such as media convergence, big data, smart solutions and next-generation network technology. The lectures are in English.

"The courses are very informative," said Shamim Abdullah Zahedy, executive editor for the Independent in Bangladesh. "It introduced me to new dimensions in new media and broadened my understanding of the medium."

Professor Zhang Wenhui of CUC, who teaches media technologies, said that China's hands-on experience can serve as a blueprint for the trainees to develop the media industry in their home countries.

Zhang had an interpreter for his lecture, but the presentation was in English and he made sure all terminologies were in sync with international standards. "If someone were to purchase a set of equipment, it would be helpful to know exactly what it is called on the international market," Zhang said.

But Hu said some material is geared towards understanding China.

"I avoid using Western concepts like liberal or conservative because they are loaded with implications and stereotypes that may not reflect China's true conditions," Hu said.

When introducing China to foreigners, it is crucial to let them see China through a Chinese conceptual system, he said, adding that teachers have to be thorough and honest in the process.

International graduates of Tsinghua's program often go into international media, public relations or government organizations. "Some become the bridge that connects China and the world," said Hang, the program's co-director.

The work of graduates has been significant.

Compton Nicholas James, a US graduate of the program, published an investigative report on how Chinese governmental and nongovernmental organizations tackle the issue of left-behind children in China.

After graduating from the program, Park Jinbum, a South Korean student, became a producer at South Korean broadcasting network KBS and produced Super China, an in-depth documentary on China's rise that went viral in 2015.

The training programs not only allow journalists to acquire skills, but also broaden their network of contacts for their future endeavors in content creation, said Steven Dong, dean of the Faculty of Continuing Education at CUC.

Dong said he would like to see more media collaboration, such as Legends of Song and Dance, a joint, 2013 Chinese-Myanmar television series telling the stories between the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Kingdom of Myanmar. The series was broadcast in both countries.

Apart from teaching technical skills, future media training programs should include courses on content production, thus "laying the foundation for all-around media cooperation", he said.

Contact the writer at zhangzhihao@chinadaily.com.cn


Two Americans held in Yemen released and flown to Oman Updated: 2016-10-16 04:35 (Agencies)

Two American prisoners held captive by Yemen Houthi rebels have been released and taken to neighbouring Oman after Omani officials mediated their release, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday.

Kerry, speaking to reporters in the Swiss city of Lausanne, said that an airplane was sent from Muscat in Oman to the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, adding: "It secured the release of two American citizens from the Houthi."

"Their names are not being released, but we are very pleased with that," he said.

Oman state television broadcast footage of the two Americans disembarking from a plane belonging to the Royal Air Force of Oman. Yemenis wounded in the civil war in Yemen were also flown for treatment to Oman on the same plane, it reported.

A Foreign Ministry official told the broadcaster Oman had worked with Yemeni authorities in Sanaa to secure the Americans' release. A Houthi official confirmed their departure from Sanaa.

The US State Department expressed gratitude to the Omani government for facilitating the release and recognised the action as a "humanitarian gesture" by the Houthis, the northern Yemeni armed group that seized control of the capital Sanaa in 2014.
Russia says arrests "illegal" DPRK fishing ship, one killed in conflict Updated: 2016-10-16 04:37 (Xinhua)

The Russian authorities have arrested an "illegal" fishing ship of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the Sea of Japan, with one person killed and eight others injured in the conflict, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Saturday.

A patrol boat of the Russian border guards stopped the DPRK fishing boat "Dae Yang 10" in Russia's exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan at 22:20 Moscow time (19:20 GMT) Friday, the FSB said in a statement.

Russian border guards got on the ship for inspection, and found some "illegally obtained aquatic resources onboard the ship," said the FSB. "The 48 nationals of the DPRK onboard the ship attempted to seize the arms of the Russian officers and to attack them."

In reponse, the Russian guards made some warning shots in "self-defense," followed by "destructive fire with small arms," during which nine of the DPRK citizens were injured, and one of them died later, the FSB said.

A member of the Russia patrol guards was wounded on the head, it added.

Pyongyang has yet to make any comments on the incident.
Business should invest in emerging economies: Xi Updated: 2016-10-16 18:43 By AN BAIJIE(chinadaily.com.cn)

(L-R) Brazil's President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Jacob Zuma pose for a group picture during BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit in Benaulim, in the western state of Goa, India, October 16, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

President Xi Jinping said on Sunday that business leaders from BRICS countries should promote confidence and contribute to global growth through investing more in emerging economies.

The countries' economic growth has slowed under the current "deep adjustment" of world economy, and the development is facing new challenges, Xi said while meeting with BRICS business leaders.

"The BRICS countries' advantages and potential in resources, markets and labor forces remain unchanged," he said, adding that BRICS businesspeople should take a leading role in jointly implement major projects.

Xi made the remarks at the sidelines of the eighth BRICS Summit held in Goa, in western India.

In his speech, Xi told businesspeople that the establishment of the New Development Bank was an important fruit of the BRICS countries' cooperation. China would like to support the bank's work to make its first batch of projects successful, Xi said.

Along with Xi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Zuma, are also attending the summit.

Themed "Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions", the summit is being held from Saturday to Sunday. A Goa declaration will be issued when the summit concludes.

The five BRICS leaders met last month in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou when China hosted the 11th summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies.

At their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, President Xi said BRICS members should enhance coordination to make emerging-market economies and developing countries play a bigger role in international affairs.

India is the final stop in Xi's Southeast Asia and South Asia tour, which has already taken him to Cambodia and Bangladesh.
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A man who used to be in charge of a border post has developed a special relationship with wild langurs in Ha Tinh province.

He has also managed to talk to hunters who kill and catch them.

He has got them to understand that it is not a good thing to do.

Many of these hunters have now stopped doing it and are now also helping to protect the langurs.

By Toan Vu

Inner Sanctum: Can you tell us how you first connected with the langurs?

In early 2013 I travelled to Hung Su forest to clear trees to grow sua (a kind of valuable wood tree, scientifically named Dalbergia Tonkinensis Prain). When I was working, I suddenly heard a rustle over my head made by several black animals with long tales. I was so afraid that I intended to run away, but a memory flashed through my mind that I had been trained to recognise and protect valuable and rare animals.

When I returned home, searching Google, I confirmed that these animals are Ha Tinh langurs (stripe-headed black langurs found in the central province of Ha Tinh, scientifically called Trachypithecus hatinhenis).

This kind of animal is listed as an endangered species by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) exist only in restricted areas of central Viet Nam and eastern Laos.

The next day I went to the forest and was trying to contact the animals by playing music from my phone. They did not run away as they had before.

Inner Sanctum: Can you tell us about your relations with them?

In 2015, one of my neighbours ran to my home, telling me that he saw two langurs that had been killed in the Khe a forest.

I drove my motorbike and ran to the lime stone forest, but none of the dead langurs were there. I phoned the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Parks forest rangers for help.

A co-operation programme was urgently set up by the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, the Quang Binh Provinces Department of Forest Rangers, Tuyen Hoa District and a number of scientists and researchers.

After a week of working hard, they counted 86 langurs, including 17 young ones.

Scientists estimated that the herd of langurs numbers about 115.

Later I was invited to a seminar on the langurs that was held in Quang Binhs ong Hoi, where scientists, researchers and local authorities discussed ways to save the animals.

I was very happy that from now on the langurs would be protected but I also worried that hunters await an opportunity to kill the animals.

Inner Sanctum: How did you contact the langur herd?

Since I started having close contact with them, I often brought them water on severely hot days. I usually woke up very early in the morning to bring some 10 litres of water to the forest and poured it into rock holes for the langurs to drink.

The water was so heavy and I was so tired that I had to stop on a mountain slope.

But the hardest work is dealing with poachers, because they often watch the langurs in the afternoon and wait for them to return to a cave to sleep, where they catch them all.

One rainy night I had to rush to the forest to open the traps because I was informed that the hunters had set traps to catch the langurs.

Sometimes I hesitate because the night is so dark and there are poisonous snakes in the forest. But thinking of the langur herd that could be killed, I try my utmost.

Inner Sanctum: How do you deal with poachers?

I come to their house again and again to talk with them about how valuable the langurs are. I also told them that illegal hunting of these animals incurs criminal proceedings and jail time.

Several poachers have since given up illegal hunting and volunteered to join our group to protect the langurs, without payment.

Our work of protecting the langurs is much more effective now thanks to these former hunters because they know all the tricks of the poachers.

Inner Sanctum: What do the authorities think of your work?

The authorities praise us as a bright example of endangered animal protection for others to follow.

In 2015 the then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and provincial authorities awarded me a certificate for my contribution to protecting the langur herd.

We are very happy because Tuyen Hoa District has promised to build a guard house with better equipment for us this year. VNS





GLOSSARY

In early 2013 I travelled to Hung Su forest to clear trees to grow sua (a kind of valuable wood tree, scientifically named Dalbergia Tonkinensis Prain).

Every plant and animal has a scientific name, which is usually in the Latin language.

When I was working, I suddenly heard a rustle over my head made by several black animals with long tales.

A rustle is a soft, crackling noise  the type made by the movement of something among leaves.

This kind of animal is listed as an endangered species by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) exist only in restricted areas of central Viet Nam and eastern Laos.

Some animals are under threat of disappearing forever because there are so few of them left. Such creatures are endangered species.

Restricted areas are places that people may not visit without permission.

A co-operation programme was urgently set up by the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, the Quang Binh Provinces Department of Forest Rangers, Tuyen Hoa District and a number of scientists and researchers.

Co-operation means working together.

Researchers are people who try and find out more about things.

Scientists estimated that the herd of langurs numbers about 115.

Estimated means guessed but doing so with some sense of accuracy.

I was very happy that from now on the langurs would be protected but I also worried that hunters await an opportunity to kill the animals.

An opportunity is a chance.

But the hardest work is dealing with poachers, because they often watch the langurs in the afternoon and wait for them to return to a cave to sleep, where they catch them all.

Poachers are people who hunt illegally.

One rainy night I had to rush to the forest to open the traps because I was informed that the hunters had set traps to catch the langurs.

Traps are devices put out in the bush to catch wild animals.

Sometimes I hesitate because the night is so dark and there are poisonous snakes in the forest. But thinking of the langur herd that could be killed, I try my utmost.

Utmost, in this case, means best.

I also told them that illegal hunting of these animals incurs criminal proceedings and jail time.

Illegal means against the law.

To incur criminal proceedings means to end up being arrested, appearing in court and possibly going to jail all because of doing something you knew was wrong.

Several poachers have since given up illegal hunting and volunteered to join our group to protect the langurs, without payment.

To volunteer means to offer to do work but to not expect to be paid for it.

WORKSHEET

Find words that mean the following in the Word Search:

A type of endangered animal. People who hunt illegally. Another country in south-east Asia. A type of meeting at which people discussed ways to protect rare animals. The noise of leaves.

m l o n l a n g u r k l e a g r w i n e n u s a n r d u n a t i o n s o r i o a p o a c h e r s s u t u g d a y l t e p y i s e m i n a r e l c i y h t l g s a e d g o a c i u l k i c t h i a u n t m u e h a a l e s d p a l c o t h o r n s

ANSWERS:

 Duncan Guy/Learn the News/ Viet Nam News 2016

1. Langur; 2. Poachers; 3. Laos; 4. Seminar; 5. Rustle.
HA NOI  The Vietnam National University-Hanoi (VNU) should take the lead in building Viet Nam into a start-up nation, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told its managerial staff yesterday.

Concerning VNUs target of becoming a research-oriented university by 2030, the PM said VNU should link research with reality, considering start-ups as measurements of training quality.

The university should promote ideas and research projects ahead of technological and socio-economic trends in Asia, he noted.

However, to meet real demand and keep up with the start-up spirit, the university needs to bring knowledge into practice.

Tertiary education in Viet Nam, including in VNU, has yet to meet the real demand of businesses and the economy, he said, pointing out that 225,000 graduates are unemployed nationwide. He said this was a huge waste of social resources and stressed that education quality needs to head toward the start-up target.

He asked the university to adapt its research to reality, which can be seen through establishing and successfully operating enterprises, noting that research findings must satisfy the demand of businesses, develop the economy and serve socio-economic development.

Education and training have continually been prioritised, he affirmed, saying the sectors must proactively provide high-quality human resources for the country to achieve industrialisation, modernisation, and national development targets.

The PM said VNU has proved to be the top facility in the national tertiary education system, which now comprises 412 universities and junior colleges, and applauded its education and research that have both won national and international awards.

VNU is a State-owned tertiary education establishment housing multiple universities and institutes, including seven colleges and five faculties.

Later the same day, PM Phuc attended the launch of a programe encouraging youths involvement in creating start-ups in Ha Noi with the participation of more than 1,000 young people. - VNS
By Ha Nguyen and Ngoc Tram

A free-of-charge clinic in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, has been much praised by local people, particularly the poor.

Established by Dr Tran Van Tot some 12 years ago in Hung Loi Ward in Ninh Kieu District, the clinic has examined, consulted with and given treatment to thousands of patients including those with serious ailments such as diabetes.

Huynh Thi Kieu, 76, said, Thanks to the clinic doctors I escaped from blindness, a side-effect of diabetes.

Dr Tran Thi Lan said, Kieu was faced with cataracts. She should have been operated on, but she also faced serious diabetes, so we told Kieus daughter to look after her carefully and help her to take medicine to lower her glucose level until it was stable. Then she was able to have her eyes operated on safely at Hoan My Hospital.

Because of the operation, Kieus eyes have now returned to normal, said Lan.

Apart from giving treatment to locals in Can Tho, the clinics medical workers travel to the neighbouring provinces of Hau Giang, Tien Giang and Vinh Long to treat poor patients.

Nguyen Van Tuong, 62, in Hau Giang, said he was very happy to be treated free at the clinic where the staff members always smile at him, enthusiastically take care of him, and treat him very effectively.

My chronic cough has been much reduced, said Tuong.

Another patient, Hoang Thi Hong, 70, visited the clinic from Vinh Long Province. She experienced a lot of back pain, but because of a lack of money, she could not receive treatment at a hospital. Then recently she heard about this clinic.

Hong has been carefully treated by Dr ang Van Hieu who said Hong did not suffer any major ailments, only the usual degradation of her backbone due to old age.

Dr Hieu wrote her a prescription for some medicine and asked her to return to the clinic in two weeks.

Hong was very happy because she could have her back pain treated free, and just as important, the behaviour of the medical workers at the clinic was very nice.

I feel much better after receiving their treatment, she said.

Pham Hong Minh, 55, in Can Thos Thot Not District, praises the clinic as a good example for others to follow. Patients do not have to wait in line and doctors do checkups very carefully with a smile on their faces.

The 200sq.m clinic has rooms to deal with cardiovascular cases, children, and a room for ear, nose, throat and skin cases, according to Dr Tran Van Tot, who is head of the clinic.

In his memoirs, Tot wrote, After retiring in 2000, I continued working in Tan An Ward. I joined a group of seven members to help the elderly receive free cataract operations at Can Tho General Hospital. During that time, I often thought about setting up a clinic for the poor.

In 2005, by chance and luck, I met two overseas Vietnamese who lived in Australia, Vo Van Tam and Quan Van Cam, at the house of a friend. Upon hearing my idea of setting up a free clinic for poor patients in Can Tho and the surrounding area, they agreed to donate VN15 million per month for the clinic, and gave an advance of VN100 million to start up the clinics activities.

Tot said, In the first years we had to move our clinic from place to place due to a lack of land. In 2011, Ngoc iep, head of the management board of the To inh Chieu Minh Cao ai (Caodaism is a religion in Viet Nam), agreed to lend us 200sq.m of land and donated VN50 million to us so we could build the clinic.

In addition, I have asked my friends and relatives to donate us more money to build the clinic. As a result, it was finished in February 2011, and has treated many hundreds of patients free of charge, said Tot.

The clinic has also received help from the Can Tho authorities and other donors; however, increasing numbers of patients each year have caused difficulties such as a shortage of medicines and equipment.

Dr Tot has called on local and foreign donors to continue assisting the clinic, for us to have the conditions to promote medical checkups for poor patients in Can Tho and other areas in the Mekong Delta. VNS
The 11th century Vinh Nghiem Pagoda and its collection of 3,050 rare Han-Nom woodblocks are just two of a plethora of attractions that await tourists visiting Bac Giang Province. Bui Quynh Hoa reports.

Taking a stroll in the ancient and peaceful Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, known as a centre for Buddhism in the northern province of Bac Giang, is a special experience that everyone should try, especially in the charming time of autumn.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda was built in the Ly Dynasty in the 11th century under the reign of King Ly Thai To (1010-1028) in the village of uc La, Tri Yen Commune, Yen Dung District, about 80km from Ha Noi.

Initially named Chuc Thanh, the pagoda later took the name of the village and was called La Pagoda or uc La Pagoda, said Le Thi Khoi, from the Relics Management Board of Yen Dung District.

The pagoda was embellished, expanded, and renamed Vinh Nghiem under the reign of Tran Nhan Tong (1278-1293). Vinh Nghiem means Forever Lasting and Solemn, Khoi added.

It was where the three first patriarchs of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism: Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), Phap Loa (1284-1330) and Huyen Quang (1254-1334) once preached and it served as a training institution for monks during the Tran Dynasty (13th-14th centuries).

The pagoda is considered the first Buddhism university of Viet Nam, and the place of origin for Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, playing an important role in the history of Buddhism in Viet Nam general and in the Tran Dynasty in particular.

Special woodblocks

Coming to Vinh Nghiem, you cant help talking about the valuable woodblocks here.

The collection of 3,050 woodblocks with about 2,000 Han-Nom characters, most of which are Buddhist texts, sutras, the writings of the three first patriarchs and some by other master monks of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism. The pagoda also stores some texts on treatments with medicinal herbs and acupuncture.

Keeping a check: The Venerable Thich Thanh Vinh checks the woodblocks that have been recognised by UNESCO as World Documentary Heritage items as part of the Memory of the World Programme, to make sure they are preserved well. VNS Photo oan Tung

According to the Venerable Thich Thanh Vinh, vice head of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, the woodblocks here were made by artisans of the craft villages in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces, and especially Hai Duong Provinces Lieu Trang Craft Village, which specialises in engraving woodblocks.

The majority of the blocks feature printing on both sides and have been engraved with Han and Nom characters in a mirror like fashion. The depth of the engravings is approximately 1-1.5mm, so the prints on do (poonah) paper are very clear.

The size of the woodblock depends on the category of the sutra. The biggest block is over 100cm in length and 40-50cm in width. The smallest one is only 15x20cm.

The woodblocks not only consist of the deep thoughts and values of Truc Lam Zen, but also serve as remarkable calligraphic and artistic items, and mark the development of the Vietnamese Nom ideographic script in different periods of time.

These are also excellent works of art with unique, original and irreplaceable features. Through this collection, readers can discover plentiful information about many fields such as religion, language, literature, medicine and art, he said.

On May 16, 2012, at a meeting of the Asia Pacific Regional Committee of UNESCO held in Bangkok, Thailand, the Buddhist Sutra Woodblocks of Truc Lam Zen at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda were on the lists of World Documentary Heritage as part of the Memory of the World Programme. Their acceptance was based on the three criteria of authenticity; uniqueness and irreplaceability; and their position and role in the region.

Veteran monk Thich Thanh Vinh, vice head of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda said: "The woodblocks are now in good condition although they have been kept at fairly simple facilities for many years.

"The blocks are checked by monks at the pagoda four times a year. Because both sides of the blocks are carved with characters, the checks should be made carefully," he added. "Thats why they have been well preserved despite harsh weather and war.

Becoming popular: More and more visitors and researchers are visiting the land of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism. VNS Photo oan Tung

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda was recognised as a national historical and cultural site in 1964. Its festival, which is held annually from the 12th to 14th day of the second lunar month, was also recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage site in 2013. Significantly, the pagoda was recognised as a special national relic in 2015.

Addressing the certificate awarding ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed that the locality should develop a plan to preserve Vinh Nghiem Pagoda soon.

The PM asked the province to broadcast widely the cultural, historic, scientific and aesthetic values of the pagoda, so that it would become an attractive destination for tourists.

He also proposed that Bac Giang Province should implement further studies on its value in connection with the Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscapes, which should be referred to UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

The UNESCO Chief Representative to Viet Nam, Katherine Muller-Marin, also highly appreciated the pagoda and its valuable woodblocks.

On behalf of UNESCO, I congratulate you on your efforts to preserve this beautiful pagoda and to care for the woodblocks that represent the memory of an important part of world history, said Muller-Marin.

I believe this pagoda is one of the most beautiful pagodas I have visited. You can feel the rich history and the spirituality. I wish you success in your work to protect and conserve the woodblocks and in your teachings to the people, she added.

Thanks to the recognition, the number of visitors coming to Vinh Nghiem Pagoda has increased rapidly, from 82,000 visits in 2013 to 144,000 in the first eight months of this year, according to the Relic Management Board of the provinces Yen Dung District.

This is the first time I have come to Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, said Hoang Thi Tho from Tuyen Quang Province. Its really ancient, beautiful and peaceful.

Truong Thi Hue from Quang Tri Province agreed with Tho.

Vinh Nghiem Pagodas architecture is very old. I feel its sacred nature, but also relaxed and calm in my soul when I am here. Its one of the most beautiful pagodas in Bac Giang I have come to.

Tourism potential

Bac Giang Province is home to more than 101 national and special national relic sites like Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, the Hoang Hoa Tham Relic Site, and the Yen The uprising zone complex which includes 23 relics in the four districts of Yen The, Tan Yen, Viet Yen and Yen Dung, said Nguyen Phuc Thuong, vice director of Bac Giangs Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism.

The province is also endowed with various scenic sites, notably Bo a Pagoda, Suoi Mo and ong Thong tourism areas, Cam Son Lake and the Khe Ro primitive forest.

According to Thuong, Bac Giang is also one of the provinces that hold the greatest number of annual festivals. It is estimated that the province has about 540 traditional festivals, which are held in the first three lunar months of the year. Many of them feature the unique cultural identities of local ethnic minority groups.

Classic style: The ancient architecture of the pagoda is highly recommended for researchers. VNS photo oan Tung

In addition, a variety of its specialties have long been famous throughout the country, such as lychees grown in Luc Ngan District, the rice wine of Van Village, the ceramics of Tho Ha, the crispy rice crackers of Ke Village, rice noodles of Nam Duong Village, and bee honey from Son ong Village.

Realising our great potential for tourism, we have mapped out plans to maximally exploit and develop our tourism products, especially on spiritual culture, history and ecological relaxation, said Thuong.

With the target of turning tourism into one of its important economic sectors, Bac Giang has exerted efforts in implementing a number of programmes and projects to expand the industry in the coming decades.

Thanks to the efforts, the number of tourists coming to our province has increased considerably, from 160,000 visits in 2011 to nearly 410,000 in 2015, said Le Anh Duong, vice chairman of the Bac Giang Peoples Committee.

The average rate of increase in the 2011-15 period was 23.4 per cent. We plan to reach more than one million visits by 2020, with an average rate of increase of 25 per cent in the period 2016-20, Duong said.

"Co-operation among neighbouring provinces to develop tourism, especially spiritual tourism, was essential.

Its feasible for Bac Giang to co-operate with Ha Noi and other provinces including Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen and even HCM City to develop our own tourism products and promote attractive tours. VNS
Tamoya Udon serves homemade udon and soup dishes that originate from Sanuki in Japans Kagawa Prefecture. Phuong Mai samples the fare in downtown HCM City.

To lovers of Japanese cuisine, like my brother and me, Oedo Alley Japanese Food Village, located on the fifth floor of the sparkling new Takashimaya Centre, was a veritable paradise.

We were spoiled for choice and didnt want to leave.

The village is home to six restaurants offering different specialities: udon, ramen, sushi, sashimi and more.

Stepping inside under the Japanese-style entrance, I was pleasantly surprised. The interior reminded me of traditional restaurants with wooden counters, curtains and lanterns which I had seen in Japanese movies.

My brother and I were warmly welcomed by receptionists in kimonos who introduced us to the restaurants and their different offerings.

After a brief discussion, we chose Tamoya Udon, which was first established in Kagawa in 1996 by Sanuki udon champion Tamotsu. It has outlets across Japan and in other Asian countries.

The restaurant serves udon with or without broth in normal or big bowls, priced from VN29,000  89,000 (US$1.3-4).

There are 12 kinds of udon with seafood, beef or pork, as well as rice dishes with beef or pork from VN55,000  69,000 ($2.5-3) and tempura starting from VN8,000.

I wanted something spicy so I chose udon with pork and chili sauce at VN65,000 ($3). My brother, who prefers fatty tastes, ordered curry udon at VN59,000 (nearly $3).

We hurried and picked up our trays at the counter and told the chefs which udon dish we wanted. They recommended the big portions, which only cost an additional VN14,000 ($0.6).

When the dishes arrived, we were a bit starstruck. The colours were dazzling and the fragrance had us licking our lips. And the bowls were so big! With lots of meat and noodles.

My spicy pork udon was a colourful medley of white fresh udon, light brown stir-fried pork and red chili sauce.

Satisfying: Curry udon with Japanese curry sauce and shredded beef. VNS Photo Phuong Mai

The secret of my dish was homemade dashi broth, a class of soup and cooking stock used in Japanese cuisine. The broth was sweet and moreish, while the udon and pork were tender. And the chili sauce was not too spicy.

However, the bowl was too big for me. I asked for help from my brother, who gladly obliged.

My brothers bowl had the distinctive brown colour of Japanese curry. White noodles and shredded beef were submerged in the sauce made with vegetables and meat.

After all of that, we were so full we couldnt even sample the tempura. So we skipped it for next time.

I ordered two glasses of peach tea (VN39,000 ($1.75) each), a favourite drink among young Vietnamese, to end our big meal.

On our next trip to Takashimaya, now one of the most popular shopping centres in downtown HCM City, we will head back to the Oedo Alley Japanese Food Village and try ramen or sushi. Something tells me we will not be disappointed. VNS

Restaurant: Tamoya Udon

Address: L5-09, Oedo Alley Japanese Food Village, 65 Le Loi St, District 1, HCM City.

Tel: (08) 38218869

Hours: 10 am  10:45 pm

Comment: Affordable prices, delicious soup broth, big portions
Albanese pressed over lack of appearances with Andrews ahead of election campaign Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has deflected questions about why he has not appeared alongside Premier Daniel Andrews ahead of the official Victorian election campaign while in Melbourne.

Liberals call for school mobile phone ban after shock NAPLAN results The Coalition has repeated calls for a "back to basics" focus on education and a nation-wide ban of mobile phones in schools following the shock results from NAPLAN.

Whos suggesting Im not?: Andrews grilled over Peoples Forum appearance Daniel Andrews has faced questions over whether he will appear at the Sky News/Herald Sun People's Forum ahead of the Victoria state election after Matthew Guy agreed to take part in the debate.

Sydney woman identified as Australian killed in Halloween stampede A 23-year-old production assistant from Sydney has been revealed as the Australian woman who died after being crushed at a Halloween party in South Korea.
CEDAR FALLS  Its no bluff.

The first and largest tenant of The Bluffs Retail Center at Pinnacle Prairie  a $14 million, 120,000-square-foot power center at Prairie Parkway and Brandilynn Boulevard  will have a coming-out party Monday.

Hobby Lobby, which will take up 55,000 square feet as an anchor tenant at the center of the building, will have a relocation celebration at 9 a.m. Monday. That store is relocating from 3731 University Ave. in Waterloo, which has another Hobby Lobby at 2711 Crossroads Blvd.

The University Avenue store closed Saturday night and the Cedar Falls store opens Monday, said store manager Scott Asby, who is moving from the old store to the new one with his entire staff.

The sales floor is almost 10,000 square feet bigger, Asby said, allowing expanded merchandise lines. For the most part, we have everything we had at the old store. It just looks nicer.

The public is invited to the relocation event. The store offers more than 75,000 crafting and home decor products including floral, fabric, needle art, custom framing, baskets, home accents, wearable art, arts and crafts, jewelry making, scrapbooking and paper crafting supplies.

Store hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. All Hobby Lobby stores are closed Sunday.

The new store will employ about 40 people, Asby said, and the store is adding jobs with the move. I had, maybe 22 people over there. I picked up about 18, Asby said. All the current employees I have are coming from over there. He managed that store for about 10 years and it opened on University Avenue in early 1997.

Numerous staff from other stores in Iowa and nearby states are on hand to help set up the relocated store in Cedar Falls  including moving merchandise from the old store to the new one.

I think people are pretty excited about it, Asby said of customers anticipation of the new store.

Some living nearer to the previous store liked its convenience, but even those people are looking forward to a new store, he said.

Hes also noticed a lot of people driving by slowly and peeking in the windows at the new store. Its located close to Prairie Parkway, an alternative access to the East Viking Road commercial area other than frequently congested Iowa Highway 58.

The other Bluffs tenant anticipated to open before the holiday shopping season is Pet Supplies Plus, a Livonia, Mich.-based retailer with a variety of pet goods, grooming services and animal expertise.

The firm signed a franchise agreement with former Waterloo city clerk Suzy Schares, who will operate the new store projected to employ about 15 people. It is anticipated to open Nov. 11.

Thats the day, Schares said. Well do a large grand opening event in January, after the holidays. Well be fully stocked and ready to go by Nov. 11.

Currently, the only other Iowa Pet Supplies Plus store is in Burlington, in the southeast corner of the state, Schares said. More are planned, but she expects the Cedar Falls store will attract customers from a wide area.

Our target market will be the Cedar Valley, but we certainly are hoping to reach out to some of the (pet) rescues from Waverly and that area to draw more people. Our goal is to work with the shelters, set up some rescue events. Well have a donation bin where people can donate to the local shelters. Were looking forward to being a partner with all those organizations, as well as the Cedar Bend Humane Society.

Ive had people from all over reach out to me, Schares said. Were certainly hoping to draw as many people as we can from a large area. Our focus will be that well be the neighborhood pet store. Our goal is not to be a big-box store. Our goal is to serve our community.

They plan to have a weekly shelter cat-of-the-week adoption promotion, with a cat of the week on display in a play area within the store, to raise awareness. While it will promote dog and cat adoptions from local shelters, we will have all the little critters  birds, fish, reptiles. A little petting zoo. It also includes a pet washing area where owners can come and wash their pets.

On leaving Waterloo City Hall, Schares said. I had reached that point in my career where I wanted to do something different, but I wanted to continue to serve the Cedar Valley. And what better way to do it than happy puppies and kitties and all the other critters?

Other Bluffs stores, anticipated to open in the first quarter of 2017, include Dollar Tree, Famous Footwear, HomeGoods and Ross Dress For Less. All are in various stages of construction. The Ross space is yet to be built and may be open in the middle of the year.

The Bluff Pack LLC is the developer of the retail center and Lockard Cos. is serving as a leasing agent. The Cedar Falls City Council approved plans for the project in March and construction started in April.

The new retail center is the latest of several projects in the Pinnacle Prairie area, including health care facilities launched by UnityPoint Health, Care Initiatives and others. It is also part a growing commercial area along East Viking Road.

Dustin Whitehead of Lockard said the new construction is generating additional interest. We like it, he said. Were still getting some calls on the out lots. Nothing committed yet, but a lot of interested parties now seeing that The Bluffs under are construction. Hopefully, over the next year, well have some more activity.

Whitehead, whose offices are at the south end of Prairie Parkway at Greenhill Road, noted traffic in Prairie Parkway seems to be picking up as alternative to Highway 58 for accessing the East Viking Road area. He suggested the city may wish to consider a traffic signal at Prarie Parkway and East Viking.

For more information on Pinnacle Prairie visit; www.pinnacleprairie.com.
Third of four profiles of this years inductees into the Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowas Business Hall of Fame.

WATERLOO  Steve Jackson followed in his fathers footsteps while marching to his own drummer, leading the family business to additional professional recognition.

Jackson, an Ames High School and Iowa State University graduate, not only succeeded his father, the late Robins Jackson, as president of Cedar Valley Corp., but he also rose to prominence in professional organizations and led the company on a 15-year run of awards from the Associated General Contractors of America for corporate and philanthropic responsibility.

Robins Jackson entered the construction trade in 1946 after military service during World War II and turned the keys to the company over to his son many years before his 2009 death.

Steve was on the cutting edge of his companys growth and the development of the interstate highway system in Iowa four decades ago.

I lived in Cedar Rapids for three years, for work, Jackson said. I was driving back and forth to Waterloo all the time, so we moved here.

He could personally attest to the need for a four-lane connection between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo. The trek took about two hours on two-lane road, double the present time.

Construction of I-380 and the reconstruction of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area highway system was a major undertaking for Cedar Valley Corp. and many other contractors in the 1980s and early 1990s.

In later years, Cedar Valley also played a key role in the reconstruction of Interstates 80 and 35 around Des Moines. Most recently, the company has been working on the U.S. Highway 218 interchange at County Road C-57 between Cedar Falls and Janesville, as well as expansions of Interstates 80 and 29 near Council Bluffs. The firm employs about 150 to 170 people at the peak of construction season.

He found a lot of motivation, and reward, in joining the family business.

I always liked hard work, Jackson said. I liked the challenge. Something I always liked about construction  especially our type of construction  was that you can see what youd completed in a day. Its always been a sense of accomplishment.

The elder and younger Jacksons styles differed, each a product of the generation in which they were raised.

They were The Greatest Generation that came out of World War II, and were determined to do it one way  their own, Steve said. Certainly my management style was different from my fathers, but his also was very common with the times.

Our companys always been involved in association work  as you know, my dad was national president of the AGCA. So I was exposed to a lot of different management styles by meeting people at association meetings. And, probably like most people, my management style has evolved over time.

He was on an AGCA task force to develop a partnering process. Its still used today. The basic crux of it is just treating each other the way you want to be treated  fairly. We adopted that management style here. Its pretty simple.

Ive been really fortunate to have a great group of people I work with, Jackson added. I think we care about our employees and try to take care of them. We have a tough business, where people arent home every night. We do a lot of traveling. Its tough. Way back when we used to work six days a week. And now we really try to avoid weekends, try to plan ahead around holiday weekends to allow employees time off to be with their families. Its definitely different, being out in the elements and traveling like we have to do.

Finding good, qualified people is a challenge. Employees are increasingly diverse ethnically and culturally, and the workforce is made up of men and women.

Cedar Valley, like other companies, has played an increasing role in cultivating interest in developing a skilled workforce both in the profession through AGCA as well as locally through Hawkeye Community College and high schools.

Our mechanics can make $60,000 to $70,000 a year or more. And theres a lot of people that are making that kind of money if they have the aptitude and want to learn, Jackson said. We have to cultivate a work force. And thats where Junior Achievement is a positive influence. We really appreciate what their mission is.

I always liked hard work. I liked the challenge. Something I always liked about construction  especially our type of construction  was that you can see what youd completed in a day. Its always been a sense of accomplishment. Steve Jackson

I always liked hard work. I liked the challenge. Something I always liked about construction  especially our type of construction  was that you can see what youd completed in a day. Its always been a sense of accomplishment. <&textAlign: right> Steve Jackson
DAVID BEATY, ChFC, CLU, LUTCF, president of Heartland Financial Services in Cedar Falls, was elected to serve on the board of trustees of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. Beaty has been active in the financial services industry for 35 years as an agent, manager and compliance officer. He has a bachelors degree and a masters degree (math education) from Truman State University.

BRET CLIKEMAN and ZACH BERG joined Kryton Engineered Metals as manufacturing engineers. Clikeman has an extensive manufacturing background, and Berg is a recent graduate of Iowa State University. LARRY BEARBOWER and JOSH GATES were promoted. Bearbower was promoted to operations manager, and Gates, who has worked for Kryton for 26 years, was promoted to controller. Gates was the financial analyst.

MICH-ELLE TOVAR and KATHY GOULDEN joined TCF Equipment Finance. Tovar, a senior documentation transaction coordinator, has a criminology degree from the University of Northern Iowa. Goulden, a customer service representative, graduated from UNI with a bachelors degree in elementary education. They both previously were at Ocwen Financial Corp.

BRIAN GORMAN joined Far Reach in Cedar Falls as a developer. He was a developer at Roehl Transport in Marshfield, Wis. Gorman has been a developer for more than 14 years, and has taught and created technical training courses for more than six years. He has a bachelors degree in computer science from Iowa State and a masters in computer information systems from the University of Phoenix.

HELEN PEARCE, president/CEO, Cedar Falls Community Credit Union, was elected as vice chairman on the Iowa Credit Union League Board of Directors for 2016-17. She has been with CFCCU for 33 years.

JORDAN DIRKS, director, HR, joined CBE this year and has a bachelors degree from UNI. JENNIFER BESSMAN, consumer communications analyst I, has been with CBE since 2010 and has an associates degree from Hawkeye Community College. SHAUN KANE, manager, third party training, has been with CBE for five years and has a bachelors degree from Loras College. BELKISA JASAREVIC, supervisor, customer solutions QA, has been with CBE since 2012 and has a bachelors degree from Upper Iowa University. ELMA SALKIC, trainer I, has been with CBE since 2014. KYLE SOUKUP joined CBE Companies as an operations business analyst I. He was at Wells Fargo and has a bachelors degree from UNI.

TRAVIS FELL was promoted to partner in tax services at the Cedar Rapids office of RSM US LLP, a provider of assurance, tax and consulting services. He was formerly located in their Waterloo office.Four new associates joined VGM Group Inc.

ANNASTASIA JOHNSON, previously at Labor Ready, joined Homelink as a transportation patient care coordinator. AMANDA EIKLENBORG, an Aplington-Parkersburg graduate, joined Homelink as a patient care coordinator. JOE ROSE comes to VGM from Far Reach. He is a software developer for Homelink and is a Hawkeye Community College graduate. ERIC LARSON was at Truckers Insurance and joined VGMs Insurance division as a reporting analyst. He is a Central College graduate.

KATHY HEETLAND, ARNP, joined Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Iowa at its Covenant Clinic Medical Oncology and Hematology office at the Covenant Cancer Treatment Center. Heetland received her BSN from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and her MSN as an adult/gerontology nurse practitioner from Allen College in Waterloo. Since 2013, Heetland has worked for Clinical Radiologists at the Covenant Cancer Treatment Center.
IOWA CITY  Albia Democrat Patty Judge recently stood on an outdoor veranda of the newly opened Hancher Auditorium on the banks of the Iowa River and took a moment to admire the fruits of her labors.

Not far to the south was the old site of the University of Iowas venerable performing arts venue, a place the former Iowa lieutenant governor in Gov. Chet Culvers administration visited numerous times in her role as the states Homeland Security adviser during the darkest days of Iowas historic 2008 floods.

This was a real struggle. I was here when the water was up and the old building was full of muck and was deemed unsavable, she said.

But eight years and countless discussions later, Judge was able to see the time she spent battling nature, bureaucracy and obstacles had a long-term payback as she toured the building on the day of its grand reopening.

This is an unbelievably beautiful building. Its great that its back, said Judge, whose memories take in the evacuations of St. Lukes Hospital, the Linn County Jail and a large swath of downtown Cedar Rapids, along with the slow trek of rebuilding Iowas second-largest city from its worst calamity.

The way we came through this flood in 2008  both the response and the recovery. People ask me: what is the thing that you remember most or are proudest of in 20 years? That has to be it. It was also the most challenging, and the one that just makes you want to pull your hair out, she noted. I know this was a real struggle.

Being no stranger to struggles has come in handy for Judge in her return to Iowas campaign trail after a six-year hiatus. She is facing another seemingly insurmountable challenge, seeking to unseat GOP icon Charles Grassley, a six-term U.S. senator who is making another bid for re-election Nov. 8.

Judges David-versus-Goliath quest to defeat Grassley  the only Iowa politician to garner a million votes in an Iowa election  captured the imagination of humorist Garrison Keillor. He traveled south from his prairie home in Minnesota to champion her cause as an underdog trying to root out an entrenched incumbent.

It was her can-do attitude that prompted her to jump into the political arena in 1992 while raising three sons with her husband at their Monroe County cow-calf operation. She had worked as a registered nurse, run a real-estate business and mediated disputes between farmers and lenders during the depths of Iowas farm-debt crisis of the 1980s.

Like Grassley, Judge got her start in the Legislature, serving in the Iowa Senate before taking the nontraditional path of parlaying her farm background into her first statewide political bid as a candidate for secretary of agriculture.

I know a little about firsts, folks, Judge recently told an Iowa rally for Hillary Clinton, a Democrat seeking to become Americas first female president.

I was the first woman elected as secretary of agriculture in Iowa. Im going to be the first person to beat Chuck Grassley in 42 years, she noted. Grassley first was elected to Congress in 1974 and the Senate in 1980.

Its that fighting spirit  be it for working families, rural communities, the underprivileged or the disadvantaged  that drew pediatric nurse practitioner Pat Clinton to Judge. She credited Judge with taking on powerful medical interests as a state senator to enact one of the strongest bills in America to add full prescriptive authority to nurses scope of practice  a health-care change that was especially beneficial for rural Iowa.

If it wouldnt have been for Patty, that wouldnt have happened, Clinton said. Patty was just incredible for pushing that legislation through. Thats why Ive been a huge supporter.

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said Judge impressed him as a tough, hard-working advocate for rural Iowa during the years he sat next to her in the Iowa Senate and later when she served as state ag secretary during the eight years he was governor.

She knows how to work in a bipartisan way, which I think we need more of, said Vilsack, who now serves as U.S. secretary of agriculture. Shes a hard worker. She cares deeply about folks in rural Iowa and has dedicated her life to keeping small family farms viable.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said Judges extensive background in public service and the private sector has made her very grounded with common sense. Patty Judge is Iowa, she said while campaigning for Judge.

Some of that experience for Judge has been a baptism by fire: farming and mediating through the debt crisis of the 1980s; being the first female ag secretary in a male-dominated industry; being second in command of state government hard hit by the worst economic calamity since the Great Depression during a housing crisis of 2008; and wrestling with the decision whether to challenge Grassley or devote her nursing skills to caring for her granddaughter, Millie, who has faced heart-related health issues.

In the end, it was her son, Joe, who told her You need to go run this race because youre the one person who can take on Chuck Grassley, you can stand up to him and we will take care of Millie.

Not everyone has been on board with Judges return to Iowa politics, including labor groups displeased with Culver administration decisions and progressive farm groups who feel she was too close to corporate interests during her stint as ag secretary.

Chris Petersen, a longtime Democrat and former head of the Iowa Farmers Union, said he wont be voting for Judge or Grassley.

Im going to write in another Democrat because I think shes too close to industrial ag and entities like that, Petersen said. I understand the Supreme Court stuff and all that, but I just cant vote for her. I just cant.

However, Vilsack he hoped Iowa voters, especially Democrats, would take a longer view of the 2016 race.

I think you have to understand that you have a choice. Its not a choice between what you perceive to be the perfect candidate and Patty. Its a choice between Patty and Chuck Grassley and at the end of the day, Patty is going to be more sympathetic and more understanding of the struggling small farmer on issues involving the environment, on issues involving regulations, on issues involving markets and that kind of thing than Chuck is. For progressives, thats the choice you have, he said. You dont want the perfect to be the enemy of the good.
WATERLOO  The city is prepared to provide property tax breaks for a new truck stop and convenience store near the former Waterloo Greyhound Park.

City Council members will be asked Monday to approve a development agreement with Loves Travel Stops and Country Stores for the $3.35 million project east of the vacant dog track near the intersection of U.S. Highway 63, the U.S. Highway 20 westbound off-ramp and Greyhound Drive.

The proposed contract calls for the city to rebate 75 percent of the truck stops property taxes for the next eight years, which is essentially designed to reimburse Loves for its cost of buying the site from a private owner.

Community Planning and Development Director Noel Anderson said the project, despite the tax rebates, will still generate more than $28,000 to pay off city debt and more than $24,000 to help provide incentives for other projects in the Martin Road tax-increment financing district.

Anderson said the Martin Road TIF has seen $9 million in new taxable value and the creation of 100 new jobs since its inception nearly 20 years ago.

Council members voted in March to approve a site plan amendment for Loves, which includes a 7,000-square-foot convenience store and fast-food restaurant, a 5,000-square-foot light truck service center and substantial parking, scales and fueling stations for semitrailer trucks.

The 53-year-old family-owned firm is based in Oklahoma City and operates more than 350 retail sites in 40 states.

Other scheduled council business includes:

Approving a $234,000 contract with Twin City Tree Service, of Waterloo, for additional tree clearing on the Cedar River flood levee system. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires the removal for the city to keep its levees certified.

The installation of speed hump on Adams Street near Sullivan Park, which was requested by residents in the area.

The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers on the second floor of City Hall. Work sessions and committee meetings start at 3:50 p.m.
MAYNARD  Tom McGrath was back in Iowa on leave from the U.S. Navy for his brothers wedding in October 1962. But not for long.

My mom got a call and told me my leave was canceled and to get back as soon as I could, McGrath recalled. That was the first news I got that our squadron (of ships) was being called in.

He was to return to Mayport, Fla., and the destroyer USS Allen M. Sumner, on which he served as a sonarman. The destination and mission were unknown to him. But it was at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

I flew out of the airport at Waterloo, and we said our goodbyes, McGrath recalled. I remember my dad as crying at the time, and my mom was really concerned.

McGrath would soon learn his mission, as the Allen M. Sumner headed out of Mayport for the island of Cuba.

It would be one of the first ships in a blockade or quarantine of that island during the Cuban Missile Crisis. U.S. spy planes photographed what appeared to be ballistic missile installations on the island. The mission of the Sumner and associated ships was to block and turn back any Soviet vessels headed for Cuba. Soviet premier Nikita Krushchev was trying to deliver the missiles to Cuban communist dictator Fidel Castro. Twenty months earlier the U.S. backed a botched attempt to overthrow Castro at the Bay of Pigs.

President John F. Kennedy outlined the situation and the U.S. response in a national television address. He also said any launching of the missiles against any nation in the Western Hemisphere would be considered an attack by the Soviet Union on the U.S. and would be met by a full retaliatory response on the Soviet Union. The world was at the brink of nuclear war.

McGrath didnt see Kennedys speech  he had already been several days at sea  but he heard the news. He also saw U.S. carriers scrambling planes on patrol. And he saw a couple of vessels that apparently were Russian trawlers.

After about a month of delicate negotiations the crisis was resolved. The Soviets withdrew the missiles in exchange for a promise not to invade Cuba. The U.S. also secretly removed missiles from Turkey, adjacent to the USSR.

The crisis was over. The blockade that began Oct. 16 ended Nov. 20. McGrath, whod joined the Navy in 1959, would continue his service until 1964. He returned to Iowa and worked at Titus Manufacturing in Waterloo and attended the University of Northern Iowa while he and his wife, Linda, raised four children. He would graduate from UNI and get a teaching job in Woodstock, Ill. for 20 years. They moved back to Iowa after retirement.

Tom McGrath never gave much thought to his service in October 1962. His son, Chris, a captain in the San Diego Police Department, did. Chris, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran himself, wanted his fathers service acknowledged, though his dad never sought it.

He encouraged him to apply for that recognition. Within the past couple of weeks an envelope arrived with decorations Tom McGrath was due for his service, including two expedition medals for the missile crisis, as well as a National Defense Service Medal and Navy Good Conduct Medal. Chris helped secure the medals with guidance from Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernsts office.

Tom McGrath thinks hell display the medals by a photo of his ship. I was surprised when the medals finally arrived, McGrath said.

But of his service, he said, Its just something you go through, and you go on to the next step. Theres things you go through in life that you do the best you can.

Stuck away in a box of memorabilia, he also has a photo of himself on the torpedo deck of the Allen M. Sumner with a Soviet trawler and the Cuban mainland in the background. Its a reminder of how he, along with his shipmates and many others, played a part in protecting America and turning the world away from the doorstep of destruction.
Fundraiser will benefit families

WATERLOO  Family & Childrens Council of Black Hawk County will host its annual dinner and auction event Oct. 28.

This is the agencys biggest fundraiser of the year; the theme is Oh, the Place Theyll Go.

The public is welcome with RSVP deadline by Monday. The agency is seeking sponsors for the event. Contact Kajtazovic at anesa@fccouncil.net or 234-7600.

WWII veteran to speak at college

WATERLOO  Hawkeye Community College, 1501 E. Orange Road, will host World War II veteran and Iwo Jima survivor David Greene Thursday for a special presentation, When the War is Over: Healing the Soul.

The event, in Tama Hall from 1:30 to 3 p.m., is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the presentation.

He will share his perspective on the experience of war and the impact it has on lives, including how he moved from fighting the enemy to recognizing a shared humanity. To learn more, call Jennifer Bates at 296-2329, ext.1211.

C.F. now taking grant forms

CEDAR FALLS  The city of Cedar Falls anticipates having $47,750 available for economic development organizations/projects seeking city financial support for the upcoming year.

The city will distribute funds through a competitive process managed by its Economic Development Fund Review Board. Organizations or projects that significantly contribute to or promote economic development, taxable valuation increases and job creation activities in Cedar Falls are eligible.

For applications, contact Cedar Falls Economic Development Fund Review Board, c/o Iris Lehmann, Planner I, 220 Clay St. Cedar Falls 50613 or at 273-8600.

Completed applications are due by Oct. 28.

UNI group will host Zombie Run

CEDAR FALLS  The University of Northern Iowa Supporters of the United States Army will host a 5KM Zombie Run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 29.

The run will help support UNISUSA in its efforts to support the University of Northern Iowa ROTC cadets. The run is through the University of Northern Iowa campus where participants will encounter zombies who will chase them down.

A zombie costume contest will be held after the 5K for the best looking zombie. Registration cost is $20 before Oct. 27 and $25 after that. Sign up at http://uni-zombie-run-2k16.eventbrite.com.

UNI Proud will host drag show

CEDAR FALLS  UNI Proud, a student organization at the University of Northern Iowa that promotes an inclusive and accepting campus environment for LGBTQ members of the UNI community and their allies, will host its annual Halloween-themed drag show, Dragaganza, from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Lang Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Dragaganza is UNI Prouds biggest event during the fall semester with UNI students making up a majority of performers. More than 200 people attended the event last year. Audience members are encouraged to wear costumes, but it is not required.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Schools plan October events

WATERLOO  Waterloo Schools will participate in Anti-Bullying Month events during the month of October.

Events include:

Oct. 12, Students are reminded of the anti-bullying pledge signed at registration.

Oct. 17, National Bus Safety Week.

Oct. 19, National Unity Daywear orange.

Oct. 22, Red Ribbon Week begins.

The Safety & Bullying Hotline at Waterloo Schools is voicemail 433-2081, text 435-8187 or stopbullying@waterlooschools.org.

Free first aid for pets class slated

CEDAR FALLS  There will be a free class on basic pet care first aid and CPR at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Cedar Falls Public Library, hosted by Taylor Veterinary Hospital.

The public is welcome. There will be light refreshments and an open environment for questions.

Union fall vocal concert planned

LA PORTE CITY  The Union High School Vocal Department will present its fall vocal concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the school.

The concert will feature 17 students auditioning for the Iowa All-State chorus along with the UHS Concert Choir.
Ben Carson visits tonight

CEDAR FALLS - Former Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson will appear in place of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions tonight at the Republicans of Black Hawk County Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser tonight in Cedar Falls.

The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the PIPAC Centre on the Lake, 1521 Technology Parkway, in Cedar Falls. The dinner begins with a social hour at 4:30, a buffet dinner at 5 p.m., with the program beginning at 5:30 p.m. A cash bar also will be available.

Harkin visits Waterloo Monday

WATERLOO -- Former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin will be at Hillary Clinton campaign headquarters, 317 E. Fourth St. at 1:30 p.m. Monday to kick off a canvassing event to promote early voting for the Democratic presidential nominee.

Harkin, who did not seek re-election in 2014 after 30 years in the Senate and 10 years in the House, is conducting similar events around the state. Campaign workers and volunteers will be canvassing neighborhoods to promote early voting.

Poyner school gets recognition

EVANSDALE -- The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University will present Poyner Elementary with a School of Character Award at 9:15 a.m. Monday during an assembly.

The award is presented each year to a school which has developed and sustained a comprehensive character development initiative to positively impact its culture and climate. Poyner recently won Waterloo Community Schools' Swartzendruber Award for Academic Excellence with proficiency gains of 23 percentage points in reading, science and math scores.

Since 2005, The Ray Center has presented more than 100 awards for good character. For more information, visit IowaCharacterAwards.org.

Salvation Army signups set

WATERLOO -- The Salvation Army of Waterloo/Cedar Falls will offer its Christmas assistance registration from 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

Those seeking assistance with Christmas gifts or food are asked to go to the 207 Logan St. entrance of The Salvation Army.

Applicants must bring picture identification, proof of income and expenses, Social Security cards for all family members, and birth certificates for children ages 17 and younger.

Registrations will only be accepted during the specified dates and times. For more information, call 235-9358.
WATERLOO  The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley needs help with the following:

The Getting Ahead in the Cedar Valley Program is seeking individuals and groups to prepare dinners for 35 participants Monday and Thursday evenings. Volunteers can assist by providing the whole meal fresh or frozen, cook a meal from the already purchased groceries, financially donate to support a meal or help serve program participants.

The Salvation Army Meal Program operates Monday through Friday and volunteers are needed to assist from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. to keep food stocked, serve and assist with cleanup. Volunteers must wear shirts with sleeves and closed toed shoes.

EMBARC Waterloo is looking for volunteers to advocate for the refugee community. A client advocate must be age 18 or older and provide support for the client, transportation to appointments/meetings and advocacy in the community.

The Black Hawk County Elections Office needs individuals to work the polls Nov. 8. Precinct election officials must be at least 18 years old and registered to vote in Black Hawk County. All precinct election officials are required to attend training and able to work 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Election Day. Training and stipend will be provided.

Volunteers are needed to assist with the Family STEM Festival on Nov. 10 at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. Two shifts of volunteers needed: 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. and 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. Opportunities include registration, greeters, clean-up patrol, and traffic flow directors.

For more information, call the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at 272-2087, or go to www.vccv.org.
People do not like politicians, and the 2016 election is a perfect demonstration of why. Both candidates for president are despicable. Given a choice that would make a difference, most Americans wouldnt vote for either one.

We may be living in a free republic because George Washington rejected personal power, so his words carry additional meaning when he allegedly said, Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force.

So, who goes into politics? What type of person would be attracted to a life seeking and holding political force?

The answers are far from flattering.

If you were a con artist, why run little scams? Especially if you had a very large ego?

I bought a used car recently. One guy attempted to sell me a car with a bad transmission. When I told him my mechanic had found the problem, he acted hurt that I would take his car to a mechanic, and equally shocked there was something wrong with the transmission he had just replaced.

Little man. He would make a thousand or two on the scam. By selling the political snake oil of minimum wage, free gifts from the treasury and promises to get even with imaginary oppressors, he could be raking in millions.

Wait a minute, you say. There are politicians who do want to help.

OK, but so what? How do they help? Do they roll up their sleeves and work in the trenches without publicity and glory, or are they out in front with a bullhorn educating the rubes and threatening dissenters. The media know something they seldom talk about. They know many activists are disturbed people. What type of person runs around knowing what is best for the rest of us and imposing that with the largest government they can find, whether we want it or not?

Then there is the ego aspect. Students who go to prestigious schools, which produce most of our leaders, dont believe they are better than you, they KNOW they are. Some of them outgrow this conceit, but I suspect the ones who want to change the world never do. What type of person plans to be a senator or even a president while in college, and then begins to look for the right optics to use 20 years in advance? Who in the world would you think you are?

Then there is the issue of mental stability. The American president is the most powerful person on earth. Suppose you had a colleague who seriously said, Of the 350 million people in this country, I am the one who should be the most powerful person in the world. Then she adds, It is so important that I gain this position that the ends justify the means. If I have to lie about my opponents, raise money under false pretenses, threaten, bribe and beg, it is all worth it. Not for me, you understand, but for the whole world.

I suspect you would call 911. This person needs some meds and protective custody.

Who does this leave? Almost no one with the possible exception of those who dont seek office at all. But that raises a problem for the supporters who want to draft such a person. George W. Bush became president because other people encouraged him to do so, but what were their motives?

A George Washington is very rare.
It was a long time coming, but probably inevitable.

A community in the Cedar Valley, Elk Run Heights, is seriously considering installing cameras as a means of traffic enforcement.

Other communities should take note. Not of the issue itself, but of the way officials and residents in this community of 1,100 are handling it  with thoughtful, respectful discussion.

The Elk Run Heights City Council on Tuesday night voted 3-2 to adopt an ordinance allowing automated traffic enforcement in the city.

It wont happen right away. The council took no action on a contract with Redflex Traffic Systems of Glendale, Ariz., to install and operate cameras for five years. Final action could come as soon as next month.

The cameras are proposed on Lafayette and Gilbertville roads, two busy streets in the city.

Council members voted after a thorough discussion among themselves and with numerous citizens in attendance Tuesday and at previous meetings. Most agreed speeding, mainly from through traffic, is an issue in this growing bedroom community. The question is how to address it.

Mayor Tim Swope opposes the cameras.

I just dont think its good for our residents and businesses, Swope said, I think people are going to stop riding through this town and supporting our businesses.

However, council member Tim Ratchford, who lives on Gilbertville Road, said safety is his primary concern.

The speed limits 25. I have two grandkids at my house all the time. Theres plenty of kids on Gilbertville Road. Thats my bottom line. We want to make it safe, Ratchford said.

Several citizens and council members suggested cameras would force traffic onto residential side streets, creating more pedestrian risks; that the city would be known as a speed trap; that some consideration should be given to alternatives, like speed humps, traffic strips or narrowing lanes to force people to drive slower.

Council member Lisa Smock advocated those alternatives, noting she had heard no support for the cameras among her constituents. Council member Dale Wilson voted for the cameras previously, but voted against them Tuesday.

Im hearing loud and clear they would rather have more police presence than a camera, Wilson said, citing a new law enforcement contract with Evansdale.

Many other Iowa cities have the devices, all considerably larger than Elk Run Heights. They have been controversial in Cedar Rapids.

We reserve judgment on traffic cameras. By no means do we encourage speeding anywhere, especially through residential areas. Neither do we relish the concept of an electronic eye constantly looking over the shoulders of private citizens.

But one thing is clear. However Elk Run Heights decides this issue, it will have been done after a thorough vetting of the issue.

At last weeks meeting, citizens expressed informed views and asked intelligent questions. City officials are not considering this on a knee-jerk whim, but after months of consideration and monitoring of traffic and speeding trends. City legal staff indicated they will go over the Redflex contract with a fine tooth comb.

Swope, responding to at least one citizen, noted the issue is not a done deal. He said at least three city officials, including himself, have changed their minds on the issue after thought and feedback from the citizens.

Maybe most important of all, the discussion was respectful. There was disagreement but not discord, cordiality, not confrontation.

It was a refreshing example of democracy at work, particularly after the sniping and rancor weve seen at the federal state  and yes  even local level with some elected bodies at times.

Were not going to pass judgment on traffic cameras. But we give everyone in Elk Run Heights a big thumbs up for the way theyre handling this issue.
The United States, along with other nations of the world, will celebrate United Nations Day on Oct. 24, the anniversary of the day in 1945 the United Nations Charter went into effect.

The Iowa United Nations Association is a nonpartisan membership organization that has worked for more than 60 years to inform Iowans about the work of the U.N., to engage them in this work and to advocate for constructive U.S. leadership in international organizations.

One example of U.N. efforts is the Paris Climate Summit held last December and attended by 197 countries. The European Union signed the historic Paris Accord that has started the world on a path toward addressing global climate issues. In addition to the leaders and negotiators from the participating countries, the conference was attended by scores of non-governmental organizations, more than 400 corporations and thousands of people from around the world coming to learn about climate change projects and plans from displays and presentations.

Three Iowa mayors (Frank Cownie of Des Moines, Jim Throgmorton of Iowa City and Roy Buol of Dubuque), along with more than 560 mayors worldwide, have joined the Compact of Mayors, an initiative launched by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to help put Iowa and the world on track toward mitigating the effects of climate change. The impending crisis and the need for renewable energy sources have created many opportunities for business and economic growth. The hope is more Iowa mayors, with the support of their city councils, will take advantage of these opportunities and join the Compact of Mayors. The Iowa UNA intends to lend its help and encouragement to this process.

Climate change is only one of a number of issues on the U.N. agenda. The U.N. employs peacekeepers in war torn regions of the world and works on improving health care, eliminating poverty, providing quality education for all (with an emphasis on education for girls) and protecting and resettling refugees, to name a few.

To these ends, in 2015 the U.N. adopted a new set of 17 objectives, called Sustainable Development Goals, which they will try to achieve by 2030. These SDGs aim to address the broadest goals of the U.N., such as peace, justice, collaboration, elimination of poverty and empowerment of women, and additionally focus on 169 specific targets.

In recognition of this years United Nations Day, John Lange, former U.S. ambassador to Botswana and current head of global health diplomacy at the United Nations Foundation, will speak to a public event at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Cedar Falls Public Library. Lange will speak on Global Health and Sustainable Development.

In the spirit of United Nations Day, please join us for this opportunity to learn more about our world organization and its thrust for a better world for all.
Some of us might think the world started when we were born and we know how to fix it before we pass. We might even feel if we could only articulate what we have figured out then everyone would convert to our way of thinking. We tend to gravitate to the media outlets that best represent our views and think the other side as naive or as conspirators bent on trampling on our values.

Billy Joels popular song put it in context: We didnt start the fire  No we didnt light it, but we tried to fight it. During this political season we have seen civility go by the wayside. We have 24-hour cable channels seeking sensationalized stories, and the internet has become a platform where anonymity allows the worst to surface.

However, there have been worse political seasons. Presidents Lincoln, McKinley and Kennedy were assassinated. Thomas Jeffersons vice president, Aaron Burr, fatally shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel. During the presidency of Richard Nixon, left-wing extremists were just as vocal as todays right-wing extremists.

Our two-party political system has a long history of conflict, and todays political climate is not any worse than what weve seen in the past.

During the last few elections polarization has increased and election results have been close. Most post-election polls have shown the real decision makers are the independents and those who check their emotions at the door before making the final vote. The only real landslides have occurred when a third party candidate has taken a large portion of the votes, as happened during the Reagan-Carter election in 1980.

So, here are a few helpful pointers to counter frustration in a negative political environment:

Most Republicans and Democrats will vote their party lines regardless of who their nominee is, making the independents the kingmakers.

Contrary to claims made by cable channels the sky is falling  its not. We have not become a third-world country because the airports in Beijing or United Arab Emirates look nicer than LaGuardia. Fly into Mudanjiang, an airport about two hours away from Beijing, or discover more about the position of women in the UAE, and we quickly see where the real first world is. While we continuously strive for perfection and theres always room for improvement, we are still the country admired by friends and foes.

There are those who say they will move to Canada if the other side wins. They need to realize our system of checks and balances (legislative, executive and judicial branches) will not allow one person alone to change things within a span of four years without real compromises or risk of getting voted out.

Then there are some who think if their side does not win, there will be a revolution or a civil war. They too will find they wasted lots of energy unnecessarily. Examples abound of survivalists with bomb shelters and years of stocked up food and munitions waiting for a day that has not come in over 60 years.

The results of this election will show if the progressive agenda has advanced too far too quickly for those with more conservative views. It is sure the collective wisdom of those in the center will prevail. Will the elected president also win the Congress, or will one side win the presidency and the other side the legislative chambers?

Post-election, we will see life goes on, and the winning party will crow until the next election. The cycle repeats itself as it has before were born and will continue after we pass.
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By WestKyStar & MSU Staff

Oct. 15, 2016 | MURRAY, KY

By WestKyStar & MSU Staff Oct. 15, 2016 | 10:32 PM | MURRAY, KY

Dr. Bellarmine (Bella) Ezumah is a recipient of the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship, part of the Scholar Exchanges Division of the Institute of International Education (IIE).



She will spend 90 days at the Uganda Martyrs University in Kampala, Uganda, developing a new communication program that focuses on pastoral communication, as well as the more traditional sequences of journalism, advertising, public relations and broadcast. Ezumah will equally assist in recruiting and mentoring faculty for this new program. Ezumah is an associate professor of communication and media studies with the department of journalism and mass communications through the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business at Murray State University.



The selection was based on several criteria including the academic qualification and field experiences of the applicant/scholar, quality of the proposed project and its feasibility and appropriateness to the host institutions needs. Also considered was local, regional and international impact of the proposed project and potential for collaboration between the host institution and the scholars institution. Additionally, the applicant is required to be an African-born scholar working at an accredited higher institution in the United States or Canada.



A Frederick Douglass Scholar and a recipient of National Science Foundation (NSF) Dissertation Improvement grant at Howard University, Ezumah joined Murray State in 2011 and has published over 22 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and conference proceedings. She has shared her work at more than 23 conferences in Greece, Nigeria, Jamaica, the United States and Canada and was also selected last summer to participate in the Scripps Howard Academic Leadership Academy at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA.




US 68 blocked by crash at Blue Springs Road near Cadiz
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Oct. 15, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 15, 2016 | 06:09 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Republican Senator Rand Paul visited Paducah Saturday afternoon, speaking to those who gathered at Paducah's river front. He was joined on stage by local candidates who also made their pitch to voters less than a month before election day.



Paul is running for a second term in Washington, D.C., and faces Lexington's Mayor Jim Gray, a Democrat, in the November general election. He told the crowd that in the past, folks said Paducah and Western Kentucky were the heart of Democratic territory.



"Well, I've got news for them," Paul said, "This year in November, we're gonna find out that the engine of the Republican takeover in Frankfort starts right here in Paducah."



He went on to say that voters can't be "a friend of Kentucky" by supporting Hillary Clinton. He cited statements by the Democratic Presidential nominee on television about how she plans to continue policies from President Obama that will - in his words - put coal miners out of work.



Paul said the the Democratic-led EPA will expand its authority, and giving examples of, 'regulators run amok." Huge fines were levied on a Wyoming cattle farmer who got local permission to dam up a creek, but the EPA fined him over $30,000 a day until he won a lawsuit against the federal government. Another example was given in Missouri about a boy who had the wrong permit for selling rabbits, so they fined him $60,000, then threatened a $3 million fine.



The junior senator also talked about the, "regulated monopoly," in Kentucky because of President Obama's Affordable Care Act, and how the state's health exchange has made mandatory insurance premiums go, "through the roof."



Paul said anyone who supports candidates who have endorsed Clinton is, "empowering people who don't like Kentucky, don't like our way of life, and are adding to the unemployment rolls day after day after day," without regard for Congressional oversight. He said American corporations are fleeing the country, setting up shop overseas, and leaving the profit overseas because of corporate tax rates.



The senator said he's still fighting for cuts in spending in many places, since the government borrows a million dollars each minute. Paul said some argue that the debt isn't that bad, including his opponent, Democrat Jim Gray from Lexington.



Paul gave examples of wasteful research grants, like one for $700,000 to study whether Neil Armstrong said, "one small step for man," or, "one small step for a man," when he stepped on the moon. In the end, the researchers couldn't say for sure.



Paul is also unhappy with infrastructure expense in Afghanistan when U.S. highways and other programs need the money.



"In Afghanistan, we spent $45 million on a natural gas gas station. First problem - most people in Afghanistan don't have a car. Second problem - do you know how many people have a car that runs on natural gas in Afghanistan? Zero." Paul said. "So we bought them 20 cars that run on natural gas, then we discovered they didn't have any money to buy the natural gas, so we gave them credit cards. This is your government at work, and this came out of the military budget. My conception of the military is, 'we should kill our enemies, defend the country, and then come home.'"



Paul ended his speech by saying everyone should remember the greatness of our country is found in the constitution, which distributed power among three branches of government, and what the constitution didn't specify was to be handled by the states and to the people.



"If we would remember the 10th amendment - my, how we would prosper again. We would have a balanced budget, and we would be that leading beacon, that light on the hill," he said.



Paul also visited Christian County Saturday evening, and is scheduled to be in West Point and Lexington, KY on Sunday.
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Willamette students explored 82 miles of Oregons coastline, rode horses at Black Butte Ranch and backpacked near Tunnel Falls.

And that was just in one weekend.

Through the Outdoor Program, students can visit various breathtaking spots within a three-hour drive of Salem -- from Canyon Creek Falls to Crater Lake National Park, one of the snowiest spots in America -- at a steeply discounted cost.

The program offers 120 trips per year that provide students with remarkable access to northwest Oregons lush wilderness, coast and rivers, as well as other popular destinations like the Oregon Zoo in Portland. For the second consecutive year, the program can help individual residence halls create customized trips. Excursion costs range from free (trips within Salem) and top at $50 for a five-day spring break trip to see the Redwoods in California.

But the program isn't strictly for hardcore outdoors enthusiasts. Bryan Schmidt, director of campus recreation, says that all trips  apart from the Adventure Series are designed with newcomers in mind.

If youve never been to the outdoors, you could try any of these trips, he says. The idea behind college is to explore who you are, to try new things. You simply couldn't participate in any of these trips on your own at this cost. So why not try one?

For underclassmen who might not own cars, the trips can provide a healthy escape from campus and a chance to get to know new people.

Program coordinator Grace Graham 18, says, We have such a wide variety of students who participate, you end up seeing a lot of familiar faces around Willamette by doing a few trips.

Trip participants are also consistently patient, welcoming and considerate of others. During one hiking expedition, program coordinator Andie Dibiase 17 says she watched participants go out of their way to make Japanese students from the American Studies Program feel comfortable.

Schmidt points out that, unlike some programs, theres no commitment beyond the trip a student signs up for. If they attend even one trip with an open attitude, they might be surprised by what they experience.

You dont know the next person youll sit next to, he says. It could be your next best friend.

Upcoming trip dates are available on the Outdoor Programs website. Sign-up times are 4:30 p.m. on Mondays at Montag Center. Students must show up to pay for the trips, and a line forms quickly, so program coordinators advise people to arrive early. Students can also send a friend in their place. Cash, checks and student account charges are accepted.
Published by Steve Litchfield at 16:14 UTC, October 16th 2016

Although it's somewhat galling to read of imaging advancements in the smartphone world that aren't being made by Nokia engineers huddled in a chilly Finland, it's worth putting into context where smartphone imaging seems to be settling and where this fits into the existing spectrum of phone cameras, with specific reference to classic Nokias of the past. You see, powered by ever faster chipsets, 'computational photography' is indeed where imaging has ended up and, on the whole, for the benefit of all.

The term 'computational photography' itself really came in with Nokia's 808 PureView, the idea being to take a huge sensor of tiny pixels and then combine their output into 'oversampled' average values for each lower resolution (5MP) 'super-pixel'. Here, the computation itself happened in a dedicated processing chip, since the main smartphone processor was nowhere near powerful enough on its own. The system worked rather wonderfully, with the various downsides being:

the large sensor (1/1.2" in the 808's case) required a certain vertical depth for all the optics too, making the 808 'courageously' thick(!)

the 2011 sensor was relatively old, i.e. there was no Back Side Illumination and no optical stabilisation, two tech essentials from camera phones that were to follow.

the 808 ran Symbian, a fine OS for the 'noughties' but which was showing its age (and that of its ecosystem) by 2012, when the 808 finally went on sale.

You couldn't fault the purity and quality of the 808's images, but the three caveats above meant that further progress needed to be made. The Lumia 1020, a year later, solved the three caveats, with:

a slightly smaller (1/1.5" sensor), making the camera vertical depth manageable.

BSI and OIS both onboard for handheld low light shots par excellence...

it ran the fairly new (and Internet age) Windows Phone 8.1.





Nothing's perfect though, and the 2012 Lumia 1020 had its own caveat, namely that the oversampling down from the higher resolution sensor had to be done in the main processor, since there was no companion dedicated image processor (the 808's had been 'in development for five years' and could only be used with that particular phone), with the result that it took a full four seconds to oversample and save a JPG photo. And this was in the 'foreground', meaning that the user had to sit around and wait. Plus Windows Phone 8.1 itself was starting to look a little long in the tooth (with large tiles, a design for lower resolution screens, and so on), not to mention a fairly lowly market share which mean that third party applications weren't always plentiful.

But the idea of PureView 'computational photography' was good, that of using digital means to make more of physical light received. One approach would be to take the 1020's PureView sensor and system and throw much faster chipsets at it - this was something I'd dearly like to have seen - imagine a 1080p-screened, Snapdragon 820-powered Lumia 1020 successor!

However, Nokia (and then Microsoft, taking on the existing in-production designs when it bought Nokia up) went a different way, with the Lumia 930, 1520 and then 950 and 950 XL all going for 'only' 20MP and a much reduced PureView oversampling ratio, down to 8MP for its output. The main benefit was speed, of course, with not only shot to shot times of less than a second but also the possibility of genuine multi-shot HDR (bracketing, something which we'd been seeing on the iPhone 4S first in the phone world), though with the digital processing (combining exposures) pushed into the background while the user got on with something else on the phone.

Results were good though, on the whole, up with the Lumia 1020 (and 808 before it) as you'll see from my chart below, looking at different ways of achieving ultimate image quality from a phone-sized camera:

The intriguing part of the chart is up at the top, where we have image quality that's supposed to be as good as that from the likes of the Nokia 808 and Lumia 950 (etc., watch this space for my feature comparisons!) but with more mundane specifications - the Google Pixel has a 'standard' sized 13MP sensor (1/2.3", apparently, so in the same ballpark as the Galaxy S7 and Lumia 950), no optical stabilisation and a relatively modest aperture at f/2.0. Yet at the launch presentation, this phone camera was rated higher than anything previously by DxOMark. Putting aside my own reservations of the DxOMark tests, it does seem as though the application of raw computing power (in typical Google fashion) to taking photos is yielding good results.

You see, rather than taking one huge shot and then (PureView) downsampling to reduce noise and improve purity (as on the 808/1020), computing power in a smartphone has now got so prodigious (in the Pixel's case, a Snapdragon 821 chipset with 4GB RAM) that it's possible to take several RAW photos (as needed) rather than one every time you press the shutter control, and do all manner of clever things to these huge 20MB un-encoded image files - auto-aligning, reducing noise, enhancing colours, white balancing, and more - spitting out and saving a 'purer' JPG-encoded image, all within one second (and in the background, so things are instantaneous for the user and the UI).





Obviously, I need to test all this and a Pixel XL is about to arrive at 'All About Towers', but the whole concept is enticing. Rather than throwing optical hardware at imaging, Google is throwing processing power at the same problem and in the process doing away with the need for OIS (though I still hold a candle for Xenon flash!)

I contend that you can think of Pixel-style 'computational photography' as the 2016 form of PureView. The idea's similar - using information from many sources to reduce random digital noise and improve dynamic range. Except that the sources in this case are from multiple frames (we don't know how many Google's proprietary HDR+ software demands, it probably varies according to conditions) rather than scattered parts of one shot from a higher resolution sensor. But the image data's real and it's RAW and is eminently suited for working with, away from the world of JPG compression artefacts.

Whichever end of my curve/chart a smartphone camera works in, the end result should be similar in terms of image quality, i.e. what the user gets to see. Google calls the system in the Pixel range 'HDR+', but if Nokia had arrived at this point, in a parallel universe, it could equally well have been named 'PureView II'.

PS. There are benefits to being at the computing end of the curve rather than at the physics/specs end, as Microsoft managed to exploit in a limited fashion with its clever 'Dynamic exposure' mode, used in low light with moving objects on the Lumia 950, blending multiple exposures to try and keep the moving subject crisp. Something of the Pixel's power should be able to go further - it remains to be seen if Google's software engineers are as clever as the ex-Nokia team at Microsoft (were, many of them having moved on now), but at the launch event the idea of micro-bursts of photos capturing action was mooted, with the software identifying the 'perfect' moment for the final JPG. I'll be testing this too, in due course, don't worry.

PPS. The article begs the question of how far HP can push the camera in the Elite X3 - this has so far produced very average photos, but with a Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM there's no reason why similar processing couldn't help the X3 produce better, clearer images. Maybe not to the level of the Pixel here, but up closer to the current gold standard, that 808/1020/950 trio.


Super Star Rajinikanth is one charismatic star who enjoys an impeccable fan following across the world. Not only common people, but even the countrys leading celebrities are admirers of Thalaivar.

Joining the list now is none other than the Princess of Thailand Her Excellency Mom Luang Rajadarshi Jayankura, who flew down to India and visited the Super Star at his residence. Apparently, Her Excellency helped out Kabalis team with the logistics when the filming was taking place in Bangkok.

Rajini and Rajadarshi Jayankura reportedly spent nearly an hour talking about his fan base in Thailand and other South East Asian countries.

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Nicola Twilley in Aeon:

Readers of Hacker News, a website popular with programmers and tech entrepreneurs, were the first to latch on to Rhineharts Soylent post, encouraging him to share the recipe online. When he did, it quickly spawned an animated Reddit thread in which DIY Soylent adopters reviewed recipes, discussed magnesium sourcing, and compared bowel movements. Within three months, Rhinehart decided that demand was sufficient for him to quit his tech start-up and form his own company in order to supply Soylent to the masses. By the time Soylent 1.0 started shipping in May 2014, the company had already accumulated a backlog of more than 20,000 pre-orders, adding up to more than $2 million dollars in sales and  at a conservative estimate  a collective saving of 2,875 years.

hat, one wonders, are people doing with all this extra time? Will we see a new Renaissance: a Soylent-fuelled flowering of novels, art or, at the very least, apps? It is perhaps too early to tell, but early signs are mixed. Rhinehart has ploughed his 90 minutes a day into launching his company, and says he still has a long reading list, a long online course list, a lot of personal projects Id like to do. He is not against using the time for relaxation, of course, and tells me that hes heard from other early adopters that they spend an extra hour and a half watching TV, hanging out with friends and family, or just catching up on our pervasive national sleep deficit.

Just giving people a little more time in general is something the United States really needs, he told me. However you use that time is up to you.

My own experience bodes less well. I lived on Soylent for five days (Rhinehart sent me a weeks supply, but I cracked early) and I was indeed painfully aware of vast open periods that I would have typically spent planning, shopping for, making, enjoying and cleaning up after meals. Much to my editors disappointment, I spent all that extra time joylessly clicking around on the internet, my brain resisting every effort to corral it into more productive activities as if it knew it was being cheated of an expected break. (My editor kindly pointed out that this might be more of a reflection of my own personal failings than a shortcoming inherent to Soylent.)

Of course, this is not the first time Americans have been promised relief from the time-suck of food preparation. Todays Soylent craze has its roots in the post-Second World War embrace of convenience foods. And, then as now, the range of possible uses for that saved time ranged from the trivial to the substantial  but with a much more gendered twist.

More here.
Julian Hanna reviews Stefany Anne Golberg and Morgan Meis's Dead People in 3:AM Magazine:

What makes a life noteworthy and important? What makes a good life? And when a life ends, what constitutes a good summing up, a worthy eulogy? How can a writer, pressed for time, do justice to a life  a great life, presumably  within the hackneyed confines of a two-page obituary? How does one attempt to revive such a dead form?

Or if not dead, then at least resting  unsung, taken for granted  like the manifesto before Marx and Marinetti, when it meant simply a straightforward declaration of intent, no spectre haunting Europe, no courage, audacity, and revolt. The standard obituary form is: so-and-so was born, rose (usually struggled) to greatness, and died. There is almost a sense that words fail in the face of death, so it is best just to state the facts. How do you breathe life into such a predictable story?

In Dead People, Stefany Anne Golberg and Morgan Meis show us one approach to reinvigorating the form. The collection of twenty-nine obituaries has a provocative cover that makes it great fun to read on the metro. It was written mainly for The Smart Set over the past decade (there are exceptions drawn from n+1 and The New Yorker), and the almost single venue contributes to the high degree of intimacy present in the telling of each life. The authors strike a tone of late-night candour, loose and flowing in the warm glow of the third or fourth drink. But the easy style belies a deeper engagement, honesty about the subject, and a willingness to deal with difficult themes. Weve chosen to take these lives personally, the authors declare in the preface. What Golberg and Meis achieve for the most part is an effortless distillation, boiling down the essence of a public figures achievements. The big idea, the breakthrough, the one thing that makes an indelible mark on the culture  this is what we are shown in each brief life.

More here.
Ryan Lizza in The New Yorker:

The man behind this new message is Steve Bannon, who became the C.E.O. of the Trump campaign in August. Bannon is on leave from Breitbart, the right-wing news site where he served as executive chairman, and where he honed a view of international politics that Trump now parrots. Bannon, who is sixty-two, is new to right-wing rabble-rousing, compared to someone like Stone. Bannon was raised in a blue-collar Democratic family around Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia. He served in the Navy, went to the Harvard Business School, and became wealthy as a mergers-and-acquisition deal-maker for Goldman Sachs, in the nineteen-eighties. He made a fortune by buying a share of the royalties for Seinfeld back in 1993, and receives them to this day. Bannon met Andrew Breitbart, the founder of the news Web site, when Bannon was financing conservative documentaries in Los Angeles in the aughts. Breitbart, who previously worked with the Drudge Report, started Breitbart in 2005 as a conservative news aggregator, much like his former employer. In the fall of 2009, Bannon and Breitbart worked together on a business plan to launch a more ambitious version of the site, and Bannon joined its board in 2011, once the financing deal closed. When Andrew Breitbart died, in 2012, Bannon became executive chairman and took over the site. Back then Breitbart was a pugnacious but still recognizably conservative site, but, with Bannon in charge, its politics started to change.

Bannon embraced the growing populist movement in America, including the alt-right, a new term for white nationalists, who care little about traditional conservative economic ideas and instead stress the need to preserve Americas European heritage and keep out non-whites and non-Christians. Under Bannon, Breitbart promoted similar movements in Europe, including the United Kingdom Independence Party, the National Front in France, Alternative for Germany, and the Freedom Party in the Netherlands. Bannon likes to say that his goal is to build a global, center-right, populist, anti-establishment news site. After the election is over, Breitbart, which has offices in London and Rome, plans to open up new bureaus in France and Germany.

More here.
Surveys for $3B Navigator carbon capture pipeline could begin in South Dakota

Navigator fulfilled two prerequisites in South Dakota law that could allow them to conduct surveys on private land without a landowner's permission.
A roundup of recent expansions, additions, new services and other news from firms across the country.

AFGHANISTAN

Ahmed Hassan Naeem Chartered Accountants has joined global accountancy network UHY. The firm has 33 staff, including four partners, and is based in Kabul. It is in the process of adopting the UHY branding and will be known as UHY Ahmed Hassan Naeem Chartered Accountants.

CALIFORNIA

Software providers Intacct, San Jose, and BlackLine, Los Angeles, were named 2016 Best Small & Medium Workplaces in the United States by Fortune and Great Place to Work.

CONNECTICUT

BlumShapiro will partner with Christian Community Action for the fifth consecutive year to provide Thanksgiving Day meals to more than 2,000 families and seniors in New Haven, through its BlumShapiro Thanksgiving Food Basket Campaign for Christian Community Action.  Representatives of the Connecticut Society of CPAs New and Young Professionals Group and the Foundation for Life Bikes for Kids program surprised 21 underprivileged local kids with new bikes and helmets. (See the story.)

NEW MEXICO

REDW LLC, Albuquerque, launched its first financial literacy program for Native American high school students as part of its strategic partnership with Notah Begay III, which has a special focus on promoting and improving financial literacy and business education for Native American youth.

NEW YORK

The CPA Journal, the New York State Society of CPAs monthly accounting magazine, has been named a finalist for the 2016 Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards in the Association/Non-Profit Business to Business - Full Issue Category for its June 2016 issue.  The International Federation of Accountants and its chief operating officer, Alta Prinsloo, received the Accountancy Capacity Building Champion of the Year Award at the 2016 The Accountant & International Accounting Bulletin Awards.  Marcum LLP has been named the exclusive U.S. member firm of ECOVIS International, a global accounting and advisory network with members in 60 countries on six continents.

NORTH CAROLINA

Dixon Hughes Goodman has been certified by Great Place to Work for its emphasis on its people, their careers and flexibility.

OHIO

Sikich LLP has been named to the 2016 NorthCoast 99 list, which recognizes the top workplaces in Northeast Ohio.

PENNSYLVANIA

Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP has been named a Best Place to Work in PA by the Central Penn Business Journal, Team PA Foundation, the Society for Human Resource Management  PA State Council, and Best Companies Group.

TEXAS

Sikich LLP has been named one of the best places to work in Houston by the Houston Business Journal.

UNITED KINGDOM

PwCs data-auditing tool, Halo, has received the International Accounting Bulletins Audit Innovation of the Year Award.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Center for Audit Quality launched a new website, DiscoverAudit.org, to provide information about careers in public company auditing. (See the story.)

WISCONSIN

Wipfli LLP, Milwaukee, closed its doors on Sept. 22 so that hundreds of associates throughout the firms 37 U.S. offices could spend the time giving back to their communities on the firms Community Day. Firm employees dedicated over 5,000 work hours to 82 organizations.

Send your firm announcements to AcToday@SourceMedia.com.
A roundup of recent hires, promotions, awards and other personnel news from firms across the country.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Brendan Quigley, CPA, has joined governance, risk and compliance software provider ACI as chief financial officer.

CALIFORNIA

Seung Yoo has been named a partner in the Silicon Valley location of Moss Adams LLP.

FLORIDA

Matt Walker has been promoted to manager in the Assurance Services Department of Thomas Howell Ferguson PA CPAs, Tallahassee, and Kavisha McCranie to manager in the Tax Services Department.  Patrick A. Fields has been named a shareholder at DuVal Fields CPA Group, Green Cove Springs. He has been with the firm for seven years.

GEORGIA

Debbie Sessions, chief operating officer of Porter Keadle Moore, Atlanta, has been named one of the Atlanta Business Chronicles 2016 Women Who Mean Business, which honors 20 female leaders who have made significant strides in their careers, make a difference in their communities, blaze a trail for others and leave an indelible mark on the Atlanta business community.



ILLINOIS

Four members of the risk, regulatory and legal affairs team of Grant Thornton LLP, Chicago, have received First Chair Awards for excellence in legal counsel: Associate general counsel Chris Stathopoulos won the 2016 Top Assistant General Counsel Award; senior legal counsel Jason Anderson won the 2016 Top Litigation Counsel Award; senior counsel Elizabeth Epstein won the 2016 Top Corporate Counsel Award; and senior counsel Hina Sodha won the 2016 Top Employment Counsel Award.

LOUISIANA

Karman Chan has joined Postlethwaite & Netterville APAC as an audit manager in the New Orleans area practice.

MAINE

Leah Clair, an auditor at BerryDunn, has been elected one of the Maine Society of CPAs Women to Watch.

MICHIGAN

Brett Karhoff and Aaron Sal have been elected shareholders at Hungerford Nichols CPAs + Advisors, Grand Rapids. Karhoff has been with the firm for six years, and Sal for 15.

MISSOURI

Beth Lattin has joined MarksNelson, Kansas City, as a senior staff member in the State and Local Tax Department.

NEW JERSEY

Marina A. Gentile has been named a senior manager of the International Services Group and the Forensic and Valuation Services Group of WithumSmith+Brown PC, Princeton. In addition, the firm announced a number of promotions on its marketing team: Jin Young Park has been named creative director, Danielle Atkinson and Heather Campisi have been named marketing managers, and Matt Basilo has been named senior marketing coordinator.

NEW MEXICO

David Akerson and Ross Nettles, Investment Analyst, have joined REDW Stanley Financial Advisors LLC, Albuquerque, a subsidiary of REDW LLC, as a senior investment advisor and an investment analyst, respectively.

NEW YORK

Michael Parrinello, a partner at The Bonadio Group, Rochester, has been appointed leader of the firms Commercial Practice.  EisnerAmper LLP announced a number of leadership appointments: Michael Breit has been named partner-in-charge of New York; Steven Kreit has been named the leader of the assurance practice for commercial clients in New York; and Anthony Minnefor has been named the leader of the assurance practice for financial services clients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, a newly created position.  Christopher Mellen has joined BDO Consulting as director in the technology advisory services practice.

PENNSYLVANIA

Ryan Perez has joined Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz, Camp Hill, as a staff accountant for the Insurance Team.

TEXAS

Dwight Hill has joined Alvarez & Marsal as a senior director in Dallas.  Manish Seth has joined ABIP CPAs and Advisors, Houston, as a shareholder. He will lead the firms Fraud Services Group.  Brittany George, a senior manager in IT advisory services in the Dallas office of Weaver, has been elected president of the North Texas Chapter of ISACA. She has been an active member of the chapter since 2007.  Troy D. Ashby has joined Whitley Penn as business development director based in the Dallas office.

VIRGINIA

Charles F. Helme, managing principal of Thompson Greenspon, Fairfax, has been named a member of the 2016 Class of 20 Prominent Patriots by George Mason University.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Lynne Doughtie, chairman and CEO of KPMG, has joined the Board of Directors of LUNGevity Foundation.  The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Melissa Hodgman has been named associate director in the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

WISCONSIN

Brad Kussow has rejoined Schenck SC, Milwaukee as managing director in transaction advisory services.

Send your personnel announcements to AcToday@SourceMedia.com.
Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested a total of 10 Maoists including a self-styled commander carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh in a mid-night operation that extended from Saturday night to Sunday in Noida and Chandauli. Nine suspected Maoists were arrested from two hideouts in Noida while one, Sunil Ravidas, was arrested from Chandauli and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from them.

The left-wing extremists were adept at making bombs and were planning some incidents in the Delhi-NCR region, IG (UP Special Task Force) Aseem Arun said at a hurriedly convened press conference in Noida.

Speaking to media, State IG ATS said that three more naxals with explosives and detonators were arrested from a residential area at Hindon Vihar area in Noida.

Pradeep Singh Kharwar from Bariatu village in Jharkhands Latehar district was arrested during a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and intelligence agencies last night.

The self-styled area commander was hiding in Noida since February 2012. He carried a reward of Rs. 5 lakh on his arrest.

These Naxals were active in eastern UP and adjoining parts of Bihar and had made Noida their base. They had rented two flats and posed as property dealers, Arun said.

He said 550 live cartridges, an INSAS rifle, two other rifles and three self-loading rifle magazines were recovered from them besides a huge quantity of explosives and detonators.

The recovery of the INSAS rifle showed that they must have looted it from security personnel as the weapon is used by them against the ultras, he said.

Their arrest have raised questions on whether they now have expanded more than what was believed earlier. Earlier there used to be reports of them attacking our army convoys, villagers and killing villagers on suspect of them being police informers. Of course, violence created by them over the years is not less then terrorist acts. However, till are not known to denote blasts in the national and state capitals.

Those arrested have been identified as Pawan Jharkhand of Madhubani in Bihar, Ranjit Paswan of Chandoli in UP, Sachin Kumar of Dankaur in Greater Noida, Krishna Kumar Ram from Sasaram in Bihar, and Suraj, a resident of Bulandshahr in UP. Suraj was the groups local contact for conducting operations in the Delhi-NCR area, said sources.
Whistleblower condemn the murder of RTI activist Bhupendra Vira and demanded strict action against the accused.

The murder of Whistleblower Bhupendra Vira has raised questions about the safety of RTI activists in the state. Even though Maharashtra is known as a progressive and industrially developed state but it also has the dubious distinction of rising cases related to attacks on RTI activists. As per a data compiled by NGO Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) 60 RTI activists have been attacked and 10 of them being murdered in the state till September 2015. Many of them also receive threatening calls from mafia, slumlords and real estate lobbies. Even though the Whistle Blowers Protection Act was passed in 2014 to protect the identity of whistleblowers but attacks on RTI activists continue to rise in the state. There has been no mechanism to safeguard the lives of activists who risk their lives while seeking important information about various projects and welfare schemes. Netizens condemned the attack on Mr Vira and demanded a stringent legislation to protect RTI activists.

Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson, Preeti Sharma Menon said, Activist Bhupendra Vira murdered by land mafia in Mumbai! Builders wield immense influence under the BJP-Sena government. Strict action must be taken against the accused responsible for his murder.

Vivek Pandit former MLA who heads the Shramjeevi Sanghatna said, I seriously condemn the cowardly attack on 72 year old RTI activist Bhupendra Vira who was shot dead at his home. He had raised issues of illegal construction.

RTI activist Anil Galgali said, The attacks on RTI activists are a reflection of poor security situation in the state. The government must take action against the accused and enhance the safety of RTI activists.

Former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said, The Whistle Blower Act is not effective and the government should not only provide security to RTI activists but also to citizens.

Mohammad Raza posted, Senior RTI activist Bhupendra Vira shot dead at his residence. If incidences like these happen who would dare to perform good work?

Ashish Vivek Merukar said, I strongly condemn the brutal murder of RTI activist Bhupendra Vira in Mumbai. Who is responsible for his murder in broad daylight?

Nelson posted, Seventy two year old RTI activist Bhupendra Vira shot dead at his home in Mumbai; he had raised illegal construction and encroachment issues. Hope justice will be served to Bhupendra Vira who stood against corruption.

My father-in-law took on several people who were into illegal construction. He has filed several RTI applications for obtaining information in illegal constructions. The prime person among them is an ex-corporator, said Sheela Vira, daughter-in-law of Bhupendra Vira.

We have a property dispute with the ex-corporator. He has many illegal constructions and gives weekly bribes to police and BMC so no action is taken against him. My father-in-law stood against all his wrongdoings and so he has been killed, added Sheela

Bhupendra was shot dead at his residence at Kalina, Santacruz (East) on Saturday night. After committing the crime the accused had fled from the spot and Vakola police are searching for him. As per the preliminary investigation, property dispute could be the reason behind murder, said a police officer.
With the fresh arsenal attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi bestowed on Pakistan with a Mother-ship of terrorism at a meeting of the head of state of the five BRICS countries at the ongoing summit in Goa. This was part of his continuing anti-terrorism push at international platforms.

This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains. It is a mindset that we strongly condemn BRICS must speak in one voice against this threat, PM Modi said.

The Summit is being attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Michel Temer and Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa.

With the Summit taking place within weeks of the Uri terror strike by Pak-based terrorists, India will strongly pitch for intensified efforts to tackle terrorism including action against countries providing safe havens to terrorists and arming them.

The growing arc of terrorism today threatens the Middle East, West Asia, Europe and South Asia. Its violent footprints put at risk the security of our citizens and undercuts our efforts aimed at economic growth, said PM Modi, sitting at a circular table with the presidents of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.

In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development. Tragically, the mother-ship of terrorism is a country in Indias neighbourhood. Terror modules around the world are linked to this mother-ship, he summed up.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also attended the meeting.

China, sources said, is open to a strong statement on terrorism, but would not like to cast Beijings alliance with Pakistan into doubt. We are maintaining dialogue with China (on Azhar), we expect China will see logic in it, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters.

The other nations invited to the BRICS Summit are Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand. Meetings between representatives of these nations were also taken place. The Summit helps member nations of BIMSTEC  Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation  in its outreach with BRICS nations. BIMSTEC was launched in 1997.

The BRICS Summit started with a family photo followed by restricted talks between the leaders and later a meeting of business captains from the member-countries. In the second half, after the speech of the leaders, there will be BRICS and BIMSTEC retreat.
An Islamic prophecy names Dabiq as the site of a battle between Muslims and infidels that will presage doomsday, a message Islamic State used extensively in its propaganda, going so far as to name its main publication after the village.

Syrian rebels said they captured the village of Dabiq from Islamic State on Sunday, forcing the jihadist group from a stronghold where it had promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West.

Its defeat at Dabiq, long a mainstay of Islamic States propaganda, underscores the groups declining fortunes this year as it suffered battlefield defeats in Syria and Iraq and lost a string of senior leaders in targeted air strikes.

The group, whose lightning advance through swathes of the two countries and declaration that it had established a new caliphate stunned world leaders in 2014, is now girding for an offensive against Iraqs Mosul, its most prized possession.

The rebels, backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, took Dabiq and neighbouring Soran after clashes on Sunday morning, said Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the fighting.

The Daesh myth of their great battle in Dabiq is finished, he told, using a pejorative name for Islamic State.

The Free Syrian Army is an umbrella group for rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, dragging in regional and global powers and creating space for jihadists.

An Islamic prophecy names Dabiq as the site of a battle between Muslims and infidels that will presage doomsday, a message Islamic State used extensively in its propaganda, going so far as to name its main publication after the village.

It also chose Dabiq as the location for its killing in 2014 of Peter Kassig, an American aid worker held hostage by the group, by Mohammed al-Emwazi, better known as Jihadi John.

However, it has appeared to back away from Dabiqs symbolism since advances by the FSA groups backed by Turkey had put it at risk of capture, saying in a more recent statement that this battle was not the one described in the prophecy.

The village, at the foot of a small hill in the fertile plains of Syrias northwest about 14 km from the Turkish border and 33 km north of Aleppo, has little strategic significance in its own right.

But Dabiq and its surroundings, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State had brought 1,200 fighters in recent weeks, occupied a salient into territory captured by the Turkey-backed rebels.
October 16, 2016

Erdogan says Abadi "not at my level"

Iraqi Turkmen groups have escalated their calls for an independent province in the Tal Afar district west of Mosul, Wassim Bassem reports, in advance of the widely anticipated military campaign to remove Islamic State (IS) forces from the city.

The demand by some Turkmen groups coincides with similar calls by Christians and Yazidis for their own autonomous regions in Ninevah province.

Bassem reports, All of these projects are based on religious or ethnic division, whether among Turkmens, Kurds, Arabs, Sunnis or Shiites. Some see these proposals as the solution to the sectarian, religious and ethnic diversity problems that have caused so much killing and displacement of minorities since the Islamic State (IS) took over the areas in June 2014. But others fear the proposals would further divide the country into regional fiefdoms, fending off peace and causing new conflicts for power and influence.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put a sectarian and nationalist edge on this demand when he said Oct. 2, After liberating Mosul from [IS], only Sunni Arabs, Turkmens and Sunni Kurds should stay there. His position has led to a crisis in relations with Baghdad, and further aggravated Turkeys ties with both the United States and Iran on the eve of what may be one of the defining battles of the campaign against IS.

Semih Idiz explains that the Turkish claim to Mosul has both nationalist and Islamist origins. The reason why nationalist Turks are overly sensitive about Mosul is that the 'Turkish National Pact,' as defined by those prosecuting the war of liberation during 1919-1922, included Mosul within Turkeys borders. They believe Turkey was cheated out of Mosul by Britain at the time and have cast the United States in Britains role today. Islamist Turks, on the other hand, consider Mosul to be a Sunni city and see a plot aimed at ridding it of its Sunni population in favor of Shiites. In his address to parliament recently, Erdogan referred to an effort to alter Mosuls demographic composition and said Turkey would do its utmost to prevent this.

Erdogan has formally rejected Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis warning for Turkish forces to stay out of the Mosul campaign. On Oct. 11, at a meeting of Islamic military leaders, the Turkish president took a condescending tone toward Abadi, saying that the Turkish army has not lost so much prestige as to take its orders from you, and that you are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level, your quality is not at my level, as Amberin Zaman reports.

Erdogan claims that Turkish troops are present in Bashiqa, Iraq, by invitation to train Kurdish and other forces to battle IS. Zaman explains that this is only half the story. Iraq was indeed aware that Turkey had sent several dozen forces to Bashiqa as trainers after IS stormed into Mosul in 2014. It is also true that Iraqs recently sacked defense minister, Khaled al-Obeidi, had visited the Turkish camp. That, however, was before Turkey sent in hundreds of elite troops and tanks in December 2015 without seeking Baghdads approval. The Iraqi Kurds had appealed to Washington for help at the time, claiming the Turks had told them that they were coming, but that Erbil didnt want them to. In any case, the Kurds would have been unable to stop them, and now there is little Baghdad can do to physically eject them.

The Iraqi parliament has labeled the Turkish troops as occupiers and has called for their withdrawal. The United States has backed Abadi in this confrontation, arguing that it is the Iraqi governments decision on which troops are involved in the Mosul operation. Pro-government media in Turkey have attacked the US position as signaling a tilt toward Iran, and another sign of deteriorating US-Turkish relations, Idiz writes.

Erdogan faults Clintons "inexperience"

Hillary Clintons remarks that as president she would consider arming the Kurds; they have been our best partners in Syria, as well as Iraq," spurred a rebuke from Erdogan, who characterized her as a political novice. He added, This is a very unfortunate statement. I regard this as political inexperience.

Cengiz Candar speculates that the Turkish president most probably prefers a Donald Trump presidency, recalling it was Erdogan who inaugurated the high-rise Trump Tower shopping mall in Istanbul, with Turkish media mogul Aydin Dogan in 2012.

Perincek Group fills security void

Metin Gurcan chronicles a power struggle at the senior echelons of the National Intelligence Service (MIT), the Gendarmerie Command, the Ministry of Defense and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), where two distinct schools of thought or cliques are competing to fill the vacancies.

One school is the Perincek Group, headed by Dogu Pericek, which is linked to the minor Homeland Party and renowned for its staunchly secular, isolationist, ultranationalist, socialist, anti-US, anti-West, pro-Russian and Euroasianist characteristics.  High-level military police and intelligence personnel affiliated with this group were the Fethullah Gulen movement's most prominent targets for replacement between 2006 and 2014, when the Gulenists had the AKP's [Justice and Development Party's] cooperation in ending military tutelage. The basic philosophy of the group is that for Turkey to overcome the tough conditions of the present, it has to revert to the first years of the republic and adhere to Kemalism, independence, secularism, statism and nationalism.

The other clique is the Virtuousness bloc "made up of conservative-nationalists of the AKP base. This group, which has the support of religious devotees such as the Menzil (Range) community of the Nakhshibendi persuasion and the Suleymanist community, is seriously concerned about the increasing influence of the Perincek Group in critical state posts and its determining role in the purges."

Gurcan says pro-AKP columnist Ahmet Tasgetiren of the daily Star recently wrote, "The greatest risk that must be taken into account nowadays is the elimination of conservative cadres in the judiciary, armed forces and universities by branding them as 'FETO affiliates' and thus leaving the field free for Dogu Perinceks expansion."

Gurcan points out that although the conservative-nationalist bloc is basically the AKP base, it was manipulated by the Gulenists and still constitutes a major security gap for Erdogan. The Perincek Group has never been penetrated by Gulenists and is ever-determined to combat them. But this strong drive to cleanse the state of Gulenists has caused serious problems in distinguishing between the guilty and innocent, which even Erdogan had to admit. Although it lacks a popular base, the Perincek Group serves two purposes for Erdogan: The group is the only political entity that has considerable influence over the secularists, and Erdogan is able to use that influence to exert some degree of control over the secular opposition. In addition, by relying on the group, Erdogan is able to keep motivation and alertness alive in the state bureaucracy and the civil society against a possible new coup attempt.

Gurcan concludes, however, that if the Perincek Group, benefiting from Erdogans dependence on it, exaggerates the purges in the bureaucracy, that could threaten Erdogans longtime close circles and even his personal future.
October 16, 2016

On Oct. 10, the Iraqi president approved a law passed by the parliament to provide comprehensive support to doctors in order to prevent the massive emigration in this sector and encourage overseas doctors to return to Iraq. Yet it is not known to what extent the law will achieve its goals and how the Iraqi government will implement it.

A growing number of Iraqi doctors are departing their war-torn country despite a shortage of medical professionals, namely because of threats to their personal safety, a lack of career prospects and unbearable working conditions.

The situation in remote areas such as Dahuk province in the north of Iraqi Kurdistan is worse, as doctors face more challenges and less support. The large number of Iraqis and foreigners who are displaced in Dahuk make health-care conditions there seem out of control.

In Dahuk, the imbalance between the number of doctors and patients has become excruciating as nearly half a million Syrian refugees and Iraqis displaced by the Islamic State (IS) onslaught in Iraq have found shelter in this area, while the number of physicians has been steadily decreasing as more and more choose to emigrate.

The lack of doctors is an issue for Iraq as a whole  but [in] Dahuk [we are] suffering more than anywhere else, Dr. Nezar Ismet, the director of Dahuk's Health Ministry, told al-Monitor. We are trying not to shut down any hospital, he added, but we are hardly managing because of the lack of human resources.

Dr. Qahraman Mohammed, 25, told al-Monitor, I know three or four doctors who quit last year, and I know about 10 others who are planning on leaving the country. And if you ask the ones not making plans, they are definitely still thinking about it. More than 95% of the doctors here want to go abroad. Myself included. He said he knew at least one physician trying to make his way to Europe through illegal means.

The capacities of the Health Ministry didnt meet the needs of Dahuks home community even before the crisis, and the sudden influx of displaced families became hard to cope with. He said that if Dahuk had not had international support, "our health system would have collapsed.

Then things got worse when an increasing number of doctors either quit medicine, joined the private sector or chose to emigrate, partly due to economic reasons.

The collapse of oil prices, the war against IS and a freeze on subsidies from Baghdad  not to mention persistent corruption  have wreaked havoc on Iraqi Kurdistan's finances, which in return cut the salaries of most government employees to reduce spending. Physicians now only receive between 25% to 40% of their monthly wages, and even then they only get paid every month and a half, Ismet said. Sometimes they only get paid every three months, Mohammed said.

There is currently one physician for every 2,500 people in the province, according to the Health Ministrys director. Ismet said that the number of needed junior doctors amounts to 160.

Mohammed said, You would expect this in Darfur, Yemen or Aleppo. Our situation is not much better than theirs. A disaster is in the making.

By comparison, in east Aleppo, where medical staff say they are being systematically targeted by the Syrian regimes airstrikes, aid groups estimate that there are only 35 doctors remaining  one for every 7,143 people.

This problem is not new. When I was myself in med school in 1995, many of my friends went abroad, Dr. Sabah Mohammed, the manager of the largest hospital in the city, told Al-Monitor. But it worsened last year when the government cut salaries, he said, referring to the situation as a new brain drain.

Since the military coup in 1968, consecutive waves of brain drain have dried up the number of trained medical personnel in Iraq, including after the US-led invasion in 2003, which led to a bloody civil war that paved the way for the rise of IS and yet another exodus.

A Middle East Institute article by Joseph Sassoon estimates that Iraq lost probably 25-35% of its overall medical staff just in the 18 months following Saddam Husseins fall. With the departure of its professional elite, Iraq lost hundreds of years worth of experience, Sassoon said.

Other factors explaining the current shortage is the inappropriate division of available health workers among the Kurdish provinces, as well as an insufficient number of students enrolled in Dahuks medical college over the past few years, Ismet said. And even an increase in med students now wont have a positive impact until after they graduate in six years.

Besides having to include among their patients the civilians who fled the self-styled IS caliphate, doctors also have to treat those battling it. From the emergence of IS in June 2014 until the end of 2015 alone, 7,300 Kurdish peshmerga fighters were admitted to public hospitals. A project to build a military hospital to treat the peshmerga has fallen through due to a lack of funding, and so wounded peshmerga are continuing to be treated in public hospitals.

For the freshly graduated doctors working in emergency rooms, the war against IS also means having to treat conditions their textbooks never mentioned, such as sniper wounds and chemical gas attacks.

It's a disaster. There are sometimes patients we can't even treat because it's too crowded. We are exhausted. You can't concentrate and you might make mistakes, Dr. Helin Suleiman, 26, told Al-Monitor. Patients sometimes die because there are not enough doctors, she said.

Pessimistic about how the situation will unfold, and sick of the incessant confrontations with patients families, Suleiman said that she, too, wanted to emigrate to anywhere but Kurdistan, although she said she will not because it would be inappropriate for a single woman to travel alone. We are all thinking about quitting, she insisted. The situation will get worse and worse.
October 14, 2016

Both Israeli and Palestinian leaderships are opposed to policy moves by US President Barack Obama on a two-state solution. Obama is apparently going to make an announcement on US Middle East policy after the Nov. 8 elections, Al-Monitor has learned from a senior American diplomat in Tel Aviv.

Currently, Obama is fully engaged in the election campaign on the side of Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. He will do very little on the Middle East front, so as not to damage her chances among American Jewry. Suspicious that Obama will make a policy move on the region, 88 senators have signed a letter to the president asking him to veto any UN Security Council resolution that is not balanced. That letter was advanced by the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC with some help by Democrat activists and by the pro-Israel pro-peace J Street lobbying organization. A senior official at J Street told Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity that the organization conditioned its support of the letter on the wording an unbalanced resolution. Hence, the door is left open for a balanced US-sponsored Security Council resolution in the future.

Obamas considerations in making a November declaration are based on his wishes to leave a Middle East policy legacy to his successor, thus avoiding a policy vacuum until the next administration takes over. Such a declaration will also set the record straight in relation to his own Middle East policy efforts.

According to the US diplomat in Tel Aviv, the White House and the State Department are weighing which policy measure to take, out of three possibilities.

The first is a presidential speech outlining a framework for a two-state solution along the lines of Secretary of State John Kerrys framework. The second possibility is a presidential speech outlining a more regional approach, linking the coordination on the fight against the Islamic State together with Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to a two-state solution process. A third possibility would be a US-sponsored Security Council resolution based on the US-proposed framework of spring 2015.

In any case, the US policy framework for a presidential speech will most probably consist of the following elements: a two-state solution based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed land swaps and stringent security arrangements within a two-state solution with Israeli military presence along the Jordan River and mutual recognition between the two states, including the recognition of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. It will not include the right of return for Palestinian refugees, but a just and agreed solution to the Palestinian refugees, mainly through international compensation and the financing of the resettlement of refuges within the Palestinian state. Another important element would be regional cooperation and normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

The senior US diplomat told Al-Monitor that the preferred option right now is for the president to outline a regional plan, with the Arab Peace Initiative and anti-regional terror as a basis.

Obviously, the nature of Obamas actions will depend on the outcome of the elections. In the case of a Clinton victory, he will consult her and opt for a more cautious approach. The opposite is true for a Trump victory.

But while the Obama administration keeps looking into the possibility of a presidential declaration, no joy has been registered on the Palestinian side. On the contrary. Less than a month ago, the Palestinian delegation to the UN General Assembly returned to Ramallah with great anger and criticism at the American positions that were expressed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas by Kerry at their Sept. 19 meeting in New York. The Palestinian leadership, although aware of the schism between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, believes that the Obama administration is fully on Israels side.

According to Abbas entourage, the Palestinian president objects to an Obama declaration, as he fears that most of its outline would be close to the Israeli positions. Abbas is especially concerned about possible American demands on Palestinian recognition of the Jewish state and American positions on the Palestinian refugees issues. He wants something more binding at the UN Security Council with a reasonable timeline to Palestinian statehood based on the 1967 lines.

And so the Palestinian Authority objects to any Obama presidential speech, while Israel objects to any planned Obama move in the UN Security Council. Netanyahu made this clear to the US president in their Sept. 21 meeting in New York. A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Netanyahu will encourage pressure from Congress and the Jewish lobby in order to prevent a Security Council resolution, either by the United States or the French, on Palestinian state permanent status or the settlements. Contrary to a resolution, a speech is just a speech, he said.

But its still very possible that both sides will miss Obama. He is a fervent supporter of a fair two-state solution for both strategic and moral considerations. Strategically, he believes that this is the key for Israel to maintain its democratic character and its long-term security; morally, because he is opposed to the occupation of another people.
October 14, 2016

HEBRON, West Bank  We export these goods to the whole world with a label that reads Made in Hebron. Each item tells a story that dates back to hundreds of years. With these words, Al-Hajj Abdul Jawad Abdul-Hamid al-Natsheh, 86, described the goods crafted by artisans in his factory, which was established in Hebron more than 150 years ago.

Although the West Bank city of Hebron is famous for crafts, which led it to win the World Crafts City award for the year 2016, the Natsheh factory, known as the Hebron Glass and Ceramics Factory, is one of the few factories that continue to work on ceramics and glass.

Natsheh, who started to work in the factory with his father when he was 12 years old, told Al-Monitor, This industry defines the city, and we are keen to maintain it as a family legacy transferred from generation to generation over hundreds of years.

The Natsheh factory is one of the factories that fortunately managed to face all of the hardships caused by the occupation of the city in 1967, and it continues to work similarly to how it once worked in the family's house.

We initially worked from our house, but then my grandfather opened a factory near the Cave of the Patriarchs, and in 1967, we moved to the current factory premises, Natsheh said.

The ceramics craft dates to the Ottoman era, city residents told Al-Monitor. Back then, residents said, ceramics were crafted in the Old City in the homes of families until ceramics turned into a primary source of income. City residents claim that the glass industry kicked off in Hebron when a group of travelers started a very powerful fire on the sand in the southern Hebron area and found glass shapes on the sand the following day. According to residents, this is how the glass industry was discovered in Hebron and then traveled to the rest of the world.

The Natsheh factory exports most of its products to foreign countries, mainly to Europe. The local market only gets 20% of the production of the factory due to the high cost of the manual labor of craftsmen who have inherited the industry from their parents.

Raw materials for the manufacture of ceramics or clay are imported from Europe and are shaped in the factories, while the glass is made of sand, soda and sometimes from melted broken and old glass.

Husam Fakhouri, 42, who has worked in the Hebron factory since he was 20 years old, told Al-Monitor, We shape ceramics clay and put it in the oven at a temperature of 1,200 degrees Celsius [2,192 degrees Fahrenheit] then we make drawings on it, color it, paint it with glass water and put it back in the oven to prep it for marketing.

Fakhouri said that all crafts in the industry are completely handmade, and that is what characterizes Hebrons goods.

Fakhouri was working in a ceramics factory owned by his family in the Old City of Hebron near the Cave of the Patriarchs. But after the occupation of the city in 1967 and the concentrated settlements there, the family shut down the factory and he had to go to work in another ceramics factory.

I worked with my father in our private factory since I was 12. But when it was closed due to security and poor economic conditions, I moved to work here at the Hebron Glass and Ceramics Factory.

Although the industry is ancient, those in charge of this industry are opting for modern shapes, Fakhouri said, adding that customer tastes across the world are taken into consideration.

Mansour Natsheh, 25, has been working in his family's factory for five years, and is keen to meticulously learn the glass-forming profession, he told Al-Monitor.

My father and uncles inherited this craft from my grandfather, and I learned it from them, he added.

He pointed out the need for craftsmen to love the profession and have the patience to learn it and master it fully. After five years of learning and working in this profession, Natsheh said that he still has glass forms to master, and this requires many years of work and learning.

Bader al-Tamimi, president of the Traditional Handcrafts Center in Hebron, told Al-Monitor that those in charge of the industry are seeking to protect it from extinction. To them, not only is the profession their livelihood, but it also represents a historical record and a story that links these families to the city. To them, the industry is a historical story about the second most affected city by settlement activity after Jerusalem.

Tamimi added, The ceramics and glass industry is one of the most important crafts that led the city to win a crafts award, as it is a legacy that dates back to hundreds of years, and it accounts for a large percentage of the annual income of families and economy of the city.

We are offering a historical novel through this industry. The patterns and forms that characterize these pots and shapes are all linked to the Palestinian legacy of the city, which documents the Palestinian narrative versus the Israeli narrative, which settlers are trying to promote to steal the place, Tamimi said.

According to statistics carried out by the Traditional Handcrafts Center that Tamimi showed Al-Monitor, while there are 28 factories and workshops in Hebron employing about 96 craftsmen, there are only three ceramics factories left, employing 17 craftsmen.
October 14, 2016

WASHINGTON  Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will meet for a final debate on Oct. 19 in Las Vegas, and after their last nasty encounter the question Americans are asking themselves is: How low will it go?

Although Trump faced allegations of sexual harassment before he took the stage in St. Louis on Oct. 9, at that point only the Access Hollywood tape where he made lewd comments about women had come out.

Since then a half-dozen allegations have been made against him by women. Most notably, The New York Times talked to two women who alleged Trump had made aggressive sexual overtures toward them, one of which occurred on an airplane only a few minutes after the woman had met Trump. That encounter was said to have taken place 37 years ago, but in one sense that added to the creepiness factor  because of the sheer length of time he has apparently been behaving this way. A former writer for People magazine wrote about interviewing Trump and his wife in Florida in 2005, and asserted that when Melania was out of sight, Trump pushed her against a wall and kissed her against her will. In 2010, according to CNN anchor Erin Burnett, a friend reported that Trump kissed her without consent. Burnett said her friend was invited into Trumps office, where the incident occurred.

Trump has responded by lashing out at his accusers, calling them liars, threatening to sue The New York Times and claiming that the media was fabricating the stories in an effort to manipulate the election. Trump and his allies also say that the media has barely reported on recent revelations about Clinton and her staff contained in the most recent batch of hacked emails posted on WikiLeaks.

The media and the Democrats werent the only entities to face his wrath. After the tape became public, House Speaker Paul Ryan criticized Trump and disinvited him from campaigning with him in Wisconsin. Sen. John McCain explicitly withdrew his endorsement of Trump. The Republican nominee fired back at both GOP leaders via his Twitter account. He also attacked his party, tweeting: Disloyal R's are far more difficult than Crooked Hillary. They come at you from all sides. They dont know how to win  I will teach them!

Trump was also busy trying to lay the groundwork for blaming a possible election loss on others: Clinton, Republicans, the media and a rigged process.

The Oct. 19 debate in Las Vegas will be moderated by Fox News' Chris Wallace. And while Fox is considered a conservative-leaning network, Wallace challenged Trump on several occasions during the Republican primary debates. The latest allegations from women are bound to come up.

The topics in the debate include debt and entitlements, immigration, the economy, the Supreme Court, foreign hot spots and fitness to be president.

As Trump was defending himself, Michelle Obama condemned him for his treatment of women. Speaking at a Clinton rally in New Hampshire, the first lady said, This was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior, and actually bragging about kissing and groping women, using language so obscene that many of us were worried about our children hearing it when we turn on the TV.

And to make matters worse, Michelle Obama added, it now seems very clear that this isnt an isolated incident. Its one of countless examples of how he has treated women his whole life.

As both candidates prepare for their final debate, all of this was taking its toll on Trumps chances.

Clinton ended the week 6.7 percentage points ahead of her opponent in the RealClearPolitics polling average. She is close to reaching the high-water mark she registered in the summer after the conventions, when she led Trump by 7.1 points in the average.
October 14, 2016

It's not just Donald Trump who's toast, or so says the Washington crowd.

Democrats are already popping open the champagne and gloating about being on the verge of winning the five seats they need to take over the Senate. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., even boasted to her caucus Oct. 11 that Democrats would have won the 30 seats they need to take back the House if the election had been held that day.

Don't bet on it.

Yes, the avalanche of bad news for Trump, starting with last week's release of a 2005 tape in which he brags about sexually assaulting women, has likely done irreparable harm to his already flailing campaign. Hillary Clinton is up by 6.2 percentage points (48% to 41.8%) in the latest RealClearPolitics polling average.

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Instead of focusing on her, however, Trump compounded the Republican Party's difficulties by taking aim at House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., for his decision to stop campaigning with Trump. Now the GOP is in open revolt with its own presidential nominee, with Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., as well as Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, all withdrawing their endorsements. Other Republicans have called on Trump to drop out of the race, including Sens. Mark Kirk of Illinois, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Mike Crapo of Idaho and Mike Lee of Utah, and Reps. Barbara Comstock of Virginia and Martha Roby and Bradley Byrne, both of Alabama. Trump, of course, has said that there is zero chance he will quit.

Senate and House Democrats throughout the country are feeling pretty good about their chances as they use that fact in their campaign ads. But history suggests they should keep their expectations in check.

House results often reflect outcomes of presidential contests. In 11 of the past 15 presidential year elections, the party that won the White House added House seats.

But only four times since 1932 has a party picked up 30 or more seats. The last time was in 1980, when Republicans gained 34 seats. The largest gain was in 1932, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and Democrats picked up 90 seats.

Likewise in the Senate, only six times since 1932 has a party picked up over five or more net Senate seats during presidential election years. The largest margin in those 84 years was in 1980, when Ronald Reagan was elected president and Republicans picked up 12 net Senate seats. Since then only once  in 2008, when Barack Obama was first elected president  has a party gained five or more net Senate seats. That year Democrats picked up eight net seats.

Three Senate seats held by Republicans remain a complete toss-up: Indiana, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Indiana is an open seat, with Republican Dan Coats retiring. Democrat Evan Bayh, who previously served as senator from 1999-2011, holds a four-point lead over Republican Todd Young. Former Indiana Gov. Mike Pences appearance as the Republican vice presidential nominee should help Young, but it's too soon to tell.

Illinois and Wisconsin are also close, but pundits believe Republican incumbents will lose. In Illinois, Democrat Tammy Duckworth has a seven-point lead over Kirk, the incumbent Republican. And In Wisconsin, Democrat Russ Feingold, who previously served as senator from 1993-2011, holds a three-point lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.

Nevada, where longtime Democratic Sen. Harry Reid is retiring, is also in the toss-up category. Republican Joe Heck currently holds a three-point lead over Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto. If Democrats sweep the toss-ups and win Illinois and Wisconsin, then they would gain control of the Senate. If Republicans win Nevada and pick up a seat currently held by Democrats, then the map gets very difficult for Democratic control of the Senate.

Finally, the race for Republicans to keep the closest eye on is North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Richard Burr is in a very close race and has a slight lead over Democrat Deborah Ross. If Ross beats Burr, then Republicans might be in for a long night.

Needless to say, it's not often that a whole lot of Senate seats are gained during a presidential election year. The Democrats say they can gain five or more seats and make history on Nov. 8, but don't bet on it.
School lunches

Students go through the lunch line (File photo)

This summer the Pelham Board of Education expanded its background check policy, required for school volunteers, to include parents and grandparents who visit students during lunch.

Nicole Knight, communications manager for Pelham City Schools, said the expansion of the policy wasn't prompted by any particular incident.

"This school year, the expansion of the background check for lunch visitors came about because Pelham schools have an 'open door' policy that allows visitors during lunch times," she said in an email to AL.com. "We typically have dozens of visitors in our schools on any given day. Our goal is to do our best to ensure the visitors in our schools are safe to be around our students and staff at all times, including lunch.

Pelham City Schools Superintendent Scott Coefield said the school board is reviewing the policy after receiving questions from parents and community members. He said the board will clarify what criminal offenses will disqualify a parent or relative from visiting a student at school.

Coefield said the background check is targeting violent offenders, drug traffickers and child pornographers.

He also said most schools require background, some even for lunch visitors. That happens when schools swipe parents' driver licenses when they sign at the front office, Coefield said.

Shenna Sheffield, a parent of three children in Pelham schools, said the policy simply doesn't make sense.

"I am thinking about my family that lives out of town," she said. "If they are here for just a day or two, they will miss the opportunity to sit down with their grandchildren for a 30 minute lunch."

Sheffield doesn't understand why the policy applies lunch but not to school programs and other school-related activities. She said she previously underwent a background check in order to go with her daughter on a school field trip.

Parents already have to show identification when visiting their children at school, Sheffield said. She questions why that isn't enough.

Pelham schools have a large Hispanic population, and Sheffield said she often sees Hispanic parents in the schools with their children. She suspects the school board is trying to keep those parents, who may not speak English or may be undocumented, out of the schools, she said.

Coefield said the expanded policy is not intended to keep Hispanic parents or relatives out of the schools. He said if any parents or relatives happen to be undocumented and don't have a social security number, they can still undergo a background check.

He said 29 percent of the student population is Hispanic.

Coefield also said school principals do have the ability to make

Kenneth Paschal, who lives in Pelham and is president of the Alabama Family Rights Association, is speaking out against the policy. He doesn't have a child who attends Pelham City Schools.

"An automatic background check without evidence of illegal activity or wrongdoing creates a poor precedent for students' and parents' privacy," he said in a letter to school board members. "The policy requires parents to pay money to spend time with their child. Furthermore, the requirement seems to be an unethical intrusion propagated by fear and hidden under the guise of benefits for the child."

Knight said some parents and community members asked questions about the policy at the school board's September meeting, which has prompted further discussion from the board.

"We intend to diligently follow through on our commitment to answer the questions posed to us and consider all options that effectively provide safe schools for our students," she said.

Paschal said board members couldn't answer many questions from parents, such as what the board is looking for in background checks. If the board is just looking for convicted sex offenders, then they could run the parent roster against the sex offender database, he said.

Pelham City Schools has required a criminal background check for all parents or other volunteers who accompany field trips and participate in school day activities since 2014. The policy was recently expanded to include parents or others visiting for lunch.

A third-party screening company conducts the background check online. The cost is $15.

Paschal said low-income families may not be able to afford the $15 fee and could hinder parents' ability to be able to spend time with their children.

Coefield said the school board is checking with other vendors in an attempt to find a cheaper option for parents.
The Alabama Supreme Court last week rejected an appeal by the Shelby County District Attorney's Office of a judge's order tossing out the murder indictment against a former Marine in the shooting death of a mentally unstable woman. The case was a test of Alabama's stand your ground law.

In a decision with no opinion, the Alabama Supreme Court on Friday refused to review the case of Demetrius R. Watson, of Calera.

Watson's attorney, Richard Jaffe, issued a statement after Friday's decision by the Supreme Court.

"Richard Jaffe and Brett Knight of the Birmingham, Alabama law firm of Jaffe, Hanle, Whisonant & Knight have maintained from the beginning that Demetrius Watson did everything he could not to use his weapon while defending children and elderly family members on his property," according to a statement from Jaffe. "Even the warning shot he fired did not stop the threats on his life while being attacked."

Shelby County District Attorney officials did not respond to requests for comment and whether they could continue the appeals.

But Jaffe said the appeals are over. "In order for the federal courts to have jurisdiction, there has to be a federal question. There is none here. It is entirely a state law issue," stated in an email.

"The trial court and Alabama Appeals courts have all issued rulings, and this case is now over. Not one of the numerous judges that reviewed the case disagreed," Jaffe wrote. The 'stand your ground' self-defense law was passed by the Alabama legislature and 23 other states for exactly this kind of scenario. Demetrius called 911 and tried to help the attacker, but even a shot into the arm can prove deadly as it did here. He and his family are relieved but also sad that deadly force had to be utilized in this case."

Watson had been indicted in the Dec. 3, 2013 shooting death of Lisa Langston, 40, of Clanton. Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Dan Reeves, however ruled, after a hearing in October 2015 that Watson was immune from prosecution under the state's self-defense stand your ground law.

Shelby County prosecutors claimed there wasn't enough evidence presented at the immunity hearing to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that Watson was justified in using deadly force. They also argued that although the circumstances Watson faced were disturbing, "the evidence at the pretrial immunity hearing failed to establish that his use of deadly force against Lisa Langston was justified."

Prosecutors also contended Watson was armed with a pistol when he approached Langston, therefore he was not free from fault in creating a dangerous situation "and cannot prevail on an assertion that he acted in self-defense." Also, they argued, Watson had no reason to suspect that Langston possessed a deadly weapon and therefore his use of a deadly weapon was not justified.

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, in a unanimous decision earlier this year, disagreed with prosecutors' arguments and agreed Watson was due immunity from prosecution. The Shelby County District Attorney's Office appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court.

Since the original ruling in the case by Reeves, the state legislature enacted a law that requires, at a defendant's request, a pretrial hearing in which a defendant can claim that the force used was justified. The claim must be proven by a "preponderance of the evidence."
Cullman police arrested three people on Friday in connection with an active methamphetamine lab.

Cullman Police Department Narcotics Investigators and members of the Cullman County Sheriff's Office CNET Team executed a search warrant at a home on Highway 91 in Bremen on Friday. There, they found methamphetamine, the lab it was being produced in, and drug paraphernalia.

The home was owned by Terry Dewayne Quinn. Quinn, 49, was charged with unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance in the first degree, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police also arrested Cassatina Hyde and Kimberly Campbell Thomas.

Hyde, 32, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

Thomas, 39, was charged with unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance in the first degree, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Thomas was on parole at the time of her arrest.

Cullman police ask anyone with information on this case or other drug cases to call investigators at 256-775-7179.
Body Found.jpg

A decomposing body was found in the 2600 block of 21st Street S.W. on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016.

The man found dead behind a southwest Birmingham home on Friday morning had been shot multiple times, police say.

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office has ruled the case a homicide, Birmingham police released on Saturday evening. The victim hasn't been identified yet due to the condition of the body.

Officers in Birmingham's West Precinct responded to the report of a body found in the 2600 block of 21st Street Southwest at around 11:30 a.m.

At the scene, officers found a black man lying on his back in the back of an abandoned house, police said.

Neighbors reported they smelled an odor coming from the direction of the house and later found the victim. They also reported hearing two to three gunshots fired in the direction prior to finding the body.

The cause of death wasn't immediately known. An autopsy later revealed the man had died of multiple gunshot wounds to the body.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the B.P.D. Homicide Unit at 254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 254-7777.
A man suspected of killing his wife was shot by police after a standoff yesterday in Lee County.

At approximately 3:40 p.m. Saturday, a Columbus hospital notified authorities of a woman who died from a gunshot would.

Coroner Bill Harris identified that woman as Erica Murphy.

Murphy, 38, was reportedly shot by her husband.

Lee County sheriff's deputies and a SWAT officials responded to the woman's home at Lee Road 851, where they found the suspect. Officers communicated with the man for several hours, until the suspect stopped responding.

The suspect, identified as Daniel Richard Murphy, then appeared in a window of the home and pointed a gun at deputies.

Harris said Murphy, also 38, refused to drop his weapon and was shot by police. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:25 p.m.

No one else was injured in the standoff.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is now handling the investigation.
The decline and growth of the private prison industry in the United States.

Last August the US Department of Justice released a statement that they would begin the process of phasing out private prison contracts in federal prisons, some 30 years after the Bureau of Prisons began its experiment contracting beds to for-profit facilities.

The decision, according to the Justice Department, came in response to a declining prison population  down from 220,000 inmates in 2013 to fewer than 195,000 inmates today, as well as an acknowledgement of the often lower safety and security standards of the private prison industry (PDF).

Private prisons served an important role during a difficult period, says deputy attorney-general, Sally Quillian Yates, referring to the explosive US incarceration rates  an 800 percent increase from 1980 to 2013 according to the Justice Department  that led to the use of private companies to house federal inmates.

But time has shown that [private prisons] compare poorly to our own bureau facilities. They simply do not provide the same level of correctional services, programmes and resources; they do not save substantially on costs, says Yates, referring to a memo from the Justice Department, which stated that private prisons do not maintain the same level of safety and security.

The use of private prisons is a recipe for abuse, neglect and misconduct, says Carl Takei, staff lawyer with the ACLUs National Prison Project, speaking to Al Jazeera about the high instances of abuses inside private prisons [PDF], an industry that has grown 1,600 percent from 1990 to 2013. We know that private prisons compare poorly to federal prisons, Takie says, echoing Yates view that the private facilities provide no significant cost savings.

Profit over justice

Criminal justice reform advocates have praised the decision as an important step in minimising the private prison industrys influence on criminal justice policy.

Private prisons operate on a business model that emphasises profit over public good and benefits from policies that maintain Americas high incarceration rates, writes Cody Mason in a report (PDF) for the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit criminal justice reform organisation, referring to the lobbying efforts of the private prison industry to effect legislations that halt criminal justice reform and maintain the United States high incarceration rates.

They [private prison companies] are very careful about not publicly stating what they support; but if you follow the money, it becomes pretty clear, says Philip Torrey, a professor at Harvard Law School. Torrey notes how private prison companies, particularly the nations two largest private prison companies, Geo Group and Correction Corporation of America (CCA), have supported controversial bills such as the three-strikes laws and minimum mandatory sentencing, as well as Arizonas controversial anti-immigration law  each acknowledged as drivers of incarceration, particularly of immigrants and people of colour.

READ MORE: The school to prison pipeline

Private prisons did not cause mass incarceration, says Nazgol Ghandnoosh, a research analyst for the Sentencing Project, but they certainly helped to sustain it.

The interest of private prisons in sustaining the current levels of incarceration was candidly revealed in a 2010 statement by CCA.

The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by the relaxation of enforcement efforts, leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices or through the decriminalisation of certain activities that are currently proscribed by criminal laws, the company said. Along with Geo Group, the companies netted a combined $3bn in 2013.

It is capitalising on incarceration, says Ghandnoosh. Private prisons incentives are really misaligned as to what our goal in society should be: fewer prisons and safer communities.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from her office in Washington, DC, Ghandnoosh described the Justice Department divestment as a historic decision, but also sounded a note of caution.

Lets be clear; this is hugely significant. But we should be cautious about thinking how far this will reach, she told Al Jazeera, explaining that the decision will have no impact on privatised jails, which are state level and not affected by the justice departments decisions, nor the federal immigrant detention system, now the fastest growing prison population segment in the US  more than half of which are run by for-profit companies.

Silky Shah, codirector of the Detention Watch Network, national coalition of organisations working for immigration detention reform agrees that impact of the divestment on privatised jails will be minimal, telling Al Jazeera: All you have to do is look at immigration detention to see that that is far from the case.

The criminalisation of immigration

Over the past 20 years, a reorientation of national attitudes and polices towards immigration have led to increases in the US detention system, which now holds upwards of 400,000 immigrants yearly  up from 230,000 in 2005.

Many trace the immigrant detention boom to the toughening of immigration laws in the mid-1990s, particularly the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.

The impact of the 1996 laws really set the foundation of how we got to this point, says Shah. It was a complete shift in policy around immigration.

Some five years later, the 9/11 attacks would shape the issue of immigration as, above all else, a matter of national security. In 2003, immigration proceedings were moved from the Department of Justice to the newly created Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Since then, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)  the DHS agency responsible for running the nations immigration detention system  has been given unprecedented funding and powers for expanding both enforcement and detention.

After 9/11 and the establishment of the DHS [there was] an increase in surveillance, border security and expanding enforcement and detention budgets, says Torrey, the Harvard professor. These factors led to a dramatic increase in the number of immigrants detained, he adds, referring to a fivefold increase in immigrant detention over the past two decades.

READ MORE: Lost in the System

Congressional budget documents (PDF) from the Department of Homeland Security show the huge increases in funding for ICE. For instance between 2004 and 2016 the ICE Budget (PDF) increased from $2.8bn to $6.2bn. That same year, ICE was allotted $2.3bn in funding for detention alone (compared with only $184m for detention in 2001, according to the Sentencing Project report).

This increase in funding was a windfall for a private prison industry that was, by the early 2000s, floundering.

Around 2000 the two largest private prison companies CCA and Geo were struggling and near bankruptcy, says Shah. However after 9/11 there was suddenly this huge opportunity for private prison companies as lucrative immigration detention contracts were awarded to companies such as CCA and Geo.

The growth in ICEs use of private detention helped buoy profits for prison companies faced with slowing growth and contributed to the markets annual grosses of about $5bn, according to the report by the Sentencing Project.

Meanwhile, the number of immigration detention beds increased from 5,000 in 1995, to more than 30,000 guaranteed detention beds today. This congressionally authorised daily quota (PDF) , passed in 2009, is a mandate for ICE to contract and fill all beds. Congress requires the agency to maintain a level of not less than 34,000 detention beds at any given time.

According to a report by the Centre for Constitutional Rights and the Detention Watch Network, ICE has an incentive to detain individuals, and gives private companies that run detention facilities a say in the number of immigrants the US detains annually.

These private prison contracts often include a further requirement that the government keep immigrant detention centres full and at times contain a tiered pricing structure that provides discounts for those detained in excess of the guaranteed minimum. Private prison companies now control 62 percent of immigration detention beds in the US, according to a report by Grassroots Leadership.

Noting the pressure to fulfil both congressional and contractual quotas, the report says: This interdependent relationship with private industry has produced a set of government-sanctioned detention quotas that ensure profits for the companies involved while incentivising the incarceration of immigrants.

The expanding immigration detention market has been mirrored by increased lobbying efforts from private prison companies. Between 2006 and 2015, CCA spent more than $8.7m and the Geo group more than $1.3m lobbying congress solely on Homeland Security appropriations, according to the liberal policy advocacy think-tank, Center for American Progress.

READ MORE: Americas prison problem

As revenues of private prison companies have grown over the past decade, the companies have had more resources with which to build political power, and they have used this power to promote policies that lead to higher rates of incarceration, according to a report by the Justice Policy Institute.

Both CCA and Geo recognise the immigration reform and criminal justice reform are threats to their business model, adds Takei of the National Prison Project.

Beyond the impact on immigration reform, the operation of private immigrant detention facilities raises troubling  if familiar  issues about detainee safety, prison conditions and civil and human rights abuses inside these detention centres. CCA and the Geo group  the same two companies that have been criticised for their handling of federal prison contracts  now operate 72 percent of ICE detention beds, dominating an immigration detention system that, whether private or public, operates under a severe lack of oversight and accountability.

In detention, immigrants are often subjected to harsh conditions of confinement and denied access to adequate medical care, legal counsel and family contact, according to the Detention Watch Network, outlining the conditions found in detention centres.

This is a system that is costly, harsh and virtually immune from constitutional oversight, according to Torrey, who explains how immigration law violations are considered a civil  not criminal  offence, and therefore, many of the protections afforded to criminal detainees do not apply to detained immigrants.

Immigrant detention is criminal detention but without constitutional protections, explains Torrey,

The immigration detention industry is costly and causes unnecessary suffering, says Takei. Like many others, he hopes the Justice Department decision will push other agencies, like the DHS, to phase out privatisation. There is simply no place for this in this country.

Currently, the DHS is evaluating whether it should also phase out the use of private detention centres and beds.

And while the Justice Department decision will not affect immigration detention or address the root causes of the US mass immigrant incarceration system, it is for some a glimmer of hope.

If privatisation ended today in this country, it would be an overhaul of the entire system, says Shah. Lets hope that happens.
Faced with tough choices and social pressures, some women in the region are paying the ultimate price.

Erbil, Iraq  Jaleh has spent a total of one year inside an unmarked womens shelter in Erbil, the capital of Iraqs Kurdish region.

Before coming here, the 19-year-old woman with long, dark hair had fallen in love with a man she hoped to marry  but one of her five brothers did not approve.

So he killed my boyfriend and shot me with a Kalashnikov in our home, Jaleh told Al Jazeera, speaking under a pseudonym. Hearing the shots and her screams, neighbours called the police, and Jaleh was taken to a hospital, where doctors had to amputate her right leg at the knee.



UN agreement reached on ending violence against women

To this day, Jaleh does not know why her brother objected to her boyfriend: He never told me why  he still has not.

After spending an initial nine months at the shelter, Jaleh returned home earlier this year in hopes of working things out with her family, but the problem was still there.

No one in my family was able to help me. They didnt want me there  they made it clear. They couldnt even look at me, said Jaleh, who returned to the womens shelter three months ago.

Jalehs case was just one among 7,436 registered complaints of violence against women in Iraqs Kurdish region in 2015, according to the General Directorate of Combating Violence Against Women  an increase from the 6,673 complaints recorded in the previous year.

In a region where data is not always collected consistently, comparative statistics are few  but according to the health ministry, more than 3,000 women were killed as a result of domestic violence between 2010 and 2015.

Five-star prisons

In 2012, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) created the Independent Commission for Human Rights, an autonomous body tasked with studying violence against women in the region and developing strategies to combat it. Although the commission is currently funded by the KRG, it is transitioning towards independent funding.

In its National Strategy to Confront Violence Against Women, a five-year-plan implemented in 2012, the KRG acknowledged that the prevalence of violence against women in the region had become a huge obstacle to progress.

We don't accept a woman in this society who makes a complaint against men - they are not accepted back. by Ramziya Zana, director of the Gender Studies and Information Organisation

Krmanj Othman, a senior legal adviser with the human rights commission, told Al Jazeera that most womens shelters feel like five-star prisons because the women there often feel trapped.

What is the future of this lady?  She is always living under threat, Othman said. Because even legally, if she is protected, living in this situation, she will always be scared.

One of three shelters for battered women in the region, the one in which Jaleh lives, is unmarked, tucked away in the middle of a residential area.

Jaleh said that she does not feel threatened by her family; rather, they have completely rejected her. But although she wants to go to law school and work towards protecting womens rights, this dream seems impossible right now.

No one wants me outside this shelter, she said. Where should I go?

According to Ramziya Zana, the director of the Gender Studies and Information Organisation, an Erbil-based NGO, most women experience increased psychological stress after they leave the protection of a shelter.

We dont accept a woman in this society who makes a complaint against men  they are not accepted back, Zana said, noting such rejection often leads to depression and potentially suicide. In 2015, at least 125 women in six surveyed cities in Iraqs Kurdish region killed themselves via self-immolation  up from 97 cases in 2014.

Problematic data

Zana cited a correlation between the worsening economic situation in Iraqs Kurdish region and an increase in divorce rates.

Between 2011 and 2015, the number of divorces in Erbil, Duhok and Sulaimania rose from 1,029 to 8,105, court documents show.

The worsening economy puts extra stresses on marriages, and women tend to pay the price, Zana said.

As with other countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, Iraqs Kurdish region has landed in the crosshairs of womens rights groups  both domestic and international. The region has been criticised for not implementing laws that protect women from female genital mutilation (FGM), domestic violence, sexual assault, self-immolation and femicide.

Using the UNs metrics for gender inequality  where inequality is scored between zero and 1, with higher numbers indicating more inequality  Iraqs Kurdish region scores 0.41.

The region scores better than the rest of Iraq, which comes in at 0.55, but worse than some of its neighbours, such as Turkey (0.36) and Lebanon (0.38).

WATCH: Domestic violence plagues Iraq

Official statistics show that there was an increase in the rates of violence against women, female suicide and femicide in Iraqs Kurdish region between 2014 and 2015, with the number of domestic violence complaints rising by nearly 800 and cases of suicide by self-immolation increasing by more than two dozen.

The rate of reported sexual assaults decreased slightly  by 20 cases  over that timeframe.

In the first seven months of 2016, meanwhile, 52 women in Iraqs Kurdish region committed suicide, compared with 64 in all of 2015.

An additional 62 women did so via self-immolation, compared with 125 in all of 2015. And 145 women were set fire to by someone else, compared with 198 in all of 2015.

Othman said that the real numbers were likely even worse, as the data is not collected in a manner that complies with international standards. Every place and every person can be collecting the data in a different way, Othman said.

In some cases, attackers take steps to ensure their victims are unidentifiable.

Sometimes they throw the bodies of the women into rivers or the mountains. At times, their bodies are burned, Zana said.

In 2011, legislators in Iraqs Kurdish region passed a law against domestic violence in response to the growing problem. A study done that year indicated that 44 percent of married women reported being beaten by their husbands if they disobeyed his orders. The global estimate for violence against women by their partners, married or unmarried, is 30 percent, according to the World Health Organization.

Implementation of the 2011 law has been criticised as insufficient by rights groups and the UNs office of the high commissioner for human rights. But Dindar Zebari, deputy minister and head of the KRGs foreign relations department, said that the increasing number of complaints between 2014 and 2015 indicates that things are improving for women in the region.

Regarding FGM and domestic violence and things like this  the KRG has never said it does not happen. We admit it happens, said Zebari, noting that the law has made such practices illegal.

This law has made things better for women in [the Kurdish region], he said, citing a rise in public awareness that has led to an increase in the number of complaints filed. The rising divorce rate is also a positive sign, he added: Now women see they have rights and they will not accept this [domestic abuse].

However, Othman pointed out that unless a woman files a formal complaint, nothing can be done  and he believes there is still a lack of understanding about womens rights in the region.

If you dont have anything on paper, he said, then it doesnt exist.
White working-class communities in economically depressed areas banking on Republican nominee for a reversal of fortune.

Lewisberry, Pennsylvania  Sitting in the bar of a roadside restaurant with a friend, Rick Shaffer sums up what he thinks of the situation in this northeastern US state with three words: We need change.

Shaffer and his friend, both construction workers in their 50s, support Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate. They believe the US needs a strong military and that undocumented immigrants should be deported.

Why build a wall? Landmines can do the same job!

Pennsylvania has backed the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992. Even so, the state is not reliably Democrat, says political analyst Bill Schneider.

While the states largest city, Philadelphia, and its surrounding counties have a large number of affluent white voters and minorities who are heavily against Trump, Schneider says, Pennsylvania is also home to a large white working-class population with lower income and education levels than the national average.

This demographic group includes miners and factory workers who have seen their jobs disappear as a result of economic changes reshaping the countrys industrial landscape.

They are the core of Trumps constituency. Theyre angry and resentful, Schneider says.

Striking a chord

Trump won 77 percent in the Republican primary in Luzerne County in northeast Pennsylvania.

In the countys main city of Wilkes-Barre, a former mining centre, thousands of supporters turned up for his rally this week.

Theyve taken our jobs out of Pennsylvania. Well be bringing them back folks, believe me, Trump thundered from the stage.

His fired-up fans cheered, chanting, USA, USA, some waving Trump digs coal signs.

Oh, what those politicians have done to us, Trump said, lowering his voice.

Such charged rhetoric resonates strongly with Trump supporters here: promises of jobs and prosperity, that Trump is not a politician or part of the establishment in Washington.

I like hes an outsider, said Matthew, who brought his seven-year-old son to the rally.

Were fed up with disgusting DC, with the corruption and greed, politicians just working for themselves.

If Hillary Clinton gets to the White House  he continues, but his son cuts in: Then were doomed! Shes a crook.

Matthew, who did not want to give his full name to protect his privacy, blames bad trade pacts for the loss of jobs in the county.

He still has a job: he works in the dental prosthesis industry in Wilkes-Barre. But he has witnessed jobs being outsourced to countries such as China where manufacturing costs are lower.

His brother and brother-in-law have both lost their jobs.

Typical Trump voter

Matthew ticks many of the boxes that statistically make him inclined to support Trump: male without a college education, in a rural area, of mostly white descent.

But he is also married to a South American woman, taught English to immigrants and lived in Peru. Nevertheless, he backs Trumps strict immigration policies.

He argues that given the existing system of work visas and other ways to enter the US legally, a crackdown on undocumented immigrants is justified. And he thinks refugees should be hosted close to their home countries, where problems of assimilation will not arise and they can eventually return home.

Its not xenophobia or anything. What makes America great is that its a melting pot, its like the world in one country and thats a beautiful thing, Matthew said. But rules are for a reason. When you start to move away from them, you create chaos.





Wilkes-Barres economic fortunes have been in decline since appetite for its coal dwindled after World War I.

While the mining industry in the area once employed some 180,000 people, that number is now down to 300, according to Larry Newman, who promotes business in Wilkes-Barre.

Thousands of jobs were created in industrial parks after the mining industrys demise, but they were relatively low-skilled positions that could easily be outsourced.

Factories producing shoes, garments and other goods have closed down, and the main employers in the area today are warehouses and distribution centres, which pay much lower wages than work on the assembly lines in the factories did.

Still, Newman does not agree with the bleak picture of the city painted by Trump supporters.

He says the city centre has become a start-up cluster, with tech-based companies and other new businesses renting office spaces. However, these are jobs that require college education and are not available to workers displaced by factory closures.

Those employed in the start-ups are the children and grandchildren of the people struggling, Newman says.

Trumps message about jobs resonate with many people here. They see him as a change agent.

Trump has promised repeatedly throughout his campaign to save the US coal industry and to renegotiate international trade deals.

Of course, not everyone here has been swayed by Trump.

Karen Baranoski, a teacher and Democratic volunteer, is excited at the prospect of electing the first female president and is convinced that the US cannot get a more qualified leader than Clinton.

She is encouraged by recent poll numbers that give Clinton a lead of more than 8 percent over Trump at 47.3 to 39.0 percent in Pennsylvania.

Still, she will not relax until results are out.

Trumps got nine lives, so you never know, she said.

Controversy after controversy

Trumps candidacy has indeed survived controversy after controversy, with his offensive comments about Hispanics, Muslims, women and the disabled grabbing headlines at different times.

In recent days, his campaign has taken its strongest hit yet after the publication of a 2005 video in which he is heard bragging in foul language about groping women.

While Trump himself has tried to play down his remarks as locker-room talk, several prominent Republicans have abandoned their candidate.





At the Wilkes-Barre rally, the lewd comments did not seem to bother female Trump supporters whom Al Jazeera spoke to.

Were not electing the Pope, said Eileen Johanssen, a nutrition education adviser. No one is free from sin  This is a great man.

Back in the bar in Lewisberry, warehouse employee Melissa Comer says it does not matter who wins the election  as long as it is not Trump.

She supported Democrat Bernie Sanders in the primaries, and now faces a dilemma: vote for Clinton to keep Trump out of office, or vote for a third party whose manifesto is closer to her political views.

Its a choice between a douche and a turd, she said. And there is at least one thing she is sure of: We need a revolution in this country, we need to overthrow the two-party system!

Pauline Cuk, working in the restaurant, has no idea what choice she will make on Election Day.

She watched the latest presidential debate and found the way the candidates spoke to each other appalling.

Theyre like two kids, she said. I feel physically ill when I think of it, that one of these idiots will be in charge of our future. I would vote for Mickey Mouse if I could.
Ashraf Ghanis deal with a hardline party is a positive step, but Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has a lot to deliver.

Aimal Faizi is an Afghan journalist and former spokesperson for former Afghan President Hamid Karzai from 2011-2014.

As an aide and one-time spokesperson to the former president of Afghanistan, many journalists and observers of Afghanistan ask me why the recent peace deal between the Afghan government and a hardline Afghan militant group, Hizb-e-Islami (HIG), wasnt brokered under Hamid Karzai?

Is it a positive development for the country and will it have any impact on the security situation in Afghanistan?

While the negotiations for brokering the peace deal began years ago  under the previous Afghan government  its successful conclusion last month could only have happened with US acquiescence. I believe the signing of the peace pact and its timing has the full backing of Washington. It shows beyond doubt that the key to peace deals with Afghan armed groups is with the United States and Pakistan, where Afghan rebels are based.





However, the deal will not have any immediate impact on the security situation. Terrorist activities in Afghanistan originate from outside the country, therefore, the country will remain vulnerable. Terrorism will continue to be an enduring phenomenon for years to come.

Public trust

It is imperative for HIG, without further ado, to vow to put differences and violent domestic rivalries with other Afghan political groups aside, accept the Afghan constitution and gain public trust.

The Afghan people should not hesitate in embracing and supporting the peace accord with HIG. Afghanistan is a nation which has bled for far too long; entire generations have known nothing but conflict.

OPINION: Ashraf Ghanis gamble with butcher of Kabul

The only way for the nation to heal now is through reconciliation and accepting each other. In war-torn Afghanistan, with so many pretexts for violence, Afghans must reject every excuse and reason for war.

In the early 1990s, when Afghanistan spiralled into a brutal war between competing Mujahideen groups, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar helped rescue Hamid Karzai, then-deputy foreign minister, who was wounded in a rocket attack in Kabul  transporting him out of the country.

After becoming president, Karzai attempted on many occasions to woo Hekmatyar to abandon armed opposition, return and join the political process in the post-Taliban Afghanistan.

With the green light from Karzai, many members of Hizb-e-Islami joined the Afghan government.

Whether as cabinet ministers, governors or parliamentarians, they gradually occupied a significant number of key positions. It all happened under Karzais doctrine of making Afghanistan, once again, the home of all Afghans.

In May 2008, Karzai released Ghairat Baheer, Hekmatyars son-in-law, (who was detained by Pakistan in 2002 and was then in US detention for six years), from prison by a presidential decree.

The very same delegation representing Hekmatyar, which negotiated and finalised the recent peace accord with Ashraf Ghani's government last month, first began a series of contacts and meetings with Karzai's government in 2010. by

After his release, Baheer, in charge of Hizb-e-Islamis political affairs, became Hekmatyars chief negotiator with the United States and the Karzai government. He met US officials in and outside Afghanistan and remains the main point of contact in the present climate.

Peace talks with HIG

The very same delegation representing Hekmatyar, which finalised the recent peace accord with Ashraf Ghanis government last month, first began a series of contacts and meetings with Karzais government in 2010.

Karzai personally held peace talks with the HIGs envoys, receiving their delegation in his office. The messengers brought letters and demands from their leader to the Afghan president.

They questioned his policy and agreements with Washington, and the US military presence in Afghanistan, while also briefing the president about their own meetings with the Americans.

They discussed issues related to the region and the future of the Afghan political system. They would also meet Karzais national security adviser for a briefing on the Afghan-US strategic partnership agreement.

In a December 2011 meeting, after reading Hekmatyars new letter, Karzai told HIGs representatives: My term will be over in about two-and-a-half-years time.

OPINION: Death of a warlord will change nothing in Afghanistan

There will be elections, hed said. Karzai wished he could see Hekmatyar, Fahim [former Afghan vice president], Ashraf Ghani and others standing for elections. You have a political vision but you have lost many opportunities, said Karzai. Hizb-e-Islami has a future in a free democratic system in Afghanistan. Lets not waste more time, he added.

Finally, after years of negotiations and Washingtons unwillingness to assist the peace process, Hekmatyar has the signed peace deal in hand now.

A spokesman for Hizb-e-Islami, Haroon Zarghoon, recently told the media that America knows about the peace negotiations between the Afghan government and Hizb-e-Islami, and Washington has its interest in it.

He added that soon all international sanctions on Hekmatyar and the Hizb-e-Islami would be removed. According to reports, HIGs representatives will be visiting the US soon.

While it is a noteworthy achievement and a win-win development for both HIG and Ghani, to make the deal succeed, Hekmatyar and his party have a lot to deliver. Afghans have not forgotten the loss of their loved ones and all the bloodshed of the early 1990s.

Hekmatyar must put all domestic rivalries with other political groups (mainly Jamiat-e-Islami) aside for a worthy cause. HIG should work for the strengthening of national unity and Afghanistans relations with all regional powers.

Those political groups who fear the possible return of Hekmatyar to the country and echo the slogan of justice need not worry.

As eminent American scholar and Afghanistan expert Barnett Rubin recently told me: Afghanistan needs a comprehensive, impartial programme of justice, reconciliation, and peace that does not single out any one group as the worst criminals.

While many were responsible, he said, pointing finger at one would look like political manoeuvring, not justice.

Aimal Faizi is an Afghan journalist and former spokesman for former Afghan President Hamid Karzai from 2011 to 2014.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
As US falters Russia becomes both judge and executioner in Syria.

As any student of international affairs would tell you, diplomacy is a reflection of the balance of power, not the balance of rhetoric. And in Syria, power has tilted in favour of Bashar al-Assad and his Russian patrons after the Kremlin decided to intervene militarily in Syria in September last year.

Nonetheless, the White House, which preferred to keep a distance from the Syrian war, saw an opportunity in the new Russian challenge to US hegemony in the Middle East. Vladimir Putin might have been emboldened by the intervention, but he also gained more leverage over the Assad regime and succeeded in sidelining Iran.





The Obama administration reckoned that working things out with Russia would be tidier and more productive than having to deal with Assad or his backers in Tehran. And it would pave the way towards cooperation by Russia in the war against ISIL and al-Qaeda.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has been trying ever since to no avail. Not only has he failed to bring the Russians to agree to a minimalist diplomatic settlement, but his latest failure to bring about at least a ceasefire in Aleppo makes it clear that Russia, while capable, is unwilling to use its leverage to bring about a diplomatic solution.

None of this should come as a surprise. The writing has been on the wall for some time.

Obamas reluctance, Putins belligerence

The United States and Russia might have co-sponsored various attempts in Geneva and Vienna to bring about a political solution to the Syrian war, but ever since the Syrian issue became entangled in global power politics, it ceased to be about the Syrian future. Syrians went on to suffer and die as the whole country is sacrificed on the altar of superpower cynicism.

OPINION: Analysis: Significance of Turkish-backed Syrian rebels taking Dabiq from ISIL

US-Russian confliction over Libya and Ukraine took its toll on Syria. Instead of settling the conflict, Washington and Moscow began settling scores with Russia taking the lead.

Obamas reluctance to adequately support the opposition or make Assad pay for trampling over his red lines by using chemical weapons against his peoples provided Putin with an opportunity to up the ante. He increased arms shipments to Assad and eventually intervened directly on his side.

Putins gamble worked: He changed the balance of power in Assads favour and had little or no incentive to get rid of him. Not even in favour of a transitional ruling coalition of regime and opposition forces that leaves the state structures intact.

For the Syrian opposition, the pressures multiplied. They had to fend for themselves on two fronts: from the Russian-supported Assad regime and from ISIL.

And not only have they miraculously withstood the unrelenting bombardments, they even made progress against ISIL, latest this week, by recapturing the northern town of Dabiq from ISIL  long considered important to fulfil the groups apocalyptic prophesy.

Curiously, this same American administration that slapped Russia with tough sanctions because of its intervention in Ukraine, has rewarded it for its intervention in Syria. by

A flawed process

Curiously, this same American administration that slapped Russia with tough sanctions because of its intervention in Ukraine has rewarded it for its intervention in Syria.

You might expect that the US would at least rethink its calculus and change its expectations following Russias military. It didnt. The Obama administration has instead widened its deliberations with Russia as the lesser of two evils  war being the other evil.

But war continued unabated.

Worse, the US designated Russia as the go-to power to talk about Syria, with US officials nudging their Arab counterparts and Syrian opposition figures to go to Moscow to vent their frustrations and share their ideas. Suddenly, more diplomats were flocking to Moscow than Washington in pursuit of a Syrian solution.

But Russia became at once the judge and executioner; a co-sponsor of the Syrian talks and the co-bomber of opposition strongholds.

It protected the Assad regime in the international forums and helped Assad forces regain control of areas liberated from his army and militias.

OPINION: Russia overplays its hand in Syria

Russia went on to translate its military superiority into tactical and diplomatic gains with Kerry happy to oblige in the hope of keeping the process alive.

The US accepted Russias diktats in separating the opposition into terrorists and moderates to pursue militarily, and moderates before agreeing to a political settlement (Assad insisted they were all terrorists or treacherous).

But it failed to convince or coerce the Russians to make the same distinction on their side, including Assad and Iran supported forces and militias, which are responsible for most of the civilian deaths in the country.

But then, at least the US is trying to make diplomacy work. Right?

A for effort?

Kerry has been given immense credit for his unrelenting efforts to pursue a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis. Just when youd think Mr Diplomacy is done trying, he comes back with a new framework. And just when you think hes snapped and theres no turning back, he creeps back as if nothing had happened.

But then hes at the service of a president whos so indifferent; he wont consider any alternative to cheap-talk, knowing all too well that Putin is playing a cynical game.

After four years of diplomacy, the United States may still be the one calling for the talks, but its Russia calling the shots both on the ground and in the negotiations.

And Russia made it clear it wont give up in the negotiations what it won on the ground.

All of which brings me to the most important question of the day: When does diplomacy stop being a way to resolve the conflict and starts becoming a way to cover up for war and war crimes? Or, in other words, has diplomacy become the continuation of Russias war by other means in Syria?

Marwan Bishara is the senior political analyst at Al Jazeera. Follow him on Facebook.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Analysis of Arab societies through sectarianism does not grasp the complex dynamics of identity politics in the region.

Beirut  Last week, Saudi writer and journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, wrote a piece in the London-based al-Hayat newspaper in which he argued that Sunnis were targeted as a group and called on them to defend themselves as a sect.

Such flawed, reductionist and ill-informed analysis contributes to little more than reminding us that sectarianism is actually a fait accompli.

Sectarianism is real. It is neither a myth, nor an illusion. It is real in its implications and its revelations in our everyday life. In many countries in the Middle East and beyond, sectarianism is experienced as a tool for identification, political organisation, discrimination, othering or alienation.

It operates at the social level as a form of everyday identity marker; but, more importantly, it also operates at the political and economic level and becomes a tool for party recruitment and mobilisation, as we are witnessing today in many parts of the Arab world.

Sectarianism, as a constructed phenomenon, had  and still has  a real impact in shaping societies and organising social and political life.

A brief history of sectarianism

However, sectarianism has not always existed. It is not an ancient phenomenon, and it surely does not have its roots in age-old feuds, as many analysts try to explain today. In fact, sectarianism is modern. It infiltrated the Arab region in the early 19th century with the development of capitalism and the rise of nation states.

At that time, the Ottoman Empire and western colonisers played a crucial role in the creation of sectarianism through their use of divide-and-rule identity politics and the institutionalisation of sectarianism through state institutions.

For example, the French colonisers had clearly favoured the Christian leaders in Lebanon and have played a crucial role in shaping the countrys power-sharing system on terms that are advantageous to their Christian allies.

In fact, whereas religious and sectarian identities were numerous in the Arab region before the 19th century, their relevance remained at the social level in terms of differences in rituals and traditions.

It was only later that these identities became politicised  and institutionalised  giving birth to the phenomenon now referred to as sectarianism. In this sense, sectarianism, as a constructed phenomenon, had  and still has  a real impact in shaping societies and organising social and political life.

Since its inception, sectarianism has been consciously devised and used by local political leaders and regional powers to either maintain their positions of power or to access more power. Equally, sectarianism has also been used by ordinary people to access goods and services through systems of clientelism that quickly flourish in the absence of state-provided welfare.

Thus, far from being a question of emotions or fixed cultural identities, sectarianism is a rational phenomenon that functions to the benefit of its adopters, however irrational that might appear.













Sectarianism without sects?

Is the war in Syria today really one between the Alawis and the Sunnis? Or is it between the Assad regime and its regional and international backers, and the various opposition groups and their backers? Is ISIL not targeting Sunnis? Is the Assad regime not targeting some Alawis? How did we get to reduce the world so much, and in such inaccurate ways, in our analysis?

Therefore, although constructed and historically malleable in its salience, sectarianism today is an undeniable social phenomenon in the Arab world.

However, saying that sectarianism is real does not imply that it is an all-encompassing explanatory variable that can be used to understand Arab societies in one go. This reductionist, and often orientalist, approach in explaining the Arab world does not help us grasp the complex dynamics of identity politics in the region.

While Arab societies have undergone major social, economic and political changes in the past few years, most analysts writing about the region are still focused almost solely on sectarianism as being the catalysts for the violence that the region is witnessing.

This simplistic approach has stirred a debate around sectarianism that is still fuelled by a wrong dichotomy: Is sectarianism real or not? The crucial question lies elsewhere.

While it is difficult for anyone to convincingly argue that sectarianism does not exist, the more important question is actually to ask whether sects, as self-contained homogeneous groups, actually exist; and whether we have been adopting the right categories in attempting to explain sectarianism.

In his famous book The Shia Revival, Vali Nasr argues that the conflict between the Sunnis and the Shias will shape the future.

But who are the Sunnis and who are the Shias? Are they homogeneous groups? Are all the Shias on one side and all the Sunnis on the other? How do they operate? Through big sectarian collectives or through political parties and political organisations? Is the war in Syria today really one between the Alawis and the Sunnis?

Or is it between the regime of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad and its regional and international backers, and the various opposition groups and their backers? How do we make sense of the numerous internal divisions within sectarian categories in Syria? Is The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) not targeting Sunnis? Is the Assad regime not targeting some Alawis? How did we get to reduce the world so much, and in such inaccurate ways, in our analysis?

Take Lebanon as an example, are the supporters of the Shia-based Hezbollah similar to the supporters of Shia-based Amal Movement? Can we call them all just Shias? Similarly, are the poor  mainly  Sunni inhabitants of Akkar in northern Lebanon similar to Beiruts Sunni bourgeoisie? Are they just Sunnis? What about the Christians?

Are the supporters of the Christian-based Free Patriotic Party in Lebanon similar to their political rivals in the Christian-based Phalange Party? Or are the Christians of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Egypt similar to those of France, Britain or the United States? Can we even speak of the Christians as such? Would this be an accurate depiction of reality? Are these categories transcendent to class divisions, regional divisions, and political division? More specifically, does sectarianism exist outside class dynamics? Doesnt it interact and recreate itself within these dynamics?

Anyone with little knowledge of the Arab world would quickly understand that reality is much more complex and nuanced than those simplistic categories. In Lebanon today, the Christians are not one group.

Internal divisions between the main self-proclaimed Christian political parties have prevented the identity category from being the basis for a broader group formation. In other words, the sectarian identity remains a category (institutionalised by the state as a form of identification), but not a group in society.

Saying that one is Christian is no longer conflated with a political stance. And speaking of the Christians as one, does not make sense in the general political discourse.

This has become clear in the inability of the main Christian-based parties in Lebanon to reach consensus over the election of a President of the Republic, a seat reserved to the Christian Maronites.

Sects as units of analysis problematic

However, in cases where there is a sort of political homogeneity or domination by one political party, sectarian categories are often easily used interchangeably with political categories. This conflation between sectarian and political identities paves the way for the transformation of the categories into groups that are assumed to be self-contained and homogeneous.





For example, Shia, Sunni or Alawi identities are now heavily politically charged. This led to the conflation of these identity categories with political groupings that do not necessarily reflect the political aspirations of everyone belonging to the identity.

Just because political parties or leaders speak in the name of sectarian groups does not mean that we should assume that they truly represent the group, or even that the group, as a homogenous unit, exists all together.

This type of groupist approach, as the American sociologist Rogers Brubaker would call it, is found in most analyses that deal with the questions of sectarianism.

It is exactly here that the trap lies. Attempting to understand sectarianism through the adoption of sects as units of analysis is problematic and often leads to tautological arguments. Sectarianism is not the result of the existence of a diversity of sects, the same way feminism is not the result of the existence of different genders.

And conflating sect with politics is in fact very similar to conflating feminism with women. Whereas not all women are feminist, not all Sunnis or Shias are sectarian. Sectarianism, like feminism, is rather the result of traceable political and socio-economic developments that cannot be overlooked and reduced to simply identity groups.

In fact, one can rather argue that the formation of sects, as political groupings, is probably the results of sectarianism, or sectarian politics, and not its cause.

Although this detail might seem banal to some analysts, acknowledging that sects, as in self-contained homogeneous groups, do not pre-date sectarianism and do not exist as such is all one needs in order to be able to understand why the widespread analyses of sectarianism in the Arab region are mostly wrong, and are often resulting in policy prescriptions, such as consociational democracy, that are based on a wrong diagnosis.

*Assistant Professor of Sociology at the American University of Beirut.
Newborn Walid Shaat has become the territorys two-millionth resident, but he faces an uncertain future.

Rafah, Gaza Strip  The besieged Gaza Strip has reached a milestone, with the birth of Walid Shaat bringing the territorys population to two million.

He is a gift, the babys father, civil servant Jihad Shaat, told Al Jazeera just days after Walids birth last week.

But between the smiles, coloured balloons and posing for photographs, Jihad appeared preoccupied.

I hope Walid sees better days than his older brother, Motasem, he said, referring to Walids half-brother, who was just 28 days old when an Israeli bomb destroyed the familys home, killing Jihads first wife, in Khan Younis during the 2014 Gaza war.

Motasem and his mother were buried under the rubble for 40 minutes. His mother was killed, but he was rescued and survived to live without a mother.

INTERACTIVE: 24 hours in Gaza

Jihad eventually remarried, and today, his family still lives in a rented apartment, awaiting their turn to rebuild through Gazas sluggish reconstruction process.

Compounding the heavy toll of war, the Shaat family has also borne the brunt of the disastrous economic situation in Gaza. Like tens of thousands of Gaza employees, Jihad has not received a full salary payment for more than two years.

It is difficult to feel fully happy, he said. With so much poverty and unemployment, we cannot but anguish over the uncertainty looming over our childrens future.

Newborn Walid is just one among a generation of Palestinians born during the decade-old siege on Gaza, enforced by Israel and Egypt.

During 10 years of siege, the Gaza population increased by nearly half-a-million, Jamal al-Khoudary, a Palestinian MP and the head of the Popular Committee to End Gazas Siege, told Al Jazeera.

This population growth should have been met by new infrastructure, more power lines, sewage facilities, schools  [but] owing to the tight Israeli siege, none of that happened  and further, the Israeli wars damaged a significant portion of whatever resources the vulnerable population had.

According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (EMHRM), 40 percent of people in Gaza are living below the poverty line, while 80 percent are dependent on food aid. More than three quarters of the territorys industrial facilities have slowed or ceased production, Khoudary added, as the siege has crippled movement in or out of Gaza.

The situation is nothing short of catastrophic, he said.

The Gaza Strip is in dire need for strategic plans that address the mounting pressures facing the growing population. This cannot happen as long as Palestinians remain divided. by Mohammad Abu Jayyab, chief editor of the Gaza Journal of Economics

Mohammad Abu Jayyab, chief editor of the Gaza Journal of Economics, maintains that the growing population represents a liability rather than an asset, particularly as the United Nations has warned that Gaza could be uninhabitable within four years.

Abu Jayyab blames the Palestinian leadership for the disastrous state of affairs.

Unemployment has approached a staggering 50 percent, and 27,000 new graduates join the ranks of unemployment every year. Meanwhile, no new public sector employment has taken place for years, he said.

The Gaza Strip is in dire need for strategic plans that address the mounting pressures facing the growing population. This cannot happen as long as Palestinians remain divided. Unfortunately, the current trends will most certainly continue.

INTERACTIVE: Gaza  Life under siege

Rami Abdu, an assistant professor of law and finance and the chairman of (EMHRM), described the siege as collective punishment, calling it the primary obstacle to development in Gaza.

The siege prevents steady supplies of medicine, food, construction materials and every other basic need, Abdu told Al Jazeera, noting that Israel  which cites security concerns as a justification for the ongoing siege  has systematically destroyed Gazas economy and resources.

Since the year 2000, over 7,000 fishermen have lost their jobs due to systematic Israeli restrictions and continued targeting, he said. Agriculture is increasingly becoming impossible to maintain, with Israel rendering 30 percent of the Strips agricultural lands inaccessible as a designated buffer zone.

The solution, Abdu said, would be an immediate end to the siege and the unconditional opening of Gazas borders.

Meanwhile, Jihad Shaat refuses to give up hope, even as the future of Gaza remains unclear.

I dont know what the future holds for my children, he said. I hope Gaza breaks the siege, just as it broke the two-million record.
US Republican presidential candidate accuses his Democratic rival of being pumped up on drugs during debate.

Donald Trump has challenged Hillary Clinton to a drug test before their next debate, suggesting the Democrat was pumped up on performance-enhancing drugs.

The attack from the Republican nominee came as he accused corrupt media of seeking to rig Novembers vote in his Democratic rivals favour, by reporting snowballing claims of his sexual misconduct.

Trump has trampled on all conventions in his treatment of his opponent, vowing if elected to jail her over her email practices as secretary of state  and making Lock Her Up a rallying cry for his supporters.

His campaign has actively bruited theories about Clintons health, seizing on her bout of pneumonia last month to suggest she is concealing a major health problem, and is unfit for office.





In a new attack, he suggested she had taken drugs before their last debate, and called for her to be tested ahead of their final duel on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

I dont know what is going on with her, Trump, 70, told a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

At the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped up at the beginning. At the end, it was like, Take me down. She could barely reach her car.

Athletes, they make them take a drug test. I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate. Why dont we do that?

Saturdays attack on his Democratic rival marked yet another escalation of Trumps electoral strategy heading into the final weeks of a race that has defied all political norms.

As Trump falls in the polls  abandoned by part of his own camp  he has spent the week claiming the media and a global elite are working against him, alleging that Clinton plotted to destroy the sovereignty of the US.

Hillary is running for president in what looks like a rigged election, he charged in New Hampshire.

The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing completely false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect her president.

Unwanted advances

Ten women have now come forward to say they were the victim of unwanted advances by Trump.

He vehemently denies the womens allegations.

For her part, Clinton has scaled back her campaign commitments, keeping a low profile as Trump battles the allegations, set off by the release last week of a video of him bragging about groping women.

But the Clinton camp issued a prompt response to Trumps latest comments on the election, accusing him of seeking to erode public faith in the vote.

In a statement, Robby Mook, Clintons campaign manager, said: This election will have record turnout, because voters see through Donald Trumps shameful attempts to undermine an election weeks before it happens.
Main opposition bloc views vote delay as President Joseph Kabilas attempt to remain in power beyond his term.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) says it will push back next months presidential election to April 2018, in a move that is expected to keep President Joseph Kabila in office until the delayed vote.

The decision, announced on Sunday after talks between the ruling coalition and smaller parties, will anger the main opposition bloc, which boycotted the cross-party discussions.





The main opposition coalition have not been part of the dialogue that led to this decision, Al Jazeeras Malcolm Webb, reporting from Kampala in neighbouring Uganda, said.

They say that the dialogue is not fair, not transparent and it is part of what they say is Kabilas attempt to over-stay in office.

The presidential election was originally scheduled for November, with Kabila, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in office, due to step down in December.

READ MORE: DRC opposition HQs torched after protests

But earlier this month, Corneille Nangaa, the electoral commission president, told delegates participating in the cross-party talks that the body would not be able to conclude its update of the voter registry in time, and would need extra time to organise an election.

The Congolese government has initially said that it didnt have the money to hold elections, our correspondent said.

They later said that there were logistical challenges for them to update the electoral register, Webb added.

But the opposition want an election much sooner, and crucially what they do not agree to is Kabila leading an interim government after he ends his second constitutional term in December.

INTERACTIVE: Africas big men  The continents long-serving leaders

Parties agreed in talks on Saturday to give more time for voter registration and keep Kabila in office until the delayed vote, said one organisation in the discussions, the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC), in a statement, according to Reuters news agency.

Delegates at the talks would probably ratify the decision on Monday, the statement said.

Vital Kamerhe, the president of UNC, is widely expected to become prime minister as part of the power-sharing government ushered in under the talks.

Protests expected

Congos main opposition bloc has already called a general strike for Wednesday to press Kabila to leave at the end of his mandate in December.

If the opposition succeeds in gathering large crowds, as they have done before, we need to wait and see what kind of reaction they are going to get from the police and the security agencies, said Al Jazeeras Webb.

Last month, dozens died in two days of protests in the capital Kinshasa against planned delays to the vote.

The United Nations has said that 49 people were killed, most shot by the police and the security forces. But the government blamed the violence on opposition forces and banned all protests in the country.

IN PICTURES: Protesters killed as anti-government demos erupt in DRC

Kabila, who came to power in 2001 when his father was assassinated, says he will respect the constitution but has yet to rule out attempting to change the countrys laws to enable him to run for a fresh term.

The head of the UN mission in the DRC warned last week that the political impasse poses an extreme risk to stability.
Iraqi forces, backed by US air and ground support, begin historic operation as concerns mount for citys civilians.

Iraqi government forces have launched a campaign to retake Mosul, the de-facto capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Iraq.

Up to 1.5 million civilians remain in the city, according to the United Nations, amid fears that the vastly outnumbered ISIL fighters could use them as human shields as they seek to repel the assault on its last major stronghold in the country.





Mosul is Iraqs second largest city and the last urban centre still under ISIL control in Iraq after a series of government offensives to reverse the groups seizure of territory in 2014.

Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr reports from the Khazir frontline This is a very complicated operation, simply because of the mix of forces that are taking part. There is the central government in Baghdad, the Iraqi forces, Iraqi counterterrorism units and there is also the Kurdish Peshmerga who are allied in this fight but who do have a lot of differences. There is also the question of Iranian-backed Shia militias  a very controversial issue because the people of Mosul are mainly Sunni. They fear that if the Shia militias actually take part and enter the city there will be reprisals. But what we understand from the government is that they are going to be staying at the perimeter of Mosul and they will not be advancing towards the city centre.

The hour has come and the moment of great victory is near, Haider al-Abadi, Iraqs prime minister, said early on Monday in a speech broadcast on state TV, surrounded by the armed forces top commanders.

The bid to retake Mosul comes after the military, backed by armed tribes, militias and US-led coalition air strikes, regained much of the territory the fighters seized in 2014 and 2015.

We are proud to stand with you in this historic operation, Brett McGurk, US envoy to the coalition against ISIL, said on Twitter at the start of the Mosul offensive.

Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from Khazir, just east of Mosul, said preparations for the offensive had long been under way, with forces amassing around the ISIL-held citys outskirts.

Now that the formal announcement has been made, we are expecting the US-led coalition to carry out air strikes in support of what is expected to be a ground advance from a number of front lines around the city, she said.

But the launch of the operation marks only the start of a battle that is likely to be the most difficult in the war against ISIL.

This could be a very long fight, or ISIL could choose to withdraw, it is very hard to say. But it is a complex battleground and a complex operation, our correspondent said.

According to UN estimates, up to one million people could be displaced from Mosul during the operation, exacerbating the humanitarian situation in the country.

This is urban territory. Theres going to be street-to-street fighting. Its densely populated and there is concern about the civilians who are basically trapped inside the city, Al Jazeeras Khodr said.

International charity Save the Children said camps outside Mosul are prepared to receive about 60,000 people  just a fraction of those expected to flee the fighting.

Unless safe routes to escape the fighting are established, many families will have no choice but to stay and risk being killed by crossfire or bombardment, trapped beyond the reach of humanitarian aid with little food or medical care, said Aram Shakaram, the charitys deputy country director in Iraq.

Those that try to flee will be forced to navigate a city ringed with booby traps, snipers and hidden landmines. Without immediate action to ensure people can flee safely, we are likely to see bloodshed of civilians on a massive scale.

In the lead-up to the planned operation, Iraqi aircraft dropped tens of thousands of leaflets early on Sunday, some bearing safety instructions for Mosul residents, the military said.





Iraqi troops were also positioned east of Mosul in the Khazir area, along with Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and to the north of the city near the Mosul Dam and Bashiqa areas.

Before Abadis announcement, Brigadier-General Haider Fadhil told the Associated Press news agency in an interview that more than 25,000 troops, including paramilitary forces made up of Sunni tribal fighters and Shia militias, would take part in the offensive that will be launched from five directions around the city.

Our correspondent said: Its a very uneasy alliance. Lets take the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army, for example. Yes, the US has mediated between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government and they resolved regional disputes, but theres also the issue of disputed territories.

The alliance of Iraqi forces fighting to retake Mosul includes the Iraqi army, the Kurdish Peshmerga, Turkey-backed Sunni fighters, and the Popular Mobilisation Forces, Shia militia groups that now have official status from Baghdad.

For the past two years, the Iraqi army has struggled to regain control over vast parts of the country that fell to ISIL  even struggling to maintain security in the capital.

Baghdad still suffers frequent explosions, car bombs and suicide attacks, mainly in crowded areas.

The ongoing fighting between Iraqi forces and ISIL has displaced more than three million Iraqis and left an estimated 10 million in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.

The UN has described the countrys crisis as one of the worlds worst.
BTselem leader, who urged the UN to take decisive action against settlements, says he wont be deterred by criticisms.

An Israeli human rights group has vowed to continue its battle against Israels settlements built on occupied lands sought by the Palestinians, rejecting a harsh rebuke by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli leader accused Btselem of joining a chorus of slander against Israel, after the rights group urged the UN Security Council to take decisive action against settlements.

BTselem responded to Netanyahus remarks on Sunday, saying that unlike the prime minister and his slander, we believe that the Israeli public is worthy of meaningful discussion of the occupation.

But the prime minister has no answers for the Israeli public, so instead he tries to go after BTselem, it added.

This will not deter us, nor the hundreds of thousands in Israel who oppose the occupation.

READ MORE: Israels West Bank moves may be collective punishment

BTselem joined American Friends of Peace Now, the US affiliate of an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog, at Fridays informal Security Council session.

Hagai El-Ad, executive director of BTselem, told the meeting that with the 50th anniversary of the 1967 war approaching next year, the rights of Palestinians must be realised, the occupation must end, the UN Security Council must act, and the time is now.

This is what our director @HagaiElAd just said in front of the UN security council discussion on settlements https://t.co/Z2JYmTZaGs  B'Tselem   (@btselem) October 14, 2016

Late on Saturday night, Netanyahu accused the group of making false claims and said he would remove BTselem from a list of organisations where Israelis can do national service in lieu of mandatory military service.

READ MORE: Bad Palestinians under Israels collective punishment

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, along with the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war and began building settlements soon after.

About 600,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in addition to roughly 2.5 million Palestinians.





Palestinians demand these occupied territories, along with Gaza, for a future state. They view Israeli settlement construction as a major obstacle to statehood, a position that has wide international support.

BTselems move at the UN came after a resolution by the UN cultural agency last week denied the Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem.

Netanyahus government is dominated by West Bank settlers and their allies, and his coalition has repeatedly pushed legislation apparently aimed at curbing the power of rights groups suh as Btselem.

Veteran columnist Ben Caspit criticised BTselems tactics, saying it risked antagonising the public. But he said what it had done was not treason.

What Netanyahu is doing is questioning the legitimacy of these organisations, just as he questions the legitimacy of journalists who criticise him, he wrote in the Maariv daily.

That is incitement, and in the current mood, it is liable to be dangerous.








Peter Mutharika arrives in Malawi to wide speculation about his health after attending UN meeting in US three weeks ago.

Malawian President Peter Mutharika has returned to his home country after a weeks-long visit to the United States sparked rumours over his health.

Mutharika, 76, flew to New York a month ago to give a speech at the UN General Assembly on September 25 but there had been no word from him since, prompting speculation online that he was critically ill or even dead.

The government moved to dispel the rumours at the beginning of this week, insisting that the president was enjoying very robust health and continuing his functions and duties while in the US. Mutharikas press secretary, Mgeme Kalilani, said that he was only attending to various government businesses.

But the rumours of the presidents ill health continued with his return to Malawis administrative capital Lilongwe on Sunday.

He made no public remarks at the airport  and used his left hand to wave to a crowd of supporters and to shake hands with officials, raising more speculation among Malawians who are scrutinising every detail for clues about his health.

It was a big surprise to see the president using his left hand when we all know he is a right-handed person, political analyst Humphrey Mvula told AFP news agency.

He has failed to calm down levels of speculation because everybody expected the president to speak to Malawians, Mvula added.

Mutharika inspected a military parade before being whisked into a convoy, saying nothing to reporters or the hundreds of supporters who waited to welcome him.

We know everybody gets sick, but Mutharika is a president and there is a need for Malawians to know about the health of their president, prominent rights activist Billy Mayaya told AFP, calling for authorities to release a statement on the leaders health.

Politicians in Malawi have called on the president to disclose all expenses incurred on his tour, including those of his entourage.

The principles of transparency and accountability compel him to explain why he abruptly decided to stay in the States longer than earlier communicated, Robert Phiri, executive director of Malawis influential body of religious groupings, the Public Affairs Committee, told The Associated Press news agency earlier this week.

Mutharika, a former lawyer, was elected in 2014 for a five-year term.
Cries of celebration as released Nigerian girls meet their families after more than two and a half years.

Some of the 21 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by the armed group Boko Haram have reunited with their families, following their release after 30 months in captivity.

Cries of joy filled the room as the freed girls, who had been kidnapped along with more than 200 other pupils in the town of Chibok in April 2014, met their relatives in Abuja on Sunday.

The girls were freed on Thursday, but it took days for most of the families to reach the capital for the reunion.

READ MORE: Boko Haram releases purported video of Chibok girls

At the meeting, the parents of one of the girls spoke of their excitement at seeing their daughter.

When we heard they found some of the girls, and that our daughter was among them, we slept as if the day is not going to break, Muta Abana, a father of one of the Chibok girls, told The Associated Press news agency.

We wanted the day to break quickly, to see if the government is going to call us, to come and see that our daughter was among them.

Hawa Abana, the mother, said that Boko Haram abducted her daughter and hundreds of other schoolgirls, because they did not want them to succeed in life.

By Gods grace she is back, she said. She will go back to school. Boko Haram has no power again.

Eleanor Nwadinobi, women and girls manager at the Nigeria Stability and Recognition Programme, said the girls will now undergo treatment which must be tailored to individual needs, including trauma counselling and health and nutritional requirements.

It is important that they are not attended to in isolation, she told Al Jazeera.

They will need individual attention as the needs of one girl will differ from the other.

Also on Sunday, a presidential spokesman said a splinter branch of Boko Haram is now willing to negotiate the release of 83 more of the girls.

The faction said it is ready to negotiate if the government is willing to sit down with them, Garba Shehu, spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari, told Reuters news agency.

Brokered deal

Boko Haram seized 276 pupils from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok in northeastern Borno state on April 14, 2014. Fifty-seven managed to escape in the immediate aftermath of the abduction, but nearly 200 other girls are still missing.

The deal for the release of the girls was brokered by the Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Following their release, they were then taken from the northeastern city of Maiduguri and flown to Abuja to meet state officials.





On Thursday, Lai Mohammed, Nigerias information minister, denied reports that the state had swapped captured Boko Haram fighters for the release of the girls.

He also said that he was not aware of any ransom being paid.

Mohammed said that a Nigerian army operation against Boko Haram would continue.

In recent days, the Nigerian army has been carrying out an offensive in the Sambisa forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram.

The armed group controlled a swath of land around the size of Belgium at the start of 2015, but Nigerias army has recaptured most of the territory.

The group still stages suicide bombings in the northeast, as well as in neighbouring Niger and Cameroon.
Blast killing at least four comes day after deadliest attack in Iraqi capital for months which left at least 34 dead.

A suicide bombing targeting Shia Muslims killed at least four people in Baghdad on Sunday, officials said, a day after the deadliest attack to hit the Iraqi capital in months.

The bombing in central Baghdad, which targeted a tent where Shia Muslims distribute food as part of annual religious commemorations, also wounded at least 12 people, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group frequently carries out suicide bombings targeting Shia Muslims, whom it considers heretics.

The blast came a day after an ISIL-claimed suicide bombing at a funeral killed at least 34 people  the deadliest attack in Baghdad since another ISIL suicide bombing left more than 300 dead in early July.

The attacks come as Iraqi forces prepare for an offensive in northern Iraq to retake Mosul, the last ISIL-held city in the country, after regaining much of the territory the fighters seized in 2014 and 2015.

Battle for Mosul

The operation, launched today, will mark only the start of a battle that is likely to be the most difficult and complex yet in the war against ISIL.

Iraqi aircraft dropped tens of thousands of leaflets, some bearing safety instructions for Mosul residents, before the operation, the military said.

Iraq has dropped leaflets over Mosul before, and has also done so as part of operations to retake other cities seized by ISIL in 2014 and 2015.

ANALYSIS: What is Turkey trying to achieve in Iraq?

Aircraft dropped tens of thousands of newspapers and magazines on the centre of the city of Mosul carrying important news  to inform them of updates and facts and victories, said Iraqs Joint Operations Command, which distributed images of some of the leaflets.

One image showed a leaflet containing safety instructions for Mosul residents, urging them to tape over windows to prevent the glass from shattering, to avoid the sites of air strikes for at least an hour after a place is bombed, and saying they should not drive if possible.
US secretary of state says were not letting any grass grow under our feet, a day after collapse of talks in Lausanne.

John Kerry is due to meet European foreign ministers in London to discuss the conflict in Syria, a day after tense, difficult talks with Russia ended inconclusively.

The diplomats are to discuss on Sunday the results of the US Secretary of States meeting on Saturday in Switzerland, which included the foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and how to reduce the violence in Syria.

Several major international efforts have failed to secure a political solution to Syrias civil war, which has cost more than 400,000 lives since 2011.

The meeting in Lausanne did not produce a concrete plan to restore the truce that collapsed last month amid bitter recriminations between the US and Russia and new fighting on the ground.

READ MORE: UK criticised for seizing Syrian journalists passport

But Kerry insisted that the new, leaner contact group had come up with some plausible ideas that would be fleshed out in the coming days and might lead to a new, stronger ceasefire.

The way it wrapped up was to have several ideas that need to be quickly followed up, he said after talks with Russia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey.

The next contact on trying to follow up on this is going to be immediately, because this is urgent, and were not letting any grass grow under our feet.

The flurry of diplomacy comes weeks after a ceasefire deal collapsed and the US suspended cooperation with Russia over its continued bombing of the city of Aleppo.





I think [Sergey] Lavrov [Russian foreign minister] and Kerry were trying to put a brave face on what happened here, Al Jazeeras Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from Lausanne, said.

They came to the table again to sort out the situation in northern Syria, particularly the bombardment of Aleppo, and once again diplomacy failed the people of Aleppo.

No breakthrough, no concrete developments at all from these talks.

Lavrov said after the talks that he had pressed for a political process to end the conflict to begin as soon as possible, while Kerry said they had talked about new ideas for a ceasefire.





While the diplomatic efforts continue, on the ground the fighting shows no signs of abating.

Activists say Russian and Syrian government air strikes killed 11 civilians on Sunday. The strikes hit residential areas and a medicine factory in Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

Before Saturdays talks were due to begin, dozens of overnight air strikes struck east Aleppo, Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

Three hospitals in Aleppo were hit by suspected Russian air strikes on Friday, killing seven people, sources told Al Jazeera.

More than 370 people, including nearly 70 children, have been killed in Syrian government and Russian bombardment of east Aleppo since September 22, according to the Syrian Observatory.

Elsewhere in Syria, fighters backed by Turkey have advanced on the northwestern town of Dabiq, which is held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, according to the Turkish president.

Speaking in Rize, a city on the Black Sea coast, on Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: We entered Jarablus, and then al-Rai, and now we are moving where? To Dabiq. We will declare a terror-free safe zone of 5,000 [square] kilometres.





He was referring to areas in Syria already captured by Turkish troops and Turkey-backed opposition forces.

Abdul-Razzaq Freiji, a Turkey-backed Syrian commander, said participants in the Operation Euphrates Shield were bombarding Dabiq and the nearby town of Soran, in preparation for an all-out ground offensive on the two areas.

Daesh members have gathered lots of fighters for this battle that will be harsh, Freiji told the Associated Press news agency, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL, also known as ISIS.

We are ready for the battle and we will take it [Dabiq] no matter what the price is, and after that we will march toward another ISIL stronghold] ]al-Bab.

Dabiq is central to ISIL propaganda, with the group citing ancient prophecy declaring the town as the scene of an apocalyptic battle between Christianity and Islam.

The group named its online magazine after Dabiq, which it has occupied since August 2014.
Northern town considered central to groups propaganda for its symbolic significance falls after months of air strikes.

Syrian opposition fighters backed by Turkey have taken control of the northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

The fighters said they seized the town on Sunday following heavy shelling and months of air strikes.





Dabiq is considered a major ISIL stronghold with symbolic importance to the group, also known as ISIS.

A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said ISIL fighters put up minimal resistance before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger ISIL-held town of al-Bab to the south.

Saif Abu Bakr told the Associated Press news agency some 2,000 opposition fighters pushed into Dabiq with tank and artillery support from the Turkish army. The commander said the ISIL fighters left the town heavily mined.

Both Turkish and international coalition warplanes conducted air strikes on Dabiq and nearby Arshak, the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Al Jazeeras Mohammed Adow, reporting from Gaziantep , a town along the Turkey-Syria border , said the rebels have not only taken control of Dabiq but also some towns nearby.

This is huge setback for ISIL because it is not only a strategic town but it also holds a huge symbolic value for ISIL, he said.

About 3,000 civilians have fled their homes as the rebels are now turning their attention to the town of al-Bab.

Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said later on Sunday that Turkish-backed operations will continue until the border area is fully secure.

Strategically, it is important that the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army forces will continue their advance toward al-Bab, a key terrorist stronghold, Kalin told Reuters news agency.

On Saturday, Erdogan had said in a speech that once the areas are retaken from ISIL, some of the nearly three million Syrian refugees in Turkey could return to their homes.

Dabiq is central to ISIL propaganda, with the group citing ancient prophecy declaring the town as the scene of an apocalyptic battle between Christianity and Islam.

The group named its online magazine after Dabiq, which it had occupied since August 2014.

Moments after the announcement of Dabiqs recapture, a suicide bombing was reported during a police raid in Gaziantep.

At least three police officers were killed and eight people wounded when a suicide bomber detonated explosives during the raid on a suspected ISIL safehouse.

In other Syria-related news, John Kerry, the US secretary of state, was due to meet European foreign ministers in London on Sunday to discuss the conflict, a day after tense and difficult talks with Russia ended inconclusively.

The diplomats were to discuss the results of Kerrys meeting on Saturday in Switzerland, which included the foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and how to reduce the violence in Syria.

Several major international efforts have failed to secure a political solution to Syrias civil war, which has cost more than 400,000 lives since 2011.

The meeting in Lausanne did not produce a concrete plan to restore the truce that collapsed last month amid bitter recriminations between the US and Russia and new fighting on the ground.

READ MORE: UK criticised for seizing Syrian journalists passport

But Kerry insisted the new, leaner contact group had come up with some plausible ideas that would be fleshed out in the coming days and might lead to a new, stronger ceasefire.

The way it wrapped up was to have several ideas that need to be quickly followed up, he said after talks with Russia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey.

The next contact on trying to follow up on this is going to be immediately, because this is urgent, and were not letting any grass grow under our feet.

The flurry of diplomacy comes weeks after a ceasefire deal collapsed and the US suspended cooperation with Russia over its continued bombing of the city of Aleppo.





I think Lavrov and Kerry were trying to put a brave face on what happened here, Al Jazeeras Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from Lausanne, said.

They came to the table again to sort out the situation in northern Syria, particularly the bombardment of Aleppo, and once again diplomacy failed the people of Aleppo.

No breakthrough, no concrete developments at all from these talks.

Sergey Lavrov, Russias foreign minister, said after the talks he had pressed for a political process to end the conflict to begin as soon as possible, while Kerry said they had talked about new ideas for a ceasefire.





While the diplomatic efforts continue, on the ground the fighting shows no signs of abating.

Activists say Russian and Syrian government air strikes killed 11 civilians on Sunday. The strikes hit residential areas and a medicine factory in Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

Before Saturdays talks were set to begin, dozens of overnight air strikes struck east Aleppo, the Britain-based Syrian Organisation for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Friday.

Three hospitals in Aleppo were hit by suspected Russian air strikes on Friday, killing seven people, sources told Al Jazeera.

More than 370 people, including nearly 70 children, have been killed in Syrian government and Russian bombardment of east Aleppo since September 22, according to the SOHR.
Three police officers killed and eight civilians wounded in suspected suicide bomb attack in Turkeys southeast.

Three police officers have been killed by an explosion in Turkeys southeastern city of Gaziantep, according to the citys governor.

The blast was thought to have been caused by a suicide bomber detonating explosives during a police raid on Sunday on a suspected Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) safehouse.

Gaziantep Governor Ali Yerlikaya said that eight people, four of them of Syrian origin, were wounded in the explosion.

INTERACTIVE: Timeline of attacks in Turkey

Security forces in the city received information on a possible suicide bomb attack on the Alawite Cultural Center in the city, Yerlikaya told Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency.





Security forces located the Daesh safehouse while they were investigating this tip, he said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL.

Second explosion

Later on Sunday, police teams conducted another raid in a separate area of Gaziantep as they suspected a link between an apartment there and the ISIL safehouse, according to Turkeys private DHA news agency.

In the raid, another explosion occurred as a suspected ISIL suicide bomber blew himself up.

The second bomber, believed to be the leader of the alleged local ISIL cell, was the sole victim, according to DHA. His wife and two children were taken into custody.

Sundays suicide attacks took place shortly after Turkish-backed rebels captured the emblematic northern Syrian town of Dabiq from ISIL fighters on Sunday, dealing a major blow to the armed group.

Dabiq has symbolic importance to ISIL because of a prophecy that states it will be the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, backing up opposition fighters, with an ultimate goal of cleansing its border from ISIL and stop the advance of Syrian Kurdish militia forces which Ankara vehemently opposes.

READ MORE: Kurds and refugees behind Turkeys Syria offensive

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also expressed Turkeys willingness to get involved in a coalition operation to recapture the key Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIL.

Turkey is still reeling from a failed coup blamed on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen that has been followed by a purge of his supporters from all state institutions.

Southeastern Turkey has been hit by several deadly blasts over the past year, linked either to ISIL or the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), an armed group fighting for Kurdish authonomy, outlawed in Turkey.

More than 50 people have been killed and scores more wounded in a suicide attack at a Kurdish wedding ceremony in Gaziantep in August.

The Turkish government blamed the attack on ISIL, even though the group did not officially claim responsibility.

Three suspected ISIL suicide bombers killed 44 people at Istanbuls main Ataturk Airport in July, the deadliest in a string of attacks in Turkey this year.

Almost 40 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Ankara in March that was claimed by a Kurdish separatist group.

And at least 28 people were killed and 61 more wounded in a large explosion targeting a military vehicle once again in Ankara in February.

Violence flared up in the largely Kurdish southeast in the month, with bomb attacks killing mostly police and soldiers, in an escalation that officials blamed on the PKK.
Navy says USS Mason used countermeasures against missiles from Houthi-controlled region in direct action against group.

US officials say a new round of missiles targeting an American warship in the Red Sea has been fired from a region of Yemen controlled by Houthi fighters.

The USS Mason, a destroyer, launched countermeasures and was not hit in Saturdays strike.

Three US warships in the Red Sea detected the missiles, the US military said, amid rising tensions with the Iran-allied group.

The Mason once again appears to have come under attack in the Red Sea, again from coastal defence cruise missiles fired from the coast of Yemen, Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, announced on Saturday in Baltimore.

US officials initially said that surface-to-surface missiles had been fired at the USS Mason, USS Nitze and USS Ponce off the coast of Yemen starting around 19:30 GMT, though it was unclear how many.

READ MORE: Arab coalition says it wrongly targeted funeral in Yemen

If confirmed, the missile launches would be the third attack in about a week targeting the Mason and other US ships.

Earlier this week, the Mason, sailing in international waters off Yemens coast, used unspecified countermeasures against incoming missiles, a military official said on the condition of anonymity.

The attempted missile strikes is the most serious escalation yet of US involvement in Yemens civil war.

The conflict has killed an estimated 6,800 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since an Arab coalition assembled by Saudi Arabia launched military operations last year.

US officials say the US wants to avoid getting embroiled in yet another war in the Middle East.





On Thursday, the US navy launched five Tomahawk cruise missiles at three mobile radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory along Yemens Red Sea coast, after the fighters fired rockets at the USS Mason twice in four days.

The US military insists these moves are taken out of self-defence. The Houthis have denied conducting the attacks.

Though the US is providing logistical support to the Arab coalition battling the Houthis, Thursdays launches marked the first time the US has taken direct action against the group.

But the US strikes earlier this week did not take out Houthi missiles, and though the radar destruction makes it harder to aim the weapons, officials say the fighters could still use spotter boats or online ship-tracking websites to find new targets.

Rise of the Houthis

Officially known as Ansarallah (Partisans of God), the Houthis began as a theological movement that preached tolerance and peace in the early 1990s.

A religious group affiliated with the Zaydi sect of Shia Islam, they maintained a stronghold in the northern province of Saada.

The groups rise began to pick up momentum in August 2014 when thousands of its supporters protested in the streets of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, urging the government to step down.

Among other demands, Houthi leader Abdulmalek al-Houthi requested that fuel subsidies, which had been cut significantly in late July, be reinstated.

After the Houthis swift rise to power culminating in the overthrow of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the Arab coalition stepped in on March 25, 2015, and began air strikes in an effort to stop their advance.
Fault Lines explores the lesser-known stories of black women who have fallen victim to police violence in the US.

Rekia Boyd was only 22 when she was killed. An off-duty police officer named Dante Servin fired five shots and one of the bullets struck Boyd in the head. She was unarmed.

When he was questioned, Servin told investigators that Boyds friend pointed a gun at him, and that he fired in self-defence. But the gun that Servin says he saw was never recovered. Boyds friend Antonio Cross said he actually had a mobile phone in his hand.

It doesn't matter how old you are, if you pose a threat or not, they will shoot first and ask questions later, but how can you ask questions to the dead? by Martinez Sutton, Rekia Boyd's brother

But Servin told Fault Lines that it doesnt matter if it was a cellphone or a gun  it was pointed at him and he believed in that moment that he was being threatened. Thats all that was important.

Three years later, in 2015, Servin was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but cleared of all charges the same year. Judge Dennis Porter ruled that Servin was tried for the wrong crime. He suggested that a murder charge would have been more appropriate.

In the US, black women are being killed by police at a rate of one a month. One in four are unarmed. Their stories have often gone untold.

People dont care about black women, they just dont. Were in the way in the case of Rekia Boyd. Were angry black women. Or were just too angry and too black and too womanly in the case of Sandra Bland. Were either too x or were invisible, says Page May, teacher and organiser of Assatas Daughters, a nonprofit organisation for young black women in Chicago.

At best were taken for granted, at worst were abused. And we see the manifestation of that on the mainstream, in the erasure of our deaths, our suffering, and of our resistance, she adds.

Months after Dante Servins trial ended, an explosive video was released to the public. It showed a Chicago police officer shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald  16 times. The shooting led to widespread protests and the eventual removal of Chicagos police chief and the states attorney.

While the city reeled from this scandal, police shot and killed a black woman in the doorway of her home. Bettie Jones was 55 years old  a mother of five, and a grandmother of nine.

They dont talk about women that much when they get killed by the police. They barely talk about women. Why is that? Its crazy because you see that even in death women play the second role, Martinez Sutton, Boyds brother says.

Fault Lines Femi Oke investigates the lesser-known stories of black women who have fallen victim to police violence in the US and ask why black women are left out of the conversation on police brutality.
The case against Assange is as political as it is legal; where does it go from here? Plus, Kenyas election influencers.
TechKnow meets the scientists trying to uncover how religious and spiritual experiences impact the brain.

Religion was long seen as spiritual nourishment of the soul, but now, groundbreaking research looks at how it impacts the brain. Can feeling the spirit be measured scientifically?

Of the seven billion of people on the planet, its estimated that 84 percent are members of one of hundreds of religions. Despite the different gods, philosophies and rituals, most religions share a promise for a physical sense of spirituality.

In our faith, we do believe that you have the spirit constantly with you, Auriel Peterson, a Mormon believer, says. Its a very much peaceful feeling. I have clarity, and I have a burning sensation throughout my chest.

Her devotion to God and science have made her a perfect subject for a University of Utahs Religious Brain Project.

Researchers Julie Korenberg and Jeffrey Anderson conducted a study that combined brain scans (MRI) and blood tests on 20 devout Mormons to track their neurological reactions to biologically explained spiritual sensations.

When a young boy goes off to join ISIL, or a Mormon in Salt Lake has some sense of connectedness with the divine in their view, we dont know if thats the same thing. What do people experience in their brains, when they feel religious and spiritual experience? Anderson says.

Perhaps it's possible to recognise that our brains work the same way. Our feelings are the same, regardless of what doctrines they are associated with. by Dr Jeffrey Anderson

By analysing the scans and self-reported feeling of spirituality, along with blood work (taken before and after to track hormones connected to positive feelings) the researchers believe that theyve found the areas in the brain that are connected to the religious feelings of euphoria.

Their goal is to prove that the experience of faithful bliss could be tracked  and they want to widen their study to a variety of religions.

The researchers suggest that the brains reaction to religious stimuli in Mother Teresa might very well be the same as a terrorists reaction.

Perhaps its possible to recognise that our brains work the same way. Our feelings are the same, regardless of what doctrines they are associated with, and I think thats provable, Anderson explains.

TechKnow also goes to Los Angeles and visits an unique community project. The BioScan project uses 30 volunteers with large malaise traps to find new species of insects.

This years BioScan project focused on flies. And at each of the sites, a new fly was discovered. This means a total of 30 new species were found, and it only took the first three months of the project to obtain these results.
Numerous pundits, even some Catholic ones, have been critical of Pope Francis for not taking a tougher stand against the Islamic religion. But Pope Francis approach to dealing with Islam is not the bad policy that some seem to think it is.

Recently Raymond Ibrahim, a Shillman fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and a Rosen fellow at the Middle East Forum, joined the fray with an essay entitled How Pope Francis Betrayed His Name. Ibrahim attempted to draw a comparison between Saint Francis, who traveled to the Middle East in the year 1212 seeking an audience with Sultan al-Kamil to bring him the truth of Christianity, and Pope Francis who Ibrahim says fails to live up to his courageous namesake. Ibrahim then doubled down with a second essay entitled The popes song and dance with Islam.

Ibrahims comparison fails on a number or levels, but mainly in one key respect: St. Francis sought an audience with Sultan al-Kamil as one man, a simple friar, walking into the lions den all by himself. If he failed, the only life lost might be his own.

Pope Francis, as the head of a church of 1.2 billion people, has to take a path that is much different than the one travelled by St. Francis. It is not the cowardly approach that Ibrahim thinks it is. It is well thought out, reasoned, Catholic approach.

Austin Ivereigh succinctly explained Pope Francis strategy in dealing with Islam in an article entitled Pope Franciss six-fold response to jihadist terror. He also explained why the approach is correct:

...a war with Christianity is key to its [ISIS] worldview. The Islamic State awaits the army of Rome, whose defeat at Dabiq, Syria, will initiate the countdown to the apocalypse. To precipitate it, they are determined to bring their war out of the Middle East into our airports and concert halls and even our churches. Their violence is strategic, and has an aim: to spread terror, not for its own sake but to produce a reaction, one that will confirm to them their own worldview, which is that secular societies are rotten and degenerate, and the Christian religion false and idolatrous. To demonstrate the truth of this narrative, they need a war -- a religious war, each side with its armies and martyrs -- which begins by taking the fight to the soft belly of the west to spread terror to provoke a reaction, one that polarizes society. The Islamic State believes that, with sufficient provocation, Christians -- westerners -- will turn on Muslims, Muslims will look to the Islamic State to defend them, and eventually there will be a showdown between the two.

Forgetting for a moment that the Islamic concept of God is one that is both at odds with Christianity and entirely unreasonable from a Christian point of view, and that the Quran is full of contradictory verses on how infidels should be treated, there are 1.8 billion Muslims in the world compared to 1.6 billion Catholics or even 2.2 billion Christians. Suggesting a strategy or a policy that might provoke a war between Christians and Muslims is just not a very good idea. If Pope Francis were to speak out against Islam it might be enough to trigger the war between Muslims and Christians that ISIS may actually want.

According to Pew data, the majority of Muslims in the world do not support the tactics and atrocities being committed by ISIS:

More generally, Muslims mostly say that suicide bombings and other forms of violence against civilians in the name of Islam are rarely or never justified, including 92% in Indonesia and 91% in Iraq. In the United States, a 2011 survey found that 86% of Muslims say that such tactics are rarely or never justified.

Critics might contend that those Muslims who say they dont support ISIS are probably lying because taqiyah permits Muslims to lie to non-Muslims. Whether or not this is an accurate portrayal of taqiyah, however, is debatable. As Dr. Robert A Hunt, Director of Global Theological Education at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, and an authority on contemporary Muslim societies and movements, has explained:

The various interpretations [of taqiyah] offered at the blogsites that pop up on Google are bogus both from the standpoint of a clear reading of the text and the classical Muslim interpretive tradition. They appear to be trying to manufacture fear and mistrust where none is justified.

Regardless, those who are critical of the religion of Islam will argue that Islam is certainly not a religion of peace, that the overriding goal of Islam is to kill or convert all non-believers and establish Sharia Law throughout the world by whatever means possible. There may some truth to this. But there may also some be truth to the notion that a sizable majority of Muslims really are moderate practitioners of mainstream Islam who do not adhere to the geopolitical precepts of their religion.

The question of whether or not Islam is a religion of peace has been the subject of numerous articles and discussions in recent years. One of the more interesting debates on the subject was one hosted by the Intelligence Squared U.S. organization. The statement being debated in fact was Islam is a Religion of Peace. Prior to the debate 41% of the audience supported the statement, while 34% were undecided and only 25% disagreed. Following the debate 55% said Islam was not a religion of peace, only 9% were undecided and those supporting the statement had dropped to 36%. Clearly the Islam is not a religion of peace side won the debate.

But one of the more interesting points made during the debate was that the leaders of Islam, the heads of religion in Saudi Arabia and Iran, are the ones speaking for the religion, not Islams moderates. This statement is worthy of some discussion all by itself.

The leaders of Islam may be the ones doing all the talking, but just how likely is it that Islams moderates are listening, let alone agreeing? And how likely is it that the Muslim moderates would be willing to wage global jihad against non-believers?

If the leaders of ISIS, or even the militant leaders of Iran for that matter, really were speaking for the majority of Muslims, Muslims from all over the world should be flocking to join the cause. But this is not the case. Even though ISIS is recruiting some radical Islamic extremists to their ranks, thousands of Muslims are fleeing ISIS and the Middle East in droves. It just may be that the moderates are sick and tired of wars and killing and only want to live in peace.

Here in the U.S., and in Europe as well, many Christians who say they are practicing members of an organized religion dont bother to obey Gods Commandment to keep holy the Sabbath. Many Christians have also become dissidents -- agreeing with only some of the doctrines their denomination teaches. And many Christians are leaving their organized religions altogether and identifying as spiritual but not religious. Why should we take it for granted then that all Muslims are more religious than all Christians?

This same Ill decide for myself tendency may be very well be present amongst Muslims just as it is amongst Christians. There is also evidence that many Muslims are even converting to Christianity once they no longer live in a country that forbids conversion on pain of death. So maybe the vast majority of Muslims just dont agree with those leaders of Islam who are doing all the talking.

The vast majority of people in the world, no matter what their ethnicity or religious beliefs just want to live out their lives in peace. They want to work, buy a home, provide for their families, grow old and retire, and watch their grandchildren grow up.

Pope Francis has called on the governments of the world to put an end to the likes of ISIS and the atrocities they are committing, and to welcome the refugees. The only hitch in Francis policy is that it has to rely on the various governments and their often inept bureaucracies to both prosecute the war against ISIS and to adequately vet the refugees. Separating those who really are fleeing ISIS and just want to live in peace from the radical extremists hiding amongst the refugees cant be an easy task. Confronting Islam, however, would only be playing right into ISIS hands.

There is no quick fix to ending the terrorism and atrocities of which the radical extremists of ISIS and Al Qaeda are guilty. And as long as radical Islamic extremists and terrorists can find safe havens in corrupt sovereign countries throughout the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa, the war on terror will continue to be fought.

Most of the civilized world is united against the radical Islamic extremist terrorists and terrorism in general. Time is the biggest enemy radical extremists face. Hate-filled extremist organizations never last for long. They die out over time. So too will the likes of ISIS and Al Qaeda. The very nature of terrorism and extremist ideologies is usually a death sentence in and of itself.

Once the radical extremists are out of the picture and only those who wish to live in peace remain, we just might find that many of the problems the Middle East is exporting have gone away as well. And as the moderates continue to be exposed to Western thought and education, Christianity and a God of love and reason, democracy and equality, we may even see a decline in the number of Muslims in the world and a corresponding increase in the number of Christians.

Gene M. Van Son writes about politics, religion and other topics and issues that interest him for www.AmericanThinker.com, www.crisesmagazine.com, and www.catholicstand.com.
Since Jesus famously took out a coin and said "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's" the Church and State have been separated. As St. Augustine famously put it, there is a city of God and a city of Man. The Middle Ages illustrated that division more than most eras; with the relative weakness of political rulers the Catholic Church exercised considerable authority on a temporal level. That authority proved too great for the invading Islamic armies, who never were able to gain a foothold in Western Europe, while in the East, where the successor to the Roman Empire held the Church in a vassal state, Islam flourished and eventually drove the Orthodox Churches out. The bifurcation of power in the West made them strong, able to resist the invasion of the resurrected Arian and Manichean heresy that was Islam. And when the Catholic Church grew too chummy with the political powers there was a rebellion (the Protestant Reformation) which fractured the ability of the ruling class to use religion as a tool of societal domination.



But the rise of modern statism and the subsequent retreat of Christianity made it easy to secularize and conquer. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, the old saying goes, and the Progressive/Leftist movement has spent decades subverting Christianity. How?



Like the human brain, the Church has two hemispheres, one spiritual and one worldly. In fact, in Catholicism there are two sets of works of mercy, the spiritual and the corporal. Jesus understood the physical/corporal needs of the people, and he fed them, clothed them, healed their illnesses. But was that his mission? No; Jesus did not come to heal the bodies of people who would die in this world and be forever out in the cold in the next (or in the heat, if you prefer). The most fundamental mission of Jesus was to die and be resurrected and by so doing open the road to Heaven for Humanity. In the case of Christianity, the spiritual hemisphere is the greater of the two; the City of God reigns over the City of Man.



Or so it should. One of the ways the Left has sought to destroy the Church is by promoting and embracing the corporal works over the spiritual. It is not because they want to help people but rather they want to destroy Christianity, and to do so they must wage war with Christian's own tools. The Social Gospel is a bludgeon to beat the Gospel of Salvation. Most liberals do not believe in the Christian concept of Salvation, thinking that they are just fine as they are and that there likely is no afterlife anyway. Corporal works are elevated, and this numbs the average Christian who want to obey the teachings of Christ to feed the hungry and cloth the naked. So, numerous Catholics supported Barack Obama, despite his positions being antithetical to most Catholic teachings, simply because he has usurped the corporal works of mercy. Many of these same Catholics will vote for Hillary for the same reason; they think she is in tune with Catholic beliefs because she wants to steal money from some to give to others and call it charity. Real charity is a voluntary act done on an individual level. Forced charity is nothing but theft, and it steals the opportunity of the giver to practice virtue. Oh... and it doesn't work; few beneficiaries of the welfare state will have anything but a subsistence level of existence. It is a tool for enslaving swaths of the population.



The Eternal Things -- the Soul, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Angels and Demons -- are to become children's fables, things that no serious person could believe. Atheist John Lennon gave us the roadmap in his song Imagine:

Imagine theres no Heaven No Hell below us Imagine all the People living for today."

Which brings us to the recent Wikileaks e-mail dump. Hillarys Consiglier John Podesta conspired with Voice for Progress founder Sandy Newman:

There needs to be a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a middle ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic Church, Sandy Newman, president and founder of the progressive nonprofit Voices for Progress, writes to Podesta in an email titled opening for a Catholic Spring? just musing.



We created Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good to organize for a moment like this. But I think it lacks the leadership to do so now. Likewise Catholics United. Like most Spring movements, I think this one will have to be bottom up, Podesta writes"

Catholicism is not a democracy, and for a good reason. The Creator of all that is, was, could be, and might be did not make "suggestions" when He commanded things. "Thou shalt not commit adultery" is not open to negotiation, for instance; it is a command, one that must be obeyed or you will suffer the consequences.



Christianity is ultimately about eternal things. Therein lies the problem with so much of modern Christianity; it disdains the spiritual, ultimate purpose in favor of a social gospel. Jesus commanded that we do good works, the "corporal mercies" but only as part of the bigger picture, which is to save souls from eternal damnation. Feeding a poor person whom you then bless on their road to hell is of absolutely no value. Jesus said "if your eye offends thee, pluck it out; it is better to enter the Kingdom of Heaven with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into Hell."



Or as Paul put it, "what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?"



So the purpose of Christianity is not to feed someone who will be hungry tomorrow but to save them from a far worse fate. Gay marriage, abortion, promiscuity, etc. lead to just such a fate. Catholicism cannot in any way "come out of the Middle Ages" and still have any purpose in this world. Modernism for the Church is suicide.



And frankly, it is the antithesis of love to excuse something that will lead a person to damnation. We correct our children out of love, after all. It may seem cruel to the child but we know better. Rebelling against the Word of God is much like rebelling against gravity; you are free to do so but you had better be prepared to suffer and perhaps die. A good Catholic does not want that for another.



The Pope is believed by Catholics to be infallible under certain unique circumstances (ex cathedra) and he and the Church hierarchy are to be listened to although not necessarily followed blindly. This predates the Middle Ages, I might add.



In Matthew 15:10 Jesus tells Peter, the first Pope:

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

In other words, the Pope is the boss (at least as Catholics see it) and matters of faith and morals are not open to a vote.



In typical liberal fashion, Newman takes this doctrine back to the Middle Ages, a time the Left has trashed because it serves their own purposes. (Ask a Medieval historian about the Middle Ages and you will get a very different picture than the one painted by modern consensus.) Podesta ignores, too, the fact that things like gay marriage are historically unprecedented and that by virtue of legal precedent alone one should be very wary of it. No society in history has allowed two people of the same sex to marry. The first time it ever happened was with the same sex partnership law of Sweden 1994. The first actual homosexual marriage law was signed in 2000 in the Netherlands (on Dec. 21, the pagan winter solstice, I might add.)



Before that, nada. The pro-homosexual wing makes much ado about classical Greeks sodomizing young teen boys (pederasty) but Plato saw this as an abomination and proposed the death penalty for homosexual behavior. And it further should be pointed out that the Greek city-states allied against Athens -- center of this abominable custom -- during the Peloponnesian wars, and that Greeks enjoyed a horrible reputation in the ancient world as a result of tolerating this.



The fact is that history is against so many of the "innovations" of the modern Left. Newman ignores Natural Law. He ignores historical precedent. He ignores the spiritual nature of Catholicism. He is either woefully ignorant of the reality that is Catholicism or he simply ignores it because his god is the Progressive world order.



That said, Catholicism has been suffering attacks from the inside -- his "Catholic Spring" -- for quite some time. Liberation Theology, a creation of the Soviet Union, is one such example. Pope Francis had ties to Liberation Theology, which promotes a Marxist model for Christian works i.e. it's a revolutionary movement designed to co-opt Christian elements. (Pope John Paul II formally banned it, but Francis is allowing it to come back.)



And the pedophilia scandal in the Church was a direct result of a concerted effort by "progressive" types to remold the church, to reform it as a more worldly and cosmopolitan entity. It should be pointed out that there may well be as many -- or more -- pedophiles in public schools. Sexual immorality is the cornerstone of Progressive modernism, and the Church is simply following along with the rest of the creepy clowns.



Meanwhile, you have the subversion of funds from things like the Archdiocesan Development Appeal to fund radical leftists like ACORN.



I give you -- and Newman and Podesta -- St. Anthony the Abbot - Fourth Century:



"Men will surrender to the spirit of the age. They will say that if they had lived in our day, faith would be simple and easy. But in their day, they will say, things are complex; the Church must be brought up to date and made meaningful to the day's problems. When the Church and the world are one, then those days are at hand."

And as was stated by Our Lady of LaSalette in a Church-approved apparition of Mary in 1846:

"All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds."

The Church by its very nature is conservative because it deals with the absolutes, with things permanent and eternal. The concept of modernizing the Church is a slippery one because the human temptation is to embrace the World and enjoy the rebellion against God. Yes, it may be important to update certain external trappings of the Church, but it must not be at the expense of the fundamental purpose of Catholicism and Christianity in general, which is to guide as many souls as possible to Heaven. The liberals want us to forget that purpose.



What value does the Church have outside of that?



Hat tip: Jack Kemp



Contact Tim at bgoccia@outlook.com
If there is one common trait among great powers, it is that they wage war by proxy. If there is one common yet unlearned lesson from this practice, it is that such wars almost inevitably backfire. The record of history is clear: the West, and particularly we in America, should not be engaging in this.

As the Syrian Civil War starts to enter its sixth year, with no end in sight, one should reflect that whatever the internal brutalities and contradictions in the Syrian government, it soon became a battleground for everyone else and his relatives.

The Saudis, fearful of the Iranian Shi'a, armed the Sunni rebels, as much to deflect al-Qaeda from toppling the corrupt Saudi regime as to fight Iran. The Iranians, determined to keep their Alawite pratboy in power, and to humiliate the Saudis, sent in Shi'a Hezb'allah troops to assist Assad.

As if this were not bad enough, the West armed proxies to assist in the overthrow of Assad  which in turn gave rise to ISIS.

Why? Assad, as bad as he was, was no menace to us, and he was the lesser evil of anyone who would replace him. Yet, in spite of common sense, we started arming proxies.

The Syrian mess we see now is the result of this dirty business. And we have only to look at some of the more famous debacles of this nature in history to see that rarely does anything good come of this.

We could go back to the Anglo-Spanish War of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Given that we live in an Anglophonic culture, we tend to think of England as winning that war when it sank the Spanish Armada.

England did not win. Lesser known is that a mere year after the Spanish Armada was thwarted, the English raised a counter-armada that went down in equally horrific destruction. The English-speaking world forgets that inconvenient Hispanic reply. The war, which went on for five decades, was incompetently waged by both sides, and it ended in a status quo ante draw  one of the reasons that two thirds of the New World still speaks Spanish or Portuguese.

What is even less appreciated is that Britain, always looking to wage war on the cheap, made full use of privateers, whose job was to prey on the Spanish Main. Unwilling to fully pay for a national navy to do the job and reap the rewards, England subcontracted the job to what were essentially proxy pirates.

When the war ended, the pirates, unwilling to end their lucrative careers and retire, then decided that the newest and richest source of prey was English shipping. The proxy war had returned to bite England. Pirates would plague the Caribbean for centuries. Worse yet, these pirates were often better armed and trained than the official British navy. They were certainly better paid.

We could go back farther. The Celtic Britons hired Anglo-Saxon mercenaries to protect them from their non-Romanized Celtic cousins in Ireland and Alba (Scotland). But who would protect them from the Saxons?

According to Bede, the famous British monk who lived in the early Middle Ages, the Britons were suffering attacks from the Scots [the Irish] and the Picts, so they decided to hire some of the Saxons as mercenaries to fight their enemies.

For the fastest turnaround, we could look at World War I. Germany was fighting a two-front war against the Western Allies and Russia. The Germans authorized that Vladimir Lenin be snuck in a railroad car from neutral Switzerland back to Russia. Thence, the Germans expected, Lenin could foment a revolution that would overthrow the Russian government. Russia would have to sue for peace, and Germany could train all of its energy on a quick victory in the West.

Lenin did not disappoint. Within a year, the Russian government had been overthrown twice. Eventually, Lenin's government sued for peace in March 1918. What the Germans had not anticipated is that these same Russian Soviets would propagandize the German troops. Eight months later, German soldiers and sailors  yes, they called them Soviets  overthrew the Kaiser.

In the case of Germany, it would take German troops returning home in defeat, the Freikorps, to stop the leftists from taking over Germany. The nascent Weimar Republic would set the Freikorps against the leftists. Ironically, these Freikorps would morph into brownshirts and be responsible for setting up the Nazi regime a decade later, overturning Weimar.

What goes around comes around.

Red China armed the Vietnamese to fight Americans by proxy. In 1979, the Vietnamese handed China a defeat in the Sino-Vietnamese war. Now the Vietnamese, who fought us Americans, want protection from the Chinese in the dispute over the South China Sea islands. They want America as a proxy?

In the '70s and '80s, Israel, faced with an interminable war with the PLO, decided to support an Islamic resurgence among the Palestinians in the hopes of weaning Palestinian youths away from the violent, secular PLO toward a religious inclination. This religious group became Hamas and proved worse than the PLO.

Hamas launched in 1988 in Gaza at the time of the first intifada[.] ... But for more than a decade prior, Israeli authorities actively enabled its rise.

At the time, Israel's main enemy was the late Yasser Arafat's Fatah party, which formed the heart of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). ...

The Israelis saw Qutb's adherents in the Palestinian territories, including the wheelchair-bound Sheik Ahmed Yassin, as a useful counterweight to Arafat's PLO.

"When I look back at the chain of events I think we made a mistake," one Israeli official who had worked in Gaza in the 1980s said in a 2009 interview with the Wall Street Journal's Andrew Higgins. "But at the time nobody thought about the possible results."

They should've seen it coming. As the Wall Street Journal noted:

Israel's military-led administration in Gaza looked favorably on the paraplegic cleric, who set up a wide network of schools, clinics, a library and kindergartens. Sheikh Yassin formed the Islamist group Mujama al-Islamiya, which was officially recognized by Israel as a charity and then, in 1979, as an association. Israel also endorsed the establishment of the Islamic University of Gaza, which it now regards as a hotbed of militancy. The university was one of the first targets hit by Israeli warplanes in the recent war.

Of course, we Americans gave weapons to Osama bin Laden to fight the Russians in Afghanistan. The rest is history.

Do I need to go over all the times that Europe has used Islamic proxies to fight its enemies?

- Imperial Germany armed the Turks in WWI.

- The British made promises to the Arabs that are at the very heart of the present struggle in the Mideast.

- France in the 16th century had an alliance with Ottoman Turkey against the Hapsburgs.

- Britain and France protected Turkey from a needed drubbing at tsarist hands during the Crimean War.

- Britain would later intervene to prevent then Christian Russia from liberating Constantinople from the Turks in 1878. Apparently, Britain, which controlled the Suez, Gibraltar, the Cape, Singapore, and India, felt that it was intolerable that Russia should have one, just one, warm-water port in the Mediterranean.

From these, and other innumerable examples, two lessons can be learned:

1) Unless you are willing to fight the war yourself, stay out of it. Proxy wars have a record of nasty blowback results. It is as if Providence rains judgment on such dishonesty.

2) The disaster is doubly magnified if the proxy is Islamic.

What has this got to do with Syria?

Everything. Stay out of Syria. Had the West not tried to topple Assad by proxy, we would not be stormed by millions of Islamic refugees. Had the West not toppled Gaddafi, as bad as he was, ISIS would not be in Libya.

Mike Konrad is the pen name of an American who is neither Latin nor Arab. He runs a website, http://latinarabia.com, where he discusses the subculture of Arabs in Latin America.
Murmurs are growing louder that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be a dead man walking.

According to scholars Michael Rubin, MetinGurcan, and others, there are whispers that a third coup is coming. It would be brought on by the struggle for control of the military, the intelligence service, and the police. That struggle is going on among the ruling party, the Gulenists; the Turkish mafia; and other unsavory characters against the backdrop of the Syrian civil war next door, millions of Syrian refugees, ISIS, and the Kurds' struggle for a place at the table if not independence.

July 15, 2016 saw the first weak coup attempt, which Erdogan blames on his former ally, Fethullah Gulen (the imam living in rural Pennsylvania  see the documentary Killing Ed), whom the Turkish government wants extradited.

Rubin, writing for the American Enterprise Institute, says, "Erdogan had learned of the plot hours before it unfolded." In a September 2016 Commentary article, Rubin called the coup "Turkey's equivalent of the Reichstag fire, a manufactured crisis meant to allow a dictator to consolidate power."

He calls the Turkish president's subsequent purge of 100,000-plus civil servants, military, intelligence, education, media workers  all considered possible enemies  the second coup and labels it "Erdogan's autogolpe," or self-coup. This ongoing purge, according to the Rubin and Gurcan, is setting the stage for a third coup.

Rubin in AEI:

What few talk about openly but certainly have started whispering about privately, is a third possible coup on the horizon. While Erdogan shed his long alliance with Gulen in 2013, the Turkish leader has not been without allies.

Those allies include Sedat Peker, an ultra-nationalist widely reported to be Turkey's most powerful Mafioso, and Mehmet Agar, a former True Path Party official, also with a checkered past.

Just as Erdogan used Gulen's network to do his dirty work, it is possible that Peker and others may now believe they are using Erdogan to do their dirty work.

Rubin:

After all, as Erdogan targets Gulenists, ethnic Kurds, liberals, feminists, and the political opposition, he is eliminating not only his own enemies but also those of Peker and his closest allies. Soon the key question will need an answer: If neither Erdogan nor some of the more shadowy figures of the Turkish mafia and deep state can tolerate competition, what happens when Erdogan and the Turkish mafia are the only powers remaining? If there is a showdown, will it be violent?

Metin Gurcan in Al Monitor:

One hard reality is that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), despite its 14 years in power, has not developed a senior bureaucratic team that deals with security and intelligence affairs. Hence, a power struggle was inevitable at the senior echelons of the National Intelligence Service (MIT), the Gendarmerie Command, the Ministry of Defense and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), where two distinct schools of thought or cliques are competing to fill the vacancies.

Gurcan cites as another dubious Erdogan ally Dogu Perincek of the small but powerful Homeland or Patriotic Party, known as the Perincek Group. He says:

[The party is r]enowned for its staunchly secular, isolationist, ultranationalist, socialist, anti-US, anti-West, pro-Russian and Euroasianist characteristics  has no strong standing as a popular political party, but its influence in the upper echelons of the state's security and intelligence services is steadily growing.

Gurcan points out that when the Gulenists were riding high in 2006-2013 doing Erdogan's dirty work, they targeted "high-level military police and intelligence personnel" affiliated with Perincek. Now the Perincek Group is striking back, doing Erdogan's dirty work, targeting suspected Gulenists. Erdogan is relying on the Perincek Group to also purge the state of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Gurcan:

Perincek's deputy, retired Col. Hasan Atilla Ugur, recently made headlines when he declared, citing his sources in security and intelligence units, "[A] second coup attempt is very close. [Gulen's group] is after a new coup together with the PKK and foreign powers."

In an article entitled "Are Islamists being pushed out?" in the pro-government Yeni Safak , Kemal Ozturk writes that another group, the conservative Islamic-nationalist clique known as the Virtuousness Bloc, is worried that the Perincek Group is gaining too much power filling vacant, police, military, and intelligence jobs.

Gurcan:

How Erdogan will manage this power struggle in the security-intelligence structure will determine the transformation of the state bureaucracy[.]  Erdogan feels a vital need for the Perincek Group in his struggle with Gulenists and for his personal security. But if the Perincek Group, benefiting from Erdogan's dependence on it, exaggerates the purges in the bureaucracy, that could threaten Erdogan's longtime close circles and even his personal future.

Today, when Turks feel safe, they will talk about the upcoming coup. But one must remember that the culture is one of conspiracy, speculation, and gossip  no doubt left over from the Sultan's palace rule  which makes it difficult to divine reality from chimera.
Donald Trump is no stranger to conspiracy theories. From "rigged" elections, "rigged" debates, and "powerful forces" working to defeat his campaign. Trump's paranoia is both a subject of mirth and concern.

But Hillary Clinton is about to show that she can ratchet up the paranoia as good as anyone. Her campaign is about to unveil a line of attack that would be the granddaddy of all conspiracy theories in this campaign.

She is about to accuse Trump of colluding with Russia to hack into Democratic emails in a Watergate style effort to steal documents.

The Hill:

"What did Trump know, and when did he know it? the campaign asks in an essay that it will post on Medium, Politico reported Saturday. Were witnessing another effort to steal private campaign documents in order to influence an election, Clinton campaign spokesman Glen Caplin wrote in an early version of the post shared with Politico. Only this time, instead of filing cabinets, its peoples emails theyre breaking intoand a foreign government is behind it. Clinton and her advisers are ramping up attacks on WikiLeaks and the Russian government over the damaging email hacks. The campaign is lashing out at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and the media for not treating the breach as a national security threat. Clinton's team is framing the email hack as a cyberattack by foreign adversaries with ties to terror groups. In a conference call Friday with the Clinton campaign's top national security advisers and reporters, the advisers described the hacks as unprecedented interference in the U.S. election that threatens the nations sovereignty, and warned there would be consequences for the hackers and potentially the Russian state actors supporting them. In the Medium post obtained by Politico, Caplin calls on Trump to condemn the hacks and "denounce Russian efforts to intervene in our election." Why is Trump protecting Putin by lying about Russias role in these hacks? What did his campaign know and when did they know it? Why wont he condemn this?" he reportedly asks in the post. "With less than a month until Election Day, these are the questions we need answered  and soon.

Even for the Clinton campaign, this is pretty lame. Evoking the memory of Watergate with the old "what did he know and when did he know it" nonsense serves only to highlight how desperate the Clinton campaign is to get beyond the email scandals by changing the subject.

It won't work simply because it is not credible that Donald Trump is a cats paw for Russia and Putin. And just for the record, Trump isn't the only one dubious of the charge that the Russian government is behind the hacks. Liberal Glenn Greenwald has also expressed skepticism that the Russians are to blame. And Edward Snowden claims that the NSA could easily determine who was hacking our political organizations.

It may very well be true that the Russian government is behind the email hacks. But Clinton has gone off the rails if she thinks accusing Trump of working with the Russians will elicit anything but laughter from most of us.
There was a single word in a New York Times article about South Carolina Senator Tim Scott's race for reelection that caught my eye.

It was the word " recovering ."

Mr. Scott is running for re-election, though he does not face much of a contest. His Democratic opponent, Thomas Dixon, is an ex-convict, a recovering drug addict and a political neophyte in a deeply red state where voters have not ousted a sitting senator since 1930.

Recovering? As in, "not recovered"? As in, still addicted to narcotics, and perhaps even taking them?

This is a new low, even for Democrats. If Mr. Dixon is elected to the Senate, do you think he will yell and rant from his desk in the Senate chamber while snorting lines of cocaine, kind of like a cross between "Scarface" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"?

But while the thoroughly researched article revealed that Mr. Dixon was a drug addict, and an ex-con, there's something even more pernicious about Mr. Dixon that the Times forgot to mention.

Dixon was also a drug dealer .

At 15, he began using and selling drugs, fueling crime and feeding an addiction that would plague him for the next 30 years.

More on his illustrious career:

He joined the Navy in 1983, hoping discipline and travel would straighten him out.... After five years of service, after failing his fifth drug test, Navy officers threw him into the brig for two months. He was sent home to his family  and his drug addiction. Dixon worked for the U.S. Census Bureau, then moved on to jobs including a loan finance officer and account manager for a rent-to-own company. There, he discovered a new skill to support his addiction: stealing.

A drug addict, drug dealer, and thief. Dixon fits in perfectly with one of the Democratic Party's prime consituencies: so-called "non-violent" offenders who Democrats (and a severely misguided Mike Lee ) are trying to release from prison en masse.

Who better to advocate for the decriminalization of drugs than a former drug dealer and perhaps current drug addict?

Welcome to the Democratic Party of 2016.
Michelle Obama laid into Donald Trump for his lewd locker room remarks about women as follows: "I can't stop thinking about this. It has shaken me to my core in a way I could not have predicted" -- whereupon the White House warned Trump to not retaliate against the First Lady.

"And the White House on Thursday advised that Trump continue to steer clear of the president's wife, suggesting that an unprecedented attack on the first lady is a surefire way for the GOP nominee's standing to plummet further."

Well, Eric Schultz (and presumably Barack Obama), here is what you can do with your warning. Donald Trump's statements, which were probably empty boasts in contrast to Bill Clinton's well-known behavior, were indeed lewd and unacceptable. While two wrongs do not make a right, Michelle and Barack Obama have openly promoted rap artists who glorify misogyny, sexual objectification of women, and even date rape. That's right; I am indeed calling out our country's sorry excuse for a First Lady for her and her husband's deplorable legitimization of the most despicable misogynistic language on earth.

In April 2016, the Obamas invited numerous rap artists to the White House to discuss Barack Obama's "My Brother's Keeper" initiative while recognizing them for their "artistic" contributions to minority communities. The rappers whom the Obamas promoted with these invitations include:

Rick Ross's , "U.O.N.E.O." glorifies date rape with the lyrics, "Put molly all in her champagne/ She ain't even know it / I took her home and I enjoyed that/ She ain't even know it." While Ross denies that this was his intended meaning, " molly " is slang for Ecstasy, a well-known date rape drug, and the context of "molly" in his lyrics shows clearly that a man put it into a woman's drink without her knowledge or consent so he could have sex with her. Ross' " Same Hoes " is meanwhile not about agricultural implements as shown by its lyrics, which consist primarily of the F word, a variant of the N word, and "hoes."

Common , whose "Go!" includes, "And a ooh baby she liked it raw and like rain when she came it poured" along with a variant of the N word and even more sexually explicit lyrics.

Jay Z , who proclaims, "I've got 99 problems and a b***h ain't one."

Michelle Obama called out Trump's remarks with the words, "What message are our little girls hearing about who they should look like, how they should act?" Nicki Minaj, another rapper whom she and her husband brought to the White House, answers that question in " Hey Mama ," "Make sure mama crawls on her knees keep him pleased rub him down be a lady and a freak" and also "Yes I do the cooking/ Yes I do the cleaning/ Yes I keep the nana real sweet for your eating/ Yes you be the (boss) yes I be respecting." It doesn't take a feminist to dismiss these words as belonging in a fundamentalist "Islamic" country, assuming that they ever belonged anywhere at all.

Lifezette.com adds, "And of course, who could forget about the Obamas' cozy relationship with Jay Z and Beyonce, who have been guests of the president and first lady on multiple occasions?" Jay Z joined Beyonce in "Drunk in Love". The lyrics include, "Slid the panties right to the side/ Ain`t got the time to take drawers off" and "We sex again in the morning, your breasteses [sic] is my breakfast."



He monica-lewinski'd all on my gown," to which she adds, "Hand prints and good grips all on my ass." Beyonce is certainly Beyonce's " Partition " includes far cruder and more explicit language, whose sole redeeming virtue is to remind everybody that Hillary's husband actually did what Donald Trump talked about. "He popped all my buttons and he ripped my blouse/He monica-lewinski'd all on my gown," to which she adds, "Hand prints and good grips all on my ass." Beyonce is certainly No Angel as shown by this line: "First, both of my legs go back on your head/ And whatever you want, yeah baby I'll bet it comes true."

The phrase, "Right message, wrong messenger" applies perfectly here. While Donald Trump's previous statements were crude, coarse, and lewd, nobody who promotes and mainstreams misogyny, subservience of women, and date rape has the moral standing to condemn them. Michelle Obama's words also come across as an obviously partisan attack noting her total silence on Bill Clinton's misogyny and sexual exploitation of women, as well as Hillary Clinton's complicity in the same.

William A. Levinson is the author of several books on business management including content on organizational psychology, as well as manufacturing productivity and quality.
You will soon be able to bring Cuban cigars back to the U.S.

Cheers for Cuban cigars. I will always remember my father's stories of visiting his bank clients in the cigar business. They were some of the hardest-working entrepreneurs in old Cuba. They sold cigars like H Upman, Partagas, and others that your grandfather probably remembers.

Thumbs down for a U.S. administration participating in the merchandising of products made by workers not allowed to join a labor union.

Remember that all of those Cuban cigars were once rolled by Cubans who worked for private companies and were free to join a union. All of those companies were also confiscated from the men and women who built them.

Maybe this is why Democrat senator Menendez expressed his outrage about the administration's latest moves:

Once again, the Administration has it wrong about whats right for the people of Cuba. Today, the Administration has announced new regulations that blatantly violate the laws of the United States in a legacy-attempt to further normalize relations with Cuba in the next 100 days, supposedly to benefit businesses, but the only beneficiaries of the Administrations legacy-largesse are the Castros themselves. Since the announcement of the change in American policy toward Cuba nearly two years ago, the Castro regime has only grown stronger. It has continued its policies of repression, has continued to jail the Ladies in White, has continued to suppress the freedom of expression, and the promotion of anything resembling democracy. Todays regulatory economic changes from the White House not only benefit state-owned Cuban businesses and bolster the coffers of the Castro regime, but mark a profound shift away from our own commitment to the rule of law and the processes of democracy as we have always known them. The new regulations simply and blatantly violate both the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 and the Cuban Liberty and the Libertad Act of 1996, which codified the embargo against Cuba, and indicate that the United States government will now actively authorize contracts and violations currently prohibited by the embargo.

Yes, it's the law of the land. It's a law based on two important principles: respect for property law and concern for the human rights of the Cubans on the island.

Am I the only person who believes that the U.S. should stand for property rights and human rights?

In the meantime, think about it the next time you light up a Cuban cigar. Maybe your conscience will drive you to get one from Jamaica or the Dominican Republic. Those two countries are not perfect, but at least their workers are allowed to form unions.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Donald Trump's Ohio campaign director Robert Paduchi sent a blistering two page letter to the Ohio Republican Central Committee, accusing its chairman, Matt Borges, of not being sufficiently enthused about the GOP candidate and said they would no longer work with him.

Did I mention the election is 24 days away?

Columbus Dispatch:

Mr. Trump told me, this is why people have lost faith in the establishment and party leaders, Paduchik added to the 66-member group, which picks the chairman.

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Trump and Paduchik discussed what to do about Borges on Trumps jet as they flew Thursday between campaign appearances in Columbus and Cincinnati.

Its no great secret that Chairman Borges was never fully on board, but his actions over the last week demonstrate that his loyalties to Gov. John Kasichs failed presidential campaign eclipse his responsibility as chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, Paduchik said in the letter. The chairman is also driven by an apparently insatiable need for publicity.

Borges, who many say is seeking to become Republican National Committee chairman if Trump goes down Nov. 8, has appeared on CNN and Fox News and has talked to several Ohio news outlets in the week since the emergence of a 2005 video of Trump crudely describing his sexual exploitation of women.

Borges doesn't appear willing to change his ways.

"We are sending out a clarification of all the things we have done, are doing, and will continue to do for the Trump campaign to our state committee shortly," he told The Dispatch. "I would never let a staffer's ego get in the way the Ohio Republican Party doing its job."

This afternoon, Borges emailed a list of 10 ways the state party has helped Trump  including Borges' recommendation of Paduchik to run the Ohio campaign.

"Interestingly, none of Bobs concerns were voiced until he shared them publicly today," Borges told party members.

Kevin Madden, a national GOP consultant who helped Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns, was mystified by the struggle in Ohio.

"It just doesn't make much sense. Why pick a fight like this with just over three weeks until Election Day?

"The Ohio Republican Party, its chairman and its leadership are admired by many around the country for their hard work and their efficiency in what's arguably the toughest battleground state. Governor Kasich's popularity and Senator Portman's strong position right now are a reflection of that."

The initial response of key Ohio Republicans condemned Trump's effort against Borges. Many from the GOP were tweeting with an #ImWithMatt hashtag.
The United States has allies and partners all over the world. Yet very few people question the necessity of such partnerships, even when they are with states led by unhinged maniacs or tyrants.

Exhibit number one in the unhinged category falls to President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. Recently, Duterte seemed to call President Obama a "son of a b----." As a result, bilateral talks were canceled between them. Duterte has a propensity for such language, having slurred the pope and the American ambassador with similar language in the past.

However, one might be able to get over President Duterte's colorful turns of phrase if such language weren't accompanied by outright disturbing rhetoric and even more disturbing actions. Duterte was elected on a tough-on-crime platform. According to The Guardian, Duterte promised during the election that "100,000 people would die in his crackdown on drugs, with so many dead bodies dumped in Manila Bay that fish there would grow fat from feeding on them." This hardly seems like an empty boast, since when Duterte was mayor of the town of Davao, he was connected to vigilante groups believed to have killed over 1,000 people. He has admitted to participating in the killing of three suspected criminals while he was mayor and is nicknamed "the punisher." Nearly 2,000 people have been killed within his first two months in office, and he has called for addicts to be killed by vigilantes.

Despite this outrageous behavior, the U.S. has pledged to help the Philippines in its war on drugs. Even worse, following a 10-year defense agreement signed in 2014, the U.S. has begun deploying U.S. troops to the country in order to balance against China's claims in the South China Sea.

Moving a few thousand miles to the west, Saudi Arabia continues to execute or lash people convicted of having homosexual relations, behead people at an alarming rate, and bomb Yemen back into the Stone Age by targeting its schools and hospitals.

As a result of the Saudi intervention into Yemen, hundreds of thousands of children are on the verge of starvation. The Saudis continue to use widely banned cluster-bombs, some of them from the U.S., to deadly effect against the civilian population. More than three million people have been displaced within the country. Doctors without Borders has been driven out of the northern part of the country due to Saudi bombing. The entire situation is simply abhorrent.

This atrocity is made possible only by U.S. support. Under President Obama, the U.S. has provided 40 million pounds of fuel to the very same Saudi jets laying waste to Yemen. This aerial refueling is in addition to sharing intelligence and military advising.

This support continues on the domestic front as well. President Obama vetoed legislation that would allow family members of the victims of 9/11 to sue Saudi Arabia. Although Congress overrode this veto, it has provided its support through other means. For example, Congress cleared the way for continuing to sell Saudi Arabia cluster munitions in June and just recently rejected an attempt to stop the sale of $1.15 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia.

These U.S. partnerships are an embarrassment and a moral affront. Duterte's erratic and disrespectful actions as a head of state demonstrate either that he has a few screws loose or that he purposefully acts in such an outrageous and thuggish manner. If Duterte's antics weren't bad enough, the U.S. partnership with Saudi Arabia makes the U.S. complicit in their many crimes and abuses against their own people and the people of Yemen. Partnership with such a country isn't just an embarrassment; it is a moral outrage.

Unless America has become content with betraying core principles that our nation was founded on, such as the rule of law and a respect for the life of innocents, in exchange for partners like the Philippines and Saudi Arabia, the time has come for an alternative to the failed foreign policy status quo. If the United States government wasn't trying to run the world, would there be any need for such unsavory "friends"?

Zachary Yost is a Young Voices Advocate who works in the D.C. area.
Huawei is expected to unveil the Mate 9 at their Munich, Germany event on November 3rd. In the past few weeks, we have seen a number of leaks regarding the device, including showing two distinctly different renders of the Mate 9. Not to mention the fact that one had a curved display, like the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Nevertheless, specs for the device have now leaked out, and they basically point to the same spec sheet that previous leaks had shown.

This new leak points to a 5.9-inch display which will have a resolution of 19201080. It will be powered by their own Kirin 960 chipset, which is slated to be announced later this month. Paired with the Kirin 960 is either 4GB or 6GB of RAM, depending on the model. They will also offer storage up to 256GB. When it comes to software, were still looking at Android 7.0 Nougat on-board with Huaweis EMUI 5 on top. Theres no word on the battery capacity yet, but itll likely be a fairly large one. Now onto the most important spec, the camera. Huawei has done some pretty interesting things with their dual-camera setup in the Huawei P9 and Honor 8. This time around they are going with a 20-megapixel and a 12-megapixel shooter on the backside, instead of two 12-megapixel shooters. The aperture will still be f/2.0.

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Pricing for the Mate 9 was actually leaked about a month ago, which showed that it would start at about $480 USD and go on up to $705. The base model is slated to be 4GB with 64GB of storage, and go all the way up to 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Which would be a first for an Android smartphone  the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus do offer 256GB of storage.

Huawei hasnt confirmed that the Mate 9 will be unveiled at their November 3rd event, but it does seem very likely given the number of leaks coming out ahead of this event. Huawei is holding their event in Germany, which more than likely means that the device will be available in Europe. But when it comes to North America, and the US specifically, thats still up in the air. However, with Samsungs crisis with the Galaxy Note 7, they have opened the door for another large smartphone to come in and pick up a pretty large market share.
Dame Shami Chakarbarti was wrong: MPs say Labour is a haven for anti-Semites

We know there is no anti-semitism in Labour because Jeremy Corbyn commissioned an investigation led by Shami Chakrabarti, and she found only a minority hateful or ignorant attitudes and behaviours.

Hatred of Jews was bundled in with all other forms of racism. Chakrabarti has since become a Labour peer and shadow attorney general. As Nick Cohen muses: Cant think of anyone who has destroyed her good name as thoroughly as Shami Chakrabati has? Paying for peerage wouldve been less shameful.

Today a committee of MPs says there is anti-Semitism in Labour. The Home Affairs Select Committee says Corbyn has failed to display consistent leadership. Corbyns acquiescence to bigots has aided the spread of vile attitudes towards Jewish people.

But isnt Corbyn just the head of a group that do the same, a representative of the liberals who turn a blind eye to anti-Semitism, who consider disliking Jews an acceptable part of normal, polite dinner-party chatter? The enlightened dont like Jews. So what?

Corbyns Labour Party has consistently and effectively to deal with anti-Semitic incidents in recent years risks lending force to allegations that elements of the Labour movement are institutionally anti-Semitic, says the MPs report.

Are they right? The Anti-Semitism in the UK report says (via the BBC):

Labour MP Luciana Berger received more than 2,500 abusive tweets in three days in 2014 Since walking out of the launch of a report on anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, the Jewish Labour MP Ruth Smeeth has reported more than 25,000 incidents of abuse Police-recorded anti-Semitic hate crime in England and some parts of Wales increased by 29% between 2010 and 2015, compared with a 9% increase across all hate crime categories A fifth of British Jewish people responding to an Institute for Jewish Policy Research study had experienced at least one anti-Semitic harassment incident during the last year, with 68% of incidents taking place online

What says Corbyn?

The reports political framing and disproportionate emphasis on Labour risks undermining the positive and welcome recommendations made in it. Although the committee heard evidence that 75% of anti-Semitic incidents come from far-right sources and the report states there is no reliable evidence to suggest anti-Semitism is greater in Labour than other parties, much of the report focuses on the Labour Party Under my leadership, Labour has taken greater action against anti-Semitism than any other party, and will implement the measures recommended by the Chakrabarti report to ensure Labour is a welcoming environment for members of all our communities.

The committee says:

Clearly, the Labour leader is not directly responsible for abuse committed in his name, but we believe that his lack of consistent leadership on this issue, and his reluctance to separate anti-Semitism from other forms of racism, has created what some have referred to as a safe space for those with vile attitudes towards Jewish people The result is that the Labour Party, with its proud history of fighting racism and promoting equal rights, is seen by some as an unwelcoming place for Jewish members and activists.

And on Dame Shami, the MPs say:

The promotion of the human rights activist Shami Chakarbarti to Labour lawmaker shortly after she penned a report clearing Labour of institutional anti-Semitism has thrown into question her claims (and those of Mr Corbyn) that her inquiry was truly independent, read the Home Affairs Committee report.

The Telegraph is scathing:

Taking a peerage undermined the integrity of her own inquiry into racism in the Labour Party. She was ennobled after her recommendations absolved Jeremy Corbyn of any responsibility. The report acknowledges Mr Corbyns history of campaigning against racism but condemns his inability to recognise the unique nature of post-war anti-Semitism. In recent years, anti-Semitism has operated under the cover of anti-Zionism, to the point that denial of the right of Israel to exist can be a way of articulating hatred for Jewish people. The report concludes that failure to see this and to take action has helped create a safe space for anti-Semites in Labour.

By way of final word, Labour List quotes Corbyn:

Commissioning Chakrabarti was an unprecedented step for a political party, demonstrating Labours commitment to fight against antisemitism.

Demonstration over.

Such are the facts.

Paul Sorene

Posted: 16th, October 2016 | In: Politicians, Reviews Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
Ben Needham: excavations end, forensics take over and speculation is rife

The latest hunt for Ben Needham has ended. Police have stopped excavating work ends on the Greek island of Kos. Ben vanished on 24 July 1991. He was 21 months old.

British police have sent items of interest to forensics in the UK. The Times says there are 60 such items.

Det Insp John Cousins, who is leading the investigation, tells media:

Ive got the confidence that we have done exactly what we can, given the plans we had before we came out here so that I can give an answer, whatever that might be, to Bens family It has been a difficult job, the conditions have been extremely hot and very dusty and they are long hours they have been working.

The BBC report end with one fact and one theory;

Ben vanished from a farmhouse, which his grandfather was renovating, in the village of Iraklis. Officers are working on the theory that Konstantinos Barkas, who died of cancer in 2015, might be responsible for Bens death.

The BBC keeps things open. Sky News has a more precise guess:

Ben may have died on the day he disappeared, run over by a local digger driver, who was clearing land near the spot where the toddler had been playing.

After the guesswork, the speculation:

If nothing significant has been recovered, it will be a bitter disappointment for the Needham family

But the prize for reporting goes to the Star:

Ben Needham dig called off as family told missing tot will NEVER be found

Is that what a cop said?

The Star has read the words of one Greek officer in the Mail:

The British police will never find anything. We thoroughly investigated all the areas that the British investigators are searching now at the time and nothing was found. We examined all scenarios of the disappearance of the young English boy and a full report of our findings was compiled and sent to police HQ consistent with an allegation of the abduction of a minor. The investigation and the whole saga continues because the British have provided the money. But the whole operation is futile.

Such are the facts.

Anorak

Posted: 16th, October 2016 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Finance Ministers from the 21 APEC member economies announced a joint statement at the conclusion of their meeting in Lima on Saturday under the theme, Strengthening Public Policy for an Integrated and Resilient Asia-Pacific Region.

The statement reflects the outcomes of the 2016 APEC Finance Ministers Meeting chaired by Dr. Alfredo Thorne, Minister of Economy and Finance of Peru. It describes joint actions to be taken forward by APEC economies in the following priority areas:

Global and Regional Economy

Strengthening Public Policy

Investment in Infrastructure

Financial Inclusion

Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance

Click here to view the 2016 APEC Joint Finance Ministerial Statement

Finance Ministers also agreed to three annexes:

Annex A. Strategy for Modernization of the Finance Ministers Process

Annex B. Strategy for Implementation of the Cebu Action Plan

Annex C. Collaboration Action Plan between APEC Member Economies and the Global Infrastructure Hub

For more:

Downloadable photos from the APEC Finance Ministerss Meeting can be viewed here.

# # #

For additional information, or to arrange possible media interviews with APEC officials, please contact:

David Hendrickson +65 9137 3886 at [email protected]

Michael Chapnick +65 9647 4847 at [email protected]

More on APEC meetings, events, projects and publications can be found on. You can also follow APEC onand join us onand
APEC as a group can help instill global growth amid concerns of lower trade volumes and weakening productivity, said Perus Minister of Economy and Finance, Dr Alfredo Thorne, when he opened the APEC Finance Ministers Meeting on Saturday.

APEC Finance Ministers are meeting this week in Lima under a week after they gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. They continue their pursuit to develop financial inclusion policies, tools for disaster risk financing and stem the decline in productivity growth for an integrated and resilient Asia-Pacific Region.

Dr Thorne said that APEC should adapt policies to increase trade and open up economies. This includes opening services, removing trade barriers and increasing productivity.

We are all committed to structural reforms, stated Dr Thorne who chaired the meeting. Despite our differences over which to prioritize  whether formalization of the economy, taxes or budget reforms  we all have a common objective to strengthen productivity and competitiveness.

In this changing environment, skills are key, he observed. Our economies need to invest in new skills and adapt the labor force to new challenges, particularly in terms of connectivity, digitalization and technology. We need to steer our investment in that direction.

Ministers heard analyses of the current macroeconomic environment, the policy responses and the future perspectives of the APEC sub-regions and their particular economies. Measured against the global economy, it was reported that the region as a whole outpaces the rest of the world but trade is starting to slow.

We share the concerns about where the fragile global economy is going and what we need to do to address these challenges, observed Dr Thorne.

We need to be sure that these reforms filter through to the population-at large, he concluded.

Ministers also announced the launch of a collaboration action plan between APEC economies and the Global Infrastructure Hub, which will open opportunities to share knowledge platforms and to adopt the Hubs tools and resources. This will contribute to the implementation of APECs Public-Private Partnership Knowledge Portal. This online repository is a global pipeline of quality, bankable infrastructure projects. It will also help dissemimate best practices addressing contracting, financing, and funding.

Finally, Ministers gave broad support to international tax cooperation initiatives to make prpgress towards a more credible and effective international tax system.

The next APEC Finance Ministers Meeting will be held in Quang Nam - Da Nang, Vietnam in October 2017.

# # #

For additional information, or to arrange possible media interviews with APEC officials, please contact:

Michael Chapnick (in Lima) +65 9647 4847 at [email protected]

David Hendrickson (in Singapore) +65 9137 3886 at [email protected]

More on APEC meetings, events, projects and publications can be found on www.apec.org. You can also follow APEC on Twitter and join us on Facebook and LinkedIn


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The MOU was signed by ADAC Chairman H.E. Ali Majed Al Mansoori and H.E. Joel Morgan, Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport.

As the Seychelles grows in popularity as a holiday destination for UAE tourists and visitors from around the world, the need to keep up with the demands and expectations of the travel market has never been more important. Our aim is to help to deliver an updated passenger terminal operating to the highest international standards, said Al Mansoori.



The Seychelles Minister said the MOU confirmed an interest by both parties to enter into talks discussing the future and way forward of our operations at Seychelles International Airport.

The Minister said discerning travellers, including Seychellois, are demanding more from their travel experience, which starts at the airport. Seychelles International Airport has the potential to deliver much, much more, and this MOU signifies that ADAC believes in us and the growing opportunities in the Seychelles. This approach will also confirm to all our airline partners who have been flying to Seychelles, or who have recently announced their intention to fly to Seychelles, that something more is being done that will have the potential to positively compliment their efforts. For our national carrier, Air Seychelles, this provides the opportunity to grow their product and range of services even further.
As a result of the buyout, Robertson, previously Spatials chief operations officer, will become managing director. He has been with the company for more than eight years and will ensure service and quality continuity to the companys airline custoners.

Van den Broucque also assumes the role of Managing Director. He has considerable experience in the professional services industry in the fields of investment banking and management consulting.

Robertson, said: This announcement is an important milestone for our company. Under Joseph McKeevers leadership, Spatial has built itself into a globally-recognised leader in cabin crew training equipment. Now is the time to build on this success by doubling-down on our efforts to deliver market-leading innovation whilst continuing to deliver products of the highest possible quality which meet the bespoke requirements of our customers.

Van den Broucque, Managing Director, added: Henry and I are tremendously excited to be leading the business as we take the positive values and reputation which Spatial is recognised for to a broader client base. It is our intention to invest significantly in next generation technologies and manufacturing capacity whilst leveraging the significant strength and experience of our existing team in order to build a business that can continue to exceed our clients expectations.





Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, just one of the many customers that turned to Spatial under the control of Joe McKeever, right. The company has now been the subject of a management buyout.
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by Nirmala Carvalho

At least 24 Hindus trampled by the crowd frightened by a false alarm. The president of the Indian bishops provides hospitals, clinics and medical care for the hundreds of wounded. Varanasi hosted celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, on the relationship between the Catholic Church and other religions.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Card. Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Bishops' Conference of India, has expressed closeness to the victims of yesterdays accident in Varanasi where during a gathering of Hindu pilgrims, because of a false alarm, at least 24 people have died crushed by the crowd . The prelate offered solidarity, providing all hospitals to treat the wounded, on behalf of the entire Catholic community.

"The Church in India - he told AsiaNews - is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives in Varanasi yesterday afternoon. Our condolences go to the injured and to all those who have been affected by this tragedy. The Church in India will make all of its hospitals, dispensaries and clinics available along with the necessary medical care for the hundreds of wounded. I send my condolences to the families of the dead, and my comfort to the wounded".

The accident happened yesterday afternoon among the thousands of faithful of the guru Jai Gurudev who went to the village of Domri (Varanasi) on the banks of the river Ganges. 3 thousand people were expected and instead about 70 thousand followers of the guru showed up. The accident occurred after police tried to remove most of the faithful from too narrow a bridge. However, it was rumored that the bridge was breaking, and the crowd began to flee engulfing another crowd who were fleeing in the opposite direction.

Card. Gracias recalled that last February in Varanasi the Bishops celebrated the 50th anniversary of the document Nostra Aetate of the Second Vatican Council on the Church's relations with other religions. "The inter-religious meeting - said the cardinal - gathered together Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains to celebrate religious diversity and promote a world of peace and love".

"Unfortunately - he added - Today this ancient city is full of lamentation, pain, grief. The Indian Church is close to all this suffering. "

Today, throughout the Indian Church a day of prayer for peace was held. "All of us - said Card. Gracias - will pray for Varanasi, for the dead and the wounded".
At the Mass in St Peters Square, Pope Francis canonizes seven new saints from Europe and Latin America and Central Europe. Among these two martyrs,"Dear Brochero", dear to the pope, and the Carmelite Elizabeth of the Trinity. " To pray is not to take refuge in an ideal world, nor to escape into a false, selfish sense of calm. On the contrary, to pray is to struggle, but also to let the Holy Spirit pray within us". World Day against Poverty.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - " The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them. They struggle to the very end, with all their strength, and they triumph, but not by their own efforts: the Lord triumphs in them and with them", said Pope Francis today as he introduced the qualities of the seven new saints who were canonized during the mass in St Peter's Square.

The facade of the basilica was adorned with the images of the new saints: Solomon Leclercq (1745-1792), of the Christian Brothers, martyred during the French Revolution; Joseph Sanchez del Rio (1913-1928), a young martyr of the anti-clerical Mexican regime; Manuel Gonzalez Garcia (1877-1940), bishop of Palencia, founder Eucharistic Union and Reparation of the Congregation of the Eucharistic Missionary Sisters of Nazareth; Ludovico Pavoni (1784-1849), priest, founder of the Congregation of the Sons of Mary Immaculate; Alfonso Maria Fusco (1839-1910), priest, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist; Joseph Gabriel del Rosario Brochero (1840-1914), Argentinean priest, very dear to Pope Francis; Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity Catez (1880-1906), a Carmelite nun whose meditations on the Trinity amazed theologians like Hans Urs von Balthasar.

In his homily, in front of 80,000 faithful, the Pope stressed several times that with the canonization these holy men and women " attained the goal. Thanks to prayer, they had a generous and steadfast heart. They prayed mightily; they fought and they were victorious".

The Pope was inspired by the prayer of Moses in the battle against Amalek (Exodus 17.8 to 13), which allowed the victory of the Jewish people. To keep his arms raised in prayer, Moses was supported by Aaron and Hur.

"This is an important message in this story of Moses: commitment to prayer demands that we support one another. Weariness is inevitable. Sometimes we simply cannot go on, yet, with the support of our brothers and sisters, our prayer can persevere until the Lord completes his work"

"The battle of perseverance cannot be won without prayer. Not sporadic or hesitant prayer, but prayer offered as Jesus tells us in the Gospel: Pray always, without ever losing heart (Lk 18:1). This is the Christian way of life: remaining steadfast in prayer, in order to remain steadfast in faith and testimony.. "

" True, each of us grows weary. Yet we are not alone; we are part of a Body! We are members of the Body of Christ, the Church, whose arms are raised day and night to heaven, thanks to the presence of the Risen Christ and his Holy Spirit. Only in the Church, and thanks to the Churchs prayer, are we able to remain steadfast in faith and witness".

"This is the mystery of prayer: to keep crying out, not to lose heart, and if we should grow tired, asking help to keep our hands raised. This is the prayer that Jesus has revealed to us and given us in the Holy Spirit. To pray is not to take refuge in an ideal world, nor to escape into a false, selfish sense of calm. On the contrary, to pray is to struggle, but also to let the Holy Spirit pray within us. For the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray. He guides us in prayer and he enables us to pray as sons and daughters.

The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer  he concludes  Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them. They struggle to the very end, with all their strength, and they triumph, but not by their own efforts: the Lord triumphs in them and with them. The seven witnesses who were canonized today also fought the good fight of faith and love by their prayers. That is why they remained firm in faith, with a generous and steadfast heart. Through their example and their intercession, may God also enable us to be men and women of prayer. May we cry out day and night to God, without losing heart. May we let the Holy Spirit pray in us, and may we support one another in prayer, in order to keep our arms raised, until Divine Mercy wins the victory".

Before the conclusion of the Mass, Pope Francis thanked all those present, including official delegations from Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, Mexico, countries of origin of the new saints. "May the example and intercession of these luminous witnesses - said the Pope  support the efforts of each in their respective areas of work and service, for the good of the Church and the civil community".

Francis also recalled that tomorrow is World Day against Poverty. "Let us join forces, moral and economic - he said - to fight together against poverty that degrades, injures and kills many brothers and sisters, by implementing standard policies for families and for work."
Thanks for being open enough to let me share some tunes with you.



I'm on SoundCloud as Dylan Briscall



All the songs on Early Mornings, Late Nights, and Long Roads were written and composed by me and were produced by Joel Kazmi--whos worked with artists like The Tea Party, Rush, Nsync, Sum 41, and Anne Murray.



If you don't want to listen that is absolutely cool and if you can recommend some new music or mention any great shows you've seen lately, that would be great.



Cheers!
Hi everyone. I am seeking information regarding visitor tourist /family sponsor visa 600 information. If anyone know anything related to this please ,please share.

let me explain my situation first -

Me n my wife both are permanent residence of Australia. My wife doesn't has any job now, she is 6 months pregnant now.my mother in law wants to come over here from Bangladesh to look after my wife on delivery time, which is due on feb-2017 .we expecting my mother in law to stay with us around 45-60 days.

My queries are-

1. Which exact visa subclass ( tourist visitor or family sponsored )I should apply for and which form/s will requires for that?

2. Should I or my wife apply from my immi account for my mother-in-law?in that case any additional form need to be filled up by the applicant?

3. How many days earlier should I apply?

4.So far I know , if I apply for family sponsored visa ,CO might ask for upto $15000 as bond.in that case, can I use my credit card and get refund to my savings account?

5. Does she needs a medical insurance for those days?

6.Here is the list which I am planning to submit, please correct me if I don't need some of these or need to add any other documents-

a.Mother in laws passport , national id , birth certificate, property owner documents,police clearance, bank statement

b. Photograph

c.filled up application form/online form

d.my wife's pr +passport, public exam certificate where her moms name on it

e.doctors report mentioning baby's due date

f.our marriage certificate, my bank statement, my payslip, invitation letter



7. If I apply for tourist visitor , should I mention about my wife's pregnancy or not. coz ive read some article where they said immigration doesn't like someone coming here as tourist and helping their family members with any sort of family work.

Thank you
Hi to everyone, i came on this site 2 years ago and gathered some very helpful information when my Thai wife and i were applying for a subclass 309 which was lodged online on the 19/11/2014 and granted 23/10/2015 and my wife moved here on the 10/11/2015 . That experience almost did my head in LOL. It is now getting time to apply for Permenent Visa subclass100. I am hoping there are some people out there that can help me along the way. I will be doing it online again. So i will start of with a few basic questions first. 1. Do i wait until they contact us.2. Will she need an AFP police check. (she has not been out of the country since she arrived)3. Is there an actual application form or do we just submit the forms outlined in the checklist.Thats about it for a start, any help will be much appreciated.
Hi guys,



I have just lodged an online de facto partnership application and as I am filling out the online 47sp form, I am not sure on how to answer some questions. I would appreciate it a lot if you can help me here.



Question 12/26- Does the applicant have any parents, siblings or children including those that are deceased? Australian Immigration status: AU citizen, PR, Visitor, Student, Temporary resident, Other.



Certainly, I have a mother, a father and a brother living in Canada, but they do not intend on migrating to Australia, so how is their Australian immigration status relevant, and how do I answer that question? Do i just select "Other"?



Question 13/26- Has this sponsor ever been granted a contributory parent category visa?

My partner who is sponsoring me has also sponsored his mother to come and live here from overseas on some sort of parent visa about 5 years ago. Should that be a problem?



Question 22/26 Have any of the applicants lived in a country for more than 12 months cumulatively in the past 10 years?

I am Canadian so before I moved to Australia I was living in Canada, the country of my passport. Do I just write Canada? What about Australia, do I need to include that? I have lived here for 22 months.



22/26 Have any of the applicants visited any countries for less than 12 months in the past 10 years?

I have visited plenty of countries in Europe, some of them for just a day or two, and some of them for 2 consecutive times during the same year. There are no stamps in my passport for some of those visits. I can't even remember the dates properly. Should I include every single country I have visited in Europe, even those countries in which I stopped by for a day?



Thanks a lot.
Last week, I attended a briefing at the local town hall where airport officials briefed a new arrival at the airport, a skydiving operation. As I figured it would, that ignited a minor freakout among the local pilot community, but they listened politely and asked good questions of the operator, who intends to start selling tandems later this month or early next.

At one point, someone asked how transient pilots running along the beach on the way to Key West will know theyre flying through an active drop zone. Well, said the airport representative, there will be a NOTAM on it. This elicited a dark laugh from several attendees and this take-it-to-bank constant truth: Nobody reads NOTAMs.

I beg to differ. I always read NOTAMs because I dont want to be the derp who shows up at an airport to find the runway closed or that Ive just barged into a TFR. I find that kind of thing simply indefensible. But pilots do it all the time. And truthfully, its hard to blame them much because despite the FAAs tweaking of the NOTAMs system, its easier to grasp the tax code than it is some of these NOTAMs, so its no wonder pilots blow them off.

Early Saturday I was headed out to fly the Cub and as I always do, I checked NOTAMs, had a look at the METARs and TAF and clicked on the graphical TFR page expecting to see nothing in Florida other than that maddening permanent TFR over Disneys Magic Kingdom. But whoa, whats this? A TFR over Venice? Not quite, but it was close enough to send me into the weeds to find out exactly what the TFR was about.

Heres an excerpt of the text:

MANAGEMENT OF ACFT OPS IN THE VICINITY OF AERIAL DEMONSTRATIONS AND MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS, ACFT OPS ARE PROHIBITED WI ANAREA DEFINED AS 5NM RADIUS OF265510N0815934W (RSW335026.1)SFC-13000FT UNLESS AUTHORIZED BY ATC EFFECTIVE

1610211600 UTC UNTIL 1610212000 UTC,

1610212100 UTC UNTIL 1610220130 UTC,

1610221600 UTC UNTIL 1610222100 UTC,

AND 1610231600 UTC UNTIL 1610232100 UTC.

Try to make sense of that at 6:30 a.m. before your first latte has kicked in. It took a few minutes of probing to figure out exactly where it was. The FAA actually has a pretty good graphical site for this that plots the TFR on a sectional and gives the active period in plain language. But you have to work to find it. If the notice was up Saturday morning, I couldnt find the details. By Saturday evening, it was up.

Im sure theres some spec somewhere that explains why they describe this thing with lat/long or a radial/distance when in fact the stupid thing is centered on the Charlotte County Airport. Why not just say that? Too simple, I guess. Participating in aviation requires learning certain things, to be sure, including the arcane language of coded weather reports and diktats from the FAA. Were long past due to revise the thinking that requires pilots to learn and retain these silly codes. Yeah, I know; theyre the stuff of international treaties.To be fair, websites like CSC DUATS do offer a plain language tab and thats good. They just need to be a little easier to find. And when the revolution gets here, Im going to personally remove that pull-down tab that offers a sort option to include VIP TFRs.

I am absolutely sure that when the snowbirds start arriving next month, I will hear this on the CTAF: Hey, theres skydiving here? When did that happen? Why dont they announce this stuff? The sad thing is that pilots who express such surprise probably wont learn from it. Once a blunderer, always a blunderer. And I say that as a recovering blunderer.
16 October 2016 13:30 (UTC+04:00)

An Iranian Navy flotilla has left the countrys northern waters for an overseas mission to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan.

The Iranian flotilla including the home-made Damavand destroyer and a missile-armed vessel, dubbed Joshan departed from the countrys Caspian port city of Bandar Anzali on Sunday morning, Tasnim news agency reported.

Iranian officials have said that the countrys navy is the messenger of peace and friendship in the region.

According to the Iranian media reports, Damavand destroyer, equipped with modern radar, electronic and reconnaissance systems, was delivered to the countrys naval forces stationed in Anzali in March 2015.

Iran has recently made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
16 October 2016 12:56 (UTC+04:00)

Ministerial meeting on Syria in Lausanne, Switzerland has not resulted in a ceasefire agreement, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday, TRT Haber reported.

"We have informally exchanged views on the situation in Syria, although we have not reached any specific ceasefire agreement. But it was not supposed to happen," Cavusoglu said in an interview with the TRT Haber broadcaster.

He also noted that there were divided views among the meeting participants with respect to what should be done first  to achieve ceasefire or to separate terrorist groups from moderate opposition.

"Everyone, including the Turkish side, shared their views and proposals on how to achieve the truce and to deliver humanitarian aid to Aleppo. First of all one needs to achieve a ceasefire but the fight against the Daesh terrorist group must be continued," the minister said.

The foreign ministers of Russia, the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Jordan and Qatar took part in the talks on the Syrian settlement.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The New York Times reports:

Peter Thiel, true to his reputation as the most contrarian soul in Silicon Valley, is doubling down on Donald J. Trump. The only prominent supporter of the Republican candidate in the high-tech community, Mr. Thiel is making his first donation in support of Mr. Trumps election. He will give $1.25 million through a combination of super PAC donations and funds given directly to the campaign, a person close to the investor said on Saturday.

The donation puts the billionaire investor high on a very short list of big Trump contributors. One of the biggest donors is Robert Mercer of the hedge fund Renaissance Technologies. He and his daughter Rebekah Mercer have given $15.5 million in support of the Republican candidates election, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Geoffrey Palmer, a Los Angeles developer, has donated $2 million.

Mr. Thiel, who spoke at the Republican National Convention, apparently is unfazed by the storm around the candidate in the last week following the broadcasting of lewd conversations recorded by the syndicated program Access Hollywood. The source, who requested anonymity, said the investor feels the country needs fixing, and Mr. Trump can do it.
CHAIN OF CUSTODY

Citrus crops grown in Cawelo Water District using blended recycled oilfield water, as well as fruit grown outside the district, was sampled and tested by third party companies.

Advanced Environmental Concepts sampled the fruit.

Advanced then packaged the samples and sent them to Weck Laboratories Inc. for chemical testing and to Anresco Laboratories to test the oils and fats.

Those test results were then sent to Enviro-Tox Services Inc. for analysis.

I got a call from an angry man upset that my story last week shortened the chain of custody. So there you go.

For those who are so inclined, you can read Cawelo's entire report, plus appendices, on its website at: http://tinyurl.com/jbpzckz
Lakeland Police are investigating a shooting of two mothers -- one of whom is dead.

Lakeland woman went out dancing to celebrate daughter's birthday

In the early hours of Saturday, Oct. 15, she and a friend were both shot

Andrea Dixon, 39, died at the hospital



Detectives said they found Andrea Dixon, 39, lying on the ground early Saturday at the Chevron gas station on West Memorial Blvd. She died later at the hospital.



Her family told us that Dixon spent the night dancing at Rumors Nightclub with her oldest daughter, celebrating her daughter's 25th birthday.



I was just so astonished I couldn't believe it, said Daisy Thomas Bethel, Dixons grandmother.



Dixon was a mother of four, and a grandmother herself. Bethel said she was a certified nursing assistant at Brandon Regional Hospital. She described the shooting of her grandaughter as senseless.



They just shoot all the time," said Bethel. "This killing and shooting. People doing this all the time, everyday. Just sad. Just murdering people around the city."

According to Lakeland Police, Derrick Deon Robinson, 25, was arrested and charged with first degree murder. Two witnesses reportedly identified Robinson from pictures on his Facebook account.



Dixons second oldest daughter, Demondra Fisher, said her mother died doing what she loved to do.

My mama, she like to dance, have fun, crack jokes, all night long, shell dance, recalled Fisher. Thats my mama. [...] They took my mama away from me.



Police said there was a fight in the parking lot of Rumors Nightclub. When they responded, it had already been dispersed. Then, 15 minutes later, they responded to a shooting at Chevron gas station down the road. Investigators said witnesses told them the crowd involved in earlier fights at the nightclub had spilled over to the Chevron gas station.



Fisher said her mother left the nightclub and headed to the gas station with her daughter to party on. Thats when the shooting happened.



Dixons friend, Johnetha Ragins, 34, of Lakeland was also shot. Police said she was shot in her hip and forearm. Shes recovering at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center.

*Rumors // Ok coral, 935 E Memorial Blvd, Lakeland, FL 33801
More than a week since their mother was hit and killed on a Lakeland Street, a family is asking the driver to come forward.

Janice Joy, 74, died Oct. 7 after being by struck by a vehicle

The hit-and-run occurred around 6:30 a.m.

The suspect is believed to have been a dark colored F-150

Janice Joy, 74, was struck and killed while walking along Duff Road on October 6 at 6:30 a.m.

The driver fled the scene.

"Its just sad that someone had to hit her and then take off and leave her to die alongside the road, Joys daughter, Ronda Thompson, said. She was a very proud woman. Very proud of herself, very proud of her family. And for her to die this way is extremely sad for all of us.

Thompson said her mother and stepfather moved to Lakeland more than 20 years ago from the Northeast.

"She loved to laugh. She would look at you and she would say, I love Florida and you know what? You dont have to shovel sunshine in Lakeland, Thompson said.

The Polk County Sheriffs Office is looking for a dark colored 2004-2008 Ford F-150 that is missing a cover to the passenger side mirror and that should have some kind of front or side panel damage.

Thompson said she just wants the driver to do the right thing.

"Please come forward, Thompson said. Please come forward so our family can have some closure to his whole incident. My mom would have probably given you a hug and say, Its okay, I understand.

If anyone sees or knows about a truck similar to this description, they are asked to call the Polk County Sheriffs Office at (863) 298-6200.

Anyone with information who wants to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward can call 1-800-226-TIPS or log onto www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com. iPhone and Droid users can download a free tip submit app to anonymously report crime. You can make an anonymous tip to Heartland Crime Stoppers by going to www.P3tips.com and download the free P3tips app to your smartphone.

Heartland Crime Stoppers is offering up to $3,000 for tips which result in an arrest.


Oregon Coast is Clear - Saturday's Winds a Dud

Published 10/15/2016 at 8:51 PM PDT - Updated 10/16/2016 at 8:51 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast)  After an unnerving three days along the Oregon coast -including high winds, minor flooding and two tornadoes - residents were expecting even worse with all the wind and surf warnings for Saturday. But today's storm never lived up to the predicted 60 mph gusts and resultant damage. (Photo by Angi Wildt: minor flooding today in Seaside).

Now, ODOT and the National Weather Service have declared the coast is clear, with no road issues, no power outages and all wind warnings dropped. Surf, however, is still heavy along the coast, but even that is posing no threat to property and instead simply putting on a good show.

If anything, parts of the inland valley had it worse, even if the winds were never as strong as on the coastline. In the Portland metro area, several areas had power outages, while Bandon was the only coastal town to be in the dark.

Particularly worried were Manzanita residents, who were still trying to clean up the massive mess left by a tornado that tore up at least three businesses on Friday morning  and over 120 homes. Crews and residents assumed Saturday's storm would completely halt cleanup efforts as well as create more havoc.

That tornado was classified as an EF2, meaning about 120 mph winds. Another tornado touched down at Oceanside that morning but dissipated immediately, leaving no damage. See Two Tornadoes on Oregon Coast; Manzanita Severely Damaged, Video.

Brian Hines, owner of San Dune Inn in Manzanita, said luckily power came back early Friday evening, and most businesses in town were open today. The building housing a clothing shop, an ice cream shop and the wine bar Vino was essentially destroyed.

It was windy and it rained hard today, though, Hines said. (See high winds video from Seaside today).

Winds along the Oregon coast today were generally not as harsh as predicted, although some high spots and headlands saw sizable action. In most cases, sustained winds were not much more than 30 mph during that heavy period of noon to 3 p.m. Most areas saw about 10  20 mph the majority of the time.

Peak wind gusts were mostly in the 30 to 50 mph range. Cape Meares and Mt. Hebo saw peaks around 80 mph in the afternoon  by far the highest. Pacific City's peak was 61 mph, Rockaway Beach was at 21 mph, Newport at 51 mph, Yachats saw 63 mph and Oceanside's highest gust was 43 mph.

Surf was another story. While it caused no damage, the last three days of broiling ocean conditions yanked out a lot of sand. In Lincoln City's Nelscott neighborhood, Rock Your World gallery owner Laura Joki noted the huge mound of sand created by summer's wave actions disappeared over a matter of hours. See Joki's high tide video in Lincoln City.

Even though Friday was supposed to be the calm before the big storm of today, it was Friday that seemed to have the most dramatic wave action.

Seaside however, was the recipient of a major log jam at the 12th Ave bridge on the Necanicum River. Other photos from yesterday and today taken by resident Angi Wildt show the remarkable sights in town, notably the differences between high tides and the latter part of Saturday with extremely calm conditions. (See video)

On Sunday, surf should still be somewhat high, although there are no warnings. Seas will be at about 17 feet but breezes more on the steady side rather than heavy side, likely providing some good storm watching conditions. Look for plenty of rain, however. Oregon Coast Hotels for this - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours







Photos above courtesy Laura Joki, Rock Your World Gallery; Nelscott beach at 2 p.m. (top) and earlier at noon (bottom). Photos below of Seaside on Saturday, courtesy Angi Wildt.









Below: tornado damage in Manzanita, courtesy Amy VanDyke, Sunset Vacation Rentals







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Pamela Anderson has revealed her fears over Julian Assange's health after visiting him at the Ecuadorian Embassy.

The former Playboy model said the WikiLeaks founder was doing "really well" but expressed concern for him and his family.

The Australian has been living in the embassy for over four years and has been granted political asylum by Ecuador.

He is due to be questioned over a sex allegation in Sweden - which he denies. Mr Assange believes that if he goes to Sweden he will be extradited to the United States for questioning over the activities of WikiLeaks.

The ex-Baywatch star told the Press Association: "I really believe in him and think he's a good person, and I'm concerned about his health, his family, and I just hope that by some miracle he's set free."

Earlier this month Mr Assange said that he was ''a bit pale'' after being asked how his health was after four years without sunlight.

Anderson was pictured entering the central London building on Saturday carrying Pret a Manger paper bags.

The 49-year-old animal rights activist said: "I brought him a nice vegan lunch and some vegan snacks", joking: "He said I tortured him with bringing him vegan food".
In a clip from the BBC archives shown recently on Saturday Kitchen, Keith Floyd announces: "Now I'm going for a walk out in the countryside. Actually, I'm going down to the pub for a quick one."

He had just prepared a rabbit stew - liberally using his hands, burning his fingers, one of which had a creepy flesh-coloured sticking plaster on it, adding "a little bit of white wine" (it looked like the guts of a bottle), and ordering the cameraman around - and was leaving it to simmer for half-an-hour. He came back and sat down to eat the stew, wearing a pale-yellow V-necked jersey with white bow tie, managing to look smart and dishevelled all at the same time, and asked his female guest "What are you doing after the show?"

The stew, which looked frankly unpromising as he assembled it, hampered by the unappealing camerawork and styling of the era - mid-1980s, at a guess - had somehow metamorphosed into something delicious. Perhaps it succumbed to the undeniable charm of Floyd, just as the rest of us did.

Keith Floyd was the original celebrity chef. He was a face, a name, an attitude that began the process of rescuing British food from the utter doldrums of the 1970s. He began to make food something a man could be interested in and hugely influenced the next generation such as Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsay and Nigel Slater.

For the average viewer, however, it was Floyd's personality far more than his cooking techniques that was the draw - the way he appeared to bumble, the way he got visibly more drunk as the show wore on, and the way his suave English-gentleman persona was subverted by a strong hint of loucheness. The real joy of Floyd was the way he looked as if he was only ever a glass of red away from doing or saying something outrageous. And of course, in his private life he very often did just that, his irresistible charm and joie de vivre vying with lengthy battles with depression and alcoholism. Four marriages, all of which ended in divorce, and two children he felt he hadn't done right by, along with bankruptcy, frequent changes of country - he lived in France, Spain, Ireland and Thailand as well as England - and business (he opened, and closed, at least 12 restaurants and pubs), escalating paranoia and belligerence, all suggest a fairly chaotic personal outlook.

Born in 1943, Floyd was brought up in Exmoor, a childhood close to rural tradition, and educated at Wellington school in Somerset (along with Jeffrey Archer). He tried journalism first, then switched to the Army but it didn't last either, and Floyd began working in restaurants, often lowly jobs like kitchen porter, in France and London, until in 1966, aged just 23, he opened his first restaurant, Floyd's Bistro, in Bristol, where his parents helped out by washing dishes.

He was a talented chef and charming restaurateur who knew how to fill the tables. Proper fame may only have come once his TV career took off, but Floyd was always 'someone.' And even though he came to hate fame - journalist Lynn Barber once wrote that he would come to describe it as "a type of leprosy he contracted in 1985" - seeing success as the possession of enough money to disappear, he attracted it as effortlessly as he seemed to attract women.

He married first when he was 24, to Jesmond Ruttledge, and had a son, Patrick, but the couple separated after three years, partly, Floyd always claimed, because he believed she had had a previous child, knowledge of which she kept hidden from him. This belief seems to have sprung from a fairly ridiculous episode - Floyd ringing the hospital after Patrick's birth, to be told by a nurse that Mrs Floyd's 'second child' had been born; there were, it later transpired, two Mrs Floyds in hospital that day. As a misconception, it seems perfectly ridiculous - the kind of thing a novelist wouldn't get away with - but apparently it did its sneaky work, poisoning the relationship. That said, relationships may simply have been something Floyd wasn't very good at.

Running a business apparently wasn't either. For all the apparent success of Floyd's Bistro the financial side seemed to be beyond him, and in the early 1970s he sold the restaurant and used the proceeds to buy a yacht, Flirty, and set sail for the Mediterranean, leaving Jesmond and Patrick behind, although he and Jesmond wouldn't get divorced for another decade. This was Floyd's bid for freedom. Until then, he believed, he hadn't "had a life", and so he left without counting the costs. "I had vanished without thinking much about Patrick, a confession that sounds too cruel ... As time went by, I would come to think of him all the time, and then the nightmares started." After 18 months, he came back to England, where he spent more time with Patrick, but accompanied by a girlfriend, Dolores (in his autobiography Stirred But Not Shaken he never gives her a second name) and her mixed-race daughter. However, rural Somerset in the 1970s wasn't a broad-minded place, and Dolores and her daughter were viewed with hostility. Within a few months, she had left. Floyd then met Paddy Walker, the glamorous woman's editor of the paper he had once worked on as a reporter, and the two set up a wine-importing business, moving back to France, with her three children. There, Floyd did the very brave thing of opening a small restaurant, just six tables, in the Provencal town of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, succeeding where most English people dismally fail. "Paddy was an absolutely wonderful woman," he writes, "but I couldn't handle the children." In the end, they moved back to England - "we simply abandoned the house, didn't even sell it" - and went their separate ways.

Back in England, without a penny, Floyd opened another bistro, simply called Floyd's, with the backing of friends - they called themselves the Five-Hundred Club, and there were six of them, who stumped up 500 each, on the basis that they could 'eat off' their investment." But there, too, finances were problematic, and by the time a TV career was foisted upon him, he was close to bankruptcy. Producer David Pritchard is the man responsible for Floyd's broadcasting career, persuading him in the face of initial reluctance and building a show around him rather than trying to fit him into an existing format. In 1985 the first series, Floyd on Fish, went out. More series followed, each with a book to accompany it, and almost instantly Floyd was a household name, and a bone fide celebrity, one who generated headlines in the red tops.

By then Floyd was married again, to Julie Hatcher, blonde, beautiful, ten years his junior, whom he wed just months after they met, and with whom he had a daughter, Poppy, who recalls that as Floyd's fame grew, he spent more and more time away, filming and working. At first, she would travel out to meet him, decked out with an 'Unaccompanied Minor' badge, but as the years wore on, he became more remote. "We got the occasional postcard. When he remembered Christmas he would phone us up." Eventually, Julie and Floyd divorced, with Julie accusing him of "gambling, whoring and drinking ad infinitum." He denied the whoring.

Floyd, in one of his many sudden emotional reversals, moved to Ireland, to Kinsale, which was to be a return to something more humble and real. He bought a cottage and moved in, but, for all he claimed to want a quiet life, he brought with him all the trappings of the Floyd roadshow. He bought a flat in Dublin, where he would go ostensibly to write, although the reality may have involved more time at the Shelbourne Hotel. Floyd himself recalled the romance of the period - in Ireland, like England, there seemed to be no shortage of women keen to spend time with him - "During that halcyon, hedonistic time women came and went but no hearts were broken and no blame attaches." One wonders if the women felt quite as blithe.

By now, Floyd was drinking more, and had "moved on to the hard stuff." He was, in his own words "desperately unhappy." Ireland had not proved the solace he hoped for, and the relentlessness of fame and the need to make money, gave him no let-up. He continued to travel for work, and eventually sold the cottage in Kinsale. He had a relationship with a property developer, Zoe Meeson, but she left him after a couple of years. Then, following a period where he was known to ring girls who sent him fan mails, suggesting they come and stay with him - in Devon, at the gastropub he opened, called Floyd's Inn, where Jean-Christophe Novelli was chef - he met an Irish girl, Shaunagh Mullett, 23 years younger than him, and proposed marriage within four hours. Marry they did, but that lasted only two years - he accused her of forgetting his birthday and threw her and 50 diners out of the pub.

But for the many staff Floyd hired and rapidly fired and the customers he occasionally abused, describing them as "thick and snobbish and as stupid as you can get", there was clearly another Floyd. Again, finances were a disaster, and in 1996 the pub was sold after a period in receivership.

It was, according to Floyd, a merciful release. He met his fourth wife, food stylist Tess Smith, 18 years his junior, and moved with her to the Costa del Sol, where the plan was to work very hard for a couple of years, then "hopefully, we'll have enough money to pull the drawbridge up, have children and lead the kind of quiet life that only money can buy." In the event, there weren't to be any children, and marriage to Tess ended in yet another divorce, 13 years later, after their lives together became, as he said "one long round of screaming matches interspersed with complete alcoholic blackouts" on his part. For her part, she later said, "I've never discussed why it didn't work out, and probably never will. Let's just say Keith wasn't the easiest man to live with." However, she described a life that was all work, with very little downtime. She recalled: "Even if he was heating up a tin of soup, he'd shout 'Service!' to get me to clean up after him."

There was talk of another pub or restaurant, first back in England, later in the Far East, but never with much conviction, although he lent his name to Floyds Brasserie in Phuket, opened in 2007. Floyd was at this stage drinking heavily, experiencing hallucinations, and his health was suffering. He had become increasingly paranoid and combatative, engaging in endless rows with producers, his manager, even friends. In 2009 he was treated for bowel cancer, but given the all-clear in September. To celebrate, he went for a typically extravagant lunch with Celia Martin, widow of his long-time friend, David, one of the Five-Hundred Club, with whom, he said, he was "very much in love." That evening, the Channel 4 documentary about Floyd's life, Keith on Keith, made by Keith Allen, was to be broadcast. In the event, Floyd didn't live to watch it. He had a heart attack during the broadcast and died that night. After two decades of hard work and considerable fame, he left just 7,500 in his will.

There is a touch of Alex Higgins, of George Best, to Keith Floyd - the considerable gifts and charm, allied to a difficult, selfish, self-destructive personality. In the end however, his TV series' stand the test of time. Behind the stale camerawork and unappealing styling, Floyd is as effervescent and brilliant as ever, very much a match for the Jamies, Hestons and Gordons he inspired.

Saturday Kitchen is on BBC1, 10am, Saturdays. Saturday Kitchen Best Bits is on BBC2, 10.10am, Sunday mornings
Some of the most devastating incidents involved abuse inflicted at the Kincora home

The bill for compensating survivors of child abuse in Northern Ireland could run to 30 million, campaigners have warned.

Some 524 victims could be eligible to make claims over their treatment in institutions from 1922-1995, including at the notorious Kincora Boys' Home in Belfast and by paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.

Campaigners are urging the Stormont Executive to agree to a special redress scheme, with basic payments starting at 10,000, to avoid lengthy, traumatic and expensive civil actions in the courts.

They said it could save 10m off the final bill.

Margaret McGuckin of Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse, said: "It is now up to ministers to deliver.

"Redress is a practical way for Government and others to say sorry for how badly they let us down as children. We suffered then and have suffered the consequences through our lives ever since - psychological damage and lost opportunities. We shouldn't have to suffer on into our old age as well."

The chairman of Northern Ireland's Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Sir Anthony Hart, is due to report to Stormont ministers in January on 157 days of public hearings and evidence from 392 witnesses.

Survivors of abuse are to take their campaign for a suitable redress scheme to the doors of the Assembly on Monday.

Jon McCourt, of Survivors North West, called on Stormont chiefs to listen closely and take their advice seriously.

"Victims and survivors are a very vulnerable group - some of them are very elderly and have health problems. The Executive office should move with urgency to consult with victims and to then set up the redress scheme," he said.

"We have waited for justice for long enough."

Survivors, backed by Amnesty International, called for the Assembly to "secure and ring fence" money for compensation funds.

The 20m to 30m costs were calculated by Quarter Chartered Accountants. The company was commissioned by the independent Panel of Experts on Redress, which includes Ms McGuckin and Mr McCourt, survivors, their representative groups, academics, lawyers, human rights organisations and others.

It proposed a basic 10,000 payment for anyone who suffered child abuse in an institution, with length of time spent in a home also taken into account, along with assessment of mental, physical and sexual abuse suffered.

Survivors said a Government -run compensation scheme would be more cost-effective and much less traumatic for victims than the courts.

The campaigners noted that the final number of people eligible to make a claim for their treatment will not be known until Sir Anthony Hart's report is finished.

They urged Stormont ministers to open talks on a potential scheme and on the financial contribution to be made by religious orders and other organisations which ran many of the children's homes where abuse took place.

Public hearings at the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry ended in July after two and a half years.

Hundreds of vulnerable former residents provided deeply-personal and harrowing claims of sexual, physical and emotional suffering over many decades in care homes run by the church, state and the Barnardo's children's charity.

Some of the most devastating incidents involved abuse inflicted at the Kincora home, and by the notorious paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.

The report by the Panel of Experts on Redress will be presented in Parliament Buildings, Stormont on Monday.

A spokeswoman for the Executive said ministers remain sensitive to abuse survivors and are mindful of the destructive impact of their experiences.

"The nature or level of any potential redress, as stipulated in the inquiry's terms of reference, is a matter the Executive will discuss and agree following receipt of the Inquiry's report," she said.
James Hall posted this picture on social media after he claimed he was attacked for being gay

A young gay man has spoken out after being a victim of a homophobic hate crime after a night out in Belfast.

James Hall (24) claims he was attacked by a man in an unprovoked incident after he responded to him when he was called an offensive homophobic name in the early hours of Sunday morning.

He says that he was standing at a bar in Little Donegall Street area when two men walked past him and began to call him names.

Mr Hall told the Belfast Telegraph: "Granted because I was drunk, I said to them, 'What's your problem?"

"But just because I said that, one of them came up and literally just started to hit me. Why?"

He says he was beaten about the face and has bruises and cuts around his eyes.

"This just has to stop," added Mr Hall.

"I mean, it's 2016 and this is still happening. It's disgusting.

"Not just to me because I'm gay but all hate crime. This needs to be addressed."

Earlier, Mr Hall had been socialising with friends in the Boom Box mat where met the Hollyoaks star and Blue star Duncan James who was making a personal appearance.

He reported the attack to the police and says he will seek medical help today.

Police have confirmed that they are treating the attack as a hate crime.

Inspector Antony Frazer said: "We are appealing for information following the report of an assault on a man in the Little Donegall Street area of Belfast at approximately 3.00am this morning, Sunday, 16 October.

"We would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed this assault to contact Police at Tennent Street on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 290 16/10/16. Alternatively, if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800 555 111."
At least 19 people have been killed and 25 others injured in a stampede as they were heading to a Hindu religious ceremony in northern India

At least 19 people have been killed and 25 others injured in a stampede as they were crossing a crowded bridge to reach the venue of a Hindu religious ceremony in northern India, police said.

The stampede happened on the outskirts of Varanasi, a city in Uttar Pradesh state known for its temples, said police officer Kumar Prashant.

Another police officer, SK Bhagat, said organisers were expecting 3,000 Hindu devotees at the ceremony, but that more than 70,000 thronged the ashram of a local Hindu religious leader, Jai Baba Gurudev, on the banks of the Ganges River.

"We were not prepared for such a large crowd," Raj Bahadur, a spokesman for the organisers, told the Associated Press.

The stampede happened as police started turning people away from the overcrowded bridge, the Press Trust of India news agency cited Mr Bahadur as saying. That triggered a rumour among the devotees that the bridge had collapsed, and they started running for safety, he said.

Mr Prashant said 19 people were killed and 25 others were taken to hospital, some of them in a serious condition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the tragedy.

"I have spoken to officials and asked them to ensure all possible help to those affected," he tweeted.

Deadly stampedes are fairly common during Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with few safety or crowd control measures.

In October 2013, a stampede in Madhya Pradesh state in central India killed more than 110 people, mostly women and children.

AP
At least nine people have been killed in the bridge collapse in Indonesia (AP)

At least eight people have been killed and 30 others injured after a small suspension bridge collapsed near the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

The bridge, linking the small islands of Lembongan and Ceningan off Bali was crowded with people returning from temple prayers. It collapsed on Sunday evening, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

The eight victims who died have been identified, including three children aged three to nine. Two of the injured were in serious condition, while the others suffered minor injuries.

Initial reports indicate there were no foreigners among the victims.

The head of the sub-district of Nusa Penida, Gusti Ngurah Agung Mahajaya, said authorities were still trying to determine whether any people were missing.

The bridge, which was about 100 metres long and 1.5 metres wide and used only by pedestrians and motorcyclists, collapsed as many people were passing over it while returning from praying at a temple on Ceningan island.

AP
North Korean women walk past a monument built 11 years ago to honour the founding of the Workers' Party of North Korea (AP)

South Korea and the US have said the latest missile launch by North Korea ended in a failure after the projectile reportedly exploded soon after lift-off.

The South Korean joint chiefs of staff said the military believes the North unsuccessfully attempted to fire a mid-range Musudan missile.

The failed launch was said to have taken place near an airport in the North's North Pyongan province.

South Korea strongly condemns the launch because it violates UN Security Council resolutions which ban any ballistic activities by North Korea.

The US military said the missile did not pose a threat to North America.

Pentagon spokesman Cmdr Gary Ross said: "We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests, which violate UN Security Council Resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea's launches using ballistic missile technology."

Cmdr Ross added: "Our commitment to the defence of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad.

"We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation."

Japan has expressed concern over the launches, with defence minister Tomomi Inada saying that she wants to work in cooperation with the US and South Korea to assure her country's security.

North Korea has claimed technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. South Korean defence officials insist the North does not yet have such a weapon.

It is the latest in a series of moves by North Korea aimed apparently at displaying a show of force. As recently as last month, it fired three ballistic missiles off its east coast, timed to gain the attention of world leaders including US president Barack Obama who were visiting the region for a series of summits.

The UN Security Council subsequently condemned those North Korean launches and threatened "further significant measures" if it refuses to stop its nuclear and missile tests.

North Korea also conducted its fifth nuclear test last month and in all has launched more than 20 ballistic missiles this year, part of its programme aimed at improving the delivery system for nuclear weapons.

Earlier this year, North Korea successfully launched a Musudan missile in June after several failed attempts.

Musudan has a range of 2,180 miles - enough to reach U.S. military instalments in Japan and Guam.

Mr Obama has vowed to work with the United Nations to tighten sanctions against North Korea, but has also said that the US is still open to dialogue if the government changes course.

The US strategy has largely centred on trying to get China, North Korea's traditional ally, to use its influence to persuade the North to change course.

North Korea is continuing with missile test launches even as the UN Security Council is deliberating a further tightening of sanctions after the September nuclear test.

Previously in August, Japanese and South Korean officials said a medium-range ballistic missile flew about 620 miles and landed near Japan's territorial waters.

AP
Children look on as UN troops from Brazil stop near a group of homes hit by Hurricane Matthew (AP)

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has visited victims of devastating Hurricane Matthew, saying the destruction wrought by the storm was "heartbreaking".

He renewed a pledge to help the nation cope with a deadly scourge of cholera that was introduced by UN peacekeepers.

Ban's brief visit came as victims of the storm continued to express frustration - sometimes violently - at delays in aid about a week and a half since Matthew hit south-west Haiti with 145 mph winds, killing at least 546 people and demolishing or damaging tens of thousands of homes.

"I met so many displaced persons, young people, women who were pregnant and sick people. It was heartbreaking," he said, describing his tour of an emergency shelter in the town of Les Cayes packed with families whose homes were destroyed.

Shortly before Ban's helicopter was due to land in Les Cayes, a clash broke out between rock-throwing residents and peacekeepers at a UN base there.

Roughly 100 frustrated residents began hurling rocks when trucks ferrying food aid arrived. Haitian police officers and UN peacekeepers scattered the group with tear gas. Calm was restored as Ban's helicopter approached.

In recent days, reporters have observed a number of skirmishes between Haitians in hard-hit areas seeking emergency aid distributed by international and local organisations.

At the close of his roughly four-and-a-half-hour stop in Haiti, Mr Ban told reporters at Port-au-Prince's airport that a cholera-focused trust fund announced in recent weeks was part of the UN's "new approach" to helping Haitian families who lost loved ones since the water-borne disease was introduced there in October 2010 - an outbreak that has been aggravated by the hurricane.

The UN said the fund is designed to help Haiti overcome cholera and build stronger water, sanitation and health systems.

There has long been ample evidence that cholera was introduced to the nation's biggest river by inadequately treated sewage from a UN peacekeeping base about 10 months after Haiti's devastating earthquake.

But the UN only acknowledged in August, following a leaked internal report, that it played a role in introducing cholera to Haiti and vowed to aid victims in the impoverished Caribbean nation, which has experienced the worst outbreak of the disease in recent history.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that "the United Nations has a moral responsibility to the victims".

Mr Ban expressed disappointment that international funding to fight cholera in Haiti and rebuild after Matthew is so far falling far short.

"I know that the world economic situation is not favourable, and I know that there is some donor fatigue by certain countries," he told reporters at the close of his brief visit.

Health authorities say they have been struggling with a surge of patients with cholera in the wake of the storm that struck on October 4 in a rugged region of south-west Haiti that is home to more than one million people.

The wreckage left behind by the hurricane has created perfect conditions for spreading the disease. Rivers and outdoor toilets overflowed across the mountainous landscape.

AP
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Police made two arrests on Saturday for two separate cases of theft.

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A woman was arrested after she damaged her ex-boyfriends property on Thursday.

We need your support!

Local journalism needs your support!

As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.

Now, more than ever, we need your support.

Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
A man remains in Garda custody in connection with a murder in Limerick city.

A 32-year-old man was arrested yesterday in relation to the death of Gerard Freyne.

The 51-year-old was assaulted at Lord Edward Street in the city at a 7.45pm on Wednesday evening.

Mr Freyne was taken to hospital, but died from his injuries on Friday morning.

Gardai arrested a 32-year-old man in Limerick yesterday in connection with the death - he is being held at Roxboro Road Garda Station for questioning.
A group of Nigerian parents have been reunited with 21 schoolgirls freed after being kidnapped by Boko Haram two and a half years ago.

The move is the first negotiated release organised between the Nigerian government and the Islamic extremist group.

The girls were embraced by their parents amid scenes of jubilation when they were presented by the government.

A mother of one of the girls said: "I never expected I will see my daughter again and I pray that those girls still left behind, that God will bring them out safely the way our own daughter came out alive."

The girls were released on Thursday and flown to Abuja, Nigeria's capital, but it has taken days for the parents to arrive.

Most arrived on Sunday after driving hours over potholed roads slowed by military checkpoints and under threat of attack by the insurgents, community leader Tsambido Hosea Abana said.

The parents came from the remote north-eastern town of Chibok, where nearly 300 girls were kidnapped on April 2014 in a mass abduction that shocked the world.

Family members celebrate after being reunited with the kidnapped girls during an church service held in Abuja, Nigeria.

Dozens of schoolgirls escaped in the first few hours, but after last week's release, 197 still remain captive.

The government said negotiations are continuing to win the remaining girls' freedom.

Muta Abana, the father of one of the released girls, has been living in Nasarawa state near Abuja.

He expressed anxiety as many of the girls were reportedly forced to marry Boko Haram fighters.

"Some of them came back with babies, but think about it: are we going to kill the children?" Mr Abana said.

"We won't be able to kill the children because it would be as if we don't want the girls to come back. God knows why it happened. It's God's will."

One of the kidnapped girls celebrates with a family member during an church survives held in Abuja, Nigeria.

He also said the girls' abduction has been politicised, complaining that "people's children aren't money, people's children are not clothes you wear to campaign, people's children are their pride".

The girls are getting medical attention and trauma counselling in a hospital, said Tsambido Abana, the Chibok community leader in Abuja. Some are emaciated from hunger, he said.

There are conflicting reports about how the girls were freed, with two military officers saying they were exchanged for four detained Boko Haram commanders.

A Nigerian who negotiated previous failed attempts said a large ransom was paid by the Swiss government on behalf of Nigerian authorities.
The police dig for clues over the disappearance of toddler Ben Needham on the Greek island where he vanished 25 years ago has ended after three weeks.

South Yorkshire Police said officers formally ended their search on the island of Kos this afternoon.

Ben, from Sheffield, disappeared on July 24 1991 after travelling to the island with his mother and grandparents.

The search operation was prompted by information that digger driver Konstantinos Barkas, also known as Dino, may be responsible for the toddler's death, as he was clearing land with an excavator near where Ben was playing on the day he vanished.

Mr Barkas is believed to have died from stomach cancer last year.

In a statement, South Yorkshire Police said: "The physical search of two sites on Kos, Greece has formally come to an end.

"Work continues behind the scenes as officers begin to process the findings from each site."

The force said a full update will be released from the team on the island at midday on Monday.

Just last week, Ben's mother Kerry Needham (above) said she believes her son will not be found alive.

She told ITV's Good Morning Britain that she and her family are "tired and distressed" and cannot live for another 25 years without knowing what happened to Ben.

Two weeks into the search, detectives said they had accumulated more than 60 items of interest that they will bring back to the UK for forensic testing.

A variety of theories on his fate and reported sightings have arisen since Ben's disappearance and Ms Needham had been holding out hope that she would one day be reunited with her son.

Earlier this year, South Yorkshire Police received extra funding from the Home Office to help in the search for Ben.

Ms Needham has been forthright in her support of the investigation.
Britain and the United States are considering economic sanctions against Russia and Syria as there is no appetite among Western powers for a military solution to protect civilians from their bombardment in the civil war.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who spoke last week of the need to discuss "more kinetic options", said military solutions such as a no-fly zone or no-bombing zone over Aleppo are "extremely difficult".

Speaking after talks with US secretary of state John Kerry and other allies in London, Mr Johnson said Britain and its allies must work with the diplomatic "tools we have".

He insisted that Russia was "feeling the pressure" from the international community over its military support of the Bashar Assad regime.

Alongside fresh sanctions, Mr Johnson said other measures such as threatening those responsible for committing war crimes with justice at the International Criminal Court "will eventually come to bite".

Mr Johnson's comments indicate his call to consider a potentially more forceful solution to stop the Russian and regime bombing of civilians in Aleppo does not command the support of Western allies.

Speaking after the four-hour meeting at Lancaster House, the Foreign Secretary said: "No option is in principle off the table but be in no doubt that these so-called military options are extremely difficult and there is, to put it mildly, a lack of political appetite in most European capitals and certainly in the West for that kind of solution at present.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

"So we've got to work with the tools we have - the tools we have are diplomatic.

"I think the most powerful weapon we have at the moment is our ability to make president Putin and the Russians feel the consequences of what they are doing."

Mr Johnson and Mr Kerry confirmed they were moving towards introducing fresh sanctions against "the Syrian regime and their supporters".

The Foreign Secretary also described as "very significant" the French move to turn a visit from Vladimir Putin to Paris into a discussion about Syria, at which point the Russian president pulled out of the trip.

"They are starting to feel the pressure and it is vital that we keep that pressure up," Mr Johnson said.

"There are a lot of measures that we are proposing to do with extra sanctions on the Syrian regime and their supporters, measures to bring those responsible for war crimes before the International Criminal Court.

"These things will eventually come to bite the perpetrators of these crimes and they should think about it now."

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Mr Kerry made it clear that US president Barack Obama has ruled nothing out but backed Mr Johnson's assertion that support for military solutions is weak.

He said: "I don't see the parliaments of European countries ready to declare war, I don't see a lot of countries deciding that that's the better solution here.

"So we are pursuing diplomacy because those are the tools that we have and we're trying to find a way forward under those circumstances.

"It's easy to say where's the action, but what is the action?

"I have a lot of people who have a lot trouble defining that when they really get down to trying to do it."

The pair called for a fresh ceasefire, just days after Mr Johnson said the US-Russia dialogue aimed at brokering a pause in hostilities appeared to have "run out of road".

But after a meeting between Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Mr Kerry in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday, Mr Johnson joined his US counterpart in calling for a truce.

The Foreign Secretary also insisted Russia and the Assad regime would not be successful in their "barbaric siege" of Aleppo, where 275,000 civilians are living under daily bombing raids, including alleged gas attacks and the use of highly destructive barrel bombs.

Stressing his belief that Russia and Assad were not capable of winning the war, he added: "So our challenge to the Russians is do the right thing by humanity."

The Foreign Secretary said the talks, which included representatives from Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Gulf and other Middle Eastern allies, focused on a range of proposals also including identifying al-Nusra terrorists in Aleppo which the regime and Russia are using as an alibi for their air strikes.

Mr Kerry said: "It could stop tomorrow morning, tonight if Russia and the Assad regime were to behave according to any norm or any standard of decency, but they've chosen not to.

"Instead we see what can only be described as crimes against humanity taking place on a daily basis, and hospitals are bombed and children are bombed or gassed."
United Nations aid trucks have been looted by Haitians left devastated by Hurricane Matthew.

It happened shortly before UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived for a visit to the Caribbean nation.

Almost 1,000 people were killed and officials say more than 1.4 million people urgently need humanitarian help.

Nigel Timmins is humanitarian director at the charity Oxfam and says reports of looting aren't a surprise: "Sadly sometimes these things happen, it is still quite a chaotic situation.

"Some communities still havent been reached, I know our teams are having to reach some of the communities by boat because some of the roads are still out."
SINGAPORE: Palm oil may revisit its Oct. 25 high of 4,263 ringgit per tonne, as it may have resumed its uptrend from...
"We had a great term in opposition over the four years, we had great candidates out there, we took great policies to the election, and the campaign was fantastic." But one Liberal source told Fairfax some within the party felt Mr Hanson's performance in the campaign was less than convincing. Asked whether there would be questions about his leadership, he replied: "I'd say yeah, absolutely. I don't think anyone was really convinced by him during the campaign." "There were a number of poor strategic calls, which always fall at the feet of the leader."

"I think there will be serious questions about how we managed to spend $500,000 and go backwards." Mr Hanson said there was a lot of soul-searching to come within the Liberal party. He described his concession speech last night as the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He said his future as leader would be settled in coming weeks. "I'll always do what's best for the Liberal party. We'll wait until we've got a full party room, until we know who's going to be in there," he said. "When we do, it is the protocol, it is the tradition that the leadership will then become vacant and then people will be invited to stand.

"Whether I stand or not is a decision I'm yet to take and it's something that I'll discuss with other members of the Liberal party and my family in the coming weeks." Deputy Coe is the most obvious replacement should a leadership change occur. He is favoured by the Young Liberals and more conservative elements of the party. Mr Hanson said he had "no doubt" that Mr Coe would be leader at some point. "I think he's a fantastic guy, we may end up being rivals for the leadership, but what I would say is there is no question in my mind that Alistair will lead the party some day, and I'm sure he'll lead it to success," he said.

"He will be the next leader of the Liberal Party, whether that is in two weeks time or further down the track, that's just a matter for us to see." Mr Hanson said the Liberals campaign was strong, including in the field, and said they had fielded good candidates and strong policies. He agreed Labor ran a strong campaign, but said there was little the Liberals could have done differently, and remained optimistic about the Liberals' chances at some day forming government. Loading "We've had Liberal governments here before, we will have Liberal governments here again. Not this time," he said.
Oceanagold has suffered its second setback in a matter of weeks, this time in El Salvador where it has lost legal action seeking compensation after being denied a concession to drill for gold,

In September, it was caught up in a crackdown launched by the Philippine government which could result in a number of miners - mostly nickel producers - being suspended from operating.The Australian company has been the subject of ongoing complaints from residents near its Didipio mine for several months, mainly opposed to its planned exploration program.

Mine workers with core samples at OceanaGold in Didipio 270 kms north of Manila in the Phillipines. Credit:Jason South JPS

Oceanagold, along with as many as 20 miners, has been told to 'show cause' to avoid shutdowns due to claimed environmental lapses. OceanaGold's Didipio copper and gold mine is 270 kilometres north of Manila.https://99.fairfax.com.au/cf#/etc/author-util.html?assetId=grpj50

In El Salvador, the government there won a long-running legal battle on Friday when an international arbitration panel ruled that it did not have to pay compensation to OceanaGold over a concession to drill for gold. The case had been watched by anti-mining activists, who had pointed to it as a test of the rights of governments to make laws protecting their citizens' health and the environment against challenges from corporations.
The US will continue to be defied  not just by Putin, even by President Duterte of the Philippines. North Korea or Syria are problems without solutions, leaving chauvinists to lament the US has never been more powerless. The truth is this catch cry has been thrown at every president since Harry Truman, including Ronald Reagan in his last years. But the US Right stridently insists America is surrounded by enemies. The neo-cons who gave us Iraq and unleashed Islamic State are demanding America prove its greatness with new wars in the Middle East.

If Clinton takes office on January 20 she will have been defined as "crooked Hillary" by Republican attacks over emails, the family foundation and paid speeches to Wall Street. Only one voter in three sees her as honest or trustworthy and she may have the lowest approval rating of any victor since polls began. No honeymoon. Little goodwill.

Add lashings of misogyny to this toxic atmosphere and all is tailored for a Republican revival, and a revival with strong elements of Tea Party radicalism and Trump's populist white nationalism.

As a result the Republican Party of 2020 will be different from that of Reagan, the Bushes and McCain. It will be the party of the white working class, viscerally anti-trade. The party will be as anti-immigrant as right wing European parties like Marine Le Pen's. Nativism and populism will be the glue that holds it together.

So, the Trump next time? The challenger who can render Hillary a one-term president like Jimmy Carter or George H. Bush?
The same rule applies on all forms of public transport. Turn off your phone, turn down your video, stop the gossip. Who wants to hear the banalities of other people's lives when we've plenty of our own.

On all other lift occasions there should be silence, no communication beyond the briefest of acknowledgements of another's existence and a pointed "excuse me" to those who fail to make way when the doors open.

The quiet lift rule was broken by bad jokes and calls to the lift company, and then to the emergency services when that didn't work, until they had us clambering down a ladder one at a time.

The only time you should speak in a lift is when it's stuck. I tested this rule on Friday night, trapped in a city lift until the brilliant Police Rescue and Fire Brigade arrived to liberate 11 people from a hot, small, bouncing space.

Why everyone doesn't accept this is one of the great mysteries of modern life. Take the monstrous effort of an American in London, Jonathan Dunne, who last month decided to overturn clear, established train etiquette after no-one came to his work social function - a horrifying phrase otherwise unrelated to mass transit.

He tried to get people to talk on the Tube by handing out hundreds of badges reading: "Tube chat?" Inevitably given the question mark, that led to tart badges in response saying "Don't even think about talking to me!" (The exclamation mark was in the original. Despite the grave provocation, I still don't think it justified).

Dunne's good intentions misapprehended the problem to be solved. Observing a train full of people not talking to one another should not lead to a conclusion of deep social malaise, one which leaves people hurting from the lack of connections with those around them.

Yes, social isolation is a problem, as it's long been. Each time someone dies alone and the body is discovered months later, we collectively fret about loneliness for a day or two, then carry on forgetting about others.

Over the last 20 years or so, the proportion of Australians living alone went up from 9 per cent to 12 per cent, and is projected to reach 16 per cent over the next two decades, according to the Bureau of Statistics. As that figure increases, you would expect the number of isolated people to increase too, even if some prefer to live by themselves.
In the midst of a campaign to re-take the leadership: Says section 18C is "out of hand" and "at the very least should be amended to remove 'insult' and 'offend'". [Hedley Thomas, Mark Schliebs/The Australian] See the pattern? When Tony Abbott's trying to win the right over, he's back on their side on an issue that is totemic to most Liberals who believe it's a free speech issue and matter of non-negotiable principle. So that's why when you see Tony Abbott trying to pretend he's NOT campaigning for the leadership, you can be absolutely sure that he's just making it up  yet again! In other politics news:

Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer will announce a new standards body to govern financial advisors. The sector will fund the body's establishment and may be asked to fund it on an ongoing basis. And two stories in one here: Adele Ferguson says the corporate regulator ASIC is about to reveal the sector has been charging customers tens of millions of dollars for services they didn't receive. [Financial Review] Newspoll says support for Pauline Hanson's One Nation has grown fourfold since the election. [Philip Hudson/The Australian] Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been drawn into the row between the country's first and second law officers  Attorney-General George Brandis and Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson. [Michaela Whitbourn/Fairfax] But the PM will be busy on Monday trying to paint Labor Leader Bill Shorten as a guy who just "rolls over" to the union movement. [Malcolm Turnbull/The Australian] The construction union, known for its militant behaviour, has donated $2.14 million to Labor over the last five years. [David Crowe/The Australian]

Cue government attacks on Bill Shorten's controversial choice to replace Stephen Conroy in the Senate, Kimberley Kitching  and her union past. [Michelle Grattan/The Conversation] Turnbull has been wining and dining both Fairfax and News Corp editors. [Tom McIlroy/Fairfax] Also related, radio boss John Singleton is being forced to sell 2CH after 2UE and 2GB was merged last year. Singleton is not happy. [Kate McClymont/Fairfax] Labor doesn't care if it pushes the issue of gay marriage so hard it costs Malcolm Turnbull the prime ministership. With Abbott prowling around the weakened prime minister, it might have once seemed fit to condemn Labor for risking a right-wing Abbott administration over the supposed moderate Turnbull. But seeing as Turnbull has barely done a thing differently to Abbott other than scrap knights and dames and sound a bit more cheery about the world, you let this one slide. [Tom McIlroy/Fairfax] And a banging column from my colleague Stephanie Peatling on why we need a few more eyebrows raised when MPs try to claim their "work expenses." [Sydney Morning Herald]

2. China arrests Packer execs Australian billionaire James Packer. Credit:Tyrone Siu A must-watch story coming out of China involving staff at James Packer's Crown resorts. Chinese police executed late-night raids on the homes of multiple Crown employees, including three senior Australian executives. No one has heard from them since. [Philip Wen, Neelima Choahan/Fairfax]

They are being detained for gambling-related offences, reports the Financial Review. [Angus Grigg, Lisa Murray and Michael Smith] The Australian reports Crown's entire Chinese marketing team was detained in the raids across four cities. [Rowan Callick,Tim Boreham] 3. US votes Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Bangor, Maine. Credit:AP "I would have to be a moron to say that." Sometimes it's best to let Rudy Giuliani's own words speak for themselves.

The Trump surrogate claims the Democrats will steal the election by having dead people vote in inner cities. [Eric Bradner/CNN] This was after Trump, who incessantly sniffed throughout the first two debates, called for himself and Hillary Clinton to be drug-tested before their final face-off. [The Hill] Nick O'Malley has penned an excellent read on how the conspiracy theory fringes of the right infected and shaped Campaign Trump. My must-read for today. [Fairfax] 4. Syria's war In this image made from video posted online by Qasioun News Agency, members of a Turkey-backed Syrian opposition force patrol in Dabiq, Syria. Credit:AP

In London, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is meeting with his French and American counterparts to discuss imposing a no-fly zone over Syria. [Patrick Wintour/The Guardian] 5. More proof Boris was a closet Remainer Boris Johnson, U.K. foreign secretary, speaks during the first day of the party's annual conference in Birmingham, U.K., on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. Theresa May, U.K. prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party, said she'll begin the U.K.'s withdrawal from the European Union in the first quarter of 2017 in her clearest announcement yet about her government's Brexit strategy. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg Credit:Chris Ratcliffe Meanwhile, Johnson has described as "semi-parodic" an unpublished column he wrote that has emerged in which he argued against Brexit. I think we need a new acronym  something short for something like Things Only Boris Could Say (TOBCS). [Reuters]

6. Faulkner speaks  again and again and again Sally Faulkner remembers the moment her ex-husband, Ali Elamine, broke his promise to return their children. Credit:Australian Story Sally Faulkner continues to drag her children's lives through the national media, following the soap opera involving her ex-husband, Ali Elamine, who refused to return their two children to Australia after their holiday with him in Lebanon. Faulkner's bid to retrieve her children from Elamine saw her, a Channel Nine 60 Minutes film crew and the child abduction operatives jailed in Beirut when it all went horribly wrong. This time, it's the ABC's prestigious Australian Story that's come to Faulkner's aid in a two-party program that airs the couple's custodial dispute for national consumption once more. [Drew Creighton/Fairfax]

The latest tawdry revelation to spill forth about their marriage is Faulkner's claim via her friend that Elamine tried to pressure her to have an abortion before he proposed to her. [Michael Lallo/Fairfax] Faulkner's friends also claim that Elamine had once before taken their daughter from her. Faulkner herself asks why on Earth she would, years later, send their children to see their father in Lebanon, given his alleged track record. [Tiffany Dunk/Courier Mail] And in case you want more details of their broken-down marriage, Faulkner's book goes on sale on Tuesday. I wonder if will have much to say for the four men hired to carry out her operation but who were detained for months after Channel Nine bought freedom for her and the 60 Minutes crew  complete with business class tickets  out of Lebanon in April. So far she's had little to nothing to say about them! And that's it from me today  you can follow me on Facebook for more.
Amber Venz Box is the biggest thing to come out of Dallas since J.R. Ewing, and the next big star taking over the fashion world. In a time when the worthiness of "influencers" and bloggers appear to be questioned at every turn, she is empowering these online personalities, like Man Repeller's Leandra Medine and Australia's own Kate Waterhouse and Nadia Fairfax, one double tap at a time. Founder of RewardStyle and LikeToKnow Amber Venz Box in Sydney last week. Credit:Daniel Munoz Together with the bloggers and street style stars of the world, Venz Box  the Mark Zuckerberg of fashion  are laughing all the way to the bank thanks to the technology she, and her now husband, developed that allows users to make money by tracking the traffic and sales they drive to retailers' websites through social media and blog posts. As the founder of RewardStyle and the invitation-only shopping platform LikeToKnow.It, she has helped generate more than $2 billion in sales driven to brands, like Net-A-Porter and ASOS, since she launched in 2011.

She works with only 10,000 tastemakers (out of 100,000 vetted applications), has offices in Texas, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, London and Sao Paulo and employs 200 people all working on what is now the largest, most measurable network of influencers in the world. Google has since partnered with the company and will begin making street-style shoppable during fashion weeks in the coming months. From January, Venz Box's platforms will be able to monetise content on Snapchat  following in the footsteps of PopSugar's Emoticode that was launched in June. Emoticode is a hidden URL disguised as emoji on Snaps and Instagrams that can then be shopped via the app. For those that continue to scoff and complain about those who may have written "blogger" on their census form, like Vogue during a Milan Fashion Week wrap, Venz Box is a diplomat between the old guard and new innovators of the industry. Loading "These people are the cheapest and most effective way for brands to drive sales. It used to be all about inspiration and beauty but these influencers, who are four times more productive than what they were in 2012 and use it as second revenue stream, tie content to commerce and immediacy," she said ahead of her keynote address at the Vogue Codes event on Friday.
Hundreds of parents gathered in New Farm on Sunday to remember babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death.

The Sands Brisbane Walk to Remember included a lap of New Farm Park to symbolise the steps the babies did not get the chance to take.

Kim Foran's eight-year-old son Charlie, frees a butterfly in memory of his two brothers - Jack and George. Credit:Libby Ryan (Supplied)

The event was organised by national not-for-profit organisation Sands Queensland, which was founded more than 30 years ago by bereaved parents frustrated at the lack of opportunities to remember their babies.

"It's a day for parents of babies who have died either during the pregnancy or stillbirth, to come together as a community and honour their babies," Sands Queensland state manager Kate Cowmeadow said.
Brisbane mother Sally Faulkner has described the moment she found out her children were not coming back to Brisbane after what was meant to be a two-week holiday in Lebanon with their father.

It was a moment that would eventually lead to the botched attempt to recover her children with a 60 Minutes crew in tow, which captured the attention of both nations.

Sally Faulkner remembers the moment her ex-husband, Ali Elamine, broke his promise to return their children after a holiday in Lebanon. Credit:Australian Story

Reported as a kidnapping by Lebanese media outlets and a botched recovery attempt by Australian media outlets, it started after a Skype call between Ms Faulkner and the children's father Ali Elamine.

"When he answered the Skype call, I could just see his face and I said to him 'what's wrong' and he looked at me and he said 'plans have changed' and that's when every part of me just wanted to fall apart," Ms Faulkner said
Devil's milk has proved to be an unlikely weapon in the increasingly desperate global fight against superbugs. Australian researchers have discovered that peptides contained in the milk of Tasmanian devils can kill some of the most deadly bacterial and fungal infections, including golden staph.

Having scanned the devil's genome and discovered the six naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides, researchers from Sydney University set about replicating them artificially. They then tested the peptide's effectiveness at killing some of the most harmful bacteria known to humans.

"It was really exciting," said PhD candidate Emma Peel.

Given the marsupial delivers highly under-developed young after just 21 days gestation, there was some expectation that mother's milk would play a role in the development of the joeys' immune system after birth. However Ms Peel, a biologist, said they weren't expecting to find what they did.
Beijing: In the latest move in its ambitious space program, China launched a manned spacecraft from the Gobi Desert on Monday.

With two astronauts on board, the spacecraft, called Shenzhou-11, is to dock with an orbiting space laboratory launched last month.

The astronauts will stay in the Tiangong-2 lab for 30 days before returning to Earth, the deputy director of China's Manned Space Agency, Wu Ping, said Sunday.

It will be the third flight for one of the astronauts, Jing Haipeng. "It is any astronaut's dream and pursuit to be able to perform many space missions," Jing said, according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency.
Increasing numbers of apartments both newly built and under construction in capital cities raises the risk of a significant oversupply in select regions, the Reserve Bank of Australia ( RBA ) has warned.In its monthly Financial Stability Review, the RBA has examined mortgage exposures for the Australian banking system in the inner city areas of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.Risks around the projected large increases in supply in some inner-city apartment markets are coming to the fore, especially in Brisbane and Melbourne. There are signs that some settlements are taking longer and lending valuations are coming in below their contract price, though settlement failures to date remain low, analysts wrote.However, they suggest that banks would experience material losses on development lending rather than on mortgages if market conditions were to deteriorate in these areas. This is because there is a greater likelihood of default and higher loss-given-default on development lending than on mortgage lending for apartments.By looking at total Australian mortgage and development lending, the RBA was able to estimate how exposed the banks were to a downturn in these inner city markets.The data suggest that around two to five per cent of banks total outstanding mortgage lending is to inner city Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, and this share is likely to grow as the apartments currently under construction are completed, The RBA said.Total mortgage exposures equal $20 to $30 billion and are expected to be larger in Sydney due to the greater number of mortgaged dwellings and higher apartment prices. In Melbourne and Brisbane, mortgage exposure is estimated to be around $10 to $20 billion.By contrast, the available data suggest that around one-fifth of banks total residential development lending is to these areas.Mortgage lending in Sydney was generally safe, the RBA said, as a very large price fall would be required before the banks would experience sizeable losses. This was because rapid price growth has increased borrower equity in their apartments and hence lowered the losses-given-default.Apartments in inner city Brisbane and Melbourne presented a slightly greater risk in terms of mortgage exposure, analysts said, with high losses expected if prices fell more than 25%.
Latest News Lendi Group settles $33.6 billion in FY22 Ambitious target of a deal a day for brokers

APRA announces new appointments The prudential regulator has a new chair, deputy chair, and members

June 2015 June 2016 June 2019 (est) Sydney $1,034,100 $1,047,600 $1,050,000 Melbourne $734,300 $774,300 $770,000 Brisbane $507,800 $525,700 $560,000

June 2015 June 2016 June 2019 (est) Sydney $705,800 $729,800 $680,000 Melbourne $515,400 $527,300 $480,000 Brisbane $420,300 $424,700 $390,000

Tighter lending to investors is expected to lead to a softer residential property market, according to QBEs Australian Housing Outlook 20162019.The report, prepared by BIS Shrapnel, examined the housing market as of June 2016 and provided forecasts for the next three years until June 2017.In Sydney, house prices are expected to remain flat during this three-year period while apartment prices are predicted to fall 6.8% cumulatively. In Melbourne, house prices are forecast to decline by 0.6% while units are expected to drop by 9%.Brisbane will experience the most varied property market over the next three years with QBE predicting house prices will rise by 6.5% while apartment prices drop by 8.2%.Over the big three capital cities, median house prices for June 2015, June 2016 and the predicted median house price for June 2019 can be found below:For apartments, the figures are as follows:With supply now reaching a level commensurate with population growth, there are signs that the Sydney and Melbourne markets may have peaked, with price growth easing back to the levels of the other capital cities, the report said.Due to the ongoing surge in dwelling completions around the country, there is limited scope for significant price rises from now to 2018/19. Instead, prices may decline in a number of markets  which will mostly be relegated to apartments.Its a fascinating time to be looking at the Australian residential property and mortgage market, said Phil White, CEO of QBE Lenders Mortgage Insurance.Prices are forecast to soften through the three years to 2019, which is likely to be positive for housing affordability.Thanks to tighter lending criteria, fewer investors were now entering the market, according to the report. In 2015/16, 44% of all residential loans were taken out by investors. This was down from 51% in 2014/15.Its expected owner occupiers, including first home buyers, will be stepping in to pick up some of this opportunity in the market, White said.
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Lets face it: Clowns are creepy. In a way, this current craziness has finally brought that fact out into the open, the way the word frenemy finally gave us a way to talk about something we all recognized but hadnt acknowledged. (As did bad hair day before that.)

Clowns exist in something called the uncanny valley, where dolls and puppets and ventriloquists dummies live (or, actually, dont live) too: A place between too real to be make-believe, but too make-believe to be real. If you really want to jump out of your skin, pick up your baggage at LaGuardia some time, where a cardboard cutout of a stewardess has a hologram for a head  and it speaks.

Welcome to New York!

But what to make of the clown hysteria sweeping the country, leading to strange sightings, warning letters sent home from school, and actual incidents? Last week a clown with a kitchen knife chased a teen off the 6 train at 96th Street. And in Elmhurst, a 16-year-old glanced out his window and saw a clown lurking. Yikes.

And thats not to mention this weird case  a man in Kentucky shot his gun into the air when he mistook a woman walking her dog for a creepy clown. Im sure the woman appreciated that all around.

It all brings to mind the Satanic Panic of the 1980s90s, when Americans were convinced Satanists were raping and torturing children in day-care centers. Across the country, day-care workers were investigated for crimes including sacrificing animals in front of the kids and flushing kids down the toilet to secret chambers where theyd be abused.

Under the sway of what we now understand to be manipulative therapists, the tots told stories of being flown in hot air balloons, or taken on boat trips where babies were tossed overboard. No evidence was ever found for this  no drowned babies, no giraffes sliced and diced at the zoo (which youd think would be hard to miss). And yet, cops, juries, and judges ate this stuff up like bunny entrails.

It all sounds so obviously nutty now that when I mention these things to people, they laugh.

Hardy har har. Except  look what happened to Fran and Dan Keller in Texas. At their 1992 trial, the jury heard that the Kellers had killed a dog and made the kids cut it up and eat it. They also heard that the couple had taken the kids to a cemetery whereupon they shot a passerby, dismembered the body and buried it in a grave they dug.

Testimony also had it that the Kellers had decapitated a baby and thrown its remains in a swimming pool that they made the kids jump into. And in case that all sounded just too plausible, they were also accused of stealing a baby gorilla and chopping off one of its fingers.

There were many more allegations added to this list.

And the Kellers served 21 years in prison.

In Debbie Nathans book about that period, Satans Silence, she nailed a mind-blowing truth: We think we are so sophisticated and scientific today, and may even scoff at the idea of Satan, but we have no trouble believing in Satan-ists. We simply swapped one basic human fear for another that sounds far more plausible to our modern selves.

Which could explain why we believe that clowns are out to kill our kids.

On the one hand, theres the rare but terrible truth that some crazy people do shoot kids at school. Combine that with the constant fear that our kids are going to be next, and that it will be by a madman who is nonetheless organized enough to buy a rainbow wig, and you have a mash-up of all our modern parental fears: Stranger danger, randomness, the evil intentions of anyone (especially a male) who likes to work with kids.

The security expert Bruce Schneier coined a term for this: Movie-plot threat. We imagine the threat to our kids is just like one weve seen in the movies. It is easier to picture Bozo with a bazooka than a car crash when dad is fiddling with the Garmin, so thats the threat we focus on. We may even start seeing things.

Looking back, someday well be amazed that schools were sending warning letters home about clown crime. But in the meantime, well keep worrying.

Because thats what humans seem to do best.
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Gothams health care system is a bold pioneer pre-dating our nation.

The colonials were still 40 years away from declaring independence from the British when the Publick Workhouse and House of Correction opened a humble, six-bed infirmary in 1736 on the site of present-day City Hall that eventually became Americas oldest continuously operating hospital.

Bellevue Hospital Center, once a small pest house built on a patch of land leased from Kips Bay Farm to prepare for a yellow fever epidemic, is an acute-care, general hospital where the president and visiting world leaders are treated if they become sick or injured in the Big Apple, and its team of experts are steering the flagship institution of NYC Health + Hospitals  the nations largest municipal health care organization  to new triumphs.

The Harvard-educated chief of breast surgery, whom Caribbean Today magazine hailed as one of the 10 Top Caribbean Born Doctors In The U.S. You Should Know, is a fierce medical gladiator looking out for the ailing like a lioness minding her cubs.

The patient can be assured that he or she is receiving the highest level of care by a dedicated team of doctors, nurses, and support staff, says Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph, an associate professor of surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center, whose innovations include piloting a navigation program in districts where cancer rates are high and screening rates are low, and creating a community tumor board allowing clinical staff throughout the health system to present and discuss interesting, difficult, or unusual cases.

Best in breast care

The American College of Surgeons awarded Bellevues breast care services a Center of Excellence accreditation in 2014, the highest form of clinical and quality care recognition for breast cancer centers in the country, thanks to a highly skilled breast team dedicated to providing quality, customized care.

We have patient navigators that speak several languages, and survivors that help our patients get through what can be a very scary and stressful situation, says Dr. Joseph. We do what we can to make the process easier for our patients.

Multidisciplinary

The hospitals full range of multidisciplinary care includes:

 Neoadjuvant therapy (chemotherapy prior to surgery) for locally advanced breast cancer.

 Genetic counseling, nutrition, and psychological support, and services such as massage, legal aid, and financial services.

Breast health leader: Bellevue Hospital Center is the only Health + Hospitals hospital offering microvascular-free flap reconstruction. NYC Health + Hospitals

 Nipple-sparing mastectomy and tissue-based reconstruction.

 Survivorship clinics.

Bellevue is also a leader in repairing the space left in the body after the cancer has been removed.

We are the only Health + Hospitals hospital that offers microvascular-free flap reconstruction, says Dr. Joseph, who strives to provide patients with the best options  sometimes against all odds.

A patient who was diagnosed with recurrent breast cancer needed a mastectomy, but she was too thin for a tissue-based reconstruction of the breast mound and did not want an implant, the physician recalls.

Rather than just telling her she was out of options, our plastic surgeons put their heads together, spoke with other colleagues, and tried a new procedure called a breast-sharing procedure, transferring a portion of her unaffected breast to create a new breast, she says. The woman was thrilled and she is doing well.

Health plan cares

Medical bills can add to the trauma, but MetroPlus Health Plan  NYC Health + Hospitals health services plan  tries to defray the tribulations of breast cancer with a wide range of affordable plans, with premiums as low as $0 to $20 per month and no-cost screenings.

For most of our MetroPlus members, the majority of breast cancer care will be covered by MetroPlus, though a few members may have copays, depending upon their type of insurance plan, says Dr. Kathie T. Rones, the deputy chief medical officer and a breast cancer survivor. Under the new Affordable Care Act, screenings such as mammograms are free of cost to members, so there is no reason for women, even of limited means, not to be screened.

MetroPlus long history of supporting breast health includes sponsoring and walking in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

Many of our staff, including myself, have walked to raise awareness and funds for this important cause, says Dr. Rones. As a doctor, and a 20-year breast cancer survivor myself, I realize how critical screening and early detection are.

Bellevue Hospital Center [462 First Ave., off E. 27th Street in Kips Bay, Manhattan, (212) 5625680]. Clinical breast exams and mammograms offered on Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, 9 am to 2 pm in the Atrium.

An education forum will be held on Oct. 27 at 12:30 pm in the hospitals Farber Auditorium, (212) 5624516.
Porter is getting to umpire his second World Series

Alan Porter is working his second World Series as an umpire. He'll be behind home plate if the Phillies and Astros need a Game 7.
Give a Christmas project seeks donors and applications to aid the needy

The Burlington County Times and NJ 211 partner for the 54th year of Give a Christmas. Donors wanted to aid families in need.
Air India, which is operationally profitable now, is looking to rejig debt worth Rs 10,000 crore under the scheme for sustainable restructuring of bad assets floated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

To further strengthen the ability of lenders to tackle stressed assets and provide an avenue for reworking the financial structure of entities facing genuine problems, the central bank has introduced S4A.

The Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A), introduced in June, also came against the backdrop of rising concerns over non-performing assets in the banking system.

Sources told PTI that is actively looking at the possibility of availing S4A to rejig debt to the tune of at least Rs 10,000 crore.

In case the proposal gets a green signal, it would be the first time a public sector undertaking avails the scheme.

Air India, which has been in the red for the past many years, has posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in the past financial year  first time in a decade. The carrier is also working on ways to reduce its overall debt burden, especially with respect to significant interest outgo.

Currently, the airlines debt is estimated to be more than Rs 50,000 crore. A consortium of 19 lenders have extended loans to the national carrier.

Sources said many factors have to be taken into account before opting for the S4A mechanism. Among others, the exact quantum of cash flow available for the airline has to be ascertained in order to decide on the level of sustainable debt, they added.

While overall performance of the carrier in the last financial year has been better compared to the last few years, an extensive diligence needs to be carried out before applying for the scheme, sources said.

According to them, SBI Capital Markets would be roped in to work on the nitty gritties of the proposal and the whole process of availing S4A is expected to take at least six months.

The airline is surviving on a Rs 30,000-crore bailout package from the government that is spread over 10 years.

About Rs 22,000 crore has been provided to under the turnaround plan which includes financial support towards repayment of principal as well as interest on government- guaranteed loans taken for aircraft acquisition.

Amid continuing to grapple with financial woes, there is clamour in certain quarter for privatisation of the airline.

Earlier this month, Air India Chief Ashwani Lohani rued the lack of level-playing field in competing with private airlines and called for a course correction.
The Essar group's decision to sell 98 per cent stake in its oil entity and related infrastructure will majorly impact its ranking by assets and revenue.



In 2014-15, the group was ranked fourth among Indias top business houses, between the Aditya Birla and Mahindra groups, with revenue of Rs 1.06 lakh crore.



The Essar group's rank would come down to 24th as its revenue would drop to Rs 20,000 crore after Essar Oil's sale. Essar has not disclosed financials for FY16 for all its and so the latest position is not known.



The refining business has been highly profitable for most players, and for Essar. For the group, oil has been a leader, bringing 80 per cent of both revenue and net profit. While the sale will bring much-wanted funds for the group to repay debt, the sale of the oil business makes the groups financial position weaker.



It will now be left with Essar Steel, Essar Power and Essar Shipping, beside ports and the business process outsourcing (Aegis) businesses, and the Stanlow refinery in Britain. The global slowdown and low demand have meant steel, shipping and ports are struggling businesses for all, including Essar.



On Saturday, the group sold its stake in Essar Oil, the Vadinar (Guajarat) terminal and power assets to Russian oil major Rosneft, commodity trading firm Trafigura and Russian investment fund United Capital Partners.




Online hospitality firm is planning to invest Rs 70-80 crore for expansion within India and overseas next year.

"We are at present building customer base. So far, we have invested around 3-4 crore mainly on technology and operation for this service. Next year, we plan to invest Rs 70-80 crore in expanding our footprint both in domestic as well as overseas market," president and CEO Inder Sharma said.

Sharma founded the US-based Hotel.Com and exited it after selling his stake in 2002.

allows its users to set budget for a stay in city or locality of his choice. The hotels in the selected area then contacts HotelBids subscriber if the budget suits them.

"We are giving consumers power to negotiate. At present, we have 3,000 hotels on our platform priced in the range of Rs 700-7,000 per stay. Now, we are moving ahead to bring luxury hotels on board. I am a founder member of Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AHOA), hence we are looking to set-up business in the US and also in Sri Lanka by January," Sharma said.

Sharma also said that the company is looking at expansion by raising funds.

"We have many who are interested in funding our business. Micromax's co-founder Rahul Sharma is on our board. Being a member of AHOA, I am in discussion with potential investors in the US. We are looking to raise about Rs 65-70 crore in our Series A funding round," Sharma said.

The company plans to invest Rs 30 crore in branding its platform.

He said HotelBids is not charging any commission from hotels on board till June 2017.

"We are looking to have our presence in 10 global cities by July 2017. In India, we will start charging 10 per cent commission after June 2017 which is very low compared to industry average of 25-30 per cent. In HotelBids, we expect to start monetizing our platform in 2018-19." Sharma said.
Private carrier on Sunday said it would nearly double the capacity on its two key destinations -- Mumbai and Kolkata -- from here, with the introduction of wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft from October 30.

At present, the Mumbai-based airline flies a Boeing 737, which has around 160 seats.

Besides, the airline would also have a direct flight to Kochi from New Delhi, a release said.

would also roll out two additional frequencies on its Delhi-Kolkata and Bengaluru-Kolkata routes, it said.

The introduction of wide-body aircraft services on the busiest domestic routes would significantly enhance both connectivity and capacity, said.

Introducing the A330 will nearly double Jet Airways' capacity on the fast growing Delhi - Kolkata, and Delhi - Mumbai routes, it said.

Deploying A330s on domestic flights will allow Jet Airways to offer its passengers a considerably luxurious and comfortable flying experience equivalent to international standards, including its 'bed-in-the-sky' lie-flat beds in business class, it said.

According to the release, complementing connectivity between Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, will be a completely new non-stop flight - 9W 911/912, that will connect Kochi with Delhi, aside from additional frequencies that will connect Bengaluru and Delhi with Kolkata.

Commenting on the roll of higher seating capacity planes on the two routes and launching of new flights, Jayaraj Shanmugam, chief commercial officer, Jet Airways, said, "The Indian domestic sector is witnessing breakneck growth in demand ... The new flights and additional frequencies in our Winter Schedule further strengthen our robust domestic network, and offer our guests additional choice and flexibility to plan their travel."

"Deployment of wide body in domestic sectors provides us additional capacity on these key routes," Shanmugam added.
Amid the ongoing tussle between and incumbent operators over points of interconnects (PoIs), the Mukesh Ambani firm has sent fresh letters to Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular to immediately provide the requisite number of points.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has initiated adjudication proceedings against two entities of Goldman Sachs for alleged violation of takeover norms while buying shares of listed broadcaster New Delhi Television (NDTV).
Hundreds of Bengalurus citizens formed a human chain on Sunday morning to protest against a Karnataka government move to build a 6.72-km steel flyover that will cut across the heart of the city.
A police complaint has been filed by a government pleader against a top functionary of a Kerala-based Hindu outfit for allegedly making inflammatory speeches.

Police said they were examining the complaint filed recently by government pleader C Shukkur against Hindu Aikya Vedi state President K P Sasikala and no case has so far been registered.

The complainant has alleged that some of Sasikala's recent speeches, widely circulated on social media, could flare up communal tension in the state.

He also submitted a CD containing some of the speeches, downloaded from YouTube, besides web links to them.

Kasaragod district police chief Thomson Jose said police was verifying the complaint and the videos.

"We received a complaint in this regard but no case has been registered as of now. The complainant submitted a set of links of the videos of her speeches," he told PTI. The official also said the speeches, mentioned in the complaint, were made outside Kasaragod and a detailed examination was needed in this regard.
With military deals worth about Rs 60,000 crore signed and sealed with India here, Russia is hopeful that another big ticket agreement on the fifth generation fighter aircraft, known as the FGFA, would be inked by year-end.

"The agreement had been completed on our end, we are ready to sign it. It is now down to the Indian side," Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Rostec State Corporation, a Russian umbrella organisation of 700 hi-tech civilian and military firms, said here.

"There are some formalities to figure out, but I think it will be signed by the end of this year," Chemezov added.

After a hiatus of nearly a year, India and Russia had in February revived talks on the much delayed FGFA project after a clearance from Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Since then, a lot of issues related to work share, IPR and technology transfer among others have been sorted out between the two sides along with the monetary commitments.

Under the new offer, India will have to pay about $3.7 billion, instead of $6 billion, for the technological know-how and three prototypes of the fighters, defence sources have said.





ALSO READ: Helicopter, frigate deals point to Russia's continuing clout

In 2010, India had agreed to pay $295 million towards the preliminary design of the fighter, called in India as Perspective Multi-role Fighter.

"The FGFA project will produce a state of the art fighter jet, and it will be the result of the work on Russia's most modern technology done by both Russian and Indian engineers and constructors," Chemezov said.

"As a fifth generation (fighter), it means fifth generation speed, ballistics and military equipment, avionics and stealth capabilities among other qualities," he said.

"It shall be on par with the capabilities of Russia's PAK-FA T-50 aircraft, a fifth-generation fighter, but as it will be designed in the next few years, it is likely to exceed it in some specifics," he added.

"Our technology is always developing," the Russia's top defence industry official said.
Averting a major in the capital and its neighbourhood, the Uttar Pradesh Police has busted a gang of ultras by arresting 10 of them, including a self-styled area commander, and recovering a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

The left-wing extremists were adept at making bombs and were planning some incidents in the Delhi-NCR region, IG (UP Special Task Force) Aseem Arun said at a hurriedly convened press conference here.

In the night-long raids that went on till the wee hours, nine Naxals were arrested from Noida, on the outskirts of Delhi. Of the nine, six were picked up last night and three this morning. Another was arrested from Chandauli, adjoining Bihar, he said.

Self-styled area commander Pradeep Singh Kharwar, from Bariatu village in Jharkhand's Latehar district, was hiding in Noida since February, 2012 and carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh, he said.

Another prised catch was Ranjit Paswan, a former self- styled area commander of erstwhile People's War Group, who was active in Naxal-hit Sasaram district of Bihar. He was arrested from Chandauli, adjoining Bihar, he said.

Others arrested include Pawan Jharkhand of Madhubani in Bihar, Sachin Kumar of Dankaur in Greater Noida, Krishna Kumar Ram from Sasaram in Bihar, and Suraj, a resident of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. Suraj was the group's local contact for conducting operations in the Delhi-NCR area.

The STF officer said acting on a tip off, a raid was conducted in an apartment in Sector 49 Hindon Vihar here.

550 live cartridges, an INSAS assault rifle, two other rifles and three self-loading rifle magazines were seized along with a huge quantity of explosives and detonators.

He said it is suspected that the INSAS rifle was looted from an security personnel as the weapon is used by them against the ultras, he said.

INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) is a family of infantry arms consisting of an assault rifle and a light machine gun.

The arrested Naxals were active in eastern UP and adjoining parts of Bihar and had made Noida their base. They had rented two flats and posed as property dealers, Arun said.

The IG said the crackdown on the left-wing extremists would continue and more arrests were likely.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh had recently asserted the government's resolve to bring an end to Naxalism, militancy and terrorism, and said the Maoists' morale at present is at its lowest.

According to a senior police official involved in anti- Naxal operations, "There has been a massive and sustained operation against the Maoists which has put them on the back foot."

As per MHA data, they remain confined mainly to Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.
The words terror, terrorists and terrorism feature 36 times in the Goa Declaration, a document of over 7,000 words, issued at the conclusion of the eighth here. Of the 109 paragraphs in the document, six deal with the issue of terrorism. But not one refers to cross-border nature of terrorism that India is faced with or to any of the terror outfits, particularly Jaish-e-Mohamed and Lashkar-e-Toiba, that operate from Pakistani territory.
UK Prime Minister will undertake a three-day visit to India in November, her first bilateral visit outside Europe. London is looking at the visit to look beyond Europe after it exits the European Union and strengthen trade links with key partners such as India.
Road Transport and Ministry is working on a proposal with Ministry of Defence to construct runways on highway stretches and 22 such spots have been identified across the country.

"There are proposals to develop highway stretches in such a fashion that they may double up as airstrips. This will provide connectivity in difficult places," Road Transport and Minister Nitin Gadkari told PTI.

Gadkari said his Ministry is shortly going to convene a meeting with the Defence Ministry to firm up the proposal.

According to an official, a committee comprising officials of both ministries has been constituted to come out with specifications of such highway stretches which can double up as airstrips.

The committee will look into details like feasibility of the stretches, their length and breadth apart from other issues.

The official said that 22 identified stretches are located in various parts of the country.

In August, Gadkari had mentioned about construction of such an airport in Rajasthan and said that similar projects were being planned in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and some other border districts.

In Rajasthan, such an airport could serve as an airstrip for landing and take off when it is closed and traffic can restore later.

The government is working on ways to boost regional air connectivity in the country. In new civil aviation policy, the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) has been mooted that provides for various concessions to airlines.

Under the scheme, air ticket prices would be capped at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights on unserved and under-served routes.

There are 394 unserved and 16 under-served airports in the country.

As part of the RCS, the government plans to provide a Viability Gap Funding, which would be financed through the Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF).
The BRICS Business Council, which met here on Saturday during the ongoing eighth annual summit, suggested the member countries continue the dialogue for a new rating agency for emerging economies.

"Among key recommendations of various working groups of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa Business Council is the continued dialogue on BRICS rating agency," Onkar Kanwar, chairman, BRICS Business Council - India Chapter, said during the meet.

With a huge scope for intra-BRICS cooperation in infrastructure development and financing, the formation of a group of angel investors was also one of the key recommendations of the council, he said.

The council said they looked upon the New Development Bank for developing an infrastructure project preparation facility and for a deep and vibrant capital market.

With the expansion of the BRICS agenda, the council also emphasised on the need to enhance business cooperation in agriculture by way of sharing of best practices among members.

Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Chairman, Sun International, suggested the council to do one flagship project in all of these suggested sectors.

The need to have investment facilitation agreements among the members was emphasised by Jose Rubens de La Rosa from the Brazil Chapter, while Xie Biao from the China Chapter said that if they consider BRICS as one economic community, they consider a very rich economic development potential.

South Africa emphasised that the country should be considered as a platform for the rest of Africa.

Looking to promote a vibrant environment for business through BRICS Business Council, China's Capt Xu Lirong said consensus on a number of issues was forged during the meeting.

The BRICS Business Council based on the recommendations and viewpoints in the meeting will present its annual report to the heads of the member countries on Sunday, Kanwar said.
Business leaders from countries on Saturday pitched for creation of 'angel investor network' within the grouping to encourage innovative startups.

"We have recommended creation of a angels network which can help talented young entrepreneurs across the countries to create an ecosystem of startups," Onkar S Kanwar, chairman of the BRICS business council, told reporters here on the sidelines of the 8th BRICS Summit.

He said this initiative of promoting entrepreneurship will boost innovation in the 5-nation group, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The network is one of the key recommendations of the council for strengthening economic and financial cooperation among member countries.

Asked if creating a dedicated venture investment fund was also on cards, Kanwar declined to give a direct reply but later said that having a development bank of BRICS countries was also an idea which materialised successfully (in the shape of NDB).

Among other recommendations, the council has suggested bilateral agreements among the countries on the social security front for workers moving from one member country to another.

It also plans to seek the Shanghai based New Development Bank's support for setting up infrastructure development facility which will provide assistance across the entire process till project completion.

The council has also made a pitch for settling trade in local currencies rather than depending on foreign ones.

Other recommendations deal with cooperation on agri business, energy, skill development and manufacturing.
While a key agreement on setting up a credit rating agency eluded them, leaders of the five emerging large economies ended their eighth summit with a commitment to strive for greater synergy and higher economic growth.
Ahead of the meeting, the heads of the member nations have began to arrive in Goa.

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have arrived in the state.

The (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) outreach meet would be held at a star resort at Mobor, located nearly 30 kms away from Benaulim, where BRICS summit is currently underway.

"A friend comes to India...Glad to have President @MaithripalaS visit India for the Outreach Summit," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted welcoming the President of Sri Lanka.



After his meeting with Sirisena at Benaulim, Modi tweeted, "Wonderful meeting with President @MaithripalaS. Sri Lanka is one our most valued friends & we are working to deepen our ties even more."



Wonderful meeting with President @MaithripalaS. Sri Lanka is one our most valued friends & we are working to deepen our ties even more. pic.twitter.com/21eTBPQHmA

 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 16, 2016

Sirisena also too took on twitter to share about his meeting with Modi.

"With PM @Narendramodi, I discussed ways to deepen SL-India relations and how SL can play a stronger role in the region," he said.

The Prime Minister also held a meeting with his Bhutan counterpart Tsering Tobgay.

"Always a delight meeting you PM @tsheringtobgay. Glad to have discussed the full spectrum of India-Bhutan ties during our talks," Modi said in a tweet.





Always a delight meeting you PM @tsheringtobgay. Glad to have discussed the full spectrum of India-Bhutan ties during our talks. pic.twitter.com/qjqOj71dJK  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 16, 2016

To which, the Bhutan Prime Minister responded: "Thank you PM @narendramodi for your warm welcome to Goa. Looking forward to fruitful discussions in the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit."

Tobgay travelled to India with Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda held a trilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the in Goa and pitched Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants, a media report here said on Sunday.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit on Saturday, first held a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them, The Himalayan Times reported along with a photo of the meeting.

The three leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachanda's personal secretary Prakash Dahal was quoted as saying.

During the meeting on Saturday, Prachanda was quoted as saying that though Nepal is a small country, it is extremely rich in cultural and religious diversity.

He said Pashupatinath, Gautam Buddha and Janaki have connected to the three countries.

Albeit, Nepal is located between two giant powers of Asia -- India and China -- a prosperous Nepal is possible with their help and cooperation, Prachanda said.

"We wish to reap benefits of this geographical speciality by working as a dynamic bridge between the two countries," he said.

Chinese President Xi agreed with Prachanda stating that geography of any country would not play a decisive role in terms of many things like development, the report said.

He also praised Nepal's role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in the future.

"Likewise, Indian PM Modi acknowledged there are geographical, emotional and cultural relations among India, Nepal and China," the report said.

Prachanda's spouse Sita Dahal was also present in the meeting.
Finding unbanked areas could be the next big task for the upcoming (SFBs), which need to have at least 25 per cent of their branches in such areas.
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Minister of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu will be visiting Bhopal tomorrow i.e October 17,2016 to review progress under various new urban missions in Madhya Pradesh. .

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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Secretary (Urban Development), Government of India, Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh, central and state level Mission Directors of new urban missions launched by the Government of India over the last two years and other senior officials will be participating in scheme-wise review of progress. .

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Madhya Pradesh is one of the leading States in the country for which substantial investment under different new urban missions have been approved by the Central Government. Most of these investments are under Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), launched in June last year. .

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Since the launch of new urban missions, an investment of Rs.25,515 cr has been approved for improvement of basic infrastructure in cities and towns of Madhya Pradesh. .

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Under Smart City Mission, a total investment of Rs.16,242 cr has been approved under Smart City Plans of 5 mission city. This includes; Indore-Rs.5,099 cr, Jabalpur-Rs.3,998 cr, Bhopal-Rs.2,719 cr, Gwalior-Rs.2,250 cr and Ujjain-Rs.2,176 cr. .

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Under Smart City Mission, Central Government provides an assistance of Rs.500 cr per each city selected in the City Challenge Competition. .

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Under Atal Mission, Central Government has approved an investment of Rs.3,707 cr under State Annual Action Plans (SAAP), so far. This includes; Rs.1,656 cr for 2015-16 and Rs.2,081 for 2016-17. Under Amrut, central assistance to be given is in the range of one third to half of the project cost based on population of the cities. .

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Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), construction of 59,061 houses for urban poor in Madhya Pradesh has so far been approved involving an investment of Rs.5,566 cr. Under this scheme, central assistance ranges from Rs.1.00 lakh to Rs.2.30 lakh per house. .

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Shri Venkaiah Naidu and senior officials of Ministries of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation will be visiting one or two states each week for reviewing progress under new urban missions. Such review has so far been done in respect of Gujarat and Goa. Similar review in respect of Kerala will be taken up on Tuesday i.e October 18,2016. .

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An early morning argument at a Los Angeles restaurant operating out of a converted home apparently triggered gunfire that left three people dead and 12 wounded, two gravely, authorities have said.

The restaurant owner told The Los Angeles Times he runs a Jamaican catering business out of the house and was hosting a birthday celebration when the shooting broke out.

A man who had gone to the house to ask that a car be moved from his brother's driveway told the newspaper there were more than 100 people in the house and yard and that a DJ was playing music.

Shortly after they left, Paul Elen said he heard 15 to 20 shots.

"My brother thought it was fireworks," Elen said, adding, "I said, 'No, ain't no smoke in there. Them ain't fireworks, them gunshots.'"

Police who arrived at the scene in a working class neighbourhood dotted by tall palm trees found shell casings and blood throughout the restaurant west of downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called the shooting the latest example of senseless gun violence that has reached epidemic proportions in the country.

"We cannot tolerate these tragedies multiplying in communities across America," Garcetti said in a statement.

Los Angeles Police Department Officer Mike Lopez said investigators were seeking a suspect he described as a black male, possibly accompanied by a woman.

Police earlier questioned two possible suspects, but Lopez said later no one was in custody.

Three people died at the scene, and 12 were transported to local hospitals.

Lopez said two of the victims were in grave condition. Two of the wounded were released and the remain hospitalised with wounds are not considered life-threatening. Police did not disclose the names or ages of the victims.

Neighbour Sheryl Cobb said she was awakened by screaming and gunfire, but never left her home for fear of getting caught in a crossfire.

"Bullets don't have names on them," she said.
Pakistan Airlines (PIA) has cancelled some flights from Karachi to New Delhi and Mumbai due to "very poor" passenger numbers amid tensions between the two countries.

In a statement issued on Saturday, said that its flights from Lahore to New Delhi are operating normally.

Tensions have been running high between India and Pakistan following the Uri terror attack last month.

"Lahore-New Delhi flights are operating normally, however due to very poor load during last three to four weeks few of the Karachi-New Delhi and Karachi-Mumbai flights have been cancelled," the airline said.

Passengers who had reservations on these cancelled flights have either been accommodated on PIA's subsequent flights or re-routed to Pakistan through other airlines, it added.

Against the backdrop of tensions between the two countries, there have also been reports saying the Indian government might look at airspace restrictions for Pakistan airlines.
Its a Wall Street club thats virtually unknown on Wall Street. It has no name or official membership list, and it meets only once a year, in locations such as Switzerlands Lake Lucerne, Connecticuts Litchfield County, and, this year, Versailles. The attendees are top in-house lawyers for some of the worlds most powerful banks  people who sit at the table for decisions that can shape multibillion-dollar litigation tabs for the likes of Barclays Plc, Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Deutsche Bank AG and J P Morgan Chase & ...
Donald Trump tried to change the subject on Saturday, unveiling a plan to combat opioid addiction in the US while also challenging his Democratic presidential competitor to take a drug test before their next debate. Yet he couldn't completely drop the subject of sex, or let go of the idea of a conspiracy to take the election from him. The Republican presidential nominee rallied in front of boisterous crowds in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and in Bangor, Maine. The New England events came a day after two more women came forward with accusations of sexual harassment against the billionaire, ...
Terming India as a key strategic ally, Republican presidential nominee has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become best friends and have a phenomenal future together.

Indias is the worlds largest democracy and is a natural ally of the US. Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends, Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition yesterday. We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India. We are going to have a phenomenal future together, he said.

He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming bureaucracy, saying it was required in the US too.

I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic in reforming the economy and bureaucracy. Great man. I applaud him, Trump said.

It was for the first time a US presidential candidate attended an Indian-American event this election season.

I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House, Trump said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims. I have two massive developments in India, very successful, wonderful, wonderful partners, very beautiful, I must say. I have great friends and great confidence in India. Incredible people and an incredible country. I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times, he said. Trump appreciated Indias role in fight against terrorism.

We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism, he said as he slammed his rival Hillary Clinton for not using this word.

Trump said India had experienced firsthand brutality of terror in the past including the mayhem in Mumbai, a place that I love, a place that I understand. The terrorist attack in Mumbai, the attack on Indian Parliament was absolutely outrageous and terrible, he said.

India is a key, and key strategic ally. And we do not even want to talk about it, because it is nothing but a relationship that we will have. I look forward to deepening the diplomatic and military cooperation that is the shared interest of both countries, he said.

Your great Prime Minister has been a pro-growth leader for India. He has simplified the tax code, cut the taxes and the economy is strong growing at 7 per cent year. Excellent.

Our economy is practically not growing at all in the US. Its about zero. We will have a great relationship with India, Trump said.

Praising hard work and enterprise of the Indian community, Trump said, generations of Hindus and Indian-Americans have strengthened our country.

Congratulating the Indian community for having the highest rate of entrepreneurship, he said, thats very impressive by the way.

Trump said he was looking forward to doing some serious bureaucratic trimming in the US as he feels it is needed the most.

We are going to have great relation with China and Mexico, but we are going to have a great relationship with India, Trump said even as he lashed out at the business practices of China, particularly stealing intellectual property.

In his welcome address, the Republican Hindu Coalition founder and chairman said that this is the first time in the history that a major presidential candidate has addressed Hindu-Americans just three weeks before the election.

He urged Hindus to support and vote for Trump in the upcoming general election and help fight terrorism.

We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism. We will stand soldier to soldier in this fight. This is so important in the age of ISIS, Trump said.
Turkish-backed rebel fighters today captured the northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State jihadist group, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels "captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area".

Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.
US Secretary of State John Kerry was trying to build momentum behind a new drive to end the on Sunday after high-level talks with Russia and the country's neighbours.

Kerry was due to fly to London to brief Washington's European allies after "brainstorming" talks in Lausanne with the main players in Syria's bloody five-year-old conflict.

The Swiss meeting did not produce a concrete plan to restore the truce that collapsed last month amid bitter recriminations between Washington and Moscow and new fighting on the ground.

But Kerry insisted the new, leaner contact group had come up with some plausible ideas that would be fleshed out in the coming days and might lead to a new, stronger ceasefire.

"The way it wrapped up was to have several ideas that need to be quickly followed up," he said after talks with Russia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey.

"The next contact on trying to follow up on this is going to be immediately, because this is urgent, and we're not letting any grass grow under our feet."

But he said it was too early to reveal what the ideas were, and that high-level contacts - but not a ministerial-level meeting - would continue on Monday to develop them.

He was expected, however, to raise the issues with Britain's Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and senior European colleagues, after flying to London later on Sunday.

Britain, France, Germany, and Italy are members of the Syria Support Group and have met before with other countries interested in resolving the Syrian crisis.

But US officials now say the full group is too unwieldy to make rapid decisions, and that Saturday's Lausanne meeting was more productive for being focused on the main regional players.

The US envoy's tone was upbeat, but diplomats from all sides warned against hopes of a rapid ceasefire.
The bellwethers of Indian Information and Technology space  Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys  have started the September quarter results season on a sombre note. The two firms witnessed divergence in revenue growth with TCS revenues missing Street estimates by a mile, despite most analysts toning down their expectations to factor in the revenue warning issued by the company. And, Infosys managed only a minor improvement on expectations.
Certain brokerages have turned bullish on Force Motors after the automobile maker set healthy growth targets at its annual general meeting (AGM) on September 28. The company also shared a positive outlook for its automobile components division, which makes engines for BMW and Mercedes. However, a sharp 40 per cent rally in the stock since its AGM has surprised even the Street. We were expecting the stock to outperform, given its attractive valuations and positive growth forecast. However, there wasnt expectation that it would run up in such a short time frame, said an analyst who attended the AGM.
Insurance companies will not be asked to compulsorily list themselves in the stock market, as the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (Irdai) is having second thoughts about it after a nudge from the finance ministry.
After Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has complained that he spent two hours in a holding area, adding that this happens to him every time he goes the U.S.

"Another "random" secondary immigration check upon landing in the US. Thrice in three visits, the randomness is growing tiresome now," tweeted Omar.

"I just spent TWO hours in a holding area & this happens EVERY time. Unlike @iamsrk I don't even catch Pokemon to pass the time (sic)," he said in his tweet.

He further tweeted: "I'm here to speak at an event organised by NYU but I almost wish I'd stayed at home instead. Ah well, that's two hours well & truly wasted!! (sic)"

Earlier in August, Shah Rukh Khan was detained by the U.S Immigration Department at Los Angeles airport.

Khan had tweeted his displeasure earlier saying that it "sucked" to be detained at the U.S. immigration every time.

"I fully understand & respect security with the way the is, but to be detained at US immigration every damn time really really sucks. The brighter side is while waiting caught some really nice Pokemons," he said.

Following his detention, the U.S. Department of State apologised to Khan. "Sorry for the hassle at the airport, @iamsrk - even American diplomats get pulled for extra screening!," Nisha Biswal, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, U.S. Department of State said in a tweet.

However, former Indian Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to the U.S Nirupama Rao came out in support of the security measure at LA Airport saying that one cannot question the customs and border protection laws of any sovereign country. "The U.S post 9/11 is a changed country. If you're not prepared to accept stringent security/controls don't go there. Everything falls under the rubric of homeland security. No foreigner is really exempt," she said in a series of tweets.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan ambassador to US Husain HaqqaniVerified has called for updated equipment for Customs and Border Protection officers so that such incidents can be avoided.

"Time to give @cbp officers better computers and advise them to check on individuals with other branches of US govt," he tweeted.

However, SRK too was not detained at a US airport for the first time as the same happened at the New York airport in April 2012 when he had gone there to address students at Yale University. He was then detained by the immigration officials for over two hours.

Even in 2009, Khan was detained by US immigration officials at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey after his name came up on a computer alert list.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An army jawan, Sepoy Sudees Kumar, was martyred when Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate and unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajauri sector on Sunday.

The Indian Army responded appropriately to the unprovoked firing by the Pakistan Army, said Defence Spokesperson Lt Col Manish Mehta in a statement issued here.

Sepoy Sudhees Kumar, 24, who hailed from Sambhal District of Uttar Pradesh, is survived by his wife.

Earlier today, Pakistan opened unprovoked fire in Naushera sector to which the Indian troops gave a befitting reply.

A heavy gunbattle is underway and intermittent firing has been consistent since morning from Pakistan's side. No casualties have been reported from the Indian side.

This comes after a spree of ceasefire violations last week by Pakistan after the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army on 29 September to destroy terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Ever since, Pakistan has stepped up cross-border firing and has violated the Line of Control ceasefire at least 20 times.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Taking on Anurag Kashyap for questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi as to why he hasn't apologised for meeting his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif the same time when Karan Johar was shooting for 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', filmmaker and social activist Ashoke Pandit on Sunday said this smells of arrogance, adding such language is an insult to the nation.

Pandit said that he quite shocked and surprised with Kashyap's statement, adding questioning the Prime Minister is uncalled for.

"I thought, he is an educated film-maker and a nice educated person. Questioning Prime Minister is uncalled for because the Prime Minister, the Government of India and the state government first of all has not banned the film or raised any question against the Pakistani actors," Pandit said.

"He should know how to address Prime Minister. He is not the Prime Minister of a political party. He is the Prime Minister of a country. And I appeal to Mr. Anurag Kashyap that he should realize now that at least for next 20 years Narendra Modi is going to continue as the Prime Minister of this country and he should come out from this wrong impression," he added.

Stating that Kashyap has been opposing the ban on Johar's upcoming film as it stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, Pandit said if the filmmaker has the guts to question somebody then he should question Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and other political parties, who have taken objection to this film.

"I once again reiterate the films, which are complete and which are under production, should be allowed to release as the IMPPA has taken that stand but accusing and abusing the Prime Minister and questioning him, where he is not involved at all is absolutely shameful on the part of Anurag Kashyap," he said.

Responding to criticism for questioning the Prime Minister about his Pakistan visit, Kashyap has said that he has every right to question the former as a citizen of the country.

"Just to make it clear, I complain because I expect my government to protect us, I question the PM because I have every right to," he tweeted.

Further in a series of tweets, he said, "I am not going to address a party that has become redundant and irrelevant and is trying to find relevance again by using the film industry."

"We have been vulnerable for long, and have been paying the price by being used by everyone to find any kind of standing."

"And the real trade between the two countries across the border has not faced any kind of opposition, but we must pay the price for it and anyone who questions my love for the country by shouting , must prove their love by representing the country either on the border."

"And anyone who questions my love for the country by shouting must prove their love by representing the country either on the border."

"Or prove your love by representing the country in a honourable way. Not by shouting here. And yes sir @narendramodi we need protection.. It's really high time."

"I refuse to live in the fear created by blind fanatics that you cannot have a conversation with your PM or question him or expect from him."

"I would rather ask my questions directly to the PM than trying to impress him by fake nationalism of banning "what puts you in news."

The film writer-director cum-producer expressed his annoyance on social media after cinema owners association decided to stay the release of movies starring Pakistani artistes.

The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) earlier announced that they would not screen movies starring Pakistani artistes in the four states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Condemning Madhur Bhandarkar's recent tweets questioning Narendra Modi about his Pakistan visit, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said it has now become a fashion to blame the Prime Minister for each and every issue.

"Anurag's statement is extremely wrong, he should not make such comments, first of all no government or BJP supporter has said they want the picture banned, it's the exhibitors and theater owners, who are saying they won't show the movie. So, Anurag should go question them, there is no point of dragging Modi ji unnecessarily," said Bhandarkar.

"Moreover, it has kind of become a fashion to drag the Prime Minister into each and every issue and then make a statement against him," he added.

The 48-year-old director maintained that nobody in the industry wants the movie to be banned or holds anything personal against the Pakistani artistes but the time is really not in favor of any sort of cultural exchange.

"I think we all want the movie should be released, ADHM is a big project, it has so much talent, Karan is an established film-maker of the industry. So, we too want the film to reach the people," he added.

Bhandarkar further said sarcastically saying 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' is something very disgraceful.

The director also said that he is in favour of good ties between the two hostile Asian neighbours but added that this is not the time to keep friendly rapport and indulge into any sort of cultural exchange.

"I am myself a big fan of Rahat [Fateh Ali Khan] (bhai) and Ghulam Ali, we want relations to stay friendly. In fact, I also went to Pakistan last year and received an award but at the moment we are witnessing so much terror on the border," he said.

Supporting the ban on artists, the 'Fashion' director said, "I think the ban on Pakistani artistes is rightly imposed as people's sentiments are greatly affected and they are disappointed by whatever tension is prevalent. There should be a temporary ban on them till the time the situation does not change."

He also talked about Pakistan to be declared as a terrorist state.

"See a lot of people are supporting the move to declare Pakistan a terror state, even a petition has also been filed and it's not only happening in India but several other nations too have similar belief. So, the country is somehow actually giving shelter and supporting terrorism," he said.

Kashyap made the comments in support of Karan Johar, who's upcoming entertainer 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' has long been under fire due to having Pakistani actor Fawad Khan as part of the star-studded cast.

He expressed annoyance on social media after cinema owners association decided to stay the release of movies starring Pakistani artistes.

The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) earlier announced that they would not screen movies starring Pakistani artistes in the four states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dubbing the Congress Party as a party of 'reactionaries', the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Sunday blamed the former of creating a 'contemporary fragmented society' for vote bank politics.

RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha told ANI that the Congress has a 'blinkered vision' and no moral right to preach to the government or to the progressive, democratic and secular forces of the country.

"Due to their blinkered vision, the Congress Party is no longer supporter of progressive India. The Congress social philosophy is a reactionary social philosophy and they are behind the fundamentalists, so the Congress has no moral right to preach to the government or to the progressive, democratic and secular forces of the country," he said.

Sinha, however, sought to know as to when there was no demand for a 'Hindu Civil Code', the Government of India formulated the Hindu Civil Code and that was a progressive step,

"The Congress is responsible for the contemporary fragmented society. It is the Congress that initiated vote bank politics. Had it not done, Pandit Nehru (first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru) would have brought the Uniform Civil Code. When there was no demand for Indian Civil code, the Government of India formatted Hindu Civil Code...It was Rajiv Gandhi who had bowed down before the fundamentalist despite the clear unambiguous directive and verdict of the Supreme Court to formulate Uniform Civil Code," he added.

In the face of strong opposition to Uniform Civil Code by Muslim outfits, the Congress had earlier said its implementation would be impossible while the BJP asserted that the move is aimed at moving towards a progressive society.

Other opposition parties like JD(U) accused the BJP-led central government of trying to polarise the people ahead of assembly polls in several states, with leader of Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) Asaduddin Owaisi saying that bringing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will 'kill' the diversity and plurality of India.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board and some other outfits had opposed the Law Commission's questionnaire on Uniform Civil Code, including abolition of 'triple talaq' and announced their boycott of the move, accusing the government of waging a 'war' against the community.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress leader Manish Tewari on Sunday alleged that the greatest casualty since Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government came to power has been the liberal and creative spaces of India, and urged the intelligentsia to fight back the 'dictatorship' imposed on them in the last 28 months.

Tewari used filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's diatribe against Prime Minister Modi on twitter to target the government, which he accused of being fascist.

"The greatest casualty in the last 28 months has been the liberal and creative spaces of India. Therefore, the people across the board - writers, artistes, members of the intelligentsia, people who are engaged in creative fields need to push back against this kind of dictatorship, against this kind of fascism which has been let lose," Tewari said.

"We created the liberal spaces in India which belongs to the people of the nation and they have to be re-appropriated by the liberal community back from the kind of fascism which has been unleashed onto it," he added.

Responding to criticism for questioning Prime Minister Modi about his Pakistan visit, Kashyap today said that he has every right to question the former as a citizen of the country.

"Just to make it clear, I complain because I expect my government to protect us, I question the PM because I have every right to," he tweeted.

Further in a series of tweets, he said, "I am not going to address a party that has become redundant and irrelevant and is trying to find relevance again by using the film industry."

"We have been vulnerable for long, and have been paying the price by being used by everyone to find any kind of standing."

"And the real trade between the two countries across the border has not faced any kind of opposition, but we must pay the price for it and anyone who questions my love for the country by shouting , must prove their love by representing the country either on the border."

"And anyone who questions my love for the country by shouting must prove their love by representing the country either on the border."

"Or prove your love by representing the country in a honourable way. Not by shouting here. And yes sir @narendramodi we need protection.. It's really high time."

"I refuse to live in the fear created by blind fanatics that you cannot have a conversation with your PM or question him or expect from him."

"I would rather ask my questions directly to the PM than trying to impress him by fake nationalism of banning "what puts you in news."

The film writer-director cum-producer expressed his annoyance on social media after cinema owners association decided to stay the release of movies starring Pakistani artistes.

The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) earlier announced that they would not screen movies starring Pakistani artistes in the four states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The main opposition party of Nepal, CPN-UML, has accused the government of practicing an 'imbalanced diplomacy'.

The Himalayan Times quoted lawmaker Rajan Bhattarai as saying that the government was making inappropriate connections between internal issues and international affairs, thereby jeopardising the diplomatic balance.

Bhattarai, who was speaking at the Parliament meeting today, also demanded a clarification from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on the issue.

Meanwhile, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party lawmaker Anuradha Thapa Magar stated that the government's failure to ensure Chinese President Xi Jinping's Nepal visit would leave long-term impacts here.

Stating that the next Constitution amendment should not incorporate the Hindi language as a language used in government administration, Nepali Congress lawmaker Dhanaraj Gurung argued that it would be disrespect to the nationality.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Days after a Ministry of Defence official filed a complaint against controversial arms dealer and defence consultant Sanjay Bhandari, the Delhi Police on Sunday registered a case against him.

The case has been registered under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) in connection with the recovery of confidential Defence Ministry documents from his house in South Delhi's Defence Colony.

The FIR was registered on Friday by Colonel Puneet Ahuja, an officer posted in the Ministry of Defence, alleging that the Ministry is the custodian of the classified documents that were recovered in the raid.

According to the FIR the documents pertain to policy planning and Force Development branch of the Defence Ministry.

Bhandari is already under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income-Tax (I-T) Department for allegedly holding a 'benami' property in London.

The IT Department had been carrying out an investigation against Bhandari and the OIS Group in connection with a tax evasion case.

Earlier in June, the IT Department carried out searches on two Bengaluru-based business premises associated with defence consultant Sanjay Bhandari, who is under investigation for ascertaining the sources of about Rs.70 crore received by his companies between 2009 and 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Condemning the ceasefire violation in Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir, Minister for Animal Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries Abdul Ghani Kohli today said that Pakistan, which has become disturbed after the September 29 surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), has been targeting civilians in the border areas.

Kohli said that the cross-border firing has disrupted normal life of the local residents here, adding the local administration has made all arrangements for their safety.

"After surgical strikes by the Indian Army in Pakistan, Pakistan has become disturbed. So, Pakistan is now targeting civilians in the border areas. There was firing at 4 am today and the people are being unnecessarily harassed as it is the harvesting season and they are busy in the fields etc. However, our Indian Army is giving a befitting reply," he told ANI.

Kohli further said that there have been no civilian casualties so far, but added that the firing is still on.

Meanwhile, a Sarpanch here said that Pakistan should learn a lesson from the surgical strikes, adding they should not create situations where India is compelled to act in retaliation.

"If our jawans die, we just cannot maintain silence," he added.

The Pakistan Army earlier this morning resorted to unprovoked firing at Indian positions near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district.

No casualties have been reported from the Indian side so far. Reportedly, a gun battle is underway along with intermittent firing from Pakistan's side.

The unprovoked firing comes after a string of ceasefire violations last week by Pakistan.

Ever since the surgical strikes were conducted by the Indian Army on September 29, Pakistan has stepped up cross-border firing and has violated the ceasefire at least 20 times till date.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A recent study conducted at the University of Montreal's School of Psycho-education, shows that young children, who spend a lot of time watching television are at a risk of victimization, social isolation, adopting violent and antisocial behaviour toward other students during teenage, specifically at 13.

Lead author Linda Pagani explained, "It is unclear to what extent excessive televiewing in early childhood - a particularly critical time in the development of areas of the brain involved in self-regulation of emotional intelligence - can adversely affect social interactions."

"The detection of early modifiable factors that influence later child well-being is an important target for individual and community health. Since establishing strong peer relationships, getting along well with others, and building a positive group social identity are essential elements in the successful transition to adolescence, we undertook to examine the long-term affect of televiewing in toddlerhood on normal development based on four key indicators of social impairment in children aged 13," she added.

For the study, her team examined the parent-reported televiewing habits of the children at age 2, as well as the self-reported social experiences of these children at age 13.

"Children, who watched a lot of television while growing up, were more likely to prefer solitude, experience peer victimization, and adopt aggressive and antisocial behaviour toward their peers at the end of the first year of middle school," she said.

"Transition to middle school is a crucial stage in adolescent development. We observed that excessive televiewing at age 13 tends to complicate the situation, posing additional risks of social impairment," demonstrated the principal investigator of the study.

Researchers came to their conclusions after examining data from a Quebec longitudinal cohort born in 1997/1998.

The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development is a set of public data coordinated by the Institut de la statistique du Quebec.

Parents of the 991 girls and 1,006 boys from the Study reported the number of hours their children spent watching television at two and half years.

At 13 years, the same children rated their relational difficulties associated with victimization, social isolation, intentional and planned aggression by peers, and antisocial behaviour.

The team then analyzed the data to identify any significant link between such problems and early televiewing, discarding many possible confounding factors.

"Our goal was to eliminate any pre-existing conditions of the children or families that could throw a different light on our results," said another researcher.

Televiewing is a common early childhood pastime, and some of the children in the study exceeded the recommended number of hours spent in front of the screen.

Social impairment in children is an increasing concern of education and public health sector workers.

According to Pagani, social skills such as sharing, appreciation, and respect gained from others are rooted in early childhood. "In toddlerhood, the number of waking hours in a day is limited. Thus, the more time children spend in front the TV, the less time they have for creative play, interactive activities, and other fundamental social cognitive experiences. Active daily life at the preschool age can help develop essential social skills that will be useful later and ultimately play a key role in personal and economic success," concluded Pagani.

The study was published in Psychological Medicine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over the increase in prices of petrol and diesel for the fifth time in the last two months, the Congress Party on Sunday alleged that the ruling dispensation at the Centre was supporting 'chronic capitalism'.

Congress leader Tom Vadakkan told ANI it is high time for Prime Minister Modi-led government to act because if they do not do the same then the people of India will act against them.

"I don't know what the government thinks when they go about increasing the prices of petrol and diesel. While international price was down, the prices were going up. Whom are they supporting? Is it their chronic capitalism we are talking about? Is it happening to support the cronies of the government? It is sad that this country is in the poverty list and is further sinking," he said.

He further said that this continuous process of increasing petrol and diesel prices is going to hit the country's economy terribly.

"Price rise, escalating price, diesel is going to have a cascading affect on every section of the economy. Agriculture, vegetables, goods moment across the country, everything is going to be effected," he added.

Petrol price was on Saturday hiked by Rs. 1.34 a litre, the fifth increase in two months, and diesel by Rs. 2.37 a litre on back of spike in global rates.

After including local VAT, petrol will now cost Rs. 66.05 a litre in Delhi as against Rs. 64.72 per litre currently. Diesel will cost Rs. 55.26 per litre as against Rs. 52.61 a litre at present.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major relief to direct selling company QNET, which has been trying to defend its business model in Mumbai for the last three years, the High Court of Hyderabad has seen merit in granting a stay on all proceedings against the company in the state.

The decision comes at a time when the government has taken steps towards recognising and regularising the direct selling industry in the country.

Last month, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs had issued Direct Selling Guidelines 2016 for all companies operating in this space for many years in the country, without a clear legislation in place to protect the companies or the consumers.

The thriving direct selling industry in India is estimated to have generated approximately Rs.7200 crores in revenues in 2015.

The decision by Justice Sri Ramachandra Rao at the Hyderabad High Court grants welcome relief to the directors and shareholders of Vihaan Direct Selling Pvt Ltd, the sub-franchisee of direct selling company QNET in India.

The company and its officers have continued to cooperate with the authorities in all investigations since 2013 and have submitted more than 50,000 pages of documents to support its stand as a legitimate business.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Asking the government not to go ahead with the Sangh's agenda of imposing a Hindu Rashtra in the name of the Uniform Civil Code, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) warned that a dangerous precedent is being set that could comprise the idea of a secular India where the Constitution guarantees every individual the Right to Freedom of Religion.

"The way the Modi government is imposing the Uniform Civil Code, it is the Sangh's agenda for a Hindu Rashtra. This is a secular country and the Constitution of India guarantees every individual the Right to Religion and, if the government wants to impose the Sangh's agenda, it is very dangerous for a secular India," NCP leader Nawab Malik told ANI.

He, however, said if the government wants to introduce a Uniform Civil Code, it should happen through Parliament and not the courts.

"If they want to bring a Uniform Civil Code, it should happen through Parliament and not the courts. If they really want to discuss it in the interest of Muslim women, it should be discussed point-by-point," he added.

"Islamic laws don't have anything which is against Muslim women; may be people are not abiding by Islamic laws, which can be discussed. But the way, the BJP wants to impose the Sangh's agenda in this country is very dangerous. They are dealing with their personal matters under their own laws and if the government wants to impose the Sangh's agenda, it is very dangerous for secular India," warned Malik.

Former union law minister and Congress veteran M. Veerappa Moily had on Thursday also stated that the plurality, diversity and multiplicity is the real valuable culture of the country, and thus, the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code is next to impossible in India.

Moily, who was reacting to the move of the Muslim Personal Law Board's (MPLB's) decision to boycott the Uniform Civil Law while terming it as "not good for the nation", said the concept and the design of India is unity in diversity.

"So, it is not a uniform, we have hindered castes, then have 100 personal laws. I think this is impractical and one can't implement personal laws that strongly govern the lives of the people of this country," Moily told ANI.

Former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee, however, criticized Muslim bodies for their approach to the UCC.

"I think it is meaningless. It shows a very regressive mentality. They should, on the contrary, give answers and tell how triple talaq should be maintained or triple talaq be modified," he said.

"A Uniform Civil Code is one aspect, the main thing is the personal laws of any community with regard to gender equality and with regard to fundamental rights, because personal laws must yield to the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution, whether it's the Muslim community, the Hindu community or any other community." he added.

"A woman, a wife, cannot be treated as a commodity; that is the whole point. There should be some restriction in the way a husband exercises his right to divorce his wife by saying 'talaq talaq talaq'," Soli told ANI here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan opened unprovoked fire yet again in Naushera sector on Jammu and Kashmir today, to which the Indian troops gave a befitting reply.

A heavy gunbattle is underway and intermittent firing has been consistent since morning from Pakistan's side.

No casualties have been reported from the Indian side.

This comes after a spree of ceasefire violations last week by Pakistan after the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army on 29 September to destroy terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Ever since, Pakistan has stepped up cross-border firing and has violated the Line of Control ceasefire at least 20 times.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Defence Expert Brigadier (Retired) Anil Gupta on Sunday said the recent ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir shows the 'cowardness' of Pakistan Army.

"The repeated ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army is an act of 'cowardness' and is 'unethical'," he told ANI.

Brigadier (Retired) Gupta connected today's ceasefire violation in Nowshera with the ongoing BRICS Summit in Goa.

"This ceasefire violation has been done by the Pakistan Army to remain in lime light and also to keep the issue of Kashmir alive," he said.

Appreciating the Indian Army for giving a befitting reply to Pakistan, Brigadier (Retired) Gupta said that it would give a strong message to the neighbouring county.

Earlier today, Pakistan opened unprovoked fire yet again in Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir to which the Indian troops gave a befitting reply.

A heavy gun-battle is presently underway and intermittent firing has been consistent since this morning from Pakistan's side.

No casualties have been reported from the Indian side so far.

This comes after a spree of ceasefire violations last week by Pakistan after the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army on September 29 on terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A military coup in Pakistan in the current scenario was ruled out by the Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Sadiq said the government is having good relations with the army.

Responding to a question, he said, "The military has strengthened democracy and as far as I know there are no chances of a coup."

The speaker said that he would fight the case of Kashmiris in Turkey in the conference where speakers of 50 countries would gather.

The Speaker will be leaving for Turkey today.

The Dawn quoted Sadiq saying, "Kashmiris want freedom from India. I am taking videos and pictures of Indian atrocities in the Kashmir to present them before the community."

On the PTI's plan to block Islamabad, he said that Imran Khan should think who would suffer from his act.

Answering to a question on devolution of power to local government, he said the power would be devolved to the local governments next month.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Launching a fresh attack on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has unveiled his plan to paralyse Islamabad. According to the plan, the party workers will be blocking the roads leading to government offices.

The Dawn quoted Khan saying, "Now, Nawaz Sharif will have to either resign or will be held accountable for his proven corruption." He was speaking at a gathering of Insaf Professional Forum.

However, he implied at the possibility of a change in the schedule of the Islamabad lock-down date. Earlier, October 30 was announced as the final showdown date by him.

The PTI chief urged the masses to be ready for a longer showdown in Islamabad and said that the workers would continue occupying roads and entrances of major government offices such as National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency, Federal Board of Revenue and Election Commission of Pakistan.

Asserting that that his struggle was against the corrupt mafia, Khan said that the country could be strengthened if institutions were strengthened.

He stated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Police force and hospitals, local government system and bank of Khyber are glaring examples of merit and strength.

Appealing to the masses, Khan said, "If you want to see Pakistan in its real vein, come and join the PTI in its decisive sit-in in Islamabad."

Criticising the incumbent PML-N and previous PPP governments for weakening state institutions, he said NAB had failed to act against Nawaz, Shahbaz, Ishaq Dar and Khursheed Shah.

Khan said only Sharif's factories and bank accounts were growing day by day. He also criticised Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal for his statement that the Supreme Court should stay in its limits.

He even did not spared Mariam Nawaz and Hamza Shahbaz for acting as deputy prime minister and deputy chief minister.

Khan said, "This is monarchism and rightly highlighted by the Supreme Court judge.

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A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to elevate Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to the rank of Field Marshal by taking into consideration his exemplary services and sacrifices rendered for the nation.

Sardar Adnan Saleem, who made this appeal through his counsel Raja Saimul Haq Satti, said such an elevation is an emergent need in the present circumstances, reports the Express Tribune.

The Cabinet Division Secretary, the Prime Minister through the Secretary of the PM Secretariat and the Defence Ministry Secretary have been made the respondents in the petition.

For rendering services to protect national security and safeguarding the frontiers of Pakistan in accordance with the National Action Plan (NAP) and for successful completion of Zarb-e-Azab in an effective and efficient manner, the Army Chief should be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal, said Satti.

The counsel said that General Sharif had provided visionary leadership to the people as well as to the security forces.

Satti said, "The exemplary, outstanding and professional performance during peace and war time with total dedication and devotion by attaining the highest standards and mastery in battlefield."

He added that the Chief of Army Staff needs national appreciation, award and recognition.

Satti has said in the petition that for rendering his services for the nation and humanity at a larger scale in an extraordinary, exemplary and selfless manner, the Chief of Army Staff should be elevated to the highest level of military hierarchy.

The counsel has urged the court to direct the respondents to elevate General Sharif to the rank of Field Marshal for leading from the front on different fronts.

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Extending support to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIPMLB) against the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, Siasat Daily's chief editor, Zahid Ali Khan, has asked all Muslims to oppose its introduction and implementation.

"We oppose Uniform Civil Code and we support the stand taken by the Muslim law board. I think all Muslims in India, including those who follow different sects and are governed by different laws, should stand united and oppose its implementation," Khan told ANI.

He, however, admitted that the practice of triple talaq is wrongly being practiced in the country. Khan said illiteracy among Muslims is the main reason for such practices to continue.

"There is a wrong perception among people that saying talaq thrice amounts to termination of marriage, there are certain restrictions to it. Triple talaq stands invalidated if a wife becomes pregnant and if the lady is under menses," Khan said.

"Proper rules and regulations have been framed in the Quran and Hadees (sayings of Prophet Muhammad) to safeguard against such practices. If we enforce, the present system of triple talaq can be avoided," he added.

Khan further pointed out that Islam provides more dignity and respect to women than any other religion.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), along with several other organisations associated with the Muslim community, has opposed the Law Commission's questionnaire on the possibility of the UCC, declaring that the move amounts to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government declaring "war" on their religious rights.

The threat of Muslim organisations to "boycott" the Law Commission questionnaire also comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court hearing a challenge to triple talaq where the Centre termed the custom unconstitutional and violative of gender equality.

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The Congress on Sunday expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government uses the BRICS Summit platform to convince China to impose pressure on Pakistan as part of efforts to bring peace on the border.

"This is the right time as no other countries like Pakistan is here. We can convince them to bring peace on Pakistan border and this will only happen when the Pakistan Government will stop supporting the terrorist organisation. If China will pressurize Pakistan then a major change can be witnessed in Pakistan's army and ISIS," Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI.

Further commenting on the military deal signed between India and Russia, Dikshit said that both countries share a good relation and Moscow has always been the most favourable countries in terms of buying weapons.

"Russia always supported India on terrorism issue. There is nothing to be surprised about on Russia's support to India. It is good that we are taking military equipments from them," he said.

India and Russia on Saturday signed 16 agreements and three announcements in a number of fields including infrastructure, defence, ship building, science and technology and railways.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa.

In a joint statement with Putin, Prime Minister Modi said the agreements on manufacturing of Kamov-226T helicopters, construction of frigates, and acquisition and building of other defence platforms are in synergy with India's technology and security priorities.

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Nurses at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) have reacted strongly to the appointment of Laimayum Kullabati Devi as Nursing Counselor on deputation at the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

The RIMS Nurses Association had earlier demanded revocation of the appointment on grounds that violated RIMS guidelines.

"We have decided to launch cease work strike from today but as there are patients who need our service we differ it and stage protest demonstration so that patients do not face hardship", said a representative of RIMS nurses' Association.

As per report L. Kullabati was serving as Deputy Nursing Superintendent at a hospital call Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, New Delhi. She was recently appointed as Nursing Counsellor in the Physical Medicine and Rehab Department, RIMS, on deputation recently.

"No such appointment has been made in the history of the RIMS, and as per the version of the director of RIMS, creating a post is a violation of the rules and regulations of the RIMS," said Priyadharhini Devi, the secretary of the RIMS Nurses' Association.

She added that the association will continue its protests till October 17 and if the authorities failed to revoke Kullabati's appointment, then the association would launch a cease work strike.

Professor A.K. Joy, the head of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, said the appointment of Kullabati is genuine and done according to instructions of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Priyadharhini Devi said Professor Joy was not telling the truth and that Kullabati's appointment was a clear case of favoritism. She also said that what is not known is that she was appointed on the ground that her husband also works in Manipur.

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The CEO of Russia's ROSTEC Corp, Sergey Chemezov, has said that Moscow has not signed any contracts and has no plans for signing any military-related deals with Pakistan.

"We are not delivering any modern aircraft and any military aircraft to Pakistan. We have made deliveries of helicopters, but those are specialised in transport and that contract has been completed," said Chemezov.

"No contracts or plans for any other military-related equipment to be delivered to Pakistan," he added.

Commenting on Russia- Pakistan joint military exercises, Chemezov said the military exercises held earlier in September this year were directly connected with modernising counter terror operations in Pakistan.

He said that the joint military exercises was important so that the nation could be prepared for fight from organisations like the ISIS, which is a global threat and is involved in spreading terrorism.

"ISIS is a global terrorist organisation, it is something that is the global danger and doesn't just involve terrorists in the Middle East but also in Russia, terrorism in India as well as Pakistan," he said.

"Therefore, joint military exercises are important but it must be noted that (they) were not in any way targeted at India or at any other conflict in the region," he added.

Chemezov said that Russia's relationship with India has always remained very strong and fruitful.

India and Russia on Saturday signed 16 agreements and three announcements in a number of fields including infrastructure, defence, ship building, science and technology and railways.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa.

In a joint statement with Putin, Prime Minister Modi said the agreements on manufacturing of Kamov-226T helicopters, construction of frigates, and acquisition and building of other defence platforms are in synergy with India's technology and security priorities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has lost its control over a symbolic stronghold in North Syria.

According to the Turkish state media and a monitoring group, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a Turkish-backed faction has taken back the town of Dabiq from ISIS.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organisation has claimed that it received reports that groups of ISIS fighters had withdrawn from Dabiq overnight, reports the CNN.

The FSA operation will be continued for now as fighters seek to clear the town of mines, booby-traps and IEDs.

Dabiq is located about 10 km south of the Turkish-Syrian border and some Islamic prophecies consider it to be the site of an apocalyptic battle between Christians and Muslims.

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Two persons were killed when a speeding light commercial vehicle hit them at Strand Road near the Calcutta High Court on Sunday, the city police said.

"At about 7.30 a.m., a Tata 407 mini-truck hit two persons -- a male, 19, and a female, 42 -- at Strand Road near the High Court and ran away. The victims were walking through when the vehicle hit them," said an officer of Kolkata police Traffic control.

The victims were rushed to the SSKM Hospital where they were declared brought dead. Their identities are yet to be established.

"It seemed the victims were relatives. The hunt for the vehicle and the accused is still on," the police officer said.

Most of the recent accidents took place in the city due to reckless driving during late night and morning hours, according to the police.

--IANS

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Gulab Singh, an AAP MLA from Delhi and the party in-charge in Gujarat, was arrested here on Sunday, hours before a rally by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

A Delhi Police team which had flown from the national capital made the arrest after Gulab Singh, who has been in and out of Gujarat for months, made himself available at the Umra police station.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders confirmed Gulab Singh's arrest. He becomes the 14th AAP legislator in Delhi to be arrested.

Earlier, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Gulab Singh for failing to join an investigation in Delhi in an extortion case involving his associates.

Kejriwal had then asked in a tweet if Gulab Singh would be arrested ahead of his Surat rally.

Gulab Singh's driver was arrested last month along with an associate in Delhi.

Delhi Tourism Minister and AAP leader Kapil Mishra accompanied Gulab Singh when the latter reached the Umra police station shouting "Inquilab Zindabad" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai" on Sunday.

Mishra later tweeted that the Delhi Police, which was in a hurry to arrest Gulab Singh before Kejriwal's rally, had now told the legislator that they would return to Delhi by train when tickets were available.

--IANS

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A BJP MP from Haryana, who has been openly opposed to reservation to the Jat community in the state, was on Sunday roughed up by some youth at a function in the historical town of Kurukshetra, police said.

The assailants, numbering four, also threw ink at the Kurukshetra Member of Parliament (MP) Raj Kumar Saini.

The MP was not injured in the incident.

The youth came close to the MP, who has been provided tight security, by requesting that they wanted to get a photograph with him when he was leaving the event and then suddenly attacked him.

The assailants were immediately nabbed by people and security and taken into custody.

Police officials said that they were questioning the youth and were verifying their antecedents.

--IANS

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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday arrived here ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit and a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Hasina landed in Goa at 10:30 a.m. and was greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Honoured to host you PM Hasina for BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit. We cherish the strong ties between India and Bangladesh and applaud your role," Modi said.

The two leaders will hold a meeting later in the day to discuss a wide spectrum of bilateral relations.

Hasina will attend a ceremonial lunch hosted by Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar for all participants of BIMSTEK, before the heads of the member states hold talks over related issues.

As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following the September 18 terror attack at an Indian Army camp in Uri town of Jammu and Kashmir, which left 19 soldiers dead, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of the Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi has blamed Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc nations is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) which are not the members of Bimstec.

--IANS

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Tripura's opposition Congress on Sunday accused the Union and Tripura governments of inaction even as unauthorised Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and chit fund companies siphoned off crores of rupees from gullible depositors.

"According to information provided by the state government, Rs 1,172 crore was taken away by illegal NBFCs and chit fund organisations. However, the actual amount must be several times more," Tripura Congress chief Birajit Sinha told reporters here.

He said that the hard-earned money of over 14 lakh depositors in Tripura was looted by these companies but the state's Left Front government did little to tackle the problem.

"Even the central government led by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is reluctant to ask the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the fraudulent acts."

Sinha, a former minister, said the newly-constituted Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) will meet soon to chalk out an agitational programme against the "misrule of the Left government".

"Corruption, financial irregularities, unemployment and miss-governance are rampant in Left-ruled Tripura and these are increasing with each passing day," he claimed.

Newly-appointed state Congress Vice-President Tapas Dey said: "The Tripura High Court earlier asked the CBI to inquire into the activities of illegal NBFCs and chit fund groups, but the central agency, at the instance of the Centre, refused to do so."

Denying the Congress charge, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) State Secretary Bijan Dhar said the state government had taken steps to protect the interests of depositors and investors.

Dhar said the Tripura government is the first among those in the states to have enacted law to deal with illegal chit fund and NBFC companies and had asked the CBI to probe illegal collection of money from thousands of people.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Sunday declined to comment on the infighting in Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party, saying "it's a fight between a father and son" and that no other party should interfere.

"It's a fight between father and son (Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav). No political party has the right to come in the way of the father and son. Let them decide," Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad told the media here.

"They will have to sort out their differences between themselves. How can I advise them? if they make me the arbitrator, I'll give them advice," he said.

Asked if there are attempts by the Samajwadi Party to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party, Azad, who is incharge of party affairs in the state, said: said: "How can I say which faction of the SP is trying to join hands with the BJP? But as far as I know Akhilesh personally, he is not doing it. He is a clean politician."

The state is scheduled to hold assembly elections in 2017.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav recently announced his party will not announce its chief ministerial candidate till the election results are out.

--IANS

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French President Francois Hollande presided over a national ceremony paying homage to the 86 victims in the July 14 truck attack in Nice, calling for unity to combat .

The ceremony took place in Nice on Saturday in the presence of the victims' families, injured people, the country's main political leaders and Nice local officials.

The names of the 86 victims were read out and one white rose was placed for each of them during the ceremony.

"What has been struck on July 14 is national unity, unleash violence to unborn division, spark fear to fuel stigma. No, this evil business will fail," Xinhua news agency quoted Hollande as saying.

Meanwhile, the French president warned that the "war (against terrorism) will be long" and "the threat remains high, more than ever."

On July 14, 2016, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian-born delivery man with his truck careered around 2 km through the crowd before being shot dead by police units. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

--IANS

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Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who got trolled by many on social media for asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise for his trip to Pakistan in December last year, says he has every right to question the PM.

Kashyap vented his frustration on Sunday following the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India's decision not to screen movies with Pakistani actors, a move that has hit hard film-maker Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" which features Pakistani Fawad Khan.

He said that Modi should say "sorry" for his trip to meet the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on December 25 as at the same time, Karan was shooting "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil".

This did not go down well with people on Twitter.

Justifying his tweets, Kashyap wrote: "Just to make it clear, I complain because I expect my government to protect us, I question the PM because I have every right to."

"I am not going to address a party that has become redundant and irrelevant and is trying to find relevance again by using the film industry. We have been vulnerable for long, and have been paying the price by being used by everyone to find any kind of standing."

The director contended that the real trade between the two countries across the border has "not faced any kind of opposition, but we must pay the price for it".

"And anyone who questions my love for the country by shouting, must prove their love by representing the country either on the border or prove your love by representing the country in an honourable way. Not by shouting here (on social media)," he said.

"And yes Sir Narendra Modi we need protection.. It's really high time. I refuse to live in the fear created by blind fanatics that you cannot have a conversation with your PM or question him or expect from him."

"I would rather ask my questions directly to the PM than trying to impress him by fake nationalism of banning 'what puts you in news'," he added.

Kashyap, known for making hard-hitting films, has directed movies like "Black Friday", "Dev.D", "Gulaal", "That Girl in Yellow Boots", "Gangs of Wasseypur" and "Bombay Velvet".

The Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India on Friday said that movies featuring Pakistani actors would not be screened in single screen theatres in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat.

The decision came amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions in the wake of a terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Army's surgical strikes on Pakistani territory.

--IANS

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A two-day National Council meeting of Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) began on Sunday at Rajgir in Nalanda district.

The JD-U is likely to chalk out its strategy to play a major role to unite non-BJP regional parties at the national level ahead of the 2019 general election.

It will also formally project Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the Prime Ministerial candidate of like-minded parties.

The party will also anoint Nitish Kumar as its President. Nitish Kumar was elected to the post in April.

The meeting started with the hoisting of the party flag by Nitish Kumar along with former JD-U President Sharad Yadav in the presence of hundreds of leaders and workers.

State JD-U President Vashisht Narain Singh said over 1,200 party leaders from 24 states, including 170 elected delegates, were participating in the meeting.

He said: "The party will discuss and deliberate alternate national policies and leadership."

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha chief Babulal Marandi will attend the meeting on the concluding day on Monday.

Rajgir is a historic place in Nalanda, the home district of Nitish Kumar and about 100 km from Patna.

--IANS

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Bangladesh executed Asadul Islam Arif, a leader of banned militant outfit Jama' atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), who was convicted of killing two judges in 2005.

"Arif was hanged to death on Saturday at 10.30 p.m." Xinhua news agency quoted jail official Jannatul Farhad, in Khulna, about 140 km from Dhaka, as saying.

Senior assistant judges -- Jagannath Pandey and Sohel Ahmed -- were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Jhalakathi on November 14, 2005 when they were going to court in a microbus.

The suicide bomb attack on the judges followed a series bomb blasts by JMB men across Bangladesh in 2005.

JMB, campaigning for the establishment of Islamic rule in Bangladesh, carried out a series of bombings in 63 of the country's 64 districts, including capital Dhaka on August 17, 2005, leaving two people dead and 150 others injured.

Hundreds of JMB leaders and activists were then rounded up while six top leaders of the group, including Shaikh Abdur Rahman, were hanged in 2007.

--IANS

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged BJP President Amit Shah not to disrupt his rally due here on Sunday evening.

"I have learnt that Amit Shah is trying various methods to scuttle the rally," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader told the media here.

"He is sending his people to different places (where I go) to stage protests," Kejriwal added.

"I appeal to Amit Shah that today's rally is not my rally. It is a rally of the Gujarat people and I request him not to put any impediments."

Asked about the arrival of a Delhi Police team here to arrest Delhi legislator Gulab Singh, the party in-charge of Gujarat, Kejriwal said it showed the BJP was scared of the AAP.

He said Delhi Police had arrested 13 AAP legislators in the national capital so far on various charges.

Meanwhile, AAP legislator Gulab Singh reached a police station here to offer himself for arrest.

Kejriwal is due to address an AAP rally in Surat along with party leader Kumar Vishwas.

--IANS

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A day after Prime Minister of Bhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering attended the swearing-in ceremony of the his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, the two holds a meeting on Friday.

In the bilateral meeting, Tshering congratulated Modi for his re-assumption of office and conveyed the felicitations of King of Bhutan, an official statement said.

Dr. Lotay Tshering said he looked forward to working closely with Modi and the government of India.

He reiterated the invitation for Modi to visit Bhutan at the earliest.

Modi accepted the invitation to visit Bhutan on mutually convenient dates.

During the day, Modi also held meeting with his counterparts from Mauritius and Nepal, along with meeting the Presidents of Kyrgyz Republic, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

--IANS

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Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologize for his trip to Pakistan in December last year.

Kashyap vented his frustration following the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India's decision to not screen movies with Pakistani actors, a move that has hit hard Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" which features Pakistani Fawad Khan.

"We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it. 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', with you on this Karan Johar," Kashyap tweeted.

"Narendra Modi Sir, you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM. It was December 25. Same time KJo was shooting 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'? Why?" Anurag asked.

"Narendra Modi, why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent? Narendra Modi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money, while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest.

"I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don't get it. Sorry if you feel offended. By the way, Bharat Mata ki Jai Sir Narendra Modi," added Kashyap.

On his way home from Kabul, Modi halted in Lahore in December last year for a surprise meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

Kashyap has directed films like "Black Friday", "Dev.D", "Gulaal", "That Girl in Yellow Boots", "Gangs of Wasseypur" and "Bombay Velvet".

Earlier this year, Kashyap also drew Modi's attention to the controversy surrounding the censorship of his co-production film "Udta Punjab", which was later released on June 17.

The Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India on Friday said that movies featuring Pakistani actors would not be screened in single screen theatres in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat.

The decision came amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions in the wake of a terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Army's surgical strikes on Pakistani territory.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's "Raees" is also under the radar for featuring Pakistan actress Mahira Khan.

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday thanked his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay for the support given by the Himalayan kingdom after last month's cross-border terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri.

He spoke during a bilateral meeting with Tobgay who has come here to attend the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit.

"The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Tobgay for the very strong support that Bhutan had rendered after the Uri terror attack as also the solidarity shown in relation to the Saarc summit," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said at a media briefing here after the meeting.

"He (Tobgay) said that the people and the government of Bhutan were deeply concerned at the deteriorating security situation in the region, caused entirely on account of terrorism," he said.

"He said that in all its forms is unacceptable, but cross-border and he specifically used the word cross border is truly the worst form of terrorism."

The September 18 cross-border terror attack on an army camp at Uri claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers.

Blaming the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the attack, New Delhi launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad internationally.

Modi also pulled out of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November this year blaming Pakistan for state sponsorship of terrorism.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan too followed suit citing the same reason while Sri Lanka held that a Saarc summit would not be possible in India's absence.

As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India chose to invite neighbouring countries from the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The invitation to Bimstec countries is being seen as another move by India to isolate Pakistan internationally.

In Sunday's meeting, Tobgay said that said that the whole region and the international community had stood with India in the aftermath of the Uri terrorist attack and Bhutan stood shoulder to shoulder with India.

"In particular, he praised Prime Minister Modi's leadership on the issue, both diplomatically and on the ground," Swarup said.

Tobgay conveyed his appreciation for India's assistance which is touching the lives of every Bhutanese.

"In this context, he referred to the 84 big projects which are being implemented with Indian assistance and the 595 small development projects which he said had reached every village and town of Bhutan," said Swarup, adding Tobgay also talked about two or three projects that had been announced during Modi's 2014 visit to Bhutan.

"He said that the e-library project had been going very well and 72 schools had joined that project.

"He praised the initiative to double the Nehru-Wangchuk scholarships which have now enabled young Bhutanese to access some of the best educational institutes in India."

The Bhutanese Prime Minister said that the cooperation in the hydro-electrical sector was very significant because it was also contributing to offsetting carbon dioxide emissions.

"There was then a discussion on the upcoming 50 years of diplomatic ties between India and Bhutan which is coming up in 2018 and he (Tobgay) sought PM's advise and suggestions as to how both countries could celebrate the occasion in a befitting manger," Swarup said.

(Mayabhushan Nagvenkar can be contacted at mayabhushan@gmail.com)

--IANS

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North Korea had test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile, but it ended in a failure, South Korea's military said on Sunday.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement that North Korea fired what is believed to be a Musudan missile at 12.33 p.m. on Saturday near an airport in North Pyongan province, Xinhua news agency reported.

The test-launch, the JCS said, failed as the missile exploded soon after its lift-off.

The failed launch came on the day that the US and South Korea wrapped up their joint naval exercises that had started on Monday in all of the three seas around South Korea.

The US military mobilised its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to participate in the week-long drill, which also involved seven American warships and some 40 South Korean battleships as well as fighter jets, maritime patrol airplanes and helicopters.

On June 22, Pyongyang launched a Musudan medium-range missile, flying some 400 km after reaching as high as 1,413.6 km.

It was seen as a considerable technological advance and the first success by North Korea after several failures.

--IANS

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Chinese President Xi Jinping said that his country is ready to align development strategies with Nepal and hopes to build the two neighbours into a community of shared destiny.

Xi met with Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Saturday along the sidelines of the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS.

"Since the two countries established diplomatic ties more than half a century ago, China-Nepal relations have withstood the vicissitudes of international situations and maintained stable development," Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying.

He called on the two countries to strengthen political communication, enhance mutual support on each other's core interests and to promote cooperation in their pursuit of development.

China is ready to support Nepal in its post-earthquake reconstruction and take part in construction of special economic zones and industrial parks in Nepal, Xi added.

For his part, Prime Minister Dahal said that Nepal views China as a reliable development partner and is ready to develop a more comprehensive partnership with China, he added.

Dahal also conveyed Nepal's willingness to participate in connectivity construction within the frameworks of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Nepal is a member of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a regional mechanism which is aimed at connecting South Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

On the margins of their summit in Goa, Xi and other BRICS leaders will hold dialogues with their BIMSTEC counterparts.

--IANS

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Humankind's capacity to comprehend pales before its ability to misinterpret or misappropriate -- and neither prophet nor philosopher is immune. For the latter, none can beat this lonely, tragic but most misunderstood philosopher, sought to be owned by both extremes of the political spectrum (and many others), but still going on to influence a large swathe of the cultural and intellectual history to our times.

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), whose 172nd birthday would have been on Saturday, was arguably one of a trinity, along with Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud, from a German-Central European cultural milieu who have shaped the world we live in -- though whether for good or worse can be debated.

Though all had their share of grief in their life, Nietzsche was the worst sufferer -- for unlike the others, his thought was also hijacked, and used to support the things he was most against -- anti-Semitism, racism and nationalism. The most egregious culprits were the Nazis -- due to the complicity of his own sister.

But on one hand, he outstripped the other two, for despite being unlucky in life and love, contradictory and provocative in thought but most accessible too (for a philosopher and that too a German philosopher), almost unknown in his time and spending his last decade as a mental wreck, he would prove more durable.

A key inspiration for existentialism, post-modernism, post-structuralism and deconstructionism, among others, Nietzsche would also go on to influence trends in art, literature, psychology, especially psychoanalysis, politics and popular culture.

A partial list of those who read him with interest or were influenced by him include philosophers Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Michel Foucault, Theodore Adorno and Ayn Rand; sociologist Max Weber; composers Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler; novelists Franz Kafka, Joseph Conrad, Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, James Joyce and D. H. Lawrence; psychologists Freud (who was almost a disciple), Carl Gustav Jung, Alfred Adler and Abraham Maslow; poets Rainer Maria Rilke, W.B. Yeats, and Muhammad Iqbal; painters Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso; playwrights George Bernard Shaw and Eugene O'Neill, as well as authors like H.P. "Cthulhu mythos" Lovecraft, Robert E. "Conan the Barbarian" Howard, and Jack London. Among other readers were the Nazis (though it is not clear if Adolf Hitler actually read him) and Benito Mussolini; and Charles de Gaulle and Richard Nixon.

But what was his philosophy all about, and why is it important? It is because he posed important questions such as "Is God dead?", if morality is just a "useful mistake", can science explain anything, what education should be like and whether we should give primacy to instinct over reason, and why maintaining individuality is important.

In about two decades, Nietzsche produced a considerable amount of work, dealing with subjects like morality, aesthetics, tragedy, atheism and consciousness. Prominent motifs include the dichotomy (but not always) of the Apollonian and Dionysian influences and approaches to culture, the "master-slave morality", how to live after the "death of God", "Ubermensch" (usually translated as 'Superman' but more correctly "Over-Man", and based on individual accomplishment, not racial descent as per the Nazis) and eternal recurrence, positing a cyclical view of the universe, existence and action.

A plus point is his easy, readable style, though being paradoxical, polemical and provocative, unlike the dense language and special vocabulary of the usual philosophy classics. Nietzsche had a particular fondness for the aphorism -- the "soundbite of philosophy" -- with some best-known examples being "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you", and "What does not kill him, makes him stronger" (not "What does not kill me, makes me stronger").

And he had not his qualms about his own capability. His 'autobiography' "Ecce Homo", has sections titled "Why I am So Clever" and "Why I Write Such Wonderful Books".

Though well-regarded on the continent, even despite the Nazi attempts to suborn him by selective use of his works, Nietzsche didn't have an easy time in the English-speaking world. First, the translations were very bad, the attitude of those like Bertrand Russell was negative, the prevailing Analytical School had nothing much to do with his theories, and even P.G. Wodehouse was critical. "You would not enjoy Nietzsche, sir. He is fundamentally unsound," Jeeves tells his master, Bertie Wooster, in "Carry On Jeeves".

It was only due to the new translations of his works like "The Birth of Tragedy", (the rather unfortunately ambiguously-named) "The Gay Science", "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", "Beyond Good and Evil", and "Twilight of the Idols" by German-American philosopher Walter Arnold Kaufmann and Oxford scholar R.J. Hollingdale did the English world appreciate him.

Though Nietzsche is readable in the original -- and worth reading -- the best course will be to begin with a guide like Laurence Gane and (illustrator) Piero's "Introducing Nietzsche: A Graphic Guide" or Michael Tanner's "Nietzsche: A Very Short Introduction" in the admirable Oxford University Press Series.

(Vikas Datta is an Associate Editor at IANS. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)

--IANS

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India has setup numerous regulators. The 25 years of experience with regulators is a story of skirmishes between departments of government and the regulators they created. These problems are caused by faulty structuring of the regulators. Eight simple principles will draw the lines properly. If all parties will use these principles, they will yield a harmonious relationship and high performance.
With reference to Archis Mohans report, BJP to use surgical strikes as its chief plank in UP polls (October 14), it does not augur well for the Bharatiya Janata Party to chalk out such an ill-conceived electoral plan aimed at driving home the message of the political will by the Narendra Modi government.
The proposed Uniform Civil Code may appear to be an attractive proposition, but it is not quite desirable in the Indian context. It will likely paint all people in one colour and tamper with Indias diversity and pluralism, which are its strengths, not brittle weaknesses.
elections have largely been bipolar contests, mostly predictable. The voters invariably threw out the incumbent. That was until 2012, when neither pollsters nor politicians could read the mood. The entry of a third contender, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in the coming 2017 Assembly polls in the border state has made predicting the outcome that much more difficult.
Monday will see L Ganesan, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran from Tamil Nadu, elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. He will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Najma Heptullah, now governor of Manipur. The election to one seat in the Telangana Legislative Council will also be on Monday. The vacancy was caused following the resignation of state minister T Nageswara Rao. Counting for the bypoll to the council (with MLAs as voters) will be completed on Monday. Rao resigned from the House as he was elected to the Legislative Assembly in a bypoll.
Kranti Morcha (MKM), the coordinating body for the agitation by the community for educational and job quotas, says other sections of society are attempting to isolate them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon visit Chennai to enquire about the health status of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who has been hospitalised, minister of State for highways and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan said on Sunday.

"The Prime Minister is keen to know about the health condition of and get updates on it and will soon visit Chennai," he told reporters nearby Tirupur.

was admitted to Apollo hospital on September 22 for fever and dehydration.

A galaxy of leaders, including Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and top BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Amit Shah had visited the hospital since then to enquire about her health status.

On the Cauvery Management Board, Radhakrishnan expressed hope that the Centre would form it soon to protect the rights of Tamil Nadu.

He alleged that Congress and other parties were making it a political issue only to divert the attention of people from their "failure".

He noted that Congress-led UPA government, of which DMK was also a part, had done nothing in this regard when in power.

Several organisations, including farmers' outfits, had held protests across Tamil Nadu on October 14, demanding that the Centre set up the CMB.

Radhakrishnan was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the two-day BJP state Executive committee meeting, which began at Tirupur on Sunday.
In a major success, the Uttar Pradesh Police nabbed 10 Naxals including a self-styled commander carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh during simultaneous raids here and in Chandauli district which yielded a huge cache of arms and weapons.

Police claimed a major attack in Delhi and NCR has been averted with the arrest.

IG (Special Task Force) Aseem Arun said nine Naxals were arrested from Noida during night-long raids that continued till this morning.

Of the nine, six were picked up last night and three this morning. Another was arrested from Chandauli, adjoining Bihar, he said.

Giving details, the STF officer said that acting on a tip off, a raid was conducted in an apartment in Sector 49 here.

Pradeep Singh Kharwar from Bariatu village in Jharkhand's Latehar district was arrested during a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and intelligence agencies last night.

The self-styled area commander was hiding in Noida since February 2012. He carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his arrest.

These Naxals were active in eastern UP and adjoining parts of Bihar and had made Noida their base. They had rented two flats and posed as property dealers, Arun said.

He said 550 live cartridges, an INSAS rifle, two other rifles and three self-loading rifle magazines were recovered from them besides a huge quantity of explosives and detonators.

The recovery of the INSAS rifle showed that they must have looted it from security personnel as the weapon is used by them against the ultras, he said.

He also said that one of those arrested, Ranjit Paswan, owed allegiance to erstwhile People's War Group. He used to be the self-styled area commander of PWG and was active in Sasaram district of Bihar.

The IG said more arrests are likely as the crackdown on the left-wing extremists would continue.

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Four youths from African countries were today injured when a car they were travelling in hit a bus on the Jalandhar-Ludhiana National Highway, police said.

They said the incident took place on in Phillaur area in Jalandhar district when the four, three of them women, were going towards Ludhiana.

They said the four occupants were injured and rushed to a Ludhiana hospital where their condition is stated to be out of danger.

Police said they are trying to ascertain the nationalities of the injured youths.

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Five persons and a jeweller have been arrested in connection with several robbery cases in Central Delhi and a huge amount of stolen goods, including melted silver, were recovered from them, police said today.

The five -- Mossim, Yusuf, Shahid, Sajid and Anwar -- were arrested on October 13 from near Anand Vihar Railway Station on the basis of a tip that a gang of robbers would be coming there to travel to their native place.

During their interrogation, the accused persons disclosed that they have committed many incidents of burglary and also prior involvement in other such cases lodged in different police stations of Delhi, police said.

At their instance, jeweller Rajesh Kumar Soni was also arrested and over three kilograms of melted silver was recovered from him, police said.

As per the police, Soni, who ran a jewellery shop in Ghaziabad, UP, had purchased stolen jewellery from the five at cheap rates to sell them for a profit.

Apart from the silver, over Rs 15,000 stolen cash, three laptops, three LED TVs, 21 mobiles, a digital camera, some silver jewellery and coins, wrist watches and wi-fi devices were also recovered from the accused.

According to the police, all five Bihar-natives were residing on rent at Gazipur village in Delhi and were married.

While trying to get jobs, they had come in contact with some bad elements and had started consuming liquor, and to run their homes and bear the expenses of liquor they started committing burglary, police said.

Regarding the jeweller, police has said that he was bankrupt and in need of money when the five had approached him with stolen ornaments.

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At least eight Egyptian policemen were killed in North Sinai as the army began a major operation to root out terrorists after the Friday's deadly attack by the Islamic State which left 12 soldiers dead.

A police officer and four conscripts were killed yesterday after armed terrorists attacked a security patrol in Abu Taweela village in Shiekh Zwayed city of North Sinai. Eight conscripts were injured in the same incident, security sources cited by the local media said.

Another officer was killed in el-Mokataa village after a sniper shot him in the head during a mission in the village located in Sheikh Zwayed.

At el-Gora villages in Sheikh Zwayed, a conscript was also killed and two others were injured after a roadside bomb targeted their armored vehicle. A police official was killed and a conscript injured in other attacks in the city, they said.

Yesterday, the Egyptian military spokesperson Mohamed Samir said in a statement that the army has launched a major campaign to target terrorists and outlawed elements in several areas of North and Central Sinai.

Samir said the campaign is bolstered by ongoing airstrikes against the militant positions where security operations are taking place.

This is the second comprehensive campaign launched by the army since the three-stage campaign of the "Martyr's Right", the largest and most comprehensive military operation that aimed at rooting out militants based in the restive North Sinai region.

The first stage of "Martyr's Right" was launched by security forces in response to an attack in October 2014 that killed 33 security personnel.

The recent campaign was launched after the terror attack on a security checkpoint in North Sinai by the Islamic State on Friday that killed 12 soldiers.

Egypt has witnessed a series of terrorist attacks targeting policemen, judges and military personnel in different parts of the country.

Since the 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak, North Sinai, base of a number of extremist outlaw groups, became the main stage of many violent attacks by Takfiri gunmen.

The attacks increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 following massive protests against his rule.

Over 700 security personnel have been reportedly killed since then. The military has launched security campaigns in the area, arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.

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AAP MLA and party's Gujarat affairs in-charge Gulab Singh today surrendered before Surat Police and was arrested by Delhi Police after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him in connection with an extortion case.

Yadav's arrest has come hours ahead of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal's public rally in the city.

"Delhi Police had come here with a non-bailable warrant against Gulab Singh. He learnt about it before hand and came to Urma police station where we handed him over to Delhi Police," Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said.

The Delhi Police will take Yadav to a court to secure a transit remand.

Before leaving for Umra police station to surrender, Yadav told reporters at the circuit house, "I have learnt that Delhi Police have come to Surat to arrest me. So I am going to Umra police station to court arrest and ask Delhi Police to pick me from there."



"I am in Gujarat since September 6 and I was here when the FIR was filed on September 13. Police raided my office and got nothing incriminating. The Centre is directing arrest of AAP MLAs but we are not going to bow and are ready for any consequences," he alleged.

Last month, two property dealers, Deepak Sharma and Rinku Diwan, had alleged that Satish and Devinder, who work in Yadav's office, and an associate Jagdish, were extorting money from them by threatening to get demolished the building from where they were operating.

A case under section 384 (punishment for extortion) IPC was registered at Bindapur police station on September 13.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal, who is on a four-day visit to Gujarat, alleged while talking to reporters in Vadodara before leaving for Surat that BJP president Amit Shah was trying to affect the rally.

"I appeal to Amit Shah ji that this is not my rally but that of the public ... You see 13 MLAs have been arrested by Delhi Police on the direction from the BJP," he said.

Confirming the MLA's arrest, Joint Commissioner of Police, South West Delhi, Deependra Pathak said, "He will be brought back to Delhi today to join the probe in the FIR of extortion in which he has also been named."



The non-bailable warrant (NBW) was issued against Singh, who is MLA from Delhi's Matiala, on October 14 for allegedly not joining probe in the case.

Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who is attending the AAP rally in Surat, said Singh's arrest was a turning point in Gujrat politics.

"Gulab singh arrested hours before historical rally in Surat," he tweeted.

"This was done to prevent Gulab Singh from reaching the rally. The politics of Gujrat will change for ever from today," he said in a note posted on Twitter.

Singh's alleged associates Satish, Devinder and Jagdish were arrested and a probe was taken up in the matter which revealed that the "organised extortion racket" had been operating with the knowledge of the MLA, police claimed.

Following the investigation, Singh was named in the FIR and issued notices to join the investigation but he did not turn up for questioning, they said.

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A rape accused who had allegedly fled from police custody while being taken to court has been apprehended by Delhi Police after a three-day manhunt.

Wasim, who is accused of committing sexual offences against a minor apart from rape and robbery, was arrested on October 14 from Jahangir Puri area of north west Delhi.

One spring actuated knife and a dagger were seized from his possession at the time of arrest.

He had fled from police custody on October 11 when he was being taken to court after he was arrested on October 9 for allegedly abducting a minor girl.

According to the police, after escaping from police custody he had visited the residence of the woman whose daughter he had allegedly abducted and threatened them to withdraw their case.

A complaint was lodged by the woman after she got the threat and policemen in plain clothes were deputed near her home, police said.

Thereafter, the police had received a tip that the accused was roaming near Shah Alam Bandh road area of police station Jahangir Puri and a team was dispatched to apprehend him.

According to the police, the accused is a bad character of the area who is involved in around 25 criminal cases including burglary, rape, abduction and robbery.

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Telugu filmstar and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan is causing jitters to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) even as it aims for an "opposition-free" Andhra Pradesh.

"Do not turn Tunduru into a Nandigram," Kalyan warned the TDP government at Hyderabad yesterday as he expressed solidarity with the farmers and fishermen of Narsapuram division who were agitating against the Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park coming up in West Godavari district with financial support from the Centre.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who usually remains indifferent to any issue raised by the Opposition, was forced to take "corrective action" after Kalyan backed the agitation.

He hurriedly convened an "unscheduled" meeting today with West Godavari Collector Katamaneni Bhaskar and the MLAs in the district to discuss the "fall-out" of the project and the "corrective steps" to be taken.

"If the food park causes pollution, we will certainly not allow it. But, we are taking steps to lay separate pipelines to let out the waste from the factories directly into the sea," the chief minister told the meeting.

He also asked the officials "not to hesitate" in taking action against the owners if environmental norms were violated.

A committee under the chairmanship of the Collector would be constituted to resolve the controversy, Naidu said.

Separately, state Agriculture Minister P Pulla Rao said the government would take Kalyan's suggestions "into consideration" before going ahead with the project.

This was not the first time Naidu had to swing into action to contain the damage after the Jana Sena Party chief raised an issue.

The government beat a hasty retreat after Kalyan expressed



solidarity with the villagers of the Amaravati region who opposed the "forcible" acquisition of over 1,800 acres of land for the new state capital.

Be it the Kapu reservation issue or the special category status for Andhra Pradesh, the Jana Sena Party chief's intervention pushed the government on the defensive.

Kalyan, known to be a maverick, cannot be ignored as he wields a considerable clout among certain sections of the state, political observers say.

The fact that he played a significant role in TDP's electoral victory in 2014 and the perception that he could as easily shatter the ruling party's ambitious dream of remaining in power for 20 years make Kalyan a formidable challenge.

Hence, TDP is always seeking to keep him in good humour, according to political analysts.
Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt says she had a good experience playing a DJ in Karan Johar's upcoming film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil".

The "Udta Punjab" star will be seen in a cameo in the romantic-drama. This is the second time she has worked in Johar's directorial project, after her debut film "Student of the Year".

When asked about her role, Alia told reporters, "I'vealready been that (DJ, in the film). I hope it feels better to watch on screen. It was a very nice experience, getting to work second time with Karan. It was really good."



When prodded further, the actress said, "Watch the cameo in the film, it is very good."



"Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" stars Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma in lead roles. It also features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a special appearance.

Alia was speaking at the Filmfare Glamour and Style awards here last night.

The actress said she considers megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Kangana Ranaut to be stylish.

"I think Mr Bachchan is very glamorous. He is very classily glamorous. And I feel Kangana is very glamorous too."



Alia, meanwhile, will be next seen in "Dear Zindagi" and "Badrinath ki Dulhaniya", which stars Varun Dhawan.

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Widows of debt-ridden farmers, who committed suicide, will tomorrow flag off Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh's three-day 'Kisan Bus Yatra' which will cover over 500 km in seven districts.

The yatra will be launched at the Congress Bhawan where these widows have been invited to join the party's efforts to alleviate the sufferings of farmers in the state.

A statement of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) said the move is more than a symbolic gesture and underlined the party's unwavering commitment to safeguard the interests of the farming community.

Amarinder's bus yatra and roadshow comes at a time when the state is "reeling under a spate of farmer suicides," it said, adding the yatra underscores the trust of the community in the Congress leader.

The PPCC president has repeatedly promised that once his party comes in power it would take immediate steps to alleviate the sufferings of the farmers.

He already promised to waive off the debts of farmers and assured them of all possible support in their fight against the anti-farmer policies of the Parkash Singh Badal government.

Meanwhile, furious activity is underway in Punjab Bhawan for the last-minute arrangements ahead of the yatra. The PPCC president will travel in a specially designed bus, equipped with basic facilities for his stay.

The bus has a hydraulic platform from where Amarinder will address farmer meetings. A microphone and speaker system has been fitted inside to enable the bus to double up as a mobile public address platform for impromptu meetings.

The yatra will cover the districts of Moga, Faridkot, Ludhiana, Bathinda, Muktsar, Jalalabad and Ferozpur.

Amarinder is expected to be joined by several senior party leaders along the route which will be dotted by kisan sabhs and mandi meetings, in addition to the roadshow.

Branded with the campaign message of 'Karza-Kurki Khatam, Fasal Di Poori Rakam', the hi-tech bus has been designed to connect with the deepest aspirations of the debt-ridden farmers of the state.

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Asserting that Americans have had enough of the Clintons over the past few decades, Republican presidential nominee has claimed that the US citizens will say "enough is enough" to them in the upcoming general election.

"Americans have had it with the years, the decades, of Clinton Corruption. They get rich stealing your jobs and shipping them to other countries. This will finally be the year the American people say: Enough is Enough," Trump, 70, said at an election rally in New Hampshire on Saturday.

He alleged that Hillary Clinton had spoken in secret to a foreign bank that her dream was totally "open trade and open borders".

"By 'open trade' she means foreign countries can cheat us out of millions of jobs and trillions of dollars. By 'open borders' she means totally unlimited immigration," he alleged.

"When she thought no one was listening, Hillary Clinton was plotting to destroy the sovereignty of the United States. Either we win the election, or we lose the country. A Trump administration will secure and defend our borders. And yes, we will build a wall," he said.

Announcing his action plan to handle drug menace in the country, Trump said he will dismantle the illegal immigrant cartels and violent gangs and send them swiftly out of the country.

"We will aggressively prosecute traffickers of illegal drugs, and provide law enforcement and prosecutors with the resources and support they need to do their jobs," he said.

"We will close the shipping loopholes that China and others are exploiting to send dangerous drugs across our borders in the hands of our own postal service. These traffickers use loopholes in the Postal Service to mail fentanyl and other drugs to users and dealers in the US," he claimed.

He said a Trump administration will crack down on the abuse and give law enforcement the tools they need to accomplish this mission.

"We will fix the misguided rules and regulations that have made this problem worse," Trump said.

Alleging that since China's entry in the World Trade Organisation, 70,000 factories have shut down or left the US, Trump said the country was living through the greatest jobs theft in the history of the world.

"If I win, day one, we are going to announce our plans to renegotiate NAFTA. If we don't get the deal we want, we'll leave NAFTA and start over to get a much better deal," he said.

Trump also said as part of his plan to bring back jobs, his administration will lower business tax from 35 per cent to 15 per cent.

"We will have a 10 per cent tax on money parked overseas, bringing trillions in wealth back into our country," he said.

"We will become the great jobs magnet of the world. Wages will rise, jobs will return, and factories will come rushing onto our shores," he said.

"We are going to have the biggest tax cut since Ronald Reagan; eliminate every unnecessary regulation; defend religious liberty; reduce the cost of tuition; rebuild our depleted military and take care of our vets," he said.
Aligarh Muslim University Teachers' Association (AMUTA) has written a letter to the Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC), seeking a high-level probe into the alleged irregularities at AMU during the tenure of the present vice-chancellor.

The Executive Committee of the passed a resolution on Saturday, urging that the HRD Ministry to conduct an enquiry into the alleged irregularities in appointments, promotions and admissions during the tenure of the VC Lt General Zameeruddin Shah.

This move comes ahead of celebrations of the varsity's annual founders day tomorrow in which UGC Chairman Ved Prakash will be the chief guest.

Secretary Mustpha Zaidi told newspersons that they would extend a welcome to Prakash but "would urge him to expedite the long-standing demand of teachers for a probe".

"A recent report of the Auditor General had reported a large number of irregularities in financial affairs of the University and these should also be covered in the probe," he said.
Regional biscuit player is looking to double its turnover to Rs 2,400 crore in three years as it expands its operations across the country and completes a restructuring exercise.

"We are looking at doubling our turnover to Rs 2,400 crore in three years. We are strong brand in East India and North India...This year we will launch operations in South and then move to West. We have also undertaken restructuring to improve our efficiency," Promoter and MD Gobind Ram Choudhary told PTI.

The company, which reported a turnover of Rs 1,200 crore in the previous fiscal, is expecting to close the current year at Rs 1,440 crore.

The company is also looking at raising funds from the public in two years time.

"We have undertaken restructuring and are preparing to come out with initial public offering. We have started working for that," he said.

Elaborating on the restructuring exercise, he said: "We have changed our logo, shifted focus on efficiency and appointed independent directors..We will also begin to work on the valuation."



In order to give tough competition to established players in the new market it enters, the company is also expanding its product portfolio of biscuits, cookies, cakes and rusks.

The company recently invested Rs 100 crore for new biscuit plant in Odisha to cater the to the Southern market.

"Apart from this plant, we plan to invest Rs 100 crore to set up a plant in Maharashtra to cater to demands of the customers in Western market," Choudhary said.

is a family held business that operates with a sales network of over 15 lakh retailers and more than 2,000 channel partners. It employs over 2,000 people.
Wading into the row over ban on the release of films with Pakistani artistes due to tension between the two countries, filmmaker on Sunday said when Indian filmmakers are being penalised, the Prime Minister should also apologise for his Lahore trip.

Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI)'s decision has put a question mark on the release of Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hain Mushkil", featuring Fawad Khan, by announcing no films with Pakistani actors will be screened in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka in the aftermath of Uri attack.

Kashyap, 44, said that why should only filmmakers, who have completed shoot of their respective films, have to face the situation of a ban.

"@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why?" Kashyap wrote on Twitter.

"@narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent?"



Bringing into focus the money that the producers' would lose when a film's release is stalled, the "Bombay Velvet" helmer, said, "@narendramodi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money, while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest."



"@narendramodi I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don't get it. Sorry if you feel offended..

"Btw Bharat Mata ki Jai Sir @narendramodi," Kashyap tweeted.
Two armed men looted a bag containing Rs 70 lakh cash, including foreign currency, from a foreign currency exchanger here today, police said.

The incident happened at around 8.45 am when the victim, Vijay Goyal, was on his way to his shop on a two-wheeler with the bag, they added.

Around 200 meters from his home, two armed men with their faces covered intercepted him and snatched the bag at gunpoint, police said, adding that the robbers also took away Goyal's two-wheeler.

The victim has told the police that the bag contained Rs 40 lakh in Indian currency and foreign currency worth Rs 30 lakh, said DSP (Jagraon) Rashpal Singh.

The entire incident was recorded in a CCTV camera installed at a nearby house, he said, adding that the police were going through the footage to identify the accused and a case was registered in this regard.

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An Indian army jawan was killed as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire twice in the day today along the LoC in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The ceasefire violations by Pakistan took place on a day when India hosted leaders of a number of countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, for BRICS and BIMSTEC Summits.

"There was ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along LoC in Rajouri sector resulting in death of a soldier today," a senior Army officer said about the incident in the evening.

The area in which incident took place falls in Tarkundi belt of Rajouri district.

Earlier in the morning too, there was unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops who used small arms to target Indian forward areas in Naushera sector of the same district along the LoC, Defence PRO said.

Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in that exchange.

A senior Army officer said there have been over 25 ceasefire violations along the LoC since the surgical strikes by Indian Army in PoK on September 29 to dismantle terror launching pads.

In the firing and shelling, five civilians and four armymen have sustained injuries in Poonch district.

Nine Pakistani armymen have been injured in retaliatory action by Indian troops along LoC.

On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Pooch district resulting in injuries to one jawan.

On October 5, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shelling and firing with five ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along LoC in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts.

They fired mortar bombs and used small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district.

Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district.

On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling from 1915 hours along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district.

On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS amid small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district.

On September 30, Pakistani troops restored to small arms firing along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.

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Congress today sought to downplay the triple talaq issue, saying the "matter is in Supreme Court", while former Rajya Sabha MP Obaidullah Khan Azmi, a new recruit in the party, asserted that he will oppose any "wrong move" on the issue by the government.

Azmi, who had vehemently opposed the Supreme Court judgment in Shah Bano case, said, "I am an office-bearer of All-India Muslim Personal Board. If the government tries to misuse it or make any wrong move on the issue then I will fight against it. I will oppose it in my individual capacity."



Azmi said this when asked about his stand on the triple talaq issue in the presence of senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.

However, Azad tried to play it down saying, "since the matter is in the Supreme Court, there will be no discussion on it."



He said the BJP-led government is trying to divert the attention of the people from their promises made during the Lok Sabha elections by raising such issues.

"(Priem Minister Narendra) Modi had said there will be no unemployment, price rise will be curbed, black money stashed abroad will be returned to the country. So what happened to those promises? The government has failed miserably in fulfilling any promise. That is why they (BJP) want to keep people engaged in other issues. So one should not fall into the trap," he said.

To a question on filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's tweet seeking the Prime Minister's response on the issue of banning Pakistan artists, Azad took a potshot at Modi's Pakistan trip, saying "I have never gone to Pakistan, neither do I have any relative in Pakistan. You should ask this question to those who go to attend weddings there."



The release of Karan Johar directed "Ae Dil Hai Muskil" is facing problem because of the involvement of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in the film.

Kashyap, who himself has had run-ins with the censor board, yesterday tweeted "@narendramodi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money,while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest."



Asked about the ongoing infighting between Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the Congress veteran said, "This is a fight between father and son and let them decide it."



However, he added that "Akhilesh seems to be clean."



Welcoming Azmi into Congress fold, Azad said, "He has rich political experience. He is also a secular person and we welcome him into our party today.

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Leaders of the BRICS-BIMSTEC countries were today unanimous in condemning terrorism and supported India's calls for intensified joint efforts to combat the menace.

Speaking at the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit, held at Mobor in Cavelossim, 50 kms from Panaji, after the 8th BRICS Summit concluded today, many leaders also condemned the Uri terror attack.

Myanmarese leader Aung San Suu Kyi said both groupings need to make partnerships not just for opportunities but fortacklingchallenges as well.

"Our region is facing numerous threats, including rising terrorism and violent extremism," she said, adding that one needs to explore causes of extremism which is root cause of terrorism.

Condemning the Uri attack, she said, "We know too well the cost of conflict. We would like our world to be a kinder world."



"I have wanted my country to be a part of a more progressive world, not just a material world but a more progressive human world," she said.

Suu Kyi also highlighted the issue of human trafficking and said, "We must save millions from being trapped under human trafficking. We need to intensify global efforts to combat this."



Russian President Vladmir Putin, who did not speak about terrorism at the BRICS meet, came out strongly against the menace at the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet.

"We want to fight terrorism together. We will all collectively work on it," he said.

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' also laid stress on countering terror and said, "We must fight terror on all fronts."



He also emphasised greater use of green and clean energy for development.

Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to the late king of Thailand. "We have lost a wise man and a friend of people," she said.

She congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing BRICS-BIMSTEC leaders on a single table. "We need to adopt technologies to cope with challenges of climate change," she said.

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British Prime Minister Theresa May today said she will visit India next month for her first bilateral visit outside Europe during which she will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK strategic partnership post-Brexit.

May, 60, will be in India between November 6 and 8 on the invitation of Modi.

She will be accompanied by her international trade minister Liam Fox and a business delegation drawn from regions across the UK as "examples of the best of British business".

"The relationships between our two countries are strong, and the Indian diaspora plays a vital role in our national life," May said.

"In my talks with Prime Minister Modi, I want to build on our relationship for the benefit of both our countries, generating jobs and wealth and maintaining cooperation on defence and security," the Prime Minister said.

"As we leave the European Union, we have the chance to forge a new global role for the UK - to look beyond our continent and towards the economic and diplomatic opportunities in the wider world. I am determined to capitalise on those opportunities and as we embark on the trade mission to India, we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade," May said.

While in India, the British Prime Minister will hold discussions with Modi and a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit.

The India-UK partnership has moved into a new era, with Britain voting to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum in June and leading to the resignation of then prime minister David Cameron.

May will land in New Delhi, where she will inaugurate the India-UK TECH Summit alongside Modi.

The TECH Summit, described as South Asia's largest technology conference, will provide a platform for promoting technology-intensive trade between the two countries.

Fox will also attend another major international event, the Joint Economic and Trade Committee where UK and Indian leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs will meet to discuss how to take the bilateral partnership to the next level.

May also sought to set her trade delegation apart from the



ones in the past led by her predecessor Cameron by highlighting the small and medium enterprise representation.

"In the past, the focus of trade delegations has been big businesses, but I want to take a new approach that recognises the full range of British business. So this time we will be focussing on small and medium sized businesses - and, importantly, the delegation will include representation from every region of the UK.

"I want to create an economy that truly works for everyone - and this new approach to international trade missions will help achieve just that," May said.

The small and medium enterprises accompanying her will include Geolang, an innovative cyber security company based in Cardiff, Torftech, a creative energy company based in the South-East, and Telensa, a company focussed on smart city solutions based in Cambridge.

India is now the UK's second largest international job creator. Last year, India created 7,105 new jobs in Britain through 140 projects, and in total Indian companies currently employ over 100,000 people in the UK.

May has repeatedly named India among the priority countries to strike trade deals as the UK leaves the EU following the June 23 referendum.

The visit will mark her second trip to India.

In her capacity as UK Home Secretary, she previously visited New Delhi and Hyderabad on November 27-29, 2012, where she visited the National Police Academy and held talks with ministers and the National Security Adviser on bilateral security cooperation.

Earlier in New Delhi, the External Affairs Ministry said, "This will be her first bilateral visit outside Europe. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit".
China is ready for its longest-ever manned space mission with a spacecraft carrying two astronauts set to lift off tomorrow to dock with an experimental lab for a month-long stay under the Communist giant's ambitious plans to establish its own permanent space station by 2022.

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng, 50, and 37-year-old Chen Dong will be transported into space aboard 'Shenzhou-11' (heavenly vessel) spacecraft at 7:30 am (5 am IST) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near the Gobi Desert in northern China.

The mission will be carried out with a Long March-2F carrier rocket, Wu Ping, Deputy Director of China's manned space engineering office said.

It will dock with orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 within two days and the astronauts will stay in the lab for 30 days, she was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua agency.

Hours before the lift-off, the two astronauts appeared in good spirits and answered several questions.

"Although the job is challenging, risky and dangerous, there is nothing more I would rather do," Jing, who is commander of this mission, told reporters.

It will be Jing's third spaceflight following his Shenzhou-7 mission in September 2008 and Shenzhou-9 mission in March 2012.

"[For this mission] we have improved our ability to deal with emergencies, first aid and space experiments," Jing said.

"I will treasure every moment in space and ensure I record my experience in my diary and enjoy the out-of-this- world scenery," Chen said.

China, which conducted its first manned space mission in 2003 that lasted 15 days, is putting in billions into its space programme in a bid to catch up with the US and Europe. It also plans to launch its maiden Mars mission in 2020 to match India and others.

China has said its space program is for peaceful purposes, but it has also tested anti-satellite missiles in addition to its civilian aims.

The Shenzhou-11 spaceship will return to Earth within a day after docking the two astronauts on Tiangong-2 space lab and separating from it, according to Wu.

Jing, who has been to space twice before for Shenzhou-7 mission in 2008 and Shenzhou-9 mission in 2012, will command the mission to the space lab which was launched last month.

With a safe flight record of 1,500 hours as an air force



pilot, Chen became China's second group of astronauts in May 2010, and was selected as a crew member of the Shenzhou-11 mission in June 2016, Wu said. This will be his first space mission.

Other objectives of the manned space mission include aerospace medical experiments, space science experiments and in-orbit maintenance with human participation, as well as other activities, Wu said.

The two astronauts will undertake ultrasound tests during space travel for the first time, cultivate plants in space, and test the three winners of an experiment design competition run in Hong Kong for secondary school students.

Several technical alterations have been made to Shenzhou- 11, though its main functions and technical parameters are basically the same as Shenzhou-10, Wu said.

The space lab is being launched as part China's efforts to set up its own manned space station by 2022, which will make it the only the country to have such a facility in service as the current in-service International Space Station (ISS) retires by 2024.

Lei Fanpei, chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), recently said China plans to launch the experimental core module of its space station around 2018 with a Long March-5 heavy load carrier rocket, and the 20 tonne combination space station will be sent into orbit around 2022.

The space station has a designed life of 10 years in orbit 400 km above the earth surface. With this space station, China will become the second country after Russia to have developed a space station.

China made a three-step strategy in 1992 for its manned space programme, the large-scale manned space station being the last step.
Cult classic "Clue" is set to get a stage adaption.

Inspired by a board game the movie release in 1985.

Penned by original writer/director Jonathan Lynn, the production will premiere at the Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania next year before touring, reported Variety.

The original movie starred Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn, and followed a number of guests at a strange house who have to solve a murder.

The adaptation comes out of the partnership between Broadway producer Araca Group and Hasbro Inc, which already has a Monopoly musical in the works.

A screen remake of the film is also in works. The new version will not be a straight remake, and will also be "action-orientated".

Fox will be overseeing the movie with Hasbro, while Josh Feldman.

The "Clue" stage adaptation will premiere in May 2017, while the movie release date is yet to be announced.

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Punjab Congress today accused Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of "siphoning off" funds sanctioned to purchase stubble burning equipment and machines for the state's farmers.

Farmers are resorting to stubble burning because they do not have the necessary equipment to get rid of paddy residues, state Congress leaders Rana Gurjit Singh, Ajaib S Bhatti and Ajit Inder Singh Mofar said in a joint statement.

They demanded an explanation from the Badal government on where the Rs 10 crore of funds to purchase the machines has gone.

Accusing the Badal government of "siphoning off" the funds, the leaders, citing media reports, said, "The funds have reportedly not even reached the state government or if they have reached the government, then the question arises where the money has disappeared."



According to reports, the state government had sanctioned Rs 10 crore for procurement of 300 happy seeders, 445 choppers and shredders, 125 balers and 125 mould board blows and gyro rakes.

These machines are essential to manage stubble and prevent farmers from burning it, they said.

The Badal government after "vitiating the political atmosphere" is now spoiling the environment by not purchasing these machines, they said, terming Rs 10 crore "quite insufficient" considering the huge requirement of stubble burning machines.

Nearly 30 lakh hectares of land is under paddy production in Punjab and the state needs a large number of these equipment and machines to curb burning of stubble, the leaders said.

Stubble burning-- a deliberate setting stubble residues on fire by farmers to prepare ground for the next crop-- spurts air pollution and state authorities, including the Punjab Pollution Control Board, initiate public awareness drives every year to check it.

The practice carries a penalty under Section 188 of the IPC and every year during the harvesting season district magistrates impose a ban on it.

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A teenager who escaped from the Bhiwandi remand home in the district on October 3 has been apprehended again.

Thane police commissioner Param Bir Singh felicitated the police team which nabbed the juvenile offender two days ago.

Policemen Pravin Ahire, Rhishikesh Sapkal, and Sharad Sanap, attached to MFC police station at Kalyan, were feted and also given cash awards.

On April 14, a gang of youths broke into an apartment in Kalyan, murdered a 22 years old girl, and looted valuables worth Rs 1.6 lakh.

The juvenile who led the gang also allegedly raped her after the murder.

Police traced the juvenile as he had taken away the girl's mobile and was using it. He was put in a remand home.

However, on October 3 he escaped.

Two days ago, when the juvenile went to meet his mother at Milind Nagar, police arrested him.

Two other teenagers who had escaped with him were still at large.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India today received strong support from Bhutan over cross-border terrorism with the Himalayan nation terming it as the "worst form of terrorism".

This view was expressed by Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay during a bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporterson the sidelines of theBRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit at Cavelossim, 50 km from Panaji.

"The Bhutan PM said the people and government of Bhutan were deeply concerned over the deteriorating security situation in the region, caused entirely on account of terrorism.

"He (Tobgay) said that terrorism in all its forms was unacceptable, but cross-border terrorism - he specifically used the word - is truly the worst form of terrorism," Swarup told reporters.

"He said the whole region and the international community had stood with India in the aftermath of the Uri terrorist attack and that Bhutan stands shoulder to shoulder with India," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson said.

"In particular, he praised the PM's leadership on this issue, both diplomatically and on the ground," Swarup said, without specifically mentioning if the Bhutanese leader was lauding Modi for the surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across LoC.

"He then conveyed his appreciation for the government of India's assistance, which is touching the lives of every Bhutanese. He referred to the 84 big projects that are being implemented with Indian assistance and the 595 small development projects, which he said, had reached every small village and town of Bhutan," Swarup said.

The Bhutan PM fondly recalled Modi's visit to their country and said the people of Bhutan were deeply touched that Modi had chosen Bhutan to be the first country for his foreign trip after becoming the PM.

"He also spoke of the three mega power projects, with a combined capacity of 3000 MW, which are being implemented in Bhutan."



Modi thanked Tobgay for the "very strong support" that Bhutan gave after the Uri terror attacks and also the solidarity shown in relation to the SAARC summit.

"Tobgay said the bilateral cooperation in hydel power sector was significant as it was contributing to offsetting the carbon emissions," according to Swarup.

There was also a discussion on the upcoming 50th year of bilateral ties between India and Bhutan, due in 2018, he said.

Tobgay sought Modi's advice on how both countries could celebrate the occasion in abefittingmanner.

"Modi said Goa is not new for Tobgay as he had been here last November. Modi conveyed his greetings to the royal family of Bhutan," Swarup said.

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Actress Rachel McAdams says she finds Benedict Cumberbatch's transformation into Doctor Stephen Strange "really extraordinary".

The 37-year-old actress, who plays the role of Doctor Christine Palmer in the fantasy film, said she could not take her eyes off of her co-star, reported Female First.

"I play an ER trauma doctor who specializes in thoracic surgery, at the Metropolitan Hospital in New York City. Stephen is a very famous, successful neurosurgeon at the same hospital that she works at.

"They are former boyfriend and girlfriend when we pick up in the story. So we start at the end of their relationship, which is a little bit different. It's not a classic love story, which I thought was really clear. Tilda looks incredible as the Ancient One. You can't take your eyes off of her and the same with Benedict. His transformation into Strange is really extraordinary," McAdams said.

Cumberbatch plays the lead role in the movie.

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Metropolitan University of Prague has conferred Honorary Doctorate Degree on Achyuta Samanta, Founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS).

Samanta was conferred with the honour at the Graduation Ceremony of the University yesterday for integrating quality education with human values and social service, a press release here said today.

It is for the first time the Metropolitan University has conferred Honoris Causa to somebody since its inception, it said.

Earlier, he had received two from other universities of Czech Republic, including a 'Silver Medal' for his outstanding social work and contribution to the society.

KIIT has established itself as a centre of excellence in professional education, while KISS is the biggest tribal residential institute in the world.

Expressing his gratitude to the University, Samanta said, "I will continue my commitment to work for the society and determination to create a level playing field for marginalised children. I dedicate this honour to the cause of every underprivileged child of the world".

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That it provides relief to Delhiites from tiresome drudgery is well known, what is not is that the National Zoological park here has also branched into research, offering internship and field training in wild life and environment conservation.

"Delhi zoo is providing internship training to Bachelor of Veterinary Science (B.V.Sc) students from Haryana Agricultural & Veterinary University, Hissar. The Indian Forest Service probationers from Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun, and trainee officers of Diploma in Wild life Management from Wild Life Institute Of India also visit the zoo for their field training," Riyaz Khan, zoo curator said.

"We are calling for entries to our research programme. All interested students and research scholars can write to nzpnewdelhi@gmail.Com with the details of their project," he said.

The official said the zoo was an ideal destination for a range of environment and conservation studies as it houses around 1,355 species of birds and animals.

"Many research studies are being undertaken at the zoo. For example, we have the rare species of black kites and the largest number of brow antlered deer at the zoo. Research enthusiasts from all over the country visit the zoo, given the variety of flora and fauna here," Khan said.

Delhi zoo is also a part of the conservation breeding programmes of the Central Zoo Authority for the Royal Bengal tiger, Indian rhinoceros, swamp deer, Asiatic lion, brow antlered deer and red jungle fowl.

An official of the zoo's research department said trainee officers of various forestry colleges and institutions are imparted field training there.

"The training workshops are also organised for capacity building of zoo personnel from time to time," he said.

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A 72-year-old was shot dead at point-blank range at his residence in suburban Santacruz by an unidentified person, police said on Sunday.

The activist, Bhupendra Vira, who had been fighting against land mafia, unauthorised structures and encroachments in and around Kalina, was attacked last night.

Social activist and former AAP leader Anjali Damania, who had worked with Vira, alleged that he was targeted for taking on the land mafia and demanded immediate arrest of the accused.

"The assailant entered Vira's residence around 9 pm on Saturday, put a gun to his temple and fired. The activist died on the spot," a police officer attached with Vakola police station said.

"A case of murder has been registered against an unidentified person and a police team has been formed to nab the accused. We are also questioning a few people in connection with the case," the officer said.

Another senior police officer said the motive behind the murder was not yet clear. "We are also enquiring whether Vira had approached the police with any complaint- that he faced threat to his life."

Vira is survived by a daughter and two sons. His body was sent to J J Hospital for post-mortem.

Meanwhile, social activist and former AAP leader Anjali Damania, who had worked with Vira, demanded immediate arrest of the accused.

She said Vira was attached to 'Voice of Kalina', an advanced locality management (ALM) body and a citizen's group.

Describing him as committed social worker, Damania said, "Vira along with other members of the ALM were fighting against encroachments, illegal structures and land mafia in and around Kalina by filing RTIs. He had written several letters to authorities including, Lokayukta, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and police, seeking action against illegal structures."

According to her, several activists had received threats and many of them, including Vira, had filed several complaints at Vakola Police Station in this regard.

"Yesterday morning, Vira had persuaded the BMC authorities to issue four notices to a local goon living in the same area," Damania said.

Condemning the brutal murder of the "whistle-blower", Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satish Jain said, "Vira very bravely took on the land mafia in Kalina which was eyeing several properties in that area, including Bhupendra's shop.

"The same mafia, led by an ex-Congress corporator, had stabbed Vira's son four years ago, when he decided to take them head on," he alleged.

"Vira's untiring efforts had resulted in the BMC ordering demolition of four illegal structures, apparently belonging to the mafia," he said.
With the death of one more child, the toll in Japanese Encephalitis outbreak today rose to 54 in over a month in Odisha's Malkangiri district, even as the BJP slammed the state government accusing it of failing to contain the disease.

A two-year-old girl from Padia block died while undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit of the district headquarters hospital here, taking the toll to 54, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Dr U S Mishra said.

Unconfirmed reports, however, put the toll at 57.

The vector-borne disease has affected around 45 villages spread over six blocks in the tribal-dominated Malkangiri district.

At present, 29 children, afflicted with the disease are undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital and four of them are in the ICU in a serious condition, the CDMO said.

So far, 105 out of the 184 children admitted to the district headquarters hospital here with JE have been discharged after being cured, he said.

The deadly disease, which originates from pigs and spreads to humans, mostly children, through mosquitoes, had surfaced in the district around 38 days ago, officials said.

A large number of pigs have been isolated and shifted to over 140 specially set-up enclosures away from human habitations, while fogging and spraying of mosquito repellents have been intensified in more than 100 villages, a senior official said.

Opposition BJP hit out at the BJD government accusing it of having failed to check the spread of the Japanese Encephalitis.

BJP's Odisha unit General Secretary Bhrugu Buxipatra alleged that as per reports collected from different villages of Malkangiri, the disease has claimed the lives of more than 150 children in the backward district, but the state government was trying to hide the facts.

Claiming that the disease had spread to at least 99 villages spread over six blocks of Malkangiri, he asked the state government to make public a detailed list of distribution of 60 lakh mosquito nets supplied by the Centre.

The deaths due to JE in Malkangiri district were due to the delay in the distribution of mosquito nets, he said.

He claimed that the state government, which had announced plan to distribute 30 lakh mosquito nets, has provided only 11,000 till date which are not sanitised.

Unfortunately, the state government has not provided financial assistance to the families of the children who died of JE, the BJP leader claimed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Ethiopian government has unveiled stringent rules for its state of emergency which the opposition says is meant to curb a wave of protests, sometimes deadly, in the Oromia region and other areas.

Hundreds have been killed in anti-government protests in the past year, according to human rights groups and opposition activists. The protesters have been demanding wider freedoms in one of Africa's best-performing economies.

On October 2, more than 50 people were killed in a stampede after security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters during a religious festival in Bishoftu, southeast of the capital. The incident sparked more violence in Oromia leading the government to announce the state of emergency. The government has also enforced an internet blackout.

doesn't need a state of emergency said Yilikal Getnet, chairman of the opposition Blue Party, on Sunday. People only expressed and are still expressing their dissatisfaction with the government in different forms, he said.

The rules announced late on Saturday restricts the movement of diplomats 40 kilometers outside of Addis Ababa without official permission.

The emergency prohibits anyone from making contact with groups that are labeled as terrorist, watch media channels like Oromia Media Network and Ethiopian Satellite Television and Radio, according to a statement issued by Siraj Fegessa, Ethiopia's minster of defence and head of the Command Post set up to oversee the state of emergency law.

Those who break the terms of the emergency risk jail terms of three to five years.

It also outlaws rallies and public meetings being held without permission from authorities and gives security forces the right to detain and search suspects without a court order.

Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, the Oromo, began protesting almost a year ago when the government proposed annexing some of their land into the capital, Addis Ababa, as part of a drive to transform this largely agricultural nation into a regional manufacturing power.

While the government later abandoned the idea, the protests broadened into demands for more rights and for the release of detained activists, opposition figures and journalists.
Ground controllers reported a break today in status data from a European-Russian Mars orbiter after it released a tiny lander on a three-day trek to the Red Planet's surface.

The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) was sending signals home, but "we don't have telemetry at the moment", flight director Michel Denis of the ExoMars mission said via live webcast from mission control in Darmstadt, Germany.

Ground controllers were "working towards restoring telemetry", according to a tweet from ESA Operations.

The Schiaparelli test lander's separation from its mothership earlier today, at about one million kilometres from the Red Planet's surface, had "gone perfectly well", said spokeswoman Jocelyne Landeau-Constantin of the European Space Operations Centre.

"But after that we were supposed to get some indication of the status of the orbiter, its position, its status, and we didn't get this sort of information," she told AFP by telephone from Darmstadt.

Ground controllers are now looking at other types of data to try and determine what happened, as the cutoff approaches for an overnight "uplift" manoeuvre to remove the TGO from a collision course with Mars.

It could be that the lander separation was "a bit more violent than expected", and that this may have caused the break in telemetry, said Landeau-Constantin.

"It's not that dramatic," she added. "At one point we will be able to get in touch with it. It's just that they need to know exactly where it was at the time of separation, in which status it was.

"Nothing is lost, it's just that they need to work a bit harder and a bit longer."



Earlier today, as planned, the 600-kilogramme, paddling pool-sized Schiaparelli separated from the TGO after a seven-month, 496-million-km trek from Earth.

Schiaparelli's main goal is to test entry and landing gear and technology for a subsequent rover which will mark the second phase and highlight of the ExoMars mission.

Thirteen years after its first, failed, attempt to place a rover on Mars, the high-stakes test is a key phase in Europe's fresh bid to reach our neighbouring planet's hostile surface, this time working with Russia.

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An ex-armyman and his accomplice were arrested by the CID from Siliguri in north Bengal for their alleged links with a fake Indian currency note (FICN) racket, a senior official of the department said today.

On a tip-off, Pradip Gogoi, a former armyman and a resident of Assam's Dibrugarh district, and his accomplice Sudhir Sarkar alias Sudhir Mondal were arrested by the CID Special Operations Group late last night from Darjeeling More under Pradhan Nagar police station, the official said.

Fake currency notes with a face value of Rs 44,000 were seized from their possession, he added.

"We were looking for the two for quite some time. Both of them played important roles in the FICN racket. They were involved in smuggling FICN to the north-eastern states," the CID official said.

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has asserted that the US needs to be "very careful" about radical Islamic terror and "extreme vetting" must be done before allowing people in to the country, a controversial stand taken by the Republican presidential nominee that has made immigrants jittery.

Outlining his policy to tackle terrorism, the 70-year-old billionaire said, "We have to be very, very careful (about radical Islamic terror). We have to have extreme vetting before we let people in... We want people to come in to the country but they have to come in legally."



"Something is going on that's not positive force. We are going to be looking very much at certain areas of the world. We have to very careful with radical Islamic terror. We can be politically correct and say it doesn't matter but it does matter," he told NDTV when asked if he has given up his plan to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.

Trump also said he has great respect for Indians and Hindus, as he stepped up to address an event attended by the Indian American community in New Jersey.

"I have great respect for Hindus. I have so many friends that are Hindu. They are great people, amazing entrepreneurs," Trump said.

Prodded further about India's diverse demographics, he said, "I'll be honest, I have great respect for India. I actually have (real estate) jobs going up in India... tremendously successful. It is an amazing country."



The event, organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition, saw Trump, reach out to Indian American community.

Trump also spoke about the Indo-Pak conflict, saying, "There's a tremendous conflict between India and Pakistan. Just recently you had (the Uri attack)... A lot of people killed... Hopefully everything is going to work out."



Speaking about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's email scandal and whether she should be sent to jail, Trump said, "What she did is absolutely unlawful....She sees her emails and she deletes them. That is pretty bad but there are other things. If you look at all the crimes committed, certainly she should be in trouble.
A major fire has completely destroyed Sukhnoi village in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, gutting 80 out of a total 84 households, but no one was injured, officials said today.

"Out of 84 houses, 80 in the Sukhnoi village in the Warwan block of the Kisthwar district were gutted in a fire that broke out late last night," Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kishtwar, Ghulam Nabi Balwan told PTI.

Soon after receiving the information, senior police and district administration officials rushed to the spot.

"The villagers had no option but to stay in the open last night as it is a remote village and tents will not help them due to snowfall in the area during the coming months," the DC said.

He said that the government has already sent free ration for the villagers, who have decided to stay in rented accommodation during the winters.

"As the winters are fast approaching and it would be difficult for the people to reconstruct their houses or stay in the tents, they have decided to stay in rented accommodation during the winter, the government will pay the rent for them," Balwan said.

He said that there was no loss of life or injury in the inferno that destroyed almost the entire village.

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Passenger vehicle exports from India grew 15.38 per cent in the first half of the ongoing fiscal with US auto majors and General Motors emerging as surprise packages leading the charge, while their Korean and Japanese peers struggled to maintain momentum.

According to SIAM data, passenger vehicles exports in the April-September period were at 3,67,110 units as against 3,18,188 units in the year-ago period.

In terms of absolute volume, Hyundai Motor India remained the largest exporter with 87,499 units at a growth of 2.01 per cent.

The second largest exporter during the period was India shipping 73,821 units, a growth of 32.25 per cent. Interestingly, the company's exports were much more than what it sold in the domestic market  46,422 units.

Maruti Suzuki India saw a decline of 7.87 per cent in its overseas shipments during the first six months of 2016-17 at 60,526 units, occupying the third slot.

The fourth largest exporter Nissan Motor India also witnessed a decline of 7.81 per cent at 49,611 units during the period.

The most significant gainer was General Motors India which clocked a massive 863.74 per cent jump in its passenger vehicle exports at 30,647 units during the period. In comparison, the company sold just 12,059 units in the domestic market, down 28.01 per cent.

According to SIAM, German auto major Volkswagen also exported more passenger vehicles from India than it sold in the country during the first half of the fiscal.

Volkswagen India exported 43,114 units in April- September, up 19.28 per cent. It sold only 23,329 units in the domestic market during the same period, up 0.45 per cent.

"Some of the OEMs are working on a clear, focussed strategy of exporting from India, which has worked out really well for them," Price Waterhouse Partner and auto expert Abdul Majeed told PTI.

He further said these are targetting markets in emerging economies such as Latin America, East Europe, and Africa, which are similar to India with the products here.

"They have made those investments for exports and they already have big network in those export markets," Majeed said.

Concurring with him, India Executive Director, Marketing, Sales, and Service Anurag Mehrotra said: "The most recent commencement of exports of Ford Figo as KA+ to Europe, from our state-of-the-art Sanand plant, showcases our continued investment and commitment.



Mehrotra said Ford has been "Making in India, for India and the World" for close to two decades."

"Apart from meeting local demand, the quality vehicles and engines made at Ford's Chennai and Sanand facility are today exported to more than 40 markets across the globe, including parts of ASEAN, Europe, Middle-East and Africa," he added.

Last fiscal, passenger vehicle exports from India grew by 5.24 per cent at 6,53,889 units as against 6,21,341 units in 2014-15.

Automobile exports from India were up against headwinds with Europe remaining sluggish and African nations faced a major hurdle in dollar-denominated payout.

Besides Europe, countries like Algeria, Nigeria and Morocco in Africa and Mexico and Chile, Peru and Colombia in Latin America are among the major export markets for domestic automobile industry.
Three Delhi policemen were among four killed when the car they were travelling in fell into a 500-metre deep gorge in Tehri district.

The car was on its way from Rishikesh to Srinagar when the incident occurred, police said, adding that the car fell into the deep gorge in Tota Ghati in Devprayag in Tehri district.

Though the exact reason for the accident has not been ascertained yet but police suspect that the driver might have missed a blind turn which led to the mishap, police said.

Their bodies have been recovered. Three policemen were among the dead, police said.

Rescue operations are still going on.

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A proposal to elevate Pakistan's Army chief General Raheel Sharif to the rank of Field Marshal has reached the Islamabad High Court, weeks ahead of his retirement from the powerful post.

A lawyer has sought the high court's help to elevate Gen Raheel, 60, to the rank of Field Marshal in the greater national interest by taking into consideration his "exemplary services and sacrifices rendered for the nation," The Express Tribune reported today.

In the appeal submitted yesterday, Sardar Adnan Saleem, through his counsel, said that such an elevation is an emergent need in the present circumstances.

Saleem has made the federation through the cabinet division secretary, the prime minister through the secretary of the PM Secretariat and defence ministry secretary respondents in the petition, the report said.

The counsel said that the army chief should be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal for rendering services to protect national security and safeguarding the frontiers of Pakistan in accordance with the National Action Plan (NAP) and for successful completion of the anti-terror campaign 'Zarb-e- Azab' in an effective and efficient manner.

Gen Sharif had earlier promised to bow out at the end of his term in November this year.

Sharif, currently serving as the 15th Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army, was appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on November 29, 2013 for a three-year term.

"I don't believe in extension and will retire on the due date," Sharif had said in January this year amidst growing speculation about an extension in his tenure.

If Sharif hangs up his boots on November 30, he would be the first army chief to retire on time in two decades. His predecessors Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Gen Pervez Musharraf got extensions, while Gen Jehangir Karamat was sent home prematurely.

While calling him a "trailblazer", the petitioner's lawyers said that Gen Raheel provided visionary leadership to the people as well as the security forces.

"The exemplary, outstanding and professional performance during peace and war time with total dedication and devotion by attaining the highest standards and mastery in battlefield," he said adding that the COAS needs national appreciation, award and recognition.

The petition said that the COAS should be elevated to the highest level of military hierarchy for rendering his services for the nation and humanity at a larger scale in an extraordinary, exemplary and selfless manner.

The petition has urged the court to direct the respondents to elevate Gen Raheel to the rank of field marshal for leading from the front on different fronts.

There has been only one Field Marshal in Pakistan. Former military ruler Ayub Khan, who ruled from 1958 to 1969, appointed himself Field Marshal while serving as president and commander-in-chief.

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All churches in Goa held special prayers today for peace against the backdrop of escalating tension between India and Pakistan, at a time when heads of Brics grouping here have decided to make combating cross-border terror and its supporters as their priority.

The prayers were held on the call given by the Catholic Bishops' conference.

The prayers were also attended by people from other faiths besides Catholics.

"Recent escalation of tension along our bordershas been causing serious concern to our respective populationsand has prompted the President of Catholic Bishops' Conferenceof India to issue a circular asking that a day - October 16 -be set aside as a day of prayer for India," Archbishop of Goaand Daman, Filipe Neri Ferrao had stated in a circular issued earlier.

He had also called for "other people of good will" to join in praying for one another and for peace.

At around 27 per cent, the Catholics are an influential community in this erstwhile Portuguese enclave.

"The fragile peace along the Indian borderwith neighbouring Pakistan is regularly disturbed by exchangeof fire and other forms of violence, revealing a simmeringstate of hostility and suspicion between two countries that otherwise share linguistic, cultural, geographical and even economic links," Ferrao stated.

Goa is hosting BRICS summit and BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meeting.

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Government has formally granted a licence to BP Plc, Europe's third-biggest oil company, to set up 3,500 petrol pumps in India, making it the 10th company to enter the lucrative fuel retailing sector.

The company was granted a formal licence on October 14. "BP granted licence to market Motor Spirit (petrol) and High Speed Diesel (diesel)  another milestone for BP in India," the company tweeted.

The UK-based firm, as also Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd, was given approval by the Oil Ministry to retail petrol and diesel, sources said.

"A significant step in #BP's partnership with India  been granted licence to market Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel," it said.

A BP India spokesperson had earlier this month stated that: "BP sees a strong future for transportation fuels in India. We are keen to be involved in this market and contribute to its development."

The company had in January this year won in-principle approval to retail aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to airlines in India. Subsequently, it got full approval for that.

"We can confirm we have been granted approval for marketing for ATF," the BP spokesperson said.

For a licence to retail auto fuels  petrol, diesel and ATF, a company should have invested a minimum of Rs 2,000 crore in exploration or production of oil and gas, oil refining, gas or product pipeline or terminals leading to additionally to the existing assets or creation of new assets in the eligible activities.

BP, which had in 2011 bought 30 per cent interest in 21 exploration blocks of Reliance Industries for $7.2 billion, had cited investment of nearly $500 million in oil and gas exploration and production for gaining the licence.

India currently has about 56,190 petrol pumps, with public sector firms operating a majority of them.

Private sector operators are limited to Essar Oil and Reliance Industries, who between them have some 3,500 petrol pumps. Royal Dutch Shell operates 82 petrol stations.

Numaligarh Refineries Ltd (NRL) and Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) are late entrants and have six outlets between them.

State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) owns 25,363 petrol pumps, Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) 13,802 stations and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) 13,439 outlets.

Kolkata-based Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) was the latest company to get licence to set up upto 100 petrol pumps, mostly in West Bengal.

In ATF or jet fuel retailing, there are 205 aviation fuel stations, 100 of which are owned by IOC, 40 by BPCL and 37 by HPCL. RIL has 27 aviation fuel stations at airports while joint venture of Shell and MRPL owns one.
Police in Greece clashed with protesting migrants outside a camp after a mother and child were allegedly killed by a passing car, local police said.

Riot police fired stun grenades yesterday at dozens of migrants, who threw stones and set bins on fire before order was restored at the Oreokastro camp near Thessaloniki in northern Greece, a police source told AFP.

The protest broke out in the evening after the woman, 35, and her son, 10, both Syrian Kurds, were apparently killed in an accident involving a passing car, which was then torched in the protest.

The car's elderly Greek driver was arrested.

A boy aged five was also lightly hurt in the unrest, the police said.

Last month, a seven-year-old girl from Syria was killed by a car in a similar incident outside a refugee camp near the town of Katerini.

Her mother and sister who was a year older were also hurt at the time.

There are over 60,000 refugees and migrants trapped in Greece, most of them Syrians fleeing war who are waiting for asylum approval or relocation elsewhere in the European Union.

But that procedure has been held up by the reluctance of many EU states to accept Muslim refugees after a spate of jihadist attacks in Belgium, France and Germany.

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Green Day are at the top of this week's UK album chart with their twelfth studio album Revolution Radio.

It is the third time the band have hit the top spot in the UK and it comes 22 years since they first broke through with their debut album Dookie.

In 2004, they scored their first UK number one album with the career-reviving American Idiot and then topped the charts again in 2009 with 21st Century Breakdown.

According to the Official Charts Company, Revolution Radio outsold its nearest chart rival by a ratio of 2:1.

On hearing the the band said, "The UK has always been a huge part of our story and to have a chart-topping album at this stage of our career is especially gratifying."



Green Day will be in the UK in Febraury, playing shows in Leeds, Manchester and London as part of their Revolution Radio European tour.

They will then be back in the summer to headline the Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park on July 1st in London.

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Reacting to Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal's visit to the state, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today said the people were fed up with his "lies".

"Entire country is saddened by his comments supporting Pakistan and people are fed up with his lies, and I believe his words have no meaning," Rupani said, when asked about Kejriwal's tirade against his government during his ongoing four-day visit.

Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Purshottam Rupala said people were protesting against Kejriwal because of his comments seeking proof of Army's surgical strikes in PoK.

"Did (BJP president) Amit Shah conspire to make his rally unsuccessful? He (Kejriwal) should understand that after the surgical strikes, he went asking to provide proof to Pakistan. People are protesting because of this, and don't try to link this with Amit Shah," Rupala said.

Kejriwal and AAP had alleged that Shah was trying to stop his Surat rally.

State BJP president Jitu Vaghani termed Kejriwal's comments during his Gujarat visit as "political stunt".

"He is doing a political stunt to stay in the media glare and and blames our national president. I would like to ask him and Delhi public wants to know, have you fulfilled many of your promises made to them?" sai Vaghani.

Kejriwal, visiting Gujarat ahead of next year's Assembly polls, met families of youths killed during Patidar reservation agitation last year.

He addressed a public rally in Surat today and termed Amit Shah a "traitor" while calling the Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel "true patriot".

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Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today offered the state helicopter to search American adventurer and social worker Justin Alexander Shetler, who has gone missing from Parvati Valley in Kullu on August 22.

C Susanne Reeb, Shetler's mother, and Jonathan Sleeks, a family friend from United Kingdom, today met the Chief Minister and sought his help in speeding up the search operations for the 35-year-old adventurer.

During the meeting, Singh offered the services of his official helicopter for tracing the missing trekker.

Singh assured of all possible assistance from the government in tracing Shetler.

Superintendent of Police Kullu, Padam Chand, said two sorties would be conducted today to search the missing trekker.

Two teams of police had been deployed to conduct search operations on foot in interiors of Parvati Valley, he said.

Earlier, Susanne had hired a private chopper to search for her son.

Meanwhile, on the basis of a complaint by Susanne, a case of kidnapping has been registered against the Naga Sadhu with whom her son stayed for few days somewhere near Mantalai lake.

The Naga Sadhu has been detained and is being questioned.

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Protesting against the proposed construction of a steel flyover which was reportedly sanctioned without public consultation, about 8,000 people, including BJP leaders, formed a human chain here.

'Citizens Against Steel Flyover' forum today formed the human chain to intensify their protest against the flyover that links Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal.

As many as 8,000 people,including prominent personalities like actor and film maker Prakash Belawadi, BJP MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar and BJP spokesperson S Suresh Kumar turned up at the human chain, held in four different points.

Flaying the project, Belawadi said the forum wants the project to be shelved as it was sanctioned without public consultation.

"We want the project to be shelved as it was sanctioned without public consultation, that is a very arrogant attitude as our questions are unanswered," he told PTI.

The state government plans to construct the Rs 1,761 crore flyover to improve connectivity to Bengaluru International Airport.

Belawadi also charged that the project promoters had not taken into account the environmental implication of cutting down over 812 trees.

"Construction major L&T has bagged the contract to build the flyover, which will see as many as 812 trees chopped off, as per details made available by Bangalore Development Authority," he said.

He alleged that the government had bypassed Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Committee in sanctioning the project.

He also said the Bangalore Vision Group had not spoken in favour of it as they were doubtful about it's feasibility. "The project cost is too high," he said.

Belawadi also alleged that government was misusing tax payers' money to build the flyover when citizens have several modes of transport,including a railway station at Devanahalli. The flyover was not a part of the master plan as well,he said.

The cabinet had cleared the project on September 28



Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Bengaluru Development and town planning Minister K J George had defended the project, saying it was needed to decongest the city.

Suresh Kumar said the party completely supports the movement against the "needless flyover."



"The project's cost escalation clearly shows it was contractor-oriented and election-fund oriented," he said.

JDS State President H D Kumaraswamy alleged that the project was being used to raise party funds for next year's Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

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India and Hungary today pitched for setting up a strong global legal framework and sustained international action to eliminate the scourge of terrorism.

"There has been a meeting of minds between our two sides that the scourge of terrorism needs to be eliminated and there is a need for a strong global legal framework and concerted action by all in dealing with this threat," Vice President Hamid Ansari said at a joint press conference with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban after the two countries signed two MoUs, including one on water management.

Ansari is on a three-day visit to Hungary as part of his two-nation five-day trip to central Europe and North Africa.

However, the Hungarian Prime Minister did not refer the issue of terrorism directly but said Budapest favours peaceful resolution of international political issues.

Without referring to any specifics, Orban expressed Hungary's full support to India's "international aspirations".

Ansari expressed India's appreciation for the support extended by Hungary to India's membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime and for the entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The Vice-President said relations between India and Hungary are friendly, multi-faceted and have a cultural resonance besides both the countries being thriving democracies and dynamic economies.

"I had an excellent meeting with the Prime Minister of Hungary. We had an opportunity to review the entire gamut of our bilateral relations as well as share views on global and regional issues," he said.

Orban said Hungary has set up a working group on



technology to explore the possibilities of bilateral ties in various areas, including defence production for mutual benefits.

The Hungarian Prime Minister recalled the contribution of India's the then Ambassador to Hungary, M A Rahman, who played a key role in Hungary's historical uprising in 1956, saying former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru too had supported the people's struggle in Hungary.

Hungary has also invited Rahman's family to participate in the 60th anniversary of its national day to be celebrated on October 26.

Ansari, who arrived here in the Hungarian capital yesterday, had said that the issue of cross-border terrorism, which has badly affected India, will be raised with the top leadership of Hungary and Algeria during his five-day trip, in the wake of the terror attack in Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed.

The MoU in the field of water management was signed on India's behalf by Indian Ambassador to Hungary Rahul Chabra while the other agreement between Indian Council for World Affairs and Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary was signed by Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sujata Mehta.

Ansari had yesterday said that Hungary has immense experience in cleaning river as well as making it navigational and the MoU on river management could help India get expertise in cleaning Ganga and other rivers.

Ansari's visit to Hungary comes over two decades after then President Shankar Dayal Sharma had visited the central European country in 1993.
India with a GDP of around $2 trillion loses as much as $100 billion (more than Rs 6 lakh crore) every year on account of corrosion, which can be checked by using zinc to galvanise steel structures.

"India loses around four-five per cent of GDP annually on account of corrosion losses," Ltd (HZL) CEO Sunil Duggal told PTI.

The West, ahead of India in terms of infrastructure, mandates use of zinc for galvanising steel structures in bridges, highways, public utilities, metro stations and airports, among others, to make them long-lasting and robust, he added.

Citing examples of the Athens bridge in Pennsylvania (US) and the Curtis Road bridge in Michigan (US), Duggal said structures utilising galvanised steel rebars have much longer life span than the conventional ones.

Galvanised rebar can withstand chloride concentration at least four-five times higher than the black steel rebar and remains passivated at lower pH levels, substantially slowing the rate of corrosion, he noted.

Duggal said HZL in association with International Zinc Association (IZA) is organising a two-day international galvanising conference in the national capital, which will have speakers from JSW Steel, Tata Steel, Maruti and Essar, among others.

The meet will deliberate on the potential zinc and steel market, role of zinc in infrastructure and its application in emerging sectors like automobiles, rail tracks as well as the galvanisation of rebars to strengthen structures, particularly in coastal areas.

Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta group company, is investing over Rs 8,000 crore in expansion of its mines and smelting operations. The company is set to enhance its mined metal production to 1.2 million tonnes per annum.
India and Russia have agreed to explore building the world's most expensive pipeline costing close to $25 billion to ferry natural gas from Siberia to the world's third biggest energy consuming nation.

The pipeline is to connect Russian gas grid to India through a 4,500 km to 6,000 km pipeline, officials said.

The shortest route will entail bringing the pipeline through Himalayas into Northern India, a route which poses several technical challenges.

Alternately, the pipeline can come via Central Asian nations, Iran and Pakistan into Western India. However, the route will be expensive when compared to the long discussed but shorter and cheaper Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline. Tehran may suggest India take its gas through IPI rather than building such an expensive pipeline, they said.

The third and the longest alternative is to lay a pipeline through China and Myanmar into North East India bypassing Bangladesh.

According to preliminary cost estimate prepared by state-owned Engineers India Ltd (EIL), which on Saturday signed an agreement with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom for studying the Russia-India pipeline, the longest route of 6,000 km may cost close to $25 billion.

The cost of transporting gas may be $12 per million British thermal unit, according to EIL.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the India-Russia Annual Summit on sidelines of the eighth BRICS Summit here, also envisages roping in ONGC Videsh Ltd, gas utility GAIL India Ltd and Petronet LNG Ltd for the study.

Sources said natural gas produced in East Siberian fields is to be pumped into Russian gas grid which would be connected to India through the cross-country pipeline network.

While the cost of transporting gas via the long discussed IPI pipeline is less than $1 per mmBtu, the same for the Turkeministan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline is around $2 per mmBtu.

According to industry experts, a realistic transportation cost would be $4 per mmBtu for the Russia-India gas pipeline. This excludes the transit fee to be paid to nations through which the pipeline will pass.

Russia is seeking to expand energy ties in Asia amid tensions with the West sparked by Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Indian companies have snapped up stakes in production assets in Siberian fields.

The MoU is being seen as an attempt to strengthen ties between the world's largest oil producer and the world's fastest growing fuel consumer.
The first Indian Chair in the Arab world at a top Egyptian university, which was operationalised last month, will benefit both countries as it facilitates exchange of top academics, an Indian professor here has said.

The MoU to establish the Indian Chair was signed between Cairo's Ain Shams University and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in March and was operationalised last month.

The Indian Chair will be for a period of one semester at a time for three years and will be extended on mutual agreement.

Naidu Subbarao, who teaches bioinformatics at the varsity and is the first Indian Chair in the Arab World, expressed his excitement to have an opportunity to share his knowledge with Egyptian students.

Bioinformatics is the application of computer technology to the management of biological information. Computers gather, analyse and integrate biological and genetic information, that can be applied to gene-based drug discovery and development.

There are high expectations for bioinformatics to lend to drug discovery.

"It is a new field (which became popular) in the past 20 years only. The biological data is coming up and it combines biology with computer science so it is important to focus on it. Now, any biologist without computers they can't do well anymore," said Subbarao.

His course explores issues faced during drug discovery and development and thus he has to finalise the curriculum in consultation with the university to meet local requirements and to impart knowledge on India's technological advancements.

"I want to teach the students here so they have a broader idea about what is going at the moment and what is the future of bioinformatics," he said Subbarao.

The professor, who completed his PhD from IIT Kanpur and was Jawaharlal Nehru Centenary Commonwealth Postdoctoral Fellow at UK's University of Leeds, faced few challenges while teaching Egyptian students, one of them was the language.

"The first challenge, I think, was language. I still have some communication problems, but I try to go slow so that the students can understand me and I am trying to learn Arabic and have already picked up a few words," he said with excitement.

"So far the interaction with the students have been very good. They are very helpful and cooperative," he said.

According to him, one of the major problems facing higher education is funding. "Also, we need to have good teachers in different fields and students should be willing to learn."



Subbarao is also eager to explore Egypt and its culture.

"I particularly want to visit the pyramids, and the beautiful Nile River," he said.

Last month, India's Ambassador here Sanjay Bhattacharyya said that by establishing the Indian Chair, both countries have entered a "new era" in academic cooperation.

Ain Shams University, a beacon of high quality education in Egypt, is the third largest Egyptian university, founded in July 1950. Known for its leading role in developing cultural ethos, ASU inculcates scientific temperament, enriches human knowledge and promotes political participation among youth.

Recently, ASU commenced the teaching of Hindi and use of Devanagari script in its Faculty of Languages.

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An Indian has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle gold ornaments worth 2.9 million rupees into India, police said today.

Manlal Verma, 39, a resident of Kolkata, landed in the police net during a security check in Ratmate check post in Hetauda, about 85 km from here.

He was carrying 6.81 kg of gold ornaments worth approximately USD 27,165 (2.9 million Nepali rupees) without paying customs duty, according to a senior police officer of Makawanpur District Police Office.

Verma was arrested while he was heading towards India on a passenger bus, police said.

He was handed over to the Internal Revenue Department for further interrogations.

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Internet service providers (ISPs), mainly from Mumbai and Pune, have claimed that they are being targeted in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack for the second time in last three months and said they will raise the threat of "cyber terrorism".

The ISPs said they will call on Inspector General of Police (Cyber), Maharashtra Brijesh Singh as they claim that their complaint was not taken seriously by the Pune Police.

"We have been facing DDoS attack since September 15 last month and are running from pillar to post to lodge our complaint. But no officer from the Pune Police has taken a serious stand on our complaint and finally we are going to lodge our complaint with the IGP (Cyber), Brijesh Singh," said Kishore Desarda, the Director of Gazon Communication of India.

A denial of service attack typically bombards websites with requests, overloading the portal until its server crashes, thus denying access of the website to legitimate users.

"Such attacks, which reduce (Internet) speed to almost zero, have posed a serious threat to businesses of all ISPs, not only in Mumbai and Pune alone, but across Maharashtra, and they need to be curbed immediately," said Desarda.

In July, ISPs had filed an FIR with IG's office about DDoS attack and the case is being investigated by cyber cell of Mumbai Police.

Another leading Internet service provider said, "DDoS attackers are back into their business and it has hit the services adversely in the cities like Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune, beside posing a serious threat to the information backbone of the country."



"This unprecedented attack on ISPs is akin to cyber terrorism and has assumed extreme significance against the backdrop of hacking of more than 35 websites of Central and state governments in last few days after India's surgical strikes across the Line of Control," it added.

In July, representatives of ISPs had met Singh and apprised him about the gravity of this sort of "cyber terrorism". Following their request, the cyber cell had registered an FIR and launched a probe.

"Some unknown people are involved in crashing the network of ISPs by making lakhs of requests at a particular terminal at a particular time at an unprecedented level, thus slowing down the whole internet experience, which we call Distributed Denial Of Service (DDOS). Cyber Crime department was taking all possible measures to nab the perpetrators," Singh had told PTI.

Explaining a DDoS attack, Singh, who is an IT expert himself, had said, "Suppose a person runs an online reservation centre and particular server is equipped to handle 100 users at a time. DDoS perpetrators create 1,000 log-ins by pre-programming at one time and send lakhs of requests at the same time, which subsequently crashes the port or the servers.

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Iran will invite foreign companies to bid for oil and gas projects for the first time since last year's landmark nuclear deal with world powers, the Oil Ministry said today.

The ministry did not say how many projects would be involved but said they include exploration and production in oil and gas fields, with the bidding process opening on Monday.

It will be the first time Iran offers an international tender for oil and gas projects since the nuclear deal went into effect in January.

The ministry's website said foreign companies should submit their applications by November 19, and that successful companies would be announced on December 7.

Iran had previously said that priority for exploration and production for foreign companies would be given to neighboring countries with which it shares border fields. The country has 28 joint offshore and onshore gas and oil fields with those countries.

Iran has already upgraded its model for oil contracts, allowing for a potential full recovery of costs over almost two decades. Earlier this month, Iran signed the first such contract with a local oil company.

With production exceeding 3.5 million barrels of crude per day, the OPEC producer hopes to attract more than USD 150 billion in technology-intensive foreign investment in its oil, gas and petrochemical industry by 2020.

International sanctions were lifted in January under the deal, which curbed Iran's uranium enrichment program.

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Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani today announced a special handicraft mega cluster to benefit around 21,000 artisans of different crafts here and also launched a programme to provide special training to young artisans.

The Union Ministersanctioned a fund of Rs 31 crore for the special mega cluster to benefit nearly 21,000 artisans of different crafts.

She announced Rs 31 crore fund in the first phase of the integrated project encapsulating Common Facility Centres, Raw Material Bank and better facilities to support handicrafts here.

The minister also launched 'Dastakar Chaupal', an initiative of the Textiles Ministry, that aims atsensitizingartisans of different crafts of Varanasi.

It will help initiating a baseline survey to assess requirement of skill sets, raw material and market accessibility for artisans, she said further.

Dastakar Chaupal launched here will ensure effective implementation of Integrated Project for Development and Promotion of Handicrafts, she said.

In the first phase, 14 Dastakar Chaupals across different clusters will be organised to ensure inclusive development and promotion of Varanasi handicrafts, she said.

The 'Guru Shishya Parampara' also launched today to bring together experienced artisans and young generation to impart training in ancient handicraft.

She said that initially they have planned for seven major crafts of Varanasi, for which the guru shishya parampara will boost entrepreneurship among new generation, she tweeted.

Irani also condoled the death of 25 people in the stampede occurred at the Rajghat bridge here yesterday and wished for a speedy recovery of injured.

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A leader of a banned Islamic extremist group was today executed in Bangladesh for his role in a 2005 blast that killed two judges, including one from the Hindu community.

Asadul Islam alias Arif, a leader of the Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was executed in Khulna jail after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in August for the blast.

"He was hanged to death at 10:30 pm," an official at Khulna jail said.

Arif and six other top JMB leaders including its founder Shayakh Abdur Rahman were sentenced to death on May 29, 2006 for killing judges Jagannath Pare and Sohel Ahmed.

Death sentence of the militants except Arif were executed on March 29, 2007.

Arif, who was absconding was later arrested on July 10, 2007. He filed the petition with the Supreme Court this year seeking review of its judgement.

Bangladesh has blamed the JMB for the July 1 attack on an upmarket Dhaka restaurant in which 22 people, mostly foreign hostages, were killed.

Security forces have since launched a deadly crackdown against extremists linked to the attack.

In August, just weeks after the cafe attack, Bangladesh's highest court led by the chief justice dismissed Arif's final appeal, clearing the way for his execution.

Founded in the late 1990s, the JMB has sought to impose Sharia law in the Muslim majority but secular nation of 160 million people.

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Italian police today arrested a man suspected of being an IS sympathiser who was found to have a collection of home-made explosive devices and detonators.

Italy's interior ministry said the man, whose nationality was not given, was arrested in Castello di Cisterna in Naples after investigators monitoring the internet found a video of an Islamic State (IS) group decapitation on his Facebook page.

Police discovered weapons including three home-made mortar shells, two electronic devices for setting off explosives at a distance, 146 fuses, various detonators and a remote control, the ministry said in a statement.

Along with the IS video, the man had posted phrases on the social networking site in support of the Camorra, the notorious Naples-based mafia syndicate.

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In its bid to increase capacity on the busy routes, second largest carrier Jet Airways today said it will deploy wide-body A330s on Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata sectors from October 30.

The airline also announced a new direct flight between Delhi and Kochi, apart from two additional frequencies between Delhi and Kolkata and Bengaluru and Kolkata.

The airline, however, did not specify how many narrow-bodies the wide-body planes will replace.

"Beginning October 30, Jet Airways will expand its widebody (Airbus A330s) wings with 9W 346/362 on the Mumbai-Delhi and with 9W 907/946 on the Delhi-Kolkata routes, which will significantly boost our capacity on these key sectors," Jet said in a statement.

In fact, introducing the A330s will nearly double its current capacity on the Delhi-Kolkata-Delhi route, it said.

Deploying A330s on domestic routes will allow Jet to offer a considerably luxurious and comfortable flying experience equivalent to international standards, including flat beds in its Premiere class, apart from offering greater legroom in the Economy class.

While Mumbai-Delhi wide-body flight (9W346) will leave at 0730 hrs, it will return Delhi (9W 362) at 1745 hrs.

It will also introduce a new non-stop flight (9W 911/912) to connect Kochi with Delhi, aside from additional frequencies connecting Bengaluru and Delhi with Kolkata.

Flight 9W 911 will depart Kochi at 0645 hrs and arrive in Delhi at 0950 hrs and the return flight 9W 912 will depart Delhi at 1605 hrs to arrive in Kochi at 1915 hrs.

On the rationale for these new services, chief commercial officer Jayaraj Shanmugam said the domestic sector is witnessing breakneck demand growth.

"Our fleet mix comprising both wide body and narrow body aircraft is our strength and enables us respond to market conditions and provide enhanced travel options. The new flights and additional frequencies in the Winter schedule further strengthen our robust domestic network, and offer our guests additional choice and flexibility to plan their travel.

"Deployment of widebodies in domestic routes provides us additional capacity on these key routes," he said.

The winter schedule will also see Jet introducing a fifth daily frequency between Delhi and Kolkata, in addition to the wide body service, while further enhancing its early morning connections by commencing a third daily service from Bengaluru to Kolkata.

Flight 9W 901 will depart Delhi at 1730 hrs and arrive in Kolkata at 1945 hrs and the return flight 9W 902 will leave Kolkata at 2025 hrs and arrive in Delhi at 2300 hrs.

Likewise, flight 9W 665 will depart Bengaluru at 0210 hrs and arrive in Kolkata at 0440 hrs and the return flight 9W 678 will depart Kolkata at 0600 hrs and arrive in Bengaluru at 0830 hrs.

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Family members of a Muslim youth, who was allegedly killed by cow vigilantes on the suspicion of carrying a calf for slaughter, today met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here.

Mhammad Ayyub was beaten on SG Highway on the night of September 13 after his car met with an accident and a calf he was carrying died. Some people allegedly beat him up suspecting he was carrying the calf for slaughter, according to the police.

He died at civil hospital in Ahmedabad three days later.

Mohammad Arif, his brother, today travelled here from Ahmedabad with his two sisters to meet Kejriwal.

"We met Kejriwal at the circuit house and sought his help to get justice for our brother. He assured us that he will help us in getting justice and also took our mobile number and said he will meet us when he is in Ahmedabad next time," Arif said.

"We asked for his help in getting the three main culprits, all cow vigilantes, arrested. Police have arrested (other) eight persons. We also sought his help in getting compensation. Government never cared to contact us to find out about our plight," he said.

After the incident, police had formed a special investigation team which has arrested eight persons so far. But Arif alleged that main culprits, "Janak Mistry, Ajay Rabari and Bharat Rabari, were still at large".

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The Budget session resuming on Monday is likely to be stormy as the Opposition is set to raise the appointment controversy which rocked the CPI(M)-led LDF government leading to the resignation of a minister.

Industries Minister EP Jayarajan who posted some of his relatives in key positions in public sector units resigned on October 14, dealing a blow to the 142-day-old Pinarayi Vijayan government.

Indicating that the session is likely to be stormy, Congress-led UDF Opposition has made it clear that the 'nepotism' row would not end with Jayarajan's resignation.

Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has called for a detailed probe into the appointment row and demanded that the office of the Chief Minister also be brought into the ambit of the investigation.

It was not possible for Jayarajan to appoint his relatives in PSUs without the knowledge of the Chief Minister, he said.

"We will continue the fight against the anti-people policies of the LDF government inside and outside the Assembly," Chennithala said.

The strategy to be adopted in the Assembly would be decided at a UDF meeting on Monday, he said.

Besides the appointment row, the political murders in Kannur and self-financing medical colleges fees and admission issue would also be taken up by the UDF.

However, the government is confident that it would be able to face the Opposition challenge with the resignation of Jayarajan.

While permitting the resignation of Jayarajan, party strongman from Kannur, CPI-M had stated that Jayarajan wanted to resign to"uphold the party's image and set an exemplary model in contrast to the previous Congress-led UDF government".

LDF in a bid to turn the tables on UDF, has also said that all appointments made during the previous UDF rule would be looked into.

The full-fledged Budget session of the Assembly that began on September 26 ended on a stormy note on October 5 with the UDF stepping up pressure over the self-financing private medical college fees and admission issue.

The UDF members had disrupted and later boycotted the proceedings over the issue.

The session is resuming after more than a week-long pooja holidays.
Days ahead of Global Investors' Summit (GIS) to be held here, opposition Congress today alleged that land mafias attend such events under the guise of investors to grab government land at subsidised rates.

"In the guise of investors, members of land mafias come solely to grab government lands at low prices in such summits," Madhya Pradesh unit Congress chief Arun Yadav told reporters here.

Global Investors Summit or GIS is a biennial event organised by Madhya Pradesh government in state's commercial capital at Indore. The two-day event will be held on October 22-23.

"The state government should come out with details of the investments and the number of employment generated by conducting GIS earlier, in which crores of rupees were spent," Yadav demanded.

He also accused the government of adopting "double standards" on Chinese goods.

"On one hand, the BJP leaders are doing a 'nautanki' (drama) by protesting against Chinese products, while on the other, the ruling BJP government is rolling out a red carpet to Chinese investors at GIS," Yadav claimed.

He said the government machinery was being "misused" and officers transferred in the view of upcoming bypoll to Shahdol Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh.

The bylection, whose schedule is yet to be announced, is necessitated due to demise of sitting BJP MP Dalpat Singh Paraste.

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NBC has decided not to air "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" episode that tackles Donald Trump until after the presidential election next month.

Originally scheduled for October 26, the outing titled "Unstoppable" is now put on hold. It will not be air until after the presidential election on November 8, reported Ace Showbiz.

The episode will see Gary Cole ("Veep") playing a politician whose campaign goes haywire when several women go public with damaging accusations.

It was announced hot on heels of Trump's leaked lewd conversation with Billy Bush.

The Republican candidate was caught on Access Hollywood's mic making derogatory comments about women.

After the tape was leaked, the GOP politician was hit with sexual assault accusations.

Some influential Republicans have since withdrawn their support for Trump.

They're hoping he step down and let his running mate Mike Pence replace him in the ballot, but the controversial politician didn't budge.

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Sashastra Seema Bal Jawan, who was martyred in a militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir, was cremated at his ancestral village in Rajasthan's Dausa district today.

The body of 24-year-old Ghyanshyam Gurjar was cremated with full state honour at Khawaraoji village in Dausa. His elder brother lit the funeral pyre, police said.

Food and Civil Supply minister Hem Singh Bhadana, SSB, officers of district administration and police were present on the occasion.

Gurjar, the Jawan of SSB's 59thBattallion, was killed and 8 others, including a policeman, were injured in the militant attack at SSB convoy in Zakura area on the outskirts of Srinagar on Friday evening.

He had joined SSB in April 2013.

Militants fired at the vehicles of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) which were ferrying the personnel to their camp after performing law and order duties in the Srinagar city.

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BJP President on Sunday said the Narendra Modi government has taken steps to secure the country's borders and pursued policies which have made India the fastest growing economy in the world.

"The Modi government has taken steps to secure the country's borders," Shah said addressing a public gathering on the occasion of 35th annual fair at Agroha Dham here, an event organised by Agroha Vikas Trust.

Shah, who was the chief guest at the function here, referred to Lance Naik Hemraj who was killed and then beheaded by Pakistani soldiers in 2013.

"Under the NDA government led by Narendra Modi, no one will dare insult our martyrs like Hemraj. No one can dare commit any misadventure and our brave forces, due to the government's strong political will, are ready to meet all challenges," he said.

On the Goods and Services Tax, Shah said Sales Tax, VAT, Octroi, Service Tax and Excise Duty will be brought under GST ambit and added that "our government has fulfilled the dreams of traders."



"Once it (GST) is implemented from April 1, 2017, it will further increase the economic might of India in the world. It is a bold step taken by the government," he said.

He said earlier there were many obstacles in the path of the country on the economic front.

"There were many obstacles and the Modi government removed all of these. After two-and-a-half years (of rule), today we are the fastest growing economy in the world," he said.

Without naming Congress, Shah alleged that the successive governments at the Centre allegedly failed to create enough employment opportunities and said those who framed the policies earlier were unaware that the country also belonged to businessmen and small traders.

Shah said the BJP government had taken several steps to generate jobs through self employment which has empowered the youth.

"Through Mudra Bank, loans ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 10 lakh have been extended to small traders without guarantee. During past two-and-a-half years loans worth Rs 2 lakh crore have have been given to 4.5 crore youths by our government and this is a big achievement," he said.

Shah also touched upon schemes like Stand-up India and Start-up India and Make in India. "In five to ten years, this country will be the top economy of the world," he said.

Shah said more than 250 initiatives have been taken by the Modi government to improve trade and because of this the country has moved forward in Global Competitive Index. It is because of these efforts that foreign companies are keen to set up projects in the country, he added.

He said the fundamental principles of legendary king Maharaja Agrasen were business and through it promoting culture, ensuring the state's security, state's pride and dedicating lives for the sake of nation and welfare of poor.

Shah said the NDA government is following the path shown by Maharaja Agrasen and is working hard to make the country prosperous, taking steps to ensure country's security and uplift the poorest of the poor.

"The government believes that if country is to prosper, its economy has to be strong," he said.

Shah said he was known for his compassion and he had taken numerous steps to protect the environment and for stopping animal slaughter.

He said even after over 5,100 years, people celebrate Maharaja Agrasen's Jayanti because of his high ideals which are still relevant today.

On the occasion of 'Sharad Purnima' lakhs have come to Agroha Dham, a temple complex here, here to pay tributes to Maharaja Agrasen.

Shah said the Centre's flagship Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao programme has achieved success in bridging the gender ratio gap.

Referring to the BJP government in Haryana, Shah said it had taken several pro-people and pro-poor initiatives as well.

During Haryana's golden jubilee celebrations, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has vowed to make the state kerosene-free.

Shah ALSO appealed to Rajya Sabha MP and media baron Subhash Chandra, who was present at the event, to adopt five villages to make them model villages.

Chandra later announced that he would adopt five villages in Hisar district to make them "smart villages in the next 18 months".

His son, Jay Shah, was also present at the function. As many as 111 MLAs and 29 MPs belonging to the Vaishya community from various political parties attended the function, Chandra said.

Among others who spoke on the occasion included senior BJP leader and party's Haryana affairs in-charge Anil Jain, state Industries Minister Vipul Goel and Chattisgarh Cabinet Minister Brij Mohan Aggarwal. MP from Meerut Rajinder Agrawal was also present.

Jain said the Vaishya community was known for their philanthropic work and social causes like setting up of educational institutions and hospitals.

Responding to suggestion made by various speakers at the event that the Vaishya community should be given more representation in the upcoming polls in various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Jain said BJP will consider giving more representation to them.

Notably, today's event was held as part of an exercise to rally around various castes and sub-castes linked to the Vaishya community.

Earlier, upon arriving here, Shah and Chandra took part in a 'puja' at a temple at Agroha Dham here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held meetings with Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda and Bangladeshi Premier Sheikh Hasina and discussed important bilateral and regional issues with them.

"And capping off a busy day, a final bilateral with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

"PM @narendramodi meets Prime Minister of Nepal for a bilateral," he said.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister also met Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgayon the sidelines of the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit at Cavelossim, 50 km from Panaji.

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Prime Minister will launch SC/ST Hub during his visit to the industrial city on October 18, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said here.

"The objective of the SC/ST Hub is to provide professional support to entrepreneurs from the SC/ST and to promote enterprise culture and entrepreneurship amongst the SC/ST population and to enable them to participate more effectively in public procurement," said Singh who is Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

The Minister said that Modi will also launch 'Zero Defect, Zero Effect' (ZED model) scheme which aims to rate and handhold all MSMEs to deliver top quality products using clean technology. It would have sector-specific parameters for each industry, he further said.

Modi will also give away awards to outstanding MSME entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, preparations are afoot to accord warm welcome to the Prime Minister in the city.

The BJP has set up large number of boards in the city to welcome the Prime Minister. Anil Sareen, the vice president of Punjab unit of the BJP, said around 2,500 persons would participate in the function.

Union MSME minister Kalraj Mishra, Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore, Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, Minister of State for MSME Giriraj Singh among others will be present on this occasion.
The south-west monsoon finally withdrew from Bihar today, the MeT department said.

This year's monsoon left a five per cent rainfall deficiency, a bulletin from the department said.

Weather remained dry over Bihar during the past 24 hours and it would stay so over the next few days in the state, the bulletin said.

A MeT department official said that people could expect the weather to turn cold around Chhath, which is at the end of the first week of November, provided there was no build-up of cyclonic system in the Bay of Bengal.

"Usually, one or two spells of cyclone are formed in the Bay of Bengal around this season and if any such cyclone is indeed formed then the winter may be delayed by 10 or 15 days," he said.

At present, a north-westerly wind is blowing at a very slow speed across Bihar and if it gains momentum, which is expected in 2-3 days, then people may start witnessing winter weather condition around the first week of November, he said.

The minimum temperature in Patna today hovered around 21 degrees Celsius, which is a bit higher, MeT department sources said.

The monsoon had reached Bihar on June 17 after a delay of seven days from the normal onset date of June 10.

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A mother and son duo were killed when a goods vehicle ran over them on Strand Road in the central part of the city early this morning, the police said.

Mire Devi (40) and her son Arun Rana (22), both residents of Anandapur, came under the wheels of a south-bound speeding goods vehicle at around 7.19AM today when they were trying to cross the Strand Road in front of the Calcutta Swimming Club, they said.

The duo were rushed to the SSKM hospital where they were declared brought dead while the offending vehicle fled, a Kolkata Police officer said.

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The online ticket booking facility for the buses of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), which is currently available in Mumbai, will soon be made available in other parts of the state.

"For now, due to the technicalities involved in the project, there are only certain places from where online booking for ST buses can be done. On a trial basis, people from Mumbai have been using this.

"However, in the next one month, travellers from across the state will be able to avail the online ticket booking facility," Maharashtra Transport Minister Diwakar Raote told PTI.

"Maharashtra is a progressive state, where everything is going the digital way. On the lines of Railways, people wishing to travel by ST buses should not be required to stand in long queues and wait for hours to buy tickets. Hence, for the convenience of people, we have decided to introduce the online ticket booking system across the state," he added.

An official from the Transport Department said commuters can use the website- /www.Mahaonline.Gov.In/ to book tickets online.

Besides the online booking, commuters using the government's portal will also be able to view bus time-tables, plan journeys in advance as being provided by the Railways, he said.

Meanwhile, the Road Transport Department, in order to facilitate smoother payment for commuters and ensure a centralised database, has also decided to undertake a mass digitisation initiative to include online challan payments, e-documents and e-reminders for renewal of vehicle insurance.

"The process will begin by upgrading vehicle-related and driver-related software that is used by the regional transport offices (RTOs) - called 'Vahan' and 'Sarathi'.

This will help maintain a uniform database of vehicle information and motor vehicle driving licences on a single platform," the official said.

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The 8th edition of Agro Vision, which provides platform for farmers and agriculture industry to explore various opportunities, will be organised here on November 11, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced today.

"About 400 stalls of various national and multi-national companies engaged in producing agro products and farming equipment will be put up for the benefits of farmers from across the region, with an idea to educate them on increasing their productivity with the minimum cost of production," Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping said.

Gadkari is also chief promoter of the event to be held at Reshimbaug ground here.

The four-day Agro Vision event is a combination of exhibition, workshops and conference which provides an interface for farmers and the agriculture industry to explore various opportunities.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will inaugurate the event, which will be presided over by Gadkari.

The event will be attended by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, MoS for Foods and Chemicals Ananat Kumar, MoS for Home Hansraj Ahir besides Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, his Assam counterpart Sarbanand Sonowal and state ministers.

Gadkari said Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will inaugurate a workshop in presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Bhai Rupani on November 12.

Top companies including Reliance, ITC, Mahindra to name few, besides National Dairy Development Borad, Horticulture Board and various agencies of state and Central governments will participate in Agro Vision.

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The apex consumer commission has directed a Chennai hospital to pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of a doctor who suffered brain damage and subsequently died, by holding it negligent in monitoring whether he was getting enough oxygen while admitted in ICU.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission asked Madras Medical Mission Hospital to pay the compensation to the family of Chennai-resident Dr S J S Paul who suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

"I have no hesitation in holding that late Dr Paul was not continuously connected to a pulse oximeter (used for measuring blood oxygen) though his saturation levels were being monitored and recorded on hourly basis.

"To this extent, the hospital was negligent in rendering services to the patient, during his stay in the ICU of the hospital," commission's presiding member Justice V K Jain said.

"The Madras Medical Mission is directed to pay compensation quantified at Rs 10,00,000 to complainants along with the cost of litigation quantified at Rs 25,000," he added.

According to the complaint, on July 11, 2007, Paul had undergone a coronary artery bypass graft surgery at the hospital and was shifted to ICU later.

As per the complaint made by Paul's family, he was not connected to a pulse oximeter, which was necessary to monitor the oxygen saturation level.

They had further claimed that Paul remained in comatose state and on life support system with irreversible brain damage from July 15, 2007, and was declared dead on July 28. His family had alleged negligence in post-operative treatment and management of the patient.

The hospital claimed it had one of the most well-equipped and well-manned ICUs in the country and there was bedside monitoring by nurses and physicians were available round-the- clock to monitor the patients.

They also claimed that pulse oximeter saturations, arterial blood gases and other hemodynamic parameters are continuously monitored in the ICU and documented.

The Commission, however, observed that the hospital had not submitted any evidence to substantiate its claims.

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Pitching Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between India and China, Prime Minister Prachanda floated a proposal for a trilateral strategic partnership during a meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a media report here said today.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' during the trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit yesterday expressed Nepal's desire to act as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants and to reap the benefit of playing such a role, The Himalayan Times reported along with a photo of the meeting.

Prachanda "floated a proposal for trilateral strategic partnership among the three countries", which Modi and Xi acknowledged as 'significant' and said they were positive towards it, the report said, citing a statement issued by his secretariat on the Prime Minister's personal website.

The Nepalese premier, who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit yesterday, first held a one-on- one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them. The leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachanda's personal secretary Prakash Dahal, who is also his son, was quoted as saying.

According to the statement, Prachanda said during the meeting that "we (Nepal) are located between two giant countries. We want to become a dynamic bridge between the two countries and reap the benefit".

"During the meeting, I put forth the issue of strategic partnership with emphasis," Dahal said, adding that "the Indian Prime Minister and Chinese President said Nepal's proposal on strategic partnership is significant and they agreed to it".

Noting that Buddha, Pashupatinath and Janaki connected Nepal, India and China, Prachanda was quoted as saying that Nepal can play a role of a bridge between India and China and help them build good relationship at present also.

He further said Nepal was inching towards the goals of development and wanted to establish a balanced, friendly and strategic relationship with both the neighbours, the report said.

The Nepalese premier also expressed his hope that the trilateral meeting could play a significant role in setting up an "epochal relationship" between Nepal, India and China, it said.

In response, Chinese President Xi was quoted as saying that the size of the country did not bear much significance and Nepal could become a bridge between India and China.

He also praised Nepal's role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in the future.

Noting that the three countries shared "geographical, emotional and cultural friendship, Indian Prime Minister Modi said India was positive towards Nepal's proposal on trilateral partnership," the report said.

Prachanda's spouse Sita Dahal was also present at the meeting.

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In a shocking incident, a newborn was nibbled by rats in the maternity ward of a government hospital in Kishtwar with parents claiming that the baby died due to rodent bites.

Ghulam Hassan, a resident of the remote Chhatru village of the district, had taken his wife to the hospital where she delivered a baby boy on Thursday, a police officer said on Sunday.

He said that the baby was shifted to the maternity ward and when Hassan visited the ward on Saturday, he found the baby dead with rat bites visible on his body.

"There was blood all over the body of the baby and the rats were still nibbling him when Hassan saw this," he said.

Gurjeet Singh, Director of Health Services in Jammu, said that a probe has been launched into the matter.

"I have already ordered an inquiry and the chief medical officer of the district will be conducting the enquiry. However, preliminary enquiry suggest that the baby had already died due to some illness and was nibbled by rats after his death," Singh told PTI.

Singh, however, said that if anybody in the health department is found guilty, strict action would be taken against him.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was today formally appointed JD-U president, pushing him for a bigger role in national politics, though the party desisted from declaring him its prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Nitish's appointment as JD-U chief was ratified at the party's national council meeting here in Nalanda district.

He was the sole candidate for the post after nominations were invited last month in Delhi and was declared "elected unopposed".

National council members from 23 states unanimously supported the resolution moved by Rajya Sabha member Haribansh to appoint the Bihar Chief Minister as JD-U chief.

Nitish had taken the rein from Sharad Yadav in April.

Briefing reporters on the deliberations of the JD-U national council, the party's general secretary, KC Tyagi, said Nitish was authorised to explore the option of forging "a strong alternative" of non-BJP parties nationally to defeat the "communal forces", the way he did it in Bihar.

Tyagi, accompanied by two senior Bihar ministers, Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan, said Nitish was the "most credible face" among a larger section of the people who saw him "with a hope to defeat the BJP and the RSS".

He, however, made it clear that the JD-U had "never declared" that Nitish would be the prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"Although he is PM material with secularist, non-dynastic and non-casteist credentials, being a small party, the JD(U) has never officially declared him the prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 polls," Tyagi said.

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One person was killed and 24 others were injured when a bus in which they were travelling in overturned near Gulni village in Bihar's Nalanda district today.

The bus was going to Hilsa from Islampur when the driver applied brake after an animal suddenly came in the way and he lost his control over the vehicle and overturned in a ditch.

One person died on the spot while 24 others injured in the incident, Sub-Divisional Officer Srishti Raj said.

The identity of the deceased could not be ascertained yet, the SDO said while the 24 injured have been admitted to Hilsa sub-divisional hospital for treatment.

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Police have seized over Rs 1.44 crore, alleged to be hawala money, from a paddy broker, they said today.

Acting on a specific information received regarding hawala transactions, a Special Operation Team of Rachakonda Commissionerate last night caught Dontham Shetty Prasad, who used to collect huge amounts of cash every weekend, alleged to be hawala money, police said.

"Yesterday night, he was intercepted while he was on his way to board a bus at LB Nagar and taken to police station. After verification it was found that he was carrying over Rs 1.44 crore in cash" said Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh Bhagwat.

When interrogated, the person revealed that he is a paddy broker and every weekend he collects cash in the city and would then travel to Nellore by bus.

"He did not produce any documents in support of the transaction and hence, a case has been booked under Section 102 (power of police officer to seize certain property) of CrPC. The case has been forwarded to the IT department," the CP said.

A probe is on in the case.

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Strongly reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that Pakistan is the "mothership of terrorism", Premier Nawaz Sharif's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz today accused the Indian leader of "misleading" the BRICS countries over the issue.

"Mr Modi is misleading his BRICS and BIMSTEC colleagues," Aziz said.

He also alleged that the Indian leadership is "desperately trying to hide its brutalities" in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said that Aziz reacted strongly to Modi's statement during his address at the BRICS summit in Goa in which he called Pakistan a "mothership" of terrorism world-wide.

Aziz said Pakistan joins all the members of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and BIMSTEC in condemning terrorism and reaffirms its full commitment to fight the menace of terrorism without discrimination, "including against the Indian state-sponsored terrorism on Pakistani soil".

Aziz said the UN Human Rights High Commissioner in Geneva and the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have called for sending a fact finding mission to Kashmir.

He said The UN and OIC have "rejected Indian attempts to equate Kashmiris' movement for self-determination with terrorism."



He said the UN has repeatedly emphasised that people fighting for their self-determination cannot be categorised as terrorists by the occupying state.

Accusing India of "terror financing", Aziz said "India has no moral ground to even talk about counter-terrorism efforts let alone do the finger pointing.

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Pakistan's 4th nuclear power plant with the power generation capacity of 340 Megawatt has become functional, state media reported today.

The Chashma Unit-3 (C-3) has been connected to national grid, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).

"Congratulation to the nation that Pakistan's 4th nuclear power plant Chashma unit-3(C-3) has been connected to the national grid," the PAEC sources said.

The said the supply of electricity generated by this unit to the national grid has started on trial basis.

"After performing various safety and functional tests, the plant will attain full power in first fortnight of December 2016 and a formal inauguration ceremony of the full power grid connection will be held in December," said the sources.

Pakistan's first nuclear power plant KANUPP at Karachi is in operation for the last 44 years.

The other two nuclear power plants C-1 and C-2 at Chashma are already generating electricity.

These nuclear plants are supplying around 600 MW to the grid.

Two larger capacity nuclear power plants K-2 and K-3 near Karachi are also under construction and will be completed in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With its large swathes facing a severe water crisis, the country can look at as "dependable sources" of water to meet the needs of people from parched regions, a government-constituted experts' committee has suggested in its report.

The committee on " of North-West India: Review and Assessment", headed by eminent geologist Prof K S Valdiya, said there are "numerous" in the country with potential to store/offer billion cubic metres of fresh water.

Of the states where the panel conducted the study, Haryana, southern Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat alone have palaeochannels running more than 2200 km and their water quality is "generally good", the experts said.

Palaeochannels are remnant of once active rivers/streams or in other words, are paths abandoned by rivers when they change their course either due to movement of tectonic plates or severe floods and cut new ones.

Some of the palaeochannels lie buried under younger sediments.

"In the context of prevalent dryness in larger swathes of our country and the growing need for water for a variety of purposes, the palaeochannels hold good promise as rich repositories of groundwater. They have proved to be a dependable source of supply in many parts of the world," the committee said in the report.

The panel found that some of the palaeochannels are "dry, while some have water". More importantly, almost all of them can be artificially recharged and replenished with water, it said.

"The palaeochannels promising to hold substantial amount of water thus act as storage reservoirs augmenting groundwater resources," they said.

According to a senior Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) official, some of the palaeochannels studied by the committee are 50 metre to a few kilometres wide and 10 ft to 30 ft deep.

"So you can imagine the quantum of water that can be sourced from these palaeochannels. Maybe billions cubic metre of freshwater from across the country," the official said.

The committee has recommended that the government legislate a law to regulate extraction of water from palaeochannels in view of low rainfall in dry stretches and "reckless" exploitation of freshwater for irrigation and other purposes.

The panel suggested that it develop systematic database of all surface maps of palaeochannels and sub-surface stratigraphic data including geophysical surveys, borehole data, chemical quality and isotopic composition of groundwater in and around palaeochannel.

It also proposed launching of a mission to facilitate accurate estimation of groundwater reserves.

Among other, the committee has urged the government to make recharging as many "well-identified" palaeochannels as possible its "top priority".

"The vadose zone volume should be worked out and source water requirement should be assessed. Considering low rainfall in (arid) areas, availability of non-committed runoff should be worked out and plan of action for recharge, along with the artificial recharge structure, should be ascertained," the report said.

According to a Central Water Commission (CWC) report, over 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the country is "vulnerable" to drought.

The distribution of rainfall in the country varies greatly in time as well as space and such variations have caused extreme events of droughts and floods, the CWC report said.

The Commission had attributed the water scarcity in the country to consecutive monsoon failures. The rainfall deficit in the country was 14 per cent in 2015 and 12 per cent in 2014.

Besides Padma Bhushan awardee Valdiya, the committee on palaeochannels included ex-Archaeological Survey of India joint director general R S Bisht, JC Bose Chair Professor at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (Bhopal) S K Tandon, IIT-Kanpur professor Rajiv Sinha and ISRO (Jodhpur) scientist B K Bhadra.
Personalised and "evidence-based" treatment rather than a generic approach is the "way forward" for cancer cure across the world, including in India, international oncology experts have said.

Cancer experts from around 15 foreign countries had gathered here for a global conference on head-neckcancer, which ended last evening.

During the four-day event, they exchanged domain knowledge and discussed ways to develop a universal model for cancer management, besides sharing the new technological developments in the field.

"In India head-neck cancer is more common than in the US where lung cancer and other cancer incidences are more. During a trial at our centre, we realised the tumour mutation was different in different cases. We did a genetic profiling and the treatment was given based on mutation.

"This trial and the general feel among cancer experts now is that the model of treatment should move from generic one to personalised, precision-based one. And, it holds for across the world, including India," says Nancy Lee, Vice-Chair at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York.

During the conference, organised by the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies (IFHNOS) and Foundation for Head-Neck Oncology (FHNO), Indian experts presented research papers on two days, while foreign experts did on the rest two days.

"The event has given the impetus to start new studies to decide what is the best treatment and the way to do cancer management together.

Lot of cancer cases in the US were detected at early stage, because of patient education and availability of care," Professor of Surgery at MSKCC, Ashok R Shaha said.

"The key words now are personalised, evidence-based and precision, when it comes to treatment," he said.

Claudio Cernea, Professor of Surgery in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Sao Paulo's Medical School, says, "It has to be a multi-modality treatment."



"We need to reduce the aggressiveness of the treatment. The Tumour Board has a team of professionals, and it is important that we take special decision, eg in cases of thyroid cancer surgeries," he said.

Carol Bradford, Professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Michigan's Medical School believes, "While there may be epidemiological differences for India and the West, it comes almost to the same care.

"And, knowledge and skill of doctors here in India is very impressive. Also, oral cancer is by far the highest in India, so there is lot to learn from here."



According to experts, the annual incidence of head and neck cancers worldwide is more than 550,000 cases, while in India, out of the 11 lakh incidences a year of cancer overall, 2.5-3 lakh are of head and neck cancer.

"Individualised treatment is the new step forward for



cancer, in India also. The volume of disease in India is so high. And, tumour of one patient is different from others. There are molecular differences in tumours," New York-based head and neck surgery expert, Kepal Patel said.

"And, whether is is squamous cell cancer or other types of cancers, it should be targeted with more drugs instead of treating everybody aggressively," he said.

Professor of head-neck surgery and otorhinolaryngology at the AIIMS and the Organising Chairman of the conference, Alok Thakar, said, "today for every patient we do a multi- disciplinary planning. We sit together and then decide how the patient is to be treated. It is called the Tumour Board. And, it is known to improve not just survival but also the quality of survival."



Indian and foreign oncologists also agreed that in the arena of cancer treatment, it is now a "team sport" and the age of "I, me, myself" is gone.

"There are radiation, medical and surgical oncologists, and it is a team work today. The days of 'I-I-I, I am the hero, I m the leader' are gone," he said.

Shaha said, "Cancer management requires a lot of thinking and not a biased opinion of one individual. We used to be biased. It was all about 'me, myself' but it is now 'me and us'."



"Also, one of the goals of this event is to to have a unified treatment philosophy around the world," he added.

The New York-based doctors also praised the Indian government's decision to put disclaimer during film exhibitions in theatres, saying, "the effect would not be immediate but in next 20-25 years, it will show its impact."



Claudio said that the initiative to have a World Head and Neck Cancer Day on July 27, was taken by Indian doctors and many monuments are lit up on that in a special colour day to mark it.

Talking about cancer treatment and research scenario in India, Nancy said, "In India, you have lot of tissues... So, different markers to look at. Also, I heard, India is going to get a proton beam in Mumbai, and next in Bangalore, it is so exciting."



On other cancers Shaha said, "The good thing about thyroid cancer is, its outcome is excellent compared to tongue or voice box cancer."



"And, the earlier is detected, the better it is. In tongue cancer, the survival is 60-70 per cent while in thyroid case it is 98-99 per cent," he said.

An international test (viva voce) for competency in head and neck cancer was also held on the last day of the conference, for young surgeons, by IFHNOS.

"Previously it was held in Prague, followed by Moscow, Riyadh and now Delhi. Next it would be held in Korea an South America," Thakar said.
Domestic pharmaceutical are likely to report subdued sales, EBITDA and PAT figures in the second quarter of this fiscal, even as the formulations business may see a strong recovery, a report said.

"We expect the pharmaceutical to report subdued performance on sales, EBITDA and PAT front in Q2 FY17 led by the quiet US business on lack of fresh ANDA approvals due to the pending US FDA issues.

" are likely to report sales, EBITDA and PAT growth of 10.2 per cent YoY, 9.4 per cent YoY and 14.3 per cent YoY, respectively in Q2 FY17," Reliance Securities said in its report here.

"However, expects strong recovery in domestic formulations business for most companies under our coverage driven by strong monsoon, while favourable y-o-y movement in non-US dollar currencies and new drugs approvals will drive growth in emerging markets," the report said.

It said EBITDA margins will continue to be under pressure on account of increased R&D spending and adverse product-mix.

"We continue to remain positive on long-term prospects of the pharma sector and recommend being stock-specific," it added.

The US remains mainstay for most companies, contributing 55-60 per cent of total exports.

Measures like aggressive R&D spend and scale-up in complex ANDA filings are considered to be the key re-rating triggers, it said.

However, few operational metrics have exhibited lack of momentum like critical facilities under US FDA lens, channel consolidation and slowdown in approvals.

While Sun Pharma Halol warning letter and Cadila's Moraiya warning letter are awaiting re-inspection from the US FDA, Dr Reddy's pending Form 483 to three plants is still undergoing Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) process and it is expected to submit re-inspection request shortly.

Lupin is awaiting the US FDA resolution for its Goa plant.

"The US revenue for the companies under our coverage universe is expected to decline sequentially by 5-6 per cent owing to increased competition leading to price erosion in base product portfolio, Gleevec/Glumetza 180 days exclusivity ends and lack of meaningful launches," it added.

are likely to witness strong recovery in domestic formulations business.

"We expect strong recovery in India formulations business for most companies driven by strong monsoon," it said.

The Indian pharma market has reported strong growth of 15 per cent and 18 per cent in July and Aug, respectively.

It is expected to witness 16-17 per cent CAGR in next few years, led by new product launches.
India's attempts to isolate Pakistan on terror appeared to have gained traction when the five-nation grouping BRICS today condemned the recent attacks in Uri and Pathankot and made it clear that there can be no political or religious justification to it as Prime Minister dubbed the neighbour as "mother ship" of global terror.

After diplomats worked long hours, the Summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa came out with a Goa Declaration which also backed India's demand by calling upon all nations to work together to expedite the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN without any further delay.

Leaders of the five nations including Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was a responsibility of all states to prevent terrorist actions from their territories, a concern India continuously voices over the Pakistan's support to cross-border terrorist activities by outfits operating from its soil.

"We strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some BRICS countries, including that in India. We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other reasons.

"We agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating international terrorism both at the bilateral level and at international fora," said the 102-para declaration.

The declaration also touched several other areas including global cooperation in combating the menace of terrorist financing, corruption, stashing of black money and the need for steps to achieve repatriation of ill-gotten stashed abroad.

The five-nation grouping also decided to work closely with G-20 members to strengthen macro economic cooperation and promote sustainable trade and development to propel global growth.

Modi set the tone for the strong declaration on terrorism with his veiled but obvious attack on Pakistan from whose soil terrorists targeted the army base in Uri, air force base in Pathankot and civilian targets in Gurdaspur, resulting in a good number of casualties.

"In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development. Tragically its mother ship is a country in India's neighbourhood. Terror modules around the world are linked to this mother ship. This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains.

"It is a mindset that we strongly condemn. And, against which we as BRICS need to stand and act together. BRICS must speak in one voice against this threat," he said without taking the name of Pakistan.

Modi's call for BRICS to stand and act together against terrorism came against the backdrop of China remaining non-committal on backing India on mobilising world opinion against terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

The declaration called upon all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism, which should include countering violent extremism, radicalisation, recruitment, movement of terrorists including foreign terrorist fighters and blocking sources of financing terrorism and dismantling terrorist bases.

Underlining that "Criminality should be the only basis



for punitive action against the individuals and organizations responsible for carrying out terrorist acts", the Prime Minister said "Terrorist funding, their weapons supply, training and political support must be systematically cut off."



He also called for early adoption of the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), saying doing so will be an expression of "our resolve" to fight the menace.

Asserting that selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organizations will not only be futile but also "counter-productive", Modi said there must be no distinction based on "artificial and self-serving grounds".

Making a press statement in the presence of all the BRICS leaders at the conclusion of the Summit, Modi said it was "agreed that those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor such forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as the terrorists themselves."



He said terrorist funding, their weapons supply, training and political support must be systematically cut off. "In this respect, we need to deepen the security cooperation between our National Security Advisors," the Prime Minister said.

Modi said the BRICS leaders were unanimous in recognizing the threat that terrorism, extremism and radicalization presents, not just to the regional and global peace, stability and economic prosperity but, also to our society, our way of life and humanity as a whole.

In its declaration, the BRICS also pitched for a stronger global commitment for combating corruption and repatriation of blackmoney in overseas jurisdictions, saying these along with aggressive tax practices hurt equitable development and economic growth.

"We will strive to coordinate our approach... And encourage a stronger global commitment to prevent and combat corruption on the basis of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and other relevant international legal instruments," it said.

The BRICS said it supports the strengthening of international cooperation against corruption, including through the BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group, as well as on matters related to asset recovery and persons sought for corruption.

The grouping also reaffirmed its commitment towards a globally fair and modern tax system and welcome the progress made on effective and widespread implementation of the internationally agreed standards.

In the declaration, the bloc also sought a strong, quota-based and adequately resourced IMF to bridge the financing gap in infrastructure development to push economic growth in developing nations.

"We reaffirm our commitment to a strong, quota-based and adequately resourced International Monetary Fund (IMF). Borrowed resources by the IMF should be on a temporary basis," stated Goa Declaration on 8th BRICS Summit concluded here.

Highlighting the importance of public and private investments in infrastructure, including connectivity,to ensure sustained long-term growth, the leaders of the five nation grouping called for approaches to bridge the financing gap in infrastructure including through enhanced involvement of Multilateral Development Banks.

(Reopen DEL70)



Addressing the BRICS Summit, the Chinese President said "while speaking with one voice, we should also address issues on the ground with concrete efforts and multipronged approach that addresses both symptoms and root causes."



He said it was "imperative that we step up coordination and communication on major international issues and regional hotspots and act in concert to find political solution to hotspots issues and take on such global challenges like natural disasters, climate change, infectious diseases and terrorism."



Underlining the need to confront global challenges together, Xi said, "We BRICS countries share a common future. We are not only a community of converging interests, but take concerted actions and make progress together.

(REOPENS DEL92)



Three MoUs were signed at the BRICS summit, including one on customs cooperation, aimed at creating legal basis for customs cooperation and for facilitating processes of customs control.

"We commend our customs administrations on the establishment of the Customs Cooperation Committee of BRICS, and on exploring means of further enhancing collaboration in the future, including those aimed at creating legal basis for customs cooperation and facilitating procedures of customs control.

"We note the signing of the Regulations on Customs Cooperation Committee of the BRICS in line with the undertaking in the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership to strengthen interaction among Customs Administrations," the declaration said.

"To further intensify cooperation among BRICS countries in agricultural research policy, science and technology, innovation and capacity building, including technologies for small-holder farming in the BRICS countries, we welcome the signing of the MoU for establishment of the BRICS Agricultural Research Platform," it said.

"We underline the importance of collective efforts in solving international problems, and for peaceful settlement of disputes through political and diplomatic means, and in this regard, we reiterate our commitment to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations," it said.
DMK Treasurer M K Stalin today condemned 'harassment' of his party cadres under the pretext of taking action against those spreading rumours about Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's health on social media and asked police to immediately stop such 'oppressive' measures.

In a statement here, he alleged that acting on 'false' complaints by AIADMK IT wing personnel and other party functionaries, the cyber crime police was summoning the DMK members, harassing them and threatening to block their social media accounts.

"We will never tolerate police targeting DMK men under the guise that they were spreading rumours on social media. I strongly condemn the police action," Stalin, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, said.

Police should immediately stop taking action targeting DMK men on social media based on the complaints by AIADMK, he said, noting that seven persons had been arrested and 50 cases filed on complaints of alleged spreading of rumours about Jayalalithaa's health on social media.

Stalin, who recently visited the Apollo Hospital to inquire about the health status of the Chief Minister, said, "Like every person's wish for the betterment of Jayalalithaa, it is also our desire for her speedy recovery."



"It is not fair that the police are taking action targeting the DMK men despite the party's legal wing filing a complaint with Greater Chennai Police Commissioner and to the DGP of Tamil Nadu on the issue," he said.

"A doubt arises whether the police was supporting the AIADMK's attempt to create an image that rumours were spread only by the DMK men," he said.

24-year-old Antony Jesuraj from Tuticorin district was the latest to be arrested for allegedly spreading rumours on the health condition of Jayalalithaa, who is under treatment at Apollo Hospital here since September 22.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's charge that Congress pursued "divisive politics" was a classic case of "pot calling the kettle black".

Refuting Badal's allegation that Congress was playing divisive politics over burning of 'Chitta Raavan' effigies, he said, "Rather, the burning of Chitta Raavan has proved to be a unifying force for all Punjabis to vent their anger and protest against your government."



Badal had yesterday alleged that the Congress party always pursued "divisive politics" in the state for the sake of its vested political interests.

"It was Badal who, all through his political life, had played 'divisive politics' by dividing people along communal and sectarian lines for his petty, partisan and personal benefits," Singh said in a statement issued here today.

The PCC president alleged it was Badal who had scripted the desecration of the holy books in Bargadi, in Ludhiana and in Malerkotla.

"And yet, he was trying to accuse Congress of something he was himself guilty of," said Singh.

The former CM said why Badal and his government were "overreacting" to the spontaneous public protest, which was in reaction to all that is happening in Punjab.

"Why does it matter only to you that people are burning 'Chitta Raavan' and you are trying to gag their voice?" he said.

Singh said there was nothing "divisive" about burning the 'Chitta Ravan' and it would be better for him to understand and feel the anger of the Punjabis, who are voluntarily burning the effigies all over the state.

"Rather than acknowledging the problem and going for introspection, you are again trying to put the blame on others," he said.

Instead of resorting to "draconian and dictatorial" means to curb the public anger, Badal should feel the pulse and address the issue, Singh said, adding he should start with an apology to Punjabis for the devastation brought to Punjab with the spread of drugs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In order to deal sternly with cases of gold smuggling, the Finance Ministry has decided that prosecution in cases related to it will be launched soon after issuance of show cause notices.

It has revised the guidelines issued about a year ago in this regard and included gold in the list of items in which prosecution can be launched soon after the show cause notices have been issued.

"Normally, prosecution may be launched immediately on completion of adjudication proceedings. However, prosecution in respect of cases involving offences relating to items i.E. gold, Fake Indian Currency Notes, arms, ammunitions and explosives, antiques, art treasures, wild life items and endangered species of flora and fauna may preferably be launched immediately after issuance of show cause notice," it said in a directive to the customs.

Customs officials say that the new measure will help check gold smuggling and result in swift punishment to the offenders.

The cases of gold smuggling are regularly reported from international airports, especially Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, where smugglers are following new modus operandi to illegally bring in the precious metal.

Of late, customs officials at the Delhi airport had arrested two men for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold weighing 2.6 kg worth about Rs 78 lakh by hiding it in papaya.

Various agencies have seized a whopping 2969.52 kgs of gold worth several hundred crores of rupees during 2015-16.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The city police detained several protesters ahead of a rally of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here this evening.

Those detained were protesting against the AAP supremo for his comments "seeking proof" of the army's surgical strikes on terror launchpads in PoK.

Protesters, waving black flags and breaking black earthen pots, dubbed Kejriwal as "pro-Pakistan" and asked him to leave Surat.

Members of an organisation, 'Brahm Padkar Samiti', were detained by the police from outside the Yogi Chowk venue of the rally.

Members of a Patidar group too staged a protest near the venue and were detained. "Around 35 protesters were detained and later released," a police officer said.

Ahead of Kejriwal's visit and rally here, banners came up at various parts of the city, depicting him as one of the "Heroes of Pakistan" by putting his photo alongside Osama bin Laden, Burhan Wani and Hafiz Saeed.

Banners about the "dubious" track record of several ministers of the AAP government in Delhi were also put up.

In some societies in the Patel-dominated Varachha area, posters warning the AAP leader against entering the area had also surfaced a few days back.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab BJP today slammed Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh over 'Chitta Ravan' effigy issue and said that he was now taking the help of effigies as the party has no "concrete issue" to discuss ahead of the assembly polls.

Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla said the former Chief Minister was now depending upon effigies to save his "political existence" rather than telling people about his plans for the state, adding that he is "scared" of losing the polls for the third time.

"Amarinder was earlier having coffees on stage (coffee with Captain) and then he went to Halka (Halke vich Captain) and now he is seeking the help of effigies," Sampla said.

Congress has no "issue" to take up and therefore, Amarinder had to follow the instructions of a poll strategist, he said apparently referring to Prashant Kishor.

"Congress is working as per the agenda fixed by a poll strategist and as a result of which, it was enacting a drama every day rather than doing something on concrete issues," he added.

The state unit of Congress had yesterday announced that it will burn an effigy of 'Chitta Ravan' in Ludhiana to draw Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attention to the drug menace in the state during his visit to the industrial city on October 18.

Besides, the party and its workers would also burn the 'Chitta Ravans' in all the 117 Assembly constituencies of the state tomorrow.

Modi will address industrialists at an event in the city on October 18. 'Chitta' means drugs in colloquial language.

"Had Congress worked for the benefit of people during its regime, then it should not have faced consecutive defeat in polls," said Sampla.

He said burning the effigy of Ravan on Dusshera is a religious tradition and accused the Congress of trying to make "fun" of it.

"Now Amarinder is scared of losing the polls for the third time and that is why he was taking the help of effigies to save his political existence," said Sampla.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi government's Public Works Department has alleged that SDMC is not cooperating in its ambitious project to light up dark spots in its areas, a charge denied by the civic body.

A senior PWD official alleged that SDMC has denied permission for installing street lights at dark spots across South Delhi even as the process has been initiated across East Delhi and North Delhi areas as both NDMC and EDMC have given No Objection Certificates to the department, he said.

The installation work in North and East Delhi is scheduled to be completed by February next year, the official said.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation authorities, however, denied the charge saying the tendering process for 5,000 poles with lights was in an advanced stage and likely to be completed in next 15-20 days.

"We have already given tenders for installing 5000 poles with lights, including coverage of 2500 darks spots identified in our area by Delhi Police.

"Efforts are being made to install the lights before Diwali," SDMC's standing committee chairman Shailendra Singh Monty said.

Singh claimed that SDMC had received no communication in this regard from the Delhi government and that the civic body is lighting up the dark spots on its own.

Illumination of these spots will make the areas safer for the residents in general and will ensure women safety as well, another senior government official said.

A detailed survey was initiated by the PWD to identify the dark spots in North and East Delhi. It was found that there are 124 dark spots in the East Delhi Municipal area and around 7,304 dark spots in the North Delhi Municipal area, he said.

As per the project, PWD will light up these areas and will install around 82 poles in East Delhi and 3,686 poles in North Delhi. The department also plans to install 124 LED lights in East Delhi and around 7,304 LED lights in the North Delhi region to illuminate dark spots.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth accompanied by his elder daughter, Aishwarya R Dhanush today visited Apollo Hospitals and enquired about Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's health.

Rajinikanth and Aishwarya were at the hospital for about 20-25 minutes, hospital sources said, adding, they enquired about her health.

The 68-year-old AIADMK supremo was admitted to hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration.

Soon after Jayalalithaa was admitted, Rajinikanth in his official twitter handle had said, "I pray to God for your speedy recovery."



Meanwhile, reports said a team of specialists from Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore, has arrived at the Hospital to examine Jayalalithaa. However, when contacted, sources at the Apollo Hospitals declined to confirm it.

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Newcomer Reliance Jio has again asked its rivals Vodafone and Idea Cellular to release interconnection ports while alleging that poor quality of service on its network is due to incumbent players' "unlawful and illegal delay" in providing more connections.

Referring to the regulator Trai's directions issued to telecom operators on October 7 for resolving the service quality issue, the Mukesh Ambani-led firm in separate letters to Vodafone and Idea said, "In deference to Trai's directions, RJIL therefore demands immediate release of the shortfall in E1s."

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has given a deadline of October 17, 2016 to mobile operators to resolve the matter so that customers do not experience poor quality of service.

Trai has observed high level of congestion in telecom networks leading to call failure on Reliance Jio's network.

Jio has been alleging that Airtel, Vodafone and Idea are denying it required number of interconnection points. However, the incumbents have said that they have provided sufficient points of interconnection (PoIs) to meet requirement of Jio according to the industry average.

In the letter dated October 12, marked to Telecom Secretary and Trai Chairman, Jio alleged average call drop experienced by its customer as on October 8 was as high as 87 per cent on Vodafone and 67 per cent on Idea network for NLD service.

The company has sought interconnection facility for supporting 100 million mobile subscribers by March 2017.

According to

the list sent by Jio, Vodafone has to allocate 7614 and 1844 more PoIs for access and national long distance services while Idea needs to provide 6060 and 1230 additional PoIs for access and national long distance services respectively.

Jio said that it provided schedule of estimated subscriber growth on its network since June 21 along with required number of PoIs.

"As you are aware, you never adhered to the schedule for providing E1s (interconnection ports) under one pretext or the other and this continues as at date. The details of shortfalls in E1s are due and yet to be provided for up to 100 million subscribers," Jio said.

Jio has projected that subscriber base on its network is estimated to reach 50 million by September 2016, 75 million by end of 2016 and 100 million by March 2017.

"Please be informed that any non-compliance with QoS (quality of service) requirements on the traffic originating from RJIL's network is solely owing to your unlawful and illegal delay/ denial to adequately augment the PoIs," the letter said.

It further said Vodafone and Idea that "any continued delay/denial in providing the requisite E1" would be breach of their licence and QoS rule and they will be held "responsible for all consequences thereof."

No immediate comments could be received from Vodafone and Idea Cellular.
Actor Amit Sadh is excited that his much-delayed film "Runningshaadi.Com" is finally going to hit the screens as the wait for its release made him feel depressed.

Also starring Taapsee Pannu, the romantic drama has been produced by Shoojit Sircar. It was made long back but didn't get any release date. However, the film has now reportedly got a release date sometime early next year.

Expressing his happiness on the news, Amit told PTI, "I am very happy. It has been painful two years because after 'Kai Po Che!' this was supposed to be my first film. I cannot explain and express the depression and the sadness that I have gone through.

"I guess Taapsee seconds the same emotions because we are very close friends," the 37-year-old actor said.

Amit said the film has got a mature love story and hopes the audience gives the movie its due.

"'Runningshaadi.Com is an entertainer. It is a story of a young couple. It is a very mature, cute love story and things people do in small cities. I hope it entertains people. I hope they love the simplicity of these beautiful characters in the film," he said.

"It has been beautifully shot and directed by Amit Roy and we were mentored by Shoojit Sircar, who we all know is a genius. We have made this film with a lot of love and hard work. I just hope it finds a place in people's heart and I hope people give it its due," he said.

While Amit is fresh off the success of "Sultan", Taapsee is riding high on the "Pink" 'wave'.

When asked if this is the best time to release "Runningshaadi.Com, the actor said, "This is all maths. I don't understand maths. I just hope it comes out now, it's waited too long. And yes, we cannot deny the popularity of Taapsee, she's a huge star," he said.

Amit said he had an amazing experience working with Taapsee and he admires her courage.

"I think she is a feisty, amazing, beautiful, down to earth girl. She is a great actor, a great performer and a great friend. And what I love about her is that she calls a spade a spade," he said.

"She is a very courageous girl and I always salute and admire her. I am genuinely a big fan of her," Amit added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia's UN ambassador said that tensions with the United States are probably the worst since the 1973 Mideast war.

But Vitaly Churkin said Friday that Cold War relations between the Soviet Union and the US more than 40 years ago were different than US-Russia relations today.

"The general situation I think is pretty bad at this point, probably the worst ... Since 1973," he said in an interview with three journalists at Russia's UN Mission.

But Churkin said that "even though we have serious frictions, differences like Syria, we continue to work on other issues ... And sometimes quite well".

That wasn't the case generally during the Cold War.

When Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack against Israel on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar in October 1973, the Mideast was thrown into turmoil.

And according to historians, the threat of an outbreak of fighting between the Soviet Union, which backed the Arabs, and the US, Israel's closest ally, during the Yom Kippur War was the highest since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

Churkin said there are "a string of things" that have brought US-Russian relations to their current low point.

"It's kind of a fundamental lack of respect and lack of in-depth discussions" on political issues," he said.

Churkin pointed to the US and NATO deciding to build their security "at the expense of Russia" by accepting many East European nations formerly in the Soviet bloc as NATO members, and the US pullout from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001.

One of "the greatest provocations" during President George W Bush's administration was the 2008 NATO summit, which decided that Ukraine and Georgia should become NATO members, he said.

Most important, he said, was the conflict that erupted in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, weeks after a former Moscow-friendly Ukrainian president was chased from power by massive protests. Churkin called it "a coup" supported by the United States. Soon after, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which has led to Western sanctions against Moscow.

Ties between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated further in the past month after the collapse of a cease-fire in Syria and intensified bombing on Aleppo by Syrian and Russian aircraft, and US accusations that Russia is meddling in the US presidential election next month.

But despite the strained relations, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Saturday in Lausanne, Switzerland, in an effort to look at possibilities for restoring a cease-fire.
The Supreme Court is all set to revisit its two-decade-old judgement for an authoritative pronouncement on electoral law categorising misuse of religion for electoral gains as "corrupt practice".

The seven-judge bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and justices MB Lokur, SA Bobde, AK Goel, UU Lalit, DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao is likely to begin on Tuesday its crucial hearing in the matter.

The apex court in February 2014 had decided to refer the matter to a seven judges bench.

The issue assumes importance as questions were raised on its 1995 verdict which held that vote in name of "Hindutva/ Hinduism" did not prejudicially affect any candidate and since then three election petitions are pending on the subject in the apex court.

The apex court's three-judge bench in 1995 had held that "Hindutva/Hinduism is a way of life of the people in the sub-continent" and "is a state of mind".

The judgement was delivered in the case of Manohar Joshi versus NB Patil which was authored by Justice JS Verma who found that statement by Joshi that "First Hindu State will be established in Maharashtra did not amount to appeal on the ground of religion".

The observation was made while dealing with the question regarding the scope of corrupt practices mentioned in sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the 1951 Representation of People Act.

The issue for interpretation of sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the Act once again had come on January 30, 2014 (Friday) before a five-judge which referred it for examination before a larger bench of seven judges.

The seven judges would be dealing with the appeal filed in 1992 by BJP leader Abhiram Singh, whose election to 1990 Maharashtra Assembly was set aside in 1991 by the Bombay High Court.

A three-judge bench on April 16, 1992 had referred Singh's appeal in which the same question and interpretation of sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the Act was raised to a five-judge Constitution Bench.

While the five-judge bench was hearing this matter on January 30, 2014, it was informed that an identical issue was raised in the election petition filed one by Narayan Singh against BJP leader Sunderlal Patwa and the apex court's another Constitution Bench of five Judges has referred it to a larger bench of seven Judges.

Thereafter, the five-judge bench had referred Singh's matter also to the Chief Justice for placing it before a seven-judge bench.

The January 30, 2014, order said, "Be that as it may, since one of the questions involved in the present appeal is already referred to a larger bench of seven judges, we think it appropriate to refer this appeal to a limited extent regarding interpretation of sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the 1951 Act to a larger bench of seven judges.

"The Registry will place the matter before the Chief Justice for constitution of a bench of seven judges. The matter may be listed subject to the order of the Chief Justice."

The apex court had also noted, "In the course of arguments, our attention has been invited to the order of this court dated August 20, 2002, in Narayan Singh vs. Sunderlal Patwa. By this order, a Constitution Bench of five judges has referred the question regarding the scope of corrupt practice mentioned in sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the 1951 Act to a larger bench of seven judges."

"This became necessary in view of the earlier decision of a Constitution Bench of this court in Kultar Singh vs. Mukhtiar Singh," the court had said.
Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths arrested the principal of a government residential school in Mandana town of Kota district while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a labour contractor.

Principal Siyaram Mali was arrested from the school yesterday evening, ACB DSP (Bundi) Tarun Kant Somani said today.

The accused, who holds the additional charge of Dr Bheem Rao Ambedkar Girls' Residential School at Hinge village in Sangod tehsil of the district, had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the contractor for extending the time period of manpower supply contract to the girls' school, he said.

A part payment of Rs 50,000 had earlier been made to the principal.

The proprietor of the placement agency had lodged a complaint with ACB in this connection on October 13, the DSP said, adding that after verification of the complaint, the ACB sleuths on Saturday asked the proprietor to pay the rest of the bribe amount.

The principal was caught red-handed while accepting Rs 50,000 from the contractor.

The principal was today produced before the ACB court which sent him to custody, Somani said, adding the bribe amount of Rs 1 lakh has been recovered from the accused.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Observing that security of the is "inextricably" linked to the stability of global economy, a senior US diplomat has underscored the need for maritime cooperation between India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in this regard.

"Maritime security in the will depend more and more on the ability of countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh to work with each other, and partners like America, to uphold norms like freedom of navigation," said Manpreet Singh Anand, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian.

"You can plainly see how the security of the is inextricably linked to the stability of the global economy," Anand said in his address to the Pacific Council Members in Los Angeles on Friday.

He said the "stability inland" also depended on how well the above countries can combat piracy and trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people on the high seas.

Anand noted that South Asia had a tremendous growth potential as the region boasts more working-age people than anywhere else in the world with its economies growing at an average of over seven per cent.

Noting that over 250 million South Asians will move into cities in the next 15 years, creating strong demand for infrastructure and services, Anand said the World Bank estimates that the region will need about $2.5 trillion in infrastructure investment over the next ten years to reach its full economic potential.

"While the countries of South Asia are increasingly trading more around the globe, the region is still one of the least economically-integrated in the world, with less than six per cent of its total trade and less than one per cent of its investment flows occurring from within the region," he rued.

Anand said America's efforts to build prosperity and stability in South Asia are not only about improving trade and connectivity, but also have very strong social and environmental components.

"With India, we have increased bilateral trade to over $100 billion a year, while launching dozens of programmes to promote women's entrepreneurship and equitable access to healthcare, education, finance, and more," he said.

Anand said countries of the region were taking steps to bilaterally reduce barriers to trade.

"With Sri Lanka, India is pursuing an Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement. India also has older trade agreements with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan that reduced or eliminated tariffs," he said.

"The Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal Motor Vehicles Agreement, or BBIN, has drastically reduced transit times between the four countries and will allow for the faster, cheaper movement of goods and people across borders," Anand said.
Montenegro said it had arrested 20 Serbs for planning to carry out attacks after voting wraps up in the Balkan nation's tense parliamentary elections today.

The pro-Russian opposition - which opposes plans to anchor Montenegro in NATO - lashed the announcement of the arrests as propaganda, while Serbia sardonically questioned its timing.

The attacks would have targeted the state and possibly "senior state officials", Montenegro police chief Slavko Stojanovic said in a statement.

The 20 were arrested last night and a 21st individual is being sought, he said.

"They are suspected of coming to Montenegro with the intention of carrying out attacks on institutions, the police and the representatives of the organs of state," the statement said.

"In addition, we do not rule out (that they were planning) attacks against senior state officials."



Andrija Mandic, head of the Democratic Front, Montenegro's main opposition, immediately condemned the announcement as "gross propaganda."



In neighbouring Serbia, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, quoted by the Serbian agency Tanjug, said he had no information about the arrests.

"I find it curious that this is happening today, and that's all I'll say," Vucic said. "As for the rest, it would be better for me to bite my tongue."



Campaigning in small ex-Yugoslav Montenegro has been gripped by tension over veteran premier Milo Djukanovic's plans to forge closer ties with the West.

He is pursuing membership of both NATO and the European Union - an objective that displeases Russia, Montenegro's long-time ally.

One of the six founding republics of the former Yugoslavia, Montenegro was joined in a loose union with Serbia after the Yugoslav breakup.

The union ended in 2006, when the country narrowly voted in favour of independence, and relations have been fraught ever since.

Djukanovic, 54, is the only Balkan leader to have held on to power since the collapse of Yugoslavia began in the early 1990s, serving several times as prime minister and once as president. But analysts say he is now under pressure, with critics accusing his government of cronyism, corruption and links to organised crime.

The latest internal party polls forecast his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) leading with less than 40 percent of the vote, meaning coalition partners would be needed to form a government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram failed to notched up his third straight title in the Dutch Open badminton tournament as he went down fighting in the summit clash here today.

Top-seeded Jayaram lost 10-21 21-17 18-21 to second seed Tzu Wei Wang of Chinese Taipei in a close contest that lasted 55 minutes.

Jayaram had won the title of this Grand Prix tournament in 2014 and 2015.

Jayaram made a poor start and he trailed throughout the first game and the closest he was with his opponent was when the score was 10-5 in favour of Wang.

The second game was a closely-fought one and the two players were tied 9-9 but from there Jayaram nosed ahead and led till he took it 21-17.

In the decider also, Jayaram trailed all through and he played the catch-up game, even though the difference in points was not big.

Towards the end, Jayaram clawed his way back and the secoreline was 18-17 in favour of the Wang but the Chinese Taipei player held onto his nerves in the end to wrap up the match.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Six Taliban militants who were plotting to attack offices of Pakistani law enforcement agencies were today killed by security forces in Sheikhupura district of Pakistan's Punjab province.

A team of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) along with police raided the hideout of terrorists in Sheikhupura, about 50 km from here, early this morning after intelligence reports that about 10 terrorists were planning to attack the offices of law enforcement agencies in Shiekhupura and Lahore.

"During the raid, the terrorists opened fire and the security forces retaliated. Six terrorists were killed in the firing," the CTD said.

Three terrorists managed to escape from the spot, the CTD said, adding that the militants were members of the banned Tahreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Explosives, three AK-47 rifles, three pistols and two motorcycles were recovered from the hideout.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The toll in the stampede on an overcrowded bridge on Varanasi-Chandauli border rose to 25 with one more person succumbing to injuries in a hospital today, even as Samajwai Party government faced fresh opposition salvos over the incident.

District Magistrate Kumar Prashant told reporters here that the stampede claimed 25 lives. While 24 deaths were reported yesterday, one more died in hospital this morning. Of the deceased, 20 were women, police said.

The incident took place in Ramnagar police station area of Varanasi when thousands of followers of Jai Gurudev were crossing the Rajghat bridge for proceeding towards Domri village in Chandauli for a two-day congregation that concluded today under the shadow of gloom.

President Pranab Mukherjee expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the stampede and called upon the authorities to provide all assistance and help to the victims.

In his message to Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, he said, "I am sad to learn about the stampede in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh in which a number of persons have lost their lives and others are injured. I understand relief and rescue operations are currently underway.

"I call upon the state government and other authorities to provide all possible aid to the bereaved families, who have lost their near and dear ones as well as medical assistance to the injured," he said.

As opposition parties held the state government and local administration "responsible" for the incident, BJP today fired a fresh salvo with Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya blaming the Akhilesh Yadav government for "failing to take lessons from similar mishaps in the state earlier" and demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.

"The state government has to take complete responsibility for the incident. It is a total failure on its part. The state government has not learned any lessons from the previous stampedes that occurred in 2010 at Pratapgarh in which 63 people died and during 2013 Kumbh Mela in Allahabad which claimed 36 lives," Dattatreya said.

"The state government cannot wash off its hands by suspending few police officials from the duty," he said after meeting the injured in Varanasi.

(REOPENS DEL 67)



Dattatreya's reference was to suspension of Varanasi Superintendent of Police City Sudhakar Yadav, SP Traffic Kamal Kishore, Kotwali Circle Officer Rahul Mishra, Station Officer of Ramnagar police station, Anil Kumar Singh and In-charge of Mughalsarai police station in Chandauli district and Sub-inspector Vinod Yadav.

Another senior BJP leader and Union Minister Mahesh Sharma said the incident "indicates the mismanagement" of the arrangements for the event and expressed the need to fix responsibility.

"It is a sad incident. It shows the mismanagement of the arrangements. We have to fix responsibility for it and be cautious such incidents do not reoccur," he said.

Expressing grief over the tragedy, former JD-U chief Sharad Yadav today sought guidelines to regulate religious congregations, saying such tragic incidents have become common at such gatherings.

BSP supremo Mayawati has said it is the responsibility of the state government and local administration to ensure proper arrangements and police force for such public functions so that no untoward incident occurs which was, however, not done in Varanasi.

Congress leader Satyadev Tripathi said Varanasi incident is the fallout of "administrative failure".

Facing opposition flak at a time when Assembly elections in the state were barely a few months away, the ruling Samajwadi Party said it was not the time to dabble in blame game and instead concentrate on providing relief to the affected.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has directed the Varanasi Commissioner to institute a magisterial inquiry into the incident and said stern action will be taken against the organisers or administration, whosoever is found guilty of negligence that lead to the stampede.

He extended an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to next of kin of those killed and free treatment to the injured admitted to different hospitals in Varanasi and Chandauli.

Besides the ex-gratia, Yadav announced another compensation of Rs 5 lakh under the Samajwadi Kisan and Sarvhit Bima schemes, an official release said.

He also said that injured will get Rs 2.50 lakh from these schemes for the treatment and Rs 1 lakh for artificial limb, if required.

Varanasi district administration has set up a helpline number 0542-2508464.
Indian-origin commodities investor Sun Group today entered into an agreement with a Russian sovereign investment fund, China National Gold Group and a few entities from Brazil and South Africa to invest up to USD 500 million to develop a gold deposit in Siberia.

An MoU was signed by the Khemka family-owned Sun Group (which is primarily focused on Russia and Ukraine) with Russia's Far East and Baikal Region Development Fund, China National Gold Group Corporation, South Africa's Trans Africa Capital and Brazilian investor Antonio de Moraes to develop the Kluchevskoye gold deposit in Chita region in eastern Siberia, it said in a statement here on the sidelines of BRICS summit.

The proposed joint venture aims to develop the Kluchevskoye gold deposit into an open pit mine and heap leach operations with an expected production rate of 12 million tonne of ore per year and gold ore production of over 6.5 tonne per annum, the company said.

Agreement was signed between the two parties, and the pre-production investment is expected to be USD 400-500 million, it said.

China National Gold Corporation will be the major shareholder with the majority equity interest in the joint venture firm and will provide management and development expertise and have responsibility for raising long-term debt financing for the project.

The Far East and Baikal Region Development Fund of Russia will also be an "important shareholder" in the company.

The Sun Group has been working in Russia for long. Shiv Khemka, vice-chairman of the group has established and led one of the first private equity funds in Russia, Sun Capital Partners.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Turkish-backed rebels today captured the emblematic northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, dealing a major symbolic blow to the jihadists.

The defeat for IS came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet European allies in London as part of a new diplomatic push to end Syria's conflict, which has left more than 300,000 people dead since 2011.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition forces backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery had seized control of Dabiq today.

The town, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo, is of little strategic value.

But Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS and its followers because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an apocalyptic battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group, said rebel forces "captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area".

The Fastaqim Union, an Ankara-backed rebel faction involved in the battle, said Dabiq had fallen "after fierce clashes".

The Observatory said fighters also captured the nearby town of Sawran.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu agency also said the rebels had taken control of Dabiq and Sawran and were working to dismantle explosives laid by retreating IS fighters.

It said nine rebels were killed and 28 wounded during clashes yesterday.

Dabiq has become a byword among IS supporters for a struggle against the West, with Washington and its allies bombing jihadists portrayed as modern-day Crusaders.

Earlier this week, IS downplayed the importance of the rebel advance on the town.

"These hit-and-run battles in Dabiq and its outskirts -- the lesser Dabiq battle -- will end in the greater Dabiq epic," the group said in a pamphlet published online Thursday.

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, helping Syrian rebels to rid its frontier of IS jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would push further south to create a 5,000-square-kilometre (1,900 square-mile) safe zone in Syria.

The border area has become deeply unstable and today Turkish state media reported that suicide bombers blew themselves up when police raided their sleeper cell in the city of Gaziantep.

Media reports spoke of casualties without providing precise numbers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tyrannosaurus rex may not have used their small front arms much, a new study of the most complete and best-preserved skeleton of the fearsome predator suggests.

Tests on arms of Sue the Tyrannosaurus rex at Argonne National Laboratory in the US show few signs of stress, researchers said.

The study by researchers at The Field Museum in Chicago suggests that when this fearsome predator was alive over 65 million years ago, she did not use those tiny arms very often.

"It's very early yet, but it seems like there are not many signs of stress on the bones that would indicate frequent use," Peter Makovicky, associate director of dinosaurs at the museum said.

"Based on what we know now, it looks like T rex did not use its arms much, at least not as an adult, but there is still a lot to learn," said Makovicky.

T rex's comically small front limbs have long stumped scientists.

Many have argued that the arms had a purpose, pointing out that the bones are short but thick and could have supported bulging muscles.

Others believe the arms were basically vestigial or a small remnant of an ancestor.

Skeleton of Sue the T rex was unearthed in Montana in 1990. She is 12.3 meters long and four metres tall, and her skull alone weighs 270 kilogrammes, 'Live Science' reported.

Sue's jaw is pockmarked with holes that may have been caused by a parasitic infection. If so, the disease was serious and may have killed the mighty predator.

However, it is Sue's arms that are getting all the attention.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A self-styled area commander of Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), a splinter group of CPI-Maoist, was today arrested in Ranchi, a senior police officer said here.

Dharmendra Jee alias Munilal Mahto of Hazaribag district, a hardcore Maoist leader functioning as self-styled area commander in Ramgarh, Hazaribag and Ranchi, was wanted in as many as 15 cases lodged in various police stations of three districts, SP, Ramgarh, M Tamilvanan said in a press meet here.

The arrested rebel, suffering from some ailments, was waiting for a doctor at a private clinic in Ranchi when he was nabbed by Ramgarh police with the help of STF, Ranchi, Tamilvanan said.

He said Mahto was active in Mandu of Ramgarh, Charhi of Hazaribag and Ormanjhi and Sikidiri of Ranchi district and working under leadership of self-styled top commander of TPC Kabir Jee and Dayanand Jee.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UK-based travel company Trafalgar, which has completed its three years in the country, is expecting 20 per cent growth in India this year.

"India is the fastest growing country for us in Asia and since last two years we have been witnessing double digit growth from this market. This financial year (January-December) we are expecting 19-20 per cent growth," (Asia) President Nicholas Lim told PTI here.

Factors like word of mouth, insider experiences, 60 per cent repeat clientele in India, superior services and the premium clientele are enabling this growth, he said.

"India, which contributes 12-15 per cent to the overall revenue of the company, is a focus market for us and we see the travellers maturing and want to get a lot from their travel experiences, explore destinations in detail, wanting to experience the local culture, food and people of that country," he said.

He further said that looking at the growth trend in next five years, the company is expecting 20 per cent of the overall revenue coming from India.

is mostly focused on the big cities, affluent and well travelled segment in India, he said.

"We have tied-up with travel partners and mostly cater to people who are well travelled from the big cities. However, we do understand that India is a big country with wide audience, but we would want to establish our brand first and gradually expand our presence deeper," he said.

Most of the travel bookings in India comes from cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, he said.

Trafalgar, he said, is planning to introduce India in its itinerary next year that includes the golden triangle of the country Jaipur-Agra-Delhi and also the financial capital of the country, Mumbai.

"Next year we are going to include India in our itinerary from next year, which will include Jaipur-Agra-Delhi and also Mumbai panning from March till September. We will first see how its works out before introducing more itineraries in the country," he added.
Next time you are stopped by transgenders at a traffic signal, they may have a safety lesson for you.

The transgenders, associated with Noida-based NGO Basera, and law students have teamed up with the Delhi Traffic Police to impart lessons on road safety to motorists in the capital from October 25.

The initiative, which also focuses on bringing transgenders into the mainstream, is the brainchild of Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA).

"We will hold a dress rehearsal on October 23 at Baba Kharag Singh Marg...It will formally start on October 25. 150 volunteers and 26 transgenders will form teams and dole out traffic lessons in various districts," Dharmesh Sharma, Member Secretary, DSLSA, said.

The teams will work in two shifts  10 am to noon and 2 to 4 pm  on selected days, hold banners, distribute pamphlets to motorists and interact with them.

The volunteers have undergone a two-day training at the Traffic Training Park on Baba Kharag Singh Marg. They will impart road safety lessons on November 5, 12, 19 and 26 as part of the three-month pilot project.

One of the objectives of our programme is to incorporate transgenders in the mainstream, said Sharma.

Ram Kali, who heads Basera, said, "Many of the transgenders who are part of the initiative beg at traffic signals and are sex workers. This has given us hope. It's a matter of pride for our community...We will also be paid Rs 1,000 a day."

Kali said many people praised them during one of their rehearsals at India Gate.

"One person said to me 'usually we see people from the transgender community begging at traffic signals, but it's inspiring to see you as traffic volunteers'," said Kali.

Another transgender, who underwent the training, said they were told how important it is to wear helmets properly.

"I have no qualms about saying that I was a sex worker, but around a month ago, I came to know about this initiative. The members of Basera counselled me...It's been a month since I have left that profession," said Rohini (name changed).

The volunteers will ask rickshaw-pullers and e-rickshaw drivers at metro and railway stations not to obstruct movement of passengers and park their vehicles properly, said Sharma.
A prominent Pakistani journalist, who was briefly barred from travelling abroad over reporting a rift between the civilian and military leaderships, today stuck to his story, saying he had "triple-checked" the facts.

"Because nothing of the reaction had been unanticipated, nothing had been left to chance before the story was put out in print," Cyril Almeida, a columnist and reporter for the Dawn, said in his column 'A week to remember' published in today's edition of the newspaper.

He wrote: "The story had arrived fairly quickly after the fateful meeting on October 3, but it was only published on October 6. The gap was all about verifying, double- and triple-sourcing and seeking official comment.

In his story 'Act against militants or face isolation', Almeida reported that the civilian government has warned the military leadership of a growing isolation of Pakistan and sought action against banned terror groups, like Hafiz Saeed's LeT, Masood Azhar's JeM and the Haqqani network, or face isolation.

The Nawaz Sharif government denied the facts of the story and subsequently placed Almeida's name on the Exit Control List (ECL), barring him from leaving the country. However, under media pressure, the government on Friday removed his name from the list but constituted a committee to probe the matter.

The development was followed by a Corps Commanders' Conference last week presided over by army chief Gen Raheel Sharif in which concerns were raised on feeding "story that was a breach of security".

In his comments today, Almeida further said: "For me, and for the paper, there were only two questions that mattered. Did the meeting take place? Could I verify through multiple channels what was said? Yes, the heart races a bit faster when you do something out of the ordinary. Yes, there is always some concern for the self.

"The second part is trickier than it would appear, but it is also not as hard as it is made out to be. Stick around long enough and you get a sense of how this place works. And the place gets a sense of you. You know the camps, you know the divisions and splits, and you know at any given time who may be interested in selling what. They exist in civilian as much as they do in military."

He added that with a meeting like this and a story like that, "you sniff around until you get a bunch of overlapping facts from camps that have no obvious reason to overlap".

Almeida said there was one underestimation on his part.

"In writing the story, I was aware that a grenade was being dropped in the news cycle. It has since turned out to be a surgical strike followed by a nuclear attack. I do not regret doing this story. In a place like this, that is a two- way street: in return for not exposing your sources, you get a fair reading of the land," he added.

Almeida said global coverage of his name placing on the ECL has rescued him.

"A combination of two things rescued me. First, the global coverage, the system here ultimately responds to local concerns. Second, the wider media, battered and fractured by violent convulsions of its own in recent years, mostly united - perhaps as much out of self-preservation than indignation," he said.
Questioning the physical stamina of his rival Hillary Clinton, Republican nominee has suggested that the two US presidential candidates should undergo a drug test before the third and final presidential debate in Las Vegas next week.

"At the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped at the beginning, but at the end she was all 'take me down.' She could barely reach her car. I think we should take a drug test. Anyway, I'm willing to do it," Trump told his cheering supporters in New Hampshire.

Trump, 70, said he was willing to take the drug test while questioning the physical stamina of 68-year-old Clinton.

Referring to the 17 candidates he defeated in the primaries, Trump, who does not take alcohol, compared himself with an athlete and said every athlete takes a drug test before the competition.

"We're like athletes, but athletes, they make them take a drug test. We should take a drug test. I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate because I don't know what's going on with her," Trump said.

During the entire campaign, Trump has repeatedly alleged that Clinton lacks stamina required to be the president of the country.

The third Trump-Clinton presidential debate will take place on October 19 in Las Vegas.
A fast track court here has sentence two youths to 5 years in jail for abducting a 13- year-old girl in 2008 while dropping gang rape charge against them.

Judge Punam Rajput sentenced two of them to 5 years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on them after holding Shamshad and Mohd Raza guilty under section 363 (kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her to marriage) of the IPC.

The court has acquitted them of charges of gang rape.

According to government lawyer Ritu Choudhry, the victim was abducted and gang raped by the accused at Rohniharjipur village in Shamli district on May 3, 2008.

The victim died during the pendency of the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With his ties with saffron ally BJP under strain, Shiv Sena chief will visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi soon, amid clear indications that the party would contest next year's assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Though Uddhav will visit the holy city apparently to perform Ganga Aarti, the move is being seen as an attempt at testing the political waters in the key Hindi heartland state before taking the electoral plunge.

Sena leader Sanjay Raut confirmed Uddhav will visit Varanasi but did not disclose when.

According to sources in the party, the second largest NDA constituent after BJP, it plans to contest around 200 out of the 403 seats in the state, a move which could adversely affect BJP's prospects in the election in which it is likely to try and exploit to the hilt patriotic sentiments in the aftermath of the cross-LoC surgical strikes.

Significantly, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi too had launched her party's campaign from Varanasi by staging a massive road show on August two.

Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP, who looks after Shiv Sena's affairs in the state, told PTI that leaders from all the major parties including BJP, BSP, SP and Congress were in touch with the party which is taking "keen interest" in the elections this time.

Raut dismissed suggestions that Shiv Sena was focusing on Uttar Pradesh as a tit-for-tat after local BJP leaders in Mumbai threatened to go it alone in the Municipal elections in the megapolis.

Shiv Sena has been controlling the resource-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a long time with BJP support.

"Should the Sena not expand its base?" Raut retorted when asked whether or not his party's plans could upset BJP's applecart in the crucial cow belt state. BJP and Shiv Sena share power both at the Centre and in Maharashtra. He said if BJP felt that way, it should align with his party.

The Sena, he said, also planned to join hands in Goa with rebel RSS leader Subhash Velingkar, whose party Goa Suraksha Manch has decided to take on the BJP in the next elections. Assembly polls in Goa are also scheduled next year.

The Sena, sources in the party said, plans to contest around 20 of the 40 seats in Goa, test political waters in Modi's home state Gujarat in the assembly polls, and field candidates in Delhi civic elections. Goa is ruled by the BJP, which also controls Municipal Corporations in Delhi.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in to see firsthand a sliver of the extensive destruction left by Hurricane Matthew as storm victims continued to express frustration at delays in aid more than a week-and-a-half since the Category 4 storm hit.

Stepping out of a UN jet at the airport in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince on Saturday, Ban was greeted by Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles before the pair boarded a helicopter travelling to the storm-damaged southern city of Les Cayes. Ban was scheduled to visit one of many schools serving as an emergency shelter for families who lost homes.

Shortly before Ban's helicopter was due to land, a clash broke out between rock-throwing residents and UN peacekeepers at the UN base in Les Cayes. Roughly 100 frustrated residents began hurling rocks when trucks ferrying food aid arrived.

Haitian police officers and UN peacekeepers scattered the group with tear gas. Calm was restored as Ban's helicopter approached.

In recent days, Associated Press reporters have observed a number of skirmishes between Haitians in hard-hit areas seeking emergency food aid distributed by and local organisations.

During his brief visit, Ban was not expected to announce specifics of a UN package announced two months ago that would provide "material assistance" to Haitian cholera victims. Officials said that consultations and other work has been delayed by the latest postponed presidential election in and Matthew's destruction.

In August, the UN for the first time acknowledged that it played a role in introducing cholera to and vowed to aid victims in the troubled Caribbean nation, which has experienced the worst outbreak of the disease in its recent history. At that time, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that that "the United Nations has a moral responsibility to the victims."

The UN for years had denied or been silent about ample evidence that cholera was introduced to Haiti's biggest river in October 2010 by inadequately treated sewage from a UN peacekeeping base about 10 months after a devastating earthquake. The world body has answered lawsuits in US courts by claiming immunity under a 1946 convention.

Beatrice Lindstrom, a human rights lawyer with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, said activists were hopeful that Ban would use his brief visit to "address the Haitian people directly and fully acknowledge the UN's responsibility for introducing cholera to Haiti."

"The need for a new UN response that both controls and eliminates cholera and compensates the victims who have suffered so much is now more dire than ever," she said. Ban to depart for Ecuador's capital of Quito late yesterday. Health authorities in hurricane-ravaged southwest Haiti say they have been struggling with a surge of patients with cholera in the wake of the storm.
Uncertainty hangs over the elections to 11 seats of Maharashtra Legislative Council which would fall vacant on December 5 as sitting members' term would end.

Elections to Aurangabad Teachers constituency, Nagpur Teachers constituency, Konkan Teachers constituency, Nashik Graduates constituency and Amravati Graduates constituency would certainly be delayed due to the Supreme Court order of January 12 seeking fresh registration of voters.

Election Commission of India (ECI) has fixed December 31 as the date for publication of the new voters list.

But this has put a question mark on elections to six 'local authority' constituencies: Sangli-Satara, Bhandara-Gondia, Yavatmal, Pune, Nanded and Jalgaon.

The SC order pertains to only the Graduates and Teachers constituencies in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar and Karnataka.

ECI sources said the elections to the five Graduates and Teachers constituencies would be held in all probability next year, but they pleaded ignorance about the fate of the elections to other six seats.

An ECI source said there was a school of thought that civic corporators who have barely three months of tenure left should not be voting in coming MLC elections.

Decision on holding elections to six Council seats from



local authority constituencies rests with the Chief Election Commissioner.

"Elections would be held in early 2017 in civic bodies under the electoral boundary of Legislative Council seat of Pune local authorities," an ECI source said.

These civic bodies are corporations of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The ECI has extended the deadline for registration of new voters for the civic polls from October 14 to October 21.

The 11 MLCs whose terms would end on December 5 are Vikram Kale, Prabhakar Gharge, Rajendra Jain, Sandip Bajoria, Anil Bhosale (all NCP); Dr Sudhir Tambe and Amarnath Rajurkar (both Congress); Gurmukh Das Jagwani, Minister of State for Home Dr Ranjeet Patil (both BJP), Nago Ganar and Ramnath Mote.
The US Navy has commissioned its largest, most expensive and technologically advanced destroyer, prompting a top admiral to say, "If Batman had a ship, it would be the USS Zumwalt".

The Zumwalt, costing nearly USD 4.4 billion, is striking in appearance, with sharp angles and weaponry concealed behind flat surfaces, a design that makes it many times more difficult to spot on radar than conventional destroyers.

"If Batman had a ship, it would be the USS Zumwalt," Admiral Harry B Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, where the ship will be assigned.

The 610-foot-long ship, commissioned in Baltimore yesterday, also has an advanced power plant and weapon systems that can move the Navy into the future, said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.

"It doesn't look like other ships and it does things other ships cannot do," Mabus said.

The ship is named after Adm. Elmo R "Bud" Zumwalt, a Bronze Star winner from World War II who went on to serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars and as chief of naval operations from 1970 to 1974.

"The Navy and the nation are better because of Admiral Zumwalt," Mabus was quoted as saying by CNN.

A Navy release raves about the Zumwalt and its two sister ships, the Michael Mansoor and the Lyndon B. Johnson, both under construction at Bath Iron Works in Maine.

Among the things that set the Zumwalt apart from its predecessors in the Arleigh Burke-class of destroyers:



-- A larger flight deck that enables operations with new F-35 fighters and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft;



-- Larger vertical launch missile tubes that can fire larger and more advanced land attack and anti-ship missiles;



-- An electrical power system that generates almost as much electricity as the nuclear power plants on aircraft carriers.

"The ship can operate all of its systems and still generate enough electricity to power a small town," the Navy said.

It has the ability, with that extra power, to accommodate weapons of the future, such as electronic rail guns and laser.

But for all that, the Navy plans to buy only the three Zumwalt-class destroyers it has on order, down from 32 originally envisioned early in the programme, the report said.

The Navy is now focusing on an updated version of the current -- and more conventional -- Arleigh Burke class.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Korea and the US said on Sunday that the latest missile launch by North Korea ended in a failure after the projectile reportedly exploded soon after liftoff.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the military believes the North unsuccessfully attempted to fire a mid-range Musudan missile. It said the failed launch was made near an airport in the North's North Pyongan province.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said that the missile was believed to have exploded soon after liftoff. Yonhap cited no source for this information.

South Korea strongly condemns the launch because it violates UN Security Council resolutions that bans any ballistic activities by North Korea, the statement said.

The US military first reported the launch was attempted at 11:33 pm EDT Friday (12:03 pm Saturday local time) and that the missile didn't pose a threat to North America. The action brought harsh criticism from the US.

"We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests, which violate UN Security Council Resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea's launches using ballistic missile technology," said Cmdr Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman.

He said the US would raise concerns at the UN.

"Our commitment to the defence of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad," Ross said. "We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation."

Japan has expressed concern over the launches, and Defence Minister Tomomi Inada said Sunday that she wants to work in cooperation with the U.S. And South Korea to assure her country's security.

North Korea has claimed technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. South Korean defence officials have said the North doesn't yet have such a weapon.

It's the latest in a series of moves by North Korea aimed apparently at displaying a show of force. As recently as last month, it fired three ballistic missiles off its east coast, timed to get the attention of world leaders including President Barack Obama who were visiting the region for a series of summits.

The UN Security Council subsequently condemned those North Korean launches and threatened "further significant measures" if it refused to stop its nuclear and missile tests.

North Korea also conducted its fifth nuclear test last month and in all has launched more than 20 ballistic missiles this year, part of its program aimed at improving the delivery system for nuclear weapons.

Earlier this year, North Korea successfully launched a Musudan missile in June after several failed attempts.
A village head in Chandinagar area here has been booked for allegdly raping a teenage girl, police said today.

Nirdosh Kumar (38) raped the girl six months ago and threatened her of dire consequences if she informed about it to anyone, they said.

The matter came to light on October 10 when the girl was admitted to a hospital after some illness and doctors informed her parents that she was pregnant. The girl then narrated the entire incident to her family members, police said.

An FIR was lodged in this connection yesterday. So far no arrests have been made, police said, adding they were still probing the matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Demand for privacy by a married woman after she enters her matrimonial home cannot be dubbed as cruelty towards the husband to grant him divorce, the Delhi High Court has held.

"Privacy is a fundamental human right. Oxford dictionary defines privacy as 'a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people.' So when a woman enters into matrimony, it is the duty of family members of her matrimonial home to provide her with some privacy," a bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Deepa Sharma said.

The observation came as the bench dismissed a plea by the husband who had challenged a 2010 trial court order dismissing his petition seeking dissolution of his marriage.

Besides cruelty, the husband had also raised the ground of "irretrievable breakdown" of marriage by narrating that their wedlock has virtually lost its meaning as they were living separately for the last 12 years and had reached a point of no return.

However, the bench said though the Supreme Court had recommended to the Centre in 2006 the amending of the Hindu Marriage Act to "incorporate irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for . Yet till date this ground of has not been added to the Act".

"This Court thus lacks jurisdiction to dissolve a marriage on the doctrine of 'irretrievable breakdown'," the bench said.

While holding that the demand for privacy by the wife cannot be termed as cruelty, the high court noted in its judgement that the trial court had rightly observed that her demand to set up a separate home was "not unreasonable".

The bench said, "There is no evidential backing by the appellant (husband) or his family members showing that they had provided requisite privacy to the respondent (wife). The family court was therefore correct in holding that such demand was not unreasonable and as such did not constitute cruelty."

The man, who had married in September 2003, had filed the plea before the trial court alleging that his wife had treated him cruelly and prassurised him to set up a separate home as she did not want to live in a joint family.

The husband had also claimed that as he was working as a

labourer, it was not possible for him to set up a separate independent household due to limited financial means and his wife had started misbehaving not only with him but his family members as well.

The wife had denied all the allegations saying it was the husband who had cruelly treated her.

While dismissing the husband's appeal, the high court said he had not brought on record any proof to substantiate his allegation that the wife's behaviour had caused mental cruelty.

"While disputes and arguments are normal in a marriage, in order to constitute cruelty, the conduct of the spouse should be something more serious than the ordinary 'wear and tear' of a marital life," the bench noted.

It also said, "A person is not allowed to take advantage of his own wrong. The appellant (husband) has failed to prove his allegation of cruelty. Not just this, he had also demanded dowry and it is he who abandoned the respondent (wife)".
A passionate debate has emerged over the government's stand to oppose the practice of "triple talaq" with some leading women politicians seeking its abolition, even as Muslim bodies accused the ruling dispensation of waging a "war" on their personal law.

Though most of the women leaders avoided direct comments on the Centre's affidavit or sought to dissect it, they were strongly critical of the prevalent practice of dissolving marriage through 'triple talaq'.

Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla, who was the Minority Affairs Minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet before being appointed to the gubernatorial post, refrained from giving her opinion on the Centre's stand, but, on a personal level, said an "un-Islamic" interpretation was being given to the practice of 'triple talaq'.

Senior CPI(M) leader and former MP Subhashini Ali also opposed the practice of and polygamy, seeking abolition.

Their views came in the backdrop of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) taking a stand to oppose the Centre's affidavit, which said the practice of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy among Muslims needed a relook on grounds like gender equality and secularism.

The AIMPLB and other Muslim bodies said they would boycott the Law Commission's proceedings in the matter and accused the Modi government of waging a "war" against their personal laws. They also said a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will "kill" India's pluralism.

The controversy arose after the Law Commission recently sought feedback from the public on whether the practice of should be abolished and whether a uniform civil code be made optional.

Making no direct comment on the Centre's affidavit, Heptulla said those who say 'talaq, talaq, talaq' in one go were not interpreting Islam correctly and "have no right to bring a bad name to religion as they are giving it an un- Islamic interpretation".

While Ali found fault with the "unilateral system of divorce by men" and advocated that the Muslim clerics must "change their approach", social activist Shabnam Hashmi categorically said "this practice (triple talaq) should be abolished.

Without getting drawn into the Centre's affidavit, Hashmi said the concept of one-time does not exist in Islam and there is no mention of "gender inequality" in any religion or religious texts.

"Triple talaq should be abolished, it is as simple as that. No such practice is followed in any civilised society," she asserted.

While Heptulla, Ali and Hashmi agreed to air their views on triple talaq, Aparupa Poddar, Trinamool Congress MP from Arambagh in West Bengal and is married to a Muslim, refused to be drawn into the debate leaving it for the party to take a stand on the Centre's decision. Her party leaders also refused to take questions on the issue.

Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza has said the matter of 'triple talaq' should be left to the Supreme Court to decide, but expressed her opposition to the "imposition" of a Uniform Civil Code.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said the issue should be left to religious leaders. "The issue of uniform civil code should be left to religious leaders. On the issues of country and humanity everyone should be united," he said recently.

Finding fault with the system of unilateral divorce by men, Ali, a CPI(M) Politburo member, termed it "wrong" and said women should have equal rights and the Muslim clerics must "change their approach".

"I don't have a problem with the Centre's affidavit on the issue. Unilateral divorce is wrong. This right which is given only to men is wrong. Equality should be there and Muslim clerics must change their approach. I am not an expert on this issue, I am just saying that they are not in conformity with system of justice," she added.

In reply to a series of questions on the matter, Heptulla said the practice of 'triple talaq' is being wrongly interpreted as the concept of one time 'triple talaq' does not exist in Islam.

Heptulla said most of the Islamic countries have "correctly interpreted" Islam, and Quran and Prophet Mohammad say that those who do injustice to humans are not following the religion properly.

"Those who are misusing Islam and not treating women equally are wrong. I believe in what I say. Even a woman, on certain conditions of cruelty, injustice and other reasons, can seek dissolution of marriage but nobody speaks about it," she said.
Over 2 crore formal sector workers will soon have an option to choose health insurance products available in the market in lieu of the mandatory scheme run by the Employees State Insurance Corp (ESIC).

At present, formal sector workers with monthly wages of up to Rs 21,000 per month are mandatorily covered under the health insurance scheme run by the ESIC.

"The Labour Ministry will soon send a bill to the Union Cabinet to amend the Employees' State Insurance Act 1948, to facilitate the beneficiaries of ESIC scheme to opt for health insurance products available in the market," a source said.

"The Ministry will push the bill for passage in the forthcoming Winter Session of Parliament beginning November 16," the source added.

The Labour Ministry's move is in line with the announcement made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech this year to provide an option to formal sector workers covered under ESI scheme to choose a health insurance product recognised by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA).

The source said, "The inter-ministerial consultation on the bill to amend ESI Act, 1948 has already been completed. However, the bill is to facilitate the workers, but trade unions had opposed the proposed amendment."



"The unions had asked the Labour Ministry to first ensure the availability of health insurance products in the market, which can match the benefits provided under the ESI scheme," the source added.

Although the proposal appears to be tempting but there are certain questions and doubts raised by trade unions which still remained unanswered.

Unions had asked at different fora that how would ESIC ensure coverage of each and every employee under ESIC or other insurance products after the proposed amendment.

They had also stressed on the need for developing a mechanism to ensure that benefits under other health insurance products and ESI are comparable.

Initially, it was proposed to give a one-time option to ESI subscribers to switch over to other health insurance products but the final draft of the bill provides for no such limitations, the source said.

After the amendment, there will be no limit as such for workers with regards to making a switch over to other insurance products or vice versa.

A similar facility was also proposed by Jaitley for subscribers of the retirement fund body Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

The proposed move is part of the EPF & MP Amendment Bill 2016, which can also be pushed for passage in the forthcoming winter session.

The bill is not approved by the Union Cabinet so far. Unions had also opposed this proposal saying that there are a few such products available in the market which are comparable with scheme, which provides provident fund, group insurance and pension.
The development bank set up by the BRICS group of emerging economies will ramp up lending to $2.5 billion next year after making its first loans to back green projects, its president KV Kamath told Reuters.

The BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - agreed to create the New Development Bank (NDB) in July 2014 with initial authorised capital of $100 billion. The lender was officially launched a year later.

"The second year is scaling up, concentrating on people, getting all the skillsets in," said Kamath, a veteran Indian banker appointed as the first head of the Shanghai-based NDB.

He was speaking on the fringes of a weekend BRICS summit hosted in the resort state of Goa by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The gathering seeks to add substance to the group that grew out of an acronym devised by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill back in 2003 that projected a long-term boom and global power shift in their favour.

With Russia, Brazil and South Africa on the economic skids and China slowing, the initial euphoria has faded, yet Kamath said the BRICS had much to gain by deepening their cooperation.

"The fact is that these countries, collectively, have for the last few years contributed to more than 50 percent of incremental economic wealth that has been generated globally," said Kamath. "I don't see that changing."

The NDB, headquartered in Shanghai, will expand its staff to 300 over the next three years but run a tight operation that seeks to take quick decisions and transfer experience across all five BRICS member states.

It has already approved loans totalling $900 million to green projects in each member state. It has also started a renminbi-denominated borrowing programme, issuing a 3 billion yuan ($450 million) bond.

Kamath, 68, said there was plenty of room for new lenders like the NDB and the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in addition to established institutions like the World Bank.

"Infrastructure alone has needs globally of $1-1.5 trillion a year - all the multilateral banks put together can do maybe 15 percent of this," said Kamath, who ran India's ICICI Bank Ltd from 1996 until 2009.

"The phrase I would like to use is cooperate and work together, rather than compete. I don't see competition as a key challenge in this context."
British Prime Minister Theresa May will lead a delegation of small and medium-size businesses to India in November as part of efforts to bolster trade with countries outside the European Union as Britain prepares to leave the bloc.

The Nov. 6-8 trip, May's first bilateral visit to a country outside Europe since she took office in July, will be in pursuit of her ambition of forging a new global role for Britain after it leaves the European Union, May's Downing Street office said in a statement.

ALSO READ: Govt grants BP Plc licence to set up petrol pumps in India



The European Commission is responsible for trade negotiations for the EU and some countries have said they will not negotiate a new deal for Britain until it has actually left the bloc.

"As we embark on the trade mission to India we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade," May was quoted as saying.

She said past trade missions had focused on big business, but she wanted to adopt a new approach and would take small and medium companies from every region of the United Kingdom.

Among them will be Geolang, a cyber security company based in Cardiff in Wales, Torftech, a biomass energy company based in southeast England, and Telensa, a company focused on high-tech wireless street lighting systems, based in Cambridge.

May will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her visit, and the two heads of government will together inaugurate a tech summit in New Delhi.

Liam Fox, Britain's secretary of state for international trade, will join the visit, during which a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed.
From Port of Long Beach: September Cargo Weighed Down by Hanjin Bankruptcy



Port of Long Beach container volumes declined 16.6 percent year-over-year in September, as the effects of the Hanjin bankruptcy reached West Coast ports.



Longshore workers moved 546,805 twenty-foot equivalent units last month. This included 282,945 TEUs in imports, down 15 percent from September 2015, a month which capped off the Ports best quarter ever. Exports dropped to 120,383 TEUs, a decrease of 4.2 percent. Empties were 27.2 percent lower at 143,476 TEUs.



Port officials said the number of containers handled during September was impacted not only by reduced calls by Hanjin-operated ships, but also by the absence of Hanjin containers on vessels operated by fellow CKYHE Alliance members. Hanjin Shipping containers account for approximately 12.3 percent of the Ports total containerized volume.

Click on graph for larger image.

Special note: Now that the expansion to the Panama Canal has been completed, some of the traffic that used the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will eventually go through the canal. This could impact TEUs on the West Coast in the future.Container traffic gives us an idea about the volume of goods being exported and imported - and usually some hints about the trade report since LA area ports handle about 40% of the nation's container port traffic.The following graphs are for inbound and outbound traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in TEUs (TEUs: 20-foot equivalent units or 20-foot-long cargo container).To remove the strong seasonal component for inbound traffic, the first graph shows the rolling 12 month average.On a rolling 12 month basis, inbound traffic was down 0.4% compared to the rolling 12 months ending in August. Outbound traffic was up 0.5% compared to 12 months ending in August.The downturn in exports last year was probably due to the slowdown in China and the stronger dollar. Now exports are picking up a little.The 2nd graph is the monthly data (with a strong seasonal pattern for imports). Usually imports peak in the July to October period as retailers import goods for the Christmas holiday, and then decline sharply and bottom in February or March (depending on the timing of the Chinese New Year).In general exports might have started increasing, and imports have been gradually increasing.
Mental Health Matters: Yes, depression is a 'real illness.'

Research suggests that people who have depression and another medical illness tend to have more severe symptoms of both illnesses.
Although a Republican can't be found in the city limits of our state Capitol, the state likely will remain red in the 2016 elections. Associated Press

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Tax money would go to private learning

By John C. Moritz, USA TODAY Network Austin Bureau john.moritz@caller.com

AUSTIN  A proposal to allow parents to use a portion of their local school property taxes to offset expenses for private tuition, tutoring and other education options for their children likely will be presented to the Legislature next year in a form designed to crack through what has been a solid wall of opposition.

The proposal, called "education savings accounts," envisions parents designing "cafeteria-style" plans customized to fit what's best for their children.

"This allows parents to decide what the educational needs are for their individual kids," said Kent Grusendorf, a former House member who is now the director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

"All kids do not fit into the same mold," he said. "So what this does is ask: Who is the best for; kids, parents or the government?"

Grusendorf will be among those making presentations Monday to the House Public Education Committee, which is studying the matter in advance of the legislative session that starts in January.

The central issue is not new to Texas lawmakers. For the past two decades, a coalition of conservative and religious organizations has lobbied lawmakers to provide a voucher program that would allow parents the option of using some of their school tax money to pay for private schooling.

But teachers organizations and public school administrators have pushed back hard and derailed such proposals, saying that it would further the financial hardship for a public school system that always seems underfunded. While Grusendorf and other supporters insist the current plan differs sharply from past voucher plans because the money would be earmarked only for private schools, opponents are still digging in against it.

"Education savings accounts, parental choice, tuition stipend  whatever they want to call it, it's still the same old voucher plan," said Clay Robison, a spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association. "As long as they want to divert tax dollars away from the underfunded school system, we are going to oppose it."

Grusendorf said Texas is behind the national curve when it comes to allowing parents to have some choice in educating their children. He plans to tell the House panel that as many as a million schoolchildren are assigned to public schools that fall short of state standards.

Allowing their parents, most of whom cannot afford private tuition, to direct some of their tax dollars to programs like specialized classes and personalized learning will pay off for their children in the long run.

"The only way to make the whole system better is to inject competition into the system," Grusendorf said.

But Thomas Ratliff, a member of the state Board of Education, disagrees. He said such a system would effectively establish an entitlement program for relatively few Texas families that the state would have to pay for. Most Texas families pay far less in local school taxes than it costs to educate their children  much of it comes from property taxes paid by business and industry and the state  he said in a recent op-ed piece published by Pastors for Texas Children.

"What about the parents who, when they learn they can make an extra $500 per month per month per kid, pull their kids out of public school and claim they will be home schooled, then simply keep the money without delivering the education?" wrote Ratliff, who plans to address the House committee. "It will happen. You can count on it."

Education savings accounts were first introduced in Arizona in 2011. A plan early this year to expand the Arizona program was shelved after reports by The Arizona Republic that families in affluent neighborhoods were the primary users of the system and that there were lapses in accounting for the funds received by parents.
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Police investigating the burgeoning sex trade in the city have now visited more than 100 prostitutes including one who did not even know she was in Cambridge.

Detective Inspector Nick Skipworth has revealed how travelling sex workers rent apartments in the city for up to 1,500 a week and how the force is investigating mobile brothels" advertised online.

The officer has also lifted the lid how police target nasty" organised gangs who traffic women  turning them into modern day slaves.

He told how a handful of 100 sex workers visited by police knew 999 was the way to contact officer and one girl did not know which city she was in.

Officers also helped a 16-year-old girl being used by human traffickers as a sex slave.

He told the News: I set up an operation which explores the online area of people selling sex and we have a protocol which has been running in Cambridge where we visit sex workers and police anything we need to police, but primarily to safeguard individual sex workers.

We do that through the internet and we do that by physically visiting them. As a result of that about 100 females were visited. Only a handful knew 999 was the number to get through to police which just demonstrates their vulnerability.

Some have been trafficked and we found one who was 16. And so we track down the people who used her and found that the girl had been trafficked around the country."

Leads from visiting sex workers led to the smashing of organised crime gangs.

Now the officer is joining forces with Cambridge City Council to tackle the misery trade.

Det Insp Skipworth said: We have uncovered organised crime and we have seized assets and in one job we have frozen about 1 million on assets. So we are proactively managing these issues. Next week we are demonstrating the tactics we use to Cambridge City Council's Community Safety Partnership to help safeguard these individuals and if we can assist them from a council point of view, that would be a real win for us as well.

There is a whole variety of different types of sex workers out there from the poor trafficked victim of modern day slavery to people who make a living from it, but there is so much associated criminality with it. This isn't people on street corners. This is people in rented apartments and we are seeing people paying 1,500 a week on rent and a week later they are in Aberdeen. They move about across the country.

We have encountered a lot of Romanian girls who are trafficked and in one case the girl didn't even know she was in Cambridge and didn't have a phone  we had to make contact with her through a man in London  and she was given crack cocaine so this can be a really nasty business."

Now the police are investigating a new form of the trade which has hit Cambridge  travelling brothels.

Det Insp Skipworth said: As for Cambridge sex parties, you need to pay to go to those parties and if you've got two or more females in a property whoa re selling sex for money, that property is a brothel.

So these people advertising sex parties of any descriptio and say there is going to be a number of women in a properly who you pay for sex with, that creates a brothel and that is a criminal offence as is profiteering from a brothel. This is a crime. It's the same as saying legal highs  its nonsense."
Friday, October 14, 2016 at 10:07PM

If you still have the Samsung Galaxy Note7 and are planning to fly in the US, said device is being banned on US aircrafts starting October 15. So if you insist to bring the device with you (at this point we recommend you return it), you might have to miss said flight. Samsung has said theyll be sending out text messages to Galaxy Note7 owners in the US. But perhaps they need to do more than that. Spread the word while you can as well.

Source: The Verge
ACT Labor is now on 39.2 per cent, against the Canberra Liberals' 35.4 per cent.

That result, if reflected in the final count, and following the distribution of second and third preferences, should secure the government at least 10 seats, with the Liberals on between eight and 10 seats, one to the Greens and between four and six in the balance, after a levelling off in the past half hour in the count.

There's now a 0.3 per cent swing to the government, and a 3.5 per cent swing against the Liberals, although most swings are to minor parties.
"If it's just Shane, it's a different equation to them having two members," Mr Barr said. "In the context of the last four years where Shane was the only Green, it made sense ... for him to be part of cabinet ... Were there to be two Greens then obviously there is another person who needs to be considered."
A man who was on Death Row for eight years before he was freed due to DNA evidence will be the speaker for a criminal justice program at Chattanooga State.

It will be Oct. 27 at 6 p.m.

Speaking will be Ray Kroan, who was accused of a rape and murder of a young woman in Arizona. He was arrested, tried and convicted of the crime. He was sentenced to death. He won a second trial, and was again convicted and sentenced to death a second time. Then he was freed with the new evidence.

This a free program and will include a panel discussion on the death penalty in Tennessee following the talk by Ray Kroan, professor Marcus Easley said.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Sherryfest Is Coming To Chicago For The First Time This Sunday

By John Lenart in Food on Oct 15, 2016 9:00PM



Photo via Shutterstock

After years of unsuccessful attempts, only recently have I been able to fall in love with sherry. But whether you're just discovering your love of sherry like me, or are a long time sherry expert, this week holds something special in store. Oct. 16 to 18 Sherryfest makes its debut in Chicago. Now in its fifth year, the annual celebration of the unique fortified wines from Jerez brings to Chicago a lineup of fantastic events and all-stars from the world of sherry.

Sherryfest presents a number of opportunities for you to sample and learn about this magical wine from Spain. With previous stops in New York City, Toronto, Portland and San Francisco, Sherryfest is focusing on Chicago's food and beverage scene this yearand according to organizers, this one will be tailored specifically to Chicago's sherry scene.

Sherryfest kicks off, appropriately, at Chicago's sherry capital, Vera, with a Welcome Party on Sunday Oct. 16 from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. For just $20 all-inclusive, this is a tapas party you won't want to miss.

The centerpiece of Sherryfest is the Grand Tasting, held Monday Oct. 17 from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at Fulton Market Kitchen. Here you can experience the largest gathering of sherry producers ever assembled in Chicago. Not only will you be able to taste virtually every variety of sherry, but you'll also get to rub shoulders with sherry luminaries like Gonzalez Bias master blender Antonio Flores.

If you can't take Monday off work, don't worry. Tickets are still available for a producer dinner Monday night from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Yusho. This dinner features the sherries of Barbadillo and Gutierrez Colosia two of Jerez's most prominent producers. $78 per person.

Finally, kick back at Sherryfest's After Party at Billy Sunday from 10:00 p.m. until midnight, featuring the wines of Valdespino and La Guita. This party will feature cocktails made with sherry from Billy Sunday's head bartender Lee Zaremba and Grupo Estevez' Jaime Gil. No registration is needed for this finale to Sherryfest. Just swing on by.

So whether Sherry has been your jam from way back or you're just getting into it, this week offers a number of not-to-be-missed chances for you to sample and learn about sherry, while rubbing elbows with producers and experts from around the world. Don't miss out.




Live Music Is Art, Officials Now Say; But Venues May Still Owe Big

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 16, 2016 4:26PM



Beauty Bar / Facebook

Cook County officials took a positive step this week toward fixing its ridiculous, roundly condemned amusement tax ordinancewhich required some small venues to pony up substantial taxes, arguing that DJ sets, hip-hop and other genres of live music did not constitute cultural performances, as reported in the Chicago Reader article that broke the story. Now, county officials and music-industry operators have come to an agreement to amend the rule; but venue owners may still be on the hook for high back taxes.

Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey announced on Friday that an agreementco-sponsored by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinklehad been reached that would acknowledge live performances and DJ sets as recognized art forms.

This agreement makes it clear that it was never the intent of the Administration for the County to play culture police and make decisions on what is, or isnt, music or art, and that fact is bolstered by President Preckwinkles desire to co-sponsor my amendment, said Commissioner Fritchey in a statement. By bringing together public officials and music industry representatives, we were able to arrive at language that all parties agree recognizes the diverse and robust nature of live music while providing the County with the ability to collect those taxes that are legitimately owed to it.

Venerable local music figure Joe Shanahan (Metro, Smart Bar, Double Door) championed the agreement.

This agreement confirms that government officials should not be the arbiters of what constitutes art while affording small venue owners a sense of certainty as they continue to present musical talent to Chicagoans and the many visitors who flock to our venues based on our citys international reputation as a music capital, Shanahan said in the release.

Despite the announcement, the battle appears far from resolved. Bruce Finkelman, whose Beauty Bar dance club reportedly owes some $200,000 due to the original ordinance, said the arrangement would still leave the venue liable for those back taxes. Their case should be tossed, he argues.

Though we are grateful that the County has come to its senses, and appears to be doing the right thing going forward, they are not amending the tax rule in arrears, Finkelman said in a statement. Thus we are still being taken to court to fight our position that we should have been exempt from this tax all along, as weve always provided a live culturally enhancing experience.

The County is trying to claim some sort of victory here, but we all know you cant be half a jerk, he added. So, until they come all the way around and dismiss our case, we will continue to fight.

Finkelman and his partners have a hearing scheduled for October 24. The Cook County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hear the amendment on October 26.
What could possibly top out a new Huracan for a Lamborghini enthusiast?



Well, a classic 350 GT would make for a pretty good candidate in the vision of its current owner, who wanted his 1964 machine to look and drive just like when it left the assembly lines, 52 years ago.

With this in mind, he turned to Lamborghini PoloStorico, who spent 1,150 special hours work on the body, and another 780 hours on the mechanical and electrical functions of the car, during which only Lamborghini Original Spare Parts were used.

Having finished the job, the Italians met with the enthusiastic owner on the Autodromo di Modena, which was especially reserved for the occasion. Putting their money where their mouth is, those behind the project drove it for 80 perfect kilometers, as the automaker explains, and in order to further highlight the emotional event, the cars original owner was invited at the track.

Chassis #0121 out of the 15 350 GT models produced by Automobili Lamborghini benefited from the Italian craftsmanship, which included the application of 22 layers of paint, with wet sanding by hand in between each layer, and the restoration of the original rims that have been wrapped in new Pirelli Cinturato 205/15 tires. As a final touch, the factory radio has been kept inside its time-capsule design that could make petrol heads sigh.

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If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong will carry out the Shenzhou 11 mission, a spokesperson said Sunday.

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng (L) and Chen Dong meet the media at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Oct. 16, 2016. The two male astronauts will carry out the Shenzhou-11 mission. The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 17, 2016 Beijing Time (2330 GMT Oct. 16). [Photo / Xinhua]

The 50-year-old Jing will be commander of the mission, Wu Ping, deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, told a press conference.

The two male astronauts will board the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft early Monday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Wu said.

The spacecraft will dock with orbiting space lab Tiangong 2 within two days and the astronauts will stay in the space lab for 30 days before returning to Earth, the spokesperson said.

It will be Jing's third spaceflight following his Shenzhou 7 mission in 2008 and Shenzhou-9 mission in 2012.

With a safe flight record of 1,500 hours as an air force pilot, Chen became China's second group of astronauts in May 2010, and was selected as a crew member of the Shenzhou 11 mission in June 2016, Wu said.

Born in central China's Henan Province in 1978, it is the first time for Chen to carry out such a mission as a crew member of China's manned spacecraft.
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At least 100 militants were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Egyptian government since the early hours of Saturday against jihadist targets in North Sinai, in retaliation for the killing of 12 army personnel on Friday at a checkpoint, a security source told Xinhua.

Earlier in the day, the Armed Forces said in a televised statement it pursued the criminal and terrorist elements who implemented the terrorist attack.

The airstrikes targeted the hideouts of the armed extremists involved in Friday's attacks, and all areas that harbor the terrorist elements along with the weapons and ammunition depots were destroyed in the airstrikes, which lasted for three hours and is still ongoing, the statement added.

At least 40 militants were wounded in the air raids, the source added.

He added that the airstrikes have bombed three suspected jihadist bases in Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and Al-Arish cities.

Flames and smokes are still seen around, the source added.

Friday's attack took place in the central Sinai area 40 km from the town of Bir al-Abd as a group of terrorist elements attacked the checkpoint with rifles and automatic weapons, security sources said.

The army in return has killed 15 terrorists on Friday.

North Sinai province has been a hub for anti-security attacks that killed hundreds of police and army man since the army-led ouster of the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The armed forces in coordination with the police have declared "war on terrorism," and more troops were deployed.

A Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for most of attacks, including the Friday assault.
 Flash

Talks between foreign ministers from the United States, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq came to a close Saturday evening without any of the delegations suggesting that a breakthrough had been reached on how to tackle the Syrian crisis.

Together with high-level diplomats from key regional partners, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov convened in the Swiss city of Lausanne for more than four hours in a bid to resolve the long-standing civil war which has been raging since 2011.

A number of bilateral meetings between officials reportedly took place before discussions, which also included the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, kicked off in mid-afternoon.

This multilateral framework is seen as a different approach to solving the war pitching forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against rebel factions seeking to oust him.

The U.S. mission to UN at Geneva said that the purpose for Kerry's Swiss trip this time was to meet with foreign ministers from key regional partners to discuss a multilateral approach to resolving the crisis in Syria, including a sustained cessation of violence and the resumption of humanitarian aid.

Taking place in a luxurious lakeside hotel, the high-level discussions also come against the backdrop of failed bilateral efforts between the United States and Russia.

A short-lived ceasefire was brokered last month by Kerry and Lavrov after lengthy talks in Geneva.

The idea was to emulate a similar truce brokered in February this year which enabled critical relief operations to reach civilians in need.

Coming into effect on Sept. 12, last month's cessation of hostilities, which lasted barely a week, was integral to a broader agreement between both powers, and was meant to enable aid to reach those trapped in hard-to-reach and besieged areas.

September's agreement was furthermore hoped to catalyse enhanced military cooperation between both countries and renew momentum towards resuming talks seeking to end the crisis which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more.

Washington suspended negotiations with Russia on restoring a ceasefire in Syria on Oct. 3 after blaming Moscow for its alleged military role in attacks on the Syrian city of Aleppo, dealing a severe blow to efforts seeking to rekindle UN-mediated intra-Syrian talks which have been on hold since April.

These talks, which are guided by UN Security Council resolutions, are seen by many as the only way to end the conflict.

Kerry is scheduled to meet with more international partners in London on Sunday to further discuss a multilateral approach to resolve the Syrian conflict.
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A mass shooting broke out here early Saturday, killing 3 people and wounding 12 others. It is the latest in a string of deadly shootings in the United States this year.

Three people were killed and 12 others wounded when a mass shooting broke out in Los Angeles on Saturday, police said. [Photo/Xinhua]

The shooting broke out at a West Adams home that appeared to have been turned into a makeshift restaurant. Police arrived at the scene around noon.

"It's a bloody scene with shell casings everywhere," Sgt. Frank Preciado of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said. He said that there were around 50 people inside the place.

Preciado told local media that three men left the restaurant and returned with firearms and began shooting at another group of people, while others at the restaurant also opened fire. The scene turned into a gun battle.

"When we got there, there were three people dead and people running everywhere," Preciado said. "We had multiple people with gunshot wounds."

The shooting continued in the driveway outside of the home. "We have been told by some folks in the area that there was a makeshift restaurant there," said Lt. Chuck Springer of the LAPD's Southwest Station.

Police said two of the victims are in serious condition, while two of the wounded have been released from the hospital while the others remain hospitalized with wounds that are not considered life-threatening.

A large number of officers from across Los Angeles were sent to the scene to search for runaway suspects. Police in the neighborhood also searched for witnesses.

"It was just 'pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.' It didn't stop. It just kept going. ... Really loud," a resident told local media.

"It was a series (of gunshots) first, like really fast, then a pause, almost like someone reloaded," she said. "It was specific, as if someone was pointing at people." The woman estimated the total number of gunshots to be around 20.

"We must take action against easy access to firearms and the thoughtless, indiscriminate, murderous use of them," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "We cannot tolerate these tragedies multiplying in communities across America."

The motive for the shooting remained unclear.

The genders and ages of the victims have not been disclosed at this moment.

One male suspect was taken into custody and another remained at large. Police did not disclose the suspect's identity.

According to the online database Mass Shooting Tracker, there have been 378 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, killing around 490 people so far. The figure has already surpassed the total number of 371 incidents last year, which killed 469 people.

Lack of effective gun control regulations were widely blamed for the rise in shooting incidents.

U.S. President Barack Obama expressed regret earlier this year about "how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon."
Marion Mahony Griffin could draw like a dream, her crisp lines brilliantly portraying Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie-style houses in idealized natural settings. A forward-thinking rebel, she was the first woman registered to practice architecture in Illinois and the second woman to graduate with an architecture degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also teamed with her husband, Walter Burley Griffin, to win an international design competition for Australia's capital, Canberra.

Yet chances are you've never heard of Mahony Griffin. She labored in a glass-ceilinged world that severely limited opportunities for women architects. Her list of completed works is relatively short and she has long been portrayed (wrongly) as more helpmate than hero.

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A new exhibit at the Elmhurst History Museum, "In Her Own Right: Marion Mahony Griffin," serves notice that it's time to view Griffin differently, depicting her as a visionary who anticipated such contemporary concerns as building in harmony with nature. Unfortunately, the show is better at painting a portrait of Griffin than at illuminating her contributions as an architect and town planner.

"In Her Own Right" is not the first to train a revisionist spotlight on Griffin. Northwestern University's Block Museum of Art mounted an exhibit in 2005 that showcased its holdings of her work. Still, the plight of women in architecture has since come to fore, especially after the Pritzker Prize jury in 2013 denied a petition demanding that it retroactively recognize Denise Scott Brown for the 1991 prize given solely to her husband and professional partner Robert Venturi.

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Organized by the museum's curator, Lance Tawzer, "In Her Own Right" unfolds in a single narrow room whose walls have been painted a naturalistic pale green. Tawzer has cobbled together a variety of material, including original Griffin drawings on loan from the Block Museum, scale models of her work and a video featuring knowledgeable scholars. The heart of the show consists of 16 wall-mounted panels, which display text, digital photos and quotes from Griffin. Each is like a chapter in a biography.

The panels take us from the 1871 birth of Marion Lucy Mahony, months before the Great Chicago Fire exiled her family to suburban Winnetka, to 1961, when she died a pauper in Cook County Hospital and was buried without a marker. In between are such significant chapters as her years in Wright's Oak Park studio, her 1911 marriage to Griffin, their 1912 victory in the Canberra competition, the mark they made on Australia after their capital plans were stymied, his 1937 death in India (where he had designed a university library) and her return to a modest house in Rogers Park. Her autobiography, written in those final years, was never published.

The show's strength is the flesh-and-blood picture it conveys of its subject. "As a young girl," the wall text says, "Marion loved nature and hated authority." She would discuss Darwin with a friend while up in a tree they'd climbed. Strong women provided close-at-hand role models.

She and her future husband worked in Wright's office and they bonded over canoe trips and a mutual dislike of the master, who didn't share credit. Family connections helped. Griffin's cousin, the distinguished Chicago architect Dwight Perkins, hired her out of MIT.

Throughout, there are intriguing glimpses of her out-of-the-box ideas. At MIT, for example, her thesis focused on an unusual work-live arrangement  a painter's house and studio. In Wright's office, she played an essential role in more than half the drawings for a German publication, the Wasmuth Portfolio of 1910, that brought her boss global renown. In Australia, she and Griffin designed a model suburb outside Sydney, called Castlecrag, where flat-roofed houses were carefully laid out with respect for views, the natural environment and building a sense of community.

Yet any architecture show rises or falls based on the power of the imagery it conveys, and here, "In Her Own Right" falls short. Subdivided into a rectangular grid pattern that pays homage to Griffin's designs, the 16 panels are so crammed that their small, often-grainy images seem like afterthoughts. The wall text, adapted from writings by Columbia University's Anna Rubbo, is often oversimplified, choppy or incomplete. To be sure, the original drawings convey Griffin's drafting-pen wizardry, but the other images are unsatisfying and uninspiring.

It's tempting to wonder what Griffin would have accomplished in today's world as architects like Jeanne Gang and Carol Ross Barney shatter the glass ceiling to design major skyscrapers and public spaces. Yet teasing out exactly what Griffin accomplished  and what recognition she deserves  is less important than her role in a team that predated today's progressive architectural partnerships.

Think of Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, the husband-and-wife team picked to design the Obama presidential library. If fate had put them in another time, that honor might have gone instead to Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin.

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"In Her Own Right: Marion Mahony Griffin" is on view at the Elmhurst History Museum through March 12, 2017.

bkamin@tribpub.com

Twitter @BlairKamin
Edwin Alicea, 43, has been charged with the attempted murder and sexual assault of a woman he met at a bar in the Logan Square neighborhood in April 2016. (Chicago police photo )

A 43-year-old Chicago man has been charged with the attempted murder and aggravated sexual assault of a woman he met at a bar in the Logan Square neighborhood this spring.

Edwin Alicea, of the 600 block of East 80th Street, and another man, who did not appear in Cook County Criminal bond court on Saturday, were playing pool and talking with a woman at the Two Way Lounge, 2928 W. Fullerton Ave., on April 24.

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About 1 a.m. April 25, the woman left the bar with the two men and was hit in the back of the head and blacked out. When she regained consciousness, Alicea and the other man were dragging her into a storage basement, where she was beaten and sexually assaulted, according to Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Erika Gillian-Booker.

The woman was found in a pool of blood and hospitalized for eight days for her injuries, which included a broken jaw, severe bruising on her face and neck, and a cut on her forehead, Gillian-Booker said.

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Alicea, a known gang member who prosecutors said previously served time in a 1989 murder case, is being held without bond at Cook County Jail. Information about the 1989 murder was not available Saturday.

The other suspect did not appear in bond court Saturday. It was not immediately clear whether he was in custody.
Police issued a community alert after a man tried to lure a teen girl about 4:10 p.m. Saturday in the Jefferson Park neighborhood.

A 15-year-old girl was walking by herself in the 6100 block of West Berwyn Avenue when a man inside a white sedan pulled up along the curb and asked if she needed a ride, according to a community alert from the Chicago Police Department. The girl told the man she did not need a ride.

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The girl then continued walking east, and the man inside the vehicle drove west on Berwyn Avenue.

He is described as being a white man, about 50 years old and is heavy set, according to the alert. He was unshaven and is balding. He was wearing a green shirt and glasses.

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Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Area North Detectives at (312) 744-8200.
A Buena Park neighborhood man was ordered held in lieu of $500,000 bail Sunday after being accused of breaking into a 23-year-old man's bedroom and sexually assaulting him, prosecutors said.

Joseph Kopacz, 52, was arrested just after 8:30 a.m. Saturday in the city's Lakeview neighborhood, according to court records.

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Assistant State's Attorney Elena Gottreich said the victim woke up to find Kopacz, a stranger, in his bed with his head in the victim's crotch area, attempting to pull down his boxer shorts.

Kopacz fled, but the victim caught him and held him in a headlock, she said. He allegedly bit the victim in the arm during the struggle.

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The victim wrestled the intruder to the ground outside the apartment building and held him down until police arrived. Officers reportedly recovered evidence in Kopacz's pockets.

Judge Peggy Chiampas set the bail Sunday during a hearing for Kopacz, who is charged with attempted aggravated sexual assault, home invasion causing injury and burglary.

Kopacz, of the 4000 block of North Clarendon Avenue, is a registered sex offender who has been accused of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to the Illinois Sex Offender Registry's website.
RICHMOND, Va.  For the first time since Rolling Stone magazine's shocking story about a brutal gang rape at the University of Virginia hit shelves two years ago, the public may hear from the young woman at the center of the now discredited article "A Rape on Campus."



A defamation trial against the magazine is set to begin Monday over the November 2014 article about the woman identified only as "Jackie" and her harrowing account about being gang raped in a fraternity initiation. University administrator Nicole Eramo, who counseled Jackie and claims the story cast her as its "chief villain," is seeking $7.85 million.



Jackie was forced to answer questions about the case in April, but her comments have been kept under wraps. Now, Eramo's attorneys have said they intend to call Jackie as a witness at trial, although it's possible the jury will watch a video of her deposition instead of hearing from her in person. An attorney for Jackie declined to comment.





The story described in alarming detail Jackie's account of being raped by seven men at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house in September 2012. Eramo's attorneys claim the article portrayed her as indifferent to Jackie's plight and only interested in protecting the university's reputation. After it was published, Eramo, who then served as associate dean of students, received hundreds of emails and letters calling her a "wretched rape apologist" and "disgusting, worthless piece of trash." Eramo still works for the university, now in a different administrative role.



An investigation by Charlottesville police found no evidence to back up Jackie's claims and details in the lengthy narrative did not hold up under scrutiny by other media organizations. Rolling Stone officially retracted the story in April 2015. Since then, three lawsuits have been filed against the magazine. A judge earlier this year threw out one case brought by three fraternity members, but a $25 million lawsuit filed by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at UVa is scheduled to go to trial late next year.



Eramo's trial will focus heavily on whether Rolling Stone editors and the article's author, Sabrina Erdely, acted with "actual malice," meaning that they knew what they were writing about Eramo was false or at least should have known it wasn't true. U.S. District Judge Glen Conrad ruled in September that Eramo should be considered a public figure, which means she must prove actual malice in order to get certain monetary damages.

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"A lot of this case is already decided," said Lee Berlik, a Virginia libel attorney. "The big unknown really is how much damage did Ms. Eramo suffer to her reputation, what is that worth and I guess, most importantly, did Rolling Stone know what it was writing was untrue or should it have known?"



Eramo's attorneys claim Erdely purposely avoided information she feared might ruin her preconceived narrative about how schools treat sexual violence victims while ignoring numerous red flags about Jackie's credibility. Among other things, Jackie didn't provide Erdely with the full names of the men she claimed attacked her and they were never interviewed for the story.



"Ms. Eramo's legal team is looking forward to presenting the overwhelming evidence showing that Sabrina Erdely and Rolling Stone knew that what they published about Ms. Eramo was false and defamatory," Libby Locke, an attorney for Eramo, said in an email. Locke said Eramo was not available for an interview.





Rolling Stone's lawyers counter that Erdely had no reason not to trust Jackie, but stress that the young woman's credibility isn't the issue in the case. Rolling Stone attorneys argue in court documents that they still believe their reporting about Eramo and the university's handling of sexual assault reports is "accurate and well substantiated." Rolling Stone points to a U.S. Department of Education investigation that found last year that that UVa failed to promptly respond to some sexual assault complaints and created a "hostile environment" for victims.



"Dean Eramo's lawyers are attempting to shift the focus of her lawsuit in the media to Rolling Stone's reporting errors surrounding Jackie," Rolling Stone spokeswoman Kathryn Brenner said in an email. "The depiction of Dean Eramo in the article was balanced and described the challenges of her role. We now look forward to the jury's decision in this case," she said.



The jury is expected to view hundreds of pages of documents, including Erdely's reporting notes, emails between Erdely and her sources and audio recordings of Erdely's interviews with Jackie. The judge recently ruled that Eramo's attorneys won't be able to show the jury a video of Erdely's deposition because they violated court rules by leaking it to ABC's "20/20."

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In giving the green light last month for the case to proceed to trial, Judge Conrad said he believes a jury could reasonably conclude based on the evidence presented thus far that the magazine acted out of actual malice. He noted that the evidence suggests that several people told Erdely her portrayal of Eramo wasn't accurate and that Erdely had reasons to question Jackie's credibility.



Among other things, the judge pointed to Erdely's apparent disbelief when Jackie told her that two other women were gang raped at the same fraternity. Erdely told Jackie that was "shocking," according to her reporting notes.



"I don't know the stats on gang rape but I can't imagine it's all that common? So the idea that three women were gang raped at the same fraternity seems like too much of a coincidence," Erdely wrote.



"It happens a lot more often than people might think," Jackie replied.



Associated Press
LAUSANNE, Switzerland  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Yemen's Houthi rebels released two U.S. citizens on Saturday, without identifying the Americans.



Kerry said they were freed as part of complicated diplomatic arrangement that included airlifts for Yemenis wounded by an airstrike this past week carried out by a Saudi-led coalition. Those individuals were taken to Oman for treatment.



Kerry said the U.S. has been working on such efforts for the past few days, alongside a push for a cease-fire in Yemen that would allow the country's internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthis to return to negotiations.



The state-run Oman News Agency said two Americans "held" in Yemen were released and flown to the sultanate following negotiations between Omani officials and "Yemeni authorities" in the capital, Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis and their allies. It also did not identify the Americans.



Yemen's war pits the government against the Shiite Houthi rebels and allied army units loyal to a former president. A Saudi-led coalition has been intervening on the side of the government since March 2015.





After peace talks broke down two months ago, the Saudi-led and U.S.-backed coalition stepped up airstrikes and forced the closure of Sanaa's international airport. Negotiators representing the Houthis and their allies ended up stranded in Oman, but were allowed to return to Yemen under the latest deal.



The bombing of the packed funeral hall last weekend, which killed 140 people and wounded 600, appears to have galvanized diplomatic efforts. An internal probe by the coalition said Saturday that the strike was carried out based on "wrong information" and had not been approved by the coalition's top command.



More than 100 people who were wounded in the funeral hall bombing have been allowed medical evacuation to seek treatment outside of Yemen, a Yemeni government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.



Speaking to reporters in Switzerland, where he was attending talks on Syria, Kerry said a plane flew the Houthi delegation back to Yemen from the Omani capital, Muscat, and returned with people wounded in the funeral hall strike.



"This is something we've been working on for the last days," he said.





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He said the effort "also secured the release of two American citizens from the Houthis. Their names are not being released."



Kerry said the U.S .was "very pleased" with their release and was working to resolve other hostage situations in Yemen and elsewhere.



Kerry said he had spoken with the U.N. envoy to Yemen as well as the Saudis, and that he was "continuing to work very hard to get a framework in Yemen that creates a dynamic that allows to get back to the table."



"It remains a top priority for us to try to end the violence and get to the table as soon as possible," Kerry said.



State Department spokesman Mark Toner later issued a statement saying the U.S. was "deeply grateful" to Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said for his assistance in securing the release of the Americans.



"We recognize the? humanitarian gesture by the Houthis in releasing these U.S. citizens. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of any other U.S. citizens who may still be held," it said.



Oman, a U.S. ally which maintains warm relations with nearby Iran, has served as a mediator for past prisoner releases and other diplomatic initiatives.



Earlier this month, Oman was credited with helping to secure the release of a French-Tunisian woman working for the Red Cross who had been kidnapped by armed men in Yemen and held for nearly a year.

Associated Press
EAU CLAIRE -- Patrick Maurice Eaton, 74, of Eau Claire passed away Sept. 17, 2016, at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire.

Pat was born the sixth child of Evelyn V. (Geissler) and Maurice L. Eaton June 26, 1942, at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. Patrick grew up and was educated in the Eau Claire Schools. In his younger years he rode many a motorcycle. He also had a great love of music. He danced his way across quite a few dance floors with a pretty girl on his arm. He mastered the guitar and had a beautiful singing voice. He was a gentle soul who had many interests. From an early age he was fascinated with photography, and was considered the family photographer. He was seen with many cameras over the years, from his brownie box to a digital camera.

Pat was an avid reader. He had a capacity to absorb many topics. He was self taught on how to build a computer from the inside out, and built many for family and friends. Patrick also had an interest and vast knowledge of his family genealogy. He constructed family trees on both the Eaton and Geissler sides of the family. Pat had a work history as varied as his other interests. He was the general manager for 3 Bears Corp. in White Bear Lake, Minn., was in quality control for Armour Meats here in Eau Claire, operated the Big Bopper Sub Shop on Water Street. He then had a life change and decided it was time to go back to school. Pat became a certified machinist through CVTC and worked at Johnson Plastics in Chippewa Falls. It was there that he suffered an industrial accident that disabled him.

Pat has two sons from his first marriage.

He is preceded in death by his parents; brothers, James and Richard; brother-in-law, Jon Erpenbach; sister-in-law, Margaret Eaton.

He is survived by brothers, Thomas and Michael; sister, Mary Erpenbach; his sons; and many nieces and nephews.

Patrick has left this world and will be greatly missed. Per his request, there will be no formal funeral services held for Pat.

Cremation Society of Wisconsin, Altoona, is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be shared at www.cremationsociety-wi.com.
An Elgin man who transported about two pounds of heroin from California to Naperville on an Amtrak train has been sentenced to 23 years in prison, DuPage County prosecutors said.

Eduardo Lara-Cardenas, 50, formerly of the 300 block of McClure Road, pleaded guilty Friday to unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

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Lara-Cardenas was arrested May 17, shortly after he disembarked from a train at the Naperville train station, a state's attorney's office news release said. Amtrak officials said they noticed Lara-Cardenas acting suspiciously as he boarded the train in Sacramento and notified federal agents, the release said.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 100 Charge: drug induced homicide; Read more (DuPage County State's Attorney: Arrest does not imply guilt, and criminal charges are merely accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty and convicted.)

Naperville police witnessed Lara-Cardenas get into a waiting vehicle after exiting the train, which they pulled over for a traffic violation. After obtaining consent to search the duffel bags, they found 900 grams of heroin, the release said.

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Lara-Cardenas was taken into custody and has been held in the DuPage County jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

"In addition to the potential lives saved thanks to the interception of this shipment of heroin, today's sentencing sends the message that if you attempt to bring killer drugs to DuPage County you will be caught, prosecuted and sentenced to a significant amount of time behind bars," State's Attorney Robert Berlin said.

Lara-Cardenas must serve 75 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, prosecutors said.

Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist reported to prison Friday to start his four-year term in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist reported to prison Friday to begin his four-year prison term for public corruption, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons website.

Soderquist, 47, is listed as an inmate in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.

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Soderquist was sentenced last month to 42 months for crimes he committed with his wife, followed by another six months for abetting his stepdaughter in committing a crime.

His wife, Deborah Soderquist, 58, was sentenced to two years in prison and his stepdaughter, Miranda Brakely, 36, received a six-month home detention sentence. She pleaded guilty to one count of theft from a program receiving federal funds.

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The couple must also pay more than $26,000 in restitution to the city of Lake Station and to the Internal Revenue Service.

A jury found the couple guilty of using money from his campaign fund and the Lake Station Food Pantry to pay for dozens of gambling trips to Michigan.

Soderquist also pleaded guilty to helping Brakely hide thousands of dollars she stole from the city when she worked there as a court clerk.

And this summer Soderquist admitted in court documents to recording and listening to thousands of phone calls made by city hall employees since 2011, including a call made from a phone in the private chambers of a Lake Station City Court judge. Though he wasn't charged for the wiretapping, it factored into the sentencing, documents said.

Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Reporter Becky Jacobs contributed.
Every business and organization seems to have at least one veteran employee who serves as the crucial cog for daily operations.

Need an important file? She has it. A customer's phone number or email address? He knows it. The whereabouts of a company executive? She's got it. A duty that must get done immediately, no delays or excuses? He's your guy.

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This particular employee is the go-to person, no doubt about it.

Their title  whether it's secretary, office manager or administrative assistant  doesn't do justice to their innumerable duties, responsibilities and contributions on a daily basis. In fact, their title may minimize their true accomplishments, especially compared to loftier titles such as CEO, president or executive director.

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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for secretaries or administrative assistants is $36,500. Formally, their clerical duties include "organizing files, preparing documents, scheduling appointments and supporting other staff." Everyone in the office, however, knows that they do so much more.

By now, I'll bet most of you have already thought of someone in your company or organization who fits the bill for this workplace description, right?

At the Gary Chamber of Commerce, Janice Bowden serves this indispensable role. Since 2000, the Gary grandmother of three has been the key employee who answers phones, replies to emails, writes monthly newsletters, arranges luncheons, organizes files, recruits new chamber members, nurtures longtime members, and keeps her boss Chuck Hughes on his toes.

"When I was selected as executive director, it had been vacant for about seven months. Janice was my only link to chamber business," said Hughes, the chamber's executive director since 2008. "Because she had been involved for several years prior to my arrival, she has been invaluable to me. She does the day to day work necessary to keep the Gary Chamber functional."

When I met with Bowden, it was obvious who keeps that office humming. Her desk is loaded with files, notes and other paperwork yet she insists she knows exactly where everything is placed if needed.

"Don't touch anything," she said, only half-jokingly.

During my visit, the phone rang. Bowden politely excused herself. Business beckoned.

"Good afternoon, the Gary Chamber," Bowden answered on the phone.

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While she chatted, I strolled around her office, located inside the massive building at 839 Broadway, the former Sears building for longtime residents. It's filled with fliers, posters and memorabilia revolving around the Steel City through the years.

Bowden began working for the chamber when it was located at 504 Broadway, which is still called "the bank building" to most residents.

Born in Chicago, Bowden moved to Gary as a child and graduated from Emerson High School, back in its heyday. She worked for the former Gary-Hobart water company for 29 years before its administration office closed in 1999. And with it, her job, an all too common scenario in Gary.

"I started there as a file clerk, and worked my way up," Bowden recalled.

The next year, she began working at the chamber, an easy transition for someone with her people skills. Computers have helped streamline the clearinghouse of information that gets funneled through her office. But it still comes down to personal relationships, phone calls, and handshake deals.

"I still enjoy what I do," Bowden said. "It's because of the people I interact with. Plus, I'm still learning."

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Really?

"Really," she insisted, noting how social media is her latest challenge.

The Gary Chamber has between 250 and 300 members, comprised of businesses and organizations across the city. There's more interest in the city now than at any time in her 16 years here, she said.

"People also call us if they want to know other things about the city," she said.

Bowden is the only chamber employee besides Hughes, in addition to a small group of volunteers for additional clerical work when needed.

"Otherwise, it's just the two of us," Bowden said, arranging paperwork on her desk.

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Bowden would like to remain in Gary after she retires. Her husband of 44 years, who's already retired, would like to move down south, back to his roots.

"It's up for discussion," she said.

In the city of Gary alone, there are likely dozens or hundreds of office professionals who juggle as many duties as Bowden.

One of them is Georgia Thomas, who has worked for the Gary Community School Corp. for 38 years, currently as its secretary of operations. Thomas consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty, her co-workers told me. And she has been a fixture there despite all the ups and downs with the troubled school system.

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Marianne Pivovarnik also should be mentioned and recognized for her role at Ajax Sanitary Supply Co. in Gary. Her title is "accounts receivable," but she does so much more, including customer service, invoicing, inside sales, physical inventory and receiving, and anything else to take care of customers, I'm told.

The Post-Tribune also has such an employee on staff, even through all of our transitions over the years. Her name is Joan Kolozenski, who's been working here for several years. If you've ever called the Crown Point office, you've likely spoken with her.

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Like most workers in her job position, she's the first voice that customers hear on the phone or see when they enter our office. Kolozenski handles each one with the same smile and genuine concern. Again, such personable qualities are not always listed in the job description for administrative assistants.

At the Gary Chamber, Bowden wrapped up another typical work day. But not before answering yet another phone call.

Hughes joked from his office, "She is my best employee. Of course she is my only employee."

jdavich@post-trib.com

Twitter@jdavich
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr. presents Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with a sports jersey after he delivered the convocation in the Vines Center at the university Jan. 18, 2016, in Lynchburg, Va. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

The late Jerry Falwell, leader of the Moral Majority and founder of Liberty University, built the religious right into a major political force.

His son Jerry Jr. is well on his way to destroying it.

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Falwell fils, now Liberty's president, was among the first and most prominent evangelical Christian leaders to embrace thrice-married, foul-mouthed casino mogul Donald Trump, declaring in January that Trump had lived his life in the spirit of Jesus. This endorsement validated Trump's character for millions of evangelicals, helping to propel Trump to the Republican nomination. Falwell continued to campaign for Trump, spoke at the Republican convention and likened Trump to Winston Churchill in an August op-ed in The Washington Post.

Now the "Access Hollywood" video, in which Trump boasts in vulgar terms about sexually assaulting women, has caused late defections from Trump by Republican officeholders and conservative thought leaders.

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But Falwell is standing by his man. He speculates that the leak of the video "might have even been a conspiracy among the establishment Republicans," including House Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.). Falwell allowed that what Trump said in the video was "reprehensible," but he argued on New York's WABC Radio that "we're all sinners" and dismissed Trump's words as "dumb comments on a videotape 11 years ago."

Trump is creating a lot of wreckage as his campaign founders and he lashes out on Bill Clinton's sexual misdeeds and even the late Ted Kennedy's 1969 Chappaquiddick scandal. One of Trump's victims is likely to be the religious conservative political movement, as many of its leaders have averted their gaze from Trump's misogyny, hoping ends justify means.

Ralph Reed, formerly of the Christian Coalition, claims that for evangelical voters, "a 10-year-old tape of a private conversation with a TV talk-show host ranks pretty low on their hierarchy of their concerns."

And Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, dismissed Trump's lewd video by saying the candidate was only "trying to look like he's macho."

These religious political leaders' continued support of Trump undermines their claims to speak for traditional morality. And their political calculation -- that they're supporting Trump because he'd appoint conservative justices to the Supreme Court -- appears to be backfiring, as well. Trump's woes are putting the Senate (and perhaps the House) in jeopardy for Republicans, potentially depriving them of whatever defenses they would have had against Hillary Clinton's nominees and policies.

Ryan has belatedly located his moral and political compasses and is making clear that his only goal now is to protect the House Republican majority. In fact, few conservatives are willing to advocate for Trump other than the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Fox News's Sean Hannity, who defended Trump by saying, "King David had 500 concubines for crying out loud."

In the past, religious-right leaders claimed to care about personal morality. "We will not rest until we have leaders of good moral character," Reed said back in the Monica Lewinsky days. Evangelical leader James Dobson advocated Bill Clinton's impeachment in 1998 because he set a bad example about "respecting women."

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But Dobson supports Trump, excusing his behavior because the candidate is a "baby Christian." Franklin Graham, though formally neutral, draws equivalence between Trump's "crude comments" and Democrats' "godless" agenda.

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There are a few evangelical leaders, including Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention and Christianity Today executive editor Andy Crouch, who have tried to maintain their integrity. Theologian Wayne Gruden, who had endorsed Trump, now says, "I cannot commend Trump's moral character, and I strongly urge him to withdraw from the election."

And James MacDonald, who has been on Trump's evangelical advisory council, called Trump's words on the video "the kind of misogynistic trash that reveals a man to be lecherous and worthless ... the guy who gets a punch in the head from worthy men."

But where are the high-profile figures in the movement, such as Reed, Robertson and Falwell? In January, Falwell said Trump "lives a life of loving and helping others, as Jesus taught." He likened Trump to his father.

And now, no regrets. Falwell said that years from now, "I don't think anybody is going to be sitting around thinking about whether Donald Trump said this or that on the videotape in 2005. I think they're going to be sitting around saying, 'Gosh, I wish we had different Supreme Court justices.'?"

Or maybe they'll be wondering how differently things might have turned out if Falwell, with his ends-justify-the-means logic, hadn't made a deal with the devil and destroyed the moral credibility of the movement his father built.

Dana Milbank is a columnist for the Washington Post.
To the barbarian, science looks like spooky magic.

The same is true for religious non-believers.

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To them, what evidence believers take for granted seems gibberish, especially the knowledge of what the Divinity is thinking at any given moment.

Amber Pasztor implies she was doing what God wanted her to do. That is, kill her children so they could be safe in heaven. So she admits smothering 6-year-old Rene Pasztor and 7-year-old Liliana Hernandez as they huddled in a stolen car's back seat.

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"I gave them a choice. That they could live, traumatized like their mom, or they can go to heaven with God and be better off," she said in a chilling jailhouse interview with Fort Wayne television station WANE.

They chose heaven, but still frantically fought mom's smothering. She was too strong.

And she killed them while everyone in northern Indiana searched for the children last week. Indiana had broadcast an Amber Alert to find them.

She also admitted in the calm, matter-of-fact jailhouse interview that she also killed neighbor Frank Macomber with his own gun.

She needed his car. He was collateral damage in God's likely misunderstood plan.

What this has to do with the reality of a real Almighty is, of course, nothing. But reality and distortion sometimes overlap.

What Pasztor's tragically applied theology shares with all theology is the compulsive urge to know what humans can't possibly know.

What's on the Almighty's mind today? What does the Deity want? That's the basis of all religion.

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Maybe he's having a good day, and suggests we get along and try to make the world better. Maybe he's having a Bad God Day and does not care if we exterminate our universe with a hydrogen bomb.

Maybe he's the jovial God of Valparaiso Greek Orthodox priest James Greanias who spritzed holy water on Wrigley Field dugouts eight years ago to end the "Billy Goat " jinx. He's sure God and Theo Epstein belatedly answered his prayer.

Or maybe he's not listening at all to Father Greanias because God's not there, and never was. In fact, what if guidance we hear in response to our God chats are our own begging, pleading hopes bouncing back at us?

The mixed evidence of the Almighty's role in human benefit is ubiquitous, and Indiana certainly has its examples from sublime to preposterous.

There's Kihn Par Thaing, 30, of Indianapolis. She's on trial for beating her 7-year-old son with a coat hanger, leaving 30 bruises and red welts. Her explicit defense is that the Almighty's handwritten Scriptures told her to discipline him this way. "Spare the rod; spoil the child," said God or perhaps an Iron Age sociopath speaking in God's name.

Her defense lawyer also offers the more mundane cloak of the Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which prohibits state interference in matters of faith.

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Or there's Aley Meyer of Evansville who announced this spring that the ultrasound of her unborn child instead revealed the image of Jesus on the cross. It was an international Facebook hit. Being "Jesus in the Womb" eventually will become a serious burden on her teenage son.

In fact, finding Jesus in ultrasounds has become a worldwide phenomenon that has superseded similar imagery in guacamole dip and tree trunks.

There's 38-year-old high school theology teacher Jessica Hayes' official Catholic wedding ceremony at the cathedral in Fort Wayne. She wore white for the August 2015 event. The groom officially was Jesus Christ.

The Catholic Church has a designated title of "Consecrated Virgin." There are 230 in the United States. Each took marriage vows with Jesus. No divorce or sex allowed. No honeymoon, at least the traditional kind.

She asked God. This is what God suggested.

All these examples might be the intercession of an Omniponent Being having a good or bad day, or maybe it's human beings doing human things, sometimes badly.

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That debate hinges on the Almighty's existence. He has to be real. Many are certain that's true, but human certainty about proving what can't be proved has limits.

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Pasztor was sure there was a heaven because religion said so. So sending her children there seemed rational. Which of those two ideas is less rational to an irrational mind?

She had kidnapped her young children from their grandparents home.

Rene Hernandez was their father, but could not save them.

Amber was pregnant with their second child in 2010 when Hernandez's bisected corpse  divided perfectly in half  was found in a Whitley County woods, south of Fort Wayne.

His murder was never solved.

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David Rutter was editor for 40 years at six newspapers.

David.Rutter@live.com
Upon its completion, the Thailand-China high-speed railway will benefit not only the two countries it connects but also the entire ASEAN region, said Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party and former prime minister of Thailand on Oct. 13 in Chongqing, China.

Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva takes questions on Oct. 13 from Chinese media on the sidelines of the CPC in Dialogue with the World 2016 held in Chongqing. [Photo by Chen Boyuan/China.org.cn]

Abhisit said that although he does not currently hold a government post, he would nonetheless urge Thailand's administration to facilitate the construction of the international high-speed railway project.

Previously, media reports showed that Abhisit remained suspicious about the railway project. It is said that Abhisit wrote to current Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha earlier this year about his concerns.

But Abhisit took the opportunity to clarify that his suspicion was "why the construction of Thailand-China high-speed railways hasn't been started yet after the long delay."

Last month, a joint committee on the China-Thailand railway confirmed that the project would start construction at the end of this year. The railway is part of the China-proposed Pan-Asia Railway Network as well as the Thai government's plan to upgrade its obsolete railway system. The 860-km railway runs cross Thailand from north to south. It will finally reach Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province after docking with the China-Lao railway, which is being built.

Abhisit is in China to attend the CPC in Dialogue with the World, an annual forum that the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC) holds to strengthen ties between the Chinese ruling party and the rest of the world.

Abhisit said that the railway project will strengthen ties between the two countries.

"No matter what party is ruling Thailand, it should recognize the importance of facilitating coordinated development between both countries," said Abhisit. "Countries along the Mekong River should seek greater connectivity. That means physical connectivity, which is the natural route river, and other forms of connectivity, such as new projects that link us together."
A Russian official said on Saturday that the United States had "lost their position" in Syria and must cooperate with Russia, otherwise it'll continue to lose in the Middle East.

Sergey Zheleznyak, deputy secretary of the General Committee of United Russia, takes questions from Chinese media on Oct. 14, 2016 during the CPC in Dialogue with the World 2016 held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.[Photo by Chen Boyuan / China.org.cn]

Sergey Zheleznyak, deputy general secretary of Russia's ruling party the United Russian Party, made the remarks at the CPC in Dialogue with the World 2016, a dialogue the Communist Party of China (CPC) has held annually since 2014.

"The United States tries to save their position in the Middle East, but now they are losing it in Syria. That is why they should all change their politics and combine their efforts with us to make a peaceful Syria, or they'll continue to lose their position on the Middle East," said Zheleznyak.

The United States suspended talks with Russia earlier this month on implementing a ceasefire agreement in Syria, accusing Moscow of engaging in the Syrian government's offensive in the city of Aleppo.

"There is no evidence about Russian participation in the accidents I think it's anti-Russian rhetoric," said Zheleznyak, adding that America is "trying to find somebody to blame."

Reports today say that the latest Syria talks between Russia and the United States in the Swiss city of Lausanne have ended without a breakthrough.
Dave Raihle, a successful local attorney and owner of Raihle Law Office S.C. in Chippewa Falls, is as busy outside of the courtroom as he is in it.

The Chippewa Falls native, a devoted family man and active community philanthropist, has an exhaustive list of personal interests and hobbies  among them, beekeeping, renovating properties, fishing in Canada, game hunting in Africa, and collecting and meticulously restoring World War II vehicles and paraphernalia. Just listening to his adventures would exhaust the average person.

Ive watched too many people, too many clients and other people who have gotten old and said, I wish I wouldve or I regret I didnt,  Raihle said. I vowed to myself that I would never be that guy sitting in a nursing home wishing I wouldve. So, to the extent that Im financially able, Ive taken some once-in-a-lifetime trips about every two to three years.

Hunting is in his blood

For starters, Raihle  along with close friend Chippewa County District Attorney Steve Gibbs  has hunted caribou and arctic wolf in Canada. The 1997 trip was an experience Raihle describes as nothing short of phenomenal, filled with numerous grizzly bear sightings and great adventures. (The caribou he shot and killed on that trip is proudly mounted in a climate-controlled pole shed on his property; the wolf he harvested on the trip is on display downstairs.)

He has joined other groups of friends on hunting and fishing trips to remote parts of Colorado, Alaska, New Mexico and Canada, making memories that are now permanently etched in his mind.

The scenery would just take your breath away, Raihle recalled on a recent morning. Just walking through the mountains at 4:00 in the morning and hearing elk bugle at the top of the ridge and then seeing the sun come up ... It was a phenomenal adventure.

Raihle has found himself fortunate enough to undertake two trips to Africa, the result of what he calls dumb luck and being in the right place at the right time  in this case, the right sportsmens banquets. Both trips came from entering winning bids in silent auctions for trips to Africa. (He also won a horseback trip for four to elk hunt in the Rocky Mountains at another banquet, which he undertook with his son Trey, friend David Junker and his son, Zachary.)

Through the years, Raihle has hunted mule deer, wolf, arctic wolf, whitetail deer, duck, pheasant, partridge, bear and bobcat  not to mention his big-game hunts in the plains of Africa.

If I had my choice, I would hunt from probably September to December, Raihle said. Whether its animals in Africa or an elk bugling on top of the Rockies or sitting in my tree stand here in Wisconsin hunting deer and watching an animal walk through the woods  Im just awed every time I get to see that.

Joined by Junker, Raihle returned from his second trip to Africa in April. Originally hoping to shoot four animals, he ended up harvesting 11, including sable, kudu, red hartebeest, blue hartebeest, black hartebeest, waterbuck, nyala and zebra. On his previous trip, he also killed kudu, gemsbok and impala (which are mounted in Scheels at Oakwood Mall since he did not have room to display them at his house).

None of the meat went to waste; on his most recent trip, all of the meat from the harvested animals was donated to a local orphanage. The time before that he split the meat equally between a school and local tribes.

Junker, who killed some of the same animals as Raihle, described the 10-day trip as incredible and said to experience it with someone like Raihle was just a real treat.

I dont know how to put his excitement and enthusiasm into words, Junker said. Its like experiencing Disneyland through your kids eyes. He has this passion thats just contagious.

He brings the same exuberance to all he undertakes, including the time he volunteers to local organizations such as: Boy Scouts of America  Chippewa Valley Council; Community Foundation of Chippewa County; St. Josephs Hospital Advisory Council; Chippewa Valley Cultural Association; Chippewa Falls Noon Kiwanis; Chippewa Falls Area Schools Safety Patrol; and Mehara Shrine Club of Eau Claire.

Everything that he does is 100 percent. He just attacks life with gusto. Its amazing, said Junker, a local anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist. Hes involved so much with the community, and everything he does is with vivaciousness.

Raihle hopes to soon take a third trip, this time to hunt cape buffalo and crocodile. Hunting trips to the Yukon, Russia and South America are also on the agenda.

World War II buff

One of his other great passions involves restoring 1940s military vehicles. Raihle, a self-described World War II buff who served 27 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves, suspects his fascination with vintage vehicles started with his military service. While hes never been formally trained, he tends to be mechanically inclined and has just always liked to restore stuff.

In 2003, he teamed up with fellow attorney Tim Scobie, general counsel at Mason Companies and former Chippewa County district attorney, to purchase a dilapidated 1941 half-track military vehicle  which they spent seven years to the day restoring.

While now a prized possession in their fleet, they spent countless hours at night and on weekends researching replacement parts, purchasing them at swap meets, online and from various vendors, refurbishing existing parts and rebuilding their purchase.

We tore it down to the frame and completely rebuilt it  every piece, every nut, every bolt, Raihle said. We had buckets. We had tons of pictures with what it was like when we took it apart. Wed sit there sometimes holding manuals and a wrench trying to figure out how to do things.

And they did. Aside from hiring someone to help them with the clutch, since they didnt have the proper tools, they self-taught themselves everything else necessary to complete the massive undertaking.

For about three years, they extended an open invitation to their network of friends for Thursday night wrench night, where Raihle supplied pizza and beer in exchange for their labor. He noted that some pieces on the vehicle weighed 200 to 300 pounds and took as many as five people to lift.

In retrospect, Raihle recognizes that the duo perhaps aimed too high in their first restoration project. Its akin to starting with a semi when we shouldve tried working on a pickup truck, he says.

Scobie agreed.

If I knew then what I know now, I wouldve never picked a half-track or any piece of large armor to do a restoration, Scobie said. Youd find one broken piece, and then youd find two more broken underneath it.

Scobie said he looked forward to their weekly wrench nights, for which the group  largely comprised of lawyers and law enforcement officers  often bounced challenging legal issues they faced in their professions off of one another.

It was a social place for us to actually have some tangible results come out of our engagement  that being this big, monstrous piece of equipment, he said. Thats the one piece of equipment from World War II that really represents the ground forces at that time. You show someone a picture of a half-track, and it immediately takes them back to 1941.

Theyve driven the restored half-track in parades, used it in military re-enactments and have even brought it to the Eau Claire and Minneapolis airports to use as a backdrop for throwback hangar dances and parties.

Through the years, Raihles collection has grown to include numerous items that the soldiers once used: backpack radios, transit chests, crank telephones, firearms, antennas, cots, sleeping bags, uniforms, bicycles, cartons of cigarettes, gas cans, shovels and all sorts of stuff that the G.I.s wouldve carried with them when they went into battle, Scobie said. Raihle also has a World War II jeep (which he restored with his son), WC52 weapons carrier truck, dump truck and a half-dozen World War II trailers.

We could set up a village, and you would think you were back in World War II, he said.

Maintaining a historical connection to the past is important to all in the group, so much so that Raihle and Scobie went on to form a limited liability company called the Chippewa Valley Military Preservation Association, which provides World War II-related information to Chippewa Falls and surrounding area residents.

Busy as a bee

Another hobby of Raihles is making maple syrup, an activity he and his family got involved with about 15 years ago. His wife, children, father, sisters, brothers and other family members all participate.

Shortly before getting into maple syrup-making, Raihle also started raising bees. He produces 200 to 500 pounds of honey a year and gives 99 percent away.

I do it more as a hobby, Raihle said. Its not a money-making venture at all.

By day  and to support his habits, Raihle joked  he runs the law firm he purchased from his father, David Raihle Sr., in 1995. About 50 percent of his practice is devoted to business law, 20 to 25 percent consisting of family law and the balance being probate and estate planning.

How does he manage to find the time to do half of all this?

I dont sleep, he joked.

Hes constantly busy, his wife confirmed.

And Im not gonna stop, Raihle added with a smile.
China's "father of hybrid rice" Yuan Longping is planning to expand its production of sea-rice at a newly founded research center in Qingdao, a port city in the eastern province of Shandong, local sources said Saturday.

Yuan Longping (3rd, L) with local officials in Qingdao inspect saline-alkaline marsh land. [Photo / qingdaonews.com]

Within three years, the sea-rice research and development center, headed by Yuan Longping, is expected to expand the yield of sea-rice to 200 kilograms on each "mu," the Chinese unit equivalent to 666 square meters, according to local authorities in Qingdao's Licang District, where the new research body is located.

Wild sea-rice is sometimes found in saline-alkaline soil at the junctures where rivers join the sea. The plant is resistant to pests, diseases, salt and alkali and does not need fertilizer. But its unit output is only around 75 kg.

The Qingdao research center will use gene sequencing to cultivate new strains of sea-rice that will yield more rice and grow with saline water.

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An illegal network that determines the gender of unborn babies has been uncovered by police in Wenzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. The nine-month investigation covered more than 30 cities and provinces across China and arrested 11 individuals, Wenzhou Metropolis Daily reported on Friday, Oct. 14.

White foam packing box, blood samples, ice bag and needle tube, which are used to determine unborn babies' gender, seized by police. [Photo / Wenzhou Metropolis Daily]

At least 300 people are involved in the illegal operations worth 200 million yuan (around US$30 million).

Many families here in China prefer a male heir and knowing the sex of an unborn child is illegal as to prevent undue abortions. Since China allowed families to have a second child, parents looking to know the sex of their second child has dramatically increased.

The police investigations found that most families looking to discover their unborn child's sex were from rural areas hoping for a son. Among the ten women the local police spoke to, three to four decided to have an abortion after they found out they were having daughters. The women would send their fetal blood samples Hong Kong, where it could be legally tested to determine the sex of the child. Blood samples would arrive in Hong Kong via Shenzhen, according to the Wenzhou Metropolis Daily.

For now, the local police have detained 75 people and continue to investigate others. The prime culprit is a Hong Kong citizen surnamed Lam. Lam is under tracking and has been approved for criminal detention.
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South Sudanese government spokesman Michael Makuei said the government has slapped a political ban on rebel chief Riek Machar following his call for arms resistance against President Salva Kiir.

Makuei told reporters in Juba on Friday evening that Machar will not be allowed to talk politics in South Sudan, instead advising him to seek asylum in a country of his choice.

He claimed that the government is working with foreign powers to identify a country where Machar can live peacefully.

"He is being exiled. He will not be coming back to South Sudan and he will never be allowed to talk politics any longer," Makuei said.

Machar fled Juba in July after fierce clashes between his forces and those loyal to president Kiir, leading to his ouster as first vice president in a unity government formed in April.

Machar has since declared war on Juba in a bid to topple Kiir's government, a move condemned by the international community.
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday slammed South Korea for what it claims invasions into its territorial waters in the Yellow Sea, labelling those actions as "frantic military provocations."

"Their intrusions that have been perpetrated almost every day this month stretched into Oct. 13 and 14," the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

The news agency claimed that South Korea had infringed on waters of the DPRK five times on Friday alone and that those invasions were made on direct instruction of Chongwadae and the Defense Ministry.

The purpose of the intrusions was to preserve the Northern Limit Line and to seek military clashes in order to prompt the DPRK to take counteractions and then launch preemptive attacks on the North, the news agency said.

The Northern Limit Line, or NLL, is a disputed maritime demarcation line in the Yellow Sea between the DPRK and South Korea. As the DPRK has never officially recognized the NLL, the navies of the two countries patrol the area regularly.

In late May, Pyongyang accused South Korean navy of intruding into DPRK waters and firing shells at a ferryboat, while Seoul claimed that a patrol boat and a fishing boat from the DPRK returned to the North after crossing the NLL after the South Korean military fired warning shots.
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Renewed fighting between regional forces from Galmudug and Puntland in the central Somali Galkayo town have killed at least 11 people and displaced 50,000 others, the UN humanitarian agency said on Saturday.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said local authorities have indicated that the number could be higher as more people continue to flee the violence in the two semi-autonomous regions of Somalia.

"Humanitarian partners operating in Galkayo are estimating that 60 percent of the displaced are IDPs facing secondary displacements, raising protection concerns and raising vulnerability," the OCHA said in a report.

Fresh clashes broke out in Galkayo on Oct. 7 and a peace agreement reached by clan elders and the business community two days later failed to hold and fighting erupted less than 24 hours after it was signed.

The interim peace agreement had called for immediate cessation of hostilities; an immediate withdrawal of armed personnel from the area of contention; and discussions on peaceful resolutions of the issue to continue.

A technical committee established to facilitate further negotiations between the two sides to address the root causes of the conflict is yet to make progress.

"The armed violence has exacerbated an already fragile humanitarian situation in Galkayo and its surrounding areas, especially for IDPs who continue to live in deplorable conditions and makeshift structures," it said.

The UN said the majority of civilians from south Galkayo have fled to parts of south Mudug and Galgaduud, while those from north Galkayo fled to locations of north Mudug and Nugaal.

"All schools in Galkayo remain closed with over 20,000 learners affected. Commercial activities are also impacted, leading to the disruption of livelihood activities especially for the IDPs, the poor and most vulnerable who are dependent on informal trade and manual labour," the UN said.

It said tensions have led to constraints on the humanitarian activities in the town due to staff safety and security concerns.

According to the OCHA, the flow of commercial and humanitarian supplies and services between Galgaduud and Mudug regions has been disrupted. Galkayo provides the access network to central regions such as Hiraan, Galgaduud and South Mudug for commodities from the port of Bossaso.

"Agricultural products and livestock from southern and central Somalia also pass through Gaalkacyo serving northern towns," the UN said.
A federal judge sided with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and ordered the Dakota Access pipeline to shut down until more environmental review is done.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin Saturday, and the two sides vowed to advance bilateral ties and boost cooperation within multilateral frameworks.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 15, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xi arrived in the western Indian state of Goa earlier in the day for the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

He recalled that leaders of the five countries met last month on the sidelines of the 11th summit of the Group of 20 major economies in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, where they had an in-depth exchange of views on promoting BRICS cooperation and reached many important consensuses.

China, said the president, hopes that the BRICS summit in Goa will achieve positive results and inject new impetus into BRICS cooperation.

As China will hold the rotating chair of BRICS in 2017, Beijing stands ready to work with Russia and all other parties concerned to make a success of the ninth summit, he added.

Noting that both China and Russia are permanent members of the UN Security Council and major emerging-market countries, Xi said the two countries should strengthen coordination and cooperation within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and other multilateral frameworks.

The two sides, he added, should jointly promote a more just and reasonable international order and safeguard the interests of the emerging-market countries and developing countries.

Recalling that he and Putin held a fruitful meeting last month in Hangzhou and reached important consensuses on advancing the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, he said the two sides should now earnestly push for their implementation.

Putin, for his part, said he is delighted to see that Russia and China have maintained close communication at high levels and in various fields, which is very important to consolidating bilateral ties.

Russia is committed to enhancing cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks and supports China in hosting the ninth BRICS summit next year, he added.

Calling China an important economic partner of Russia, Putin said his country is willing to deepen cooperation with the Chinese side in such areas as energy, transport infrastructure, aviation manufacturing and space.

Moscow, he said, also supports the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union in aligning its development strategies with the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt initiative and carrying out cooperation with the Chinese side.

The two leaders also had an in-depth exchange of views on the Korean Peninsula situation and other global and regional issues of shared concern.

They agreed to maintain close communication and coordination to jointly safeguard peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the common interests of the two countries as well.

India holds the rotating chair of BRICS this year, and a summit has been scheduled for the weekend in the coastal state of Goa.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday that his country is ready to align development strategies with Nepal and hopes to build the two neighbors into a community of shared destiny.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 15, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

"China and Nepal are close neighbors linked by mountains and rivers," Xi said in a meeting in the western Indian state of Goa with Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on the sidelines of the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Since the two countries established diplomatic ties more than half a century ago, China-Nepal relations have withstood the vicissitude of the international situation and maintained sound and stable development, Xi said.

China, he added, attaches great importance to developing relations with Nepal and is willing to work with Nepal to deepen practical cooperation.

He called on the two countries to strengthen high-level contacts and political communication, and enhance mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns.

He also called for concerted efforts to carry out the consensuses the two sides have reached on beefing up cooperation on connectivity, free trade and energy and continue to push forward cooperation in their pursuit of development.

China is ready to support Nepal in its post-earthquake reconstruction, especially in restoring infrastructure, people's well-being and historical relics, he said.

China, he added, encourages its reputable businesses to invest in Nepal and take part in the construction of special economic zones and industrial parks in Nepal.

He also urged the two sides to strengthen cooperation in agricultural industrialization, water conservation, irrigation and hydropower generation.

On people-to-people exchanges, the president said the two sides should increase exchanges and cooperation in such areas as tourism, education, culture, youth, media and local affairs.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining coordination within the frameworks of the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

For his part, Dahal said the Nepal-China friendship is time-honored and unbreakable, for it is established on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and features mutual respect and trust.

Nepal highly appreciates the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in China's neighborhood diplomacy as well as China's support for its peace process, post-earthquake reconstruction and national development, he said.

Nepal views China as a reliable development partner and is ready to develop a more comprehensive partnership with China, he added.

Dahal also conveyed Nepal's willingness to participate in connectivity construction within the frameworks of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Moreover, Nepal is ready to enhance coordination with China within international and regional multilateral organizations, added the prime minister.

Nepal is a member of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a regional mechanism which is aimed at connecting South Asian and Southeast Asian countries and also groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

On the margins of their summit in Goa, Xi and other BRICS leaders will hold dialogues with their BIMSTEC counterparts.
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile, but it ended in a failure, Seoul's military said Sunday.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement that the DPRK fired what is believed to be a Musudan missile at about 12:33 p.m. local time on Saturday (0333 GMT) near an airport in the DPRK's northwestern North Pyongan province.

The test-launch, the JCS said, failed as the missile exploded soon after its liftoff.

The failed launch came on the day that the United States and South Korea wrapped up their joint naval exercises that kicked off on Monday in all of the three seas around South Korea.

The U.S. military mobilized its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to participate in the week-long drill, which also involved seven U.S. warships and some 40 South Korean battleships as well as fighter jets, maritime patrol airplanes and helicopters.

The missile launch was the latest in a series of provocations by the DPRK following its fifth nuclear test last month. Pyongyang said on Sept. 9 that it successfully tested a nuclear warhead that can be mounted on ballistic missiles.

The DPRK has claimed it already secured a nuclear missile technology capable of striking the U.S. mainland. The medium-range Musudan missile is known to have a range of 3,000-4,000 km that can reach the U.S. military base in Guam.

On Sept. 5, Pyongyang launched three Rodong missiles from its east coast as part of efforts to enhance its capability to deliver nuclear warhead. Rodong missiles are known to be capable of striking U.S. military bases in Japan.

The DPRK is expected to attempt another launch of a Musudan missile as the latest test failed. After several failed attempts, the country conducted its first successful launch of the missile on June 22, flying as high as 1,413.6 km and traveling about 400 km.

The South Korean military has closely monitored the moves of DPRK forces, with all possibilities left open for another nuclear test and the launch of a long-range ballistic missile.

Increased activity was detected in the DPRK's main Punggye-ri nuclear test site, indicating preparations for another nuclear detonation in the near future.

In its Tonchang-ri rocket base, which Pyongyang calls Sohae Satellite Launching Station, the moves of personnel and vehicles were spotted. It boosted worries about the test-launch of a long-range rocket.

The DPRK's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 was followed by the launch on Feb. 7 of a long-range rocket. Seoul's military is worried about another long-range rocket launch by the end of this year following the fifth nuclear test in early September.
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The Russian authorities have arrested an "illegal" fishing ship of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the Sea of Japan, with one person killed and eight others injured in the conflict, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Saturday.

A patrol boat of the Russian border guards stopped the DPRK fishing boat "Dae Yang 10" in Russia's exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan at 22:20 Moscow time (19:20 GMT) Friday, the FSB said in a statement.

Russian border guards got on the ship for inspection, and found some "illegally obtained aquatic resources onboard the ship," said the FSB. "The 48 nationals of the DPRK onboard the ship attempted to seize the arms of the Russian officers and to attack them."

In reponse, the Russian guards made some warning shots in "self-defense," followed by "destructive fire with small arms," during which nine of the DPRK citizens were injured, and one of them died later, the FSB said.

A member of the Russia patrol guards was wounded on the head, it added.

Pyongyang has yet to make any comments on the incident.
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The death toll from the suicide bomb attack, targeting Shiite mourning tent in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Saturday, rose to 32 and some 60 others wounded, a police source said.

"The latest report said that 32 people were killed and about 60 wounded in the suicide bomb attack at mourning tent in Baghdad's northeastern neighborhood of Shaab," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attack occurred at noon when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at a mourning tent in the crowded popular market of Shallal in the Shiite neighborhood of Shaab, the source said.

The tent was set up for Shiite Muslims to commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, one of the Shiites' twelve most revered Imams, who was buried in Karbala, some 110 km south of Baghdad.

The Shiite Muslims used to observe the climax of their mourning on Ashura, which marks the death day of Imam Hussein, and will continue the ritual till the Arbaeen, or 40 days after the Imam's death.

Earlier in the day, the source put the toll at 15 killed and 45 wounded by the blast.

The Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on Islamic websites, but the authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified.

In most cases, the IS group is responsible for such suicide attacks against Shiite pilgrims who perform communal rituals in Iraq, in an attempt to provoke sectarian strife in the violence-shattered country.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 1,003 Iraqis and wounded 1,159 others in September across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S., which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.
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Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is looking into the detainment of 18 employees in China from the Melbourne-based gambling firm Crown Resorts.

China is required to inform Australia if they detain an Australian citizen within 72 hours.

Fairfax Media said three top Australian executives were detained, including Jason O'Connor, the executive general manager of Crown Resorts, who is in charge of the international VIP service.

A Crown Resorts representative declined to provide details about the detainment to Fairfax Media.

BBC says it still remains unknown whether any charges have been made.

Gambling is considered illegal in the Chinese mainland, but Macao remains the only city which can operate casinos and other gambling-related business.

Fairfax said many casino operators outside China are trying to sidestep the ban by promoting their resorts and cities.
In the interest of fairness, I wish to raise an issue on which Donald Trump has been consistently and resoundingly right: The Republican Party is utterly pathetic.

During a decade of commentary, and in a career of government service before that, I have often argued that the GOP is better than its liberal stereotypes. It is a case I can no longer make, at least when it comes to presidential politics.

The Trump ascendancy is the triumph of anti-reason  of birtherism, of vaccine denialism, of suggestions that Justice Antonin Scalia was smothered with a pillow and that Hillary Clinton may have been involved in the death of Vince Foster. It is the triumph of nativism  of a political appeal based on hatred against migrants and Muslims. It is the triumph of white nationalism, which has moved inward from the fringes of Republican politics. It is the triumph of misogyny, demonstrated with words that require a disinfectant shower after hearing. It is the triumph of authoritarian impulses. Since the Constitution is broken, argues Maine Gov. Paul LePage, we need a Donald Trump to show some authoritarian power in our country.

Trump has made the party a laughingstock among the young, a toxic brand among minorities, an offense to many women, a source of worry among American allies and alarm among national security professionals. And this was before Trump pronounced himself unshackled from the style-cramping expectations of his establishment Republican captors. The main use of his newly found freedom has been to attack GOP leaders. Speaker Paul Ryan has authored bad budgets. In what way? They were very, very bad budgets, Trump elucidated. He wouldnt want to be in a foxhole with Sen. John McCain  which presumably was the point of his five Vietnam deferments.

Steve Bannon, the CEO of Trumps campaign, once said, What we need to do is ... slap the Republican Party. The lift, it might be said, of a driving dream. And how has the object of this contempt responded? It is supine. It is docile. It licks the hand that beats it.

Trump can hardly maintain, for even five minutes, the pose of apology for predatory and abusive language against women before dismissing it as salty language or the equivalent of a sneeze. Yet Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus calls his apology heartfelt, a description he must know to be false. And running-mate Mike Pence goes further, urging evangelicals to accept Trumps apology because they are required to believe in grace and forgiveness. Pence is seeking theological cover for cruelty and political cynicism. This is nigh to blasphemy.

There is also a group of Republicans who unendorsed Trump after the most recent taped evidence of misogyny, only to withdraw their unendorsements under pressure. It is hard to secure scientific proof of a politician betraying his or her conscience for political reasons, but this comes pretty close. And the position of Ryan  refusing to defend Trump any damn longer but not unendorsing him  is not much better. His transparent disgust for Trump has become a self-indictment.

This much is clear: Republican leaders offered no effective resistance to the ideological and political demolition of their party. Which may, in the worst case, give George W. Bush the distinction of being the last Republican president.

Trump, it appears, has ceased to seriously pursue that office, using American democracy to work out his inner demons or perhaps to position his brand. And he  employing conspiracy theories and rented spokesmen  may well take the country down a post-election rabbit hole by questioning the legitimacy of what he is already calling a rigged system and a total fix job.

But assuming Trump is one of American historys biggest losers  his direction, though not yet his destiny  it will be more difficult for him to make the charge of loserhood against others. And his conspiratorial, self-serving attacks on our constitutional order may seem like spraying graffiti on the Lincoln Memorial. Massive electoral repudiation might speak a language that Republican leaders finally understand, after proving themselves unable to learn the strange tongues of conviction and courage. Maybe they will even be ashamed of themselves, as they should be.

This would set the stage for the recovery of a hopeful center-right conservatism that sees politics as something nobler than scalp-hunting  a politics that begins with gratitude for our national blessings and views Americas flaws and failures as occasions for common purpose. This task, however, will start from scratch. A building on a ruin.
A top district official appeared in court on Thursday to solve a dispute with a resident of Nanshulin village in Beijing's Pinggu district.

The litigant, surnamed Li, filed a lawsuit against the district government after he found that trees his claimed to own had been relocated to another village, according to a statement by Beijing No 4 Intermediate People's Court.

"In 1983, I received a certificate of ownership for the trees in our village from the district government. In 2002, I was told to change the certificate, but the government failed to provide me with a new one," said Li, who declined to give his full name.

"I believe the government illegally relocated the trees to Wangxinzhuang village," Li said during the trial.

Wu Lianjiang, deputy director of the district government, attended the court to respond to the lawsuit.

The certificate Li holds is out of date, "so he cannot claim ownership of the trees anymore", Wu's lawyer said.

The case hearing lasted from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, attracting journalists, law school students and experts in the gallery.

"It's the first time that our court has handled such a dispute," said Cheng Hu, deputy president of the court, who is in charge of the case.

The court's decision is still pending.
A shot of Room 7012, a male dormitory in Central South University in Changsha, Hunan province, Oct 14, 2016. [Photo/IC]

When you think of male dormitories, what comes to your mind? Scattered dirty socks, an untidy quilt, filthy plates and unfinished instant food?

Room 7012, a male dormitory in Central South University in Changsha, Hunan province, is far beyond your imagination.Four roommates decorated their little space with Chinese paintings and calligraphy, traditional furniture and fresh green plants. Each of them only spent 200 yuan ($30) on the decorations, and made their room into an ideal place to live.
Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid, right, holds a welcoming ceremony for visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Dhaka, Oct 14, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

President Xi's recent state visit to Bangladesh underscores China's efforts to further intensify development of the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) Initiative - and a strategically important regional economic corridor in South Asia.

The land dimensions of the OBOR consist of several inter-connected corridors spanning the entire Eurasian continent. Bangladesh is centrally situated along the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor.

Bangladesh also occupies a strategic position along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road with its bustling port of Chittagong as a major maritime hub through the Indian Ocean.

President Xi's visit aims to bolster economic and political ties to Bangladesh and stands out as an historic milestone in China-Bangladesh relations.

According to the Sino-Bangladeshi Joint Statement, the two countries will also commence feasibility studies on the establishment of the China-Bangladesh Free Trade Area and China will continue to support Chinese enterprises in the construction of special economic and industrial zones in Bangladesh.

The two parties also affirmed that, in addition to Chinese domestic banks, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will be an important financial source for Bangladesh's economic development needs, as witnessed by the fact that one of the first four AIIB loans was for a Bangladeshi power distribution system upgrade and expansion project.

China already has FTAs with a handful of countries, including Pakistan, as well as with ASEAN. China's FTA practice is evolving, but its existing agreements provide a reliable indicator of the extent of trade and investment facilitation and liberalization we can expect under the future China-Bangladesh FTA.

Bangladesh is also a member of the OBOR BCIM Economic Corridor (EC) group of countries which in effect represents a small regional trade arrangement providing opportunities for deeper cooperation in areas such as connectivity, trade and investment liberalization, energy, and water management  although the primary focus to date has been on multi-modal transport and industrial zones.

The author is a Director of the Centre for International Economic Law, Trade & Development (CIELTD).
A tourism festival is held at the Ningde Geopark in Fu'an, Southeast China's Fujian province, Oct 15, 2016. The Ningde Geopark, covering an area of over 2600 square kilometers, is listed in UNESCO's Global Geopark Network (GGN). [Photo/Xinhua]
(L-R) Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose infront of a sand sculpture ahead of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit in Benaulim, in the western state of Goa, India, October 15, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

President Xi Jinping called on the leaders of the BRICS countries to "work together for an open world" and firmly oppose protectionism in all forms, during a speech at the BRICS summit in Goa, India on Sunday.

"Openness holds the key to a country's prosperity," Xi said, adding that the emerging economies should strengthen coordination on macroeconomic policies and facilitate market inter-linkages, financial integration, infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people contacts.

The summit, whose theme was "Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions", ran from Saturday to Sunday.

Pointing out that the current momentum of global economic recovery remains fragile, Xi said that "some countries are getting more inward-looking in their policies, protectionism is rising and the forces against globalization are posing an emerging risk".

The Chinese president called on the BRICS countries' leaders to participate in, advance and lead the reform in global governance with a view to achieving a more reasonable and equitable international order, and letting developing countries have a greater say.

"It is imperative that we step up coordination and communication on major international issues and regional hotspots," he said.

Along with Xi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Zuma also attended the summit and gave speeches.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a news briefing after the summit that Xi's speech was widely applauded by the leaders at the summit.

The Goa declaration issued after the conclusion of the summit also included some of the consensus reached during the Group of 20 (G20) major economies summit held in Hangzhou, China, last month, he said.

The five BRICS leaders also met there last month as China hosted the 11th summit of the G20.

At their meeting on the sidelines of the G20, Xi said that BRICS members should enhance coordination to make emerging-market economies and developing countries play a bigger role in international affairs.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn
Releases from NASA, NASA's Galex, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, HubbleSite, Spitzer, Cassini, ESO, ESA, NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory, Royal Astronomical Society, NRAO, Astronomy Picture of the Day, Harvard-Smithsonian Center For Astrophysics, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Gemini Observatory, Subaru Telescope, W. M. Keck Observatory, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, JPL-Caltech, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, ICRAR, etc
(Photo : https://pixabay.com/en/roulette-casino-black-red-dealer-1264078/) These employees are believed to include local people as well as Australians and are said to be from sales and marketing division.

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Several employees of Australia-based gambling firm Crown Resorts are reported to have been apprehended in China.



These employees are believed to include local people as well as Australians and are said to be from sales and marketing division. A senior executive is also thought to be among the employees held.



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ABC reported that out of the 18 employees involved, three are reportedly Australians. Crown Resorts has not revealed the reasons behind the arrest. However, it issued a statement confirming the "questioning" of the employees. Chinese authorities have not issued any confirmation about it, too.



The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said that while it is aware of reports related to the possible detention of three Australians, it still needs to confirm them. DFAT also said if the reports turn out to be true, appropriate consular assistance will be extended per the provisions of Consular Services Charter.



The Chinese government is currently carrying out an anti-corruption drive, which aims at money laundering rackets in Macau casinos. Crown Resorts operates three casinos in Macau, but the arrest was allegedly made in multiple cities in the mainland. It is not clear whether the detainees have been charged with anything.



China does not allow casino gambling in the mainland, however, they are allowed to operate in Macau.



It was learned that the casinos in Macau are currently going through a rough patch as steep decline in the revenue was reported last year. It is believed that the overall revenue sank by more than a third.



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TagsMacau, Crown Resorts, President Xi Jinping
(Photo : https://pixabay.com/en/volkswagen-car-logo-1569675/) The company announced global delivery of 947,600 vehicles.

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Volkswagen showed signs of recovering from its emission reading crisis as the company reported 7.1 percent increase in sales for the period of September.



The company announced global delivery of 947,600 vehicles. The rise is mainly attributed to China, which accounted for 382,300 deliveries.



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Volkswagen has been embroiled in a controversy following its admission ast year that they fitted 11 million of its cars with a compromised software. The software provided inaccurate emission readings.



Despite what happened, recent figures have suggested that the company is already getting back on track as it showed its largest monthly sales increase in over 18 months. The automaker sold 7.6 million vehicles this year, so far. Last month alone, China market for Volkswagen cars grew by 20.1 percent.



Jurgen Stackmann, board member for sales, said "Positive development in China contrasts with challenges in other regions." The company's sales for the US market in September showed a 3.2 percent decline compared to same period last year.



The Asia-Pacific region also did better than the European markets. The region reported a 16.4 percent increase in sales for September, compared to the 6.3 percent increase generated by European markets. On year-to-date basis, the Asia-Pacific market grew 8.1 percent, in comparison to 3.5 percent growth shown by the European market.



The company struggled in the American markets, however, as South America reported a 41 percent decline in the sales for the previous month. The most prominent fall was in Brazil with 59 percent.



Meanwhile, for North America, the sales for the month grew 1.3 percent, but it reported a 1.1 percent decline for the nine-month period.



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Tagsvolkswagen, Brazil, china
(Photo : https://pixabay.com/en/power-electricity-line-pylon-1549122/) The company plans to enhance the sale of its equipment such as wind turbines and coal plants by partnering with Chinese companies.

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GE is looking to increase its collaboration with China to aid the country's Silk Road initiative. The company plans to enhance the sale of its equipment such as wind turbines and coal plants by partnering with Chinese companies. It also endeavors to supply power infrastructure to growing markets.



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According to The Wall Street Journal, GE expects to capture more than $5 billion worth of orders in the coming decade from the countries involved in One Belt, One Road initiative. This figure shows a five-fold increase in the current business from these countries.



John Rice, vice chairperson of GE global operations, said the company has realized that markets such as China have already evolved.



GE is collaborating with a number of Chinese companies investing in developing countries. The global conglomerate supplies wind turbines to Chinese companies in Kenya, while the Chinese companies in Laos partner with GE for hydropower equipment.



GE offers employment to over 22,000 people in China and runs 34 joint ventures in the country.



The third party collaborations will help GE as Chinese markets are showing signs of cooling.



To make up for the sluggishness in domestic market, GE is looking to expand its tie-ups with Chinese companies to other evolving markets. Meanwhile, to boost its presence in China, GE recently organized an industry summit for Chinese suppliers.



It is worth noting that that GE is not the only western company ever keen of partnering with Chinese counterparts and use Chinese influence for propagating their global businesses. Other companies, such as Caterpillar and DHL Group, also seek to capitalize the opportunities generated by One Belt, One Road initiative. The plan was launched in 2013 under Chinese President Xi Jinping's leadership.



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TagsJohn Rice, GE, One Belt One Road
(Photo : Getty Images) Burned Galaxy Note 7

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The United States has banned the troubled Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone from all flights within the country starting Oct. 15 at 1600 GMT (12:00 p.m. EDT).



The smartphone was banned under an emergency order from the U.S. Department of Transportation after numerous reports of the devices catching fire on their own. The department's order and those from other agencies prevents owners from carrying on the Note 7or stowing them in checked baggage during flights.



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The department warned that passengers who stowed their phones in checked luggage raised the risk of "a catastrophic incident." It said the phones will be confiscated from passengers attempting to take them onboard, while those found with the Note 7 on a plane might face fines.



"Anyone violating the ban may be subject to criminal prosecution in addition to fines," said the department.



"We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.



"We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk."



The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the Note 7's battery "can overheat and catch fire, posing serious fire and burn hazard to consumers."



On Oct. 5, a replacement Note 7 that wasn't powered on caught fire on a Southwest Flight from Louisville to Baltimore. The flight, which was about to take off, was safely evacuated while still at the gate.



What was troubling about this incident was that the Note 7 that caught fire was a replacement phone its owner had traded in after stories of Note 7 igniting on their own broke in early September.



This week, Samsung also announced an expansion of the U.S. recall of the fire-prone Note 7. It said it had received 1.9 million Note 7 phones during the recall, including 1 million Galaxy Note 7s on Sept. 15.



Samsung announced its first formal U.S. recall Sept. 15 following numerous reports of the Note 7 catching fire, either while being charged or not in use.



Samsung exchanged the affected phones for a new revision, which had batteries sourced from a different supplier. In early October, however, reports emerged of incidents where these replacement phones also caught on fire.



In response to the new incidents, Samsung on Oct. 10 announced it would once again suspend sales of the Note 7 and recall all devices worldwide. The next day, Samsung announced it would permanently discontinue the Galaxy Note 7 and stop its production.



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TagsSamsung Galaxy Note 7, United States, airline flights, banned, U.S. Department of Transportation
(Photo : RAF) RAF Tornadoes

(Photo : RAF) RAF Eurofighter Typhoon

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The United Kingdom has reportedly authorized pilots of its Royal Air Force (RAF) to shoot down aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces that threaten them when flying ground attack sorties in support of anti-Assad rebels in Syria allied with the United States.



British media report that RAF pilots have been given the go-ahead to destroy Russian military jets endangering them. Analysts said this move brings the UK and Russia "one step closer" to war.



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Pilots flying RAF Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft and RAF Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 multi-role fighters, however, have been instructed to avoid contact with Russian planes while carrying out missions for Operation Shader, the RAF's bombing campaign against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.



The two-seat Tornadoes will now carry at least two heat-seeking AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles (ASRAAM) to combat Russian planes at ranges beyond that of Russian missiles.



These Russian planes will most probably be Sukhoi Su-24 and Su-30 strike aircraft and Su-30 multirole fighters. The Typhoons, which serve as escorts to the Tornadoes, are armed with short-range and long-range air-to-air missiles.



Currently, Tornadoes over Syria fly in pairs with Typhoons amid growing concern over the possibility of accidental clashes with Russia. The arrangement allows the Tornado to benefit from the Typhoon's superior radar and air defense capability.



"The first thing a British pilot will do is to try to avoid a situation where an air-to-air attack is likely to occur -- you avoid an area if there is Russian activity," an anonymous source from the UK's Permanent Joint Headquarters told media.



"But if a pilot is fired on or believes he is about to be fired on, he can defend himself. We now have a situation where a single pilot, irrespective of nationality, can have a strategic impact on future events."



The qualifier "if he believes he is about to be fired on" is contentious and leaves the decision to engage in combat wholly with the pilot. This leeway might lead to escalation and intense air-to-air combats, which the RAF can ill afford since fewer than 10 Tornadoes are committed to the RAF's air campaign in Iraq and Syria.



In operations over both countries, the RAF Tornado GR4 fighter-bomber can carry most of the smart bombs and air-to-ground missiles used by NATO. The first Tornado air strike in Iraq took place on Sept. 30, 2014.



RAF sorties into Syria are flown from RAF Akrotiri at the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory on Cyprus. The RAF operates at least eight Tornado GR4 that belong to its 903 Expeditionary Air Wing based in RAF Akrotiri.



On Oct. 13, the UK's Ministry of Defense claimed its bombing campaign against ISIL in Iraq and Syria had killed over 1,700 ISIL fighters since 2014 while killing no civilians.



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TagsUnited Kingdom, Royal Air Force, RAF, Syria, Russian Aerospace Forces, Panavia Tornado GR43, Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4, Operation Shader
BFFs. Putin and Trump

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The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) will respond to Russia's series of cyberattacks on U.S. institutions, the military and private companies with a major cyberattack of its own at a time of its own choosing.



The muscular U.S. response follows damaging leaks traced to Russian state-sponsored hackers attempting to smear only Democratic Party candidate for president Hillary Clinton while strangely leaving Republican Party candidate Donald Trump untouched.



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Trump has continually indicated a fondness for Russian president Vladimir Putin, a fondness Putin has reciprocated. Both men despise U.S. president Barack Obama as an effete tree hugger and a weakling.



The straw that broke the U.S.' back was apparently a major cyber attack that stole records from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and its affiliates by Russian-backed hackers. Last week, the U.S. formally blamed the Russian government for cyber-attacks on the DNC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee



Vice President Joe Biden said the CIA will be "sending a message" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden. He said any cyber counterattack will come "at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact."



American media is also reporting that intelligence officials were asked to present the White House with ideas for a "clandestine" cyber operation to "embarrass" Putin.



"We've always hesitated to use a lot of stuff we've had, but that's a political decision," said a former CIA officer. "If someone has decided, 'We've had enough of the Russians,' there is a lot we can do."



The Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said recent disclosures of alleged hacked emails on websites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks, and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona, were consistent with previous Russian modus operandi.



"We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities," said both agencies in a shared statement.



Clinton claims the theft of Democratic Party records proves Russian intelligence is attempting to help Trump defeat her in the presidential election on Nov. 8.



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TagsCentral Intelligence Agency, CIA, Russia, cyberattacks, Hillary Clinton for President 2016, donald trump, Vladimir Putin
(Photo : Russian Navy) The Admiral Kuznetsov

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Vladimir Putin is again flexing his military muscle by deploying the flagship of the Russian Navy -- the obsolete Soviet era RFS Admiral Kuznetsov (063) heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser -- to the Mediterranean Sea to both display Russian power and humiliate U.S. president Barack Obama.



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The Admiral Kuznetsov, the only carrier in the Russian Navy, has only one sister ship. This ship, the Liaoning, is operated by China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).



Both cruisers feature a ski-jump bow flight deck that limits the amount of ordnance their fighters and attack aircraft can carry.



The Kuznetsov is the largest ship ever built by Russia and is the flagship of the navy's Northern Fleet. She will be retired by the 2020s after being commissioned in the 1990s.



Today, however, she serves Putin's purpose to display the naval side of Russia's resurgent armed forces, hence her voyage to the Mediterranean where she will try to launch air and missile strikes against rebels in Syria allied with the United States.



Western military analysts doubt her seaworthiness since this aircraft carrier's history has been marred by an unending series of engine failures and other technical mishaps. During her fourth deployment to the Mediterranean in 2011, she was shadowed by the United States Sixth Fleet that anticipated she would sink along the way given her poor condition.



She caught fire during a previous deployment to the Mediterranean in 2009, an incident that killed one sailor. Her condition was so pitiful, Russian tugboats had to escort her in case her engines broke down.



Today, the Kuznetsov, which was recently refurbished, is being escorted to the Mediterranean by a small fleet consisting of aging warships like herself.



Her escorts are the 20 year-old Kirov-class battle cruiser RFS Pyotr Veliky (099), or Peter the Great; the 36 year-old Udaloy-class destroyer RFS Vice-Admiral Kulakov (626) and other anti-submarine Udaloy-class destroyers like the Kulakov that weren't named.



This mothball fleet will show the Russian Navy ensign and carry out combat operations against Syrian government foes. According to Moscow, the official mission of this geriatric fleet is to "respond to new types of modern threats like piracy and international terrorism," although the Mediterranean isn't known as a hotbed for piracy like the waters off Somalia.



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TagsRFS Admiral Kuznetsov, Mediterranean Sea, Russian Navy, Vladimir Putin, Liaoning, Syria, Syrian rebels, United States
(Photo : https://pixabay.com/en/people-child-children-kid-girl-217207/) The illegal service is aimed at expectant parents in China who wish to determine the gender of their unborn baby.

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The Chinese police have arrested 75 people belonging to a network involved in illegal baby gender determination practices.



Accoridngly, the illegal service is aimed at expectant parents in China, who wish to determine the gender of their unborn baby. Reports have claimed that the people in rural China continue to prefer a male child over a female.



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Authorities in the province of Zhejiang said the network is likely to involve over 300 people. The group took fetal blood samples to Hong Kong for gender testing. It is believed that the network is operational across China and conducted $30 million worth of illegal business.



China is currently struggling with acute gender imbalance. Its gender ratio stands at 113 boys for every 100 girls.



In 2005, the country had 136 unmarried men for every 100 unmarried women born after 1980, while there were 206 unmarried men for 100 unmarried women born after 1970.



Recently, Chinese population officials said the imbalance will probably persist. China's long-standing one child policy is said to be one of the biggest factors behind this imbalance. However, the country scrapped this policy last year. Amid this, people have been clamoring for gender determination of their second babies.



Gender determination of unborn child is illegal in many countries, including the most populated countries China and India. According to the World Health Organization, such practices are still prevalent in the said countries. Gender determination for non-medical cases is outlawed in these countries. The United Nations Population Fund has also criticized the practice stating that it "reflects the persistent low status of women and girls."



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Tagschina, Zhejiang, World Health Organization
(Photo : https://pixabay.com/en/mark-marker-hand-leave-glass-804940/) The Shanghai based company is looking to raise up to $1.3 billion worth of funds from the market.

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Chinese delivery and logistics giant ZTO Express has announced terms for its IPO. The Shanghai-based company is looking to raise up to $1.3 billion worth of funds from the market. It is likely to be the biggest US IPO for 2016. The logistics firm plans to sell 72.1 million shares in the price bond of $16.50 and $18.50.



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ZTO Express offers its services to various prominent businesses, including Chinese online retail companies JD.com and Alibaba.



Alibaba business accounted for three-quarter of ZTO Express turnover in the first half of 2016. The IPO filing claims that the company dealt with 2.9 billion packages in 2015, registering 62 percent growth over the previous year.



According to an iResearch report, ZTO Express accounted for 14 percent of all express parcels delivered in China during the first quarter of 2016.



The company is looking to use the proceeds from the IPO for developing its infrastructure enhancements, including the purchase of land and equipment. It also plans to own more trucks and boost up its information technology resources.



According to The Wall Street Journal, ZTO Express may have decided to get listed in the US stock exchange, instead of the Chinese market due to regulatory holdups. Currently, there are over 800 firms waiting to get the approval for their IPOs in the Chinese markets.



ZTO Express was established in 2002. Its reported annual turnover is pegged at $1.2 billion for the period of 12 months, ending June 30, 2016. The company is expected to announce its IPO pricing later this month, as it will trade in the New York Stock Exchange, under the symbol of ZTO, as well.



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(Photo : US Navy) USS Zumwalt: ready for action.

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The USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), the most powerful and most technologically advanced destroyer in the U.S. Navy and the world, officially joined the United States Seventh Fleet on Oct. 15, and will be assigned to "special operations" where she can make the most of her high tech advantages.



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She was commissioned in Baltimore in a ceremony attended by top Navy brass, including Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., Commander, United States Pacific Command (CDRUSPACOM). The Zumwalt will be assigned to his command.



"It doesn't look like other ships and it does things other ships cannot do," said Mabus of the warship whose sleek tumblehome hull makes it the stealthiest warship on the high seas with a radar cross signature equal to that of a small boat.



"The Navy and the nation are better because of Admiral Zumwalt," said Mabus.



The destroyer also has an advanced power plant and weapon systems that can move the Navy into the future, he noted.



One military analyst said it's likely the Zumwalt and two other sister ships might be used for special operations and intelligence gathering, tasks the ships are suited for because of the technology and weapons they bring.



The sophistication and massive price tag ($4 billion) of the Zumwalt might also mean she won't be used as much for "regular" navy duties such as patrols and show the flag operations.



The ship's offensive fire power lay in its larger vertical launch missile tubes that can fire larger and more advanced land attack and anti-ship missiles. Its 20 MK 57 Peripheral Vertical Launch System modules with a total of 80 cells have a rapid-fire missile launch capability against sea, air and land targets.



It also carries a 155 mm Advanced Gun System in two stealth turrets that fully enclose the gun barrels when these are not in action.



A more dangerous weapon, however, will be the electromagnetic railgun that uses a powerful blast of electromagnetic energy to hurl a streamlined discarding sabot round at speeds as high as Mach 7 or 2,380 meters per second. This kinetic energy is far greater than the energy yield of an explosive shell of greater mass.



The railgun will have a range of over 160 kilometers and will be capable of firing multiple projectiles per minute. Each hyper-velocity round weighs some 10 kilograms and could cost about US$25,000 compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single high-explosive missile.



The Zumwalts are the only warships in the world that can produce the tremendous electrical power needed to fire a railgun. Each Zumwalt can generate 78 megawatts of power from its integrated power system, far more than is necessary to fire this electrically driven weapon.



Reports said the US Navy plans to arm the USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-003) with the world's first operational naval railgun in the early 2020s.



"If Batman had a ship, it would be the USS Zumwalt," said Admiral Harris.



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TagsUSS Zumwalt, U.S. Navy, electgropmagnetic railgun, Ray Mabus, Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., USS Lyndon B. Johnson
Atheist-Led Canadian Church Dispenses With Bible, Replaces Lord's Prayer With Secular Invocation

From Canada comes this shocking news: A Christian church is being led by an openly atheist minister who has mostly done away with the Bible and has replaced the Lord's Prayer with a nonsectarian affirmation.

In a report, The Christian Post said the Rev. Gretta Vosper, leader of West Hill United Church of Toronto, Ontario, is now facing the possibility of being defrocked for being an atheist.

Andrea DiPede, spokesperson for West Hill, told The Christian Post that Vosper has ministered West Hill for several years. She said since the year 2000 the church has seen radical changes, pointing out that worship services at the church "have moved away from language that references God in order to create an environment without barriers to participation."

"The services are themed around love, justice, compassion care and responsibility, and living in right relationship with ourselves, with others and with the world," DiPede said.

She said their church doesn't "recognise the Bible as more authoritative than other sources" and that "some of our members publicly identify as atheists."

"We rarely read the Bible in our services, and when we do, we read it alongside other sources of inspiration. We draw from many sources, including novels, journal articles, blogs, poems, nonfiction books, memoirs, videos and music in our services," DiPede said.

She described the services in their church as "inclusive" for people with various beliefs of "God" and those without belief in God "but who continue to choose values-based living."

She said they have replaced The Lord's Prayer by an invocation called "As I Live," which does not mention God or Heaven.

"As we came to recognise that the words of that traditional prayer no longer reflected our values and represented a barrier to participation to people who don't believe in a personified God, we stopped using it," DiPede said.

Despite the changes, West Hill United Church has failed to draw more congregants. In fact, church membership has declined. A source said in 2000 West Hill had 324 members. Now, the number is down to 147.

Last year the United Church of Canada began investigating the effectiveness of the ministry of Vosper considering that she no longer believes in God.

If the Church concludes that Vosper is no longer effective as a minister, she will be defrocked.

Vosper has declared disbelief in the God of the Bible. "In 2001, I made it clear that I did not believe in a supernatural, interventionist, divine being," she noted on her website. "So, in 2001 I shared my beliefs which were consistent with atheism but I did not actually identify as an atheist until 2013."
Christian Missionary Kidnapped In Niger

The American aid worker kidnapped by gunmen in Niger was a Christian missionary who had links to Youth With A Mission (YWAM), a spokesman has confirmed.

Pete Thompson told The Independent that Jeffery Woodke was abducted from his home in Abalak in western Niger at around 9pm local time on Friday.

"At the time of the abduction, two other men were killed including a local Tuareg night guard and a national guard. It is not known where he has been taken and no group has yet claimed responsibility for his abduction" Thompson said.

"His family have been informed and the US government is tracking the situation."

Woodke  who has lived in Niger since 1992  has been working with JEMED, a local organisation linked to YWAM which helps people struggling from such issues as drought, lack of access to education, and disease.

Woodke is listed as an instructor on the website of The Redwood Coast School of Missions, a Christian mission based in the town of Arcata, about 270 miles north of San Francisco in California.

"Jeff has spent over a quarter of a century involved in missions ministry," a biographical thumbnail of Woodke on the Redwood Coast website said.

"He has committed the past 25 years of his life to a ministry he founded in Niger amongst a number of unreached people groups."

A statement from Niger's interior ministry on Saturday said after being abducted, Woodke was driven across the desert towards Mali.

"These criminals are now heading towards Mali. Our forces are on their trail," said interior minister Mohamed Bazoum.

Residents reported hearing gunfire near the aid worker's house late on Friday. The town mayor, Ahmed Dilo, told Reuters that gunmen first came on a motorbike to kill the guard before the truck came to take Woodke away.

The interior minister said one national guard stationed at the house was also killed.

Kidnappings of foreigners in Niger are rarer than in neighbouring Mali, where Islamist militants are active and often seize hostages for ransom or political capital.

The militants and allied criminal gangs have long exploited the largely unpoliced Sahara and attacks have increased this year as security worsens in Mali.

No US citizen has been kidnapped in Niger before, although in 2009 suspected Islamists attempted to abduct US embassy personnel from a hotel in the town of Tahoua.

A US embassy spokeswoman said there was an investigation into the incident but could not confirm any additional details. The US State Department said it was aware of reports but declined to comment citing US privacy laws.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Iraq 'Cannot Take Back Mosul From ISIS Alone' Says Turkey

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Iraq could not deal alone with driving Islamic State from the city of Mosul and that the presence of Turkish forces in a nearby military camp was an insurance against attacks on Turkey.

Turkey has been locked in a row with Iraq's central government about the presence of Turkish troops at the Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq, and over who should take part in the planned US-backed assault on Mosul.

"We won't let Mosul be given to Daesh (Islamic State) or any other terrorist organisation. They say Iraq's central government needs to approve this but the Iraqi central government should first deal with their own problems," Erdogan said.

"Why did you let Daesh enter Iraq? Why did you let Daesh enter Mosul? They were almost going to come to Baghdad. Where are you, the central government of Iraq?" he said in a speech at a ceremony in the Black Sea town of Rize, broadcast live on TV.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi reiterated on Saturday that the Turkish troops have deployed in Iraq without the authorisation of the government.

"I won't allow the Turkish forces to take part in the operations to liberate Mosul in any possible way," he added in comments aired on Iraqi state TV.

Turkey fears that Shi'ite militias, which the Iraqi army has relied on in the past, will be used in the planned Mosul offensive, expected to start this month, stoking sectarian unrest and triggering an exodus of refugees.

Turkish soldiers have been training Sunni Muslim and allied Kurdish peshmerga units at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul, and want them to be involved in the assault.

"Nobody should talk about our Bashiqa base. We will stay there. Bashiqa is our insurance against any kind of terrorist activities in Turkey," Erdogan said.

The United States has said any foreign forces in Iraq should have the approval of Baghdad.
ISIS May Use Fire from Oil, Other Mediaeval Strategies to Defend Itself as Colossal Battle for Mosul Looms

The Islamic State (ISIS) is bracing for a colossal battle in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city with a population of over a million people. The city has been under ISIS occupation since June 2014.

In its latest report, the Christian Aid Mission says Christian ministries in the region are preparing themselves for a massive humanitarian crisis that they expect to arise from the battle.

"We believe it's going to happen very soon, because it's already started," a ministry director told Christian Aid Mission, referring to the looming Iraqi army move to begin a major campaign to liberate Mosul.

"It will affect the whole city. Most of them [residents] are going to be driven out, because it's going to be a tough war. There are a lot of ISIS fighters there, and they're preparing," the director said.

To ward off "infidels," ISIS militants are resorting to nefarious, mediaeval strategies, including filling the moats around the city with oil, "which when set on fire would send up clouds of smoke to reduce visibility for attacking bombers," the ministry director reported.

He said men and boys have been coerced to take up arms to reinforce the estimated 3,500 to 5,000 ISIS fighters preparing to defend the city.

Whether or not Iraqi forces succeed in retaking Mosul, the Middle East director of Christian Aid Mission said the Iraqi government expects more than a million people to flee Mosul when the offensive begins.

"The military will help them to flee," the director said. "When the military starts moving in, some people are going to start moving out. The government expects more than a million people to flee during the liberation of Mosul regardless of the results."

He said those who would be evacuating from Mosul are expected to seek refuge in nearby Kurdistan, adding that his group is preparing to help these displaced people physically, emotionally and spiritually.

"The people who flee to Kurdistan will be somebody who's seen their husbands or kids killed or their daughters enslaved," he said. "They will come without supplies and will sleep in the street. They're going to have kids who haven't eaten for days. We need to show them something different from how they lived under Islam."

He said most of the refugees will "either hate religion or be so ready to receive Christ now." That's why they're "praying for that moment to be the first ones to receive them," he added.
Kirk Cameron Says America Is Facing a 'Red Sea Moment'  But Christians Should Be Excited, Not Alarmed

Despite the worsening persecution of Christians worldwide and the loss of religious liberty that Americans are currently facing, "Growing Pains" star Kirk Cameron believes now is the best time to be a Christian in America.

While promoting his "Revive Us" event, which is a national family meeting that will air live in 700 movie theatres next week, Cameron told FOX411 that Christians are lucky to be alive.

"I want to say to people loud and clear: There has never been a more exciting time in America to be a Christian, to be a person of deep faith in God," he said. "This could be our finest hour because when all hope seems lost, that is when God parts the waters. I think this could be a Red Sea moment for you, for me, for us, in our America story right now."

Cameron 46, and his wife of 25 years Chelsea Noble, take pride in their deep-rooted Christian faith. The actor credits it for guiding his life's principles. Without God in his life, Cameron does not know how he would have turned out.

"Faith is extremely important to me. It is what saves me on a daily basis from making the kinds of decisions that would be harmful to me, my family, to others because it reminds me I need wisdom," he said.

The reason why a lot of celebrities in Hollywood spiral out of control is because they rely on themselves and not on God, Cameron said.

He said he is thankful that someone cared enough to share the Gospel with him, and he hopes to return the favour now with the "Revive Us" event.

"The truth is that all of us were designed to worship something, and you may worship a tree, you may worship God or you may worship yourself. And Hollywood has a lot of the 'me-God' problem and I used to have no faith at all," Cameron said. "Someone shared the Gospel with me. They shared their faith with me, and I embraced it. I embraced it with all of my heart. And that's what I am hoping to do at 'Revive Us.'"

"Revive Us" will feature talks from Dr. Ben Carson, Francis Chan Dr. James MacDonald, Eric Metaxas and Jennifer Rothschild. Together, Cameron says they are going to tackle familial, political, and national concerns with the Gospel in mind.

"When the family gets together and the spirit of God is moving, we are unstoppable as a force of good. And asking for heaven's help and wisdom up above is what we need to be doing now more than ever, so 'Revive Us' is for the whole family," he said.

"Revive Us" will take place on Oct. 18.
Looting Near UN Base In Haiti; Ban Promises More Aid

Haitians desperate for relief from hunger and sickness in the wake of Hurricane Matthew looted United Nations trucks on Saturday during a short visit to a hard-hit port town by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who promised more aid.

The Category 4 hurricane tore through Haiti on Oct. 4, killing about 1,000 people and leaving more than 1.4 million in need of humanitarian aid, including 175,000 made homeless.

Flooding has triggered a new wave of cholera infections, a disease introduced to Haiti by UN peacekeepers a few months after the country's last major humanitarian crisis, a destructive 2010 earthquake.

"We are going to mobilize as many resources and as much medical support as we can to first of all stop the cholera epidemic and second support the families of the victims," Ban said at a news conference. He promised a new trustee fund to tackle cholera.

The storm also disrupted power, communications and transport links. Essential relief such as roofing, food and medicines has been slow to reach many areas, prompting locals to blockade roads to try to stop passing trucks, and some cases of looting.

"I firmly condemn all attacks against humanitarian convoys. Today I personally witnessed a WFP (World Food Program) truck being attacked," Ban said during his one-day stop in Haiti, saying such incidents hurt those most in need.

A coordinator for the American wing of the World Health Organization said the UN base in Les Cayes that Ban arrived at was shut down after looting of two World Food Programme food containers outside the base on Saturday. The coordinator requested anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

"We understand the impatience and the anger of the population who are waiting for emergency relief. We are doing all we can to facilitate the arrival of the assistance soon as possible," Ban said.

He visited a school housing hurricane victims, promising to help them and urging them to "stay strong." As he approached his car to leave the school amid heavy security, locals shouted, "Our houses were destroyed. ... Help us!"

Ban's visit was an opportunity for the South Korean to burnish his legacy at the world body before his final term expires at year end.

Ban's tenure has coincided with rape allegations in Central African Republic and a cholera epidemic in Haiti, both blamed on UN peacekeepers.

Cholera has stalked the regions of Haiti affected by the hurricane, as towns dotting the coastline - many of which had not had the disease in months - have reported spikes in the number of cases and deaths. Many Haitians lack access to drinkable water after the storm.

Haiti had no documented cholera cases until 2010, months after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake leveled much of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

Multiple scientific studies have traced the outbreak to a base in Mirebalais used by Nepalese peacekeepers, about an hour outside of the capital, and the strain of cholera is virtually identical to one endemic in Nepal.
No Stopping Church Growth in North Korea Despite 70 Years of Christian Persecution

God is hard at work even in North Korea, considered as the number one country where Christians are most persecuted.

The mainly atheist secretive nation of 24.5 million people is one of the few countries still under nominally communist rule, according to a BBC country profile.

Even in this grim, forbidding land, people who believe and follow Christ continue to endure more than 70 years of persecution, the Gospel Herald reports.

Christian persecution in the country reportedly became intense after the end of the Second World War in 1945. The government led by its "Great Leader" Kim Il-sung sought to remove all traces of Christianity by conducting a massive crackdown against Christians.

In the 1970s, the government announced Christians no longer exist in the country.

However, a report released last month by the Christian Solidarity Worldwide said there are thousands of Christians in the country, some of them suffering from extremely harsh torture in labour camps. In some cases, the report said, Christian prisoners are hung on a cross over a fire, and at times crushed under a steamroller.

"Prisoners are forced to carry out long days of hard labour, such as mining and logging. Malnutrition is rife due to the poor rations, and increases the mortality rate. Prisoners live in poor accommodation that does not provide adequate protection against the tough winters, further damaging their health; and are subject to brutal treatment, torture and even execution by prison guards," the report said.

That is why for the 14th straight year, North Korea has been ranked as the number one country where Christians are most persecuted, according to Open Doors USA.

And yet, in spite of all this, Christians remain. In fact, their community is growing, according to an article from the Lausanne Global Analysis.

The article notes that since 1995, the North Korean government has allowed about 480 foreign organisations to work in the country, and 70 of these are Christian, including Samaritan's Purse and World Vision.

The Lausanne Global Analysis says a large part of the North Korean population centres been exposed to Christian work, detailing that Christian groups are in 85 of the 145 counties and 23 of the 27 cities in the country.

Even more surprising was the revelation that the North Korean government is extending tolerance toward these Christian groups since the people leading these groups are reportedly perceived to be people of integrity, aside from the benefits they give to the country.

"In one of my trips, one minder commented to me, 'Many of the people coming into our country want to take advantage of us, but you (Christians) want to help us,'" the article author wrote.

The Lausanne Global Analysis went on to say that unlike Chinawhere Christians are associated with negative things like the Opium Wars and colonialismNorth Korea sees Christianity as being generally helpful to the nation.
Over 1,000 Muslims in Mideast, Africa and Asia Await Baptism as They Are Set to Begin New Lives as Followers of Christ

More than a thousand Muslims are set to begin new lives as followers of Jesus Christ as they await their formal baptism in about a dozen Muslim-majority countries.

The report comes from Bibles for Mideast, an umbrella group of underground ministries that distribute Bibles free of cost and establish house churches in the Middle East and some other countries in Asia and Africa.

The group said its gospel teams and pastors are now fasting and praying along with the new believers for the success of its mission to conduct baptism services in a "few days" in various countries.

It said the baptismal rites will proceed despite the ever-present threats posed by Islamist extremists and security forces in predominantly Muslim countries where baptism and conversion to Christianity is banned.

Early this month, Bibles for Mideast reported that it had baptised 24 former Muslims in the Arabian Sea.

Islamist militants got word of the supposedly secret event and tried to attack the Christian baptisers and new believers. However, the group said God intervened, creating a giant dust storm that barred the armed militants from getting close to the Christian missionaries and the new converts.

A new baptiser named Rizwan recalled the miraculous event. He said after the baptism service and prayers, they all boarded the bus to take them back to their house church for the worship service. Suddenly, they saw armed men in more than three vehicles pursuing them and firing their guns.

He said all they could do was to pray for the Lord to protect them.

Their prayers were immediately answered when a giant dust storm formed behind them, obstructing the view of the gunmen and preventing them from shooting at the bus.

"Jesus saved us. He Himself blocked the road ... in the form of a dust storm" that prevented the militants from attacking and killing them, Rizwan said.

Bibles for Mideast said the baptisers and new believers also claimed to have seen Jesus Christ walking in the water in Arabian Sea on the morning on Oct. 2.

It said these miraculous events further encouraged the new believers and strengthened their faith.

Bibles for Mideast is requesting prayers from Christians worldwide to help them succeed in their mission of spreading God's Word and leading more people to Christ.
'Reign' season 4 spoilers: The widowed Queen has several suitors to choose from

The upcoming fourth season of the highly popular historical fantasy romance television series "Reign" is promising a whole new set of political and romantic intrigues which should prove to be quite entertaining to loyal viewers. Queen Mary (played by Adelaide Kane) has experienced a lot of trials during her time in France and with the death of her husband Francis II of France (played by Toby Regbo), she now has to move on with her life and find another suitable partner to regain her power.

According to the latest spoiler reports, Queen Mary will now be on an entirely different playing field as she now returns to her home in Scotland. While dealing with the death of her late husband  who she had been engaged to since they were six years old  has been hard for the young queen, she now has to face new challenges in her own country.

Reports have revealed that Mary will be faced with brand new enemies in the new season, all of whom are out to see her fall from her position of power. Since she is no longer the ruler of France  and with the death of her husband  all of her alliances are now broken.

Francis' brother has already been declared the new king of France, while Catherine (played by Megan Follows) has been appointed regent. Mary must now seek a new ruler to marry in order for her family to forge new alliances and to guarantee that they stay in power.

The new season will apparently be once again focusing on the importance of marriage and how it is vital in securing power between the different kingdoms in medieval Europe. The new episodes will also apparently feature some new and old characters that will be vying for the Queen's hand, which will include Lord Danley, played by Will Kemp.

"Reign" season 4 has already been green-lit for production. The show is expected to return on January 2017 on The CW.
Syrian Rebels Seize Village Where ISIS Promised Apocalyptic Battle

Syrian rebels said they captured the village of Dabiq from Islamic State on Sunday, forcing the jihadist group from a stronghold where it had promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West.

The rebels, backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, also took neighboring Soran, said Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the clashes on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

"The Daesh myth of their great battle in Dabiq is finished," he told Reuters, using a pejorative name for Islamic State.

An Islamic prophesy names Dabiq as the site of a battle between Muslims and infidels that will presage doomsday, a message used extensively in Islamic State's propaganda. The group also named a publication after the northwest village.

However, the jihadist group has appeared to back away from Dabiq's symbolism more recently after advances by Turkey-backed rebels put the village at risk of capture, saying this battle was not the one described in the prophesy.

"It seems like Daesh has mostly left the area," said a Turkish military source, but warning that the FSA groups still needed to clear landmines from the village.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, had said Islamic State brought 1,200 fighters to defend Dabiq.

Turkey launched the Euphrates Shield operation, bringing rebels backed by its own armor and air force into action against Islamic State, in August, aiming to clear the group from its border and stop Kurdish fighters gaining ground in that area.

Islamic State is also facing an expected offensive soon against its most important Iraqi possession, the city of Mosul, while the US-backed, Kurd-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces also threaten to advance on its Syrian capital of Raqqa.
A mother told police she was kidnapped and gruesomely raped by four men for two terrifying days in Muskegon, Michigan.

Police later found out that the woman made up the entire story.
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Donald Trump is an "incredible sexual predator" and Hillary Clinton an "economic predator," Jill Stein told dozens of enthusiastic supporters at a jam-packed speaking event Saturday at Houston's Last Concert Cafe.

The Green Party presidential nominee laid into her liberal competition, while panning the mainstream media and hitting on all her regular progressive talking points during her sweep across Texas.

"While Donald Trump has been revealed to be the incredible sexual predator that he is, it creates this smoke screen that makes Hillary Clinton look really good," she told the raucous crowd of more than 100 supporters. "The majority of Hillary's voters don't actually support Hillary  they oppose Donald Trump. Democracy is not a question of 'Who do we hate the most?' and "Who do wear fear the most?"

She called the Republicans a party of "hate and fear," but said Democrats are "the party of deportation, detention and night raids."

The cozy event kicked off with a DJ, an acoustic guitar player spontaneously pulled from the audience and an interactive painting activity that allowed supporters to leave their handprints on a Stein portrait.

"This is what democracy looks like," she said, to a chorus of cheers from her supporters.

She called for higher wage and green energy policies, describing Texas as an environmental "Wild West."

Referencing the state's diverse population, she touched on immigration issues. "It was the border that crossed the Latino community, the Latino community did not cross that border," she said.

Taking the stage just after a speaker who extolled the virtues of drug legalization that would make heroin available at the corner store, Stein called for a drastic change in drug policy.

"We need to end this war on drugs that has killed over 100,000 people in Mexico alone," she said, without offering much in the way of specifics.

She'll get a chance to offer more specifics on all her policies soon, though. The Massachusetts activist-doctor told her adoring supporters that Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has agreed to debate her - possibly as soon as Sunday night.

"We live in a democracy, we have more than two deadly choices," she reminded the cafe crowd. "It's time for us to stand up and reject the lesser evil and support the greater good."

Before Stein stepped on the stage, down-ballot candidates took to the mic to offer their positions on local issues.

Brian Harrison, a lawyer who's running for Texas House of Representatives in District 147, said he is running on four main issues: a $15 an hour minimum wage, universal health care, drug decriminalization and tenants' right.

"We have been voting for the lesser of two evils here for more than 30 years and the greater evil is getting worse and worse," he added.

Martina Salinas, who is in the race for Texas Railroad Commissioner, has worked in construction for years.

"There's been too many people with oil and gas ties in this commission," she said.

As the event wound down and crowds started filing out, Stein took the stage again for a question-and-answer session before finishing out the night with a group selfie, dozens of green-clad supporting raising their fists in joyous support.
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Brace yourselves for a shiplap-lined Christmas.

HGTV's "Fixer Upper" stars Chip and Joanna Gaines recently premiered their new Magnolia Market Christmas Line, and it shares the duo's refined, rustic design aesthetic. Even better, the prices are affordable.

>>Take a look at the some of the line's offerings in the gallery above.

Christmas ornaments range from $6-$15, pillows start at $21 and wreaths -- from the countrified "Twig Wreath" to the sophisticated "Silver Bells Wreath" range from $18 to $118. (Story continues below.)

Other odds and ends include ornamental miniature Christmas trees, driftwood candle holders, knit stockings and velvet mistletoe garlands.

SEE ALSO: 5 things we learned from Joanna Gaines' first Magnolia magazine issue

This new product launch is just the latest in a string of project kickoffs. Their freshly published "The Magnolia Journal" is a quarterly lifestyle magazine that's already distributed 400,000 copies across the U.S.

Earlier this month, the duo celebrated Silobration, the second annual party at their Magnolia Silos.

RELATED: Chip & Joanna Gaines' 'Fixer Upper' Magnolia Market: 11 things to know before you visit Waco's silos

Joanna Gaines also debuted Magnolia Home, a new line of furniture and accessories which includes a 25-shade line of paints. Among the paint color names? "Wedding Band, "Ella Rose" and  of course  "Shiplap."

Up next for the lovable Waco, Texas pair: Their new book "The Magnolia Story" will be released Tuesday. It shares everything from their childhood experiences to their first home renovations.
Texas City High School senior Terry Hardy was greeted by dozens of hugs and high-fives when he arrived at school Thursday after being named the school's homecoming king at a pep rally on Wednesday night.

Hardy, 18, who is a student with special needs, said he's feeling pretty good about his moment in the limelight, although it might be overwhelming at times.

"I walked in this morning and my teacher was sitting there crying at the door," Hardy said. "I looked at her and I kept on going."

Hardy said he will be front and center at Friday's homecoming game against Fort Bend Willowridge, adding that he has a plan in place to get help support from his friends if he's overcome by emotion.

Hardy's mother, Laura Murray, said the students at the pep rally started cheering for her boy before he was even announced the winner.

"I cried my eyes out when they called his name," she said. "It's a once in a lifetime thing, when something like this happens to your baby."

Angela Sauer, Hardy's life skills teacher, described Hardy as "a very hardworking, charitable young man" who goes out of his way to help out during school hours. He stays after breakfast and lunch to clean up and push in chairs and delivers daily newspapers to his teachers, Sauer said.

"I taught my son to give respect, and you'll get respect in return," Murray said. Hardy's positive spirit and bigheartedness make him popular among both students and teachers.

"When he won (Wednesday) night, you could tell it was the greatest thing ever," Sauer said.

She said Texas City's small-town atmosphere means the entire community is celebrating Hardy's win. "We've literally watched him grow up, so that made it even more special."
If your cellphone bill seems unreasonably high, youre not alone, especially in the state of Nebraska.

The Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax policy research group, published a report Tuesday that found Nebraska has the second-highest state-local wireless tax in the country, at 18.67 percent. Combined with the federal universal service fund (USF) rate of 6.64 percent, some Nebraskans are paying 25.31 percent in taxes on their cellphone bill.

That number does vary based on local sales and business taxes.

The 18.67 percent was calculated using the average sales tax in Omaha and Lincoln (1.63 percent) and the business and occupation taxes (6.13 percent).

The local sales tax rate in Columbus is 1.5 percent.

The state sales tax is 5.5 percent and Nebraska also charges 4.37 percent for the universal service fund, which is almost seven times higher than the amount recommended by the Federal Communications Commission. There are also charges for 911 calls and telecommunications relay service (TRS), the service that facilitates telecommunication for the hearing impaired.

And those TRS charges apparently add up.

Simon House director Lucy Lutjelusche said although that organization focuses on more basic needs, such as food, shelter and electricity, she made an exception to help a hearing-impaired man pay his phone bill because the TRS charges alone added up to $40 that month.

How can we charge somebody who has a disability that much money? she said. He is disabled. He is deaf and that is his only means of communication.

Lutjelusche said for many low-income people a cellphone is their only means of communication to contact work, family and friends. For some, its also the only device they own to access the internet, which is the primary method to find and apply for jobs and assistance.

A lot of agencies are going to online applications, Lutjelusche said. So not only do they need a phone, but they need a phone with internet.

Sometimes that means they have to forgo other needs to pay their cellphone bill.

The sad part about it is its a monthly bill  its not one you pay every six months. And if its high, I know a lot of people will hold back on spending money on food, on their electricity, on medication, she said. So they come to us looking for help with their basic needs so they can pay for their cellphone bills.

Columbus Emergency Relief executive director Rosetta Jantzen said she teaches a Getting Ahead class designed to help people with low incomes have greater financial security. One of the topics she covers is how to identify industries that prey on the poor. She said some cellphone companies fit that definition.

A predator is someone who preys on someone who doesnt have another option, said Jantzen. When you push a contract onto somebody when they dont know they have another option, they pay hundreds of dollars for cellphone service.

The U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey found that 12.6 percent of Nebraskans earned below the national poverty level in 2015. That means more than 1 in 10 Nebraskans earns less than $11,880 for an individual or $24,300 for a family of four each year.

And it isnt because theyre not working.

James Goddard, director of the economic justice program at Nebraska Appleseed, said Nebraska has one of the highest rates of people with multiple jobs in the country. Those people are still struggling to make ends meet.

Having access to a smartphone and cellular phone is really important if youre low-income or high-income, said Goddard. Every dollar counts if youre lower-income. That is going to hit lower-income families in a harder way.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mention manufacturing job loss, and the discussion invariably focuses on globalization.

Often it centers on companies moving jobs to low-wage countries at the expense of U.S. workers. However, the impact of the global economy on the U.S. steel industry really centers on unfair trade.

Steel is considered the backbone of manufacturing because it is used in autos, appliances and so many other products. When countries want to develop their economies, they often develop their steel industries. Such has been the case with China. During an economic downturn, these steel industries, often government-supported, regularly unload their surplus steel in the U.S. at artificially low prices in violation of trade laws.

This unfair competition has contributed to mass layoffs and plant closings across the United States. Production at plants in Lorain, for example, has either stopped or drastically been reduced.

There was a surge in steel imports in 2014 and 2015. Producers in the U.S. later got the government to impose duties against nations that engage in unfair trade to cope with their steel glut.

"In general, there was a softening of the global economy," said Marcia Miller, vice president of government relations at ArcelorMittal. "There was also a softening of the economy in China, so Chinese steel demand began declining.

"They have built a lot of excess steel, capacity, and started looking for a place to send that steel," she said. "The U.S. economy wasn't strong, but everything is relative."

Imports went from a 12 percent market share in 1973 to nearly 30 percent by 2015, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Duties are imposed only after investigations reveal unfair trade has occurred. Cases can be brought for two reasons. They can be based on dumping, or whether products were sold in the U.S. for less than they were in their home markets or for less than what they cost to make. Cases also can be brought based on subsidies, or when governments provide unfair support to their steel industries that drives down the cost of product sold in the U.S.

The Commerce Department determines whether dumping or subsidies have occurred. The U.S. International Trade Commission looks at whether an industry has been harmed because of imports. If both Commerce and ITC determine unfair trade practices, then Commerce will issue a remedy, such as a duty.

The American Iron and Steel Institute says 16,000 jobs in steel have been lost since January 2015. It says unfair trade has had a greater influence on job loss than have other factors including automation, which has led to fewer employees needed to do the same amount of work.

Local workers are included in that job-loss figure. Republic Steel in Lorain has been idled. Mass layoffs have occurred at U.S. Steel Corp.'s Lorain Tubular Operations. Both plants make products for the energy industry, including shale oil and gas production, which has seen a downturn. Last year, these companies joined others to get trade remedies imposed.

This year, ArcelorMittal and other companies that make steel for manufacturers brought cases that resulted in the Commerce Department imposing duties. With 20 trade remedies imposed, China has more than any country. South Korea and Taiwan are next, each with 11.

Such remedies appear to have worked. The U.S. steel trade deficit decreased to 9.8 million metric tons from 14.7 metric tons in 2015.

The fact that the steel industry has sought duties has rankled many free-trade advocates who are against duties and other restrictions, citing them as protectionism. Kevin Dempsey, senior vice president of policy at AISI, said the domestic steel industry isn't in favor of protectionism, just fair trade.

"The issue is while we have a very open market in the U.S., and we have a completely market-based system with private companies in the steel business, in many other parts of the world there is a significant degree of government intervention and involvement in the steel industry," he said.

AISI said it isn't anti-trade, citing NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

"AISI supports NAFTA and wants to retain its current form because it has benefited U.S. steel producers tremendously over its 20 years and continues to do so today," the group stated in an email.

While ArcelorMittal USA joined the cases, including those against China, to get duties imposed, its Cleveland facility hasn't faced layoffs. The plant has high productivity and is forging new markets in Advanced High Strength Steels, which the auto industry is relying on to meet new fuel-efficiency standards. So far, AHSS hasn't been as susceptible to imports as other types of steel.

But ArcelorMittal's Miller said specialty products alone aren't a safeguard against unfair trade because other countries also make the specialty steel.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Thomas "TJ" Scott's still doing the same job he's done for 43 years at ArcelorMittal's plant, lifting slabs of steel as a crane operator, even as the mill has changed all around him.



He worked there because his father and his grandfather, both born in Scotland, had been steelworkers before him.



Few industries can boast of attracting three or four generations of workers. Steelworkers everywhere say it's partly about the pride in being part of so many products. ArcelorMittal employees take that pride to a whole new level, quick to say that the Cleveland mill is best in the world.



Yet, it's a tough industry, with duties that range from highly technical to lethally dangerous. Scott's father, Thomas Scott, lost two fingers when his hand got caught in a machine.



But the pay can make it worthwhile for workers like Scott, 66, to stick around. ArcelorMittal says its average worker's age is 50, and average annual pay is $98,000.



Scott's grandfather and father moved here from Scotland in the 1920s to work for Republic Steel and Jones & Laughlin. Like thousands of other immigrants, they lived close to the mill, near Tremont.



Scott didn't plan to follow them into the mill. He was a political science major at Cleveland State University, and worked as a manager at Lawson's convenience store. Then he was robbed twice at the store, once at gunpoint and once while getting money out of a safe. A career at the mill suddenly looked more attractive, even though he had never done more than work there as a summer intern.



"I came back to the mill because my life wasn't worth $87 and 10 cartons of cigarettes. They hired me immediately," said Scott, who was recently elected vice president of Local 979 of the United Steelworkers. "I thought why not. The steel mills provided me and my sisters a good way of life and we moved to the suburbs."



The plants where his forefathers worked merged into LTV Steel, and now are owned by ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel company.



"I thought I'd come down here and work 30 years and then retire," he said. "The reason I'm still working is because when LTV went bankrupt, all of our pensions went to the corporate people. They got bonuses. The union people had to go to court. Now we're getting half of the money at retirement than what we should have received for pension. That's why I'm still working. I also have eight grandchildren and I like to spoil the hell out of them."



James Evanoff, 34

James Evanoff is a fourth generation steelworker, earning six figures doing chemical analysis at the plant.



His grandfather and great-grandfather worked at J&L Steel Corp. His great-grandfather was a union organizer when the hiring focus was on brawn.



Evanoff is a millennial, passionate about buying American-made products. He recently bought new tires and insisted that they be not only made in America, but made in a union shop.



"A lot of people talk about the steel industry being boom or bust. I think you could take some of that cyclical nature out of it if more people paid attention to what they bought and where it's manufactured," he said.





The steel industry continues to be an economic mainstay of Greater Cleveland. Arcelor has seven locations in Ohio, employing more than 3,000 people. It reports making purchases of $990 million in the Cleveland area each year,including maritime purchases of iron ore and limestone.The company also spends $80 million on energy.

"A stat I've heard is that for every person employed at ArcelorMittal Cleveland, there's another eight people employed in the state of Ohio. That's vendors, suppliers, and services that support the mill. It's others who are employed because of the mill. And they're buying products like cars and dryers," he said.



William Gibson, 51

William Gibson has worked as an electrician at the mill for 28 years.



"My grandfather worked here from the early '20s to the late '50s. He worked on the west side when it was called Otis Steel," Gibson said. Otis was in production in 1942 during World War II, when it was purchased by Pittsburgh's J&L Steel Corp.



As an African American, Gibson has heard family stories of how blacks had to battle the prejudices of both management and labor unions, fighting to get even the worst available jobs. He's seen the photos of separate black and white work crews. The movie "Struggles in Steel," funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and others, documented blacks working for more than 100 years near the Pittsburgh area in the most dangerous and dirty jobs.



"(My grandfather) worked at the coke plant, which is where I started - working at the old Republic coke plant," Gibson said. He described that job as "hell on earth," mainly because of the incredibly hot and gritty work environment.





The coke plant in Cleveland closed in 1992. Coke is a coal-derived ingredient used to make steel, but after the passage of the Clean Air Act of 1990, coke plants in the United States began dying. Coke making was the most polluting part of the steel-manufacturing process; carcinogenic gasses often leaked through oven doors. Many plants couldn't meet the new environmental regulations without costly upgrades.



Two of his uncles also worked at the mills, one on the east side of the river and one on the west.



Gibson said he had no plans to follow them. But then he was looking for a job, and learned that LTV was hiring. "I said, 'That sounds like a good job.' I took a test and they called me."



Gibson has worked in seven departments at the mill, and he's been laid off several times. During one of his layoffs, he worked at the Post Office for one week, but chose to return to the steel mill instead. He figured he already had five years invested.



Now, with a degree in economics and finance, he's happy to stay in steel.



"That's basically the history of my family down here. It started in 1922 and it's still going strong 90-something years later."





Mark Kovach, 61

Mark Kovach is a division manager of Finishing at ArcelorMittal. He has worked as a manager at the mill for many years, supervising everything from hot strip to the blast furnace areas. He's also a company recruiter, scouting for engineers and business majors.



He has two daughters. "I absolutely did not see them going into this business. I saw them in business or perhaps in education, but never in manufacturing," he said.



But Shawna, 33, and Jacqueline, 31, both work in the mill's commercial sales and customer service division.



Shawna said she has been fascinated with the steel industry ever since she was in kindergarten. When she was 5, she entered a contest to draw a photo for LTV's calendar. Submissions were based on a child's idea of what their parents did for a living. She had never visited the mill. Her father refused to let her until she was 12.



Ultimately, he couldn't keep her away. She's been working there for nearly 10 years and is proud of the skills she's learned. "It's always been this magical place for me."





It didn't feel magical when she first started work coordinating hundreds of truck shipments daily. "When I interviewed here, at first it was kind of startling. Not very luxurious, and dirty ... not the environment I imagined working in. But the man I interviewed with kept talking about the people here, and my dad worked here, so I decided to make the leap."



During the 2008 recession, the mill was shut down. Hourly employees lost jobs, but many salaried employees were transferred. She moved to Lackawanna, N.Y, outside of Buffalo.



"One thing that kept me confident during the bad times was that my dad worked here. I don't think that he would have introduced me to an area if he thought it could end."



"She's right, I wouldn't have introduced my children to a corporation that had no future," he said. "One of the greatest challenges was immediately after the recession having to idle the plant and lay people off and the great unknown. But we started back and called employees back in 2009 and we've been thriving ever since.



"A highlight for me was in November 2013. We got a visit from President Obama and we were getting kudos from the president as being the most efficient steel mill - best in the world."



John Pawloski, 62

John Pawloski has worked at this mill for the past 43 years as a maintenance technician electrician. He's remained at the company through multiple ownerships.



"I tell people it's been 43 years too many and 43 not enough," said Palowski.



He started working there at age 20, looking to earn a little money and then go back to school. "After I was here a year, a co-worker told me, 'You're a lifer now.' I guess he was correct."





Four years ago, his 34-year-old son, Matt, joined the company, working on the hot dip line. He went to Ohio University, made films, and worked in other industries for several years before joining the steel mill.



Pawloski sometimes works 16-hour days -and depending on the job and time of year - finds himself changing clothes three times a day due to extreme temperatures in the combustion department. He takes care of all of the electrical devices for the furnaces, which get as hot as 2,400 degrees.

If it's 90 degrees outside, it feels like 120 degrees while doing electrical work next to furnaces.



"I'm enjoying this cooler weather right now. You get so hot sometimes that the only thing you can do is change clothes. You can't go into air-conditioning. I don't want to get sick," he said.



TJ Scott, 66

TJ Scott, also called "Scotty," said he worked with his father for three years back when the company was called Republic Steel. The mill had many unions, and workers were not cross-trained. Workers were expected to stay in their areas. Scott worked in finishing. His father was in management in the bar mills.



"All I know is that if I came in that area he would yell at me. I was a union guy and he was in management and that's what he did. The couple times I visited, he yelled at me for coming to his area," he recalled.



"You have to understand my dad was old school. He worked 36 years and never missed a day of work for 32 years. He was old country. And the reason he missed work was because of an industrial accident. He lost two fingers in 1974 when his hand was in a machine that somebody started up," Scott said.

"I don't know what kind of machine it was. That area no longer exists," he said."But the machine took off the skin on his hand and two fingers. He retired a couple of years later."



In 2001, he recalled, a recession shut the mill and more than 5,000 steel workers lost their jobs. The whole country was suffering, but unskilled workers at the plant suffered most.



"You had guys in their 50s who did nothing but push levers and buttons and those jobs were no longer available. These are the same guys who never did interviews, never had a resume or used computers," Scott said. "I had grown men crying on my shoulders." He said employees lost their homes, some committed suicide. "Again, this is our family. When you work with someone for so long, you spend more time with them than your actual family. When something like this happens, it touches your heart pretty heavily.



"We came back online starting this mill back up with just 400 people. We are presently about 1,800 strong, and we're producing more steel now than ever. We're making more steel with less people. But it's an entirely different world than when I started working here in 1973."
EASTLAKE, Ohio - A Cleveland fugitive accused in an Eastlake shooting that injured a 16-year-old boy has been taken into custody, officials said.

Gabriel Hearn, 19, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated robbery and felonious assault in a June 30 incident at a house on East 337th Street, court records show.

The U.S. Marshals' Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested him Thursday but did not release any additional details.

Hearn is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Willoughby Municipal Court.

He is being held on $100,000 bond at the Lake County Jail.

Witnesses said three people -- including one later identified as Hearn -- came to the house and claimed to know a resident's friend. The resident called the friend, who said he did not know the trio, police said.

The three then drew pistols and demanded wallets and cellphones from the resident and several other teens in the house, police said.

One of the intruders found the 16-year-old victim in an upstairs bedroom and shot him in the shoulder. It's unclear how that confrontation led to the shooting, police said.

Eastlake Fire Department paramedics took the victim to Lake West Hospital in Willoughby. He was flown to MetroHealth for treatment and released the following day.

Tinika Givhan, 20, of Cleveland, is also charged with aggravated robbery in the incident. Investigators arrested her Sept. 20, court records show.

Givhan's case has been bound over to the Lake County Common Pleas Court and her next appearance has not been scheduled, records show.

Investigators have not reported the arrest of the third person involved in the robbery.

If you'd like to discuss this story, visit Sunday's crime and courts comments section.
Fu, who directs the University of Michigan's Archimedes Center for Medical Device Security, added that "the dirty little secret is that most manufacturers did not anticipate the cybersecurity risks when they were designing them a decade ago, so this is just scratching the surface really."

"There is no [impervious] device," Kevin Fu told CNBC's "On the Money" in an interview, "pretty much every device that has a computer in it is breakable. "

J&J said the risk is extremely low, but suggested ways users could mitigate that risk. Could other medical devices, like infusion pumps and pacemakers, vulnerable to a malicious hacker?

Earlier this month, Johnson & Johnson notified 114,000 diabetic patients that a hacker could exploit one of its insulin pumps. The J&J Animas OneTouch Ping could be attacked, disabling the device or altering the dosage.

Hackers can invade your bank account and steal your identity. So is there also a cyber threat to your health?

The OneTouch Ping is 8 years old, and J&J says newer models with encryption technology are harder to hack. However, it's not just a malicious hacker that can do damage to medical devices.

Fu tells CNBC something as simple as malware, ("malicious software") loaded onto a USB drive or coming through a network connection can infect hospitals and "cause havoc."

"The bigger issue is really the continuity of operations of the hospital system," Fu said, and whether "they withstand malware of ten years ago that still breaks into medical devices."

Fu added: "The more interesting question is not whether you can hack into a device, but how well do those devices tolerate the kind of threats that are just endemic to computing today and endemic to the internet."



That risk covers "all sorts of devices that are in the hospital," Fu said. He mentioned infusion pumps that are bedside devices in hospitals. Plus defibrillators and pacemakers, patient monitors, and radiation therapy machines.



According to security firm Symantec, healthcare providers spend an average of less than 6 percent of their information technology budget on security. That compares to financial and banking institutions, which doles out an average of more than 13 percent, and the federal government, which spends 16 percent of its IT budget on security.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued draft guidance to medical device manufacturers on how to address the evolving cyber threat.



In a written response, the FDA told CNBC they have "expanded the scope of its work in cybersecurity over the past several years. We have worked diligently to bring the health care community together to propose and implement shared solutions to addressing cybersecurity concerns," the agency added.



Fu acknowledged the FDA's work, but said far more needed to be done. "I think manufacturers will be improving, but it's not going to be an overnight fix."



Threat or no threat, Fu believes the benefits of advanced medical devices far outweigh the risk of any cyberattack.



"Personally, I think patients are far safer with these devices than not," he said. Still, "the patient should talk with their physician. The risk/benefit decision has to be made between the particular patient and the particular physician."


British Prime Minister Theresa May will lead a delegation of small and medium-size businessesto India in November as part of efforts to bolster trade with countries outside the European Union as Britain prepares to leave the bloc.

The Nov. 6-8 trip, May's first bilateral visit to a country outside Europe since she took office in July, will be in pursuit of her ambition of forging a new global role for Britain after it leaves the European Union, May's Downing Street office said in a statement.

The European Commission is responsible for trade negotiations for the EU and some countries have said they will not negotiate a new deal for Britain until it has actually left the bloc.

"As we embark on the trade mission to India we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade," May was quoted as saying.

She said past trade missions had focused on big business, but she wanted to adopt a new approach and would take small and medium companies from every region of the United Kingdom.

Among them will be Geolang, a cyber security company based in Cardiff in Wales, Torftech, a biomass energy company based in southeast England, and Telensa, a company focused on high-tech wireless street lighting systems, based in Cambridge.

May will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her visit, and the two heads of government will together inaugurate a tech summit in New Delhi.

Liam Fox, Britain's secretary of state for international trade, will join the visit, during which a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed.

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Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday launched a battle to liberate the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State in its most ambitious campaign since U.S. forces left five years ago, and the United States predicted the militant group would suffer "a lasting defeat."

"I announce today the start of the heroic operations to free you from the terror and the oppression of Daesh," he said in a speech on state TV, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

"We will meet soon on the ground of Mosul to celebrate liberation and your salvation," he said, surrounded by the armed forces' top commanders.

Qatar-based al-Jazeera television aired video of what it said was a bombardment of Mosul that started after Abadi's speech, showing rockets and bursts of tracer bullets across the night sky and loud sounds of gunfire.



The assault on Mosul, with a population of 1.5 million, is backed by the U.S.-led coalition, which is providing air and ground support.

The offensive could be one of the biggest military operations in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and the biggest mounted by the Iraqi government since U.S. military forces withdrew in 2011.



About 30,000 troops were expected to take part from the Iraqi army, Kurdish Peshmerga militia and Sunni tribal fighters, while estimates of Islamic State forces in the city range from 4,000 to 8,000.

"This is a decisive moment in the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a statement, using an acronym for Islamic State.
Donald Trump, 2016 Republican presidential nominee, speaks during a campaign rally at the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Friday, Aug. 12, 2016. Ty Wright | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Another woman has come forward to accuse Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump of past inappropriate conduct. In an interview with The Guardian published Saturday, Cathy Heller, a now 63-year-old New York resident, described an encounter she allegedly had with the real estate mogul two decades ago. She told the newspaper Trump grabbed her and attempted to kiss with her without her consent at a Mother's Day brunch at his Mar-a-Lago estate in a year she believes was 1997. NBC News attempted to contact Heller but was not successful Saturday. NBC News has not verified her account or the accounts of six other women which were made in various media outlets this week. Another woman told the New York Times in May that Trump kissed her directly on the lips during a 1997 beauty pageant and confirmed her account to NBC News Wednesday. Trump has repeatedly and emphatically denied the women's claims. "There is no way that something like this would have happened in a public place on Mother's Day at Mr Trump's resort," Jason Miller, a Trump spokesman, told the Guardian in a statement. "It would have been the talk of Palm Beach for the past two decades."

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Trump himself has been very vocal on the campaign trail about the mounting accusations against him, calling the women who have accused him of groping, unwanted kissing and sexual harassment "horrible, horrible liars" while suggesting that their charges are potentially part of a "global" conspiracy to "rig" the election involving the New York Times  which published the accounts of two women earlier this week  and his opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

In her interview with The Guardian, Heller said, "He can't claim we're all liars." The Guardian reported that two other people, an acquaintance and a relative at the event, that gave accounts backing up Heller's claim. More from NBC News Donald Trump Imagines Shadowy 'Conspiracy' Behind Women Accusing Him of Misdeeds

The Allegations Women Have Made Against Donald Trump

Donald Trump Turns Focus to Issues of Drugs, Criminal Justice Reform The Republican nominee's alleged treatment of women and the language he uses to describe them have been a major issue throughout the 2016 race. While allegations of improper sexual conduct have been made against him in the past, they have drawn renewed interest following the leak of a 2005 video from "Access Hollywood" in which Trump appeared to brag about sexually assaulting women.
United States Secretary of State, John Kerry delivers a speech during the 28th meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda on October 14, 2016.

With military options all but eliminated, the United States and Britain on Sunday said they were considering new sanctions to pressure the Syrian and Russian governments to halt an offensive against rebel-held parts of Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

While the close allies said diplomacy was their primary focus, the tone was tougher than Saturday's message from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry after he launched a new diplomatic effort to resolve the 5 1/2-year civil war.

But the specific threats he brandished Sunday  from harsher economic penalties to international prosecution for alleged perpetrators of war crimes  have been raised repeatedly before.

"It's easy to say, `Where is the action?"' Kerry said. "But what is the action?"

"I haven't seen a big appetite from governments in Europe to declare war," he noted dryly after talks in London that included diplomats from France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union. All oppose Syrian President Bashar Assad's long-term control over his country and all are angry over a year-old Russian military intervention that has contributed to thousands of deaths and harrowing scenes of destruction in Aleppo.

Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson emerged from the discussions declaring that all options are on the table to stop the bloodshed. But they expressed misgivings with a military approach.

Kerry said countries have an obligation not to "light a fire" under a conflict that could expand into a larger regional war or one that draws in superpowers against one another. Johnson described the use of armed force as a drastic step.

The two appeared more affirmative when it came to the possibility of "ratcheting up" economic pressure on Syria and Russia, as Johnson described it.

He decried the "terrible, medieval siege" of the city, even as he expressed doubt about the ability of Syria and Russia to drive the opposition from Aleppo. More than 10,000 fighters remained in the rebel-held eastern part of the city, Johnson said, as well as a quarter-million civilians whose lives are at risk.

Johnson called on the U.S. and Europe to make Russia "feel the consequences" of their military campaign.

Kerry confirmed the U.S. was studying additional sanctions, and he accused Russia of participating in "crimes against humanity on a daily basis."

But both men expressed some hope in the new diplomatic path Kerry forged a day earlier in Lausanne, Switzerland. Those talks involved Russia and Iran, Assad's two chief backers, in addition to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan.

Kerry said Saturday that the result of the 4 1/2-hour meeting was "exactly what we wanted" in terms of new ideas and a commitment to new talks in the coming days.

The statement mainly testified to low expectations after last month's quick collapse of a U.S.-Russian cease-fire, followed by the end of talks on U.S.-Russian a military partnership against Islamic State and al-Qaida militants.

President Barack Obama and the Pentagon have made clear their opposition to any U.S. military strikes against Assad's military. The U.S. is uneasy with providing more advanced weaponry to the anti-Assad rebels because of their links to extremist groups.

The effect sanctions might have also is unclear. They failed to reverse Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea territory in 2014. And several of America's European partners have expressed unease over the prospect of having to impose new and possibly costly penalties.
Fight over Missouri marijuana amendment nears finish line

In just over a week, Missourians will decide whether to adopt a state constitutional amendment for recreational marijuana.
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Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, and markets biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, neuroscience, and covid-19 diseases. The company's products include Revlimid, an oral immunomodulatory drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; and Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis. It also provides Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia; Yervoy for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma; Abraxane, a protein-bound chemotherapy product; Reblozyl for the treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta thalassemia; and Empliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In addition, the company offers Zeposia to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; Breyanzi, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma; Inrebic, an oral kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with myelofibrosis; and Onureg for the treatment of adult patients with AML. It sells products to wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, retailers, hospitals, clinics, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as Bristol-Myers Company. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Plenty of attention is being given to the damage that a Trump presidency would do to America  deservedly, given the rolling horrorshow which his candidacy has become. But, on this side of the Atlantic at least, less consideration has been made of the damage he is already doing to his nation.

What kind of negative tactics are normal in an election race? Picking out problems in your opponents record, routinely. Talking down their character, often. Making an issue of the behaviour of their close family, less often but still common enough. Trump has pursued all of these  pointing respectively to Clintons role in the Obama years, highlighting her private email server and saying a variety of increasingly lurid things about the behaviour of her husband. So far, so predictable.

Far more rare is the more recent addition to his lines: attacking the integrity of the ballot.

Its now standard practice for the Trump campaign to predict that the election will be rigged, fixed or stolen, a hugely dangerous step to take. These arent normal (and reasonable) questions over voter fraud, or justifiable discussion of the need for voter identification; these are outright attacks on the integrity of American democracy  the bedrock of the Republic itself. Regardless of whether you like his views or not, this ought to be unacceptable.

What emanates from Trumps Twitter account and his campaigns press office is filtering through to his supporters, too. A growing trust gap has opened, according to polling by the Associated Press/NORC:

among people overall, only 4 in 10 have a lot of confidence in votes being counted accurately, though an additional 3 in 10 say theyre at least moderately confident. Fifty-nine percent of those who have a favorable opinion of Trumps Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, have quite a bit or a great deal of confidence, compared with just 29 percent of those who have a favorable opinion of Trump.

That loss of trust is clearly something the Republican candidate intends to whip up. Its part of a continuous message apparently aimed at deligitimising American democracy. He has urged his supporters to go to polling stations in certain areas and watch to see if fraud is underway  which some are evidently intending to do, including a now infamous activist who will be watching for Mexicans. Syrians. People who cant speak American. That intimidatory tactic will be familiar to British observers as something pursued in the corrupt Tower Hamlets election.

Trump recently refused to pledge that he would respect the result, and his claim that this will be the last election that the Republicans can win fuels the perception that, after polling day, anything goes.

This is America, of course, where anything can include automatic weapons. Trump himself strayed troublingly close to implying violence in September, when he declared If she gets to pick her judges  nothing you can do, folksAlthough, the Second Amendment people. Maybe there is. I dont know. Some of his supporters have drawn a rather clearer conclusion: for example, a Milwaukee sheriff tweeted yesterday that its pitchforks and torches time, an extraordinary comment from an elected officer of the law. Even once the election has passed, the legacy of distrust and conspiracy looks likely to live on.

The most obvious reasons why Trump would pursue such a tactic are to stir up his base to vote now, and to provide a pre-emptive excuse for defeat. Certainly this rhetoric seems to have increased as his campaign has suffered from the recent allegations of sexual assault, which seems rather a large coincidence.

But some things are meant to be bigger than a candidate trying to win or save face. Trumps initial pitch to voters featured numerous attacks on American values, which was bad enough. Now his campaign is launching an attack on the foundations of American democracy itself, which is a threat not only to that country but to its allies.
During the referendum campaign, the Leave and Remain campaigns boxed on even terms, largely because of the role of purdah. Before it kicked in, government was able to further the Remain cause with every weapon in its armoury  the full help of the civil service, the publication of official dossiers, and so on. But although a government can use its resources to go on the offensive, it is also by its nature always on the defensive, too. Never was this more vividly illustrated than in the wake of David Camerons renegotiation, when his puffed claims for it were pooh-poohed not only by Leave campaigners (noisily) and by unaligned media, but by some Remainers (sotto voce) into the bargain.

Christmas will mark six months or so on from the referendum, but a pattern of debate about Brexit is already taking shape. Article 50 will be moved at the end of March. Until then or thereabouts, Theresa May and company will say as little about the detail of their negotiating position as they can, for obvious reasons. This necessarily denies her Government much of its offensive capability. But it will simultaneously be on the defensive in a new way. The Prime Minister is faced by what George W.Bush might have called an axis of Remain campaigners  ranging from some of the banks to much of big business to some Conservative MPs to Tim Fallon to Keir Starmer to the commanding cultural heights of the elites in academia, law, the media and the arts who made up a slice of the 48 per cent.

Some parts of this spectrum still hope against hope that Brexit can be averted by Parliament bringing it down. But most of it accepts the referendum result (in fact if not in spirit), and now pins its hopes on Britain staying a member of the Single Market  a case that would have its merits were it possible to square with a reduction in EU migration. However, this was not on offer to Cameron before the referendum, and is not on offer to May now. To this end, every piece of bad economic news will be amplified, whether it is connected to Brexit or not, and the worst possible gloss put on developments that are debatable. For example, it is arguable that the real problem with sterling has been not its recent weakness, but its preceding strength.

Brexiteers should make no complaint about this activity: Remainers and others are perfectly within their rights to campaign for single market membership to continue. Instead, they should be asking themselves some hard questions. Who is counter-attacking the attackers? If a politician who forecast economic collapse in the summer now forecasts economic collapse next year, where is the push on social media to highlight his record? If a group of pro-EU academics puts out a dossier reporting that academics are leaving Britain, where is the project that will research the figures separately? If a business claims that Brexit will be a disaster, but contributed funds to the official Remain campaign, where is the briefing to remind journalists of this inconvenient fact?

Some Conservative MPs are more than doing their bit, and moves are under way to organise their efforts. But MPs and Ministers cannot grapple alone with the forces of Remain  especially the latter, who have jobs to do and departments to run. The right-of-centre think-tanks are producing some thoughtful work. But the counter-attack outside the Commons to date has largely been confined to the leader columns of the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph. There is a gap in the market for a Brexit equivalent of the Taxpayers Alliance  something that campaigns, has a war room, does rapid rebuttal, and is up bright and early each morning to make its case. In short, whats needed is a form of Continuity Vote Leave.

That organisation went two ways after the referendum. Matthew Elliott, now with Jonathan Isaby, is over at Brexit Central. Meanwhile, many of the campaigning MPs active in Vote Leave are with Change Britain: Michael Gove, Gisela Stuart, Frank Field, Dominic Raab. The organisation was launched with a video starring Boris Johnson. Brexit Centrals most distinctive product to date is its online newspaper. Change Britain is, in its own words, the campaign to make a success of Britains departure from the EU. We aim to build a broad coalition that brings together people from inside and outside politics, regardless of how they voted in the referendum, to get the job done. This is a laudable aim. It is not to be confused with the daily grind of shining a spotlight on Continuity Remain.

The campaigning of the Remain coalition is unlikely to stop Brexit  for once Article 50 is moved, it is hard to see how the process will be halted. Rather, the danger is that it will gradually eat away at the authority of the Government  emboldening the small number of Conservative MPs who wish the Prime Minister no good, and providing cover for rebellions on a mass of other issues. Mays real majority is larger than its formal one of 16, and Labour is not an effective opposition force. But David Cameron found it difficult to get legislation through Parliament in much the same circumstances. Brexit is less vulnerable to the Remain campaigning than is the Prime Minister.
For the Sake of Fairness and Logic 10/15/2016 Philippines , Rodrigo Duterte 59 Comments





I CORINTHIANS 6:7

Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?





II PETER 2:4, 11

4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.





ISAIAH 14:12-14

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.





II PETER 2:4

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;





HEBREWS 10:26-27

26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.





THE ROMANS 1:32

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.





Rody absolved by Senate panel on killings  Palace

By Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star) | Updated October 16, 2016 - 12:00am





Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the Senate committee on justice and human rights, chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon, has cleared Duterte of any liability in extralegal killings when it wrapped up its probe on Thursday.





The recently concluded investigation by the Senate panel on alleged summary executions of crime suspects absolved President Duterte of any involvement in the killings when he was still mayor and now that he is President, Abella said.





The Senates official report will be presented tomorrow, Abella said.





There is no proof that the killings were state-sponsored, Abella quoted Gordon as saying.





http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/10/16/1634077/rody-absolved-senate-panel-killings-palace

A common expression "for the sake of" invites a deeper thinking and reasoning. There are statements that are introduced by "for the sake of......." that should be looked into for that requires sacrifice. "For the sake of peace" or "to buy peace" sometimes entails forgiveness, understanding, leniency, letting go, etc. The Bible tells us to practice sacrifice of pride to attain something divine or human.The expression "to err is human but to forgive divine" suggests the letting go of pride and self sacrifice. Actually, biblically speaking, to err is not only human because even angels with superior strength and understanding have erred.Pioneer in committing all errors was the angel who turned to be satan. Satan means arch enemy of God.Biblically speaking, not only humans do err but even angels. But then not forgiving doesn't necessarily mean the act is not divine for God did not forgive the angels that sinned against Him.Not all transgressions or sins are pardonable. There are sins when committed intentionally do not merit mercy.I have read a recent article written by a Catholic Filipino in the US, particularly in the state of California, saying that what is happening in the Philippines is evil because of extra judicial killings. Almost everyone seems to be recklessly using the term "extra judicial killings" to condemn the present government.Which is more evil, criminals are being killed or criminals are being cuddled?Have these Catholic priests and members bravely spoken also in the past against these drug perpetrators?What is noteworthy is, why are these self-righteous talkatives silent when drug addicts killed their young, their parents, their relatives and even authorities, who sacrifice their lives to arrest these criminals, that wrought havoc not only to the entire nation but also to the entire world? And why are all the criminalities associated with drugs not as exposed and highlighted as they are now. Must it mean that there are those who pay the media to sensationalize the alleged "extra judicial killings" to unseat Duterte?!!!And must it mean also that the "silence" that have passed and that the ongoing "noise" now are orchestrated by these same people playing their instruments under the baton of those who profit most in drugs?!!! A thinking mind (not Dutertards), I believe, must be asking these questions.All these I ask is "for the sake of justice and fairness" now that the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights have absolved the government of President Duterte on extra judicial killings,I expect to hear more attacks and noises, both internationally and locally, against the present government. I am reiterating this to those stupid critics of my blog that I am not in defense of President Duterte! May your stupidity be known unto all men.Let us have a comparison. Which do you prefer or classify as good news?1. Manufacturers and suppliers of illegal drugs being killed because they resisted arrest; or2. A son being killed by his father because his father is a drug addict; or3. A son killed by his mother because his mother is a drug addict; or4. A husband killing his own wife because her husband is a drug addict; or5. A religious group cuddling drug peddlers because of money;The choice is yours.May your conscience guide you.
Iron Mountain, which provides storage and information management services including colocation in secure data centers, signed a wind power purchase agreement that will leverage renewable energy sources to power as much as 30 percent of its North American electricity footprint. That capacity will be sufficient to power all of its Texas operations (more than 75 facilities) as well as additional states, providing long-term rate stability and with as much as $1.5 million annually in related cost avoidance.



Under the deal, Iron Mountain will purchase 10 percent of the energy produced at the Amazon Wind Farm Texas, a 253-megawatt (MW) 110+ turbine wind farm in Scurry County, Texas, developed by Lincoln Clean Energy, a developer, owner and operator of clean power projects with a particular focus on wind and solar power in the United States. When completed in 2017, Iron Mountains share of the wind farm could produce up to 100,000 megawatt hours (MWh) per year  the equivalent of nearly one-third its power consumption for North America.



Power consumption is an expensive and resource-consuming part of our global operational footprint , and one of the areas weve targeted as an opportunity to transform our business, said Ty Ondatje, senior vice president of Corporate Responsibility and chief diversity officer, Iron Mountain. Renewable energy strategies, along with energy efficiency, are at the heart of our efforts to deliver both savings back to the company and look for opportunities to innovate. Weve discovered that its also helping us to open meaningful dialogue and collaboration opportunity with our customers who are seeking to understand and mitigate their own environmental impact. We believe that renewable energy strategies can benefit our business, positioning Iron Mountain and our customers to meet the growing expectations for sustainable business practices.



http://www.ironmountain.com





Amazon Plans 253 Megawatt Wind Farm in Texas AWS, Green



Amazon Wind Farm Texas, which is scheduled to open in late 2017, will include more than 100 turbines and be the companys largest renewable energy project to date. Amazon previously announced wind and solar farms in Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia that deliver energy to the electrical grids supplying both current and future Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud data centers. The five projects together will generate more than 2.6 million MWh of renewable energy each year.



http://www.amazon.com/sustainability

Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Amazon will commission a new 253-megawatt (MW) wind farm in Scurry County, Texas, that will generate 1,000,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of wind energy annually  enough energy to power almost 90,000 U.S. homes.Amazon Wind Farm Texas, which is scheduled to open in late 2017, will include more than 100 turbines and be the companys largest renewable energy project to date. Amazon previously announced wind and solar farms in Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia that deliver energy to the electrical grids supplying both current and future Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud data centers. The five projects together will generate more than 2.6 million MWh of renewable energy each year.
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Your Social Security benefits play an important role in your retirement, and for those applying for disability benefits under Social Security (SSDI), the stakes can be even higher. A denial of benefits can have devastating effects on your ability to live comfortably. Fortunately, if your Social Security benefits are denied for medical reasons, there is an appeals process that you can follow to try to get your benefits restored.

The process is now available online for your further convenience  a great relief for those who have trouble getting to the local Social Security Administration (SSA) office for reasons of time or disability. Thanks to the online access, you can appeal your benefits conveniently even if you currently live outside of the United States.

The online portal allows you to initiate an appeal or pause the process and continue an appeal that you had already started. This secure portal guides you through all of the process steps and allows you to update any supplementary information that is needed to re-evaluate your case. Such information includes:

Information regarding medical treatment you have received since the previous submittal of information to the SSA, including all medical treatments and tests along with the doctors and hospitals involved in your care.

Subsequent changes in your medical conditions and all of your daily activities.

An update on all medicines that you are currently taking.

Submitting your information online can help to expedite the appeals process.

Be sure to act quickly, as you generally have sixty days to request an appeal (measured from the time you receive the SSA letter). In some cases, you may be able to receive payments during the appeals process if you ask for an appeal within ten days of the denial  but you run the risk of having to pay back those funds should you lose the appeal.

There are generally four levels of appeal: reconsideration, a hearing, an Appeals Council, and Federal Court. In some states, the reconsideration step is passed up and your case goes straight to a hearing.

In reconsideration, your claim is given a complete review by an examiner and a medical consultant that were not involved in the original decision. The personnel involved in your original evaluation are not allowed to decide your reconsideration claim. According to Nolo.com, approximately 5-10% of reconsiderations are granted.

The next step is a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who was not involved in either the original decision or the reconsideration. Hearings are generally held within a 75-mile radius of your home.

If you disagree with the ALJ's finding, you may take your case to the Social Security Appeals Council, but your final recourse is to file suit in Federal Court. See SSA publication EN05-10041, "The Appeals Process," for more details on the appeal options.

You are welcome to submit your own appeal, or have a legal representative do it for you. For further advice on representation, see SSA Publication EN-05-10075, "Your Right To Representation". In either case, the online portal provides another layer of convenience.

If you believe your benefits have been unjustly denied, don't hesitate to appeal. The online portal makes it easier to do so, but whether you are more comfortable with the online approach or prefer a face-to-face meeting, be sure to have all the information you need to make your case and bring representation if you feel that it is necessary. Fight for what is rightfully yours.

Let the free MoneyTips Retirement Planner help you calculate when you can retire without jeopardizing your lifestyle.
BRIDGEPORT  Maritza Bond has spent the past 15 years working in public health, both locally in the Bridgeport area and now in New London.

And the City Council on Monday is poised to make Bond Bridgeports next health director after she was blessed by its contracts subcommittee.

The reservation some council members have?

Bond is an outsider who lives in West Haven and did not work her way up through the ranks of Bridgeports health office.

That was one of the biggest concern a lot of us had, said Councilwoman Jeanette Herron, who co-chairs the contracts committee.

There were candidates that lived in the city that applied, Herron said, including a handful of individuals already working at the health department, like Acting Director Albertina Baptista.

They chose someone from outside, Herron said.

Councilwoman AmyMarie Vizzo-Paniccia cast a no vote against Bond. Vizzo-Paniccia said it was nothing personal and that everything about her selection looked good.

We have experienced Bridgeport employees, Vizzo-Paniccia said. We tell folks to promote our own, to hire within. Why not here?

It is a familiar criticism. On the one hand mayors are pressured to cast wide nets when filling jobs in their administrations and to hire the best and brightest.

We did that before, Ganim said after winning last Novembers mayoral race. He had served as mayor from 1991 to 2003.

Youve heard the cliche I want to be the dumbest guy in the room, Ganim said in November, referring to his first administration hires. And with those guys, I was.

But then there are the calls to pack City Hall with locals. David Kooris, for example, was hired by the man Ganim defeated last year  ex-Mayor Bill Finch  to spearhead economic development in Bridgeport.

Kooris, who earlier this year left the city for state job, was widely praised, and Ganim, who let most of Finchs hires go, was convinced to keep him aboard. But some council members did not like the fact Kooris called Stamford home.

Are you going to compromise your level of candidates just based on residency? said ex-Mayor John Fabrizi. Thats something a mayor has to grapple with.

When it comes to recruiting new police officers and firefighters, Bridgeport residents who apply are given extra points on exams.

Councilwoman Milta Feliciano, who runs Bridgeports veterans affairs department, said her first preference would be to hire Bridgeport residents. But Feliciano admitted that the search process that selected Bond from 22 applicants was a good one that she would like to see repeated.

Ganims administration is certainly not lacking city residents, in part because those individuals played key roles in getting him re-elected. Since voters returned him to office, Ganim has hired several key staff members living in Bridgeport, including Chief of Staff Danny Roach, Chief Administrative Officer John Gomes, Public Facilities Director John Ricci, Finance Director Kenneth Flatto, Economic Development Director Thomas Gill, plus Nestor Nkwo, the citys budget chief, and mayoral advisers Tom Gaudett, Charlie Stallworth and Alma Maya.

Ganims communications director, Av Harris, calls Holyoke, Massachusetts home but got a Bridgeport rental after landing the job where he sleeps a few nights a week.

Police Chief Armando A.J. Perez lives in Trumbull and Kimberly Staley, who is running a new City Hall office helping ex-offenders, grew up in Bridgeport but lives in West Hartford. Wilbur Chapman, Ganims public safety adviser, continues to commute from New York state, where he also lived while the citys police chief at the end of Ganims first administration.

Fabrizi said it makes sense to appoint Bridgeport residents to some of the positions within the mayors office that work closest with the chief executive.

They know the city, they live here, they more than likely went to school here, Fabrizi said. They have a passion for the city, a background in the city. Theyre well in tune.

But for other hires Fabrizi said a mayor should be able to consider outsiders.

Would it feel very comfortable to hire a Bridgeporter? Yes, Fabrizi said. But a number of times that cannot happen based on a candidates education and experience and knowledge.
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There are three kinds of Republican candidates running in Connecticut this year: Those who openly support Donald J. Trump, the few who dont, and the vast majority who ducked the question, according to a Hearst Connecticut Media survey of GOP hopefuls in southwestern Connecticut.

In the Hearst survey of 63 GOP candidates for state Legislature or Congress, 37 declined to answer yes or no when asked whether they support Trump for president, 21 said they continued to support their partys candidate and five said they did not support him.

Id prefer not to answer, said state Rep. Laura Hoydick, of Stratford, mainly because we need to be focusing on the state deficit, which now stands at an astounding $173 million.

I dont see how it is relevant to my campaign, said Rick Varrone, who is challenging third-term state Rep. Kim Rose, of Milford. I would rather not be asked that question.

Trump isnt running to be a role model, but his statements are reprehensible and have sullied the race for chief of the executive branch, said state Rep. John Shaban, of Redding, who is running for the U.S. House in the 4th District against U.S. Rep. Jim Himes. While I and others may reconsider supporting Trump, his economic policies are still superior to Secretary (Hillary) Clintons and President (Barack) Obamas, and precisely what we need after the last eight years of stagnation and failure.

Scott McLean, a Quinnipiac University politics professor who has closely studied the 2016 election, said that asking Republicans where they stand on Trump is totally fair, but he can understand why many are dodging the issue.

More Information WHERE THEY STAND ON TRUMP These 37 GOP candidates refused to take a stand on Trump US Senate Dan Carter Congressional District 4, John Shaban State Senate 14, Milford, Pat Libero Senate 17, Woodbridge, Derby, George Logan Senate 22, Bridgeport, Trumbull, Elaine Hammers Senate 25, Norwalk, Darien, Greg Ehlers Senate 26, Wilton, Westport, Sen. Toni Boucher Senate 30, New Milford, etc, Craig Miner Senate 32, Seymour, Oxford, etc Sen. Rob Kane Senate 36, Greenwich/Stamford, L. Scott Frantz Senate 27, Stamford, Gino Bittino State House, 2 Bethel William Duff House 67, New Milford, William Buckbee House 69, Southbury, Rep. Arthur O'Neill House 104, Ansonia, Joseph A. Jaumann House 107, Brookfield, Rep. Stephen Harding House 109, Danbury, Veasna Roeun House 111 Ridgefield Rep. John Frey House 114, Derby, Rep. Themis Klarides House 117, West Haven, Milford, Rep. Charles Ferraro House 118, Milford, Rick Varrone House 119, Milford, Rep. Pam Staneski House 120, Stratford, Rep. Laura Hoydick House 123, Trumbull, Rep. David Rutigliano House 124, Bridgeport, Jose A. Quiroga House 127, Bridgeport, Ruben A. Coriano House 130, Bridgeport, Melissa Borres House 132, Fairfield, Rep. Brenda Kupchick 1House 34, Fairfield, Rep. Laura Devlin House 135, Easton, Adam Dunsby House 136, Westport, Catherine A. Walsh House 137, Norwalk, Darline Perpignan House 138, Danbury, Michael S. Ferguson House 142, Norwalk, Rep. Fred Wilms House 143, Wilton, Rep. Gail Lavielle House 146, Stamford, Arkadiusz Jakubowski House 149, Greenwich, Rep. Livvy Floren These 21 GOP candidates are backing Trump Cong. District 1, Matthew Corey Cong. District 2, Daria Novak Cong. District 3, Angel Cadena Jr. Cong. District 5, Clay Cope State Senate Senate 21, Stratford, Shelton Sen. Kevin Kelly Senate 23, Bridgeport, Trumbull Mike Garrett Senate 24, Danbury, Sen. Michael McLachlan State House House 105, Seymour, Nicole Klarides-Ditria House 106, Newtown, Rep. Mitch Bolinsky House 108, New Fairfield, Rep. Richard A. Smith House 113, Shelton, Rep. Jason Perillo House 122, Shelton, Rep. Ben McGorty House 125, New Canaan, Rep. Tom O'Dea House 126, Bridgeport, Anthony Pizighelli House 128, Bridgeport, Ethan Book House 129, Bridgeport, Peter Perillo House 131, Oxford, Rep. David Labriola House 133, Fairfield, Raymond Neuberger House 148, Stamford, Phil Balestriere House 150, Greenwich, Rep. Mike Bocchino House 151, Greenwich, Rep. Fred Camillo These five GOP candidates do not support Trump House 110, Danbury, Emanuela Palmares House 112, Monroe, Rep. J.R. Sredzinski House 141, Darien, Rep. Terrie E. Wood House 144, Stamford, Steven Bartolo Kolenberg Senate 28, Fairfield, Newtown Sen. Tony Hwang See More Collapse

Voters are not just voting for individuals, they are voting for individuals on a party ticket, McLean said. The top of the ticket affects those on the bottom of the ticket. If you dont support the nominee, say it and run on that, and accept those consequences as well.

Traditionally, its a no-brainer for state party members to support their presidential candidate. But the 2016 election, with its scorched-earth insults, threats, email revelations and X-rated video clips, is unlike any other. And many local Republicans seem worried about being seen as either too closely linked to a controversial presidential candidate or as disloyal to their party.

Embracing Trump

Not state Sen. Kevin Kelly, of Stratford, who is among those expressing unequivocal support for the real estate developer turned reality-TV star, who is the partys divisive national standard bearer.

Im on the Republican line with Donald Trump, Kelly said. Im supporting our partys nominee."

Yes, 100 percent Trump, state Rep. Ben McGorty, of Shelton, said.

Raymond Neuberger, an oil trader who is challenging first-term state Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey in Fairfields 133rd House District is more than willing to go on record as a supporter.

Yes, I do support Donald Trump, Neuberger said. I believe Donald Trump is going to surround himself with the right people and will take us in the right direction. Ultimately he knows how to build a business and hell know how to build a better America.

Still, its an uncomfortable question for many Republican candidates to answer in moderate Connecticut, and the Hearst survey shows a general reluctance to even speak the name Trump.

I will support our Republican nominee, said Nicole Klarides-Ditria, who is running against state Rep. Theresa Conroy for the district that includes Beacon Falls, Seymour and Derby.

Voices against Trump

State Sen. Tony Hwang, of Fairfield, whose district also includes Easton, Newtown, Weston and Westport is one of five local Republicans who said that Trumps insults of women, racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants and the disabled has turned him off completely.

Trumps comments are unacceptable under any circumstances, Hwang said. It perpetuates the potential cycle of violence. I cant say it strong enough that I condemn them. I have never supported him because of those comments.

Four other Republicans running for state House seats also said they would not support Trump: Rep. J.R. Sredzinski, 112th District; Emanuela Palmares, 110th district; Rep. Terrie E. Wood, 141st district; and Steven Bartolo Kolenberg, 144th district.

Not our problem

Many GOP candidates for state office seem to disavow themselves entirely from national politics.

I think I, along with many Americans, arent happy with either of the choices for president this year, said incumbent state Rep. Brenda Kupchick, R-Fairfield. Its a choice between someone who offends me and someone I cant trust to be truthful. Im honestly not sure how Im going to vote on Election Day, but I would never vote for Hillary Clinton.

I remain focused on the issues that face Connecticut and the residents of Bridgeport, Trumbull and Monroe, said Elaine Hammers of Trumbull, a former House member challenging state Sen. Marilyn Moore, D-Bridgeport, in the 22nd District. While I certainly don't condone Donald Trump's words, I am more concerned about Hillary Clinton's actions.

I have absolutely nothing to do with the presidential election, said George Logan, who is running against longtime state Sen. Joe Crisco, D-Woodbridge, whose 17th House District includes Ansonia, Beacon Falls and Derby. My focus is entirely on the state race.

Third-term state Rep. Dan Carter, of Bethel, who is running against U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, said Trumps recent sexist, misogynistic comments are disgusting, and made even worse by the underlying notion that women are objects.

My concern however, is about who will Connecticut send to the U.S. Senate to provide balance in Washington, Carter added. Regardless of who wins the presidency, I'll do what Dick Blumenthal has failed to do in the Senate, and thats hold the president accountable. I won't be afraid to stand up to the White House, regardless of whos in it.
These real PA creatures could become cryptids if we don't save them
What do they think theyre doing? Seriously, what will it take to make our politicians finally understand? Strikes? Civil disobedience? A very British coup? Four months ago the British people did precisely what they were asked to do. They listened to the competing Brexit voices. They weighed up the arguments. And then they went to the polls  33 million of them  and they delivered their verdict.

I personally didnt like it. In fact, I argued passionately on these pages against it. But their verdict was clear. We want to leave the European Union, they said.

This week their elected politicians delivered their considered response. Not so fast, the peoples tribunes replied. We think youve got it wrong. But dont worry your little heads about it. Well take it from here.

A protester in Paris in 1968 when France was crippled by a wave of civil unrest

Of course, it wasnt presented in those terms.

What MPs wanted was simply some scrutiny of the Brexit process, they said. And who could object to that? Parliamentary scrutiny. Its what our democracy rests upon, isnt it? No, it isnt.

This is what British democracy rests upon. The people express their wishes, and the politicians act upon them. Its not perfect. Indeed, it has many flaws. But by and large it has served us well for about 300 years. And if the people who sit within the Palace of Westminster dont come to their senses, that system will be consigned to the dustbin of history.

MPs have been forming an orderly queue to explain to the British people what they had actually voted for. They had not, they were told, voted to leave the European single market. Or end free movement.

Or anything else that could be termed Hard Brexit. Instead, they had voted for something as yet undetermined. But that didnt matter. The politicians would do the determining for them. Except theres a snag. The people did vote for Hard Brexit. The ballot paper asked: Should the UK remain a member of the EU or leave the EU? And they voted to leave the EU.

If the people who sit within the Palace of Westminster dont come to their senses, that system will be consigned to the dustbin of history

That means leaving the single market and the mechanisms that allow for free movement, and discarding the laws imposed by the European courts. There wasnt a third option. No Brexit or Hard Brexit were the only choices on the ballot paper. So, again, what do our politicians think theyre doing?

When Ed Miliband  rejected by British voters in one of the most humiliating political rebukes of the modern era  stood up in the Commons and started lecturing the Government about having no mandate, what was he thinking? Has the man got no self-awareness or humility?

When Michael Gove wrote on Friday that Brexiteers dont want a brick wall at our border, how has he got the nerve?

A week before polling day he told me how he could align his own version of Project Fear  including posters warning of Turkish refugees swarming across the channel  with ideals of modern, progressive conservatism.

They were entirely compatible, he said. The key issues showed the Conservative Party understood the concerns of ordinary working Britons.

When Michael Gove wrote on Friday that Brexiteers dont want a brick wall at our border, how has he got the nerve?

Now it seems ordinary working Britain can go hang. What we witnessed last week was one of the greatest exercises in denial ever undertaken by the British political class.

The liberal Left  unable to comprehend their world view does not extend beyond the M25  have convinced themselves that Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary, will come riding over the hill on his white charger, flourishing a list of 170 questions for Ministers in one hand, and a pot of Marmite in the other.

We have heard a lot of talk from MPs about their bottom lines. But the bottom lines for the British people could not be clearer. They want an end to mass migration. They do not want a conversation about mass migration, or how it will be tempered by restrictions on migrant benefits. They just want it stopped.

And Brexit  through the ending of free movement  is the means by which they have chosen to stop it.

That may be unpalatable to many. But those who ask themselves what sort of country have we become? should ask themselves this: What country will we become if our politicians try to mount a revolt against the will of the people?

Because underpinning this is something else the British people want. On Thursday I was chatting to a senior Remain campaigner.

When Ed Miliband stood up in the Commons and started lecturing the Government about having no mandate, what was he thinking?

He told me a story from one of their focus groups. Theyd been complaining about everything the politicians had taken from them. So I asked, OK, if you could choose one thing, what would you want the politicians to give you? There was a long pause, and then this guy  a fireman  put up his hand. I want them to give me some respect, he said.

At the moment people are staring across the Atlantic aghast at the spectacle of Donald Trump laying waste to the US democratic process. Where does someone like Trump come from? they ask. This. This is where a Donald Trump comes from. When the people speak and their politicians stick their fingers in their ears and say: We cant hear you.

In 2009 a million people voted for the BNP. Are you listening to us? they said. In 2015 four million voted for Ukip. Are you listening to us now? they said. In June, 17 million voted for Brexit. OK, are you listening to us now? they asked.

Our MPs had better come to their senses. Because the British people will not ask again.

Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has emerged as the first major voice of internal opposition to Theresa May

Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has emerged as the first major voice of internal opposition to Theresa May, criticising her grammar schools policy and Hard Brexit rhetoric.

But according to Westminster insiders, all is not what it seems. Nickys just the mouthpiece for George Osborne, an MP tells me. Shes just providing him with cover.

Another MP is more succinct: Put it this way, youll never catch Nicky speaking when George is drinking a glass of water.

Im told a tense stand-off occurred at famous subterranean Westminster drinking den The Players on Thursday, as members of the Remain team gathered to mark the publication of Craig Olivers Brexit diary.

When they came in, a group of Ukip advisers were standing drinking in the opposite corner of the bar, an observer informs me.

For a moment it was like something from the Wild West. Both sides stood there eyeing each other. But then the pianist started belting out Mr Brightside, and they all just started dancing round together. I think that they call this soft Brexit.

Its now ten months since Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk was suspended from the Labour Party

Sexting Simon's ultimatum

Its now ten months since Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk was suspended from the Labour Party after becoming embroiled in a sexting scandal.

And Im told he is preparing to issue an ultimatum to Jeremy Corbyn to finally get his case resolved.

According to a colleague: Simons had enough. He said hes going to write to Corbyn telling him either he restores the whip or hes going to resign, force a by-election and run as an independent.

Though a controversial figure, the maverick MP, is said to enjoy significant personal support in his constituency, and Ukip posted a strong showing in 2015. Corbyn could soon be facing his first important by-election test.

Moderate Labour MPs are discussing a new strategy for coping with Jeremy Corbyns re-election as leader. Its The Trump Plan, one rebel informs me. If May calls a snap Election were going to cut him loose just like the Republicans have.
During his Commons debut as Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson claimed British public opinion is shifting on the Russian bombardment destroying the Syrian city of Aleppo, or what remains of it.

Using a characteristically odd turn of phrase, Johnson said he would propose more kinetic solutions at todays summit of foreign ministers in London.

Thats fancy jargon for fighting  and in particular it means establishing a no-fly zone over northern Syria.

A wounded Syrian boy weeps after Russian aircraft bomb the opposition controlled Firdevs neighborhood in Aleppo

He is not alone, of course. Hillary Clinton, too, has played to the gallery with proposals for a no-fly zone. Many more perfectly well-meaning people agree. For sure, television viewers in Britain and elsewhere have been moved by the scenes of carnage in eastern Aleppo, where 250,000 civilians are stranded amid rebel fighters.

But I wonder how many of those distressed viewers have thought through the consequences of what the Foreign Secretary proposes? They certainly should. Because to impose a no-fly zone is to confront the Russians, who are hell-bent on destroying Aleppo-based opponents of their ally, President Assad  rebels whose elements include, it should be remembered, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda.

It also means confronting Syria itself and its Iranian allies and Irans client Hezbollah militia, all of whom are ranged alongside Russia.

In other words it is to risk consequences of unimaginable seriousness, quite possibly a Third World War.

Syria, irreparably shattered by the five-year civil war, is already an unstable, explosive brew  a battleground for a proxy war between Sunni and Shia heavyweights, Saudi Arabia (funding the rebels) and Iran (backing Assad). This division is one of the most dangerous fault lines on the planet.

Boris Johnson at the Foreign Affairs Committee, where he proposed a 'kinetic' response

Saudi-backed jihadis are fighting with Iranian-funded Hezbollah troops. Throw in an American air force taking on IS, a Turkish army waging war on Kurdish nationalism on the Syrian border and Israeli forces determined to snap Hezbollah supply lines to bases in Lebanon and we have conditions for a conflagration that will drag in nations from around the globe.

Yet it is a decision to confront Russia and President Putin that poses the most terrifying leap into the dark for America and its European allies, including us.

We are, after all, no longer discussing how to take on the rusting shambles of a military left over from the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Today, the Russian forces are a different prospect. Despite the small size of his economy (the size of Italys), Putin has poured money into modernising his armed forces and the result is both impressive and fearsome.

Russia has ships armed with missiles in the eastern Mediterranean. It has positioned its most advanced S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems across the Assad-controlled parts of Syria. The idea that we can dictate conditions to its air force is a non-starter.

A confrontation with Russian would be a leap in the dark for America and Britain, and Putin has sent a considerable force to the eastern Mediterranean

The Israelis of all people know this and are very careful to co-ordinate with the Russians when their pilots want to fly into Syrian airspace against Hezbollah. Even the Americans take care to ensure that their pilots bombing IS do not conflict with Russian planes bombing Syrian rebels.

The tiny RAF is barely involved, which is perhaps why talk of direct conflict between US and Russian aircraft seems too easy.

Then there is the matter of Putins agenda. After a decade and a half of American arrogance  which has included destabilising countries on Russias own borders  Putin is aggressively reminding Washington that Russia remains a great power.

Bashar al-Assad has benefitted from the assistance of Russia in the civil war

Or at least, that it wishes to be  and for that it needs international reach. Remember that America has 800 facilities (ranging from radar stations to major air bases) in no fewer than 70 countries around the world. Britain, France and Russia combined have 30. And one of those Russian bases is in the port of Tartus in Syria.

The relationship between Russia and Syria goes back a long way, and Putin has no intention of letting it go now. Assads father, Hafez, became their chief ally in the Middle East after the Soviet military was turfed out of Egypt in 1972. The Tartus naval base followed and now the Russians have an air base there, too. To secure these, they need Assad to be in control of what they regard as useful Syria. That is why, with Assad losing, Russia intervened a year ago.

The Americans can hardly complain. Russia has been forced to watch a show of strength from the US that has toppled regime after regime in the Middle East, much of it under the guise of the 2011 Arab Spring. Now Russia is giving us its own display.

Partly, it intends to leverage concessions from the West after its incursion into eastern Ukraine. It wants sanctions eased. And it hopes to compensate for low oil and gas revenues with arms sales.

Bomb damaged area in the Old City district of Aleppo, Syria. The city has been largely reduced to rubbble as loyalist forces surround the rebel-held area

Live-fire demonstrations of new weapons in Syria are a wonderful advert. Then there is Russias own domestic jihadist problem. It has already fought two wars in Chechnya to defeat them. And Syria is not far from the Caucasus hotbed of unrest and militancy.

The fact is that Russia has little to lose and the prospects of it backing down are minimal. The more aggressive Putins foreign policy, the more popular he is at home.

A solution is desperately needed. Half the Syrian population are displaced and hundreds of thousands have been killed.

What Britains Foreign Secretary is proposing, though, would involve us in the wrong conflict and one with unimaginable risks of escalation, at a time when all civilised forces should be focused on the menace that is Islamic State. Johnson is supposed to be a diplomat, not a pyromaniac.

A Syrian man carries his wounded son to a field hospital after Syrian and Russian army carried out airstrike on Merce, Aleppo. Many civilians have been killed in the siege

An injured woman reacts at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held area of Old Aleppo. The city has been heavily bombed and a no-fly zone has been proposed

Worse still, imposing a no-fly zone in Syria would actually divert the mainly American combat aircraft that have for months been softening up IS before the expected liberation of Mosul  the second-largest city in Iraq, now the effective IS capital.

For any solution to the conflict we have to face reality. We must accept that it is not Assad who has unleashed terrorists on Brussels and Paris. We must accept it is our so called friends in Saudi Arabia whose pernicious religious doctrines have sown the seeds from which the evils of Islamism have mutated around the world.

And we must accept that Russia is going nowhere until it has achieved what it wants: the destruction of IS and Al Qaeda and the support of an important regional ally.
Boris Johnsons diplomatic ditching of his dishevelled hairdo to mark his debut Commons speech as Foreign Secretary in the Aleppo debate has one downside: Dogs lofty vantage point in the Press Gallery revealed a looming bald patch on Bozzas bonce. No wonder he is always ruffling his tresses: its his version of the Donald Trump Comb-Over

Dogs lofty vantage point in the Press Gallery revealed a looming bald patch on Bozzas bonce

Theresa May never had much in common with Michael Gove and George Osborne. When the pair urged her to watch the psycho-sexual history fantasy TV series Game Of Thrones earlier this year, Her Mayjesty imperiously replied: Sorry, Im more of an Antiques Roadshow person, thank you very much.

McGinn says: Given the state of the party, I feel like taking paternity leave until 2020.

Acerbic Labour MP Conor McGinn, who quit as a party whip last week after Jeremy Corbyn sacked his boss, Rosie Winterton  famed for her kinky boots and feud with Corbyns ex-lover Diane Abbott  is due to become a dad within days. Ulsterman McGinn says: Given the state of the party, I feel like taking paternity leave until 2020.

A welcome touch of glamour will be added to the Lords on Tuesday when David Camerons slinky half-French spin doctor Gabrielle Bertin, left  a key figure in his EU Remain campaign  takes her place on the benches as Baroness Bertin of Battersea. Asked for suggestions for Baroness Gabbys coat of arms, a non-PC male Tory pal joked: A pair of stilettos and a fleur-de-lis draped over the EU flag would do the trick!

Under attack for the Marmite price rise, perhaps food giant Unilever will use its Marmite-style marketing expert, Tatler Tory Mark Clarke, to woo public support. He was accused of bullying Conservative activist Elliott Johnson before his suicide last year and sexually harassing women activists on the Election trail. As one Tory MP said: To say Clarke is like Marmite is only half true...

At a launch party for Craig Olivers memoir, Unleashing Demons, David Camerons former spin doctor said he got a shock after Googling books and unleashing. There are lots of books with unleashing in the title: Unleashing His Bear, Unleashing His Tiger and all sorts of unleashings which have nothing to do with Brexit...

It was handbags at ten paces when Keith Vaz, the Labour MP mired in a rent boy scandal, came face to face with his Tory nemesis Andrew Bridgen  both Leicestershire MPs  at a Commons reception to promote the countys fine food and produce. Vaz tried to get me to pose for a picture with him, fumes Bridgen. Of course I refused. Strangely, Vaz has no recollection of the photographic bust-up.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has spoken about her love of fashion, and why that doesn't make her any less capable as a politician.

To many women, it seems obvious that a love of fashion doesn't make them less capable in a job, but studies have shown that women who dress more masculine at work are more likely to succeed.

Bishop, who is well known for her love of designer labels, has rejected this assumption.

Lady in white: Julie Bishop (left with partner David Panton) has spoken to Stellar magazine about fashion and feminism

Dignified: The Foreign Minister is the first female Deputy Leader of the Australian Liberal Party

Power dressing: Studies have shown that women who dress more masculine at work are more likely to succeed

Speaking to Stellar magazine, the 60-year-old Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party said strongly that powerful women can enjoy fashion and beauty.

'I don't think we should apologise for our femininity,' Bishop said. 'I don't think we should apologise for our interest in fashion.'

'I have always loved fashion and beautiful clothes and magazines, that doesn't mean I can't have a serious career and hold deeply complex, serious conversations about world events with people. To suggest you can't do both is insulting.'

'I don't think we should apologise for our interest in fashion': The 60-year-old says that women can like clothes and still be powerful

'To suggest you can't do both is insulting': She told Stellar magazine that she can have a serious career and like fashion

Armani with Amal: Bishop flies all over the world meeting with foreign leaders and human rights representatives like Amal Clooney (above)

The former lawyer is well known for her love of labels like Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, Chanel, Rachel Gilbert and Escada.

Sh's spoken previously about her belief in 'investment pieces' like Armani suits, and has now revealed that she knows the salespeople at the brand so well that they have her measurements and credit card on file.

Bishop is also a regular at Australian Fashion shows and attends quite a number of events supporting the local creative industry.

Political play: Bishop has spoken previously about her love for 'investment pieces' like Armani suits

Heart on her sleeve: She's also well known for her 'power brooches' (left) and signature jackets (right)

Jetsetting: Bishop manages to look impeccable even when meeting leaders after long haul flights

That is, when she's not jetting all over the world and meeting with foreign leaders, still looking impeccable despite long-haul flights.

She was pictured in her much-loved Armani last month when meeting with Amal Clooney at an event discussing human rights of the Yazidi community in Iraq who are under attack from ISIS.

She looks just as comfortable sitting front row at Melbourne Fashion Week as she does making speeches to the UN or having hard meetings with foreign leaders, proving, like she said, that she can be serious and well dressed at the same time.

VIP: She's such a fan of Armani that the brand has her credit card details and measurements on file

Trailblazing: Bishop has been the Deputy Leader of the Liberal party since 2007, serving under three different leaders

Work and play: Bishop looks just as comfortable in Parliament (left) as she does in the Birdcage at the Melbourne Cup (right)

Despite her love for fashion labels, Bishop does reject one that is becoming increasingly popular: feminist.

The Foreign Minister has previously commented she doesn't find the term 'useful' and doesn't know why people have a fascination with her not using it.

'I don't use labels to self-describe,' she explained.

'I don't call myself a Marxist, I don't call myself a feminist, I don't call myself a range of things. If others wish to, that's fine. I don't know why this is even raised, I must say.'

'I don't use labels to self describe': Bishop says she wouldn't call herself a feminist

'I don't call myself a range of things': She said she doesn't know why the issue is raised about her not identifying as a feminist

'I don't let it get to me': Despite this, the Foreign Minister admits she has seen behaviour towards her she believes wouldn't have happened if she were a man

Despite her rejection of the term, she has spoken out about sexism in politics, and says that she has observed changes in behavior because of her gender.

The eminent 60-year-old says she often wonders if something would have occurred if she were male, but added that she refuses to let it get to her.

Even if you're not a fan of her politics, you've got to admit that Bishop has risen to the top of a male-dominated field with style and substance.
Dr Lau says she and Andreas Wong did have to stick to a strict budget

According to experts, six-figure weddings are becoming more common

She and her husband also had the bridal party arrive in Rolls-Royce cars

These include having two dresses, a fireworks display and seven-tier cake

She talks to FEMAIL about the more opulent details in her wedding

In yesteryear, getting married was a small, intimate affair celebrating the love between two people.

However, thanks to the rise of Instagram, wedding planners and reams of bridal publications, nuptials and wedding ceremonies have become more and more extravagant.

These days, you're more likely to see a private fireworks display on the Amalfi Coast than a dodgy DJ and horrific bridesmaid ensembles.

This is something recent bride and doctor, Natasha Lau, knows only too well.

The Sydney-based 24-year-old and her husband, Andreas Wong, 27, recently tied the knot in spectacular style - in a day that cost over AUD $150,000 and came with all of the trimmings.

However, she maintains she still had to keep to a strict bridal budget.

Big budget: Natasha Lau, 24, from Sydney (pictured) tied the knot with her fiance Andreas Wong in spectacular style

Dream day: The couple had a $150,000 budget, which allowed the bride, Dr Lau (pictured), to have two dresses, alongside all sorts of further opulence

Picture perfect: The happy couple cut their seven tier wedding cake (pictured), inspired by the Royal wedding, with views of Sydney Opera House from the exclusive Quay restaurant

'In the beginning, I never thought my wedding would be overly grand,' Dr Lau told Daily Mail Australia.

'I was after a simple, classic, slightly rustic theme - lots of burning candles and handpicked blooms.

'However, Andreas, my husband, is a perfectionist, and it was him who injected much of the glamour and sophistication into the day.

'Andreas' inspiration drew heavily from English design - he insisted on Royal Albert high tea sets when we hosted a high tea after the ceremony, for instance, and our seven-tier cake was based on the Royal wedding cake.'

Original plans: While original plans left Dr Lau thinking it would be a rustic ceremony, in fact it was much more lavish and took place at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney

Arrive in style: The bridal party arrived at the ceremony in four Rolls Royces, which was Dr Lau's fiance, Andreas Wong's, idea

Intimate after party: The reception later followed at Quay restaurant in Sydney, where there was a private fireworks display put on for them overlooking Sydney Opera House (pictured)

Too much choice: The bride had two dresses for her wedding (pictured) - first, one she wore for the ceremony and church service, and then a semi-sheer gown for the reception

Amazing moment: As Dr Lau walked down the aisle the St Andrew's Cathedral Choir sang Wagner's Bridal Chorus - she said it was 'chillingly beautiful'

The pair wed in St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney, before they hosted a high tea for 300 guests in the cathedral's Chapter House.

COST OF GETTING MARRIED * The average price of an Australian wedding today is AUD $65,482 - up $17,000 from 2011, when the average was $48,296. Advertisement

They later held a reception at the exclusive Sydney restaurant, Quay, where they hosted 150 people and booked out both floors.

'Our incredible seven-tier wedding cake, designed by Sweet Bloom Cakes, was a crowd favourite,' Dr Lau said.

'Andreas' idea of hiring four Rolls-Royces for the bridal party was also very opulent.

'My favourite moment, however, was having the St Andrew's Cathedral Choir sing Wagner's Bridal Chorus as I walked down the aisle. It was chillingly beautiful.'

Guest list: The couple had 300 guests to their first high tea reception, and then later cut it down to 150 when they had dinner at Quay restaurant

Strict budgets: According to Dr Lau, the budget was set by their parents, and they needed to figure out what they wanted to splurge and save on

Cutting back: One of the areas in which the couple cut back on is they kept the original chairs from Quay restaurant (pictured), rather than hiring decorative ones

In love: They splurged on the two gowns, which Dr Lau fell in love with (pictured) - and also on other areas like the flowers at Quay

Inspiration: According to some bridal experts, the trend for the $100,000 plus wedding is getting more and more popular

According to Natasha Lau, while her wedding did cost six figures, she and Andreas had a strict budget they needed to adhere to.

They were told by their parents that they had to decide what they wanted to splurge on, and where they wanted to be more frugal:

We had the most incredible wall of fresh, cascading roses... They took hours to create, but looked amazing

'Because Andreas and I love food, we were obsessed with having a great reception,' Dr Lau said.

'At Quay, we had the most incredible wall of fresh, cascading roses created by Seed Flora. They took hours to create, but looked amazing.

'However, we also used the original restaurant chairs that were in Quay, rather than hiring special decorative ones. That helped the budget a little.'

When it came to outfits, the pair went back to the luxury end of things:

'I was lucky enough to have two dresses,' Dr Lau said.

'The first, for the ceremony, was by Lisa Gowing, and was simple and very traditional.

'For the reception, I fell in love with one particular semi-sheer gown by Claire Pettibone.'

Details: The happy couple thought the day was incredibly special and Dr Lau told Daily Mail Australia it was like a 'dream coming to life'

Rise: 'I think six-figure weddings are becoming more common mainly due to Instagram and other social media platforms,' Dr Lau said - she drew much inspiration from Pinterest

Simplicity: 'There may have been so much beauty and grandeur, but at the same time, there was a very simple and profound sense of joy,' Dr Lau told Daily Mail Australia

Party time: Her second dress for the reception was semi sheer at the back and was designed by Claire Pettibone (pictured)

Outfit one: The first dress was more traditional in its aesthetic - it was simple and was by designer Lisa Gowing (pictured)

The happy couple topped off their celebrations by cutting their wedding cake on the balcony at Quay overlooking Sydney Opera House, as fireworks went off behind them.

'The day was so special - it was like having a dream come to life,' Dr Lau said.

Natasha Lau and Andreas Wong aren't the only couple to have spent six figures on their big day.

I think six-figure weddings are becoming more common mainly due to Instagram and other social media platforms

According to wedding experts, couples are increasingly spending AUD $100,000 plus in order to attain their picture-perfect bridal dream.

Many say that brides often want to emulate the incredibly luxurious ceremonies they see online, whether they are hosted in Italy, Sydney or a Scottish castle.

'I think six-figure weddings are becoming more common mainly due to Instagram and other social media platforms,' Dr Lau told Daily Mail Australia.

'Super extravagant weddings have become normalised and a new generation of couples want to emulate that quality.'

And, while Dr Lau said she is aware that her wedding did cost a lot of money, she added that the meaning was still the same regardless of the hefty price tag:
If you were in the sleepy town of Goulburn, Australia, on Saturday, you might have thought you were still dreaming, or perhaps had stumbled onto a film set.

Seen in the vicinity was a mechanical fairy, a dinosaur in a top hat, time travellers, and Wonder Woman.

It wasn't an alternative universe, but instead just the Steampunk and Victoriana Fair.

Back to the future: The Steampunk and Victoriana Fair was on Saturday in Goulburn, Australia

Flying in: The fair saw a number of people in elaborate costumes come to town (above)

Special guest: Author and activist Tara Moss (left) was at the event and judged the best dressed competition

The annual event, now in its third year at the Goulburn Historic Waterworks, had people travel from all over the country to attend.

The guest of honour was author and activist Tara Moss, who judged the fashion parade at the event.

Ms Moss herself is a fan of steampunk, which is a specific subgenre of science fiction that combines futuristic elements with 19th century industrial revolution style technology and fashion.

Time to explain: Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction which combines the future with industrial revolution era fashion and technology

Hats off: It also crosses over with other genres of fiction like fanatasy, sometimes resulting in Victoriana era dinosaurs (above)

Success: It's the third year the event has been held, with numbers growing every time

WHAT IS STEAMPUNK? Steampunk is a specific subgenre of science fiction that combines futuristic elements with 19th century industrial revolution style technology and fashion. Fans of the genre often enjoy dressing up in elaborate costumes for events, with parasols, goggles, and top hats common. Advertisement

Visitors to the fair could browse market stalls, enjoy food and wine, and get rides on old forms of transport like steam engines, penny farthings, and carriages.

There was even duellingalthough not in the traditional sense.

Parasol dueling is similar to rock, paper, scissors, only played with parasols. The two contestants stand back to back and then turn and either twirl, snub or plant their umbrella.

The winner is determined the same way as with the traditional game, with a plant equivalent to rock, a twirl equivalent to paper, and a snub equivalent to scissors.

Huge: Last year 600 people attended the event, and organisers believe this year was about the same

All together now: Visitors to the festival could eat local food, browse market stalls, and see steampunk art

Traditional transportation: People could also take rides in steam engines, carriages, penny fathings, and old cars

The real draw to the event, however, is the outfits.

A big part of the steampunk culture is cosplay, and participants put lots of time and effort into constructing elaborate costumes.

Top hats, goggles and parasols are common in outfits, with corsets and full skirts for women and trousers and vests for men.

There was a best dressed award on the day for different categories, with one woman in a steampunk fairy costume being one of the most photographed on the day.

Woman woman: However costumes are the main draw for the festival, with one attendee coming as a steampunk-inspired wonder woman

Big skirts, big hearts: Full skirts, corsets and cog-inspired jewelry is common for women
In the world of professional Instagram 'influencers', choosing the right photos of yourself to put online is paramount.

Young men and women can get lucrative amounts of money by simply looking good and posting pictures of their aspirational lifestyles, and many feel like they need to appear perfect at all times.

One blogger and influencer, Beck Lomas, is trying to buck the trend. Alongside pictures of the Central Coast local in a bikini, there's also a picture of her face without a scrap of makeup.

Fun in the sun: Fitness blogger and social media influencer Beck Lomas (above) says that she wants to be real online

'Pimply, bleeding, sore face': The 22-year-old posted a photo showing her face without make up, and the acne she deals with

Rather than having flawless skin like you might expect, Ms Lomas instead shares pictures of her 'pimply, bleeding, sore face'.

'My skin will always be a journey in itself, I don't think I will ever be one of those girls who feels completely okay without makeup, but that's fine,' she wrote next to one photo uploaded two weeks ago.

The fitness blogger, who is known for sharing photos of her toned bikini body and vegan food porn, told Daily Mail Australia she believes it's important to be 'real' online.

'My skin will always be a journey in itself': She said that she doesn't think she will ever feel okay without makeup

Picture perfect: Ms Lomas, who has more than 155,000 followers on Instagram, said that she wants to show she has flaws

'My skin is always something I try and talk about because Ive struggled with it for 10 years now,' she said.

'A lot of Instagram influencers have flaws but they don't show them. I want to be more relatable than that.'

Ms Lomas, who has more than 155,000 followers on Instagram, says that she feels like sharing photos such as selfies without makeup on is important to keep yourself down to earth.

Self esteem and social media: The 22-year-old said that she feels bad about herself when seeing certain social media stars who seem perfect

'It can make young impressionable girls feel bad about themselves': She said that she never wants young women to feel bad looking at her feed

Ms Lomas said that she realises the impact Instagram can have on women's self esteem, and that she's experienced it herself.

'I personally struggle when I follow certain people, because you only see them with perfect skin and perfect hair and the perfect body,' she explained.

'It makes you feel bad about yourself, it can make young impressionable girls feel bad about themselves.
A baby has miraculously survived after being born with just two tablespoons of blood in her entire body - and the rest made of water.

Frankie Morrison, from Hull, had just 35ml of blood when she was born - which is seven time less than the average amount inside a newborn.

It meant Frankie, now 12-months-old, had more water than blood inside her body when she was born.

Frankie Morrison was born with just two tablespoons of blood in her body but despite the odds has survived. Pictured: Frankie with her mother Maria Sandars

Frankie had to immediately be resuscitated by doctors as soon as she was born through an emergency Caesarean section after medics found she was not moving inside her mother's womb.

Despite having more water than blood inside her body, and doctors telling her parents Maria Sandars, 32, and Chris Morrison, 33, to expect the worse, Frankie pulled through unscathed.

Mother-of-three Maria said staff at Hull Royal Infirmary, East Yorkshire, even told her and Chris that a priest was available to bless Frankie after she was born on October 20 last year.

Where the blood was supposed to be Frankie's body was filled with water and her parents Maria and Chris Morrison (pictured with Frankie) were told to prepare for the worst

Maria went into hospital earlier after she became aware that Frankie was no longer moving and she was rushed in for an emergency C-section

Maria was rushed into theatre after arriving at the hospital on the day of Frankie's birth after doctors discovered Frankie hadn't moved for two days due to the lack of blood in her body.

Maria, from Hull said: 'I went into hospital on the Sunday before she was born because I couldn't feel her moving and they said that she might just be feeling lazy, but I knew something wasn't right.

'They sent me home but told me to go back in if anything else happens.

After Frankie was stabilised by medics she was then rushed to be put on a specialist life-support machine in Leicester

When she was born Frankie was unresponsive and had to have water drained from her lungs

Frankie's parents believed that their daughter would not live to see a whole day

On the way to Leicester Frankie began to make a miraculous recovery and was transferred back to Yorkshire after just three days of monitoring

'I just knew something wasn't right so I went back in two days later and I am glad I did because I think that's one of the reasons why she is still with us.

'She wasn't moving so they put me on a machine that found she was still alive and still had a heartbeat.'

Maria was rushed in to surgery for an emergency Caesarian section at 3.10am October 20, and just 10 minutes later Frankie was born.

She said: 'When she came out she was unresponsive. They got her out and started working on her straight away.

After her two blood transfusions saw Frankie improve she was able to return home

'When I came around from the operation I could see people standing around me crying.

'I thought I had lost her. They said she had been having breathing difficulties and told us in a roundabout way that I had to go to see her because it's not looking good. They said they didn't hold out much hope for her.

'I went up to her and there was this chubby little eight pound baby who was so bloated because she had all this water instead of blood inside her.

'Her body was soaking wet and they were carrying out chest drains on her because water had got into her lungs and chest.

'But I just took one look at her and knew she was a fighter and would pull through.'

A year on and the only repercussion is that Frankie has a slightly weakened immune system

Chris and Maria (pictured with Frankie's sisters Brooke, 10, -left- and Mollie, five) say they feel like the luckiest people in the world

After Frankie was stabilised by medics she was then rushed to be put on a specialist life-support machine in Leicester.

Maria said while babies born with less than an average amount of blood isn't uncommon, it is much rarer for babies to be born with extremely low levels like Frankie.

She said: 'It's not completely unheard of but in Frankie's case it was so severe.

'Babies can pass blood back through the umbilical cord but its never normally anywhere near like she did.

Maria was also keen to thank all of the staff that helped Frankie recover

'Doctors think she passed one good dose two weeks before she was born and then another dose just before labour came.'

Maria, an admin assistant, and Chris, a bricklayer, were told if Frankie survived then it was likely she would be wheelchair-bound or brain-damaged for the rest of her life.

Maria recalled: 'They said to us that basically her chances weren't looking good and she was being assessed minute-by-minute rather than hour-by-hour or day-by-day.

'Her only chance of survival was to go to Leicester, but they said that on paper her brain should have been starved of oxygen and if she did survive she wouldn't walk and talk and would be severely brain damaged.'

However during the helicopter ride between Hull and Leicester Frankie miraculously began to improve and she was transferred back to East Yorkshire after just three days of observations.

Maria said: 'She had two blood transfusions while she was at Hull Royal Infirmary and they must have kicked in during the helicopter ride to Leicester.'

Frankie was allowed to return home with Maria and Chris to meet older sisters Brooke, 10, and Mollie, five, just three weeks after being born.

A year on and the only repercussions Frankie has experienced is a slightly weaker immune system than other children her age.

Maria said: 'She went back at six months for a check up with her consultant and he was nearly in tears because he couldn't believe how well she was doing.

'They didn't have much hope for her at all. They didn't think she would see the day out.'

Maria added: 'It's brilliant. We are just the luckiest people in the world. I would never class myself as unlucky again after seeing what Frankie went through.

'I still cannot believe the baby sat in front of me after everything she has been through.

'I just want to thank all the staff, because without them she would not be here. They are amazing people, absolutely amazing. They are miracle workers in that ward.
The Northern Lights are still at their peak after 2014s solar maximum  the point of greatest solar activity. Book to see the sensational sky show this winter.

SCOTTISH SPECTACULAR

Yes this really is Scotland pictured earlier this year. Its home to the UKs first Dark Sky Park, Galloway Forest Park

Yes this really is Scotland pictured earlier this year. Its home to the UKs first Dark Sky Park, Galloway Forest Park, where you can see over 7,000 stars and planets, shooting stars and the Northern Lights.

INSIDER TIP: Head to Loch Doon for clear skies by night.

DETAILS: Stay in a cottage on the Craigengillan Estate. From 397 for seven days, cottages.com. Observatory tickets 12 adults, 8 children,

scottishdarkskyobservatory.co.uk

NORWAY BY NIGHT

Join lights enthusiast Andy Keen on one of his expeditions to the arctic wilderness of Northern Norway

Join lights enthusiast Andy Keen on one of his expeditions to the arctic wilderness of Northern Norway.

INSIDER TIP: Hire a thermal suit and bring a camera.

DETAILS: The five-day trip costs 1,955pp including 4 nights B&B, evening meals and three nights aurora chasing, aurorabasecamp.com. Flights to Oslo from 78 return, britishairways.com. Onward flights to Harstad-Narvik from 200 return, flysas.com.

EYECATCHING ICELAND

Iceland thrills by day and night. Soak up its Golden Circle, geysers, lava fields, waterfalls and volcanoes and come evening retire to remote Hotel Ranga

Iceland thrills by day and night. Soak up its Golden Circle, geysers, lava fields, waterfalls and volcanoes and come evening retire to remote Hotel Ranga. If you go to bed and the lights appear, reception will wake you.

INSIDER TIP: After supper, head to the hotels roof observatory equipped with two computerised telescopes.
Christine McAnea, from Union, said: 'It's time this unfair tax on care ended'

Its profits have gone up from 4.8million in 2014 to 5.9million last year

One of Britains biggest hospital parking firms has been accused of 'adding insult to injury' as it announced a 22 percent rising in profits.

Parking Eye made a profit of 5.9million last year, up from 4.8million in 2014.

It comes just days after it was revealed that a third of hospitals have increased their parking fees in the past year  with the worst charging 4 for stays of an hour or less.

Anne Doyle (pictured) was handed an 85 fine after took the advice on an NHS flyer to 'park and ride' for an appointment at Leicester General Hospital, which overran

Campaigners say the charges are hitting cancer sufferers and other very sick patients receiving life-saving treatment particularly hard.

Hospitals claim the increasing pressure on NHS finances has left them with little choice but to target patients and their visitors.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt vowed to crack down on hospital parking fees in 2014.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (left) has in the past promised to crack down on hospital parking fees but patients and relatives visiting the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford (right) have to pay 4 for up to two hours

He said: Patients and families shouldnt have to deal with the added stress of unfair parking charges.

Patients are led to believe the fees go towards care, but much of the money is often actually paid to private companies such as as Parking Eye.

Christine McAnea, from the Unison trade union, told the Daily Mirror: 'It adds insult to injury that hospital patients and hard-working staff have no option but to line the pockets of greedy car parking companies.

Patients are charged up to 4 an hour to park outside hospitals in England, prompting criticism that cancer patients and those receiving life-saving treatment are worst affected

'These ever-increasing charges are fuelling huge company profits. It's time this unfair tax on care ended.'

Out of 209 hospital trusts in England, 69 have increased their parking charges.

They include the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, where the minimum charge is 4 for up to two hours, making it the most expensive hospital for parking.

The charges only apply to patients in England  hospital trusts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all abolished them.

The Government has repeatedly promised to make it easier for patients and visitors to park for free but has stopped short of scrapping charges altogether.

A Mail investigation last year revealed the car parks of nearly half of trusts were run by firms who take between 10 and 100 percent of the money.

In 2014, the Mail reported how wardens employed by these firms targeted the elderly and the disabled just minutes after their tickets had expired.
An article on July 23 ('Terrifying price of Merkel's delusion') about a terrorist attack on a German commuter train included a reference to the shooting at a Munich shopping centre on July 22.

Since publication, it has become clear that the gunman Ali Sonboly held dual German-Iranian citizenship and was born and raised in Germany.

We apologise for any contrary impression given.

An article on October 10 'Eat to beat the menopause' included a conversion error in the recipe for cherry cake.

The correct amount of baking powder should be 1.5 teaspoons not 175g as we wrongly stated.

To report an inaccuracy, please email corrections@dailymail.co.uk.

To make a formal complaint under IPSO rules please go to www.dailymail.co.uk/readerseditor where you will find an easy-to-use complaints form.
Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander in the romance that will have you reaching for the Kleenex

As beautiful as it is heartbreaking, autumns hugely anticipated romantic epic features an incredible cast including Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz.

This gripping story reminds us of the infinite power of love, the overwhelming fear of loss and the complexities of human nature that bind the two.

When lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne (Fassbender) and his adored wife Isabel (Vikander) discover a baby adrift in a boat off the remote coast of Western Australia, they make the decision to raise the child as their own.

The shattering consequences of this choice will change their lives for ever.

Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander in the romance that will have you reaching for the Kleenex

The Light Between Oceans (certificate 12A) will be in cinemas from Tuesday 1 November, but YOU readers can see it first at 20 free cinema screenings taking place across the UK on Monday 24 October.

To see the trailer, click the link below





To book

Simply visit showfilmfirst.com and enter the code YOUMAG

Terms and conditions Offer open to UK residents aged 18 or over. There will be 5,000 tickets in total. Tickets will be offered on a first come, first served basis via the website. Maximum two tickets per reader. Screenings will take place on the dates and at the times and locations specified on the showfilmfirst.com website. Tickets are strictly non-transferable. No cash alternative. For full terms and conditions go to showfilmfirst.com




Just weeks before NIC RAY was due to give birth to her second child, her husband nearly died when a case of suspected food poisoning turned out to be sepsis. What happened next left her married to a man she barely recognised  and their heart-rending story has now been made into a film

Nic Ray is, by her own definition, irrefutably low-maintenance. So much so that when the YOU photographer tentatively suggests that she might want to apply a little make-up before stepping in front of the lens, Nic has to confess that she doesnt own any.

Within a couple of minutes, however, because she is ever resourceful, she has rummaged around her teenage daughters dressing table and returned with freshly applied lip gloss.

'Nothing is hidden between us,' Nic says. 'We've been to places no normal couple would have to go'

Nic with her husband Tom, whose face was left disfigured after suffering from sepsis - a reaction to an infection that causes the body to damage its own organs and tissues

To those who know Nic of old, her lack of camera readiness might seem surprising. A former film director, she spent many exhilarating years during her 20s and early 30s making documentaries, music videos and advertising promotions, and knows instinctively what is involved in projecting an image.

For those who know of her life today, however, it is easy to understand why her own appearance merits not even a nanosecond of thought.

The old me would have been to the hairdresser and bought a new outfit before you arrived, she says. But that version doesnt exist any more. I had to kill her off because her life had none of the responsibilities I have now.

The cataclysmic event that turned Nics world on its axis began one December night, not with an explosive drama, but with her husband Tom complaining of cold hands and a headache.

Through the early hours, he was sick several times, which led them both to assume that he had a severe dose of food poisoning.

In fact, Tom, then aged 38, had sepsis, a condition where the immune system goes into overdrive in response to an infection, damaging its own tissues.

His condition deteriorated so rapidly, and there were such delays in getting a correct diagnosis, that within 24 hours, Nic, who at the time was eight and a half months pregnant with their second child, was told Tom had only a one in ten chance of pulling through.

Miraculously, he did survive, but at terrible physical cost. When he returned home nine months later, he was a quadruple amputee with severe facial disfigurement. Its a sobering thought that 150,000 people in the UK develop sepsis every year; of those 44,000 die.

The illness is more common than heart attacks and has a higher death toll than bowel, breast and prostate cancers combined.

Yet awareness remains alarmingly low  although thanks to Nic and Tom, that is about to change.

Tom says he is truly blessed to have Nic. Despite everything, I feel as though I am the luckiest guy in the world because Ive had the chance to live half a lifetime with the one person I was destined to be with

This month sees the release of Starfish, a movie already being billed as one of the most affecting British films of the year. Starring Joanne Froggatt and Tom Riley, it depicts  with terror but also rare honesty  the devastating fallout of Toms illness, Nics heroic struggle to cope and, ultimately, the love and hope that has held their family together in the ensuing years.

The backstory to Tom and Nics love affair might have been a film script all of its own.

Now both aged 54, the pair met as first-year university students at Exeter in the early 1980s.

The moment I saw Nic, I fell in love with her, says Tom. He was definitely my type  small, dark, intense. There was an aura about him, Nic remembers.

But Tom already had a girlfriend back home, and as his father had abandoned his mother when he was five, Tom had firm notions about loyalty.

I thought once you were with someone, you had to stay faithful; that you shouldnt ever break up and hurt someone like my mother had been hurt, he explains.

Throughout their student years, Tom and Nics paths crisscrossed constantly and Tom confesses to assiduously rebuffing Nic to the point of rudeness.

After graduating, he married the girl from home  and within three years it was over.

Nic, meanwhile, had no boyfriends while at university, but in her early 20s embarked on a long-term relationship, which ended just before she hit 30. Several months later, out of the blue, a letter dropped through her door that read: I remember you. Do you remember me? Tom Ray.

Nic and Tom on their wedding day in 1998

Tom and daughter Grace in St Ives, in 1999

Stunned, Nic replied with a jokey card and her phone number. They met for a drink the following weekend, and that was it  kerboom, Nic recalls. Id always felt he was the one  hed just taken a long time to let me know he felt the same way.

Within a year, they were living together, and within two, in March 1997, they had their first child, Grace.

It was as though the stopper had come out of the bottle  that decade of romance, excitement and creativity that we had missed was suddenly ours, all at once, Nic explains.

Tom had been working in a bank, but his real passion was writing and acting (he had won a national novel-writing prize at the age of 18 and enjoyed leading roles in plays while at university). It made sense for him to give up the day job and combine childcare with developing a scriptwriting career while Nic went back to the filmmaking work she loved.

In 1998, they found a window in which to get married, and by December 1999  the point where Starfish picks up their story  Nic was just weeks away from giving birth to their son Freddy.

Early symptoms of sepsis  fever, headache, muscle pains  make the condition easy to confuse with everyday illnesses, although with hindsight Nic can identify other warning signs.

After being sick through the night, Tom urged Nic to keep the curtains closed because the brightness was hurting his eyes.

They believed Tom had food poisoning because he had eaten some out-of-date sausages the night before, but Nic was worried enough to call the GP, who arranged for her to pick up an antiemetic (an anti-vomiting drug) from the pharmacy.

Tom rallied a bit and came downstairs to watch some telly, Nic recalls.

That afternoon, she went to see her mother, who was looking after Grace, so that Tom could rest quietly. She returned alone to their cottage at dusk and as I walked through the door, I remember the feeling of wrong, she says. The house was in darkness and Tom was on the sofa, his face grey and his lips blue, shaking and starting to lose consciousness.

She called the GP, who came to the house and thought Tom might have had an allergic reaction to the antiemetic.

An ambulance arrived, Tom was rushed to A&E where they did the usual tests, and all the time he was getting colder and colder and his blood pressure was dropping through the floor, but nobody was doing anything about it  they didnt even give him a paracetamol, Nic says.

She can recall that night in minute-by-minute detail because she has relived it a million times. Tom was admitted to a medical ward and for hours, as Nic sat with her uncomfortably large pregnancy bump in the cramped space by his bed, doctors came and went and scratched their heads.

At 11pm, as a wildfire rash spread across his chest, Tom was told, to go to sleep.

Only at 4am, when he started bleeding from his eyes and Nic screamed for help, was he moved to intensive care.

Nic was removed to a side room, while Toms body was rammed with antibiotics. At 6am, a doctor told Nic that Tom had sepsis and that nine out of ten patients in his condition dont survive beyond 24 hours.

She was advised to summon relatives and within an hour her mother arrived with Grace.

I went to the lift doors to meet them  and this was the very worst moment, she says, choking back tears at the memory. Grace came rushing out to meet me, pushing her toy buggy and saying, Is the baby here? And I had to tell her, No, babys not here yet, but Daddys not very well.

'I was galvanising every ounce of acting power I had to hold it together, but the adrenalin was rushing and I was hyper-aware of being on that razor edge between our lovely past and a nightmare future.

If left untreated, sepsis can cause plummeting blood pressure, clotting and multiple organ failure. Once blood and nutrients can no longer reach the bodys extremities, the flesh begins to die.

This was why Toms hands and feet had felt so cold and why, within a week, surgeons had to begin amputations, first of his fingers and toes, and then of his hands and feet, gradually working, through revisions, up his arms and legs to his elbows and knees to arrest the gangrene.

Nic also had to consent to the devastating cutting away of necrotic areas of his face  the nose, lips and surrounding flesh  and also part of his tongue.

Tom remained in a coma, his life hanging by a thread, for more than two months. In mid-January, Nic went into labour with Freddy (two weeks late) as Tom underwent yet more amputations.

I remember the nurses relaying messages about the surgery as I gave birth, she says. There followed several more months after Tom came round in which he needed stabilising and rehab. Nic saw him daily, with a breastfeeding Freddy in tow.

Tom with Grace in 1998

When she brought Grace, then aged three, to the hospital, she took one look at Toms still raw facial wounds, cried, Thats not my daddy, and fled down the corridor.

The medical team were monitoring Tom closely, but in retrospect, Nic realises, they were also evaluating her.

Everyone is sussing you out, deciding how well you are going to manage, whether youll crack, she says.

Nic, the South London-born daughter of a housing officer father and shorthand typist mother, exudes calm under pressure.

Im not someone who collapses in a heap, but to be honest, I wish I had given out more of a sense of vulnerability. Keeping strong gets you through the emergency phase, but it is also self-destructive, and you end up paying for it further down the line.

Once Tom was discharged from hospital in August 2000, Nic took responsibility for all his physical needs  the changing of dressings on his stumps and the administering of a cocktail of drugs (his spleen and adrenal glands were destroyed and his heart and kidneys permanently damaged).

She also had to be Toms psychological buffer as he adjusted to the limitations of his ravaged body and looks.

Even today, there are few mirrors in their home in Oakham, Rutland.

Tom can look at himself, but he would never dwell on his reflection, Nic says.

WHAT IS SPESIS? Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is a reaction to an infection that causes the body to damage its own organs and tissues. If not spotted and treated quickly, it can rapidly lead to organ failure and death. Its key symptoms include: Slurred speech, which is triggered by a lack of blood supply to the brain.

Mottled or discoloured skin anywhere on the body.

Extremely painful muscles due to a lack of oxygen.

Passing no urine in one day, as the kidneys stop working properly.

Severe breathlessness. The body senses there isnt enough oxygen getting to the brain, so it increases the drive to breathe to increase it.

Chronic tiredness and swelling of the affected area. This year the government announced funding for a campaign by the Sepsis Trust to improve public awareness of sepsis, empowering people to Just Ask: Could It Be Sepsis? Earlier recognition of the condition could save 14,000 lives each year in the UK. For more information, visit sepsistrust.org Advertisement

She recalls how, in the early days, as Tom sank into a deep depression, he would sit and stare at the wall for hours.

Distressingly for them both, he had lost huge chunks of memory.

So much of a relationship is shared memories, but although Tom could remember our student days, our wedding, Graces birth and so many other landmarks were blanks to him. It felt as though a stranger had come home.

With the help of family and friends, Nic organised an appeal to raise funds for more technologically advanced prosthetic limbs than those provided by the NHS.

They also consulted a lawyer in the hope of constructing a medical negligence case.

An investigation identified the likely cause as a dental appointment Tom had a few days before being taken ill.

The dentist had inadvertently nicked his gum and because Tom had been suffering from a niggling chest infection, the probability was that the localised infection had entered his bloodstream through the cut in his mouth, leading to sepsis.

There was a third factor: for some reason his immune system was barely functioning. We dont know to this day why that was, says Nic.

But the bottom line was that the negligence case was a complex long shot and would require funding they didnt have.

Nic was juggling all this while also being a mum to two small children. She had the support of her mother Jean, and Toms mother Angela and his sister Nina, a former nurse, were also on hand.

They also had a nanny for Grace and Freddy  until their savings ran out. Going back to work was not an option as Tom needed too much care, so they sold their beautiful period cottage and moved in with Jean.

Nic is candid enough to admit that, more than once, she thought of leaving Tom.

You cant help yourself. These thoughts just come into your head. But every time I contemplated walking away, I also thought, How can I? If I do, Tom will die, because he will have utterly lost the will to live.

What she could no longer do was make love to him. The scarring to Toms face  he has no lips  means that not even a kiss is possible.

We havent kissed since it happened, she says. There is a heart-rending scene in Starfish where Tom reaches out to her in bed and she cannot turn towards him. And another where she tells him, Ill never stop loving you, Tom, never stop believing in you. But I cant make love to you. I cant be that girl any more. Ive seen, done, things no lover should ever have to.

Tom looks at me and I am the same, Nic tells me now. But I look at him and see total devastation. He was still Tom on the inside, but I was playing so many mind games just to get through the days.

Joanne Froggatt as Nic in Starfish, the film which tells the heartbreaking tale of Tom and Nic's journey

After four years, Nic had a nervous breakdown. She recalls being in the corner of the room, banging my head against the wall, and Mum saying, We are going to see the doctor.

She was treated for grief, for the life she had lost, and post-traumatic stress disorder  and given six sessions of counselling, the maximum available on the NHS.

Around the same time, after consulting a leading plastic surgeon in London, Tom was told nothing more could be done to improve the appearance of his face. They were at rock bottom.

Their salvation has been the children: Grace, now 19, who has just started university, and Freddy, 16.

Im sure, particularly in the early days, Tom thought about his medicine chest full of drugs and what he could do to himself, but wanting to be here for Grace and Freddy has brought him back from the brink, Nic says.

For both of us, having them around has been massive. Theyre entertaining and they need us.

The NHS eventually provided Tom with myoelectric prosthetic arms, which work on nerve sensors and gave him back the ability to grip, lift and hold (the few thousand pounds the family had raised through events such as a charity bike ride were swallowed up by emergency living costs).

Tom learned to drive an adapted car and in 2004 he secured a job in a local call centre, where he still works.

Its minimum wage, but it has been huge for his self-esteem, Nic says.

Today, Tom is determinedly independent  he refuses to use a wheelchair or have handrails around the house.

Many conversations have helped plug the gaps in his memory, and although the dynamic, high-energy side of his personality has mellowed, he remains gentle, wry and a great storyteller.

The breakthrough for Nic came after she enrolled on a life-drawing evening class, which led to her studying a fine art degree part time.

Post-nervous breakdown, she found that painting gave her a way to express herself that no words could.

She drives me to her studio, a ramshackle room in a converted barn, full of art books and junk-shop furniture.

The family home, which they share with her mother, doesnt reflect who she truly is, she explains, just as the clothes she wears  mostly hand-me-downs or charity-shop buys  are not necessarily to her taste. But this place, she says sweeping her gaze around a collection of canvases, this is me. This is who I am.

Starfish came about through a serendipitous encounter eight years ago with writer and director Bill Clark, whom Nic knew from her filmmaking days.

They bumped into each other in Oakham, went for a coffee, and it was like mainlining back to my old life, she recalls.

Bill knew Tom had been ill, but not about the aftermath. He began researching and writing, collaborating with Tom and Nic at every stage.

Financing independent productions is never straightforward, but finally, last year, the team was assembled.

Nic in her studio, a private room in a converted barn, full of art books and junk-shop furniture

The actor Tom Riley is, Nic says, a dead-ringer for Tom, before sepsis, so that was weird.

As for the casting of Joanne Froggatt, the Yorkshire-born star of Downton Abbey (she played ladys maid Anna Bates), as herself, Nics first thought was, Shes blonde and northern; Im dark and a southerner, so how does that work? But, like me, she has an inner steel  you dont want to mess with her. Shes been fantastic.

Tom appears on screen as a body double and both he and Nic spent a lot of time on the set.

In cash terms, the film is unlikely to change their lives, but the process of making it has profoundly enriched their relationship.

Its brought us to a real point of honesty, Nic says. Nothing is hidden between us because weve been to places no normal couple would have to go.

Tom tells me he is truly blessed to have Nic. Despite everything, I feel as though I am the luckiest guy in the world because Ive had the chance to live half a lifetime with the one person I was destined to be with.

And despite everything, it is still possible, says Nic, to find moments of perfect bliss.

This summer they went, as they have done for the past 20 years, to St Ives, Cornwall.

Tom and I sat drinking coffee, looking at Grace and Freddy on the beach in their wetsuits and thinking about how much they have grown. And when we are there together, sharing those precious moments, nothing else matters.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has her own fan following and ever since she was admitted in Apollo hospital on September 22, due to illness, her supporters have been offering prayers for her speedy recovery.

A man, said to be a member of AIADMK, chose a rather dangerous path to offer his prayer for Jayalalithaas health.

The man named Irulandi, slept on a bed of thorns for 24 hours praying for his beloved leader.

The man named Irulandi, slept on a bed of thorns for 24 hours praying for his beloved leader Jayalalitha who has been ill for last ten days

Jayalalitha's followers have been conducting special poojas, lighting several lamps and offering several litres of milk pots on deities for speedy recovery of their favourite leader.

But Irulandi, an AIADMK functionary from Madurai, did the special prayer to Goddess Pechiyamman.

Irulandi designed a thorn bed, which made up of five different types of sharp, painful and poisonous thorns.

Amma's followers are touching fanatical heights praying for her recovery

He took a vow to lie on it in a meditative state for 24 hours as an offering to Goddess Pechiyamman hoping that in return, Jayalalithaa would be blessed with good health.

Devotees, visiting the temple of Pechiyamman, were amazed to see Irulandi lying on the bed of thorns.

As he laid on the thorns, devotees made a beeline visiting him with folded hands and offering prasadam. The local residents have been hailing Irulandi's dedication for Jayalalitha, fondly referred to as 'Amma' (mother).

According to a report by The News Minute Amma worship is reaching an unprecedented height.

Her followers are going fanatical heights for her recovery. Its been more than ten days and her health condition largely remains mysterious.
"An old friend is better than two new, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin as the two met in picturesque South Goa for the 17th India-Russia Summit ahead of the BRICS & BIMSTEC meet.

India and Russia inked 16 agreements signalling strong intent to procure S- 400 Triumf long range anti-missile defence systems, manufacture 200 Ka-226 T Kamov helicopters in India, and move ahead with the construction of Talwar Class stealth frigates for the Indian Navy.

Russia assured India it stood by New Delhi in the wake of the Uri terror attacks and gave India unequivocal support to deal with cross-border terror.

Russian President Vladimir Putin with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting in Benaulim, Goa

Russia also indicated its support to India in its effort to isolate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terror.

The procurement of the S-400 Triumf missile system is seen as a game-changer as it has a capabilities to destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) up to a distance of approximately 400 km.

The Triumf can fire multiple projectiles creating a layered defence shield and can simultaneously engage 36 targets.

India will be the second country in the region after China to acquire the system.

The Indian Navy has been keenly eyeing the procurement of Project 11356 guided missile stealth frigates.

While two frigates will be procured from Russia, two others are to be made in India.

The intent to buy 200 Kamov helicopters and manufacture the rest in India is a shot in the arm for the Indian armed forces as a replacement for the ageing Chetak and Cheetah fleet.

To take the military-to-military relations to the next level, India and Russia will also hold an annual military-industrial conference.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Russian President Putin for his personal leadership in stabilising the relationship.

Russias clear stand on the need to combat terrorism mirrors our own. We deeply appreciate Russias understanding and support of our actions to fight cross-border terrorism that threatens our entire region, Modi said.

We both affirmed the need for zero tolerance in dealing with terrorists and their supporters, he added.

India had expressed concern with Russian Army carrying out a joint military exercise with the Pakistan Army and sources say India hoped its concerns had been addressed by Russia.

India has also proposed eight new nuclear reactors from Russia. Earlier in the day, both the leaders pressed a button to signal the starting of work on Unit 3 & 4 of the Kudankulam project.

Tibetans display placards during protest against China for the freedom of Tibet, at Margao, Goa

Both India and Russia spoke of constituting an energy bridge between the two countries working on long-term LNG sourcing, hydrocarbon energy pipeline and renewable energy cooperation.

Apart from signing agreements on smart city projects in Andhra Pradeh and Haryana, India and Russia also inked an agreement on high-speed trains between Secundarabad and Hyderabad.

Amid reports of the relationship being adrift, India insisted that the two countries were not only special and privileged strategic partners, but also very close friends who were deepening their ties for military, economic and energy growth.

India and Russia are also working together on cyber security and information technology.

Here's the cure for IAF and Army's copter woes

By Jugal R Purohit

In what is being seen as an important milestone in addressing a long-awaited requirement of the armed forces, India and Russia inked a joint venture to manufacture 200 helicopters in India for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF).

This was done on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa where India and Russia held their annual, bilateral summit.

The Kamov-226T, a twin-engine helicopter, born out of Russian engineering and French engine power, is the chosen platform.

India and Russia inked a joint venture to manufacture 200 Kamov-226Ts (above) for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force

The project, said to cost nearly $1 billion will be the first major defence venture under governments Make in India programme.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and senior ministry officials attended the event.

Following up on an inter-government agreement on Cooperation in the field of Helicopter Engineering signed in Moscow, during PM Narendra Modi's visit last December, a firm 'Indo-Russian Helicopters Private Limited' will be created to execute the task.

The firm will see the Russian government owned Rostec Corporation having a 49.5 per cent stake and Defence Ministrys Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with a 50.5 per cent stake.

The manufacturing will take place either at HALs helicopter complex in Bengaluru or the upcoming facility near Bengaluru at a place called Tumkuru, said an official.

While about 40 helicopters will be procured off the shelf from the original maker of the Kamov-226T, Russian Helicopters, the remaining will be made in India over a period of eight to 10 years.

Apart from production, the plan also includes setting up repair and maintenance facilities to provide faster support to the armed forces, said an official.

It isnt unusual for the armed forces to red-flag the poor maintenance support extended by their Russian suppliers.

Explaining the origin of the deal, Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), himself an accomplished helicopter pilot, said: Among the three defence services and the Coast Guard, there is a requirement of about 400 helicopters. That initial procurement of 400 choppers has now been broken up into two wherein we induct 200 Kamov- 226Ts and 200 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) which the HAL is designing and building.

Over the next decade, it is expected that the Kamov-226T and LUH will together replace the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters which are of French origin but were subsequently made in India by the HAL.

The Cheetah and Chetak are used not for combat role but logistics, evacuation and related tasks especially at high-altitude locations.

Interestingly, even though Indian armed forces operate hundreds of Russian helicopters like the Mi8, Mi17 1V, Mi17 V5, Kamov 28, Kamov 31, never have the Russians allowed their manufacturing in India.

This is the first time that is taking place. We will have to see how this move pans out and what benefits accrue to us. We have had a long association with the French helicopters. However, this choice of the Kamov-226T represents to me a larger strategic choice India has made to balance our ties with Russia, said Bahadur.

Modi: India and China cannot differ on issue of terrorism

By Mail Today Bureau

India on Saturday made it clear to China that they cannot afford to have differences on the issue of terrorism and that no country is immune from the menace, a significant statement that comes against the backdrop of Beijings stand on enforcing UN ban on JeM Chief Masood Azhar.

The Indian view was conveyed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit to be held on Sunday.

Both India and China are victims of terrorism and the region was suffering from the menace. The Prime Minister said no country is immune from terrorism and on this issue, we cannot afford to have any differences, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters after the meeting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping had a brief discussion on Indias prospects of joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Goa

Both the sides recognised terrorism as a key issue. President Xi said we should strengthen our security dialogue and partnership, Swarup said.

However, Beijing gave no assurance on supporting New Delhis bid on a UN ban against Pakistan-based militant leader Masood Azhar.

Swarup said India was in dialogue with China on enforcing a UN ban on Azhar, the brain behind the 26/11 and Pathankot attacks.

We expect China will see logic in it, Swarup said.

He said President Xi underlined that terrorism and violent extremism were on the increase, in a reference to the threat from the Islamic State terror group.

President Xi said India and China must step up counter-terrorism efforts and strengthen security dialogue and partnership.

It was announced that Yang Jiechi will meet his Indian counterpart NSA Ajit Doval soon. Asked about China blocking the Indian initiative to have Azhar banned, Swarup said it for China to consider the move which can safeguard not only the region but the entire world from terrorism.

The Chinese side is very well aware of our concern, and the need for us to ensure that globally notified terrorists are designated by the UN, Swarup said, adding that the two sides are coordinating on the issue and talks would continue over it.
Vishal Rathi (name changed) was leading a cheerful life. The Greater Noida-based businessman would enjoy drinks regularly along with greasy mutton chops, which he was particularly fond of, every evening after work.

This was until the 43-year-old noticed one side of his chest engorged compared to the other, in the winter of 2013.

The skin in that portion of his chest turned orange, prompting a hurried medical appointment.

Male Breast Cancer can occur to only one in 400 men, and the survival rate for the patient is only 73 per cent

He was diagnosed with 'Male Breast Cancer', the doctors told him.

Dr Vikas Goswami, senior consultant oncologist at Fortis Hospital, who tended to Rathi, said: It was his good luck and timely attention to detail that he came to the hospital at an early stage. He was in the first stage of MBC (or Male Breast Cancer), got treatment and is now fine."

"Mostly, out of denial, lack of awareness and fearing ridicule, men turn up very late. By then, matters are out of control, said Dr Goswami.

While female breast cancer has received a lot of attention thanks to its high incidence rate and even celebrities falling victim - Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie got a preventive double mastectomy in 2013, little is known about Male Breast Cancer.

It is not clear why some men get breast cancer, while most do not, but the risk factors includes a family history of breast cancer, alcoholism, obesity, liver disease, inherited gene mutations, radiation exposure as well as extended occupational exposure to certain chemicals or intense heat.

As per studies, one in 30 girls born in India, may develop breast cancer during their lifetime.

But, MBC can occur to only one in 400 men, and the survival rate for the patient is only 73 per cent.

This is because scanty breast fat tissues in males, allow the cancer to spread deep into the body, in no time.

People know very little about MBC, and it is related to uncontrolled alcohol consumption, said Dr Meenu Walia, director of medical oncology at Max Cancer Centre in Patparganj.

A damaged liver is unable to control the level of estrogen (female hormone) in a mans body. This leads to gynaecomastia or enlarged breasts which become cancerous in the long run.

Those suffering from cirrhosis or a liver damaged by other illnesses are at an even higher risk.

Dr Deepak Rautray, senior surgical oncologist, said: Excessive alcohol has several effects on a mans body. It leads to what we call Feminising Syndrome. The hair distribution will change akin to female disposition, testes will shrink, breasts would enlarge and subcutaneous fat deposits will also change.

Liver plays an important role in metabolising of estrogen. When that does not happen, hyperestrogenemia occurs, which is postulated to lead to MBC.

Dr Deni Gupta of Dharamshila Cancer Hospital in east Delhi said he does not consider alcoholism to be a leading factor behind Male Breast Cancer.

But I definitely check for cancer occurrences in the family tree, he added.

Such patients often have female relatives  say a mother, sister or aunt  patient of breast cancer. Or else, they may have experienced radiation exposure of the chest or a rare genetic condition called Klinefelters syndrome.

Dr Shalu Verma, molecular scientist at Core Diagnostics, said: Obesity is another factor to watch out for. Men must immediately report to a doctor if they notice a lump in the breast area, nipple discharge or retraction; swelling of the breast, local skin ulcer, etc.

Diagnostic tests and treatment follow the same steps as in Female Breast Cancer.
A goof-up by the immigration staff deployed at the IGI Airport helped controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi to fly off to Dubai, on Saturday.

Qureshi succeeded in giving a slip to the immigration authorities by showing a court order procured in an income tax case.

However, Qureshi is wanted in a several cases by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the meat exporter was detained on the basis of a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued in a money-laundering case against him.

The meat exporter was detained at IGI Airport for questioning by ED but was let go after he showed a court order

The immigration officials are now claiming that they have to verify whether that court order was applicable to all the cases or not.

However, top officials have accepted that the junior staff did make a mistake in letting Qureshi go.

Our staff could have checked with the ED before allowing him to fly, a top Immigration official said.

According to sources, as the ED team reached the airport to take the meat exporter into custody, they were informed that he had been allowed to fly on the basis of a court order.

However, when the immigration officer realised that the court order was in connection with an income tax case, and had nothing to do with the recent ED case, the authorities ordered an inquiry.

According to the airport officials, Qureshi told the authorities that he had furnished a bond and got the court's nod to travel abroad.

He even got a fax sent in this regard from his legal team to the airport.

The agency wanted to question Qureshi and had issued summons to him but could not lay its hands on him. (Picture for representation)

We have sought documents from the immigration authorities based on which Qureshi was allowed to travel. Our officials were on the spot to take him into custody, but he was allowed to fly abroad, ED sources said.

The agency wanted to question Qureshi and had issued summons to him but could not lay its hands on him.

The agency had registered a case against Qureshi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) last year.

He is under the scanner of the probe agencies for alleged tax evasion and hawala dealings.

The agency had slapped fresh charges under PMLA after taking cognisance of the I-T department's charge sheet (also called prosecution complaint) against Qureshi in an alleged tax evasion case in a local court last year.

The ED had been probing this case under Forex violation laws after the I-T department shared documents indicating hawala and alleged contravention of forex laws by the businessman and his entities.
Kuljeet Singh (name changed), a businessman based in Chandigarh, is a frequent visitor to Delhi.

During one of his recent business trips, he looked out for a female escort to spend a night with.

Singh, who usually stays in a hotel at Paharganj, was in for a surprise when the escort agency he dialled disconnected his call.

Gone are the days when the agent would come with three-four girls in a car and ask the client to pick one, by peeping inside the dark cab

Soon, he received a text message asking him to instead send a Hi and his requirements through WhatsApp.

Having no experience in dealing worked on the messaging platform, took to while to bite the bullet.

But the moment he did, prompt came the reply with the option of two categories of women - one with a price band of Rs 20,000, while the other for Rs 15,000.

He was then sent five pictures each in both the sets. Welcome to a whole new world of escort services.

Technology has not just eased the lives of people at large, but also given a new lease of life to the illegal flesh trade industry in the city.

WhatsApp is used by the escorts agencies and the clients to maintain secrecy

Now, one just doesnt have to try random numbers available on the web, or in newspaper advertisement and then wait indiscriminately to meet the agents near a busy flyover, a shady pub or an overcrowded mall.

Gone are the days when the agent would come with three-four girls in a car and ask the client to pick one, by peeping inside the dark cab.

The clients are also spared of exchange of cuss words, if the deal doesn't get materialised.

Gone are the days when the agent would come with three-four girls in a car and ask the client to pick one, by peeping inside the dark cab.

The move has not just, as an agent claims, eased the tedious task of meeting and presenting a girl at public places, but it has also helped escape the entire exercise from coming under the police radar.

It is difficult to intercept conversations made on WhatsApp, said the agent.

One of the escort agents, who identified himself as Ricky, disconnected the call made by this reporter, and sent a text message asking to send the requirement through WhatsApp.

He boastfully claimed that he could provide both foreigners and Indian models as escorts.

We dont talk over phone. All the work is done through WhatsApp. This is for our safety as police cannot track this mode of communication between us, the agent replied on WhatsApp.

He further disclosed that the rates for 'white girls' from countries such as Afghanistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Europe and Thailand are higher as compared to the locals.

For foreigners you will have to pay Rs 5,000-10,000 for a short duration. It can go up to Rs 15,000-20,000 for whole night, he explained while sharing the photographs of eight Russian and Uzbek girls.

By getting customers directly through WhatsApp, these agents have reduced the risk of getting tracked and even arrested.

Another agent, working in the profession for over a decade now, also disclosed that girls do not stay with them but reside in posh localities on rent.

We contact them through WhatsApp and details of customers are shared over it. This negates the risk factor involved in the profession, he informed.

According to the police, the web of these escort agencies is spread across Delhi, but their den is largely based in high-profile localities like Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar, Saket and Mahipalpur, among others.

According to the police, these escorts range from housewives, college students and air hostesses, to struggling actresses, foreigners and even models in the age group of 18-35 years.

Delhi Police confirm that the number of escort agencies on the online platform, including Twitter has increased in the last few years

Escort agency Delhi Angels, which claims to operate from South Delhis Hauz Khas area and has a Twitter account with more than 1,700 followers, has different categories of girls working for them.

We have college students, working professionals, housewives and models. According to the specification and the area, we send pictures of the girls along with rates, said an agent, who identified herself as Pooja.

Delhi Police confirm that the number of escort agencies on the online platform, including Twitter has increased in the last few years.

A senior officer from the Delhi Police cyber cell said: When we receive any complaint against a Twitter account we get it deleted.

He, however, added that deleting the social media profile of these agencies is not enough, as new ones keep mushrooming.

Though the police claim that they are keeping a tab on suspected websites, the results are far from satisfactory.

The primary reason being the fact that app-based services are based out in foreign countries.
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Many people turned to exploring local nature paths for their daily exercise when lockdown closed gyms and group sports took a hiatus amid the pandemic.

Amateur photographers who captured stunning images of animals in their natural habitat were quick to submit their snaps to Weekend magazine's annual Wildlife Photography Challenge in the hopes of winning a package worth over 1,000.

The entrants were split into five categories - Birds; Mammals; Insects; Under-18s; and Reptiles, Fish, Amphibians & Molluscs.

While each category winner received a Nikon mirrorless digital camera kit and a year's subscription to Nikon Owner magazine, the overall winner also received a trip to the Camargue with wildlife photographer Simon Stafford, courtesy of Create Away, for a four-night masterclass in photographing the region's wild horses, flamingos and bulls.

Judges David Suchet, Clare Balding, Lucy Cooke, Steve Brown, Kelly Brook and Michael Eleftheriades were impressed with Lee O'dwyer, 67, a retired engineer from Lancashire, who was awarded the overall winner for his shot of a long-tailed tit.

These runner-up snaps taken by talented amateur photographers prove choosing an overall winner was a tough decision...

BIRDS

PUFFIN: Taken by Joseph Bristow, 23, a retail supervisor from Llantwit Major. 'Arriving at 3am and queueing for the 6am ticket office to open. First in line I caught the boat over to Skomer Island. With only a few hours permitted on the island I had no time to waste. Surrounded by the Puffins was an amazing spectacle and allowed me to capture some amazing photos. I found this one puffin who seemed very tame and loved posing for the camera. As he stared down the barrel of my lens I took my shot and was pleased with the result. I found the black background really provides a provocative and striking image highlight the vibrant colour of the Puffins.'

KESTREL CHICKS: Taken by Jayne Kirkby, 20, from Braintree, Essex. 'Beautiful pair of Kestrel chicks, taken at Wrabness on 20th June 2020.'

KINGFISHER: Tim Clifton, a 59-year-old from, St Leonards on Sea, snapped this captivating photo of a kingfisher hunting for small fish

MALLARD: William Watson, 64, a semi retired HGV driver from East Dunbartonshire. 'Taken on the Forth & Clyde canal (December '19') Bishopbriggs, As I went to take this photo of this female Mallard it stretched creating a nice reflection....'

INSECTS

BUTTERFLY: Adam Lane, a 27-year-old host at Legoland, from Slough, captured a butterfly perched on a purple flower in specular detail

WASP: Shelia Moth took this captivating photo of a wasp on a thistle, capturing the insect and plant in immense detail

SPIDER: Taken by Geoffrey Wells, 67, a maintenance caretaker from North Yorkshire. 'This picture was taken in my back garden during the recent lockdown.'

REPTILES

MATING FROGS: Taken by Steve Jellett, 64, from Essex, who is retired. 'Taken in small garden pond when 21 frogs descended to mate.'

MAMMALS

ROE DEER: Tim Cliffton, a 75-year-old from St Leonards on sea, took a photograph of two roe deer spotted in a field

MOUSE: Taken by Cameron Parfitt, 20, a student at the University of Brighton, from Worthing. 'I would love to highlight that even in your back garden there are images to be had. This image is of a cheeky wood mouse that keeps stealing food from what we have now dubbed the mouse feeder. It's not unheard of for this little guy to be found inside the feeder without a care in the world stuffing himself with the bird seed.'

JUNIORS

FOX CUB: Billy Evans-Freke, 15, a secondary school student from East Sussex. 'It wasn't a long wait in the hide before the first fox cub woke up from its nap and came out into the open. It was soon followed by another cub. At first they stayed in the shadows of the bushes near the den. But once they gained their confidence they started coming closer. This cub in particular was very curious and came very close to the hide.'
Amid speculations of AAP planning to make a determined bid in poll-bound Gujarat, party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought the support of the Patel community on Saturday, 'to clean the politics of Gujarat'.

Addressing a public gathering at Patel-dominated Piludra village in Mehsana, Kejriwal said that the village holds special significance as the quota agitation by the community started here a year ago.

Meanwhile, a little known outfit staged a protest in the village, over his remarks on cross-LoC surgical strikes.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal waves to people as he arrives to meet the family of a victim of last year's Patidar agitation in Ahmedabad

Recalling that AAP could make a clean sweep in Delhi in the 2015 Assembly polls with the support of the common man, Kejriwal sought to draw a parallel with Anna Hazares anti-corruption campaign and the Patidar agitation.

I salute your courage, as I came to know that the Patidar agitation originated from this village. A few years back, we did the Anna Andolan against rampant corruption in the country.

We asked the government to enact a strict law to curb corruption, as we did not have such powers. But instead of fulfilling our demand, we were asked to form a government to bring such law.

Patidar community leader Hardik Patel during their Kranti Rally for reservation

As we did not have any other option, we formed a party and acquired 67 out of 70 seats in Delhi. This is the power of the common man, Kejriwal said to a cheering crowd, mostly from the Patel community.

The Patel agitation started from this village. Now, I request you to start another movement to clean the politics of Gujarat from this village. We all have to come together to fight against corruption and clean Gujarats politics, Kejriwal added.

The Delhi CM also raised the slogan of Jai Sardar, Jay Patidar several times. He paid floral tributes to Sardar Patels statue in Mehsana.

He visited Kaamli village, where he met the kin of Nagjibhai, a constable who committed suicide last month allegedly due to harassment by bootleggers and local politicians.

At the village, he also met the parents of Kanubhai Patel, a Patidar youth who died during quota agitation, last year.

He then visited the Umiya Mata temple, revered by the Patel community.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hit out at Pakistan calling it the mothership of terrorism.

Modi, addressing the BRICS nations in Goa, said: "In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development.

"Tragically, the mothership of terrorism is a country in Indias neighbourhood," Modi said at the BRICS summit in Goa.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the BRICS summit in Goa to hit out at Pakistan, calling it the 'mothership of terrorism'. Modi was unsparing in his attack on its neighbour as a state sponsor of terror.

Modi was unsparing in his attack on the state sponsor of terror, saying: "Terror modules around the world are linked to this mothership.

"This country shelters not just terrorists, it nurtures a mindset, that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains."

Modi asked all BRICS member countries to speak in one voice against this threat (terror of Pakistani origin).

India called upon other members of BRICS - Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa - to work towards early adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) under which countries would be duty bound to either prosecute to extradite terrorists on its soil.

Hitting out at Islamabads continued support to terror aimed not just at India but the world, Modi said there was a need for close coordination on tracking sources of terrorist financing and targeting of hardware of terrorism, including weapon supplies, ammunition, equipment and training.

Seeking practical cooperation against terrorism, Modi suggested solutions to combat the menace that was hampering economic growth and development.

"We were unanimous in recognising the threat that terrorism, extremism and radicalisation present.

"There is a need for close coordination on tracking sources of terror financing. We agreed those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor forces of terror are as much a threat to us as terrorists themselves," Modi said after a restricted meeting with other heads of state.

Against the backdrop of Chinas continuous support to Pakistan, including blocking Indias attempts to have JeM chief Pathankot terror attack mastermind Maulana Masood Azhar designated a global terrorist by the UN, PM Modi said: "We are united in our belief that terrorism and its supporters have to be punished, not rewarded".

In his address, the PM also focused on non-conventional security challenges, including threats on cyber-space, piracy on high seas and human trafficking.

The joint statement condemned terrorism in all its forms and stressed there can be no justification for any acts of terrorism.

An Indian soldier tries to extinguish a fire engulfing a vehicle of the Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) following a blast near a shrine in downtown Srinagar

Bhutans PM Tshering Tobgay in his bilateral meeting with Modi said Bhutan stands by India.

"The PM of Bhutan also said cross-border terrorism is the worst form of terror", Vikas Swaroop, spokesperson and additional secretary MEA, told journalists after the meeting.
The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is investigating the supposed 'big strike plan' of 10 suspected naxalites, who were arrested on Saturday night.

The huge cache of weaponry suggests that a major attack was being planned in the national Capital.

Cops said naxals have usually restricted themselves to attacking army convoys or villages in the nations hinterland, but Saturdays arrest so close to Delhi is a sign of their expanding base, which may have been aided by other terror outfits.

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is investigating the supposed 'big strike plan' of 10 suspected naxalites, who were arrested on Saturday night

The police are investigating possible links with terror organisations, which are already looking for an opportunity to carry out a strike in Delhi, and have sought help of central security agencies to investigate the case.

In the night-long operation on Saturday, ATS carried out several raids across Uttar Pradesh and arrested total of 10 left-wing extremists, including Ranjit Paswan, a former self-styled area commander of the People War Group (PWG), who was active in naxal-hit Sasaram district of Bihar.

The police are investigating possible links with terror organisations, which are already looking for an opportunity to carry out a strike in Delhi

Cops seized 125 detonators, explosives and automatic weapons. During the raid, cops also found live cartridges of self-loading rifle magazines hinting that they posses AK-47 rifles, but they were not found during the raid.

An INSAS assault rifle, pistols and huge quantity of explosives were also seized.

According to police, the suspects were planning a major attack in Delhi-NCR but their specific targets are not known yet.

"We have not found their links with any terror organization so far but it cannot be denied, so we have sought the help of specialized central security body to help us in the investigation," said Aseem Arun, Inspector General, UP Anti-Terrorist Squad.

Cops said the raid in Sector 47, Hindon Vihar, was conducted after a tip off about suspected activities by an alert citizen.

Six men were arrested from here, following which another raid was conducted in Sadarpur, from where three more men were picked up.

A senior police officer told Mail Today that explosives and detonators were procured by the gang from Sonbhadra and Mirzapur districts in UP.

The National Investigation Agency had previously exposed that Indian Mujahideen had also procured explosives from these districts, further pointing to ties with terror outfits.

Recently, the NIA had also revealed that ISIS operatives in India had approached naxalite groups to understand their modus operandi for perpetrating terror and were also planning to buy firearms from them.
A married woman's demand for privacy cannot be dubbed as cruelty towards the husband, and nor can it be considered sufficient grounds for divorce, the Delhi High Court has held.

Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice Deepa Sharma observed during a recent legal petition that: "Privacy is a fundamental human right.

"The Oxford dictionary defines privacy as a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people. So when a woman enters into matrimony, it is the duty of the family members to provide her privacy".

A married woman's demand for privacy cannot be dubbed as cruelty towards the husband, and nor can it be considered sufficient grounds for divorce, the Delhi High Court has held (picture for representation only)

The observation was made while dismissing a husbands plea that challenged a 2010 trial court order dismissing his petition seeking dissolution of marriage on the grounds of cruelty.

Besides cruelty, the husband also raised the ground of irretrievable breakdown of marriage by narrating that their wedlock has virtually lost its meaning as they were living separately for 12 years and had reached a point of no return.

However, the bench said that though the Supreme Court had recommended to the Centre in 2006 an amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act to incorporate irretrievable breakdown as a ground for divorce, it is yet to be done till date.

The court, however, held that the demand for privacy by the wife cannot be termed as cruelty.

The bench noted the trial courts observation that a wifes demand to set up a separate home was not unreasonable.

The bench said, "There is no evidence from the husband or his family members showing that they had provided requisite privacy to the wife.

"The family court was therefore correct in holding that such a demand was not unreasonable and as such did not constitute cruelty."

The man, who had married in September 2003, had filed for divorce before the trial court alleging that his wife had treated him cruelly and pressured him to set up a separate home as she did not want to live in a joint family.

The husband claimed that due to financial restraints, it was not possible for him to set up a separate independent household due to which his wife had started misbehaving not only with him but other family members as well.

While dismissing the husbands appeal, the high court said that he did not bring on record any proof to substantiate his allegation that the wifes behaviour had caused mental cruelty.
Khushwant Singh was born in Pakistan, but Pakistani writers have not been invited to speak at his festival in India

After the demand to impose a ban Pakistan actors, now Pakistani writers are facing opposition in India.

The side effects of strained India-Pakistan relations were clearly visible in Kasauli during the lit-fest organised by the family of late Khushwant Singh who was born in Pakistan.

The organisers of the literary festival said they did not invite Pakistani writers this year due to security concerns.

The organisers of the prestigious Kasauli literary festival said they did not invite Pakistani writers to the festival due to ongoing security concerns (pictured Rahul Singh)

Khushwant Singhs son and organiser Rahul Singh said it is the first time in five years that the prestigious literary festival did not have any Pakistani writers in attendance.

The organisers hit back against criticism by saying that similar literature festivals are being organised in Pakistan this year, at which no Indian writers will be invited.

Kasauli Lit Fest is very popular among the writers of India and Pakistan. The festival was started in the memory of late Khushwant Singh.

Meanwhile, actress Priyanka Chopra expressed her displeasure over the demand for a blanket ban on the Pakistani artistes in India in the aftermath of Uri attack on Sunday, saying it is not justified that actors alone have to bear the brunt.

Since the terror strike last month, there has been a growing demand for a ban on Pakistani artistes, with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena even issuing an ultimatum to them to leave India and Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) passing a motion to ban artistes from across the border from working in the industry.

Writer and former editor of English Daily Hindustan Times, Khushwant Singh was born in Pakistan

Recently, Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India announced it wont release films featuring Pakistani artistes in four states - Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Gujarat.

When asked about her opinion on the debate, Priyanka said, Its tricky because first all artists and actors are always held responsible for every bigger political agenda that happens in our country.

Priyanka Chopra expressed her displeasure over the demand for a blanket ban on the Pakistani artistes in India in the aftermath of Uri attack

"Why are only we reflecting it? Why not businesses, why not doctors, why no politicians why not anyone else except for public people which are actors, movie industry..."

"Second, Im extremely patriotic. So, whatever my government decide to keep the country safe I go with that but at the same time I believe that artists are not representation of, at least not yet, there has not been an actor who has done something to harm someones life, Priyanka told a news channel.
During the tragic stampede incident that took place at Rajghat bridge in Varanasi, 25 lives were lost and more than three dozen people were injured.

However, there are still many people who are missing after the stampede, with their loved ones hunting from one hospital to another to get information about them.

In order to facilitate the harassed people, Uttar Pradesh government issued a helpline number immediately after the incident.

In the tragic stampede incident that took place at Rajghat bridge in Varanasi, 25 lives were lost and more than three dozen people were injured

However, several people looking for their loved ones complained of not getting any help from the number. "My uncle Nakul Prasad is missing after the stampede but I cannot find him anywhere.

"I have also called the on the helpline number but to no avail", said Deepak Kumar, a resident of Varanasi.

India Today called on the helpline number and despite the phone ringing, no one picked up the phone to provide information or any help.

The stampede happened when thousands of devotees of a controversial guru tried to cross a bridge at once

The BJP in the state has slammed the UP government for this. "I have met injured at the hospital and they have not been provided breakfast.

"The helpline number is also not working. There is a complete chaos in UP", said Laxman Acharya, Regional President, Kashi BJP. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav directed the Varanasi Commissioner to institute a magisterial inquiry into the incident and said stern action will be taken against the organisers or administration, whosoever is found guilty of negligence that lead to the stampede.

Indian family members sit near dead bodies outside the BHU morgue following a fatal stampede in Varanasi

He extended an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to next of kin of those killed and free treatment to the injured admitted to different hospitals in Varanasi and Chandauli.
Many twitter users have claimed that India 1947 was the original 'Brexit'

The British Crown ruled in India from 1858 to 1947 but now India represents Britain's best chance of a

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will visit India next month for her first bilateral visit outside Europe during which she will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK strategic partnership post-Brexit.

May, 60, will be in India between November 6 and 8 on the invitation of Modi. She will be accompanied by her international trade minister Liam Fox and a business delegation drawn from regions across the UK as examples of the best of British business.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will visit India next month for her first bilateral visit outside Europe for talks with Narendra Modi on India-UK strategic partnership post-Brexit

"The relationships between the two countries are strong, and the Indian diaspora plays a vital role in our national life," May said.

"In my talks with Prime Minister Modi, I want to build on our relationship for the benefit of both our countries, generating jobs and wealth and maintaining cooperation on defence and security," the Prime Minister said.

"As we leave the European Union, we have the chance to forge a new global role for the UK to look beyond our continent and towards the economic and diplomatic opportunities in the wider world.

Saying sari to India: David Cameron and his wife Samantha meet performers in a backstage area at Wembley Stadium during a welcome rally for Indian PM Modi

"I am determined to capitalise on those opportunities and as we embark on the trade mission to India, we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade," May said.

While in India, the British Prime Minister will hold discussions with Modi and a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit.

The India-UK partnership has moved into a new era, with Britain voting to leave the European Union in a referendum in June and leading to the resignation of the then prime minister David Cameron.

Many Twitter users have commented on the idea of returning to a trade agreement with India post 2016 Brexit, when India were in fact the original Brexitiers in 1947.
Our report last month on mystery shopping  people going undercover to check on the quality of the service offered by retailers  provoked a huge response from readers. TOBY WALNE, an erstwhile 'mystery shopper', shares their experiences, good and bad.

Snow monkeys in Japan: Helen Greene has travelled the world mystery shopping

A secret army of half a million spies is currently poking around Britains shopping aisles and lurking in restaurant corners checking on customer service standards.

The chances are that you have come across one of these undercover agents as 1,500 are out pacing our high streets at any one time. But because they look like everyday shoppers rather than shadowy figures in detectives raincoats they are hard to spot.

Last month, The Mail on Sunday joined this army, only to discover that snooping around the high street can be both demanding and a personal finance disaster. After checking some local shops, pubs and even a bookmaker in my home town of Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire, I found that after costs my rate of pay was a measly 1.57 an hour.

In fact, the company I completed the tasks for  Market Force Information  paid me nothing, after discovering I was a double-agent who had broken its confidentiality contract.

Here, we share the tips of those readers who are also insiders, as well as business experts, to find out what really goes on in this mysterious world. Readers names have been changed to protect their identity.

EARN POCKET MONEY

The chance of earning a decent living from mystery shopping is negligible for most people  at best it will supplement a main income.

The stark reality is that despite industry boasts that you can earn 40,000 a year, the likelihood is that after costs you will earn far less than the minimum wage of 7.20 an hour.

Mystery shopper Karen Brown, 59, says: After speaking to others, I found I was not alone in earning only a pittance. The reality is you have to treat it more like a hobby that pays pocket money rather than a serious business opportunity.

I quit a couple of years ago  not because I wanted to but because it did not make me any money.

Fun in store: Missions can provide the odd thrill  one reader even ended up in Tokyo

Fellow undercover shopper Gemma Ware, 28, from Bristol, agrees it is an activity that will only earn you a few pounds  and the odd free meal. Certainly not enough to survive on.

She says: I only need to do the odd bit of mystery shopping as I have a part-time job as a supply teacher. But what I like about it is there is no tedious job interview and no boss looking over your shoulder. You just get on with it.

Jill Spencer is vice president of trade body the Mystery Shopping Providers Association Europe. She insists that mystery shopping can provide a serious career opportunity and says: It is true that 90 per cent of those in the industry work part-time  but it can be turned into a career.

Spencer, who is also a director at mystery shopping firm React Surveys in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, adds: It may demand a hard-working structured approach  perhaps completing more than a dozen tasks a day. But a senior, full-time mystery shopper can earn between 20,000 and 40,000 a year.

Exposed: The Mail on Sunday's report when Toby Walne went on three shopping tasks

SEEK OUT ADVENTURE

Most mystery shopping is unexciting  for example, counting the number of cheese and ham sandwiches on a cafe display shelf.

Yet those willing to sign up to a number of mystery shopping firms and work hard may eventually be offered an opportunity to do something more adventurous.

Helen Greene, 38, from Dulwich, South-East London, has travelled the world mystery shopping. Her favourite trips have been to Japan and The Bahamas.

Helen says: You are never going to get rich as a mystery shopper  I do it for spare cash as fortunately I also run a small business with my husband.

My advice is to enjoy it for the occasional thrills it provides. I didnt pay for my flight to Tokyo.

I then fulfilled a lifetime ambition by travelling to Nagano by train and seeing the snow monkeys bathe in the hot springs.

Helen says there is no free lunch  or flight  when it comes to mystery shopping. She was required to complete two 3,000-word questionnaires on the flights that took four hours each to write up.

This included taking notes on a range of details  everything from the number of people in a check-in queue to whether an air stewardess smiled when asking if she wanted an in-flight drink.

Despite the complimentary flights, Helen says the extra costs  such as transport to and from the airport, hotels and meals  were not covered. This meant her trip cost her 1,000.

Buying in: Jon Gutteridge runs a forum for shoppers

CUT COSTS

One of the biggest gripes for mystery shoppers is not just the poor rates of pay  but the costs incurred in completing the tasks.

Gemma Ware says she often picks local jobs to save on transport costs  and recommends using a smartphone to complete quick and easy tasks.

She uses apps such as Streetspotr and Task 360 to find jobs when she is free  and receives 5 or 10 for just a few minutes work. She also files instant product reviews via the app VoxPopMe that pay her up to 2 a time.

Another favourite is the Field Agent app, which she used to get paid up to 10 a time to ensure promotional material is correctly installed in stores.

Spencer says: There is a huge variance in what firms pay. So, if you are not happy, look at what other companies are prepared to offer. Some firms include the cost of petrol and accommodation on specific tasks.

Mystery shopping companies worth looking at include ABa Quality Monitoring, GfK, React Surveys and Grass Roots.

Jon Gutteridge, 35, from Leeds, is founder of website The Money Shed  which provides a mystery shopper forum and publishes blogs on how to achieve your target earnings as well as meeting the taxmans requirements.

He says: Website forums offer a great place for mystery shoppers to compare notes and cut costs.

Despite the pitiful pay that is often on offer, it is still important to tell Revenue & Customs about the extra money you earn. This may require you to complete a self-assessment tax return. Further information and forms can be found at gov.uk.

Secret: But you must have the confidence to occasionally stand up and reveal your identity in certain stores

THINK LIKE A SECRET AGENT

Watching old James Bond movies might get you in the mood to be a mystery shopper, but there are more important preparations.

The first step is to prove your competence in the English language. Companies such as Market Force Information require prospective mystery shoppers to pass online tests in grammar, spelling and comprehension. Taking the form of a multiple choice examination, they take at least half an hour to complete.

Gemma Ware says: I have suggested mystery shopping to a few friends, but they have been put off by the grammar tests.

You certainly have to show an aptitude for reading and writing.

In addition, she points out that you must have an eye for detail and some acting skills.

You must also have the confidence to occasionally stand up and reveal your identity in certain stores.

She adds: You must be well prepared before going on a job, ensuring you remember to complete all the checks.

This can be anything from finding out the name of the person serving you to working out the layout of the shop.

The hardest part is plucking up the courage to do the task.

But once you have started you grow in confidence and ability. Occasionally, I have been required to reveal that I was a mystery shopper. It is not pleasant to be exposed as a spy snooping on staff.

Once a task is completed you must file a report  often complete with photos  usually the same day. These can sometimes take an hour to complete and you only get paid if the report has been completed satisfactorily.

Spencer says: People tell me mystery shopping must be a dream if you love shopping. But the opposite is true. There is no opportunity to dawdle and you must manage your time well.

An eye for detail is essential and you need a good memory because you may have more than 20 questions to complete about how your shop went. You must be disciplined and focused.

SHARE NETWORK OPPORTUNITIES

The internet is awash with mystery shopper opportunities  but it is hard to know where to start if you want to go out spying for a reputable firm.

The Mystery Shopping Providers Association Europe imposes a code of conduct on members. It does not accept companies which demand that shoppers pay a fee or those that deduct payments even when a mystery shopper has completed a job as specified.

Spencer says: Our code means mystery shoppers must be treated fairly and paid promptly. Some companies pay more than others  or offer extra perks, such as free meals and goods.

Planning is key if you are to make a success of mystery shopping. This includes choosing routes carefully to cut down on travel costs and following guidelines as closely as possible to avoid any dispute over payment.

The association has dozens of members worldwide  offering a range of pay rates and jobs. ABa Quality Monitoring, GfK, Grass Roots, Market Force Information and React Surveys all operate in the UK.

Mystery shoppers should also chat online to fellow shoppers who are willing to share experiences and recommend companies.

Gutteridge says: Talking to others who have tried tasks is the best way to learn  it cuts through the marketing hype and noise of the companies.

For many people mystery shopping is more about fun than financial reward.

By engaging with others you not only get a better feel for what the providers are like, but you also find out more about possible jobs that may appeal to you.
The boss of Monarch Airlines, Andrew Swaffield, has a crucial message. We are not going to go bust. He is speaking out in the wake of the drama that threatened to ground the airline as it battled to renew its operating licence.

Monarch, which carries nearly 6 million people to the sun every year, almost had its wings clipped after struggling to show the Civil Aviation Authority it had sufficient funds to qualify for its Air Travel Organisers Licence by the September 30 deadline.

Every package holiday provider must have Atol protection in place so customers can be flown home if the company goes bust.

Confident: Andrew Swaffield has struck a deal with Boeing for a new 2.6bn fleet of aircraft

With just four hours to go until the deadline, the CAA granted Monarch a temporary licence until it could get sufficient funding from its owner, private equity firm Greybull Capital. Greybull stumped up 165million last week.

Just two days later Swaffield, 49, agrees to meet me at the airlines Luton headquarters to talk about how the group can thrive after the storm and how in his view it can navigate through the next bout of turbulence  Brexit.

He insists he has got all the financial backing he needs. We are a profitable airline and this funding is part of a six-year business plan, he says. Our customers can rely on us.

We had a major restructure in 2014 and took 200million out of the cost base. We will report profits of 42million at our year end shortly.

But that is considerably less than the 74 million profits last time around and the bailout is the airlines fourth in five years.

The restructuring has certainly been drastic. Over the past two years Monarch has axed 700 jobs, cutting manpower to 2,800 with remaining staff seeing their salaries slashed by up to 35 per cent, while pensioners took big cuts to their payouts. Even though the Pension Protection Fund was brought in  and it now owns ten per cent of the business  the cuts were clearly not drastic enough.

Stranded: Passengers at Sharm el-Sheikh last year after the terror attack

Thats because we flew into a perfect storm over the past year, Swaffield says. Terrorist attacks in Egypt meant Sharm el-Sheikh shut and Turkey saw a 65 per cent drop in business.

Then there was a huge increase in airline capacity to Spain which drove down prices. After Paris there were more terrorist attacks in Brussels and Nice, along with air traffic control strikes. Then the referendum and now the fall in the pound.

Swaffield, a grammar school boy from a council estate in Bournemouth who left school at 16 to join Thomas Cook and then British Airways, found himself running Monarch almost by accident.

He joined in April 2014 as managing director. His boss later quit and the airline was sold by the Switzerland-based billionaire Mantegazza family to Greybull. It is a private company and Swaffields pay is not revealed but he has earned enough to own his own polo team.

We wanted to make sure of our position and put the company on a strong footing

Polo is his way of relaxing, he says, and he is going to need all the help he can get in that regard. Terrorism is not going away, the UK is leaving the European Union and the pound looks like a bungee jumper without a cord. So is Monarch just going to burn through its new stash of cash before crashing?

No, he says firmly. We wanted to make sure of our financial position once and for all and put the company on a strong footing.

Key to that was striking a deal last week with aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Swaffield has arranged a sale-and-leaseback arrangement for a new 2.6billion fleet of up to 45 new 737 Max airliners.

Monarch is understood to have agreed to immediately sell its newly purchased aircraft back to Boeing and then lease them. The aircraft should be in service from 2018 and Swaffield describes the deal as economically transformative for the airline.

Swaffield is coy about the details but such arrangements can allow airlines to remove debt from their balance sheets and can also let them reduce their tax bills.

Key deal: Swaffield has arranged a sale-and-leaseback arrangement for a new 2.6billion fleet of up to 45 new 737 Max airliners

It comes down to fuel and maintenance  the two biggest costs for an airline, he says. Were spending 120million a year on fuel for an ageing fleet of Airbuses. The 737 Max planes use 22 per cent less fuel and the effect is transformational for us.

Aircraft fuel is bought in dollars and ground handling fees are paid in euros, so such efficiencies are more important than ever as sterling continues to fall.

Then there are the maintenance costs which for the first six or seven years will be 80 per cent less than our current expenditure, he says.

The sale-and-leaseback arrangement is the biggest part of our business plan.

Brexit, meanwhile, could have a potentially catastrophic effect on the low-cost airlines which have thrived because of the creation of the EUs European Common Aviation Area. This agreement allows any EU airline to fly anywhere in the EU.

But Swaffield, who voted to remain in the EU, takes a robust line on the ECAA. I was a reluctant remainer and I have some sympathy for the idea of leaving the EU completely, he says. My advice to my fellow airlines is prepare to leave the ECAA and if we do that I do not believe that air fares will rise as a result.

When I started in travel, flying to Paris cost the same as flying to New York  200 or so. Now its 60 to Paris and 300 to 400 to New York and thats because this agreement has driven down air fares for the last 20 years to the benefit of British people.

When I started in travel, flying to Paris cost the same as flying to New York  200 or so

But Monarch flies British people to the sun and back and has done so for 48 years. We have been offering good prices for our entire history. We do not need the ECAA to carry on that business. The air corridor between the UK and Spain is the biggest one-way leisure corridor in the world. It is 65 per cent of our business and it is hugely important to Spain and Portugal. I am quite certain we will be able to manage to work out extremely sensible arrangements that will keep everybody where they are today.

He acknowledges that different low-cost airline business models will be affected  such as those which want to expand within the EU  but he says there will be limited impact on Monarch.

We are definitely a challenger airline, but our customer base is a valuable asset. They are very loyal and travel with us year after year. Our staff are key and they have been stars through all this. Our passengers know they can rely on us. We never cancel flights  unlike other low-cost airlines  and we are the UKs most punctual airline.

There are some people who just book for the lowest price, but plenty of others appreciate extra civility and warmth for a similar price.
Navy destroyer USS Mason was fired on again Saturday evening or Sunday morning Yemen time, two US officials said.

The ship deployed countermeasures and was not struck, according to NBC News.

This is the third time the ship, which is in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, has been targeted by Houthi-rebel controlled areas this week, according to reports.

Yemen is roiled by internal fighting between the rebels and those loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The USS Mason, a Navy destroyer, has been targeted three times in the past week by rebel controlled areas of Yemen

The US military launched cruise missiles on Thursday against three coastal radar sites in areas of Yemen controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi forces, after failed missile attacks this week on a U.S. Navy destroyer, US officials said.

Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said in a statement: 'The United States will respond to any further threat to our ships and commercial traffic, as appropriate, and will continue to maintain our freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb, and elsewhere around the world.'

Yemen's Houthi movement condemned the strikes and Iran announced it had sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, establishing a military presence in waters off Yemen.

The US missile strikes, authorized by President Barack Obama, represent Washington's first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict and raised questions about the potential for further escalation.

'The whole area is a tinder box now,' said John Dalby of Marine Risk Management Ltd, which provides private armed security teams for ships in the area, told Reuters in 2015.

The USS Mason has so far taken 'countermeasures' and not been struck by missiles, but the Pentagon fired upon radar sites

The Pentagon, however, stressed the limited nature of the strikes, aimed at radar that enabled the launch of at least three missiles against the US Navy ship USS Mason on Sunday and Wednesday.

'These limited self-defense strikes were conducted to protect our personnel, our ships and our freedom of navigation,' Cook said.

In a news conference later, Cook said the strikes were not connected to the broader civil war in Yemen, which has unleashed famine and killed more than 10,000 people since March 2015 in the Arab world's poorest country.

Kidnappings of foreigners have escalated since the conflict kicked into high gear in March of last year. Two unidentified Americans were just released Saturday into Oman after complex negotiations.

The UU military said U.S. Navy destroyer USS Nitze launched the Tomahawk cruise missiles around 4am (0100 GMT) at radar sites located in remote areas where the risk of civilian casualties was low.

One US official identified the areas in Yemen where the radar were located as near Ras Isa, north of Mukha and near Khoka.

The Houthi movement, which has denied being responsible for the missile attacks on the Mason, warned that it too would defend itself.

US Navy Fire Controlman 1st Class Jorge Correa scans for threats on the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason in Bahrain on September 1

'The direct American attack targeting Yemeni soil this morning is not acceptable,' Brigadier General Sharaf Luqman, a spokesman for Yemeni forces fighting alongside the Houthis, was quoted as saying by the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency.

Iran, which supports the Houthi group, said it had deployed two warships to the Gulf of Aden, to protect ship lanes from piracy. An Iranian official told Reuters the vessels were deployed a few days ago, but declined to say when they will arrive.

The failed missile attacks on the USS Mason appeared to be part of the reaction to a suspected Saudi-led strike on mourners gathered in Yemen's Houthi-held capital Sanaa last week.

The Houthis, who are battling the internationally-recognized government of Yemen President Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi, denied the missiles were fired from areas under their control, a news agency controlled by the group quoted a military source as saying.

The allegations were false pretexts to 'escalate aggression and cover up crimes committed against the Yemeni people,' the source said.

US officials have told Reuters there were growing indications that Houthi fighters, or forces aligned with them, were responsible for the attempted strikes, in which coastal cruise missiles designed to target ships failed to reach the destroyer.

The USS Mason has been fired on in the the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen, on of the world's busiest shipping routes

UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, stumbles as he inspects the destroyed funeral hall, two days after an alleged Saudi-led airstrikes targeted it, in Sana'a

Senator John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the missiles fired at the USS Mason were likely provided by Iran.

The missile incidents, along with an October 1 strike on a vessel from the United Arab Emirates, add to questions about safety of passage for military ships around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

Millions of barrels of oil pass through the route every day.

The Houthis, who are allied to Hadi's predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh, have the support of many army units and control most of the north, including the capital Sanaa.

The Pentagon warned against any future attacks.

'The United States will respond to any further threat to our ships and commercial traffic, as appropriate,' Cook said.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a leading member of a Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting to end Houthi control, denounced the attacks on the Mason as an attempt to target the freedom of navigation and to inflame the regional situation.

Michael Knights, an expert on Yemen's conflict at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, suggested the Houthis, fighters from a Shi'ite sect, could be becoming more militarily aligned with groups such as Lebanon's Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah.

'Targeting U.S. warships is a sign that the Houthis have decided to join the axis of resistance that currently includes Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran,' Knight said.
Tensions between Russia and the United States are probably at their lowest point since the 1973 Arab-Isreali war, Russia's UN ambassador has claimed.

Vitaly Churkin likened the situation to the October of that year, when a coalition of Russia-backed Arab states, led by Syria and Egypt, attacked areas occupied by US-backed Israel.

'The general situation I think is pretty bad at this point, probably the worst... since 1973,' he said in an interview with three journalists at Russia's UN Mission Friday.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin has claimed that US-Russia relations are now at their worst point since the 1973 thanks to a string of issues and disagreements

Churkin blamed NATO accepting ex-Soviet countries as members as one of the major issues (pictured: Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in September)

Churkin likened the present situation to the 1973 Arab-Israeli War (pictured), when a coalition of Russia-backed Arab states invaded territories occupied by US-backed Israel

Churkin said there are 'a string of things' that have brought US-Russian relations to their current low point.

'It's kind of a fundamental lack of respect and lack of in-depth discussions' on political issues, he said.

Churkin pointed to the US and NATO deciding to build their security 'at the expense of Russia' by accepting many East European nations formerly in the Soviet bloc as NATO members, and the US pullout from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001.

One of 'the greatest provocations' during President George W Bush's administration was the 2008 NATO summit, which decided that Ukraine and Georgia should become NATO members, he said.

Most important, he added, was the conflict that erupted in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, weeks after Viktor Yanukovych, a former Moscow-friendly Ukrainian president, was chased from power by massive protests.

Churkin called it 'a coup' supported by the United States. Soon after, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which has led to Western sanctions against Moscow.

Another point of tension was the ousting of Moscow-friendly Ukranian president Viktor Yanukovych after protests (pictured) that Russia said had US backing

The collapse of the ceasefire in Syria (pictured) organized between the US and Russia was another stress point in a troubled relationship, Churkin said

Ties between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated further in the past month after the collapse of a ceasefire in Syria and intensified bombing on Aleppo by Syrian and Russian aircraft.

The US backs some rebel groups in the area that are opposed to Russia-supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

They have also been affected by US accusations that Russia is meddling in the US presidential election next month.

The country has been blamed for cyber-espionage, including hacking emails linked to Hillary Clinton's campaign in an effort to ensure Donald Trump's election.

And on Friday Joe Biden threatened to retaliate in a 'clandestine' online operation, earning the ire of Kremlin spokespeople.

All of this, Churkin says, has led to a situation as bad as one of the worst days of the Cold War.

When Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack against Israel on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar in October 1973, the Mideast was thrown into turmoil.

Bombing in Syria - particularly on Aleppo - has continued in recent weeks (pictured: Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff speaking at a briefing on the bombing)

And according to historians, the threat of an outbreak of fighting between the Soviet Union, which backed the Arabs, and the United States, Israel's closest ally, during the Yom Kippur War was the highest since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

But Churkin admitted the situation now was different to 1973, and that 'even though we have serious frictions, differences like Syria, we continue to work on other issues... and sometimes quite well.'

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Saturday in Lausanne, Switzerland, in an effort to look at possibilities for restoring a ceasefire.

However the pair failed to agree on a common strategy with Russia to end the conflict.

Churkin also cited recent agreements in the UN Security Council that were supported by both Moscow and Washington, even on Syria.

These allowed cross-border aid deliveries without government approval and established a team of experts to determine responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in the country.

And the US has blamed Russia for a number of cyber-attacks on Hillary Clinton's campaign, saying that it is meddling in the election, apparently in an effort to get Donald Trump elected

He also cited council resolutions to combat terrorism.

The United States and Russia were also key players in last year's nuclear deal with Iran.

And last week they agreed on the nomination of former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres as the next UN secretary-general, which Churkin said was 'maybe the best success of the Security Council in the last five years.'

Guterres was elected by acclamation Thursday by the General Assembly.

Churkin said Russia would like to normalize relations with the United States.

'If the change of administration is going to help, that's fine,' he said.

But even if President Barack Obama stayed for another term, which he is barred from doing, 'we would be pushed to trying to get back to normal in our relations.'
If Batman had a warship, it would be the USS Zumwalt.

That's how Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, described the Navy's largest and most sophisticated new destroyer, which comes with a price tag of at least $4.4 billion.

'As long as our president and you the American people have an insatiable appetite for security, then I have an insatiable appetite for the stuff to underwrite that security,' Harris said at the ship's commissioning ceremony in Baltimore Saturday.

Lt. Rick Moore, left, and Capt. James Kirk, commanding officer of the USS Zumwalt, are pictured in front of the ship on October 13

The US Navy welcomed the USS Zumwalt (pictured) to its fleet at a commissioning ceremony in Baltimore Saturday

The commissioning follows a last minute hitch that saw the craft remain in Virginia longer than expected after crew members detected a leak on the vessel

Ray Mabus, secretary of the Navy, called the Zumwalt 'a quantum leap' for Navy ships.

'It's the first of a kind that's leading the way for new classes of ships, new capabilities that are in ships, new systems that we can use and it just expands the things we can do and the ways we do it,' Mabus said after the ceremony.

The commissioning follows a last minute hitch that saw the craft remain in Virginia at Naval Station Norfolk longer than expected after crew members detected a leak on the vessel.

Captain James Kirk is commanding officer of the Zumwalt. He has previously admitted his name has caused much hilarity - saying 'certainly I have been ribbed every now and then with someone saying, "You're going where no man has gone before, on this class of ship."'

He says his parents named him after his grandfather, not Capt. James T. Kirk of 'Star Trek.'

Members of the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps walk past the bow of USS Zumwalt

A worker is pictured preparing for the commissioning ceremony for the USS Zumwalt

The 610-foot-long warship is sleek, with an angular shape to minimize its radar signature

'I have interrogated them about this a great deal  more over the last couple of years than before  and they tell me, no, it was all about my grandfather,' he said.

The bridge of the ship looks like something from 'Star Trek' with two chairs surrounded by nearly 360 degrees of video monitors, with inevitable comparisons of the Zumwalt to the Starship Enterprise and the skipper to the fictional Captain Kirk.

The 610-foot-long warship is sleek, with an angular shape to minimize its radar signature. It looks like a much smaller vessel on radar.

Quieter than other ships, the Zumwalt is hard to detect, track and attack. A composite deckhouse hides radar and other sensors.

Its powerful new gun system can unload 600 rocket-powered projectiles on targets more than 70 miles away.

Weighing nearly 15,000 tons, the ship's advanced technology and capabilities allow it a range of defensive and offensive missions to project power, wherever it is needed.

Capt. James Kirk, left, commanding officer of the USS Zumwalt, speaks on a dock in front of his ship in Baltimore on October 13

Quieter than other ships, the Zumwalt is hard to detect, track and attack

Capt. Kirk says it generates 78 megawatts of power, 'enough power to power a medium- to small-sized city.'

The Zumwalt will be able to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, standard surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine rockets from 80 missile tubes.

The Zumwalt also features an unconventional wave-piercing hull that makes its ride 'very smooth', said Lt. Cmdr. Nate Chase. 'You had no fear of having an open cup of coffee and getting jerked around, like some of these other ships.'

With 147 officers and sailors, the Zumwalt's crew is the smallest of any destroyer built since the 1930s, thanks to extensive automation.

All sailors are cross-trained, and there's more sharing of tasks on the Zumwalt.

Sailors have staterooms, instead of bunk rooms with dozens of people in them.

The Zumwalt also features an unconventional wave-piercing hull that makes its ride 'very smooth'

With 147 officers and sailors, the Zumwalt's crew is the smallest of any destroyer built since the 1930s

'So, when they wake up, they wake up to only one or two alarm clocks, not four, not 50,' Capt. Kirk says.

The ship is named after the late Adm. Elmo 'Bud' Zumwalt, who earned the Bronze Star in World War II and commanded small boats that patrolled the Mekong Delta in the Vietnam War.

He became the youngest chief of naval operations and earned a reputation as a reformer, who fought racism and sexism.
Dr Waney Squier will fight to be reinstated after being struck off for SBS views

A world-renowned paediatric expert who was struck off after claiming Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) does not exist is fighting to be reinstated in an appeal starting tomorrow.

The case at Londons Royal Courts of Justice centres on paediatric neuropathologist Dr Waney Squier.

In March this year the General Medical Council (GMC) found that between 2007 and 2010 she was dishonest in her dealing with six cases in the family court in a way that brought the reputation of the medical profession into disrepute. She was immediately struck off.

For the past 30 years, Dr Squier had worked at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford researching the pathology of infant brains, including SBS.

She originally appeared as an expert witness for the prosecution when parents were accused of harming their offspring.

But about 15 years ago, she began to doubt the scientific basis of the syndrome and said that bleeding on a babys brain could occur naturally.

Dr Squier, former senior neuropathologist at the Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, was struck off for denying Shaken Baby Syndrome. She will appeal for her job at the Royal Courts of Justice

She has even described the syndrome as rubbish.

There are about 250 cases involving SBS in British courts every year. One famous example involved Sally Clark, a Cheshire solicitor wrongly convicted of killing two of her children who was freed on appeal.

A letter in the latest issue of the BMJ (British Medical Journal) signed by 350 leading medical specialists and lawyers urged the GMC to reconsider its decision regarding Dr Squier, pointing out there are genuine and significant differences of opinion among experts working in the field.

The decision had far-reaching impact. Since the GMCs verdict other experts who agree with Dr Squiers view are no longer willing to risk their career by giving evidence in SBS courts.

Dr Squier said: People are scared to speak against the agreed hypothesis. They say, No, I cant do this, my career is worth more. 
There are many challenges facing an English wine grower: the high cost of land and labour, the ever-present threat of bugs and disease, and, of course, the often terrible weather.

Yet in just four years, Henry Boorman has built up a thriving vineyard on his familys 50-acre farm nestled in rolling countryside. A much-anticipated first batch of sparkling wine from the Redhill Farm Estate in Wateringbury, Kent, will be released in time for Christmas.

So it might seem strange that the biggest danger threatening the 31-year-olds fledgling business comes not from mildew or fierce competition from a thriving British wine industry,  but in the shape of Henrys own mother, Jan.

Owner Henry Boorman has accused his mother of harassment in a bid to 'destroy' him

For, as the past few days have made clear, she is running an extraordinary campaign to derail her only child. The 69-year-old has attempted not only to block sales of his popular wines, but to also throw him off the family estate. So far, she has failed.

Amid a welter of publicity, officials rejected her claims two weeks ago, and approved Henrys application to sell wine online.

Since then she has remained silent. But sitting in the kitchen of his home on the estate, Henry is bubbling over with anger.

Its pure harassment  and public harassment at that, he says. I dont want to air our personal difficulties, but she fired the first salvo. Its a desperate bid to ruin my business and therefore to destroy me.

The mother: Henry has hit out at his mother Jan's efforts to throw him off the family estate

Gazing out of the window towards the vines, he says he still cannot understand how this most important of relationships has collapsed into such hostility.

In many ways, Henrys life has been marked by good fortune and success. His father, Edwin  the third generation of Boormans to own the Kent Messenger newspaper group  was not just a wealthy businessman but a philanthropist too, and received an OBE from Prince Charles for services to the county.

He also served as High Sheriff of Kent, representing the Queen on some official occasions.

Even Henrys attempts at wine-making seemed blessed, as he quickly turned 20 acres of fallow land into a profitable vineyard. He has helped some of his neighbours turn their own fields over to grapes, and the village, he maintains, is behind him.

It was 2012 when his problems with his mother began. That was shortly after his father died, leaving a magnificent eight-bedroom Georgian farmhouse, plus 50 acres of farmland to Jan, his second wife.

Henry, the couples only child together, was made an executor of his fathers will and is the beneficiary of a number of family trusts, which include the newspaper group.

Today, the whole estate is in Jans name. However, Henry says his father had wanted him to share the farm with his mother, but left it in her name to avoid inheritance tax.

The main farmhouse is rented out and Henry lives on the estate with his girlfriend Christine in a rundown cottage with a leaking roof.

It was decided before my father got ill that it would be passed on to me because I was keen to get it running as a farm once again, says Henry. We had just started the complicated process of changing things when Dad died very quickly from an aggressive form of cancer.

From then on, his mother seemed bent on thwarting his every move towards independence. First, he says, she pulled the plug on his life in London by forcing the sale of their home there.

I had a house in Brixton with my mother on the deeds because it was the only way I could have got the mortgage, even though I actually paid it myself, he explains.

My mother had a permanent room available whenever she wanted to visit the city to shop, see friends or take in a show.

It was also a bolthole for her when things were not going well between her and Dad.

But within months of Edwins death, Jan told her son she wanted her name taken off the deeds.

I asked for more time and stipulated that it would make it hard for me to work in London, Henry says. But she said she didnt want to take the risk  even though property prices were soaring and we had already made a 35 per cent profit.

Some of the estate's wine is pictured above

Effectively, he says, he was forced to sell and, believing his grieving mother needed him nearby for support, Henry agreed to return to Kent.

Still, he had to earn a living. Having given up his London-based work as a graphic designer, he came up with a plan to use some of the farmland to grow grapes for a large local wine producer, with his mother as a partner.

It meant returning the farm to agriculture, he explains. I thought it was something my father would have liked. I wanted it to be sustainable and provide an income to support my mother and her lifestyle.

I never asked her for the farm. I came up with a sensible solution so that I could look after us both.

She couldnt understand my need to make a success of something new, but eventually came around. Im an entrepreneur at heart, but she has more of what I might describe as a landed gentry attitude.

With British wine booming in the southern counties, notably in Kent, Henry took an intensive course in viticulture at Plumpton College in neighbouring East Sussex.

Then, putting his learning into practice, he started with two acres of vines in May 2013. He now has 20 and is looking to plant more.

But in January 2014, things started to unravel. Once again, his mother wanted to leave a project they were in together  this time the vineyard.

She phoned to say she didnt want to go ahead after all, he says. If that is not erratic behaviour I dont know what is.

He claims he gave her a substantial sum of money for the right to run the business on the land and that  had the vineyard been a success  his mother would have been given a generous pension to keep her in the style to which she is accustomed.

All went quiet until sometime in mid-2014 when Henry received another blow  and learned that his mother had secretly put the farm up for sale.

I found out from a friendly local estate agent and some farmer friends, Henry says. I was stunned she had gone behind my back that way. (Since then the estate is no longer for sale, perhaps because Henrys position as a sitting tenant makes any sale complicated.)

Then, last month, matters finally came to a head when Jan tried to block Henrys application for an alcohol licence, which would allow him to sell his wines online.

As well as disputing his right to use the land, she also claimed residential tenants at the farm have been disturbed by the nuisance caused by her son.

Jan, who lives in the nearby market town of West Malling, wrote a scathing letter to Tonbridge and Malling Council, saying her son has absolutely no authority to run any sort of business from my premises. We are going through a legal process, she told the council. How a son can do this to his mother I dont know. Its very sad.

Henry counters with his own question: How can a mother do this to her son?

When she learned that I was about to start selling my own wine online, she must have been very desperate. It was not a maternal reaction.

She didnt think of writing or calling me to complain. Instead she sent her objection to the council, thus putting our disagreement out in the open. So I think it is important for me to try to explain what is happening.

Weve asked her to return to mediation but she only gets her solicitor to send me letters, accusing me of assaulting her.

When I asked what Im supposed to have done, the lawyer simply says that its too terrible to repeat.

The winery at Redhill Farm Wateringbury, which is at the heart of the bitter row between mother and son

She said she doesnt want to take the risk it might all go wrong, but I think she cannot cope with the fact that Im succeeding. Shed rather have me at her beck and call.

Since my father died she has tried to control my life. She forced me to sell my house in London and give up my career in graphic design to move back to the farm. Then, when my business took off, she tried to crush it.

Ive always done everything she asked of me until now, yet she seems determined to destroy my business. She does not seem to appreciate I am trying to make the farm sustainable, to ensure it earns an income for me and a pension for her.

He seems genuinely at a loss about how to win his mother around.

I dont know why she is behaving this way, he says. I tried to be a good son and have always been there for her.

If she needed someone to change a fuse or lightbulbs, or to paint a room, I would go over.

Sometimes Id bring over some shopping and I tried to look in on her almost every other day. In any case, I was always at the other end of the telephone and if she needed me then I would be there.

The thing is that shes always had to get her own way. That was one of the reasons why she and Dad argued so often. She can be very demanding. My mothers problem is she has nothing to do in her life.

So far, he says, she has refused all his attempts at mediation. Worse, the furore is making his clients nervous. He says he has also lost three workers because of the dispute.

After more than an hour listening to him pour out his heart, it is clear that mother and son have never been exactly close. Henry refuses to comment when asked if they ever hugged but hints the bond was weakened when he was shipped off to boarding school at the tender age of six.

It is possible, of course, that Jan has sound reasons for wanting to sell the land, which is technically hers, but she declined to respond to our inquiries and her motives remain a mystery.

The stakes are high. If Henrys mother does manage to kick him out, however, the vines will be ripped out and all his hard work would have been in vain.

He is determined to remain, however, and says the business is doing so well that he needs to expand.

Ive asked an old family friend to mediate, but my mother will only speak to me through lawyers, he says. Im angry at her for letting things come to this.
Child poverty in Australia has increased over the past decade, with nearly three million people - including 731,000 children - now living below the poverty line.

The children most at risk have been revealed as those living in single parent households.

Nearly three million Australians are living below the poverty line after taking account of their housing costs.

Child poverty in Australia has increased over the past decade, with nearly three million people - including 731,000 children - now living below the poverty line (stock image)

The proportion of children living in poverty has increased by two per cent over the past decade, to reach 17.4 per cent of all children in Australia in 2014, the Australian Council of Social Service report showed.

'The alarming increase in child poverty revealed by this report should act as an urgent appeal to senators to reject further cuts to family payments, currently before the upper house' ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said in a statement.

She said the cuts stripping another $60 a week from single parent families and the proposal to withhold Newstart support for young people for up to four weeks will likely lead to increased poverty.

Dr Goldie said the overall picture from the last decade was one of persistent and entrenched poverty across the community with an increase in child poverty, which she described as a national shame.

Those most at risk are children in lone parent families who are three times more likely to be living in poverty than those from couple families,

The latest snapshot of poverty in Australia, released on Sunday, confirmed the unemployed are at greatest risk of poverty.

An Australian Council of Social Service report revealed the proportion of children living in poverty has increased by two per cent over the past decade (stock image)

Dr Goldie said those doing it toughest were overwhelmingly people living on the $38 a day Newstart payment, 55 per cent of whom were in poverty.

That was followed by families on the parenting payment (51.5 per cent), the majority of whom were lone parents with children.
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As an historian and author with decades of experience reading and writing about the Royal Family, it was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch all ten hours of Netflixs eagerly awaited series, The Crown.

Costing an estimated 100 million to make, it is said to be the most expensive television series ever.

Viewers are promised a lavish and beautifully filmed procession of some of Englands grandest stately homes, with sweeping views of vast marble staircases, fabulous old limousines and sumptuous costumes  not to mention some of our finest young acting talent.

Philips just one of the boys: The Royal newlyweds portrayed enjoying a brief carefree moment in Malta, embracing among friends after Philip has taken part in a rowing race

To get to this, however, you will have to brave an opening sequence in which we see King George VI spewing blood into a lavatory  a scene that immediately justified some of my worst fears.

The sheer tastelessness is matched only by the concluding scene which, incredibly, shows Prime Minister Anthony Eden slumped in front of burning cine-film of former Egyptian President Nasser, having just stuck a needle full of drugs into his arm.

The first ten episodes, to be broadcast next month, follow the young Princess Elizabeth, played by Claire Foy, from her marriage to Prince Philip (Matt Smith) in 1947 to the brink of the Suez Crisis in 1956, and, along the way, forging a relationship with Winston Churchill.

The production is co-directed for Netflix by the acclaimed Stephen Daldry and written by Peter Morgan, who scripted the 2006 film The Queen, which starred Helen Mirren.

Despite its pedigree, there have already been complaints that The Crown is little more than a sensationalist attempt to out-Downton Downton Abbey, which has been a spectacular success in the United States.

After sitting through all ten episodes, I have to say that while it certainly holds the attention, it is marred by a series of sensationalist errors and some quite remarkable lapses into vulgarity, including historically inaccurate scenes of confrontation, and a naked Matt Smith as Prince Philip.

Crowning moment: Claire Foy as the Queen at the Coronation. Her Norman Hartnell dress is good, the Garter collar less so, while peeresses sit where peers should be

There is also a tiresome scene where the Duke of Windsor turns to the Duchess of Windsor in bed in Paris and asks: Shall we f***?

Not that any of this will prevent its eventual success, of course, particularly in the US.

Stephen Frears extraordinary film, The Queen, succeeded in explaining the difficult days after Dianas death. Later, the Queens Private Secretary told him it was all wrong, and yet all right. Much of what was portrayed did not happen but the essence was correct.

Here, however, the balance is rather different.

It is true that England has never looked more glorious. Lancaster House in St Jamess steps in as Buckingham Palace, as it did in Downton, as does the facade of Warwick House.

Englefield House, Hatfield House and Ely Cathedral open their doors. There is no shortage of chandeliers. Indeed on occasion, the locations used are grander than the originals. There is much on which to feast the eye.

A royal dogs life: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor (Alex Jennings and Lia Williams) depicted with their pet pugs at home in Paris

Yet it is dogged by petty and frustrating inaccuracies.

Even before the first credits, Prince Philip is described as a Prince of Greece and of Denmark. Then the King knights him as he bestows titles on him in the wrong order, and only then gives him the Garter. Nor do things improve.

Prince Philips mother is depicted in a nuns habit at the wedding. On that occasion in real life she was a civilian and did not wear the habit until the Coronation.

Then it is distinctly odd to see Prince Philip mocking a Kenyan chieftain for wearing a Victoria Cross when he himself is dressed wearing a 1953 Coronation medal as early as February 1952. Robes and coronets leave much to be desired in the Coronation scene, while Highgrove is shown on the Palace switchboard in the 1950s, even though Prince Charles only bought it in the 1980s.

I could go on for pages. These things are so easy to get right, especially with a budget of 100 million.

There are misconceptions that make a mockery of several episodes.

Daddys boy: The young Prince Philip enjoys rough and tumble with Prince Charles

A whole episode shows Princess Margaret running the country while the Queen is on her Commonwealth tour. This is nonsense since Counsellors of State operate in tandem, and if anyone ran the country, it was the Queen Mother.

Actor Alex Jennings looks incredibly like the Duke of Windsor, but the real Duke never delivered the Shakespearian oratory this actor is given. Nor would the real Queen have ever asked for advice from a man so patently incapable of giving it.

American viewers, for whom this is primarily targeted, are used to sensationalist articles informing them that the Queen is about to abdicate, or that Camilla has taken to the bottle, and will presumably lap all this up.

They may enjoy the gratuitous use of the C-word by George VI, some Trump-like groping from Group Captain Peter Townsend, and the sight of Matt Smith naked from the rear, stepping out of bed. British viewers will be less approving, and hopefully more discerning.

So I am relieved to say that at least the Queen herself comes out well. Claire Foy is as poised and measured as ever, capturing the seriousness of the Monarch, along with her youthful good looks. She certainly portrays what a journalist once described as that calm level gaze, conscious of duty fulfilled.

What a drag: Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby) draws on another cigarette. The portrayal of her romance with Peter Townsend is not convincing

Foy has Royal experience from another era, of course, having played a convincing Anne Boleyn in the BBCs Wolf Hall.

And on the positive side, the series does shed light on the Queen and Prince Philip when they were young, before they became the people that we recognise today. The sympathetic portrait of the Queen as a young woman coming to grips with her new role is a good one.

It is easy to forget that her accession to the throne was hailed as the start of a new Elizabethan age  the young Monarch as Gloriana in a Britain where rationing was still in force, but the optimism was huge. The film captures this well.

If the Queen comes out well, Prince Philip and Princess Margaret do not. Towards the end of episode three, the series finds its theme  which is the frustration of Philip. All right, he minded losing his naval career and the Cabinets decision (not the Duke of Windsors as here hinted) that the Royal House should be the House of Windsor and not Mountbatten (though in real life he wanted it called Edinburgh).

But it is a complete travesty to suggest that Prince Philip did not want to do homage to his wife at the Coronation. Unlike other flaky consorts such as Prince Claus of the Netherlands and Prince Henrik of Denmark, Philip was raised within the Royal House of Greece. He knew the rules from birth.

The tender Prince: A kiss for the young Queen from Prince Philip played by Matt Smith

Nor are the episodes concerning the romance between Princess Margaret and Group Captain Townsend convincing. It is shocking to pretend the Queen squashed their union. In fact, by 1955 that love affair had run its course.

The depiction of the Royal Family is something of a curates egg. Princess Margaret is played lusciously by Vanessa Kirby, but I am less convinced by Victoria Hamilton as the Queen Mother. She seems to lack the steeliness. Eileen Atkins is a little thin but suitably austere as Queen Mary. Smith captures the youthful and constrained energy of Prince Philip.

It is always worrying when real people are dramatised, especially the Queen and Prince Philip, who still serve this country these many years later.

These films are works of fiction and yet people watching may well believe it all true. Unlike Downton Abbey, The Crown CAN be judged against history by people who can remember the events portrayed.

But as ITVs acclaimed Victoria has recently made clear, a little massaging of the truth is no bar to popularity.
A teenager's selfies have been stolen from social media and published on a porn website.

Perth woman Noelle Martin, now 22, was just 17-years-old when her selfies were stolen from Facebook, she told ABC's 7.30.

In some of the images, the predators had doctored the Australian student's face onto photos of a naked model's body.

Noelle Martin was just 17 years old when predators stole a "selfie" she posted on her Facebook feed and plastered it over porn websites around the world

An image of her with friends at Claremont Hotel in Perth was stolen from social media and her face was doctored onto the body of a naked woman

'I really was shocked, I felt like I wanted to vomit, my heart sank,' she told WAToday.

Ms Martin had discovered images of herself about 2am at her university residence while playing around with Google's reverse image search, a tool which shows where an image has been published online.

People had made lewd comments about her on the websites, she said.

'They were saying things like: "The amount of come that's been spilt over her could fill a swimming pool". Or: "Cover her face and we'd f*** her body". I was called trash, a sl**.'

She was 18 when she discovered her image had been plastered on porn sites and has been fighting to have the pictures pulled ever since.

One webmaster had even tried to blackmail her for more nude photographs for his private collection when she requested he take the photo down.

Ms Martin said she was concerned she appeared to be voluntarily pictured on the porn sites.

Noelle Martin, now 22, was 17-years-old in this image which was stolen by predators and published on porn websites

Predators stole her image from Facebook, doctored her face onto the body of naked models, and posted the photo to porn websites

'They can ruin a girl's life by this. They literally can ruin a girl's life by what they're doing,' she told 7.30.

Ms Martin is the victim of parasite porn, where images are stolen and used or altered in a sexually explicit manner without consent.

She is calling on the government to crack down on the practice.

She had been to local and federal police, as well as other agencies, who had all referred her onto other departments.

Ms Martin is now finishing off her law degree in Sydney and is campaigning for tougher laws with other victims of parasite porn.

Ms Martin is now finishing off her law degree in Sydney and is campaigning for tougher laws with other victims of parasite porn.




Hillary Clinton's speeches to Wall Street bankers have allegedly been revealed in the latest Wikileaks hack.

Newly released documents showed comments by Clinton during question-and-answer sessions with Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein and Tim O'Neill, the bank's head of investment management, at three separate events in 2013 in Arizona, New York and South Carolina.

The emails released on Saturday were sent by senior campaign adviser Tony Carrk.

In one email, Clinton allegedly told Wall Street bankers steps needed to be taken to curb financial abuses due to 'political reasons'.

Hillary Clinton's speeches to Wall Street bankers have allegedly been revealed in the latest Wikileaks hack

'There was also a need to do something because for political reasons, if you were an elected member of Congress and people in your constituency were losing jobs and shutting businesses and everybody in the press is saying it's all the fault of Wall Street, you can't sit idly by and do nothing,' Clinton reportedly said.

In another alleged email, Clinton reportedly spoke to bankers about regulations.

'There's nothing magic about regulations, too much is bad, too little is bad,' it read.

'How do you get to the golden key, how do we figure out what works? And the people that know the industry better than anybody are the people who work in the industry.'

The Democratic nominee discussed foreign policy in a 2013 speech, saying she ideally would have wanted the US to intervene in Syria as 'covertly as is possible for Americans' to do so.

'We used to be much better at this than we are now,' she said.

Wikileaks claim the documents it released on Saturday show parts of the three speeches Hillary Clinton gave to Goldman Sachs in 2013

The alleged transcripts come from question-and-answer sessions with Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein (right) and Tim O'Neill (left), the bank's head of investment management

'Now, you know, everybody can't help themselves. They have to go out and tell their friendly reporters and somebody else: Look what we're doing and I want credit for it, and all the rest of it.'

Another alleged email shows the former Secretary of State's response to O'Neill calling her, 'courageous in some respect to associated with Wall Street'.

'Well, I dont feel particularly courageous. I mean, if were going to be an effective, efficient economy, we need to have all part of that engine running well, and that includes Wall Street and Main Street,' the email claims Clinton said.

'And theres a big disconnect and a lot of confusion right now. So Im not interested in, you know, turning the clock back or pointing fingers, but I am interested in trying to figure out how we come together to chart a better way forward and one that will restore confidence in, you know, small and medium-size businesses and consumers and begin to chip away at the unemployment rate.

'If you're a realist, you know that people have different roles to play in politics, economics, and this is an important role, but I do think that there has to be an understanding of how what happens here on Wall Street has such broad consequences.

Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman & CEO, Goldman Sachs (L) stands on stage with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting

The emails were the latest released by Wikileaks that it received after John Podesta, Chairman of the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, was hacked

'Not just for the domestic but the global economy, so more thought has to be given to the process and transactions and regulations so that we don't kill or maim what works, but we concentrate on the most effective way of moving forward with the brainpower and the financial power that exists here.'

Some excerpts of Clinton's speeches had already been released.

For more than a week, Wikileaks has published in stages what it claims are hacked emails from the account of John Podesta, Clinton's campaign chairman.

Clinton's campaign has declined to verify the emails. Goldman Sachs did not immediately provide any comment on Saturday.

Clinton came under fire for months for not releasing full details of her paid speeches to big business audiences, as opponents accused her of a cozy relationship with bankers and other members of the US financial system.

The excerpts that have surfaced so far angered voters who backed Clinton's former Democratic opponent, US Senator Bernie Sanders, who endorsed her after losing the party's primary.

Few of these voters are expected to vote for Republican nominee Donald Trump, who is dealing with his own larger scandal after the release last week of a 2005 video in which he bragged about making unwanted sexual advances toward women.
Christopher Halliwell was already serving a life sentence for strangling another woman when he was convicted of killing Becky Godden

Double killer Christopher Halliwell has mocked his conviction for murdering a prostitute in sick letters sent from his prison cell.

The taxi driver heard last September that he would die behind bars for the murders of Becky Godden in 2003 and Sian O'Callaghan in 2011.

Halliwell claimed to have never met Ms Godden and called his trial for her murder a 'headache', insisting he was innocent.

In letters seen by The Sunday Mirror, Halliwell wrote: 'I laughed at the guilty verdict. If found it ironic that I was found guilty of killing someone I'd never met.

'But I do deserve the previous life sentence for Sian's death. I had no right to lose my temper the way I did.'

Halliwell, 52, from Swindon, was found guilty of killing Ms Godden while already behind bars for stabbing Ms O'Callaghan to death.

Halliwell had sex with Ms Godden, 20, then strangled her after becoming possessive and resenting her work as a prostitute in Swindon, Wiltshire.

He was convicted of her murder last month.

The remains of missing sex worker Becky Godden, 20, were found in a shallow grave

Fiver years earlier, Halliwell abducted and murdered Swindon office worker Miss OCallaghan and dumped her body close to the ancient chalk horse in Uffington, Oxfordshire.

Halliwell's admitted to Miss Godden's murder, but this confession was initially ruled inadmissible because Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher had breached police guidelines on interviewing suspects.

The charge of murdering Miss Godden was withdrawn until March this year following an investigation by Wiltshire Police.

Former detective Mr Fulcher left the police after he was disciplined over the cautioning issue, but has been hailed a hero by Miss Godden's mother for finding her daughter's body.

Halliwell was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Sian O'Callaghan

Mr Fulcher now works as a consultant in Somalia but is writing a book giving his side of the story of the investigation into Halliwell, which is due out next year.

Police have said they have 'no doubt' Halliwell could have claimed more victims.

The former butcher once asked a fellow prisoner how many women a person had to murder to become a serial killer.

The father-of-three denied murder and represented himself during a two-week trial at Bristol Crown Court.

But the jury of six men and six women took less than two hours to convict him of the charge.

Halliwell laughed and smiled as the verdict was returned by the jury, while members of Sian O'Callaghan's family and the Godden family cheered, wept and hugged each other when they heard the guilty verdict.
A new 'Zombie' drug that causes users to hallucinate wildly is threatening to wreak havoc among teenagers on Schoolies after causing major problems in the United States.

Sixteen people were rushed to hospital on Saturday after overdosing on the mystery drug at numerous locations throughout the Gold Coast, Queensland.

Police suspect the drug in question may be 'flakka', a synthetic hallucinogen which costs as little as AUD$7.50 and has previously caused users to commit murder, bite the flesh of strangers faces and leap from balconies.

With a reputation as 'the scariest drug in America', police are now worried it could lead to deaths of young people during the school-leavers pilgrimage in December.

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A total of 16 people were rushed to hospital on Saturday after they took a mystery drug on the Gold Coast

The drug taken by the 16 is believed to be 'flakka', a synthetic hallucinogen often made in China and shipped to Australia, where it's readily and easily available online (man pictured is going through drug psychosis)

WHAT IS FLAKKA? Flakka, also known as gravel, burst onto the scene in the United States in 2013. It costs as little as AUD$7.50 and can be accessed easily online. Flakka's active ingredient is a synthetic stimulant called alpha-PVP, it's similar to synthetic drugs such as Ecstasy. It often causes users to 'become psychotic, rip their clothes off and run into the street'. Advertisement

Regarded as being more dangerous than ice, one of the most worrying aspects of the drug is how easily it can be sourced.

Purchasing the drug online ensures next day delivery, while it can also be bought from the shelves of sex shops.

The terrifying dangers of taking the drug were on full display yesterday with 16 separate cases of overdoses.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, paramedics were called to treat seven men and one woman who were found hallucinating and talking incoherently.

Just hours later they were again called in to action in Labrador, north of the Gold Coast, following a separate round of eight cases.

All users were hallucinating with one needing to be sedated before being taken to hospital and placed in an induced coma.

Following the overdoses on the weekend, police worry the 'zombie' drug will cause major issues when thousands of Schoolies land at the Gold Coast this year

Regarded as being more dangerous than ice, it costs as little as AUD$7.50 and has previously caused users to commit murder, bite flesh off strangers faces and leap from balconies. Police say it could cause major problems when teenager school leavers hit the Gold Coast (right)

Authorities say those who overdosed on the drug on Saturday were 'doing weird things' when they were discovered

'They were very agitated and were doing weird things [like] jumping on furniture,' Queensland Ambulance Supervisor Paul Young said.

'Any illegal drugs or unknown substance that you take, the effect is totally unknown.

'There is no such thing as a Party Drug. Drugs used improperly can and will kill.'
Under Operation Rocking Horse, the Monarchs and their daughters Elizabeth (pictured aged 16) and Margaret would have been smuggled from Buckingham Palace

Details of a remarkable wartime plan to save the Royal Family from being kidnapped by Nazi paratroopers have been unveiled for the first time.

Under the plan, codenamed Rocking Horse, 200 elite Coldstream Guardsmen were retrained as bodyguards and drivers, ready to whisk the Royals to safety at a moments notice.

And the Royals themselves were ordered to each keep a suitcase packed to aid their speedy departure.

Under Operation Rocking Horse, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and their daughters Elizabeth and Margaret would have been smuggled from Buckingham Palace to Madresfield Court, a 12th Century mansion in Worcestershire  chosen as a bolthole as the property was owned by friends of former Coldstream officers.

The nearby River Severn offered an escape route if their cover was blown.

Rocking Horse was drawn up to thwart a plan by Adolf Hitler to kidnap members of the Royal Family and force Britain to surrender.

Author Andrew Stewart, whose new book, called The Kings Private Army, reveals details of Rocking Horse, told The Mail on Sunday: According to German sources, Hitler devised a plan for bombers to launch a dive-bomb attack on Central London.

Then paratroopers, dropped from low-flying aircraft, would land in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and capture any members of the Royal Family they could find.

Hitler (pictured) 'devised a plan for bombers to launch a dive-bomb attack on Central London and paratroopers, would land in the grounds of Buckingham Palace and capture any members of the Royal Family'

Great emphasis was placed upon the German Royal Unit taking its hostages alive as Hitler apparently believed that capturing the King and his immediate family could force Britains surrender. Fears that such an operation would be mounted led to the Kings private army, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Coats.

No written orders were given and, such was the sense of urgency surrounding the security of the Royal Family, his troops were often on only five minutes notice to move, said Mr Stewart. The destinations were only ever referred to by codewords contained in sealed envelopes.

In the event of the Royal Family being smuggled to Madresfield Court, the house would have been defended by troops from the Kings private army and auxiliary units made up of local farmers who were trained to assassinate Germans and blow up vehicles.

The Kings private army was also equipped with high-powered armoured vehicles, such as Daimler scout cars and bulletproof limousines to escort the Royals.

PRINCESSES WOULD BE SMUGGLED ABROAD IF HITLER INVADED By RACHAEL BURFORD FOR MAILONLINE A young Princess Elizabeth would have been whisked to another country if German forces had invaded Britain, newly discovered documents have revealed. Operation Coats, which was personally coordinated by King George VI, was known only to trusted members of the Celdstream guard and the King's private army chief, Major Jimmy Coats. While the monarchs would be taken to one of four British country houses in the event of an invasion, Princesses Elizabeth and Ann would be evacuated abroad if the King thought necessary. The hidden archives were uncovered by Kings College historian Dr Andrew Stewart in Windsor Castle. He told the Sunday Express 'in the worst case' the two princesses would have been taken out of the UK to 'ensure their safety.' Advertisement

Food and ammunition supplies were secretly stockpiled in the 120-room house, thought to have been the inspiration for the Evelyn Waugh novel Brideshead Revisited. To maintain an appearance of normality, no additional defences were built on the 4,000 acres of land. The main house was already protected by a moat.

King George VI took Nazi threats to his personal security seriously and spent hours every week on a firing range at Buckingham Palace practising shooting a revolver.

He also insisted that when he left the Palace by car, he brought a Sten sub-machine gun in his briefcase, apparently telling his chauffeur that if they were attacked by German spies, he should be left behind to fight the enemy to the death.

Rocking Horse also included plans for the evacuation of the British government to Stratford-upon-Avon.

But the plans were never put into action, after Hitler turned his attention to invading Russia following his defeat in the Battle of Britain.

Though the Royal Archives are believed to contain references to Rocking Horse, many of the documents remain classified. But Stewart interviewed one of the senior Coldstream officers involved in the plan, Brigadier Sir Jeffrey Darell, who agreed to speak about the Kings private army on the insistence that none of the material was published while he was alive.
A senior State Department official allegedly tried to have the FBI change the classification of emails during the Hillary Clinton investigation.

Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz claimed at least one email was the subject of an 'alleged quid pro quo' involving the authorities and State Department Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy, according to Fox News.

'In return for altering the classification, the possibility of additional slots for the FBI at missions overseas was discussed,' Chaffetz said.

Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz claims a senior State Department official tried to have the FBI change the classification of emails during the Hillary Clinton investigation

Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz claims new documents show Patrick Kennedy (pictured) was in an 'alleged quid pro quo' with the FBI

The alleged revelation is included in new documents relating to the investigation, Chaffetz claims.

The Utah Congressman told Fox he has not read the documents, and is basing his comments off what he has been told by staff members.

'Both myself and Chairman Devin Nunes of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence are infuriated by what we have heard,' he told the news network.

'Left to their own devices the FBI would never have provided these [records] to Congress and waited until the last minute. This is the third batch because [the FBI] didnt think they were relevant.'

The Congressman then said he would expect there to be 'four hearings' or more in the wake of the alleged incident.

The same allegation has surfaced against Kennedy before, and he has categorically denied it.
Hillary Clinton has launched her latest attempt to take down Donald Trump - a comparative tool which compares how the candidates have spent the past 50 years.

In a clear attempt to ridicule her opponent, Clinton pitted photographs of herself in law school and addressing the Senate against a catalog of images showing Trump posing with beauty queens or promoting his many branded products.

The tool, titled 'The Making of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump', allows users to 'shuffle' through the past five decades to see what each was doing at any given date.

'Hillary has spent the past five decades fighting for kids and families. Trump has spent five decades lining his own pockets.

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Hillary Clinton's campaign has launched its latest tool to take down Donald Trump - a scathing comparison of how the pair have each spent the last 50 years

'Shuffle through the years to see what each candidate has been up to since they began their careers,' its introduction reads.

An example is 1980. A photograph of Hillary with a then infant Chelsea appeared alongside the description: 'After giving birth to her daughter, Chelsea, Hillary writes her own maternity policy, because her law firm doesnt have one.'

Beneath Trump's photograph is the statement: 'Trump says he probably wont ever run for office, because public service is a very mean life.

According to the tool, in 1977 'Hillary co-founds Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, one of the states first child advocacy groups.'

Meanwhile Trump 'marries his first wife, Ivanathe beginning of a short-lived marriage.'

Trump and Ivana were married for 14 years from 1977 to 1992 and had three children together.

In 1977, Clinton said co-founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families while she chalked Trump's year down to marrying his first wife Ivana. She described the marriage as 'short-lived' - the pair were married for 14 years

In 2008, Clinton said she 'introduced legislation to reign in excessive CEO pay.' In the same year, Trump took part in the first series of Celebrity Apprentice

Clinton described 2012 as the year in which she gave an address on energy diplomacy while she said Trump told the world climate change had been 'created by and for the Chinese'

The tool won the approval and amusement of Clinton supporters on social media

Others included the year 1995. Clinton epitomized her year by sharing a photograph of herself giving a speech in front of the UN on women's rights.

Trump, appearing in a photograph flanked by two Miss Universe contestants, 'says that he will make contestants' bathing suits.. smaller' and heels...higher'.

It concludes: 'We have a choice in this election between a proven leader with decades of experience - or Donald Trump.'

The tool, which has gained the approval of amused Twitter followers, comes in the midst of a nightmare week for Trump's campaign.

Since the emergence of a 2005 tape in which he boasted about making unwanted advances on women, nine have come out to claim they were victims of the behavior he described.

It credited the Democratic candidate with 'fighting for kids and families' but said Trump had spent the last 50 years 'lining his own pockets'

Clinton also described herself as a 'proven leader with decades of experience'. She gave no characterization of Trump

He has denied each of their separate allegations and on Saturday suggested the election was 'rigged'.

A ninth woman came forward on Saturday to allege he had made uninvited sexual advances on her.

Cathy Heller told The Guardian she was attending a Mother's Day lunch at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997 when he kissed her on the mouth without her consent.

His campaign, which has issued denials of every accusation of sexual misconduct leveled against him this week, batted it away.

Trump's campaign went into overdrive this week denying the accusations of nine different women who say he made unwanted sexual advances on them

Clinton (above at a fundraising event in Seattle on Friday) said she took 'no satisfaction' in the allegations leveled against her opponent

Heller donated $2,700 to Clinton's campaign earlier this year. She has also tried to have her husband's family's membership fees to Mar-a-Lago reimbursed.

On Friday, Clinton told supporters somberly she took 'no satisfaction' in the accusations leveled against her opponent.

'This election is incredibly painful. I take absolutely no satisfaction in what is happening on the other side with my opponent.

'I am not at all happy about that because it hurts our country, it hurts our democracy, it sends terrible messages to so many people here at home and around the world,' she said at a fundraising event in Seattle.

Clinton took a seven-point lead in a national poll commissioned by Fox News on Thursday.

Rasmussen Reports, another respected pollster, put Trump ahead by two per cent.
The Prime Minister's 'obsession' with grammar schools will 'reduce standards' and is 'socially divisive', according to the head of Ofsted.

Sir Michael Wilshaw claims Theresa May should instead be focusing on expanding vocational courses to address the skills shortages that will worsen after Britain leaves the EU.

He used one of the Prime Minister's slogans while attacking her plans, insisting more grammars would only work 'for the few'.

Chief Inspector of Schools Sir Michael Wilshaw (pictured) claims that a new wave of selective grammar schools will lower standards for most pupils

Mrs May has repeatedly insisted she wants to build a country that 'works for everyone, not just the privileged few' since she was appointed Prime Minister in July.

Sir Wilshaw, who will complete his five-year tenor as chief inspector of schools in December, told the Observer that an increase in the number of selective schools will 'reduce standards for the great majority of children'.

He said: 'The skills shortages are getting worse and that will be exacerbated, I suspect, by Brexit. If I was secretary of state for education I would insist that every significant multi-academy trust contained a university technology college from 14 to 19 offering core subjects  English, maths, science  but also a specialism.'

He added: 'By their very nature grammar schools are for the few  otherwise why have them?'

Theresa May (pictured) should be focusing on expanding vocational courses to address skills shortages, according to Sir Wilshaw

The Government insists Britain already has a 'postcode lottery', with richer parents moving to areas with better comprehensives.

Mrs May has also stressed that new grammars will have to show they are 'genuinely reaching out' to poorer pupils and that education is 'not going back to the 1950s'.

But Sir Wilshaw said: 'If you're taking away the best kids from the comprehensive system, you're creating, by another name, secondary moderns. People will know that the brightest children, the most academic children, are not going there.'

He added that grammars would inevitably make it more difficult to attract the brightest teachers to non-selective schools.

Several Tory MPs including former education secretary Nicky Morgan and Commons Education Committee chair Neil Carmichael oppose Mrs May's plan for new selective schools.

But, because the plans would only apply to England, the Government should have the majority required to get the plan through the Commons as the SNP would not take part in a vote.

SNP MPs have however indicated they may block the plans if they would cause any budgetary implications for Scotland.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: 'Selective schools don't do anything to improve social mobility - we know they admit far fewer pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Both Clinton and Trump will appear alongside Dolan at his annual Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria on Thursday

Dolan had already met with Hillary Clinton earlier this month

Trump and Melania went to St Patrick's Cathedral on Friday morning

After the toughest week of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump headed to church in New York.

The GOP nominee and his wife Melania arrived at St Patrick's Cathedral on Friday morning for a private meeting with Archibishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan.

Trump requested the meeting a 'few weeks ago', according to the cardinal's spokesman Joe Zwilling.

Trump and his wife Melania arrived at St Patrick's Cathedral (pictured) on Friday morning for a private meeting with Archibishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan

Trump requested the meeting a 'few weeks ago', according to the cardinal's spokesman Joe Zwilling. No other details regarding the meeting were released

'There was a private meeting with the cardinal. Its the practice of the archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York to accommodate a request for a meeting, especially someone who is running for national office,' Zwilling added.

No other details regarding the meeting were released.

Trump and Melania were accompanied by his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway.

Melania donned an all-black ensemble for the meeting, sporting a pea coat and shading her face with matching large black sunglasses.

Hope Hicks, Trump's spokeswoman, said the meeting had long been planned, according to the New York Post.

Trump's rival Hillary Clinton met with Dolan a few weeks ago, Zilling said.

Both Clinton and Trump will appear alongside Dolan at his annual Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria on Thursday, the day after the third and final presidential debate takes place in Las Vegas.

Trump's rival Hillary Clinton met with Dolan (pictured) a few weeks ago, Zilling sai

Prices for individual tickets to the event start at $3,000 and all proceeds go to a number of New York hospitals and community centers that benefit the city's poorest children.

The dinner traditionally hosts candidates of opposing parties and Trump and Clinton are expected to 'deliver the evening's speeches in the spirit of collegiality and good humor', according to a statement released by the New York Archdiocese.

Dolan himself has defended selecting both controversial candidates to headline the event.

'If I only sat down with people who agreed with me, and I with them, or with those who were saints, I'd be taking all my meals alone,' he said.

Nine women came forward this week to accuse Trump of sexual misconduct after he claimed in the debate that his boasts of 'grabbing women by the p***y', caught on a hot mic during an Access Hollywood interview in 2005, were 'just words'.

Both Clinton and Trump will appear alongside Dolan at his annual Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria on Thursday

Cathy Heller, 63, told the Guardian that the billionaire kissed her on the mouth without her consent during a Mother's Day lunch at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997.

Heller was attending with her mother-in-law, her three children and husband when she said she was introduced to him as he made his way through the room.

'He took my hand, and grabbed me, and went for the lips,' she said.

She claims she held back but he persevered. 'And he said, Oh, come on. He was strong. He grabbed me and went for my mouth and went for my lips.'
How strange and wrong it is that the actions of soldiers are often judged by those whose closest experience of danger is crossing the road, or putting too much sugar in their tea.

Soldiers are used to being needed one day and scorned the next. One moment, politicians pose alongside soldiers in combat gear. The next moment they make laws and sign treaties which leave those same soldiers absurdly vulnerable to prosecutions for actions taken under extreme pressure, in circumstances few of us can imagine.

You might have thought, after the Government pledged to protect soldiers from vexatious complaints about their conduct in war, that this sort of thing was at an end.

How strange and wrong it is that the actions of soldiers are often judged by those whose closest experience of danger is crossing the road, or putting too much sugar in their tea

But the experience of former SAS sergeant Colin Maclachlan shows that the key lesson has yet to be learned. The Ministry of Defence casually informed him that long-ago events in Iraq, which he had described in a book manuscript submitted to the MoD, are being investigated by the police.

Mr Maclachlan described how he had shot severely wounded Iraqis, 13 years ago, as an act of mercy.

We cannot expect men and women to go into battle on our behalf if we refuse to recognise that war is utterly unlike civilian life, and cannot be ruled by civilian ideas of right and wrong.

This event is bound to be compared with the shooting of a badly wounded Taliban fighter in Afghanistan by Royal Marine Sgt Alexander Blackman. And while the circumstances could not be more different, the MoD has in both cases hung the soldiers involved out to dry.

Mr Maclachlan, who was deployed behind enemy lines out of reach of professional medical care, acted as soldiers have done to friend and foe throughout history. Seeing men hideously injured and in great pain, with no realistic hope of recovery, he killed them to end their misery.

Everyone with experience of real warfare knows that such things happen, but are seldom publicly mentioned  mainly for the sake of civilian morale. There is even a precedent, in the Falklands War, in which a soldier who shot a terribly burned Argentine prisoner was investigated and rightly spared prosecution.

We cannot expect men and women to go into battle on our behalf if we refuse to recognise that war is utterly unlike civilian life, and cannot be ruled by civilian ideas of right and wrong.

Brexit needs clarity

The crisis of Brexit may be only just starting. Those who thought the vote last June was the end of the matter are rapidly learning that it was in fact only the beginning.

It is odd that those who campaigned for British sovereignty as a supreme objective should now seem reluctant to involve Parliament in the process. And it is odder still that many of them still maintain a blind faith that departure from the EU will be nothing but sunlit uplands, unclouded by storms.

These are difficult and complicated times, and the Prime Minister needs to act cautiously and keep an open mind if she is to pilot the country safely through them

There needs to be a new sense of reasonableness in the debate about how we proceed. There is no point in the winning side denying that there is any economic cost to leaving, especially if we forgo access to the single market.
British troops are being investigated over the alleged ill-treatment of Iraqis accused of butchering two captured soldiers.

The servicemen have been the subjects of a criminal probe into complaints of abuse against the two Iraqis while they were in detention, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

The men are suspected of involvement in the murders of Sapper Luke Allsopp and Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth 13 years ago.

British troops are being investigated over the alleged abuse of Iraqis accused of butchering two captured soldiers, Sapper Luke Allsopp and Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth

The secret criminal investigation into the British soldiers has lasted more than two years. If found guilty, they could go to prison.

Retired military leaders expressed outrage that the murders of Sapper Allsopp and Sgt Cullingworth could lead to the prosecution of the British troops who detained the suspects, instead of the suspects themselves.

Former head of the Army Lord Dannatt told The Sunday Telegraph: 'This case must be dropped. It is outrageous that the allegations are still being looked at 13 years later.'

Retired Colonel Tim Collins said: 'It is a national embarrassment. This is a disgrace.'

Faisal Al-Saadoon and Khalaf Mufdhi allegedly killed Sapper Luke Allsopp and Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth in cold blood in 2003, at the start of the Iraq war.

The men were handed to the Iraqi government and charged with war crimes after a Royal Military Police investigation decided they had been involved in carrying out and ordering the murders.

These charges were dropped because of insufficient evidence, although the Ministry of Defence confirmed they had not been found innocent.

Iraqis Faisal al-Saadoon and Khalaf Mufdhi lodged criminal complaints with the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat), the controversial taxpayer-funded organisation that looks into complaints of abuse by British soldiers.

The Iraqis were suspected of involvement in the murders of the two soldiers more than 13 years ago

The murders of Sgt Cullingworth, 36, and Spr Allsopp, 24, were one of the bloodiest attacks on British troops during the Iraq War.

They were travelling in a convoy in March 2003 on bomb disposal duties when they were ambushed by militiamen.

After coming under heavy fire, they were dragged from their Land Rover and taken to an Iraqi intelligence base.

There, they were shot repeatedly by two rifles and a pistol. Pictures of the compound showed a mob of Iraqis around them as they lay dying.

It was not until a month later that their bodies were found in a shallow grave and taken back to Britain for a proper burial.

Ihat is investigating 1,500 cases of alleged wrongdoing by troops.

Its agents have turned up on family doorsteps and at barrack gates demanding information or threatening arrest over incidents from years ago.

Retired military leaders expressed outrage that their murders could lead to the prosecution of the British troops who detained the suspects, instead of the suspects themselves

Former head of the Army Lord Dannatt told The Sunday Telegraph: 'This case must be dropped. It is outrageous that the allegations are still being looked at 13 years later'

The Mail revealed in October that six soldiers have been arrested and 20 questioned under caution during Ihat's 57million probe into the Iraq War.

A Downing Street spokesman said at the time that Ihat was independent, insisting anyone under investigation would receive support and legal advice.

But Tory MP Johnny Mercer, who has been leading an inquiry into the agency, said: 'This is definitely not the case.'

Describing the feelings of the persecuted troops, he added: 'They feel very let down, very betrayed. These are good men and women who have signed up and given the best years of their life to the service of this country.
The US and South Korea said Sunday that the latest missile launch by North Korea ended in a failure after the projectile exploded soon after liftoff.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the military believes the North unsuccessfully attempted to fire a mid-range Musudan missile.

It said the failed launch was made near an airport in the North's North Pyongan province.

South Korea strongly condemns the launch because it violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that bans any ballistic activities by North Korea, the statement said.

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The US and South Korea said Sunday that the latest missile launch (file photo) by North Korea ended in a failure after the projectile exploded soon after liftoff

US military first reported the launch was attempted at 11.33pm EDT Friday (12.03pm Saturday local time) and that the missile didn't pose a threat to North America. South Koreans are pictured watching a news broadcast after the failed missile launch

The U.S. military first reported the launch was attempted at 11.33pm EDT Friday (12.03pm Saturday local time) and that the missile didn't pose a threat to North America. The action brought harsh criticism from the U.S.

'We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests, which violate U.N. Security Council Resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea's launches using ballistic missile technology,' said Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman.

He said the U.S. would raise concerns at the U.N.

'Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad,' Ross said. 'We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation.'

North Korea has claimed technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental US.

South Korean defense officials have said the North doesn't yet have such a weapon.

It's the latest in a series of moves by North Korea aimed apparently at displaying a show of force.

As recently as last month, it fired three ballistic missiles off its east coast, timed to get the attention of world leaders including President Barack Obama who were visiting the region for a series of summits.

The U.N. Security Council subsequently condemned those North Korean launches and threatened 'further significant measures' if it refused to stop its nuclear and missile tests.

As recently as last month, it fired three ballistic missiles off its east coast, timed to get the attention of world leaders including President Barack Obama (pictured) who were visiting the region for a series of summits

North Korea also conducted its fifth nuclear test last month and in all has launched more than 20 ballistic missiles this year, part of its program aimed at improving the delivery system for nuclear weapons.

Earlier this year, North Korea successfully launched a Musudan missile in June after several failed attempts.

Obama has vowed to work with the United Nations to tighten sanctions against North Korea, but has also said that the US was still open to dialogue if the government changes course.

The U.S. strategy has largely centered on trying to get China, North Korea's traditional ally, to use its influence to persuade the North to change course.

North Korea is continuing missile test launches even as the United Nations Security Council is deliberating a further tightening of sanctions after the September nuclear test.
A 29-year-old man has been charged after a passenger in his ute fell and died suffering from severe head injuries.

The 20-year-old man was a passenger in the ute driving along Mungo Brush Road, Mungo Brush on the NSW north coast on Saturday, but while travelling the man climbed into the ute's tray to hold a piece of timber.

The driver became suspicious that something may have happened to his passenger after he had not heard from the man for a period of time.

A 29-year-old man has been charged after a 20-year-old male passenger in his ute fell and died at Mungo Brush (above) on the NSW north coast on Saturday.

The driver stopped his vehicle but the passenger was no longer there.

A passerby discovered the unconscious man and attempted CPR but the man was already dead.

Police were called to the scene and after performing a road side breath test on the driver he was taken into custody for further tests.

The driver was then charged with dangerous driving occasioning death- driving under the influence, driving in a dangerous manner occasioning death, negligent driving causing death and mid range PCA.

The mans licence was suspended and he was given conditional bail to appear before Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday 7 November 2016.
Hosts would not need council permission to rent out spare rooms

Some banned it and threatened hosts with $1 million fines

Until now there were different rules for different councils

Airbnb is set to become legal across NSW after a government report recommended regulating it and similar services.

An 18-month-long parliamentary inquiry into the booming short-term rental market said people should be free to let out spare rooms without jumping through many hoops.

'The sharing economy is booming in NSW as more people are finding creative ways to turn unused things into income,' Liberal MP Mark Coure, chairman of parliament's environment and planning committee, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Airbnb is set to become legal across NSW after a government report recommended regulating it and similar services

An 18-month-long parliamentary inquiry into the booming short-term rental market said people should be free to let out spare rooms without jumping through many hoops

'This report is about giving certainty. Not everyone is a winner, but we have tried to get the balance right for consumers, home owners and the wider community.'

Home owners offering rooms on accommodation-sharing sites are currently at the mercy of a patchwork of inconsistently-applied local government regulations.

Some councils such as Blue Mountains and Gosford are welcoming while Sydney and Waverley banned it and Randwick threatened fines of more than $1 million.

Others had insisted owners apply to become bed and breakfasts and fork out for commercial kitchens.

'The sharing economy is booming in NSW as more people are finding creative ways to turn unused things into income,' Liberal MP Mark Coure and committee chair said

'This report is about giving certainty. Not everyone is a winner, but we have tried to get the balance right for consumers, home owners and the wider community,' he said

Home owners offering rooms on accommodation-sharing sites are currently at the mercy of a patchwork of inconsistently-applied local government regulations

This was despite the City of Sydney alone having 4,500 listings on Airbnb and the council promoting the 'awesome' website in a guide for international students.

'If you are looking for cheap accommodation then definitely check out Airbnb,' it said.

Only 12 councils have any rules at all, giving little certainty to people considering renting out unused rooms.

'Most houses are breaking the law. We want to see a standard applied across the state,' Mr Coure said.

The report, which will be tabled in NSW Parliament on Wednesday, found there wee relatively few complaints about home sharing.

Some councils such as Blue Mountains and Gosford are welcoming while Sydney and Waverley banned it and Randwick (listing pictured) threatened fines of more than $1 million

Only 12 councils have any rules at all, giving little certainty to people considering renting out unused rooms

The report, which will be tabled in NSW Parliament on Wednesday, found there wee relatively few complaints about home sharing

Renting out spare rooms in a house wouldn't require council permission but entire empty houses would need to be approved as a 'complying development'

It rejected calls from the hotel industry for heavy regulation, and recommended against allowing owner's corporations to ban Airbnb hosts from strata buildings.

It instead recommend strata managers take complaints to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Renting out spare rooms in a house wouldn't require council permission but entire empty houses would need to be approved as a 'complying development' - the same process as for building a granny flat or swimming pool.

To makes things easier for families renting out holiday homes, as opposed to commercial operators, the government will be asked to come up with a threshold for exemptions from needing approval.

The report also recommended a crackdown on 'party houses' which are frequently rented out for hosting large gatherings like bucks and hens nights.

Councils would be able to single out houses for stricter rules and penalties or restrict them to certain areas.

The inquiry was sparked by the Greens MP Jamie Parker, who called for clearer rules, after Airbnb listings doubled in a year and Sydney ranked in the top 10 Airbnb destinations.
Vincent Stanford was a cleaner when he raped and murdered Stephanie Scott - and he will keep that job in prison as he serves a life sentence.

The convicted killer has mopped floors and cleaned toilets at Silverwater jail since he was arrested last year, earning $17.76 for a 30-hour week.

The 'sweeper' job, the same one Roxy Jacenko's inside trader husband Oliver Curtis was given, is reserved for 'well behaved' inmates, a prison source told the Daily Telegraph.

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Vincent Stanford has mopped floors and cleaned toilets at Silverwater jail since he was arrested last year, earning $17.76 for a 30-hour week - the same job he had on the outside

He was on Wednesday given a life sentence for raping bashing Stephanie Scott to death last year at the school they both worked at

But continuing his occupation inside has not stopped Stanford from trying to kill himself at least 10 times in the past 11 months.

The 25-year-old had to be put in a 'safe cell' inside the Acute Crisis Unit where he is monitored 24 hours a day.

His most recent suicide attempt was on September 27, just weeks before he was sentenced to life without parole for killing the teacher in a storage room of Leeton High School.

Stanford admitted to punching Ms Scott 30 to 40 times in the head in less than a minute before stabbing her in the neck with a large knife.

The 'sweeper' job is reserved for 'well behaved' inmates

He made 10 suicide attempts in the past 11 months and was put in a 'safe cell' where he is monitored 24 hours a day

He then went home, ate a cheese sandwich and had a coffee, and returned to do what he does best - clean up the crime scene and dispose of her body.

Early the next morning he dumped her body at the Cocoparra National Park, 70 kilometres away, and set it on fire.

Stanford mailed the engagement and graduation rings to his identical twin brother in SA, who pawned them for $705.

He then 'giggled' when a colleague brought up the topic of her disappearance and suggested she may have had second thoughts about getting married.

Stanford admitted to punching Ms Scott 30 to 40 times in the head in less than a minute before stabbing her in the neck with a large knife

Ms Scott was killed on Easter Sunday last year, and spent what would have been her wedding day less than a week later lying in the morgue (pictured with fiance Aaron Leeson-Woolley)

Ms Scott was killed on Easter Sunday last year, and spent what would have been her wedding day less than a week later lying in the morgue.

During Stanford's sentencing, Justice Hulme said he showed 'not the slightest hint of remorse' as he confessed to the murder of Ms Scott.

Justice Hulme described Stanford's actions as 'conniving', 'callous', despicable' and 'heinous'.
David Carlson, 46, is on trial for shooting dead a wanted child rapist who wandered onto his property and later admitted to having sex with a 14-year-old girl

A man is on trial for shooting dead a wanted child rapist who wandered onto his property and later admitted to having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

David Carlson, 46, killed Norris Acosta-Sanchez, 35, in Orange County, New York, on October 11, 2013.

The 46-year-old spotted Acosta-Sanchez on his property while fishing, and the 35-year-old first introduced himself as 'Daniel Costa', claiming he was the 'care-taker' of an empty cabin on the neighboring property.

However, about a month later Acosta-Sanchez confessed he was not who he had claimed, as the two men sat around a campfire drinking beer and chatting.

Acosta-Sanchez, who was wanted in the nearby town of Ramapo after being accused of sleeping with a 14-year-old girl, allegedly confessed to his crime.

Over the next few days, Carlson and his wife, Sarah, hatched two plans to try to help police catch Acosta-Sanchez, the New York Post reports.

On one occasion, they told an officer about the situation and said they would deliberately speed down a stretch of road with the accused rapist in the car.

When they were pulled over, police would have their man.

That plan failed.

They tried a similar plot a second time, and this time they were pulled over. Acosta-Sanchez, who was in the car at the time, gave police a fake name and was driven back to the cabin where he was staying.

But the moment the police car pulled in, he pushed his way out of the back-seat - where he had not been handcuffed - and escaped into the woods.

The third time also failed to be the charm, despite police obtaining a 'no knock warrant', according to the Post.

Carlson killed Norris Acosta-Sanchez (pictured), 35, in Orange County, New York, on October 11, 2013

Carlson is currently on trial at the Orange County Court House in New York. If he is found guilty he could face 20 years in jail

The Orange County Sheriffs Office sent 23 of its most highly trained officers, including two snipers and a dog squad, to the property to make an arrest.

Again Acosta-Sanchez escaped.

But despite his multiple run-ins and near misses, the 35-year-old still trusted Carlson, so much so that he returned to the property on the morning of October 11.

Carlson met him at the backdoor of his home, armed with a shotgun.

He then told Acosta-Sanchez he was turning him in, and proceeded to march him to a nearby neighbor's home and call the police.

However, on the way, Carlson says the 35-year-old charged at him and he was forced to open fire.

The first shot hit him in the arm, Carlson told police, according to the New York Post.

When Acosta-Sanchez lunged at him a second time, the 46-year-old pulled the trigger for a second time, with the shot this time hitting his target in the head.

The 35-year-old died instantly after the shotgun pellet severed his brain stem.

Carlson, who was charged with murder and manslaughter, watched on in court on Friday as a forensic pathologist testified Friday in Orange County Court.

Dr. Margaret Prial told the court the second shot was 'immediately fatal, because the pellets went through his ear, through his skull, through the left side of his brain, through the brain stem', the Times Herald-Record reports.

The trial, which will head into its seventh day on Monday, has divided the opinions of locals.

Some claim Carlson did the right thing, and there is even a 'Free David Carlson' page on Facebook.

More than 1,100 'like' the page, which posts articles about the case and arranges meet-ups - both at court and away from it - for supporters.

A neighbor told the New York Post that it was the police to blame for the deadly shooting.

'He did everything he possibly could to work with the police to get this man apprehended. The police obviously blew it,' Dean Fippinger told the newspaper.

Carlson also spoke to the Post, saying the trial has left him, 'physically and mentally exhausted'.

If found guilty, he could be sentenced to 20 years in jail.
South Australian politicians will this week debate another bill to legalise voluntary euthanasia - the 14th attempt to pass such laws in the state.

The bill, introduced jointly by Labor MP Steph Key and Liberal MP Duncan McFetridge, will be subject to a conscience vote by both major parties.

Both Premier Jay Weatherill and Opposition Leader Steven Marshall have supported the need for a full parliamentary debate.

Pro-euthanasia protesters hold up signs for their loved ones who are suffering

TV personality Andrew Denton (pictured) recently threw his support behind the bill, spurred on by his own father's death 20 years ago

But Mr Marshall has said he can't support the legislation in its current form and wants to see much greater safeguards included in the legislation.

'What I am prepared to do is vote for it to go through to the committee stage so amendments can be moved,' he told ABC Radio last week.

'Then we can have a proper, respectful debate.'

TV personality Andrew Denton recently threw his support behind the bill, spurred on by his own father's death 20 years ago.

'I think we're making progress now. I think politicians are starting to understand that it is possible to write a law that is compassionate and safe,' he said recently.

The Victorian Labor government is also poised to introduce similar laws, while in Western Australia a recent case has sparked renewed debate.

South Australian politicians will this week debate another bill to legalise voluntary euthanasia - the 14th attempt to pass such laws in the state

Anti-euthanasia protesters hold up signs that urge the government to 'care, not kill'

Turnbull government minister Arthur Sinodinos said on Sunday the SA bill was a matter for South Australia and didn't think the federal government would intervene.

'I'm not aware of potentially what the powers for us to do that would be,' Senator Sinodinos told reporters.

'In the past it's been an issue in territories where we've had overriding powers.'

NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley said he personally could not support euthanasia laws.

'I would take a hell of a lot of convincing to sign up to any such law,' he told Sky Agenda.

'I worry about the message we would send as a society to our most vulnerable citizens - old, frail people, many of whom I know are racked with worry that they're a burden on their adult children.'

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Protesters and speakers from the Voluntary Euthanasia Society gather

Andrew Denton holds up a sign that urges support for the terminally ill at BeTheBill.com

The bill, introduced jointly by Labor MP Steph Key and Liberal MP Duncan McFetridge, will be subject to a conscience vote by both major parties
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As the wait for the housing bubble to burst drags on, buyers are being forced to think outside the box - literally.

And now a Queensland-based building company is offering lavish homes at a fraction of the usual price.

The catch? You'll be living in a shipping container.

While that idea may not usually exude visions of grandeur, a peak inside one of the larger 'container mansions' shows you shouldn't be too quick to judge.

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A Queensland-based building company is offering lavish homes at a fraction of the usual price using shipping containers

A peak inside some of the larger 'mansion containers' showcases modern flooring, boutique furnishings and high end styles

The market for homes made from large steel containers has boomed over the years

The low costs of building means buyers can spend more on modern flooring, boutique furnishings and high end styles.

Over recent years the market for homes made from the large steel containers has boomed, with the low cost and making them affordable to many first-time home buyers.

Ranging from $138,000 for a three-bedroom home to closer to $300,000 for a five-bedroom house, the properties are usually around half the cost of building normally.

Prices range from $138,000 for a three-bedroom home to closer to $300,00 for a five-bedroom house

The low cost of the luxurious properties make them much more affordable for first-time home buyers

Photographs from inside this container mansion reveal a classy interior with wooden staircases connecting floors

The containers can be custom-made to suit the buyer and cost roughly half the price of a typical home

Another benefit of using containers is the increase in options, with many homes custom made to suit the buyer.

Being able to build everything from beach shacks and granny flats, to enormous rural mansions is a sign of the versatility of the containers.

And it's something more and more people are seeing as a logical move Jamie Van Tongeren, the CEO of Container Build Group in Lismore, Queensland, told Daily Mail Australia.

'Everyone was all about getting it as cheap as they can get, but now every third or fourth call to our office is about building that mansion from containers,' Mr Van Tongeren said.

'People ask for the best fit-out with marble bench tops, real high end and the best you can get.

Versatile: Companies are able to build everything from beach shacks (pictured) to granny flats to enormous rural mansions

Containers can be fitted out with marble bench tops (pictured is an opulent bathroom complete with shower)

Because the containers take less time to build than a regular house buyers are able to save money on construction

The stunning container homes can be made to fit on rural properties as well as tight spaces within cities

'The big benefit is that you save on the on-site costs, traditionally the longer you've got the builders on there, well that is just dead money that just gets sucked out.

'If it takes you a year to build you have already paid $30,000 plus, that isn't an issue with us.

'And they're not just for rural properties, some people might think, we do a lot of that but we can fit them into tight spaces within cities, some very tight spots actually.'

Buyers save money on building costs and are then able to fork out on features such as wooden floors
and was taken to hospital

One officer was hit in the head with a

Riot police were forced to break up an out-of-control teenage birthday party in Perth on Saturday night after 14-year-olds invaded the streets.

The party was in Pelican Ramble in Yangebup, in the city's southern suburbs reported WA Today.

WA Police told Daily Mail Australia they were called to the party about 11.20pm on Saturday, after receiving reports of 10-20 people acting in a disorderly manner on Osprey Drive.

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Riot police (pictured) were forced to break up an out-of-control teenage birthday party in Perth on Saturday night after 14-year-olds invaded the streets

There were believed to be about 200 people at the party, with organisers charging an entry fee.

The police spokesperson also said some of the group were fighting.

'It was established the group had been at a party at a residence on a nearby street, and given concerns that more people might become disorderly a decision was made to close the party down.

'During the initial attendance an officer was hit by a bottle that was thrown in the direction of the police officers, but the injury received is not serious.'

WA Today reported the police officer was taken to hospital where he received staples in his head.

WA Police told Daily Mail Australia they were called to the party about 11.20pm on Saturday, after receiving reports of 10-20 people acting in a disorderly manner on Osprey Drive in Yangebup

A witness also told WA Today the teenagers were drunk and fighting.

In footage filmed by a bystander, a riot bus is seen parked on the side of the suburban street with multiple police in riot gear walking down the centre of the street.

One woman wrote on Facebook that the street had been blocked both ways and there was an ambulance and police cars everywhere.

'Kid's behaviour is disgusting and shocking, the worst part is the adults of these parties are drunk, wasted... First time I'd allowed my almost 14-year-old daughter to go to a close friend's birthday and I'm telling you now, last one' she said.

Police said they shut the party down and there were no further incidents.
Sally Faulkner has revealed the chilling moment she realised her children had been taken by their father to Lebanon and were not coming back.

The Brisbane mother said every part of her 'wanted to fall apart' when it clicked that her estranged husband Ali Elamine had no intention of returning their two kids.

'When he answered the Skype call, I could just see his face and I said to him "what's wrong?" and he looked at me and he said "plans have changed" and that's when every part of me just wanted to fall apart," Ms Faulkner said.

'I said "what do you mean?" I didn't quite believe it and he said 'plans have changed Sal, the kids aren't coming home."'

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Devastated: Brisbane mother Sally Faulkner (pictured) has revealed the chilling moment she realised her children had been taken by their father to Lebanon and were not coming back

Ms Faulkner said every part of her 'wanted to fall apart' when it clicked that her estranged husband Ali Elamine (pictured with daughter Lahela) was not returning her kids

In an interview with ABC's Australian Story, which will be aired on Monday night, Ms Faulkner said Mr Elamine had promised her to return their kids in two weeks.

'Ali, he said to me "is it possible I take them back to my family to spend some time, just as a holiday?",' she said.

'And so I drove them to the airport, I thought this is great, the kids are going to have the best of both worlds.

'They're going to have Lebanon, they're going to know that culture, I thought we were on the same page, we're on a good thing, we we're able to co-parent.

'I said to him, I said "Ali promise me, look me in the eye and promise me that you will bring them back"... he said "we'll see you in two weeks."'

'Then he put his arms out and give me a hug and goes "you're a good mum Sal, you're a good mum".'

'He goes "they'll be all right with me" and then I said "I trust you".'

Sally Faulkner (right) is set to appear in a new tell-all special with ABC's Australian Story about the attempted abduction of her children from estranged husband Ali Elamine (left)

The Brisbane mother has released never-before-seen family photos ahead of the interviews

The couple's two children, Lahela, five, and Noah, three, are living in Lebanon with their father

After learning that her children were not coming back, she travelled to Beirut with a 60 Minutes crew in April and enlisted the help of child recovery agents.

The abduction was carried out without a hitch, but as Ms Faulkner was hiding out in a safe house in a poor part of Beirut she was found by local police and thrown in jail.

Also imprisoned were 60 Minutes crew Tara Brown, David Ballment, Stephen Rice and Ben Williamson, who spent two weeks in jail.

Ms Faulkner was forced to relinquish all custodial rights to the children in return for unlimited visits and holidays, to ensure her release from jail on bail in Lebanon.

The couple's two children, Lahela, five, and Noah, three, are currently living in Lebanon.

Australian Story: When Plans Change is a two-part special airing Monday October 17 & 24 at 8pm on ABC & iview.
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A stunning seven-bedroom San Francisco mansion that was built by the Ghirardelli Chocolate family has been sold for $4.65million.

The property in Piedmont was dreamed up by chocolatier Joseph Ghirardelli, the son of the iconic brands founder Domingo Ghirardelli, before his death in 1906.

Spread over 6,479 square ft, the house was put on the market earlier this year with an asking price of $5.3million.

It was sold for $4.6million in recent weeks, some $300,000 less than the lowered asking price of $4.9million, San Francisco Gate reports.

A sprawling seven-bedroom mansion in San Francisco's Piedmont that was once home to members of the Ghirardelli Chocolate family has been sold for $4.6million

The property still boasts some of the original woodwork installed in the early 1900s when the widow of Joseph Ghirardelli moved in

Ghirardelli dreamed up the property and had construction begin but died before its completion in 1906. Above, the sweeping central staircase is a prominent feature

The house boasts seven sprawling bedrooms and five bathrooms. It features a gleaming and spacious kitchen and impressive wood-clad dining room.

Some of the houses original features, including wooden beams which run throughout hallways, have been preserved.

According to SF Gate, the house was completed in 1911, five years after Joseph Ghirardellis death.

His widow Ellen is said to have soldiered on with its construction after his passing, changing some of his original plans for the property.

A large open plan kitchen with gleaming white panels, pillars and shining worktops is another of the house's best features

One of two lounges in the palatial home which is spread over nearly 5,000 square ft. The house was initially listed for $5.3million

In the study or second drawing room, imposing wooden pillars shape the stately fireplace and contrast the otherwise pale decor

One of seven of the bedrooms in the spacious property (above). Ghirardelli never lived in the house though his widow and her new husband updated it

Another of the impressive suites. It's not known whether the property has remained in the Ghirardelli family since it was built

One of the five bathrooms in the homes features a standalone bathtub, marble counters and opulent gold finishes

She moved in with her second husband upon its completion.

San Francisco Curbed claims she strayed from her late first husband's designs for a Mission Revival facade, opting for a more colonial look instead.

She and her new husband spent $15,000 (the equivalent of $335,000 today roughly) on updating its exterior.

It's not known whether the house remained in the family until its sale.

Local media claims Ghirardelli's widow Ellen changed many of his original plans for the property when she moved in

The house has a charming garden complete with a fountain, patio and generous lawn

Ghirardelli designed the house in the style of Mission Revival. Above, his original plans for its facade that were later changed

Their chocolate empire was founded by Domingo Ghirardelli, Joseph's father who moved to the US in 1847.

Born in Rapallo, Italy, he spent years in South America learning the chocolate trade beforehand. He married his second wife and the pair opened the first Ghirardelli 'store'.

It was a tent in Stockton, California, from which he sold sweets and other general convenience items to miners.

Their first San Francisco shop was opened in 1849. Ghirardelli and his workers are credited with discovering the Broma process of hanging a bag of chocolate in a warm room.

The technique allows cocoa butter to seep out and leave a residue that can be processed into ground chocolate.
The Des Moines Register has strongly endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

'For those who believe America should be a beacon of a hope in a world ravaged by terrorism, that it should be a force for good and that its leaders should embody all that is best about this nation, there is only one choice for president: Hillary Clinton,' Iowa's leading newspaper wrote on Saturday.

To justify its endorsement, the paper cited Clinton's work with the Childrens Defense Fund, her work getting eight million children in low-income families access to medical care through the State Childrens Health Insurance Program, and how she advocated to guarantee health care for 9/11 first-responders and for members of the National Guard.

In a sharply worded case against her opponent Donald Trump, the paper wrote:

The Des Moines Register strongly endorsed Hillary Clinton on Saturday, but Trump currently leads by a slight margin

'The case for a Clinton presidency could easily be made even if the GOP nominee wasnt Donald Trump, a man who has never held public office, never worked in the public sector, has no experience in foreign relations, and has relatively few political allies even within his own party.'

It continued: 'He is oblivious to the fact that hell need the full support of Congress, the American people and the international community to accomplish one-tenth of what he has promised.

'His tax plan has almost no chance of being enacted - which is fortunate, as it would benefit the wealthy at the expense of the middle-class, while causing the federal debt to increase by $7.2 trillion, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.'

In February, Clinton, along with daughter Chelsea and husband Bill won the caucus in Iowa (above, at the Olmsted Center at Drake University)

'Trump mocks the disabled, denigrates prisoners of war, objectifies women, brags about his anatomy on national television and, if his own boastful comments are to be believed, indulges in criminal, predatory behavior,' the paper wrote (above, Trump with Clinton at the town hall debate, where he was mocked for having a 'stalking' stance on stage)

Clinton won the first-in-the-nation caucuses in February in Iowa, reports Politico. The paper also endorses her during the caucuses, and Mario Rubio for the GOP.

In July, the paper called for Trump to drop out of the race, calling his campaign a 'bloviating side show,' which spurred Trump to deny the paper press credentials, joining the likes of other blocked outlets such as The Washington Post, Univision, BuzzFeed, Politico, The Daily Beast, and The Huffington Post, according toCNNMoney.

'Trumps defining characteristic is his distaste for dissent,' wrote the paper. 'Its inconceivable that a Trump cabinet would be anything more than a coterie of like-minded hand puppets.'

'Trump mocks the disabled, denigrates prisoners of war, objectifies women, brags about his anatomy on national television and, if his own boastful comments are to be believed, indulges in criminal, predatory behavior. Then he looks at America and asserts, as he did in Nevada just two weeks ago, 'I am a reflection of you.'

Its up to each of us, as voters, to disprove that statement and proclaim to the world, 'We are better than that.' the paper said.
Mike Pence promised that the GOP ticket would abide by 'the will of the American people,' and that Donald Trump's claim of a 'rigged' election is just fatigue was undermined by Trump himself Sunday.

'We will absolutely accept the results of the election,' Pence said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' adding that the 'sense of a rigged election' expressed by Trump was just fatigue from 'the obvious bias in the national media.'

But soon after, Trump tweeted: 'The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places. SAD.'

Mike Pence (pictured) found himself on cleanup duty for the GOP ticket at the weekend, as he tried to explain that Trump's remarks about the election being rigged were just fatigue

Pence said Trump only meant that the media was biased against him, not the polls. But soon after Trump tweeted that the election is 'absolutely being rigged... at many polling places'

Despite Trump's repeated insistence that the upcoming election would be rigged, Pence promised that the GOP ticket would abide by 'the will of the American people' on Election Day

Pence's words, which he repeated on and 'Fox News Sunday,' were the latest attempt by Trump's surrogates to attempt to explain that some things the GOP presidential nominee has said and tweeted are not what he meant.

And with little more than three weeks to go before the November vote, Pence has found himself on cleanup duty.

There's a lot to clean up: Amid intense scrutiny after nine women accused him of sexual assault or harassment - claims he denies - Trump reiterated this weekend allegations of a pro-Clinton conspiracy.

He said the FBI declined to prosecute Clinton for mingling private and official business on a homebrew email server so she might compete in a fraudulent election.

'Hillary Clinton should have been prosecuted and should be in jail. Instead she is running for president in what looks like a rigged election,' Trump tweeted to his 12million followers on Saturday.

Threatening to jail a political opponent and fueling public distrust of a popular election - to explain his loss, should that happen - was a striking breach of faith in American democracy, critics said.

Trump has made multiple suggestions that Clinton should be jailed for her email server scandal, and has also told supporters to 'watch' polling stations on Election Day

He has also repeatedly claimed, without offering evidence, that election fraud is a serious problem and encouraged his mostly white supporters to 'go and watch' polling places in certain areas to make sure things are 'on the up and up.'

It was left to Pence to explain what he meant.

Pence, at a campaign event last Tuesday, waved away a woman's call for a revolution if Clinton wins.

By Sunday he was saying explicitly: 'We'll accept the will of the American people.'

Another Trump surrogate, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, also tried to explain away what Trump said - but ended up supporting Trump's rigging theories.

Ex NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani told CNN that Trump was only talking about media bias - but added that Democrats often use dead people's names to cheat in polls

'When he talks about a rigged election, he's not talking about the fact that it's going to be rigged at the polls,' Giuliani said on CNN's 'State of the Union.'

'What he's talking about is that 80 per cent to 85 per cent of the media is against him.'

However, Giuliani then went on to say that he 'would have to be a moron' to say that the Philadelphia and Chicago elections would be fair, claiming that Democrats were using the names of the deceased to vote multiple times.

'I'm sorry, dead people generally vote for Democrats rather than Republicans,' he said.

He added that such cheating could only help Clinton if it were a 'one- or two-point race.'

Pence has distanced himself from Trump on other issues, acknowledging that Russia is behind the recent hacking of Democratic emails

Indiana governor Pence has also distanced himself from Trump on a pair of other issues.

Pence acknowledged that evidence points to Russia being behind the hacking of Democratic emails.

'I think there's more and more evidence that implicates Russia and there should be serious consequences,' he said.

And when the vice-presidential nominee was asked whether he, like Trump, wants Clinton drug tested, he refused to commit.

'All I know for sure is that Donald Trump is going to be ready for the debate on Wednesday night,' Pence replied.
MP Simon Danczuk has been in contact with police after intimate photos of himself were circulated online, it has been reported

Labour MP Simon Danczuk has been in contact with police after intimate photos of himself were circulated online, it has been reported.

The images are said to show the politician, 49, on a bed.

Police are reportedly looking into whether the distribution of the photographs falls under revenge porn laws.

It is believed the images were first sent to a former lover of the Rochdale MP and then circulated from there, according to The Sun.

The photos, believed to have been taken by Danczuk, are said to include a close-up of the politician's face.

Mr Danczuk has rarely been out of the headlines over the last year over a series of alleged misdemeanours.

The MP was suspended by the Labour party after sending lewd text messages to a 17-year-old girl asking if she wanted to be 'spanked', which surfaced at the end of 2015. He blamed it on a 'drink problem'.

The MP is also alleged to have exchanged more than 6,000 explicit messages with a 22-year-old blonde woman he met on Twitter just days earlier.

The MP separated from wife Karen (left) last year. He is also alleged to have exchanged more than 6,000 explicit messages with a 22-year-old blonde woman (right) he met on Twitter

He admitting to having sex with her in his taxpayer-funded constituency office in Rochdale.

Following that he said: 'I've been immature, kamikaze and irresponsible when it comes to sex.

'I have got a problem and I admit that I need to seek help about sex addiction.'

He separated from wife Karen, 33, last year. Mr Danczuk's office has been contacted for comment.

The identity of the person who allegedly leaked the images is not yet known.
A wallaby that had been chased into the ocean by a dog was rescued by a boat full of tourists who spotted the marsupial struggling to swim.

Jamie Earley, the owner of GC Jetboating, was conducting a speedboat tour with 10 tourists near South Stradbroke Island on the Gold Coast when he noticed the drenched wallaby around 3.30pm on Friday, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

Shocked, Mr Earley begins to circle the wallaby with his boat as the rescue mission is recorded on a camera.

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Jamie Earley was leading a boat tour on Friday afternoon when he spotted a wallaby struggling to swim in the water around South Stradbroke Island on the Gold Coast (pictured)

A video camera on the boat captured the moment Mr Earley (pictured) picked the marsupial out of of the water after he had been chased into the ocean by a dog

'I just saw it jump right into the water,' Mr Earley said before he realised it was being chased by a dog.

'It was with an afternoon tour but though I've got to do something about this,' he said.

The group of tourists looked on as Ms Earley picked the wallaby up out of the water and placed him on the dash of the boat and held him in place with his hand as he turned the boat back toward the island.

The wallaby sat on the dash of the boat as the tourists took pictures before he was dropped off back on the shore (pictured)

'It was with an afternoon tour but though I've got to do something about this,' Mr Earley said

The wallaby appeared 'really relaxed' and sat on the dash with his head pointed to the sun as Mr Earley drove him back to shore and placed him in shallow water  but not before he grabbed a quick selfie with the marsupial.

'I haven't seen anything like this in 10 years,' Mr Earley can be heard saying on the recording as his passengers laughed and snapped pictures.
Boris Johnson appealed for Russia to show 'mercy' tonight as a major summit on the slaughter in Syria broke up with little more than a threat of new sanctions.

The Foreign Secretary appeared alongside US Secretary of State John Kerry following a 10-nation summit in London on the bloodshed in Aleppo.

Mr Johnson admitted there was nothing specific that would come from the discussions that would itself halt the fighting.

Mr Kerry accused Moscow of committing daily 'crimes against humanity' in support of the Syrian regime - but admitted Russian involvement 'raised the stakes' in any Western intervention.

He warned against 'lighting a fire under a larger war' by attempting a Western intervention to stop the fighting.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, waves as he is greeted by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson ahead of a meeting on the situation in Syria, at Lancaster House in London today

The United States and Britain say they are re considering new economic sanctions on the Syrian and Russian governments because of their conduct in war-ravaged Aleppo.

Mr Kerry and Mr Johnson are said they hope a renewed diplomatic effort with Russia and several other countries could eventually produce a solution.

The US Secretary of State has been involved in a furious round of diplomacy since the last attempt at a ceasefire, negotiated in Geneva over the summer, collapsed.

At a hastily arranged press conference at Lancaster House, Mr Johnson said: 'There is a huge measure of agreement on what we need to do. It is a twin track strategy.

'The progress John has made in Lausanne needs to be actively pursued. We need to see if we can get the terrorists Al Nusra identified in Aleppo.

'But that does not mean in any way we relent in our pressure on the Assad regime and its supporters, particularly obviously the Russians and the Iranians.'

Mr Johnson and Mr Kerry met with eight other nations about the war in Syria

Mr Johnson said a 'large list' of proposals on new pressure has been discussed today, including economic sanctions and greater humanitarian aid.

But he admitted: 'I'm not going to pretend in those proposals there is some magic solution for this appalling slaughter.

'The real answer lies with those who are perpetrating it and that is overwhelmingly the Assad regime and its puppeters in the form of the Russians and indeed the Iranians.

'It is up to them to seize this moment, to recognise the opportunity and in my view to show greatness and to show leadership.

'It is really up to them now to listen and to show mercy to those people in that city. Get that ceasefire going, get the negotiations going in Geneva, and let's bring this slaughter to an end.'

Mr Kerry admitted Russia was a 'great power' and as a result had changed the prospects of military action because it 'raised the stakes'.

He dismissed Kremlin claims they had targeted terrorists, claiming 'no one is fooled by this'.

Mr Kerry said: 'The issue is whether or not we can find a way forward to be able to try to achieve a cease fire.'

Aleppo is being razed to the ground by Russian and Syrian bombing and Mr Kerry claimed today 80 per cent of Russian targets were civilian

Mr Kerry said a 'tedious, complicated, sometimes redundant' diplomatic approach was necessary to avoid escalating the fighting into a wider regional war or even a direct US-Russia confrontation.

He said there was no 'appetite' in Europe for entering the war, prompting Mr Johnson to add: 'No option is in principle off the table but be in no doubt these so-called military options are extremely difficult.

'There is, to put it mildly, a lack of political appetite in most European capitals and certainly in the West for that kind of solution at present.

'We have to work with the tools we have. The tools we have are diplomatic.'

Mr Kerry said the fighting in Syria was the 'worst humanitarian disaster since World War II' and said it could be stopped 'tomorrow morning, tonight'.

But he added it would mean 'Russia behaving according to any norm, any standard of decency'.

The Secretary of State said: 'They have chosen not to. Instead, we see what can only be described as crimes against humanity taking place on a daily basis such as when a hospital gets bombed, when children are bombed, when gas is used against human beings in Aleppo and elsewhere.'

Last night Mr Johnson and Mr Kerry were accused of cowardice for not standing up to Mr Putin and president Assads regime.

Labour MP John Woodcock said: So sad to see the UK and US back to futile pleading with Putin to stop. Like the 1930s, our collective cowardice makes mass slaughter possible.

An estimated 270,000 people, including 100,000 children, are trapped in the eastern districts of Aleppo in what has been described as a humanitarian catastrophe.

Hospitals and underground shelters have been hit in unprecedented shelling by the Russian and Syrian regime since an internationally brokered ceasefire with rebels collapsed in September.

The summit came as Islamic State militants fled the symbolic Syrian town of Dabiq yesterday as Turkish-backed rebels moved in and recaptured it in a massive victory.

The northern town holds great value for IS because of a prophecy of an apocalyptic battle, and features heavily in its propaganda. The advance on Dabiq is part of a wider offensive by Syrian rebels.

Meanwhile in Iraq, the Iraqi army dropped tens of thousands of leaflets over the city of Mosul, warning residents an offensive to recapture it from IS was being prepared.

The assault on Mosul  the last city still under the control of IS in Iraq  is set to begin this month with the help of coalition air strikes from countries such as Britain.
Jill Meagher's killer and rapist Adrian Bayley received a fortune in taxpayer dollars to fund his murder defence. Now it has been revealed he has a superannuation nest egg worth thousands.

Taxpayers footed an estimated $100,000 in legal aid for Bayley's murder defence in 2012, while Bayley's super fund remained untouched.

Bayley reportedly had about $15,000 invested in an industry super-fund, according to the Herald Sun.

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Serial Victorian rapist and convicted murderer Adrian Ernest Bayley, 44, (pictured) had thousands of dollars in super despite receiving up to $100,000 taxpayer money for legal aid

Bayley, 44, raped and murdered Brunswick woman Jill Meagher in September 2012.

Ms Meagher, 29, was reported missing after she walked home from Brunswick in the early morning hours of September 22, and her body was found in a shallow grave six days later.

Her murderer, Bayley, was on parole at the time after serving eight years in prison for 16 counts of rape against five women.

Bayley raped and murdered Melbourne woman Jill Meagher, 29, (pictured) in September 2012

Ms Meagher was walking home from Brunswick when she disappeared and was last seen on CCTV footage (pictured)

While some of his victims received government funding for counselling, Bayley was never ordered to pay compensation to his victims himself.

Bayley's personal superannuation fund has been steadily growing in size since March 1988  two years before he raped a 16-year-old friend of his sister when his wife was pregnant with his child.

Bayley listed family members as beneficiaries of his superfund, but revelations of the large sum of money sparked debate about whether or not it should be seized from him altogether.

Bayley's (pictured) personal superannuation fund has been steadily growing in size since March 1988

ADRIAN BAYLEY'S RAP SHEET * June 1991 - Bayley, then 19, jailed for raping teenager and attempting to rape two other women * 2000 - allegedly raped 18-year-old sex worker in a St Kilda laneway, conviction has been overturned * April 2002 - jailed for 11 years for 16 charges of rape relating to five victims * April 2012 - raped sex worker * July 2012 - raped Dutch backpacker * September 2012 - raped and murdered Jill Meagher * Jailed for life with a non-parole period of 35 years * March 2015 - non-parole period increased to 43 years when sentenced on three rape convictions * By 2016 he had been found guilty of raping 10 women and attempting to rape two others. Advertisement

Detective Senior Sergeant Nathan Kaeser  who brought Bayley to justice over a series of rapes of sex workers in St Kilda  said seizing the money should be considered.

Victims of Crime Commissioner Greg Davies said it was a no brainer that Bayley's money should be taken from him.

'Certainly it should not be his. He should do what he has never done in his life and pay his way in society. On any commonsense grounds he should not be able to retain that money,' Mr Davies said.

He said the money should be paid back to the taxpayer who funded his legal aid, or be distributed to his victims.

State Government Attorney-General Martin Pakula said there were laws in place which allowed the property of a convicted criminal to be used for compensation for victims, but said superannuation was a grey area.

Victoria Legal Aid said a convicted criminal's superannuation was not grouped with their income and assets because access to superannuation was extremely limited.

While some of his victims received government funding for counselling, Bayley (pictured) was never ordered to pay compensation to his victims

Her body was found six days later in a shallow grave (pictured)
The Mayor of Angers Christophe Bechu has expressed his 'shock' and 'incomprehension' after four people died when a balcony they were standing on collapsed.

He said he was 'in shock after the death of four young Angevins at a party'.

Mr Bechu said his thoughts were with the families of those who died and their friends who were injured in the collapse.

The horrific incident took place at around 11.30pm in the western city of Angers, in the Maine-et-Loire department.

Youngsters at the party had moved out on to the third-floor balcony to talk, smoke and dance, but it began to give way.

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The balcony collapsed last night in the recently completed building in Angers, western France

Four people were killed and 14 were injured when a balcony collapsed from this building in Angers in Western France in a building which had recently been completed

This photograph appears to show the spot where the balcony failed late last night

Mayor of Angers Christophe Bechu, pictured, broke down when he visited the scene today

Chilling pictures show that the balcony then dropped off completely, sending everybody to the ground below, as they crashed into two other balconies on the way down.

Michel Pichon, of the Angers University Hospital, said: 'The victims were all students aged around twenty.'

Mr Pichon said four died at the scene, while another 14 were being treated. 'Some are seriously injured, but none have life-threating injuries,' said Mr Pichon.

He said 70 emergency workers had been scrambled to the scene, and that everybody caught up in the tragedy had been accounted for. Nobody was injured on the balconies below.

A support centre has been set up for victims and their friends and family, and this includes a psychological unit, Mr Pichon added.

Police are currently investigating the cause of last night's collapse which claimed four lives

It appears that the balcony destroyed the two below it as it plummeted to the earth

A neighbour who lives on the floor below said: ' We suddenly heard a noise - which was the collapse - then we heard the cries.'

The city's mayor Christophe Bechu raised the possibility that a construction fault was to blame.

He said: 'If there was no defect, how can we understand how such a tragedy could happen?

'The size of the balcony did not suggest that it was unable to accommodate 15 people under normal conditions.'

Friends and relatives hugged each other outside the apartment complex earlier today

Some left messages and floral tributes at the scene of the disaster

The victims were three men aged 21, 23 and 25, and an 18-year-old woman.

The apartment's two young female flatmates had invited around 30 friends - most of them law students - to celebrate their housewarming after recently moving in.

They were not among the victims, and city authorities have moved them to different accommodation as a police investigation for manslaughter and involuntary injury gets under way.

The probe will seek to determine 'how the incident happened and the cause of the collapse,' the local prosecution service said.

'A legal expert specialising in construction is on the scene.'

Experts were examining what was left of the balcony, which snapped cleanly away from the apartment block's exterior wall looking over a courtyard. Residents have been evacuated from the block.

'All evidence suggests that the cause of this tragic incident was accidental,' a source close to the inquiry said.

The building, which is in the centre of Angers, was built as recently as 2000, and was regularly renovated, according to sources close to the investigation.

Mayor of Angers Christophe Bechu gave a press conference at the scene of the tragedy

The balcony had sheered from the wall and destroyed two more on its way to the ground

It appears the reinforcing steel in the concrete failed allowing the balcony to plunge to earth

The mayor tweeted his support to the victims and their families after attending the scene

An official investigation will now be launched to try and establish the exact circumstances of the accident.
Tobacco juggernaut 'The Candyman' has cut the size of his defamation claim against a former sales manager after a court said the amount he initially sought was 'ridiculous'.

Flamboyant Travers Beynon, 44, claimed that Phillip Bradley opened him up to ridicule and contempt during an interview with journalist Leisa Goddard on A Current Affair in May 2015, broadcast on June 1.

The lawsuit has been cut from $1.1 million to $200,000, after Justice Peter Applegarth told Mr Beynon's lawyer only someone accused of being a 'pedophile or a criminal' could seek that amount, The Courier Mail reported.

Mr Beynon, who lives in a luxurious Gold Coast mansion, has re-filed to the Supreme Court seeking $200,000 for aggravated and general damages.

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The flamboyant Travers Beynon , 44, claimed that Phillip Bradley opened him up to ridicule and contempt during an interview with journalist Leisa Goddard on A Current Affair in 2015

Dubbed 'The Candyman', Travers Beynon is a millionaire tobacco king on the Gold Coast

Mr Beynon, who lives in a luxurious Gold Coast mansion, has re-filed to the Supreme Court seeking $200,000 for aggravated and general damages from his former sales manager

His lawyers are requesting the raw footage from Nine Network of the interview and any notes taken by Ms Goddard or other journalists working on the story.

Mr Bradley said during the interview working for Mr Beynon was 'very much an environment of fear', and 'a lot of the franchisees' of 'The Candyman' 'don't want to be associated' with his party-boy image, the publication reported.

Travers Beynon has claimed these statements were false.

The defamation case comes after Mr Beynon successfully sued his former nanny for $25,000 for defaming him - in the same broadcast.

Gold Coast multi-millionaire Travers Beynon ignited a legal battle with his former nanny

Ms Manthey (pictured) told A Current Affair he had a 'crazy life with people in and out of their house'

Mr Beynon served Michelle Manthey with a bankruptcy notice from the Federal Circuit Court after she claimed the Gold Coast party king's daughters watched pictures being taken of his wife covered in seafood, Courier Mail reported.

Ms Manthey was the nanny for Mr Beynon's four children between June 16, 2014 and March 31, 2015, telling A Current Affair he had a 'crazy life with people in and out of their house.'

'I know that the younger girls were there when the sushi was laid over (Mr Benyon's wife) Taesha,' she claimed in the interview.

'I can understand if this is something Travers wants to do, but do it somewhere else, don't do it in the family home,' Ms Manthey said, according to a transcript of her remarks tended in The District Court.

Michelle Manthey claimed the Gold Coast party king's daughters were watching pictures being taken of his wife covered in raw seafood (pictured)

There was no evidence at the trial that Mr Beynon had allowed his children to watch a photoshoot where his wife Taesha was covered in the Japanese delicacy.

His lawyers had argued he deserved $100,000 in damages, however the judge ordered he receive $25,000 because of his reputation posting pictures of 'bare-breasted' and 'barely clad' women at his home online.

Mr Beynon shot to fame in 2014 after pictures of his hard-partying lifestyle - which bears a strong resemblance to Los Angeles Instagram star Dan Bilzerian - went viral.

The case's next hearing is on October 27.

The judge said he only received $25,000 because of his reputation posting pictures of 'bare-breasted' and 'barely clad' women at his home online.
A passenger was held by police when he sparked a security alert on a plane after having a furious argument with his wife.

Peter Kempton, 43, was travelling to Corfu with his 50-year-old wife last Monday when their Thomas Cook flight from East Midlands Airport made an unscheduled landing in Italy due to bad weather.

Mr Kempton, from Lincoln, allegedly left the aircraft and ran down the steps which were attached to the plane as it was being refuelled at Brindisi Airport.

Peter Kempton, 43, was held by police at Brindisi Airport (pictured) after his flight to Corfu made an unscheduled landing due to bad weather

A Thomas Cook spokesperson said: 'Passenger safety is paramount and the crew decided it was best for all for the couple to be removed from the flight'

He was stopped by police and the pilot ordered his wife off the flight.

Local newspaper the Brindisi Report claimed said Mr Kempton was charged for failing to comply with air safety standards.

He is not believed to be under investigation in the UK.

A Thomas Cook spokesperson said: 'A couple were removed from a flight to Corfu after it stopped in Italy.

'Passenger safety is paramount and the crew decided it was best for all for the couple to be removed from the flight and the matter is now in the hands of the Italian police.'

Mr Kempton was stopped by police and the pilot ordered his wife off the flight

He had been travelling from East Midlands Airport (pictured) with his wife when they had a furious argument

This comes after a British tourist was fined 3,000 after he defecated on the runway of the same Italian airport after stepping off a three-hour Ryanair flight from Manchester.

David Sharp, 68, of Salford, had flown into Brindisi Airport in Apulia in southern Italy last week with the budget carrier and was making his way to the terminal building after leaving the aircraft.

Italian media reported that he then began to defecate on the asphalt between the aircraft and the gate to the terminal building.

When confronted by Italian border police, he was unable to give an explanation for what he had done and was described as being in a state of 'mild agitation'.
Theresa May will visit India next month as she lays the foundations for Britain's future outside the EU.

The Prime Minister is sending a strong signal about the importance she puts on trade with the fast-growing nation by making it the destination of her first trade mission outside Europe.

She will meet prime minister Narendra Modi for talks and push the interests of British firms from every region of the country.

Theresa May, pictured on the way to France for a state visit, has undertaken a major diplomatic blitz since entering Downing Street in July

It is the latest stage of a diplomatic blitz undertaken by Mrs May since entering Downing Street in July.

The number of foreign trips she has made in her first few weeks dwarfs those undertaken by David Cameron, driven partly by a series of visits for talks with EU counterparts.

There are around 1.5 million Indians living in Britain, and more than 100,000 people in the country are employed by Indian firms.

A range of commercial deals are expected to be sealed during the trip to help create UK jobs and demonstrate 'market confidence in the strength of the British economy' after the Brexit vote.

Mrs May and Mr Modi will launch the India-UK Tech summit, South Asia's largest technology conference, in New Delhi before a visit to another city.

Ahead of the trip, Mrs May said: 'As we leave the European Union we have the chance to forge a new global role for the UK - to look beyond our continent and towards the economic and diplomatic opportunities in the wider world.

'I am determined to capitalise on those opportunities, and as we embark on the trade mission to India we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade.'

Mrs May will be joined by UK firms such as GeoLang, a Cardiff cyber security business, Torftech, a creative energy business based in the south east, and Telensa, which operates in Cambridge and focuses on smart city solutions.

Mrs May will meet Indian PM Narendra Modi during her visit next month

'In the past the focus of trade delegations has been big businesses, but I want to take a new approach that recognises the full range of British business,' the PM said.

'So this time we will be focussing on small and medium sized businesses - and, importantly, the delegation will include representation from every region of the UK.'

There are approximately 1.5 million people of Indian origin in the UK and the country is Britain's second largest international job creator - with 7,105 new roles created last year through 140 projects.

Indian companies currently employ more than 100,000 people in the UK, and investments in recent years include 97 million from JLR to create 3,820 jobs, and 84 million from Tata Motors, producing 1,825 jobs.

Mrs May said: 'I want to create an economy that truly works for everyone - and this new approach to international trade missions will help achieve just that.

'The relationships between our two countries are strong, and the Indian diaspora plays a vital role in our national life.

'In my talks with prime minister Modi I want to build on our relationship for the benefit of both our countries, generating jobs and wealth and maintaining cooperation on defence and security.'

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox will join the visit and attend the Joint Economic and Trade Committee, where British and Indian business leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs will discuss how to take the ties between the two countries 'to the next level'.
Police in Pavlodar say they have arrested three suspects following incident

Another diner who tries to intervene is thrown to floor and kicked in head

Shocking footage shows armed security guard attacking a diner in a restaurant following a dispute over his bill.

The video shows the paramilitary-style guards - including one armed with an AK47 assault rifle - beating the customer to the ground at the restaurant in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan.

Another diner who tries intervene gets thrown to the floor before being kicked in the head by one of the security guards.

Shocking footage shows armed security guard attacking a diner in a restaurant following a dispute over his bill in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan

Police said they have arrested three suspects, who face up to seven years in jail if convicted of grievous bodily harm.

The restaurant, which has been rated as 'good service but pricey' on TripAdvisor - has not commented on the footage, which was filmed by another customer.

However, security firm Elekor Kuzet claimed its guards were acting in self-defence.

Owner Eduard Bezo told local media: 'We are also investigating the video.

A security guard used an AK47 assault rifle to beat the customer to the ground

'We provide security services to the restaurant and were were called to the scene after a visitor did not want to pay.'

He added: 'A visitor hit one guard and another visitor tried to take a rifle from a guard.

'This is also on camera, but this video was not published.'
A gas bottle exploded during a barbecue, shattering windows, melting patio furniture and leaving a male partygoer with minor burns to his body.

The incident, which occurred at a Toongabbie home in Sydney's west, is the eighth gas bottle explosion in New South Wales in the past week, Nine News reported.

CCTV footage captured the explosion just after midnight on Sunday as a large flash of white light filled the dark sky which left neighbours terrified.

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A barbecue gas bottle exploded (pictured) during a party on Saturday night in Toongabbie, in Sydney's west, leaving a man in his 20s with minor burns to his body

The moment of the explosion, which terrified neighbours, was caught on CCTV footage and a larger flash of white light can be seen filling the dark sky (pictured)

A man in his 20s was treated by paramedics after they arrived and was taken to Westmead Hospital for treatment.

'I heard a massive bang and a big scream, and I actually thought someone had driven into the back of a parked car,' she said.

'He was shaking and he appeared a bit shaken and he had doused himself in water under a neighbour's hose because his hair was on fire.'

It is the eighth barbecue gas bottle explosion in New South Wales in the past week

There has been a large spike in LP gas bottle explosions in the past week as people begin to use their barbeques for the first time since winter, authorities said

The incident destroyed the backyard fence and furniture (pictured)

There has been a large spike in LP gas bottle explosions in the past week as people begin to use their barbecues for the first time since winter, authorities said.

In the past week there have also been incidents in Coffs Harbour, Branxton, Bondi, Greenacre, Lakemba, Mittagong and Goulburn.

A second explosion on Saturday night on the Central Coast has left another man in hospital with injuries.

Authorities are urging all homeowners to check their cylinders for rust marks and make sure the leads and other equipment are in good condition and have been inspected within the last 10 years.
to help them post as Brits on social media

Vladimir Putin is employing people to spread lies on the internet about Britain from 'troll factory' in St Petersburg, Russia

Russia is believed to have set up a propaganda factory were at least 400 people are employed to spread damaging lies about Britain on the internet.

The English-speaking internet trolls get around 600 a month to post comments on websites in the UK with claims to stir readers from the 2014 Scottish Referendum was fixed to Mr Cameron was never Mr Honesty.

As the Mail Online previously reported in 2015 it was revealed Vladimir Putin had an army of professional trolls running thousands of fake Twitter and Facebook accounts to flood social media with pro-Russia propaganda.

Leaked documents revealed by The Sun now claim they are also posting comments on UK sites to promote Russia and slam the UK.

According to the documents the unit is run by the Presidents former chef Evgeny Prigozhin who heads the Agency for Internet Studies in St Petersburg.

The news comes after the Royal Navy was put on red alert yesterday when it was revealed that Russia planned to sail a fleet of warships along the British coast as it makes it way to Syria and the fleet was expected to carry out practice bombing north of Scotland before potentially sailing down the English Channel.

Ex-White House aide David Frum said: The Russians intensely dislike larger groupings like the UK.

The social media posts spread rumours in bid to stir hatred including claims Prime Minister David Cameron (left with Putin right) was a dishonest man

The historic mission of spies is to gather information  the more modern mission is to spread disinformation. The Russians have been very active on social media.

It is believed that staff use multiple identities to appear to be writing like normal Brits.

Ex-worker Lyudmila Savchuk, 35, told The Sun: You write things like: Yesterday I went for a walk and the idea came to me how bad the situation is in Europe.

The trolls who use different accounts posing as Britain's also claimed the Scottish Independence vote was rigged

As Mail Online previously reported, the trolls spreading propaganda were working exhausting 12-hour shifts bombarding the internet with comments placing Putin in a more favourable light.

They work under strict condition which see them banned from talking and even forging friendships with one another.

One former worker at the Internet Research Centre - dubbed the Troll Factory - lifted the lid on how employees must write more than 130 online posts a shift or face the sack.

(L-R) Brazil's President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Africa's President Jacob Zuma pose for a group photo during the 8th BRICS summit 2016 in Goa, India, on Sunday

Marat Burkhard explained how the operation, based in modern building in St Petersburg, is opened 24 hours a day and employees often work in teams of three.

'One of us would be the 'villain,' the person who disagrees with the forum and criticizes the authorities, in order to bring a feeling of authenticity to what we're doing, he told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

'The other two enter into a debate with him -- "No, you're not right; everything here is totally correct."

'We create the illusion of actual activity on these forums.'

Mr Burkhard revealed how he and his fellow trolls got to work after a story broke about US President Barack Obama spitting his chewing gum out in India.

''You need to write 135 comments about this, and don't be shy about how you express yourself,' Mr Burkhard, reportedly said he was told.

''Write whatever you want, just stick the word Obama in there a lot and then cover it over with profanities."

One former worker revealed how they covered any stories they could on US Presidents Barack Obama (right)

On another occasion he was told to repeatedly post on websites that the majority of German's supported Putin and his policies and were unhappy with Merkel.

Inside the factory the trolls are not just targeting Russian sites but those around the world, including the UK.

The trolls are often given five key words which they must make sure each of their posts are littered with. He claimed workers faced sanctions from manager if they were missing from their comments.

The comments must make Putin appear in a more favourable light compared with his western counterparts

Mr Burkhard, who now works as a blogger, quit after two months slaving away at his keyboard.

'I decided I can't engage in absurd work,' he said, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

'To keep going didn't make any sense - it's all absurd.

He compared his time at the Troll factory to the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's 1984.

'You work in the Ministry of Truth, which is the Ministry of Lies, and everyone kind of believes in this truth.'
The Home Office has granted a visa to a controversial charity which described Jihadi John 'a beautiful young man' allowing foreign nationals to live and work in the UK.

CAGE, who advocate for detainees in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba can sponsor foreign nationals to live and work in the UK for up to three years.

The group caused considerable disquiet when they described ISIS murderer Jihadi John, whose real name was Mohammed Emwazi, as a 'beautiful young man who wouldn't hurt a fly'.

Charity CAGE described Jihadi John as a 'beautiful young man who wouldn't hurt a fly'

Since the Tories came to power in 2010, some 900,000 people have been granted a visa

The Sunday Mirror claimed CAGE is among 30,000 companies or organisations who have successfully applied for a visa to employ non-EU nationals.

Last week, Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced briefly that British companies would be compelled to report the number of foreign nationals they employ before swiftly reversing the decision.

Since the Conservatives came to power in 2010, a total of 900,000 work visas have been issued by the Home Office for staff from outside the European Union.

Under current arrangements, citizens from any of the European Union's 27 other member states do not require visas to live and work in the UK.

According to the Sunday Mirror a troupe of male strippers and a Chinese takeaway which is no longer trading also were granted work permits.

Since the Brexit referendum, there have been contradictory indications about the future of foreign non-EU nationals in the UK.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said the residency status of some 3.6 million EU nationals living in the UK will depend on whether Britons can remain abroad.

The Government has come under attack from across the political spectrum for refusing to guarantee the status of EU migrants in the UK.

The PM has been accused of treating them like "bargaining chips" in the Brexit "divorce" deal negotiations.

Once an EU resident has been in the EU for five years he or she is entitled to permanent residency rights.
Detectives have reopened an investigation into the murder of two 11-year-old boys who were beaten and buried alive on a rubbish dump in Liverpool 36 years ago.

John Greenwood and his best friend Gary Miller went missing in Whiston, Merseyside, in August 1980 after they went out to play after tea on a sunny summer evening.

A man out walking his dog found the boys, partially buried under a mattress, and called 999.

Buried alive - John Greenwood (left) and his best friend Gary Miller (right) were brutally attacked after going out to play on a summer evening in 1980. The crime remains unsolved

The boys were rushed to hospital and underwent surgery but John died in the early hours of the following morning and Gary died a few days later.

Both suffered fractured skulls and never regained consciousness. Police believed their killer banged their heads on the ground.

A milkman, John Cheeseman, confessed to the crime while in police custody but was acquitted at Liverpool Crown Court in May 1981.

His lawyers pointed out he was mentally deficient and should have had a solicitor or guardian present when he was interviewed by police.

The Sunday Times said detectives had unearthed allegations pointing towards Robert Fisher, who died in 1991, aged 73.

Both suffered fractured skulls and never regained consciousness. Police believed their killer banged their heads on the ground. Picture shows Alma Miller, mother of Gary Miller

A milkman, John Cheeseman, confessed to the crime while in police custody but was acquitted at Liverpool Crown Court in May 1981. Pictured are officers at the murder scene

His wife, Ethel, reportedly committed suicide in 1999 after telling friends she could no live with the guilt of knowing her husband had killed the boys.

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Richardson: 'We are particularly interested in talking to anyone who may have seen a man with three young boys, aged between 12 and 14 years, near to the church hall on Dragon Lane, Whiston, between 6.45pm and 7.20pm on Saturday 16 August 1980.

'Two of the boys who were seen with the man were stood on the wall of the church hall and one was in the grounds of the church hall.

'Were you one of the three boys? If so please come forward and talk to us.'

He said the failure to reopen the case previously was 'completely unacceptable'.

A milkman, John Cheeseman, confessed to the crime while in police custody but was acquitted at Liverpool Crown Court in May 1981

His lawyers pointed out he was mentally deficient and should have had a solicitor or guardian present when he was interviewed by police

John Greenwood's sister Deborah told the Liverpool Echo: 'Losing the boys in such an horrific way was devastating for both families and has been heartbreaking to cope with.

'The fact that no-one has been convicted for their murders has made it so much harder.

The boys were rushed to hospital after being found but John (pictured) died in the early hours of the following morning and Gary a few days later

'For 36 years we have lived with the frustration and the fear that we could be sitting next to their killer on a bus, or walking past them on the street.

'The murder of a child in a family causes so much pain to everyone, the very least we deserve is to find the evil person that did this and put them behind bars.

'Both the Greenwoods and the Millers are united in their fight for justice and we are supported by family and friends and local people.'

More than 2,000 people have joined a Facebook page to show their support for justice for the boys.'

Detectives from Merseyside Police's Serious Crime Review Unit want to speak to anyone who saw the boys on Saturday, 16 August 1980 or has any information about the case.
Incredible footage shows an elephant rushing to the rescue of her favourite trainer, who she believed to be drowning.

The video shows elephant Kham Lha wading across the river at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Trainer Darrick Thomson, 42, says he has formed an 'inseparable bond' with Kham Lha since she was rescued and brought to the reserve last year.

The video shows elephant Kham Lha wading across the river to rescue her trainer, who she believed to be drowning, at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Worker Darrick Thomson, 42, has formed an 'inseparable bond' with five-year-old Kham Lha since she was brought to the reserve last year. He pretended that he was in trouble to demonstrate their special relationship

Darrick, who is originally from Toronto, Ontario, pretended that he had got into trouble in the river, splashing and crying out for help.

The footage shows the elephant going towards him as he moves towards the river bank on the other side.

When five-year-old Kham Lha reaches Darrick, she uses her trunk to try and lift him up before putting one of her legs around him.

Darrick is seen smiling as he peers at the camera while holding onto the elephant's legs.

When Kham Lha reaches Darrick, she uses her trunk to try and lift him up

She then puts one of her legs around him in an attempt to bring him to safety

He said: 'Kham Lha was in a really bad way when she came to us.

'She had been tied up and forced to undergo cruel training known as crushing to prepare her to work in the tourist industry.

'We freed her and helped her to recover. She became really close to me and we formed a strong bond.

'I went in the river to show just how remarkable the relationship with humans is. And that if you show warmth and kindness to them, they will treat you well, too.'

Crushing is a brutal training method where young elephants are tied up and beaten into submission.

Darrick said it shows how remarkable the relationship between elephants and humans is

The method is used in Thailand's elephant tourism industry to make elephants more subdued and safer for holidaymakers to ride.

After being rescued, Kham Lha now wanders freely through the protected jungle sanctuary with dozens of other elephants.

A spokesman at the Elephant Nature Park said: 'We're all really pleased with Kham Lha's progress and how well she's adapted.
Rebel fighters today captured the town of Dabiq in northern Syria - which holds huge symbolic value - from ISIS.

Turkish troops, part of what is known as Operation Euphrates Shield, and planes helped various rebel groups push ISIS - sometimes referred to as Daesh - out of Dabiq.

Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for ISIS because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

Turkish-backed rebels (pictured) managed to capture the symbolically important town of Dabiq from ISIS with 'minimal resistance'

Syrian rebels are pictured on the streets of Dabiq today. One is carrying a Turkish flag and on the wall a portrait of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been hastily taped

Dabiq is so significant to ISIS's ideology that it has named its own English-language propaganda magazine (pictured) after it

But Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, a faction of the Free Syrian Army, said: 'The Daesh myth of their great battle in Dabiq is finished.'

Some reports said ISIS put up 'minimal resistance' but others said there were 'fierce clashes'.

The town itself has negligible military value compared with the strategic ISIS-controlled cities of Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq.

A commander of the Hamza Brigade, a Syrian rebel group, said ISIS fighters put up 'minimal' resistance to defend Dabiq before withdrawing towards al-Bab, further south.

Saif Abu Bakr said 2,000 of his men pushed into Dabiq with tank and artillery support from the Turkish Army.

The Free Syrian Army were also involved in the operation.

Turkish-backed rebels have routed ISIS from the northern Syrian town of Dabiq

A small boy gives a victory sign on the streets of Dabiq after welcoming rebel forces who drove out ISIS

Rebels, pictured, move into Dabiq, which is about 20 miles north-east of Aleppo in northern Syria

Turkish tanks and troops (pictured) have been operating on Syrian territory as part of what is known as Operation Euphrates Shield

According to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency, the rebel fighters were working to dismantle mines laid in the town by retreating ISIS fighters.

Anadolu said nine Syrian rebels were killed and 28 others wounded during clashes on Saturday.

In the seventh century the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have said 'the last hour will not come' until Muslims vanquished the 'Romans' at Dabiq on their way to conquer 'Constantinople' (Istanbul).

Free Syrian Army rebels make victory signs as they advance on Daesh

Turkish artillery units (on the right) supporting Free Syrian Army rebels outside Dabiq

Such is the significance of the town that ISIS's English language magazine is named Dabiq.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels backed by Turkish planes and artillery 'captured Dabiq after ISIS members withdrew from the area'.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the fighters also captured the nearby town of Sawran.

One Turkey-backed rebel faction, the Fastaqim Union, also said Dabiq had fallen 'after fierce clashes with Daesh.'

It published pictures on Twitter of a group of fighters on the back of a small white truck waving assault rifles in the air, with the town of Dabiq apparently in the background.

Free Syrian Army rebels massing outside Dabiq yesterday before moving on the town
Hampshire Police said he's 'unkempt', 'with belly' and has ' balding hair'

Police are hunting a flasher who looks just like Little Britain character Andy Pipkin.

Officers released an e-fit of the pervert - described as 'unkempt' with 'balding with straggly hair' and a large belly - last week after he flashed a woman in Fleet, Hampshire.

Upon seeing the e-fit locals immediately joked that the pervert looked just like Little Britain's Andy Pipkin - played by Matt Lucas - who pretends to be disabled and is pushed around by carer Lou Todd, played by David Walliams.

An e-fit is sending social media users into a frenzy after its striking resemblance to Little Britain character Andy Pipkin

In scenes from the show, Andy regularly jumps up from his wheelchair when Lou isn't looking and causes chaos.

More than 150 people have so far commented on Hampshire Police's Facebook site - many saying the flasher looks just like Andy Pipkin, known for his catchphrases 'Want that one', 'Yeah, I know' and 'Don't like it'.

Dave Wilson wrote on the Hampshire Police Facebook page last week: 'He looks like Matt Lucas. Want that one.', with Glen Murphy writing 'Good old Andy Pipkin'.

Police are looking for this man after a 55-year-old woman was flashed in Fleet, Hampshire on Tuesday, September 27

Lesley White Foster wrote 'Looks like Andy from little Britain', and Annie T Davis wrote 'Was Lou a part of this as well? Oh what a kerfuffle.'

Emma Forster wrote simply 'Yeah... I'know', Andy's catchphrase.

Local Richard Graves, 37, said: 'As soon as I clocked the e-fit I was in stitches.

'I hope this guy is caught soon, but the similarity to Andy Pipkin is striking - I hope Matt Lucas hasn't been pulling any pranks around here!'

A spokesman for Hampshire Police said the flasher was 'overweight' and had a 'round face' - with 'balding, straggly hair'

The spokesman said: 'Do you recognise the man in this Efit? We would like to trace the man as described in connection with an incident in Fleet on September 27.

'A man reportedly indecently exposed himself to a 55-year-old woman in the alleyway on Ancells Road at around 8pm..'

It adds: 'The man is described as white, unkempt, in his 40s, 5ft 3ins tall, overweight with a large belly, balding with long, brownish hair which was greasy or straggly looking, large lips, round face and side burns.'

The police add that he was wearing a 'cream coloured formal shirt, dark braces and silver buckles'.
A socialite dubbed 'Britain's vainest man' has been attacked inside a city centre nightclub.

Ryan Staveley, whose quest to become a 'perfect 10' left him bankrupt, was assaulted on the dance floor of the nightclub Kiki, in Manchester's Gay Village, while out with friends in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The 25-year-old fashion and cosmetics manager was left with a bloodied and swollen face, and has been told he will need stitches.

Ryan Staveley has been left with a bloodied and swollen face and his eye socket may be broken following the attack in a nightclub

Mr Staveley hit the headlines this year when he claimed to have been left 22,000 in debt from store cards

Mr Staveley hit the headlines this year when he claimed to have been left 22,000 in debt from store cards after spending 1,000 a month on clothes and cosmetics to boost his self confidence following a bitter split with his ex.

He has now criticised police after learning his attacker walked away with a caution.

He said: 'It's disgraceful. The guy walked over to me and belted me for no reason, knocking me to the floor. It was completely unprovoked and I didn't retaliate at all.

'I had two friends with me from the Lake District - it was their first time in Manchester and I wanted to show them a good time. Instead they ended up covered in blood.

'Other people on the dance floor ended up with blood all over them too.'

Mr Staveley, who also works part time as a model and volunteers with charity Dementia Friends, says he was struck in the face by the man three times.

'I've been told I'll need stitches, and it's possible I have a broken eye socket,' he added.

'It's not acceptable - I can't open my eyes properly, I can't work, and all he gets is a caution. People in the club were horrified after having to watch what happened.'

The 25-year-old had been enjoying a night out with friends, but said they ended up covered in blood, adding: 'Other people on the dance floor ended up with blood all over them too'

Mr Staveley was dubbed 'Britain's vainest man' after revealing what he spent in his quest for perfection

Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers were called to the club at 2.53am on Saturday morning.

Mr Staveley featured on Channel 5 show Make Me A Perfect 10 this year, which showed how he began to bind his feet using ancient Chinese techniques to shrink them from a size 10 to a six-and-a-half - because his 'clown feet' did not suit tailored trousers.

Inspector Phil Spurgeon, of GMP City Centre, said he was unable to discuss individual cases, but explained that in common assault cases if a suspect has no previous convictions or criminal history they are eligible for a caution, according to Crown Prosecution Service guidelines.

He said: 'A caution is not a 'soft option'. The individual gets a 'police record' which impacts on them in all sorts of ways, including employment, education, travel.
Natalie Moores, 26, discussed her shocking stay in an Airbnb property last month and her outrage when she was blocked from leaving a review

Airbnb has been accused of stopping guests from leaving bad reviews if they cut short their stay.

Guests who leave early and then have their bookings cancelled are not allowed to leave a review on the popular property website.

This has raised concerns that homes with high ratings may be misleading potential customers.

Speaking to MailOnline, Natalie Moores, 26, discussed her shocking stay in an Airbnb property last month and her outrage when she was blocked from leaving a review.

Ms Moores, who runs a marketing firm in London, said: 'I was due to stay in Birmingham with my business partner for a work trip so I booked with Airbnb because they are always a good option.

'The property we chose had great reviews and seemed fine when we got there, but as I went to make sure everything was shut before bed I found the balcony door wouldn't lock.'

She added: 'When I phoned the landlord he was really rude and quite abrasive.

'He told me I should just go to bed but I didn't feel comfortable staying there.'

When she was still on the phone with the property owner, the businesswoman's bed collapsed.

Ms Moores said: 'At this point I just said, "This is ridiculous," and we went to stay with a friend who lives 20 minutes away.'

A spokesman for Airbnb said: 'All hosts and guests can review their experiences on Airbnb and we apologise that our policy was not applied correctly in these isolated incidents' (File photo)

After contacting Airbnb, the annoyed customer received a refund but was shocked to learn she was not able to leave a review.

She said: 'I tried to leave feedback but there is no option for me to do so. Obviously this is quite misleading and I would like to be able to give my response.'

A spokesman for Airbnb said: 'All hosts and guests can review their experiences on Airbnb and we apologise that our policy was not applied correctly in these isolated incidents.

'We firmly believe in transparency - our review system relies on it - and will contact the guests affected to apologise and help make things right.'

Last month a court ruled that thousands of flat owners who rent out their homes on websites like Airbnb are likely to be breaking the law (File photo)

Other users have also been blocked from leaving negative feedback including Waldo Jaquith, from Virginia, who suffered through four nights at a property in Toronto, according to the Sunday Times.

After cancelling the trip four days into the stay, the user was told it was not possible to leave a review.

Last month a court ruled that thousands of flat owners who rent out their homes on websites like Airbnb are likely to be breaking the law.
The German mayor has begged for intervention over the 'explosive situation' caused by a refugee crimewave in the picturesque ski town.

Police say refugees brawl in the streets and vandalise public property in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and residents allege they are responsible for serious sexual assaults.

Dr Sigrid Meierhofer has now written about the 'massive problems' in a letter begging for help from Bavarian politician Maria Els, which was leaked to the press.

Dr Sigrid Meierhofer (pictured) has written about the 'massive problems' caused by refugees in a letter begging for help from Bavarian politician Maria Els, which was leaked to the press

The Abrams centre (pictured), a former US Army site that now houses around 250 asylum seekers, is also affecting tourism and the health of residents, she claims

The mayor, from the centre-left SPD party, says she will need to take action 'to secure public safety and order' after a series of public clashes with police.

The Abrams centre, a former US Army site that now houses around 250 asylum seekers, is also affecting tourism and the health of residents, she claims.

'There has been an increasingly worsening situation in recent weeks around the registration centre Abrams,' wrote the mayor, in what was seen as a cry for help.

In the previous year it was mostly occupied by Syrian families but now, around 150 of the residents are Africans, 80 per cent of them unaccompanied young men.

Mayor Meierhofer makes it plain that the current occupiers of the building have become 'problematic' and said she is increasingly concerned about 'public order'.

Curfews on migrants entering certain areas, like the spa park in town, have been implemented in the past few weeks.

Police officers have responded to more incidents in the past six weeks in and around the centre than in the past 12 months put together.

The letter was written to Bavarian politician Maria Els (pictured)

Deputy police chief Thomas Holzer recently said: 'The blacks are in charge,' as he described the constant clashes with asylum seekers at the centre.

He went on: 'There are brawls, fights and property damage. The blacks occupy the best wi-fi places, choose who sleeps in what room.

'The situtation is a problem for us and causes some concern. In September, we recorded a quarter of our annual operations.'

Repeat offenders at the centre have been moved to some of the other 11 facilities in the area, but the problems persist.

Local social media speaks gravely of sexual assaults of the worst kind taking place in the accommodation centre, but Holzer said he cannot confirm this.

Frau Meierhofer explained in her letter that the complaints from locals were accumulating and that they were not from the far-right or other extremist groups.

She writes: 'They are expressing their trials and tribulations to us. Massive problems with refugees in Garmisch-Partenkirchen,' according to the local Merkur newspaper.

A local official was outraged that the letter, and the deputy police chief, identified black Africans for causing the trouble, saying 'stereotyping' was unacceptable.

But the mayor's office insisted she was telling it like it is, not as bureaucrats elsewhere would like it to be.

More than a million refugees and migrants came to Germany in 2015 alone, sparking a heated debate that has seen Chancellor Angela Merkel come under immense pressure.
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ISIS has drowned 58 people, including la confident of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi suspected of taking part in a coup ahead of a massive Iraqi offensive on the terror group's stronghold in Mosul.

The terrorists are preparing for a major attack by Iraqi forces who are supported by US-led aircraft on their final major stronghold in the country.

One of the city's ISIS commanders switched allegiances and attempted to hand the city over to government troops.

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US artillery has been pounding ISIS positions surrounding the strategically get enjoyed by taking pohotogs of the animals

Persmerga forces prepared to retake the city including checking this 50-caliber sniper rile ahead of the afance

Thousands of Iraqi government troop have surrounded the city ahead of the planned advance to retake Mosul from ISIS

However, the attempt failed and those behind the coup were murdered by the terror group according to Iraqi security officials.

Residents told news agency Reuters that the victims had been buried in a mass grave on the outskirts of the besieged city.

It is understood, one of the victims was the city's aid to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The plot leader and his men were put to death before they could hand the city over to Iraqi government forces.

In previous situations, the terror group has used human shields to prevent the US-led coalition from bombing its fighters when they have been spotted in the open.

One victim confessed under interrogation that the plotters had weapons hidden in three locations around the city.

Saba al Numani, Iraqi counter-terrorism spokesman said: 'Those were Daesh members who turned against the group in Mosul, This is a clear sign that the terrorist organisation has started to lose support not only from the population, but even from its own members.'

Thousands of troops are massing outside Isis-held Mosul in preparation for a battle that could spell the end of the terror group in Iraq. Pictured is a brigade of Peshmerga fighters

The fight to reclaim the city, Iraq's second largest, is expected to begin next week in what will be the country's biggest military operation since the US-led invasion in 2003. Pictured is a mortar team setting up a barrel outside Mosul

A successful conquest, which is being spearheaded by Iraqi government forces,(pictured) would destroy Islamic State's last bastion of power in the country, and represent a serious blow to its legitimacy

A spokesman for the U.S.-led military coalition which conducts air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq was unable to confirm or deny the accounts of the thwarted plot.

Signs of cracks inside the 'caliphate' appeared this year as the ultra-hardline Sunni group was forced out of half the territory it overran two years ago in northern and western Iraq.

Some people in Mosul have been expressing their refusal of ISIS's harsh rules by spray-painting the letter M, for the Arabic word that means resistance, on city walls, or 'wanted' on houses of its militants. Such activity is punished by death.

Numani said his service has succeeded in the past two months in opening contact channels with 'operatives' who began communicating intelligence that helped conduct air strikes on the insurgents' command centres and locations in Mosul.

A child waves as a Pershmerga military convoy travels towards Mosul. Situated on the west bank of the Tigris River, 250 miles from Baghdad, the city used to house two and a half million people

Mosul was famed for its university,one of the largest education centres in the Middle East. Its recapture would destroy Islamic State's last bastion of power in Iraq

Peshmerga forces stand guard at the Basika front as US artillery units bomb the Deash positions in the east of Mosul with a howitzer

ISIS commanders realise the symbolic importance of maintaining its territory in Iraq. Pictured are Iraqi security forces

Mosul is by far the biggest city held by the militants - around four to five times the size of any other urban area recaptured so far from the fighters

Iraq was where the group's founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, first announced the creation of a 'caliphate' in April 2013

ISIS commanders realise the symbolic importance of maintaining its territory in Iraq.

Mosul is by far the biggest city held by the militants - around four to five times the size of any other urban area recaptured so far from the fighters

Iraq was where the group's founder, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, first announced the creation of a 'caliphate' in April 2013.

HOW THE CONQUEST OF MOSUL COULD COST THE UN $1 BILLION Lise Grande, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, said: 'The worst case scenario in Mosul would look something like this: you would have mass expulsion of hundreds of thousands of people. 'You would have hundreds of thousands of people who are held as human shields. 'You would have a chemical attack that would put tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or maybe even more at grave risk. 'If all that were to happen at the same time it would be catastrophic.' Advertisement

The estimated 60,000 jihadis in the city have dug in for what is expected to be a complex and bloody battle.

A 7ft-by-7ft trench has been dug around Mosul's perimeter, alongside numerous barriers dubbed 'Caliphate fences'.

According to The Telegraph, the jihadis have rigged a chemical plant with explosives with the intention of using the civilian population as human shields.

Despite the formidable defences, the UN estimates more than half a million people have already managed to flee the oncoming offensive.

The capture of the city could spark the world's most complex humanitarian crisis, with one million people expected to be displaced from the city and its surrounding areas.

ISIS fighters are expected to fight hard and have a history of forcing civilians to stay in harm's way during previous battles to defend territory.

There are also fears that the liberation of the city by the Iraqi army, which relies heavily on Shia militias, could alienate Mosul's majority Sunni population.

Some Sunnis initially welcomed Islamic State's conquest of the city, and their frustration at being invaded by the rival sect could spark sectarian tensions.

Also helping in the conquest will be the Kurdish Peshmerga, who are aiming to acquire more territory and made it part of Kurdistan.

Also helping in the conquest will be the Kurdish Peshmerga, (pictured) who are aiming to acquire more territory and made it part of Kurdistan

This would be resisted by the Iraqi government, which wants to reassert its control over one of its largest population centres. Pictured are Pershmerga forces preparing their weapons

Soldiers ride on a truck carrying the flag of Kurdistan. Forces have been pouring into the region for days in preparation for the attack, expected next week

A list with the names of the 58 executed plotters was given to a hospital to inform their families but their bodies were not returned, the residents said.

'Some of the executed relatives sent old women to ask about the bodies. Daesh rebuked them and told them no bodies, no graves, those traitors are apostates and it is forbidden to bury them in Muslim cemeteries,' said one resident whose relative was among those executed.

'After the failed coup, Daesh withdrew the special identity cards it issued for its local commanders, to prevent them from fleeing Mosul with their families,' Colonel al-Taie said.

A Mosul resident said Islamic State had appointed a new official, Muhsin Abdul Kareem Oghlu, a leader of a sniper unit with a reputation as a die-hard, to assist its governor of Mosul, Ahmed Khalaf Agab al-Jabouri, in keeping control.

Iraq government's anti-terror teams, armoured vehicles and artillery line up in preparation for the offensive against Mosul, which is expected to be bitterly resisted by Isis fighters

Another complication is the presence of Turkish forces in a nearby camp. President Taipei Erdogan said the soldiers were an insurance against attacks on Turkey and wants them to be involved in the assault. Pictured are Iraqi and Peshmerga forces

But Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says Turkish troops have deployed in Iraq without the authorisation of the government. Pictured are Pershmerga forces gathering on the outskirts of Mosul

Thousands of troops are massing outside Isis-held Mosul in preparation for a battle that could spell the end of the terror group in Iraq.

The fight to reclaim the city is expected to begin next week in what will be the biggest Iraqi military operation since the US-led invasion in 2003.

A successful conquest would destroy ISIS's last bastion of power in the country, and represent a serious blow to its legitimacy.

Some 30,000 Iraqi troops are expected to take part in the battle, with support from US special forces and western coalition warplanes.

Mosul is the last major stronghold of ISIS in Iraq. With a pre-war population of around 2 million, it is at least five times the size of any other city ISIS has controlled. Iraqi officials say a massive ground assault could begin this month, backed by U.S. air power, Kurdish security forces and Shi'ite and Sunni irregular units.

A successful offensive would effectively destroy the Iraqi half of the caliphate that the group declared when it swept through northern Iraq in 2014. But the United Nations says it could also create the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world, in a worst case scenario uprooting 1 million people.

ISIS terrorists have spent the past month preparing trenches to defend the city against the planned Iraqi attack.

The Iraqi army recaptured the town of Qayyarah in August, and is advancing 25 miles to Mosul in preparation for the new offensive.

'All the troops are ready, now they are just waiting for the order from the prime minister,' said Major General Najim al-Jobori, one of the top Iraqi commanders overseeing the Mosul operation.

'The head of the snake is Mosul,' he said. 'I think ISIS knows this is the end of ISIS in Iraq.'

Situated on the west bank of the Tigris River, 250 miles from Baghdad, Mosul is Iraq's second largest city.

It used to be a bustling city of two and a half million people, and was famed for its university, one of the largest education centres in the Middle East.

Since Mosul's capture by ISIS in June 2014, it has been the scene of increasing brutal atrocities as the terror group struggles to contain discontent among 600,000 remaining residents.

In August, nine young men were tied to iron poles and cut in half with chainsaws after they were accused of belonging to a 'resistance faction'.

'Isil is panicked,' one resident told The Telegraph.

'Since they lost Qayyarah, they have begun to tighten their security; carrying out mass arrests and raiding houses in search for weapons and illegal phones.

This would be resisted by the Iraqi government, which wants to reassert its control over one of its largest population centres.

Another complication is the presence of Turkish forces in a nearby camp.

President Taipei Erdogan said the soldiers were an insurance against attacks on Turkey and wants them to be involved in the assault.

He said: 'Nobody should talk about our Bashiqa base. We will stay there. Bashiqa is our insurance against any kind of terrorist activities in Turkey.'

But Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says Turkish troops have deployed in Iraq without the authorisation of the government.
He is getting married next April and wants to

After Australian BMX star Sam Willoughby was left paralysed in a horrific race crash last month, he told his fiancee: 'You're not marrying a cripple'.

The 25-year-old athlete has vowed to overcome his injury so he can walk down the aisle with girlfriend Alise Post, 25, at their planned wedding next April.

Willoughby's determination reflects the same spirit that won him a silver medal for Australia in his sport at the 2012 Olympics and made him a two-time BMX world champion.

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Australian BMX star Sam Willoughby broke his neck in a horror crash in September leaving him a tetraplegic, but he hopes to be walking for his wedding day in April

The 25-year-old has told his fiancee Alise Post - also an American Olympic silver medalist - he wants to walk down the aisle on their special day showing his fighting spirit

Sam's life took a horrific twist when he crashed and broke his neck at Chula Vista bike track in California in September.

He told 60 Minutes he heard no noise when he crashed before he was airlifted to hospital and the daredevil underwent emergency surgery and spent time in intensive care.

Willoughby, who also competed at the Olympics in Rio, broke two vertebrae in his spine, severely compressing his spinal cord.

His operation was a success and he has since regained movement in his arms, he has limited movement in his hands, and has had spasms in his left toe but is still unable to move his legs.

However, in an interview aired on Nine's 60 Minutes, Willoughby displayed his champion spirit and said he wants to win the biggest race of his life and walk down the aisle for his wedding in April.

Fiancee Alise Post - also an American Olympic silver medalist - said she has never been so proud of her future husband

The 25-year-old daredevil underwent emergency surgery, spent time in intensive care and is now in recovery

A teary-eyed Willoughby said, after a visit from former motocross rider Jimmy Button who had a similar injury and is now walking, he had discovered hope.

'He just gave me hope really. He said that it was do-able. You just need to approach this the same way you have approached everything up to this point and just fight,' Sam said on Nine's 60 Minutes.

'Just fight and fight and be relentless.'

Sam said he has been overwhelmed by the messages on social media and the unwavering support from Ms Post and his family.

'I feel like I got the world riding on my back and it is my job to stand up,' he said with an admirable smile.

Willoughby (pictured with his fiancee Alise Post) was airlifted to hospital after the accident at Chula Vista bike track in California earlier this month.

Australian BMX star Sam Willoughby has broken his neck and is unable to move his legs after a horrific crash during training

Ms Post was able to catch up with Sam after surgery and she knew in his selflessness he might attempt to push her away.

Ms Post, herself an American Olympic silver medalist, said just after surgery one of the first comments Sam made to her was, 'You're not marrying a cripple'.

But after Sam reassured her he was not going anywhere, the engaged couple are stronger than ever.

And despite all his incredible achievements on and off the track, she has never been more proud of Sam.

A month ago, Alise Post told the Herald-Sun that overcoming his injuries was 'by far the biggest obstacle he will likely ever face'.

'We are in the midst of planning our wedding for next year and one of Sam's goals is to do everything in his power to walk me down that aisle side-by-side as husband and wife, surrounded by his beautiful loved ones, and ready to celebrate a beautiful future with each and every one of you on this journey with him,' she said.

Miss Post added that she had 'never been more proud of him'.

In a statement, Willoughby's family detailed the injuries he suffered in the crash.

The 25-year-old daredevil underwent emergency surgery and is recovering in intensive care - but may never walk again

'At this stage, Sam still has no movement from his chest down but has regained use of his arms and is slowly regaining some sensation in his legs,' they said.

'Sam's next step is to begin a long road of recovery at a rehabilitation centre and while the details are still to be finalised, at this stage it is expected that Sam will be transported to a USA based rehabilitation centre in the next few days.

'The huge outpouring of support from friends, family, fans and supporters has been incredible.'
British archaeologists have revealed that two headstones in a cemetery at the Somme marked with the names of British soldiers who died in the First World War are wrong.

Private William Marmon, 21, and Harry Carter, 20, lost their lives when a 15-ton German mine exploded during the height of the war in 1915.

It has since been discovered that the headstones were wrong and that rather than being recovered and put in the mass grave with their colleagues, the two bodies had lain underground until a team of British archaeologists and scientists from the Ministry of Defence identified them.

William James Marmon (left) was born on 25 April 1894 at Holborn, London and Harry Carter (right) was born in December 1894 at Canning Town in the East End of London, both were killed in action with the 10th Battalion of the Essex Regiment on 22 November 1915

Speaking to The Sunday Times the detectives found Mr Marmon and Mr Carters bodies remained in the dugout where they had been on sentry duty the night they died on November 22.

This week, more than three years after their remains were found, the soldiers will be reburied with full military honours at the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in the French town of Albert.

After being traced nine relatives of the two men will be able to attend.

According to the paper archaeologists digging in a cratered battlefield known during the war as Glory Hole found the remains of the men beside their rifles, with bayonets fixed, and bags of grenades and flares.

British archaeologists led by Peter Barton, a historian and author, worked out that they were part of a group of eight men from the 10th Battalion of the Essex Regiment who had been buried alive by the German mine.

The soldiers will be reburied with full military honours at the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in the French town of Albert

About six feet along the trench, they found the dugout where the other six soldiers had been sheltering.

It contained the mens rifles, stacked helmets and boxes of hand grenades. They believe the remains of the men are nearby but the agreement with the landowner expired before they could continue the dig.

All eight have been given graves and headstones at Albert cemetery.
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While the country they created is ravaged by civil war, the men who built today's Syrian regime - along with their families - are living a much different reality.

Sleeping safely in their London and Paris mansions and driving their luxurious supercars, they enjoy a life far removed from that of most Syrian civilians.

They are the lucky few, relatives of three men who helped to establish the Assad clan's rule in Syria, starting with Hafez al-Assad's coup in 1970.

As Aleppo burns in flames, Rifaat al-Assad, the uncle of current Syrian president Bashar, swaps between his nine-bedroom house in Mayfair, London, for a property in Marbella's exclusive Gray D-Albion estate.

Akram Junior, grandson of Mustafa Tlass, a former Syrian defence minister, shows no sign of letting the situation back in Syria trouble him, his social media pages awash with images displaying his vast wealth

Akram Junior happily posts pictures to his Facebook and Instagram accounts showing him driving Bugattis and Ferraris, to name just a few, or even Kalashnikov machine guns

Another image taken from the social media page of Akram Junior shows the incredible wealth he enjoys while living in Paris

Nahed Ojjeh (left), who inherited her large wealth following the death of her Saudi arm-dealing husband, is well known among Paris as a hostess of grand parties. She is the daughter of Mustafa Tlass, former defence minister to Hafez al-Assad

Meanwhile, his son Siwar isn't too far away, living in an eight-bedroom luxury home in the Crown Estate in leafy Oxshott in Surrey.

Then there is Abdel Halim Khaddam, who helped Hafez seize power in the seventies and forged the alliance between Syria and Iran which led to the killing of 241 US troops, and now lives in a gated road, the Villa Said, in Paris.

The third is Mustafa Tlass, former defence minister to Hafez who, like the other two men, now claim to be opposed to the current regime.

Tlass, 84, has also left Syria behind since the outbreak of civil war, and is perhaps outdone in terms of an opulent life by his daughter and grandson.

Nahed Ojjeh, who inherited her large wealth following the death of her Saudi arm-dealing husband, is well known among Paris as a hostess of grand parties.

The socialite's son Akram also shows no sign of letting the situation back in Syria trouble him, his social media pages awash with images displaying his vast wealth.

As Aleppo burns in flames, Rifaat al-Assad, the uncle of current Syrian president Bashar, swaps between his nine-bedroom house in Mayfair, London, for a property in Marbella's exclusive Gray D-Albion estate

Rifaat has since spent more than 30 years living a life of luxury moving between homes in Paris, London and the southern Spanish city of Marbella (pictured is Marbella's exclusive Gray D-Albion estate)

While the country they created is ravaged by civil war, the men who built today's Syrian regime - along with their families - are living a much different reality

Akram also shows no sign of letting the situation back in Syria trouble him, his social media pages awash with images displaying his vast wealth

Akram Ojjeh Junior is the son of socialite Nahed Ojjeh, herself the daughter of Mustafa Tlass, 84, who left Syria behind since the outbreak of civil war

He happily posts pictures to his Facebook and Instagram accounts showing him driving Bugattis and Ferraris, to name just a few, or even Kalashnikov machine guns.

It may not last forever for at least one exile, however, with Rifaat al-Assad facing probes into how he amassed multi-million pound fortune despite being kicked out of Syria 'with nothing' 30 years ago.

Mr al-Assad went into exile in Europe after staging a failed coup against his brother Hafez al Assad, who was Syria's president at the time and is also Bashar's father.

He has since spent more than 30 years living a life of luxury moving between homes in Paris, London and the southern Spanish city of Marbella.

The inquiry into the former Syrian vice president's finances was triggered by Sherpa, an activist group representing the victims of financial crime, which claims his fortune was stolen during his time at the heart of the Syrian regime.

His family's assets, outlined by French customs in a May 2014 report, are valued at around 64million - much of it held through a web of businesses based in Luxembourg.

A wounded Syrian kid cries after the war-crafts belonging to the Russian army bombed the opposition controlled Firdevs neighborhood in Aleppo

Syrian Civil Defense workers search through the rubble in eastern Aleppo, Syria, after bombs were dropped on the area

Pictured during regime: Rifaat al-Assad (right) is seen with brother Hafez (left) and politician Abdel Halim Khaddam (centre)

The French probe also asks questions as to why the British government has not itself examined the coming and goings of Mr al-Assad and his sons.

Mr al-Assad has vehemently denied acquiring assets in France through illegal means.

A judge in Paris, named Renaud Van Ruymbeke, has frozen his French assets - mostly tied up in property and thought to be worth around 80 million.

Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, spoke to Michael Sheridan, who undertook a special investigation on behalf of The Sunday Times.

He said: 'Rifaat al-Assad, Mustafa Tlass and Abdel Halim Khaddam were the kingpins and founding godfathers of the brutal Assad regime that has decimated Syria for decades.

'Having fleeced Syria for so much wealth, it is galling to Syrians to see them flaunt their ill-gotten millions all across Europe while millions of Syrians languish in refugee camps.'
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A 330million superyacht owned by a Russian billionaire is thought to be one of the largest sailing vessels to ever take to the seas after it underwent its first official sailing test.

The behemoth vessel, called Sailing Yacht A, is the latest superboat to make its way into the expansive collection of industrialist Andrey Melnichenko, thought to be worth 9.7 billion.

It was seen undergoing tests and employing its sails for the first time in Strande, nearby Kiel, northern Germany, its shadow dwarfing other nearby sailing boats.

At eight-decks and with masts that are nearly 330ft tall, it eclipses the height of London's Elizabeth Tower, which houses the Great Bell known as Big Ben, and has its own underwater lounge surrounded by thick glass.

It also boasts a digital control system that has a touch sensitive sheet of black glass, allowing the crew to raise and lower the sails and anchor with the swipe of their fingers.

A 330million superyacht owned by a Russian billionaire is thought to be one of the largest sailing vessels to ever take to the seas after it underwent its first ever sailing test

The behemoth vessel, called Sailing Yacht A, is the latest superboat to make its way into the expansive collection of industrialist Andrey Melnichenko, thought to be worth 9.7 billion

It was seen undergoing tests in Strande, nearby Kiel, northern Germany, its shadow dwarfing other nearby sailing boats

At eight-decks and with masts that are nearly 330ft tall, it eclipses the height of London's Elizabeth Tower, which houses the Great Bell known as Big Ben, and has its own underwater lounge surrounded by thick glass

Cruise speed of the ship is 18mph, with a top speed of 24mph. The hull is made of steel, with a teak-finish deck

At 468ft long and with three huge masts, the yacht has a price tag of 260million but the simplest of names - A

Mr Melnichenko (pictured with wife Aleksandra) founded the fertilizer producer EuroChem, the coal producer Suek, the power generator SGK, and the pipe exporter TMK

The large vessel, pictured here, is powered by a hybrid diesel-electric system at a top speed of 21 knots (24 mph)

The original plans for Sailing Yacht A have now become a reality for the wealthy Russian businessman Andrey Melnichenko

Sailing Yacht A's keel incorporates one of the largest single pieces of curved glass ever made at 193 square feet, creating an underwater lounge on the bottom deck, and it is powered by a hybrid diesel-electric system at a top speed of 21 knots (24 mph).

Mr Melnichenko, who has made his vast fortune with investments in coal, fertilisers and banking, was said to have put his other superyacht Motor Yacht A up for sale, as he replaces it with the grander Sailing Yacht A.

The 44-year-old lives a glamorous, jet-setting lifestyle with his 39-year-old wife Aleksandra, a former model and pop star from Serbia.

Motor Yacht A itself boasts an opulent lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows, wood and leather furniture, and a spacious owners cabin that is larger than most London flats - and is said to have bomb-proof glass and a rotating bed.

Three spa pools with current-generating technology are spread throughout the yacht, and one has a glass floor that passengers can look into from the lower deck, according to the Yacht Harbour database.

There are seven luxurious cabins for up to 14 guests and accommodation for 42 crew members. Over the years it has been spotted in places such as Honolulu, Malibu, Monaco, Puerto Rico, Turkey and Thailand.

It was virtually impossible to miss this mammoth sailing superyacht as it took to the sea for a test run - thanks in large part to its three 300ft masts which stand taller than Big Ben's tower

The 468ft-long vessel (right), owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, was reportedly pulled out of the German Naval Yards in Kiel, north of Hamburg, by a tugboat and it eventually built up a speed of 20 knots on another test run

The massive superyacht is seen moored to land as shipbuilders look to complete the job of constructing the large vessel

The masts were produced by Magma Structures based in Portsmouth, and were shipped out to the German port

An artist's impression of how the tycoon's new ship could dominate the waves. The 44-year-old lives a glamorous, jet-setting lifestyle with his 39-year-old wife Aleksandra, a former model and pop star from Serbia

After months of preparation work, the Sailing Yacht A finally took to the seas in northern Germany last month before today's sail test

Amazed onlookers gather to watch as a tugboat (pictured left) pulls the large ship into the sea for its first test run

Mr Melnichenko, who has made his vast fortune with investments in coal, fertilisers and banking, was said to have put his other superyacht Motor Yacht A (pictured) up for sale, as he replaces it with the grander Sailing Yacht A

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO KEEP A SUPERYACHT ON THE WATER? From Russian oligarchs to Middle Eastern royalty to Hollywood producers, it takes a certain type of person to own a superyacht - crucially, they must be super rich. Andrey Milnichenko has invested $451 million into his new vessel Sailing Yacht A. However, the initial cost is only part of owning such a luxurious vessel. For wealthy owners like Roman Abramovich and UAE president Khalifa Al Nahyan, owners of two of the costliest private vessels in the world, the costs associated with keeping such big boats on the water are staggering. Insurance company Towergate estimates that 10 per cent of the initial value of a superyacht goes on operating costs. For Chelsea Football Club owner Abramovich's Eclipse, a 162.5m vessel with a missile defence system that cost the billionaire an astronomical $500milion (332), that means $50m (33m) a year. The standard fuel usage for a 71m yacht is 500 litres an hour, meaning an average of $400,000 (265,000) is spent on petrol every year per vessel. The Value Added Tax (VAT) works out at 15-25 per cent of the vessel's value while docking costs are an average $350,000 (232,000) and $240,000 (159,000) the standard for insurance sees the costs soar. Add to that the expected $1million (664,000) per year for maintenance and repairs and the wages for an average $1.4m (930,000) for an on-board crew - which can range from less than 20 to 154 staff on the Sultan of Oman's mysterious Al Said superyacht - and it's a significant outlay. Sailing Yacht A's keel incorporates one of the largest single pieces of curved glass ever made at 193 square feet Advertisement

Powered by two diesel engines, the yacht has a top speed of 23 knots (26.4mph) and a cruising speed of 19.5 knots (22.4mph), with a range of 6,500 nautical miles.

It was built by leading shipyard Blohm + Voss in Hamburg, Germany, and designed by Frenchman Philippe Starck, a renowned contemporary designer who is responsible for the look of Melnichenkos new toy, Sailing Yacht A.

TALE OF THE TAPE Top Speed: 24mph (20.8 knots) Cruise Speed: 18mph (15.6 knots) Length: 468ft Size of sailing masts: 300ft Crew: 54 Advertisement

In addition to two massive yachts, Mr Melnichenko owners a customised Boeing 737 private jet, a villa in the French Riviera, a penthouse in New York and a sprawling estate near Ascot, England.

Speaking when the yacht was rumoured to be up for sale, Dimitri Semenikhin, founder of Yacht Harbour, said: Motor Yacht A is a unique boat in terms of its design and there is quite literally nothing like it on the market.

If they were to find a buyer who would fall in love with the design, the price could go as far up as $300million (225million). It will, however, be a tough sell at such a price as the design is very polarising.

He told MailOnline at the time: I've seen Motor Yacht A quite a few times in Monaco. It's extremely noticeable anywhere it goes, you can always find people snapping shots of it or pointing to it from the shore.

When you pass close to it, you do realise how huge and tall it is. The first open deck is also very high which makes it feel very secure.

The vessel boasts a digital control system that has a touch sensitive sheet of black glass, allowing the crew to raise and lower the sails and anchor with the swipe of their fingers
Eerie footage has emerged of the interior of the MH17 airliner which was struck down by a Russian missile killing 298 people and 38 Australians.

Dutch investigators have painstakingly reconstructed the plane from wreckage found in the Ukrainian field where the it crashed in 2014.

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A reconstruction of the cockpit (pictured), including the pilot's chair and control panel are almost unrecognisable

Eerie photos capture the extent of damage caused to the airliner in the 2014 attack

Nearly 1,500 pieces have been used to piece the wreckage back together

Behind the scenes footage of the reconstructed aircraft was aired on 60 Minutes on Sunday, showing the interior of the wreckage as it's never been seen before.

Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Ian McCartney said the reconstruction was 'truly a haunting sight  even for an experienced cop'.

'It's emotional to see it like this, probably brings home what these families went through, for the 298 victims that were on the plane,' he said.

The cockpit was hit first, pierced by shrapnel from the missile

Shrapnel pierced through the cockpit, killing the pilots instantly

In the 'largest investigation undertaken since the 2002 Bali bombings', wreckage of the doomed flight continues to be pieced together.

Nearly 1,500 parts have been used to piece the wreckage back together in a military base in the Netherlands.

Chilling footage capturing the raw insides of the airliner show just how much damage the 70kg missile did.

Eerie photos of the wreckage show just how damaged the airliner was when it was hit by the missile

Behind the scenes footage shows eerie reconstruction of the wreckage

Investigators continue to piece together the salvaged wreckage in an attempt to discover more information

The cockpit was ravaged by the missile, and attempts to reconstruct it (pictured) are barely recognisable

A reconstruction of the cockpit, including the pilot's chair and control panel are almost unrecognisable.

The cockpit was hit first, pierced by shrapnel from the missile, and the rest of the plane was torn apart before even hitting the ground.

Disturbing photos capture the fiery wreckage, mere rubble and ash after it landed in the Ukrain.

They show just how much damage the missile caused, and how much work needed to be done to salvage pieces and reconstruct the airliner.

Nearly 1,500 pieces have been used to piece the wreckage back together in the Netherlands

About 1,500 parts have been pieced together by investigators based in the Netherlands

With the help of the reconstructed airliner, investigators said it was painfully clear how the missile brought the plane down.

Investigators searched through the almost 1,500 relevant pieces of wreckage identifying that shrapnel pierced through the cockpit window.

Chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the construction of the plane lead them to uncover more information which ultimately brought them closer to finding the truth.

'All the material has led us to the launch site, and the fact that we know exactly where it was launched is very important for the rest of the investigation because knowing where it was you also have a good clue for where to find the perpetrators,' he said.

Destroyed: The warhead exploded to the left of the cockpit, causing it to break off as it was showered with fragments of metal and the Boeing 777 broke up in mid-air, the Dutch Safety Board found

MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made BUK missile fired from rebel-held eastern Ukraine, a report by investigators has concluded

Much of the wreckage was just rubble and ash after the airliner hit the ground

Disturbing photos capture the fiery wreckage, mere rubble and ash after it landed in the Ukrain

Photos of the wreckage show just how damaged the aircraft was, and how much work needed to be done to salvage pieces and reconstruct the airliner
Suicide bombers blew themselves up in the Turkish city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border on Sunday, causing an unknown number of casualties, after police raided their sleeper cell, state media reported.

The bombers detonated their explosives when they saw they were likely to be captured during an operation by Turkish security forces in the southeastern city, Anadolu news agency reported.

Media reports spoke of casualties without providing precise numbers.

A suicide bomber has blown himself up in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, where columns of armour have been assembling before rumbling south across the Syrian border

Turkish official confirmed the bombing took place but do not know who was responsible

Turkish official believe ISIS were behind the terrible attack which claimed three lives

Witnesses told the private NTV television they heard the sounds of gunfire and clashes in the area, mostly populated by university students.

Many ambulances were dispatched to the scene, Anadolu reported.

It was not immediately clear which group the sleeper cell raided by Turkish security forces belonged to.

Turkey is reeling from a string of attacks blamed on Islamic State jihadists and Kurdish militants.

Fifty-seven people, 34 of them children, were killed in August in a suicide attack carried out by a bomber linked to ISIS jihadists at a Kurdish wedding in Gaziantep.

The latest attack comes shortly after Turkey-backed opposition fighters captured the northern Syrian town of Dabiq from ISIS.

Three police officers were killed in the attack, reports from the area have claimed.

Local governor Ali Yerlikaya said three police officers were killed and another eight people wounded, four of them Syrians, Anadolu reported.

Acting on a tip-off, special police used armoured vehicles to block the road where the suspected ISIS jihadists were holed up in a house, Anadolu reported.

Witnesses told private NTV television they heard sound of gunfire and clashes in the area, which is mostly populated by university students.

Video footage released by the private Dogan news agency showed several suspects with their hands tied behind their backs as they were taken to a police car.
She's the first woman ever allowed to wear a Muslim headscarf beneath her military uniform at the nation's oldest private military college.

But don't call Sana Hamze a pioneer.

'I don't really see it as me changing the world or changing the U.S., even,' said Hamze, 18, a freshman at Vermont's Norwich University.

'I just kind of see it as the school allowing an American student to practice her faith while also training to be an officer in the Navy.'

Sana Hamze is the first woman ever allowed to wear a Muslim headscarf beneath her military uniform at the nation's oldest private military college, Norwich University

Hamze's lifelong dream is to continue her family's legacy of military and public service while staying true to her devout religious beliefs

Her focus is on learning details of life as a 'rook' at the school's Corps of Cadets and not running afoul of the many rules and customs new students are required to master.

As do all aspiring members of the corps, she's learned to walk at the side of the pathways, make square corners when turning, line up before eating and sleep when she is told.

Like her freshman classmates, she yearns for the time when her class is 'recognized' and they become official members of the Corps of Cadets and the rook restrictions end.

But the uniform for the 18-year-old student from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a little different. Unlike other female members of the corps, Hamze wears her Muslim hijab, or head covering, beneath.

As part of her effort to fulfill her lifelong dream of continuing her family's legacy of military and public service while staying true to her devout religious beliefs, she asked for a uniform accommodation to wear the hijab when she was applying to colleges earlier this year.

Norwich, one of the nation's six senior military colleges, agreed to make the accommodation.

Hamze asked for a uniform accommodation to wear the hijab when she was applying to colleges earlier this year, which The Citadel denied

Norwich University (pictured), one of the nation's six senior military colleges, agreed to make the accommodation

Hamze's great-grandmother was in the Air Force and two of her grandparents met while serving in the Navy in Puerto Rico. Her father is a police officer in Florida.

Hamze said that she has been subject to hostile stares and comments while wearing her hijab in public, but never at Norwich, where she is not the first Muslim to attend the school, or in Vermont.

The hostility to her faith hasn't made her bitter or curbed her dream of serving her country.

Hamze's great-grandmother was in the Air Force and two of her grandparents met while serving in the Navy in Puerto Rico. Her father is a police officer in Florida

'It doesn't scare me because I know what I'm doing is not to harm anyone,' she said.

'I know what I'm doing is to actually protect the country. I'm joining the task force that protects this country.'

Hamze's college plans made headlines this spring when The Citadel  the Charleston, South Carolina, military college she had hoped to attend  refused to change its uniform policy to accommodate her hijab.

Norwich was quick to agree to make the accommodation, which will also apply to Jewish men who wish to wear a yarmulke along with their uniforms.

Norwich, located in the town of Northfield, about 10 miles south of the Vermont capital of Montpelier, is the nation's oldest private military college. Last spring, it hosted a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Reserve Officers Training Program.

Of its total on-campus student body of about 2,250, about two-thirds of students are in the Corps of Cadets, its military program, while the rest are civilians who don't participate in military training.

Ali Shahidy, a Muslim senior civilian student at Norwich from Afghanistan, said he had met Hamze and attended a religious service with her at a nearby mosque, but did not know her well. Nevertheless, he thinks she's a leader even if she doesn't see herself that way.
Comes as creepy photo of Leathem wearing scary clown outfit is revealed

But she has now returned to Poland with her and Leathem's baby daughter

His wife Kasia Karbowiak, 30, stood by him and promised to clear his name

The wife of child killer John Leathem - who stood by him in the run up to his trial - has moved back to her native Poland.

Kasia Karbowiak, 30, stood by her husband, frequently visiting him in jail and insisting he would be cleared of murdering schoolgirl Paige Doherty, 15.

The news comes as a new photo of the pair showed Leathem dressed up in a creepy clown costume as they celebrated the Mexican Day of the Dead.

Kasia has returned to her home village in Poland with her and Leathem's baby daughter Erika after her home was pelted with eggs and vandalised with graffiti.

A new photo of John Leathem and Kasia Karbowiak revealed Leathem dressed up in a creepy clown costume to celebrate the Mexican Day of the Dead

John Leathem (pictured left) was jailed for life for murdering schoolgirl Paige Doherty (pictured right) in March

When she was approached by a reporter on Friday she refused to say whether or not she still stands by him.

Leathem, 32, was jailed for 27 years on Wednesday after being found guilty of knifing Paige more than 60 times at his deli in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire.

The murder took place on 19 March and after knifing her, Leathem dumped her body in bushes two days later.

In the tiny village of Osno Lubuskie - near Poland's border with Germany - locals have rallied around former student Kasia Karbowiak.

Many feel sorry for her, saying she's a victim too, who only moved to Scotland to better herself, but was forced to flee, her life ruined, after she married a man who ended up being a killer.

One villager said: 'She is finding it hard to move on...she is deeply distressed. Her life has been ruined by this, but all she's guilty of is marrying the wrong man.'

CCTV footage captured Paige's final moments as she walked towards Leathem's sandwich shop in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire

Yesterday outside the courtroom Paige's mother Pamela Munro (pictured) said the murder had left a 'huge piece missing' in her life

Kasia - who's living with her grandparents Stanislaw and Malgorzata - cut a lonely figure when she was spotted in the village on Friday.

Her current austere surroundings are a far cry from the bustling city Kasia adopted as home after moving to Scotland in 2007 to study photography at Glasgow Metropolitan College.

A neighbour said her life had been destroyed.

Johnny Leathem pictured together with his wife Kasia Karbowiak

He said: 'She is devastated at what has happened. The man she fell in love with and who gave her a child turned out to be a monster.

'It is a difficult thing, it's very difficult to come to terms with something like that.'

The mood in the sleepy rural community of just under 4,000 people is sombre.

Most people know Kasia and her stepmum Dorota, who works in a local corner shop.

And her father Krzysztof is well-known as a keen amateur fisherman.

A family friend, who asked not to be named, told The Sunday Post: 'Most people here now know what has happened.

'But it's not something we really talk about, out of respect for Kasia.

'She is deeply troubled and finding it very difficult to move on.'

Last month it emerged that Kasia had confidently predicted that Leathem would be cleared of all charges.

Lakhbir Singh, the landlord of Leathem's Delicious Deli in Clydebank, where Paige was killed, said: 'She kept saying it was all hearsay and that he was going to be let off.

Leathem, 32, was jailed for 27 years on Wednesday after being found guilty of knifing Paige more than 60 times at his deli in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire

Hundreds of people turned out for the schoolgirl's funeral after her killing shocked the Scottish town (pictured)

'When I spoke to her, she thought she was in the shop that morning. She also thought that other staff were there so she was sure he couldn't have done it.'

Last month that Kasia was abused while visiting Leathem at Low Moss Prison in Glasgow.

Security officers repeatedly had to step in to protect her after she was abused by the relatives of other inmates while visiting him.
The latest search to find missing toddler Ben Needham on the Greek island of Kos has been called off.

The 21-month-old baby from Sheffield disappeared from the Greek island on July 24, 1991.

South Yorkshire Police and Greek volunteers have spent three weeks searching the grounds around an old farmhouse to no avail.

Ben Needham, left,went missing from the Greek island of Kos on July 24, 1991 while on holiday. His mother Kerry, right, praised the police and search team for their work this month

South Yorkshire police and volunteers have spent three weeks searching for Ben's body

The search team has found items of evidence which may help in the search for Ben's remains

Ben's mother Kerry praised the search team who spent the past three weeks searching for her missing son.

South Yorkshire Police confirmed the dig for clues was at an end.

It was prompted by information that digger driver Konstantinos Barkas, also known as Dino, may be responsible for the toddler's death, as he was clearing land with an excavator near where Ben was playing on the day he vanished.

Mr Barkas is believed to have died from stomach cancer last year.

In a statement, South Yorkshire Police said: 'The physical search of two sites on Kos, Greece has formally come to an end.

'Work continues behind the scenes as officers begin to process the findings from each site.'

The force said a full update will be released from the team on the island at midday UK time on Monday.

Despite not finding Ben's body, his family's supporters stressed the search was not a 'wild goose chase' and did produce evidence which could help solve the 25-year-old mystery

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins is expect to brief the media in the morning on developments.

According to the official Find Ben Needham Facebook page: ' South Yorkshire Police, Operation Ben team, the Hellenic Search and Rescue team, huge thank you to each and everyone of you.

'Also to the media that has followed the case of missing Ben Needham for the last 25 years and special thank you to the ITV Calendar News team who have been consistently by the Needham family's side since the beginning in 1991. xXx

'Please everyone remember the items found will now be analysed, so although there may seem to be no answers as yet hopefully we should have news on what exactly was found soon.

'This search wasn't done on a whim after just ONE witness statement. The Operation Ben team were already following this line of enquiry after going through 25 years of information and witness statements.

Supporters of the Needham family have praised the search time for their hard work this month

'The new witness statement just corroborated the info SYP already had and was a targeted search - not a wild goose chase.

'The Police and the Hellenic Search and Rescue team have our utmost respect and can't really thank them enough.As Kerry has already said- they are heroes.

'The Hellenic Search and Rescue team are all volunteers , please donate if you can via the link.

Earlier this week his mother Kerry told how desperate she was for 'closure'.
His wife Mae kept his condition a secret, knowing the mob would kill him

And doctors said he had the mental age of a 12-year-old

He spent final years 'talking to' dead men - some of whom he'd had killed

But despite evading rival gangsters, he was taken down by syphilis

In the 1920s Al Capone was one of the most feared men in the United States of America - a criminal kingpin who rose to the head of the Chicago mob aged just 26 and whose campaign of extortion and murder touched the world of politics.

But despite being shrewd and security-conscious, Capone was ultimately taken down by an unstoppable foe: A syphillis infection that left him with the mental age of a 12-year-old, doctors said.

His shocking story and pitiful end are the focus of a new book, 'Al Capone: His Life, Legacy and Legend' by Dierdre Bair, the NY Post reported.

Mobster: Al Capone was the feared boss of the Chicago mob. But despite being careful to guard against rival gangsters, he was felled by the sexually transmitted disease syphilis

Last days: The gangster lived out his last days at this mansion with his family. But the disease has ravaged his mind, and he would 'talk' to dead men, including some that he'd had killed

Capone - nicknamed 'Scarface' after an attack as a teenager that left him with a marked left cheek - had made his fortune as the vicious leader of the Chicago Outfit.

The Outfit, which had tendrils across the US, ran bootlegging and smuggling operations, and Capone would bomb the stores of those who resisted their protection rackets.

That power turned Capone into a major target, but the wily crook was careful to surround himself with security and shield himself from arrest.

He was also famous for his parties and life of excess, which earned him headlines across the world and fascinating a population hungry for scandal.

But in 1932, Capone, then 33, was imprisoned on tax evasion charges, and prison doctors immediately diagnosed him with the sexually transmitted diseases syphilis and gonorrhoea.

By the time he was paroled in 1939, Capone was in the midst of late-stage syphilis, and as his mind began to unravel he would be seen talking to himself.

At least, that's how it appeared from the outside, but inside Capone's head he was having in-depth conversations with men who were long-dead - some of whom he'd had killed.

Capone was given a 'pension' of just $600 a week by the Chicago Outfit - a huge step down from his former life of luxury, in which the mobster, rumored to make $40million a year would wear expensive jewelry and drink fine liquor.

Family: Capone's family (pictured, with the mob boss center-bottom, in 1929) helped him through his final days, and he would hunt for butterflies with his granddaughter

Protection: Capone's wife Mae (left, hiding from photographers), protected Capone (right) in his final years. Had the mob learned he was senile, they would have had him killed

Instead, he would walk around his mansion in his pajamas, trying to collect butterflies with his granddaughter.

'It was, in many ways, an ideal, middle-class Italian-American household where family came first,' Bair told the NY Post.

That mansion was sold for $7.4million in 2014 and is now being rented out for movies and private functions.

Capone was fiercely protected by his wife Mae, who knew that if the reporters who camped out on their lawn found out he was talking about old business, the Outfit would have him killed.

And if his syphilis caused him to lash out, he would be determined to be breaking his parole and be hauled back into the slammer.

But Mae kept her husband safe with the emotional fortitude of any number of Capone's former heavies, and he lived out his final days in the mansion, dying in 1947, aged just 48, after a stroke, heart attack and pneumonia.

It was a muted end for the vicious mobster who fascinated America - and proof that all the henchmen in the world can't protect you from yourself.
Authorities in northeastern Ohio are looking to find a suspected serial child abductor.

Along with the FBI, police are looking for a suspect who is wanted in connection with the kidnapping of a 6-year-old Cleveland girl in May and the attempted abduction of a 10-year-old girl in February.

'He's a bad, bad guy,' FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson told Cleveland.com.

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The FBI released an updated photo of the man suspected of abducting a six-year-old girl from her Cleveland home, as well as the car he drove

Investigators say suspect is dangerous because he enters the homes of his victims early in the morning, while their parents are still asleep.

In February, the suspect apparently unlocked a number of doors and windows before trying to pull the girl outside by her legs.

Luckily, the youngster was able to fight the man off and ran into her father's bedroom.

The suspect was also seen on CCTV casing out the girl's home on several occasions in the days before he abducted her, in the early hours of May 21.

17 hours after the abduction began, the man dropped the girl off at an intersection.

Authorities also say the girl had been 'assaulted' by her captor before being released.

Surveillance video shows the man driving a dark Chevrolet Malibu with a driver's panel that is a different color from the rest of the car

'He did things to her that we're not going to go into,' Anderson told Cleveland.com. 'But she was harmed. We're happy she's alive, but they didn't play Barbies.'

The man is wanted in connection with a number of other abductions in the Cleveland area.

To underscore just how serious authorities are taking the threat, 200 local and federal investigators are working on the case.

The public have been helpful and provided more than 325 tips yet none have lead to anything concrete which authorities say is extremely rare.

Even posted images of the man and his car on various billboards around the area have failed to yield any leads.

Surveillance video shows the man driving a dark Chevrolet Malibu with a driver's panel that is a different color from the rest of the car.

The suspect is described as a white male with light brown hair and a 'neatly-trimmed' beard. He stands about 5-foot-10- and has at least one tattoo.
A beagle named Rex suffered from nosebleeds and bouts of sneezing for six months until a veterinarian found a five-inch long twig lodged up his nose.

Owner Mark Kovicak took his beloved pet to a park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this April, where Rex chased after a rabbit before returning with a nosebleed.

The problems persisted even after Rex was put on a number of different medications, until a CT scan found the shockingly long stick in his nose.

Owner Mark Kovicak took his beloved pet to a park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this April, where Rex chased after a rabbit before returning with a nosebleed

The problems persisted even after Rex was put on a number of different medications, until a CT scan (pictured) found the shockingly long stick in his nose

Rex was anesthetized before Dr Kristopher Sharpe used a pair of forceps to remove the twig

The two-year-old dog started showing symptoms immediately after he returned from chasing a rabbit at Hillcrest Dog Park, according to BluePearl Veterinary Partners.

One vet said there was nothing visible inside the dog's nose and Rex's nosebleeds and sneezing continued for six months even after he was put on a number of different medications.

Kovicak took him to see Dr. Kristopher Sharpe, who suggested Rex undergo a CT scan to help detect any foreign objects.

The results were telling and Rex was anesthetized before Sharpe used a pair of forceps to remove the twig.

When the procedure was completed, Rex soon returned to his old self.

'He came out, I think at 3.30 or something, and by 6 o'clock, he was frolicking around,' Kovicak told KEN5.

'His energy level was right back, kind of where I remembered it, prior to this all happening which was over six-months ago.'

The pet owner added: 'He is an absolute machine when he's playing. He will go in circles and circles, soil flying everywhere. All the dogs want to play with him.'

When the procedure was completed, Rex soon returned to his old self

'His energy level was right back, kind of where I remembered it, prior to this all happening which was over six-months ago,' Kovicak said
Rolling Stone will face court on Monday for the first time since publishing its now discredited article 'A Rape on Campus'.

The magazine is being sued by a University of Virginia counselor who claims she was made the villain of the infamous piece.

Published in November 2014, it relayed the debunked tale of a student who said she was brutally gang raped by seven men at Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house in September 2012.

The girl, who called herself 'Jackie', was counseled by Nicole Eramo after reporting the alleged incident.

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Rolling Stone will face court on Monday in Charlottesville, Virginia, over its publication of the now debunked article A Rape On Campus

Rolling Stone retracted the article in April 2015 after admitting there were widespread 'discrepancies' in Jackie's version of events.

Eramo claims she was the story's 'chief villain' and that its author, Sabrina Erdely, intentionally ignored truthful accounts which contradicted Jackie's.

She is suing the magazine and the journalist for $7.85million.

Jackie was forced to answer questions about the case in April, but her comments have been kept under wraps.

Now, Eramo's attorneys have said they intend to call Jackie as a witness at trial, although it's possible the jury will watch a video of her deposition instead of hearing from her in person. An attorney for Jackie declined to comment.

Nicole Eramo, a counselor at the college, claims she was painted as the story's 'chief villain'

The story described in alarming detail Jackie's account of being raped by seven men at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house in September 2012.

Eramo's attorneys claim the article portrayed her as indifferent to Jackie's plight and only interested in protecting the university's reputation.

After it was published, Eramo, who then served as associate dean of students, received hundreds of emails and letters calling her a 'wretched rape apologist' and 'disgusting, worthless piece of trash.' Eramo still works for the university, now in a different administrative role.

An investigation by Charlottesville police found no evidence to back up Jackie's claims and details in the lengthy narrative did not hold up under scrutiny by other media organizations.

Rolling Stone officially retracted the story in April 2015.

Since then, three lawsuits have been filed against the magazine. Among them is a $25million suit filed by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

Rolling Stone's lawyers counter that Erdely had no reason not to trust Jackie, but stress that the young woman's credibility isn't the issue in the case. In court documents, its attorneys described its reporting of Eramo as 'accurate and well substantiated'.

'Dean Eramo's lawyers are attempting to shift the focus of her lawsuit in the media to Rolling Stone's reporting errors surrounding Jackie,' Rolling Stone spokeswoman Kathryn Brenner said separately.

'Jackie' claimed she was raped by seven male students during a party at the Phi Kappa Psi's fraternity house in September 2012 (above)

The article, written by Sabrina Rubin Erdely (left), caused a firestorm when it was eventually retracted. Eramo (right) claims the reporter deliberately ignored information which would have discredited Jackie's version of events

'The depiction of Dean Eramo in the article was balanced and described the challenges of her role. We now look forward to the jury's decision in this case,' she said.

The jury is expected to view hundreds of pages of documents, including Erdely's reporting notes, emails between Erdely and her sources and audio recordings of Erdely's interviews with Jackie.

In giving the green light last month for the case to proceed to trial, Judge Conrad noted that the evidence suggests that several people told Erdely her portrayal of Eramo wasn't accurate and that Erdely had reasons to question Jackie's credibility.

Among other things, the judge pointed to Erdely's apparent disbelief when Jackie told her that two other women were gang raped at the same fraternity. Erdely told Jackie that was 'shocking,' according to her reporting notes.

Liz Securro, who was raped at the University of Virginia in the 1980s, claimed 'Jackie ' stole her story

'I don't know the stats on gang rape but I can't imagine it's all that common? So the idea that three women were gang raped at the same fraternity seems like too much of a coincidence,' Erdely wrote.

'It happens a lot more often than people might think,' Jackie replied.

Earlier this week a rape survivor who attended the university spoke out to claim Jackie sensationally 'stole' her story.

Liz Securro was raped at the same fraternity house in 1984 when she was 17. She published a memoir about her ordeal in 2011 and continues to advocate for sexual assault survivors.

Appearing on ABC's 20/20 special, What Happened To Jackie, on Friday, she said she did not believe any of Jackie's story.

'That's not to say I think she's a bad person, I just think she needs help,' she said.
Claire Mann, 48, made a bomb threat to a synagogue and tried to pin it on another mother

A Jewish mother made a bomb threat to a synagogue and tried to pin it on another parent after a row over a children's party invite escalated into a viscous harassment campaign.

Claire Mann, 48, bombarded Roz Page with abusive messages and tried to blame her for the hoax by sending similar texts to her own phone.

As part of the campaign she sent a text to the local synagogue claiming there was a bomb in a hotel where Israeli guests were staying, Wood Green Crown Court heard.

Miss Page claims the harassment began because Mrs Mann believed her eight-year-old daughter had been snubbed when she didn't receive a birthday party invitation.

Ross Cohen, prosecuting, said that in July 2013 Elisheva Mason, the wife of the Rabbi at Muswell Hill synagogue, received the threat from an unknown number.

Mr Cohen said: 'The message read, "Community Safety Team [CST]'", which is a group that looks after the Jewish community in London, "there's a bomb in the Kinloss area hotels, where there are many Israelis staying. Please arrange evacuation".

'She texted back, "who's this?", and received a reply which read, "don't question, act".

'Mrs Mason was understandably concerned, so she called the CST, and they immediately notified the police, who responded in quick time.'

The police, Mr Cohen said, 'treated it as a real threat,' adding: 'The investigating officer noted the guests' fear, despite the police having been satisfied after having searched the grounds that the call was, in fact, a hoax.'

Mr Cohen said: 'The number that had been used had also featured in an ongoing string of harassment allegations involving the defendant and Roz Page.

Ross Cohen, prosecuting, said that in July 2013 Elisheva Mason, the wife of the Rabbi at Muswell Hill synagogue (pictured), received the threat from an unknown number

'Those allegations and counter allegations started over an argument concerning their children.

'Both women allege that they received abusive text messages from each other.'

Ms Page was interviewed by police about sending the messages but Mr Cohen said, 'In reality, knowing what we now know, those messages were sent by Ms Mann to Ms Page, and by Ms Mann to herself'.

Despite that, Ms Page still received a harassment warning from the police.

The phone used in both the hoax bomb-scare, and the harassment of Roz Page, was an unregistered Tesco phone.

Mr Cohen said: 'The texts had been sent via a cell mast extremely close to the home address of Claire Mann.

'That information led to Claire Mann being considered a suspect in the harassment of Roz Page.'

Mann, 43, was also found guilty of intending to pervert the course of justice on another charge because she claimed she was a qualified psychologists while running a firm with partner David Bright (pictured), 48, offering McKenzies Friends - paid but unqualified legal advisors

The day after the bomb hoax, police raided Mrs Mann's Hendon home where she was living with her then-husband, Barry Mann.

Mr Cohen said: 'Mann told police she had also received messages from that same number and showed officers four messages which had come from the same number.'

One, Mr Cohen said, read: 'You need to be taught a lesson. Don't come near any of us in the playground.'

Mann admitted two counts of intending to pervert the course of justice and will be sentenced on Monday

During the search of her home, Mann initially denied owning that phone.

Mr Cohen said: 'She became terrified and repeated 'I did it, I did it, I did it. I have had enough. It's a prank that has gone wrong'.'

She then claimed she had thrown the phone away but it was found in a box hidden in her wardrobe.

Mann was convicted of two counts of intending to pervert the course of justice.

The first relates to the bomb hoax and harassment between July 1 and July 21 2013, while the second relates to a separate claim at the Family Court that she was a qualified psychologist.

Mann ran a firm with her new partner, David Bright, called The Parents Voice, which acted as 'McKenzies Friends' - paid but unqualified legal advisors - in family court matters.

Bright denied the offence, but was found guilty after trial at Harrow Crown Court.

Both Mann and Bright, from Edgware, north London, will be sentenced on Monday.

Outside court Ms Page, 47, from Barkingside, said: 'All of this began when she thought I hadn't invited her daughter to a birthday party.
Vladimir Putin has denied claims that Russia is behind a string of hacks on the US, calling them 'campaign rhetoric' by the White House.

The Russian President made the remarks during a news conference at the India-Russia Annual Summit in Benaulim, in the western state of Goa, India, Sunday.

His denial comes after the US last week officially blamed Russia for a recent series of high-profile cyber-attacks - including the hacks that led to leaks of emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign for President.

'Rhetoric': Vladimir Putin said Sunday that US intelligence claims that Russia had hacked DNC, Clinton Foundation and Clinton's campaign to sway US election were White House 'rhetoric'

Accusations: Clinton says Moscow wants Trump as President; Trump denies says he 'knows nothing' about Russia. US intelligence says DNC/Clinton hacker Guccifer 2.0 is Russian

On October 7 the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security announced that they were 'confident' that 'Russia's senior-most officials' had directed a number of hacks to affect the upcoming presidential election.

The statement specifically identified Guccifer 2.0, who claimed credit for hacking email accounts used by the Democratic National Convention and the Clinton Foundation, as being a front for Russia.

It's a line that Hillary Clinton has taken herself, arguing that Putin would be better served with Trump as President than her.

'We have never, in the history of our country, been in a situation where an adversary, a foreign power, is working so hard to influence the outcome of the election,' she said during the second presidential debate on October 9.

Trump, meanwhile, has denied claims that he has close ties with Russia. 'I don't know Putin,' he said. 'I think it would be great to get along with Russia.'

He added: 'They think they are going to tarnish me with Russia. I know nothing about Russia.'

Guccifer 2.0 - named in reference to imprisoned Romanian hacker Guccifer, real name Marcel Lazar Lehel - has denied links with Russia. Moscow has done the same.

Threat: VP Joe Biden has threatened retaliatory cyber-strikes on Russia, which says Guccifer 2.0 is not its agent. Guccifer 2.0 likewise denies links with the Kremlin

Nevertheless, the US statement said Russia was behind the attempts to discredit the Clinton Foundation and campaign with targeted hacks and leaks to Wikileaks and DCLeaks.com.

It also warned that some US states 'have also recently seen scanning and probing of their election-related systems, which in most cases originated from servers operated by a Russian company.'

And Mail Online has previously reported how Russian 'troll factories' pay people to post disinformation on social media and in comments while posing as Western citizens.

While internet attacks may not seem like the biggest problem facing the West, Russia has hinted that the cyber-war could very easily spill into the real world.

On Friday Vice-President Joe Biden warned that the US would launch retaliatory cyber-strikes on Russia.

'We're sending a message,' he told NBC News. 'We have the capacity to do it. It will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact.'

Warning: Russia has warned that it will 'protect itself' against American cyber strikes, and has recently told its citizens to prepare for a possible war

Russia, which has been accused of posturing by recently telling its citizens to ready for war, responded by warning that it would protect itself from America's 'unpredictably and aggressiveness.'

'The threats directed against Moscow and our states leadership are unprecedented because they are voiced at the level of the US Vice President,' the Kremlin warned Saturday.

'To the backdrop of this aggressive, unpredictable line, we must take measures to protect (our) interests, to hedge risks.'

Also Friday, Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said the US-Russian relationship 'is pretty bad at this point, probably the worst... since 1973,' when the two countries found themselves supporting opposite sides in the six-day Arab-Israeli War.
Nine women have come forward with allegations of unwanted advances

His campaign is struggling after his own comments about sexual assault

But he appeared on SNL in January saying he knew 'how to take a joke'

Trump called it a 'hit job' and insulted Baldwin's portrayal, saying it 'stinks'

Trump was not amused by SNL's sketch of the second presidential debate

He tweeted: 'The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places'

Trump has intensified claims there is a media conspiracy against him

Donald Trump on Sunday made a series of furious claims that the presidential election is being fixed against him by Clinton supporters, the media and even polling place workers.

The Republican presidential candidate has been attacking the media ever since a series of women came out to accuse him of sexual assault last week.

But his latest mention of 'polling places' on Sunday takes his claims to new heights.

Trump tweeted: 'The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD.'

The outburst followed a series of tweets accusing the media of conspiring against him, including SNL and Alec Baldwin who performed a brutal skit about the second presidential debate.

He tweeted: 'Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me. Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!'

Trump has come under fire from Democrats and moderate Republicans for his theory that the election is 'rigged', with many people saying it could provoke violence on or after election day.

Trump's scorched-earth strategy in the last leg of the elections comes as his poll numbers suffer following a series of sexual assault allegations after the infamous p****gate tape emerged.

Trump's running mate Mike Pence tried to clarify that the business tycoon's statements about a 'rigged election' were directed specifically at the media, but Trump discredited his argument shortly after.

Pence also tried to smooth things over in TV interviews saying: 'We will absolutely accept the results of the election'.

But that sentiment was not echoed by Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani who floated the idea that Democrats could cheat on election day, even though he didn't think it would change the result.

'I'm sorry, dead people generally vote for Democrats rather than Republicans,' Giuliani said this morning to CNN's Jake Tapper on 'State of the Union.'

Opponents have criticized Trump on Twitter, calling his claims 'fantastical nonsense' and a 'full-bore assault on democracy'.

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Donald Trump on Sunday made a series of furious claims that the presidential election is 'rigged', hours before he accused Saturday Night Live of being part of a media conspiracy

Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon capped off another controversial week in politics with their hilarious portrayals of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on SNL

The pair engaged in a dramatic stare-off as they walked onto the mock debate stage

The Republican presidential candidate was not amused by the sketch and responded on Sunday morning calling Alec Baldwin's portrayal of him a 'hit job'

On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted: 'Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me. Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!'

Trump hosted SNL in January of this year and said he knew 'how to take a joke' two weeks before the primaries kicked off.

Baldwin, who has won rave reviews over the past two weeks for his performances, reprised his role as Trump and hovered menacingly behind McKinnon while randomly forgetting answers to the debate questions.

When asked whether each candidate's behavior set a good example for children, Baldwin answered: 'No. Next'.

Alex Moffat played debate moderator Anderson Cooper and pressed the question, to which Baldwin answered: 'I love kids. OK, I love them so much I marry them.

'I've been helping kids my whole life. In 1992, I helped a kid named Kevin McAllister find a hotel lobby. Remember the documentary, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.'

The cold open sketch included numerous zingers lambasting Trump's flailing campaign amidst the numerous sexual assault allegations launched against him (left, McKinnon, right, Baldwin)

The line of questioning then turned to the controversial tape that emerged of Trump just two days before the debate, in which he was heard bragging about being able to grope women without their consent.

'Listen, what I said is nothing compared to what Bill Clinton has done. Okay? He has abused women,' Baldwin said.

'And Martha, Anderson, hold on to your nips and your nuts, because four of these women are here tonight. Four of them.'

McKinnon's Clinton then butted in, taking a histrionic tone when she said: 'Wait, I'm sorry. Who's here?'

'Mistresses? Bill, how could you? Oh, how will I go on with this debate? I'll never be able to remember my facts and figures now. Oh, Donald, no! Get real, I'm made of steel. This is nothing. Hi girls.'

Trump then shot back: 'She is trying to silence these women, but they need to be respected and they need their voices heard.'

When asked about whether the women who have accused Trump also deserve to be heard, Baldwin quickly declared: 'They need to shut the hell up.'

The show also included a parody of Beyonce's Lemonade album, with cast members playing an array of the women surrounding Trump.

Melania, Ivanka, Tiffany, Kellyanne Conway and Omarosa Manigault were all portrayed in the 'Melanianade' skit which flipped the song's infamous 'Becky with the Good Hair' lyric to poke fun at his dependence on them to humanize him.

Trump has taken a scorched-earth strategy in the last leg of the elections, intensifying an unprecedented attempt to delegitimize the democratic process

Opponents have criticized Trump on Twitter, calling his claims 'fantastical nonsense' and a 'full-bore assault on democracy'

On Sunday morning, Trump made it loud and clear that he was not amused by the SNL and called for it to be scrapped.

He added: 'Election is being rigged by the media, in a coordinated effort with the Clinton campaign, by putting stories that never happened into news!'

The claims are seen as both an excuse for a potential loss and a rallying cry among his supporters as Trump struggles to fight back.

His campaign has been mired in controversy amidst his own comments about sexual assault, along with the allegations of nine women who have come forward since the second debate.

While Trump shut down his accusers by calling their accounts 'made up events that never happened', he made a surprising admission of the troubles facing his campaign.

He tweeted: 'Polls close, but can you believe I lost large numbers of women voters based on made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED. Media rigging election!'

Christopher Ashby, an attorney and veteran campaign operative who is listed on the Republican National Lawyers Association, debunked claims of a rigged election through a firestorm of tweets.

He explained the system of checks in place, like ID requirements and election officials who are required by law to consist of both Republicans and Democrats, to prevent voter fraud.

Ashby also said the voting machines are tested and then sealed, adding: 'Voting machines are equipped with multiple interconnected counters that make it impossible to add or remove votes secretly.

After the election, the count and recount is conducted through a public process, with officials keeping detailed records, which are open to inspection, he wrote.

Acknowledging human error and a 'small fraction' of attempted cheating, the attorney wrote: 'To rig an election, you would need technological capabilities that might exist only in Mission Impossible movies.'

He added: 'So any candidate who implies that his/her followers need to take the law into their own hands on E Day is horribly manipulating them.'

'Watching doesnt mean loitering menacingly in and around a polling place. Thats not poll watching, thats voter intimidation,' he wrote.

He issued a call to action, writing: 'Republican leaders and lawyers should speak out against this fantastical nonsense.'

As part of his attacks on opponent Hillary Clinton (pictured), Trump highlighted scandals from the hacked emails Wikileaks published this week

Trump specifically highlighted revelations that Qatar gave the Clinton Foundation $1million for Bill Clinton's birthday in 2012, before Hillary wrote the country was helping to fund Isis

With just 22 days left until the election, Trump has been stoking the fear and anger of his supporters, urging them to monitor the polls in their own neighborhoods.

On two occasions in the last week, Trump cited the dangers of illegal immigrants trying to vote or 'other communities' 'stealing' the election.

At a roundtable with the National Border Patrol Council last week, Donald Trump said: 'They're letting people pour into the country so they can go and vote.'

On Monday, he addressed a largely white crowd outside Pittsburgh, citing the dangers of 'other communities' who might 'steal' the election.

'So important that you watch other communities, because we don't want this election stolen from us,' he said. 'We do not want this election stolen.'

Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. issued a worrying call to arms on Saturday, echoing Trump's claims of a 'corrupt' establishment while commanding his 300,000 Twitter followers that it was 'pitchforks and torches time'.

Only 38 per cent of registered Trump supporters said they were 'very confident' their vote will be accurately counted, compared to 67 per cent of voters backing Clinton, according to a Pew Research Center study in August.

With skepticism high across the board, Trump supporters are heeding his calls, with some saying they would be on the lookout for illegal immigrants trying to cast their ballots on November 8, the Boston Globe reported.

But Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Marsha Catron quashed Trump's claims, saying that US borders aren't open to illegal migration before explaining that naturalization is a years-long process, Politico reported.

Regardless, Dan Bowman, a 50-year-old contractor, told the Boston Globe that if Hillary Clinton won, 'I hope we can start a coup....There's going to be a lot of bloodshed. But that's what it's going to take...I would do whatever I can for my country.'

During a campaign event Tuesday with Trump running mate Mike Pence, one voter said she was deeply concerned about voter fraud and vowed to be 'ready for a revolution' if Clinton wins.

'Don't say that,' Pence said, waving away the woman's rallying cry.

Clinton appears increasingly aware that if she wins, she'd arrive at the White House facing more than the usual political divides.
A 15-year-old boy from Ohio lost his life on Friday night after being shot dead while he worked at a sandwich shop.

Sunny Ravi Patel was behind the counter at the Cleveland Heights branch of Mr. Hero when he was shot in the head. The boy was taken to University Hospitals where he later died.

Police say that the suspect entered the store and fired a single shot before taking money from the cash register.

Cleveland Heights police say an armed suspect entered a Mr. Hero store Friday night and shot Sunny Ravi Patel once in the head

The suspect demanded money from the cash register before fleeing

The shooting took place at a Cleveland Heights, Ohio branch of Mr. Hero

Police say three customers and the store's owner weren't injured

The suspect then ran straight out of the store. Police say three customers and the store's owner who were also present at the time were not injured

Patel was an employee at Mr. Hero. The sandwich shop was closed Saturday.

The Mayfield City School District posted about the teenager on its Facebook page.

'We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of our student Sunny Ravi Patel, a sophomore at Mayfield High School. This senseless tragedy devastates our Mayfield Family. Counselors will be on site on Monday and throughout the days and weeks to come to offer guidance, comfort and support to our students, staff and community. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Patel family.'

Police are asking for help identifying the suspect.

Surveillance photos show a suspect wearing a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses and a rag across his face enter the store with a gun at his side

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest

Surveillance photos show a suspect wearing a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses and a rag across his face enter the store with a gun at his side.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest and indictment.

He is believed to be 5'10' to 6'0' tall, with a thin build, wearing a white rag over his face, sunglasses, a black Nike hooded sweatshirt with pull strings, and gray Adidas sweatpants with black and white stripes down the sides.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5000.00 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the suspect.
An appeal has been launched to find attendees for the funeral of WWII soldier Richard 'Dick' Norris (pictured while he was stationed in Tel Aviv)

An appeal has been launched to find attendees to turn up for the funeral of a decorated WWII soldier who tragically died with no surviving relatives.

Richard 'Dick' Norris, a soldier who fought in the famous Battle of El Alamein, died at the age of 97 at his home in Driffield, East Yorkshire, two weeks ago.

Dozens of people have been inspired by the social media appeal and are now planning to attend tomorrow.

His funeral will be held at All Saints Parish Church in Driffield at 1pm on Monday, October 17.

Mr Norris worked as a newspaper type operator before and after the war - serving with the 45th Royal Tank Regiment in Egypt.

He was a classic car enthusiast, owning a number of Bentleys over this lifetime despite his humble beginnings.

Dave Thorley, 69, who knew him for 53 years, said the war hero was determined to keep his driving licence despite being so close to being a centurion.

He said: 'He was determined not to give up his driving licence and when his licence expired on his 97th birthday the crafty old devil got it renewed.'

John Forrester, secretary of the Royal British Legion Driffield branch, said: 'It would be great if people could come and show their support.'

Mr Norris, born in Leeds, joined his local Territorial Army group in 1939. He fought Rommel's Afrika Korps at the Battle of El Alamein in 1942.

He was then stationed with the 8th Army in Egypt before moving to Palestine as an instructor in the base workshops with the rank of Staff Sergeant.

After the war, he returned to his Yorkshire roots and went back to his role as a type operator with the Yorkshire Post newspaper.

Mr Norris, a soldier who fought in the famous Battle of El Alamein, died at the age of 97 at his home in Driffield, East Yorkshire, two weeks ago. Pictured with wife Sybil who died in 2010

Military association standards, veterans and members of the general public are asked to attend Dick's funeral.

The Royal British Legion is especially keen to hear from a Royal Tank Regiment standard-bearer who is able to attend.

Mr Forrester, who served for 22 years in the RAF, added: 'Ideally, we want to be in a position to offer a guard of honour outside the church.'

The funeral will be followed by internment at Driffield Cemetery - where he will laid to rest beside his wife Sybil who died in 2010.

The funeral will be conducted by former Parachute Regiment padre Rev John McNaughton.

Dozens of people have been inspired by the social media appeal and are now planning to attend tomorrow

Mr Thorley added: 'He was an interesting chap to talk to. When he got back into England him and three mates, who were dubbed the four musketeers, travelled around the country in an Austin 7.

'Because petrol was scarce in those days him and his mates hid some in a disused bunker at their base.

'Then one day someone decided they wanted to test out a new gun and thought the bunker made good target practice.

'Dick said they hit it square on and almost took half the camp out. Suffice to say they were without petrol for a few weeks but managed to find some eventually.'

Mr Thorley said he first met Dick in the early 60s.

There was a massive response on social media. Billy Good wrote on Facebook: 'Please guys and gals, let's share this around and try and get this old soldier a decent send off'

He said: 'He was a lovely man and he is going to have a lovely send off. His friends have been his family during his life and they have been fantastic.

'It did hit him when his wife died six years ago but he used to speak to his friends virtually every day, and would often speak to them several times a day.

'We hoped he would make it to 100 but sadly he got pneumonia and that got him.'

There was a massive response on social media.

Billy Good wrote on Facebook: 'Please guys and gals, let's share this around and try and get this old soldier a decent send off'.

Wendy Pattison said: 'If anyone would like to join me I am going to this'.

Mark Thompson said: 'My granddad was 45 RTR, I will be there with my Leeds Rifles Tie'.

Charlotte Boynton said: 'It's a sad day when there's no-one there on a man's final journey'.

British soldiers in action at El Alamein, in Egypt, in 1942. The famous British victory was a major turning point in World War II

A German Panzer III crewman lifts his hands in surrender to an advancing British soldier during the battle of El Alamein
Sydney chemists, beauty salons and supermarkets have noticed a spike in crime for a specific type of honey - and the sticky bandits are swarming on the unsuspecting stores.

The bizarre new crime wave has seen thieves working like busy bees aiming to swipe the expensive manuka honey, selling for $80 per jar, and subsequently dispensing it on the black market.

Manuka honey is said to have powerful anti-bacterial qualities and some anecdotal reports from stores across Sydney revealed small businesses are losing thousands of dollars worth of stock, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Gangs are using technique of blocking staff's view with an umbrella while an accomplice steals the expensive honey

The thief (pictured) was caught after footage from a Burwood store showed him grinning while helping steal honey

David Gates, Acting Crime Manager for Sydney City Police Detective Inspector, said there was no doubt stores were being stung for manuka honey by individual gangs.

'We have seen a spike in the past year of honey theft,' he said.

'There have been thefts in Chippendale, Campsie, Burwood and here in the city that we know of, and in all cases the common denominator is that the honey is manuka.'

In fact, recently 30 manuka jars of honey were swiped from a beauty salon in Haymarket, and another city store was robbed of 20 tubs - worth $75 each.

Byron Carey, 33, (Left) was arrested for the theft of hundreds of jars of honey at a number of stores, while police look for man (Right) alleged to have stolen honey

One gang is using a specific 'sting' technique where one bandit holds up an umbrella to obstruct the staffs view, while a lurking bandit collects and dispenses with the manuka honey.

One such character to use the technique was 33-year-old Byron Carey who was arrested for the theft of hundreds of jars of honey at a number of stores after CCTV footage caught him brazenly steeling honey with a grin on his face.

He was found guilty of stealing but is on the run after he disappeared when he was supposed to be sentenced at Downing Centre Court in September.

Manuka honey is made by bees that feed on the manuka bush or jellybush tree in New Zealand and Australia respectively (Stock Image)

The word-of-mouth reports of manuka honey taken by sticky bandits leads Inspector Gates to believe criminals are taking advantage of a demand on the black market for the produce.

'It's more likely they are individuals being opportunistic who have seen there is a market for something that is popular and expensive,' he said.

'We saw a similar thing with vitamins a while back being stolen regularly, and even rump steak.

'In some of these cases the retailer has lost thousands of dollars worth of stock, which can really hurt a small business.'

Manuka honey is made by bees that feed on the manuka bush or jellybush tree in New Zealand and Australia respectively.

It is reported that New Zealand's indigenous cultures used the honey for its anti-bacterial qualities and it can even be used as a wound dressing.
New laws aim to strip the well-known jihadist of his Australian

The government is preparing to prosecute an Islamic State terrorist with dual-nationality to strip them of their Australian citizenship in the first case tried under new security laws, officials claim.

It is understood the government will enforce a case against a well-known unnamed terrorist under amendments to the Citizenship Act, which was passed in December 2015, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The Citizenship Loss Board was created soon after to identify jihadis with Australian citizenship and that of at least one other country. It is understood there are more than 50 people who fit the profile.

The Australian government is preparing to prosecute a well-known Islamic State terrorist with dual-nationality to strip them of their Australian citizenship in the first case tried under new laws (stock image)

Mohamed Ali Elomar is believed to be one of the first convicted terrorists who would be deported by the government

The government is reportedly keen to pursue a test case of the controversial law.

Australian Federal Police and ASIO are believed to have recently raised concerns about the burden of proof needed under the new laws.

Officials must show the suspected terrorist is also a citizen of a new country, not that they are simply entitled to dual-citizenship  which could be difficult to prove, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A new parliamentary report published in September backed the government's controversial plan to strip citizenship from convicted terrorists of dual nationality.

Abdul Nacer Benbrika, Mohamed Ali Elomar and Mostafa Mahamed Farag are believed to be part of an initial group of six people the government plans to boot from the country once the law is passed, the newspaper claims.

Benbrika, also known as Abu Bakr, was arrested in 2005 along with 16 other men who were charged with being part of a terrorist group and of planning an attack in Australia. It is believed he was the leader of the group.

Elomar was part of a group found guilty in 2009 of planning an attack in Sydney, after he was arrested in 2005. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 2010, and is also the uncle of killed ISIS fighter Mohamed Elomar.

Farag, also known as Abu Sulayman, is believed to be one of the most senior Australian terrorists fighting in the Middle East. Before leaving the country, he preached at a centre in the western Sydney suburb of Bankstown.

The children of notorious Sydney terrorist Khaled Sharrouf (right) were also taken into Syria

Abdul Nacer Benbrika, who was arrested in 2005, is another who could face deportation

Mohammad Ali Baryalei, from western Sydney, is regarded as Australia's highest-ranking IS member and is believed to have recruited up to 30 Australians fighting in the Middle East

The Australian government has been increasingly concerned about the flow of fighters to Iraq and Syria to join extremist groups such as Islamic State, with some 110 Australians reportedly fighting in the region as of last year. As many as 45 have died in the conflict.

The Attorney-General George Brandis said at the time the law passed that they will not render individuals stateless, but will apply in 'very limited circumstances'.

They cover people who engage in terrorist acts, including training, recruitment and finance, and are convicted of a terrorist offence and sentenced to at least six years in jail.

Those who fight for a declared terrorist group also automatically lose their citizenship.
A jumpmaster in central Florida has died while doing military-style parachuting with a group of people.

Authorities say the man's reserve chute accidentally opened as he knelt near the cargo door, pulling him out.

The man was pronounced dead by paramedics after falling 1,200 feet to the ground Friday, according to a statement from the Marion County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Florida officials say a jumpmaster's reserve chute accidentally opened as he knelt near the cargo door (pictured), pulling him out. He fell 1,200ft and was pronounced dead at the scene

Witnesses told investigators that the man's body hit the side of the plane, and it was unclear if his military-style parachute fully deployed.

He wasn't immediately identified, pending notification of family.

The sheriff's office says the man was a jumpmaster, someone who helps train others in military jumping techniques.

Witnesses told investigators that the man's body hit the side of the plane, and it was unclear if his military-style parachute fully deployed while flying over Marion County Airport (pictured)

This is the second death at the Marion County Airport this year.

Tomas Banevicius, a 40-year-old electrician from New York, died in a hang gliding accidente in February, Ocala.com reported.
The Countryside Alliance has made a formal complaint to the Corporation for featuring Jay Tiernan (shown) in two separate programmes in the space of a week

The BBC has been criticised for giving a convicted cull activist a 'platform' to encourage other to engage in illegal activity, an environmental group has claimed.

The Countryside Alliance has made a formal complaint to the Corporation for featuring Jay Tiernan in two separate programmes in the space of a week.

Mr Tiernan appeared in the documentary Inside Out South West on BBC One on October 3, before popping up on Radio 4 show Farming Today 48 hours later.

It comes after he was handed a six-month suspended sentence for breaching an injunction protecting those involved in badger culls he was protesting against.

At the time, he apologised for harassing farmers during the 2013 pilot culls in West Somerset and West Gloucestershire.

The Countryside Alliance complained to the BBC after Mr Tiernan was shown using night-vision to search for marksmen shooting badgers, before using torches to alert the shooter to his presence.

Tim Bonner, the Countryside Alliance's chief executive, told The Sunday Telegraph: The BBC travelling around with Jay Tiernan talking about his illegal activity is the equivalent of them driving around with a burglar talking about the houses he plans to burgle.

'It is essentially an advertising slot for animal rights activists and the fact that he is able to boast about his illegal activities is very worrying.'

The Corporation responded by claiming it was 'balanced' and 'impartial' reporting.
Heavy showers will linger around the north on Monday but the south is to remain

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Autumn fog and frost could appear across Britain this week as October weather expected to set in with a drop in temperatures.

Sundays heavy and blustery showers will continue over into Monday, with some areas hearing thunder.

From Tuesday there will be a cold front pushing across the country with cooler and fresher conditions embedding in and with it frost and fog in some areas.

Temperatures will remain around 18C (64F) on Monday, but as the week continues the temperatures will cool to around 14C (57F) which the Met Office say is average for the time of the year. The evenings however will drop with some areas dipping below freezing.

Stunning autumnal view: Glowing in the Sunday morning sunlight, a blaze of autumnal hues sweep across the slopes of Highland mountains where the impressive 100ft span of Glenfinnan Viaduct arcs across the Finnan Valley at the head of Loch Shiel, as the London Midland and Scotland (LMS) Stanier Class 5, 44871 powers up steam

A rainbow is seen behind Big Ben as the mixture of showery and sunny spells is captured while pedestrians make their way about the capital

People make the most of the clear autumn weather on Sunday morning on The Downs in Bristol

Autumn has certainly arrived and although we will see some sun like that in Bristol today (pictured) on Monday the week will gradually turn colder

Temperatures will remain around 18C (64F) until a midweek shift to 14C (57F) Pictured: People taking pictures overlooking the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol

The night temperatures are to drop more significantly however, from double figures to a low of 6C and even into the minuses in some rural areas.

A wet and cold Autumn has definitely begun.

Helen Roberts from The Met Office said: Showers are to continue from the West overnight on Sunday and it will be heaviest over Western parts.

The three day weather forecast across the UK this week sees the rain disappear but in a trade for cooler temperatures bringing overnight frost and fog

Waves crash in to the rocks in Lulworth Cove on a sunny morning in Dorset

The north will see more rain than the south on Monday. Pictured: People enjoy a sunny Sunday morning in Lulworth Cove

It will be a chilly and blustery start tomorrow and more hit and miss with showers but temperatures will be similar.

On Tuesday there will be a cold front pushing across the country with cooler and fresher conditions.

It will feel fresher from midweek.

The Met Office predict it will 'feel fresher from midweek'. Pictured: Geology students explore the Jurassic rocks on a sunny morning in

If you are out walking this week you will want to wrap up warm as temperatures to drop

A woman takes a photo in Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, as autumn colours begin to appear

Another Met Office spokesman added that a northerly wind will arrive this week bringing the cooler temperatures.

On Sunday morning there were areas of South Cornwall that were issued flood warnings by the Environment Agency, but the sun appeared in the afternoon.

Tonight, the north and west will be windy overnight with heavy showers. The south and east will stay mainly dry and clear, with some mist patches forming in the early hours.

People enjoy a punt ride along the River Cam in the autumnal sunshine in Cambridge

Today some people even braved the sea in October in Lulworth Cove

On Monday, the rain showers will be more frequent, heavy and widespread in the northwest, whilst the southeast will stay mostly dry.
And he claims that Trump 'has already given up' on winning election

He also supports the women who say that Trump sexually assaulted them

Schwartz he says he's given all recent Art of the Deal royalties to charity

He says Trump can't be trusted with nukes, and is 'narcissistic,' 'paranoid'

Donald Trump is under attack from a man he once trusted: Tony Schwartz, the co-author - or, as Schwartz has it, ghostwriter - of 'The Art of the Deal.'

Trump himself hired Schwartz to co-write the memoir-cum-business guide, released in 1987. But as Trump's approach to the White House began to pick up steam this year, Schwartz became more and more vocal in his opposition to the Republican.

Now he maintains a rolling Twitter commentary on Trump's affairs in which he derides the candidate as 'narcissistic' and 'paranoid,' and warns that if given access to America's nukes, he could cause Armageddon.

Regrets: Tony Schwartz (right) says he regrets co-writing 'The Art of the Deal' with Donald Trump, and has devoted the past few months to trying to demolish his presidential campaign

'Fragile': Schwartz regularly tweets on Trump's campaign, and describes him as 'fragile' and a liability if given America's nukes. He told The New York Times Trump could cause Armageddon

'Evidence': Schwartz claimed that what he saw as Trump's brittle attitude in the presidential debates as 'evidence' that he would be pressured into firing nukes by Putin and other foes

'Lipstick': Schwartz likened attempts to make Trump affable in 'The Art of the Deal' to 'putting lipstick on a pig' and says he now gives royalties from the book to charity

On Saturday Schwartz tweeted: 'Trump is totally willing to blow up the world to protect his fragile sense of self. Please God don't give this man the nuclear codes.'

And on Monday, just after Sunday's presidential debate ended, he wrote: 'What Trump has done tonight is evidence of exactly who he is: feeling threatened, he will do anything. And he will have the nuclear codes.'

Those comments echo remarks he made to The New Yorker in July: 'I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.'

Schwartz spent a year following the businessman around to write 'The Art of the Deal' and describes himself as the book's ghostwriter, something Trump denies.

A post on Schwartz's Twitter feed reads: 'I wrote the Art of the Deal. Donald Trump read it.'

He paints a picture of Trump as a brittle mental munchkin, unable to take criticism and prone to lashing out when he feels threatened.

'Trump narcissism bleeds into paranoia in the face of likely defeat,' Schwartz tweeted Sunday. 'Gotta blame someone. He blames everyone except himself.'

Ghost: Schwartz followed Trump (pictured left in 1988, one year after the book was released) around for a year to write the book. He says the Republican is completely unfit for presidency

'Paranoid': Trump is 'narcissistic' and 'paranoid' - and incapable of taking any kind of criticism, says Schwartz

A lifelong liberal who accepted $500,000 and half the royalties to co-write 'The Art of the Deal' over the course of a year, Schwartz has since said the book was putting 'lipstick on a pig' and claimed personal responsibility for making Trump popular.

'I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is,' he told The New Yorker.

He also admitted to lying in the book, saying he wrote book's opening - 'I don't do it for the money ... I do it to do it ... That's how I get my kicks,' - and that it was a complete fabrication.

'Of course hes in it for the money,' he told The New Yorker. 'One of the most deep and basic needs he has is to prove that "I'm richer than you."'

'Nasty': Schwartz mocked Trump's 'nasty' behavior during presidential debates, saying that the more aggressive he is, the smaller Clinton has made him feel

His response to Trump's presidential campaign, he says, has been to donate the book's royalties to immigration charities - as well as to strongly criticize 'The Donald.'

That includes using his position as an 'insider' to identify supposed psychological clues to Trump's mindset on Twitter.

'Every time Hillary makes Trump feel small, he gets nasty, aggressive, repetitive,' Schwartz said during the last presidential debate.

'Snorts. Wanders more. Scowls more, he said. 'Watch him respond now.'

'Again: When Trump snorts, he is lying,' he added.

'Repetitive': Schwartz claims to be able to tell how Trump is feeling by his reactions, including 'scowling' and 'wandering' when under pressure

'Lying': 'When Trump snorts, he is lying,' Schwartz claimed

Schwartz also responded to Trump's recent implication that Clinton was on performance-enhancing drugs in the presidential debate.

During a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Saturday, Trump said: 'We should take a drug test, prior (to the debate).

''CauseI dont know whats going on with her, but at the beginning of her last debate, she was pumped up at the beginning, and at the end it was like, "Oh, take me down."

'She could barely reach her car. So I think we should take a drug test.'

In a Sunday tweet, Schwartz appeared to imply that Trump himself was on drugs.

'What's funny about Trump saying Clinton was on drugs at debate is that he was the one snorting, jacked up, pacing the stage,' he wrote. 'Projection?'

'Projection': Trump has claimed that Clinton was on performance-enhancing drugs. In this tweet, Schwartz appeared to imply that Trump was himself on an unknown substance

'Nauseating': Schwartz also supports the nine women who have come forward to say that Trump sexually abused or harassed them, and says Trump 'lies for a living'

And he has vociferously backed the nine women who have come forward in the past week accusing Trump of sexually assaulting and harassing them.

'Nuts to believe Trump didn't assault these women coming forward,' he tweeted Friday. 'They have 0 to gain and lots to lose. He lies for a living. Nauseating.'

In another Tweet from Sunday, Schwartz said: 'Imagine this: Trump alone in a room with your daughter. Trump as a role model for your son.'

Imagine: Schwartz believes that Trump is not a fit role model nor fit for President

But Schwartz, who is now founder and CEO of The Energy Project, which helps companies run sustainably, now believes the Trump campaign is all but over.

More importantly, he says Trump believes that too.

'I said earlier Trump would soon starting talking about rigged election. He did tonight in Wilkes Barre,' he tweeted on Tuesday.

'Means he has essentially given up.'
A small town in Germany was rocked by the horrifying discovery of two children found dead in their home.

Police raced to the scene in Wedel in the district of Pinneberg, some 11 miles west of Hamburg where they found the bodies of a two-year-old boy and his five-year-old sister.

They were found this morning and a short while later their father's body was found in Hamburg, with local reports claiming he 'jumped' from a high-rise building.

Police raced to the scene in Wedel in the district of Pinneberg, some 11 miles west of Hamburg where they found the bodies of a two-year-old boy and his five-year-old sister

The children were found this morning and a short while later their father's body was found in Hamburg, with local reports claiming he 'jumped' from a high-rise building

Local media say police are treating the incident as a murder and one local press officer said the scene of the crime was a 'very sad picture', adding 'everything pointed to a homicide'.

Neighbours told the newspaper the occupants of the home were a 'loving family' and the children's father took his children to nursery on his bicycle every day.

According to German newspaper RP Online, Hamburg police said the body of a man who had 'committed suicide' was found in the nearby district of Hamburg.

Local media say police are treating the incident as a murder and one local press officer said the scene of the crime was a 'very sad picture'

Germany's MOPO paper said a man, understood to be the children's father, jumped from a high-rise building and is suspected of having killed his two children.

There was a heavy police presence at the property throughout the afternoon and forensic officers remain at the scene.
Sherie-Lea James (pictured) beat cancer as a toddler but died of an ecstasy overdose at the age of 15 on September 1

A grieving mother has told of the heartbreaking final moments she spent with her daughter who beat cancer as a toddler then died from an ecstasy overdose.

Sherie-Lea James saw her mother Sam for a few minutes after getting back from a holiday in Cornwall, telling her 'I love you mum' before going to a party with a friend.

The next time Miss James saw Sherie-Lea, paramedics were trying to revive her after she took ecstasy tablets at a 29-year-old man's house and suffered a cardiac arrest.

She was pronounced dead at the hospital, where staff tried again in vain to bring her back to life, but it is thought her body was left vulnerable from having cancer as a toddler.

Miss James, 43, says her life will 'never be the same' and has now pleaded with other teens to stay away from drugs to help stop similar tragedies happening in the future.

Fighting back tears, she said: 'I have lost my daughter and I will never get over that. If one good thing can come out of this I hope that kids think twice about taking drugs.

'If it makes one person think before taking something then I suppose that's something I can take from it.'

Sherie-Lea had only been home from a holiday to Cornwall three days when she died in the early hours of September 1.

The day before she had been due to spend a girly night in with Miss James and talk about what she'd done but instead choose to go out with a new friend, also 15.

Miss James said: 'I dropped her off 20 and I said "you look amazing". She said "I'm loving life".

'I told her to slow down and she said "love you mum" and that was the last time I spoke to her.'

Sherie-Lea's mother, Sam James (pictured), has told of the heartbreaking final moments she spent with her daughter who beat cancer as a toddler then died from an ecstasy overdose

Sherie-Lea spent the evening at Lakeside shopping centre and then at her friend's house in Laindon, Essex.

At some point in the night they left and went to a 29-year-old man's one-bedroom flat in a deprived part of South Ockendon, Essex.

Miss James said her daughter (pictured together) said 'I love you mum', and that was the last time they spoke

Miss James has been told there were six of them there that night, and all the men were considerably older than her daughter.

She said: 'Apparently she didn't get there until 1.30am. She sent a Snapchat message at 1.45am where she pulled a face like "oh, where have I ended up".

'At the end of the day they are adults and she is a child. They shouldn't have underage girls in their flat drinking or doing whatever.

'She might have looked older but the moment she opened her mouth she had double train track braces and when she started talking it was obvious she was a child.'

At some point in the night Sherie-Lea and her friend took a drug, believed to be ecstasy, and overdosed.

While the other girl survived, Sherie-Lea's weaker immune system due to her liver transplant may have caused her death when a fitter person would have survived.

She was also on medication to stop her body rejecting the liver and whenever she was ill it was 'twice as bad and for twice as long' as everyone else, Miss James said.

Unaware of what was going on, Miss James went off to bed as normal until she was woken up at her house in Basildon, Essex at around 5.30am by police.

Miss James said that even though her daughter (pictured) looked older, the 29-year-old men should have known that she was 15 because of how she acted and her train-track braces

They rushed her to Basildon Hospital as paramedics fought to save her daughter's life after she went into cardiac arrest.

She said: 'We got to the hospital before Sherie-Lea because the ambulance had to pull over and revive her after she had a cardiac arrest inside.

Recalling her loss, Sam said Sherie-Lea (pictured together) was the daughter she had always wanted after she had three boys

'They came into the hospital and tried again with me watching and they kept trying and trying but nothing. They broke her ribs trying, it was an awful sound to hear.'

If she had taken the drugs willingly on the night, Miss James believes her daughter was 'uncomfortable' and her actions were out of character.

She said: 'The police have told me they reckon she took four or five ecstasy tablets. I'm not being funny but someone who had never done that before isn't going to do that.

'They aren't going to have any tolerance to it. I don't know what went on that night and I don't think I ever will.

'She was anti-drugs. She had started to drink but never much because she couldn't because of her liver.

'She hated drugs, all her real friends weren't interested in that sort of thing.'

But shortly after her birth, tragedy struck when doctors discovered she had potentially deadly liver cancer and Miss James slept beside her cot for months

Recalling her loss, Sam said Sherie-Lea was the daughter she had always wanted after she had three boys.

But shortly after her birth, tragedy struck when doctors discovered she had potentially deadly liver cancer.

At the time of her death, the pair were planning Sherie-Lea's (pictured) dream trip away to America following her GCSEs

She was in hospital for two years and the pair were 'joined at the hip' after Miss James spent every night sleeping next to her cot.

Following a year of chemotherapy, at just 20 months, she had the country's fastest liver transplant lasting just 45 minutes in July 2002.

The liver was donated by a Spanish child who died shortly after birth and was flown over by the RAF.

After she left hospital the pair were inseparable and used to spend hours gossiping.

At the time of her death they were planning Sherie-Lea's dream trip away to America following her GCSEs.

Describing her loss, Miss James said: 'I had three sons and I always wanted a girl and I got my girl and I almost lost her twice through cancer.

'We were so close. When she was a baby I used to sleep next to her and I'd get tangled in the tubes off her cot.

'My life will never been the same again without my beautiful girl. I just can't see why she ended up in that situation?

A post-mortem has been carried out on Sherie-Lea's body which proved inconclusive. A toxicology report is still being prepared which will reveal exactly which drugs she took

'That is the tragedy. I would rather it would have been a car crash because I wouldn't have to go through all of this.

'I haven't been coping with anything since it happened. I can't stop crying, I can't sleep without tablets.

If she had taken the drugs willingly, Miss James believes she was 'uncomfortable' and her actions were out of character

'I am dreading the funeral because it is for real. At the moment I don't quite believe it's real and she's going to walk in the door but that will bring it home.'

A post-mortem has been carried out on Sherie-Lea's body which proved inconclusive.

A toxicology report is still being prepared which will reveal exactly which drugs she took.

Single mother Miss James never had any support to bring up her family but worked tirelessly as a carer to provide for them.

She is now determined that she is going to raise the 9,000 she needs to pay for a 'celebrity' send off that Sherie-Lea wanted.

The other girl who overdosed has since made a full recovery.

A 19-year-old from South Ockendon and a 29-year-old from London have been arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs and released on bail.
Three people have been arrested after a man was shot six times in Manhattan during the early hours of Sunday morning.

The 44-year-old victim was attending a book launch party near West 22nd Street between sixth and seventh avenues when he was approached by three men, police said. One of the men shot him six times below the waist.

Undercover officers were on the scene in the Flatiron district moments after shots were fired around 1 a.m.

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Three suspects are under arrest after a man was shot six times in Manhattan early Sunday

At about 1 a.m., police were sitting in an unmarked vehicle on 22nd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in the Flatiron District when gunshot were heard

Police chased the car for a few block. All three men inside were arrested. Police say it appears the shooting was not random

Officers saw the men run into a black Mercedes sedan and chased it down for several blocks.

The driver of the car suddenly stopped along Park Avenue causing the cops vehicle to crash into the side of it.

At that point, three men were arrested. A semi-automatic handgun was also found in the Mercedes.

Ramel Harkless, 38, Joseph Saunders, 43, and Barry Wiles, 46, all from Brooklyn, were arrested and charged in the incident.

The 44-year-old victim was attending a book launch party near West 22nd Street between sixth and seventh avenues, pictured, when a man was shot six times below the waist

A gun was recovered on the floor in the back seat of the suspects car

Charges include first degree assault, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment.

'We're exploring a possible connection between the victim and the perpetrators,' said NYPD Captain Steven Spataro.

'I want to commend all of the officers involved in this response and apprehension.

'They reacted quickly, during an evolving situation that was inherently dangerous. They put themselves in harm's way and successfully brought the incident to a swift conclusion.'

The victim, who was shot in the torso, leg, and groin, was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center for surgery. They are said to be in a critical but stable condition.
A 19-year-old University of Connecticut student has been run over and killed by a campus fire department vehicle.

Jeffny Pally was sitting on the ground with her back against the bay door of the campus public safety complex in Storrs when the fire department got an emergency call at around 1.15am Sunday, according to a Connecticut State Police report.

The door was opened and Pally, of West Hartford, then fell and the fire department vehicle ran over her, the report states.

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Tragic loss: Jeffny Pally (pictured in this photo given to DailyMail.com by a family member) died when she was run over by a fire department vehicle

Dana E. Barrow Jr., 60, of Storrs, was driving the vehicle as it left the station, police said, according to WTNH.

Pally's cousin Jasmine Thomas, 18, wrote on Facebook: 'I'm so glad that I got to talk to you yesterday, and the last thing you told me was that you were so happy and excited.

'Last night, me and my friends were talking about weddings and bachelorette parties and I remembered years ago you said you wanted to be my MOH (since I had no biological sister) and last night before I found out, I kept thinking about how you would be an awesome maid of honor.

'Thank you for laughing at all my snapchat vids and always asking for more. Thank you for all the talks, whether they were on the bathroom floor at 3 in the morning, or on the beachy sand. For all the college advice.

'Thank you for being the shoulder I fell asleep on throughout all the road trips... Most of all thanks for being the sister I never had and dealing with my crazy self. RIP my pretty Angel. I love you.'

Jeffny Pally was sitting on the ground with her back against the bay door of the campus public safety complex in Storrs (pictured)

UConn President Susan Herbst said in a statement: 'Every student is precious to us, and this is a heartbreaking and tragic loss.

'Our deepest sympathies go out to her family, friends, and all those whose lives she touched. We know that words cannot begin to express their grief.'
David Axelrod, one of President Barack Obama's top strategists, floated the idea that maybe Hillary Clinton should skip the final presidential debate.

'Drug testing?!? You have to wonder if @HillaryClinton will/should reconsider next debate, given the depths to which this has sunk,' the political operative who helped Obama get to the White House twice tweeted Saturday.

Axelrod was referring to comments Clinton's Republican rival Donald Trump made on the campaign trail earlier that day.

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President Obama's former adviser David Axelrod floated that Hillary Clinton should skip the final debate after Donald Trump suggested she be drug tested

Hillary Clinton (left) is slated to debate Donald Trump (right) one more time, on Wednesday in Las Vegas

'Athletes, they make them take a drug test right?' Trump mused. 'I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate.'

'Why don't we do that? We should take a drug test prior, because I don't know what's going on with her, but at the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped up at the beginning, and at the end it was like, "Oh, take me down,"' Trump said, doing an impression of Clinton.

David Axelrod, who helped President Obama get elected twice, thought maybe Hillary Clinton should skip the last debate

'She could barely reach her car. So I think we should take a drug test. Anyway, Im willing to do it,' Trump said.

The comments come after Trump audibly sniffed through the first debate, in which he blamed the noises on his broken microphone, and then again through last Sunday's debate in St. Louis.

After Trump's first case of the sniffles, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a medical doctor, suggested the billionaire was on drugs.

'Notice Trump sniffing all the time. Coke user?' Dean, a supporter of Clinton's, tweeted.

After the second debate 'Star Wars' actress Carrie Fisher made the same allegation.

'I'm an expert & ABSOLUTELY,' Fisher replied when a fan tweeted at her to ask if Trump was on coke.

Also chiming in on Donald Trump's drug talk was Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi, who suggested Trump was 'projecting'

Fox News' Bret Baier (left) asked Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence (right) about The Donald's drug comments the billionaire said this weekend

This morning, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi suggested to CNN's Jake Tapper on 'State of the Union' that Trump was 'projecting,' when he made these comments.

'I'm curiously watching the behavior of Donald Trump, because he's always projecting,' she argued.

'When his  he knows that his temperament is not going over very well he said, "I have the temperament for the job." When he knows that his stamina is lagging he says, "I have the  I have the stamina for the job,"' Pelosi said.

'When he knows that he has exposure in terms of women, he projects onto Bill Clinton,' she continued.

'When he knows that  I don't know what this drug things is, but I'm very suspicious that he is saying, she should take a drug test,' Pelosi said. 'What's he talking about there.'

When Fox News' Bret Baier, standing in for 'Fox News Sunday' host Chris Wallace, who is preparing to be the next debate's moderator, asked someone who might know what Trump was talking about, vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, the Indiana governor deflected.

'Governor, do you think Secretary Clinton should take a drug test before Wednesday?' Baier asked Trump's running mate.
Two firearms dealers who ran a store in the Florida Keys have been sentenced to prison for illegally possessing a gun disguised as a walking cane.

Court documents show that 52-year-old Thomas Joseph Willi and 37-year-old Jarvis Nelson Osorio will each serve more than two years in prison.

Their store on Big Pine Key, Outbreak Ordnance, was fined $500,000.

The sentences last week came after Willi and Osorio pleaded guilty to illegally receiving and possessing a .38-caliber gun that looks like a walking cane.

Thomas J. Willi, 52, (left) and Jarvis N. Osorio, 37, (right) will each serve more than two years in prison in Florida

Officials say Willi and Osori illegally possessed a gun disguised as a walking cane. The inside of their store and some of the guns they sell are pictured

Such concealable or particularly dangerous weapons are tightly controlled under the 1934 National Firearms Act.

The men were initially charged with illegal possession of other guns disguised as items such as pens and flashlights but pleaded guilty to a single count.

Willi and Osorio were first charged in 2015 when their store was raided by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

They were accused of selling guns to felons and hiring non-felons to fill out federally-required paperwork to hide who purchased the weapons, the Miami Herald reported.

Willi and Osorio were first charged in 2015 when their store (pictured) was raided by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Court records show the duo sold guns to a felon and a minor, WFTV reported.

They were released on bond  but rearrested in October 2015 when they received two semiautomatic machine guns in the mail, violating the term of their release.

Federal prosecutors said the new charges were handed down based on recordings of a jail conversation between the duo and a third party.
Arnold Ray Jones's sentence was commuted by President Obama in an offer he rejected

A drug trafficker has become the first of 775 inmates who had their sentences commuted by President Obama to reject the offer.

Arnold Ray Jones, who has six years of a 20-year sentence left, refused the chance to be released from a low-security prison in Beaumont, Texas, in two years.

He was jailed in 2002 for drug trafficking and consistently used crack cocaine.

His seemingly odd decision may hinge on the condition that he would have to complete a residential drug treatment program if he accepted Obama's offer, USA Today reported.

It could also be because he is banking on getting released for good behavior in April 2019 - just eight months after he would be freed under Obama's commutation.

The president commuted the sentences of 102 federal inmates just last week, bringing the total during his administration to 775 - more than any president in nearly half a century.

But the Department of Justice updated its online records, revealing a first under Jones' name, which read: 'Condition declined, commutation not effectuated'.

Records show that Jones once used crack cocaine every week, and his previous efforts to stay off drugs after completing treatment programs were unsuccessful.

The deal offered by Obama might not even make that big a difference to Jones if he is banking on an early release in April 2019 based on good behavior.

That's just eight months longer than the August 2018 release date offered by Obama.

The commutations, reserved for people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, have been increasingly doled out with strings attached.

Among the inmates granted a reduced sentenced, 92 are required to attend an intensive drug treatment program for nine months, where they will participate in four hours of therapy programs every day.

Obama commuted the sentences of 102 federal inmates just last week, bringing the total number up to 775 - more than any president in nearly half a century

White House Counsel Neil Eggleston wrote on the White House website: 'For some, the president believes that the applicants successful re-entry will be aided with additional drug treatment...

'Underlying all the presidents commutation decisions is the belief that these deserving individuals should be given the tools to succeed in their second chance.'

While a pardon wipes the slate clean, a commutation reduces a sentence while the conviction remains on the records.

Civil rights like voting or serving on a jury are also not restored under a commutation.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims defied lightning and heavy rain for an overnight outdoor vigil to mark the proclamation of seven new saints by Pope Francis.

Tapestry portraits of the new saints hung high among the columns of Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, where the pontiff blessed seven relics of the saints at a solemn open-air ceremony attended by some 80,000 faithful.

Argentinian President Mauricio Macrisome attended the ceremony with many of his countrymen who clutched little statues of poncho-wearing Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero who was made the nation's first saint.

Pope Francis leading a canonisation mass in St Peter's square in the Vatican where he proclaimed seven new saints

Around 80,000 people attended the ceremony inside the Vatican earlier today

Pope Francis, 79, who succeeded Pope Benedict XVI, greets cardinals at the end of the canonisation mass

Pope Francis is helped down steps during the afternoon (left); while ministers use mass booklets to protect their heads from the sun (right)

Pope Francis (left) whilst Argentinian President Mauricio Macri (right) and his wife shelter from the sun during the canonisation mass for seven new saints

Crowds of Catholics battled heavy storms in Villa Cura Brochero, in the country, where the 'gaucho priest' once lived. They followed the Vatican ceremony conducted by Pope Francis, who is was born in Argentina himself, on giant television screens.

Born in 1840 in the province of Cordoba, Brochero spent his days ministering to the poor and the sick, travelling the region on muleback and building church schools.

Francis has praised Brochero as having had the 'smell of his sheep' on him, a phrase he has used in the past to describe the best pastors - those who mingle with their flock and share their troubles.

Brochero cared for the sick during a cholera epidemic in 1867 and would go on to contract leprosy, reportedly after sharing with a sufferer a gourd of the herbal tea mate - a drink Francis often sips when offered to him by pilgrims in the crowds.

The pontiff said the saints were those who could help people in difficulty, for they too had suffered, but triumphed in their faith.

'The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer. They struggle to the very end, with all their strength, and they triumph,' he said.

'May we cry out day and night to God, without losing heart,' he urged.

The youngest of the new saints is Jose Sanchez del Rio, a 14-year-old who was killed in 1928 in Mexico after refusing to renounce his faith during the 'Cristero' struggle between Catholics and the anti-clerical Mexican government.

Salomone Leclercq also died defending his faith. Born in 1745 in France to a family of merchants, he entered the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools - known as the 'De La Salle Brothers' - where he served as a teacher.

A bodyguard stands near priests and bishops during the mass led by Pope Francis

Pope Francis blessed seven relics of the saints at a solemn open-air ceremony in the Vatican

The pontiff said the saints were those who could help people in difficulty, for they too had suffered, but triumphed in their faith

He was run through with a sword during the French Revolution after refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the new French government, and his murder, along with that of dozens of other religious figures, was seen as driven by a 'hatred of the faith'.

France's second new saint is the mystic Elizabeth of the Trinity, who died aged just 26 of Addison's disease in 1906.

A gifted pianist, Elizabeth reportedly refused several offers of marriage to join the Barefoot Carmelites near her house and undertake a life of contemplation where she dedicated herself to prayer and spiritual writings.

She is joined by Italian Alfonso Maria Fusco, a priest from the southern city of Salerno, who was born to a farmer in 1839 and went on to found the 'Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist', known as Baptistine Sisters.

Fellow Italian Lodovico Pavoni from Brescia founded the religious congregation 'Sons of Mary Immaculate' and taught the poor and downtrodden trades to help them put bread on the table and faith to help them enter heaven.

And Spain's Bishop of Palencia Manuel Gonzalez Garcia, born in 1877, founded the 'Congregation of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth' as well as the 'Disciples of Saint John' and the 'Children of Reparation'.
Work has begun on the so-called 'Great Wall of Calais' - a 13ft high concrete barrier aimed at stopping migrants jumping onto UK-bound lorries.

The 2.5million structure, which is being funded by British taxpayers, will run 0.6 miles along the motorway leading to the French port.

The first concrete panels were moved into place by a crane on Saturday, with construction expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Work has begun on the so-called 'Great Wall of Calais' - a 13ft high concrete barrier aimed at stopping migrants jumping onto UK-bound lorries

The 2.5million structure, which is being funded by British taxpayers, will run 0.6 miles along the motorway leading to the French port

The barrier stretches nearly a mile along the main motorway to the port (seen on the map above) between the Jungle and the port

A legal challenge to stop construction of the wall mounted by the Calais mayor was overruled by the local administration.

Natacha Bouchart initially favoured a wall but then said there was no need for one because the French government had promised to close down the Jungle camp.

The Road Haulage Association, which represents UK truck drivers, also came out against the project.

Spokeswoman Kate Gibbs said: 'Money would be much better spent on boosting security along the approach road.

'This is being called the Great Wall of Calais but what good will it do?

'We are telling our drivers not to stop within 150 miles of Calais so they are not targeted by migrants.'

But immigration minister Robert Goodwill said in September the wall would halt the flow of migrants and keep drivers safe.

The Home Office said the measure would stop stowaways using projectiles in attempts to 'disrupt, delay or even attack vehicles approaching the port'.

In July official figures showed that one migrant is caught trying to sneak into the UK every six minutes  with 84,088 detentions at our borders last year

The first concrete panels were moved into place by a crane on Saturday, with construction expected to be completed by the end of the year

A legal challenge to stop construction of the wall mounted by the Calais mayor was overruled by the local administration

The Home Office said the measure would stop stowaways using projectiles in attempts to 'disrupt, delay or even attack vehicles approaching the port'

The start of construction work comes as unaccompanied migrant children from the Jungle began arriving in Britain.

The Calais prefecture confirmed that two dozen unaccompanied minors were already bound for a new life in Britain, where they had family members.

'Five Syrian minors and one Afghan minor have just been transferred to the United Kingdom,' a spokesman said.
Doctors have amputated a man's penis after it became stuck in a bottle he was using as a sex toy for four days.

A 50-year-old man arrived at a hospital in Honduras with a penis that was 'black and decaying' according to medical staff.

It is understood the man was trying to 'relieve sexual frustration' because he did not have a wife or girlfriend.

A 50-year-old man who trapped his penis in a bottle for four days had it removed in an operation in Honduras after it 'turned black' (file picture)

The operation was carried out by urologist Dr Dennis Chirinos who described the case as 'strange' but admitted he had seen similar incidents before.

The doctor revealed the man will never be able to have sex again following the operation, although he will be able to urinate after his urethra was moved.

He did not seek medical attention initially but eventually attended hospital when his penis had 'turned black'.

The man had suffered necrosis, a condition where cells in the body die.

Speaking after the operation, Dr Chirinos said: 'We had a 50-year-old patient, that, because he didn't have a girlfriend or a wife, wanted to relieve his sexual frustration.

'So he put his penis in a bottle and this caused the death and necrosis of the penis.

'When he arrived four days later we had to amputate the penis completely because it was completely dead.'

He added: 'When you put your penis into a bottle it causes a constriction in the blood vessels of the penis and within four hours you can lose the penis.

Dr Dennis Chirinos, pictured, said his team had 'no choice' but to remove the penis because it had 'completely died'

'This is an embarrassing emergency. The situation with this patient it that he didn't get the medical attention in time and this caused the penis to begin to decay and die completely.

'There was no choice but to completely remove the penis.

'It wasn't just the case here that it had died, it had gone completely black and had begun to decay. The necrosis was very severe.'
Some New Jersey locals are drawing blue lines on their roads to show support for their police officers.

The blue markings  usually painted between center yellow dividers  have appeared in Cherry Hill, Wyckoff, Glen Rock, Paramus and a number of other towns in New Jersey.

They're usually painted on roads near police stations.

'It means so much to us, especially in a day we're having now with all the police stuff going on, it means so much to have their support and have our backs,' Oaklyn patrolman Dru Genther told CBS Philadelphia.

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Some New Jersey locals are drawing blue lines on their roads to show support for their police officers

The blue markings  usually painted between center yellow dividers  have appeared in Cherry Hill, Wyckoff, Glen Rock, Paramus and a number of other towns in New Jersey

In nearby Cherry Hill, Police Chief William Monaghan says a blue line painted in front of the police station by the township's Public Works Department has received nothing by positive feedback.

'The response from the community has been just an overwhelming outpouring of support that re-energizes the officers and they understand that people do care about them just like they care about everyone else,' Monaghan told CBS Philadelphia.

In Mahwah, Mayor Bill Lafored printed hundreds of lawn signs supporting police.

'Well, I've printed over 650 signs everyone of those signs have been picked up and put on the front lawn of a residents home,' Lafored told Pix 11.

'Our community is 100 percent behind our police department.

One community even went so far as to draw red lines in support of firefighters.

'It feels good, we're a small community so community support is important to us,' said Lt. Joe Hales, of the Haddon Heights Fire Department, to CBS Philadelphia.

Yet the blue lines have received some criticism.

One local politician said they could send the wrong message or be portrayed as racist, Philly.com reported.

One community, Haddon Heights, went so far as to draw red lines in support of firefighters

John Burns, who leads the Black Lives Matter movement in New Jersey, agreed.

'They feel as though Black Lives Matter is attacking police officers individually,' Burns said. 'We're saying that there is a systemic problem.'

Monaghan said the lines 'shouldn't represent one side versus the other.'

'It should be all-inclusive of the community,' the Cherry Hill police chief told Philly.com.
A man and woman in their 50s who want to care for a grandchild they had not known existed have lost the second round of a legal fight.

The couple learned of the girl's birth more than six months after she was placed with a family who planned to adopt her.

A High Court judge ruled that the child, who turned two in May, should leave her the couple's home and go to live with her grandparents.

The grandparents learned of the girl's birth more than six months after she was placed with a family who planned to adopt her

But the couple who want to adopt challenged that ruling by Mr Justice Bodey in the Court of Appeal - and three appeal judges have ordered a review.

Appeal judges have said another High Court judge should re-consider the case.

Judges heard that both of the girl's parents have learning disabilities and could not care for her.

Social workers were unable to trace relatives who could look after her and adoption proceedings started.

The grandparents - the father's parents - came to light shortly after the girl's first birthday.

They had been out of contact with their son, and were devastated to discover that they had a grandchild who might be adopted, and took legal action.

Mr Justice Bodey, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court in London, analysed evidence from them and from the couple who wanted to adopt before making a decision.

He said the case was 'tragic' and suggested that a judge needed the wisdom of Solomon to deal with it.

A High Court judge ruled that the child, who turned two in May, should leave her the couple's home and go to live with her grandparents. But this ruling will now be reviewed

He said his heart went out to the couple who had cared for the girl since she was seven months old and hoped to adopt her.

But he said that, after weighing pros and cons, he had concluded that adoption would not be in the girl's best interests.

Appeal judges have said, in a further ruling, that Mr Justice Bodey applied 'obvious care and sensitivity' to the case.

But they said the 'all-important issue' was whether the girl could make the move from the couple to her grandparents without suffering 'undue harm'.

And they said they thought the evidence Mr Justice Bodey heard on that issue was 'unreliable'.
A video of a sheriff's deputy showing off his moves to the tune of Beyonce's Formation at a high school gymnasium has gone viral.

Deuntay Diggs, 31, a lieutenant with the Stafford County Sheriff's Office in Virginia, was first spotted performing his routine in August in the hope that his routine would connect with viewers and reflect a different side of law enforcement.

The students at North Stafford High School went wild as the officer performed his routine. A bold move considering Beyonce was at one time criticized for being 'anti-police' after the music video was released.

A cop in Virginia performed a perfectly choreographed rendition of Formation for a group of screaming kids at North Stafford High School

Deuntay Diggs, 2nd Lieutenant for the county sheriff's office in Stafford, Virginia watched Beyonce perform the routine about 30 times before he perfected his own dance moves

Diggs says he's just doing what he can to help improve relations between his local community and the police

Diggs, says he's just doing what he can to help improve relations between his local community and the police.

'The reason I'm doing this is to show kids that they can make it, that they can survive, that they can be successful,' he told BuzzFeed.

'I've been very fortunate, at this time when people look negatively upon law enforcement, that I'm able to change that narrative and open up some conversations and engage with people.

'I'm a huge Beyonce fan, so the night before, I just watched her video on YouTube over and over again, and then I memorized it, practiced it, and the next day I did it.'

Diggs originally cancelled his performance at North Stafford High School when he found out on Tuesday that his biological mother has terminal cancer, but had a change of heart

'The reason I'm doing this is to show kids that they can make it, that they can survive, that they can be successful,' he said to BuzzFeed

The couple are getting married on July 7, 2017, in Fredericksburg, Virginia

Diggs is the first openly gay cadet to attend the Virginia Military Institute, and also the first openly gay deputy to serve at the Stafford County Sheriffs Office

Diggs is engaged to Benjamin Leitner, pictured right, his partner of seven years and a technology resource teacher at North Stafford High School

Diggs was first spotted on social media after performing at a lip sync battle among first responders in August hosted by the Fredericksburg Parent and Family magazine.

Diggs told local radio station B101.5, that he is trying to portray a different side to the police. 'Kids are my heart, so anything that I can do to have a positive reflection or interaction with kids or youth, I'm going to do it.

'When they see me dancing and cutting up, its a good representation of law enforcement for them. It's a positive image in their minds.

Diggs is a motivational speaker who tackles issues concerning race, abuse, and how people currently perceive law enforcement

Diggs has become quite the personality in his small-town Virginia police department

He first performed the song back in August for a lip syncing contest to benefit children who needed school supplies

Diggs, who performed at a lip sync battle among first responders on August 6, said he watched a video of Beyonce numerous times to prepare

He added: 'It's been a tough time, nationally. This gets to show people cops are human too, we have emotions and we like to interact and be funny at times.'

Diggs, who also works as a motivational speaker, has been open about his difficult upbringing in Maryland, where he experienced physical, sexual, and mental abuse.

Diggs went on to study history and Middle Eastern studies at the Virginia Military Institute, becoming the first openly gay cadet to graduate from the school.

He is also the first openly gay deputy within the sheriff's office.

Diggs hoped to connect with young people, saying: 'When they see me dancing and cutting up, its a good representation of law enforcement for them'

Diggs, who also works as a motivational speaker, has been open about his difficult upbringing in Maryland, where he experienced physical, sexual, and mental abuse
But Peta said it has 'taken something hideous and made it good'

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals use Trump quote for campaign

An animal rights organisation has been blasted for taking inspiration from US presidential candidate Donald Trump and telling people to 'grab a pussy'.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation has printed posters for its new advertising campaign which show a reclining cat below the words, coloured with an American flag.

The group hopes the slogan, which they claim to intend to mean adopt a cat, will entice people find home for rescue cats around the globe.

But the move has been criticised by those who say it trivialises sexual assault after Donald Trump was heard making lewd comments about women in a voice recording from 2005.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation has been slammed over its Donald Trump-inspired slogan to encourage people to adopt cats

The US Presidential candidate, pictured, was caught on tape making lewd comments about women in a recording from 2005

The PETA slogan has provoked a furious response from people on social media, pictured

@pastelfeminist said on Twitter: 'Yes Peta. Let's take this time to use sexual abuse as a marketing gimmick to adopt cats. Way to Go.'

Another user Tweeted: 'I am a proud vegan and animalist but using rape culture to promote your work is terribly wrong.'

Last week, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was forced to apologise when the video clip emerged from 2005.

In the clip, he was heard saying: 'You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful [women] - I just start kissing them [...] And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything.'

'Grab them by the p****. You can do anything.'

A Peta spokesperson said: 'We are currently talking with billboard companies to see how many will be available in London before the US election on 8 November.

Peta said it was 'taking something hideous and making it good' but has been accused of 'ridiculing sexual assault' on Twitter

The organisation has also been accused of 'exploiting pain and suffering', pictured

'Every day, we hear reports of local rescue centres that have reached the crisis point because they are bursting at the seams with abandoned cats.

'Cats Protection and the RSPCA alone report receiving more than 30,000 calls a year regarding stray cats, and more than 100,000 stray dogs are picked up off UK streets by councils every year.

'We know that the public will get the humour, that people will do a double-take, and that it will prompt discussions - and we hope more than a few homeless cats will be adopted as a result,' the spokesperson said.

'Already, one billboard company has said yes to Peta US for an ad in New York City, but space won't be available until December, and we're trying to get it placed sooner than that. Every minute counts if you're a kitten with nowhere to go.'

The comments have led to Trump, pictured, being criticised while some prominent Republicans have withdrawn their support for their nominee

Trump is running against Hilary Clinton, right, for the Presidency with the election next month

The organisation is well-known for its provocative and shocking advertising campaigns.

A 2010 poster showing Pamela Anderson in a bikini with her body parts labelled as if she were a piece of meat was banned in Montreal by officials who said it was sexist.

Peta responded to criticism on Twitter, saying: 'Peta takes both issues seriously but the sensationalism of this election has rendered many other important issues invisible.
A 16-year-old girl who was said to have suffered from second-degree burns on 40 percent of her body reportedly flew out of Kennedy Airport on an EgyptAir jet after she arrived in New York on a flight during which she screamed in agony due to her injuries.

The teenager, who had portions of her lips burned off and her fingers swollen beyond recognition, was met by paramedics after landing in New York, according to the New York Daily News.

Now investigators are trying to piece together the circumstances of the unusual case.

The girl apparently boarded the flight from Cairo after suffering burn injuries to her body.

She had managed to conceal the injuries with her clothing and was given paid medication.

Authorities at Kennedy Airport (above) are trying to determine why a 16-year-old girl was allowed onto an international flight as she was suffering from second-degree burns

In the middle of her flight, however, the medication began to wear off and she was heard writhing in pain.

Upon landing, a flight attendant escorted her to waiting paramedics, who rushed her to the Nassau University Medical Center burn unit.

In a statement to investigators, she said that she sustained the burns in a gas explosion that took place in her village which is a four-hour-drive from the Egyptian capital.

Since there were no medical facilities near her home to treat her, the girl's family apparently put her on a flight to New York and gave her pain medication.

The girl flew to JFK from Cairo on an EgyptAir flight (similar to the jet seen above). She told investigators that relatives put her on the flight after she suffered burns from a gas explosion

The girl is believed to have had a relative waiting for her at the airport when her flight landed at around 3:30pm, the Daily News reported.

Paramedics took custody of the girl when she reached customs and she was driven off to hospital.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani echoed Donald Trump by floating the idea that Democrats could cheat on election day, but added that he didn't think it would change the result.

'I'm sorry, dead people generally vote for Democrats rather than Republicans,' Giuliani said this morning to CNN's Jake Tapper on 'State of the Union.'

Tapper was asking Giuliani, one of Trump's top surrogates, to weigh in on remarks that Trump has repeated in recent days, suggesting that if he loses the presidential race it's because there's been cheating.

Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, said on 'Meet the Press' today that he will accept the election results.

'We will absolutely accept the result of the election,' Pence told Chuck Todd. 'Look, the American people will speak in an election that will culminate on November the 8. But the American people are tired of the obvious bias in the national media. That's where the sense of a rigged election goes here, Chuck.'

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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani suggested that Democrats have cheated and could cheat on Election Day, but added that he didn't think it would sway the result

In recent days, Donald Trump has suggested that if he loses the election, it's because it was 'rigged' - by both the media and at polling places

But Trump tweeted that he was worried about both the media bias and cheating happening at polling places on Election Day.

'The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD,' Trump tweeted today.

Tapper asked Giuliani how Trump could suggest that Clinton winning Pennsylvania, for example, would be due to cheating when the state has gone to a Democrat every cycle since 1988.

'You want me to [tell you] that I think the election in Philadelphia and Chicago is going to be fair?' Giuliani replied. 'I would have to be a moron to say that.'

'I would have to dislearn everything I learned in 40 years of being a politician,' Giuliani said.

Rudy Giuliani, one of Donald Trump's top surrogates, suggested that Democrats in inner cities have paid people to vote using the names of dead people

The former mayor of New York City then brought up a couple of cases he was familiar with where there was election fraud.

'I remember a case when I was associate attorney general where 720 dead people voted in Chicago in the 1982 election. I remember in my own election about 60 dead people voted,' Giuliani said.

'I can't sit here and tell you that they don't cheat and I know because they control the polling places in these areas,' Giuliani continued with the 'they' meaning the Democrats.

Giuliani noted how Republicans often don't live in the areas where he said there was cheating.

'So, what they do is, they leave dead people on the rolls, and then they pay people to vote those dead people four, five, six, seven, eight, nine times,' Giuliani continued.

Tapper noted that it sounded like Giuliani was 'saying that Trump is serious when he says that the election is going to be stolen.'

With that question, the former mayor changed his tune.

'No, I'm not saying that,' Giuliani said.

He explained that if either candidate has a formidable lead, the cheating won't matter.

'If he wins Pennsylvania by 5, or she wins by 5, it will make no difference,' Giuliani explained.

'If it's a one- or two-point race, it could make a difference in a few places. Not going to make a difference in Indiana. Not going to make a difference in North Carolina. Not going to make a difference in some -- a lot of other places, where they don't have this traditional cheating,' he continued.

Tapper asked Giuliani if he thought only Democrats cheated.
Vandal scrawled 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else' along with

A Republican party headquarters in North Carolina was firebombed and an adjacent building was vandalized with the words: 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else.'

One state GOP official called the attack in Hillsborough, Orange County an act of 'political terrorism', the Charlotte Observer reported.

A bottle, filled with flammable substance, was thrown into a window during the night, setting off a fire that scorched the interior of the building before the blaze burned itself out, police said.

Photos from the interior showed damaged yard signs bearing the names of Donald Trump and Mike Pence, along with other politicians.

With three weeks left until election day, Mayor Tom Stevens acknowledged the significance of the attack, saying: ' This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property.

'It willfully threatens our communitys safety, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation.'

A Republican party headquarters in Hillsborough, North Carolina was firebombed and vandalized with the words: 'Nazi Republicans leave town or else' (pictured)

A bottle, filled with flammable substance, was thrown into a window, setting off a fire that scorched the interior of the building before the blaze burned itself out

Mayor Tom Stevens said: ' This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property...its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation'

The GOP headquarters is located in the strip mall Shops at Daniel Boone, with the graffiti left outside Balloons Above Orange a few doors down.

The owner of the balloon shop, Bennie Sparrow, was on her way to church this morning when she saw the 'hateful' message scrawled along the side of her business.

While she has 'no idea' who could be behind the attack, she believes her shop was targeted because it is a 'good billboard to aim towards the Republicans'.

She told the Dailymail.com: 'I'm not afraid to go into work tomorrow but I don't feel quite as secure as I did before. This is the world we live in.'

Police have not been able to estimate the total value of the damages, but executive director of the state's GOP, Dallas Woodhouse, said the office was 'a total loss'.

Woodhouse later issued a statement that said: 'Whether you are Republican, Democrat or Independent, all Americans should be outraged by this hate-filled and violent attack against our democracy.

'Whether the bomb was meant to kill, destroy property or intimidate voters, everyone in this country should be free to express their political viewpoints without fear for their own safety.

'We will be requesting additional security at all Republican Party offices and events between now and Election Day to ensure the safety of our activists, volunteers, and supporters.'

The state's Democratic Party Chair Patsy Keever said: ' Im appalled that this would happen, certainly we dont need violence for any reason.

'Clearly this is outrageous that anybody would do this kind of destruction to either partys buildings or people.'

North Carolina is considered a swing state with polls leaning towards Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Orange County, which includes the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, is overwhelmingly left-leaning.

A police investigation with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is ongoing.

The graffiti was left on an adjacent buildingcordoned off with caution tape

An American flag was charred in the fire, which one GOP official called 'political terrorism'
The dramatic moment a store clerk turned the tables on an armed robber by shooting him multiple times and wounding him has been captured on surveillance video.

Curtis Sanders, 30, has been identified by authorities as the man who tried to hold up a mini-mart in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday morning, according to the Miami Herald.

In the video of the incident, Sanders is seen pulling a gun on the clerk who was manning the cash register.

While wearing a mask, Sanders approaches the clerk and aims his handgun while demanding money.

Curtis Sanders, 30, is the armed man police say was caught on surveillance camera trying to rob a mini-mart in Fort Lauderdale only to be shot multiple times by the clerk

As the clerk grabbed his own gun, Sanders pulled the trigger and shot the clerk in the face.

The clerk then returned fire and wounded Sanders multiple times.

Sanders then fled the scene but was arrested by authorities a short time later. He was then taken to hospital for treatment of his injuries.

He was listed in stable condition.

A clerk at a Fort Lauderdale convenience store mans the cash register this past Tuesday, as seen on the surveillance footage

Moments later, an armed man wearing a mask appears and demands that the clerk give him money. Once the clerk brandishes his own weapon, the man shoots the clerk in the face

Sanders then hops over the counter and gives chase to the armed clerk

At this point, the clerk retaliates by opening fire and shooting Sanders multiple times

A wounded Sanders slowly returns to his feet and flees the scene but is arrested by authorities a short time later

The clerks wounds do not appear to be serious.

Sanders faces felony charges of armed robbery, attempted murder, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
Clinton campaign has resisted calls by Donald Trump and the Republicans to use the term 'Islamic terrorism' to describe attacks by Muslims

Podesta then replied: 'Better if a guy named Sayeed Farouk [sic] was reporting that a guy named Christopher Hayes was the shooter'

The email was first sent to Clinton consultant, Karen Finney, who then forwarded it to Podesta with the comment, 'Damn'

An email sent by digital campaign operative Matt Ortega indicated that one of the suspected gunmen was a Muslim

Sayeed Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, gunned down 14 people and wounded 22 others in San Bernardino, California, on December 2, 2015

Aides to Hillary Clinton lamented the fact that a Muslim carried out the 2015 mass shootings which left 14 people dead in San Bernardino and not a white man.

According to the latest trove of hacked email messages obtained by WikiLeaks, John Podesta, who chairs Clinton's campaign for president, reacted with dismay upon learning that Sayeed Farook was one of the shooters.

The news of Podesta's reaction was first reported by Fox News.

Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, shot and killed 14 people and wounded 22 others during a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, on December 2 of last year.

John Podesta (right), the chairman of Hillary Clinton's (left) presidential campaign, had his Gmail account hacked and its contents obtained by WikiLeaks

Podesta received an email of a tweet posted by Christopher Hayes of MSNBC.

The tweet read that one of the shooters was identified as Farook.

The email was originally sent by a campaign operative, Matt Ortega, to Clinton consultant Karen Finney, who then relayed it to Podesta.

'Damn,' Finney commented in the forward to Podesta, who replied: 'Better if a guy named Sayeed Farouk [sic] was reporting that a guy named Christopher Hayes was the shooter.'

Sayeed Farook (above) and his wife shot and killed 14 people and wounded 22 others during a holiday party in San Bernardino, California, on December 2, 2015

In reaction, Podesta wrote to one of his aides in an email (above): 'Better if a guy named Sayeed Farouk was reporting that a guy named Christopher Hayes was the shooter'

The Democratic nominee has resisted calls by her opponent, Donald Trump, and the Republicans to refer to the massacre and other killings by Muslims as 'Islamic terrorism.'

Instead, the campaign has adhered to a policy of calling the perpetrators of these acts 'radical jihadists,' as is revealed in a 154-page debate prep book whose contents were also revealed by WikiLeaks.

'Now, of course there are those who twist Islam to justify mass murder,' according to an excerpt from the prep book.

Authorities searched the area immediately after the shootings in San Bernardino (above). The Clinton campaign has refused to use the term 'Islamic terrorism' to describe the killings

'But we can't buy into the same narrative that these barbaric, radical jihadists use to recruit new followers. Declaring war on Islam or demonizing the Muslim-American community is not only counter to our values  it plays right into the terrorists' hands.'

'Radical jihadists underestimate us,' the prep book reads. 'We won't turn on each other or turn on our principles. We will keep our country safe and strong, free and tolerant. And we will defeat those who threaten us.'

Sunday's leak is the ninth time this month that WikiLeaks has exposed contents of emails from Podesta's Gmail account.
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This is the moment a giant explosion rocked the Mosul battlefield as ISIS terrorists detonated a suicide car bomb next to Iraqi forces after trying to ram a tank.

The footage comes amid warnings that jihadis are planning to fight back with suicide bombs and even chemical weapons as the offensive to reclaim and liberate the city from the terror group got underway earlier today.

A video from the scene, to the south east of the Iraqi city, shows a car carrying the suicide bombers speeding towards the Iraqi government forces positions before ramming a tank.

Footage taken from the south east of Mosul shows ISIS terrorists in a car come speeding towards Iraqi tanks and ramming into one

As the tanks try to flee, the car then blows up suddenly causing a giant explosion and sending a massive fireball into the air

The explosion comes as residents in Mosul say ISIS fighters are planning to use suicide bombers and chemical weapons during the battle for Mosul

As it gets closer, the Iraqi troops begin to drive away as they continue their advance towards Mosul.

However, one of the vehicles suddenly explodes sending a a fireball in the air and a plume of smoke.

Afterwards a blanket of smoke can be seen hanging in the air as the other vehicles continue to flee.

The Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi spoke this morning to confirm troops had moved in to the northern city to liberate it from the control of the terror group.

Convoys of Iraqi, Kurdish and U.S. forces moved east of Mosul along the front line as U.S.-led coalition airstrikes sent plumes of smokes into the air and heavy artillery rounds could be heard.

Peshmerga forces attack ISIS positions in the Bertela region with a rocket launcher attached to the back of a pick-up truck

The Peshmerga troops cover their ears as the launch missiles from the rocket launcher during the offensive to liberate Mosul

Convoys of Iraqi, Kurdish and U.S. forces moved east of Mosul along the front line as U.S.-led coalition airstrikes sent plumes of smokes into the air and heavy artillery rounds could be heard

A Peshmerga convoy drives towards a frontline in Khazer,east of Mosul as the battle to liberate the city from ISIS began

Peshmerga forces located at Mosul's Zardak mountain attack ISIS with howitzers during an operation to retake the Iraqi city

The Peshmerga forces in the north are being aided by Iraqi government troops who are advancing on Mosul from the south

Already Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces have taken control of seven villages east of Mosul and they also control the main road linking the city with the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital, Irbil.

It is also believed that two would-be ISIS suicide bombers were 'neutralized' during the operations this morning.

And now civilians inside Mosul have reported that in recent days the terror group has prepared booby traps under bridges and hidden them inside potholes in the road.

Several areas have been blocked off with cement blast walls to funnel civilians into areas, where they can be used as human shields.

In addition the militants have also created a range of underground tunnels to shield fighters and transport equipment.

Peshmerga forces stand guard at Kargali village during an operation to liberate Mosul as they advance from the north east of Iraq

Smoke rises at Tercille village following an ISIS suicide car bomb attack as Peshmerga forces deployed on the Khazir front

The troops run and jump for cover after the suicide bombing. It is also believed that two would-be ISIS suicide bombers were 'neutralized' during the operations this morning

Kurdish security forces take up a position as they fight overlooking the Islamic State-controlled in villages surrounding Mosul

Smoke rises from Mosul's Bertela region after a coalition forces air strike on ISIS targets during the battle for Mosul

In response to the advancing troops, ISIS jihadists set fore to oil wells in the Kayyara region in Mosul

civilians inside Mosul have reported that in recent days the terror group has prepared booby traps under bridges and hidden them inside potholes in the road. Pictured are Peshmerga troops advancing on Mosul

Iraqi forces flash the sign for victory as they deploy in the area of al-Shourah, south of Mosul as they advance on the city

Peshmerga forces stand guard at Kargali village during an operation to liberate Mosul as they await their next orders

There are also fears ISIS could use mustard gas and 50,000 gas masks have been issued to Iraqi troops as a precaution.

The offensive was launched as it was reported that one of the main bridges in Mosul had been taken out in an airstrike.

According to CNN, witnesses warned the strikes took out al-Hurriya Bridge, but it is not clear who was responsible for the airstrikes.

Amaq, the news agency associated with ISIS, blamed American bombers.

A convoy of Kurdish Pesmerga vehicles drive towards the front line of battle today ahead of the operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul

The Iraqi military and the Kurdish forces say they have began operations to recapture the city from the south and the east

The Peshmerga troops line up their vehicles, many of them were driving regular cars and pick-up trucks rather than military vehicles

The Kurdish troops sit on the back of their pick-up trucks as they prepare to advance towards villages on the outskirts of Mosul

Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters stand on top of a tank earlier today as their vehicles head closer into the centre of Mosul

The Peshmerga troops set up their weapons this morning so they can hold their lines when the operation to retake Mosul begins

Last night, the Peshmerga troops gathered around a fire as they discussed the preparations to retake Mosul from ISIS

Mosul is a key city in the ISIS network and the last bastion of power for the group in Iraq. Pictured are Peshmerga forces last night

The bridge is one of five connecting the two main parts of the city and its partial destruction makes any attempt of ISIS escape more difficult.

Meanwhile, people have been warned to seal their doors and windows and told the final battle could be a bloody one.

Four page leaflets were dropped across the city by Iraqi forces telling people to avoid certain parts of the city and declaring the offensive signals 'victory time'.

Mosul is a key city in the ISIS network and the last bastion of power for the group in Iraq.

The push to retake the city will be the largest military operation in Iraq since American troops left in 2011 and, if successful, the biggest blow yet to ISIS.

Ahmed al-Assadi, a lawmaker and spokesman for the militias, said: 'We promise you that victory is near and that it will be a great victory fitting with the greatness of Iraq and its history and its people.'

After lining up their vehicles last night in preparation for the battle, many of the troops slept on top of the tanks to get some rest

A Peshmerga fighter smokes a cigarette before the battle for Mosul. Iraqi forces began moving into Nineveh province to surround Mosul in July

The fighting is likely to become messy and boil down to street battles.

Iraqi forces began moving into Nineveh province to surround Mosul in July, when ground troops led by the country's elite special forces retook Qayara air base south of the city.

Thousands of Iraqi troops assembled there ahead of the planned operation. Iraqi troops are also being deployed east of Mosul in the Khazer area, along with Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and to the north of the city near the Mosul Dam and Bashiqa areas.

In addition to the Iraqi army, Kurdish Peshmerga forces, Iraqi special forces and Sunni tribal fighters, Shiite militia forces are also expected to play a role in the Mosul operation.

Iraqi forces gather in their vehciles in Irbil yesterday ahead of an operation to regain Mosul from ISIS in northern Iraq

A Sunni Iraqi policeman prays at the Qayyarah military base, about 35 miles south of Mosul yesterday while preparing for an offensive

Iraqi policemen inspect their weapons and make preparations yesterday, including drawing up key tactics, as they get ready for the next few days work

Smoke rises in the background from burning oil wells that were set on fire yesterday ahead of the battle for Mosul

While Iraqi forces have won a number of territorial victories against ISIS over the past year, the Mosul fight is expected to be the most complex yet for the country's military.

Elsewhere, rebel fighters on Saturday also captured the town of Dabiq in northern Syria - which holds huge symbolic value - from ISIS.

Turkish troops, part of what is known as Operation Euphrates Shield, and planes helped various rebel groups push ISIS - sometimes referred to as Daesh - out of Dabiq.

Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for ISIS because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

A US-made armoured combat vehicle is seen parked at the Qayyarah military base yesterday as tanks are lined up ready for battle

Iraqi policemen clean a weapon yesterday as 30,000 pro-government troops prepare to launch an attack on Mosul in Iraq

But Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, a faction of the Free Syrian Army, said: 'The Daesh myth of their great battle in Dabiq is finished.'

Some reports said ISIS put up 'minimal resistance' but others said there were 'fierce clashes'.

The town itself has negligible military value compared with the strategic ISIS-controlled cities of Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq.

A commander of the Hamza Brigade, a Syrian rebel group, said ISIS fighters put up 'minimal' resistance to defend Dabiq before withdrawing towards al-Bab, further south.

Saif Abu Bakr said 2,000 of his men pushed into Dabiq with tank and artillery support from the Turkish Army.

The Free Syrian Army were also involved in the operation.

The people of Mosul have been warned to prepare for the battle ahead by sealing their doors and windows or leaving the area

The battle is expected to be fought on the streets as militia groups take back the ISIS controlled city. Pictured is an Iraqi policeman yesterday unloading his ammunition

The key city of Mosul has been controlled by ISIS, sometimes called Daesh, for two years. Pictured are Iraqi policemen standing at attention with gas masks yesterday

According to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency, the rebel fighters were working to dismantle mines laid in the town by retreating ISIS fighters.

Anadolu said nine Syrian rebels were killed and 28 others wounded during clashes on Saturday.

In the seventh century the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have said 'the last hour will not come' until Muslims vanquished the 'Romans' at Dabiq on their way to conquer 'Constantinople' (Istanbul).

Such is the significance of the town that ISIS's English language magazine is named Dabiq.

Iraqi policemen unload ammunition yesterday as they prepare for an offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State

Pictured, policemen yesterday inspect the weapons before the movement. The militias have regained much of the territory lost to ISIS in 2014 and 2015

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels backed by Turkish planes and artillery 'captured Dabiq after ISIS members withdrew from the area'.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the fighters also captured the nearby town of Sawran.

One Turkey-backed rebel faction, the Fastaqim Union, also said Dabiq had fallen 'after fierce clashes with Daesh.'

It published pictures on Twitter of a group of fighters on the back of a small white truck waving assault rifles in the air, with the town of Dabiq apparently in the background.

An Iraqi policeman tries on a gasmask at the militia base. A bridge in Mosul was taken out in an airstrike on the city on Sunday

An Iraqi policeman in his gasmask, as they prepare for the battle ahead, which government official say will be 'bloody'

It is not clear who took out the bridge, but the news agency associated with ISIS blamed US forces. Pictured, smoke billows in the background yesterday as Iraqi forces gather at the Qayyarah military base

Iraqi forces gesture and wave the V for Victory sign as they gather at the base. It has only been a short time since they took the symbolic town of Dabiq in Syria

Flags are waved from the military vehicles yesterday on the way to Mosul as the soldiers warn that there could be a bloody final battle
The officer took evasive action but the driver accelerated again and hit him

Instead of coming to a halt the driver reversed into Sergeant Robert Rea

at 170km/h before he was stopped

A man who has served the Queensland Police force for more than 20 years has been struck by a car as he tried to pull over a speeding motorist.

Sergeant Robert Rea was hospitalised with minor injuries after a dark green Ford Falcon rammed his motorcycle into a concrete wall in Collingwood Park, south west of Brisbane, on Sunday.

The driver was caught travelling at speeds of 170 kilometres per hour just before 7.50am when Sgt Rea tried to pull him over near the Mine Street exit of Ipswich Road.

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Sergeant Robert Rea was hospitalised with minor injuries after a dark green Ford Falcon (pictured) rammed his motorcycle into a concrete wall south west of Brisbane on Sunday

But instead of coming to a stop, the motorist slammed his car into reverse and appeared to try and strike the officer with his car.

Once the driver was behind Sgt Rea, he accelerated forward and collided with the rear of the motorcycle.

'The car was observed to swerve at him on the motorbike, and the officer was unable to take evasive action,' Steve Riznyk from the Queensland Police said.

Sgt Rea was thrown from the bike and left on the side of the road as the motorist fled the scene.

Sergeant Robert Rea (pictured) who has worked with the police for more than 20 years was hospitalised with minor injuries

The motorist (pictured) slammed his car into reverse when he was pulled over before accelerating and striking Sgt Rea

He was taken to hospital with minor injuries to his hand and leg, while officers reviewed footage of the incident captured on his helmet camera.

Mr Riznyk slammed the motorist for endangering an officer's life while he was simply trying to do his job, Nine News reported.

'Police officers have families, they have children. They don't come to work to be deliberately driven at and struck by motor vehicles,' Mr Riznyk said.

Police are now appealing to members of the public who may have witnessed the incident or captured it on their dash cameras to come forward.
Murderers who don't tell authorities where their victims' bodies have been left will not get parole under a proposed policy.

The move, to be considered by the New South Wales government, would provide incentive for killers to provide information - but not guarantee parole, even if a body location was revealed.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Justice Troy Grant said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia: 'The NSW Government recognises the importance of victims' rights and the ongoing, traumatic impact of being unable to put a loved one to rest.

'We're currently considering options for a 'no body, no parole' scheme in NSW.'

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Michael Guider killed Bondi schoolgirl Samantha Knight, nine, in 1986 but never revealed where her body was. He is one of the imprisoned killers in NSW who could be affected by the 'no body, no parole' policy

Double murderer Bruce Burrell, 63, took the location of his victims, Sydney mother Kerry Whelan and grandmother Dorothy Davis, to the grave

There are a number of killers in state prisons who haven't revealed where their victims lie and who could be affected by the policy.

They include Michael Guider, who killed Bondi schoolgirl Samantha Knight, nine, Keli Lane who killed her newborn baby Tegan in 1996 and Daryl Suckling, who murdered Jodie Larcombe, 21, in 1987.

But double murderer Bruce Burrell, 63, is one who took the location of his victims, Sydney mother Kerry Whelan and grandmother Dorothy Davis, to the grave.

He died in prison in August while serving a life sentence.

Keli Lane, who was convicted of killing newborn baby Tegan in 1996

Victim advocate Howard Brown said killers who didn't reveal where their victims were couldn't claim they were remorseful.

He agreed a location shouldn't guarantee parole.

Michael Guider

Corrections minister David Elliott said the state government: 'puts the families and loved ones of murder victims first, that's why we are considering strengthening the parole system for killers who have not disclosed the location of their victim', The Daily Telegraph reported.

In Queensland, a petition supporting no body, no parole, was being considered.

Ross Thompson, from Queensland Homicide Victims' Support Group, told A Current Affair recently: 'I'd like to see this happen world-wide'.

'If they [killers] are not prepared to do that, sorry, you don't get parole until you do.'

Last year, South Australia passed a 'no body, no parole' law, while Northern Territory and Western Australia were at present considering one.

NT hoped to convince Bradley John Murdoch where British tourist Peter Falconio's body was.

In Victoria one was recently proposed but blocked.
Lillian Terry (pictured) was found floating near a shoreline in a North Carolina creek on Saturday, authorities said

The wife of a missing North Carolina man was found dead floating near the shoreline of a creek.

Authorities said Lillian Terry was found in the Grassy Creek area of Granville County around 4pm on Saturday and it appeared she had been there for several days, ABC 11 reported.

Her husband, John Terry, disappeared more than a year ago.

Granville County deputies told the station that they don't expect to find the 57-year-old alive but their investigation is ongoing.

He was reported missing on September 9, 2015, by his employer, UPS, when he didn't show up for work.

The day before he went missing, John Terry - who had filed for separation from his wife - missed their court hearing.

Authorities who are still actively investigating his disappearance said his case was a homicide and searched the Terry's home multiple times, according to ABC.

In October 2015, Lillian Terry spoke to the station about his disappearance saying she didn't 'understand why they're giving me such a hard time because I've never been in any trouble'.

Her husband, John Terry (right), disappeared more than a year ago. Granville County deputies said they don't expect to find the 57-year-old man alive. John had accused his wife of having an affair and filed for separation from her. Both investigations are ongoing

'I mean, can you see me killing somebody? I mean look at me. If anybody knows anything I wish they would let us know.'

John had accused his wife of having an affair and tampering with his bottle of Mountain Dew, ABC reported.

Her attorney said she denied those allegations, adding that she believed John was seeing a masseuse in Durham.

Authorities havent said how Lillian died or if her death was suspicious.
Swarms of bat-sized grim reaper moths are flocking to Britain from the Continent.

A long, warm summer has led to a spate in sightings of terrifying Deaths-head Hawk-moths in the South of England, some reportedly the size of a new-born kitten.

The rare creatures, traditionally seen as omens of death, get their name from the skull-like markings on their heads and emit a horrendous loud, piercing squeak if disturbed.

A long, warm summer has led to a spate in sightings of terrifying Deaths-head Hawk-moths in the South of England, some reportedly the size of a new-born kitten

Normally found in southern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Deaths-head Hawk-moths occasionally appear in the UK during autumn when warm winds from the Continent push the insects north.

This year experts say there have been as many as 20 sightings in Britain - and warned a final blast of warm weather this weekend could lead to another surge.

They have featured hauntingly in art and literature for several centuries, and an image of one of the creatures dominated the poster for the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, in which moths are used as a murderers calling card.

They are one of the fastest, and largest, moths found in his country, with a wingspan of six inches (130mm)  around the size of a small bat.

Zoe Randle, of the British charity Butterfly Conservation, said: This time of year is peak for moth immigration. Its like Christmas for moth recorders.

If the wind is coming from the Continent then theyll use the wind to help them get here.

Theyre pretty big - about the same size as a small mouse, or a bat - and have really big strong wings. They actually use the wind to help them fly - the wind carries them, but they fly at the same time.

They are really robust, stealth-like fliers. If its a good year for moth migration, the chances are a whole load of them come together.

The rare creatures, traditionally seen as omens of death, get their name from the skull-like markings on their heads and emit a horrendous loud, piercing squeak if disturbed

So far this year, sightings have been reported across Wiltshire, Sussex and other counties in the South of England.

Maggie Prangnell, who discovered a 70mm wide moth in Pevensey, East Sussex, said: It makes a horrendous noise, a scary squeaking noise.

But although they are usually spotted in the South and East of England, Deaths-Head Hawk-moths have reached most parts of the British Isles, according to Dr Randle.

She said: Theyve been as far north as Orkney, Shetland, the Isle of Man, and the eastern half of Ireland. Theyve even been recorded on the oil rigs of the North Sea.

Dr Randle added: If you leave a light on and youve left a window open they can come in your house, or youll just see them outside.

They are pretty big and they look frightening, but theyre totally harmless. They go into bee hives and they feed on the honey, and they make a squeaking sound when theyre disturbed.

She insisted that they will not eat your clothes, as most people fear.

Dr Randle said: Weve got 2,500 species of moths in the UK. Of those, only six eat natural fibres. And of those six, only two can cause damage to clothes and natural fibres.

Normally found in southern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Deaths-head Hawk-moths occasionally appear in the UK during autumn when warm winds from the Continent push the insects north

So less than half a per cent of moths eat clothes. Everybody thinks that all moths eat clothes, but they dont.

Unlike other moths, the species mainly feeds on honey. To protect themselves from honeybees stings when entering their hives, the moths produce a chemical that soothes the bees.

Once inside the hive, the moth can move freely and undisturbed by mimicking bees scent.

Despite their scarce appearances in the UK, the moth has haunted British literature, art and folklore for centuries, believed to foretell war, hunger and death.

Legend has it the species, Acherontia Atropos in Latin, was first spotted in Britain during the execution of King Charles I in 1649.

However it is more likely that the moths became more common around that time, having actually appeared centuries earlier with the first transportation of potatoes.

They were rumoured to be tormentors of King George III, who in 1801 was thrown into one of his infamous bouts of madness when two large Death-head Hawk moths were discovered in his London bedchambers.

This year experts say there have been as many as 20 sightings in Britain - and warned a final blast of warm weather this weekend could lead to another surge

One of these moths was collected by the monarchs physician and is displayed at the University of Cambridge.

In popular culture, Irish author Bram Stoker mentions the Death-head Hawk-moth in his Gothic horror novel Dracula, while English novelist Thomas Hardy includes it as a prophecy of doom in his book The Return of the Native.

The moths also have a sinister reputation in art, appearing as an ill-advised love token in William Holman Hunts 1851 painting The Hireling Shepherd.

More recently, a Deaths-head Hawk-moth features on promotional posters advertising the 1991 horror blockbuster The Silence of the Lambs.

Dr Randle warned that despite a recent surge in UK sightings, Deaths-Head Hawk-moths, like the rest of their species, are generally in decline.

She said: As a group, moths are declining quite frighteningly. There are all sorts of factors, such as light pollution, habitat loss, changes to habitat management, urbanisation.

If you do see one of these, just enjoy it, because theyre absolutely incredible to see. Its quite a spectacle, particularly with the actual skull marking on its head.

You can also report it to your county moth recorder. Theyre in each county of the UK, and he or she collates sightings.

'Theres a list of county moth recorders on the Butterfly Conservation website.
A rapid compensation scheme for babies left disabled by medical blunders will be announced today.

The fast-track process, to be unveiled by Jeremy Hunt, promises to spare families the heartache of years spent battling through the courts.

In a bid to end a culture of denial and secrecy around cases of medical negligence, it will also see doctors who own up to blunders given legal protection, using a similar system to that in the airline industry.

The Health Secretary wants to encourage an open and transparent culture by ending the fear of litigation among doctors and nurses. He hopes the Rapid Resolution and Redress Scheme will make going to court a last resort for families after an alleged medical blunder during birth.

The fast-track process, to be unveiled by Jeremy Hunt, promises to spare families the heartache of years spent battling through the courts

Nearly 1,000 babies each year die or suffer a severe brain injury because of avoidable harm caused in labour.

It takes an average 11.5 years for families to see a resolution through the courts, with the annual compensation bill to the NHS reaching half a billion pounds last year.

Officials hope about 500 cases a year will go through the voluntary fast-track scheme, which will be run by independent panels of legal and medical experts. They will scrutinise allegations of medical negligence or error made by parents and decide if a case is eligible for compensation, and the sum that should be paid.

Doctors will also be encouraged to own up when things go wrong in the hopes they will rapidly learn from mistakes, so improving standards.

Mr Hunt has pledged that NHS staff who own up to blunders will get legal protection  the same system used among airlines. They will be protected from prosecution based on their own evidence, although they could still face sanctions if guilty of malpractice or negligence.

A major report by Imperial College London in March suggested only 5 per cent of mistakes in British hospitals ever come to light.

Last night Mr Hunt said: Our stillbirth rates are still amongst the highest in Western Europe and many on the frontline say there is still too much of a blame culture when things go wrong  often caused by fear of litigation or worry about damage to reputation and careers.

THEY KNEW ABOUT OUR BOY... BUT NEVER TOLD US Robin, Ben and Joanne Harman For years Ben Harmans parents blamed his severe autism on bad luck. But doctors knew his condition was caused by a medical blunder soon after his birth, when they failed to diagnose his catastrophically low blood sugar levels  yet his parents were never told. Unable to speak or dress himself and reliant on 24-hour care, the 14-year-old has the level of development expected in an 18-month-old baby. The mistake, and resulting brain damage, were recorded in his medical notes. But his parents only stumbled across the information when Ben was three, when his father Robin applied for a disabled parking badge and an independent specialist revealed the details. Mr Harman, 47, and his wife Joanne, 48, spent another ten years pursuing compensation from East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. In June last year the High Court ordered the trust pay for the lifetime of care Ben will need at home, as well as specialist care until 25 at a school for autistic pupils. The bill is yet to be finalised, but is expected to exceed 20million  making it the biggest medical negligence payout in history. Father-of-four Mr Harman said: The culture in the NHS is just deny, deny, deny. There was a cover-up from the start. He welcomed Mr Hunts plans for a fast-track scheme, but said that for it to work you need an utter transformation of NHS culture. Advertisement

These comprehensive measures will give practical support to help trusts improve their approach to safety  and help to foster an open and transparent culture so that the courts become a last resort not an automatic first step.

Mr Hunt compared the scheme to one in Sweden, which has reduced serious avoidable birth injuries by around 50 per cent in the last six years.

According to the NHS Litigation Authority, the NHS compensation bill linked to errors around the time of birth was 509million in 2015/16, up from 393million the year before  a sum swelled by lawyers fees.

In his speech at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), Mr Hunt will also set out 8million for maternity training, with at least 40,000 for each NHS trust in England. A 250,000 maternity safety innovation fund will pilot ideas for improving care, and Ofsted-style maternity ratings will be published.

An independent Healthcare Accident Investigation Branch will also start work this autumn.

Last night James Taylor, policy head at disability charity Scope, said: Finding out that your child has been affected by a birth injury can be a very traumatic time ... So it is very positive that the Government will be listening to disabled people and their parents on how the NHS can better support families when serious issues do occur during birth. RCOG president Professor Lesley Regan said: The pressures on maternity services are growing and stretched and understaffed services affect the quality of care provided.

There is a continued need to build a culture of ... honesty and transparency in order to prevent past mistakes being repeated.
Shocking video showing a black man in Edina, Minnesota, being arrested by a white officer for allegedly walking in a suburban road because the sidewalk was under construction has sparked outrage and calls for the officer to be suspended.

The clip, which shows Larnie Thomas being arrested for walking in the street to get around the construction, has left many viewers horrified.

Thomas was walking down Xerxes Avenue, which is in a residential area with homes on either side of the street and has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour.

The footage, shot by Janet Rowles, begins with officer Tim Olson's hand tightly gripping the back of Thomas's jacket as the man shouts he's done nothing wrong.

Thomas appeared to have already passed the construction and was behind the white line that divides pedestrians and traffic when the video starts rolling.

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A video showing a man identified as Larnie Thomas being arrested by an officer, believed to be Tim Olson, of Edina, Minnesota, for allegedly walking in the street has gone viral

Olson is insisting Thomas was walking in the middle of the road as he pulls him back to his unmarked squad car

Olson tells Thomas to 'come over here' as he grips the man's jacket to prevent him from running away, moving him momentarily back into the road before reaching the front of the unmarked squad car.

'Youre walking down the middle of the street,' Olson says.

Thomas becomes irate, shouting: 'Im on the damn white line! You cant just put your hands on me like that!'

Thomas begins frantically shouting at Olson that he's done nothing wrong, while Rowles films.

Thomas slams his backpack on the squad car, still confused by why he's being detained, and asks: 'You're gonna take me to jail for this s***?'

Olson says he's not going to take him to jail. Thomas then tells him if he's not taking him to jail, he should take his hand off of him.

Rowles then suggests to the officer that if Thomas can't walk around the construction, that he shows the man a different route to take.

The officer asks the woman to back away and then asks Thomas to put his hands on the squad car.

Thomas continues to insist he hasn't done anything wrong and eventually squeezes out of his shirt to get out of the officer's grip. Another officer arrives at the scene and puts Thomas in cuffs

Janet Rowles, the woman filming, tries to tell the officer that Thomas did nothing wrong and later that he's scared as she attempts to de-escalate the situation

Olson doesn't release Thomas as he tries to flail out of the officer's grip, cursing at the officer and asking if he can leave.

Olson tells Thomas he cannot leave and they're 'going to have a talk about a whole bunch of things'.

As the camera turns, it's clear the road is in a residential area with homes lining the side.

Thomas then asks the officer if he 'settles down will you take your hands off me?'

Olson tells him to settle down but doesn't agree to take his hands off of him.

They argue as Thomas tries to get out of his jacket to get the cop's hands off him.

Thomas continues to insist he hasn't done anything wrong and eventually squeezes out of his shirt and throws his bag and clothing on the floor.

Rowles tries to tell the officer that Thomas did nothing wrong and later that he's scared as she attempts to de-escalate the situation.

It's unclear if Thomas was booked, but he was cited for disorderly conduct and failure to obey a traffic signal

Eventually, a second officer arrives and immediately cuffs Thomas.

The seven-minute video, which has been viewed more than 170,000 times, ends with Rowles agreeing to give an officer a statement as Thomas is put into the back of a squad car.

It's unclear if Thomas was booked, but he was cited for disorderly conduct and failure to obey a traffic signal.

He was also given a Breathalyzer test, which detected alcohol in his system.

Thomas was detained for 45 minutes before being released, according to the Huffington Post.

Many people who have seen the video have expressed disgust at officer Olson's handling of the situation.

'The way that man was treated was completely uncalled for and unacceptable. The officer had a hold on the back of the young man's shirt as if he were some sort of animal. No person of any color deserves to be treated with such contempt,' one person wrote.

Another wrote: 'This was terrible. That's all I could say even thought I have more.'

On YouTube, one commenter wrote: '

America, Land of the Free: Where walking the wrong way or talking the wrong way can get you arrested.'

The seven-minute video ends with Rowles agreeing to give an officer a statement as Thomas is put into the back of a squad car

Rowles released her own statement about the altercation saying: 'There was absolutely no reason for the officer to stop him from walking. I easily passed him in my vehicle because he was hugging the right side next to the construction, literally walking on the white line that marks the shoulder.'

After the video went viral, the city of Edina released a statement about the incident.

The statement said that after Olson tried to get Thomas's attention as he walked southbound, he pulled his squad car in front of him.

Thomas was wearing headphones and didn't hear Olson's initial attempts to get his attention.

The statement continued: 'The officer then drove in front of the man by approximately 15 feet, to block him from continuing in the southbound lane of traffic. The man deliberately went around the squad car and continued to walk in the lane of traffic.

A statement from the city of Edina said Thomas (pictured) was wearing headphones and initially didn't hear Olson, but then walked away when Olson made contact

The Minnesota NAACP also released a statement on Saturday regarding the incident and said it wanted Olson (left) to be suspended without pay and an apology to be issued to Thomas (right)

'The officer got out of his vehicle and started to follow the man, asking him to get out of the lane of traffic and stop. The man did not stop and was defiant.

'It was after that point that the recording began. The officer smelled alcohol on the mans breath during the incident. A breathalyzer later confirmed the presence of alcohol.'

Rowles said the police narrative of the incident prior to her recording is much more drawn out than her memory.

She added that regardless of the narrative, Thomas should not have been stopped.

The Minnesota NAACP also released a statement on Saturday regarding the incident.

'Watching that video and seeing a black man being manhandled and emasculated by Edina Police was not only painful and humiliating, it was a vivid reminder that blacks are still too-often seen as second class citizens in the State of Minnesota and in this nation,' it said.
Sergeant Colin Maclachlan (pictured) faces a murder probe after allegedly admitting the 'mercy killing' of wounded Iraqi soldiers

An SAS veteran who faces a murder probe after allegedly admitting the 'mercy killing' of wounded Iraqi soldiers has denied pulling the trigger, friends claimed last night.

Sergeant Colin Maclachlan was said to have confessed to shooting dead 'two or three' troops during an ambush behind enemy lines in a draft of his book.

But sources close to the former soldier claimed this was not true, saying he did not write the book himself and that he blamed his ghost writer for the error.

Sgt Maclachlan, 42, was quoted as saying the injured Iraqis he killed were screaming in agony and 'pleading for us to do it'.

His apparent confession is now being examined by military police and could lead to a full-scale probe.

But defence sources suggested the ghost writer may have over-played his role to 'sex it up'.

The book, SAS: Who Dares Wins: Leadership Secrets from the Special Forces, describes the bloody carnage following a covert mission near the town of Al Qaim at the start of the war in 2003.

After firing rockets at enemy units, the SAS squad found Iraqi soldiers with horrific injuries.

The passage, which never made it to publication, said: 'Many of them had lost limbs. One or two had been disembowelled, but they were still alive.

Special Forces operatives quickly put them out of their misery, rather than leaving them to die slowly and in agony.'

The book later added: 'I didn't enjoy killing those soldiers at the checkpoint but I had to put them out of their misery.'

The early manuscript was sent to the Ministry of Defence six weeks ago and the department then alerted military police about the 'contentious' passage  which was deleted in a later version.

After being told about the investigation in an email from the MoD last week, Sgt Maclachlan, who is from Edinburgh and featured in Channel 4 series SAS: Who Dares Wins, initially appeared to confirm the claims were true.

He told The Mail on Sunday: 'Our motives were entirely humane. I'll happily go to jail, if you think I've done wrong. But people should put themselves in my position first.'
Jeremy Paxman has revealed he would like to take David Dimblebys job as Question Time host

Jeremy Paxman has revealed he would like to take David Dimblebys job as Question Time host but only if the veteran broadcaster stepped down first declaring we have to look after old people.

Dimbleby, who turns 78 later this month, has presented the political panel show since 1994.

Speaking at Cheltenham Literary Festival the former Newsnight host, 66, said: If David Dimbleby stepped down of course I would take his job. But we have to look after old people.

'But were his job to be offered to me I would take it, but I dont think theres any danger of that happening. He added that he does not have any career plans preferring to just do things that interest me at the time.

Paxman left Newsnight in 2014 after presenting the show since 1989. He has continued to host University Challenge on BBC2 while working for other broadcasters, including Channel 4.

During his tenure on Newsnight he also revealed that he was once sent an enigma box - which had been stolen from Bletchley Park and sent to the BBC studios.

He said he initially thought the box as a bomb but when he opened it he found it was the codebreaking device used by British intelligence services to help defeat the Nazis in World War Two.

But Paxman insisted he would only take over in Dimbleby stepped down first declaring we have to look after old people

But Paxman was stopped from showing viewers to the box because producers said it could not be made public.

He said: I was sent something stolen in the post - an enigma machine - I had no idea what it was. It was a big cardboard box, very tightly bound with tape and I cut into it and as I cut into it I said I wonder if its a bomb but the post lady said everything was X-rayed.

The X-ray had failed to spot wires and cannisters. I pulled out this wooden box and I opened it up and there was a smell of old fashioned lubricating oil and I knew what it was.

Then some clown from the BBC came down and said we couldnt make it public. It was then disclosed to me it had been stolen from Bletchley Park.

Dimbleby, who turns 78 later this month, has presented the political panel show since 1994

I think the only reason it was sent to me because it was bound to become public.

Paxman was promoting his new book A Life in Questions in which touches on his difficult relationship with his father and his battle with depression.

He said: My father, it was a difficult relationship, I have no problem saying that. Depression is slightly different.

'The reticence I think a lot of us have is one of the characteristics of depression is that you feel unworthy and when you feel unworthy you are reluctant to make a fuss.

Referring to the political elite at Westminster Paxman, who studied at Cambridge, said he thought the debating society at Cambridge were bunch of w******.

He added: It used to be the Oxford Union was a playground for people who want to be politicians and now its the other way round.
Nine women have come forward with allegations of unwanted advances

His campaign is struggling after his own comments about sexual assault

But he appeared on SNL in January saying he knew 'how to take a joke'

He has since called for the 40-year-old NBC show to be canceled

Trump was not amused by SNL's sketch of the second presidential debate

Saturday Night Live has been spoofing Donald Trump for decades, but the billionaire has suddenly had enough.

Trump has hit out on SNL after it aired sketches spoofing the Republican presidential candidate's second debate with Clinton as well as his wife and daughters.

He took to Twitter on Sunday morning to denounce what he called the NBC show's 'hit job' on his reputation.

'Tire to retire the boring and unfunny show,' he added. 'Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!'

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Donald Trump has hit out on SNL after it aired sketches spoofing the Republican presidential candidate's second debate with Clinton as well as his wife and daughters

He took to Twitter on Sunday morning to denounce what he called the NBC show's 'hit job' on his reputation

Baldwin, who has won rave reviews for his recent performances, reprised his role as Trump and hovered menacingly behind Kate McKinnon's Hillary Clinton while randomly forgetting answers to the debate questions in the show's cold open.

When asked whether each candidate's behavior set a good example for children, Baldwin rapidly answered: 'No. Next'.

Alex Moffat played debate moderator Anderson Cooper and pressed the question, to which Baldwin answered: 'I love kids. OK, I love them so much I marry them.

'I've been helping kids my whole life. In 1992, I helped a kid named Kevin McAllister find a hotel lobby. Remember the documentary, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.'

The line of questioning then turned to the controversial tape that emerged of Trump just two days before the debate, in which he was heard bragging to Billy Bush about being able to grope women without their consent.

'Listen, what I said is nothing compared to what Bill Clinton has done. Okay? He has abused women,' Baldwin said.

'And Martha, Anderson, hold on to your nips and your nuts, because four of these women are here tonight. Four of them.'

McKinnon's Clinton then butted in, taking a histrionic tone when she said: 'Wait, I'm sorry. Who's here?'

Baldwin, who has won rave reviews for his recent performances, reprised his role as Trump and was joined by Kate McKinnon's Hillary Clinton as they poked fun at the debate

The cold open sketch included numerous zingers lambasting Trump's flailing campaign amidst the numerous sexual assault allegations launched against him

'Mistresses? Bill, how could you? Oh, how will I go on with this debate? I'll never be able to remember my facts and figures now. Oh, Donald, no! Get real, I'm made of steel. This is nothing. Hi girls.'

Trump then shot back: 'She is trying to silence these women, but they need to be respected and they need their voices heard.'

When asked about whether the women who have accused Trump also deserve to be heard, Baldwin quickly declared: 'They need to shut the hell up.'

The show also included a parody of Beyonce's Lemonade album, with cast members playing an array of the women involved in Trump's campaign.

Melania, Ivanka, Tiffany, Kellyanne Conway and Omarosa Manigault were all portrayed in the 'Melanianade' skit which flipped the song's infamous 'Becky with the Good Hair' lyric to poke fun at his dependence on them to humanize him.

Melania, played by Cecily Strong, got the skit underway, saying: 'I stood by your side this whole campaign, your beautiful, dutiful Melania. I can't take it anymore. I am your wife.'

'Me and my ladies pack our Gucci up... fix your bald spot, I've had enough, she rapped.

'Daddy has tweeted sorry. I don't even think he means it - I'm suppose to be the brains here,' Emily Blunt's 'Ivanka' sang.

'What the hell have I been thinking now he's bringing Paula Jones in. There goes my friendship with Chelsea Clinton. I miss Chelsea Clinton, call me Chelsea.'

Saturday Night Live also mocked the women closest to Trump with a parody of Beyonce's hit video clip, Sorry, that starred Cecily Strong as Melania Trump

Ivanka, Tiffany, Kellyanne Conway and Omarosa Manigault were all portrayed in the 'Melanianade' skit which flipped the song's infamous 'Becky with the Good Hair' lyric

'Donald better watch out, me and my women about to roll out,' Melania then sang. 'Without us you wouldn't be standing there, you'd just be that guy with the weird hair.'

Trump was singing a much different tune about SNL last year, when he hosted the legendary sketch show for a second time in November 2015.

'It's wonderful to be here, I will tell you it's going to be something special, many of the greats have hosted, as you know, this show - like me in 2004,' he joked at the beginning of his monologue.

'Part of the reason I'm here is that I know how to take a joke,' he added. 'They've done so much to ridicule me over the years.'

Trump was then joined on stage by both Taran Killam and Darrell Hammond, who have both impersonated the Donald on the show in the past.

A number of comedians, including past SNL writers, spoke out against Trump on Sunday after he called for the show to be canceled.

Trump was singing a much different tune about SNL last year, when he hosted the legendary sketch show for a second time in November 2015

Parks and Recreation co-creator Michael Schur took to Twitter to share his own experience working with Trump as a writer on the show in 2004.

Schur said the story is proof of how 'thin-skinned' Trump is in 'light of him attacking SNL'.

The week that Trump was set to host the show, rumors had begun to form that his Atlantic City casinos were once again going bankrupt, Schur said.

'So the writers did what we always do,' he wrote. 'Made jokes about it.'

Schur said the jokes were 'very minor' and were for 'internal use only' during the read-through with the cast.

'These would never see the light of day,' he added. 'Every host has to make fun of his/her "thing".'

When Trump read one of the jokes during the read-through, everyone laughed to show him it was 'all in good fun'. But the CEO was not amused.

'He did not laugh,' Schur wrote. 'He glowered. And stopped the read-through.'

'He stared around the room. And he said, "You listen to me, okay? That deal is gonna be a great deal. I'm gonna win big on that deal."'

'"You don't understand this deal, but I do, and it's gonna be great. And when it's over, I'm gonna come out way ahead."'

Schur said the room went silent.

'We all felt like, "Okay, guess he doesn't want to joke around. *On SNL*"', he wrote.

A number of comedians, including past SNL writers Michael Schur and Heather Anne Campbell, spoke out against Trump on Sunday after he called for the show to be canceled

'Hard to explain how lame it was,' the comedian added. 'Every host pokes fun at his/her biggest news story.'

'It's the whole point of going on the show, sometimes. But not Donald. He had zero sense of humor. He was furious.'

'Such thin skin. So humorless. It's far from the best reason not to vote for him. But the psychology at work is upsetting. Sad.'

Former SNL writer Heather Anne Campbell poked fun at the Donald on Sunday, jokingly agreeing with him that the show is 'all rigged'.

'The CIA gave us sketch outlines every week. The NSA wrote Update,' she wrote, referencing the show's popular Weekend Update segment.

Comedian Emily Feimster, who appears on The Mindy Project, directly hit out at Trump for his claims.

'Now Donald Trump is saying SNL is part of a rigged election and should be canceled. The show he had no problem hosting. He's lost his mind,' she wrote.

Trump has taken a scorched-earth strategy in the last leg of the elections, intensifying an unprecedented attempt to delegitimize the democratic process

He made a series of furious claims on Sunday that the presidential election is 'rigged', hours before he accused Saturday Night Live of being part of a media conspiracy against him

Trump has come under fire from Democrats and moderate Republicans for his allegations, with many people saying it could provoke violence on or after election day.

The billionaire's scorched-earth strategy in the last leg of his campaign comes in the wake of a series of sexual assault allegations following the infamous p****gate tape and the second presidential debate.

Trump went on one of his signature rants on Sunday morning, claiming the media was behind the women's stories and his rapidly dropping poll numbers.

'Election is being rigged by the media, in a coordinated effort with the Clinton campaign, by putting stories that never happened into news!' he wrote.

'Polls close, but can you believe I lost large numbers of women voters based on made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED. Media rigging election!' he wrote.
A 22-year-old man who pleaded guilty in September to the shooting deaths of his parents as they slept and the attempted killing of his eight-year-old brother, who was left paralyzed after the attack, was sentenced on Friday to four consecutive life terms in prison.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregg L. Prickett sentenced Ashton Sachs to four life sentences, two without the possibility of parole, as well as an additional 100 years in prison for use of a firearm, according to the Orange County Register.

Sachs had abruptly changed his plea to guilty on September 20, heading off what was sure to be a sensational trial in the upscale Southern California community of Santa Ana.

Ashton Sachs, who killed his parents and tried to kill two siblings in 2014 sits in court listening to his sentence of four lifetimes plus 100 years in prison

Sachs suddenly pleaded guilty in September 20, heading off what would have been a hugely sensational trial

Sachs did not explain his motivations for the shocking violence in court. When asked if he wanted to speak, he shook his head no, reported the outlet.

In making the case for his life sentence, Prickett pointed out Sachs' premeditation of the crime as well as the many chances he had to alter the course of the evening, as well as the amount of times he shot his parents - his father a dozen times, his mother ten times.

He also shot his eight-year-old brother, who is now paralyzed, and tried to shoot his 17-year-old sister, who was not harmed.

Lisa McGowan, sister of Brad Sachs, told her nephew 'I can't forgive you today'

Sachs, wearing a white yarmulke, did not as for forgiveness in court and declined to speak

Asked for a motivation for the killings, Senior Deputy District Attorney Mike Murray said, '[It's] as simple as his being a sociopath.'

'The defendant is a sociopath. He has no remorse, no empathy. All he cares about is himself. He is a manipulator,' Murray told the judge, according to CBS News.

Sachs was 19 and a college student when he drove from Seattle to his family's luxury home in San Juan Capistrano in February 2014.

Around 2am, dressed in dark clothes, Sachs shot and killed his sleeping parents, Bradford Sachs, 57, and Andra Sachs, 54, in their beds in the six-bedroom, eight-bath, 8,784-square-foot house before shooting his sleeping little brother, Landon, and firing at his also sleeping 17-year-old sister, Alexis, who wasn't hit.

Another sister, 15-year-old Lana, who was sleeping in her room with three dogs, was spared an attack, reported Orange Coast Magazine.

Older brother Myles, then 21, was not home.

Ashton Sachs, 22, entered his guilty plea to two counts each of murder and attempted murder for the February 2014 shooting spree at his familys multimillion-dollar home in Orange County, California

Ashton drove 18 hours straight from Seattle to his family's $2.5million luxury home and said he spent 15 minutes pacing outside his parents' bedroom (Andra left, Brad right) deciding what to do before killing them

This was the luxury residence of Bradford and Andra Sachs in San Juan Capistrano, California

Landon, who was eight at the time, was paralyzed from the chest down. Alexis wasn't hurt.

In the weeks following the attack, Sachs acted shocked and hysterical, and spent each day by his brother's side in hospital.

'He would cry and say, "Landon is eight years old and he doesnt have a dad,"' Sarah Verbeek, a former girlfriend, told People last year. 'He'd say, "I can't believe somebody killed my parents."'

Ashton, who had no previous run-ins with the law, was arrested in March 2014 after police determined he was the 'lone suspect' in the murder.

They found a semi-automatic weapon in his car and phone records placed him in the area around the time.

Two weeks after the shooting, Ashton (left) and his brother Myles (right) filed for custody of their adopted siblings, Landon and Lana

What still remains a mystery however is why he did it, especially to those who knew the young man.

'I don't have a reason why. Just a lot of problems,' Ashton initially told authorities.

'He never showed any signs of aggression or threatened to hurt someone,' said Verbeek.

'He wasn't that kid seen on TV crime documentaries that secludes himself and doesn't talk to anyone. He never spoke bad about his family. He never talked about guns. Nothing.'

However, while Murray pointed out at the sentencing that Ashton was 'raised in a loving family and had a life of privilege,' he also noted some earlier disturbing signs of potential violence to come, including the teen being caught at school with a knife, and shooting animals and birds, according to the Orange County Register.

At age five, Ashton dealt with the accidental drowning in a swimming pool of a baby sister, Sabrina, reported the Orange County Register. Brad and Andra Sachs had gone through a bitter divorce in 2000, but continued to live and work together. At one point, Brad said in court documents he had left the household to get away from Andra's 'raging' and accused her of having 'manic sessions.'

There were accusations of domestic violence between both of them.

The only family member to speak at the sentencing, Lisa McGowan, who was Brad Sachs' sister, told her nephew: 'You had a choice, Ashton. You had apparently been thinking about what you were going to do for a long time. ... Ive been told by my friends and family that I need to forgive you. Well, I cant forgive you today.'

McGowan said the family on both sides opposed the death penalty for Ashton, saying it would just compound the tragedy, reports CBS News.

Ashton's brother, Myles, had a representation read a statement in court which thanked prosecutors and police but completely ignored Ashton and his actions. According to CBS News, it seemed to be the only time during the hearing that Ashton reacted, seemingly trying to stop himself from an outburst.

While Ashton's motive initially focused on the teen wanting to inherit his parents' estate, it eventually settled into something more vague and incomprehensible.

'I couldnt even remember,' Ashton told interrogators about the night. 'It was just a rush I was not myself. I dont know. I was something twisted.'

Detectives told the Orange County Register that Sachs said he didn't trust his parents and that they had made him feel bad by favoring his siblings, two of whom, Landon and Lana, were adopted from Russia.

Sachs had stopped going to school and was spending time smoking marijuana and playing video games, he told police.
He used his Oscar-winner's speech to highlight the fight against climate change.

And on Saturday Leonardo DiCaprio continued the momentum at the European premiere of his docu-film, Before The Flood.

The 41-year-old, looking razor sharp in a tailored grey suit by Giorgio Armani, issued an impassioned call for immediate action in London on Saturday.

Running out of time: Leonardo DiCaprio made impassioned plea to tackle climate change at his Before The Flood European premiere in London on Saturday

The Hollywood megastar, who won this year's best actor Academy Award for his role in 'The Revenant', takes viewers around the world to meet experts and politicians in order to reveal the scale of the problem, its effects and the paths towards solutions.

As the inter-governmental Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rises comes into force on November 4, the US actor calls on individuals to examine their own habits and use their vote wisely to tackle the issue.

'I didn't want the film to scare people, or present them with statistics and facts that they already know, but to focus on what can and must be done immediately so that we can leave our planet a livable home for future generations,' the 41-year-old said.

'We are quickly running out of time,' said DiCaprio, who also co-produced the film.

Evidence: In the film the Hollywood megastar, who won this year's best actor Academy Award for his role in 'The Revenant', takes viewers around the world to meet experts and politicians in order to reveal the scale of the problem, its effects and the paths towards solutions

Call to action: 'I didn't want the film to scare people, or present them with statistics and facts that they already know, but to focus on what can and must be done immediately so that we can leave our planet a livable home for future generations,' the 41-year-old said

Partners: Leo joined director Fisher Stevens on the red carpet

From the remote Canadian landscapes where he shot 'The Revenant', to the suburbs of Beijing, Greenland, Indonesia's Sumatra and the Pacific atolls of Kiribati, DiCaprio whizzes round the planet to see the extent of the damage.

DiCaprio shows viewers the effects of pollution in China and examines the sea levels which threaten tiny island communities and the longer-term effects of deforestation.

The actor, who has been named a United Nations 'messenger of peace' on climate change, attacks giant corporations and politicians -- especially Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump -- for their stance on climate change.

L-R: Director of the BFI London Film Festival Clare Stewart, Courteney Monroe, Tim Pastore and Jan Koeppen were also on hand

Emergency: 'We are quickly running out of time,' said DiCaprio, who also co-produced the film

He targets those he says orchestrate campaigns of media disinformation and lobby hard to block reforms that would better look after the environment.

From former US president Bill Clinton and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Pope Francis, DiCaprio interviews powerful leaders on the chances of avoiding climate disaster.

US President Barack Obama voices cautious optimism, calling action against climate change 'a national security issue'.

'It's why we have to take action now. There is no reason we don't solve the problem on time.'

Platform: Leo used his Oscar-winner's speech to highlight the fight against climate change

What you can do: DiCaprio urges people to stop consuming palm oil-based products, replace some of our reliance on beef and chicken with vegetables and 'vote to tell that we know the truth about climate change'.

When it comes to solutions, DiCaprio's message is clear: 'it's up to all of us'.

He urges people to stop consuming palm oil-based products, replace some of our reliance on beef and chicken with vegetables and 'vote to tell that we know the truth about climate change'.

On the political front, he defends the need for a carbon tax, hails the development of solar and wind power, and enthuses about the megafactory of South African visionary Elon Musk, producing electric car batteries.

The documentary comes out in Britain and the United States on Friday before being screened on the National Geographic television channel on October 30.
An array of Channel Seven personalities were more than happy to dedicate some time to a special cause over the weekend, flying to Perth for the annual Telethon event.

Stars from The Secret Daughter, Home And Away and The X Factor visited unwell children in the Western Australian capital, as they encouraged fans to call in and make a donation.

For Home And Away actor James Stewart, visiting the Princess Margaret Hospital was a special experience, with the 40-year-old admitting he sacrificed time with his own daughter Scout to participate in the charity event.

Charitable move: Home And Away's James Stewart reveals he gave up time with his own daughter on Saturday to attend the Channel Seven Telethon in Perth - pictured at the event with co-star Penny McNamee

Parenthood: James shares four-year-old daughter Scout with ex Jessica Marais

'Its my first Telethon and I gave up time with my own daughter to be out here,' the ex of Jessica Marais told Perth Now.

'Its a really great idea to come here to PMH first to see what Telethon is all about.'

James shares four-year-old daughter with ex Jessica Marais.

Over the weekend he was joined by fellow Home And Away stars Pia Miller, Charlie Clausen and Penny McNamee.

Summer Bay fun: James pictured with Home And Away co-stars Penny McNamee and Lynne McGranger at the Channel Seven Telethon in Perth

Mixing it up: L:R - Home And Away's Charlie Clausen, The Secret Daughter's Harriet Norton and Jared Turner, Home And Away star Pia Miller and The Secret Daughter's Rachel Gordon

Taking to Instagram, Penny, who plays James' onscreen sister on the Channel Seven soap, shared a photo of the pair backstage taking calls during the Telethon event.

'Hitting the phones with my big bro @__jamesstewart__ at #telethon7! (sic),' she captioned the closeup selfie.

She also shared another photo which also featured co-star Lynne McGranger.

Picture perfect: Pia Miller posed for a photo with Home And Away co-star Charlie Clausen

Selfie time: Jessica Mauboy had some backstage fun with The X Factor contestants Jess and Matt

The whole cast: Pia Miller photobombed a snap featuring the cast of The Secret Daughter

'My very first Perth #telethon7! Lucky I have these two with me to show me the ropes @lynnemcgranger @__jamesstewart__ (sic),' read the image caption.

Channel Seven's new drama The Secret Daughter has proved to be a hit with fans in recent weeks.

And its lead star Jessica Mauboy was sure to represent the show at the charity event.

Performance time: Jessica Mauboy shared this snap of her and The Secret Daughter co-star Jamie Robbie Reyne before they hit the stage at the charity event

Game on: Rachel Gordon and Charlie Clausen were keen to raise funds for the worthy cause

The 27-year-old singing sensation and actress was joined by co-stars Rachel Gordon, Jaime Robbie Reyne and Jared Turner.

According to Perth Now, the 'Telethon count was up to $4,138,642 at 8.10pm on Saturday'.

Last year the charity event managed to raise $25.8 million.
Taraji P. Henson donned thigh-high leather boots for her book signing at a Barnes & Noble on Saturday afternoon.

Fans stood in line as early as 5AM to meet the 46-year-old Oscar nominee, whose 256-page autobiography Around The Way Girl: A Memoir was published Tuesday.

The Empire diva paired her nude boots with a plunging LBD and lots of Chanel jewelry selected by stylist Jason Bolden.

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Racy footwear: Taraji P. Henson donned thigh-high leather boots for her book signing at a Barnes & Noble on Saturday afternoon

First-time author: Fans stood in line as early as 5AM to meet the 46-year-old Oscar nominee, whose 256-page autobiography Around The Way Girl: A Memoir was published Tuesday

Taraji also sported a black fringed bob wig for her literary event located in Manhattan's Union Square.

At one point, a sassy little girl made sure to rock a pair of sunglasses specifically for her photographed encounter with the groundbreaking Golden Globe winner.

All the action was captured by Henson's make-up artist Ashunta Sheriff, who was surprised by the diversity of her boss' 'obsessed' fans.

'These fans they're really They want their Cookie. They want their Cookies and eating it too!' Sheriff laughed on Instagram.

Little black dress: The Empire diva paired her nude boots with a plunging LBD and lots of Chanel jewelry selected by stylist Jason Bolden

'Now that is love! Thank you so much!' Taraji also sported a black fringed bob wig for her literary event located in Manhattan's Union Square

Mini-Cookie! At one point, a sassy little girl made sure to rock a pair of sunglasses specifically for her photographed encounter with the groundbreaking Golden Globe winner

'They want their book signed. Shoo! Who knew she was Harry Potter's competitor? I mean, there's some serious people in here buying this book. Unexpected too! I mean every race, age, sex - it's crossing boundaries. They love her. The fans love her and she's excited.'

Meanwhile, the Washington, D.C.-born beauty - who boasts 19.5M followers - called the love 'overweening' and thanked her loyal New York fanbase for attending on social media.

Missing from the festivities was Taraji's 22-year-old son Marcell Dikembe Johnson, whose father William was murdered in 2003.

'Every race, age, sex - it's crossing boundaries!' All the action was captured by Henson's make-up artist Ashunta Sheriff (L), who was surprised by the diversity of her boss' 'obsessed' fans

Sheriff laughed on Instagram: 'Shoo! Who knew she was Harry Potter's competitor? I mean, there's some serious people in here buying this book...They love her. The fans love her and she's excited'

'Around the way is like saying from the neighborhood, like from the hood,' Henson said of her tome's title to NPR's Morning Addition on Friday.

'I never went [to Hollywood] with the expectation of failure. I never even thought about that. If anything, I knew I was going to make a dent in Hollywood and no one would stop me.'

The Howard University grad continued: 'God bless Halle Berry! Even though Hollywood loves her look, she had to create her own lane. There wasn't a lane for Halle Berry - she had to create that. And I had to create my own lane.'

'#MyMainAppleScrapple': Missing from the festivities was Taraji's 22-year-old son Marcell Dikembe Johnson, whose father William was murdered in 2003

'One Before Another': Henson can currently be seen as music mogul matriarch Loretha 'Cookie' Lyon in the third season of the Fox soap Empire, which airs Wednesdays

Henson can currently be seen as music mogul matriarch Loretha 'Cookie' Lyon in the third season of the Fox soap Empire, which airs Wednesdays.

The three-time Emmy nominee will also play real-life NASA mathematics genius Katherine Johnson in her biopic Hidden Figures.

The African-American female flick - also starring Janelle Monae, Octavia Spencer, and Kevin Costner - hits US theaters January 13 and UK theaters February 24.

'Colored Computers': The three-time Emmy nominee will also play real-life NASA mathematics genius Katherine Johnson in her biopic Hidden Figures
The former Shadow Chancellor and his Russian-born partner Katya Jones delivered another frenetic performance

Ed Balls took the Strictly stage by storm again last night  with a routine that could easily have been seen as a message to the embattled Labour Party.

The former Shadow Chancellor and his Russian-born partner Katya Jones delivered another frenetic performance when they danced the Paso Doble to the Bonnie Tyler hit Holding Out For A Hero.

The former Labour MP donned chain mail and a cape to take on the role of a knight who has to rescue his damsel from a dragon.

It left some wondering whether Balls pictured himself heroically riding to the rescue of Labour, which has been riven by turmoil under Jeremy Corbyns leadership.

Balls and Jones have become firm favourites with Strictly Come Dancing viewers  but the shows judges have been harder to impress.

Despite their usual energy, the pair got a paltry 16 marks last night and the routine was savaged by all four members of the panel.

Head judge Len Goodman said he spent the routine holding out for a Paso Doble rather than a hero while Bruno Tonioli said Balls had danced like a cross between a demented traffic warden and a spin dryer.

Balls was one of 12 celebrities who performed in last nights show, the first since the shock departure of pop star Will Young. Presenter Claudia Winkleman said: If you are watching, Will, we love you and wish you all the best.

Just hours before taking to the stage, model Daisy Lowe, who has been photographed topless and in the nude during her career, said her antics on the dancefloor were far more terrifying than anything she had done in front of the camera.

She said: Oh my God, Strictly is so much more nerve-racking. I am a bag of nerves and a very clumsy one at that.

Lowe, who is partnered with former Strictly champion Aljaz Skorjanec said she had been particularly worried about dancing a sensual Rumba last night to the George Michael classic Careless Whisper.
They found love with one another after failing to create a connection with Richie Strahan on The Bachelor Australia.

And on Saturday, Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon were reunited with one another after spending a couple of weeks apart to return to their 'normal' lives.

To document their reunion, the pair stripped down to their lace lingerie for the camera.

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Revealing: Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon stripped down to their lace lingerie on Saturday as they posed on a bed together

In the image, which was shared to social media, the ladies showed off her toned figures and ample cleavage as they displayed big smiles.

Megan dressed in a matching white underwear while wearing her blonde locks out and pulled over her shoulders.

The 27-year-old knelt up on the bed in the frame while Tiffany stretched out and laid on her back in front of her.

Inseparable: Megan captioned the revealing image: 'With my baby'

She too kept her blonde hair out while she slipped into a black pair of lingerie, which featured sheer panels.

Megan captioned the image: 'With my baby'.

The day earlier, Tiffany shared a black and white images of herself straddling her pal on the beach with the captioned: 'One more sleep until I get to see my favourite human.'

Counting down: The day earlier, Tiffany shared a black and white images of herself straddling her pal on the beach with the captioned: 'One more sleep until I get to see my favourite human'

Clearly excited for her BFF to be back by her side, Megan, left a suggestive comment underneath the photo.

'I'm bringing you some sexy lingerie... haha not kidding,' the health promotions officer said cheekily.

The blonde beach babes have sparked speculation that they're in a relationship since leaving the Bachelor mansion.

Together? The pair have sparked speculation they're in a relationship since leaving the Bachelor mansion after sharing a string of racy snapshots of their time together

Appearing inseparable, the pair have been sharing a string of racy snapshots of their time together.

From posing completely naked in the bush to sharing spaghetti while topless, there seems to be nothing they haven't done as a twosome.

Speaking to NW, Megan - who famously walked out on Richie - said she wouldn't 'rule out' a relationship with another woman.

True love? Megan - who famously walked out on Richie - said she wouldn't 'rule out' a relationship with another woman

'I'm usually attracted to men but I don't rule anything out... I would say Tiff's in the same boat,' Megan said.

She added: 'Tiff is a beautiful woman and we're very close'.

Meanwhile, Tiffany said: 'I did find love on The Bachelor... I love [Megan] so much'.
Rachel Zoe was a vision of beauty as she attended the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Saturday in Los Angeles with her family.

The 45-year-old had an ethereal quality in a billowing white gown with an ornate necklace, the perfect get-up for the lush, natural surroundings of the Will Rogers Polo Club, where the event was held.

The Zoe Report stunner's adorable two-year-old son Kaius was impeccably styled in a white hat with a navy blue jacket and shorts and brown sandals.

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Classic beauty: Rachel Zoe, 45, held her two-year-old son Kaius at the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in Los Angeles Saturday

Infectious smile: The loving mom was attentive to her adorable child at the lush event

First family of fashion: (Left to right) Rachel, Skyler, Berman and Kaius were perhaps the most couture-laden clan on the swanky polo grounds during Saturday's event

Her husband Rodger Berman wore a khaki suit to the proceedings, while her five-year-old son Skyler matched his mom in an all-white get-up of a white hat, shirt and shorts with brown sandals.

The Fashionably Late with Rachel Zoe beauty - who made her bones styling trendy celebs such as Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan - has never been one to dial back the doting: This summer, the family-focused beauty called her older son a 'magical fearless angel' in an Instagram post upon his first major educational milestone, completing preschool.

The style maven, who's been married to Berman since 1996, on Friday rubbed elbows with one of the fashion industry's rising stars, Kendall Jenner, at a party celebrating the opening of a new Beverly Hills boutique called What Goes Around Comes Around, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Perfect match: Polo matches are a perfect destination for the fashion professional, as the sporting events traditionally draw well-heeled spectators who dress up for the occasion

Best dressed: No matter the event or venue, Zoe always has the fashion answer as one of the industry's foremost experts

Disney Darlings: Kristen Bell from Frozen and Mandy Moore from Tangled had a nice side hug

Flawless: Camilla Belle showed off her winning looks in a smart dress with a slit up the front

Prim: Scream Queens stunner Lea Michele covered her body in this to-the-floor white dress

The fashionista, whose show The Rachel Zoe Project aired for five years on Bravo, was one of many high-profile celebs on hard at the well-heeled event.

Others seen on hand Saturday included Lea Michele, Vanessa Hudgens, Kristen Bell, Mandy Moore, Isla Fisher, Camilla Belle and Eiza Gonzalez.

One of the sport's most-recognizable figures, Nacho Figueras, was also on hand with his stunning wife, Delfina Blaquier.

A 10 on any day! Vanessa Hudgens looked beautiful in white at the Renaissance Faire

Fetching: The actress wore a sheer lace white dress that looked like it would fit in at the Renaissance Faire

We'll skol to that! The 27-year-old Grease: Live star wore her hair up in braids with flowers in it that looked inspired by Swedish country girls

The 39-year-old sportsman, who has modeled for Ralph Lauren's famed Polo line, said the sport's ties to high-style goes back centuries.

According to Nacho, the 'influence of royalty and aristos' led to the matches turning into informal fashion show.

'The fashion tradition still exists today: all guests are encouraged to show off their best,' he told Los Angeles Confidential.

Caliente! Stars usually dress in a more conservative manner when hitting the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic. But not Mexican model and actress Eiza Gonzalez

True Blue Beauty: Actress Skye P. Marshall attended the 7th Annual Vueve Clicquot event

Elsewhere, Camilla Belle showed off her winning looks in a smart dress with a slit up the front. The dress was unusual as it appeared as if she had a black tank top underneath a one-shoulder-strap gown.The creation came below her knee and had a slit up the front that exposed her toned leg. Strappy beige heels added five inches to her petite build.

Also at the event, Michele, who had on a long-sleeved, to-the-floor white lace dress that looked prim compared with what she usually wears to a star-studded event. She also wore her hair back.

Hudgens had on a sheer lace white dress that looked like it would fit in at the Renaissance Faire. The High School Musical vet looked almost coquettish in the off-the-shoulder number with her a black choker.

On fire: Also at the event was Isla Fisher, who looked pretty in a red-and-white dress with stunning red heels

Pretty as a picture: Inside the event, Isla stood next to white tables on fake grass

The 27-year-old Grease: Live star wore her hair up in braids with flowers in it that looked inspired by Swedish country girls. Her maroon velvet heels that had a thin ankle strap and peep toe are a Nineties flashback. The beauty also flashed an on-trend pointy black and white manicure.

Also at the splashy event was Mexican model and actress Eiza Gonzalez. The 26-year-old Baby Driver star showed off her curves in a flirty Alice and Olivia summer dress at the event thrown in the exclusive Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

Gonzalez looked confident on the green carpet in her little floral dress. It appeared to be made from satin with pink, red, green and yellow embroidery. The neck line was plunging and then hem came well above her knee, showing off her toned and tanned legs. She paired the outfit with Louise et Cie brown strappy heels with a a Viunce Camuto bag

Offbeat: Beauty Michelle Monaghan went an interesting route in wearing polka dots

More beauties! Olivia Culpo had on a floral flirty dress (left) while Lauren Conrad went with a floral gown too, only her's went to the floor

Fun in the sun! Zoey Deutch, Gonzalez, Delfina Blaquier, Monaghan and Fisher pose for a group shot
They confirmed they were expecting their first child together last month.

And on Saturday, actor Mel Gibson and his pregnant girlfriend Rosalind Ross arrived in Sydney ahead of the movie premiere of Hacksaw Ridge.

As they strolled through the International Airport, the pair attempted to keep a low profile, keeping their heads down while wearing dark shaded sunglasses.

Down Under: Mel Gibson and his pregnant girlfriend Rosalind Ross arrived in Sydney on Saturday ahead of the movie premiere of Hacksaw Ridge

Rosalind hid her growing baby bump from the cameras as she dressed in a black trench coat, which she tied up at the front, and denim jeans.

Mel looked downcast as he dressed casually in a button-up shirt and jeans while keeping close to his pregnant partner during their transit.

The pair confirmed they are expectant parents last month in a statement to People.

Under cover: As they strolled through the International Airport, the pair attempted to keep a low profile, keeping their heads down while wearing dark shaded sunglasses

Hiding: Rosalind hid her growing baby bump from the cameras as she dressed in a black trench coat, which she tied up at the front, and denim jeans

'Mel and Rose are so excited about the baby,' a representative told the magazine.

'Mel loves being a dad and he and Rose can't wait to be parents together. The last two years have been some of his happiest years he's ever had.'

The latest edition will be the 60-year-old actor's ninth child and the first for his 26-year-old partner.

Low profile: Mel looked downcast as he dressed casually in a button-up shirt and jeans

Under cover: He attempted to hide his identity with a baseball-style hat

Mel has seven children with ex-wife Robyn Moore: Hannah, 36, twin boys Christian and Edward, 34, William, 31, Louis, 28, Milo, 26, and Thomas, 17.

He also has a six-year-old daughter, Lucia, with former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

The Oscar winner and Ross first went public with their romance at this year's Golden Globe Awards in January, when they were spotted leaving an after-show party hand-in-hand.

Baby on the way: The pair confirmed they were expecting parents last month in a statement

In love: The latest edition will be the 60-year-old actor's ninth child and the first for his 26-year-old partner

Recently, The Patriot star has seen a resurgence in his career with his latest directorial effort in Hacksaw Ridge.

The World War II drama is reportedly garnering Oscar buzz after a standing ovation after its debut at the Venice Film Festival earlier in September.

The film hits theatres on November 4.

Family: Mel has seven children with ex-wife Robyn Moore: Hannah, 36, twin boys Christian and Edward, 34, William, 31, Louis, 28, Milo, 26, and Thomas, 17
He's been looking forward to his wedding since his partner Paul popped the question in September.

And Alan Carr has talked about his plans for the big bash next year, suggesting it could resemble a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.

The Chatty Man host, 40, said he wants the Channel 4 show's dressmaker Thelma Madine to design his outfit.

Exciting times: Alan Carr (pictured with partner Paul) has lifted the lid on his plans for the big bash next year, suggesting it could resemble a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

He told The Daily Star: 'I could have a big puffy number with glitter and butterflies on it. In fact, I'd love her to do my whole wedding.'

Asked who would be walking down the aisle, Alan said: 'That's the eggy bit because it's deciding who is the b**ch of the relationship.

'Though to be fair I love making a big entrance and I am a bit of an attention-seeker so it will probably be me.'

Alan also revealed that he wants his friend Adele to perform at the bash next year, adding: 'She loves gays... she's really happy for us.'

Looking forward: The Chatty Man host, 40, and said he wants Channel 4 show's dressmaker Thelma Madine to design his outfit

The couple - who have been an item for eight years - were enjoying a holiday in Indonesia when actor Paul popped the question during a meal.

Alan, 40, admits that he thought he had had a dental accident while chowing down on his dessert - only to reveal his beau had hidden an engagement ring in the pudding.

However, the wedding won't be a tipsy affair - Alan has revealed in his new book that Paul has struggled with alcoholism.

He says: 'I want to be there for him because he's the best thing that's happened to me and I've got to support him and everything.'

Asked who would be walking down the aisle, Alan said: 'That's the eggy bit because it's deciding who is the b*tch of the relationship

Out there: Alan won viewers over with his outrageous outfits and flamboyant personality

Talking about his demons in August, Alan admitted: 'To be honest, it was a tough year for my Paul last year. He had a few issues with alcohol, and a lot of the time that was because I was away so much.

'I was out there, working hard, earning the money, and I neglected my personal life, really, so I feel a little bit to blame for that.'

Meanwhile, Alan's Carr's show Chatty Man is reportedly being axed by Channel 4 after failing to compete with The Graham Norton Show.

The show - which has entertained fans for 16 series - has been left behind in a fierce ratings war with Norton and ITV's The Jonathan Ross Show.

Chatty Man garners only 2 million viewers on average, half of Norton's 3.9 million following on the BBC, and Channel 4 are said to have made the decision to call time.

End of an era: Alan Carr entertained his viewers over 16 series - but now the show is reportedly coming to an end

According to The Sun, Alan said at the launch of his new book ALANATOMY: 'I just think that the art of the chat show has evolved unless you can get the amazing guests all the time that Norton gets.

'I'll be honest with you, I don't think moving it to a Thursday was the best move. It feels like a party show, a Friday show.

'Three guests a week and Channel 4, God love 'em, extended it to 30 episodes - that's 90 guests who are relevant and people are interested in, up against the amazing Norton and Jonathan Ross.'

Alan - who's won a BAFTA and two NTAs for his show - said he felt he'd taken Chatty Man as far as he could.

The star will reportedly present a new show called Happy Hour, which is set to air at 8pm on Fridays later this year.

Channel 4 bosses told MailOnline that a decision has yet to be reached regarding any future series of Chatty Man. Alan's reps have also been contacted.
The author, comedian and Kenny star is notoriously private when it comes to his family.

But a lot is set to be unveiled about Shane Jacobson on Tuesday as his episode of Who Do You Think You Are? goes to air.

The 46-year-old told The Daily Telegraph one of the most astounding revelations in the episode was how his Finnish family reached Australia - with the move coming down to a plucky 19-year-old and his dreams of a better life.

Family ties: Kenny star Shane Jacobson discovered the unconventional way his great-grandfather reached Australia through his involvement with SBS show Who Do You Think You Are? (Pictured with wife Felicity Hunter in March 2013)

Shane's great-grandfather Otto was travelling on the SS Waltikka, which was sailing around the world, and jumped ship in Adelaide.

The discovery was a personal link for Shane to a hotly debated issue in Australian politics.

'People talk about boat people and I wouldn't be here (in Australia) if someone hadn't jumped off a boat,' he told the paper.

Flush with fame: Kenny, an independent Australian film, enjoyed wild success and propelled the 46-year-old to fame in 2008

'He made a decision to illegally enter this country. He wasn't supposed to do it that way.

'He didn't get here with the proper process but thank God he did. Because now my children and I are now here in Australia.'

Unless someone is seeking asylum, it is illegal to arrive in Australia undocumented on a boat. It is not known if Otto was seeking asylum or was simply seeking a better life.

Taking a risk: Shane's great-grandfather jumped off a boat which had travelled from Finland as it passed Adelaide when he was only 19 years old. The actor says it's strange hearing his family is in Australia because of something portrayed so negatively

Regardless of his intentions, Shane could not be happier to be in Australia.

His own father struggled as a child - living in a tent, unaware of his real name or date of birth until he was 16 - but for the AFI Award-winning actor, the boat jump was the best thing that could have happened.

The father-of-four's career took off with the runaway success that was Kenny, an Independent Australian film about a man with a port-a-loo business.

Since, he has appeared in high budget movies such as The Dressmaker and The Bourne Legacy - and a television spin-off of his movie called Kenny's World.

Who Do You Think You Are? airs on SBS on Tuesday at 7.30pm
She was heartbroken when her fiance John Dineen died in December.

But playing a drug-taking con artist has reportedly helped Michelle Dockery deal with difficult times.

The Downton Abbey star, 34, got the part of hard-drinking criminal Letty Raines in Good Behaviour just after John's death.

Couple: The Downtown Abbey star, 34, got the part of hard-drinking criminal Letty Raines in Good Behaviour just after John's (left) death

'Friends and family see you through the most difficult times,' she said about the new role.

'But acting can help at certain times in your life. It's a release in some sense and it was very fortunate for me that this came along at the just right time.

'It wasn't a conscious decision to do something so totally different from Lady Mary but I was hooked on the script from the first page. I loved the complexity of the character. Letty's a joy to play and a real blessing for me.'

Happier times: Michelle Dockery with partner John Dineen (pictured, left, at the Queen's cup polo final last year and, right, at the Winter Whites Gala in London in 2013)

Michelle's new role is quite the contrast from Downton's Lady Mary Crawley, which has brought global success to Essex girl Michelle.

Her fiance John died aged 34 in December and the funeral was held in County Cork, Ireland.

Michelle Dockery led mourners at the funeral and paid an emotional tribute to 'my friend, my king, my hero, my everything' before she sang his favourite song.

Far cry from Downton: Michelle in TV series Good Behaviour

A hit: Michelle achieved worldwide recognition for her work on Downton Abbey

She attended the ceremony at St James' Catholic Church near Mr Dineen's family home in the village of Waterfall, County Cork, along with his parents, siblings and friends.

During the funeral, Michelle stood at the altar and paid tribute to her partner, telling the congregation: 'I was honoured to know John. To love him and be loved by him.'

She then sang her partner's favourite song - 1930s Hammerstein favourite 'The Folks Who Live on the Hill' from the altar - on the day before what would have been his 35th birthday.
Hacksaw Ridge wrapped up filming earlier in the year.

Now, after a long awaiting nine months, the WWII-based film is set to premiere in Sydney on Sunday.

Ahead of the movie's debut Down Under, actor Andrew Garfield opened up about his experience working alongside Mel Gibson.

'Caring parent': Actor Andrew Garfield has opened up about his experience working alongside Mel Gibson on Hacksaw Ridge, ahead of the film's Sydney premiere

During an interview with the Daily Telegraph, the 33-year-old gushed with pride over his encounter with the Hollywood star, who directed the film.

'I absolutely love working with Mel because he is so passionate and such a caring parent on set,' he began to explain.

'He really creates an environment for you to reach your potential and fill all your heart and soul into the project.

'He is so confident in his ability to tell a story and it makes you confident in him.'

Pride: The 33-year-old gushed over his encounter with the Hollywood star who directed the film, saying: 'He is so passionate and such a caring parent on set'

Right at home: He added: 'He really creates an environment for you to reach your potential and fill all your heart and soul into the project'

Andrew's comments comes after fellow Hacksaw Ridge actor Troy Furner opened up about what it was like to be on set with superstar Mel.

While speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the up-and-coming actor described the award-winning actor as a 'perfectionist'.

The 28-year-old said: 'Mel Gibson kind of took me by surprise because he was very energetic and really on the ball and always running around.

Learning experience: Fellow Hacksaw Ridge actor Troy Furner opened up about what it was like to be on set with superstar Mel

Shocked: Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, he described Mel as a 'perfectionist' saying: 'Mel was hands on he even grabbed one of the actors and rolled around in the dirt with him'

'I didnt think he would be like that. He was very particular and nothing could be out of place. He made sure everything was perfect, he was like a perfectionist.'

Troy continued: 'Mel was hands on and was telling us which way to look and how to look and was being very hands onhe even grabbed one of the actors and rolled around in the dirt with him just to show him what he wanted him to do.'

Hacksaw Ridge will be released in cinemas in Australia on November 3 and in the U.S. on November 4.
She's one of Australia's most recognisable television presenters who is successfully tackling the US.

And on Friday, Renee Bargh celebrated Variety's Power of Women luncheon in Los Angeles.

Putting on a leggy display, the 29-year-old stunned in a black and white floral mini dress.

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Pretty! On Friday, Renee Bargh celebrated Variety's Power of Women luncheon in Los Angeles and stunned in a black floral mini dress

The number featured a plunging neckline, billowing sleeves and a lace hem.

She teamed the look with black platform heels and showed off a golden tan.

The blonde wore simple makeup, including dewy foundation and lashings of mascara and a soft pink lip.

Renee had her long locks out and over her shoulders and straightened.

Glowing: The blonde wore simple makeup, including dewy foundation and lashings of mascara and a soft pink lip

Picture perfect: The number featured a plunging neckline, billowing sleeves and a lace hem

Taking to Instagram after the event, she captioned a red carpet image of herselg: 'Here's to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.' Honored to be surrounded by a tribe of powerful women- both personally & professionally.'

She added the hashtag 'who run the world' in a nod to Beyonce's female empowerment track Run The World (Girls).

Renee - who is close friends with Delta Goodrem and Ashley Hart - is currently a presenter on US' Extra and has had the role since 2010.

The personality - who hails from Queensland - is making a name for herself, having previously starred on Channel [V] Australia.

Doing well: Renee - who is close friends with Delta Goodrem and Ashley Hart - is currently a presenter on US' Extra and has had the role since 2010

More recently, she enjoyed time with Australian supermodel Nicole Trunfio at the beach in Los Angeles.

Nicole also had her adorable toddler Zion, one, there.
There's been a growing number of celebrities supporting Joshua Sasse's Say I Do Down Under campaign for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia.

And on Saturday, Natalie Imbruglia was the latest star to join the initiative as she took to Instagram to pose in the official campaign T-shirt.

'Everyone should have the right to marry the one they love!' wrote the 41-year-old.

'Everyone should have the right to marry the one they love!' Natalie Imbruglia showed her support for the Say I Do Down Under campaign on Saturday

She continued: 'Visit www.sayidodownunder.com to learn more about this campaign!'

The brunette finished: 'I stand with you @sayidodownunder #loveislove #onlylove @joshuasasse @kylieminogue.'

Countless stars have shown their support for Say I Do Down Under, including Ellie Goulding, Margot Robbie, Sam Frost and Brendan Fevola.

'I stand with you @sayidodownunder #loveislove #onlylove @joshuasasse @kylieminogue,' wrote Natalie (Kylie Minogue pictured above)

Support: Margot Robbie (left) and Ellie Goulding (right) are two of the A-listers to show their support for Say I Do Down Under

Joshua Sasse, who is behind the campaign, recently vowed that he wouldn't tie the knot with fiancee Kylie Minogue until same-sex marriage is legalised.

The actor explained to The Fix that he came to a decision along with the 48-year-old pop star to wait until equality is granted before getting hitched.

'It doesn't feel right that we're planning to get married and go through all of this when we're running a campaign for marriage equality,' he said.

Legalise it! Radio hosts Fitzy and Wippa also support the campaign, and recently interviewed the Say I Down Under founder Joshua Sasse to help raise awareness

The British actor echoed a similar sentiment during an interview with Nova 969's Fitzy and Wippa this week.

'I don't know how we can, in all good conscience, in the middle of a campaign like this and then get married.'

He added: 'That's not ethical, is it?'
It was a day of glee for a TV songbird and a British rock star Saturday at the Beldi Country Club in Morocco.

That's where actress Dianna Agron, 30, and Mumford & Sons banjoist Winston Marshall, 27, exchanged vows, about nine months after they became engaged last December.

Carey Mulligan was also in attendance and the entire event lasted three days.

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Man and wife: Dianna Agron, 30, and Winston Marshall, 27, got married Saturday in Morocco

Three ladies waiting: Pal Tracy Dubb posted this photo from the trip. That's Agron in the white headdress in the middle

Another look: Kyle Hotchkiss Carone captioned this photo: 'Pretty girls in pretty dresses'

Scene of the nuptials: Rob Fishman, co-founder of Niche, posted this image with a blonde friend; here the camels with pink, orange and red cloths can be seen in the background

Winston 'is the nicest guy and treats her like a princess,' the source said. 'He is so thoughtful and flies her family everywhere they go and to see them whenever she wants. He is also so good to her friends.'

The rising stars were initially tabbed a couple in July 2015, when they were seen holding hands in the romantic city of Paris.

Marshall and Agron, who shot to fame on Fox's Glee, followed up their Parisian romance with another PDA-laden outing the following month at the after-party for the premiere of the Jennifer Aniston film Shes Funny That Way, held at West Hollywood's Sunset Tower.

Amour: Both Agron and Marshall had been involved with other stars before, as he dated Firework singer Katy Perry, while Agron had been involved with actor Alex Pettyfer

Strong chemistry: Agron is clearly comfortable with her English beau in these shots, taken in September of 2015 in NYC

Bling: Agron wore her stunning engagement ring to a London Fashion Week show in February

Strummin': Marshall and his three bandmates collected the Best Album Grammy in 2013 for Babel

During that outing, an insider told the magazine that 'Dianna was smiling and laughing a lot, and seemed really happy.'

In the wake of news about their engagement making the rounds, Agron stepped out at Erdem's London Fashion Week showcase sporting a huge diamond sparkler with a gold yellow band and a rose-cut diamond in February.

Both young talents remain on the way up in their work: Marshall is coming off the summer release of his group's EP Johannesburg, while Agron has completed four movies (in different stages of production) on their way to the theater.

Eye on the prize: Agron has been able to parlay her Glee fame into a film career since the musical show wrapped up last year

Among them: Hollow in the Land, a thriller which she has a leading role in; The Crash, with Maggie Q and Minnie Driver; Headlock, co-starring veteran Andy Garcia; and Novitiate, a period piece about religion.

Both had been in starry relationships before: Winston was tied to pop star Katy Perry, while Agron had been in relationships with her I Am Number Four co-star Alex Pettyfer, Australian actor Thomas Cocquerel and Dave Franco, the 21 Jump Street star whose older brother is A-lister James Franco.
He was booted from The Bachelorette on Thursday night after failing to impress Georgia Love during a competitive group date.

But Clancy Ryan says that his elimination didn't come as a huge surprise, with the 29-year-old confessing that he had an inkling he was going home after she avoided hugging him at the end of the group date.

'Shes a bit of a long hugger, and she gave everyone these very long hugs,' he explained to Mamamia.

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'It came to me and she pretty much gave me a high five:' Clancy Ryan told Mamamia that he knew he was going home on The Bachelorette after Georgia Love avoided hugging him

He continued: 'And then it came to me and she pretty much gave me a high five on the way out and went back to the bus.'

Clancy previously revealed that he somewhat predicted his time on the show was coming to an end after not being able to communicate with Georgia for a fortnight following their single date.

'After my single date, the intruders came in and there was the elimination date there was a lot happening. I dont think I spoke to Georgia for maybe two weeks, in real terms,' the medical sales rep told news.com.au.

He finally got a hug! Georgia ended up hugging Clancy... after failing to give him a rose at the rose ceremony

Saw it coming: Clancy previously revealed that he somewhat predicted his time on The Bachelorette was coming to an end, after not being able to communicate with Georgia Love for a fortnight following their single date

He added: 'Ever since then I saw what was happening, that the relationship Id formed was going by the wayside'.

At the rose ceremony on Thursday night, Clancy found himself in the bottom two with rival Cameron.

Cameron eventually got the last rose and Clancy had a dignified farewell.

Date: For their first date, the pair enjoyed outdoor ice skating, but Clancy says the pair didn't really speak for the following two weeks

Georgia looked close to tears but Clancy tried to comfort her by telling her 'it's alright.'

He later said in a piece to camera after leaving the mansion, that he wishes her well.

'Of course I would have loved to receive a rose tonight and loved to continue, but if she has a stronger connection with the other guys, I think that she needs to pursue that,' Clancy said.

Not where you want to be: At the rose ceremony on Thursday night, Clancy found himself in the bottom two with rival Cameron

Tough: Georgia looked close to tears as she evicted Clancy, but he tried to comfort her by telling her 'it's alright'

'It's only gonna get harder and harder for Georgia here.'

'I hope the person that Georgia picks has Georgia's best interests at heart.'

Clancy added: 'I hope that he treats her with the respect and admiration that she deserves.'
They've struggled throughout their time on the show to win the judges over with their apartment.

And on Sunday's episode of The Block, Chris and Kim were back on the bottom of the leader board after kitchen reveals.

The couple scored a measly 24 points out of 30 and Chris vented to camera, calling the judges 'muppets.'

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Not happy? The Block's Chris and Kim scored a measly 24 points out of 30 for their kitchen and Chris vented to camera, calling the judges 'muppets'

'We're getting very jack of their rubbish comments,' the policeman said.

'At the end of the day we have to sell that apartment and they are carrying on like muppets about it.'

After getting the judges feedback on their kitchen, Kim also said: 'I don't know why they keep jamming that knife in.'

Questionable? Chris and Kims kitchen (seen) felt clumsy to Neale while Shaynna said I cant see two buyers fighting over this kitchen

While their spacious butler's pantry was praised, the judges weren't too sure on the the rest of the kitchen.

Judge Shaynna Blaze commented: 'I can't see two buyers fighting over this kitchen.'

Neale Whitaker meanwhile commented: 'It feels a little bit clumsy to me... something feels wrong, everything slightly clashes.'

The judges: (From L to R) Darren Palmer, Neale Whitaker and Shaynna Blaze score the rooms each week

Doing well: This week for the kitchens, rivals Dan and Carleen and Karlie and Will (pictured) tied on full points, 30 out of 30 for their respective kitchens

Chuffed: Dan and Carleen (pictured) scored a win this week

It comes after Chris and Kim were slammed last month on the show for their master bathroom.

Fellow judge Darren Palmer came to blows with Neale at the time, with Darren arguing the tap, cabinet handles and faux marble weren't art deco and it clashed.

This week for the kitchens, rivals Dan and Carleen and Karlie and Will tied on full points, 30 out of 30 for their respective kitchens.

It meant they each got $10,000 and they also won the one night stay away from the block and had to share the accommodation together.

The boys finished on 29 points, Julia and Sasha on 28 points and Chris and Kim on 24 points.

Luxurious: Darren Palmer meanwhile labelled Dan and Carleens kitchen (pictured) so beautifully coherent it actually sings
Former paralympian Kelly Cartwright was proposed to by her partner Ryan Miller in Switzerland last month.

And now back in Australia, the happy couple and their son, Max, celebrated their engagement dinner in a low-key Saturday celebration in Melbourne's Geelong.

The 27-year-old shared a few adorable snaps from the joyous occasion to Instagram, including a shot of herself, fiance and son in matching denim ensembles.

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Seeing double... denim! Former paralympian Kelly Cartwright celebrated her engagement dinner in Geelong on Saturday, posting an adorable Instagram snap of herself, fiance Ryan Miller and their son Max all in matching denim outfits

She captioned the image: 'On Saturdays our family wears blue | happy engagement dinner to us @ryanjm313 love you always x.'

Kelly couldn't contain her smile as she rested her hand on her partner's bicep to showcase her stunning new pear-shaped topaz and diamond engagement ring.

The mother-of-one wore a blue, bell-sleeved denim-look dress, as her son and partner wore matching collared, button-up denim T-shirts.

Engagement dinner: Kelly's fiance Ryan placed his hand over her shoulder as they listened to speeches before cutting the magnificent-looking cake on the table in front of them

Appearing to only accessorise with her new sparkler, she wore her hair down and opted for neutral tones with her makeup.

In later posts, Ryan placed his hand on her shoulder as they listened to a series of speeches in front of a large decorated dessert.

The 2015 Dancing With The Stars contestant directed the attention to the cake in the post, with the hashtag 'thatcakethough'.

A sweet evening! The epic four-tiered cake was dripping with caramel sauce and adorned with popcorn and other chocolate treats. The mother-of-one cheekily posted about the indulgent cake in a separate Instagram upload, saying she had 'waited all night for this'

Earlier posting a detailed description of the cake, claiming she 'waited all night for this.'

The epic four-tiered cake was dripping with caramel sauce and adorned with popcorn, Maltesers and Ferrero Rochers.

The Australian athlete used the upload to thank the baker, as well as announce 'it tasted as great as it looked!'

'I said yes!' Kelly Cartwright and her partner Ryan Miller have announced their engagement, with Ryan popping the question in Switzerland

The engagement dinner follows the couple's public engagement announcement on Instagram five weeks earlier.

Taking place among the Swiss Alps, Kelly also revealed that the couple's young son Max was involved in the celebrations.

Kelly captioned her romantic post: 'With cheese on plastic plates, red wine in paper cups, Max fighting sleep & the most beautiful view in the world. Ryan asked me to Marry him. I said yes. I love you @ryanjm313 & thank you for making Max part of it. #love #switzerland #7/9/2016.'

Sweet: Kelly, 27, revealed their son Max, nine months, was involved

The family headed off for Europe together and first arrived in Germany.

While there, they checked out the famous Lichtenstein Castle.

In January, Kelly and Ryan announced the birth of son Max, with Kelly sharing the news and a sweet snap to Instagram.

'Welcome to the world Max William Miller.'

Playing tourist! The family headed off for Europe one week ago and first arrived in Germany where they checked out the famous Lichtenstein Castle

Sightseeing! It appears they are also holidaying with some close friends

'Welcome to the world': In January, Kelly and Ryan announced the birth of son Max, with Kelly sharing the news and a sweet snap to Instagram

'Born @ 1.17pm today weighing 2.8kgs @ryanjm313,' she added, alongside a love heart and baby emoticon.

In the snap, Kelly was makeup free and glowing and appeared to be in hospital.

She was seen cradling her tiny tot in her arms, who was dressed in a black and white polka dot onesie.

Baby bump: Shortly before the birth, Kelly revealed to her fans that she has been trying to induce labour and asked followers for tips

She gave birth at just over 40 weeks pregnant.

Kelly's sporting achievements include winning two medals at the London 2012 Paralympics.
She's a social media star known for flaunting her very ample assets.

And on Saturday night Tyga's rumoured former flame Demi Rose did it again, this time while enjoying dinner at the Haymarket Hotel in London.

The 21-year-old beauty made sure all eyes were on her as she arrived in a hip-hugging, champagne-coloured gown that oozed glamour and class.

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Busty babe: On Saturday night social media star Demi Rose showed off her ample assets while enjoying dinner at the Haymarket Hotel in London

Held up by tiny spaghetti straps, the dress put her sun-kissed decolletage on full display, and it plunged deeply to her cleavage.

This fashion warrior wore gladiator sandals that featured three straps around her ankles and lower leg, and one that crossed her perfectly pedicured toes.

The shimmering frock clung to her contours beautifully, showing off her hour-glass figure, which she hones through a strict regimen of yoga, cardio and weight training.

Stunner: The 21-year-old beauty made sure all eyes were on her as she arrived in a hip-hugging, champagne-coloured gown that oozed glamour and class

She's got it: Held up by tiny spaghetti straps, the dress put her sun-kissed decolletage on full display, and it plunged deeply to her cleavage

Baby got back: Demi's dress cupped her rear beautifully, putting her per posterior on fine display

Freshly bronzed from a recent holiday in Ibizia, Demi painted her face to perfection, enhancing her natural beauty with a matching palate of foundation, a light dusting of blush, and a slick of pale pink lippie.

Her dark tresses fell past her breasts, and she wrapped them around her right shoulder, using the gorgeous mane as a glamorous accessory that left onlookers ogling.

The social media favourite became the talk of the globe this summer after being pictured with Tyga on several occasions, including during a trip to the Cannes Film Festival.

Let it shine! Freshly bronzed from a recent holiday in Ibizia, Demi painted her face to perfection, enhancing her natural beauty with a matching palate of foundation

Hairography: Her dark tresses fell past her breasts, and she wrapped them around her right shoulder, using the gorgeous mane as a glamorous accessory that left onlookers ogling

On-point: Demi stood tall in a pair of sky-high heels that included sexy strap detailing

But things moved on at a whirlwind pace after the Ayo hitmaker got back together with his ex Kylie Jenner, with the pair even sparking engagement rumours after she showcased a giant diamond on her ring finger on social media.

Following her sudden rise to fame, Demi's parents Barrie, 78, a former bank manager, and Christine, 61, said she is a very different person at home and insisted they were proud of her.

Her mother said: 'We're right behind her. She's such a beautiful girl, why shouldn't she? If you've got it, flaunt it. She's very kind and a really down-to-earth girl  nothing like what we are seeing in the press.'

Squad goals: Demi likes to surround herself with like-minded people, as seen in this snap of her and her busty pals
She's known for her voluptuous physique and surgically-enhanced E cup breasts.

And on Sunday, Zilda Williams channelled Baywatch star Pamela Anderson as she frolicked on Bondi Beach in a tiny red one piece.

The 33-year-old flaunted her perky assets as she took to the ocean to cool off from the heat.

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Babe watch! On Sunday, Zilda Williams channelled Baywatch star Pamela Anderson as she frolicked on Bondi Beach in a tiny red one piece

The blonde beauty wore her blonde locks out and her make-up low key, her talons matched her nude lipstick and at times she shaded her eyes with aviator-style Ray Bans.

As she took to the ocean, the one piece rode up her hips to flash her ample posterior.

Meanwhile, her breasts spilled out of the swimsuit showcasing her enviable cleavage and generous side boob.

Natural look: The blonde beauty wore her blonde locks out and her make-up low key

Looking good! Zilda was in fine form on Sydney's famous Bondi Beach

Perky! As she took to the ocean, the one piece rode up her hips to flash her ample posterior

Perky! The 33-year-old flaunted her perky assets as she took to the ocean to cool off from the heat

Tatts a good look: The reality TV star's ankle tattoo could be seen as she walked through the sand

Look at me! I'm Pamela Anderson, the New Zealand version!

As the ocean drenched her suit, Zilda's nipples were on full display.

The reality TV star seemed to be in good spirits as she played around in the waves despite them crashing over her.

As her hair became wet, Zilda scrunched her hair into a stylish top knot.

Feeling nippy? As the ocean drenched her suit, Zilda's nipples were on full display

Sideshow: her breasts spilled out of the swimsuit showcasing her enviable cleavage and generous side boob

Good times: The reality TV star seemed to be in good spirits as she played around in the waves despite them crashing over her

Her sun kissed complexion was tanned to perfection although a couple of G-string style tan lines were on display.

Zilda's tiny tattoo was also in sight, positioned close to the unflattering tan lines.

Tan fail? Her sun kissed complexion was tanned to perfection although a couple of G-string style tan lines were on display

Eye-eye! As she opened up her blue zipper, onlookers were treated to a generous show of her cleavage

After a refreshing dip in the ocean, Zilda headed back to her sunbaking spot where she reached into her bag.

As she opened up her blue zipper, onlookers were treated to a generous show of her cleavage.

Feeling shy? At one point, Zilda attempted to adjust her swimsuit as it began to ride further up her hips

At one point, Zilda attempted to adjust her swimsuit as it began to ride further up her hips.

Shortly she took to the sand to stretch out and top up her tan.

Zilda, who found fame as one of the breakout stars of The Bachelor last year, has also been recently seen with noticeably larger lips.

Zilda, who found fame as one of the breakout stars of The Bachelor last year, has also been recently seen with noticeably larger lips

Off the surgery? Earlier this year, the stunning blonde admitted that she'd stopped getting Botox and had sworn off artificial enhancements in order to be taken more seriously as an actress

Earlier this year, the stunning blonde admitted that she'd stopped getting Botox and had sworn off artificial enhancements in order to be taken more seriously as an actress.

'I chopped off the hair and got a breast reduction. I wanted to strip my image down a bit,' she told New Zealand's Stuff.

Stripping down? 'I chopped off the hair and got a breast reduction. I wanted to strip my image down a bit,' she told New Zealand's Stuff

Changing? I'm changing, I'm getting older and I want people to see me as I am. I'm a down-to-earth Kiwi girl, I'm not a blonde from the Gold Coast

She continued: 'I'm changing, I'm getting older and I want people to see me as I am. I'm a down-to-earth Kiwi girl, I'm not a blonde from the Gold Coast.'

These days, the Rachel Hunter lookalike can be seen lighting up Sydney's social scene.

Over the past few weeks, the curvy stunner has been seen partying up a storm with local celebrities like The Bachelor's Keira Maguire and Noni Janur, Australian Survivor's Sam Webb, and NRL bad boy Willie Mason.

Social butterfly: These days, the Rachel Hunter lookalike can be seen lighting up Sydney's social scene

Now and then: Zilda Williams showed off her suspiciously plumper pout (left), which looked much larger than it did in a photo taken just two weeks ago (right)

Is it really you? The 33-year-old actress and reality star showed off a MUCH larger pout than usual in a string of Snapchat selfies, sparking fans to speculate whether she'd had work done
Real Housewives of Sydney's Melissa Tkautz revealed that her busy filming schedule for the reality television show has her feeling 'really clucky'.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Friday night, Melissa admitted not seeing her children as often as she'd hoped has set off her internal body clock.

The mother-of-two admitted that she would 'love to have another child' but admits that she's 'so bloody old now' and worries she might not be able to.

'I would love to have another child': Real Housewives of Sydney's Melissa Tkautz revealed that her busy filming schedule for the reality television show has her feeling 'really clucky'

'I am really clucky at the moment. I don't know whether it is because I am working so much and I'm not seeing my babies as much but I could do it, it would just have to be within the next six months.'

The doting mother-of-two is often seen posting family snaps on Instagram with her children, Ayla and Cuba and recently posed with the pair in a picture captioned: 'Fun times with my babies!'

Another picture shows the busty blonde posed with her children and husband, Kwesi Nicholas, at a Father's Day lunch.

Melissa rose to fame with her appearances on hit television shows including E Street, Home And Away, All Saints and Housos.

Doting mother: Melissa posted a picture with her children Ayla and Cuba captioned, 'Fun times with my babies!'

Family fun: Melissa recently posted another picture with her family at a Father's Day lunch with husband Kwesi Nicholas

The 42-year-old media personality told the newspaper playing a character comes naturally to her, but the thought of playing herself has been 'confronting'.

'Usually when I walk on set I am playing a character so to go on set as myself is very confronting.

'You are basically putting yourself out there. I was so curious to know what it is like to do reality TV, I've done everything else so why not give it a go,' she added.

This will be Melissa's debut in reality television starring alongside housewives Victoria Rees, Athena Levendi, Krissy Marsh, Matty Samaei and Nicole O'Neil.

Accident: The reality show has already made headlines when Melissa and co-star Lisa Oldfield were participating in a stunt on Wednesday when one of the women was caught in a rip

Surgery: The woman, who the newspaper suggests may have been Lisa (pictured in hospital before undergoing spinal surgery) was taken to a medical centre at Airlie Beach

The show has already made headlines, when a member of the cast was rescued from a rip during a stunt in Queensland's Whitsundays on Wednesday.

Melissa and co-star Lisa Oldfield were among the housewives participating in the stunt when one of the women was caught in a rip, reported The Daily Telegraph.

The woman, who the newspaper suggests may have been Lisa - who recently underwent spinal surgery - was taken to a medical centre at Airlie Beach.

The Real Housewives of Sydney will premier a ten-part series next year.
She's known for her head turning style.

And now, Ashley James hasn't disappointed the fashion police as she sported a floor-length sheer gown as she arrived at the Global Gift Gala diner on Saturday in Spain.

Taking place at Marbella's Gran Malia Don Pepe, the 29-year-old flaunted her hourglass curves in the high-necked eye-catching number which boasted 3D floral embellishment covering her modesty.

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Style maven: Ashley James hasn't disappointed the fashion police as she sported a floor-length sheer gown as she arrived at the Global Gift Gala diner on Saturday in Spain

Statuesque beauty Ashley displayed her never-ending toned pins in the semi-sheer lace number that featured a nude slip and highlighted her golden glow.

Letting her dress do the talking, the former Made In Chelsea star - who was DJing at the worthwhile event - simply accessorised her look with statement studded earrings and sprinkling of silver rings across her hands.

Leaving her golden locks loose, she styled her tresses into a deep voluminous side parting as she teased her mane into a straight style.

Adding inches to her frame, Ashley slipped on a pair of nude strappy sandals that exhibited her red manicured feet.

Sparkle: Letting her dress do the talking, the former Made In Chelsea stunner simply accessorised her look with a statement studded earring and sprinkling of silver rings across her hands

Statuesque: Adding inches to her frame, Ashley slipped on a pair of nude strappy sandals that exhibited her red manicured feet

Picture perfect: Laura Hamilton, Storm Keating, Ashley James, Alesha Dixon and Maria Bravo (pictured left to right) posed up a storm on the red carpet

Supporting a glam beauty look, Ashley contoured her features to perfection with a heavy dusting of bronzer as she applied a slick of Urban Decay Backtalk to her pout.

Taking to Instagram ahead of the charity gala, Ashley shared a sultry snap of herself outside the worthwhile event, posing to perfection.

She wrote: 'Just arrived in paradise at Ronan Keating's @globalgiftfoundation evening ready to spin some tunes and raise some money. #globalgiftgala'.

Fashion forward: Taking to Instagram ahead of the charity gala, Ashley shared a sultry snap of herself outside the worthwhile event in all her fashion glory

Despite forever wowing in the style stakes, Ashley recently revealed she didn't always love her hourglass figure, and as a teenager she was so unhappy that she wanted to have a breast reduction.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the star admitted she got as far as having a consultation after finding her ample bust was being sexualised by her peers and even her teachers.

'When I was 15 me and my mum went for a consultation about a breast reduction just because I hated [my breasts],' she revealed.

'But at the moment I don't think I would have cosmetic surgery... but I totally understand why people would. Each to their own.'

Glam: Supporting a glam beauty look, Ashley contoured her features to perfection with a heavy dusting of bronzer as she applied a slick of Urban Decay Backtalk to her pout

Candid: Despite forever wowing in the style stakes, Ashley recently revealed she didn't always love her hourglass figure

Ashley, who previously suffered from body dysmorphia, explained that she thinks the condition stemmed from the constant attention her chest received, as she explained: 'I think a lot of it comes from having big boobs.'

'I think there's a lot of judgement and sexualisation around boobs - but it's not like I've bought them - they're part of my body!' she continued.

'I tried to dress a lot frumpier and older than I was to avoid comments from boys and teachers even.'
WWII-based film Hacksaw Ridge wrapped filming earlier this year.

And, ahead of its November release, director Mel Gibson and pregnant actress Teresa Palmer hit the premiere in spectacular fashion in Sydney on Sunday.

As the media personalities posed together on the red carpet, it was an unsaid battle of the beard and the bump.

Premiere night: WWII-based film Hacksaw Ridge Director Mel Gibson and actress Teresa Palmer hit the red carpet premiere of WWII-based film Hackshaw Ridge in Sydney on Sunday

In high spirits, the pair gave teethy grins and laughed uncontrollably while being snapped by the photographer.

Teresa, expecting her second child, wore a floor-length maroon gown with sheer, ruffled sleeves and a ribbon design above her burgeoning bump.

Flaunting her ample assets, she showed off some cleavage in the low-cut design.

Meanwhile, Mel showcased his large beard while sporting a navy blue suit with a white button-up and striped blue tie.

Battle of the beard and bump! In high spirits, the pair gave teethy grins and laughed uncontrollably while being snapped by the photographer

Happy! Teresa wore her hair in an elaborate braided updo, accessorising her look with a mosaiced mirrored clutch and simple orange drop earrings

Beautiful! Teresa was positively glowing in her floor length gown, as she showcased a slight peek at her ample assets in the low-cut design

Teresa wore her hair in an elaborate braided updo, with slight stray hairs hanging beside her ears.

Accessorising her look, the actress held a mosaiced mirrored clutch and wore simple orange drop earrings.

The mother-of-one wore a dark red lipstick, while embracing her natural glow with a flawlessly bronzed makeup complexion.

Natural glow: The mother-of-one wore a dark red lipstick, while embracing her natural glow with a flawlessly bronzed makeup complexion

It's assumed Mel Gibson is set to make an astonishing comeback with this new film, Hacksaw Ridge, which has already had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

He has now been tipped for a Best Director Oscar after it received shining reviews from critics.

The World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge made its debut out of competition at the festival, and was met with a 10-minute standing ovation from the audience.

Hacksaw Ridge will be released in Australian cinemas on November 3.
They announced their split last month after 11 years together.

And Liev Schreiber, 49, and Naomi Watts, 48, seem to be keeping things fairly amicable despite their differences.

But on Saturday morning Liev was seen leaving his ex's New York City apartment, looking somewhat downcast after a slightly uncomfortable exchange with Naomi.

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Downcast? On Saturday morning Liev was seen leaving his ex's New York City apartment

Uncomfortable exchange: Liev was seen having a slightly uncomfortable exchange with his ex Naomi

Later in the day the blonde took their sons Samuel Kai and Alexander 'Sasha' Pete for a stroll through the city.

Liev looked sharp in a dark blue button up shirt, which he sported underneath a fitted, tan blazer.

He teamed those with fitted jeans and brown oxfords as he hopped on his Vespa after leaving Naomi's apartment.

He wore a stylish pair of glasses, and was spotted playing it safe in a black motorcycle helmet.

On good terms: Liev Schreiber was spotted leaving ex Naomi Watts' New York City apartment on Saturday, following their September announcement that they were splitting after 11 years together

Mom and me! Later that day Naomi was seen stepping out for a stroll with their sons (pictured, younger son Samuel)

Meanwhile, ex Naomi stepped out for a bit of bonding time with their sons Samuel, seven, and Sasha, nine.

She looked polished in a patterned, black top, which she wore underneath a stylish, tan pea coat.

She showed off her toned pins in a pair of fitted, dark wash jeans, and completed the look with black boots.

In good spirits! Liev seemed to be in a good mood, showing off a smile as he left Naomi's apartment on Saturday

Hitting the road! The Ray Donovan star was later seen driving away on his scooter

Suave: Liev looked sharp in a blue, button up shirt, worn with a fitted, tan blazer

She accessorized with a pair of over-sized sunglasses, and covered her shoulder-length, blonde tresses with a wide-brimmed, brown hat.

After ex Liev sped away from her place on a scooter this morning, Naomi was seen walking hand-in-hand with son Samuel, as she and the children took a stroll.

And she had been spotted the day before getting in a bit of bonding time with her younger son as they took a walk together.

Family bonding: Naomi could be seen reaching for her older son Sasha's hand as they walked around New York City together on Saturday

Sophisticated: The Oscar nominee looked stylish in a patterned, black top, worn with a tan pea coat and fitted, dark wash jeans

Here we go! The blonde beauty had accessorized with a pink scarf as she was spotted earlier in the day

She walked hand-in-hand with the seven-year-old while also carrying her beloved, adorable dog Bob.

Naomi and Liev announced their split last month after 11 years together. And though they have not addressed the reason for the split, their shared statement seemed to confirm that there was no bad blood.

The statement read: 'Over the past few months we've come to the conclusion that the best way forward for us as a family is to separate as a couple.'

Doting! The day before Naomi had been seen holding son Samuel's hand as they walked together

Woman's best friend! Naomi brought along beloved dog Bob for the walk with Samuel on Friday

'It is with great love, respect, and friendship in our hearts that we look forward to raising our children together and exploring this new phase of our relationship.'
He's the controversial Hollywood star known for multiple booze-fuelled incidents and racist rants.

But Mel Gibson claims his past is indeed in the past in an interview with Channel Seven's Sunday Night.

He reveals that as an Alcoholics Anonymous member he has 10 years of sobriety under his belt.

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Controversial Hollywood star Mel Gisbon claims he has 10 years of sobriety under his belt following his public DUI incident in 2006, in an interview with Channel Seven's Sunday Night

Arrested: In 2006 the actor blew a blood alcohol rating of 0.12 while driving more than twice the legal speed limit in Malibu

The Oscar winner was embroiled in furious controversy in 2016 amid claims he launched an anti-Semitic rant after being arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.

The drink driving offense occurred more than a decade ago in Malibu, with Mel reportedly recording a blood alcohol rating of 0.12 while being caught driving twice the legal speed limit.

Speaking of the reports at the time, he said: 'I didn't look. It was too hard to look at.'

'It's ingenuous reporting!'': The Oscar-winning actor claims reports in recent years that he's 'loaded' or drunk are wrong and he finds the whole reporting process disheartening

And even now, the actor finds reports distressing: 'It's disheartening. You have to read every other year that you're loaded, when you're not. It's disingenuous reporting.'

He explained it was the worst moment of his life.

'Imagine the worst moment you ever had recorded and broadcast to the world... that's what happened,' he said.

'The worst moment': The actor spoke candidly about how as an actor he lost his personal anonymity and his worst moment of his life was recorded and broadcast to the world

But when asked what he would do if given a do-over, he answered: 'I'd do it all differently. Because a thing happens (when you get famous), you give something away, personal anonymity, and you never get it back again.'

While the actor-turned-director also summed up Hollywood in the one word 'survival', he says he done just that.

'Feeling sorry for ourselves or having a pity party about the past or whats happened its just not worth it, cause it affects the present and it affects the future,' he said.

During the station's airing of the Hollywood heavyweight interview, Mel was attending the Australian premiere of his new film, Hacksaw Ridge.

Braveheart: Mel won two Oscars for his roles as producer and director of the 1995 film, in which he also starred

Directing again: After only a handful of acting credits since 2005, Mel was given the opportunity to produce WWII-based drama Hacksaw Ridge, in Australian cinemas from November

The move back to the big screen, after only a handful of acting credits since 2005, is set to be Mel Gibson's astonishing comeback, according to critics.

The World War II drama made its debut out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, and was met with a 10-minute standing ovation from the audience.

Mel has now been tipped for a Best Director Oscar after it received shining reviews from critics.

Career comeback? Mel is tipped by critics for a Best Director Oscar after it received shining reviews at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year
She's carving a career as a model, after being signed to high-profile agency IMG in March.

And it seems Hailey Baldwin is really finding her feet in the industry, after being announced as the face of the new Guess Holiday Campaign.

The 19-year-old blonde showcased her incredible model physique in the effortlessly gorgeous shots - which were taken on location in Palm Springs, California.

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Made it: Hailey Baldwin, 19, smouldered in effortlessly gorgeous shots for fashion brand Guess after being announced as the face of their holiday campaign

Posed against the backdrop of a luxurious beach house, the shots had a simple and toned-down feel as Hailey subtly smouldered in the forefront.

One shot saw her pose in a pair of soft pink paper bag trousers and a delicate white bra, giving a slight hint of her saucy cleavage and toned tum underneath a chic silver bomber.

Upping the sex appeal slightly, the Arizona native then clad herself in a tight-fitting denim dress, which hung loosely off her shoulders.

Denim dream: Upping the sex appeal slightly, the Arizona native clad herself in a tight-fitting denim dress, which hung loosely off her shoulders

Cheeky! The blonde beauty then draped her slender frame across a couch in a slinky grey midi dress - enhancing her posterior again

The clingy frock hugged and flattered her rounded derriere as she posed with her back to the camera - showcasing her golden tresses cascading sexily down her back.

Keeping the same focus, the ES magazine cover girl later draped her slender frame across a couch in a slinky grey midi dress - both changes that enhanced her womanly posterior in the shot.

Pulling the black spaghetti strap of the sexy number off her shoulder, the beauty showed off even more sun-kissed skin for all to see as she fiercely bore her eyes into the camera.

Onwards and upwards: Hailey features in the Christmas adverts after fronting the brand's A/W campaign earlier this year

Futher shots saw the youngster dressed in a figure-hugging jumper dress, which she paired with a trendy matching choker, and a winter twist on a bomber jacket, which featured fleece lining on the front.

Hailey features in the Christmas adverts after fronting the brand's A/W campaign earlier this year.

With supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Gigi Hadid also modelling for the brand in the past, it is clear that Hailey had proved her new-found spot in the fashion industry by bagging the campaign.

Model material: With supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Gigi Hadid also modelling for the brand in the past, it is clear that Hailey had proved her new-found spot in the fashion industry

The former flame of Justin Bieber flitted around various agencies before being signed to big dogs of the industry IMG in March.

Since then, her career has sky-rocketed - appearing on the cover of Marie Claire and fronting campaigns for UGG and Karl Lagerfeld alongside Guess.

She also stormed many runways at the New York, London, Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks last month - walking for the likes of Julien Macdonald, Dolce and Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger and Elie Saab.

Talking about her Guess campaign back in July, she told Teen Vogue: 'It's really cool, and I was grateful to be put in that position. I think it came out really well.'

Hailey is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and graphic designer Kennya Deodato-Baldwin, who live in New York.

Born into an acting dynasty, her uncles are all thespians, including William, Daniel and Alec Baldwin, who is best known for his role in 30 Rock.
They struck up an unlikely romance on the E4 series Celebs Go Dating.

But after just mere weeks together, Made in Chelsea star Stephanie Pratt and former TOWIE entertainer Joey Essex have called it quits on their relationship.

A source told MailOnline: 'It's true that Steph and Joey have broken up. It hasn't worked out for a number of reasons, one of which was their schedules.'

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Happier times: In September Made In Chelsea's Stephanie Pratt and TOWIE star Joey Essex looked like the picture of happiness. But on Sunday it emerged they had called off their unlikely relationship

'When Steph was in LA she suggested that perhaps they should see other people because they were just from two very different worlds.'

'But Steph wishes Joey all the very best and they have parted on good terms.'

Speaking during the finale of the first series of 'Celebs Go Dating' just last month, Stephanie said she 'never thought I would fall for Joey Essex', before adding: 'This is the real deal.'

End game: A source told MailOnline that Steph suggested the couple see other people - despite their evident passion, as seen on the first episode of Celebs Go Dating

What happened? Three weeks ago Stephanie uploaded this tender selfie to Intagram, captioning it: 'Have fun in Americaaaaa! Pls bring some lucky charms cereal home'

Joey, on the other hand, said his relationship with Stephanie could be 'proper sick'.

He shared: 'I am so excited to walk into this dinner party with Steph. It's going to be sick.'

However, she admitted Joey is everything she 'doesn't want' in a man.

Coy! Just weeks ago, Stephanie insisted that the pair had exchanged 'I love yous' and insisted they would be together 'forever' during an appearance on Celebrity Juice

She said: 'He's everything I don't want in a man. He's vain, and he's skinnier than me. I can't even understand him. I need a dictionary.

'The only thing I'm really thinking is I can see being a best friend that I fall in love with.'

Similarly, Joey claimed he struggles to understand Stephanie's American accent.

He said: 'I couldn't retrain myself. Steph will have to compromise and I'll have to compromise with her.

'She's American. I can't understand a word she's saying. This is an international thing.

Revelations: While other show hosts gently teased Joey, Steph admitted that her TOWIE hunk is actually a very talented cook and 'so sweet and thoughtful'

Happy days! Host Keith Lemon and the fellow guests erupted into cheers after Stephanie admitted that she and Joey have exchanged 'I love you's'

'It's like speaking to someone from Spain. Most of the words she says, I'm like, "What?"'

The couple were the subject of endless scrutiny from the moment they hooked up on the show.

But Stephanie was quick to confirm that her budding relationship with Joey Essex was the real deal during her appearance on Celebrity Juice last month.

The blonde took to the ITV2 show to confirm that the pair had exchanged 'I love you's' and that she will be with her TOWIE hunk 'forever'.

Joining panelist Gino D'Campo's team for the episode, Stephanie was immediately quizzed on her relationship with the Educating Joey Essex star, 26, by host Keith Lemon.

When asked what it is like to date Joey, Stephanie smiled: 'It's the most fun ever. All we do is laugh, he's so sweet and thoughtful.'

Continuing to gush about her man, she revealed that their completely different backgrounds had helped their love to blossom - with Steph originating from LA and residing in Chelsea, and Joey growing up in Essex.

She said: 'I learn a lot from him. It's amazing. It gets quite international don't get me wrong I love where I live but I've never met anyone like him before. I think it says a lot about the Essex boys compared to the Chelsea boys.'

Keith later told the former The Hills star that the pair will have to return to Celebrity Juice if they stay together.

Indignant, Steph responded: 'If? We will be together forever!'

Looking at her in disbelief, she confirmed to the humorous host and audience: 'Definitely, we've said 'I love you'.
Australian model Shanina Shaik has revealed the realities of the fashion industry in her bid to carve out a career as an actress.

Speaking to Instyle, The 25-year-old admitted that she wants to work on more action movies after being cast in a cameo role for the newest Mummy film starring Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe.

The brunette beauty admitted that her role was only small but confessed she was still excited to be in such an amazing movie, hoping to use it to get into more action movies.

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New career? Australian model Shanina Shaik, 25, has revealed has said that 'modelling is not forever' in her bid to carve out a career as an actress and launch a skin care range

'I'm a real action girl, so I would love to be in action movies,' she told the publication.

'Modelling is not forever, but I will definitely see it as a platform to move into other things, maybe acting and hopefully starting my own brand,' she added.

But acting isn't the only career path the young model has set out for herself hoping, with the help of agent Annie Kelly, to embark on her own line of skin care products.

'Over the years being in the make-up chair and working with amazing make-up artists  I've learned so much.'

'I will definitely see it as a platform to move into other things': The Victoria's Secret model said that modelling isn't a career she sees herself in forever but will use it as a stepping stone

In August Shanina revealed that she felt like she lacked the confidence to pursue acting despite being offered roles in movies such as Superman 2 in fear of not remembering the lines.

The Victoria Secret's model revealed that getting older and the added bonus of acting lessons has helped her get ready to take on her first acting role.

After launching Seafolly's spring '16 campaign in Sydney, Shanina flew over to the scorching Namibian desert to start filming for her role in the film, which also stars Tom Cruise.

Little is known about her role and the new plot of the revamped Mummy series but will be set in the modern day.

'My first movie': In August Shanina revealed that she felt like she lacked the confidence to pursue acting in fear of not remembering the lines

'Yesterday's adventure': But with age and acting lessons Shanina flew over to the scorching Namibian desert to start filming for her role in The Mummy with actors Tom Cruise and Russel Crowe

This is a stark contrast to the period setting of the last three titles under The Mummy umbrella, which starred Brendan Frasier.

Star Trek and Transformers writer Alex Kurtzman has been brought on-board to helm the project, and will take up the reigns as director.

The latest take on the classic monster flick is slated for a 2017 release at the moment, with the film due to hit screens in June.

The full interview will be available in Monday's edition of Instyle.
His former girlfriend Stephanie Davis is expecting her first child although he vehemently denies he is the father.

And Jeremy McConnell looked as though his mind was worlds away parenthood as he lived it up with Big Brother star Charlie Doherty in his native Dublin on Friday night.

The 25-year-old Irish model was seen greeting the fellow reality star, 31, as she arrived at his house after living it up at Krystle nightclub and The Wright Venue in the Irish capital.

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Sealed with a kiss: Jeremy McConnell looked as though his mind was worlds away his apparent fatherhood to ex-girlfriend Stephanie Davis' baby as he lived it up with Big Brother star Charlie Doherty in his native Dublin on Friday night

Jeremy first got a taste of TV fame in 2013 when he starred in MTV's short-lived reality show Beauty School Cop Outs before entering the Celebrity Big Brother house in January.

In the house he met former Hollyoaks star Stephanie after which they became locked in a toxic relationship which ended with Stephanie's pregnancy, although the Irish hunk maintains he is not the father.

Charlie, who starred in this summer's Big Brother, was living it up as she descended on the Irish capital before heading to Jeremy's house for what appeared to be an after-party.

The handsome model clutched a beer in his hand as he came to the door in a white T-shirt with a leather jacket - the outfit he was pictured wearing on his Instagram earlier in the evening.

Happier times: The 25-year-old Irish model was seen greeting the fellow reality star, 31, as she arrived at his house after living it up at Krystle nightclub and The Wright Venue in the Irish capital

Beer o'clock: Jeremy first got a taste of TV fame in 2013 when he starred in MTV's short-lived reality show Beauty School Cop Outs before entering the Celebrity Big Brother in January

Jeremy posted a snap with two female friends and a male pal with the caption: 'Double date', shortly after sharing an image just days before with a stunning companion with the caption: 'Date night'.

Charlie meanwhile was littering her Instagram feed with pictures of her trip including a night out with fellow Big Brother stars Hughie Maughan and Ryan Ruckledge.

During her working visit to Dublin, Charlie attended the Miss Ireland bikini event, where she wowed in a chic pink two-piece.

While Jeremy seemed to be living it up, Stephanie was in full nesting mode as she moved in to her first home ahead of the arrival of her first child - who she vows she shares with the hunky Irishman.

Kiss, kiss: During her working visit to Dublin, Charlie attended the Miss Ireland bikini event, where she wowed in a chic pink two-piece

Partying it up: Charlie and Jeremy greeted each other like old friends

Writing in her OK! Online blog last week, Stephanie informed her followers that her bump was larger than should be expected at this point in her pregnancy, and admitted she was 'nervous' about the scan.

She wrote: 'I'm always nervous about these things because you just worry about everything when you're pregnant. I hate it when they go quiet but everything should be fine.'

Stephanie also revealed in her blog that she would be keeping any future romances under wraps.

'If I was to get in a relationship, I will definitely be keeping it more private,' she explained. 'When I think I'm onto something good there's no way I will be putting it out there straight away unless it was impossible.

Having a giggle: Charlie got a fit of the giggles as she chatted to the hunk

That was then... Stephanie - who famously enjoyed a tumultuous relationship with the alleged father of her unborn child - also revealed in her blog that she would be keeping any future romances under wraps

Not getting better: Meanwhile, Stephanie's relationship with Jeremy doesn't seem to have improved in recent weeks, as she revealed that she would be picking their baby son's name without any input from him

'I will want to keep it special for me and not in the limelight because everyone ends up knowing every little move and I don't want that.'

Meanwhile, Stephanie's relationship with Jeremy doesn't seem to have improved in recent weeks, as she revealed that she would be picking their baby son's name without any input from him.

She told OK! magazine: 'The first name is going to stay as the one that means the most to me. The middle name I want to be something for myself, something I've picked for him on my own - it's a bit different and quirky.

'Everyone loves the first name, however, when he arrives there's a chance I could switch his first and middle name around but either way, I've finally decided.'
He popped the question earlier this summer after a whirlwind 10-month romance.

And Elliott Wright and his fiancee Sadie Stuart are still living the high life after enjoying a fun-filled beach and water park experience in Dubai.

The 24-year-old beauty put on a busty display in blue tie-dye bikini as she joined shirtless TOWIE star at The One and Only Royal Mirage and Atlantis The Palm.

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Beach babe: Elliott Wright's fiancee Sadie Stuart, 24, stunned a in blue tie-dye bikini as she joined shirtless TOWIE star for Dubai holiday

The gorgeous brunette put on an extremely busty display in her bejeweled two piece - which had a halterneck top to show off her ample cleavage.

She showed off her super-toned legs as she perched by the pool wearing bikini bottoms with delicate chain detailing on the sides and bows to flatter her curves.

Covering her eyes with a pair of over-sized shades, she was joined by her beau Elliott for their sun-kissed vacation.

Couple time: The handsome star quit the ITVBe reality show last year to move back to Spain and focus on his successful restaurant business, which he has built over nine years

The handsome star quit the ITVBe reality show last year to move back to Spain and focus on his successful restaurant business, which he has built over nine years.

Elliott opened up about his decision to propose to Sadie in a recent interview with MailOnline.

He enthused: 'Sadie is stunning, she's incredible. My children love her. That's important for any parent. If it was a case my children didn't like her, or she wasn't interested then it would be a no go area.'

Loved up! The pair are enjoying each other's company both at home in Marbella (right) and in Dubai (left) in their beachwear

Elliot is putting all his focus on his new show Playa in Marbella, based around him opening hip new beachside restaurant Olivia's, and the romance will play out for viewers on camera.

'As a dad when you see the way your woman bonds with your children it's automatically a massive ticked the box. Hopefully you'll see the fun side of Sadie on the show too', he added.

The couple are already starting to talk about having children to add to his two from his previous marriage.

'I'm 35 and Sadie is 24. She wants six kids, so we've planned it out now. I'm gonna be quite grey by the time I've finished. Maybe Mark and Jess [ Wright] will come and babysit - you never know.'
She was positively blooming in her floral look for the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in Los Angeles.

Lauren Conrad looked lovely in a ruffled flower patterned tank with matching trousers - both from her fashion label, Paper Crown, on Saturday.

The 30-year-old stepped out just days after celebrating the third anniversary of getting engaged to her now-husband William Tell.

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Fancy: Lauren Conrad was positively blooming in her floral look for the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Saturday

The former Hills star stepped on the carpet in her pale blue blouse, featuring orange and peach flowers emblazoned on it.

Lauren's feminine top, which had a ruffled neckline - is the Desert Lily Tank from her fashion company Paper Crown.

The matching trousers - called the Scottsdale pant - had a fitted waist with flared bottoms.

Both pieces are from Paper Crown's Spring 2017 collection, available in February.

Looking good: Lauren Conrad looked lovely in a ruffled flower patterned tank with matching trousers - both from her fashion label, Paper Crown, in Los Angeles

What a sparkler! The starlet showed off her engagement ring in October 2013 on her blog right after her beau William Tell proposed to her

The fashion designer styled the two-piece ensemble with aviator sunglasses, a delicate bracelet and several rings.

Lauren pulled her highlighted tresses back into a low 'do, opting for several loose pieces to frame her face.

The former reality star sported her signature cat eye liner with pink lip gloss and defined brows.

Wow: The 30-year-old stepped out just days after celebrating the third anniversary of getting engaged to her now-husband William; seen with Paper Crown co-founder Maura Oehm

Having a blast: Lauren posed for photos with Maura, who chose the Gobi dress from their Spring 2017 collection

Lauren posed for photos with Paper Crown co-founded Maura Oehm, who chose the Gobi dress from their Spring 2017 collection.

Last week, the MTV star celebrated the anniversary of her engagement to her now-husband William.

Following his proposal, Lauren gushed in a post she shared on her blog in October 2013.

Happily ever after: Lauren and William, who began dating in 2012, tied the knot on September 13, 2014

She posted a picture of her engagement ring as well.

Last week, the stunner tweeted: 'Can't believe William and I got engaged 3 years ago! Throwback to the second happiest day of my life.'

The star posted a pictured of various styles of engagement rings with the tweet.

Lauren and William, who began dating in 2012, tied the knot on September 13, 2014.

Inspired: Lauren shared a blog post about engagement rings as she celebrated three years since William proposed to her
In August she split from her boyfriend and Strictly Come Dancing partner Giovanni Pernice.

But it seems that former Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote has well and truly moved on, as reports suggest she is dating hunky male model George Alsford.

Speaking to the Daily Star, a source said: ' George fancies the pants off Georgia. They met at the offices of their agency and have been meeting up as much as they can around her hectic work schedule.'

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Catch of the week: George Alsford, a model signed with Select Model Management, is reportedly dating Coronation Street alum Georgia May Foot

'They're really enjoying each other's company. He thinks she's really hot and they're having a lot of fun together.'

George, who stands at 6ft 3in tall, is signed with Select Model Management, the same firm which represents Georgia.

He has appeared in campaigns for Hugo Boss, Pepe Jeans and Russell & Bromley, among other top-flight brands, and frequently shows off his gym-honed torso on his Instagram account.

Happier times: In May Georgia and then-boyfriend Giovanni Pernice looked smitten while attending a dance performance at Sadler's Wells

Pec-tacular: George, who stands at 6ft 3 in tall, has appeared in campaigns for Hugo Boss and Pepe Jeans

Georgia announced her split from Giovanni on Twitter in August, making it clear that the decision came down to them and them alone.

The 25-year-old wrote: 'It is with great sadness we have decided to split up. There is nobody else involved.

'Although it was not an easy decision to make, sometimes you realise that it is better to be friends and this is one of those times.'

Stud muffin: George showed off his razor-sharp cheekbones in this Instagram snap from last year

Georgia - who has taken over the role of Holly Golightly in the stage production of Breakfast At Tiffany's from Pixie Lott - recently appeared on Belfast Live and talked about the breakup.



She said: 'I'm quite a private person so I just get on with life, I've always said that my job is the most important thing in my life and my family.

'My family are happy and healthy and I'm working on a great show.

'I've literally just thrown myself into it completely. It's been such a great experience and I'm lucky that I've got it right now, I think, to do - to keep me busy. I just kind of get on with life, I don't really listen [to what's being said].'
She is the devoted mother to her two daughters Ava and Hero.

But Myleene Klass extended her maternal nature to over 100 other children on Sunday, as she helped a group of poorly youngsters board the Dreamflight jet at London's Heathrow Airport.

The 38-year-old stunned in an elegant floral dress as she chatted, laughed and fooled around with the kids - who all suffer from a range serious illnesses, disabilities and trauma.

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What a Klassy woman! Myleene Klass, 38, looked the picture of elegance in a floral dress as she attended the Dreamflight charity jet launch at London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday

The former Hear'Say star looked truly classy in the black frock, which was decorated with a vibrant poppy print.

Formed of black chiffon, the frock was subtly sheer to give a subtly sexy hint of her bra underneath as it cinched in beneath her bust.

The sophisticated number then flowed out into chic pleats to her knee, and featured a stylish pussy bow tie at the neck.

Gorgeous: The former Hear'Say star looked truly classy in the black frock, which was decorated with a vibrant poppy print

Having a ball: Clad in a costume pilot's hat, she posed for plenty of fun photos with the poorly children at the project's launch

Maintaining the look's elegance from head to toe, Myleene teamed her outfit with a comfy but classic pair of pointed tan heels, and kept her blonde locks sleek and straight.

Adding final glamorous touches the ensemble, the TV presenter accessorised with a pair of delicate gold hoops and a dainty gold 'M' necklace.

Myleene met the suffering children, chosen by doctors, before they boarded their luxury charity flight from Heathrow to Orlando, Florida - where they will visit popular attractions such as SeaWorld, Disney World and Universal Studios.

Me and my crew: Myleene posed with the pilots and cabin crew, before the children boarded their luxury charity flight from Heathrow to Orlando, Florida

The Classic FM DJ signed plenty of autographs and happily chatted to the kids ahead of their luxurious ten-day break in the States.

Clad in a costume pilot's hat, she posed for plenty of fun photos at the project's launch - including one with a pair of Storm Troopers from the Star Wars franchise - before high-fiving the kids playfully as they clambered on board.

Gushing about the rewarding day, Myleene said: 'It's been an absolute pleasure meeting the children here today. Dreamflight is a unique charity and it's been wonderful to see how excited the kids are to be flying to Florida in style on their own private British Airways' jet.'

Best day: Myleene gushed the charity day had been 'an absolute pleasure'

Giving back: The Classic FM DJ signed plenty of autographs and happily chatted to the kids ahead of their luxurious ten-day break in the States

Myleene has embarked on plenty of charity events recently - partaking in Global's Make Some Noise fundraising day and attending the Attitude Awards, which supports the LGBT community, last week.

Despite her busy schedule however she has appeared far more relaxed and happy than ever - after going public with her boyfriend, PR guru Simon Motson.

She told the Daily Mirror of her new romance: 'He is so hot. It's lovely. I'm enjoying myself.'

May the force be with you: The presenter got playful as she and the children posed with a pair of Storm Troopers from the Star Wars franchise

Gimme five! The former Hear'Say member then high-fived the kids before they clambered on board the luxurious jet

The fashionista kept their relationship under wraps for six months until Simon's marriage to his wife of seven years, Anna Walton, was officially over.

Myleene was previously married to bodyguard Graham Quinn - the father of her daughters Ava and Hero - but he ended their six-month marriage and decade-long relationship when he walked out on her 34th birthday in April 2012.

The couple were granted a divorce in April 2013.
She just added two more additions to her tattoo collection.

Lena Dunham shared her new ink on her Instagram Sunday, including a tattoo of The Odeon on her left butt cheek - in honor of the famed restaurant in New York City.

The 30-year-old actress also added ink on her stomach featuring a girl skateboarding - inspired by real life skateboarder Laura Thornhill Caswell.

Cheeky: Lena Dunham shared her new ink on her Instagram Sunday, including a tattoo of The Odeon on her left butt cheek - in honor of the famed restaurant in New York City

The Girls creator proudly shared off her new body art - all by tattoo artist and her friend Robert Bonhomme.

In one Instagram post, she created a collage displaying The Odeon tattoo, located on her behind.

The ink was done in an orange hue - which matched the neon sign of the real life eatery in Tribeca.

Lena captioned the snap: 'And because I'm a deranged daughter of TriBeCa, the Odeon neon sign now lives on my a*s for life.'

Looking good: The 30-year-old actress also added ink on her stomach featuring a girl skateboarding - inspired by real life skateboarder Laura Thornhill Caswell

The director also snapped a close up of her torso tat - featuring an illustration by artist Langley Fox of Lauren Thornhill Caswell.

The HBO star chose to have the artwork done above her scar from her endometriosis surgery she underwent in March.

Endometriosis is a disease where the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus; she was undiagnosed until after the first season of Girls wrapped.

Wow: The Girls creator got her Ferdinand tattoo on her arm retouched; she originally got the ink when she was 19 years old

Watch out Kim! Lena shared a nude mirror selfie

She wrote: 'He added this new one, a @langleyfox illustration of living legend @laurenthornhillcaswell. Cuz sometimes I really need a reminder that w came here to rip s**t up...plz note she's riding one of my Endo scars.'

Lena also got her large arm tattoo retouched; she divulged: 'Very satisfying evening getting my (decade old!) tats touched up by my good friend @rbrtbnhm at Brooklyn Tattoo.'

Her arm ink is of a grazing bull peeking out of flowers - which she said she got tatted 11 years ago.

Cool factor: She said: 'Very satisfying evening getting my (decade old!) tats touched up by my good friend @rbrtbnhm at Brooklyn Tattoo;' pictured in November 2014 at the Literary Awards

She said on Instagram: 'Ferdinand restored to his original pacifist glory...this was definitely the coolest thing I did at age 19.'

The tattoo was inspired by The Story Of Ferdinand - a children's book about a bull who would rather stop and smell flowers than fight.

She is a big fan of tattoos; Lena also has two houses inked on her upper back and the word 'staunch' on her wrist.

Strike a pose: She is a big fan of tattoos; Lena also one of two houses on her upper back, the word 'staunch' on her wrist; seen in January 2014 at the Golden Globe Awards in LA

What a view: The TV star has an image of two house tatted on her back; pictured at the Girls season four premiere in NYC

The author has Eloise - the children's book character - tatted on her lower back.

She also has a Yorkshire terrier inked on her rib cage - which her Girls co-star Jemima Kirke tattooed.

The sixth and final season of Lena's show - Girls will premiere in 2017 on HBO.

She is the creator, director and writer of the series - and she also stars in it.
The reality television couple have survived a torrent of abuse following the finale of The Bachelor.

But it seems to have made Richie Strahan and Alex Nation stronger than ever, with a friend of the single mother telling NW magazine, they 'wouldn't be surprised' if the pair were expecting a child.

'They're practically glued together and it's obvious she's hiding something exciting,' they said.

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Ready for the next step? Alex Nation and Richie Strahan have never been shy about their desire for children, but friends of the Melbourne mother say she might already be pregnant

Alex and Richie have enjoyed a post-television honeymoon of sorts since The Bachelor finale went to air.

The couple have been spending time in Perth and Melbourne, and are not shy about sharing their alone time with hundreds of thousands of social media fans.

A friend of the 25-year-old said she has spoken about wanting another baby, and is 'obsessed' with Richie.

Mumma bear: The 25-year-old has a five-year-old son from a previous marriage and has often gushed about having more children, describing motherhood as 'the best thing in my life'

The blonde beauty has not refuted the claims, and NW reports she gushed about the idea of having another child to the publication.

'I would love to have more children,' she said, adding: 'Motherhood is the best thing in my life.'

However, Richie has always seemed reluctant to have children anytime soon, maintaining during the series he wanted to travel first with his chosen one and settle down in some years from now.

No bump yet: A picture of the blonde beauty exercising by the ocean shows no sign of a baby bump, but her friend told NW it's clear she is 'hiding something exciting'

Family ties: Alex has spent time in Perth with Richie's family, but it is not known if Richie has spent any time with her family, or met her five-year-old son

But the Melbourne mother-of-one has said she has full confidence in her partner's fatherhood potential.

'I think he'd be a very active dad,' she said.

'I think he'd be wanting to take them to their sport, and he'd be really fun and really cool - very loving and very nurturing.'

Parent material? Alex has already helped raise one child, and Richie has spoken about how much he is looking forward to fatherhood

Meanwhile, fans of the couple are still desperately waiting to see Alex's five-year-old son Elijah meet the Perth man.

Last month, Alex told friends Richie would meet her son 'in the next month or so', but it is yet to be confirmed if the meeting has taken place.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Richie and Alex for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
She's been with boyfriend Orlando Bloom, 39, for almost a year now.

And it seems Katy Perry is ready to get serious, as she revealed to E! News: 'Children to me are becoming a big focus.'

The 31-year-old shared her passion for children at the Once Upon a Time Gala for the Children's Hospital Los Angeles on Saturday.

Baby on the brain! Katy Perry revealed at the Once Upon a Time Gala for the Children's Hospital Los Angeles on Saturday that 'children to me are becoming a big focus'

'I see the amazing thing of birth and children and the vulnerability and we just have to take care of them and how big of an impression we have. We have such a responsibility!' she said.

She also discussed being affected by her sister's two children, whom she had helped to deliver.

'I see it in my sister's kids and just how much nurturing and love they need...' Katy shared, after noting that she does not have her own children yet.

Going strong: Things have been getting serious between Katy and Orlando Bloom (pictured in May) with a source saying 'They are in love and happier than ever. [Orlando] would like to get engaged to [Katy] before the year is up'

Doting: Katy often posts about her love for her niece, who she helped to deliver, saying on Saturday: 'I see it in my sister's kids and just how much nurturing and love they need...'

And a source revealed that the Rise hitmaker has been thinking of settling down with the Lord of the Rings star.

'They are in love and happier than ever. [Orlando] would like to get engaged to [Katy] before the year is up,' the source said.

And despite going through a divorce from ex Russell Brand in 2011, Katy still sees marriage in her future, according to the source.

'They are happier than ever' It's been almost a year since Katy and Orlando first went public at the Weinstein and Netflix parties following the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards

'[Marriage and children] is something Katy has always wanted when she met the man she was ready to settle down with,' the said.

Katy and Orlando were first spotted getting close back in January at the Weinstein and Netflix parties following the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards.
He made quite the impression on Georgia Love from the very first day, presenting her with a thoughtful pasta bracelet gift at the first cocktail party.

And now The Bachelorette's Courtney Dober says he's thinking ahead, planning the next big move that could ensure him a place in the beauty's heart.

'I'm shopping for a ring at the moment,' the 30-year-old industrial designer told NW magazine.

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'I'm shopping for a ring': The Bachelorette Australia contestant Courtney Dober says he's planning to take things to the next level after giving Georgia Love a pasta bracelet

'I gave her a pasta bracelet when I first met her and now "I'm proposing",' he said.

The genetically-blessed hunk has had quite a ride with Georgia throughout the series so far.

He received the first impression rose, was the first man to go on two single dates, and was also the contestant to sacrifice his own time with Georgia on two occasions, so other contenders could romance the stunner.

Despite Georgia having expressed her disappointment with Courtney essentially giving up time to spend with her, Courtney is adamant the pair share a strong connection.

Lasting impression: During the first cocktail party, Courtney was given the first impression rose by Georgia after his very thoughtful gesture

Impressed: 'I've never been given a pasta bracelet in my whole life, and I love it,' she said

'[I'm her] number one of course,' he told the publication, before later adding, 'Georgia and I are in love. It's obvious'.

During last Wednesday's episode, television presenter Courtney landed single date time with Georgia for a second time, despite some of the guys in the mansion not having even had one single date yet.

But his rival Matt got annoyed when Courtney was named the lucky man over him, saying: 'It's a bit of a jab in the guts.'

He added: 'Honestly, you'd be one of my favourites in the house, I'm stoked for you, but that pisses me off. I'm not gonna lie'.

Connection: Courtney told NW magazine he's Georgia's 'number one'

Courtney meanwhile looked less then impressed when he heard he was chosen by Georgia.

'Really? I was feeling a little bit vulnerable and all the eyes were on me and in the back of my head I just wanted to go, "Yes!",' Courtney told the camera.

He said he wanted to go but joked to camera he was worried the other boys were going to punch him.

The guys in the mansion also noticed this visible disregard, telling him 'you don't look happy about it'.

Zoo time: Last Wednesday Courtney landed a single date with Georgia Love for the second time

Georgia took Courtney - who is also an industrial designer by trade - to the National Zoo in Canberra and the pair had a one-on-one experience with meerkats.

Afterwards, Georgia expressed her concern to Courtney that her feelings for him were one-sided and he didn't feel the same, especially after [the group date] last week.

She said to camera: 'I really like him. I just want him around all the time. So if I was to find out that that was just one-sided, I'd be devastated'.

The former journalist told Courtney: 'I know that it's nerve-racking being in this strange situation that we're in, but I do absolutely see you as someone that I could have in my life and, yeah... You know that I really like you'.

Putting her heart on the line: Afterwards, Georgia expressed her concern to Courtney that her feelings for him were one-sided

'So I feel like I've laid all my cards out on the table and just want to know if that's reciprocated, basically.'

The pair then shared a smooch as Courtney's way of answering her question.

'I get a really good feeling when I'm around you,' Courtney said.

He added: 'Because you do just make me laugh and I do feel very comfortable around you. That's why I kissed you 'cause I just... I honestly felt that that was right'.

'I'm enjoying just finding out more about you and showing you more about me and I feel like we do have such a great connection .'

Steamy! The pair then shared a smooch as Courtney's way of answering her question
Sam Johnston famously turned down Keira Maguire after the outspoken socialite tried to score a date with him.

But it looks like The Bachelorette bad boy may have still got lucky with a few Bachelor babes, with the reality TV star boasting to NW magazine that he's 'done both' Kiki Morris AND Noni Janur.

Kiki, 28, denied the tryst when contacted for comment, telling Daily Mail Australia: 'I've known Sammy since before either of us were even on the show, we have the same circle of friends. That's as far as it goes!'

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Naughty boy! After hinting that he'd had a threesome recently, The Bachelorette's Sam Johnston told NW magazine that he's 'done both' Kiki Morris and Noni Janur

Sam's saucy claim follows his recent appearance on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, in which he hinted at having a threesome after leaving the Network Ten dating show.

When asked by host Kyle Sandilands if he was using the show to get laid, Sam laughed and confessed, 'Maybe.'

He also said he was definitely getting back into the dating world.

The Lothario even let slip that he 'possibly' had a three-in-a-bed romp since being dumped by Georgia Love.

Did they fall under Sam's spell? The Bachelorette bad boy says he romanced Bachelor babes Kiki Morris (left) and Noni Janur (right) but it's unclear if there's any truth to his claims

What happened to good old fashioned values? Sam told The Kyle and Jackie O Show that he'd 'possibly' had a threesome since being dumped by Georgia Love on The Bachelorette

While busty gal pals Kiki and Noni may have enjoyed a good time with Sam, Keira Maguire wasn't quite so fortunate.

The Bachelor breakout star professed her adoration for Sam in an interview with Fairfax Media, even telling the electrician: 'Call me!'

However, much to her dismay, it turned out that Sam wasn't particularly keen on Keira.

Close but no cigar: While Sam was happy to spend time with Kiki and Noni, he turned down Bachelor villain Keira Maguire after she asked him to give her a call

'The way I gave Rhys (Chilton) a hard time was very light-hearted but the way Keira behaved was a very different thing,' he told the West Australian.

Since being turned down by Sam, Keira has focused on 'me time' and become a regular fixture on Sydney's social scene.

Meanwhile, Kiki and Noni also appear to have shunned men for the time being after 'starting a new life together' as roommates in Sydney.
Missiles may have been fired at US warships in Red Sea: official

Three US warships in the Red Sea detected what may have been missiles fired at them on Saturday but none hit, the US military said, amid rising tensions with Yemen's Huthi rebels.

US officials initially said that surface-to-surface missiles had been fired at the USS Mason, USS Nitze and USS Ponce off the coast of Yemen starting around 1930 GMT, though it was unclear how many.

They later backtracked, saying that the ships detected what may have been missiles.

A guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87), seen on August 3, 2016 - (Navy Visual News Service (NVNS)/AFP/File)

"A US Strike Group transiting international waters in the Red Sea detected possible inbound missile threats and deployed appropriate defensive measures," a US defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"Post event assessment is ongoing. All US warships and vessels in the area are safe."

The USS Mason destroyer, which was sailing in international waters off Yemen's coast earlier this week, used unspecified countermeasures against the incoming missiles, a military official said.

If confirmed, the attempted missile strikes would be the most serious escalation yet of the US involvement in a deadly civil war that has killed more than 6,800 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since a Saudi-led coalition launched military operations last year.

Officials have stressed that Washington wants to avoid getting embroiled in yet another war in an already volatile region.

On Thursday, the US Navy launched five Tomahawk cruise missiles at three mobile radar sites in Huthi-controlled territory on Yemen's Red Sea coast, after the Iran-backed rebels blasted rockets at the USS Mason twice in four days.

The military insists these moves are taken out of self-defense. The Huthis have denied conducting the attacks.

Though the United States is providing logistical support to a Saudi-led coalition battling the rebels, Thursday's launches marked the first time Washington has taken direct action against the Huthis.

But the US strikes earlier this week did not take out Huthi missiles and, though the radar destruction makes it harder to aim the weapons, officials have warned rebels could still use spotter boats or online ship-tracking websites to find new targets.
Australian carriers ban recalled Samsung phone

Australian airlines barred the recalled Samsung Note 7 from all planes from Sunday citing its "potential fire risk", after a similar ban was imposed by US officials.

Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, has halted production of its latest flagship mobile device and recalled all Note 7 phones and replacements in the wake of reports of exploding batteries and fires.

"(The ban) is due to concerns regarding potential fire risk from the device's battery after a number of incidents worldwide and follows a ban put in place by regulators overseas," Qantas and its discount carrier Jetstar said in a statement late Saturday.

Samsung has halted production of the Note 7 smartphone in the wake of reports of exploding batteries and fires Jung Yeon-Je (AFP/File)

"The ban applies to devices being carried onto the aircraft, in carry-on baggage as well as check-in luggage."

Virgin Australia and Tigerair Australia issued similar announcements.

Virgin added that passengers were "strongly advised" not to bring the Note 7 phone to airports.

The Australian carriers previously told customers not to use or charge the smartphone if they were carrying it onboard flights, after Samsung's initial recall of the "phablet" last month.

US officials said Friday all Note 7s were barred from airplanes and anyone attempting to travel with the recalled handsets may face fines and have the devices confiscated.
Wagner grabs lead at soggy PGA Safeway Open

Johnson Wagner chipped in for one of his three birdies to grab a one-shot lead on Saturday at the soggy Safeway Open, where rain brought the third round to an early halt.

Wagner was 15-under through 15 holes when the round was halted with darkness closing in and heavy rain causing puddles on the greens.

Second-round leader Scott Piercy, who had fallen one off the pace, was off the 16th green when he told tournament officials he couldn't play his shot because of the water.

Johnson Wagner of the US tees off on the second hole during third round of the Safeway Open, at the North Course of Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California, on October 15, 2016 Ezra Shaw (Getty/AFP)

Those who failed to finish were due to return early Sunday to complete the round, with the third round to be played in threesomes off two tees in a bid to beat more expected inclement weather.

When play was halted, Patton Kizzire was also at 14-under through 16 holes.

England's Paul Casey was 13-under through 15 holes and Scotland's Martin Laird 12-under through 16.

Michael Kim was the leader in the clubhouse after a 65 on the Silverado Resort course in Napa, California, for an 11-under total of 265.

Wagner, who collected three top-10 finishes in 26 starts last season, is in search of a fourth career US PGA Tour title and his first since the 2012 Sony Open.

Piercy, who finished tied for second behind Dustin Johnson at the US Open in June, returned to the course early Saturday to complete his second round, playing six holes and stretching his lead to three shots over Wagner and Casey.

He was one-over after two bogeys and a birdie in his first 15 holes of the third round.

The tournament lost some of its luster when 14-time major champion Tiger Woods pulled out Monday, having earlier targeted the tournament as his return from a back injury that has sidelined him for more than a year.
New messaging apps gain traction in workplace

Looking to break out of a "messy" email situation, the nonprofit group dosomething.org recently switched over to a new way of communicating among its far-flung teams.

Moving most internal communications to the messaging application Slack with its "channels" for various teams made it easier to coordinate the group's social change projects across 131 countries, said software engineer Joe Kent.

"All the teams have their channels and anyone can jump in and see what the others are doing," Kent told AFP. "You can follow the conversation a lot more quickly."

Facebook hopes "Workplace" will replace intranet, mailbox and other internal communication tools used by businesses worldwide Justin Tallis (AFP/File)

Slack, created in 2013, has become a leader in a crowded field of new applications aimed at helping workplaces move away from email.

Facebook this month jumped headlong into this segment with its Workplace application, aiming to leverage the popularity of the leading social network used by some 1.7 billion people.

Facebook is among an array of competitors vying for a slice of this market, including several startups and Microsoft.

San Francisco-based Slack has raised some $500 million at a reported valuation of some $4 billion, making it one of the most prominent venture-funded tech "unicorns" worth over $1 billion.

With some three million active users, including nearly one million paying for "premium" service, Slack has become one of the fastest-growing business applications.

Craig Le Clair of Forrester Research said these services are growing because younger "millennials" have different ways of working.

"They want to work when they want to, they want chat sessions that better integrate with their social media lives," Le Clair said.

Le Clair said many workplaces are facing "information overload" due to the volume of emails that need to be sorted and prioritized.

"The goal is to get out of email hell," he said.

- 'Just sign up' -

Small- and medium-sized businesses find Slack especially appealing because of its ease of use on both mobile and desktop devices, says Mark Beccue, an analyst who researched the market for Compass Intelligence.

"There's no friction. Companies don't have to go through a major software license process, you just sign up," Beccue said. "It's the consumerization of an enterprise product."

The global enterprise chat and messaging market is set to reach $1.9 billion by 2019, according to Beccue's report.

Slack came at the right time for companies seeking new ways to improve workplace efficiency, Beccue said.

"I think they are major driver of innovation for business productivity," he said.

Slack and rivals like Atlassian's HipChat and Microsoft's Yammer offer social media-style interfaces for messages, and some integrate with business applications to enable voice calls, video and other services.

Slack recently teamed with cloud computing group Salesforce to broaden its offerings in services such as customer relations management.

Slack also allows organizations to create channels for communicating outside the enterprise, powered by artificial intelligence "bots."

"Slack is moving away from just being a messaging tool, they want to be the home base for enterprise applications, and that's a different ballgame," said Raul Castanon-Martinez, an analyst at 451 Research.

Castanon-Martinez said that "Slack's success took a lot of people by surprise" but that it may be difficult to sustain momentum in the face of deep-pocketed rivals like Facebook and Microsoft.

Microsoft earlier this year announced that its Yammer messaging platform would integrate with its Office 365 groups, while also offering easy connections to Outlook email and Skype, aiming for a broad set of business tools under its umbrella.

"Microsoft hasn't made a lot of noise, but they have been aggressive in remaining the dominant place in productivity applications," Castanon-Martinez said.

Aggressive pricing is also being used as a way to woo businesses away from Slack. Microsoft offers its suite of services for $2 to $4 per user, and Facebook $1 to $3 per user compared with Slack's standard $6.67 per user.

- The Facebook model -

Facebook meanwhile is seeking to use its advantage as "the social media world that millennials grew up with," Le Clair said.

But the analyst said it is not clear if companies and network managers will move to the Facebook platform.

"Most of the employers and managers didn't grow up in that world," he said.

"They associate Facebook with something their kids are doing, it's not associated with productivity and getting work done. Some companies even restrict the use of Facebook in the workplace."

Analysts point out that Slack and similar platforms may increase the burden on employees, becoming an additional "feed" to manage, and that email is still necessary for external contacts and other functions.

Le Clair said artificial intelligence may be the tool that helps sift through messages to stay on track.

"You're going to need emerging analytics to go through those streams," he said.

"Facebook has done a lot of investment in AI so they could be well-placed to do that."
Trump's tough talk on crime leaves African Americans cold

"Law and order" has been a central theme in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. But the term has deep-rooted racial connotations in the United States that give many African Americans pause.

In pledging to get tough on crime, the Republican nominee has invoked Chicago, the third largest US city, which is blighted by a seemingly out-of-control epidemic of gun violence.

There have been 579 murders in the city so far this year -- more than New York and Los Angeles combined -- and 3,413 shooting victims, according to the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

'Law and order' tough talk has been a central theme in Donald Trump's presidential campaign Spencer Platt (Getty/AFP/File)

Trump's tough-on-crime stance includes employing the controversial "stop and frisk" tactic in Chicago, in which police officers can stop anyone and search them, whether or not they are suspected of committing a crime or infraction.

"You have to do something. It can't continue the way it's going," Trump argued last month in support of the practice.

But those comments have been met with sharp rebukes in Chicago, where "stop and frisk" has been tried before -- and was found to disproportionately target black people.

"We are not interested in any strategy that involves compromising the civil rights of citizens," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in a statement.

"It's also not very effective," added Robin Robinson, a community relations advisor to the police department. "It would effectively drive black people and people of law enforcement further apart," said Robinson, who is black.

Jedidiah Brown, a Chicago community activist also believes the strategy would be counterproductive.

"In order for you to solve crimes," Brown said, "You have to have relationships, people willing to talk to you, trust you, and tell you who the perpetrators are."

Trump has credited "stop and frisk" with reducing crime in New York. But a federal judge ruled that New York's policy was unconstitutional and a new mayor, Bill de Blasio, ended it.

In Chicago, as recently as 2014, police stopped 250,000 people who were not charged with any crime or given a ticket, according to Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

A vast majority of them were black.

The ACLU reached agreement last year with Chicago police to end the practice.

"The notion that to go back to the old system that you simply stop people for being present in their neighborhoods, is going backwards," said Ed Yohnka, an ACLU spokesman.

- 'Chiraq' -

Still, many African-Americans in Chicago want improved policing to combat rising crime.

While some Chicagoans have criticized Trump for comparing the city's violence to that of war-torn countries, its own youth have dubbed it "Chiraq," an amalgamation of Chicago and Iraq.

"Whole communities are like third-world countries," said Michael Pfleger, a longtime pastor of a church in one of the most violence-plagued areas of Chicago.

"The despair and the anger, I've never seen it as bad as it is right now. You have whole communities held hostage by fear."

So what to make, then, of the fact that just four percent of African Americans nationally support Trump, according to a Los Angeles Times/USC tracking poll.

Trump even polls higher among Latinos -- currently around 20 percent -- despite his anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Khalil Muhammad of Harvard University said that to understand Trump's lack of support among African Americans, look no further than his use of the term "law and order."

The phrase carries echoes of the late-1960s backlash against the American civil rights movement, he said.

"Much of the civil rights activism that took place in the 1950s... the southern criminal justice system used the rhetoric of 'law and order' to delegitimize activism on the ground," Muhammad said.

Richard Nixon successfully took up that mantra to win the 1968 presidential race. Trump has reportedly studied Nixon's campaign as a lesson for his own.

- Black Lives Matter -

On top of that, Trump has been critical of the nascent Black Lives Matter movement, which sprung up to demand change in policing across the country, after a string of high-profile police shootings of black citizens.

A series of graphic videos of police shootings this summer inflamed racial tensions. Officers were killed by gunmen in Dallas, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in apparent retribution.

Donald Trump has blamed Black Lives Matter activists -- mostly young people who have protested in marches and rallies -- for hampering law enforcement. He has described the movement as a "threat" and said its rhetoric may have instigated violence against police.

But failure to address the issues raised by Black Lives Matter activists is a losing strategy for Trump, said Michael Kazin, a professor of history at Georgetown University and author of "America Divided," a book examining 1960s US history.

He said the movement is taking up unresolved grievances from the civil rights era, when the Black Panthers employed armed citizen patrols to monitor police interactions with black citizens.

African Americans today want reform in the criminal justice system -- such as changes to drug sentencing laws -- where they make up a third of the prison population but only 12 percent of the total US population.

Trump, he said, "is not trying to talk to African Americans in a way that could conceivably win their votes."

Donald Trump has credited 'stop and frisk' with reducing crime in New York Spencer Platt (Getty/AFP/File)
Xi warns of globalisation backlash at BRICS summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday a rising tide of protectionism and anti-globalisation was endangering the world economy's still fragile recovery as BRICS leaders vowed to forge closer business and trade ties.

At a summit in the Indian tourist hub of Goa, host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa issued a joint declaration on a range of measures, including the setting-up of a new credit ratings agency and fighting tax evasion.

They also agreed to work together to combat "cross-border" terrorism, but Modi's guests held off from signing up to his fierce condemnation of India's arch-rival Pakistan as the "mothership of terrorism".

(From left) Brazilian President Michel Temer, Chinese President Xi Jingping, Indian PM Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Jacob Zuma in Goa on October 15, 2016 Prakash Singh (AFP)

BRICS was formed in 2011 with the aim of using members' growing economic and political influence to challenge Western hegemony.

The nations, with a joint estimated GDP of $16 trillion, set up their own bank in parallel to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank and hold summits rivalling the G7 forum.

But the countries, accounting for 53 percent of world population, have been hit by falling global demand and lower commodity prices, while several have also been mired in corruption scandals.

Russia and Brazil have fallen into recession recently, South Africa only just managed to avoid the same fate last month and China's economy has slowed sharply.

Both Xi and Modi said the group must stick together, insisting there was much to remain positive about even though its members have been beset by domestic woes and problems sparked by the 2008 financial crisis.

"At present the deep-seated impact of the international financial crisis is still unfolding. The global economy is still going through a treacherous recovery and deep adjustments," Xi said.

The Chinese president said "deep-seated imbalances that triggered the financial crisis" were far from being resolved.

"Some countries are getting more inward-looking in their policies. Protectionism is rising and forces against globalisation are posing an emerging risk," he added.

While Xi did not single anyone out, Republican candidate Donald Trump has threatened to erect trade barriers to Chinese products if elected US president. Britain's vote to leave the European Union has been interpreted partly as a backlash against globalisation.

While China's economy has been running out of steam of late --although it is still the world's second largest -- India is now the fastest-growing major economy and its GDP is expected to increase 7.6 percent in 201617.

- 'Deeper bonds' -

Modi said it was vital the BRICS nations increased cooperation by dismantling trade barriers and developing infrastructure.

"I think I speak for all when I say that through a common vision and collective action, we will create and sustain deeper bonds among BRICS nations, develop our economies and secure our societies," he said.

"While our achievements have been substantial, we need to sustain the positive direction and strong momentum of intra-BRICS engagement."

Xi said BRICS countries had much to be proud of and had contributed to more than 50 percent of global growth in the last decade.

"The past decade has seen BRICS partnership expanding with win-win results," he said.

"We need to deepen our partnership: we BRICS countries are good friends, brothers and partners that treat each other with sincerity."

Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile called for closer cooperation in areas such as e-commerce and space exploration. Modi confirmed that the leaders had agreed to fast-track setting up a new ratings agency amid accusations from within the bloc that the three traditional agencies -- Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings -- are all Western-based.

"We look forward to translating into reality the idea of a BRICS Credit Rating Agency," he said, without giving details of the much-trailed agency or timeline for its establishment.

Modi, who is pushing to isolate Pakistan following a surge in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, urged his peers to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

But with China reluctant to embarrass its traditional allies in Islamabad, a joint statement at the end of the summit only referred to a vague goal of combating "cross-border terrorism and its supporters".

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS Summit in Goa on October 15, 2016
China to launch manned spacecraft: Xinhua

China will launch a manned space mission on Monday, official media said, as the Asian giant works towards setting up its own space station.

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong will be on board the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft as it blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert, the official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.

They will arrive at China's orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 within two days and stay for 30 more before returning to earth, according to the report.

China's Tiangong 2 space lab is launched on a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in September

Jing, a 50-year-old astronaut who has already been to space twice, will command the mission to the lab, which was launched in September.

He and Chen will carry out research projects related to in-orbit equipment repairs, aerospace medicine, space physics and biology, atomic space clocks and solar storm research, Xinhua reported earlier.

Beijing is pouring billions into its space programme in a bid to catch up with the US and Europe.

It announced in April that it aims to send a spacecraft "around 2020" to orbit Mars, land and deploy a rover to explore the Red Planet's surface.

Beijing sees the military-run programme as a symbol of China's progress and a marker of its rising global stature.

The nation's first lunar rover was launched in late 2013, and while it was beset by mechanical troubles it far outlived its expected lifespan, finally shutting down only last month.

But so far China has largely replicated activities that the US and Soviet Union pioneered decades ago.
Swimmer dies in Hong Kong harbour race: reports

A swimmer drowned Sunday in Hong Kong and another was left in critical condition as they took part in the city's annual cross-harbour swim, which attracts world-class international competitors.

Local media said the man who died was rushed to hospital after being pulled unconscious from the water by a rescue boat. He was reported to be in his forties.

A woman thought to be in her 60s was separately pulled unconscious from the water and is reported to be in intensive care in hospital.

Competitors take part in the annual cross-harbour swim in Hong Kong on October 16, 2016

The 1,500-metre race saw around 3,000 people swim between two piers on opposite sides of Hong Kong's famous harbour -- 500 up from the previous year according to reports.

Some local media questioned why only 10 extra lifeguards had been added when the field had expanded so much. There was a total of 120 lifeguards at the event, broadcaster RTHK reported on its website.

Swimmers are split into racing and recreational groups -- both the victims were taking part in the leisure category, which is for slower swimmers, according to reports.

The Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association, who organised the event, and the title sponsor New World Development issued a statement expressing their "deepest sorrow" over what they called a tragic accident.

"The swimmer was rescued but attempts to resuscitate him failed and he subsequently passed away," the statement said.

It is the first death in the race since it was resumed in 2011 after a 30-year break, local media reported.

The decades-long hiatus was due to fears over pollution levels in the water.

American swimmer Charles Peterson won the men's title in just 16 minutes 44 seconds this year.

Rio Olympics 10-kilometre open water gold medallist Sharon van Rouwendaal from the Netherlands took the women's crown.
Israel closes Palestinian territories for holiday

Israel closed off the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sunday for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the army said, as concerns rose over whether visits to a sensitive holy site could lead to violence.

The restrictions barring Palestinians from entering would remain in place through Monday, but humanitarian cases would be allowed passage, said an army spokeswoman.

Sukkot usually sees an increase in the number of Jewish visitors to the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem, which has led to clashes in past years.

Palestinians are checked at an Israeli checkpoint between the West Bank town of Bethlehem and Jerusalem Musa Al Shaer (AFP/File)

The site is sacred to both Muslims and Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.

Israel occupied east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it, and the holy site is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians fear Israel may one day seek to assert further control over it.

Sunday evening marks the beginning of Sukkot, a week-long holiday to commemorate the Jewish journey through the Sinai wilderness to the Holy Land after their exodus from Egyptian slavery.

It is the third of three successive Jewish holidays that have led to tensions with the Palestinians in the past.

Last week, Jews marked Yom Kippur, while Rosh Hashanah, or New Year, was the previous week.

A Palestinian gun attack in Jerusalem on October 9 that killed two people raised fears of further violence.
Iraq drops leaflets over Mosul ahead of battle: army

Iraqi aircraft dropped "tens of thousands" of leaflets, some bearing safety instructions for Mosul residents, ahead of an operation to retake the city from jihadists, the military said.

Iraq has dropped leaflets over Mosul before, and has also done so as part of operations to retake other cities seized by the Islamic State group in 2014 and 2015.

Aircraft dropped "tens of thousands of newspapers and magazines on the centre of the city of Mosul carrying important news... to inform them of updates and facts and victories," said Iraq's Joint Operations Command, which distributed images of some of the leaflets.

The Iraqi army is deploying thousands of soldiers to a northern base in preparation for operations to retake the Islamic State (IS) group's hub of Mosul Safin Hamed (AFP/File)

One image showed a leaflet containing safety instructions for Mosul residents, urging them to tape over windows to prevent the glass from shattering, to avoid the sites of air strikes for at least an hour after a place is bombed, and saying they should not drive if possible.

The launch of the operation is expected to be announced soon, but it will mark only the start of a battle that is likely to be the most difficult and complex yet in the war against IS.

A coalition of heterogenous and sometimes rival Iraqi forces will have to fight their way through IS defences to reach the city, in some cases over distances of dozens of kilometres (miles).

Then they will likely seek to surround the city before launching an assault, marking the start of deadly street fighting with die-hard jihadists in a city with a large civilian population.

The battle may spark a humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations warning that up to one million people may be displaced by the fighting as winter sets in.
Suicide bombing targeting Shiites kills two in Baghdad

A suicide bombing targeting Shiite Muslims killed at least two people in Baghdad on Sunday, officials said, a day after the deadliest attack to hit the Iraqi capital in months.

The bombing in central Baghdad, which targeted a tent where Shiites distribute food as part of annual religious commemorations, also wounded at least four people, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group frequently carries out suicide bombings targeting Shiites, whom it considers heretics.

Iraqi security forces stand guard at the site of a suicide bombing that targeted Shiite Muslims in Baghdad on October 15, 2016 Sabah Arar (AFP)

The blast came a day after an IS-claimed suicide bombing at a funeral killed at least 34 people -- the deadliest attack in Baghdad since another IS suicide bombing left more than 300 dead in early July.

The attacks come as Iraqi forces prepare for an offensive in northern Iraq to retake Mosul, the last IS-held city in the country, after regaining much of the territory the jihadists seized in 2014 and 2015.
Syria rebels capture emblematic IS stronghold Dabiq

Syrian rebels dealt a major symbolic blow to the Islamic State group on Sunday by capturing the town of Dabiq where the jihadists had promised an apocalyptic battle.

The defeat for IS came as the United States and Britain warned they were considering imposing sanctions against economic targets in Syria and Russia, which is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, over the government-imposed siege of second city Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition fighters backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery seized control of Dabiq.

Rebel fighters celebrate their capturing of the town of Dabiq in the streets of the northern Syrian town of Marea, on October 16, 2016 Nazeer al-Khatib (AFP)

The town, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo, is of little strategic value. But Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS and its followers because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said Dabiq's "liberation gives the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat new momentum in Syria."

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group, said rebel forces "captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area".

The Fastaqim Union, an Ankara-backed rebel faction involved in the battle, said Dabiq had fallen "after fierce clashes".

Fastaqim said rebels then went on to seize several nearby towns, including Sawran, Ihtimaylat, and Salihiyah.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said nine rebels were killed and 28 wounded during fighting to capture the towns.

Rebel commander Haitham Ibrahim Afassi told AFP: "I thank God for giving us victory. The heros of the Free Syrian Army have liberated the region."

Video footage showed the streets of the town virtually deserted, with black IS flags painted on the facades of buildings as well as jihadist graffiti.

Dabiq has become a byword among IS supporters for a struggle against the West, with Washington and its allies who are bombing the jihadists portrayed as modern-day Crusaders.

IS, which seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq in mid-2014 and declared an Islamic "caliphate", has been dealt a series of military defeats this year and is bracing for an assault on its key Iraqi stronghold Mosul.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sunday that Turkish-backed rebels would now focus on taking the jihadist-held town of Al-Bab in Aleppo province.

- 'Crimes against humanity' -

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, helping Syrian rebels to rid its frontier of IS jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkey would push further south to create a 5,000-square-kilometre (1,900 square-mile) safe zone in Syria.

Clashes took place in Aleppo's northern and southern outskirts on Sunday, as well as in the city centre, the Observatory said.

Air strikes on rebel-held eastern areas killed 31 people, including 15 civilians who died in Russian raids, it added.

An AFP correspondent said two buildings had been destroyed and reported nearly non-stop air raids on the opposition-held half of the city since midnight.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, in London Sunday for talks on Syria with his British and French counterparts, branded the bombardment of civilians in Aleppo "crimes against humanity".

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned of possible sanctions.

"There are a lot of measures that we're proposing including extra measures on the regime and their supporters," Johnson said.

"These things will eventually come to bite the perpetrators of these crimes, and they should think about it now," he warned.

Rebel fire on government-controlled districts of Aleppo left three people dead and more than two dozen wounded, Syrian state news agency SANA said.

- 'No appetite for war' -

Fighting has surged in the city following the collapse last month of a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia, raising deep international concern.

Kerry was in London to brief Washington's European allies after "brainstorming" talks in Lausanne with the main players in Syria's conflict, but hopes for a breakthrough in the conflict that has killed more than 300,000 people since 2011 remained dim.

Saturday's meeting in Lausanne did not produce a concrete plan to restore the truce that collapsed amid bitter recriminations between Washington and Moscow.

Kerry warned Sunday that US President Barack Obama had not taken any option off the table in trying to stop the killing, but downplayed the possibility of increased military action in Syria.

"We are discussing every mechanism available to us but I haven't seen a big appetite from anyone in Europe to go to war," he said.

Syria Vincent LEFAI (AFP)

Rebel fighters evacuate a wounded comrade in the village of Tilalayn on the western outskirts of the northern Syrian town of Dabiq, on October 16, 2016 Nazeer al-Khatib (AFP)

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (L) and US Secretary of State John Kerry give a joint press conference after a meeting on the situation in Syria at Lancaster House in London on October 16, 2016 Justin Tallis (Pool/AFP)
Modi brands Pakistan 'terrorism mothership' at BRICS meet

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged BRICS leaders Sunday to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

Modi said a country in India's neighbourhood had links to "terror modules" around the world, which the emerging nations club of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa should strongly condemn.

"In our region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development," Modi told leaders at the BRICS summit in the tourist state of Goa.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been moving to isolate arch rival and fellow nuclear power, Pakistan, following a raid last month on an Indian army base that killed 19 soldiers Prakash Singh (AFP/File)

"Tragically the mothership of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood," Modi said without naming Pakistan.

"Terror modules around the world are linked to this mothership. This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains."

"It is a mindset we strongly condemn. And against which we as BRICS need to stand and act together. BRICS must speak in one voice against this threat," he said.

The Hindu nationalist leader has been moving to isolate India's arch-rival and fellow nuclear power following a raid last month on an Indian army base that killed 19 soldiers.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack, which triggered calls at home for an aggressive response.

India said its troops later hit militants across the border in Pakistan, sparking fury from Islamabad which denied that strikes had taken place.

In their joint statement later Sunday, the BRICS leaders condemned recent attacks against some of its members "including that in India" but made no mention of Pakistan.

"We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other reasons," the statement said.

China enjoys strong relations with Pakistan where it is pursuing a series of infrastructure projects, while Russia is pushing to forge closer defence ties with Islamabad.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made no commitments on terrorism during a bilateral meeting with Modi on Saturday before the BRICS summit, although an Indian official said they agreed to cooperate on preventing terrorism.
Bangladesh set to hang extremist leader

Security was tightened in a Bangladesh southern city Sunday ahead of the expected execution of a senior Islamist extremist whose group has been linked to the murder of foreign hostages, police said.

Asadul Islam, a leader of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who is also known as Arif, is due to hang in Khulna after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in August for blasts that killed two lower court judges in 2005.

Bangladesh has blamed the JMB for the July 1 attack on an upmarket Dhaka restaurant in which 22 people, mostly foreign hostages, were killed.

Asadul Islam, a leader of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) is due to hang in Khulna after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in August for blasts that killed two lower court judges in 2005 Munir Uz Zaman (APF/AFP/File)

Security forces have since launched a deadly crackdown against extremists linked to the attack, shooting dead nearly 40 people including its new leader Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent.

After the attacks, courts have also fast-tracked prosecution of the Islamists. Scores of them were already facing death sentences.

"The tentative time of his hanging is 10.30 pm (1630 GMT). We've stepped up security all over the city," Khulna Police Commissioner Nibhas Chandra Majhi told AFP.

Majihi said hundreds of police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion have been deployed in Khulna, the country's third largest city, to prevent any violence.

In August, just weeks after the cafe attack, Bangladesh's highest court led by the chief justice dismissed Arif's final appeal, clearing the way for his execution.

Arif later refused to seek presidential clemency, paving the way for his hanging later on Sunday, said a prison official of the jail where the Islamist was set to be executed.

Six other top officials of the JMB, including its founding leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, had already been executed in March 2007 for the same case.

Founded in the late 1990s by Islamists who fought in the Afghan wars along with the Mujahideens and the Taliban, the JMB has sought to impose sharia law in the Muslim majority but secular nation of 160 million people.

On August 17, 2005, the group conducted more than 400 small blasts in 63 of the country's 64 districts. Many of these bombs targeted secular courts.
3 Turkish police killed in suicide bombing near Syria border

A suspected Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up during an anti-terror raid in the Turkish city of Gaziantep on Sunday, killing three police officers, officials said.

A few hours later, a second suicide bomber -- identified as the chief of IS group "bomb cells" in the city near the Syrian border -- detonated his explosives, killing himself but without causing any further fatalities.

The blasts took place shortly after Turkish-backed rebels captured the northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the IS group, dealing a major symbolic blow to the jihadists.

A Turkish army tank drives to the Syrian-Turkish border town of Jarabulus on September 1, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP/File)

In the first attack in Gaziantep, the bomber set off his explosives to avoid being captured by Turkish police, local governor Ali Yerlikaya said in televised comments.

Turkish media had initially spoken of more than one attacker but the governor and the local prosecutor's office said the body of just one bomber was found at the scene.

The governor said five police and four Syrians were also injured.

Acting on a tip-off, special police used armoured vehicles to block the road where the suspected jihadists were holed up in a house, the state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

Witnesses told private NTV television they heard sound of gunfire and clashes in the area, which is mostly populated by university students.

- 'Suspected sleeper cells' -

Video footage released by the private Dogan news agency showed several suspects with their hands tied behind their backs as they were taken to a police car.

Yerlikaya said the raid took place after Turkish authorities gathered intelligence about a possible suicide bomb attack by a suspected IS sleeper cell in Gaziantep against an Alevi cultural association.

Police confiscated computers and hard disks from the house.

A second suicide bomber blew himself up as police hunted for suspects who fled after the first blast, Yelikaya said.

He was identified as Mehmet Kadir Cabael, chief of the IS group's "bomb cells" in the Gaziantep region and who was believed to be supplying logistical support to the organisation, according to the governor.

He said the second bombing caused no further casualties, adding that the suspect's wife and children who were in the apartment building at the time did not suffer any injuries.

Turkish police have detained 19 suspects for alleged links to IS group, the governor said.

Gaziantep, a major city lying just 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of the Syrian border, has become a hub for Syrians fleeing the civil war.

- 'Continue anti-terror fight' -

Since the summer of 2015, Turkey has suffered a string of attacks in Gaziantep and elsewhere blamed on IS jihadists and Kurdish militants.

In August, a suicide bombing at a Kurdish wedding in the city killed 57 people, 34 of them children. The attack was blamed on IS jihadists.

In September, the United States warned of the risk of a terror attack in Gaziantep on businesses frequented by Westerners, including the popular coffee chain Starbucks.

At the time, the US embassy in Ankara warned its citizens that Turkish police were investigating a possible "terror cell" in Gaziantep.

Turkish authorities acknowledge that IS jihadists have built up a presence in the southeastern city with the aim of staging attacks, and Sunday's raid was part of a wider crackdown on sleeper cells across the country.

Yerlikaya said Turkey "will continue its fight against all terror groups including Daesh", using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, backing up opposition fighters, with the ultimate goal of cleansing its border of IS jihadists and stopping the advance of Syrian Kurdish militia forces which Ankara vehemently opposes.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also voiced Turkey's willingness to become involved in a coalition operation to recapture the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from IS.

Turkey is still reeling from an attempted July 15 coup blamed on US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen that has been followed by a relentless purge of his supporters from all state institutions.

Kurdish militants have also staged a number of attacks.

Adherents of the Alevi branch of Islam are known for their hardline opposition to the Islamic-rooted ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) co-founded by Erdogan.
Duterte won't 'barter' away Philippine territory to China

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte vowed Sunday he will not "barter" away territory and economic rights ahead of a visit to Beijing, where he hopes to mend ties frayed by a row over the South China Sea.

Duterte will head to Beijing on Tuesday -- after a state visit to Brunei that kicks off late Sunday -- and will be bringing along a large business delegation in a bid to secure Chinese investment as relations sour between Manila and its traditional ally the United States.

Duterte Sunday said he would also raise with Chinese President Xi Jinping a ruling by an international tribunal that outlawed Beijing's claim to most of the South China Sea, including waters close to the Philippine coast.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will head to Beijing on Tuesday Ted Aljibe (AFP/File)

China, which rejected the ruling, claims nearly all of the strategically vital waters and has in recent years built artificial islands in the disputed areas that are capable of hosting military bases.

Duterte had earlier vowed not to "taunt or flaunt" the July ruling as he aims to improve trade and investment ties, which some critics warned could entail surrendering exclusive economic rights to the sea to Manila's powerful neighbour.

"I will be very careful not to bargain anything (away) for after all I cannot give what is not mine and which I am not empowered to do by any stretch of imagination," he told reporters in Davao city.

"The international tribunal's decision will be taken up, but there will be no hard impositions. We will talk and we will maybe paraphrase everything in the judgment and set the limits of our territories and (exclusive) economic zones."

During the election campaign, Duterte said he was willing to "set aside" the sea dispute in return for China building a railway through the impoverished southern Philippine region of Mindanao.

His willingness to launch negotiations with China over the dispute has been welcomed by Beijing.

On Sunday Duterte said he agreed with senior Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio that the president could be impeached and removed from office if he gave away Scarborough Shoal, a fishing ground within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone that China seized in 2012.

"He is correct. I would be impeached. It's an impeachable offence. I don't fight with that statement. It's all correct it's all legal and so I agree with him," Duterte said.

"It belongs to the Filipino people. I cannot be the sole authorised agent, for that is not allowed under the constitution."

Since coming to power in May, Duterte's push to restore ties with China has been accompanied by fiery rhetoric against the United States.
New peace talks hopes follow week of Yemen escalation

A roller-coaster week in Yemen has seen a major escalation in fighting swiftly followed by efforts to ease tensions that could open the door to renewed peace talks, experts said Sunday.

"I am optimistic for a very simple reason, because both parties are getting tired, they don't want to maintain the conflict because it is costly for both of them," in terms of financial as well as human losses, said Mustafa Alani, a senior adviser to the Geneva-based Gulf Research Centre.

A Saudi-led coalition has intervened since March 2015 in support of Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's internationally-recognised government after it was forced to flee as Shiite Huthi rebels seized the capital and pushed south.

Rescue teams and bystanders gather at the site of an airstrike on a funeral hall in the capital Sanaa on October 8, 2016 Mohammed Huwais (AFP/File)

The coalition has carried out hundreds of air strikes and provided ground troops to support Hadi's forces.

But it has failed to dislodge the Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who are allied with forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, from key areas including Sanaa.

The rebels still control large parts of the north, their historic stronghold areas, and other regions of western and central Yemen.

Government forces have recaptured the south and east but failed to make any significant advances.

"Both parties are now under huge pressure to find... an exit strategy" after having realised that "they cannot secure perfect victory", Alani told AFP.

The conflict has killed almost 6,900 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since March last year, according to the United Nations.

Civilians have paid the heaviest price in an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis.

One of the deadliest coalition attacks came on October 8 when an air raid on a funeral ceremony killed 140 people and wounded 525 others, drawing severe criticism of the Arab coalition, which is logistically supported by Washington.

UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed who had been hoping to announce a 72-hour truce for Yemen said the attack took place "amid significant progress in the long peace negotiations, and at a time when we were negotiating a durable accord".

Unprecedented developments rapidly followed with Washington accusing the rebels of firing missiles at US warships in the Red Sea on October 9 and 12 that fell short of their targets.

The US military responded by hitting radar sites in territory controlled by the insurgents, defence officials in Washington said, in the first direct American action against the rebels.

- US citizens released -

Francois Heisbourg, an analyst at the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research, said that the unprecedented US intervention was unlikely to exceed occasional "limited" strikes.

And in a key step towards a de-escalation, the Saudi-led coalition on Saturday acknowledged that one of its warplanes had "wrongly targeted" the funeral in Sanaa based on "incorrect information".

The coalition also announced disciplinary measures and compensation to families of victims and an easing of the air blockade it enforces so as to allow the evacuation of the most seriously wounded for treatment abroad.

This opened way for an Omani aircraft to evacuate from Sanaa more than 100 of the most seriously wounded in the strike on the funeral.

Simultaneously, Muscat said it had mediated the release of two American citizens held in Yemen and flew them to Oman on Saturday night on the same relief flight, with US State Department spokesman Mark Toner noting the "humanitarian gesture by the Huthis".

The Omani aircraft also flew home to Sanaa rebel negotiators who had been stranded in Muscat since the collapse of UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait in August because of the air blockade.

The warring parties are under "huge international pressure inside and outside (the) Security Council" to resume talks, said Alani.

Britain announced Friday it will present a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire in Yemen and resumption of peace talks.

In April last year, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2216 which calls on the Huthis to withdraw from territories they occupied in 2014, to hand over their arms and return state institutions to the legitimate government.

Military and economic pressures could now force the rebels "to accept... parts of the resolution, not necessarily all of it", said Alani.

Yemen AFP (AFP)
Iran MPs call for release of death penalty activist

A group of Iranian lawmakers has written an open letter to the head of the judiciary calling for the release of Narges Mohammadi, an activist sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Mohammadi, 44, has campaigned against the death penalty and was awarded the City of Paris medal earlier this year for her work on women's rights.

Arrested in May last year, the mother-of-two was sentenced in April to a total of 16 years in prison on various charges, including "forming and managing an illegal group".

Narges Mohammadi at her home in Tehran in 2001 Behrouz Mehri (AFP)

In the letter published by Iranian media on Sunday, the lawmakers call on Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, "to apply the clemency and mercy of the Islamic republic" and reunite her with her children.

They also highlight Mohammadi's medical problems including "muscular paralysis".

Among the signatories were parliamentary vice president Ali Motahari and several female MPs.

Mohammadi, who was also spokeswoman for Iran's Centre for Human Rights Defenders, went on hunger strike in June after being denied phone contact with her children, who live with their father in France. The authorities relented after 20 days of the hunger strike.

Under a law passed last year, she should only serve the sentence linked to the most important charge -- in this case 10 years for forming the "illegal group" Legam which pressed for an end to capital punishment.
US, Britain and UN demand Yemen ceasefire within days

The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy to Yemen on Sunday urged the warring parties in the country's civil war to declare a ceasefire they said could start within days.

The United Nations envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said: "We are here to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, which will be declared in the next few hours."

Cheikh Ahmed said he had been in contact with the rebel Huthi militia's lead negotiator and with Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government.

Destruction following the deadly october 8 airstrikes on a funeral hall in Sanaa Mohammed Huwais (AFP/File)

But he also warned that he hoped for "clearer plans" for a ceasefire in coming days.

US Secretary of State John Kerry would not predict whether Yemen's government or rebel forces had accepted the demand, but said the diplomats were not operating "in a vacuum."

"This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," Kerry told reporters.

Kerry was speaking after meeting Cheikh Ahmed and his opposite numbers from Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at talks hosted by Britain in London.

Washington's top diplomat said he, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Cheikh Ahmed are calling for the ceasefire to begin "as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday".

The senior envoys, he said, had been in touch with Hadi's Saudi-backed government and with the Iranian-sponsored Huthi rebels who drove him from the country to push for peace.

"We cannot emphasise enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen," Kerry said.

Johnson agreed, saying: "The fatalities that we're seeing there are unacceptable. There should be a ceasefire and the UN should lead the way in calling for that ceasefire."

The diplomatic push came amid signs that a renewed peace process may be at hand.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of Hadi's internationally-recognised government after it was forced to flee as Shiite Huthi rebels seized the capital.

The coalition has carried out hundreds of air strikes and provided ground troops to support Hadi's forces.

But it has failed to dislodge the Huthi rebels, who are allied with forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, from key areas including the capital Sanaa.

The rebels still control large parts of the north, their historic stronghold areas, and other regions of western and central Yemen.

Government forces have recaptured the south and east but failed to make any significant advances.

The conflict has killed almost 6,900 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since March last year, according to the United Nations.

Civilians have paid the heaviest price in an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis.

One of the deadliest coalition attacks came on October 8 when an air raid on a funeral ceremony killed 140 people and wounded 525 others.

Washington, which along with Britain provides logistical support to Saudi-led efforts, was angry at its ally's blunder and renewed calls for a truce.
Putin dismisses US hacking claims as pre-election ploy

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said US claims Russia had directed cyber attacks against Washington sought to "distract" American voters from domestic problems.

Washington last week formally accused the Russian government of trying to "interfere" in the 2016 White House race by hacking US political institutions, charges the Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed.

"There are lots of problems (in the United States)," Putin said in a televised press conference on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India.

Vladimir Putin says "there are lots of problems" in the United States Daniel Mihailescu (AFP)

"And in these conditions, many resort to tried-and-tested methods to distract voters' attention from their own problems."

The Kremlin strongman accused US officials of portraying Russia as an "enemy" in order to "unite a country in the fight" against it.

"This card is being played actively," he said.

The Kremlin on Saturday slammed Washington for its "unprecedented" threats after US Vice President Joe Biden told NBC that Putin would receive a "message" over the alleged hacking.

Biden said Washington would respond to the alleged attacks "at the time of our choosing and under the circumstances that have the greatest impact."

NBC later reported that the CIA was preparing a retaliatory cyber attack "designed to harass and 'embarrass' the Kremlin leadership."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told CNN earlier this week that the hacking claims were "flattering" but baseless, with not a "single fact" to back them up.

Striking a more conciliatory note, Putin said Sunday he hoped Moscow and Washington could improve their relations once "this difficult period in the political life of the United States will pass."

The Kremlin was propelled to the heart of American politics in July after Hillary Clinton's campaign blamed Russia for an embarrassing leak of emails from the Democratic National Committee.

Russia has been accused of favouring Republican candidate Donald Trump -- who has praised Putin and called for better ties with Moscow -- over the more hawkish Clinton.

Russia's relations with the United States have fallen to their post-Cold War nadir over the conflict in Ukraine and stalled efforts to end the five-year Syrian war.
S. Africa opposition files complaint against Gupta family

A South African opposition party on Sunday filed a criminal complaint against the controversial Gupta brothers who stand accused of wielding undue influence over President Jacob Zuma.

The complaint, alleging graft against the brothers who made their fortune in South Africa after emigrating from India in the early 1990s, also names one of Zuma's sons, Duduzane, a former Gupta business partner, and Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane.

"Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) opened a criminal case against the Gupta-led criminal syndicate at the Rosebank Police Station on the 16th of October," a statement by the radical leftist party said.

South African President Jacob Zuma answers questions at the Parliament in Cape Town on September 13, 2016 Rodger Bosch (AFP/File)

"The case relates to instances of corruption, theft, fraud, money laundering, racketeering and various offences under the Income Tax Act, Financial Intelligence Centre Act and the Currency Laws of the Republic of South Africa," it said.

The party had also submitted a sworn statement from Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan "as a basis of proof that there is a prima facie case against the Gupta criminal syndicate", the statement said.

Zuma has been under increasing pressure over persistent allegations the powerful family held undue political sway over him to the extent it could even nominate a cabinet minister.

But he has denied any abuse of influence emanating from his links to the family -- who preside over a business empire with interests in mining, transportation, technology and media -- to whom he admits he is close.

The complaint, which names a total of 13 people and businesss, was filed just days after Gordhan filed court papers containing details of exchanges he had with South Africa's Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) regarding "suspicious" transactions made by firms linked to the Guptas over the past four years.

In his deposition, which was seen by AFP on Saturday, Gordhan said that several banks had informed the FIC about more than 70 suspect transactions totalling some 6.8 billion rand ($500 million/440 million euros).

Gordan, who has been a vocal opponent of corruption and excessive government spending and has repeatedly clashed with Zuma loyalists, has himself been summoned to court on fraud charges.

He says the case against him is politically motivated.

- Report delayed -

Sunday's criminal complaint was filed two days after South Africa's Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had been due to release a potentially-explosive report into allegations that Zuma allowed the Guptas to have undue influence over the government.

But at the last minute, the report's release was postponed following court action by both Zuma and another minister implicated in the investigation.

Madonsela's seven-year term in office as South Africa's anti-corruption watchdog ended on Saturday and the delayed report will now only be released on November 1 by new Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
Two Pakistani soldiers killed in NW Pakistan: officials

Two Pakistani soldiers were killed and one injured in cross border firing near the Afghan border in the restive northwest, officials said Sunday.

"Two soldiers were martyred and one injured when militants from Afghanistan opened fire on Pakistani troops," a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

He said the incident took place in the Barmal area of South Waziristan, which shares its borders with Afghanistan's Paktika province.

Pakistani soldiers at the site of explosions in the town of Much, east of Quetta, on October 7, 2016 Banaras Khan (AFP)

The incident was confirmed by local administration officials and other senior security sources.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

In May this year, the Pakistani army claimed to have cleared the last militant stronghold in the country's northwest after a three-month long operation.

The army launched the operation in mid-2014 to wipe out militant bases in the area and end the near decade-long insurgency that has cost Pakistan thousands of lives.
Strikes cause turbulence at Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways, already facing financial difficulties and a threatened pilots' strike, cancelled five flights on Sunday after outsourced cabin crew walked off the job.

While the stoppage only involved a small number of workers, it coincides with a deep malaise at the airline, which in July posted a net annual loss of 26.22 billion shillings ($250 million/230 million euros) -- the worst ever since its privatisation in 1995.

The losses follow a series of disastrous strategic decisions touching on maintenance costs, a hedge on fuel prices and rising dollar-denominated loans.

Kenya Airways posted a net annual loss of 26.22 billion shillings ($250 million/230 million euros) -- the worst ever since its privatisation in 1995 Tony Karumba (AFP/File)

"Some of our outsourced staff including cabin crew have stayed away from work from Friday and we are working with their employer to resolve any issues they may have," Kenya Airways said in a statement on Twitter.

"As per the safety regulations that the airline abides to, minimum number of cabin staff per aircraft type is required and on some of our flights we are unable reach these levels," it said.

The dispute forced the carrier to scrap flights to the Kenyan city of Mombasa, Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Juba (South Sudan), Maputo (Mozambique), and a further flight to Harare, Zimbabwe, via Lusaka, Zambia. No intercontinental flights were affected.

On Friday, some 700 outsourced workers employed by Career Directions Limited complained they had spent six years being retained on one-year contracts and demanded their wages be aligned with those of Kenya Airways' staff.

Kenya Airways faces a strike on Tuesday by disgruntled pilots who have for months been expressing a lack of confidence in the managerial team.

The pilots' union KALPA said last week they would stop work for a week if management did not step down.

The airline, which later this month will release half-year results, responded by obtaining a court order to bar industrial action.
Malawi president home after mysterious weeks-long trip

Malawian President Peter Mutharika returned home Sunday after an unexplained trip to the United States that lasted several weeks, sparking rumours over his health.

Mutharika flew to New York to give a speech at the UN General Assembly on September 25 but there had been no word from him since, prompting speculation online that he was critically ill or even dead.

The government moved to dispel the rumours at the beginning of this week, insisting that the 76-year-old was "enjoying very robust health" and continuing "his functions and duties whilst in the USA".

Following his speech at the UN General Assembly in September 2016, President Arthur Peter Mutharika went under the radar, prompting spectulation of illness and even death, as Malawians searched for clues about his health Jewel Samad (AFP/File)

But the rumours continued with the president's return to Malawi's administrative capital Lilongwe on Sunday.

He made no public remarks at the airport -- and used his left hand to wave to a crowd of supporters and to shake hands with officials, raising more speculation among Malawians who are scrutinising every detail for clues about his health.

It was a "big surprise to see the president using his left hand when we all know he is a right-handed person," political analyst Humphrey Mvula told AFP.

"He has failed to calm down levels of speculation because everybody expected the president to speak to Malawians," Mvula added.

Mutharika inspected a military parade before being whisked into a convoy, saying nothing to reporters or the hundreds of supporters who waited in scorching heat to welcome him.

"We know everybody gets sick, but Mutharika is a president and there is a need for Malawians to know about the health of their president," prominent rights activist Billy Mayaya told AFP, calling for authorities to release a statement on the leader's health.
Trump attacks, Clinton lies low as last debate nears

Donald Trump fired off an erratic new broadside at Hillary Clinton on Sunday, making more explosive claims that American media and a conspiracy to commit voter fraud are rigging the presidential election against him.

Amid the latest Twitter blasts from the Republican White House nominee, his running mate Mike Pence sought to lower tensions by insisting his camp would accept defeat if that's what voters decide on November 8.

Two polls out on Sunday -- and carried out in time to gauge voter reaction to the slew of sexual misconduct allegations against Trump that emerged last week -- put Clinton ahead.

Republican nominee Donald Trump, in a burst of tweets, said repeatedly that US media are rigging the election by hammering away at what he calls fabricated accounts that he made unwanted sexual advances against women Mary Schwalm (AFP/File)

But they did so by vastly different numbers: an ABC News/Washington Post survey had Clinton four points ahead while an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll put her margin at 11 points.

Trump, in a long stream of tweets on Sunday, said repeatedly that US media are rigging the election by hammering away at what he calls fabricated accounts of him making unwanted sexual advances on women.

Trump has denied those allegations, which burst into the race last week in a steady, damaging stream.

"Polls close, but can you believe I lost large numbers of women voters based on made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED. Media rigging election!" Trump wrote.

- Dead voters -

In another tweet, he suggested -- without offering evidence -- that voter fraud will be a problem on election day.

"The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," he said.

Top Trump advisor Rudy Giuliani told CNN on Sunday that Democratic districts are known for counting the votes of dead people.

"You want me to (say) that I think the election in Philadelphia and Chicago is going to be fair? I would have to be a moron to say that," he said.

"I've found very few situations where Republicans cheat. They don't control the inner cities the way Democrats do. Maybe if Republicans controlled the inner cities, they'd do as much cheating as Democrats do," Giuliani said.

Trump has been insisting for months that the election is rigged -- and has repeated the charge like a mantra since Clinton started to pull away in the polls a few weeks ago.

"He is swinging at every phantom of his own imagination because he knows he's losing," Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine told ABC on Sunday.

Trump's assertions have been criticized as dangerous as it seems to raise the prospect of his supporters lashing out if he loses.

After the first debate Trump said he would respect the election result. But he backtracked in an interview with the New York Times last month, saying, "We're going to see what happens."

Pence tried to put the issue to rest Sunday, telling CBS News, "We will absolutely accept the results of the election."

Pence was asked about a Trump supporter who told a newspaper he planned to go to polling places and make voters "a little bit nervous."

Pence said he did not condone such behavior.

"I don't think any American should ever attempt to make any other American nervous in the exercise of their, of their franchise to vote," he said, adding that those concerned about voter fraud should volunteer at their local polling stations.

- 'Handed me' the election -

The nation's top elected Republican, House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has declared that he would no longer "defend" the party's nominee, rebuked Trump over his comments questioning the validity of the election process.

"Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity," his spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in a statement.

Trump lashed out at Ryan on Sunday evening, saying "The Democrats have a corrupt political machine pushing crooked Hillary Clinton. We have Paul Ryan, always fighting the Republican nominee!"

"Paul Ryan, a man who doesn't know how to win (including failed run four years ago), must start focusing on the budget, military, vets etc."

As Trump and Clinton prepare for their third and last debate on Wednesday, Clinton is lying low, with the apparent strategy of letting Trump self-destruct.

But these are also delicate times for Clinton. As sexual misconduct claims against Trump dominate the campaign, is it hard for Clinton to speak out because she stayed beside her husband Bill even as he was mired in the Monica Lewinsky and other sex scandals, humiliating her on his way to being impeached.

But there is no question the race is shifting in her favor.

The CBS News Battleground Tracker Poll out Sunday found that, because of a surge in support for Clinton among women, she now leads by six points in a dozen crucial swing states.

Underscoring the campaign's divisiveness, a Republican Party office in the southern state of North Carolina was firebombed overnight Sunday, with the message "Nazi Republicans leave town or else" sprayed on an adjacent building. No one was hurt in the attack.

Trump even took time Sunday to target late night comedy show "Saturday Night Live," which has parodied him mercilessly in recent weeks.

He called the show "boring and unfunny" and said the actor who plays him -- Alec Baldwin -- "stinks."

"Media rigging election!" he added.

Map of the US showing states that currently intend to vote Republican or Democrat and those that remain undecided Paz Pizarro (AFP)

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump listens as he speaks on October 15, 2016 in Edison, New Jersey Kena Betancur (Getty/AFP)

Peggy Cooke (L) and Susan Padgorski, supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, protest across the street from a campaign event for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on October 15, 2016 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire Mary Schwalm (AFP)
US, Britain mulling sanctions over Syria siege

The United States and Britain warned on Sunday that Western allies were considering imposing sanctions against economic targets in Syria and Russia over the siege of Aleppo.

US Secretary of State John Kerry branded the bombardment of civilians in the Syrian battleground city as "crimes against humanity" and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged Moscow to show mercy.

"There are a lot of measures that we're proposing including extra measures on the regime and their supporters," Johnson said, standing alongside Kerry after talks in London.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (L) and US Secretary of State John Kerry give a joint press conference after a meeting on the situation in Syria at Lancaster House in London on October 16, 2016 Justin Tallis (Pool/AFP)

"These things will eventually come to bite the perpetrators of these crimes, and they should think about it now," he warned.

Kerry, meanwhile, warned that US President Barack Obama had not taken any option off the table in terms of tackling Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad's assault on his own people.

He too raised the idea of sanctions but he played down the possibility of military action and insisted that it was his and Johnson's duty to "exhaust" all diplomatic options.

"We are discussing every mechanism available to us but I haven't seen a big appetite from anyone in Europe to go to war," Kerry said after talks with French and German officials.

"I don't see the parliaments of European countries ready to decare war," he said.

"Let me make it clear," added Kerry. "We are considering additional sanctions and... President Obama has not taken any option off the table."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said stopping the bombardment of Aleppo took precedence during the talks.

"We see that the regime along with Russian support has other objectives," he said following the meeting.

"We are always ready to speak with the Russians and with the Iranians but we demand that the precondition is stopping the bombardment."

Ayrault did not confirm whether a no-fly zone over Aleppo was on the table.
Bangladesh hangs Islamist extremist leader over 2005 blast

Prison authorities in Bangladesh's southern city of Khulna on Sunday executed a senior Islamist extremist whose banned group has been linked to the murder of foreign hostages, police said.

Asadul Islam, 42, a leader of the outlawed Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was hanged for his role in a 2005 blast that killed two judges.

Bangladesh has blamed the JMB for a July 1 attack on an upmarket Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, mostly foreign hostages, were shot and hacked to death.

Bangladeshi prison security personnel stand guard in front of Khulna jail on October 16, 2016

"He was hanged to death at 10:30 pm (1630 GMT) in Khulna jail," Khulna Police Commissioner Nibhas Chandra Majhi told AFP, adding that there was heavy security around the jail to prevent any violence.

Islam, also known as Arif, was one of seven senior JMB officials, including founding leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, sentenced to death for a bomb attack on a minibus that killed two lower court judges on November 14, 2005.

Six of the men, including Rahman, were executed in March 2007 by a military-backed caretaker government as part of a nationwide crackdown on Islamic extremists.

Arif was sentenced in absentia and was not detained until July 2007. He has been held in Khulna jail ever since. In August the Supreme Court dismissed his final appeal.

His execution comes as Bangladeshi security forces push a deadly new crackdown against Islamist extremists following the cafe attack that has shaken the image of Bangladesh as a moderate Muslim nation.

Since July, police have shot dead nearly 40 suspected extremists including JMB's new leader Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent who allegedly masterminded the cafe carnage.

As part of the crackdown, Bangladesh's courts have also fast-tracked prosecution of Islamist extremists, scores of whom were already facing death sentences and languishing in the country's jails.

Majhi said hundreds of police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion have been deployed in Khulna, the country's third largest city, and key roads leading to the jails had been blocked to prevent any violence.

-- Final family visit --

A prison official told AFP that Arif had refused to seek presidential clemency -- his last chance to stop the hanging -- which prompted the authorities to prepare for his execution.

"His family including his wife, two little daughters, six sisters and several other relatives came to meet him for the last time just hours before the execution," he said.

His body has already sent to his village home in the neighbouring town of Mollarhat in an ambulance which was escorted by a heavy police security detail.

Founded in the late 1990s by Islamists who fought in the Afghan wars alongside the Taliban, the JMB seeks to impose sharia law on Bangladesh, a Muslim majority but officially secular nation of 160 million people.

JMB first shot to prominence in Bangladesh when it conducted a coordinated bombing attack on August 17, 2005, with more than 400 small blasts in 63 of the country's 64 districts.

Many of those bombs targeted secular courts, which the JMB claims are inspired by Satan.

Hundreds of JMB extremists including Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai were subsequently hunted down by security forces in a massive crackdown.

Since December 2013, Bangladesh has also executed five top leaders of the country's largest Islamist party and a senior opposition official for atrocities connected to the country's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.

Their trials and executions have triggered the country's deadliest political violence, with more than 500 people killed in clashes with police and thousands of Islamists arrested.

A member of the Bangladesh Law Association weeps in Dhaka, November 15, 2005, as she demonstrates against a the bomb blast in the southern town of Jhalokati Sobbir Mia (AFP/File)
US nudges others on Syria peace drive

With time running out for the besieged people of Aleppo and for a US administration with barely three months left on the clock, John Kerry is looking for new ideas.

In two days of international talks over the weekend, Washington's chief diplomat continued to bang his well-worn drum for a renewed ceasefire in Syria's ugly conflict.

But -- having hit a brick wall in efforts to convince Russia to help its US rival impose a ceasefire -- he made it clear that he wants other countries to play a bigger role.

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at Lancaster House, asking other countries to aid his mission for peace in Syria on October 16, 2016 Justin Tallis (POOL/AFP)

On Saturday in Lausanne, Syria's neighbours -- some of them enemies among themselves, others with their own agendas -- were brought back to the table and pumped for suggestions.

Then on Sunday in London, US allies from Europe and the Gulf were pressured to come up with ideas of their own.

Talk is of a new track, but very little concrete has emerged. As Syria's civilians face starvation and bombardment, world capitals are doing what Kerry dubbed "brainstorming".

And the US diplomat did not hide his frustration at setting off once again down the track of finding a ceasefire plan that Russia and Syria would accept and implement.

This plan will be put to the test -- "yet again, but in a different way, yet again" - in order to find out whether it's possible to pause the fighting long enough for peace talks.

"Now, our job is to exhaust those possibilities. That's what we're trying to do," Kerry said, standing alongside a more ebullient British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

- Calls for action -

Back in Washington, President Barack Obama has made no secret of his reluctance in his last weeks in office to commit US military power to the battle to destabilize Bashar al-Assad.

But Russia has been no more coy about its determination to shore Assad up even to the extent that its war planes are engaged in the bombardment of rebel-held eastern Aleppo.

Saturday's meeting in Switzerland brought together the powers which influence the armed factions, and ideas were floated to separate Al Qaeda-linked extremists from moderate groups.

Then on Sunday, with the Europeans, Kerry discussed pressuring President Vladimir Putin and showing him that Russia's interests are best served by a ceasefire and peace talks.

Johnson and Kerry both sharply played down the idea of military force, but both said new sanctions were possible and the British minister floated the idea of war crimes charges.

"These things will eventually come to bite the perpetrators of these crimes. And they should be thinking about it now," Johnson warned, bristling at reporters' questions.

Kerry too expressed frustration at calls for action.

"I haven't seen a big appetite in Europe for people to go to war. I don't see the parliaments of European countries ready to declare war," he told British reporters.

- Mass grave -

A secretly taped conversation released last month confirmed what had been widely assumed that Kerry had argued for US air strikes against Assad to give his diplomacy more bite.

Obama rejected the plan, and Kerry threw himself into the search for an international negotiated solution.

"So we are pursuing diplomacy because those are the tools that we have, and we're trying to find a way forward under those circumstances," he said on Sunday.

"Easy to say, where's the action? But what is the action?"

One day before Kerry's visit to Lausanne he had stood at the genocide memorial in the Rwandan capital Kigali and pondered a mass grave holding 250,000 of the victims of the 1994 genocide.

A similar number of civilians and -- according to Johnson -- between 10,000 and 11,000 opposition fighters are trapped in eastern Aleppo facing daily indiscriminate bombardment.

If they are to be saved, it seems to be out of American hands.

And Johnson, having been asked for ideas, appealed to Assad and his "puppeteers" Russia and Iran to display one quality that has been lacking in Syria's five-year carnage.

The British minister praised Kerry for his efforts to convince Moscow and Tehran to halt the bombing, but admitted: "It's really up to them now to listen and to show mercy."

An injured Syrian child receives treatment at al-Razi hospital on October 16, 2016 in the government-controlled district of al-Jamiliyeh in Aleppo, following shellings on al-Sayed Ali neighbourhood George Ourfalian (AFP)
Iraq makes gains in 'difficult' assault on IS-held Mosul

Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces were making gains from the Islamic State group in Mosul Tuesday in an offensive US President Barack Obama warned would be a "difficult fight".

With the crucial battle in its second day, Iraqi commanders said progress was being made as fighters pushed on two main fronts against the jihadists' last stronghold in Iraq.

The US military, which is leading a coalition providing air and ground support, said Iraqi forces even looked "ahead of schedule" but senior Western officials warned the battle would take time.

Smoke billows in the background as Iraqi forces gather at the Qayyarah military base, about 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul, as they prepare for an offensive to retake Mosul Ahmad al-Rubaye (AFP/File)

"Mosul will be a difficult fight. There will be advances and there will be setbacks," Obama said, as the Pentagon warned IS was barring civilians from fleeing the city and using them as human shields.

"This will be, I think, a key milestone in what I committed to doing when ISIL first emerged," Obama said, using an acronym for the jihadist group, adding the Mosul operation was "another step toward their ultimate destruction".

Advancing in armoured convoys across the dusty plains surrounding Mosul, forces moved into villages defended by pockets of IS fighters after intensive aerial bombardment.

Some families cautiously approached security forces waving white flags while others remained in their homes, in line with the instructions contained in leaflets Iraqi aviation rained on the area in recent days.

In one village south of Mosul, part of the Al-Shura district, the men were promptly isolated and herded into a handful of buildings for screening.

"Our forces are checking profiles against information we have from local sources because we are trying to find IS members," a federal police major said.

Most of the men wore long beards because the IS members who ruled them for more than two years banned trimming them.

Abu Abdullah, a villager, asked one of the police fighters for a cigarette, also prohibited by the extremist jihadist organisation.

- 'Empty streets' -

On the eastern front, Iraqi forces entered Qaraqosh, which jihadists captured in August 2014 and was once the biggest Christian town in Iraq.

The town was still to be fully retaken but displaced Christians in the Kurdish capital of Arbil held prayers and then celebrated outside a church late Tuesday.

"We have been through a lot of suffering and today we are looking forward to returning to our region as soon as possible," said Hazem Djedjou Cardomi, as a crowd of hundreds around him danced and sang.

The long-awaited Mosul offensive was launched on Monday, with some 30,000 federal forces leading Iraq's largest military operation since the 2011 pullout of US troops.

Retaking Mosul would deprive IS of its last major Iraqi city, dealing a fatal blow to the "caliphate" the jihadists declared two years ago after seizing large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Iraqi commanders said the jihadists were hitting back with suicide car bomb attacks but that the offensive was going as planned.

- Aid groups braced -

Iraqi forces have significant ground to cover before reaching the boundaries of the city, which IS is defending with berms, bombs and burning oil trenches.

IS forces are vastly outnumbered, with the US military estimating 3,000 to 4,500 jihadists in and around Mosul.

A video released Tuesday by the IS-linked Amaq news agency showed masked fighters in battledress patrolling a deserted, dimly lit thoroughfare in what it said was Mosul.

"America will be defeated in Iraq and will leave, God willing, again -- humiliated, wretched, dragging its tail in defeat," one of the fighters said to camera.

The US-led coalition said strikes destroyed 52 targets on the first day of the operation.

Most of the coalition's support has come in the shape of air strikes and training, but US, British and French special forces are also on the ground to advise Iraqi troops.

France will host an international meeting Thursday on the political future of Mosul, while the coalition's defence ministers will meet in Paris next Tuesday to assess progress on the military front.

Aid groups are bracing for a humanitarian crisis, with some warning they were preparing for the possible use of chemical weapons by IS.

Mosul is Iraq's second-largest city and the UN fears that up to a million people could be forced from their homes by the fighting.

"There are real fears that the offensive to retake Mosul could produce a humanitarian catastrophe, resulting in one of the largest man-made displacement crises in recent years," a UN refugee agency spokesman said.

- Chemical weapons fears -

Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said IS was preventing civilians from leaving Mosul.

"We know they are being used as human shields, absolutely," he told reporters.

The Red Cross said it was training healthcare workers and providing equipment to facilities around Mosul to deal with potential individuals contaminated with chemical agents.

Iraqi troops and police have been joined on the battlefront by an array of sometimes rival forces, including the Kurdish peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Iran-backed Shiite militia.

IS once controlled more than a third of Iraq's territory but its self-proclaimed "state" has been shrinking steadily.

Experts say the jihadists are likely to increasingly turn to insurgent tactics as they lose ground.

IS has claimed a string of deadly suicide bombings in Baghdad in recent days.

The extremist group has also organised or inspired a wave of attacks in Western cities and on Tuesday the European Union's security commissioner raised concerns over the potential impact of Mosul's fall.

Iraq: the battle for Mosul Iris ROYER DE VERICOURT, Alain BOMMENEL (AFP)

Displaced Iraqi Christians take part in celebrations in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, to mark the liberation of Qaraqosh, that was Iraq's largest Christian town before it was overrun by the Islamic State Safin Hamed (AFP)

Iraqi forces deploy on October 17, 2016 in the area of al-Shura, some 45 kms south of Mosul Ahmad al-Rubaye (AFP)
Bellew keeps title after stopping Flores in 3rd round

LIVERPOOL, England (AP)  British boxer Tony Bellew easily retained his WBC world cruiserweight title on Saturday night with a third-round stoppage of BJ Flores.

Bellew had his American challenger down on the canvas three times in the second round, but each time Flores beat the count.

Immediately after the fight, the 33-year-old Bellew jumped out of the ring to confront David Haye, who was in attendance at ringside and has been touted as Bellew's next opponent.

Flores had some early success with the jab and body combination against Bellew but the champion, making his first defence, finished the first round strongly and carried that into round two.

Bellew soon had Flores on the canvas, triggering a complaint to the referee about a low blow.

Bellew took full advantage of Flores' loss of focus and floored him again.

Flores was then down for a third time but once more he regained his feet and made it to the third round.

Bellew, fighting in front of a home crowd, threw a flurry of body shots and haymakers and the challenger simply could not handle his power.
Speech transcripts show Clinton avoided blaming Wall Street

WASHINGTON (AP)  Hillary Clinton generally avoided direct criticism of Wall Street as she examined the causes and responses to the financial meltdown during a series of paid speeches to Goldman Sachs, according to transcripts disclosed Saturday by WikiLeaks.

Three transcripts released as part of the hack of her campaign chairman's emails did not contain any new bombshells showing she was unduly influenced by contributions from the banking industry, as her primary rival Bernie Sanders had suggested. Still, her soft-handed approach in the speeches was likely to act as a reminder to liberals in the party of their concerns that the Democratic presidential nominee is too close to Wall Street to be an effective check on its excesses if elected.

In October 2013, the transcripts show, Clinton told bankers she had "great relations" and worked closely with Wall Street as New York's senator, and said "the jury is still out" on whether the Dodd-Frank financial reforms put in place after the financial crisis had been the right approach. She said more openness from the start could have prevented the uproar on Wall Street over those reforms.

FILE - In this Sunday, March 13, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during service at Mount Zion Fellowship Church in Highland Hills, Ohio. A key aspect of Methodism _ social justice _ comes into play when looking at Clinton's life as a public servant, says Stephen Gunter of the Duke Divinity School. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

"What happened, how did it happen, how do we prevent it from happening? You guys help us figure it out, and let's make sure that we do it right this time," she said.

Working to relate her speech to her audience, Clinton in one speech likened her experience as secretary of state to business and finance, saying "it's like anybody's balance sheet," with both opportunities and potential liabilities. In one exchange, a conference participant from Texas told Clinton that she had "the honor to raise money for you" during her 2008 presidential campaign.

Clinton responded, "You are the smartest people."

In the hard-fought Democratic primary, Sanders repeatedly called on Clinton to release the transcripts of her speeches to Wall Street, some of which earned her hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece. In an ironic twist, the transcripts ended up becoming public because her campaign aides had distributed them among themselves in an effort to prepare for any attacks she might face. Those internal campaign emails were then leaked in the hack of campaign chairman John Podesta's emails.

Clinton's campaign neither confirmed nor denied that the speech transcripts and leaked Podesta emails are authentic, but there have been no indications that they were doctored before being released. Clinton's team has accused Russia's government of hacking Podesta's emails, and the Obama administration has formally blamed Moscow for a series of breaches affecting U.S. political groups.

"There is no getting around it: Donald Trump is cheering on a Russian attempt to influence our election through a crime reminiscent of Watergate, but on a more massive scale," said Clinton spokesman Glen Caplin.

The transcripts, all from 2013, include speeches and question-and-answer sessions with Clinton at a "Builders and Innovators Summit," an "Alternative Investment Management Summit" and a gathering of CEOS  all hosted by Goldman Sachs.

A look at some of what Clinton said, according to the transcripts:

___

APOLOGY TOUR

Clinton told the innovators summit she'd had to go on "The Clinton Apology Tour" after WikiLeaks in 2010 published diplomatic cables leaked by Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Bradley Manning. Clinton noted that the cables showed U.S. officials characterizing some foreign leaders as "vain, egotistical, power hungry, corrupt. And we knew they were. This was not fiction."

"I had grown men cry," Clinton recalled. "I mean, literally. 'I am a friend of America, and you say these things about me?'"

___

SYRIA

Clinton, a few months after departing the State Department in 2013, told a Goldman Sachs conference in South Carolina that she would have liked to see the U.S. intervene in Syria "as covertly as is possible for Americans to intervene."

She added, "We used to be much better at this than we are now. Now, you know, everybody can't help themselves. They have to go out and tell their friendly reporters and somebody else: Look what we're doing and I want credit for it."

___

FILIBUSTER

Clinton appears to call for eliminating the filibuster rules in the Senate that make a 60-vote threshold necessary to pass most items rather than a 50-vote majority. Clinton says "we need to change the rules in the Senate" and say presidential nominees as well as "policies" deserve "an up-or-down vote."

Republicans are already incensed that Senate Democrats recently changed the rules to eliminate the filibuster for most nominations, an extraordinary step known as the nuclear option.

__

CHINA

In the June 2013 speech, Clinton said Chinese President Xi Jinping, who had taken over as the country's leader the previous fall, was "a more sophisticated, more effective public leader" than his predecessor, Hu Jintao. Clinton said she had watched Xi "work a room," adding, "you can have him make small talk with you, which he has done with me." She said Xi's experience of visiting Iowa in the 1980s "was a very important part of his own development."

___
Interpol hunting for former Mexican governor

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican officials say the international police agency Interpol has issued a red notice for the detention of a former Mexican governor who is under investigation on allegations of corruption.

A federal official says the alert targets Guillermo Padres, who was governor of the northern border state of Sonora from 2009 to 2015. The official spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak on the record.

Padres' own National Action Party agreed on Monday to suspend Padres' right in the party until the criminal investigation is complete.

FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2012 file photo, Sonora Gov. Guillermo Padres Elias of Mexico waits for the start of a news conference following the 30th annual Border Governors Conference in Albuquerque, N.M. Mexican officials said on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 the international police agency Interpol has issued a red notice for the detention of the former Mexican governor who is under investigation on allegations of corruption. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)
China's Peng Shuai captures 1st title at Tianjin Open

TIANJIN, China (AP)  Chinese veteran Peng Shuai captured the first title of her career at the Tianjin Open on Sunday, beating Alison Riske in the final 7-6 (3), 6-2.

Peng, a former U.S. Open semifinalist, was winless in six previous finals on the WTA Tour. She saved 10 of 12 break points she faced against Riske.

Peng finished off her rain-delayed semifinal over Danka Kovinic earlier Sunday, winning three straight games to prevail 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 after resuming at 3-all in the third.

Riske, aiming for her second career title, also had to play her semifinal earlier Sunday, topping second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
Turkish-backed Syrian opposition captures Dabiq from IS

BEIRUT (AP)  Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces captured the symbolically-significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group on Sunday as government forces reversed recent rebel advances in the center of the country.

Though only a small town of marginal strategic importance in northern Syria, Dabiq has figured centrally in IS propaganda. Citing Islamic lore, the extremist group claims it will be the stage for an apocalyptic battle between Crusaders and an army of the Muslim caliphate that will herald doomsday.

Meanwhile, southwest of Dabiq, Syrian government forces pounded rebel-held districts in the contested city of Aleppo, culminating in a devastating airstrike on a residential building in the Qaterji neighborhood late in the evening that killed at least 25 people, according to the Civil Defense search-and-rescue outfit. Spokesman Ibrahim Alhaj said some families remain trapped under the rubble.

In this image made from video posted online by Qasioun News Agency, Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces, one carrying a Turkish flag, patrol in Dabiq, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces have captured the symbolically significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, the factions said Sunday morning. A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said Islamic State fighters put up "minimal" resistance to defend the northern Syrian town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger IS-held town of al-Bab to the south. (Qasioun News Agency via AP)

The Qaterji attack brought the death toll to 49 from strikes on opposition-run eastern Aleppo on Sunday, according to Al Haj.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group, which monitors the conflict through local contacts, put the toll from the Qaterji attack at no less than 15 civilian fatalities, and Sunday's tally for the eastern portion of the city at 31 civilians.

Russian jets are also known to fly sorties over east Aleppo. Russia is a key backer of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country's raging war.

In Dabiq, Islamic State fighters put up "minimal" resistance in defending the town, according to a commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade, before they withdrew south to al-Bab, which remains under IS control.

Saif Abu Bakr said some 2,000 opposition fighters pushed into Dabiq with tank and artillery support from the Turkish army. The commander said IS left the town heavily mined.

Both Turkish and international coalition warplanes conducted airstrikes on Dabiq and nearby Arshak, the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The U.S. envoy to the coalition against IS, Brett McGurk, tweeted Sunday that the extremist group had promised a "final victory" in Dabiq, but that its fighters had instead "fled in defeat at the hands of Syrians supported by our @coalition."

Government forces meanwhile sustained their push against rebels in the central Hama province after an ambitious month-long campaign spearheaded by al-Qaida-linked insurgents ground to a halt amid factional infighting.

The rebels were within a few miles of the country's fourth-largest city, also called Hama, when deadly clashes broke out among ultraconservative factions within the coalition.

The Syrian Army has capitalized on the fracture, retaking over a third of the territory it had lost over five weeks. On Sunday it announced it had retaken the strategic town of Maardes.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict through a network of contacts inside Syria, described the government's control over the town as still tenuous, as fierce clashes between the two sides stretched into the evening.

The advance on Dabiq comes as Iraqi troops and allied, Iranian-backed militias prepare for a push on IS's largest population center, the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. That operation is being coordinated closely with the U.S.

Turkey is also determined to define its interests in northern Iraq, and has sent some 500 of its own troops to train local militias in the region. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday his country was determined to participate in the battle for Mosul.

The Turkish deployment has angered the government in Baghdad, which has close ties to Turkey's rival, Iran.

The Islamic State group has lost a quarter of its territory in Syria and Iraq since January 2015, according to a report by the IHS Conflict Monitor group, but still holds the Syrian cities of Raqqa and Deir el-Zour, as well as Mosul.

The Islamic State group seized Dabiq in August 2014, when its population was about 3,000 people. The extremist group named its English-language online magazine after the town. That same year, IS also announced that it was the burial site for American captive Peter Kassig, who took the first name Abdul-Rahman after converting to Islam during captivity.

The Britain-based Observatory said IS had sent over 1,000 fighters to defend Dabiq last week before withdrawing hurriedly.

The Turkish military intervened in the Syrian war in August this year under orders from Ankara to clear the border area of IS fighters and U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces linked to Turkey's own outlawed Kurdish insurgency. The Turkish government considers both to be terrorist groups.

Syrian opposition fighters backed by Turkish ground and air forces have since expelled IS militants from their last positions along the Syrian-Turkish frontier and are closing in on al-Bab, one of their last remaining strongholds in Syria's contested Aleppo province.

Turkey sent thousands of opposition fighters from other regions in northern Syria to the front as part of Operation Euphrates Shield. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sunday that after taking Dabiq the Turkish-backed groups are determined to advance on al-Bab.

Turkey's Erdogan has suggested that some of the nearly 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey could return to the newly-liberated areas of their country.

"They can go to their own lands, we can let them live there safely," he said. "That's the step we will take. We have given our proposal to coalition powers and we are moving together."

___

Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed to this report.

In this image made from video posted online by Qasioun News Agency, Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces allow a man to pass after being searched, in Dabiq, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces have captured the symbolically significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, the factions said Sunday morning. A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said Islamic State fighters put up "minimal" resistance to defend the northern Syrian town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger IS-held town of al-Bab to the south. (Qasioun News Agency via AP)

In this image made from video posted online by Qasioun News Agency, Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces patrol in Dabiq, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces have captured the symbolically significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, the factions said Sunday morning. A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said Islamic State fighters put up "minimal" resistance to defend the northern Syrian town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger IS-held town of al-Bab to the south. (Qasioun News Agency via AP)

In this image made from video posted online by Qasioun News Agency, a member of a Turkish-backed Syrian opposition force exits a mosque in Dabiq, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces have captured the symbolically significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, the factions said Sunday morning. A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said Islamic State fighters put up "minimal" resistance to defend the northern Syrian town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger IS-held town of al-Bab to the south. The Islamic State group took control of the town, which had a prewar population of about 3,000 people, in August 2014. (Qasioun News Agency via AP)

In this image made from video posted online by Qasioun News Agency, members of a Turkish-backed Syrian opposition force patrol in Dabiq, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces have captured the symbolically significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, the factions said Sunday morning. A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said Islamic State fighters put up "minimal" resistance to defend the northern Syrian town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger IS-held town of al-Bab to the south. The Islamic State group took control of the town, which had a prewar population of about 3,000 people, in August 2014. (Qasioun News Agency via AP)

In this image made from video posted online by Qasioun News Agency, a woman carries her child in Dabiq, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces have captured the symbolically significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, the factions said Sunday morning. A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said Islamic State fighters put up "minimal" resistance to defend the northern Syrian town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger IS-held town of al-Bab to the south. The Islamic State group took control of the town, which had a prewar population of about 3,000 people, in August 2014. (Qasioun News Agency via AP)

In this image made from video posted online by Qasioun News Agency, a member of a Turkish-backed Syrian opposition force patrols in Dabiq, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces have captured the symbolically significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, the factions said Sunday morning. A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said Islamic State fighters put up "minimal" resistance to defend the northern Syrian town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger IS-held town of al-Bab to the south. The Islamic State group took control of the town, which had a prewar population of about 3,000 people, in August 2014. (Qasioun News Agency via AP)

In this image made from video posted online by Qasioun News Agency, a member of a Turkish-backed Syrian opposition force displays a Turkish flag, in Dabiq, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces have captured the symbolically significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, the factions said Sunday morning. A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said Islamic State fighters put up "minimal" resistance to defend the northern Syrian town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger IS-held town of al-Bab to the south. The Islamic State group took control of the town, which had a prewar population of about 3,000 people, in August 2014. (Qasioun News Agency via AP)
Suicide blast in Turkey near Syrian border kill 3, wound 9

ISTANBUL (AP)  A suicide bomber blew himself up Sunday during a Turkish police raid against suspected Islamic State members near the Syrian border, killing three police officers and wounding nine other people, an official said.

In a separate explosion, a man suspected of being responsible for an IS suicide bomber cell in Gaziantep blew himself about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away in another district of the city, provincial governor Ali Yerlikaya said in a televised statement. No one else was killed or wounded in the second blast.

Earlier, police received a tip about a group of IS militants hiding in a house in the city's Sahinbey district and launched an operation to apprehend them. A militant blew himself up when he realized he couldn't escape. Three police officers were killed, while five police officers and four civilians were wounded, Yerlikaya said.

Ambulances and security members attend the scene, near an explosion site after suicide bombers blew themselves up Sunday during a police raid against suspected Islamic State militants near the Syrian border, in Gaziantep, Turkey, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Three police officers were killed and others wounded, according to Gaziantep governor Ali Yerlikaya speaking to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. (DHA via AP)

News reports initially said that more than one suicide bomber was involved in the first explosion.

The governor said the police raid followed intelligence that the group could be planning an attack on an Alevi cultural association in the city. The Alevis are an offshoot of Shia Islam and are the largest religious group in Turkey after Sunnis. IS regards Alevis as heretics.

Hours later, a man suspected of organizing IS activities in Gaziantep blew himself up in an apartment as Turkish police were about to "neutralize" him, Yerlikaya said. The man was identified by the governor as Mehmet Kadir Cebael. The man's wife and two children were apprehended alive. TV footage showed the fifth floor of the building in which part of the wall was blown away.

The governor said Cebael was the "brain" behind the plan to attack the Alevi cultural association.

Turkey has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks over the past year, carried out by IS or Kurdish militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

In August, 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up during an outdoor wedding celebration in Gaziantep. Authorities said the attack was the work of the IS group.

Following the deadly attack in August, Turkish tanks entered the Syrian town of Jarablus and began its Euphrates Shield operation with Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces to clear its shared border with Syria from IS. The symbolic town of Dabiq in northern Syria was captured Sunday where IS fighters put up "minimal" resistance.

___

Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara.
In Calais' refugee slum, teenagers dream of Britain

CALAIS, France (AP)  Inside the Kids Cafe, a ramshackle refuge in a sprawling migrant slum in Calais, a mobile phone rings.

Afghan teenager Wasaal takes the call. A friend of his has managed to hide inside a truck and hopes he will soon be on the other side of the English Channel.

"The problem is that he does not have GPS on his mobile. He does not know if the truck is moving in the right direction," the 14-year-old said.

A migrant walks past the Kids Cafe in a makeshift migrants camp near Calais, France, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. The French government has announced plans to shut down the camp that has become a demoralizing symbol of Europe's migrant crisis by the end of the year. That means 6,000 to 10,000 migrants will need to be relocated, including up to 1,300 minors, according to different estimates from charities operating in the camp. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

In fact, few in this muddy, violent camp in the northern French city know where they are going, but dreams abound of a life in Britain, just 21 miles (33 kilometers) across the sea.

The French government has announced plans to shut down the camp that has become a demoralizing symbol of Europe's migrant crisis by the end of the year. That means 6,000 to 10,000 migrants will need to be relocated, including up to 1,300 minors, according to different estimates from charities operating in the camp.

Many refugee children in Calais claim to have family ties in the U.K. and don't even consider building their future in France. Jonny Willis, a volunteer from the French refugee and youth service, says the camp's appalling living conditions and poor hygiene have been a strong deterrent.

"They went through a terrible experience here," said Willis. "They have been treated so badly by police. This camp lacks basic services, in addition there is no security."

Wasaal himself has stopped trying to sneak onto trucks to Britain. Instead he's had his fingerprints taken as part of his request for asylum.

"I tried it more than 10 times over the past seven months," he said. "But I'm not doing it anymore. I'm in the process of being reunited with my uncle and cousins. I don't how long it will take, it's for the Home Office to decide."

Britain's Home Office says small groups of refugee children have been coming in a weekly basis for the last few months and hundreds are now expected to cross the Channel legally before the Calais camp is destroyed.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that Britain's commitment to take in migrant children from Calais must be urgently fulfilled.

"It's very important that this children issue is handled with the greatest spirit of solidarity and humanity," Ayrault said Sunday in London on the sidelines of a meeting on Syria.

Inside the Kids Cafe, a place where teenagers can relax and enjoy a free meal, Wasaal and a dozen of other boys are listening to music while playing pool. The sofas are worn out, but a poster of a red British double-decker bus reminds everyone that London is just a few miles away.

After a perilous three-month journey across countries including Syria, Turkey, and Serbia, Wasaal can't wait for his British dream to come true.

"Here I'm just wasting my time," the teenager said in fluent English. "We are too busy dealing with daily life problems. We can't think properly."

"I left because my family was in danger," said the boy, who fled Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan where Taliban are conducting repeated raids. Wasaal has lost touch with his parents, who also fled the violence. His hopes are simple: receiving a proper education in a safe environment.

"I just dream to be in a place where there will be no one to harm me. Back in Afghanistan, I had very good results in two different subjects, physics and mathematics. I want to be an engineer," he said.

Aid groups agree the Calais slum must be shut down, but are urging authorities to take their time. The refugee youth service has handed mobile phones to hundreds of children and collected information to make sure they won't go missing when the camp is dismantled. When the southern part of the camp was destroyed in April, 129 children vanished.

"We should do everything to ensure that minors don't disappear," Genevieve Avenard, the French government's children rights watchdog, said during a recent visit. "They are in danger of being exploited. We also need time to give these children their confidence back, so they can set up a project for their future life."

Mahmud, 16, already knows what he wants to be  a business accountant.

The Afghan teenager, whose parents were killed when he was a boy, hopes he will be transferred to Birmingham, where his uncle has already been in touch with British authorities. In the meantime, he's bored of wandering around the camp without a plan. At night, he sleeps in Container No. 51, one of the heated white containers holding up to 1,500 people.

Mahmud is also wary of the frequent violence in the camp.

"There are too many fighting here. I really don't like that," said the diminutive boy, wearing only a pair of flip flops on a cold afternoon.

Tensions have been growing amid the looming uncertainty. It's only a matter of weeks before all the Calais migrants will be deported, transferred to England or relocated to more than 160 centers around France. One British charity has warned of possible suicide attempts from desperate migrants.

But new migrants are still arriving.

On Thursday at the Calais-Frethun train station, a young boy in jeans and sneakers stepped out of the express train from Paris. He was immediately arrested by two French police officers.

"We checked his ID, he's a 17-year-old from Somalia," one police officer said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. "He wants to go to England. Every day, it's the same story. They keep on coming."

FILE  This Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016 file photo, one Syrian and five Afghan boys wave on the platform of the Calais train station, northern France, as they depart for Britain. The French government has announced plans to shut down the camp that has become a demoralizing symbol of Europe's migrant crisis by the end of the year. That means 6,000 to 10,000 migrants will need to be relocated, including up to 1,300 minors, according to different estimates from charities operating in the camp. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

FILE  This Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016 file photo, one Syrian and five Afghan boys wait at the custom checkpoint of the Calais train station, northern France, as they leave for Britain. The French government has announced plans to shut down the camp that has become a demoralizing symbol of Europe's migrant crisis by the end of the year. That means 6,000 to 10,000 migrants will need to be relocated, including up to 1,300 minors, according to different estimates from charities operating in the camp. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
Putin to Kremlin journalists: US is watching you

MOSCOW (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin has told journalists in the Russian press corps that they are possibly being watched by American intelligence agencies.

Putin made the comments Sunday in Benaulim, India, where he was attending the summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies.

Putin told journalists covering his visit that "the United States listens to everything and looks at everything. All of you are objects of exploitation for the special services."

Leaders of BRICS countries, from left, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Brazilian President Michel Temer, arrive for a group photo for media at the start of the summit in Goa, India, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Leaders of five of the world's fast-rising powers are meeting in the southwestern Indian state of Goa for their annual summit at a time when their ability to shape the global dialogue on international politics and finance is increasingly being questioned. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, or BRICS, face the tough task of asserting their growing influence as a power group even as they bridge their own trade rivalries to help grow their economies. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Putin said that "you are in the presidential pool and you may hear something or see it, talk with somebody, you freely chat on the telephone on open connections," according to the RIA Novosti news agency.
Tens of thousands march in Paris against same-sex marriage

PARIS (AP)  Tens of thousands of people have marched in Paris to call for the repeal of a law allowing gay marriage, six months before France's next presidential election.

The protesters ended up at Trocadero Plaza, near the Eiffel Tower. Police estimated the crowd at 24,000, while organizers gave a figure of 200,000.

They were also protesting Sunday against the use of assisted reproduction techniques and surrogate mothers to help same-sex couples have babies.

Demonstrators dressed as Marianne, the symbol of the French republic since the 1789 revolution march during a rally to protest gay marriage in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Thousands of people have marched in Paris to call for the repeal of a law allowing gay marriage, six months before France's next presidential election. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Assisted reproduction is allowed in France only for infertile heterosexual couples and surrogacy is banned.

The group organizing the march presents itself as promoting the traditional family model of "one mother and one father." It hopes to influence the debate before the presidential election next year.

None of the major candidates in the election attended the march.

A small group of bare-breasted Femen demonstrators briefly showed up Sunday during the march to protest against what they call "homophobia." The half-dozen Femen protesters were removed by police.

The 2013 law allowing gay marriage exposed deep divisions in French society, prompting big protests for and against such unions.
Turkmenistan sets presidential election for 2017

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP)  Turkmenistan's parliament has set the date for a presidential election in which opposition parties can field candidates for the first time.

But the election set for Feb. 12 is unlikely to present real competition for autocratic President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who has ruled for a decade and established a personality cult nearly as pervasive as that of his eccentric predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov.

The parliament's decision was reported by state media on Sunday. It comes a month after the constitution was changed to remove age limits for the presidency, effectively allowing Berdymukhamedov to be president for life.
High-level Syrian delegation arrives in Egypt

CAIRO (AP)  Egyptian media is reporting that a high-level Syrian delegation has arrived in Cairo for talks with unnamed senior officials.

The pro-government Sada al-Balad and other news websites, citing unnamed officials, say six Syrians arrived on a private jet Sunday from Damascus for discussions on efforts to reach a political solution to the country's civil war, now in its fifth year.

Calls to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry were not answered.

Earlier this month, Egypt voted for rival French and Russian draft resolutions on Syria at the U.N. Security Council, arguing that both called for a truce and aid for besieged Syrians in the rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo.
Missed penalties set Bundesliga record as Leipzig goes 3rd

BERLIN (AP)  Missed penalties set a Bundesliga record on Sunday as promoted Leipzig continued its remarkable start to the season with a 1-0 win at Wolfsburg to go third.

Emil Forsberg fired the unbeaten side to its fourth win from seven games, putting it level on points with another surprise team, Cologne, and just two points behind leader Bayern Munich.

The Swedish midfielder missed the chance to score from the penalty spot in the first half, sending his effort to the left of Koen Casteels' goal after the Wolfsburg goalkeeper had brought down Timo Werner.

Wolfsburg's Jeffrey Bruma , left, challenges for the ball with Leipzig's Yussuf Poulsen during a German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig in Wolfsburg, northern Germany, Sunday Oct. 16, 2016. ( Peter Steffen/dpa via AP)

It was the fifth missed penalty of the weekend, a record for a single round of games in the Bundesliga.

Antonio-Mirko Colak had earlier missed a penalty for Darmstadt in his side's 2-1 loss at local rival Mainz; Borussia Moenchengladbach's Andre Hahn and Lars Stindl both squandered penalty chances in their side's 0-0 draw with Hamburger SV on Saturday; and Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had his spot kick saved by Hertha Berlin's Rune Jarstein in the 1-1 draw on Friday.

Ten penalties were awarded across the nine games, the most in a Bundesliga round since the 1986-87 season.

Forsberg made up for his penalty miss with a brilliant strike from outside the penalty area to the top right corner with 20 minutes remaining. It was the Swede's third league goal of the season, catapulting Leipzig above Hertha in fourth place and Dortmund in fifth. Four points separate the top six.

Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking's position is in question after his side slipped to 14th, following its sixth consecutive game without a win.

"We're going to have to talk within the club, what we're going to do in future, where we see the possibilities of playing better football again," Wolfsburg general manager Klaus Allofs said. "That can be with the coach, it can also be without the coach."

___

MAINZ 2, DARMSTADT 1

In a game with three penalties, Mainz claimed its third win to move seventh.

Pablo De Blasis fired the home side into a fifth-minute lead, converting from close range after Daniel Brosinski played the ball over the defense for Gaetan Bussmann to cross.

Laszlo Kleinheisler almost equalized when he crashed a volley off the crossbar, before Jhon Cordoba missed a good chance on a counter-attack at the other end. The Colombian later struck the crossbar.

Colak should have made it 1-1 before the break when the first penalty was awarded but Mainz 'keeper Jonas Loessl saved his spot kick.

Yunus Malli made no mistake with another penalty early in the second half, giving Mainz its two-goal cushion.

Colak missed another chance to pull one back with the goal at his mercy in the 68th, before Jerome Gondorf claimed the visitors' consolation from the third penalty in injury time.

Darmstadt dropped to 15th, one point above Schalke in the relegation zone.
Black Lives Matter homecoming float vandalized in Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Boise State University's president says a homecoming float dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement has been vandalized.

Bob Kustra released a statement early Sunday morning condemning both the vandals and the attempt to silence constitutionally protected free speech.

Kustra added that the school's security team is investigating the issue, but he will also support students if they choose to report the vandalism to the police.

Details about the extent of the damage and when it occurred have not been released.
Noren wins British Masters for 3rd European title this year

WATFORD, England (AP)  Alex Noren of Sweden held his nerve at the British Masters on Sunday to claim a third European Tour title in his last eight tournaments.

Noren carded a final round of 69 at The Grove to finish on 18-under 266, two shots ahead of Bernd Wiesberger (67), with Lee Westwood (67) a shot further back in third.

Ranked 110th after missing the cut in the Irish Open in May, Noren will be 18th in Monday's updated standings after adding Sunday's triumph  and the first prize of 500,000 pounds ($608,000)  to victories in the Scottish Open and European Masters.

Sweden's Alex Noren is doused during celebrations after winning The British Masters golf tournament at The Grove, Chandler's Cross, England, Sunday Oct. 16, 2016. (Steven Paston / PA via AP)

"I just worked quite hard and sometimes you get lucky like this," Noren said. "You have to hit the right shots at the right times and I'm very happy. I believe in myself, but the big thing is you don't have to play a perfect game.

"Just a few parts of your game need to be strong to get a win and I try to stay humble. I know golf is a tough game."

Noren, whose win made certain of a Masters debut at Augusta in April, took a three-shot lead into the final round and birdied the first two holes, only for playing partner Richard Bland to do likewise.

Bland's bogey on the seventh left Noren four clear, but the Swede then bogeyed the eighth as Bland, who tied for fourth, holed from 50 feet across the green for an unlikely birdie.

Noren's lead was down to a single shot when he bogeyed the 11th and he did superbly to save par on the next  thanks to a brilliant recovery shot from the trees.

Wiesberger of Austria briefly joined Noren at the top of the leaderboard with a birdie on the par-five 15th, only for Noren to do likewise from a near-identical position in the group behind.

With Wiesberger unable to birdie the 18th, Noren knew all he needed was a par to win, but a superb pitch to two feet set up a birdie to cap off a brilliant run of form.

"Unfortunately this was not quite my week on the greens, but to finish well in a strong field like this helps going into the final couple of events this year," Wiesberger said.

"I would have loved to squeeze another birdie in there, give him something to think about coming up the last. But I'm still very happy with my performance."

Sweden's Alex Noren celebrates after winning The British Masters golf tournament at The Grove, Chandler's Cross, England, Sunday Oct. 16, 2016. (Steven Paston / PA via AP)
2 Georgia men killed in speedboat crash on Potomac River

FAIRVIEW BEACH, Va. (AP)  Police say two Georgia men were killed when their speedboat crashed on the Potomac River about 60 miles south of the nation's capital.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources police say the accident happened around noon Saturday in front of a restaurant near Fairview Beach, Virginia.

The boat involved in the crash was capable of reaching speeds up to 190 mph. Video of the accident posted on a boating website shows the boat going airborne and flipping end over end. The crash occurred during an event where boats can have their speed clocked by a radar gun.

Police say the boat driver was 49-year-old James Melley of Buford, Georgia, and the throttle man was 61-year-old Garth Tagge of Atlanta.
Reports of blast in camp for displaced Syrians near Jordan

AMMAN, Jordan (AP)  A resident says an explosion went off at a militia checkpoint near a camp for displaced Syrians on the border with Jordan.

There were unconfirmed reports of casualties in the Sunday evening blast at the Rukban camp.

Hala Akhbar, a website linked to the Jordanian military, also reported the explosion.

Jordan has been on edge since a June car bomb attack launched from the Rukban area killed seven members of the Jordanian border guard. Jordan sealed the border in response, cutting off vital aid from some 75,000 Syrians stranded in the area.

The displaced Syrians live in makeshift camps between two parallel earthen barriers, or berms, that mark the frontier.
Actress Ali MacGraw to be honored as Santa Fe 'treasure'

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  Actress and longtime New Mexico resident Ali MacGraw will be recognized for her advocacy work in the community.

The "Love Story" star is being honored Sunday as one of four new "Santa Fe Living Treasures."

The 77-year-old, who has lived in Tesuque in Santa Fe County since 1994, is being singled out for her charity work.

MacGraw tells the Santa Fe New Mexican (http://bit.ly/2dthRNJ) that she is just "an ant" in a network of people who volunteer around Santa Fe.

She says her past fame can sometimes help draw more attention to an issue.

MacGraw advocates for several causes  many of them involving animals.
North Carolina GOP office burned, graffiti sprayed nearby

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (AP)  A local Republican Party office in North Carolina was torched by a flammable device and someone spray-painted an anti-GOP slogan referring to "Nazi Republicans" on a nearby wall, authorities said Sunday.

A bottle filled with flammable liquid was thrown through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight, according to a news release from the town of Hillsborough. The substance ignited and damaged the interior before burning out. No one was injured.

On Sunday afternoon, the walls of the multi-room office were covered in black char, and a couch against one wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor, and melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering.

Melted campaign signs are seen at the Orange County Republican Headquarters in Hillsborough, NC on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Someone threw flammable liquid inside a bottle through a window overnight and someone spray-painted an anti-GOP slogan referring to "Nazi Republicans" on a nearby wall, authorities said Sunday. State GOP director Dallas Woodhouse said no one was injured. (AP Photo/Jonathan Drew)

The news release from authorities said an adjacent building was spray-painted with the words: "Nazi Republicans leave town or else." The graffiti had been covered in paint by late afternoon.

Another business owner discovered the damage Sunday morning. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is working with local investigators.

State GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse said people sometimes work after-hours, and he felt lucky that no one was there at the time. He said the bottle appeared to have landed on or near the couch where volunteers sometimes take naps.

"They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed," he said in an interview, calling the fire "political terrorism."

He said Republican offices around the state were re-examining their security.

The violent act in the key battleground state was condemned by public figures across the political spectrum.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president said on Twitter that the attack "is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe."

Republican nominee Donald Trump blamed the act on Democrats in a Tweet and also he encouraged local Republicans, saying: "With you all the way, will never forget. Now we have to win. Proud of you all!"

At a news conference, Woodhouse urged Republicans to respond peacefully by turning out to vote in November. He said he'd received messages of support from Democrats.

Orange County GOP chairman Daniel Ashley told reporters that no one had previously made violent threats against the office several miles from the town's historic square. The GOP office is several doors down from a shuttered ice rink in what was once a frontier-themed amusement park that is now a retail complex known as The Shops at Daniel Boone.

Tom Stevens, mayor of the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh, said that it was fortunate the fire didn't burn the office and other adjacent buildings that are decades old to the ground.

Stevens, a Democrat, said the act doesn't represent the character of Orange County, which also includes much of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin in the county that picked President Barack Obama by a lopsided margin in the 2012 election.

"I'd like to believe we aspire to respect hearing differing views," Stevens said in an interview. "This is very troubling."

Stevens said he wasn't aware of any leads on suspects.

A burned couch is shown next to warped campaign signs at the Orange County Republican Headquarters in Hillsborough, NC on Sunday, Oct. 16 2016. Someone threw flammable liquid inside a bottle through a window overnight and someone spray-painted an anti-GOP slogan referring to "Nazi Republicans" on a nearby wall, authorities said Sunday. State GOP director Dallas Woodhouse said no one was injured. (AP Photo/Jonathan Drew)
A hunt is on for a gunman who shot a policeman and then drove away in the officer's patrol car.

Sergeant Allen Brandt, an 11-year veteran of the Fairbanks Police Department, was shot several times while responding to a report of shots fired in Alaska's largest city.

The shooter then took the officer's car and abandoned it a few blocks away.

Brandt was flown to Anchorage for treatment for multiple gunshot wounds. He is in a stable condition.

The officer stopped his car and a man wearing a baseball cap circled his vehicle pointing a gun

Dashcam footage showed the suspect scurrying past the officer's car carrying a gun

Sergeant Allen Brandt, an 11-year veteran of the Fairbanks Police Department, was shot several times

The suspect remains at large, police said.

The officer was responding to a call of shots fired on 7th Avenue between Noble Street and the Steese Highway.

Moments later, the officer radioed police dispatch to report that he had been shot.

Dashcam footage showed the officer stopping his vehicle as a man walked down the sidewalk towards him.

The suspect went out of sight for about four seconds but then reappeared with a gun drawn as he passed directly in front of the camera and to the driver's side.

The video does not show the actual shooting.

The officer was responding to a call of shots fired on the 300th block of 7th Avenue between Noble Street and the Steese Highway (pictured), police said

Lt Eric Jewkes said he hoped the dashcom footage would 'go viral' to help identity the shooter.

Police described the suspect as an Alaska Native man in his early 20s wearing a dark jacket, dark pants and a baseball cap.

He should be considered 'armed and dangerous,' the police department said.

The urged anyone with information to call 907-459-6800.
UK pledges 3m in anti-cholera drive in hurricane-hit Haiti

The UK Government has pledged an extra 3 million to stamp out cholera in Haiti in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Matthew.

As part of the package, the UK is supporting the shipment of one million doses of the vaccine for the deadly disease to the island, the Department for International Development (Dfid) said.

International Development Secretary Priti Patel said: "As the death toll rises and the scale of this devastating hurricane becomes evident, the UK is continuing to do everything it can to help all those affected by this tragedy.

UK aid being offloaded after it arrived in Haiti, including shelter kits for 5,000 people (Julien Mulliez/DFID/PA)

"With the threat of a major cholera spike growing, global Britain will play its part to ensure expertise and support can make a real difference to people in urgent need."

Sunday's announcement brings the UK contribution to the Haiti crisis to 8 million.

The aid will provide shelter kits for 5,000 people, as well as temporary shelters, equipment to purify and carry safe drinking water, and solar lights to reach 12,500 of the most vulnerable people, including women and children.
Jeremy Corbyn 'in denial' over critical report citing anti-Semitism in Labour

Jeremy Corbyn was accused of being in denial about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and "shooting the messenger" after suggesting a damning report on the issue was biased.

The Home Affairs Select Committee report found the Labour leader has failed to provide "consistent leadership" in tackling anti-Semitism within the party's ranks.

But responding, Mr Corbyn suggested it was biased against the party and described its sharp criticism of an inquiry into the issue by Labour peer Baroness Chakrabarti as "unfair".

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn gave evidence to the committee but the MPs questioned his understanding of the issue

The acting chairman of the powerful committee of MPs, Tim Loughton, said the Labour leader's reaction shows he is still failing to take the issue seriously.

The Tory MP told the Murnaghan programme on Sky News: "I'm afraid he's still in denial and that sort of response is deeply disappointing for all members of the committee."

He said the report investigated anti-Semitism within all political parties, adding: "This is not about trying to score points off Jeremy Corbyn and I'm disappointed that it seems to have been accepted by him in that manner because that doesn't do any of us any good."

The cross-party committee also questioned whether Mr Corbyn "fully appreciates" the nature of post-war anti-Semitic abuse.

Labour MP Pat McFadden insisted the report should be taken seriously.

Appearing to refer to the Labour leader, Mr McFadden said the party should not "fall into the trap" of pointing to its anti-racism record as proof that it could not have a problem with anti-Semitism.

"I hope we don't make the mistake here of shooting the messenger," he told BBC One's Sunday Politics.

"I hope we take the report seriously, and I hope we don't fall into the trap that sometimes I see when these accusations are wielded, that we point to anti-racism records and say, look at our virtue in our record here, t hat must mean we can't be anti-Semitic.

"Let me be clear about this: pointing to your own sense of righteousness is no excuse for nastiness or cruelty to someone else. So I think we should take this very seriously indeed."

In the report, Labour was accused of "incompetence" over its handling of high-profile allegations of anti-Semitism, including those involving former London mayor Ken Livingstone and Jackie Walker, who was recently removed as vice-chairwoman of the Corbyn-supporting Momentum group.

The chair of the Jewish Labour Movement said the "litmus test" of the party's response to anti-Semitism is whether it expels Mr Livingstone, who was suspended in April after arguing that Hitler had supported Zionism in the early 1930s.

Jeremy Newmark told Murnaghan: "One of the real litmus tests as to whether or not the party has moved on on the issue of anti-Semitism is whether or not, in a post-Chakrabarti Labour party there is still space for people like Ken Livingstone, who over an extended period of time almost built a career out of calibrating those kinds of insults to cause the maximum hurt, pain and offence towards Jewish people.

"The party was right to suspend him, that was a step in the right direction but now they need to finish the job."

Mr Newmark acknowledged Mr Corbyn's rhetoric on anti-Semitism has "got better", but called for concrete action and the implementation of the recommendations in the Chakrabarti report.

Mr Livingstone, meanwhile, told Sky News he was "simply stating historical fact" with his comments about Hitler, which were described by the committee as "unwise, offensive and provocative".

The committee welcomed the Chakrabarti inquiry set up by Mr Corbyn but expressed doubts about its independence since the former Liberty director subsequently joined Labour and accepted a peerage.

But Mr Corbyn claimed the inquiry "violated natural justice" by refusing Lady Chakrabarti's request to appear before it.

The Labour leader said: "The report's political framing and disproportionate emphasis on Labour risks undermining the positive and welcome recommendations made in it.

"Although the committee heard evidence that 75% of anti-Semitic incidents come from far-right sources, and the report states there is no reliable evidence to suggest anti-Semitism is greater in Labour than other parties, much of the report focuses on the Labour Party.
Police warned of dangerous ecstasy tablets after the death of a 16-year-old who is believed to have taken them at a house party on Saturday.

The teenager, named locally as Shellie Callaghan, reportedly fell ill at the party in Newtongrange and was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on Saturday.

One line of inquiry officers are following is that the girl had access to 'ecstasy type tablets', police said.

Shellie Callagha, 16, reportedly died after taking ecstasy tablet at a house party on Saturday

The police say they are investigating the possibility that drugs caused her death as 'one line of inquiry' and issued a drugs warning after the teenager (pictured) died

'Police Scotland is issuing a drugs warning following the death of a 16-year-old female in Newtongrange on Saturday,' the force said in a statement.

'Inquiries into the circumstances surrounding her death are at a very early stage, however one line of inquiry officers are following is that she may have had access to ecstasy-type tablets.

'These tablets are known as red Bugatti Veyron and Purple Ninja Turtle.

'Anyone who has taken these tablets is urged to seek immediate medical attention.

Red bugatti veyron ecstasy-type tablets (pictured), as Police Scotland issued a drugs warning following the death of a 16-year-old girl in Midlothian

'Furthermore, anyone who has access to any of these tablets is strongly urged not to take them.

'Police Scotland's message is clear. There is no safe illegal drug and no safe way to take illegal drugs.'

Tributes were paid to the teenager on social media, with one friend writing: 'My childhood best friend, I'll never forget our times together Shellie.'
Epic voyage marks 200th anniversary of England's longest man-made waterway

The 200th anniversary of England's longest man-made waterway is being marked with a nine-day epic voyage.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal is having the milestone celebrated with what is hailed as the greatest long-distance water party staged through northern England.

The Canal and River Trust and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society are recreating the inaugural 1816 boat passage by Lancashire and Yorkshire merchants on the 127-mile-long waterway this week.

Former working boat Kennet on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal (Stephen Garnett/Canal & River Trust/PA)

They set off from Leeds on Saturday aboard the former working boat Kennet, planning to arrive in Liverpool on Sunday October 23.

Brass bands, hundreds of school children and crowds of well-wishers are expected to greet the boat on its voyage.

The flotilla will have to negotiate 91 locks, climb nearly 500 feet over the Pennine hills and cruise through the one-mile Foulridge Tunnel.

Kennet trip organiser Harold Bond said: "Back in 1816, press reports state that the ceremonial first boat was greeted by pealing church bells, brass bands and cheering crowds, and canal barges were be-decked in flags and streamers.

"We are hoping to re-create that amazing atmosphere of celebration again. The response to our invitation to get involved has been brilliant so we have every chance of staging a celebration worthy of those entrepreneurial merchants and inventive engineers who were responsible for building this waterway two hundred years ago."
Wayne Rooney will get 'the respect he deserves' at Old Trafford - Jose Mourinho

Dropped England captain Wayne Rooney will receive "the respect he deserves" back at Manchester United, according to Jose Mourinho.

The 30-year-old striker returned to club duty earlier this week following an international break where he was booed by fans at Wembley three days before interim Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate left the country's all-time record scorer out of his XI in Slovenia.

Mourinho is set to do likewise against Liverpool on Monday night, but the United manager insists Rooney can rely on the backing of the Old Trafford faithful after certain sections of the England support turned on him against Malta.

Wayne Rooney has not started Manchester United's past three games

"He was not booed by Man United fans," Mourinho said.

"To be honest, the last match when he went to the warm-up I was feeling Old Trafford was behind him and immediately supporting him during the warm-up before he came on against Stoke.

"I think at Man United he feels at home, at Man United he feels the respect he deserves. Not at Anfield, obviously, but he knows that here he is respected."

Such receptions will not be forthcoming at Anfield, where Rooney scored the winner in the league last year, given the United skipper's ties with the blue half of Merseyside.

Mourinho is also assured of a frosty welcome after the rivalry his old club Chelsea shared with Liverpool during his time in west London, and any ill feeling towards the Portuguese will not have dissipated since he took up his new post across the M62.

He has claimed victories in each of his previous two trips to Liverpool in the league, with a success during Chelsea's most recent title-winning campaign following the victory at the back end of the previous term when the Reds were on the cusp of a first Premier League crown.

The latter win, which came sandwiched between two Champions League semi-final ties with Atletico Madrid in 2014, was celebrated with great delight by Mourinho and he admits these types of rivalry games are the ones he relishes tackling.

"For me, to play Liverpool is to play against a big club," he added.

"In Madrid I wanted to play against Barcelona, against Atletico, against Valencia. In Inter I wanted to play against Milan, against Juventus, against Roma. In Chelsea I wanted to play against Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal, all the big clubs in the country.
Stunning Jose Holebas strike gives Watford victory at struggling Middlesbrough

Jose Holebas' piledriver condemned Middlesbrough to a fourth defeat in five Premier League outings as Watford snatched a 1-0 victory they scarcely deserved.

The Greece international's 54th-minute strike was of stunning quality, but it came in stark contrast to much of what either side produced during a largely dour 90 minutes.

Middlesbrough created the better of what few opportunities there were and saw four penalty appeals rejected by referee Roger East, some of them with greater merit than others.

Aitor Karanka's Middlesbrough had a number of penalty appeals turned down

But ultimately they were made to pay for failing to produce enough in the final third as the Hornets held sway - they have now taken 10 points from their last five games - in front of a crowd of 28,131 at the Riverside Stadium.

By contrast, the home side ran out having collected just one point from the previous 12 on offer and knowing that had to change rapidly if they were not to surrender their positive start to the campaign.

The first half unfolded as something of a slog with Aitor Karanka's men dominating possession, but doing little with it.

Stewart Downing scooped a third-minute half-volley over the bar and Gaston Ramirez dragged a left-footed effort wide after exchanging passes with striker Alvaro Negredo three minutes later with the Hornets on the back foot during the early skirmishes.

The Teessiders also had two penalty appeals waved away inside a minute after Negredo went down under the combined attentions of Younes Kaboul and Nordin Amrabat - the former appeared to have at least one handful of shirt. Downing headed against Amrabat's arm, although from point-blank range, and then whistled a right-foot shot wide from the rebound with Mr East unmoved.

Central defender Ben Gibson came as close as anyone to opening the scoring in the first half with a speculative 35-yard drive on the half-hour, although Negredo might have unwittingly done so two minutes earlier at the wrong end.

Back inside his own penalty area to defend a Watford free-kick, he got to Holebas' cross first and powered a header just over the angle of bar and post in his efforts to clear the danger.

Boro resumed in determined fashion and were appealing for a penalty once again three minutes into the second half when Negredo went to ground under Holebas' challenge, but this time the complaints were muted as the referee waved play on.

Midfielder Adam Forshaw side-footed tamely at keeper Heurelho Gomes after running on to Cristhian Stuani's 52nd pull-back, and Uruguay international Stuani fired just wide from a narrow angle seconds later.

But it was the visitors who took the lead in spectacular style when Holebas latched on to Marten de Roon's clearance and smashed an unstoppable shot high into the top corner, beyond the stunned Victor Valdes.
Canada energy companies, police scramble to protect pipelines

By David Ljunggren and Nia Williams

OTTAWA/CALGARY, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Canadian energy companies and officials share intelligence, scour social media and send up surveillance drones but even so they say preventing a disruption to the country's vast pipeline network is near impossible and each side wants the other to do more.

This week, five oil pipelines carrying Canadian crude were halted in the United States in an audacious act by protesters opposed to oil sands development and a proposed new pipeline in North Dakota.

The coordinated attacks in isolated locations near the Canadian border sparked a flurry of exchanges among pipeline operators, police, Canada's national energy regulator and a U.S. counterpart to assess the impact.

While they quickly consulted about the risk of the attacks spreading, the disruption focused attention on how Canada would deal with an assault on a huge network of pipelines crisscrossing a country with the world's third-largest proven oil reserves.

"Pipelines are so long and so linear, they are like a border, you cannot oversee every part of them." said Patrick Keys, TransCanada vice president of Canadian Gas Pipelines Commercial West.

Five years ago, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in leaked documents that it saw a greater risk to infrastructure from environmentalists than from religiously inspired groups, a claim that raised some eyebrows.

Richard Fadden, who ran Canada's main spy agency until 2013 and was national security advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau until June, said that in a country the size of Canada, "lowering the threat to absolute zero is impossible."

But he said there was scope for improvement, such as better use of technology and surveillance drones.

"Those parts of the national infrastructure that attract controversy become more worrisome and clearly pipelines fall in this area. So we worry about it," said the former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

"It's not a single pipeline that is going to endanger the national security. If it happens more than once, if there's a trend, that's a different kettle of fish."

But while police and pipeline companies both want better security, they look to each other to step up.

Energy companies already use surveillance cameras, helicopters, and remote sensors as well as drones to monitor some 119,000 km (74,000 miles) of pipelines across Canada, and have an agreement to collaborate during an emergency. The pipelines, most of which are underground, carry 3.4 million barrels of crude oil a day.

But while pipeline companies and law enforcement authorities share intelligence about perceived threats, corporate security has little intelligence-gathering capabilities, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association President Chris Bloomer said.

"They know who these opponents are, they can monitor the websites, but there is tons of traffic, it's hard to get to, and they are going to be operating in the dark corners," he said.

That's where energy companies would like to get more help from the RCMP and CSIS, said Jeffrey Monaghan, a criminologist at Carleton University whose research focuses on security. He said the two sides work together and meet regularly, but there is friction between the two.

"The pipeline companies are spending a lot of money on security and they have a very direct strategic economic interest in trying to get the RCMP to do more," said Monaghan. "The RCMP has been muting their (threat) language because they don't want to get trapped being private security guard."

A federal police source said Thursday that "radical environmentalists aren't on our radar at the moment but they are a possible terror group".

But collaboration on one side can seem like collusion from another, and greater cooperation is met with resistance from rights groups who argue the job of the police is to serve and protect Canadians, not provide security for energy companies.

Last year, Canada's spy watchdog investigated complaints from civil liberty and community groups that CSIS and the RCMP were gathering intelligence on environmental activists and sharing it with energy companies.

A TransCanada spokesman declined to discuss specific meetings or briefings but said they were in "fairly regular discussions" with law enforcement agencies about infrastructure security.

"We make no bones about the fact this relationship does and needs to exist," said Mark Cooper.

Pipeline companies, meanwhile, are bracing for the next round of clashes.

Kinder Morgan said it is in "deep conversations" with the RCMP and will have specific guidelines for contractors slated to build a proposed expansion where it is expecting blockades and protests at the British Columbia site.

"We are planning from both a safety and security standpoint," said Ian Anderson, president of the firm's Canadian operations. "I would be naive if I didn't expect (protests) ... It's when it goes beyond that that we will have to be prepared."
Obama eases restrictions on Cuba, lifts limits on rum and cigars

By Matt Spetalnick and Sarah Marsh

WASHINGTON/HAVANA, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Americans traveling to Cuba will be allowed to bring home more of the communist-ruled island's coveted cigars and rum under new measures announced by the U.S. government on Friday to further ease trade, travel and financial restrictions that have been in place for decades.

Cuba welcomed the steps, part of President Barack Obama's effort to make his historic opening to Cuba "irreversible" by the time he leaves office in January, but said they did not go far enough.

The latest in a series of new rules since the former Cold War foes began normalizing relations in 2014 will allow Cubans to buy certain U.S. consumer goods online, open the door for Cuban pharmaceutical companies to do business in the United States and let Cubans and Americans do joint medical research.

For American travelers, the biggest change is the removal of limits on the amount of rum and cigars they can pack in their luggage, strictly for personal use.

"You can now celebrate with Cuban rum and Cuban cigars," U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice quipped as she laid out the policy changes in a speech to a Washington think tank.

U.S. law still bans general tourism to Cuba, but the administration has used previous regulatory packages to make it easier for Americans to visit the island under 12 officially authorized categories.

The latest measures are part of an executive order on Cuba through which Obama seeks to sidestep the Republican-controlled Congress, which has resisted his call to lift Washington's economic embargo after more than 50 years.

Republican critics say Obama is making too many concessions to Cuba for too little in return, especially on human rights issues. "After two years of President Obama's Cuba policy, the Castro regime has made out like bandits," said U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American lawmaker from Florida.

The steps allow Cuban pharmaceutical companies to apply for U.S. regulatory approval, let U.S. firms improve Cuban infrastructure for humanitarian purposes and authorize them to provide safety-related aircraft services in Cuba, where U.S. airlines are beginning regularly scheduled flights.

Also under the new rules, after docking in Cuba, some foreign ships carrying certain cargo will be permitted to travel directly to U.S. ports to load or unload freight. Until now, such vessels have been required to wait 180 days, a restriction that Cuban officials say hinders their import export trade.

Josefina Vidal, the Cuban Foreign Ministry's chief of U.S. affairs, told a news conference in Havana the measures were "positive but of a very limited nature".

MAKING THE OPENING "IRREVERSIBLE"

"Today, I approved a Presidential Policy Directive that takes another major step forward in our efforts to normalize relations with Cuba," Obama said in a statement.

Less than a month before the Nov. 8 presidential election, Obama said his goal was to "make our opening to Cuba irreversible."

The latest package, the administration's sixth, is likely to be the "last significant tranche of changes" during Obama's tenure, said a senior official, who asked not to be named.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton backs the policy of rapprochement with Havana. Republican Donald Trump has vowed to roll back Obama's executive actions.

Vidal criticized Obama's directive for making it clear the U.S. aimed to "promote change in Cuba's economic, political and social system", failing to respect its sovereignty.

In March, Obama made the first visit to Havana by a U.S. president in 88 years. His trip was made possible by his breakthrough agreement with Cuban President Raul Castro in December 2014 to cast aside decades of hostility that began soon after Cuba's 1959 revolution.

Since the opening, Obama has repeatedly used his executive powers to relax trade and travel restrictions, while pushing Cuba to accelerate market-style reforms and boost political and economic freedom.

"The changes announced to Cuba regulations are, by definition, significant because they are new," said John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. "Whether they will be relevant depends upon the government of Cuba's willingness to permit United States companies and institutions to engage."

"This new directive consolidates and builds upon the changes we've already made," Obama said. He added, however, that "challenges remain - and very real differences between our governments persist on issues of democracy and human rights."
Syrian bombing suspect in Germany spoke to IS contact about attack plans -newspaper

By Michelle Martin

BERLIN, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A Syrian refugee arrested on suspicion of planning a major attack in Berlin spoke to a member of Islamic State in Syria by telephone about a possible target a day before German police discovered explosives in his apartment, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

Jaber Albakr was detained on Monday, two days after police discovered about 1.5 kg of explosives in his apartment. He was found dead in prison on Wednesday. Authorities said he had committed suicide.

Germany's Welt am Sonntag (WamS) cited investigation sources as saying U.S. intelligence had provided a tip-off about Albakr after tapping several phone calls between him and an Islamic State member in Syria. During the calls, 22-year-old Albakr spoke about his attack plans, the newspaper said.

In a call on Oct. 7, Albakr told his contact that 2 kg of explosives were ready and he named a possible target, saying a "big airport in Berlin" was "better than trains", WamS reported.

In July, the militant group claimed responsibility for two attacks in the German state of Bavaria - one on a train near Wuerzburg and the other at a music festival in Ansbach that wounded 20 people.

WamS said federal prosecutors investigating the case assumed that Albakr wanted to make a vest packed with explosives for an attack.

The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV) has said Albakr was building a bomb and probably planned to attack one of the airports in Berlin.

Investigators said on Monday they believed Albakr was close to staging an attack comparable to those that killed 130 people in Paris last November and 32 in Belgium in March. They suspect he was inspired by the Islamic State militant group.

Albakr arrived in Germany in February 2015 during a migrant influx into the country and was granted temporary asylum four months later.

The man who rented the flat in the eastern city of Chemnitz in which Albakr last lived - a 33-year-old Syrian who WamS named as Khalil A. - is in custody and is being investigated on suspicion of helping Albakr, the newspaper said.

Separately, German broadcaster ARD said Tegel airport in Berlin was possibly Albakr's attack target. Without naming its sources, ARD said Albakr went to Berlin one weekend in the second half of September to spy out Tegel.

Bus tickets, among other things, proved that, the broadcaster said.

The Berliner Morgenpost newspaper and the regional broadcaster rbb cited federal security sources as saying Albakr met a contact in Berlin while he was in the capital.

The newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (F.A.S.) said train tickets that investigators found in Albakr's possessions were key to uncovering the Berlin trip.

The federal prosecutor's office declined to comment on media reports when contacted by Reuters.

F.A.S. cited a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office as saying there were not yet "enough links to IS that could be used in court".

German security sources told Reuters that Albakr had travelled to Turkey after receiving asylum in Germany and spent several months there this summer.
Quake rattles northwestern Greece, road damaged

ATHENS, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A quake of magnitude 5.2 struck northwestern Greece, close to the country's border with Albania, late on Saturday, Athens' Geodynamic Institute reported, causing damage but no casualties.

The quake's epicentre was 12 km (8 miles) northwest of the city of Ioannina, said an official at the Institute.

There was some damage to the mountainous road network in the area due to falling rocks but no casualties, said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The tremor was also felt on the Corfu island in the Ionian Sea, a popular tourist destination, according to the semi-state Athens News Agency.
Top Brexiteer Boris Johnson penned arguments for staying in EU -report

By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Boris Johnson, who campaigned prominently for Britain to leave the European Union ahead of a June referendum, argued in favour of remaining in the bloc in an unpublished newspaper column two days before backing Brexit, according to a newspaper report.

Former London mayor Johnson, who became foreign affairs minister in the new government that took office after the referendum, wrote columns both for and against Brexit to clarify his thoughts on the issue, the Sunday Times reported.

The report said his "remain" column argued that Britain should be intimately engaged with the EU, warned of an economic shock if it left, and suggested British financial contributions to the EU were a small price to pay for single market access.

These points all contradict arguments that Johnson made time and again on the campaign trail, and has continued to make since being elevated to the Cabinet.

A spokesman for Johnson declined to comment.

A source familiar with what happened at the time told Reuters the Sunday Times article was accurate, adding that Johnson was leaning heavily towards Brexit when he wrote the "remain" column but wanted to satisfy himself he had tested all the arguments.

The source said that having written it, Johnson immediately said that the arguments in favour of staying in the bloc "don't stack up".

The Sunday Times published excerpts from the column, which was written in February, in a front-page article released late on Saturday.

"This is a market on our doorstep, ready for further exploitation by British firms. The membership fee seems rather small for all that access. Why are we so determined to turn our back on it?" he wrote, according to the article.

During the campaign, Johnson traveled around Britain on a bus emblazoned with a slogan suggesting that Britain was sending 350 million pounds ($435 million) a week to the EU - a figure rejected as inaccurate by experts - and the money would be better spent on the National Health Service.

'COMPLETE BALONEY'

Before becoming foreign secretary, Johnson was better known for many years for his comic talent, colourful language and dishevelled hair than for his attention to policy detail.

The son of a senior EU official who spent part of his childhood in Brussels, Johnson first made his name as a newspaper correspondent there in the early 1990s, where he wrote numerous articles denouncing European regulations.

People who knew him at that time have said that Johnson's eurosceptic beliefs were not as deeply rooted as he made out, and his Brexit stance was at least partly motivated by personal ambition and political calculation.

Popular thanks to his charm and eccentricity, Johnson had been expected to put himself forward to succeed David Cameron as prime minister in the event of a vote for Brexit. Cameron had led the "remain" campaign and announced his resignation the day after the referendum.

He decided against that after Michael Gove, a Cabinet minister and close ally on the Brexit campaign trail, betrayed him at the 11th hour by announcing he was standing instead.

Theresa May eventually took the top job, Gove was sacked from government, and Johnson entered the gilded halls of the Foreign Office - an appointment by May that caused consternation in some European capitals.
U.S. warship targeted in apparent failed missile attack off Yemen -admiral

By Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy destroyer was again targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen, a U.S. admiral said on Saturday.

U.S. defense officials said late on Saturday an initial assessment given by Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, had yet to be finalized and the incident was still being reviewed to determine exactly what happened.

The missile attack, if confirmed, would mark the third time the USS Mason was fired upon in international waters in the past week from territory in Yemen controlled by Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels.

"The Mason once again appears to have come under attack in the Red Sea, again from coastal defense cruise missiles fired from the coast of Yemen," Admiral John Richardson, U.S. chief of naval operations, said during a ship christening in Baltimore.

Another U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, later told Reuters: "We are aware of the reports and we are assessing the situation. All of our ships and crews are safe and unharmed."

The latest incident comes just two days after the U.S. military launched cruise missiles against three coastal radar sites in areas held by Houthi rebels in Yemen in response to the two previous failed missile firings against the Mason.

Initial reports on the latest incident, according to another U.S. defense official, said the crew detected multiple missiles fired toward the Mason, which responded with onboard countermeasures to defend itself. No damage was reported to the vessel or other ships accompanying it.

Thursday's U.S. counter-strikes, authorized by President Barack Obama, marked Washington's first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict and raised questions about the potential for further escalation.

The Houthi movement earlier this week denied responsibility for the missile attacks on the Mason and warned that it too would defend itself.

The Pentagon on Thursday stressed the limited nature of the strikes, aimed at radar that it suspected enabled the launch of at least three missiles against the Mason on Sunday and Wednesday.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said at the time that the U.S. counter-strikes were not connected to the broader civil war in Yemen, which has unleashed famine and killed more than 10,000 people since March 2015 in the Arab world's poorest country.

The United States, a longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, has provided aerial refueling of warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition striking Yemen and it supplies U.S. weapons to the kingdom.
China to launch manned space mission Shenzhou 11 on Monday

By Jake Spring and Meng Meng

BEIJING, Oct 16 (Reuters) - China will launch a two-man space mission, Shenzhou 11, on Monday, officials with the space programme said, taking the country closer to its ambition of setting up a permanent manned space station by 2022.

President Xi Jinping has called for China to establish itself as a space power, and it has tested anti-satellite missiles, in addition to its civilian aims.

China says its space programme is for peaceful purposes, but the U.S. Defense Department has highlighted its increasing capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed to prevent adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis.

After Monday's launch at 7:30 a.m. (2330 GMT) in the remote northwestern province of Gansu, the astronauts will dock with the Tiangong 2 space laboratory, where they will spend about a month.

"This mission is characterized by its longer duration and more tests," Chen Dong, the junior astronaut on the mission, told reporters in a televised news conference. "We will focus on improving our ability to handle emergencies in orbit, medical first aid, mutual rescue capabilities and space experiments."

Shenzhou 11 will be the third space mission for Jing Haipeng, who will command the mission and pass his 50th birthday in space.

The spacecraft, whose name translates as "Divine Vessel", will also carry three experiments designed by Hong Kong middle school students and selected in a science competition, including one that will take silk worms into space.

China launched its second experimental space lab Tiangong 2, or "Heavenly Palace 2", last month.

While China to date has focused on near-Earth space exploration, future missions will be bigger and go farther than 400 km (249 miles), said Zhang Yulin, an official with the space programme and the Central Military Commission.

The country's space programme will soon move from exploratory testing to normal operations with the launch of the next space station, Xinhua news agency quoted Zhang as saying.
Thai PM reassures country on smooth succession, after king's funeral

By Pracha and Hariraksapitak

BANGKOK, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Thailand's prime minister has reassured the country that Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will succeed his late father and be crowned king after a royal funeral, which is likely to take months to prepare.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on Thursday after seven decades on the throne. He was 88.

The prospect of complications in the succession in the politically divided country could alarm financial markets and the military government has been quick to quash any such speculation.

The head of the royal advisory council, a 96-year-old former army chief and prime minister, Prem Tinsulanonda, is standing in as regent while the prince and the country grieve.

Prince Vajiralongkorn held an audience with Prem and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Saturday evening and asked them to pass on his reassurance to the people, Prayuth said.

"He asked the people not to be confused or worry about the country's administration or even about the succession," Prayuth said in a televised address.

"He said at this time everyone is sad, he is still sad, so every side should wait until we pass this sad time ... When the religious ceremony and funeral have passed for a while, then it will be an appropriate time to proceed," Prayuth said.

Mourners dressed in black from across Thailand have flocked to Bangkok's gilded Grand Palace to pay homage to the only king most of them have ever known.

Buddhist monks have been chanting prayers beside his coffin in an imposing throne hall. Monks will chant for 100 days as part of the funeral rites.

The government has not set a date for the funeral but in the past, royal cremations have taken months to prepare.

The government has declared a year of mourning and asked everyone to wear black or white, and to cancel outdoor festivities, for the first 30 days.

Though almost everyone has donned black and the mood is sombre, shopping malls, markets, cinemas and even some bars have been open.

MEMORIES

The king, who was the world's longest reigning monarch, has long been revered as a father figure and symbol of unity in a country riven by political crises over the years, most recently by a power struggle between the military-led establishment and populist political forces.

Many Thais worry about a future without him.

Prince Vajiralongkorn does not enjoy the same adoration his father earned over a lifetime on the throne. He has married and divorced three times, and has spent much of his life outside Thailand, often in Germany.

Though the king designated his only son crown prince in 1972, he also raised the possibility of the eligibility of a princess. Thailand's strict lese-majeste laws have left little room for public discussion of the succession.

Prayuth, a former army chief who overthrew a populist government in 2014, has promised an election next year. The government has not said if it might postpone the vote because of the year of mourning.

The military has for decades invoked its duty to defend the monarchy to justify its intervention in politics and it recently oversaw the drafting of a new constitution that grants it oversight of civilian governments.

King Bhumibol's promotion and funding of charitable work throughout rural Thailand endeared him to the population.
Montenegrin election inconclusive according to partial count

By Aleksandar Vasovic

PODGORICA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) was in the lead in Montenegro's parliamentary vote on Sunday but looked short of winning a majority, leaving pro-Western Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic needing a coalition to extend his 24 years in power.

Djukanovic said the election was a historic choice between closer ties with NATO or with Russia, but voters were divided according to a partial count suggesting he would win 36 seats in the 81-seat parliament, five short of a majority.

Montenegrins turned out in record numbers to vote on Sunday amidst allegations of media and party websites being hacked, polling station violence and the arrest of a group of Serbs accused of plotting armed attacks on state institutions and officials.

With tensions already high, the likely outcome leaves Montenegro, a former Yugoslav republic of 620,000 people, deeply divided, with its long-serving leader scrambling to build a majority in a fractious parliament.

The authorities said 20 people, all citizens of neighbouring Serbia, were arrested overnight, accused of entering Montenegro intending to pick up a cache of automatic firearms with a view to attacking state institutions and officials.

With 72 percent of votes counted, pollsters CEMI forecast that the Democratic Forum (DF), an opposition alliance of pro-Western parties and others that want stronger ties with traditional allies in Serbia and Russia, would have 17 seats.

Together with other opposition parties and alliances, it could have as many as 42 seats. Party officials from both the DPS and the opposition claimed victory, though DPS looked better-placed to form a government.

Djukanovic has said Russia sees the vote as an opportunity to derail the Balkan region's rush towards joining NATO and the European Union, while opposition parties have denied his allegations that they receive Russian funding and have accused him of running Montenegro as a corrupt personal fiefdom.

ECONOMY FACES EAST AND WEST

Authorities blocked access to mobile messaging services for much of the day amid reports of messages circulating calling on opposition supporters to vote. Media and party websites were also knocked offline by attacks.

"Montenegro will continue its stable movement towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration," Djukanovic, 54, said after casting his vote in the capital Podgorica.

Supporters say membership will bring peace and prosperity, but the issue is divisive. NATO bombed Montenegro in 1999, when it intervened to stop ethnic killings in Kosovo by Serbia, with which Montenegro was in a state union.

Western analysts have long viewed with concern signs of growing Russian influence in Montenegro, with which it shares Orthodox Christian ties. Some diplomats say last year's invitation to join NATO was designed to counter this.

But the economy needs close ties to both east and west. It has grown at 3.2 percent a year over the past decade, as foreign investors, especially from Russia, China and Italy poured money into energy, mining and tourism in a country famed for its spectacular mountains and sea coast.
Syrian rebels seize "doomsday" village where Islamic State promised final battle

By Angus McDowall and Tom Perry

BEIRUT, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said they captured the village of Dabiq from Islamic State on Sunday, forcing the jihadist group from a stronghold where it had promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West.

Its defeat at Dabiq, long a mainstay of Islamic State's propaganda, underscores the group's declining fortunes this year as it suffered battlefield defeats in Syria and Iraq and lost a string of senior leaders in targeted air strikes.

The group, whose lightning advance through swathes of the two countries and declaration that it had established a new caliphate stunned world leaders in 2014, is now girding for an offensive against Iraq's Mosul, its most prized possession.

The rebels, backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, took Dabiq and neighbouring Soran after clashes on Sunday morning, said Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the fighting.

"The Daesh myth of their great battle in Dabiq is finished," he told Reuters, using a pejorative name for Islamic State.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said that Dabiq's liberation was a "strategic and symbolic victory" against Islamic State.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter also welcomed the retaking of Dabiq as both a military and symbolic blow to Islamic State and thanked Turkey for the role it played. "Its liberation gives the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat new momentum in Syria," Carter said, using an alternative name for the group. 

The Free Syrian Army is an umbrella group for rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, dragging in regional and global powers and creating space for jihadists.

An Islamic prophecy names Dabiq as the site of a battle between Muslims and infidels that will presage doomsday, a message Islamic State used extensively in its propaganda, going so far as to name its main publication after the village.

It also chose Dabiq as the location for its killing in 2014 of Peter Kassig, an American aid worker held hostage by the group, by Mohammed al-Emwazi, better known as Jihadi John.

However, it has appeared to back away from Dabiq's symbolism since advances by the FSA groups backed by Turkey had put it at risk of capture, saying in a more recent statement that this battle was not the one described in the prophecy.

The village, at the foot of a small hill in the fertile plains of Syria's northwest about 14 km (9 miles) from the Turkish border and 33 km north of Aleppo, has little strategic significance in its own right.

But Dabiq and its surroundings, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State had brought 1,200 fighters in recent weeks, occupied a salient into territory captured by the Turkey-backed rebels.

CLASHES

Ankara launched the Euphrates Shield operation, bringing rebels backed by its own armour and air force into action against Islamic State, in August, aiming to clear the group from its border and stop Kurdish groups gaining ground in that area.

"Euphrates Shield will continue until we are convinced that the border is completely secure, terrorist attacks against Turkish citizens out of the question and the people of Syria feel safe," Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said.

The Turkish-backed forces would now continue their advance towards the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab, southeast of Dabiq, he said.

A Turkish military source said that while Dabiq was largely under control, some rebels had been killed in blasts by landmines and other bombs.

The rebels and Turkish military were working to secure Dabiq's surroundings to prevent any remaining Islamic State fighters trapped in the area from escaping.

Since early 2016 Islamic State's territorial possessions in Syria have been steadily eroded by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an umbrella group of Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the United States, which in August took the city of Manbij.

Turkey's campaign has since cut the jihadist group off from the Turkish border, long its most reliable entry point for supplies and foreign fighters.

Meanwhile air strikes have killed a succession of Islamic State leaders in Syria, including its "war minister" Omar al-Shishani and Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, one of its leading strategists and an architect of its shift towards plotting attacks in Europe.

In Iraq the army backed by Shi'ite Muslim militia groups has this year recaptured Falluja and is now poised for an offensive on Mosul, where Islamic State's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in 2014 declared himself heir to Islam's caliphs.
Crew shortages force Kenya Airways to cancel flights ahead of strike

By Katharine Houreld

NAIROBI, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Loss-making national carrier Kenya Airways cancelled several flights on Sunday after some crew members did not report for work, the latest blow as the airline struggles to avert a strike called by its pilots.

"Some of our outsourced staff, including cabin crew, have stayed away from work from Friday and we are working with their employer to resolve any issues they may have," said a statement from the airline.

Flights to the Kenyan city of Mombasa, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Juba in South Sudan, Lusaka in Zambia, Harare in Zimbabwe and Maputo in Mozambique were cancelled because there were not enough crew members to fly safely, the statement said.

Pilots union KALPA has called an indefinite strike, scheduled to start on Tuesday, to protest against the management of the airline, which is part owned by the government and Air France KLM.

The union said its members had lost confidence in the ability of the airline's chief executive and chairman to end years of losses.

On Friday, a court ruled the strike was illegal and the government had said it would be "economic sabotage".

On Thursday, the airline said it had halved its pre-tax loss to 5 billion shillings ($49.4 million) in the past six months thanks to a recovery in passenger numbers.
Egypt completes long-delayed 4G mobile licence deals

By Ola Noureldin

CAIRO, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr signed licensing agreements on Sunday for the operation of 4G mobile broadband networks in Egypt in deals that will allow the country to introduce long-delayed high speed telecoms services.

Egypt is selling four 4G licences as part of a long-awaited plan to reform the telecoms sector and raise much-needed dollars for depleted government coffers.

Its three existing mobile network operators - Orange, Vodafone and Etisalat - had initially all turned down the 4G licences saying the amount of radio spectrum on offer was inadequate.

The Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr agreements come after Orange signed a deal last week, agreeing to pay $484 million after the regulator amended conditions for buying additional spectrum.

"The terms and conditions we signed last night are different from three weeks ago, we consider the terms now completely satisfactory to launch top quality 4G services," Stefano Gastaut, CEO of Vodafone Egypt told a news conference announcing the deal.

The change in terms was related to the frequencies offered by the telecom regulator, Gastaut said, adding that this new acquisition makes Vodafone Egypt the biggest holder of spectrum in the country.

The regulator said previously that it would consider running an international auction for the remaining 4G licences if the country's existing mobile carriers refused to do a deal.

Telecom Egypt, the state's fixed-line monopoly, was the only company to take up the state's original offer, buying a 4G licence in August for 7.08 billion Egyptian pounds ($797 million) to enter the mobile market directly for the first time.

"Now that the four companies have signed the 4G licence, the telecom sector has raised $1.1 billion, in addition to 10 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.13 billion)for the state budget," Telecom Minister Yasser al-Qadi said.

Companies had originally objected to a requirement that half the licence fee be paid in dollars. Orange Egypt agreed last week to the provision. Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr did not disclose what portion they would pay in foreign currency.

The regulator announced last week that operators that paid for a licence entirely in U.S. dollars would be given priority in buying additional spectrum.

Vodafone Egypt agreed to pay $335 million in a deal signed in the early hours of Sunday morning, the regulator said.

Etisalat Misr, the Egyptian unit of Etisalat agreed to pay $535.5 million and plans to purchase 10 megahertz (MHz) of additional spectrum after the deal, a company official said.

Telecoms regulator head Mostafa Abdel Wahed said all payments will be made in full, without instalments, and the companies will have one month to complete any foreign currency transfers.
Actress Kaveesha Ayeshani was killed when her car collided with a bus at Jubilee Post, Nugegoda early this morning, Police said.

The 24-year-old was driving the car when the accident occurred. She succumbed to her injuries after she was admitted to the Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Kalubowila.

Video by Bimal Shaman Jayasinghe
A legal officer in a State bank had been accused of sexually abusing two women employees in the same office, the Daily Mirror learned today.

The two victims have already lodged a complaint with the Mirihana Police, the Police said.

According to one of the victims the suspect had accused the victims of filing petitions to the management against him and threatened them.

He came so close to me almost leaning against my body and abused me while scolding me with filth. This is despite me explaining to him that we have not filed any petitions against him, one complaint said.

We were compelled to lodge a complaint with the Police as he had been verbally abusing women employees at the Bank branch, the complaint said. (Yohan Perera)
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe speaking at the World Export Development Forum (WEDF) sessions at the BMICH on Wednesday said that the Economic Cooperation and Technical Agreement (ETCA) with India that will be signed soon, will enable Sri Lanka to have closer engagement with India, especially the five southern states, which together with India are the fastest growing segment of the Indian subcontinent and at the moment have a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of US $ 500 billion.



He also said Sri Lanka is negotiating another free trade agreement (FTA) with Singapore and they are very receptive because they believe that Bay of Bengal countries will be fast-growing countries with fast-growing incomes in the next 20-30 years. Under the Chinese One Belt initiative, with China Sri Lanka is also negotiating an FTA and a comprehensive economic partnership dialogue with Japan.



The prime ministers move to fast track the FTAs with Singapore and China and the ETCA with India is with a view to generate new investments and jobs. He knows we cannot protect our economy by stagnating behind tariff walls. The best protection possible is a mutual lowering of tariff barriers among friendly nations so that all may benefit from the free flow of goods. Increased economic activity resulting from increased trade will provide more job opportunities for our young workers.



Our industry, our agriculture, our services will benefit from increased export opportunities as other nations agree to lower their tariffs. Increased exports and imports will benefit our ports, steamship lines and airlines as they handle an increased amount of trade. Lowering our tariffs will provide an increased flow of goods for our consumers.



Our industries will be stimulated by increased export opportunities and by freer competition with the industries of other nations for an even greater effort to develop an efficient, economic and productive system. The results can usher in a dynamic new era of growth unlike in the past where exports dwindled and Sri Lanka had to rely more on remittances and foreign loans.

Growth in exports

Exports are probably part of the answer of where we will find job growth. However, the issue of exporting our way to job growth is harder than it appears. When a country exports goods, it sells them to a foreign market, that is, to consumers, businesses or governments in another country. Those exports create opportunities and bring foreign money into the country, which increases the exporting nations GDP.

So, at a time when good jobs are in short supply, building exports is an imperative. But as we boost our exports we will have to start producing more goods that are more labour intensive, that way as exports grow, it will become a more productive engine. Therefore, job growth isnt just about where jobs are today; this is where jobs for our young Sri Lankans will be tomorrow. They need to be future ready.



Today, the worlds powerful customers and fastest-growing markets are beyond our borders. So, if we want to find new growth streams, if we want to find new markets and new opportunities, weve got to compete for those new customersbecause other nations are competing for those customers day and night.



Often changes in international markets can have a direct, positive or negative impact on a country. Such an impact may be a result of exogenous shocks (climate change), large market failures (e.g. financial crisis, high volatility in world prices), international agreements (e.g. multilateral or regional trade agreements) and unilateral policies of large economies (e.g. agricultural domestic support or biofuel mandates).

While the effects of these changes vary across countries, depending on their trade specialization, degree of openness and adjustment capacities, the domestic redistributive impact among citizens in a particular country can be quite pronounced. Trade matters only to the extent that it affects the direct determinants of poverty and that, relative to the whole range of other possible policies, it offers as an efficient policy lever for poverty alleviation.

Trade liberalization may have adverse consequences for some  including the poor  that should be avoided or managed to the greatest extent possible. However, the general belief is that trade liberalization promotes growth, which in turn, supports poverty alleviation and therefore, only a few people will end up as net losers.

Trade barriers must go



More compelling for free trade is the dramatic upturn in the GDP growth rates in India and China after they turned strongly towards dismantling trade barriers in the early 1990s. In both countries, the decision to reverse protectionist policies was not the only reform undertaken but it was an important component. In developed countries trade liberalization, which started earlier in the post-war period, was accompanied by other forms of economic opportunities for example, a return to currency convertibility, resulting in rapid GDP growth.



Moreover, the argument that historical experience supports the case for protectionism is now flawed. The economic historian Douglas Irwin has challenged the argument that 19th century protectionist policy aided the growth of infant industries in the United States. Nor should the promoters of free trade worry that trade openness results are a chaos for some developing countries. Trade is only a facilitating device. If a countrys infrastructure is bad or has domestic policies that prevent investors from responding to market opportunities such as licensing restrictions, very little progress can be achieved.



Critics of free trade also argue that trade-driven growth benefits only the rich and not the poor. In India, for example, after the economic and education reforms nearly 200 million people have come out of poverty. In China, which grew faster, it is estimated that more than 300 million people have moved out of the poverty line since the reforms were initiated. Every major trading nation today is actively negotiating bilateral and regional FTAs. However, for FTAs to work for Sri Lanka, we need to work hard to improve our competitiveness and change the way we run our administration.

(Dinesh Weerakkody is a thought leader)
A 51-year-old inmate was found dead hanging inside a cell at the Anuradhapura prisons yesterday.

Police said the prisoner who had been imprisoned over a murder succumbed after he was admitted to the Anuradhapura Hospital.

The post mortem examinations revealed that the death was a suicide.

The victim was identified as a resident of Maradankadawala.
By Chandeepa Wettasinghe

The number of Sri Lankan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have conducted international transactions have increased to 56 percent in a span of 6 years, according to two surveys conducted by the World Export Development Forum (WEDF).



In 2010, many companies, especially the small ones, were telling us that they were not part of international trade. We asked them in 2016, 56 percent of them told us that they have already done international trade, WEDF Executive Director Archana Gonzales said.



Over 80 percent of Sri Lankas private sector is made up of SMEs, which enjoy extensive tax subsidies, but lack diverse financing options.

If this is a first time exporter, it means that you have helped them break the psychological barrier of making the first external transaction and help make the small company business more viable, Gonzales said.

She added that increasing international transactions of SMEs allow them to diversify their product portfolios

and markets.

However, except for the rise of IT/BPO exports, Sri Lankas exports and market mix has remained largely similar over the past couple of decades.

Gonzales noted that forums such as WEDF allow SMEs to speed date with potential foreign partners, and create potential transaction lines up to US$ 50 million to US$ 80 million, as witnessed in Rwanda and Qatar respectively.



However, she refrained from stating how much investments in firm have materialized from WEDF events. If its a small company, even US$ 200,000 is a big breakthrough, she said.

Participants at the event were discussing that the dialogues started with foreign parties usually died out, as both parties forgot about extending them further in a few months.

Gonzales also said that she had no idea how much in future tourism benefits WEDF events would bring to a host country, based on how many foreign delegates revisited a country on holiday, based on their limited exposure to the host country at a WEDF event.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe left for Brussels, Belgium this morning for high level discussions with EU to obtain the GSP Plus relief back to Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister is expected to meet his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel and Prince Laurent as well as top officials of European Commission and European Union during his tour.(T.K.G. Kapila)
Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, today requested President Maithripala Sirisena to reconsider the capital punishment handed by Sri Lanka to Nepali citizen Chet Bahadur Thapa (Lalitpur) for smuggling drugs into the country.

The request was made during a meeting held between the leaders who are presently in Goa to attend the BRICS- BIMSTEC Outreach Summit.

Prime Minister Kamal Dahal also requested President Sirisena to make effective measures to control trafficking of Nepali women to the gulf countries via Sri Lanka.

On the occasion, matters relating to operating direct flights between the two countries and hosting the stalled 19th SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit were also discussed.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal said though Nepal and Sri Lanka are somehow far in terms of geographical location, both countries need to play role in the overall development of the South Asia and in the maintenance of cordial relations among the SAARC countries.

Emphasising the need to hold the Summit of the regional body as soon as possible, he said the member countries should have common views regarding this.

In response, the Sri Lankan President underscored the need of making collective efforts to organise the SAARC Summit.

He said Sri Lanka was positive towards the concerns put forth by Nepal. (Himalayan Times)
The Progressive Party of the Maldives has descended into open warfare with MPs loyal to incumbent president, Abdulla Yameen, seeking court action to remove his half-brother from the ruling partys leadership.

Two MPs are seeking a ruling removing Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, 78 years, from the partys presidency and an order requiring its council to handover leadership to a person who can protect public interest, according to a petition lodged at the civil court on Thursday.

Court officials posted a summons printed on red paper at the entrance to the PPM offices on Saturday when staff there refused to accept the notice.

It said that a party representative endorsed by the partys council must present himself or herself to court at 3:30pm today, or the case would be heard in absentia.

The summons follows days of high drama, where Gayooms son was struck off the political party registry by the elections commission and three Yameen loyalists were sacked from the PPM council.

The long-rumoured rift between the Gayoom brothers broke into the open in June when Gayoom, who ruled the Maldives for 30 years, refused to endorse Yameen for the 2018 polls. Days later, the partys disciplinary committee expelled his son, MP Faris Maumoon, for voting against a government-sponsored bill.

Gayoom subsequently suspended the partys 33-member governing council, in which Yameen supporters hold a majority, and launched a reform agenda, accusing MPs of facilitating corruption and reversing democratic reforms.

The elections commission said it had struck off Faris name from the PPMs registry on Thursday following an investigation into a petition filed by 20 members of the PPM council.

Faris told Mihaaru, a local newspaper, that the commissions decision was unlawful. He maintained that his expulsion was invalid claiming the disciplinary committee had failed to follow due process. He added: It is very dangerous for other political party members if the elections commission continues to take matters into its own hands. Who knows who the elections commission may remove tomorrow?

The party is being plunged into disarray just months to go before polls for local council elections.

Council members loyal to Yameen had called a press conference on Thursday, calling on candidates interested in running on the party ticket to submit application forms to the Yameen-faction instead of the Gayoom faction.

They also urged Gayoom to re-convene the council, but said they would win elections without his support.

Everyone who wants to compete on the council elections on behalf of PPM from across the country, from Thuraakunu all the way to Addu, please adjust your direction and come to us, said Majority Leader Ahmed Nihan.

MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla, the vice president of the party, said: We are certain that President Yameen will win the 2018 presidential elections. Those who dont want to support him should stay home. Our parliamentary group and the partys council will take him there.

Abdulla would head the preparations for the elections, the Yameen faction announced.

On Saturday, Gayoom sacked Abdulla and two others loyal to Yameen from the council.

Instead of supporting me, you have continued to act against the parts charter and ideology, without my knowledge. You have been making council members sign various petitions without my knowledge, and spreading lies about me in the media, Gayoom wrote in a letter to Abdulla.

The lawmaker declined to comment immediately.

The two others who were sacked were Zahid Rameez, who was appointed to the council by Gayoom, and Ibrahim Yoosuf, who heads the partys youth wing.

Zahid was accused of posting rude and disrespectful comments on social media, and Yoosuf was told he was no longer eligible for the position as he was 31 years old  the party charter requires that the head of the youth wing be below 31 years of age.

Abdulla and Zahid were replaced with former Home Minister Umar Naseer and Gayooms personal assistant, Ahmed Sofwan. (Maldives Independent)
Indian Muslims are at the brink of a choice whose time has come. The question of triple talaq  a practice in which Muslim men can divorce their wives by simply repeating talaq thrice, whether orally, or even via phone texts, or on Skype  is something that has divided not just the nation, but also the Muslims themselves.

While Muslim women, overwhelmingly, have come out in support of scrapping this outrageous practice because it discriminates against them, orthodox organisations and those who act as the gatekeepers and interpreters of Quranic law for the rest  particularly the All India Muslim Personal Law Board  have, nevertheless, decided to back this medieval system.

While apprehensions about implementing a Uniform Civil Code remain, in as much as the Narendra Modi government is hardly trusted by the religious minorities in the country, triple talaq is something that has gathered enough momentum both within the liberal sections of the Indian Muslims themselves, as well as the Muslim women, who have taken on the cudgels of bringing about this important legislative reform within Muslim personal laws.

It is interesting to note that even Pakistan  a country Indians are taught to hate for its supposed backwardness and Islamic fundamentalist politics  has banned triple talaq as not legally feasible in 21st century.

But is the Modi governments move against triple talaq really intended for the empowerment of Muslim women, or is it about winning the all-important Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, in which communal polarisation would play a significant part?

If Modi government is serious about having triple talaq scrapped and bringing in a truly egalitarian, secular legislation, wider consultations are more than necessary.

Yet, can we really wait until the obnoxiously recalcitrant and hardened Islamists of AIMPLB decide to finally move on and step into the 21st century by junking triple talaq?

We opened up the debate to our readers. The responses have been varied and extremely interesting.

Please read on.

Muslim women have increasingly begun to challenge the reluctance of their men folk to agree to reforms in marriage laws. Photo: Reuters Photo: Screengrab

Photo: Screengrab

DailyO readers weigh in.

Syed Naveed Anjum: Your statement in the article asks Muslims to step into the 21st century, and that is in itself a compliment to Islam, because as per Quranic and Ahadith references there is no reference to triple talaq, and the procedure is completely different. This triple talaq is more of an Indian Mullah procedure. See Dr Naiks speech on polygamy and triple talaq in Islam where he clears misconceptions about these two things with strong references to the Qur'an and Ahadith. But you'll not do this because you want to misguide people.

Satya Upadhyay: The issue of triple talaq and polygamy is nothing but continuous exploitation and gender discrimination under the guise of social orthodoxy. Its time to not view everything from narrow sectarian prism, but to avail women of their equal and rightful place in family, society and nation. Believe me, uniform civil code and primacy to individual rights over discriminatory practises is litmus test of secularism and constitutionalism in todays society.

Vinay Tc: Good, now lots of women can live happily, everyone should respect women and need equality, now constitutional law making way for that.

Shashi Kumar:
Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer and distributor of professional beauty supplies. The company operates through two segments, Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group. The Sally Beauty Supply segment offers beauty products, including hair color and care products, skin and nail care products, styling tools, and other beauty products for retail customers, salons, and salon professionals. This segment also provides products under third-party brands, such as Wella, Clairol, OPI, Conair, and L'Oreal, as well as exclusive-label brand merchandise. The Beauty Systems Group segment offers professional beauty products, such as hair color and care products, skin and nail care products, styling tools, and other beauty items directly to salons and salon professionals through its professional-only stores, e-commerce platforms, and sales force, as well as through franchised stores under the Armstrong McCall store name. This segment also sells products under third-party brands, such as Paul Mitchell, Wella, Matrix, Schwarzkopf, Kenra, Goldwell, Joico, and Olaplex. As of September 30, 2021, the company operated 4,777 stores, including 134 franchised units in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany. It also distributes its products through full-service/exclusive distributors, open-line distributors, direct sales, and mega-salon stores. Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Denton, Texas.
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The Boeing Company is the worlds largest manufacturer of airplanes and commands more than 50% of the market in some channels and categories. The company and its family of subsidiaries design, develops, manufacture, sell, service, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight, and related services worldwide. The company operates through four segments including Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital providing products and services to end-users in 150 countries.

Boeing got its start in 1910 when William E. Boeing developed a love for aircraft. Soon after he takes his first plane ride which leads him to build a hangar and begin construction of his first plane. The onset of WWI helped spur the companys growth but business was cut drastically in its wake. The start of WWII was another milestone for the company and one that led to its current position of dominance. The company was incorporated in 1916 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Boeing employs over 140,000 people in 65 countries making it one of the most diverse employers on the planet.

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Dril-Quip, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services engineered drilling and production equipment for use in deepwater, harsh environment, and severe service applications worldwide. The company's principal products include subsea and surface wellheads, subsea and surface production trees, mudline hanger systems, specialty connectors and associated pipes, drilling and production riser systems, liner hangers, wellhead connectors, diverters, and safety valves, as well as downhole tools. It also provides technical advisory services, and rework and reconditioning services, as well as rental and purchase of running tools for use in the installation and retrieval of its products; and downhole tools comprise of liner hangers, production packers, safety valves, and specialty downhole tools that are used to hang-off and seal casing into a previously installed casing string in the well bore. The company's products are used to explore for oil and gas from offshore drilling rigs, such as floating rigs and jack-up rigs; and for drilling and production of oil and gas wells on offshore platforms, tension leg platforms, and Spars, as well as moored vessels, such as floating production, storage, and offloading monohull moored vessels. It sells its products directly through its sales personnel, independent sales agents, and representatives to integrated, independent, and foreign national oil and gas companies, as well as drilling contractors, and engineering and construction companies. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
NextEra Energy, Inc. is the largest electric utility holding company in the US. It operates a network of power generation and distribution facilities that include fossil-fuel-generated and green energy. As of mid-2022, the company was capable of generating 58 GW of electricity with nearly 60% of the load produced by green sources including wind and solar. In their view, going green isnt an option, its the solution. NextEra Energy has been recognized multiple times as a leader in clean energy and ESG practices and was ranked the #1 electric and gas utility on the Forbes list of Most Admired Companies.

The company is the result of several mergers that begin with FPL Group. FPL Group is now a subsidiary of NextEra Energy and the third-largest provider of electricity in the US servicing nearly half of Florida. FPL and its affiliates are the single largest provider of renewable energy generated from wind and sun. The group changed its name in 2010 following a decision to shift focus onto renewable energy sources.

Today, NextEra Energy, Inc through its subsidiary FPL serves about 12 million people in eastern and southwestern Florida. The company employs nearly 14,900 people who service 5.8 million accounts. The company is in business to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity to retail and wholesale clients. Electricity is generated through wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas, and coal-fired facilities.

The company is also engaged in the construction and operation of new facilities, specifically renewable power generation, storage, and delivery facilities, and can offer custom solutions tailored to any need. Offerings include tailored services to assist businesses with their transition to clean energy.

NextEra Energy also owns and operates 7 nuclear power stations in Florida, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin generating power for the wholesale market.

Unlike other companies that are targeting net-zero emissions, NextEra Energy has a plan to reach real zero and is investing heavily to reach that goal by 2045. The company had invested nearly $50 billion in green energy infrastructure and initiatives by mid-2022. The plan is to first work on reducing its own emissions and then take its knowledge and expertise to the world.
The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan.

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China Mobile Limited provides mobile telecommunications and related services in Mainland China and Hong Kong. The company offers local calls; domestic and international long distance calls and roaming services; and value-added services, such as caller identity display, call waiting, conference calls, and others. It also provides wireless Internet service, as well as digital applications comprising music, video, reading, gaming, and animation; wireline broadband services; and wireline voice services. In addition, it offers dedicated line and IDC services to corporate customers in a range of industry sectors; and basic corporate communication products comprising corporate VPMN and SMS, and tailor made solutions. Further, the company provides international telecommunications services, which includes IDD, roaming, Internet, MNC, and value added business services. Additionally, it offers telecommunications network planning, design, and consulting services; roaming clearance, IT system operation, and technology support services; value-added platform development and maintenance services; mobile data, and system integration and development services; network construction and maintenance, network planning and optimizing, and training services; electronic communication products design and sale of related products; and non-banking financial services. It also provides mobile cloud research and development services; call center services; e-payment, e-commerce, and Internet finance services; and mobile Internet digital content services, as well as operates a network and business coordination center. The company serves 950 million mobile customers and 187 million wireline broadband customers. The company was formerly known as China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to China Mobile Limited in May 2006. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Central, Hong Kong. China Mobile Limited is a subsidiary of China Mobile Hong Kong (BVI) Limited.
The following companies are subsidiares of Novartis: 1 A Pharma GmbH, Abadia Retuerta S.A, Admune Therapeutics, Advanced Accelerator Applications, Advanced Accelerator Applications, Advanced Accelerator Applications International SA, Advanced Accelerator Applications S.A., Advanced Accelerator Applications S.r.l., Advanced Accelerator Applications USA Inc., Aeropharm GmbH, Alcon, Alcon  Couvreur NV, Amblyotech, Amblyotech Inc., Arctos Medical, Arctos Medical AG, Australia Pty Ltd, Beijing Novartis Pharma Co. Ltd., BioMedical Research Co. Ltd., CELLforCURE, Cadent Therapeutics, Cadent Therapeutics Cambridge, Cellerys, Cellerys AG, CellforCure, Chiron Corporation, Ciba-Geigy Japan Limited, Co. Ltd, CoStim Pharmaceuticals, CoStim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Coalesce Product Development Limited, Corthera, Development Co. Ltd., EBEWE Pharma Ges.m.b.H Nfg. KG, Encore Vision, Endocyte, Endocyte Inc., Eon Labs Inc., Farmanova Saglik Hizmetleri Ltd, Fougera Pharmaceuticals, Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc, Gyroscope Therapeutics, HEXAL AG, Hexal, IDB Holland BV, Iberica S.L.U., Ilaclari Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S, JSC Sandoz, Japat AG, Kedalion Therapeutics Inc., Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d., Lek S.A., Manufacturing Pte Ltd , Navigate BioPharma Services Inc, Neutec Pharma Limited, Novartis (Hellas) S.A.C.I., Novartis (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Novartis (Taiwan) Co. Ltd, Novartis (Thailand) Limited, Novartis Argentina S.A., Novartis Australia Pty Ltd, Novartis Austria GmbH, Novartis Biociencias S.A., Novartis Biosciences Peru S.A., Novartis Bioventures AG, Novartis Business Services GmbH, Novartis Capital Corporation, Novartis Chile S.A., Novartis Corporation, Novartis Corporation Sdn. Bhd., Novartis Deutschland GmbH, Novartis Ecuador S.A., Novartis Farma S.p.A., Novartis Farma  Produtos Farmaceuticos S.A., Novartis Farmaceutica S.A, Novartis Farmaceutica S.A. de C.V., Novartis Finance Corporation, Novartis Finance S.A., Novartis Finance Services Ltd, Novartis Finland Oy Espoo, Novartis Gene Therapies, Novartis Gene Therapies EU Limited, Novartis Gene Therapies Inc., Novartis Grimsby Limited, Novartis Groupe France S.A., Novartis Healthcare A/S, Novartis Healthcare Philippines Inc., Novartis Healthcare Private Limited, Novartis Holding AG, Novartis Hungary Healthcare Limited Liability Company, Novartis India Limited, Novartis Inflammasome Research, Novartis Integrated Services Limited, Novartis International AG, Novartis International Pharmaceutical Investment AG, Novartis Investment Ltd, Novartis Investments S.a r.l., Novartis Ireland Limited, Novartis Israel Ltd, Novartis Korea Ltd., Novartis Middle East FZE, Novartis Netherlands B.V., Novartis Neva LLC, Novartis New Zealand Ltd, Novartis Norge AS, Novartis Ophthalmics AG, Novartis Optogenetics Research Inc., Novartis Overseas Investments AG, Novartis Pharma (Logistics) Inc., Novartis Pharma (Pakistan) Limited, Novartis Pharma AG, Novartis Pharma B.V. , Novartis Pharma GmbH, Novartis Pharma GmbH, Novartis Pharma K.K., Novartis Pharma LLC, Novartis Pharma Maroc SA, Novartis Pharma NV, Novartis Pharma Produktions GmbH, Novartis Pharma S.A.E., Novartis Pharma S.A.S., Novartis Pharma Schweiz AG, Novartis Pharma Schweizerhalle AG, Novartis Pharma Services AG, Novartis Pharma Services Romania S.R.L., Novartis Pharma Stein AG, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Limited, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited, Novartis Poland Sp. z o.o., Novartis Portugal S.G.P.S. Lda., Novartis Ringaskiddy Limited, Novartis Saglik Gida ve Tarim Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S, Novartis Saudi Ltd., Novartis Securities Investment Ltd, Novartis Services Inc., Novartis Slovakia s.r.o., Novartis South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Novartis Sverige AB, Novartis UK Limited, Novartis US Foundation, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Inc, Novartis Vietnam Company Limited, Novartis de Colombia S.A., Novartis de Venezuela S.A., Novartis s.r.o., Oriel Therapeutics Inc., PT. Novartis Indonesia, Protez Pharmaceuticals, Pte Ltd, Research Inc, Salutas Pharma GmbH, Sandoz A/S, Sandoz AG, Sandoz B.V., Sandoz Canada Inc., Sandoz Egypt Pharma S.A.E., Sandoz Farmaceutica S.A., Sandoz Farmaceutica Lda., Sandoz GmbH, Sandoz Hungary Limited Liability Company, Sandoz Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Sandoz Inc, Sandoz Industrial Products S.A, Sandoz International GmbH, Sandoz K.K., Sandoz Limited, Sandoz Manufacturing Inc., Sandoz NV, Sandoz Pharma K.K, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals AG, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals d.d., Sandoz Philippines Corporation, Sandoz Polska Sp. z o.o. , Sandoz Private Limited, Sandoz Pty Ltd, Sandoz S.A. de C.V, Sandoz S.A.S., Sandoz S.R.L., Sandoz S.p.A., Sandoz South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Sandoz Ukraine LLC, Sandoz d.o.o. farmaceutska industrija, Sandoz do Brasil Industria Farmaceutica Ltda, Sandoz s.r.o., Selexys Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Shanghai Novartis Trading Ltd., Societe par actions SANDOZ, Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, The Medicines Company, The Medicines Company, Triangle International Reinsurance Limited, Trinity River Insurance Co Ltd, Vedere Bio, Vedere Bio ll, Xiidra, Ziarco, and Ziarco Group Limited.

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Phillips 66 operates as an energy manufacturing and logistics company. It operates through four segments: Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties (M&S). The Midstream segment transports crude oil and other feedstocks; delivers refined petroleum products to market; provides terminaling and storage services for crude oil and refined petroleum products; transports, stores, fractionates, exports, and markets natural gas liquids; provides other fee-based processing services; and gathers, processes, transports, and markets natural gas. The Chemicals segment produces and markets ethylene and other olefin products; aromatics and styrenics products, such as benzene, cyclohexane, styrene, and polystyrene; and various specialty chemical products, including organosulfur chemicals, solvents, catalysts, and chemicals used in drilling and mining. The Refining segment refines crude oil and other feedstocks into petroleum products, such as gasolines, distillates, aviation, and renewable fuels at 12 refineries in the United States and Europe. The M&S segment purchases for resale and markets refined petroleum products, including gasolines, distillates, and aviation fuels primarily in the United States and Europe. This segment also manufactures and markets specialty products, such as base oils and lubricants. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. Ltd., Concentrate Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd., Confiteria Alegro S. de R.L. de C.V., Copella Fruit Juices Limited, Copper Beech International LLC, Corina Snacks Limited, Corporativo Internacional Mexicano S. de R.L. de C.V., CytoSport Holdings Inc., CytoSport Inc., Davlyn Realty Corporation, Defosto Holdings Limited, Desarrollo Inmobiliario Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Dilexis S.A., Donon Holdings Limited, Drinkfinity USA Inc., Drinkstation Inc., Drinkstation Innovation Co. Ltd., Drinkstation Limited, Dutch Snacks Holding S.A. de C.V., Duyvis Production B.V., EPIC Enterprises Inc., Echo Bay Holdings Inc., Elaboradora Argentina de Cereales S.R.L., Enter Logistica LLC, Environ at Inverrary Partnership, Environ of Inverrary Inc., Eridanus Investments S.a r.l, Evercrisp Snack Productos de Chile S.A., FL Transportation Inc., FLI Andean LLC, FLI Colombia LLC, FLI Snacks Andean GP LLC, Fabrica PepsiCo Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Fabrica de Productos Alimenticios Rene y Cia S.C.A., Fairlight International SRL, Far East Bottlers Hong Kong Limited, Food Concepts Pioneer Ltd., Forest Akers Nederland B.V., Forty-Six Peaks Holding Inc., Fovarosi Asvanyviz es Uditoipari Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Freshwater International B.V., Frito Lay Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Frito Lay Poland Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay de Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Frito-Lay Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Frito-Lay Dip Company Inc., Frito-Lay Dominicana S.A., Frito-Lay Global Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Inc., Frito-Lay Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Manufacturing LLC, Frito-Lay Netherlands Holding B.V., Frito-Lay North America Inc., Frito-Lay Sales Inc., Frito-Lay Trading Company Europe GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company Poland GmbH, Frito-Lay Trinidad Unlimited, Fruko Mesrubat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, GB Czech LLC, GB International Inc., GB Russia LLC, GB Slovak LLC, GMP Manufacturing Inc., Gambrinus Investments Limited, Gamesa LLC, Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Gas Natural de Merida S. A. de C. V., Gatorade Puerto Rico Company, General Bottlers of Hungary Inc., Golden Grain Company, Goveh S.R.L., Grayhawk Leasing LLC, Green Hemlock International LLC, Grupo Frito Lay y Compania Limitada, Grupo Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Mabel, Grupo Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Gulkevichskiy Maslozavod JSC, Hangzhou Baicaowei Corporate Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co, Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Tao Dao Technology Co. Ltd., Health Warrior, Health Warrior Inc., Heathland LP, Helioscope Limited, Hillbrook Inc., Hillgrove Inc., Hillwood Bottling LLC, Hogganfield Limited Partnership, Holding Company "Opolie" JSC, Homefinding Company of Texas, Hudson Valley Insurance Company, IC Equities Inc., IZZE Beverage Co., Inmobiliaria Interamericana S.A. De C.V., Integrated Beverage Services Bangladesh Limited, Integrated Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., International Bottlers Management Co. LLC, International KAS Aktiengesellschaft, Inversiones Borneo S.R.L., Inversiones PFI Chile Limitada, Inviting Foods Holdings Inc., Inviting Foods LLC, KAS Anorthosis S.a r.l, KAS S.L., KFC, Kevita Inc., Kinvara LLC, Kungursky Molkombinat JSC, Larragana S.L., Latin American Holdings Ltd., Latin American Snack Foods ApS, Latin Foods International LLC, Lebedyansky, Lebedyansky Holdings LLC, Lebedyansky LLC, Limited Liability Company "Sandora", Linkbay Limited, Lithuanian Snacks UAB, Mabel, Marbo Product d.o.o. Beograd, Marbo d.o.o. Laktasi, Matudis - Comercio de Produtos Alimentares Limitada, Matutano - Sociedade de Produtos Alimentares Lda., Mid-America Improvement Corporation, Mountainview Insurance Company Inc., Muscle Milk, NCJV LLC, New Bern Transport Corporation, New Century Beverage Company LLC, Noble Leasing LLC, Northeast Hot-Fill Co-op Inc., Office at Solyanka LLC, Onbiso Inversiones S.L., One World Enterprises LLC, One World Investors Inc., P-A Barbados Bottling Company LLC, P-A Bottlers Barbados SRL, P-Americas LLC, PAS Luxembourg S.a r.l, PAS Netherlands B.V., PBG Canada Holdings II LLC, PBG Canada Holdings Inc., PBG Cyprus Holdings Limited, PBG Investment Partnership, PBG Midwest Holdings S.a r.l, PBG Soda Can Holdings S.a r.l, PCBL LLC, PCNA Manufacturing Inc., PR Beverages Cyprus Holding Limited, PR Beverages Cyprus Russia Holding Limited, PRB Luxembourg S.a r.l, PRS Inc., PSAS Inversiones LLC, PSE Logistica S.R.L., PT Quaker Indonesia, Papas Chips S.A., Pei N.V., Pep Trade LLC, Pepsi B.V., Pepsi Beverages Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Global Finance LLC, Pepsi Bottling Group GmbH, Pepsi Bottling Group Hoosiers B.V., Pepsi Bottling Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bugshan Investments S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Colombia Ltda, Pepsi Cola Egypt S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Panamericana S.R.L., Pepsi Cola Servis Ve Dagitim Limited Sirketi, Pepsi Cola Trading Ireland, Pepsi Logistics Company Inc., Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC, Pepsi Overseas Investments Partnership, Pepsi Promotions Inc., Pepsi-Cola Advertising and Marketing Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bermuda Limited, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Holding C.V., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company Of St. Louis Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach LLC, Pepsi-Cola Company, Pepsi-Cola Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Pepsi-Cola Far East Trade Development Co. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Finance LLC, Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers Poland Sp. z o.o., Pepsi-Cola Industrial da Amazonia Ltda., Pepsi-Cola International Cork, Pepsi-Cola International LLC, Pepsi-Cola International Limited, Pepsi-Cola International Limited U.S.A., Pepsi-Cola International Private Limited, Pepsi-Cola Korea Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Management and Administrative Services Inc., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Company Of Uruguay S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing International Limited, Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Mediterranean Limited, Pepsi-Cola Marketing Corp. Of P.R. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mediterranean Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mexicana Holdings LLC, Pepsi-Cola Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Pepsi-Cola National Marketing LLC, Pepsi-Cola Operating Company Of Chesapeake And Indianapolis, Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution Inc., Pepsi-Cola Technical Operations Inc., Pepsi-Cola Thai Trading Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola de Honduras S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola of Corvallis Inc., PepsiAmericas Nemzetkozi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, PepsiCo ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Alimentos Antioquia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Colombia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Ecuador Cia. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Z.F. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos de Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Amacoco Bebidas Do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCo Asia Research & Development Center Company Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Cyprus Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Limited Partnership, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 1 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 2 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Australia Holdings Pty Limited, PepsiCo Australia International, PepsiCo Austria Services GmbH, PepsiCo Azerbaijan Limited Liability Company, PepsiCo BeLux BV, PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, PepsiCo Beverage Singapore Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Beverages Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Beverages International Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Italia Societa' A Responsabilita' Limitata, PepsiCo Canada Finance LLC, PepsiCo Canada Holdings ULC, PepsiCo Canada Investment ULC, PepsiCo Canada ULC, PepsiCo Captive Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Caribbean Inc., PepsiCo China Limited, PepsiCo Consulting Polska Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo De Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Del Paraguay S.R.L., PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH, PepsiCo Eesti AS, PepsiCo Euro Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Euro Finance Antilles B.V., PepsiCo Europe Support Center S.L., PepsiCo Finance Americas Company, PepsiCo Finance Antilles A N.V., PepsiCo Finance Antilles B N.V., PepsiCo Finance South Africa Proprietary Limited, PepsiCo Financial Shared Services Inc., PepsiCo Food & Beverage Holdings Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Foods A.I.E., PepsiCo Foods China Company Limited, PepsiCo Foods Group Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Foods Guangdong Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Nigeria Limited, PepsiCo Foods Private Limited, PepsiCo Foods Sichuan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Taiwan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Vietnam Company, PepsiCo France SAS, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, PepsiCo Global Business Services Poland Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Global Holdings Limited, PepsiCo Global Investments B.V., PepsiCo Global Investments S.a r.l, PepsiCo Global Mobility LLC, PepsiCo Global Real Estate Inc., PepsiCo Global Trading Solutions Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Golden Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Group Finance International B.V., PepsiCo Group Holdings International B.V., PepsiCo Group Spotswood Holdings S.a r.l, PepsiCo Gulf International FZE, PepsiCo Hellas Single Member Industrial and Commercial Societe Anonyme, PepsiCo Holding de Espana S.L., PepsiCo Holdings, PepsiCo Holdings LLC, PepsiCo Holdings Toshkent LLC, PepsiCo Hong Kong LLC, PepsiCo Iberia Servicios Centrales S.L., PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, PepsiCo India Sales Private Limited, PepsiCo Internacional Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., PepsiCo International Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo International Limited, PepsiCo International Pte Ltd., PepsiCo Investments Europe I B.V., PepsiCo Investments Ltd., PepsiCo Ireland Food & Beverages Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Japan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Light B.V., PepsiCo Logistyka Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PepsiCo Management Services SAS, PepsiCo Manufacturing A.I.E., PepsiCo Max B.V., PepsiCo Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo Nederland B.V., PepsiCo Nordic Denmark ApS, PepsiCo Nordic Finland Oy, PepsiCo Nordic Norway AS, PepsiCo Nutrition Trading DMCC, PepsiCo One B.V., PepsiCo Overseas Corporation, PepsiCo Overseas Financing Partnership, PepsiCo Panimex Inc, PepsiCo Products B.V., PepsiCo Products FLLC, PepsiCo Puerto Rico Inc., PepsiCo Sales Inc., PepsiCo Sales LLC, PepsiCo Services Asia Ltd., PepsiCo Services CZ s.r.o., PepsiCo Services LLC, PepsiCo Twist B.V., PepsiCo UK Pension Plan Trustee Limited, PepsiCo Ventures B.V., PepsiCo Wave Holdings LLC, PepsiCo World Trading Company Inc., PepsiCo Y LLC, PepsiCo de Argentina S.R.L., PepsiCo de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda., PepsiCo do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCola Interamericana de Guatemala S.A., Pet Iberia S.L., Pete & Johnny Limited, Pine International LLC, Pine International Limited, Pinstripe Leasing LLC, Pioneer Food Group Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Groceries Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., Pioneer Foods Holdings Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods UK Ltd, Pioneer Foods Wellingtons Pty Ltd, Pipers Crisps Limited, PlayCo Inc., Pop corners, PopCorners Holdings Inc., Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company, Premier Nutrition Trading L.L.C., Prestwick LLC, Prev PepsiCo Sociedade Previdenciaria, Productos Alimenticios Rene LLC, Productos S.A.S. C.V., Productos SAS Management B.V., Punch N.V., Punica Getranke GmbH, Q O Puerto Rico Inc., QFL OHQ Sdn. Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC.

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For many of us, hospitals and doctors offices can feel a bit foreign. The surroundings are unfamiliar, and the language  peppered with complex medical terms  can be difficult to understand.

Yet, to ensure you are receiving the best care, its important to become more familiar with the healthcare system. That is, you must increase your level of health literacy.

Health literacy is defined as an individuals ability to obtain and understand information about his or her health and to recognize how to access necessary health resources, such as clinics, social services and insurance.

According to a National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) review from 2003, only 12 percent of adults in the U.S. have a proficient level of health literacy. That means most Americans have difficulty completing basic health tasks, such as following instructions on how to take a prescription medication; they are also less likely to seek out preventive services, like flu shots, and are more likely to be in poor health.

While education levels, along with the ability to read and do basic math, are key factors, even people with college degrees can have poor health literacy due to a lack of familiarity with the healthcare system. Other common barriers to health literacy include having a limited understanding of the English language, being older or lacking health insurance.

Overcoming barriers

For healthcare providers, adopting methods to help patients overcome these barriers to health literacy is now recognized as a critical part of keeping patients safe and reducing unnecessary visits to the hospital. University of Virginia Health System has implemented multiple strategies to help patients navigate the complexities of the healthcare system, access the care they need and manage chronic disease effectively. These strategies include:

 Comprehensive patient assessment: Nurses, often the first and last point of contact for patients within a hospital, are trained to recognize and respond to signs of limited health literacy.

 Visual reinforcement: Video is a tool providers are using more and more to enhance patient education; it allows patients and their caregivers to see a visual demonstration and to review content at their own pace.

 Language assistance: For patients who are not native English speakers, every attempt is made to present information in a language they can understand easily. Written materials are translated into multiple languages, and interpreters are available in real time either in person, by phone or through a mobile app that connects patients via video to off-site interpreters. Currently, interpretation services are available for more than 100 languages.

 Online access to medical records and more: Through the MyChart patient portal, patients have easy access to their medical records, test results and prescribed medications. They also can contact their care providers directly with questions or concerns, manage appointments and access additional information on health topics and medicines.

 On-site tools and resources: Since its opening in 2015, the UVa Patient and Family Library has provided patients with a broad selection of educational materials, from take-home pamphlets to medical dictionaries and journals. Professional medical librarians are available to answer questions using trusted sources of information about diseases, diagnostic tests, clinical trials and more. Librarians also can help patients and families navigate MyChart.

 Community and online support: Although questions about medical care should be addressed solely with a physician, general inquiries about topics such as health insurance and financial reimbursements may be answered through community or online resources. For example, the Jefferson Area Board for Aging (at jabacares.org) provides health and wellness services to adults older than 18. In addition, the National Library of Medicines website  medlineplus.gov  is a comprehensive resource for those seeking health information and videos, and even offers materials in multiple languages, including Spanish.

Taking charge

If you are feeling confused about a recent diagnosis, are struggling to manage a chronic condition or are unable to find the healthcare services you need, youre not alone. Health literacy is a challenge for many. However, you can take charge of your health by asking questions of your care provider and seeking out the resources mentioned above.

Having a clear understanding of your health and the care available will empower you to make the right choices, which ultimately may keep you out of the hospital in the future.

To learn more about the support services available at UVa, go to uvahealth.com/getsupport or visit the Patient and Family Library, located in the University hospital lobby.

Lydia Witman is the Patient and Family Library manager at the University of Virginia Health System.

VITAL SIGNS

This column, which promotes community health, is sponsored by Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, Region Ten Community Services Board, Thomas Jefferson Health District and the University of Virginia Health System.
RICHMOND  If Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is to have any hope of carrying Virginia, he needs evangelical voters to keep the faith.

That means Christians such as Daniel Pritchett of Staunton will be critical to his chances on Nov. 8.

Its about turning our whole country back over to our Christian beliefs, to being able to worship God and stand up boldly for him, said Pritchett, who was among an estimated 5,000 people who turned out for evangelist Franklin Grahams prayer meeting Wednesday at the Capitol in Richmond.

Like others interviewed in the crowd, Pritchett plans to vote for Trump, in spite of his qualms about a 2005 tape in which Trump lewdly bragged about his ability to grope women.

The tape was totally disgusting, Pritchett said. Then again, its not about what one man says or what some woman says. Its about where our country needs to go. What we have had the last eight years, we cant go there again.

Some key evangelical leaders in Virginia, such as Regent University founder Pat Robertson and Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., stood by Trump last week following the disclosure of the 2005 tape. Falwell faces some pushback at Liberty from students who circulated a petition asserting that Trump does not represent their values.

Nationally, according to The Associated Press, some cracks have appeared in Trumps support among evangelicals. For example, it reported that Christianity Today, a prominent evangelical magazine, termed Trump the very embodiment of what the Bible calls a fool. It reported that James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Church in Illinois, a member of Trumps evangelical advisory board, called Trumps comments misogynistic trash and told the magazine he would no longer work with the campaign unless Trump repents.

As the Trump campaign tries to knock down reports that it is abandoning Virginia, it also must try to keep evangelicals in the fold because they are a key GOP constituency.

Nationally, in 2012, according to the Pew Research Center, 79 percent of white evangelical Protestants backed Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, while 20 percent backed President Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee. Romney, a devout Mormon, fared better among evangelical voters than did John McCain, the 2008 GOP nominee.

In this election Romney has derided Trump as a phony who is unfit to be president. Following the release of the 2005 tape, Romney tweeted: Hitting on married women? Condoning assault? Such vile degradations demean our wives and daughters and corrupt Americas face to the world.

Trumps saving grace among evangelicals is that they think Democrat Hillary Clinton is worse. Last month Pew reported that among white evangelicals who back Trump in this election, 33 percent say the main reason is that he is not Clinton.

Liberty balance

Falwell has long backed Trump personally, while asserting that in doing so he is not speaking for Liberty, the nations largest evangelical university.

GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, the Indiana governor, campaigned on Wednesday at Liberty, where he urged people of faith not to stay on the sidelines in the presidential election. Pence also praised Trump for apologizing following the tapes disclosure.

Liberty students and guests had not forgotten and did not approve of Trumps remarks. But they seemed ready to forgive the thrice-married Trump for what the candidate termed locker room banter.

Hes not a politician, said Tyler Wolff, a 19-year-old student from Leesburg. Are we so naive to think that hes the only person who has said [things like] that?

Most students interviewed at Liberty who identified as Republican said Trump was not their first choice. A number of students said they had hoped Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, would win the nomination.

The difference maker for most interviewed was the candidates positions on abortion. Several said they would prefer Pence to be at the top of the GOP ticket.

Both Trump and Hillary have deficiencies and have made mistakes, said student Raychel Heiser, 19. She said she was supporting Trump because his choice of the socially conservative Pence demonstrated that he supports Christians and will stand up for Christians and respects Christians on issues such as abortion and support for Israel.

There was no discernible support for Clinton at Wednesdays Liberty event. But there was a smattering of supporters for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, who will speak at the school Monday.

The primary issue for almost all is abortion, and thats a primary issue for me, as well, said student Matthew Lofgren, 19, a junior from Florida. Still, he said he supports Johnson, hoping that a strong showing by the ticket would convince the major parties to take more-Libertarian positions on issues.

He also said he thought Trumps remarks were disgusting. He added: Unfortunately, it doesnt seem out of character for Donald Trump.

Falwells backing of Trump sparked a response from students who call themselves Liberty United Against Trump. They circulated a petition that says: We are Liberty students who are disappointed with President Falwells endorsement and are tired of being associated with one of the worst presidential candidates in American history. Donald Trump does not represent our values and we want nothing to do with him.

Falwell defended his actions and criticized the students statement, saying in a text message to The (Lynchburg) News & Advance that it seems to ignore the teachings of Jesus not to judge others.

Liberty United Against Trump said that in two days more than 2,500 people signed the statement. More than 1,100 supporters had used verified Liberty.edu email addresses and many other students registered support via other accounts.

We love Liberty University and want the world to know what the true political climate is like here, it said in a follow-up statement. We also respect our leaders, and this is why we must hold them accountable if they misrepresent our school. Liberty University students want to be known as champions for Christ, not as champions of Donald Trump.

The Trump alternative

On Friday afternoon, state Del. Delores L. McQuinn, D-Richmond, took part in a discussion at Virginia Union University about Trumps comments and the general topic of how to combat harassment of women. McQuinn, an associate minister at New Bridge Baptist Church, expressed exasperation with evangelical leaders who support Trump.

What is wrong with you guys? she asked, rhetorically, raising her voice. What is wrong with you? What does it take?

Those who ... stand up and proclaim a message for Christ ought to be the loudest and say, You know what, this is not what we stand for. We reject this kind of behavior.

But a dozen Christians interviewed at random Wednesday following Grahams prayer rally at the Virginia Capitol said they believe Trump is their best choice. Some called themselves evangelicals. Others preferred not to label their Christian faith.

Fred Burkholder of Waynesboro said he does not think there is much of a choice on Nov. 8, but he will vote for Trump because hes concerned about the Supreme Court and the countrys direction.

As for Trump: Until he was the nominee for president, I would have never supported him in any way, shape or form for anything, but hes where hes at, so I dont see that thats a big issue for me, he said.

I am a Christian, a born-again Christian, and it matters to me that every other religion is acceptable in a history class, that Christianity is outlawed, Burkholder said.

I think this country is in trouble, he added. We have to take it back bit by bit and this is one of those bits.

I know Mr. Trumps positions are not in agreement with mine on many issues, Burkholder said. Hes not come out and said yea or nay on gay marriage or abortion. Hes very ambivalent, but his party tends to support more of what I want to see. I know the other party is absolutely in the other direction.

William Ware of Richmond said voters are faced with two bad choices.

The best bad choice is the Republican nominee and thats who I plan to vote for, he said.

Ware said he is concerned about a number of major issues in the election, including the economy, the national debt, border security, trade and foreign policy.

What is happening right now in northern Iraq and Syria  and has been happening  is crimes against humanity which are as atrocious or more atrocious than what the Nazis committed in Nazi Germany, he said. And, effectively, were doing nothing. Its an absolute disgrace.

A number of voters at the rally said they have no illusions about Trumps personal behavior, but their focus is on which party will best support their values.

Steve Weber of Spotsylvania said the Trump tape did not come as a shock  either the nature of Trumps remarks or the timing of the disclosure, two days before a presidential debate.

It didnt change anything, he said. Its not like I somehow was deceived before the tape came out and all of a sudden my eyes were opened when it showed up.
RICHMOND  Several local school districts and outside organizations have been working the past several weeks to get high school students registered to vote in time for next months presidential election.

The effort is both to get young people ready to exercise their civic duty and for schools to earn accolades.

The catalyst is Gov. Terry McAuliffes voter registration challenge thats aimed at increasing the number of high school students who are registered.

While the governors contest runs through the final week of April, there was an added intensity last week ahead of Mondays deadline to register students in time to vote next month.

Were trying to widen the net to get people to know why youre voting and why its important as a student, said Vilma Seymour, president of the Richmond chapter of the nonpartisan League of United Latin American Citizens.

Seymour and her group have visited local high schools in the past several weeks to speak with students about the importance of voting. They also have taken their efforts to festivals and other places where young people congregate.

LULAC, as its known, registered seven students at Huguenot High School in Richmond last week.

Seymour said the goal is to get students to understand the issues in this upcoming election as well as to talk to them about the importance of voting as a civic responsibility.

They need to know that this is important, she said.

This kind of outreach is especially important in a tight election because students who are 17 years old but will turn 18 before Election Day are allowed to register.

As of Aug. 26, 48,832 17- and 18-year-olds are registered to vote in Virginia, according to the governors office.

One goal of the governors challenge is to reach young people early and get them into the habit of regularly voting.

The earlier you vote, the more likely you are to become a lifelong voter, said Nancy Rodrigues, Virginias secretary of administration.

The effort to get students to register began earlier this year.

The state held the first High School Student Registration Week in April. The goal was to encourage students and teachers across Virginia to hold registration drives at their schools.

About 2,500 17-year-olds registered to vote that week.

The push intensified last month when the governors office launched its challenge on Sept. 27, National Voter Registration Day.

Schools that register 65 percent or more of qualified students by the end of April earn a congratulatory certificate. As of Friday, before Saturdays deadline, 22 schools had signed up to participate for the governors challenge.

Getting young people involved early is critical given the generational shifts nationally that will soon give young people a louder voice.

According to a Pew Research Center report released in August, an estimated 126 million millennial and Generation X adults are eligible to vote (56 percent of eligible voters).

Thats compared with 98 million baby boomers and other adults from prior generations (44 percent of the eligible population).

But having more eligible voters does not translate into more people coming out to vote.

That all depends on who shows up to vote on Election Day, Pew said. Whether millennial and Gen X adults outnumber boomers and other generations in November will hinge on voter turnout.
Its easy to be seduced by the beauty of Albemarles landscape. Just look at the farms, forests and the ancient, lovely Blue Ridge Mountains. Do that and you feel an instant visual sensory buzz.

Nonetheless, all is far from well in our open spaces.

Despite our cultural surroundings, humans are animals. We remain dependent on the products and services of ecosystems that reside predominately in our open spaces. Mother Nature provides clean water, clean air, crop pollinations and many other things we all depend on. If we fail to protect sufficient areas of open spaces and the functioning of their biological systems, the ability of our landscape to sustain us will decline and our own survival eventually will be jeopardized.

I submit that we must keep open spaces open and that we must become far more engaged in protecting the ecosystems that now occupy them.

Make no mistake  human occupancy has been hard on the Piedmonts native ecosystems. Nearly all local old-growth forests were cleared by Europeans. Streams were silted. Exotic diseases and fire suppression have changed the species composition of forests that have regrown. Homes built in open spaces fragment existing forest blocks.

Unsurprisingly, in the face of these and other disturbances, some previously resident species, such as the elk, have disappeared. Many other local species remain but are in decline  such as ground-nesting birds and even our cuddliest reptile, the box turtle.

We know that having more people on a landscape inevitably leads to the reduced functioning of ecosystems there. For example, studies of water quality in subwatersheds of the Rivanna River Basin by StreamWatch and Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population show that water quality is high in sparsely populated subwatersheds. But water quality trends downward rapidly as cases with higher population densities are examined.

Some might say it is natural for people to modify their environments, usually at the expense of other creatures. With abundant green spaces still surrounding us, havent we have kept enough of nature in Albemarle to sustain us?

In this case, appearances can be deceiving. The correct answer is no, we havent kept nearly enough.

A few years ago, ASAP partnered with the experts at the Global Footprint Network to estimate the biological productivity of the Albemarle County and Charlottesville landscapes. Assuming that our communitys per capita consumption of biological resources matched that of the average American, the study found that a land area equivalent to 3.7 Charlottesville-Albemarles would be required to support our existing population. Even then we were far from sustainable. Despite our abundant green spaces, our population at this time still depended upon the biological productivity of other places.

Some might argue that with our global economic system, we can responsibly plan to continue living off of faraway landscapes while keeping our own pleasantly green. At best, this is a dangerous bet.

A 2008 World Wildlife Fund and GFN study estimated that the global human populations demand for biological products and services exceeded sustainable production possibilities at some time in the 1980s. The same report estimates that the equivalent of two Earths will be needed to support the global human population sustainably sometime in the 2030s.

Faced with a current situation in which too many already depend on our planets limited biological resources, are we wise to assume that we can demand more as long as we see green around us?

Simply, it is essential to our well-being that we conserve our still existing open spaces and the functioning of ecosystems that reside on them.

The recent emergence of rapid climate change, however, vastly complicates this task. Conservationists now cannot assume that species will remain adapted to and survive in places where they currently live. As the climate changes during the 21st century, some species will adapt in place but others will go extinct and many will change locations. Existing invasive exotic species may take on major roles in altered ecosystems. Farmers may find that crops suited to their farms change.

In the face of such tumult during the remainder of this century, conservation goals and strategies will need frequent re-evaluation and adjustment. In fact, we must elevate our commitments to open space and ecosystem protection.

Many believe that the health of our economic system requires endless growth and endless conversions of open spaces to developed uses. Of course, endless growth and endless development are impossible.

Fortunately, in recent decades economist Herman Daly and various colleagues have developed the field of ecological economics. From their work, weve learned that our economy is embedded within our planets ecosystems and limited in size by abilities of ecosystems to generate inputs and accept our economys outputs.

In Dalys ecological economics, widespread prosperity need not depend on endless growth. Individuals and companies may come and go, but the physical size of the economy will be approximately stable. Transiting to such an economy will be demanding and with risks. Recognizing this, economists such as Peter Victor have been investigating transition paths that do and dont work.

Given the preceding, if we want the Albemarle-Charlottesville community to be a good place to live at the end of the current century, I think we must accept the following:

 Sustainability requires that we actively protect currently existing open spaces and their biological resources.

 We should begin efforts now to stabilize the size of the Albemarle-Charlottesville community at a population not much larger than our current size. Given that the global human population already is placing unsustainable demands on our planets natural resources, at some point we must consider reduction of our population.

 We must recognize that climate change is expected to greatly disturb many natural systems. We should commit now to understand and adapt to climate change.

The local economy cannot expand endlessly. We should begin now to identify paths that allow us to transit to a stable-sized economy that can coexist with important natural resources and still provide us with high-quality lives.

Thomas Olivier is a biologist. He and his wife live on a farm in southern Albemarle County, where they raise sheep. Olivier is active in various local environmental organizations including Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population, but his comments do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of ASAP or other organizations with which he is affiliated.

References:

 Albemarle County Biodiversity Work Group, 2004. Albemarle County Biodiversity. See p. 59 re: loss of elk.Web link: albemarle.org/albemarle/upload/images/forms_center/departments/community_development/forms/Biodiversity_Workgroup/BWG_main_bw.pdf

 Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population, 2009. Ecological Footprint Analysis of Albemarle County and Charlottesville: The Biocapacity Calculations. Web link: static1.squarespace.com/static/566f015b7086d79e18b7913b/t/567c1c31b204d52319a46c9d/1450974257420/Biocapacity_Report+ASAP.pdf

 Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population, 2010. Ecological Footprint Analysis of Albemarle County and Charlottesville: A Case of Local Ecological Deficit. See p. 14 re: need for 3.7 landscapes to support current population. Web link: static1.squarespace.com/static/566f015b7086d79e18b7913b/t/567c1c64b204d52319a46dc0/1450974308854/Ecological+Footprint+Report+ASAP.pdf

4Center for Urban Habitats, 2016. Ragged Mountain Natural Area Ecosystem Survey. See p. 108 re ground-nesting birds, p. 113 re box turtles. Web link: http://www.charlottesville.org/home/showdocument?id=41784

 Daly, Herman E., 1996. Beyond Growth. Boston: Beacon Press.

 Hannah, Lee., 2011. Climate Change Biology. Elsevier: New York.

 Kurtz, Robert L., 2010. Impacts of Population Density and Forest Cover on Stream Health in the Rivanna River Basin. Web link: static1.squarespace.com/static/566f015b7086d79e18b7913b/t/567c1c98b204d52319a46ec6/1450974360555/Stream+Water+Quality+Report+ASAP.pdf

 StreamWatch, 2006. Living in Our Watershed. See Figure D-1, p. 43. Web link: rivannariver.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2006-Living-In-Our-Watershed-60-pages.pdf

 Victor, Peter A., 2008. Managing Without Growth. Northhampton: Edward Elgar.

 World Wildlife Fund International and Global Footprint Network. 2008. Living Planet Report 2008. See p. 14 re: 1980s overshoot; p. 3 re: coming need for two planets. Web link: d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/lpr_living_planet_report_2008.pdf
Civility and decorum are especially important traits for the senators we send to Washington. When the U.S. Senate is in session, the president pro tempore will often address a senator as, for example, The chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia for five minutes.

Gov. Mike Pence is familiar with this decorum. Gov. Pence was quite polite and courteous during the only vice-presidential debate, which was held here in Sen. Tim Kaines home state. You would have expected Sen. Kaine to warmly receive Gov. Pence to our commonwealth.

Unfortunately, I watched the debate with a growing sense of embarrassment as Sen. Kaine repeatedly interrupted both Gov. Pence and Elaine Quijano, the moderator.

I know how a senator is supposed to behave as a gentleman. Sen. Kaine is no Virginia gentleman.

Floyd Artrip

Albemarle County
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has promised to propose a constitutional amendment aimed at changing the First Amendments protection of political speech.

Back in August, Netflix added a couple of political movies to its streaming service. The first was Funny or Die Presents: Donald Trumps The Art of the Deal: The Moviean entertaining, extended jab at this years GOP presidential nominee. The second was Al Gores documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.

The question America now must ask itself is simple: Should Netflix be allowed to do this?

The answer to that, you might think, should be obvious. And yet to three members of the Federal Election Commission, it is anything but.

The FEC is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats. This leads to many stalemates and causes much teeth-grinding rage among those who would like it to crack down harder on political speech, especially by incorporated nonprofits such as the NRA and Planned Parenthood, which spend money on elections without disclosing their donors.

In the instance at hand, it was not the Republicans but the Democrats who shrank from endorsing what should be the fundamental right to distribute movies. After all, the Supreme Court has made it plain that moving pictures, like newspapers and radio, are included in the press whose freedom is guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Regarding that point Lee Goodman, one of the three Republican members (and a former counsel to the Virginia GOP), recently tried to have some languagejust a few words, actuallyinserted into a notice of proposed rulemaking. The language would have made it clear that the press exemption in campaign-finance regulations applies not only to newspapers, magazines, and TV but also to movies, books, and streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

That campaign-finance regulations have a press exemption in the first place is what poker players would call a tell, and what you and I would call a dead giveaway. The exemption is necessary because without it newspapers, TV networks, and similar media would routinely be in violation of the law whenever they carried anything that might be construed as support for, or opposition to, a political candidate. They are, after all, corporationsand campaign finance laws strictly limit corporate involvement in elections.

The media exemption helps explain why most coverage of campaign-finance regulation paints it as woefully inadequate: Media organizations can agitate for restrictions on political speech by other types of corporations, secure in the knowledge that they enjoy special protection from the rules that apply to everyone else.

But that could change if the makeup of the FEC ever changes. When The New York Times lashed out at the FEC for being an impotent joke and demanded that it be replaced by a new agencyone that can be stacked in favor of more regulationFEC Commissioner Ann Ravel tweeted, Finally: my concerns are being heard. (Translation: Head of Government Agency Agrees Government Agency Should Have More Power.)

When Goodman proposed language stipulating that books, movies, and streaming services should be treated according to the same First Amendment principles that protect newspapers and magazines, Ravel joined her two Democratic colleagues in opposition.

Ravel claimed she was concerned about timing: None of us have had an opportunity to really review and think about Goodmans proposal, she said. First, that wasnt true; Goodman had circulated it months before. More importantly, how much reviewing and thinking should be needed to agree that books and movies are covered by the First Amendment?

Quite a lot, apparently. In another recent case, a right-wing movie-maker made a movie, Dreams From My Real Father, contending that Barack Obama is really the son of a communist, and then mailed millions of copies to voters in swing states. (The premise was so ridiculous that it actually turned off Republicans in a focus group.)

When a complaint against the movie was lodged at the FEC, the three Republican commissioners ruled that it was covered by the media exemption. The three Democratic commissioners ruled otherwise. One of them, Ellen Weintraub, explained her reasoning succinctly: Noting that the press exception depends on whether the press entity was acting as a press entity, she asserted that press entities do not act as press entities when they distribute millions of free DVDs immediately before an election solely in electoral swing states. Oh? What about free newspapers? Free magazines?

In a June case this year, the FEC took up the question as to whether Fox News two-tiered arrangement during its Aug. 6 debate last year violated federal regulations. Two commissionersRavel and Steven Walther, another member of the Democratic blocvoted to take enforcement action against Fox. A subsequent vote on a measure stipulating that the FEC lacks the authority to regulate how news organizations run debates failed on a 3-3 partisan vote.

All of this should alarm members of the media for two reasons. First, newspapers are now producing video on a regular basis.

They also publish books, such as The Washington Posts Trump Revealed (available on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, and on Audible). Such works include news content, but then so do many other movies and books produced by non-media sources. It is not clear why the former should be exempt from regulation if the latter are not.

The other reason to be alarmed is that the Democratic members of the FEC seem to think they can, as Goodman puts it, sit in judgment of ... news directors editorial criteriaand that while they can do so only rarely at present, they would like to do it much more.

They might just get the chance. Hillary Clinton has promised that, if elected, she will propose a constitutional amendment in her first 30 days so that the First Amendment no longer can limit the reach of campaign-finance law. If she does, the media might finally wake up to the implications of such a proposal. But by that point, it might be too late.
Air India, which has been in the red for the past many years, has posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in the last fiscal first time in a decade.

New Delhi: Air India, which is operationally profitable now, is looking to rejig debt worth Rs 10,000 crore under the scheme for sustainable restructuring of bad assets floated by the Reserve Bank.

To further strengthen the ability of lenders to tackle stressed assets and provide an avenue for reworking the financial structure of entities facing genuine problems, the central bank has introduced 'S4A'.

The Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A), introduced in June this year, also came against the backdrop of rising concerns over NPAs in the banking system.

Sources told PTI that Air India is actively looking at the possibility of availing 'S4A' to rejig debt to the tune of at least Rs 10,000 crore. In case the proposal gets a green signal, it would be first time that a public sector undertaking avails the scheme.

Air India, which has been in the red for the past many years, has posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in the last fiscal -- first time in a decade. The carrier is also working on ways to bring down its overall debt burden, especially with respect to significant interest outgo.

Currently, the airline's debt is estimated to be more than Rs 50,000 crore. A consortium of 19 lenders have extended loans to the national carrier. Sources said many factors have to be taken into account before opting for the 'S4A' mechanism. Among others, the exact quantum of cash flow available for the airline has to be ascertained in order to decide on the level of sustainable debt, they added.

While overall performance of the carrier in the last fiscal has been better compared to the last few years, an extensive diligence needs to be carried out before applyingfor the scheme, sources said.

According to them, SBI Capital Markets would be roped in to work on the nitty gritties of the proposal and the whole process of availing 'S4A' is expected to take at least six months.

The airline is surviving on a Rs 30,000 crore bailout package from the government that is spread over ten years. Over Rs 22,000 crore has been provided to Air India under the turnaround plan which includes financial support towards repayment of principal as well as interest on government- guaranteed loans taken for aircraft acquisition.

Amid Air India continuing to grapple with financial woes, there is clamour in certain quarter for privatisation of the airline. Earlier this month, Air India chief Ashwani Lohani rued the lack of level-playing field in competing with private airlines and called for a "course correction".
Benaulim: China's President Xi Jinping warned Sunday that the global economy remained in a precarious condition as leaders of the BRICS group of nations tried to find ways to fire up growth in the troubled bloc.

Speaking at a summit in the Indian state of Goa, Xi told his host Narendra Modi and the leaders of Russia, Brazil and South Africa that the club of emerging powers had been undermined by both domestic and international woes.

But the leader of the world's second largest economy said the long-term forecast for BRICS members was positive as he called for more confidence-building measures.

"The global economy is still going through a treacherous recovery," Xi said in a statement at the summit on India's west coast.

"Because of the impact of both internal and external factors, BRICS countries have somewhat slowed down in economic growth and have faced a number of new challenges in development."

BRICS was formed in 2011 with the aim of using members' growing economic and political influence to challenge Western hegemony.

The nations, with a joint estimated GDP of $16 trillion, set up their own bank in parallel to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank and hold summits rivalling the G7 forum.

But the countries, accounting for 53 percent of world population, have been hit by falling global demand and lower commodity prices, while several have also been mired in corruption scandals.

Russia and Brazil have fallen into recession recently, South Africa only just managed to avoid the same fate last month and China's economy has slowed sharply.

India by contrast is now the world's fastest-growing major economy in an otherwise gloomy environment.

Modi said it was vital that the BRICS nations found ways of increasing their levels of cooperation. He called for the dismantling of trade barriers, promotion of skills and infrastructure development.

"Promoting economic and commercial engagement has been a foundational impulse in creation of BRICS," he said.

Modi, who came to power two years ago, said his government's policy of opening up the Indian economy had achieved results and offered valuable lessons.

"In India, we have undertaken substantial reforms in the last two years to streamline and simplify governance, especially doing business in India," said the Indian prime minister.

"The results are clearly visible. We have moved up in almost all global indices that measure such performances.

"We have transformed India into one of the most open economies in the world today."

Xi said there was no reason why the bloc's members should not flourish as he called on a group made of business leaders from BRICS nations "to take concrete actions to boost confidence".

"The potential and strength of BRICS countries in terms of resources, market and labour forces have remained unchanged," he said.

"The long term... of BRICS development is still positive." Modi has also been using the summit to attempt to isolate India's arch-rival Pakistan following a surge in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

'Terrorism mothership'

In a meeting with his fellow leaders, Modi urged them to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan. Modi said a country in India's neighbourhood held links to "terror modules" around the world, which BRICS should strongly condemn.

"In our region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development." "Tragically the mothership of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood," Modi said without naming Pakistan.

Modi wants to isolate Pakistan internationally following fury at home over recent attacks blamed on Pakistan-based groups that have left some 25 Indian soldiers dead.

Analysts however are sceptical of India's chances of securing a joint BRICS condemnation given China's strong diplomatic support for Pakistan and Russia's efforts to forge closer defence ties with Islamabad.

Taking place at the same time in Goa is a meeting of heads of a seven-nation grouping called BIMSTEC loosely based around the Bay of Bengal.

Myanmar's Aung Sang Suu Kyi, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the leaders of Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal are set to hold talks also focused on trade. Thailand's prime minister is not attending.
Of these 64 NFOs, some of the funds have already been launched by asset management companies after getting clearance from Sebi.

New Delhi: With mutual funds gaining traction among retail investors, asset management companies have filed draft offer documents with market regulator Sebi for as many as 64 new schemes, so far, this fiscal.

Equity, debt, retirement, hybrid and fixed maturity plan (FMP) are some of the themes for which mutual fund houses have filed the applications. ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund (MF), IDFC MF, Mahindra MF, HSBC MF, HDFC MF, Birla Sunlife MF, Tata MF, Axis MF and SBI MF are among the fund houses that have filed the offer documents for new fund offers (NFO) with Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).

Interestingly, some mutual fund houses are keen to launch NFOs with Hindi names so that investors in rural areas understand the objective of the schemes in a better manner.

The move is being seen as an attempt to move away from the old tradition of English names for such schemes. In the current fiscal so far, draft documents for 64 NFOs have been submitted with Sebi.

Of these, 19 draft offers were filed last month alone. Of these 64 NFOs, some of the funds have already been launched by asset management companies after getting clearance from Sebi.

In comparison, about 180 draft papers were filed with the capital markets watchdog in the preceding fiscal (2015-16). Experts believe that AMCs are approaching Sebi with new NFOs as there has been demand from retail investors for mutual fund products. Besides, robust response has been received from investors in the recent fund launches.

This demand from retail investors for mutual fund products has taken investors base to touch a record 5 crore at the end of September.

However, there are few draft papers filed with Sebi in this fiscal as compared with the preceding year. "This is a positive move as investors need good scheme and not just many schemes. The market regulator has become selective in giving approvals. They are pushing for merger of like products with similar objective within an AMC.

This is surely going to help investors in avoiding further confusion during their fund selection process," Quantum AMC Chief Executive Jimmy Patel said.
The airline has nine wide-body aircraft, six B787s and three B777s, on order which it hopes to get by March 2018.

New Delhi: After dragging its heels initially, state-run Air India has finally coaxed American plane maker Boeing to pay compensation for lower fuel efficiency than promised in B787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The aviation behemoth has agreed to pay $45 million for additional fuel burn to the airline. But industry sources said the compensation would not be given upfront in cash. Instead, credit memo of this amount would be issued to the airline, which would be settled against future payment made by Air India towards aircraft purchase.

The airline has nine wide-body aircraft, six B787s and three B777s, on order which it hopes to get by March 2018. A proposal to order five more wide-body airplanes is under consideration.

While Boeing did not respond to email queries sent by Financial Chronicle sent October 1, an Air India spokesperson refused to speak on the issue.
New Delhi: Imbued with a sense of purpose, buoyed by the recent whopper which came in through the Income Declaration Scheme, the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigative Team is looking at specific cases of diversion of black money overseas.

Though the black cash stash amnesty scheme last year was a failure since it didn't pay in spades, Among the many intriguing cases of evasion unearthed by the Department of Income Tax which has caught the eye of the SIT is a case probed by the Investigation Wing in Mumbai where the assessee is an individual belonging to one of the most reputed business families who is running many businesses. It was found that a close associate of the main assessee maintains his accounts in a gmail account.

The close associate was interrogated by the department about the account and it was found that the e-mails related to the undisclosed foreign accounts of the assessee were deleted.

The associate was persuaded to send an email to the foreign banker to resend the mails and the Department got a copy these emails. On careful analysis of these emails, it was found that the emails contain the complete details of the assessees undisclosed foreign bank accounts and other investments. The total investment exceeded a staggering $48 billion. Now even if there is a typo in this government document accessed by Financial Chronicle with a decimal missing, it is still a very large sum of money, for it works out to $4.8 billion. Of course at $48 billion, it is truly bulge bracket and obscene.

Many ingenious cases of concealment of income have been unearthed by the taxmen in the recent past. In another case, a search was conducted by Bangalore Directorate in two listed real estate companies which revealed illegal stashes.

The department had evidences for collection of on-money by these listed companies. Cash generated through these mode was used to make unaccounted cash payments towards land purchases and project approvals.

The major challenge in this exercise was the huge data running more than 4 TB which was cloned and imaged.
New Delhi: Soha Ali Khan says she takes success and failures with equal dignity and believes in staying strong.

The actress feels facing difficult times gives better understanding of life and makes one treasure happy moments.

"I am one to confront and accept reality how bitter it may be. I feel it is not right to turn your face from something you don't like. Be it success or failure I take it all with equal strength and dignity. Every bitter experience teaches you a lesson," Soha told PTI.

The 38-year-old actress, who has been particular about her choice of roles, says she never wants to be a big star and earn a lot of money.

"I have always wanted to have a healthy work life balance. I don't want to be number one or make lots of money and I don't want to be very famous. I want little bit of all of that. I want a lot of happiness in my life.

"There are lots of things I like doing and I wanted time for them. Be it spending time with my family, traveling, going to Pataudi, play badminton or yoga, writing and reading. You live one life and it's short and I want to live it to the fullest."

Soha will next be seen in '31st October', and the actress says she gave her nod to th film as her role was well written.

"For me, the most important thing is the role. I like picking up roles which are meaty and author-backed. But I understand that it is a real life subject, it is a historical incident and has many sides attached to it, so it was important for me to read the script and understand the message of the film. I wanted to make sure that it is a responsible film."

The movie, also starring Vir Das, is based on 1984 riots that took place after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The project, which is scheduled to release on October 21, has been facing issues with censor board and various other authorities, but Soha hopes the film will get into theatres as planned.

"I have been part of many films which faced problems, got stuck in the censor. Just because we finished acting in the film doesn't mean the film is released. Experience has taught me that as an actor it is best to cut off on your last day of filming. Rest is the producer's headache. But when you work so hard on any movie you want it to release."

Apart from the movie, Soha is busy working on some new ideas which she is planning to produce with husband Kunal Khemu under their banner Renegade Films. "Kunal and I have some good creative ideas. We are opening a production company called Renegade Films. We are going to create content not just for films but for other medium as well."

She, however, has no plans to direct and feels Kunal is the one, who has the caliber to go behind the camera. "I can never direct. My skills are more in production and administration. I think Kunal is more creative. In the future, he will definitely get into direction."
He definitely does look every bit the part.

Mumbai:Shah Rukh Khan has a phenomenal sense of humour and this is not news to us but the actor definitely ups his game far too often.

The actor, who's been filming Imtiaz Ali's upcoming, 'The Ring', has been graciously posing with every starstruck fan around.

SRK shared one of those pictures on his own Twitter feed, where the superstar can be seen posing with two 'Videsi' kids from the production team, along with co-actress Anushka Sharma.

But what catches our attention is the pose that the actor's struck and the accompanying caption.

The actor likens himself to James Bond and does the iconic gun simulation, along with the kids, while Anushka adorably smirks at the three.

The actor, who plays a tourist guide in the film, touted to be a romantic drama, captioned it calling himself a 'Desi James Bond,' also mentioning how disapproving Anushka is of it.

The two leads also found time to pose with fans on the sets, like they have been regularly.

The film has SRK and Anushka working with Imtiaz for the very first time, and pairing up together for the third time, after Anushka's debut venture, 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi', and Yash Chopra's swansong, 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan.'

Well, we'd definitely love to watch SRK ask the bartender for a martini, shaken, not stirred, someday.
He joins a list of previous Chaplin recipients that includes Alfred Hitchcock, Elizabeth Taylor, Meryl Streep, Billy Wilder and last year's honoree, Morgan Freeman.

Mumbai: The Film Society of Lincoln Center has named Robert De Niro the recipient of its 44th annual Chaplin Award, which honors major industry talents.

De Niro will take home the 2017 trophy for a four-decade acting career that stretches from early work including Mean Streets, Raging Bull and The Godfather Part II to more recent projects such as 'Silver Linings Playbook', reported Variety.

He is also the high-profile co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival, launched in the wake of 9/11 in an effort to boost the economic prospects of lower Manhattan.

The 73-year-old actor-producer will be honored by the Film Society at a springtime gala featuring notable guests and presenters as well as movie and interview footage drawn from De Niro's career.

He joins a list of previous Chaplin recipients that includes Alfred Hitchcock, Elizabeth Taylor, Meryl Streep, Billy Wilder and last year's honoree, Morgan Freeman.

The 44th annual Chaplin Award gala is set for May 8. Prior to that, De Niro's latest project, the Broadway musical adaptation of 'A Bronx Tale,' which he co-directs, will open in December.
Even as Bollywood is struggling with the release of upcoming films like Raees and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, because of political disputes and pressure, closer home, the feud between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the issue of Cauvery water seems to have intensified.

In the last few weeks, Tamil films have vanished from Karnatakas theatres. Biggies like Iru Mugan, Remo and Devi(l) among others, were banned from releasing in Karnataka.

A new twist in the tale is that the Tamil-dubbed Kannada film Shivanagam (Nagarahavu in Kannada) by Kodi Ramakrishna, which was to hit the marquee on October 14, was stalled from releasing in TN, owing to pressure from Tamil outfits, despite elaborate arrangements made by its distributor.

Shivanagam was to be presented by the famed production house, Thenandal Films in TN. The film features Ramya and Diganth in lead roles, with the digitally-recreated Kannada Superstar, late Vishnuvardhan. A source close to the distributor, says, The producers of Nagarahavu will incur heavy losses. They have invested a lot in the promos as they were confident that it would do good business. After all, the movie comes from a veteran filmmaker who gave blockbusters like Arundhati and Ammoru.

Karnataka has huge a Tamil speaking population; Kollywood movies fetch good money through distribution rights. With theatres in Karnataka not screening Tamil films now, distributors and exhibitors across the state have incurred a reported loss of `5 crores, reveals an industry source.

Trade analyst Dhananjayan says, Karnataka contributed five to 10 percent of Tamil Nadus overall theatrical releases. So, that percentage of losses will also be incurred.

Vikram-starrer Iru Mugan, Dhanush-starrer Thodari, Sivakarthikeyans Remo, Vijay Sethupathis Rekka, and Prabhu Devas Devi (l), faced a similar fate in Karnataka. Since the restriction was only on Tamil movies, the theatres had a mix of Kannada, Telugu and Hindi film releases. Hence, the Telugu version of Iru Mugan and Hindi and Telugu versions of Devi(l) (titled Tutak Tutak Tutiya and Abhinetri respectively), were released there.

We regularly watch most of the Tamil movies that are screened here, during weekends. Now, we are deprived of Ktown films, says Divya, an IT employee in Bengaluru, adding, I had to travel with my husband to Chennai to watch Kabali as we are hardcore Rajini fans.

In a turn of events, Bengaluru has resumed screening Tamil films, with two of Sethupathis movies Rekka and Aandavan Kattalai, last Friday. But that was too late and enough damage had already been done. People would have already watched pirated copies as well as online versions, a peeved producer says.

However, Shivanagam has been pulled out of the theatres. If the Cauvery crisis continues, and with Deepavali around the corner, big Tamil films that could have otherwise expected to do good business in Bengaluru, like Karthis Kaashmora, Dhanushs Kodi, Vishals Kaththi Sandai, etc., will take a beating in their business share from Karnataka.

With the relationship smoothed out between the two states, blocking films will only hinder business. So, films of both languages should continue to function as they were doing earlier, Dhananjayan concludes.
Shweta Gai, a popular name in the modelling world, is all set to venture into the film industry. The svelte model will be debuting in the role of a reporter/anchor in a dark comedy crime thriller, titled Thappu Thanda, directed by Srikantan.

Acting isnt new to Shweta as she has been part of Anirudhs single Avalukenna and director Vijays Idhu Enna Maayam. Stepping into films was not an option at all. My ancestors were rooted to art, so acting just happened by chance, she starts her conversation.

About Thappu Thanda, she says, I cant reveal any details about my character now. All I can say is that my character will be a link to the story. Thappu Thanda, which was mostly shot in Chennai, is now in the last stage of post-production.

The actress has been a part of Nassers Pattanathil Bootham drama troupe and she feels blessed to have been mentored by Nasser and Jayakumar.

When asked about her future plans, Shweta explains, I have a bunch of offers, but am waiting to see the reception of Thappu Thanda. I want to see how audiences understand me on screen. Only then, I will take up more films, she concludes.
Wherever sculptor S. Radhakrishna goes with his artwork, his companions Musui and his alter ego, Maiya follow. Musui and Maiya are not Radhakrishnas children, but he did create them... in bronze, like many of his other sculptures  a few of which have made their way to Hyderabad this time, at the eminent artists latest show, Figuring Out With Figures.

Radhakrishnas work has bronze figures that can be as small as an inch, or extend to over a foot long. But all are modelled on his creations Musui and Maiya, who portray various characters  including Gods.

The beginning

Radhakrishna is a pioneer in his field. Whether it was being one of the first sculptors to have a one-man show in Paris in 1993, or bring sculpting to the forefront of artforms in India, he has done it all.

But things werent that easy. From Kottayam, Kerala, this young boy made his way to Santiniketan in West Bengal. When I was 18, I realised that I wanted to take up art seriously. And so I left to study at Santiniketan in 1974, says Radhakrishna who was taught by Masters in the art world  sculptor Ramkinkar Baij and artist K.G. Subramanyan. Despite taking up painting as his subject, it was only in 1976 that he took up sculpting.

Sculpting the way

University life kept him busy for eight years but the real bolt was when he graduated and landed a fellowship in Delhi. I was one of the five artists who got the fellowship with the Government of India in 1981. They gave me a studio, good money and accommodation, but it was for just a year. What would I do after... that worried me a lot, he says. But slowly, one show after the other he made his way to the top, even going as far as Paris. It was only after my show in Paris did people sit up and take notice of me... I needed to go abroad and show my work, to be recognised in my own country, he says.

The change in life

For Radhakrishna, inspiration came in the form of a young boy, who went by the name Musui. During my time at Santiniketan, I saw a boy begging for bread, but he was smiling and asking for it, and I was very surprised by it. So I took him to my studio to create a portrait of him. After I finished, I gave him a rupee but instead of getting something to eat, he shaved his head and came back to me so that I could do another painting. So I created a painting of his head, and when I was leaving Santiniketan I took it along. Over the years, it became my muse for the hundreds and thousands of Musui sculptures in my four-decade-long career, he says, while adding, I still have that portrait.

In 1997, Maiya, Musuis alter ego was born. When Musui donned various roles, all of them were that of a man and I realised that he urgently needed his contemporary, and so Maiya was born, he adds.

I was in touch with Musui till he passed away in 2010. His smile  something all my sculptures have  has been engraved in my memory. I even made a bronze statue of Musui in Santiniketan. he says.

Keep digging deeper

Radhakrishna has had his share of lows and he says, I began digging in one place and stayed put until I found water. That is my advice to artists: When you are digging for water, dont let a rock stop you. No matter how tough it is, keep digging... and you will eventually find water.
She has delivered more than 12 albums of melodious Nepali tunes and Tibetan hymns (Photo: AP)

There is one Buddhist nun everyone in Nepal knows by name  not because she's a religious icon and a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, nor for her work running a girl's school and a hospital for kidney patients.

Ani Choying Drolma is famous as one of the country's biggest pop stars.

With more than 12 albums of melodious Nepali tunes and Tibetan hymns that highlight themes of peace and harmony, the songstress in saffron robes has won hearts across the Himalayan nation and abroad.

"I am totally against the conservative, conventional idea of a Buddhist nun," the 45-year-old nun said. Some people "think a Buddhist nun should be someone who does not come out in the media so much, who is isolated ... always in a monastery, always shy. But I don't believe in that."

Neither do her fans, who greet her with a roar of applause whenever she walks out on stage, and fall silent as she closes her eyes to sing.

"Every time I get frustrated with life or get angry, I just listen to Ani's music and I calm down," said one fan, Sunil Tuladhar. "She is my music goddess."

But with a career deviating sharply from what conservatives in Nepal believe to be the proper path of a Buddhist, she's caught criticism as well. One Buddhist monk at the famed Swayambhu Shrine questioned how she can reconcile the simple life of a religious ascetic with the fame and wealth she's amassed over her two-decade musical career.

"How can a nun be making money by selling her voice, living a luxurious life and yet claim she is a nun?" Surya Shakya asked.

Despite her fame, Drolma looks every bit the typical Nepalese Buddhist nun, with her hair shaved short and an ever-present smile. She travels the world giving concerts in countries including the United States, Brazil, China and India.

Popular composer Nhyoo Bajracharya, who has worked with Drolma, describes her music as a fusion of traditional Tibetan and Nepali styles. "They are religious songs, slow rock with flavors of blues and jazz combined," he said.

But Drolma believes her singing goes beyond delivering a catchy tune. Her 2004 hit "Phoolko Aankhama," which means "Eyes of the Flower" in the Nepali language, features lyrics that touch on religious teachings: "May my heart always be pure/May my words be always word of wisdom/May the sole of my feet never kill an insect."

Her singing offers listeners a way to practice meditation and "is about invoking a spiritual quality," she said in a recent interview with the Associated Press. "That is what I rejoice in."

She refused to say how much money she has earned from album sales and concerts, but said she donates much of it to education charities through her Nun's Welfare Foundation and runs a kidney hospital.

Click here to watch
Bengaluru: In a shocking incident, a 42-year-old hotel manager was brutally assaulted by a gang of auto rickshaw drivers in Yelahanka following a dispute over parking space near Mother Diary Cross on Friday night. Police said that the victim has been identified as, Purandar Naidu, manager of Udupi Grand Hotel.

According to the police, the incident happened around 7.30 pm on Friday and came to light on Sunday after a section of electronic media played a video. Purandhar has filed a complaint against ten auto-drivers and Yelahanka New Town Police Station. A counter complaint has also been filed by Manjunath, an auto-driver, against Purandhar, the hotel owner and the employees at the same police station.

The entire incident was captured on the CCTV camera installed in the hotel. Police said that Purandhar has alleged that a group of ten auto-rickshaw drivers rudely told him to take out his bike parked near the auto-stand. They assaulted him and snatched away his gold chain, which they returned after the fight.

In his complaint Manjunath has alleged that Purandhars bike had blocked the movement of autos from the stand, when he was asked him to move his bike, Purandhar and the hotel employees used abusive language and assaulted them, added the police. Yelahnaka police have registered a case and begun investigation.

Cab driver knocked down in city

In two separate hit-and-run accidents, two pedestrians were knocked down by unknown vehicles accidents in Banaswadi and Seshadripuram traffic police limits on Sunday morning. A 24-year-old driver was crushed to death by a speeding vehicle near the forest office in Banaswadi early on Sunday morning. The deceased, Ranjeeth R., was a resident of Kempapura in Hebbal.

Ranjeeth had parked his car and was crossing the road near the forest office near HDFC Bank around 2 am. A rashly driven vehicle coming from Hennur direction and going towards Nagwara knocked him down and sped away.

Passersby alerted the police who visited the spot and shifted his body for the postmortem. A case was registered at the Banaswadi police station.
HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum 3 has ordered Jubilee Hills Public School to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation to a Class II student after it was found that the school had harassed the girl and her parents and withheld her promotion to Class III by withholding her exam result.

The forum also granted Rs 5,000 towards costs to be paid by the school, in addition to the compensation, ruling that there was a deficiency in service on part of the school. It said the school had made the complainants father to run from pillar to post and caused mental agony.

The school claimed that the students attendance did not meet the criteria and her performance was poor.

Mother was threatened: Police

The eight-year-old girl, represented by her father K. Veera Raghava Reddy, a resident of OU Colony in Shaikpet, had filed a petition against the schools secretary, principal and the Jubilee Hills inspector of police seeking Rs 15 lakh as damages for loss of education of 86 days.

Mr Reddy alleged, We had paid the complete fee. After conducting Class II examination, the principal did not release the progress report and did not send information regarding promotion to Class III from July 2015. They called my wife under the guise of counselling and demanded a guarantee letter towards keeping good education standards of my daughter. My wife lodged a police complaint as she was threatened. The school authorities demanded withdrawal of the complaint to give the progress report and victimised my daughter. It is a gross violation of the Right to Education Act.

Mr Raghava Reddy filed a petition in the High Court, which ordered the school to declare the result. Following this, the school sent a letter and the parents collected the report on December 16, 2015. He said that his daughter was admitted to another school, losing an academic year.

The school said the student fell short of the mandatory 75 per cent attendance but was allowed to write the exam. On March 26, 2015, the complainants mother visited the school and she was advised retest, as the performance was not good. Instead of taking it in the right spirit, the mother walked out without collecting the progress report. Apart from police complaint, the parents filed a petition with the district education officer for derecognition of school. They filed complaints on several forums. We sent reminders for payment of fee but they didnt bother to pay. It was suggested in the letter that the parents may take away the child from the school in view of the unfortunate incidents, he said.

The school claimed that CCTV footage was given to the police to establish that the allegations of the girls mother were false. Jubilee Hills inspector Venkat Reddy told the forum that a case of criminal intimidation and wrong confinement was made out against the JPS and chargesheet filed in Nampally court against the authorities. The forum found no fault with the inspector.
BENGALURU: A 35-year-old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker and a BJP member from Shivajinagar was hacked to death by two men on the busy Kamaraj Road near Commercial Street on Sunday morning.

Soon after the murder, over 200 RSS workers protested in front of the Commercial Street police station, took out a rally till the Kamaraj Road and forced business establishments to down the shutters. Over 1,000 policemen and RAF personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

The victim, Rudresh R., who is a secretary in the BJP Shivajinagar unit, was returning home after attending the RSS route march in the morning. He and his friends and fellow RSS members Jayaram and Kumar had stopped to have tea when the two murderers came on a bike and took a swipe at Rudresh's neck with a machete. He was rushed to the Bowring Hospital nearby, but was declared brought dead.

City Police Commissioner N.S. Megharikh has imposed prohibitory orders under Sec. 144 in Shivajinagar, Commercial Street, Bharathinagar and Pulikeshinagar.

Daylight murder on Commercial St

The police have launched a massive hunt to arrest the attackers of Rudresh R., a resident of Milk Man Street in Shivajinagar. He was also as the Mandal President of the Shivajinagar Shakha of RSS and secretary of the BJPs Shivajinagar unit.

The killing took place around 11.30 am near Radhakrishna temple, while Rudresh and his two friends Kumar and Jayaram were returning home after taking part in a route march at RBANMS Grounds.

They had stopped near the temple to have tea. Just then two men came in a bike, attacked Rudresh with a machete and fled. Preliminary investigation reveals that the assailants had not covered their faces and their bike had no number plate. Kumar and Jayaram tried to catch the attackers and even pelted stones at them, but they soon vanished.

Rudresh was immediately put into an auto rickshaw and rushed to Bowring Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Soon, the police was alerted and they reached the spot along with sniffer squad and FSL experts who cordoned off the area.

Senior police officers visited the spot and carried out the investigation. The city police commissioner has formed several teams to probe the murder and assured the assailants will be nabbed soon. Rudresh was also into real estate business and is survived by wife and two children.

Protesters block roads

Hundred of protesters took to streets and gheroed Commercial Street police station. The angry protesters blocked the road demanding justice for Rudresh and gave an ultimatum that if police failed to nab the murderers by Monday evening, the state will witness a total bandh.

The protesters blocked the road leading to Ulsoor, M.G. Road for over two hours. Vehicular movement was disrupted due to the protest in and around Commercial Street and normalcy was restored towards late noon. Lok Sabha member Pratap Simha also visited the spot and pacified the agitators. He assured them that the police would solve the case soon.

RSS march

RSS members have threatened to go on state wide bandh if the police fails to arrest the attackers by 8 pm on Monday. They will be taking out a march on Monday 10 am from Shivajinagar bus stand to police commissioner's office.
Panaji: The trade between Brazil and India can triple in a few years, Brazil president Michel Temer on Sunday said amid the ongoing BRICS summit in Goa and bilateral talks between various member countries of the grouping.

"With agreements, trade between Brazil and India can triple in a few years," Temer tweeted after arriving in Goa on Sunday.

"My idea is to increase Brazil's relationship with India," he said on Twitter, noting that at present few renowned Brazilian companies have presence in India.

"On Monday we will have a meeting to expand Brazil's relations with India," Temer said in another tweet.
New Delhi: Top officials including Foreign Secretary and DGMO are scheduled to brief a panel of MPs, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, on the surgical strikes conducted by the army across the LoC, on October 18.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is scheduled to meet on Tuesday when it will be briefed on Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to recent surgical strikes.

Briefing by the Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, Defence Secretary and Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) on the subject Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), a notice regarding the October 18 meeting issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat said.

The meeting assumes significance as the government had earlier expressed reservations over briefing on the same topic to the Parliamentary Committee on Defence. However, after initial reluctance, the parliamentary panel on Defence headed by BJP MP BC Khanduri was briefed by Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Bipin Rawat on the surgical strikes.

The Uri Army base was attacked by heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists on September 18, in which 19 soldiers were killed. In a well-calibrated retaliatory action, the Indian army carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC on the intervening night of September 28 and 29. A political slugfest has broken out between the ruling and opposition parties ever since.

Rahul Gandhi had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in political exploitation of the sacrifices made by soldiers. His khoon ki dalali remark had drawn strong criticism from the government, BJP and some other parties.
New Delhi: A committee set up the HRD Ministry has found activist Teesta Setalvad culpable for "hatred-filled, disharmony-spreading, ill-will generating, enmity-creating explosive writings".

The then HRD Minister Smriti Irani had in 2015 formed a three-member panel comprising Supreme Court lawyer Abhijit Bhattacharjee, Gujarat Central University Vice Chancellor S A Bari and a ministry official Gaya Prasad to look into allegations against NGO Sabrang Trust, based on a complaint. The panel has submitted its report to the current HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar.

According to sources, the committee has recommended in its report that there is compelling evidence to book Teesta under sections 153-A and 153-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), both pertaining to hate speeches.

Any person booked under the said sections can be punished with jail terms and fine.

The panel is also believed to have raised questions over the manner in which the amount was allocated to the trust "Sarva Siksha Abhiyan" by the previous UPA government. It is learnt that the NCERT, which was the appraiser of the particular project, had raised some objections yet the ministry sanctioned Rs 3 crore for the project.

Sources said while the committee has not found any misappropriation of the funds, it has blamed the ministry for the manner in which the amount was sanctioned in the previous dispensation and if the panel's recommendations are accepted, the officials then involved in the process can also face action.

Setalvad, when contacted, claimed the allegations of misappropriation of funds could not be proved and to counter that charges of spreading hatred have been levelled. "In typical proto fascist style allegations have covered the infamous misappropriation of funds to now spreading hatred. Creating hatred...against whom? The RSS? The charge of misappropriation obviously could not be proven and so it is now down to this," she told PTI in an email response.

While HRD ministry officials did not comment on the contents of the report, they confirmed its submission.

HRD ministry had also sought an opinion from the Law Ministry over the issue and is awaiting a response following which a final decision will be taken by Javadekar in this regard.

In June, the Ministry of Home Affairs had cancelled the licence of the NGO under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010.
The SSB men retaliated by returning fire but the militants reportedly fled from the scene. (Photo: AP/Representational Image)

Handwara: Terrorists again opened fire at a vehicle of the Jammu and Kashmir Police at Tootigund in Handwara district late on Saturday night a day after one Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) jawan was killed and eight others injured after terrorists attack their convoy near a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Zakura.

Three companies of SSB were returning after patrolling in six trucks on Saturday, when the convoy was attack by militants at Zakura on the outskirts of Srinagar along the road to Ladakh.

The SSB men retaliated by returning fire but the militants reportedly fled from the scene, Kumar added.

More details are awaited.
The complainant has alleged that some of Sasikala's recent speeches, widely circulated on social media, could flare up communal tension in the state. (Photo: File)

Kasaragod (Kerala): A police complaint has been filed by a government pleader against a top functionary of a Kerala-based Hindu outfit for allegedly making inflammatory speeches.

Police said they were examining the complaint filed recently by government pleader C Shukkur against Hindu Aikya Vedi state President KP Sasikala and no case has so far been registered.

The complainant has alleged that some of Sasikala's recent speeches, widely circulated on social media, could flare up communal tension in the state.

He also submitted a CD containing some of the speeches, downloaded from YouTube, besides web links to them.

Kasaragod district police chief Thomson Jose said police was verifying the complaint and the videos.

"We received a complaint in this regard but no case has been registered as of now. The complainant submitted a set of links of the videos of her speeches," he told PTI.

The official also said the speeches, mentioned in the complaint, were made outside Kasaragod and a detailed examination was needed in this regard.
Benaulim (Goa): Seeking to allay India's concern over Russia's growing military ties with Pakistan, a top official and close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said there are no talks for sale of military equipment to Pakistan and that the recently held army exercise was directed at countering terrorism and not aimed at India.

Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Rostech State Corporation, an umbrella organisation of 700 hi-tech civilian and military firms, asserted that the military exercise does not show a "significant" change in his country's relations with Pakistan.

"Our relationship with Pakistan has existed for a while. In some areas it has broadened but I will not call it as significant change," Chemezov, who was the KGB station chief in Germany when Putin was a young operative there, told a select group of journalists.

Asked about the recently held army exercise, Chemezov said it was directly connected with modern way of specialised fight against terrorists.

Highlighting terrorism, he said that ISIS was not just an Arab danger but a global one.

"ISIS is a global danger and it not just involves terrorism in the Arab world but does involve terrorists in Russia, India as well as Pakistan. We feel that joint military exercise in this area are vital for world peace. These exercises are not in any way targeted at anything to do with India or any other country," Chemezov said.

Asked about the sale of Mi-35 attack helicopters to Pakistan, Chemezov said that Russia has "not delivered any modern aircraft or any military aircraft to Pakistan".

"We have made deliveries of helicopters but those are specialised transport helicopters. Delivery has already been made. There is no contract negotiations for any military related equipment to be delivered to Pakistan," he said.

Chemezov said that Russia would be glad to cooperate with India on the issue of terrorism and would be happy to not just provide equipment and weapons but also share best practices of its special forces and increase cooperation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an exchange of agreements' ceremony after 17th India-Russia annual summit meet in Benaulim, Goa on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

Benaulim (Goa): Slamming Pakistan for sponsoring cross-border terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the most direct threat to the BRICS countries economic prosperity is terrorism, and a country in Indias neighbourhood was the mother-ship of such terrorism.

Speaking at the BRICS Summit in Goa, Modi said the growing arc of terrorism today threatens Middle East, West Asia, Europe and South Asia.

Taking on Pakistan, Modi stated that, Terror modules around world are linked to this mother-ship (Pakistan). This country shelters not just terrorists, it nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains. It's a mindset that we strongly condemn, Modi said.

Modi called on the BRICS countries to unite and stand up against terrorism. He appealed for early adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), the draft of which India had presented as early as 1996 at the United Nations.

Modi added that BRICS countries were united in their belief that terrorism and its supporters have to be punished, not rewarded.

Earlier, Modi met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Bhutan PM Tobgay on Day 2 of the Summit.
Mumbai: Yuva Sena president Aditya Thackeray on Saturday criticised the NDA government, in which Shiv Sena is an alliance partner, saying the ruling dispensation is "not different" from previous "incompetent" UPA regime aspeople's issues remain unresolved.

Aditya, son of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, organised a protest march against state government to highlight its "inaction" on policy issues in education sector.

The march, called 'KG to PG', was first such protest to be organised under the leadership of the Thackeray scion in the view of upcoming elections to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), due next year.

The march started from Wilson College at Girgaum Chowpatty and ended with Aditya's address at Islam Gymkhana.

On the occasion, he said Sena initially thought that the NDA government is "their" own which will provide relief to people after 15 years of "misrule" by the previous Congress-NCP government, but the present regime has proved to be a dampener.

"The previous government was an incompetent and an ineffective government and this government is not different (either). People's issues remain unresolved," Aditya said.

He said Yuva Sena was forced to take out morcha as the issues concerning students remained unresolved despite assurance by Education Minister Vinod Tawde.

"The journey of the last one-and-a-half years has been more of promises rather than good governance. It seems as if all demands have been put on ATKT (a process in education system that allows students of pre-graduation and graduation to study in the next grade if they have failed in 1 to 4 subjects)," the Yuva Sena chief said.

He asked the government to declare timing when it will come out with a law regarding admissions in KG class, and called for doing away with the practice of conducting interviews of parents at the time of admission of their wards.
This comes after a spree of ceasefire violations last week by Pakistan after the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army on September 29. (Photo: PTI/ Representational Image)

Srinagar: After a week-long lull, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by firing from small arms on forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from Indian troops.

"There was unprovoked firing from small arms on forward areas in Naushera sector of Rajouri district along the LoC by Pakistani troops", PRO, Ministry of Defence, Jammu said.

Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in the ceasefire violation.

A senior Army officer said there have been over 25 ceasefire violations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes by Army troops in PoK to dismantle terror launching pads.

In the firing and shelling, five civilians and four armymen had sustained injuries in Poonch district. Nine Pakistani armymen were injured in retaliatory action by Indian troops along LoC.

On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Pooch district resulting in injuries to one jawan.

On October 5, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shelling and firing with five ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along LoC in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts.

They shelled mortar bombs and opened small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district.

Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and restored to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district.

On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling from 1915 hours along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district.

On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS amid small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district.

On September 30, Pakistani troops restored to small arms firing along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.
Benaulim: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday sought decisive global action such as systematically cutting off funding, weapons supply, training and political support to terror outfits and asserted that selective approach to deal with the menace will be not only futile but also counter- productive.

In his remarks at the BRICS plenary session, the Prime Minister said response to terrorism must be nothing less than comprehensive and that countries must act both "individually and collectively".

Read: Desipte slowdown, BRICS' potential, strength unchanged: Xi

"Criminality should be the only basis for punitive action against the individuals and organizations responsible for carrying out terrorist acts. Terrorist funding, their weapons supply, training and political support must be systematically cut off," he said.

Modi also called for early adoption of the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism saying doing so will be an expression of "our resolve" to fight the menace.

Read: Combating cross-border terror and its supporters will be key priority in BRICS: Modi

"In the world we inhabit today, security and counter-terrorism cooperation is necessary if we are to secure the lives of our citizens. Terrorism casts a long shadow on our development and economic prosperity.

"Its reach is now global. It has grown more lethal and adept at the use of technology. Our response to terrorism must, therefore, be nothing less than comprehensive," the Prime Minister said.

He said selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organizations will not only be futile but also counter-productive and that there must be no distinction based on "artificial and self-serving grounds".

In this respect, Modi said there was a need to deepen the security cooperation among the National Security Advisors.

Calling Pakistan as the mother-ship of terrorism worldwide Modi, in his earlier address at the BRICS summit, forcefully condemned Pakistan saying a country in India's neighbourhood shelters not just terrorists but nurtures a mindset that proclaimed that terrorism was justified for political gains.

"In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development. Tragically its mothership is a country in India's neighbourhood. Terror modules around the world are linked to this mothership," he said told Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Michel Temer and South African President Jacob Zuma at the BRICS Summit's "restricted" segment.

Talking about critical challenges that the world is confronted with, the Prime Minister said there was a need for a clear roadmap to revive the global economy.

"We have built new global institutions to complement the existing architecture. The New Development Bank & Contingency Reserve Arrangement stand out," he added.

Referring to India recently ratifying the Paris Climate Agreement, he said, "We are committed to a harmonious balance between development and climate change. The path laid down by the SDGs or agenda 2030 is a valuable blueprint of hope.

India's own development priorities are aligned with them."

Modi concluded his remarks by mentioning non-conventional security challenges, from threats on cyberspace and piracy on high seas to human trafficking.

During his bilaterals with Putin and Xi yesterday, Modi had strongly articulated India's concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

The Prime Minister stressed that those supporting terrorism have to be "punished, not rewarded."

"The growing arc of terrorism today threatens Middle East, West Asia, Europe and South Asia," he said.

"Its violent footprint puts at risk the security of our citizens and undercuts our efforts aimed at economic growth," he added.
Baripada (Odisha): A man was arrested with his two accomplices for alleged abduction of his father in the Betanati area of Odisha's Mayurbhaanj district.

Inspector in-Charge of Betanati police station Minati Biswal said the police carried out an operation in Baripada town yesterday and arrested the trio.

He said, Bhagabat Behera, who is a retired teacher and was abducted last month, was also rescued yesterday.

Bhagabat Behera of Tungadhua village was allegedly abducted by two youths while he was on his way to Baripada to withdraw money from a bank on September 10, the IIC said.

Abani Behera, the retired teacher's son, reported the matter to the police the following day.

He alleged that the abductors were demanding a ransom of Rs 5 lakh to release his father, the police said.

During interrogation, the accused Ajay Patra and Himanshu Naik, confessed to have their role in the kidnapping at the behest of the teacher's son, they said.

A case of kidnapping and extortion was registered in the Betanati police station.

Police said the accused had managed to withdraw Rs 40,000 from the bank account of Bhagabat through ATM transactions.

The arrested son also confessed to have committed the crime by engaging the two accomplices for a deal of Rs 50,000, the police officer said.
New Delhi: British Prime Minister Theresa May will arrive in New Delhi on November 6 on her first bilateral visit outside Europe during which she will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK strategic partnership.

The three-day visit was announced on Sunday by the External Affairs Ministry in Delhi.

"This will be her first bilateral visit outside Europe. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit," the Ministry said.

During the visit, Prime Minister May alongside Modi will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

"The Summit will be an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business to business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, IPRs and higher education," it said.

The two sides had agreed to hold the summit during Prime Minister Modi's visit to the UK in November 2015.

The India-UK partnership has since moved into a new era, with Britain voting to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum in June and leading to the resignation of then Prime Minister David Cameron.

May, 60, as the post-Brexit leader of the country, has often mentioned India among the priority countries for a free trade agreement to boost the UK's ties outside the EU.

"Countries including Canada, China, India, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea have already told us they would welcome talks on future free trade agreements. And we have already agreed to start scoping discussions on trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand," she had told the Conservative party conference earlier this month.

Therefore, trade is expected to feature high on the agenda during her India visit.
If the Presidential Order is not amended to include the new districts, it could affect the recruitment drive of the Telangana State Public Service Commission. (Photo: www.tspsc.gov.in)

Hyderabad: The creation of 21 new districts on Dasara has rendered defunct the zonal system for public employment as the Presidential Order of 1975 has not been modified to reflect the changes.

The Presidential Order names only the 10 older districts. Without getting it amended, the government created 21 districts and renamed Warangal. Besides, some mandals and villages have been switched between districts.

If the Presidential Order is not amended to include the new districts, it could affect the recruitment drive of the Telangana State Public Service Commission.

The state government must immediately approach the Centre to amend the Presidential Order either for continuing the present zonal system or to scrap it, said TNGOs honorary president G. Devi Prasad. After bifurcation, the Centre had amended the provisions governing local status and secured the Presidents assent on the recommendation of the AP government.

This enabled the AP government employees and general public to move to Andhra Pradesh state. A similar exercise is required for the new districts, otherwise, all recruitments will face a legal problem, Mr Devi Prasad said.

Sources in the employees organisations said scrapping of the zonal system would have to be done after a careful study. After scrapping of Zones 5 and 6 following bifurcation, only two cadres will be left with the state and district cadre.

The government has to notify cadre posts separately for the district and the state.

Assuming recruitments will be held only for 200 gazetted mandal revenue officers and tahasildars, each district will get less than 10 officials.

As far as recruitment procedure is concerned, filling of posts by rostrum, duly giving priority to all reserved categories, will pose a problem.

Even determining the local status will be problematic. For example, a local of Mahbubnagar district cannot now claim a post in Gadwal district; a Gadwal local, earlier part of the larger Mahbubnagar district, cannot claim a post in Wanaparthy or Nagarkurnool and vice versa.

There is an urgent need for the government to give clarity on this. Employees were told they would continues to get the same status in new districts. But with new recruitments, postings and promotions, there should be clarity in tune with the Presidential Order, explained TNGOs president Karem Ravinder Reddy.
Hyderabad: A petition to the Director General of Police from an annoyed Hyderabadi regarding use of high beams at night has led to many motorists complaining about the same.

The petition reads: High time people realise and start driving on low beam, especially cab drivers and corporate drivers. All multinational companies should actually take this under CSR activity and educate their drivers who are part of their organisation (sic).

However, there are no provisions under law for cops to book people driving with high beams on.

The petitioner added, We have 99 per cent of the commuters who do not know that they are not supposed to drive/ ride with high beam headlights within city limits or any other place with lights. We request the Telangana DGP and additional commissioner of police, traffic, to initially organise an awareness campaign for two weeks or so and then strictly penalise the vehicle users if they are riding with high beam headlights in city limits (sic).

In August, DC had published reports on the high beam menace.

The petitioner stated, We have SUVs, bikes, whose headlights are at a higher distance from ground than other vehicles, which causes literal blindness to the commuters from opposite direction. This menace needs to stop before we lose more lives than we already have. A lot of accidents, especially collision to divider (head-on) happens due to this ignorance of the drivers/riders.

As the petition was shared by many on social network, one Mr Danam Sardar said, I hate driving at night, it is a torture to drive past these headlights.

But a city traffic official said, The rule of covering half of the headlight was in vogue 15-20 years back, the norm of stickers covering half of the headlight has been dispensed with because the motor vehicle companies for two and four-wheelers have come up with modified lighting systems and the driver can utilise it according to needs.

DCP, traffic, A.V. Ranganath said, Drivers have to learn the purpose of divergent and convergent lights. For highways always use a long beam (divergent) and convergent on city roads. High beams let you see twice as far as low beams. Even in two wheelers, this facility is provided. It is the driver who seems to be sensitised. As per the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 Section 177, the police is entitled to fine anyone using high beam lights, however the fines are meagre (`100). the Hyderabad traffic department in June conducted a special drive to sensitive commuters on high beam driving.

The main reason for many motorists using high-beam headlights is stated to be poor streetlighting. GHMC chief B. Janardhan Reddy had told a meeting on October 1 that streetlights in the city would be restored in three months. This would include the project to instal LED streetlights.

The GHMC had decided to hand over the LED streetlighting project to Energy Efficiency Servi-ces Limited, a Central government agency, that would be calling for tenders after the state government issues the order. He said the GHMC was attending to complaints of non-functioning streetlights.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted Pakistan over the terror issue at the Brics summit in Goa on Sunday, telling other Brics leaders that Pakistan was the mothership of terrorism.

Mr Modi further sent a strong message to Pakistan on the issue of its increasing diplomatic isolation that to those who nurture the philosophy of terror, and seek to de-humanise mankind, we must send a clear message to mend their ways or be isolated in the civilised world.

In the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Brics summit earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi sent a veiled but firm message to China in the wake of Beijing opposing a proposed UN ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Masood Azhar, saying: Selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organisations will not only be futile but also counter-productive. There must be no distinction based on artificial and self-serving grounds.

The Goa Declaration adopted after the Brics summit strongly condemned the recent terror attacks including in India (in Uri and Pathankot), asked all countries to prevent terrorist actions.
Leaders of BRICS countries, from left, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and South African President Jacob Zuma raise their hand for a group photo at the start of the BRICS Summit in Goa. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Stepping up his diplomatic offensive against Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted that country over the terror issue at the Brics summit in Goa on Sunday, telling other Brics leaders that Pakistan is the mother-ship of terrorism, sending out a strong but veiled message to China by cautioning against "selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organisations".

In his remarks later in the evening at the Outreach Summit of Brics with regional grouping Bimstec, he again attacked Pakistan, saying that a country in Indias neighbourhood "embraces and radiates the darkness of terrorism" and that "terrorism has become its favourite child".

He said, "And, the child (terrorism) in turn has come to define the fundamental character and nature of its parent (Pakistan)". He said that in South Asia, "all nation states, barring one, are motivated to pursue a path of peace, development and economic prosperity for its people".

He further sent a strong message to Pakistan on the issue of its increasing diplomatic isolation that "to those who nurture the philosophy of terror, and seek to de-humanise mankind, we must send a clear message to mend their ways or be isolated in the civilised world".

BRICS united against terrorism: PM

In what is being seen as a successful global diplomatic campaign by India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his press statement after the Brics summit, said: We (Brics) also agreed that those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor such forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as the terrorists themselves. India is happy to note the unity of thought and purpose on this serious global challenge.

The growing arc of terrorism today threatens the Middle East, West Asia, Europe and South Asia. Its violent footprints put at risk the security of our citizens ... Tragically, the mother-ship of terrorism is a country in Indias neighbourhood. Terror modules around the world are linked to this mother-ship. This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains. It is a mindset that we strongly condemn. And, against which we as Brics need to stand and act together. Brics must speak in one voice against this threat, Mr Modi, without directly naming Pakistan at the multilateral forum, told Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Michel Temer and South African President Jacob Zuma at the Brics summits restricted segment.

Addressing the Outreach Summit of Brics with regional grouping Bimstec that comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, apart from India which is a member of both groups, Mr Modi said: In South Asia and Bimstec, all nation states, barring one, are motivated to pursue a path of peace, development and economic prosperity for its people.

Unfortunately, this country is in Indias neighbourhood which embraces and radiates the darkness of terrorism. Terrorism has become its favourite child. And the child in turn has come to define the fundamental character and nature of its parent. The time for condemning state-sponsored terrorism is long gone. It is time to stand up and act, and act decisively... To those who nurture the philosophy of terror, and seek to de-humanise mankind, we must send a clear message to mend their ways or be isolated in the civilised world.

At the Brics plenary session, Mr Modi, in a veiled reference to China, said: Terrorism casts a long shadow on our development and economic prosperity. Its reach is now global. It has grown more lethal and adept at the use of technology. Our response to terrorism must, therefore, be nothing less than comprehensive.

And, we need to act both individually and collectively. Selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organisations will not only be futile but also counter-productive. There must be no distinction based on artificial and self-serving grounds.
Panaji: All churches in Goa held special prayers on Sunday for peace against the backdrop of escalating tension between India and Pakistan, at a time when heads of Brics grouping here have decided to make combating cross-border terror and its supporters as their priority.

The prayers were held on the call given by the Catholic Bishops' conference.

The prayers were also attended by people from other faiths besides Catholics.

"Recent escalation of tension along our borders has been causing serious concern to our respective populations and has prompted the President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India to issue a circular asking that a day October 16 be set aside as a day of prayer for India," Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Filipe Neri Ferrao had stated in a circular issued earlier.

He had also called for "other people of good will" to join in praying for one another and for peace.

At around 27 per cent, the Catholics are an influential community in this erstwhile Portuguese enclave.

"The fragile peace along the Indian border with neighbouring Pakistan is regularly disturbed by exchange of fire and other forms of violence, revealing a simmering state of hostility and suspicion between two countries that otherwise share linguistic, cultural, geographical and even economic links," Ferrao stated.

Goa is hosting BRICS summit and BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meeting.
Chennai: Health condition of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, admitted to Apollo Hospitals on September 22, has improved significantly in the last two days as specialists from New Delhis AIIMS along with British expert Dr Richard Beale continue to monitor her.

Sources said the condition of Ms Jayalalithaa has seen significant progress in the last two days and the line of treatment approved by the visiting experts and team of doctors attending to her at the hospital is being continued.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors from Singapore's Mount Elizabeth hospital are expected to reach Chennai on Sunday to examine Ms Jayalalithaa, the sources said.

She has made significant progress in the past 48 hours. The doctors are happy with the progress made by the Chief Minister, the source said. It is also understood that Ms Jayalalithaa underwent a CT scan.

The team of doctors treating Ms Jayalalithaa at the Apollo Hospitals discussed in detail for the third consecutive day the line of treatment being given to her.

And on Saturday, there was no official bulletin from the Apollo Hospitals.
Coimbatore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon visit Chennai to enquire about the health status of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who has been hospitalised, minister of State for highways and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan said on Sunday.

"The Prime Minister is keen to know about the health condition of Jayalalithaa and get updates on it and will soon visit Chennai," he told reporters at nearby Tirupur.

Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo hospital on September 22 for fever and dehydration.

A galaxy of leaders, including Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and top BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Amit Shah had visited the hospital since then to enquire about her health status.

On the Cauvery Management Board, Radhakrishnan expressed hope that the Centre would form it soon to protect the rights of Tamil Nadu.

He alleged that Congress and other parties were making it a political issue only to divert the attention of people from their "failure".

He noted that Congress led UPA government, of which DMK was also a part, had done nothing in this regard when in power.

Several organisations, including farmers' outfits, had held protests across Tamil Nadu on October 14, demanding that the Centre set up the CMB.

Radhakrishnan was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the two-day BJP state Executive committee meeting, which began at Tirupur earlier in the day.
Rajinikanth and Aishwarya were at the hospital for about 20-25 minutes, hospital sources said, adding, they enquired about her health.(Photo: Twitter)

Chennai: Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth accompanied by his elder daughter, Aishwarya R Dhanush on Sunday visited Apollo Hospitals and enquired about Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's health.

Rajinikanth and Aishwarya were at the hospital for about 20-25 minutes, hospital sources said, adding, they enquired about her health.

The 68-year-old AIADMK supremo was admitted to hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration.

Soon after Jayalalithaa was admitted, Rajinikanth in his official twitter handle had said, "I pray to God for your speedy recovery."

Meanwhile, reports said a team of specialists from Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore, has arrived at the Hospital to examine Jayalalithaa. However, when contacted, sources at the Apollo Hospitals declined to confirm it.
Chennai: Nabbing Tamizachi  the France based Facebook account holder who was booked for spreading rumours on Tamil Nadu chief ministers health  may take long time for the cyber sleuths of the city police. But they had arrested a Bible student from Thoothukudi district for reposting Tamizachis post and sharing the same in his FB account.

The Chennai police said that there was not much progress in the case against Tamizachi as they are yet to get reply from Facebook and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team about the details and identity of Tamizachi.

The 24-year-old Bible student identified as Antony Jesuraj from Pudukottai was arrested by the Chennai police based on a complaint from one S. Chandru, from Purusaiwakkam and a member of AIADMK IT wing. He in his complaint had said that the post by Antony Jesuraj was misleading and could create law and order problem.

Police said that the cyber crime wing tracked the FB account of Jesuraj to Antony Jesuraj, who had completed B.A. and diploma in psychology.

The city police had so far registered as many as 50 cases and in all over the state 7 people were arrested for allegedly spreading rumours about the health of chief minister, who is undergoing treatment in Apollo hospital in Chennai for more than three weeks now. Meanwhile the cyber sleuths noted that Tamizachi had herself removed her controversial post from the FB.
Hyderabad: Governor E.S.L Narasimhan on Sunday said that people-friendly policing could change the perspective of the masses towards the police, and the TS police was doing everything to achieve the aim.

The Governor was flagging-off the first Indian Police Martyrs Memorial Run at the Peoples Plaza. Normally people look at police in a different way but the Telangana police would like to change the perspective of people by executing people-friendly policing.

Over 6,000 people participated in the first run of its kind organised to remember the sacrifices of police personnel, officials said. The run, which was held in 2 km, 5 km and 10 km categories, was planned by the police to build community engagement.

Congratulating the police for the step, he said, People-friendly policing initiatives will be taken up to district and sub-divisional levels for more transparency.
Chandigarh: The AAP on Sunday called the Congress party's three-day sit-in protest in front of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's official residence "stage-managed" and alleged that it had "further established the political collusion" between the party and the ruling SAD-BJP combine in poll-bound Punjab.

It accused the Akalis and the Congress of playing a "friendly match" and "trying hard to hoodwink" the people of Punjab while struggling to "prop each other up" in the state.

"The stage-managed Congress agitation against the SAD-BJP government has further established, without a shred of doubt, their complete political collusion in Punjab," AAP's Punjab convenor Gurpreet Singh Waraich said here in a statement.

Claiming that no other political party, pressure group, NGO or any other association demanding justice was allowed to go anywhere near Badal's residence, he said, "The Congress legislators were not only allowed to sit on a dharna, but adequate arrangements were made for their food and night stay during the stage-managed protest show for three consecutive days."

Waraich said anyone, including state Congress chief Amarinder Singh and other senior leaders of the party, was free to join the dharna "as and when they pleased".

"CrPC section 144 is always in force around the chief minister's residence to thwart any unlawful assembly of more than four persons but the Congress leaders had free access to the site of the dharna," he added.

Last night, the Congress leaders called their three-day sit-in off after the state government transferred Ludhiana ADCP-IV Jaswinder Singh in connection with the 'Chitta Ravan' clashes.

They were demanding his suspension for his "bias" in slapping cases on their party colleagues and not against Akali activists who too were involved in the clashes.

Waraich claimed that firstly, the people of Punjab "failed to understand what the Congress agitation was about".

"Secondly, though Amarinder kept saying the party was against the 'Chitta Ravan', he failed to specify who the 'Chitta Ravan' of Punjab was. Not even once did he name state Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia," he said and reminded that it was the same Amarinder who "defended" Majithia when his entire party, including MP Partap Singh Bajwa, was demanding a CBI probe against him.

"So now, Amarinder and his party have lost the moral ground in the agitation against the drug menace," claimed the AAP leader.
Panaji: India and Russia have agreed to explore building the world's most expensive pipeline costing close to USD 25 billion to ferry natural gas from Siberia to the world's third biggest energy consuming nation.

The pipeline is to connect Russian gas grid to India through a 4,500 km to 6,000 km pipeline, officials said.

The shortest route will entail bringing the pipeline through Himalayas into Northern India, a route which poses several technical challenges.

Alternately, the pipeline can come via Central Asian nations, Iran and Pakistan into Western India. However, the route will be expensive when compared to the long discussed but shorter and cheaper Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline. Tehran may suggest India take its gas through IPI rather than building such an expensive pipeline, they said.

The third and the longest alternative is to lay a pipeline through China and Myanmar into North East India bypassing Bangladesh.

According to preliminary cost estimate prepared by state-owned Engineers India Ltd, which yesterday signed an agreement with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom for studying the Russia-India pipeline, the longest route of 6,000 km may cost close to USD 25 billion.

The cost of transporting gas may be USD 12 per million British thermal unit, according to EIL.

The MoU signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the India-Russia Annual Summit on sidelines of the 8th BRICS Summit here, also envisages roping in ONGC Videsh Ltd, gas utility GAIL India Ltd and Petronet LNG Ltd for the study.

Sources said natural gas produced in East Siberian fields is to be pumped into Russian gas grid which would be connected to India through the cross-country pipeline network.

While the cost of transporting gas via the long discussed IPI pipeline is less than USD 1 per mmBtu, the same for the Turkeministan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline is around USD 2 per mmBtu.

According to industry experts, a realistic transportation cost would be USD 4 per mmBtu for the Russia-India gas pipeline. This excludes the transit fee to be paid to nations through which the pipeline will pass.

Russia is seeking to expand energy ties in Asia amid tensions with the West sparked by Moscows annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Indian companies have snapped up stakes in production assets in Siberian fields.

The MoU is being seen as an attempt to strengthen ties between the world's largest oil producer and the world's fastest growing fuel consumer.
Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have arrived in the state. (Photo: Twitter)

Benaulim: Ahead of the BRICS-BIMSTEC meeting, the heads of the member nations have began to arrive in Goa.

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Myanmar's Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have arrived in the state.

The BRICS-BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) outreach meet would be held at a star resort at Mobor, located nearly 30 kms away from Benaulim, where BRICS summit is currently underway.

"A friend comes to India...glad to have President @MaithripalaS visit India for the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted welcoming the President of Sri Lanka.

After his meeting with Sirisena at Benaulim, Modi tweeted, "Wonderful meeting with President @MaithripalaS. Sri Lanka is one our most valued friends & we are working to deepen our ties even more."

Sirisena also too took on twitter to share about his meeting with Modi.

"With PM @Narendramodi, I discussed ways to deepen SL-India relations and how SL can play a stronger role in the region," he said.

The Prime Minister also held a meeting with his Bhutan counterpart Tsering Tobgay.

"Always a delight meeting you PM @tsheringtobgay. Glad to have discussed the full spectrum of India-Bhutan ties during our talks," Modi said in a tweet.

To which, the Bhutan Prime Minister responded: "Thank you PM @narendramodi for your warm welcome to Goa. Looking forward to fruitful discussions in the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit."

Tobgay travelled to India with Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing debate over 'Triple Talaq', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said the government is of the clear view that personal laws should be constitutionally compliant and in conformity with norms of gender equality and the right to live with dignity.

In a Facebook post titled "Triple Talaq and the Governments Affidavit", he said that governments in the past have shied from taking a categorical stand that personal laws must comply with Fundamental Rights but the present one has taken a clear position on the issue.

"Personal laws have to be constitutionally compliant and the institution of Triple Talaq, therefore, will have to be judged on the yardstick of equality and the Right to Live with Dignity. Needless to say that the same yardstick would be applicable to all other personal laws," he said.

Observing that the constitutional validity of 'Triple Talaq' is distinct from the Uniform Civil Code, he said as of today, the issue before the Supreme Court is only with regard to the constitutional validity of Triple Talaq.

In its affidavit in Supreme Court on October 7, the Law Ministry argued that polygamy and Triple Talaq should be done away with, and said that such practices "cannot be regarded as essential or integral part of the religion".

"The academic debate with regard to the Uniform Civil Code can go on before the Law Commission. The question to be answered is that assuming that each community has its separate personal law, should not those personal laws be constitutionally compliant?" Jaitley said.

He said there is a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals and civil rights.

"Religious functions associated with birth, adoption, succession, marriage, death, can all be conducted through rituals and customs as per existing religious practices.

"Should rights emanating from birth, adoption, succession, marriage, divorce etc. be guided by religion or by constitutional guarantees? Can there be inequality or compromise with human dignity in any of these matters?" Jaitley said.

Some people may hold a conservative, if not obsolete, view that personal laws need not be constitutionally compliant, he said, adding "the Government's view is clear. Personal laws have to be constitutionally compliant...".

Jaitley said the constitutional framers had expressed a hope in the Directive Principles of State Policy that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Law and on more than one occasion, the Supreme Court has enquired from the government its stand on the issue.

"Governments have repeatedly told both the Court and Parliament that personal laws are ordinarily amended after detailed consultations with affected stakeholders," he said.

As regards the Uniform Civil Code, the Law Commission has initiated an academic exercise to elicit views of public on the issue.

"This academic exercise by the Law Commission is only a continuation of the debate in this country ever since Constituent Assembly had expressed the hope that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Code," he said.

"Irrespective of whether the Uniform Civil Code is today possible or otherwise, a pertinent question arises with regard to reforms within the personal laws of various communities," he said.

Jaitley said that Jawaharlal Nehru's government had brought about major reforms to the Hindu Personal Laws through legislative changes and more recently Manmohan Singh's government came up with legislative changes with regard to gender equality in the Hindu Undivided Family.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, after active consultations with stakeholders, amended the provisions of marriage and divorce relating to the Christian community in order to bring about the gender equality, he added.

"Reforming the personal laws, even if there is no uniformity, is an ongoing process. With passage of time, several provisions became obsolete, archaic and even got rusted. Governments, legislatures and communities have to respond to the need for a change," Jaitley said.

As communities have progressed, there is a greater realisation with regard to gender equality.

"Additionally, all citizens, more particularly women, have a right to live with dignity. Should personal laws which impact the life of every citizen be in conformity with these constitutional values of equality and the Right to Live with dignity?

"A conservative view found judicial support over six decades ago that personal laws could be inconsistent with personal guarantees. Today it may be difficult to sustain that proposition. The government's affidavit in the triple talaq case recognises this evolution," Jaitley explained.

He said there is a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals and civil rights.

On September 2, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the Supreme Court that personal laws of a community cannot be "re-written" in the name of social reforms and opposed pleas on issues including alleged gender discrimination faced by Muslim women in divorce cases.

AIMPLB, in its counter affidavit filed in the apex court, had said the contentious issue relating to Muslim practices of polygamy, triple talaq (talaq-e-bidat) and nikah halala are matters of "legislative policy" and cannot be interfered with.

The AIMPLB has also decided to boycott of Law Commission's questionnaire on the Uniform Civil Code.
Salcete: Targeting Pakistan yet again, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Islamabad embraces and radiates the darkness of terrorism and terrorism has become its "favourite child."

Addressing the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit, Prime Minister Modi said that terrorism, radicalization and transnational crimes, pose grave threats to all the countries of the group.

"Geographical barriers and borders pose no limitations on those who wish to harm our societies. In South Asia and BIMSTEC, all nation states barring one are motivated to pursue a path of peace, development and economic prosperity for its people. Unfortunately, this country in India's neighbourhood embraces and radiates the darkness of terrorism," the Prime Minister said.

"Terrorism has become its favourite child and the child in turn has come to define the essential character and nature of its parents. The time for condemning the state sponsored terrorism is long gone," he added.

The Prime Minister called on the member states and the world community to stand up and act boldly against terrorism and those who nurture it.

"To those who nurture the philosophy of terror and seek to de-moralise mankind, we must send a clear message to mend their ways or be isolated in the civilized world," he said.

The Prime Minister also said that the BRICS and BIMSTEC have been shaped by different context.

"Together we represent almost two thirds of humanity. But we are joined by common vision and peace, stability and development. We are also united by similar challenges and concerns that shape our domestic choices and international partnership," he said.

"There are many economic opportunities. We have shared aspirations for growth, development, commerce and technology. Technology can bridge gaps and connect communities. It can also deliver services that make a difference in our daily lives. Environment and disaster management are areas where we can work together," he added.

The Prime Minister also asserted that the BIMSTEC region is prone to natural disasters.

"Environmental protection and disaster management are areas where BRICS- BIMSTEC partnership will benefit millions. We share equally in problems and solutions of interconnected world. A spirit of cooperation and collaboration between us can be a powerful change agent," he said.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia.

These countries are Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
Benaulim: Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday a rising tide of protectionism and anti-globalisation was endangering the world economy's still fragile recovery as BRICS leaders vowed to forge closer business and trade ties.

At a summit in the Indian tourist hub of Goa, host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa issued a joint declaration on a range of measures, including the setting-up of a new credit ratings agency and fighting tax evasion.

They also agreed to work together to combat "cross-border" terrorism, but Modi's guests held off from signing up to his fierce condemnation of India's arch-rival Pakistan as the "mothership of terrorism".

BRICS was formed in 2011 with the aim of using members' growing economic and political influence to challenge Western hegemony.

The nations, with a joint estimated GDP of $16 trillion, set up their own bank in parallel to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank and hold summits rivalling the G7 forum.

But the countries, accounting for 53 percent of world population, have been hit by falling global demand and lower commodity prices, while several have also been mired in corruption scandals.

Russia and Brazil have fallen into recession recently, South Africa only just managed to avoid the same fate last month and China's economy has slowed sharply.

Both Xi and Modi said the group must stick together, insisting there was much to remain positive about even though its members have been beset by domestic woes and problems sparked by the 2008 financial crisis.

"At present the deep-seated impact of the international financial crisis is still unfolding. The global economy is still going through a treacherous recovery and deep adjustments," Xi said.

The Chinese president said "deep-seated imbalances that triggered the financial crisis" were far from being resolved.

"Some countries are getting more inward-looking in their policies. Protectionism is rising and forces against globalisation are posing an emerging risk," he added.

While Xi did not single anyone out, Republican candidate Donald Trump has threatened to erect trade barriers to Chinese products if elected US president. Britain's vote to leave the European Union has been interpreted partly as a backlash against globalisation.

While China's economy has been running out of steam of late --although it is still the world's second largest -- India is now the fastest-growing major economy and its GDP is expected to increase 7.6 percent in 2016-17.

'Deeper bonds'

Modi said it was vital the BRICS nations increased cooperation by dismantling trade barriers and developing infrastructure.

"I think I speak for all when I say that through a common vision and collective action, we will create and sustain deeper bonds among BRICS nations, develop our economies and secure our societies," he said.

"While our achievements have been substantial, we need to sustain the positive direction and strong momentum of intra-BRICS engagement."

Xi said BRICS countries had much to be proud of and had contributed to more than 50 percent of global growth in the last decade.

"The past decade has seen BRICS partnership expanding with win-win results," he said.

"We need to deepen our partnership: we BRICS countries are good friends, brothers and partners that treat each other with sincerity."

Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile called for closer cooperation in areas such as e-commerce and space exploration. Modi confirmed that the leaders had agreed to fast-track setting up a new ratings agency amid accusations from within the bloc that the three traditional agencies -- Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings -- are all Western-based.

"We look forward to translating into reality the idea of a BRICS Credit Rating Agency," he said, without giving details of the much-trailed agency or timeline for its establishment.

Modi, who is pushing to isolate Pakistan following a surge in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, urged his peers to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

But with China reluctant to embarrass its traditional allies in Islamabad, a joint statement at the end of the summit only referred to a vague goal of combating "cross-border terrorism and its supporters".
Hyderabad: The main Opposition Congress has decided to hold a series of agitations to expose the governments failures. The Congress, which has lost all byelections to the TRS since 2014, thinks it is the only political alternative to the TRS.

It has decided to take up three key issues involving farmers, students and the poor. On October 19, the party will protest in the city against the lack of progress on the two-bedroom scheme. TPCC president N. Uttam kumar Reddy said the government had not moved an of inch in the direction of constructing over 1 lakh BHK houses it promised to the poor in the capital.

The next day, the Congress is organising a major meeting in Mahbubabad to highlight the farmers problems especially on the government not implementing the third instalment of loan waiver.

On October 21, the party will mobilise students across the state against the non-implementation of fee reimbursement, costing Rs 3,200 crore. This government scaled down the original commitment of the Congress that each and every eligible student will get the fee reimbursement, Mr Reddy said.

To culminate the series of agitations, he said the party will organise a public meeting on December 2. He said the venue, however, is not yet decided.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has roped in ministers and senior IAS officers to help out the fledgling administration in the 21 new districts.

With almost all offices grappling with the shortage of staff and infrastructure, Mr Rao has directed that all ministers stay in the new new district headquarters for a month to address the teething problems.

The CM will hold a conference with collectors, joint collectors, SPs and officials of new districts this week to take stock of the situation.

The Rs 1-crore announced by the government for each new district to procure furniture, computers, communication systems among others has still not reached the new offices.

Five senior IAS officers including Mr K. Pradeep Chandra, Mr S.P. Singh and Mr M.G. Gopal have been assigned the duty of streamlining the administration.

Their main task is to set up video conferencing facility to link all new districts with state Secretariat to enable the CM, the chief secretary and senior officials to interact with officials and guide them to overcome teething troubles.

Housing minister A. Indrakaran Reddy, who was allotted Nirmal district, said, We were able to overcome several teething troubles within five days of launching of new districts.

He said attendance in the new offices had reached 100 per cent within three days, which was encouraging. The results of new districts are already being felt with easy accessibility of key officials to the public.

Power minister G. Jagadish Reddy, who is staying on in Suryapet district, said, There are some initial problems like staff and infra shortage, which we are trying to overcome.
Hyderabad: The Telangana state government has defaulted on the payment of subsidy amount to vegetable seed companies. This, experts claim, could adversely affect vegetable production in the ongoing Rabi season.

The government owes Rs 12 crore to seed companies for the last one year. Due to this, the seed companies have stopped the sale of subsidised vegetable seeds to farmers.

The government has been offering subsidised seeds to farmers with the financial assistance of the Centre to encourage vegetable production. A part of the subsidy is being borne by the state.

With recent good rains, there is a huge demand from farmers for vegetable seeds in the Rabi across the state. However, due to the default by the government, seed vendors are demanding the entire price from farmers.

This led to protests from farmers, who already launched agitation programmes in districts, demanding subsidised seeds.

Agriculture officials brought to the notice of the government that if the issue was not resolved immediately, the state would stare at the shortage of vegetables in coming months. The Rabi crops are important for ensuring adequate vegetable supplies during the summer season.

Vegetable crops over an extent of 20,000 acres were already damaged due to the recent heavy rains. The state has not received around `35 crore, which is due from the Centre for subsidy, as it had failed to submit proposals so far.

Agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said, The issue has come to our notice. Orders are being issued to all seed companies to supply subsidised seeds without any delay. We will cear all the arrears soon.
We said goodbye to Navtej Sarna, Indias high commissioner to the UK (or the Court of St. James, to give the posh title). He had been here less than a year but is off to a bigger and better position in Washington D.C. as Indias ambassador. He remarked that given his short tenure, perhaps it was not worth the expense for India House to have his portrait hung along with all the other high commissioners. He was reassured that he was not alone in his short stint; three others had a similar short spell. But then it is among the most coveted jobs in town...

Even in the short time, Mr Sarna made his mark. He was chosen by the diplomatic community to do a reading from Shakespeare in celebration of the 400th death anniversary of the Bard. It was one authors tribute to another. Mr Sarna also saw during his short tenure the biggest earthquake in British politics  Brexit. He firmly denied, though, all responsibility for causing it!

(Well, one of the special reasons this diarist has a fondness for Mr Sarna is that he is contributing towards the Partition Museum, at Town Hall, Amritsar. The soft launch of the museum is in a weeks time. Like so many Indians around the world, he understands the value of preserving precious memories of the worlds largest migration before it is too late. He is donating an entire precious handwritten manuscript of a short story penned by his father on the Partition to the museum, as well as an oral history.)

As for us Londoners, Brexit continues to take over our lives. The pound has dropped by a fifth and the crash was audible. The impact of the falling pound has been felt sharply at last. Remember Marmite, that salty and sharp tasting spread for toasts and biscuits? It is something you either love or hate, but it is a national favourite. Now with a falling pound, Unilever wants to put up its price. There was a sharp reaction from Tesco who refused and threatened to pull it off its shelves when the old price items ran out. Headlines followed, the stock market marked the price of Unilever shares down and soon peace prevailed. Marmite will be still available, for a while at the old price. It will go up sooner rather than later. Fuel prices are going up too.

But the falling pound is helping foreigners to enjoy London. It used to be worth at least `100  now it is worth only `82. So Indian tourists will celebrate Diwali in London in style. There is a lot to do and see. At the north end of Trafalgar Square we have exhibitions on Caravaggio and Picasso cheek by jowl. There is the London Film Festival and many plays, to say nothing of spending sprees at Selfridges and Harrods. And, of course, there will be Diwali at Trafalgar Square, with a Muslim mayor presiding. Multi-cultural London at its best!

Meanwhile, could Prince Harry have something in common with our very own Deepika Padukone? Both have been very interested in mental health issues  and, in fact, Prince Harry is also campaigning to raise awareness of these problems. So he was on London Eye along with William and Kate, who are doing their bit for the cause as well. What really caught the eye, however, was Kates 428 dress designed by Kate Spade, whose dresses are worn by Taylor Swift and Michelle Obama. A good way to get rid of depression.

Talking about depression, there was alarm and panic at the London Zoo last week, when Kumbuka, the 29-stone gorilla, escaped on Thursday afternoon. Visitors had to find shelter where they could in case he came upon them. It took 90 minutes to get him back in the cage but unlike Cincinnati Zoo, which shot their gorilla Harambe, London zookeepers managed to get Kumbuka back peacefully. He had not gone far but just to a secure area where the keepers stay. After a tranquilising dart they got him back. They said he was unhappy and frustrated, banging against his glass window before he escaped. May be he has mental health issues? Hmm...

While the much reviled Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has won the election yet again, Edward Balls, former Labour MP, has proven that there is life after the Labour Party. He is an incompetent dancer but the public either appreciated him greatly for displaying his two left feet, or they were simply curious to see what former politicians can get up to. Last Sunday he attracted 10.9 million viewers, a record for Strictly Come Dancing. By all accounts his popularity is leaping up! Politicians can dance! But we always knew that, didnt we?
Almost every other day, brand new posters, depicting political leaders in various avatars of mythological characters, are finding their way into the social networking sites and messaging apps.

Suddenly there is a dearth of those who are proficient in the art of Photoshop in Uttar Pradesh. The onset of the election season has led to a boom in demand for experts in the art of Photoshop.

Almost every other day, brand new posters, depicting political leaders in various avatars of mythological characters, are finding their way into the social networking sites and messaging apps. If surgical strikes gave an opportunity to morph Prime Minister Narendra Modi into a modern-day Krishna who killed Kans, the festival of Dussehra turned him into Lord Ram who killed Ravan.

Apart from this, there are posters that depict various BJP leaders as kings who can slay demons like corruption, crime and poverty. These leaders are obviously chief ministerial aspirants in the state elections. The Congress, however, is at the receiving end in most of these posters and its leaders are depicted either as clowns or vanquished kings. Commenting on its plight in these posters, a senior Congress leader remarked, We are not worried because every party has its day and ours will come soon. Then we will come out with our batch of posters.

When people present there objected to the use of a funeral van for such work, the driver made a hasty retreat.

Punjab: Congress already lost hope?

In Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal government is distributing pamphlets to the people highlighting its achievements. However, things took a different turn recently when around 5,000 booklets were lying with Kharar civic administration near Chandigarh.

These booklets were to be distributed and a vehicle was arranged for picking up these booklets from the Kharar SDM office. However, to everyones surprise, a funeral van turned up at the office of the Kharar SDM and people started asking who had died.

The driver of the van, who had come from the office of the Kurali Municipal Committee, told enquirers that all was well and he had come to collect booklets of the SAD. When people present there objected to the use of a funeral van for such work, the driver made a hasty retreat. Not leaving a chance to take a dig at the government, the Congress said such incidents indicate that the Akalis had lost last vestiges of hope of coming back to power in the state.

Red Road: An obsession for Mamata

Mamata Banerjee seems to have developed a fascination for Red Road. After Independence, the arterial road has been used as a venue for Independence Day and Republic Day parades. After returning to power in May with a massive mandate, Didi surprised everyone by announcing that she would take the oath as chief minister for a second term at Red Road. As per tradition, such swearing-in ceremonies are held at Raj Bhavan. In 2011 after she came to power, she was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan. However, in May 2016, Didi wanted more ordinary people to witness the swearing-in ceremony, and so it was held at Red Road. The chief minister last week used Red Road as a venue for the carnival-like culmination of Durga Puja.

A veteran Marxist leader pointed out that Didis growing obsession with Red Road was rather incongruous given her aversion for everything red. Since 2011, at every event, the ubiquitous red plastic chairs have been replaced by green chairs. Even traditional red-carpet welcomes to dignitaries have been replaced by green-carpet welcomes. Didi is so averse to red that I will not be surprised if soon Red Road will be rechristened as Green Road or Blue Road, the Marxist leader quipped.

Durga Puja pandal in Jeypore.

Dance is divine

For Tara Prasad Bahinipati, a senior Congress leader and Opposition chief whip in the Orissa Legislative Assembly, politicians are normal human beings. Like any other individuals they have got their own passions to follow and emotions to live with. When he recently matched steps with sexy sirens of an orchestra troupe at a Durga Puja pandal in Jeypore  his constituency  some of his detractors dubbed it indecent and unbecoming of a lawmaker.

Not to be cowed down by such remarks, the legislator told them: I dont hide my emotions and passions. I represent a tribal constituency where dance and music is there in the nature and a blood of each individual. I have just followed the diktat of nature and respected the long tradition of our people. Those who are talking about my dance in the puja pandal should know that dance is divine and decent feel in themselves the natural urge to sing and dance. They must not waste their time and energy in unnecessary criticism. After his remarks, the detractors were not heard saying anything further.
Chinese officials unveiled plans for Monday's launch of the country's latest space mission in which two astronauts will be blasted into space and will dock with an orbiting space lab.

The Shenzhou 11 spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m., said Wu Ping, deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, in a televised news conference.

The Shenzhou mission will take off aboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northern China.

The spacecraft will dock with the Tiangong 2 space station within two days and the astronauts will stay there for 30 days to test the complex's ability to support their life. They will also conduct medical and scientific experiments, Wu said.

An earlier Tiangong 1 experimental space station launched in 2011 went out of service in March after extending its mission for two years and docking with three visiting spacecraft. The Tiangong, or "Heavenly Palace," stations are considered stepping stones to a mission to Mars by the end of the decade.

Wu identified the astronauts flying the mission as 49-year-old Jing Haipeng and 37-year-old Chen Dong. It will be Jing's third flight into space following missions in 2008 and 2012.

"It is any astronaut's dream and pursuit to be able to perform many space missions," Jing said at a separate briefing.

The state-run China Youth Daily newspaper said Jing would celebrate his 50th birthday in space.

China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, becoming only the third country after Russia and the U.S. to do so, and has since staged a spacewalk and landed its Yutu rover on the moon. Administrators suggest a manned landing on the moon may also be in the program's future.

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Killer satellites, blinding lasers, sophisticated jammers: the world's military powers are quietly readying for a war in outer space -- at the risk of fueling a dangerous new arms race.

US military officials have in recent years sounded growing alarm about the potential vulnerabilities of their satellites, which underpin US military power.

Initially, the reserve of the United States and the Soviet Union, space has now become accessible to an ever-expanding multitude of nations and private firms.

And Moscow and Beijing are keen to show off their space-attack capabilities, a deep worry for US strategists.

"We are changing the culture in our space enterprise because we need to get our heads around... what happens if a conflict on Earth extends to space. How will we defend our assets?" Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said at an event last month.

In 2015, the mysterious behavior of a Russian satellite fueled speculation about Moscow developing possible attack satellites, capable of maneuvering through space and approaching a target.

Without warning or explanation, the craft positioned itself for several months between two Intelsat satellites in geostationary orbit, coming to within six miles (10 kilometers) of one, before eventually moving away again.

"Our satellites are crucial for our national security infrastructure," said Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation, which works to develop the safe and sustainable use of space.

"The fact that another entity can come close to them and interfere with their work is very unsettling to US national security," she added.

A 'militarized' space

China, too, has demonstrated its ability to send a small, low-orbit satellite capable of maneuvering toward another craft.

Teresa Hitchens, senior research scholar at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, said that China in 2013 launched three small satellites into orbit, one of which had a robotic grappling arm.

For the Pentagon and many US experts, it is clear America should speed up military efforts in space, and prevent its communications network from becoming the armed forces' Achilles heel.

"The Department of Defense has aggressively moved out to develop responses that we see coming from China and Russia. I believe it's essential that we go faster in our responses," General John Hyten, head of the Air Force's Space Command, told lawmakers in September.

Elbridge Colby, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security said the United States must develop the ability to defend its own space assets.

"As human beings and more states are able to operate in space, it will just become a reality that it will become more militarized," he told AFP.

"The United States should develop effective but limitable forms of space attack, particularly non-kinetic ones that do not result in space debris."

But other experts say the United States should show restraint, noting the Pentagon may already have some of the offensive capabilities that China and Russia are hoping to acquire.

"I think it's being hyped somewhat by those in the US national security community that have never felt comfortable with the US loosing its role as the dominant space power," Samson said.

The United States has since 2004 possessed a mobile jamming station which, from the ground, can block satellite communications.

America has already tested using a missile to blow up a satellite, and has recently acquired four satellites that can maneuver in orbit and inspect or monitor other space objects.

International code of conduct

Hitchens, the Maryland researcher, said Russia and China are quickly catching up to where the Americans are.

"What you have is a brewing," she said.

It's a lead up "to a potential arms race in space, where people start developing things for real."

Space war could be devastating for humans, as a single exploded satellite would leave a trail of debris that in turn could damage other satellites in a chain reaction of destruction.

"We are at a very dangerous place right now: if we actually ever fought a war that would involve anti-satellite weapon, we would damage the space environment to such an extent that it would make it very difficult to have the benefits that satellites provide to society," Hitchens said.

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The victims father demanded that the killers should spend the rest of their lives in prison. (Representational image)

Buenos Aires: In a horrific incident, Lucia Perez, 16, died from internal injuries after she was allegedly drugged, raped and impaled on a wooden spike by drug dealers in Argentina.

Lucia was allegedly abducted by a drug gang outside her school in Mar del Plata.

She attacked brutally by her abductors after they drugged her with doses of cocaine and cannabis.

Lucia was later dumped at a drug rehabilitation clinic. The staff at the clinic thought that she was simply suffering from cocaine overdose.

Her abductors had washed and dressed her before taking her to the clinic. It was only after a close examination that the staff discovered that she had been raped.

The girl was impaled and that was the cause of her death, Prosecutor Maria Isabel Sanchez said.

She had been subjected to brutal, inhumane sexual abuse, she added.

Matias Gabriel, 23, and Juan Pablo Offidani, 41, were arrested after the van was traced by the police.

Police said that third suspect is being searched for. They also found drugs, used condoms, sex toys and gun ammunition in the van.

The victims father demanded that the killers should spend the rest of their lives in prison.

We want life imprisonment. My daughter was drugged, raped and impaled. Who can do something like this?
Authorities at the detention centre confirmed that the missing inmates are nowhere to be found. (Representational Image)

Caracas: In a horrifying incident, a man has claimed that his 25-year-old son who was jailed last year for robbery, was beaten, dismembered and eaten by fellow inmates at a Venezuelan prison.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Juan Carlos Herrera said that he had visited the Tachira Detention Center after his son was mutilated and killed.

Herrera said that witnesses had told him how his son was killed and eaten by hungry inmates after riots broke out at the prison.

This incident comes days after shocking reports of Venezuelan food crisis emerged. The reports stated that amid the growing food shortages and economic crisis, prisoners were starving to death in Venezuelan jails.

In his statement, the devastated father of the murdered inmate said, "My son and two others were taken by 40 people, stabbed, hanged to bleed, and then an inmate butchered them to feed all detainees."

"The inmate, with whom I spoke, told me that he was beaten with a hammer in order to force him to eat the remains of the two boys," he added.

"What hurts me most is that I cannot bury my son, I cant give him a Christian burial," he continued.

Authorities at the detention centre confirmed that the missing inmates are nowhere to be found. However, they have not offered any explanation behind the disappearance of missing inmates.

Venezuela has long been grappling with economic crisis with people starving.

Recently, some images shared by people on social media showed that Venezuela's cash-strapped hospitals were forced to place newborn babies in cardboard boxes instead of incubators, even as the country faces huge economic losses.
"I have great respect for Hindus. I have so many friends that are Hindu. They are great people, amazing entrepreneurs," Trump said. (Photo: AP)

Edison: Donald Trump has asserted that the US needs to be "very careful" about radical Islamic terror and "extreme vetting" must be done before allowing people in to the country, a controversial stand taken by the Republican presidential nominee that has made immigrants jittery.

Outlining his policy to tackle terrorism, the 70-year-old billionaire said, "We have to be very, very careful (about radical Islamic terror). We have to have extreme vetting before we let people in... We want people to come in to the country but they have to come in legally."

"Something is going on that's not positive force. We are going to be looking very much at certain areas of the world. We have to very careful with radical Islamic terror. We can be politically correct and say it doesn't matter but it does matter," he told NDTV when asked if he has given up his plan to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.

Trump also said he has great respect for Indians and Hindus, as he stepped up to address an event attended by the Indian American community in New Jersey.

"I have great respect for Hindus. I have so many friends that are Hindu. They are great people, amazing entrepreneurs," Trump said.

Prodded further about India's diverse demographics, he said, "I'll be honest, I have great respect for India. I actually have (real estate) jobs going up in India... tremendously successful. It is an amazing country."

The event, organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition, saw Trump, reach out to Indian American community.

Trump also spoke about the Indo-Pak conflict, saying, "There's a tremendous conflict between India and Pakistan. Just recently you had (the Uri attack)... a lot of people killed... Hopefully everything is going to work out."

Speaking about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's email scandal and whether she should be sent to jail, Trump said, "What she did is absolutely unlawful....she sees her emails and she deletes them. That is pretty bad but there are other things. If you look at all the crimes committed, certainly she should be in trouble."
Edison (New Jersey): Terming India a "key strategic ally", Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become "best friends" and have a "phenomenal future" together.

"Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends. In fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends," Mr Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition.

"We are going to have a phenomenal future together," Trump said as he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for boosting economic growth in India with a series of economic reforms and reforming the bureaucracy, which he said is required in the US too.

"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi," he said, adding that the Indian leader is very energetic. It was for the first time a presidential candidate attended an Indian American event this election season.

"I am a big fan of Hindus and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House," Trump said, adding that he has great confidence in PM Modi and India.

"I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many, many times," he said at the event.

Trump appreciated India's role in fight against terrorism.

"We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism," he said as he slammed his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for not using this word. Mr Trump said India had seen brutality of terrorism, including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

"Mumbai, a city, I love. The attack on India was absolutely outrageous," he said while assuring some 5,000 Indian-Americans at the event that if he becomes the president, the US would "share soldier to soldier together" in the fight against terrorism.

"India is key and a key strategic ally," he said, adding that he looks forward to deepening and strengthening military cooperation with India.

In his welcome address, the Republican Hindu Coalition founder and chairman said that this is the first time in the history that a major presidential candidate has addressed Hindu-Americans just three weeks before the election.

He urged Hindus to support and vote for Trump in the upcoming general election and help fight terrorism.
Officials have stressed that Washington wants to avoid getting embroiled in yet another war in an already volatile region. (Photo: PTI)

Washington: Three US warships in the Red Sea detected what may have been missiles fired at them on Saturday but none hit, the US military said, amid rising tensions with Yemen's Huthi rebels.

US officials initially said that surface-to-surface missiles had been fired at the USS Mason, USS Nitze and USS Ponce off the coast of Yemen starting around 1930 GMT, though it was unclear how many.

They later backtracked, saying that the ships detected what may have been missiles.

"A US Strike Group transiting international waters in the Red Sea detected possible inbound missile threats and deployed appropriate defensive measures," a US defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"Post event assessment is ongoing. All US warships and vessels in the area are safe."

The USS Mason destroyer, which was sailing in international waters off Yemen's coast earlier this week, used unspecified countermeasures against the incoming missiles, a military official said.

If confirmed, the attempted missile strikes would be the most serious escalation yet of the US involvement in a deadly civil war that has killed more than 6,800 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since a Saudi-led coalition launched military operations last year.

Officials have stressed that Washington wants to avoid getting embroiled in yet another war in an already volatile region.

On Thursday, the US Navy launched five Tomahawk cruise missiles at three mobile radar sites in Huthi-controlled territory on Yemen's Red Sea coast, after the Iran-backed rebels blasted rockets at the USS Mason twice in four days.

The military insists these moves are taken out of self-defense. The Huthis have denied conducting the attacks.

Though the United States is providing logistical support to a Saudi-led coalition battling the rebels, Thursday's launches marked the first time Washington has taken direct action against the Huthis.

But the US strikes earlier this week did not take out Huthi missiles and, though the radar destruction makes it harder to aim the weapons, officials have warned rebels could still use spotter boats or online ship-tracking websites to find new targets.
During the entire campaign, Trump has repeatedly alleged that Clinton lacks stamina required to be the president of the country. (Photo: AFP)

New Jersey: Questioning the physical stamina of his rival Hillary Clinton, Republican nominee Donald Trump has suggested that the two US presidential candidates should undergo a drug test before the third and final presidential debate in Las Vegas next week.

"At the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped at the beginning, but at the end she was all 'take me down.'

She could barely reach her car. I think we should take a drug test. Anyway, I'm willing to do it," Trump told his cheering supporters in New Hampshire.

Trump, 70, said he was willing to take the drug test while questioning the physical stamina of 68-year-old Clinton.

Referring to the 17 candidates he defeated in the primaries, Trump, who does not take alcohol, compared himself with an athlete and said every athlete takes a drug test before the competition.

"We're like athletes, but athletes, they make them take a drug test. We should take a drug test. I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate because I don't know what's going on with her," Trump said.

During the entire campaign, Trump has repeatedly alleged that Clinton lacks stamina required to be the president of the country.

The third Trump-Clinton presidential debate will take place on October 19 in Las Vegas.
Duterte has not pressed the Chinese government to comply with the decision. (Photo: AP)

Manila: The Philippine president acknowledged Sunday that he can be impeached if he concedes his country's territorial claims in the South China Sea in talks with President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders this week in Beijing.

President Rodrigo Duterte said in a speech before leaving for Brunei and China that while he will not bargain the Philippines' territorial claims, "there will be no hard impositions" as he tries to renew his nation's strained friendship with China and intensify two-way trade and investment.

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who has done extensive studies on the territorial conflict, warned last week that conceding the Philippines' sovereign rights in the disputed waters is a ground for the president's impeachment.

Carpio said that China may ask the Duterte administration to acknowledge Chinese sovereignty in contested South China Sea territories before agreeing to any business deals or joint exploration of potential sea resources.

Asked to react to Carpio's warning, Duterte said he agreed with him.

"He is correct. I would be impeached," the president said at a news conference at the international airport in the southern city of Davao before embarking on his two-nation trip.

"I said we cannot barter which is not ours (or what) belongs to the Filipino people," said Duterte, who is a lawyer and once served as a government prosecutor. "I cannot be the sole authorized agent, for that is not allowed under the constitution."

Duterte, who was Davao's mayor before assuming the presidency in June, has walked a tightrope in trying to mend damaged relations with China and defending his country's claims in the disputed South China Sea.

In July, an international arbitration tribunal ruled that China's massive claims to the sea on historical grounds were not valid under a 1982 U.N. treaty, handing a landmark victory to the Philippines, which had filed a complaint against Beijing under Duterte's predecessor.

The tribunal in The Hague specifically ruled that China has violated the rights of Filipino fishermen, who have been blocked by the Chinese coast guard from fishing in the disputed Scarborough Shoal, off the northwest Philippines.

"The international decision will be taken up," Duterte said. But he added without elaborating that "there will be no hard impositions." When the tribunal's July 12 decision was announced, Duterte did not make any celebratory remarks that he said could offend China, which has ignored the decision as a sham and campaigned to discourage governments from recognizing the ruling.

Duterte has not pressed the Chinese government to comply with the decision.

Labeling himself a left-wing politician, Duterte has announced step to scale back the Philippines' military engagements with the U.S., including his opposition to joint patrols with the U.S. Navy in the South China Sea and joint combat exercises with American forces. He has lashed out at President Barack Obama for criticizing his deadly anti-drug campaign, but has reached out to China and Russia.

Duterte will travel to Brunei before making a three-day visit to China that starts Tuesday in the southern city of Xiamen. He'll then fly to Beijing, where, Duterte said, "We will stick towards our claim. We do not bargain anything."

Aside from President Xi, Duterte said he would also meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and National People's Congress Chairman Zhang Dejiang.

"This is a matter of international comity when you go there, we only want to talk," he said. "And remember, there are only two options: We go to trouble or we talk."

"We cannot choose the path there in between," said Duterte, who has ruled out any war with the Asian superpower.
May, 60, will be in India between November 6 and 8 on the invitation of Modi. (Photo: AP)

London: British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday said she will visit India next month for her first bilateral visit outside Europe during which she will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK strategic partnership post-Brexit.

May, 60, will be in India between November 6 and 8 on the invitation of Modi.

She will be accompanied by her international trade minister Liam Fox and a business delegation drawn from regions across the UK as "examples of the best of British business".

"The relationships between our two countries are strong, and the Indian diaspora plays a vital role in our national life," May said.

"In my talks with Prime Minister Modi, I want to build on our relationship for the benefit of both our countries, generating jobs and wealth and maintaining cooperation on defence and security," the Prime Minister said.

"As we leave the European Union, we have the chance to forge a new global role for the UK to look beyond our continent and towards the economic and diplomatic opportunities in the wider world. I am determined to capitalise on those opportunities and as we embark on the trade mission to India, we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade," May said.

While in India, the British Prime Minister will hold discussions with Modi and a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit.

The India-UK partnership has moved into a new era, with Britain voting to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum in June and leading to the resignation of then Prime Minister David Cameron.

May will land in New Delhi, where she will inaugurate the India-UK TECH Summit alongside Modi.

The TECH Summit, described as South Asia's largest technology conference, will provide a platform for promoting technology-intensive trade between the two countries.

Fox will also attend another major international event, the Joint Economic and Trade Committee where UK and Indian leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs will meet to discuss how to take the bilateral partnership to the next level.

May also sought to set her trade delegation apart from the ones in the past led by her predecessor Cameron by highlighting the small and medium enterprise representation.

"In the past, the focus of trade delegations has been big businesses, but I want to take a new approach that recognises the full range of British business. So this time we will be focussing on small and medium sized businesses and, importantly, the delegation will include representation from every region of the UK.

"I want to create an economy that truly works for everyone and this new approach to international trade missions will help achieve just that," May said.

The small and medium enterprises accompanying her will include Geolang, an innovative cyber security company based in Cardiff, Torftech, a creative energy company based in the South-East, and Telensa, a company focussed on smart city solutions based in Cambridge.

India is now the UK's second largest international job creator. Last year, India created 7,105 new jobs in Britain through 140 projects, and in total Indian companies currently employ over 100,000 people in the UK.

May has repeatedly named India among the priority countries to strike trade deals as the UK leaves the EU following the June 23 referendum.

The visit will mark her second trip to India. In her capacity as UK Home Secretary, she previously visited New Delhi and Hyderabad on November 27-29, 2012, where she visited the National Police Academy and held talks with ministers and the National Security Adviser on bilateral security cooperation.

Earlier in New Delhi, the External Affairs Ministry said, "This will be her first bilateral visit outside Europe. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit".
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin took a jab at France on Sunday, saying it was "not so involved" in efforts to end the war in Syria amid a spike in tensions between the two countries.

The comment comes a week after a heated row broke out over Russia's use of its UN Security Council veto against a French resolution calling for a halt to the bombing of Aleppo.

The tensions saw Putin cancel a long-planned visit to Paris on October 19, after French President Francois Hollande accused Syrian troops of committing war crimes in Aleppo with Russian support.

"France is not so deeply involved in the settlement of the Syrian conflict," Putin said at a press conference on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India.

"We remember when the (French) Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier approached the coast of Syria -- and we had seemingly agreed to work jointly -- but a few days later it turned away and headed toward the Suez Canal," Putin said.

"What does that say?" he added.

Putin said the French authorities had decided that the purpose of his Paris visit -- the opening of an Orthodox cultural centre -- was no longer "suitable for a joint event" given the circumstances in Syria.

"We have other issues apart from Syria, we could have discussed other issues," he said.

Earlier in the week Putin had accused France of pushing for a UN proposal on Syria knowing Russia would veto it, saying the move was aimed at "inflaming the situation and fanning hysteria around Russia".

Putin said on Sunday that Russia was "always ready to talk with everyone" on ways to end the five-year conflict, "especially large and great powers like France with all its capabilities".

A brutal government offensive against rebel-held eastern Aleppo backed by Russian airpower has plunged Syria into some of the worst violence since the conflict erupted in March 2011.

The West has accused Moscow and Damascus of committing potential war crimes in the operations against eastern Aleppo.
The defeat for IS came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet European allies in London as part of a new diplomatic push to end Syria's conflict, which has left more than 300,000 people dead since 2011. (Representational Image)

Beirut: Turkish-backed rebels captured the emblematic northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group on Sunday, dealing a major symbolic blow to the jihadists.

The defeat for IS came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet European allies in London as part of a new diplomatic push to end Syria's conflict, which has left more than 300,000 people dead since 2011.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition forces backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery had seized control of Dabiq on Sunday.

The town, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo, is of little strategic value.

But Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS and its followers because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an apocalyptic battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group, said rebel forces "captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area".

The Fastaqim Union, an Ankara-backed rebel faction involved in the battle, said Dabiq had fallen "after fierce clashes".

The Observatory said fighters also captured the nearby town of Sawran.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency also said the rebels had taken control of Dabiq and Sawran and were working to dismantle explosives laid by retreating IS fighters.

It said nine rebels were killed and 28 wounded during clashes on Saturday.

Byword among IS supporters

Dabiq has become a byword among IS supporters for a struggle against the West, with Washington and its allies bombing jihadists portrayed as modern-day Crusaders.

Earlier this week, IS downplayed the importance of the rebel advance on the town.

"These hit-and-run battles in Dabiq and its outskirts -- the lesser Dabiq battle -- will end in the greater Dabiq epic," the group said in a pamphlet published online Thursday.

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, helping Syrian rebels to rid its frontier of IS jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkey would push further south to create a 5,000-square-kilometre (1,900 square-mile) safe zone in Syria.

The border area has become deeply unstable and on Sunday Turkish state media reported that suicide bombers blew themselves up when police raided their sleeper cell in the city of Gaziantep.

Media reports spoke of casualties without providing precise numbers.

According to Anadolu, Ankara-backed rebels now control 1,130-square-kilometres along the border in Aleppo province, the northern governorate that has been carved into zones of control by jihadists, Kurds, rebels, and regime forces.

In provincial capital Aleppo, government troops have been waging a fierce Russian-backed offensive on rebels in the eastern quarters of the city.

Non-stop raids in Aleppo

Fighting continued in Aleppo's northern and southern outskirts on Sunday, as well as in the city centre, according to the Observatory.

AFP's correspondent in Aleppo said there had been nearly non-stop air raids on the opposition-held half of the city since midnight.

State news agency SANA said two women were also killed and 16 people wounded in rebel fire on one government-controlled neighbourhood on Sunday.

Fighting has surged in Aleppo following the collapse last month of a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia, raising deep international concern.

Kerry was to fly to London on Sunday to brief Washington's European allies after "brainstorming" talks in Lausanne with the main players in Syria's bloody conflict.

The Swiss meeting on Saturday included key rebel backers Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, as well as regime supporters Iran and Russia.

But it did not produce a concrete plan to restore the truce that collapsed amid bitter recriminations between Washington and Moscow and new fighting on the ground.

Kerry is expected to meet on Sunday with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany, but hopes for a breakthrough have been dim.
Asadul Islam, a leader of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who is also known as Arif, is due to hang in Khulna after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in August for blasts that killed two lower court judges in 2005. (Representational Image)

Dhaka: Security was tightened in a Bangladesh southern city Sunday ahead of the expected execution of a senior Islamist extremist whose group has been linked to the murder of foreign hostages, police said.

Asadul Islam, a leader of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who is also known as Arif, is due to hang in Khulna after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in August for blasts that killed two lower court judges in 2005.

Bangladesh has blamed the JMB for the July 1 attack on an upmarket Dhaka restaurant in which 22 people, mostly foreign hostages, were killed.

Security forces have since launched a deadly crackdown against extremists linked to the attack, shooting dead nearly 40 people including its new leader Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent.

After the attacks, courts have also fast-tracked prosecution of the Islamists. Scores of them were already facing death sentences.

"The tentative time of his hanging is 10.30 pm (1630 GMT). We've stepped up security all over the city," Khulna Police Commissioner Nibhas Chandra Majhi said.

Majihi said hundreds of police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion have been deployed in Khulna, the country's third largest city, to prevent any violence.

In August, just weeks after the cafe attack, Bangladesh's highest court led by the chief justice dismissed Arif's final appeal, clearing the way for his execution.

Arif later refused to seek presidential clemency, paving the way for his hanging later on Sunday, said a prison official of the jail where the Islamist was set to be executed.

Six other top officials of the JMB, including its founding leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, had already been executed in March 2007 for the same case.

Founded in the late 1990s by Islamists who fought in the Afghan wars along with the Mujahideens and the Taliban, the JMB has sought to impose sharia law in the Muslim majority but secular nation of 160 million people.

On August 17, 2005, the group conducted more than 400 small blasts in 63 of the country's 64 districts. Many of these bombs targeted secular courts.

Hundreds of JMB extremists including Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, were later hunted down by security forces in a massive Islamist crackdown.
Beijing: China on Sunday avoided mentioning cross-border terrorism at all, in an early morning statement released following PM Narendra Modis talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit on Saturday.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the statement instead spoke in platitudes with little emphasis on specifics, except where it spoke about expanding cooperation on railway projects and industrial parks.

The statement talked about enriching the bilateral partnership and cooperating within multilateral frameworks and how the relationship was important to protecting the reasonable interests in the international arena, said the report. It focused on expanding consensus and mutual trust.

Furthermore, the statement made no direct or indirect mention of Indias aspirations to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which China has blocked, or the banning of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met Chinese President Xi Jinping at Goa's Taj Exotica Hotel & Resort, amid rising tensions between the two countries over Beijings opposition to a UN ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar and its continued support to Pakistan.

The two leaders will soon hold a dialogue again on New Delhi's bid for membership of the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in which it hopes "differences" will be narrowed down, it was reported on Saturday.

President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday that a second round of dialogue on the issue of India's entry into the NSG, over which China has reservations, will be held soon.

The Chinese President's word on the issue came after the Prime Minister told him that India was looking forward to working with China on realising its membership of the NSG.

"India's broad concerns in the current state have been conveyed to China. The intention was that both sides should narrow down their areas of differences," Vikas Swarup, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said on Twitter.

Replying to questions whether China had softened its stand on India's membership, Swarup said, "This shows there is dialogue, a good strategic dialogue. Of course this will narrow differences."

Asked whether China reiterated the position that membership of the NSG was by consensus among parties, he replied "no".

But on Sunday statement released by the official news agency, Xinhua painted the state of Sino-India relationship in a broad brush and in diplomatic jargon, dashing any immediate Indian hopes of China changing its tune on Azhar and NSG.
Kathmandu: Pitching Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between India and China, Prime Minister Prachanda floated a proposal for a trilateral strategic partnership during a meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a media report said on Sunday.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' during the trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit yesterday expressed Nepal's desire to act as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants and to reap the benefit of playing such a role, The Himalayan Times reported along with a photo of the meeting.

Prachanda "floated a proposal for trilateral strategic partnership among the three countries", which Modi and Xi acknowledged as 'significant' and said they were positive towards it, the report said, citing a statement issued by his secretariat on the Prime Minister's personal website.

The Nepalese premier, who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit yesterday, first held a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them. The leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachanda's personal secretary Prakash Dahal, who is also his son, was quoted as saying.

According to the statement, Prachanda said during the meeting that "we (Nepal) are located between two giant countries. We want to become a dynamic bridge between the two countries and reap the benefit".

"During the meeting, I put forth the issue of strategic partnership with emphasis," Dahal said, adding that "the Indian Prime Minister and Chinese President said Nepal's proposal on strategic partnership is significant and they agreed to it".

Noting that Buddha, Pashupatinath and Janaki connected Nepal, India and China, Prachanda was quoted as saying that Nepal can play a role of a bridge between India and China and help them build good relationship at present also.

He further said Nepal was inching towards the goals of development and wanted to establish a balanced, friendly and strategic relationship with both the neighbours, the report said.

The Nepalese premier also expressed his hope that the trilateral meeting could play a significant role in setting up an "epochal relationship" between Nepal, India and China, it said.

In response, Chinese President Xi was quoted as saying that the size of the country did not bear much significance and Nepal could become a bridge between India and China.

He also praised Nepal's role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in the future.

Noting that the three countries shared "geographical, emotional and cultural friendship, Indian Prime Minister Modi said India was positive towards Nepal's proposal on trilateral partnership," the report said.

Prachanda's spouse Sita Dahal was also present at the meeting.
Some parents said the government should take notice of 'demeaning a language which has been used by the saints over the last many centuries'. (Representational Image/ AFP)

Lahore: A group of private schools in Pakistan owned by former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri has banned Punjabi within and outside the campus after terming it a "foul language", drawing flak from millions of people.

The Beaconhouse School System (BSS) has recently issued a notification to parents, declaring Punjabi a 'foul language' for the children as well as parents.

"Foul language is not allowed within and outside the school premises, in the morning, during the school hours, and after home time," the fifth point of the notification reads.

The notice explains the definition of 'foul language' as, "Foul language includes taunts, abuses, Punjabi and the hate speech".

A number of parents, prominent Punjabi language activists and literary organisations have demanded the school administration to immediately withdraw the notification and tender apology to those having Punjabi their mother language.

Punjabi scholar and columnist Mushtaq Soofi said he had seen the notification on social media and found it "disgracing to millions of Punjabis who are living in Pakistan and Indian Punjab and also the Punjabi diaspora living across the globe".

Professor Dr Saeed Bhutta of the Punjab University's Oriental College said, "The Punjabi language has an age-old history starting off from Baba Farid to Khwaja Farid. The school administration's step is a disgrace and ignorance of a certain class towards Punjabi heritage".

"Speaking the mother language is a guaranteed constitutional right. The 1973 Constitution allows the federating units to impart formal primary learning in mother tongue," Bhutta said.

Some parents said the government should take notice of 'demeaning a language which has been used by the saints over the last many centuries'.

"This means that our children should not speak to their grandparents only because their language is Punjabi," says Haleema whose daughter is studying in Grade-II in Beacon House School in Lahore.

Owned by Kasuri, BSS is a group of private academic institutions located in 30 cities in Pakistan.
Three terrorists managed to escape from the spot, the CTD said, adding that the militants were members of the banned Tahreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Lahore: Six Taliban militants who were plotting to attack offices of Pakistani law enforcement agencies were on Sunday killed by security forces in Sheikhupura district of Pakistan's Punjab province.

A team of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) along with police raided the hideout of terrorists in Sheikhupura, about 50 km from here, early this morning after intelligence reports that about 10 terrorists were planning to attack the offices of law enforcement agencies in Shiekhupura and Lahore.

"During the raid, the terrorists opened fire and the security forces retaliated. Six terrorists were killed in the firing," the CTD said.

Three terrorists managed to escape from the spot, the CTD said, adding that the militants were members of the banned Tahreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Explosives, three AK-47 rifles, three pistols and two motorcycles were recovered from the hideout.
Indias exports grew nearly 5% in September, and witnessed a positive growth for the second time since June. It is a reason to cheer because for the past 20 out of 22 months, the countrys exports have been in the negative zone. But are the exports bouncing back or is it just a blip?





Well, the global recession in trade suggests that it is not going to dramatically reverse anytime soon. There is a slight pick up in Euro zone, Britains biggest export market for manufactured goods. The US economy is at best trudging  both are major traditional trade partners of India. And, Indias biggest trading partner Chinas economic data is clouded by conflicting signals. Its exports, however, have slumped 10 % year-on-year.



The latest official numbers also point to a continued decline in exports to the US and China. Export growth to Japan has started showing up or at least it was better in the past month or two.



To top it all, the World Trade Organisation recently cut the global growth forecast to 1.7% for 2016, down from its previous estimate of 2.8%. In its outlook, it said that international trade was lagging economic growth across the nations. It also cautioned against the developed world seeking to protect their industries and trade in the economically difficult times.



In these difficult times, Indias exports in September grew 4.62%. But, the number looks impressive on the back of a very low base in the same month last year. In September 2015, Indias merchandise exports had declined by 24.3%.



No doubt, some sectors have picked up momentum. The engineering sector, for example, has grown 6.5%. It is on the rise for the past couple of months. Gems and jewellery exports are showing positive trend and textiles and handicrafts are also up.



These are the sectors analysts say, will give boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modis Make in India initiative. But, the difficult land and labour laws can be an impediment in the long run and may hinder a sustained growth in these sectors as well.



Exports from Special Economic Zones have not shown any growth. They have in fact shrunk to over 3% last year. But better in the sense that shrinkage was more than 11% in 2014-15.



But, traders are sanguine if the trend in growth in exports continues, India can achieve $280 billion of exports in the current financial year (2016-17). The big question is whether the trend will continue. The government has not set any target for exports this year but the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-2020 envisages an export growth of $900 billion by financial year 2019-20.



DH News Service



The government has taken a slew of measures to give boost to foreign trade. Most of the major trade pacts have been lined up for review and infrastructure bottlenecks are being addressed too. But, $900 billion of exports by FY 2020 seems a pipe dream. We also need to be watchful about Brexit play out.
Terming India as a "key strategic ally", Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become "best friends" and have a "phenomenal future" together.





"India's is the world's largest democracy and is a natural ally of the US. Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends," Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition yesterday.



"We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India. We are going to have a phenomenal future together," he said.



He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming bureaucracy, saying it was required in the US too.



"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic in reforming the economy and bureaucracy. Great man. I applaud him," Trump said.



It was for the first time a US presidential candidate attended an Indian-American event this election season.



"I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House," Trump said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.



"I have two massive developments in India, very successful, wonderful, wonderful partners, very beautiful, I must say. I have great friends and great confidence in India. Incredible people and an incredible country. I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times," he said.



Trump appreciated India's role in fight against terrorism. "We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism," he said as he slammed his rival Hillary Clinton for not using this word.



Trump said India had experienced firsthand "brutality of terror" in the past "including the mayhem in Mumbai, a place that I love, a place that I understand."The terrorist attack in Mumbai, the attack on Indian Parliament was "absolutely outrageous" and terrible, he said.



"India is a key, and key strategic ally. And we do not even want to talk about it, because it is nothing but a relationship that we will have. I look forward to deepening the diplomatic and military cooperation that is the shared interest of both countries," he said.



"Your great Prime Minister has been a pro-growth leader for India. He has simplified the tax code, cut the taxes and the economy is strong growing at 7 per cent year. Excellent. Our economy is practically not growing at all in the US. It's about zero. We will have a great relationship with India," Trump said.



Praising hard work and enterprise of the Indian community, Trump said, "generations of Hindus and Indian-Americans have strengthened our country".Congratulating the Indian community for having the highest rate of entrepreneurship, he said, "that's very impressive by the way".



Trump said he was looking forward to doing some "serious" bureaucratic trimming in the US as he feels it is needed the most.



"We are going to have great relation with China and Mexico, but we are going to have a great relationship with India," Trump said even as he lashed out at the business practices of China, particularly stealing intellectual property.



In his welcome address, the Republican Hindu Coalition founder and chairman said that this is the first time in the history that a major presidential candidate has addressed Hindu-Americans just three weeks before the election.



He urged Hindus to support and vote for Trump in the upcoming general election and help fight terrorism. "We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism. We will stand soldier to soldier in this fight. This is so important in the age of ISIS," Trump said.
Countering the threat of terrorism and strengthening security cooperation will be high on the agenda at the BRICS Summit that began here today with India set to forcefully articulate the dangers posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan and push for a comprehensive global convention to tackle the menace.





The Summit is being attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Michel Temer and Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa.



With the Summit taking place within weeks of the Uri terror strike by Pak-based terrorists, India will strongly pitch for intensified efforts to tackle terrorism including action against countries providing safe havens to terrorists and arming them.



Modi has already held bilateral talks with Putin and Xi yesterday where talked about Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism. The five BRICS countries represent over 3.6 billion people, or half of the world's population and they have a combined nominal GDP of USD 16.6 trillion.



At the Summit, India is likely to push for unity among the five-nation BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) grouping to remove the logjam at the UN on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) for effectively dealing with terror.



Apart from the heads of governments of BRICS attending the Summit, Prime Ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar (State Counsellor) will be here to participate in the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet.



The BRICS Summit started with a 'family photo' followed by restricted talks between the leaders and later a meeting of business captains from the member-countries. In the second half, after the speech of the leaders, there will be BRICS and BIMSTEC retreat.



New Delhi will also make all out efforts to revive Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) when Prime Ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar (State Counsellor) attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet.



This also assumes significance given the collapse of the recent SAARC Summit after four countries apart from India pulled out of the meet to be hosted by Pakistan over the issue of cross-border terrorism, maintaining that environment was not conducive to hold such an event.



The other key issues to be taken up during the meet include cooperation in areas of economy, tourism, connectivity, cultural, education and sports.



Three MoUs including those on cooperation in the area of environment and customs have been agreed upon by the BRICS countries. The pact pertaining to customs will help in breaking the trade barriers between these countries.



Security situation in Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan is also expected to be discussed when the BRICS leaders take up important regional and international issues.
Three of Hillary Clinton's paid speeches to Goldman Sachs have been released by WikiLeaks, casting an awkward spotlight on the Democrat's ties to the biggest players on Wall Street in the final stretch of the White House race.





Clinton's campaign did not contest the authenticity of the remarks, which were part of a huge trove of documents hacked from the emails of campaign chairman John Podesta by WikiLeaks.



The campaign has blamed the Russian government for the hacks, a view shared by the US government, and accused the anti-secrecy website of seeking to help Clinton's Republican rival for the presidency Donald Trump.



Among other issues, Clinton is shown in the speeches offering opinions on financial regulations, relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the negative effects of previous WikiLeaks releases on US foreign policy.



Clinton's remarks are not dramatically out of step with her public remarks on the same issues, though they may read as a bit more forthright in style. In her October 2013 address to Goldman Sachs, she suggested something had to be done to rein in Wall Street abuses "for political reasons."



"There was also a need to do something because for political reasons, if you were an elected member of Congress and people in your constituency were losing jobs and shutting businesses and everybody in the press is saying it's all the fault of Wall Street, you can't sit idly by and do nothing," Clinton said.



Clinton made the paid speeches to the financial giant between the time she left her position as secretary of state and started her White House bid.



Her record of delivering speeches for Goldman Sachs was a campaign staple for her Democratic primary rival Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who argued that she could not be relied upon to regulate firms by which she has been paid.



Her White House rival Trump has scrambled to try to use the hacked emails against her, notably accusing Clinton aides of improperly securing inside information from the Obama administration about the investigation into her use of a private email server as secretary of state.



He has also seized heavily on other documents recently released by WikiLeaks, showing that Clinton, in private speeches to major banks in 2013 and 2014, expressed views in favor of free trade and Wall Street self-regulation that are at odds with her positions as a candidate.
On September 20, a 21-year-old Karuna was stabbed 30 times by her stalker in broad daylight in North Delhis Burari. The married man was in love with the young woman and the trigger for the alleged attack was the revelation that she was in love with someone else.





Stalking is a less talked about than crime against women like rape and molestation. This incident brought home its seriousness.



Stalking was added as an offence in the Indian Penal Code as Section 354D in 2013, following the widespread anger after the Nirbhaya rape and murder case. The offence is punishable by imprisonment of up to three years and a fine. If someone repeats the offence, he would be liable for imprisonment up to five years and a fine.



National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data says last year, 1,124 cases of stalking were registered in Delhi, as against 541 in 2014, accounting for 18% of all stalking cases in the country. Delhi Polices data shows that this year the figure has already reached 670.



The NCRB data says that most victims were in the age group of 18-30, and in 90 per cent of the cases, the accused were known to the victims.



Delhi ranks second among Indian states in terms of number of stalking cases registered, second only to Maharashtra where 1,399 such cases were registered.



Considering the high number of stalking cases in the capital, an anti-stalking helpline was started by Delhi Police few years back.



The helpline gets around thousands of calls every year, with maximum complaints being about obscene telephone calls.



With technology, a stalker doesnt need to physically follow his victim anymore. He can do so through phone and internet, says Sundari Nanda, Special Commissioner of Police (Women safety, Airport and Modernisation).



In obscene calls cases, we generally make a cop talk to the stalker on phone. In his gruff, intimidating, and typical Delhi accent, the cop warns the accused of not calling the victim again, Nanda adds.



The anti-stalking helpline 1096 employs a dedicated team of five operators, including three women.



The number never gets busy and after listening to the complaint, our operators promptly transfer the call to the concerned police stations, says a senior police officer attached with the helpline.



All duty officers and station house officers (SHOs) have been instructed to take stalking calls on a priority basis, police say.



In physical stalking cases, role of the nodal officers (an assistant commissioner of police or an inspector-level officer) of the concerned area comes in. However, in cases of cyber stalking, the situation is much more complex.



In internet stalking, its difficult to ascertain the identity of the accused as in most of the cases they dont reveal their true identity to the victims, says an officer from Delhi

Polices Cyber Cell.



In cases of stalking through Facebook, police officers say during investigation, getting relevant information from Facebook is an uphill task.



Facebook is a US-based company governed by the US laws. Facebook India doesnt always have all the information in such cases, so we have to approach the parent company via US Department of Justice, says Nanda.



The interaction happens through letters rogatory (formal court requests) and takes lot of time, resulting in the case dragging for months, Nanda adds.



The biggest problem which the investigators encounter is retrieving the Facebook chats.

We have to rely on Facebook authorities to get the chats from the stalkers profile. Even if the victim shows us chats of her profile, we have seen that people have started using certain softwares which hide the IP address of the computer which they used for chatting with the victim, says a police investigator.



To train their staff in cyber investigation, Delhi Police have started various training and refresher programmes.



American help



In one such programme last week, experts from the United States, including officers from the Florida state police came to Delhi for a workshop organised by Delhi Polices Special Police Unit for Women and Children.



Apart from explaining the various techniques employed by them to track and prosecute cyber criminals to their Indian counterparts, the US officials also agreed to share technology with Delhi Police to help them nab cyber criminals and stalkers.



Soon US officials will share with us software which will help us track online predators by leading us to the IP address quickly, says a senior police officer.



Sundari Nanda says: The issue is much more complex than just a matter of law and order. Society is changing rapidly and with the economic growth, more and more women are coming out of their houses and working outside for a living.



These girls and women come from different parts of the country to work in a metro like Delhi. But in Delhi also there are several pockets where women dont feel safe. There are Metro trains, but limited last-mile connectivity. They have to take autos, and sometimes walk through secluded lanes making themselves vulnerable.



Girls who live in paying guest accommodation complain of being stared at by the landlords. The change is empowering the women on the one hand and disturbing the age-old mindset and system on the other. Crime against women to some extent is a manifestation of it, she says.



When stalking kills



Sep 20, 2016: A 21-year old teacher Karuna Kumar was stabbed to death by

her spurned lover in broad daylight in north Delhis Burari



Sep 18, 2016: A man stalking a 32-year-old married woman, Lakshmi, stabbed her multiple times in southwest Delhis Inderpuri. She had turned down his

marriage proposal.



Aug 29, 2016: A 20-year-old girl was set afire by her stalker in north Delhis Mukundpur after she refused to marry him. The man lived near her house and followed her everywhere. He went to the girls house one day and started beating her family members for not accepting his proposal. When the girl retaliated, he allegedly poured

kerosene on her and set her on fire.



July 18, 2015: A 19-year-old from Anand Parbat was stabbed to death allegedly by a man she had accused of stalking.



May, 11, 2012: Harassment by a stalker pushed a 19-year-old beautician from Vasant Kunj to suicide.



Before dying, she allegedly told her sister that she had been humiliated in public.



March, 8, 2011: A DU student was shot outside her college in South campus. The killer, identified as a mentally unstable man, told police he knew the womans route to college, and was waiting near a bridge to kill her.



His immediate provocation came three days before the crime when he tried to speak to her but she snubbed him.



Jan, 23, 1996: Law student Priyadarshini Mattoo was found dead at her uncles house. Her senior, Santosh Kumar Singh, who had been stalking her for years, was the main accused. Later, it was revealed that Santosh, the son of an IPS officer, strangled her with a wire. The Delhi High Court on Oct 30, 2006 sentenced him to death. It was later changed to life term.








As if being the rape capital of the world was not enough, Delhi has also become the stalking capital of the world. It is really unfortunate, says Swati Maliwal, chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women.





The reference was to the murder last month of a young woman, allegedly stabbed multiple times by her stalker in broad daylight in full view of the public, which did nothing to help her. The entire two-and-a-half minute incident was captured on CCTV camera.



A day later, the victims family protested at Burari Chowk with her body and raised slogans against alleged police inaction. Maliwal issued a notice to Delhi Police.



I met the mother and other family members of the girl. They have alleged that the girl had submitted a written complaint against the said accused at Burari police station in the first week of May, the notice to Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Singh said.



However, it is alleged that the police did not take any action against the culprit as the father of the man is retired Delhi Police officer and he used his clout to prevent any action against his son. This inaction further emboldened the man to carry out the heinous act, it added.



The relationship between Delhi Commission of Women and Delhi Police is strained  when the two should really be joining forces to fight crime against women in the national capital.



Maliwal blames this on police. The problem is that Delhi Police takes cases of stalking very lightly, she claims. Women have often told us that the classic reaction they get from the police is, You werent raped now, were you? Stalking incidents often lead to heinous crimes like murder and rapes and thus need to be taken very seriously.



The DCW chairperson alleges that some Delhi Police officer pester them with false accusations. She cites the FIR filed against her for allegedly naming in July a 14-year-old girl who was raped in Burari, and then died.



She says police caught the accused in that case only after the DCW sent the notice

to them.



There is an immediate need to increase and ensure adequate police accountability and responsibility in incidents of stalking, rape and other crimes against women, she tells Deccan Herald.



Maliwal lists several steps taken by the Commission to prevent such cases and help victims. One such initiative is a helpline.



We launched a 181 helpline for women in March this year. Under this setup, we have a fleet of 22 cars managed and run by NGOs and manned by counsellors. So whenever someone dials the helpline, she is attended to by one of our cars, she says.



We also step in and ensure an FIR is filed when a woman complains that the police are unwilling to register a case. Sometimes, the woman is unsatisfied with the progress or response of the police in a particular matter. The commission, in such cases, issues notices and summons concerned police officers. The commission sits the victim and the police down and tries to sort out all outstanding issues, she adds.



The DCW chairperson says some victims of acid attacks and other crimes have been provided jobs with the DCW to rehabilitate them. But we are facing an inquiry by the Anti Corruption Branch in this matter. Lets see, she says.



She says more needs to be done. If you ask me, the government needs to increase resources allocated to the DCW as well as the Delhi Police. The police have often complained about the lack of resources required to carry out necessary actions needed to prevent and solve such cases, she says.



Maliwal says out of 31,000 cases of crimes against women registered in Delhi between 2012 and 2015, only 146 convictions took place. The commission has time and again recommended that trials in such cases need to be fast tracked.



Convictions in cases of crimes against women need to increase and fast tracked. Such cases, along with the stigma society often attached with victims, will only reduce when strict, swift and stringent punishment is delivered upon the perpetrators, she says.



The government needs to come up with agendas and rehabilitation programmes to reduce social stigma as this is outside the DCWs mandate. The Delhi Commission for Women has also given certain recommendations and suggestions and we hope that the Centre and state government seriously look into them, Maliwal says.



The DCW says it will soon bring out with an interim but extensive report on two major police stations in Delhi on how they deal with cases of crime against women. The chairperson says they hope to release the findings of their research next week.



In our country, nobody takes up issues that really matter. When we raise a lot of questions  about stalking, rapes, murders, acid attacks, etc  we irk people with vested interests. As a result, we are the ones who are counter-questioned and harassed. But hopefully, we will overcome all obstacles and make Delhi safe, Maliwal says.






The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to regularise its sanitation workers, and re-employ temporaray teachers in its schools.





The move comes days after the sanitation workers had threatened to go on a city-wide strike from October 20.



The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has passed a resolution to regularise its safai karmcharis.



The South Corporation Mayor Shyam Sharma said safai karmcharis will be regularised on the basis of their seniority and serial number. "The process will be completed in a transparent manner."



Last week, municipal sanitation workers have threatened to go an indefinite strike from October 20 seeking regularisation of the contractual employees.



They had met Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung demanding wages as per the 7th pay commission, arrears and cashless health cards.



In another move, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has also decided to re-employ temporary teachers who were disengaged a few months ago. "Those who had been working on assignments from 2011 to 2014 will be engaged again to teach in the South Corporation schools."



The mayor said that these teachers will be employed on the posts vacated by the 140 teachers, who have been promoted to the post of principals.



The mayor has asked the education department to take "immediate action in this regard so that no post remains vacant". "The vacant posts adversly affect the learning and development of the students."



"The SDMC has been striving hard to improve the level and quality of education. Hence, it becomes essential to fill the vacant posts at the earliest."




Thirty per cent of the total calls received by the Delhi Fire Service are not related to fires, said the Director of Fire service.





Thirty per cent of the calls are `non-structural' in nature while 70% are `structural'. Earlier, we went only for the fire calls. Now we go for every emergency calls. We even attend calls for a snake entering into a house, for the purpose of leakage of radioactive material etc. Some days back we got a call from the Delhi Airport about the presence of a radioactive material and we rushed our forces, G C Mishra, Director Fire Services told Deccan Herald.



It has become a common incident. Like fire, these are also routine incidents.

The director said to rescue these animals is a tedious task and several methods are used for this purpose.



There are many cases in Delhi where a cow has been trapped at a terrace in JJ Colony. The cow climbs up from the stairs and in such cases we get a call from the residents. To rescue them is a big problem. Sometimes the animal is being pushed. In many cases a plank is being used to push them off the stairs, said Mishra.



Several unconventional means are also used to rescue these animals. These include the use of an umbrella to scare the cow.



Unconventional means like a black umbrella is also used to get the cow down from the terrace. When the cow sits down, we open the black umbrella following which she starts running here and there and we direct the movement to rescue her.



Many times the buffalo gets down in Yamuna Khadar. If we try to touch them, it hits us. So we chase it and when she gets tired and sits down, we put a wooden plank and tie the animal with a rope dragging it to the plains, Mishra said.



The director said they get complaints to rescue not only cows and buffaloes but also dogs which enter into a drain.

Many times we get a call from the residents saying a dog has entered into a drain and noises are heard. So we open all manholes in that line, the Director said.

The fire service attended 27, 000 calls last year.



The department has also been helping the adjoining states in case of emergency.

We have not taken any help from the adjoining states in recent times. But states like Punjab and Haryana do take our help. A team was flown from Delhi during the paper mill fire at Khanna in Punjab., HE SAID.



We sent a team of six people though they were not carrying equipment but we gave the expertise, Mishra added.




Parents on Saturday queued for the second edition of the 'mega PTM' at government schools across the city.





Classrooms were abuzz with parents being handed out their child's report card and being updated about their performance at the parent-teacher meetings.



While some parents were seen enthusiastically discussing their child's results among each other, others were telephoning their family members, to announce the results at home.



From lack of concentration to lagging behind in particular subjects, the parent-teacher meet pa)ved the way for a healthy interaction between the parents and the students' class teachers.



"Earlier we never got the report cards. This time the teachers mentioned that he is weak in Maths and English," said Santosh, whose child Harshit studies in class six in Government Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, Patel Nagar.



Another parent, showing the child's report card, said that even though she doesn't understand English and cannot comprehend the remarks given on it, she felt "good" after meeting the class teacher.



In section 11th B of the school, parents have made a circle around 'Business Studies' Teacher Uttam Chand Gupta, who is listening to grievances of the parents about their children not studying after they come back from school and advising them to see the homework given to them. By 10:30 am, 47 out of 70 parents had met the class teacher.



"Pehle pata hi nahi chalta tha ki bacche kya kar rahe hain school me. Koi bulata hi nahi tha (Earlier we were not aware what the child is doing at school. No one called us in schools). It is a very good initiative," said parent Naresh Kumar, who had taken half day from his work to attend the meet.



Saroj, a mother of a student of class eight, said that she is so happy with this initiative that she wants it to happen every month.



"The teacher had in last Mega PTM told me that my son is weak in English. I paid a little attention at home and also asked his tuition teacher to give more stress on it. This time the marks in English are better. The meet should happen every month," said Saroj.



School authorities said that during regular parent-teacher meeting, there is a lukewarm response and it is carried out like a desultory affair.



"It is not that we are giving report cards for the first time but mostly these are given to students who hide it from their parents. So for many parents, receiving report cards and getting updated about their child's performance is a first. The advertisement and sending mass messages helped," said Vice-Principal Jawahar Lal Sharma.



Besides refreshments and tea for parents, in some schools the government doctors were present to address the parents on 'children's health'.



However, there were also some DElhi government schools in Molarband, Madanpur Khadar, and Yamuna Vihar which could not conduct the PTM as guest teachers in those schools were on strike and will be rescheduling the meeting.
Delhi Police has arrested a murder convict from Mangolpuri area here, who after jumping parole from a Haryana jail killed three more persons and had a list of 18 people who he planed to kill.





Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ravindra Yadav said 26-year-old Deepak Tomar was arrested by Crime Branch from near Mongolpuri railway station on October 13.

He said Tomar committed his first murder in Rohtak for which he was convicted in 2008. He was lodged in Gurgaons Bhondsi jail from where he managed to get 21-day parole in July 2014 but didnt return, Yadav said.



After jumping the parole, Tomar joined his associates in committing a double-murder in Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh in 2015, he added.



They fired 21 rounds with country-made pistols to kill Jitender and Anil of Ranbir gang in his native village Ramala, the JCP said, adding a cash reward of Rs 5,000 announced on his arrest.



Again in September 2015, he and his accomplices allegedly killed Sohanveer in Baba Haridas Nagar area of Delhi.



The murder was a revenge killing because Sohanveer had allegedly thrashed Deepak in Rohtak jail, the JCP said.



He was also involved in robbing of a SUV from Nihal Vihar in Delhi in May 2015.

G Ram Gopal Naik, who led the Crime Branch team which arrested Tomar, said he committed most of the murders while he was out on bail or on parole. We have requested the court to not grant Deepak (Tomar) bail or parole since he has hatched most of the plans when he has got bail, he said.



During interrogation, he revealed that he was planning to commit 18 more murders and had a list of of people with whom he has had an enmity at his village, Naik added.

He is a person who doesnt spare people who cross paths with him, he said.

A country-made weapon and three live cartridges have been recovered from him.

He was living at Shiv Ram Park area in Nangloi while on the run.


Pitching Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between India and China, Prime Minister Prachanda floated a proposal for a trilateral strategic partnership during a meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a media report here said today.



Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' during the trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit yesterday expressed Nepal's desire to act as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants and to reap the benefit of playing such a role, The Himalayan Times reported along with a photo of the meeting.



Prachanda "floated a proposal for trilateral strategic partnership among the three countries", which Modi and Xi acknowledged as 'significant' and said they were positive towards it, the report said, citing a statement issued by his secretariat on the Prime Minister's personal website.



The Nepalese premier, who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit yesterday, first held a one-on- one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them. The leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachanda's personal secretary Prakash Dahal, who is also his son, was quoted as saying.



According to the statement, Prachanda said during the meeting that "we (Nepal) are located between two giant countries. We want to become a dynamic bridge between the two countries and reap the benefit".



"During the meeting, I put forth the issue of strategic partnership with emphasis," Dahal said, adding that "the Indian Prime Minister and Chinese President said Nepal's proposal on strategic partnership is significant and they agreed to it".



Noting that Buddha, Pashupatinath and Janaki connected Nepal, India and China, Prachanda was quoted as saying that Nepal can play a role of a bridge between India and China and help them build good relationship at present also.



He further said Nepal was inching towards the goals of development and wanted to establish a balanced, friendly and strategic relationship with both the neighbours, the report said.



The Nepalese premier also expressed his hope that the trilateral meeting could play a significant role in setting up an "epochal relationship" between Nepal, India and China, it said.



In response, Chinese President Xi was quoted as saying that the size of the country did not bear much significance and Nepal could become a bridge between India and China.



He also praised Nepal's role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in the future.



Noting that the three countries shared "geographical, emotional and cultural friendship, Indian Prime Minister Modi said India was positive towards Nepal's proposal on trilateral partnership," the report said.



Prachanda's spouse Sita Dahal was also present at the meeting.


Donald Trump has asserted that the US needs to be "very careful" about radical Islamic terror and "extreme vetting" must be done before allowing people in to the country, a controversial stand taken by the Republican presidential nominee that has made immigrants jittery.





Outlining his policy to tackle terrorism, the 70-year-old billionaire said, "We have to be very, very careful (about radical Islamic terror). We have to have extreme vetting before we let people in... We want people to come in to the country but they have to come in legally."



"Something is going on that's not positive force. We are going to be looking very much at certain areas of the world. We have to very careful with radical Islamic terror. We can be politically correct and say it doesn't matter but it does matter," he told NDTV when asked if he has given up his plan to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.



Trump also said he has great respect for Indians and Hindus, as he stepped up to address an event attended by the Indian American community in New Jersey.



"I have great respect for Hindus. I have so many friends that are Hindu. They are great people, amazing entrepreneurs," Trump said.



Prodded further about India's diverse demographics, he said, "I'll be honest, I have great respect for India. I actually have (real estate) jobs going up in India... tremendously successful. It is an amazing country."



The event, organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition, saw Trump, reach out to Indian American community.



Trump also spoke about the Indo-Pak conflict, saying, "There's a tremendous conflict between India and Pakistan. Just recently you had (the Uri attack)... a lot of people killed... Hopefully everything is going to work out."



Speaking about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's email scandal and whether she should be sent to jail, Trump said, "What she did is absolutely unlawful....she sees her emails and she deletes them. That is pretty bad but there are other things. If you look at all the crimes committed, certainly she should be in trouble."



On the tape controversy in which he was caught on mic making lewd remarks about women, Trump told Times Now, "Well I discussed that and I think that is very much. We are doing very well in polls, we are leading many of the polls.... It was a locker room talk and lots of people do it but I have already talked about that".



Asked how he would you help Modi fight terrorism, Trump said, "Well, he has got it right...I see what is going on with India and Pakistan. It is very sad if you look at what happened just recently but hopefully they can get along. It has been a very tough relationship. There is no question about that."



Talking about his idea of a safer world, Trump said, "Well, we need a safer America and we need a safer world, frankly, we have to be very very careful with nuclear weapons. Because we don't want to let that get out of control and I think it is out of control. We have to be very very careful."
An RSS worker was hacked to death today by two motorcyle-borne men on an arterial road here, police said.



The incident took place on Kamaraja Road when Rudresh was returning home on a bike after attending a RSS meeting at a nearby area, they said.



Rudresh, a realtor, was first knocked down from his bike and then attacked by the duo with a lethal weapon,police said.



The attackers managed to escape despite some members of the public giving chase, they said.



Rudresh was rushed to Bowring Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, police said.



Police said they suspected that personal rivalry could be the reason behind the murder.

However, RSS city spokesperson Rajesh Padmar alleged that it was a continuation of an 'organised elimination' of the organisation's workers.



"This is just continuation of an organised elimination of our workers. Such an attempt was made also against a RSS worker sometime back here. Hence we suspect it is nothing but continuation of killing and targeting our workers," he said.



Padmar said RSS would stage a protest here tomorrow against the murder.



Former Chief Minister and State BJP President B S Yeddyurappa said the incident and the assailants' escape "is a telling comment on the law and order situation in the state."



He said the murder was a litmus test for the government "to demonstrate its seriousness, sincerity and will in nabbing the killers and taking the issue to its logical end."



He alleged that in recent attacks on two RSS workers, the two men arrested were released on bail within a few hours.



"In the earlier two instances, government failed.I demand home minister Dr G Parameshwar come clean on this issue," he added.



He warned that BJP would launch an agitation to mount pressure on the government over the issue of attacks on RSS swayamsevaks and BJP workers.
The toll in the stampede on an overcrowded bridge on Varanasi-Chandauli border rose to 25 with one more person succumbing to injuries in a hospital today, even as Samajwai Party government faced fresh opposition salvos over the incident.





District Magistrate Kumar Prashant told reporters here that the stampede claimed 25 lives. While 24 deaths were reported yesterday, one more died in hospital this morning. Of the deceased, 20 were women, police said.



The incident took place in Ramnagar police station area of Varanasi when thousands of followers of Jai Gurudev were crossing the Rajghat bridge for proceeding towards Domri village in Chandauli for a two-day congregation that concluded today under the shadow of gloom.



President Pranab Mukherjee expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the stampede and called upon the authorities to provide all assistance and help to the victims.



In his message to Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, he said, "I am sad to learn about the stampede in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh in which a number of persons have lost their lives and others are injured. I understand relief and rescue operations are currently underway.



"I call upon the state government and other authorities to provide all possible aid to the bereaved families, who have lost their near and dear ones as well as medical assistance to the injured," he said.



As opposition parties held the state government and local administration "responsible" for the incident, BJP today fired a fresh salvo with Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya blaming the Akhilesh Yadav government for "failing to take lessons from similar mishaps in the state earlier" and demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.



"The state government has to take complete responsibility for the incident. It is a total failure on its part. The state government has not learned any lessons from the previous stampedes that occurred in 2010 at Pratapgarh in which 63 people died and during 2013 Kumbh Mela in Allahabad which claimed 36 lives," Dattatreya said.



"The state government cannot wash off its hands by suspending few police officials from the duty," he said after meeting the injured in Varanasi.



Dattatreya's reference was to suspension of Varanasi Superintendent of Police City Sudhakar Yadav, SP Traffic Kamal Kishore, Kotwali Circle Officer Rahul Mishra, Station Officer of Ramnagar police station, Anil Kumar Singh and In-charge of Mughalsarai police station in Chandauli district and Sub-inspector Vinod Yadav.



Another senior BJP leader and Union Minister Mahesh Sharma said the incident "indicates the mismanagement" of the arrangements for the event and expressed the need to fix responsibility.



"It is a sad incident. It shows the mismanagement of the arrangements. We have to fix responsibility for it and be cautious such incidents do not reoccur," he said.



Expressing grief over the tragedy, former JD-U chief Sharad Yadav today sought guidelines to regulate religious congregations, saying such tragic incidents have become common at such gatherings.



BSP supremo Mayawati has said it is the responsibility of the state government and local administration to ensure proper arrangements and police force for such public functions so that no untoward incident occurs which was, however, not done in Varanasi.



Congress leader Satyadev Tripathi said Varanasi incident is the fallout of "administrative failure".



Facing opposition flak at a time when Assembly elections in the state were barely a few months away, the ruling Samajwadi Party said it was not the time to dabble in blame game and instead concentrate on providing relief to the affected.



Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has directed the Varanasi Commissioner to institute a magisterial inquiry into the incident and said stern action will be taken against the organisers or administration, whosoever is found guilty of negligence that lead to the stampede.



He extended an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to next of kin of those killed and free treatment to the injured admitted to different hospitals in Varanasi and Chandauli.



Besides the ex-gratia, Yadav announced another compensation of Rs 5 lakh under the Samajwadi Kisan and Sarvhit Bima schemes, an official release said.



He also said that injured will get Rs 2.50 lakh from these schemes for the treatment and Rs 1 lakh for artificial limb, if required.



Varanasi district administration has set up a helpline number 0542-2508464.


Malaysian budget airline group AirAsia has prohibited carrying Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones onboard any of its flights, including those operated by AirAsia India, due to safety concerns.





The ban is effective from mid-night today, AirAsia said.



The decision of not allowing the latest Galaxy Note series smartphone comes after a recent ban by US Department of Transport on the device and reports of replacement units catching fire, AirAsia said in a release today.



AirAsia Guests are not permitted to carry the Galaxy Note 7 - including recalled and replacement devices - on their person, in cabin bags, in check-in baggage or as cargo, the release said.



Any guests found with the device will be denied boarding, it said.



The prohibition applies to all flights operated by AirAsia Group, comprising AirAsia Malaysia, AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Indonesia, AirAsia Philippines, AirAsia India, Malaysia AirAsia X , Thai AirAsia X and Indonesia AirAsia X , the airline said in the release.



South Korean electronics major Samsung had released the new the Galaxy Note 7 in July but discontinued the product last week after unexplained overheating problems and fire incidents.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find a "firm" solution to the "thorny" fishermen issue.





The Lankan President made the demand during a meeting with Modi where the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation in a whole host of areas, including energy and health.



There was a discussion on the thorny issue of fishermen. President Sirisena said he wanted a firm solution on the issue. Modi agreed with him and said "we must find a proper solution to this long festering issue," MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said here after the meeting held ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit here, 50 km from Panaji.



"As you know we have invited the Sri Lankan fisheries minister to India and we hope at that time, the discussions would lead to some kind of mutually acceptable outcome," Swarup said.



"The PM briefed Sirisena on the Uri terror attack. "He noted the support Sri Lanka had provided to India, and expressed his gratitude to people and government of Sri Lanka," he said.



"Modi said that as a result of the solidarity that the countries of the region had shown after the Uri terror attacks, a message had gone across that people in our region want peace and they recognise that the biggest challenge to peace and prosperity is terrorism," Swarup said.



Sirisena said Sri Lanka opposed all forms and manifestations of terrorism, he said.

The two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation in a whole host of areas like energy and health.



"Modi welcomed Sirisena to India and thanked him for accepting the invitation to participate in the Summit," he said.



Sirisena said "this is another occasion when the bonds between Sri Lanka and India are further strengthened".



"He also alluded to the long standing relations between the two countries," Swarup added.



The two leaders reviewed the development cooperation and partnership between India and Sri Lanka, Swarup said.



The Lankan leader thanked Modi for gifting ambulances to western and southern provinces and hoped this will be extended to other areas as well, Swarup said.



"He briefed Modi on progress in rehabilitation projects in the northern province," he said.



Modi later met the Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay, the MEA spokesperson said.
Protesting against the proposed construction of a steel flyover which was reportedly sanctioned without public consultation, about 8,000 people, including BJP leaders, formed a human chain here.





'Citizens Against Steel Flyover' forum today formed the human chain to intensify their protest against the flyover that links Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal.



As many as 8,000 people,including prominent personalities like actor and film maker Prakash Belawadi, BJP MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar and BJP spokesperson S Suresh Kumar turned up at the human chain, held in four different points.



Flaying the project, Belawadi said the forum wants the project to be shelved as it was sanctioned without public consultation.



"We want the project to be shelved as it was sanctioned without public consultation, that is a very arrogant attitude as our questions are unanswered," he told PTI.



The state government plans to construct the Rs 1,761 crore flyover to improve connectivity to Bengaluru International Airport.



Belawadi also charged that the project promoters had not taken into account the environmental implication of cutting down over 812 trees.



"Construction major L&T has bagged the contract to build the flyover, which will see as many as 812 trees chopped off, as per details made available by Bangalore Development Authority," he said.



He alleged that the government had bypassed Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Committee in sanctioning the project.



He also said the Bangalore Vision Group had not spoken in favour of it as they were doubtful about it's feasibility. "The project cost is too high," he said.



Belawadi also alleged that government was misusing tax payers' money to build the flyover when citizens have several modes of transport,including a railway station at Devanahalli. The flyover was not a part of the master plan as well,he said.



The cabinet had cleared the project on September 28 Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Bengaluru Development and town planning Minister K J George had defended the project, saying it was needed to decongest the city.



Suresh Kumar said the party completely supports the movement against the "needless flyover." "The project's cost escalation clearly shows it was contractor-oriented and election-fund oriented," he said.



JDS State President H D Kumaraswamy alleged that the project was being used to raise party funds for next year's Uttar Pradesh assembly election.
An Indian army jawan was killed as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire twice in the day today along the LoC in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.



The ceasefire violations by Pakistan took place on a day when India hosted leaders of a number of countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, for BRICS and BIMSTEC Summits.



"There was ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along LoC in Rajouri sector resulting in death of a soldier today," a senior Army officer said about the incident in the evening.



The area in which incident took place falls in Tarkundi belt of Rajouri district. Earlier in the morning too, there was unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops who used small arms to target Indian forward areas in Naushera sector of the same district along the LoC, Defence PRO said.





Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in that exchange. A senior Army officer said there have been over 25 ceasefire violations along the LoC since the surgical strikes by Indian Army in PoK on September 29 to dismantle terror launching pads.



In the firing and shelling, five civilians and four armymen have sustained injuries in Poonch district. Nine Pakistani armymen have been injured in retaliatory action by Indian troops along LoC.



On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Pooch district resulting in injuries to one jawan.



On October 5, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts.



Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shelling and firing with five ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along LoC in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts.



They fired mortar bombs and used small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district.



Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district.



On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling from 1915 hours along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district.



On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS amid small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district.



On September 30, Pakistani troops restored to small arms firing along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.
Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth accompanied by his elder daughter, Aishwarya R Dhanush today visited Apollo Hospitals and enquired about Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's health.





Rajinikanth and Aishwarya were at the hospital for about 20-25 minutes, hospital sources said, adding, they enquired about her health.



The 68-year-old AIADMK supremo was admitted to hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration.



Soon after Jayalalithaa was admitted, Rajinikanth in his official twitter handle had said, "I pray

to God for your speedy recovery."



Meanwhile, reports said a team of specialists from Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore, has arrived at the Hospital to examine Jayalalithaa. However, when contacted, sources at the Apollo Hospitals declined to confirm it.




Recommerce is nothing but recommercialising or second-hand selling, a concept that has been around since the dawn of markets themselves. However, from being treated as an option for the financially-challenged, it has now been upgraded to an option for the smart, both financially and environmentally.





Recommerce involves re-selling items as they become obsolete. But in the dynamic world of fashion, novelty trumps utility. In a globalised economy, where people are exposed to fashion trends that are updated on a daily basis, even brand-new outfits can be rendered obsolete in a matter of days.





On the other hand, even the ones in trend have limited utility due to the fast-paced nature of fashion. So, arriving at the crux of the problem  affordability  as discouraging as it may be to repeat outfits, to be able to afford new ones remains a challenge. While end of season sales and festival sales offer much needed relief from time-to-time, seldom do they come from coveted, top-end brands.





Recommerce, therefore, has taken a targeted approach to tackle these issues for Indias fashion-aspired youth. Opening ecommerce platforms for buying and selling pre-owned fashion, online platforms, including Elanic, Envoged and CoutLoot, among others, have put recommerce into perspective. India, as an economy, has opened up and moved forward culturally. It has become more consumption-driven and technology is fulfilling this drive, says Elanic Co-founder Abhilash Narahari, adding, Luxury brands, even at discounted prices, tend to be pretty expensive. Recommerce, is the most suitable proposition for young girls, who would like to invest in them, but are constrained by affordability. On Elanic, the typical buying consumer base is in the ages of 18 to 25 years, which is mostly college-going and living off of allowances.





CoutLoot Co-founder Jasmeet Thind opines, Globally, buying and selling of pre-owned fashion items has always been a big market. India is now picking it up. As India integrates the nitty-gritties of sharing economy, pre-owned and refurbished are no more taboo concepts in the market. Thind further adds, With recommerce, fashion is made available at reasonable prices, the whole idea of one wanting to wear something new everyday is accomplished.





With recommerce, individuals are able to buy three items for the price of one. The biggest plus-point here is that luxury brands, which are otherwise beyond reach in terms of price, become accessible, says Anandita Singh, Co-founder, Envoged.





Across various platforms, recommerce offers price discounts from 40% up to even 90%. The industry broadly categorises items into unused, gently used and heavily used products. Some websites, classify them based on whether items have their brand tags on. Further, some even partake in ascertaining the price of the items.





As a marketplace for pre-owned items, recommerce websites more or less support the entire process of taking items from one users shelf to anothers, be it concierge, pricing or even dry-cleaning. CoutLoot offers both direct listing, wherein the company takes custody of the product post-sale, as well as concierge services, wherein it takes products into custody as the products are listed and held until the sale is made. While for the former it charges 25% commission, the latter is services at 30% commission on the sale price. Envoged has a flat charge of 20% commission on all its sales, while Elanic maintains it at 10%.





Envoged, which focuses on high-end fashion finds handbags and accessories to be the most popular category followed by apparel and footwear, however, CoutLoot, which is a high-street fashion-focused platform for young college girls, finds apparel to be the most popular category. Elanic, which has opened its platform for categories beyond fashion, finds womens fashion to be the most popular category on the website.





Making a case for fashion as a popular category, Narahari says, Fashion is consumed on a daily basis, and since it is dynamic and trends change frequently, buying and selling in this category is more buoyant compared with other popular recommerce categories such as cars or electronics. Thind augments the idea, saying, With shared Olas and Ubers catching on, people are now in the habit of smart spending. If a product, which is barely used, is available at less than half its original price, it becomes pragmatic to be recommercing for the seller of course, but also the buyer, who is able to make some money from an item that has no utility-value to him/her.





Numbers, across the industry, seem to justify the same. CoutLoot is averaging at over 100 sales on weekends and about 80 sales on weekdays. The company has completed 5,500 orders over the last five to six months, said Thind. Envoged, which was launched in May 2015, has seen the average ticket-size increase about five times, since then. When we started off, it was difficult to convince people regarding the recommerce concept. However, the idea of luxury made accessible has definitely made ground for itself now, says Singh.





Narahari adds, Technology has played a huge role in shaping up recommerce. Online platforms have created a community of sorts, wherein people can interact and share their wardrobe ideas. It is this sense of community, which I believe is the driving force.





As the economy closes in on the heels of the concepts of community, sharing and smart, a day when affordable fashion merges with luxury fashion, may not be too far. And, till that day arrives, recommerce aspires to remain in style.

As ramps in Milan and New York showcase the next in fashion, personal wardrobes back home are setting standards of their own. Offering hoarders a platform to unload, and bargain-hunters an opportunity to clinch a deal, recommerce platforms have unleashed the latest trend in shopping  Smart Shopping.




What are the prospects of the coal industry in India?





Coal prospects are enormous in India, close to 300 billion tonnes. But the problem till two years ago was despite the potential we had, we were short of coal.





We are still importing, which is however not a big issue. There was an average inventory of four to six days till two years ago. Today, the average inventory has gone beyond 20 days. There is no single power critical or super critical for want of coal. Basically, we have enough coal. We are considering exporting it to Bangladesh. Thats the turnaround taking place in the coal sector, from acute shortage to at least temporary surplus.





Now Coal India (CIL) is not taking any initiative to find buyers for coal. This has come about because there are three major factors that determine availability of coal in the country. One is the availability of land. You must have land to mine coal. Second, is the environment clearance. Because, without clearance, you cannot mine the coal. Third is your ability to evacuate coal after it is mined. Unless you have evacuation, youll not know where to take it. So on these fronts, in the past couple of years, a lot of work has been done. So much so that for 2015-2016, we saw a record growth of 9% over the previous year.





Why only Bangladesh?





Transporting coal is expensive as we cant go beyond a certain distance. Since Bangladesh is next door, and we have the Eastern Coal Field which adjoins West Bengal, we can easily transport coal to that country. Our coal contains a lot of ash content which is more than 34%, and in some cases 40%. Our coal is not of the required quality that can be transported over long distances.





What is the potential of new areas?





Coal India is aiming at 1 billion tonnes by 2020. Last year, CIL produced 538 million tonnes. Plans are afoot. The fundamental objective is to ensure that whatever coal is required in the country is made available. Obviously, there is no point in mining more coal where it is not required. Good thing in 2015 and this year is that we have been able to supply the demanded coal, and we still have some surplus.





What about theft that has been happening?





We are using technology to prevent theft of coal. All our trucks are GPS-managed. We have a virtual boundary through satellite. When a truck moves out of the virtual boundary, immediately we get a flash. From CIL, we are ensuring that trucks dont go out anywhere.





Even in outsourced case, trucks are not allowed to go beyond the boundary. We can track any outsourced truck. Pilferage may be happening. It is difficult to quantify how much. But substantial amount of coal pilferage has been stopped.





Does the coal mafia still exist?





I dont know what you call mafia. Much of the problem existed because of scarcity of coal. If you look at a mafia system anywhere in the world, it emerges when you restrict supply. The original mafia in the US emerged because of prohibition and shortage. Apart from the direct action which state government should take or would be taking. Obviously, supply of coal is so much, the margin has come down. It becomes unviable.





So the price in the so-called grey market and the price at which CIL sells the margin is not much. Generally, the price of coal has come down. Production has gone up. Our view is that if they are able to supply sufficiently, this problem will get reduced dramatically. Pilferage may still continue because it is free coal, but diversion to the grey market will come down.





Now, renewable fuels are being used to generate electricity. Do you think the supply of coal will come down?





In India, the per capita consumption of power today is at the level of late 1990s and early 2000s in the US. That being the case, my personal view is that space will be occupied by coal and non-renewable energy, and that is how it should be. The country is very committed to renewable energy. It doesnt mean that renewable energy will replace coal. There will be more space that is available will get occupied. As a proposition, coal-based power plant or capacity will come down in absolute numbers that will grow because there is so much space.





Which are the major mines?





The major mines are in Chattisgarh and Odisha which contributes around 50% of our coal production. Dhanbad in Jharkand also contributes a fair share.





What is the amount of jobs generated till date?





It is huge, the direct employment of CIL is about 3.4 lakh employees.





What is your vision?





We should now go in for cleaner variety of coal. We are setting up washeries. Quality of coal should improve. We should try and reduce the ash content, because it damages the environment. Whenever mining is happening, forest cover is restored.

Anil Swarup, who took over as Union Coal Secretary on November 1, 2014, was sitting on arguably the hottest seat in the country. Coal was the dirty word, because of several scams. There was acute shortage of coal. Anything that would go wrong with the sector had gone wrong. In a candid interaction with Deccan Heralds Umesh M Avvannavar, on the sidelines of sixth edition of Mining, Exploration Convention and Trade Show (Mining Mazma 2016), here in Bengaluru recently, the Coal Secretary says, Fortunately, God has been kind. I now have time to sit down with you and chat. Two years ago, it would had been difficult.




The agreement with KwaZulu-Natal Dube Trade Port Special Economic Zone for Cipla BIOTECs new facility was concluded on the margins of BRICS Summit in Goa, said the South African Ministry of Trade and Industry in a statement here on Saturday.





The facility will be South Africas first biotech manufacturing unit for the production of biosimilars. It is set to produce a range of affordable treatments for cancer and other autoimmune diseases for the African and global market.





The project is aimed at making medication affordable. Steve Lehrer, Director and Head of Cipla BIOTEC, said that the project will reduce the costs of medicine. We believe that a ground-breaking medicine is meaningless if barriers like cost and availability keep it from the patients who need it most.





The construction of the new facility is scheduled to start early next year, with full operations expected to commence in the third quarter of 2018.

Indian pharmaceutical major Cipla has signed a Memorandum of Agreement for South Africas first biosimilars manufacturing facility to be set up at a cost of nearly $91 million.
Dr A Ramkishan, Deputy Drugs Controller, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), New Delhi, said that regulatory body of pharmacy in India is undergoing tremendous change in emphasising quality.



Speaking at APTICON 2016, the 21st National Convention of the Association of Pharmacy Teachers of India (APTI), held under the auspices of Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MCOPS), Manipal University, Dr A Ramkishan said that transparency with accountability is the top priority besides affordability with respect to the medicine.



He said the regulatory body in India is going towards different direction, which has imbibed online system in almost all its transactions. He said that applications and licenses are received and offered online. The new initiative is expected to bring in many changes. Altogether, the regulatory body has a different vision and mission aiding lots of changes. India, at present, offers medicines to 230 countries and pharmacy is the second largest sector only after IT.



He stressed on quality education. He added that value is essential and it should be preserved at any cost. The poorest of the poor should be taken care and simultaneously, the demands of the globe should be met, he maintained.



Dr C K Kokate, vice chancellor of KLE University, Belagavi, said pharmacy education has been experiencing rapid metamorphosis in the last decade. It has been expanding beyond imagination. The need of the hour is to retain the quality, as quality makes the essence of the education. The teachers are torch-bearers of the society, who motivate and uphold the academic values.



Teachers are the elicitor of educational synthesis, who should be good human beings and role models. Teachers is the custodian of academic and professional values. They should create people who determine to offer good quality health care, he said. Around 400 papers would be presented in the oral and poster sessions.






This celebration of Trump in New Delhi in May, and others like it in India this year, are the work of a small, devoted and increasingly visible faction of Hindu nationalists in India and the United States who see Trump as the embodiment of the cocksure, politically incorrect, strongman brand of politics they admire.





That some of Trumps most passionate followers are Indian may seem, at first, somewhat strange, given how fond he is of scorning Asian countries where cheap labour saps demand for American workers. A poll on Asian-Americans political leanings conducted in August and September found that just 7% of Indian-Americans said they would vote for Trump.





But in one of the more peculiar pairings of this most peculiar political season, Trump has unwittingly fashioned a niche constituency in the overlap between the Indian right and the American right, which share a lot of the same anxieties about terrorism, immigration and the loss of prestige that they believe their leaders have been too slow to reverse.





Theres a lot of parallels there, said Shalabh Kumar, founding chairman of the Republican Hindu Coalition. Mr Trump is all about development, development, development; prosperity, prosperity, prosperity; tremendous job growth. And at the same time, he recognises the need to control the borders.





As one of Trumps biggest Hindu financial backers, Kumar, who runs an electronics manufacturing company in Illinois and grew up in Punjab, helped organise a speech by the Republican nominee in Edison, New Jersey, at a Bollywood-themed charity concert last Saturday. The proceeds will benefit terrorism victims. It will be an incredible evening, Trump had said in a video promoting it, one of the few ethnic events he has agreed to do during this campaign.





Trump may be largely indifferent to the reasons behind his Hindu loyalists fervour, but his most senior advisers are not. The campaigns chief executive, Stephen K Bannon, is a student of nationalist movements. Bannon is close to Nigel Farage, a central figure in Britains movement to leave the European Union, and he is an admirer of Indias Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist Bannon has called the Reagan of India.





It may be pure coincidence that some of Trumps words channel the nationalistic and, some argue, anti-Muslim sentiments that Modi stoked as he rose to power. But it is certainly not coincidental that many of Trumps biggest Hindu supporters are also some of Modis most ardent backers.





At times, the similarity of Trumps and Modis political vocabulary is striking. Modi fed the perception that Indias feckless leaders had failed to allow the country to reach its full potential. And he campaigned as the only one capable of fixing that. I will make such a wonderful India that all Americans will stand in line to get a visa for India, he said once. A centrepiece of his agenda is the Make in India programme.





Its all about India first, or Make India Great, said Sujeeth Draksharam, a civil engineer from Houston who supports Trump. Look at Donald Trump. Its the same thing. Make American Great Again  strong again.





Another similarly powerful sentiment that both leaders have harnessed is grievance. Trump has seized on how the working class feels out of place and left behind in a country that is changing demographically and economically.





Even if Modis appeals were never as crass as Trumps, his followers say he always understood that many Hindus felt their concerns were ignored by Indias secular and, in their minds, deeply corrupt government, which Modi vowed to clean up.





One of the things that Modi very subtly articulated, but was very clear about, was something which nobody wanted to say, said Subramanian Swamy, the BJP MP who is often a thorn in the side of the countrys political elite. And that is that Hindus, despite being 80% of the population, feel like they got a raw deal.





There are important differences: Modi has maintained good relations with US President Barack Obama and is a proponent of free trade. Still, Swamy said, when nationalist-minded Hindus hear Trump, they think that this guy talks the same language.





And Trumps Hindu admirers accept him, controversies and all. How can he be anti-immigrant when two of his three wives have been immigrants, as one recently told India Abroad. Why should he be punished for singling out Muslim terrorism when, as Draksharam said, youve got to call a spade a spade.





Reclaiming the grand Hindu pastManu Bhagavan, who teaches South Asian history at Hunter College, said the Hindu nationalist movement in India and its devotees in the US shared a belief that what was once pure and virtuous about Indian life has been tainted.





They locate this in a grand Hindu past, he said. If you go before Muslims entered India, before all these foreigners came in and messed things up, Hindus could do this, Hindus could do that.





The response, Bhagavan said  whether in India, the US, Britain or any of the countries experiencing a convulsion of anti-globalism right now  is lets barricade ourselves in.





These problems are all stemming from these immigrants, these different people, so lets get rid of them, he said, describing the views of many nationalists. And its easy answers to not such easy problems.





But perhaps the strongest link between Trumps speech and the Hindu nationalists who find his politics so comforting is the issue of terrorism and how bluntly Trump is willing to confront Muslim communities about it. Terrorism committed by Islamic extremists is a scourge that has rattled India as well, from the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that left 172 dead to the Uri attack last month that killed 19 soldiers.





Trumps brand of tough talk, scholars said, gives some Indians a sense that he would be much harder on the countrys longtime adversary, Pakistan. What Donald Trump articulates has given them some food for thought, said Harsh V Pant, a professor of international relations at Kings College London. If there is a Trump presidency, then there might be a stronger Washington policy vis-a-vis Pakistan.





Kumar, the Republican Hindu Coalition founder, said neither he nor Trump was naive about the fact that most Indian-Americans vote for Democrats. But there could be a few, he said, who may hear Trump and discover his message is not all that unfamiliar.

Your typical Trump rally this was not. First there was the ritual Hindu fire, a yagna, which burned in his honour. Then there were the posters, standard Donald Trump head shots except for a touch of artistic interpretation: a tilak, the red dot symbolic of the spiritual third eye in Hindu culture, smudged on his forehead.
Amid a raging debate on triple talaq, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday made a strong pitch for personal laws being in line with the Constitution.



Jaitley also said the laws must be in conformity with the norms of gender equality. He sought to differentiate between the issue of triple talaq  which is before the Supreme Court  and the debate over Uniform Civil Code, a subject on which the Law Commission has initiated an academic exercise which can go on.



The finance minister made it clear that the issue before the Supreme Court was only with regard to the Constitutional validity of triple talaq.



Governments in the past have shied from taking a categorical stand that personal laws must comply with Fundamental Rights. The present government has taken a clear position, he said.



Contending that there was a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals, and civil rights, Jaitley said religious functions associated with birth, adoption, succession, marriage, death can all be conducted through rituals and customs as per the existing religious practices.



However, Jaitley wondered whether rights emanating from birth, adoption, succession, marriage, divorce be guided by religion or Constitutional guarantees.



Can there be inequality or compromise with human dignity in any of these matters, the finance minister asked in a Facebook post titled Triple Talaq and Governments Affidavit.



The finance minister said a conservative view found judicial support over six decades ago that personal laws could be inconsistent with personal guarantees.



Today, it may be difficult to sustain that proposition. The governments affidavit in the triple talaq case recognises this evolution, Jaitley said.



He acknowledged that some people may hold a conservative, if not obsolete, view that personal laws need not be constitutionally compliant.




The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is set to renew its 10-year guidelines on clinical trials using humans as research subjects, even as scientists continue to push the envelop on medical ethics with increasingly complex researches.



The apex councils draft National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research involving human participants will be finalised after analysing the comments received till Saturday.



Finalisation of the document may take a few more months as we have received hundreds of comments from within the country and outside. We carried out a consultation in Bengaluru last week and one more is planned in Delhi in November. All these inputs will go into the final document, ICMR director general Soumya Swaminathan told DH.



The draft is a revised version of ICMRs 2006 guidelines with new chapters on social and behavioural sciences, responsible for the conduct of research and new technologies like genetics. Other specialised areas like the informed consent process, biological materials, vulnerability, international collaboration and research during humanitarian emergencies and disasters have been elaborated in the new draft.



The process of obtaining informed consent from research subjects has been made more stringent following multiple instances of its violation of ethical norms, the most prominent of which was testing of the cervical cancer vaccine in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat almost three years ago.



The informed consent forms will have to be approved by the ethics committee supervising the research. According to the draft norms, one of the committee members will have to be a lay person, whose task will be to review the informed consent documents.



Once accepted, the new guideline will be a key part of the governments initiatives to overhaul the existing clinical trial system, which came under sharp criticism from several courts.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has asked doctors to prescribe drugs rationally and write the names of medicines along with their generic names in capital letters.



Every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters and he/she shall ensure that there is a rational prescription and use of drugs, MCI said in a gazette notification on October 8.



The notification was issued to amend the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette, and Ethics) Regulation 2002. Approved for publication on September 21, this is an upgrade of the previous notification that says doctors should write generic names of the drugs they prescribe.



While irrational prescription of medicine is one of Indias biggest public health threats, experts questioned MCIs motive to come out with the notification at a time when the council is under scanner for its gross failure to get rid of the corrupt practices in the health care system.



Creation of a separate body to replace the MCI is under the governments consideration following the advice of a Parliamentary Standing Committee and recommendations of a high-level panel.



The notification is too vague. The MCI is trying to create an impression that something is being done. This will not work unless the government comes out with treatment specific guidelines, Chandra M Gulhati, a former consultant to the World Health Organisation (WHO) told DH.



Irrational prescriptions are one of the biggest ills in Indian health care. The public health workers, however, wonder if the notification is the best way to tackle this menace.



The MCI neither has the ability nor the capacity to implement such a notification. It has no power to prosecute. How are they even going to monitor the doctors, said Amit Sengupta, a doctor associated with the Peoples Health Movement.



Irrational use of medicines is a major problem worldwide. The WHO estimates that more than half of all medicines are prescribed, dispensed or sold inappropriately, and that half of all patients fail to take them correctly.



India is one of the worlds biggest largest markets of irrational Fixed Dose Combinations (FDC) as such combinations worth Rs 40,000-50,000 crore are sold in India every year.



Pharmaceutical companies are locked in a legal battle with the government on stopping the sale of 344 such irrational FDC earlier this year.



Irrational prescription is basically over prescription as doctors prescribe for 5-6 symptoms without accurately diagnosing the disease. But in the absence of mandatory refresher courses, doctors are often short of knowledge and confidence, leading to irrational prescription, Sengupta added.


Two massive morchas of the politically-dominant Maratha community were held in Mumbais adjoining district Thane and Chiplun in Ratnagiri on Sunday.



The morchas focussed on their long-pending reservation for the Maratha community, amendments in the act against Dalit atrocities and justice in the Kopardi rape-and-murder incident.



Wearing saffron topis with ek Maratha, lakh Maratha written on it, people marched in Thane and Chiplun and later handed over the memorandum to government officials in support of their demand.



Several kids dressed as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj participated in the rally. In a related development, in Nanded, members of the Dalit community staged a morcha demanding amendments in the provisions of Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.



On the other hand, a group of women met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Jalgaon and handed over a memorandum demanding justice for the family members of the Kopardi victim girl, who was from the Maratha community.



As far as the Maratha Kranti Muk Morcha was concerned, this was the second rally in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The other took place on September 21 in the satellite township of Navi Mumbai.



In both these morchas, people from the Maratha community of Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts participated. On Sunday, Thane districts Guardian Minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde also participated in the rally, which started from the Teen Haath Naka and ended near the collectors office. Other participants included Shiv Sena MPs Dr Shrikant Shinde and Rajan Vichare, NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad, senior Congress leader Sachin Sawant and NCP leader Vasant Davkhare.




In the midst of a debate on triple talaq, Congress on Sunday re-inducted former Rajya Sabha member and Islamic scholar Obaidullah Khan Azmi into the party.





Azmi, who shot to fame by his fiery speeches against the Supreme Court verdict in the Shah Bano case, displayed the same aggression by asserting that he would launch an agitation on the Modi governments dishonest attempts to oppose the triple talaq practice in his community.



Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who welcomed Azmi in the Congress, had to mount a fire-fighting exercise by drawing the party line to the new recruit.



Since the matter is before the Supreme Court, according to our policy, there will be no discussion on it, said Azad, who is the AICC general secretary, in-charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh where elections are scheduled early next year.



Earlier, Azad described 67-year-old Azmi as an Islamic scholar who is fluent in Urdu and Arabic and known for his spiritual discourses.



A three-term Rajya Sabha member, Azmi was earlier associated with the Janata Dal and had later joined the Congress. He later had brief stints with the Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party. Congress needed Azmi to strengthen the party, Azad said adding that his appeal among the Muslims across the country would benefit the party. Azmi hails from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
The BRICS summit on Sunday stopped short of specifically denouncing cross-border terror, although Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminded the bloc that the mother ship of terrorism is in the neighbourhood of India.



Tragically, the mother ship of terrorism is a country in Indias neighbourhood. Terror modules around the world are linked to this mother ship, Modi said.



He took the tacit jibe at Pakistan, while welcoming the BRICS leaders at a restricted session that marked the beginning of the eighth summit of the five-nation bloc in Goa.



The BRICS leaders, however, were circumspect on the issue of terrorism. Chinese president Xi Jinping rather stressed on multipronged approach to address both symptoms and root causes when he called for concerted action by the BRICS nations to find political solutions to conflicts in global hotspots.



The Chinese presidents words almost echoed Pakistans argument that the root cause of terrorism targeting India was the dispute over Kashmir.



The BRICS  a bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  held its summit less than a month after September 18 terror attack on the Indian Army camp at Uri in north Kashmir. New Delhi was obviously keen on getting the bloc strongly denounce terrorism, with specific condemnation for cross-border terror.



The Goa Declaration, which was issued by the BRICS leaders at the end of the summit, however, avoided a direct reference to cross-border terror, even as it reminded all nations of their responsibilities to prevent terrorist actions from their territories.



Combating terror



The BRICS called upon all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism, which should include countering violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism, radicalisation, recruitment, movement of terrorists, including foreign terrorist fighters, blocking sources of financing terrorism, including through money-laundering, drug trafficking and criminal activities.


BRICS on Sunday endorsed Indias key argument for admission into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, but stopped just short of supporting New Delhis bid for membership of the cartel.



The eighth summit of the five-nation bloc concluded here with the leaders recognising that nuclear energy would play a significant role for some of the BRICS countries in meeting their 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement commitments and for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions in the long term.



The reference to the significant role of nuclear energy in the Goa Declaration, which was issued by the BRICS leaders at the end of the summit, was in line with argument put forward by New Delhi in support of its plea for Indias membership in the NSG. India of late ratified 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.



Indias intended nationally determined contribution to global effort to mitigate climate change would require it to generate 40% power without using fossil fuel by 2030. The Modi government has a target to raise installed capacity for nuclear power generation from 5780 MWe to 63 GWe by 2032.



New Delhi has been arguing that Indias membership of the NSG would enable it to take part in the process to frame rules for international nuclear trade and would thus provide for a predictable global environment, which would help it implement its plan to substantially raise atomic power generation.



The BRICS leaders Goa Declaration, too, on Sunday underlined the importance of predictability in accessing technology and finance for expansion of civil nuclear energy capacity which would contribute to the sustainable development of the members of the bloc.



It, however, did not directly support Indias bid for membership of the NSG. China has been opposing Indias bid for membership of the NSG.



A meeting between the top diplomats of the two countries in New Delhi last month had failed to make any breakthrough. China maintained its stand that the 48-nation cartel, which controls the global nuclear commerce, should admit India only when it opens its doors to Pakistan and other countries, which did not sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for BRICS-BIMSTEC cooperation for development, with particular focus on energy, agriculture and technology.



To me, the areas of commerce, connectivity, culture, security and disaster management appear promising in identifying collaborative possibilities, Modi said in his opening remarks at the BRICS outreach meeting with BIMSTEC.



BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. India is also a member of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), which includes Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Thailand. Modi, who is hosting the BRICS leaders for its eighth summit, also invited his counterparts from BIMSTEC for a meeting with the five-nation group.



The prime minister stressed on trade, investment and commercial partnerships among the BRICS and BIMSTEC nations. He also suggested that the members of the two blocs could pool resources to fight terrorism and transnational crime.



Economy and commerce can unlock new drivers of growth and benefit. The economic emergence of the BIMSTEC countries fits well with the BRICS countries experiences, he said.


Tension gripped Bengaluru East division after two bike-borne men hacked an RSS worker to death in broad daylight on Kamaraj Road near Commercial Street on Sunday.



The deceased, R Rudresh (35), was a resident of Milk Street Colony in Shivajinagar. Rudresh, who was in the milk supply and real estate business, served as an RSS member and secretary of the BJPs Shivajinagar unit for 15 years. He is survived by wife and two children. According to police, Rudresh left home around 8 am for the RBANMS Ground to participate in the Patha Sanchalana (route march). It concluded by 11 am.



Around 12.30 pm, Rudresh, who had returned home, came back to Kamaraj Road after his friends called him. As he was talking to Jayaram, Kumar and Hari, two people on a bike approached them. The pillion rider hacked Rudresh on his neck with a machete and fled. He collapsed, bleeding profusely. He was shifted to Bowring Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.



As the news spread, RSS activists and BJP workers along with the victims family members and friends stormed the hospital. Anticipating trouble, the police shifted the body to Victoria Hospital for the post-mortem.



City Police Commissioner N S Megharikh told DH, Rudresh has a few cases registered against him, the details of which cannot be disclosed. Personal or business-related reasons could be the motive behind the murder. But, for now, nothing can be ruled out and all angles are being probed.



Five special teams, including one from the Central Crime Branch, have been formed. The investigation has begun and we will arrest the assailants at the earliest. We are questioning Rudreshs friends who were with him when he was murdered. We were told that he had gone home after the Patha Sanchalana and returned to meet his friends, Megharikh said.



RSS members staged a protest at the murder spot and in front of the Commercial Street police station, demanding the arrest of the assailants. They have also called for a bandh in Shivajinagar on Monday. Security has been beefed up in the East division. Police bandobust will continue through Monday to ensure there are no law and order problems.



Former deputy chief minister R Ashoka and Member of Parliament P C Mohan along with others visited the police station and condemned the killing.


The social media not only created a platform for those opposing the steel flyover project but also played an important role in mobilising people for Sundays human chain.





A Facebook group called Join Human Chain to say NO to the VIP #SteelFlyover was shared by nearly 20,000 people. Nikhil H S, 26, who works in the ITPL, Whitefield, came to the protest site after learning about it on the social media. Its the love for my city and for preserving its greenery that I came with my friends to join the opposition to the project, he said.



He was not alone. Many people did register their protest against the project. Twitter and Facebook were flooded with feeds and pictures of the protest.



Sandalwood actor Samyukta Hornad, who attended the protest, had used the social media on Saturday to urge people to join her.



#SteelFlyoverBeda, or no steel flyover, was one of the most talked about topics on social media on Sunday, reflecting the strong public sentiment against the state governments plan to go ahead with the controversial infrastructure project.



Bengalureans  some known, others unknown, across ages and classes  came out in large numbers on Sunday to form a human chain between Basaveshwara Circle and Mehkri Circle in protest against the project. Soon enough, the Internet had an uninterrupted volley of posts on the matter.



Though the issue is being debated and dissected over the past few days, #SteelFlyoverBeda trended on Twitter only on Sunday.



I strongly go against building the #SteelFlyover ..it will completely destroy the city. Please #savebengaluru .. we have other options (sic), Vamsi Krishna tweeted. On Facebook, Prakasha Shanbog wrote, Steel(or steal?)flyover is not preferred globally. Its maintenance cost is high & for B.luru not worth at the cost of 812 trees.What a turnout for #HumanChain to say #SteelFlyoverBeda! This is why #Namma #Bengaluru is great! (sic) .



Another netizen, Wanitha Ashok, wrote on Facebook, Congested roads you say? Shouldnt we bring in odd-day system, shouldnt we encourage car pooling, shouldnt we improve public transport ??? (sic)


The Greenback continued to push higher against all the major crosses at the end of the week despite somewhat dovish Fedspeak and mixed economic data published Stateside.

The US dollar spot index ended the day up by 0.52% to 98.02.

Cable retreated 0.54% to 1.2183 and euro/dollar skidded 0.56% to end at 109.71, while US dollar/yen rose 0.43% to 104.12.

Early on Friday, Boston Fed president Eric Rosengren reiterated his stance in favour of an immediate rate hike, arguing that there were risks associated with overshooting the sustainable rate of unemployment.

"We tended to move around the time that the chair has a press conference. So the next press conference meeting is in December. There's a much higher probability in December," he said.

Rosengren also indicated the Fed could modify its balance sheet if necessary to steepen the yield curve, but stopped short of calling for such action, according to Market News International.

"Price to earnings ratios for stocks and price to rent for residential real estate are only somewhat elevated and are well below previous peaks."

"In contrast, 10-year Treasury rates and commercial real estate capitalization rates are unusually low relative to the past," he said.

Yet later in the day, Fed chair Janet Yellen indicated that there might be benefits in allowing the labour market to tighten further.

Data published on Friday was generally supportive of the US dollar, with retail sales volumes growing by 0.6% month-on-month in September, as expected, while producer prices edged past forecasts in September.

The University of Michigans preliminary reading on consumer confidence for October on the other hand undershot forecasts.
OSU doctors speak in patients' native language to improve health care

A new Ohio State program connecting doctors who speak the same language as their patients improves patient trust and medical outcomes.
Gradually and then suddenly?

: DoubleLines Jeffrey Gundlach dropped a new name to worry about on the European bank front. He says if push comes to shove, the German government will support. But what about, which has shown a similar decline in stock price? Whos there to bail them out?-- MarketWatch.com . Italysis matching Credit Suisses year-to-date losses. Spainsis down 60% year-to-date. Gundlach has also said theis running the risk of bankrupting its lenders, and Deutsche is a poster child for this: Rail Freight Gets Clocked from all Sides in this Economy | Wolf Street : "Total US freight rail traffic, as measured in carloads and intermodal units, fell 6.1% in the week ended October 8, from the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads reported today. It was down 10% from the same week two years ago." See also: Freight Rail Traffic Plunges: Haunting Pictures of Transportation Recession | Wolf Street
This years Cheerios Childline Breakfast takes place from October 17th-21st, when people around Ireland are encouraged to host or attend a breakfast in aid of Childline, or make a donation by text.

St Josephs NS Breakfast Club has organised a breakfast in Dundalk to raise funds for the campaign and are busy getting ready for the event.

As Irelands only 24-hour service for Children, ISPCC Childline believes that every child, every morning, deserves to Rise and Shine. Funds raised through Cheerios Childline Breakfast helps ensure Childine is there for children, every day  and night.

Childline answers over 1,000 calls from children all over Ireland, every single day, and night. Children call Childline to talk about everything from everyday troubles to major life issues, with thousands of calls every year from children experiencing issues such as loneliness, isolation, bullying, distress and abuse. Last year, Childline answered 421,672 calls to the phone service and 18,304 conversations to its Childline online service options.

Over the past ten years the Cheerios Childline Breakfast has become one of the biggest fundraisers for Childline, with last years event raising over 230,000 for the service.

Grainia Long, CEO of the ISPCC said: Children value Childline, because Childline values them, respects their rights as individuals and provides a forum for children to talk about any issue that they wish.

We would like to thank the creches, schools and organisations all across the country for taking part in Cheerios Childline Breakfast. Your involvement is ensuring that we are there for the children and young people who need us  every day and night.

Tess Hughes from St Josephs NS Breakfast Club said: We are delighted to be taking part in the Cheerios Childline Breakfast Week. As well as raising funds for much-needed support at Childline, it is a great morning for the children with everyone getting involved. Thanks to all of our staff for providing their time and energy for such a great cause. We would encourage creches and workplaces all across Co Louth to get involved in this amazing fundraiser.

To be part of Cheerios Childline Breakfast log onto www.childlinebreakfast.ie, call 1850 50 40 50 or email breakfast@ispcc.ie. A registration pack comprising of posters, money box and information on the event will be sent out to those wishing to host a breakfast.

Donations can be made by simply texting Rise to 50300*. Text costs 4. ISPCC will receive a minimum of 3.25. Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline: 076 6805278
Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V Camera

Sony has announced a new flagship model for their popular Cyber-shot RX100 series of compact cameras, the RX100 V (model DSC-RX100M5).

The exciting new camera brings a new level of AF performance and speed to todays compact camera market. It is equipped with a Fast Hybrid AF system with the worlds fastest AF acquisitioni at 0.05 seconds and worlds highest number of AF points on sensori with 315 points covering approximately 65% of the frame. The camera can also shoot continuously at speeds of up to 24 fps  the worlds fastest for a compact camerai  at full 20.1 MP (approx. effective) resolution with AF/AE tracking for up to 150 continuous shots.

The RX100 V is equipped with a newly developed 1.0-type stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor with a DRAM chip, a ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70 mm F1.8  2.8 large aperture lens and an enhanced image processing system with a new front-end LSI chip that maximises processing speed, expands the memory buffer and optimises image quality, in particular at high ISO settings. The camera also features 4K video recording with full pixel readout and no pixel binning, super slow motion recording at up to 1000 fps with extended recording time and more.

Fast Focusing, Fast Shooting

A first for Sonys RX100 series of cameras, the new RX100 V model features a Fast Hybrid AF system that combines the respective advantages of focal-plane phase detection AF and contrast detection AF and ultimately enables the camera to lock focus in as little as 0.05 seconds.ii This high speed focusing is a perfect complement to the 315 dedicated AF points that cover 65% of the sensor, and ensures that shooters will be able to capture their intended subject with high speed and accuracy, even if its moving rapidly in unpredictable directions.

Additionally, processing speed has been greatly enhanced through the addition of a front-end LSI that perfectly supports the cameras BIONZ X image processing engine. These two components combined with the powerful AF system allow the camera to shoot continuously at speeds of up to 24 fpsiii at full 20.1 MP (approx. effective) resolution for up to 150 shotsiv with AF/AE tracking. Viewfinder blackout between shots has also been minimised in this high-speed shooting mode, which greatly improves photographers ability to follow fast action and capture the decisive moment. Silent shooting is also available in these high-speed modes as well.vii

Other advancements to AF performance on the new RX100 V include the addition of AF-A mode, which allows the camera to automatically switch between continuous and single-shot AF modes. Users can also manually select if theyd like the continuous AF and phase detection AF areas to be displayed live on screen while they are framing a shot.

The RX100 V also has a high speed Anti-Distortion Shutter (maximum speed of 1/32000 second) that minimises the rolling shutter effect commonly experienced with fast moving subjects. This fast shutter speed also allows the camera to capture sharp, crystal clear images with a wide open aperture at brightness levels up to EV19. Shooting at wide aperture with the fast shutter speed allows photographers and videographers to capture beautiful content with sharply focused subjects and defocused backgrounds under some of the most difficult, bright lighting conditions.

New on the RX100 V, users can freely select the initial magnification ratio when shooting in a mode with Focus Magnifier, and can select between focus point and centre of display for the location of Focus Magnifier.

Professional Movie Functionality

The pocket-friendly RX100 V is packed with a variety of video capabilities that will satisfy even the most demanding video enthusiasts.

With Fast Hybrid AF, the focal plane phase detection AF sensor ensures accurate focusing and tracking performance, even for the severe focusing requirements of 4K movie shooting. AF drive speed and AF tracking sensitivity can also be adjusted via the menu system, giving shooters plenty of flexibility based on their focusing preferences.

In 4K mode,vi the new RX100 V utilises full pixel readout without pixel binning to ensure that all the finer details of 4K video are captured with minimal moire and jaggies. These high-quality results are achieved through use of the XAVC S codec, which records video at a high data rate of up to 100 Mbps during 4K recording and 50 Mbps during full HD shooting.

Additional professional grade video features include Picture Profile, S-Log2 /S-Gamut, 100p HD Full HD mode and more. Users also have the ability to manually select a frame from a recorded movie and save it as a still image file of approximately 8 MP during 4K shooting or 2 MP during HD shooting.

The RX100 V is able to record super-slow motion video at up to 40x slower than the standard rate, and can do this for about twice as long as the RX100 IV model. This extended time allowing users to capture a series of high-speed, fleeting moments of action with incredible detail, resolution and clarity.

Prior to shooting, users will have the ability to choose among 1000fps, 500fps and 250fps frame rates and among 50p and 25p playback formats to optimise the recording to fit the speed of the moving subject, with the option to use the movie record button as a start trigger to begin recording once button is pressed or end trigger to record footage up until the button is pressed.

Pocket-Friendly Design, Premium Performance

The new RX100 V maintains the convenient pocket-sized design of the remainder of the RX100 family and is equipped with a high-contrast 2.35 million dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder, ensuring true-to-life image preview and playback functionality. The EVF conveniently retracts in and out of the camera body based on user preference, and features optics with ZEISS T* Coating.

The new camera is also Wi-Fi and NFC compatible and can access Sonys growing range of PlayMemories Camera Applications. Learn more at www.sony.net/pmca.

Another convenient addition is the ability for users to freely set the leading three characters of saved file names for easier sorting and organisation.

There will also be a new underwater housing (model MPK-URX100A) that will be available as a separate accessory for the RX100 V and all other RX100 series cameras. Designed exclusively to fit the RX100 cameras, the housing features a depth level of 40m/130ft.
Golden sunshine and golden visas draw wealthy foreigners from far and wide to Portuguese property market

With its economy rebounding and property prices on the up, Portugal is setting about building a future that guards against the economic vulnerabilities of the past.

One method of doing so has been to court wealthy foreigners by promoting the attractions of property ownership in Portugal and the Portuguese lifestyle, as well as the Iberian nations value as an entry point into the Schengen Area.

Luiz Augusto Teixeira de Freitas of TFRA Law Firm is one of those looking to encourage buyers from overseas to purchase Portuguese property. He recently addressed delegates in Qatar at the Portugal Real Estate Investment Opportunities seminar, explaining,

The Golden Visa is a programme the Portuguese government launched in 2012 to attract investment in the country. The idea was to grant people a permanent visa which allows the person who makes investment to live in the country either with the family or to spend some time in Portugal.

One of the possibilities for the visa is the acquisition of real estate property with a minimum value of 500,000 euros With only one investment of this value, you can obtain visa for yourself and your family, including children who are of age, but economically dependent on the visa-holder.

As if that werent tempting enough, the Portuguese non-habitual residents tax scheme means that those accepted as having non-habitual residency status dont have to pay any income tax in Portugal on earnings from overseas for an entire decade. Pension, dividend, royalty and interest income are also covered by the scheme.

Portugals efforts are certainly paying dividends. Figures from the countrys immigration office, SEF, show that 2,700 golden visas were issued between the schemes launch in 2012 and July 2016.

Every one of those meant a minimum investment of 500,000, meaning that the scheme has generated in excess of 1.35 billion for Portugal thus far. And the scheme is becoming increasingly popular. SEF figures show that 821 golden visas were approved in the first six months of 2016  more than were approved for the whole of 2015.

The Chinese were the first to jump on the Portuguese golden visa scheme, but applications from the Middle East, Russia, Brazil and elsewhere are now catching up.

Chris White, Founding Director of leading estate agency Ideal Homes Portugal, comments, Overseas buyers turn to Portugal for several reasons. As well as the fabulous weather, stunning scenery and family atmosphere, the property market has great potential. Although rising, house prices are low by many countries standards and the golden visa programme and non-habitual resident tax benefits mean that moving here is an incredibly attractive option for wealthy buyers looking to settle in Europe and reduce their tax burden. Generating rental income from holidaymakers is also an option in popular tourist areas like the Algarve. Brazilians of course have the added advantage of already speaking the language fluently!

As White points out, prices are indeed rising in Portugal. The latest RICS/Ci Portuguese Housing Market Survey highlights the fact that prices are rising in all regions, while survey respondents are confident in growth of just under 3% over the coming year. In terms of lettings, interest from tenants was found to have risen sharply in August, with demand outstripping supply.

The stability of Portugal, particularly when compared to their own economy, has certainly won over many Brazilian property investors. Figures from the APEMIP (Portugals association of estate agents) show that Brazil has become the top non-European investor in Portuguese property, knocking China off the top spot and accounting for one in ten of all property sales to foreign buyers in Q2 2016. Only the UK and France are buying more properties in Portugal now than Brazilians are.

Middle Eastern buyers are also on the up. Karl Howard and Fiona Little from Dubai recently spent 1.25 million on a luxurious villa in the picturesque village of Loule in the Algarve through Ideal Homes Portugal.

Karl comments, We fell in love with Portugal within 24 hours on our first visit, and within 3 days had put an offer in on our house. The people are lovely, the weather is great and we can achieve a high standard of living in the Algarve.

Luxury villas are certainly not in short supply for those who can afford them, which is another strong part of Portugals appeal to wealthy foreign buyers. 1.2 million is enough to buy a stunning, contemporary seven bedroom villa with pool and charming guest cottage in the sun-kissed Algarve, while for 4.444 million is enough to buy a villa with its own beach and moat.

For further details, visit idealhomesinternational.co.uk.
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PUEBLA CITY, Mexico  The Fourth Annual IberoAmerican Seminar on Science, Technology and Innovation Journalism unspooled here last week. Puebla, if you dont know (I didnt), is the fourth-largest city in Mexico, capital of one of its thirty-two states, situated eighty miles southeast of Mexico City on the colonial road from Vera Cruz, Mexicos Atlantic port, and home to a university with prominent school of journalism. Conference headliners were prize-winning journalists from El Pais, El Mundo, Le Monde, Nature, and the BBC. My presence owed to a ten-year-old book. The invitation arrived just as word began to leak out about Paul Romers impending appointment as chief economist of the World Bank.

Romer was the central figure in my Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations: A Story of Economic Discovery (Norton, 2006). When my turn came, I sought, none too successfully, to explain the significance of the distinction Romer introduced in 1990, between two familiar categories  rival goods (those that can be possessed by only one person at a time) and public goods (those that may be enjoyed by one person without reducing their availability to others)  and a third category, nonrival, partially-excludible goods, meaning recipe knowledge of all sorts, acquired by effort and design, everything from software and other sorts of recordings to industrial processes and organizational procedures. Romers mathematical paper Endogenous Technological Change, published in the Journal of Political Economy, put science and technology, research and development, secrets and intellectual property, at the heart of the differences in the wealth of nations.

At one point, to illustrate the story of what Romer had persuasively shown, I told the story of Russell Marker. Born in 1902, Marker was a chemist who left the University of Maryland without completing his PhD and in his early twenties developed the octane-rating system and various refining practices for Ethyl Corp. When the Rockefeller Institute, which had hired him for his organo-synthesis skills, declined to permit him work on hormones (in the tradition German research universities, a senior scientist had dibs on the topic), Marker quit, in 1934, and joined Pennsylvania State University, with a lab funded by Detroit pharmaceutical manufacturer Parke-Davis Inc. It was in State College, Pa., that Marker discovered how to synthesize the hormone progesterone from diosgenin, a compound obtained from the sarsaparilla root, a process previously deemed chemically impossible by high authority, including his Rockefeller boss.

Though abundant, sarsaparilla was too slender a root to make attractive its cultivation as a feedstock. Marker began seeking a better diosgenin source. The hunt ultimately led to Mexico, where in 1942  with war looming and anti-American feelings running high  Marker located a couple of huge yams of an otherwise-unprized species nicknamed cabeza de negro (blackamoor head) growing in rural state of Vera Cruz, and successfully smuggled one back to Detroit. There he demonstrated his synthesis and sought to persuade Parke-Davis to commercialize his process in Mexico  he had developed a fondness for the place. The company chairman refused  he had formed an ill opinion of Mexicans during an Acapulco vacation  and Marker ultimately concluded he had no option but to do it myself. He withdrew half his savings, returned to Mexico in the fall of 1942, collected ten tons of the yams, boiled them down to a syrup, sent the liquid to a friends lab in New York for processing, and wound up with three mason jars of progesterone. The hormone, useful in treating human pregnancy disorders, had to that point been obtained by boiling down thousands of gallons of the urine of pregnant mares. It was selling for $80 a gram.

Marker began looking for Mexican partners. He found two, quit Penn State and Parke-Davis (which neglected to prepare claims to a patent for Markers signature) in 1943, and the next year formed a company chartered as Syntex, S.A. When that collaboration ended in disagreement, Marker decamped, taking his knowledge with him, and formed a new company, Botanica-Mac. Syntex was forced to hire George Rosenkranz, a Swiss chemist working in Cuba, to reverse engineer the process. Rozenkranz succeeded, began manufacturing testosterone as well (so had Marker) and started a powerful research program. Marker, meanwhile, run out of business by unspecified threats in 1946, joined a third firm, Hormonosynth. Then after 1949, he stopped publishing in chemical journals and to all intents disappeared. Rumors were that he had died or become insane.

He had done neither. For the next twenty years Marker lived quietly in Mexico City and State College, supervising the reproduction of various art works for sale to collectors, especially the work of three important eighteenth-century silversmiths. He re-entered public life after 1969, to be honored by the Mexican government, and, in due course, awarded an honorary PhD by the University of Maryland. The story was carefully written up as an International Historic Landmark by the American Chemical Society, and an extensive interview recorded by the Chemical Heritage Society.

A larger story began at Syntex after Marker left. By 1949, a team led by Carl Djerassi, one of the young chemists Rozenkranz hired, had synthesized cortisone, inexpensively producing a widely-useful anti-inflammatory medicine previously obtained only from ox bile. Two years later, the real revolution began, when Upjohn Co. hired Syntex to produce ten tons of progesterone at 48 cents a gram for its new birth control pill. Less noted has been the role that Syntex played in establishing the Insituto de Quimica, an organic chemistry research program for Latin American chemists. The ACS Chemical Landmark booklet notes, In 1951, Fortune magazine headlined, Syntex make the biggest technological boom ever heard south of the border. Considering the impact the Mexican steroid industry would have on world health and culture, Fortune greatly underestimated the power of the explosion. Today, of course, the impact of its vibrant pharmaceutical industry on Mexican living standards  all Mexican living standards is obvious as well.

When Marker walked off the job in chemistry, it didnt matter; the processes of research, investment and education had already begun. When Paul Romer did something of the same in economics, I told the audience in Puebla, it mattered more. Like Marker, Romer has been his own man every step of the way. He was able to leave the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1979 after two years of graduate study for the University of Chicago, with a year at Ontarios Queens University in between, thanks to his National Science Foundation fellowship. Chicago hired him from the University of Rochester as a full professor in 1988, but he left after a year and a half for what turned out, after a year at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavior Sciences in Stanford, to be a job at the University of California at Berkeley, returning five years later to the Graduate School of Business at Stanford.

Romer began a research program in socioeconomics after moving to California, but ended it after 2000. In 2001 he founded an educational software company, Aplia, and sold it in 2007 for a tidy sum. The same year he quit Stanford and economics altogether. He left a younger generation of talented economists working on growth, notably Charles I. Jones, who replaced him at GSB Stanford; a residue of rancorous but seemingly trivial priority claims by rivals; and, at the uppermost level of work on the problems he had raised, a conspicuous void.

Romer reappeared publicly in 2009, this time with a foundation and a TED talk in which he proposed an institution he called charter cities, special manufacturing zones in developing countries in which local governments would be administered by foreign nations willing to undertake the task. Romer explained that he had been inspired by the example of the island nation of Mauritius, where foreign capital poured into garment manufacturing during the 1980s after government moved to protect investors; inspired, too, by the failure of turn-key cities built by Chinese contractors in Indonesia when the Indonesian government foreclosed investment opportunities at the last moment. Charter cities would copy Hong Kong, where British courts fostered Chinese development over the course of a hundred years. Fledgling attempts failed in Madagascar and Honduras.

In 2011 Romer returned to teaching, at New York University, this time as director of a policy-oriented Urbanization Project. In 2012 he was a presenter at a Nobel Symposium designed to assess recent work in growth and development. With the award last year to Angus Deaton, of Princeton University, the symposium produced the first of what eventually may be several Nobel prizes. And last summer he agreed to take the job at the World Bank.

It was at the meetings of the American Economic Association in Boston, in January 2015, in a session devoted to the New Growth Economics after Twenty-Five Years that Romer truly walked off the job. He eschewed his program topic, Nonrival Goods, in favor of a stinging attack on his University of Chicago mentor, Robert Lucas, sitting on the dais beside him, for the sin of what he labeled mathiness  imprecise mathematics employed to cloak the maintenance of preferred assumptions, in this case the caricature of economic life known as perfect competition. The borrowing from televisions Stephen Colbert  mathiness is a version of Colberts truthiness, something which resembles the truth but isnt  did little to clarify the issue, since truth is a term seldom heard among serious economists. Persuasive (or not) is as far as the boldest will go. Since then Romer has moved on to relatively frequent blogging, culminating in The Trouble with Macroeconomics, posted last month, an essay version of an earlier lecture that begins,

Lee Smolin begins The Trouble with Physics (Houghton Mifflin, 2006) by noting that his career spanned the only quarter-century in the history of physics when the field made no progress on its core problems. The trouble with macroeconomics is worse. I have observed more than three decades of intellectual regress.

Such broadsides rarely, if ever, influence professional opinion, where the dictum that only a better candidate beats a bad one is an article of faith. This one revealed all too clearly that Romer didnt have one.  that he hadnt so much as a clue to offer. One result is that he is today all but shunned by many of his former close associates. Thanks for the lecture, Paul, bellowed a leading figure of the next generation after Romer finished a lengthy discussion of anothers paper. Another is that the journalism-grade arguments I wanted to make in Puebla about the effects of specialization on scale and vice versa are not ready to hand  propositions about why big firms get ahead and stay there; why inequalities often persist and grow; why the rate of change of technology and education may be a race and not a waltz; why, after a couple of hundred years, the rate of global growth may be slowing down. The Swedes bear some responsibility, too, for the slow reception of new growth theory. Big changes in the dogma make hard prizes.

On his blog, Romer has resumed updating changes in his original thinking. But after nearly twenty-five years, The Origins of Endogenous Growth, from the Journal of Economic Perspectives in 1994, remains his last attempt to explain the work he began in the 80s but never finished. He is not Russell Marker, disappearing from the frontier of important science to reproduce treasures made long ago, but neither has he participated in what the profession considers serious research for nearly twenty years.

In the course of a few years in the late 80s, Romer changed one major wing of economic theory, permanently; he wasnt able to do it again, to another. The rest of the discipline, macroeconomics in particular, hasnt kept up. I wished, as I flew home from Puebla, that he was still a working economist, instead of the public intellectual he has become. Ruefulness greets him now when he encounters old friends. But he has rolled up his sleeves and taken up policy matters. He retains the same winning manner, the same deep intelligence, an uncommon feeling for development strategies, and a lively interest in refugee problems. I wished he would forget about the two-front war, leave the reconstruction of macro to its serious students, and concentrate on the task at hand.
For coffee drinkers, theres really nothing more terrifying than the thought of waking up one morning and being all out of java. One way to ensure that never happens is to sign up for a coffee subscription service. This not only keeps you well-stocked, but it also gives you the opportunity to sample some high-quality and organic coffee beans from around the world.

Of course, like any eco-friendly meal kit service, a coffee subscription box should match your own preferences while also being good for people and the planet. You can now get a subscription for almost anything, including vitamin subscription services and eco-friendly cleaning products. Why not add coffee to your list? In this article, well take a closer look at some of the top organic and specialty coffee subscription options on the market today.

Our Picks for the Top Coffee Subscriptions

Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. You can learn more about our review methodology here. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.

How We Chose the Best Coffee Subscriptions

Min Kim / Getty Images

Before we get into specific recommendations, it may be helpful to note some of the criteria we used for making our assessment. Our ranking factors include:

Coffee Selection

Some subscription services do a better job than others of giving coffee lovers lots of options, not only allowing you to pick between different beans, but also allowing you to pick from whole bean vs. ground coffee. We also gave bonus points to subscription services that provide freshly-roasted craft coffee.

Subscription Options

Another important consideration is how much flexibility you have in your actual subscription. We love services that give you some choice in how much coffee you actually need, how often you wish to receive your next box, and the ability to try new flavors.

USDA Organic/Fair Trade/Rainforest Alliance Certifications

Many coffee drinkers will want to verify that their purchase is Fair Trade and/or USDA organic certified. We looked for the best coffee subscriptions that make the environment and the people that grow their coffee a priority in sourcing. If they didnt have these certifications, we looked to see if they explained how they approached their sourcing instead.

Single-Origin Coffee

A lot of enthusiasts prefer single-origin coffee; that is, coffee made exclusively from beans grown in one specific geographic area. Single-origin coffee tends to provide unique characteristics and flavor notes that blended coffees cannot match.

Sustainability

If youre looking to minimize your environmental footprint then youll definitely want to account for the sustainability practices of each subscription service. This can encompass the services supply chain, production, packaging, and shipping.

Pricing

Naturally, one of the deciding factors in your organic coffee or healthy energy drink subscription will be the price. Some subscriptions are more budget-friendly than others. We tried to select subscription options that that are affordable and still offer subscribers amazing coffee they cant find at the grocery store.

Our 13 Favorite Organic and Specialty Coffee Subscriptions

Best Organic Coffee: Purit y Coffee puritycoffee.com Purity Coffee claims that their process maximizes the health benefits naturally found in coffee. They only use 100% USDA-certified organic coffee beans for all of their coffees. These are then screened for pesticides and molds, and then roasted using a special smokeless roasting process to ensure it contains the highest-possible levels of antioxidants. Subscribers can save on each order, and prepaid subscriptions receive free shipping. Why buy: Not only is Purity Coffee 100% organic, its also sustainably sourced. They offer several specialty Founders Roasts that are Rainforest Alliance-certified and Smithsonian Bird Friendly-certified for the growers commitment to biodiversity and habitat conservation. Buy

Best Keto Coffee: Bulletproof Coffee bulletproof.com Bulletproof Coffee is a keto coffee, or butter coffee, that contains both high-quality coffee and good fats to provide even more fuel to your mornings. Its meant to replace carb and sugar-heavy breakfasts while giving you what you need to get going. Bulletproof Coffee uses Rainforest Alliance-certified beans grown in direct partnership with farmers on high-altitude estates in Guatemala and Colombia. With their subscription option you can save 10% on each order, and receive free shipping on orders over . Why buy: Not only can Bulletproof Coffee change the way you start your day with a keto-friendly cup of coffee, but the coffee itself is grown using sustainable methods, is sustainably washed and mechanically dried, and then thoroughly tested for toxins and impurities. Buy

Best Subscription: Yes Plz Coffee yesplz.coffee Yes Plz Coffee offers a coffee subscription service that delivers a new and unique blend every single week. You can choose the size and schedule of your deliveries, including an 8.8 oz or 12 oz package delivered every week, every two weeks, every three weeks, or once a month. They source their coffee beans from smaller importers who prioritize transparency and relationships with their growers and millers. Why buy: We love that Yes Plz Coffee offers so many different subscription options to fit your schedule, and that they can provide a unique roast each and every week. This is a great way to experience a new, expertly roasted coffee every week, or every month, that you can cancel any time. Buy

Best Coffee Selection: Angels Cup angelscup.com If youre just getting into serious coffee consumption, or want to dip your toes into the subscription model, Angels Cup is an excellent starting point. You can begin by getting just a single 12 ounce bag of coffee, and they also offer blind sampler packs and subscriptions with different frequency levels, including weekly, twice monthly, or monthly. Their mobile app will help you discover the different tasting notes to find your favorites. Why buy: Theres a lot of flexibility built into the Angels Cup model, making it an ideal choice for those who are new to the gourmet coffee scene. While they dont source the coffees themselves, they do work with roasters who pay well-above Fair Trade prices. Buy

Best Carbon-Free Coffee: Grounds for Change groundsforchange.com Grounds for Change has a reputation for being one of the most progressive, stewardship-minded coffee companies out there. If youre looking for Fair Trade, organic, and/or carbon-free options, this certified B corp is where you can find them. They also showcase a lot of unique collections, from single-origin coffees to some enticing decaf options, that are well worth investigating. Were more than happy to include Grounds for Change on our list. Why buy: In terms of social responsibility, Grounds for Change cant be topped. They are the only company on our list that offers carbon-free coffee, meaning they offset 100% of the emissions from their coffees. Buy

Best B Corp Coffee: Conscious Coffees consciouscoffees.com Conscious Coffees has made some really admirable investments in coffee-growing communities across the world. Their model of sustainability and corporate responsibility is commendable, but they are equally passionate about exquisite roasting. They belong on our list for these reasons and so many more, including their emphasis on 100 percent organic coffee, small-batch freshness, and sustainable sourcing. Why buy: Conscious Coffees sets a high bar for stewardship and responsibility. We strongly recommend them to anyone who wants to invest in sustainable coffee-farming across the world. Buy

Best for International Coffees: Atlas Coffee Club atlascoffeeclub.com One of the many reasons to consider a subscription coffee service is that it will give you a chance to explore different flavors from around the world. And there is no subscription service that serves up international variety quite like Atlas Coffee Club. Each month, youll get a new coffee from a different country like Costa Rica, Colombia, or Ethiopia, in a bag thats modeled after indigenous textiles or local landscapes. For anyone who loves to travel or simply likes to try new things, Atlas Coffee Club offers a truly transportive experience. Why buy: Theres no better option for trying out different coffee flavors from across cultures. The company also pays well above market prices to growers to support ethically sustainable farming practices. Buy

Best for Specialty Coffees: Bean Box beanbox.com Bean Box is another outstanding choice for java enthusiasts who are curious to sample different tastes. Based in Seattle, Bean Box partners with different coffee roasters who specialize in single-origin coffees and coffee blends from around the world, including Africa, South America, and more. Theyll send you a different blend each month, allowing you to develop a really broad and sophisticated palette. We also really love the price point on this one, which offers a great value. Why buy: If youre looking for a budget-friendly way to sample specialty coffees, Bean Box is a great coffee subscription service to consider. Buy

Best for Artisan Coffees: Mistobox mistobox.com If youre attempting to maximize your coffee variety, youll probably be over the moon about Mistobox. This coffee subscription company boasts partnerships with more than 50 roasters across the world, which is all but unparalleled. We also recommend them due to their commitment to Fair Trade and ecologically sustainable practices. Mistobox has a coffee curation service that will help you determine just where to start. So, if you feel overwhelmed by all the different organic coffee options, Mistobox has you covered. Why buy: We recommend Mistobox for their sustainability, their corporate citizenship, their sheer variety of organic coffees, and their curation options. Buy

Most Eco-Friendly: Driftaway Coffee driftaway.coffee With Driftaway Coffee, the name of the game is personalization. Their service will actually enable you to establish coffee profiles, pinpointing your tastes and helping them determine exactly what to send you each month. As if that werent enough, Driftaway guarantees single-source whole bean coffees, and they also do an exemplary job of providing compostable packaging. Finally, they have a sustainability program that supports regional farmers. Why buy: A great pick for single-origin whole bean coffee, and also a really great model for sustainability within the single-origin coffee subscription vertical. Buy

Best Variety of Brews: Blue Bottle Coffee bluebottlecoffee.com If you really want your coffee to be as fresh as can be, then we heartily recommend Blue Bottle Coffee. They ship everything within 48 hours of roasting, ensuring you get the most vibrant flavors. Another thing well mention about this organic coffee subscription service is that they provide a lot of different options for espresso, decaf, single-origin, and blended coffees. Theres definitely a lot to like here, especially if youre keen on small-batch coffee. Why buy: For fresh flavors and plenty of variety, Blue Bottle Coffee is a great choice. The majority of their coffees are certified organic, and they pay at least Fair Trade prices to growers, often more. Buy

Most Affordable: Peets Coffee peets.com Peets Coffee has a ton of great products to consider, including some eclectic subscription options. You can take your pick between their small batch series, single-origin coffees, signature blends, and beyond. Whats more, they boast plenty of flexibility with scheduling, making it easy to get coffee exactly when you need it. Plus they offer free shipping on coffee subscriptions. Why buy: Peets is an outstanding choice for anyone seeking plenty of variety and built-in flexibility. You may recognize them from the grocery store, but this brand is seriously committed to responsible sourcing, support for local farmers, and energy-efficient roasting. Buy

Best for Homes and Offices: Crema Coffee crema.co Crema Coffee is a popular choice among coffee connoisseurs, and its not hard to understand why. There are over 450 coffees to choose from, spanning roasters located all over the world. You can customize your subscription to make certain you only get the roasts youre really going to be into, and you can even rate coffees to help keep track of your tastes. Crema Coffee offers subscription packages for your household and for your workplace. Why buy: Crema Coffee offers incredible variety, plenty of options for personalization, and even a subscription model for your office. They ensure that they only work with roasters committed to an ethical coffee supply chain. Buy

How Does a Coffee Subscription Work?



amenic181 / iStock / Getty Images Plus



Clearly, there are plenty of options to choose from as you seek a subscription-based coffee delivery service. But if youre new to this whole concept, you may have some lingering questions about precisely what you can expect from your coffee subscription.

First of all, keep in mind that these subscriptions, like ones you can get for eco-friendly laundry detergent subscriptions, all work a little bit differently. Most of the companies on our list offer a coffee of the month club and provide different coffees to try with each delivery.

For a general overview of the coffee subscription process, though, you can typically expect something a bit like this:

Select the Type of Subscription You Want

Are you looking to get just a sampler of coffee beans each month? Or do you want to stay well-supplied, with new coffees arriving more frequently? Choosing your preferred subscription model is usually the first step.

Choose What Kind of Coffee You Want

Different subscription services will allow you different levels of customization, but there is always some way of indicating your preferences, whether you like dark roasts over light roasts, single-origin coffees over blends, etc.

Get Coffee Delivered to You

Most coffee subscription services will box your coffee in recyclable/compostable materials and deliver right to your front door. Because its so important to maintain freshness, most subscription companies ship within a day or two of roasting.

Prepare Your Coffee

Note that, with whole bean options, youll actually need a grinder to grind your coffee; if you choose ground coffee, then it will be ready to brew as soon as it shows up at your door.

Try New Types of Coffee

Finally, note that subscription coffee companies tend to rotate their roaster throughout the year. Make sure you explore some different options, and you might just discover your next favorite coffee!

Coffee Subscription FAQ

What is Fair Trade coffee?

Weve highlighted the importance of Fair Trade coffee, but what exactly does this term mean? Essentially, when you buy Fair Trade coffee, it means that you are directly supporting local coffee-growing families in the developing world. More specifically, Fair Trade denotes a commitment to fair prices, community development efforts, and good stewardship of the environment. The Fair Trade designation is an important way to verify that youre getting ethically-sourced coffee beans. Fair Trade sets a floor on prices that allow coffee farmers to make a living, and many specialty coffee roasters pay much more than Fair Trade prices to local growers.

How is Organic Coffee Grown?

Another common question: What does it mean for coffee to be USDA-certified as organic? Fundamentally, organic coffee is grown without the use of any artificial chemicals, including prohibited pesticides and herbicides. To achieve the official USDA certification, a coffee must be at least 95 percent organic. Growers in certain regions may have trouble attaining this certification for various reasons, but specialty roasters typically seek to support sustainable farming practices and supply chains.

What is Single-Origin Coffee?

Single-origin coffee refers to a coffee made with beans that are all grown in one specific region. This type of coffee offers some really unique flavors and characteristics. The alternative is blended coffee, which may mix beans that come from a multiple places. Many coffee enthusiasts prefer the purity of single-origin, though of course, this is all a matter of personal preference.

Order Your Coffee Subscription Today

Looking for a way to get organic, Fair Trade coffee delivered straight to your front door? There are plenty of subscription models that will do just that, all while letting you sample some incredible beans from across the world.

Take a look at the options weve listed here, and look for the coffee subscription service that seems like its best aligned with your tastes and your budget. And from there, just sit back and wait for your next bag of coffee beans to show up at your home or office.

Josh Hurst is a journalist, critic, and essayist. He lives in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and three sons. He covers natural health, nutrition, supplements, and clean energy. His writing has appeared in Health, Shape, and Remedy Review.
(Facebook/NarcosNetflix)Pablo Escobar is dead. What happens to the Cali Cartel in "Narcos" season 3?

The stories in "Narcos" are always intertwined, which is probably why Javier Pena and Steve Murphy left Colombia after they destroyed Pablo Escobar. Will these two return for the upcoming installment?

Rumor has it that the two will most likely be back, especially Pena (Pedro Pascal), who may be tasked to destroy the Cali Cartel next. On the other hand, it is unclear if Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) will still be back, considering that the actor will be busy this year with other projects.

It would be sad to see Holbrook go for good and not appear on "Narcos" season three, especially since he is the narrator and his story is also a crucial part of the entire hit series.

Pena, who played an important role in Pablo's (Wagner Moura) case, is expected to make his Colombian comeback since he is featured in a recently revealed photo for "Narcos" season three.

The blow must go on. Pablo might be dead but the war is not over. Season 3 of #Narcos has begun filming. pic.twitter.com/O7EaSOqSJ0  Narcos (@NarcosNetflix) October 12, 2016

Meanwhile, some viewers are worried about the show's fate, now that the most powerful kingpin in Colombia has been killed by the gun that he lived by for many years. It is undeniable that Pablo's reign and reach has paved the way for Colombia's drug rings to be on the spotlight. He is such a powerful name that will surely go down in history in the many decades to come. The question is, how will "Narcos" move forward after his tragic passing?

It is said that the cast and crew are already working on the third and fourth seasons, meaning the story-telling will continue despite Pablo's demise. The third installment will most likely feature the rise and fall of the Cali Cartel, who will surely become the next star now that their biggest rival will never be back.

The Cali Cartel is known for having most of its movements protected by some branches of the government. However, history says that the drug ring will be taken down in a matter of two years. It is expected that the story of the Medellin Cartel's biggest enemy will be told in "Narcos" season three.

Netflix has yet to announce the premiere date of the new episodes but rumor has it that "Narcos" season three will arrive sometime next year.
Four students from a US university have created an alternative to plastic microbeads , found in nearly all exfoliating soaps, by using soya-based components. Soya-based beads are considered environmentally safe, unlike plastic beads that can damage the environment and harm animals. The students entered a competition through the university and the Indiana Soy Alliance to develop a product that used soya as the foundation.

The soap, SoyFoliate, has been developed by Samuel Lewis, Steve Ferris and Alison Switzer, all third-year students on the Doctor of Pharmacy programme at Purdue University, and Ryan Pendergast, a junior at the universitys School of Mechanical Engineering. The team came up with the idea after one of the members used exfoliating soap and started considering the possibility of replacing plastic microbeads with soya. Says Lewis, We know plastic microbeads arent good for the environment, and after doing some research, we found out how harmful they are. They cant be filtered out, so they get into the ocean. Then, the fish can eat them and die. However, if they dont die, then humans eat the fish and can potentially experience harmful effects. Its an endless cycle. He adds, As we brainstormed and evaluated the technical and commercial viability of different ideas, it became apparent that soya was a perfect fit to replace the environmentally hazardous plastic microbeads used in soaps. We mill down the soya and set the size of the beads to one that we think is the best. The soya is rigid and once you break it down, it has properties that help safely exfoliate your skin as you run it through your hands. Soya oil can also serve as a mild, lathering soap base.



The plastic beads dont absorb water, but over time, soya can. To mitigate the problem, the team mixed the beads with a little oil to prevent water from saturating the beads and decreasing their rigid properties. It is still carrying out research on increasing shelf-stability and ensuring the product is eco-friendly.

The team faced several challenges throughout the development of the product. Elaborates Lewis, First, forming the microspheres from raw soya beans was a challenge. The soya beans are rigid and needed to be milled down to a size suitable for the soap. It took multiple attempts to find the most effective device, settings, and milling time to produce the proper size and shape of microsphere at the highest volume. Next, we faced the challenge of increasing shelf-stability in soaps since the microparticles are biodegradable. To combat this issue, we employed strategies to preserve the integrity of the microbeads while in solution. We are now researching and testing additional methods to further overcome this challenge. Lastly, we had to prove that a market existed for this product. We spent ample time exploring current and future market trends to find that consumers enjoy an exfoliating feeling and that the segment for natural products is growing. According to him, while the team has overcome the initial challenges, scalability of production will be a major challenge moving forward. The team has been able to produce prototypes in a lab setting, but is exploring methods of production on a larger scale. Additionally, the US government has federally banned plastic microbeads. This alone has opened a marketing opportunity for the product.

Lewis and the other students are also receiving help from the Purdue Foundry, a start-up accelerator at the Burton D Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship at the universitys Discovery Park. The team is now looking for experts in product planning and promotion to further explore the market. It is also seeking additional funding for further development and technical feasibility testing of the soap.
John Phillips,

Vice dean (international), Dickson Poon School of Law , Kings College London

An Indian student looking to pursue a law degree abroad should look to apply to world-class institutions. The study of national law should be combined with global themes and perspectives. Such schools will encourage them to view the law from a transnational and comparative perspective. Indian students with a law degree from an overseas institution can go on to pursue a range of career options in the international job market. Apart from opportunities in law firms, graduates have employment prospects in business, politics, civil service, government bodies, NGOs and human rights agencies.

Many international law schools offer a broad range of Masters and doctoral programmes that allow an LLB graduate to specialise in a variety of fields such as competition law, transnational law, intellectual property, and international finance. An MA in medical law and an MSc in construction law and dispute resolution are among other postgraduate programmes students can consider. Some schools in the UK offer students intensive interaction with academia and experts from local and global law firms.

There may be opportunities for law students to obtain a scholarship at all levels of study including undergraduate, postgraduate and research.



Avani Bansal,

Alum, Harvard Law School and Oxford University; advocate, Supreme Court of India

After pursuing a BA LLB from Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur, and a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford, I wasnt done yet. After practising at the trial court in Madhya Pradesh for around two years, I realised that I needed practical training and skills to be a successful lawyer. In my career until then, I had several unanswered questions such as how does one strategise in litigation for ones client amongst many options, how does one organise and expand ones practice, and how does economics influence the law and legal practice. I looked at Harvard Law School, which offers around 400 subject choices ranging from Understanding Law Firms as Business, to Analytical Skills for Lawyers to Systemic Justice.

Even though my Indian legal education at HNLU helped to prepare my base in law, the finesse I needed to approach the study of law came during my time at Oxford and Harvard. These institutions helped me sharpen my skills to think like a lawyer. They also gave me international exposure to different legal systems, colleagues from around the world and professors who are global authorities in their respective subject areas. All this provided a tremendous learning experience and helped me to push my personal yardstick higher than it ever was. After completing my LLM at Harvard, I decided to come back to India for heres where the most work is needed.



Karan Gupta,

Overseas education counsellor

Students from India aspiring to pursue a degree in law abroad usually opt for an LLM degree as the course duration is short and the fees are much lower than for the LLB (JD) programme. Those aspiring to pursue an undergraduate programme in the US need to first complete a Bachelors degree in any field with pre-law subjects. Upon graduation, students can apply for a three-year Juris Doctor (JD) programme which allows them to take the Bar Council of India (BCI) exam to qualify to practise.

At the Masters level, students who already hold an LLB from India can apply for the year-long LLM or Masters in Law programmes overseas.

US options: Known institutes in the US that offer law include Harvard University, Stanford University, Cornell University, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, among others. Tuition fees vary from institute to institute but a realistic budget including living expenses would be around $75,000 for the LLM and a similar amount for each year of the JD.

UK options: Other than the US, the UK is a popular destination for students to pursue an LLB and then return to India. The duration of the LLB in the UK is typically three years, but if students want the course to be recognised back home, they need to pursue the course after a Bachelors degree in another field or stretch the Bachelors to four years and then a one year Masters programme. London School of Economics, University College London, University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are among the popular institutes for law studies in the UK. Typical tuition and living expenses are around 27,000 pounds per year.

If you decide to pursue your LLB/JD abroad, be sure that your chosen institute is on the foreign university accredited list prepared by the BCI. Otherwise, you will not be permitted to practise as an advocate in India upon your return.
Need a new body

The Common Law Admission Test ( CLAT ) is the key admissions filter to some of Indias leading law schools, commonly referred to as the National Law Universities. Unfortunately, the test has been mired in controversy. A public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by me is now pending at the Supreme Court, challenging the misconduct of the test. That is why, I have mooted to constitute an independent, professional and permanent body tasked with conducting CLAT in a scientific and competent manner every year.

--Shamnad Basheer, visiting professor of law, National Law School, Bangalore

Varsities better equipped

The present system of a CLAT core committee consisting of all vice chancellors is more democratic and participatory and therefore better than the test being conducted by an independent, professional body. As universities intend to improve the standards, they keep innovating and thereby, improving. Last year, we made CLAT online. This year, we started inviting objections to answers. Out of 200 questions, if few are wrong, it does not mean CLAT is in a mess. The Delhi High Court recently cancelled some questions of the judicial services examination conducted under the court's supervision. Universities are better equipped than the BCI to conduct the test. Following its decisions of NEET for medical admissions, the Supreme Court should make CLAT mandatory for admission to all law colleges and universities in the country.

--Faizan Mustafa, vice-chancellor, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad

Prevent anomalies

Yes, an independent professional body should administer the test. One of the major characteristics of any entrance test should be a definite pattern of evaluation. The current system, in which every year a different college conducts the test, results in subjectivity. This makes around 40,000 students take a shot in the dark in the name of preparation every year. Moreover, an independent, professional body would prevent anomalies in the test and lead to smoother resolution of irregularities, if any.

--Indrajeet Bannerjie, first-year student, West Bengal University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata

--Compiled by Dipal Gala and Aditi Guha
Second of two columns

Sometime between 1932 and 1934, my fathers 9-year-old brother, Bernardo G. Trevino, died after he was hit by a car while crossing Brazos Street. The young boy was one of several hundred buried in paupers graves at what became Stinson Field. Although I have been able to visit the gravesite with the airport manager, they have limited records available to indicate who is buried there. They only have about 20 confirmed names out of several hundred unmarked graves. I am hoping you or your readers can provide more detailed information on the location of Bernardos gravesite so that his 92-year-old brother can pay him one final visit.

 Frank Trevino

Bernardos family lost their son and brother twice  once when he died July 27, 1932, and again when his grave was moved and records were lost or perhaps never kept.

The boys death certificate lists the principal cause of death as the fracture of the left femur, presumably incurred when he was hit by a truck May 29, 1932, although the date here is given as June 6, 1932. Another contributory cause was the ether (anesthetic) Bernardo was given at the Robert B. Green Hospital  the city-county institution that provided indigent care  for removal of band(age)s from left femur. From what your father remembers, his brother had an infection, common enough before antibiotics, but Bernardo might have lived if anesthesia had not been used. It was hard to judge between a dose of ether that would render a patient safely unconscious or one that could result in fatal paralysis of the lungs.

According to the certificate, he was scheduled to be buried the next day at San Jose Cem., which could have meant one of two cemeteries that have gone by that name. Dennis Moreno, a member of the Los Bexarenos Genealogical Society, suggests that it could have been the Mission San Jose Cemetery at 701 E. Pyron Ave. (also referred to as the 300 block of Pyron Road), near Mission San Jose but not affiliated with its parish church.

This was a community cemetery founded around 1890 by some Mexican families in the neighborhood, according to correspondence about it kept by the Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio and furnished by its archivist, Brother Ed Loch. Known simply as the Mexican cemetery, the burials were on private property purchased by several families who contributed money to buy one acre of land from the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. The land cost $50, and its purpose was to make it possible to offer a cheap burial place to the Mexicans.

Los Bexarenos has surveyed this cemetery and didnt find a marker for Bernardo, but there are at least eight unknown graves. Moreno says another possibility is the citys San Jose Cemetery, 8235 Mission Road, bound by March Road on the north, Mission Road on the east, Echo Street on the west and 99th Street on the south. Just immediately south of this location is Stinson airport, said Morales, who shared a family death certificate for a 10-year-old boy who died and was buried in 1928 at San Jose Cemetery. While researching this burial, Morales talked with a longtime staff member at that city cemetery, who told him that it was probably a paupers burial. The paupers section was part of an expansion of Stinson Field, and that burial area was lost, he said, an explanation that was accurate according to the family story.

As discussed in this column, Nov. 1, 2009, city or county government in this area assumed responsibility for indigent burials from the late 1800s onward. From some point after 1915, pauper burials were arranged through the citys San Jose Cemetery, says An Archaeological and Historical Survey of Stinson Municipal Airport in Bexar County, Texas, published in 1989 by the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at the University of Texas at San Antonio. By that time, only about 20 graves retained information about those buried there, but there is evidence for at least 400 interments with a probability of many more.

According to the CAR report, The cemetery was probably in use until the field was leased to the War Department in 1941. Burials in an additional cemetery area north of the east-west runway of the airport, the archaeologists were told, were removed in connection with the construction of a taxiway north of the runway. Anecdotes furnished to this column indicate that pauper burials  especially during the Depression  were basic: little more than a cardboard box, possibly buried on top of one or more existing graves. By the time the taxiway was installed during World War II, there may have been very little identifiable remains left among the graves that were plowed up and presumably reinterred in what seems to have been a much smaller area than the original. (There also have been suggestions that some of the remains were never removed but were overlooked and paved.)

City departments contacted by this column either didnt respond or checked their files and found nothing on the Stinson graves. The archaeological report says that pauper burial records were maintained by funeral homes that contracted with the city, apparently under no obligation to preserve them. Bernardo was buried by Riebe-Saunders, as was Morenos relative. At that time, it was at 177 North St., a location that was subsumed by the HemisFair 68 fairgrounds. Since then, it has merged to become Zizik-Kearns-Riebe-Saunders at 1322 N. St. Marys St.

Anyone who has information about records that could provide information about Bernardo Trevinos burial or even of other reburials in this section of the cemetery at Stinson may contact this column.
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The state takeover of Edgewood Independent School District earlier this year leaves board hopefuls running for election this November unsure when, or even if, they will get a chance to serve.

Three candidates are running unopposed  a number remarkably low compared to the last election, which had eight candidates seeking three seats in 2014.

People were like, Why are you even running? said Edward Romero, 34, an information technology consultant for the Education Service Center in Region 20, who is running for position seven on the board.

Whether or not I get to function on the board for a long period of time or a short period of time doesnt matter. I try to do my best if I am on there, for the kids in the district, because thats the only thing that matters, said Joe Guerra, 65, a former board president running for position five.

Martha Castilla, 54, a community health worker running for position four, and Guerra were originally the only two candidates running unopposed until earlier this month, when Luis Gomez, 65, withdrew from running against Romero.

Its too much politics for me. I dont have the time or patience for that, he said. Gomezs withdrawal came too late to be pulled from the Nov. 8 ballot, so he will still be listed.

Nobody filed for position six.

The Texas Education Agency took over the districts board of trustees in March after months of paralysis that had prevented the board from making major decisions, including hiring a new superintendent and two principals.

Though the state-appointed board of managers is still required to call an election when trustees terms expire as per state law, they cannot relinquish their roles for at least two years after coming on the board, said TEA spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson, referring to new TEA rules that became effective Feb. 29.

The four at-large positions are filling the expired terms of trustees Johnny Perez, Tina Morales, Velma Pena and Sonia Elizondo, said Edgewood ISD public information officer Keyhla Calderon-Lugo.

Given Edgewoods four-year board terms, the individuals currently running for election could at most serve two years on the board, from 2018 to 2020.

After the managers required two-year stint is up, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath will have the option to replace them with Edgewood elected officials, extend their stay another two years or establish an exit date of her choosing. If, in 2018, the conservator were to choose the exit date route, she would replace one-third of the board each year for three years leading up to that date.

It will all hinge on the progress made and how things will happen before (the two year mark) in the district, Culbertson said.

Guerra, Romero and Gomez all said they were surprised that as many people ran, citing confusion and a sour taste for the board after the tumult of the past year. Castilla could not be reached for comment.

If it comes to fruition, I plan to do my best and try to do whatever we need to do to work with the superintendent to keep going forward, Guerra said.

Romero said his first child, a girl, was born Sept. 24. If anything, his daughters birth motivated him to help his school district even more, he said.

Hopefully she will be at Edgewood, Romero said. And thats also why Im hoping to make things better. So when she is of age, I can make sure she has a good education.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net
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The dedication of a state historical marker at the Flying L Guest Ranch is on hold  as are plans for a Frank Lloyd Wright museum there  amid challenges to the markers claim that Wright designed buildings at the Bandera County retreat.

The cast-metal plaque, meanwhile, has already been delivered from a foundry and implanted at the site, a heavy problem for the Texas Historical Commission if revisions need to be made.

Ranch owners Jody and Susan Jenkins, whod secured the marker with their own research into Wrights alleged role in designing a pilots lounge and nine villas at what was once a famous fly-in dude ranch with its own airstrip, said they were shocked by an Oct. 5 article in Texas Architect magazine that called the Wright claim incorrect.

Bearing the headline Thats not Wright, it credits the San Antonio firm Smith, Pitts & MacPherson with designing the pilots lounge built for retired Army Air Corps Col. Jack Lapham in 1947.

Its devastating. Ive spent hours and hours and hours on this, Susan Jenkins said this week. I would like to have an expert come out here and figure it out.

Until the issue is resolved, shes not spending any of the $10,000 allocated for the museum project by the city of Bandera from sales tax proceeds.

Now that its been brought to our attention, we will investigate, said Robert Brinkman, the Historical Commission staffer who worked on the marker.

The magazine quoted William A. Storrer, an expert on Wright, and cited a 1947 Daily Texan article about a University of Texas exhibit on progressive Southwestern architecture that states, A pilots lounge for the Flying L Guest Ranch at Bandera is displayed by Smith, Pitts, and MacPherson.

He also referenced an internet posting that quotes Harry L. Geron, a former employee of the San Antonio firm, recalling how Lapham hired it for Flying L buildings with a quonset design, which the lounge has. Geron died in 2008.

Public records and new accounts credited Wright with designing the villas, some years after the fact. Decades of local lore recall Lapham hiring Wright. But Storrer, a visiting professor of architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, was adamant that Wright did no work there.

Frank-ly, there is NO FRANK Lloyd Wright buildings at the Flying L Ranch, Storrer wrote by email Thursday after viewing photos of the lounge. He said archives of Wrights work contain no designs for the Bandera County location.

Why would anyone with a first grade education call that quonset hut a work by Frank Lloyd Wright? Laughable, he said of the lounge, expressing disappointment that the state agency didnt consult him before issuing the marker.

How dare any historical commission make a claim for Wright without checking with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation or ME! Storrer wrote.

The foundation did not return a call in September for a story about the citys investment in the museum project.

Brinkman said the THC relies primarily on sponsors of proposed markers to research and substantiate historical claims for their projects and to come up with the $1,800 to cast those that are approved.

If it seems to make sense and the sources look good, then we proceed, he said. We require documentation with reference notes, but we dont go and check each one of those references.

The Jenkinses expected the state agency to verify their findings, said Jody Jenkins, noting, We were never out to deceive anybody.

The Historical Commission occasionally posts smaller, supplemental plaques if some element of a markers narrative is proven incorrect, but rarely has faced a claim  as in this case  that the central premise of a marker is flat wrong, Brinkman said.

RELATED: See a map of historical markers around Bexar County here.

He plans to ask the Jenkinses and the Bandera County Historical Commission, which co-sponsored the marker, as well as the magazine, to submit whatever additional information they have, adding, I wish the Texas Architect magazine had called us first before publishing its article.

Susan Jenkins expressed similar frustration.

I think common courtesy would be to call me and say, Were questioning this. Whats your proof? she said.

The magazines editor, Aaron Seward, said it reached out to the Flying L and state agency but didnt immediately hear back, and we wanted to get this out for our members.

In March 1963, both the Bandera Bulletin and the San Antonio Express-News reported the Flying L was reopening and noted its deluxe guest units, designed by the late Frank Lloyd Wright.

The article quoted Laphams widow, ranch owner Lucy Jane Lapham. And a 1979 document now on the state historical commission website lists Wright as designer of the nine still-standing villas, the Jenkinses said.

Told of the controversy, Bandera Mayor John Hegemier said, Im caught flat-footed.

If its not right, then we need to make it so, said Roy Dugosh, chairman of the Bandera County Historical Commission.

All his life, Bandera County Judge Richard Evans said, he has heard locals say Wright designed the villas at the ranch.

Just because its told doesnt make it correct, he added. They need to find out what the facts are. The facts will determine the outcome of the project.

Rice University architectural historian Stephen Fox agrees that Wright didnt design the ranch buildings. The magazine quoted him saying such misattributions are fairly common.

But that doesnt make them unimportant, he said by phone last week.

The Flying L is architecturally significant because it was designed by Smith and his collaborators, Fox said. Harvey P. Smith was a very distingusihed San Antonio architect who restored all the missions. He was the one who reconstructed Mission San Jose.

RELATED: See a guide of historical markers in Bexar County here.
DALLAS  Thousands of DWI convictions in North Texas could be jeopardized after the testimony of a state forensic scientist recently came under scrutiny, according to a newspaper report.

Christopher Youngkin was involved in a 2013 lab error in which two blood samples from separate cases were mixed up. Youngkin erroneously reported to police that a woman had a blood-alcohol level that was nearly twice the legal limit when in fact she had not been drinking, The Dallas Morning News reported

Attorneys now are questioning whether Youngkin in recent cases has given conflicting testimony about the error, which would call into question his credibility as a witness and expert.

Youngkin works for the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab in the Dallas suburb of Garland. He took the stand Wednesday in a misdemeanor case of driving while intoxicated and ended up invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to testify.

A DPS spokesman on Friday declined to answer the newspapers questions about Youngkin or the issues raised by defense attorneys, saying it would be inappropriate to comment at this time.

Defense attorney Hunter Biederman said a Dallas County jury found a client not guilty of drunken driving last month, in part, he believes, because of cross-examination of Youngkin over his lab error.

Most people havent had the opportunity to know about this and either use it in trial, use it in pre-negotiations or use it in punishment, he said.

Theres no guarantee of getting an acquittal, Beiderman said, but the questions raised about it could lead to conviction of a lesser offense, which means a less severe punishment.

The scrutiny of Youngkin comes after a Harris County toxicologist last month resigned when her academic qualifications were questioned. The toxicologist, Dr. Fessessework Guale, had worked in the county medical examiners office since 2006 and had regularly testified in Houston-area DWI cases.

She earlier had been reassigned after officials learned that she testified to having a masters degree in toxicology but actually earned one in physiological science from Oklahoma States veterinary school.

The district attorneys office has sent letters inviting defense attorneys representing thousands of DWI defendants in Harris County to request reviews of cases involving Guales testimony.
In the past week, as a swirl of sexual assault accusations against Donald Trump has prompted a loud national discussion about male power and womens rights, the first woman to be a major partys presidential nominee was barely heard from.

Though Hillary Clinton has stood at the center of feminist debates for more than two decades, she has at times been an imperfect messenger for the cause. That has never been more apparent than now, as her old missteps and her husbands history have effectively paralyzed her during a moment of widespread outrage.

The most impassioned speeches on the topic have come not from her, but from the first lady, Michelle Obama, who said Trumps words had shaken me to my core, and from President Barack Obama and others. When Clinton herself spoke, she quickly changed the subject to other groups of people Trump had insulted, and she tried to lighten the mood with a joke about watching cat videos.

It makes you want to turn off the news. It makes you want to unplug the internet or just look at cat GIFs, Clinton told donors in San Francisco on Thursday, making her first remarks on Trumps treatment of women since several came forward to accuse him.

Ive watched a lot of cats do a lot of weird and interesting things, she said, drawing a few laughs. But we have a job to do. And itll be good for people and for cats.

The virtual silence from Clinton speaks volumes about the complicated place she has occupied as a 1960s Wellesley feminist who stayed as a devoted wife to her husband through infidelities and humiliation.

Forcefully denouncing sexual assault would most certainly provoke ugly attacks on Bill Clinton and Hillary Clintons role in countering the women who accused him of sexual misconduct. That painful past haunted Clinton last Sunday when Trump invited some of her husbands accusers to the second presidential debate.

In the days since, Clinton has had to once again navigate the messy crosscurrents of politics, symbolism and her ambition to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling of being elected the first female president.

Now, when the collective voice of American women and victims of sexual assault seems to be letting out a cathartic scream, Clinton has deferred to another first lady to speak for her. At the San Francisco fundraiser on Thursday, she pointed to Michelle Obamas speech earlier that afternoon when the first lady placed her hand on her heart and spoke out for those who were outraged.

Speaking to college students in New Hampshire, Michelle Obama called Trumps lewd remarks about how he had forced himself on women disgraceful and intolerable.

I cant believe Im saying that a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women, Michelle Obama said as a crowd of young women watched with silent and somber expressions. I cant stop thinking about this  it has shaken me to my core.

Clinton has every political reason to avoid wading into the discussion of sexual assault that has riled a nation and thrown her Republican rivals candidacy into chaos. Not known as a naturally emotive public speaker, Clinton risks stumbling if she embraces the issue at a time when polls show that she is in her strongest position yet to defeat Trump on Nov. 8. She has played it safe, all but disappearing from the campaign trail until the next debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

But then again, two decades ago, it was Clinton, who, as a 47-year-old first lady in a powder pink suit, defied her husbands West Wing advisers and captured the attention of women worldwide by declaring, Human rights are womens rights, and womens rights are human rights once and for all.

Last summer, Clinton began her campaign by declaring that she wanted to create an America where a father can tell his daughter: Yes, you can be anything you want to be. Even president of the United States.'

Since then, allegations of sexual harassment have led to the ouster of Roger Ailes as chairman of Fox News; college campuses have been shaken by the six-month jail sentence given to Brock Turner, a former Stanford University student found guilty of sexual assault; and women continue to come forward with allegations against Trump.

At the same time, Clinton, so close to potentially becoming the first woman to win the White House amid national outrage over reports of her rivals male lechery, has all but abandoned gender as an issue.

On Thursday, Clinton appeared to get choked up on the set of The Ellen DeGeneres Show when, during a taping, DeGeneres played a portion of Michelle Obamas speech.

But Clinton quickly composed herself and, in a remarkable post-gender punt, pivoted to a laundry list of other constituencies whom she said Trump had offended.

Its not just what Trump has said about women, as terrible as that has been, Clinton told DeGeneres. Its what he has said about immigrants and African-Americans and Latinos and people with disabilities and POWs and our military and Muslims and everybody.

On Friday, without mentioning the accusations against Trump, Clinton told volunteers in Seattle: This election is incredibly painful. I take absolutely no satisfaction in what is happening on the other side with my opponent.

Asked if Clinton would be speaking more directly about the issue, Jennifer Palmieri, the campaigns communications director, noted that Clinton had confronted Trump at the last debate about the recently released 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women. You should expect that shell continue to do that, Palmieri said.

Clinton has battle wounds from wading into gender in the past.In 1992, she seemed an affront to stay-at-home mothers when she defended her legal career, saying, I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies.

As a working mother in the White House, Clinton redefined the role of first lady when she tried, and subsequently failed, to overhaul health care, but she also played the role of a traditional wife when she stayed with Bill Clinton despite his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

In hacked emails released by WikiLeaks this week, Clinton was shown in an interview transcriptpondering, at length, the many complexities of running to be the first female president.

When I ran the last time, the research was pretty clear that there was a resistance to a woman president, not just among Republicans and independents, but among Democrats, she said in one of the thousands of emails obtained by hackers who illegally breached a top aides account.

They didnt think a woman was qualified, could do the job, didnt see a woman as commander in chief, Clinton continued.

So, in 2008, she played up her fortitude and tried essentially to run as if she were a man.

Eight years later, Clinton talks regularly about being a mother and a grandmother, and she doesnt shy away from embracing her potential to make history. She has also promised that as president she would advance policies that would help women, including doubling the child care tax credit, increasing the minimum wage and pushing for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.

And yet Clinton has found in her second presidential campaign that young women arent particularly moved by her promise to make history. Many of them voted instead for Clintons primary opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Thinking about her current campaign, Clinton said in the transcript, You know, I mean, Im damned if I do, Im damned if I dont.
AUSTIN  With a record 15 million Texans registered to vote in the November election, and a presidential race that looks more like the Jerry Springer Show than a traditional political campaign, Republicans and Democrats alike are pinning their hopes on a most unlikely ally: Big turnout.

Republicans are hoping conservatives flood the polls to vote against Hillary Clinton. Democrats hope that women and minority voters show up in droves to sink Donald Trump. But political experts and history say predictions of a deluge of voters at the polls tend to be off the mark. Texas owns one of the lowest voter-turnout rates in the country. About four out of every 10 voters usually stay home.

Both sides concede that the election could be unpredictable, since the major-party presidential candidates have the lowest favorable ratings in recent history.

Republican insiders quietly are predicting they could get slammed in some parts of Texas because too many GOP voters disgusted with Trump will stay home or cross over and vote for Clinton.

That may not be confined to the presidential race, but also local elections, where GOP incumbents fear a rerun of 2008, when Republicans lost in significant numbers.

I think most people generally turn out to vote because of hate or fear, and this election for president is all about just that, said Jan Marks, a longtime Houston Republican who said she will vote for Clinton because she is disgusted with Trump. She crossed over in 1990 to vote for Democrat Ann Richards after GOP frontrunner Clayton Williams joked about rape. Let me just remind you that Claytie lost.

Political scientists and consultants agree with her conclusion about why people vote, but they caution that most conventional wisdom about presidential politics has been thrown out by Trumps unlikely capture of the GOP nomination.

Groups in Texas major urban centers of Houston, San Antonio and Dallas report that Hispanic registrations are up considerably over four years ago.

Immigrant communities are registering and mobilizing in greater numbers than they have in a long time, said Elsa Caballero, president of the Service Employees International Union of Texas, which is teaming with the Texas Organizing Project and Mi Familia Vota to increase voter turnout.

Lina Guevara, a union member, insisted this year will be different: We are tired of the bigotry that weve witnessed during this election season.

In heavily Hispanic South Texas, registrations have skyrocketed.

Hidalgo County Elections Administrator Yvonne Ramon said more than 2,600 people showed up at her tiny office in Edinburg last Tuesday, the final day to register to vote, so many that officials kept their doors open into the evening to accommodate them all. In all, more than 335,700 people have registered to vote this year, up from 307,186 in 2012.

In the greater Houston area, increases in voter registration have led to better turnout in presidential elections since 2004, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of registration and voting data for 248 postal ZIP codes. However, only eight percent of the ZIP codes with a majority Hispanic population showed such gains - mostly for Democrats.

Joshua Blank, manager of polling and research at the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, and other pollsters said they expect Hispanics will head to the polls in greater numbers than usual this year because of Trumps divisive comments about Mexicans and immigrants.

However, they said, those gains could be offset by other voters disillusionment with both of the major presidential candidates.

In traveling the state to encourage voter registration, Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos said voters repeatedly have told him they plan to stay home because they dislike Trump and Clinton.

Wait, theres down-ballot races that are important, Cascos tells them. Dont throw the baby out with the bath water.

Studies attribute Texas historically low turnout to several things: single-party dominance in state politics leaving voters thinking their chances of influencing an election outcome is low; a disconnect with government in a state where an independent spirit is strong; and state restrictions on voter registration drives.

If theres a year when turnout could go up from where it normally is, this could be it, said Abel Hernandez, a New Braunfels independent and Trump supporter. This election has everyone talking.

Ric Godinez, the Hidalgo County Democratic Party chairman, said most people hes talked to are registering because of the Trump effect.

Sergio Sanchez, the county GOP chairman, said interest from Republicans also has been particularly strong this year, because of Trump. In addition, he said, a hotly contested hospital tax district election, which voters rejected two years ago, is on the ballot.

In addition to pinning their hopes on increased Hispanic turnout statewide, Democrats also are courting women angered by Trumps crude remarks and allegations of sexual advances.

If women havent been a subject of sexual harassment, they have a friend who has. I think that resonates with enough of the population no matter what your ethnicity that it is was like a final nail in the coffin, said Annies List Executive Director Patsy Woods Martin. Annies List works to elect Democratic women in favor of abortion rights to Texas offices.

Even if Texas Democrats are not predicting a Clinton victory in the Lone Star State, a new poll released Friday shows that she and Trump are in a near-statistical dead heat. The WFAA/Survey USA shows Trump at 47 percent and Clinton at 43, with a 4-percent margin of error.

That is a big change from a seven-point lead Trump held in polls less than a month ago, which GOP leaders had predicted would widen to an even larger lead by Election Day.

Were in the middle of a political nuclear war, and I expect the (Republican) base is going to turn out, said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, echoing more than a dozen other state Republican leaders who would not be quoted by name. While most of them have voted straight ticket in the past, the question is whether that will hold this time. And, how many of them will cross over because of all the explosions going on in the presidential race?

Reporters Dylan Baddour, Matt Dempsey and Aaron Nelsen contributed to this story.

mike.ward@chon.com
When Indianapolis Archbishop Joseph Tobin learned that Pope Francis had named him a cardinal, a top honor for a Catholic churchman and one that could bring the weighty responsibility of electing a new pope, he was speechless.

I am shocked beyond words by the decision of the Holy Father, Tobin tweeted before dawn Oct. 9 in Indiana.

The 17 newest cardinals  13 of whom are below 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave that would pick Francis successor  continue to transform the College of Cardinals culturally, geographically and temperamentally.

With these picks, the third round of cardinal appointments Francis has made since he became pope in 2013, he did a number of nontraditional things that have become almost customary for him:

First, he moved the churchs center of gravity farther away from the Old World and toward the peripheries, as he says, by selecting more cardinals (six) from Africa, Asia and Oceania than from Europe (five).

He also ignored venerable dioceses in Europe whose archbishops always got a red hat and instead named churchmen in 11 dioceses that had never had a cardinal  including Indianapolis  and six countries that have never had one: the Central African Republic, Lesotho, the Island of Mauritius, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

In addition, he continued to shift the center of ecclesiastical power away from Rome. In fact, the only Italian to be named a cardinal was Archbishop Mario Zenari, the Vaticans ambassador to war-torn Syria, where he will remain in a sign of Francis concern for what he called that beloved and tormented region.

Also, the only member of the Roman Curia  the papal bureaucracy  to get a red hat was Bishop Kevin Farrell, an Irish-born American bishop whom Francis recently brought from Dallas to head a major Vatican department on family issues.

A glance at the biographies of the new cardinals reveals that Francis has clearly chosen pastors who are humble men, not aspiring to be princes; men of dialogue, not culture warriors; men who know how to show mercy in their ministry, wrote Gerry OConnell, Vatican correspondent for America magazine, a New York-based Jesuit weekly.

That shift was clearest in the U.S. context. In addition to Tobin, 64, and Farrell, 69, Francis, who had not named any Americans in his other two rounds of cardinal-making, announced that he would make Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich a cardinal as well, giving the United States three of the 17 appointments.

Cupich, 67, was personally chosen by Francis to head the Chicago see, one of the largest and most storied in the U.S. And as with Tobin and Farrell, his centrist, welcoming approach aligns with that of the pope.

Notably overlooked were Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput and Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, both leaders of dioceses that have in the past been led by cardinals but both seen as hard-liners who champion conservative causes.

But the real surprise was that Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, (a former San Antonio archbishop) was not on the list. He is the Mexican-born head of an archdiocese that is diverse and growing fast, mainly with Latinos, who are the future of the U.S. church. Moreover, Los Angeles has more than 4 million Catholics, almost twice the number of Chicago, and almost 20 times the number of Catholics in the Indianapolis archdiocese.

Yet Gomez is not seen as in sync with Francis priorities either, making it clear that the pope is as concerned with the type of cardinals who will choose his successor as he is about other criteria.

All three new U.S. cardinals, for example, have been strong supporters of Francis efforts to make the church more pastorally flexible so as to better include gay Catholics or the divorced and remarried. That approach has infuriated traditionalists who want to emphasize doctrinal precepts.

All have made immigration reform a priority, and Tobin notably insisted that the archdiocese would continue to help settle Syrian refugees when Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, now Donald Trumps running mate, sought to bar refugees from the state.

Recently, Tobin also spoke at a conference on women in the church in which he said he was hopeful that women could be ordained as deacons and take other high-profile roles in the church.

In Texas, Farrell also took on the prevailing culture when he roundly denounced the prevalence of guns and called for tighter controls.

Cupich, whose city has been torn by gun violence, has also made gun control a signature issue along with economic issues that he sees going hand in hand with opposition to abortion, not falling in somewhere behind it.

It is several miles past remarkable that if Pope Francis had asked a roomful of social justice Catholics whom he should make a cardinal, Blase Cupich, Kevin Farrell and Joseph Tobin would have been the names likely to emerge, wrote Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter.
College students get new perspectives as they study abroad.

SALEM, Ohio  One-third of U.S. products are destined for export, according to Chris Henney, president and CEO of Ohio Agribusiness Association, and with numbers like that, it is clear that farmers and agribusiness professionals need to have an international perspective.

In the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University, 40 percent of the students participate in a study abroad program, while the rest of the universitys participation is at around 20 percent.

Strategic focus

Ohio State Study Abroad Facts: Study abroad participation is growing steadily at OSU, with 261 students studying abroad in 2015-16 compared to 96 in 2005-06. In 2015-2016, CFAES awarded more than $60,000 to students in study abroad scholarships. CFAES is the only college on campus with two full-time education abroad specialists on the team of Education Abroad Coordinators. During the 2015-16 academic year, 22 different faculty and staff members led a study abroad experience.

Students traveled to all seven continents this year. The School of Environment and Natural Resources provided leadership for the first OSU sponsored program in Antarctica and now offers it in a multidisciplinary way with the School of Earth Sciences.

These numbers have been a focus and steadily increased since 2006 when the college had 96 students study abroad. In 2016, 261 students took advantage of the opportunity, said Kelly Newlon, CFAES director of education abroad.

There is an ongoing goal and strategic plan to have 50 percent of the colleges students gain an international experience worthy of earning credit during their undergraduate career, said Newlon, who studied abroad as an undergraduate.

Resume booster

It is unbelievably valuable for the student and employer  so valuable because it gives us a perspective outside of where we grew up, outside our natural borders, said Todd Kanz, chief development officer at Select Sires Inc. Being abroad gives us an understanding of what issues producers are facing globally.

We know if we see a resume with international experiences the student is more well-rounded, he said. Kanz took the opportunity to travel when he was in college at OSU. He spent a summer at a research station in the Netherlands doing mastitis research.

Perspective

It was an experience that changed my perspective on European dairy operations and it gave me a new level of responsibility, Kanz said.

Living with students from other countries, he had a chance to learn from them and discuss agriculture from their varied perspectives.

I know companies value and recognize those international experiences, said Henney, who was an exchange student in France between his high school and college education. His experience gave him a new perspective and shaped his advocacy for international experiences.

With one-third of U.S. products being exported, exporting is an substantial part of Ohios economy and we want to continue to grow it, he said.Farmers and those in agribusiness need to understand that not everyone thinks like Americans. Traveling abroad helps the industry have a better understanding of markets.

Global

Many of the members of the Ohio Agribusiness Association are international companies  Consolidated Grain and Barge, Cargill and Bunge to name a few.

There are no borders in business, Henney said. Even the smallest companies are impacted by markets around the world and it is to their advantage to understand various perspectives.

Consolidated Grain is now owned by a Japanese company, BASF by a German company and Syngenta by ChemChina  not to mention the recent buyout for Monsanto by Bayer, a German company.

Penn State

Penn State is also working to give its students in agrisciences international exposure.

In 2013-14, the Penn State College of Agrisciences had the seventh highest number of students studying abroad out of 14 colleges, and have the highest number of international embedded courses in the university.

An embedded course meets on campus during the semester and travels as part of the course, typically between one to four weeks, explained Ketja Lingenfelter, the assistant director of student global engagement.

Penn State College of Agrisciences

2015-16 Study Abroad Facts: 184 students studied abroad 31 different countries 6 percent of the students go abroad in the College of Agricultural Sciences 11 embedded courses were hosted $29,050 was provided in study abroad funding

These courses allow our students to learn about their discipline from an international perspective.

We work with industry on study abroad in a number of ways. One example is our Spanish for Agriculture program, which was created in response to an industry need for more Spanish-speaking agricultural graduates, Lingenfelter said.

Included in the program are two Spanish courses that students take on campus to learn conversational language and agricultural terminology. It also includes a five-week summer study abroad immersion experience where students study Spanish in Costa Rica, live with families while there, and spend one of week focusing on agricultural research at a university in-country.

Benefits

These experiences raise global competence and enhance civic awareness; preparing students for the global industry of agriculture today, she said.

During these trips, students learn how U.S. policy and perspectives impact the world, said Newlon.

Students who study abroad are twice as likely to attend graduate school than those who do not; 12 percent of the general ag colleges population and 25 of study abroad participants, she said.

The markets know no borders, said Henney. It is important we keep the future leaders of the agricultural industry thinking globally.

(Reporter Katy Mumaw welcomes feedback by phone at 330-337-3419 or by email at katym@farmanddairy.com.)

Antarctica Study Abroad Ohio State students study in Antartica during winter break 2015. (Joe Campbell photo) < > < > 1 View Antarctica Study Abroad Ohio State students study in Antartica during winter break 2015. (Joe Campbell photo) 2 View Nicaragua Study Abroad CFAES students study abroad in Nicaragua (Mariah Cotton photo) 3 View Czech Republic Study Abroad Ohio State agriculture students demonstrate O-H-I-O in the Czech Republic. 4 View Penn State Study Abroad Penn State College of Agrisciences students studied abroad in Costa Rica, March 2016. 5 View Penn State Study Abroad Penn State College of Agrisciences students studied abroad in Costa Rica, March 2016. 6 View Penn State Study Abroad Penn State College of Agrisciences students studied abroad in Costa Rica, March 2016.
Warrenton, VA (20186)

Today

A steady rain early...then remaining cloudy with a few showers. Low near 55F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

A steady rain early...then remaining cloudy with a few showers. Low near 55F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Gray's Creek neighborhood takes a hit as mom and pop restaurant closes

Everybody eats at The Creek Bar & Grill, owner Casper Critchfield said  but Nov. 13 is the restaurants last day in operation.
Ahead of its Halloween special next week, the Scream television series has been renewed for a third season by the network that broadcasts it - MTV.

Scream / Credit: MTV

Though this is great news for fans, it has also been confirmed that the third season will only consist of six episodes, leading some to believe this season will be the series' last.

Another big change comes in the form of the crew behind the show, with showrunners Michael Gans and Richard Register leaving the show just a year after they replaced the show's original bosses, Jill E. Blotevogel and Jaime Paglia.

MTV and producers The Weinstein Company are still looking for new showrunner(s).

The two-hour Scream Halloween special airs in the US on MTV on Tuesday, October 18 and is expected to come to Netflix in the UK soon after.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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2002 - The Beginning

It was in the year 2002 that the young man entered Mollywood. In fact, his first film was Nandanam directed by Ranjith, but it was Rajasenan's Nakshathra Kannulla Rajakumaran Avanundoru Rajakumari, that hit the theatres first. But, the films like Nandanam and Stop Violence, made him a notable face in Mollywood.

2003-2005 - A Superstar In The Making

This period was quite crucial for the actor. He was being hailed as a superstar in the making. He teamed up with Vinayan for movies like Sathyam, which was incidentally his first police character. Meanwhile, the actor in him grew with time and his performance in films like Akale got much appreciated.

2006 - Recognitions On His Way

The year 2006 was a crucial one in his career. The film Classmates, which had him in one of the lead roles, emerged as an industry hit. More importantly, he won the Kerala State Award for the Best Actor for his performance in the film Vasthavam.

2007-2008 - Association With Meaningful Films

The actor tried to appeal the masses with films like Avan Chandiyude Makan, Kaakki etc., but such films failed at the box office. In these 2 years, 3 films of the actor stood out. While Chocolate turned out to be a big hit, films like Thirakkatha and Thalappavu, made his association with meaningful films, much stronger.

2009 - The New Face

The actor was much criticized for not providing solo hits. It was then that he came up with Puthiya Mukham, which became a trendsetter. The film confirmed his place as an action hero and the movie provided him the big box office break.

2010-2011 - A Tough Phase

The actor won wide appreciation with the Tamil film, Ravanan. He got the tag of a serious actor in Tamil with this film. Meanwhile, he ventured into production with the film Urumi, which released in the year 2011. But, the number of flop movies were more in these years. Moreover, he was teased and attacked by many in social medias over an interview, which featured in a popular television channel.

2012-2013 - A Grand Comeback

Well, it was a royal comeback by the actor. He silencesd all his critics with some quality movies that he did during this period. In fact, it was the film Ayalum Njanum Thammil, which became a major breakthrough in his career. He won fans with his matured performances and good movie selection. He also won his second Kerala State Award for the Best Actor, for his performance in the film Celluloid. Importantly, he also made his Bollywood debut with the film Aiyaa.

2014 - The Dependable Actor

Prithviraj, established himself as a dependable actor. A sensible actor, who gives some quality films. Box office hits came on his way with films like Seventh Day, Sapthamashree Thaskaraha turning out to be big hits.

2015 - Big Hits

The year 2015 was an eventful one for the actor. He got a good start with the film Picket 43 but was on a down slide after films like Ivide and Double Barrel failed to make a mark at the box office. But, then came Ennu Ninte Moideen, which became the biggest hit of his career. He started off his golden run at the box office and it was followed by Amar Akbar Anthony and Anarkali, which also turned out to be big hits.

2016 - The Successful Journey Continues..

The year, so far has been a mixed bag for the actor. He started off with the superhit film Paavada but his next two films, Darvinte Parinamam and James And Alice couldn't make waves at the box office. But, his next film Oozham, turned out to be a hit.
Fuhrungskrafte von Audi, General Motors, der Verkehrsverwaltung von Los Angeles sowie des Magazins Time erweitern Fachgremium der Autotechnologie-MesseLos Angeles (ots/PRNewswire) - Die Los Angeles Auto Show (http://laautoshow.com/press-home/) (LA Auto Show) vergroert den Messebeirat der AutoMobility LA um vier neue Mitglieder: Partha Goswami, Manager fur Technologieforschung bei General Motors; Anupam "Pom" Malhotra, Geschaftsfuhrer Vernetzte Fahrzeuge bei Audi America; Seleta Reynolds, Geschaftsfuhrerin der Verkehrsverwaltung von Los Angeles sowie Alex Roy, Prasident von Europe by Car und Editor-at-Large fur Autonomes Fahren bei The Drive, einem Ableger des Magazins Time. Als Vertreter fuhrender Unternehmen und Institutionen der Automobil- und Technologiebranche verstarken sie das bestehende Gremium. Dieses tragt die Gesamtverantwortung fur das Programm der AutoMobility LA, einschlielich der Redner, Diskussionsrunden und Wettbewerbe. AutoMobility LA ist eine Fusion der Medien- und Fachbesuchertage der Los Angeles Auto Show (LA Auto Show) und der Tech-Konferenz Connected Car Expo (CCE) und findet zum zweiten Mal statt.Unter Leitung des seit vier Jahren amtierenden Konferenzdirektors Andy Gryc wird der Messebeirat die strategische Richtung und das Programm der AutoMobility LA festlegen, die vom 27. bis 30. November 2017 im Los Angeles Convention Center stattfindet. Erneut stehen die wichtigsten Fragen rund um die Zukunft der Mobilitat im Mittelpunkt."Angesichts der zugigen Entwicklung der neuen Automobilindustrie freuen wir uns, dass wir einige der prominentesten Vordenker im Mobilitatstechnologie-Sektor fur die 2017er Messe gewinnen konnten", sagte Lisa Kaz, die Prasidentin und Vorstandsvorsitzende der LA Auto Show und der AutoMobility LA. "Diese Experten unterstutzen uns mit Rat und Tat bei der Zusammenstellung unserer diesjahrigen Redner. Sie werden moderne Technologien vorstellen, die den Automobilsektor verandern, und Einblicke in die neuesten Innovationen geben."Die Mitglieder des Beirats der 2017er AutoMobility LA:Bryan Biniak, Entrepreneur in Residence bei Nokia Growth PartnersBryan Biniak investiert in Unternehmen aus den Bereichen Virtuelle Realitat, Augmented Reality, Vernetzte Fahrzeuge und Internet der Dinge. Davor war Biniak Geschaftsfuhrer Developer Experience bei Microsoft. Zudem fuhrte er als Vizeprasident bei Nokia weltweit die Entwickler-Community sowie das Geschaft mit Mobiltelefonen und intelligenten Geraten.John Ellis, Geschaftsfuhrer von Ellis & PartnerJohn Ellis leitet die internationale Unternehmensberatung Ellis & Partner. Schwerpunkte liegen dabei auf den Themen eingebettete Software (Embedded Software) und Software-Strategien beim Internet der Dinge. Im Fokus stehen dabei Verkehrswesen sowie Autonomes Fahren. Vorher war Ellis bei Ford weltweit zustandig fur die Technologie im Geschaftsbereich Vernetzte Fahrzeuge. Dabei war er an der Spezifizierung, dem Design und der Entwicklung von Sync Gen 3 beteiligt, der neuesten Generation von Sync Services (Connected car+cloud-Service von Ford). Zudem arbeitete er mit am SmartDeviceLink, einem API-System zur Integration von mobilen Geraten in das Fahrzeug, der CarPlay-App von Apple und der In-Car-Schnittstelle Android Auto von Google.Justin Fishkin, Chefstratege von Local MotorsJustin Fishkin ist Chefstratege von Local Motors und hat sich Nachhaltigkeitsthemen verschrieben. Sein Ziel ist es, die Welt mit sinnvollen Investitionen zu verandern. Vor seiner Tatigkeit bei Local Motors war Fishkin als Senior Portfolio-Manager beim Carbon War Room (CWR) damit beschaftigt, profitable Losungen fur den Kampf gegen den Klimawandel zu finden und voranzubringen. Seine Karriere startete er im Investmentbanking bei Goldman Sachs, spater wurde er Investor.Partha Goswami, Leiter der Technologieforschung bei General MotorsPartha Goswami hat uber 24 Jahre Erfahrung in der Automobilindustrie: vom Produktmanagement und der Technologieplanung uber die strategische Planung bis hin zur Markenfuhrung. In den letzten acht Jahren hat Goswami zu verschiedensten Aspekten von Technologiestrategien gearbeitet. Bei seiner aktuellen Tatigkeit in der Technologieforschung im Bereich Marktforschung von General Motors ist er dafur verantwortlich, Technologietrends aufzuspuren, deren Auswirkungen zu prognostizieren und daraus folgende Erkenntnisse innerhalb des Konzerns weiterzugeben.Derek Kan, Geschaftsfuhrer von Lyft Derek Kan ist Geschaftsfuhrer des Fahrdienstes Lyft und wurde kurzlich in den Verwaltungsrat der Eisenbahngesellschaft AMTRAK berufen. Zuvor war er Leiter Strategie bei Genapsys, einem Start-up im Bereich DNA-Sequenzierung. Von 2012 bis 2014 arbeitete er bei der Unternehmensberatung Bain & Company. Zudem war er Berater beim Hedgefonds Elliott Management, Politikberater von Mitch McConnell, dem republikanischen Mehrheitsfuhrer im US-Senat und Fellow im Buro des Weien Hauses im Bereich Management und Budget.Roger Lanctot, stellvertretender Direktor fur den Automobil-Bereich beim Marktforschungsinstitut Strategy AnalyticsRoger Lanctot ist einer der fuhrenden Stimmen in der Definition von Zukunftstrends bei Fahrzeugsicherheit, Antrieben und Infotainment-Systemen und hat uber 25 Jahren Erfahrung im Technologiesektor als Analyst, Journalist und Berater. Er hat wichtige Studien durchgefuhrt, neue Marktforschungsprodukte und -Services entwickelt und Kunden bei wettbewerbsstrategischen Entscheidungen begleitet.Anupam "Pom" Malhotra, Geschaftsfuhrer Vernetzte Fahrzeuge bei Audi of AmericaAnupam "Pom" Malhotra verantwortet fur Audi of America das Geschaft und das operative Wachstum von Audi connect sowie die Entwicklung des digitalen Portfolios fur vernetzte Fahrzeuge. Pom kam 2010 von General Motors, wo er Leiter standortbezogene Dienste fur die Marke OnStar war. Wahrend seiner mehr als 20-jahrigen Tatigkeit in der Automobilindustrie konzentrierte sich Pom auf die Schnittstellen zwischen Geschaft und Technologie. Aktuell arbeitet er daran, Audis Vision zur Mobilitat der Zukunft umzusetzen.Manuela Papadopol, Vorstand Geschaftsentwicklung und Kommunikation bei ElektrobitIn ihrer Rolle als Verantwortliche fur die Geschaftsentwicklung und die internationale Kommunikation identifiziert, beschreibt und beaufsichtigt Manuela Papadopol die strategischen Partnerschaften von Elektrobit mit der Automobil- und Technologiebranche. Sie ist Mitglied des Netzwerks Frauen und Automobil-Technologie. Die Organisation wurde mit dem Ziel gegrundet, die Zukunft der Automobilindustrie zu gestalten und voranzutreiben. Papadopol besitzt ein Patent zur sprachgesteuerten Erfassung ortsunabhangiger Inhalte. 2016 wurde sie vom Diversity Journal mit dem "Woman Worth Watching"-Preis ausgezeichnet, das Connected World Magazin fuhrte sie im selben Jahr in seiner Liste "Woman of IoT Marketing".Seleta Reynolds, Geschaftsfuhrerin der Verkehrsverwaltung von Los AngelesSeleta Reynolds leitet die Verkehrsverwaltung von Los Angeles und berichtet an Oberburgermeister Eric Garcetti. Sie ist verantwortlich fur die Umsetzung des Projekts "Bessere Straen fur Los Angeles". Es soll die Rate der Verkehrstoten senken, die Zahl der Radfahrer verdoppeln sowie den Zugang zu integrierten Mobilitatsangeboten fur die Einwohner von Los Angeles und die Bewohner in der gesamten Region erweitern. Reynolds arbeitet seit 18 Jahren landesweit im Verkehrssektor.Alex Roy, Prasident von Europe by Car und Editor-at-Large fur Autonomes Fahren bei The Drive, einem Ableger des Magazins TimeAlex Roy ist Prasident des Magazins Europe by Car, Editor-at-Large fur Autonomes Fahren bei The Drive, einem Ableger des Magazins Time, Gast-Moderator der Sendung /DRIVE auf NBC Sports, Mitarbeiter der Webseite Jalopnik und des Magazins Road & Track sowie Moderator des Autotechnologie-Podcasts Autonocast. Roy ist Autor des Buches The Driver und Produzent und Hauptfigur des Films 32 Hours, 7 Minutes.Danny Shapiro, Seniorchef Automobil bei NVIDIAIn seiner Funktion befasst sich Danny Shapiro mit Losungen auf Basis kunstlicher Intelligenz fur selbstfahrende Autos und bordinterne Copiloten. Er besitzt einen Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) und Computer-Wissenschaft der Princeton University und einen Master of Business Administration (MBA) der Haas School of Business der University of California Berkeley. Shapiro ist Mitglied im Beirat des Connected Car Council und der NVIDIA-Stiftung, die computergestutzte Losungen in der Krebsforschung vorantreibt.Konferenzleiter:Andy Gryc, Mitbegrunder von CX3 MarketingDas von Andy Gryc mitgegrundete Unternehmen CX3 Marketing bietet technologieaffine Dienstleistungen fur Kunden aus der Automobilbranche, von der strategischen Beratung bis zum Erstellen neuer Inhalte und Services. Er besitzt praktische Erfahrungen im Automobilbereich, bei Software-Architekturen und im Software-Engineering, im technischen Vertrieb und dem Produktmarketing - aus uber 20 Jahren bei Unternehmen wie QNX, OnStar und Hewlett Packard. Fur seine Fahigkeit, komplexe Technologien leicht verstandlich darzustellen und Menschen mit und ohne technischem Hintergrund zusammenzubringen, wurde Gryc 2015 mit dem Preis "Top Car Tech Celeb, Analyst or Advocate" der Online-Plattform Auto Connected Car News ausgezeichnet.Uber die Los Angeles Auto Show und die AutoMobility LADie im Jahr 1907 gegrundete Los Angeles Auto Show (LA Auto Show) ist die erste groe nordamerikanische Messe der im Herbst beginnenden Ausstellungssaison.2016 fusionierten die Medien- und Fachbesuchertage der LA Auto Show und die Connected Car Expo (CCE) zur AutoMobility LATM. Sie fuhrt als erste Messe auf dem Markt den Automobilsektor und neue Technologien zusammen, ihr Kernthema ist die Zukunft der Mobilitat.Die AutoMobility LATM 2017 findet inklusive der Fahrzeugpremieren der Hersteller vom 27. bis 30. November im Los Angeles Convention Center statt.Die Los Angeles Auto Show offnet vom 1. bis 10. Dezember 2017 fur das Publikum.Die AutoMobility LA eroffnet Perspektiven, wie Fahrzeuge in Zukunft gebaut, verkauft, bedient und genutzt werden. Sie ist Marktplatz der neuen Autoindustrie, zeigt innovative Produkte und ist Plattform fur Unternehmensmeldungen vor einem internationalen Medienpublikum.Die LA Auto Show wird von der Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealer Association (Vereinigung der Neuwagenhandler von Los Angeles) unterstutzt und von ANSA Productions betrieben.Aktuelle Informationen zur Show erhalten Sie unter twitter.com/LAAutoShow (https://twitter.com/LAAutoShow) und facebook.com/LosAngelesAutoShow (https://facebook.com/LosAngelesAutoShow). Registrieren Sie sich fur zusatzliche Hinweise der Show unter http://www.LAAutoshow.com. 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Mumbai: Wading into the row over ban on the release of films with Pakistani artistes due to tension between the two countries, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Sunday said when Indian filmmakers are being penalised, the Prime Minister should also apologise for his Lahore trip.

Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI)'s decision has put a question mark on the release of Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hain Mushkil, featuring Fawad Khan, by announcing no films with Pakistani actors will be screened in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka in the aftermath of Uri attack.

Kashyap, 44, said that why should only filmmakers, who have completed shoot of their respective films, have to face the situation of a ban.

"@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why?" Kashyap wrote on Twitter.

@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why?  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

"@narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent?"

Bringing into focus the money that the producers' would lose when a film's release is stalled, the Bombay Velvet helmer, said, "@narendramodi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money, while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest."

"@narendramodi I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don't get it. Sorry if you feel offended..

"Btw Bharat Mata ki Jai Sir @narendramodi," Kashyap tweeted.
If you are by any chance a film buff youd be aware of your favourite time of the year  the 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. Youd also no doubt be really confused about what films to watch considering the sheer volume of amazing films put together by the lovely people of Jio MAMI.

Fret not. Listed below is a handy guide to make note of 15 films you should absolutely, under no circumstance, miss at the festival.

Under The Shadow

Director: Babak Anvari

Country: Iran

By far the most exciting film at the fest, Babak Anvaris film contains a mysterious spooky entitypestering a mother and her daughter during the fag end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988. The film has been gathering some serious buzz ever since it premiered in Sundance back in January. Its also UIKs official entry to the Oscars  which bodes well for fans of intelligent horror cinema.

The Lure

Director: Agnieszka Smoczynska

Country: Poland

Set in a Warsaw nightclub and full of weird lurid visuals, The Lure chronicles two mermaid sisters who arrive on land to explore the human side of the world, and clash when they fall for the same human. Things get stranger when we discover the mermaids also have vampiric tendencies. The film created quite a buzz in Sundance where it won a Jury Prize.

Personal Shopper



Director: Oliver Assayas

Country: France

It seems like this years MAMI has turned into the Fantastic Fest (what could possibly be better than that) because this is the third acclaimed horror film to watch out for. Oliver Assayas who totally bowled us over two years ago with The Clouds of Sils Maria is back with a spooky story with an undercurrent of social commentary.

Assayas regular Kristen Stewart plays Maureen, an assistant to a fashion mogul in Paris who

contacts a spirit of some sort. Festival darling Assayas picked up the Best Director award at Cannes earlier this year.

Old Stone

Director: Johnny Ma

Country: China

We know China can be a weird place, and debut director Johnny Ma explores yet another bizarre quirk of the country: if you help someone in a car accident and take him to the hospital, you are liable to pay their rehabilitation fees for the rest of their life. The protagonist of the film, a cab driver finds himself in such a scenario in a film that bagged Ma the award for the best debut film at the Toronto International Film Fest earlier this year.

Graduation

Director: Cristian Mungiu

Country: Romania

Graduation puts 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days director Mungiu back to his roots  in the underbelly of Cluj. The film follows a surgeon who for some reason is a target by unknown pranksters, and whose daughter is mugged and assaulted on her way to her exams.

With handheld cameras, bleak blue tones, and the exploration of grassroots corruption, Mungius latest has been heralded as a return to form for a filmmaker whose previous film Beyond the Hills was criticized for being too self indulgent. Mungiu bagged the Directors trophy at Cannes for this film.

Things To Come



Director: Mia Hansen Love

Country:France

Fast emerging as one of the most exciting filmmakers of this generation, Hansen Loves new film follows a 50 year old woman who needs to come to terms with dealing with life after a divorce. Hansen Love bagged the Silver Bear for Best Director in Berlin, but her amazing work in her previous film Eden is enough reason to be excited for this one.

My Life As A Courgette

Director: Claude Barras

Country: Switzerland

Celine Sciamma who earlier wrote the magnificent Girlhood teams up with director Barras for a stop motion animation about a 9-year-old boy who is put in an orphanage after hisalcoholic mother dies  for which he may or may not be responsible.

Elle



Director: Paul Verhoeven

Country: France

The filmmaker behind some of the most nihilistic films of all time like Robocop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers returns after years with Elle, another nasty takedown of the society we live in. This time the story follows a rich video game honcho named Michelle (Isabelle Huppert) who is attacked by a masked man at her Parisian home.

Like all Verhoevens previous films, Elle is supposed to present moral dilemmas with a satirical bite and a layer of icily dark commentary on sex, violence and, in this case, video games. Its France official entry to the Oscars.

Sand Storm



Director: Elite Zexer

Country: Israel

Winning the Grand Jury prize at Sundance, Elite Zexers film which is set in Southern Israel follows a Bedouin woman dealing with everyday sexism and not so casual misogyny of the region after her husband is about to be married to a second, much younger woman. That should be an interesting watch because its a topic that folks in India can unfortunately relate to all too well.

Hounds Of Love

Director: Ben Young

Country:Australia

In case youre looking for a serial killer movie, debut filmmaker Ben Young presents a highly intriguing one with Hounds of Love, which introduces us to a serial killer couple whose latest kidnapping victim realizes that the only way to escape is by getting the two psychos to turn against each other.

One other little aspect to convince you to see this film is that the many audience members at the Venice Film Festival walked out because they couldnt stomach what was happening on the screen.

The War Show

Director: Andreas Dalsgaard, Obaidah Zytoon

Country: Syria - Denmark

The War Show is supposed to be a blistering account of the Arab Spring seen through the eyes of radio host Obaidah Zytoon who began filming the state of things during and after the protests.

The Lovers And The Despot



Director:Rob Cannan and Ross Adam

Country: Britain

Its pretty obvious how demented and scary North Korea is, and it seems theres no dearth of bizarre stories to come out of the country. This documentary brings us the real life story of a filmmaker couple who was kidnapped by Kim Jong II and were forced to make films in the country because the great dictator was a film buff.

Lantouri

Director: Reza Dormishian

Country: Iran

Yet another fascinating film from Iran, were taken through three intertwining stories: one which follows a gang of thugs that attacks and kidnaps young children from families that gained their wealth through financial wrongdoings, another which chronicles a journalist who is not allowed to voice his opinion and the third which follows a prostitute who turns into a thug.

Clash

Director: Mohamed Diab

Country: Egypt

After garnering acclaim for his film Cairo 678, Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab is back with another interesting story that puts various characters in a single location - a police riot car during the raging bloody streets of Cairo when the Muslim brotherhood president Morsi was overthrown and the country went nuts.

After The Storm

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda

Country: Japan

Like Father Like Son filmmaker Koreeda returns with another film with similar themes of isolation in the Japanese society. The film follows a writer struggling to live up to the success of his first novel and dealing with vices such as gambling and ego. While researching his next book he begins to spy on his ex wife who is now seeing another man. Reality hits him when he discovers that their son, in the custody of his mother is perfectly happy without him. The film has naturally received glowing reviews everywhere its screened.

The Salesman

Director: Asghar Farhadi

Country: Iran

Its Farhadis new film  thats all you need to know.

Other Notable Mentions:

Swiss Army Man: A delightful tale of a suicidal man whose life is saved by a farting corpse.

The Wailing: Yet another engrossing watch from Korean maestro Hong Jin Na about a Korean village going through a turmoil after a Japanese man encroaches their territory.

Neruda: The new film from Pablo Larrain which has been garnering some terrific buzz.

Madly: A short anthology featuring directorial works fromAnurag Kashyap,Gael Garcia Bernal, Mia Wasikowska, Natasha Khan, Sion Sono and Sebastian Silva.

Death in Sarajevo: Danis Tanovics new film.

I, Daniel Blake: Festival darling Ken Loachs latest which is sure to have insanely long lines  make sure you get to the screening hall early.
Ever since Sunny Leones new movie Beiimaan Love released on Friday, 14 October, there have been a bunch of reviews declaring that theres absolutely nothing that saves this terrible film from bad acting and a confused plot. These reviews are true  Beiimaan Love has no good actors, the plot isnt really a plot, we are constantly told how hot Leone is and that everyone wants to touch her, and all the men in the movie are just gross (except probably Daniel Peterson, played by Daniel Weber  you see the creativity  whose only line for Leone seems to be, You are an uncut diamond, and only I know your worth, and so you just cant take him seriously).

The thing is, though, that if you see the trailer before you go and watch the movie, you wont be particularly surprised at any of this. All the complaints about how the camera is always zooming into Leones stilettos and short tight dresses are true.

However, the way to watch this film is to enjoy it as a revenge flick (perhaps you should watch it with a friend who gives you sarcastic running commentary).

The story is essentially this  Sunaina (Sunny Leone) is a bosslike entrepreneur who is taking revenge on Raj (Rajneesh Duggal) who slept with her for a bet, and whose father humiliated her mother for having been a sex worker and bar dancer, causing her to commit suicide. By the end, Sunaina makes sure that Rajs fathers company, where she used to work, is on the verge of bankruptcy, and we see her in a big house with guards and being driven around in a Merc.

When the movie finishes, there is just one line on an otherwise blank screen  Never take a woman for granted. I know that the movies trailer hinted at this vengeful businesswoman theme, but everything in the movie is so convoluted that I forgot about this revenge plot halfway through, until the final showdown between Sunaina and Raj. The movie is actually so confusing that I was certain Raj was going to die in a car crash while Sunaina tragically waited for him to come home from a party. But when Sunaina says it was all a game, I have to rejoice. Raj is so angry that he chokes her, and were taken full circle back to when Raj and Sunaina first meet, and she slaps him for sexually harassing her (I still havent understood how she forgave this so easily and fell in love with Raj simply because he said he was a changed man).

This showdown scene has bad acting and terrible dialogue, but perhaps, like in other revenge movies, it is just the satisfaction of revenge that pulled the movie through, especially because its really satisfying to see women get their way. Not all movies can have absolutely crazy showdown scenes like Rekhas Khoon Bhari Maang (1988) did, where she came in riding a horse, carrying a rifle and a whip, and feeds her husband to crocodiles, in the same way that he had tried to kill her.

It isnt the same kind of satisfaction you get from revenge movies in which male actors are the ones seeking revenge. Their idea of revenge itself is seems like its presented differently, because the men are always anguished and wallowing in their feelings of rage. Ghajini, for instance, has Sanjay (Aamir Khan) brutally killing everybody in his way so that he can kill the man who murdered the woman he loved. In Badlapur, women are there only to be raped and gruesomely murdered by Raghav (Varun Dhawan) so that he can get revenge on the two men responsible for murdering his wife and son. Beiimaan Love certainly doesnt have such a high number of characters killed off as collateral damage. In Saat Khoon Maaf, we see Susanna (Priyanka Chopra) kill seven of her husbands for all the things theyve done, but we dont see her either plotting or obsessing over her revenge.

In Kahaani, I remember the whole theatre audience gasped when they saw Vidya (Vidya Balan) remove her prosthetic belly, disarm the man about to shoot her (whom she is trying to kill, so that she can avenge the death of her husband and baby), stabbing him in the neck with her hair accessory and then shooting him with his gun. This was a great revenge movie because you didnt realise it was a revenge movie  Beiimaan Love is similar, except its the bad acting and twisted scripts that dont let this happen as well as in Kahaani. But in Beiimaan Love, its also interesting to see a woman getting her revenge by building a life for herself and strategically taking businessmen down.

If in Badlapur we get the sense that the revenge is less about Raghavs wife and child who were killed, and more about himself, this is the case in Beiimaan Love and Khoon Bhari Maang too. It just seems like revenge movies with women are more open about being like this, because revenge is sometimes about the people taking revenge.

And so Beiimaan Love, ridiculous as it is, has a strangely satisfying and suitably random end  we see Raj (having lost his marbles) sitting on a bench overlooking the sea and talking to Sunaina, telling her he really loves her. Except she isnt there. We see her watching him from her car, and shes crying, because love conquers all or something like that, and just as shes going to get out of her car and run to Raj, she suddenly remembers all the hurt hes caused her, slams her shades back on, purses her lips, and drives away.

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine delivering fresh and witty perspectives on politics, culture, health, sex, work and everything in between.
By Douglas Busvine and Denis Pinchuk

| GOA, India

GOA, India Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi branded Pakistan a "mother-ship of terrorism" at a summit of the BRICS nations on Sunday, testing the cohesion of a group whose heavyweight member China is a close ally of India's arch-rival.Modi's remarks to a meeting of leaders from the BRICS -- which include Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa -- escalated his diplomatic drive to isolate Pakistan, which India accuses of sponsoring cross-border terrorism.Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours have been running high since a Sept. 18 attack on an army base in Kashmir, near the disputed frontier with Pakistan, killed 19 Indian soldiers in the worst such assault in 14 years.India later said it had carried out retaliatory "surgical strikes" across the de facto border that inflicted significant casualties. Pakistan denied any role in the attack on the Uri army base, and said the Indian operation had not even happened, dismissing it as typical cross-border firing."In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development," Modi said in remarks to BRICS leaders who met at a resort hotel in the western state of Goa."Tragically, the mother-ship of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood," the 66-year-old prime minister said, without directly naming Pakistan, in a series of tweets of his remarks issued by the foreign ministry.Modi's hostile comments were not, however, reflected in a closing statement he read out to reporters."We were unanimous in recognising the threat that terrorism, extremism and radicalisation presents, not just to the regional and global peace, stability and prosperity," he said. "But, also to our society, our way of life and humanity as a whole."

No immediate reaction was available from Pakistan's foreign ministry.Modi's posturing overshadowed the gathering of a group that was set up to boost economic cooperation, and made it possible for the nationalist leader to present himself at home as tough on national security."Modi is aware that such language wouldn't get the consensus necessary to make it into the final communique. Including it in his speech ensures it gets wide circulation anyway," said South Asia expert Shashank Joshi.The summit achievements were incremental, and included establishing an agricultural research institute and speeding up work on creating a joint credit ratings agency.

Also on Sunday's programme was an outreach session with leaders from a little-known group of countries from the Bay of Bengal region whose key attribute, from India's point of view, is that Pakistan is not a member.LACK OF STRATEGIC RESTRAINT

Modi's hard line on Pakistan marks a departure from India's tradition of strategic restraint, and New Delhi has won expressions of support from both the West and Russia over the army base attack.

Yet China, a longstanding ally of Pakistan that plans to build a $46 billion export corridor to the Arabian Sea coast, has been cautious in its comments.Modi and President Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting on Saturday evening and accounts of their conversation emerging from both sides pointed to clear differences of opinion.In one remark reported by the state Xinhua news agency, Xi said that China and India should "support each other in participating in regional affairs and enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks".The dispatch went on to refer to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). This grouping includes Pakistan, which was to have hosted a summit in November that collapsed after India and other members pulled out.The final summit declaration repeated earlier condemnations of "terrorism in all its forms" and devoted several paragraphs to joint effort to fight terrorism. It did not, however, level any blame over the tensions between India and Pakistan."So far, we haven't seen any indication at all that China is softening its public support for Pakistan. India did not expect differently," said Joshi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. (Additional reporting by Drazen Jorgic in Islamabad; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Keith Weir)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Lesley Wroughton and Alexander Winning

| LAUSANNE, Switzerland

LAUSANNE, Switzerland Syria talks convened by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Saturday evening failed to agree on a common strategy with Russia to end the conflict in Syria, now in its sixth year.Kerry was seeking a new path to peace after failing to secure a ceasefire in direct talks with Moscow, one of Syria's key backers, amid mounting international outrage over the Russian and Syrian bombardment of rebel-held eastern Aleppo.Kerry hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and seven foreign ministers from the region - from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt - weeks after the collapse of a painstakingly crafted U.S.-Russian ceasefire plan that many saw as the last hope for peace this year.Kerry told reporters there was consensus on a number of options that could lead to a ceasefire, but conceded that there had been some tense moments during Saturday's talks."I would characterize this as an example of what we wanted, which was a brainstorming and a very candid first-time discussion," he said. "A number of ideas came from the number of different ministers as we hoped that might be able to shape some different approaches."But the meeting failed to come up with a joint statement or a shared vision on how to move forward.Lavrov, who had said he had "no special expectations" for Saturday's meeting, said ministers had discussed several "interesting ideas", without elaborating. MEETING IN LONDON

Europe was not represented at the meeting, held in a luxury hotel on Lake Geneva. But France's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Kerry and foreign ministers of like-minded nations planned to meet in London on Sunday to discuss Syria.Kerry said parties to the Lausanne talks would contact each other on Monday to follow up.Since the breakdown of U.S.-Russia cooperation, long the backbone of efforts to end the war in Syria, U.S. officials have worked on a number of ideas.Although no breakthrough had been expected on Saturday, a senior U.S. official said before the meeting that the regional format to the talks could be the basis of a new process.

However, a former Western envoy in Syria told Reuters: "I don't understand (why) the Americans are asking the Russians to talk again. They have made zero concessions. Do the Americans believe Moscow was shaken by the break-off last week and will change behaviour now?"Separately, a Western diplomat in Lausanne said the meeting appeared ill-prepared and vague in its goals, and the list of invitees had been clarified only at the last moment. Earlier, Kerry met separately with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir and with Lavrov to discuss the logistics of the meeting.It was the first meeting between Kerry and Lavrov since the collapse of a second attempted ceasefire in September. The impending end of the Obama administration is likely to mean a hiatus in U.S. diplomacy while his successor, whether Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, takes up the reins.

ACCUSATIONS

At the same time, pressure is rising for a halt to a ferocious, three-week-old Syrian government offensive to capture the eastern zone of the city of Aleppo, where the United Nations says 275,000 civilians still live and 8,000 rebels are holding out against Syrian, Russian and Iranian-backed forces. Western powers have accused Russia and Syria of committing atrocities by bombing hospitals, killing civilians and preventing medical evacuations, as well as targeting an aid convoy with the loss of around 20 lives. Syria and Russia counter that they are only targeting militants in Aleppo and accuse the United States of breaking the ceasefire by bombing scores of Syrian troops fighting Islamic State insurgents, over which the United States has expressed regret.A senior rebel commander said on Friday that Syrian government forces would never be able to capture Aleppo's eastern sector, but a military source said the operation was going as planned.The United Nations has said food, fuel and medicine are running out in eastern Aleppo and there will be no rations to distribute from the start of next month. (Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, Tom Miles, Marina Depetris, John Irish and David Alexander; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Mark Heinrich)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
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'It is the responsibility of all states to prevent terrorist actions from their territories.' Goa Declaration https://t.co/OWe7ZKdnbV pic.twitter.com/VSqaGkPSLm

'It is the responsibility of all states to prevent terrorist actions from their territories': Goa Declaration

Some pictures from the proceedings of the day at the @BRICS2016 Summit. pic.twitter.com/VJWHPu2RZL

PM Modi shares pictures of the proceedings during the day two of Brics summit

Bhutan PM said, "Terrorism in all its form is unacceptable and cross border terrorism is the worst form of terrorism": Vikas Swarup, MEA pic.twitter.com/g2CP7prEF6

The 2 leaders (PM Modi & Sri Lanka Pres) reviewed the development partnership of both nations during bilateral talks held: Vikas Swarup, MEA pic.twitter.com/cKK6WBBWdX

Swarup also said that Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said that his country stands with India in its fight against cross-border terrorism.

Vikas Swarup, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena held bilateral talks and reviewed the development partnership of both nations. He added that both the State heads spoke about Uri attack as well.

He said innovation holds "the key to leapfrog" development in Brics countries and urged businesses to follow this path for a steady and sustainable economic development.

Addressing the Business Council Summit, the Chinese President said the global economy is yet to fully recover from the 2008 credit crisis and is still struggling with a "treacherous recovery".

Even though the 2008 credit crisis and the "treacherous recovery" of global economy has impacted growth among the Brics countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday said the potential and the inherent strength of the five-nation grouping of emerging economies continues to be unchanged.

Renewing the BIMSTEC bond. PM and BIMSTEC leaders gather for a retreat before the Outreach Summit pic.twitter.com/pO3z5OlZHU

"We agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating international terrorism both at the bilateral level and at international fora."

"We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stress that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other reasons," it said.

"We strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some Brics countries, including that in India," the Goa Declaration adopted at the conclusion of the Eighth Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit stated.

Brics nations on Sunday unanimously condemned terrorism in all its forms, including the terror attacks on India, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a comprehensive response to this global scourge.

Terrorism has become its favourite child, and the child in turn has come to define the essential nature of its parents: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/jLQwoM39Ev

Unfortunately, this country in India's neighbourhood embraces and radiates the darkness of terrorism: PM Narendra Modi in Goa pic.twitter.com/1fTVw5NR1W

Hitting out at Pakistan, Modi said that terrorism has become its favourite child, and the child in turn has come to define the essential nature of its parents. He also said that India's neighbour embraces and radiates the darkness of terrorism.

He further said that in South Asia and Bimstec, barring one, all nations are motivated to pursue the path of peace, development and economic prosperity. He added that geographical borders are not a barrier for those who wish to harm societies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that terrorism, radicalisation pose grave threats to the Brics nations and the member-countries are united by their common vision, peace, stability and development.

PM:To those who nurture philosophy of terror & seek to dehumanize mankind,we must send clear msg-mend ways or b isolated in civilized world pic.twitter.com/SDNsR9qt2f

We must send message to those who nurture terror: Modi

We want to fight terrorism together, we all will collectively work on it: Russian President Vladimir Putin in Goa pic.twitter.com/kBBQ94IACM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Goa on Friday to attend the two-day long Brics summit. The leaders are expected to debate "global growth prospects, the role of Brics in leading this global growth and our contributions to it, according to Indian foreign ministry official Amar Sinha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Panaji (Goa) for the BRICS Summit pic.twitter.com/5hesBkSnAN  ANI (@ANI_news) October 14, 2016

Regional security and climate change are also on the agenda, reported, reported Global TImes.

Modi, in a Facebook post, said that he is honoured to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazilian President Michel Temer for a bilateral visit in Goa.

While Putins visit will give India an opportunity to consolidate and reaffirm a unique time-tested friendship and partnership with Russia, Temers trip will open up new areas for cooperation with Brazil.

India would also be looking for Brics leaders to condemn recent cross-border attacks from Pakistan, NDTV reported.

Putins office said in a statement that "international terrorism and the Syria peace process" would be discussed.

India is expected to continue with its diplomatic offensive against Pakistan on the issue of terrorism originating from there. With the summit taking place within weeks of Uri terror strike by Pakistan-based terrorists, India will be forceful in its demand at Brics Summit, which will also have a BIMSTEC outreach meet, for intensified efforts to tackle terrorism including action against countries providing safe havens to terrorists and arming them.

Modi is expected to hold talks with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit. He will meet Putin on Saturday for the annual summit and the talks with Jinping are also expected to be held later that day. His summit with Temer is scheduled for Monday, according to a PTI report.

The BricsPost quoted Modi as saying on Friday, Brics will also launch new initiatives in Goa even as we mark the successful operationalization of initiatives like the Brics New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement.

The Goa police issued an advisory to the general public about the dos and don'ts during the high profile event on Saturday. "All citizens are requested to co-operate with law enforcing agencies and report any suspicious activities or suspicious baggage/article to authorities immediately," Goa Police said in a press release issued on Friday.
Benaulim: In a clear reference to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the "mothership of terrorism" was in India's neighbourhood and linked to terror modules across the world.

Modi's speech at the restricted Brics leaders' meet, parts of which were tweeted by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup, also said that the neighbouring country sheltered not just terrorists but also "nurtures a mindset" which backs terrorism for political gains.

"In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development. Tragically, the mothership of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood. Terror modules around the world are linked to this mothership," Modi said at the meeting attended by Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Jinping of China, Jacob Zuma of South Africa and Michel Temer of Brazil.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also attended the restricted meeting.

"This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains. It is a mindset that we strongly condemn," Modi said, exhorting Brics states to "stand and act together" and speak in one voice against the threat.

Modi also said that the growing arc of terrorism today threatened the Middle East, West Asia, Europe and South Asia and that terrorism's "violent footprints put at risk the security of our citizens and undercuts our efforts aimed at economic growth".

Modi called on Brics countries to work together for early adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism and step up practical cooperation against terrorism.

PM: The most serious direct threat to our eco prosperity is terrorism; Tragically, its mother-ship is a country in India's neighborhood pic.twitter.com/DNaY7diEQ1  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

The Prime Minister also spoke of critical challenges that confront the world and underlined the need for a clear roadmap to revive the global economy.

"Our increasing inter-dependence means that our march towards economic prosperity cannot be separated from the emerging geo-political context. BRICS, therefore, must play an active role in setting a direction that supports our common aspirations and goals.

"I firmly believe that the simultaneous development of Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India is the best bet for global growth and development," Modi said.

PM @narendramodi calls on BRICS country to work together for early adoption of CCIT, step up practical cooperation against #terrorism  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

Modi said the "unhindered flow of skilled talent, ideas, technology, and capital across borders was imperative to kickstart the growth process".

With inputs from IANS
With Chinese President Xi Jinpings successful visit to Bangladesh, plans for Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have effectively encircled India. Multi-billion dollar, Chinese-financed infrastructure projects are planned in almost all of Indias neighbours, from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Nepal to Myanmar.

President Xi Jinping on his visits to South Asia has brought grand infrastructure plans for his hosts  during his visits to Sri Lanka and the Maldives in September 2014, to Pakistan in April 2015 and more recently to Bangladesh. Xis visit to Pakistan resulted in the multi-billion dollar investment in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that connects Chinas Xinjiang province to Gwadar port in Pakistan. Former Nepalese Prime Minister KP Olis visit to Beijing earlier this year brought forth bountiful promises of infrastructure assistance. Chinas involvement in Myanmar is of a longer standing, among several major infrastructure projects is a gas pipeline that transports natural gas from Maday port on the Bay of Bengal to Chinas Yunnan province and a proposed rail line along the same route.

India has had reservations about the Belt and Road Initiative, especially the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. But all its neighbours, with the sole exception of Bhutan, have welcomed the Chinese initiative with enthusiasm. India is however engaged in the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor, which aims to connect Kolkata with Kunming, in Chinas Yunnan province, passing through Myanmar and Bangladesh. The BCIM corridor is a long-delayed proposal which Beijing has now referred to as part of its BRI plans.

Bangladesh and China signed agreements worth $24.45 billion for 34 projects and programmes during Xis visit to Dhaka on Friday, reported Bangladesh's largest-selling English daily, The Morning Star. While no details of projects were made available during the signing, they are expected to cover financing for infrastructure, energy, and communication projects. As the two sides elevated their ties to strategic partnership, Bangladesh expressed its support to Chinas Road and Belt Initiative and the BCIM economic corridor. They also agreed to negotiate a free trade agreement. China is Bangladeshs largest trading partner and supplier of defence equipment.

Sri Lanka was the first South Asian country to receive large investments in big infrastructure projects during the Mahinda Rajapakse regime. But when the Maithripala Sirisena government came to power in a surprise election victory in January 2015, it began a review of the controversial $1.4 billion Colombo port city expansion project. The Sirisena alliance had charged Rajapakse of turning Sri Lanka into a Chinese dependency and had vowed to review all major Chinese investments. However, the Sri Lankan government later cleared the new Colombo city project after changing some conditions in the deal. China offered to align its maritime silk road project with Sri Lankas development plans to enable the island nation to become a shipping hub in the Indian Ocean.

The Maldives, like Sri Lanka and Pakistan earlier, has faced international pressure over its policies. All three countries have found firm support from Beijing, which has helped them withstand the pressure. Earlier this week, the Maldives announced that it would quit the Commonwealth, the 53-member organisation of mainly former British colonies. The Maldives had been warned in late September by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) that it would be suspended if it did not take adequate steps to encourage political dialogue, release opposition leaders and improve democratic functioning in the country.

Large scale Chinese projects in the Maldives coincided with India's troubles in Male. The contract for modernising and operating the Male International Airport, granted to a consortium led by the Indian infrastructure company, GMR Group was cancelled by the new government. International arbitrators ruled in GMRs favour, but the contract for the expansion of the international airport was awarded to a Chinese company. A Chinese construction firm is building the $280 million China-Maldives Friendship Bridge that would connect the Hulhule island where the international airport is located to a suburb of Male. Other projects included large housing projects and other infrastructure assistance.

China is the largest foreign investor in Nepal with two large hydropower projects underway in the country. Among the projects that were discussed during the KP Oli visit were construction of cross-border transmission lines, an international airport at Pokhara, and extension of Chinas Qinghai-Tibet rail line to the town of Jilong on the Nepal border and then to Kathmandu. The visit was marked by the fact that it was only the second time that a Nepali Prime Minister had chosen to visit China in his first foreign tour. However, a return visit by Xi in October had to be put off after the Oli government fell and the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist) leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda formed a new government in Kathmandu.

Till a decade or more ago, Chinas involvement in the relatively under-developed South Asian region was limited. But in the past couple of years, Beijing with its large financial resources looking for a destination began making a major push for connecting to South Asian countries with its grand BRI plan. While India cannot match the Chinese largesse, greater generosity in its dealings with its smaller neighbours can win it more friends and create goodwill through the region.
As spring turned to summer this year, I spent an afternoon interacting with the residents of a village near Safapora in north-central Kashmir. Some of them spoke of the possibility of Chinese involvement in what might happen in the Kashmir Valley. They said their part of the valley had historical trade and other connections with China, through the valley of the Sindh-nallah, which leads from the main Kashmir Valley to the Zoji-La pass and then Ladakh.

That they brought up China interested me tremendously, but it was the sort of talk Indias intelligence establishment routinely ignore. One hopes the various intelligence honchos in Srinagar and New Delhi are doing a little introspection now that Chinese flags were waved at the old Idgah (next to an army camp) in

Baramulla after Friday's prayers on 14 October.

Baramulla, the valleys third biggest city, has been in ferment over the past few days, although traffic and a general sense of relaxation has led many to describe Srinagar as 'normal'. Residents describe horrifying blasts of tear gas shells in Baramulla over the past couple of days.

Those Chinese flags appeared in a stronghold of the 'hardline' section of the Jamaat-e-Islami that is loyal to ranking separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. It is ironical that a dyed-in-the-wool religious outfit should ally with a Communist State  but that only makes the flags more significant. The irony was that it was on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinpings arrival in India for the Brics Summit.

Kashmiri discourse

That village interaction a few months ago was not the first time I had heard Kashmiris speak of Chinese involvement, and of its claims, since the 1990s. Former Hurriyat Conference chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat had observed several years ago: "Dont forget the China factor."

But intelligence walas have remained determinedly deaf to such talk. An insightful Kashmiri says he told a top intelligence officer in the Kashmir police that he would not be surprised if Chinese flags turned up along with Pakistani and Islamic State flags in Downtown Srinagar. He says that intelligence officer was incredulous. Not impressed.

The intelligence honchos have been doing a great job of mimicking ostriches regarding China. They are too busy buying over and selling out 'leaders' and organisations, and patting each other on the back, to bother with such things as a mass uprising or dangerous big powers getting involved with such an uprising.

They ought to be looking for chullu bhar paani (a handful of water in which to drown) at this point. It is not as if Chinas anti-India moves regarding Jammu and Kashmir are new. They have just been studiously ignored.

Series of Chinese moves

For eight years now, starting a few weeks after the Beijing Olympics ended, China began to send troops into areas of Ladakh that are meant to be controlled by India. That has happened often over these eight years.

Soon after the trend of incursions began, China announced that the status of Jammu and Kashmir has not been finally decided and that China has a stake in the area.

One wonders what more than that statement Indias highly-paid, high-payout intelligence walas were waiting for to allow themselves to believe that China wants a much bigger presence in the state? After all, the statement was not limited to areas through which Chinas 'Karakoram highway' passes. It was about the entire state.

Around that time, China refused to issue visas to residents of the state on Indian passports, but rather on stapled pieces of paper. It did so even with Lt Gen BS Jaswal, who was then Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armys Northern Command. One wonders how much more of a pointer the intelligence walas were waiting for, to believe that China wants Indias position in the state reduced?

In fact, one wonders what Indias intelligence officers, 'experts' and strategists are up to? I had suggested the day after Burhan Wani was killed on 8 July that Kashmir-based intelligence honchos should either be prosecuted for treason or sacked for incompetence. Perhaps those who occupy power in New Delhi also deserve the same. The country will pay a terrible price for employing such ostriches.
Coimbatore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon visit Chennai to enquire about the health status of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who has been hospitalised, Minister of State for highways and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan said on Sunday.

"The Prime Minister is keen to know about the health condition of Jayalalithaa and get updates on it and will soon visit Chennai," he told reporters at nearby Tirupur.

On Sunday, actor Rajinikanth visited Apollo Hospital in Chennai to meet Jayalalithaa, reported CNN-News 18.

Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo hospital on 22 September for fever and dehydration.

A galaxy of leaders, including Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and top BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Amit Shah had visited the hospital since then to enquire about her health status.

On the Cauvery Management Board, Radhakrishnan expressed hope that the Centre would form it soon to protect the rights of Tamil Nadu.

He alleged that Congress and other parties were making it a political issue only to divert the attention of people from their "failure".

He noted that Congress led UPA government, of which DMK was also a part, had done nothing in this regard when in power.

Several organisations, including farmers' outfits, had held protests across Tamil Nadu on 14 October, demanding that the Centre set up the CMB.

Radhakrishnan was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the two-day BJP state Executive committee meeting, which began at Tirupur.

With inputs from PTI
Thane: The Maratha community on Sunday took its statewide campaign for demands, including reservation, to the doortsteps of Mumbai by organising a huge 'silent march' in the adjoining Thane district, which was joined by minister Eknath Shinde and leaders of Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP.

A day after the 'Maratha kranti silent morcha' in Kolhapur, the community members on Sunday gathered in large numbers at Teen Hath Naka in Thane and marched in rows towards the district collectorate, located about five kms away.

The participants, carrying saffron flags and several placards for their demands, and children and elders dressed as Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji, walked through the Gokhale road and other main streets of the city.

A large number of women and youths also participated in the morcha.

Five young girls from among the participants led the morcha. Banners and mega hoardings having the slogan 'Ek Maratha, Lakh Maratha' were put up at several places in Thane.

Over 1,500 police personnel were deployed to man the crowd. Elaborate security arrangements and traffic diversions were effected by the police in view of the rally.

Elaborate arrangements of medical facilities, water supply and parking lots were made for the smooth conduct of the event.

Today's morcha is said to be a prelude to the rally that will be taken out in the state capital Mumbai, the schedule for which has yet not been announced by the community.

The girls leading the morcha handed over a memorandum of their demands to Thane Collector Mahendra Kalyankar.

Prominent among the politicians who participated in the morcha were Thane Guardian Minister Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena MPs Dr Shrikant Shinde and Rajan Vichare, NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad, senior Congress leader from the state Sachin Sawant and NCP leader Vasant Davkhare.

The Marathas have been demanding quota for community members in government jobs and education, scrapping of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and speedy trial in the Kopardi case wherein a Maratha girl was raped and murdered.

Meanwhile, a huge rally was today taken out by the Marathi community members in the state's Ratnagiri district in support of their demands.

No political or social leader led the rally which had the common Maratha community women at the front.

The 'silent march' participants holding banners gathered at Pavan Talav ground in Chiplun city, selected as the centre point in Ratnagiri district on Mumbai-Goa highway, before the rally commenced.

The people walked from Pavan Talav and via Bahadurshekh naka went to SDO office in Chiplun, where a letter of demands was handed over to the Collector by some girls leading the

march.

Some local volunteers helped the police and government authorities in managing the crowd.
Cavelossim, Goa: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find a "firm" solution to the "thorny" fishermen issue.

The Lankan President made the demand during a meeting with Modi where the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation in a whole host of areas, including energy and health.

There was a discussion on the thorny issue of fishermen. President Sirisena said he wanted a firm solution on the issue. Modi agreed with him and said "we must find a proper solution to this long festering issue," MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said after a meeting held ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit in Cavelossim, 50 km from Panaji.

"As you know we have invited the Sri Lankan fisheries minister to India and we hope at that time, the discussions would lead to some kind of mutually acceptable outcome," Swarup said.

"The PM briefed Sirisena on the Uri terror attack. He noted the support Sri Lanka had provided to India, and expressed his gratitude to people and government of Sri Lanka," he said.

"Modi said that as a result of the solidarity that the countries of the region had shown after the Uri terror attacks, a message had gone across that people in our region want peace and they recognise that the biggest challenge to peace and prosperity is terrorism," Swarup said.

The two leaders also reviewed bilateral cooperation in a whole host of areas like energy and health.

The Lankan leader thanked Modi for gifting ambulances to western and southern provinces and hoped this will be extended to other areas as well, Swarup said. "He briefed Modi on progress in rehabilitation projects in the northern province," he said.

Modi later met the Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay, the MEA spokesperson said.
India is today under a party with an ideology, which is called Hindutva. This ideology has three demands: The abolishing of Article 370 of India's constitution, the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple at Ayodhya and the enforcement of a Uniform Civil Code.

All the three issues require something from the minority communities. Article 370 requires Kashmir's Muslim majority to give up their Constitutional autonomy, the temple requires Muslims to give up their mosque, and the Uniform Civil Code requires them to give up their personal law.

For this reason it is possible to view these demands as being negative and the product of a majoritarian impulse, rather than positive. I mean that they appear to be not as well-intended as those demanding the changes make it appear. This is validated by what happened to the temple movement once the mosque had been torn down by Hindutva. The movement collapsed because it was more negative  meaning against the mosque, than positive  meaning in favour of the temple.

In the matter of Article 370 there are many legal issues that prevent full integration of Jammu and Kashmir, but the intent of the ruling ideology can perhaps be glimpsed at by the state of Kashmir today. The current episode of national pride over action against Pakistan has dominated events in the valley. But sooner of later we will be forced to take a look at how to manage the situation there.

The Uniform Civil Code is currently gathering momentum and this is happening in two phases. The first is action against triple talaq, which the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, dominated by men, wants to retain. Triple talaq is a quick divorce option for men, which many Muslim nations, including Pakistan, do not permit. The government wants to make it illegal and the courts are on its side.

Should this happen, we should get ready for a number of arrests. The second issue is the matter of polygamy, which is where the real interest of Hindutva lies. It is felt that polygamy is the instrument through which Muslims reproduce faster than Hindus and at some point will become a majority. The incidence of polygamy is actually higher among Hindus than Muslims according to the data, but the perception is powerful enough to drive this demand for the Uniform Civil Code.

The historian Ramachandra Guha wrote a few days ago about why liberals and leftists (I think he meant communists but I could be wrong) should support the Uniform Civil Code and oppose polygamy. He classified their opposition to the Hindutva demand as being one of these seven things:

1) The reforms of Hindu personal law in the 1950s were not as progressive as they are made out to be.

2) The customary laws and practices of the Hindus today are often very reactionary, as for example in the khap panchayats.

3) The unreformed Muslim personal laws are not as reactionary as made out to be, and sometimes or often give women reasonable rights.

4) The customary practices of Muslims are also not as bad as claimed; thus Muslim polygamy does not discriminate against second or third wives in the manner that Hindu polygamy does or did.

5) The demand for a uniform civil code is motivated by the political agenda of the BJP.

6) Article 44 of the Constitution, asking for a Uniform Civil Code, clashes with Article 25, assuring the freedom to propagate religion.

7) There are many other Articles of the Constitution that remain unfulfilled; why then harp on this one?

In my opinion, Guha misses out one thing, the major one: why some liberals (meaning those who push for the rights of individuals) oppose this reform. That is the right of the woman, or the man, to become a second wife or a second husband (polyandry is practiced in some communities in India). It is true that a poll shows that 90 percent of Muslim women oppose polygamy but then 90 percent of Muslim women also live in monogamous marriages. It would be interesting to see the data on how those inside polygamous marriages view the practice.

Guha says polygamy is an "abhorrent practice", which must be "abolished at once". This is in my opinion a moral judgment. The Indian law and successive governments have said the same thing about homosexuality. But the liberal will stand for the individual's rights in that instance also. My guess is, having said all this, that the momentum has shifted on the issue. Triple talaq and polygamy are likely to be the next ground on which Hindutva will assert itself. And, as with other issues where this has happened, we must anticipate trouble.
Uri/New Delhi: The four Pakistani terrorists, who killed 19 soldiers in one of the the bloodiest attacks on an army camp in Uri last month, had used a ladder to scale the electrified fence at the LoC.

Investigation carried out by the army to identify the infiltration route of the four terrorists led it to conclude that a ladder was used near Salamabad nallah, official sources said.

The army officials said that one of the four, who mounted the brazen attack in Uri, about 102 km from Srinagar, had infiltrated using the gaps along the fence near Salamabad nallah and erected a ladder on the Indian side of the fence, while the other three had a ladder on their side. The two ladders were connected like a pedestrian bridge.

The sources said it was difficult for all the four to infiltrate through the gap used by the first terrorist as each one of them was carrying heavy rucksacks filled with ammunition, weapons and eatables. It would have taken them a lot of time to cross the fence at grave risk to their lives as army teams, which routinely patrol the area, could have spotted them.

After the four infiltrated into India, the ladder, carried by the first terrorist, was handed over back to the two guides  Mohd Kabir Awan and Basharat  who accompanied them up to the LoC, sources said, adding it was done to ensure there were no tell-tale signs.

The army is conducting an enquiry at Gohallan and adjoining village Jablah as they suspect the terrorists might have taken shelter there for a day before launching the deadly attack on 18 September which left 19 army personnel dead and a large quantity of arms and ammunition destroyed.

The first incident of terrorists using ladders to cross the fence was reported in Machil sector of North Kashmir earlier this year.

The army has launched an internal inquiry into the incident and removed Uri Brigade commander K Soma Shanker. Preliminary investigations suggested the terrorists had entered the area at least a day before mounting the brazen assault.

The inquiry, which will be completed in a time-bound manner, will also suggest measures to prevent such attacks in future. Pakistan-based groups were now indulging more in "shallow infiltration" during which the terrorists, after crossing the LoC, target the first available army camp or security establishment.

During the investigation it was found that the terrorists had sneaked into the army camp by cutting the perimeter fencing of the highly-guarded installation at one place.

In an indication that the terrorists were well aware of the layout of the base close to the LoC, the assailants had locked the kitchen and store from outside to prevent the soldiers present inside from leaving before setting the structures on fire, they said.

The investigators also said the four terrorists might have sneaked in from PoK on the intervening night of 16/17 September and stayed put at village Sukhdar, overlooking the brigade headquarter.

Sukhdar village is located at a vantage point allowing an unhindered view of the army base and movement of personnel inside it.
Varanasi: The death toll in Saturday's stampede Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh has risen to 25, with one of the injured succumbing to his injuries overnight, police said on Sunday.

Authorities meanwhile said that 20 of the dead had been identified. And seven of the injured were still in critical condition in hospital.

Police officials said they were trying to ascertain the identity of the remaining five dead. More than 50 people were being treated at various medical facilities in the temple town.

The stampede occurred at the 130-year-old Raj Ghat bridge on the banks of river Ganga where a religious congregation was to be presided by Acharya Pankaj Baba, disciple of late Jai Gurudev, a religious and spiritual leader from Mathura.

The dead include 20 women and five men, police officer Anil Kumar Singh told IANS.

On the second day of the congregation on Sunday, Pankaj Baba paid tributes to those who perished in the tragedy and they were 'Satsangi Shaheed' (Spiritual Matryrs).

The dead have been identified as Naval Kishore Mishra, Savitri Mishra, Rajwati, Ramwati, Sumitra and Vimla Devi from Delhi, Rampatti Devi, Dashtarth Singh, Prithvipal Singh, Israti Devi, Susheela Devi and Mallu Devi from Rajasthan, as well as Prithvipal, Ashok Kumar, Kamlesh Devi, Kamini, Sarla Devi, Sohanlal, Indu and Keshwati from Madhya Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the dependants of those killed and Rs 50,000 each to those injured.

He has also suspended five senior district officials, including the superintendent of police (City) of Varanasi and the traffic in-charge.

The divisional commissioner of Varanasi has been asked to get a magisterial probe conducted into the reasons behind the tragedy.

The Prime Minister's Office is monitoring the treatment of the injured, an official told IANS.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha.

The stampede occurred at around 1.30 pm as thousands of people took out a procession.

Police attributed the stampede to the "impatience" among the participants due to the prevailing heat and humidity.

Varanasi district magistrate Vijay Kiran Anand blamed Acharya Pankaj, the successor of Jai Gurudev and the organiser of the two-day congregation in Domri village.

"The organisers had told us that 3,000 people would come but over 300,000 turned up," he said.

Pankaj Das in turn blamed the administration for failing to take proper measures.
Beijing: China will launch a two-man space mission, Shenzhou 11, on Monday, officials with the space programme said, taking the country closer to its ambition of setting up a permanent manned space station by 2022.

President Xi Jinping has called for China to establish itself as a space power, and it has tested anti-satellite missiles, in addition to its civilian aims.

China says its space programme is for peaceful purposes, but the US Defense Department has highlighted its increasing capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed to prevent adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis.

After Monday's launch at 5 am (2330 GMT) in the remote northwestern province of Gansu, the astronauts will dock with the Tiangong 2 space laboratory, where they will spend about a month.

"This mission is characterised by its longer duration and more tests," Chen Dong, the junior astronaut on the mission, told reporters in a televised news conference. "We will focus on improving our ability to handle emergencies in orbit, medical first aid, mutual rescue capabilities and space experiments."

Shenzhou 11 will be the third space mission for Jing Haipeng, who will command the mission and pass his 50th birthday in space.

The spacecraft, whose name translates as "Divine Vessel", will also carry three experiments designed by Hong Kong middle school students and selected in a science competition, including one that will take silk worms into space.

China launched its second experimental space lab Tiangong 2, or "Heavenly Palace 2", last month.

While China to date has focused on near-Earth space exploration, future missions will be bigger and go farther than 400 km (249 miles), said Zhang Yulin, an official with the space program and the Central Military Commission.

The country's space programme will soon move from exploratory testing to normal operations with the launch of the next space station, Xinhua news agency quoted Zhang as saying.

"Then spacecraft launches won't be like now, one every few years, instead there will be several each year."
According to WHO, every three seconds globally, someone somewhere attempts suicide  and every 40 seconds a person succeeds. Unfortunately, one out of these three suicides is happening in India.

To coincide with World Mental Day (10 October), a new book called Death Is Not The Answer (Penguin Publications), by Mumbai-based psychiatrist Dr Anjali Chhabria, is being released as an attempt to de-stigmatise suicide by expounding some of the reasons for it.

According to Dr Chhabria, in spite of the many books and talks on having a positive outlook towards life, there are so many who are unable to relate to anything that could give them a ray of hope in times of distress and death seems to be an only solution for them. This book is my attempt to bring it to notice that whatever the situation, however bad the circumstance, Death is definitely not an answer.

As a practicing psychiatrist, attending every day to at least two patients who have suicidal thoughts, or have attempted it in past, compelled her to work on this sensitive topic which goes unspoken otherwise.

It is mainly due to lack of awareness, misconceptions, and a deep rooted stigma that many lives are lost. While family and friends rally around the person suffering from a physical health condition, a person with a mental health condition is usually left to deal with his/her problems and even neglected or shunned.

Dr Chhabria says, The first reaction that one gives to a mental health patient is of shock. Why would you go to a psychiatrist or a psychologist? Are you going crazy? these are usual statements made towards those who willingly seek help.

Awareness and sensitisation about mental illnesses and possible treatment for the same is key to preventing suicide. There is a myth that speaking about suicide openly will cause people to actually act on it. The reality is that more conversations around this topic will create more awareness and a shift in attitude.

She adds, The notion that only mad people visit a psychiatrists clinic will change only if they are made conscious about the importance of mental well-being along with physical well-being.

The majority of suicides are preceded by warning signs. People contemplating suicide really do not want to die and awareness about early signs and symptoms, followed with timely intervention, can save these lives.

Dr Chhabria says, Looking out for any drastic or subtle changes in mood patterns (mood fluctuations), reduced interest level in daily activities, reduction in communication, tendency to stay aloof more than usual, and observing unusual behaviour could help detect warning signs. 

Family members need to be vigilant if the patient has been a victim of recent stress or loss, or has had a history of any psychiatric illness or is currently suffering from a psychiatric illness, encounter with a traumatic event or even substance abuse. These are few precipitating factors leading to suicidal behaviour.

The society at large help take the discussion on suicide forward in order to destigmatise it. Dr Chhabria says we should draw inspiration from the way stigma around HIV/AIDS was eradicated. Awareness drives were conducted in schools and colleges not only in cities but at the grass root levels also.

She adds, The media also played an important role to bring out the statistics of how badly it is affecting society. Applying this analogy to destigmatise suicide society at large can save many lives. Talking about suicide makes people in society vigilant and more responsible towards their own as well as loved ones mental health.

Certain sections of the society are known to be more vulnerable  youth between 15 to 25 years of age, housewives, homosexuals, geriatric population, and people with terminal illnesses, psychiatric disorders and economic hardships. Dr Chhabrias book deals with each of these high risk groups describing the causes and reasons for their vulnerability.

But no matter what the reason, support and understanding by family member or friend can help tide over the crucial moments. Bringing in the person to a mental health clinic for help can be a good start towards the treatment. Listening to the person is also important, many a times they may voice out their thoughts on suicide.

Not reprimanding or judging the person, removing any potential means of suicide (sharp objects, pills, access to firearms, ropes etc.) could be other ways in which one can help. In Death Is Not The Answer an entire section is dedicated to how can one extend help towards someone who is suicidal and in turn help save a life, says Dr Chhabria.
Trees count, recognise relatives, keep the stump of a dying friend alive for centuries, die of loneliness, identify the pest tormenting them, and have personalities. Is the author Peter Wohlleben the tree world's Erich von Daniken? It's not easy to dismiss his claims as almost each one in his The Hidden Life of Trees is backed by science.

Wohlleben tends an old beech forest in the Eifel mountains close to the German-Belgian border. Any forester will tell you that trees compete with each other for resources  sunlight, nutrients, and water. To achieve the best growth, foresters knock off stragglers so the others grow strong and fast.

Wohlleben says this is not always true. Community means everything to beech trees. Healthy ones feed their poorly off relatives through their roots to give them a boost. This is also the reason why trees in plantations are not as resilient as their wild relatives.

The author not only challenges some traditional precepts of forestry, he also upends a few ecological principles. Like this one. Vegetarian animals control plant growth. But the German forester says oaks and beeches limit numbers of herbivores. They may choose to go into a glut, producing so many nuts that herbivores can't possibly eat up everything. Fed by this reproductive exuberance, animal numbers explode. In other years, the trees may agree too many animals are a plague and produce fewer nuts. With no food to sustain them in the coming winter months, animals starve to death. This is as radical as suggesting that deer don't give birth in some years to limit the number of tigers. The food chain is not a one-way top-down process, and trees don't passively allow themselves to be eaten. They can seemingly outwit their predators.

When pests, be they insect or mammal, chew leaves, trees identify the species by their saliva and mount an appropriate defense. More recent research bears this out. German researchers found beeches and maples can tell if their branches and buds are accidentally twisted off by wind, or if they are deliberately chewed by deer.

Despite trees' ability to distinguish pests, they cannot react swiftly. In one minute, pain signals creep up a third of an inch. An inch of what? Trees don't have nerves. They have vessels to transport water and nutrients between root and crown. Do these signals travel up these channels? Wohlleben doesn't say.

Trees defend themselves either by producing toxic compounds that make leaves taste bitter or by summoning specific predators to gobble up their tormentors. They also set off alarm bells to give their neighbours the heads-up. How do they do it?

High school students learn of mycorrhizal fungi living in tree roots. The fungi's filigree tendrils burrow into soil in search of nitrogen and phosphorus among other nutrients. They trade these with their hosts for sugar. The bond between fungi and trees benefits both. But that's not all there is to the relationship.

In 1997, Suzanne Simard and colleagues from British Columbia, Canada, revealed these fungal strands are like fibre optic cables, now famously called the wood wide web, transmitting apprehensive signals from tree to tree. Beech trees use the same web to feed each other.

But acacia trees are quick to push the panic button. When giraffes browse on them, they release ethylene gas. Their neighbours 'smell' this alarm signal, possibly through slit-like breathing pores under the leaves. They churn out toxic compounds even before the giraffes approach them.

The ability of trees to sense their surroundings is astonishing. But how do they process these stimuli? Where is the brain, the seat of decision-taking, in a tree? In the most unlikely location: the roots. Hard as it is to imagine, root tips have brain-like structures says Wohlleben.

Where there is a brain, there must be a personality. Wohlleben uses the example of three oaks growing close together, sharing the same soil, weather, and nutrients. It's not far-fetched to expect all three to behave exactly the same. But yet when autumn arrives, one tree drops its leaves sooner than the others. In Wohlleben's interpretation, that tree is cautious, taking no chances. Its neighbours, however, boldly cling to their leaves despite the approaching chill. This individual difference shows trees have characters, says Wohlleben. This is far out and is not footnoted with any scientific study. Perhaps his conclusions will eventually be borne out by science. Or maybe an overlooked factor influences individual tree behaviour.

Each of the 36 chapters, an average of 6-7 pages long, deals with an aspect of tree physiology such as pollination, hibernation, and longevity. Wohlleben blends his observations with science with a dose of humour. His use of analogies  Their thick trunks are like paunches attesting to an orgy of solar indulgence  and facts (a mature beech needs as much sugar and cellulose as there is in a 2.5 acre field of wheat) make for an engrossing read, no small feat when the subject is as esoteric as the life of trees.

Scientists might bristle at the author's choice of words usually used to describe human and animal behaviour. He goes as far as comparing beech trees to a herd of elephants. By creating a warm fuzzy feeling, he succeeds in shifting readers' perception of trees. And he even makes a pitch for their welfare, saying it's all right to rear them for timber as long as their lives are made as comfortable as possible.

The narrative has a tiny cast of species  beech, oak, spruce, and fir. Elm, pine, willow, yew, and alders play minor supporting roles. Indian readers will learn a whole lot about Central European trees and zilch about our own tropical ones. The lack of similar ecological studies in India is glaring as Pradip Krishen, the author of Forest Trees of Central India, points out in an introduction to the subcontinent edition of Wohlleben's book. Krishen explores the mystery of why sal trees don't grow outside their range. Could they be similar in temperament to Californian redwoods? Do they need a community of relatives to thrive? One can only wonder because no one knows.

Until researchers fill this knowledge gap, Wohlleben's book is all we have.

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben

Published by Penguin Random House India; 2016; 319 pages
AAP MLA and party's Gujarat affairs in-charge Gulab Singh surrendered on Sunday before Surat police and was arrested by Delhi police after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him in connection with an extortion case, PTI reported.

Singh's arrest has come hours ahead of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal's public rally in Surat. He is the 14th AAP leader to be arrested by Delhi police.

"Delhi police had come with a non-bailable warrant against Gulab Singh. He learnt about it before hand and came to Urma police station where we handed him over to Delhi police," Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma told PTI.

The Delhi police will take Yadav to a court to secure a transit remand.

Surat (Gujarat): Delhi police arrests AAP MLA Gulab Singh after a Non-bailable warrant was issued against him in an alleged extortion case  ANI (@ANI_news) October 16, 2016

Before leaving for Umra police station to surrender, Yadav told reporters at the circuit house, "I have learnt that Delhi police have come to Surat to arrest me. So I am going to Umra police station to court arrest and ask Delhi police to pick me from there."

"I am in Gujarat since 6 September and I was here when the FIR was filed on 13 September. Police raided my office and got nothing incriminating. The Centre is directing arrest of AAP MLAs but we are not going to bow and are ready for any consequences," he alleged.

The extortion case

In September, two property dealers, Deepak Sharma and Rinku Diwan, had alleged that Satish and Devinder, who work in Yadav's office, and an associate Jagdish, were extorting money from them by threatening to demolish the building from where they were operating.

A case under Section 384 (punishment for extortion) IPC was registered at Bindapur police station on 13 September.

Confirming the MLA's arrest, Joint Commissioner of Police, South West Delhi, Deependra Pathak said, "He will be brought back to Delhi on Sunday to join the probe in the FIR of extortion in which he has also been named."

The non-bailable warrant was issued against Singh, who is MLA from Delhi's Matiala, on 14 October for allegedly not joining probe in the case. Singh's alleged associates Satish, Devinder and Jagdish were also arrested and a probe was taken up in the matter which revealed that the "organised extortion racket" had been operating with the knowledge of the MLA, police claimed.

Following the investigation, Singh was named in the FIR and issued notices to join the investigation but he did not turn up for questioning, the police said.

Kejriwal hits out at BJP

Meanwhile, Kejriwal, who is on a four-day visit to Gujarat, alleged while talking to reporters in Vadodara before leaving for Surat that BJP president Amit Shah was trying to affect the rally.

"I have learnt that Amit Shah is trying various methods to scuttle the rally," he told the media, IANS reported. "He is sending his people to different places (where I go) to stage protests," Kejriwal added.

"I appeal to Amit Shah that Sunday's rally is not my rally. It is a rally of the Gujarat people and I request him not to put any impediments."

The Delhi Chief minister also alleged that 13 AAP MLAs have been arrested by Delhi Police on the direction from the BJP, IANS reported.

Kejriwal, who is due to address an AAP rally in Surat along with party leader Kumar Vishwas said that the arrest of Singh shows that the BJP was scared of AAP.

Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who is attending the AAP rally in Surat, said Singh's arrest was a turning point in Gujarat politics. "Gulab singh arrested hours before historical rally in Surat," he tweeted.

"This was done to prevent Gulab Singh from reaching the rally. The politics of Gujrat will change for ever from today," he said in a note posted on Twitter.

With agency inputs
Surat: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that the AAP will contest the next Assembly election in Gujarat and asked the people to "throw out (BJP President) Amit Shah" who he said was running the state by proxy.

"Amit Shah has thrown an open challenge to the people of Gujarat that he will run the state whichever way he wants and no one can do anything about it," Kejriwal said at a huge rally at Yogi Chowk.

Using the phrase "aam aadmi" (common man) for AAP, Kejriwal said that the "aam aadmi" would take on both the Congress and the state's ruling BJP next year.

Alleging that Gujarat was being run by Amit Shah, a former Gujarat home minister and a confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he appealed to the people to "oust" the BJP chief.

"Are you ready to fight the elections, win and throw out Amit Shah? The next Gujarat election will not be an election but a revolution," he added to wild cheers. "It will be Amit Shah versus the people of Gujarat."

A few protesters grouped under Brahma Samaj and self-proclaimed Patidar activists tried to raise slogans against the AAP chief but they hardly numbered 25 to 30. They were rounded by the police.

Police sources in Surat said Kejriwal's rally drew a good response because of the backing of Hardik Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and its activists.

The same PAAS had disrupted a rally of Amit Shah in the same Patel-dominated area of Surat last month, forcing him to wind up his speech in just four minutes.

The AAP leader said the Surat gathering reminded him of the Anna Hazare movement of 2011 when the the "whole nation" had come out on the streets.

Taking up cudgels for the agitating Patidars, Kejriwal said the Gujarat government was trying to suppress them "in the same way it crushes all those who raise their voice".

The Delhi Chief Minister said the BJP government claimed there was liquor prohibition in the state but pointed out that 19 people lost their lives recently in Surat after consuming hooch.

He also quoted OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, who runs a campaign against illicit liquor in Gujarat, as saying that every year 10,000-15,000 people died after consuming illicit liquor in the state.

Kejriwal described Patidar leader Hardik Patel as a "patriot", came out in support of the Dalits in Gujarat and referred to Amit Shah as "General Dyer".

Referring to the police firing on Patidar protests last year, he said the Patel youths were not extremists. "They are our citizens... Those who ordered the firing will be punished."

He mockingly described the BJP and the Congress as "husband and wife" and pointed out that the Narendra Modi had so far arrested 14 AAP MLAs in Delhi but not a single Congress legislator.

He claimed the BJP was hand in glove with the Congress. "Have you seen any protests by the BJP against Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat?"

Kejriwal also made fun of the BJP's assertion that it was a pro-Hindu party. "But weren't the Patidars Hindus? Weren't the Dalits Hindus? Then why did this government punish them?"

Earlier, Delhi Police arrested AAP Delhi MLA and Gujarat in-charge Gulab Singh here, just hours before Kejriwal's rally, on charges of involvement in an extortion racket. Gulab Singh has denied the charge.

Gulab Singh offered himself for arrest at a police station to prevent the police from reaching the rally venue.

Sunday's rally was the high point of Kejriwal's four-day visit to Gujarat. The AAP leader is expected to return to Delhi early on Monday.
Rajgir: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Sunday formally appointed JD(U) president, pushing him for a bigger role in national politics, though the party desisted from declaring him its prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Nitish's appointment as JD(U) chief was ratified at the party's national council meeting in Nalanda district. He was the sole candidate for the post after nominations were invited last month in Delhi and was declared "elected unopposed".

National council members from 23 states unanimously supported the resolution moved by Rajya Sabha member Haribansh to appoint the Bihar Chief Minister as JD(U) chief. Nitish had taken the rein from Sharad Yadav in April.

Briefing reporters on the deliberations of the JD(U) national council, the party's general secretary, KC Tyagi, said Nitish was authorised to explore the option of forging "a strong alternative" of non-BJP parties nationally to defeat the "communal forces", the way he did it in Bihar.

Tyagi, accompanied by two senior Bihar ministers, Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan, said Nitish was the "most credible face" among a larger section of the people who saw him "with a hope to defeat the BJP and the RSS". He, however, made it clear that the JD(U) had "never declared" that Nitish would be the prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"Although he is PM material with secularist, non-dynastic and non-casteist credentials, being a small party, the JD(U) has never officially declared him the prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 polls," Tyagi said.

Nitish Kumar, who was the face of the coming together of secular forces to defeat the BJP and RSS, would try to expand the party in other states, he said.

Asked that coming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh would be the first major event for Nitish as the JD(U) chief, Tyagi said Nitish was making all efforts to bring together non-BJP forces on one platform, but the two major parties in most populous state SP and BSP are not responding positively.

"SP and BSP are not responding positively to efforts to bring all non-BJP parties at one platform in UP. They are maintaining a distance from other secular forces which might give advantage to BJP," Tyagi, who hails from UP, said.

"Ideally the SP and BSP should have come together like the JD(U) and RJD did in Bihar to defeat the BJP and RSS in UP," he said.

The party general secretary, however, said JD(U) with RLD of Ajit Singh and other parties like one floated by rebel BSP leader R K Chaudhary is trying to strengthen secular forces in the UP.

"We will not create any hurdles in the way of SP of Mulayam Singh Yadav or BSP of Mayawati in UP poll," he added.

Over 170 delegates from 23 states adopted political and economic resolutions at the national council meet. Former JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav, former union minister M P Veerendra Kumar were among those present in the meet.

Nitish would speak on Monday in the open session which would be attended among others by former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi. Asked that some JD(U) leaders from other states who have been kicked out from the party on charge of indiscipline have threatened to move to courts against Nitish's appointment as the party president, Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan said they have been expelled from the party and hence have no ground to challenge the appointment.

The JD(U) national council expressed its deep concern on Pakistan sponsored terrorist attacks, particularly the large loss of lives of the country's soldiers in Pathankot and Uri.

"Our party has congratulated the central government and our brave armed forces for the surgical strike of 29 September. The fight against terrorism represents a national resolve and should not become a subject for internal politics. Equally, all attempts should be made to restore peace and normalcy in Kashmir," read the resolution adopted in JD(U) national council meet.

Asked about JD(U)'s stand on triple talaq, Tyagi said, "Our veteran leader George Fernandes and others have always said it should be debated by people of that community. "JD(U) is against the efforts of the BJP to bring a uniform civil code keeping in view UP election," he said.

Tyagi also slammed the BJP for making efforts to "bring back" the Ayodhya issue to derive political mileage in UP Assembly polls.

"One BJP MP has talked about making a more effective surgical strike in Ayodhya," he said but refused to name the MP.

Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP for not fulfilling promises made during 2014 parliamentary polls, Tyagi said, "The country only witnessed divisive efforts like ghar wapsi, love jihad and Kairana among others."

"Today with the imminent elections in UP, the BJP has revived the issue of uniform civil code to deliberately

polarise society for electoral gains. It is raising the Ayodhya issue for the same reason. And in Jammu amd Kashmir it is creating doubts about continued validity of Article 370. These retrograde steps are a serious threat to the nation's unity," the JD(U) resolution said.

Tyagi said the national council has authorised Nitish Kumar to choose national executive members, appoint adhoc committees in states and bring some changes in party constitution.

The JD(U) economic resolution said, "The most obvious failure of the BJP government is on economic front. Its elitist economic model openly supports crony capitalism. The central government's claim of over 7 percent GDP is nowhere visible on the ground. Exports are falling, industrial production is down, manufacturing sector is declining, the banking sector is in a mess and unemployment is growing."

The resolution said the JD(U) was opposed to the BJP government's attempt to introduce genetically modified (GM) seeds including most recently for GM mustard.
The Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) chief, Shalabh Kumar, donated $1.1 million to the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign and brought the billionaire to headline his charity event in the Little India of New Jersey in Edison on Saturday.

Firstpost caught up with Shalabh Kumar during the event.

The Trump campaign raised $100 million in September, including a personal contribution of $2 million from the Republican presidential nominee, bringing the total amount raised to date to $360 million.

"These numbers show that Donald Trump continues to have incredible broad-based support from across America," said Steven Mnuchin, Donald J Trump for President Finance Chairman.

Describing the amount as a "historic total", the Trump Campaign said the $100 million haul came mostly from small donors and includes a monthly $2 million contribution from Donald Trump.

This brings the total raised to date (inclusive of his contributions) to $360 million, the media statement said.

The Campaign and both Joint Fundraising Committees now have approximately $75 million in hand.

Since the campaign started, 2.6 million people have contributed to it (a 24 percent increase from the previous month).

Earlier, the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced that the party raised $39.4 million in September and currently has $56.6 million cash in hand.

Addressing the Indian-Americans at the event in Edison, Trump termed India as a "key strategic ally" and promised that if voted to power India and the US would become "best friends" and have a "phenomenal future" together.

"India's is the world's largest democracy and is a natural ally of the US. Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact, I would take the term better out and we would be best friends," Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) on Saturday.

"We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India. We are going to have a phenomenal future together," Trump said.

He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming bureaucracy, saying it was required in the US too.

"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic in reforming the economy and bureaucracy. Great man. I applaud him," Trump said.

It was for the first time a US presidential candidate attended an Indian-American event this election season.

"I am a big fan of Hinduism and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House," Trump said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.

"I have two massive developments in India, very successful, wonderful, wonderful partners, very beautiful, I must say. I have great friends and great confidence in India. Incredible people and an incredible country. I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times," he said.

Trump appreciated India's role in the fight against terrorism. "We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism," he said as he slammed his rival Hillary Clinton for not using this word.

Trump said India had experienced firsthand "brutality of terror" in the past "including the mayhem in Mumbai, a place that I love, a place that I understand."

The terrorist attack in Mumbai, the attack on Indian Parliament was "absolutely outrageous" and terrible, he said.

"India is a key, and key strategic ally. And we do not even want to talk about it, because it is nothing but a relationship that we will have. I look forward to deepening the diplomatic and military cooperation that is the shared interest of both countries," he said.

"Your great Prime Minister has been a pro-growth leader for India. He has simplified the tax code, cut the taxes and the economy is strong growing at 7 per cent year. Excellent. Our economy is practically not growing at all in the US. It's about zero. We will have a great relationship with India," Trump said.

Praising hard work and enterprise of the Indian community, Trump said, "generations of Hindus and Indian-Americans have strengthened our country

Congratulating the Indian community for having the highest rate of entrepreneurship, he said, "that's very impressive by the way".

Trump said he was looking forward to doing some "serious" bureaucratic trimming in the US as he feels it is needed the most.

"We are going to have a great relationship with China and Mexico, but we are going to have a great relationship with India," Trump said even as he lashed out at the business practices of China, particularly stealing intellectual property.

In his welcome address, the Republican Hindu Coalition founder and chairman said that this is the first time in the history that a major presidential candidate has addressed Hindu-Americans just three weeks before the election.

He urged Hindus to support and vote for Trump in the upcoming general election and help fight terrorism.

"We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism. We will stand soldier to soldier in this fight. This is so important in the age of Islamic State," Trump said.

With inputs from agencies
By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

ABUJA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The Islamic State-allied faction of Boko Haram which last week freed 21 of more than 200 Chibok girls kidnapped in April 2014 in northeast Nigeria is willing to negotiate the release of 83 more of the girls, the president's spokesman said on Sunday.Around 220 girls were taken from their school in 2014 in Chibok in northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people.A faction of the militant group released 21 of the girls on Thursday after the Red Cross and the Swiss government brokered a deal. They were brought from the northeastern city of Maiduguri to the capital Abuja to meet state officials."These 21 released girls are supposed to be tale bearers to tell the Nigerian government that this faction of Boko Haram has 83 more Chibok girls," Garba Shehu, spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

"The faction said it is ready to negotiate if the government is willing to sit down with them," said Shehu, adding that the state is prepared to negotiate with the branch of Boko Haram. The Islamic State-allied splinter group said the rest of the kidnapped Chibok girls were with the part of Boko Haram under the control of figurehead Abubakar Shekau, according to Shehu.Boko Haram has apparently split with a big group moving away from Shekau over his failure to adhere to guidance from the Iraq- and Syria-based Islamic State, which in August named Musab al-Barnawi as its new leader for West Africa.

But that appointment was later dismissed in a 10-minute audio clip on social media by a man purporting to be Shekau, exposing divisions within the jihadist group that has plagued Nigeria and neighbours Chad, Niger and Cameroon.Information Minister Lai Mohammed on Thursday denied reports that the state had swapped captured Boko Haram fighters for their release and said he was not aware if any ransom had been paid. He said a Nigerian army operation against Boko Haram would continue.

In recent days, the Nigerian army has been carrying out an offensive in the Sambisa forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram. The militants controlled a swathe of land around the size of Belgium at the start of 2015, but Nigeria's army has recaptured most of the territory. The group still stages suicide bombings in the northeast, as well as in neighbouring Niger and Cameroon. (Reporting By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Editing by Kieran Guilbert; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Benaulim: Arriving in Goa on Saturday night, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena held a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit.

Salcete, Goa: PM Narendra Modi meets the President of Sri Lanka, bilateral talks held #BRICS2016 pic.twitter.com/2lU9OsJdnj  ANI (@ANI_news) October 16, 2016

"A friend comes to India...glad to have President @MaithripalaS visit India for the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted soon after Sirisena landed at Dabolim Airport.

Earlier on Saturday, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobga reached Goa for the summit.

As host of this year's Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pulled out of this year's Saarc Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistan's state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason. Afghanistan and Bangladesh too followed suit citing the same reason.

The Brics-Bimstec Outreach Summit will be held here on Sunday.

On Saturday, India and Russia signed 16 agreements across multiple sectors following delegation-level talks co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Goa.

Among the agreements signed were procurement of the S-400 air defence system and construction of four Admiral Grigorovich-class (Project 11356) guided-missile stealth frigate in India.

nother agreement was signed to set up a joint venture to manufacture 200 Kamov 226T helicopters.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed for setting up an investment fund of $1 billion.

Modi also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday and together the two countries recognised terrorism as a "key issue", an Indian official said after a meeting between the two leaders here. But Beijing gave no assurance on supporting New Delhi's bid on a UN ban against Pakistan-based militant leader Masood Azhar.

"Both sides recognised terrorism as a key issue. President Xi said we should strengthen our security dialogue and partnership," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters.

With inputs from IANS
Edison: Donald Trump has asserted that the US needs to be "very careful" about radical Islamic terror and "extreme vetting" must be done before allowing people into the country, a controversial stand taken by the Republican presidential nominee that has made immigrants jittery.

Outlining his policy to tackle terrorism, the 70-year-old billionaire said, "We have to be very, very careful [about radical Islamic terror]. We have to have extreme vetting before we let people in... We want people to come in to the country but they have to come in legally."

"Something is going on that's not positive force. We are going to be looking very much at certain areas of the world. We have to very careful with radical Islamic terror. We can be politically correct and say it doesn't matter but it does matter," he told NDTV when asked if he has given up his plan to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.

Trump also said he has great respect for Indians and Hindus, as he stepped up to address an event attended by the Indian American community in New Jersey.

"I have great respect for Hindus. I have so many friends that are Hindu. They are great people, amazing entrepreneurs," Trump said.

Prodded further about India's diverse demographics, he said, "I'll be honest, I have great respect for India. I actually have [real estate] jobs going up in India... tremendously successful. It is an amazing country."

The event, organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition, saw Trump, reach out to Indian-American community.

Trump also spoke about the Indo-Pak conflict, saying, "There's a tremendous conflict between India and Pakistan. Just recently you had [the Uri attack]... a lot of people killed... Hopefully everything is going to work out."

Speaking about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's email scandal and whether she should be sent to jail, Trump said, "What she did is absolutely unlawful... she sees her emails and she deletes them. That is pretty bad but there are other things. If you look at all the crimes committed, certainly she should be in trouble."
BERLIN Germany's anti-Islam PEGIDA movement drew thousands of supporters to Dresden city centre on Sunday to celebrate its second anniversary, though numbers were subdued compared with crowds of about 25,000 at rallies in the city in early 2015.PEGIDA, which stands for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West, made its mark on the political agenda with its first anti-Islam march in the eastern German city in October 2014 and then spread to other cities.About 900,000 migrants, mostly Muslims, entered Germany in 2015, prompting public concern over the country's ability to cope with the influx. More than 200,000 migrants have arrived this year.Police did not give any estimate on the number of rally participants but issued a statement saying they had deployed about 1,700 officers in Dresden and that the demonstrations had passed peacefully, though criminal proceedings were instigated over bodily harm in one case.Crowd-counting group Durchgezaehlt, run by a statistician at Leipzig University, said on Twitter that between 6,500 and 8,500 people attended Sunday's rally.

Though the numbers were down on the levels of some of PEGIDA's 2015 demonstrations, support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has surged as migrants continue to arrive.An Emnid poll published in Sunday's Bild am Sonntag showed that 13 percent of respondents would vote AfD if a federal election were to be held next week. That would comfortably exceed the 5 percent threshold parties must reach to enter the Bundestag lower house of parliament.

Germany's next general election is in September 2017.Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, who lives in Dresden, told Bild am Sonntag that he hoped the second anniversary of PEGIDA would be its last and that the city remains cosmopolitan and tolerant despite PEGIDA's existence.

Iris Gleicke, the federal government's commissioner for eastern German affairs, told Saturday's Die Welt newspaper that people who market Dresden to tourists had told her that fewer visitors were coming because of "a kind of PEGIDA effect". She said people had written to her saying they loved Dresden but did not want to go there at the moment. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by David Goodman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Beirut: Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces have captured the symbolically significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, the factions said Sunday morning.

A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said Islamic State fighters put up "minimal" resistance to defend the northern Syrian town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger IS-held town of al-Bab to the south.

Saif Abu Bakr said some 2,000 opposition fighters pushed into Dabiq with tank and artillery support from the Turkish army. The commander said the extremists left the town heavily mined.

Both Turkish and international coalition warplanes conducted airstrikes on Dabiq and nearby Arshak, the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The Islamic State group took control of the town, which had a pre-war population of about 3,000 people, in August 2014. The group's propaganda had boasted of the fight for the northern Syrian town, citing Islamic lore that it would be the scene of a major battle between crusaders and army of the Muslim caliphate that would herald Doomsday. The group's English language magazine, Dabiq, is named after the town, and in 2014 they said they had buried the American captive Peter Abdul-Rahman Kassig there.

The Turkish military intervened in the Syrian war in August this year under orders from Ankara to clear the border area from the Islamic State group and from US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces linked Turkey's own outlawed Kurdish insurgency. The Turkish government describes both groups as terrorists.

Syrian opposition forces backed by Turkish ground and air forces have since expelled Islamic State militants from their last positions along the Syrian-Turkish frontier and are closing in on Al-Bab, one of the last remaining IS strongholds in Syria's contested Aleppo province.

Turkey has bused thousands of opposition fighters from other fronts in northern Syria to the frontier as part of operation "Euphrates Shield," named after the vital river that runs through the region.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group, which monitors the conflict through a network of local contacts, said the extremist group had sent over 1,000 fighters to defend Dabiq last week before withdrawing hurriedly.
By Angus McDowall and Tom Perry

| BEIRUT

BEIRUT Syrian rebels said they captured the village of Dabiq from Islamic State on Sunday, forcing the jihadist group from a stronghold where it had promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West.Its defeat at Dabiq, long a mainstay of Islamic State's propaganda, underscores the group's declining fortunes this year as it suffered battlefield defeats in Syria and Iraq and lost a string of senior leaders in targeted air strikes. The group, whose lightning advance through swathes of the two countries and declaration that it had established a new caliphate stunned world leaders in 2014, is now girding for an offensive against Iraq's Mosul, its most prized possession. The rebels, backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, took Dabiq and neighbouring Soran after clashes on Sunday morning, said Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the fighting. "The Daesh myth of their great battle in Dabiq is finished," he told Reuters, using a pejorative name for Islamic State. The Free Syrian Army is an umbrella group for rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, dragging in regional and global powers and creating space for jihadists. An Islamic prophecy names Dabiq as the site of a battle between Muslims and infidels that will presage doomsday, a message Islamic State used extensively in its propaganda, going so far as to name its main publication after the village. It also chose Dabiq as the location for its killing in 2014 of Peter Kassig, an American aid worker held hostage by the group, by Mohammed al-Emwazi, better known as Jihadi John.

However, it has appeared to back away from Dabiq's symbolism since advances by the FSA groups backed by Turkey had put it at risk of capture, saying in a more recent statement that this battle was not the one described in the prophecy. The village, at the foot of a small hill in the fertile plains of Syria's northwest about 14 km (9 miles) from the Turkish border and 33 km north of Aleppo, has little strategic significance in its own right. But Dabiq and its surroundings, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State had brought 1,200 fighters in recent weeks, occupied a salient into territory captured by the Turkey-backed rebels.

CLASHES

Ankara launched the Euphrates Shield operation, bringing rebels backed by its own armour and air force into action against Islamic State, in August, aiming to clear the group from its border and stop Kurdish groups gaining ground in that area. A Turkish military source said that while Dabiq was largely under control, Islamic State fighters were still firing on the FSA groups from outside the village and that some rebels had been killed in blasts by landmines and other bombs. The rebels and Turkish military were working to secure Dabiq's surroundings to prevent any remaining Islamic State fighters trapped in the area from escaping.

Since early 2016, Islamic State's territorial possessions in Syria have been steadily eroded by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an umbrella group of Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the United States, which in August took the city of Manbij. Turkey's campaign has since cut the jihadist group off from the Turkish border, long its most reliable entry point for supplies and foreign fighters. Meanwhile, air strikes have killed a succession of Islamic State leaders in Syria, including its "war minister" Omar al-Shishani and Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, one of its leading strategists and an architect of its shift towards plotting attacks in Europe.In Iraq, the army backed by Shi'ite Muslim militia groups has this year recaptured Falluja and is now poised for an offensive on Mosul, where Islamic State's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in 2014 declared himself heir to Islam's caliphs.However the militants still hold most of Syria's Euphrates basin, from al-Bab, 26 km southeast of Dabiq, through the group's capital of Raqqa and to the Iraqi border. (Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun in Ankara; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Ros Russell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Beaten and bruised by the string of sexual assualt allegations raining down on him, the beleaguered Donald Trump grabbed his chance to make a last ditch appeal to Hindu Americans at an outsize gig choreographed by Indian millionaire Shalabh Kumar of the Republican Hindu Coalition whos pushing the notion that conservative (Republican ) values are Hindu values and that hes single handedly adding muscle to the Indian (read Hindu) clout in American policy making.

Shalabh Kumar is one of Trumps biggest fundraisers and Trump paid back generously in a warm speech in Edison, New Jersey despite the sobering facts - the Indian-American community leans overwhelmingly Democratic. Roughly 70 percent plan to vote for Hillary Clinton compared with 7 percent for Trump, according to most polls.

Just for comparison, Hillary Clinton has at least twice as many six-figure donors as Donald Trump. The unconventional Republican nominee has struggled to raise money from the kinds of traditional donors who write the biggest campaign checks.

Trump was probably dreaming of his real estate projects at the Hindu American gala - Mumbai is a place that I love. It is a place that I understand," he said early in his speech, just as he said he loves Hindu which happens to be a majority religion and not a country.

Under a Trump administration, we are going to become even better friends, Trump said. In fact, Ill take the word even out because we are going to be best friends. There wont be any relationship more important to us, Trump said giving India BFF status and praising Narendra Modi even as carefully tutored sections of the audience held up placards that Trump loves to see.

Trump did his best to put on a brave face as his campaign hunkers down for a loss of possibly phenomenal proportions but his dejection with the sliding poll numbers was evident - his face gave it away.

He swung by in Edison after spending the better part of the day peddling the theory that the legitimacy of the U.S. presidential election is entirely questionable and vowing anew to jail Hillary Clinton if he's elected and throwing in a baseless insinuation his rival was on drugs in the last debate.

"The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing completely false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect her president," he said, referring to the several women who have come forward in recent days to say that Trump had groped or sexually assaulted them. He has denied the claims, calling the women liars.

Shalabh Kumar happily repeated the Trump denials, word for word.

In Edison, Trump spoke for just over 10 minutes and left in a haze of thuggish looking protection guards and limos before a luscious Malaika Arora lit up the stage and had hundreds of admirers aching for more.

Who cares what Trump says, we came for Prabhudeva and Malaika, say Deepti and Sanjay Reddy, a techie couple from the neighborhood.

Have you bet on the wrong candidate, we asked Shalabh Kumar about Trump and his floundering campaign.

What do you mean, betting? Trumps campaign is not in a tailspin. That has been made up by the Clinton News Network CNN, he blurted out, parroting Trumps favourite lines.

Our representation in political life is much lower than our potential and we need to be able to influence policy, Kumar said but chose not to elaborate why 'Hindu Americans' and not 'Indian Americans', considering there are 3 million Indians in all in the US.

Kumar used the captive audience night to showcase, among other trivia, videos of how helicopters flew in a V formation for his sons wedding. How that has anything to do with either Indian or Hindu clout is hard to guess but the show was certainly Trumpian in its set pieces.

Posters screaming Trump for faster green cards, Trump for H1B visas were handed out well in advance to sections of the crowd willing to play to the TV cameras. Outside, sloganeering groups were primed to chant Lock her up! Lock her up! referring to Hillary Clinton.

Despite the comic relief, old timers among US correspondents say no other Indian ethnic community has put together such an extravagant shtick and brought in a presidential candidate and actually pulled it off like Shalabh Kumar did Saturday night.

I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India. Big, big fan, Trump told the crowd in a speech that lasted just over 10 minutes.

If Trump mistook all of India for Hindu or thats what he was fed before taking the stage, it worked well for the Hindu Republican Coalition.

Depite Trumps terrible history with women, Kumar attempted to sell family values as a common link between Hindus and Republicans and got nowhere.

Kumar also sold himself as the first Indian Republican in America, with a grainy picture of himself and Ronald Reagan playing on screen as proof of association.

Creating divisions within America is nothing new to Trump and he left the stage saying I love Hindus after some generous prodding. As Trump walked away, the irony of one of his favorite Rolling Stones songs booming on the megaphones seeped into the cold night air - "You cant always get what you want".
Over 60 million Americans tuned into the second presidential debate last Sunday, and during that debate Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton squared off against one another on healthcare. The two candidates exchanged barbs that left many Americans wondering whether Obamacare is a rip-off or a rip-roaring success. Read on to see what the candidates said and find out whether what they said is true or false.

Claim No. 1:

"Healthcare is going up by numbers that are astronomical: 68 percent, 59 percent, 71 percent." -- Donald Trump.

According to Kaiser Family Foundation the average cost of the second lowest priced silver metal plan, also known as the benchmark plan that is used to set subsidies, will see its price increase 9% next year. That's significantly higher than the 2% increase for these plans this year, but it's south of the figures provided by Trump.

Instead of averages, Trump's assertion likely focuses on premium increases for specific plans offered in specific areas of the country. For example, Kaiser Family Foundation reports that the average price of the second-lowest cost silver plan in Nashville, Tennessee will increase 25% in 2017. Ostensibly, some plans in that area are increasing their premiums by much more than that.

Overall, Trump's correct that some plans are seeing premiums increase by double digit rates, however, other plans are seeing smaller increases and the price of the average plan is increasing less.

It is also important to remember that subsidies provided to Obamacare enrollees are adjusted for premiums, so not everyone participating on the Obamacare exchanges will feel the full brunt of insurer's increases.

Claim No. 2:

"Right now we are at 90% health insurance coverage... 20 million got insurance who didn't have it before." -- Hillary Clinton

Clinton's correct that the Affordable Care Act has significantly reduced the number of Americans without insurance.

Medicaid enrollment has grown by 15 million people since the Obamacare's launch allowed states to expand eligibility, and roughly 10 million people are paying for health insurance purchased via the state and federal Obamacare marketplaces.

Prior to Obamacare's launch, roughly 18% of Americans were uninsured, according to Gallup, and today, less than 10% remain uninsured, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Census data, the uninsured rate is 8.6%.

Overall, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 27 million Americans remain uninsured, and getting them insured won't be easy. Despite rising penalties for going without health insurance, roughly a third of the uninsured are Americans who are younger than 34 and less likely to see the value in spending money on health insurance.

Claim No. 3:

"Obamacare... It's going to be one of the biggest line items very shortly." -- Donald Trump

Obamacare is a costly national program, and because subsidies increase alongside premiums, spending is going to increase over time.

According to the CBO, spending by the federal government on a variety of federal programs and tax preferences will total more than $600 billion this year.

The CBO expects federal spending on Obamacare will grow at an annualized rate of 5.4% to $1.1 trillion in 2016. As a result, this spending will increase from 3.6% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product to 4.1% in a decade.

Claim No. 4:

"She wants to go to single payer." -- Donald Trump

It's not likely that Clinton will propose a single-payer system for America if she wins the election next month. During the primary, she said Bernie Sanders' Medicare-For-All proposal "will never, ever come to pass."

That being said, Clinton has said she would like to expand Medicare access to people in their 50s and she's indicated that Medicare could play an important role as an option for communities that are underserved by private insurers in the Obamacare exchanges.

Overall, Clinton appears to favor an expansion of Medicare eligibility, rather than replacing private insurance altogether.

Claim No. 5:

"And if you haven't noticed the Canadians, when they need a big operation, when something happens, they come into the United States." -- Donald Trump

It's true that 52,000 Canadians crossed the border into America for care in 2014, according to the Frasier institute. However, most of that travel was associated with non-life threatening procedures.

Meanwhile, the CDC reports that 750,000 Americans left the U.S. last year for healthcare in other countries, including India, Mexico, and Thailand. Typically, Americans traveled abroad to save money. According to The National Center for Policy Analysis, some procedures can cost 80% less in other countries than they do in the U.S.

Claim No. 6:

"You can be on that policy until the age of 26, something that didn't happen before." -- Hillary Clinton

It's true that Obamacare expanded this rule nationally, but prior to Obamacare's implementation, more than 30 states had already put laws in place allowing some adult children to remain on parents' health insurance plans, according researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. In some cases, eligibility was stricter and in other instances.

Laws within those states varied significantly regarding eligibility. For example, in Delaware children had to be unmarried and 24 or younger to be insured by their parents while in Florida, unmarried Americans without dependents could remain on their parents' plans until age 30.

Claim No. 7:

"Obamacare is a disaster.... In '17, implodes by itself." -- Donald Trump

There's little evidence of Obamacare imploding upon itself next year, but it is worrisome that insurers are exiting the marketplaces and that those exits are reducing access to plans in some areas of the country.

For example, UnitedHealth Group is citing hundreds of millions of dollars in losses on Obamacare plans as reason to reduce its participation significantly next year. A study by Kaiser Family Foundation in April determined that if UnitedHealth exited Obamacare entirely, then it would leave Americans living in 53% of U.S. counties with only one or two exchange insurers to choose from. Kaiser also said that such a decision would leave roughly 11% of Obamacare enrollees with only one insurer participating.

Since the ability for insurers to profit from Obamacare is important to ensuring competitive premiums, Americans should continue to pay close attention to insurers decisions to enter and exit participation in the marketplaces.
Taxes. It's perhaps the most dreaded five-letter word in the English language next to "audit," and the scourge of all working Americans.

Between 1955 and 2015, the U.S. tax code grew from just two documents totaling 1.4 million words into an impressive manifesto spanning over 10 million words. As the Tax Foundation pointed out last year, this 10 million-word figure doesn't even include the legal tax cases that allow Americans to make sense of the U.S. tax code.

Despite its complexity, tax time can also bring joy to many Americans. About 80% of all federal taxpayers receives refunds in a given year. This refund can help fund emergency accounts, kick-start a retirement fund, or be used to pay down debt.

But high-income earners, specifically millionaires, aren't typically so lucky. Millionaires almost always owe tax to the federal government, assuming their earned income stays consistent or grows from one year to the next. Millionaires can't do a whole lot to impact their earned income with regard to their federal taxes, but there are still a number of tax planning strategies that can be employed to improve their financial outlook each year.

Here are seven tax planning tips millionaires should take into consideration.

1. Think long-term

One of the smartest tax moves millionaires can make is to think long-term to minimize what they'll owe come tax time.

For example, most interest and short-term stock gains are taxed at the ordinary income tax rate. Individuals earning in excess of $415,050, and couples with more than $466,950 in adjusted gross income are lumped into the highest ordinary income tax bracket, 39.6%. Thus, interest earned on a bank CD or the capital gain on a stock held for 365 days or less could be taxed quite heavily. Furthermore, individuals and couples earning more than $200,000 and $250,000, respectively, could be subject to the 3.8% net investment income tax (NIIT) and 0.9% Medicare surtax.

On the other hand, long-term capital gains taxes for the highest-income earners are just 20%, plus the aforementioned NIIT. Paying 20% on capital gains for investments held for 366 days or longer is a lot more favorable than 39.6%. Reasonably low long-term capital gains have allowed millionaires the ability to retain a sizable chunk of their wealth.

2. Contribute to tax-advantaged retirement vehicles

Secondly, millionaires should strongly consider maximizing their contributions to tax-advantaged retirement tools like employer-sponsored 401(k)s or Traditional IRAs.

Chances are that millionaires are going to be saving and investing regardless of whether they're using tax-advantaged retirement tools or not. However, utilizing a 401(k) and/or Traditional IRA can provide upfront tax benefits. According to the Tax Policy Center, the top 20% of income earners receive about 80% of the tax write-offs for retirement saving compared to just 7% for the bottom 60% of income earners.

Contributions to a 401(k) and Traditional IRA are made with before-tax dollars, meaning that you'll owe ordinary income tax when you begin making withdrawals during retirement (i.e., between age 59-1/2 and 70-1/2). However, contributions also reduce your tax liability since it's money that's taken out before taxes. Maxing out a 401(k) with an $18,000 contribution limit for those aged 49 and under, or $24,000 for those aged 50 and up, and/or a Traditional IRA with limits of $5,500 or $6,500 based on those same age ranges, could certainly lower your current-year liability. As an added bonus, as noted above, investment gains can grow on a tax-deferred basis for years, if not decades.

3. Use investment losses to your advantage

Another smart option for millionaires to consider is harvesting investment losses.

At some point, all investors will make bad trades and lose money. But for millionaires this bad choice can be quite helpful. Selling investments at a loss may not be what you had in mind when you originally purchased an asset, but tax-loss selling can help reduce your current-year capital gains tax liability, or possibly provide a carryover to future years if the loss is large enough. Selling a loser could be what pushes a high-income earner into a lower tax bracket, or for a millionaire it could help lower what you'll owe in federal taxes for the current or upcoming year.

4. Consider municipal bonds

The vast majority of interest income is taxed at the ordinary income tax rate, which isn't good news for millionaires looking for steady interest-based income. However, a solution exists: municipal bonds.

Municipal bonds are debt securities issued by a state, county, or city that are often used to fund large projects, such as building a new bridge or highway restoration. The beauty of municipal bonds is that they're exempt from federal taxation -- and, if you purchase a municipal bond from the same state you live in, there's a really good chance it'll be exempt from state taxation, too.

Municipal bonds are obviously subject to the risk of a city or state declaring bankruptcy, but history has shown this to be a rarity, making muni bonds a keen investment opportunity for risk-averse millionaires.

5. Give to charity

Millionaires also have access to considerably larger deductions than the lower- and middle-income classes when it comes to charitable contributions. The charitable tax deduction is based on an individual's or couple's peak ordinary income tax bracket. Thus, millionaires effectively receive a deduction of $0.396 for every $1 they donate to charity since the peak marginal tax rate is 39.6%. Comparatively, low- and middle-income Americans are liable to receive just $0.10, $0.15, or $0.25 on every $1 they donate.

One thing to keep in mind is that you'll want to ensure that your donation is both documented and headed to an eligible charity. If the charity isn't a federally recognized nonprofit organization, or you have no documentation to back up your donation, it won't help reduce your tax liability.

6. Buy health insurance

Health insurance may not be something that immediately springs to mind when you're thinking about tax planning, but being covered has two big benefits for millionaires.

To begin with, having health insurance is mandated in the United States via the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. If you don't buy health insurance, you could face a penalty known as the Shared Responsibility Payment, or SRP. In 2016, the SRP is the greater of $695 or 2.5% of modified adjusted gross income (capped at the annual cost of a bronze plan in your state). In other words, having no health insurance will probably result in an SRP of $2,500 or higher for top-income earners.

Secondly, medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States. Having health insurance could provide the financial protection you need in case an unexpected and costly illness or accident arises.

7. Where you live matters

Finally, millionaires should take into consideration that where they decide to live could greatly impact their finances.

For instance, seven states have no state income tax. These include: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Living in these could save millionaires a low-single digit percentage of their income that, over time, could be substantial.

Other factors millionaires should consider include local sales tax rates, property tax rates, whether or not an estate tax exists, and how each state handles the taxation of retirement income and Social Security benefits. These factors differ on a state-by-state basis, and taking the time to understand how one state differs from another should remove any state-based tax surprises.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made tax reform a major part of his campaign toward American prosperity, counting on a variety of tax cuts to spur economic growth. One key aspect of Trump's tax plan involves child care expenses, and Trump would introduce some valuable tax breaks to help parents cover the costs of caring for their children, as well as other family members in need. Below, we'll look in more depth at the Trump tax proposals related to child and dependent care and how they might affect you and your family.

The three main aspects of Trump's child care tax breaks

Trump's tax plan has three primary elements that relate to child and dependent care. First, Trump would introduce provisions that would allow working parents to deduct child care expenses for up to four children or elderly dependents. Second, Trump would enhance the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families to give them a more valuable tax break for their child care needs than they would receive from a regular tax deduction. Finally, Trump would create new tax-favored Dependent Care Savings Accounts that would offer tax-deductible contributions and tax-free growth of investments when used for child or elderly dependent care.

These tax provisions fit in with Trump's broader child care policy. In addition to these tax measures, Trump would seek to promote more child care solutions in the workplace, and the presidential candidate would guarantee six weeks of paid maternity leave, with the federal government stepping in whenever employers don't already offer paid leave.

1. Deduction for child care expenses

Trump's plan for deducting child care expenses would allow parents to write off their child care expenses as deductions, presumably in a manner that wouldn't require them to itemize their deductions. In conjunction with Trump's new proposed tax brackets, the deduction would save taxpayers between $120 and $330 for every $1,000 in child care expenses they incurred, depending on their income level. The deduction would only be available to single filers making $250,000 or less, or joint filers with incomes of $500,000 or less.

As an example, Trump said that a family earning $70,000 per year would qualify for the 12% tax bracket under his new tax rate structure. If that family spends $7,000 on child care expenses, then the tax burden would fall by $840, or 12% of what it spent. By contrast, a family earning $240,000 would be in the 33% bracket, and so the same deduction would be worth much more to them -- $2,310 in tax savings.

One key element of the Trump plan is that it would allow stay-at-home parents to get the same tax deduction for child care as working families. That would let families decide the best strategy for providing child care without penalizing them for choosing to have one parent stay at home.

2. Spending rebates for lower-income taxpayers

Obviously, a deduction isn't worth anything for someone who doesn't pay any taxes. With Trump calling for standard deductions of as much as $30,000 for joint filers, many low-income families wouldn't have any taxable income against which to take a deduction.

Therefore, rather than offering a worthless deduction, Trump proposes offering what he calls child care spending rebates to lower-income taxpayers through the Earned Income Tax Credit. By doing so, Trump would expand the refundable tax credit, potentially putting almost $1,200 per year more into taxpayers' pockets for families that are eligible.

3. Dependent Care Savings Accounts (DCSAs)

The final element of the Trump plan would create a new type of tax-favored account for saving for child and dependent care expenses. Under the plan, contributions to DCSAs would be tax deductible, and like an IRA or health savings account, the income and capital gains on investments within the DCSA would be tax-deferred as long as money remained in the account and would become tax-free when used for eligible care expenses. In addition, DCSAs would allow parents to carry unused amounts forward into future years, which is a distinct advantage over the current flexible spending account structure in which participants forfeit unused contributions.

Low-income parents would qualify for an additional break, offering a 50% match on the first $1,000 contributed to a DCSA. This provision would closely match the Saver's Credit provision for IRAs, which offers a similar match for retirement savings.

What the Trump child care tax plan effectively does

Trump's child care tax plan closely resembles what some workers get from flexible spending accounts at work. FSAs allow workers to exclude contributions from income, having the same net effect as a deduction. On top of that, credits for low-income workers arguably make the provisions fairer, and dependent care savings accounts create more incentives to save.

All in all, the biggest difference between the Trump child care tax plan and current law is in how it attempts to treat two-earner couples and one-earner couples equally. Other than that, the measures pay benefits that are quite similar to what the current Child Care Tax Credit structure offers, albeit in a different form.
Over 60 million Americans tuned into the second presidential debate last Sunday, and during that debate Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton squared off against one another on healthcare. The two candidates exchanged barbs that left many Americans wondering whether Obamacare is a rip-off or a rip-roaring success. Read on to see what the candidates said and find out whether what they said is true or false.

Image source: Matt A.J. via Flickr.

Claim No. 1:

According to Kaiser Family Foundation the average cost of the second lowest priced silver metal plan, also known as the benchmark plan that is used to set subsidies, will see its price increase 9% next year. That's significantly higher than the 2% increase for these plans this year, but it's south of the figures provided by Trump.

Instead of averages, Trump's assertion likely focuses on premium increases for specific plans offered in specific areas of the country. For example, Kaiser Family Foundation reports that the average price of the second-lowest cost silver plan in Nashville, Tennessee will increase 25% in 2017. Ostensibly, some plans in that area are increasing their premiums by much more than that.

Overall, Trump's correct that some plans are seeing premiums increase by double digit rates, however, other plans are seeing smaller increases and the price of the average plan is increasing less.

It is also important to remember that subsidies provided to Obamacare enrollees are adjusted for premiums, so not everyone participating on the Obamacare exchanges will feel the full brunt of insurer's increases.

Claim No. 2:

Clinton's correct that the Affordable Care Act has significantly reduced the number of Americans without insurance.

Medicaid enrollment has grown by 15 million people since the Obamacare's launch allowed states to expand eligibility, and roughly 10 million people are paying for health insurance purchased via the state and federal Obamacare marketplaces.

Prior to Obamacare's launch, roughly 18% of Americans were uninsured, according to Gallup, and today, less than 10% remain uninsured, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Census data, the uninsured rate is 8.6%.

Overall, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 27 million Americans remain uninsured, and getting them insured won't be easy. Despite rising penalties for going without health insurance, roughly a third of the uninsured are Americans who are younger than 34 and less likely to see the value in spending money on health insurance.

Image source: Stockmonkeys.com via Flickr.

Claim No. 3:

Obamacare is a costly national program, and because subsidies increase alongside premiums, spending is going to increase over time.

According to the CBO, spending by the federal government on a variety of federal programs and tax preferences will total more than $600 billion this year.

The CBO expects federal spending on Obamacare will grow at an annualized rate of 5.4% to $1.1 trillion in 2016. As a result, this spending will increase from 3.6% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product to 4.1% in a decade.

Claim No. 4:

It's not likely that Clinton will propose a single-payer system for America if she wins the election next month. During the primary, she said Bernie Sanders' Medicare-For-All proposal "will never, ever come to pass."

That being said, Clinton has said she would like to expand Medicare access to people in their 50s and she's indicated that Medicare could play an important role as an option for communities that are underserved by private insurers in the Obamacare exchanges.

Overall, Clinton appears to favor an expansion of Medicare eligibility, rather than replacing private insurance altogether.

Claim No. 5:

It's true that 52,000 Canadians crossed the border into America for care in 2014, according to the Frasier institute. However, most of that travel was associated with non-life threatening procedures.

Meanwhile, the CDC reports that 750,000 Americans left the U.S. last year for healthcare in other countries, including India, Mexico, and Thailand. Typically, Americans traveled abroad to save money. According to The National Center for Policy Analysis, some procedures can cost 80% less in other countries than they do in the U.S.

Image source: HillaryClinton.com

Claim No. 6:

It's true that Obamacare expanded this rule nationally, but prior to Obamacare's implementation, more than 30 states had already put laws in place allowing some adult children to remain on parents' health insurance plans, according researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. In some cases, eligibility was stricter and in other instances.

Laws within those states varied significantly regarding eligibility. For example, in Delaware children had to be unmarried and 24 or younger to be insured by their parents while in Florida, unmarried Americans without dependents could remain on their parents' plans until age 30.

Claim No. 7:

There's little evidence of Obamacare imploding upon itself next year, but it is worrisome that insurers are exiting the marketplaces and that those exits are reducing access to plans in some areas of the country.

For example, UnitedHealth Group is citing hundreds of millions of dollars in losses on Obamacare plans as reason to reduce its participation significantly next year. A study by Kaiser Family Foundation in April determined that if UnitedHealth exited Obamacare entirely, then it would leave Americans living in 53% of U.S. counties with only one or two exchange insurers to choose from. Kaiser also said that such a decision would leave roughly 11% of Obamacare enrollees with only one insurer participating.

Since the ability for insurers to profit from Obamacare is important to ensuring competitive premiums, Americans should continue to pay close attention to insurers decisions to enter and exit participation in the marketplaces.

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After serving in Iraq from 2004-2005 as an infantry soldier, Tom Voss decided to put the war behind him and get his life on track. He enrolled in school, got a civilian job and moved into his own place. However, about a year later the horrors of war started to catch up to him. While overseas he witnessed the deaths of both his platoon sergeant and his squad leader and faced enemy attacks almost daily.

I was 20 years old when I was there and when youre in a combat situation, you dont have a lot of time to process these things, Voss, now 32, told FoxNews.com.

The emotions that Voss had bottled up started to manifest themselves in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Voss stopped attending classes and withdrew himself from society. He also began to self-medicate with alcohol and would become black-out drunk in order to sleep at night. Voss said he knew his life was spiraling out of control and it was time to seek help.

Emma Seppala, a psychologist and author of The Happiness Track, told FoxNews.com that traditional treatments for PTSD include talk therapy and medicine, but for some it does not resolve the issue. Voss fell into the latter category. He had undergone many hours of talk therapy and was depending on a battery of drugs that were not helping him resolve the underlying issues.

For patients like Voss, Seppala said there is another option which involves a holistic approach.

We wanted to look at a new methodology; breathing-based meditation practices called Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, she told FoxNews.com. This practice is an active breathing exercise that studies have shown to reduce blood pressure and heart rates in minutes, which is key to reducing the anxiety and stress related to PTSD.

Voss had heard about Seppala and this new approach to treating mental illness but was skeptical. Desperate for relief, Voss began practicing the techniques and noticed some of his symptoms had diminished.

One of the major things that happened through this workshop was that the relationship that I had with those traumatic events in my past completely shifted, Voss said.

He suffered from survivors guilt and practicing the breathing exercises and yoga began to change his perspective on what happened in Iraq.

Seppala said that Voss results are exactly what the therapy is hoping to achieve; to re-associate traumatic memories with a state of deep restfulness and calm.

A new relationship [is] built between the memory and its psychological and physical effects, she said.

A study conducted by Seppala and the University of Wisconsin Madison and subsequently published by Stanford University showed that long-term normalization of anxiety was maintained one month and one year after the study. Seppala said the results were remarkable considering many of the veterans didnt continue the breathing exercise after the study period, which meant that just one week of the Sudarshan Kriya yoga and breathing can have long-term effects.

Voss is using his experience with the therapy to help others find relief from symptoms of PTSD. He became the national veterans liaison for Project Welcome Home Troops, a non-profit that aims to help soldiers integrate back into society after service in healthy ways.

As part of his advocacy Voss stars in Almost Sunrise, a documentary that follows him and another veteran as they walk across the United States to address their depression. The film features Vosss growing relationship with meditation and yoga.

For more information on Seppalas study click here.


In 2009, Dr. Maya Adam, found herself unexpectedly pregnant with her third child. The then-36-year-old and her husband, Lawrence Seeff, were surprised, but thrilled.

Although her two previous deliveries were uncomplicated and her sons Kiran, now 11, and Misha, now 8, were healthy, she had cesarean sections for both.

This time, everything seemed to be going well. But at her 20-week ultrasound, the Menlo Park, California woman was told that she had placenta previa, a condition in which the placenta covers part or all of the opening of the cervix and can cause bleeding and complications.

Although placenta previa carries risks, her doctor told her to limit high-impact exercise and if she started to bleed, she should go to the emergency room immediately.

[My doctor told me] I needed to basically slow down a bit and that potentially I might need to go on bed rest, Adam recalled.

At 30 weeks, Adam was put on bed rest and, according to some of her ultrasounds, looked as though the placenta had grown into the uterus, a condition known as placenta accreta.

As the news started to settle in, Adam and Seeff had a serious discussion about their future. They decided to create a video of all their familys special birthdays, celebrations and moments together for their children in case she didnt make it through.

It started to dawn on us that this might actually be a little bit of a risky situation not only for me and the fetus but obviously for our other children, should they lose their mother in this delivery, she said.

What is placenta accreta?

Placenta accreta is a condition in which part of or the entire placenta attaches to the uterine wall. Between 1982 and 2002, approximately one in 533 pregnancies was affected by placenta accreta, according to a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Its also possible for the placenta to invade the muscles of the uterus, (placenta increta) or break through the uterine wall and invade the bladder or the bowel (placenta percreta).

When placenta percreta occurs, part of the bladder or the bowel may have to be removed, which can lead to long-term complications, said Dr. Amelia Sutton, an assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birminghams division of maternal-fetal medicine.

All types of placenta accreta are dangerous and the most significant risk is life-threatening hemorrhage. In fact, up to 90 percent of women with the condition will need a blood transfusion.

The recommendation for women with placenta accreta is to deliver early.

We incur the cost of prematurity to counteract the benefit of that safer delivery, said Dr. Deirdre Lyell, medical director of the program for placental disorders within the division of maternal-fetal medicine at Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital in Palo Alto, California.

Most women will also require a hysterectomy because the placenta cannot be safely removed. Yet the surgery is challenging. Since 20 percent of the blood supply goes to the uterus during pregnancy and the blood vessels are engorged, the bleeding can be difficult to stop.

What causes placenta accreta?

A study from 1996 found that up to 7 percent of women die from placenta accreta but its possible fewer women die from it today because of improved technology, Lyell said.

Placenta accreta can occur independently, but it does have a high association with placenta previa. In fact, a woman who has placenta previa has up to a 5 percent risk of also having placenta accreta.

Although the cause of placenta accreta is unknown, experts agree that placenta accreta is on the rise because of the high cesarean section rate, which is at nearly 33 percent of births in the U.S.

The problem is that once a woman has her first C-section, she has a higher risk for having subsequent cesareans. The more she undergoes, the more damage to the uterine wall and the higher the risk for the condition.

Women should know that this is a potential risk when theyre deciding their family size and if theyve had multiple cesarean deliveries, Sutton said. I think theres this perception that cesareans are very benign procedures and theyre so routine that having multiple cesareans is not particularly risky. Theyre still surgeries and they still carry not only short-term risks but the long-term risks that the public is probably not aware of.

Women without previous uterine surgeries have up to a 5 percent risk of having the condition.

Other risk factors include previous births, uterine fibroids, endometrial ablation surgery, advanced maternal age, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and smoking.

For the next 3 hours, they literally battled for my life.

At 37 weeks, Adam was admitted into the hospital to deliver her baby. Doctors placed two large IVs in her veins to prepare for a large blood transfusion and she was wheeled into the hospitals main operating room, instead of the maternity ward.

That was another sign for me that they were really preparing for the worst, she said.

After doctors delivered her baby via C-section, Adam held their son Milan for all of 30 seconds.

They took both my husband and the baby out of the room and [the doctor] told me, Were going to move forward with the hysterectomy. Apparently, for the next three hours, they literally battled for my life, she said.

The medical team transfused 22 units of blood to keep Adam alive as they struggled to stop the bleeding, maintain her blood pressure and stabilize her.

After surgery and back in the ICU, Adam was hooked up to a breathing tube. Although she couldnt talk, she could write and asked her husband how Milan was.

He was very emotional and happy that he wasnt left alone to raise three boys by himself, she said.

Adam spent one week in the maternity ward and returned home to her family to rest and recover. She left with a large scar, a drain for the fluid and a lot of pain.

Although the couple had prepared for the worst, Adam said she never believed she wouldnt pull through.

Theres something inherent in mothers that makes them believe that everything is going to be OK, she said.

Today, Milan, now 6, is healthy, independent and self-sufficient.

Hes such a determined survivor kind of child, Adam said.

For Adam, coming so close to death has made her even more grateful for the life she has been given.

This whole experience made me determined to make a difference in the world because I feel like these are bonus years that I have. I could so easily have not been here these last six years so there must be a reason Im here.
In 1786, Thomas Jefferson, then a minister to the French government of Louis XVI, had a concern more intimidating than anything else hed faced before: the threat of pirates off the coast of North Africa, a region known as the Barbary Coast.

These pirates had already taken over two American ships, the Dauphin and the Maria, plundering their goods and taking their crews hostage. Unfortunately, this was a common fate for ships venturing near the area, where the Saharas arid coast was divided into four Islamic nation-states. Running west to east were the Barbary nations Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, which all fell under the ultimate authority of the Ottoman Empire, seated in present-day Turkey.

These nations had preyed upon foreign shipping for centuries, attacking ships international waters both in the Mediterranean and along the northwest coast of Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Even such naval powers as France and Great Britain were not immune, though they chose to deal with the problem by paying annual tributes of gifts to the Barbary leadersbribes paid to the Barbary states to persuade the pirates to leave merchant ships from the paying countries alone. But the prices were always changing, and the ships of those nations that did not meet the extortionate demands were not safe from greedy pirates.

Unable to pay enough to buy the goodwill of the Barbary countries, America was forced to let its ships sail at their own risk. Jefferson and Adams knew the new nation couldnt afford a new war or a new source of debt. But they also understood that the cost of keeping American ships away from the Barbary Coast would be greater than the cost of addressing the problem. That left Jefferson and good friend and United States ambassador to Great Britain John Adams, as Jefferson said in March of 1786, feeling absolutely suspended between indignation and impotence.

But Adams had new reason to hope that the Barbary rulers could be reasoned with. A few weeks earlier, Adams had made an unannounced visit to the Barbary state of Tripolis ambassador, freshly arrived in London.

To Adamss surprise, the bearded Sidi Haji Abdrahaman had welcomed him warmly. Adams decided his new diplomatic acquaintance was a benevolent and wise man with whom the United States could do business. He believed Abdrahaman might help broker an arrangement between the United States and the other Barbary nations, bringing an end to the capture of American merchantmen. Now reunited with his friend and fellow American, Adams shared his plan with Jefferson and invited him to join the conversation.

On a blustery March day, Adams, Jefferson, and Abdrahaman convened at the house of the Tripolitan envoy. The conversation began in an improvised mix of broken French and Italian, as the Tripolitan envoy spoke little English. The discussion was cordial, and Adams and Jefferson began to believe that a solution was in sight.

When the talk turned to money, however, the bubble of optimism soon exploded.

Jefferson had researched the sums paid as tribute by European countries, including Denmark, Sweden, and Portugal, so he knew the going rate. But the gold Abdrahaman demanded that day was beyond the reach of the United States: a perpetual peace with Tripoli would cost some 30,000 English guineas, the equivalent of roughly $120,000, not counting the 10 percent gratuity Abdrahaman demanded for himself. And that amount bought peace with only one of the Barbary states. To buy peace in Tunis would cost another 30,000 guineas, to say nothing of what would be required to pay Morocco or even Algiers, the largest and most powerful of the four.

The $80,000 that Congress had been hard-pressed to authorize for an across- the- board understanding was no more than a down payment on what would be needed to meet the Barbary demands.

Although he now despaired of an easy solution, Adams wasnt ready to stop talking. He could understand financial concerns, and he was already beginning to realize what OBrien would later say of the pirates: Money is their God and Mahomet their Prophet. Yet greed alone couldnt explain the madness and cruelty of the demands. Unsatisfied, the famously blunt Adams wanted a better answer.

While maintaining the best diplomatic reserve he could muster whatever their frustration, the American ministers could hardly leap to their feet and walk out of the negotiations Adams asked how the Barbary states could justify [making] war upon nations who had done them no injury.

The response was nothing less than chilling.

According to his holy book, the Quran, Abdrahaman explained, all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave.

Christian sailors were, plain and simple, fair game.

Jefferson tried to make sense of what he was hearing. He was familiar with the Muslim holy book. He had purchased a copy of the Quran during his days of reading law in Williamsburg twenty years before but found its values so foreign that he shelved the volume with books devoted to the mythology of the Greeks and Romans. This conversation left him even more perplexed. The man who had written that all people were endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights was horrified at Abdrahamans religious justification for greed and cruelty.

Dashing Adamss high hopes, Abdrahaman refused to play the role of benevolent and wise man. Despite the Americans horror, he wasnt apologizing in any way. He showed no remorse or regret. He believed the actions of his fellow Muslims fully justified.

When the meeting ended, the two American ministers, disheartened and outraged, left empty- handed. They had found no solution, no peaceful answer to protecting American shipping or freeing their countrymen enslaved in North Africa. They agreed that the status quo was not workable, but thats where their agreement ended. Adams believed America should pay for peace, but Jefferson expressed another view. He did not wish to buy a peace, as he put it. He preferred the obtaining of it by war.

But war was too risky at that point, especially against such a powerful threat, and Jefferson was not yet in a position to push the country toward a military conflict. Years passed and continued attempts at negotiation with the Barbary states proved futile, to the detriment of Americas economy and dignity. But when Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, he finally got the chance to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the recently re-formed U.S. Navy and Marines to blockade Tripoli, launching the Barbary Wars, which ultimately ended in victory for the United States.

Without this strategic move and the bravery of these heroes, the course of American history would be dramatically different. Our Navy likely wouldnt be the largest and most capable in the world, and our Marine Corps might not be as integral in protecting our freedom as it is today. America as we know ita place that is uniquely free and powerfulwould not exist.

Reprinted from "THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE TRIPOLI PIRATES: The Forgotten War That Changed American History" by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger with permission of Sentinel, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright (c) Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger, 2015, 2016.
Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence on Sunday expressed renewed confidence in Donald Trump and their White House bid, amid a stream of allegations about Trumps behavior toward women and a new poll that shows the race against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton is still very close.

This is a highly-contested election, all the way to the finish, Pence told Fox News Sunday. I couldnt be more proud to stand with Donald Trump.

Pence spoke hours after the release of a Washington Post-ABC News poll that showed Clinton leading by 4 percentage points, 47-to-43 percent, with Election Day now just 23 days away.

The poll is one of the first since the Oct. 7 release of a 2005 audiotape in which Trump, a wealthy New York businessman and former reality TV star, can be heard boasting about how his celebrity power allows him to kiss and fondle women without invitation.

The release also followed allegations from nine women now who allege Trump acted inappropriately with them and other, recent polls appearing to show Clinton widening her lead in the closing weeks of the 2016 campaign. (Earlier Washington Post-ABC News polls show a similar Clinton lead.)

Pence, also the governor of Indiana, argued Sunday that the liberal-leaning media has continued to publish and air unsubstantiated allegations while willfully ignoring factual reports about questionable behavior by Clinton, her family foundation and her campaign.

He cited the example of a hacked email recently released by WikiLeaks that shows that representatives from Qatar in 2012, while Clinton was secretary of state, apparently tried to get a quick meeting with Clintons husband, former President Bill Clinton, to give him a $1 million check for the family foundation.

Trump has in recent days argued on social media and on the campaign trail that the media, by publishing the womens allegations against him, have rigged the election in Clintons favor.

"Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me.Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!" Trump tweeted Saturday night, apparently after watching at least two skits on the show satirizing him.



Pence on Sunday also said he accepts Trumps apology for his comments on the audiotape and deferred talking about Trump's suggesting Saturday that Clinton appeared to be on performance-enhancing drugs during their last debate and that both should take a drug test before their third -- and final -- debate Wednesday night.

All I know for sure is Donald Trump is going to be ready, Pence said.
Hillary Clintons aides and supporters expressed concern about public perception of the Clinton familys charitable enterprise, with one left-leaning pundit writing that Clinton seemed unaware of the danger of her money problem, according to purported emails disclosed by Wikileaks on Sunday.

Opinion columnist Brent Budowsky was chiefly concerned with the potential damage that could be caused by the publication of Peter Schweizers 2015 book Clinton Cash, emails show. The bestseller explored whether there was a relationship between donations made from foreign entities to The Clinton Foundation and the contracts that were approved by then-Secretary of State Clinton for foreign companies. Hillary Clinton has denied the allegations of quid pro quo.

I have been vigorously criticizing the Schweizer book, but I absolutely believe the Clintons have a money problem, and they are not fully aware of the danger of this, Brent Budowsky wrote in an April 26, 2015, email to Clinton campaign chair John Podesta.

Budowsky warned that congressional Republicans could try to ensnare Clinton in a long-term perjury trap and endless cycles of news stories. He was also troubled the public could grow weary talking about Clinton issues and may simply want to move on.

The net net of everything HRC has done since leaving the State Department is that her trust numbers have fallen dramatically, Budowsky wrote.

Budowsky advised ending ALL foreign donations to the foundation NOW.

Bill Clinton announced in August that, if Hillary won the presidency, the foundation would cease to accept foreign or corporate money and Bill would resign from the board. Hillary Clinton has not served on the board since April 2015.

The views I express here represent the overwhelming majority of private views of Democrats I know, but I am not convinced they have expressed this to her, as directly as I am expressing this here Budowsky wrote.

But it may have initially appeared to Podesta that Budowskys worries were unfounded. A May 2015 New York Times poll apparently found that controversies regarding The Clinton Foundation since the publication of Schweizers book were gaining little traction with the public. Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri sent an email to Podesta advising him of a conversation she recently had with an unnamed individual who had access to an early version of the Times poll and its accompanying story.

He also said the foundation story wasnt breaking through with real people, Palmieri wrote.

But internal polls taken just two months later painted a different picture.

Secretary Clintons top vulnerability tested in this poll is the attack that claims as Secretary of State she signed off on a deal that gave the Russian government control over 20 percent of America's uranium production, after investors in the deal donated over $140 million to the Clinton Foundation, a June report from the Benenson Strategy Group concluded. Half of all likely voters (53 percent) are less likely to support Clinton after hearing that statement and 17 percent are much less likely to support her after that statement.

Sundays release was the ninth day of WikiLeaks steady disclosure of purported emails stolen from Podesta. The anti-secrecy website has said it has 50,000 of Podesta's emails, though only about 12,000 have been made public so far.
FBI interview summaries and notes, provided late Friday to the House Government Oversight and Intelligence Committees, contain allegations of a "quid pro quo" between a senior State Department executive and FBI agents during the Hillary Clinton email investigation, two congressional sources told Fox News.

"This is a flashing red light of potential criminality," Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, who has been briefed on the FBI interviews, told Fox News.

He said "there was an alleged quid pro quo involving Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy and the FBI over at least one classified email.

In return for altering the classification, the possibility of additional slots for the FBI at missions overseas was discussed, Chaffetz said.

As Fox News previously reported, interviews released earlier this month, known as 302s, reveal the serious allegation that Kennedy applied pressure to subordinates to change classified email codes so they would be shielded from Congress and the public. Fox News was told as far back as August 2015 that Kennedy was running interference on Capitol Hill. But Kennedy, in his FBI interview on Dec. 21, 2015, categorically rejected allegations of classified code tampering.

Chaffetz has not read the new documents, which include classified records that must be read in a security facility. But based on a briefing from staffers, Chaffetz said there are grounds for at least "four hearings" after the recess. Chaffetz, who is currently out of town campaigning, said allegations came from witnesses though there is some conflict in the record.

"Both myself and Chairman Devin Nunes of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence are infuriated by what we have heard," he added.

"Left to their own devices the FBI would never have provided these [records] to Congress and waited until the last minute. This is the third batch because [the FBI] didnt think they were relevant," Chaffetz said.

The second congressional source backed the assessment, and both added that they expect the FBI interviews will be released as early as Monday as part of ongoing FOIA requests.

A spokesperson at the FBI provided a lengthy statement to Fox Saturday night -- disputing Chaffetz's characterization and stating that, while the conversation did happen, the two issues discussed were not connected. The FBI's statement is below:

"Prior to the initiation of the FBIs investigation of former Secretary Clintons personal email server, the FBI was asked to review and make classification determinations on FBI emails and information which were being produced by the State Department pursuant to FOIA. The FBI determined that one such email was classified at the Secret level. A senior State Department official requested the FBI re-review that email to determine whether it was in fact classified or whether it might be protected from release under a different FOIA exemption. A now-retired FBI official, who was not part of the subsequent Clinton investigation, told the State Department official that they would look into the matter. Having been previously unsuccessful in attempts to speak with the senior State official, during the same conversation, the FBI official asked the State Department official if they would address a pending, unaddressed FBI request for space for additional FBI employees assigned abroad. Following the call, the FBI official consulted with a senior FBI executive responsible for determining the classification of the material and determined the email was in fact appropriately classified at the Secret level. The FBI official subsequently told the senior State official that the email was appropriately classified at the Secret level and that the FBI would not change the classification of the email. The classification of the email was not changed, and it remains classified today. Although there was never a quid pro quo, these allegations were nonetheless referred to the appropriate officials for review."

The State Department provided a response Sunday but it did not directly address the alleged discussion of more overseas postings for FBI agents.

This allegation is inaccurate and does not align with the facts, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said. To be clear: the State Department did upgrade the document at the request of the FBI when we released it back in May 2015.
A Republican party headquarters in North Carolina was firebombed and a nearby building was vandalized and those responsible were still on the loose, authorities said Sunday.

The Charlotte Observer reported that the inside of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters in Hillsborough was severely damaged from the attack Saturday and an adjacent building was marked with spray pained graffiti reading Nazi Republicans get out of town or else. No one was injured.

The office itself is a total loss, state GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse said. The only thing important to us is that nobody was killed, and they very well could have been.

He said Republican offices around the state were re-examining their security.

The walls over the multi-room office were covered in black char, and a couch against a wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor, and a melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering. According to WNCN-TV, a bottle of flammable liquid was thrown through the front window of the office.

The violent act in the key battleground state was condemned by public figures across the political spectrum.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president said on Twitter that the attack "is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe."

Republican nominee Donald Trump blamed the act on Democrats in a tweet and also he encouraged local Republicans, saying: "With you all the way, will never forget. Now we have to win. Proud of you all!"

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said in a tweet that the firebombing was clearly an attack on Democracy.

At a news conference, Woodhouse urged Republicans to respond peacefully by turning out to vote in November. He said he'd received messages of support from Democrats.

Orange County GOP chairman Daniel Ashley told reporters that no one had previously made violent threats against the office several miles from the town's historic square. The GOP office is several doors down from a shuttered ice rink in what was once a frontier-themed amusement park that is now a retail complex known as The Shops at Daniel Boone.

Tom Stevens, mayor of the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh, said that it was fortunate the fire didn't burn the office and other adjacent buildings that are decades old to the ground.

Stevens, a Democrat, said the act doesn't represent the character of Orange County, which also includes much of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina campus. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin in the county that picked President Barack Obama by a lopsided margin in the 2012 election.

"I'd like to believe we aspire to respect hearing differing views," Stevens said in an interview. "This is very troubling."

Stevens said he wasn't aware of any leads on suspects. Police and officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were investigating.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Donald Trump campaign on Sunday heaped more blame on the media, accusing news organizations of rigging the election for Democratic rival Hillary Clinton but vowing to accept the Nov. 8 results -- win or lose.

"We will absolutely accept the results of the election," Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence said on NBCs Meet the Press.

Pence made the comment amid two polls Sunday that showed Clinton with a solid lead and as he and Trump resumed their attack on the media -- after essentially nine straight days of headlines related to Trumps treatment of women over the past 30 years.

The American people will speak, Pence continued on NBC. But (they) are tired of the obvious bias in the national media. That's where the sense of a rigged election goes here.

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine told Fox News Sunday: From the beginning, Ive said this would be a very close campaign.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Clinton with a 47-to-43 percent lead over Trump, essentially unchanged, compared the groups earlier polls.

And an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll shows Clinton with an 11 percentage point lead over Trump, her GOP rival, with 23 days before Election Day.

The media is piling on with unsubstantiated claims  while they ignore an avalanche of hard evidence about corruption, pay to play, political favoritism emanating out of Hillary Clinton's years as secretary of state, Pence told Fox News Sunday.

He cited the example of a hacked email recently released by WikiLeaks that shows that representatives from Qatar in 2012, while Clinton was secretary of state, apparently tried to get a quick meeting with Clintons husband, former President Bill Clinton, to give him a $1 million check for the family foundation.

Trump on Sunday continued his attack on the media via Twitter, after making his case in person Saturday at three campaign rallies.

"The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary -- but also at many polling places," Trump tweeted.

Trump tweeted earlier in the day: Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me. Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!"

On Saturday, Trump, a first-time candidate and wealthy New York businessman, suggested that Clinton, during their debate earlier this month, appeared to be on drugs -- acting pumped up, then exhausted at the end.

He suggested they each take a drug test before their third-and-final debate Wednesday and mocked Clinton for staying off the trail the entire weekend to prepare.

Pence declined to elaborate on Trumps remark, saying to Fox News, "All I know for sure is that Donald Trump is going to be ready for the debate.

The stories about Trump mistreating women started with the Oct. 7 release of a 2005 audiotape in which Trump is heard bragging about his celebrity status allowing him to kiss and fondle women without their consent.

Trump has apologies for the comments, and nine women have since come forward to say Trump acted inappropriately with them. Trump has denied the allegations, calling one woman a liar, while he and Pence work to find evidence to refute the allegations.

The allegations appear to have overshadowed WikiLeaks' recent release of hacked emails from Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta.

Some showed the campaign worrying whether Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., might endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders in the party's primary, and wrestling with how to respond to revelations about Clinton's private email use. The emails also show aides lining up materials to respond to fresh accusations from a woman who accused Bill Clinton of raping her decades ago. The former president denied the accusation, which was never adjudicated by a criminal court.

Clinton campaign spokesman Glen Caplin on Saturday compared the Podesta email hack to the Watergate break in.

"Four decades later, were witnessing another effort to steal private campaign documents in order to influence an election, he said. Only this time, instead of filing cabinets, its peoples emails theyre breaking into  and a foreign government is behind it."

Top Trump surrogate Rudy Giuliani appeared Sunday on TV to try to downplay Trumps renewed argument about potential voter fraud and the potential need for poll monitors -- particularly in big, Democratic-run cities like Philadelphia.

"When he talks about a rigged election, he's not talking about the fact that it's going to be rigged at the polls," the former New York City mayor said on CNNs State of the Union. What he's talking about is that 80 percent to 85 percent of the media is against him."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
With Election Day weeks away, Donald Trump's campaign has denounced the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, deepening a rift in a state critical to Trump's White House hopes.

GOP Chairman Matt Borges has been organizing the state party's resources behind Trump's bid and offering advice to the nominee. But Borges also is an ally of Ohio Gov. John Kasich, one of Trump's primary rivals. Kasich has been critical of Trump and recently told Ohio reporters he may not vote for him in the race against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump's Ohio chairman, Bob Paduchik, says Trump is not happy.

"Chairman Borges has routinely exaggerated his relationship with the candidate and the campaign," Paduchik wrote Saturday in a letter to state party committee members. "Chairman Borges does not represent or speak for the candidate and he no longer has any affiliation with the Trump-Pence campaign." Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is Trump's running mate.

Paduchik wrote he expects the Ohio Republican Party to continue paying the Trump campaign's Ohio payroll and expenses. Paduchik said he spoke to Trump on Thursday.

"He is very disappointed in Matt's duplicity," Paduchik wrote.

But in his own email to committee members, Borges said he and the party remain committed to aiding Trump. Borges said the majority of Trump campaign staffers are and will remain on the Ohio Republican Party's payroll. He also noted the party has helped Trump reach out to women's and African-American organizations in Ohio, is chasing absentee ballots with voter cards promoting the Republican ticket and is organizing get-out-the-vote efforts.

"I speak and meet with Bob Paduchik and Trump team members regularly," Borges wrote. "Interestingly, none of Bob's concerns were voiced until he shared them publicly today."

Borges said the "bruised ego of a staffer" won't get in the way of his duties as party chairman.

With its 18 electoral votes, Ohio is crucial to winning the presidency as Trump sees his prospects diminish in other closely contested states such as Virginia.

The tension between the Trump campaign and the state party, full of Kasich loyalists, isn't new, yet Trump has relied heavily on the state party for campaign operations. Angering party officials could damage the campaign as the Nov. 8 vote nears.

Paduchik also accused Borges of being more focused on becoming the next chairman of the Republican National Committee than on helping Trump. Borges has been mentioned as a possible RNC successor to Reince Preibus, a Trump ally.

Borges' email to committee members did not address those allegations.

The tipping point for Trump's campaign appears, in part, to be Borges' decision let a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter watch the most recent presidential debate with Borges and his wife. The couple told the reporter they were conflicted about what to do on Election Day.

"I've got to think about what I want to remember having done ... 10 years from now," Borges was quoted as saying.

Paduchik included the article and several others in the email he sent out to state committee members.

Jim Simon, a state party committee member, said that in a challenging election season, Borges has "handled it perfectly. Drawing fire away from our candidates and officeholders is the chairman's job, which is something I'm sure Bob doesn't understand," he said in a statement.
Utah is among the most reliable Republican states in the country, having voted for the partys presidential nominee for the past six decades. But Utah appears no sure thing for Republicans in 2016, as the states electorate, defined by its relationship with the Mormon church, seems increasingly concerned about GOP nominee Donald Trump and his behavior.

The Associated Press has moved Utah to a tossup race, after recent polls in the state show a narrowing gap between Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

The change follows about of week of revelations and allegations about Trump's behavior toward women and amid support for Evan McMullin -- a Mormon and Republican running as an independent.

In two polls released last week, Trump is either tied with Clinton or leads by just single digits.

A Monmouth University Poll of likely Utah voters released Thursday found Trump with just a 6-percentage-point lead -- 34 percent, compared to 28 percent for Clinton, 20 percent for McMullin, 9 percent for Libertarian Gary Johnson and 1 percent for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, with the remaining 6 percent undecided.

And a poll released Wednesday by Y2 Analytics found Trump and Clinton tied with 26 percent support, followed by McMullin, also a Utah native and a Brigham Young University graduate, with 22 percent, and Johnson with 14 percent.

The last time that Utah voted for a non-Republican was 1964, when voters re-elected President Lyndon Johnson over Arizona GOP Sen. Barry Goldwater. The state holds six electoral college votes.

After the release of a 2005 video of Trump making sexually predatory comments to "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush, the Church of Latter-day Saints-owned Deseret News newspaper published an editorial calling for the GOP nominee to step aside, saying, "What oozes from this audio is evil."

McMullin, who is still mostly unknown to Utah voters, appears to have the greatest potential to capitalize on distaste for the GOP nominee.

The AP analysis is of the map as it stands today. It considers preference polling, recent electoral history, demographic trends and campaign priorities such as advertising, travel and on-the-ground staff.

AP also this week moves the 2nd Congressional Districts in Maine and Nebraska to toss-ups. Both states award a single electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district.

Polls show Clinton ahead of Trump nationally, and she maintains edges in enough states to win the White House if she can hold on to her current leads.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Top Hillary Clinton aides were upset a Muslim man was publicly named as the shooter in a 2015 massacre that left 14 people dead, and a longtime Clinton confidant even expressed regret that the terrorist wasnt a white man, according to purported emails released by WikiLeaks on Sunday.

The emails were part of a trove of messages stolen from the gmail account of Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, who has had a long association with the Democratic presidential nominee and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. The email chain began on Dec. 2, when digital operative Matt Ortega forwarded a tweet from MSNBC host Christopher Hayes that named one of the shooters in the San Bernardino, Calif., attack as Sayeed Farook. Consultant Karen Finney forwarded the email to Podesta, commenting, Damn.



Podesta responded: Better if a guy named Sayeed Farouk [sic] was reporting that a guy named Christopher Hayes was the shooter.

Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, gunned down 14 people and injured 22 in a terror attack during a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center on Dec. 2. The attackers pledged their allegiance to ISIS before dying in a shootout with police later in the day.

But Podestas written lament of the shooters ethnicity underscores a long-running aversion in the Clinton campaign  and many in the Democratic party at large  to associating terrorist acts with any aspect of the Islamic religion.

In a 154-page debate prep book that was developed two months after the San Bernardino attacks, and also unearthed in the WikiLeaks document dump, topic 47 is devoted to Should we call this Islamic terrorism? Nowhere in the suggested seven-point answer does Islamic terrorism make an appearance. Instead, its suggested that Clinton call the enemy radical jihadists.

Now, of course there are those who twist Islam to justify mass murder, point three begins. But we cant buy into the same narrative that these barbaric, radical jihadists use to recruit new followers. Declaring war on Islam or demonizing the Muslim-American community is not only counter to our values  it plays right into the terrorists hands.

Point seven states: Radical jihadists underestimate us. We wont turn on each other or turn on our principles. We will keep our country safe and strong, free and tolerant. And we will defeat those who threaten us.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has made a concerted effort to note that Clinton and President Obama dont use Trumps preferred descriptive term, Radical Islamic terrorism. Obama held a lengthy press conference earlier this year to specifically address why he refused to link Islam and terrorism. But in the wake of the Orlando nightclub terror attack in June, and amid more Trump prodding, Clinton relented somewhat.

Whether you call it radical jihadism or radical Islamism, Im happy to say either, she said at the time. I think they mean the same thing.

The latest email release was the ninth day this month that emails from Podesta's account were revealed on WikiLeaks. So far, about 12,000 of 50,000 alleged emails have been released.
USS Enterprise (CV-6), the most decorated US ship of World War II. Colloquially referred to as the "Big E", she was engaged in action during the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Battle of Leyte Gulf and various other air-sea engagements during the Guadalcanal Campaign. (Official U.S. Navy photo 19-N-89185 - photo from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.)
A San Francisco police officer was shot in the head Friday evening in the city's Taraval District and a suspect was in custody, according to reports.

KTVU reported that the officer was conscious and breathing and was expected to survive. The officer was taken to San Francisco General Hospital after the shooting.

#SFPD Officer injured during shooting incident has non-life threatening injury as a result of the incident and is expected to survive. #SF  San Francisco Police (@SFPD) October 15, 2016

The incident began at around 8:15 p.m. local time when police responded to a report related to a mentally disturbed individual. KGO-TV reported that police tried to confront the individual who reportedly pulled out a handgun and opened fire, striking the officer.

Police issued a shelter-in-place order for the area as they pursued the suspect, who had reportedly fled the scene.

This brave officer was doing his job, protecting the citizens of San Francisco, when he was struck by a bullet tonight, Martin Halloran, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association said in a statement. For his courage, he deserves all our gratitude and respect. Please keep him in your prayers tonight.

Police cornered the suspect about an hour after the shooting. SWAT units deployed non-lethal flash bang grenades and then apprehend the suspect.

It was not immediately clear what condition the suspect was in or whether he was injured in the exchange of fire with police. However, Officer Carlos Manfredi said the suspect was also at San Francisco General.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee spoke briefly to the media, saying he was grateful to the police department and that the officer was in good spirits.

I had a chance to thank him and meet his family. Im very grateful, Lee said.

Click for more from KTVU.com.
. The U.S. military said Saturday it's detected what's being described as a failed missile launch by North Korea.

The launch occurred near the northwestern city of Kusong and the missile is presumed to be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile, according to a Defense Department statement.

The military says the launch was attempted at 11:33 p.m. EDT Friday (12:03 p.m. Saturday local time) and that the missile didn't pose a threat to North America.

North Korea has claimed technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. South Korean defense officials have said the North doesn't yet have such a weapon.

It's the latest in a series of moves by North Korea aimed apparently at displaying a show of force. As recently as last month, it fired three ballistic missiles off its east coast, timed to get the attention of world leaders including President Barack Obama who were visiting the region for a series of summits. The U.N. Security Council subsequently condemned those North Korean launches and threatened "further significant measures" if it refused to stop its nuclear and missile tests.

North Korea also conducted its fifth nuclear test last month and in all has launched more than 20 ballistic missiles this year, part of its program aimed at improving the delivery system for nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, North Korea successfully launched a Musudan missile in June after several failed attempts.

Obama has vowed to work with the United Nations to tighten sanctions against North Korea, but has also said that the U.S. was still open to dialogue if the government changes course.

The U.S. strategy has largely centered on trying to get China, North Korea's traditional ally, to use its influence to persuade the North to change course. North Korea is continuing missile test launches even as the United Nations Security Council is deliberating a further tightening of sanctions after the September nuclear test.

Previously in August, Japanese and South Korean officials said a medium-range ballistic missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed near Japan's territorial waters.

___

Associated Press writer Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.

___

This version of the story corrects the spelling of Musudan.
A ceremony was held Saturday to dedicate a new gravestone for a 7-year-old Michigan boy whose brutal killing more than 80 years ago remains unsolved.

Richard Streicher Jr. was murdered in March 1935 in Ypsilanti and his grave in a town cemetery was never marked due to the notoriety of the crime, the Ann Arbor News reports. The boy never returned home after going sledding on a late winter evening. His body was found days later underneath a footbridge near his home with 14 stab wounds.

Investigators never found the killer.

The Ann Arbor News ran a story about the cold case murder in December which led to an online fundraising campaign that raised $1,500 for a headstone to mark the grave.

Engraved on the monument is a runner sled in remembrance of the boys last activity before his death, the paper reported.

The 30 attendees at the dedication ceremony included a man in his late 80s named Paul Woodside who grew up with the murdered boy.

We walked home from school together, Woodside told the paper. He lived up there on Cross Street. I lived on Prospect Street. We separated right there. And that was the last I [saw] him.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Authorities in northeastern Ohio, along with the FBI, are asking the public for help finding a suspected serial child abductor.

The suspect is wanted in connection with the kidnapping of a 6-year-old Cleveland girl this past May, as well as the attempted abduction of a 10-year-old girl in the suburb of Elyria this past February.

"He's a bad, bad guy," FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson told Cleveland.com earlier this week.

Investigators say the suspect is especially dangerous because he brazenly enters the homes of his victims early in the morning, while their parents are asleep.

In the February abduction attempt, officials say the suspect unlocked several doors and windows in the girl's home. The next morning, he opened the girl's bedroom window and tried to pull her outside by her legs. However, the girl succesfully fought him off and ran to her father's bedroom.

In the Cleveland case, the suspect was caught on surveillance video observing the girl's home on multiple occasions before he abducted her in the early hours of May 21.

The man dropped the girl off at an intersection 17 hours after she was taken. Authorities acknowledged publicly this week that the girl was "assaulted" by her captor.

"He did things to her that we're not going to go into," Anderson told Cleveland.com. "But she was harmed. We're happy she's alive, but they didn't play Barbies."

Authorities also believe the suspect may be linked to other abductions in Cleveland's western suburbs and think it's possible he may reside in that area.

According to Cleveland.com, more than 200 local and federal investigators have worked on the case. The FBI has received more than 325 tips but none have panned out, a situation authorities say is extremely rare.

"We're wondering if we're just targeting the right audience," FBI spokeswoman Kelli Liberti said.

Authorities have posted images of the man and his car on billboards around the area, along with a composite sketch, but that hasn't borne fruit, either.

"The sketch looks like half the guys in Ohio," Anderson said this week.

The surveillance video shows the man driving a 2002 or 2003 dark-colored Chevrolet Malibu with a driver's side quarter panel that is a different color from the rest of the car.

The suspect himself has been described as a white male with light brown hair and a "neatly-trimmed" beard. He stands about 5-foot-10- and has at least one tattoo.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the FBI tipline at 216-622-6824.

Click for more from Cleveland.com.


The Latest on a car plummeting from the Coronado Bridge onto a park, leaving 4 dead and at least 4 critically injured (all times local):

9:10 p.m.

Police say a member of the U.S. Navy was driving a pickup truck that flew off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and fatally killed four people who were at a festival at a park below.

Authorities say 25-year-old Richard Anthony Sepolio, who suffered major injuries in Saturday's crash, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was stationed at a naval base in Coronado Island, across a bay from San Diego.

The California Highway Patrol said Sepolio lost control of a GMC pickup truck with Texas license plates while driving onto the bridge, struck a guardrail and plunged about 60 feet onto a vendor booth set up for a motorcycle festival at Chicano Park.

Witnesses said four people in the booth were crushed by the truck. Eight people on the ground were injured.

___

5:45 p.m.

Authorities say four people were killed after an out-of-control pickup truck plunged off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and plowed into a crowd gathered at a festival below Saturday.

The truck driver was among two people who suffered major injuries in the crash at Chicano Park Saturday afternoon. California Highway Patrol officials say he was taken to the hospital for treatment, and will be arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence causing deaths and injuries.

CHP Officer Jake Sanchez said seven others suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Sanchez said the truck struck a guardrail on the bridge and plummeted 60 feet below.

Witnesses say the truck landed on a vendor tent set up for a motorcycle festival. The truck's front end was crushed and its hood popped open.

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5:20 p.m.

A pickup truck plunged off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and plowed into a crowd gathered at a park below, leaving four people dead and at least eight injured.

Witnesses say the truck landed on a vendor tent set up for a motorcycle festival at Chicano Park Saturday afternoon.

A spokesman for the city Fire-Rescue Department says four people died at the scene. Lee Swanson said eight people were taken to the hospital: four suffered major traumas and four had minor injuries.

It's not immediately clear whether the deceased were in the vehicle or in the crowd below. The truck's front end was crushed and its hood popped open.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The park is located beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in central San Diego.

___

4:30 p.m.

Authorities say a car went off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and crashed into a park, leaving four people dead and at least 4 critically injured.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash was reported at Chicano Park shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The city's Fire-Rescue Department said four people were declared dead at the scene.

Spokesman Lee Swanson said eight people were injured: four of them suffered major traumas and the other four had minor injuries. He said several more were evaluated by medics at the park.

The cause of the crash is under investigation and both sides of the bridge are closed to traffic.

The park is located beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in central San Diego.
The Navy is retrieving historic artifacts on loan to the New Jersey Naval Museum that have been damaged over time and by bad weather, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The Navy is taking back the items to prevent further deterioration, the paper reported Friday.

We share the concern of veterans whose story is contained in these historic artifacts, the Navys Jay Thomas told the paper. This step is difficult, because sharing our Navy's history is an important part of our mission. However, so is protecting the collection.

The North Jersey museum ran into problems after it getting an eviction notice in June from the owner of the property.

The owner wants to build houses and shops on the site as part of a redevelopment project, according to the paper.

The museum hasnt found a new home since being evicted.

The Navy is taking back missiles and German and Japanese submarines that are part of outdoor exhibits. The Navy is back about 100 artifacts in total and will ship them to the Washington Navy Yard, the paper reported.

The Navy acted after the museum failed to present a plan for protecting the artifacts until a new home could be found, according to the paper.

The Star-Ledger reported that museum officials did not respond to a request for comment.

The museum is also home to the World War II-era submarine, the USS Ling.

The museum has been asked in a letter to move the Ling to Paterson, New Jerseys third largest city.

Paterson mayor Joey Torres sent the letter in August, the paper reported.
A New Jersey black bear that became a social media sensation after it was filmed walking upright on its hind legs is believed to have been killed last week during the state's five-day bow hunting season.

A post on a Facebook page dedicated to the bear, known as "Pedals," said an unidentified hunter brought the animal's body to a check station in Rockaway Township Monday.

Pedals became an Internet favorite in 2014, when local residents began posting photos of him on two-legged jaunts through their yards. Experts suggested that the bear likely suffered from an injured leg or paw that didn't allow it to walk comfortably on all fours.

The bear was last spotted this past June, and officials said at the time that they expected Pedals to make it through the winter.

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife confirmed late Friday that a bear with "injured limbs" had been brought into the station on the day in question. However, spokesman Robert Considine cautioned that there was "no way of verifying the identity of any bear that has not been previously tagged or had a DNA sample previously taken."

The Bergen Record reported that Pedals had never been tagged by the department.

Activists had pushed for Pedals to be moved to a sanctuary in New York state, but New Jersey officials have said they won't allow the bear to be captured and transferred to the facility. The state Department of Environmental Protection said in June that they believed the bear would fare better in its natural habitat.

The New York Times reported that 487 bears were killed during last week's hunt, the first in New Jersey since the 1960s.
Thousands of residents in the Pacific Northwest remained without power Sunday as the remnants of what was billed as a potentially apocalyptic typhoon began to fizzle.

Emergency crews in Oregon and Washington worked through the night to restore power lines and remove dozens of downed trees to clear roads that the storm had damaged over the past two days.

Meteorologists still expected rain and wind gusts as high as 30 mph throughout Sunday, but conditions were not expected to be as bad as predicted.

Here are some questions and answers about the storm that was originally forecast to be one of the worst in recent history.

WHAT WAS PREDICTED?

The storm was a remnant of Typhoon Songda, which had wreaked havoc in the western Pacific last week. Heavy rains and strong winds were expected when it hit land on Saturday.

Officials estimated 80 mph wind gusts in some regions as the storm moved up the Oregon coast early Saturday and eventually INTO Washington later that day. Residents were warned to keep off the roads, while parks and zoos were closed to help keep people inside.

WHAT WAS THE DAMAGE?

The 50 mph wind squalls were big enough to down power lines and toss tree branches onto streets and vehicles, particularly closer to the coast where winds were the strongest.

At one point, tens of thousands of residents were left without electricity. A spokesman for the Portland Bureau of Transportation told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the agency received more than 200 calls on Saturday about fallen trees, flooding and other issues.

No injuries have been immediately reported. A tornado brought on by a separate storm Friday hurt a 4-year-old boy and his father in Oregon when it dropped a tree branch on them in Seattle.

The storm brought heavy rain and wind as far south as Northern California.

WHY WASN'T IT SO INTENSE?

The National Weather Service attributed the weaker-than-predicted winds to the storm ending up with two pressure centers when it approached the Oregon coastline. Meteorologists thought it would only have one. This helped break up the intensity.

However, the subdued nature of the storm still has meteorologists puzzled. In a statement released late Saturday, the weather service said it would be studying the storm over the next few weeks to help better their forecast models.

"(When) a forecast does not work out as expected, it is frustrating as a forecaster. Weather science and model forecasts are getting better every day, but this is just another reminder that Mother Nature will always keep a certain level of unpredictability," the weather agency wrote.

WILL THIS CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE REACT TO FUTURE WARNINGS?

It wasn't hard to find people joking on social media about the storm's lackluster performance. Several memes had already popped up Saturday and some Twitter users in Portland joked that they were just thankful they could still go to the farmer's market.

But the National Weather Service says that doesn't mean people should stop believing storm warnings.

"It's good to be prepared for any storm. Following warnings is just good advice," said Jay Nehler, a meteorologist in Seattle. "Sometimes forecasts are right and sometimes they're not  doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to them."
ISIS suicide bomber strikes Baghdad funeral tent, killing 35

A suicide bomber struck a funeral gathering in Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 60, Iraqi police and hospital officials said.

The attack in the Shaab neighborhood occurred around lunchtime, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. ISIS claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency.

Hussein Khazem, the owner of clothing warehouse near where the bombing took place, said the bomber detonated his payload inside a funeral tent, causing a big explosion.

He saw a large number of killed and wounded people, many burning cars and major damage to the local market nearby. The dead included elderly people, children, and some women. He closed his shop to help evacuate the wounded and remove the bodies.

"The security situation is not good at all," he said. "These big incidents are happening again, especially in the poorer residential neighborhoods."

The attack comes as Iraqi security forces are preparing for an operation to retake the militant-held northern city of Mosul, the country's second largest, from ISIS.

In the past, the extremists have increased insurgent attacks inside government-held territory far from the front lines after suffering territorial losses on the battlefield.

Iraq has seen several bombings in recent months, though most have had lower death tolls than Saturday's attack. In July, a massive car bomb in central Baghdad's popular shopping district of Karradah killed about 300 people and forced the resignation of the interior minister.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/world/isis-suicide-bomber-strikes-baghdad-funeral-tent-killing-35
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South Korea and the U.S. said Sunday that the latest missile launch by North Korea ended in a failure after the projectile reportedly exploded soon after liftoff.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the military believes the North unsuccessfully attempted to fire a mid-range Musudan missile. It said the failed launch was made near an airport in the North's North Pyongan province.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said that the missile was believed to have exploded soon after liftoff. Yonhap cited no source for this information.

South Korea strongly condemns the launch because it violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that bans any ballistic activities by North Korea, the statement said.

The U.S. military first reported the launch was attempted at 11:33 p.m. EDT Friday (12:03 p.m. Saturday local time) and that the missile didn't pose a threat to North America. The action brought harsh criticism from the U.S.

"We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests, which violate U.N. Security Council Resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea's launches using ballistic missile technology," said Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. He said the U.S. would raise concerns at the U.N.

"Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad," Ross said. "We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation."

Japan has expressed concern over the launches, and Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said Sunday that she wants to work in cooperation with the U.S. and South Korea to assure her country's security.

North Korea has claimed technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. South Korean defense officials have said the North doesn't yet have such a weapon.

It's the latest in a series of moves by North Korea aimed apparently at displaying a show of force. As recently as last month, it fired three ballistic missiles off its east coast, timed to get the attention of world leaders including President Barack Obama who were visiting the region for a series of summits. The U.N. Security Council subsequently condemned those North Korean launches and threatened "further significant measures" if it refused to stop its nuclear and missile tests.

North Korea also conducted its fifth nuclear test last month and in all has launched more than 20 ballistic missiles this year, part of its program aimed at improving the delivery system for nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, North Korea successfully launched a Musudan missile in June after several failed attempts.

Musudan has a range of 3,500 kilometers (2,180 miles)  enough to reach U.S. military installments in Japan and Guam.

Obama has vowed to work with the United Nations to tighten sanctions against North Korea, but has also said that the U.S. was still open to dialogue if the government changes course.

The U.S. strategy has largely centered on trying to get China, North Korea's traditional ally, to use its influence to persuade the North to change course. North Korea is continuing missile test launches even as the U.N. Security Council is deliberating a further tightening of sanctions after the September nuclear test.

Previously in August, Japanese and South Korean officials said a medium-range ballistic missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and landed near Japan's territorial waters.

___

Associated Press writers Josh Lederman in Washington and Ken Moritsugu in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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About 3,500 dogs of all breeds and sizes ran through the streets of Spain's capital with their owners in the fifth edition of the "Perroton," or Dogathon, a yearly event that seeks to raise awareness about animal cruelty and encourage dog adoptions.

U.S. Ambassador James Costos received an honorary award for his country's efforts against animal cruelty.

Costos said he was thankful for the honor. Days before the Dogathon, he tweeted a picture of him and his dog Greco, saying they would run to "highlight the work of the U.S. government against animal cruelty."

Spain has jail penalties for cruelty against domesticated animals, but is divided concerning bullfights and bull runs. Some consider them savage, outdated practices, while others call the spectacles part of Spain's cultural heritage.
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Swedish officials say they have evacuated about 40 people from a refugee center in southern Stockholm after a fire engulfed the building.

Kurt Jansson, who headed the fire operations, said the alarm came in the early hours of Sunday, adding that police were investigating the incident.

Investigators are treating the matter as possible arson.

Swedish media reports said there had been attempts a day earlier to torch the building, used as a temporary home for refugees who have been granted a residence permit in Sweden.

The Scandinavian country, which had a record 163,000 asylum applications last year, has seen an increase in anti-migrant attitudes with several attacks on refugee centers.
Suicide bombers blew themselves up Sunday during a Turkish police raid against suspected Islamic State militants near the Syrian border, killing three police officers and wounding eight other people, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Gaziantep governor Ali Yerlikaya, speaking to the agency, said police received a tip about a group of ISIS militants hiding in a house in the city's Sahinbey district and launched an operation to apprehend them. The militants blew themselves up when they realized they could not escape, the agency reported.

It was not clear how many suicide bombers were involved.

"Unfortunately, three of our police officers were martyred and eight people, including four Syrians, were wounded," he told Anadolu. The news agency said police officers were among the wounded and one person was in critical condition.

The governor said police raid followed a tip that the group could be planning an attack on an Alawite cultural association in the city, according to Anadolu.

Turkey has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks over the past year, carried out by ISIS or Kurdish militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

In August, 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up during an outdoor wedding celebration in Gaziantep. Authorities said the attack was the work of ISIS.
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The leaders of five of the world's fast-rising powers are meeting in the southwestern Indian state of Goa for their annual summit at a time when their ability to shape the global dialogue on international politics and finance is increasingly being questioned.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, or BRICS, face the tough task of asserting their growing influence as a power group even as they bridge their own trade rivalries to help grow their economies.

The group represents nearly half of the world's population and a quarter of its economy at $16.6 trillion. But BRICS are battling the economic slowdown and politically each member wants the others to support its policies  Russia on Syria, China on the South China Sea and India on its fight against terrorism.
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New ideas are being proposed and more talks are being prepared but there is no quick resolution in sight for Syria's agony.

A U.S.-hosted meeting of major world and regional powers made only piecemeal headway on creating a multilateral track for ending the beleaguered country's grinding war.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry convened top diplomats from Russia and regional powers like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran on Saturday for a 4 1/2-hour meeting in Switzerland. The talks came amid heightened urgency about the war's latest flashpoint, the city of Aleppo.

The fighting has killed a half-million people, sparked a refugee crisis and offered a territorial base to the radical Islamic State group.

Kerry's new approach comes after last month's U.S.-Russian bid to end the war collapsed in days.
Iranian media says authorities have detained 11 members of a "modeling and decadence network."

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said Sunday that the network was involved in producing and publishing pornographic pictures on social media. It said authorities shuttered three underground studios used for the purpose.

The report said the 11 people detained were "key elements" of the network, which was active in the southeastern city of Zahedan.

The report said more people were apprehended, but released shortly thereafter.

Several people suspected of modeling on social media were arrested in May.

Iran blocks several websites and polices social media to enforce conservative Islamic values and curb Western influence.
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A group of Nigerian parents are excitedly waiting to be reunited with 21 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram 2  years ago and freed in the first negotiated release organized by Nigeria's government and the Islamic extremist group.

The girls were freed Thursday and flown to Abuja, Nigeria's capital, but it's taken days for the parents to arrive. Community leader Tsambido Hosea Abana says most arrived Sunday morning after driving 15 hours over potholed roads slowed by military checkpoints and the danger of attacks by the insurgents.

The parents came from around the remote northeastern town of Chibok, from which nearly 300 girls were kidnapped in an April 2014 mass abduction that shocked the world. Dozens escaped early on but 197 remain captive. The government says negotiations continue to win their freedom.
A resident says an explosion went off at a militia checkpoint near a camp for displaced Syrians on the border with Jordan.

There were unconfirmed reports of casualties in the Sunday evening blast at the Rukban camp.

Hala Akhbar, a website linked to the Jordanian military, also reported the explosion.

Jordan has been on edge since a June car bomb attack launched from the Rukban area killed seven members of the Jordanian border guard. Jordan sealed the border in response, cutting off vital aid from some 75,000 Syrians stranded in the area.

The displaced Syrians live in makeshift camps between two parallel earthen barriers, or berms, that mark the frontier.

The Rukban resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from factions in Syria's civil war.
Egyptian media is reporting that a high-level Syrian delegation has arrived in Cairo for talks with unnamed senior officials.

The pro-government Sada al-Balad and other news websites, citing unnamed officials, say six Syrians arrived on a private jet Sunday from Damascus for discussions on efforts to reach a political solution to the country's civil war, now in its fifth year.

Calls to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry were not answered.

Earlier this month, Egypt voted for rival French and Russian draft resolutions on Syria at the U.N. Security Council, arguing that both called for a truce and aid for besieged Syrians in the rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo.

The move angered Egypt's major financier Saudi Arabia, which supports rebels fighting against the Moscow-backed government in Syria.
Syrian opposition fighters backed by Turkey said Sunday that they had captured the symbolically significant Syrian town of Dabiq from ISIS.

Saif Abu Bakr, a commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade told the Associated Press ISIS fighters put up "minimal" resistance to defend the town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger ISIS-held town of al-Bab to the south.

Bakr said some 2,000 opposition fighters pushed into Dabiq with tank and artillery support from the Turkish Army.

Both Turkish and international coalition warplanes conducted airstrikes on Dabiq and nearby Arshak, the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reported.



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group also said the extremist group had withdrawn.



The terror group's propaganda has previously cited Islamic lore that Dabiq would be the scene of a major battle between "crusaders" and army of the Muslim caliphate.

ISIS also named its English-language propaganda magazine Dabiq after the town.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Tens of thousands of people have marched in Paris to call for the repeal of a law allowing gay marriage, six months before France's next presidential election.

The protesters ended up at Trocadero Plaza, near the Eiffel Tower. Police estimated the crowd at 24,000, while organizers gave a figure of 200,000.

They were also protesting Sunday against the use of assisted reproduction techniques and surrogate mothers to help same-sex couples have babies.

Assisted reproduction is allowed in France only for infertile heterosexual couples and surrogacy is banned.

The group organizing the march presents itself as promoting the traditional family model of "one mother and one father." It hopes to influence the debate before the presidential election next year.

None of the major candidates in the election attended the march.

A small group of bare-breasted Femen demonstrators briefly showed up Sunday during the march to protest against what they call "homophobia." The half-dozen Femen protesters were removed by police.

The 2013 law allowing gay marriage exposed deep divisions in French society, prompting big protests for and against such unions.
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Thousands of people in Hungary have protested against government corruption and to demand the preservation of press freedoms.

Sunday's rally called by civic groups and small opposition parties was held on Free Press Road, a traditional location for protests but made more symbolic by last week's closure of the largest opposition newspaper.

Miklos Hargitai, a journalist from the Nepszabadsag newspaper, said Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government was the only one since the 1990 end of the communist regime "which doesn't tolerate any control or criticism, not even questions." Hargitai said Orban hadn't given an interview to the paper in 10 years.

Publishing company Mediaworks said the newspaper's "considerable" losses led to its closure. Its journalists are still under contract but there's little chance that the paper will reopen.
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Turkish news reports say a suicide attacker has detonated a bomb during a police operation near the border with Syria, causing several injuries.

Haber Turk television and other media reports say the raid occurred Sunday in the city of Gaziantep. Several ambulances were sent to the scene, Haber Turk said.
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The United States and Britain are expressing hope that a cease-fire can be reached in Yemen in the coming days.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says mediation is ongoing involving Yemen's exiled, internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels who control much of the country.

Kerry says: "This is the time to implement a cease-fire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table."

His message Sunday was supported by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and the U.N. envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

Kerry says they want the truce "''as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday."

Their meeting in London also included the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, which has led a military coalition against the Houthis.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen may have launched missiles at U.S. Navy ships for the third time this week, defense officials said Saturday.

Initially, a U.S. defense official said multiple missiles were fired at three ships patrolling international waters at around 3:30 p.m. ET. U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson appeared to confirm that assesment, telling reporters the vessels seemed "to have come under attack in the Red Sea, again from coastal defense cruise missiles fired from the coast of Yemen."

However, a Pentagon official later said only that the vessels "detected possible inbound missile threats and deployed appropriate defensive measures."

The official added that all U.S. warships and vessels in the area were safe and that "post-event assessment is ongoing," but declined to give further details.

Two guided-missile destroyers, the USS Mason and USS Nitze, as well as the amphibious transport ship USS Ponce were patrolling north of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, when the incident occurred.

The USS Mason launched countermeasures, according to one official, likely using SM-2 surface-to-air missiles to engage the possible Houthi cruise missiles.

The incident occurred two days after President Obama authorized a Tomahawk cruise missile strike against three Houthi radar facilities in Yemen in retaliation for two missile attacks against the US Navy ships earlier in the week.

A U.S. official told the Associated Press that additional radars could have been used in Saturday's reported attack.

The American cruise missile strike from USS Nitze, which U.S. officials said destroyed the radar installations, marked the first direct US involvement in Yemen's two-year civil war.

The United States has supported a Saudi Arabia-led coalition against the Houthis over the past year with intelligence, weapons and mid-air refueling aircraft.

The first Houthi missile attack against the U.S. Navy ships occurred Sunday, shortly after a coaltion jet bombed a funeral party, killing 140 people and wounding hundreds more.

Earlier this month, a Houthi missile from Yemen destroyed a United Arab Emirates-flagged auxiliary vessel that had once been owned by an American company.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ligature & Suicide Resistant LCD TV Housing Protective Enclosure Launched

ProEnc, the leading outdoor LCD TV enclosure company, has announced the launch of a new anti ligature television enclosure for hospitals and prisons. It is virtually unbreakable and has sloping steel edges so it can be used without fear of harm befalling patients or staff.

--

A new anti ligature television enclosure has been launched by ProEnc, offering customers the chance to buy the only protective television enclosure that is recessed in the wall, so can be used in mental hospitals and jails to prevent self harm to patients and inmates. The units are designed with input from the United States Federal Mental Health Department to help create non loop TV enclosures where no material is looped around the housing body, passing every stringent test.

More information can be found on the ProEnc website at: http://www.lcdtvenclosure.com/anti-ligature-tv-enclosure.

ProEnc USA is the world's leading manufacturer of outdoor LCD television monitor enclosure, creating high end outdoor TV boxes and outdoor home cinema systems through a cost effective solution. The company provides products for commercial and residential use, and also manufactures interactive kiosks as well as media content creation.

On the ProEnc website, interested parties can discover the different ways the company's anti ligature TV enclosure separate themselves from other products on the market. It is the only company to have United States Federal Mental Health Department approval for its design, and is made with four sides of sloping steel.

Some TV products made with sloping top enclosures can have issues with patients looping material around the housing and harming themselves, but the unique design found in ProEnc's TV enclosure prevents this from happening.

ProEnc explains that the product comes with high security locks as opposed to the cheaper cam or compression locks that other companies make use of, which can be opened easily. In addition to this, the viewing window is the thickest that can be found anywhere in the industry as standard. This means the product prevents the TV display from being damaged and used as a weapon, protecting both nursing professionals and other patients or inmates.

Because the anti ligature flat panel enclosure arrives already fully assembled, it is easy to set up and get working from the beginning, and comes with a lengthy warranty in case anything goes wrong with the product.

Interested parties can find detailed information on the TV product by watching the video provided on the company website.

For more information, please visit http://www.lcdenclosure.co.uk

Contact Info:

Name: Dale Edwards

Organization: ProEnc UK

Address: George Court, Bartholomews Walk

Phone: (084) 328-93717

Release ID: 138159

For more information visit r



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Crown Resorts employees accused of gambling violations

Jason OConnor, the head of Crowns VIP International team, is one of 18 employees being questioned by Chinese authorities

Under a consular treaty between the two countries, Chinese authorities have three days in which to notify Australian officials

An undisclosed number of Crown Resorts employees have been detained by the Chinese government for suspicion of gambling crimes.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Melbourne-based Crown, part-owned by Australian billionaire James Packer, has been benefiting from an upsurge in Chinese tourists at its Australian casinos even as a graft clampdown by the Chinese government has hurt its operations in the gambling enclave of Macau. It is illegal to advertise casinos in mainland China, but casino operators such as Crown can promote tourism to the resorts where the casinos are located.

Chinese officials have said the investigation is ongoing with few details being revealed as of Sunday evening.

A top management official is apparently among those apprehended.

Crown believes that Jason OConnor, the head of Crowns VIP International team, is one of 18 employees being questioned by Chinese authorities, the company spokesperson said.

A spokesman for Australias foreign affairs department said it was aware of reports of the possible detention overnight Thursday of a number of Crown employees across China, including three Australians.

Under a consular treaty between the two countries, Chinese authorities have three days in which to notify Canberra of the detention of any Australian citizens, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Consular officials will seek to offer appropriate consular assistance to the detained Australians, the spokesman said.

Crown recently announced its intentions to sever ties with the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau following recent restrictions placed on it by the Mainland Government.

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gamlbing911.com
Michael Schumacher Latest News & Update: Will F1 Legend Ever Be Seen In Public Again?

The health of Michael Schumacher continues to be a concern for his legions of fans though his real situation continues to be under wraps. With media bared from seeing the fallen F1 legend, the tidbits on his actual condition continue to scarcely come out.

Different Takes

Friends have shed out short bits on how Michael Schumacher is, both good and bad. They hardly show the total picture of the fallen race car driver, the bottom line of which is that he is fighting his current state.

One piece comes from his close friend Gerd Kramer who says that Michael Schumacher is dealing with difficult times. It would take a miracle to see the F1 legend in public with his true medical state shielded by his family, the Daily Star reported.

The revelation from Michael Schumachers first sponsor comes as a surprise considering former Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezelmo gave more positive updates on the racers condition. He mentioned Schumi responding well to treatment and believes that his determination will pull him through these tough times, the Telegraph reported.

Corrina Schumacher asks for privacy, understanding

Regardless of who among Kramer and Mentezelmo is telling the truth, the best thing to do is pray for Michael Schumacher. Death hoaxes issues by unreliable mediums will not help and have in fact been considered below-the-belt reporting.

Corrina Schumacher decried the false reports and again sought for understanding on the familys request for privacy. Things are already tough as they are as they go through the long rehabilitation process for a potential recovery of Michael Schumacher.

Michael Schumacher is without question accomplished and one of the greats in Formula 1 racing. In fact, a permanent F1 display will be put up in Kerpen, Germany to fete the racing legend per a previous post. Rather than speculate on his condition, that display will have to do as Schumi continue to fight his unfortunate predicament.
Microsoft Surface Book 2 Release Date, News & Update: date: Cause Of Delay In Release Finally Revealed

Microsoft Surface Book 2's rumored release this October is brewing much anticipation for the fans. Given that the hybrid laptop's original version was launched in the same month last year, there are speculations that the tech company is likely to follow a release pattern for the upgraded version launch. However, some reports indicate that the upcoming device will be immediately available.

The new Microsoft Surface Book 2 is unlikely to be released soon due to rumors that the company is still looking forward for the availability of Intel's Kaby Lake processor. According to reports, the said processor can provide a faster processing without compromising the laptop's battery life. Aside from that, there are speculations that Microsoft also awaits the Redstone 2 update for Windows 10 OS that is expected to release in the Spring of 2017.

Microsoft Surface Book 2 is believed to come with a 4K resolution and 3D display, including a USB 3.1 support for faster data transfer. Rumors also claim that the device will sport OneClip and Office Hub features. In addition, the hybrid laptop is also expected to be released along with the Surface Pro 5. As rumors continue to emerge, consumers still believe that the new device will be released soon, MNR Daily reported.

Meanwhile, as the latest information about the new Microsoft Lumia devices and Surface Pro 4 had reportedly leaked, details about the release of Surface Book seem to be unclear. According to reports, there has never been any product that has captured the attention of a number of people like the Microsoft Surface Book. Although vendor comments are usually mocked that they just reinvent a product category, it is also difficult to contradict the tech company when it claims to reinvent the laptop.

Microsoft Surface Book is reported to have a desktop-class performance brought by its Skylake internals, including a Nvidia GPU, a complete version of Windows 10 Pro display that can be removed and a 12-hour battery life, The Inquirer reported. Watch Microsoft Surface Book 2: will come soon, will do so with a different hinge.
'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' News & Update: Kourtney Kardashian & Blac Chyna Prepare for Halloween with Pumpkin Shopping

Halloween is literally just around the corner and "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star Kourtney Kardashian has taken to social media to share her spooky mood. The 37-year old mother-of-three even had her future sister-in-law, Blac Chyna, with her during her trip to a local pumpkin store.

According to People, the two spent Friday checking out the pumpkins just in time for Halloween. The two seemed to be in good spirits, as the "Keeping Up with the Kardashian" stars checked out pumpkins and snapped some photos that made their way to their respective social media accounts. Of course, the two stepped out in style, even with Chyna's growing baby bump.

Chyna is already in her 36th week of pregnancy and is expecting a child with none other than "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star, Rob Kardashian. Chyna and Kourtney took to what seems like their favorite social media channel, Snapchat, to share pics of their trip. These new photos have definitely dispelled any rumors that the two are having a beef.

Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian is still keeping a low profile following the alleged robbery in her hotel room when she was in Europe. E! News reports that while Kim is back in Los Angeles with her husband, Kanye West, the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star is keeping a low profile and even stepped out without any flashy garb last Friday afternoon.

According to a source, West remains "so supportive" of his wife and is constantly in contact with her. He is currently touring to promote his recently released record but stopped by Los Angeles to check in on his wife. He is set to have a show on October 17 in Vancouver, before returning to Los Angeles on the 25th. As per another source, Kim has a "long way to recover" following the robbery. Production on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" has been halted in the meantime.
A second route, which will service downtown to Alamitos Beach, will launch on Nov. 10.
SILETZ  Francis Doc Reedy raises a pair of binoculars to his eyes and scans the large pool of still water where the north and south forks of the Siletz River come together. It doesnt take him long to spot what hes looking for.

Wow! he says. Thats a huge steelhead!

The Siletz, which has its source near the border of Polk and Lincoln counties and flows 67 miles to the sea near Lincoln City, is well known in fishing circles for its steelhead, an oceangoing variant of rainbow trout that, like salmon, return to their home streams to spawn. Anglers on the river have reported landing steelhead more than 30 inches long and weighing well over 20 pounds.

While there are plenty of good fishing rivers in Oregon, the Siletz is unique in one regard: It is home to the only wild summer steelhead run that originates in the Coast Range. For dedicated anglers like Reedy, president of the Corvallis-based Bluebacks chapter of Trout Unlimited, thats a distinction worth defending.

The rivers upper reaches have been managed as a sanctuary for wild summer steelhead since the mid-1990s, but in recent years hatchery fish have been finding their way past the barriers designed to keep them out, posing a threat to the genetic purity  and ongoing viability  of the regions only summer run.

The wild summer steelhead runs, they have been in peril for some years, said Reedy, a semiretired large-animal veterinarian who lives in North Albany. We just feel thats an important resource for the area and the whole state.

As recently as the early 1970s, state wildlife managers counted an annual average of 624 wild summer steelhead returning to the upper Siletz. By the early 90s, however, the annual returns had plummeted to less than 100, with fewer than 50 counted in some years.

Starting in 1994, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife implemented a recovery plan aimed at giving the wild summer steelhead a fighting chance to survive.

The goal was to keep competing fish out of the upper Siletz by stopping them at Valsetz Falls, a 40-foot cascade that drops through a boulder-choked gorge not far from the onetime timber company town of the same name. While high winter flows generally keep most fish out of the upper basin, some winter-migrating steelhead and salmon were making their way past the falls during the summer, along with hatchery-produced steelhead.

The thought was there was so much competition between winter and summer steelhead that the summer steelhead were just not doing that well, said John Spangler, a fish biologist with ODFW.

To keep the winter-run steelhead (which spawn in the lower river) downstream, the state agency used a fish ladder and small dam at the falls.

When river levels begin to drop in the summer, ODFW crews place boards across an opening in the dam to divert more water through the ladder, making it a more attractive route for fish working their way upstream. Fish coming up the ladder are caught in a trap, which is checked regularly by ODFW personnel. Winter-run fish are trucked back to the lower river, while the wild summer steelhead are released above the dam to continue their journey to their spawning grounds in the basins upper reaches.

At first, hatcheries played a part in the recovery program, with the state releasing 80,000 smolts a year into the Siletz system. That number has since been reduced to 50,000, and the state stopped allowing hatchery steelhead to pass the dam at Valsetz Falls in 2002.

Today, no fishing is allowed above the falls. Anglers working the lower river can keep up to two fin-clipped hatchery steelhead per day, but fishing for wild summer steelies is catch-and-release only.

Any wild winter steelhead or salmon found in the trap are trucked back to the lower river for release, while hatchery fish are either delivered to area food banks, donated to high school biology programs for dissection or killed and placed in the river, where the nutrients they brought back from the sea can be recycled.

We know hatchery fish pose a risk to wild stocks, Spangler said. (Were) trying to find this balance between conservation of wild stocks and still having this opportunity for harvest of hatchery fish.

The wild summer steelhead run seems to have responded well to that approach, according to Spangler, with a much higher annual return.

Now were getting on average over 500 fish, he said. When we stopped those winter-migrating fish, it really zoomed back up.

The hatchery threat

Apparently, however, some hatchery steelhead didnt get the memo.

A few years ago, members of the Bluebacks monitoring the area above the falls started noticing clipped-fin steelhead in the upper Siletz. In 2014, some of the steelheaders donned wetsuits and snorkeling gear to do an in-stream count.

We saw quite a few hatchery fish, and that alarmed us, Reedy said.

Last year they commissioned a snorkel survey by professional fish biologists that confirmed their fears, finding that hatchery fish made up roughly 20 percent of the total steelhead population above the falls.

According to Reedy, thats a problem for several reasons.

For one thing, hatchery steelhead compete with their wild counterparts for food. They can also create crowded conditions that facilitate the spread of disease.

In addition, hatchery fish sometimes prey on wild steelhead. But a bigger problem comes from the introduction of large numbers of hatchery smolts into the river at one time, which can act like a magnet for predators such as seabirds, herons, otters and mergansers that feed on wild and human-raised fish alike.

When the hatchery fish come through, Reedy said, the predators just go nuts.

Another concern has to do with DNA. Researchers have suspected for years that hatchery fish are less genetically fit to survive in the wild than native fish, a theory that appears to have been corroborated by an ODFW-Oregon State University study published in February that found hatchery steelhead differed from wild fish in more than 700 genes after just a single generation.

Specifically, the study determined that many of those altered genes showed adaptation to highly crowded hatchery conditions. Passing those traits on to the next generation could result in steelhead less suited to survive on their own while watering down the native gene pool.

My worry is inbreeding, Reedy said. If you lose that resiliency and (genetic) diversity, youre in trouble.

In response to those concerns, conservation groups such as Trout Unlimited and the Native Fish Society are pushing the notion of establishing wild steelhead sanctuaries.

The state of Washington recently declared the Elwha and Nisqually rivers wild steelhead gene banks, where hatchery-raised fish are to be excluded and other measures taken to protect native steelhead runs. Oregon has taken similar steps in some smaller watersheds such as the Siletz, and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio recently introduced legislation to implement steelhead protections in the Steamboat Creek drainage in the North Umpqua River basin.

We cant go back to 1950, said John McMillan, head scientist for Trout Unlimited in the Pacific Northwest. But we do think there are places that are more special than others, and we think those places deserve special treatment so these fish can be protected.

Plugging the gap

Those protections may not work, though, if hatchery fish cant be kept out of wild steelhead spawning areas such as the upper Siletz. After learning of Trout Unlimiteds concerns, ODFW took steps to address the problem at Valsetz Falls.

Spangler thinks the hatchery steelhead found in the upper river got there by swimming up the falls over the last two summers, when the agency neglected to put in the dam boards to divert water into the fish ladder.

Those werent put in, and it allowed more fish to get over the dam, he said, but added thats no longer the case.

We put a lot of effort into keeping hatchery fish out of the upper basin this year, Spangler said. The expectation is we should have very few if any hatchery steelhead above the falls.

To test that theory, McMillan led a snorkel survey of the upper Siletz on Sept. 30. Joining him were two other fish biologists, Nick Chambers of Trout Unlimited and Conrad Gowell of the Native Fish Society. Reedy drove a support vehicle.

Armed with wetsuits, snorkels and diving masks, the three scientists surveyed 11 miles of river. They moved methodically from pool to pool, counting every steelhead they could find and keeping a wary eye out for the telltale clipped adipose fin that marks a hatchery-bred fish.

They didnt expect to spot every summer-run steelhead that made it past the falls this year. Instead, they wanted to see whether the proportion of hatchery fish had gone up or down from last years 20 percent.

The results were encouraging. The final tally: 147 steelhead. Of that number, only nine, or 6.1 percent, were hatchery products.

Thats probably acceptable, said Chambers, an organizer for Trout Unlimiteds Wild Steelhead Initiative. Wed like to see that at zero, but under the circumstances  thats certainly much better than last year.

A delicate balance

Of course, hatchery fish are far from the only threat to the Siletz Rivers one-of-a-kind wild summer steelhead run.

As in virtually every other river system in the United States, fish in the Siletz basin are under pressure from a host of human activities. Those include water withdrawals for residential, industrial and agricultural use; loss of forest cover to various types of development; the possibility of dam construction, such as the proposed Polk County reservoir project at the old Valsetz town site; and logging activity, which can lead to increased sediment loading, higher water temperatures, herbicide runoff, higher water volumes during flood events and loss of downed wood needed to supply nutrients, create channel complexity and provide habitat.

Logging is an especially sensitive issue in the Siletz basin, where about 75 percent of the total area is privately owned industrial timberland. The remaining 25 percent or so is held by the Bureau of Land Management, including the Valley of the Giants, a 51-acre old-growth preserve, and Boulder Creek, a key spawning stream for summer-run steelhead.

This is the most deforested watershed in Oregon  42 percent of the Siletz basin has been clearcut in the last 12 years, Reedy said. And the problem is theyre not happy with that 42 percent. They also want the BLM lands, to cut that.

The federal agency is currently evaluating a new management plan for Western Oregon that Reedy fears could lead to intensive logging in the Boulder Creek drainage.

Thats a great steelhead stream, Reedy said. In the back of my mind, I feel like thats what kept the steelhead alive for a lot of years.

If even more of the Siletz basin is logged, the wild steelhead supporters argue, it could upset the delicate balance that has allowed the summer run to bounce back, reversing the progress it has made so far. That could lead to a listing as threatened or endangered, triggering a cascade of legal restrictions on logging and other activities under the federal Endangered Species Act  something nobody seems to want.

Our message at Trout Unlimited is that when you have a lot of uncertainty, you need to manage on the side of caution, McMillan said. Because these fish are really valuable, not only to fishermen but in terms of how we manage these lands.

Or, as Reedy put it: Part of what were doing is trying to preserve the fish, but its also to keep them from being listed as an endangered species.

Dual refuge

Spangler argues that ODFWs management strategy is sound, pointing to the increased wild steelhead returns since the 1990s as evidence.

I think its the best approach weve got at this point, he said. Im pretty confident that the recovery plan that was developed is working.

Despite some reservations about the states plan, Reedy hopes it does prove successful in the end.

He made his first visit to the Siletz River in 1972, not long after moving to the region as a recent college graduate from the Midwest. Since then, hes fished these waters many times. Even when the steelhead arent biting, he says, he values his time on the river.

Its a unique experience in that respect, he said. Even if you dont see any fish, its a beautiful area.

The Siletz, he adds, is especially precious because of its location in the midst of an industrial logging zone. As an isolated oasis of natural beauty in one of the most heavily logged parts of the Coast Range, Reedy argues, it provides a refuge not only for wild steelhead but also for the outdoor lovers who fish for them.

Its nice to have those places, just to get away, he said. Its good for the body, its good for the mind and its good for the soul.
Bonn inner city : 17-year-old suffers stab wound

BONN A teenager was injured in an altercation in the Bonn inner city overnight from Saturday to Sunday. Apparently, a knife was used.

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A 17-year-old youth was attacked and injured with a knife on Sunday night in a scuffle in the inner city. Police confirmed that a fight began between several persons standing in front of a business on Poststrae at around 1 a.m. There was a physical confrontation and the front window of a business was broken during the altercation.

According to police, suddenly a knife was pulled and the youth suffered an injury which required him to be transported to the hospital by ambulance. The injury, however was not life threatening. As police appeared at the scene, several persons fled.

The area was blocked off so evidence could be collected, and many police units went searching for those involved in the confrontation. They proofed several people in the area but no arrests were made. Police are still searching for the knife; the background of the incident remains unclear. A criminal investigation has begun.
Via WMTW.com: York dangerous drug overdose. Excerpt and then a comment:

YORK, Maine  York police on Sunday issued a warning about a powerful synthetic opiate after a local man overdosed on the drug and needed five doses of Narcan to be revived.

Police said a 24-year-old man overdosed Saturday night at his home. The man was not responsive when paramedics arrived. Paramedics administered five doses of Narcan before the man eventually was revived and taken to York Hospital, police said.

Testing later found Carfentanil in the man's system, police said. Carfentanil, which is a synthetic opiate used to tranquilize elephants, is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine, police said. Police said they are not sure if the man overdosed solely on Carfentanil, or whether it was mixed with another drug.

Police said Saturday night was not the first time the man, whose name was not released, had overdosed.

Police said Carfentanil is extremely dangerous and even touching the drug can cause a medical emergency.

Given its toxicity, the carfentanil had to have been mixed with something else. The drug seems dangerous even in homeopathic doses.
The first made by Google Smartwatches

As reported by popular leakster Evan Blass, the first made by Google smartwatches are codenamed Angelfish and Swordfish and will be unveiled sometime in Q1 2017. Like the Pixel smartphones, the new smartwatches will be designed in an out by Google and as per leaked images look quite premium bearing a sophisticated round dial.

Googles very won Android Wear- Version 2.0

Google's upcoming smartwatches will be the first to run on Google's all new rendition of Android Wear, aka, version 2.0. The tweaked software version of Android Wear will offer a host new customizable faces and a good level of information density on the watch face like time, date, notifications, steps taken, calorie burnt, etc. all aligned in a circular format.

Besides, Google is reportedly working on a stand-alone app store for Android Wear 2.0 enabled smartwatches, which will allow users to download and install apps on the watch itself without needing them to install on their phones first.

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals

Angelfish is the bigger and powerful variant

Evan also posted an image on its Twitter handle, which shows that Angelfish will be the bigger and powerful variant among the two with feature list including LTE connectivity, GPS, and heart rate sensor.

The smartwatch will have a more pronounced and rugged design, with a larger crown button and smaller shoulder buttons above and below it. It's also said to be thicker and chunkier than the smaller variant.

Swordfish- The affordable variant.

The smaller and affordable variant- Swordfish is expected to come with support for custom Google Mode Android Wear watch bands. It's thinner, smaller, and lighter than Angelfish but will also miss on the feature list including LTE, GPS or a heart rate sensor. The smartwatch will have a minimalist look.

Click Here for New Android Smartphones Best Online Deals

Google smartwatches will also work with Apple iPhones

Android Wear 2.0 will be at the heart of the new smartwatches and is termed as the biggest update to Google's wearable platform since the first rendition. The USP of Android Wear 2.0 will be its ability to support stand-alone apps that would not require users to tether their watch to the phone. This means users will be able to pair the new Google made smartwacthes seamlessly with the iPhone as well. This is going to give Apple a hard time who has recently launched its Apple Watch Series 2.

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Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Oct. 15, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed 19 ISIL oil tanker trucks and two oil well heads.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.

-- Near Raqqah, a strike destroyed an ISIL oil pump jack.

-- Near Ayn Isa, a strike engaged an ISIL headquarters building and a staging area.

-- Near Mar'a, a strike destroyed an ISIL roadside bomb.

-- Near Palmyra, a strike destroyed two ISIL vehicles.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, rotary, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 11 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIL headquarters building.

-- Near Mosul, six strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and an ISIL media center; damaged two T-walls; suppressed another mortar system; and destroyed an ISIL-held building, five rocket rails, four fighting positions, two supply caches, two vehicles, an anti-air artillery system, a mortar system, and a headquarters building.

-- Near Qayyarah, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-held building, an ISIL vehicle, and a weapons cache.

-- Near Sinjar, a strike engaged an ISIL media center.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes engaged an ISIL weapons storage facility and a headquarters building.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is a strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

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11 killed in new wave of violence in Central African Republic

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 15, 2016 6:53PM

At least 11 people have been shot dead in a camp for displaced people in the Central African Republic (CAR) a few days after over two dozen others lost their lives in fresh sectarian violence.

According to a statement released by the UN peacekeeping mission in CAR, known as MINUSCA, at least 10 other people were also injured on Saturday after an unspecified number of gunmen started shooting in the camp, located in the town of Ngakobo, some 300 kilometers northeast of the capital Bangui.

It added that the assailants, who committed "these dreadful acts," had not been identified yet.

On October 12, 30 people were killed and at least 57 were injured in the central town of Kaga Bandoro, when a group of ex-Seleka fighters and their sympathizers reacted furiously to the death of one of their members who was killed when he and three others tried to steal a generator from a local radio station.

The deadly incident occurred after the group attacked civilians and clashed with the UN peacekeepers. The UN troops killed at least 12 former Seleka fighters in the skirmishes that ensued.

In March 2013, the Central African Republic plunged into chaos when then-President Francois Bozize was toppled by the mainly Seleka rebel alliance only to be replaced by Michel Am-Nondokro Djotodia, the first Muslim to hold the presidency in the mainly Christian country.

The move, however, sparked a series of deadly retaliatory attacks between the Seleka rebels and Christian vigilantes known as anti-balaka, who reacted by engaging in full-scale attacks against the minority Muslims.

One in 10 of the country's 4.5 million people was forced to flee to safer regions as the impoverished nation plunged into violence along ethnic and religious fault lines. Thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the resource-rich country, as it suffered its biggest crisis in its half-century of independence during the period of violence in 2013 and 2014.

In 2014, some 11,000 peacekeepers were deployed by the UN to the country as part of the established United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

On July 23, 2014, Seleka and anti-balaka representatives signed a ceasefire agreement in the Congolese capital Brazzaville, but the country has not yet fully emerged from its bloody past.

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Saudi-Led Coalition Says Warplane 'Wrongly Targeted' Sanaa Funeral

RFE/RL October 15, 2016

The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemeni rebels says that one of its warplanes "wrongly targeted" a funeral in the capital, Sanaa, that killed more than 140 people and announced disciplinary proceedings.

A coalition inquiry team said on October 15 that the strike was due to noncompliance with coalition rules of engagement and procedures and the issuing of incorrect information."

The October 8 strike prompted an international outcry and strong criticism, even from Saudi Arabia's closest Western allies.

The White House said on October 14 that it is reconsidering its support for a Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing rebels in Yemen after what one official called the "egregious" attack.

A top administration official told media privately that Washington was particularly angered because "important figures who are part of the reconciliation process" in Yemen were among those killed in the Sanaa funeral attack.

Senior U.S. officials who briefed reporters on October 14 said all U.S. assistance to the Saudi-led coalition is under review because of the attack, including intelligence, logistics, and refueling.

The United States also has supplied Saudi Arabia and its Gulf partners in the campaign with over $100 billion in arms.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us-weighs- pullng-support-saudi-coalition-bombing-yemen-after-e gregious-funeral-attack-sanaa/28054413.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Argentina Upset Over UK Military Exercises Planned Near Falklands

Sputnik News

23:44 15.10.2016

Argentinian government has issued an official protest against British military drills that are to take place near disputed Falkland/Malvinas Islands.

Argentina's Foreign Ministry reportedly summoned the British ambassador to deliver a formal complaint against the military exercises that UK is planning on the disputed Falkland islands, according to ministry officials.

The UK is planning to conduct military exercises that will include, among other things, launches of Rapier Anti-Air missiles, between October 19 and October 28. According to Argentinian position, the planned exercises are viewed as UK military operation on Argentinian territory illegally occupied by the United Kingdom.

The UK, however, claims the exercises are a "routine operation" that takes place twice a year and that Argentinian government has been properly notified of the upcoming military activity.

Argentina has claimed sovereignty over Falklands, located some 435 miles from country's mainland, for decades, which has even led to a short, but terrible war in 1982. However, the majority of the islands' population wants them to remain under control of the United Kingdom.

Previous president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, fueled tensions over the islands over the term of her presidency. The new president, Mauricio Macri, however, displayed a more business-like approach, seeking to open new channels of communication between Argentina and the UK.

However, last month Macri claimed that he and British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed to discuss the Falklands sovereignty issue, but this claim has been later disavowed by Argentinian Foreign Ministry.

 Sputnik

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The 13th annual Adams County Take Back medicine collection event will be held Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Local and state police, Collaborating For Youth, local fire departments, government and environmental agencies, area health organizations, and the York/Adams Pharmaceuticals Stewardship Alliance will coordinate the event.

The medication collection, sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Adams County District Attorney's Office, provides an opportunity for Adams County and Hanover-area residents to dispose of unused or expired prescriptions and over-the-counter medications safely and free of charge.

Collection sites will accept pills, liquids, creams and pill bubble-packs. No needles, sharps or intravenous liquids will be accepted. Once again, the medication collection sites will be accepting pet meds using the same criteria for human medications.

Collections sites are as follows:

1. Biglerville: Biglerville Hose & Truck Co. #1, 111 S. Main St., Biglerville - hosted by Biglerville Police Department

2. Fairfield: Fairfield Fire & EMS Department, 106 Steelman St., Fairfield - hosted by Carroll Valley Borough and Liberty Township Police Departments

3. Gettysburg: Adams County Housing Authority, 40 E. High St., Gettysburg, hosted by Gettysburg Borough Police.

4. Gettysburg: Gettysburg Barracks of the State Police, 3033 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg - hosted by Pennsylvania State Police Troop H

5. Gettysburg: St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church - Xavier Center, 465 Table Rock Road, Gettysburg - hosted by Pennsylvania State Police Troop H

6. Littlestown: Alpha Fire Co. #1, 40 E. King St., Littlestown - hosted by Littlestown Borough Police Department

7. New Oxford: Eastern Adams Regional Police Station, 110 N. Berlin Ave., New Oxford  hosted by Eastern Adams Regional Police Department.

8. York Springs: Bermudian Springs School Complex, 7335 Carlisle Pike, York Springs - hosted by Latimore Township Police Department

For more information regarding the Adams County Take Back go to www.cfygettysburg.com. For any changes in collection sites, please contact Eileen Grenell at Collaborating For Youth, 717-338-0300 x 24, or acsaprevention@cfygettysburg.com.
Saudi-led Coalition Blames Faulty Data for Lethal Bombing of Yemen Funeral

By VOA News October 15, 2016

Investigators with the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemeni rebels said Saturday that incorrect information led to the bombing of a crowded funeral in the Yemeni capital last weekend, killing about 140 people and wounding at least 525 others.

The Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) said "a party affiliated to the Yemeni Presidency of the General Chief of Staff" provided the wrong information.

JIAT said one of the coalition's warplanes bombed the wrong target, resulting in one of the most deadly strikes in the coalition's nearly 19-month-old bombing campaign in support of the Yemeni government's beleaguered government.

"Because of non-compliance with coalition rules of engagement and procedures, and the issuing of incorrect information, a coalition aircraft wrongly targeted the location, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries," the team said.

The strike prompted strong international criticism, even from Saudi Arabia's closest Western allies.

Britain is expected to propose a resolution to the U.N. Security Council next week calling for an immediate cease-fire in Yemen.

JIAT is calling on coalition leaders to change their procedures to prevent other mistaken lethal strikes.

Initial denials

"Coalition forces must immediately review their rules of engagement and update their procedures to ensure adherence in the future," the team said.

Bombs hit a funeral hall where mourners marked the death of the father of a prominent Houthi rebel official. Reports and video from the scene showed widespread destruction and rescuers collecting body parts scattered through the ruins of the wrecked facility.

Saudi coalition officials initially denied any role in the bombing, but later announced an investigation of what they described as a "regrettable and painful" attack.

Yemeni officials said the dead and wounded included military and security personnel from the Shi'ite Houthi rebel group seeking to oust the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.

The Saudi-led coalition of regional Sunni governments has been attacking Houthis in Yemen in support of President Hadi since March of 2015. A U.N. report says the coalition airstrikes have killed nearly 4,000 people.

Houthi rebels, alleging years of discrimination by the Yemeni government, launched a rebellion in 2014 aimed at wresting power from President Hadi. Since then, more than 10,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed.

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Rebels in Yemen Free Two American Captives

By VOA News October 15, 2016

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday announced the release of two American citizens who had been held by Houthi rebel militias in Yemen.

Kerry, speaking from Lausanne, Switzerland, where he was participating in talks on Syria, said the two Americans' release was part of a complex diplomatic deal that also included the medical evacuation of wounded Yemenis.

The Americans who left Yemen have not yet been identified. They arrived in Oman on a Royal Air Force of Oman plane that also carried the injured Yemenis, who were wounded in a controversial airstrike one week ago that hit a large group of mourners at a funeral in Sana'a.

Oman's state-run news agency said Saturday's developments followed negotiations between officials from the sultanate and authorities in Sana'a, which is currently controlled by rebels from the Houthi tribe based in northern Yemen.

Airstrikes intensified in August

Yemen's civil war pits the country's internationally recognized government against the Houthis and disaffected army units loyal to a former president of the country. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition of Gulf states that entered the war on the side of the government in March 2015, and that coalition has been supported by the United States.

Talks aimed at ending the war in Yemen were underway in Oman two months ago when the Saudi-led coalition stepped up airstrikes and forced the closure of Sana'a International Airport. That left negotiators representing the Houthis and their allies stranded in Oman, but they were allowed to return home under the latest deal, flying into Sana'a on the same plane that later evacuated the wounded Yemenis and freed Americans.

A spokesman for Kerry said the U.S. was "deeply grateful" to Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said for his diplomatic assistance, and also recognized the release of the two Americans as a humanitarian gesture by Houthi leaders. The spokesman, Mark Toner, called for "the immediate and unconditional release of any other U.S. citizens who may be still be held" in Yemen or elsewhere in the region.

Saudis: 'Wrong information' led to attack

The Saudi coalition's bombing of a packed funeral hall in Sana'a a week ago killed at least 140 people and wounded 600 others, an attack that shocked the world and drew widespread condemnation of the Saudi coalition's tactics. It also appears to have galvanized international diplomatic efforts to do more to try to stop the bloodshed in Yemen.

An internal probe by the coalition concluded Saturday that the airstrike was based on "wrong information" and had not been authorized by top-level commanders, The Associated Press reported.

Wounded leave for treatment

In addition to the Yemenis evacuated Saturday to Oman, more than 100 other wounded victims of the funeral hall bombing have since been allowed to seek medical treatment abroad, an unidentified Yemeni government official was quoted as saying.

Kerry said he had spoken with the U.S. envoy to Yemen as well as to Saudi officials, and that he was "continuing to work very hard" to revive negotiations to end the Yemen conflict.

"It remains a top priority for us to try to end the violence and get to the table as soon as possible," Kerry told reporters before leaving Switzerland.

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Ghana Electoral Body Denies Candidates' Disqualifications Politically Motivated

By Peter Clottey October 15, 2016

The Electoral Commission of Ghana sharply rejected accusations that its decision to disqualify presidential candidates from participating in the December 7 general election was politically motivated.

The Electoral Commission disqualified 12 presidential candidates, including the former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, presidential candidate for the opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) - for failing to meet requirements it stipulated ahead of the September 30 deadline to file nomination documents.

The electoral body says the presidential candidates who are qualified to participate in the elections include incumbent President John Dramani Mahama, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ivor Kobina Greenstreet of the Convention People's Party (CPP) and Jacob Osei Yeboah, an independent candidate.

In an interview with VOA, Eric Dzakpasu, spokesman for the electoral commission says the electoral body worked within the confines of the country's electoral laws. He says accusations that the electoral commission disqualified some of the political candidates due to political considerations to benefit a particular group during the elections are unfortunate and regrettable.

"All these forms were scrutinized in line with the provisions of the law relative to the nomination of candidates, and inadequacies, omissions and irregularities were found on these forms," said Dzakpasu. "For instance the presidential candidates are supposed to have two registered voters per each of the administrative districts subscribing to their candidature, and a subscriber cannot subscribe to more than one candidate. And here were cases where we had one subscriber subscribing to more than two, three or four of the candidates and on each form, forged different kinds of signatures."

'The law is there'

"The commission has written to them stating the grounds for the rejection of their nomination. So, the accusations that these are politically motivated designed to favor one or the other political parties is not true. The grounds for submission have been submitted to them, the law is there and they can relate their forms to the law and then establish whether indeed they compiled with the provisions of the law or not."

The opposition Progressive People's Party (PPP) rejected the group's disqualification saying the electoral commission erred in its decision. The party filed a petition in court challenging the disqualification of its presidential candidate. This after the party also called on the National Peace Council  a group comprising prominent Ghanaians, to intervene on the party's disqualification.

Supporters of the PPP also warned that the "stubbornness" of the electoral commission could plunge the country into chaos.

Dzakpasu disagreed and said threats by political parties to legally challenge their disqualification in court would not distract the electoral body from carrying out its constitutional mandate, which he says is to organize the upcoming presidential, parliamentary and local elections in December.

"The electoral commission is focused and it is applying the rules and regulations of the elections to its latter. Here is a case when you submit your nomination forms you have a time period for the corrections or omissions if any. These parties came for these formsThe commission directed them as to how to fill these formsWe even reminded them of the essentials of the forms to be filled. The electoral commission is just sticking to the rules and applying the law to the latter," said Dzakpasu.

"When you ask some of these candidates who have been disqualified, they would tell you that what was detected in their forms, they classify them as minor administrative errors. Meanwhile, the law hasn't created that room for discretion, where what they are describing as minor administrative errors could be accepted as basis for filing the nomination. So the electoral commission is not being stubborn, the electoral commission is just being firm and applying the rules fairly across board."

Beginning next week, Dzakpasu says the qualified presidential candidates will participate in a lottery to determine where their names will appear on the ballots used for the election. He said the order of the presidential candidates would also determine the lineup on the ballot for parliamentary candidates from the respective parties.

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Analysts Urge 'Soft Landing' to Post-Mugabe Transition in Zimbabwe

By William Eagle October 15, 2016

Zimbabwe is in flux. There are regular protests, especially in the capital, over currency and food shortages, unemployment, and alleged government corruption and mismanagement.

Observers say an effective political solution may not be soon in coming.

President Robert Mugabe, 92, and his ruling ZANU-PF party have been in power for 36 years. But the party is breaking into factions, and at least one former member, onetime Vice President Joyce Mujuru, has formed her own party, Zimbabwe People First. The longtime opposition Movement for Democratic Change has new competitors, including more than a dozen new parties and youth-driven protest movements inspired by social media. All are preparing for national elections in 2018.

Participants in a recent symposium at the Washington-based U.S. Institute of Peace looked at some of the challenges facing Zimbabwe, and they agreed that its citizens and the international community alike would favor a "soft landing" in a post-Mugabe future.

Military is 'really central'

Symposium participant Alex Vines, head of the Africa Program at the London-based policy institute Chatham House, said the West has become complacent and has lost contact with the military and with different factions within the ruling party.

"If we get into a really uncertain and unpredictable security situation in Zimbabwe," he said, "it will be the military that will have a role in managing that process. ... I believe the military will play a key role ... in whatever happens, as a kingmaker in whatever coalition or inclusive political entity that might come up [between] the opposition and parts that have split from ZANU-PF. The military is really central here."

Symposium delegates also urged the U.S. and its allies to revisit sanctions on Zimbabwe targeting more than 80 people and 50 groups linked to human rights violations, corruption and mismanagement. They said the sanctions list was outdated and included government critics like Mujuru.

Vines said many Zimbabweans blame the sanctions for their suffering, rather than the government.

"I do believe that ... ZANU-PF and Robert Mugabe won the propaganda battle about sanctions, and I'm surprised at how many well-educated Zimbabweans from civil society and others blame sanctions partly for economic woes and not economic policies," he said. "It has been used as a fig leaf to hide financial mismanagement and other problems. That was one of the drivers for the European Union and Australia to significantly reduce their targeted measures on Zimbabwe to Mugabe, the first lady and Zimbabwe Defense Industries, and I do believe the U.S. and Canada ... need to [revise their outdated sanctions] lists very carefully."

Role of sanctions

Also taking part in the seminar was Johnnie Carson, former U.S. assistant for secretary of state for African affairs under the Obama administration. He said the U.S. government had considered lifting sanctions in order to encourage democratic reforms. But he suggested that the U.S. maintain them as a way to encourage democratization and good governance in Zimbabwe although those efforts have not succeeded so far.

"In 2010 and 2011," he said, "we worked very closely with the South Africans looking for solutions ... and said ... that we, and I, would have been willing to do everything possible to pull down the sanctions if the Zimbabweans were willing to do one or two significant things in the runup to [the 2013] elections, [such as] invite the Carter Center, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and the Commonwealth to be monitors for the elections. ... We must continue to probe and look for opportunities, but recognize there are times we don't have partners, and times when the environment does not permit."

Carson said U.S. ambassadors to Africa should continue to reach out to Zimbabwe's business community  an idea also backed by Whitney Schneidman, former deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs and current senior associate at the Washington-based law firm of Covington and Berling. He noted the efforts of former U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe Bruce Wharton to strengthen ties with the country's private sector last year.

The Corporate Council on Africa was invited to send a trade mission to Zimbabwe and a reverse trade mission from Zimbabwe came to the U.S.," Schneidman said. "This activity should be continued. A delegation from the President's Advisory Committee on Doing Business in Africa could conduct a fact-finding visit to the country."

Strive for more stability

Schneidman said the Mugabe government should take action to enhance stability in the runup to elections and a new administration. He said the government had proposed a land compensation fund for both black and white farmers who have been displaced as owners by administration supporters. It is also considering long-term leases that would allow farmers to invest in fallow land.

Schneidman also urged continued efforts by Harare to improve relations with the World Bank and other international financial institutions.

Participants in the Washington panel said Zimbabwe had lost the interest of some policymakers in the West. But they said the country remained an important player in southern Africa politics and trade, and that state collapse and a worsening refugee crisis could destabilize the whole region.

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Latvia Plans to Increase Defense Budget to $492.5Mln in 2017

Sputnik News

00:31 16.10.2016

Latvia's defense budget is likely to increase up to 1.7 percent of the GDP or to 449 million euros ($492.5 million) in the year of 2017, which is 0.3 percent higher than this year, the Defense Ministry.

RIGA (Sputnik)  Latvia has been a member of NATO since 2004. In May, the country's government adopted the "national defense concept," which stipulates allocating 1.7 percent of the Latvian GDP to the defense budget by 2017. In 2018, Riga hopes to allocate 2 percent of its GDP on defense to comply with the NATO requirements.

"This year the defense budget has amounted to 367.86 million euros ($403.5 million), or 1.41 percent of the GDP. The next year an increase of funding up to 449 million euros or 1.7 percent of the GDP is envisaged," the ministry's press service said, as quoted by the Delfi media outlet.

 Sputnik

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Dabiq - Apocalypse Now

Syrian opposition fighters, backed by Turkey, took control of the northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. The fighters said they seized the town on 16 October 2016 following heavy shelling and months of air strikes. Some 2,000 opposition fighters pushed into Dabiq with tank and artillery support from the Turkish army. The commander said the ISIL fighters left the town heavily mined. Both Turkish and international coalition warplanes conducted air strikes on Dabiq and nearby Arshak,

Various sources provided different accounts of the battle that started on the previous day, with the IS leaving 1,200 fighters to defend the town and fight off the rebels from three sides. With one rebel faction reporting "fierce clashes" with the IS, others say the terror group put up "minimal" resistance. In a bid to stop the village from being overrun, IS rushed overnight from its stronghold of Raqqa more than 1,000 mainly non-Syrian fighters to Dabiq.

With a final assault looming, IS propagandists appeared to be readying their supporters for a defeat at Dabiq, distancing the ongoing fight for Dabiq from the epic doomsday showdown, known as al-Malhamah al-Kubra, they once forecast. Earlier this week, in an online pamphlet, the jihadist propagandists downplayed the current fight for Dabiq. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the rebels "captured Dabiq after 'IS' members withdrew from the area."

Dabiq is considered a major ISIL stronghold with symbolic importance to the group, Dabiq, 10 kilometers from the Turkish border, is cited in apocalyptic Sunni prophecy as the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims. Islamic State named its online magazine after the town in 2014. Every new edition of Dabiq opens with a quote by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the mentor of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, claiming, The spark has been ignited in Iraq, and its flames will grow until they burn the Crusader armies in Dabiq.

Graeme Wood wrote in March 2015 that "... much of what the group does looks nonsensical except in light of a sincere, carefully considered commitment to returning civilization to a seventh-century legal environment, and ultimately to bringing about the apocalypse.... The Islamic State differs from nearly every other current jihadist movement in believing that it is written into Gods script as a central character.... pretending that it isnt actually a religious, millenarian group, with theology that must be understood to be combatted, has already led the United States to underestimate it and back foolish schemes to counter it."

William McCants wrote in February 2015 "Westerners are not used to encountering apocalyptic messages in Islamist propaganda. Al-Qaeda downplayed Islamic prophecies of the Day of Judgment, preferring more accessible political rhetoric and wary of stirring messianic fervor.... the Islamic State is different. While its tactics and strategies are practical, its goals and motivations are eschatological. The interplay has expanded the groups territory and enlarged its ranks."

Princeton scholar Bernard Haykel, the leading expert on the groups theology, has said denials of the Islamic States religious nature are rooted in an interfaith-Christian-nonsense tradition.... People want to absolve Islam... Its this Islam is a religion of peace mantra."

Sheikh Ali Abu Muhammad ad-Dagestani, the new leader of the Imarat Kavkaz (Caucasus Emirate or IK), noted: When jihad began in Shama, we were overjoyed, first, because we studied Islamic sciences in Shama, but second because we studied the hadiths which tell about the achievements of Shama, about the fact that in the end-time of troubles the faith will be in Shama, that Allahs angels will spread their wings over Shama, that the best land is in Shama, and that the Heavenly Group will be in Shama at the end of time.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant aims to establish an Islamic state in the regions it controls in eastern Syria and western Iraq. It aims to control at least the Sunni part of Iraq, and much of Syria and Lebanon. The emergence of a radical jihadist state in the heart of the Arab world would threaten the US, and American allies in the Middle East and Europe. In the long term the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant wants to be a global power, and, with the resources it is acquiring, the West and its allies face a difficult job to stop it.

There's a small town in Syria where some Islamic prophecies say a fierce battle will bring about the end of days, and Turkish troops, US military advisers and vetted Syrian opposition fighters appear to be heading straight for it. According to some early Muslim prophecies, Armageddon will be ushered in with a major Muslim victory against "Romans" in either Dabiq, less than 15 kilometers from the Turkish border, or al-Amaq, another town near Syria's border with Turkey.

Islamic State has interpreted this "Roman" army to be coalition and coalition-backed forces. The town name is even used as the title of the Islamic State's propaganda magazine. The prophecy continues that one-third of the Muslim army will run away, another third will be killed, and one-third of the army will win the battle and later conquer Constantinople, the modern-day Turkish city of Istanbul.

For Islamic State, a battle in Dabiq would symbolize that ancient Muslim prophecies could be coming true. For those who oppose the Islamic State terrorists, reclaiming the town from IS would mark a major propaganda victory.





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Chinese envoy calls for stronger Int'l response to foreign terrorist fighters

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 09:46, October 15, 2016

A Chinese envoy on Tuesday called for a stronger response from the international community to counter the cross-border movement of foreign terrorist fighters.

Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the appeal here at a meeting on counter-terrorism, noting that the frequent cross-border flow of foreign terrorist fighters has caused ever greater harm to international security and stability.

Foreign terrorist fighters are individuals who travel to a state other than their states of residence or nationality for the purpose of participating in terrorist acts.

Wu said countries should strengthen border control and law enforcement cooperation to stem the cross-border flow of foreign terrorist fighters, especially their "back flow."

"The UN and the relevant international agencies should set up counter-terrorism data bases as soon as possible and share intelligence so as to create conditions for effectively curbing the cross-border movement of foreign terrorist fighters," he added.

On combating cyber terrorism, Wu noted that the international community should jointly take measures to crack down on the use of Internet by terrorist organization for disseminating violent extremist ideologies as well as planning acts of terror.

He also said the international community should strengthen cooperation in regulating financial and other fields and suppress attempts by terrorist organizations to acquire financing through smuggling oil, cultural relics or drugs.

"Being an important member of the international counter-terrorism camp, the Chinese government has always been resolutely against all forms of terrorism and violent extremism, and has taken firm measures to guard against and combat terrorism according to law in order to safeguard our national security and the safety and security of our people' s lives and property," said Wu.

He also noted that the Chinese government takes an active part in multi-lateral cooperation mechanisms such as the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum.

"We have carried out substantive counter-terrorism cooperation with other countries in such areas as intelligence sharing, information verification, specific case handling and capacity building," he said.

"The Chinese government is ready to continue to work with other countries in the spirit of mutual respect and cooperation on an equal footing, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, push for new progress in international counter-terrorism cooperation," he added.

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Russia Criticizes Biden's Promise That U.S. Will Send 'Message' Over Hacking

October 15, 2016

Moscow has objected to a top U.S. official saying that a "message" would be sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged Russian cyberattacks on American political institutions.

"The threats directed against Moscow and our state's leadership are unprecedented because they are voiced at the level of the U.S. vice president," RIA Novosti quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on October 15.

In an interview with NBC News released on October 14, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was asked why the United States has not retaliated against Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 U.S. election by leaking the e-mails of top Democratic party officials and through other breaches.

"We're sending a message" and Russian President Vladimir Putin will get it, Biden said. "We have the capacity to do it and the message will be sent. He'll know it, and it will be at the time of our choosing and under the circumstances that have the greatest impact."

NBC reported that the White House is considering an "unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia" aimed at "embarrassing" the Kremlin leadership.

Biden said that, in retaliating, U.S. actions will be "proportional" to the impact from leaks of documents hacked by Russia in recent months.

At the same time, he questioned whether the Russian hacks have had "the capacity to fundamentally alter the election" on November 8.

Biden indicated that the U.S. response to Russia will be clandestine, saying he "hopes" the public will not know about it.

Based on reporting by AFP and NBC

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/biden-says -us-will-send-message-to-kremlin-retaliation-hacking- november-presidential-election/28054411.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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KCNA Commentary Blasts Desperate Campaign of U.S. against DPRK

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, October 15 (KCNA) -- Shocked by the growing nuclear muscle of the DPRK, the Obama administration has gone reckless in its anti-DPRK campaign.

The administration has intensified the surveillance of areas of the DPRK with all its various type reconnaissance assets involved and let its nuclear strategic bomber B-1Bs frequently fly over the Korean peninsula.

U.S. early warning satellites are keeping watch on the whole of the peninsula day and night and 4 reconnaissance planes EO-5Cs deployed in a military base of U.S. forces present in south Korea are carrying out a round-the-clock mission to gather information about areas of the north side by shifts and, at the same time, E-8C, an ultra modern reconnaissance plane for land surveillance deployed in a U.S. military base in Okinawa, is flying over the peninsula to spy on the military movements in the DPRK.

In the meantime, the U.S. allotted 16 million U.S. dollars in aid to the organizations to develop and distribute the programs for psychological warfare against the DPRK.

These are nothing but the last-ditch efforts of the administration facing a failure in its hostile policy towards the DPRK.

It is well known that the aim sought by the administration in enforcing such policy is to bring down the socialist system of the DPRK, the cradle of the Korean people's happy life. And its hostile nature remains unchanged.

The above-said policy designed to physically eliminate the state and people of the DPRK, has not been eased but has gone beyond the tolerance limit.

Tragedy is that the Obama administration is persisting in its high-handed actions against the DPRK, far from drawing a lesson from its bankrupt policy toward the DPRK even in the closing period of office.

It is the U.S., to be exact, the Obama administration that compelled the DPRK to make redoubled efforts to bolster up its nuclear force in the final phase at so high cost.

The DPRK took a series of measures for bolstering up its nuclear force in succession. It was an unavoidable and just option to defend the sovereignty and dignity of the country and the vital rights of the nation from the worst political and economic pressure and military threat of the U.S. and its vassal forces.

At present the DPRK has got everything it had desired and has gone through the final process for rounding off the state nuclear force.

The DPRK, a nuclear power in the East, is pressurizing the U.S. with its powerful military muscle.

No matter what desperate frenzy the U.S. may make on its decline as seen above, the strategic position of the DPRK and the trend of the times will remain unchanged.

The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK have the existing military counteraction mode shifted to that of preemptive attack to cope with the moves of the enemies to stifle the DPRK. All its operational groups are fully ready to make merciless deadly strikes, should they show even a slight sign of provocation.

The American politicians had better deal with the issue of the Korean peninsula with reason, drawing a lesson from their past failures and the present realities. -0-

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S. Korean Puppet Warmongers Commit Military Provocation in Hotspot Waters in West Sea of Korea

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, October 15 (KCNA) -- The south Korean puppet military warmongers are escalating the intrusion into the territorial waters of the north side in the hotspot waters in the West Sea of Korea recently.

Their intrusions that have been perpetrated almost every day this month stretched into Oct. 13 and 14.

They kicked off the intrusion by infiltrating warships and civilian fishing boats, nine in all, into the waters of the north side beyond the maritime military demarcation line from before dawn on Oct. 14.

The provocateurs had been busy sailing around the waters for several hours. They took to flight in a hurry, taken aback by the strong warnings of the north side and its readiness to take counter-action.

But they kept seizing opportunities to intrude into the waters of the north side again.

They perpetrated five intrusions on Oct. 14 alone.

What merits a more serious attention is that the puppet military warmongers' intrusions were simultaneously committed in all territorial waters including those around Paekryong and Yongphyong islands.

The more undisguised and persistent intrusions into the territorial waters of the north side in the hotspot waters in the West Sea of Korea were perpetrated under the direct instructions of Chongwadae and the puppet Ministry of Defense.

The purpose of their frantic military provocations in the hotspot waters in the West Sea is to preserve the illegal "northern limit line." They are also aimed to create opportunities of military clashes at any cost in a bid to prompt the north to take counteraction for self-defence and make a "preemptive attack on the north" under this pretence.

No matter how desperately the south Korean puppet forces try to defend "the northern limit line," it will be the death line of wringing their necks and the hotspot waters in the West Sea will be hell-like ones for the confrontation maniacs keen on naval intrusions. -0-

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The Cumberland County Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation announced Friday it will hold a ceremony Wednesday at 10 a.m. to honor Pennsylvania Railroad Officer John L. Beisser, end of watch Oct. 20, 1916.

Beissers death was recently brought to the attention of CCLEMF by a local historian. Beisser has never been listed on previous Line of Duty Death records in Cumberland County and was not included in the original memorial. He will be honored and added to the memorial during the planned ceremony.

According to a news release, Beisser, 36 at the time of his death, was murdered just west of Wormleysburg while attempting to arrest two people for trespassing. Beisser was shot in the chest and died almost instantly. His partner, Harry C. Chub, was shot as well, but survived his injuries. Archie Miller, the shooter, was convicted of first degree murder and was executed in 1917 at Rockview Penitentiary.

Beisser was a United States Army veteran who served in the Spanish American War and was survived by his wife.

The ceremony will take place at the Law Enforcement Memorial and the public is welcome to attend and assist. The memorial is at 1 Public Safety Drive, Carlisle, at the entrance to the Cumberland County Department of Public Safety building. Public Safety Drive is off of Claremont Road and across from the Cumberland County Prison.

The Cumberland County Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that maintains a memorial honoring 12 officers that were killed in the line of duty while serving the residents of Cumberland County.

For more information on the memorial visit www.cclemf.com.
Pentagon Reports Failed Missile Launch by N. Korea

By VOA News October 15, 2016

North Korea tried to launch an intermediate-range ballistic missile Saturday, but the effort failed, the U.S. military reported.

The U.S. Strategic Command said its monitoring systems detected the launch attempt at midday Saturday in northwestern North Korea (at 0333 UTC Saturday / 2333 EDT Friday), and the North American Aerospace Defense Command said analysts determined the missile did not pose any threat to North America.

However, officials in Washington stressed the United States' continuing vigilance "in the face of North Korean provocations," and the nation's "ironclad" commitment to working together with U.S. allies South Korea and Japan to maintain security in Northeast Asia.

U.S. military officials said the North Korean missile was presumed to be a Musadan intermediate-range rocket, and its launch point was near the city of Kusong.

"We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests," said U.S. Navy Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. "We intend to raise our concerns at the U.N. to bolster international resolve in holding the DPRK accountable for these actions."

In addition to already conducting an unprecedented two nuclear tests this year, Pyongyang has advanced its land-based and submarine-based ballistic missile capabilities with numerous launches in the last six months.

VOA's Carla Babb contributed to this report.

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'Firmer and Stronger': South Korea, US to Enhance Defense Against Pyongyang

Sputnik News

00:32 16.10.2016(updated 00:33 16.10.2016)

South Korea and the US have agreed to beef up their defense readiness measures against the North's provocations at an annual Military Committee Meeting (MCM) in Washington on Thursday.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Gen. Joseph F. Dunford hosted the 41st MCM at the Pentagon on October 13. Dunford's South Korean counterpart Gen. Lee Sun-jin attended the meeting with a delegation that included Navy Rear Adm. Chung An Ho, acting chief director of strategic planning at JCS.

For several years the MCM was conducted via videoconferencing, and it is for the first time since 2010 that the allies met face-to-face to analyze the security situation on the Korean peninsula. Both military leaders criticized the provocations by Pyongyang saying that they are a grave threat to peace and stability not just in the region but in the world.

According to South Korea's JCS press release, Gen. Lee emphasized that the two countries will continue cooperation in a bid to respond effectively to North Korean nuclear and missile threats. The bilateral work will include enhancement of missile defense capabilities before the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.

"Gen. Lee also said it is vital to strengthen the bilateral mutual-assistance system against the North's development of submarine-launched ballistic missiles." The release read.

According to a statement by Pentagon, Gen. Dunford affirmed that despite the threat coming from North Korea, the US is committed to defending its partner in Asia and that the alliance between the US and South Korea will keep growing "firmer and stronger".

Observers noted that the two military chiefs might have discussed the possible dispatch of a US Aegis destroyer equipped with Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors to the peninsula and the additional deployment of Patriot missiles.

In July, the two nations agreed to deploy the anti-missile system in the Seongju County by the end of next year as a precaution against North Korea following its recent ballistic missile tests and two powerful nuclear tests over the past year despite warning by the international community.

China and Russia have both opposed the THAAD deployment, arguing the system could be applied beyond deterring North Korea and affect Chinese and Russian interests in the region.

 Sputnik

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Russia, India Sign Defense Deals Worth Billions

RFE/RL October 15, 2016

Russia and India have signed defense deals worth billions of dollars on missile systems, helicopters, and frigates at a meeting of the leaders of the two countries in the southern India state of Goa.

Key agreements signed October 15 included deals under which India would procure Russian S-400 Triumf missile systems that can be used against aerial targets within a 400-kilometer range, joint manufacture of Russian Kamov 226T helicopters, and procurement of four 11356 frigates for the Indian armed forces.

News media estimate the total worth of the Indian military purchases from Russia in the billions of dollars. There was no official confirmation of what the deals were worth.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also remotely inaugurated a project to build two new reactors at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu state, which is being developed with Russian technology.

This would be the third and fourth phases of the Kudankulam nuclear power station, part of 12 nuclear plants that Russia is building in India.

The two leaders also signed an agreement for the fifth and sixth reactors of the power plant.

Putin and Modi met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit of five emerging economies. In addition to Russia and India, BRICS comprises Brazil, China, and South Africa.

India, the world's top defense importer, is spending $100 billion to upgrade its Soviet-era military hardware as it looks to protect its borders from archrival Pakistan and an increasingly assertive China.

The meeting also provide the two leaders an opportunity to discuss differences that have cropped up between them in the past few years.

Russia has been wary of India's growing engagement with the United States, including a recent military logistics agreement.

India was expected to raise its concern about Russia's growing ties with Pakistan. Russia and Pakistan recently conducted joint military exercises.

With reporting by dpa, AFP, TASS, and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/putin-indias-modi-to-sign-new-defense- energy-deals-brics-summit-goa/28054436.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Russia to Continue Assisting India in Developing Nuclear Energy Industry

Sputnik News

13:06 15.10.2016(updated 13:26 15.10.2016)

Russia will go on providing assistance to India in developing nuclear energy industry, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday.

GOA (Sputnik)  Russia will go on providing assistance to India in developing nuclear energy industry, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday after signing a set of documents on cooperation with India as he met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Russia will continue providing our Indian counterparts with comprehensive assistance in developing nuclear energy industry. The intergovernmental agreement on the fifth and the sixth power units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (NPP) is now being drafted. In total, at least 12 nuclear reactors may be constructed based on Russian technologies within the next 20 years," Putin said.

Putin and Modi launched the second energy unit of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant on Saturday via videoconferencing.

 Sputnik

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India Deepens Ties with Russia, Highlights Cross-border Terror

By Anjana Pasricha October 15, 2016

India and Russia deepened economic and military cooperation, while New Delhi pressed its concerns about cross-border terrorism at a summit of the BRICS countries in the western Indian city of Goa.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with the Russian and Chinese leaders on Saturday on the sidelines of the meeting of the five emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

After India and Russia signed a slew of defense and energy deals worth billions of dollars, Modi said "the highly productive outcomes of our meeting clearly establish the special and privileged nature of our strategic partnership."

His talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin are aimed at rejuvenating a relationship that appeared to have drifted in recent years as India deepened ties with the United States and Russia developed closer links with China and Pakistan.

The 16 agreements signed by New Delhi and Moscow include joint production of 200 military helicopters. India will also buy stealth frigates for its navy and a state of the art anti-missile air defense system that will strengthen its defenses along the border with Pakistan and China.

In the biggest deal, Russia's largest oil company, Rosneft, signed an agreement to buy a controlling stake in India's Essar Oil for about $13 billion.

The second reactor of a Russian-built nuclear plant in southern India was also hooked to the grid as the two leaders looked on via a video link and the foundation was laid for starting work on two more reactors.

In his meetings with BRICS leaders, Modi also sought to put cross-border terrorism on the BRICS agenda, as India pushed for a strong statement against terrorism by the end of the summit on Sunday.

Following the recent spike in tensions with Pakistan in the wake of a militant attack on an Indian army camp, the Indian leader has vowed to mount a diplomatic offensive against what he says is a threat to his country from Pakistan's alleged support for Islamic militant groups.

After meeting Putin he said "Russia's clear stand on the need to combat terrorism mirrors our own." A joint statement by both countries stressed the need for "zero tolerance in dealing with terrorists and their supporters."

It was less clear what support New Delhi gets from Beijing, which is a close ally of Pakistan, and which has so far blocked India's efforts to put the head of the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad on a United Nations terror list.

Following Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said both sides recognize terrorism as a key issue and agreed to step up counterterrorism efforts. He said Modi had told the Chinese leader that "no country is immune from terrorism and hence this is an issue on which we cannot afford to have any differences."

Tibetan activists staged protests in Goa as the Chinese president arrived, but were quickly taken away by police.

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Araqchi rebukes western parties to JCPOA for procrastination

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Oct 15, IRNA -- Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Saturday rebuked the western parties to Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for procrastination to carry out the nuclear deal.

Araqchi made the remarks speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his presence in the nuclear committee of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.

'Our main problems are related to the banking sector but it does not mean that we have reached a deadlock in transactions,' he said.

'There are problems and challenges which require the Western governments, the US in particular, to further ease the sanctions and we raised th matter with them.'

Iran and the G5+1 joint commission meeting convened on the foreign ministers level during President Rouhani's recent visit to New York to attend a UN General Assembly meeting, Araqchi said.

He said that the United States has eased some banking restrictions on Iran after President Rouhani attended the UN General Assembly.

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Iran Foreign Ministry categorically rejects GCC, Turkey allegations

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 15, 2016 3:19PM

Iran's Foreign Ministry has vehemently rejected allegations leveled in a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the GCC, the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council, and Turkey against the Islamic Republic. "Countries whose irresponsible interference in [the affairs of] other states has led to the spread of insecurity, war and terrorism and who have violated the national sovereignty of their neighbors are not in a position to advise others not to interfere in regional affairs," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Following their meeting in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his counterparts from the six Arab countries of the Persian Gulf issued a statement.

In their statement, the foreign ministers of the GCC and Turkey claimed that Iran is interfering in their internal affairs and called on the Islamic Republic to respect their national sovereignty in line with the UN Charter.

In response, the statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the "catastrophic" situation in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq and Libya is the outcome of meddlesome policies adopted by most of the countries that gathered in Riyadh and who have no option but to blame others for their "failed" strategies.

These countries showed a unilateral reaction to efforts which are underway to fully liberate the strategic northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo from terrorists supported by them, it said, adding that their allegations come as continued crimes by such terrorist groups have created the worst humanitarian situation for people across the war-stricken country.

The statement urged the international community to swiftly adopt measures to put an end to genocide and heinous crimes against humanity in Syria.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry statement also condemned hollow remarks by the GCC states and Turkey about its territorial integrity and national sovereignty over three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, and rejected such remarks as an example of interference in other countries' affairs.

It went on to say that despite these countries' call for establishing their ties with all states based on the United Nations Charter and well-known international principles, Iran sees no sincerity in their paradoxical demand and their statement which is filled with allegations and blame game tactics.

The Iranian ministry said claims by the GCC states and Turkey about last year's nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have not been based on goodwill and added that such allegations are only aimed at guaranteeing a "meddlesome, irresponsible and unfriendly" stance on Iran's legitimate defense capabilities.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has been among the pioneers of the idea of a Middle East free from weapons of mass destruction and if there is honesty and a cordial attitude among such countries, it is ready to cooperate with them to materialize the idea," the Foreign Ministry said.

In their statement, the foreign ministers of the GCC and Turkey also urged Iran to find a peaceful solution to its dispute with the United Arab Emirates over the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf.

The islands of the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa have always been part of Iran historically, the proof of which can be found in and corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world. However, the United Arab Emirates has repeatedly laid baseless claims to the islands.

The GCC-Turkey statement also made interfering remarks about the JCPOA and called on Iran to adhere to the nuclear agreement.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia  plus Germany reached the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015.

Under the JCPOA, which took effect in January, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related bans imposed against Tehran.

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Iran vows to stand by Iraq in campaign against terrorists

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 15, 2016 4:12PM

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has denounced the latest deadly bombing attacks in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, saying the Islamic Republic will support Iraq in its fight against terrorists until their final defeat.

"Iran will stand by the Iraqi government and nation until the complete defeat of terrorists," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Saturday.

In the deadliest attacks to hit the Iraqi capital in months, at least 41 people were killed and 33 others injured on Saturday when a bomber detonated an explosive vest among Shia mourners at a religious gathering in the north of Baghdad.

The bomb went off inside a tent which was set up in a crowded market in Baghdad's al-Sha'ab district. The Daesh Takfiri terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack.

Also on Saturday, terrorists attacked two areas north of Baghdad, killing a further 12 people, according to the police.

Qassemi once again stressed the importance of strengthening joint cooperation among all countries to fight terrorist and Takfiri groups and urged the international community to effectively support the Iraqi government and nation in their anti-terror campaign.

The Iranian spokesperson expressed hope that the ominous phenomenon of terrorism would be eliminated across the region through reinforced unity and integrity among the Iraqi people.

He also offered his sympathy to the Iraqi government, nation and the families of the victims of the terrorist attacks which came as the Iraqi forces are preparing for an operation to retake the strategic northern city of Mosul from Daesh terrorists.

At least nine people lost their lives and nearly a dozen people were injured after a bomber set off his explosives in the east of Baghdad on October 9.

Daesh unleashed its campaign of death and destruction against Iraq in 2014, seizing the northern city of Mosul and declaring it as its so-called headquarters.

The United Nations says more than 1,000 people lost their lives and over 1,500 others suffered injuries as a result of acts of terrorism and violence across Iraq in September 2016 alone.

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Iraq cannot handle Mosul offensive alone, Erdogan claims

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 15, 2016 4:4PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed the Iraqi government cannot push the Daesh Takfiri terror group out of Mosul alone, expressing Turkey's readiness to take part in the planned military operation to liberate the city.

Speaking at a ceremony in the Black Sea town of Rize on Saturday, Erdogan said that Turkey would never "let Mosul be given to Daesh or any other terrorist organization."

He added that Turkey would talk to its coalition partners about possible joining of the major offensive by the Iraqi army to recapture Mosul which is expected to start soon.

He said that the offer would be presented by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu during the talks on Syria in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Saturday.

"We are ready to fight there against Daesh and other terror groups," he said.

Baghdad has not announced a specific date for the beginning of the operation to liberate Mosul but it is expected to be launched soon.

Mosul fell into the hands of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in June 2014. Iraqi forces have managed to recapture several areas from terrorists in the southern parts of the city.

The Turkish president further said that the presence of Turkish forces in Bashiqa camp in the Iraqi province of Nineveh was an insurance against attacks on Turkey.

"Nobody should talk about our Bashiqa base. We will stay there. Bashiqa is our insurance against any kind of terrorist activities in Turkey," Erdogan said.

Tensions have been running high between Baghdad and Ankara since December 4, when Turkey deployed 150 heavily armed soldiers backed by 20 to 25 tanks to the Bashiqa camp.

Ankara claims it is training Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters battling Daesh, which currently controls swathes of land in Iraq.

Baghdad has repeatedly asked Turkey to withdraw its forces from the Bashiqa camp, describing Turkey's military presence in Iraq as an infringement of its sovereignty.

Turkey is said to be among the main supporters of the militant groups operating in Syria, with reports saying that Ankara actively trains and arms the Takfiri elements there and facilitates their safe passage into the violence-wrecked country.

Syria has been the scene of a foreign-backed crisis since March 2011.

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Iraqi Army Moves to Capture Kirkuk Town in Preparation for Mosul Offensive

Sputnik News

20:37 15.10.2016

As the hour of the upcoming assault on Mosul draws near, the Iraqi army and its allies move to liberate the town of Havice located in Kirkuk province.

Heytem Hasim Muhtaroglu, head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, told Sputnik that prior to the Mosul offensive the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces intend to liberate the town of Havice, located in the southeastern part of Kirkuk province, which is currently held by Daesh forces.

According to him, the Iraqi military spent the last several days deploying additional forces and heavy weaponry in the vicinity of the town.

"Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived at Kirkuk today and gave the order to begin the operation in a few hours. If the town of Havice is captured, it would make the Mosul operation much easier. Havice is a town of strategic importance because of its location between Kirkuk and Mosul," Muhtaroglu said.

He also said that the Mosul offensive is scheduled to begin on October 19.

Mosul has been under control of Daesh since 2014, and remains their main stronghold. The US-led coalition of more than 60 nations has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh in Iraq since then.

 Sputnik

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Dozens Die in Baghdad Suicide Blast Claimed by IS

By Edward Yeranian October 15, 2016

A suicide bomber in Baghdad killed more than 35 people and wounded over 50 others Saturday in an attack on Shi'ite Muslim religious observances.

Some accounts from the northern Baghdad district of al-Shaab indicated casualties could be considerably higher. A tweet sent in the name of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said was carried out by "the martyrdom-seeking brother Abu-Fahd al-Iraqi."

Reports from the scene said the bomber detonated a belt filled with explosives inside a large, crowded tent set up for Shi'ite Ashura rituals. Many people there were commemorating the death of Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, in a seventh-century battle near the Iraqi town of Karbala. Others in the crowd were taking part in a funeral procession for a local resident.

Bombing decried

Both the United States and Iran condemned the attack and extended condolences to the victims.

A statement issued in Washington denounced "the barbaric terrorist attack" as "yet another sign of [Islamic State's] cowardice and contempt for human life."

U.S. officials said the bombing was an "attempt to sow sectarian discord among the people of Iraq ... [that] only underscores the importance of coalition efforts to support Iraqi security forces."

"The United States remains committed to that goal," they added.

From Tehran, the Fars news agency reported that the Iranian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to support the Iraqi government "until the complete failure of the terrorists."

Islamic State, most of whose members are Sunni Muslim extremists, considers Shi'ites to be heretics. Saturday's bombing was the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital since early July, and it also came at a time when Iraqi government forces are making final preparations for a battle to retake the IS-held northern city of Mosul.

Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut, told VOA the battle for Mosul was likely to stir up further sectarian tensions, including more suicide bombings.

"I think that once ISIS is defeated in Mosul, we will see more and more suicide attacks," Khashan said. "Even with the capture of Mosul, it will be too early to celebrate victory against Islamic State. ISIS doesn't spare anybody, but needless to say they have a vested interest in targeting Iraqi Shi'ites."

Complex effort

The coming battle for Mosul is expected to be the most difficult and complex yet in the war against Islamic State. A coalition of diverse and sometimes rival Iraqi forces will have to fight through elaborate IS defenses to reach Mosul, which has a large civilian population.

The prospect of lengthy street fighting between Iraqi forces and die-hard jihadists has led many analysts and aid officials to warn of an expected humanitarian crisis, with up to a million people displaced by the fighting as winter sets in.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, visiting government-held areas near Mosul on Saturday, urged Iraqis from all sectarian groups to unite to recapture the city and destroy Islamic State.

In addition to the suicide attack on Shi'ites marking Ashura, separate attacks by militants in two areas north of Baghdad on Saturday killed another 12 people.

VOA's Steve Herman contributed to this report.

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US Military Starts Shelling Daesh Positions in Iraqi Mosul

Sputnik News

00:25 16.10.2016(updated 01:09 16.10.2016)

US military started on Saturday to shell positions of the Daesh in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Turkish media reported, citing Kurdish sources.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A source in the Iraqi security forces told Sputnik that US and Iraqi armed forces prepare for the military operation aimed at liberating the city.

Peshmerga Ministry's spokesman Halgurd Hikmat told Sputnik that the offensive would start "very soon," maybe on Sunday.

Kurdish Peshmerga Commander Omer Huseyin told the Anadolu news agency that US howitzers deployed about 13 miles from the Mosul's city center opened fire on Saturday.

He also said that US-led coalition jets carried out airstrikes on the Daesh positions.

"The Daesh terrorists started burning tires to block the view of the warplanes after international coalition forces struck the area. Daesh terrorists also started burning the petroleum filled in their ditches, which they have dug around the city," Huseyin added.

Mosul, the second biggest Iraqi city, as well as a number of other northern and western Iraqi cities and towns was seized in 2014 during an offensive of the Daesh extremists, outlawed in Russia.

 Sputnik

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Libyan Former Officials, Militias Attempt Coup in Tripoli

Sputnik News

10:49 15.10.2016(updated 15:10 15.10.2016)

A group of former members of Libya's GNC declared themselves in power after taking over the premises previously held by the congress in the country's capital, local media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A group of former members of Libya's General National Congress (GNC), accompanied by local militias, declared themselves in power after taking over the premises previously held by the congress in the country's capital, local media reported.

The Libya Herald newspaper reported on Friday that Khalifa Ghwell, who was the head of one of the country's governments that emerged after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, supported by several members of the GNC seized key state buildings and a TV station in Tripoli.

The newspaper added that Ghwell along with his supporters called on other powers in the country to join him and to create a national unity government.

The former member of the GNC also accused the Presidency Council, which was expected to meet soon in Tunis, of negative impact on the national unity and said that all the officials appointed by the Presidential Council were dismissed, the media outlet added.

Reportedly, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) has ordered to arrest those behind the coup attempt.

Libya has been in a state of turmoil since 2011, when a civil war began in the country and Gaddafi was overthrown. In December, Libya's rival governments  the Council of Deputies based in Tobruk and the Tripoli-based General National Congress  agreed to create the GNA, to form the Presidency Council and to end the political impasse.

 Sputnik

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Rafsanjani cautions against US-Russia escalation on Syria

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Oct 15, IRNA -- Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Saturday that trans-regional powers must stop intervention in the humanitarian crisis in Syria and put an end to the plight of the Syrian people.

He made the remarks in his statement to the meeting of Expediency Council.

He said that the United States and Russia must take heed of the international peace and security.

He expressed deep concern about indications of confrontation between the US and its allies with Russia, saying that lack of cooperation military interference will endanger global security.

Hasehmi further noted that Putin's security warnings to the Russian citizens across the world, particularly in Europe, and Assad's interview 'world's psychological war on Syrian developments' are considerable.

Rafsanjani urged the peace advocates of the world to exercise vigilance, because, control of the escalation will be very difficult even if it starts at small scale.

Under such a sensitive situation, vigilance, cooperation and keeping abreast with developments and stances of the related countries are essential, he said, noting that necessary decisions and measures should be taken considering the developments.

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Syria Talks In Switzerland End With No Concrete Path Forward

RFE/RL October 15, 2016

Talks between the United States, Russia, and regional players on how to end the Syrian conflict have ended in the Swiss city of Lausanne after more than four hours with no concrete action to stop the violence.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were joined in Lausanne by UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, along with the top diplomats of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar -- all backers of Syrian opposition forces.

The talks were the first since Washington halted bilateral negotiations with Moscow following the collapse of a U.S.-Russia-brokered cease-fire deal last month.

Kerry said that new ideas were discussed for reviving the cease-fire, describing the meeting as a candid "brainstorming" session.

He said that despite tensions between the parties, they had agreed on the urgency of continuing to work together to restore the truce. He told reporters the next contact between sides at the talks would be on October 17 to discuss future steps.

The parties "might be able to shape some different approaches," Kerry added.

Lavrov, who had previously said he had "no special expectations" for the meeting, told Russian media that the participants agreed to continue contacts in the near future and that they had discussed several "interesting ideas" and spoken in favor of launching a political process in Syria as soon as possible.

"We agreed that we must prolong our contacts over the coming days while taking into account certain accommodations that can help promote peace in Syria," Lavrov said at the end of the talks.

A senior U.S. official, traveling with Kerry, told reporters prior to the talks that the meeting was designed to explore ideas for ending the conflict, not to produce an immediate breakthrough.

Kerry and Lavrov began the talks with a 40-minute bilateral meeting, the first since October 3, when the U.S. suspended bilateral talks with Moscow on Syria, accusing Russia of failing to do its part to end the bloodshed.

Multilateral talks between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, which support the U.S.-backed rebels in Syria, took place right after. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was also present at the talks. Iran is a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

A Western diplomat in Lausanne told Reuters that the meeting appeared ill-prepared and vague in its goals.

"If it is to reach an agreement on Aleppo, countries have to make commitments -- Russia to stop bombing, Iran to withdraw its militia on the ground supporting Damascus," the diplomat told Reuters as the talks were under way.

Kerry is scheduled to speak on October 16 about the process and the results of the Swiss talks with the foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Belgium.

The Syrian government launched an offensive to capture the eastern city of Aleppo three weeks ago. The United Nations says 275,000 civilians are still in the city and 8,000 rebels are opposing Syrian, Russian, and Iranian-backed forces.

Western powers have accused Russia and Syria of committing atrocities by bombing hospitals, killing civilians, and preventing medical evacuations.

Russia maintains that its air strikes on Aleppo have targeted militant groups holding parts of the city and accuses the United States of breaking the cease-fire by bombing Syrian troops fighting Islamic State militants.

The United Nations has said that Aleppo is running low on food, medicine, and fuel and that from the start of next month there will be no more rations to distribute.

With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters

Source: www.rferl.org/a/iranian-foreign-minister- zarif-to-attend-kerry-lavrov-meeting-on- syria-lausanne/28054412.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Turkish-Backed Syrian Rebels Move on 'Doomsday' Village of Dabiq

By Jamie Dettmer October 15, 2016

Syrian rebels backed by Turkish airstrikes and artillery shelling advanced Saturday to the outskirts of Dabiq, a northern Syrian village that holds little tactical value for its current occupiers, the Islamic State terror group, but is of major religious and symbolic importance for the jihadists, according to Turkish leaders and political activists in the war-savaged country.

In a bid to stop the village from being overrun, IS rushed overnight from its stronghold of Raqqa more than 1,000 mainly non-Syrian fighters to Dabiq, which lies 10 kilometers from the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, reported. But the attacking force seized several strategic areas near the town on Saturday, the observatory and rebel commanders said.

Dabiq holds symbolic importance for IS because of an eighth-century, end-of-times Sunni prophecy predicting it would be the site of an apocalyptic showdown between Islam and Christianity. Islamic State propagandists have encouraged supporters to believe doomsday is imminent and gave the name Dabiq to one of its major online English-language publications.

Every new edition of Dabiq opens with a quote by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the mentor of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, claiming, "The spark has been ignited in Iraq, and its flames will grow until they burn the Crusader armies in Dabiq."

Advancing on Dabiq

Speaking on television, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed rebel fighters with Turkish support were advancing on Dabiq, which is surrounded on three sides. The Syrian Observatory reported Saturday: "Two hours ago, the rebels started their attack to control Dabiq."

The monitors added: "The rebels came from al-Rai," referring to a nearby town recently seized by the Turkish-backed Syrian rebels drawn mainly from the Free Syrian Army, or FSA.

Colonel Abdul-Razzaq Freiji, a commander with the Turkey-aligned forces, told the Associated Press that his fighters were bombarding Dabiq in preparation for an assault.

"Daesh members have gathered lots of fighters for this battle that will be harsh," Freiji said, using the Arab acronym for IS. "We will take it [Dabiq] no matter what the price."

Saturday's bombardment was preceded by attacks on Dabiq's neighboring villages by rebel forces. Rebel commanders reported overrunning Sawran, Ahtimilat and al-Ghilaniyah. Commanders from the FSA's Hamza Division posted online photographs of their fighters advancing using U.S.-supplied Humvees.

IS propagandists

With a final assault looming, IS propagandists appeared to be readying their supporters for a defeat at Dabiq, distancing the ongoing fight for Dabiq from the epic doomsday showdown, known as al-Malhamah al-Kubra, they once forecast. Earlier this week, in an online pamphlet, the jihadist propagandists downplayed the current fight for Dabiq.

Anti-IS fighters and their Turkish backers "have amassed in Aleppo, announcing Dabiq as their major goal," the jihadists said, thinking they can score "a great moral victory against the Islamic State."

But "the great epic of Dabiq will be preceded by great events and apocalyptic omens," they added. "These hit-and-run battles in Dabiq and its outskirts  the lesser Dabiq battle  will end in the greater Dabiq epic." The propagandists don't say when that great showdown is likely to come.

The assault on Dabiq is part of Turkey's wider military intervention aimed at creating "a terror-free safe zone of 5,000 square kilometers" in northern Syria, Erdogan said.

Turkey launched the mission called Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24, and its goal is to push well back from the border not only IS jihadists but also the Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG.

Operation Euphrates Shield has dashed the Syrian Kurds' hope of linking all four Kurdish cantons along the frontier, undermining the YPG ambition of carving out an independent state.

Jarabulus and al-Rai became the first two towns to be captured from IS by the Turkish-backed Syrian rebels. "We are now advancing. Where? To Dabiq," Erdogan said in his televised comments Saturday, speaking from the Black Sea province of Rize.

Return to Syria

He added that Turkey would like to see some of the 3 million refugees who have fled to Turkey from Syria return home. "Let's create space for them," he said. "They can go to their own lands  we can make them live there safely."

Syrian political activists and nongovernmental organization workers say many refugees would most likely return.

"If the Turkish government and its allies can ensure safety in the zone they carve out, many refugees would go back," activist and NGO worker Eyad Kharaba said.

Rebel commanders say after Dabiq, they will target the town of al-Bab, northeast of Aleppo city. That move could lead to a confrontation with the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces. They have also announced their intention of targeting al-Bab.

A European diplomat told VOA last month that he suspected the Turkey-backed forces would also start moving not only south to the strategic town of al-Bab but also west "to the towns of Marea and Tell Rifaat," which is currently occupied by the YPG and adjoins Afrin, a Kurdish enclave the YPG hoped to link with three cantons east of the Euphrates River.

As Turkey expands its buffer zone with FSA boots on the ground, Ankara already is making clear how it intends to administer its northern Syria "protectorate."

Western NGOs have been tipped off by Turkish counterparts that Turkish and Syrian NGOs favored by Erdogan will be key in ruling the protectorate. The Turkish authorities are already establishing pro-Turkish town councils in the zone.

More talks

In other developments Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, opened another round of talks aimed at easing the crisis in the war-shattered northern Syrian city of Aleppo.

The talks in Lausanne, Switzerland  also attended by diplomats from seven Mideast countries  opened less than two weeks after Washington suspended bilateral talks with Moscow, following the collapse of a shaky cease-fire in the divided city.

Kerry told reporters Saturday that negotiators were "working very hard" to try to reach a cease-fire agreement. However, The Washington Post quoted unnamed U.S. officials as saying no "major announcements" were expected after the talks.

The United States and its coalition partners accuse the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies of conducting a deadly and indiscriminate bombing campaign in rebel-held eastern Aleppo.

Monitors say Russian and Syrian airstrikes and artillery have killed hundreds of civilians in the city and cut off more than 250,000 others from critically needed supplies since September.

For their part, Russian diplomats insist the strikes are targeting extremists. They have repeatedly blamed Washington for failing to separate extremist fighters from the larger rebel fighting force and from the city's civilian population.

VOA's Lou Lorscheider contributed to this report.

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US, Russia, Regional Players Begin Swiss Talks on Syria

By VOA News October 15, 2016

Talks began in the Swiss city of Lausanne Saturday in another attempt to find a diplomatic solution to the Syrian conflict.

Talks are being held among U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura. Foreign ministers of Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are also present at the talks.

Leading international charities called Saturday for a 72-hour cease-fire in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo's eastern neighborhood, the target of government and Russian-backed airstrikes to allow the sick and wounded to be evacuated, and for food and medical aid to enter the besieged area.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped in Aleppo, which has seemingly become ground zero in Syria's five-year war. Rebels control the east while the Syrian military holds the rest of the city.

War crime accusations

The U.S. and its Western allies accuse Russia and Syria of war crimes for bombing hospitals and U.N. relief convoys in and around Aleppo as they target Syrian rebels looking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria and Russia say they are only targeting militants. While targeting the opposition with bombs, Syrian and Russian forces have been hitting civilians, including many children.

Russia denies attacking civilians, saying its only targets are "terrorists," the word Russia and Syria use when talking about the opposition.

U.S. President Barack Obama met with his national security team Friday to discuss Syria.

The White House said in a statement that even though bilateral talks with Russia have been suspended, multi-lateral discussions with "key nations" are needed to "encourage all sides to support a more durable and sustainable diminution of violence."

Warplanes belonging to Russia and the Syrian government conducted a massive air raid on targets in rebel-held areas of Aleppo Thursday night into Friday morning, according to a monitor group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Friday morning that dozens of airstrikes hit eastern Aleppo, and while the airstrikes ended by mid-morning, skirmishes continued around the northern and southern edges of the city.

It is not clear how many people were killed as rescue teams continue to search for victims under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

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2 Turkish military officials detained in Greece

Iran Press TV

Sat Oct 15, 2016 3:53PM

Greek police have detained two Turkish military officials found in a car belonging to a smuggler of refugees.

The arrest was made in Xanthi, the capital of the northeastern province of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, on Thursday evening, local police was cited as saying on Saturday.

The police added that the two officials had been crammed inside a car carrying Bulgarian license plates along with several refugees. It was not clear when and how the Turkish officials came to Greece, and whether they planned to seek for asylum.

"We are not ruling out the possibility that they themselves were part of the smuggling operation," an unnamed police source in Athens said.

On July 16, a day after a coup attempt in Turkey, a Turkish Black Hawk helicopter landed in Alexandroupoli in the same Greek province and their passengers, a group of eight consisting of two commanders, four captains and two sergeants, who had fled Turkey, requested asylum.

They said their lives were in danger in their home country, despite denying having any role in the coup. Ankara has repeatedly asked Athens to extradite the men, but that request can only be taken into consideration by Greece when the men's applications for asylum are definitively decided.

The Saturday's case can further pose a threat on the mutual relations between the two countries.

The coup, staged by a section of the Turkish military on the night of July 15, was soon put down as tens of thousands of people flooded the streets across Turkey in support of the government.

Over 240 people lost their lives and more than 2,100 others were injured in the coup attempt.

Ankara has arrested over 30,000 on suspicion of involvement in the coup. It further began an unprecedented wave of suspensions and dismissals from the public sector of people speculated to have had a role in the subversive push or suspected of following anti-government sentiments.

Reports say about 100,000 people have been discharged or suspended from their jobs.

The opposition has fiercely criticized Ankara's harsh and widening crackdown on those believed to have played a role in the attempt.

Ignoring those calls, the government extended for another three months the state of emergency starting October 19, following the first one, which began on July 20.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently rejected criticisms about the need for a prolonged state of emergency, saying the measure could be kept for at least a year.

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Ukrainian Nationalists Stage Torchlight March In Kyiv As New Far-Right Party Is Born

Christopher Miller October 14, 2016

KYIV -- Thousands of nationalists have marched through Kyiv in a torchlight procession to celebrate Ukrainian fighters past and present on a day that saw a fearsome far-right military force formally enter the country's political fray.

As dusk fell on the second annual Day of Defenders on October 14, a holiday established following Russia's seizure of Crimea and interference in eastern Ukraine, marchers lit torches that illuminated the flags of the far-right Azov and Right Sector parties and filled the sky above them with smoke.

The march coincided with traditional nationalist events marking the creation of the controversial World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and to celebrate Ukrainian Cossacks.

The far-right activists chanted "Glory to the nation!" and "Death to enemies!" as they wound their way from the capital's towering Mother Homeland statue to St. Sofia Square.

It was a show of force for the ultranationalist groups, in particular for Azov, whose ranks have served as perhaps Ukraine's most formidable fighting force in the war against the separatists that has killed more than 9,600 people since April 2014.

The march under torchlight capped a day in which Azov, formerly a volunteer militia but now included in the National Guard, officially became a political party.

Credited with recapturing the strategic port city of Mariupol from separatist forces, the Azov battalion has also been accused by human rights groups of torture and even war crimes during the conflict. Other detractors believe the group's far-right ideology and militancy could pose a threat to President Petro Poroshenko and the stability of the state.

Some of the marchers wore facemasks adorned with skeletons and the Azov symbol -- an emblem similar to the Nazi Wolfsangel that the group claims is actually comprised of the letters N and I, meaning "national idea."

"Putin's a d***head!" some chanted, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose military and security services clandestinely seized and annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and have backed the separatists in the east of the country.

'Several Ways Of Coming To Power'

At an inaugural party congress earlier in the day, Azov's new political leaders told some 400 delegates and attendees -- many dressed in military fatigues -- that the party would work to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression. They also elected parliament member Andriy Biletsky as party leader for the next four years.

Azov's platform calls for amending Ukraine's constitution to expand presidential powers, allowing him or her to serve as commander in chief of the armed forces as well as head of state.

It also backs the restoration of Ukraine's nuclear power status, the nationalization of companies that were owned by the government when Ukraine gained independence in 1991, and the legalization of firearms for personal protection.

"All citizens who receive permission will be allowed to own and carry pistols," the party platform states.

Its foreign policy seeks to sever cultural, diplomatic, and trade ties with Russia while building a Baltic and Black Sea Union comprised of other neighboring nations.

The party also urged a public discussion about restoring the death penalty in Ukraine for crimes such as treason and embezzlement of government funds.

Nazar Kravchenko, an Azov party leader, told the Hromadske news site that he hopes the party will give the group greater political influence.

"There are several ways of coming to power, but we are trying something through elections," he said. "But we have all sorts of possibilities."

Azov is not the first far-right group to enter Ukraine's fractious political arena. Both the Right Sector movement and the nationalist Svoboda party have tried their luck in politics but failed to reach the 5-percent threshold needed to enter parliament in October 2014 elections.

In May 2014, the parties' presidential candidates finished near the bottom of the polls.

The Fatherland party of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is currently the country's most popular political party with the support of 6.3 percent of Ukrainians, according to a recent poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

Fatherland is followed by the ruling Petro Poroshenko Bloc at 5.9 percent.

Azov was not included in the poll because it had not yet been established as a political party.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/ ukraine-nationalists-torchlight- march-azov-party/28053936.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Danville police are investing the third shooting in two days.

At about 6:25 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to the 800 block of Arnett Boulevard after getting a call of shots fired, according to a news release.

Officers found an 18-year-old Martinsville man suffering from gunshot wounds to his facial area.

He was transported to Danville Regional Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Police continue to investigate the incident.

This marks the third incident involving gunfire in two days.

A 17-year-old was shot Friday evening while walking on West James Street in Danville.

Officers responded to the 1200 block of North Main Street at about 5:35 p.m. after receiving a call of someone being shot, according to a news release from the Danville Police Department.

Police found a 17-year-old male who had been shot in the right arm. He was taken to Danville Regional Medical Center for treatment of the non-life-threatening wound.

He told police he was walking on West James Street toward North Main Street when two black men started shooting at home for no reason, the news release stated.

The victim ran to the 1200 block of North Main Street and waited for help.

The suspects were wearing hoodies, blue pants and had bandannas across their faces, police said.

Earlier in the afternoon, an 18-year-old was found shot outside of an apartment on College Park Drive. That victim was treated and released from the hospital.
What do Big Macs, Mustangs and motorcycles have to do with demographics?

Everything, said Kenneth W. Gronbach, a demographer, futurist and author from Haddam, Conn., during a recent visit to Richmond.

While these products helped defined the baby boomer generation, an even larger population  millennials  is about to change the business world in ways that cant yet be imagined, Gronbach said.

Take, for instance, the Big Mac. McDonalds introduced the two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun in 1967  as the first baby boomers were coming of age.

A few years earlier, Ford Motor Co. experimented with a light, streamlined automobile, while other carmakers were still making lead sleds, Gronbach said. The 1965 Ford Mustang was the automakers most successful launch since the Model A.

Americas motorcycle craze lasted from 1973 to 1986, and then the faucet was turned off. Most people who buy motorcycles are men between the ages of 16 and 24, and the boomers were moving out of the demographic.

The rise and fall of these products could have been predicted, said Gronbach, one of the lead speakers Thursday at Virginia Commonwealth Universitys Real Estate Trends Conference.

Its simple math, he told about 1,100 people attending the conference, hosted by the Kornblau Real Estate Program in VCUs School of Business.

Gronbach is the author of The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm and has written Upside, which will be published in the spring. He is president of Connecticut-based KGC Direct, a market research company. He also does keynote speeches across the U.S. and conducts customized demographic research.

The monster baby boomer generation of 78.2 million people, born from 1946 to 1964, changed the direction of the business world in every sector.

On its heels came Generation X. With 9 million fewer people than the preceding generation, Gen Xers shut down maternity wards across the country, the petroleum industry and the popularity of motorcycles and SUVs, Gronbach said.

I wish the president had consulted with me on the Affordable Care Act, he said. It cant work. The math doesnt work. There simply arent enough Gen Xers  people in their prime working years  to support it.

If it werent for the Latino population filling in the Gen X deficit in numbers, the U.S. would be in a lot worse shape than it is, he said.

Now, the nation is gearing up for the largest generation in history  the millennials or Gen Y population. Born from 1984 to 2004, millennials range from 12 to 31 years old and are 86 million strong.

If you want to predict the future, do the math, Gronbach said.

The future of U.S. markets is diversity, he said. Gen Y is why. It will be the end of bigotry. They will intermarry. The population will be darker complected. They are very green. They are so cyber, it is frightening. And they are the future.

Although millions of people in their 20s are still living at home, unlike previous generations, this will change, Gronbach said.

They are moving from their parents houses. They are starting families. They will need housing, and they will influence real estate in ways you cant imagine.

The nation does not have enough housing units to support the need, he said. Build, build, build, he said. These kids are starting later, but they are starting. With this generation, wedding venues will set new records.

Concerned about tattoos and piercings? Get over it, he said.

Gronbach predicts that small businesses  gathering spots for the millennials  will be the winners in the future.

Walmart, he said, was built for the boomers and will need to reinvent itself like McDonalds did with its successful Egg McMuffin.

On the other end of the spectrum, the greatest generation (1925 to 1945) is dying, and boomers will follow. The U.S. doesnt have enough cemeteries, crematoriums or funeral homes, Gronbach said.

Beware the boomer brain drain, he said. Dont let them retire before you get the intellectual property out from their ears.

Something else is just as certain as death and taxes, he said. And that is people.

The one-child restriction in China, in effect since 1979 and eased in 2013, was based on fallacy, Gronbach said. It was the biggest economic blunder in the world, he said. It is a train wreck waiting to happen. ... Ninety million Chinese males have no prospects of marrying their female counterparts.

The world has 7 billion people. Will we run out of air? Will we run out of food? No, Gronbach said. The Earth has plenty of space, resources and opportunities for food. We can produce enough food to feed 14 billion people. But we cant get to them because of corrupt governments.

Every country needs its heavy lifters, he said. People 40 to 60 years old earn the biggest salaries, have the biggest houses and consume the most.

Every business owner needs to look at the size of their market. Is it getting bigger or smaller?

Say you run a hot dog stand at the Virginia State Fair. You need to make payroll. And you dont know whether to send people home or buy more hot dogs.

Gronbach said he would tell the business owner to look at the parking lot. If you see a lot of school buses, buy more hot dogs.
The devastation of Hurricane Matthew in North and South Carolina not only destroyed homes, businesses and people's lives but also played havoc to agriculture leaving flooded field crops in ruin and drowning hundreds of head of livestock.

Meanwhile, behind the news headlines, we learned this week of new outbreaks of screwworms in Florida. The current infestation in deer is isolated to one of the Florida Keys.

"Officials have blockaded the road to stop animal movement there now, but it is not known if any hand moved to other areas of Florida before the discovery," said Dr. Sonja Swiger, a veterinary entomologist with Texas A&M Extension Service at Stephenville. "They are using pesticides and releasing sterile male screwworm flies, which is the technique that finally eradicated the pest from the United States."

The screwworms were eradicated from the Southwest decades ago and folks today can't understand the gravity of the issue, Swiger said.

The flies lay eggs in wounds of livestock and deer. When they hatch, the worms eat flesh which usually ends in death for the animals if medication is not received in time.

Back in the 1960s, Former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe was chairman of the Southwest Screwworm Eradication Board. The board was challenged to secure funding to operate the USDA-established lab to sterilize male flies at Mission in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. From 1972-75, the Mission plant produced 200 million sterile flies weekly. Aircraft dropped the sterile flies over Texas ranch country.

During the 1970s, my windmill columns carried a running report on the progress of the program and the successful end of it.

Before the screwworm eradication program was initiated, I remember well the 1950s when riding the pastures on horseback with my dad and brother as we searched for sheep and goats infected with screwworms.

The livestock would hide in caves, in draws or underbrush in live oak thickets.

At a Stephenville field day recently, Swiger speculated on the severe blow to the ranching and hunting industries if the return of screwworms comes about. Quoting Thomas Hairgrove, a veterinary specialist at College Station, he said the cost to control the pest today in cattle alone could easily exceed $500 million annually.

"Dr. Hairgrove also mentioned a price tag of $1 billion would be needed annually to eradicate screwworms from their former range, should it become re-established," Swiger said.

Swiger told Steve Byrns, communications specialist at Texas A&M Research Center in San Angelo, the primary or New World screwworm is a serious pest of all mammals, including livestock, wildlife, birds and humans, though its presence is rare in birds and humans.

"If not stopped, this pest would be catastrophic to the livestock and wildlife industries," Swiger said. "Calves got the worst of it after birth before their navels had time to dry and heal. Dehorned animals were another prime host. Even ear tagging, vaccinating and slight shearing nicks on sheep were enough to bring on a fly strike. It does not have to be a large wound to attract female flies.

"Think about it, if screwworms returned, it could be the end of part-time ranching. Except for the dead of winter, stockmen would have to constantly watch their stock for 'wormies.' And white-tailed deer, which give birth in warm weather, and bucks in velvet with blood-engorged antlers, I expect would be easy targets as well."

The last screwworm captured in the U.S. before this recent incursion was in 1982.

The pest has been eradicated all the way down to the Panama Canal, and a sterile fly-producing facility is still in production in Panama.

According to an email exchange between Thomas Swafford, with Texas Animal Health Commission, and Michael Mecke of Kerrville, retired AgriLife specialist, the APHIS facility at the Moore Airbase at Mission can and does continue to produce sterile male screwworm flies.

"It is unknown at this time where this new Florida outbreak originated," Swiger said. "If there is a silver lining to this dark cloud, it's that the outbreak is on one of the Key islands, very far south and fairly isolated from the mainland. And luckily, the Keys did not get a direct hit from Hurricane Matthew, so we should not see a spreading issue there."

Jerry Lackey is the agriculture editor emeritus. Contact him at jlackey@wcc.net.
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ELDORADO

Case Ranch offers Herefords in sale

The Case Ranch at Eldorado has consigned 10 DNA and fertility-tested registered Hereford bulls in the annual South Texas Hereford Association Sale Oct. 29.

The sale will start at 11 a.m. at the Beeville Livestock Commission in Beeville, said Pete Case, ranch owner.

For more information, call 325-650-6209 or email pete@caseranch.com.

COLLEGE STATION

Town Hall to focus on barbecue

A Texas Barbecue Town Hall meeting organized to brief those involved in the commercial barbecue business is scheduled for Dec. 12 at Texas A&M University in College Station.

"This is the third year for the Town Hall meeting," said Jeff Savell, one of the leaders of the Texas barbecue program, as well as a regents professor and E.M. "Manny" Rosenthal, chair holder in the department of animal science at Texas A&M.

The meeting will be in the Kleberg Animal and Food Sciences Center and the Rosenthal Meat Center. It will start at 10 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.

For more information or to register, contact Savell at j-savell@tamu.edu or 979-845-3992.

MONAHANS

Field day will include ranch tours

A bi-county ranch field day, conducted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Ward, Winkler and Loving counties, will start at 8 a.m. and conclude at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in Monahans.

The field day will begin and end at the Bentley 4-H Center, 3176 S. Stockton Ave.

"The program will be 100 percent in the field with no PowerPoint presentations or slideshows," said Dena Floyd, agriculture agent for Winkler and Loving counties. The tour will include four ranches.

Individual registration is $10. Registration deadline is Friday. Lunch will be provided and sponsored by the Upper Pecos Soil and Water Conservation District No. 213.

To register or for more information: contact Caleb Eaton, Ward County agent, at 432-943-2682 or Floyd at 432-586-2593.

VICTORIA

South Texas Farm-Ranch Show this week

The 32nd annual South Texas Farm and Ranch Show is Wednesday through Thursday at the Victoria Community Center, 2905 E. North St.

The two-day event promises to provide quality and relevant education for farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and the general public.

"This is the longest running nonprofit regional farm and ranch show in South Texas," said Matt Bochat, Victoria County agriculture agent. "It started in the 1980s and will enjoy its 32nd year of success this month."

Since 1991, over $175,000 of scholarship money has been awarded to more than 150 students in Victoria and the surrounding communities, Bochat said.

Registration for the educational programs is $20, and will begin at 7 a.m. at the main entrance of the community center. Registration includes lunch, and entrance to the trade show is free. For more information, contact Bochat at 361-575-4581 or email at mtbochat@ag.tamu.edu.

Compiled by Jerry Lackey
Jordanian air force helicopter pilots and Bewley ready a helicopter for a mission to photograph archaeological sites in Jordan.

SHARE Associated Press photos Robert Bewley uses his radio headset to guide helicopter pilots from the Jordanian air force to an archaeological site in Jordan. Bewley and his colleague David Kennedy have spent the past 19 years in an ongoing project documenting from the air archaeological sites around Jordan. This Oct. 19, 2014 photo provided by Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East, APAAME, taken from a helicopter, shows extensive construction around the Shuqayra archaeological site in Khierbet el-Qusubah, Jordan. The photo is part of a 91,000-image archive of archaeology across the Middle East run by Robert Bewley and David Kennedy who have spent 19 years flying over Jordan to photograph, discover and preserve archaeology. Photographing dozens of Roman, Ottoman, Byzantine, Nabatean, Neolithic and British imperial sites, the pair have made two major discoveries: mysterious man-made rock structures in Jordan's deep desert and CAicatastrophic C u urban sprawl destroying and threatening sites across the kingdom. (Don Boyer/APAAME via AP) LEFT: Extensive construction around archaeology in Madaba, Jordan, in 2010. David Kennedy/APAAME via AP In this Sept. 27, 2016 photo, Robert Bewley checks the flight path of a helicopter piloted by Jordanian air force to GPS coordinates of archaeological sites in Jordan. For the past 19 years, Bewley and colleague David Kennedy have flown above Jordan to photograph, discover and preserve archaeology. Photographing from helicopters dozens of Roman, Ottoman, Byzantine, Nabatean, Neolithic and British imperial sites, the pair have made two major discoveries: mysterious man-made rock structures in Jordan's deep desert and CAicatastrophic C u urban sprawl destroying and threatening sites across the kingdom. (AP Photo/Sam McNeil)

Jordans airborne monuments men discover, protect sites

By Sam Mcneil, Associated Press

QASR BSHIR, Jordan  The helicopter door opens and Robert Bewley leans out hundreds of feet above the Hisban Roman ruins outside Amman, Jordan. Feet on the struts, the Oxford University archaeologist begins snapping photos as the chopper circles the ancient stones.

Sheep flock far below amid marble columns from 1,700 years ago. After a few minutes, Bewley squawks directions into a radio headset, and the helicopter banks towards another site sitting on a cliff above a major highway.

"To discover sites if we were just out on the ground would be really difficult," Bewley said. "In an hour's flying we can record between 10-20 sites and once they're recorded through digital photography, that's a record that will last forever."

Bewley and colleague David Kennedy aim to discover and preserve archaeology through a growing archive of sites across the Middle East and North Africa with 91,000 images.

While Roman, Ottoman, Byzantine, Nabatean, Neolithic and British imperial sites have been uncovered, the pair has also revealed in the past 19 years both mysterious man-made rock structures and "catastrophic" urban sprawl destroying and threatening sites across the kingdom.

Refugees fleeing wars in the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Syria have decimated Jordan's land and water resources over the past few decades, Kennedy said.

"I could see the archaeology was disappearing, and one of the things that's been quite shocking since then is to see that the process is accelerating," he said. "It's now at an almost catastrophic level."

Their photographs show the northern city of Jerash slowly enveloping Roman ruins there. Other photos show site after site bulldozed, roads cut through Nabatean temples and Roman forts, and a Neolithic cemetery ransacked by looters. An Umayyad palace visible one year ago is now gone, razed to make way for an olive orchard.

Destruction of antiquities is clear from the air, but so are 2,000 enormous man-made rock structures once known as "the works of the old men" in Jordan's bleak basalt desert.

Their 4,000-9,000-year old weathered stones blend into the rocky landscape, and lay camouflaged for millennia. Before the invention of flight, famous colonial travelers like Gertrude Bell walked right past them, Kennedy said.

"For all practical purposes they saw nothing," he said.

British pilots delivering mail between Cairo and Baghdad in the 1920s first noticed the structures starkly contrasting with the pale desert floor. Not knowing what they were, the pilots nicknamed them "kites" after crude children's drawings. World War II halted the photography, until Kennedy and Bewley soared over with Nikon cameras.

"Just by going up a few hundred feet, we could see that there were literally thousands of kites there," Kennedy said.

Roughly 4,500 "kites" of regional variety have since been found across the Fertile Crescent in Armenia, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, according to the Lyon-based Global Kites Project.

"My god it was just amazing what you cannot see on the ground," said Gary Rollefson, a professor emeritus at Whitman College who has worked in Jordan since 1978. "We could tell there were some humps over there, but the distribution or density of these things was just overwhelming."

Their peculiar geometry  pennants, circles and fans  drew archaeologists like Rollefson to dig in Jordan's barren eastern desert.

Rollefson has found oak, duckweed, cattails and tamarisk pollen in red mud at a Neolithic site called Wisad Pools. Other archaeologists have found animal bones. The discoveries have led archaeologists to reach a consensus, he said.

"There's no question, that place was a lot greener than it is today," Rollefson said. "There used to be a heck of a lot more water than there is today."

The evidence suggests the kites were massive hunting traps used to corral wild game in a much greener environment. People would drive herds between stone walls that would slowly narrow the running animals into dead-end pits six-feet deep.

"They become like a Safeway meat market," Rollefson said. "Just leave them down there until you want to eat them."

At first Kennedy wasn't allowed to fly when he began the Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East in 1978.

He spent 25 years collecting aerial photos and old maps before Google Earth made satellite images widespread.

The Aerial Archaeology in Jordan project took to the skies in 1997 when the head of the air force, Prince Faisal, brother to reigning King Abdullah II, authorized flights on Jordanian military helicopters. A decade later, Kennedy and Bewley increased the range and number of flights after receiving grants from the Packard Humanities Institute adding up to $2.5 million.

Bewley said the aerial perspective, even in an age of Google Earth, can inform and lead to new discoveries.

Andreas Zirbini, a research associate at Oxford University, has flown with the pair to photograph limestone outcroppings in northwestern Jordan outside the city of Irbid. These geological features are telltale signs of ancient agriculture.
Amanda Watkins, from left, sews alongside teacher Susan Kobesky, Linda Graham and Daisy Clemmons at the Monday night Sewing Social Club at Mulberry Silks and Fine Fabrics on Sept. 26, 2016 in Carrboro, N.C. Kobesky also holds pop-up sewing classes on Saturdays, that participants can register for that same week. (Liz Condo/Raleigh News & Observer/TNS)

SHARE Linda Graham sews a pair of pajama pants at the Monday night Sewing Social Club at Mulberry Silks and Fine Fabrics on Sept. 26, 2016 in Carrboro, N.C. (Liz Condo/Raleigh News & Observer/TNS) Sewing teacher Susan Kobesky, left, helps Corrie Biggers adjust a pattern at the Monday night Sewing Social Club at Mulberry Silks and Fine Fabrics on Sept. 26, 2016 in Carrboro, N.C. Kobesky has been teaching classes at the shop for 8 years. (Liz Condo/Raleigh News & Observer/TNS) Spools of thread are organized by color at Mulberry Silks and Fine Fabrics on Sept. 26, 2016 in Carrboro, N.C. (Liz Condo/Raleigh News & Observer/TNS)

By Debbe Geiger The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) (TNS)

RALEIGH, N.C.  While Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook may be to blame for the countless hours that people spend on their mobile devices, the social media networks are also inspiring a new generation of sewers to put down their phones and pick up a craft many learned from their mothers and grandmothers.

Newsfeed images of bags and garments made with patterns by hip, independent pattern makers like Colette Patterns and Grainline Studio, and gorgeous fabrics from contemporary designers like Cotton and Steel are eye candy to home sewers. Caroline Williams, a 32-year-old account director from Raleigh, avidly follows sewing bloggers to get a glimpse of whats coming next. I have a compulsion to want all the fabric and all the patterns even though Im never going to get to all of them.

Williams sews with a small group of women every Monday night at Mulberry Silks and Fine Fabrics in Carrboro, N.C. The women in her group, all in their early 30s and 40s, perfect their sewing techniques under the tutelage of Susan Kobesky, and find inspiration for their next projects from each other and through social media.

Linda Graham, a 33-year-old graphic designer from Chapel Hill, N.C., who is part of the Mulberry sewing group, said, If Im thinking about a pattern Ill look online to see it made up. Graham says she doesnt necessarily trust the picture she sees on the pattern envelope because they may have picked a weird fabric or shown it on a 10-foot-tall model. Its nice to see actual people who made the garment.

Kobeskys weekly social sewing clubs have waiting lists, however, a similar sense of community and inspiration can be found online.

Social media hashtags let followers find and share their sewn up versions of the latest patterns. Sewing bloggers offer tips on how to change a neckline or add a different sleeve, and feature the latest trends. Some bloggers are just enthusiastic home sewers who want to share what theyve made.

Its fun to show off projects and be inspired by the creations of others, said Alison Polish, president of the fabric company Spoonflower in Durham, N.C., whose start was inspired by a home sewer. Polish credits social media for helping the company build its business. Through sewing bloggers and social media networks, Spoonflower has shared its innovative design-your-own-fabric, printed patterns, and its expansion into other areas of the sewing business. The nature of social media engagement, Polish said, has definitely had an impact on why sewing has become more popular. Its easier than ever to take part in an international community of sewing and be passionate about it.

This isnt your grandmothers sewing experience.

Todays sewing machines are simpler to use. Automatic threaders, drop-in bobbins and machines that can sew a button hole with a touch of a button have eliminated many of the frustrations sewers once encountered.

How people buy fabric has changed as well. One of the countrys largest fabric stores, Hancock Fabrics, recently announced they were going out of business, in part because more people are buying fabric online from retailers like girlcharlee.com and moodfabrics.com.

While traditional tissue patterns are still popular, many companies now offer PDF versions that can be downloaded, printed at home and taped together. YouTube tutorials walk sewers through virtually every sewing technique. And, online platforms like Craftsy.com offer interactive video lessons.

Michelle Hunt of Garner, N.C., said monitoring sewing blogs is part of her daily routine. Its how I get my sewing social fix every day, Hunt said. Its part of my morning ritual to drink my coffee and catch up on blog posts and forum chatter. This is also how I pick up new techniques or equipment ideas.

Hunt credits social media for kick-starting her renewed interest in sewing her own clothes. The 39-year-old IT specialist learned to sew from her mom, but returned to the hobby in earnest a few years ago when she couldnt find dresses that fit her well in department stores. When I first started sewing again I was blown away by how active the online sewing community was and how encouraging it was to me, she said. Im not sure if I would have started sewing again if I hadnt been inspired by folks on the internet posting their sewing successes and failures. It really inspired me and gave me the courage to buy myself a sewing machine and just do it.



ONLINE SEWING RESOURCES

Online classes: Craftsy.com, sewing.patternreview.com and creativebug.com.

Free patterns and tutorials: Try Collete ( https://www.colettepatterns.com/catalog/sorbetto ) and Grainline Studio ( http://grainlinestudio.com/category/sewing-tutorials )

Free instructional videos: On YouTube from Sewing with Nancy ( http://bit.ly/2ds36gX ) and Professor Pincushion ( http://bit.ly/2cTtRVd )

Sewing bloggers: Find inspiration from bloggers including SewMamaSew.com, So-Sew-Easy.com and Charlotte, N.C.-based Thesewingloftblog.com.
SHARE Woman injecting emergency medicine into her leg. (Robert Byron/Dreamstime/TNS)

By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez Kaiser Health News (TNS)

As controversy about the pricing of EpiPens reverberates from Capitol Hill to school districts across the country, one recurring complaint from consumers is that the high cost is magnified because the drug expires quickly, forcing users to regularly bear the cost of replacing the medicine that saves lives in the event of a severe allergic reaction.

So what exactly determines its longevity? It turns out storage and distribution can play as important a role in the drugs shelf life as the chemical compounds.

The EpiPen works by injecting into the body the drug epinephrine. That causes a series of physiological changes, including tightening blood vessels and opening airways.

Epinephrine is a generic medication and not very costly, but the drug maker Mylan has a patent on the design of the auto injector that is the key element of the EpiPen. That injector allows users to administer the medication more quickly than other options on the market. Under that patent, the company has progressively raised the cost of the drug since 2007 to about $600 for a pack of two today.

Since the medicine generally expires every year, the cost to replace EpiPens adds up fairly quickly, especially for consumers who do not have insurance or have high-deductible plans in which they must spend money out of pocket before the coverage kicks in.

This is just a lifesaving medicine, said Robert Glatter, an emergency room physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. You cant let it expire.

Environment plays a role the in the EpiPens lifespan. The medicine can be stored in areas fluctuating between 59 and 86 degrees, but it should not be exposed to extreme heat or cold. Mylan also advises users to protect the drug from light and not store it in a glove compartment.

According to Julie Knell, director of specialty communications at Mylan, the EpiPen expires every 12 to 18 months, but that period includes the time it takes to distribute the product and reach the patients hands.

Glatter said that is similar to the time that hospitals keep vials of epinephrine in stock, too.

Aside from the active ingredient, the EpiPen solution also contains fillers needed to help stabilize the drug. These compounds also break down over time, affecting the drugs potency. Glatter said EpiPen users should look out for cloudiness or small pieces of matter in the liquid, as that indicates degradation.

Still, he pointed out that a study in 2000 found EpiPens can remain without apparent signs of deterioration for up to 90 months  seven and a half years  after the expiration date.

While he strongly discourages patients from allowing their EpiPens to expire, Glatter said using an expired one is better than none at all.

Theyre willing to take a chance, unfortunately, he said.

Glatter said hes seen a rise in people holding onto expired EpiPens because they cannot afford a new dose. And according on FDA standards, no other drug on the market is as effective.

Despite its dominance, consumers can purchase a cheaper alternative that contains the same medication: Adrenaclicks generic option. That product lasts 18 months  the maximum length of time for the EpiPen  and can withstand the same temperatures as its competitor. Both the generic and EpiPen auto-injectors are designed with a viewing window to check the solution for cloudiness and particle matter.

Unlike the EpiPen, the generic auto-injector requires the user to remove an endcap before injecting the epinephrine. The alternative also stands out from its brand name competitor with its price tag: $395 for a two-pack.

Under intense scrutiny, Mylan announced several initiatives to reduce the cost of EpiPens for its users. Among them is the release of their own generic version, which, according to the companys website, will be identical to their brand name drug at half the cost. In addition, the manufacturer will provide a direct-ship option, which allows consumers to buy the product directly from the company.

Mylans announcement drew sharp criticism last week at a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, with many members claiming the company would profit more from the generic drug than the brand name drug because it cut costs by eliminating the distributor. Mylan CEO Heather Bresch adamantly denied the accusations.

In addition, Bresch also announced the company is days away from submitting a proposal to the FDA for an EpiPen that expires every 24 months, double the shelf life of the current product.



KHNs coverage of prescription drug development, costs and pricing is supported in part by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
This 1910 photo shows a Syrian pastry counter in the Little Syria neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York. Little Syria was a neighborhood that existed between the 1880s and 1940s in Lower Manhattan and was composed of Arab-Americans, both Christians and Muslims, who arrived from what is now Syria and surrounding countries. (Bain News Service/Library of Congress via AP)

SHARE In this Sept. 30, 2016 photo, the former St. George's Syrian Catholic Church is seen in the financial district of New York in Manhattan. The church, which now houses two restaurants, was part of Little Syria, a neighborhood that existed between the 1880s and 1940s in Lower Manhattan and was composed of Arab-Americans, both Christians and Muslims, who arrived from what is now Syria and surrounding countries. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) This picture taken Oct. 1, 2016, shows part of the Najjar family's passport, Syrian migrants who came to the United States in 1920 and is displayed at the "Little Syria, N.Y. An Immigrant Community's Life and Legacy" exhibit at the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.. Little Syria was a neighborhood that existed between the 1880s and 1940s in Lower Manhattan and was composed of Arab-Americans, both Christians and Muslims, who arrived from what is now Syria and surrounding countries. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) In this picture taken Oct. 1, 2016, people take photos of Lower Manhattan where the Little Syria neighborhood was located, in New York. Little Syria was a neighborhood that existed between the 1880s and 1940s in Lower Manhattan and was composed of Arab-Americans, both Christians and Muslims, who arrived from what is now Syria and surrounding countries. Little Syria was a paradise and a poor slum, a way station and long-term destination. Its merchants introduced Middle Eastern food to many in the West. Its authors, poets and journalists told stories that bridged the cultures. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) In this picture taken Oct. 9, 2016, Linda Najjar, daughter of Esber Najjar who migrated from Damascus in 1920, poses for a picture with some of her family's inherited belongings in the Brooklyn borough of New York. There is a new exhibit titled "Little Syria, N.Y.: An Immigrant Community's Life and Legacy" at the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration in New York. . Little Syria was a neighborhood that existed between 1880s and 1940s in Lower Manhattan and was composed of Arab-Americans, both christians and muslims, who arrived from the Greater Syrian, Ottoman territory. Little Syria was a paradise and a poor slum, a way station and long-term destination. Its merchants introduced Middle Eastern food to many in the West. Its authors, poets and journalists told stories that bridged the cultures. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

By JEFF KAROUB, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP)  Shakifa Halal was a Syrian immigrant on a New York-bound ship, her dreams rolled up in a piece of embroidery made from silkworms she grew, fabric she wove and cloth dyed with flowers picked in her homeland.

"She rolled that up and brought it because she said she wanted to be able to prove that she had skills ... This to her was like showing a diploma," said Halal's granddaughter, Vicki Tamoush, her voice catching and tears streaming.

Halal's floral artwork, which she brought to America in 1910 at the tender age of 13, now hangs in the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, part of an exhibition called "Little Syria, N.Y.: An Immigrant Community's Life and Legacy."

Through documents, artifacts and photos, the exhibition tells the story of a Middle Eastern community that once flourished in Lower Manhattan. The show is on view through Jan. 9 in the building where some 12 million immigrants from around the world first set foot in America. And it documents the vanished neighborhood of Little Syria in ways that still resonate, at a time when Syrian refugees and immigrant rights are making headlines.

From the 1880s to the 1940s, Little Syria sprawled from the New York waterfront, where Ellis Island ferries dock today, up to the site where the twin towers were later built. It was a slum and a promised land, way station and destination. The neighborhood served as an incubator for other Arab enclaves, as residents moved on to build communities in Brooklyn, Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles and elsewhere. Shakifa Halal was among those who didn't stay long, moving on to join relatives in Oregon, then California. There she found work as a seamstress, likely using that treasured embroidery displayed at Ellis Island to get the job.

But others remained in Manhattan, creating a community in the early 1900s  also known as the Syrian Quarter or Syrian Colony  that was home to some 3,000 immigrants from the Syrian Ottoman Republic. Most of the neighborhood was torn down in the 1940s to make way for the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Just three original buildings survive on Washington Street, and today, the area's ethnic history is largely unknown, even to native New Yorkers. When a cornerstone of a Syrian Maronite church turned up in the rubble of the twin towers in 2002, it provided tangible proof that many Arabs once lived, worked and worshipped here.

"We didn't come out of a genie lamp," said Charlie Sahadi, whose family came from Lebanon to Little Syria in the late 1800s. They launched Sahadi Importing, one of many businesses that helped introduce Middle Eastern goods to consumers here. The Ellis Island exhibition features a 1920s-era picture of Sahadi's great uncle, Abrahim Sahadi, along with A. Sahadi & Co. tins and a 1930s ordering book. The Sahadi store moved to Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue in the 1940s, but remains a popular gourmet grocery to this day.

The Sahadi story resonates with Devon Akmon, a fourth-generation Arab American and director of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The museum created the Little Syria exhibition, which debuted at its facility in 2012.

"You have to honor, celebrate and commemorate who first came, then look at what's happening now," said Akmon, who attended the show's Ellis Island opening Oct. 1. "Arab Americans just became folded into the American narrative and lost in the history of New York City. We're trying to pull that back out."

Reclaiming stories is "essential," he said, as people flee war-torn Syria and amid anti-immigrant rhetoric on the campaign trail: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has proposed banning or strictly limiting Syrians and Muslims from entering the U.S. and many governors have sought to curb or change refugee resettlement.

Todd Fine, president of the Washington Street Historical Society, leads tours of the strip where the three structures from Little Syria survive: a tenement building, vacant community house and former Syrian Catholic church that now houses two restaurants. "Some people would say it's kind of miraculous that when everything else is destroyed ... these three little buildings (survive)," he said.

Fine's group and others seek to preserve the historic row, but only the church facade has secured protective landmark status from New York City officials. Meanwhile preservationists are pleased a monument soon will honor the community's literary legacy in a nearby park. Little Syria's writers included famed poet-philosopher Khalil Gibran. And Washington Street once housed offices for the influential "Al Hoda" Arabic newspaper.

Patricia Talisse, who emigrated in 2012 from the Syrian city of Aleppo, said the Ellis Island exhibition elicited tears as she saw the "common values and experiences" between then and now.

"We're here, and we have been for years," said Talisse, who hopes to create an online platform, "Speak to a Syrian," to counter bias and promote understanding.

Vicki Tamoush is grateful her grandmother's embroidery hangs where so many immigrants entered America. Yet she's pained by the reality facing so many fleeing Syria now.

"They're part of a continuum," Tamoush said. "They're not coming here because they want to, they're coming out of desperation. There but for the grace of God ... I could be that, but I'm not because she had that much courage at 13."

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Follow Jeff Karoub on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffkaroub . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/author/jeff-karoub .
In this April 8, 2016, photo provided by Breakthrough, Columbia University graduate student Savannah Badalich leads a Breakthrough Campus Catalyst Training with student activists at Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y., for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. When news broke that Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, had bragged of groping women, and then trivialized it as locker room talk, it felt to some students like a repudiation of their efforts. (Jacob Greenfield/Breakthrough via AP)

SHARE In this Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, photo, University of Richmond junior and sexual assault survivor, Whitney Ralston, speaks during an interview in Richmond, Va. Ralston, who says she was sexually assaulted by a classmate at the Richmond school, said Donald Trump's vulgar remarks that were caught on videotape and his that it was "locker room" talk normalizes violence against women. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) In this Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, photo, Greg Liautaud, a hockey player and senior at Connecticut College who interns at the college's sex assault prevention office, poses for a photo on the campus in New London, Conn. Students at Connecticut College are encouraged to speak up if they hear remarks celebrating or condoning sexual aggression against women. When news broke that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had bragged of groping women, and then trivialized it as "locker room talk," it felt to some students like a repudiation of their efforts. "It's shocking that someone of that status thinks that that's OK," said Liautaud. "It does make the work harder, because our goal here is to shift culture." (AP Photo/Michael Melia)

By MICHAEL MELIA and DAVID CRARY, Associated Press

NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP)  At Connecticut College, as at a growing number of campuses nationwide, students are encouraged to speak up if they hear remarks celebrating or condoning sexual aggression against women. In one training scenario, male students ask a peer if he really means it when he boasts of such conduct.

So when news broke that Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, had bragged of groping women and then trivialized it as "locker room talk," it felt to some students like a repudiation of their efforts.

"It's shocking that someone of that status thinks that that's OK," said Greg Liautaud, a senior who works with the college's sexual assault prevention office. "It does make the work harder, because our goal here is to shift culture."

Trump's caught-on-tape remarks about kissing women and grabbing their genitals are resonating deeply on campuses across the U.S. where sexual assault has been a long-standing problem. Many worried the comments, coupled with an apology that diminished their severity, could hinder efforts to educate youth when society too often brushes off abusive behavior as "boys being boys" or puts the blame on the victim.

At Connecticut College, the director of sexual violence prevention said the presidential contender's remarks likely would become fodder for small group discussions, as happened after a videotape surfaced of Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice hitting his fiancee.

"I hope that it doesn't set us back," Darcie Folsom said. "I hope it pushes us forward everywhere to know more work needs to be done."

The federal government, citing estimates that 1 in 5 women has been sexually assaulted while in college, has stepped up pressure on higher education institutions to improve their response to allegations of assault. More than 200 schools are under sexual violence investigations by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights ; noncompliance could lead to loss of federal funding.

Other institutions have faced lawsuits by women claiming officials were indifferent or hostile when complaints were lodged. The University of Connecticut, for example, settled for $1.3 million with five students, including one who alleged a campus police officer told her "women have to just stop spreading their legs like peanut butter" or rape will keep happening.

Stanford University professor Michelle Dauber said Trump's comments worsen the problem by serving to minimize sexual assault. Dauber is pushing a recall campaign of the judge who sentenced former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a woman outside a fraternity house  a penalty widely criticized as too lenient. Turner was released last month after serving half that time.

"The rage you are seeing from women is not solely or even principally directed at Trump," Dauber said. "It is at the institutions and leaders who are failing to take action and hold him accountable. ... Women are sick and tired. Enough is enough."

Alison Kiss, executive director of the Clery Center for Security On Campus, hopes that the outrage turns into a "teachable moment" that bolsters on-campus efforts to combat assault and support survivors. "Talking about it as no big deal can normalize the behavior. We have to create a culture where victims and survivors are comfortable coming forward, and on a lot of campuses that hasn't happened."

That issue resonates deeply with Savannah Badalich. She's a graduate student at Columbia University in New York, and works part time with other colleges to increase awareness about sexual assault. At those sessions, she shares her personal story about being sexually assaulted during her sophomore year at UCLA and being too timid to report the incident.

"If the potential president of the U.S. is saying this is OK, what's to say that sexual violence is going to be taken seriously and that survivors are going to be treated with any respect?" she said.

Whitney Ralston, a University of Richmond junior who says she was raped, physically abused and stalked by a classmate, has been heartened by the strong negative reaction to Trump's comments. "This is a problem that needs to be addressed, and you can't just keep brushing it off as boys will be boys."

Ralston's alleged attacker accepted responsibility for violating the university's sexual misconduct policy, was ordered to stay away from her and told that further violations would result in suspension or expulsion. Ralston has filed a complaint with the DOE accusing the university of mishandling the case. Federal investigators are already looking into two other cases at the school for possible violations of Title IX, a broad statute that prohibits gender discrimination as well as sexual harassment and gender-based violence.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is also under federal investigation for its alleged mishandling of sexual assaults on campus, and the Trump furor reverberated across the campus this week, as students and faculty prepared to mark Relationship Violence Awareness Month. A complaint filed in August with the DOE accuses school officials of discouraging one sex assault victim from going to the police and said school investigators failed to get photographs documenting her injuries.

Shira Malka Devorah, a 20-year-old senior who works at the UMBC Women's Center, has refrained from sharing Trump's comments on social media because she didn't want to upset assault survivors. But she was horrified by the candidate's comments, and even more so his justification that they were merely locker room banter.

"Saying that it's OK to talk about things like this with your buddies and joke about hurting women and controlling women's bodies, it's reinforcing the notion that you have power over women ... that they're not human beings," Devorah said.

At Connecticut College, which has about 1,900 students, efforts have grown in recent years to fight sexual assault. Freshmen attend a mandatory orientation session on preventing sexual violence, speakers address the topic at panels for prospective students, and some 30 student volunteers promote a program that encourages students to see it as a collective responsibility to stop sexual assault. One of the overall aims is to teach people how and when to intervene through videos, role-playing and other exercises.

Trump's remarks were on the minds of many students this week as guides led small groups on tours around the picturesque campus on the Thames River.

"It undermines the progress that we've made," said junior Maggie Corey. "I think what he said only perpetuates the rape culture."

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Associated Press writers Juliet Linderman in Baltimore, Alanna Durkin Richer in Richmond, Virginia, and Paul Elias in San Francisco contributed to this report. Crary reported from New York.
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By The Associated Press

Samsung expanded its recall of its hazardous Galaxy Note7 phones after it received additional reports of overheating that can lead to fires or an explosion. Other recalled consumer products this week include bicycles and strollers.

Here's a more detailed look:

SMARTPHONES

DETAILS: All Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones. This updated recall involves all Galaxy Note7 devices received as replacements as part of the previous Galaxy Note7 recall on Sept. 15, 2016 and any Galaxy Note 7 with a green battery icon, regardless of date purchased or IMEI. They were sold at wireless carriers and electronic stores nationwide, including AT&T, Best Buy, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon stores, online at www.samsung.com and other websites and on third party websites from August 2016 through October 2016.

WHY: The lithium-ion battery in the Galaxy Note7 smartphones can overheat and catch fire, posing serious fire and burn hazard to consumers.

INCIDENT: 96 reports of batteries in Note7 phones overheating in the U.S., including 23 new reports since the September 15 recall announcement. Samsung has received 13 reports of burns and 47 reports of property damage associated with Note7 phones.

HOW MANY: About 1.9 million, including the 1 million phones recalled on September 15, 2016.

FOR MORE: Contact your wireless carrier, place of purchase or call Samsung at 844-365-6197 anytime, or visit http://www.samsung.com

BICYCLES

DETAILS: 2016 Specialized S-Works Venge Vias and Venge Pro Vias road bicycles. An S-works or Specialized decal can be found on the downtube. They were sold at authorized specialized retailers from July 2015 through September 2016.

WHY: The bicycle's rear wheel can come out of the dropout causing fractures in the rear triangle and presenting an injury hazard to riders.

INCIDENT: Seven reports of fractures in the bicycle's rear triangle, including one report of a rider suffering a minor injury.

HOW MANY: About 1,000.

FOR MORE: Call Specialized at 800-722-4423 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or visit www.specialized.com on Safety Notices for more information.

STROLLERS

DETAILS: Mamas & Papas' Armadillo Flip and Armadillo Flip XT strollers. All models are folding, single-occupant infant strollers. Recalled items can be identified by their lot number, which is the month and year of manufacture. Lot numbers ranges for recalled Armadillo Flip strollers are 00814 through 00416 (August 2014 through April 2016). Lot number ranges for the Flip XT are 01214 through 00416 (December 2014 through April 2016). The lot number is printed on the sewn-in label on the stroller. They were sold at Albee Baby, Babies `R' Us, Buy Buy Baby and other stores nationwide and at www.mamasandpapas.com and www.Amazon.com from December 2014 through July 2016.

WHY: A loose latch on the stroller can cause the seat to tip back unexpectedly when infant is in the parent-facing position, posing the risk of a fall to infants.

INCIDENT: 10 reports of seats tipping back. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 3,000.

FOR MORE: Call Mamas & Papas at 800-309-6312 anytime or visit www.mamasandpapas.com/us and click on Recall Notice for more information.

EDUCATIONAL LIGHT CUBES

DETAILS: Roylco Educational Light Cubes with model number R59601. The model number is located on the user guide included with the light cube. The cube is primarily used for creative learning involving light in the early childhood classroom. They were sold to educational dealers and distributors nationwide, including Beyond Play, Charles J. Becker, Excelligence, Hatch and Kaplan from December 2013 through April 2016.

WHY: The light cube's lithium polymer battery can overheat and catch fire, posing a fire hazard.

INCIDENT: Three reports of the light cube battery overheating and catching fire. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 1,400.

FOR MORE: Call Roylco at 800-362-8656 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit www.roylcostore.com and click on "Product Recall" for more information.

BABY CARRIERS

DETAILS: Chimparoo brand Trek baby carriers that allow the user to carry a baby tummy to tummy, on the hip or on the back. "Chimparoo" is printed on the upper right hand corner of the carrier. "Trek" is embroidered on the belt. They were sold at Children's boutique stores, such as Granola Babies, of Costa Mesa, Calif., Eat/Sleep/Play, of Summerville, SC and Top to Bottom, of Omaha, Neb. and at www.Amazon.com and www.Chimaparoo.ca from May 2016 through July 2016.

WHY: The carriers' side strap can loosen unexpectedly from the buckle, posing a fall hazard to the child in the carrier.

INCIDENT: One report of a strap loosening unexpectedly from the carrier's side buckle. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 130 in the U.S. and about 1,000 in Canada.

FOR MORE: Call Chimparoo at 855-289-5343 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, send email to safety(at)Chimparoo.com or visit www.Chimparoo.ca/en/recall and click on "Product Recall" at the bottom of the page.

BARSTOOLS

DETAILS: LF Products Sawyer swivel barstools sold in black, white, distressed blue, and dark brown and sold at Bed Bath & Beyond stores nationwide and online at bedbathandbeyond.com from May 2012 through March 2016. "LF Products" is printed on a label affixed to the barstool.

WHY: Screws on the barstools can loosen, posing a fall hazard to the user.

INCIDENT: 15 reports of loosened hardware resulting in four reports of fall injuries.

HOW MANY: About 108,000 in the U.S. and about 6,200 units in Canada.

FOR MORE: Call Bed Bath & Beyond at 800-462-3966 anytime or visit www.bedbathandbeyond.com and click on "Product Recall Information" for more information.
FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013 file photo, handguns are displayed on a vendor's table at an annual gun show in Albany, N.Y. In an Associated Press USA TODAY Network investigation into accidental shootings involving children from Jan. 1, 2014, to June 30, 2016, more than 320 minors and more than 30 adults were fatally shot. (AP Photo/Philip Kamrass)

By The Associated Press

The Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network combined forces to investigate accidental shootings involving children, researching more than 1,000 incidents over a 2-year span. In all, those shootings claimed the lives of more than 320 minors and more than 30 adults.

The investigation used information collected by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan research group, news reports and public sources. It analyzed the circumstances of every death and injury from accidental shootings involving children ages 17 and younger from Jan. 1, 2014, to June 30 of this year  more than 1,000 incidents in all.

Among the findings:

Fatal accidental shootings occur more often than the federal government tracks. In 2014, the last year for which statistics were available, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 74 unintentional firearms deaths of children. The AP and USA Today Network found 113 such deaths the same year, suggesting the federal government missed a third of the cases.

Deaths and injuries spike for children under age 5, with 3-year-olds the most common shooters and victims among young children. Nearly 90 3-year-olds were killed or injured in the shootings, the vast majority of which were self-inflicted.

Accidental shootings spike again at ages 15-17, when victims are most often fatally shot by other children but typically survive self-inflicted gunshots.

The shootings most often happen at the children's homes with handguns legally owned by adults for self-protection; hunting accidents are far less common.

The shootings are more likely to occur on weekends or around holidays such as Christmas.

As a region, the Deep South has rates of accidental shootings involving minors far above the national rate. Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia are among the top 10 states with the highest rates.
FILE - In this Sep. 26, 2016 file photo, supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gather before a presidential debate between her and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Shes the countrys most famous working mother. For forty years, a woman at the center of countless conversations about gender and politics. Even her pantsuits have been debated for decades. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

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By LISA LERER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  Hillary Clinton is the country's most famous working mother. For 40 years, she's been at the center of countless conversations about gender and politics. Even her pantsuits have been debated for decades.

With her at the top of the Democratic ticket, gender was always going to be an inescapable part of the presidential race.

Still, no one expected this.

In its final weeks, the 2016 campaign is awash in charges and countercharges of assault and groping, sexist slurs and graphic language.

Several women have accused Republican nominee Donald Trump of sexual misconduct and assault. The New York billionaire, meanwhile, has argued that Clinton "viciously" ''attacked" the women who said her husband, former President Bill Clinton, committed rape and sexual impropriety.

Trump supporters commonly wear T-shirts with slogans such as "Hillary sucks but not like Monica" and "Trump that Bitch." At several Clinton rallies this past week, hecklers interrupted her speeches with shouts of "Bill Clinton is a rapist."

Trump ended the week by pantomiming the descriptions of his alleged assaults, mimicking pawing at a women's chest and reaching under a skirt.

It's an election, Clinton said, that "makes you want to unplug the internet or just look at cat gifs."

Her longtime supporters see the White House as nearly within their grasp. But the nasty tone of the contest has tempered their joy at shattering what Clinton once called the "highest and hardest glass ceiling."

"It distracts from it enormously. Who ever dreamt this would be the way this campaign would turn out," said Cynthia Friedman, who co-founded a Democratic National Committee effort to support women in politics with some help from Clinton in 1993. "Watching Hillary at the debate, I actually got almost physically sick to see somebody abused and spoken too so rudely to their face."

Advocates worry that Trump's impact goes beyond Clinton, and potentially could undo decades of progress on issues such as sexism and sexual assault by normalizing violence against women.

"Would there have been sexist mudslinging? Absolutely. But not like this," said Nita Chaudhary, a founder of the women's advocacy group UltraViolet. "We've made progress on rape culture and on sexism in the last two years ago. It feels like the Trump candidacy is undoing all of that."

Some Republicans are equally dismayed, seeing Trump as a force that will alienate women from their party for years to come as polls indicate the political gender gap has reached historic levels.

This weekend, Clinton's campaign is trying to capitalize on that divide, with events focused on contacting female voters, including Republicans.

"If Donald Trump had set as his mission the destruction of the Republican Party, it's hard to imagine what he'd be doing differently," said Sarah Isgur Flores, a Republican strategist and former deputy campaign manager to presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina. "It will be an uphill battle to win back all of the voters Trump is losing in this scorched earth campaign."

From the moment Clinton began plotting her first run for president, her advisers debated how she should handle her gender. In 2008, Clinton largely ignored her history-breaking potential and focused on her experience, concerned about research showing resistance among voters to a female president.

More than a year before she officially announced her second run, Clinton's future campaign manager Robby Mook wrote in an email, "Running on her gender would be the SAME mistake as 2008, ie having a message at odds with what voters ultimately want. Injecting gender makes her candidacy about HER and not the voters and making their lives better."

Replied future campaign chairman John Podesta, "Gender will be a field and volunteer motivate but won't close the deal."

Podesta and Mook discussed the matter in a 2014 email exchange made public this past week by the WikiLeaks organization following the hack of Podesta's emails. Clinton's campaign has blamed the hack on Russia.

Clinton's gender did become a part of her 2016 campaign message, with references to her roles as a mother and grandmother becoming a mainstay of her stump speech.

"I realize I might not be the youngest candidate in this race," she'd often say during her primary campaign. "But with your help, I will be the youngest woman president."

That message has been largely replaced by a broader pledge to be a president for all Americans, even those who do not support her candidacy. Aware of Clinton's own unpopularity, her campaign is focused on giving voters a reason to back her, focusing on her policies and credentials.

"It's been a high wire act for some time," said Ann Lewis, a longtime Clinton adviser. "You have to deal with what's happening, but this can't take over the presidential campaign."

While Clinton may be able to ignore Trump's taunts, voters have not. The negative tone of the campaign has exasperated deep national divides, prompting anxiety across political lines about how Clinton and congressional Republicans can unite the country should she win the White House.

"I don't know how long it's going to take us to recover from this," said Mary Deutmeyer, 70, a retired teacher from Iowa who cast her ballot early for Clinton on Wednesday. "It's almost like walking in the gutter."

That's not a concern to Trump supporters such as Shelli Simontacchi, who attended a Trump rally Friday night in North Carolina. She stressed she didn't condone or even like Trump's language about women, but argued there are "bigger issues at stake."

"It doesn't mean you're against women if you vote for Trump," she said.

___

Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey in Des Moines, Iowa, and Jill Colvin in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Lisa Lerer on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/llerer
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By Roy K. Robb

Recently, I spent a few days at Shannon Hospital, and as I lay there, I could not help but think of the wonderful and caring service I was receiving. I also noticed how similar, yet different, their service is compared to what we provide at West Texas Boys Ranch.

Please bear with me as I share some of my observations of those days in the hospital and what I see every day at the boy's ranch.

The first resemblance I observed was the care the doctors showed and their expediency to solve the issue I was facing. Likewise, when we see a young boy at the boys ranch and decide to admit him, we immediately start the process of working out a plan to help that boy.

The goal is to make him emotionally, mentally and physically stronger as he grows and matures.

During my unexpected role as a patient, I often did not understand what to anticipate. I could only focus on my symptoms and my fear of the worst possible outcome.

During my stay, I interacted with many physicians, nurses and other team members  specialists, imaging technicians, transporters, etc.

I would be remise if I did not mention the volunteers who visit the patients and makes them comfortable with magazines and newspapers. All of my particular providers were very compassionate and spent a great deal of time attending to my needs and explaining in layman language what was going on.

When a young man is admitted to West Texas Boys Ranch, his cottage parents spend time interacting with him and explaining what he can expect to experience.

Although we are not a hospital, there are many similarities because we are working hard to make a young man whole.

Fortunately, as my time progressed my condition improved and I was ultimately discharged from the hospital. My physicians and nurses spent time before the discharge making sure that I understood what had happened to me and what the next steps would be.

When a boy comes to West Texas Boys Ranch we ask for a one year commitment. We start immediately working toward the time when that boy will be discharged, similar to the hospital staff thoroughly briefing me on what to expect. Unlike many child care facilities, we want to make sure the young men get a good start in life and follow up with them for a period of time while he transitions back into society.

My caregivers were dedicated and wanted only the best outcome for me and my family. Again, the comparisons between the hospital and West Texas Boys Ranch are similar in that we at the ranch are dealing with  a young man that is moldable in his thought process and introducing him to a completely different way of life than he was accustomed to.

We are using the skills we have acquired through 69 years of working with boys to facilitate that change.

The hospital and its staff are treating the physical ailments of its patients and working to make them whole again. So, although going to the hospital was not what I wanted to do, I needed to be under the care of professional people who had prepared themselves to deal with sickness to cure and facilitate my release from the hospital.

Most importantly make me whole again! The staff at West Texas Boys Ranch is working with the boys seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to make possible the return of a young man to society that will contribute and be a good citizen. Yes, in my opinion there are many similarities between my hospital stay and what we are trying to do at West Texas Boys Ranch.

Roy K. Robb is the WTBR liaison. He can be reached at r.robb@wtbr.org.
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By John C. Moritz USA Today Network Austin Bureau

AUSTIN  A couple of radar-screen blips last week suggest that Texas' historically low voter turnout might tick upward, even slightly, during the freewheeling 2016 election cycle.

First, the secretary of state's office released figures showing that Texas topped the 15 million mark in registered voters for the first time. And it's not just because the state's population is growing. The figures that came out Thursday afternoon noted that not only is the raw number up, but so is the percentage of voting age Texans adding their names to the registration rolls, from 75 percent during the 2012 presidential election cycle to 78 percent now.

Then later Thursday, a new poll from the Dallas-Fort Worth TV station WFAA showed the presidential horse race tightening to 4 percentage points. Earlier polls showed the difference in the Texas contest between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 6- to 9-point range in the GOP candidate's favor.

Among the theories about why Texas is always near the bottom when it comes to turnout is that the state has been reliably Republican dating back to the Reagan era. And locally, state House and congressional districts, with a handful of exceptions, tend to be drawn to favor one party or the other.

So, in essence, many would-be voters simply tune out believing the outcomes up and down the ballot are predetermined regardless of their participation. That goes for those who tend to agree with the side likely to win and for those who tend to agree with the side likely to lose.

The spike in registration  some 777,000 new names on the rolls just since March and a 1.5 million since 2012  seems to indicate heightened interest, probably generated by the names at the top of the ballot because those are the ones getting most of the attention.

Assuming the tightening polls help push Texans to the ballot box, either during the early voting period from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4 or Nov. 8 on Election Day, on the assumption that their votes will actually matter for the top of the ticket, a reverberating effect could be felt down ballot.

And that could shape the outcomes of at least some state House races and races at the county level. So, there's something to consider if you're looking a reason to cast your vote this year.

Meanwhile at the government-policy level, Texas' top leaders last week showed increasing frustration with the quality of care neglected and abused children under the state's supervision are receiving. This after the state agency responsible released statistics showing that as many as 1,000 children in foster care hadn't been checked on in six months or more and that 1,800 at-risk youngsters had to wait more than 24 hours before reports of mistreatment were checked out.

"We also will not tolerate inferior residential foster care operations," Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus said in a letter to the agency. "The state's residential providers must be held to the highest standards while caring for our most vulnerable or no longer operate in our system."

The Big 3, as they are known around the Capitol, instructed the agency to develop a plan to hire and train more caseworkers so that they can eliminate the backlog. This issue will be a driver when lawmakers in January start developing spending priorities for the 2017-18 state budget. Stay tuned.

On another matter that could cost the state some money, but not near as much as fixing the child-protection safety net, Patrick last week outlined a plan to outfit the nearly 60,000 Texas patrol officers with body armor that can withstand high-caliber bullets.

Patrick, whose proposal would cost the state around $20 million, noted that three of the Dallas officers killed by sniper fire this summer were wearing vests that were unable to stop the rounds that took their lives.

Coming up this week at the Capitol, the House-Senate Border Security Committee will hear a status report on the 2015 legislation that authorized more DPS troopers be hired to patrol South Texas and to increase criminal penalties for human smuggling.

The $310 million legislation was among Abbott's top priorities during his first legislative session as governor.

The committee hearing starts at 11 a.m. Tuesday. We'll have a full report after it's over. And it will be streamed live. The link will be available at www.senate.state.tx.us.

Twitter: @JohnnieMo
Contributed photo/Texas Civil Air Patrol State Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, wants to create a network of underground reservoirs to collect water during wet times, such as when Rosenberg flooded in June, for use during droughts.

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Network of underground reservoirs eyed

By Marty Schladen, USA TODAY Network Austin Bureau

AUSTIN  Drought-prone Texas missed an opportunity in 2015 and 2016 when one of the strongest El Ninos on record deluged the state, sending trillions of gallons more than normal into the sea, an influential state lawmaker said last week.

Now, with the state apparently headed into a dry La Nina cycle, Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, is preparing legislation that he says could "drought-proof" a rapidly growing Texas in the coming decades.

The idea is to build a network of underground reservoirs to capture excess water as it rushes down Texas rivers, instead of allowing it to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Eventually, Larson hopes, the reservoirs would be able to hold enough water to get Texas through a seven-year drought.

"It's like the Strategic Petroleum Reserve," Larson said, referring to massive federal stores of crude oil meant to guard against supply crises such as those that occurred in the 1970s. "The crisis in Texas is called a drought."

Because a bill has not yet been drafted, the cost for such a project has not been determined. The Legislature next year faces a tight budget cycle because of dwindling oil and gas revenue. Texas leaders have asked most state agencies to submit proposed budgets for the 2017-2018 biennium that include 4 percent cuts in state funding.

The underground reservoirs that Larson is proposing are called "aquifer storage and recovery" facilities. Some already exist in El Paso, San Antonio and Kerrville. The Texas Water Development Board has provided grants for similar pilot projects in Corpus Christi and Victoria.

"If you can save tens of millions of acre-feet a year, it will change the water paradigm," Larson said, referring to the amount of water needed to cover an acre a foot deep  325,851 gallons. "You can drought-proof your state."

However, some water managers and environmentalists say that underground storage should not be viewed as a magic bullet.

In prepared notes for a legislative hearing on Thursday, Ken W. Kramer, water resources chairman of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, acknowledged that Larson's plan to store water underground would avoid evaporative losses, saying such storage "should be strongly considered for major storage of water." However, Kramer said, any plan must be careful to protect "environmental flows"  the share of water needed to support the ecosystem in and around Texas waterways.

In his 1986 classic "Cadillac Desert," Marc Reisner wrote about how the Colorado River had been so dammed up and its water so over-appropriated that since 1969, the river very rarely reached the Gulf of California, causing massive environmental damage.

Larson agreed that it's important to protect such environmental flows. He said his proposal is to capture water that exceeds the needs of humans and the ecosystem.

Water exists in a fixed amount on Earth, but the problem for water managers is getting it to the places it's needed, when it's needed and in the amounts that are needed.

In Texas a devastating drought that peaked in 2011 was followed by the powerful 2015-2016 El Nino that seemed to end this spring, but not before it caused numerous severe floods.

The Texas Water Development Board reports that from the beginning of 2015 through the end of September 2016, 119 million acre-feet of water ran from Texas rivers into the Gulf of Mexico. On an annualized basis, that's 70 percent more than in the normal year, when 40.2 million acre-feet flow into the Gulf.

The water development board estimates that in the average year, about 7.3 million acre-feet of surface water evaporates. That's roughly half the amount consumed in Texas by humans in a given year, according to water development board statistics.
File photo

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By John C. Moritz, USA TODAY Austin Bureau

AUSTIN  U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey didn't have to look far for inspiration when he decided to sue the state of Texas over its controversial law requiring voters to show a state-sanctioned photo identification before being allowed to cast a ballot.

"I think of my grandmother," said Veasey, a Fort Worth Democrat who served eight years in the Texas House before being elected to Congress in 2012. "She's 104 and doesn't have a valid driver's license. She could very well be one of people who is denied the right to vote because of the voter ID law. I don't want my grandmother or anybody's grandmother being denied their right to vote."

The lawsuit filed by Veasey and other plaintiffs, and later joined by the U.S. Justice Department, resulted in U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, of Corpus Christi, ruling that the measure enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2011 "has an impermissible discriminatory effect against Hispanics and African-Americans, and was imposed with an unconstitutional discriminatory purpose."

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this summer upheld Ramos' ruling but did not strike down the law completely. Instead, it said that provisions must be made to ensure that eligible voters who lacked any of the specific forms of ID spelled out in the Texas law are still able to cast ballots in the upcoming election.

The voter ID push, which was started in earnest by the Legislature about a decade ago, comes as Texas continues to see steady declines in voter turnout. A survey of all of the states and District of Columbia conducted after the 2012 elections by nonprofit.org showed that Texas ranked 48th in voter participation. In 2008 the state was 47th.

The Secretary of State's Office, which oversees elections in Texas, already had plans to launch a $2.5 million voter-education effort to boost turnout, and it contracted with the international public relations firm Burson-Marsteller for a multifaceted campaign to spread the word via public appearances, news releases, paid advertising and an aggressive social media push.

A central part of the effort, which officially launched in early September, is to make sure voters who are unable to obtain one of the approved forms of ID understand the required process for voting without an ID, now that the courts have acted.

But before the campaign was even fully off the ground, the Justice Department and other plaintiffs went back to Ramos' courtroom, saying the state's effort to educate voters was insufficient and even misleading.

In September, Ramos agreed and ordered the state republish news releases and other promotional material and ordered the state to allow federal authorities to review any reworked material.

The state has filed numerous appeals in the voter ID case that was initially filed three years ago, and on Sept. 23, Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the law as it was enacted, though he acknowledged that the move would not affect the Nov. 8 elections.

But through all the legal maneuvering, Secretary of State Carlos Cascos said he is trying to stay away from the political entanglements that have been associated with voter ID since lawmakers began pushing the issue a decade ago.

"I'll punt that to the Legislature," Cascos said several times when asked at a voter-education appearance at the University of Texas at Austin about how Texas' voter ID law came into being.

He quickly shifted the conversation to the larger matter of encouraging all Texans to vote regardless of any obstacle, whether it's securing identification or overcoming apathy.

Since his appearance in Austin, has made similar pitches before audiences in Corpus Christi, Houston, El Paso, San Angelo, Dallas-Fort Worth and other areas. More trips are planned, his office said.

VOTER ID

The seven approved forms of Voter ID:

Texas driver license

Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS

Texas personal identification card issued by DPS

Texas license to carry a handgun issued by DPS

U.S. military identification card containing the persons photo

U.S. citizenship certificate containing the persons photograph

U.S. passport

The IDs are still valid for voting up to four years after the expiration date.

Source: VoteTexas.gov

For those without approve forms of Voter ID:

Valid voter registration certificate

Certified birth certificate (must be an original)

Copy of or original current utility bill

Copy of or original bank statement

Copy of or original government check

Copy of or original paycheck

Copy of or original government document with your name and an address (original required if it contains a photograph)

After presenting a supporting form of ID, the voter must execute a Reasonable Impediment Declaration.

ON TOUR

Heres a list of cities visited by Secretary of State Carlos Cascos on his 2016 voter education tour:

Abilene

Amarillo

Austin

Corpus Christi

Canyon

Dallas (at the State Fair)

El Paso

Fort Worth

Houston

Karnes City

Lubbock

Odessa

San Angelo

San Antonio

Tyler

Wichita Falls
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WASHINGTON  In the interest of fairness, I wish to raise an issue on which Donald Trump has been consistently and resoundingly right: The Republican Party is utterly pathetic.

During a decade of commentary, and in a career of government service before that, I have often argued that the GOP is better than its liberal stereotypes. It is a case I can no longer make, at least when it comes to presidential politics.

The Trump ascendancy is the triumph of anti-reason  of birtherism, of vaccine denialism, of suggestions that Justice Antonin Scalia was smothered with a pillow and that Hillary Clinton may have been involved in the death of Vince Foster.

It is the triumph of nativism  of a political appeal based on hatred against migrants and Muslims. It is the triumph of white nationalism, which has moved inward from the fringes of Republican politics. It is the triumph of misogyny, demonstrated with words that require a disinfectant shower after hearing.

It is the triumph of authoritarian impulses. Since the Constitution is "broken," argues Maine Gov. Paul LePage, "we need a Donald Trump to show some authoritarian power in our country."

Trump has made the party a laughingstock among the young, a toxic brand among minorities, an offense to many women, a source of worry among American allies and alarm among national security professionals. And this was before Trump pronounced himself unshackled from the style-cramping expectations of his establishment Republican captors.

The main use of his newly found freedom has been to attack GOP leaders. Speaker Paul Ryan has written "bad budgets." In what way? They were "very, very bad budgets," Trump elucidated. He "wouldn't want to be in a foxhole" with Sen. John McCain  which presumably was the point of his five Vietnam deferments.

Steve Bannon, the CEO of Trump's campaign, once said, "What we need to do is bitch-slap the Republican Party." The lift, it might be said, of a driving dream.

And how has the object of this contempt responded? It is supine. It is docile. It licks the hand that beats it.

Trump can hardly maintain, for even five minutes, the pose of apology for predatory and abusive language against women before dismissing it as "salty language" or the equivalent of a "sneeze." Yet Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus calls his apology "heartfelt," a description he must know to be false.

And running-mate Mike Pence goes further, urging evangelicals to accept Trump's "apology" because they are required to believe in "grace and forgiveness." Pence is seeking theological cover for cruelty and political cynicism. This is nigh to blasphemy.

There is also a group of Republicans who unendorsed Trump after the most recent taped evidence of misogyny, only to withdraw their unendorsements under pressure. It is hard to secure scientific proof of a politician betraying his or her conscience for political reasons, but this comes pretty close.

And the position of Ryan  refusing to defend Trump any damn longer but not unendorsing him  is not much better. His transparent disgust for Trump has become a self-indictment.

This much is clear: Republican leaders offered no effective resistance to the ideological and political demolition of their party. Which may, in the worst case, give George W. Bush the distinction of being the last Republican president.

Trump, it appears, has ceased to seriously pursue that office, using American democracy to work out his inner demons or perhaps to position his brand. And he  employing conspiracy theories and rented spokesmen  may well take the country down a postelection rabbit hole by questioning the legitimacy of what he is already calling a "rigged system" and "a total fix job."

But assuming Trump is one of American history's biggest losers  his direction, though not yet his destiny  it will be more difficult for him to make the charge of loserhood against others. And his conspiratorial, self-serving attacks on our constitutional order may seem like spraying graffiti on the Lincoln Memorial.

Massive electoral repudiation might speak a language that Republican leaders finally understand, after proving themselves unable to learn the strange tongues of conviction and courage. Maybe they will even be ashamed of themselves, as they should be.

This would set the stage for the recovery of a hopeful center-right conservatism that sees politics as something nobler than scalp-hunting  a politics that begins with gratitude for our national blessings and views America's flaws and failures as occasions for common purpose. This task, however, will start from scratch. A building on a ruin.

Michael Gerson is a Washington Post columnist. Contact him at michaelgerson@washpost.com.
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The following editorial was written by Bloomberg View editors:

Hillary Clinton already had an elaborate plan for tax reform. This week she added to it, again. She now wants to double, to $2,000, the tax credit granted to parents of young children, and to make it "refundable," meaning that cash would be paid even to parents who owe little or no tax.

As it stands, there's lot to be said for this idea. The rest of Clinton's tax plan contains some good ideas, too. The problem, though, is a surfeit of ideas of every kind  good, bad and indifferent. What the U.S. tax code needs most is simplification. That, it seems, is not among the candidate's tax-reform priorities.

A refundable tax credit for low-income families is a fairly expensive proposal: It would cost on the order of $200 billion over 10 years. Yet it's a cost-effective measure, because it's well-targeted. (The child-care deduction suggested by Donald Trump isn't refundable, so it's worth most to the families that need it least.) The plan also has bipartisan appeal: Marco Rubio suggested something similar during his presidential campaign.

Tax reform, though, shouldn't be judged piece by piece. That's how years of incremental change have yielded an insanely complex system. A wide-ranging scheme of reform, such as Clinton's, affords the opportunity to smooth out unforeseen incentives and unintended spikes in effective tax rates  economic signals that send effort and investment in the wrong direction. She's missed that opportunity.

Granted, Clinton's approach is straightforward: She aims to raise taxes on the rich, leave taxes on middle-income households broadly unchanged, and give new help to low-income families. The simple way to do that would be to raise marginal income-tax rates for those on higher incomes and convert deductions into credits that deliver the same relief, in dollar terms, regardless of income.

Instead, the Clinton plan gives the code new layers, akin to the alternative minimum tax  namely, a 30 percent minimum for taxpayers earning more than $1 million a year (the so-called Buffett Rule) plus a new 4 percent surcharge for those making more than $5 million.

Her plan (like Trump's) also proposes to close the notorious carried-interest loophole, which lets some rich taxpayers classify income as capital gains, taxed at lower rates. That's good  a simplification, as well as being fairer. Unfortunately, she also wants to add new bands to the capital-gains tax schedule (the longer the holding period, the lower the rate). This introduces new complications.

Clinton's approach to corporate-tax reform is no simpler. Lower rates and a broader base would discourage tax evasion and strengthen incentives to invest for sound economic reasons. Instead, her plan leaves the basic flaws of high rates and a narrow base unmended, and proposes a battery of new rules to curb abuses. The error is obvious, and the current code proves it: Complexities are opportunities to game the system. Simplicity is desirable in itself, but it also serves the purposes of fairness and compliance.

Clinton's goals of relieving poverty, making the tax code somewhat more progressive and reducing evasion are commendable. But those aims are better achieved by making the tax code less complicated, not more.
HOH has hosted 15 fellowship cohorts in seven locations since January 2015

Approximately 400 fellows have participated in the program

Average class size is 20 fellows

National average placement rate is 80 percent

National average salaries from the program is $70,000

HOH works with over 125 companies nationally

I was recently asked to speak to a very special group of talented people who were selected to take part in a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Fellowship program called " Hiring Our Heroes " in Fort Carson, Colo. I was truly honored to participate, and my presentation on opportunities in the cybersecurity industry and security career opportunities was this past week.I first learned about this special program from my talented nephew, Jason Lohrmann, who is himself transitioning from military to civilian life. Once I researched the organization, I was inspired by the group, their passion, their great questions and the overall program.As I was preparing for my presentation, which I will describe later in this blog, I learned quite a bit about this great program from Lindsay L. Teplesky, program manager for the Hiring our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program in Fort Carson, Colo.Heres my interview with Lindsay:The Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program provides transitioning service members with management training and hands-on experience in the civilian workforce, expanding corporate America's understanding of the veteran job market and preparing transitioning service members for smooth transitions into civilian careers.We match active-duty service members as fellows with participating companies based on the skills and preferences of both parties. Most fellows are senior enlisted service members or junior officers who are transitioning into the civilian workforce within the next six months. Our 12-week program is hosted by military installations across the country.Each installation typically hosts two to three cohorts of 15-30 fellows per year.The map of all of our participating sites can be found at our website: https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/corporate-fellowship-program-0 Hiring Our Heroes invites industry experts to impart their wisdom to military veterans with eight to 30 years in the military and is now venturing in to the unchartered waters of corporate/civilian America. Some of the topics covered include: "Leveraging Your LinkedIn Page," "Personal Branding and Networking," and "The Value of Certifications" (e.g., PMP).Participants take classes, gain certifications, practice interviewing, strengthen their resumes, work in various professional roles with program participating public and private sector organizations and much more.We greatly appreciated your presentation on the cybersecurity industry, current job opportunities and future cybertrends. I really appreciated that your presentation was able to resonate with our cyberfolks while still being applicable to those of us who do not have a computer science background.On our Hireourheroes.org website there are FAQs and an application for employers who are interested in finding out more about participating in the program.The requirements are pretty simple for host companies  companies must have the ability to train fellows Monday through Wednesday in management-level positions or equivalent professional opportunities; must be located within 75 miles of the participation installation; must offer training in positions typically requiring a bachelors degree or equivalent experience; and must be willing to interview fellows for management or comparable salary level, and/or willing to refer and assist fellows in finding jobs elsewhere in their network.Our host companies include large corporations such as Amazon, Starbucks, Cintas and Comcast as well as smaller, local businesses such as Braxton Technologies, Tech Wise, and the Broadmoor Hotel here in Colorado Springs.Over the past few years, I have written many times about the cybertalent shortage as being the No. 1 challenge to public-sector organizations across the country. I truly believe that this Hiring Our Heroes program may be a good answer for some. These trusted military veterans offer numerous skills as well as clearances and practical, hands-on work experience. Many of these veterans have specific technical skills, and most have practical management experience around the world. Best of all, the program is nationwide, so many states can participate.At the same time, I told these program participants that they should seriously consider the advantages of government cyberjobs . My presentation was on  Why security pros fail  and what to do about it . I also included some of the material from my ISSA (Information Systems Security Association) presentation on:  The Top Five Mistakes New Security Leaders Make .Finally, I encouraged all of them to find a good mentor who is 10 or more years ahead of them in their career to help them in their journey.For readers who are looking for new ways (and sources) to bring technology and security talent into their organizations, I strongly urge you to take a look at this great Hiring Our Heroes program.
Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed between Frontt and U-M, the funding will establish a Joint Research Center for Intelligent Vehicles at U-M to support faculty projects on autonomous vehicle technologies. The funding will also cContribute toward construction of the recently approved Robotics Laboratory and a vehicle garage on U-M's North Campus that would be located near Mcity, the simulated urban-suburban environment for testing connected and automated vehicles.

Frontt Capital Management Ltd, a Shenzhen-based investment firm focused on developing the intelligent vehicle industry in China, is making a $27-million investment to advance autonomous, connected vehicles and robotic technologies with the University of Michigan, along with industry and government partners.

The garage will create a place for researchers at U-M and its industry partners to work on, maintain and store vehicles.

The funding also will provide engineering service and consulting fees for U-M researchers to advise Frontt on design of a unique autonomous vehicle test facility in Shenzhen, China. The facility will simulate the countrys unique transportation environment.

U-M is already working with companies from a range of industries and countries across the globe, as well as US government at all levels, to address the technical, social, economic, legal, political and business challenges of deploying autonomous and connected vehicles on a large scale. U-M leaders say Frontts investment will further strengthen ongoing work in this space.

The unique facility in Shenzhen would be developed and used to test new technologies and demonstrate how connected and automated vehicles could improve safety, efficiency, and sustainability in China.

China is the worlds most populous nation and one of its largest and fastest growing economies. At the same time, it contributes more greenhouse gas emissions than any other nation. Driverless and connected vehicles could offer transportation modes there that save lives and operate with greater energy efficiency, said U-M Vice President for Research S. Jack Hu.

More than 200,000 people die as a result of road accidents in China every year, according to the World Health Organization. Researchers estimate that autonomous and connected vehicles could reduce traffic deaths and injuries by as much as 90%.

The potential to save lives is tremendous. And since autonomous vehicles are safer, they could eventually be made of lighter-weight materials, so theyd use less fuel. Vehicle safety and sustainability are common challenges no matter where you live. We all have the potential to benefit from what we create and discover together through this partnership. S. Jack Hu

The Chinese facility will simulate the countrys unique transportation environment, which includes different road conditions, traffic density, traffic patterns and culture. Once the facility opens, U-Ms industry partners would have the means to test their autonomous and connected vehicles in an environment thats distinct from that of the US, Hu said.

In China, there are more bicyclists and pedestrians, and shorter on-ramps, for example. U-M faculty will be helping to analyze Chinas special traffic challenges and scenarios so they can be effectively addressed by the new facility. S. Jack Hu

This investment will also help bring to life U-Ms planned 140,000-square-foot Robotics Laboratory, slated to open in winter 2020. In it, robotic technologies for air, sea and roads, for factories, hospitals and homes will have tailored lab space. The building will be situated just down the road from Mcity.

The relationship with Frontt grew out of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyders effort to strengthen trade relations between Michigan and China. He has made several trade visits to China during his term, and he has welcomed Chinese leaders to Michigan. Most recently, in May, Chinese government officials from Guangdong Province and its City of Shenzhen came to Michigan and joined with Snyder to establish the Michigan-Shenzhen Trade, Investment and Innovation Cooperation Center.
Kaine to push early voting during stops next week in Charlotte, two other NC cities
Iran: Barbaric and medieval punishments

Despite statements from some Iranian officials doubting the value of capital punishment, no action has been taken to end or reduce the high number of executions in the country, Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.





"Unfortunately, for years Iran's judicial officials have repeated statements in response to protests by the United Nations and human rights organizations without really responding. In other words, whenever countries criticize Iran for having the highest number of executions in the world after China, the Iranian government resorts to repeating statements suggesting that they are trying to end capital punishment, but don't actually do anything about it," said Ebadi on the 14th World Day Against the Death Penalty, on October 10, 2016.





"I hope, unlike previous years, Iran will go further than words and introduce a practical plan to reduce executions."





Ebadi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, was responding to comments made on October 8 by Mohammad Javad Larijani , the head of the Iranian Judiciary's Human Rights Council, who supports the death penalty, but said he agrees with ending it for petty drug traffickers.





"I am in favor of changing the law, but that does not mean we should stop the fight against drug-trafficking," said Larijani, adding that 93 % of hangings in Iran were for drug-related crimes.





Larijani, the brother of Judiciary Chief Ali Sadegh Larijani, continued: "We have an 800-km border with Afghanistan and the production of opium in Afghanistan has increased 40 times since NATO's invasion. The death penalty should be limited to drug kingpins and if we do this, the number of executions will fall immediately. Of course, this is currently being debated [in Parliament], but if we are realistic we can make it happen. No one should think that Iran will weaken her resolve in the fight against drug-trafficking, but we are changing tactics to make it more practical."





However, Larijani also recently called for the executions of drug traffickers to be carried out with greater speed.





"Naturally, executions are not an ideal solution, but we need to act quickly and firmly against harms to society and the destruction of families [caused by drugs]," said Larijani on September 29, 2016. "I ask prosecutors across the country to carry out executions as soon as the verdicts are issued."





Ebadi, a lawyer who headed the now banned-Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC) in Iran before it was disbanded by the government and she was forced to leave the country, noted that if the Islamic Republic was sincere about ending capital punishment, it would not have condemned human rights activist Narges Mohammadi to prison for being a member of the DHRC.





"If Iran truly intends to end the death penalty for drug traffickers, then why have they condemned my colleague Narges Mohammadi to 10 years in prison for opposing capital punishment and being a member of DHRC? Aren't they just trying to deceive the international community with their words?"





In addition to drug traffickers, the execution of suspected political activists on national security charges have also increased, added Ebad.





"Unfortunately, the Iranian government uses the death penalty against individuals accused of national security and political crimes, and in the past year the number of these executions has increased. We have seen individuals being hanged for minor charges such as political opposition to the state, or for waging war against the state. There have been 2 mass executions of political prisoners this year," she said.





In 2015 Iran executed 1,052 people - the highest per capita execution rate in the world.





Policy Change?





According to Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's Legal and Judicial Committee, more than 150 members of Parliament have signed a proposal to amend the law to make it harder to condemn drug-related criminals to death.





"The large majority of those who have been executed or are on death row are petty [drug] dealers who are 1st-time offenders and their deaths harm families," said Jahanabadi on October 4, 2016. "In essence, we are proposing to add an amendment to the current law for fighting drugs which states that the death penalty would apply if certain conditions are met, such as carrying and using a gun, or being an international drug kingpin, or having a commuted death sentence and repeating the crime," he added.





"There are a lot of people waiting to be hanged right now and the question is whether all these executions carried out so far have stopped the spread of drugs or not? If there haven't been any benefits, we need to think of alternative punishments," he added.





In March 2016, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, criticized the high number of executions in Iran for non-violent drug-related offenses in a report, noting that changes in Iran's drug laws in 2010 increased to 17 the number of drug offenses that could be punished by death.





Iran is also one among a handful of countries still sentencing people to death for crimes they allegedly committed as juveniles.





According to the International Covenant on Civil Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is illegal to execute someone for crimes committed under the age of 18. Iran is party to both treaties.

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Source: Iran Human Rights, October 15, 2016
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WENTWORTH  Had it not been for the Veterans Stand Down they attended last year, John and April Stacey say they really believe he would not be alive today.

Now, they are making plans to be at the upcoming sixth annual Homeless and Needy Veterans Stand Down on Friday at the N.C. National Guard Armory in Wentworth in hopes of getting some free legal advice.

The event is open to veterans who lack the money or knowledge to get services offered at the annual Stand Down.

Were here to help, said Curtis Pierce, chairman of the Rockingham County Veterans Coalition, which organizes the event each year. Thats what were all about, to help needy and homeless veterans establish a better life for themselves.

Providers will line the Armory with tables, work stations, literature and services. Cone Health will provide flu shots. Legal Aid of North Carolina, Rockingham County Community College and Social Services will be on hand for guidance.

My Eye Doctor personnel will give free vision checks. The N.C. Baptist Mens Baptists on Mission are providing mobile dental care. District Attorney Craig Blitzer and/or some of his staff will be present to answer legal questions support. The American Red Cross will hand out goodie bags with personal hygiene items.

William Bethel Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution will escort veterans to the various stations to ensure they are aware of all the benefits they can receive.

Veterans will receive military-style duffle bags filled with new blankets, boots, shirts, socks, long johns, poncho liners and fanny packs. Pierce said the veterans are most thrilled with getting new boots.

Also available will be free blood pressure testing, clothing and haircuts. Other Rockingham County governmental agencies and veterans groups will be on hand to assist with local needs.

A delicious, hot meal provided by Debbies Catering in Stoneville will conclude the activities.

There are some who dont get a hot meal very often, Pierce said.

About 100 homeless vets live in Rockingham County. The veterans coalition strives to serve as many as possible, he said.

Its hard to find them sometimes because many dont want to be found, Pierce said. Various veteran groups leave flyers, brochures and information throughout the community hoping the homeless vets will find the coalition and come to the Stand Down.

We are hoping they can find answers to all their questions and learn how to solve their problems through their contacts with someone at the Stand Down.

Eden Vietnam vet John Stacey, 64 enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. After boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois, he was assigned to the fuel ship U.S.S. Nanahtala, mostly based in the Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans during Vietnam.

His wife, April, said they have attended the last four Stand Downs, but last year was the one making such a huge impact on Johns life.

He had been suffering with an abscessed tooth, but that was just a part of his dental problems. All his teeth were in bad shape and needed pulling.

The Staceys arrived early, but were disappointed when they learned the dentist, Dr. Ty Wooden, had been unable to attend. However, to compensate for his absence, Wooden opened his office on Veterans Day to help the veterans free of charge on a first come, first served basis.

He pulled six of Johns teeth that day and over the next several weeks pulled a total of 16 teeth at no cost.

We are very thankful for that, April said.

John had been trying to get his teeth pulled through the VA.

Medicare wouldnt cover it, and the VA didnt cover it so it was a miracle that Dr. Wooden was there that day, April said. John was in so much pain and his health was really deteriorating because of the dental problems he was having.

John had also developed a heart condition related to dehydration and lack of nutrition because he couldnt eat because of his tooth problems.

I pleaded with the doctors at VA to please take his teeth out, but they wouldnt listen to me, said April.

She said John still needs dentures but neither Medicare nor the VA will cover the cost.

I dont understand it. People who never paid any social security or worked can get free dental and eye care from the government, but men and women who served their country in war times and were exposed to all kind of dangers, even death, cannot get help with their dental and eye care. Its doesnt seem right, April said. If he hadnt received this free dental care, he would have perished. His health was declining at a fast pace.

A year after getting his teeth pulled, John is gradually getting his health back.

But the Staceys didnt leave empty-handed last year, April said. John got his hair cut, had his blood pressure checked and got a ton of clothes, sleeping mats, duffle bag  all kinds of great stuff, winter clothes and things to use around the house, toiletries, food and lunch. In October 2014, the couple were seriously injured in an automobile accident. John sustained a head injury that affected his memory. They are hoping someone at this years Stand Down will help them locate an attorney to represent him. John also is looking forward to the other benefits he will obtain at the Stand Down.

Funding for the Rockingham County Veterans Coalition comes from private donations, churches and other organizations, including the Elks Beacon Grant, Pierce said.

Our five prior Stand Downs have been very successful and it is a pleasure for us to continue to help our homeless and needy veterans here in Rockingham County, Pierce said.
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Two court cases decided this year are transforming the tax landscape for the art industry.

Attorneys at Withers Worldwide law firm, which has an office in Greenwich, are trying to get the word out that the way art collectors in Greenwich and across Connecticut have always gone about their art transactions in New York may have to change to abide by the new interpretation of certain laws.

Four attorneys hosted a panel at The Bruce Museum on Friday to share with about 30 attendees the impact of the recent legal cases regarding the international art dealer Laurence Gagosian, owner of the Gagosian Gallery, and Michael Shvo, an art collector and real estate developer.

Both cases involved evading millions of dollars worth of taxes. The Gagosian case was settled for $4 million with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issuing a stern warning to other art dealers.

Those who fail to pay their fair share can deprive the state of millions of dollars, leaving ordinary New Yorkers to foot the bill, Schneiderman said in a July statement. We will continue to remain vigilant in order to ensure that art dealers and collectors fully abide by the states tax laws.

Diana Wierbicki, New York global head of art law for Withers, said the Shvo case instigated this new phase of wariness about tax evasion in art transactions.

Shvo was charged with avoiding New York state sales and use taxes by telling sellers the art would be shipped to out-of-state addresses and then returning them to his New York address without the sellers knowledge.

Wierbicki said its been common practice for art buyers to arrange the shipment of their purchases because they want control over their expensive art investments. The state saw the Shvo case and said, we dont know how many bad actors there are, so were changing it for everyone, Wierbicki said.

She emphasized during the panel that the language of the law has not changed  just its interpretation. Thus, art buyers need to be aware that they are now liable for sales tax if they arrange the shipment of their purchases. Otherwise, the seller must take care of it all.

Wierbicki said these cases highlight how tax laws have not kept up with how people invest their money.

Weve been seeing a change in the last decade that people have large investments in art, she said. Tangible personal property didnt use to be investments and the laws havent caught up.

The attorneys represented a wide base of art tax knowledge both domestic and abroad, and they said many states and countries are becoming increasingly aggressive about investigating art transactions.

Seth Cohen, a Withers partner in Greenwich, said collectors should realize that unlike income taxes, the government can review a persons unfiled taxes on art as far back as it wants. The repercussions can amount to millions in taxes and penalties.

He added that art is low-hanging fruit for states looking for more revenue streams.When were talking about $100 million in art, theyre getting $8 million in sales tax, he said.

And when art dealers and collectors are charged, the settlements are millions of dollars. Were talking about big bucks, Wierbicki said.

David Lehn, Withers partner in Greenwich, said its important for people to plan for these potential issues by consulting professionals instead of waiting for an audit.

Wierbicki said the art industry can no longer be considered a handshake industry, in which theres not a lot of paperwork needed to record transactions. There are so many governing laws globally that its better to take control of the situation, she said.

MBennett@hearstmediact.com, 203-625-4411; follow on Twitter @Macaela_
If anything has soared as much as college tuition (and loans) in the last 30 years, it's the anxiety among some high school students (and their parents) about getting into college. Achieving a GPA north of 4.0 and landing sky-high test scores can make high school an endless grind for some kids. Many dream it will lead to an elite college featured high in the US News rankings, if it doesn't give them a nervous breakdown first.

But guess what? Many excellent colleges for undergrads actually take the majority of applicants. In fact, 75 percent of US undergrads go to schools that accept over 50 percent of those who apply. And only 4 percent go to schools that take 25 percent or less.
GREENWICH  Lace up your sneakers: registration is now open for the sixth annual Greenwich Alliance for Education Turkey Trot.

The Turkey Trot, featuring a 5K and one mile fun run, will take place Nov. 26. The fun run will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the 5K at 10 a.m.

The race will start at the Arch Street Teen Center and loop through Bruce Park.

Through the Turkey Trot, the Greenwich Alliance hopes to raise $50,000 to fund its education grants, music program and early literacy efforts.

Its our largest fundraiser, and we are really excited for people to participate and do something healthy with their family and friends, said Julie Faryniarz, executive director of Greenwich Alliance for Education. Last year, the Turkey Trot raised a record $44,000.

For adults, registration costs $25 through Nov. 1, $30 after Nov. 1 and $35 on race day. For children 14 and younger, registration is $10 before race day or $15 on race day.

All runners pre-registered before Nov. 16 will receive a goodie bag and T-shirt on race day. Goodie bags include a trial membership offer from the YMCA of Greenwich.

All fun run finishers will receive a medal and, for 5K participants, the overall top three male and female runners and the top three finishers in each of eight age groups will receive awards.

The Alliance is also holding a school-by-school participation contest. The school with the highest percent of its student body racing will receive a $500 gift card to purchase physical education equipment.

We are looking forward to a lot of participation from our schools, said Faryniarz.

The event is sponsored by many local businesses. The Hospital for Special Surgery is sponsoring the 5K race. The GAE is still welcoming corporate sponsors, however.

Were not quite up to where our sponsor level was last year, said Faryniarz.

For Sponsor information or to register visit to www.greenwichalliance.org.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; @emiliemunson
California: "People should vote "yes" on Prop. 62 and "no" on Prop. 66."

California voters should pass Proposition 62 and abolish the death penalty in the state. But at the very least, they should reject Proposition 66, which seeks to speed up the imposition of the death penalty and therefore increases the risk of executing innocent people. Because these 2 ballot measures are obviously incompatible, the one that gets the most votes will be implemented if both are approved by the voters. But my strong hope is that people will vote "yes" on Prop. 62 and "no" on Prop. 66.





The debate over the death penalty is not new. Yet, the overwhelming trend is toward abolishing it. Since 2000, 8 states have eliminated the death penalty. It now exists in 31 states, but it is rarely used. Only 7 states have carried out an execution in the past two years. Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1978 in California, more than 930 people have been sentenced to death row and just 13 people have been executed.





The U.S. is the only Western nation that still has the death penalty. In fact, an Amnesty International Report in 2014 documented that there are only nine countries in the world that still use the death penalty and the U.S. is in the company of nations like Iran, China, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and North Korea.





Why eliminate the death penalty? Some believe that it is wrong for the state to kill people. But why should someone who believes in the morality of capital punishment vote to pass Prop. 62? There is too great a risk of executing an innocent person. Any human system will make mistakes and the reality is that innocent people are wrongly convicted. Across the country, DNA and other new evidence have proven the innocence of more than 150 people after they were sentenced to death. In California, 66 people have had their murder convictions overturned because new evidence showed they were innocent.





Moreover, there is a greater likelihood of wrongful convictions in capital cases. As Justice Stephen Breyer has explained: "[T]he crimes at issue in capital cases are typically horrendous murders, and thus accompanied by intense community pressure on police, prosecutors, and jurors to secure a conviction. This pressure creates a greater likelihood of convicting the wrong person."





Also, the death penalty is administered in a racially discriminatory fashion. Many studies have documented that African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be sentenced to death than whites on the same factual record. For example, a study in Philadelphia found that African Americans were four times more likely than whites to receive a death sentence for similarly severe crimes, controlling for the prior criminal records of the defendants. Numerous studies have documented that individuals accused of murdering white victims, as opposed to black or other minority victims, are more likely to receive the death penalty. Over 20 years ago, Justice Harry Blackmun, explained that "[p]erhaps it should not be surprising that the biases and prejudices that infect society generally would influence the determination of who is sentenced to death."





Nor does the death penalty have any benefit in preventing crime. For every year between 2008 and 2013, the average homicide rate of states without the death penalty was significantly lower than those with capital punishment. A few years ago, the National Research Council (whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine) reviewed 30 years of empirical evidence and concluded that it failed to show that the death penalty had a deterrent effect.





Prop. 62 would replace the death penalty with life in prison with no possibility of parole. This actually would save the state a great deal of money. The state's independent Legislative Analyst confirmed Prop. 62 will save $150 million per year. A death row sentence costs 18 times more than life in prison.





The death penalty is so rarely carried out in California that its administration is arbitrary. The average delay between sentencing and execution in California is 25 years. A few years ago, Orange County federal court Judge Cormac Carney in a carefully reasoned and meticulously documented opinion explained: "Indeed, for most, systemic delay has made their execution so unlikely that the death sentence carefully and deliberately imposed by the jury has been quietly transformed into one no rational jury or legislature could ever impose: life in prison, with the remote possibility of death. As for the random few for whom execution does become a reality, they will have languished for so long on death row that their execution will serve no retributive or deterrent purpose and will be arbitrary."





Why not just deal with this aspect of the problem by speeding up the imposition of the death penalty, as Prop. 66 seeks to do? It would have trial courts hear post-conviction proceedings and require that their proceedings be concluded within 5 years. Even if one believes in the death penalty and rejects Prop. 62, Prop. 66 is a terrible idea. It does not deal with the underlying causes of delay: the process of direct review by the Supreme Court, the lack of qualified attorneys to handle death penalty cases, the need for multiple levels of review. An initiative cannot create more lawyers able to competently handle death cases. Nor is faster better when it comes to handling death cases. Eliminating procedural protections exacerbates the likelihood of executing innocent people.





The time has come to eliminate the death penalty in California. Prop. 62 would do just that.





Source: Orange County Register, Opinion, Erwin Chemerinsky, October 15, 2016. Erwin Chemerinsky is dean of the UC Irvine School of Law.

No on Proposition 66

San Quentin's death row

If there is 1 thing opponents and proponents of the death penalty in California can agree, it is that the current death penalty system doesn't work. With one of the largest death rows in the world, California has over 740 people awaiting execution, few of whom are likely to be executed.





Most of this backlog has to do with the robust, if complex, system of appeals, part of which happens in state courts and also federal courts. Proposition 66, backed by the California District Attorneys Association, purports to expedite the death penalty by addressing the state appeals system.





To address the lack of trained lawyers available to represent those sentenced to death, the measure would expand the pool of available lawyers by requiring attorneys currently qualified to handle non-death penalty appeals cases to accept appointments to death row cases or be prohibited from handling appellate cases entirely.





Given the long, complicated nature of such cases, it is possible many lawyers will simply choose not to practice appellate cases. We also wonder if forcing attorneys without the background to take on death penalty cases makes much sense.





The measure also sets an arbitrary 5-year time-limit by which courts are supposed to decide a series of appeals. Expedience should not be the goal in a system that could potentially execute an innocent person. To date, more than 150 people nationwide have been exonerated from death row, including 3 in California.





That there are over 740 condemned inmates and no currently accepted execution procedure suggests the most we would achieve is a further burdening of the already strained court system with added caseloads, while spending millions in the process.





California has spent billions of dollars on the flawed death penalty system since 1978. Potentially unworkable tweaks to a failed system aren't what California needs.





The Editorial Board recommends a no vote on Proposition 66 on Nov. 8.

 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; send a submission; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Source: Press-Enterprise, Editorial Board, October 15, 2O16
Week 41 in review: Note7 is no more

You don't need to be following the tech scene from up close to know that Samsung officially discontinued sale and production of the Galaxy Note7 smartphone globally - major mainstream news outlets covered the story as well.

Announced on Monday, the Note7's second and final recall comes with financial incentives for users to remain on team Samsung, and indeed many have been reported to be opting for either the Galaxy S7 or S7 edge - to the point where production of these models has been increased to meet demand. Up to 40% of US users will be looking away from Samsung, at least one survey has shown.

On a positive note, Gorilla Glass 5 found on the Note7 has turned out not to be as bad as initially reported by Youtuber JerryRigEverything, so at least there's that.

Amidst the Galaxy Note7 calamity, people have started talking about an early Galaxy S8 launch - apparently not going to happen, though, judging by a leaked MWC2017 schedule.

In other news, a 13.8-inch Nokia D1C tablet was spotted on Antutu, OnePlus 3 may get an untimely refresh with a new display and chipset, and test units with Snapdragon 830 have entered India. The details on the highlights of last week can be found by following the links below.



Samsung Mobile chief vows to earn the users' trust back The head of Samsung Mobile, Dong-Jin Koh, has vowed to restore trust of consumers by exposing the problem.





Samsung is officially asking everyone to return their Galaxy Note7 devices, again Samsung has just released a statement urging all global partners to stop sales and recall-exchanges of the Note7.





Count of fire incidents involving safe Galaxy Note7 grows - carriers suspend sales, Samsung temporarily halts production "The halt is in cooperation with consumer safety regulators from South Korea, the United States and China," said an official at a supplier for Samsung.





Take a look at the fireproof return packaging for the Galaxy Note7 Samsung has abandoned the Galaxy Note7, something we would have never imagined happening just a week before the Note7s launch event.





Report says Samsung will abandon the Note brand Reports say that Samsung will no longer use the "Note" brand as it was tarnished by the recalls.





Samsung boosts Galaxy S7 production to make up for the Note7's cancellation The company is certainly hoping many people will choose the S7 now that the Note7 is dead.





Reports claim most Note7 customers are opting for an S7 edge replacement Taiwanese retail chains are claiming most affected by the recall are still opting for Samsung models with gift card and rebate bonus.





Remember when the Note7 miserably failed the scratch test? Turns out it was inconclusive Just under two months ago, YouTuber JerryRigEverything released a video for the Galaxy Note7 regarding the durability of its glass. If you recall, the Gorilla Glass 5 scratched starting with th...





Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 test units spotted entering India A total of 80 chips were listed on the local package tracking website Zauba.





Rumor: OnePlus 3 might get a hardware refresh soon, industry sources say A new rumor comes from China which says the OnePlus 3 might be getting a hardware refresh.





First real-world samples of video image stabilization on Pixel XL (side by side with Nexus 6P) A couple of video clips testing the EIS of the Pixel XL give us a look at how well they stabilize 4K video.


The Supreme Court usually makes the right call on cases of alleged blasphemy. It has never upheld a death sentence for blasphemy before because the evidence is at best circumstantial and the accusations usually proved tied to personal hatred or an attempt to steal property from the accused.





Will the Aasia Bibi case prove an exception





The accounts vary as to precisely what happened in the incident involving the poor Christian woman - the mother of 5 young children - from the Sheikhupura area, who was sentenced to death in 2010. A cleric in the area received a complaint that Aasia had committed blasphemy after some Muslim women expressed anger towards her for drinking from the same water source as them.





Aasia Bibi herself has claimed this was revenge for a trivial quarrel. In November 2010, just over a year after the incident, a district judge in Sheikhupura sentenced her to death. The case against Aasia Bibi has been contested by many rights activists and according to legal experts, court records show numerous inconsistencies in the evidence presented. But in October 2014 the LHC dismissed Aasia's appeal and upheld the death sentence.





A clemency appeal to the president of Pakistan was made by her husband and her lawyer appealed to the Supreme Court, which in July 2015 suspended her death sentence until the appeals process could be completed.





Aasia Bibi has already spent seven years in jail and there was expectation on Thursday that the case would be decided justly and wisely, even if the culture of intimidation that has always surrounded the case made itself felt once again with the orthodox Lal Masjid clerics threatening to take to the streets in case Aasia Bibi were to be released.





With thousands of security personnel on alert in Islamabad, the Supreme Court punted on a possible release when one of the judges from the 3-member bench hearing the case recused himself from the case on the basis that he had heard the Salmaan Taseer murder case.





The appeal has now been postponed indefinitely.





The timing of the honourable judge's recusal is a curious one. He had known he would be part of the 3-member bench long before and could have withdrawn from hearing the case much earlier and allowed a new judge to be picked.





One also wonders where exactly the conflict of interest comes in. One could have ruled for the death penalty for Mumtaz Qadri on the simple basis that murder has the punishment of death in Pakistan without having to give an opinion on Aasia Bibi's case.





It is regrettable that the case of one woman has become so intertwined with political and religious sentiment that judges feel their verdicts will be seen as compromised.





The blame for that lies in a society that has accepted the blasphemy laws being manipulated [DPN believes that the blame lies in a society that has accepted blasphemy laws] for personal ends and an extremist element that threatens, and in many cases commits, violence against those who merely want the laws to be amended so that false accusations are not so easy to make. It is now past time to develop the will and the courage to set right what is wrong.

 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; send a submission; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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Source: The News, Editorial, October 15, 2016




Haiti - Politic : Visit of the Acting Assistant Secretary of State





Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Mari Carmen Aponte is in Haiti for 2 days (October 16 and 17) to appraise U.S. government humanitarian assistance to the Haiti-led response to communities affected by Hurricane Matthew. Marcela Escobari, Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, will accompany Acting Assistant Secretary Aponte to survey areas impacted by the storm as well as USAID's Disaster Assistance Response Team relief efforts in the field.



Carmen Aponte will meet with Government of Haiti officials and other stakeholders to reaffirm U.S. government support for transparent, credible, and peaceful elections in Haiti as well as completion of the electoral cycle at the earliest possible date permitted by conditions on the ground.



Let's recall that after the destruction and loss caused by Hurricane Matthew, the United States government has responded to help the people of Haiti. In full support of the Government of Haiti's response strategy, a civilian team of over fifty U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) disaster response experts is working hand-in-hand with Haitians and NGOs throughout the south to deliver an initial $1.3 million of supplies, which is going to communities in Haiti that have been impacted by the storm. USAID just announced an additional $12 million to support relief efforts.



The USAID DART (Disaster Assistance Response Team) has called on the unique ability of the U.S. military to airlift these supplies to Les Cayes and Jeremie, as well as other hard to reach affected areas. To support the USAID DART, the Department of Defense has deployed over 400 military personnel https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18859-haiti-flash-300-us-marines-sent-as-reinforcements-in-haiti.html and 12 helicopters at the Port-au-Prince airport.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18875-haiti-usa-over-480-tons-of-us-aid.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18859-haiti-flash-300-us-marines-sent-as-reinforcements-in-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-18838-icihaiti-flash-usa-helicopters-and-us-soldiers-arrive-in-the-country.html



HL/ S/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Diplomacy : The  Core Group  welcomes the announcement of new electoral deadlines





Sandra Honore, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the other members of the "Core Group" (the Ambassadors of Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, the United States of America, the European Union and the Special Representative of the Organization of American States), "welcome the announcement by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) of new election dates, following the postponement of the 9 October elections as a result of the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew."



Reiterating their solidarity with the people of Haiti during these challenging times, the "Core Group" "[...] takes note of the new electoral calendar, which foresees the holding of the first round of elections on 20 November 2016 and the second round on 29 January 2017 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18937-haiti-flash-elections-november-20-2016-2nd-round-29-january-2017.html . The members of the 'Core Group' welcome the resolve demonstrated by the Haitian political actors to conclude the electoral cycle and encourage all actors to implement the new calendar, thereby enabling the return to full Constitutional order.



More than ever, Haiti needs institutions that are stable and democratically elected to respond to the many political, humanitarian, economic and social challenges facing the country."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2016/10/16 | Source

Chinese lanterns hang outside at a restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul on Oct. 7.

Chinese property investors are turning their sights on Seoul after swarming the southern resort island of Jeju.

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According to Seoul city officials on Wednesday, Chinese nationals own 4,139 lots or a combined 171,614 sq.m in Seoul as of end-June this year, nearly double in terms of the number of lots from two years ago and up nearly one-third in square meters. Over the same period, real estate owned by U.S. citizens rose just one percent and by Japanese 3.4 percent.

Chinese investors traditionally bought real estate in Daelim-dong in southern Seoul and Yeonnam-dong in the western part of the capital, which are home to large Chinese minorities.

But now they are buying up real estate on Yeongjong Island and Songdo in Incheon, as well as the affluent Gangnam district of southern Seoul.

Ten Chinese families live in W1.3-billion condominiums in a high-riser in Hapjeong-dong near the trendy Hongik University neighborhood, while other Chinese investors have bought land and buildings Gangnam and Seocho (US$=W1,138).

According to Seoul city, some 120 properties in Gangnam are Chinese-owned. Investors are apparently drawn by the facilities of the capital and the proximity to China, some with an eye to owning second homes or renting to other Chinese nationals.

There are fears that the trend will drive real estate prices up even further. Jeju Island has seen the price of real estate surge 28 percent last year alone as Chinese and Koreans snap up real estate there. The steep rise makes it more expensive for others to find homes on the southern resort island.

Sydney, Australia and Vancouver, Canada experienced similar headaches after Chinese investors snapped up real estate. But others believe property prices in Korea will not overheat because the market is relatively small and investors are wary of tension with Pyongyang.

Shim Gyo-eon at Konkuk University said, "Increased investment in real estate by Chinese people could balance out dwindling demand here due to an aging society compounded by a low birthrate".
Published on 2016/10/16 | Source

The Cheomseongdae observatory in Gyeongju, North Gyeognsang Province is quiet on Wednesday. /Yonhap

The tourism industry in the historic city of Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province has taken a knock after the earthquake last month compounded by damage from typhoon Chaba.

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Only about 570,000 tourists visited Gyeongju in September, down almost half from a year earlier, according to the city government.

Most schools elsewhere in Korea have canceled scheduled trips to the area involving some 45,000 children. The estimated loss from these cancellations alone amounts to W3.5 billion (US$1=W1,124).

Few tour buses are seen in the Bomun Tourist Complex, where hotels and condos are concentrated. Tourists have canceled reservations at 16 hotels and other accommodation in the city since Sept. 12, when the magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit the area.

The damage to the city's tourism industry is estimated at W20 billion, half of which was incurred from restaurant businesses.

Sales of some 4,300 restaurants have dropped 40 percent since the earthquake, with losses amounting to about W10.7 billion, according to the city's restaurant association.

The provincial and municipal governments will implement a special marketing strategy to bring tourists back.

"Inspections of hotels and sport facilities in Gyeongju by the Ministry of Public Safety and Security found no safety problems", a provincial government official said. "We'll work hard to revitalize the world-famous historic city".
Published on 2016/10/16 | Source

Korea's exports in the first 10 days of this month plummeted 18.2 percent compared to the same period of last year.

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Exports fell for 20 months running, which was longer even than the stagnation during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, but rebounded in August, raising cautious hopes of a recovery. But they fell again in September and have been declining sharply since.

Exports to the U.S. fell 23 percent, to the EU 27 percent, to China 18 percent, to India 30 percent and Russia 21 percent.

One factor may have been the scandal surrounding Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, while strikes at Hyundai also held up the delivery of cars. Phones and cars together account for 14 percent of Korea's total exports, and the two firms dominate their field.

Global trade pressure is also casting dark clouds over Korea's export prospects. Exports of hot-rolled steel plates declined 32 percent after the U.S. Commerce Department levied anti-dumping penalties in August on imports from seven countries. POSCO was slapped with a 57-percent tariff, which was the highest.

"Fears that Korea's steel industry would be hit hard by U.S. protectionism have started to turn into reality", a spokesman for the Korea Iron and Steel Association said.

The EU and Indonesia have started to regulate imports of Korean-made petrochemical products.

China has started cutting down on imports of Korean-made intermediate goods as it steadily lowers output of manufactured products. This has led Korea's exports of intermediate goods to China to drop for 15 straight months.
By William Schwartz | Published on 2016/10/15

Hyeong-wook (played by Yoo Hae-jin) is a cool, stylish, skilled man whose work is violent in nature and of generally dubious legality. Jae-seong (played by Lee Joon) has very different plans in life- he's chronically out of money, and not doing so hot career-wise either. One random mishap at the bathhouse, though, ends up wildly reversing the fortunes of these men. All of a sudden both have to make sense of a wildly different life situation in "Luck.Key", a remake of the Japanese comedy film Key of Life.

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Yoo Hae-jin, a reliable supporting performer in a large number of Korean films, finally gets a leading role and it's an excellent parallelism for Hyeong-wook's character arc. Hyeong-wook starts this movie out with nothing, and the man experiences sheer chronic joy discovering that he has amazing talents. More than that, though, Hyeong-wook is grateful to have the opportunities necessary to use these talents to give joy to other people. His efforts, even when painful, are good-natured enough to always warrant a smile.

Hyeong-wook's love interest, Rina (played by Jo Yoon-hee) is apt back-up for Hyeong-wook's role. Rina does the decent thing and helps Hyeong-wook out with little expectation of reward. As Hyeong-wook begins to remember what an increasingly impressive man he is, so too does Rina gain both material and psychological benefits simply from being his friend, because Hyeong-wook is just that cool a guy to be around.

If there's any weakness to "Luck.Key" it's that by comparison Jae-seong is a rather unsympathetic secondary protagonist. Even when we get past the whole issue of Jae-seong stealing Hyeong-wook's life, Jae-seong happened upon Hyeong-wook in the middle of a job, and consequently ends up stalking Eun-joo (played by Lim Ji-yeon) a young woman who has some rather odd hobbies. Not that this is any excuse for secretive leering on Jae-seong's part.

"Luck.Key" is a comedy where the humor is generally focused on the strangeness of its situations. Take the way Hyeong-wook reacts to the background noise of Jae-seong's life, and how Jae-seong does likewise with Hyeong-wook's life. Objectively speaking Hyeong-wook's apartment is a much weirder place, especially considering what's going on with Eun-joo, yet time and again it's always Jae-seong's apartment that's pathetic and depressing in humorous ways. For all that, Hyeong-wook makes the best of his situation and is never beaten down by setbacks.

There's just something so thoroughly ennobling about this guy making a conscious decision not to bother with revenge. Sure Jae-seong was being selfish, and only his suicidal impulses offer any kind of mitigating factor. But look at all the fun Hyeong-wook had in the meantime. Friends, tricks, and jokes are all worth the effort in their own right. The final setpiece, too, gets its best laughs from an ignorant character stumbling into a perfectly logical environment not their own, and then things somehow work out. "Luck.Key" has a lot of fun style that makes the film easy to recommend.

Review by William Schwartz

"Luck.Key" is directed by Lee Gye-byeok and features Yoo Hae-jin, Lee Joon, Jo Yoon-hee, Lim Ji-yeon, Jeon Hye-bin and Lee Dong-hwi.
Published on 2016/10/16 | Source

Search and shopping patterns suggest Chinese tourists are becoming more sophisticated as a younger generation don their backpacks when they head to Korea.

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The trendy Hongik University neighborhood in western Seoul ranked No. 1 among places Chinese tourists to Korea searched for on the Internet.

PengTai, the Chinese affiliate of Cheil Worldwide, analyzed 800,000 smartphone searches for places of interest by Chinese tourists who visited Korea from Sept. 7 to Oct. 7 and found that Hongik University ranked at the top.

Next was Mt. Nam in central Seoul, followed by the Bukchon Hanok Village of traditional homes and the Myeongdong shopping district downtown.

Busan ranked at the top outside Seoul, accounting for 60 percent of queries. Jeju Island came second with 31.6 percent, and Daegu a distant third with 4.8 percent.

On Jeju, a cafe owned by Big Bang member G-Dragon ranked at the top of searches, followed by Seongsan Sunrise Peak, Woodo Island and Mt. Halla.

"The movie "Train to Busan" was a hit among Chinese moviegoers causing the city to become a popular tourist destination", a PengTai staffer said. "Chinese tourists clearly preferred to visit places with cultural significance or scenes from popular programs rather than flocking to traditional tourist destinations".
Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby.

09:44, 30 OCT 2022
caconservative said: What the hell are you talking about? Click to expand...

If your a white Republican supporting Trump, then you're a part of the white gang destroying the country.Though, in my view, it's the rhetoric that's gotten out of hand. And for once, it's the candidates that are the symptoms of this disease, not its main cause.
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SBRRB ANNOUNCES THE REGULATORY REVIEW CARD

Small Business Regulatory Review Board News Release October 12, 2016

HONOLULUThe Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourisms (DBEDT) Small Business Regulatory Review Board (SBRRB) announces the newly created Regulatory Review Card.

The Regulatory Review Card acts as a communication tool for the SBRRB to assist business owners when they need assistance with an Administrative Rule, explained Chair Tony Borge.

As advocates for Hawaii small business, I believe that using this process is a tremendous opportunity for the SBRRB to assist business owners, said DBEDT Director Luis P. Salaveria.

Business owners need to go to the SBRRB website, fill in the Regulatory Review Card, and submit. The submission will be reviewed to determine how the SBRRB may be able to assist business owners.

The Regulatory Review Card can be found at: dbedt.hawaii.gov/sbrrb/regulation-review-card

About the Small Business Regulatory Review Board:

The SBRRB was established on July 1, 1998, with the passage of the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act. The responsibilities of the SBRRB include:

Commentary on small business impact statements to the rule-drafting departments; Identification and commentary on business impact of existing administrative rules; Recommendations to the Governors Office, Departments or the Legislature regarding the need for an administrative rule or legislative change; Recommendations to the Mayors or County Councils regarding County rules; and Review of small business petitions and complaints on business impact.

Statutorily, the SBRRB is comprised of nine members  eight current or former owners or officers of businesses from across the state, and the Director of DBEDT or the Directors designated representative, who serves as an ex officio board member. Aside from DBEDTs Director, the board members, with the advice and consent of the Senate, are appointed by the Governor. Three members are appointed from a list of nominees submitted by the President of the Senate, three members are appointed from a list of nominees submitted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and two members are appointed by the Governor.

The appointments reflect a representation of a variety of businesses in the state with no more than two members from the same type of business and at least one representative from each county. In addition, nominations are solicited from small business organizations, state and county chambers of commerce and other interested business organizations.

For more information about the Regulatory Review Card, contact Dori Palcovich at (808) 586-2594, or dori.palcovich@hawaii.gov.

# # #
Sweet tooth? Get to Gateaux

Lindsay Cromartie displays some of her sweet creations at Gateaux.

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The citys newest sweet treat attraction, Gateaux Cakes and Pastries, can be found in a strip center downtown.

The proud owner of Gateaux (pronounced ga-TOH and French for cakes) is Hendersonville native Lindsay Humleker Cromartie. The bakery features an assortment of sweets ranging from customized cakes to French macaroons, eclairs and seasonal cupcakes. Cromartie uses no premade mixes, creating her pastries and cakes completely from scratch, using fresh and seasonal ingredients.

The menu is French inspired, as in French pastries, but I would say locally and seasonally inspired as much as possible, Cromartie says. She wants to present desserts that are familiar but done in an unfamiliar way and she plans to update her menu seasonally. Her salted caramel and toffee crunch eclairs are an example of her unique twist on a traditional pastry. She said she has tried to price fairly and in a way that meets every budget. (Macaroons are $1.25 each or $12.75 a dozen, cookies are 75 cents to $2.25 and gourmet cupcakes are $2.75. A large pie or tart is $35.)

My mother gave me a rolling pin when I was 2, thats how it all started, she says.

Cromartie earned a bachelors degree from UNC at Chapel Hill and an associates degree from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where she met her husband, Mike. She served a three-year residency at the Biltmore Estate, was pastry chef at Landsdowne Hotel in Leesburg, Va., and manager of Hubba Hubba Smokehouse, the Flat Rock barbecue restaurant and caterer.

Cromartie and her husband returned to Hendersonville for three years after they graduated from the CIA before testing out the city life in Washington, D.C. Cromartie said that even though living in the city was a good experience, it was not conducive for them to raise their family. They returned to North Carolina and established their permanent residence in Hendersonville.

After a couple of years at Hubba Hubba, Cromartie started baking cakes on the side, which reignited her passion for pastries and ultimately led to the opening of Gateaux.

One of the things that I love about creating is that I love that I start my day with all of these very basic ingredients  flour, sugar, butter, eggs  and by the end of the day I have this finished product, and that is one of the most satisfying and gratifying things on the face of the planet, she says.



Gateaux is located in the Alpha Center at 315 S. Church St. Hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The bakery offers a 25 percent discount after 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
The Russian navy is deploying its single aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, to head the Russian flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea. It will be the first combat operation for a Russian or Soviet aircraft carrier.

The Russian Navys permanent presence in the Mediterranean Sea began in 2013 and includes ten or more warships on average, deployed on a rotation basis from the Northern and Black Sea fleets.

the Russian naval group in the eastern Mediterranean currently consisted of six warships and three or four support vessels at any one time. The force is supported from the main Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea.

Update October 15, 2016: Following the completion of refurbishement the task force left the port city of Severomorsk  the fleet now includes the aircraft carrier, battle cruiser Pyotr Veliky, destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov and anti-submarine ships. The Russian defence ministry also announced that Moscow was poised to transform its naval facility in the Syrian port city of Tartus into a permanent base. While en route to its main target  Daesh terrorists, the Kuznetsov is expected to join up with a nuclear submarine, as well as Tu-160 long-range strategic bombers, for anti-piracy and anti-terror exercises before arriving in Eastern Mediterranean where it will join the Russian forces supporting the Syrian regime. In fact, it will be the first combat operation for Admiral Kuznetsov.

Kuznetsov regularly carries an air wing comprising Su-33 air superiority fighters and Ka-27/29 anti-submarine warfare helicopters. Although the Russian Navy planned to modernize the ship, and replace its Su-33 with modern MiG-29Ks, Kuznetsov remains today as it was when it was commissioned in the early 1980s, 34 years ago. To augment its ground attack capability on the current mission in Syria, the Kuznetsov air wing received four MiG-29K fighters that can carry precision guided weapons, while the Su-33 on board received a modernized weapon delivery system (SVP-24) designed to improve ground attack precision with unguided munitions.

The vessel completed minor renovation in August 2015, where it remained for three months in dry dock at Roslyakovo in Kola Bay. This relatively short maintenance period involved cleaning and painting the vessels hull, repair of onboard electrical equipment, and a general service of the ship. Additional work was done when the ship was docked at Murmansk but did not include major refit as previously sought. Kuznetsov is a large ship  305 meters in length, with maximum displacement of 58,000 tons, supporting an air wing of up to 40 fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

The Kuznetsov was due to enter the dry dock in Sevmash in 2012, for an upgrade that would take five years, in which its 3M45 P-700 Granit (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) anti-ship cruise-missile launchers would be removed, clearing more hangar space for fixed wing aircraft. However, delays in the delivery of the Vikramaditya to India prevented such extended work. The upgrade would include the replacement of electronic systems and air defenses on board, replacing the 3K95 Kinzhal (SA-N-9 Gauntlet) missiles with SA-22 Greyhound (Pantsir S1) missiles. None of these upgrades have materialized to date and, apparently, she will remain in its current form until her retirement.

This is an excerpt of a 1090 word article covering future Russian carrier trends, available to our subscribers.

NATO also maintains a strong naval force in the Mediterranean, comprising naval elements of Italy, France and Spain, along with the US 6th Fleet. However, at present, only the French carrier R-91 Charles De Gaulle (CDG) is available to support the Mediterranean, (when sh is not deployed abroad). Since the U.S. decided to shift its focus on the Pacific Ocean there are no aircraft carriers permanently stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. Both French and US carriers are stationed in the Arabian and Indian Ocean, these include the CDG and CVN-75, USS Truman, currently positioned in the Arabian Gulf. Both are tasked with operation Inherent Resolve (the air war against Daesh in Iraq and Syria). At a length of 261 meters the CDG can is a medium size aircraft carrier with a displacement of 42,000 tons, designed to operate 24-40 aircraft. The Truman has a displacement of 100,000 tons; it is 330 m long and can operate an air wing comprising up to 90 fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

Two carriers are home based at the atlantic ocean seaport of Norfolk Virginia are the USS Eisenhower (CVN 69) and USS Washington (CVN 73). Two carriers are currently undergoing maintenance at Norfolk  USS Lincoln (CVN 72) and USS Bush (CVN 77). NATOs availability of aircraft carrier forces is expected to improve with the introduction of two Royal Navy QEII class carriers, along with their air group of 24 F-35B joint strike fighters, which will also augment the Italian Air group on board the Italian Navy Carrier Cavour, currently undergoing modifications to support up to 16 F-35B on board.
BORDER WAR: Resident fights N.C. property assessment

Ellis W. McCracken Jr. listens to arguments before the Henderson County Board of Equalization& Review.

If Ellis W. McCracken Jr. called 911, an ambulance would come from Greenville County, S.C., to help. If he called the cops, Greenville County deputies would race up the mountain to see whats up. His drivers license calls him a resident of South Carolina. And his mail comes to his home address, in Travelers Rest, S.C.

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Yet he owes property taxes to Henderson County because his house  thanks to the recently re-aligned state line  is officially in North Carolina. Try not to remind him that he cant express his outrage at the ballot box. Hes registered to vote in South Carolina.

Dont rub it in, he says. Its interesting, and painful.

The interesting and painful case of Ellis W. McCracken Jr. is a footnote in the long-running saga of the disputed border separating the Carolinas. McCracken is entangled in what might be the last chapter of a story that starts in 1735, when King George II offered the first direction on drawing the boundary line.

The line shall begin at the sea, thirty miles from the west side of the mouth of the Cape Fear River, the king decreed from across the Atlantic. From thence it shall run on a northwest course to the thirty-fifth parallel of north latitude and from thence due west to the South Seas.

That kings order to separate the two colonies with two straight lines was not as simple to carry out as it sounds.

The original 1735 survey party, for example, had members who sometimes didnt show up, sometimes didnt get paid and often gave up while trudging through the ghastly swamps and wilderness they encountered on their way up from the coast, the New York Times reported in a 2014 account of the border dispute. That may explain why they failed to reach their target, the 35th Parallel, after two years of effort: Instead, they drove a stake into the ground 12 miles too far to the south, and went home.

Another surveying party deployed in 1764 headed west from the erroneous stake, despite explicit orders from King George III to verify that the first surveyors had indeed reached the 35th Parallel, the Times said. By the time they detected their error, 64 miles later, they had shaved 422,000 acres off what was supposed to be South Carolina.



Gas station aggrieved

A variety of factors vexed efforts by the two states to settle the boundary location, not least because trees and geographic markers disappeared over time and because stone monuments vanished in forests, brush and swamps.

Bruised by a similar long-running border dispute with the state of Georgia, South Carolina agreed to try and settle the Carolinas border amicably. The states formed a Joint Boundary Commission to oversee a new survey and to document potential negative impacts or contested issues.

The most famous of these gnarly consequences involved Lewis Efird and his gas station, which, he assumed, was just south of the state line in South Carolina.

Unfortunately, the Times noted, the survey work showed conclusively that his pumps were in a part of North Carolina where gas is more expensive, beer sales are not allowed and fireworks are illegal.

Our business is going to be destroyed, Efird told commissioners during a public hearing.

A compromise approved in the Legislature notched Efirds store back into South Carolina. But no relief is in sight for McCracken. He appeared last week before the Henderson County Board of Equalization and Review, officially to contest the valuation the Henderson County tax assessor put on his 8,214-square-foot home in Cliffs Valley North in Travelers Rest, S.C. But McCracken and his lawyer, Vincent J. Borden, of the Van Winkle Law Firm, offered evidence that McCracken ought not be taxed in North Carolina to begin with.

When McCracken retired as general counsel of Anheuser Busch in St. Louis, he and his wife, Jacquelyn, first settled on Amelia Island near Jacksonville, Fla.

Every time there was a squall off West Africa my wife thought it was time to pack the car and evacuate, he said. That led them to the Cliffs development off U.S. 25 in Travelers Rest. What might have been a stones throw to North Carolina is now, according to the Joint Border Commission and Henderson County, a stones drop.

McCrackens two-story home  and significantly the homes master bedroom  is in North Carolina, the new line showed, while the rest of his land is in South Carolina. To be exact .58 acre of the .85-acre parcel is in North Carolina, the Henderson County assessor says.

Before the McCrackens started construction, they had been notified that both (Greenville County and Henderson County) would be taxing the property, Borden told the Board of E&R. McCracken said that in a telephone conversation Greenville Countys tax assessor confirmed that Greenville County was going to be the sole taxing authority.

If that did happen, though, it was before the Legislature agreed on the re-aligned border, in 2013. The next year, McCracken received his first tax bill from Henderson County, based on an assessment of his home and the six-tenths of an acre, of $2,021,500. McCracken disputes the assessment even if he stipulates that his house is in North Carolina.

McCracken counters with an appraisal he commissioned that valued the house and the entire .85-acre property at $1,495,000.

Hank Outlaw, of the Henderson County tax assessors office, told the Board of E&R there were multiple problems with McCrackens appraisal. The appraiser, Joseph E. Kirton, is not licensed in North Carolina. And Kirtons appraisal, on March 14 of this year, is more than a year beyond the effective date of the last Henderson County valuation, which was Jan. 1, 2015. For tax purposes, by law, that value holds until the next revaluation, in 2019. Kirtons comparables included the sale price of homes that were half the size of McCrackens house, Outlaw said. Plus, the sales were not in North Carolina.

With all due respect, Outlaw said, were not discussing how South Carolina valuates property. Were in Henderson County, North Carolina, and this is how we appraise property. This is based on the most recent schedule adopted by the Board of Commissioners.

Outlaw used Henderson County and Buncombe County sales to verify the value.

Unfortunately, we dont have any that straddle the state line, he said.

After an interior inspection of the McCracken home, the Henderson County assessor made an adjustment that resulted in a considerable tax break. The change, lowering the quality grade from AAA to AA-plus, reduced the assessment by $235,600, to $1,785,900.

McCracken was not mollified.

We dont receive any services whatsoever from Henderson County, he said. All of our services are provided by Greenville County. In fact, when all this erupted I said Ill pay for one but Im not going to pay two.

A courtly lawyer, McCracken sounded determined to take his case as far on appeal as he could go.

I believe so because the only hurdle we had before getting into court was to go through this, he said.

His appeal would go next to the state Property Tax Commission and from there to the N.C. Court of Appeals.

Two-hundred and eighty-one years after King George IIs boundary order, peace has not yet arrived at the McCracken home, at 106 Peaceful Night Trail, Travelers Rest, S.C.
To find trees in the desert, we often have to go up in the mountains. I grew up in the Midwest, so every once in awhile I get a yearning to ...
SERVICES

DEER LICK UNION CHURCH: Pine Flats, Tenn., 793 Deer Lick Road. Oct 16, 10 a. m.: Old Fashion Day services, dinner to follow service on grounds, everyone welcome, 423-3236-8748.

LEE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH: Bristol, Va., 1 W. Mary Street. Oct 16, 11 a. m.: Mens Day service, guest speaker Michael Cummings, breakfast served 9 a. m., everyone welcome, 276-669-2760.

NEW HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH: Bristol, Va., 905 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Oct. 16, 11 a. m.: Annual Womans Day services, guest speaker, featuring Elder Gwen Collins.

RUSSELLS CHAPEL CHURCH: Marion, Va., Scratch Gravel Road. Oct. 16, 10 a. m.: Pastor appreciation Day, everyone welcome.

REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH: Bristol, Va., 672 Island Road. Oct. 16, 10:30 a. m.: Ministry Anniversary, celebrating the ministry of Marcia Cooper, Director of Music, Lutheran composer, hymn writer Carl Schalk, singing featuring King University Symphonic Choir, covered dish dinner to follow service, everyone welcome, 423-335-7542.

HOMECOMING

ABINGDON FIRST CHURCH OF GOD: Abingdon, Va., 500 Whites Mill Road. Oct. 16, 10:30 a. m.: 75th Anniversary Homecoming, special gospel concert featuring, Common Band Quartet, carry in dinner to follow morning service, everyone welcome, 276-628-4271.

GRAY CHURCH OF GOD: Gray, Tenn., 311 Gray Station Sulphur Road. Oct. 16, 11 a. m.: Homecoming service, gospel singing featuring Brian Burchfield, everyone welcome, 423-345-2776.

REVIVALS

ADWOLFE FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH: Marion, Va. 1032 Grubmore Road. Oct 16, 6 p. m., Oct. 17  20, 7 p. m. nightly: Revival, guest speaker Evangelist Donnie White, everyone welcome, 276-783-5957.

BIBLE WAY CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST: Bristol, Tenn., 823 William Street Ext. Oct. 16, 6 p. m.: Revival begins, Oct. 17 -19, 7 p. m. nightly, gospel singing featuring, Faithful 2, everyone welcome, 423-391-7381 or 713-498-1191.

DEER LICK UNION CHURCH: Pine Flats, Tenn., 793 Deer Lick Road. Oct 17  19, 7 p. m. nightly: Revival guest speaker Gorman McMurray, everyone welcome, 4213-323-8748.

GOSPEL BAPTIST CHURCH: Bristol, Va., 7356 Reedy Creek Road. Oct. 16  21: Revival, Oct. 16, 6:30 p. m. guest speaker, Brother Corey Brooks: Oct. 17  18, 7 p. m., guest speaker Brother Dwayne Locklear: Oct. 19, 7 p. m., guest speaker Corey Brooks: Oct. 20  21, 7 p. m., guest speaker Brother Billy Morefield, everyone welcome, 276-669-8672.

GOSPEL SINGING

GLENWOOD COMMUNITY CHURCH: Hilton, Va., 2524 McMurray Hollow Road. Oct. 15, 7 p. m.: gospel singing featuring Mountain Gospel Aires, everyone welcome.

HEAVENLY REST CHURCH: Abingdon, Va., 16420 Black Hollow Road. Oct. 15, 7 p. m.: Gospel singing featuring For His Glory, everyone welcome.

THREE SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH: Bristol, Va., 7009 Reddy Creek Road. Oct. 15, 6 p. m.: Gospel singing featuring, Brian Burchfield, everyone welcome, 423-345-2776.

GALILEAN BAPTIST CHURCH: Meadowview, Va., 1 Rich Valley Road. Oct. 16, 6 p. m.: Gospel singing featuring, Brian Burchfield, everyone welcome, 423-345-2776.

LANDMARK MISSION CHURCH: Bristol, ten. 253 Emmett Way. Oct. 16, 6 p. m.: Gospel singing featuring, BY The Way Of The Cross, everyone welcome.

OPEN BIBLE FREEWILL BAPTIST CHURCH: Piney Flats, Tenn. 5608 Highway 11E. Oct. 16, 6 p. m.: Gospel singing featuring, Faithful 2, everyone welcome, 713-498-1191.

PILGRIM BAPTIST CHURCH: Abingdon, Va., 16438 Pilgrim Lane. Oct. 16, 6 p. m.: Gospel singing featuring Squire Parsons, author of Beulah Land, everyone welcome 276-628-3135.

PILGRIM CHAPEL: Kingsport, Tenn., 459 Bancroft Chapel Road. Oct 16, 10 a. m.: Gospel singing, featuring Faithful 2, everyone welcome, 713-498-1191.

THE CHURCH OF JESUS: Johnson City, Tenn., 809 W. Main Street. Oct. 23, 6 p. m.: Gospel singing featuring The Heavenly Reflection of Kingsport, Tennessee, everyone welcome, 423-845-0211.

COMMUNITY

KEYS STREET PENTECOSTAL CHURCH: Bristol, Va., 126 Keys Street. Oct. 15, 7 a. m.  2 p. m.: Fall Festival, country breakfast, hot dog lunch, bake sale, country store, crafts, yard sale, silent auction, fun, fellowship, everyone welcome, 276-669-2811.

ST. PAUL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Piney Flats, Tenn., 1655 Allison Road. Oct 15, 8 a. m.  2 p. m.: Lords Acre Sale, breakfast, chicken dinner, wreaths, apple butter, canned goods, crafts, furniture, country decorations, homemade cakes, breads, everyone welcome, 423-538-3419.

VRIGINIA AVENUE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Bristol, Tenn., 1125 Virginia Avenue. Oct. 22, 8 a. m.  2 p. m.: Fall Bazaar, country breakfast, BBQ lunch, baked goods, yard sale, items, everyone welcome, 423-646-1036.

CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN CGURCH: Bristol, Va., 301 Euclid Avenue. Oct. 29, 7:30  9 p. m.: Season solo concert, In Flanders Fields, Voices of the Mountain choral performance, 423-392-8423.

ALDERSGATE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Bristol, Tenn., 136 Highridge Street, Oct 29, 6  8 p. m.: Fall Festival, free candy, games, food, drinks, prizes, everyone welcome, 423-341-5240.

ELECTION PRAYER RALLY: Abingdon, Virginia, 100 VHCC Drive. Oct. 25, 5:30  7 p. m.: Prayer Rally, featuring speakers Chief of campus police, Blake Andis, Circuit Court clerk, Patricia Moore, prayers for our nation, police officers, service men, refreshments provided, everyone welcome, 276-429-2972.

WALNUT GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH: Mendota, Va., 6134 Walnut Grove Road. Nov. 5, 4 p. m. until food runs out.: Benefit Riverview and Walnut Grove Cemeteries, $5 hot dog supper, homemade crafts, baked goods, gospel music 6 p. m., everyone welcome, 276-669-8811.

GRANITE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY: Wytheville, Va., 1705 Peppers Perry Road. Nov. 5, 8:30 a. m.  4 p. m.: Fall craft fair and auction, various vendors, food, live auction, music, everyone welcome, craft tables available for vendors, 276-228-3129.

FIRST BROAD STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Kingsport, Tenn., 101 East Church Circle. Volunteer two hours any day Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Marlene Hudson, 423-817-8332, to help with food, Bob Smith, 423-246-3966. Clothing and other donations can be brought to Single Vision or taken to Shades of Grace.

FAIRVIEW UNITED METHODISH CHURCH: Jonesborough, Tenn., 878 Highway 81 North. Third Saturday each month, 7-10 a.m.: Country breakfast, bacon, fresh ground sausage, eggs, pancakes, gravy, biscuits and more. Donations. Located 5 miles from downtown Jonesborough going toward Fall Branch.

YARD SALE

PENTECOSTAL CHURCH: Abingdon, Va., 17535 Jeb Stuart Highway off Exit 19 toward Damascus: Yard Sale, second Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Name brand childrens and maternity clothes, plus tons of good quality baby equipment. Proceeds benefit the Mayan malnourished children of Guatemala, and children in our orphanage and those in our orphans at home program. www.safehomesforchildren.org.

HOW TO SUBMIT

News and calendar items for the Religion section should be emailed only to features@bristolnews.com with Religion Calendar in the subject line or sent by mail to Religion Editor, Bristol Herald Courier, P.O. Box 606, Bristol, VA 24203. Mailed items must be typewritten. Deadline is noon Monday. Please include the complete address of event location, name and telephone number of a contact person. If you have questions, contact Dorothy Hurt at 276-645-2556 or email dhurt@bristolnews.com. The service is free.
Comings and goings: Boot Barn in the works; Clorox plant opens

New store could be the third to move into Valley Plaza this year.
By Polly Cleveland

When I was a teenage bookworm, and later a student at Harvard and Berkeley, I looked down on what my dad called The Great Unwashed. By this unfortunate Victorian term, he meant the ignorant, the prejudiced, the parochial and especially the hyper-patriotic politicians who made his life difficult as a Foreign Service officer. So it would still be easy for me today to look down on members of the American right, especially the Tea Party supporters of Donald Trump.

Arlie Hochschild, a retired sociology professor at U.C. Berkeley, has spent five years interviewing and becoming friends with Tea Party supporters in Louisiana. As she puts it, she has been trying to climb over the empathy wall, to turn off the alarm bells, in order to understand how her friends view the world. Her new book, Strangers in Their Own Land, should be essential reading for Democratic politicians from Hillary on down, as well as for elite snobs like me. She has also written a revealing article for the September issue of Mother Jones.

Hochschild addresses what she calls the Great Paradox: why would the residents of cancer alley one of the most polluted places in the United Statesnonetheless oppose environmental regulations? Her friends are well aware of the pollution and many have suffered personally in health and destruction of their beloved neighborhoods. Yet other concerns seem to take priority. First, theres a loathing of government, federal government especially. Government takes their taxes and does nothing for them. The government of Louisiana is captive to the oil companies. Since the oil companies at least provide good (though few) jobs, they blame government instead. Another concern is honor and respect. All their lives, Hochschilds friends have worked hard, gone to church, and helped their neighbors. They deeply resent the coastal elites who say they cling to guns or religion, or call them rednecks, racists, bigots, sexists, xenophobes and now deplorables.

Hochschild describes what she finds to be the deep story of the right:

You are patiently standing in the middle of a long line stretching toward the horizon, where the American Dream awaits. But as you wait, you see people cutting in line ahead of you. Many of these line-cutters are blackbeneficiaries of affirmative action or welfare. Some are career-driven women pushing into jobs they never had before. Then you see immigrants, Mexicans, Somalis, the Syrian refugees yet to come. As you wait in this unmoving line, youre being asked to feel sorry for them all. You have a good heart. But who is deciding who you should feel compassion for? Then you see President Barack Hussein Obama waving the line-cutters forward. Hes on their side. In fact, isnt he a line-cutter too? How did this fatherless black guy pay for Harvard? As you wait your turn, Obama is using the money in your pocket to help the line-cutters. He and his liberal backers have removed the shame from taking. The government has become an instrument for redistributing your money to the undeserving. Its not your government anymore; its theirs.

What makes this deep story ring true? Hochschild asks. Her friends are older, white middle classmore than half of Tea Party supporters earn at least $50,000. But their position is precarious. All around them they see people falling into poverty, despair, and worst of all, dependence on government handouts. So while the liberal media sneers, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and now Donald Trump hear and validate the deep story. Thats why a woman friend of Hochschilds can say of Trump, Hes a jerk, but I like some of what he says.

At a recent book-signing in New York, Hochschild told us she invites Hillary to come meet her friends in Louisiana. When we learn to listen, even if we dont agree, we will find areas in common. Notably, her friends support reducing pollution and getting money out of politics.

Taking a broader perspective, I cant help noticing how the deep story of waiting in line resembles the zero-sum mentality of very unequal, low-mobility societies. The British Equality Trust has developed an index relating inequality to social and health problems. Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are way up there on the scale of both. The emphasis on honor and respect also fits the pattern. If theres little mobility, ones position in the hierarchy becomes very important. Think of gang-infested poor neighborhoods, where one can get killed for disrespecting, or where a kid who does well in school is teased and harassed. Think also of India, where the caste system remains intractable in many regions, and Pakistan where its acceptable to kill a daughter who destroys the family honor by marrying without permission.

My brother is a Republican, though not a Tea Partier. He can deluge me with facts supporting his positions. Its excruciatingly difficult to turn off the alarm bells and listen for feelings and points of agreement. Arlie Hochschild has motivated me to try harder. She reminds all of us that, regardless of disagreements, we still owe Tea Party supporters our full respect, readiness to listen, and willingness to work together where we can.

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Delphi man arrested in killings of Libby German, Abby Williams

Richard Allen of Delphi, Indiana, was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of two teen girls who had been hiking.
Indians love jargon and buzzwords. In the 1990s, in India and the world, the buzz-term of choice in corporate circles was core competence. It was coined by CK Prahalad and Gary Hamel in a 1990 article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR).

It caused a stir because, until then, the most successful corporations in India (and, arguably, the world) had been conglomerates.

Read | Air India ekes out Rs 105 crore operating profit, first time in 10 years

Prahalad was almost immediately adopted in India, especially in the southern part of the country where he started hosting an annual retreat for businessmen. He and a few others used to informally refer to this grouping as the Windsor Club  after the hotel in which the retreat was held and also a reference to the Bombay Club, businessmen from Bombay and New Delhi who were not completely in favour of liberalisation and economic reforms. Prahalad and his followers saw themselves as a more progressive grouping.

Over time, the Bombay Club came around, Prahalad became a widely sought after management guru across the country (and the world), and, while Indian businesses continued to diversify to tap opportunities that were opening up, they did so with mixed feelings about diversification.

It wasnt until 1997 that the first real opposition to that theory would come  from Krishna G Palepu and Tarun Khanna in another article in the HBR titled Why Focused Strategies May be Wrong for Emerging Markets.

Read | Internet shutdowns cost India $1bn, more than any other country

Khanna and Palepu argued that because of the lack of public institutions and infrastructure and the kind of support these offered, many companies in emerging markets had to recreate them in-house. It was an accurate inference of why, for instance, in India, some business groups had diversified into businesses far removed from their core  such as power and transport.

In a previous life, I was a fly on the wall at a couple of meetings of the Windsor Club, and met Khanna (in New Delhi), soon after his article appeared in HBR.

The lengthy preamble on diversification and how Indian business groups felt about it in the 1990s is necessary because 2016 is, in some ways, an important year for diversification.

Read | India may seek $7.5 billion in extra spending to spur growth

The first post-liberalisation wave of diversification in India happened in the early 1990s itself. New opportunities were emerging and companies scrambled to make the most of them. We will skip this phase because this columns focus is on two groups and what they did in the second wave of diversification. Still, the first wave merits study (and we will come back to it one day) because it resulted in the decline and eventual fall of several established business groups.

The second wave happened between the late 1990s and mid-2000s. By then, the more progressive business groups had reaped the benefit of modern management techniques (read: Benchmarking, re-engineering, lean manufacturing, assorted quality certifications) and information technology. They also had a clearer idea of what they wanted to do.

Read | TCS beats expectations, net up 9% in uncertain environment

In 1998, Analjit Singhs Max India sold its telecom business to Hutchison Whampoa for the then staggering amount of 561 crore. He used some of the money to diversify into two new areas opening up around that time  insurance and healthcare. The sale made Max one of the few groups to succeed in the first wave of diversification (it entered telecom when the business opened up in 1993-94).

In 2000, the Aditya Birla Group acquired Madura Garments from Coats Viyella for 236 crore, entering the branded apparel market. The same year, it entered the insurance business through a joint venture with Sun Life Financial Inc. And shortly after, it entered the information technology and back office services business. It had already entered telecom in the first wave of diversification. In 2005, the conglomerate decided to rechristen Indian Rayon and Industries Ltd and make it a holding company for its new businesses in finance, apparel, telecom, and IT. The new company was called Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd. Shortly after, the group bought out its partners in the telecom business, AT&T, and the Tata group.

Read | Retail inflation eases to 13-month low of 4.31% in September

In August, around a decade-and-half after both groups got serious about their new new businesses, they saw closure. Aditya Birla Nuvo, which had sold its IT business, and spun off its apparel and telecom business into listed companies, decided to separate its financial services business too and itself merged with Grasim Industries Ltd.

Around the same time, the Max group merged its life insurance business with HDFC Standard Life for a 6.5% stake in the merged entity and a non-compete fee of 850 crore.

Singh, an indefatigable entrepreneur, spoke about the new businesses he is eyeing in a subsequent interview. Meanwhile, his healthcare business continues to grow.

Read | Sitharaman asks China for greater market access to cut trade deficit

Both groups entered new (or relatively new) businesses. And both saw a successful closure in 2016 (and within a few days of each other)  for the Aditya Birla Group, this meant spinning off all its new businesses into independent entities. For Max, it meant a successful exit.

For me, there are three takeaways from the experience of the Aditya Birla and Max groups: Exits arent always bad (and are preferable in some cases); there are benefits to housing new businesses in a separate entity; and 15-20 years is the time it takes for a new business to mature in India.

The experience of the Mahindra Group, another Indian business house that has successfully diversified into new businesses, supports the third point.

Read | Economic planning a must for smart cities

Interestingly, in the same time frame, the Indian economy has almost quadrupled in size, so, even as these new businesses enjoyed the fruits of economic growth, they also contributed to it.

Many of these groups are now evaluating new businesses for their third wave of diversification since 1991.

R Sukumar is editor, Mint

letters@hindustantimes.com

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Experts called for certification of disaster management plans for projects in all sectors, and educational courses on dealing with disasters.

The recommendations were part of the 2016 Bhopal Declaration framed during deliberations by 175 experts at a two-day national conference on emergency response and disaster management plan that concluded in Bhopal on Friday.

As October 13 is observed as the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the meet was held in the context of the Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030), an international treaty approved by the UN members in March 2015 at a conference in Sendai, Japan.

As India is a signatory to this framework, there is a need to have certification of disaster management plans in all sectors, be it construction or development projects, said Dr Rakesh Dubey, director of the Disaster Management Institute (DMI), Bhopal.

The DMI, set up in 1987 against the backdrop of the worlds worst chemical disaster in Bhopal, organised the meet in collaboration with the MP Planning Commission, National Disaster Management Authority and Unicef.

We need to have a certifier that certifies that a disaster management plan has been framed for a particular project, and it is being implemented. DMI has been a certifier for disaster management for oil companies since 2010, Dubey said.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has identified the DMI as a certifying body for emergency response and disaster management plans of oil and gas companies.

We need to take similar initiatives for all sectors, Dubey said.

The declaration, notified for the first time by experts in the state, urged the government to initiate educational courses on disaster management, including certification.

The recommendations in the declaration also urged the government to ensure that sector policies, plans, and investments are informed by risk assessment and analysis, Dubey said.

Some other suggestions

Strengthen child-specific disaster risk reduction (DRR) programmes in the state to promote a culture of safety and resilience.

Awareness programmes on DRR for all sections of population.

Government should take disaster management mock drills to the panchayat and block level.
An Air India plane made an emergency landing at the Raja Bhoj airport in the state capital after it developed a technical glitch on Friday night.

The Delhi-bound flight was carrying 110 passengers, including Union minister of mines, steel, labour and employment Narendra Singh Tomar.

Sources said the Bhopal-Delhi flight took off from the airport at 9.30 pm. However, about 20 to 30 minutes later, the captain detected a technical glitch in one of the engines. It returned to the airport around 10 pm.

Air India engineers were summoned, and they tried to rectify the problem till 11 pm  even as the passengers remained seated inside. Eventually, they were asked to de-board.

The passengers were finally flown to Delhi at 5.30 am on Saturday, after Air India sent another plane to Bhopal. Tomar had already left after making alternative travel arrangements.

Vishrut Acharya, area manager of Air India (Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh), told Hindustan Times that the engineers didnt want to take any chances by working on the aircraft engine at night.
Actress Priyanka Chopra has spoken her heart out, in the wake of the spillover of recent tensions between neighbours India and Pakistan on Bollywood. The Fashion actress said that as a patriot, she would go along with whatever the government decides on the issue. But she one question to ask: Why are only actors singled out in these discussions?

Talking about the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, Priyanka, whose late father Ashok Chopra was an army officer, told NDTV: I have read about it. Its tricky because first of all artistes and actors are always held responsible for every bigger political agenda that happens in the country.

Why not business(men), politicians, doctors and why not anyone else except for public people, who are not actors in the movie industry?

Priyanka, currently seen in the lead role in the popular American TV series Quantico, said: I am extremely patriotic. So, whatever my government decides is important to keep the country safe. I go with that, but at the same time, I dont believe that artistes are a representation... at least there hasnt been an actor who has done something which has harmed someones life out of malice or anything.

She thinks that If someone needs to be hung, the one person thats picked up is an artiste or a public person from the movie business. That to me, is not fair.

India-Pakistan tensions got heightened following a terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 19 soldiers were killed, last month. The Indian Army then carried out surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control.

I am appalled by what happened in Uri and we need to stand up and protect our country. We have been an extremely peaceful nation for so many centuries. We have never been those who go out and fight. We are from the land of (Mahatma) Gandhi. We are all about non-violence, Priyanka said.

There are so many different people with so many different opinions and belonging to so many different religions. They have had different sort of upbringing. Its (India is) a difficult country to govern, yet we have managed so well, she added.

What's next for #AlexParrish ! #quantico #onsetshenanigans A photo posted by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on Sep 28, 2016 at 6:56pm PDT

Priyanka stated that we should be more concerned about the safety of Indian soldiers and their families.

We should be concerned about keeping the rest of our sons and the rest of our soldiers safe and that needs to be the focus. We always lose our focus and comment on something else because thats what that makes noise and because people talk about it and media carries it, she said.

Following the September 18 terrorist attack, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes to leave India and said the party would not let their movies release in India.

The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association passed a resolution banning Pakistanis from working in films being made in India. In retaliation, some Pakistani theatre chain owners banned the screening of Indian films.

On Friday, the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India said that movies featuring Pakistani actors would not be screened in single screen theatres in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat.

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Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is expected to deliver her first child in December, has been keeping herself busy with brand endorsements and media interactions. Now, the actor has flown to Kochi, Kerala, to spend time with actor-husband Saif Ali Khan. The couple is celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary on Sunday.

A source says, Kareena has fulfilled most of her professional commitments, including her brand endorsements and media interactions. On Friday, she took off to Kochi for a quick vacation with Saif, who is currently shooting for a project there. In fact, Kareena loves Kerala and always enjoys visiting the state.

The source further adds, As it is their wedding anniversary today, Kareena wanted to spend some quality time with Saif. The couple has planned to keep the anniversary celebrations low-key, and have opted for a quiet dinner.

When contacted, Kareena remained unavailable for a comment.

The ultimate showstopper #babysister#stunninglybeautiful#behindthescenes#backstage#lfw2016#grandfinale #bothinsabyasachi@sabyasachiofficial@tanghavri A video posted by KK (@therealkarismakapoor) on Aug 28, 2016 at 10:46am PDT

Kareena Kapoor will begin shoot for her next movie project Veere Di Wedding in the month of March (2017), which is helmed by Rhea Kapoor. The film also stars actor Sonam Kapoor, and Kareena in lead roles in the much-awaited project.

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Condemning Anurag Kashyaps recent tweets questioning Narendra Modi about his Pakistan visit, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said it has now become a fashion to blame the Prime Minister for each and every issue.

Anurags statement is extremely wrong, he should not make such comments, first of all no government or BJP supporter has said they want the picture banned, its the exhibitors and theater owners, who are saying they wont show the movie. So, Anurag should go question them, there is no point of dragging Modi ji unnecessarily, said Bhandarkar.

Moreover, it has kind of become a fashion to drag the Prime Minister into each and every issue and then make a statement against him, he added.

Kashyap is the latest entry in the list of industry stars who have criticised the entire issue around Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Om Puri, Shyam Benegal, Vikram Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, along with actors Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Sushant Singh Rajput have been batting for the films release.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead, and has Fawad Khan in a cameo. It is slated for a Diwali release.

However, 48-year-old Bhandarkar maintained that nobody in the industry wants the movie to be banned or holds anything personal against the Pakistani artistes but the time is really not in favor of any sort of cultural exchange.

I think we all want the movie should be released, ADHM is a big project, it has so much talent, Karan is an established film-maker of the industry. So, we too want the film to reach the people, he added.

Bhandarkar further said sarcastically saying Bharat Mata ki Jai is something very disgraceful.

The director also said that he is in favour of good ties between the two hostile Asian neighbours but added that this is not the time to keep friendly rapport and indulge into any sort of cultural exchange.

I am myself a big fan of Rahat [Fateh Ali Khan] (bhai) and Ghulam Ali, we want relations to stay friendly. In fact, I also went to Pakistan last year and received an award but at the moment we are witnessing so much terror on the border, he said.

Amidst the ongoing debate over Anurag Kashyaps tweets questioning the Prime Minister, the Shiv Sena too on Sunday condemned the directors stand and wondered whether the filmmaker was beyond all boundaries of the country.

Today, the entire country is against Pakistan. Even the Theatre Owners Association, many of the top most actors like Ajay Devgn has also supported the Army and Indias stand. So, why is Anurag Kashyap being different? Is he beyond all boundaries of the country? quipped Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande.

Meanwhile, supporting the ban on artists, Fashion director Bhandarkar said, I think the ban on Pakistani artistes is rightly imposed as peoples sentiments are greatly affected and they are disappointed by whatever tension is prevalent. There should be a temporary ban on them till the time the situation does not change.

He also talked about Pakistan to be declared as a terrorist state.

See a lot of people are supporting the move to declare Pakistan a terror state, even a petition has also been filed and its not only happening in India but several other nations too have similar belief. So, the country is somehow actually giving shelter and supporting terrorism, he said.

Kashyap made the comments in support of Karan Johar, whos upcoming entertainer Ae Dil Hai Mushkil has long been under fire due to having Pakistani actor Fawad Khan as part of the star-studded cast.

He expressed annoyance on social media after cinema owners association decided to stay the release of movies starring Pakistani artistes.

The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) earlier announced that they would not screen movies starring Pakistani artistes in the four states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa.

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Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap launched a Twitter tirade against the prime minister on Sunday, asking Narendra Modi why he hadnt apologised for his visit to Pakistan last year.

Kashyaps comments were seen as support for Karan Johars upcoming movie  Ae Dil Hai Mushkil  which is battling calls for a ban because it features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.



Read| Ae Dil Hai Mushkil ban is stupid: It is set to harm Indian producers

In a series of tweets, Kashyap wrote Sunday morning, @narendramodi Sir you havent yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why? why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent?? and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money,while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest.

The world must learn from us.. We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it.. #ADHM . With you on this @karanjohar, Kashyap tweeted late Saturday.

Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan along with Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in lead roles, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is facing trouble after cinema owners association decided to stall the release of movies starring Pakistani artistes.

READ: Ban on Pakistani artistes is short-sighted cop-out, not patriotism

In a surprise move, Modi had visited Pakistan on December 25 last year for Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharifs birthday  but relations between the two nations have plummeted since then.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was slated for a Diwali release but ran into trouble because of mounting calls to teach Islamabad a lesson for sponsoring cross-border terrorism. Suspected Pakistani militants attacked an army base in Kashmirs Uri last month, killing 19 soldiers and unleashing furious reactions across India.

Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) on Friday announced that they would not screen movies starring Pakistani artistes in the four states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa. The decision taken by COEAI mainly covers single screen theatres and comes amid tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of Uri attack last month.

Many industry people including Om Puri, Shyam Benegal, Vikram Bhatt, Mukesh Bhatt and Censor Board chief Pahalaj Nihalani have slammed the ban on the release of the film which have completed production.
The Essar Group will use the proceeds of the $12.9-billion (Rs 86,400 crore) sale of Essar Oil to halve its overall debt to about Rs 42,000 crore, bringing relief to leading bankers SBI and ICICI which have lent heavily in the past.

But bankers to whom HT spoke to say this is easier said than done.

The Rs 84,000-crore debt of Essar Group is spread across various categories  creditors, bondholders, working capital lenders, private equity funds that have lent at the holding company level, and to Iran.

So it isnt only term lenders that the group has to pay back. It would take a judicious mode to settle among the various categories. It will take at least six months (to split the proceeds), said a senior banker, who asked not to be named.

Like the diverse businesses that Essar has interests in, the debt is also distributed widely across the conglomerate structure that uses a holding company format, with companies registered in tax havens. Global financial major Credit Suisse issued a report earlier titled House of Debt that pegged the groups debt as of March 2015 at an even higher Rs 101,465 crore.

Adding to all this uncertainty is the fact most group companies are delisted, which means financials need not be disclosed publicly.

SBI accounts for about 40% of the total group debt, largely in Essar Steel. SBI exposure in the steel firm is about Rs 9,000 crore, followed by Punjab National Bank, IDBI Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank who have about Rs 5,000 crore worth of exposure. There are at least 30 banks that have lent to to Essar Steel. Four banks -- Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Federal Bank and ICICI Bank  have sold some of their loans to Edelweiss ARC, retaining working capital components.

Essar Power has a debt of about Rs 20,000 crore, Essar Oil about Rs 27,000 crore and about $2 billion (Rs 13,400 crore) is owed to Iran for oil dues.

Reflecting bankers relief with the Essar Oil sale, ICICI Bank MD Chanda Kochhar said: This is a significant step in deleveraging the balance sheets of Indian corporates. ICICI Bank has been closely working with companies including the Essar Group to help them de-leverage their stressed balance sheets.

Some of the groups debt has also been via private equity funds who have terms and covenants including approvals for sale of assets. Early this year the group had differences with IDFC private equity on the sale of the Vadinar power plant. The group had raised Rs 350 crore from this PE. Similarly it also owes about $3.5 billion to Stanchart private equity fund.

The group has already agreed to a refinance agreement with Russia bank VTB for $3.5 billion.

The entire debt and where it is housed is very complex to unravel and settle. It will take time. But the Ruias have been serious this time as they went for a 98% sale of Essar Oil to show their commitment to reduce debt, said a banker who has been negotiating with the group.
Questions have always been asked about the moral standards of our leaders. But are they victims of an insecurity complex? The mysterious illness of Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayaraman Jayalalithaa has put the spotlight on present-day politicians in India.

May god grant good health to Jayalalithaa and help her return to the helm of the government. Only five months ago, the people of this important Indian state restored their faith in her leadership for the sixth time during the assembly elections. Even before she could begin implementing her poll promises, she was gripped by illness. This has paralysed the state administration. Had Jayalalithaa formed a second line of command, then thousands of people would not have felt neglected. Why didnt Jayalalithaa do so? To find an answer we may have to remove some layers of dust from the pages of history.

Read: Medical bulletins on Jayalalithaas health hide more than they reveal

The controversy that erupted after the passing away of MG Ramachandran is still fresh in the minds of political analysts. Not only was Ramachandran a movie star, he also gave a new direction to the Dravidian movement. Jayalalithaa was his constant companion in the world of movies and politics. That is why she considered herself a natural heir to Vadiyars legacy. MGRs wife VN Janaki challenged her, but Jayalalithaa was up to the challenge and Janaki was deposed.

Read: The lack of transparency about Jayalalithaas health is worrying

If Vadiyar, or teacher, had not given so much importance to Amma in the party, his family would not have had to see such days. Thats why Jayalalithaa didnt allow a number two to emerge in the party or government, in any capacity. If she became suspicious about anybody, the person was thrown out. Thats why when she was imprisoned for the first time in 2001 and O Panneerselvams name was announced as her replacement, people in north India were surprised. Upon investigation it was revealed that Panneerselvam was Ammas trusted lieutenant. His world began and ended with Amma.

Read: Jayalalithaa: A timeline of a movie star-turned-politician

The story was repeated In 2014, when Jayalalithaa was imprisoned again. This time round, Panneerselvam has been given all the responsibilities of a chief minister, but he hasnt been given the formal designation. Jayalalithaa will continue to be chief minister in absentia. By when will she recover? What exactly is her ailment? Whatever the party spokespersons say on this is raising newer questions.

The police have registered cases against a number of people for spreading rumours. Some people are behind bars but the tsunami of rumours refuses to abate.

Jayalalithaa isnt the only such politician.

Let us begin with Odisha. Its chief minister Naveen Patnaik has regained power for the fourth time with a landslide majority. Even in his party there is no number two. Like Jayalalithaa, Naveen also encourages the politics of no alternative. With clever politics, not only has he made Opposition parties redundant, but he has also stifled every emerging voice in his party. On October 16, Patnaik turned 70. He should ideally announce his political successor. But will he?

Read: Mamata as Durga earns all-round disapproval

The picture is not very different in neighbouring West Bengal. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee neither been a silver screen idol like Jayalalithaa, nor was her father the chief minister like Naveen. She underwent many forms of oppression in order to end the more than three-decade-old Left Front rule. A big section of the states population addresses her as Didi out of respect. Mamata has not shared power with anybody in her party at the top rung. Her nephew Abhishek Banerjee heads the youth wing of the Trinamool Congress and this time had the honour of reaching the Lok Sabha. Will he take over Mamatas legacy? Nobody appears to have a clue.

The situation appears to be similar in the Bahujan Samaj Party. Mayawati had to struggle even more than Mamata. She became the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh four times while taking on the infamous caste system. She is one of the leading contenders for power in the next assembly elections. Kanshi Ram had anointed her as his heir well in time. Mayawati herself has made a public statement that she has decided on who will take over her political mantle. Who can this be?

Read: It is raining sops in Naveen Patnaiks Odisha

The script is almost identical with Sikkims Pawan Kumar Chamling. He has been chief minister of the state since 1994. If all goes well, in another two years, hell become the longest-serving chief minister in India. Rising from the village panchayat level to dominating state politics, Chamling, the father of eight children, has neither named a family member, nor anybody else from the party as his successor.

These five states send 183 members to the 543-member-strong Lok Sabha. They have a 25% contribution to the nations GDP. These statistics reflect how sensitive the situation is. Shouldnt those who represent the hopes of millions of citizens make their succession plans public? Shouldnt politicians also declare the status of their health along with party manifestos? How can an unhealthy and politically insecure leader contribute to the nurturing of a healthy democracy? Working professionals are asked to retire between 58 years and 60 years of age. It is assumed that they begin to falter by this age. There is no such rule for politicians.

How secure is the worlds largest democracy under the leadership of politicians suffering from such insecurity complexes?

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan

letters@hindustantimes.com
The air quality in Delhi continues to have high pollution level even after monsoon, said Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

According to a CPCB study, though the air quality in places such as Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Faridabad city in Haryana has improved after the monsoon, it did not reach the level that can be considered safe for humans in Delhi.

During the survey it was found that while Varanasi and Faridabad were recorded to have higher level of pollution during winter, quite contrary to Delhi, it improved during and after the monsoon, the study said.

The survey was conducted after a similar report published by the US embassy this year examining pollution level during monsoon.

It was found that there was an increase in the concentration of air pollution in many cities, including Delhi, even during monsoon which is considered the best season in terms of air quality.

Level of air pollution often improves after monsoon as rains help wash out dust particles. However, smoke and automobile fumes are hardly affected by rainwater. This explains why Delhis air quality does not improve even after the monsoon as compared to tier II cities such as Varanasi, said SP Byotra, head of the Department of Internal Medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

To track the pollution levels in your city or area, use our real-time Air Quality Map:

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According to him, there has been a rise in the number of patients with respiratory allergy.

Breathing in poor quality of air has already taken a toll on the health of the Delhi people. While there has always been a rise in patients with respiratory problems and allergic reactions during winters, with increasing pollution we are now getting such patients almost round the year, including post monsoon, said Byotra.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had already declared Delhi as the worlds most polluted city in 2014, and the new data suggest that Delhiites would not be getting any respite from the toxic air, even after the monsoon season.

According to a new WHO report on ambient air pollution level, Delhi is the most polluted city in the world following Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

Surveys have also indicated that considering the rising pollution, people have started opting for air purifiers as a solution.

The pollution level in Delhi is at its worst, and even monsoon has failed to clean the air. Due to continuous rise in dangerously high levels of air pollution even after monsoon, it is giving no respite from respiratory problems. We recorded a high demand of indoor purifiers even during this season, said Vijay Kannan, India head of Blueair air purifiers.
The Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) seems to have decided to wear its patriotic credentials on its sleeve. In what can only be described as a counterproductive move, single screen and multiplex owners who belong to this association across four states  Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Gujarat  have decided not to screen films starring Pakistani artistes.

Read | Cinema owners body bans films with Pak actors, Fawad Khans movie in trouble

This is apparently in deference to public sentiment. This is a short-sighted move for several reasons. For a start, these films also star Indian artistes. They are being made to suffer because of the COEAIs misplaced patriotism. Indian producers have sunk large amounts of money into these films and they are likely to incur huge losses. The argument put forward that these losses will be less than those suffered if the theatres are vandalised is specious. If any theatre owner apprehends such a threat, he or she should seek police help.

Read | Fawad, Salma and more: Pak actors and singers who made it big in India

This is an extension of the sentiment expressed by Film and Television Institute of India chairman Gajendra Chauhan that Pakistani artistes should not be given visas as they are taking away jobs and could pass on sensitive information. The COEAIs cites the Uri and other terror attacks as the motivation behind its decision. Theres no evidence to suggest that the Pakistani actors in the films in question have any terror links. It is also unclear how the COEAI came to the conclusion that public sentiment is against films starring Pakistani actors. This hypersensitivity is immature to say the least.

Read | Our artistes dont have to go look for work anywhere: Pak actor Shaan Shahid

India is not so fragile as to be threatened by a film or two that features Pakistani artistes among others. Pakistani artistes should not be punished for the actions (or inactions) of Islamabad. If this trend continues, where do we stop? In fact, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association has taken a more positive position and has even asked the producers of these films to move the courts. Actors from various countries have come to seek work in Bollywood and this should be seen as a projection of Indias soft power.

Read | Ban on Pakistani artistes is short-sighted cop-out, not patriotism

The COEAIs move smacks of insecurity where there need be none. If a particular actor fits a certain role, the producer has every right to chose him or her, it is not written in stone that the person should be an Indian. Hollywood attracts talent from all over the world, including India. Acting talent is not nationality-specific. The actors constitute no threat to security and if certain people dont like the idea of Pakistani actors in films, they should not go to see them. The COEAI does not need to second-guess public sentiment; this is only creating more problems for Indian producers, directors and theatre owners than it is for Pakistan.
Deepika Padukone joined host Salman Khan for the first episode of Bigg Boss 10 on Sunday. And she graced the show with her usual glamour and style.

BOSS LADY  @deepikapadukone for Bigboss wearing @h&m #h&mxBalmain boots @sergiorossi hair and makeup by my favourite @danielbauermakeupandhair @paisnehal @anjalichauhan16 A photo posted by Shaleena (@shaleenanathani) on Oct 15, 2016 at 2:15pm PDT

The 30-year-old stars frequent stylist, Shaleena Nathani, posted on Instagram few pictures of the actress donning a black and golden dress by French fashion house Balmain. The actress teamed it with a pair of thigh high Italian Sergio Rossi boots.

Wait for it  #trailerlaunch @deepikapadukone wearing @lasenza boots @zara hair and makeup @danielbauermakeupandhair @paisnehal @anjalichauhan16 A photo posted by Shaleena (@shaleenanathani) on Oct 15, 2016 at 3:03pm PDT

The stylist captioned the picture, BOSS LADY @deepikapadukone for Bigboss.

This ones for you Daniel  @danielbauermakeupandhair @hm A photo posted by Shaleena (@shaleenanathani) on Oct 15, 2016 at 2:16pm PDT

Hash-tagged #h&mxBalmain, the caption also gave credits to the renowned German make-up artist, Daniel Bauer who is based in India.

.hair and makeup by my favourite @danielbauermakeupandhair, it concluded.

The Tamasha star also sported winged eyeliner to complete the look.

Apart from the first episode of Big Boss tenth season that airs tonight, Deepika will be seen next in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage that also stars Vin Diesel, Nina Dobrev, Samuel L Jackson, Donnie Yen, Kris Wu, Tony Jaa and many more stars.

The DJ Caruso directed flick will release in January 2017.

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Actor Kevin Hart didnt know how to react when a fan revealed he had had his face tattooed on his back.

The 37-year-old star was unsure of how to react when his fan revealed the permanent tribute hed had etched on his body, but felt he ought to thank him for his devotion, reported Us magazine.

Go see "What Now" tonight damn it .....Why is my wife so angry lmao!!!! #whatnow #comedicrockstarshit #NowPlaying A video posted by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on Oct 13, 2016 at 6:26pm PDT

A guy got a tattoo of my face on his lower back. That was weird. I was like, I dont know what you did that for, sir. I dont know why its there. I dont really know what Im supposed to do after seeing that. I guess thank you.

Kevin was left embarrassed at one of his first big stand-up comedy shows when he split his trousers - and didnt realise until an audience member passed him a note.

When I first started performing in theaters, I was performing in Washington, DC. I had on some cool nylon sweatpants. I was telling a joke, jumped in the air, landed and ripped my pants in the front. But I didnt know.

So the girl in the front row wrote a note and slid it on stage. It said something like, Kevin, your whole area is out right now.

Below are a couple of other Kevin Hart fan tattoos that are worth a look:

@kevinhart4real portrait that I did on 1 of my mentors @tattoosbybumer @frontyardtattoo @ronmeyersgreywash #inkjecta #inkammunition #tattooapprentice #kevinhart #kevinharttattoo A photo posted by Jayden Pengilly (@jayden.tattoo) on Jul 5, 2016 at 12:56am PDT

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Amid the rising pitch of the poll campaigns in Uttar Pradesh, some words of bonhomie are not getting lost.

On Sunday, Congress veteran and partys UP in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad acknowledged chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as a man with clean and transparent image, a rare honour from the rival camp that is trying to form its own government in the state.

Personally I feel woh saaf sutra hai (he is clean and transparent), said Azad, replying questions on the family feud within the states first family.

Azads comments come days after the young chief minister had said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is a good boy who should come to the state more often.

Even as repeated questions were asked about Samanwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadavs reluctance to project Akhilesh as the chief ministerial candidate for next years polls, Azad maintained it is a matter between a father and a son and no party should be bothered about it.

He also said that he believes Akhilesh will not help the BJPamid growing speculations about a possible understanding between the Congress and the SP to stem the BJP in UP where it got 71 out of 80 seats in the last Lok Sabha polls.

I dont know if BJP has any role (in the rift within the Yadav family). I also dont want to speculate which section in the SP is working in favour of the BJP. But personally I can say that Akhilesh is not working to help the BJP and he is a clean person, Azad added.

The Congress also roped in former MP Obaidullah Khan Azmi, a son of the soil from UPs Azamgarh, known for his prolific speeches. Muslim Personal Law Board member Azmis inclusion in the party also comes at a time when the government wants to oppose the triple talaq of the Muslims. Azad, however, avoided any comment on the talaq issue underlining that the matter is sub-judice.

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Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of news channel Times Now, will be provided Y category security cover by the government over a threat from Pakistan-based terrorist groups.

Under the Y category cover, Goswami will get round-the-clock protection from around 20 guards, including two personal security officers for close proximity security.

Goswami was not available for comment despite phone calls and messages from HT.

There are two types of protection provided by the government  positional and threat-based.

Under positional security, a dignitary is given security cover on the basis of position he or she holds  such as cabinet ministers and Supreme Court judges.

In the second category, a person is provided on the basis of a threat-perception analysis by the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

Goswami is being given security on the basis of a threat-perception analysis by the IB. We will go by the IB recommendation. He faces threats from Pakistan-based terrorist groups due to his comments against them on Times Now, said a home ministry official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

The home ministry is likely to ask the Maharashtra police to handle Goswamis security as he is based in Mumbai.

The government provides security under four categories  Z Plus (around 40 guards with two escort vehicles), Z (around 30 guards with one escort vehicle), Y (around 20 guards) and X (four guards).

The Centre has around 450 protectees under these categories. Out of them, around 275 people have been provided threat-based security cover. The state governments also have their own list of protectees.

Goswami is not the first journalist to get security cover from the Centre. Before him, journalists such as Zee Newss Sudhir Chaudhary (X category), Samachar Pluss Umesh Kumar (Y category) and Ashwini Kumar Chopra (Z Plus category) have been provided security by the government.

Chopra, who runs Hindi daily Punjab Kesari in Delhi and is a BJP Lok Sabha member, the security cover was provided around three decades ago following the killings of his father and grandfather by militants in Punjab.

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A 38-year-old local BJP leader was shot and hacked to death allegedly by a group of persons in broad daylight in Talegaon Dabhade, 35 km from here, on Sunday.

Sachin Shelke, former mayor of Talegaon municipal council, was travelling in his car when assailants waylaid him near a petrol pump at around 11 am.

The assailants asked Shelke to get down from the car and fired a round at him and then attacked him with sharp-edged weapons before fleeing, superintendent of police Jai Jadhav said.

An old enmity could be the reason behind the murder, he said.

People who were around him, rushed him to a private hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

The police have registered a case against 10 people, believed to be associates of Shyam Dabhade, who has criminal record and is absconding, the SP said.

Four suspects also have been detained.

Police also recovered CCTV footage from the spot and a manhunt has been launched to trace the remaining assailants.

In 2013, Shelke was attacked but survived. His brother and father too had survived similar attacks.

Situation in and around Talegaon was tense and heavy police force have been deployed there.

The town was in news for similar incident in 2010 when Satish Shetty, an RTI activist, was murdered while on morning walk.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a bilateral meeting with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit in Goa.

Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for first engagement, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.

As host of this years BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last months cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pulled out of this years Saarc Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistans state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason.

Afghanistan and Bangladesh too followed suit citing the same reason while Sri Lanka held that a Saarc summit was not possible in Indias absence.

The BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit will be held later on Sunday.
There was no mention of counter-terrorism in the first official statement from China on the closely-followed meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modis in Goa on the sidelines of the 8th BRICS Summit.

It talked about enriching the bilateral partnership and cooperating within multilateral frameworks and how the relationship was important to protecting the reasonable interests in the international arena.

The statement did talk about expanding consensus and mutual trust.

The only specifics in the official statement were that the two countries should expand cooperation on railway projects and industrial parks.

Sundays early morning statement from Beijing and the post-meeting signals in Goa probably reveal that India and China are far from resolving differences in views on New Delhis assertion that Pakistan  Chinas all-weather ally  is the primary source of terrorism.

It means terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad chief, Masood Azhar can breathe easy. Beijing has extended a technical hold on an UN ban on Azhar that India has been advocating.

Expectedly, the Chinese statement made no mention of Indias Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) aspirations.

Read| Russia with India on terror but China still on the fence ahead of BRICS summit

The statement released by the official news agency, Xinhua painted the state of Sino-India relationship in a broad brush and a fair amount of diplomatic jargon  the state of ties, it said, was encouraging.

The development momentum of China-India ties is encouraging, and a healthy and stable China-India relationship is conducive not only to both countries development, but to safeguarding the developing countries reasonable interests in global governance and international systems, Xi was quoted by Xinhua as telling Modi.

the two countries should support each other in participating in regional affairs and enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the East Asia Summit, Xi told Modi.

Xi spoke about maintaining high-level communication.

The two countries should maintain high-level communication and dialogue at all levels so as to expand consensus, improve mutual trust and deepen cooperation. They should also raise the level of cooperation in various fields and continue to push forward cooperation on major projects such as railway and industrial parks, the President of China was quoted to have said

China and India should consolidate public support for bilateral friendship by boosting exchanges between their political parties, local governments, think tanks, cultural bodies and media organisations, Xi said.

Xinhua quoted Modi too as having in spoken in general statements.

For his part, Modi said it is in the two countries as well as the regions common interests for India and China to maintain frequent high-level exchanges and strategic communication. India and China have the responsibility to join hands and turn the 21st century into an Asian century.

India is willing to strengthen cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks including BRICS and the SCO, Modi said, adding that his country supports China in hosting the BRICS summit next year.

Read| Slowing economies, divergent outlooks: BRICS needs mortar to be relevant

For full coverage of the 8th BRICS Summit, click here
A meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nepals Prime Minister Prachanda on the sidelines of a BRICS dinner turned into an impromptu trilateral when Prime Minister Narendra Modi dropped by and spent more than 20 minutes with the two leaders.

The incidence raised eyebrows as it is unusual for a scheduled bilateral meeting to go this way. It wasnt immediately clear why Modi joined the session. Officials familiar with the development said Prachanda was waiting for the Brazilian delegation to move before he could leave the venue and Xi chose to give him company. That is when Modi joined in, said an official on the condition of anonymity.

Prachandas son, Prakash Dahal, posted several photographs of the meeting on his Facebook page, which was quickly picked up by the social media. Dahal described the meeting as coincidental.

Prime Ministers Narendra Modi (left) and Nepals Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda (centre) with Chinese president Xi Jinping (right) in Goa on Saturday. (Prakash Dahal/Facebook)

Writing in Nepali, he said, with the help of right support from these major countries, Nepals prosperity is possible.

India and China compete to grow their influence in Nepal. Wedged between the giant Asian neighbours, the Himalayan nation is of strategic interest to both India and China. Xi was supposed to visit Nepal on his way to the BRICS summit, but the plan was dropped after a regime change in Kathmandu in August saw Prachanda replacing KP Oli, who was regarded as a closer ally of Beijing. After coming to power, Prachanda chose India as the destination for his first foreign visit last month.

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A day after 25 people were killed in a stampede, head of Jai Gurudev Dharma Pracharak Sanstha, Pankaj Maharaj, addressed a huge gathering at Domri village along the Ganga, on Sunday.

Referring to the massive crowd that triggered the deadly stampede, the religious leader said, We sought permission for the event. Around 3,000 followers were expected to attend the event. But what we can do if more and more followers turned up from different parts of the country?

The organizers had sought permission for the event to be attended by only 3,000 followers. Pankaj Maharaj said that in coming days number of followers would only grow exponentially. An estimated one lakh people showed up on Sunday for the address.

The police seemed to have learnt their lesson after Saturdays tragedy and crowd control was much better. The administration also drafted in the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) to reinforce security arrangement around the area.

Before the discourse, Pankaj Maharaj observed a four-minute silence and held a condolence meet for those lost their lives in the stampede.

He also appealed people to turn vegetarian for the welfare of humanity, family, society, country which would help them attain peace.

Go vegetarian and be kind to creatures. This will result in good health and longevity. Promote vegetarianism all around. Motivate people for going vegetarian.

Late Saturday night, the Uttar Pradesh government cracked the whip suspending five police officials following the tragedy.

Those suspended included Varanasis SP (City) Sudhakar Yadav, SP (Traffic) Kamal Kishore, Station Officer Ramnagar Anil Singh, CO (City Kotwali) Rahul Mishra and SHO Mughalsarai Vinod Yadav.

UP DGP Javeed Ahmed also said lapses in crowd management were being investigated and action would be taken against those responsible for the stampede. He also conceded that the number of police personnel deployed for managing such a huge crowd was insufficient

The stampede broke out when thousands of devotees rushed to cross the bridge on the Ganga. The deceased included 15 women.

Read| 24 killed, 50 injured in stampede at religious gathering in Varanasi

Police said the death toll could go up.

The district administration also launched a helpline number (0542-2508464).

On Sunday, President Pranab Mukherjee condoled the death of the devotees. I am sad to learn about the stampede in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh in which a number of persons have lost their lives and others are injured. I understand relief and rescue operations are currently underway, he said in his message to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha, expressed grief over the incident and announced compensation of Rs two lakh each for the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.

Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the stampede in Varanasi. I have spoken to officials and asked them to ensure all possible help to those affected due to the stampede, the PM tweeted.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. He also ordered a magisterial probe into the tragedy.

Additional director general Daljit Chaudhary asked the district magistrate, Varanasi, to deploy three station officers at the mortuary to ensure the bodies were taken to the native places of the deceased.

Read| Varanasi stampede victims followers of affluent godman Jai Gurudev
A Delhi Police team arrested AAPs Delhi MLA and Gujarat in-charge Gulab Singh in Surat on Sunday and produced him in front of a magistrate to obtain his transit remand.

The MLA was arrested hours before Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals public rally in Surat scheduled for the evening. He is the 14th AAP MLA to be arrested.

Ahead of his arrest, Singh had presented himself to the Surat police commissioner even as a Delhi Police team armed with a non-bailable arrest warrant arrived to arrest him.

The NBW against Singh was issued two days back in a connection with an extortion case after Singh had failed to present himself for interrogation.

Ahead of the MLAs arrest, Kejriwal, on his third and last day of Gujarat tour, accused BJP national president Amit Shah of going out of way to disrupt the AAPs rally.

The NBW was issued two days before the rally and today a Delhi police team has arrived to arrest Singh, who is Gujarat in-charge, hours before Surat rally. This shows that BJP is nervous. Shah has also tired to arrange protest against my visit. I appeal him to not to disrupt the rally as it is not AAPs but the rally of Gujarats people.

Before presenting himself to the Surat police commissioner, Singh told the media that charges against him were baseless. I am in Surat since six days. But it is on the day of rally that Delhi Police has arrived in Surat to arrest me. I am not in touch with those arrested in connection with case, said Singh.

Kejriwal, who met the families who lost sons in police firing on the Patidar protesters last year, is set to address partys first rally in Varaccha, which has sizeable population of Patidars.
Top officials will brief a panel of parliamentarians that includes Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on surgical strikes conducted by the army across the LoC on September 28.

The parliamentary standing committee on external affairs -- headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor -- is scheduled to meet on Tuesday when it will be briefed on India-Pakistan relations with reference to recent surgical strikes.

Briefing by the foreign secretary, home secretary, defence secretary and DGMO on the subject Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), a notice regarding the October 18 meeting issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat said.

The meeting assumes significance as the government had earlier expressed reservations over briefing on the same topic to the parliamentary committee on defence.

However, after initial reluctance, the parliamentary panel on defence headed by BJP MP, BC Khanduri, was briefed by vice chief of army staff Lt Gen Bipin Rawat on the surgical strikes.

The Uri army base was attacked by heavily-armed militants on September 18 in which 19 soldiers were killed.

In retaliatory action, the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC on the intervening night of September 28 and 29. A political slugfest is on between the ruling and opposition parties ever since.

Rahul Gandhi had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in political exploitation of the sacrifices made by soldiers. His khoon ki dalali remark had drawn strong criticism from the government, BJP and some other parties.
The Ganga is threatening to sweep away the Narendra Modi governments tribute to socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan.

More than a year after the government announced to build a memorial barely 200 metres from the Ganga at the late leaders birthplace, Sitab Diara along the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border, an alarm has been sounded because of erosion of the river banks.

The Union culture ministry, which is implementing the project, has flagged the problem, while the prime ministers office, where the issue was raised at a meeting on October 13, has directed the water resources ministry to ready a proposal to check the erosion.

The area where the memorial is coming up is erosion-prone. We are aware of it and taking necessary steps, said a senior water resources ministry official.

Seasonal floods are common at Sitab Diara, where JP, as he is popularly known, was born.

The socialist icons ancestral home is at Lala Ka Tola in Bihars Chhapra district, but parts of the village come under Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh.

Both states will have to jointly work on the project. We have written to the UP and Bihar governments to prepare a detailed proposal, the official said. Once the proposal is sent to us we will technically evaluate it.

The project to keep the river at bay could cost up to `300 crore.

On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Emergency last June, the NDA government announced to build JPs memorial at his birthplace.

Besides, a museum and an institute for research and study on democracy will also come up at the site.

JP, as he was popularly called, launched the Sampoorna Kranti or total revolution movement which triggered the fall of the Indira Gandhi-led Congress government in 1977.

This led to the first non-Congress government at the Centre with Morarji Desai as prime minister.

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The government will keep a record of all the services and benefits availed using the Aadhaar number for seven years, say new rules, prompting fears that the database could be used for surveillance.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues the 12-digit biometric identity to all Indian residents, will be required to preserve its record of verification of an Aadhaar number for the duration.

This is an unprecedented centralised data retention provision, said Sunil Abraham, director of the Bengaluru-based think tank, Centre for Internet and Society.

UIDAI chief executive officer ABP Pandey said the concerns were exaggerated. The agency was keeping records in case a dispute arose over a transaction.

Read | Aadhaar act kicks in as govt notifies rules

The information will be retained online for two years and another five years in the offline archives, say the rules notified in September.

Users will be able to check the records but only for two years.

This restriction wont apply to security agencies. Pandey, however, said the records would not be available to them without a district judges permission.

But, Hindustan Times found that the rules allow designated joint secretary-level officers at the Centre to order access to information on the grounds of national security.

Once Aadhaar becomes mandatory for all services, it can be used by benign and malignant actors to conduct a 360-degree surveillance on any individual, Abraham said.

This is how the system, which will need millions of fingerprint-reading machines, works.

Every time a person fingerprints and quotes the Aadhaar number, the agency concerned sends the data to UIDAI to crosscheck the particulars.

The UIDAI authenticates about five million Aadhaar numbers, which are quoted to avail LPG subsidy, cheap ration and even passport, a day against a capacity to verify 100 million requests daily.

You can think of it as Natgrid Plus, Abraham said, a reference to the National Intelligence Grid being built by the government.

A one-stop database for counter-terrorism agencies, Natgrid will collate information real time from databases of various agencies such as bank, rail and airline networks.

we do not record the purpose for which an authentication request was received but only the details of the agency that sent it, UIDAIs Pandey said.

But seven years is a long time. Only a select category of government files are kept for longer than five years.

Asked about two-year deadline for users, Pandey said it would have been a logistic nightmare to let people access the records once the information was offline.

The Supreme Court has a ruled that Aadhaar is not a must for availing welfare schemes and is to decide if collecting biometric data for the 12-digit number infringed an individuals privacy.

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After a week-long lull, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by firing from small arms on forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from India.

Around 4:30 am Pakistani troops opened fire on our posts in Naushera sector prompting us to retaliate in equal measure, said a senior Army officer of Northern Command. The battle went on till 7:30 am, he added.

A spokesperson of the defence ministry also confirmed the violation.

No one was injured in the gunfire. The officer, however, didnt specify the nature of Pakistani fire.

So far over 25 ceasefire violations have occurred along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after India carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to dismantle terror launching pads.

In the firing and shelling, five civilians and four armymen had sustained injuries in Poonch district. Nine Pakistani armymen were injured in retaliatory action by Indian troops along LoC.

On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Pooch district, injuring one jawan.

On October 5, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar-shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shelling and firing, with five ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along LoC in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts.

They shelled mortar bombs and opened small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district.

Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district.

A day before, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling along the LoC in in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district.

On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS amid small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district.

On September 30, Pakistani troops restored to small arms firing along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.

The present tensions began after militants attacked an army camp in Uri on September 18, killing 19 soldiers.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday met the family members of a Muslim youth who was killed allegedly by cow vigilantes on the suspicion of carrying a calf for slaughter a calf here.

Mohammad Ayyub Mev was beaten on SG Highway on the night of September 13 after his car met with an accident and a calf he was carrying died. Some people allegedly beat him up suspecting he was carrying the calf for slaughter, according to the police.

He died at a civil hospital in Ahmedabad three days later.

Mohammad Arif, his brother, travelled to Vadodara from Ahmedabad on Sunday with his two sisters to meet Kejriwal.

We met Kejriwal at the circuit house and sought his help to get justice for our brother. He assured us that he will help us in getting justice and also took our mobile number and said he will meet us when he is in Ahmedabad next time, Arif said.

We asked for his help in getting the three main culprits, all cow vigilantes, arrested. Police have arrested (other) eight persons. We also sought his help in getting compensation. Government never cared to contact us to find out about our plight, he said.

After the incident, police had formed a special investigation team which has arrested eight persons so far. But Arif alleged that main culprits, Janak Mistry, Ajay Rabari and Bharat Rabari, were still at large.
He is an Indian and she a Pakistani and both are busy preparing for their wedding, unmindful of the rising tensions and spiraling hostilities between their two countries.

Naresh Tewani from Jodhpur is awaiting the arrival of Priya Bachchani of Karachi from across the heavily-fenced border to tie the knot sometime in November. Though hate rules India-Pakistan ties at the moment, ours will be a relationship rooted in love, says Tewani.

When Tewani and Bachchani finally take the rounds of the sacred fire and the marriage vow, the pair will join a long list of couples who have overcome physical boundaries and the deep distrust between the two nuclear-armed rivals to live a life together.

Bridging the divide -- deepened by the recent attack allegedly by Pakistani infiltrators on an army garrison in Uri that killed 19 soldiers and triggered vitriolic rhetoric from either side -- is not easy though.

Read | Escalating Indo-Pak tensions leave cross-border weddings in limbo

The Bachchanis were finding it difficult to get visas for their India visit, forcing an exasperated Tewani to tweet last week about the uncertainty the duo were facing to foreign minister Sushma Swaraj. Their plight moved the minister, who promptly tweeted back that his fiance would soon get a visa.

But logistical nightmares notwithstanding, cross-border marriages are flourishing in the western parts of Rajasthan and some 200 such marriages are solemnized every year, according to rough estimates.

In many cases, these weddings are done with the objective to consolidate old friendships and ties that are still strong even after one of the families migrated to another country, points out Hindu Singh Sodha of the Jodhpur-based social outfit, Seemant Lok Sanghathan.

The practice is most prevalent among Rajputs from the Sodha community living on both sides of the border. This is because according to Sodha traditions, they cannot marry within their own community. Since in Pakistan most of the Rajputs are Sodhas, they have no choice but to marry people from India, points out Man Singh Kanota of the states erstwhile Kanota royal family.

Relatives pose for a photo during the wedding of Karni Singh Sodha and Padmini Rathore of the erstwhile royal families of Amarkot and Kanota. (HT Photo)

Kanotas daughter Padmini married Karni Singh Sodha from Pakistans Sindh last year in a big fat wedding.

Locals say Jaisalmer and Barmer are the two districts in Rajasthan where cross-border weddings are most popular. Apart from Sodha Rajputs, such marriages are also common among members of the Sindhi community. People from places such as Tharparkar, Mithi and Chachro in the Sindh province of Pakistan frequently come here to get married, explains Sodha.

But visas remain the biggest obstacle for blossoming romances spread across the border. Padmini, for example, is happily settled in Pakistan with her husband. But as her family back home is preparing for the marriage of her brother next month, her Pakistani husband is struggling to get an Indian visa to attend the wedding.

Karni Singh Sodha and his wife Padmini Rathore pose for a photo after the wedding. (HT Photo)

Old-timers say the tightened visa regime is in sharp contrast to 1960s when Pakistani and Border Security Force rangers accompanied villagers from either side of the border to join the baraat of such marriages.

Acceptance in a foreign land is also more difficult these days. At times, when I meet the friends of my husband, many of them still regard me as a mehman (guest) since I have come from India, says Padmini.

Her friends back home in India also at times address her as tum Pakistani (You are a Pakistani). Padmini, however, insists its light-hearted banter and says love binds the two countries.

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The recent seizures of Maoist documents and disclosures by surrendered rebels have revealed the existence of schools run by the outlawed red army where January 26 and August 15 are observed as Black Days and a week in July-August for left wing martyrs.

The schools in Pedia, Urrepal in Bijapur and at Abujhmads Kutul area of Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh also have separate curriculum on left wing ideology to indoctrinate children for strengthening their cadre. There are no examinations, and schools close only on tribal festivals or during raids by security agencies. The medium of instruction is the local language Gondi.

They exist in areas where there are no formal schools and away from the reach of the administration. The basic intent of such schools is not to create a bright future for students but to brainwash the young minds. The exact number of Maoist schools is not known but they might be not too many considering the increase in reach of the government to people after more districts were formed in Bastar, Sunderraj P, senior superintendent of police, special intelligence branch (SIB), told HT.

Read | 1 policeman killed, 3 injured in Maoist encounter in Chhattisgarh

Police learnt about these schools from seized literature and documents and the interrogation of surrendered or arrested cadres.

A surrendered Maoist teacher Minj, whose uses only his first name, told HT that primary schools up to class 5 form the foundation of the Maoists Mobile Academic School (MAS), which is running in the densely forested terrain of Abujhmad in Narayanpur and south Bastar districts of Dantewada, Sukma, Bijapur and Rajnandgaon.

Maoists operate three kinds of schools  primary school is a part of their MAS, the next level is Mobile Political School (MoPOS), where various theories and ideologies are taught, and the last is the Mobile Military School (MoMIS) that covers combat training.

The school is primarily a traditional residential ashram having 30-40 children but the entire structure is dismantled in case of raids by security agencies.

Read | Chhattisgarh adds tribal teeth against Maoists

The rooms are makeshift tent-like with a thatched roof. Students sit on the floor in a classroom which has a blackboard and a chair for the teacher. The kids are provided with food and uniform, Minj said, adding that each school gets about Rs 1 lakh every year.

When there is a raid by security agencies, the students move out, hide their school materials and return only after the search operation is over. But this seldom happens, Minj added.

Sukmas education officer Rajendra Rathore said the rebels divert students to their schools by damaging government ones.

Existence of these schools hint that despite the government spending crore of rupees on building new schools in Maoist affected areas in Chhattisgarh, its impact may be limited.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday succeeded in getting BRICS members to make their strongest statement on terrorism but a consensus eluded Indias efforts to nail Pakistan-based terror groups.

Sundays huddle of the five emerging economies in scenic Goa began with the Indian Prime Minister launching a scathing attack on Pakistan, without naming the neighbour, and calling it the mothership of terrorism  linked to terror modules across the world.

Modi urged Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa to speak in one voice against terrorism and assign top priority to combating terror, including cross-border violence  a veiled reference to Pakistan.

This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justifiable for political gains, Modi said.

Pakistan reacted strongly, describing Modis statement as misleading and a desperate attempt to hide Indias brutalities in Kashmir.

Pakistan joins all the members of BRICS and BIMSTEC in condemning terrorism and reaffirms its full commitment to fight the menace of terrorism, Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs adviser to PM Nawaz Sharif, said.

Building Indias case against Pakistan later at the plenary session of the BRICS summit, Modi said selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organisations would not only be futile but also counter-productive.

His comments came amid efforts to persuade China and Russia to join New Delhis campaign to diplomatically isolate Pakistan, which India blames for cross-border terror and unrest in Kashmir.

On Saturday, while Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly condemned terrorism in all forms, prompting Modi to say Moscows stand mirrors our own, Indian officials speaking about the Prime Ministers meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping used defensive language, signalling little progress in those talks.

Beijing gave no assurance on supporting New Delhi in getting Pakistan-based militant leader Masood Azhar declared as terrorist by the United Nations. China, which calls itself the all-weather ally of Pakistan, only said terrorism was a key issue and the two sides should strengthen their security dialogue.

Modis aggressive pitch found reflection in the summit declaration, which mentioned terrorism at least 24 times and was worded in a way that Indian officials found satisfying.

We recall the responsibility of all states to prevent terrorist actions from their territories, said the declaration, described by Amar Sinha, Indias chief negotiator at the BRICS, as a new and significant addition.

If you look at what the joint statement says, I think, it is pretty clear we are talking about our neighbourhood, Sinha said. We were focused on the ideas we wanted included. However, critics pointed out, the declaration fell short of Indias ambitions.

While it named the Islamic State, Jabat al-Nusra, the Syrian Islamist rebel group that recently rebranded itself as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, and other UN designated groups, it didnt call for action against Pakistan-based terror groups such as the Jaish-e-Mohammed that India holds responsible for the Uri attack that left 19 Indian soldiers dead.

I guess it doesnt concern all the BRICS countries. Perhaps, thats why we couldnt get a consensus on naming these groups, said Sinha.

Even as the summit was overshadowed by talks on terrorism, officials said, it also made significant progress in reviving economic cooperation between the member countries. Modi said the group, which represents nearly half of the worlds population and a quarter of its economy, with a combined annual GDP of $16.6 trillion, agreed to double intra-BRICS trade to $500 billion and step up the work on the National Development Bank, formerly the BRICS Development Bank.

Xi underscored the need to fight protectionist policies and promised Beijing would continue to bolster trade and investment flow with other BRICS nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed new initiatives for cooperation in energy.
Pakistan strongly reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modis remarks that the neighbour is the mothership of terrorism, as Premier Nawaz Sharifs foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz on Sunday accused the Indian PM of misleading the BRICS countries over the issue.

Mr Modi is misleading his BRICS and BIMSTEC colleagues, Aziz said.

He also alleged that the Indian leadership is desperately trying to hide its brutalities in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan foreign office (FO) said that Aziz reacted strongly to Modis statement during his address at the BRICS summit in Goa in which he called Pakistan a mothership of terrorism world-wide.

Aziz said Pakistan joins all the members of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and BIMSTEC in condemning terrorism and reaffirms its full commitment to fight the menace of terrorism without discrimination, including against the Indian state-sponsored terrorism on Pakistani soil.

Aziz said the UN Human Rights High Commissioner in Geneva and the secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have called for sending a fact finding mission to Kashmir.

He said the UN and OIC have rejected Indian attempts to equate Kashmiris movement for self-determination with terrorism.

He said the UN has repeatedly emphasised that people fighting for their self-determination cannot be categorised as terrorists by the occupying state.

Accusing India of terror financing, Aziz said India has no moral ground to even talk about counter-terrorism efforts let alone do the finger pointing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday the mother ship of terrorism is a country in Indias neighbourhood and terror modules around the world are linked to it.

The scathing but unnamed attack on Pakistan came as leaders of the five emerging economies of Brazil, India, Russia, India and China (BRICS) began their summit meeting in Goa.

He urged the BRICS leaders to speak out in one voice against terrorism.

Tragically, the mother-ship of terrorism is a country in Indias neighbourhood. Terror modules across the world are linked to this mother-ship, Modi said, according to a statement issued by the foreign ministry .

PM: The most serious direct threat to our eco prosperity is terrorism; Tragically, its mother-ship is a country in India's neighborhood pic.twitter.com/DNaY7diEQ1  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justifiable for political gains.

The Indian prime minister is striving for a common ground among the five member nations of BRICS  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  on cross-border terrorism, of which India has been a victim for decades. At the ongoing summit of leaders from these countries, which comes weeks after a deadly militant attack on the Indian army base in Uri, Modi is pushing for a stronger statement on terrorism that would help isolate Pakistan.

As BRICS leaders got into huddle on Sunday, Modi urged them again to speak in one voice against terrorism.

On Saturday, while Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly condemned terrorism in all forms, prompting Modi to say Moscows stand on the issue mirrors our own, Indian officials speaking about the prime ministers meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping used rather defensive language, signalling little progress in those talks.

Beijing gave no assurance on supporting New Delhis bid on a United Nations ban against Pakistan-based militant leader Masood Azhar, saying no more than that terrorism was a key issue and the two sides should strengthen their security dialogue and partnership.

We can only convey our concerns. It is up to them to review their decision. We expect China will see logic in it, foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

China is blocking Indias attempt to put Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar on a UN list of proscribed terrorists, a key objective for the Modi government. Pakistan-based Jaish was blamed for the Uri attack, which left 19 soldiers dead and further strained New Delhis relations with Islamabad. India has since launched a campaign to isolate Pakistan and is looking to use the meeting of BRICS nations for its campaign against Azhar.

On day two of the BRICS Summit in Goa, leaders of the member states will hold a plenary summit, where they are likely to issue a joint declaration after the meeting. Later in the day, BRICS leaders will meet their counterpart from the BIMSTEC group of countries comprising Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand.

The outreach to BIMSTEC is a first-of-its-kind initiative for BRICS, which aims to exploring new opportunities for trade and business exchanges between the two groups but is also expected to be used by India to ramp up support against Pakistan.

Earlier on Sunday, Modi met with Sri Lankan President Sirisena and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. Through Sunday and Monday, he is scheduled to meet other BIMSTEC leaders, including Myanmars state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi who arrived this morning.

For full coverage of 8th BRICS Summit, click here
Nepal has proposed trilateral strategic cooperation and partnership with China and India at a meeting between leaders of the three countries at the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Summit in Goa on Saturday evening.

The meeting between Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Indian PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping was not scheduled and came as a surprise.

Before forwarding such proposal in the trilateral meeting, Prachanda had held a one-on-one meeting with Xi for 20 minutes, a statement issued by Prachandas secretariat on Sunday said.

The statement said Prachanda reminded the Indian and Chinese leaders that he already proposed such a partnership during his first premiership in 2008.

The original proposal was received positively by Beijing but India didnt react to the idea. But Sundays statement said Modi had supported and welcomed the idea. Though the idea of trilateral cooperation is widely discussed in Kathmandu and Beijing, Nepal had not come up with any blue print of such a partnership.

There is a necessity and requirement for trilateral partnership between Nepal, India and China, Prachanda said in the meeting, we are in between India and China and want to emerge as dynamic bridge between these two giant Asian neighbours.

My proposal for trilateral strategic partnership was well received by both Indian and Chinese leaders, Prachanda said.Both the leaders told me that this is an important proposal.

Some Maoist leaders have said that India and China can trade through Nepal, which can facilitate rail and road linkages between the two economic giants, and New Delhi and Beijing can work together to harness the hydropower resources of Nepal.

Prachanda told both Modi and Xi that in the ancient times, Nepal used to be the link between India and China  such as by Buddha, Janaki (wife of lord Ram) and Pashupati Nath. In this modern time too, we once again want to be the bridge between India and China where the relations between these two neighbours can be harmonious and cordial.

We have our own indigenous dynamics for development, said Prachanda adding, We want balanced, friendly and strategic relations with both India and China.

In the meeting, according to the statement, PM Modi recalled the historic linkages between Gujarat and Han Suyan, a Chinese philosopher who hailed from Xis village and visited Gujarat.

Nepal, India and China share geographical, sentimental and cultural similarities and friendship, Modi said in the meeting, while supporting the idea of trilateral cooperation and partnership.

India is also positive towards the proposal, Modi was quoted as saying by the statement.

Nepal can be the bridge between India and China, Xi was quoted as saying by the statement, which added that China responded positively to the proposal.
A soldier of the Indian Army was reportedly shot dead in sniper fire from Pakistan on Sunday evening on a forward Indian post along the Line of Control (LoC) in Naushera sector of Rajouri district. Army spokesperson Lt Colonel Manish Mehta confirmed the death.

The jawan was identified as sepoy Sudees Kumar, 24, of the 6 Rajputana Rifles.

Around 6 pm on Sunday, a single sniper shot fired by Pakistani sniper hit Indian soldier Sudees Kumar of 6 Rajputana Rifles at a forward post in Balakote sector (Poonch district). He died instantly, said an intelligence official, who did not want to be named.

Poonch is 250 km and while Rajouri is 150 km northwest of Jammu.

The Pakistan Army violated ceasefire in Naushera on Sunday morning from 4.30 to 8 am. Mortars were also fired on Indian posts in the sector.

Around 4.30 am Pak troops opened fire on our posts in Naushera sector prompting us to retaliate in equal measure, said a senior officer of the Northern Command.

The officer didnt specify the nature of Pakistani fire, but a local journalist quoted villagers as saying that they woke up to machine gun fire and mortar explosions.

Following the September 18 Uri army base attack that killed 19 soldiers and Indias subsequent surgical strikes on terror launch pads in PoK, there has been a flare-up on the LoC with both nuclear-armed countries intermittently trading heavy fire.

Escalating tensions have even forced both sides to move some of their battalions and artillery close to the border.

Also read | Pakistan violates ceasefire, targets LoC in Poonch district with 120 mm mortar

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A man driving a boat with a motorcycle on board through a submerged road in Thua Thien-Hue on October 14, 2016. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh

An incoming typhoon could add to the already fatal disaster.

Severe floods caused by heavy downpours and sudden releases from hydropower reservoirs in central Vietnam in recent days have left at least 21 people dead, 8 missing and many injured.

15 people were killed and seven others reported missing in Quang Binh Province, while two people died in each of the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Thua Thien-Hue, according to a report released on Sunday by the Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

About 100,000 houses in the affected provinces, mostly in Quang Binh, are under water and damaged, and seven have completely collapsed.

Dang Quoc Khanh, the provincial mayor, said water released from hydropower dams on Friday night had caused water levels to rise quickly and no one was able to handle the situation.

Nearly 1,600 hectares (3,953 acres) of rice and more than 9,000 hectares of other agricultural land have been flooded, according to the report.

Flooding and erosion along the north-south rail link on Saturday morning also delayed at least 43 trains, with around 10,000 passengers and 400 tons of cargo affected. One train was carrying 96 foreigners.

The section of the trans-Vietnam Highway 1A through Quang Binh, the hardest hit province, was reopened for vehicles on Saturday afternoon after water levels receded, Vice Transport Minister Le Dinh Tho said Sunday.

The ministry is working to repair the remaining 90km of damaged railway in Quang Binh on the north-south rail link and expects to finish the job in a few days, Tho said.

On Sunday Typhoon Sarika, which has passed the Phillipines Luzon Island, is headed toward central Vietnam.

In the next 24 hours, Sarika is expected to head west at speeds of 20kph. At about 10:00 a.m. on Monday, the typhoon is forecast to be about 200km east of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea (which Vietnam calls the East Sea), causing rough seas and strong winds in the area.

Le Thanh Hai, vice director of the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center, told local press earlier on Sunday that Sarika is likely to cause heavy rains in central Vietnam. The latest typhoon may also bring downpours to the countrys north.

Related news:

> Deadly floods blamed on hydropower power plants in central Vietnam

> Province drowns as non-stop rains, floods hit central Vietnam

> Central Vietnam in for stormy weather this weekend
Radhe Maa is again in the news for a wrong reason. The self-styled god-woman visited Har-ki-Pauri, a famous ghat on the banks of the Ganga river in Haridwar, wearing sneakers on Saturday night, leaving the local priests furious.

Shoes are not allowed at Har-ki-Pauri. But Radhe Maa offered milk to the river as well as prayed at Brahmkund with shoes on.

Controversial godwoman Radhe Maa offers prayers with shoes on at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar. (HT Photo)

An organisation of Haridwar-based priests, Yuva Teerth Purohit Mahasabha, has taken strong exception to the incident and said she would not be allowed to visit Har-ki-Pauri in future.

Nobody enters Har-ki-Pauri with shoes on. Even President Pranab Mukherjee during his recent visit followed the rituals. Radhe Maa has hurt Hindu sentiments, said Ujjawal Pundit, president of the mahasabha.

Wearing a red dress and red sneakers, Radhe Maa reached Har-ki-Pauri and later swayed to the tunes of devotional songs sung in her praise. I am not God or saint. I am simply Radhe Maa. People should first respect their parents, she said.

Radhe Maa, who often remains in the news for wrong reasons, was declared Mahamandleshwar, a top post in the hierarchy of sadhus by Juna Akhara during the 2010 Mahakumbh. She was later removed owing to controversy.
India on Saturday won Russias backing in fighting cross-border terrorism but giant neighbour China remained largely non-committal on helping New Delhi mobilise global opinion against militant safe havens such as Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held separate bilateral meetings with the leaders of the two countries  ahead of Sundays BRICS Summit  focussing most of his discussions on the need for countries to deny sanctuaries to terrorists and reconsider the way the United Nations designates terrorists.

While Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly condemned terrorism in all forms, prompting Modi to say Moscows stand on the issue mirrors our own, Indian officials speaking about the prime ministers meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping used rather defensive language, signalling little progress in those talks.

Beijing gave no assurance on supporting New Delhis bid on a UN ban against Pakistan-based militant leader Masood Azhar, saying no more than that terrorism was a key issue and the two sides should strengthen their security dialogue and partnership.

We can only convey our concerns. It is up to them to review their decision. We expect China will see logic in it, Swarup said.

China is blocking Indias attempt to put Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar on a UN list of proscribed terrorists, a key objective for the Modi government. Pakistan-based Jaish was blamed for the deadly militant attack on the Indian army camp in Uri, Kashmir, which left 19 soldiers dead and further strained New Delhis relations with Islamabad.

New Delhi has since sought to isolate Pakistan and is looking to use the meeting of BRICS nations for its campaign against Azhar. The issue will be taken up again when National Security Adviser Ajit Doval meets his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, soon.

During their third meeting in less than a year, Modi brought up Indias membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Xi is understood to have responded saying his government will soon hold a second round of discussions (with India) on this and hoped it will help.

Read: PM Modi nudges China on Masood Azhar ban, NSG bid ahead of BRICS summit

Russian missiles, Chinese trade

China has held back on supporting Indias NSG bid, saying it would wait for a larger consensus on admitting any country to the group that hasnt signed the non-proliferation treaty.

Earlier in the day, Modi and Putin sought to reinvigorate the two countries time-tested friendship at an annual summit-level meeting that saw robust statements on fighting terrorism and a clutch of big-ticket defence and energy deals.

Modi began with a Russian proverbial saying that sees one old friend as more precious than two new friends, in an apparent reference to the recent churning in the relations between the two countries.

Relations between India and Russia  once considered all-weather allies -- have weakened in recent times with Indias pronounced tilt towards the United States. The first-ever Russia-Pakistan joint military exercise in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa last month was Moscows way of signalling that it should not be taken for granted by Delhi.

The two sides announced plans for India to buy military equipment worth more than $8 billion, including 200 gunship helicopters, four warships and five S-400 surface-to-air missile systems. The leaders also signed an agreement to supply more units to a nuclear plant in Kudankulam in southern India.

Read: Air defence system, frigates, choppers: What all in India-Russia security deals

Trade and business also came up in talks between Modi and Xi, who assured that Beijing was working to address their trade imbalance. Bilateral trade between the two countries has soared to $70 billion, but has left India with a deficit of nearly $50 billion.

There was no immediate comment from the Chines side on the meeting. Indian officials said it was positive as both leaders reiterated that the commonality between India and China far outweigh the differences.

For full coverage of the 8th BRICS Summit, click here
A selective approach to countering terrorist individuals or organizations will be futile and counter-productive, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

Speaking at a plenary session of the BRICS Summit in Goa, Modi said the reach of terrorism was global and called for deeper engagement between the national security advisers of the five member nations  Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa.

Terrorists funding, their weapon supply, training and political support must be systematically cut off. Selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organizations will not only be futile but also counter-productive, Modi said.

Our response to terrorism must, therefore, be nothing less than comprehensive  we need to act both individually and collectively.

Modis remarks came just hours after he launched a scathing but unnamed attack on Pakistan, calling it the mother-ship of terrorism with whom extremist modules across the world are linked.

There must be no distinction based on artificial or self-serving grounds, Modi added, in what was seen as a nudge to neighbouring China that remained noncommittal on countering Pakistan.

In his speech, the prime minister outlined five goals for the summit: One, focus on continuance of institution building within BRICS nations; second, transform the trade and investment linkages among the five countries; third, focus on key economic priorities; four, secure the countries against the threat of terrorism and fifth, enhance people-to-people contact.

We agreed that those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as terrorists themselves, Modi said later in the day.

We were also one in agreeing that BRICS need to work together and act decisively to combat this threat.

On Saturday, India won strong backing on terrorism from Russian President Vladimir Putin, prompting Modi to say Moscows stand on the issue mirrors our own. But Indian officials speaking about the prime ministers meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping used rather defensive language, signalling little progress in those talks.

Beijing gave no assurance on supporting New Delhis bid on a United Nations ban against Pakistan-based militant leader Masood Azhar, saying no more than that terrorism was a key issue and the two sides should strengthen their security dialogue and partnership.

We underscored the need for close coordination on tracking sources of terrorist financing and targeting the hardware of terrorism, including weapons supplies, ammunition, equipment and training, Modi said.

For full covergae of the 8th BRICS Summit, click here
Following the massive protest in Kolhapur on Saturday, lakhs of Marathas in Thane and Palghar held a silent protest in Thane on Sunday. Members of the Sikh and Muslim communities supported the march by serving the protestors water and cold drinks.

Organisers said nearly 10 lakh people joined silent protest. However, the actual figure has not been verified. Residents aged two to eighty years joined the march.

The state had announced several schemes for helping Marathas gain admission to professional courses, hoping to ease tension among the community. However, the community refused to compromise on their prime demands, including reservation for the community, justice for the Kopardi rape victim and amendments to the Atrocity Act.

The city witnessed crowds of saffron-clad protestors.

Marathas participate in a "Maratha Kranti Morcha" in Thane on Sunday. (PTI)

The women-led protest was organised in a disciplined manner. A cleanliness crew ensured that protestors did not litter the city with bottles or paper bags. The protesters were addressed occasionally through stages and screens set up at various locations. College students were active participants.

Muslim women joined the rally. The Mali Samaj from Rajasthan too participated, saying the Marathas deserved reservation, as they had been fighting for it for years.

Traffic flowed smoothly as flyovers and bridges were open, while the protesters occupied the road and service roads below. Several internal roads were closed but not many commuters were affected.

All the local representatives from Thane, including NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad, Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik, PWD minister Eknath Shinde, BJP corporator and standing committee chairman Sanjay Waghule were present but they were not allowed to take centre stage.

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The four militants, who killed 19 soldiers in a terror strike on an army camp in Uri last month, had used a ladder to scale the electrified fence at the Line of Control (LoC).

Investigation carried out by the army to identify the infiltration route of the four terrorists concluded that a ladder was used near Salamabad nallah, official sources said.

The army officials said that one of the four, who mounted the brazen attack in Uri, about 102km from Srinagar, had infiltrated using the gaps along the fence near Salamabad nallah and erected a ladder on the Indian side of the fence, while the other three had a ladder on their side. The two ladders were connected like a pedestrian bridge.

The sources said it was difficult for all the four to infiltrate through the gap used by the first terrorist as each one of them was carrying heavy rucksacks filled with ammunition, weapons and eatables. It would have taken them a lot of time to cross the fence at grave risk to their lives as army teams, which routinely patrol the area, could have spotted them.

After the four who infiltrated into India, the ladder -- carried by the first terrorist -- was handed over back to the two guides -- Mohd Kabir Awan and Basharat-- who accompanied them up to the LoC, sources said, adding that it was done to ensure there were no tell-tale signs.

The army is conducting an enquiry at Gohallan and adjoining village Jablah as they suspect the terrorists might have taken shelter there for a day before launching the deadly attack on September 18, which left 19 soldiers dead and a large quantity of arms and ammunition destroyed.

The first incident of terrorists using ladders to cross the fence was reported in Machil sector of north Kashmir earlier this year.

The army has launched an internal inquiry into the incident and removed Uri Brigade commander K Soma Shanker. Preliminary investigations suggested the terrorists had entered the area at least a day before mounting the brazen assault.

The inquiry, which will be completed in a time-bound manner, will also suggest measures to prevent such attacks in future.

During the investigation it was found that the terrorists had sneaked into the army camp by cutting the perimeter fencing of the highly-guarded installation at one place.

In an indication that the terrorists were aware of the layout of the base close to the LoC, the assailants had locked the kitchen and store from outside to prevent the soldiers present inside from leaving before setting the structures on fire, they said.

The investigators also said the four terrorists might have sneaked in from PoK on the intervening night of September 16-17 and stayed at the village Sukhdar, overlooking the Brigade headquarter.

Sukhdar village is located at a vantage point allowing an unhindered view of the army base and movement of personnel inside it.
After losing her husband and son to politics of intolerance, 48-year-old Narayani plans to approach the CPI(M) leadership with a strange request: Instruct party cadres to execute her as well.

The unintended victims of the bloody political war in Kannur are the women who have lost their family members. In the single-minded approach to settle scores and build memorials for their martyrs, the desperate wails of these poor women are often drowned.

In the last nine months, seven people have been killed and about 40 have escaped murder attempts.

After the murder of her husband, Uthaman, allegedly by CPI(M) workers in 2002, his widow struggled to raise her son, Remith, on her own. The killing of her son last week before her eyes was the last straw, and Narayani feels she has no more fight left in her.

Why should I live now? she asks.

Barely 2 km from Narayanis house, tears are yet dry in the house of Mohanan, a CPI(M) branch secretary, who was hacked to death allegedly by a group of RSS activists last week.

A son being murdered in front of his parents, a school teacher being dragged out of class and butchered before his students, and another chased and killed after hurling a steel bomb  such brutality is now commonplace in this land of ancient martial art form Kalari payattu.

Recurring political violence between the RSS and the CPI(Mhave ) claimed more than 200 lives in north Kerala's Kannur district. (HT Photo)

When it comes to payback, both sides plot to outsmart each other. Just 48 hours after Mohanan was murdered last Monday, RSS-BJP activist Remith was killed in similar fashion.

A walk through the worst affected Pannur, Kathirur and Pinarayi villages, and the hollow shells of the unintended victims left in the wake of the bloody war are hard to miss. Helpless women struggle to survive, unable to confront the void in their lives. There survivors consider those who died lucky.

The end, however, seems a long way out. After the conflict claimed its two latest victims in CM Pinarayi Vijayans village last week, the usual blame game is on. The CM, who is yet to call a customary peace meet, wants the RSS-BJP to shun violence first, but the latter insists that it needs some space in the Marxist heartland.

Transforming the spate of murders in Kannur into a national issue appears to be on the agenda, based on the recently concluded BJP national council meet.

I have never seen such an innocent bunch of people in my life. But when people of Kannur take up arms, all these attributes crumble, wrote national-award winning actor Salim Kumar in a Facebook post, lamenting the cycle of violence.

When Left-leaning actor Sreenivasan commented that in Kannurs bloody war, only poor workers get killed, there was a big uproar and he was accused of portraying martyrs in bad light.

If leaders make some sincere effort, killings will stop but I dont think they will do this, said the actor-storywriter who has often tried to expose this politics of intolerance.

KK Rema, the widow of Marxist renegade TP Chandrasekharan  who was killed by a criminal gang patronised by CPI(M) four years ago, also agrees that the killings cannot be done without the consent of the party leadership.

In the unending cycle of violence, women are the worst sufferers. They turn orphans one fine morning. Slighted and overpowered, they have to come forward otherwise blood will flow, she said, adding that she would like to sensitise women in this regard.

The result of three decades of violence and about 250 killings is there for everyone to see  the area lags economically, with investors steering clear, and young girls of marriageable age in some villages are unable find partners, as outsiders dread entering.

The need of the hour is for the party leaders to shun the politics of violence and disown criminals who fan trouble. Otherwise, Kannur will be reduced to a mere blot on the face of democracy. Being the biggest political player here, the ruling CPI(M) will have to go the extra mile and not seek refuge in statistics.

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Jordan-based journalist and writer Saba Imtiazs novel Karachi, Youre Killing Me! is the newest entry in the growing list of Bollywood films that have been adapted from popular books. We speak with Imtiaz to learn more about her book, her thoughts on film adaptations, her future projects, and more.

Is your novel an autobiographical account?

Its not autobiographical, but I identify with the character, Ayesha Khan. Shes a reporter based out of Karachi, Pakistan, which is similar to my life and work experience, in a way. Some of the reporting experiences in the book have been drawn from real life. The one thing that I would say is quite similar is the characters relationship with her cat.

A lot of movies are adapted from books, but often dont turn out to be as good as the source material. Does that worry you?

Adaptations are often expected to be the same as the book, and maybe thats where the trouble lies. As viewers and readers, we all tend to compare the two. But Im not worried, because the movie, for me, is not a word-for-word adaptation. The movie is inspired from the story. Its not set in Karachi, so I am not worried about such details. Im interested in seeing how it translates on the big screen, which actors they cast, what lines they use, and how they put it in their local context.

Were you approached earlier for a film adaptation of the book?

A lot of people did write to me and a lot of people still approach me, but when it came down to finalising it, the deal with Indian film-maker Sunhil Sippy was the one that worked out. Sonakshi Sinha will be the lead actor in the project. I am a huge fan of Bollywood. You dont really imagine that youll write a book and it will be turned into a film. Im really excited and Im glad it worked out.

Her eyebrow raise is ON POINT. @aslisona stars in and as Noor, the film adaptation of my novel Karachi, You're Killing Me! - set for release in 2017. A photo posted by Saba (@sabaimtiaz) on Jun 1, 2016 at 1:11am PDT

Even though your book is based in Karachi, its being adapted to an Indian context. What do you think makes it relatable?

I think its because the book is set in a massive city, and the problems that people face in such cities are essentially the same. Having to work in a competitive office, and working in a big city, which comes with its own set of problems such as money, transport, buying alcohol  all these things are a large part of the middle-class urban experience. Youll face similar problems anywhere in the world.

When is your next book, No Team of Angels, expected to be completed?

I started writing it before my first novel. Ive never delayed a project so much, but it is expected later this year. Its a non-fiction book about reported experiences, so it will have elements that will help people understand how Karachi functions and how crime permeates there.

Saba Imtiazs debut novel is being adapted for a Bollywood film set to be released next year.

Do you plan to write full-time?

I wish, but I continued with journalism even after I wrote the book. I wish I had this life of leisure and luxury, where I could sit and write all day, but I dont think thats on the cards. The grass always seems greener on the other side, but there are days where I was writing the book and I couldnt do news stories. For me, its always going to be about both. I dont think I have the luxury of simply writing fiction. For those who started off as journalists, its very difficult to give up that gene entirely.

Cyril Almeida was recently put on the Exit Control List. What do you think of the state of journalism in Pakistan today?

I dont work in a traditional newsroom anymore, so its hard for me to give you an exact picture of how things are, but I feel its between a rock and a bigger rock. I dont think theres much hope there. If you have a senior journalist on the Exit Control List, that in itself says a lot about the state of journalism in the country.

Post-run, pre-staring at the sky A photo posted by Saba (@sabaimtiaz) on Jul 30, 2015 at 6:29am PDT

The ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan have created controversies around Bollywood projects that feature Pakistani actors. Do you think there will be any controversy about or resistance to the film adaptation of your book?

Its like youre asking me to predict the future. You see, a lot of these things are well thought-out by those who do the protesting. But I have no idea how things will be next April when the movie is set to come out. We have a selective memory, and things are known to change very quickly as well. Also, none of these things work in a rational manner, so its hard to predict. I wish I was a fortune teller and could tell you how things would pan out.

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With the unprecedented mobilisation of the Maratha community in the past few days, Dalits in Marathwada fear a return to the old days, when there was no act protecting them and caste conflicts within Marathwada were constant. Case in point: The recent tensions that flared up between Dalits and Marathas in Pune and Nashik. The fear has also prompted the Dalits and OBCs to organise massive rallies to counter the dominant Maratha community.

On Wednesday, tensions flared up in Punes suburb Lohegaon, after arguments broke out between two groups over a dandiya event, in which vehicles were damaged. Last week, two Dalits approached the Bombay high court saying their community was attacked and boycotted by upper-caste Marathas after caste tensions flared up following an alleged sexual assault on a five year old. In their petition, Babytai Shinde and Sahebrao Pawar said a mob of around 50 men ransacked houses in a Dalit basti in Nashik.

While Pune and Nashik were witnessing violence, prominent Dalit writers Raosaheb Kasbe and Pradnya Pawar were forced to apologise and leave a Marathi literary meet at Patan in western Maharashtra after a group of more than 100 youth created a disturbance for hurting the sentiments of the Maratha community. These youngsters, according to Kasbe and Pawar, were objecting the references to Chhatrapati Shivaji and caste discriminations from upper caste Marathas made during the speech by the authors. The mob was not even aware of what I said in my speech, said Kasbe.

These incidents may have been isolated in nature, but according to scholars , they were the unintended consequence of a show of strength by the Maratha community . What happened at Nashik was a fallout of growing assertiveness of the Maratha community. It has created fear in the minds of Dalits,  said Arjun Dangle, another Dalit writer.

According to economist and former Rajya Sabha MP Bhalchandra Munagekar, the ongoing mobilisation of Marathas, which has given a cue for others to galvanise their community, may create unrest in the state.

What we are seeing at Nashik and elsewhere may be similar to the situation when many Dalits had become victims of atrocities during the renaming of the Marathwada University, said Munagekar, a Dalit. Former police officer Sanjay Aparathi said, Maharashtra is witnessing a polarisation of two sections. The consequence of it is communal clashes.

The Maratha movement has also triggered the mobilisation of Dalits and OBCs, who have started organising their own rallies.

On Sunday, they took to the streets at Nanded demanding strict implementation of the Atrocity Act and opposition to Maratha reservation. Another scholar Hari Narke said, The show of strength by Marathas has opened the fault lines between the upper caste and the Dalit-OBCs. It threatens to disturb the harmony established in the state by social reformers

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Following the massive protest in Kolhapur on Saturday, lakhs of Marathas in Thane and Palghar held a silent protest in Thane on Sunday. Members of the Sikh and Muslim communities supported the march by serving the protestors water and cold drinks.

Organisers said more than five to ten lakh people joined silent protest. However, the actual figure has not been verified.Residents aged two to eighty years joined the march.

The state had announced several schemes for helping Marathas gain admission to professional courses, hoping to ease tension among the community. However, the community refused to compromise on their prime demands, including reservation for the community, justice for the Kopardi rape victim and amendments to the Atrocity Act.

Children as young as two participated in the rally. (Praful Gangurde)

The protest began from six different routes, including Teen Hath Naka, Nitin Company, Cadbury Junction, Majiwada, Saket Complex and Thane College. Residents of Thane, Kalyan, Palghar, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Mira Road and Navi Mumbai participated.

The city witnessed crowds of saffron-clad protestors.

The women-led protest was organised in a disciplined manner. A cleanliness crew ensured that protestors did not litter the city with bottles or paper bags. The protesters were addressed occasionally through stages and screens set up at various locations. College students were active participants.

The Maratha Kranti Muk Morcha marched from the Teen Haat Naka to the Thane collectors office during the protest on Sunday. (Praful Gangurde)

Muslim women joined the rally. The Mali Samaj from Rajasthan too participated, saying the Marathas deserved reservation, as they had been fighting for it for years.

Roads at Kalwa, Hari Niwas Circle, Masunda Lake, Court Naka and Teen Hath Naka were blocked due to the sea of people.However, traffic flowed smoothly as flyovers and bridges were open, while the protesters occupied the road and service roads below. Several internal roads were closed, however, as it was a Sunday, not many commuters were affected.

Read: Maharashtra governments freeships dont quell Maratha dissent

All the local representatives from Thane, including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Jitendra Awhad, Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik, public works department minister Eknath Shinde, MP Rajan Vichare, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator and standing committee chairman Sanjay Waghule were present. However. they were not allowed to take the stage, neither were they given preferential treatment by the organisers.

The protest ended with a schoolgirl handing over the demands of the community to the collector.

Residents say

I have come here with my family to show solidarity with our community. I believe that reservation should be made for the financially weaker section. I believe it is important to unite with our community as they for fighting for a cause, said Neelam Sawant, 51, a Mulund resident.

I am here to support the cause of Maratha reservations and justice for the Kopardi victim. I have completed my education on merit, however there are many deserving people who arent as lucky, said Dr. Prajakta Patil, 28, a Ghodbunder Road resident.

Most communities have the advantage of reservation. We should also have it for our community. My family and I are here to support reservation, said Tanvi Bhosale, 20, a Raghunath Nagar, Thane resident.

In school, we learn that all human beings are equal. We learn not to differentiate based on caste. However, once we enter college, we realised even 80% marks are not enough if we do not belong to open category. Thus I support reservation for my community and have joined the protest, said Jitendra Chavan, 30, a Kalyan resident.

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As an engineering student at VIVA College in Virar, Omik Save, participated in several technical competitions. But participating in Greenbrain of the Year, an international competition held by Middle East Technical University at its Cyprus campus, last year, was a unique experience, he said.

The potable water purifier his team had designed for the competition placed him among the winners, said Save, but the bigger prize was the opportunity to interact with students from across the world.

Their unique thoughts were fascinating. It was captivating to hear the junior competitors express their ideas, he said.

Until recently, it was just the aeromodelling and racing competitions organised by Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) that attracted engineering students from the city.

But now, many students like Save are increasingly looking beyond domestic events and are looking for challenges on the world stage.

International competitions such as Greenbrain, which pit the engineering talent from the city against some of the brightest minds in the world, offer students a practical learning experience.

The Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay (IIT-B) has been leading the way when it comes to representing the nation in the international arena.

Last year, for the first time, a team of IIT-B students, who call themselves the Mars Society of India (MSI), participated in a competition to design and manufacture a Mars Rover, held at Utah in the United States (US). While the institutes rover didnt perform well at the event owing to technical glitches, the team is confident of putting a good show next year.

Last years experience has come handy and will help us as we design another rover, said Preshit Walzawar, a member of MSI. Walzawar said that he decided to join the society as he wanted to work on a niche project.

In 2014, Team Shunya, another group IITians, had visited France to compete in Solar Decathalon, a collegiate competition that requires student teams to design and build full-size, solar-powered houses. The IIT-B team is now preparing to participate in the next round of Decathalon, which will be held in China next year.

Students of IIT-B have also been participating in the RoboSub competition at San Diego in the US for the past five years. The competition requires students to design and build an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).

While IIT-B has been at the forefront, other institutes are not far behind.

Two weeks ago, Darshit Vakil, a student of Thadomal Shahani Engineering College in Bandra, participated in Rise Hackathon, an international online hacking competition that went on for 36 hours. Vakil said that he and some of his collegemates had taken part in similar computer coding events held earlier. These competitions give us international exposure. We get to work on some real-world problems, said Vakil.

Similarly, Anthony Selva Vinose, a BCom student from KC College in Wadala and a computer and hardware trainee at Jetking institute in the city, got a chance to represent the country at a networking competition in Brazil. He was amongst the 10 students from the country selected by National Skill Development Limited (NSDL) to participate in the challenge.

At the event, we all had put on shirts indicating we are from India. It was a proud moment, he said.

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The drug bust of one kilogram is the biggest in Gia Lai Provinces history.

Border guards in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai arrested two Cambodians on Saturday for allegedly smuggling one kilogram of methamphetamine into Vietnam.

The men, aged 29 and 40, were caught carrying the drugs across the border at around 8 a.m.

Officials said the drug bust was the biggest ever made in the province.

Vietnam has some of the worlds toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.

Although the laws have been strictly enforced with capital punishment handed down regularly, drug running continues in border areas.

Related news:

> Three Vietnamese face death for trafficking meth

> Six Malaysians, eight Chinese arrested in A$200 mln Australian meth bust
VARANASI: At least 24 people were killed and more than 50 others were injured in a stampede on Saturday when thousands of devotees rushed to cross a bridge over the Ganga during a religious gathering in Varanasi, officials said. The dead included 15 women.

Around 20 other people who lost consciousness after being suffocated in the crowd were also being treated in different hospitals, said Kumar Prashant, Chandauli district magistrate. Police said the death toll could rise.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Varanasi in Parliament, expressed grief over the incident and announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for families of the dead and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.

Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the stampede in Varanasi. I have spoken to officials and asked them to ensure all possible help to those affected due to the stampede, he tweeted.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who also announced ex-gratia of Rs five lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured, ordered a magisterial probe into the tragedy.

Stampedes in religious gatherings in India have left hundreds of people dead and injured over the years, with police and volunteers often overwhelmed by the sheer size of the crowds. However, government intervention, better infrastructure and crowd-control techniques at places of annual gatherings have brought down the frequencies of stampedes.

According to officials, the organisers of the two-day conclave on the outskirts of Varanasi had sought permission for a procession of about 3,000 people. However, the crowd swelled to over a lakh on Saturday, according to rough estimates by traffic police and the district administration.

We are investigating crowd management and will take action against those responsible, said Javeed Ahmed, director general of police.

Police said that the stampede was triggered when some people collapsed on the Rajghat bridge due to dehydration and exhaustion after walking for hours under a blazing sun. Others tried to get off the bridge as a rumour spread that the old bridge was collapsing.

The heat generated by the iron girders of the bridge also added to the discomfort of the large number of people struck for hours in the procession.

Clothes and slippers of the injured lay scattered on the bridge as rescuers rushed the dead and injured to hospital. Ambulances were struck midway as the roads leading to the stampede site were choked with people and vehicles.

Ravindra Sharma, who was injured in the stampede, said his teenage daughter was missing and the authorities were unable to trace her.

We came to seek the blessings of our god, only god can help me find her, he said.

Rajbahadur, the spokesperson of the Jai Gurudev Sansthan  which manages the seers trust -- blamed police for failing to make proper traffic management during the procession.

Jai Gurudev, who died in 2012, is among several charismatic self-styled godmen who enjoy a cult-like following among lakhs of followers in India.

Typically clad in white robes and turban, the seer espoused vegetarianism and morality and claimed to liberate the soul from the rotation of birth and death, according to a bio on his website.

He is said to have left behind a vast empire worth over Rs 10,000 crore, apart from 250 luxury cars  all supposedly gifted by his devotees. He also left behind a palatial ashram in Mathura and properties in several cities in northern India.

One of his most prominent followers, Ram Vriksh Yadav and a large group had broken away to form a radical organisation and encroached upon a large plot of government land in Mathura. Yadav and more than twenty others were killed in June during clashes with police attempting to evict the group members.

With assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh barely a few months away, the opposition BJP and BSP blamed the Samajwadi Party government of failing to gauge the situation in time. The ruling party said it was not the time to point fingers but concentrate on relief and rescue.
JAIPUR: He is an Indian and she a Pakistani and both are busy preparing for their wedding, unmindful of the rising tensions and spiralling hostilities between their two countries.

Naresh Tewani from Jodhpur is awaiting the arrival of Priya Bachchani of Karachi from across the heavily-fenced border to tie the knot sometime in November. Though hate rules India-Pakistan ties at the moment, ours will be a relationship rooted in love, says Tewani.

When Tewani and Bachchani finally take the rounds of the sacred fire and the marriage vow, the pair will join a long list of couples who have overcome physical boundaries and the deep distrust between the two nuclear-armed rivals to live a life together.

Bridging the divide  deepened by the recent attack allegedly by Pakistani infiltrators on an army garrison in Uri that killed 19 soldiers and triggered vitriolic rhetoric from either side  is not easy though.

The Bachchanis were finding it difficult to get visas for their India visit, forcing an exasperated Tewani to tweet last week about the uncertainty the duo were facing to foreign minister Sushma Swaraj. Their plight moved the minister, who promptly tweeted back that his fiance would soon get a visa.

But logistical nightmares notwithstanding, cross-border marriages are flourishing in the western parts of Rajasthan and some 200 such marriages are solemnized every year, according to rough estimates.

In many cases, these weddings are done with the objective to consolidate old friendships and ties that are still strong even after one of the families migrated to another country, points out Hindu Singh Sodha of the Jodhpur-based social outfit, Seemant Lok Sanghathan.

The practice is most prevalent among Rajputs from the Sodha community living on both sides of the border. This is because according to Sodha traditions, they cannot marry within their own community. Since in Pakistan most of the Rajputs are Sodhas, they have no choice but to marry people from India, points out Man Singh Kanota of the states erstwhile Kanota royal family.

Kanotas daughter Padmini married Karni Singh Sodha from Pakistans Sindh last year in a big fat wedding.

Locals say Jaisalmer and Barmer are the two districts in Rajasthan where cross-border weddings are most popular. Apart from Sodha Rajputs, such marriages are also common among members of the Sindhi community. People from places such as Tharparkar, Mithi and Chachro in the Sindh province of Pakistan frequently come here to get married, explains Sodha.

But visas remain the biggest obstacle to love blossoming across the border. Padmini, for example, is happily settled in Pakistan with her husband. But as her family back home is preparing for the marriage of her brother next month, her Pakistani husband is struggling to get an Indian visa to attend the wedding.

Old-timers say the tightened visa regime is in sharp contrast to 1960s when Pakistani and Border Security Force rangers accompanied villagers from either side of the border to join the baraat of such marriages.

Acceptance in a foreign land is also more difficult these days. At times, when I meet the friends of my husband, many of them still regard me as a mehman (guest) since I have come from India, says Padmini. Her friends back home in India also at times address her as tum Pakistani (You are a Pakistani). Padmini, however, insists its light-hearted banter and says love binds the two countries.

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BENAULIM, GOA: India on Saturday won strong backing from Russia in fighting cross-border terrorism but giant neighbour China remained largely non-committal on helping New Delhi mobilise global opinion against militant safe havens such as Pakistan.

PM Narendra Modi held separate bilateral meetings with the leaders of the two countries  ahead of Sundays Brics Summit  focussing most of his discussions on the need for countries to deny sanctuaries to terrorists and reconsider the way the United Nations designates terrorists.

While Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly condemned terrorism in all forms, prompting Modi to say Moscows stand on the issue mirrors our own, Indian officials speaking about the prime ministers meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping used rather defensive language, signalling little progress in those talks.

Beijing gave no assurance on supporting New Delhis bid on a UN ban against Pakistan-based militant leader Masood Azhar, saying no more than that terrorism was a key issue and the two sides should strengthen their security dialogue and partnership. We can only convey our concerns. It is up to them to review their decision. We expect China will see logic in it, external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

China is blocking Indias attempt to put Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar on a UN list of proscribed terrorists, a key objective for the Modi government. Pakistan-based Jaish was blamed for the deadly militant attack on the Indian army camp in Uri, Kashmir, which left 19 soldiers dead and further strained New Delhis relations with Islamabad.

New Delhi has since sought to isolate Pakistan and is looking to use the meeting of BRICS nations for its campaign against Azhar. The issue will be taken up again when National Security Advisor Ajit Doval meets his Chines counterpart, Yang Jiechi, soon.

During their third meeting in less than a year, Modi brought up Indias membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Xi is understood have responded saying his government will soon hold a second round of discussions (with India) on this and hoped it will help.

China has held back on supporting Indias NSG bid, saying it would wait for a larger consensus on admitting any country to the group that hasnt signed the non-proliferation treaty.

Earlier in the day, Modi and Putin sought to reinvigorate the two countries time-tested friendship at an annual summit-level meeting that saw robust statements on fighting terrorism and a clutch of big-ticket defence and energy deals.

Modi began with a Russian proverbial saying that sees one old friend as more precious than two new friends, in an apparent reference to the recent churning in the relations between the two countries.

Relations between India and Russia  once considered all-weather allies -- have weakened in recent times with Indias pronounced tilt towards the United States. The first-ever Russia-Pakistan joint military exercise in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa last month was Moscows way of signalling that it should not be taken for granted by Delhi.

The two sides announced plans for India to buy military equipment worth more than $8 billion, including 200 gunship helicopters, four warships and five S-400 surface-to-air missile systems. The leaders also signed an agreement to supply more units to a nuclear plant in Kudankulam in southern India.

Trade and business also came up in talks between Modi and Xi, who assured that Beijing was working to address their trade imbalance. Bilateral trade between the two countries has soared to $70 billion, but has left India with a deficit of nearly $50 billion.

There was no immediate comment from the Chines side on the meeting. Indian officials said it was positive as both leaders reiterated that the commonality between India and China far outweigh the differences.
An expert panel has told the government that there was evidence to prove that the Saraswati river did exist.

We have reached a conclusion that Saraswati existed, it flowed. It originated in the Himalayas and met the gulf at the Western Sea, professor KS Valdiya, who led the panel, said while handing over the report to the government.

Quoting the professor, a PTI report said the river passed through Haryana, Rajasthan and north Gujarat, land texture of which was studied by the panel. The seven-member team concluded that Saraswati was approximately 4,000-km long and passed through Pakistan before meeting Western Sea through the Rann of Kutch.

Union water resources minister Uma Bharti, who received the report on Saturday, said, This river was once upon a time the lifeline of the north-western states of India and a vibrant series of civilisations from the Mahabharat period to Harappa flourished on the banks of this river.

She emphasised there was no doubt on the findings of the report that was authored by eminent geologists. Awarded the Padma Shree in 2007 by the UPA government and Padma Bhushan in 2015, Prof Valdiya has been researching the river for years and has written two books on it. The report comes a year after the Haryana government claimed to have discovered the river at Mughalwali village, 250km from the national capital, where a strong current of underground water was found at the depth of seven feet.

The minister added the report, which would also be submitted to the cabinet, would be studied by the Central Ground Water Board for its optimum use.
Who will be Pakistans next Chief of the Army staff (COAS)? Getting that right is more difficult than cracking the Rubiks Cube  without algorithms. Sans the sporadically followed seniority principle, there are no time-honoured precedents to guide the selection of the new incumbent.

Read| As Pak army chiefs tenure nears end, Sharif has a key choice to make

Many professional and extraneous factors will influence Nawaz Sharifs choice, unless, of course, Gen. Raheel Sharif accepts an extension. The sitting chief is due for retirement next month. He had earlier said incumbents shouldnt overstay their time in a disciplined force.

But the chances of Gen. Raheel being persuaded to continue arent ruled out by analysts in Pakistan. They foresee instead a change of guard in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to bring in the Karachi Corps Commander, Lt. Gen Naveed Mukhtar in place of Lt Gen. Rizwan Akhtar.

Read | Who will be the next Pak Army chief? Race narrows down to 4 generals

The sitting ISI Director General was in news for a showdown he had with Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif. Being moved to Karachi as Corps Commander wouldnt be a demotion for him. But the swap will place Gen. Mukhtar (said to have family relations with the Premier) in line for the army chiefs office.

Gen Mukhtar retires in October 2018. An extension in Gen. Raheels tenure will open up space for his elevation. Others in the reckoning now will superannuate before the present incumbent demits office, said a Pakistani expert on military affairs.

Read | Pak party plasters Karachi with banners supporting army chief Raheel

Of the five Army chiefs he appointed over the years, Premier Sharif had troubled relations with four: Asif Nawaz Janjua, Abdul Waheed Kakar, Jehangir Karamat and Pervez Musharraf. Though several times bitten and many times shy, hed be better advised against playing favourites. More powerful as they are than their appointers, army chiefs cant be seen as playing second fiddle to them.

Generals dislike being lackeys of civilians. Theyve to be accepted in their own right, said a veteran from the Zia era. On merit and seniority, Gen. Raheels successor should be from among Lieutenants General Zubair Hayat, Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed, Javed Iqbal Ramday and Qamar Javed Bajwa. One among them could be next Chief and another, if senior to the chosen general, be made chairman joint chiefs of staff committee.

If elevated, Gen. Hayat, an infantry officer whos chief of general staff (CGS), will become very powerful. One of his brothers is a major general in the ISI and another, a lieutenant general, is chairman, Pakistan Ordinance Factories. That could go against him among his peers, leave alone the civilian bosses. Another minus: his proximity to former chief Ashfaq Kayani.

Unlike Gen. Hayat who hasnt led operations in a conflict zones, Gen Nadeem has enviable credentials. Now the Multan Corps Commander, he was CGS and director general military operations. Under Gen Raheel, he planned the zarb-i-azab operation in North Waziristan.

The downside: his blunt demeanor, friendship with Gen Musharraf and reports of his spouses contretemps with a seniors wife. But soldierly traits he has aplenty.

The profile fits Gen Bajwa as much. Having commanded the 10 corps along the LoC, he holds the position from where Gen. Raheel was elevated in 2013  Inspector General of Training and Evaluation.

For his part, Gen. Ramday of the Bahawalpur corps has links with Premier Sharifs PML(N). That would make him look bad as the successor to Gen. Raheel who had no known political links. From our perspective, the change at the helm wont alter their armys approach to India.

Also read | Triple-checked facts of Pak civilian-army leaders rift story: Cyril Almeida
Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday asked party workers to plaster Badal face on all effigies and set them on fire on Tuesday without getting cowed by attempts of the administration or police to prevent them from protesting.

Amarinders call for burning effigies coincides with Prime Minister Narendra Modis one-day visit to Ludhiana on Tuesday.

Read | Capt to burn chitta Ravan during PMs Ludhiana visit

In a cleverly drafted press note circulated to the media, there was no direct mention of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal or his deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal, though Amarinder said that use of faces on effigies was not prohibited and government could not legally stop the Congress from setting effigies afire.

The former CM said he would burn chitta Raavan with the faces of corrupt and criminal Badal team in Ludhiana on Tuesday to show the PM that his party was supporting goons in Punjab.

He exhorted party workers not to be afraid of reports suggesting that police were preparing to crackdown to stop them from burning the effigies. He also warned police to stop working at the behest of the Akali-BJP government.

Amarinder also urged Congress workers to come out in large numbers on Monday to burn effigies as part of the partys state-wide anti-drug campaign.

Read | Congress stir outside Badals house stage-managed: AAP

Let the cops stop us. We will fight them every inch of the way. They cant stop us from venting our anger at the suffering being meted out to the people by the Badal government, he said.

Six Congress workers and three Youth Akali Dal activists were booked when they clashed over chitta Ravan in Ludhiana on Dussehra eve. Alleging bias by police, Congress leaders stage a three-day sit-in outside chief minister Parkash Singh Badals official residence in Chandigarh. They lifter the dharna on Saturday night after the state government transferred Ludhiana additional deputy commissioner of police Jaswinder Singh.

Meanwhile, the Congress has flayed the Ludhiana district administrations directive asking teachers not to wear black clothes on the 50th anniversary of Punjabi suba. Congress MLAs Aruna Chaudhary and Karan Kaur Brar said the diktat to teachers was ridiculous.
Accusing the Akalis of unleashing a reign of terror against Congress leaders and workers, partys state chief Captain Amarinder Singh said he would burn an effigy of chitta Ravan  a colloquial to synthetic drugs  in Ludhiana on October 18, the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in the city to attend a function being organised by the ministry of micro small and medium enterprises.

Modi should know that the people his party is supporting in Punjab are goons. Anyone who raises voice against drug menace and liquor mafia is terrorised and attacked by Akali goons. I will burn the chitta Ravan where the cash took place in Ludhiana on the Dussehra eve. I dare the Akalis to stop me, said Amarinder during a media interaction in city.

The former CM also flayed the Badal government for atrocities against Dalits across the state and demanded stern action against those involved in the recent killing of a Mansa youth and other incidents of violence against the community. Alleging a deep-rooted nexus between Akali leaders and liquor and drug mafia, he said people were being made to pay for the Akalis sins.

Capt was here to attend an event of the Balmiki community. He also met district party chief Gurpreet Gogi in hospital, who was injured during the clash on chitta Ravan between Akali and Congress activists in Ludhiana.
The Congress ended its three-day siege to chief minister Parkash Singh Badals official residence in Chandigarh on Saturday evening after one of partys demands  transfer of Ludhiana additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP4) Jaswinder Singh over bias against its leaders and workers in the chitta Ravan clash  was met.

Punjab director general of police Suresh Arora, who is heading the probe ordered by the CM after the party started the sit-in on Thursday afternoon, met the protesting Congress legislators and leaders and assured them of a fair inquiry into the clash between Youth Akali Dal and Congress activists in Ludhiana on Dussehra eve.

In a statement, a Punjab government spokesperson said the Ludhiana ADCP had been transferred with immediate effect and had been asked to report at police headquarters in Chandigarh till further orders. The Congress is also demanding shifting of Ludhiana police commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh.

By pushing the Badal government on back foot through publicity coups by holding a two-night sit-in at the Vidhan Sabha during the autumn session in September and now a three-day protest outside the CMs residence, the Congress has got a much-needed booster dose to project itself as the main opposition party, the position which was literally usurped by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in terms of public perception.

Like the assembly siege, the sitin outside the CMs house was led by the partys young brigade  Ludhiana MP Ravneet Bittu and congress legislature party leader Charanjit Singh Channi  while Congress seniors, led by state party chief Captain Amarinder Singh, lent the protesters the fire power by a symbolic guest appearance.

After Amarinder, Congress general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Asha Kumari and senior MLAs Sunil Jakhar and Lal Singh, campaign committee chairperson Ambika Soni and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal also participated in the dharna outside the CM residence on Saturday.

The poll-weary party, whose cadre was demoralised by two successive poll drubbings in 2007 and 2012 state elections, has been able to charge them up by its new-found aggression and closing ranks during recent protests.

The party strategy behind a shriller anti-Badal stand fits into its campaign on three counts: It would help it wrest the opposition space from the AAP, keep the ruling alliance on the back foot and boost workers morale.

Amarinder, who stormed a police station in a Gurdaspur village this week to warn cops against intimidating Congress workers, is back to his khunda brand of politics  warning political opponents with the stick. The AAP had made a killing out of Amarinders stand against the Central Bureau of Investigation probe into drug trade as tacit understanding with the Badals and even those within Congress were feeling restive against lack of aggression in Amarinder saying his anti-Badal credentials had been dented.

Captain has announced to intensify the agitation by burning the effigies of chitta Ravana across all 117 assembly seats.

NO CHANGE IN PLAN TO BURN CHITTA RAVAN

The Congress said there was no change in Amarinders plan to burn chitta Ravan in Ludhiana during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit on October 18. Party workers in all 117 assembly segments will burn similar effigies on Monday, Congress national secretary Harish Choudhary said before calling off the dharna.

A delegation of party MLAs  Sukhjinder Randhawa, Tript Rajinder Bajwa and Surinder Dawar  met the DGP, who assured them that he will visit Ludhiana to re-investigate the attempt to murder case lodged against Congress leaders during the Dussehra-eve clash.
In first such case in two years in the district, Kapurthala police arrested a farmer for stubble burning on Saturday. Rawalpindi police have booked Surjeet Singh of Rampur Sunra under Section 188 (disobedience of public servants order) of the Indian Penal Code. If found guilty, the accused may get maximum jail term of one month or Rs 200 fine or both.

The accused was produced in a court, which granted him bail.

Deputy commissioner Jaskiran Singh said to check the hazardous practice of stubble burning, the administration has decided to register cases against the offenders.

FARMERS FIND MACHINES COSTLY

The accused farmer, Surjit Singh, said burning stubble was the only viable option he was left with. The methods agriculture department wants us to adopt to get rid of and manage the stubble are costly, he said.

Davinder Singh, a member of Doaba Sangharsh Committee, said majority of the farmers cant afford the machines and the agriculture department is not offering any subsidy on them.

Kapurthala chief agriculture officer Ravail Singh said, The department is unable to offer subsidy on the machines. The machines available cost around Rs 2 lakh each. I agree that there is a need for subsidy so that even the marginal farmers can afford them.

Also, the agriculture department doesnt have machines to give on rent either.
Five members of a family, three women and two children, were killed in a road accident near Daula village on the Bathinda-Malout road on Saturday morning. Two survivors are battling for life.

The mishap occurred around 6:30am reportedly when a nilgai (blue bull) came in front of the car the victims were travelling in and in drivers attempt to avoid a collision with the animal, the vehicle rammed into an oil tanker coming from the opposite side.

The deceased have been identified as Nirmala Devi (52), her daughter Ritu Rani (26), Ritus daughter Naira (2), Nirmalas daughter-in-law Garima (26) and her son Garnish (2). Garimas husband Naveen Kumar, who was driving the car, received multiple injuries, and condition of Ritus second daughter Eleena (4) is said to be critical.

The family members were returning to their native village, Sadulshahar in Rajasthan, after attending the wedding of Naveens sister Anoop Rani in Bathinda.

Balluana police station incharge Balwinder Singh said

The car was badly damaged and it took around one hour for the cops and locals to extricate the bodies. He said all were on-the-spot deaths and injured were rushed to Gidderbaha civil hospital, from where the doctors referred them to a Bathinda hospital.

The driver of the oil tanker fled from the spot leaving the vehicle behind. Police have started inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC as prime facie the tanker driver was not found at fault.
Women sell fruits in the central resort town of Hoi An, Vietnam. Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong has warned that falling morality and degrading lifestyles among Party members have set them miles away from the public and their grievances. Photo by Reuters

'They obviously are concerned about the Party losing its ideological platform.'

Vietnam's top leader has admitted that immorality is eroding the ruling Communist Party, chipping away at public trust and threatening the very political system.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was addressing delegates last Friday at the end of a six-day meeting of the Communist Partys Central Committee, a powerful grouping of 200 senior Party members. He said that falling morality and degrading lifestyles among Party members are evident in corruption, cronyism, bureaucracy, opportunism and individualism that have set them miles away from the public and their grievances.

Trong highlighted that deviation from socialism could take place in the process of self-evolution or self-transformation among Party cadres and government officials. This could lead to collaboration with sinister and hostile forces to sabotage the Communist Party, he said.

The meeting took place in the wake of a series of scandals involving Party members that has left the nation both riveted and demoralized. Chief among them was the corruption scandal at a unit of the state-run oil and gas giant PetroVietnam that led to the arrest of four senior executives and an international warrant for another.

It is in this context that concerns about "self-evolution" or "self-transformation" are legitimate, analysts say.

"They obviously are concerned about the Party evolving, losing its ideological platform and historical stance," Zachary Abuza, a Washington-based Southeast Asia analyst, said. "They might be more concerned about the lack of internal Party discipline."

Last month, the Ministry of Public Security issued an international wanted notice for Trinh Xuan Thanh, former chairman of PetroVietnam Construction JSC (PVC), after charging him with allowing the company to incur losses of around VND3.2 trillion ($147 million) under his watch between 2011 and 2013. The hunt came on the heels of the arrests of four other senior executives at the company, who are all being probed for "violating economic management regulations causing serious consequences.

Earlier this month, the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption announced that six high-profile corruption cases are going to be brought to trial for the first time between now and the first quarter of next year.

In 2014, Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index, an international standard gauge of government malfeasance, ranked Vietnam 119 out of 175 countries and territories; the country was ranked 116 in 2013 and 123 a year earlier. Its position has barely budged, moving to just 112 in 2015.

Vietnams officials often brush off negative international assessments of its domestic affairs, saying they fail to reflect the real picture here. But corruption is indeed serious enough for the countrys leadership to use strong words when they speak of the problem.

The country needs to continue to press ahead with the fight against corruption and wastefulness, Trong said.

The immediate question that arose among both local and foreign analysts was whether Trong's warning was a new development in Vietnam.

"The Party has been pinpointing the degradation in morals and lifestyles among Party members for a long time now, Carl Thayer, an Australia-based Vietnam specialist, said. "This is not a new issue. If we cast our minds back, senior Party officials were [also] identifying corruption as a major threat to the Party.

In 2006, Trong's predecessor Nong Duc Manh, besides acknowledging the decline in morality and lifestyle, pointed out that "bureaucracy, corruption, and wastefulness by cadres and civil servants were serious."

Also that year, General Vo Nguyen Giap, architect of Vietnam's historic military victories over French colonialism and American imperialism, said in a widely quoted comment: "The Party has become a shield for corrupt officials. Giap died in 2013.

Vietnam is amending its Anti-Corruption Law a decade since it was enacted in 2005. But at the end of the day, the problem for Vietnam's fight against corruption is not the lack of regulations, but the lack of enforcement mechanisms, said Le Hong Hiep, a Vietnam analyst at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, which studies social, political and economic trends in the region.

If institutional reforms are not undertaken to enhance officials' political and economic accountability, the Party won't be able to curb the widespread corruption within its system, Hiep said.

Related news:

> Vietnam presses ahead with 6 high-profile corruption trials

> Corruption biggest business obstacle in Vietnam: private equity firms

> Vietnam targets families of public officials in anti-corruption drive
A local court on Saturday awarded life imprisonment to city-based lawyer Sunil Lathar and three of his family members for murdering a policeman at their residence in 2011.

The others sentenced by the court of additional district and sessions judge Vijay Singh were Sunils brother Sumit, father Om Prakash and mother Shanti Devi.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 each on the four convicts.

Sumit and his father Om Prakash were stopped by policemen at a naka on the Bhiwani Road bypass on December 17, 2011, to issue them a challan for violating traffic norms. The father-son duo picked up a quarrel with the cops, manhandled them and fled the spot. A police team later raided their house in order to arrest the two accused. However, the four accused attacked a crime investigation agency (CIA) cop with a sharpedged weapon, killing him on the spot and injuring three others.

The accused were later arrested and booked for murder.
Demanding the registration of a case against a Punjab and Haryana high court lawyer after a scuffle between him and a senior advocate at the district courts on October 13, members of the District Bar Association (DBA) blocked roads opposite the court in Sector 43 for two hours. With the area housing the bus stand, traffic movement was hit and commuters harassed

The police did act on their demand, but booked both the HC lawyer Kanwalvir Singh Kang of Sector 2, Chandigarh, and district court advocate NK Kapil for wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation, among other charges.

The parties had filed cross-FIRs against each other.

Initially, the complainant Kapil had alleged Singh had assaulted him inside the district court complex in Sector 43 on Thursday. He had even claimed that the assault on him, reportedly due to his taking up the case of Kangs wife in a matrimonial suit, had been captured by the CCTV camera installed outside a bank inside court premises.

During the lawyers protest, anti-police slogans were raised. Protesters alleged the police was shielding the HC lawyer.

TRAFFIC HIT IN SECTORS 42, 43 AND 44

With lawyers halting the traffic on the main city roads in Sectors 42, 43 and 44, starting around 12.30am, commuters were inconvenienced as they were forced to alight from buses and other public transport and walk to their destinations. School buses were also seen stuck in long traffic jams with some students seen walking with the heavy school bags.

Nothing can be more ridiculous. These lawyers are acting as goons on roads and the police are acting as a mute spectator, said Rita Sharma, of Sector-42, who wanted to reach GMCH-32 to visit her mother-in-law.

The protesting lawyers also had a heated argument with Sector-36 SHO Naseeb Singh for making inappropriate comments about the scuffle.

In an interview, Naseeb has said that slapping and punching someone is not a big deal. He is a cop and cant be so immature, said a protesting lawyer.

Finally, the protest was withdrawn and normal traffic movement restored after DBA president Sunil Toni announced the registration of a case against Kang at Sector-36 police station.

He was booked under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Later in the evening, after the cross-case, Kapil was also booked under Sections 341 and 506 of the IPC.
In a strongly worded letter to the Batala senior superintendent of police (SSP), Congress state legislator from Dera Baba Nanak Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has accused him of going soft on the Kotli Surat Malhi station house officer (SHO), against whom he said the SSP has enough evidence warranting his suspension.

The development comes a few days after Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh stormed the police station here after local party workers complained to him about the SHO pressurising them to join the Akali Dal. Although the SHO was absent, Capt spoke to the SSP, Daljinder Singh Dhillon, and narrated the plight of Congressmen to him.

Randhawa, who is also the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) vice-president, stated in his letter that he and one of the victims had already filed a complaint with the SSP and Punjab director general of police, seeking action against SHO Manjeet Singh, but he (SSP) was shielding the cop.

SSP Dhillon, however, has claimed he had not received any complaint of highhandedness against the SHO, and thus he denied action against him, as demanded by Capt on October 13 during his visit to the village.

I want to remind the SSP that Amrik Singh of Hawalian village under the Kotli Surat Malhi police station had lodged a complaint with the SSP that SHO Manjeet Singh was forcing him to join Akali Dal. Failing to get any justice, I along with Amrik Singh approached the DGP, Punjab, on September 15 and in my presence, the DGP called the SSP on phone to take action in this regard and also marked any inquiry, alleged Randhawa.

Instead of taking action against the accused cop, the police threatened to register a case against the complainants son if he did not withdraw his complaint, he alleged. Accusing the SSP of working under the pressure of Akali leaders, Randhawa requested him to fix a board with the sticker Proud to be Akali outside his office.
Despite strictly being a no-protest site, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badals residence here in Sector 2 has become the ground zero for dharnas and showdowns. Other than the Congress MLAs who held a round-the-clock protest for four days before ending it on Saturday evening, protesting war widows and families of slain home guards have also pitched their tents outside the CMs house, refusing to budge till their demands are met.

Besides these three groups, over a dozen widows of Punjab Police cops tried to reach the gate of the CMs residence on Saturday, raising slogans against the government. Before they could reach the gate, the Chandigarh Police forcibly removed them from the area.

At least six Congress MLAs led by leader of the opposition Charanjit Singh Channi spent three nights and four days outside the CMs house following the clash between Congress and Akali workers in Ludhiana on Monday.

The Congress sit-in seems to have encouraged protesting home guard families to shift their protest from Sector 25  the designated protest site in Chandigarh  to outside the CMs residence on Friday.

They sneaked in near the CMs residence in groups of twothree and then got together and sat on a day-and-night dharna. They knew that if they moved towards the CMs residence together, they will be stopped, said a police officer posted outside the CMs residence.

Nearly 20 war widows have been sitting outside the CMs residence since September 23. Its been 19 days today and our demand has not been met, said the leader, Baljinder Kaur. We are demanding the implementation of the scheme as part of which we have to be given 10 acres of land by the government. Instead, we have been offered a grant of `50 lakh that will be paid in three instalments. We have rejected the offer. We will not budge till we get the land, she said.

Slain home guards families are demanding government job to at least one member each. Sources in the CMO said this demand cannot be met as there is no policy to provide jobs to anyone in the family of a home guard killed on duty. With barely four months to go for Punjab assembly polls, protests have escalated. The protesters believe that the outgoing government will be under pressure to fulfil their demands, he said.

Besides the Punjab chief minister, Sector 2 has houses of the Haryana chief minister, the Punjab deputy chief minister and several Punjab cabinet ministers. The area is a strict noprotest zone with Section 144 in force at all times, rendering all protests illegal. The CMO, however, is caught in a bind about taking any action against the protesters. We are constantly being threatened that our dharna is going to be forcibly lifted, said Baljinder Kaur.

The chief minister, who met the Congress protesters on Thursday, is away and is expected to be back on Monday. Chandigarh Police that is responsible for the security of the CM house is however taking no chances. Over 140 policemen and women are on the spot in anti-riot gear, equipped with tear gas shells, besides a water cannon vehicle parked nearby. A Punjab Police SWAT team on duty with the chief minister also shields the house, staying put near the gate.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday announced to constitute Haryana Safai Karmchari Ayog (commission for sweepers) in the state. The chief minister was addressing a Samrasta rally in Jind on the occasion of Valmiki Jayanti, where he also announced several other incentives for the scheduled castes.

He announced to appoint 1,000 safai karmcharis in rural areas in the coming two months and to reserve 50% contracts for the Valmiki community in sanitation-related projects.

He also said a special recruitment drive will be launched to fill the scheduled caste (SC) backlog in government jobs in the next six months.

He added that the government would get examined the proposal for reducing the age limit of SC beneficiaries of old age allowance from 60 years to 55.

The CM said the BJP government took two years to understand the functioning of the government and chalking out developmental schemes. The third year would be of prime importance for us. The focus of our government would be on providing maximum jobs to the youth, be it in the government sector, private sector or by making them self-employed through skill development so as to realise the dream of poor and needy.

ZERO TOLERANCE TOWARDS CORRUPTION

Khattar asserted that his government had shown zero tolerance towards corruption during its two-year rule in the state.

He said the government will ensure that benefits of various schemes, meant for the poor and weaker sections, reach the intended beneficiaries.

We have taken steps to weed out corruption in the state. Many schemes for the poor were running earlier also but it was not the poor who benefitted, the chief minister claimed.

Khattar talked about the Haryana governments decision to link the Public Distribution System (PDS) with Aadhaar to inject transparency and make it corruption-free.

He said five lakh fake beneficiaries were identified who were illegally availing the subsidy both on kerosene and LPG and saved Rs 101 crore to the state exchequer. We are taking the help of IT to eliminate corruption, like we have started Direct Benfit Transfer scheme, he said. (With inputs from PTI).
A flier supposedly handed out at the Republican Hindu Coalition rally on Saturday sought to accuse former secretary of state Hillary Clinton of launching a Get Modi Policy to implicate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots case.

As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton created her Get Modi Policy to falsely accuse Narendra Modi of genocide for 2002 Gujarat riots, read the flier, photos of which were shared on social media. Clinton is the Democratic presidential nominee, and has been pulling ahead in the polls.

The Get Modi flier that was handed out at the Republican Hindu Coalitions charity event which Donald Trump campaigned at. (Ben Schreckinger/Twitter)

The flier depicts Democrat Clinton and Indias Congress party president Sonia Gandhi with ram-like horns and borderline hysterical expressions. Clinton is also shown giving Modi, who has his hands up, the got-you gesture. Without citing any evidence, the flier claims that Clinton worked with Gandhi and non-governmental organisations to implicate Modi.

The 2002 riots broke out in Gujarat when Modi was chief minister. In 2012, he was given a clean chit by a Supreme Court-appointed special investigative team.

The flier is clearly an attempt at breaking the vote; Indian Americans have historically voted for Democrats. Many of them also hero-worship Prime Minister Modi, who has a good relationship with President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Obama and the First Lady Michelle have been campaigning for Clinton.

Trump is fighting to keep his presidential chances alive, especially after a series of sexual assault allegations surfaced recently. With less than a month to go before America votes for their new president, Trump is in deep waters given that many influential Republicans have also pulled their support, including senator John McCain.

At the charity event, Trump made history of sorts for he is the first presidential candidate to directly address the Indian American community in two election cycles. Clinton has addressed the community only through surrogates so far. In a partisan speech that lasted nearly 13 minutes, Trump repeatedly reiterated he was a big fan of Hindus, and a big fan of India.

Also read | India, US would be best friends if I am elected president: Trump
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Saturday called India a key strategic and natural ally, and promised Indian Americans that he would take bilateral ties to a new high if made US president, and even boost intelligence sharing in the fight against terrorism.

No relationship will be more important and the two countries will be best friends, he told a gathering of the Indian diaspora at an event sponsored by the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) to raise money for victims of terrorism. Started in 2015, the RHC is modelled on the powerful Republican Jewish Coalition, and was launched by Chicago businessman Shalabh Shalli Kumar.

Trump then spoke glowingly of Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- a great man, whose energetic bureaucratic reforms he would like to emulate -- high praise from a candidate known for disparaging rivals.

He further touched upon terrorism -- a crucial topic for India at the moment as it seeks to have Pakistan designated as a sponsor of terrorism, and also pushes for the adoption of an anti-terror convention.

Though he did not name Pakistan, Trump cited the 2001 Parliament attack and 2008 Mumbai attacks to say India is a victim of cross-border terrorism, and promised to stand shoulder to shoulder with India in sharing intelligence and keeping our people safe.

Scoring low in most every poll and battling a series of allegations by women claiming he sexually assaulted them, Trumps rally was a direct pitch to Indian Americans, a small but prosperous community aggressively seeking commensurate political clout.

Read | Trump or Hillary: How Indian-Americans plan to vote in the US election

Trump even made history of sorts as the first presidential candidate to directly address the community; in his partisan speech that lasted nearly 13 minutes, he began by claiming he was a big fan of Hindus, and a big fan of India.

Of the present two nominees, Trump is the only one to have spoken thus far about ties with India in such explicit terms. Clinton has used surrogates, such as her campaign chairman John Podesta and close associate Neera Tanden, for reaching out to the Indian-American community.

But Trump, who is fighting to keep his presidential chances alive, may not be able to swing Indian Americans his way; the community has voted and supported Democrats historically. However, many in the audience said they wanted to give him a chance, a hearing at least. Nevertheless, they cited serious concerns about him, his style and his remarks about Muslims -- reasons why they are unlikely to vote for him.

Trump grabbed whatever chance they were willing to offer, making a full-bodied pitch for their vote and support, focussing on the issues that move most Indian Americans -- the state of US ties with India, and Prime Minister Modi, who is hero-worshipped by many of them.

As it stands, Modi has developed a friendly relationship with President Barack Obama, a Democrat who wants Trumps opponent, Hillary Clinton, to win the November 8 election.

The US has also been backing New Delhis bid to join the influential Nuclear Suppliers Group, though China, who Pakistan considers their all-weather ally, has been blocking it.

India is a key strategic ally, Trump said, I look forward to deepening diplomatic and military relationship that is a shared interest of both countries.

He then called India a natural ally, a variation of a phrase first used by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in a speech at the US think tank in 2000; he had called India and the US natural allies.

But the partisan nature of Trumps speech  he repeatedly proclaimed his love for the Hindus  tended to cast a shadow on the substance of his speech, that he was promising to scale up ties with India as never before.

For more on the 2016 US presidential elections, click here.
Security was tightened in a Bangladesh southern city Sunday ahead of the expected execution of a senior Islamist extremist whose group has been linked to the murder of foreign hostages, police said.

Asadul Islam, a leader of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who is also known as Arif, is due to hang in Khulna after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in August for blasts that killed two lower court judges in 2005.

Bangladesh has blamed the JMB for the July 1 attack on an upmarket Dhaka restaurant in which 22 people, mostly foreign hostages, were killed.

Security forces have since launched a deadly crackdown against extremists linked to the attack, shooting dead nearly 40 people including its new leader Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent.

After the attacks, courts have also fast-tracked prosecution of the Islamists. Scores of them were already facing death sentences.

The tentative time of his hanging is 10.30 pm (1630 GMT). Weve stepped up security all over the city, Khulna Police Commissioner Nibhas Chandra Majhi told AFP.

Majihi said hundreds of police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion have been deployed in Khulna, the countrys third largest city, to prevent any violence.

In August, just weeks after the cafe attack, Bangladeshs highest court led by the chief justice dismissed Arifs final appeal, clearing the way for his execution.

Arif later refused to seek presidential clemency, paving the way for his hanging later on Sunday, said a prison official of the jail where the Islamist was set to be executed.

Six other top officials of the JMB, including its founding leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, had already been executed in March 2007 for the same case.

Founded in the late 1990s by Islamists who fought in the Afghan wars along with the Mujahideens and the Taliban, the JMB has sought to impose sharia law in the Muslim majority but secular nation of 160 million people.

On August 17, 2005, the group conducted more than 400 small blasts in 63 of the countrys 64 districts. Many of these bombs targeted secular courts.

Hundreds of JMB extremists including Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, were later hunted down by security forces in a massive Islamist crackdown.
The Iraqi army dropped tens of thousands of leaflets over Mosul before dawn on Sunday, warning residents an offensive to recapture the city from Islamic State was in its final stages of preparation, according to a military statement in Baghdad.

The leaflets carried several messages, one of them assuring the population that advancing army units and air strikes will not target civilians and another telling them to avoid known locations of Islamic State militants.

The assault on Mosul, the last city still under control of the ultra-hardline Islamic State in Iraq, could begin this month with the support of a US-led coalition, according to Iraqi government and military officials.

Islamic State fighters are dug in and are expected to fight hard. They have forced civilians to stay in harms way during previous battles to defend territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday he hoped the United States and its allies would do their best to avoid civilian casualties in an attack on Mosul.

Reflecting the authorities concerns over a mass exodus that would complicate the offensive, the leaflets told residents to stay at home and not to believe rumours spread by Daesh to cause panic, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym.

With a pre-war population of around 2 million, Mosul is around 4-5 times the size of any other city recaptured so far from the militants, who swept through northern Iraq in 2014 and also hold a swathe of Syria.

The UN last week said it was bracing for the worlds biggest and most complex humanitarian effort in the battle for the city, which could make up to 1 million people homeless and see civilians used as human shields or even gassed.

Keep calm and tell your children that it is only a game or thunder before the rain, a leaflet said. Women should not scream or shout, to preserve the childrens spirit.

If you see an army unit, stay at least 25 metres away and avoid any sudden movements, another said.

Iraq earlier this month launched a radio station to help Mosul residents stay safe during the offensive.

The radio is broadcasting from Qayyara, a town 60 kilometres south of Mosul, where the army is massing forces ahead of the offensive.

Qayyara has also an airfield that will be used as a hub by the US-led coalition to support the offensive in which Kurdish Peshmerga and Sunni tribal fighters are expected to take part.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has not yet made it clear whether Iranian-backed Shiite paramilitary units will participate in the offensive on the mainly Sunni city.

Local Sunni politicians and regional Sunni-majority states including Turkey and Saudi Arabia have cautioned that letting Shiite militias take part in assault could lead to sectarian bloodletting.
Turkish-backed rebels captured the emblematic northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group on Sunday, dealing a major symbolic blow to the jihadists.

The defeat for IS came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet European allies in London as part of a new diplomatic push to end Syrias conflict, which has left more than 300,000 people dead since 2011.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition forces backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery had seized control of Dabiq on Sunday.

The town, in Syrias northern province of Aleppo, is of little strategic value.

But Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS and its followers because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an apocalyptic battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

Read| Syria: Turkey-backed forces launch offensive to seize IS-held Dabiq

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group, said rebel forces captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area.

The Fastaqim Union, an Ankara-backed rebel faction involved in the battle, said Dabiq had fallen after fierce clashes.

The Observatory said fighters also captured the nearby town of Sawran.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency also said the rebels had taken control of Dabiq and Sawran and were working to dismantle explosives laid by retreating IS fighters.

It said nine rebels were killed and 28 wounded during clashes on Saturday.

Byword among IS supporters

Dabiq has become a byword among IS supporters for a struggle against the West, with Washington and its allies bombing jihadists portrayed as modern-day Crusaders.

Earlier this week, IS downplayed the importance of the rebel advance on the town.

These hit-and-run battles in Dabiq and its outskirts -- the lesser Dabiq battle -- will end in the greater Dabiq epic, the group said in a pamphlet published online Thursday.

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, helping Syrian rebels to rid its frontier of IS jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkey would push further south to create a 5,000-square-kilometre (1,900 square-mile) safe zone in Syria.

The border area has become deeply unstable and on Sunday Turkish state media reported that suicide bombers blew themselves up when police raided their sleeper cell in the city of Gaziantep.

Media reports spoke of casualties without providing precise numbers.

According to Anadolu, Ankara-backed rebels now control 1,130-square-kilometres along the border in Aleppo province, the northern governorate that has been carved into zones of control by jihadists, Kurds, rebels, and regime forces.

In provincial capital Aleppo, government troops have been waging a fierce Russian-backed offensive on rebels in the eastern quarters of the city.

Non-stop raids in Aleppo

Fighting continued in Aleppos northern and southern outskirts on Sunday, as well as in the city centre, according to the Observatory.

AFPs correspondent in Aleppo said there had been nearly non-stop air raids on the opposition-held half of the city since midnight.

State news agency SANA said two women were also killed and 16 people wounded in rebel fire on one government-controlled neighbourhood on Sunday.

Fighting has surged in Aleppo following the collapse last month of a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia, raising deep international concern.

Kerry was to fly to London on Sunday to brief Washingtons European allies after brainstorming talks in Lausanne with the main players in Syrias bloody conflict.

The Swiss meeting on Saturday included key rebel backers Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, as well as regime supporters Iran and Russia.

But it did not produce a concrete plan to restore the truce that collapsed amid bitter recriminations between Washington and Moscow and new fighting on the ground.

Kerry is expected to meet on Sunday with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany, but hopes for a breakthrough have been dim.
Prime Minister Theresa May will embark on a three-day trip to India on November 6 in her first bilateral visit outside the European Union since assuming office in the wake of the June 23 Brexit vote, it was officially confirmed in London and New Delhi on Sunday.

A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said the visit was at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two prime ministers will inaugurate the Indo-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi scheduled on November 7-9.

Trade is on top of the British agenda for the visit as May prepares the country for a future outside the European Union, in which an economically resurgent India is expected to play a significant role. Her delegation will include several business leaders, Downing Street said.

May, who met Modi during the G20 summit in Hangzhou, said: As we leave the European Union, we have the chance to forge a new global role for the UK - to look beyond our continent and towards the economic and diplomatic opportunities in the wider world.

I am determined to capitalise on those opportunities, and as we embark on the trade mission to India, we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade.

Besides New Delhi, May is likely to visit another city during her trip. Several business deals are expected to be signed, besides reviewing the progress of deals worth 9 billion pounds signed during Modi's November, 2015 visit to London.

May added: The relationships between our two countries are strong, and the Indian diaspora plays a vital role in our national life. In my talks with Prime Minister Modi, I want to build on our relationship for the benefit of both our countries, generating jobs and wealth and maintaining cooperation on defence and security.

During the visit, the Indian side is likely to raise the issue of new immigration curbs on non-EU students and professionals, plans for which were announced at the ruling Conservative party conference in Birmingham last week.

There is growing demand in Britain that the two-year pilot for easier and cheaper visa currently running in China should be extended to India, which may be one of the announcements during the visit.

During her visit, May will also be expected to expound on Pakistans export of terrorism to India. After the recent criticism of Pakistan by the US in the wake of the Uri attack, a similar statement from another permanent member of the UN Security Council like Britain is likely.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox will join the visit and attend the Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting. Unlike in the past, the prime ministers delegation this time will include representatives of a range of small and medium enterprises, Downing Street added.

May said: In the past, the focus of trade delegations has been big businesses, but I want to take a new approach that recognises the full range of British business. So this time we will be focussing on small and medium sized businesses  and, importantly, the delegation will include representation from every region of the UK.

Her delegation will consist predominantly of SMEs, including Geolang, an innovative cyber security company based in Cardiff, Torftech, a creative energy company based in the South-East, and Telensa, a company focussed on smart city solutions based in Cambridge.

May previously visited Hyderabad as Home secretary in November 2012 to address top officers in the National Police Academy, and mentioned how the lessons from the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks were incorporated into Britains security forces.

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The United States and Britain called on Sunday for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Yemen to end violence between Iran-backed Houthis and the government, which is supported by Gulf states.

A Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under heavy criticism since an air strike on a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 140 people according to a United Nations estimate and 82 according to the Houthis.

On Saturday, a US admiral said a destroyer had again been targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen.

US secretary of state John Kerry said if Yemens opposing sides accepted the ceasefire then the special envoy to the UN, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect.

This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table, Kerry told reporters.

We cannot emphasise enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen, he said after meeting British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, and other officials in London.

Kerry said they were calling for the implementation of the ceasefire as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday.

The UNs special envoy said he had been in contact with the Houthis lead negotiator and the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He also said he hoped for clearer plans for a ceasefire in the coming days

Johnson said the conflict in Yemen was causing increasing international concern; the fatalities that were seeing there are unacceptable.

There should be a ceasefire and the UN should lead the way in calling for that ceasefire.

Their call came after meetings in London with Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir and senior UAE officials.

Kerry met Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif on Saturday in Switzerland on the sidelines of Syria talks.

It is a crisis now of enormous proportions with an increasing economic, increasing humanitarian and health crisis, and obviously the military components are troubling to everybody, Kerry said.

He added that the release of two American prisoners by Yemens Houthi and the evacuation of Yemeni civilians wounded in a Saudi airstrike were an important humanitarian gesture by the Saudis to address the humanitarian concern.
The US military said it had detected an unsuccessful launch of a powerful medium-range missile by North Korea on Saturday, a weapon which is capable of hitting US bases as far away as Guam.

UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from using ballistic missile technology, and this latest test came as the UN Security Council is debating fresh sanctions on Pyongyang following its fifth nuclear test in September.

The US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) said the launch, detected just after midday on Saturday Korea time, was believed to be of a much-hyped Musudan missile which North Korea has now test-fired seven times -- with one partial success.

Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross condemned what he called a clear violation of UN resolutions and urged Pyongyang to refrain from any further actions that might raise already elevated tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Seouls defense ministry also confirmed the failed launch, held near an air base in the northwestern city of Kusong in North Korea at 1203 Pyongyang time (0333 GMT).

This provocation only serves to increase the international communitys resolve to counter (North Koreas) prohibited activities, said Pentagon spokesman Gary Ross.

We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation, Ross added.

- Pacific threat -

Such launches are usually reported within hours or even minutes by the South Korean and US militaries, but Seouls defence ministry refused to say why the announcement came so long after the event.

First unveiled as an indigenous missile at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2010, the Musudan has a theoretical range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometres.

The lower estimate covers the whole of South Korea and Japan, while the upper range would include US military bases on Guam.

After a string of five failed launches, North Korea test fired a Musudan in June that flew 400 kilometres into the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

That test was hailed by leader Kim Jong-Un as proof of the Norths ability to strike US bases across the Pacific operation theatre.
If Batman had a warship, it would be the USS Zumwalt.

Thats how Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, described the Navys largest and most sophisticated new destroyer, which comes with a price tag of at least $4.4 billion.

As long as our president and you the American people have an insatiable appetite for security... I have an insatiable appetite for the stuff to underwrite that security, Harris said at the ships commissioning ceremony on Saturday.

Ray Mabus, secretary of the navy, called the Zumwalt a quantum leap for Navy ships.

Its the first of a kind thats leading the way for new classes of ships, new capabilities that are in ships, new systems that we can use and it just expands the things we can do and the ways we do it, Mabus said after the ceremony.

Here are some other details about the guided missile destroyer:

Stealth

The 610-foot-long warship is sleek, with an angular shape to minimize its radar signature. It looks like a much smaller vessel on radar. Quieter than other ships, the Zumwalt is hard to detect, track and attack. A composite deckhouse hides radar and other sensors. Its powerful new gun system can unload 600 rocket-powered projectiles on targets more than 70 miles away.

USS Zumwalt is moored to a dock in Baltimore, Maryland. The Zumwalt is the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission surface combatants and is named after Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt, former chief of naval operations. (AFP)

Power

Weighing nearly 15,000 tons, the ships advanced technology and capabilities allow it a range of defensive and offensive missions to project power, wherever it is needed. Capt. James Kirk, commanding officer of the Zumwalt, says it generates 78 megawatts of power, enough power to power a medium- to small-sized city. With a motto of Pax Proctor Vim (Peace Through Power), its unique capability to generate power could be used in ways perhaps not even envisioned yet, such as in the testing and use of laser and directed-energy weapon systems.

Missiles

The Zumwalt will be able to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, standard surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine rockets from 80 missile tubes.

Ride

The Zumwalt also features an unconventional wave-piercing hull that makes its ride very smooth, said Lt. Cmdr. Nate Chase. You had no fear of having an open cup of coffee and getting jerked around, like some of these other ships.

Crew

With 147 officers and sailors, the Zumwalts crew is the smallest of any destroyer built since the 1930s, thanks to extensive automation. All sailors are cross-trained, and theres more sharing of tasks on the Zumwalt. Sailors have staterooms, instead of bunk rooms with dozens of people in them. So, when they wake up, they wake up to only one or two alarm clocks, not four, not 50, Kirk says.

Reformer

The ship is named after the late Adm. Elmo Bud Zumwalt, who earned the Bronze Star in World War II and commanded small boats that patrolled the Mekong Delta in the Vietnam War. He became the youngest chief of naval operations and earned a reputation as a reformer, who fought racism and sexism. He changed our Navy in massive ways, some to make the fleet a more potent fighting force but most importantly he reformed the institution of the Navy to be more just and fair to all its sailors, making sure that all sailors regardless of race, creed, color, faith, had an opportunity to serve in whatever capacity that their heart and their passion desired to, Kirk said.

The bridge

On the bridge, there are 180-degree windows and chairs for the ships captain and executive officer to command the vessel and plenty of video monitors.

Star trek?

Kirk rolls with questions about his sharing the first and last name of the fictional captain of the Starship Enterprise, telling reporters to live long and prosper. But he says his parents named him after his grandfather, not Capt. James T. Kirk of Star Trek.

I have interrogated them about this a great deal  more over the last couple of years than before  and they tell me, no, it was all about my grandfather, Kirk says.
A US Navy destroyer was again targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen, a US admiral said on Saturday.

US defence officials said late on Saturday an initial assessment given by Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, had yet to be finalised and the incident was still being reviewed to determine exactly what happened.

The missile attack, if confirmed, would mark the third time the USS Mason was fired upon in international waters in the past week from territory in Yemen controlled by Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels.

The Mason once again appears to have come under attack in the Red Sea, again from coastal defence cruise missiles fired from the coast of Yemen, Admiral John Richardson, US chief of naval operations, said during a ship christening in Baltimore.

Another US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, later told Reuters: We are aware of the reports and we are assessing the situation. All of our ships and crews are safe and unharmed.

The latest incident comes just two days after the US military launched cruise missiles against three coastal radar sites in areas held by Houthi rebels in Yemen in response to the two previous failed missile firings against the Mason.

Initial reports on the latest incident, according to another US defence official, said the crew detected multiple missiles fired toward the Mason, which responded with on board countermeasures to defend itself. No damage was reported to the vessel or other ships accompanying it.

Thursdays US counterstrikes, authorised by President Barack Obama, marked Washingtons first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemens conflict and raised questions about the potential for further escalation.

The Houthi movement earlier this week denied responsibility for the missile attacks on the Mason and warned that it too would defend itself.

The Pentagon on Thursday stressed the limited nature of the strikes, aimed at the radar that it suspected enabled the launch of at least three missiles against the Mason on Sunday and Wednesday.

Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said at the time the US counterstrikes were not connected to the broader civil war in Yemen, which has unleashed famine and killed more than 10,000 people since March 2015 in the Arab worlds poorest country.

The United States, a long-time ally of Saudi Arabia, has provided aerial refueling of warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition striking Yemen and it supplies US weapons to the kingdom.

Iran, which supports the Houthi group, said last week it had deployed two warships to the Gulf of Aden, to protect ship lanes from piracy.
Describing the ongoing India-Pakistan tensions as a very, very hot tinderbox, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he would love to be the mediator or arbitrator if it was necessary and if the two countries wanted him to.

In an exclusive interview to Hindustan Times before his address to Indian-Americans on Saturday, Trump spoke about several issues that hold significant importance for India, including its fight on terrorism, its relation with Pakistan, and even the H-1B visa program.

We will have to be very, very strong with respect to radical Islamic terrorism. Its a tremendous problem. We have a president that doesnt want to use the term. We have to be very powerful, very strong on radical Islamic terror, Trump replied when asked about what he would do about Pakistan or the neighbourhood. Trump had said these were the source of terrorist attacks in the US, such as San Bernardino.

Read | Trump proposes extreme vetting of immigrants in anti-IS plan

But when pressed for plans for Pakistan, he said, Well, I would love to see Pakistan and India get along, because thats a very, very hot tinderbox... That would be a very great thing. I hope they can do it.

Look at the recent problem that you (India) had and other problems that you have had over the years, he added, making an oblique reference to the Uri terror attack and the flare-up in Indo-Pakistan tensions.

Asked if he would like to play a role, Trump said, If it was necessary I would do that. If we could get India and Pakistan getting along, I would be honoured to do that. That would be a tremendous achievement... I think if they wanted me to, I would love to be the mediator or arbitrator.

India opposes third-party mediation on Kashmir -- the main issue of contention between the two countries -- and was worried when President Barack Obama suggested in 2008 that the US should probably try to facilitate a better understanding between Pakistan and India and try to resolve the Kashmir crisis. That was the last time he spoke about a role for the US.

Trump also addressed the another big issue for Indians -- the H-1B visa program. Earlier in the year, Trump took a critical stand, and said he would impose restrictions on the visa category, claiming India and China were taking away American jobs. However, on Saturday, the Republican presidential candidate said he favoured the H-1B, but it has some big deficiencies that needed to be fixed.

Though he understood the US needs skilled workers, and he has used this program himself, at the same time we have to take care of American jobs and I have always said America first at all levels  but we do need skill coming (to the US) when we need the skill we can do that .. but I really do want to take care of American jobs and America first, he said.

Indian IT firms are the largest recipient of the H-1B, and a restriction on it would significantly impact the industry. Right now the annual cap on the visa is 85,000, Trump said, adding there were those who favoured it and others who wanted cuts.

We will look at it very carefully and we are going to be studying it over the next coming months. The program has some very big deficiencies but also has some assets, he said.

Read | Donald Trump mocks Indian call centres, but says India is a great nation

He nevertheless took the opportunity to convey his regard for India.

I have great love for India, because I have so many friends from India  the Hindu people, I will say, are amazing.

Trump later went on to build on this sentiment in his address to the Indian American community attending the charity event hosted by the Republican Hindu Coalition.

Read | India, US would be best friends if I am elected president: Trump

When asked about his view on India and China, he said, Its a rivalry, both in size and the economy, and you look at what is happening. These are massive countries.

If elected president, will he take sides?

Well, I am going to be a president that is impartial but I love India. I have always respected India. I have got jobs in India, and you know I have buildings in India that are very, very successful  I have great respect for India, and the people of India.

Also read | Why a Trump presidency may be good for India

For more on the 2016 US presidential elections, click here.
BAGHDAD: Around 55 people were killed in attacks in Iraq on Saturday that targeted a Shia Muslim gathering, a police check-point and the family of a Sunni paramilitary leader opposed to Islamic State, according to security and medical sources.

The escalation comes as Iraqi forces are getting ready to launch an offensive to take back Mosul in northern Iraq, the last city still controlled by Islamic State.

The heaviest toll was caused by a suicide bomber who detonated an explosive vest in the middle of a Shia gathering in Baghdad, killing at least 41 people and wounding 33.

The explosion went off inside a tent filled with people taking part in Shia Ashura rituals, which mourn the killing of Prophet Mohammads grandson Hussein in the 7th century. Islamic State claimed the attack.

Some people were also in the tent to mourn the death of a local resident, authorities said. The tent was set up in a crowded market in Baghdads northern al-Shaab district.

Gunmen believed to belong to Islamic State earlier in the day staged two attacks north of Baghdad, one targeting a police checkpoint and the other the house of a Sunni militia chief who supports the government, police said.

Eight policemen were killed and 11 others wounded in the first attack which took place at Mutaibija, south of the city of Tikrit, while the militants had three dead in their ranks.

In the second, the wife and three children of Numan al-Mujamaie, the leader of the Ishaqi Mobilization militia, were killed when gunmen stormed his house in Ishaq in his absence.
ROME: The new McVatican comes with a side order of outrage.

Plans to open a McDonalds next to Saint Peters Square in Rome have angered cardinals, including a group of the red-hatted Princes of the Church who live above the proposed site.

Its a controversial, perverse decision to say the least, Cardinal Elio Sgreccia said in an interview with La Repubblica daily on Saturday.

Opening a branch of the United States fast-food chain in a piazza to the right of the Vaticans basilica is by no means respectful of the architectural traditions of one of the most characteristic squares which look onto the colonnade of Saint Peters, he said.

Sgreccia does not live in the building but was speaking on behalf of the seven cardinals who do reside above the site, which covers 538 square metres, and is being rented out by ASPA, which is the authority in charge of the Vaticans real estate.

One angry cardinal has even written a letter to Pope Francis urging him to intervene against a commercial decision which would bring 30,000 euros a month into the Vaticans coffers but at a noisy, burger-smelling price, La Repubblica said.

Moreno Prosperi, head of the Committee for the Protection of Borgo, the historic district around the Vatican where many cardinals live, told AFP that the planned outlet would be a further blow to the area which usually draws huge throngs of tourists.

Over the last few years, the identity of this area has been lost due to an increase in illegal souvenir stands and mini markets, he said.

Other members of the committee say it is madness to pack more people into an area considered at high risk of a terror attack.

Instead of a Golden Arches near the heart of the Roman Catholic Church, the space should be used to house entities which help the needy, in line with the popes call for a poor Church for the poor, Sgreccia said.

But Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, head of ASPA, told La Repubblica he was not going to back down because the deal is legally valid and he didnt see anything negative about it.

I dont see the scandal, he said.
ISLAMABAD: A teacher and a Sufi preacher have been arrested on blasphemy charges in two separate incidents in Pakistan, police said on Saturday. The preacher was arrested for preaching things contrary to Islam, while the teacher was arrested for beating up a Shia student who absented himself to attend the Ashura procession last week. Both incidents occurred in the Punjab province.

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LONDON: Several Indian-origin couples protested on Saturday against the November 2015 ban in India on surrogacy, complaining they were unable to get their embryos back from clinics in Gujarat and elsewhere.

The Narendra Modi government published a draft bill in August to ban commercial surrogacy for foreign nationals, including holders of Overseas Citizen of India status. The bill has attracted much criticism in India  considered the worlds surrogacy hub  and abroad.

Harvey and Sheetal Jassal, who had a daughter through surrogacy at Anand in Gujarat, told Hindustan Times at the Harrow protest: Our four fertilised embryos are stuck in India, we cannot get them back due to the ban. Either allow us to use them or have them back so that they can be used elsewhere to complete out family.

A large number of couples from Britain of various ethnicities have made the journey to India to have surrogate children over the years.

The industry is said to be worth more than 1.5 billion to the Indian economy, but there is no regulation so far.

The protesters said that their embryos were at various stages in the fertility process.

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CAIRO: A Saudi-led coalition on Saturday blamed wrong information for the bombing last weekend of a packed funeral hall in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed at least 140 people and wounded some 600. The coalitions Joint Incidents Assessment Team, or JIAT, said a party affiliated to Yemens General Chief of Staff headquarters had passed intelligence that the hall was filled with leaders of Shia Houthi rebels. This is the first time the coalition has acknowledged it was behind the bombing, after an initial denial. Meanwhile, more than 100 people who were injured have been allowed medical evacuation to seek treatment outside of Yemen.

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WASHINGTON:US Republican nominee Donald Trump will try on Saturday to peel Indian Americans away from the Democratic Party that they have historically supported, a testimony to the growing clout of the tiny but prosperous community.

Though Trumps direct pitch to the community will be partly Bollywood-themed, with entertainers flown in from India, the political message will not be lost on its members. This is the first time a presidential candidate is trying to woo them directly and not through surrogates.

Indian Americans have traditionally voted Democratic, and a recent poll showed only 7% of them planned to vote for Trump, compared to 67% for Hillary Clinton. They also overwhelmingly preferred the Democratic Party to the Republican.

The Republican Party has been working to change that for a while, with Chicago businessman Shalli Kumar among those leading the outreach. The Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC), which Kumar started in 2015, is hosting Saturdays Trump event. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich is the RHCs honorary chairman.

Kumar is also one of Trumps top Indian American donors. He announced a contribution of $898,000 to the Trump Victory fund during the Republican convention in Cleveland in July. It was around then that he broached the event with Trump.

While announcing the event in August, Kumar told Hindustan Times that Trump was easily persuaded  he agreed immediately.

He told me India was a great country, he liked Indian people, Kumar said. And he said he found Hindus to be peace-loving people.

Though the event is being hosted by the RHC, organisers expect to see members of other faiths as well. It is not clear how many will show up, if at all. There are also some concerns over whether the event will attract enough people.

According to the 2016 National Asian American Survey, 79% of Indian Americans had an unfavourable opinion of the Trump, compared to 23% who thought poorly of Clinton, whose favourability stood at 71% compared to her rivals 11%.

This is despite the fact that the only two Indian Americans ever elected governor  Nikki Haley in South Carolina and Bobby Jindal in Louisiana  were Republicans. While proud of them, the community has been slow to follow them.

The poll also found 78% of Indian Americans were against Trumps call to ban Muslims from entering the US, a position he has since changed to talk about extreme vetting to keep out those with suspect intentions.

The number of Indian Americans is estimated to be around 3.5 million but only a third of them are reported to be voters.
WASHINGTON: The United States has again urged Pakistan to combat and delegitimise all terrorist groups operating on its soil, a call it has stressed with increasing urgency since the attack on the Indian Army base in Uri.

We continue to urge Pakistan to take actions to combat and delegitimise all terrorist groups operating on its soil, state department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said in response to a question.

The term delegitimise was first used by US National Security Adviser Susan Rice in a phone call with her Indian counterpart Ajit Doval after the Uri attack and on the night of the retaliatory surgical strikes by India. It has since come to be used frequently in the context of terrorist groups based in Pakistan.

The reference to all terrorist groups addressed a concern felt both in the US and India that Islamabad differentiates between bad terrorists  those who threaten Pakistan  and good terrorists  those that target India such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. The latter carried out the Uri attack.

But the US has said it understands that Pakistan is also a victim of terrorism. Obviously, Pakistan has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists. We want to help Pakistan confront this terrorist threat, Toner said.

He added, We also want Pakistan to go after those terrorists who seek and sometimes find safe haven on Pakistan territory.
On December 7, 1941, my father, Ben C. Fritz, then 33, was an aircraft engine electrician with the Hawaiian Air Depot Volunteer Corps at Hickam Field. The night before the Japanese raid he had been out on the town with some friends from our hometown assigned to the USS Arizona. They went home around 4 a.m. and never saw each other again.

The morning of the 7th, Dad was awakened by a series of explosions. Everyone jumped out of bed, he wrote in his log. I looked out of the back door and saw a pursuit plane banking around in the air about a hundred yards in the distance. The pilot was looking around. There were big red spots on the sides and wings of the plane. I was looking at the Rising Sun of Japan, but I didnt realize it. I couldnt realize that it was a raidand Waruntil I saw a plane with a red spot going down in a sheet of flames over Pearl Harbor.

Dad stayed in Hawaii for a few more months, then returned home. He kept items related to his experience in his footlocker. I remember him pulling them out once to explain them to me,

but he didnt often talk about his experiences; he died in 1996.

The item I am most curious about is a roughly three-by-three-inch piece of red painted metal, perforated with three holes. He said he snipped it off one of the Rising Sun markings on a downed Japanese aircraft. Have you seen such souvenirs before? And are those bullet holes?

Thank you. Drew Fritz,

Cynthiana, Kentucky

Aircraft fragments were common souvenirs, and the bold red markings of the Japanese Hinomaru, or circle of the sun, were particularly sought after. We have a similar item in a collection here at the museum, a wallet-sized fragment of a Japanese aircraft downed over Midway Island collected by a Marine stationed there during the battle. The piece is all red and had clearly been removed from one of the national insignia markings on the aircraft. The reverse side is translucent green due to the thin coat of green or blue primer applied to bare metal surfaces of Japanese aircraft at the factory.

To my knowledge, of the 29 Japanese aircraft lost during the Pearl Harbor raid, the aircraft downed in closest proximity to your father and Hickam Field was an A6M Zero fighter from the carrier Akagi, piloted by Petty Officer 1st Class Takashi Hirano. While accounts vary, it is widely accepted that Hiranos aircraft was damaged while strafing Hickam Field. Hirano attempted to belly-land his damaged aircraft but instead clipped a tree and slammed into a machine shop at nearby Fort Kamehameha, killing himself and four soldiers on the ground. Souvenir hunters descended on the aircraft almost immediately until the fighter was placed under guard and later transported to a hangar at Hickam Field for technical evaluation.

While it may be impossible to verify the specific aircraft that was the source of this three-by-three-inch piece of aluminum, Takashi Hiranos Zero seems a good bet. My guess is that the holes are from the rivets that secured the skin to the frame of the aircraft.

Larry Decuers, Curator 

This article was originally published in the November/December 2016 issue of World War II magazine. Subscribe here.
In Expedition 49/50, three crew members are scheduled to launch to the Intenational Space Station at 4:05 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct.19 (2:05 p.m. in Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Live launch coverage will begin at 3:15 a.m. on NASA television and its website.

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, along with Roscosmos cosmanauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko, will travell for two days in Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft to test the upgraded spacecraft systems before docking to the space station's Poisk module at 5:59 a.m. Friday Oct. 21. NASA TV coverage of the docking will begin at 5:15 a.m.

Soyuz and station will open at approximately 8:35 a.m. and the arrival of the crew members will be warmly welcomed on board by Expedition 49 Commander Anatoly Ivanishin of Rocosmos and Flight Engineers Kate Rubins and Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, who have been aboard the complex since july. The original launch date of September 23 was posponed due to some technical issues with the Soyuz spacecraft.

NASA TV will air their space coverage of the departure and landing activities at the following dates and times:

Friday, June 17

*9:15 a.m. - Change of command ceremony in which Kopra hands over station command to NASA astronaut Jeff Williams.

*10:15 p.m. - Farewell and hatch closure coverage( hatch closure is scheduled for 10:35 p.m. )

Saturday, June 18

* 1:30 a.m - Undocking coverage (undocking scheduled for 1:52 a.m.)

*4 am - Deorbit burn and landing coverage ( deorbit burn scheduled for 4:21 a.m., with landing at 5:15 a.m)

*7 a.m - Video file of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities.

*6 p.m - Video File of landing and post-landing activities and post-landing interviews with Kopra and Peake in Kazakhstan.

Check out the full NASA TV schedule and video streaming information at :

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

International Space Station:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Pusha T put out two new songs this week, but it seems that his heart is more preoccupied with the presidential election at the moment. After teaming up with Hillary Clinton for a voter registration drive earlier this month, he campaigned on behalf of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine at an event in Miami on Saturday.

Before Kaine took the stage, Pusha stood in the bed of a pickup truck and discussed the significance of the election in Florida (a battleground state) and urged the crowd to vote Democrat.

When we do get into those polls, we have to think about whats important for us, whats important for the community, and we need to pick Clinton and Kaine, he said. Kaine, who recently anointed himself Lil Kaine after hearing Lil Waynes verse on No Problem, thanked Pusha for his remarks.

Playas we aint the same, im into caine and guns. Watch footage from Pusha and Kaines speeches below.

Pusha T
When the United States identifies a terrorist group, or individuals who may have a hand in helping to move or raise money on behalf of terrorists, we lock them out of the international banking system, thus taking away their ability to transfer money to vendors and to receive money from donors. We freeze what funds they may have in the banking system and within reach of the United States, and ensure that no businesses or manufacturers will trade with them.

That is essentially what happens when the United States designates, under Executive Order 13224, an individual or group deemed to be terrorist in nature, or likely to commit terrorist activity.

In late September, the United States Department of State added Jund al-Aqsa to the Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity list. Jund al-Aqsa operates in northern Syria, primarily in the Idlib and Hama governorates. It is affiliated with al Qaida and was founded in 2012 as a subunit within the State Department designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist group al-Nusra Front, by an associate of some of al Qaidas top leaders of that time.

At times, Jund al-Aqsa and al- Nusrah Front have cooperated and fought in tandem, though Jund al Aqsa has also operated independently.

In February 2014, Jund al-Aqsa participated in a massacre in central Hama province, killing 40 civilians in Maan village. One year later, in March 2015, the group launched two suicide bombings at checkpoints on the outskirts of Idlib.

A terrorism designation is intended to make operations more difficult for terrorists. It can expose and isolate organizations engaged in terrorism. It also prevents their members and allies from using their resources to continue their nefarious activities.

By designating Jund al-Aqsa a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity, the United States is taking a decisive step toward disrupting its ability, and the ability of its members and associates, from executing their deadly agendas.
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"Don't send me some froufrou chef with perfect hair!" David Klose yelled into the phone when a television producer asked if he would host a New York-based chef who wanted to learn about Texas barbecue.

The year was 2001, and Klose was famous for making pits for some of Houston's best barbecue joints. The producer figured that if anyone knew where to take the visiting chef, it was Klose.

That chef turned out to be Anthony Bourdain who, at the time, was mostly known for his tell-all restaurant book "Kitchen Confidential" and an obscure TV series on the Food Network called "A Cook's Tour."

For the second season of the show, one episode would be all about barbecue, and the show's producer called Klose to set up a tour of Klose's pit factory and a local joint that Klose deemed representative of Houston barbecue.

Klose had never heard of Bourdain at the time.

More Information 'Parts Unknown' Burns Original BBQ segment airs at 8 p.m. Oct. 30 on CNN. Burns Original BBQ 8307 De Priest 281-999-5559 See More Collapse

"Our guys spit liquid steel," Klose continued, trying to impress upon the producer that a fancy chef from New York would probably not get along with the rough-and-tumble crew of welders and steel fabricators at his facility in Houston's Oak Forest neighborhood.

The producer assured Klose they would get along just fine.

Indeed they did.

When Bourdain arrived to shoot the segment, Klose says, "I looked into his eyes  and knew he was crazy as a loon, just like us." After a tour of the pit factory, Klose took Bourdain to his favorite barbecue joint: Burns Bar-B-Q in nearby Acres Homes.

"At the time, Dave was coming in all the time," says Steve Burns, son of owner Roy Burns. "He'd always bring his customers and friends here."

In "The BBQ Triangle" episode of "A Cook's Tour," which aired in June 2003, a very young-looking Bourdain (with perfect hair) interviewed Roy Burns and sat down with Klose for a taste of true Houston barbecue. In the parting shot for the Burns segment, Bourdain proclaimed: "So if you're on a quiet rural road in Houston and you see a huge line, get in it - you may just get to try one of the tastiest secrets in America."

Fifteen years later, Bourdain returned to Houston to film an episode of his popular CNN food and travel show "Parts Unknown." He returned to Burns Bar-B-Q - now called Burns Original BBQ - to tape a segment.

Co-owner Cory Crawford, grandson of Roy Burns (who died in 2009), says the Bourdain team contacted his friend Roderick Dearborne about doing a segment on Slab Culture, a type of custom car originating in Houston. Dearborne recommended they have lunch at Burns Original BBQ.

"Bourdain said, 'Hey, I know that place!' " according to Crawford, who got his friend, Houston rapper Slim Thug, involved.

Though the segment filmed at Burns in June wasn't specifically about barbecue, Bourdain toured the pit area and reconnected with Roy Burns' sons and current pitmasters Steve and Gary Burns, and daughter Kathy Braden, all of whom were at the taping in 2001.

I asked Gary Burns what he thought about his family's connection with one of the food world's most famous personalities.

"I've never even seen the original show," he said. "Back then, we were just kids, and we worked all the time and didn't have time to watch TV." He says he'll probably watch the new episode when it airs Oct. 30 on CNN.

And what about Klose, who introduced Bourdain to Houston barbecue? In the intervening years, his company, BBQ Pits by Klose, has become something of a pit maker to the stars. Klose recently shipped pits to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen (Klose didn't know who he was until an employee informed him) and a member of the Monaco royal family (he's not sure which one).

Klose wasn't involved in Bourdain's most recent visit to Houston. I asked if he planned on watching the episode.

"Hell, no!" Klose said. "I don't have the time!"
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Flaunting their signature black uniforms and matching berets, members of the Black Panthers in Houston gathered Saturday to share fiery speeches in celebration of the group's 50th anniversary.

Two dozen Panthers and Panther supporters took to MacGregor Park near the Third Ward around 3 p.m. to share their thoughts about black activism.

Brian Kyles, a 23-year-old newcomer, started the oratory session with a speech from black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey.

"When Mother Nature created man she deprived him of nothing," he recited. "He was given the faculty of understanding all things around him. This faculty for understanding has not been taken away from him. None of his senses have been taken from him. So there is no excuse for the black man in lacking the knowledge that men use to beautify the world and to produce all that he needs for his happiness," he continued, reciting the whole speech by memory.

Gregory Chatman, a 25-year-old Black Lives Matter organizer, turned up to show his support.

"The Black Panthers definitely paved the way for us," he said. "They taught us not to fear the police and to stand up for our rights and fight for self defense."

In Houston, the groups share similar ideology, he said. "At the end of the day we just really want the same thing," he said.

But a woman who wouldn't give her real name was careful to explain that, unlike their Black Lives Matter peers, the Panthers are revolutionaries, not protesters. "We're not a charity organization," Anti Christ said. "We're about teaching black people to defend themselves."

While she and her comrades represent the New Black Panther Party, the woman said Panther Nation and the People's New Black Panther Party are both active in the Houston area as well.

The Black Panther Party was founded by college students Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in the aftermath of the 1965 assassination of legendary black activist Malcolm X.

Once recognizable by their distinctive black berets and bold open-carry, the California revolutionary organization spread across the country during the civil rights movement.

Though the Panthers are often remembered for clashes with police and intrusive FBI surveillance, they were also responsible for civic programs. In Houston, the group launched a free breakfast program for kids, carted seniors to appointments and errands, and offered a no-charge pest control program for Third Ward residents.

Today's Panthers still oversee a community patrol, though the group declined to offer specifics.

In one of the tragic turns of Panther history, Houston activist Carl Hampton was killed during a gun battle with police outside the party's Third Ward headquarters in 1970. The events of the day are still in dispute nearly five decades later.
Virgilio Davis was struck with emotion as he knelt to place a pink flag with the name of his mother, Violeta Davis, at the Atascocita High School Breast Cancer Awareness Flag Planting Ceremony.

"I lost my mom to breast cancer in 1997; it was pretty fast for our family," Davis, an Atascocita High School teacher, said. "One of the things about it is it was unexpected and brought my whole family together at a time when we weren't all getting along. I guess my mom's illness had to happen to bring us all together. It was at that moment, I became Virgilio Davis. The person that sings and performs in front of hundreds didn't exist, but one of the last things my mother told me was one day you will be the head of the family and the head of something. I think she was taken from me so I could become who I am today. This means a lot to me right now."
One of the men who runs this state - Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick - said after campaigning with Donald Trump in North Texas last week that the story about the GOP presidential nominee bragging about sexually assaulting women was "in the rearview mirror now."

That's all you can say, I guess, when you're a deer in headlights.

But this glare isn't past. Far from it. Women continue to come forward, sharing allegations of Trump's groping through the years.

And although Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and other top Texas officials - all Men, all members of the Party of Family Values - have condemned Trump's lewd remarks, none has rescinded his endorsement. The only Texas congressional Republican to call on Trump to step down also happens to be the only woman: U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth.

"No one in the Republican Party or anyone in society accepts what he said," Patrick said Wednesday during an appearance on Time Warner Cable News' Capital Tonight. "He apologized; you move on. The future of the country is at stake."

Ladies, where's the outrage?

Patrick and others want to change the subject. They've got more important things to worry about, such as border security and Syrian refugees.

But consider this: The chance of an American dying on U.S. soil in a terror attack at the hands of a foreigner is 1 in 3.6 million, the conservative Cato Institute reported recently. The chance of an American being murdered by an illegal immigrant, according to Cato, is an astronomical 1 in 10.9 billion.

How many woman report a rape or attempted rape in America? Nearly 1 in 5, according to a respected Centers for Disease Control survey.

Sexual assault matters. It matters on college campuses. It matters in the military. It matters at home and in the workplace.

It matters that a candidate for the most powerful position in the world was caught on a hot mic bragging about doing it.

It matters even in Texas, where women are not yet so beaten down by patriarchal, politically motivated "health" policy that we can't recognize another threat to our bodies and our dignity. Nothing about being feminine, especially in this state, involves weakness, submission or resignation.

Don't suffer fools

Sarah Bird's description in her book "Love Letter to Texas Women" comes to mind: "She is Southern but with a Western grit handed down by her foremothers, who could give birth during a Comanche attack, help out when it came time to turn the bulls into steers, and still end up producing more Miss USAs than any other state in the union."

We don't suffer fools like the so-called leaders of this state who can't stand up for their mothers, wives and daughters with something other than lip service. Where are those deeply held conservative principles when we need them?

I missed the '60s. But this feels like a bra-burning moment to me. OK, ladies. It's up to us now to save the world.

One of the most eye-opening images of this campaign was statistician Nate Silver's electoral maps on his website FiveThirtyEight depicting the 2016 outcome if only men voted versus the outcome if only women voted.

The men's map blazed red, with 188 electoral votes for Hillary Clinton and 350 for Trump. The women's map was mostly a sea of blue, with 458 electoral votes for Clinton and 80 for Trump. Silver noted Mitt Romney held his own among women in 2012, losing them by 8 points, while they're currently going against Trump by 15 points.

Sure, there are women who support Trump, and their hashtag has been trending on Twitter in the past few days. Many have bought Trump's "locker-room banter" excuse. They seem to nod their heads in bless-your-heart acknowledgment. As one woman told CNN: "It was just a man being a man in a man's world, talking to men."

Just not acceptable

Some Trump supporters have even taken to criticizing his accusers, wondering why the women who now speak of Trump's tongue down their throats, his hand up their skirts, his octopus arms going everywhere on a first-class flight, didn't come forward sooner.

We know the answer, don't we? We see how the accused belittles and ridicules and dismisses them, these days aided by the sound and fury of social media.

But another hashtag rose up last week: #WhyWomenDontReport. Women used it to boldly share the reasons they didn't initially come forward about abuse.

One of the most chilling is from New York Times national correspondent Jackie Calmes about an earlier job: "Because I was a new 24-y-o reporter w/$30k in college debt and he was the publisher."

I'll add my own admission as to why I routinely put up with unwanted groping and kissing from classmates that started in middle school: I thought I didn't have the power to stop it.

Ladies, we can't ignore this anymore. It's not acceptable - in our daily lives, or in the "locker- room" conversations of a presidential candidate.

We have the power to speak out. We have the power to vote. And we should use it.
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Chinese residents protested on a busy Houston street corner Saturday afternoon, holding signs and chanting for more police protection and an end to the violent crime spree against the city's Asian residents.

The crowd stood under a hot sun at Westheimer and Post Oak in the Galleria area, and used megaphones to voice their demands.

Many wore white T-shirts with the slogan "More Police Presence. Less Crime" written on the back.

"No more crime. No more robberies. We want safety. We want more police,'' the protesters chanted.

Others engaged motorists at the Galleria intersection with large, colorfully printed posters. Organizers of the protest also said they want Houston police to recruit more Chinese officers to the force.

One of the organizers was Houston immigration attorney Jessica W. Chen, who was robbed by two men who confronted her outside her office in Chinatown on July 14. The robbers made off with her BMW car, in one of at least 50 crimes that targeted Chinese residents or their properties in the city since midsummer, Chen said.

"We want safety," she said. "We want to stop the crime against the Chinese, against our community. This is unacceptable, and that's why we are having this protest."

Protester Hanssen Zinn, 32, a father of two who works at his family-owned travel agency in Houston's Chinatown community, worries because Asian business owners are increasingly becoming targets.

"I work in Chinatown in Houston, and I've seen three of my friends who got robbed," said Zinn, adding one was a woman who was followed home from a bank and robbed of her purse that contained several thousand dollars. "I had a friend who shopped at the Galleria mall and went back to Chinatown, and a car followed them when they got into a restaurant in Chinatown. They broke the window and got into the car, and stole all the stuff. That's really bad.

"Similar things keep happening around us. We have a lot of friends in business in Chinatown and it's happening every day. We don't feel safe at all."

Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Mattie Provost monitored the peaceful afternoon protest along with several police officers. She said steps have been taken to address crime in Chinatown.

"I believe there is crime all over the city, and Chinatown is no different," Provost said.

Police are expanding a bicycle patrol in the Chinatown neighborhood, she said.

Also, police recently held town hall meetings with residents to give them information about protective measures they can take to help avoid becoming crime victims.

"We've already beefed up patrolling in the area in Chinatown as much as we can," she said. "As you know, we are short-handed in law enforcement officers.

"And so I think every community is asking for more police, and so are we. And the mayor is obliging that by starting to get more and more cadet classes to get more police out there on the streets."

Provost said merchants who take in a lot of cash are advised not to leave money in their vehicles.

"Some of the businesses advertise that it's cash only, and one of the things we are working on is asking them to start taking credit cards," the assistant police chief said.

John Jiang, 40, an information technology consultant from Sugar Land, was handing out T-shirts during the protest.

"I really think the violence should be stopped because now it's more serious" in the Chinese community, he said, adding there is a perception the businesses owners are wealthy.

"Today we do this primarily for Chinese, but also for everybody who is a victim of crime," Jiang said.
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TARBORO, N.C. - Tiajuana Williams lives in a one-story apartment building in Princeville, N.C., that was flooded by a river bulging with rainwater from Hurricane Matthew. Before driving out of town in her Honda Civic ahead of the storm, she hurriedly packed a small bag with little more than a change of clothes.

Now, even while seeking aid to replace her belongings and arrange long-term housing, she has more pressing needs: "I ain't got no clothes. I left my clothes in there!"

She filled out a FEMA application online and signed paperwork Thursday with an agency representative.

But Williams was told that it could take a week or more to get to the next step, which will be a phone call from another representative who will go over her information again. She doesn't have renter's insurance and fears her stuff has been ruined. Making matters worse, she hasn't been able to get to her job as a home health nurse and doesn't expect a paycheck this week.

"I've had a headache for about four days," the 53-year-old said, taking a drag off a cigarette.

Her stress may not go away anytime soon if other recent flood disasters are a guide. In Louisiana, thousands of displaced families are still waiting for government assistance after the catastrophic deluge there two months ago - from a storm system that didn't even have a name.

Last month, Congress authorized $500 million in flood recovery grant money for Louisiana and other states. That was before Matthew churned up the East Coast.

FEMA spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said the federal government currently has about $5 billion in a fund for all FEMA-funded disaster relief work.

More than 24,000 survivors in North Carolina have applied for federal disaster assistance, and FEMA has approved more than $5.8 million in individual assistance to cover needs including repairs or temporary housing, Lemaitre said. That amount is expected to increase.

As of Thursday morning, about 3,400 people were staying in more than 40 shelters in eastern North Carolina.

The next step is to move them into hotels or rental properties.

"We want to get these people out of shelters so they have more privacy, so they have more dignity, so they have better care, so they can be with their families and reunited with their pets if possible," Gov. Pat McCrory said.
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Artful redistricting has squeezed the general election suspense from nearly all of Harris County's legislative races, rendering most districts solidly red or blue.

Democrat Ben Rose is hoping to prove his west Houston district can be the exception.

The 31-year-old political newcomer is seeking to leverage traditionally high Democratic turnout in presidential election years to oust three-term Republican state Rep. Sarah Davis. Doing so would return District 134 to Democratic hands for the first time in six years.

"To effectuate change, you'd have to want that change. And based on her record, I don't think that she really is distinguishable," Rose said during an interview in his Meyerland campaign office. "On cutting $5 billion from education, where was she? On accepting federal (Medicaid) dollars, where was she?"

Davis, known as a moderate, is campaigning on her fiscal conservatism and clout in the state Legislature as a member of the majority party.

"From just a general standpoint of who can get something done, your choice is someone who's on the most powerful committees and has some experience and is in the majority party, versus a freshman with no seniority and in the minority party," said Davis, 40, whose committee posts include appropriations and calendars.

More Information Sarah Davis (incumbent) Age: 40 Party: Republican Occupation: Insurance defense lawyer Campaign website:sarahdavis134.com Ben Rose Age: 31 Party: Democrat Occupation: Plaintiff's lawyer Campaign website:roseforrep.com See More Collapse

Left vs. right precincts

District 134, which runs from Meyerland north to Timbergrove, has traded parties twice in the last decade, from Republican Martha Wong to Democrat Ellen Cohen in 2007, and Cohen to Davis in 2011.

Since then, it has become more Republican.

District 134 lost five precincts in 2011's redistricting, all of them left-leaning. And the district gained 25 others, most of them right-leaning, according to a Chronicle analysis of straight-ticket voting.

Even so, Rose has hewed to the Democratic Party line, aiming to peel votes away from Davis by casting her as too conservative for the district.

"The challenge we face in this race isn't trying to win in a Republican district. It's trying to win our base and let our base know that our opponent is not a moderate," said Rose, whose campaign had roughly $57,000 in the bank as of late September. "Our opponent is right there in lockstep with the Republican establishment."

Education a priority

Rose, a plaintiff's lawyer, listed improving public education, health care and infrastructure among his top priorities, arguing that the state ought to expand its Medicaid program and adjust its school finance scheme.

"If a district has 80 percent impoverished students, it shouldn't be giving money away to a district that has a substantially less number of impoverished students," Rose said.

The Houston Independent School District stands to forfeit $162 million to the state next year under the so-called Robin Hood system, which redistributes local tax dollars from property-wealthy districts to property-poor ones. Seventy-six percent of the Houston district's students live below the poverty line.

Davis - whose campaign neared the end of September with nearly three times as much money on hand as Rose's - agreed the Robin Hood plan is "not acceptable" but did not propose a specific fix, saying she was awaiting comments from the House committee tasked with studying the issue.

Davis' top priority is the state budget, and she said she would push for foster care reform and expanding access to mental health care if reelected.

Stood alone in vote

Davis, an insurance defense lawyer, is known for being the only Republican to vote against Texas' House Bill 2 in 2013, which requires abortion clinics to meet hospital-like standards and mandates that doctors performing the procedure obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

The U.S. Supreme Court found those provisions unconstitutional.

Davis brushed off Rose's criticisms.

"I always have a primary opponent who says I'm not conservative enough, and I win. And then I always have a Democrat who says I'm too conservative, and I win," she said, adding that she does not view expanding Medicaid as politically feasible in Texas.

Davis pitched herself as a representative for Democrats and Republicans alike, suggesting Rose would not be.

"I have a very positive perspective of my constituents - all, no matter what their party affiliation is. And I don't know that Mr. Rose has that," Davis said.

Clarified remarks

Rose criticized Republicans in his interview with the Chronicle as the "most un-Christian group of people that could possibly exist," but clarified to say he was referring specifically to the state's GOP leadership.

"I believe the average Republican voter in this state is an honest, god-fearing, hardworking person," Rose said. "I do not have that same soft spot in my heart for Ted Cruz or Dan Patrick or Greg Abbott or Ken Paxton or, frankly, my opponent."

Donald Trump's divisive candidacy is expected to handicap many local Republican candidates, whose fate typically is tied to the performance of their party's presidential pick and the turnout he draws.

However, University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus said he expects Davis to be more insulated than many of her GOP peers, who could be hurt by higher Democratic turnout or a lower percentage of Republican straight-ticket voting.

"The core of it is: Are there more Democrats in 134?" Rottinghaus said. "It seems to me they've already maxed out the number that are there, so i don't think you're going to find a lot more turnout  and some of those Democrats are supporters of Sarah Davis."
In the past week, as a swirl of sexual assault accusations against Donald Trump has prompted a loud national discussion about male power and women's rights, the first woman to be a major party's presidential nominee was barely heard from.

Though Hillary Clinton has stood at the center of feminist debates for more than two decades, she has at times been an imperfect messenger for the cause. That has never been more apparent than now, as her old missteps and her husband's history have effectively paralyzed her during a moment of widespread outrage.

The most impassioned speeches on the topic have come not from her, but from first lady Michelle Obama, who said Trump's words had "shaken me to my core," and from President Barack Obama and others. When Clinton herself spoke, she quickly changed the subject to other groups of people Trump had insulted, and she tried to lighten the mood with a joke about watching cat videos.

"It makes you want to turn off the news. It makes you want to unplug the internet or just look at cat GIFs," Clinton told donors Thursday in San Francisco, making her first remarks on Trump's treatment of women since several came forward to accuse him.

The virtual silence from Clinton speaks volumes about the complicated place she has occupied as a 1960s Wellesley feminist who stayed as a devoted wife to her husband through infidelities and humiliation.

Forcefully denouncing sexual assault would most certainly provoke ugly attacks on Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton's role in countering the women who accused him of sexual misconduct. That painful past haunted Clinton last Sunday when Trump invited some of her husband's accusers to the second presidential debate.

Risk of stumbling

In the days since, Clinton has had to once again navigate the messy crosscurrents of politics, symbolism and her ambition to shatter "that highest, hardest glass ceiling" of being elected the first female president.

Now, when the collective voice of American women and victims of sexual assault seems to be letting out a cathartic scream, Clinton has deferred to another first lady to speak for her. At the San Francisco fundraiser on Thursday, she pointed to Michelle Obama's speech earlier that afternoon when the first lady placed her hand on her heart and spoke out for those who were outraged.

Speaking to college students in New Hampshire, Michelle Obama called Trump's lewd remarks about how he had forced himself on women "disgraceful" and "intolerable."

Clinton has every political reason to avoid wading into the discussion of sexual assault that has riled a nation and thrown her Republican rival's candidacy into chaos. Not known as a naturally emotive public speaker, Clinton risks stumbling if she embraces the issue at a time when polls show that she is in her strongest position yet to defeat Trump on Nov. 8. She has played it safe, all but disappearing from the campaign trail until the next debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

But then again, two decades ago, it was Clinton, who, as a 47-year-old first lady in a powder pink suit, defied her husband's West Wing advisers and captured the attention of women worldwide by declaring, "Human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights once and for all."

Last summer, Clinton began her campaign by declaring that she wanted to create "an America where a father can tell his daughter: 'Yes, you can be anything you want to be. Even president of the United States.'"

Since then, allegations of sexual harassment have led to the ouster of Roger Ailes as chairman of Fox News, and women continue to come forward with allegations against Trump.

Clinton has battle wounds from wading into gender in the past. In 1992, she seemed an affront to stay-at-home mothers when she defended her legal career, saying, "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies."

As a working mother in the White House, Clinton redefined the role of first lady when she tried, and subsequently failed, to overhaul health care, but she also played the role of a traditional wife when she stayed with Bill Clinton despite his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

No pleasing them

In hacked emails released by WikiLeaks this week, Clinton was shown in an interview transcript pondering, at length, the many complexities of running to be the first female president.

"When I ran the last time, the research was pretty clear that there was a resistance to a woman president, not just among Republicans and independents, but among Democrats," she said in one of the thousands of emails obtained by hackers who illegally breached a top aide's account.

"They didn't think a woman was qualified, could do the job, didn't see a woman as commander in chief," Clinton continued.

So, in 2008, she played up her fortitude and tried essentially to run as if she were a man.

Eight years later, Clinton talks regularly about being a mother and a grandmother, and she doesn't shy away from embracing her potential to make history. She has also promised that as president she would advance policies that would help women, including doubling the child care tax credit, increasing the minimum wage and pushing for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.

Yet Clinton has found in her second presidential campaign that young women aren't particularly moved by her promise to make history. Many of them voted instead for primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Thinking about her current campaign, she said in the transcript, "You know, I mean, I'm damned if I do, I'm damned if I don't."
For every instance of one fraudulent vote, a legitimate American voter is disenfranchised. As the Supreme Court of the United States recognized when it upheld the constitutionality of Indianas voter identification law in 2008,  not only is the risk of voter fraud real butit could affect the outcome of a close election.

The right to vote is the most basic of civil rights and should not be stolen or mitigated as a result of fraudulent ballot box activities. Unfortunately, recent reports of voter fraud across the country and an unwillingness by this Administration to seek criminal charges against those threatening the integrity of our voting system is infringing upon this fundamental right. Opponents of measures to improve voting integrity claim that voter fraud is very rare and almost non-existent, but the influx of voter fraud reports across the country prove otherwise.

The FBI is currently investigating allegations of voter registration fraud in Virginia after officials say nearly 20 voter applications were submitted under the names of dead people. Investigators also found that in eight of Virginias 133 cities and counties, 1,046 illegal aliens were registered to vote and that since 2005 those aliens had voted over 300 times. Reports in Colorado claim that at least 78 dead people are registered to vote. The former Colorado Secretary of State identified almost 5,000 non-citizens in Colorado who voted in the 2010 election and estimates that over 12,000 non-citizens are currently registered to vote in that state. Just last week, the Public Interest Law Foundation discovered that there are thousands of foreign aliens registered to vote in Pennsylvania and Virginia because of lax voter ID laws and officials are currently investigating possible voter registration fraud in 57 counties in Indiana.

Missouri equally has its own marred track record of ineligible voter rolls, illegal ballots and vote tampering. After the 2000 elections it was discovered that 56,000 St Louis residents held more than one voter registration. In 2006 and 2008 the liberal left group ACORN was found to have submitted thousands of fraudulent voter registrations and false applications in the Kansas City and St Louis areas and in 2012 Missouri was lumped in with a dozen other states found to have a large number of ineligible voters on its rolls.

Instead of looking into these voter fraud cases across the country, the Obama Administration hasnt filed a single lawsuit over the past eight years. No attempt has been made to demand that areas with reported voter fraud clean up their rolls or take corrective actions. According to a 2012 survey, one out of eight American voter registrations is inaccurate, a duplicate or out-of-date. It is estimated that 1.8 million registered voters are now dead and that approximately 2.8 million people are registered in two or more states. The Obama Administration has continued to ignore reports that estimate that 6.4% of non-citizens voted illegally in the 2008 presidential election and that 2.2% voted in the 2010 midterm Congressional elections.

It is illegal for people who arent American citizens to vote, we can start to clean things up by enforcing those laws and by going after those who attack the integrity of our elections by enrolling fraudulent voters and cast illegitimate ballots. It is our fundamental right as Americans to vote and by allowing voter fraud to occur across the country, we are undermining just how important it is to have the right to vote. We need a voting system across the country that people can trust in. The right to a fair election is one of the cornerstones of our republic and we owe it to the millions of Americans who will cast a vote this November to uphold its honor.

Jason Smith represents Missouris 8th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Contact him at 573-335-0101 or visit https://jasonsmith.house.gov
After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings  though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.

Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.



Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance


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umber of New Zealands most prominent CEOs have joined forces to issue a serious workplace challenge to other employers  take on 500 unemployed young people in the next 50 days.Dubbed the 50/500 campaign, the challenge hopes to counter youth employment  which currently sits at 7.8 per cent  by connecting jobseekers to an education-based website launched in August.The Joy Business Academy site offers basic training modules such as customer service, teamwork, and financial literacy  it also allows employers to specify which units they want potential recruits to complete before applying for a position."Five hundred people into work pre-Christmas would be a pretty cool gift to New Zealand," said Ken Brophy, chief enabler at Joy Ice Cream  the company behind the innovative jobs site.NZME chief executive Michael Boggs is among the CEOs who issued the call to action  he said giving jobs to young people was "at the centre of creating a vibrant, innovative workforce that will ensure New Zealand continues to punch above its weight on the global stage".Written in the form of an open letter, Boggs signature is accompanied by those from the chief executives of Vodafone, Foodstuffs, Vector, DB Breweries, Jucy Rentals, Real Journeys, Te Papa, Waste Management and Yellow.As businesses, we have the power to give young people a life-changing opportunity, reads the letter. We can open the door and give them a chance to start their career.
There are infinite ways to be creative when dressing up for Halloween, so its a wonder some people still choose racist outfits.

One Aboriginal woman wants to remind Canadians that her people are just that  people  and not someone elses costume.

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Dressing up as chiefs and Indian princesses is "cultural appropriation, wrote Alicia BigCanoe in a Facebook post, explaining the practice of outsiders misusing the traditional dress, regalia, and spiritual practices of an oppressed group.

BigCanoe is of Anishinaabe, Metis, and Italian background, and has roots in the Georgina Island First Nation in Ontario.

In the spirit of Halloween, please keep this in mind when selecting your costume, she added, along with the hashtag #IAmNotACostume.

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In 2011, a group of students at Ohio University launched a campaign with the same message: Were a culture, not a costume.

It included students of an ethnic minority holding photos of costumed people stereotyping their race.

We just wanted to say, Hey, this is not cool. This is offensive and this shouldnt be taken lightly.

"We wanted to highlight these offensive costumes because weve all seen them, Sarah Williams, president of Students Teaching Against Racism In Society, said at the time. "We just wanted to say, 'Hey, this is not cool. This is offensive and this shouldnt be taken lightly.'"

This year, costumes that mischaracterize Aboriginal Canadians are still on store shelves. Indigenous people in Winnipeg recently told CBC News that outfits with names like "Reservation Royalty" and "Indian Princess" on sale at Spirit Halloween were hurtful and racist.

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Once upon a time, the average-sized American religious congregation had two telephones that really mattered.

There was the office telephone, answered by a secretary or receptionist during business hours. It was the job of this gatekeeper  who, over time, became an expert on life in the flock  to tell the shepherd which calls were urgent and which could wait.

The other telephone was at the pastors home. Many people knew that number, but they also knew it was not business as usual to dial it.

People knew they never should call the pastors home number unless it was a real emergency, said the Rev. Karl Vaters of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Fountain Valley, California. There was a boundary there, and people tried to help protect the pastors time at home. That boundary was there to help protect his family and his ministry.

These days, both of those telephones, for all practical purposes, have been replaced by cellphones for the pastors and members of small congregations  usually defined as those with under 200 people attending the main worship service. For most clergy, the cellphones in their pockets are always there, always vibrating to remind them of cares and concerns that rarely, if ever, go away.

It was the one-two punch of cellphones and email that first pulled clergy into the social-media age, followed by digital newsletters, Facebook pages and constantly changing congregational websites. Even in small churches, the work of the church secretary has evolved  from answering the office telephone and preparing an ink-on-paper newsletter to serving as an all-purpose online networker.

The old boundaries are vanishing and, for pastors in some parts of the country, theyre almost completely gone, said Vaters. That mobile phone is always with you. ... Once your church passes 200 members, you have to manage things in a different way. You just cant afford to be as accessible to all those church members all of the time.

So what happens today when a member of a congregation rings the pastors cellphone? Vaters recently addressed that question in a post at Christianity Todays Pivot blog for small-church leaders. The blunt headline: Why Most Pastors Arent Answering Your Phone Calls.

For starters, there are too many calls to answer, and about half of them are sales calls from businesses, he noted. Church members also tend to forget that many modern pastors no longer have desk telephones because they no longer have traditional offices or staffs. Many clergy  especially in missions and new church plants  have other full- or part-time jobs to help them pay the bills.

Meanwhile, some clergy are proactive and use text messages and emails to arrange personal meetings in third places, such as coffee shops. They try to work calls into their time-management plans, reaching as many people as possible.

The irony is that those face-to-face meetings are often interrupted by telephone calls, said Vaters. So what are you supposed to do, take that call when youre actually praying with someone?

But there are other reasons for pastors not reach for that mobile phone. Some laypeople need to learn that some things can wait, he said. Then there was this angle in his commentary: Its not you, its us (except when its you).

Most of the time, pastors are not ignoring calls, but sometimes we are. Lets face it, some people are a drain on resources, wrote Vaters. It doesnt mean we dont love and care for them. ... This is not a typical reason for a slow response from a pastor. But it can be a valid one.

Then theres one more thing. Some pastors are lazy and rude, he added. These shepherds need to realize that  one way or another  members of their flocks deserve responses when they try to reach them. Even calling back to tell them no is better than leaving them feeling ignored.

Church members should know that hes not ignoring me, hes not being mean to me, said Vaters. They have to learn that youre trying to set important boundaries. ... Youre trying to spend less time in some conversations that are really not all that urgent, in order to make room for the calls that really are  that really matter.
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As the 2016 US Presidential elections unfold, something very interesting is happening for women. It is drawing attention to an issue that has been part of the backdrop of many women's lives around the world for a long time. Sexual harassment. Though perhaps it is more accurate to say that it has been at the very forefront of the lives of many women and girls around the world for a very long time. For many women and girls sexual harassment is a daily reality. It happens at school, it happens at work and it happens on the street. I know this because as my travels have taken me around the world over the last 15 years sexual harassment has been a pervasive, difficult and extraordinarily uncomfortable part of that experience. From West Africa to the islands of the Pacific, the jungles of Latin America and the desert of Western China there has not been a single country that I have been to where I have not had the extreme displeasure of experiencing sexual harassment.

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My anger over the harassment led me to begin to ask questions. I wanted to know why men were leering at me everywhere I went, why they made degrading remarks about my body and why they laughed at me when I told them to stop. I began talking to women and men everywhere and everywhere they answered in the same way. Whether I was in a bustling Indonesian city or a rural town in Argentina sexual harassment was explained to me as being due to a lack of respect for women. Men view themselves as superior and feel that through their superior status they are entitled to treat women as nothing more than objects. The intensification of this disrespect varies and is usually directly related to the way women are viewed within a particular society. The lower the value of the woman the greater intensity to view her as just a sexual object and therefore open to sexual harassment. After more than 15 years of experiencing this entitled behavior and mocking laughter at my protests to such attitudes I have no doubt that these explanations are the way things are globally.

As the Access Hollywood tape emerged exposing Donald Trumps lewd comments and disrespectful attitude towards women, I was not surprised. Not surprised because there are many men like Donald Trump around the world. Many. I have met them personally. From groups of men in Lebanon laughing about sexually harassing women to watching the smiles spread over the faces of men throughout Latin America as I've complained of sexual harassment, there is no doubt to me that there are many men around the world that enjoy harassing women. For these men sexual harassment is funny, it's a joke. Sexual harassment is not to be taken seriously. Like Donald Trump's dismissal that those disgusting comments he made on that bus was just 'locker room talk' and there are more serious issues that we should get back to, many men just shrug their shoulders and laugh at sexual harassment, they dismiss this issue as 'nothing serious.'

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However what Donald Trump and many others like him fail to realise is that this is a serious issue. It's a serious issue for all the women and girls around the world that are forced to be subject on a daily basis to the comments and behavior like that of Mr Trump. It's a serious issue for all the women and girls whose freedoms are limited because of sexual harassment. Whose ability to do basic things like walk down the street are hampered by unrelenting leers and taunts. It's a serious issue for schoolgirls in Mozambique who are unable to attend school without their teachers propositioning them for sex. It's a serious issue for women in Gabon who cannot go to work without their bosses asking them for sex in order to keep their jobs. It's a serious issue for Syrian women living in Turkey who are being treated like prostitutes everywhere they go because Turkish men assume women made vulnerable by war are easy targets. It's a serious issue for little girls living on the street in the Philippines who face sexual harassment from police officers and it's a serious issue for women in the Maldives who report street harassment to be a daily experience. It's a serious issue for me when I cannot walk down the street in the majority of countries that I visit without being scared of what the men on the street corner are going to say to me. It's a serious issue for the women in South Africa who just prefer to stay inside because the sexual harassment is so bad.

In Michelle Obama's impassioned speech last week she really hit the nail on the head when she said, 'the shameful comments about our bodies, the disrespect of our intellect, the belief that you can do any thing you want to a woman. It hurts. It's like that sick, sinking feeling you get when you're walking down the street minding your own business and some guy yells out some vulgar remarks about your body or when that guy at work stands a little too close, stares a little too long that makes you feel so uncomfortable.'

Michelle Obama is exactly right.

Sexual harassment is a serious issue because it destroys lives. It stops women and girls for being able to do the very basic things in life like walk down the street and go to school. It makes you feel uncomfortable and it makes you feel like you're not human.
I'll admit - I'm a Great British Bake Off fan. In fact, I like baking full stop. Many of us bake for fun or to relax, for special occasions or celebrations. I particularly like baking as a treat for friends, family and loved ones, so care and passion always goes into baking. And I'm not the only one - during the GBBO premier this year, there was a surge in people searching eBay for baking products. We like to talk about food - buying it, making it, where to eat it, and as I've just started to lead on WRAP's food work, I'm being asked about food much more.

It's easy to see something delicious and want to make it yourself. You might even have all the ingredients. But without a recipe to follow, getting the final result might be a challenge. This especially applies to baking - it's a chemistry. A skill that requires precision, patience, and attention to detail. You have to get just the right amount of each element for things to work. And of course, if it's not appealing, they'll be no appetite for your creation.

But there's something that I'd like to create, something I'm already working on. I'd like a world where food isn't wasted. I know there's some appetite, but people need to be hungry for it. So this World Food Day, I'd like people to have the same appetite for preventing food waste that we currently have for baking. So here's my own recipe for change.

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Description

Just like cake, we need a supply chain that will rise to the challenge. We need them to be fit for the future, and that means eliminating waste. We need to make supply chains work for everyone - for producers, people, our pockets, and the planet. We put passion into baking, and so does the farmer who wakes up at 5:30am each morning to tend his livestock. So it's not fair or right that 86 million chickens are thrown away each year, and that's just one example.

Ingredients

So what ingredients do we need to do the task? We need everyone involved with food, right the way, from field to fork. Specifically:

Farmers

Manufacturers

Restaurants

Supermarkets

Convenience stores

Brands

Redistributors

And the secret key ingredient - us

Equipment

What we really need, is a good measure. WRAP's research on food waste is known globally for being robust, providing a sound baseline. After all, if something isn't measured, then it can't be managed. We've also worked with the World Resources Institute to release the first ever global standard for measuring food loss and waste. New tools are helping to improve measurement, and the more accurate this is, the better.

Also, just like modern gadgets such as electric whisks have made life in the kitchen much more efficient, similarly, more sophisticated ways of getting food to our tables are also emerging. Just the other week, some of the first driverless tractors were shown on TV - this could mean big changes for farming, with more efficient machines. More examples are highlighted in WRAP's Food Futures report.

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Instructions

So what's the level of complexity? Well, in principle, it sounds easy. We just need to make sure that we eat everything we're producing and buying - piece of cake, right? But in reality, forecasting, supply and demand, market fluctuations, change of plans, peoples' knowledge, and shopping habits can add numerous complications.

At the moment, there's no clear cut answer, but I believe that blending a mix of approaches works best. I often hear people making comparisons with other countries. France for example, has legislated to not send food waste from supermarkets to landfill. Similarly, the UK has largely eradicated food going to landfill from supermarkets through a tax system. France is also using voluntary agreements, as we have done for years in the UK through the Courtauld Commitment, which has been fundamental in delivering change. But for the real icing on the cake, we need people to take a slice of the action - planning, using leftovers, and buying only what's needed. Ultimately valuing the food that we've spent hard earned money on and the food industry has spent hours producing.

This year's World Food Day theme is 'climate is changing, food and agriculture must too'. And whether we like it or not, change is happening. Just last month the world past a significant 400 parts per million carbon dioxide threshold, marking a point of no return. And just imagine, around 250 babies being born into the world every sixty seconds - that's the rate of population growth as it stands. By 2050, there will be more than 9 billion of us, and with a growing middle class, food demand will be up 60%. The good news is, these challenges can be remedied, but our time's up - our practices, procedures, shopping habits and behaviours need to adapt. We need a new recipe.
This is the third in my series of "Letters to a Trump Supporter," from correspondence with a family friend who supports Mr. Trump.

Continuing our conversation about Central and South America, he sent me a blog post accusing Tim Kaine of being a Marxist for his association with "liberation theology."

If you haven't heard of liberation theology before, you're not alone. It's a relic of the Cold War, when it was used to paint Latinos as a threat to the United States. It plays on the same fears as the rest of Mr. Trump's nativism.

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Below is my response.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Mr. ----,

Liberation theology is a fascinating branch of Catholicism. I find a lot to admire in it for its service to the poor and its pursuit of social justice.

Its most famous proponent was probably Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador. Pope John Paul II gave him the official title of Servant of God, Pope Benedict XVI nominated him for beatification, and Pope Francis officially beatified him. So, far from opposing liberation theology, the last three Popes have been very supportive of liberation theologists like Romero.

Archbishop Romero was assassinated in 1980 by US-backed Salvadoran troops, one of many casualties of US-backed regimes in the Cold War. So, before we starting throwing around words like "Marxist," we should be aware of where those attacks have led us in the past.

I think it is particularly disturbing to see Catholics criticizing Tim Kaine's beliefs at a time when he is running against a campaign that Pope Francis has publicly declared is "not Christian," to which Donald Trump replied by calling the Pope of the Catholic Church "disgraceful."

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It's not surprising, therefore, that a long list of Catholic conservatives published an open letter in the National Review imploring their fellow Catholic voters to vote against Mr. Trump.

Nor is it surprising that Mr. Trump is alienating the fastest growing block of Catholic voters in the country, Latinos. This hostility to Latinos, after all, dates back to the Cold War, when it led to the deaths of Oscar Romero and his fellow Catholics.
Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve."

--George Bernard Shaw

I often refer to Shaw's quote because I find it to be the most succinct and accurate analysis of our democratic-republic form of government.

But the reality show, masquerading as the 2016 presidential election, should force us to ask: "Do we deserve this?" Prior to offering a reflexive response, consider my definition of the pronoun "this."

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"This" is not a critique on Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, but one directed at "us." Do we the people deserve this spectacle?

Cynically speaking, I say we do. We have failed the "salami test" miserably.

Imagine you had a stick of salami and a traveler stopped by and asked you for half. You immediately say "No!" So instead, the traveler takes only a sliver. Because it is not enough to care, you say nothing. But over the next few days, they repeat the process to a point that what's left is no longer worth concerning yourself.

The 2016 presidential election may have brought us to this precipice. It's not Fort Sumter, where a shot was fired and the country was immediately placed on the verge of being torn asunder. It has been more methodical, seemingly harmless in the moment. But the election, collectively, has worked in tandem with other so-called innocuous episodes, and the result is a divided nation -- some hopeful but a larger majority either nihilistic or close to it.

When did party become more important than country? When did we become a nation that is only bothered by statements coming from the candidate we don't support?

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In addition to being fortified by the news source that corresponds with our pre-existing beliefs, part of the current General Election tradition is to anticipate the arrival of the "October surprise."

From the political colonoscopy known as the Benghazi investigation to Trump's latest tweet, what will be the next news story de jour that we are told to care about?

Of all the outlandish statements that Trump has made during his run for president, nothing bothered me more than when he threatened Clinton with jail at their second debate.

"If I win I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation -- there have never been so many lies and so much deception," Trump said.

In that single statement, not only did Trump demonstrate little regard or understanding of the Constitution, but he also violated the ethos of the American experiment.

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How does Trump's statement square with the following?

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

When the undersigned placed their names below the aforementioned quote on July 4, 1776, they were putting their lives on the line, beginning the pursuit of "a more perfect union" where such tyrannical governments like the one Trump advocated did not exist.

That was the Trump moment where collective condemnation was warranted. But the current political culture suggests the prospect of being governed in a Banana Republic is worth the risk, if it means the opposition is defeated.

Obstruction has become a viable tactic in doing the people's business. Is it acceptable? It depends on whom you ask. It's fundamentally abhorrent because at the core it places party over country.

This is reflective of a faux patriotism that is corrosive to our democratic values. I have long believed that divided government was best to move the nation forward. But we have become a country that only moves forward when one party controls Congress and occupies the White House.

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The problem with this option is that it assumes wrongly that the minority opinion has no value. When did governing become a zero-sum game? Is a de facto fiat the only way to conduct the people's business? It sure seems that is the only option available.

We have somehow comingled the definitions between patriotism and nationalism. If we can agree that patriotism is love and devotion of country, how does that differ from nationalism?

Simply stated, nationalism finds it roots in naivety. It does not question, it embraces a form of certainty that makes it vulnerable to the seductive impulses of nativism.

Patriotism embraces dissent, which is the oxygen of democracy. It places the overarching values of the country over the short-term interests of the party.

The hopeful or tragic reality remains: whichever road we take, Shaw is right.


Spirits have traditionally played an important - although fraught and contested - role in Polish culture. Even during the years of the communist regime, all sorts of liquors and alcoholic drinks were made at home, often illegally, with the government focusing on the control of vodka and beer production. Nevertheless, especially in the decades following World War II and the near complete destruction of the country, drinking turned into an urgent social problem. To this day, a certain ambivalence can be detected around alcohol consumption, especially when quantity trumps quality. It is a fascinating field of cultural social interaction, and academics, such as Dorota Dias-Lewandowska, a researcher at the Polish Academy of Sciences, are looking at it more closely, especially from a historical point of view.

Today, spirits cover the gamut, from the homemade to the luxury segment. The market for craft beer is expanding, with old local breweries and new young producers improving their manufacturing and building larger distribution networks. In the trendy bars and restaurant of Warsaw it is now common to find intriguing artisanal beers, partly giving new life to old habits, partly reflecting the appeal of the "global Brooklyn" among the younger urban generations, which I discussed in a previous post. An older brand, Pera in Lublin, is rebranding itself as modern and hip, turning its production location into a place to eat, drink, and dance, while opening its old underground facilities- now fascinating pieces of industrial archaeology - to visitors.

Traditional products such as cider and mead are also making a comeback. As Poland produces enormous amounts of honey and apples, the spirits meet the need to find new commercial uses for those goods, following the decrease of exports towards Russia caused by the embargo launched by Putin as a reaction to the EU sanctions after the events in Crimea and Ukraine. Moreover, both cider and mead are relatively easy to produce artisanally - if not domestically - in small batches, despite administrative and regulatory hurdles. The old-style cider is at times called jabecznik or cydr naturalny (natural cider), frequently unfiltered and unpasteurized.

Another spirit that has never lost its appeal, although its distribution seems limited to informal networks of production and exchange, rather than stores, is nalewka, often translated in English as tincture, aged infusions of various ingredients in alcohol. Fruits, berries, herbs, and even spices are commonly used in creating different flavors, reflecting the wealth of foraging traditions that are still alive and well in Poland. When I got the chance to taste a few, the most unexpected were the nalewki based on elderberries, blackthorn, rowan and, maybe the most startling, sea buckthorn, which grows near the Baltic Sea and is particularly rich in vitamin C. During the tasting I participated during the European Taste Festival in Lublin, I also appreciated one infused with ginger and curcuma.

The production of vodka, also boasting long history in the country, has seen the emergence of a few ultra-premium brands, such as Belvedere, Zubrowka, and Chopin (all available on the US market), which produce wheat-, rye- and potato-based vodkas, reinterpreting and updating tradition for the more upscale segments of local and international consumers. The Chopin vodka based on young potatoes, Mody Ziemniak, despite its relatively high cost, is finding growing numbers of appreciative fans. Reflecting such an interest, in Warsaw, the vodka atelier Dom Wodki offers a collection of over 500 types of vodka from all over the world and creating special menus in its restaurant, Elixir, where chef Michal Tkaczyk pairs courses inspired by local and traditional ingredients with a different vodka. Tastings and appreciation courses may have the potential change the image of the spirit, turning it into a glamorous symbol of Poland.

One of the most intriguing phenomena I observed in my short stay in Poland - and for this reason I cannot draw definite conclusions about it - is the expansion of wine production. Although some wine was historically produced in Lower Silesia, near the Czech border, other areas are emerging. I had the opportunity to visit a brand new winery, Winnica Solaris, that in the past few years has started planting hybrids such as Solero and Johanis, developed specifically to thrive in colder climates. The producer, Maciej Mickiewicz, makes wine as a side activity. He is self-taught and does not employ an oenologist, basing choices on his taste and what he has learned from viticulture manuals. His whites, some of which with potential, are now distributed nationally; the reds are sold very young, usually within a year from the harvest. Although the industry definitely needs to grow in refinement and experience, its commercial accomplishments indicate that Poland is eager to dive into new types of consumption, with alcohol and spirits at the forefront of this transition.

Photo credit: Dom Wodki


Sales is not easy. Ask any Salesperson or Entrepreneur you know. Experienced or not, Sales is a craft that can only be better understood and exercised, not perfected.

Shark Tank Investor Mark Cuban once said "Sales cures all". But how can you get better at sales? Only a true salesperson can teach sales, and Ryan Stewman has established himself as a great success.

Whether it's from a business to business, or a business to client, Ryan uses his experiences to share with the aspiring entrepreneur or experienced salesperson, so that they can grow and be the best in their industry.

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The Book of Secrets

What once started off as sales training from his company Hardcore Closer, designed to train people in sales, why not help more people through training them through a book?

The Elevator To The Top, now on Amazon, is his book filled with shining examples of how to close sales, prospect buyers and ask for referrals.

"Once you start reading this book, it will be hard for you to put it down. You'll also be pumped up to get out there and close some sales. Read this book today and let me take you on your personal journey on the elevator to the top."

The Spirit of the Superstars

"I've never had a job with a salary. I've always worked hourly + commission or just straight commission. I've been in sales since I was 13 years old."

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A desire to embrace a work ethic, Ryan was offered a job in mortgages due to his sales records in a car wash business. Crazy right? Maybe not.

Noticed by one of the regular customers, Ryan was offered to be an Apprentice to the mortgage company she owned.

"I started out selling car washes in Plano, Texas. I became a record setting service advisor and I still hold sales and car count records at the wash where I worked."





The Bottom of the Iceberg

Although everyone recognizes Ryan today as the mega success he is today, not many people know the adversity he faced before he was successful.

Once a drug dealer who died of an overdose, Ryan was refibrilated back to life only to face criminal charges.

"I'll never forget that night. My girlfriend had broken up with me, and I was in a bad place."

Being the worst day in his life, he was facing a first-degree felony and was sentenced to a maximum security prison to serve 2 years after pleading guilty.

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After being released from prison, employers saw this ex-con to be too much of a liability to society.

The Government passed the Dodd Frank Act, forcing Ryan to relinquish his Mortgage license due to his criminal record.

"I went from being one of the top producing mortgage people on the planet, to nothing. Overnight."

Failing to fit in with the workforce, Ryan discovered Internet and social media marketing.

"The year was 2010 and many business owners still thought Facebook and social media were just fads. I knew they were wrong. I knew I could help businesses make more sales by networking online with prospects."

The Light at the end of the Tunnel

Running social media pages for more than 70 business owners, Ryan found more work than he could take on himself. He then learned how to create online training programs so clients could manage their businesses with his methods.

Now 2016 with over 13 different products selling online, Ryan now has a six figure income a month! A month.......... While doctors earn the same in a year.

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"I've built my entire business from scratch, with zero skills, and a felony record, to boot. I'm proof that no matter how many times you get kicked down, you can get back up even stronger if you try."

The key Ryan shares is to start now and not waste the precious time that we all have. It all just depends on you, whether you truly want the best for yourself or wallow in excuses.
Sally and her husband, and two kids, moved into their neighborhood on the west edge of Los Angeles County a handful of years ago. They were willing to pay a premium on their new home because they were attracted by the good school district, the ocean air, and the fact that they were insulated from typical urban issues like crime, poverty, blighted neighborhoods, and homelessness.

A year ago, while accompanying her children to school, Sally saw a few tents pitched along the sidewalk of the boulevard they walked each school day. Thinking nothing of it, she simply crossed on the other side of the street staying away from the peculiar people.

After a few weeks, however, the few tents became an encampment of a dozen temporary structures filled with people who were homeless. She brought up the issue at the school PTA meeting, but after a few months of no one responding, she called up her local city councilmember. It was the first time she had ever interacted with a city official.

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Sally is one of thousands of constituents within cities and counties throughout the State of California who are clamoring for local and regional governments to respond to the growing numbers of people who are homeless in their neighborhoods.

The increasing visibility of people who are homeless living in tents and RV's has turned even the most liberal and compassionate residents and business owners into neighbors calling for local government to respond, and respond quickly.

With budgets still tight after a devastating recession, local governments are calling on the state to provide resources. Their strategy has been to ask the state to declare a state of emergency on homelessness, with the goal of receiving $500 million dollars of funding to address their homeless issues.

Such a response certainly makes sense. When Hurricane Matthew recently threatened states on the Southern Atlantic Coast, the President declared a state of emergency, releasing federal funds and emergency response teams.

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But some communities have other definitions of what an emergency response should be toward the crisis of homelessness. In California's Orange County, one of their communities indeed declared a crisis on homelessness.

But rather than fund more resources to house and assist people who are homeless, the resources were geared toward public safety patrols, lighting and other responses to prevent people from sleeping on the streets. A total of $730,000 was allocated.

The temptation to simply use law enforcement, security patrols, or other means of pushing people out of a neighborhood is certainly an enticing 'quick fix". Most people in neighborhoods inundated with homelessness would probably prefer such a response.

But calling in the Cavalry to address homelessness simply does not work. Being homeless is not a crime. Any action that might criminalize a person's state of homelessness simply attracts a civil lawsuit that basically shuts down a community's ability to actually help those who are on the streets that need housing, and prevents a community from dealing with those on the streets who are actually breaking real laws.

Basically, if a community responds to homelessness as if it is a criminal act, it will actually increase homelessness.

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Instead, calling on local and state governments to consider homelessness as a state of emergency, and allocating significant resources to build housing and provide services, is the most prudent response to homelessness.
The good news is that the NAACP is calling for a moratorium on the expansion of charter schools. The bad news is that the call is not universally seen for what it is - a balanced effort to deescalate the education civil war which is disproportionately hurting poor children of color.



In a rational and humane era of school improvement, there wouldn't be complete agreement on the NAACP position, but advocates for choice would recognize the need to slow the growth of charters. They might be offering substitute wording for the resolution, and working with representatives of traditional public schools, teachers, and unions to craft an agreement on ways to minimize the inherent harm done by charters, while building on the good that some charters have provided.

The NAACP voted for the following:

We are calling for a moratorium on the expansion of the charter schools at least until such time as:

(1) Charter schools are subject to the same transparency and accountability standards as public schools

(2) Public funds are not diverted to charter schools at the expense of the public school system

(3) Charter schools cease expelling students that public schools have a duty to educate and

(4) Cease to perpetuate de facto segregation of the highest performing children from those whose aspirations may be high but whose talents are not yet as obvious.

Non-educators might be perplexed about the anger that this resolution generated. As Mercedes Schneider notes, the Business Insider compares the "charter school-CMO relationship to the subprime mortgage crisis 'bubble.'" Moreover, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) "found that 22 of the 33 charter schools in our review had 36 examples of internal control weaknesses related to the charter schools' relationships with their CMOs (concerning conflicts of interest, related-party transactions, and insufficient segregation of duties)." Certainly, charter supporters would support interventions into any other sector of the economy which produced such risks.

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I used to be confused by the anger of reformers who were so convinced in the righteousness of their cause that they treated their opponents as enemies to be destroyed. My union and I conscientiously supported a bipartisan compromise in Oklahoma City which endorsed charters. We all should share the blame for the resulting policy which produced some great low-poverty charters and a few good higher-poverty charters, but which also produced a disastrous over-supply of charters. If we all did so, the NAACP resolution could provide a format for disengaging from the civil war which pits civil rights activists against civil rights activists.

I must emphasize that our district's teachers and unions compromised with Democrats who supported choice, as well as with Republicans. A white liberal like me wouldn't even think about proposing an anti-charter litmus test on black allies; too many black families face the choice between deciding what's best for their own children versus what they understand is better for the entire community. Too many black families have to see charters as their own children's escape hatch from failing schools, and they know that their refusal to accept an offer by a lower-poverty school for their children to learn in a more privileged classroom would not change the system. It is not for me to judge parents who make these decisions based on their own kids' welfare, knowing that they can't keep other children from being placed at an even greater disadvantage.

Having always embraced the Big Tent approach to school improvement, I'm sincerely disappointed that charter advocates continue to demonize educators and patrons who see the education world differently than they do. Of course, I could be equally livid about the damage done by choice to my inner city students, and equally uncompromising in opposition to charters. After all, it was the combination of choice with test scores being used as the ammunition in the assault by charters on traditional public schools that turned my 2/3rds low-income high school into a 100% low-income school that ranked at the bottom of the state.

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At first, charters were no more damaging to my (then) run-of-the-mill inner ring suburban school than magnet schools and suburban competition. But as market-driven, competition-driven reform morphed into the scorched-earth campaign known as corporate school reform, a tipping point was crossed. The proliferation of charters left behind schools like mine, with such concentrations of children from generational poverty who had survived such extreme trauma, that it would be virtually impossible to turn them around without investments that would be far beyond anything that is possible.



I would have hoped that charter supporters would have tried to meet traditional public schools halfway. True believers in charters have ramped up the fight against teachers and unions to the point, however, where improving the educations of children can't be seen as their priority (at least in the short term.) Job #1 with the charter agenda is kneecapping their opponents. Blow up urban school systems, unions, and traditional teacher education programs, they believe, and someday "disruptive innovation" will make schools better. Although high stakes testing and charters have failed spectacularly in terms of turning around high-poverty schools that serve entire neighborhoods, if they cripple local school boards and the political power of teachers, then "the Market" can somehow become the civil rights hero of the 21st century.



I would have also hoped that charter supporters would have seen the NAACP resolution as an opportunity to slow down, fix mistakes, and improve existing schools. In my experience, most pro-charter reformers know that high stakes testing has spun out of control. Many or most understand that it is the poorest children of color who are most likely to be robbed of a quality education and subjected to test-to-the-test malpractice. The problem for charter advocates is that test scores is their metric for showing that they increased student "outcomes" more than their opponents in neighborhood schools. As long as primitive bubble-in metrics are the ammunition that they feel they must use in their no-holds-barred fight against traditional public schools, they are afraid to scrap the primitive test-driven accountability system despite the harm it does to children in charters and neighborhood schools.

The same logic applies to the way that charters feed the school to prison pipeline. To defeat their traditional public school enemies in the battle for higher test scores, many adopt disciplinary codes that go far beyond common decency. This is their new method of creaming the easiest-to-educate students, forcing neighborhood schools to deal with higher concentrations of high-challenge students. As already overburdened neighborhood schools face a critical mass of children who bring more extreme problems with them to school, traditional public schools are often forced to suspend excessive numbers of kids or risk having their classes spin out of control. This, of course, drives more of the top students out of neighborhood schools, creating even more social and economic segregation.

So, I would have hoped that charter supporters would have kept an open mind about the moratorium. They could have seen it as an opportunity to seek better solutions than the stress of testing to fight the stress of poverty. Charter supporters should have seen the NAACP resolution as an opportunity to dial down the out-of-control competition with traditional public schools. If they weren't under constant pressure to post higher scores than their opponents, existing charters would be free to experiment with more constructive and sustainable approaches to discipline. If they weren't under such pressure to show better quantitative outcomes by pushing out lower performing students, they wouldn't feel obligated to increase the stress of segregation as a supposed tool for defeating the educational legacy of the stress of segregation.
Growing up, Israel was always mentioned with a sense of reverence. Although my family has no Jewish ancestry or cultural affiliation with the Holy Land, often it was intertwined with evangelical Christian beliefs, as members of my church pinched pennies to visit the places where Jesus once roamed. To me, Israel was a place of great wonder - a place where the major religions of the world developed, where innovation was constantly bursting out the seams, and a place of hope and happiness. I love Israel with every fiber of my being, and it was never called into question as a problematic part of my character until I entered my university. As I got older, I began researching and understanding the political dynamics behind Israel, but I never had a doubt in my mind that a Jewish state like Israel was absolutely necessary.

Flash forward to my first year of college, when I became introduced to the word 'divestment' for the first time. I saw Israel become singled out as the alleged biggest violator of human rights - isolated, marginalized, and ostracized solely because its status as a Jewish majority state. My political science courses taught me that multiple countries faced human rights violations and corrupt violations, but for whatever reason, Israel was constantly the only one mentioned to weaken through divestment, boycotting, and sanctioning. Throughout the year, I never saw a state so heavily scrutinized, threatened, and hated against, for reasons not unique of several other countries. People wanted the state of Israel to collapse and fail, to no longer be in existence and to no longer be a shining light for the Jewish people

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Yet in the midst of understanding the dynamics between BDS's influence on college campuses, the most confusing part was the automatic political assumptions that were given to me as soon as I vocalized support for Israel. I've always been politically progressive, interested in bettering social circumstances for all communities disproportionally affected by structural violence, yet immediately my love for Israel became automatically equated with being 'conservative' or 'not progressive enough.' As soon as my love for Israel was professed, I was immediately made into an image of being a rich, privileged, conservative white girl, which is something not exactly accurate with who I am today as a hungry, housing insecure, privileged, progressive, queer, and non-gender conforming individual. My desire to uphold the one democracy in the Middle East became interpreted as uncompromising, traditional, and backward. Progressive spaces quickly became difficult to navigate, as I would silently beg and plead that the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would not be mentioned. I wasn't scared to speak about it and to hold collaborative, productive and insightful conversations - but often these conversations became a battleground for namecalling, belittlement, and no exchange of innovative ideas to progress peace forward.

On my campus, it became such a politically polarizing issue that students were afraid to speak out about it, especially students who were in support of the creation of Israel. Across the University of California, students that participated in film screenings about the Israel Defense Fund (IDF) were interrupted by protestors that quickly became violent, to the point where they were following students. Students come to events like film screenings to become educated and to meet other diverse-minded individuals interested in the same topic, not to have their safety jeopardized. Student governments all across the state have voted to divest completely from Israeli companies or even musicians wanting to perform in Tel Aviv. I admire the social consciousness of student governments and organizations, but as a member of the student government, I firmly believe it is our duty to focus on issues that will unite the student body, not issues that have historically torn the campus apart.

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In Massachusetts there is a rigorous debate about charter schools and their impact on education. Proponents of charter schools cite a 2013 report by CREDO as evidence that charter schools in Massachusetts are effective. I have reviewed the 2013 CREDO report and I find that the methodology used is insufficient to draw conclusions about charter schools in Massachusetts. If we don't use reliable methods, then we can't rely on the results of the study. Let me explain my several concerns.

Problems with the CREDO Methodology

First, the CREDO reports uses, what they call a VCR, which is 'virtual control records.' They compare students in a charter school to students not in a charter school along various dimensions. However, the single most important factor was omitted undermining the entire report. A self selection bias was not accounted for. Self selection bias is critically important because parents and children who want the students to excel academically are more invested in educational outcomes than students and parents who do not take the time to enroll their children at a charter school. This self selection bias is not accounted for in the CREDO study. Because there is perhaps no variable more important to student outcomes than parental involvement, this single point undermines the entire conclusions of the CREDO study. If we were to think about it, on average we would expect that students who have parents who are invested so much so as to try to enroll them in a charter school would likely do better by virtue of that home environment and not necessarily the charter school. Parenting matters. CREDO didn't account for this. In fact, the CREDO study never even mentioned 'self selection bias', or 'limitations' of their approach, which something that reputable peer reviewed academic research always includes.

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Second, the manner in which CREDO considers aggregated data blurs the lines of different charter schools. Each charter school is different. They have different teaching practices and different cultures. They are located in different communities with different challenges, and the students are directly affected by these differences. To lump together all charter school students misses an important aspect of charter schools and that is their individuality. If CREDO used a proper control group, and if they disaggregated by school, we could make some conclusions about charter school outcomes. CREDO didn't do this.

Third, the CREDO report was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. This is the same family that is the owner of Wal-Mart, a notoriously anti-union corporation. There is a belief among some charter school proponents that unions undermine public education and therefore, a move towards non-union schools is important. That is an argument for another time. The important point here is that Walton Family Foundation offers Public Charter Startup Grants. Research that is funded by the organization that promotes charter school growth undermines the objectivity of that research.

The Correct Way To Measure Charter School Outcomes

The Massachusetts Legislature in conjunction with Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) needs to make sure that all charter schools are measured independently. The correct way to measure a charter school is to compare the 'cohorts of students' who were part of the lottery process to one another.

For example, if 100 students apply to a charter school, and the charter school can only accommodate 40 students, the charter school will typically use a lottery process to determine who will be admitted to the charter school. This is the right thing to do. What we need to make sure that happens next is that the 40 students who were admitted to the charter school are compared to the 60 students who were not and ended up back in the public school. This is not usually done but it must happen because the randomization of the students who were 'selected' vs 'not selected' eliminates any bias at home or in the students; the fact that all students who applied are measured against each other eliminates the self selection bias. By comparing the group students who got into the group of students who did not, we can draw conclusions about the outcomes that that particular charter school is delivering. This brings me to another concern about generalizing results of charter schools.

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We cannot generalize the results of charter schools; each charter school is different and has different practices and cultures. Too often I hear proponents of charter schools point to select studies that show a particular charter school works. If the charter school was actually measured correctly, and they usually are not, the positive results are limited to just that charter school. This CREDO study just lumps together all charter schools, ignores individual differences between charter schools, and misses the point about the importance of the self selection bias.

This issue is something that the Legislature and the State's education department (DESE) needs to take more seriously. Proper outcome measurement is a complaint I have across virtually every state agency; in my opinion, measuring outputs is very common and measuring outcomes is extremely rare.

Conclusion

In summary, the CREDO report attempted to create a meaningful control group but it fell short along the most critical factor - the self selection bias. We would expect that students at a charter school to do better because of parental interest and overall involvement associated with enrolling a child in a charter school, and this is what CREDO found, but it may have nothing to do with the charter school and everything to do with the dynamics associated with the self selection bias.
The only positive thing Ankara could do is to open border with Armenia - Shavarsh Kocharyan

Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyans answer to the question of News.am news agency Question: Mr. Kocharyan, how would you comment on the remarks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey regarding the statement of Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, made on October 14 in Yerevan? Answer: The statement on the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh issue, adopted by the Presidents of the CSTO member-countries in Yerevan on October 14, expresses its support to the agreements reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg aimed at the prevention of escalation of situation in the conflict zone, stabilization of situation and creation of conditions for the advancement of peace process. The exclusively peaceful settlement should be based on the three well-known principles of International Law - non use of force or threat of force, the territorial integrity of states and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples. The position of the Russian Federation on the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is expressed by the abovementioned statement, not through the distortion of Sergey Lavrovs words by the Foreign Ministry of Turkey as presented in the Azerbaijani media: a qualification, which previously was ascribed to the Azerbaijani side for its misrepresentation of the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process. With its obviously one-sided stance Turkey has no place in and should be kept away from the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process. The only positive impact Ankara could have on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement is the opening of the border with Armenia and ceasing of encouraging Azerbaijans provocative and destructive steps.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016. (David T. Foster III/Charlotte Observer/TNS via Getty Images)

What could possibly be the silver lining of the presidential bid of a candidate whose comments and actions are degrading, undemocratic, bigoted and just plain cruel?

How could there be an upside to a campaign that makes one wonder whether it's safe for children to watch the evening news or even presidential debates?

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Frankly, Donald Trump's candidacy is so offensive, so frightening and so unprecedented in the United States that it compels us to a much-needed collective focus on decency and civic engagement -- a renewal of civitas.

In my lifetime, I have seen plenty of elections in which the candidates attacked each other. But I have never seen a candidate for president undermine the bedrock principles of our constitutional democracy.

Donald Trump has incited his supporters to use violence against peaceful protesters. He has called for a ban on members of an entire religion from entering the United States. He has disparaged African-Americans, Mexicans and the disabled. He has said he would jail his political opponent and led his supporters in chants of "Lock her up."

When his campaign has faltered, he has raised the unfounded specter that the election could be rigged against him.

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This election is not just about politics and policies, but about human decency.

Trump has denigrated women, boasted about repeatedly sexually assaulting women, and hurled vicious verbal attacks against women who report they were assaulted by him. First lady Michelle Obama spoke for many Americans when she gave a speech last week reminding voters that this election is not just about politics and policies, but about human decency.

If the election were held today, polls suggest Hillary Clinton would prevail. But regardless of the outcome, our country has a Nov. 9 problem. Trump has tapped into a populist anger that animates America and has used it to stoke hatred and divide the country. He has seized on the economic challenges confronting Americans, and instead of bringing the country together around solutions, he is sowing division.

America is changing demographically and economically. Deindustrialization, globalization, the technological revolution and the diminishment of the labor movement have left Americans feeling powerless. The loss of good jobs and good pensions, wage stagnation, and escalating child care and college costs have left people angry and anxious, and they are desperately looking for someone who can bring change. Trump says he is their champion, but his plans would be devastating for the very people he claims he will help.

People need to know the facts. The chief economist of Moody's Analytics, who has advised prominent Republicans, concluded that Trump's economic proposals would cost 3.5 million Americans their jobs and lead to a long recession. (The same economist estimated that Hillary Clinton's economic plan would create 10.4 million well-paying jobs.) Trump's proposals regarding taxes, child care and the economy advantage the wealthy over low- and middle-income Americans. And he would decimate America's public schools by voucherizing them.

The toxic rhetoric of the Trump campaign has filtered down to affect many children and schools. A middle school teacher in Dearborn, Mich., reports that Muslim students have stopped wearing anything that could identify them by their faith. A children's therapist in New Mexico says her daughters came home from school asking if it's ok for boys to grab them or try to kiss them, because boys at school are saying "Donald Trump does it." A survey conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center found steep increases in anti-Muslim or anti-immigrant comments, and an alarming level of fear and anxiety among children of color--what many have called the "Trump Effect."

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Once the election is over, we will need a collective effort to bind the wounds and address the divisions caused by this polarizing campaign. This will require a national effort, and our public schools can play a central role. Public education has been a bulwark for democracy, respect and diversity -- what the American Federation of Teachers calls "democracy in education, education for democracy." Our educators and students will be the first responders in this fight for our democracy, and we will need to give them the time and latitude to fulfill their vital civic function.

Children of all different races, religions, cultures and economic means attend public schools. Young people understand that words and actions have consequences, and that bigotry and bullying are unacceptable. Their teachers are well-schooled in helping students discern fact from fiction, demagoguery from democracy, and they are experienced in creating pathways toward aspiration and away from hate. We need to send young people into adulthood knowing their rights, responsibilities and power as citizens to be the drum majors of democracy. And that, indeed, would be our civitas moment.
My husband and I just returned from Nairobi, Kenya, where we attended a conference for AGRA, The Alliance for A Green Revolution in Africa. Attendees at AGRA included the former president of Tanzania, current presidents of Rwanda and Kenya, representatives from NGOs and private businesses such as the Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and USAID, as well as private business leaders, including Strive Masiyiwa of Econet. For three days David and I gathered with these global leaders to discuss the future of agriculture on the continent along with ways to establish agricultural resiliency in the face of the rapidly growing population and climate change. Together, these brilliant agricultural advocates pledged 35 billion dollars to help farmers create local economies and better markets for food over the next ten years.

As I sat there listening to some of the world's best and brightest leaders come together to combat issues that impact us all, I tried to imagine Donald Trump on stage with them. The divisive rhetoric that he has structured his campaign around, along with his ethnocentric perspective and short-sighted solutions to complex problems, would have hindered the high-level conversations and tainted the empathic and strategic undertones of the conference. I couldn't imagine a more problematic representative for our nation, especially in situations where developing countries look to partner with nations to share best practices and work in tandem with their NGOs, government, and private sector.

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Our global population is approaching nine billion, and we need a diplomacy that ensures that the future of food will include resilient agriculture, not only for the United States and other developed countries, but also for the people and the nations that farm off of our land for basic survival and subsistence needs. We need a role model who embraces empathy and understands the depth and the complexity of food-related issues. We need a President who can feel, and entice us to feel, the fear of going hungry and the devastation of working tirelessly to feed our families while the fruits of our labor are turned to waste. We need a strategic leader with a proven track record to maintain our own livelihood and to build systems that support the livelihood and sustenance of humanity overall. In the upcoming election, there is only one candidate who has demonstrated her capacity to create positive change and to fight for a better planet, as it applies to all who inhabit it. We need Hillary Clinton.

I am tired of the commentary, slanderous nicknames rivalrous campaigns about Trump and Hillary, perpetuated by popular newspapers and networks for the purpose of ratings. It's nonsensical and diluting the seriousness of the situation. Trump has proven time and time again that he does not have the global vision or the sensitivity to lead our country. The great leaders that we as a nation admire, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, led with love, peace, determination and fortitude.

We have seen Trump belittle women, bully other candidates, endorse violence, and speak in epithets; a complete contrast to the values we admire. If we want to repair the state of our country and the state of our world, we need to do so through practicing strategic partnerships and active governance coupled with a nuanced cultural understanding. We cannot create peace or growth through instilling fear, spreading hate, or dismissing the enormity of these issues. Since her youth, Hillary has worked tirelessly for the African American and Latin American communities in the United States. She has been an advocate and pioneer for women worldwide. She has a longstanding track record of speaking for the voiceless and championing the marginalized.

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Notes from Indian Country

By Tim Giago (Nanwica Kciji - Stands Up For Them)

One thing becomes perfectly clear to anyone living in Western South Dakota: There is a mountain with the faces of four Presidents carved into it. They are referred to around here as the Founding Fathers.

Anyone who has studied history knows that the Founding Fathers were products of their times. They saw women as inferior, Blacks as slaves, and American Indians as disposable. African Americans got the right to vote in 1870 during the Reconstruction Era, women voted for the first time in 1921 and American Indians were the last to get that democratic right in 1924.

My father was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of Lakota heritage in 1894 and was 30 years old in 1924 when he was finally able to exercise a right then available to every other American except American Indians.

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And so the four faces on Mount Rushmore, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were of a different era and saw America through the eyes of their times. It is still difficult for many Native Americans to look upon these white men as their founding fathers although they were often referred to by their ambassadors to the tribes as "The Great White Father."

Here is what Thomas Jefferson, one face on Mount Rushmore, said about American Indians on August 28, 1807:

"If ever we are constrained to lift the hatchet against any tribe we will never lay it down til that tribe is exterminated, or driven beyond the Mississippi . . . in war they will kill some of us; but we will destroy all of them. Adjuring them, therefore, if they wish to remain on the land which covers the bones of their fathers, to keep the peace with a people who ask friendship without needing it, who wish to avoid war without fearing it. In war, they will kill some of us; we shall destroy all of them."

Another face, Theodore Roosevelt said in 1886, "I suppose I should be ashamed to say that I take the Western view of the Indian. I don't go so far as to think that the only good Indians are dead Indians, but I believe nine out of every ten are, and I shouldn't like to inquire too closely into the case of the tenth."

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When African Americans were given the right to vote in 1870 the terror began. Thousands were lynched by the Ku Klux Klan. Their churches were burned to the ground and their women raped and humiliated. Whatever gains they made by voting were soon wiped out be the Jim Crow mindset that only wanted to put them back in their place; humble and subservient.

When I was 17 years old I joined the U. S. Navy and for the first time began to associate with people of other races. I did not know what the guys from Georgia, Mississippi or Louisiana meant when they said, "Sweating like a N_ _ _ _ r on election day" until I read up on the history of the South during and after Reconstruction. Only then could I ever imagine how fearful it must have been for a Black man to exercise his democratic right to vote in the South.

For Indians, Blacks, Hispanics and yes, even white women, America wasn't all that great back then. I was never taught these things in school on the Indian reservation where I was raised. American school books were never designed to tell any truth that would make this country look bad. White men castrating and hanging black men for wanting to vote? No, the text books said by omission that this could never happen in America. White men raping and impregnating Black and Indian women? No, this could never happen in America or the text books would have told the story.

But today in the year 2016, many of us so-called minorities are proud to be Americans. We are proud because we know how it was back in those days and we have never tried to sugar-coat it like our school books and our politicians. But with so many brave men and women leading the way we fought to make America better and since the days of Jim Crow, we have come a very long way.

I am sure that even the men on Mount Rushmore, men who chose to denigrate and demean American Indians and lash their slaves with whips, would be shocked to see how far we have come as a people.

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We came as far as we have because it was Indians, Blacks and Hispanics standing up and demanding the same freedoms as whites that propagated these changes for the better. Left in the hands of people such as those screaming "Make America Great Again" we would still be living in the days of slavery, injustice and hate that held us back as a Nation for much too long.

American Indian activist Russell Means called Mount Rushmore, "The Shrine of Hypocrisy" thereby diminishing its worldview as the 'Shine of Democracy.' America was not so great back then and even today it backslides sometimes, but we keep moving in the right direction.
Hutchinson city council examines what to do about chickens

The issue is before the planning commission because chickens are part of land use codes written to address larger animals.
Imperial Valley News Center

Ambitious HFC Amendment to the Montreal Protocol

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "The world came together today in yet another milestone on the path toward a safer, more sustainable future. In Kigali, Rwanda, I was proud to help represent the United States as the nearly 200 Parties to the Montreal Protocol agreed to an amendment to phase down the use and production of potent greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The Kigali Amendment we adopted could avoid up to half a degree Celsius of warming by the end of the century.

"The amendment also amplifies the important message weve been sending to industry and the private sector: Entrepreneurs and innovators everywhere can continue to invest in climate solutions with confidence. Nations in every part of the world are committed to changing the course our planet has been on. We are moving toward a more sustainable world  and our pace is quickening.

"The Kigali Amendment is just the latest example of the tangible progress the world is making to address climate change. Just last week, the Paris Agreement reached the thresholds to enter into force  the fastest entry into force of a global environmental agreement ever  and we also adopted a measure aimed at carbon neutral growth in the international aviation sector.

"It hasnt been easy to get to this point  and the hard work is far from over. Climate change is a massive challenge, and it will take intense diplomacy, continued innovation, and real persistence to prevail. But in the end, we are all in this together. And our children, our grandchildren, and every one of us will be better off for what the Parties to the Montreal Protocol achieved today."
Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

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Not every cinematic return can enlist its original visionary quite like Mad Max: Fury Road did, but you'd think they would at least ask.

That doesn't appear to be the case when it comes to the planned remake of the cult '80s classic Big Trouble in Little China, which currently has Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson pitched as its new lead; with X-Men: First Class screenwriters Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz penning a new script.

A recent interview with the film's original director John Carpenter has revealed he's yet to be contacted by anyone on the new production; telling Screen Rant, "It might be crazy... it might be great! I dont know. Nobodys told me anything. No one tells me anything."

Recommended Read more Dwayne Johnson set for Big Trouble in Little China reboot

That's despite Johnson himself previously stating that they were seeking Carpenter's involvement with the project; to which Carpenter responded, "No ones talked to me about it. Havent heard a thing!"

Carpenter's original 1986 film starred Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, a truck driver dragged into an ancient mystical battle in San Francisco's Chinatown. Thought it proved a commercial flop and was universally panned by critics, the film's since amassed a devoted fanbase; becoming something of a culmination of all the glories of '80s cinematic excess.



Indeed, it's very strange not to see Carpenter's involvement with the return of such a highly beloved piece of property, especially one with such a distinctive visual style; roping in original talent, even if it's just to gain their blessing, has always been a sure-fire tactic for easing fans' nerves around a remake.

No release date has been set for the Big Trouble in Little China remake.
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There's been a lot of buzz surrounding Marvel's next release Doctor Strange, particularly in connection with its psychedelic visuals revealing something the MCU has never seen before; with The Hollywood Reporter hyping the film as offering, "something truly new on the big screen".

However, if you thought Benedict Cumberbatch's magic wielding-sage was the weirdest thing coming to Marvel's cinematic universe, think again; with the studio next handing its reins over to the visionary comedic mind of New Zealand's Taika Waititi, who's nearing a wrap on filming Thor: Ragnarok.

Anyone familiar with Waititi's style - he happens to be behind one of this year's best films, Hunt for the Wilderpeople - will know that the director was certainly an unusual choice for Marvel; leaving many fans questioning as to what direction he'll take Thor and Hulk in what's been pitched as an 'intergalactic buddy road movie".

Recommended Read more Taika Waititi on Hunt for the Wilderpeople and the creative journey

Waititi recently took to Reddit for an AMA, hoping to reveal just a little more of his plans for the project, and what fans can expect when the highly-anticipated project finally hits screens.

The film's plot is still a closely guarded secret, but the director did offer some insight into the film's tone; particularly in connection with the '80s-tastic logo revealed at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Turns out, we can expect something of an '80s vibe from the film; with Waititi revealing that the logo's design "is inspired by 70s / 80s sci-fi fantasy art. Because our film feels like that."

 Hunt for the Wilderpeople Junket

Furthermore, Waititi teased that the film is, in his opinion, one of the "most adventurous and most 'out there' of all the Marvel movies. It's a crazy movie." Which says a lot to having to outdo's Ant-Man's climactic toy train battle or Doctor Strange's kaleidoscope cities. Seriously, could anticipation for Thor: Ragnarok get any higher at this point?

Thor: Ragnarok will hit UK cinemas on July 28, 2017.
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At the end of each month, Rorisang Kamoli divides up her paycheck, the roughly $100 (82) she earns from inspecting blue jeans in a factory in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. Part of it goes to her husband and infant son; another part pays for her brothers to go to school; the rest buys food for her father and grandparents. Kamoli, 27, is the only one of them with a job, and she owes her position to an unexpected source: an American trade deal.

Sixteen years ago, President Bill Clinton signed the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a deal that allowed about three dozen African countries to sell a variety of goods  from clothing to cars  duty-free to the United States. In Lesotho, a small, mountainous nation encircled by South Africa, the result was a sudden boom in textile production. The industry quickly became the largest in the countrys private sector, producing garments worth $300m or more every year for American brands like Old Navy and Wal-Mart. That, for the Clinton administration, was mission accomplished.

The trade deal also sparked a second, unintended shift: It helped women. According to the Lesotho Textile Exporters Association, a national trade group, about five people depend on each individual workers salary  and about 86 per cent of the textile workers in the country are female. Women are the ones responsible for their families now, Kamoli says. For the first time in this traditionally male-dominated society, women started controlling family budgets.

A general view is seen of the mountainous region surrounding the city of Maseru (Getty)

But these gains might be short-lived. Because of an attempted coup in 2014  and the messy political aftermath  Lesotho could soon be shut out of the American trade deal as early as next year. The agreement was meant to be ... a way to get more reciprocal trade going between the US and these African countries, says Cyril Prinsloo, a researcher in the economic diplomacy program at the South African Institute of International Affairs, a Johannesburg-based think tank. But there were conditions: Countries had to maintain continual progress toward good governance and human rights standards or risk being cut from the programme.

Joshua Setipa, Lesothos minister of trade and industry, estimates that if the countrys textile industry disappears, 300,000 people in a population of two million will lose much of their income. That number includes 40,000 garment workers and people who provide services such as food and transportation to the factory employees. A recent drought has made another 680,000 people dependent on food aid, so an implosion of the garment industry could lead to a catastrophe.

A million people hungry looking for a job is a recipe for disaster, Setipa says. No country can survive that. You put that many people on the street, youre going to have a social revolution. Youre going to have a political revolution.

Lesothos political crisis began in June 2014, when then-Prime Minister Tom Thabane suspended the countrys parliament to avoid a no-confidence vote. Two months later, a section of the army stormed police stations in Maseru and surrounded a central government building, killing one police officer. Thabane fled to South Africa. Since then, rounds of mediation and a snap election in February 2015 have eased the crisis. But the US government agency that oversees the AGOA said in a 2016 report that it was concerned no one had been held accountable for the August 2014 clashes. The US agency argues that violent power struggles within the army could be destabilising to the country at large.

Basotho woman from the Mokhotlong district dance as they celebrate the opening of the new Sentebale Mateanong Herd Boy School (Getty)

Last year, the US Congress voted to renew the trade deal until 2025, but most experts say this is likely to be the agreements final decade. Michael Froman, the current US trade representative, has repeatedly said that African countries should begin thinking about how to conduct trade in other ways.

Aside from the general economic destruction, many in Lesotho worry the deals end will also cause women to lose the professional and social gains they have enjoyed in recent years. I feel powerful because I am the one who makes the money, says Palesa Lefoka, 23. I feel that my husband respects me more because of that.

Garment workers were the first in the country to fight for  and win  paid maternity leave, says trade unionist Solong Senohe, a policy that later spread to other industries. Women in garment factories have also had an easier time fighting sexual harassment and other workplace disputes because of international auditors and the comparatively high standards demanded by Western brands, says Mamohale Matsoso, Lesothos labor commissioner, whose office is responsible for overseeing labor laws and standards.

Kamoli, the blue jeans inspector, says there have been many difficult moments in the factory. The days are long, the supervisors are gruff, and every month her paycheck seems to disappear before she can buy everything she needs. Its bad sometimes, she says. But the most important thing is that we dont lose these jobs.

 Ryan Lenora Brown was a fellow with the Wits China-Africa Project in Lesotho

 Newsweek
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The chief inspector of schools has warned Theresa May to stop obsessing about expanding the number of grammar schools in the UK, calling it a socially divisive policy that will lower standards for most children.

In a scathing parting shot at the Prime Minister, Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw said preparing for a likely skills shortage in the aftermath of Brexit should be the Governments top priority, not grammar schools.

Sir Michael will retire from his role at Ofsted in December at the end of his five-year term, and in an interview with The Observer said having to deal with politicians had been the hardest part of the job.

Now that he is on his way out, it appears the 50-year veteran of the schools system has decided to turn the tables on the policy-makers. His intervention will be music to the ears of critics of Ms Mays drive for new grammars in her own Tory party, including the former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan.

In a systematic takedown of the grammar school system, Sir Michael said more selective schools will actually lower standards for the great majority of children. That is my view. And it is socially divisive as well, he said.

Grammars siphon off the best children, the most academic children, he said. If you are taking away the most able kids from the comprehensive system, youre creating by another name secondary moderns.

You can call it what you like. You can call it a technical school, a creative school, a red-white-and-blue school, but people will know that the most academic children are not going there.

Such a binary system means that both teachers and students alike who dont make it to grammars will be regarded as second-best  in the childrens case, at 11 years old. Which great education system has selection at 11? I dont know any.

And he told The Observer the comprehensive system had improved so much that they actually performed better than grammar schools in a lot of cases.

If you had asked me 20 years ago whether comprehensives were working I would have said no. Ask me now and I would say in many parts of the country they are working extremely well. The latest research shows that the best comprehensives are doing better than grammar schools for the most able children.

Sir Michael said attracting teachers across the school spectrum was already hard enough, and set to get harder. The skills shortages are getting worse and that will exacerbated, I suspect, by Brexit, he said.

If youre going to make a success of Brexit, this should be the number one priority of government. Not grammar schools  Otherwise we wont have the skills. And the prospects for growth in the economy and productivity in the economy will suffer.

Asked what he would do if he were one of the politicians he has spent the last five years struggling with, Sir Michael said he would look to the examples of Germany, Switzerland and Norway, which channel 14- to 19-year-olds into vocational technical colleges while retaining strong core systems.

If I was secretary of state for education I would insist that every significant multi-academy trust contained a university technology college from 14 to 19 offering core subjects  English, maths, science  but also a specialism, he said. We need to say to youngsters, There are other paths than university.
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The National Union of Students (NUS) has failed to take seriously a growing culture of anti-Semitism on campuses, a group of MPs have warned, after a cross-party investigation into the comments and actions of the current president found her to be racist.

Malia Bouattia, who was elected NUS president in April this year, has been repeatedly accused of anti-Semitism by the Jewish student community for her remarks on Zionist politics on campus.

Ms Bouattia denied the allegations, criticising media outlets for calling her a racist, an anti-Semite, an Islamic State sympathiser, and more.

A new cross-party report published by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee highlighted a number of allegations made against the union president, as part of a wider investigation into the growing prevalence of anti-Semitic hate crimes in the UK.

 Malia Bouattia interview

The report cites a number of incidents before and after her appointment in which Ms Bouattia has caused offence to the Jewish community.

MPs have also drawn attention to comments made by Ms Bouattia in a recorded speech at a conference in 2014 on Gaza and the Palestinian Revolution, in which she said: With mainstream Zionist-led media outlets resistance is resented as an act of terrorism.

In a co-authored article published in 2011, Ms Bouattia referred to the University of Birmingham as being something of a Zionist outpost in British higher education.

She is also said to have criticised peace talks between Israel and Palestine for strengthening the colonial project.

The committee report said: The current president of the National Union of Students, Malia Bouattia, does not appear to take sufficiently seriously the issue of anti-Semitism on campus, and has responded to Jewish students concerns about her previous language with defensiveness and an apparent unwillingness to listen to their concerns.

There is of course no reason why an individual who has campaigned for the rights of Palestinian people  a cause widely supported on university campuses  should not serve as president of the NUS.

But Ms Bouattias choice of language (and ongoing defence of that language) suggests a worrying disregard for her duty to represent all sections of the student population and promote balanced and respectful debate. Referring to Birmingham University as a Zionist outpost (and similar comments) smacks of outright racism, which is unacceptable, and even more so from a public figure such as the president of the NUS.

(Malia Bouattia via Facebook)

Committee members have called on Ms Bouattia and the Union of Jewish students to make peace for the good of the national student body.

Investigators also noted that the unique nature of anti-Semitism they found requires a unique response, which may not be effectively addressed by the steps that the NUS is currently taking.

For the sake of their own credibility and to ensure Jewish students across the UK are treated appropriately, the NUS and the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) should work to mend their broken relationship.

It was advised that a Jewish member of the unions Anti-Racism Anti-Fascist (ARAF) taskforce should be elected by the UJS, and should not require the approval of Ms Bouattia.

If after a one year grace period the UJS does not believe that positive changes have been made by the taskforce, action must be taken at a higher level, the report warned.

Allegations that Ms Bouattia is anti-Jewish have lost her the support of student bodies across the country.

Since her election in April, student unions at the universities of Newcastle, Loughborough and Hull have all made the decision to disaffiliate from the NUS, and a number of others have held referendums as a direct result of discontentment with the NUS.

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Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty

Responding the select committee report, the UJS said it welcomed the in-depth criticism of the NUS president.

A spokesperson said: It tells the world what so many Jewish students have been saying for some time.

As the report makes clear, the national president of NUS should not be making the kind of abhorrent and unacceptable comments that she has previously made.

Her inability to fully represent all parts of the student population is disgraceful, and for no part of the student population is this truer than for Jewish students  the evidence outlined in the report all points to the fact that the NUS national president treats Jewish students concerns differently to those of others, proving that theres one rule for Jewish students, another for everyone else.

The Jewish student body said the NUS should be doing more to ensure a welcoming and safe environment for Jewish students, but warned they did not see any evidence of change.

The lack of action from NUS is startling, and it is only right that as an organisation they take a firmer stance against anti-Semitism. This starts with their national president.

This report must act as a wake-up call for the NUS president and her organisation, because the culture being created on UK campuses is, unacceptably, one that accepts and fails to challenge anti-Semitism; a culture that is being manifested on her watch.

The NUS called the report "inaccurate" and said it focused unfairly on the union.

A spokesperson said: NUS takes all forms of racism, including antisemitism, extremely seriously. As such, we recognise the importance of the report and its deeply troubling findings regarding the sharp rise in antisemitism across society.

It is concerning that the report identifies that three out of four of politically motivated anti-Semitic incidences come from far-right groups, yet focuses almost exclusively on NUS in relation to antisemitism on campus. This fails to address the reality for students.

We are only too aware of the reality, hence our continued work on Anti-racism and Anti-fascism, including more recent work with the Runnymede Trust on racism, and research into the experiences of Jewish Students. It is disappointing that the report is partial and inaccurate in relation to NUS work in tackling antisemitism, although we offered a detailed submission to the Inquiry.

NUS has a long and proud history of fighting all forms of racism and fascism in the UK. NUS has always sought to build strong, positive relationships with the Union of Jewish Students and many other student-led groups to tackle racism and fascism and we will continue to do so.

Responding to the report, Ms Bouattia said: The report's data on increasing anti-Semitism and targeting of the Jewish community is deeply concerning. I welcome the report's highlighting of the issue and its call for action across society, including in such areas as online platforms. This is also a priority for NUS.

I will continue to listen to the concerns of Jewish students and the Jewish Community. As I wrote upon my election as president, and in the submission to this Inquiry, if the language I have used in the past has been interpreted any other way then let me make this clear  it was never my intention and I have revised my language accordingly. Our movement has students, both Jewish and otherwise, who hold a variety of deeply held beliefs on Israel-Palestine but it is a political argument, not one of faith. There is no place for anti-Semitism in the student movement, and in society.

Following two years as co-chair of the NUS' Anti-Racist Anti-Fascist Campaign, I will continue to work across the student movement to eradicate all forms of hate, including anti-Semitism. We are stronger when we work together and I will continue to encourage progressive and inclusive working relationships across our movement.
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The daughter of Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay has been fatally shot at a restaurant in Kentucky.

Trinity Gay, a 15-year-old promising hopeful on the track team, is said to have been shot in the neck while eating at a Cook Out branch in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Fayette County Coroner said Trinity Gay died of her injuries on Sunday just before 5am.

Notable deaths in 2016 Show all 42 1 /42 Notable deaths in 2016 Notable deaths in 2016 Debbie Reynolds was an American actress, singer, businesswoman, film historian, and humanitarian. She died on December 28 in Los Angeles Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Actress Carrie Fisher died on December 27 aged 60 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Comedian and Actor Ricky Harris died on December 26 aged 54 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 British singer George Michael died on 25 December aged 53 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Rick Parfitt OBE was an English musician, best known for being a singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist in the rock band Status Quo. He died on December 24 in Marbella, Spain Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Lord Jenkin of Roding died at the age of 90 on the 21 December PA wire Notable deaths in 2016 Rabbi Lionel Blue died on the 19 December Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Zsa Zsa Gabor died on December 18 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Leonard Cohen died on 7 November Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Grand secretary of the Orange Order Drew Nelson died on 10 October aged 60 after a short illness PA Notable deaths in 2016 Aaron Pryor, the relentless junior welterweight died Sunday, Oct. 9, at the age of 60 at his home in Cincinnati after a long battle with heart disease AP Notable deaths in 2016 Polish Director Andrzej Wajda died on October 9, aged 90 Reuters Notable deaths in 2016 Stylianos Pattakos has died following a stroke on 8th October. He was 103 years old. AP Notable deaths in 2016 Dickie Jeeps, was an English rugby union player who played for Northampton. He represented and captained both the England national rugby union team and the British Lions in the 1950s and 1960s. He died on 8th October. He was 84 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Duke of Westminster Billionaire landowner the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor has died on 9 August, aged 64 Rex Features Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Knudsen Sir Roger Moores stepdaughter Christina Knudsen has died from cancer on 25 July at teh age of 47 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Caroline Aherne The actress Caroline Aherne has died from cancer on 2 July at the age of 52 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Grimmie Christina Grimmie, 22, who was an American singer and songwriter, known for her participation in the NBC singing competition The Voice, was signing autographs at a concert venue in Orlando on 10 June when an assailant shot her. Grimmie was transported to a local hospital where she died from her wounds on 11 June Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Kimbo Slice Former UFC and Bellator MMA fighter Kimbo Slice died after being admitted to hospital in Florida on 6 June, aged 42 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Muhammad Ali The three-time former heavyweight world champion died after being admitted to hospital with a respiratory illness on 3 June, aged 74 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Sally Brampton Brampton who was the launch editor of the UK edition of Elle magazine has died on 10 May, aged 60 Grant Triplow/REX/Shutterstock Notable deaths in 2016 Billy Paul The soul singer Billy Paul, who was best known for his single Me and Mrs Jones, has died on 24 April, aged 81 Noel Vasquez/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Prince Prince, the legendary musician, has been found dead at his Paisley Park recording studio on 21 April. He was 57 Notable deaths in 2016 Chyna WWE icon Joan Laurer dies aged 45 after being found at California home on 20 April Notable deaths in 2016 Victoria Wood The five-time Bafta-winning actress and comedian Victoria Wood has died on 20 April at her London home after a short illness with cancer. She was 62 Notable deaths in 2016 David Gest The entertainer and former husband of Liza Minnelli, David Gest has been found dead on 12 April in the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Warf, London. He was 62-years-old PA Notable deaths in 2016 Denise Robertson Denise Robertson, an agony aunt on This Morning for over 30 years, has died on 1 April, aged 83 Notable deaths in 2016 Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Hadid, the prominent architect best known for designs such as the London Olympic Aquatic Centre and the Guangzhou Opera House, has died of a heart attack on 31 March, aged 65 2010 AFP Notable deaths in 2016 Ronnie Corbett British entertainer Ronnie Corbett has passed away on 31 March at the age of 85 2014 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Imre Kertesz Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Imre Kertesz, who won the 2002 Nobel Literature Prize, has died on 31 March, at the age of 86 REUTERS Notable deaths in 2016 Rob Ford Rob Ford, the former controversial mayor of Toronto, has died following a battle with a rare form of cancer. The 46-year-old passed away at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on 22 March Notable deaths in 2016 Joey Feek Joey (left) passed away in March after a two-year cancer illness. She was part of country music duo, Joey + Rory, with her husband Rory (right) Jason Merritt/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Umberto Eco Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco died 19 February 2016 aged 84 EPA Notable deaths in 2016 Harper Lee Harper Lee, the American novelist known for writing 'To Kill a Mockingbird', died February 19, 2016 aged 89 2005 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Vanity Vanity, pictured performing in 1983, died aged 57 REX Features Notable deaths in 2016 Dave Mirra The BMX legend's body found inside truck with gunshot wound after apparent suicide aged 41 Notable deaths in 2016 Harry Harpham The former miner became Sheffield Labour MP in May after many years as a local councillor. He died after succumbing to cancer, at the age of 61. Notable deaths in 2016 Dale Griffin The Mott the Hoople drummer died on January 17, aged 67 REX Notable deaths in 2016 Rene Angelil Celine Dion's husband and manager Rene Angelil has lost his battle with cancer on 14 January, aged 73 2011 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Alan Rickman Legendary actor Alan Rickman has died on 14 January at the age of 69 after battle with pancreatic cancer. He is largely regarded as one of the most beloved British actors of our generation with roles in Love Actually, Die Hard, Michael Collins, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and an illustrious stage career 2015 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Maurice White The Earth, Wind & Fire founder died aged 74. The nine-piece band sold more than 90 million albums worldwide and won six Grammy awards Notable deaths in 2016 Lawrence Phillips Former NFL star found dead in prison cell on 13 January in suspected suicide, aged 40 AFP/Getty Images

According to WKYT, a CBS-affiliated television station in Lexington, police in Lexington responded to a call that shots had been fired at the restaurant on South Broadway shortly before 4am.

The station reports that Trinity Gay, a rising star in the track team at Lafayette High School, was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck.

Police say she was hit in the neck during an exchange of fire between two vehicles in a restaurant car park.

Gay expressed his shock at the news to local channel LEX18: She didnt make it. Im so confused.

She was just here last week for fall break. Its so crazy. I have no idea what happened.

Commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletics Association, Julian Tackett, voiced his shock on Twitter.

Shocked to hear of death of Trinity Gay. A life of such potential cut so tragically short. Sympathies to Tyson and entire family, he wrote.

Police have launched a murder investigation into the shooting and said they have detained two people for questioning but are still searching for the other vehicle.
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Dozens of armed police were deployed in central London amid reports of gunshots and screaming  only to find an immersive theatre show was the cause of the false alarm.

The Metropolitan Police sent five armed response vehicles after a terrified resident phoned 999 in Borough on Friday evening.

But officers swiftly discovered the sounds were emanating from a production called Hunted by CoLab Theatre, which sees the audience pursued by actors posing as gunmen.

Attended a call to gunshots/people screaming in Long Lane #SE1 last night, a tweet by the Borough Police team read.

Five ARVs attended.Turned out to be a show by CoLab Theatre.

Local residents had been informed about their shows but one hadn't read the letter. Local police had no idea!

An advertisement for the show says audience members pose as VIPs who have their protection compromised.

Are you skilled enough to evade the evil agents of the ETF? it asks. Will you be able to escape?

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty

A spokesperson for the production company told the BBC an actor was leading the audience outside when armed police approached, with participants staying in the foyer as he showed officers props and explained what was happening.

At Colab, we are always pushing the boundaries further and further away from immersive and into the very lives of the audience, a statement said.

It's a big show with massive intensity so we haven't held back on making it feel real.

Audiences' safety is our highest priority - even though we have done everything in our power to make all the correct authorities and neighbours aware of what the show involves, the police were called.

We are glad that in an age where we're plugged into our phone, at least these things get responded to - another accolade to the solid community of Borough in a quickly developing London.


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Police on the Greek island of Kos have halted their dig for clues in the search for Ben Needham, the toddler who went missing in 1991.

Over the last three weeks, officers from South Yorkshire and Greek search volunteers excavated land around an old farmhouse on the island where the toddler was last seen.

The digging operation was launched after fresh evidence suggested Ben may have been accidently run over by a digger clearing land on the day he disappeared.

Ben Needham disappeared without a trace when he was 21-months-old in 1991 (PA)

Ben was 21-months-old when he disappeared on 24 July 1991 while playing outside the farmhouse during a family holiday.

Investigators officially ended digging operations on Saturday after 21 days.

On Sunday afternoon a team of forensic archaeologists and anthropologists finished their examination of the last of the debris.

The teams broke into a round of applause as they packed away their equipment, Sky News reports.

More than 70 items, which police have described as being of mild interest, were found in the excavation, which saw hundreds of tonnes of soil removed from two locations on Kos, a quarter of a mile apart.

The objects have been sent off for further analysis and police have said they will continue with their investigations even if the items do not reveal any new information.

Kerry Needham, 41, mother of Ben Needham and his grandmother Christine (L) are seen outside the police station on the island of Kos in October 2012 (AFP)

South Yorkshire police received a grant from the Home Office last year and the force confirmed enough financial support is available to keep the case open.

A new witness came forward with extra information after the man driving the digger nearby where Ben was playing died of cancer last year.

Police have said there are also other leads to follow from various information collected throughout the investigations history.

Bens mother Kerry Needham told the Mirror that all those who had taken part in the search operations deserved medals.
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Britains supply of fresh fruit and vegetables may be at risk if post-Brexit immigration controls prevent Eastern Europeans from working in the UK, a leading farmer has claimed.

Guy Poskitt, who runs Poskitts Carrots in Goole in East Yorkshire, said that without workers from Eastern Europe the industry would fall apart.

If you took migrant workers out of the supply chain you would within five days have no fresh British produce on the supermarket shelves, Mr Poskitt, whose business grows 80,000 tonnes of carrots and parsnips annually, told Sky News.

Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain (Reuters)

[My business] would have to close; we could not serve our customers without the availability of migrant workers.

It has become likely that Britain is headed for a hard Brexit deal  in which most ties to the EU are cut  after Prime Minister Theresa May appointed prominent Leave campaigners to the group of Cabinet ministers who will control the negotiations and told the Conservative Party conference this month: We are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again.

Several leading Conservatives, including Kenneth Clarke, the former cabinet minister, have urged her to be flexible about freedom of movement to protect British access to the EU single market. EU leaders have made it clear that if Britain rejects free movement it cannot be a member of the single market.

Mr Poskitt voiced his concerns about the industry as early as February, telling the BBC: Weve a lot of good local workers but we also have a great need for a big amount of Eastern European workers to function our business.

He said between 60 and 70 per cent of his workforce who pack vegetables are Eastern European, adding: We just cant recruit enough local workers. We have to have a seven day a week workforce that supports the needs of the business and we just cant find enough local people who will do that.

John Shropshire, the chairman of Gs, one of the biggest producers of salads and vegetables in Britain, told the Guardian in August that the UKs food security would be harmed if the freedom of movement for EU workers stopped.

If we dont have freedom of movement and they dont replace it with a permit scheme then the industry will just close down, said Mr Shropshire. No British person wants a seasonal job working in the fields. They want permanent jobs or jobs that are not quite as taxing physically.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned  forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA  because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

About 90 per cent of fruit, vegetables and salads are picked, graded and packed by 60,000 to 70,000 workers from overseas, mostly from eastern Europe, according to the paper.

Directly after the referendum in June, the National Farmers Union raised concerns that Brexit could cause UK food prices to rise.

NFU president Meurig Raymond warned that the UKs dependence on imports combined with a weakened pound would mean the country could expect to see the price of food go up.

He also pointed out that European Union subsidies for British farmers amount to 2.4bn-3bn a year and help keep the sector afloat. Another concern was whether tariffs would begin to be applied on major British exports to Europe, such as lamb, wheat and barley.

An exclusive poll for The Independent found a majority of the British public think a good trade deal with the EU is more important than cutting immigration when deciding the terms of Brexit.
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More than half of misogynistic posts by Twitter users in the UK and America are written by women, according to a new large-scale study. A report that analysed 19 million tweets over four years found three million posts including insults aimed at women. The users who had posted the insults were more likely to be female than male.

The research, conducted by social media monitoring company Brandwatch, found the people of Co Tyrone, in Northern Ireland and Methyr Tydfil, in South Wales, to be the most prolific offenders.

Yet the report, to be published by anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label, included words such as bitch that have been assimilated into common usage and are not always deemed offensive.

The charity said the findings demonstrated policy should to be aimed at reducing misogyny among both sexes.

More than 60 per cent of the offensive tweets posted by women used derogatory animal references such as cow and bitch. Men were instead likely to make personal comments about a womans intelligence, sexual orientation and/or anatomy.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty

Previous analysis by Brandwatch has found that the words slut or whore are mentioned on Twitter around 3,000 times per day.

In May a cross-party campaign called Reclaim the Internet  headed by Labour MP Yvette Cooper  was launched to address growing public concern about the impact of hate speech online.

On launching the campaign, Yvette Cooper told The Guardian: Forty years ago women took to the streets to challenge attitudes and demand action against harassment on the streets.

Today the internet is our streets and public spaces. Yet for some people online harassment, bullying, misogyny, racism or homophobia can end up poisoning the internet and stopping them from speaking out.

We have responsibilities as online citizens to make sure the internet is a safe space. Challenging online abuse cant be done by any organisation alone. This needs everyone.

Ditch the Labels findings are supported by a think tank study at the time, which found that half of Twitter users engaging in misogyny were women.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has admitted the company needs to do better at tackling online abuse.

In September, it emerged that police chiefs were considering recognising misogyny as a hate crime. This would bring abuse directed at women in line with attacks motivated by hostility and prejudice towards race, religion and sexuality.
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Boris Johnson said Britain remaining in the European Union would be a "boon for the world and for Europe" in a previously secret newspaper column.

The Foreign Secretary wrote the unpublished Remain-backing article only two days before shocking David Cameron by revealing he would be campaigning for Brexit.

Mr Johnson is now seen as a backer of a "hard Brexit", this week insisting the UK can get a trade deal that is "of greater value" to the economy than access to the EU single market, which he described as an "increasingly useless" concept.

But in the pro-EU article, revealed in a new book and published in The Sunday Times, he supported membership of the free trade zone.

"This is a market on our doorstep, ready for further exploitation by British firms," Mr Johnson wrote.

"The membership fee seems rather small for all that access.

"Why are we so determined to turn our back on it?"

Sources close to Mr Johnson said he wrote the article for the sole purpose of trying to articulate in his mind whether there was any merit in the Remain argument and dismissed it out of hand as soon as he finished.

What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you  that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the  judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up  and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty

He also warned that Brexit would cause an "economic shock" and could lead to the "break up" of the United Kingdom in the article published in All Out War, by the newspaper's political editor Tim Shipman.

Since the vote to leave the EU the pound has fallen to historic lows, losing around 18 per cent of its value against the US dollar, while Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has put in place plans for a second independence referendum if the UK leaves the single market.

The book also claims Sir Lynton Crosby told Mr Johnson to support Brexit once Mr Cameron had ignored the election strategist's advice to delay the referendum.

Among the other revelations, the Remain campaign's digital specialist, Jim Messina, apparently described Mr Cameron's pollster Andrew Cooper as "the worst I've ever worked with" for getting his forecasts about the vote drastically wrong.

And it said Mr Johnson "wanted to punch" Michael Gove after his Leave campaign ally ran in the subsequent Tory leadership race alone and in effect torpedoed the former London mayor's candidacy and hopes of becoming PM.

Press Association
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SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said Donald Trumps recently published comments about women "misogyny at its worst.

I'm horrified not just at the comments he has made, she told Sky News. But also the dismissal of that kind of language and those kind of attitudes as just locker room banter. That is really misogyny at its worst and I think we have all got to stand up against that.

Last week a 2005 recording of Trump was leaked in which he boasts of using his fame to sexually assault women. When youre a star, they just let you do it, he is heard saying. You can do anything you want. You can grab them by the p***y.

He has since dismissed the comments as locker room talk but not before many of his Republican Party backers have withdrawn their backing of him.

Earlier in the day she told ITVs Robert Peston: I hope Donald Trump doesnt become president of the United States and I expect the people of the United States will have the good sense not to elect him.

Its not usually politic for the leader of one government to comment on the election in another country but Im not sure this is normal circumstances.

This is Americas election, its up to the people of America to choose but it has implications for the rest of the world.

She also said she would be proud to look at America electing the first female president of America in Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
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Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland could retain access to the European single market after Brexit.

The SNP leader told the Andrew Marr Show that the UK leaving the EU did not mean Scotland could not make its own, separate trade arrangement.

I think that is possible, she said.

Access to the single market is a confusing term, as all countries anywhere in the world have access to Europes markets.

But to sell goods there with no tariffs whatsoever currently compels European countries to accept free movement of people too, something the UK government seems certain must come to an end.

Ms Sturgeon said would publish proposals over the next few weeks on how Scotland could remain in the single market, which could include a second referendum on independence.

We are going to work with others across the political divide to avert a hard Brexit not just for Scotland but for the whole UK, she said. I dont believe there is a mandate to take the UK out of the single market and I dont believe there is a majority in parliament.

She said that Scotland retaining single market membership if the UK did not would not be straightforward or without challenges.

But, she added: In the unprecedented circumstances were in just now, I think theres an obligation on all of us to try to work out solutions that will allow the vote in Scotland to be respected, just as I understand that Theresa May wants the vote in other parts of the UK to be respected.

On Saturday, she told party members at the SNP Conference in Glasgow: Let me be crystal clear about this  Scotland cannot trust the likes of Boris Johnson and Liam Fox to represent us.

They are retreating to the fringes of Europe. We intend to stay at its very heart where Scotland belongs.

We are in a completely new era. A new political era and a new battle of ideas.

A new era for our parliament, with new powers and responsibilities, and a new era for our relationship with Europe and the wider world.
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A 16 year old girl has been beaten and burned to death in Guatemala by a lynch mob, after she was accused of killing a taxi driver.

A horrifying video of the attack has been circulated widely in Guatemala, and shows images of the girl being punched and kicked by a large group of vigilantes.

After the beating, one of the mob covers the young girl in petrol and sets her on fire. After writhing in pain, the girl finally dies.

The incident took place in a village in the Rio Bravo municipality of Guatemala, in Central America.

According to Guatemalan news site Tiempo, the girl was accused of being part of a group that killed motorcycle taxi driver Carlos Enrique Gonzalez Noriega, 68.

The group reportedly fled after attacking Noriega, but the girl was caught, and immediately set upon by the vigilantes.

What is most shocking about the video is the make-up of the crowd - as well as the men who beat and attack her, the video shows young children and elderly women looking on as the girl is murdered.

Police arrived to control the scene afterwards, and have not identified the murdered girl.

The video, which is far too graphic to publish here, has been shared widely in Guatemala and has provoked an outcry on social media - one Guatemalan Twitter user called the video "depressing".

Violent lynchings, which often involve the victims being burned alive, are a fact of life in Guatemala - in March, two men were lynched in the village of Saquiya, around 100 miles away from Rio Bravo, after they were accused of stealing a car.

The mob of around 150 people burned one of the men alive, and hung the other from a tree.

Guatemala has a major problem with violent crime. Many powerful drug and human trafficking cartels operate in the nation, due to its central position between South and North America.

Huge numbers of street gangs and corrupt or incompetent police have ensured that the country has the sixth highest murder rate in the world - and less than four per cent of murders end in a conviction.
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Update 17 October 2016, 2:55 pm ETA North Dakota judge rejected riot charges against award-winning journalist Amy Goodman after she filmed an attack on Native American anti-pipeline protesters.

Ms Goodman, the host of Democracy Now!, surrendered to authorities on Monday after North Dakota state prosecutor Ladd Erickson last Friday filed new charges against her.

"This is a vindication of freedom of speech, of the First Amendment, of the public's right to know," she told reporters, calling the media the "underground railroad of information".

Ms Goodman was charged after she filmed Native American protesters being attacked on September 3 as they protested against the building of the controversial North Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, close to the town of Cannon Ball.

Her report showed security guards hired by the pipeline company unleashing dogs and using pepper spray. It also featured people with bite injuries and a dog with blood dripping from its mouth and nose. The report went viral.

People have gone through the fence, men, women, and children, Ms Goodman said in her report. The bulldozers are still going, and theyre yelling at the men in hard hats. One man in a hard hat threw one of the protesters down.

Prosecutors had initially sought to charge Ms Goodman with trespass, and then announced the more serious charge of taking part in a riot.

<em>Robyn Beck/Getty</em>

I came back to North Dakota to fight a trespass charge. They saw that they could never make that charge stick, so now they want to charge me with rioting, said Ms Goodman.

I wasnt trespassing, I wasnt engaging in a riot, I was doing my job as a journalist by covering a violent attack on Native American protesters.

Mr Erickson has disputed that Ms Goodman was there as a journalist.

<em>Robyn Beck/Getty</em>

Shes a protester, basically. Everything she reported on was from the position of justifying the protest actions, he told the Grand Forks Herald.

Is everybody that's putting out a YouTube video from down there a journalist down there, too?

Ms Goodmans lawyer, Tom Dickson, said he planed to use the First Amendment to defend her.

Theres many justifications and legal justifications for why you're on somebodys property, he said. She wasnt picnicking or on a summer lark. She was reporting the news to the American people.

Meanwhile, a documentarian arrested while filming at a separate protest, has been charged with three charges that carry a total penalty of 45 years.

Actress Shailene Woodley was arrested last week while peacefully protesting at the site of the protest. The 24-year-old actress and activist live-streamed the protest on Facebook.

Deia Schlosberg, the producer of the upcoming documentary How to Let Go of the World and Love All Things Climate Cant Change, was detained while filming a protest against TransCanadas Keystone Pipeline in Walhalla, North Dakota.

Activists at the event, associated with the group Climate Direct Action, shut down the pipeline, which carries oil from Canadian tar sands to the US for about seven hours.
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A former senior US national security official has said Donald Trumps refusal to accept information from intelligence professionals about Russia defies logic.

US intelligence agencies claim Russia stole files from Democratic National Committee (DNC) computers in an attempt to influence the presidential election.

Mr Trump received a classified briefing on the subject, where he was told intelligence officials were confident Moscow was responsible for the hack  something he has seemingly ignored.

 Donald Trump is reminded mid-interview that India is a nation of Muslims Christians and Hiindus

During the first presidential debate, Mr Trump asked if Russia was involved in the attack and in the second debate he questioned if there had been a hacking.

I don't think anybody knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC, he said in the first debate.

I mean, it could be Russia, but it could also be China. It could also be lots of other people. It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, okay?

John MacLaughlin, the former acting CIA director, said Mr Trump was using the information for his own benefit.

[Trump] is playing politics. Hes trying to diminish the impression people have that [a Russian hack of the DNC] somehow helps his cause, Mr MacLaughlin said, according to Chicago Tribune.

General Michael Hayden, the former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency, claimed Mr Trump was ignoring the advice he was being given.

It defies logic He seems to ignore their advice. Why would you assume this would change when he is in office? Mr Hayden said.

Mr Trump has previously taken favourable positions towards Russia, defending President Vladimir Putins human rights record and criticising NATO.

What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? Show all 8 1 /8 What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On the leaked tape from 2005 where he talks about sexually assaulting women I'm very embarrassed by it, I hate it, but it's locker room talk. It's one of those things. I will knock the hell out of Isis Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On Hillary Clinton I hate to say it but if I win I'm going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. There has never been so many lies, so much deception. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Rex What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On Bill Clinton What he's done to women, there's never been anybody in the history of politics in this nation that's been so abusive to women. AP What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On whether his alleged opposition to Iraq War had been disproven "Its not debunked. Its not debunked." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On exploiting tax loopholes "I absolutely used it, and so did Warren Buffett, and so did George Soros and so did many people who Hillary is getting money from." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On claims he's sexist I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women than I do. Reuters What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On what he respects about Hillary Clinton I will say this about Hillary - she doesn't quit, she doesn't give up. I tell it like it is. She's a fighter. Reuters What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On his controversial immigration policies "Its called extreme vetting. Were going to areas like Syria, where they are coming in by the tens of thousands because of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton wanting to allow a 550 per cent increase [of refugees] over Obama. People are coming into this country. We have no idea who they are, where they are from and what their feelings are about this country." Getty

Senior Democrats have not responded well to Mr Trumps comments and have called on the FBI to investigate the Republican nominees ties with the Russian government.

For months, we have been asking the FBI to examine links between the Trump campaign and illegal Russian efforts to affect our election, read a joint statement from representatives Elijah Cummings, John Conyers, Elliot Engel and Bennie Thompson, NBC News reported.

In light of this new evidence  and these exceptional circumstances  we call on the FBI to fully investigate and explain to the American people what steps it is taking to disrupt this ongoing criminal activity.
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A father has claimed his 25-year-old son was brutally murdered and eaten by inmates during a month-long riot at a Venezuelan prison.

Juan Carlos Herrara told local media his son, Juan Carlos Herrera Jr, was stabbed, hanged, dismembered and then eaten at the Tachira Detention Center.

Mr Herrara's son was jailed in 2015 for robbery and had become caught up in the prison mutiny, which reportedly began on 8 September when eight visitors and two guards were taken hostage over extreme overcrowding in the jail, the Telegraph reports.

According to reports, 350 men had been crammed into the detention centre, which has a capacity of 120.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, after a visit to the prison three days after the mutiny had subsided, Mr Herrara said: One of those who was with him when he was murdered saw everything that happened.

My son and two others were taken by 40 people, stabbed, hanged to bleed, and then Dorancel butchered them to feed all detainees, referring to the notorious Dorancel people-eater Vargas - jailed in 1999 for cannibalism.

"The [inmate] with whom I spoke to told me that he was beaten with a hammer [in order] to force him to eat the remains of the two boys.

"I beg you to give me at least one bone so we can bury him and relieve some of this pain."

An anonymous police source confirmed to Fox News Latino that two inmates were missing following the riots.

"They cut them up and fed them to several [of the fellow inmates], they made the bones disappear. Dorancel cut the flesh."

It remains unclear why Mr Herrara referred to three people in reports.

The Minster of Correctional Affairs, Iris Varela, confirmed the two disappearances but denied the allegations of cannibalism.

Humberto Prado, coordinator of the Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP), said the observatory will ask the Attorney's General Office to investigate the incident and submit the case the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

He added: Prisoners have been dismembered before and some inmates have forced other prisoners eat their [own] fingers. That happened in a detention center in El Tigre."

In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Show all 14 1 /14 In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela A demonstrator with a Venezuelan flag draped around himself protests against the government of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, in front of a riot police line in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela A woman with the symbol of the student protests, a white hand, painted on her face marches with fellow demonstrators to the General Prosecutors building in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela Opposition demonstrators take part in a protest against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela A demonstrator climbs over a wall of riot police shields before clashes broke out between opposition protesters with security forces and pro-government supporters during a protest against the government in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela A demonstrator is detained after jumping over a riot police line during an anti-government protest in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela An opposition demonstrator carries a Venezuelan flag as he walks past a burning barricade during a protest in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela Demonstrators make a barricade of burning garbage during a protest against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela People run in front of burnt CICPC (Scientific Police) cars during an opposition demontration against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela Bystanders take cover from the violence on the street after clashes broke out between opposition protesters with security forces and pro-government supporters during a protest against the government in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela Opposition demonstrators throw stones at police during a protest against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela Anti-government protesters take cover as police fires tear after clashes broke out between opposition protesters with security forces and pro-government supporters during a protest against the government in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela A demonstrator is detained by plainclothes policemen during an anti-government protest in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela An injured man receives medical treatment after being shot during a protest in Caracas In pictures: Anti-government protests in Venezuela turn violent Venezuela Opposition demonstrators carry away an injured man during a protest against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas

Venezuela, recently a flagship socialist nation rich on oil reserves, is in the depths of a severe economic crisis with shortages of basic goods and food and rising crime.

The collapse in the price of oil has exposed years of economic mismanagement by the government.

Recent reports have described citizens abandoning their pets in the street, faced with the choice of feeding the animals or themselves, babies being kept in cardboard boxes in cash-strapped hospitals and Venezuelans crossing the border to Colombia to find food.

Large protests continue to take place against the government of President Maduro, who was apparently captured on video being chased by a group of angry protesters banging pots.
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Three people have been killed and 12 wounded after an argument at a Los Angeles restaurant ended in gunfire.

Police responders to the incident at the eatery, which operated out of a converted home in the neighbourhood of West Adams, said they found shell casings and blood throughout the scene.

Two potential suspects are being questioned.

Recommended Read more Americans increasingly fear being killed by firearms

A party was underway during the early hours of Saturday in the restaurant when an argument started, police said.

A man and woman left, but later returned and the restaurant, which had around 50 people inside, erupted in gunfire.

When we got there, there were three people dead and people running everywhere, LAPD Sgt Frank Preciado told the LA Times. We had multiple people with gunshot wounds.

The dozen wounded were transported to local hospitals, their conditions ranging from critical to stable but serious. Police did not release any details on the casualties.

Resident Sheryl Cobb said she was awakened by screaming and gunfire, but never left her home for fear of getting caught in crossfire. "Bullets don't have names on them," she said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

On Saturday morning, investigators were taking photographs and scouring the ground in an area that extended over two blocks. One firearm was recovered.

Mayor Eric Garcetti said he was confident police would unravel questions surrounding the shooting, and expressed sympathy for victims' families.

He said the incident was: "The latest example of a senseless gun violence epidemic that causes so much pain and sorrow in our city and across the nation.

"We cannot tolerate these tragedies multiplying in communities across America."

Associated Press
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A pair of 13-month-old boys congenitally joined at the head have been successfully separated after a rare 16-hour-long operation.

Forty medical experts worked from Thursday morning to 2am on Friday to separate twins Jadon and Anias McDonald from Coal City, Illinois.

The medical team at New York Citys Montefiore Medical Centre, led by pediatric neurosurgeon Dr James Goodrich, used high-tech imaging systems to help fully detach the boys skull and brain tissue.

During the procedure, surgeons found a five-by-seven centimetre area of brain tissue with no clear line of distinction.

Dr Goodrich had to make the call and the final cut based on his instinct, the boys mother Nicole McDonald wrote on Facebook.

The brothers underwent a string of medical tests before the surgery and a GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for the treatment.

Writing on the page, Ms McDonald said: Craniopagus twins occur in one in every ten million live births. There are four million births in the US every year. So far in all of my research I have yet to find a set of twins like mine born in the United States in the last 20 years.

Ms McDonald posted a picture of Jadon on Facebook while Anias was still undergoing surgery. She said the atmosphere in the hospital was one of celebration mixed with uncertainty.

She said Jadon did much better than Anias during the procedure, whose heart rate and blood pressure dropped as surgeons cut the dura  the covering of his brain. He is expected to suffer some form of paralysis during his recovery.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The twins also underwent skull reconstruction on Friday and will be incubated for around a week while being monitored.

We are standing on the brink of a vast unknown, Ms McDonald wrote. The next few months will be critical in terms of recovery and we will not know for sure how Anias and Jadon are recovering for many weeks.

We just took a huge leap of faith. Im still frozen in space and time [...] Ill be hanging out there until I see those smiles again.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Donald Trump has had a very tough three weeks on the campaign trail, from a bad first debate to the "Access Hollywood" video to the recent flood of allegations that he groped and made unwanted sexual advances toward a series of women.

And yet Trump trails Hillary Clinton by just four points in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll -- a number that is pretty par-for-course for the 2016 election.

But the Post-ABC poll also makes this clear about what Trump is up to these days: He's doing almost everything wrong, and he's doing nothing to grow his support and actually put himself in a position to win.

To wit:

:: 57 per cent of likely voters say his response to the "Access Hollywood" video of him making lewd and sexually aggressive comments about women was insincere. Just 40 per cent say it was sincere.

:: 52 per cent say his comments on tape aren't the brand of "locker room talk" he and his supporters have routinely claimed. Just 40 per cent say they are.

:: Related to that, 68 per cent say they believe Trump has made unwanted sexual advances toward women, while just 14 per cent say he has not. So clearly, people think his actual behavior at least somewhat matched the words he claims were bluster.

:: 57 per cent say it's inappropriate for Trump to say that Hillary Clinton would be in jail if he were president for her use of a private email server as secretary of state. Just 41 per cent say it's appropriate.

:: 62 per cent say Hillary Clinton's criticisms of the women who accused her husband of sexual misdeeds is not a legitimate issue, despite Trump's increasing focus on it. Just 35 per cent say it is a legitimate thing for Trump to focus on.

Similarly, setting aside his wife's role in it, 67 per cent say Bill Clinton's treatment of women isn't a legitimate issue. Just 31 per cent say it is.

What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? Show all 8 1 /8 What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On the leaked tape from 2005 where he talks about sexually assaulting women I'm very embarrassed by it, I hate it, but it's locker room talk. It's one of those things. I will knock the hell out of Isis Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On Hillary Clinton I hate to say it but if I win I'm going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. There has never been so many lies, so much deception. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Rex What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On Bill Clinton What he's done to women, there's never been anybody in the history of politics in this nation that's been so abusive to women. AP What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On whether his alleged opposition to Iraq War had been disproven "Its not debunked. Its not debunked." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On exploiting tax loopholes "I absolutely used it, and so did Warren Buffett, and so did George Soros and so did many people who Hillary is getting money from." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On claims he's sexist I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women than I do. Reuters What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On what he respects about Hillary Clinton I will say this about Hillary - she doesn't quit, she doesn't give up. I tell it like it is. She's a fighter. Reuters What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On his controversial immigration policies "Its called extreme vetting. Were going to areas like Syria, where they are coming in by the tens of thousands because of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton wanting to allow a 550 per cent increase [of refugees] over Obama. People are coming into this country. We have no idea who they are, where they are from and what their feelings are about this country." Getty

Trump has spent the better part of the past week arguing that his comments on tape were just "locker room talk," attempting to cast doubt on the accusations made against him by an increasing number of women, and pressing the case that the Clintons' misdeeds are worse than the ones he's alleged to have committed.

The problem is that a majority of voters are buying none of it.

So why hasn't he lost much ground -- at least in this poll (other polls last week showed him losing much more, and down double digits)? Part of it is rank partisanship. Around four in 10 likely voters appear willing to give him a pass on most of the things described above.

Those who appear unconcerned are largely GOP-leaning voters already supporting Trump. And that's likely why he remains at 43 percent in a four-way matchup with Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.

But that brings us back to the problem that has plagued Trump since the GOP primary: His inability to grow his support among the general electorate. Trump is doing basically nothing in response to his problems these last few weeks that is meeting with broad support.

Recommended Read more Prominent Trump supporter questions importance of sexual consent

He has long run, and continues to run, a campaign that is very much focused on the Republican Party base, and that base doesn't seem to have deserted him at this point. But that base alone is also insufficient to win an election in the United States.

Trump remains in this race almost completely in spite of himself and with an assist from Hillary Clinton's own popularity problems. Those are problems, we would note, that are largely due to things she did prior to this campaign -- in contrast to Trump. He'll probably see the head-to-head number from this poll showing him down only four points and think he's doing just fine, and could still win.

If so, he'll be missing the point entirely.
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He has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. He has boasted of not paying federal taxes, threatened to jail his opponent and claimed the system is rigged. And yet nothing seemed to stick

But now, a new nationwide poll published barely three weeks ahead of election day, suggests that Donald Trump has fallen a full 11 points behind Hillary Clinton. The poll by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal put Libertarian Gary Johnson at 7 per cent and the Green Partys Jill Stein at 2 percent.

The lead is even greater than the seven points Barack Obama beat John McCain nationally in 2008. Mr Obamas margin of victory over Mitt Romney in 2012 was just four points.

Donald Trump speaks at an event in New Hampshire (Getty)

Donald Trumps chances of winning this election have faded, Democratic pollster Fred Yang of Hart Research Associates told NBC. Mr Yangs company conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff and his firm Public Opinion Strategies.

This poll is showing the writing on the wall, said Mr Yang.

 Donald Trump is reminded mid-interview that India is a nation of Muslims Christians and Hiindus

This poll gives Ms Clinton a greater lead than many others. A poll by The Washington Post scored Ms Clinton 47-43 ahead of Mr Trump, with Mr Johnson on 5 per cent and Ms Stein at 2 per cent. An average of polls collated by Real Clear Politics gives Ms Clinton a lead of 5.5 per cent.

Mr Trump has spent most of the last week seeking to dismiss allegations from a growing number of women that he sexually assaulted them. The accusations date back over a period of decades, and have underscored the problem Mr Trump has in the eyes of female voters.

The nationwide polls only tell part of the complex situation on the ground as the US prepares to vote. The election will be decided by a handful of swing states, that will permit a candidate to secure the 270 electoral votes required to win the race.

Ms Clinton is ahead of Mr Trump in most of these states. And more complex calculations by The New York Times and statistical websites such as FiveThirtyEight give her a very likely chance of winning. FiveThirtyEight currently gives Ms Clinton an 86 per cent chance of winning, and Mr Trump just 14.

In recent days, perhaps aware that the tide is against him, Mr Trump has sought to suggest the election is rigged and claimed that the media is conspiring against him.

These claims are all fabricated. Theyre pure fiction and outright lies. These events never ever happened, Mr Trump said during a rally in West Palm Beach, Florida earlier in the week.

Speaking on Saturday in New Hampshire, he said: Looks to me like a rigged election. The election is being rigged by the liberal media to push outright lies to rig the election.
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Police in North Carolina are investigating the apparent firebombing of a Republican Party office - an incident that one official reportedly claimed was an act of political terrorism. Donald Trump blamed the attack on supporers of his rival Hillary Clinton.

With three weeks before election day, reports said the GOPs Orange County headquarters in the town of Hillsborough, 40 miles from Raleigh, was attacked overnight on Saturday when a bottle of flammable liquid was thrown through the front window. Somebody also scrawled graffiti on an adjacent building that read: Nazi Republicans get out of town or else.

The office itself is a total loss, Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party, told the Charlotte Observer. The only thing important to us is that nobody was killed, and they very well could have been.

The flammable substance appears to have ignited inside the building, burned some furniture and damaged the buildings interior before going out, local police said.

The substance was housed in a bottle thrown through one of the buildings front windows.

Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens said in a statement: This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalising property; it willfully threatens our communitys safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation.

He added: I believe I speak for the overwhelming majority of people  Acts like this have no place in our community.

North Carolina is one of the battleground states that will decide the outcome of the election. An average of polls collated by Real Clear Politics give a three point lead to Hillary Clinton over Mr Trump.

Mr Trump said on Twitter: "Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning."
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Donald Trump has called for he and Hillary Clinton to take a drugs test before the final presidential debate after appearing to suggest his rival was using performance-enhancing substances.

The Republican presidential candidate told a rally of supporters in Portsmouth, New Hampshire that Mrs Clinton was getting pumped up ahead of Wednesday's third and final presidential debate.

He said: You want to know the truth? Shes getting pumped up. Shes getting pumped up for Wednesday night."

Were like athletes...they make athletes take a drug test. I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate. Why dont we do that? We should take a drug test  because I dont know whats going on with her."

 Donald Trump hit by new sexual misconduct claims

But at the beginning of her last debate she was all pumped up and at the end it was like 'uhh take me down' and she could barely reach her car. I think we should take a drug test. Im willing to do it.

Recommended Read more Prominent Trump supporter questions importance of sexual consent

But at the beginning of her last debate she was all pumped up and at the end it was like 'uhh take me down' and she could barely reach her car. I think we should take a drug test. Im willing to do it.

Some people had previously suggested Mr Trump could be a cocaine user after his frequent sniffing during the secondary presidential debate. Howard Dean, the former Governor of Vermont and chair of the Democrat National Committee, tweeted: Notice Trump sniffing all the time. Coke user?

The extraordinary allegations come as new research reveals Mrs Clinton is on course to comfortably win the presidency. The latest results from the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation survey suggest that, if the election were held this week, the Democrat's odds of winning are higher than 95 per cent.

The collection of polls suggest Mrs Clinton is on course to win 310 electoral college votes compared to Mr Trumps 176  well clear of the 270 needed to secure the presidency. She is predicted to receive 46 per cent of the vote, while Mr Trump is currently on 39 per cent.

To win control of the White House, the Republican candidate was likely need to win key battleground states including Florida, Ohio, Nevada, North Carolina and Colorado.

What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? Show all 8 1 /8 What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On the leaked tape from 2005 where he talks about sexually assaulting women I'm very embarrassed by it, I hate it, but it's locker room talk. It's one of those things. I will knock the hell out of Isis Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On Hillary Clinton I hate to say it but if I win I'm going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. There has never been so many lies, so much deception. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Rex What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On Bill Clinton What he's done to women, there's never been anybody in the history of politics in this nation that's been so abusive to women. AP What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On whether his alleged opposition to Iraq War had been disproven "Its not debunked. Its not debunked." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On exploiting tax loopholes "I absolutely used it, and so did Warren Buffett, and so did George Soros and so did many people who Hillary is getting money from." Getty What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On claims he's sexist I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women than I do. Reuters What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On what he respects about Hillary Clinton I will say this about Hillary - she doesn't quit, she doesn't give up. I tell it like it is. She's a fighter. Reuters What did Donald Trump say during the second presidential debate? On his controversial immigration policies "Its called extreme vetting. Were going to areas like Syria, where they are coming in by the tens of thousands because of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton wanting to allow a 550 per cent increase [of refugees] over Obama. People are coming into this country. We have no idea who they are, where they are from and what their feelings are about this country." Getty

But data suggests these states are either on a knife-edge or leaning towards Mrs Clinton.

Despite campaigning heavily in Florida, Mr Trump currently trails his Democrat rival by 6 points.

Mrs Clinton is also pulling ahead in North Carolina and Colorado, but Ohio and Nevada remain too close to call ahead of the 8 November election.

It follows a horrendous week for the Trump campaign in which the candidate has repeatedly been accused of sexism and sexual assault.

After a leaked video from 2005 showed Mr Trump talking about groping females, several women have come forward to claim they were assaulted by the businessman.

He has consistently denies the allegations, claiming today that he had never met the women involved and saying those accusing him of sexual assault were sick .

Mr Trump had previously told supporters in North Carolina: "Right now, I am being viciously attacked with lies and smears. It's a phoney deal. I have no idea who these women are."
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At least 24 people have been killed and dozens more injured after a stampede in the northern Indian city of Varanasi.

The crush happened as tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims tried to cross a bridge to a holy site. Claims that the bridge was collapsing reportedly led people to flee, with the victims getting caught in the rush.

"Rumours about the bridge collapse led to chaos after a man fell down in a crowd," said Javeed Ahmad, a local police officer.

Recommended Read more Millions of Indians in silent march after rape and murder of teenager

It happened as pilgrims made their way to the holy village of Domri on the outskirts of Varanasi for a two-day ritual.

Millions of Hindus travel to Varanasi every year to pray and try to wash away their sins by taking a dip in the sacred river Ganges.

Local police said the stampede occurred after many thousands more people than expected turned up to the event.

"The organisers had sought permission for a gathering of just about 5,000 people, but when the crowds started pouring in, they went far beyond 70,000 to 80,000, thereby making it difficult for police on duty," a local police official said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The city is in the home constituency of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Modi, who was hosting an international summit at the time, said he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and had asked local officials to do all they can to help those affected.

There have been a number of stampedes at Indias holy sites during pilgrimages and religious festivals in recent years.

In 2008, 145 people died when a panicking crowd pushed people over a ravine in north India. In 2013 a crowd rush at a railway station killed at least 36 Hindu pilgrims, attending a festival.

Last July, at least 27 were killed and dozens more injured in a stampede at a Hindu festival in south India and in August ten more died in a similar incident in the eastern state of Jharkhand.

Additional reporting by agencies.
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Four people have been killed and 14 others are injured after a third-floor balcony collapsed in Angers, western France.

Local authorities said the accident happened on Saturday night during a house-warming party at an apartment in a recently constructed building.

One of those injured is said to be in a serious condition and seven people remained hospitalised on Sunday afternoon, the Angers prosecutor Yves Gambert said.

The victims were three men and a woman aged between 18 to 25.

French media reported that two young women lived in the apartment and had invited their friends, who were mostly law students, over for the party. They were not among those injured.

Mr Gambert said around 30 people had gathered in the apartment for the party when the balcony "suddenly collapsed".

One of the building's residents told Agence France Presse that they had suddenly heard a noise "like a landslide" then "shouting".

A building expert has been to the site to inspect the scene as an investigation has been launched to establish the cause of the collapse.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Michel Pichon, a doctor at the Angers teaching hospital, told broadcaster Franceinfo that the injured were all about 20 years old.

Local mayor, Christophe Bechu, visited the site and said they could "only ask ourselves how such a terrible thing could have happened".

He suggested that the balcony did not seem like it "could not accommodate 15 people under normal conditions".

He said residents would be housed elsewhere until a structural fault could be ruled out, the Guardian reported.

Additional reporting by AP
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The first group of unaccompanied refugee children have left the Calais Jungle bound for the UK after the Home Office promised to repatriate all those eligible to come to the country.

The Calais prefecture confirmed that around 24 unaccompanied children had left the camp but warned that there was no deal for a large-scale plan to evacuate the children.

A spokesman told Agence France Presse: Five Syrian minors and one Afghan minor have just been transferred to the United Kingdom. From Monday, around 10 more minors will follow, then on Tuesday, about 10 more.

The children are just some of at least 178 who have family connections to the UK but remain living in the makeshift refugee camp on the northern French coast which is due to start being demolished next week.

A report published by the British Red Cross last week found that there were failures at almost every point in the process of identifying those children who are eligible to come to the UK.

It said it took between 10 and 11 months on average for child migrants to be transferred due to problems ranging from basic administrative errors to a shortage of staff to facilitate transfers on the French side of the border.

On Monday, Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the House of Commons that she had met with her French counterpart and they had agreed that [they] have a moral duty to safeguard the welfare of unaccompanied refugee children.

She said: The primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France, including those in the Calais camp, lies with the French authorities.

Calais and Dunkirk camps Show all 16 1 /16 Calais and Dunkirk camps Calais and Dunkirk camps (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A portrait of an Afghan man wearing a traditional Perhan Turban in the Calais Jungle (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps Two Gendarmes guard the main entrance to the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps One Kurdish Iraqi mans reminder to himself (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps Two young boys in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps An Iranian hunger striker stands outside the only remaining shelter in the South Side of the Calais camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps A church in the South Calais camp, on of the the only structures not demolished in the South Side of the camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps A man gets a hair cut in the Calais camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps Night falls on the Calais Jungle. Fires burn in the distance (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps The containers provided as alternative accommodation for the people in the camps (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A young boy in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A man listens to music inside one of the shipping containers (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps The awful living conditions in the Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps An Afghan man in the Calais camp (Photo: Emily Garthwaite) Calais and Dunkirk camps One of the Iranian hunger strikers (Photo: Alan Schaller) Calais and Dunkirk camps A family in their wooden shelter in the new Dunkirk camp (Photo: Alan Schaller)

The UK Government have no jurisdiction to operate on French territory and the UK can contribute only in ways agreed with the French authorities and in compliance with French and EU law.

The UK has made significant progress in speeding up the Dublin process. We have established a permanent official-level contact group, and we have seconded UK experts to the French Government.

She said the Government was keen to bring as many children to the UK before the camp is demolished and said they would be moved within days, a week at most.

Both the Red Cross and Unicef have called on the UK government to do more to help child refugees in the camp - with the former highlighting reports that at least three eligible children have died while trying to make their own way across the English Channel.

Recommended Read more One in 10 child refugees in Calais eligible for family reunification

A spokesman for the Home Office told The Independent: "As the Home Secretary told the House of Commons on Monday, our priority must be to ensure the safety and security of the children in the Calais camp.

"When she met the French Interior Minister this week she made it crystal clear that we intend to transfer as many minors as possible, who qualify for transfer to the UK to claim asylum on the basis of close family in the UK under the Dublin Regulation, before the start of the clearance.

"In addition, children who are eligible to come to the UK under the Dubs Amendment to the Immigration Act 2016 must be looked after in safe facilities where their best interests are properly considered.

"Work is continuing on both sides of the Channel to ensure this happens as a matter of urgency.
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After months of deliberations, Norway has decided not to gift a mountain peak to Finland to mark its 100 years of independence from Russia, in a decision that will disappoint campaigners.

Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg rejected a proposal brought by members of the community living on the border, which dissects the area of Mount Halti.

Most of the mountain already resides in Finnish territory, and moving the border just a few hundred feet to the northeast would have seen the 4,478-foot summit change hands.

The change would have made little - campaigners say zero - difference to Norway, which has countless higher Arctic mountains, some almost twice as tall.

Recommended Read more Norway is considering giving Finland a mountain as a birthday gift

But it would have made the peak of Mount Halti the highest point in Finland, overtaking the current highest point, a spur a short distance down the mountain.

In a letter to the local mayor of Kafjord, Ms Solberg welcomed the idea as a sign of strong cross-border relations, but said it was too legally contentious to change the border of Norway.

This creative proposal has received a very positive response from the public, she said, referencing the more than 17,000 supporters of a Facebook group calling for the move.

The prime minister said: I welcome this and I see a clear sign that Norway and Finland have a close relationship, adding that the alteration of borders between countries causes too many judicial problems that could affect, for example, the Constitution.

Article 1 of Norways constitution says the kingdom of Norway is indivisible and inalienable.

We will think of another worthy gift to celebrate the occasion of [the] Finland centenary, Ms Solberg added.

The idea of gifting the mountain was formed in 1972 by Bjorn Geirr Harsson, a now 76-year-old retired employee of the Norwegian Mapping Authority, who was conducting flights across the border.

He called it geophysically illogical that the straight line border separating Norway and Finland, drawn in the mid-18th century, gave most of Mount Halti to the Finns but the peak to Norway.

We would not have to give away any part of Norway. It would barely be noticeable. And Im sure the Finns would greatly appreciate getting it, Mr Harsson told the broadcaster NRK last year.

There is still some time to go before the centenary, with Finland declaring independence from Russia on 6 December 1917, and supporters of the campaign are not giving up hope just yet.

In a post on the Facebook group, they said Mr Harsson and Svein Leiros, the Kafjord mayor, have completed a new report which might make the government change its mind.

Geologist Bjorn Geirr said the campaign would not take no for an answer, and suggested the government had not fully considered all the facts.
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Russia has condemned Washington for making unprecedented threats of cyber attacks, which the Kremlin says demonstrate borderline insolence.

Last week the Obama administration officially accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the presidential elections, alleging Moscow was hacking computers belonging to American political organisations  including those of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

US vice-President Joe Biden said on Friday that America would send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin in response to the violation.

NBC News also reported CIA leaders were planning a revenge cyber attack against Moscow.

A source said the leak would embarrass the Russian government and that information had already been obtained that could humiliate Mr Putin.

But Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told the RIA Novosti news agency that Moscow would respond to any US cyber attacks, saying such threats were borderline insolence.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also criticised Mr Bidens remarks and said Russia would make preparations to protect itself.

Recommended Read more Putin ally tells Americans to vote for Trump or risk nuclear attack

The threats directed against Moscow and our states leadership are unprecedented because they are voiced at the level of the US vice-president, Mr Peskov told the news agency.

To the backdrop of this aggressive, unpredictable line, we must take measures to protect [our] interests, to hedge risks.

Mr Biden had told NBC News in an interview: Were sending a message. We have the capacity to do it.

It will be at the time of our choosing. And under the circumstances that have the greatest impact.

Russias foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has denied accusations Moscow had launched a cyber warfare-style campaign to interfere with the election proces. He called the claims flattering but ridiculous and unsubstantiated

Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Show all 13 1 /13 Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? ABC/Facebook Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Twitter Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? ABC/Facebook Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Twitter Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Twitter Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Twitter Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Twitter Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate? Why was Trump creeping behind Clinton at the debate?

Mr Putin has personally rebuffed the allegations and said he was not trying to help Republican candidate Donald Trump.

They started this hysteria, saying this [hacking] is in Russias interests, but this has nothing to do with Russias interests, Putin said. He claimed his government would collaborate with whoever won the election if, of course, the new US leader wishes to work with our country.

It comes after WikiLeaks, the organisation that publishes leaked information online, released thousands of emails from the chairman of the Clinton campaigns email account. It has not said how it accessed them.

A range of Hillary Clintons private documents were also released last week.

Mr Trump recently told audiences in Florida he had nothing to do with Mr Putin or Russia.

I promise you, I don't have any business deals with Russia, he said at a rally in Lakeland.

Ms Clinton has repeatedly denounced the Republican candidate for taking a favourable stance on Russia. Mr Trump has indicated he is open to lifting Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia and has been strongly critical of Nato.

The property tycoon has also purportedly ignored an intelligence briefing that blamed Russia for the hack on members of the DNC.

During the first presidential debate, Mr Trump questioned whether Russia was involved in the hacking scandal. In the second debate he questioned if there had been a cyber attack in the first place.
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Turkey has legalised cannabis production in 19 provinces in order to crack down on illegal production, according to new regulations by The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock.

Recommended Read more SNP conference backs medicinal cannabis decriminalisation

Published in the Official Gazette in late September, Hemp Cultivation and Control of Regulations will allow highly-controlled and ministry-sanctioned cannabis production in the selected provinces for medical and scientific purposes.

Under the regulations, growers must obtain permission from the government allowing them to grow the plant for a three-year-period, Turkish newspaper The Hurriyet reports.

Potential growers must produce a warrant proving they have not been involved in any illegal cannabis production activity or narcotic production or use in the past.

Cannabis around the world Show all 13 1 /13 Cannabis around the world Cannabis around the world Morocco Farmers destroy cannabis plantations under Moroccan police supervision in the northern Moroccan Larache region, pictured here in 2006 AFP/Getty images Cannabis around the world Colorado Growing business: Cannabis on sale at River Rock Wellness Sam Adams Cannabis around the world Oakland Oaksterdam in Oakland, California, is the world's only university dedicated to the study and cultivation of cannabis Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images Cannabis around the world Seattle A cannabis smoker marks the start of the new law by the Space Needle in Seattle Getty Images Cannabis around the world China Cannabis growing wild in China, where it has been used to treat conditions such as gout and malaria Cannabis around the world Uruguay Uruguay has voted to make the country the first to legalize marijuana AFP/Getty Cannabis around the world Colorado A groundswell of support from the public led to full legalisation in Colorado Getty Images Cannabis around the world Berlin A man smokes licenced medicinal marijuana prior to participating in the annual Hemp Parade, or 'Hanfparade', in support of the legalization of marijuana in Germany on August 7, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The consumption of cannabis in Germany is legal, though all other aspects, including growing, importing or selling it, are not. However, since the introduction of a new law in 2009, the sale and possession of marijuana for licenced medicinal use is legal. Sean Gallup/Getty Images Cannabis around the world UK The UK latest figures show 2.3 million people used cannabis in the last year AP Cannabis around the world Amsterdam Tourists visiting Amsterdam will not be banned from using the citys famous cannabis cafes Getty Images Cannabis around the world Merseyside These 25 cannabis plants, seized in Merseyside police, could have generated a turnover of 40,000 a year Cannabis around the world San Francisco April 20, 2012: People smoke marijuana joints at 4:20 p.m. as thousands of marijuana advocates gathered at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. The event was held on April 20, a date corresponding with a numerical 4/20 code widely known within the cannabis subculture as a symbol for all things marijuana. Reuters Cannabis around the world Spain A cannabis users' association will pay the town of Rasquera more than 600,000 a year for the lease of the land

Ministry officials will also check cannabis fields each month before the start of the harvest season, and monitor them for any signs of illegal activity, T24 News reports.

The regulations stipulate that authorised growers must dispose of all parts of the cannabis plant after the harvest period to prevent any being sold on as a psychoactive drug.

The selected provinces include: Amasya, Antalya, Bartn, Burdur, Corum, Izmir, Karabuk, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kutahya, Malatya, Ordu, Rize, Samsun, Sinop, Tokat, Usak, Yozgat and Zonguldak.

In outstanding cases, the ministry may also grant permission to grow cannabis in other provinces if production is purely for scientific purposes.

Consuming cannabis recreationally is illegal in Turkey. Possessing, purchasing or receiving any illegal drug, including cannabis, is punishable by up to two years in prison.

Sale and supply of illegal drugs is punishable by prison terms of up to 10 years and unlicensed production or trafficking by a minimum term of 10 years.
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Scott Porter remembers the last time he felt completely well. It was a warm, clear day with sparkling blue skies in June 2010. A deep-sea diver and marine biologist, he was taking a TV news crew out on a 30ft catamaran to one of his favourite spots in the Gulf of Mexico, a coral reef growing on an abandoned oil platform at Main Pass 311. It lies about 40 miles north of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which had exploded six weeks earlier. The rigs severely damaged wellhead a mile below the surface was still gushing thousands of barrels of oil a day  and ongoing coverage of the accident continued to generate headlines. Federal officials had assured Porter that the water around the reef was safe, but the acrid smell of crude permeated the air. The minute he plunged into the murky seas, he found himself immersed in a 40ft-thick mucous plume of oil and chemical dispersants.

At midday, its normally light enough to read a book even 60 feet below, Porter says. But the oil blocked out so much sunlight, I couldnt read my gauges. Porter recalled the incident while picking over heaping platters of boiled shrimp and crawfish, specialties at Big Als, a popular Cajun-style eatery in Houma, about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans  and in the heart of Louisiana oil country. Porter, who consults for oil companies and environmental groups, lives nearby in this bustling metropolis of 30,000. Its a starting point for fishermen headed to the gulf and for oil crews that bunk in chain hotels crowded along the towns main drag before heading out to the rigs for two- to three-week stints.

Porter has spent a lot of time underwater  more than 6,000 dives over a 20-year career, he estimates  but that dive was different. I felt like I was marinating in a vat of industrial solvents, scowls the 49-year-old native of the Texarkana twin cities. When he got home that night, he developed an itchy skin rash. He felt as if his lungs were seared by fire, with an intense burning sensation in his chest that he knew from experience was chemical pneumonia, caused by inhaling harsh solvents. But he kept diving. And after each subsequent dive, he developed more ailments  chest colds, a burning throat, pounding migraines, bone-deep lethargy and nausea.

Many other gulf residents are stricken with some of the same odd symptoms  and more. They include migraines, skin rashes, bloody diarrhea, bouts of pneumonia, nausea, seizures, muscle cramps, profound depression and anxiety, severe mental fuzziness and even blackouts.

US Department of Defence crew members remove an oil covered boom from the ocean in the Gulf of Mexico in May 2010 (Getty) (Getty Images)

The oil spill, the worst in maritime history, dumped 4.2 million barrels of oil, and officials released 1.8 million gallons of Corexit, a chemical dispersant used to break up the oil, into the gulf before the well was sealed. Six years later, controversy still rages about the wisdom of carpet-bombing the gulf with these chemicals, and newly released documents reveal that government scientists expressed concern at the time about the health consequences of mixing such large quantities of dispersants with the millions of barrels of sweet crude. Occupational health experts now believe it created a toxic mix that sickened thousands of locals  including some of the 47,000 people that worked in some capacity on BPs clean-up operation  crippling them with chemically induced illnesses that doctors are unable to treat.

There is a core of very sick patients who undoubtedly will be ill for the remainder of their lives as the result of exposure to chemicals involved in the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, says Dr. Michael Robichaux, an ear, nose and throat specialist in south Louisiana and a former state senator.

In the initial aftermath of the spill, Robichaux treated dozens of people, including Porter. They ranged from a three-year-old boy, who had seizures from swimming in a pool next to an oil-soaked beach, to a clean-up worker who was blinded when his optic nerves were irreversibly scarred after exposure to chemicals near the oil booms. A family friend, the wife of a fisherman who worked on one of the clean-up boats, had developed a leukemia-like blood disorder that apparently stemmed from washing her husbands oil-drenched clothes. A lot of the women were no longer menstruating, or their menstrual cycles had gone out of whack, recalls Robichaux. I was seeing a lot of people  children even  who had seizures, dizziness and all sorts of other neurological problems. 

Porter buttonholed everyone he could think of  medical specialists, federal officials, local politicians and even his sister-in-law, who is a family doctor in Memphis, Tennessee  to find out exactly what he had been exposed to but never got satisfactory answers. I knew the dangerous nature of these compounds, but they kept telling us it was perfectly safe, says the marine scientist. He then made the connection himself, especially when his dive partners began experiencing even scarier symptoms, like uncontrollable ear and nose bleeds, and bloody stool.

Lorrie Williams (centre) is hugged by oil pollution activist Riki Ott (top) as Bud Waltman (left) looks on at a meeting for Gulf Coast residents who have health problems possibly related to the BP oil spill (Getty)

That set off alarms, recalls Porter, who came to the bleak conclusion that he was being sickened simply by being in the water. He found out later that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wouldnt allow its divers in the contaminated waters, according to documents obtained by the Government Accountability Project. In the years since, hes suffered from chest pains and bouts of vertigo, and in the middle of conversations he sometimes experiences memory lapses that make him feel as if his brain were stuck in first gear. I forget everything the minute I read it, he admits, and my girlfriend says Im getting worse.

Many of the ailments plaguing workers and residents in the gulf region mirror what has been seen after previous spills, such as that of the Exxon Valdez, where many workers claimed they suffered from brain damage from exposure to the neurotoxins in the oil. Others suffered from infertility, endocrine disorders, heart damage, chronic respiratory ills, premature aging, a decline in cognitive function, long-term depression and nerve damage, according to numerous studies.

Exposure to organic solvents causes the same intellectual effect as lead poisoning, says Dr Michael Harbut, a professor at Michigan State University and an environmental and occupational health expert who served as a consultant for the plaintiffs on the medical class-action suit filed against BP. Among those who were most heavily exposed, he warns, well see chronic adverse health effects, including liver and kidney disease, birth defects and developmental disorders. Over time, well see a bump in certain cancers that are related to industrial solvents, such as leukemia, lymphomas and lung and skin cancers.

Combining dispersants with oil unleashes hazardous substances contained in crude, such as heavy metals, benzene, hexane and toluene, which are known carcinogens that can also cause brain damage. Dispersants such as Corexit are a mixture of solvents and surfactants that break down the oil into tiny droplets to make them more easily absorbed into the ground and eaten by microorganisms. But it also makes the toxic parts of the oil small enough to seep through the skin and spread throughout the body.

Whats worse is that when the ocean water evaporates, the chemicals become aerosolised and are carried aloft by the high winds on the gulf, sickening people who inhale the tainted air. We were getting calls night and day. The fumes were choking folks along the coast, and people were trapped, recalls Marylee Orr, a longtime environmental activist in Baton Rouge and executive director of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network. Its not like they could just walk away from their homes or their jobs.

Even in May 2010, in the first few weeks of the clean-up, government scientists were already worried about this toxic brew, newly released documents reveal. By October 2010, so many locals had gotten ill and filed lawsuits that the district court judge pulled them together into a class-action suit to avoid clogging up the courts with piecemeal litigation. In 2012, BP agreed to a complex class-action $7.8bn (6.4bn) medical settlement that would compensate victims up to $60,700 per person and allowed people to file further claims if they developed more serious problems. More than 37,500 victims have filed claims, according to the latest figures from the claims administrator, yet only a tiny fraction of the claims have been paid. Countless more have opted out of the settlement and are pursuing individual lawsuits, and it may be many years before they see any money.

These health problems are ongoing and in some cases getting worse, says Shanna Devine, an investigator with the Government Accountability Project. Based on the dozens of people Ive spoken with and their neighbours, the cancer rates are going up dramatically since the spill took place. The legal battle has been horrible  people cant make their mortgages, and the economic impact has been devastating.

An American flag lays in a slick of oil that washed ashore from the spill (Getty)

Both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and BP insist that Corexit itself is as safe as dishwashing liquid; the ingredients in the dispersants are also found in household cleaners, hand lotion and cosmetics. But the safety manual put out by Nalco, the maker of Corexit, lists some of these chemicals health effects: chemical pneumonia, eye irritations, dermatitis, nausea and internal bleeding. One type of Corexit even contains butoxyethanol, which has been linked to a host of hazards, including respiratory ills, headaches, infertility in women and miscarriages.

The EPA held recent public hearings raising questions about the wisdom of using dispersants to contain spills. Proposed EPA rule changes would create tighter standards for toxicity tests, stricter environmental monitoring, periodic reviews of how dispersants are used during spills and a ban on their use in freshwater, among other provisions. But they wont come into effect until 2018.

In the meantime, public health experts continue to grapple with the health consequences of this disaster. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is in the midst of a 10-year study tracking 33,000 people exposed to the oil. Researchers recruited participants from every part of the gulf, ranging from fishermen and clean-up workers to people working on rigs siphoning off oil and operating the vessels and aircraft that were spraying dispersants into the water. Theyve already found higher rates of respiratory problems, skin conditions and depression. But it could be several years before they confirm what other ills came from the disaster. Until then, officials cannot be sure what they should have done differently. The next oil spill could be little more than an opportunity to make all the same mistakes.

 IBT Media Inc
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In the wake of the latest wave of deadly air strikes in a string of violence spanning over the past four years, it might be difficult to imagine that not long ago Aleppo was once a city at peace.

The once bustling market stalls in the walled ancient part of the city sit empty after shellings, covered in dust

For many, it has become synonymous with the imagery that has played out across our screens: a city in ruins; infants pulled from the rubble; children lying stunned on hospital beds covered in blood and dust; the bodies of others who have been less lucky.

Its the reality that Aleppo-born restaurant owner Carlo Ohanian lives in now, but the city hardly resembles the ancient metropolis he remembers. Thats why the Syrian, who lives in government-held west Aleppo, has made it his mission to remind the world that there was a time, not long ago, when the city stood for more than destruction.

Since the fighting between government forces and rebel fighters started to spread to the city of Aleppo in 2012, Ohanian has shared dozens of photos on social media of the city from before  and after  the conflict began.

Blown out storefronts just outside the Citadel are unrecognisable from what they once were

You can imagine how it was, our city  the old souqs, the old alleys, the Citadel, the old town, Ohanian says.

Now all this is gone. Its unrecognisable.

Many of Aleppos historic sites, including parts of the Al-Madina Souq, a trading market that has stood the test of time since as early as the 14th century, have been ruined or burnt to ashes in the fighting between the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian Armed Forces.

The ancient citys stunning Citadel, which dates as far back to the middle of the third millennium BC and is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world, has also suffered significant damage in the ongoing war.

A proud flag no longer flies atop Aleppos Citadel in the picture below  and its stunning view has been transformed into a glimpse of the destruction that lies beyond the historic building

Everything is a nightmare

Before the conflict started to unfurl in July 2011, Syria had been a popular tourist destination, with ancient Aleppo as its jewel. As one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, the city was inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list in 1986.

The metropolis was once a key centre along the legendary Silk Roads and its stunning architecture has long reflected its rich history, with humanity calling Aleppo home as far back as the 10th century BC.

Visitors once flooded the Carlton Citadel Hotel, but like many other tourist destinations in the country, its now listed online as permanently closed

But unrelenting and indiscriminate bombings have destroyed one of the most important and beautiful heritage sites in the world, Ohanian says. Across Syria, more than 400,000 people have been killed and in Aleppo, and the death toll continues to rise, with sweeping parts of the citys rich history completely obliterated.

Whats happened to my city is absolutely a huge loss for human civilisation  an irreplaceable loss, Ohanian says.

Its easy to imagine what a stay in the Carlton Citadel Hotel might have been like. The Islamic Front rebel group claimed responsibility for the May 2014 blast, claiming it had killed 50 soldiers

Today, everything is a nightmare, Ohanian says. To be very frank, I have never imagined that the situation would get to this point of disaster in my country because there wasnt any reason.

In pictures: Aleppo bombing Show all 14 1 /14 In pictures: Aleppo bombing In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Smoke rises after airstrikes on the rebel-held al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family runs for cover amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Al-Qatarji in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man reacts as he stands on blood stains at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held area of Aleppo's al-Fardous district, Syria, April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damage of the airstrikes in the rebel-held area of Aleppo on April 28 Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damaged the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-backed al-Quds hospital after it was hit by airstrikes, in a rebel-held area of Syria's Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians evacuate an injured man amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following an air strike on a rebel-held of Aleppo on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo People inspect the damage at a site hit by airstrikes, in the rebel-held area of Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man leads a woman in tears and child out of the scene after airstrikes hit Aleppo AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Civil defence members search for survivors after an airstrike at a field hospital in the rebel held area of al-Sukari district of Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported air strike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Soukour in the northern city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family walks amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike in the Bustan al-Qasr rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers and rescuers remove a baby from under the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Kalasa in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians help a wounded youth following an air strike on the Fardous rebel held neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers evacuate people from a damaged building following a reported airstrike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Tareeq al-Bab in the northern city of Aleppo

In fact, Ohanians family opened the restaurant, Olympia, in the western part of the city, now held by the Syrian army, just nine months before the fighting began. Ohanian says it had felt like the perfect timing.

The country was growing and the evolution of the economy led us to open a new business, Ohanian says. He could never have guessed what lay ahead.

A high price to pay

And yet, the fighting in Syria has raged on for more than five years now. What began as a revolution has spiralled out into an increasingly complex conflict claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.

The UN has been trying to broker peace in Syria, but world powers have been split on what that peace should look like.

Comments flood Olympia Restaurants Facebook page, where Ohanian has been sharing the photos, including this one of a recreation centre where one commenter recalls playing sports three times a week. Those people are inhumane, the poster adds

Today, east Aleppos 250,000 residents are still trapped by regime siege barricades, despite being told that civilians would be allowed to leave the area in government-controlled West Aleppo.

No longer brightly lit, the Saint Elias Cathedral, an Eastern Catholic church in Farhat Square, is thought to have come out of 2012 shellings unscathed

Western governments have condemned Russia for its role in supporting the strikes on the east side of the city, saying the recent blanket shellings, which have hit hospitals, rescue centres and other important sites, amount to a war crime.

All the people in the world must know that we, the Syrians, have paid a very high price for nothing, Ohanian says. Just because the great powers have political agendas and economical benefits and enmities between each other.

An outdoor dining area with a stunning view is replaced by rubble in the aftermath

Despite the ongoing fighting, Ohanian says he is still working to keep his restaurant open. He says it has been damaged in bombings twice since the conflict began in Aleppo: once in 2012 and a second time in 2014.

Most of the restaurant owners family members and friends have already emigrated from the country. He says most have gone to Armenia, Canada, the US, Europe and Australia.

Ohanian says he believes Aleppo will be able to rebuild and eventually recover from the conflict, but the history that has been lost can never be replaced

Amnesty International estimates that more than 50 per cent of Syrias population is currently displaced, with as many as 13.5 million people still in urgent need of humanitarian assistance inside the country.

Up to this moment, I have not made any decision to leave my city. But if things worsened more than this, I do not know what I must do or where I must go, Ohanian says.
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Isis has lost control of the symbolically important town of Dabiq to a group of Syrian rebels following a short battle.

Syrian opposition fighters backed by Turkey said they took the town after meeting with minimal resistance from the jihadists.

According to Isis propaganda, Dabiq was to be the scene of an apocalyptic final battle between Muslims and Christians, heralding the end of days. Isis named its English-language propaganda magazine after the town, and the looming fight had featured prominently in jihadist media outlets.

Dabiq is situated in northern Syria, between Aleppo and the Turkish border. Though strategically insignificant, it has held symbolic importance for Isis (Google Earth)

Located between Aleppo and the Turkish border, Dabiq holds little strategic significance. Isis is nonetheless reported to have stationed some 1,200 troops in the town since it took control in 2014, thanks in no small part to its prophesied importance.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Isis withdrew its forces. A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said they captured the town on Sunday morning, and that Isis had retreated towards the much larger town it still holds to the south-east, al-Bab.

Saif Abu Bakr said some 2,000 opposition fighters pushed into Dabiq with tank and artillery support from the Turkish Army.

Turkish military sources said the operation to take Dabiq started earlier this month, and that the town had been bombarded by Turkish fighter jets and artillery for 10 days.

International coalition warplanes were also involved in conducting air strikes on Dabiq and nearby Arshak, the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The town had existed in a pocket of resistance against the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Armys drive to expand its territory across northern Syria.

In pictures: The rise of Isis Show all 74 1 /74 In pictures: The rise of Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube In pictures: The rise of Isis A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks In pictures: The rise of Isis Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province In pictures: The rise of Isis Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far In pictures: The rise of Isis A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Al-Qaida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images In pictures: The rise of Isis Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qaida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work

Turkey says it is supporting the operation, which has been underway since 24 August, to create a terrorist-free or buffer zone along its border.

The Dabiq prophecy is based on a 1,300-year-old hadith or teaching of Abu Hurayrah, one of the Prophet Mohammeds companions.

It has been passed down in a number of different versions, but all describe a great battle between a Muslim army and a force of non-believers, generally translated as an infidel horde.

The prophesy has become a fundamental part of Isiss ideological self-justification, and it is what has led international figures from David Cameron to Tony Abbott to describe Isis as an apocalyptic death cult.

Experts say it is fair to assume the majority of Isis fighters believe the prophesy.

But in a recent edition of its al-Naba online publication, Isis appeared to step back from their suggestion the battle at Dabiq would herald the apocalypse. It said the imminent fight against Turkish-backed rebels was not the one in the prophesy.
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The Iraqi army and Kurdish forces, backed by US-led coalition air strikes, have begun the long-awaited battle to retake the city of Mosul from Isis' hands, Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said.

Convoys of troops began mobilising east of the city early on Monday morning. Air strikes send huge plumes of smoke into the air and artillery fire could be heard.

Mosul, which is regarded as Isis second city, is the last major stronghold of the jihadist group in Iraq. It has been under Isis' control since June 2014, but a US-backed Iraqi offensive to retake the city has been planned for months.

The military operation is the most complex carried out in Iraq since US forces withdrew from the country in 2011.

In an address on state television, Mr Abadi said: The time of victory has come and operations to liberate Mosul have started.

Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh, he said, using another term for the jihadist group.

US and French forces had already begun bombing Isis targets in Mosul ahead of the offensive.

Isis fighters are said to be dug in and preparing to battle hard to maintain control, with suicide bombers, car bombs, and booby traps on major roads. Unconfirmed reports said that residents in the city have begun fighting back against Isis, stealing weapons and burning militant vehicles.

Ahead of the battle, the Iraqi army dropped tens of thousands of leaflets over Mosul urging residents to hide before the offensive begins.

The leaflets carried several messages to the citizens of the northern attempting to reassure them that the advancing army would not target civilians but warned them to avoid the known locations of Isis militants.

"Keep calm and tell your children that it is only a game or thunder before the rain," a leaflet said. "Women should not scream or shout, to preserve the children's spirit."

"If you see an army unit, stay at least 25 metres away and avoid any sudden movements," another said.

They have previously forced civilians to remain where they are rather than flee during previous battles to maintain territory.

In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Women and children celebrating after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A man cuts the beard of a civilian who was freed from Isis by the SDF in Manbij on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Women carry newborn babies while running after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman freed from Isis hugs an SDF fighter in Manbij on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman adding her veil to a pile of niqabs burning in Manbij, Syria, after being freed from Isis on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Children celebrating on top of a lorry after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A man and child freed from Isis by the SDF in Manbij on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman carrying her children walks towards SDF fighters after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman and child freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij An SDF fighter kisses a crying man who was freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Hundreds of civilians freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters

The announcement of the Mosul offensive comes just hours after Isis lost control of the symbolically important town of Dabiq in Syria to a group of rebels after a short battle.

The opposition fighters were able to retake the town with minimal resistance despite Isis prophecies that Dabiq was to be the scene of an apocalyptic final battle between Muslims and Christians.

Isis has lost a third of its territory in Iraq and Syria in the past year as counter insurgent forces and Western coalition air strikes push the group back.

Last week, the UN warned that it was bracing itself for the worlds biggest and most complex humanitarian effort following the battle which it expects to displace up to one million people and see civilians used as human shields.

Recommended Read more Isis cracks down on civilians in Mosul ahead of Iraqi army offensive

Camps have been prepared on the outskirts of Isis territory to cope with the movement of people.

The Iraqi government launched a radio station to help Mosul residents stay safe during the offensive last month broadcasting from Qayyara, a town around 40 miles south of the city.

On Sunday, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi confirmed that Shia militants would not enter the heavily Sunni city.

Previously local Sunni politicians and regional Sunni-majority states including Turkey and Saudi Arabia had warned that Shia soldiers taking part could lead to sectarian fighting.

At least 1,500 Turkish-trained Sunni militia men will take part in the Mosul offensive, it emerged on Monday, after initial resistance from Baghdad.
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A new round of missiles may have been fired at an American Warship from a Houthi-controlled region in Yemen, according to US officials.

Head navy officer Admiral John Richardson said the destroyer USS Mason appeared "to have come under attack" but was not hit.

Yet following the initial reports, US officials backtracked on whether there was such an attack. They said they were investigating the possibility and declined to give further details.

It comes amid rising tensions between the US and the Iran-allied group.

If confirmed, it will be the third attack in around a week targeting the destroyer USS Mason and other US ships in the region.

Officials initially said surface-to-surface missiles had been fired at the USS Mason, USS Nitze and USS Ponce from around 7.30pm GMT. The ships were in international waters off the coast of Yemen.

Yet they later said the ships detected what may have been missiles.

A defence official told AFP: "A US Strike Group transiting international waters in the Red Sea detected possible inbound missile threats and deployed appropriate defensive measures.

"Post event assessment is ongoing. All US warships and vessels in the area are safe."

Two days earlier, a US warship fired Tomahawk missiles into Yemen to destroy three radar sites that Pentagon leaders believed took part in the earlier attacks.

 Scores dead in blasts at funeral in Yemeni capital

According to one official, additional radars could have been used to bring about the attack on Saturday night.

The Houthi rebels have denied conducting the missile launches.

An estimated 6,800 people have been killed, 35,000 wounded and at least three million displaced since a Saudi-led coalition launched its military operation in Yemen in 2015.

Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Show all 4 1 /4 Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod Why Yemen's future threatens to destroy its past Hugh McLeod

On Saturday, Suadi-coalition investigators said its attack on a funeral in the capital, Sanaa, in which at least 140 people were killed, was based on bad information.

Obama administration officials have previously stressed that Washington wanted to avoid getting embroiled in another war.

Spokespeople from the from the White House, Pentagon and State Department have all argued that countermeasures in response to previous missile launches against their warships were only a self-defence measure and not an escalation of military action.
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The UK and the US are considering implementing economic sanctions against Syria and Russia in response to the bombardment of Aleppo.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned Syrian president Bashar al Assad and the Russians that they would not be successful in their barbaric siege of Aleppo, but said the Russians can be made to feel the consequences of what they are doing.

Speaking following talks in London on the war in Syria, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the bombardment constituted crimes against humanity.

He said: It could stop tomorrow morning, tonight if Russia and the Assad regime were to behave according to any norm or any standard of decency, but theyve chosen not to.

Instead we see what can only be described as crimes against humanity taking place on a daily basis, and hospitals are bombed and children are bombed or gassed.

More than 275,000 civilians in the city are enduring daily bombing raids, alleged gas attacks, and the use of highly destructive barrel bombs.

The move towards imposing sanctions follows speculation over British and US military involvement in the country.

However, Mr Johnson said there remained a lack of appetite in Europe for such intervention.

Recommended Read more Why Boris is wrong to put more military action on the table

He said: We are pursuing diplomacy because those are the tools that we have and were trying to find a way forward under those circumstances.

No option is in principle off the table but be in no doubt that these so-called military options are extremely difficult and there is, to put it mildly, a lack of political appetite in most European capitals and certainly in the West for that kind of solution at present.

So weve got to work with the tools we have  the tools we have are diplomatic.

I think the most powerful weapon we have at the moment is our ability to make president Putin and the Russians feel the consequences of what they are doing.

Mr Johnson also said Vladimir Putins decision to pull out of a planned meeting in Paris after the French suggested the meeting should become a discussion about Syria, was very significant.

They are starting to feel the pressure and it is vital that we keep that pressure up, Mr Johnson said.

In pictures: Aleppo bombing Show all 14 1 /14 In pictures: Aleppo bombing In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Smoke rises after airstrikes on the rebel-held al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family runs for cover amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Al-Qatarji in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man reacts as he stands on blood stains at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held area of Aleppo's al-Fardous district, Syria, April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damage of the airstrikes in the rebel-held area of Aleppo on April 28 Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damaged the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-backed al-Quds hospital after it was hit by airstrikes, in a rebel-held area of Syria's Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians evacuate an injured man amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following an air strike on a rebel-held of Aleppo on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo People inspect the damage at a site hit by airstrikes, in the rebel-held area of Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man leads a woman in tears and child out of the scene after airstrikes hit Aleppo AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Civil defence members search for survivors after an airstrike at a field hospital in the rebel held area of al-Sukari district of Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported air strike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Soukour in the northern city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family walks amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike in the Bustan al-Qasr rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers and rescuers remove a baby from under the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Kalasa in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians help a wounded youth following an air strike on the Fardous rebel held neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers evacuate people from a damaged building following a reported airstrike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Tareeq al-Bab in the northern city of Aleppo

There are a lot of measures that we are proposing to do with extra sanctions on the Syrian regime and their supporters, measures to bring those responsible for war crimes before the International Criminal Court.

These things will eventually come to bite the perpetrators of these crimes and they should think about it now.
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Posters in an ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighbourhood have reportedly asked women to avoid the main street during the intermediate days of the religious holiday of Sukkot.

The posters in the town of Mea Sharim, one of the oldest Jewish neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, advise women to use side streets and to minimise their visits to the area.

A High Court of Justice banned the use of partitions on public streets six years ago but those behind the posters remain keen to ensure separation during Sukkot, a seven-day religious festivity also known as the Feast of Tabernacles.

"And a special request to the women  residents of the area as well as passers-by  try to minimise as much as possible crossings of the main street of Mea Shearim in Chol Hamoed night times," the posters say, according to Ynet News.

"Only go through side streets, and in general minimse visits in the (Mea Shearim) neighbourhood in those hours,"

Hiddush, an organisation that campaigns for religious freedom and equality, sent an inquiry to Jerusalem municipalitys legal council.

"It cannot be that in the main street of a city, even in an ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood, women will find themselves outcast from the public square," said Hiddush CEO Rabbi Uri Regev, Ynet News reported.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. 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Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. 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The municipality reportedly responded to the inquiry by saying the issue would be taken care of in accordance with the law.
'A retail sector source, who did not wish to be named for fear of upsetting relationships with major suppliers, said a number of suppliers had been making price increase requests since sterling's precipitous fall started.' Photo: Rui Vieira/PA Wire

Irish customers and retailers should brace themselves for more upward pressure on prices amid sterling's plunge, the head of Ibec's retail representative body has warned.

Unilever - the giant behind brands including Domestos, Hellmann's and Pot Noodle - made headlines this week after it sought to raise prices for some products in Musgrave stores.

A similar row took place between Tesco and Unilever but has since been resolved.

Thomas Burke, director of Ibec's Retail Ireland, said retailers "are going to see a little bit of pressure coming from Uk-based suppliers who have seen an increased cost base".

"There's going to be an element of tension, I'd imagine. All of these deals will be negotiated at an individual level, various suppliers and retailers will have to thrash that out between them.

"Our members are looking to see what they can do in terms of price for consumers over the coming weeks and months, and that'll be looking for downward pressure on prices as opposed to increases."

The fall in sterling has seen the cost of importing raw materials into Britain for manufacturing rise.

A retail sector source, who did not wish to be named for fear of upsetting relationships with major suppliers, said a number of suppliers had been making price increase requests since sterling's precipitous fall started.

The source said that, despite an expectation that prices would fall as sterling falls, Irish consumers would be lucky if current pricing endures. Earlier this week Michael Kilcoyne, the deputy chairman of the Consumers' Association, said prices should be falling sharply.

"We import a huge amount from the UK, which means prices should be falling in supermarkets and other shops. Instead they are using this to increase profits and not passing on the benefits of weaker sterling to consumers," Kilcoyne said.

Burke said that customers have been telling retailers that they want prices to fall, but that Retail Ireland members were finding it difficult to pass on price falls immediately because of currency hedging.

"I've been speaking to retailers over recent days who would source product out of the UK, and what they tell me is that most of them are hedged out to January... so they have bought their sterling in order to do the transaction with the supplier in the UK at a significantly different rate than today."
Housing Minister Simon Coveney has robustly defended the introduction of a first-time buyers' grant after criticism that the upper threshold amounts to a 'mansion grant'.

In today's Sunday Independent, Mr Coveney writes: "First-time buyers will get 5pc of the value of a new property up to 400,000. In order to prevent a cliff effect over that figure, it was decided to limit the benefit to the value of 400,000, but allow property up to the value of 600,000 to qualify for the maximum rebate of 20,000.

"This was to ensure that a buyer of a property for 405,000 would not get nothing while a buyer of a property for 400,000 would get the full rebate. So it's capped at 20,000 but there's some flexibility in the qualifying upper threshold to accommodate the high-priced Dublin market."

In order to qualify for the rebate, a buyer needs also to borrow 80pc of the house value, so the scheme would not be supporting buyers who had significant cash available.

Also today, economist Colm McCarthy writes: "To qualify for a mortgage on a 600,000 home, the borrower would need, under the Central Bank rules, an income of 171,000 per annum. Even for a joint income, this is at the upper limit of the Irish income distribution. For a single income, this is a grant to the very highest earners in the country."
It all feels a bit like Groundhog Day. Another Budget has come and gone, and Irish entrepreneurs are left disappointed. Britain is a far more competitive place to start a business - it certainly needs to be post-Brexit - and industry players here have long-highlighted where Ireland falls short.

Much of the negative attention has focused on Ireland's high rate of capital gains tax (CGT) - 33pc. In the last budget the rate was reduced to 20pc for entrepreneurs on lifetime gains up to 1m, and this year it was cut to 10pc with the ceiling remaining unchanged.

In the UK, entrepreneurs pay the 10pc up to a lifetime ceiling of 10m. Finance Minister Michael Noonan has committed to reviewing the ceiling in future budgets.

Brian Caulfield, perhaps the country's best known venture capitalist, says he's seen Irish companies moving to the UK to start up. He's not impressed with Noonan's offering.

"It's tokenism. The bottom line is that an entrepreneur selling a business in Ireland with any kind of half decent gain is still going to pay more than three times the tax they would pay in the UK," Caulfield, managing partner at recently floated venture capital (VC) firm told the Sunday Independent.

"There are maybe two fundamental problems, the first thing is there is no strategy for start-ups. There's a strategy for foreign direct investment, there's a strategy for agriculture, there is no strategy for start-ups.

"And the second problem is nobody cares. Unfortunately because there isn't a strong unified lobby for the start-up community, it's always bottom of the queue in spite of the fact that it's a crucial engine of job creation for the economy.

Patsy Carney is the chief executive and co-founder of Waterford-based Eirgen Pharma. He sold his business to New York Stock Exchange-listed Opko for $135m in one of the most high-profile Irish company sales in 2015. Carney told the Sunday Independent that Noonan's CGT tinkering was a step in the right direction but that further momentum was needed.

"It's going in the right direction. The reduction to 10pc, that's the attractive part. But in terms of the quantum involved being 1m, we're still quite a distance away from our neighbours in terms of the incentive for reinvestment.

"Because that's what we need to be looking at. If entrepreneurs have been successful and want to realise the gains, take them and reinvest in something else - which is what most of us do - to have 30pc of it disappearing straight away is not much of an incentive. If there was more of an incentive there so we could invest more of the funding, that would make a lot more sense."

The Tax Strategy Group put the cost of mirroring the UK scheme at 65m a year on top of the existing cost of the entrepreneurial relief. It says "there is no clear evidence on the marginal impact of tax relief on entrepreneurial activity". In other words, could we be sure we'd make the 65m back?

Noonan also announced a plan for "a new, SME-focused, share-based incentive scheme, to be introduced in Budget 2018".

"Such an incentive will require the approval of the European Commission and my officials will commence engagement with the Commission to ensure that the incentive will comply with State Aid rules in advance of the next Budget," he told the Dail.

The tax treatment of share options has long been criticised. The current system sees an income tax liability come due within 30 days of the date when share options are exercised (turned into shares), even though they may not have been turned into cash and there may not be a liquid market for them. Capital gains tax at a rate of 33pc then applies on disposal.

The Department of Jobs has advocated an SME scheme that would see no income tax on the grant or exercise of share options and the application of a favourable capital gains tax (CGT) rate on disposal of the shares - now it looks like it might get its way in part.

However, Caulfield says the share option element was "probably the most disappointing thing" in the Budget.

"This is not a new problem, this is something that's been known for years and I can tell you that it's at a level now, especially because of acquirers becoming more sophisticated in their approach to retaining staff, where it's killing deals and making deals incredibly difficult to do."

"So it was really disappointing to see it kicked to touch. And while I recognise that a radically improved scheme might require EU Commission approval, the reality is that there are a raft of very simple changes structurally that could have been made that have no cost implication whatsoever and would not require EU Commission approval. The really huge one that's causing enormous problems is that a tax liability can crystallise before a gain has been made at all.

"I'm aware of scenarios recently where people that maybe notionally made a 100,000 gain might have got a quarter of that up front, with no certainty of getting the balance, and together with their 25,000 they get a 52,000 tax bill. It's completely untenable.

"It's making it extremely difficult to get staff across the line in deals because they're looking at this and saying: 'Hang on a minute, you've been telling me for years that my share options are worth something, and now you're telling me that I'm going to have to find 27,000 to fund a tax bill - and I won't have a single penny in my pocket?'

"The idea that that change requires Commission approval is rubbish. It's just a fudge, a kick to touch."

Carney says the Government should be "a bit more imaginative and innovative in terms of how we look at these things".

"In the start-up stage of any company, anything you could offer around share options that's actually tax effective, that's welcome. Because we are competing for talent, that's one big issue when you're a start-up or an early-stage company. You need the talent, particularly in the economic environment we're in now and particularly in our industry."

Tune in next year to see if the song remains the same.
It's just over eight years since the 440bn bank bailout - and while the Irish banks are now back making money, many people are still worse off than they were in the year of the bank guarantee. Indeed most of us will still be hundreds (if not, thousands) of euros worse off under Budget 2017 than we were in 2008 - the year that Irish taxpayers guaranteed all loans and deposits in the country's banks and building societies - an analysis by The Sunday Independent has found. The Irish banks, on the other hand, are back in profit.

When announcing his Budget speech last week, Finance Minister Michael Noonan was quick to point out that the increase in excise duty on a pack of cigarettes was the only tax hike included in Budget 2017. Despite this, many people will still have less take-home pay next year than they did in 2008 - the year the Government put a bank guarantee scheme in place to protect the Irish banks from the financial crisis at the time.

So when it comes to take-home pay, how much worse or better off are you under Budget 2017 than you were in 2008? The Sunday Independent teamed up with experts at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young (EY) and the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) to find out.

To ensure our figures were comparative, we assumed that the earnings for each of the individuals or couples we examined were the same in 2008 as they will be in 2017.

There were some good things in last Tuesday's Budget - such as the 5 weekly increase in the State pension, the boost in the tax credit for the self-employed, the extension of the invalidity pension (which is paid to people who can't work because of illness or disability) to the self-employed, and the increase in the amounts that can be inherited tax-free.

The help-to-buy scheme for first-time buyers may help those who are finding it impossible to get on to the property ladder. Parents who want to send their children to creches may find it more affordable to do so under the new childcare subsidies.

However, it is take-home pay - that is, the money left in your pocket after being stung for taxes - which ultimately determines how much of a struggle, or pleasure, our day-to-day lives are. We found that most of us - bar a couple of pensioners - will still be worse off next year than we were in 2008.

"It is clear that we have a long way to go before we have fully clawed back the tax increases imposed during austerity," says Pat O'Brien, executive director with EY. "Indeed, for most taxpayers, it will take several more years of similar 'give-away Budgets' like Tuesday's just to restore their after-tax earnings to what they were in 2008."

Wealthy landlord

71 a week worse off than 2008

You're a landlord who snapped up five properties in Dublin before the boom.

You've been making 90,000 in rental income a year from those properties since 2008 - you haven't increased the rent since 2008. You have no other income. You're married but you have no children and your spouse doesn't work.

You'll be 71 a week worse off next year than you were in 2008. This is because of the big jump in the amount of tax you will pay. Your tax bill - including income tax, PRSI and the then health levy - came to 28,416 in 2008, according to Alison McHugh, director of private clients with Deloitte. That tax bill - including income tax, PRSI and the USC - will stand at 32,129 next year. So you'll take home 57,871 of your rental income next year after paying tax - as opposed to the 61,584 you took home in 2008.

The main reason you are paying more tax than you did in the year of the banking guarantee is the USC. The only tax levy back in 2008 was the health levy - and that levy didn't hit your income as much as the USC does now.

"Whilst we have seen a small reduction in Universal Social Charge rates over the last three budgets, it is still significantly higher than the 2pc health levy being charged on rental income back in 2008," says McHugh.

You'll also pay more PRSI next year than you did in 2008.

On the plus side, under Budget 2017, you'll be able to write 80pc of the mortgage interest relief on your rented properties off your rental income tax bill - up from the 75pc rate you can currently write off. That extra tax relief is not much of an improvement but Finance Minister Michael Noonan has promised to restore mortgage interest relief for landlords in full by 2021.

Filthy rich

4,264 a week worse off than 2008

You're a well-off man in your early 50s with assets worth 50m. Those assets include about 40m worth of Irish property, 5m worth of Irish shares and 5m worth of other savings and investments. You are also earning a salary of 2m a year as chief executive of a major Irish firm. On top of this, you're earning about 500,000 in dividends and rental income.

Those earnings haven't changed since 2008. You're married and your spouse isn't working. You have three adult children who are no longer living at home.

At about 1.2m, your take-home pay after tax will be 221,730 lower next year than it was in 2008, according to Lisa McCourt, a senior manager with PwC. That's about 4,264 less a week. You took home about 1.43m after tax in 2008.

The main reason your take-home pay has dived so much is the USC. In 2008, you lost 62,000 of your earnings to tax levies (that is, the health levy). Next year, you'll lose 209,189 to tax levies (that is, the USC), according to McCourt.

As you're a high earner, you're getting hit by the top 11pc USC rate.

You'll also pay almost 60 times more PRSI next year than you did in 2008.

"This family's PRSI bill has increased significantly between 2008 and 2017 for a number of reasons - including the abolition of the PRSI earnings limit [which had previously restricted the amount of earnings which you paid PRSI on], the abolition of the weekly PRSI exemption [which had allowed you to earn a certain amount each week without getting hit for PRSI] and the introduction of a charge to PRSI on unearned income - that is, their investment income," explains McCourt. Along with the taxes on your take-home pay, as you own 40m of Irish property, you will also have been hit by the introduction of the property tax in mid-2013.

As the property tax bill for a residential property worth 1m or more runs to a few thousand euro a year, your total property tax bill for 2017 could easily be running into the tens of thousands. You would have faced no such bill in 2008.

One of the few things that has gone in your favour tax-wise since 2008 was the cut to the top income tax rate in 2015 - but the enormous USC and PRSI you now face has more than wiped out the benefit of that.

Dairy farmer

20 a week worse off than 2008

As you're a dairy farmer, you're not loaded - but you're in a better boat than less well-off farmers across the country. You're 40 years old, married and have three young children. You expect your income to come to 60,000 next year - the same as it was in 2008. Your wife has no income of her own - she stays at home to look after the children and to help out around the farm. You own your home and land.

Despite the low-interest loans and other farmer-friendly measures announced in the Budget, when it comes to take-home pay, you are still worse off than you were in the year of the bank guarantee.

You will take home 45,220 after tax under Budget 2017 - down from 46,284 in 2008, according to Jane Devlin, a senior manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

That means you'll pay about 20 extra a week in taxes next year than you did in 2008.

This is largely down to the USC - which has you paying twice the tax levies paid in 2008. You're also paying more PRSI.

"The farmer will, however, benefit from Budget 2017's increase in the home carer's tax credit and the increase in the tax credit for the self-employed," says Devlin.

The home carer's tax credit, which is being increased from 1,000 to 1,100, can be claimed by your wife - and so will bring down your tax bill (as long as you and your wife are jointly assessed for tax).

So too will the tax credit for self-employed individuals (known as the earned income credit), which is being increased from 550 to 950.

"Also, if the farmer uses income averaging to calculate his taxable income, he will benefit from a new measure introduced in the Budget whereby if he is having an exceptionally difficult year, he can step out of income averaging and calculate his tax liability based on the actual income earned for that difficult period," says Devlin.

(Income averaging, which involves calculating the typical income earned a year over a given period, is often used by those whose income varies from year to year - such as farmers.)

Modest pensioners

6 better off a week

You're a married couple who both retired in 2008. You're both in your early seventies. You each get a private pension of 10,000 a year. You also both qualify for the full State contributory pension.

Although you're losing more of your income to tax than you did in 2008, you're getting more from the State pension - and so you'll take home slightly more next year than you did in 2008. The State pension was worth 223.30 a week to each of you in 2008. From March 1 of next year, it will be worth 238.30 a week.

So between your private pension and the State pension, you'll take home 42,852 after tax next year - 303 more than you did in 2008, according to Devlin. So you're one of the few to be better off under Budget 2017 than you were in 2008 - albeit by a measly 3 each a week.

Joe Soap

25 a week worse off

You're a 30-year-old single male earning 36,600 - which is the average wage. You live at home with your parents and you have no children. Your earnings haven't changed since 2008. Your take-home pay will come to 28,836 next year - about 1,320 less than it was in 2008, according to Lauren Clabby, associate director with KPMG. So you're about 25 a week worse off under Budget 2017 than you were in the year of the bank guarantee. This is largely down to the higher PRSI and tax levies which you are being hit with. "Overall taxes remain higher than they were in 2008," says Clabby.

Millionaire property developer

1,532 a week worse off

You're a self-employed property developer in your early 50s who earned 1m in 2008.

Although your earnings took a dip during the recession, you have since won a few major contracts and you expect to earn 1m in 2017.

You're married and you have five children. Your wife has her hands full with the five children and so doesn't have an income herself. Under Budget 2017, more of your earnings will go to the Taxman than will go into your pocket. You will lose 530,279 of your earnings to tax next year - which means you'll come home with 469,721, according to Clabby.

In 2008, you took home 549,385 after tax - which meant you didn't lose more than half of your earnings to tax.

You'll be paying almost 80,000 more tax next year than you did in the year of the bank guarantee. This is largely due to the impact of higher tax levies and PRSI.

The increase in the tax credit for self-employed individuals will be of some benefit to you next year - but as your USC bill runs over 100,000, the tax credit will be of limited use.

Squeezed middle with stay-at-home Dad

121 a week worse off

You're a married couple in your late 30s with three children - aged 7, 5 and 4. One of you stays at home to look after the children; the other works full-time for a big employer and earns 110,000 a year.

You'll take home 70,221 after tax next year - 6,315 less than you took home in 2008, according to EY's O'Brien.

This means you'll take home 121 a week less in 2017 than in 2008. You'll be hit for almost three times as much tax levies and more than twice as much PRSI in 2017 than in 2008 - and this is the main reason your take-home pay is down so much.

The childcare subsidies announced in Budget 2017 won't be much use to you - and so won't offer the stay-at-home parent any financial incentive to return to work.

As your youngest child is four, you won't qualify for the universal childcare payment (which is not means-tested and is worth up to 960 a year) for children between the ages of six months and three years. Neither will you qualify for any of the targeted childcare subsidies for children up to the age of 15 (which are means-tested) - because your take-home pay is too high. (A family with three children aged seven, five and four will not qualify for any childcare subsidies if their net income is more than 55,100.)

Squeezed middle, two working parents

78 a week worse off

You're a married couple in your late 30s with three children - aged 7, 5 and 4.

You both work for a big multinational firm. One of you earns 70,000 as a full-time employee; the other earns 40,000 as a part-time employee.

This combined income of 110,000 is the same amount of money earned by the squeezed middle family we have just examined - where one parent stays at home to look after the children.

However, you'll take home more of your 110,000 after tax with two parents working - than the married couple with only one parent working outside the home. Your take-home pay will come to 77,639 next year, compared with 70,221 for the family with one earner, according to O'Brien.

You'll still be worse off to the tune of 4,068 a year (or 78 a week) than you were in 2008, though - because of the impact of the USC and higher PRSI. The new childcare subsidies won't be any use to you either.

Househunters

69 a week worse off

You are an unmarried couple who are living together and paying about 1,400 a month in rent. You are both earning 40,000 each. Soaring rents mean you are more eager than ever to get on to the property ladder. Neither of you owns or has inherited any property.

You will be 69 a week - or 3,577 a year - poorer under Budget 2017 than you were in 2008, according to O'Brien. This is because you're paying more income tax, tax levies and PRSI than you did in 2008.

However, you might well welcome the Budget's help-to-buy scheme as it could help you to get your feet onto the property ladder.

"While this couple will still be paying more tax than they did in 2008, the first-time buyers rebate of up to 20,000 [under the help-to-buy scheme] will enable this couple to recoup a lot of the additional tax that they have paid over the last four years," says O'Brien.

A 50,000 earner with various hats

Between 13 and 55 a week worse off

Public servants have been hit hard by the public sector pensions levy and it is for this reason that a public servant on 50,000 will take home less of his pay than a PAYE worker or self-employed individual on the same money.

EY examined whether an individual earning 50,000 would be better off under Budget 2017 as a PAYE worker, a public servant or a self-employed individual. The individual is single and has no children. The PAYE worker will take home 36,270 in 2017 - after paying all his taxes, according to O'Brien.

However, the public servant will only take home 34,995 - after paying taxes and the public sector pension levy (a compulsory deduction for public servants). The self- employed individual will take home 35,570.

The PAYE worker, public servant and self-employed individual will all take home less of their 50,000 pay packet after tax next year than they did in 2008 - however, it is the self-employed worker who is the nearest to closing the gap.

One of the main reasons for this is the new tax credit for self-employed individuals. This tax credit, which was introduced for the first time in 2016 - and will be increased in 2017, will allow the self-employed individual to reduce his tax bill by 950 in 2017.

All the same, the self-employed individual will still be 694 (13 a week) worse off under Budget 2017 than in 2008; while the PAYE worker will be 1,588 (30 a week) worse off.

The public sector worker will be down 2,864 (after taxes and the pension levy) - or 55 a week, according to EY. The pensions levy, which was introduced in March, 2009, will take more money out of the public servant's wages next year than either the USC or PRSI.

Single mum on social welfare

6 a week worse off than 2008

You're a single mum aged 28 who is not working and who has one child aged 10.

You and your child live in a two-bed apartment in Dublin 1. You are not getting any maintenance payments or other financial support from the father of your child.

Looking at your social welfare payments alone, you will be about 297 a year - or almost 6 a week worse off - under Budget 2017 than you were in 2008.

The total amount of social welfare payments you were entitled to in 2008 came to 14,247 - or 274 a week, according to the INOU. That 14,247 included the one-parent family payment of 222 a week, child benefit of 160 a month for the first three months of 2008 - and 166 a month thereafter, - the fuel allowance, and the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance.

It does not include rent supplement as you would not have been entitled to it, according to the INOU.

Next year, you'll be entitled to social welfare payments of 13,951 - or 268 a week, according to the INOU. That includes the jobseeker's transition payment of 223 a week (you no longer qualify for the one-parent family payment because your child is over the age of 7), child benefit of 140 a month, the fuel allowance, and the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. You won't qualify for rent supplement in Dublin 1 today, according to the INOU.

This is because the market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Dublin 1 today is above the limits set for rent supplement - as was the case in 2008, says the INOU.
THE HOMES FRONT: From left, MC Pat Kenny; Colm Lauder of Goodbody; Diarmuid Mawe, head of Real Estate at Maples; Will Fogarty, a tax partner at Maples; and Shane Whelan, development director at Ronan Group Real Estate. Photo: Iain White

As the Government struggles to come to terms with the threats and opportunities presented by Brexit, a seemingly intractable housing crisis and the political 'hot potato' du jour of the tax structures the State employs to make Ireland more attractive to international investors, those looking for clarity could have done worse than attend the recent Real Estate Stakeholders Debate Brexit summit, of which the Sunday Independent and Irish Independent are media sponsors.

What follows are selected highlights from the event's expert panel discussion which was led by the summit's MC, broadcaster Pat Kenny.

On the changes now taking place in the commercial real estate market

Head of commercial property at Maples & Calder, Diarmuid Mawe, noted how the early opportunistic investors who had acquired loan books from Nama and other financial institutions involved in deleveraging in the post-crash period, were now being replaced by longer-term, institutional investors.

These investors viewed the Irish market as being more 'core' than opportunistic, he said.

"US funds are still a large player in the Irish market, and what's positive is that Irish institutional investors such as Irish Life, IPUT, the Reits are all very much in there as well.

"But they've been joined by European funds, the French funds, but in particular German funds who are very keen to gain further exposure to the Irish real estate market," Mawe said.

On the attractiveness of Ireland's current tax structures

William Fogarty, a tax partner in Maples & Calder, noted data recently produced by Allsop and CBRE which showed that foreign investors account for three out of every four trades where the value exceeds 1m.

He said: "Once you get to that point, people invest a lot of time in managing their structures. Non-resident institutional funds will typically use something like a Luxembourg company, a domestically-focused company or a QIAIF."

Highlighting the scale of foreign investment, he added: "There's at least 60 property QIAIFs, some of which are comparable in size, if not larger than some of the Reits. So you've got a huge institutional base which is using a regulated property fund to buy Irish property.

"It is exempt from tax; that isn't a secret. That is the model that people have been using. It's been used for over 20 years."

On the potential impact of changes to the current tax structures

On this, Fogarty said: "One of the reasons we're here is to talk about political uncertainty with regard to Brexit.

"In the last three months, there has been a lot more political uncertainty about our tax regime - and right now sitting in my office, there are five deals that are in suspended animation until Budget day.

"There's 100m of deals that were cancelled or stalled the week the Government said 'we're going to review the taxation treatment of funds. We have to manage and be sensitive to the fact that we don't create our own political risk here, because that will impact the market."

But what of the argument that these investors should pay more tax?

Fogarty said: "Nobody doubts that the Government is perfectly entitled to change the rates. But we do have to respect the fact that people have shovels in the ground, they have projects ongoing, and they have bank lending gone into them. To change the rules right now, given that we're here to talk about political uncertainty, seems to me to be a slightly short-sighted thing."

On the financial viability of residential development

Hibernia Reit CEO Kevin Nowlan was clear that his company would not build residential units if the numbers didn't stack up.

He said: "This is simple maths. How much rent do I get for every square foot that I have to build and you need to attract my capital; it needs to be between 6pc and 7pc yield on cost. That's it. It's really simple and at the moment it's around 4.5pc to 5pc [yield on cost]. That's the equation."

So how does the State address the shortage in housing supply?

Shane Whelan, director of development at Ronan Group Real Estate, believes the public private partnership model (PPP) model which he said had worked with the Convention Centre at Spencer Dock in Dublin's docklands should be explored as an option.

He said: "It was a worthwhile interaction between the State and private developer whereby the State now has a 'best in class' convention centre where it effectively guaranteed the rent to the developer for 25 years, the developer went and got the third party finance to build it, deliver it, took the guaranteed rent from the State and then the State gets the asset back at the end of the period.

"In its simplest form, there's no reason why that shouldn't be looked at to solve the residential [crisis]."

Asked how the PPP model could be used when politicians still seemed to afraid to be seen engaging with developers, Whelan said: "You can't have a situation where the political class don't want to be seen to engage with the 'big, bad developer'. You have to engage or else you don't get the stock delivered."

Could the Government make any changes to taxation that might stimulate residential development?

On this, William Fogarty of Maples & Calder, said: "We do have some issues that should be looked at as part of a broader review. The UK doesn't tax non-residents on investment gains. If you want to target somebody who will build a block comparable to the block they built in Canary Wharf, you might look at that.

"The second issue is the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) exemption that was brought in in 2012/2013 to allow people to buy land, hold it for seven years and not pay any tax on its sale. That was brought in to incentivise the market.

"We're in the bizarre place where people have bought land and instead of putting it to good use by selling it for it to be developed, they're sitting there waiting until January 1, 2019, before they'll release the land to the market. There are people hoarding land because that's what the Government told them to do."

The private sector's potential role in the delivery of social housing

Senior real estate analyst at Goodbody, Colm Lauder, believes the model used by the UK and Netherlands could work here.

Outlining how the system operates, he said: "Someone comes along and builds 100 apartments, they come to an agreement with the housing association or the local authority and they guarantee a set rent so the investor gets their return.

"That's then topped up by the housing association and everyone comes away with a decent return."

Lauder said the Dutch model had seen returns "close to double digits consistently for a number of years" while the UK model was delivering returns of 7pc to 8pc a year. He said he believed there would be an appetite for a similar scheme in Ireland from domestic institutions and pension funds.

He said: "If they see a 20 to 30-year lease which the housing associations do arrange, and a 7pc or 8pc [return] regardless of the [economic] cycle, it's a very attractive prospect to be in.

"Bringing in the private sector, looking at this long-term return, relatively safe return basis, it could be a very efficient way to deliver returns, deliver properties, deliver homes without encumbering the taxpayer."

The suitability of Ireland's local authority structures and planning rules

Hibernia Reit CEO Kevin Nowlan was highly critical of the current set-up in Dublin. He said: "When I reflect on the way our local authorities are run, I have to say there has to be a better way. For a city the size of Dublin to have four local authorities is mad; it's insane. There should be only one. If you think about it, our local government and central government are at polar opposites. The local authority managements have very difficult jobs in a sense that they're trying to get something done and they have to report to the elected councillors."

Development director at Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) Shane Whelan meanwhile voiced his concern at the constraints imposed by five-year development plans. He said: "Local authorities have development plans which cover a five-year minimum period, and once that's locked in, you stick to that or take your chances with An Bord Pleanala (ABP), which is not a lottery, but not far off it."

Referring to RGRE's recent experience in securing planning approval from ABP for its site at the front of AIB's Bankcentre headquarters in Ballsbridge, he said: "We spent a year with Dublin City Council in consultation and refining a design on a property which we got a really robust [planning] perrmission on. We went to the Bord and got out the far side. But you're talking an 18-month minimum by the time you get out the far side."

The banks' attitude to property development

Head of property lending at AIB, Derek O'Shea, admitted that in certain cases, money could not be made from lending to the property sector.

He said: "It's true. There are some schemes where money can't be made and our role is to work with our customers to understand the industry, to understand what our customers are trying to do, to understand when a scheme is viable and can be supported, and to support it."




Hien said the department will make a list of beneficiaries who have not been supported by Stated budget and sent to the citys Social Insurance soon.

Statistics show that Hanoi is currently home to 18,500 people living with HIV/AIDS, including nearly 9,000 AIDS cases. The majority of them have poor living conditions and need help in treatment.

In an effort to help all people living with HIV access health insurance as directed by the Prime Minister, the department has asked localities to strengthen communications to encourage HIV-infected people and their family join health insurance.

It has also tasked supporting funds for HIV/AIDS prevention and control to mobilise resources to purchase health insurance for the needy, while coordinating with the municipal Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control to ensure the supports go to right people.

Hanoi sets to expand health insurance coverage to 80 percent of local population by 2016 and 90 percent by 2020./.
Flying across the Chihuahuan Desert, Saltillo suddenly appears, nestled under the shadow of the Zapaliname mountains. At first, it seems a sleepy place, until the huge industrial complex just beyond the city comes into view.

Saltillo, in Coahuila State, was once the capital of Texas before its war of independence. It was here that John Riley and the Batallon de San Patricio, aka Los Colorados because of their sun-burnt complexions and red hair, fought for Mexico. Their sacrifice is still remembered here every St Patrick's Day.

I was flying in to meet another Irishman who made his home in northern Mexico, Tipperary native Brian Ryan, of Brix Trading, who advises companies on doing business here.

He tells me over breakfast of myriad opportunities for Irish companies in the network of industrial parks created to attract auto manufacturers on the outskirts of Saltillo.

He explains that as the wave of car makers arrived - and later, others such as dairy, steel and household appliances companies - their supply chains followed.

Companies like Magna, ZF Sachs, Macimex and Delphi have big operations here but there are opportunities for Irish first-tier and second-tier suppliers and several are already here.

T Butler Engineering and Combilift are directly engaged in automotive, while Kentech, Whatclinic.com, Openet and Aerogen are among those operating in the wider economy.

Specialist moulding, lighting systems, wiring equipment, and manufacturing and safety technologies are in demand.

The Complejo Industrial Ramos Arizpe is a real-life example of the maxim from the movie, Field of Dreams, "build it and they will come".

Founded in 1974, auto manufacturers such as GM, Fiat/Chrysler and John Deere located here after it developed as a fully serviced cluster, in the 80s. Now, Saltillo has become a locus for the global automotive industry.

Row after row of giant factories spread out across the horizon like a physical testament to the scale of Saltillo's competitive advantage, with its highly trained workforce and lowest automotive labour rates in North America.

Just 300km from the US border, with 176 million people within a day-and-a-half drive, ease of access to large markets is very much part of why this city, along with Monterrey in neighbouring Nuevo Leon state, is known as Detroit in the Desert.

These cities are part of the Texas Mexico Automotive Supercluster (TMASC) linked by roads into the US from San Luis Potosi, several hundred kilometres south of Saltillo, and Tamulipas to the east.

This is the so-called NAFTA highway, named after the North American Free Trade Agreement which has so exercised Donald Trump during the US election campaign.

Back in Saltillo, the impressive local road network is filled with massive trucks moving vehicles and parts around in a continuous whirl. The distant bell of the trains heading north is constant throughout the night. This capillary network never sleeps.

I also meet the State Secretary of Economic Development who is proud of Saltillo's achievements. He emphasises the open and progressive business culture that exists here. Saltillo was voted the most dynamic mid-sized city in North America by FDI Magazine.

The economic benefits of Ramos Arizpe to the local economy are easily seen too, with colourful new homes springing up everywhere.

A new university was established in 1995 with local employers consulted on the curriculum. The Technological University of Coahuila now has 3,000 students on its engineering course, which involves on-the-job-training and revenues for the university. Around 80pc of graduates work in the auto industry here.

Clustering is very much part of Ireland's development strategy. Places such as Dublin's IFSC and Silicon Docks are examples.

While essentially, clusters are about providing an ecosystem appropriate to a particular sector - medtech around Galway; and life sciences in Cork are further examples - research suggests that it drives related industries creating a broader, more sustainable jobs base.

The evidence of Saltillo supports that conclusion. It seems that the St Patrick's Battalion forged a link between Saltillo and Ireland that still endures.

Conor Fahy is Enterprise Ireland regional director for Latin America
Sam McCauley: I never started out to open a chain of shops, it was always a very incremental process.... Photo: David Conachy

Sam McCauley looks back at the last 10 years as a lost decade in retail. His chain of chemists, which reached 30 shops on Friday with a new opening in Navan, is just now seeing a return to growth in the retail sector.

"It's not a gold rush," cautions McCauley. "You're fighting to come up with more innovative ideas as to how you stay on trend and make sure you are going to be interesting."

McCauley, a soft-spoken and entertaining raconteur, has kept a low personal profile for more then 10 years, but is keen to celebrate the 60-year anniversary of the first McCauley chemist, set up by his father and mother in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. It is also 25 years since he opened the first branch of the chain and he is glad to be able to say the business is once again in growth.

After that lost decade of sales growth, next year the business aims to outstrip is its peak boomtime revenues with an expected 90m in sales, albeit across a wider portfolio of stores.

Now aged 67, he is also happy to share that the company is mulling bringing in a new equity investor to bring the business to the next level.

"I don't see any reason why an Irish pharmacy group can't hold the same position as Musgraves or Dunnes in the grocery market, in other words, be right there with the market leaders," he says. "We're on their heels but there is a gap. I see a unique opportunity for a uniquely Irish model."

McCauley is the largest shareholder in the group, with management and pharmacists among the other investors in the company.

With two new openings in recent months (the other being in Tipperary), the company is planning further expansion.

"We're very much now on the path of organic growth," says McCauley. "We've put 2m in this year into two new businesses."

The chain is also expanding existing shops, taking advantage of lower property prices.

"We're maximising out the existing portfolio, adding on new greenfield sites and may do selective acquisitions," he says. "We see lots of opportunity to expand the business. We're now in a better position than ever before to move the business forward to a new level."

McCauley's ethos has always been to have large shopfronts to entice shoppers as well as those seeking prescriptions.

In the chain, 60pc of revenue comes from front shop with 40pc from the dispensing business. In the average Irish pharmacy, 70pc of turnover comes from dispensing and the remainder is in retail.

McCauley's model, which depends heavily on upmarket cosmetics, photo services and other retail offerings, is a far cry from his father's chemist shop in Enniscorthy, which opened in the early 1950s.

"He ran the typical provincial Irish chemist and things were pretty dire economically at that time. It would be like an antique chemist shop now," says McCauley. "A pharmacy museum."

There was a small counter and very little on the shelves for customers to 'self select'. Antibiotics were not widely prescribed and aspirin was the drug of day for most ails.

"It was a time of mystique, when pharmacists were mixing a lot of medicines," he recalls. "He was in there conjuring and you'd come back in half an hour for your medicine which would be wrapped in pristine white paper."

McCauley was one of seven children, joint third with his twin. He did not have a natural inclination for pharmacy.

"Academically I was a nonentity," he says with a laugh. "I think I became the pharmacist in the family because my father wanted one pharmacist who was going to come back to run the shop."

"So I suppose I was a pharmacist by conception rather than conviction," he adds.

McCauley's real interest was in business.

"I had an uncle in namesake who founded the first indigenous Irish pharmaceutical company, Irish Pharmaceuticals Ltd, which was publicly quoted. My aspirations would have been in that direction but that would not have suited my dad's aspirations for me."

After studying in UCD, he found himself in Dungarvan. Co Waterford in the early 1970s.

But he felt there was more to life than working in a pharmacy in small town Ireland and decided to head to Toronto, Canada.

"Other than running your own business in the Ireland of its time, there were no employment opportunities worthwhile. But it was more a spirit of adventure that pushed me than economic necessity."

He worked initially in a hospital pharmacy before managing retail pharmacies. He met his wife Leslie there, extending his stay but returned when he got the call that his father needed him back to fulfil his role in Enniscorthy.

Before returning, he had one precondition. "That we maximise the floor space of the pharmacy and there is self-select shopping at the front of the shop.

"We followed through on the commitment to increase the floorspace and the business mushroomed," he says.

"It had a strong loyal customer base. The mantra would have been that anybody who put a thrupenny bit on the counter was as important as any other person. The customer service ethos was drilled not just into me but went through the business."

It was 1978 and most pharmacies were small, not unlike his father's original shop.

McCauley also got involved in a couple of manufacturing businesses, as well as politics.

"I did stand for nomination in the early 80s for Fianna Fail. I got an underwhelming response from the delegates," he says.

He did spend several years on Enniscorthy urban council but over time the pharmacy which expanded into adjacent properties with new services such as a hair salon, became his focus.

In 1991 an opportunity came up in Wexford town.

"It was a Dunnes Stores development and we took what at the time would have been seen as an enormous amount of space, 4,000 square feet.

"We put in a beauty salon, hair salon, one-hour photo, all the prestige beauty brands, as well as jewellery and handbags," he says. "It was the first of those type of stores and we had first mover advantage."

"The thinking was that there were a lot of really good family pharmacies. So you're going to have to really differentiate yourself," he adds.

"We did a lot on branding. We brought in graphic designers. We had radio jingles, cinema advertising."

Two young employees became joint managers of the store, one of whom is Patrick McCormack, now managing director of the group, both taking equity stakes in the expanding business.

"I never started out to open a chain of shops, it was always a very incremental process," says McCauley. "But that was probably the first time we had the vision to say this is a formula that works."

They replicated the model in Carlow and then expanded from there.

They primarily opted for greenfield sites, seeking extended shopfronts.

The next big move was into Cork and the south west, where it has a significant presence.

"We also acquired three or four pharmacies that would have been underperforming and we bought them with the idea of relocating them."

As larger chains such as Boots and Lloyds expanded in Ireland, McCauley must have had some worries?

"None whatsoever," he says.

"What we started with the larger shopfronts was with the anticipation that Boots would come in. And you're going to meet that competition and you're going to be leading it rather than following it."

Business was booming for the pharmacy sector, but even before the recession hit, margins came under pressure.

The HSE began to reduce dispensing fees, with the health service facing significant resistance from pharmacies in the process.

McCauley concedes that things needed to change.

"Let's face it, it was a fairly comfortable regime in terms of the contracts we had," he says.

"Of course nobody lightly gives up their contracts. But the sector had also taken on debt in line with those contracts. People had taken on big property costs and bought pharmacies based on crazy multiples, based on those contracts."

It was a tough time.

"There was a huge impact, the HSE cuts were enormous. It was literally multi-millions from our bottom line."

The chain at one time saw debt hit excess of 30m.

"We were growing exponentially, probably 25/30pc per annum, including new store openings."

Then in 2008, retail sales began to fall. "From that growth, we actually saw declining sales by 5/6pc per annum and that was even with additional stores."

The business wasn't quite in survival mode but it was a time of consolidation.

Debt is now around 10m and McCauley says he was lucky that the company's debt was reasonably sustainable. Only one store closed, in St Stephen's Green shopping centre, and that was before the recession.

Further margin cuts have followed, with the HSE now using reference pricing to keep Ireland in line with other EU countries.

"What caused the pricing differential was the wholesale price. It's the price the Government negotiated with the wholesale supplier," says McCauley. "I think we're very competitive now."

The market has settled down and pharmacies are once again changing hands. "Now there is a plethora of pharmacies coming to the market because prices have hit a level where people now accept that is the value."

McCauley is now executive chairman of the group and remains very involved, although not quite as hands on as in the past. "You're a human dynamo until you're 55, and I remember when we were opening a big store I'd be leading from the front. Suddenly about mid-50s you don't do that any more and there was a very deliberate passing on of the mantle.

"A lot of people want to die with their boots on and I made a very deliberate decision to step back from the public profile."

McCauley is clearly open to selling some if not all of his stake. The business was close to being sold to Lloyds last year according to several industry sources, but Lloyds apparenty pulled back amid a HSE challenge to how it charged for some dispensing fees. McCauley says he couldn't say what space the McKesson-owned Lloyds is in now.

He says he has no sentimental attachment to equity. Growth is essential to the business. "I would love to have people on board to create that sort of energy in the business," he says.

Consolidation is inevitable, he feels.

"Everyone says you need a good recession to sharpen your business. We consolidated, paid down debt, reduced and cut costs," he says.

"You have to have a growth-oriented dynamic in your business. It's the old adage, if you're not growing you are going the other way."
'The report is called The Facebook-Media Relationship Status: It's Complicated. It aims to examine Facebook's relationship with the news industry and explain how its news feeds work.' Photo: Getty

The Reuters Institute recently found that 44pc of people across 26 countries now rely on Facebook for news. Factor in Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram, and up to 55pc discover news content on apps and algorithms designed by Mark Zuckerberg and Co.

But Facebook still insists it's not a media company. "We build the tools, we do not produce any content," Zuckerberg said recently. It's not the most credible claim. And it's one that comes under the microscope of a new report from the International News Media Association, which refers to Zuckerberg as the "super editor-in-chief".

The report is called The Facebook-Media Relationship Status: It's Complicated. It aims to examine Facebook's relationship with the news industry and explain how its news feeds work. And it does so in an interesting way - by examining Facebook's patents.

"Facebook's algorithms are the invisible hands of the most powerful news editor in the world but we know very little how they work," says Grzegorz Piechota, the report's author. "Patents show that the platform has been designed to facilitate private interactions between users, and has always prioritised their private content. Facebook's News Feed is clearly optimised for engagement, not to inform people about what's going on. When Facebook ranks stories, it has no way to judge stories' merits, so it rather tracks and calculates the probability of a user interacting with a story, like sharing it."

Piechota found that Facebook's algorithms change regularly and these changes can have huge implications for media companies that rely on the social network for traffic acquisition. "Facebook tweaks its algorithms frequently, a few times a week," he says. "It is doing surveys to identify problems or opportunities, and then it runs tests on groups of users before it releases the change worldwide. Most of the changes go unannounced. "Sometimes the change is significant and has a profound impact on news consumption. For example: 79 out of the top 100 US digital publishers receiving Facebook referral traffic saw it decrease in Q2 2016 versus Q1 2016, according to SimilarWeb, an analytics company. New York Times fell by 25pc, CNN by 33pc, Newsweek by 47c. Facebook has never explained what happened."

But media companies aren't just relying on Facebook as a referrer of traffic. Many of them are now relying on Facebook to monetise content through the likes of Facebook Instant Articles. Through Facebook's Audience Network they'll soon be able to fill inventory with ads from Facebook.

"Publishers report mixed experiences with monetisation of ads sold for Instant Articles," Piechota says. "For example, Liberation in France claims it has been getting a better cut from ads sold by Facebook than when it sells on its own, and the Independent in the United Kingdom has found the opposite. We're at an early stage in the development of monetisation models for content on Facebook. The platform hasn't needed them so far as it has been flooded with free content. Video seems to be changing that. To disrupt television advertising markets, digital platforms like Facebook need to provide high quality content. Amateurs and their private clips alone won't do anymore."

This is good news for media companies that can create valuable video content that Facebook users can like, share and discuss. But not great news for creators of general news, as Facebook now does a better job of many of the activities that previously created or captured value in the media industry, including aggregation, advertising and distribution.

"While journalism may be needed now more than ever, its financial and operating models have been disrupted by the likes of Facebook and Google," says Piechota.

"Software companies grew big and important because they excelled in innovation and provided great service to users. With such scale, though, comes greater responsibility and scrutiny about what service or disservice they do to society. We should expect more transparency about what social platforms filter, what societies learn about the world, more acknowledgement and accountability for their editorial choices, and collaboration with the news media to find ways to secure the future of our free and self-governing societies."

The report concludes by suggesting that publishers need to fully engage with digital transformation. But not a transformation that's focused on technology, but one which requires a re-engineering of the fundamental relationship between media brands and their audience. As a result, media companies shouldn't see Facebook as a silver bullet in relation to their online evolution. "Publishers need to look at Facebook in context of their whole digital strategy to evaluate opportunities and risks of doing business with the platform," Piechota says. "I'd suggest the pragmatic approach to Facebook and other platforms. There are more choices than love or hate. It's not marriage. It's just business."
'The issue was raised by tax lawyer William Fogarty of Maples & Calder at the recent Real Estate Stakeholders Summit, of which the Sunday Independent and Irish Independent are media sponsors.' Photo: PA

Measures introduced four years ago to encourage property transactions in the depths of the recession has led to land being hoarded.

In what appears to be an unintended consequence of the seven-year Capital Gains Tax (CGT) holiday introduced by Michael Noonan in Budget 2012, buyers of land must wait until January 1, 2019 before releasing it to the market to avoid incurring a CGT liability.

The issue was raised by tax lawyer William Fogarty of Maples & Calder at the recent Real Estate Stakeholders Summit, of which the Sunday Independent and Irish Independent are media sponsors.

Highlighting the measure's contribution to the current housing crisis, Fogarty said: "It was brought in to incentivise the market. We're now in the bizarre place where people have bought land - and instead of them putting it to good use, they're waiting until January 1, 2019, before they'll release the land on the market.

"The Government could take a very good look at what impact its tax system is having on the property market. There are people hoarding land because that's what the Government told them to do."
The checklists above and below will help you obtain better assurance regarding how your company is prepared for new European regulations

While bringing many benefits, technology also brings with it many threats. With companies gathering more and more information on their customers, there is the increased risk of damage to those individuals should a company suffer a security breach. This information, if improperly exposed, could cause a lot of embarrassment to the people affected.

Should it fall into the hands of cyber criminals, it could have a severe financial impact.

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The European Union's Data Protection Directive is concerned about any information, either by itself or used with other pieces of information, that could identify a living person. This information could be items such as email addresses, passport numbers, driver's licence numbers, financial details, union membership, medical history or information relating to a person's sexual, religious or political beliefs.

On December 15, 2015, the EU agreed to replace the existing EU Data Protection Directive with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR).

The EU GDPR brings in new obligations to companies and will come into effect in May 2018. Under the EU GDPR, there will be a number of new rules for companies. These will include the obligation to appoint a Data Protection Officer; companies who suffer from a security breach will be obliged to notify "the supervisory authority" without delay or within 72 hours; and there will be fines for companies who are proven negligent in the case of a security breach, to name but a few.

These new rules will have implications for how businesses handle and secure the personal data entrusted to it by its customers and staff. While it will take time for the EU GDPR to come into full effect, it will also take time for companies to be properly prepared for that eventuality.

The checklists that we have compiled (see above and below) will help you obtain better assurance regarding how your company is prepared for these new regulations. An incomplete or negative response to any of the following items indicates the relevant area of risk needs to be addressed.

Brian Honan is an independent security consultant with BH Consulting. He will be speaking at Dublin Info Sec 2016 along with industry leaders in the sector. For more information: independent.ie/infosec2016
'Mee is an investor in Accounts IQ via his family fund Clannmee Holdings. He was ranked 111th on the Sunday Independent's 2016 Rich List with a fortune of 125m.'

Veteran Irish software tycoon Pearse Mee has joined the board of cloud accounting firm Accounts IQ. The company's founder and chief executive Tony Connolly said Mee's expertise would help Accounts IQ grow its UK presence.

Galway entrepreneur Mee (74) was behind Memory Computer - the first computer-related firm to float on the Irish Stock Exchange.

Later he cofounded AMT-Sybex, a software firm that was sold to Capita for 100m plus a conditional 27m in 2014.

Connolly said that Accounts IQ has tended to sell in to the UK from Ireland, but is now looking to set up a base there.

"It was in that context that Pearse came on to the board because he's obviously got specific experience...when AMT-Sybex started to take off it was largely based in the UK," Connolly told the Sunday Independent.

"We already get nearly 40pc of our revenues from the UK, we've had customers there for quite some time... our plan is to capitalise on the existing strong base that we've got and start to build it, and we see the UK as being one of the strong markets for us," Connolly added.

"We have customers in Australia and the US as well, but I suppose a particular focus is the UK because although we get a decent chunk of revenue from there, our presence is fairly small and we're relatively unknown in the UK.

"Getting software known in a space like that requires investment, it requires a bit of sales and marketing effort to get the name known and get the brand known so that's where we're focusing our attention."

Connolly said the company would look at raising additional funding "largely internally". Its software is designed to make it easier for firms to carry out accounting functions across multiple entities.

Mee is an investor in Accounts IQ via his family fund Clannmee Holdings. He was ranked 111th on the Sunday Independent's 2016 Rich List with a fortune of 125m.

Another investor and Accounts IQ's chairman is Mee's fellow tech entrepreneur Gerry McKeown, whose McKeown Software business - which also focussed on accounting - was sold for 12m in 2001 and is now part of Capita.

McKeown later became chairman of Mee's AMT-Sybex, which also counted former UK foreign secretary William Hague among its directors.

Eddie Murphy, the founder of web development business Labyrinth which was sold to BT, is also a board member and investor at Accounts IQ.

Murphy recently led a strategic review of listed tech firm Zamano, whose board he joined earlier this year.

Earlier this year Fayezul Choudhury, chief executive of the International Federation of Accountants, told the Sunday Independent that advances in data-processing capability raise questions about the role human beings will play in accountancy in future.

"The effect of technology on all professions, including the accountancy profession is going to be very profound. Because if you have that much processing capacity, than arguably artificial intelligence becomes much more realistic," he said.
A Silicon Valley company founded by Dragons' Den star Barry O'Sullivan is on a hiring drive at its Galway hub. The US-headquartered Altocloud, which has 16 staff at its base in Portershed in Galway city's Innovation District, is among a number of high-tech firms in the west and mid-west that have launched a campaign to attract IT specialists, engineers, software developers and data analysts to the region.

Co-founder and chief technology officer of Altocloud, Mayo man Joe Smyth says the company is planning to increase staff numbers by 20pc next year, divided 60/40 between R&D and sales.

"There is a great technology cluster here in Galway city and county where many companies are doing very interesting things in the R&D space.

"In fact, since the 1970s, Galway has been a place which attracts high-tech companies, in both IT and med-tech," said Smyth, who has worked for tech giants Apple, Nortel and Cisco over a 25-year career.

"We would love to find people from a range of skills who would like to settle back into the Galway area. There is a vibrant start-up community here, plus the added bonus of the very attractive lifestyle and culture of Galway."

Altocloud is a predictive communications software platform that uses analytics and machine learning to improve online interactions, and helps e-commerce firms convert online browsers into buyers.

TechWest 2016, an event to showcase jobs on offer from firms such as Altocloud, General Motors and payments company ACI Worldwide - as well as the benefits of making the move from Dublin to the west and mid-west - will be held at the Gibson Hotel in Dublin on Wednesday October 26.
Bob Geldof is being sued for millions after a former Boomtown Rat bandmate claims he co-wrote 1979 hit I Don't Like Mondays.

Geldof was credited as the sole writer of the No.1 song when it was released, but now John Moylett, known as Johnnie Fingers, claims he wrote the music and some of the lyrics of the song but was pressured into not taking credit at the time, reports The Irish Mail on Sunday.

Thirty seven years later, Moylett says he composed the majority of the music while Geldof wrote most of the lyrics, according to his High Court writ.

Moylett said he started working on a chord sequence and melody once he had returned to Britain from America, where inspiration struck, which evolved into the famous piano riff.

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He claims he played the melody to Geldof who told him it sounded "too classical."

Geldof, however, says in papers filed in response that he played the song with the rest of the band, including Moylett, in a recording studio in London several days after returning from America.

The keyboard player, who lives in Japan, is seeking two-thirds of the royalties accumulated over the years.

The song was written after 16-year-old Brenda Spencer fired shots into a California school playground,killing two and wounding nine.

When asked why she carried out the shooting, she replied: "I don't like Mondays," which subsequently went on to inspire the song.
After the bodies of deaf brothers Daniel and William McCarthy were found in their West Dublin home earlier this month, groups highlighted "the devastating effects of social isolation" for the senior deaf community in Ireland. The Irish Deaf Society said that "social isolation for the deaf community can happen due to the lack of accessible services in Irish Sign Language."

On Wednesday, the Seanad will vote on the Recognition of Irish Sign Language (ISL) for the Deaf Community Bill 2016. A similar bill in January 2014, brought forward by Fianna Fail Senator Mark Daly, was narrowly defeated.

Campaigners believe this is a watershed moment for how deaf people are treated in Ireland and are calling for equality and full recognition.

In Cork, Calum and Donnacha Geary are preparing to celebrate their eighth birthdays. The twins will share the moment as one... though nature has dictated that for one of the boys, the obstacles in his way are so much higher than for the other. Calum has had profound hearing difficulties since birth. His condition, known as Cochlear Nerve Aplasia (CNA), traditionally means a child is deaf and will have to rely on sign language to communicate.

Despite being the first Irish child to undergo the pioneering Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) procedure, at Manchester University Hospital in 2012, Calum still has the same hearing difficulties.

"The two boys sign to each other and they have two older brothers who can sign as well. Of course, we can communicate fine with Calum, he's our son and that's not a problem. It's what happens outside the home that's more of a concern for parents like Helen and I," explains Andrew Geary, who is campaigning for Irish sign language - crafted by deaf people in Ireland rather than being an adaptation of British sign language - to finally be recognised by the State.

ISL, in fact, more closely resembles French sign language than any other and the first dedicated deaf school in Ireland was the Claremont Institute, off Griffith Avenue in Dublin, which was opened in 1816 by Cork doctor Charles Orpen.

Fast-forward 200 years and the lack of official recognition of ISL became a huge problem for the Gearys once Calum started school.

"Communication in the classroom was so poor, he was falling behind from day one. The teachers did their very best and some up-skilled to learn some basic ISL but there was little fluency," explains Andrew, who's a garda sergeant in north Cork. The number of children in the country who require ISL in-class support on a permanent basis are limited to a few dozen, but still, access is so difficult for families to locate.

"One of the main problems is that ISL users who are proficient in the language face difficulties in becoming primary school teachers here because they need Irish (Gaeilge). As a result, we have a lack of deaf teachers who are fluent users of ISL - ultimately, this impacts children who use ISL to access the curriculum. Access to teacher education for deaf ISL users has to be opened up," explains Dr Elizabeth Mathews of Dublin City University's School of Inclusive and Special Education.

In total, there are around 5,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing ISL users in Ireland. Those campaigning for ISL to be recognised by the State argue this isn't a disability issue, as deaf ISL users consider themselves a cultural and linguistic minority.

Campaigners such as Dr John Bosco Conama, assistant professor at the Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College, is urging Senators to support the upcoming bill.

"It would be a long overdue recognition of the language which is so vital for deaf people across Ireland. It's hard to believe that in 2016, deaf children don't have the same right to a full education as others because their own native sign language is not available in the classroom," says Dr Conama.

"The consequences for young deaf people as they get older in Ireland can be serious and lead to frustration, poverty, unemployment, poor health and isolation. Many drop out of college and feel access to public services is very difficult."

Currently, there is no automatic right for deaf people to have an ISL interpreter (expect for in criminal court proceedings), which makes mundane tasks like visiting the doctor or local tax office an all but impossible task for many.

"In Finland, the State allows a voucher system where a deaf person can use their allowance to access an interpreter when needed. A similar system here would change people's lives for the better," he says.

Earlier this year, Andrew Geary travelled to Geneva as part of Ireland's Children's Rights Alliance delegation to the UN. On his return, he learned that funding had been provided so that Calum could have access to an ISL interpreter in his class at St Columba's Girls National School with Facility for Deaf Children in Douglas, Cork.

"His bridge is through a fluent ISL person and he's a bright boy who wants to learn," explains Andrew. "Our hope is that by the time Calum reaches college, or working age, the opportunities for profoundly deaf people in Ireland are so much greater than they are now. We have to keep working hard now, keep sprinting, to try and make sure that happens because Calum deserves to have the very same rights and opportunities as his twin brother Donnacha will have once he leaves school. It's a human right."
A man has been rushed to hospital after being shot in West Dublin on Saturday night.

The victim, who is in his 30s, was injured in the attack on Cherry Orchard Court in Ballyfermot.

He was brought from the scene by ambulance to St James' Hospital where his injuries are described as not life threatening.

The attack happened at approximately 8.20pm.

In a statement gardai said: "Gardai from Ballyfermot are at the scene of a shooting incident at Cherry Orchard Court. The incident occurred at approximately 2020hrs.

"A male aged in his 30s injured in the incident has been taken by ambulance to St Jamess Hospital. His injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

"The scene is preserved for a technical examination. No arrests have been made an enquiries are ongoing."

This is the second shooting to take place in the estate in the last year.

In May, Keith Murtagh (32) suffered a grazed arm when a gunman opened fire on a house in the estate.

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A woman, who was in the house at the time, also suffered minor injuries in the attack.

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Gardai believe that Murtagh was the intended target when a hitman shot dead innocent drug addict Martin ORourke last April.

It is not known if tonight's attack is connected to the shooting of Murtagh or any other previous Dublin shooting.

Investigating Gardai are appealing to anyone who was in the Cherry Orchard Court area at the time of tonight's incident or who may have information, to contact Ballyfermot Garda Station 01-6667200 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.
All ship-shape: Getting ready for the presentation of medals to Naval Service crews involved in the humanitarian mission, Operation Pontus Photo: Mary Browne

Special operational medals have been presented for the first time to members of the Defence Forces who were deployed abroad on non-peace support missions.

The Minister with Responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe, awarded the medals to 60 personnel.

At a special ceremony at Rosslare Harbour yesterday, Mr Kehoe paid tribute to 54 members of the crew of the LE Eithne, the Naval Service vessel which helped rescue migrants from the Mediterranean from May to July last year.

"During its deployment from May 16 to July 17 in 2015, the crew of the LE Eithne rescued a total of 3,377 migrants and provided assistance to a further 875 migrants," Mr Kehoe said. Medals were also presented to six members of a military unit deployed to Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis of 2014-2015.
A community has been left in "deep shock and anger" after an 11-year-old boy was knocked down by a truck in Meath on Sunday.

The 11-year-old boy remains in a critical condition in Tallaght hospital after he was knocked down at Abbeylands South, Navan at around 10am on Sunday morning.

He was airlifted to Tallaght Hospital and is in a critical condition.

The boy was named locally today as Elrich Caputo, from Troytown Heights on the outskirts of Navan town.

Neighbours said they had seen Gardai calling to Elrich's family home yesterday morning and his mother leaving with them a short time later.

"I didn't realise it was her boy that had been involved in the accident, it's awful for them," one neighbour said.

Last night Parkvilla FC put a photo of Elrich on its Facebook page along with a message.

"Please keep Elrich Caputo and his family in your thoughts and prayers. He was injured on his way to his match this morning," it read.

The driver of the truck, believed to be in his 30s, was uninjured.

Local Meath Cllr Wayne Forde said the community in is deep shock.

The road is very dangerous and busy with huge volumes of traffic.

The community is in deep shock and this little guy is in everyones thoughts and prayers. There is a lot of people praying for this young child and a lot of people angry as it is very dangerous.

Cllr Forde has been calling for the construction of a public walkover across the N3, to prevent such accidents from happening.

"It is very sad hearing of this awful accident today in Navan. Our prayers and thoughts are with the child and the family at this time."

Meanwhile, some local residents living near the scene of the accident said they were shocked but not surprised by the tragic collision that left the boy fighting for his life.

Eve Daly, (33) who lives in the O'Growney Terrace housing estate adjacent the busy road said locals have been calling for an overpass for years to make the crossing safer for pedestrians.

"That road can be very dangerous. There's a lot of foot traffic but so many people cross at the wrong place," she said.

"You have to cross over three times using a pedestrian crossing but people just cross over," she said.

Her 50-year-old neighbour said it's also dangerous for local motorists who have to manoeuvre around heavy traffic to get out of the estate, "It's lethal to get out of here," he said.

"The cars come flying around the corner,"he said.

"It's an accident waiting to happen."

The road is currently closed to facilitate the forensics to carry out their investigation and local diversions are in place.

Gardai in Navan are currently investigating the incident and are calling for anyone with information to come forward.
Minister for Children Katherine Zappone is planning to vote against a motion to repeal the constitutional ban on abortion.

The motion is to be brought forward by Ruth Coppinger of the AAA/PBP next week.

Zappone, who has previously voiced her support for the Repeal the Eighth campaign, has reportedly told constituents in Dublin South West that the matter should be left to the Citizens Assembly, according to the Sunday Times.

The Assembly met for the first time on Saturday at Dublin Castle.

One-hundred people from across Ireland have been randomly selected to represent the Assembly, which will examine potential changes to Irelands abortion laws.

It comprises of 52 women and 48 men, and will be chaired by Supreme Court judge Mary Laffoy.

The next meeting will take place on November 25 in the Grand Hotel in Malahide, at which time it will consider the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.

I believe women should have the right to make their own reproductive choices. A Citizens Assemblywill be the fastest way to achieve our goal as, through its work, it shines a light on the human stories at the heart of this issue. This way of building support is tried and tested, and delivered marriage equality, Zappone told a pro-choice voter who emailed her office.
Convicted killer Dave Mahon has allegedly been left with a fractured jaw after a vicious attack in prison.

Mahon, who was sentenced to seven years in jail in April for the manslaughter of his stepson Dean Fitzpatrick, was reportedly assaulted in the shower area of Wheatfield Prisons gym.

The Dubliner claims that he slipped and fell in the shower, but a source told the Sunday World that he is refusing to tell officers who assaulted him.

There are no cameras in the shower area, so no-one can be properly questioned about the incident.

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Mahon is terrified of ratting on whoever beat him up, as he has made numerous enemies and is afraid of further consequences, the source said.

He had previously been moved from Mountjoy prison during the summer as prison officials feared for his safety.

On Friday, the 45-year-old launched an appeal against his seven year jail sentence for killing his stepson Dean.

He was granted legal aid in the Court of Appeal to bring an appeal against the severity of his sentence.

Mr Justice George Birmingham ruled on Mahon's legal aid application, which was uncontested.

Dean Fitzpatrick died after receiving a stab wound to the abdomen outside the apartment that Dave Mahon was sharing with Deans mother, Audrey.

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In his defence, Mahon claimed that he did not intentionally kill Dean, and that he had walked into the knife on purpose.

In 2015, he married Deans mother Audrey, who has stood by him since the death of her son in 2013.

The family are still searching for their daughter Amy Fitzpatrick, who went missing from their home Spain in 2008.

Amy went missing without trace on New Year's Eve as she walked home from a friend's house along an unlit dirt track.

Mahon, who previously worked as an estate agent, claimed he had no money during his trial for Deans death, after spending millions on extensive searches for Amy, and asked to be granted legal aid.
President Michael D Higgins has warned it is quite possible that the world is about to shift in a very dangerous direction.

Mr Higgins, discussing themes such as the rise of Donald Trump and Brexit, has spoken about exploitation of the politics of fear during times of economic hardship.

I think between 2008 and 2011 the number in poverty in the United States went from 11pc to just under 15pc.

So you either lift them out of that, or you do the other thing.

And that is you seek to exploit it in a politics of fear, he said, speaking today as the first guest on Agenda, TV3s new show with David McWilliams.

And, we see the politics of fear in the demagoguery of the United States.

We see the politics of fear equally in relation to the anti-immigrant, the anti-refugee thinking that is going on in so many European countries, he added.

The choice is between the politics of fear and the politics of integration, in very much a fractured world, he said.

Mr Higgins was on the programme to discuss some of the big themes in his new book When Ideas Matter, including the plight of refugees.

He said he remained optimistic and people were open to new ideas about economies which are logical and measurable. But he warned there was a danger of the world going the other way.

Its capable of giving us the nightmare that we had, that gave us fascism and racism, he said.

Asked by Mr McWilliams if he was worried the world would shift in a very dangerous direction in the next few years, Mr Higgins said: I think it is quite possible.
The Government will dock the pay of thousands of teachers in a hard-line response to the threat of industrial action by the country's biggest secondary school teachers union, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

The Department of Education last night confirmed that in circumstances where schools were forced to close, teachers would be taken off the State's payroll.

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The decision to hit teachers in their pockets will further raise tensions between the Government and the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) - the only teachers' union still refusing to sign up to the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

Teachers plan to withdraw from supervision and substitution duties from Monday, November 7, which could lead to the closure of over 450 secondary schools.

Now these teachers face the prospect of having their pay stopped.

The truth is, that if we dont have an agreement that covers all persons in the public service, and allows the phased restoration, if we had to restore all of them it would cost 2.3 billion," Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton told RTE Radio 1 Sunday afternoon.

That would absorb all of this years entire Budget and all of next years so there would be no recruitment this year of 2,500 additional teachers.

Minister Bruton was asked when equal pay would be achieved but he said that this "has to be negotiated through the successor to the Lansdowne Agreement and the Minister for Public Expenditure has announced that a public service commission will be established early next year".

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In the mean time, a young teacher recruited last September will get 6,700 by the 1st January 2018. That is a substantial amount, it is a significant progress," he said.

Anyone recruited in public service has had to take lower pay and has had to work the so-called Croke Park hours.

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In a statement to the Sunday Independent, a spokesperson for Minister Bruton,said the union's refusal to exempt school principals from the strike action meant it was "now inevitable" that hundreds of schools around the country would be forced to turn away students during planned industrial action.

The spokesman said Mr Bruton would have no choice but to cut the wages of teachers if schools were shut due to health and safety concerns over the withdrawal of supervision and substitution work.

"In circumstances where schools are forced to close as a result of the withdrawal of teachers from their duties relating to supervision and substitution, teachers who have not made themselves available for these duties will come off the payroll," he said.

The minister's spokesperson said there was currently a deal on the table which would see newly qualified teachers' pay increase by up to 22pc, while a teacher with 11 years' experience would see their pay rise by 9pc.

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Mr Bruton's firm stance against the teaching union comes as the country faces into a winter of unprecedented industrial action as gardai also prepare to strike for the first time in the State's history.

However, a Department of Justice spokesman last night refused to be drawn on whether Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald will also cut garda pay if they engage in industrial action.

"Department officials are meeting with the Garda Representative Association (GRA) next week to discuss a range of issues which it's hoped will result in industrial action being avoided," the spokesperson said.

The ASTI announced on Friday that members will strike for seven full days between October 27 and Christmas.

The union also plans to withdraw teachers from all substitution and supervision duties from Monday, November 7, which may also have the effect of forcing schools to close on health and safety grounds.

The ASTI is refusing to give school principals an exemption from industrial action which would allow them co-ordinate alternative arrangements with the Department of Education to keep schools open.

Government sources say this means it will be nearly impossible to put in place any contingency plan.

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It emerged yesterday that the Department of Education and Skills has drawn up detailed contingency plans to cope with the fall-out from the teachers' mass walk-out.

Parents of school children in affected schools will be invited to become supervisors for a fee of 38 a day. Applications forms will be issued to parents in advance of the planned strike action.

Fianna Fail's education spokesman Thomas Byrne said the proposal showed the Department was "scrambling" to take control of the problem.

Mr Byrne said the ASTI "need to be shown" by the Government that the Lansdowne Road Agreement can result in more pay for members, as it has for the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) and Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO).

"There is a path to progress there but it requires continual dialogue and intense engagement by the Government that hasn't happened up until now and there is a definite lack of communication," he said.

A spokesperson for ASTI said the union "will not impede the Government's contingency plans" regarding the recruitment of parents to run schools.

"We are aware that they have their contingency plans that include letters to parents. We are not happy that it has come to this. Will we impede those contingency plans? No we won't," he said.

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ASTI members voted overwhelmingly last week to take industrial action and the dates were selected by the union's standing committee on Friday. The planned days of strike action are October 27, November 8, November 16, November 24, November 29, December 6 and December 7.

The union will also withdraw supervision and substitution duties from Monday, November 7 onwards but teachers will still show up for work.

Teachers voted in favour of strike action in order to secure equal pay for new entrants to teaching, and over payment for supervision and substitution duties.

In a statement last week, the ASTI president Ed Byrne said: "The sense of injustice amongst all teachers is palpable. ASTI members are committed to achieving equal pay for equal work for all teachers."
Ms Zappone insisted she will not give a "cash benefit" to relatives who handle childminding duties for busy parents in future Budgets Stock Image: GETTY

Children's minister Katherine Zappone has sparked a new controversy over the future of childcare by suggesting grandparents are insulted by the suggestion they should receive state support for caring for grandchildren.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Independent, Ms Zappone insisted she will not give a "cash benefit" to relatives who handle childminding duties for busy parents in future Budgets and also categorically ruled out any direct payments to stay-at-home mothers.

However, Transport Minister Shane Ross hit back at his Cabinet colleague last night and insisted the "priceless" role played by grandparents and stay-at-home parents in childcare should be rewarded in the next Budget.

"Grandparents are the unsung heroes and heroines of the childcare problem," Mr Ross told the Sunday Independent. Ms Zappone said her landmark 120m childcare package will mean families will be less reliant on grandparents and can instead avail of state-regulated childcare.

"I know some organisations have been in touch with us to say they have got a lot of calls, especially from grandparents, who are actually upset to hear the suggestion they should be paid," the Independent minister said.

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"What they are doing is making a choice to support their daughters or their sons and want to make that contribution to family life and it's not a job and they don't want it to be perceived as a job," she added.

Mr Ross argued in favour of introducing a so-called 'granny grant' during Budget negotiations with Fine Gael but the proposal was rejected.

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"The Independent Alliance put detailed suggestions along these lines to Fine Gael during Budget talks. It was agreed that they were worthy of further thought and merited in- depth examination," he said.

In today's Sunday Independent, Ms Zappone says there are already state supports in place for stay-at-home parents in the form of tax reliefs for carers and places in early childcare school, along with child benefit payment.

"Are we going to give them cash? No, we are not going to give them cash. Every family gets child benefit, there's quite a bit of support there," she added. Ms Zappone also said there are lots of mothers "double jobbing" by going out to work everyday before coming home to household chores and childminding duties.

"I think most people would probably agree that the reality is women who are out working ... are probably more likely to be the ones who are fixing the meals or doing some of the domestic chores," she said.

Ms Zappone's comments will inflame the debate over how the State views stay-at-home parents versus those who work.

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Last week, Ms Zappone unveiled a new means-tested state-subsidy scheme aimed at lower income families which will contribute to childcare costs for all children between the ages of six months and 15 years old. A separate universal payment of at least monthly payments of up to 80 for children aged six months to three years will also be introduced.

Both schemes will be introduced next September.

The childcare package also included 86m in extra funding to extend the Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme and the free pre-school scheme. Ms Zappone said she expects to get a further 120m funding in next year's Budget which she will use to expand these schemes and improve the quality of childcare workers through education and training. The minister also warned she will introduce price caps on childcare if costs increase on foot of the new measures.

An independent review of childcare costs will consider the "pluses and minuses of capping fees", she said.

"At the moment I suppose we perceive that as a market intervention. Is it necessary? Maybe," she said. The minister also revealed she is favour of increasing paternity leave.

"The research demonstrates that it is really good for babies and I would love to be able to see that. Three months, is it possible? Certainly my voice will be added to that," she said.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Maurice Manning, Chancellor of the National University of Ireland, at the inaugural meeting of the Citizens' Assembly which took place at Dublin Castle Photo: Mark Condren

A warning was issued to members of the Citizens' Assembly about their use of social media by Taoiseach Enda Kenny as it met for the first time yesterday.

It comes as pro-life activists accused one of the assembly members of being a pro-choice campaigner.

Mr Kenny said it was vital the 99 people who will deliberate over abortion legislation remain aware of the divisive nature of the topic they will discuss. They will then be expected to report their findings to the Oireachtas.

At the first assembly meeting at Dublin Castle yesterday he told the members that technology can lead to people being secluded because of their opinions.

"We are all aware that one particular aspect of your deliberations - the Eighth Amendment - has divided our country in the past. Today, the potential for such division is the same.

"Social media puts the assembly within the reach, and indeed the sights, of those with deeply held views on either side of any debate".

Mr Kenny added diverse opinions can draw attention to members and he appealed to the public to allow members of the assembly to go about their work without interference.

"We live in a time when a diverse opinion has become something, or someone, to be pitied, ridiculed, virtually hounded or indeed destroyed.

"On behalf of the Oireachtas, I ask everybody to please allow the members of the assembly the necessary space and respect to go about their work."

These views were repeated by the assembly's chairperson, Ms Justice Mary Laffoy.

"It is critical to the success and integrity of this assembly that the members can freely and confidentially make contributions and express their views without fear of harassment or criticism," she said.

A public introductory session was held in Dublin yesterday to allow the chairperson and other members to meet each other and gain an understanding of their roles.

Pro-life supporters demonstrated outside, where campaigner Cora Sherlock alleged one of the assembly members was an opposing activist who was tweeting about his role in the assembly.

"It is a very troubling development and would confirm the concerns that many people have raised about the entire process, including the selection of members," she said.

"If the Government had established the assembly with a view to taking a truly exhaustive look at the Eighth Amendment, there might have been some merit in that. But the clear purpose of the assembly is to pave the way for a referendum that will strip the unborn child of his or her right to life," she added.

An apparent assembly member posted pictures of yesterday's event on Twitter. He has previously used his account to express support for the pro-choice campaign. He also claims to have attended pro-abortion demonstrations in the past.

The assembly is expected to represent a broad range of people from around the country and is made up of people of different ages, backgrounds and gender. The sample process was designed to omit campaigners. Mr Kenny said its deliberations would be beyond politics and failed to rule out the possibility of a vote on the issue in the future.
The Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor has criticised the US presidential candidate Donald Trump just days after the Foreign Affairs Minister urged Fine Gael politicians to hold their fire.

Asked for her views for the Republican US presidential nominee, who is mired in controversy over sexual misconduct allegations, Ms O'Connor said: "I think that it is totally unacceptable the way he talks about women. And what really disgusted me was the way he spoke about people with disability. It is reprehensible."

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In an inteview with the Sunday Independent, she said: "But if I had to work with him, if he is the president of the US, I will absolutely work with him and I will have a working relationship."

Her comments came days after Charlie Flanagan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, told his parliamentary colleagues to stop publicly attacking Trump - because it was still possible that he could win the election.

At a recent Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting, sources reported Mr Flanagan said it was not appropriate to make disparaging remarks about him. Mr Flanagan confirmed to the Sunday Independent this weekend that he urged restraint.

"In the privacy of the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting, I advised colleagues to be measured and non-partisan in their comments about the US election, with particular reference to Trump," he said.

Prominent Fine Gael members who have criticised Donald Trump include Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar: he described comments made by the Republican candidate as "crass" and "tasteless", in the wake of the massacre at an Orlando nightclub by a man who pledged allegiance to Isil.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has previously said that the world will have to learn to work with Mr Trump if he becomes president of the US.

In her interview with the Sunday Independent this weekend, Ms Mitchell O'Connor dismissed reports that "strips were torn off her" at a parliamentary party meeting over her record on delivering jobs to the regions. She said the meeting was "difficult" but she was "fighting for Ireland".

"They're fighting for their constituencies. I was like that when I was a TD. I used to hound Michael Noonan," she said.

Ms Mitchell O'Connor, who is on the Government's Brexit committee, said there has been "a significant number of inquiries" from financial services companies seeking to relocate from Ireland to the UK.

She said: "Obviously we will compete vigorously to win for Ireland. Again, some of the issues that have come up were a lack of affordable housing and childcare, so we also now have addressed that in the Budget."

Ms Mitchell O'Connor said her focus is on building strong relationships and she "can nearly say" that she has the mobile phone number of every chief executive she has met "and I can ring them or they will ring me. So I think that is really important, that I can communicate, and I suppose most importantly, I can listen. I think it's really important to listen."

She said her pre-Budget proposal - shot down by the Taoiseach - to entice back high-earning returning emigrants by offering them lower tax "wasn't 100pc" hers. She plans to revisit the issue of enticing emigrants home in the next budget.
Gardai have arrested two men in connection with the seizure of cocaine worth 100,000 in Saggart, Co Dublin.

Gardai from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, supported by the Serious Crime Task Force, stopped two men in the Saggart area at approximately 4pm on Saturday.

During the search one kilogram of cocaine was seized and two men, aged 27 and 57, were arrested for drug trafficking offences.

They were brought to Clondalkin Garda Station where they were detained under the provisions of Section 2 of The Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.

Both men were subsequently charged in relation to the detections and are scheduled to appear before Blanchardstown District Court at 10.30am on the 17th October 2016.
The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 introduced a number of changes to the way your tenancy lease works and these changes have been gradually implemented over the last nine months with more to come. Here, Tim Ryan outlines the main points affecting your rights that are already in force.

All private residential tenancies are governed by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2004 and the amendments made to it since then. Under the Act, after an initial six-month period all tenancies become known by what are termed 'Part 4' tenancies. This means that after the first six months, you acquire some fundamental rights which last for a further three-and-a-half years after which the process starts all over again.

1 Your rent can only be increased every two years rather than every 12 months. This applies to all tenancy agreements issued on or after 4 December 2015. The new rules don't affect the fundamental mechanism for determining rents under the legislation, which is by reference to the market rent. 'Market rent' means the rent which a willing tenant not already in occupation would give, and a willing landlord would take, for the dwelling. In 2019, the rent review period will go back to 12 months.

2 Your landlord must give you a minimum of 90 days' notice of a rent increase. The notice can only take effect after a 24 month period has elapsed since the previous notice of a rent increase.

3 Both you and your landlord must give a longer notice period to end your lease. The length of notice required depends on the length of your tenancy. Since 4 December 2015, the notice periods for tenancies of five years or longer in duration has increased. The notice can be posted to tenants, be given to them in person or be left at the property. A landlord can give less notice if there is serious anti-social behaviour, i.e. violence, threats or intimidation as well as any persistent behaviour that interferes with neighbours. Periods of notice for anti-social behaviour can vary from as few as seven days in extreme instances, to 28 days for less serious offences.

4 Both you and your landlord may refer a dispute for mediation or adjudication to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) at any time. Under the new Act, you won't be charged a fee if you choose to have a dispute resolved by mediation. The process provides a trained mediator to assist both of you to reach an agreement without the need to attend a hearing or engage directly with each other. The RTB also offers a telephone mediation service which is a handy way to address disputes quickly and effectively. If you don't opt for mediation, then you can apply for adjudication, a process in which you or your representative must attend a sitting with your landlord before an independent adjudicator. The fee is 25 for a paper application and 15 for online. You can appeal the adjudicator's decision to a three-person Tribunal.

5 Further measures: The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 also provides for a number of other important measures including the lodging of your deposit with the RTB instead of paying it to your landlord. These measures will be introduced gradually by the relevant Minister in due course.

Full details are available at rtb.ie
What one measure would help tackle the rent crisis? We asked seven experts in the housing market what solution they would put in place. Here's what they said:

John Leahy, director at irishlandlord.com and author of Renting in Ireland

"We are constantly told the solution to the rental crisis is to increase supply, in fact the first step is to protect the existing stock of rental properties through tax reform. It is estimated that over 50,000 landlords have left the rented sector in recent years. A key driver of this exodus is the penal tax treatment of residential landlords. Many residential landlords incur a tax liability on their rental income, even though they make a cash loss on the property.

"We know from Residential Tenancy Board (RTB) data that 84pc of landlords own two or less properties. Independent research also shows that for 71pc of landlords, the rental income does not cover the mortgage repayment and there are still 27,000 buy-to-let properties in mortgage arrears.

"Many landlords remain under severe financial strain. One element of this financial pressure is the tax treatment of the sector. While the small increase in the Budget to the amount of mortgage interest allowable as an expense against tax is welcome (an increase from 75pc to 80pc), it will not be enough in the short term to stop the exodus of landlords from the market and further significant tax changes are required."

Aideen Hayden, chairperson of Threshold, national housing charity

"We welcome increased supports in Budget 2017 for low-income households, with improvements to the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme and Rent Supplement, however the main solution to addressing rent increases is capping exorbitant rents and we need a strong response to this issue. This year's Budget failed to introduce rent certainty measures, and it is urgent that a more permanent and balanced approach to regulating rent increases is put in place.

"Above all, we must have a national strategy for the private rented sector that is adequately resourced and has clear targets to address issues like long-term rent certainty, increasing affordable supply, improving the quality of rented housing and dealing with the difficulties in the buy-to-let sector."

Annette Hughes, director of DKM Economic Consultants

"Budget 2017 contained a number of measures to support the private rental sector. These are most welcome because they are predominantly aimed at encouraging investment and supply. Specifically the extension of the Rent-a-Room relief to 14,000 per annum is a good short-term measure which can increase supply immediately. This form of relief can encourage the take up of free space in dwellings by single tenants rather than having single tenants taking complete units. It can also assist new homeowners with their mortgage payments and has the potential to offer more affordable rental accommodation.

"The restriction of mortgage interest deductibility since 2009 contributed to significant tax increases for landlords, particularly for those who borrowed to acquire rented residential premises. The restoration of mortgage interest deductibility to 80pc from 75pc, although a small improvement, may encourage new investment. However, the restoration back to 100pc on a phased basis could mean another four years before the gap with the 100pc deductibility for non-residential rental property is closed.

"The most positive measure by far is the extension of the Living City Initiative to landlords. Unfortunately this scheme only applies to certain 'special regeneration areas' in five main cities. This scheme needs to be extended to cover other properties and other locations in our cities where tenants would willingly reside, allowing workers to live close to their place of employment and amenities and increasing footfall for existing businesses.

"What is needed is an audit of vacant units above business premises in our city centres to establish the scope for such an initiative. This extension to landlords should allow for both increased investment in the sector and should also assist in an improvement of quality and standards."

Owen Reilly, director of Owen Reilly

"The first thing to say is there's no crisis in the 2,000-plus market. If you are looking for a rental in Dublin at that level or higher, there is reasonable availability. The competition is at a lower level where there is a lack of good-quality accommodation at the 700 to 1,500-1,600 level; we recently showed a one-bed apartment for rent at 1,350 to 40 people.

"At the heart of the matter is the fact that not enough new homes have been built for 10 years and the build-to-let institutions, building for executives, are not going to solve the crisis at the lower middle end of the market.

"I believe the Government has a role to play - in compelling the use of vacant sites for housing, in zoning land for long-term, quality, affordable rental accommodation, in removing levies and VAT, but key in my opinion, is to incentivise private landlords to stay in the business.

"While our investor clients last year and this year have been less reliant on mortgages, we would strongly support 100pc tax relief on mortgages; overall, we would like to see residential landlords afforded the same reliefs as commercial property landlords."

Edward Thurman, co-founder of collegecribs.ie, a countrywide hub for student accommodation

"We need to build more of the right type of properties in the right location. It is happening as part of the Housing Action plan announced in July, with a national policy of student accommodation which is encouraging. For example, Ashfield, a new campus in UCD, added 300-plus beds and they want to double the number of on-campus beds to over 3,000. The right things are happening but it takes time to bring to completion.

"In general, there wasn't as great a panic from students this year about accommodation. It could be because they are better organised, and are coming online in April to look for accommodation for the following September.

"All the media coverage is hitting home for second, third and fourth years but that does leave first year students, who don't know where they are going to be, looking for accommodation. However, we do see UCD, for example, promising enough beds for first year students by block booking them.

"It is a matter of time - the Budget's measures are helping. The help-to-buy is a step in the right direction, it's not a silver bullet but it incentivises first-time buyers to buy property and takes them out of the rental market where they are competing with students for the same type of properties."

David Bracken, of David Bracken Estates

"In order to encourage landlords back into the housing market, the Government needs to treat their service as they would any other business. On rental income landlords pay income tax, USC and PRSI. The LPT (local property tax) is the responsibility of the landlord yet it is not allowable as an expense. What this means is that a landlord is being asked to pay for services enjoyed by their tenants but cannot claim this as an expense.

"The rate of mortgage interest relief which is increasing from 75pc to 80pc is not enough and needs to be increased immediately to the previous level of 100pc.

"The costs of improvement to a rental property cannot be claimed as an expense upfront yet it needs to be paid by the landlord immediately. This means there is no incentive to improve rental properties. Replacing furniture can only be claimed by writing the costs off over an eight-year period, yet the cost of buying it has to be paid for straight away.

"A further incentive, giving property owners 125pc of mortgage interest relief if a property is rented to those on rental assistance (welfare allowance), would redress the current two-tier rental sector we now have."

Rosalind Carroll, director of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)

"Increasing rents is a huge concern for many, but the real and underlying issue is the overall shortage of adequate rental accommodation. Budget 2017 has introduced some measures which can help renters to find a home by increasing the stock of housing that is available to rent, and enabling renters on lower incomes to better compete for the available stock and to avoid homelessness.

"Clearly, the most vulnerable group of renters are those on low incomes and reliant on State subsidies such as Rent Supplement and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Over the last year, the increases in market rents have pushed private rental accommodation beyond the readh of many.

"Therefore the Budget proposal to further increase resources for the HAP Scheme and Rent Supplement programmes is very welcome. The additional 105 million for HAP next year will bring the budget for this programme to 153 million, an increase of 220pc compared to 2016. According to the Government this will enable an additional 15,000 households to avail of HAP, and this is a very welcome development.

"Protecting existing supply and attracting new supply is equally important. The Budget proposal to increase interest relief on rental properties for landlords from 75pc to 80pc next year, and by 5pc instalments annually thereafter until it reaches 100pc, is a step in the right direction in supporting supply.

"However, the real test for us in dealing with the current rental crisis will be getting the forthcoming rental strategy right. The Housing Minister Simon Coveney has undertaken to bring forward a rental strategy by the end of this year, the first significant strategy for the sector since the Commission on Private Rental reported in 2000.

"Some of the key principles, which I believe must underpin this strategy, include: having a regulatory framework that is simple to understand and follow; understanding the market we have and avoiding unforeseen consequences; and the need to provide certainty to both renters and landlords about the type of rental sector we will have."
Forest Avenue restaurant in Dublin 4 is amongst the very best in Ireland at the moment. Photograph: Tony Gavin

Food in Ireland has improved so dramatically over the past few years that it's sometimes hard to remember what things were like in the bad old days. We take it for granted now that we are more likely to get a good restaurant meal than a bad one, particularly in Dublin.

Over the space of a few short years, we also have grown accustomed to the modern tasting menu. John Wyer was, I think, the first chef in Ireland to start offering this new style of menu when he and his wife, Sandy Sabek, also a chef, put on the first Supper Club Project pop-ups about five years ago. I remember going to one of these events in a guest-house in Ballsbridge and leaving on a high, having eaten 10 courses of some of the most exciting food that I had ever encountered, each course so carefully balanced that it was somehow not too much food. It felt like the start of something important.

John was formerly the head chef at L'Ecrivain, and Sandy the pastry chef in the same restaurant. After a couple of years of pop-ups, during which time John was one of Lynda Booth's head tutors at The Dublin Cookery School, the couple managed to scrape together the resources to open their open place, in a former pizza parlour opposite the Mespil flats on Sussex Road.

That was three years ago, and Forest Avenue - named after the street on which Sandy grew up in Queens, New York - has since quietly established itself as one of Dublin's essential restaurants. The Wyers don't use a PR company, and they don't do flash. They just get on with the business of serving up consistently excellent food, in a restaurant that, thanks to Sandy at front of house, never feels stressed or over-crowded.

Earlier this year, the Wyers opened a second establishment, Forest & Marcy, around the corner, in partnership with chef, Ciaran Sweeney. It's one of the best new restaurants to open in Dublin this year, with the ambience of a wine bar.

Back in the spring, I had Forest Avenue's tasting menu one evening, seated at a table with a view of Wyer and his chefs working methodically in the open kitchen. On this occasion, we went for lunch on a Friday and opted for the three-course lunch menu rather than the full tasting.

Wyer's food has evolved over the years and, while it remains resolutely seasonal, he does not restrict himself to Irish ingredients as by doing so he would rule out opportunities for flavour that would otherwise be open to him. That means that, unlike some hyper-local restaurants, you'll find ingredients such as lemons and Parmesan and Comte in the larder at Forest Avenue: if something is going to make a dish better, then Wyer will use it. It's a liberating way to work.

First to the table is a chewy-crusted caramelised onion bread with house butter, and spiced flat breads with a homemade ricotta. All utterly delicious. Next up, a miniature Waldorf salad wrapped in celeriac and topped with a sliver of dexter beef salami, with a dollop of caper and raisin puree for contrast, and a tapioca cracker with cep custard, hazelnut and grated foie gras that's luscious.

Agnolotti has become something of a signature dish at Forest Avenue. Today's version is filled with aged Parmesan, there are sweetcorn and pickled runner beans in the sauce puddled around the pasta at the bottom of the deep bowl. The flavours are intense; it's a lick the bowl moment. A salad of carrot and fig with duck prosciutto, pumpkin seeds and goat's yoghurt is like a colourful winter scene dusted with snow; fresh and light.

Perfectly cooked plaice burnished to a light golden colour is served with parsley root and crisp, melting cavolo nero in a seaweed butter with chanterelles, while greengages and salted lemons contrast with the leg and loin of strongly flavoured Comeragh mountain lamb, served with olive and crushed potato. Wyer pairs rump and rib of beef with black, fermented garlic, charred hispi cabbage and a little remoulade of broccoli stem.

For dessert there are nice contrasts in a bowl of autumnal plums with a sheep's milk ice-cream, and treacle pudding dusted with whey caramel, and the simple elegance of Galway Goat cheese with a puree of apples and candied walnuts.

We pushed the boat out with two excellent bottles of wine. The St Aubin 2014, a creamy, rounded white burgundy with notes of almond (98), and the Greywacke 2013 Marlborough pinot noir, a powerful red with delicious fruit and spice (62). With water and coffee, the bill for our lunch for four came to 299.50 before service. Lunch for two, with a more modestly priced wine (such as the lovely organic Saladini Pilastri 'Falerio' from Le Marche, 32), would come in at around 100, and I can't think of a more pleasant way to while away a couple of hours.

I can't finish without noting that there was an expectation that Forest Avenue would have been awarded a Michelin star this year. The star for Heron & Grey is warmly welcomed by all, and seen as an indication that Michelin can shake off its frumpy shackles and give the nod to a modest establishment serving exceptional food. The decision not to give a star to Forest Avenue is inexplicable.

ON A BUDGET

The two-course lunch menu is priced at 26.

ON A BLOW OUT

The six-course tasting menu, available at both lunch and dinner, is priced at 50/60; matching wines are 55. Add water and coffee and you'd be looking at a bill of 240 for two before service.

THE HIGH POINT

John Wyer's food is amongst the very best in Ireland at the moment. Forest Avenue is a very special restaurant.

THE LOW POINT

A slight regret that we went for the three-course lunch menu rather than the six-course tasting menu. Oh well, we'll just have to go back.

THE RATING

9/10 food

9/10 ambience

9/10 value for money

27/30
Not every family would agree to buy a castle with a dark and sad history, but that's exactly what the Cope family from Kilkenny did.

The tower house, located around an hour's drive from Dublin, was rebuilt in 1708 by Peter Aylward, who bought the house from his wife's family.

In the many years, between then and now, the castle has seen its fair share of tragedies and atrocities, including the shooting of a local priest and the murder of two Cromwellian soldiers.

When Alyward himself died, his body was stolen from the on-site graveyard only a night or two after he was buried.

Nowadays, the castle has a reputation for being a place you would not like to visit after dark. There have been numerous sightings of spectres haunting the castle grounds.

However, these legends don't phase the Cope family, who currently reside in the beautiful but ominous castle.

"People probably think we're the Addams family of Kilkenny," Sybil Cope jokes.

"I'd actually welcome that."

In order to fund the castle's upkeep, the Cope family frequently throw the impressive abode's doors open to the public. There are artists retreats, B&Bs and family events throughout the year.

One of their biggest annual events is the Scare Fest Halloween tour.

It would be fair to assume a candle and lantern-lit tour of a 17th century castle with a reputation for hosting otherworldly entities that go bump in the night would cause enough fright. The Cope Family, however, do not.

At various points throughout the tour, actors jump out or bang doors in nearby rooms. Some are there to explain the castle's rich history. More are there just to give you a good fright.

See how our Independent.ie reporters faired in the video above. SPOILER: They screamed a lot.

Sybil, one of the Cope family children, created Scare Fest along with her brother Reuben a few years ago. At that point, there were only two competing ventures like that in Ireland. This year, at Halloween time, it's a very saturated market.

"We want to keep the integrity of the house. Always. That's our main aim. The reason to do the tours and open up the house is to keep the house here," she said,

"We do it so we can fund roof repairs or whatever things have to be done, because it's such a huge expense to live here.

Although many people have had the wits frightened out of them during the tour, Sybil says there's one that always springs to mind.

"One year, a guy thought he'd be really good and scare his friends himself. He skipped ahead and hid in a bush, but what he didn't realise was the bush was actually one of our team dressed as a bush," she said.

"He leaned against the bush ready to scare his friends, then the bush turned around and gave him a big smile. Then he fainted.

"Our Death went to give him a hand up, but he looked up and sees Death's face and hands coming towards him and he faints again."

For Sybil though, living in a castle with such a reputation, is simply normal life. Her family moved into the castle when she was only two-years-old. The mysterious noises and feeling that she's not along in seemingly empty rooms are par for the course.

"There are creaks and noises and all kinds of footsteps and weird things, but you take it with a pinch of salt. It's part of the house and that's all it is," she said.

"I don't get a negative feeling in this house. I'm sure there are places where there are really bad energies and negative ghosts, but I don't get that here."

For more information, visit the Shankill Castle website here.
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Mary Kenny Opinion If men want to yammer on about sport, then let them  it helps them connect emotionally

I was travelling on a train from Dublin to Cork, and near me sat two Dublin men. Throughout the entire journey they managed to keep up a fluent dialogue about English football teams. From Aston Villa to Sheffield Wednesday, from Crystal Palace to Manchester City the conversation flowed eloquently. I was in awe at the minutiae of their knowledge and expertise. And if the topic of their discourse lacked a certain variety, it was nonetheless better than sitting in sullen silence, or glued to their phones.
It was another brilliant lesson from the French to the world in How To Have (And How To Be) A State Mistress.

Forget cashing in your chips in the form of some sordid chat-show revelation, or squirrelling away a semen-stained dress as 'proof' of the liaison. Forget hiding behind lawyers and spouses, or retreating to conventional morality when caught out. Forget implausible denials. The Mitterrand letters, excerpts of which were published this past week, have rewritten the rules of political indiscretion.

They showed that as long as there was love, there is also public forgiveness. Even for a man who was reviled in his lifetime as a 'quasi-pharaoh'. Even for a woman - Anne Pingeot - dismissed until recently as the 'other woman' of a corrupt and bygone political establishment. And even for a liaison which Mitterrand himself described (in reference to the great age difference between him and Pingeot) as "perfect incest".

Parisian literary critics were reported to be swooning over the stylistic sweep of the letters. The BBC observed that 'The Great Seducer', as Mitterrand was known in his lifetime, has seduced his country one more time.

This is because, unlike his philandering counterparts in other countries - our own included - Mitterrand seems to have understood that the letters, and the affair, would play a role in how his legacy was perceived. More than one French critic has pointed out that they seem to have been written with one eye to publication. Unsurprisingly, then, the missives began almost immediately after the affair began.

Mitterrand and Pingeot met in 1963, when she was barely 20 years old and he was a 47-year-old senator, already a cabinet minister many times over, and married with two teenage sons. They quickly became infatuated with each other. By the following year, he was writing to her: "When I met you I realised immediately that I was undertaking a great journey.

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"There will never be absolute night for me again. The solitude of my death will be less solitude, Anne, my love."

His writing was florid, sensual and sincere. In a letter dated July 16, 1970, he writes: "I love you as one loves one's child," and later confesses. "... the joy that flows in me when I hold your mouth, the possession that burns me with all the fires of earth, my blood gushing in the depth of you, your pleasure that surges from the volcano of our bodies..."

In France, the symphonic swoon of Mitterrand's prose has been contrasted with the inelegant literalness of other, more contemporary Gallic affairs: "With Carla [Bruni], it's for real!" Nicolas Sarkozy; and "I hereby declare I have brought to a close my shared life with Valerie Trierweiler," Francois Hollande (via an official statement).

Of course, Mitterrand benefits from the warm glow of nostalgia, but few, if any other politicians of his era, have seen the story of their extra-marital relationships enhance their legacies.

Even JFK's dalliances are still remembered in the most sordid terms. I interviewed one of his former girlfriends, Mimi Alford, who wrote of being ordered by Kennedy to perform oral sex on another man at a party in Bing Crosby's house. Like Monica Lewinsky, a few decades later, she had no proof of love, so allegation of lust had to suffice. As with so many of Kennedy's old flames, the book royalties eventually became her pension.

We might also compare the reaction in France to our own attitudes to political affairs made public. Mitterrand was shrewd enough to know that his letter writing would one day obliterate any small-minded analysis of his indiscretions (we may disapprove of cinq a sept, the thinking went, but we cannot argue with amour).

In writing them, he both bequeathed a spiritual and financial legacy to the now 73-year-old Pingeot and copper-fastened her own claim to having been the most important woman in his life. He treated her badly at times, but allowing her ownership of the story was the honourable thing to do and it has been repaid. She consented to the publication of the letters, only on condition that she would have to take no part in the promotion of the book. Mitterrand must surely have known that she would never have to lower herself to this; the letters speak for themselves.

Contrast this with the treatment of Terry Keane by Charlie Haughey. For more than a decade, Haughey tolerated her teasing about their relationship in the Keane Edge column of the Sunday Independent, and a nation feasted on the intrigue while wondering how their respective spouses felt about it all.

It was a comfortingly inclusive in-joke and Terry united the country in what she called "pseudo disapproval and utter fascination". And yet, between the lines of the stiletto-sharp quips, there was an abiding love - she once called him "The Greatest Living Irishman".

He ended it in 1999 and asked her to return her mementoes. He also told her, by her account, that she would be a footnote in history.

She subsequently went on The Late Late Show and told the whole story. It seemed crass, but it was also an understandable reaction. She wanted the world to know. A lifetime had elapsed by then. They were more like husband and wife - she spoke of snuggling up on a couch - a far cry from the Gatsby-esque visions conjured by her column.

She deserved a little more recognition from him. Her Late Late interview was enough to engender some unlikely sympathy for the old warhorse who, by that stage, was spending his days being questioned at Dublin castle.

Haughey sensed that Terry would not have the public on her side and she herself regretted the interview, calling it "the most selfish thing I've ever done". And yet, perhaps the desire to be more than a footnote, to hold on to the memories, to be acknowledged, was not entirely grandiose. She remained one of the most central elements of Haughey's story as we all remember it.

In last year's RTE drama on the life of the former Taoiseach, Mitterrand was depicted instructing him in the art of preparing and ingesting an ortolan. The late French president might also have schooled Charlie in the art of mistress management. Denying Terry left a space for others to fill in the details.

The jewels, the furs and the winking gossip-column mentions that defined the Sweetie- era all added to the picture of a gangster and his moll. The excesses get caricatured in the television retelling.

There was a compelling, grand romance that got obscured, principally because he left her to speak about it alone. He ought to have known that she would be as big a part of his legacy as any political achievement. We always knew Haughey was capable of cynicism and corruption. But if we had known that, like his old pal Mitterrand, he was also capable of big romantic love, we might well remember him differently.
I read the weekend papers on a Monday. My Monday mornings are slow these times, they have room, a lovely accommodation. For me, Monday mornings are the best part of being self-employed; they're my weekend. I read a story about a cluster bomb that landed without detonating and rolled down a service ramp into an underground hospital.

A doctor picked it up in a corridor, the rooms at either side of him filled with bleeding people, torn and dying. He examined it; he wasn't sure what it was, this strange elliptical object filled with small metal spheres. I wonder how it would feel to be the manufacturer of that undetonated bomb, reading that story. Would he feel disappointed, worried about the next contract? Would he call a meeting with his engineers and his quality controllers and his line managers? Or would he thank God or the universe or blind random fate that his product malfunctioned that day in that hospital corridor? The hospital had moved underground after it was targeted repeatedly by Russian and regime planes. They cottoned on quickly and pounded the ground above it with bunker-buster bombs until the earth closed around the rooms of lacerated children and women and men and the doctors and nurses who were trying to stop them dying.

*****

The bombs still rained on ancient Aleppo on Tuesday. Budget day in Ireland. Fivers, tenners, fifty-centses here and there and I can't tune my car radio and after a while I don't care. Imagine the slog of being a politician. I don't know how or why they do it. All those voices in their ears. It's easy to be a communist or an anarchist or a radical or a space alien or anything else you feel like being when you live in a free democracy. I know one thing for certain, though: the twenty grand that was 'given' to first-time buyers will be added on to the price of the houses they buy.

I'm only a small bit psychic but this is a part of the future I can see with crystal clarity. I was in Dublin all day Tuesday. A man was standing on Dame Street with his hand out shouting: "Please, please, I'm f***ing starving." I looked at the ground and walked past him. I couldn't get him out of my head all day. I still can't. Why didn't I stop and give him what was in my pocket? At least 25 dead in Aleppo, including five children.

*****

There's a woman called Fadumo Dayib. She's Somalian. Her mother sold tea at the roadside, and lost 11 children. Fadumo Dayib is a Harvard graduate and a model and she works for the UN in refugee camps. She's running for the presidency of her home country. There's a fair chance she'll be killed. In Somalia, nine out of 10 girls have their genitals mutilated. Fadumo Dayib rails against this, and all the other things that are terribly wrong in her country. Al-Shabaab has already threatened her. The world should hope she wins; the world should make sure she survives.

Fadumo Dayib is hope for mankind. The UN should protect her, just as it should protect Aleppo. It won't, though. There'll be meetings and resolutions and vetoes and admonishments and threats of sanctions and the bombs will rain on. At least 15 killed on Wednesday in a marketplace in Aleppo.

*****

All day Thursday I worry. I have an event on Friday in Dublin. I don't know which suit to wear. I remember fondly when I only had one suit. And what if I have to speak? What will I say? I give a lecture to undergraduate students in UL and I think it went OK, but I'm never sure. Sometimes I stand up to speak and I cannot control my voice: I drop vowels and trip over plosives and say ridiculous things. There's a voice in my head that sometimes quietens, but never fully stops, reminding me that I know very little.

I sometimes wish I was a scientist. I read a story on Thursday about a possible breakthrough in hydrogen extraction. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. It's abundant in all the wrong places, though, and extracting it from water requires a lot of energy. But scientists are inching closer to solving that problem, and a day might come where all our earthly endeavours will be powered by a fuel that wars won't be fought over, and all our emissions will fall as rain, clean and pure.

Imagine if some of the trillions spent on weapons were given to those scientists. Rebel shells kill five children at a bus stop in Aleppo.

*****

I still haven't decided what to wear by Friday morning. I'm starting to panic. I see Fadumo Dayib in the paper again. She says: "If loving my land means I will die, so be it." There's talk of a no-fly zone in Syria, of US intervention, of war crimes charges against Putin. Talk. The bombs rain on in Aleppo.

Donal Ryan's latest novel, All We Shall Know, is out now.
'The Government has urged everyone to stay calm about the creepy clowns and has said that in fact they are our friends' Photo: PA

The co-called 'creepy clown' phenomenon hit Ireland last week as the country was terrorised by clowns with red noses and big, fake, painted-on rictus grins. While creepy clowns up to now have been armed with chainsaws and knives, these clowns were armed with really long speeches, where they told us loads of stuff that we had already read in the papers for the past few weeks.

The chief creepy clown is a man known to his associates as 'Baldy'. He has a menacing smile and talks in a very low but extremely scary kind of monotone. His associate is a younger clown known as Paschal (pronounced in the French style), who only recently graduated from clown school and who is said to be less obviously menacing but just as bad in his own way. This pair performed traditional clown tricks last week when they made an extra few hundred million appear from nowhere, unsuccessfully juggled everyone's competing demands, filled balloons with hot air, and ended up slipping on banana skins and getting pie on their faces.
Actors Olivia Wilde (L) and Jason Sudeikis attend the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Actress Olivia Wilde and her comedian fiance Jason Sudeikis are parents again

The Hollywood couple welcomed baby daughter Daisy into the world on Tuesday, which happened to be International Day of the Girl - an informal holiday launched by philanthropic organisation United Nations Women.

Wilde took to Instagram on Saturday to announce the exciting baby news, posting an adorable picture of the newborn and adding the caption: "There goes the neighborhood. Daisy Josephine Sudeikis. Born, like a boss, on #internationaldayofthegirl."

The first precious photo Olivia shared of her and Jason's daughter features the tot sprawled out in the middle of a giant stuffed animal sheep pillow. Baby Daisy is a little sister to the couple's two-year-old son Otis.

There goes the neighborhood. Daisy Josephine Sudeikis. Born, like a boss, on #internationaldayofthegirl. A photo posted by Olivia Wilde (@oliviawilde) on Oct 15, 2016 at 12:24pm PDT

Last month Wilde revealed she was expecting a girl in a politically charged tweet referencing the current U.S. presidential race.

As Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton takes on Republican nominee Donald Trump at the polls to become America's next leader, Olivia made it clear she supports the former First Lady: "As someone who is about to have a daughter, this hits me deep in my core. #NeverTrump," Olivia tweeted in a message that contained a link to a campaign video Clinton shared online.

In the footage, young girls provide sound bites in response to some of the insulting statements Trump has made about women. The video concludes with the question: "Is this the president we want for our daughters?"

Olivia appears to have faced more social struggles in her second pregnancy than in her first - in the weeks preceding her anti-Trump tweet, the movie star shamed subway riders on Twitter for not giving up their seats for her.
Pippa opted for a dark grey frayed wash over a jet black for her 'Saturday Night' jeans, which feature 'invisible' pockets which are quite small with dark stitching to be as flattering as possible

Pippa admits that most research and sampling went into achieving her 'Leather Look' jeans to makes sure the coated style is soft and moves well

When model Pippa O'Connor opted to get her teeth straightened in 2009 and lose her trademark gap-toothed smile, I thought she was mad.

The trademark gap tooth didn't do iconic American supermodel Lauren Hutton any harm, and I thought it gave Pippa a distinctive point of difference on the cut throat Irish modelling scene where Pippa was the queen of the photocalls. Now, I will confess, I was so wrong on that call.

Although her smile was her fortune back then, the Co Kildare lass has proved emphatically that she is not defined by a megawatt smile and laughing eyes. In the last seven years, Pippa O'Connor has built on her girl-next-door credentials and has successfully become a household name around Ireland, chalking up considerable commercial success.

This month Pippa launched a style book with Penguin Ireland and a TV advert with Connacht Gold butter. Next month comes the biggie, her first ever fashion product with a jeans range of five different styles - the 'Slimmer', the 'Off Duty', the 'Leather Look', the 'Saturday Night' and the 'Mama-To Be', all sold under her own brand POCO, which spells out Pippa's full initials now that she's married to TV presenter, Brian Ormond.

The 32-year-old mum-of two has every reason to be confident about going it alone and putting her hard earned money into the project. It's not that she wasn't approached to do collaborations, she was. In fact, there were waves of offers to attach her name to products in the market place, from childrenswear to food products, but Pippa decided to carve out her own destiny in denim. Is she mad?

Quite the contrary. You can begin to grasp where the business confidence comes from when you look at the sales of her 'Pippa make-up palette'. She describes the venture as "a great confidence builder" and, pardon the pun, the sales figures are eye watering. A total of 150,000 palettes costing 34.99 were sold. Produced in Canada, they were a collaboration with Irish online beauty firm, Blank Canvas Cosmetics from Donegal.

In Britain, they have 'the Pippa factor', where clothes worn by Pippa Middleton, the most famous royal bridesmaid in years, sell out the moment she is glimpsed in them. I had a front row seat on observing Ireland's own 'Pippa factor' 14 months ago when I judged the Dundrum Town Centre Ladies Day at the RDS. There were just the two of us judging, myself and PipsyPie (her twitter handle), and out of the traffic of 600 women-plus who crossed the stage that day, over half asked for a selfie with her. The majority also assured Pippa that they were her biggest fan, many asserting that her lifestyle blog was the last thing they read at night. It was hard to ignore the love coming from a huge demographic of ages, from teens to women in their 60s, and from all over the country. I logged the reaction and watched her figures climb. This week they sat at 210K friends on Facebook, 90K views a day on Snapchat, 182K followers on Instagram and 62K on Twitter.

Next month marks the third anniversary of launching her lifestyle blog, Pippa.ie, with staunch encouragement from her husband, Brian. The former singer and You're A Star presenter narrowly missed out on being in the Popstars band, Six, and was singled out by music guru Simon Cowell after appearing on Pop Idol in the UK. Brian, the groom in RTE's Reality Bites documentary about their June 2011 wedding, put up a spirited fight to spending 2,500 on a floral arch for over the door in the church. He was proved wrong (just like I was about Pippa's gap smile). The flowers were a huge hit and were later distributed to local hospitals and hospices, underlining the power of Pippa's gut instinct.

Granddaughter of the Irish and Lions rugby hero, consultant gynaecologist, Dr Karl Mullen, and sister to bronze medal Olympian, rider Cian O'Connor, Pippa grew up in Johnstown, Co Kildare. Two years ago, she lost her dear mum, Louise, and two weeks later, she went ahead with her first ever Fashion Factory. "I thought, 'Am I mental doing this?', but the tickets were sold and it was such a horrible time. I thought two weeks, two months, when is the right time to do this? Looking back now, I got such good feedback from people at that horrible time, it really helped me deal with my mum passing away. With the book and now POCO, I think Mum would be in her element, telling anyone who would listen to her."

In the last 23 months, Pippa has done about 40 Fashion Factories. That's a lot of girl pals and mothers and daughters spending their weekends paying to hear Pippa talk lifestyle, but the interaction gave her confidence to plough her resources into the jeans range which launches on pocobypippa.com on November 14.

Expand Close The 'Slimmers' have a darker wash denim with mid to high rise backside and 25pc elastane / Facebook

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Going through the five looks, it is clear she has drilled down to the finer details in devising the initial ranges in sizes 6-16. Made in Turkey, the range features soft denim, four styles with elastane. Whittling down her choice to three potential manufacturers, she did extensive product testing and explains, "Brian actually did the leg work for me in Turkey because I had Ollie and was pregnant with Louie at the time so I didn't want to travel."

Years of wearing denims - her wardrobe contains at least 30 pairs, mostly from the high street - informed her decisions.

"I was really thinking about 'what do I want' for my everyday wardrobe and what styles are going to work hardest for my lifestyle. Sometimes you can really over-think things and I just brought it back to basics," explained Pippa. "I had been approached to do collaborations with other things and always held off on jeans because I had it at the back of my mind that this was something I wanted to do for myself. The range is very understated. They are all pared back and the emphasis is all about comfort and fit. I've had my 16-year-old stepdaughter, Chloe, and a family friend who is in her 60s try them on, and they both loved them."

As to the secret of her success to date, Pippa says, "It's weird saying things about yourself, but I think people find me relatable and approachable. From mums with kids to young girls who look to me for fashion and beauty, I'm hitting off different groups of women. I didn't set out to do that, it just happened organically and I'm blown away by the reaction. I'd love to say that I sat down and strategically made a plan, but I didn't, it just happened really naturally. I suppose once I saw how much traction everything was getting, I thought OK, it's time to step it up now and turn this into a brand and a business. I'm very creative and I know jeans inside out, but if it wasn't for Brian, I'd be putting things on the long finger. But he has the phone call made and an appointment set up. I know it's my name on them but it's really a joint venture with him. We work really well that way."

Pippa concedes that doing POCO jeans has been "nerve-wracking but exciting. If you don't take a leap, you're never going to know what potential you are going to reach. We've been very strategic and careful with this and I'm very confident that it's going to be a success, but when you are doing something with your own money, it's scary. I know there is a market for me to do loads but I don't want to willy nilly put my name to things. I want to be taken seriously in my own right as a business woman."

All POCO jeans will be available to buy from pocobypippa.com

Expand Close The band in the maternity jeans sits under, rather than over, the baby bump for comfort. Pippa earmarked special attention on the stitching / Facebook

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Photography: Lili Forberg

Models: Sarah McGovern @ Andrea Roche Models,

Karen Fitzpatrick @ Assets, Ella Killen and Thalia Heffernan @ Morgan, and Clare McDougald @ 1st Options

Styling: Niamh Doherty, assisted by

Laura Warren & Susanna O'Connor

Hair: David Cashman

Make-up: Sarah Keary

Shot on location: The Chocolate Factory
A fisherman sits on a promenade under rain brought about by Typhoon Karika (AP)

At least two people have died after a powerful typhoon slammed into the north-eastern Philippines.

Power was knocked out and villages were left isolated by flooding after Typhoon Sarika, locally known as Karen, blew into Aurora province early on Sunday.

The storm barrelled through heavily-populated agricultural provinces, including landslide-prone areas, with sustained winds of 80mph and gusts of 136mph.

It is forecast to blow out of the main northern Luzon island into the South China Sea.

A separate storm has been spotted far out in the Pacific which may strengthen as it heads toward the Philippines this week, according to the government's weather agency.

Nearly 10,000 villagers fled their homes in Sarika's path and were taken in more than 100 emergency shelters, welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo said.

Mayor Nelianto Bihasa of Baler, a popular surfing town in Aurora, said howling wind ripped tin roofs off many houses and knocked down trees and electric posts, causing power outages and blocking access roads to some villages.

Coastal villagers were given early warning to move to safer areas and there have been no immediate reports of casualties other than two injured residents.

In eastern Catanduanes province, a man drowned after being swept by strong river currents and a farmer died of head injuries sustained during the storm, provincial safety officer Gerry Beo said, adding that three men have not returned home from a fishing expedition.

Another death related to the typhoon is being checked in nearby Camarines Sur province, officials said.

A month's worth of rain poured on Friday as the typhoon approached from the Pacific, swelling rivers and creeks and flooding low-lying farming villages, Mr Beo said, adding that most towns in the island province of about 260,000 people have no electricity and spotty communications.

In Bataan province, 50 mountaineers were forced to descend from Mount Tarak in stormy weather, but 36 others remained stranded in the uplands, according to police and firefighters who were trying to rescue them.

In the northern mountain province of Benguet, 16 mountaineers were stranded in Mount Pulag and forest rangers were en route to rescue them, officials said.

About 200 domestic and international flights have been cancelled and thousands of passengers were stranded in seaports after inter-island ferries were ordered not to venture out in rough seas.

About 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, adding to the many burdens in a country that is also threatened by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The latest typhoon, Sarika, was named after a singing bird in Cambodia.
Police on the Greek island of Kos have halted their dig for clues in the search for Ben Needham, the toddler who went missing in 1991.

Over the last three weeks, officers from South Yorkshire and Greek search volunteers excavated land around an old farmhouse on the island where the toddler was last seen.

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The digging operation was launched after fresh evidence suggested Ben may have been accidently run over by a digger clearing land on the day he disappeared.

Ben was 21-months-old when he disappeared on 24 July 1991 while playing outside the farmhouse during a family holiday.

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Investigators officially ended digging operations on Saturday after 21 days.

On Sunday afternoon a team of forensic archaeologists and anthropologists finished their examination of the last of the debris.

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The teams broke into a round of applause as they packed away their equipment, Sky News reports.

More than 70 items, which police have described as being of mild interest, were found in the excavation, which saw hundreds of tonnes of soil removed from two locations on Kos, a quarter of a mile apart.

The objects have been sent off for further analysis and police have said they will continue with their investigations even if the items do not reveal any new information.

South Yorkshire police received a grant from the Home Office last year and the force confirmed enough financial support is available to keep the case open.

A new witness came forward with extra information after the man driving the digger nearby where Ben was playing died of cancer last year.

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Police have said there are also other leads to follow from various information collected throughout the investigations history.

Bens mother Kerry Needham told the Mirror that all those who had taken part in the search operations deserved medals.
Three teenagers have been arrested after a woman was raped on a popular tourist beach.

Emergency services were called to the scene in Kent, England yesterday evening and a police helicopter circled overhead as two 16-year-olds and an 18-year-old man were arrested.

The woman, thought to be in her late teens, was allegedly attacked on Sunny Sands beach in Folkestone at about 8pm on Saturday.

A police spokesman said: "Kent Police is investigating the reported rape of a woman on Sunny Sands beach, Folkestone, at about 8pm on Saturday, October 15.

"An 18-year-old man and two 16-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with the incident and remain in custody. The National Police Air Service helicopter was used to help locate one of the suspects.'

One woman living in the area told Kent Live: 'If we had heard anything we definitely would have gone down with the dogs to see what was happening. I've asked the council for lights at this end but there needs to be three major incidents in the area before they will do anything.

"There were a few cases of people falling in the sea down here over the summer. It can be a dangerous place."
The bigger picture: A Syrian boy receives treatment at a hospital in the regime-held part of Aleppo last Thursday. Syrian state television said four children were killed by rebel rocket fire on a school in a western regime-held neighbourhood Photo: GEORGE OURFALIAN / AFP / Getty Images

The American circus is so loud we are missing the real story. Consider that this week, the following has occurred: Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of nuclear-capable missiles into the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic coast. With two NATO and EU states on either side - Poland to the west, Lithuania to the east - it is one of the most strategically significant pieces of territory in the world.

The Kremlin also announced it is seeking to reopen bases in Vietnam, Cuba and Egypt. Never mind that the governments in all three countries will not accede. It is Russian intent, and what it tells us about Mr Putin's state of mind, that is important.

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In Ukraine, pro-Russian rebels have stepped up attacks around the city of Mariupol, the last government stronghold in the way of a Russian land corridor to the Crimean peninsula.

Yes, remember: there is a war going on in Ukraine. Here - in the unvarnished language of the OSCE (Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe) monitors - is what happened in just a few hours: "The SMM camera in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, within four hours, 34 explosionsmore than 238 bursts of anti-aircraft-gun and 20 undetermined rocket-assisted projectiles"

I know Shyrokyne. I went there to report on the deaths of two children killed in a rocket strike two years ago. They were among the early victims of the new confrontation between Russia and the West.

Villagers stood in an autumn graveyard while mortars landed in the fields beyond. But to continue with the drumbeats of the last week: the Russian bombing of Aleppo briefly slowed and then, in the words of local activists, began to rain down once more.

On the Western side, the CIA is apparently considering a major cyber strike against Russia. This is to repay Mr Putin for his hacking of the Democratic Party, among other cyber sins. The British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, hinted at military options in Syria (though parliament has expressly voted against it, and the British people have no wish to become embroiled).

Not to leave the killing of civilians entirely to Putin and Assad, the West's allies - who use British and American bombs -slaughtered more than 100 people at a funeral in Yemen, and continue daily with air strikes and a blockade that has led to a severe humanitarian crisis.

While the American election increasingly resembles an extended edition of The Jerry Springer Show, global tension is rising to a point where the possibility of a serious miscalculation and confrontation between two nuclear-armed superpowers is more vivid than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Contrary to the propaganda of the conspiracy-glutted hard Left and its legions of useful idiots on social media, the United States, under Obama, is not readying the ground for World War Three.

His entire policy on Syria has been predicated on the principle that there are no good options, least of all military ones.

The CIA's attempts to create a 'moderate' army to confront Assad ended in malign failure, as so often in such cases.

Just watch poor old John Kerry's relentless humiliation at the hands of Sergei Lavrov. Kerry knows Obama has no intention of fighting a war to back up his 'red lines' in Syria. Likewise on Ukraine.

In Crimea, Russia grabbed the sovereign territory of a neighbouring state and got away with it. Putin then set his attack dogs loose in the Donbas.

Again the Kremlin propaganda machine swung into action, ably assisted by the usual suspects in the West, to characterise the Ukrainian state as a nest of fascists.

For the record, far-right fighters provided the backbone to government resistance in the east, and yes, there are plenty of deeply unpleasant characters in the employ of Ukraine's security services, not to mention the deep-rooted corruption at all levels of government.

I had a testy exchange with President Poroshenko about the far-right question when I interviewed him last year. Afterwards, his spokesman berated me for "swallowing Russian propaganda". But the government of Ukraine is not fascist. It is too divided, and often too incompetent, to be resolutely ideological in any direction.

The West bears some serious responsibility for what has gone wrong. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, it acted like the Cold War had been won.

The triumphant march to Russia's borders might have reassured the likes of Lithuania and other victims of Soviet power, but it humiliated Russia.

Nobody won the Cold War. History did not come to an end. Rough beasts were merely slumbering and waiting their hour to come again.

Now they are stalking the old fault lines of confrontation in eastern Europe and the Middle East, and the West has no idea what to do. I don't go along with the complacent consensus that believes what we are witnessing is merely Russian sabre rattling.

The Russian leader is in a bind of his own making. He has understood Western weakness all too well and exploited it in Syria and Ukraine. Now he faces the possibility America will elect a president who knows this and is likely to sharply change US global policy.

The prospect of Hillary Clinton in the White House has unsettled him. Why else would he deploy such immense cyber resources, not to mention take the diplomatic risks, to intervene in the US election?

Putin could always count on the caution and restraint of Obama. Hillary is likely to be a much more troublesome adversary. Now, it is Putin who senses he is losing the strategic advantage.

This is the uncharted territory we are heading into. There is one substantial positive to take out of the past week. With the confirmation of Antonio Guterres as UN secretary general, there is a figure of real substance after the hapless Ban Ki-moon. There is a secretary general willing to be vigorous and vocal in the cause of peace. We will need him.

*******

War has been much on my mind. I spent the latter half of the week travelling by road from Serbia to Bavaria, across the Central European plain which witnessed the invasions of Huns, Ottomans, Nazis and Soviets.

I rose very early each morning to complete the final pages of a book I am writing on my grandparents - on both sides - and their role in the Irish Revolution.

Immersed in the detail of ambush and Civil War atrocity, I tried to picture how the world must have seemed to my grandmother Hannah Purtill, who married Bill Keane in the year the fighting ended.

The county of Kerry was traumatised. Comrades had turned on each other. The economic crisis was daunting. Across Europe, the seeds of new disaster were taking root in the aftermath of the Great War. Millions were being ethnically cleansed in the Balkans and Asia Minor.

I ended my journey in Berchtesgaden, the Alpine resort which was Hitler's vacation residence and sometime headquarters.

My mind flashed from Ireland in the time of war, to the Second World War to the present. In the end, we found a kind of peace on the island of Ireland. Hitler and fascism were defeated. These thoughts and the arrival of the UN's new boss, Antonio Guterres, brightened the journey home.
The collapse happened in the French city of Angers

Four people have been killed and 14 injured when a third-floor balcony collapsed during a party in the western city of Angers, France

Four people have been killed and 14 injured when a third-floor balcony collapsed during a party in the western city of Angers, France.

The Angers prefecture says the accident happened Saturday night at an apartment in a recently constructed building. They say one of the injured is in serious condition.

Michel Pichon, the director on duty at the Angers teaching hospital, told the Franceinfo radio-television station that the injured were all about aged about 20.

An investigation has been opened to establish the cause of the accident.

AP
The truck that landed at Chicano Park after it flew off a ramp to the San Diego Coronado Bridge (Hayne Palmour IV/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP)

A member of the US Navy was arrested after the pick-up truck he was driving plunged off a San Diego bridge, killing four people and injuring nine at a festival below, authorities said.

Authorities identified the driver as Richard Anthony Sepolio, 25, who was stationed at the naval base on Coronado Island across the bay from San Diego.

Sepolio was alone in the truck Saturday afternoon when he lost control and it hit a guardrail and fell 60 feet on to a vendor's booth at Chicano Park, California Highway Patrol officer Jake Sanchez said.

He was taken to hospital with major injuries and was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, causing deaths and injuries, the officer said.

"It's horrible. It's horrific. We had innocent people down here having a good time and now they're gone," Mr Sanchez said.

The California Highway Patrol identified the dead as a 62-year-old man and 50-year-old woman from Chandler, Arizona, and a 59-year-old man and 49-year-old woman from Hacienda Heights, a suburb east of Los Angeles.

Eight people on the ground were injured. One suffered major trauma and seven others had minor to moderate injuries, said Lee Swanson, a spokesman for the city's Fire-Rescue Department.

Witnesses said the GMC pick-up truck with Texas licence plates landed on a vendor's booth set up for La Raza Run, a motorcycle ride that ends with a celebration at the park and typically draws hundreds of participants. The crash was steps away from a stage where a rockabilly band was playing.

"I saw a truck come right off the freeway. It was going so fast it flew over the stage and landed in front of the stage on a tent, a booth that was set up," Chase Dameron told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

He said four people in the booth were crushed by the truck.

"It was like a movie. It was like in slow motion," Dameron said. "Where it hit, there was dust and debris and instant chaos and panic. People running crazy."

Another witness said the truck hit the front end, bounced and landed on its side.

Photos from the scene show the truck's front end crumpled and its bonnet popped open.

The park is located beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighbourhood in central San Diego.

AP
Abana Muta, left, and Hawa Abana, look at photos of the freed Chibok schoolgirls, including their daughter Blessing Abana (AP)

One of the kidnapped girls celebrates with family members in Abuja, Nigeria (AP)

A group of Nigerian parents have been reunited with 21 schoolgirls freed after being kidnapped by Boko Haram two and a half years ago.

The move is the first negotiated release organised between the Nigerian government and the Islamic extremist group.

The girls were embraced by their parents amid scenes of jubilation when they were presented by the government.

A mother of one of the girls said: "I never expected I will see my daughter again and I pray that those girls still left behind, that God will bring them out safely the way our own daughter came out alive."

The girls were released on Thursday and flown to Abuja, Nigeria's capital, but it has taken days for the parents to arrive.

Most arrived on Sunday after driving hours over potholed roads slowed by military checkpoints and under threat of attack by the insurgents, community leader Tsambido Hosea Abana said.

The parents came from the remote north-eastern town of Chibok, where nearly 300 girls were kidnapped on April 2014 in a mass abduction that shocked the world.

Dozens of schoolgirls escaped in the first few hours, but after last week's release, 197 still remain captive.

The government said negotiations are continuing to win the remaining girls' freedom.

Muta Abana, the father of one of the released girls, has been living in Nasarawa state near Abuja. He expressed anxiety as many of the girls were reportedly forced to marry Boko Haram fighters.

"Some of them came back with babies, but think about it: are we going to kill the children?" Mr Abana said.

"We won't be able to kill the children because it would be as if we don't want the girls to come back. God knows why it happened. It's God's will."

He also said the girls' abduction has been politicised, complaining that "people's children aren't money, people's children are not clothes you wear to campaign, people's children are their pride".

The girls are getting medical attention and trauma counselling in a hospital, said Tsambido Abana, the Chibok community leader in Abuja. Some are emaciated from hunger, he said.

There are conflicting reports about how the girls were freed, with two military officers saying they were exchanged for four detained Boko Haram commanders.

A Nigerian who negotiated previous failed attempts said a large ransom was paid by the Swiss government on behalf of Nigerian authorities.

AP
Police in Utah are examining CCTV footage which shows a father leaving his 5-year-old daughter alone at a college overnight in the cold.

Fox 13 Salt Lake City reports that an Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College security guard found the girl in a parking lot last Sunday and that the experience left the girl traumatized.

She said she got scared, the girls mother told the station. She was yelling, Daddy! but no one was there.

The girl was left to sleep outside the college with only a blanket and her pyjamas.

She had been staying with her father for the weekend, the station reported.

Odgen Police Lt. Tim Scott told the Gephardt Daily that there are some reports that the father had been using drugs.

"We don't know really what purpose he'd take the child, if there was a drug-induce event or some kind of psychosis," Scott said.

The girl was crying when the security guard found her, Fox 13 reported. She scraped a knee and her hand when she tripped and fell as she ran towards him.

It was heartbreaking for him, security manager Fred Frazier told the station, referring to the security guard. To see a little girl running alone by herself, thats when he got very concerned, and she was shivering and cold.

Frazier told Fox 13 what he saw as he watched the surveillance footage.

She stays right where she was told to stay, he said.

Police are investigating the incident.
Hillary Clinton: Currently ahead in the polls with just three weeks to go before the election

You wouldn't think there was much left to learn about Hillary Clinton after her nearly four decades in the public arena. But Clinton's time as secretary of state, and as a private citizen after her failed 2008 presidential campaign, have generated new issues revolving around the intersection of money, politics, privilege and privacy.

Her use of a private email set-up as secretary of state has stirred up a hornet's nest over her loose handling of classified material, and fed the perception she tries to play by her own set of rules.

Her big haul of money from private speeches to Wall Street interests after she left the government stoked questions about whether she would really look out for ordinary Americans. Recent leaks about the content of those speeches have fed into talk about whether there are really two Clintons - one public, one private - as she pretty much acknowledged in communications that she intended to stay private.

And Clinton's links to her family's foundation while she was secretary of state have transported age-old questions about the influence of money into an all-new context. Never before has there been husband and wife presidencies, with all the potential conflicts that sort of power couple would bring. Some of the revelations that have emerged during the campaign include:

- Clinton's lucrative speeches to Wall Street interests behind closed doors in the run-up to her presidential campaign were a frequent topic of criticism by Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, who depicted Clinton as part of a system rigged to benefit the rich.

An AP analysis found that over a 15-year period, Clinton and her husband made at least $35m by giving 164 speeches to financial services, real estate and insurance companies after leaving the White House in 2001.

- Clinton's refusal to release the transcripts of those speeches was an ongoing issue during the campaign - until last week, when WikiLeaks released hacked campaign emails containing excerpts of her speeches. The excerpts suggest she took a more accommodating tone toward Wall Street in private than she did in public.

- Revelations in 2015 that Clinton used a private email account and server when she was secretary of state set off a number of alarms: what was she hiding? Was classified material compromised? Was she trying to avoid public records requirements?

Word that Clinton deleted tens of thousands of emails she said were unrelated to official business added to the intrigue.

A review by the State Department's internal watchdog concluded the practice violated several policies for the safekeeping and preservation of federal records. A year-long FBI investigation found no evidence that Clinton or her aides intended to break laws governing the handling of classified information, but FBI director James Comey concluded: "There is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information."

The case was closed without any criminal charges.

- Throughout Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, there were questions about how to ensure that all the money flowing into the Clinton Foundation, particularly contributions from foreigners, didn't influence her dealings in government.

Several guidelines were put in place. Even so, an AP review of Clinton's daily schedules found that more than half the people with private interests outside of government, whom she met with while secretary of state, gave money - either personally or their companies or groups had given it - to the Clinton Foundation.

The AP's review did not include Clinton's many meetings with foreign diplomats or government employees.

- Clinton's political fortunes are inextricably tied to her husband's, and so are her finances. A Washington Post investigation in November 2015 totted up an unparalleled $3bn that the Clintons raised over four decades for their various political campaigns and the charitable foundation started after Bill Clinton left office. Nearly $2bn of that total went to the foundation.

- Other issues lurking in the background include: the impeachment of Bill Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky affair; and Whitewater, the name of the Clintons' failed land deal in which neither was ultimately found to have done wrong.

Donald Trump has tried to make an issue of how Hillary handled the allegations of sexual improprieties levelled at her husband, claiming she bullied her husband's accusers.

Hillary Clinton did work behind the scenes to discredit his accusers; there is no evidence that she bullied them.

Associated Press
Suicide bombers have blown themselves up during a Turkish police raid against suspected Islamic State militants near the Syrian border, killing three officers, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Gaziantep governor Ali Yerlikaya, speaking to the agency, said police received a tip about a group of IS militants hiding in a house in the city's Sahinbey district and launched an operation to apprehend them.

The militants blew themselves up when they realised they could not escape, the agency reported.

It was not clear how many suicide bombers were involved.

"Unfortunately, three of our police officers were martyred and eight people, including four Syrians, were wounded," he told Anadolu.

The news agency said police officers were among the wounded and one person was in a critical condition.

The governor said the police raid followed a tip that the group could be planning an attack on an Alawite cultural association in the city, according to Anadolu.

Turkey has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks over the past year, carried out by IS or Kurdish militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

In August, 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up during an outdoor wedding celebration in Gaziantep. Authorities said the attack was the work of the IS group.

AP
Los Angeles police investigators work the scene of a fatal shooting in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles (AP)

Three people have been killed and 12 were injured - two critically - after an early morning argument at a Los Angeles restaurant.

Police who arrived at the scene in the working class Crenshaw area found shell casings and blood throughout the restaurant, located west of Los Angeles city centre.

LA police officer Mike Lopez said investigators are seeking a suspect he described as a black male, possibly accompanied by a woman.

Police earlier questioned two possible suspects, but Mr Lopez said later no-one is in custody.

Three people died at the scene, and 12 others were transported to local hospitals.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called the shooting the latest example of senseless gun violence that has reached epidemic proportions in the country.

"We cannot tolerate these tragedies multiplying in communities across America," Mr Garcetti said.

Two of the victims are in a grave condition. Two of the wounded were released and the others remain in hospital with wounds are not considered life-threatening.

Police did not disclose the names or ages of the victims.

Neighbour Sheryl Cobb said she was awakened by screaming and gunfire, but did not leave her home for fear of getting caught in a crossfire.

"Bullets don't have names on them," she said.

According to a preliminary investigation, a party was under way in the restaurant when an argument started.

A man and woman left, then returned, and the restaurant erupted in gunfire.

The shooting occurred in a residential area of modest homes. About 50 people were in the restaurant when the shooting started.

One firearm has been recovered.

The Times described the restaurant as a popular Jamaican restaurant which features a DJ on Friday night.

Mr Garcetti said he was confident police would unravel questions surrounding the shooting, and expressed sympathy for victims' families.

He called for an end to gun violence that "causes so much pain and sorrow in our city and across the nation".

AP
Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin insisted his country wants to normalise relations with the US (AP)

Russia's UN ambassador has said tensions with the United States are probably the worst since the 1973 Middle East war.

Vitaly Churkin added that Cold War relations between the Soviet Union and the US more than 40 years ago were different to US-Russia relations today.

"The general situation I think is pretty bad at this point, probably the worst ... since 1973," he said in an interview.

He added that "even though we have serious frictions, differences like Syria, we continue to work on other issues ... and sometimes quite well".

When Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack against Israel on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar in October 1973, the Middle East was thrown into turmoil.

According to historians, the threat of an outbreak of fighting between the Soviet Union, which backed the Arabs, and the United States, Israel's closest ally, during the Yom Kippur War was the highest since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

Mr Churkin said there are "a string of things" which have brought US-Russian relations to their current low point.

"It's kind of a fundamental lack of respect and lack of in-depth discussions" on political issues, he said.

Mr Churkin pointed to the US and Nato deciding to build their security "at the expense of Russia" by accepting many East European nations formerly in the Soviet bloc as Nato members, and the United States' pullout from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001.

He said one of "the greatest provocations" during president George W Bush's administration was the 2008 Nato summit, which decided that Ukraine and Georgia should become members.

Most important, Mr Churkin said, was the conflict that erupted in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, weeks after a former Moscow-friendly Ukrainian president was chased from power by massive protests.

Mr Churkin called it "a coup" supported by the United States. Soon after, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which has led to Western sanctions against Moscow.

Ties between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated further in the past month after the collapse of a ceasefire in Syria and intensified bombing on Aleppo by Syrian and Russian aircraft, and US accusations that Russia is meddling in the US presidential election next month.

Despite the strained relations, US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov met on Saturday in Lausanne, Switzerland, in an effort to look at possibilities for restoring the ceasefire.

Mr Churkin also pointed to other positive achievements in US-Russian relations even at this low point.

He cited agreements in the UN Security Council in recent years supported by Moscow and Washington, even on Syria - allowing cross-border aid deliveries without government approval and establishing a team of experts to determine responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in the country. He also cited council resolutions to combat terrorism.

The US and Russia were also key players in last year's nuclear deal with Iran, and last week they agreed on the Security Council's nomination of former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres as the next UN secretary-general.

Mr Churkin said this was "maybe the best success of the Security Council in the last five years". Mr Guterres was elected by acclamation on Thursday by the General Assembly.

Mr Churkin insisted Russia would like to normalize relations with the US.

"If the change of administration is going to help, that's fine," he said.

But even if president Barack Obama stayed for another term, which he is barred from doing, "we would be pushed to trying to get back to normal in our relations".

AP
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 15, 2016. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin here Saturday, and the two sides vowed to advance bilateral ties and boost cooperation within multilateral frameworks.

Xi arrived in the western Indian state of Goa earlier in the day for the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

He recalled that leaders of the five countries met last month on the sidelines of the 11th summit of the Group of 20 major economies in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, where they had an in-depth exchange of views on promoting BRICS cooperation and reached many important consensuses.

China, said the president, hopes that the BRICS summit in Goa will achieve positive results and inject new impetus into BRICS cooperation.

As China will hold the rotating chair of BRICS in 2017, Beijing stands ready to work with Russia and all other parties concerned to make a success of the ninth summit, he added.

Noting that both China and Russia are permanent members of the UN Security Council and major emerging-market countries, Xi said the two countries should strengthen coordination and cooperation within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and other multilateral frameworks.

The two sides, he added, should jointly promote a more just and reasonable international order and safeguard the interests of the emerging-market countries and developing countries.

Recalling that he and Putin held a fruitful meeting last month in Hangzhou and reached important consensuses on advancing the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, he said the two sides should now earnestly push for their implementation.

Putin, for his part, said he is delighted to see that Russia and China have maintained close communication at high levels and in various fields, which is very important to consolidating bilateral ties.

Russia is committed to enhancing cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks and supports China in hosting the ninth BRICS summit next year, he added.

Calling China an important economic partner of Russia, Putin said his country is willing to deepen cooperation with the Chinese side in such areas as energy, transport infrastructure, aviation manufacturing and space.

Moscow, he said, also supports the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union in aligning its development strategies with the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt initiative and carrying out cooperation with the Chinese side.

The two leaders also had an in-depth exchange of views on the Korean Peninsula situation and other global and regional issues of shared concern.

They agreed to maintain close communication and coordination to jointly safeguard peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the common interests of the two countries as well.

India holds the rotating chair of BRICS this year, and a summit has been scheduled for the weekend in the coastal state of Goa.
However, while they missed her, they also were ecstatic with the fact that she was coming back with yet another show. And now the show is in full force and ready to go on air soon.



is missing someone a lot..And that of course, is her husband, Neeraj Khemka.



However, while Drashti is busy shooting for her show, ' Pardes Mein Hai Mera Dil ' in Austria, sheis missing someone a lot..And that of course, is her husband, Neeraj Khemka.

Featured Video

Aww..! The fans must certainly be feeling the same reading this.

Incidentally, Arjun Bijlani , who is also shooting with Drashti in Austria recently wished his wife on her birthday.

The millions of fans who love and adore their favourite superstars tend to keep wanting to watch them in action for as much time as possible. And those fans who love actress Drashti Dhami were disheartened a few months back on her quitting ' Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani '.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in the western Indian state of Goa, Oct. 15, 2016, for the eighth summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the western Indian state of Goa Saturday for a summit of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Leaders of the five countries are expected to discuss BRICS cooperation and other issues of common concern at the Oct. 15-16 summit, themed with "Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions."

A Goa declaration will be issued when the summit concludes Sunday.

Along with Xi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Zuma will be attending the summit, the eighth of its kind.

The five leaders will hold dialogues with representatives of the BRICS Business Council and state leaders of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries at the summit.

The BIMSTEC, initiated to connect South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

President Xi will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders of other countries on the sidelines of the summit.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, which gathers the world's five major emerging economies.

The bloc members have seen their cooperation growing over the past decade, especially the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) in 2014.

Despite economic headwinds in the BRICS countries and external skepticism about whether the bloc is losing its power over recent years, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said earlier this month in its latest issue of World Economic Outlook that in emerging market and developing economies, the 2016 growth will accelerate for the first time in six years.

China and India, in particular, will continue their relatively fast pace in growth this year and next, according to the IMF projections. Meanwhile, the IMF cut its 2016 growth prospects for advanced economies following a slowdown in the United States and Britain's referendum vote to leave the European Union.

The five BRICS leaders just met last month in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou when China hosted the 11th summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies.

At their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, President Xi said that BRICS members should enhance coordination to make emerging-market economies and developing countries play a bigger role in international affairs.

BRICS nations are leaders among emerging-market economies and developing countries, and also important members of the G20, Xi said, noting that they should reinforce coordination to build, maintain and develop the BRICS and G20 platforms.

China has been a staunch supporter for and an active participant in BRICS cooperation, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong told reporters earlier this week.

"We hope the Goa summit can send out a positive signal of confidence, solidarity and cooperation, help deepen our practical cooperation and promote the cooperation level, enhance communication and coordination on major international issues to safeguard our shared interests, and strengthen dialogue and cooperation with other countries in the region," Li said at a press conference ahead of Xi's trip.

India is the final stop of Xi's Southeast Asia and South Asia tour, which has already taken him to Cambodia and Bangladesh.

Before leaving Bangladesh on Saturday morning, Xi laid a wreath at the national martyr monument in Dhaka.
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The Hindu tradition, generally does not allow women to carry a dead body for cremation, nor does it allow them to light the pyre. However, a courageous wife defied all such traditions and carried the death body of her husband on her shoulder after he died of a heart-attack.

Image Credit: rajasthanpatrika

Rakesh Yadav was a head constable with the Gujarat Police. A sudden heart-attack killed him while he was on duty. Rakesh hailed from Shivdan Singh Pura, Alwar, and therefore it took time for the body to reach his village.

Although, there were hundreds of Rakeshs friends and family present to bid him goodbye, but Rakeshs brave wife Anju Yadav decided to carry him on her strong shoulders. A gesture that made the entire crowd heavy with emotions. Since, Rakesh didnt have a son, his daughter Lochan lit the pyre. Another brave gesture, that defied the tradition of son lighting the pyre.

Traditions when broken at rural localities need to be taken notice of as not many show the valour of going off the beaten path. Kudos to Anju Yadav for showing her eternal love to her husband, as not many wives have thought of doing so!
The debate about whether Pakistani artists should be banned or not is never-ending it seems. In the light of the Uri attack that killed 18 Indian soldiers, the MNS made all the Paki artists leave India with immediate effect.

The Express tribune

Bollywood hasnt been the same since then. With so many big banner films like Kjos Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and SRKs Raees at stake, there has been a lot of disturbance between the filmmakers and Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI). COEAI recently announced that they would not screen ADHM in four states - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa.

Santa banta

This has resulted in a lot of heated discussions in the film fraternity itself. Most of them have come out in support of Karan johar. In the wake of this brutal decision of COEAI, a lot of financial loss is at stake for Johar.

One of the avid supports of KJo is filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.

The World must learn from us.. We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it.. #ADHM . With you on this @karanjohar he had tweeted on October 15.

In a bid to further help out his friend and fellow colleague, Kashyap reached out to PM Narendra Modi on Twitter. Well, it wasnt a plea but a question of sorts. In fact, he tweeted that why hasnt PM Modi apologized for meeting with PM Nawaz Sharif in 2015!

@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why?  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

Before you ask, no, it doesnt look like he wrote this after smoking something! However, the Twitterati lost its shit and savagely trolled him. So much so, that some even asked Kashyap to apologize for making some of the films that he made. Ouch! While others compared him to a certain minister who also has a habit of blaming the PM for anything and everything (Read: Kejriwal)

Check it out:

@anuragkashyap72 and I dare you to go and say this to Raj Thackeray & Shiv Sena cuz they were threatening, not @narendramodi

Hai himmat?  Fernweh (@_prejudiced) October 16, 2016

. @anuragkashyap72 Sir, you haven't yet said sorry for 'No Smoking' - people went into coma at that time. Why ? @narendramodi  Thakur Baldev Singh (@HathwalaThakur) October 16, 2016

. @anuragkashyap72 Sir, you also didn't say sorry for "No Smoking" and Bombay Velvet @narendramodi  Arnab Goswamy (@the_sashiks) October 16, 2016

.@AnuragKashyap72 You haven't yet said sorry for No Smoking, That Girl In Yellow Boots, Udta Punjab, Raman Raghav 2.0 & Bombay Velvet. Why? pic.twitter.com/Ll5CWAFafO    (@WoCharLog) October 16, 2016

.@anuragkashyap72 sir, bring back the old anurag kashyap! ye KJo ke chakkar mein lobbying, groups, politics aur camps me phans kar reh jaoge  Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) October 16, 2016
Ever since the dastardly Uri attack, Bollywood hasnt been the same. Cinema Owners associations decision to not allow the screening of movies with Pakistani artistes hasnt gone down too well with the showbiz industry. A group of film and TV producers doesn't agree with this decision especially for the films like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Raees which are almost all set for a release.

Twitter

The Film & Television Producers Guild of India Ltd (Guild) said that it stands by the government in its fight against terrorism but stopping films from releasing will result in heavy losses for the makers.

This came after COEAI announced that it won't release movies starring actors from Pakistan, in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa yesterday. This has put an uncertainty on the release of 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' which was scheduled to hit theaters on October 28, as it features Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan.

santabanta.com

"The Guild in no uncertain terms confirms the film industry stands in unison with the Government's recent steps to counter terrorism. It will naturally abide by any decision taken by the Central Government with regard to future policy on issuance of work visa to foreign artistes.

bollywoodhungama





However, we would urge the central and state governments to appreciate that the film producers, who have already shot their films or are in the process of completing their unfinished films, should not end up paying heavy price for no fault of theirs due to engaging the services of talent from across the border.

These artistes were employed through proper legal channels prior to the recent escalation of hostilities," Mukesh Bhatt, President of the Guild, said in a statement.

The Guild has urged the government to ensure the release of ADHM on time as it has already been certified by the Censor Board.

"The Guild urges the central and state governments to not only ensure smooth release of such films, including 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', as well as to guide the industry on the way forward with respect to the mechanism to be adopted in hiring or utilisation of talent associated with our neighbours."

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Supporting the same, is filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala.

Twitter

"It's unfortunate with Karan, that this film started two years back when the situation was different. We are going to request all the parties, all the concerned authorities, that he is an Indian. An Indian should not suffer from the hands of another Indian," Sajid said at an event.

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"We will humbly go and request everyone. He is an Indian citizen, please help him. Our entire team thinks we will be successful." said Varun Dhawan who was present at the same event.

"I totally agree with what Sajid sir said. I stand by him," he said.
1. The Indian Government Has Clarified That It Has 'Not' Banned Pakistani Artists

Twitter

According to a government official, Notwithstanding the current debate on allowing Pakistani artistes to work in Indian films in view of the tensions between India and Pakistan following the Uri terror attack, the government of India has not revised its policy of issuing work visas to Pakistani artistes. Nor is there any proposal yet to revoke the work visas already issued to them."

2. Anurag Kashyap Asks PM Modi To Apologise For Meeting Pak PM Nawaz Sharif, Gets Savagely Trolled!

Anurag Kashyap faced the wrath of Twitterati when he asked PM Narendra Modi for his apology for meeting Pak PM Nawaz Sharif.

3. Leonardo DiCaprio Has Been Asked To Give Up Title Of UN Messenger Of Peace For Climate Change!

un.org

A charity organization has asked Leo to step down and give up his title because he is allegedly involved in a Malaysian money laundering scandal.

4. Heres A Sneak Peek Into Big Boss 10 royal House

Colors

This time, the contests will use an extravagant in-house Jacuzzi!

5. Priyanka Chopra Urges People To Focus On Keeping Our Soldiers Safe Instead Of Targeting Artists

Twitter

PC has said everything that is going on our minds. She wants everyone to focus on the safety and well-being of our soldiers and their families instead of talking about frivolous issues.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds talks with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Oct. 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday completed a two-day state visit to Bangladesh, during which the two countries agreed to upgrade their ties to a strategic partnership of cooperation.

The visit, the first by a Chinese head of state to the South Asian country in three decades, heralds a new era for cooperation between the two countries, which established contact through ancient silk routes more than 2,000 years ago.

A MILESTONE VISIT

President Xi's "historic visit", called by local newspapers, started with the highest tribute to a foreign president from the Bangladeshi side. Xi was received on Friday at the airport by his Bangladeshi counterpart, Abdul Hamid, and given a 21-gun salute. The host country dispatched fighter jets to escort Xi's plane after it entered Bangladesh's airspace.

In Dhaka, posters with pictures of President Xi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Abdul Hamid, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, are adorning all the major streets and junctions across the city.

During Xi's visit, the two countries agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a strategic partnership of cooperation, raising the bilateral relationship to a new level.

During his meeting with Hasina on Friday, Xi said the closer comprehensive partnership of cooperation the two sides forged in 2010 has yielded fruitful results, with bilateral cooperation advancing steadily in political, economic, cultural and security areas and on international and regional affairs.

After their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a string of cooperation documents covering such areas as the joint building of the Belt and Road Initiative, production capacity cooperation, information and telecommunication, energy and power, diplomatic affairs, maritime affairs, disaster prevention and alleviation, and climate change.

They also pledged to map out new major cooperation projects, especially in such key areas as infrastructure construction, transportation, information and telecommunication and agriculture.

"Given the high-level political mutual trust and advanced cooperation in many areas between China and Bangladesh, the upgrade (of bilateral ties) was perfectly timed and proper, charting the course for future development of bilateral ties," former Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Chai Xi said.

ENHANCING SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION

Xi's visit to Bangladesh, one of the least developed countries listed by the United Nations, is also aimed at promoting South-South cooperation and inclusive development under the consensus reached at the G20 Hangzhou summit.

During the meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Abdul Hamid, Xi said the two sides agreed to make unremitting efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and push forward South-South cooperation.

The two sides have already shown similarity in their development goals and great potential for further cooperation.

During his talks with Hasina on Friday, Xi said China stands ready to push forward bilateral practical cooperation by aligning the development strategies of the two countries, noting that China is striving for its "two centenary goals" while Bangladesh is pursuing its "Sonar Bangla" dream of national strength and prosperity.

The "two centenary goals" refer to China's aspiration to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the time the Communist Party of China celebrates its centenary in 2021 and turn the People's Republic of China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the time it celebrates its centenary in 2049.

Bangladesh, with its "Sonar Bangla" dream, aims to become a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed one by 2041.

China is now the largest trading partner of Bangladesh, and Bangladesh is China's third-largest trading partner and third-largest project contract market in South Asia with bilateral trade reaching 14.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2015.

China-made products, ranging from daily necessities to large machinery, can be found all over Bangladesh.

Industries such as communications and automobiles, in which China has technology and Bangladesh has great demand, hold vast potential for cooperation, said Jiang Jingkui, director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Peking University.

With China's support, Bangladesh implemented in June the country's largest-ever information and communication technology (ICT) project to connect nearly 20,000 government offices across the country.

The project, undertaken by companies including Huawei and China Machinery Engineering Corporation, has been considered a main project for building a digital Bangladesh by 2021.

"Xi's visit signals the beginning of a new era and a new height for China-Bangladesh relations. There will be more and more fruitful cooperation in the development of highways, railways, energy, power and communication," Chai said.

BELT AND ROAD OPPORTUNITIES

"Bangladesh, with its favorable geographic location and huge population, market potential and cooperation space, is an indispensable partner for China to advance the Belt and Road Initiative and production capacity cooperation in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region," Xi said in a signed article carried by leading Bangladeshi newspapers on Friday.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi in 2013, comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It is aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.

Bangladesh's firm support for the Belt and Road Initiative and and the building of an economic corridor linking Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCIM) have borne fruit.

The multipurpose road-rail Padma Bridge, being built by the China Major Bridge Engineering Company, is the largest and most challenging infrastructure project in Bangladesh's history.

Once opened in 2018, it will significantly improve transportation in Bangladesh's northeast and southwest regions and bolster the Bangladeshi economy by 1.5 percent according to the estimation of economists.

The bridge will also make it more convenient for neighboring countries to use Bangladesh's seaports, and promote the country's trade with China, India and Myanmar.

Chinese enterprises have also signed deals with Bangladesh to build a two-lane tunnel underneath the Karnaphuli River, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, and to carry out detailed engineering design for a four-lane expansion of a national highway.

"Infrastructure is crucial to Bangladesh's development. The Belt and Road Initiative and the BCIM Economic Corridor will help improve air, rail and road transport for countries involved," Jiang Jingkui with Peking University said.

Better infrastructure calls for greater investment. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), of which Bangladesh is a founding member, and the Silk Road Fund, among others, could serve as financial sources.

In June, the AIIB approved its first four loans, including one worth 165 million U.S. dollars for a power distribution system upgrade and expansion project in Bangladesh.

"The Silk Road Fund, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank will help Bangladesh achieve its development goals. We expect closer China-Bangladesh cooperation under the Belt and Road framework," said Xiang Junyong, research fellow with Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China.
Leonardo DiCaprio who is always in the limelight for his many affairs with supermodels has found himself in yet another controversy and this time it has got nothing to do with his personal life. Touted to be one of the biggest digs at his environmental credibility, a rainforest charity has appealed to the actor to give up his UN Messenger of Peace title.

Mirror

DiCarprio who has been associated with climate change for a long time now has been asked to do so because of his alleged connection to the "politically exposed persons" at the center of the multi-billion dollar 1MDB Malaysian corruption scandal. In an ultimatum by the Bruno Manser Funds, Leo has been asked to either renounce his connections to the people involved in the scandal and return the corruption money that he allegedly received or resign from the coveted position given to him by the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon in 2014.

un.org

"If DiCaprio is unwilling to come clean, we ask him to step down as UN Messenger for Peace for climate change, because he simply lacks the credibility for such an important role," said Lukas Straumann, director of the Switzerland-based charity, which has a particular focus on deforestation in Malaysia.

DiCaprio is said to have received millions of dollars from the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund for his film The Wolf of Wall Street. In fact, the film has been allegedly funded by stolen Malaysian money and produced by Red Granite, co-founded by Riza Aziz, the stepson of the Malaysian prime minister and a major figure in a DOJ filing.

The Wolf Of Wall Street still

He is also said to have received laundered 1MDB money for his charity, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, from his former close associate Jho Low, the controversial Malaysian businessman at the heart of the scandal.

At the press conference, entitled "Recovery of Stolen Malaysian Assets," a direct link was made between the 1MDB corruption scandal and major environmental issues in Malaysia, such as deforestation, one of the main concerns of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

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No official statement has been made from Leonardo DiCaprios side as of now.
On the occasion of World Food Day, there's much talk about deprivation and the stark food crisis that India faces. This is also the time to celebrate the heroes who have been working consistently to feed the hungry and the impoverished or to help make food of better quality for all in the country without taking a toll on the farmer.

MS Swaminathan

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Otherwise known as the 'Indian Father Of Green Revolution', Professor Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan is world-renowned for his work. For his work in the 'Green Revolution', he received the World Food Prize in 1987, the proceeds of which were used in setting up the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF). The foundation works towards tackling the issues faced in agriculture, food and nutrition in rural India with science and technology. He is also the Chairman Emeritus of the Fight Hunger Foundation, based out Mumbai.

Feeding India

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Started by Ankit Kawatra, Feeding India is an organisation that works towards eliminating hunger from India by 2025. Largely a volunteer-run organisation, Feeding India collects excess food from donors, whether it's homes, hotels, canteens or restaurants, and uses it to feed the hungry in the country. According to the United Nations development report, 40% percent, or Rs 58,000 crore worth of food produced in India goes to waste. Which is all the more alarming when we find out that a staggering 45% of Indian children die from malnutrition.

Bhookh Relief Foundation

BCCL

Based out of Tardeo in Mumbai, this foundation has been working with the United Nations to eliminate hunger across India. The NGO is dedicated to Lt Nawang Kapadia who died in a fatal combat in Kashmir in 2000. Jay V Sutaria heads the NGO which invites people to click on a button to end hunger. The site's sponsors pay for your daily click. The sponsors purchase tiles on the website for a certain amount of time. Bhookh.com then tabulates the number of people who click during that time frame and bill the sponsor for the appropriate amount. Bhookh.com then donates this money to the Indian chapter of UN World Food Programme towards food for the chronically hungry.

Akshay Patra

Hans India

This is an Assam-based NGO that aims to bring back children to school by implementing the mid-day meal scheme. "Through our mid-day meal programme, our attempt is to feed the millions of children in India who have the zeal to learn and achieve, but not the means. By feeding them that one wholesome meal a day, we give them the motivation and nourishment they need to pursue an education and a better future. It is our endeavour to reach out to every child at the grass root level of the society," says their website.

Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems (CIKS)

CIKS

Based out of Chennai, this NGO produces organic seeds and supplies the same to the farmers at reasonable rates. The seeds produced by this NGO are marketed under the brand name Akshaya Seeds. We have been working with farmers groups in the Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu on organic value chain management in paddy, shares AV Balasubramanian, Director and Founder Trustee. The seed production activity is taking place largely in Sirkazhi in Nagapattinam district and it is coordinated by Subhashini Sridhar, Programme Director of CIKS.

Indian Foodbanking Network

Wikimedia

With an objective to provide every district with an access to at least one FoodBank by 2020, this enterprise is headed by Sam Pitroda. "India is committed to inclusive growth and we cannot take pride in inclusive growth if we cannot eliminate hunger. We have enough surplus food, enough capacity to grow more food; at the same time many of our people in the country go hungry due to inadequate logistics, information, knowledge, and delivery systems," he says.

Gyarsi Bai

The Better India

A "saharaiya", member of a primitive tribe in Rajasthan, Gyarsi Bai set up the first food grain bank in her region at Sunda village. She has been leading the fight against starvation since 2012. It will enable us to not only guard against hunger but also give us freedom to choose our livelihood, she told The Better India. She also works with the Jagrut Mahila Manch, a local non-government organisation, to organise tribal women in Baran. Once it is there, we will neither have to worry about irregularities in public rations, nor will we have to depend for food on rich landlords, she added.

Tara Patkar

Point Blank

The founder of the Roti Bank, which is managed by 40 volunteers and 5 elders in Bundelkhand district of Uttar Pradesh, is an effort to go from door to door to collect leftover food which is distributed to the poorest in the region. Their efforts helps to feed more than 400 people every day. The people of the village of Mahoba share their food, despite the fact that no one is too well off themselves. The volunteers help in transporting the food in the village.
The Bombay high court on Friday rebuked the state bureaucracy, saying its approach towards tribals was the same as that of the British before the country gained independence.

A bench headed by Justice V M Kanade expressed its dissatisfaction with the steps taken by the state government to tackle severe malnutrition in the tribal parts of eleven districts, including severely affected Amravati and Melghat.

AFP

"The unfortunate part is that when the British were here they did not bother about the tribals. The same kind of approach [that existed] before Independence has continued with the bureaucracy," Justice Kanade said.

The bench said that for nearly a decade the matter had been pending before the court and various orders had been passed. "Sometimes we feel we are doing an exercise in futility," Justice Kanade said.

ALSO READ: More Than Half Of The World's Refugee Children Are Not Going To School

Government advocate Neha Bhide listed the government schemes and the budgetary allocation towards these. The bench asked if the amount had been really spent as claimed. "Otherwise the situation would have clearly improved over a period of time," Justice Kanade said.

Bhide also showed that in Thane district between 2009 and 2016 there had been "marked reduction in child deaths", from 1,080 to 103.

"The state is trying its level best," she said.

To a query from the court, she said schemes were being implemented to tackle malnutrition. The bench said it was not satisfied with the progress made by the government

It referred to a social activist's report which said that while 18,000 deaths had been reported, large numbers had gone unreported.

It remarked that the situation in Palghar, where there were malnutrition deaths, had remained the same after two months.

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The judges were informed by petitioner-activist Bandya Sane that a lab report on a nutrition supplement for children showed nutrients were lower than represented.

They directed the government to take the opinion of the Ratan Tata Institute and other experts to advise it on the type of food that should be supplied to combat malnutrition.
The commuters in the national capital may soon be using water taxis like the ones in Hong Kong, Sydney, Istanbul and other international cities. This concept is not new in India as many coastal regions are running it quite successfully.

With the government's plan to introduce water taxi across a stretch of ailing Yamuna, there is excitement as well as concerns among the Delhiites regarding the project. While some believe that the proposed waterway will ensure easier commute through the 16 km stretch between Fatehpur Jat and Wazirabad, others question the safety measures for the commuters and future of the water body.

There is also a cry about the government beginning the work despite not getting a clearance from the National Green Tribunal. The hearing in the case is scheduled on October 19.



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According to Advocate Sanjay Upadhyay of Enviro-Legal Defence Firm, who is also the counsel for Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) in the the National Green Tribunal, the project will be very beneficial for the people of Delhi as well as Yamuna river.

"We cannot ruin the Yamuna further. We must look at how we can rejuvenate the river. This is the first time that an initiative has been launched to connect the people with the river. At present, the many stretches of the river are like nullahs. With the right amount of dredging and desilting, the channel can be used as an alternate form of transport for a city which is far less polluting than travel by road or rail," Upadhyay said.

AP

On the other hand, given the impact of recent projects on the Yamuna and its banks, conservationists are concerned about the well-being of the river.

"Whose interest are we actually guarding? That of an infrastructure company? The Tourists? Or the Yamuna and the citizens of Delhi?" asks conservation activist and Swechha NGO founder Vimlendu Jha.

"If we look at the experiences of Commonwealth Games (2010), and the Art Of Living event (2016), we should know how the government looks at the ecology. At present, the manner in which the Ganga is being taken care of, seems like a fairy tale, with no concrete planning," Jha said.

Further expressing his concern on the government opening bids for the ferry when the project has not yet been cleared by the National Green Tribunal, he added: "The NGT issued a circular in January in 2015 clearly putting a stop to any further construction on or around the Yamuna. This project is a clear violation of the rule."

"Is there a reason that Nitin Gadkari, the minister of surface transport, is heading the project instead of Uma Bharti, the minister for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation?"

According to Jha, the government must answer, "What kind of ferries will be run? How will dredging help a seasonal water channel? Do we have an understanding with the Haryana government for the flow of water to the Yamuna in Delhi? What steps are being taken to minimize the impact on the flood banks?

"The plan is a great one to enhance mobility but not at the cost of the death of a river," Jha said.

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Meanwhile, there are conservationists who feel that with the correct infrastructure and stringent planning, the project will benefit the river, the people as well as the government.

Vikrant Tongad, of Social Action for Forests and Environment (SAFE), says, "The increase in the number of people along the river will draw more attention and enhance cleanliness around the river. The installation of public toilets and waste bins will help to keep the area, which is a rubbish pile, clean. With the installation of CCTV cameras will help to monitor offences in the region and make offenders accountable."

BCCL

The water ferry project is a priority project of the Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, may shorten the travel time between Wazirabad to Fatehpur Jat from 3.5 hours to 45 minutes. Water ferry is available in several parts of India including the coastal region and backwaters.

The concept of the Yamuna Water Taxi is inspired by the international-known ferry services in some cities offering a cheaper and energy-efficient commute for citizens also acts as a major draw for tourists like the Star Ferry of Hong Kong in China, the Manly Ferry of Syndey in Australia and the Golden Horn Ferry of Istanbul in Turkey.
For a girl who dropped out of school after her class V exams as her father could not afford her education expenses, the teenager who gave birth to her rapist's child on Thursday after courts refused her the permission to abort is as brave as she is spunky.

Battling stigma, uncertainly and confusion that has come with being an unwed mother so young in a UP village, the girl, who turned 14 this month, has refused offers of marriage from the family of her rapist.

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She said she wants life in jail for her violator, not herself as a gift for him.

"Look where he has left me. It will be humiliating for me to accept the man as my husband and forgive him everything," she said from her hospital bed. Fortunately for her, she has her grieving father by her side, who said people might want her to take up the proposal of marriage and put an end to the matter, but he stands by his daughter's decision.

The girl reacted after Akeel Khan, who is father of the accused Asif Khan,22, said, "If a DNA test confirms paternity of the child, we will accept both the girl and the baby, but only if she marries my son. If she is unwilling to marry, we will not accept the infant."

The teenager, staring at her unwanted child, said, "I want the court to sentence him for life for what he has done to me. His family wants me to marry him now to save him from a jail term. In such a way, all rapists will be freed if they are given an option to marry rape survivors. Even if I marry him, he can abandon me and the baby later."

She added, "After my fellow villagers learnt about my pregnancy, my family and I are being insulted, abused and threatened regularly. Though Asif committed the crime, I have been paying a heavy price for it."

The girl's father said that there is no point of compromise in the matter. "The marriage, if at all, is only to save the accused from legal trouble," he said. "I stand with my daughter when she says a rapist should not be allowed to marry his victim. There should be punishment for it."

TOI

Both the father and daughter are clear about another thing. They do not want the baby. The girl, who tried to get permission for abortion from the courts and failed, has consistently been saying that bringing up a child born out of rape will never let her trauma and stigma fade. She has told cops and court that such a situation will neither help her nor her child.

So what now Speaking for his daughter, the man said,"Once the baby is given to someone, we will take care of my daughter for a few years. We will later marry her to someone when she is mentally prepared for it. If she is married to a far-off village, she can move on with her life. She is just 14. She has her whole life ahead of her and I want her to be happy."
This gender imbalance proves that it is easier for men to remarry than women.

More importantly, Muslim women clearly may not even want to be married  once bitten, terrified forever?

This is what Flavia Agnes, legal scholar and womens rights activist, told IndiaSpend.

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This finding shows the national law commissions formulation of a uniform civil code, which hopefully may ban the outdated practice of triple talaq.

Even in marriage, women, Muslim women in particular, are not as empowered as their male counterparts in decision making. This has led to a visibly poor socio-economic condition of Muslim women in India.

ALSO READ: Bride Divorces Groom With A Triple Talaq On The Phone, And There's A Damn Good Reason For It

PTI/Representative Image

The Modi government's 28-page affidavit to the Supreme Court to end triple talaq, a practice that is not even in practice in Islamic nations like Bangladesh and Pakistan was critiqued not only by Muslim groups, but also political parties.

ALSO READ: Triple Talaq Saves Women From Being Killed, Ban On Polygamy Encourages Illicit Sex, Says Muslim Personal Law Board

PTI/Representative Image

Surprisingly, the 'activist' community, which jumps to the defense of women for every cause (even to support Deepika Padukone's My Choice advertisement) is surprisingly silent on this issue.

This, even as women over 90% of polled Muslim women want the practice to end.

In their response to the government's affidavit, here's what the All India Muslim Personal Law Board wrote to defend triple talaq:

Reuters/Representative Image

If there develops serious discord between the couple, and the husband does not at all want to live with her, legal compulsions of time-consuming separation proceedings and expenses may deter him from taking the legal course. In such instances, he may resort to illegal, criminal ways of murdering or burning her alive."

Activists may write poems for Irom Sharmila, but they will not want to even acknowledge Muslim women who are divorced by Speed Post, or even SMS and Whatsapp.
With the arrest of 10 suspected Maoists from Noida and Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh in an operation that begun on Saturday night to last till Sunday morning, the UP Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) claimed to have averted a major strike in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR).

UP ATS IG Asim Arun told the media on Sunday afternoon that nine of them  including an area commander of the banned CPI (Maoist) Pradeep Kumar Singh of Latehar in Jharkhand who carries a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh  were arrested from an apartment in Noidas Hindon Vihar.

TOI

He said they had been staying in flat No.102, B23, on the second floor, for the past six months pretending to work as property dealers. They had even opened two shops in the locality.

The last one was arrested from Chandauli.

The alleged Maoists have been identified as Ranjit Paswan aka Santosh (35) from Chandauli, Sachin Kumar (28) from Greater Noida, Ashish Saraswat (18) from Aligarh, Brij Kishore (22) from Aligarh and Suraj (22) from Bulandshr in Uttar Pradesh and Pawan Kumar (25) from Madhubani, Krishna Kumar (42) from Sahsaram , Sunil Kumar Yadav (25) from Sahsaram and Shailendra Kumar (41) from Baksar in Bihar. The police said they the accused suspects were operational in Bihar and Jharkhand.

They were planning to commit crimes like loot, robbery and abduction to raise funds for their planned operation in Delhi and NCR during Diwali. The ATS said it has seized few documents and a map from them.

This is how the operation was carried out

The ATS said the local police got information by locals about suspicious activities in Hindon Vihar apartment. The information received was developed and higher officials were informed. The ATS was assigned to launch an operation to catch the suspected Red Ultras.

According, said sources, a team of ATS carried out recce of the area three days before the operation to be sure of the illegal activities. Police and ATS commandoes were camping in the area for few days to keep a watch on the building.

One suspected Maoist was first detained from Delhi, said the sources, and then ATS commandoes reached the apartment with him in Noida at 7 pm on Saturday. The four-storey building  owned by one Venu who lives in Indirapuram  was surrounded by commandos.

The arrested accused, said the sources, was asked to knock the door of the flat. As the gate was opened, the ATS barged inside and nabbed two occupants of the flat. The rest three tried to flee but were apprehended.

We conducted the operation on Saturday night and arrested five persons from the spot with huge cache of arms and detonators. Based on the details of interrogation, the police conducted a raid on Sunday morning in Sadarpur area and arrested four more Maoist suspects, said ATS IG Arun.

Police said that Ranjit Paswan is the mastermind of the gang. He told police that one of his accomplice, Sunil Ravidas was hiding in Chandauli district. A team of police officials conducted a raid and arrested Ravidas from there.

TOI

The police found one INSAS Rifle and two other rifles from his possession.

Gang members were expert in bomb-making

The sources said Pradeep Kumar is a bomb-making expert and he is a major catch for the security agencies. He was among their most wanted.

During interrogation, the gang members revealed that they wanted to shift their base in NCR to commit crimes like ATM heist, robbery and abduction as they could not get enough money in Bihar and Jharkhand area, Arun said.

Police said that Ranjit Paswan is a notorious Maoist commander and has served 10 years jail in several criminal cases.

Huge cache of arms and ammunitions were recovered

The police have found three 32 bore pistols, one 09 mm pistol, three country-made revolvers, 60 cartridges (32 bore), 10 cartridges (09 bore), 18 cartridges (315) bore, two laptops, 13 mobile phones, four cars, one motorcycle and Rs 75,000 from their possession.
CM Devendra Fadnavis found himself in a spot after his photograph with Pune gangster Kamlakar Kisan alias Baba Bodke went viral on Friday.

Bodke, charged under the stringent MCOCA, is an accused in four murder cases and more than a dozen serious crimes. Significantly, in most cases, Bodke was either acquitted or cases are pending in Pune courts.

BCCL

The CMO issued a statement on Friday night, saying an appointment was given to Navi-Mumbai based Haware family for inviting the CM to the inauguration of a store.

Along with members of the family, Bodke came and clicked a photo with the CM. Fadnavis was not aware of his antecedents, CMO added.

BCCL

Former CM Ashok Chavan and leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil strongly criticized Fadnavis for allowing gangsters and anti-social elements entry into the official CM residence. "It's shocking.

The entire state is aware of Bodke's nefarious activities. Despite this, the CM entertained him," they said.
The Centre on Friday indicated that there was no policy change in terms of allowing Pakistani artistes or film technicians to work in India, even as some theatre owners associations announced that they would not screen films featuring Pakistanis among their cast and crew.

AFP

The declaration by a group of around 450 theatre owners across the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat threatens to directly impact film-maker Karan Johar's latest offering 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' slated for a Diwali release. The film stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, who has earlier featured in a few Hindi movies.

"Notwithstanding the current debate on allowing Pakistani artistes to work in Indian films in view of the tensions between India and Pakistan following the Uri terror attack, the government of India has not revised its policy of issuing work visas to Pakistani artistes. Nor is there any proposal yet to revoke the work visas already issued to them," said a government official.

The declaration by the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India that it was suspending release of films where Pakistani artistes and technicians are involved, given the "public sentiment" over terror attacks from across the border, comes in the wake Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) threatening filmmakers Karan Johar and Mahesh Bhatt of "a befitting response" if they worked with or releases films featuring Pakistani artistes.

TOI

The film workers association of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS had earlier set a 48-hour deadline for all Pakistani artists working in India to leave the country.
After the day's drudgery, Saroja gathers her children around her at an underconstruction site in Chamarajpet, Old Bengaluru area, to prepare dinner. It's only 4.30pm, but such is their routine --early to bed and early to rise.

indianews

As Saroja, a migrant labourer from Raichur, is about to get on with cooking, a visitor lands at the site. He has in his hand whatever they have been craving for--vegetable pulao, plain rice, sambar and payasam--a three-course meal, sufficient to feed all hungry souls.

Youtube

Yuvaraj M, a private firm employee from Chamarajpet, didn't surprise Saroja and her hungry children for the first time. "He has come here before. About 20 of us, along with 10 children, work and live here. Luckily, he manages to come before we cook our food, each time," Saroja said.

Driven by the motto, "we have the right to eat, not to waste", the 26-year-old has been delivering food to poor labourers who build Bengaluru.

On Thursday, while he was giving food to Saroja, he got a call from NR Rajendra Harsha, manager, Sankalp Banquet Hall in Banashankari informing him about excess food at an event that could feed at least 150 people.

TOI

Like Rajendra, Yuvaraj has built a network of people who alert him whenever there's excess food. "I always felt that food should never be cooked in large quantities and wasted. I started this initiative to create awareness about judicious cooking among citizens. It's been about two years and today , the purpose has changed and instead of cutting it short at source, many people choose to offer it to labourers through me," said Yuvaraj.

ALSO READ: 8 Food Heroes Who Have Been Fighting A War To Ensure A Better-Fed India

ANI

"We cater food at weddings, engagements and other events in the city so we know how painful it is to see our hard work goes waste. Now even our customers are happy that food is not being wasted," Manjoy PV from GR Celebration said.
An Islamic State (IS) affiliate group in Egypt has claimed responsibility for the attack on a checkpoint on Friday in North Sinai province that killed 12 soldiers and wounded six.

"A number of our soldiers have launched an attack on a checkpoint belonging to the Egyptian army south of Bir al-Abd," the IS group said late Friday in a statement published on some Islamic websites.

It added its soldiers were safe and sound and had seized arms and ammunitions during the attack on the military checkpoint.

The armed forces said in a statement on Friday "an armed group of terrorist elements attacked a security checkpoint in North Sinai on Friday morning using four-wheel drives and were immediately engaged. Our forces killed 15 terrorists and wounded others."

This is the first major attack in the central Sinai area as Bir al-Abd has yet been so far from the reach of the violence that has threatened northern Sinai over the past three years.

The jihadist group, formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, has pledged allegiance to Islamic State since 2014 and changed its name to "Sinai State."

It claimed the responsibility for most of the anti-security attacks that rocked North Sinai and killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen, in retaliation of killing and arresting of thousands of the former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi's loyals.

Intensified Egyptian military raids killed and arrested several hundreds of IS-affiliate extremists in Sinai Peninsula as part of the country's "anti-terrorism war" declared following Morsi's ouster in 2013.

On Saturday, the armed forces have raided a stronghold of Jihadists, killing two terrorists.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a statement posted on his Facebook page, said this attack will give the Egyptians more strength to continue the battle for existence and construction, and will only make the Egyptians more resilient to go on with the anti-terror battle.
The scene outside ISIS-held Mosul feels like a big budget war movie.

a

Thousands of troops are waiting to retake Mosul, Iraq's second largest city that ISIS invaded, and the centre of their 'Caliphate'. When they strike, supposed by US special troops and coalition warplanes, it will be the biggest "Iraqi military operation since the US-led invasion in 2003", Daily Mail reported.

Iraqi forces freed Qayyarah town in August, and marched to Mosul to continue an operation to clear the entire nation from ISIS.

'All the troops are ready, now they are just waiting for the order from the prime minister,' Major General Najim al-Jobori, a top Iraqi commanders overseeing the Mosul operation told the media.

#Mosul your church bells will ring soon. We promised this in December 2015 and today we are here at your gates. #ISIS will be defeated pic.twitter.com/0kBe8IyBa0  Iraqi PMU English (@pmu_english) October 15, 2016

He said the terrorists know that "that is the end of ISIS in Iraq"

Mosul was a cultural and economic centre, known as home to a university famed across the Middle East. However, since June 2014, the ISIS invasion has made the source of horror stories - of rapes, violence, torture, and terror among the 600,000 residents who stayed behind.

Losing Mosul means losing Iraq, which is of both symbolic and strategic value to ISIS

It was here that the idea of the 'Caliphate' first was announced. Unlmited access to Iraq's oil wells has also fuelled the group's investments into weapons and infrastructure.

"Its complicated and almost impossible to get out now, but here people have nothing to talk about except the horrific war that will be launched against the city soon," Amina Najib, 45, a mother of nine who isn't leaving, told The Guardian.

But even victory will come at a cost, as it may trigger the world's most complex humanitarian crisis. Over a million will be displaced, as wave after wave of artillery and chemical weaponry rains down. And ISIS is known for using civilians as human shields, and are already attacking anyone who attempts to leave.

Militants are also hiding in residential areas. Residents are making bomb shelters, stocking up food and preparing for a storm that will change their lives forever.

Also read: These Female Kurdish Fighters Are All Set To Take On ISIS With Their Rifles, Lipstick & Nail-Paint
Talk about breaking ones own record! Dubai is eyeing to cement itself on the no.1 spot of the worlds tallest building list by building another monument taller than Burj Khalifa.

Image Credit: Emaar

Dubai isnt disclosing the exact length of the building, but it is said to be of 2,700ft (828 metres), which is the height of the Burj Khalifa. They have promised to complete the construction by 2020.

Image Credit: Emaar

The architect behind the upcoming building is Santiago Calatrava Valls, the man responsible for the World Trade Center PATH Station. When the construction finishes, it will have a 360 degree observation deck which would provide stunning panoramic views of the scene.

Image Credit: Emaar

The building would cost Dubai a whopping $1 billion, and it would be unveiled during the Expo 2020 trade fair, which Dubai would be hosting.

Image Credit: Emaar

Doesn't it look amazing?! Spectacular, indeed!
ISIS is still a major player in debates, news and terror-related activities, but on ground it's suffering major embarrassments at the hands of West & Turkey-backed rebels.

We had earlier reported how 30,000 Iraqi rebels are on the outskirts of city of Mosul waiting to recapture it and take away the centre of the Caliphate. Now the latest reports from Syria suggest that they have also ceded the village of Dabiq to the Turkey-backed Syrian rebels. This is a major blow for the jihadist group.

Reuters

Dabiq was the stronghold where it had promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West.

Its defeat at Dabiq, long a mainstay of Islamic State's propaganda, underscores the group's declining fortunes this year as it suffered battlefield defeats in Syria and Iraq and lost a string of senior leaders in targeted air strikes.

The group, whose lightning advance through swathes of the two countries and declaration that it had established a new caliphate stunned world leaders just 2 years ago , is now girding for an offensive against Iraq's Mosul, its most prized possession.

Reuters

The rebels, backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, took Dabiq and neighbouring Soran after clashes on Sunday morning, said Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the fighting.

"The Daesh myth of their great battle in Dabiq is finished," he told Reuters, using a pejorative name for Islamic State.

The Free Syrian Army is an umbrella group for rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, dragging in regional and global powers and creating space for jihadists.

An Islamic prophecy names Dabiq as the site of a battle between Muslims and infidels that will presage doomsday, a message Islamic State used extensively in its propaganda, going so far as to name its main publication after the village.

independent

It also chose Dabiq as the location for its killing in 2014 of Peter Kassig, an American aid worker held hostage by the group, by Mohammed al-Emwazi, better known as Jihadi John.

However, it has appeared to back away from Dabiq's symbolism since advances by the FSA groups backed by Turkey had put it at risk of capture, saying in a more recent statement that this battle was not the one described in the prophecy.

The village, at the foot of a small hill in the fertile plains of Syria's northwest about 14 km (9 miles) from the Turkish border and 33 km north of Aleppo, has little strategic significance in its own right.

Reuters

But Dabiq and its surroundings, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State had brought 1,200 fighters in recent weeks, occupied a salient into territory captured by the Turkey-backed rebels.

Clashes

Ankara launched the Euphrates Shield operation, bringing rebels backed by its own armor and air force into action against Islamic State, in August, aiming to clear the group from its border and stop Kurdish groups gaining ground in that area.

A Turkish military source said that while Dabiq was largely under control, Islamic State fighters were still firing on the FSA groups from outside the village and that some rebels had been killed in blasts by landmines and other bombs.

Reuters

The rebels and Turkish military were working to secure Dabiq's surroundings to prevent any remaining Islamic State fighters trapped in the area from escaping.

Since early 2016, Islamic State's territorial possessions in Syria have been steadily eroded by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an umbrella group of Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the United States, which in August took the city of Manbij.

Turkey's campaign has since cut the jihadist group off from the Turkish border, long its most reliable entry point for supplies and foreign fighters.

Meanwhile, air strikes have killed a succession of Islamic State leaders in Syria, including its "war minister" Omar al-Shishani and Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, one of its leading strategists and an architect of its shift towards plotting attacks in Europe.

Reuters

In Iraq, the army backed by Shi'ite Muslim militia groups has this year recaptured Falluja and is now poised for an offensive on Mosul, where Islamic State's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in 2014 declared himself heir to Islam's caliphs.

However the militants still hold most of Syria's Euphrates basin, from al-Bab, 26 km southeast of Dabiq, through the group's capital of Raqqa and to the Iraqi border.
A Yahoo Inc media executive fired from the internet company last year has filed a lawsuit claiming a job review process implemented by Chief Executive Marissa Mayer was used to cut men from executive ranks and lay them off illegally, court papers showed.

Reuters

Scott Ard, a former senior editorial director at Yahoo, filed the lawsuit in California's Northern District Court in San Jose on Tuesday, saying the company violated federal civil rights and employment regulations.

Yahoo spokeswoman Carolyn Clark said in a statement that the lawsuit had no merit and called the performance review process "fair."

The lawsuit is the second this year accusing Yahoo of discrimination against men, and targets one of the highest-profile Silicon Valley female executives, Mayer, who is in the middle of divesting Yahoo's core assets after failing to turn the company around.

Reuters

Ard, who joined Yahoo in 2011, argued that he had received overall positive performance reviews and stock awards before Mayer introduced a quarterly performance review (QPR) system that left him with an unsatisfactory ranking.

"Yahoo's QPR Process permitted manipulation without oversight or accountability and was thus more arbitrary and discriminatory than the stack ranking used for a while by other employees," the lawsuit said.

Reuters

It accused Yahoo of violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and U.S. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification regulations.

Ard claims that since 2012, Yahoo has terminated more than 50 employees within a 30-day period on several occasions under the system, according to court documents.

Yahoo had 9,400 employees as of March. The lawsuit also claims former Chief Marketing Officer Kathy Savitt "intentionally hired and promoted women because of their gender," noting that 14 of about 16 senior level editorial employees hired by her were women.

Reuters

In February, former Yahoo Autos Managing Editor Gregory Anderson sued the company, accusing it of gender discrimination and violations related to the job review process.
Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter The announcement last week by the United States of the largest military aid package in its history  to Israel  was a win for both sides. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu could boast that his lobbying had boosted aid from $3.1 billion a year to $3.8bn  a 22 per cent increase  for a decade starting in 2019. Mr Netanyahu has presented this as a rebuff to those who accuse him of jeopardising Israeli security interests with his governments repeated affronts to the White House. In the past weeks alone, defence minister Avigdor Lieberman has compared last years nuclear deal between Washington and Iran with the 1938 Munich pact, which bolstered Hitler; and Mr Netanyahu has implied that US opposition to settlement expansion is the same as support for the ethnic cleansing of Jews. American president Barack Obama, meanwhile, hopes to stifle his own critics who insinuate that he is anti-Israel. The deal should serve as a fillip too for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic partys candidate to succeed Mr Obama in Novembers election. In reality, however, the Obama administration has quietly punished Mr Netanyahu for his misbehaviour. Israeli expectations of a $4.5bn-a-year deal were whittled down after Mr Netanyahu stalled negotiations last year as he sought to recruit Congress to his battle against the Iran deal. In fact, Israel already receives roughly $3.8bn  if Congresss assistance on developing missile defence programmes is factored in. Notably, Israel has been forced to promise not to approach Congress for extra funds. The deal takes into account neither inflation nor the dollars depreciation against the shekel. A bigger blow still is the White Houses demand to phase out a special exemption that allowed Israel to spend nearly 40 per cent of aid locally on weapon and fuel purchases. Israel will soon have to buy all its armaments from the US, ending what amounted to a subsidy to its own arms industry. Nonetheless, Washingtons renewed military largesse  in the face of almost continual insults  inevitably fuels claims that the Israeli tail is wagging the US dog. Even The New York Times has described the aid package as too big. Since the 1973 war, Israel has received at least $100bn in military aid, with more assistance hidden from view. Back in the 1970s, Washington paid half of Israels military budget. Today it still foots a fifth of the bill, despite Israels economic success. But the US expects a return on its massive investment. As the late Israeli politician-general Ariel Sharon once observed, Israel has been a US aircraft carrier in the Middle East, acting as the regional bully and carrying out operations that benefit Washington. Almost no one blames the US for Israeli attacks that wiped out Iraqs and Syrias nuclear programmes. A nuclear-armed Iraq or Syria would have deterred later US-backed moves at regime overthrow, as well as countering the strategic advantage Israel derives from its own nuclear arsenal. In addition, Israels US-sponsored military prowess is a triple boon to the US weapons industry, the countrys most powerful lobby. Public funds are siphoned off to let Israel buy goodies from American arms makers. That, in turn, serves as a shop window for other customers and spurs an endless and lucrative game of catch-up in the rest of the Middle East. The first F-35 fighter jets to arrive in Israel in December  their various components produced in 46 US states  will increase the clamour for the cutting-edge warplane. Israel is also a front-line laboratory, as former Israeli army negotiator Eival Gilady admitted at the weekend, that develops and field-tests new technology Washington can later use itself. The US is planning to buy back the missile interception system Iron Dome  which neutralises battlefield threats of retaliation  it largely paid for. Israel works closely too with the US in developing cyberwarfare, such as the Stuxnet worm that damaged Irans civilian nuclear programme. But the clearest message from Israels new aid package is one delivered to the Palestinians: Washington sees no pressing strategic interest in ending the occupation. It stood up to Mr Netanyahu over the Iran deal but will not risk a damaging clash over Palestinian statehood. Some believe that Mr Obama signed the aid package to win the credibility necessary to overcome his domestic Israel lobby and pull a rabbit from the hat: an initiative, unveiled shortly before he leaves office, that corners Mr Netanyahu into making peace. Hopes have been raised by an expected meeting at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday. But their first talks in 10 months are planned only to demonstrate unity to confound critics of the aid deal. If Mr Obama really wanted to pressure Mr Netanyahu, he would have used the aid agreement as leverage. Now Mr Netanyahu need not fear US financial retaliation, even as he intensifies effective annexation of the West Bank. Mr Netanyahu has drawn the right lesson from the aid deal  he can act against the Palestinians with continuing US impunity. - See more at: http://www.jonathan-cook.net/2016-09-19/palestinians-lose-in-us-military-aid-deal-with-israel/#sthash.fL4Eq28N.dpuf Its Worse Than Pussy Grabbing



By Missy Comley Beattie October 15, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Counterpunch "- Repelled by Donald Trumps pussy grabbing, Republican politicians are scattering like roaches exposed to strobe lights. (This just in: Many of the roaches are crawling back.) Paul Ryan is sickened by Trump. Sickened by the image of pussy grabbing. So is John McCain who pronounced Trumps behavior demeaning to women and said,  impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy. Recall that McCain returned from captivity in Viet Nam and abandoned his first wife Carol, after a disfiguring accident left her five inches shorter. According to friends, McCain was appalled by Carols changed appearance. In other words, McCain left the wife who held the family together when he was a war prisoner, the wife who endured 23 operations. Yet pussy grabbing is demeaning to women. Also recall John McCains singing, Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran to the tune of Barbara Ann. Yet pussy grabbing is demeaning to women. Theres nothing lower than a pussy grabber. Right. Trumps reaction to the Republican revolt: a call for war on the GOP, and speaking of war, Hillary Clinton is coaxing one with Russia. Isnt it eminently wiser to wage war on Republicans (and Democratsin fact, the System itself) than on Russia? Few days ago, I was driving, noticed police cruisers blocking entry to the I-40 ramp. Obama was in route to rally for his legacy by supporting Clinton. Later, I read about the event. Of course, the president repudiated Trump: You dont have to be a husband or father to say, Thats not right. You just have to be a decent human being. Lets hear it for Obamas decency. For example, when he gloated, during a 2012 meeting with aides discussing drone policy: Turns out Im really good at killing people. Didnt know that was a strong suit of mine. Which brings to mind his performing during a 2010 White House Correspondents Dinner. Obama said: The Jonas Brothers are here; theyre out there somewhere. Sasha and Malia are huge fans. But boys, dont get any ideas. I have two words for you, predator drones. You will never see it coming. You think Im joking. Yes, he was criticized. No laughing matter. Just imagine how much heavier that criticism would have been if Obama had said, Dont get any ideas about grabbing pussy. Because grabbing pussy is even worse than being incinerated by a drone. Last week, a friend called. Said, I cant vote for Clinton. Then dont. I dont want to waste my vote. WTF? Youre wasting your vote regardless. Another wrote, Im afraid Trump will ruin this country. This country was ruined long ago. Long before Donald Trump bragged about the benefits of stardom, about grabbing pussy, wanting to grab pussy, admitting failure to grab pussy, rationalizing grabbing pussy. Long before John Kennedys womanizing. Long before Lyndon Johnson woke a female White House employee in a bedroom at his Texas ranch during the night and demanded, Move over, this is your president. (She did.) Long before Johnson as a college student named his wiener Jumbo. Okay, Im going to meander now from the sexism even though I empathize with anyone whos been groped, pushed past a no, no, dont do that. I understand the assault; both physical and psychic and acknowledge that women dont have equal status. Abuse of authority is epidemic, and not gender or age specific. Its just that when I think of injustice, I see men and women murdered for being Black or I stare at the photographs of Syrias youngest victims, see the eyes and blood-and-tear-stained faces, the small bodies washed ashore. If this isnt horrendous enough, theres that other huge: the poisoning of our planet. Radiation leaks into our oceans. Toxins invade our atmosphere, our rivers, the soil, our pipes, our food, our children. Scientists disagree on whether weve passed the brink, yet even if there were time, even if there were a viable strategy, a global consensus would be essential. Few people are or would be willing to make the necessary sacrifices. Trumps fingerprints are on crotches. Clintons are on Haiti, Honduras, Libya, Syria, Iraq, anywhere U.S. Empire lurks. What a choice. Its worse than pussy grabbing. Were fucked. Missy Beattie has written for National Public Radio and Nashville Life Magazine. She was an instructor of memoirs writing at Johns Hopkins Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Baltimore. Email: missybeat@gmail.com Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust Donate



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Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter The announcement last week by the United States of the largest military aid package in its history  to Israel  was a win for both sides. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu could boast that his lobbying had boosted aid from $3.1 billion a year to $3.8bn  a 22 per cent increase  for a decade starting in 2019. Mr Netanyahu has presented this as a rebuff to those who accuse him of jeopardising Israeli security interests with his governments repeated affronts to the White House. In the past weeks alone, defence minister Avigdor Lieberman has compared last years nuclear deal between Washington and Iran with the 1938 Munich pact, which bolstered Hitler; and Mr Netanyahu has implied that US opposition to settlement expansion is the same as support for the ethnic cleansing of Jews. American president Barack Obama, meanwhile, hopes to stifle his own critics who insinuate that he is anti-Israel. The deal should serve as a fillip too for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic partys candidate to succeed Mr Obama in Novembers election. In reality, however, the Obama administration has quietly punished Mr Netanyahu for his misbehaviour. Israeli expectations of a $4.5bn-a-year deal were whittled down after Mr Netanyahu stalled negotiations last year as he sought to recruit Congress to his battle against the Iran deal. In fact, Israel already receives roughly $3.8bn  if Congresss assistance on developing missile defence programmes is factored in. Notably, Israel has been forced to promise not to approach Congress for extra funds. The deal takes into account neither inflation nor the dollars depreciation against the shekel. A bigger blow still is the White Houses demand to phase out a special exemption that allowed Israel to spend nearly 40 per cent of aid locally on weapon and fuel purchases. Israel will soon have to buy all its armaments from the US, ending what amounted to a subsidy to its own arms industry. Nonetheless, Washingtons renewed military largesse  in the face of almost continual insults  inevitably fuels claims that the Israeli tail is wagging the US dog. Even The New York Times has described the aid package as too big. Since the 1973 war, Israel has received at least $100bn in military aid, with more assistance hidden from view. Back in the 1970s, Washington paid half of Israels military budget. Today it still foots a fifth of the bill, despite Israels economic success. But the US expects a return on its massive investment. As the late Israeli politician-general Ariel Sharon once observed, Israel has been a US aircraft carrier in the Middle East, acting as the regional bully and carrying out operations that benefit Washington. Almost no one blames the US for Israeli attacks that wiped out Iraqs and Syrias nuclear programmes. A nuclear-armed Iraq or Syria would have deterred later US-backed moves at regime overthrow, as well as countering the strategic advantage Israel derives from its own nuclear arsenal. In addition, Israels US-sponsored military prowess is a triple boon to the US weapons industry, the countrys most powerful lobby. Public funds are siphoned off to let Israel buy goodies from American arms makers. That, in turn, serves as a shop window for other customers and spurs an endless and lucrative game of catch-up in the rest of the Middle East. The first F-35 fighter jets to arrive in Israel in December  their various components produced in 46 US states  will increase the clamour for the cutting-edge warplane. Israel is also a front-line laboratory, as former Israeli army negotiator Eival Gilady admitted at the weekend, that develops and field-tests new technology Washington can later use itself. The US is planning to buy back the missile interception system Iron Dome  which neutralises battlefield threats of retaliation  it largely paid for. Israel works closely too with the US in developing cyberwarfare, such as the Stuxnet worm that damaged Irans civilian nuclear programme. But the clearest message from Israels new aid package is one delivered to the Palestinians: Washington sees no pressing strategic interest in ending the occupation. It stood up to Mr Netanyahu over the Iran deal but will not risk a damaging clash over Palestinian statehood. Some believe that Mr Obama signed the aid package to win the credibility necessary to overcome his domestic Israel lobby and pull a rabbit from the hat: an initiative, unveiled shortly before he leaves office, that corners Mr Netanyahu into making peace. Hopes have been raised by an expected meeting at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday. But their first talks in 10 months are planned only to demonstrate unity to confound critics of the aid deal. If Mr Obama really wanted to pressure Mr Netanyahu, he would have used the aid agreement as leverage. Now Mr Netanyahu need not fear US financial retaliation, even as he intensifies effective annexation of the West Bank. Mr Netanyahu has drawn the right lesson from the aid deal  he can act against the Palestinians with continuing US impunity. - See more at: http://www.jonathan-cook.net/2016-09-19/palestinians-lose-in-us-military-aid-deal-with-israel/#sthash.fL4Eq28N.dpuf An Urgently Necessary Briefing on Syria



By Gary Leupp October 15, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Counterpunch "- 1. Syria is country about the size of Washington state, with an extraordinarily long, well-documented and glorious history, and central role in the emergence of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Before the current war, it had a population of around 22 millions. It has never threatened and poses no threat to the United States. It is a secular, constitutional republic recognized diplomatically by the United Nations and has diplomatic and usually cordial relations with Russia, Iran, China, India, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, the Philippines, Argentina, Tanzania, Cuba, Egypt, Iraq, Algeria, Oman, etc. It has historically been a battleground of Arab, Iranian and Turkish peoples, at different times a part of the Persian Empire, the Arab-led Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, or the Ottoman Empire. It fell under French colonial administration after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire (centered on what is now Turkey) in the course of World War I. It was briefly declared a kingdom under the Arab Emir Feisal until the French drove him out of Damascus in 1920. Thereafter the League of Nations awarded France a mandate to govern Syria (including Lebanon, which the French made a separate state). This colonial administration continued to 1946. After independence from France, political parties representing merchants and intellectuals from Damascus or Aleppo vied for power while the Communist Party was (to Washingtons alarm) tolerated. The secularist Baath Party founded by Christians, Sunnis and Alawites in 1947 began to organize. 2. The U.S. has a long history of pressing for regime change in Syria. After Syria became independent, the U.S. routinely intervened in the country in pursuing its Cold War political agendas. It is widely suspected that the military coup in Syria in 1949 was abetted by the U.S., which saw the previous regime as soft on communism. And the CIA openly acknowledges responsibility for the failed coup attempts designed to install a suitable anti-communist regime called Operation Straggle in 1956 and Operation Wappen directed by Kermit Roosevelt, Jr. in 1957. The latter included failed bribery efforts which, when exposed, embarrassed the U.S. (After the Syrian government foiled the plot, Washington began accusing Syria of being a Soviet client.) Syria and Egypt briefly united as the United Arab Republic, perceived by the U.S. as pro-Soviet, in 1958; after it collapsed following another coup in 1961, the Baathists rose to power. Following the Baathist coup in neighboring Iraq in February 1963, their comrades in Syria took power. But the Syrian partisans split into factions, and relations between the two countries parties soured. Still, they constituted the ruling status quo in both Syria and Iraq from this time to 2003 when the U.S. Occupation dissolved the Baath Party of Iraq. (It then numbered some 400,000 members). 3. Up to the 1967 War, Washington saw the Baathists as the preferred option in the Middle Easta middle force between Islamism and Communism. Promoting secularism, pan-Arabism, and economic nationalism they seemed relatively non-hostile to the U.S. Although during the early years of the Cold War in particular, the U.S. vilified neutral parties in general, the Baathists could be partnered with for common purposes. (Saddam Husseinas you surely know?after the 1963 coup in Iraq worked with the CIA to round up, torture and execute Iraqi communists in the Qasr al-Nehayat, the Palace of the End. A former senior State Department official who was there told UPI: We were frankly glad to be rid of them. You ask that they get a fair trial? You have to get kidding. This was serious business.) But after Israels 1967 victories Washington decided to rethink its Middle East relationships and to defer more and more deeply to the Israel Lobby-which saw the Baathists as anti-Zionist (hence anti-Semitic) pan-Arab nationalists who were dangerously sophisticated (precisely because they were secular, anti-Islamist, and appeal to religious minorities), who provided political and material support to Palestinian and Lebanese groups resisting Israeli occupation, and who demanded the return of the occupied Golan Heights that the entire world agrees is Syrian landby listing Syria and Iraq as terror-sponsoring nations. Meanwhile Syria intervened in Lebanon repeatedly from 1976, ostensibly in response to appeals from different parties in a widening civil conflict involving Palestinians and Israeli invaders after 1982. 4. Still, while looking at Syria through an Israeli lens, and considering it terrorist, U.S. policy makers have generally maintained diplomatic relations with Syria (last broken off in 2011) and even sought its cooperation on occasion. Syria, then ruled by the current presidents father Hafez al-Assad, participated in the international coalition organized by George W. Bush against Iraq in 1991 (yes, despite the fact that wings of the Baath Party ruled both Syria and Iraq at the time). A decade later, after 9/11, the U.S. sought Syrian cooperation in another war; ithow do you say it?rendered covert service to the extraordinary renditions program following cordial talks with Colin Powell and other officials. 5. So far in this century, U.S. officials have been divided between those more or less eager to use U.S. power to bring down the regime, and cooler heads fearing the consequences. The neoconservatives dominating the first George W. Bush administrations had clearly articulated in 1996 (to the Israeli government, which they advised as Israeli-U.S. dual-nationals) their vision of U.S.-triggered regime-change from Iran to Iraq to Syria to make the region more hospitable to Israel. 9/11 allowed the neoconservative regime-changers and their allies to move quickly. Exploiting fear and ignorance, they immediately set about preparing for war on Iraq, even though Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11. We know from Gen. Wesley Clarks often-quoted words, after talking with a Pentagon general shortly after 9/11, that there was a plan already in place to take out seven countries in 5 years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran. There were loud voices in the Bush administration (most notably undersecretary of state John Bolton, who Trump has said is one of the foreign policy experts he most respects) calling for strikes on Syria (as low-hanging fruit) and echoing baseless Israeli allegations that the WMDs not found in Iraq must have been sent across the border to Syria. And of course everyone applauded in Sept. 2007 when the Israel Air Force bombed an alleged nuclear reactor in Syria. In 2005 the Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri was assassinated in Beirut. The U.S. blamed Syria and forced Syria to withdraw its forces from Lebanon. Yet it maintained relations with Damascus. When Bashar succeeded his father as president in 2000, he had been welcomed as a reformer; Hillary Clinton had still referred to him as such as of 2010. But leaked diplomatic messages indicate that the Damascus U.S. embassy was actively pursuing the overthrow of the president even before 2011. 6. The Arab Spring of 2011 ended the discussion about regime change. The neocon faction at the State Department kicked into gear. Hillary Clinton and soon Barack Obama commanded Bashar al-Assad to step down, after some fatal encounters between demonstrators and police afforded them the opportunity to deploy a pre-determined accusation: He has attacked his own people! The U.S. closed its Damascus embassy, planning to return after the moderate opposition was in power as planned. The then-Secretary of State is known to have advocated overt military aid to the rebels, although Obama was reluctant. In fact, the U.S. covertly trained 53 Syrian militants in Turkey who as soon as they entered Syria in September 2015 were captured or defected, handing over their weapons. Efforts to turn Syrias Arab Spring into a quick pro-U.S. regime change exercise have failed dismally while resulting in mass slaughter. 7. At the same time, the al-Qaeda forces gathered, quickly becoming the backbone of the anti-Assad armed movement. ISIL (Islamic State in the Levant) appeared in 2013, latest incarnation of the al-Qaeda franchise established in Iraq by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (after the U.S. occupation on 2003 had for the first time made the country an al-Qaeda breeding ground). It carved out a niche of territory in northeast Syria headquartered in Raqqa (pop. 220,000), captured in March 2013. Meanwhile al-Nusra, emerging from a group of jihadis more connected to Al-Qaeda Central in Pakistan, assumed leadership of the armed opposition around the major cities of Damascus and Aleppo. The two groups held unity talks but Al-Qaedas al-Zawahiri rejected a merger and the two have been antagonistic ever since. Al-Nusra has been the indispensable partner of the so-called Free Syrian Army since its inception, and has received massive amounts of aid from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. 8. In September 2013, as the Syrian state forces made advances against the armed opposition and many analysts concluded that the tide had turned in the conflict, someone released sarin gas in a Damascus suburb. Some blamed it on the Assad regime. John Kerry, Hillary Clintons successor as secretary of state, was eager to attack Syria. A year earlier, Obama had indicated that the U.S. would attack if it saw a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. Obama was on the verge of ordering an attack when careful Russian diplomacy stayed his hand. Moscow challenged the U.S. attribution of the attack to the regime, pointing instead to the opposition, and in any case facilitated the Assad regimes resignation of its chemical weapons stockpiles to the UN. This was an important triumph for Russian diplomacy and setback for neocon regime change plans in Syria. 9. The lightning victories of ISIL in early 2014, as it returned to Iraq conquering Fallujah, Ramadi and Mosul, were a PR nightmare for the U.S. They were clear testimony that the U.S. destruction of the secular, modern Iraqi state had paved the way for child-beheading, woman-enslaving, monument-destroying crazies. The U.S. had to bomb ISIL, both in Iraq (with permission from the government) and in Syria (where U.S. warplanes, unlike Russian warplanes, operate illegally). From Sept. 2014, the U.S. and its coalition have bombed ISIL (although not al-Nusra, which is so entwined with groups the U.S. considers moderate that its been generally spared attack) while simultaneously maintaining that the main problemsomehow giving rise to this problem of these people who burn people in cages, and bury people alive, and force conversionsis the Baathist regime. It has been difficult to argue this because it does not make any sense. There is no rational perception of historical causality here. Even if the Syrian example of Baathism constitutes an authoritarian, even in some respects fascistic system (although in its corruption, inefficiency and religious tolerance it seems quite un-fascistic), it did not give rise to al-Qaeda or any of its spin-offs. The U.S did that, by supporting the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan during the 1980s (in league with Osama bin Laden), by destroying the secular state of Iraq, and by targeting the secular state of Syria for regime change. ISIL arose because the U.S. drove Abu Musad al-Zarqawi out of Afghanistan in 2001; alienated the Sunnis of Iraq by the destruction of Iraqs institutions, producing a base for Zarqawis al-Qaeda recruitment; and destabilized Syria, producing more opportunities for caliphate expansion. To suggest that Assad is responsible for the presence of ISIL in his country (due to his refusal to heed the U.S. diktat, and step down paving the way for the U.S.s alternative) is just stupid. That it should be so widely repeated by pundits in the mainstream press should be the cause for mass alarm if not despair. Such State Department talking points are the drumbeats of war. As it is, from 2014 there have been many press reports of frustration in both the State Department and Defense Department about the unclarity of the Syrian mission: is it to get ride of Assad (the main problem), or to destroy (as Obama put it) the child-torturers conjured up by the criminal Iraq invasion? The preponderance of opinion in the State Department seems to have drifted to near-term regime change. In August 2015 it was widely reported that Gen. David Petraeus, then CIA director, was advocating using so-called moderate members of al Qaedas Nusra Front to fight ISIS in Syria. Yes thats rightally with al-Qaeda, against an even worse al-Qaeda spin-off, the better to topple Assad who stubbornly clings to power defying Washingtons orders. 10. Russias intervention in the Syrian conflict, beginning in September 2015 (precisely one year after the U.S. began bombing ISIL targets in the country), intended to shore up the Syrian state against an opposition interwoven with what the U.S. deems the moderate opposition, has been a game-changer. Occurring at the request of the Syrian government (which, to repeat, is the government of a secular, constitutional republic recognized diplomatically by the United Nations and has cordial relations with Russia, Iran, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, the Philippines, Argentina, Tanzania, Cuba, Egypt, Iraq, Algeria, Oman and many other countries despite Washingtons efforts to isolate and overthrow it), this intervention is legal, while the U.S.s is not. The U.S. press has virtually ignored Russian successes in aiding the Syrian army in recapturing Palmyra from the horrific ISIL, which had destroyed the Temple of Bel, and destroying oil convoys heading from terrorist-controlled territory to Turkey for illegal sale. Instead it has, echoing the State Department, merely accused Moscow of supporting the internationally recognized government against rebels whom the U.S. wants to win. 11. Russian actions, by further strengthening the regimes position and weakening those officially regarded by both Washington and Moscow as terrorists, forced the U.S. to respond positively to Russian appeals for joint action against the latter groups. On Sept. 9 Kerry and Lavrov agreed on a plan for a one-week ceasefire (to which the Syrian government agreed) between state forces and the legitimate (U.S.-backed) opposition. During this period, the latter would separate themselves from al-Nusra to avoid being bombed themselves. These measures were to be followed by coordinated U.S.-Russian action against the terrorists while peace talks resumed in Geneva. Unfortunately the U.S. was unable or unwilling to persuade its many proxies in the conflict to split with al-Nusra. (Thats what really doomed the deal; the U.S.s failure to hold up its end.) Some clients angrily refused and turned on their U.S. advisors. On Sept. 16 (supposedly by mistake) the U.S. and several of its allies bombed a Syrian army base killing 62 soldiers engaged in combat with ISIL. Enraged, Syria resumed the bombing of East Aleppo, which is controlled by al-Nusra (Fateh al-Sham). The U.S. blamed the still-unexplained bombing of a UN aid convoy, killing 20 three days later, on Syria or Russia and suspended negotiations with Russia, period, over Syria. In other words, having temporarily conceded the need to cooperate with Syrias ally Russia to resolve a conflict that the U.S. had deliberately exacerbated, with horrific results, the U.S. sabotaged the talks. And after doing so, suddenly slipped into a mode of unprecedented vitriol; witness UN ambassador Samantha Powers performance at the UN Sept. 18 where she angrily dismissed the death of the Syrian soldiers as a minor detail in a war, and berated the Russian ambassador for calling a Security Council meeting to discuss Syria a stunt. (She obviously wearies of Russias stubborn refusal to concede to the exceptional nation the future of its ally.) 12. Meanwhile Hillary Clinton as recently as Oct. 9 reiterated in the debate with Trump that she (still) supports a no-fly zone. Even though the brass has told her that that would mean the deployment of tens of thousands of U.S. troops in a war with Syria and Russia. She is buoyed by that highly unusual dissent memo signed by 51 current State Department officials last June opposing the current focus on ISIL and demanding immediate regime change in Syria. She knows that the State Department is more hawkish than the Pentagon, but that the Pentagon is also leery about any cooperation with Russia, anywhere, such as Lavrov has repeatedly proposed. She knows the news media in this country has entire bought the line that Russia through its support for a brutal dictator is responsible for genocide in East Aleppowhile the U.S. sits back and does nothing! She is eager to appoint Michele Flournoy (formerly the third-ranking civilian in the Pentagon under Obama) as her Secretary of Defense. Flournoy has also called for a no-fly zone over Syria and limited military coercion to drive Assad from power. She has actually proposed the deployment of U.S. ground troops against the Syrian Arab Army. On Oct. 8 France proposed a UNSC resolution prohibiting Syrian or Russian bombing of al-Nusra controlled East Aleppo, while saying nothing about the illegal bombing of Syria conducted by the U.S and its allies. It was a preposterous joke, opposed by China and Russia, immediately vetoed. It was intended to further vilify the Syrian government and Russia.

Is it not obvious? Public opinion is being prepared for another regime-change war. The most high-stakes one to date, because this one could lead to World War III. And its hardly even a topic of conversation in this rigged election, which seems designed to not only to inaugurate a war-monger, but to exploit crude Russophobia to the max in the process. The point is for Hillary not only to ascend to powerwhatever that might requirebut to prepare the people for more Afghanistans, Iraqs and Libyas in the process. The point is to lull the people into historical amnesia, blind them to Hillarys record of Goldwater-type reckless militarism, exploit the Cold War mentality lingering among the most backward and ignorant, and insure that the electorate that, while generally deploring the result of the rigged election in November, will soon afterwards rally behind corrupt Hillary as soon as she seizes on some pretext for war. Very, very dangerous. Gary Leupp is Professor of History at Tufts University, and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Religion. He is the author of Servants, Shophands and Laborers in in the Cities of Tokugawa Japan; Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan; and Interracial Intimacy in Japan: Western Men and Japanese Women, 1543-1900. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion, (AK Press). He can be reached at: gleupp@tufts.edu Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust Donate



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Nigerians on Saturday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately reshuffle his cabinet, following the revelations made by his wife, Aisha.

This call came on the heels of the displeasure expressed by the Presidents wife that her husband does not know most of the appointees in his cabinet.

Aisha Buhari had, in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview, noted that the Buharis government was hijacked by a few people, who were behind presidential appointments.

In the interview, Mrs. Buhari said, The president does not know 45 out of 50, for example, of the people he appointed and I dont know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years.

Some people are sitting down in their homes, folding their arms, only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position.

Following Aishas comments, which have since gone viral, many Nigerians said the President must take urgent steps to reconstitute his cabinet and remove incompetent ministers and aides.

According to an online poll conducted on The PUNCH website, Facebook page and Twitter handle, majority of Nigerians were in support of a cabinet change.

On The PUNCH website, punchng.com, 77 per cent voted yes to the question Do you think President Buhari should reshuffle his cabinet following Aishas criticisms of his choice of ministers and aides? While 23 per cent voted no, over 3,000 people participated in the poll.

On Facebook, over 300 Nigerians responded to the same question. Again, more than 70 per cent of them said the president should replace underperforming ministers. Most of the respondents said Aisha had inside knowledge of the workings Buharis government.

One of them, Chris Ukam, said, Anybody castigating Aisha Buhari is an illiterate and lacks wisdom. Who doesnt know that Buhari appointed third-class ministers?

Another, Onifade Victor, said, Wives are highly sensitive and know when a man is derailing. Capital yes, PMB should reshuffle his cabinet. They have been staying together for a long time and his wife knows him better than anyone else.

Similarly, a Nigerian, Nura Muhd, said Buharis wife spoke out in his interest. Yes, his wife will be the person to protect him. But since she publicly criticised the way hes doing things, we support her for him to correct (things).

In the same vein, Usuf Folmy said, Please buckle up. No one loves you more than she does. Swallow your pride and kick some people out of your government. They dont mean well for Nigeria.

Also, Ogundele Joshua Akanfe said the cabinet change was long overdue. I think it is overdue, especially the so-called aides he swiftly hired without due consultation. PMB was elected to serve the Nigerian nation and not to satisfy certain individuals. Yes, he should change majority of his aides and ministers that are found wanting.

Other Nigerians praised the presidents wife and described the BBC interview as courageous.

Writing on Punchs Facebook page, Abiodun Ogunbe said, Since 1960, I have not seen any First Lady that was so honest and bold to tell her husband the truth like Aisha Buhari. She is a God-fearing woman that deserves an award.

Paul Nweke also wrote, In fact, if possible, remove all the ministers. None of them is living up to expectations. They are all disappointments.

Another commentator, Daud Olaolu, urged Buhari to listen to his wife for posteritys sake. Absolutely, the First Lady is not the first person to complain about all these parasites within President Buharis cabinet. My thinking is that some of the people in PMBs cabinet dont believe in what PMB or All Progressives Congress stands for. Otherwise, how can a SGF (Secretary to the Government of the Federation) spend N270m to clear grass when the country is in a recession and citizens can hardly afford to eat?

The fact is that most of the people within PMBs cabinet will find their way into the next government and start to criticise the administration that they participated in bringing it down due to their non-patriotic act. Nigerians will not remember any of them but PMB and his family will always be remembered for any negative or positive development in the nations history, he stated.

Prominent Nigerians, including civil society groups and socio-political associations, also joined the call for a reshuffle of Buharis cabinet.

In an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, the Executive Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said a reshuffle of the presidents cabinet was imperative, owing to concerns over the state of the country.

Adeniran, who commended Mrs. Buhari for her comments, said Buharis ministers had not lived up to the expectations of Nigerians.

He said, We as a group have expressed our concerns over the underperformance of Buharis ministers. The comments credited to the presidents wife justified our assertion that a change in the cabinet is imperative. There are many misfits in the present cabinet that need to be removed.

The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has not shown us that she can handle the job. The economy has been nose-diving. In terms of infrastructural development, all we have been getting are excuses from the government. The Minister of Justice is only repeating the mistakes of his predecessor. He has not been able to bring any of the corruption-related cases to a logical conclusion. I think a change in the cabinet is very important. We will not join others to condemn the presidents wife because she has freedom of speech.

The Executive Director of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Adetokunbo Mumuni, expressed similar views but noted that a change of cabinet should not be strictly based on the presidents wifes comment.

According to him, if a minister is not performing well based on expectation, such a minister should be changed.

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Abdullahi Jalo, said the alleged poor performance of the Federal Government was due to the fact that the president has been cornered by a cabal.

Jalo, who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH, said only three of the ministers were qualified to handle the ministries assigned to them.

The PDP chieftain observed that Adeosun, unlike the former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had no strong economic management experience.

He said the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, was unpopular in the political terrain, adding that this has affected the running of the government.

He said, Buhari has been cornered by a cabal. Many of the people in his cabinet do not have the support of the people. The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, is from the South-East. He was a former Senate president. He is rooted in politics. Unlike Anyim, the current SGF, Lawal, has no experience.

In terms of economic management, nobody knows Adeosun. How could she be given the portfolio of finance ministry? The ministry requires the expertise of someone who is connected to the movers and shakers of economic management. As long as Buhari surrounds himself with a cabal, I dont think he will succeed.

The President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said the Igbo socio-political group also backed the call for a reshuffle of the presidents cabinet.

He said, The comments of the presidents wife should be seriously considered. We need fresh people in this government. Also, the president should address the lopsidedness in his appointments and make them reflect Federal Character. We need technocrats who can help us to reposition our economy.

A prominent member of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mohammed Abdulrahman, noted that Buhari should be blamed for the state of the nation.

He said pieces of advice given to the president, which would help to transform the country, were turned down by a prominent ally of Buhari.

Abdulrahman also accused the president of nepotism. He stated that many of the ministers were hampered by lack of funds.

Commending the presidents wife for expressing her displeasure, Abdulrahman said if an independent research was conducted, 99 per cent of what Buharis wife said would be found to be correct.

The ACF member added that Buharis wife expressed the minds of both the Peoples Democratic Party and the APC.

In his reaction, the spokesperson for the Ijaw Youth Council, Eric Omare, expressed concerns over the hardship in the country, adding that many of the ministers did not have access to the president.

The President has to work on this. Many of his ministers do not have access to him. Some of them have to go through someone in order to engage the president, he told SUNDAY PUNCH.

Meanwhile, shortly after Mrs. Buharis interview, unknown groups have started went viral to spread messages on social media accusing her of intentionally wanting to bring her husband into disrepute. Some of the messages stated among other accusations that the First Lady was in the same camp with some aggrieved persons in the APC. Another said the presidents wife was fighting to remain relevant because her husband was no longer listening to her.

Even though the sources of these messages could not be traced as of press time, the messages were shared many times on social media.

Source: Punch
French President Francois Hollande on Saturday presided at a national ceremony paying homage to the 86 victims in the July 14 truck attack in the coastal city Nice, calling for unity to combat terrorism.

The ceremony took place in Nice in the presence of the victims' families, injured people, the country's main political leaders and Nice local officials.

The names of the 86 victims were read out and one white rose was placed for each of them during the ceremony.

"What has been struck on July 14 is national unity, unleash violence to unborn division, spark fear to fuel stigma. No, this evil business will fail," Hollande said. "Unity, freedom and humanity will ultimately prevail," he added.

Meanwhile, the French president warned that the "war (against terrorism) will be long" and "the threat remains high, more than ever."

Cindy Pellegrini, a young French woman who lost six members of her family in the carnage, opened the ceremony of remembrance with a stirring speech.

"On this July 14, you just want to admire the sky and not join it... That night you were all equal, Christians, Jews, Muslims of all nationalities in face of this crazy truck that carried you into a world perhaps better than ours," Pellegrini said.

On July 14, 2016, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian-born delivery man with his truck careered around two km through the crowd before being shot dead by police units. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
A video of an Elephant rushing into water to save a man after spotting him in trouble has gone viral.

The footage shows Kham Lha, the youngest elephant at Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand, leap to rescue a staff member of the park when she sees him apparently drowning in the water.

Kham Lha rushed into the water and caught up with Darrick when she spotted him drowning in the river.

When she finally catches up with him, Darrick gives the massive mammal a big hug to express his gratitude for rescuing him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG15cZH84VI

Kham Lha was one of 19 elephants that the sanctuary rescued from the tourism industry in 2015.

At just four years old, she was made to undergo gruelling training at the hands of her captors.

Luckily, shes now safe and sound, finally enjoying life at the Nature Park with other elephants.

SEE ALSO: Vietnam Siezes 309Kg Of Tusks Illegally Imported From Nigeria
The Nigerian Armys fight against insurgency has continued unabated with female members of the Civilian Joint Task Force lending immense support to the war, writes KAYODE IDOWU

Peace is gradually returning to the troubled North-East sub-region of the country which has been held by its jugular for over six years by the deadly terrorist group, Boko Haram.

In Borno State, the sect largely operated by destroying farmlands, bombing houses, killing many and rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

As the military continue to wage war against the sect, some patriotic youths and adults in the state refused to sit on the fence. The youth belonging to a vigilance group known as Civilian Joint Task Force, have continued to join forces with the military to dislodge the insurgents. The youths are witnesses to how the sect crippled their peoples businesses, ravaged their communities and killed their loved ones. The exploits of members of the CJTF in Borno State and neighbouring states to smoke out insurgents have been lauded by many Nigerians but many are not aware the female members of the group have also played immense roles.

The women told SUNDAY PUNCH that they took the decision to sacrifice their lives for the return of peace in the North while either mourning their neighbours, husbands or children felled by the bullets of the sect.

These women are the amazons of the Boko Haram war in the North-East. Their weapons and strength are in the clandestine way they operate.

Though usually dressed in mufti, they have undergone trainings in self-defence tactics and decoy. They can sneak in and out of dangerous spots with ease and have robust intelligence on how to identify threats especially suicide bombers. These women have many times sniffed out suicide bombers before they could do damage.

At the peak of insurgency in the North, the women frisked people in public places using metal detectors with a view to detecting suicide bombers with explosive devices.

With the military winning the war against insurgency, these female fighters, though now reduced on the streets of Borno, continue to gather intelligence to frustrate plans of the insurgents.

Speaking about the activities of the women, Head of the sector commanders of the CJTF in Borno State, Baba Shehu AbdulGaniu, described their contributions as invaluable to the operations of the military against insurgency.

He said, They are very important to our operations in the state. They are mostly used for intelligence gathering. They give information which we report to the military and security agencies and this has been useful in arresting many of the insurgents. Without adequate information, we could not have achieved the level of success we recorded in the fight against terrorism.

AbdulGaniu said despite threats from Boko Haram, they continue to show bravery.

They also check women entering markets. Though we have not lost any of them to the operations against Boko Haram, they equally face dangers from the insurgents. The insurgents traced one of them to her house in Gamboru-Ngala area in Borno State. She was lucky not to be at home but her teenage son was seized. Till date, he is still in their custody,  he added.

On Wednesday, the palpable peace in the state experienced a mild fracture when five persons were killed in an explosion which rocked a bus garage in Maiduguri.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Victor Izukwu, said in a text message to our correspondent that two vehicles were involved in the blast. He added that four, female occupants of the first vehicle including the driver were killed.

The five occupants in the second vehicle which was close to the first bus had five occupants. They were injured but none died, he said.

He noted that the occupants of the second vehicle were lucky to escape death because they ran out of the vehicle as soon as the explosion occurred.

He added, The explosion occurred when the taxi was attempting to join the convoy of other vehicles heading to Gamboru town.

But the spokesman for the National Emergency Management Authority, Sani Datti, said eight persons were killed and 15 injured.

Speaking with our correspondent, the female CJTF members said the latest attack would not deter them.

I decided to fight Boko Haram after they killed my brother  Danladi

Tell us about yourself.

I am Hauwa Danladi; 35 years old and a divorcee with two boys.

For how long have you been a member of the CJTF?

I joined the CJTF in Maiduguri, Borno State, during the peak of terrorism in the state. My major tasks are to gather intelligence and report to security agencies. I have received trainings on how to escape dangers.

Why did you join the JTF?

I joined to contribute towards the restoration of peace in the North and to assist in salvaging lives and property. When the insurgents were carrying out isolated attacks on Maiduguri, I was among the CJTF as a pioneer member.

But what really led me to join the civilian JTF was the death of my elder brother, Zannah Santalma. He was killed by Boko Haram. He was one of the title holders at the Shehus palace. He was a Bureau de Change operator. They killed his friend in a bank. My brother was killed at home after attending his friends funeral. Till date, we cannot say why he was killed. I have a 15-year-old son, Mohammed Bukar, who is also a member of the CJTF.

What experience can you recall in the course of discharging your duties?

There was a time at Garba Satomi street in Maiduguri. We discovered a woman who hid a pistol under wig. What surprises me is that some of the insurgents are people I know as babies. I even strapped some of them at my back. It is really sad that those babies are now bearing arms against their country.

What does your family think about your joining the CJTF?

My family has been supportive of my joining the CJTF. They are proud of my humble contributions to peace in Maiduguri.

Do you get paid for your efforts?

I receive a token of N15, 000 from the state government every month as I am in the Borno State Youth Empowerment Scheme. Though the money is paltry but I see my contributions as a sacrifice for the return of peace to Borno.

Was there a time you were scared for your life?

Since I have decided to sacrifice my life for this cause, I do not see any danger. I have sworn to tread this path.

I once coordinated arrest of an insurgent  Mohammed

Whatcan you say about yourself?

I am Kaka Mohammed. I am 30 years and divorced with a son.

What led you to join the CJTF?

I am one of the pioneer members of the CJTF. When Boko Haram members were killing residents, we were all afraid to reveal their identities to the soldiers. But later, I and some of my friends summoned courage and started exposing them. At the time, security forces were threatening to kill us if we did not expose the insurgents.

When we discovered that exposing them was yielding results, we courageously joined the formation. Though no member of my family was lost to insurgency, the killing of two of my neighbours, one Garba and a policeman, Amadu, by the insurgents really touched me. I desire to contribute hugely to the betterment of society.

What major experience can you recount?

It was when we exposed one Umar believed to a commander of the sect. He hid in the residence of his mother in our neighbourhood. He was arrested and taken away by the military. This made me to continue working to ensure peace for the overall interest of all. My mother encourages me a lot.

Also, I singlehandedly coordinated the arrest of a wanted Boko Haram member. It all started when soldiers gave me the number plate of a tricycle belonging to a suspected insurgent. When I saw the tricycle, I pretended as if I was on the way to a place and quickly alerted the soldiers that we were coming towards them. The soldiers arrested him on the way.

Are you well treated by the state government?

We are currently being paid N15, 000 monthly. But I am appealing to the state and federal governments to find alternative sources of livelihood for us once the insurgency ends.

I dont see my work as dangerous

Canyou give us a brief profile of yourself?

I am Altine Mohammed. I am a 28-year-old widow with a son and four daughters.

When did you join the CJTF?

I joined the formation in the early days of its formation. I joined when a sister, Hajju Mohammed, and her husband; a police personnel, Ahmed, were killed by Boko Haram in Gamboru Customs area of Maiduguri. Her husband was killed while on a routine patrol.

Also, a friend and three of my neighbours were killed by the insurgents. All these irked me and eventually made me resolve to work against the insurgents by exposing them. I did not face any resistance from my relations when I decided to join.

Are you also being paid by the state government?

I am not receiving any salary working for the CJTF.

What are your major contributions to the formation?

I have participated in the arrest of many Boko Haram members who wanted to sneak into Gamboru market to wreak havoc. I was able to recognise them because they used to be my neighbours.

Are you sometimes afraid for your life?

I do not see my work as dangerous. I also do not entertain any fear since I have volunteered to sacrifice my life for the sake of security. My younger brothers, Mustapha who is 18 and Abba, 15, are also members of the formation.

Do you see a speedy end to the insurgency?

I am optimistic that the insurgency is coming to an end soon considering the effort of the President and the Borno State governor. After the end of it all, I will be glad if government can give us jobs.

My husband encouraged me to join CJTF  Tijjani

Who is Zainab Tijjani?

I am a 35-year-old married woman and mother of two girls and three boys.

What made you join the CJTF?

I joined the formation when my elder brother, Ibrahim Tijjani, was killed by Boko Haram at Dala area in Maiduguri. The loss made me vow to expose them so that peace can be restored.

My relations did not prevent me joining the group, in fact, my husband encouraged me.

I have been providing information and intelligence reports to security forces about the hideouts and movements of insurgents even before the formation was established.

What can you say about the Chibok girls?

I cannot say anything about their whereabouts. But I know that the Army is doing its best to restore lasting peace to the troubled region.

Source: Punch
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Delta State has said that it prosecuted 42 traffic offenders and secured the conviction of one.

The Sector Commander, Mr Rindom kumven, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba on Saturday that the offenders were charged with 115 traffic offences.

Kumven said that one was convicted for dangerous driving and assault on a road marshal on duty.

The sector commander said that Mrs Victoria Ghomoria. Magistrate presided over the Mobile Court which tried the offenders.

He said it was disheartening that despite FRSCs vigorous campaigns against violation of road traffic rules, motorists in the state had continued to disobey the laws.

All we are doing is just to safeguard the lives of road users but some people have decided to throw caution to the wind.

Traffic offenders are apprehended on a daily basis for one offence or the other. We advise that they should obey the rules to save their lives, he said.

On installation of speed limit device, he said many commercials drivers had yet to comply with the directive, advising such road users to install the device in their own interest.
The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

A statement issued on Saturday evening by the Secretary to the State Government, Etekamba Umoren, said the commissioners were to hand over to the permanent secretaries in their ministries.

No reason was given for the decision.

The Governor expresses his deep and profound appreciation for the contributions of the EXCO members to the development of the state, and wishes them success in their future endeavours.

Most of the sacked commissioners were inherited from the government of former Governor Godswill Akpabio.
Bunkers containing over 2 million litres of mixed diesel have been dislodged and destroyed by operatives of the Lagos State Task Force.

The taskforce conducted their operation in Orile due to a series of petitions submitted to the Office of the Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force SP Olayinka Egbeyemi.

25 containers and 4,500 kegs of mixed diesel were destroyed by the Agency.

The petitions reported that some people were buying tankers of diesel oil and mixing it with kerosene around Orile due to the high increase in Diesel price.

According to residents of the area, the destroyed bunkers had been in operation for over 7 years.

The operation was led by Egbeyemis Second in Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Wilson Alaba.
A man that goes by the name Muhammad Adamu, has been sentenced to fourteen years in jail by a Gombe State High Court for falsely claiming to be a staff of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC had in May 2015 dragged the convict, before the court when he was found to be impersonating as a staff of the commission at the office of the Executive Secretary of Gombe Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.

The man demanded money and other benefits from the pilgrims board to stop the investigation of certain corrupt allegations.

Mr. Adama was said to have accosted the Executive Secretary of the pilgrims board with a fictitious list of EFCC officials at the Gombe Zonal office whom he wanted the latter to give some bribe money in order to ensure he was not investigated.

The Gombe pilgrims board executive secretary, who refused to fall prey, petitioned the EFCC to complain about the conduct of their supposed personnel.

Mr. Adama was also found guilty of possessing forged documents and was also jailed four years.

The judge also ordered that the convict pay a restitution of N45, 000.00 to a man, Musa Haruna, being the sum the convict falsely collected from him as well as paying a fine of N50,000.00
The Nigeria Customs Service has dismissed 17 junior officers for offences ranging from drug addiction, certificate forgery, theft and absence from duty.

Public relations officer of customs, Wale Adeniyi said, Appointment of two other Officers have been terminated for absence from duty while one Officer was retired for drug addiction.

He added, Investigations into offences committed by the Officers in the senior category are now being concluded. Officers found guilty are expected to face similar stiff penalties.

Series of investigations and deliberations by the disciplinary committee were made before disciplinary measures were taken based on recommendations to the management.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) had promised upon his assumption of office to instill discipline, good conduct and transparency into the agency.

SEE ALSO: Customs comb Lagos markets for smuggled rice
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, on Sunday dismissed the assertion that President Muhammadu Buharis three-day visit to Germany was more of a medical trip than official engagements.

Okorocha, who was part of the presidents entourage to Berlin, Germany, was reacting to media interview granted by a Kano-based social commentator, Dr Junaid Muhaamed.

Muhammed had alleged that Buhari visited Germany on Friday to seek medical attention over an undisclosed illness.

Okorocha, who spoke to State House correspondents in Abuja, however, debunked the allegation, saying that the official engagements of Buhari in Germany, had no connection, whatsoever, with medication.

He said the visit to Germany only ended on a compassionate note on Saturday with the presidents convoy veering off its way back to the airport in Berlin, to visit a Nigerian military officer receiving treatment in a Berlin hospital.

President never went for any medical check-up. At least I was with him till 1.00a.m, after the dinner before I left him and he went to bed,

I went to bed and the following day I came out to see him in the morning, So, the president never went for any medical at all. The only hospital we went to was to see a general who had an accident.

These are some of the things that people make uninformed comments and I do not know why in this part of our world we are always happy when someone is going down. I think there is need to change our attitude completely.

If this issue had been on issue on how to move Nigeria forward, you wont see on social media, you will not see comment on it, nobody we talk about it, he said.

On the content of the Presidents wife BBC interview and the subsequent reply by Buhari, he said Aisha did not grant the interview to bring down her husband as being insinuated in some quarters.

He equally maintained that the presidents reaction to the interview was just on a lighter mood, saying that Buhari was only cracking jokes.

Okorocha, who narrated how his wife once joined some commissioners and workers in Imo to condemn certain official decision he took, said Aishas comments were not meant to disrespect the president or the All Progressives Congress (APC)

He said her comments were targeted at making peace with perceived aggrieved members of the APC.

If you have been with the person of the the President and where he cracks jokes, you will understand with me that it could be his style of jokes because even when he was responding, he was smiling, I dont think the meaning that is given to it is what it is.

Source: Punch
The Niger State Police command on Saturday confirmed that the communal clash between two communities in the state brought about destruction of houses and farmlands worth millions of naira.

This was revealed by the States Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bala Elkana, in an interview with reporters in Minna, the state capital.

According to him, three people were injured as two communities in Katcha and Mokwa Local Government areas fought over the ownership of a forest, believed to be a source of income in the area.

The economic value of the forest had made it difficult for the leaderships of the affected communities to resolve the problem.

This is the major reason why this problem has not been resolved by the traditional rulers from both emirates, he said.

He stated that anti-riot policemen have been drafted to the troubled areas to compliment efforts of the regular policemen in maintaining law and order and that the situation is under control with two suspects arrested.

The Police Spokesperson urged the people of the two communities to be law abiding and to go about their lawful businesses as normalcy had been restored in the affected areas.

He advised them to report any person or group that might want to cause any form of social unrest to the nearest security agency.
At least 24 people are feared dead following a stampede during a Hindu religious ceremony in India on Saturday evening. 70,000 Hindus gathered at the city of Varanasi, a city in Uttar Pradesh to take a dip at the banks of the Ganges river as part of a ritual to wash away their sins.

Trouble began when some people were turned back from the bridge by Policemen as organisers were not expecting such a large crowd.

The crowd then erroneously believed that the bridge was collapsing, triggering a stampede as people ran for safety.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted; I have spoken to officials and asked them to ensure all possible help to those affected,
The Communist Party of China (CPC) and political parties from overseas countries completed a two-day in-depth discussion and exchanges on global economic governance in Chongqing on Saturday, and released the Chongqing Initiative as a result of the "The CPC in Dialogue with the World 2016."

The dialogue, focusing on the propositions and actions of political parties on global economic governance, represents both a positive response to the achievements of the G20 Hangzhou Summit, and an active exploration of global economic governance.

Over 300 delegates from more than 70 political parties and organizations in 50 countries attended the conference.

Sergey Zheleznyak, deputy secretary of the United Russia Party, said he welcomed such a practical dialogue and his party had maintained close relations with the CPC.

The dialogue can help the two ruling parties enhance their governing capacity, he said.

As the ruling party of China, the CPC is responsible for the country's economic development strategies. China's rapid growth over the past decades has reflected the effectiveness of CPC's governance.

Zheleznyak told Xinhua he admired the CPC's strict discipline of its party members. It is of same relevance for China, Russia, and any other party to impose strict codes of conduct, to combat corruption.

Badria Suliman Abbass Hamid, deputy speaker of Sudan, said she hoped the targets all the parties have discussed during the dialogue would become concrete measures.

She also called on China to continue to share its experience with other developing countries to improve developing countries'status and role in global economic governance.

Song Tao, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, addressed the closing ceremony of this year's conference, saying that he hoped all the participating parties could contribute to construction of the dialogue, and make it into a window for the world to learn about China, a platform for different parties' communication and a bridge for exchange and understanding between various cultures.

The Chongqing Initiative of the "CPC in Dialogue with the World 2016" emphasized that political parties and politicians of all countries should bear in mind the interests of their own countries and that of humanity, boost exchanges, forge consensus, promote cooperation and push global economic governance on to a more just and equitable path.

It also urged political parties to encourage structural reforms for economies with innovative ideas on development and governance, to unleash wealth creation, enable the market to optimally allocate resources, and help the global economy move forward from its current difficulties and achieve comprehensive recovery.

The initiative also advocated the concept of green development, promoted the timely and full implementation of the "Paris Agreement," encouraged countries to develop green, low-carbon and circular economies, push for harmony between man and nature, and strive to contribute to global ecological security.

The successful G20 Summit has injected new energy into global economic development. China is committed to increasing effective supply to generate new demands, and to pushing forward the rebalancing of the global economy by providing important public goods via the Belt and Road Initiative and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, said the initiative.

The initiative called on the international community to actively implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations, and support the industrialization of Africa and the least-developed countries.

Developing countries should be encouraged to exchange governance experience, and enhance practical economic cooperation. It is necessary to better reflect the interests of emerging economies and developing countries in world economic development and global economic governance, said the initiative.

During the dialogue, Chinese delegates also held discussions with representatives of African political parties and of political parties from countries along the Mekong River.

On the sidelines of the conference, Sun Zhengcai, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and head of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, also held meetings with guests from Thailand, Cambodia, Sudan, France, Britain, New Zealand and Mexico, respectively.
The traders complex of the Yaba Market in Lagos was gutted by fire in the early hours of Sunday morning. Many parts of the general open complex were destroyed by fire before men of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency arrived on the scene.

It is unclear what started the fire but several shops were affected in the resulting inferno. The fire has not been completely put out but most of it has been brought under control.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon announced Saturday plans to open an investment hub in Germany's capital city of Berlin as part of a four-point plan to show the world that Scotland is open for business.

The Scottish first minister outlined her plans in a closing keynote speech to the annual SNP conference in Glasgow.

Her 45-minute speech, which earned a standing ovation from a packed conference hall, made it clear that a self-rule Scotland, separate from the United Kingdom, remained her goal.

"Make no mistake, the threat to our economy is not just the prospect of losing our place in the single market, disastrous though that would be. It is also the deeply damaging, and utterly shameful, message that the Tories' rhetoric about foreign workers is sending to the world."

"More than ever we need to tell our European friends that Scotland is open for business," she said.

In a reference to two of the ministers chosen by Prime Minister Theresa May to spearhead Britain's exit from Brussels, Sturgeon said: "We cannot trust the likes of Boris Johnson and Liam Fox to do that for us."

She then announced her four-point plan to boost trade and exports, by taking Scotland's message "directly and in our own voice" to the very heart of Europe.

"We will establish a new Board of Trade in the Scottish government. Secondly, we will set up a new trade envoy scheme, asking prominent Scots to help us boost our export effort," said Sturgeon.

"Thirdly, we will establish permanent trade representation in Berlin, adding to our Investment hubs in Dublin, London and Brussels. And, fourthly, we will more than double the number of Scottish Development International staff working across Europe," added Sturgeon.

In another attack of May's London-based government, Sturgeon said: "The difference between the Scottish and Westminster governments is this. They are retreating to the fringes of Europe: we intend to stay at its very heart, where Scotland belongs."

Sturgeon outlined more spending on the National Health Service in Scotland, a new phase in this childcare revolution with the first ever review of its kind into the way children in care are looked after.

She also said hundreds more business would soon be paying workers a living wage, and more smaller firms would soon be exempt from paying any business rates.

Describing the SNP as the only effective opposition in the Westminster parliament, Sturgeon was critical of both the main opposition Labour Party as well as the ruling Conservatives.

Saying she first joined the SNP 30 years ago, Sturgeon said in all of those years she never doubted Scotland will one day become an "independent country", adding: "I believe it today more strongly than ever".

"I've always known that it will happen only when a majority of our fellow citizens believe that becoming independent is the best way to build a better future, together," said Sturgeon.

"And make no mistake, it is the opponents of independence, those on the right of the Tory party, intent on a hard Brexit, who have caused the insecurity and uncertainty. Independence would bring its own challenges, but with independence, the solutions will lie in our own hands."

She concluded her speech with a rallying call: "The time is coming to put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands. Let's get on with building the country we know Scotland can be."

Earlier this week at the start of the conference, Sturgeon announced that legislation would be presented to the Scottish Parliament next week to pave the way for a second referendum on a split from London.

Two years ago Scottish people voted to stay as part of the UK, but on May 23, by more than 60 percent they voted to stay as part of the EU.

Sturgeon wants Scotland to have access to the EU's single market, even if Britain quits Europe. But the message from London has been that as the majority of people of Britain voted to leave the EU, all parts of the UK would sever ties with Brussels.
People pay tribute to the martyrs in front of a memorial wall at the Red Army Martyr Cemetery of Sichuan and Shaanxi Revolutionary Base at Wangping Village of Tongjiang County, southwest China's Sichuan Province on Oct. 15, 2016 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Red Army's Long March. From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army, the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), carried out a daring military maneuver that laid the foundation for the eventual victory of the Communist Party of China (CPC). (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
The United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, to be held in Quito on Oct. 17-20, will set global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development for the next 20 years.

The meeting, also known as Habitat III, will attract 45,000 participants from around the world, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, according to Ecuador's Minister of Security Cesar Navas.

Habitat III is expected to see the signing of the Quito Declaration on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements for All, and the adoption of a new Urban Agenda.

"The Conference is a unique opportunity for ... governments ... to integrate all facets of sustainable development to promote equity, welfare and shared prosperity," said Dr. Joan Clos, the executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat).

DECADES OF MOVEMENTS FOR BETTER URBAN LIFE

The migration from rural to urban areas after World War II rapidly accelerated through the 1960s and 1970s. Inequality between countryside and cities made millions across the world flock into cities in pursuit of economic opportunities, leading to the expansion of slums and other illegal settlements in the periphery of major communities, as well as increasing crimes, diseases and chaos.

However, many nations' responses to such chaos were uncoordinated and scattered, which is why the United Nations decided to launch a common dialogue concerning urbanization.

The first UN Conference on Human Settlements, known as Habitat I, was held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976. Its declaration enshrined the concept that "adequate shelter and services are a basic human right." It also led to the creation in 1978 of UN-Habitat, the UN's department for human settlements and sustainable urban development.

In 1996, Habitat II took place in Turkey's Istanbul in a far more inclusive manner. National and local governments, NGOs, academic institutions and private companies were all invited to provide their opinions on how to manage urbanization.

Important topics were discussed, such as women being excluded from urban development and the population trapped in poverty due to their living conditions.

This summit also came up with the concept of sustainable human settlements and the Habitat Agenda has since then become a global call for action.

In December 2014, the UN General Assembly decided to host Habitat III in Ecuador in October 2016. The decision was made as global urbanization witnessed rapid acceleration in the last 40 years.

In 1976, 37.9 percent of the world's population lived in urban regions. The number rose to 45.1 percent by 1996 and now stands at 54.5 percent.

As part of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, which seeks to promote the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015), the Quito summit aims to become a lynchpin of future urban development planning.

KEY TO FUTURE URBAN PLANNING

Ahead of Habitat III, numerous countries submitted national or regional reports on their urbanization processes, which were compiled into a global report.

Nowadays, fresh challenges of urban development like growing anger over inequality, and big data solutions, communications technology and the popularity of smart phones even in the poorest parts of the world, have arisen.

Under such circumstances, Habitat III has been highlighted for its pivotal role in meeting the new Sustainable Development Goals, so as to "make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable", according to the conference's official website.

From dozens of discussions, roundtables and panels in the coming days, Habitat III attendees are expected to gather and share relevant information, and present a fresh vision for the future of urban development: the New Urban Agenda, whose content was hashed out at previous UN meetings.

The agenda says cities shall remain manageable in size, public transport is a top priority, and urban development is crucial in eradicating discrimination and ensuring universal access to services regardless of people's economic status. Urban residents are also viewed as essential agents of change.

However, some common frustrations remain.

Although countries have vowed to report regularly their urbanization progress, their moves are voluntary, igniting fears that the New Urban Agenda may be unbinding.

UN-Habitat hopes that the increasing responsibility given to local governments will serve to ensure progress. After all, it is local governments that have to pay for the price of urban pollution, traffic congestion, city sprawl and illegal access to public services, to name just a few.
GREENVILLE  Allen Thomas stood by the Town Common and watched the river rise all morning Friday. The mayor of Greenville had called for a community prayer earlier in the week. Now he was waiting for divine intervention.

Faith can move mountains, he said. We want it to move water.

Below him, the Tar River continued to swell. Animals floated under the Greene Street bridge. Helicopters flew overhead. And buzzards circled.

The floods have come to eastern North Carolina again, swallowing entire towns and leaving people without power, without drinking water and without hope. Thomas stood by the edge of the bridge with hundreds of people, all wanting answers, all wondering when the river would crest and waters begin to recede.

Be patient, he told them. And pray. Were going to pray away these floodwaters.

All over eastern North Carolina, people are praying and watching the sky.

What we dont need is more rain, a man in Grifton said Friday night.

He was standing in water to his knees, the black water creek spreading all the way to the Piggly Wiggly, the towns only food store.

I just hope it opens again, he said. I dont know what wed do without it.

As he talked, a man standing nearby told him to be still.

Theres a water moccasin right behind you.

Life in eastern North Carolina has become primal for some 360,000 people spread across 21 counties. At last count, 26 people were dead. Dead deer line the streets and an estimated 5 million poultry could be dead, too.

This water is toxic, Gov. Pat McCrory said.

The people down here have dealt with flooding for years. Hurricane Matthew, which hit North Carolina last Saturday, has been compared with 1999s Hurricane Floyd by almost everyone who lives east of I-95.

But the old timers compare it to a storm of legendary proportions, the 1954 hurricane that destroyed much of eastern North Carolina.

Hazel.

The effects of Matthew wont be known for some time. The damage could be immeasurable. Cotton fields are swamped all across Edgecombe County, the cotton still in the bolls, the endless rows of white floating in water and sewage.

A young national Guardsman stood at an intersection near Princeville, surrounded by water and cotton fields.

Nobodys getting into Princeville, he said Friday afternoon. Aint nobody ever getting back into Princeville.

He was directing traffic away from N.C. 33  what the locals call the 33 Highway  sending wandering lines of cars and trucks on a maze of asphalt through flooded fields and empty towns, makeshift detour signs having been nailed to posts, East becoming West and number designations losing all meaning.

No one is left in Prince-ville. The historic African-American town has been evacuated, just as it was during Hazel and during Floyd. McCrory said the town will have to be rebuilt once again.

Much of eastern North Carolina will have to be rebuilt this time.

Parts of Lumberton are underwater, rescues continuing into the weekend as people were taken from rooftops by helicopter, by swift-boat responders and even by neighbors in bass boats.

Jeff Treadway came down from Virginia with a pickup truck and his horse trailer.

They put out a call to come save the horses, he said while sitting in an intersection near Lumberton. Theyre putting cows in boats back there. Theres no high ground anywhere. This is about to get really bad.

Restaurants are giving away food before it spoils. Roadside stands are handing out free fruit and jars of jelly and molasses. Volunteers are coming to rescue centers with soap and bottled water, clothes and shoes. Delphia Talley, a volunteer from the American Red Cross, stood outside Tarboro High School and described the scene.

Weve been through this before, she said. We know people want to help, but theres a system. People have to understand the system.

Piles of clothes sat untouched in the parking lot outside the high school where thousands of residents, most of them from Princeville, sat and watched the traffic. No one went near the clothing drop-offs.

Were going to have to throw it all away, Talley said.

No one understands the system down here. In a way, its every man and animal for himself.

As cars and trucks meandered around detours and washed-out roads this week, wild animals and livestock wandered in the traffic.

Jessie Birckhead, an extension wildlife biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, said the disaster will take a toll on the states environment.

All the animals are being temporarily displaced, just as the people are, she said. Most of the wildlife can adapt. The wild animals are seeking higher ground.

She cautioned against trying to help.

We tell people to leave the wild animals alone. Theyre already pretty stressed out.

All of eastern North Carolina is stressed out. Some 900,000 were without power at one point, and some towns wont have drinking water for weeks. The roads arent just swamped. In some cases, the culverts under them are collapsing as the water erodes man-made structures and the land is reshaped according to natural intent.

The rivers flowed toward the sea this weekend, carrying everything in their path, carving out new channels through cities, towns and neighborhoods, washing away bridges and farms.

At the Greene Street bridge Friday, Mayor Thomas walked up the hill toward town and talked about getting things back to normal.

This has been a terrible ordeal, he said. But this also shows the great strength of North Carolinians. We can adapt, and we can rebuild. We learn from these storms, and well be stronger next time.

Right now, he said, people just want to get back home.

National Guard troops and law enforcement were making sure no one went home this weekend.

Towns were blocked off and barricades were erected to keep people away from places like Princeville and Old Sparta, along with flooded areas in Goldsboro and Kinston and Greenville and Lumberton.

Friday morning, on the only road into little Pine-tops, a long line of cars waited to risk the only dry lane of road. No one was going anywhere, though. Blocking the lane, holding his ground with his huge mouth open, an alligator snapping turtle stood guard.

The long battle between man and nature continues down East. And its just getting started.
WALLAND, Tenn.  Efforts to extend a serpentine ridge-top road with soaring views of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have been thwarted for decades as engineers have grappled with how to complete a 1.6-mile stretch known as the missing link.

A $35 million commitment this summer by the federal government, National Park Service and the state of Tennessee means the 10-bridge stretch can finally be completed, thrilling supporters who say it will open up one of the most scenic areas of the Foothills Parkway, but concerning those who say the project has gotten too expensive and poses a threat to the environment.

To Sen. Lamar Alexander, a former two-term Tennessee governor, the wait for and cost of bridging the missing link will have been worth it once visitors are able to take what he calls one of the most picturesque drives in our country with a view of the most-visited national park in our country.

The new segment scheduled to open within two years will end up costing about $244 million in todays dollars. Work on the missing link was halted in 1989 after retaining walls failed and contractors exposed pyrite, a mineral better known as fools gold, which forms sulfuric acid when it comes into contact with rain. The toxic brew dissolves metals in bedrock and can wash into streams and rivers, choking off plants and wildlife and coating streambeds with iron hydroxide, tinting water yellow, red or orange.

Along with the engineering and environmental problems, escalating costs kept the missing link on the back burner until the late 2000s, when the federal government agreed to pay for the longest part of it: an 800-foot, S-shaped bridge designed to disturb as little earth as possible and costing $25 million. The money was provided through the 2009 Recovery Act, the federal response to the Great Recession.

The expenditure is really incredible, said Geoff Riggin, a veterinarian who led an unsuccessful petition drive to keep work from resuming on the missing link.

Even after the bridges are built, half of the proposed 72-mile-long Foothills Parkway will remain unfinished: Land to construct the last 34 miles has been acquired, but no work has yet been done.

The Foothills Parkway was approved by Congress in 1944 as a companion to other National Parkway routes such as the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina, and the Natchez Trace from central Tennessee to Mississippi. The National Parkway system was developed as part of the New Deal to help bring the economy out the Great Depressionin the 1930s.

Construction of the parkway began in the 1960s and the first two sections, covering 22.5 miles, were quickly completed on either end of the scenic drive, which begins at Interstate 40 near the North Carolina border in the east and ends at Chilhowee Lake in the west. But the paved roadway hit dead ends on either side of the missing link.

Riggin says that wasnt such a bad thing; while vehicles could not access it, the area was still open to walkers, bikers, hikers and nature lovers. Riggins said he used to enjoy riding his bike along the peaceful ridgetops and over a trail through the missing link area around Caylor Gap, where he occasionally stopped to pick wild blueberries.

So it had a utility then as it was, he said. But obviously that wasnt the original purpose of it.

Alex Ringe, the conservation chair for the Tennessee chapter of the Sierra Club, said the substantial money sunk into bridging the missing link has virtually ensured that this section will be completed, despite lingering concerns with the pyrite.

Thats a locomotive that were not going to stop, even if we wanted to, he said.

But he says the Sierra Club believes that should be the last work done on the parkway. Instead of disturbing additional land and spending millions more to extend the parkway 34 more miles to the east, the club believes an existing highway, U.S. 321, could be designated as the last part of the scenic highway.

Alexander acknowledges that even if support for finishing the parkway were unanimous, the likely steep cost makes it unlikely work will begin anytime soon.

I dont think we ought to sit here for another 70 years waiting for a half-billion to $1 billion to materialize, he said, a reference to the 72 years that have passed since the parkway was first approved.

But Alexander said the remaining land that has been acquired for the rest of the parkway is an important resource, and he plans to ask the National Park Service for recommendations on changing a federal law that currently restricts its use to only being used as a scenic parkway. Options could include opening it to trails for hiking, biking or horse riding, he said. Allowing even a temporary alternate use would require congressional action, Alexander said.

We ought to do some creative thinking about what the most appropriate use is, at least for the time being, he said.

The truncated Foothills Parkway is already an attraction to tourists headed for the Smokies, including car and motorcycle enthusiasts who enjoy its sweeping curves.

It gives people a great place to come and play and have a great time, said Ron Gerhart, a retiree visiting from Lake Eufaula, Okla., on his motorcycle. Its all worth it.
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By TeleSur |  

Update: North Dakota prosecutor changes charge against Amy Goodman to rioting.

The Democracy Now! host said the charge is a direct attack on freedom of the press.

Journalist Amy Goodman says she will turn herself in next week to authorities to fight the charge of trespassing after filming a vicious dog attack on Dakota Access Pipeline protesters.

Goodman, who says she was simply doing her job, will turn herself in to Morton CountyMandan Combined Law Enforcement and Corrections Center on Oct. 17.

I intend to vigorously fight the charge as I see it as a direct attack on the First Amendment: Freedom of the press and the publics right to know, said Goodman on her program Democracy Now!

The award-winning journalist was arrested for trespassing last month while covering an attack by private security guards armed with attack dogs on Native American protesters at the Standing Rock Sioux camp.

Goodman and her production team filmed live video of the Dakota Access Pipeline Companys security guards physically assaulting non-violent, mostly native american land protectors, pepper spraying them and unleashing attack dogs, one of which was shown with blood dripping from its nose and mouth, Goodman said on Democracy Now!

Why are you letting her dogs go after the protestors?, said Goodman, while covering the incident, interviewing a number of Native Americans who were attacked.The live video was viewed by more than 14 million people.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and actress Shailene Woodley are other well known figures who have been arrested for their protests over the US$3.7 billion project. The pipeline is expected to transport over half a million barrels of oil a day through federal and private lands in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois.

Indigenous and environmental activists say the project will ruin sacred burial grounds and pollute local water supplies. While construction has been stopped along small sections, protesters have vowed to continue fighting the project until it is fully shut down.

Police and private security have been more aggressively breaking up peaceful pipeline protests of late. Up to 21 people were arrested during a prayer service in late September with North Dakota police using shotguns, assault rifles and armored vehicles in the military style assault.

Via TeleSur



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Democracy Now! Journalist Amy Goodman to Turn Herself in to North Dakota Authorities
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By Priyanka Motaparthy | ( Human Rights Watch) |  

Despite rising outrage over the bloody civilian toll in Yemens war, the United States administration is showing no signs of breaking with  or attempting to check  the actions of its ally Saudi Arabia, the leader of the nine-nation coalition against the Houthi rebels.

An article in the Washington Post this week suggests the US is willing to rationalize Saudi responsibility for laws-of-war violations in the 19-month campaign  as well as attempting to minimize its own role in the conflict.

Does an ally have to give you a blank check for everything youre doing in a war? a senior State Department official is quoted as saying.

Clearly, the answer is no. But the US has supported the Saudi-led campaign with aerial refueling and targeting assistance without criticizing Saudi Arabia and its allies for repeatedly and unlawfully bombing civilians, committing apparent war crimes. The nature of this support makes the US a party to the armed conflict, and potentially culpable in unlawful strikes.

The US also continues to sell arms to Saudi Arabia  more than $20-billion worth of military support and weapons in 2015  despite increasing recognition that weapons may get unlawfully used.

According to the Post, US officials say that errors of capability or competence, not of malice led to repeated Saudi-led coalition strikes on civilian structures. But how do they know? There have been no serious investigations into allegedly unlawful attacks. Moreover, whether Saudi targeteers were malicious or simply poorly trained does not absolve the government of responsibility. Indiscriminate attacks that fail to distinguish between civilians and military objectives as well as those that cause disproportionate loss of civilian life or property are also illegal under the laws of war.

When I visited Washington this summer to share Human Rights Watchs findings on how the coalition has repeatedly hit civilian objects, administration officials said they believed the Saudis were just bad at targeting. This belief strains credulity. Coalition airstrikes have repeatedly struck, including with precision-guided weapons, civilian structures like medicine factories and food storage compounds, and clearly marked hospitals for which Medecins Sans Frontieres previously provided GPS coordinates. They have also repeatedly hit marketplaces during the day, when high numbers of civilians are known to be present. Lacking competence and showing insufficient regard for civilian lives or protected facilities are not mutually exclusive.

The Post article added that military lawyers have reviewed Saudi actions and say no laws have been violated because, in their view, the civilian deaths appear to be unintentional. But coalition pilots and operational commanders do not have to intentionally kill civilians to commit war crimes. Reckless attacks can be subject to war crimes prosecutions.

As congressional concern with Washingtons role in Yemen increases, US officials will need to provide better answers for Saudi actions, rather than making excuses or stonewalling on the US role and how US weapons have been used. Helping a longtime ally does not let one off the hook for all responsibility in the deaths of more than 4,000 civilians, nor for shipping billions of dollars of arms that are likely to be used in the coming years abuses.

Via Human Rights Watch



Related video added by Juan Cole:

CCTV: Saudi-led coalition wrongly targeted Yemen funeral
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 16

Trend:

Armenias armed forces have 11 times violated the ceasefire on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops over the past 24 hours, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry Oct. 16.

The Azerbaijani army positions located in Kokhanabi village of the Tovuz district underwent fire from the Armenian army positions in Chinari village of the Berd district.

The Azerbaijani army positions also underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near Garagashli village of Azerbaijans Aghdam district, nameless heights of the Tartar and Jabrayil districts.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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Kamal al-Ayash | Anbar | (Niqash.org) |  

In Ramadi, tribes are marking houses belonging to suspected Islamic State [group] collaborators with special graffiti. Often the houses are demolished two or three days later. But the tribes can also get it wrong.





Graffiti on walls in Ramadi calling for tribal justice. (photo: Kamal al-Ayash)

The extremist group known as the Islamic State [group] [IS] were driven out of the central Iraqi city of Ramadi earlier this year. And residents have started to return. Now the slogan that was once daubed on many houses and buildings in the city  the one that says waqf [or property] of the [IS]  is being removed. Instead there is another frightening slogan being painted on Ramadi walls: Wanted, by tribal justice. Usually it is large and noticeable and written in red.

What this means is that the somebody attached to this building  possibly a member of a family or the building owner or similar  is wanted under the auspices of tribal justice, and most likely because they are suspected of joining or supporting the extremist . . . IS group.

The locals of Anbar province, of which Ramadi is the capital, have always emphasised tribal justice, especially in times of trouble. Tribal justice has long been a problem in Iraq, when the regular justice system is not trusted, with locals bypassing the court system and having tribal elders mete out justice, often in the form of financial reparations. Indeed, when there doesnt appear to be enough evidence to convict a possible criminal in court, locals will turn to their tribal elders for justice. These have their own methods of investigating wrong doing and those cases often start with the red slogan scrawled on the alleged criminals wall.

Local man, Abu Amir, who did not want to give his full name for security reasons, says he was shocked to return to Ramadi and find that this phrase was written on the house belonging to his son-in-law, which is near his own home.

They come in the evening to write on the walls. Then we know that the house will be destroyed in two or three days.

We used all of our contacts and approached the security forces as well as prominent locals and senior tribal figures to try and resolve this, the Ramadi local, in his 60s, says. But there was nothing we could do.

Abu Amir says his son-in-law and daughter have not been able to return to Ramadi because of the slogan. He himself stayed away from the house and did not dare enter it because he knew that the people who wrote the slogans often watch the buildings very carefully. When such a slogan is written on the wall of a house, it becomes a restricted area, he says, and often the security forces manning checkpoints around the building are also keeping an eye on any comings and goings.

One day recently Abu Amir says he woke up to the sound of an almighty explosion. At first he thought it was an improvised explosive device left behind by the IS group. But when the dust settled we realised it was retribution. The tribe had blown up the house of my daughter and her husband, Abu Amir recounts. That was the day I realized I would never be able to hug my own grandchildren in this city again. Since then Ive been trying to sell my house here and meet my only daughter and her family elsewhere, either in another part of Iraq or maybe in another country.

Tribal justice is common in Iraq as is the slogan. But in Ramadi in recent times tribal justice hasnt been about reparations or an end to family feuds; everyone knows that today the slogan means retribution for an alleged alliance with the IS group.

In the past we knew about the slogans for tribal justice, Omar al-Rawi, a resident of the Tamim neighbourhood in Ramadi, says. We knew who wrote them and we knew why. Mostly the purpose was financial retribution. But today things are different. In the evening when the curfew starts these phrases start appearing on walls. They are being put there by the tribes with power and weapons.

Al-Rawi has become a victim of the sloganeers too. About 15 days ago, the 53-year-old left for work and found that the same phrase had been scrawled on the walls of his home. He went back inside and his family quickly packed their bags and moved to a safer house; they havent been back home since.

Its all because of my neighbour, Abu Aws, who used to work as a blacksmith, al-Rawi told NIQASH. Rumour has it he was working for the IS group. Then the same thing turned up on my house. We are staying away until we can solve this problem somehow. Our house could be bombed at any time.

Tribal justice

Locals suspect collusion between the security forces and those who paint the slogans.

There are dozens of houses with this slogan on in our neighbourhood, says Saad al-Bilawi, a local living in the Shurta neighbourhood in central Ramadi. We also see other graffiti that says things like blood wanted or wanted by the tribes. Sometimes there is just an X to indicate that the owner of the house is wanted.

Al-Bilawi says he and his neighbours believe that the people who are writing the slogans are getting help from the security forces positioned around Ramadi. We havent seen anyone actually writing the graffiti, al-Bilawi says. They come in the evening. And then after a house is written on, we know that the house will be destroyed in two or three days.

The provincial authorities are well aware that tribal justice like this, is becoming a problem. This kind of martial law implemented by the tribes has become much more widespread since the end of military operations here, as families have returned to their homes, says Rajeh Barakat al-Issawi, a local politician who heads Anbars provincial security committee. This is not because the judiciary is weak in Anbar, he argues. It is because there is direct contact between the families of those accused of terrorism and the victims of terrorism. They all know one another.

Al-Issawi says that the local authorities have been arranging meetings with various tribal elders to try and limit this form of martial law.

Having said that, Mahmoud al-Rishawi, a member of Anbars council of tribal leaders, told NIQASH that the senior members of various tribes had decided that the families of those associated with, or belonging to, the IS group had no place in the province right now. Blood had been spilled and until it was possible to identify exactly who was an IS member and who was not, families needed to abandon any members who had been involved with the extremists.

Nobody knows how many houses in the province have inhabitants who are wanted by tribal justice, al-Rishawi said. Often if somebody has lost a father or a brother, or if a person has been harmed, he will get a lot of support from members of his tribe when it comes to seeking justice.

For example, al-Rishawi continues, there are small villages to the north and east of Ramadi where many inhabitants have been forced to leave. They were accused of hosting the IS group and now they are paying for it.

Via Niqash.com
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Rome was a republic until between 40 and 27 BCE, when the generals overthrew it. Military dictator Gaius Octavius put the nail in the coffin when he made himself Augustus Caesar on the latter date. The later satirist Juvenal, to whom we owe the phrase bread and circuses, is clear that it was the transition away from the republic that required the bribing of the plebeian class in this way. He says it used to be they were bribed for their votes, but with the coming of dictatorship they had to be provided bread to keep them from rioting and cruel public spectacles to divert their attention from the reigning tyranny.

The US government offers a little bread in the form of welfare, but not much and much less than it used to. Most working people havent recovered from 2008. Mostly nowadays we are being offered circuses by the billionaires who now rule us.

Whereas in the old days it was the gladiators who were torn limb from limb to satisfy the bloodlust of the masses, in todays America other sorts of diversions are on offer.

The pressing issues facing whats left of the republic (I guess we are in year 41  you have to count backward in this analogy) are these:

1. Our tax code is allowing 3 million mega-rich to take home 20% of the countrys yearly income (since the 3 million include children, it is probably actually 1 million adults that get the one-fifth of everything Americans earn annually). Tax policy could be used to redistribute that wealth over time, but it has been so blunted that it is useless. So if we have a hundred people in a circle, and we distribute a thousand bananas in this unequal way, Person Number One, let us say, the Billionaire, will get 200 bananas out of the 1,000. That should leave 8 apiece for the other 99, but Person Number Two, the multimillionaire, gets another 100. Some of the other 98 will only get 1 banana. A lot of the rest of the people will only get that black part at the bottom of the skin. And if you do it that way every year the Billionaire, will end up with piles of bananas and the people with the black pieces at the bottom never will get even one banana.

Tax policy produces the class structure over time. In the 1950s, the top 1% owned about 25% of the privately held wealth in the US. Now it is close to 40%. What changed is mostly the tax structure. Inequality is measured by the gini coefficient. High economic inequality is bad for the economy. Rich people only need so many refrigerators, and if the masses cant afford a refrigerator, the then refrigerator factories close and the workers lose their jobs and it all spirals down. Having just a few people with big piles of money doesnt make the economy work well, it shuts it down.

2. Worse, a high degree of inequality ruins democracy. We ordinary mortals who count our annual income in thousands of dollars cant compete with people with billions of dollars to buy campaign ads and campaign workers etc. Some crazy rich people have even proposed that they should have more than one vote, because they are stakeholders in America in a way the rest of us are not. With Citizens United and other laws and rulings, we cant even trace who is the puppet master behind the campaign funding.

3. Climate change via spewing carbon dioxide into the the atmosphere.

4. a crisis of educational spending.

5. A crisis of basic infrastructure.

But none of these subjects is being broached anymore, now that the crowd-sourced Bernie Sanders has been sidelined. Hillary Clinton, worth a paltry few tens of millions, depends on a handful of billionaires for her campaign funding, and her policies are shaped by them (she waxed indignant at the very thought in the primaries, but who was she fooling?)

Trump has fewer billionaires (he doesnt have none yet), but needs fewer because he probably is at least almost one himself.

But if the billionaire oligarchs wont any longer give out bread, they will gleefully supply circuses. And since the news is itself corporate, they win both ways they keep the mind of the public off important crises that might cause them to end up with a smaller share of the national pie, and they make money off of higher viewership of their diverting media.

So Juvenal tells the story of Sejanus, the head of the emperors imperial guard, who becomes so popular with the mob that they are ready to make him caesar. But abruptly the emperor Tiberius becomes suspicious of the power he had amassed and has him executed in 31 CE, and then the crowd suddenly cant remember his name.

We have lots of victims to throw to the lions in the media. The poor women who were assaulted are now one by one being brought into the arena, where gladiator Trump is trying to eviscerate them. The old alarms about the threat of the Persian hordes in the East still works, though the Parthians are long forgotten.

Anything to avoid talking about the issues above. The mobs around Trump are mostly riled by the very inequality and injustice and lack of government services that he is campaigning to worsen, but have been fooled into thinking he is a populist by his swagger. And of course the Clinton campaign is inadvertently the beneficiary of these circuses as well, since otherwise its relationship to Wall Street and other centers of power and wealth would be headlines.

Juvenal remarked,

And would you like to be courted like Sejanus? To be as rich as he was? To bestow on one man the ivory chairs of office, appoint another to the command of armies, and be counted guardian of a Prince seated on the narrow ledge of Capri with his herd of Chaldaean astrologers? You would like, no doubt, to have Centurions, Cohorts, and Illustrious 14 Knights at your call, and to possess a camp of your own? Why should you not? Even those who dont want to kill anybody would like to have the power to do it. But what grandeur, what high fortune, are worth the having if the joy is overbalanced by the calamities they bring with them? Would you rather choose to wear the bordered robe of the man now being dragged along the streets, or to be a magnate at Fidenae or Gabii, adjudicating upon weights, or smashing vessels of short measure, as a thread-bare Aedile at deserted Ulubrae? You admit, then, that Sejanus did not know what things were to be desired; for in coveting excessive honours, and seeking excessive wealth, he was but building up the many stories of a lofty tower whence the fall would be the greater, and the crash of headlong ruin more terrific.

The operator of a circus, in an oligarchy can abruptly himself become the circus. The next Tiberius can always become Sejanus (wait for it).

But that wont put food on the table of the plebeians, it will just be one more diversion from the decadence and penury into which we are descending.



Related video:

The Ring of Fire: Whats Missing From 2016 Election? Discussion About Real Issues
Connecticut Superior Court [official website] Judge Barbara Bellis on Friday dismissed [opinion, PDF] a suit filed against gunmakers, including Remington Outdoor, by the families of some of the young children and adults killed at the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting [CNN backgrounder]. The complaint, alleged that the gunmakers continued selling semi-automatic rifles to the public, disregarding the unreasonable risks the weapon poses outside of specialized highly regulated institutions like the armed forces and law enforcement. The complaint also alleged that the defendants knew that the sale of such assault rifles posed an unreasonable and egregious risk of physical injury to others. The court dismissed the complaint on all counts, stating that Congress, through the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) [text], has broadly prohibited lawsuits against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers of firearms  for the harm solely caused by the criminal or unlawful use of firearms products  by others when the product functioned as designed and intended. The court also noted that the facts of this case do not fit under the exception whereby a suit may be filed under the common law tort of negligent entrustment.

This decision follows a ruling by the very same judge denying the gun makers motion to dismiss [JURIST report] the suit in April. judge Bellis allowed the case to proceed in April upon consideration of the families legal claim that the gun companies may have negligently promoted a weapon too dangerous for civilian use, a claim rejected in the instant ruling. Since the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the Connecticut legislature has tightened gun laws while the families of victims have called for gun control. In October, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld [JURIST report] Connecticut and New Yorks gun control legislation that bans semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. In January 2014 a judge for the US District Court for the District of Connecticut upheld [JURIST report] the constitutionality of the states new gun control law, while still acknowledging the Second Amendment rights of gun owners. The new law, enacted in response to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012 expanded a previous ban on assault weapons and introduced a prohibition on high-capacity ammunition magazines.
The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah [official website], issued a decree to dissolve the parliament [Kuwait News Agency report] on Sunday. The decision was made due to mounting security challenges as well as volatile regional developments. As of late tension has been rising between the government and parliament, as parliament members had sought to question government leaders regarding a decision to increase petrol prices and other alleged financial and administrative violations. Kuwait has been under increasing pressure [Aljazeera report] as global oil prices have dropped, forcing the country to cut back on numerous subsidies, causing civil unrest. In addition, Kuwait has faced threats of attack by ISIS.

Kuwait has been the subject of several protests and attacks the past several years. In July 2015 Kuwait prosecutors announced that 29 people would face trial [JURIST report] for their participation in the suicide bombing of the Shiite mosque in June 2015. In May 2015 Kuwaits Supreme Court upheld the two-year prison [JURIST report] sentence against activist Musallam al-Barrack [Gulf News profile], for insulting Kuwaits ruler. In March 2015 Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] reported that riot police in Kuwait disbanded protests, arresting 16 protesters [JURIST report] who may be charged with attacking law enforcement officers and illegal gathering. In January 2015 Nabil al-Fadhl, a member of the Kuwait parliament, was charged with insulting [JURIST report] the honor of Kuwaiti society and history after making a comment in support of the legalized sale of alcohol.
The Florida Supreme Court [official website] on Friday held [opinion, PDF] that a trial court may not impose the death penalty unless the jurys recommended sentence of death is unanimous. This ruling comes after remand to the high court in Florida from the US Supreme Court [official website], which held [JURIST report] in January that Timothy Lee Hursts death penalty was unconstitutional because it failed to require the jury, rather than the judge, to find the facts necessary to impose the death sentence. The Supreme Court left open the question as to whether the other constitutional error of a non-unanimous verdict from the jury with regard to Hursts death sentence was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Floridas high court took up this question and ruled that: based on Floridas requirement for unanimity in jury verdicts, and under the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution, that in order for the trial court to impose a sentence of death, the jurys recommended sentence of death must be unanimous. This ruling is likely to impact hundreds of other cases [NPR report] in the state.

Capital punishment [JURIST op-ed] remains a controversial issue in the US and worldwide. On Wednesday the US Supreme Court vacated [JURIST report] the death sentence of an Oklahoma man convicted of killing his girlfriend and her two children in a case where the trial judge permitted family members to recommend the sentence to the jury. Last week a group of UN human rights experts spoke on the subject of the death penalty and terrorism, calling the death penalty ineffective [JURIST report], and often times illegal, in deterring to terrorism. Last month four UN human rights experts and Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] called on Pakistan to halt the execution of Imdad Ali [JURIST reports], a mentally disabled man that was convicted of murder in 2001. The experts called Imdad Alis execution unlawful and tantamount to an arbitrary execution, as well as a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, and called for it to be annulled. Also last month in Oklahoma, after a botched execution in 2014 and numerous drug mix-ups in 2015, Attorney General Scott Pruitt [official website] refused [JURIST report] to set execution dates until new protocols have been approved. In May the Supreme Court upheld a stay [JURIST report] of execution for Alabama inmate Vernon Madison. A few days before that a Miami judge ruled [JURIST report] that Floridas revamped death penalty law is unconstitutional because it does not require a unanimous agreement among jurors to approve executions. In April Virginias General Assembly voted [JURIST report] to keep secret the identities of suppliers of lethal injection drugs.
[JURIST] A United Nations report [text, download] released Friday documents high rates of rape and perpetrator impunity in Liberia. The report, released by the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official websites], noted [UN report] that rape was the second-most commonly reported serious crime in Liberia between January 2015 and March 2016. According to the World Health Organization [official website], between 61 and 77 percent of women in Libera report having been raped during the nations 14-year civil conflict. Despite these staggering numbers, there still exists a widespread culture of impunity for [sexual and gender-based violence], particularly for rape, putting women and children at continued serious risk of sexual violence. The report made numerous suggestions to work towards a fix, including the creation of a sex crimes prosecutors office, amending the penal code and enhancing investigations of rape allegations.

Sex and gender-based violence continues to be a worldwide issue. Earlier this week, Indonesia passed a controversial law [JURIST report] allowing for harsh punishment for pedophiles, including chemical castration, implanting electronic tagging chips in violators, the death sentence, mandatory 10 year imprisonment, and state-sponsored rehabilitation. In early October, the Center for Civilians in Conflict criticized [JURIST report] UN peacekeepers in South Sudan for failing to protect civilians from abuse, including sexual and gender-based violence, during an outbreak of fighting in the country that took place in July. In September, UN experts urged [JURIST report] states to protect women and girls in the movement of refugees and migrants by adhering to international human rights conventions and standards, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. Migrant women and girls are at a high risk of gender-based violence while in transit and may also face intersecting forms of discrimination based race, nationality, or religion
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 16

By Emil Ilgar  Trend:

Head of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Hamidreza Araqi says Iran eyes to export its gas to neighbours and the EU, but this doesnt mean that the Iranian gas is a rival to Russian gas.

"Every country has its own market. We want to increase Irans share in the global gas trade from the current 1 percent to 10 percent [by 2021], but we have our own markets, especially neighbour countries," Araqi told SHANA.

Last year, Iran imported 9 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Turkmen gas and exported 8.4 bcm to Turkey.

Iran wants to increase gas export volume, including LNG, to about 60-80 bcm by 2021.

Currently, Iran doesnt produce LNG, but the countrys only LNG plant (Iran LNG) was developed by 52 percent during pre-sanctions era and Iran is in talks with foreign companies to complete the project, aimed to produce 10.4 million tons of LNG (equals to 14 bcm/y of gas).

Araqi said Irans (commercial) gas output stands at 600 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) currently, but the volume would increase to 1,260 mcm/d by 2021.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 16

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:

An Iranian Navy flotilla has left the countrys northern waters for an overseas mission to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, as a friendly symbolic act.

The Iranian flotilla including the home-made Damavand destroyer and a missile-armed vessel, dubbed Joshan departed from the countrys Caspian port city of Bandar Anzali on Sunday morning, Tasnim news agency reported.

Iranian officials have said that the countrys navy is the messenger of peace and friendship in the region.

The visit comes amid a plan by the Iranian navy in a bid to boost friendly maritime ties between the Caspian littoral states.

In exchange, warships from Caspian littoral states are also expected to dock at Iranian ports.

Back in 2015, Damavand destroyer docked in the southern Russian port city of Astrakhan to convey a message of peace and friendship and boost mutual cooperation aimed at maintaining security in the Caspian Sea.

The Russian Navy also sent two Russian warships of the Volgodonsk and Makhachkala to the Anzali port in northern Iran.

According to the Iranian media reports, Damavand destroyer, equipped with modern radar, electronic and reconnaissance systems, was delivered to the countrys naval forces stationed in Anzali in March 2015.

Iran has recently made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 16

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

A group of Iranian lawmakers have prepared a motion to impeach Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Farhadi.

Hosseinali Haji, an Iranian lawmaker, has said that the MPs will submit the motion to the parliaments steering board Oct.16, Mehr news agency reported.

He added that sufficient number of lawmakers have endorsed the motion to be proposed at the parliament.

According to the report, the cases of impeachment include the ministers failure to implement a bill passed by the Supreme Council for Cultural Revolution, forcing several professors and lecturers affiliated with conservatives to give up their jobs, publication of papers with secular content, and etc.

According to the law, the steering board of the parliament will have the duty to refer the impeachment motion to the related specialized committee.

The committee will have the duty to look into the cases of impeachment inviting the impeachers and the minister.

If at least ten of the signatories of the impeachment do not give up the raising, the impeachment will be presented in the parliaments plenary session.
KEARNEY  Raymond W. Heuke, 91, of Kearney died Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013, at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at First Lutheran Church with the Revs. Eric Lesher and Rebecca McDermott officiating. Inurnment will be in the church columbarium.

Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Thursday at OBrien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home.

He was born Oct. 2, 1922, in Tecumseh to William and Hattie (Wolken) Heuke.

On July 22, 1951, he married Marvel Phillips in Hay Springs.



Survivors include his wife; sisters-in-law, Leola Heuke of Lincoln and Carol McAllister of Moline, Ill.; six nieces; and one nephew.

He was baptized and confirmed at Martin Luther Church in rural Johnson. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Nebraska and was a 1951 graduate of the UNL School of Dentistry. In 1951, he began the dental practice in Kearney, which continued for almost 40 years.

He was a member of First Lutheran Church, the Nebraska Dental Association, the International College of Dentistry and the Woodbury Study Group.

Dr. Heuke was a true renaissance man. He and Marvel traveled much of the world together. He especially enjoyed returning to the area of Germany where his family originated. The Heukes loved Arizona and traveled to Green Valley virtually every year for more than 40 years, eventually spending several months there each year.

A lifelong aficionado of art, Ray began painting after his retirement and completed many beautiful works. In later years, he enjoyed participating in senior college classes offered in Green Valley and at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Ray loved spending time with family and especially enjoyed the annual Heuke family reunions.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Wilbur.

Memorials are suggested to the church or the donors choice.

Visit www.osrfh.com to submit online condolences.
FILE - This Dec. 16, 2012 file photo shows a General view of Kuwait's National Assembly during the inauguration of the 14th Legislative Term of the National Assembly in Kuwait. Kuwait's Cabinet has resigned and its parliament was dissolved Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, over a "lack of cooperation," setting the stage for early elections. Kuwait's state-run television and news agency made the announcement after an emergency government meeting. In a decree, Kuwait's ruling emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah said "given the circumstances in the region ... and the security challenges" he had ordered the parliament dissolved. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari, File)
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 16

By Khalid kazimov  Trend:

An Austrian parliamentary delegation will pay a three-day visit to Iran next week.

The delegation is expected to hold talks with Iranian parliaments first deputy speaker, Masoud Pezeshkian, and several officials, SHANA news agency reported.

Earlier in April, Iran and Austria signed a basic agreement to promote mutual cooperation in multiple industrial fields.

The agreement that signed between the chambers of commerce of the two countries could have a collected value of above $2 billion.

It comprises eight documents that envisage broader cooperation in several areas including the automobile sector, the steel industry, the pharmaceutical field and the engineering services.

The current level of trade between Iran and Austria stands at around $300 million.

Officials from both countries announced last year that a serious plan was devised to boost mutual trade to $1 billion before 2020.
FILE- In this Jan. 15, 2015 file photo shows students participate in rush pass by the Phi Kappa Psi house at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. The house was depicted in a debunked Rolling Stone story as the site of a rape in September of 2012. A defamation trial against the magazine is set to begin on Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, over its article about "Jackie" and her harrowing account of being gang raped in a fraternity initiation. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 16

Trend:

All participants of the international ministerial meeting on the Syrian settlement in the Swiss city of Lausanne confirmed their commitment to preserve Syria's integrity, where the Syrians themselves would determine their future, RIA Novosti agency reported.





A ministerial meeting on Syria was held in a "narrow format" in Lausanne October 15 with the participation of Russia, the US, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura.

According to the message, the Russian side represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed at the negotiations that the key for the restoration and the successful implementation of the ceasefire regime is to dissociate the moderate opposition groups from the militants of Jebhat al-Nusra terrorist group, banned in Russia, and other affiliated terrorist groups.

"In this regard, the joint work of all participants of the meeting with the forces in Syria will be required, the message said. "The operation against the militants of Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) and Jebhat al-Nusra terrorist groups will be continued."
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Domestic violence is ubiquitous in our society. Few are untouched by the physical and emotional consequences of abuse  whether they were directly abused or know others who were. However, little has been done to prevent it.

Weve recognized prevention as critical to national health. This awareness has led to everything from decreased vehicular deaths by 90 percent since 1925 to millions of lives saved from vaccines. But even with all these achievements, 20 people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner and more than three women are murdered by their intimate partners every day, according to the CDC. In 2014, there were 702,000 victims of child abuse, of which 1,500 died. The annual cost of domestic violence is staggering  $5.8 billion  where the direct medical and mental health services cost is an estimated $4.1 billion.

Childhood mortality from abuse is 15 times that of deaths from childhood influenza. The incidence of intimate partner violence supersedes the annual incidence of heart attacks by almost 14-fold. Evidence shows that domestic violence is not just a law enforcement concern. Exposure has adverse effects on the health of its victims.

In 1998 the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study related childhood exposure to toxic stress and adverse health outcomes in adulthood. The study examined seven categories of adverse childhood experiences including psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, maternal violence and exposure to substance abusers in the home. The study found a graded relationship between exposure and eventual adult disease such as ischemic heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures and liver disease. Children who experienced four or more exposures, had a 4 to 12-fold increased health risk for alcoholism, drug abuse, depression and suicide attempts when compared to children who had none of the exposures.

Since the conclusion of the ACE study, several tools have been created by the American Academy of Pediatrics  namely The Resilience Project to identify and implement preventive measures in the practice of medicine through the Connected Kids: Safe, Strong, Secure program.

Though primary care physicians are ideally positioned to work from a preventive framework and address at-risk behaviors, other providers may encounter domestic violence. Since victims of domestic violence may be trauma patients, emergency and surgery physicians may treat them initially. It is imperative that all health care providers directly involved in patient care, reflect on these important questions:

Am I prepared to address victims of domestic violence in my clinic or hospital? What policies and procedures are already in place?

What screening tools are available?

Does my staff and I feel prepared to properly educate or even intervene for a victim of domestic violence?

Do I know where the local womens shelter is?

What is the number or website to the National Domestic Violence Hotline?

What are the state laws concerning Child Protective Services and abuse reporting?

These questions are fundamental in addressing this problem. Thankfully, several websites and organizations can help health care providers be at the forefront of prevention and intervention:

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the CDC Injury Prevention & Control: Division of Violence Prevention provide extensive resources on the topic of domestic violence.

The New England Journal of Medicine has several articles pertaining to the physicians role concerning domestic violence and the article Intimate-Partner Violence  What Physicians Can Do is a helpful starting point.

The Institute of Medicine called for screening and counseling for intimate partner violence within the U.S. health care setting and outlined some system approaches to implementing tools in the electronic medical record (EMR). The Affordable Care Act requires screening and counseling for interpersonal and domestic violence without requiring a copayment, coinsurance or deductible. Physicians should contact their EMR representative, as these tools may already be available or easily added to the user interface. If not available in the current EMR, screening tools such as the Get Domestic Violence Help website and the Hurt, Insulted, Threatened with Harm and Screamed (HITS) Domestic Violence Screening Tool are readily available online.

There are many online continuing medical education (CME) courses available with a single Google search, such as the one at the University of Florida or provided by some local and state insurance agencies.

Removing victims from danger is an important step in intervention. Safe housing provides distance and time away from a perpetrator and may be pivotal in ending the abuse. The Womens Shelters website is a national search engine of local womens shelters by state and city. The National Violence Hotline Website and phone service [1-800-799-SAFE (7233)] are very reliable.

Collaboration is key and health care providers should call their local health and welfare office and ask for a representative to come and educate their staff on the resources available and the process involved in reporting. Request that your local law enforcement educate you on the laws and due process. This may only cost your clinic lunch and can likely be used as a CME credit.

Lastly, know who the victims are. While its easy to envision females of male partners and children as victims, this is only part of the picture. Remember that female to male abuse, elder abuse and abuse among the LGBT community is often overlooked.

Physicians must begin to view domestic violence as we do influenza or vehicle safety. We must prevent it at all costs. And if it is not prevented, we must aggressively treat it. This will require extensive collaboration with colleagues, public health services, and law enforcement. Though the challenge is enormous, physicians ought to address this societal disease and be at the forefront of care.

Eric S. Donahue is a medical student. This article originally appeared in in-House.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 16

Trend:

15:39 (GMT+4) A suicide bomber blew himself up during a police operation in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, Anadolu agency reported.

Three policemen were killed and eight people were injured in the blast.

The second suicide bomber was detained.

15:15 (GMT+4) The police blocked a group of terrorists in the building during an operation against terrorists in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, Milliyet newspaper reported.

One of the terrorists blew himself up. Several policemen and civilians were injured. The number of injured has not been reported.

Ten ambulance teams arrived on the scene.

14:40 (GMT+4) A suicide bomber blew himself up during a police operation in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, Anadolu agency reported October 16.

Some people were injured.
Kiplinger's spoke with Walt Fricke (pictured left), 68, founder of Veterans Airlift Command (opens in new tab), a Minneapolis, Minn.-based nonprofit organization that provides free air transportation to wounded military servicemembers and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes, about how he got started. Here's an excerpt from our interview:

Youre a veteran?

I arrived in Vietnam on April Fools' Day in 1968 and flew hundreds of missions as an Army helicopter pilot. After being severely injured, I returned on Veterans Day to the U.S., where I spent six months in hospitals and a year recuperating. It took my parents and girlfriendnow my wife, Juliemore than a month after I arrived back in the States to arrange to come see me. I was wasting away emotionally, and I really began to heal when they arrived.

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What inspired you to found VAC?

In 2006, I was running the Homeownership Preservation Foundation for GMAC, but I was thinking about retiring early. I knew that wounded warriors find it challenging to fly commercially. I owned and flew my own airplanes, and I realized that I could create a national organization to fly wounded warriors with dignity and bring their families to their bedsides, too.

How does VAC work?

We have a database of 2,500 volunteer aircraft owners and pilots. One of our staff of fiveincluding my daughter, Jen, who is executive directoris on duty 24-7 to receive trip requests. When we receive one, we quickly vet the passenger. Then we identify up to 100 pilots who are appropriate to the mission and blast e-mails to them. Someone usually responds immediately.

Who are your volunteers?

People who fly understand freedom and appreciate the people who defend it. Although it can cost $5,000 an hour to operate an airplane, our volunteers pay for everything.

How many veterans have you helped?

Weve flown 13,000 passengers so far, some multiple times. We thought our mission count would go down as military hospitals emptied out, but the number has actually gone up as word has gotten out.

How did you fund the project?

I contributed $200,000 to launch the work and develop our website (opens in new tab), which has a sophisticated back-end system through which we receive mission requests, schedule flights and track everything. Plus, I spent another several hundred thousand to pay the bills until we started receiving donations, which pay our salaries.

What does it cost to keep VAC running?

Our annual budget is $4.5 million, of which $3.5 million is donated flight value. We hold an annual event with sponsored tables to raise the rest. It's like a family reunion of pilots and passengers.

VAC now owns a jet?

An anonymous donor gave us an Eclipse personal jet for our exclusive use. The manufacturer, One Aviation, refurbished it, painted it with our logo and operates it for our benefit.

How long will you do this?

I have no plans to retire. In Vietnam, I flew kids into combat. Now, I fly vets home. This is the most fulfilling thing I could imagine doing.
Yields mixed at Egyptian T-bill auction



CAIRO, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Yields on Egypt's three-month treasury bills dropped while yields on the nine-month bills rose at Sunday's auction, data from the central bank showed. The average yield on the 91-day bill dropped slightly to 14.504 percent from 14.507 percent at the previous auction on Oct 9. The 273-day bill's yield rose to 16.490 percent from 16.415 percent at the last similar auction.

(Reporting by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by David Goodman)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

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The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has taken control of two northern Syrian villages from Daesh, including one symbolically important to the terrorist group, Anadolu reported.

According to FSA commanders, the villages of Dabiq and Soran were cleared as part of Turkeys Operation Euphrates Shield.

Dabiq, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Aleppo and around 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Syrias border with Turkey, has a symbolic importance for Daesh, as the group believes it will be the site of an end-times battle with non-Muslims. Dabiq is also the name of one of Daeshs online magazines.

Security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, told Anadolu Agency that the operation will continue.

Operation Euphrates Shield, which began on Aug. 24 backed by the Turkish Armed Forces, is aimed at bolstering border security, supporting coalition forces, and eliminating the threat posed by terror organizations, especially Daesh.

Operation Euphrates Shield has driven Daesh from Turkeys border with Syria as Turkish armor, artillery, special forces, and jets support FSA fighters.

Dabiq operation officially underway

Operation Euphrates Shield is being carried out "successfully," Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said Sunday in Turkeys western Kocaeli province.

"Today, the Dabiq operation officially started. Operation Euphrates Shield is now being carried out together with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Dabiq, which is highly important for Daesh," Isik added.

Isik said that all government bodies are on alert so that FSA can carry out a "successful" operation there, adding: "We will fulfill whatever they need."

He added that Turkey has cleared Daesh elements from a 90-kilometer strip of Syrian territory along Turkeys border.
By Park Jae-hyuk

LG Chem plans to make big investments in the coming years to restructure its business portfolio through reducing the capacity of oversupplied products while increasing the output of profitable items.

The country's top chemical firm said Sunday that it will build more naphtha cracking centers (NCC) and convert the product lines of oversupplied polystyrene (PS) into product lines of high value-added acrolonitrile, butadiene and styrene (ABS). It will also expand ethylene production capacity to 230,000 tons.

Toward that end, the company looks to spend 287 billion won ($253 million) at the Daesan Complex, South Chungcheong Province by 2019.

After the expansion, the annual capacity of the complex will likely mark 1.27 million tons, the largest capacity among single NCC plants worldwide.

LG Chem also plans to lower the energy consumption of the Daesan Complex to improve its cost competitiveness.

The company's recent decision to expand NCC was made to secure raw materials needed for higher value-added products and maintain its lead in the market through economies of scale.

It aims to increase sales in the lucrative naphtha-cracking business to 7 trillion won.

The Seoul-based company will also convert one of two PS production lines at the Yeosu Plant, South Jeolla Province, into an ABS production line.

The conversion will likely increase production of ABS by 30,000 tons per year, while that of PS will decrease by 50,000 tons. ABS is mainly used for vehicles, home appliances and IT devices, because of its thermal resistance and impact resistance.

LG Chem currently leads the world's ABS market, dominating 20 percent of market share. The company expects the ongoing restructuring of its business to improve its bottom line.
US calls on Korea to minimize forex intervention



By Yoon Ja-young



The United States has continued to include Korea on the "monitoring list" for foreign exchange rate policies, requesting that the country minimize its intervention in the foreign exchange market.



Korean exporters are likely to face tougher obstacles as protectionism is gaining momentum in the U.S. with the presidential election closing in.



In its semiannual report, "Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States" submitted to the U.S. Congress, the Department of the Treasury estimated that the "Korean authorities intervened both to resist appreciation and to resist depreciation of the won."



Korea does not publish foreign exchange market intervention while the finance ministry says it only engages in "smoothing operations." It also cited an IMF report, which assessed the won as undervalued.



The IMF's 2016 External Sector Report assessed that Korea's real effective exchange rate was 4 to 12 percent weaker than the level consistent with fundamentals and desired policies.



The inclusion of Korea on the monitoring list was anticipated as the country meets two of three criteria  a significant trade surplus and a sizable current account surplus against the U.S.  though it concluded that Korean authorities didn't engage in persistent one-sided intervention in the foreign exchange market.



On top of Korea, China, Japan, Germany and Taiwan, the U.S. newly included Switzerland on its monitoring list. China met only one of the three criteria, but remains on the list.



"Treasury has urged Korea to limit its foreign exchange intervention to only circumstances of disorderly market conditions, and to increase the transparency of its foreign exchange operations," the treasury department reported.



The report goes hand in hand with strengthening protectionism in the United States ahead of the presidential election.



Kim Hyung-joo, an economist at the LG Economic Research Institute, noted that both Democrats and Republicans are leaning toward protectionism.



"It is somewhat shocking to see the Republicans shelving open market and competition, which have been strong in the party's traditional philosophy and market economy principles. The changes in the Democrats are also worrisome. While they have been relatively reserved about opening markets and free trade compared with the Republicans, they have been sticking to market- and business-friendly policies in the past eight years while in control of the U.S. economy," he said, noting that the shift reflects voter discontent with the current economic situation.



The U.S. Department of Commerce already charged 61 percent anti-dumping and countervailing duties on POSCO's hot-rolled steel plates in August, virtually stopping exports of the product. The United States also levied heavy anti-dumping duties on washing machines made by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, though the WTO recently sided with the Korean manufacturers in the dispute. A survey by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) showed 10 out of 15 industries face damage from increasing protectionism.



"Steel and chemicals, which are Korea's key industries, are among the major targets of protectionism. Strengthening protectionism will work as a stumbling block against recovery of Korea's exports," said Je Hyun-jung, a research fellow at the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).



"Even if protectionism subsides after the presidential election in the United States, exports will face major obstacles once they are included in targets of import restriction. For SMEs, it is a life-or-death problem." She advised the government to take a leading role in international cooperation to stop the expansion of protectionism.




A suicide bomber killed three police officers and wounded at least nine people in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep on Sunday during a police raid on a suspected Islamic State safehouse, a local official and security sources said, Reuters reported.

The bomber detonated explosives as police raided the house in the Besyuzevler neighborhood of the city, some 40 km (25 miles) from the Syrian border, Abdullah Nejat Kocer, a local member of parliament from the ruling AK Party, told reporters.

A second suicide bomber detonated explosives during another police raid related to the same investigation at an apartment in the city's Gazikent suburb, but no other people were killed, a police official at the scene said. That blast blew the front wall out of the building, according to a Reuters witness.
The South Korean government said Sunday it plans to bring in some 30 refugees from a foreign camp and grant them permanent settlement, in accordance with an U.N. agency program that the country joined last year.

The Ministry of Justice said the government will embrace some 30 refugees now staying in Thailand. They are expected to arrive in South Korea as early as this month.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) resettlement program transfers refugees living in temporary camps in an asylum country to another country that has agreed to admit them. The ministry said it has selected the refugees with the UNHCR's recommendation and conducted its own screening process from June to September to accept them here.

This is the second time that South Korea has decided to bring in refugees from a foreign country under the UNHCR program. Last December, South Korea helped the resettlement of 22 refugees from Myanmar who had been staying at refugee camps in Thailand.

The Myanmar refugees stayed at foreign support centers to learn Korean and to receive job education for about 10 months before they resettled in the Seoul metropolitan area last month, the ministry added.

There are about 30 countries participating in the UNHCR program, including the United States, Australia and Japan. (Yonhap)
(From top) Park Won-soon, Moon Jae-in, Woo Sang-ho, Park Ji-won and Kim Sung-sik



By Ko Dong-hwan





Bob Dylan

Opposition party lawmakers have lamented the presidential office's alleged blacklist of 9,400 artists by comparing them to American Nobel laureate Bob Dylan.

"I congratulate Dylan, who sang about anti-war, peace and human right," Seoul mayor Park Won-soon said on Facebook on Friday, after the musician was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first songwriter to win the award.

"While Cheong Wa Dae was making the blacklist of pop culture artists, he was writing poetry for the ears that has changed the world," Park said.

"Now, I want to hear what only Cheong Wa Dae can answer."

Moon Jae-in, former chairman of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, said the same day on Facebook that the government "must not meddle in the nation's academic fields and cultural arts but support them."

Hankook Ilbo quoted Woo Sang-ho, the party's floor leader, as saying at the party's Supreme Council meeting, "It is hard to understand how the government will lead the country by blacklisting of artists and other celebrities with critical views."

People's Party leader Park Ji-won, joined the critical voices.

"A pop artist receiving a Nobel literature prize indicates that the world has truly entered the age of AlphaGo," Park said.

"But Korea, on the other hand, is moving back to the age of political reform in the 1970s.

"The Park Geun-hye government, which should have been more creative' than ever, is instead driving the country to the pristine state with its policy on cultural arts."

The party's chief policymaker Kim Sung-sik was also quoted as saying, "How much more should we endure to see the government's shadow removed from the fields of culture?

"The age of political authorities is short but that of art is long."

It was found on Tuesday that Cheong Wa Dae blacklisted 9,473 artists who expressed opposition to government policies or supported opposition politicians, and ordered related state agencies to disadvantage them in providing financial or other support.

The blacklist, first released by a local daily, includes 594 artists who opposed a government enforcement ordinance about the Sewol ferry disaster, 754 authors who signed their names on a statement calling for the government to take responsibility for the disaster, 6,517 artists who declared their support for then opposition candidate Moon Jae-in during the 2012 presidential election and 1,608 artists who supported Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon during the 2014 mayoral election.

Moon and Park are leading presidential candidates.
About 70 percent of textbooks in international schools in Korea wrongly call the "East Sea" the "Sea of Japan." / Screen capture from SBS



By Lee Jin-a

More than 70 percent of textbooks in Korea's international schools wrongly name the "East Sea" as the "Sea of Japan," research shows.

According to Ministry of Education research in August, 24 of 33 related textbooks used the "Sea of Japan," while nine others used both names.

Among 49 international institutions in Korea, 16 schools used textbooks listing the name "Sea of Japan," and 10 schools adopted textbooks that used both names.

The education ministry said it would try to promote awareness of the East Sea issue to international school teachers to help them be more accurate about Korea, according to Yonhap news agency.

The Academy of Korean Studies, an education ministry-affiliated organization, also said it would try to contact publishers and ask them to use the correct name.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "East Sea" has been used in Korea for more than 2000 years as shown in various references such as "History of the Three Kingdoms," (1145) the monument of King Gwanggaeto (414), and "Map of Eight Provinces of Korea" (1416~1684).

"Sea of Japan" was first used in 1602 by Mateo Ricci, an Italian priest. Also, Japan's various historical records, such as "Simplified Map of Japan's Periphery" (1809) and "New World Map" (1844), referred to the area as the "Sea of Joseon (Korea)."
Moon Jae-in, left, then presidential chief of staff, talks with Song Min-soon, then foreign minister, during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in this file photo taken in March 2007. / Yonhap



By Kim Hyo-jin



Presidential candidate Moon Jae-in has been embroiled in a controversy over an ex-foreign minister's claim that he supported a recommendation to seek Pyongyang's opinion on a 2007 U.N. resolution on North Korea's human rights situation ahead of a vote.



Song Min-soon, who served as foreign minister for President Roh Moo-hyun, said in his memoir published last week that South Korea abstained from the vote after listening to Pyongyang's opposition.



Song claimed that the proposal to seek the North's opinion was backed by Moon, then Roh's presidential chief of staff, amid divided opinions among Cabinet members.



The recently surfaced claim soon instigated political sparring between rival parties. The ruling Saenuri Party called for an investigation to get to the bottom of the issue, accusing Moon of having virtually been "in league with" the North.



The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), of which Moon is a former chairman, dismissed Saenuri's move as a political offensive to divert public attention from ongoing corruption scandals involving presidential aides.



"It's unthinkable to imagine that the South Korean government dealt with a U.N. vote on North Korea's human rights situation in consultation with Pyongyang, a perpetrator state of human rights violations," said Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, the ruling party's chairman.



"Moon was virtually in league with Pyongyang, not to mention he  the person who hopes to be the next President  completely ignored the human rights of North Koreans, who suffer the most in the world."



Lee said he took it as a grave error of the government's decision-making process, vowing to launch a thorough investigation into the scandal. The party decided Saturday to form a taskforce for the mission.



Following the rising offensive from the ruling bloc, Moon rebutted, saying the decision to abstain from the 2007 vote was made based on the result of intense discussions among cabinet members.



"Cabinet members  especially between a foreign minister and a unification minister  have been at loggerheads with how to vote on a U.N. resolution condemning the North's human rights violations," Moon wrote on a Facebook post. "In 2007, the debate was repeated as there was an inter-Korean summit that year, and a meeting between prime ministers from both countries was being held when the vote issue was brought up. Most Cabinet members including the intelligence agency chief agreed on the unification ministry's position. President Roh decided to abstain following the majority rule after hearing the opinions of the both sides enough."



Moon added that the Park Geun-hye government should learn from the Roh Moo-hyun government that had made decisions through communication and consensus in the Cabinet.



But he didn't mention whether he determined to seek the North's opinion over Seoul's vote as Song argued.



According to Song's memoir, amid a sharp dispute between top officials over whether South Korea should vote in favor of or against the U.N. resolution in November 2007, then-intelligence chief Kim Man-bok floated the idea of asking North Korea's opinion directly, which Presidential Chief of Staff Moon accepted, saying "let's check through an inter-Korean channel."



A few days later, Song was informed that North Korea said it would closely keep an eye on the South's vote, warning of the possibility of dangerous circumstances in inter-Korean relations. Baek Jong-chun, then chief secretary on foreign and security policy, delivered a note describing the response to Song in person while accompanying the President at his residence.



At that time, President Roh told Song "Let's go for abstention now that we've already asked. We shouldn't have asked," Song wrote in his memoir.



Amid a brewing political controversy, Cheong Wa Dae remained cautious of making a direct comment but still viewed the fact that the government asked the North before voting as problematic.



"If the suspicions are true, it's a grave and serious issue," a presidential official said. "The ruling party is up for investigation so it won't be appropriate for Cheong Wa Dae to make its own stance at this level."
By Choi Ha-yooung

Korea plans to accept 30 Myanmar refugees from temporary camps in Thailand and grant them permanent settlement, the Ministry of Justice said Sunday.

The plan is in accordance with a U.N. agency resettlement program that the country joined last year. It is the second of its kind since Korea brought in 22 Myanmar refugees under the program last December.

The new group of refugees will arrive at Incheon International Airport as early as this month.

The ministry has selected the 30 refugees on the recommendation of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) after conducting a document review and holding interviews between June and September.

The resettlement program is to transfer refugees living in temporary camps in an asylum country to another country that has agreed to accept them.

About 30 countries, including Korea, Japan, Australia and the United States, have joined the UNHCR program.

The first 22 refugees arrived in Korea in December. The four families started their new lives in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province last month after learning Korean and receiving job training for 10 months under the resettlement education program.

Despite the proactive policy to admit refugees, the nation's refugee acceptance rate has remained low.

The acceptance rate fell to 1.84 percent last year from 5.25 percent in 2012, according to the ministry. The comparable figure stood at 3.62 percent in 2014 and 2.76 percent in the first half of 2016.

The figures were far lower than the global average acceptance rate of 37 percent, according to UNHCR data.

Last year, only 105 out of 5,711 applicants were awarded refugee status, while 94 out of 2,896 were accepted the year before.
By Yi Whan-woo

North Korea presumably fired a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) but the launch failed, the Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) said Sunday.

"The missile exploded soon after its liftoff near an airbase in Kusong, North Pyongan Province at around 12:33 p.m., Saturday," the JCS said.

The U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) also said in a separate announcement that the launch was unsuccessful.

If confirmed, this will be the Kim Jong-un regime's first test of a Musudan missile since June 22. It successfully fired one of the two Musudan missiles in back-to-back attempts then, advancing its IRBM technology against the U.S. and its allies.

The Musudan has a range of 3,500 kilometers, which is enough to strike U.S. military bases in Guam.

Citing the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the USSTRATCOM said the launch, Saturday, did not pose a threat to North America.

The Pentagon still condemned Pyongyang, pointing out that its use of ballistic missile technologies is in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

"Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad," Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Gary Ross said. "We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation. We call on North Korea to refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its commitments and international obligations."

The JCS denounced Pyongyang as well, saying "The military maintains heightened vigilance against any provocations by the North."

Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said Sunday that she wants to work in cooperation with the U.S. and South Korea to assure Japan's security.

The Kim regime has carried out tests of various types of missiles this year, including submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
By Yi Whan-woo



South Korea, the United States and Japan will seek to address North Korea's exploitation of its workers abroad in a U.N. resolution on Pyongyang's human rights violations, diplomatic sources said Sunday.



The U.N. General Assembly has passed several resolutions denouncing Pyongyang's state-perpetrated crimes against humanity since 2005.



The allies are seeking to include the North's exploitation of hard labor in this year's resolution, which is expected to be put to a vote in December.



The European Union and Japan recently drew up the draft resolution together and plan to submit a final version to the U.N. for review after consulting details with relevant countries. The draft is likely to ask the U.N. Security Council to refer those responsible for human rights violations to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.



This will be the first time for the international community to lay the legal groundwork to accuse the Kim Jong-un regime of exploiting its overseas laborers.



The international move concerning the North Korean workers came amid the U.N.'s two-track strategy in pressing the Kim regime even more  tightening sanctions on Pyongyang's development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) while raising global awareness of the regime's human rights violations.



A series of revelations showed that the North Korean laborers are taken to other countries and forced to work in extreme conditions to prop up the cash-strapped regime's development of WMDs.



Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University, predicts that the a possible U.N. human rights resolution may be effective in "inducing" international companies to refrain from hiring North Koreans and stop renewing contracts with their current employees of the isolated authoritarian state.



The exact number of laborers dispatched by the secretive state is yet to be confirmed although international human rights activists have been trying to figure it out.



Willy Fautre, the director of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), estimated that there are at least 50,000 North Koreans in 16 countries.



Oh Gyeong-seob, deputy director of the Center for North Korean Human Rights Studies at the Korea Institute of National Unification, speculated that Pyongyang has up to 120,000 workers in 20 to 40 countries.



Many of them work in China and Russia while others are believed to be in Algeria, Angola, Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Oman, Poland, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.



Some analysts predicted that the laborers earn an average of $120 to $150 per month each and funnel around $500 million to $1 billion in total to the Kim regime every month.



The workers, both male and female, vary in their jobs, including construction laborers, lumberjacks, sewer workers and waitresses at restaurants operated by North Korea.



Many of them work overtime and are exposed to safety hazards, but are still required to turn in their earnings to their supervisors regularly.



Some 40 North Korean workers have died in workplace accidents, according to the sources.



In October 2015, Marzuki Darusman, then-U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, said the employers hiring North Korean workers have "become complicit in an unacceptable system of forced labor."



Citing Darusman, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se called for investigation into the link between Pyongyang's development of WMDs and North Korean human rights in a U.N. speech in March.




Samsung and the South Korean government have launched their own investigations to figure out what caused Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to catch fire after the tech giant halted its sales over recurring battery problems, industry officials said Sunday.



Samsung has been investigating components of its latest flagship phones after numerous reports of the device catching fire. The world's largest phone maker conducted a global recall last month citing faulty batteries, but it last week decided to discontinue its sales after some of its replacements running on different batteries also had overheating problems.



Separately, the state-run Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL) on Thursday began their own probe with five phones provided by Samsung Electronics that caught fire in the nation earlier this month, according to industry officials with knowledge of the matter.



KTL will not just limit its investigation into the batteries and will use latest testing technologies, including X-ray and computerized tomography, to find the exact cause of the problem, they added.



"We have handed over the phones (that caught fire) to KTL and will cooperate with their investigation, but we can't just sit and wait for its result," a Samsung Electronics official said. "We have been mobilizing all possible resources to find the exact cause of the problems as soon as possible."



Samsung is also considering testing the faulty devices collected by the U.S. consumer Product Safety Commission, which issued two rounds of recalls of the smartphones, company officials noted.



The firm cut its forecast for third-quarter profit to 5.2 trillion won ($4.6 billion), down from the 7.8 trillion-won, reflecting the estimated loss from halting Note 7 sales. On Friday, it again issued forecast of another mid-3 trillion-won (about $3.1 billion) in lost profit in the next two quarters.



Industry watchers say finding the exact cause of the Note 7's problem is crucial for Samsung to win back consumers' trust before the firm launches its new flagship model, the Galaxy S8, next year. (Yonhap)




The recent publication of former foreign minister Song Min-soon's memoir has ignited an unexpected controversy about the Roh Moo-hyun administration's North Korea policy.



Song devotes a small section of the memoir on how Korea came to decide to abstain from voting on a 2007 U.N. resolution on North Korea's human rights situation after seeking Pyongyang's opinion at the initiative of former opposition leader Moon Jae-in, who was Roh's chief of staff. The ruling Saenuri Party is calling for parliamentary hearing about Moon's role in the abstention of the vote, accusing him of sympathizing with the North Korean regime and questioning his ideology.



The ruling party is blowing the issue out of proportion to hurt Moon, former chairman of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), who is considered a major presidential candidate. However, it is a waste of time for the ruling party to be fixating on what Moon did at Cheong Wa Dae almost a decade ago when the National Assembly has heaps of important work to do now.



It will not be too late to debate Moon's North Korea policies when he is confirmed as the MPK's presidential nominee. Until then, the ruling party should stop the untimely attacks on Moon's ideology.



It is also highly inappropriate for the ruling party to politicize a memoir that was published with the intent to serve as a reference for diplomats, policymakers, scholars, historians and journalists who specialize in North Korea affairs. Song had a long career in the foreign ministry as a North Korea specialist, serving as Korea's chief Six-Party Talks negotiator, among other key posts.



An in-depth account of such an accomplished North Korea expert should be viewed objectively as a useful reference for dealing with Pyongyang in the future, regardless of political affiliations.




More people turning their backs on President



The latest Gallup survey shows that President Park Geun-hye's approval rating has plunged to 26 percent, the lowest since she took office in 2013.



The survey shows that even staunch supporters  people in their 50s and 60s and people in the southeastern Yeongnam region  are starting to turn their backs on the President. In Seoul, only 18 percent of respondents said Park was doing a good job. The poll shows people's growing frustration toward the President's governing style and her administration's failures, particularly on the economic front.



It is regrettable that Cheong Wa Dae had nothing to say about the waning support for Park except to say that it will not "dwell on approval ratings." This kind of arrogance and aloofness to public opinion is exactly the reason that more people are viewing Park negatively.



Cheong Wa Dae should seriously consider the implications of the continued dip in the President's job approval rating, which comes on the heels of snowballing corruption scandals surrounding Cheong Wa Dae in the twilight of Park's presidency. The 20 percent-range approval rating is considerably lower than during some of the most serious setbacks of Park's presidency, such as the defeat of her Saenuri Party in the general elections in April.



After the April 13 election, her approval rating was still 43 percent, but it has continued to slide since because she has repeatedly refused to respond to the people's wishes.



In the survey, the major reasons for the growing negative assessment of Park were economic incompetence and lack of communication.



From the perspective of average citizens, Park's biggest fault lies with not doing a good job to improve the people's livelihoods. The low approval rating is a result of the Park administration's incompetence in generating quality jobs and building a stronger economy with long-term policies.



The nation's youth in particular are facing one of the worst unemployment crises since the late 1990s, but the Park administration's job creation policies have not yielded visible outcomes.



As a result, the unemployment rate among people under 29 has remained mostly in the 10 percent range throughout the year after hitting an all-time high of 12.5 percent in April. Since the beginning of her term, the job situation has worsened across generations, while taxes have soared. If she continues her disregard for improving the people's livelihoods, she will continue to lose support.



Another big reason that has alienated the people is the President's refusal to accommodate public opinion. The people expect more transparency from a president who has placed a fight against corruption at the top of her priority list since she took office.



She angered the people by not responding sincerely to corruption allegations involving her key aides, only brushing the claims off as "slander and unchecked exposes."



The public's trust in the integrity of her administration has been severely undermined by a series of scandals. In particular, many people have been disappointed by the decades-long connection between Choi Soon-sil, a daughter of Park's late mentor Choi Tae-min and the ex-wife of Park's former aide Jeong Yun-hoe, and the President, and Choi's undue influence in the Park administration.



Cheong Wa Dae should admit that the plunging approval rating means something is seriously wrong with the way Park is doing her job and that more people are becoming fed up with her arrogance and ineffective leadership. Park needs to remember that without the people on her side, her presidency will be remembered as a failure.




Pakistan Army infantry. (Photo : Pakistan Army)

Pakistan is uncertain as to what to make of India's "plan" to build a defensive wall protected by troops and technology along its entire 3,232 kilometer long border with Pakistan.



Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said the announcement earlier this month by Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh that India will "completely seal" the border with Pakistan by December 2018 runs contrary to India's goal of establishing a peaceful neighborhood with Pakistan.



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Singh said India intends to seal the entire border with Pakistan and that a proper monitoring mechanism, including the use of technology, will be emplaced for the purpose. His made this announcement after reviewing the security situation along the border with the Ministers from Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat that share a border with Pakistan.



Pakistan remains in the dark about India's true intentions, however. The plan might be for real but India might only be talking about it to sound tough amid dangerous border tensions with Pakistan.



"On the one hand, they talk of establishing peaceful neighborhood, and on the other hand their actions contradict their claims," he said.



Zakaria, however, said India hasn't yet officially communicated with Pakistan about the decision.



"India has not formally conveyed any such plan (sealing the border) to Pakistan. We don't have the details," he said.



Besides building a physical wall to isolate Pakistan, India last month announced an effort to build a diplomatic wall to isolate Pakistan diplomatically.



Zakaria was dismissive of this so-called effort to isolate Pakistan internationally, saying his country was "not facing international isolation" and was very much engaged in world affairs.



"More and more countries are engaging with Pakistan. Pakistan's strategic location is of immense importance," he said, citing the examples of recent engagements with Russia and Iran.



Pakistan and India have been at loggerheads since Muslim Kashmiri militants attacked an Indian Army base at the town of Uri in Indian-controlled Kashmir last Sept. 18, killing 19 Indian soldiers. India replied a week later with what it called "surgical strikes" at terrorist launchpads in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.


Both Donald Trump, 70, and Hillary Clinton, 69, agree that the United States should take it slowly when it comes to winding down the war on drugs. On the issue of war drugs, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, 71, appears to be the most controversial among all leaders in the world today.



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On Oct. 15, Saturday, Trump was in a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Republican candidate challenged Clinton to take a drug test before the third and final U.S. presidential debate, which will be held on Oct. 19 at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.



"I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate because I don't know what's going on with her," CNN quoted Trump as saying, referring to Clinton during the rally in Portsmouth. "But at the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped up at the beginning, and at the end it was like, huff, take me down. She could barely reach her car."



Trump did not offer any evidence to back up his claim against his Democratic opponent. Apparently, the former host of "The Celebrity Apprentice" confused the second presidential debate with the 9/11 ceremony on Sept. 11 in New York City, where a bout of pneumonia forced Clinton to require assistance while getting into her van.



On the other hand, Duterte is set to visit a drug rehabilitation center in China. On Oct. 14, Friday, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua said the Filipino president will go to Beijing where he will visit a traffic control center.



"The President has never mentioned the Great Wall," Rappler quoted Zhao as saying when asked if Duterte has requested to visit specific places like the Great Wall of China. "He asked about whether there is a rehabilitation center in Beijing, and he also asked about whether we have a center of traffic control in Beijing."



While apparently building stronger ties with China, Duterte slammed U.S. President Barack Obama, 55, for criticizing the Philippine war on drugs. It has yet to be seen if the next U.S. president, be it Trump or Clinton, exerts an effort to be on the same page with Duterte on the issue of war on drugs.



Meanwhile, watch Clinton's recent interview with Ellen DeGeneres here:






A Second Republic lawmaker, Junaid Mohammed, has stated that the Presidents recent trip to Germany was for medical reasons. Mohammed, a Russian-trained medical doctor, revealed this in an interview with Sunday Punch.

Mohammed said, The reason the president travelled to Germany was not what it was advertised to be. The trip is basically a medical trip. It was undertaken for medical reasons. It was only converted to a state visit as an afterthought and that tells you the level of contempt the handlers of the president have for Nigerians. We blamed the handlers of YarAdua for the way they kept his ailment secret.

Now, Nigerians have a big surprise awaiting them. They have not been told the truth about the real state of the mans (Buhari) health. He is our president. Nigerians elected him into office and we must never allow individuals to play with our intelligence and do something stupid and dangerous to our country. I hope and pray that next time, the Nigerian people would be told the truth. Its a medical trip; they (handlers) issued statements to camouflage the real reason behind the trip.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
KickassTorrents (commonly abbreviated KAT) was a website that provided a directory for torrent files and magnet links to facilitate peer-to-peer file sharing using the BitTorrent protocol. (Photo : YouTube/BNO News)

There are expectations that Kickass Torrents, Torrentz and Torrent Hound may re-surface back on the torrents arena after being forced offline due to legal issues.



Kickass Torrents owner Artem Paulim was arrested in July in Poland on numerous counts of copyright infringements. His arrest forced the website offline. Various mirror sites of Kickass Torrents cropped up but they were unable to flourish due to legal issues.



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Numerous mirrors were also scamming people by asking for their financial and personal information. Such websites were finally forced to shut shop after they were exposed, according to Torrent Freak.



After the demise of Kickass Torrents, Torrent Hound and Torrentz were also forced offline. They had to shut down their operations due to various legal issues apart from declining traffic and numerous financial complexities as well.



However, now Kickass Torrents is back in another avatar on the torrents arena. It is back on Kat.cr, which has the same look and feel of the previous website plus it also boasts of the same database of its predecessor. Hence, rumors are also circulating that Torrent Hound and Torrentz may also make a comeback in a new avatar with their old database.



On the other hand, the 13-year old website The Pirate Bay is the "King of Torrents" once again. A number of detractors were baying for its blood and were circulating rumors that it would be forced offline but the persistent website has managed to keep its crown as the number one torrents website, according to the same publication.



The Pirate Bay's service provider CloudFlare was embroiled in numerous legal issues and was also accused of assisting piracy and terrorism websites. The Pirate Bay was unaffected to these issues and managed to keep afloat despite everything.



Meanwhile, another website TPBClean was launched which is basically The Pirate Bay bereft of all the porn advertisements. It is safe to open even in a professional environment as all the porn related advertisements are not present on any of the web-pages of TPBClean.



Watch the video to know more about the popularity of The Pirate Bay here:






The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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A man awaits his fate at a San Francisco psychiatric hospital. His partner is dead. Nearly an entire generation is gone. But not all is lost for our hero, Jacob, born Yaqub; he is the product of a brief tryst between a powerful man in Beirut and a woman from Yemen who later takes her gifted son to live in a Cairo whorehouse to thrive under the care of a voluptuous auntie named Badeea. Back in Lebanon, more or less ignored by his father, hes so savagely beaten by bigger boys at a Catholic orphanage that his battered body must be sent to Sweden. In San Francisco, years later, hes an Arab male and a homosexual and one of the last of his kind  everyone else felled either by the great calamity of AIDS or the furious meat grinder that is life as an Arab. Oh, and he talks regularly with Satan. And the Devil.

Theres plenty of reason to go crazy in The Angel of History, a new novel by Lebanese American writer Rabih Alameddine. Author of the daunting but exquisite 2014 novel An Unnecessary Woman, which was a lush portrait of a love affair with literature, Alameddine  sometimes described as splitting his time between San Francisco and Beirut  this time offers up a much more tart and rigorous read, a densely layered and ultimately agonizing series of stories in which our hero is haunted by a past he cant seem to allow himself to forget.

In an early scene, when two young gays accost the aging poet in a humming restaurant, we dont quite understand the depth of his anger.

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 Her husband died? Jacob says to the one with frosted tips, interrupting a banal lament. You think thats horrifying? You feel sorry for her? Shes lived a full life. I had six friends die in a six-month period.  We were nothing but babies, where was she when we were dying, where were you? 

Over frenetic and elliptical chapters, we come to know, in confusing snatches, more and more about the horror that life has been for Jacob, chiefly because of AIDS. His immediate grief is a lost love, Doc  but also all the friends they cared for and then buried.

Theres a deeper layer of sadness and frustration: The unique and also universal way home eludes Jacob, who knows all too well what one must do to survive. Theres one Arab tradition: the instinct to travel with a bit of dirt. Palestinians, Jacob muses, carry keys to apartments long since destroyed. Bertolt Brecht wrote of a single brick proving how nicely a house once stood. We all have our memories.

These scenes are interrupted by many conversations between the fallen angel Satan and the embodiment of evil, the Devil. Should Jacob, as the more nostalgic Satan hopes, strive to remember how he came to be who he is, or should he, as the more aggressively dark Devil contends, just give up and move on?

Its not so easy, in love or before death, to make the correct decision. One of the tenderest scenes occurs when Jacob flees a pre-sickness Doc, whos brought home another lover. In a bondage basement, Jacob finds relief when the master whips him and achieves sexual satisfaction. He lay next to me, hugged me  . You were a good boy, he said. But about his actual lover, Jacob wonders: Did you love me, or a lesser version of me?

The idea of whats real and whos in control is handled most memorably with an electrifying story within the story, when Jacob imagines a couple whove moved from Muncie, Ind., to New York, where they encounter the truly groovy new accessory. Its a man sitting in a cage in the center of their boss sumptuous Manhattan apartment. Its not like we could get a python, explains the host, referring to onerous co-op rules. So we got an Arab. Its both a searing comment on how Arabs are secondary citizens and a surreal condemnation of those among us who pretend the people we discuss dont become objects as a result of our fascination, however well-intentioned.

Bodies live and die, but our history is more stubborn. Alameddine might laugh at us for asking for an easier portrayal; he seems not to care that some of us wont get all the jokes  whether literary gossip, the politics of Yemen or the capsule history of gay men in America.

Theres a real tension reading The Angel of History, a discomfort in not knowing, accompanied by the vexing suspicion well always struggle to make meaningful connections. As much as any of us might hope otherwise, this books fragmentary nature resists coherence. Jacobs efforts in the novel are ultimately a kind of referendum on the fleeting power of any good story, however important.

Deuel is the author of Friday Was the Bomb: Five Years in the Middle East.

::

The Angel of History

Rabih Alameddine

Atlantic Monthly Press: 304 pp., $26
After tying the knot with Bollywood star Lisa Haydon, British telecommunications mogul Dino Lalvani is ready to part with his bachelor pad in Miami Beach, Fla. The chairman of United Kingdom-based Binatone Telecom has put a unit in the ritzy Beach House 8 development on the market for $8.299 million  nearly $3 million more than what he paid for it earlier this year.

The full-floor, 3,800-square-foot unit has a contemporary vibe with subdued hues, wide-plank wood floors and modern fixtures. Walls of glass doors and windows surround the main living spaces, which include an open living/dining area and a chefs kitchen with a long center island.

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Four bedrooms and four bathrooms includes two master suites, each with a custom wood-paneled closet.

Outdoors, a private terrace offers another 3,000 square feet of space and has a summer kitchen, a private hot tub and a retractable canopy. Views take in the surrounding palms and the ocean.

Daniela Bonetti of ONE Sothebys International Realty holds the listing. The property is also available for lease at $32,000 a month unfurnished.

Lalvani is the oldest son of Pakistani-born businessman Gulu Lalvani, who founded Banatone with his brothers in 1958. He purchased the company, among the largest privately-owned consumer electronics companies in the U.K., from his father in 2010.

He bought the unit in June for $5.625 million, records show.

neal.leitereg@latimes.com

Twitter: @NJLeitereg

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President Hillary Clinton. (Photo : Getty Images)

The latest United States presidential poll in the race to win the Electoral College -- and, hence, the U.S. presidency -- again shows Democrat Hillary Clinton with an insurmountable lead over Republican Donald Trump.



If the election were held this week, Clinton's odds of securing the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency stands at more than 95 percent. She also leads Trump by a margin of 118 Electoral College votes, according to the latest results from the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project released Oct. 15.



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The project also showed Trump behind by double-digits among women and all minority groups.



He trails by nearly 70 points among black voters. His support is almost entirely dependent on his loyal base of white voters without college degrees. Trump's support among white men is strong but is paltry among white women.



This is the second week in a row Clinton has shown such high odds, and comes at a time Trump is having to deal with the massive backlash from allegations by nine women (at last count) who said he either groped them or made lewd advances towards them over the past decade.



The Reuters/Ipsos results mirror other Electoral College projections, some of which estimate Clinton's chance of winning at some 90 percent.



Over the last week, the Trump campaign struggled to respond to the allegations from Trump's victims. Trump said the reports were lies and part of a media conspiracy to steal the election from him.



All of the allegations surfaced after The Washington Post disclosed a video from 2005 of Trump describing how he tried to seduce a married woman. Trump also bragged in vulgar terms how his celebrity status allowed him to kiss and grope women without their permission.



In another poll, Clinton led Trump 47 percent to 43 percent among likely voters in a four-way race, said the latest ABC News/Washington Post national poll. Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson trails with five percent and the Green Party's Jill Stein is at two percent.



In the previous ABC/Post poll taken before the Sept. 26 debate, Clinton led Trump 46 percent to 44 percent. The new poll continues to show bad numbers for Trump just three weeks before Election Day on Nov. 8.



Nearly 70 percent said they believe that Trump "made unwanted sexual advances toward women," a startling number that comes after the publication of lewd comments Trump made in 2005 that were caught on a hot mic.


Hello! Im Mark Olsen, and welcome to your weekly field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

This past week we had Q&A events with Kelly Reichardt and Certain Women and Pedro Almodovar and Julieta. This week well have screenings and Q&As for a pair of documentaries, with The Eagle Huntress with filmmaker Otto Bell and subjects Aisholpan Nurgaiv and Rhys Nurgaiv along with We Are X and director Stephen Kijak and subject Yoshiki.

And weve got more events coming up over the next few weeks. For more information, check in with events.latimes.com

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Certain Women

Making movies with an unassuming power, Kelly Reichardt is among the most reliable filmmakers on the American independent scene, creating work with deep emotional insight and a subtle social relevance. Her latest, Certain Women, is a graceful stunner, starring Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart and Lily Gladstone in three lightly connected stories adapted from the work of writer Maile Meloy.

In his review for The Times, Justin Chang called the film eerily close to quiet also noting that Reichardt piercingly captured the despair and isolation of characters dwelling at the margins of contemporary American society.

Director Kelly Reichardt, center, surrounded by actors Michelle Williams, from left, Laura Dern, Lily Gladstone and Kristen Stewart at the Certain Women premiere at the New York Film Festival. (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images )

In the New York Times, A.O. Scott called Reichardt a poet of silences and open spaces while going on to note that the subtlety of the film is both an accomplishment and a limitation. Its hard not to want more for these women, and to wish you could see more of them.

At Time, Stephanie Zacharek wrote that the film burns slow, but it leaves behind a mysterious, shimmering aura. You feel you know these women  even if their feelings are at times elusive even to themselves.

Alice Gregory visited Reichardt as she was finishing the film for the New York Times Magazine.

The characters are just sort of an extension of the landscape theyre in, Reichardt said. Theyre a product of the places theyre from and their troubles  their everyday troubles.

Blue Jay

In Blue Jay, directed by Alex Lehmann and shot in crisply nostalgic black and white, Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass play high school sweethearts who run into each other years later. Friendly catching-up soon turns into a deeper emotional reckoning for both of them, as their feelings for one another may not be as far in the past as they seemed.

The Times Amy Kaufman sat down with Duplass and Paulson to talk about the films unusual genesis in something of a late-night attack of emotions for Duplass.

I lead the complex life of a 39-year-old husband, dad, runner of businesses, Duplass explained. But once, I was just a 15-year-old who would stay up all night crafting a journal entry about my feelings. I was melodramatic and romantic, and I didnt edit myself. But I suddenly woke up feeling like that person had died, and I didnt know how to get that person back.

In his review for The Times, Gary Goldstein noted Paulson and Duplass are strong, engaging performers, but for much of the films brief running time they seem to be enjoying themselves far more than we are.

Sarah Paulson and Mark Duplass star in Blue Jay. (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times )

For NPR, Ella Taylor wrote Paulson is way overdue for a lead role, and though Blue Jay is minor fare  a modest chamber piece directed by Alex Lehmann from one of Duplass lesser scripts  its a great vehicle for her to run up and down the emotional scale without breaking a sweat.

At the A.V. Club, Mike DAngelo added, At its best, though, this paean to youths unfulfilled dreams, as seen from the cusp of middle age, achieves a rueful poignancy.

Aquarius

In Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonca Filhos Aquarius, actress Sonia Braga plays the last remaining resident of an apartment building and holdout against encroaching developers.

In his review for The Times, Justin Chang said Mendonca Filho, a former film critic, is both a gifted sensualist and an instinctively analytical storyteller, and in the course of just two features he has established himself as an unusually incisive chronicler of his countrys social malaise.

In Film Comment, Yonca Talu added, With Aquarius, the filmmaker reaffirms his desire to address the contemporary tensions of Brazil, but does not ascribe explicit political ambitions to his film. Rather, he seems to be one of those artists primarily drawn to story and character, whose uncompromising humanism makes their work inherently political today.

For Sight & Sound, Jordan Cronk called the film a potent portrait of personal and political struggle, one all the more universal for how specifically and intimately it expresses its concerns.

In September, Simon Romero wrote from Brazil for the New York Times to report how the film was controversially not chosen as the countrys submission for the foreign-language Academy Award.

Desierto

Written and directed by Jonas Cuaron, Desierto is an immigration thriller about a man (Gael Garcia Bernal) who attempts to cross the border from Mexico to the United States to rejoin his family and finds himself in the crosshairs of a border vigilante (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

In her review for The Times, Katie Walsh said the film is a generic thriller that happens to be wrapped in political packaging. That packaging is sometimes more interesting than the thrills themselves, but the film is bare enough to project what you want onto it. It seems that Cuaron was looking to flex his suspense muscles, and there are a few very good sequences of classic suspense thriller filmmaking.

Actors Gael Garcia Bernal, from left, Jonas Cuaron and Jeffrey Dean Morgan from the film Desierto. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times )

The Times Trevell Anderson spoke to Garcia Bernal about how the movie depicts our biggest nightmare that will come from division, hatred and from letting that type of rhetoric exist. The platform is already set for something [major] to happen, so theres a lot of work to do to counter that and to bring people together to talk with positive, goodwill rhetoric about how we can continue on with the future.

Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter @IndieFocus.

SIGN UP for the free Indie Focus movies newsletter 
From the opening title card that proclaims, Inspired by true stories to the final call to action, the Christian drama Priceless isnt subtle about proclaiming either its faith or its noble mission against sex trafficking.

We meet James (Joel Smallbone, half of the Christian music duo For King & Country) as he drives a truck to make some quick cash, unaware of what his cargo is. After an accident, he discovers that he is actually delivering two young Mexican sisters (Bianca A. Santos and Amber Midthunder). When he realizes their fate as unwilling prostitutes, he embarks on a dangerous crusade to rescue them and redeem himself from a troubled past revealed in his bandaged knuckles and exposition-packed flashbacks.

Smallbone is largely capable in the lead role, though he struggles in the films more intense moments. Jim Parrack is miscast as the films villain, whose Mexican accent and goatee are a distraction, while David Koechner gets to stretch in a noncomedic role.

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Director Ben Smallbone (Joels brother) has created a lean drama that relies more on emotion than well-crafted dialogue or character development, particularly of the women who largely serve as objects to move James toward his redemption. Though its obvious message may not translate well outside its intended audience, the converted will likely be entertained by the well-produced package the moving themes are delivered in.

-------------

Priceless

MPAA rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving human trafficking, and some violence.

Running time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

Playing: In limited release

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 
Its called the Barnacle, and for good reason.

The large yellow device clings to a vehicles windshield with 750 pounds of force from commercial-grade suction cups, thus blocking the parking scofflaws view. Its now being tested in two pilot site in the U.S.  Allentown, Pa., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Barnacle can be deployed from the sidewalk, a difference from the device it is trying to replace: the boot, or wheel clamp. Tamara Dolan, executive director of the Allentown Parking Authority, said that while the boot has been effective in encouraging compliance, it typically requires the officer to be hunched over with their back to traffic during installation.

Ive always been looking for another method we could deploy that would still immobilize the vehicle and encourage the folks to pay their ticket yet not be a risk or a danger, Dolan said.

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So when she found information online about the Barnacle a few months ago, the parking authority reached out to see whether the company would be agreeable to a trial.

Since that trial started about a month ago, the authority has deployed the device 25 times. The only issue so far has been the occasional need to change the gadgets batteries.

It certainly catches the attention of the customer, which is good, so its causing some conversation, Dolan said.

In addition to the Barnacle, Scofflaw Supervisor Jon Haney said the authority also is still using the boot. On average, he said, the parking authority deploys about 100 boots a month.

The Barnacle is the brainchild of New York entrepreneur Kevin Dougherty, along with co-inventor and chief investor Colin Heffron. The duo started thinking of an idea to improve parking enforcement a couple of years ago and began product development in September 2015, when they founded their company and started the process of bringing the Barnacle to market.

Dougherty said early models of the plastic device weigh 20 pounds, making it easy to transport and store. When the company goes into full production in the next three months in New Jersey, he expects the Barnacle to slim down to about 15 pounds.

In addition, the Barnacle can be deployed from either side of the vehicle and in less than a minute in most cases, he said.

By comparison, the regular solid steel boot weighs 40 to 45 pounds and takes about two minutes to deploy, Haney said.

The Barnacle also has a motorist release feature, Dougherty said, that allows the violator to call a toll-free number listed on the device and pay any fines over the phone, then receive a code they can use to release the Barnacle, which they then return to a drop-off location within 24 hours.

Dougherty realizes that some motivated violators may try to get around the Barnacle by smashing the device or drilling through the windshield.

But, Dougherty said, the Barnacle is reinforced, has a drill-resistant shield and a security feature that prevents access to the suction cups.

Theres also one more comical/dangerous scenario that has come up in conversations: The motorist who thinks its a good idea to stick his or her head out the side window to see around the Barnacle while driving.

Dougherty refers to this move as The Ace Ventura, reminiscent of actor Jim Carreys portrayal of the pet detective hanging his head out the window to see where hes going.

Should anyone try The Ace Ventura, the Barnacle has an alarm on it that will go off  it sounds like a smoke alarm  when its moved or tampered with, drawing further attention to the motorist  in addition to the already eyecatching visual of a car moving while a giant yellow device is attached to its windshield.

Its just a bad way to go about things, Dougherty said.

As for the future, its unclear whether Allentown or Fort Lauderdale will give the boot the boot for good.

Monique Damiano, public information specialist for the city of Fort Lauderdale, said the city started its 60-day trial on Sept. 23 and has thus far used the Barnacle 15 times.

Most of the reaction that were getting from violators is more of a curiosity, Damiano said.

Meanwhile, the device is going over well with parking personnel, who she said enjoy the ease of use, lighter weight and ability to install it from the sidewalk.

Harris writes for the Morning Call in Allentown, Pa.

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Four people were killed and nine injured Saturday when a pickup plunged off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge into an afternoon crowd of motorcycle enthusiasts at Chicano Park, authorities said.

Two of the nine people who were injured suffered major trauma, including the driver, who was in shock and told several witnesses who rushed to his aid to contact his commander at a nearby military base.

Authorities identified him as Richard Anthony Sepolio, 25, a Navy man stationed in Coronado. He was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

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Police and paramedics swarmed to the busy park when officers reported casualties among visitors. The injured were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital, UC San Diego Medical Center and Sharp Coronado Hospital.

The tan-colored pickup was northbound on Interstate 5 to go west on the bridge when it went airborne at 3:45 p.m.. It crashed in front of a stage where a rockabilly band was playing, witnesses said.

One witness said there was instant chaos and panic.

The California Highway Patrol closed the I-5 north access to the bridge so investigators could do their work.

Hundreds of motorcyclists were gathered in the Logan Heights park for the La Raza Run and witnessed the crash.

I saw a truck come right off the freeway. It was going so fast it flew over the stage and landed in front of the stage on a tent, a booth that was set up, said Chase Dameron, who was about 30 feet away.

He said four people in the booth were crushed by the pickup.

It was like a movie. It was like in slow motion, Dameron said. Where it hit, there was dust and debris and instant chaos and panic. People running crazy.

Said Damerons friend, George Rodriguez: Its something I wont forget as long as I live.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com

Repard and McDonald write for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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UPDATES:

8:44 a.m., Oct. 16: This article was updated with the arrest of the driver.

10:45 p.m.: This article was updated with the identity of the driver.

6:30 p.m.: This article was updated with a revised injury total and accounts from witnesses.

5:30 p.m.: This article was updated with information about injuries.

This article was originally published at 4:45 p.m
The usual weekend crowd showed up for Jamaican food and music at a small stucco house in the West Adams district Friday, filling every parking space on the street and blocking driveways.

At about midnight, Paul Elen walked over to the house to ask the partygoers to move a car. A DJ was playing tunes and the house and frontyard were jammed with people.

Shortly after Elen returned to his brothers home, he heard gunfire.

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I heard about 15, 20 shots, he said. First it was two shots, then they started firing again.

My brother thought it was fireworks, Elen, 64, recalled Saturday. I said, No, aint no smoke in there. Them aint fireworks, them gunshots. They were coming from the party.

When Los Angeles police arrived at the house in the 2900 block of South Rimpau Boulevard, they found a bloody, chaotic scene.

 OnScene video shows police and paramedics tending to victims.

There were three people dead and people running everywhere, said L.A. police Sgt. Frank Preciado. All of the dead were male.

Investigators are still trying to determine the chain of events and motive for the violence, which left 12 others wounded, some of them critically.

This is real tragic, said Deputy Chief Bill Scott, head of the Los Angeles Police Departments South Bureau. We have a lot of sorting out to do. When the shooting started, everyone scattered.

Police say a gunfight erupted when three men left the house after an argument, returned with weapons and began shooting. Others fired back and partygoers were caught in the crossfire as the gun battle spilled into the driveway.

On Saturday, authorities said they had identified two of the dead, recovered a gun from the scene and detained two persons of interest, a male and a female. The woman is among the wounded. But police had not identified the suspects.

We have street names for these suspects but we dont know who the killers are yet. The people shot either dont know the killers or arent telling us what they do know, said Capt. Peter Whittingham, the head of the South Bureau Criminal Gang Homicide unit. Detectives believe the shooters main target died in the hail of bullets.

As to the motive, Whittingham said it may be more than a simple argument. It may be a narcotics-related dispute  a dispute between parties over business transactions.

Detectives need all the help we can get, especially from the Jamaican community, he added.

The house was a popular gathering spot in the Jamaican community and dozens were there Friday night for a birthday party.

The birthday cake was on a table in the frontyard and the mood was real cool, real quiet, nice music. Everybody just chilling, said one man who was inside when the shooting began.

Then chaos, chaos, chaos broke out, said the man, who declined to give his name.

For me, what was so scary was the magnitude of the explosion, he said. Im not a military expert, Im not a handgun expert ... but the sounds, the explosions, those werent no average handguns.

And it was multiple guns involved. It wasnt one ... it was more than one.

The owner of the Jamaican eatery, who identified himself only as Dilly, said he has run a catering business out of his house since 2003 and served food on Saturdays. He said that he was hosting a birthday party Friday night but that he did not know what prompted the shooting.

People come over and I cook food for them, said Dilly, 63, who moved to the U.S. from Kingston, Jamaica, 22 years ago.

 Police say two groups exchanged gunfire inside and outside the restaurant, located in a converted home, in the West Adams district. Some diners were caught in the crossfire.

Theres no menu, just whatever hes cooking that day which is usually at least 7 different things, wrote one Internet reviewer.

This is not the first time gunfire has erupted at the house on a tree-lined block of modest bungalows and single-story homes in the gentrifying West Adams neighborhood.

In 2011, there was another fatal shooting that claimed a friend of his, said Dilly, who believes one of this weekends dead was also a friend.

One neighborhood resident, who lives on nearby Westhaven Street but declined to give her name, said she heard a series [of gunshots] first, like really fast, then a pause, almost like someone reloaded.

It was specific, as if someone was pointing at people, she recalled.

From her window she watched people run by her house, screaming. Some held beer bottles. Many jumped in their cars and sped off, she said.

Within minutes, police helicopters were whirring overhead. Fire trucks and dozens of police cruisers swarmed into the neighborhood, blocking off nearby streets.

Blair Hamilton, 58, who lives on Westhaven a block from the shooting, said that when he came out of his house, he saw an older woman with a bloodied face, sitting on a curb next to two other women, one of whom also appeared to be injured. A girl lay on the curb, attended by another girl.

Some of the wounded were taken by ambulance to hospitals. Others drove themselves, authorities said.

The condition of the injured ranged from as low as stable-but-serious to as high as critical condition, Officer Mike Lopez said Saturday.

We must take action against easy access to firearms and the thoughtless, indiscriminate, murderous use of them.  Mayor Eric Garcetti

A neighbor, who identified herself only as Alice, said she has lived on the block for eight years. People start showing up at Dillys in the early afternoon on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, she said, and the street doesnt empty out until about 1 a.m.

We can barely get in our neighborhood, she said. But she added the gatherings were not disruptive.

The shooting occurred in a year of rising crime in Los Angeles.

According to The Times Crime L.A. database, the West Adams district has seen 109 violent crimes over the last six months, but no homicides until now.

Through July 16, overall crime rose 6.3% across the city compared with the same period last year, LAPD records show. Property crime was up 3.8%, and violent offenses climbed by 15.9%.

In a statement, Mayor Eric Garcetti said the West Adams shooting was the latest example of a senseless gun violence epidemic that causes so much pain and sorrow in our city and across the nation.

Our thoughts are with the families mourning or praying at bedsides today, Garcetti said. We must take action against easy access to firearms and the thoughtless, indiscriminate, murderous use of them.

For Jamaicans, Dillys was a place you can feel at home because youre amongst people from your country that can relate to you, said the man who was inside the house when the shooting occurred.

If someone was planning a party or an event and didnt have a location, they could go to Dilly and ask if they could hold it there, he said.

And he would accommodate you. Thats the type of person he is, the man said. Hes well respected in our community, our Jamaican circles.

But this weekends carnage was too much for Dilly.

He said he plans to sell the house and move back to Jamaica.

richard.winton@latimes.com

matt.stevens@latimes.com

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

ruben.vives@latimes.com

Times staff writers Bettina Boxall, Deborah Netburn, Anh Do and Angel Jennings contributed to this report.

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The Chicago Tribune, plumbing the depths of its Midwestern wisdom, has seen fit to publish a column denigrating Los Angeles.

Who is in charge of that operation?

Oh, wait a minute.

I guess the L.A. Times has the same owners.

Anyway, the column in question, published on the eve of the National League playoff series between the Dodgers and Cubs, contains lines like these:

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Known widely today as The Birthplace of Cocaine, Los Angeles is a stunningly unfortunate city on the Pacific Ocean, located in a semi-arid region known as Californias Crotch.

Heres another gem:

Though the city still struggles with whale carcasses, Los Angeles has become a favorite locale for people who enjoy smog and failure.

When editors suggested I respond to the column with one of my own, my first thought was:

Why bother?

My guess is that on the day the L.A. put-down was written, there were fewer than a half-dozen public officials indicted and no blizzards in Chicago, so it was a slow news day.

In the city of Nelson Algren, Studs Terkel and Ben Hecht, standards have fallen.

Im reminded of my one and only conversation with the late great Chicago columnist Mike Royko, a gruff gent with a good jab and a better roundhouse. He called me kid, and had but a single piece of advice, which he offered in a low growl:

Dont write so often, he said, that the quality of your work suffers.

Is anyone in Chicago paying attention?

The whole idea of going after another city is to piss it off. So why are we feeling so sorry for Chicago?

Because a great city  yes, we can admit Chicago is a great city, because we have no inferiority complex  deserves better representation.

No self-respecting major league city feels the need to put down another, and do so with a basket of deplorable cliches.

But since you picked a fight, a few thoughts:

If Cleveland is the mistake on the lake, what do you call deep dish pizza?

No, really, we might try it one day.

Its OK that Chicagos two greatest cultural contributions to the world are dated Saturday Night Live skits about a cheeseburger joint and Bears fans dumber than pig leather.

Its OK that Phil Jackson abandoned the Bulls for the Lakers.

Its OK that all the millionaires leave Chicago for Los Angeles so that they can run a newspaper in a first-tier city.

Well, maybe not. Wed trade the whole lot of them back to you for a pack of Vienna Beef wieners and a pony keg of Old Style beer.

In conclusion, please refrain from criticizing Los Angeles, its people, and everything it stands for.

Its what I do for a living, and I dont need the competition.

Go, Dodgers.

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UPDATES:

This article was updated at 8:30 p.m. to remove a reference to Chicago homicides that could have been misconstrued as making light of the problem.
A federal judge on Saturday issued a scathing rebuke to Floridas top election official in an order canceling a hearing on a lawsuit over vote-by-mail ballots.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker accused Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner of delaying a hearing on the lawsuit so that he could use every second available to run out the clock so there wouldnt be enough time to address problems raised in the lawsuit. The judge also said Detzners actions amounted to an undeclared war on the right to vote in Florida, the largest swing state in the presidential election.

The judge in Tallahassee, Fla., said he would make a decision on the lawsuit without a hearing that had been set for Monday.

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This court will not allow the Florida Secretary of State  a high-level officer of the State of Florida  to take a knee and deprive Florida citizens of their most precious right, Walker said in his order.

A spokeswoman for the secretary of states office, Meredith Beatrice, said in an email that the department had responded by the courts deadline. She also said her office wasnt the right defendant in the lawsuit since canvassing of mail-in ballots is done by county canvassing boards.

Detzner was appointed to the job by Republican Gov. Rick Scott.

The lawsuit filed by the Florida Democratic Party says thousands of vote-by-mail ballots are rejected each election because signatures on a voters ballot envelope and registration file dont match. Under Florida law, a vote-by-mail ballot must have a signature to be counted.

County canvassing boards rejected more than 23,000 ballots in the 2012 presidential election, according to the lawsuit.

Though voters who forget to sign their ballots are given the opportunity to fix that, voters whose signatures dont match arent, and they should be given the same opportunity to cure any signature problems, according to the lawsuit.

In court documents, Detzners office argued that county canvassing boards are responsible for fixing any problems, not the secretary of states office.

After the lawsuit was filed this month, the judge held a scheduling hearing. The secretary of states office requested a week to respond to the lawsuit and later the notified the judge that no witnesses or evidence would be presented at Mondays hearing.

If one were skeptical, it would appear that the Florida Secretary of State requested as much time as he felt he could possibly justify so that he could use every second available to run out the clock, the judge wrote. And by wasting a week on his scintillating response, he quite nearly succeeded.
When Lou Schillinger and his volunteer cadre began restoring an 1890s lighthouse more than 2 miles off the Michigan shore in Lake Hurons Saginaw Bay, they first needed to remove 30 years accumulation of gull and pigeon feces whose depth measured in feet rather than inches.

That was in the mid-1980s, when he reached an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to prevent the Port Austin Reef Light  his Castle in the Lake  from being dismantled and lost forever.

That first summer my dad and I ran out there with a 14-foot rowboat and a 20-foot ladder because there was no access ladder, and we just began shoveling manure, said Schillinger, 66, president of the Port Austin Reef Light Assn., a nonprofit group that in 2013 took title of the property from the federal government. No keeper had lived in the brick building with its five-floor tower since 1952. The roof was gone.

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We shoveled diligently, Schillinger said. Id get friends out there. They would come out and volunteer, and theyd show up for one day and they would never come back again because it was such a miserable job.

About 120 lighthouses no longer crucial to the Coast Guard in 22 states and Puerto Rico have been acquired at no cost by government entities and nonprofits, or sold to private individuals eager to preserve the landmarks and maybe tap into their tourism potential since they became available under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. Upkeep was too expensive, and their usefulness was in decline with the arrival of GPS.

Winning bids have ranged from $10,000 for the Cleveland East Pierhead Light in Ohio to $934,000 for the Graves Light in Boston Harbor. More are auctioned every year, but buyers beware: Years of neglect, vandalism, limited access and hammering by the elements often make for labor-intensive money pits that are for neither the weak of heart nor stomach.

People who are into this, I believe, have to have an internal fire, an internal passion, a conviction that these buildings and the history they represent are worth saving, said Terry Pepper, 68, executive director of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Assn.

Port Austin Reef Light was built on a shallow reef. Its accessible only by boat when winds are light; otherwise waves are too choppy to dock and disembark. Peppers association overcame similar access issues when it renovated a lighthouse on the 160-acre St. Helena Island, seven miles west of the Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigans Upper and Lower Peninsulas. It took about 20 years and $1.5 million to finish the job in 2005.

Nobody had lived in the 1870s lighthouse since 1922, making it a destination for partyers, scrappers and vandals, said Pepper. His association, which acquired the lighthouse before the 2000 act, also is restoring the Cheboygan River Front Range Lighthouse in Michigan.

The roof had huge holes in it, Pepper said. Somebody had lit a fire on the floor in one of the bedrooms on the second floor, and embers from that fire dripped down to the first floor and started burning that floor also. Every single window in the lighthouse was gone. All the doors on the inside of the brick lighthouse were gone. Railings on the stairs were gone, and the plaster inside the lighthouse had been kicked down.

Pepper estimates the group has spent $1.5 million and untold thousands of hours of volunteer labor restoring the St. Helena property, which must meet state and federal standards for historic preservation.

See the most-read stories this hour 

We who are in this business, with this passion, have to be asking for money all the time, Pepper said, whether its through grants, donations, selling memorabilia or offering Great Lakes lighthouse cruises.

Pepper is often contacted by prospective buyers because of his knowledge of lighthouses, particularly those in Michigan, where there are 129  the most in the U.S.

I will tell people if you end up spending $100,000 to get that lighthouse, thats a lot of money, Pepper said. But $100,000 is the tip of the iceberg.

Onshore lighthouses are no bargain either.

A volunteer group spent about a decade and nearly $1.9 million to acquire and renovate North Point Lighthouse in Milwaukee. It opened to the public in 2007 and since has attracted more than 80,000 tourists. It has cost more than $1.1 million to run it, mostly paid through entrance fees and events, donations, fundraising and grants.

About 30 miles to the north, Port Washington, Wis., is in the process of acquiring an 81-year-old light on its breakwater with plans to raise $1.5 million for its restoration. And that structure does not have living quarters.

Back on the Port Austin Reef Light, time is measured in decades, not years, of work. Schillinger and his crews put on a new roof. They installed new windows and oak doors, and replaced the chimney. Vandals have been constant. Last fall, the workers started putting in a dock for easier access by boats, but a nasty late November gale wiped out their work and they had to start over this year.

Weve invested close to half a million dollars in that property in time and material over the last 30 years, and almost I would say 95% of its all been out-of-pocket or donated time, said Schillinger. He estimated it will take three years and at least $1.6 million more in grants and donations to prepare it for tours and renters who want to experience the keepers life.

Its been really been kind of a labor of love for all community members here in Port Austin, he said.

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Trump accuses Saturday Night Live of doing a hit job on him

For years, Donald Trump has been poked and parodied on NBCs Saturday Night Live, even semi-mocking himself when he happily appeared as the guest host last November.

Apparently its not so funny any more.

On Sunday, the Republican presidential nominee tweeted that actor Alec Baldwins most recent portrayal of him is part of a nationwide media campaign that he says is ganging up on his White House bid.

Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me. Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election! Trump tweeted.

Clinton also took her lumps in the opening sketch about last weeks presidential town hall debate. But only Trump complained.

During the sketch, Baldwin-as-Trump is asked if he likes kids and says, I love the kids, OK? I love them so much I marry them.

After the moderator notes that Trump has said former President Bill Clintons female accusers should be believed, the faux Trump says of his own accusers: They need to shut the hell up.

The fake Trump skulks behind Clinton and then races past her, an over-the-top take on Trumps repeatedly marching around the stage last week while Clinton answered questions. She later said he appeared to be stalking her.

But the most biting bit in the sketch came when a black man in the audience asks the fake Trump if he can be a devoted president to all the people.

The candidate responds by calling the man Denzel and begins harping on violence in the inner cities. He then calls for jailing Hillary Clinton.

Shes committed so many crimes, shes basically a black, Baldwin-as-Trump says.
Bob Dylan recorded his first LP for Columbia Records 55 years ago next month. John Hammond, the legendary Columbia producer responsible for discovering Bruce Springsteen, Billie Holliday and Aretha Franklin among others, signed the adenoidal wunderkind. Just a few weeks earlier, New York Times pop music critic Robert Shelton had anointed Dylan as the next big thing. It looked like a golden lift off for the 20-year-old college dropout from Hibbing, Minn., although no one would have predicted a Nobel Prize in literature.

But Dylans Carnegie Hall debut, on Nov. 4, 1961, attracted only 52 people. Dylan got lost on the subway and arrived 40 minutes late. The concert promoter lost his shirt. Dylan was paid $20.

The career stumbles didnt let up. Six months after its release, Dylans eponymous first LP had sold a dismal 4,200 copies. Most of the tracks were nasal covers of traditional folk songs performed far better by other up and comers like Joan Baez and the Kingston Trio. Around Columbia, Dylan came to be known as Hammonds Folly.

He looked doomed until he turned it all around, a trick of fate he worked out first with pen and paper. He crafted a traditional riddle song into Blowin in the Wind and put his own lyrics to the traditional hillbilly tune Whos Gonna Buy Your Chickens When Im Gone? for Dont Think Twice, Its All Right. Beneath the careful synthesis of Dylans imagination, the folk standard Down on Pennys Farm became the manic anti-Vietnam farce Maggies Farm, and the medieval Child ballad Lord Randall transformed into the apocalyptic A Hard Rains a-Gonna Fall.

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As with his contemporaries the Beatles, his poetry evolved quickly and unpredictably into verse that defined the essence of the tumultuous 1960s, but unlike the Fab Four, Dylan soldiered on through the rest of the 20th century, adding more and more standards to his oeuvre with each passing decade. Dylan became a master class in American culture, and his influence persists to the present day.

Nowadays, Dylan takes his Never Ending Tour to packed venues around the globe. He has released 70-plus albums that have sold more than 100 million copies. Like it or not (he has always said he does not like it), he became the voice of a generation.

Ironically, Dylan claims to speak, write, play and perform only for himself. It just so happens what he has to say captures what millions of others believe to be true and poignant, witty and wise.

I took some heat for my 2014 Bob Dylan biography: I was too wry and too raw in taking him to task for drinking, drugs and womanizing. For a while anyway, Dylan channeled William Blake, especially the part about the road of excess leading to the palace of wisdom.

Dylan the human being has his faults, tragedies, addictions, and surely his regrets. That doesnt disqualify him as a master storyteller. Dylan the storyteller is almost perfect. And anyway, faults and tragedies are the raw material of art.

Those who worry and whine that a self-professed song and dance man has superseded Philip Roth, Margaret Atwood and Don DeLillo in the Nobel sweepstakes ought to take a step back and get a good look at how media has evolved during the half a century since Dylans voice first entered the American imagination.

Its no secret that the printed word has fallen on hard times. Even recorded music, Dylans primary medium, struggles to find a survivable business model. Its the same with film and video. All media are under digital attack and the ease with which music, video, novel and film can be pilfered puts art itself in jeopardy. Would Robert Allen Zimmerman even try to become Bob Dylan in the Internet age?

I believe the answer is yes. Like all the Nobel laureates that came before him, Dylan is compelled to spin his yarns, to labor over each word and image. A single Dylan song dips into the rich loam of American tradition and evinces the sort of character, plot and mood that it took a Hemingway or a Faulkner entire novels to reveal.

Dylans art will survive even if print doesnt. The world may have changed mightily since he rolled into Greenwich Village, but his words and music still touch the heart, confound the mind and lift us up. Thats testimony enough for me  and apparently for the Nobel committee  that Bob Dylan stands with the best wordsmiths of our time, and all time.

Dennis McDougal is the author of the Vietnam novel The Candlestickmaker and nine books of nonfiction, including Dylan: The Biography.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the town hall debate at Washington University on October 9, 2016 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo : Getty Images/Scott Olson)

Writer Natasha Stoynoff and businesswoman Jessica Leeds have two things in common. They both accuse Donald Trump of sexual abuse and in response, the Republican candidate do not find them pretty enough.



On Oct. 12, Stoynoff revealed in a People magazine article that Trump pushed her against the wall and forced his tongue down her throat when he visited Mar-a-Lago to interview him and his pregnant wife Melania Trump in 2005. The journalist explained that she was afraid that a powerful man would discredit and destroy her if she reported the incident.



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On the other hand, Leeds claimed that three decades ago, she sat beside Donald in the first-class cabin of a flight to New York. Donald lifted the armrest, grabbed her breasts and tried to put his hand up her skirt about 45 minutes after takeoff, she claimed.



On Oct. 14, Friday, Donald responded to the accusations from several women while speaking at a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina. In particular, he implied that neither Stoynoff nor Leeds is pretty enough to attract him.



"When you looked at that horrible woman last night, you said, 'I don't think so,'" Hollywood Reporter quoted Donald as saying, referring to Stoynoff. "Whoever she is, wherever she comes from, the stories are total fiction. They are 100 percent made up. They never happened. They never would happen."



Donald called Stoynoff a liar. He even asked his supporters to check out her Facebook page so they would understand. On Leeds, Hillary Clinton's opponent said she would not be his first choice.



Recently, "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah recently compared Donald with Bill Cosby. Both Clinton's opponent and Cosby have been accused by several women of sexual abuse that allegedly took place years ago.



"With Cosby, it took 20 women before people started believing it," Noah said. "The difference was he's Bill Cosby because before his victims came forward, Cosby hadn't spent his entire career bragging about what he had done. He wasn't doing that. Trump was."



Watch Noah talk about Donald here:






The swarm of temblors in late September beneath the Salton Sea put Los Angeles on heightened alert and caused public officials to remind Angelenos about stockpiling water, shutting off gas valves, and remembering to drop and cover. The message is familiar: Although the agent is natural in disasters like earthquakes, the catastrophe that follows is all too human and unnatural. Its severity depends entirely on how well the city prepares, how strong a disaster culture it has built.

In L.A., such a culture took a while to get going. A hundred years ago, L.A. was promoting itself as a city free from earthquakes, with businesses relocating south after San Franciscos 1906 destruction by earthquake and fire.

Then the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake threatened the promised seismic calm. In 1928 the Chamber of Commerce commissioned a local geologist to write a reassuring book, Southern California Geology and Los Angeles Earthquakes, in which he identified the regions faults one by one, then dismissed them as inactive. Of the Inglewood Fault, he noted, it cannot be said there is any great menace. Five years later, that fault ruptured in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, magnitude 6.4 on the Richter scale.

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The Long Beach earthquake ended the campaign of earthquake denialism in Southern California.

The Long Beach quake proved something of a game changer. In the early evening shock, many school buildings collapsed. It was estimated that 6,000 children could have been killed if the earthquake had happened an hour earlier. Thirty days later, the Legislature passed the states first-ever bill requiring that the design and construction of public school buildings be regulated by structural engineers acting for the state.

The Long Beach earthquake ended the campaign of earthquake denialism in Southern California. Subsequent quakes big and small  especially Sylmar (1971, 6.6) and Northridge (1994, 6.7)  provided engineers and seismologists at CalTech, UC, Cal State and USC with copious data about what happens to city infrastructure when the earth moves. Building codes for new structures were updated; old brick buildings were strengthened. Insurance companies encouraged homeowners to bolt foundations and replace brick fireplaces. But it took until 2015 for Los Angeles to demand that property owners reinforce thousands of dangerous old concrete buildings and soft story wood-frame apartments  even after some 65 people died in such buildings in 71 and 94.

So if you were scoring the city for its earthquake preparedness you would give it high marks for technical expertise. That isnt enough to combat the earthquake threat. You need disaster culture.

To find a model disaster culture, go Dutch. Over centuries, the people of the Netherlands took ownership of the wild and dangerous floods they called the water wolf. Life and death in the Rhine River delta depended on how well they managed water. They developed a system in which every village had a water guardian, and the guardians coordinated their activities in regional agencies. Meanwhile the ruling prince provided the money and manpower to defend the threatened coastline with wave-resistant embankments and secondary lines of defense. All villagers were on call to fight a dike breach. They developed new technologies, such as windmills to raise water, allowing land to be reclaimed. The Dutch showed how leadership, funding and communal ownership made it possible to master living below sea level. As they boasted in the mid-1500s, shortly before the Dutch Golden Age: God made the World, but the Dutch made Holland. That attitude survives in the Netherlands today.

What Holland created  a national narrative of resilience, shared by all the people  is what L.A. (and every city threatened by natural disaster) should aspire to. Today, with the power of information technology and education, it wont take centuries to evolve.

Despite its slow beginnings, Los Angeles has laid a foundation for its disaster culture. Nearly 5 million Southern Californians are registered to participate in the 8th annual Great Shakeout earthquake drill on October 20. The Shakeout website has manuals, reports and interactive maps that explain how to prepare for a magnitude 7.8 quake on the southern San Andreas fault, and what the aftermath will be like.

In 2014, Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed seismologist Lucy Jones as the L.A. earthquake czar. In a detailed report and at meetings with businesses and civic groups, she underlined the hard facts: thousands of buildings could collapse in greater Los Angeles, cell phones, water and power would be cut off for weeks; 2,000 people might die. Her work, reinforced by engineering reports from UC and Cal State and investigations by The Times, is what pushed the city to mandate a retrofit of dangerous concrete and wood-frame buildings in L.A.

Now L.A. should make earthquake czar a permanent position. The city could follow the lead of the Netherlands in setting a legal target level of risk. Or it could look to Tokyo, which has set a goal of reducing its disaster casualties (estimated using independent risk modeling) by 50% over the next few years. Major corporations are putting in place platinum resilience standards for a range of disasters; the goal is a return to full operation within 72 hours. If businesses can do it, so can L.A.

It is not by accident that Los Angeles is situated where it is: a fabulous location on a coastal plain next to mountains formed by an adjacent tectonic plate boundary. Earthquakes  big ones  come with the territory. Yet its entirely possible the city could one day ride out even the greatest of shocks, just as Holland survives rising seas and the latest winter storm.

Robert Muir-Wood is chief research officer of Risk Management Solutions, and author of The Cure for Catastrophe: How We Can Stop Manufacturing Natural Disasters.

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Theres a good chance that millions of Californians who receive a ballot in the mail this month will leave it sitting on a table for days or weeks, deciding for whatever reason to delay casting their vote in the Nov. 8 election.

That may not seem like a big deal until you consider that absentee voters are now in the majority in the state, a shift in voting habits thats part of what may be a major political evolution.

The result is that candidates and strategists can now repeatedly tweak their efforts by tracking the daily tally of which voters turn in ballots  sometimes recalibrating for as little as 20% of voters, all to squeeze out every last drop of support.

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Campaigns have been doing this more and more each year, said Paul Mitchell, whose company Political Data, Inc. sifts and sorts stacks of information on the states electorate.

California voters, it turns out, generally fall into one of three groups: Those who return ballots more than 10 days before the election; those whose hand in the ballot during the final 10 days; and those who vote at the polls or turn their absentee ballot in on election day.

Political professionals treat each of those groups as a separate effort, a new variation on the trend toward micro-targeting. But those are no longer just efforts about who you are, said Mitchell, its also a function of when you vote.

Campaigns are now treating time as a factor just like race or ethnicity, he said. And thats totally new.

Those groups of early or late voters can be cross-referenced with Facebook accounts or IP addresses as campaigns zero in on digital ads. And in addition to being more focused, its cheaper. Targeting just a fraction of your voters with online ads costs less than trying to plaster the message everywhere.

That might be one reason Hillary Clinton this week pointedly noted the start of early voting in the Golden State.

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But even armed with all of that data, its still a bit of a mystery why so many Californians who cast ballots sitting at home or in a coffee shop wait so long.

And few elections, say campaign consultants, have proved more vexing than this one. Led by the most caustic presidential campaign in modern history and a lackluster U.S. Senate race, theres healthy debate about which Californians will be more  or less  motivated to vote.

For example, will voters in a Republican-dominated congressional district that didnt vote for Donald Trump in the June primary simply sit this one out? If so, would Democratic causes suddenly gain an advantage?

And then theres the very long ballot, in many cases one thats full of local measures stacked on top of 17 statewide propositions.

The more complex the ballot, the ballots are turned in later, Mitchell said.

Your ballot box guide to Californias 17 propositions 

These trends are likely to grow even more important in 2018, when a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown kicks in thats designed to bring sweeping changes to the states election system. For the first time, counties will be able to close neighborhood polling places and instead mail everyone a ballot. Local officials will be able to focus more on election services  including same-day registration  and less on physical places to vote.

That will mean even more ballots in the mail, and possibly more political procrastination. Its the kind of change that explains why political insiders now point out that in California, election day is being replaced by an election month.

john.myers@latimes.com

Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast

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Updates on California politics
State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris was showered with applause at Februarys California Democratic Party convention after spelling out how she went up against the nations five largest mortgage firms to help deliver a landmark $25-billion national settlement.

Harris spoke of the heat she took for briefly pulling the state out of settlement talks. Her hardball tactics paid off, Harris told her audience in San Jose, and brought $20 billion in financial relief to California homeowners flattened by the foreclosure crisis.

The mortgage agreement has become one of Harris signature accomplishments as state attorney general and, in her Senate campaign against Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez, has anchored her message of being a self-described fearless leader for California. She has received national acclaim for her tenacious negotiating during the settlement talks, which substantially increased the direct relief provided to her home state.

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But the type of relief provided to California homeowners also fell short of initial promises.

One man in the audience that February told Harris that she had promised years before not only to deliver assistance to homeowners, but to lock up those responsible.

How many bankers went to jail? he asked the attorney general and U.S. Senate candidate.

Harris told the man she sympathized with his frustration and explained that the state did its best with the evidence it had.

There were homeowners that were, at that moment and each day, holding on by the fingernails trying to keep their homes, Harris told The Times in an interview last week.

In September 2011, Harris pulled California out of the nationwide mortgage settlement talks after a coalition of state attorneys general and federal agencies spent nearly a year trying to hammer out a deal with the nations five largest mortgage servicers: Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Ally Bank/GMAC Mortgage. The banks were accused of using illicit tactics to wrongfully foreclose on homeowners.

Harris decision delivered a major setback to the negotiations. But she said the pending deal failed to provide adequate relief to California and shielded the banks from future investigations into the financial practices that led to the foreclosure crisis. Harris was under increasing pressure from union leaders, housing rights activists and some California politicians.

As the fraud was being uncovered, many of the AGs were yelling Settle, settle, settle. They just wanted to get their hands on the money, said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who during the negotiations was setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for the Obama administration. Warren has endorsed Harris for U.S. Senate and has appeared in one of the attorney generals campaign ads. [Harris] was the one who said No, we have to do better, and we have to investigate more. Too many families have been destroyed by the crisis and the illegal activity of these banks.

Harris made the decision to pull out of the talks after she met personally with representatives from the banks, saying that the deal they were offering would have provided just $2 billion to $4 billion to California. Harris has dismissed the deal as crumbs on the table.

What they were offering didnt come near acknowledging what damage had been done, Harris told The Times.

When the nationwide mortgage settlement was reached more than four months later, California had secured separate commitments from the three biggest mortgage servicers  Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The three banks agreed to provide $12 billion in principal reductions on home loans in California. State homeowners would see $18 billion in overall financial relief, Harris said. In the end, the banks actually provided $18.4 billion in debt relief and $2 billion in other financial assistance. The California deal also provided incentives for the banks to focus relief on Californias hardest-hit counties, as well as imposing penalties if they failed to do so. Under the agreement, California also had its own independent monitor to oversee the debt relief

This issue has never been about anything other than allowing homeowners, hardworking people, to be able to stay in their homes, Harris said during a February 2012 news conference announcing the settlement.

But many Californians who received assistance under the settlement did not stay in their homes.

Gov. Jerry Brown, center, flanked by Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, left, and Maria Cabildo of the East Los Angeles Community Corp., right, signs the Homeowner Bill of Rights foreclosure legislation at the Ronald Reagan State Building in July 2012 in Los Angeles. (Patrick T. Fallon/Los Angeles Times )

Harris office released an estimate stating that short sales would account for a relatively small portion of the relief at $3.1 billion. But, in the end, approximately half of the $18.4 billion in debt relief given to California homeowners was through short sales  $9.2 billion. In short sales, the banks take a loss because they allow owners to sell their homes for less than the amount owed. Those homeowners, however, must find another place to live.

Harris told The Times she was surprised by the number of California homeowners who opted for short sales rather than staying in their homes and having a portion of their home loan forgiven and monthly payment reduced.

There was a large number of homeowners who just didnt want to have the burden of the debt because they had also lost their jobs, Harris said. Everyone who received [mortgage] relief still had a mortgage to pay.

Under the settlement, California homeowners received $9.2 billion in principal forgiveness on first and second mortgages, according to a 2013 report by UC Irvine law professor Katherine M. Porter, Harris appointed monitor for the program. In total, 84,102 California families received reductions in their first or second mortgages.

More than half of the $9.2 billion in principal loan forgiveness issued in California was applied to second mortgages, according to Porters report.

Nationwide, many of the second mortgages that that were reduced or totally forgiven under the settlement were already delinquent. It was unlikely that the banks would have recovered much of that money, said economist Laurie Goodman, co-director of the Urban Institutes Housing Finance Policy Center.

Its clear that they were writing off loans that were essentially dead, Goodman said.

Homeowners did benefit from having the weight of these debts removed and also from being able to sell their homes at a loss in a short sale, Goodman said, which allowed them to get out of homes they could no longer afford and spared neighborhoods from being blighted by foreclosures.

Forgiving second mortgages may not have inflicted much pain on the banks, Porter said, but it was a major benefit to many homeowners. With no second mortgage, their monthly payments were reduced, allowing them to keep their homes.

Kevin Stein of the California Reinvestment Coalition said that, under the terms of the mortgage settlement, very little information was publicly available about who received debt relief. Absent was any breakdown by race, income levels or neighborhoods, so there was no way to tell how much of the financial assistance was going to homeowners in Brentwood versus Boyle Heights, for instance.

We serve lower-income people. People of color. We wanted to know, who is getting the help? he said. Those questions are hard to answer because there was not a tracking program.

Rob McKenna, Washington states former state attorney general, said despite criticism that the settlement was too easy on the banks, real homeowners received tangible relief under the agreement.

Even if we had gotten more money through litigation, it would have delayed the relief for years, said McKenna, a Republican who was among the lead negotiators in the national settlement. At some point you have to decide that its more important to get relief to consumers sooner than to get more through the court.

One of the major victories that resulted from the settlement was the new loan servicing rules and requirements on financial institutions to prevent banks from using questionable foreclosure practices in the future, said Michael Troncoso, Harris senior counsel in the mortgage settlement negotiations.

In 2012, Harris also helped push through a bill in the California Legislature that offered homeowners some of the strongest protections in the nation against aggressive foreclosure tactics by banks, which was credited in part for a plunge in foreclosures in the state. The measure also gave private citizens the right to sue financial institutions if they violated the law.

Shortly after taking office, Harris created a mortgage fraud task force that not only assisted with the mortgage settlement, but also went after financial firms that targeted homeowners facing foreclosure. The task force also took legal action against the banks and financial ratings firms for the massive losses that Californias two giant public pension systems, the California Public Employees Retirement System and California State Teachers Retirement System, sustained after unknowingly investing in securities that included risky subprime mortgages.

Harris office collected $921 million in mortgage-backed securities settlements with JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup, Inc., Bank of America Corp., Standard & Poors and Goldman Sachs.

Troncoso, who led the mortgage fraud strike force, said building a criminal case against bankers involved in the foreclosures that led to the national mortgage settlement would have been extremely difficult.

Harris acknowledges as much.

I too, like most Americans, am frustrated. Clearly crimes occurred and people should go to jail, Harris said. But we went where the evidence took us.

phil.willon@latimes.com

Twitter: @philwillon

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Updates on California politics
EUROPE

Presentation

Susan Hickman, Distant Lands travel agent and rail specialist, will discuss tips for train travel in Europe.

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena.

Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220.

SAN PEDRO

Workshop

Learn about the birds that make their home in a restored Southern California habitat.

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When, where: 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at White Point Nature Preserve, 1600 W. Paseo del Mar, San Pedro.

Admission, info: Free. RSVP to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, www.pvplc.org

JOSHUA TREE

Workshop

Learn how to navigate using a map and compass, followed by a route-finding excursion in Joshua Tree National Park.

When, where: 8 a.m. Saturday to 1 p.m. Oct. 23. Black Rock Ranger Station, Yucca Valley.

Admission, info: $95. (760) 367-5535.

Please email announcements at least three weeks before the event to travel@latimes.com.
Thank you for your articles about visa problems [Trapped Abroad, Alone, by Mary Forgione, Oct. 9; No Quick Fix for Visa Woe, by Camille Cusumano, Oct. 9]. About 10 years ago, I took my parents and daughter to Russia. My parents are originally from Finland, and we all have dual citizenship.

We were visiting my parents birthplace, the Aland Islands, so Russia was close. I obtained the visas on Aland, and they were to expire the day we left Moscow by train to Helsinki.

Before we crossed the border into Finland, we were thrown off the train in the middle of the night because the visas had expired at midnight, a few hours before. We had no rubles left, only euros. Then another couple was thrown off for the same reason. They sold us rubles and put us on a bus to St. Petersburg. We checked into a hotel at $1,000 a night because it had someone who spoke English and could help us.

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The Finnish Embassy was helpful, but we were told we had to wait for the OK to leave. I was terrified at being stuck in Russia. My dad told me to stop worrying; he had lived through World War II, which was much more terrifying.

The ordeal cost us at least $2,000 and that was 10 years ago. I dont plan to return to Russia any time soon.

Lora Morn

Santa Monica

More on code sharing

I truly appreciated Catharine Hamms article Confused by Code Sharing? Dont Be [On the Spot, Oct. 2].

My husband and I recently encountered a code-share dilemma when we booked on United Airlines, but the carrier was Air Canada. Luckily, United sent us an email informing us that we should check in at the Air Canada counter at LAX. We were traveling to Vancouver, Canada, to connect with a cruise and chose this flight as it was perfect for our travel needs  or so we thought.

We exclusively use the United Mileage Plus Chase Visa and have achieved preferred status with United. This offers us seat selection, free upgraded seats, priority boarding and no charge for the first bag per person. In choosing this flight, booking through United, and using this Mileage Plus Visa, we assumed that the same perks would apply.

Air Canada offered none of these. If we wanted seat selection, it was $25 per person, no upgrades, no priority boarding, and we were required to pay $25 per person for our first checked bag. We allowed Air Canada to pick our seats (which were at the back of the airplane) and paid a total of $50 to check our two bags.

Because both airlines are Star Alliance partners and the purchase was made through United, we assumed the rules would be the same. Not. This is important for travelers to be aware of when code sharing occurs. There are hidden liabilities and fees.

Lori Ash

Laguna Niguel

A service to flier

As the grieving partner of a recently deceased certified hearing dog, I was dismayed by letters concerning the story about service/therapy animals flying on airplanes [Plane Sense About Pets, Oct. 2].

My partner and I traveled extensively during our near seven years together. Most people didnt even know she was on board, as shed sit on my lap or at my feet the entire trip (as many as five hours in the air and the two-hour wait to board after security).

There is a major difference between true service animals and therapy dogs. Both serve a purpose, but service animals are trained to a higher level of competency. A good part of their service is also dependent on the composure of their partner.

Anne Proffit

Long Beach
Yes, I know, this seems obvious in a place bearing the name Death Valley National Park, but this spot can be dangerous. In July and August, park temperatures routinely approach 120 degrees (with overnight lows in the 90s). But believe it or not, apart from May (122,137 visitors), Death Valleys busiest months in 2015 were July (113,672) and August (111,467).

Many of those visitors were Europeans with little desert experience, but some were Americans who underestimated the heat. For decades, The Inn at Furnace Creek, the parks most comfortable lodging, has curtailed its services in hotter months. But from May through October 2017, the inn will close for an expansion and upgrade designed to make it a year-round operation.

UPDATE:

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Oct. 31, 2016: This article was updated to include the Furnace Creek Inns October announcement of plans for year-round operations.

This article was originally published Oct. 16, 2016.

READ: In Death Valley, a Jeep, back roads and a whole new perspective 

 Weird science, quirky history and plain fun lurk in the 3.4 million acres that make up Death Valley National Park.

In honor of this years National Park Service centennial, the Travel section is posting 100 park travel ideas and tips based on trips staff travel writer Christopher Reynolds has taken, along with photo-op advice from Times photographer Mark Boster. Well post one per day through Dec. 31.

Follow Reynolds on Twitter: @MrCSReynolds

See travel videos by Reynolds from around the world.

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Maia grunts and nervously moves her huge body back and forth while being released from a transport container to a new home.

Here, there are no gawking crowds for the Asian elephant that has spent her life in captivity. There are no blows from bull hooks, no one demanding tricks like people did when she was in the circus.

Instead, the first elephant sanctuary in Latin America, on about 2,800 acres in the western Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, will allow Maia and Guida, another Asian elephant that arrived this month, to simply roam. The two, along with possibly dozens more elephants in the future, will get veterinary care as they live out their lives in forested areas, pasture lands with hills, large boulders, streams and springs.

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Societies around the world are starting to become more aware of the trauma we have caused these animals in captivity, said Scott Blais, an American who drew on his experience co-founding a similar sanctuary in Tennessee in 1995 to help get this one off the ground. We need to build solutions. Its not enough to simply say they need a different life.

For Blais and his wife, getting to this point was a long road. After years of planning, they moved to Brazil more than two years ago.

Latin Americas most populous nation, with a land mass larger than the continental United States, was chosen for many reasons: the variety of real estate available, a team of like-minded people already in the country and an urgent need to take in elephants from Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Venezuela.

Sanctuary officials estimate there are more than 50 elephants in South America that are similar to Maia and Guida: in the last phase of their lives and in need of a home as zoos consolidate, and more jurisdictions, including many Brazilian states, prohibit the use of animals in circuses.

Maia and Guida, both over 40 and unable to perform, spent several years languishing on a farm about 800 miles away in the state of Minas Gerais. Not long after both had been released, Guida approached Maia and the two embraced with their trunks.

Blais, CEO of U.S.-based Global Sanctuary for Elephants, and local partners set out to create the sanctuary on a piece of donated land in the northern part of Mato Grosso, a state known for varied vegetation and a tropical climate that includes summer rains and dry winters.

But the absence of deeds for all the land, a problem in rural areas of Brazil, made creating the sanctuary there impossible. So the search continued, finally ending with the purchase of land in the states southern part for roughly $1 million to be paid over five years.

As at other sanctuaries, cameras will allow people from children to scientists to observe the animals while letting them live in peace.

These days, its absurd to have elephants in captivity, said Junia Machado, president of Brazil Elephant Sanctuary, a local group driving the project. Having cameras makes it easier to get information about them. We hope this project inspires other sanctuaries.

Figuring out what to do with aging elephants has become increasingly difficult as their natural habitats come under attack on the two continents they come from.

In Asia, the biggest threat is dwindling land. The animals are often illegally hunted for their ivory tusks in Africa, where a large-scale survey dubbed the Great Elephant Census found an alarming 30% drop in elephant populations between 2007 and 2014.

Elephant experts say the animals would not survive if they were simply returned to the wild after living in captivity. The gap is slowly being filled by a handful of sanctuaries in countries like the United States, Thailand and Malaysia.

Living in a sanctuary can make a big difference for the highly intelligent animals that have a wide range of personalities.

Blais told of Sissy, an elephant brought to the Tennessee sanctuary in 2000. Sissy had been labeled a killer after a zookeeper tending to her died from crushed ribs in 1997. She was also labeled as autistic and anti-social, and appeared so traumatized that caregivers were not sure she would last long.

Sixteen years later, she still lives at the sanctuary and is thriving.

We saw that all the things she was labeled with were not her at all, said Blais. She evolved into one of the most sensitive, complex beings that Ive ever witnessed.

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A Saudi-led coalition on Saturday blamed wrong information for the bombing last weekend of a packed funeral hall in the rebel-held Yemeni capital that killed at least 140 people and wounded about 600.

The coalitions Joint Incidents Assessment Team, or JIAT, said a party affiliated with Yemens General Chief of Staff headquarters had provided intelligence that the hall in Sana was filled with leaders of the Shiite Houthi rebels, whom the coalition has been targeting since March 2015, when it intervened in Yemens civil war in support of the internationally recognized government.

The unidentified party insisted the site was a legitimate military target, the English-language statement said. The Air Operation Center in Yemen then directed a close air support mission to target the site without approval from the coalitions command.

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The investigators called on the coalition to immediately review the rules of engagement and recommended that compensation be offered to the victims families.

JIAT has found that because of noncompliance with coalition rules of engagement and procedures, and the issuing of incorrect information, a coalition aircraft wrongly targeted the location, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries, it said.

The coalition, which had initially denied any responsibility, said it accepts the results of the investigation and has started to implement the recommended changes.

The coalition command expresses its regret at this unintentional incident and the ensuing pain for victims families, it said in a statement.

The government of Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi has yet to publicly comment on the Oct. 8 bombing. Yemens chief of staff is Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ali Maqdishi, a close ally of the powerful army Gen. Ali Mohsen Ahmar, now serving as vice president. Ahmar is also a top ally of Yemens Muslim Brotherhood, which is fighting the Houthis alongside government troops.

Mansour Ahmed Mansour, the spokesman for the investigators, told Associated Press by phone from Riyadh, Saudi Arabias capital, that certain individuals in the operations center had insisted on the strike.

If the coalition was notified and given a chance to review the no-target list, it would have found out that the hall is among the facilities that enjoy protection from airstrikes, he said. But, he added, there was very, very strong insistence to carry out the attack within a specific frame of time and quickly, which gave no window for the coalition to review the orders.

The people who were inside the air operation center are the ones we hold responsible. They should be held accountable, he said.

The investigative team, which includes 13 representatives from different members of the coalition, has investigated eight airstrikes that killed civilians. It has recognized one, on a residential compound in the port city of Mukha last year, as a mistake, blaming it on bad intelligence and vowing to compensate the victims. That attack killed and wounded scores of people. Mansour, the spokesman, said a new report on other incidents will be released soon.

The U.S.-backed coalition, which views the Houthis as an Iranian proxy, had come under mounting pressure to investigate the funeral hall bombing. Human Rights Watch said Thursday that the attack constitutes an apparent war crime and that remnants of a U.S.-made bomb were found at the scene.

Along with arms, the United States provides the coalition with logistical support and midair refueling. The White House has said it will immediately review its assistance to the Saudi-led coalition, explaining that such assistance was not a blank check.

Over the last year, coalition warplanes have bombed busy markets, weddings, schools and hospitals, killing hundreds of people and wounding thousands.

On Saturday, airstrikes targeting a general allied with the Houthis killed him and seven of his aides in the port city of Hudaydah, according to Yemeni security and military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The strikes targeted their command center, toppling the building and leaving others trapped beneath the rubble.

The deadly airstrikes on the funeral triggered a wave of counterattacks against U.S. and Saudi targets.

A U.S. Navy destroyer deployed in international waters in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen came under attack twice in recent days from areas under Houthi control. In response, the U.S. destroyed three radar installations in Houthi-controlled ports near the strait of Bab al Mandab on Thursday, in the first direct U.S. involvement in Yemens war.
The long-awaited offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State began early Monday, launching a major effort by the Iraqi government to oust the extremists from their last major stronghold in Iraq.

These forces that are liberating you today, they have one goal in Mosul which is to get rid of Daesh and to secure your dignity, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi said on state television, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym.

Islamic State seized Mosul, once the countrys second-largest city with a diverse population of about 1.2 million, in 2014.

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The battle for Mosul, which had been expected sometime this month, comes as Iraqi forces have been gaining momentum in routing Islamic State, shrinking its territory by a quarter of what it was last year.

This is expected to be the Iraqi militarys most complex operation yet: urban warfare in a densely populated city still full of civilians. But theres also the promise of scoring an enormous strategic, economic and symbolic victory in the same city where the military was soundly defeated just two years ago.

The extremists have dug ditches around the city and filled them with oil and rubber tires that they have set on fire, filling the skies with black smoke and preventing drones from observing them. They have also developed underground supply lines to avoid being seen, according to Col. John Dorrian, a top spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq.

The Mosul offensive will be led by 35,000 Iraqi security forces, trained with help from coalition advisors. More than 5,200 U.S. forces are in Iraq, Dorrian said, among 8,000 coalition troops.

The U.S. believes it can limit collateral damage because it spent months using spy satellites and drones to determine where civilians live and work. It has also pinpointed where militants are holed up through the imagery and by collecting cellphone and digital communications.

Officials dropped leaflets on Mosul in recent weeks urging residents to shelter in place once the offensive started. But humanitarian groups expect that in the next two weeks, 200,000 will flee. That will create challenges for security forces attempting to secure the city, screen civilians and direct them to safe exit routes.

By the time the offensive is over, they predict up to a million could be displaced, many with nowhere to go.

The area is already full of those displaced from Mosul and surrounding villages: one camp, Dibaga, was built to house 20,000 families and is home to twice as many, including 400 people sleeping in the mosque and school.

Despite emergency appeals, the United Nations failed to receive additional funding in time to prepare all of the needed emergency camps for those fleeing, and was scrambling to assemble supplies, officials said.

At Dibaga camp, some had high hopes for the offensive.

Our return depends on liberating the area around us, said Abdul Khadr Ahmed Mohamed, 23, displaced from a village south of Mosul with his dozen siblings two years ago. Among those sleeping in the camp mosque overnight was a police detective, Abdul Haider, who asked that his last name not be used since his family of six is still in a village south of Mosul dominated by Islamic State.

He fled in June, lost his documents, was detained for screening until Oct. 1 and has lived at the camp ever since. Islamic State forbids residents from using cellphones, whipping them as punishment, but his wife has been sneaking up to the roof of their house at night to call him, asking when the offensive will start.

She told him that Islamic State killed his brother as well as the guide who helped him escape. Relatives also heard Islamic State in their area is preparing 20 suicide bombers.

Why thousands of Iraqi fighters have poured into Syria to aid Assad 

Mosul residents have described in furtive phone calls to relatives the harsh rule of Islamic State fighters. They whipped those who smoked, missed prayers or otherwise violated their moral codes, while opponents were executed, some publicly.

Abdul Haider, 44, plans to return to his village in the next two days to ensure his family is safe. Im so afraid for them, he said of his family  and hes not alone. Everyone is calling their families, he said. They see the convoys leaving.

He sees this as the last, painful home stretch for a city that has lived in fear since its hospitals, schools and government were seized. People in Mosul, what they have been through already is really hard, Abdul Haider said. There is just a little bit more.

It makes sense to shelter in place, he said. That lowered the death toll in other offensives against Islamic State in smaller Iraqi cities. Plus, he said, as he went to find his sleeping mat in the mosque facing a field crowded with scores of blue and white refugee tents, there is nowhere to go.

Mosul residents have told aid workers stories of resistance in recent days. Some have raised the Iraqi flag. Others scrawled the Arabic letter M on walls for moqawama, or resistance.

Abdul Haider said his family told him high ranking Islamic State fighters do not plan to stay and defend the Mosul area.

They are saying the Islamic State leaders families are fleeing into Syria, he said.

Abdul Haider said authorities will have to both protect against sectarian attacks and screen to prevent Islamic State fighters from shaving their beards and blending in among fleeing civilians. They caught two Islamic State fighters trying to get into the camp where he lives during the last month, he said.

The U.S. role will largely be limited to delivering airstrikes in support of advancing Iraqi ground forces, providing intelligence and advising Iraqi and Kurdish commanders to develop strategy. Coalition warplanes have been dropping precision-guided bombs on militant positions, weapons depots and armored vehicles in and around Mosul for more than two years in anticipation of the long-awaited ground invasion to take it back.

Iraqi military forces will be aided by Kurdish fighters, or peshmerga, Dorrian said, and Sunni tribal forces. Shiite militias, a politically powerful force in Iraq, may also play a role in the offensive, but likely outside the largely Sunni city, officials said.

With so many factions and forces involved, there are concerns that sectarian tensions could hinder the offensive, said Patrick Martin, a research analyst who focuses on Iraq at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.

Theres so many different political forces that have armed groups converging on the city, he said. The mind-set people have is recapturing the city needs to happen. There needs to be an equal amount of attention paid to what the post-capture state of the city looks like to ensure it doesnt fall back into a vacuum.

Sunni tribal militias have already been recruiting child fighters from camps for the displaced, Martin noted. Shiite militias entered other mainly Sunni cities after agreeing to remain on the periphery, and clashed with residents.

Some Mosul residents, alienated from the federal government, initially welcomed Islamic State, and if the offensive is not handled well, they could turn back to extremists, Martin said. If their families are subjected to sectarian violence or theyre treated very poorly in [displaced persons] camps and not allowed to return to their homes, they become disaffected, he said.

Thats what happened in other areas of the country, he said, like Diyala, where sectarian violence allowed ISIS to reemerge just a couple of months after they were nominally cleared from the province.

But Dorrian, the spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq, wasnt worried about sectarian tensions getting in the way of the assault on Islamic State, and said that Iraqi forces have been trained to deal with forces that could get out of hand.

We dont really see that happening. Everybody seems quite focused on getting rid of Daesh, Dorrian said. And once theyre out of Mosul, theyre not going to be gone. Theyre still going to be around, he said.

Iraqi troops are still fighting to rid other parts of the country of Daesh, such as the Euphrates Valley area, but Dorrian said they have demonstrated they can conduct simultaneous operations. They can do that in the Euphrates Valley and do this in Mosul. It puts a tremendous strain on Daesh.

But Dorrian said Iraqi counter-terrorism forces as well as those trained by coalition advisors will be prepared. Weve offered a lot of training for breach operations, urban warfare, improvised explosive device removal, a lot of things that would be useful for the liberation of Mosul, he said. An assault force will be followed by a hold force and a wide area security force and that includes police and tribal fighters, he said.

Those will be used to make sure Daesh cant come back and re-infiltrate areas, Dorrian said.

Hennessy-Fiske reported from Irbil, Iraq, and Hennigan from Washington. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

@mollyhf

ALSO

The battle in Iraq that could turn the tide against Islamic State

Battle for Mosul could spark one of the largest man-made disasters in years, U.N. warns

Why thousands of Iraqi fighters have poured into Syria to aid Assad

UPDATES:

7:44 p.m.: This article was updated with additional context about life inside Mosul under Islamic State.

7:02 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with details about the offensive and quotes from people who fled Mosul.

This article was originally published at 4:05 p.m.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump test the teleprompters and microphones on stage before the start of the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo : Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)

Donald Trump, 70, is being accused of having sexually abused several women, which include his first wife Ivana Trump, 67. Ivana is a former model and the mother of Ivanka Trump, 34.



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According to "Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump" author Harry Hurt III, Ivana told her closest friends about a violent episode when Donald raped her. However, she clarified that she referred to it as rape but she wanted her words to be interpreted neither literally nor in a criminal sense.



In a statement obtained by CNN, Ivana emphasized that she and Donald are in good terms. She said, "Donald and I are the best of friends and together have raised three children that we love and are very proud of."



"I have nothing but fondness for Donald and wish him the best of luck on his campaign," Ivana added. "Incidentally, I think he would make an incredible president."



Aside from Ivanka, Donald and Ivana also have two sons. They are Donald Trump Jr., 38, and Eric Trump, 32.



Hillary Clinton's opponent was speaking to his supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida on Oct. 13, Thursday, when he criticized the women accusing him of sexually abuse. The Republican candidate described the accusers as horrible liars.



The former "The Celebrity Apprentice" host added that the sexual abuse claims are "all fabricated," "pure fiction," and "outright lies," New York Daily News quoted him as saying. He added that the allegations are events that "never, ever happened."



"The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah recently compared the Republican candidate with Bill Cosby. Both Clinton's opponent and Cosby have been accused by several women of sexual abuse that allegedly took place years ago.



"The difference was he's Bill Cosby because before his victims came forward, Cosby hadn't spent his entire career bragging about what he had done," Noah said. "He wasn't doing that. Trump was."



Meanwhile, watch Jimmy Fallon mess up Donald's hair here:






As a place to visit, Dabiq, a northern Syrian backwater once home to 3,000 people would hardly deserve mentioning in guidebooks  but Islamic State believes it will be the site of a doomsday battle between jihadists and their Western enemies.

So when Turkish-backed Syrian rebels took the northern Syrian town on Sunday, they dealt a symbolic blow to the extremist group.

Dabiq figured heavily in the propaganda of Islamic State, which believed its jihadists would fight  and defeat  the Christian armies of the west on the land of Dabiq, marking the beginning of Armageddon.

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Islamic State would often end its videos with a clip of one of its jihadists walking with a black banner hoisted above him as the voice of Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born militant considered the groups spiritual father, says that while the spark of the caliphate was lighted in Iraq, its heat will continue to intensify... until it burns the Crusader armies in Dabiq.

The group also named its English-language online magazine after the town. Jihadi John, a British Islamic State recruit whose real name was Mohammed Emwazi, staged the beheading of American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig there.

Syrian opposition fighters backed by Turkish special forces, artillery and jets seized control of the town and its surrounding villages Sunday, rebels and Turkish state media said, as part of a Turkish-backed campaign that was launched in August.

We were able to go in with minimal losses. Daesh fighters withdrew and there was no resistance said Ibrahim Zeir, a commander with the rebel group Fastaqim Kama Umert, contacted by phone Sunday. He referred to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym, considered a pejorative by the groups supporters.

According to Zeir, seven rebels were killed and 10 others wounded during mine-defusing operations in Dabiq and three other areas taken Sunday.

He added that the jihadists had suffered many casualties in previous battles and no longer had the ability to confront the rebels.

We would encircle them and they would run away before us like rats.

Rebel groups and opposition-affiliated media uploaded videos of opposition fighters driving through the town, which is one of two prophesied sites of a doomsday battle between Muslims and their Roman enemies, according to a Hadith (or religious text) attributed to the prophet Muhammad. Some footage showed fighters firing Kalashnikovs into the air in celebration and singing songs mocking Islamic State.

Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said Sunday that the operation was being carried out successfully in cooperation with rebels fighting under the banner of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, according to a report by Anadolu, Turkeys state-run news agency.

We will fulfill whatever [the rebels] need, he said, adding that Turkey had pushed back Islamic State from a 55-mile swath of land along the Syrian-Turkish border.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that, after the clearing of Dabiq, Turkish forces and allied rebels would head toward Al Bab, another Islamic State bastion, so as to liberate  the area completely from Daesh terrorists, Anadolu reported later Sunday.

The towns loss comes as part of a larger setback for Islamic State, which in recent months has seen its self-proclaimed caliphate reduced to a fraction of its former size.

The group once occupied a third of both Iraq and Syria, but since the beginning of the year it has lost Palmyra and Manbij in Syria and Fallujah and Ramadi in Iraq. Iraqi forces are set to soon begin an operation to retake Mosul, Islamic States de facto capital in the country.

Faced with a military defeat and loss of territory, Islamic State commanders have downplayed the setbacks and counseled a change in tactics, exhorting their followers to return to the groups origins as an insurgency that utilizes car bombs and assassinations to further its agenda until it can rise again.

They also downplayed the possibility of their defeat in Dabiq. This month, Al Naba, an Arabic-language publication of Islamic State, said that the coming fight for the town was the small battle of Dabiq and not the great one.

Abu Bakr Baghdadi, the head of Islamic State, insisted in an online message that this was not the great battle of Dabiq we have been awaiting.

Bulos is a special correspondent.
Hillary Clinton is the wife of former United States president Bill Clinton while Donald Trump is married to former model, Melania Trump, his third wife. (Photo : Getty Images/Alex Wong)

Several women have come out to claim that they were victims of sexual abuse by the hands of Donald Trump. Three of these women claim that the abuse took place at Trump's Florida estate Mar-a-Lago.



On Oct. 12, writer Natasha Stoynoff revealed in a People magazine article that Donald pushed her against the wall and forced his tongue down her throat when he visited Mar-a-Lago to interview him and his pregnant wife Melania Trump in 2005. The journalist explained that she was afraid that a powerful man would discredit and destroy her if she reported the incident.



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In 1997, New York resident Cathy Heller and her family celebrated Mother's Day at Mar-a-Lago. Donald went from table to table to say hello when Heller's late mother-in-law, a paying member of Trump's elite Mar-a-Lago Club, tried to introduce the two then he forcibly kissed her.



In 2013, Donald groped Mindy McGillivray during an event at Mar-a-Lago where she assisted photographer Ken Davidoff to document a concert of Ray Charles, McGillivray claimed. Davidoff remembers when McGillivray pulled him aside at the time and told him about the alleged incident.



On Oct. 13, Thursday, Donald was in West Palm Beach, Florida. Speaking to his supporters, the Republican candidate criticized the women accusing him of sexually abuse.



Donald described the accusers as horrible liars. The former "The Celebrity Apprentice" host added that the sexual abuse claims are "all fabricated," "pure fiction," "outright lies" and events that "never, ever happened," New York Daily News quoted Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's opponent as saying.



Recently, "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah compared Donald with Bill Cosby. He said, "The difference was he's Bill Cosby because before his victims came forward, Cosby hadn't spent his entire career bragging about what he had done. He wasn't doing that. Trump was."



Meanwhile, watch Jimmy Fallon mess up Trump's hair here:






Royal Air Force to Join Air Forces of Japan and South Korea in First Ever Aerial Drills

RAF Eurofighter Typhoons. (Photo : RAF)

The United Kingdom's Royal Air Force (RAF) has dramatically increased its visibility in Asia amid simmering tensions with China by participating in two large-scale aerial drills with two of China's foes: South Korea and Japan.



The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) will conduct its first ever Japan-based exercise with a foreign nation other than the U.S. on Oct. 21 when four RAF Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role fighter jets land at Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture.



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The Typhoons will arrive Oct. 21 and will join drills with JASDF fighters scheduled from Oct. 24 through Nov. 6. Japanese pilots will fly Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle air superiority fighters and Mitsubishi F-2 multirole fighters during the joint drill dubbed "Exercise Guardian North 16."



Japan's Ministry of Defense said the exercise will involve air defense, dogfighting and ground-attack training. Some 200 British personnel will participate in the exercise that will sharpen the skills of pilots and hone the abilities of British and Japanese commanders to work together, said the ministry.



The RAF Eurofighter Typhoons that will journey to Japan will be accompanied by "Voyager" Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport aerial tankers and Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft.



"The U.K. and Japan share common values such as democracy and the rule of law," said the British Embassy in Tokyo. "Guardian North 16 represents the deepening partnership in security and defense."



After this historic combined aerial exercise, the RAF fleet will proceed to South Korea for its first aerial exercise with the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). The joint exercises that will also involve the U.S. Air Force is called Invincible Shield and will be held from Nov. 4 to 10. It will include a combined aerial drill at Osan Air Base 40 miles from Seoul.



"The exercise being held between (South Korea), U.K. and U.S. is not designed to train for any specific operations or offer any message to any other nation in the region, but rather, is purely an exercise designed for international engagement to reinforce our relationships with partners, interoperability training and sharing of knowledge and best practice," said an RAF spokesman.



The deployments of the Typhoons to Asia will be the furthest yet for this aircraft, which is the backbone of the legendary RAF fighter force. The drills will allow the RAF to practice the methods needed to quickly reinforce its Asian allies should conflict erupt in Asia.


NASA.jpeg

A rocket launch in Virginia has been delayed until Monday due to a bad cable. (AP photo)

UPDATE: NASA wants to know if Lehigh Valley sees rocket launch

Lehigh Valley residents now will have to wait until Monday night to catch a glimpse of a rocket being launched from Virginia.

The viewing map for the launch of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft.

A rocket bringing supplies to the International Space Station initially was scheduled to launch Sunday evening from Wallops Island, Va. However, the launch has since been delayed to 7:40 p.m. Monday due to a faulty cable.

Seven hours before the planned liftoff, NASA announced the flight was off until Monday night.

"Today's launch of Orbital ATK's Antares rocket is postponed 24 hours due to a ground support equipment (GSE) cable that did not perform as expected during the pre-launch check out," the mission's website states. "We have spares on hand and rework procedures are in process. The Antares and Cygnus teams are not currently working any technical issues with the rocket or the spacecraft."

NASA is paying Orbital ATK as well as the SpaceX company to deliver cargo to the station. SpaceX is currently grounded, meanwhile, because of a launch pad explosion last month.

If the Cygnus supply ship launches Monday, it likely would hang out in orbit for several days before arriving at the space station. That's because of a crew launch from Kazakhstan on Wednesday, which takes priority. Three astronauts will join the three already at the orbiting outpost.

The Cygnus -- named after the swan constellation -- has the ability to loiter in orbit for a few weeks, even a month if necessary, before joining the space station.

A map shared on NASA's Wallops Island Twitter account shows the launch on Monday will be visible from Boston to Pittsburgh to South Carolina. The Lehigh Valley can expect to see the rocket -- which will appear as a bright light rising above the horizon and moving southeast -- about two minutes after liftoff.

The mission is conducted by Orbital ATK, which has contracted with NASA for a series of supply missions to the space station. The Cygnus spacecraft launching via an Antares rocket Sunday will be carrying more than 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments, the mission's website says.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Update: Motorcyclist dies after colliding with SUV in Hanover Twp.

A male motorcyclist was hurt Sunday after his bike collided with a vehicle in Hanover Township, Northampton County.

A Northampton County 911 dispatch supervisor said the collision occurred just after 12:30 p.m. at Jaindl Boulevard and Route 512. The supervisor didn't have additional information on how the crash occurred and a Colonial Regional police officer was not immediately available.

The man was taken to St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill with undisclosed injuries.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Bethlehem students attend full-day kindergarten

Bethlehem kindergarten students could soon be learning Spanish.

( ue Beyer | For lehighvalleylive.com)

In post-war America, public schools began looking outward in many respects -- among them, requiring students to learn a foreign language. For many baby-boom kids, this meant a high school choice among Spanish, French, Latin, German. The space race of the 1950s and 1960s kindled an interest in Russian. Some school districts with the resources to expand curriculum began offering courses in Japanese and other "new" languages. Today's global economy has sparked an interest in teaching Mandarin Chinese in many schools and colleges.

While the relevance of specific languages tends to follow the shifting demographics of globalization, one principle of language instruction has remained constant: The sooner kids get involved in a second language, the more likely they are to pick it up in a useful, retainable way, whether in an immersion program or a less-intense, continuing exposure in elementary grades.

The Bethlehem Area School District is looking at the latter -- a plan to teach Spanish to students in grades K-5 as part of a rotating group of subjects once every six days.

Getting kids started in a second language in kindergarten makes sense -- on many levels. The Bethlehem Area School Board will be doing its students and its community a favor by selecting Spanish for this purpose.

First, it's a practical choice to have English-speaking kids be exposed to Spanish as Spanish-speaking children are dealing with English as a second language. Almost half of the district's students, 45 percent, are of Hispanic descent. Giving students a chance to converse in shared languages can help with learning as well as cultural and social interaction.

Just as important, however, is the benefit of introducing students to a second language when their brains are still veritable "sponges" -- capable of absorbing vocabulary, rules of usage and native accents with more ease than in later years. Research shows that early exposure to another language also helps with the cognitive and creative abilities, such as critical thinking, memory -- and the ability to become fluent in another language. One study found that dual-language processing at a young age can delay the onset of Alzheimer's in later stages of life.

As Bethlehem Superintendent Joseph Roy pointed out, the ability to speak English and Spanish will help students after they leave school, personally and professionally, with employers and institutions that place a premium on bilingual communication.

A school district task force looked at other options for improving foreign-language curriculum, including an immersion program in Spanish. Moravian Academy and the South Lehigh School District have invested in immersion programs. Bethlehem is leaning against that option because of the higher cost and limited participation. The K-5 program, as part of a six-day rotation, could be implemented with no significant increase in cost, Roy said.

Urban school districts such as Bethlehem face many challenges -- lack of preparedness for school and family support, language barriers, government demands for better performance and standardized testing, taxpayer demand for a fairer form of funding. No single reform is going to change all that.

Getting kids to learn a second language at an early age isn't a 21st century breakthrough. It's an old idea whose time has come again.
If 4-wheel-drives get your engine revving, Stewartsville was the place to be Sunday.

OK Auto, 4WD and Tire held its 27th annual Oktober Truckfest at the dealership off Route 57 in Franklin Township.

The event raises money for Habitat for Humanity and features truck displays, live music, children's activities, product demonstrations and vendors.

About 200 vehicles were spread across the grounds.

Last year's Truckfest raised more than $3,000 for the Warren County chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Sue Beyer may be reached at sbeyer@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sbeyer_photo. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.
Are you a writer living in Leitrim or any of the surrounding counties and you earn, or aspire to earn, some or all of your income from writing? On Saturday, October 22 Words Ireland will be in Leitrim to hold a public meeting for practising writers.

The event is intended to inform a national debate on the future of literature resourcing and funding in Ireland and to explore how writers may be supported to build a sustainable career.

A panel of regionally based experienced professional writers from across a variety of genres including Michael Harding, Brian Leyden, Monica Corish and Gerry Boland will explore a number of questions that relate to sustaining yourself as a professional writer today.

Which opportunities make creative and financial sense? Which types of writing work open doors to further opportunities? Which supports are you lacking and which are a waste of time? are just some of the questions that will be discussed as well as addressing issues relating to income, royalties, writers fees, and more. After the panel discussion, writers in the audience will be given the opportunity to have their voices heard.

Come prepared with practical improvements and new ideas for the literature sector in an event which will undoubtedly generate lively discussion and debate among the writers, poets, and childrens authors present.

Format: panel discussion (50 mins) break (10 mins), followed by a public meeting open to writers in the audience and wine reception.

Venue: Ballinamore Library, Main St, Ballinamore, Saturday, October 22, 2pm  4pm. Free event - to book a place visit: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/words-ireland-writers-series-nationwide-public-meetings-for-creative-writers-tickets-27770702920

This event is run in partnership with the Creative Frame professional development network at Leitrim Arts Office and Leitrim County Library Service.
A year ago, Nick Cleggs career appeared to be pretty much over. Some even wondered if he night have been upset to have clung on to his Sheffield Hallam seat.

Now, former critics are starting to be glad that he is there. He is by far the most experienced politician in the country on both international trade and how the European Union works.

This week has seen the latest in a fairly long line of articles, which started with the Mystic Clegg stuff in June, suggesting that Nick Cleggs star is in the ascendancy again. The New Statesman, of all things, was even nice about him.

Clegg has previously voiced the hope that a botched attempt at hard Brexit might trigger a desire for an alternative to Tory rule among the British people. For him personally, Brexit is the perfect issue upon which to position himself as a voice of reason. He has the experience, the gravitas and the passion to help win back some of the political credibility he lost during the dark days of the coalition and the tuition fees debacle. Whether he can ever fully lose the traitor tag remains to be seen, but his intervention on Brexit will be welcome among the 16.1 million people who didnt vote for any kind of Brexit, let alone a hard one.

Over at the Huffington Post, Beth Leslie suggests that Brexit means that it is time to forgive the Liberal Democrats.

Four million UKIP voters in 2015 elected just one MP, but they snowballed an idea that made Brexit a reality. Why couldnt we centrists do the same? And with the money, resources and national recognition of an established party, the Liberal Democrats are the best-placed vehicle for us to try to do so.

Tim Farron and Nick Clegg have both been brilliant on Brexit all the way through. Tims PMQ got the PM to admit she doesnt give two hoots about the nearly half the country who voted to remain and Clegg continues to work with others to fight the parliamentary campaign against a hard brexit that nobody voted for.

Today he was on the Andrew Marr Show to make the case for a parliamentary vote on the Governments approach to Brexit before Article 50 is triggered. He said that this is entirely consistent with the approach taken by John Major over the build-up to the Maastricht Treaty and May herself on European policing arrangements during the coalition years.

You can see his whole interview here. The show tweeted the two most relevant extracts. Nick said that May was wrong to throw red meat to her party by saying shed trigger Article 50 by the end of March. He said that that she was giving away a quarter of her negotiation time because nothing major would happen until the French and German elections were out of the way.

Former Lib Dem leader @nick_clegg says the PM should wait until the end of next year to trigger Article 50 #marr https://t.co/5rQZp9jGiC  The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) October 16, 2016

He also cast the opportunists and chancers of the Leave campaign hadnt been able to agree a position on what Brexit would mean so they have no mandate to implement any plan. They still dont agree what Brexit means in practice.

People like me are called bremoaners, I think they are in a state of brenial says @nick_clegg #marr https://t.co/e6UYUie4kW  The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) October 16, 2016

He added that had he been a Leave voter, he would be very unimpressed with what was happening now and would feel betrayed when his gas and electricity prices went up and he wasnt able to take his kids on that holiday to Spain which had become unaffordable.

Nick is proving a credible and authoritative leader of the campaign against Theresa Mays hard Brexit. Thank heavens that the tide turned in Sheffield Hallam 17 months ago. Right now, he is on top form. He speaks with passion and authority and Theresa May and the Three Brexiteers should be very scared indeed.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived on Monday in Khartoum to attend the closing session of the Sudan Dialogue Conference upon the invitation of President Omar Al-Bashir, state news agency MENA reported.

A number of presidents and diplomats will also attend the closing session of the gathering, which aims to draft a new Sudanese national constitution.

El-Sisi was received by Al-Bashir at the airport along with a number of Sudanese officials and the Egyptian ambassador to Khartoum.

Last week, Al-Bashir and El-Sisi held high committee meetings between the two countries in Cairo, and signed fifteen memoranda of understanding on the sidelines in various fields including commerce, education, tourism, economy, transportation, and agriculture.

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THE Department of Agriculture is investigating the discovery of a number of sheep carcasses on a farm close to the Limerick-Kerry border.

The land in Duagh is owned by a woman based in the UK but it is understood to have been rented by a farmer based in West Limerick.

The landowners grandson, Nick Evans, who lives in Abbeyfeale, told the Limerick Leader that they discovered the carcasses of 15 dead sheep when his grandmother visited the land last week to collect rent.

When she turned up at the field, there were 15 dead sheep carcasses spread over 12 acres. They were in various stages of decomposition - some had nearly rotted into the ground, Mr Evans said.

Two sheep had died in the ditch and instead of trying to move them, it looks like someone just threw a tyre on top of them and set fire to it, he continued.

The rest of them were just left on the ground everywhere.

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture confirmed that its officials were aware of the incident.

The Department is investigating the incident. Six carcasses have been removed from the site. The owner is cooperating fully with the Department on this matter, the spokesman said.

He added that no public health issues had been identified.

Mr Evans said the discovery of the carcasses was very traumatic for his grandmother who is 80 years of age. She was very upset, he said.

There is no excuse for it - it was pure neglect. There was good grass under the sheep but they hadnt been sheared for two years and were infested with maggots. They were eaten alive by the maggots - thats what the vet told us, he said.

Mr Evans also claimed that there were about 20 live sheep still on the land when they arrived there last week but that they had since been removed.
A FORMAL call has been made for a full consultation over controversial plans for two separate projects at the Dock Road, Limerick city.

In two separate applications near to each other, Mr Binman is seeking permission to build a waste transfer operation, while Irish Cement is looking to change the way it operates at its Mungret plant.

Both schemes have proven to be contentious, with over 1,000 people submitting objections to the Environmental Protection Agency over the Irish Cement proposal, with fears over an adverse effect on the environment.

Irish Cement is seeking to stop the burning of fossil fuels and instead start incinerating used tyres at its factory in Mungret.

At a meeting of the councils economic committee this Monday, local authority members have agreed to write to both firms to ask that they carry out a full public consultation over their plans.

It came after a motion by Sinn Fein councillor Malachy McCreesh.

He said: The request for public consultation has been demanded by a number of residents associations since last December in relation to Irish Cements plans to burn alternative fuels such as tyres and plastics. Similar demands have been made in relation to Mr Binman's plans to develop a waste management site. To date this has not occurred.

For its part, Irish Cement has insisted its 10m plans will have no adverse impact on the environment, and will secure the future of staff at the site.

Fianna Fail councillor James Collins said he is quite sceptical about the first claim. He also said the firm  which also has an operation in Co Meath  only appears to be happy to meet people in groups of seven or eight people.

I think what they are trying to do here is divide and conquer, he told the meeting. People are looking for information. But not everyone wants to meet these companies in small delegations.

Cllr Daniel Butler, Fine Gael, added: As councillors, we are being asked questions that we do not know the answers to. The public deserve answers: they have serious questions, and serious fears.

Cllr Seighin O'Ceallaigh, Sinn Fein, said the proposals at Mr Binman and Irish Cement will affect the entire metropolitan district.

Various councillors asked the question as to whether the local authority were among the 1,000 people who provided a submission to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Council official Stephane DuClot said he would find out about this but added the council cannot legally compel Irish Cement or Mr Binman to take on further consultation.

This led economic committee members to suggest they write informally to both companies.
LIMERICK citys homelessness crisis is close to breaking point, as the number of rough sleepers, families at risk of losing their homes, and those unable to afford everyday living is reaching new highs.

It is understood that there are around 30 people rough sleeping in the city, with an unprecedented amount of sleeping bags being distributed by homelessness organisations.

An estimated 1,740 individuals are availing of the weekly food bank at Mid-West Simon Community, with increasing numbers of people not being able to afford to live in Limerick.

A spokesperson for Novas Initiatives told the Limerick Leader that a rough sleeper, in his 40s, died at University Hospital Limerick, after he was found in an overdosed state on the Dock Road, two weeks ago.

And as the nights are getting consistently colder, concerns have been expressed over the safety of the citys homeless people. It is understood that there are no beds available in all city hostels.

The Novas spokesperson said: The context in which they are living is deplorable. When they are sleeping rough, there is no sanitation, there is no supervision, there is nothing. Novas came to Limerick in 2002 to address the issue of street drinking, rough sleeping, and that was done successfully for over a decade.

But, now with the unprecedented numbers of people becoming homeless and the unprecedented numbers on waiting lists, we are stifled in what we can do. We can only support so many people. And with the lack of new accommodation, beds are not freeing up, and that is a significant issue.

Over the past three weeks, Novas has distributed an unprecedented 45 sleeping bags to those in need.

Novas and the local Homeless Action Team are currently working on delivering a 15-bed night shelter, which will operate until the beginning of April.

That will ensure that there are no deaths during the cold weather, and that there will be no deaths on the street, the spokesperson added.

It is possible that there are more than 30 rough sleepers, as most are not visible, the spokesperson added.

Practices include tenting by the Wetlands, squatting in abandoned buildings, sleeping in hallways in apartment complexes, and one individual, in particular, sleeping on a yoga mat.

This Tuesday night, the Leader spoke to a man who has been sleeping on the streets for six months.

The homeless man, who did not wish to be identified, said that he could not afford privately-rented accommodation, and has since struggled to find employment, while fighting a heroin addiction.

To keep afloat, he receives on the street between 30 and 100 from people who know me, who dont want to see me in trouble.

He added that he has received clothes and a sleeping bag from Simon Community.

Mid-West Simon Community (MWSC) general manager, Jackie Bonfield said that there are more families facing repossession hearings than there were 12 months ago.

Theres a huge problem out there. It is not just people on the streets. There are people who are hungry, people living in unsuitable accommodation, there are people who are constantly worried about losing their homes because they are just not able to afford to live.

Ms Bonfield said that people who are facing issues with the banks should contact Mid-West Simon Community, who work with the Irish Mortgage Holders Organisation.

A spokesperson for Limerick City and County Council said that, during the most recent count on April 24, two people were found sleeping rough in the city. Ms Bonfield said that the Government needs to step in and provide for the local council, who she said are working hard with the homeless in the city and county.
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The airstrikes, which took place in February 2015, were in coordination with the Libyan army

Egypt successfully launched 13 airstrikes in Libya last year against "terrorist targets", as retaliation against the killing of 20 Egyptian Christians by militants in the country, the commander of Egypt's air force told local media on Thursday.

The airstrikes, which took place following the February 2015 killings, were carried out in coordination with the Libyan army. Egypt didnt immediately announce the number of attacks it conducted but said at the time that they targeted terrorist training camps and arms depots.

Commander Younes El-Masry, speaking to the press ahead of Air Force Celebration Day on 14 October, said that the attacks were based on accurate information and thus they were precise and there weren't major losses among civilians, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

At the time of the attack, Libyas army announced that 64 Islamic State group militants were killed.

[Last years attack on ISIS in Libya] is a message to anyone who thinks about threatening Egyptians or Egypts national security, El-Masry stated.



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The terror attack Friday killed 12 Egyptian army soldiers and wounded six others

Iran condemned Sunday a recent Islamist militant attack on an army checkpoint in Egypt's North Sinai that killed a dozen Egyptian military personnel, the foreign ministry said.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi expressed "sympathy" with Cairo while stressing Tehran's "strong condemnation of terrorism and extremism in any country and by any group," according to Iran's Fars News Agency.

"Only unity between nations, international will and people's awareness and vigilance can combat the escalation of terrorist crimes and extremism targeting civilians and military in the region," Qasemi added.

On Friday, Islamist militants killed 12 members of Egypt's military in North Sinai and wounded six more in an attack on a checkpoint.

The military said it killed 15 militants in retaliation.

Tehran severed diplomatic ties with Cairo in 1980, a year after Iran's Islamic revolution, in protest at Egypt's signing of a peace accord with Israel and hosting of the deposed Iranian shah.

In 2012-2013, there was a brief thaw in relations between the two countries under Egypt's deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Morsi made the first visit by an Egyptian leader to Iran in more than three decades in 2012. Iran's president at the time Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also visited Cairo in early 2013.

In March, Egypt's foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, told the Saudi newspaper Okaz that the resumption of diplomatic relations between Cairo and Teheran is dependent on several factors, including a change of Iran's regional policy, respecting the independence and sovereignty of Arab states, and adopting a stance of non-inteference in the affairs of other states.



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The second part of a second interview president Sisi gave the chief editors of Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar and Al-Gomhoreya newspapers in less than two months. The first part was published on Saturday

The second part of an interview with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and the editors of the three state-owned newspapers was published on Sunday, revealing his views on Egypt's foreign affairs, battle with corruption and the role of Egypt's youth and political groups in the country's life.

This is the second interview El-Sisi has given with the chief editors of Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar and Al-Gomhoreya newspapers in less than two months.

The first part of the interview was published on Saturday.

Egypt's foreign relations

Defending Egypt's stance regarding the war in Syria, El-Sisi explained Cairo's UN security council vote in favor of two different resolutions to end fighting in Aleppo, stressing that the vote had not affected relations with Saudi Arabia.

Cairo, which represents Arab countries on the 15-member council, voted on a French-drafted resolution and a rival Russian proposal that would have scaled down military action in Aleppo.

"The common thing between the two resolutions is that they both call for an end to fighting and in favor of sending humanitarian aid to the people of Syriathat is what we care about as a state and as Egyptians...that is why we supported and voted in favor of the two resolutions," El-Sisi said, stressing that the two votes were not contradictory as critics suggested.

The president refuted that Egypt's vote for the Russian resolution has had an effect on Cairo's relations with Riyadh.

Following Egypt's UN Security Council vote, the Saudi ambassador to Cairo, Ahmed Kattan, left the country for a three-day visit to the kingdom while Saudi oil company Aramco cancelled its October oil shipment to Cairo.

"Strategic relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia are not affected by anything and we should not allow anything to harm these relations," the president insisted.

Thanking Saudi Arabia for the support it has shown Egypt, El-Sisi further accused traditional and social media of "drawing a [false] picture" of tension between the two allies.

Saudi Arabia has supported Cairo with billions of dollars in aid, grants, oil products and cash deposits to buoy the country's economy following the toppling of president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

El-Sisi also refuted in the interview any "plots against Ethiopia," responding to statements made last week by Ethiopian officials, claiming that Egypt and Eritrea directly support anti-government demonstrations by the Oromo ethnic group.

"We do not interfere in any country's internal affairs and we do not plot against anyone."

"Talking in front of the Ethiopian parliament I stated that we had two choices: either to cooperate or to confront, and we chose cooperation," El-Sisi said.

Egypt and Ethiopia witnessed tensions in recent years over the construction of Ethiopias Grand Renaissance Dam, a project Cairo fears will negatively affect Egypt's Nile water share. Addis Ababa maintains that the dam project, which Ethiopia needs to generate electricity, would not harm downstream countries.

Relations improved in recent months, particularly after Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan signed in September the final contracts for the long-awaited technical studies on the potential impact of the dam on downstream countries.

"Egypt enjoys a balanced, open and stable relation with other countries," El-Sisi stressed.

On his meeting with US presidential candidates Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump in New York last month, El-Sisi said the aim was to reveal Egypt's vision for the region to guarantee better understanding with whichever candidate takes office.

On relations with Russia, El-Sisi said that efforts are ongoing to resume Russian flights back to Egypt.

Russia suspended all flights to Egypt after a Russian plane leaving Sharm El-Sheikh crashed in Sinai last October in what is suspected to be a terrorist attack.

El-Sisi stressed that relations with Russia are "strong and exceptional," adding that talks regarding the nuclear power plant deal are being concluded and the deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

Last November, Sergey Kiriyenko, the head of Russia's state-owned nuclear firm Rosatomalong, along with a Russian delegation, signed the Dabaa nuclear plant deal with the Egyptian government.

The plant, which will be built in the western desert, is expected to be finished within 12 years and will consist of four nuclear power units, 1,200 megawatt (MW) each. El-Sisi has frequently stressed that the project is peaceful and aims to produce electricity.

On relations with China and India, El-Sisi said that the two countries support Egypt and plan to cooperate in business and technology.

On Greece and Cyprus, El-Sisi said that last week's trilateral presidential meeting in Cairo confirmed the three countries' cooperation in combatting terrorism and illegal migration.

Egypt's fight against corruption and the importance of reform



Shifting to Egypt's internal political scene, El-Sisi said he is closely following the "youth talks" ongoing at youth centers across the nation, in preparation for a "youth conference" to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh.

The conference is expected to include more than three thousand participants from Egypt's different political groups. El-Sisi said it will be a good chance to discuss the criticism that Egypt's parties and political groups play a weak role.

El-Sisi also stressed the role of the Egyptian state in fighting corruption.

"The state is not at all tolerant with corruptionI support all state institutions that are concerned with the issue and we have no stake in covering up corruption."

"We are fighting a relentless battle against corruption," he added.

El-Sisi, however, criticised the media for publishing "inaccurate" estimates of corruption.

Egypts top auditor Hisham Geneina was sacked last March by a presidential decree hours after prosecutors accused him of making false claims about widespread government corruption.

Geneina told media outlets that Egypt lost LE600 billion (about $76 billion) between 2012 and 2015 due to government corruption. Prosecutors charged that the auditor of exaggerating the sums.

El-Sisi said that the public needs to see the "bigger picture" regarding the economy and realize the importance and inevitability of reform.

In closing, the president urged the people to "stand together" and warned of overpopulation which he described as the "biggest danger."

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Four MPs have decided to stand for the post of head of parliament's Human Rights Committee

A record 64 MPs have decided to join the Egyptian parliament's Human Rights Committee, which parliament's deputy speaker Mahmoud El-Sherif says clearly reflects an increasing interest on the part of MPs in human rights issues.

The number of MPs looking to join the committee has risen from 38 in the first legislative session to 64 in the second.

This committee also attracts a lot of attention from the media and this might be an additional attractive element for MPs to join, said El-Sherif.

El-Sherif told reporters on Sunday that registration for membership in parliament's 25 committees  which began last Thursday  showed that the Human Rights Committee came on top.

He indicated that parliament's internal bylaws do not put a limit on the number of MPs in each committee.

Each MP has the right to join two committees, but he or she is allowed to have complete voting powers in just one committee; their first priority one, said El-Sherif.

Elections to the senior posts in parliament's committees opened on Sunday, with each MP allowed to elect one head, two deputies and one secretary-general for each committee. The results are expected to be declared Monday evening.

Registration for committee membership was held on Thursday, with each MP having the right to join two committees. The final lists of members in each committee will be reviewed by parliament in a plenary session on Sunday.



Unexpected development

Another unexpected development is that four MPs have decided to run for head of the Human Rights Committee. 

These include the committee's deputy head Atef Makhaleef, independent MP and journalist Osama Sharshar, parliamentary spokesman of the Free Egyptians Party Alaa Abed, and head of the Conservatives Party Akmal Qortam.

The committee's former chairman, head of the liberal Reform and Development Party Anwar El-Sadat, has so far refused to stand for the position.

El-Sadat has directed sharp attacks against parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al, accusing him of not doing enough to help the committee in improving human rights conditions in Egypt or standing up to foreign accusations in this respect.

He resigned as chairman of the committee on 30 August, stating that the committee still lacks the power or the authority to summon senior government officials, especially those affiliated with the interior ministry, to respond to abuse allegations.

However, El-Sadat has faced criticism that he exploited his position as chairman of the committee in the first session to serve the agenda of Western human rights organisations like Amnesty International and the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).

MP and journalist Sharshar told Ahram Online that his position as an independent makes him more suited for the post of committee head than his party-affiliated counterparts.

"An independent MP can serve the interests of this committee, while those affiliated with political parties always take biased stances and serve the interests of their parties rather than those of the committee," said Sharshar.

Independent MP and the committee's current deputy chairman Makhaleef said he wants to become head in order to put the committee back on sound tracks.

El-Sadat tried to hijack this committee to serve a foreign agenda, but I want it to serve a national agenda, said Makhaleef.

Alaa Abed, the parliamentary spokesman of the Free Egyptians Party, said that his job as a lawyer requires him to address the grievances of citizens.

I want to defend the rights of the oppressed and address injustice in this country, said Abed.

My view of human rights is not confined to dealing with complaints filed against the interior ministry such as those related to violations in prison cells and police stations, but also to those related to improving the everyday living conditions of citizens in crucial areas like education, and health, said Abed.

Rumours are circling that Abed has received the support of the Support Egypt parliamentary bloc, and that Makhaleef may withdraw from the race to help Abed win the election.

Qortam, head of the Conservatives Party and a business oil tycoon, has also decided to run. Qortam was a major supporter of El-Sadat when he was head of the committee in the first session. 

Qortam expressed fears that the increase in the number of MPs who want to join the committee does not reflect an interest in human rights issues, but rather a wish to direct the committee to serve government interests.



He recommended that the committee hold no more than 60 members, adding that the human rights situation in Egypt has become a serious cause.

We should work on improving human rights conditions inside Egypt as well as forge strong contacts with foreign organisations rather than adopt a hostile attitude towards them, Qortam said.

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The move goes in line with an international recall on the device following evidence of the risk of the smartphone catching fire

Egypt's flagship carrier EgyptAir is to ban the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone device on board all flights starting Sunday, following international warnings on the dangers of the devices for passengers and aircrafts, sources in the company told Reuters.

According to a security source in EgyptAir, the company received a note from the US Transport Department following international warnings that bar passengers travelling with the device.

He added that security members were mandated to alert passengers before boarding planes not to travel with the devices, pointing at incidents where phones caught fire.

The decision, adopted by several other international airlines, comes following a Friday order by the US Transport Department and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that bans the smartphone on flights.

In a statement, the department warned that passengers who packed the devices in checked luggage raised the risk of "a catastrophic incident."

Anyone violating the new ban would be subject to criminal prosecution.

On Tuesday, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd pulled the plug on its new Samsung Galaxy Note 7, noting incidents where "affected devices can overheat and pose a safety risk."

Since then, the South Korean company announced an expanded voluntary recall on original and replacement Galaxy Note 7 devices.

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Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer and host of "Closer to Truth," a public television series and online resource that features the world's leading thinkers exploring humanity's deepest questions. This essay, the third of a four-part series on the Self, is based on "Closer to Truth" episodes and videos, produced and directed by Peter Getzels and streamed at closertotruth.com. Kuhn contributed it to Live Science's Expert Voices.

Below is Part III of a four-part series on the self. In Part I: Is Your 'Self' Just an Illusion?; and Part II: Can Your 'Self' Survive Death?

Most religions claim that there is more to the self than the brain. The traditional understanding is that human sentience and selfhood are conveyed via some kind of nonphysical substance, often called a "soul."

Though the soul is far out of favor with most contemporary philosophers, a few distinguished scholars defend and scrutinize the idea of a self that is founded on the soul and extends beyond the physical and could survive after the body dies. Even so, those scholars diverge on the concept, with some saying the soul is crucial to personal identity, though perhaps it cannot be separated from the physical body. Another idea is that the soul is an "information-bearing pattern" that connects the living self with the afterlife person who lives forever. And still another scholar suggests the soul, as it were, is a sort of existential unity of successive stages of the brain over a person's lifetime. [10 Phenomena That Science Can't Explain]

The essence of the soul

Distinguished Oxford philosopher of religion Richard Swinburne, author of "Mind, Brain, and Free Will" (Oxford University Press, 2013), defends the soul with sophistication and vigor.

"If you want to tell the whole story of the world, you must say what objects there are in the world, what substances there are, and what properties they have at different times," Swinburne said on "Closer to Truth." "Of course, that will include all the physical objects, all the tables and chairs and planets and atoms. But, of course, that won't tell the whole story. You will also have to tell the story of conscious life, which is associated with each body."

[All quotes are derived from "Closer to Truth."]

Swinburne asserted that in order to tell "the full story of the world," one must "pick out subjects of experience  not just by the experiences they have, not just by the physical bodies with which they are associated" but also with "separate mental entities for which the natural word is 'soul' If you can't bring 'soul' into the account of the world, you will not tell the full story of the world, because you will not tell who has which conscious life."

"If the only things were physical objects, including bodies and brains, we would not be able to distinguish a case where you have the body which is presently yours and I have the body which is presently mine, from the case where you have the body which is presently mine and I have the body which is presently yours," he added.

"If physical properties and mental properties were just properties of bodies there would be no difference between these cases;" but because there are obvious differences between "you" and "me," Swinburne claimed that "there must be another essential part of me which goes where I go, and this we can call my 'soul.'"

Swinburne stressed that his argument for the existence of a soul  that "souls constitute personal identity and the continued existence of me will consist in the continued existence of my soul"  "is quite apart from what might happen in the world to come." In other words, Swinburne said that his claim about the reality of a nonphysical soul does not depend on theological revelation or his own religious belief.

As to the relationship between the body and the soul, Swinburne is ambivalent. "Maybe, of course, a soul can't function on its own," he said. "Maybe it can only function when associated with a body. In that case, my continued existence would consist in it being joined to a body again, perhaps an entirely new body. I think a soul could exist on its own, but not a great deal turns on that." A body is required, Swinburne said, because "for us to interact with others, to recognize others, we need different public characteristics." [The 10 Biggest Mysteries of the Mind]

I asked Swinburne to speculate on the essence or composition of such a soul. Is it a differentiated substance? What's to prevent your soul from getting mixed up with my soul?

"The difference between souls is ultimate, unanalyzable by anything else," Swinburne responded. "A soul has no extension. It is an 'immaterial particular', to use an old-fashioned philosophical term. It does, of course, have characteristics, properties. It has thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and so on. But the way we distinguish in practice between souls is in terms of the bodies with which they are associated because the difference between your soul and my soul, being ultimate, does not consist in their relations to our respective bodies. There is of course nothing paradoxical about the difference between souls being unanalyzable, because some differences must be ultimate; if you can analyze 'a' by 'b' and 'b' by 'c' and so on, you eventually get to things which you can't analyze, and the differences between human souls in my view are one of those things." This is why the only way souls can have a public presence is through their attachment to bodies.

Afterlife of the soul

Physicist and Anglican priest John Polkinghorne gets to a similar religious result for the meaning and purpose of the self, but he achieves it via a different religious formulation. He agrees with fellow scientists that patterns of information carry the self, but as to what follows, he diverges dramatically.

Polkinghorne begins by asking, "Can you make credible understanding of a destiny beyond death for human beings?" Then, from his Christian theological perspective, he sets two equal and opposite requirements for the afterlife of a soul: continuity, in that the same person (the same self) must live after death, and discontinuity, in that the afterlife person (the afterlife self) must live on forever. [What Happens When You Die?]

How, then, Polkinghorne asked, can you have both continuity and discontinuity of the same person (the same self)? "The traditional answer has been the soul, often understood in Platonic terms  there's some sort of spiritual bit of us liberated at death that exists and carries on."

Citing the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament, Polkinghorne said, "I think that's a mistake," adding, "We have psychosomatic unity. We're not 'apprentice angels'; we're embodied human beings. In fact, it's quite difficult to understand what's the carrier of continuity for a person in this life. Here am I, an aging, balding academic  what makes me the same person as the little boy with the shock of black hair in the school photograph of years ago? It's not atomic material continuity  the atoms in my body are totally different from the atoms in that schoolboy. It's not the atoms themselves, but the pattern in which those atoms are organized in some extraordinary, elaborate and complex sense. And I think that's what the human 'soul' is. It is the information-bearing pattern that is the real me."

At death, then, wouldn't that pattern decay with the body in which it resided?

"If I believe in the faithful God as I do, God will remember that pattern and will reconstitute that pattern in an act of resurrection," Polkinghorne said. "But that's not keeping me alive [after death and before a resurrection]. So if I am truly to live again, I have to be re-embodied, because that's what I am as a human being. That's the continuity side of things. The discontinuity is that I'm not made alive again in order to die again, so I must be embodied in some new form of matter. And it's perfectly coherent to believe that God can bring into being such a new form of matter." [8 Ways Religion Impacts Your Life]

To Swinburne, the idea of our afterlife existence existing in a renewed instantiation of the pattern of information that we had on Earth is problematic. "The trouble is not merely how could God, if God so chose, bring into [renewed] existence a being with a specific pattern of information, but rather that God could [therefore] bring into existence a few thousand such beings. But because only one of them could be me, a pattern of information provides no extra criterion for distinguishing which one that would be. And whatever the extra criterion is, it would have to be such that there [logically] could only be one instance of it at one time. And if we have such a criterion, then what need is there for the pattern of information to be the same as a previous pattern?"

Existential unity

Philosopher John Leslie, a professor emeritus at the University of Guelph in Canada, stated that robust selfhood may require a kind of "existential unity," a state "as found in wholes whose parts are incapable of separate existence." (In other words, they couldn't split apart from one another without changing their intrinsic natures.)

Leslie likens this existential unit to the holistic conscious experience of a painting or of several successive musical notes heard together.

Though "existential," this unity of the self is real; it "may depend on the fact that particular states of a brain, and also successive states of that brain and their linkages over a lifetime, possess this existential unity." He distinguished "existential unity" from "mere unity of integration, like the unity of the parts of a working machine or of a well-disciplined army."

How could such existential unity be achieved? The brain could be a kind of quantum computer. "Quantum wholes are ones whose parts don't exist separately," Leslie said. "And in the brain, there is a unity-of-existence such as is had by quantum computers, but not by digital computers," he explained. Even so, he added, "the brain carrying out quantum computing isn't essential to my position, and something other than quantum unity could be involved."

Leslie drew an analogy with a historical understanding of souls. "When the parts of a soul were viewed as existentially unified at each particular instant," he said, "it wasn't thought that God, when manufacturing unified souls, had to do some kind of special mixing involving many separate steps. It was believed simply that souls had, from the moment of their creation by God, the property of being complex yet existentially unified. Many distinguishable elements of such complexity were present when a soul had a thought or an experience, but still, a soul remained existentially unified at each instant and remained the very same soul at successive instants."

To conclude this four-part series on the self, I gather, categorize and assess all putative explanations for your "self."

Next in this four-part series: What Is a 'Self'? Here Are All the Possibilities

Kuhn is co-editor, with John Leslie, of "The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything at All? (opens in new tab)" (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). Read more of Kuhn's essays on Kuhn's Space.com page.
Last Wednesday was a proud day for Longford, as a sculpture was unveiled in honour of the town's achievement in the Anti-Litter League last year.

Business group Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) unveiled the sculpture in the Commemorative Park, Great Water Street in recognition of Longford's win in last year's league.

The public work, designed and created by Kerry sculptor Pat O'Loughlin in conjunction with Longford County Council and the local community, is the first mark of its kind to be bestowed on a league winner.

It is a measure of the evolution of the IBAL Anti-Litter League that we are unveiling this sculpture, said Conor Horgan, IBAL. When we started surveying towns back in 2002, it was very much a name and shame exercise, as 90% of our towns were littered. Now the programme celebrates the fact that 90% of our towns are clean.

This transformation is mirrored by Longford itself. Fourteen years ago it was deemed heavily littered at the bottom of the rankings. Now it has progressed to the very top of our league.

Adding that similar transformations have taken place across the country, Conor concluded; Sincere congratulations are due in equal measure to Longford County Council and volunteers from the local community.

We hope that this success is reflected in increased tourism and commerce for the town, and that this sculpture helps sustain a sense of local pride in the towns achievement.
A Longford woman has avoided returning to jail for sitting on a fellow prisoner while another woman cut her face with a broken cup at the Dochas Centre women's prison.

Marian Leddy (31) of Barrack Street, Granard, Longford, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to Blaithin O'Brien on May 26, 2015.

The court heard Ms Leddy is now clean of heroin and is making great strides in turning her life around.

Judge Petria McDonnell noted that Ms Leddy was engaging with local support services in relation to drug addiction and accommodation and imposed a three month sentence which she suspended in full for 12 months.

Garda David Smith told Seamus Clarke BL, prosecuting, that Ms O'Brien had gone to the room of a friend but found Ms Leddy and a second woman there. They told her to f**k off before pulling her into the room.

Ms Leddy sat on Ms O'Brien's legs while her co-accused assaulted her with a broken cup causing multiple small cuts to her face.

Ms O'Brien managed to free herself and get on top of her attacker but Ms Leddy came from behind and pulled her away by the hair.

Ms O'Brien then sustained a cut to her cheek from the cup held by the co-accused.

Ms O'Brien's friend told the group to leave it out and they all left the room. Ms O'Brien had minor injuries with no permanent scarring but was left upset by the assault.

Ms Leddy has 77 previous convictions, mainly for theft offences, but has one for assault in 2002.

Garda Smith agreed with Niall Flynn BL, defending, that Ms Leddy had played a lesser role than her co-accused and did not inflict any of the injuries. He agreed that this offence was out of the ordinary for Ms Leddy.

Mr Flynn said Ms Leddy had a difficult childhood but was addressing her literacy issues. She recently suffered the loss of a close friend but had remained on course and was continuing to engage with support services.

Mr Flynn said Ms Leddy had made great strides to turn her life around and if she was to return to custody it would be a step backwards.

Ms Leddy told the court: I am really sorry for what happened. If I could turn back time I would.

She said that two years ago if given the choice between engaging with the Probation Services and jail, she would probably have chosen jail.

She said she now had other things in her life to think of and had come a long way. She told the court she wanted to start a new life.
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Egypt's army has launched a major campaign to target terrorist elements in several areas in North and Central Sinai, the army's spokesman announced on Sunday.

The spokesman said in an official statement that the campaign includes operations by special forces units, the second and third field armies, as well as the police, all of whom aim to capture and target terrorist elements and outlaws in the vicinity of villages, cities and residential areas in North and Central Sinai.

The campaign will include a review of all security arrangements in the areas, with security forces "adhering to the rules of engagement to ensure the safety of civilians who may be used as human shields by militants," the statement added.

The spokesman said the campaign is bolstered by ongoing airstrikes against militant positions where security operations are taking place.

This is the second comprehensive campaign launched by the army since Operation Martyr's Right was first launched in September 2015 to root out militants operating in the restive peninsula.

The newly-announced campaign comes one day after the Armed Forces launched what is said were successful airstrikes on a number of terrorist hideouts and arms depots in North Sinai. The operation followed a Friday terrorist attack on a security checkpoint in North Sinai that killed 12 army personnel.

Hundreds of security forces in North Sinai have been killed in attacks by Islamist militants in the past few years. Egyptian security forces say they have killed hundreds of militants in North Sinai during the same period.

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Iraqi forces, backed by Kurdish, Sunni, and Shiite militias as well as US airpower, have launched their long-awaited offensive to retake Mosul, the last major city in Iraq under the Islamic States control. Iranian-backed Shiite militias are expected to play a key role in liberating Mosul from the Islamic State, which has occupied the city since June 2014.

The campaign to liberate Mosul has begun, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al Abadi told the Iraqi media, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The anti-Islamic State coalition has been preparing the battlefield to retake Mosul for well over six months. Iraqi troops liberated the Qayyarah West airfield and the town of Shirqat over the summer, freeing up the supply lines to the south and allowing troops and aircraft to operate close to Mosul.

The final elements of the operation were put into place over the past several days. Hundreds of Iraqi special forces have moved to the front lines in preparation for the battle. Iraqi special forces have spearheaded the assaults of previously held Islamic State cities such as Tikrit, Baiji, Ramadi, and Fallujah. The Iraqi Air Force is dropping leaflets on the city warning civilians that the final push is imminent. Additionally, the US has stepped up airstrikes in and around Mosul, launching 11 strikes against a range of targets including a chemical weapons facility, tunnels, ammunition caches, a media center, and military units.

Masoud Barzani, the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, announced yesterday that the preparation for the operation to liberate Mosul have been [sic]completed and have paved the way to begin the Mosul operation.

If the Islamic State digs in and defends Mosul, the fight is expected to be bloody. More than 6,000 Islamic State fighters are thought to be in the city. It has deployed thousands of mines and has dug an elaborate network of tunnels and trenches across Mosul in preparation for a protracted urban fight. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped in the city as the Islamic State has prevented them from leaving. However, during recent battles in major Iraqi cities such as Ramadi and Fallujah, the Islamic State withdrew the bulk of its troops and left a smaller rearguard force to bleed the Iraqi military and militias.

The forces in the fragmented anti-Islamic State alliance, a mix of Iraqi special forces and regular troops, the Kurdish Peshmerga, and Sunni and Shiite militias who number a total of 60,000, are each positioning themselves to reap the benefits of a post-Islamic State Mosul. The most dangerous element among these forces is the network backed by Irans Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization of Shiite, Sunnis, Christian, and Yazidi militias formed following the fatwa of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in 2014 to drive the Islamic State from Iraq, is controlled and dominated by IRGC-backed proxies. In an effort to rein in these militias, Prime Minister Abadi has created a parallel military organization for the PMF in the security apparatus outside of the command structure. However, the PMF remains riddled with Iranian-supported militias, and its key leaders are beholden to IRGC-Qods Forces commander, Qassem Soleimani.

These forces and their Iranian advisers will participate in the operation for Mosul, as affirmed by Harakat al Nujaba head Akram al Kabi. Soleimani is expected to play a major role in the operation for Mosul, a PMF spokesman said two months ago, though this has not been confirmed yet.

The PMF alongside the Kurdish Peshmerga have reportedly agreed to clear and hold areas in the outskirts of the city, while Iraqi Security Forces backed by US airstrikes lead the brunt of the operation to take the city. This was implemented to assuage local Sunni Arab population concerns about vengeful retribution and abuse from the militias, though there is no guarantee and this has not stopped Shiite militias from abusing the local populations attempting to flee an area, such as Fallujah this past summer.

Just last week, Qais Khazali, a designated terrorist who leads IRGC-backed Asaib Ahl al Haq, called for Shiite holy war and vowed that Mosul would be revenge for battle of Karbala 14 centuries ago, the defining event that sealed the Sunni-Shiite schism in which the third Shiite Imam Husayn was killed.

Meanwhile, Shiite militias have threatened to attack Turkish forces near Mosul, highlighting a risk factor that can escalate and affect the siege on Mosul. About 500 Turkish troops are positioned in Bashiqa, a town north of Mosul, where they have been training troops there against the wishes of Baghdad, but with the permission of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Abadi has demanded Turkey to leave and not participate in Mosul, but Turkish President Recep Erdogan has refused, voicing his opposition to the PMFs participation and suggesting that Turkey will play a role in Mosul with or without Baghdads permission. This could be more political posturing from Erdogan, who wants to expand his influence in Iraq and strengthen the hand of Turkish-backed factions, especially as Erdogan is boxed in in northern Syria and is silent towards the onslaught in Aleppo because of his deal with the Kremlin. There is nevertheless the risk that attacks against Turkish troops can draw Ankara further into Iraq.

If all proceeds as planned, the PMF and aligned forces will open the operation with an attempt to retake Hawija, a town 100 kilometers south of Mosul. The Peshmarga and Iraqi forces are expected to participate, with the backing of US airstrikes. If the Islamic State loses Hawija, it will not be able to flank Iraqi forces from the east.

The Shiite militias will position themselves to the west of Mosul in order to prevent Islamic State fighters from escaping into Syria, which Hassan al Sari, the Saraya al Jihad commander, has confirmed. Akram al Kabi said last month that forces intend to push into the Islamic States stronghold in eastern Syria in order to protect further incursions and protect Iraqs national security. Kabi made the remarks on prime time Iranian television during a high-level visit and meeting with top Iranian officials. The PMF could use such lines of argument to push back against calls for dissolution, portray itself as a necessary security force post-Mosul, and argue that the original 2014 mandate to drive the Islamic State from Iraq is unfinished and needs guarantees to prevent the incursion of the Islamic State and successive groups. The argument could resonate, as the Islamic State still is dangerous: at least 55 people in Baghdad were recently killed by a bombing on October 15.

Kabi also said that Mosul would free more resources to shift into broader operations in Syria. Indeed, more IRGC-backed Iraqi Shiite militia have been deployed in larger numbers since September, and the contingent in Aleppo makes up half of the total 10,000 forces fighting on behalf of Bashar al Assad.

Soleimani and the PMF have been working to ensure that they are well positioned in Iraq once the Islamic State is pushed out of Mosul, as are other armed factions in a fragmented Iraq, including those who desire to chart a different course than Tehran. The Iranian-backed network wants to preserve Iraqs territorial integrity, enshrine the PMF into a permanent part of the state and security apparatus akin to Irans IRGC, present itself as legitimate partners, and strengthen its influence on the states levers of power. A strong showing in Mosul will further those goals.

#Mosul your church bells will ring soon. We promised this in December 2015 and today we are here at your gates. #ISIS will be defeated pic.twitter.com/0kBe8IyBa0  Iraqi PMU English (@pmu_english) October 15, 2016

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Prosecutors hold on to the 10 kilos of subsidised sugar found on him as evidence

A Cairo prosecutor ordered on Sunday the release of a man on EGP 1,000 bail after he was arrested for possessing an amount of subsidised sugar that exceeded possession of amounts reasonable for personal use, amid current shortages in the essential good on the market.

The man, who works as a waiter in a cafe, was arrested by police in Heliopolis as he walked on the street carrying 10 kilogrammes of sugar.

Prosecutors accused the waiter of stockpiling subsidised sugar with the intent of profiteering by selling it to a grocery at higher than the market price.

However, the mans lawyer, Mohamed Naeem, argued his client was carrying the sugar for use at his uncles cafe, not to sell it at a grocery as claimed by police.

Egyptian law prohibits the use of subsidised goods and commodities for commercial purposes.

Prosecutors eventually released the man on bail pending further investigation but confiscated the 10 kilos of sugar as evidence.

The arrest comes as part of a widespread police operation targeting dealers of sugar on the black market, with a hotline set up on Saturday for citizens to report incidents of stockpiling of sugar and rice.

Egypt's supply ministry said on Saturday that it will set the commercial price of subsidised sugar at EGP 6 per kilogramme (compared to EGP 10 for unsubsidised sugar) to be available at the ministry's sales outlets in a move that aims to regulate the market amid a price hike and a shortage of the essential commodity.

Major supermarkets in the country have stopped the sale of subsidised sugar to individuals above personal use.

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Culture / Events

With the luxury lifestyle event just days away, we bring you another interview of one yacht broker who will be in town to add to the fun.

Oct 16, 2016 | By Vimi Haridasan

We have been covering the luxury lifestyle event called the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS that will be happening this week in a big way. To keep the excitement going, we bring you another insight into what is in store with an interview with Mark Woodmansey, Chief Representative of Greater China and Yacht Broker at Burgess Yachts.

What are the main areas of excellence of Burgess? Tell us more about the background of the company?

Over the past 40 years, Burgess has built its reputation in the Large Yacht Market on unrivalled professionalism, passion and knowledge. We are proud of have earned the Number One position in the Superyacht industry. Our client focused approach along with an eye for detail that is second to none, are the reasons that we have attained this accolade. Our specialist areas of expertise are in the purchase, sale, building, charter and management of yachts over 30 meters.

Burgess was built on a love of yachting. Founded in London 1975 by Nigel Burgess, a renowned sailor and worldwide single-handed ocean racer, we now have offices on truly a global scale including Hong Kong and Singapore. Chief Executive Jonathan Beckett has led Burgess to become the worlds number one superyacht brokerage house. In 2001, we became the first yacht brokerage firm ever to receive the prestigious Queens Award for Enterprise. We continue to lead from the forefront in every facet of our operation.

Where are you based in Asia? How do you cater to an Asian market? What unique services do you provide?

Our team offers the three main pillars of the business: sales, charter and operation management out of our two hubs in Hong Kong and Singapore. We are building up a clear picture of the type of yachts Asian clients prefer to own, their choices for charter yachts and destinations and have a tailored operational management package for the local market that takes into account the way many yachts are actually used in the region.

As they are typically buyers in the market we tap into our Glocal team (Global and Local) to access insights into the market place, which is still predominantly located in the South of France and South Florida. We are unique in our teamwork approach, so you work with the whole company to buy or sell your yacht, operate your yacht privately, for charter or find the yachting adventure holiday of your dreams!

Chartering a yacht or looking at buying one, how do you tackle these sensitive questions?

Its the first question we ask!

Being able to offer the full range of services results in us striving to meet the clients unique requirements, whatever that may be. Our clients are generally well informed existing yacht owners and happy to share their thoughts and idea. There are some people entering the yachting world at over 30m LOA however they still come with a good understanding of the market. Our job is to guide them with our insight and judgement built up over the past 40 years.

How do you ensure an Asian buyer is in good hand when looking at buying a semi or fully customized yacht?

The core strength of Burgess is our Glocal Team, we combine key team players from the new operation in Asia with strategically placed individuals inside the core offices in Monaco and London. In this way we can ensure that the best knowledge and technical expertise is combined with on the ground understanding of our clients need in Asia. Our goal is to ensure that the Asian clients experience the benefits of working for the Global Number 1 in Superyachts and the inside track to quality information and insight that we can offer. We have long and deep relationships with the industry including brokers, shipyard, refit yards and all other stakeholders.

You are showcasing BLISS at the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS, tell us more about this stunning yacht?

Launched in 2010 by Yachting Developments, New Zealand and hailing from the design boards of Dubois Naval Architects, the award-winning 36.8m (120ft) BLISS has outstanding sailing performance.

With sleek exterior styling and an incredibly strong yet weight-saving construction providing speed, increased stability and improved power to weight ratio, BLISS is an ideal Bucket racer or performance world cruiser and one of the few sporty composite sailing yachts on the market today. She also is the only performance charter yacht permanently based in Asia and will be in Thailand this coming season.

BLISS has accommodation for up to eight guests in three cabins with a flexible layout and an interior decor by Design Unlimited that is contemporary, striking and luxurious.

What is the asking price for BLISS?

BLISS can be chartered for USD89,000 to USD95,000 per week and will be sold for EUR 11,900,000.

How do you see BURGESS in 10 years, what will have evolved in the yachting field?

The Asian market is developing slowing and I expect in 10 years we will be here plugging away and building up the knowledge and understanding of the potential of yachting in the region. Our hope is that the regulatory environment is improved in 10 years so that there is greater clarity and opportunity for access to water and for commercial operation by foreign flagged yachts. Then of course there is the matter of physical infrastructure, that is a pressing challenge. Build it in the right location and in the correct format and the yachts will come.

Your best experience as a yachtsman and yacht broker, in Asia?

The early days selling yachts in China were very exciting; brand new market, great sense of opportunity and the opportunity to sell and physically deliver yachts to real pioneers and entrepreneurs from the country. As a yachtsman, the blue water classics of Hong Kong to the Philippines and Vietnam/Sanya are still my favourite, when I can manage the time. The sailing is downwind and the weather gets warmer everyday. What more to like than that, except to arrive on a foreign shore.

Grab you tickets for the highly anticipated luxury lifestyle event at SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Understanding Kashmir Imbroglio 2016

by Ram Puniyani

In the din of hysteria created around the military action on the LoC, which was in response to the killing of 18 Indian Army jawans in Uri, the issue of anguish of the people of Kashmir has been undermined. As such India-Pakistan skirmishes (September 2016) are mostly centred on the issue of Kashmir. On one side Indias claim is that Kashmir is an inseparable part of India and no power on earth can separate it from India. Pakistan, on the other hand, raises doubts about the Kashmirs accession to India, and says that as it is a Muslim majority area and it should be part of Pakistan. The attack on Uri by terrorists killing 18 Indian soldiers has rekindled the issue once again. The whole episode actually began with the killing of Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen commandant who was killed in an encounter by the Indian military. After his killing there were two types of reactions yet again.

The Indian media presented it as a big achievement in cracking down the militancy. A section of the Kashmiri people was shocked and they started coming out on the streets to protest. The manner of their protests has been that of stone-throwing on the police-military forces. In the painful incidents which followed, nearly 80 people have been killed, over 9000 people got injured and many of those injured suffered pellet injuries leading to the loss of their eyes and penetration of pellets into different parts of their body. Some Army-police personnel have also received injuries. The resulting situation led to the imposition of curfew in the State and this curfew had been the longest curfew which was imposed in the State.

In an attempt to restore peace, various efforts have been made by the state. Union Home Minister Rajnath Sigh visited the Valley to hold discussions with the State leaders. His and the stand of the Government of India has been that they will not hold talks with the separatist leaders. When the all-party delegation visited the Valley some of the members of the delegation like Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja tried to meet separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Gilani, who refused to meet them.

Curfew was lifted after nearly two months, but the situation remains tense. With the attack by the terrorists in Uri, the whole focus has shifted to the issue of terrorism. As far as the disturbances in Kashmir are concerned, the government is alleging that the protestors are a mere five per cent of the population and they are being instigated by Pakistan. Surely Pakistan has some role in keeping the Kashmir issue alive to bake its own political bread. But the discontent of sections of the Kashmir people has been simmering and has reached a peak in the last few years. The youth in particular are disgruntled due to the feeling of alienation. The people of Kashmir are double victims. The acts of terror are a regular nuisance to peace in the Valley. No less is the violation of the civil rights of the people from the armed forces. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which is operational in the area, gives impunity to the armed personnel leading to the regular harass-ment of the innocent civilians in the area.

Amnesty reports emanating from Kashmir tell us the extent of such violations. The Amnesty Internationals report, released in Bangalore, begins with defining the scale of human rights violations in Kashmir that have been perpe-trated by the security forces personnel with glaring impunity. The report states that from 1990 to 2011, the Jammu and Kashmir State Government reportedly recorded a total of over 43,000 people killed. Of those killed, 21,323 were said to be militants, 13,226 civilians (those not directly involved in the hostilities) killed by the armed groups, 5369 security force personnel killed by the armed groups, and 3642 civilians killed by the security forces.

The AFSPA, which gives the Army sweeping powers, leads to extra-judicial executions and other human rights violations. Section 7 of the AFSPA makes it mandatory to seek the prior sanction of Central and State authorities in order to prosecute any security force personnel in civilian courts. Under the pretext of protecting national security, the excesses of the security forces go unchallenged. 96 per cent of all complaints brought against the Army in Jammu and Kashmir have been dismissed as false and baseless or with other ulterior motives of maligning the image of Armed Forces.

It is in under these circumstances that every incident in Kashmir acts as a flaring point and the youth in particular come to streets to protest in large numbers. Their deeper dissatisfaction with the state of prevailing affairs is very painful. In the civilian areas there is a practical Army rule, nearly six lakhs of Army personnel have been deployed there for years. The people of Kashmir do not have the feel of democracy for years and this leads to a deeper dissatis-faction; it is not just a Pakistan-inspired problem, while the role of Pakistan in instigating the protests is very much there.

What is the way out? The UPA II had set up a three-member interlocutors committee. They in their report wanted the clauses of autonomy of the Kashmir Assembly restored; they also emphasised on dialogue with the dissident militants and with Pakistan. There has been a constant demand to remove the AFSPA from the region and to reduce the number of armed personnel in the area. The present coalition of the PDP and BJP, which is ruling the State, is very ruthless as far as dealing with dissidence is concerned; their stand of not talking to the dissidents has prolonged the restlessness in the area. Pakistans role with the attack on Uri and before that in Pathankot has vitiated the atmosphere further. One remembers that during the election campaign the BJP used to assert that with Modi in the seat of power, terrorists dare not attack! That hollow boast stands exposed. The need for peace in the area, the need to give the Kashmiri people an era of calm is needed in an urgent manner. Pakistan needs to be engaged on matters related to Kashmir. The treaty of accession of 1948 giving autonomy to Kashmir needs to be respected. The report of interlocutors was a major and balanced approach on the issue. It needs to be brought forth and considered seriously for bringing in peace in the region.

(Courtesy: www.thecitizen.in)

REFERENCES

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/militants-attack-army-headquarters-in-uri-near-loc/article9120760.ece

http://www.huffingtonpost.in/burhan-wani/who-was-burhan-wani-and-why-is-kashmir-mourning-him/

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hurriyat-leaders-refuse-to-talk-to-allparty-delegation-members/article9072465.ece

https://www.quora.com/Should-AFSPA-be-revoked-from-Jammu-and-Kashmir

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/08/aakar-patel-answers-questions/

http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/documents/instru-ment_of_accession.html

The author, a retired Professor at the IIT-Bombay, is currently associated with the Centre for the Study of Secularism and Society, Mumbai.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Vendors heard the War Drums On LoC

The guns on the Line of Control have not yet fallen silent, but arms vendors are coming to Delhi. The Reuters reports that US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter will pay a quick visit before moving on to his next job. (Reuters)

A think-tanker, Jeff Smith, Director of Asia Security Programmes at the American Foreign Policy Council, told Reuters: The (US) administration is eager to get as much done as is humanly possible. They believe the conditions and the personnel in both capitals (Washington and Delhi) are uniquely favourable at the moment, and are eager to consolidate and institutionalize the progress.

It is an illuminating remark. Hmmm... Who could be the personnel in Narendra Modi Government who are uniquely favourable at the moment viewed through the looking glass of American vendors? The entire Modi Government? Or, only a handful of them? Where do they work on Raisina Hillin PMO, South Block or North Block?

The progress, of course, concerns arms sales. The Reuters cites expert opinion arguing that it is the spectre of the Donald Trump presidency that haunts the Modi Government so much so that it plans to stock up as much American weapons as possible during the Obama presidency. That is baloney.

Where is it that Trump said hed stop America from selling weapons to the Modi Government? Where is it that he said hed dismantle Americas military-industrial complex? Where is it that he said that hed slash Americas defence budget? Where is it that he said hed reorient American capitalism? Where is it that he said hed go soft on China?

All that Trump said is (a) military allies such as South Korea should not expect a free ride; b) Europe should equitably share the NATO budget; c) the US shouldnt squander resources in meaningless wars; d) Interventionist policies are best avoided; and, e) China shall damn well cough up some of that money it made in the American market.

Second, assuming Trump clamps down on arms exports, isnt it a dumb thing for our chaps in Delhi to get into a buying spree just now before the November election results in America showed hes lost the bid for the White House?

Alas, there is no discourse in our country whether extravagant shopping spree for weapons serves or makes sense. It is the American lobbyists who are doing the thinking for us.

Pakistan has shown how to develop strategic deterrence capability to checkmate a far superior adversary. Okay, Pakistan is a dirty word. Then, learn from Vietnam. Vietnam fought many wars with China in history. It has a 1200-kilometre border with China. Hanoi is just 173 kilometres from the Chinese border. Vietnam has an explosive territorial dispute with China, where China is assertive and will not even settle for peace and tranquillity.

Capacity build-up of national defence is an existential challenge for Vietnam. Yet, even if Ash Carter pays monthly visits to Hanoi, Vietnam will not be persuaded. The country has a defence budget equal to Malaysias and a shade above the Philippines. Nonetheless, it maintains a national defence capability at high readiness.

Fundamentally, where Vietnam scores over India is in its mastery of the psychological aspects of its complex relationship with China the capacity for independent action. Vietnams armed forces cannot prevail in an all-out conflict with Chinas PLA. So, Vietnam shrewdly calculates the strategic risk involved, and if the risk is acceptable, it embraces the risk. Or else, life moves on. It is unlikely to take strategic risk over a Masood Azhar or CPEC or Gilgit-Baltistan.

Vietnam cultivates strategic bandwidth through the extraordinary depth it gives to international relations. The bottom-line is: Vietnam has a coherent approach toward China. There could be competition, but sustained political engagement with China continues, which factors in that no matter strategic distrust, disputes or tensions, China remains a neighbor, and neighbors are important.

Therefore, Vietnam engages deeply with China. Trade turnover will touch $100 billion this yeardouble Indias with China. Why not? Vietnam is an ambitious regional power. It is determined to emerge as a middle income economy in a near future and, therefore, it needs all the trade and investment that China can offer.

To be sure, it is cost effective to defend national interests while living at close quarters with strategic risk by drawing on the realities of self-reliance and developing the capacity for independent actionrather than depending on the man (or woman) who sits in the Oval Office in White House.

The Reuters report claims that Americans simply admire our Prime Minister as one of their DNAa real go-getter. Will Americans dare say such an idiotic thing to a news agency regarding General Secretary Nguyen Phu Treng or Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, hoping to play on their vanities? I think not.

Ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar served as a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for over 29 years, with postings including Indias ambassador to Uzbekistan (1995-1998) and to Turkey (1998-2001).
Russia's foreign ministry said all participants in talks in Lausanne on Saturday had agreed that Syrians alone should decide their future through inclusive dialogue, and the country should stay whole and secular.

The ministry said on Sunday that in order for a U.S.-Russian ceasefire agreement to succeed, Syria's moderate opposition must separate from Jabhat Fatah al Sham, previously known as the Nusra Front, and other "terrorist groups" affiliated with it.

"At the same time, it should be understood that operations against terrorists of Islamic State and the Nusra Front will be continued," the ministry said.

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Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > When Media peddles Jingoism as Truth

by Garga Chatterjee

September 2016 is witness to an apocalyptic dress-rehearsal where the mainstream media is egging on two nuclear-armed governments for action and reaction. Humans all over, especially those in the subcontinent, need to sit up and take note of whatever it is that masquerades as the media. After the Uri attacks, there is talk of action and retaliation in the air and even more so in the airwaves. Did the Indian Army jawans die for nothing, some ask? Theres something deeply unethical in the voluntariness thats always injected in case of Army deaths. Its not a sin to die of circumstances like tent burning. There is no indignity in it. By calling that sacrifice and death martyrdom, hence implying a more active death, one disrespects the dead. Whatever they died for (and all deaths need not be for or against something), I believe they didnt die so that their death could bring the subcontinent closer to a nuclear war. Many people in the subcontinent love their lives more than they love their government. Im one of them.

On the whole, the English, Hindi and Urdu media in Pakistan and India are playing a very negative role. They are war-mongering for their respective governments, in the name of the nation. The Pakistani media is in denial mode while the Indian media is in finger-pointing mode, none presenting publicly verifiable evidence to back up their claims or refutations. Both run Defence Ministry and government claims without fact-checking, as if fact-checking was blasphemous and questioning was trea-sonous. Both refer to armies and govern-ments as our, seriously undermining the status of the media as an independent pillar in a demo-cratic republican setting. A small part of the media in both India and Pakistan, especially the non-English-Hindi-Urdu media is playing a saner role, but they are marginal in setting the so-called national narrative. In the Indian Union, Hindi-English television media is playing an especially irresponsible role. The other day, ex-Chief of Indian Army, General Shankar Ray Chowdhury, openly suggested raising suicide squads. Is this not incitement to violence? If not, then what is? Is there a legal exception for ex-Army folks? Does he suggest this strategy to his close relatives? Non-Hindi-English media in both countries seem to have less interest in this long drawn conflict between Delhi and Islamabad.

The role of the mainstream media or any non-propaganda media should be based on facts. They should also be cognisant of the fact that the Indian Union and Pakistani administration are armed with nuclear weapons with powers to destroy each other. The media should also educate their audience about the hugely destructive effects of a nuclear conflict and that nuclear fall-outs do not respect international borders. It should also critically examine claims made by their respective armies and govern-ments. Truth and realismnot jingoismshould drive public opinion.

The medias job isnt to act as unquestioning amplifiers of the Ministry of Defence press briefings and Government of India/Pakistan press releases. If that were so, there would be no need for an independent media. What hopefully separates the Indian Union and Pakistan from North Korea on this count is probably this. But that separation is only half the storyPakistan and the Indian Union are barely separated from each other, globally ranking 133 and 147 out of 180 administrations in the Press Freedom Index of 2016. Recently, Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez was arrested after being disallowed from attending a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting abroad. After the Uri attack, a Kashmiri student was expelled from the Aligarh Muslim University for an objection-able Facebook post. Whoever thinks that muzzling dissent and fanning jingoism is great strategy has clearly forgotten Benjamin Franklins words: Those who give up their liberty for more security neither deserve liberty nor security.

(Courtesy: Daily News and Analysis)

The author comments on politics and culture.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Medias Disconnect with Dalits

MEDIA

by Santosh Kumar Biswal

The recent attack of cow vigilantes on Dalits in Gujarats Una and East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh has again shaken the entire nation and the amount of media coverage it has attracted is being questioned as usual. Atrocities after atrocities on Dalits are occurring at regular intervals. Hence, the debates on the modus operandi of the functioning of the media continue unabated

Una, which has the highest the number of villages of all the talukas in Gujarat State, has been witnessing atrocities against Dalits. According to the Census of India, 2011, 6.74 per cent of the States population belongs to the Scheduled Castes. Nevertheless, the provisions allocated for these disadvantaged sections of the State have been blatantly flouted.

Owing to the current social unrest and fanatic activities, so far one Dalit family has already shifted from the Una village to ensure protection to its family. It is also revealed that there have been restrictions for the Dalits entry into various temples and use of common crematoriums. All these inhuman acts show the violation of Section 26 of the Constitution of India which ensures all State governments to take special care for the welfare of these communities. Earlier in the month of July, their sordid stories were shared at a Dalit Maha Sammelan in Ahmedabad. Moreover, needless to say, the State has the infamous history of atrocities and discriminations against Dalits.

To understand the nuances of media coverage of such issues, the unfortunate suicide of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit research scholar from the University of Hyderabad, which triggered varied debates from numerous quarters, is worth introspecting.

The Rohiths issue deservedly received coverage in the Indian news media, resulting in the spread of the caste cauldron among the wider public and its repercussions on the society as well. Thanks to the news media outlets which intensified the coverage, it even led to bringing respite to one Dalit IIT-BHU student, Mahesh Balmiki, who failed to sell one of his kidneys to pay off his debt meant for pursuing his studies. Mahesh had faced the brunt of carrying the tag of untouchability. However, after the media coverage, he has been inundated with funds from across the country. But, at the same time it has opened up a Pandoras box regarding the modus operandi of functioning of the mainstream news media in particular.

In a bid to cover the suicide case of Rohith, national and regional media were pressed into action and with this unusual warm up the Indian media come forward with observations and examinations. Some of the knee-jerk coverage apparently had spilled the beans and the styles of coverage exposed the perennial problems of the media.

The media, the fourth pillar of a democratic nation, has the responsibility to safeguard the rights of the socially-economically deprived sections including the Dalits. The media should resort to judicious coverage and advocacy programmes on Dalits since they constitute a staggering 201.4 million as per the 2011 Census of India. Even though they are guaranteed certain rights under the Constitution of India, discrimination is at the pinnacle. In addition, the United Nations human rights bodies have already cautioned the Indian Government regarding the rampant Dalit atrocities. In this case, the role of the media is of utmost importance. However, the Indian news media outlets are found callous and pay not even minimum attention to this issue. Certain coverages glorify the social ills emanating from caste discrimi-nations. In this context, the former Press Council of India Chairman, Markandey Katju, rightly points out that the media can entertain the people, not providing 90 per cent of its total coverage. The sense of proportion in the Indian media has been distorted.

But suffice it to say, Rohiths case garnered judicious media coverage. Rohiths is not the lone tragedy in India. However, this has germinated an array of questions. Is each and every Dalit atrocity case getting fair coverage like Rohiths one? Were the coverage of the cases of Dalit atrocities in Gujarats Una and East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh similar to Rohiths case? Do they find follow-up stories in newspapers and television channels? Is a Dalit from the rural regions getting equal coverage from her/his urban counterparts, indicating the geographical dichotomies? What is the discourse of news presentation on Dalit issues? These are the larger questions that have to be answered even though there has been lately some appro-priate media coverage on Dalit issues.

Slowly Rohiths case has cooled down and has been taken off the media and peoples mind as well. However, there are umpteen numbers of Rohiths who have sacrificed their lives and many are waiting for the same. Mostly we find stories relating to raping and openly parading of Dalit women or lynching them to death. Overall, the coverage of such issues are ceremonial and event-based and hence half-hearted. The medias coverage of Rohiths suicide alone with the claim of ensuring social justice deserves to be attacked. It can cover issues pertaining to the Dalits socio-economic participation, employment status in the NREGA, space in politics and the like. However, the media has dealt with a cold hand the recent attacks of cow vigilantes on Dalits in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. There are astounding figures of the Dalit population, discrimination is common and infamous here. Moreover, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports a 44 per cent increase in violence against Dalits from 2010 to 2014. However, playing an intervening role, the media is not doing precious enough to bring awareness in strengthening the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 which empowers the Dalits. Even after long years of independence, political rhetoric and constitutional protection have failed to end atrocities against Dalits and the Indian media has failed to cover these in a nuanced manner.

The critical discourse of coverage in the Indian media of Dalit issues deserves to be debated for a cause. The deeper question comes to the fore: why was Rohith specially treated unlike the atrocities in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh? If that is not so, then what ails the Indian media?

The flaws in the media can be attributed to various factors. First, the media is not treating the Dalit issues as newsworthy. Hence, there is no sustained coverage of such issues signalling the social blight of the Indian society. Secondly, social activists blame the media houses being corporate houses forgetting their social agenda. The perils of the political economy of the media are being cultivated and applied in terms of coverage. Thirdly, at the same time, mediapersons point to the low level of activism on the part of the Dalit communities and human rights activists, inviting a blame-game. Mediapersons also point to the low level of visibility of atrocities on Dalits. The situation shall remain unchanged if both keep on passing the buck. Fourthly, there has been commodification of the medialabour, content and audiencethat selectively determines the nature and amount of media coverage on any issue or event. When it comes to the issues of Dalits, reporters are not allowed to report, and if reported the content is not deliberately sent for the peoples consumption. This results in a kind of commodification of the audience where they are artificially made not to show willingness or demand for such contents.

Fifthly, the media should understand the changing social paradigm which is quite pertinent on Dailit issues. In the light of comprehending such issues, mediapersons should take stock of various Dalit classes which can facilitate ethno-graphic studies on these communities.

Lastly, there has been very low representation of Dalit journalists in media houses. Again casteism also takes the toll on Dalit journalists. Koppula Nagaraju, a Dalit journalist working with one of the media houses in Hyderabad, died of cancer, but many alleged of issues of casteism and non-cooperation from the media being the cause of his death. Dalits should have minimum representation in terms of employment in newspapers and television channels as filmmaker Shyam Benegal rightly mentioned that non-Dalits dont compre-hend the Dalit experience.

To some, the Indian media covers compara-tively less of downtrodden sections like what the Western media does in the case of Black people. Occasional coverages like on Rohith Vemulas suicide case cannot root out the evils of discrimination in India. The coverage should be sustained and farsighted. All these missing from the Indian newsroom have to be adequately projected if our media in a democratic country like ours wants to perform for the societal well-being in the public interest without any prejudiced yardsticks.

Dr Santosh Kumar Biswal is an Assistant Professor at Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Symbiosis International University, Pune and holds a doctorate in Communication and Journalism on media coverage and disability issues.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Relevance of Surgical Strikes

I was against surgical strikes because I thought it would escalate things and probably go to a point of no return. But now that the strikes have been made I back the government. I am reminded of George Bernard Shaw, the eminent literary personality, who said that he was a worst critic of the British Government but since it was in the midst of war he supported it.

Probably, India had no option. Terrorists, who were taking shelter on the Pakistan soil and operated from there, had to be punished. Islamabad did not do anything to stop or foil their activities. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that his country would retaliate and perhaps the attack near Baramulla area was what he meant by revenge.

As Indias Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Arup Raha, has said, the reply to what happened at Uri when Indias 19 soldiers were killed by the terrorists is being given and the Uri operation is not yet complete. He said: It is still live, without commenting on the surgical strikes. I dont think that both India and Pakistan, the nuclear powers, will cross the red line. Escalation on the border can be controlled up to a point but when events take over it will be difficult to say what will happen on the war theatre.

National Security Advisors of the two countries, Ajit Doval and Sartaj Aziz, have met and agreed to bring down tension. Why couldnt they have done it before the surgical strikes took place? Aziz must have gauged the depth of anger in India with all political parties backing Prime Minister Narendra Modis government. Nawaz Sharif, too, has got sanctions from the political parties in Pakistan. He had convened a special meeting to apprise the Opposition of the situation.

Public opinion in both the countries has become hawkish. Its unfortunate that Pakistan is prepared even for a nuclear war if it comes to that. The people on both sides want an end to the daily tension and desire the government of their country to ensure that they dont have to live with such constant fears.

The SAARC summit would have been an occasion when things could have been discussed across the table. But all the countries have pulled out from the meeting at Islamabad. They say that the climate is not conducive for the SAARC to meet. Still there is no other venue where all the countries in the region could have met and talked on the situation threadbare.

Pakistan should realise that its behaviour is such that other countries in the region are not willing to accept its doings. But terrorists like Hafiz Sayeed are openly operating from the Pakistani soil. India took the case to the UN but China, Pakistans ally, used the veto power and did not allow the UN to formally declare Hafiz Sayed a terrorist. It was an unfortunate use of veto power but China goes to any limits to stand by its ally.

As a result, the deadlock continues to the detriment of democratic India. The situation can escalate to dangerous proportions at any time because Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is always overlooked by the Army. This means that the Army does not have to go to the front literally and yet lead the elected Nawaz Sharif from its headquarters at Rawalpindi.

The problem that Pakistan has to reckon with is the uprising in Balochistan and the attack from Afghanistan. Since both do not have a full-fledged army to back them, the war would be a limited one. No doubt, the Americans have withdrawn their troops from Afghanistan but a small contingent has stayed there at the specific request of Kabul.

New Delhi is now openly supporting Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti, who has been offered asylum in India. Following his example, many Balochis, who are at the moment residing in Europe and elsewhere, will seek to come to India. This will open another front against Pakistan which India can utilise to tell the world that the uprising in Balochistan was like the one in East Pakistan, which liberated itself to become Bangladesh in 1971.

The rebellion is a warning to Islamabad that Balochistan could secede. In fact, it has Shias as a majority like Iran and does not fit into the Pushto region which is all around. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the Frontier Gandhi, is from the region. When I met him years ago his complaint was that Jawaharlal Nehru had not kept his promise to establish an independent country for the Pushto-speaking people.

Nehru was helpless because Balochistan was part of Pakistan and he had accepted the establish-ment of Pakistan at the time of partition. Badshah Khan, as the Frontier Gandhi was called, was now a citizen of Pakistan. Any step from Nehru would have amounted to a war and he naturally was not prepared for it.

Prime Minister Modi is a different kettle of fish. Yet, his policy so far has been give-and-take. He was the one who invited to his swearing-in ceremony all leaders of the SAARC countries. Modi also stopped at Islamabad while returning from Afghanistan to extend a friendly hand despite furore at home. But today the situation on the ground is different and may force Modi to look at things from another perspective.

The surgical strikes are one such option which he has exercised. Nawaz Sharifs threat of further retaliation could lead to a worst situation. Even Modi may not be able to control when events take over. They have their own ways of expressing themselves and can mean anything. Its time that Pakistan pulls itself back from the abyss because it can fall from the cliff.

That will be too dangerous for the country. After all, Pakistan should know by now that after having fought three warsin 1948, 1965 and 1971its loss was far greater than it could inflict on India. Even it had to seek the good offices of President Clinton to get the Pakistani soldiers, who had infiltrated the territory, out from the Kargil heights.

The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > We want Not War but Solution to the Kashmir Problem

After the Uri attack at atmosphere of jingoism is being built which can lead the country to war. While war may be necessary for the rulers, no war is in the interest of common citizens. An India-Pakistan war has the added danger of being converted into a nuclear war. People who are talking about war should be asked if they are prepared for a number of cities on both sides turning into Hiroshimas and Nagasakis. India and Pakistan have already fought four wars. There was no solution, neither was any of them so conclusive that a next one was not needed. Hence the possibility of a solution emerging from war is slim. So, why should we even consider the option of war? The talk about war is sheer madness.

The reason behind the war, the Kashmir problem, needs to be solved so that in future no soldier or common citizen has to die. It is the governments responsibility to normalise the situation in Kashmir and talk to Pakistan so that a solution, which is agreeable to all Kashmiris, can be arrived at. While it is admirable that our soldiers are brave and are prepared to lay down their lives performing their duty, their lives are precious, especially for their family members. Why should we let them die unnecessarily? The government policy will determine: how safe are our soldiers? The governments of India and Pakistan can instantly create friendship and in the next moment become treacherous enemies. The common citizens of the two countries meet with warm cordiality whenever they get a chance. Why should the soldiers have to pay with their lives for the whims and fancies of the leaders?

It has been hardly two years for the Narendra Modi Government and he has already faced two terrorist attacks. In addition to ruling the Centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party is also an alliance partner in Jammu and Kashmir. The situation has never been so bad in Kashmir. Why is it that with the BJP coming to power the situation inside the country and the threat from outside become worse? Has it got something to do with the ideo-logy and manner of functioning of the BJP? The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, its ideological parent organisation, must introspect about this.

So far it was the Indian Government which was trying to prevent the internationalisation of the Kashmir issue. But by raising the issue of Balochistan the Indian Government is now responsible for internationalising the issue. The Indian Government has every right to raise the issue of Balochistan but its priority should be Kashmir. If over 80 people are killed in J&K over two months and weve to use pellet guns against people in which children lose their lives and some people lose their eyesight, then it doesnt send a very good message to the world. It is proof that people of Kashmir are not with Indian Govern-ment. India blames Pakistan for the happenings in J&K. While it is true that some Kashmiri youth have received training in terrorism in Pakistan, when the children and women pick up stones against the security forces then it is a failure of our policies there. Without putting ones house in order, blaming outsiders for every wrong in Kashmir doesnt build any credibility for India internationally.

India wants the international community to label Pakistan as a terrorist country. Why are no questions raised on the role of the United States? There was a US citizen involved in the planning for the attack on Mumbai, David Coleman Headley, about whom we dont mention when we blame Paksitan for the attack. Why does the US continue to supply weapons to Pakistan in spite of the fact that Osama bin Laden, the perpetrator of the 9/11 attack on twin towers and its biggest enemy in recent times, got refuge there? If our response is to be dictated by our bias against Pakistan alone, well never be able to stop these attacks on India.

We also need to secure our border against repeated infringements. It will be better that instead of investing in offensive armament we gave priority to modern equipment to make our borders secure. Leaders who play with the emotion of nationalism on such occasions must be asked: how is it that terrorists enter our territory so easily without our intelligence agencies getting a whiff of it? People responsible for these lapses must be held accountable.

If the BJP Government is hiding its failure in economic policies behind this jingoism, then it is utterly shameful. It is a fact that not much investment has come in, in spite of Narendra Modis appeal in almost every country that he has visited to make in India, the process of privatisation has accelerated with Modis friends like Ambani and Adani benefiting the most, there is no check on unemployment or price rise. In the middle of war-mongering, the decision about not to present a separate Rail Budget from next year and disinvestment in 17 loss-making public enterprises raise an alarm. Is the government trying to thrust important financial decisions on the country amidst war hysteria?

We expect the government to stop talking about war and instead focus on finding a solution to the Kashmir problem. As a matter of state policy it should declared that India will have peaceful and friendly relations with Pakistan. This can happen by an instant decision like the one taken by Narendra Modi when he decided to stop-over in Pakistan on his way back from Afghanistan. India and Pakistan have a shared culture which provides a readymade basis for friendship. In any case, since Paksitan denies involvement in terrorist attacks over India, it should be convinced to join the peace effort. One thing which can help the process of normalisation is increased interaction among citizens. A closer relationship among the citizens of the two countries will also help resolve the Kashmir problem easily.

Noted social activist and Magsaysay awardee, Dr Sandeep Pandey was recently sacked this year from the IIT-BHU where he was a Visiting Professor on the charge of being a Naxalite engaging in anti-national activities. He was elected along with Prof Keshav Jadhav the Vice-President of the Socialist Party (India) at its founding conference at Hyderabad on May 28-29, 2011.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Beyond Constricted Nationalism

by suranjita ray

The dexterity to create a buzz about nationa-lism is essentially meant to consolidate what the ruling political class consents. The Hindutva ideologues campaign for a Hindu Rashtra as the ideal of nationalism.The angst that many citizens feel is due to the drum-beating of Hindu Nationalism which is identified with the culture of the Hindus. The raging controversy over bigoted nationalism has led to rising intolerance of the tradition of nonconformity with the claims of cultural supremacy of Hindus by the Hindutva ideologues. The nonconformist are called anti-nationals.

It is quite evident that the nationalist project today is not about what nationalism means, as much as it is about who can be branded as an anti-national. Any deviation from the majoritarian understanding on nationalism is not just rejected blatantly, but subscribing to an alternative view is also branded as anti-national. Ironically, nationalism has become an inordinately contested issue, which every generation of citizens of this country will have to deal with. Humanistic morality based on equality, dignity and inclusiveness cannot remain confined to abstract ideas but needs to be embodied in a nation. (Naussbaum, 2015: 9) It is therefore important to protest against the politics of Hindutva and Right-wing rhetoric which believes that India is a Hindu Rashtra, and preaches Hinduismnot merely as a religion, but a culture, and the Indian way of life.

Understanding Nationalism

Since the idea of nationalism emerges from its practice, it has varied connotations. Its concep-tion has undergone a process of evolution. As a movement, it has grown and will continue to grow. The concept of nationalism that developed in India during the anti-colonial struggles had numerous and competing visions of nation, nation-building and nationalism. Indian nationalism in all its complexities unfolds the different versions that can co-exist, even when they are contrary, in a plural and multicultural society. Nationalism was conceived by the freedom fighters themselves as a graft in progress. The assertions for rights, equality, freedom, dignity, and justice for every citizen saw the progress of a democratic and egalitarian nationalism that provided space for negotiation of difference of opinions, thoughts, perceptions, and ideas. The commonality to struggle for freedom from the colonial powers provided space to the common citizens to associate with the task of nation-building. The latter has always been a process of continuous contempla-tion, inquisition, reviewing, and restructuring. While Indian nationalism was never homoge-nous, and the ideologies of the freedom fighters were debated, the patriotism of those who disagreed with such ideologies was never interrogated. Today, ones patriotism requires the sanctity of the political leaders. And many are engaged in its controversy to benefit from the politics of bigotry.

While it is important to acknowledge the long-term reforms, the constitutional inter-pretations of a nation becomes significant. The Constitution privileges the citizens of this country without any discriminationWe the people of India ..... Unprejudiced and unbiased, it makes the state and society democratic, by constraining them from practising violation of justice, liberty, and equality. This elucidation of the basic principles enshrined in our Constitution merits objective reflection. The government and people should uphold the principles of the Constitution by reason, to preserve the social, economic, political, and cultural plurality and cohesion. Only then can rights, freedom, and dignity of every citizen be protected. Nation and nationalism without such protections will be endangered.

Therefore nationalism can never become the monopoly of any one class, group, caste, class, community, religion, or a particular culture of society. Nationalism in the normative discourse derives meaning from freedom or aazadi (though the word aazadi has been bruised in the recent controversies). An all-round freedom implies not only emancipation from political bondage but also equal distribution of wealth, abolition of caste barriers and social iniquities and destruction of communalism and religious intolerance. This is an ideal which may appear utopian ....but this ideal alone can appease the hunger in the soul. (Bhagat Singh, cited in Bhaskar, 2016: 14) Even though not everybody agrees to confine nationalism to what has been articulated during the freedom struggle, nobody denies that freedom, which is the gain of long years of struggle and sacrifice, cannot be pushed to oblivion.

It is the people, the ordinary, their diversities, their trust, and their ideas that make the nation. With the death of ideas, a nation dies. Celebrating nationalism is celebrating democracy and freedom, and indeed,it is celebrating pluralism.Hence, no understanding of nationalism can be subjugated to the monopoly of the mainstream ideology which discards an alternative perspective. Domi-nant theories cannot be imposed ostensibly to legitimise the ideology of political parties. Nationalism can neither be institutionalised to a discourse that is insensitive to debates and analytical studies nor can it become inimical to the freedom of interpretation and understanding. (Ray, 2015) Debates that include divergent, plural, and multiple viewpoints or perspectives and interpretations weave together a holistic understanding. Thus legitimisation of a hegemonic political culture, which suppresses democratic space from engaging with alternative perspectives, needs to be contested.

The democratic tradition of debates not only makes Indians argumentative but also makes the term nationalism more progressive and revolutionary. Although anti-colonial nationa-lism is believed to be humane, compassionate, and pro-people (Mukherjee, 2016: 12), several scholars argue that the successful re-assertion of the traditional dominance as nationalism and its transformation into state, and the historic attempt and the failure of the submerged massesthe Dalits, Muslims, tribals and other marginalized communities, to emerge as a political nation, ensued Nationalism without a Nation. (Aloysius, 1997)

The open lectures by many rational scholars in the freedom square at JNU and elsewhere to revisit the idea of a nation and nationalism in the context of denial of debates, dissent and disagreements with the dominant discourse focused on the understanding of nationalism beyond its territorial or constricted cultural idea. It is important to contest the majoritarian discourse as it is a threat to the plurality of the Indian society, its history, politics, economy, and culture.

Dominant Discourse

The ideology of Hindu Nationalism campaigns for Akhand Bharat (Hindu Land). The attempts of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government to rewrite the history of the freedom struggle, reinterpret the making of the Constitution, reinvent the idea of India, and appropriate the nationalist leaders for political gains calls for careful analysis. Even to arrive at certain general propositions, it is critical to develop an analytical approach or methodology to evaluate analysis itself, and its finer nuances, which takes us towards creative thinking and an adequate understanding.

The contributions of Mahatma Gandhi cannot be reduced to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, wearing of khadi, or discourses deprived of philosophy, ethos, principles, morals, conscience, and politics. Neither can Jawaharlal Nehru be seen merely as a national leader or an architect of the Planning Commission, National Development Council, and Community Development Planning. His thrust on science and modernity and vision for a socialist pattern of society that prioritised democratic freedom, secular ideas, human dignity, and social justice are values which will be cherished by human civilisation across the ages and cannot be confined to the contents of text-books of social science. Despite divergences on issues of national importance the freedom fighters worked in convergence and congruence for a common cause, and not against each other. As freedom fighters, they had a vision, a dream, a hope, and their sacrifices are above acknow-ledgements, celebrations of centenaries, and appropriation by any political party. Appro-priating B.R. Ambedkar selectively as anti-Muslim, or casting him as Hindu, and a vegetarian, while ignoring his stands for the annihilation of caste, his views on Brahminism, Hindu religion, and demand for social justice, or praising Jawaharlal Nehru selectively at the international stage while underplaying his historical legacy in forums within the country, on the idea of a secular and rational India, only exposes a chauvinistic nationalism. What is worst is that an immense divide has emerged, and those who do not conform to the chau-vinistic vision of the majoritarian constructHindu Rashtrahave come to be known as anti-nationals or traitors.

We see the rise of communal nationalism, one of the worst fears of some of the leaders of the freedom movement. This causes concern. The Hindu zeitgeist, who have taken the centre-stage in transferring nationalism into an end value, have created an increasingly hostile, polarised, conflicting, and parochial atmosphere. A conformity that has vitalised the intolerant gaurakshaks to brutally assault the Dalits and Muslims. Defending Hindu culture has become a shield for atrocities and massacres of the disentitled and powerless. An atmosphere of terror, intolerance, fear, and sectarian violence has become the new norm. Nationalism cannot be resurrected by such ardent practices that batter democratic and human values. Projecting nationalism as one history, one culture, one race, and therefore one identity, which is national, is to extinguish not just the plurality and diversity which is fundamental to our society, but also the rights and liberty of citizens.

In the context of todays divisive politics can any political class speak on behalf of the whole nation? Certainly not the political class whose ideology is biased towards a religion, culture, caste, and community. Hyper-nationalism has resulted in books and writings being withdrawn, pulped, banned, and burnt to prevent readers from having access to an alternative discourse that disagrees with the dominant understanding of the political ruling class and their alliance. The Hindu fanatics terrorise artists, writers, teachers, and students for any expression, in any form, that reveals the disconcerting or anguished reality. They become subjects to either censures or are banned as anti-nationals. A growing fearlessness of the law is visible in the cold-blooded murders of rationalists. The attacks on rationalists happened under the Congress regime also, but the point is to condemn such assaults. It is important not to remain silent to the regressive arguments about nationalism. What is worrying is the general drift of society ....the troubled intellectual in India is being asked to choose between free speech that can lead to intellectual murder or a silence that can end in intellectual suicide not just by the state but also by the drift in society. (Gandhi, 2016: 10)

A democratic, plural,and creative society needs to be critical of Hindutva politics as much as the politics of dynasty. Since one of the worlds largest democracy has been politically dominated by one family for more than half-a-century, this repugnance witnessed the anxiety of the common citizens to see a change in the political regime. The ostensive decisive mandate that saw the ideological shift had, perhaps, never expected the Right-wing nationalist politicians to reduce nationalism to a mere chanting of slogans like Mera Bharat Mahaan or Bharat Mata ki Jai, and define a nationalist as the one who only raises such slogans. Those who do not, are named anti-nationals.

The culture to defend Hindu culture as national has separated the nation and its people from nationalism. U.R. Ananthamurthy, in Hindutva or Hind Swaraj, argues that the real test for a democracy is to provide space for those who are not in the majority. The future of a nation and nationalism lies in the political articulation of the diversities and aspirations of the large masses. Patriotism cannot be the sole preserve of any particular party or group with certain ideological views and nobody has the right to say that anybody not of a particular viewpoint is not a patriot. (Rashtriya Sahara, cited in Chishti, 2016) In fact, from hoisting flags in educational institutes to making the singing of national anthem compulsory, patriotism has become a ritual for scrutiny..... majoritarianism in India has combined with a jingoist nationalism. (Visvanathan, 2016: 10)

Majoritarian narratives not only reflect the narrow political interests but also obstruct any holistic understanding of nationalism.The campaign for cultural nationalism and strident majoritarianism is unfavourable to the project of building India as a nation. In violation of the tradition of pluralism and multiculturalism, the political leaders wish not to debate nationalism through free speech. It is rather ironical that the more they attempt to convert a plural society into a majoritarian one, the more debates they invite. The ordinary citizens refuse to be browbeaten, daunted, and dismissed. Therefore, the debate on nationalism raised a wide range of issues of freedom, in particular growing restraint on free speech, intolerance, dissent, civil liberties, prejudice against the lower castes and minorities, ban on beef eating and so on.

Negation of Dissent

Free speech is under great threat not only from the religious fundamentalists but also from the state. This reveals serious infirmities in our democracy. In fact, sedition charges have become normal and are no longer exceptional measures. The state has become extremely intolerant of expressions (in any form) it does not want to hear, see, learn, acknowledge, or understand.

While it is important to extrapolate the complex interdependencies of the dominant structures that influence the state, Hindu nationalism thrives because the political class has been able to graft the institutional power structures. Though national institutions have been preserved as a fiefdom of the Congress party as well, the last two years have seen increasing intrusive politics of the BJP Government in institutions of higher learning and research such as the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR), Indian Council for Social Science and Research (ICSSR), National Book Trust, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi and in Madras, Hyderabad Central University (HCU), and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

One is reminded of the controversies surrounding the saffronisation of some of these institutions that have remained significant to the rational understanding of the nation. Academic and research issues have taken the backseat, due to appointments based on petty politicking and interference of governments. The recent attacks on their autonomy, egalitarian spaces and research culture, and the threat to the freedom which these institutions provide for questions, debates, discussions, and dissent on most significant ideas about Indian history, politics and culture has become evident by the extensive use of the draconian sedition clause against anyone who dissents or opposes the ideology of the government.

Universities, in particular, in the recent past have been targeted by the political parties, whether ruling or in Opposition, to impose their ideologies. The protest by the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) in HCU against the hanging of Yakub Memon and the celebration of beef-festival last year caused unhappiness amongst Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (AVBP), the Hindu Right-wing students and their supporters. Based on stigmatised experiences of living, the consciousness of minorities oppose and contest integrating and assimilating with the mainstream nationalist discourse. This contestation produced new sites of palpable conflict and animosities between the conformists and nonconformists. Thus HCU was branded as a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics. This resulted in an institutional murder of Rohith Vermula. The political denial of discrimination, humiliation, atrocity, and exclusion only compounded the injustice done by the conformists of caste hierarchy.

On similar lines, JNU has been branded as the den of anti-nationals. The RSS ideologue, Ashwini Mishra, in an article in Panchjanya, states that speaking about nationalism is a crime in JNU. He argues that since the Leftists support the Naxalites, insult the martyrs of the Kargil war, promote beef-eating, and protest against the capital punishment for Afzal Guru, they preach and teach anti-nationalism. Dissenting students are called traitors and have become victims of media trial. The events in JNU and Patiala House have further excavated anxiety, fear, distrust, and suspicion that afflicted the country during the past few years.

The special restriction proposed by the T.S. R. Subramanian panelcolleges and universities should consider derecognising student groups based explicitly on caste and religionwill promote the growing violence against constitu-tional freedoms, and repression of secularist and rational voices, by creating a culture of fear, coercion, oppression, and intimidation. The recent protests by students of the AVBP and residents from the nearby villages against the teachers and administration of the Central University of Haryana in Mahendragarh, for staging a play based on Mahasweta Devis short story, Draupadi, as anti-national (alleging that the Army is shown in poor light), reminds us of the protests in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), HCU, University of Delhi, and JNU, against screening of documentary film Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai, based on the 2013 riots in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, as anti-Hindu. The Right-wing forces today wield power to sieze spaces in the universities that have always provided a forum for debates, discussions, and disagreements on subjects of human concern, based on experiences, narratives and testimonies, to move beyond the linear contemplations of understanding reality. At this conjuncture, the statement of Prakash Javedkar, the Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister, that education is not a political issue but a national issue, makes little difference, when what is national is the monopoly of the political class and their ideology. In the context of these challenges, it becomes imperative that India survives as a democratic and secular nation, which makes no attempt to impose a particular religion or a culture as national.

Unmaking India

Unlike the normative notion of nationalism, its contextual interpretation needs to be grounded in the increasing experiences of alienation, exclusion, and oppression of Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, and Christians. As protectors of national interest, which itself has been redefined to privilege the ideology of Hindutva, the gaurakshaks have taken law into their hands. They have been empowered to inflict physical torture and violence on those who they think are flouting their diktats. This has increased the alienation of Dalits and Muslims thus adding to the intensity of their assertion. By conceiving certain food habits and cultural practices of the dominant class and caste as national, the Hindutva fanatics have repeatedly assaulted the Dalit and Muslim community by branding them as cow-eaters and violators of law and order. They have been successful in producing and reproducing stigmatised existence for both the Muslims and Dalits. By remaining a passive observer, the state has failed to break the animosity towards the Dalits and Muslims. What is horrifying is that the suppressors have felt more powerful during the last two years. There is no better way to understand the oppression of the subalterns than understanding the way the perpetrators of violence are protected. No slogan can safeguard the perpetrators of increasing atrocities against certain sections of society, nor can slogans make a nation. From Khairlanji to Una, the continuance of atrocities defines a society and a state that not only violates the fundamental right to live with dignity, but is also prejudiced, cruel, brutal, inhumane, and insensitive.

The longer-term implications of the precarious vigilantism that now certifies for nationalist pride, and justifies impunity, cannot be ignored. Nationalism can become progressive and revolu-tionary only if the perpetrators of subjugation and injustice are reprimanded. Nationalism needs to go beyond symbolism by cultivating an imagination of a nation that liberates the oppressed and suppressed, and empowers them towards self-determination.

Prime Minister Modis statement at the end of the 15-day patriotism drive that the Nationalists are with us, we need to bring Dalits and backward groups explains in many ways that the non-Dalits and non- backwardsthe upper castes have the sole claim over the nation and the Dalits as well as the backwards outside its purview need to be brought closer. (Gatade, 2016: 25) An understanding that defends only the pure and the privileged as central to the nation will contribute to nothing but the unmaking of India. The strategies of the state to empower the oppressed and deprived, therefore, remain highly contested.

Nationalism needs to move beyond constriction to become inclusive, anti-discriminatory, unpre-judiced and dispassionate. While a common understanding of nationalism links it with patriotism, democracy, and development, the idea and practice of nationalism is a continuous process. It has always evolved in a particular historical, social, cultural, economic, and political context.

Criminalising and silencing dissent or disagree-ment with the dominant understanding has become fundamental to the idea of India. In a democracy, expressing ones opinion on the judgement of the Supreme Court cannot be faulted in law, and cannot be arbitrated as anti-national. While freedom of speech is not an absolute right, the attempts to batter free speech has exposed the insularity of the political class.

Patriotism today stands for hostility not just towards Pakistan, but also towards the beef eaters, the nonconformists, the subalternsall seen as anti-nationals. A nation, and its people, can strengthen nationalism by upholding some of the core constitutional values in everyday existencediversity and tolerance, democratic rights and freedom, self-dignity and empower-ment, and unity and integrity. Though the concept and practice of nationalism is open to interpretations, it is more important now than ever before, to essentially deconstruct the majoritarian constructthe Hindu Rashtra.

References

Aloysius, G. (1997), Nationalism Without A Nation In India, New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Bhaskar, C. Uday (2016), Bhagat Singhs Nationalism in The Indian Express, March 23, page 14.

Chishti, Seema (2016), The Urdu Press: Decoding Patriotism in The Indian Express, March 4 cited What is Real Patriotism in Rashtriya Sahara, Editorial, February 29.

Gandhi, Gopal Krishna (2016), The General Drift of Society in The Hindu June 16, page 10.

Gatade, Subhash (2016), Dalit Uprising and After: Why Hindutva Would not be the Same Again in Mainstream, Vol. 45, No. 37, page 25.

Mukherjee, Mridula (2016), What it Means to be Independent in The Hindu, August 15, page 12.

Nussbaum, Martha (2015), For a Politics of Humanism excerpts from an e-mail interview to Rajgopal Saikumar in The Hindu March 26, page 9.

Ray, Suranjita (2015), Rewriting History for Political Gains in Mainstream Republic Day Special, Vol. 53, No. 6, January 2015. ISSN No. 0542-1462.

Visvanathan, Shiv (2016), The Paranoid Art of Nationalism in The Hindu, August 26, page 10.

Suranjita Ray Teaches Political Science in Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi. She can be contacted at suranjitaray_66@yahoo.co.in
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Hope flickers in the midst of Darkness

EDITORIAL

The RSS-controlled Narendra Modi administration in New Delhi is taking major strides in implementing the issues which were characterised as contentious and kept in abeyance during the A.B. Vajpayee Governments tenure at the Centre from 1998 to 2004.

The three contentious issues not touched by Vajpayee and his team were: (i) building a Ram temple at Ayodhya; (ii) abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution relating to special status for Kashmir; and (iii) introducing a Uniform Civil Code by doing away with the Muslim Personal Law. There is a strong apprehension among dominant sections of Muslims that the latest move by the authorities to scrap Islamic personal laws on the ground of gender justice is actually intended to implement the BJPs communal agenda, an apprehension which cannot be dismissed lightly. It is in this context that the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)s statement todaythat the Union Government was seeking to trigger an internal war by attempting to scarp Islamic personal lawsmust be comprehended in full measure. That the BJP move is part of the partys communal policy is beyond question.

As the AIMPLB asserts, All communities have different customs and traditions. Our Constitution accepts that. Its a dangerous idea to treat them with a single yardstick. We oppose it.

Having won absolute majority in the Lok Sabha in the 2014 parliamentary poll, the ruling party is going ahead with its diabolic anti-Muslim course even if the veneer of gender justice aims to conceal that objective.

Meanwhile jingoism on the Indo-Pak front is being continually propagated by the BJP leaders and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has emerged as a major proponent of this line. This too is highly dangerous from the secular standpoint and our national interest.

Against this backdrop what is most encouraging is a statement issued by women journalists, members of the South Asian Women in Media (SAWM), condemning the escalating war hysteria in both Pakistan and India as well as all kinds of violence in word and deed. They have demanded that the governments and political leaders of both countries play a responsible role and have urged our colleagues in the media to play their role as responsible journalists and work towards de-escalating rather than fanning tensions.

While calling upon Pakistan and India to de-escalate tensions and immediately begin the process of diplomatic engagement through dialogue to address their respective concerns they have proposed that Kashmir and Kashmiris must be included in this process since the undivided state of Jammu and Kashmir is not a piece of real estate to be squabbled over but concerns the lives and aspirations of the people who live there.

In the midst of the enveloping darkness hope flickers in the subcontinent through this statement which has once again affirmed the role of people in restoring sanity in South Asia.

October 13 S.C.
The Prodigal Son or the Machiavellian Villain: The American Presidential Election

Though the American Presidential election is purely an internal affair of its citizens, it has a wider impacts on the Global Peace and Development, the fates of several nations, peoples, the very survival of the Muslim world, the spread of Islamic Terrorism and aggravating Refugee Crisis and above all the growing roles of Russia and China in global politics, especially in the Middle East. Consequently, everybody is interested in the American Presidential Election and concerned about the final outcome.

Virtue and Vices

In the beginning of the direct confrontations between the two candidates, Hillary Clinton with the backing of the American President and his wife, besides almost all powerful and money hungry medias, presented herself as an angel, the loving mother and grandmother and the embodiment of human virtues and above all the pious and innocent woman. On the other, they could also effectively present Donald Trump as the embodiment of all vices and wickedness, besides the arch enemy of Muslims and above all a womanizer against the honor of womanhood. They could also mobilize the support of the Muslim world, including the fundamentalists and terrorists who could mobilize billions besides acting as cyber warriors to hack the e-mails and threaten the supporters of Donald Trump.

No Other Option

For the clever manipulation of the media and the news, besides videos, the world has no other option but to blindly believe what they have fed in almost all media and platforms. The world is forced to believe Hillary Clinton as the savior of America, protector of women, Muslims and migrants and above all the entire world and Donald Trump as the greatest catastrophe of America and the humanity.

Gradually, the picture has changed, especially after highly fabricated video clippings of women, including a very old woman with a thirty year-old story; news items appeared the New York Times and the rhetoric utterances of Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama and Michaela Obama. The first lady is over enthusiastic and aggressive as she is aiming at higher office under Hillary Clinton and mobilize billions for the proposed 'Obama Foundation'. That is why; Obama is also ruthlessly engaged in character assassination of Donald Trump.

The Two Debates

When Donald Trump was totally unprepared in attacking Hillary Clinton on moral and ethical grounds out of his modesty or ignorance of the personality of his opponent , including her background as a criminal lawyer, including the art of threatening the rape victims, Hillary Clinton attacked in him mercilessly as a third rate womanizer and incompetent politician. She could display her expertise in acting as a criminal lawyer and deep knowledge in governmental affairs. In the second debate, Donald Trump retaliated with the same coin, including her role in threatening the rape victims and her role in aggravating the Refugee Crisis and the growth of ISIS, besides tendering apology for his locked-room talk against women. The debate has turned ugly, vulgar and nasty thanks to her performance as a criminal lawyer.

The Prodigal Son and the Machiavellian Villain

Gradually, Donald Trump emerged as a Repenting Sinner and Prodigal Son and a victim of the Machiavellian villain aiming at capturing power at any cost using the governmental machinery and the bribed medias or channels and journalists and their fabricated videos and evidences. At the same time people started to suspect the very credibility of Hillary Clinton as most of her utterances against Trump and her teams video clippings, presenting even the very old lady from her sickbed as well as the fashion models and low profile actresses, have started to backfire or boomerang. If somebody brings out the video clips of the friends and classmates of Hillary from her school, college and professional days claiming somebody asher friend or associate, it would have been highly damaging to her than Donald Trump .

The world is getting aware of the double or triple standard of Hillary Clinton, especially after her e-mails have been leaked out. She has direct role in aggravating the Refugee Crisis and the growth of ISIS so as to weaken the European Economy as well as the entire Middle East as the brain of Obama administration. Syrian Model of the Democrats are more effective than the Iraq Model of the Republicans to destablize the Islamic World. At the same time, this has resulted in making Russia a major player in the Middle East and bringing the Cold War there. China is also eagerly waiting for entering the Middle East and Africa. America is getting isolated globally besides daring small countries like Yemen, Philippines and etc. challenging America.

The Power Vacuum created under the Obama administration has been filled and exploited by both Russia and China and other countries besides the ISIS. Even Saudi Arabia is suspicious of America in protecting it, including Mecca and Medina from ISIS and Iran; Turkey is also taking America as an undependable ally. This is an American Tragedy in which Hillary Clinton could not wash her hands.

The Clash of Two Personalities

With her over-imposing personality, over-confidence and inability to seek the advice of external experts, and above all Machiavellian traits to capture power and maintain power, if she becomes the President, the ISIS will become more powerful and aggressive leading to the decline of Saudi Arabia, the growing crisis of the Middle East, more dominant roles for Russia and China challenging the American supremacy and above all the Third World War.

On the other hand, Donald Trump though outspoken never claims any expertise in statecraft and expressed his willingness to listen the advice of the experts besides making people innovate and using their talents freely. As a businessman and a person interacting with so many people, including Muslims and Latin Americans, he can never bring a major war affecting America and destabilizing several other nations; he will be ready to lend his ears to others and admit his mistake and correct himself and make use of the expertise of others. He will make healthy relationship with Russia, the Middle East and the Emerging Economies, protecting the American interests. However, in the coming days, both the Prodigal Son and the Machiavellian Villain will be exposed more clearly affecting the future of America.

My recent writings on these topics appeared in the Market Oracle (UK) can be found with the help of the following link: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/UserInfo-Dr_R_M_Mathew.html

Prof. (Dr.) Raju M. Mathew

 2016 Copyright Dr. Raju M. Mathew - All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Turkish-backed rebels captured the emblematic northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group on Sunday, dealing a major symbolic blow to the militants.

The defeat for IS came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet European allies in London as part of a new diplomatic push to end Syria's conflict, which has left more than 300,000 people dead since 2011.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition forces backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery had seized control of Dabiq on Sunday.

The town, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo, is of little strategic value.

But Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS and its followers because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an apocalyptic battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group, said rebel forces "captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area".

The Fastaqim Union, an Ankara-backed rebel faction involved in the battle, said Dabiq had fallen "after fierce clashes".

Fastaqim said rebels then went on to seize several nearby towns, including Sawran, Ihtimaylat, and Salihiyah.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency also said the rebels had taken control of Dabiq and Sawran and were working to dismantle explosives laid by retreating IS fighters.

It said nine rebels were killed and 28 wounded during clashes on Saturday.

Dabiq has become a byword among IS supporters for a struggle against the West, with Washington and its allies bombing militants portrayed as modern-day Crusaders.

Earlier this week, IS downplayed the importance of the rebel advance on the town.

"These hit-and-run battles in Dabiq and its outskirts -- the lesser Dabiq battle -- will end in the greater Dabiq epic," the group said in a pamphlet published online Thursday.

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, helping Syrian rebels to rid its frontier of IS militants and Syrian Kurdish militia.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkey would push further south to create a 5,000-square-kilometre (1,900 square-mile) safe zone in Syria.

The border area has become deeply unstable, and on Sunday three Turkish police officers were killed when suspected IS suicide bombers blew themselves up during a raid on their sleeper cell in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.

According to Anadolu, Ankara-backed rebels now control 1,130-square-kilometres along the border in Aleppo province, the northern governorate that has been carved into zones of control by militants, Kurds, rebels, and regime forces.

In provincial capital Aleppo, government troops have been waging a fierce Russian-backed offensive on rebels in the eastern quarters of the city.

Fighting continued in Aleppo's northern and southern outskirts on Sunday, as well as in the city centre, according to the Observatory.

AFP's correspondent in Aleppo said there had been nearly non-stop air raids on the opposition-held half of the city since midnight.

Two people were killed Sunday in air raids on Al-Nazha, a neighbourhood in the city's east, the Observatory said.

State news agency SANA said two women were also killed and 16 people wounded in rebel fire on one government-controlled neighbourhood on Sunday.

Fighting has surged in Aleppo following the collapse last month of a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia, raising deep international concern.

Kerry was to fly to London on Sunday to brief Washington's European allies after "brainstorming" talks in Lausanne with the main players in Syria's conflict.

The Swiss meeting on Saturday included key rebel backers Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, as well as regime supporters Iran and Russia.

But it did not produce a concrete plan to restore the truce that collapsed amid bitter recriminations between Washington and Moscow and new fighting on the ground.

Kerry is expected to meet on Sunday with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany, but hopes for a breakthrough have been dim.

British foreign minister Boris Johnson is expected to propose "no-bombing zones" for Syria -- including Aleppo -- during the meeting, the Sunday Times reported.

Quoting a source close to Johnson, the report said he would seek backing from Washington and others for a proposal to threaten strikes on Syrian military sites in retaliation for bombings of certain areas or facilities such as hospitals.

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COLLINSVILLE  A man who led a state police trooper on a high-speed pursuit was sentenced on several charges this week in Henry County Circuit Court.

Judge David V. Williams sentenced John Edward Eschler III of Hillsville on a charge of felony eluding of a law enforcement officer to five years in prison. Out of that sentence, hell serve nine months. The other four years and three months will be suspended, on the condition he goes through two years of supervised probation and five years of good behavior. His drivers license was also revoked for six months.

Eschler was also facing a misdemeanor charge of driving on a suspended license, the third or subsequent offense. On that charge, Williams sentenced him to 12 months in jail, with three months to serve and nine months suspended on the condition of two years of supervised probation, five years of good behavior and revocation of his operators license for 90 days.

Eschler, 28, pleaded guilty to the charges back on Aug. 31.

A criminal complaint by Trooper M.S. Clifton of the Virginia State Police alleged the following:

On May 10 at 7:16 p.m., Clifton observed a 1997 Nissan Maxima with a February 2016 inspection on Route 57 at Field Avenue. Clifton initiated his emergency lights and made a U-turn on the vehicle. After doing so, Clifton turned off the emergency lights and attempted to catch back up with this vehicle, but noticed the vehicle was speeding up.

Clifton then turned on his lights and siren, speeding up to 94 mph to catch the vehicle, which he did just before it reached Meeks Towing and Salvage. The vehicle did not pull over and continued to travel east on Route 57.

As we passed by Garfields, the vehicle drove over the double solid center line and attempted to pass another vehicle, the criminal complaint alleged. A different vehicle was traveling west and had to veer off into Garfields parking lot to avoid being struck head-on by the vehicle I (Trooper Clifton) was pursuing.

The vehicle continued east into the city of Martinsville, where it made a right on Pony Place, a left onto Roundabout Road, then a right onto A Street. While on A Street, the vehicle failed to stop at two stop signs, at the intersections of 3rd and 2nd streets.

The driver of the vehicle then fled on foot while the vehicle was still moving. I (Clifton) stayed with the vehicle and the two passengers, the complaint alleged.

After a short time, Clifton was advised that other officers had the suspect in custody and he was brought back to Cliftons location. Clifton identified the suspect as the person who originally fled.

The suspect was identified as John Edward Eschler III. After investigating the vehicle, Clifton found the license plates on the vehicle did not belong to it. According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, the vehicle had no plates assigned to it.

After checking Mr. Eschlers DMV transcript, I (Clifton) found his license status is revoked and he has five prior violations of driving on a suspended/revoked license. Mr. Eschler was unable to provide me (Clifton) with any insurance for the vehicle, the complaint alleged.

After being advised of his Miranda rights, Eschler allegedly told Clifton he did not stop because he got scared and knew he was not supposed to be driving, according to the complaint.

Paul Collins reports for the Martinsville Bulletin and can be reached at paul.collins@martinsvillebulletin.com.
Suicide bombers blew themselves up in the Turkish city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border on Sunday, causing an unknown number of casualties, after police raided their sleeper cell, state media reported.

The bombers detonated their explosives when they saw they were likely to be captured during an operation by Turkish security forces in the southeastern city, Anadolu news agency reported.

Media reports spoke of casualties without providing precise numbers.

Witnesses told the private NTV television they heard the sounds of gunfire and clashes in the area, mostly populated by university students.

Many ambulances were dispatched to the scene, Anadolu reported.

It was not immediately clear which group the sleeper cell raided by Turkish security forces belonged to.

Turkey is reeling from a string of attacks blamed on Islamic State Islamist militants and Kurdish militants.

Fifty-seven people, 34 of them children, were killed in August in a suicide attack carried out by a bomber linked to IS militants at a Kurdish wedding in Gaziantep.

The latest attack comes shortly after Turkey-backed opposition fighters captured the northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the IS Islamist militants group.

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SUNDAYS WORD is parable (pair-able). Example: The story of the Good Samaritan was one of several parables Jesus shared in the Bible.

YESTERDAYS WORD was nugacity (nug-a-city). It means a trivial or frivolous thing. Example: His opponents were stunned by the sheer nugacity of the candidates comments.

Information on jobs

Anyone out there interested in becoming a seasonal heavy equipment operator? The Virginia Department of Transportation will be working with the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation to let people know what it takes, in terms of training and skills, to become one of VDOTs seasonal workers. The information session will be on Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. to noon at the New College Institute, 191 Fayette Street in Martinsville. VDOT is specifically looking for equipment operators to run VDOT equipment, but would also be interested in working with contractors that have their own trucks and tractors. Equipment operators can make between $16 to $23.73 an hour, depending on experience. The event is free and anyone is welcome to come. You can register by calling (276)-403-5940 or visiting www.YesMartinsville.com/Events

Renaissance Festival

Fall means hot apple cider, hot soup in bread bowls, cozy warm shawls, chain mail, corsets and jousting  at the Renaissance Festival! Holly Kozelsky is planning to do an article (with pictures of course) on dressing for the RenFaire. If you dress for the RenFaire (or know someone who does), whether its a couple of items or the full outfit, contact her at accent@martinsvillebulletin.com or on Facebook.

Spring advising for PHCC

The Patrick County site of PHCC is holding Spring 2017 advising and registration Oct. 26. There will be some faculty advisors and financial aid staff at the site, 212 Wood Brothers Drive in Stuart, from 3 to 6 p.m. For students who cant make it, they can contact Angie Brown, the Patrick County site facilitator, at (276)-694-8778 or email abrown@patrickhenry.edu. For any student looking to register at Patrick Henrys main campus, that starts Nov. 2.

Bassett Community Inc.

The Greater Bassett Community Inc. group will hold their monthly meeting Monday at 6 p.m. at the Bassett Fire Station. 3735 Fairystone Park Highway. Anyone interested in volunteering with the groups projects is welcome to attend.

Ruritan Club meets

The Rangeley Ruritan Club will get together for their monthly meeting next Thursday, beginning at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at the club building, 1154 The Great Road in Fieldale.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Well, weve looked at the coldest place humans live on Earth. Now its time to flip the coin. What is the hottest place humans live? The answer will be in tomorrows Stroller.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Lets talk about temperatures. What is the coldest place consistently inhabited by people? The South Pole and Antarctica can get frosty, but aside from scientists, humans stay away. With winter rolling in, what is the coldest place that humans currently live? Well, its not the North Pole and surprisingly, Alaska doesnt qualify either. Instead, we have to turn to Europe to find the answer. The tiny village of Oymyakon, Russia sees an average temperature of minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter months. Its not just cold there, its also remote. Its a two-day drive from Yakutsk, the nearest city and the regional capital, to the village.
Theres a meme making the rounds on social media. Maybe youve seen it.

If American women are so outraged at Donald Trumps naughty words, it says, who in the hell bought 80 million copies of 50 Shades of Grey?

I feel uniquely qualified to comment on this statement, because I have read 50 Shades of Grey.

Really.

A few years back, I used to host a podcast with a friend of mine. We would read popular books that we suspected were terrible, and then we would spend about an hour making fun of those books. It was a great time.

In one episode, we read and mocked 50 Shades of Grey. Its a terrible book, boring and poorly written.

But its also a book about two adults who enter into a consensual relationship. In fact, some of the most boring, tedious chapters of this boring, tedious book center on the two consenting adults signing lengthy contracts dictating what they will and will not do to each other in the boudoir.

It is not a book in which the billionaire main character brags about using his wealth and power to sexually assault women.

What we have here is a type of logical fallacy called a false equivalence, a statement where two opposing arguments appear, at first blush, to be logically equivalent when they actually are not.

There has obviously been a great deal of backlash against the recently unearthed comments Donald Trump made in 2005, comments too vulgar to be reprinted in a family newspaper. But there have also been incredible, gymnastic leaps made to justify those comments and put them in some sort of normal context.

Lets be clear: The leaked 2005 video of Trump is not offensive because the comments are vulgar and naughty, although they are. It is not offensive because the comments are cruel, though they are that, too.

The video is offensive because it depicts a man bragging about using his wealth and status to commit sexual assault. Im not using some nebulous personal definition of sexual assault; Im using the official definition from the U.S. Department of Justice, which states that sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.

At this point, I imagine some readers might be opening their web browsers to send me an e-mail about how terrible Hillary Clinton is. Hold tight for a moment, because this isnt a political column. In a real sense, this isnt even a column about Donald Trump.

This is a column about sexual assault.

This week, several female friends of mine have posted on Facebook the stories of the times they have been sexually assaulted. Youll note I said stories, not story. Every one of the women who posted about their experiences with sexual assault had more than one story to share.

These are heartbreaking, blood-boiling stories, and they all share a few similarities. They all usually involve older men in positions of power, and they all usually conclude in one of two ways: Either I didnt tell anyone because I was afraid no one would care and/or believe me, or I told someone and they didnt care and/or believe me.

The sheer volume of these stories has been eye-opening. Is this something that a majority of women just have to endure? Do mothers take their daughters aside and tell them, Hey, as you enter the workforce, I just want you to know that theres a decent chance your boss will grope you, and if you tell on him hell make your life a living hell, so just try to grin and bear it?

And, most importantly, what kind of low-class punk thinks its OK to force himself on another human being, and how do people like that keep getting away with it?

Maybe the reason they keep getting away with it is because we have a hard time talking about it.

If thats the case, then Mr. Trump has accidentally given our nation a gift. Like it or not, he has forced us to confront the issue of sexual assault in America.

It is up to us to decide how we will respond, whether we will excuse away this sort of behavior as locker-room talk, or whether we will collectively decide that literally half the population of the earth deserves to be treated with basic human decency.

John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher and the first Member of Parliament to call for womens suffrage, once said that bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.

This is not about politics. Its about whether or not our nation is ready to take a collective moral stand, or whether it is easier to simply shrug and say, Oh well; boys will be boys.

Ben Williams writes for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at benjamin.williams@martinsvillebulletin.com
Yemen's Shia Houthi rebels Sunday demanded an international probe into an air strike that killed more than 140 people at a funeral, after a Saudi-led Arab coalition admitted "wrongly" hitting it.

The October 8 raid, condemned by Human Rights Watch as an "apparent war crime", was one of the deadliest since the pro-government coalition launched an air campaign against the rebels and their allies in March 2015.

The coalition's acknowledgement that it wrongly hit the funeral "does not clear its leadership of violating international humanitarian law and all humanitarian norms and conventions", said the rebel-controlled foreign ministry.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon "should form an independent and international investigation committee headed by a high-profile, neutral and international personality as soon as possible to probe war crimes committed by the coalition in Yemen", it said in a statement.

The Riyadh-based coalition acknowledged on Saturday that the air strike in which more than 525 people were also wounded was based on "incorrect information".

It pledged "appropriate action" against those responsible and compensation for families of the victims.

The air strike prompted an international outcry and strong criticism, including from Saudi Arabia's closest Western allies.

Yemen's conflict has killed nearly 6,900 people, more than half of them civilians, since the coalition launched its operations, according to the United Nations.

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I read with interest two recent editorials questioning whether Interstate 73 is still a viable alternative for the economic future of Virginia and, specifically, the Martinsville region. This is an important question, one that demands thoughtful consideration.

The writer questions the relevancy of a 2008 I-73 economic analysis, noting times have changed. Yet this new normal does not eliminate the need for adequate infrastructure. Instead, one might suggest just the opposite. According to Reshoring Manufacturing, a recent Dun and Bradstreet report noted 127 percent growth in U.S. manufacturing employment between 2011 and 2016, partly due to on-shoring of jobs from foreign countries back to the U.S. Because many manufacturers rely on interstate highways to receive their raw materials and ship their products, these new economic realities might present an opportunity for Virginia and other states to create more jobs. This trend may be one very good reason to keep I-73 at the forefront of Virginias long-term transportation plans.

In a separate editorial, the writer calls for more/better long-range thinking. This suggestion is appropriate and should be embraced by community leaders, economic developers and transportation planners. In fact, one savvy long-range move might be to update the Chmura I-73 economic analysis, factoring in current trends and likely changes. But we cannot risk ignoring important facts that underscore the need for investing in infrastructure. For example, the Federal Highway Administration regularly reports on transportation statistics that suggest Americans are driving more, not less. In my state of South Carolina, more than two-thirds of all new jobs announced by our states Department of Commerce since 2008 have been located on our near an interstate highway. Yes, times change. But some things remain constant. Americans are reliant upon automobiles and interstate highways are essential for some industries.

The writer questions the economic upside of I-73, observing that he has seen interchanges in other counties and states without a hotel nearby. He is correct. An interstate is not a guarantee of economic success. But is that a reason to forsake a major investment in our national interstate highway system, arguably the greatest economic development program in American history? Does Wal-Mart stop building new stores because other retailers have gone out of business? The writer ignores the countless examples of communities and regions that have been transformed by economic expansion along an interstate highway. We can conclude that in economic development, there are winners and losers. True, an interstate highway does not guarantee results. But it is often a key part of successful economic development strategies that combine necessary infrastructure, an educated workforce, a high quality of life and a pro-business environment.

The writer also casts doubt on the wherewithal of state and federal governments to pay for I-73. On this point, we can all agree. Virginia is not alone in struggling to find funds for new or expanded interstate highways. Frankly, our federal leaders have failed us in this regard. America is quickly falling behind with a crumbling infrastructure system and theres enough blame to go around for both political parties. But thats not a reason to give up. No, in fact, now is the time for Virginians to insist their leaders invest in infrastructure.

I-73 can help attract new companies and new jobs. I-73 can help grow tourism. I-73 can help to reduce congestion and enhance connectivity. And, Virginians can take comfort in knowing that small steps of progress have been made in neighboring states to move I-73 to completion. The question can we afford to build I-73 is understandable, but recognizing the potential benefits to Virginia, the better question may be can we afford not to build I-73?

Brad Dean is president of the National I-73/I-74/I-75 Corridor Association
BOSTON An 18-year-old high school student was killed Friday when the car she was driving collided with another car at the intersection of American Legion Highway and Clare Street.

Police are still investigating the circumstances of the crash but did confirm that one person was killed in the accident.

School Superintendent Tommy Chang confirmed the dead woman was a student at the Boston Community Leadership Academy.

Chang said grief counselors would be available for students and faculty Saturday and Monday.
BOSTON A 2-year-old girl was shot in the hand and the leg Saturday afternoon as she sat in her dad's car parked on a Roxbury side street.

Boston police said the little girl was waiting for her father as he talked outside the vehicle when a gunman on a passing scooter opened fire.

WBZ-TV reported the little girl, who was strapped into her car seat, was hit twice while her father was unhurt.

The father is a known gang member, Police Commissioner Williams Evans said. He is not cooperating with police.

The little girl was driven to the Boston Medical Center by her father where police said she will make a full recovery.

Police are searching for a bearded man on a gray and black motor scooter.
AMHERST - The victim killed in a double shooting at the Southpoint Apartment complex on Friday night has been identified as a 31-year-old man.

Jose "Joselito" Rodriguez was killed shortly after midnight on Saturday at the complex on 266 East Hadley Road in Amherst, said Mary Carey, spokeswoman for Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan.

Rodriguez was staying at the apartment complex at the time of his death but had no stable address, Carey said.

A 28-year-old man was also shot multiple times in the crime. He is being treated at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, Carey said.

The shooting happened at about 12:15 a.m. Rodriguez died before police arrived and the other victim was immediately brought to a local hospital by ambulance, officials said.

No arrests have been made. Police said the shooting was not a random act but have not released any details on the motive for the crime, Carey said.

The homicide is being investigated by Amherst Police, Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office and Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services.

Officials at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst said they did not know of any affiliations Rodriguez had with the college.





Anyone with information is asked to contact the Amherst Police Department at 413- 259-3015, or to text a tip to the anonymous tip line at 274637.
2016-09-14 - New Linear Accelerator w Patient 3072 (sm).jpg

The Baystate Regional Cancer Program recently upgraded its radiation therapy with the installation of a $2.5 million Versa HD Linear Accelerator at Baystate Medical Center's D'Amour Center for Cancer Care.

(Todd Lajoie)

SPRINGFIELD - Women who undergo breast conservation surgery in the wake of a diagnosis of early stage breast cancer are generally treated with radiation therapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells in the breast, chest wall or under the arm.

This therapy is said to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence (pdf) in the same breast by about 50 percent. Some women who have had a mastectomy may also be treated with radiation therapy, and it can be used to help patients with more advanced breast cancer.

One recent study done by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston, found a 70 percent reduction in breast cancer mortality for certain patients treated with radiation therapy after a lumpectomy for a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The study, among the first to show that radiation for some DCIS patients impacted breast cancer mortality, involved data from 32,144 patients diagnosed with DCIS between 1988 and 2007.

Research is ongoing as to best treatment recommendations for women with early stage breast cancer as less treatment means less side effects, but less treatment could also put some women at greater risk for recurrence. Size of the tumor, its molecular composition, and the women's age, are among the factors weighed.

Dr. Harriet Eldredge-Hindy, a radiation oncologist at Baystate Medical Center, was asked about the Dana- Farber/Brigham and Women's study, as well as the use of radiation therapy in the treatment of breast cancer. She noted the question of whether "someone requires radiation following surgery for breast cancer is a complex and personalized decision that is made on a case-by-case basis."

Q.

How does radiation work in terms of destroying malignant or abnormal cells?

A.

Radiation works by making small breaks in the DNA within cancer cells. Because the cancer cells are abnormal and different than the healthy cells in the body, they are not able to repair the DNA damage caused by radiation treatment. This DNA damage causes the cancer cells to die or prevents them from growing and dividing.

Q.

What determines who will get radiation?

A.

Whether or not a patient requires radiation after surgery for breast cancer is a complex and personalized decision that is made on a case-by-case basis. When radiation therapy is recommended after a breast tumor has been surgically removed, usually the goal is to help prevent the cancer from growing back. Generally speaking, most women who choose to preserve their breast by having a lumpectomy, will during their cancer treatment require radiation treatment after surgery. However, when patients undergo mastectomy or surgical removal of the entire breast, they may or may not need radiation after surgery.

Q.

Would you explain the difference between external beam radiation and brachytherapy? When would someone get brachytherapy rather than external beam radiation? What are the side effects of each?

A.

There are a variety of ways that radiation therapy can be given for breast cancer. The most common treatment method is called external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). During EBRT, a machine called a

linear accelerator

is used to deliver radiation from outside of the body. This machine uses an electricity source to create high-energy electrons and x-rays (called photons) which are effective in treating cancer. Special treatment devices are used to shape the radiation beams so that the cancer is effectively and safely treated. During the treatment, patients lie still on a treatment table. The radiation beams are not painful or visible to the naked eye.

Brachytherapy is another useful radiation treatment technique which uses small, radioactive sources that are placed into or near a tumor. The radioactive source delivers radiation dose to the nearby tissues, and typically the tissues more than a few centimeters away receive a very low dose. For this reason, brachytherapy may be helpful in cases that require "pinpoint" or targeted radiation treatment.

When brachytherapy is used to treat breast cancer, a plastic device called an applicator is surgically inserted into the breast tissue at the site of an excised breast tumor. A small radiation source then travels inside the applicator and deposits a radiation dose to a small area of tissue within the breast.

This technique is called partial breast irradiation. There are many ways that brachytherapy can be used during breast cancer treatment. The most common brachytherapy treatment regimen entails twice daily radiation treatments that are given five days in a row (10 treatments total over one week).

Brachytherapy may be an acceptable radiation treatment for some carefully selected patients with breast cancer. Patients need to undergo a consultation and evaluation with their radiation oncologist in order for their doctor to determine whether they are a candidate for brachytherapy. Brachytherapy is reserved for women with small breast tumors, negative lymph nodes, and who meet other specific clinical criteria.

In patients who receive EBRT for breast cancer, fatigue and sunburn-like skin reaction are the most common side effects. Sometimes there is mild breast swelling, sensitivity in the breast, or aches and pains in the breast. Usually these side effects resolve a few weeks after the treatments are complete. Many months or years after the radiation treatment, a small portion of patients will have shrinkage of the breast or firmness of the breast caused by scar tissue formation.

In patients receiving brachytherapy for breast cancer, there is potential for all of the same side effects, however, the skin reaction is less common and may be less severe. There may be a higher risk of infection, scar tissue formation, or poor cosmetic outcome with brachytherapy.

Q.

Have some studies shown brachytherapy to be less effective?

A.

This is a controversial and unresolved question. For example, some studies have suggested that brachytherapy is a less effective radiation treatment than EBRT because higher rates of breast cancer recurrence were observed after surgery and brachytherapy. However, other studies have demonstrated good outcomes - including low rates of breast cancer recurrence and good cosmetic results - when breast brachytherapy is used in appropriately selected patients.

Because medical studies have reported mixed results about the effectiveness of brachytherapy, doctors and cancer researchers are currently performing high-quality medical studies called clinical trials, which they hope will clarify whether or not brachytherapy is as effective as EBRT in certain patients with breast cancer.

At Baystate Medical Center, we feel that the concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of breast brachytherapy need to be resolved by further research before we introduce the technique for our patients as part of standard therapy.

Q.

When radiation is given for breast cancer treatment, when is it combined with other therapies and in what order?

A.

Most patients require more than one treatment for breast cancer, including surgery, radiation, and/or cancer-fighting medications. After a breast cancer has been diagnosed, the most common scenario is for a patient to first undergo surgery to remove the breast tumor. Many patients will also require a lymph node biopsy (sentinel lymph node biopsy) or surgical removal of multiple lymph nodes (called an axillary dissection).

Radiation treatment is given after surgery and can be used to treat women who have had the breast surgically removed with a mastectomy, but can also be used to treat women who still have their breast. Oftentimes, cancer-fighting medications including chemotherapy, hormone medications, and/or biological drugs are recommended to patients to shrink breast tumors or to prevent the cancer from returning after surgery. These medications can be given either before or after surgery. However, when chemotherapy is recommended after surgery, the radiation treatment is given after chemotherapy has been completed.

Q.

What determines the dose, and the number of treatments? And is the whole breast irradiated? Why?

A.

EBRT for breast cancer typically takes 3.5 to 6.5 weeks to deliver. Treatment is given once daily, five days a week for about 20 to 30 minutes each day. The prescription radiation dose and number of radiation treatments is determined by the radiation oncologist depending on the patient's age, tumor size, cancer stage, whether or not the patient has had a mastectomy or chemotherapy, whether or not the lymph nodes need to be targeted during radiation treatment, and a variety of other factors.

Shorter radiation treatment courses of 3.5 to 4 weeks are usually used in women 50 years of age and older with early stage breast cancer treated with lumpectomy. In contrast, women who have had mastectomy, chemotherapy, or require radiation treatment that targets the lymph nodes typically require 5 to 6.5 weeks of treatment.

When patients are treated with EBRT, it is usually recommended that the whole breast be irradiated because there is potential for cancer cells to be present in more than one region of the breast. Targeting the whole breast tissue during radiation therapy ensures comprehensive treatment of microscopic cancer cells that may remain in the breast tissue after surgery.

Q.

With external beam radiation, are patients still "tattooed" - what is involved prior to actually having the first radiation?

A.

Patients routinely receive two or three small tattoos prior to starting radiation treatment. The tattoos are very small dots that look similar to a freckle. The tattoos act as permanent skin marks that allow the radiation physician and therapists to position the patient in a reproducible manner prior to each daily treatment. In order for our radiation treatments to be accurate and reproducible, the patient needs to lie in the same position on the treatment table each day. The tattoos help us verify that the radiation treatment will be delivered accurately each day.

Prior to starting radiation treatment, each patient meets with a radiation oncologist for a consultation. During this meeting, the doctor will discuss all available treatment options and whether or not radiation treatment is necessary. If radiation treatments are recommended, the patient will next undergo a radiation planning session, which is sometimes referred to as a CAT scan simulation.

During this appointment, the patient will lie on a CAT scan table with her arms raised over her head. The doctor and other staff members will place some markers on the skin of their breast or chest wall. A low-dose CAT scan is then performed which allows us to take pictures of the patient's anatomy that are then used for radiation planning. Tattooing is also performed during this appointment.

After the CAT scan appointment is over, the radiation oncologist and staff typically require 1 to 2 weeks to create a radiation therapy plan using special software. Next, the patient will return to the radiation oncology center where she will undergo a dry run of the radiation treatment. This dry run allows the radiation oncologist and staff to perform important quality assurance checks prior to starting radiation therapy. Usually, no radiation dose is given during this appointment.

Q.

If a breast cancer patient receives radiation and treatment puts the cancer in remission but it returns several years later, does it mean that radiation failed? And can radiation be used again as a treatment - why or why not?

A.

While many patients with breast cancer achieve long term cancer remission, unfortunately, some patients will have a recurrence of their breast cancer. In this situation, the breast cancer may regrow in the breast, on the chest wall, or in the lymph nodes near where the tumor originally was. This situation is called a local or regional recurrence of breast cancer and can be considered a failure of the original breast cancer treatment, including radiation. Fortunately, this type of recurrence is not common. Oftentimes, radiation therapy cannot be used again to treat this type of cancer recurrence due to a concern for significant side effects.

In some cases of breast cancer relapse or recurrence, the breast cancer will show up in a different area of the body than it was originally found in, including the bones or internal organs. This scenario is called a distant recurrence or metastases. These cases are not considered radiation failures. Distant recurrences are managed using a variety of treatments, including radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy or other medications. Radiation therapy is commonly used to treat distant recurrences, such as for painful bone tumors.

Q.

Do women with early stage breast cancer have a valid option these days not to do radiation given - what is known about early stage breast cancer?

A.

There are some populations of women with early stage breast cancer that have the option to omit radiation therapy from their cancer treatment because they are at low risk for tumor recurrence after surgery. Early stage breast cancer includes women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive precursor of breast cancer, and stages I and II breast cancer.

For example, most women with early stage breast cancer do not need radiation therapy if they undergo mastectomy, or removal of the entire breast. Second, some women with DCIS who choose to preserve their breast will not require radiation treatment if they have small tumors (typically 1 centimeter or less) along with other favorable features.

Lastly, some women with stage I and II breast cancer who undergo breast conserving surgery can opt to omit radiation therapy after a discussion of the risks and benefits if they are 70 years of age or older and have small tumors with other favorable features - since, in this setting, the benefit of radiation is quite modest.

Q

. Is radiation as effective as a mastectomy in terms of long-term survival with early stage breast cancer?

A.

Yes. Over the past 30 years, at least six randomized, clinical trials have shown that long-term survival of women with early stage breast cancer is the same, whether they undergo mastectomy or breast preserving therapy. While mastectomy requires surgical removal of the entire breast, breast preserving therapy allows a woman to keep her breast by having only a portion of the breast tissue removed with a surgery called lumpectomy.

Radiation treatment is given after the lumpectomy is performed, so breast preserving therapy actually includes two components - lumpectomy and radiation therapy. Breast preserving therapy may improve treatment satisfaction and body image in women treated for early stage breast cancer.

Q.

What do you think of the study of the Dana- Farber/Brigham and Women's study this spring that uses three factors - nuclear grade, tumor size and patients age - to determine benefits of radiation to breast cancer patients with DCIS? Do you yet use those factors in determining whether someone with DCIS should get radiation? Is the challenge with DCIS that it is the most common in situ form of breast cancer diagnosed but it can return and become aggressive or not or grow so slowly it does not pose a health threat?

A.

I read this study, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, with great interest. This study examined outcomes from over 32,000 women with DCIS and found that certain subgroups of women - particularly women under the age of 40, with DCIS that has a high nuclear grade and/or measures more than 4 centimeters - have better long-term survival if they receive radiation therapy after lumpectomy.

This study is significant because it is the first study to demonstrate that radiation therapy improves survival in some women with DCIS. It also gives physicians more information to help individualize their treatment recommendations for each patient. It should be noted, however, that breast cancer survival in women with DCIS is very high with further treatment and approaches 98 percent at 10 years.

While this was a new and exciting study, the three factors discussed in this study have been widely used by radiation oncologists for years to determine whether someone with DCIS will benefit from radiation treatment. Nuclear grade, which was used in this study, is a description of how abnormal the tumor cells appear under the microscope and is an indicator of how quickly a tumor is likely to grow or spread.

My colleagues at Baystate Medical Center and I carefully examine nuclear grade, tumor size, patient age and other important prognostic factors for each patient we meet with breast cancer and DCIS to determine whether radiation treatment will be helpful in reducing their risk for breast cancer recurrence or will improve their chance of cure.

The challenge is to determine which patients have more aggressive tumors and are at high risk for tumor regrowth. Fortunately, this task is possible with good medical practice and tools like the one described in the Dana-Farber study. This personalized approach to breast cancer treatment allows us to avoid over treatment and maximize the quality and efficacy of our radiation therapy.
LEDYARD, Ct. - State Police have arrested a second men and charged him in a 10-year-old homicide of a Groton man.

Christopher P. Vincenti, 32, of Niles Hill Road, New London, Connecticut, is scheduled to be arraigned on a felony murder charge on Monday in New London Superior Court, Connecticut State Police said.

He turned himself into police at about 6 p.m., Friday after Superior Court officials issued a warrant for his arrest. He is being held on $1 million bail until his arraignment, police said.

Vincenti is the second man to be arrested this month and charged with the 10-year-old killing of Anthony Hamlin, who was 40 at the time of his death, police said.

On Oct. 6, Timothy P. Johnson, 32, of Norwich, Connecticut, was also charged with felony murder in the case, police said.

He was arraigned in New London Superior Court on Oct. 7 and held on $1 million bail. His case has been continued to Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

Hamlin, of Groton, Connecticut, was found dead on Jan. 28, 2006, in a field in the area of 428 Shewville Road. He was last seen in New London, police said.

"Over the past decade State Police detectives have followed up on multiple leads and conducted numerous interviews. Through the course of this lengthy investigation State Police detectives recently developed information linking the suspects to the death of Anthony Hamlin," State police officials said on their Facebook page.
bullitt-jonas2.jpg

The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas will give the keynote address, "Climate Change: An Emergency of the Heart," at an interfaith forum on the environment Oct. 30 from 2 to 5 p.m. at First Church of Christ of Longmeadow.

(Anne-Gerard Flynn photo)

SPRINGFIELD - The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas is a woman with many titles - Episcopal priest, author, retreat leader, lecturer and teacher - that all converge around the issue of climate change.

She will deliver the keynote address, "Climate Change: An Emergency of the Heart," at an interfaith forum on Oct. 30, 2 to 5 p.m., at First Church of Christ of Longmeadow.

Her advocacy work earned her the 2016 "Steward of God's Creation Award" from the National Religious Coalition on Creation Care.

Convergence is a theme in Bullitt-Jonas' life as an early love of literature, Divine help in facing an eating disorder and call to priesthood at the time of growing awareness of global warming helped put her on the path of climate activism.

"I've always been interested in how our inner life - our visceral response to beauty, images, words, and stories - relates to the world outside us," Bullitt-Jonas said.

"As a teenager and young adult I was fascinated by the relationship between literature and social justice. In college I majored in Russian literature and wrote an honors thesis about the failed effort by the Soviet Union to use art to advance social change."

She said it was in graduate school that her life took "an unexpected turn" as "after a long struggle with an eating disorder, I finally got into recovery."

"Through the grace of God, I made peace with my body," Bullitt-Jonas said.

"I was so surprised by the divine love that saved my life that I headed to seminary. I was ordained in the Episcopal Church in June 1988, the same spring that the New York Times was reporting on what scientists were saying about the threat of global warming. I wondered: if it's possible for a crazy addict like myself to make peace with her body, might it not be possible for human beings to make peace with the body of the Earth?"

Bullitt-Jonas, who will preached at all three services on Sunday, Oct. 23, at Christ Church Cathedral, notes that in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, God gives human beings "dominion" over the Earth.

"Dominion has unfortunately been misinterpreted as being the license to dominate and destroy. However, the Bible is very clear that the Earth does not belong to us. It belongs to God - 'The Earth is the Lord's, and all that is in,' says Psalm 24,'" Bullitt-Jonas said.

"Our role as human beings is to tend and care for the Earth as stewards entrusted with an enormous gift. The word 'dominion' comes from the root word 'Dominus' - Lord - so I interpret 'dominion' to mean that we are called to love the world as our Lord God loves it."

The first sermon Bullitt-Jonas ever preached was on the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, which sent 11 million gallons, or 257,000 barrels, of oil along 1,100 miles of Alaskan coastline.

She is knowledgeable about both the scientific as well as spiritual implications of climate preservation efforts, ranging from the 2015 Paris Agreement aimed at preventing Earth from "warming more than an average of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels," she notes, to Governor Charlie Baker's executive order for "his administration to cut back greenhouse gas emissions."

Still, Bullitt-Jonas says if individuals are serious "about wanting to preserve a habitable world," and end dependence on fossil fuels, "we'll have to work for it - to organize, lobby, vote, pray, invent, create, protest, and push - to do it together and do it fast."

The Paris Agreement, signed by nearly 200 nations, is estimated to curb greenhouse gas emissions whose excess traps too much heat in Earth's atmosphere, by about half of what is needed to stop the consequences of human induced climate change. According to government statistics, greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, from the burning of such fuels as gas and coal for heat, transportation and electricity, have increased by seven percent since 1990.

Bullitt-Jonas received her undergraduate degree from California's Stanford University, a doctorate in comparative literature from Harvard University and a master of divinity degree from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge.

Since 2014 the former parish priest has served as missioner for creation care for the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts and, since this year, as well as for the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.

"I feel like a walking sign of the possibility of Christian unity in the face of the climate crisis, and I give thanks for people of other faiths who walk beside me," Bullitt-Jonas said.

"For many of us, the great obstacle to thinking about climate change is fear: fear that if we admit how much we care, we'll be overwhelmed by grief; fear that it's too late for meaningful action - we're already cooked; fear that our efforts won't make a difference; fear that we're incapable of changing our ways and finding a more life-sustaining path; fear that the solutions to climate change require sacrifice; fear that if we don't cling tightly to what we have and grab for more, we'll lose it all."

She calls climate change "an existential crisis, for it threatens everything we love: the health and safety of our children, the well-being of the poor and vulnerable, the ongoing existence of our brother and sister species, even the stability and ongoing existence of human civilization."

"Climate change presents difficult moral questions," Bullitt-Jonas said.

"By continuing to burn fossil fuels, we are stealing a habitable world from our children. Do we have the moral right to leave a ruined world to those who come after us? Do we have the moral right to harm the poor, who are the people hurt first and hardest by the effects of climate change? Do we have the moral right to decimate our brother and sister species in what scientists call the world's sixth major extinction event? If we don't have the moral right to do these things, how do we forgive ourselves and set a new course?"

She said in her work she tries to "convey God's love for the natural world and to evoke our God-given yearning to protect the web of life."

"I've organized prayer vigils, spoken at rallies and conferences, lobbied locally and in D.C., and been arrested twice for non-violent civil disobedience," Bullitt-Jonas said.

"When we understand how much God cherishes the Earth and its communities, human and other-than-human, we receive strength to join the struggle to transform society so that it no longer devours and exploits the Earth and the poor. Love is ultimately what motivates us, not grief, rage, or fear."

Bullitt-Jonas feels "we can do a lot as individuals to reduce our personal carbon footprint - drive less, use public transportation, put on a sweater and turn down the heat, ditch the dryer and hang laundry outside to dry, eat local foods, support our local land trusts and farms, and so on."

"But the scope and pace of the climate crisis require change on a much broader scale. We need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and to stop building fossil fuel infrastructure, such as new oil and gas pipelines," Bullitt-Jonas said.

"We need public policies, such as a fair and rising price on carbon, which will accelerate the transition to clean energy sources, like sun and wind. We need to exercise our right to vote and to support candidates who understand the emergency and who will move us toward solutions that benefit all communities, including the poor and historically under-served. Our country needs to address the climate crisis with the same fervor and clarity of purpose that Americans demonstrated when they mobilized to transform the economy during World War II."

Bullitt-Jonas said she is "grateful for the efforts that the Obama administration has made to push for climate solutions."

"I am grateful for the Clean Power Plan, which takes an historic and important step toward reducing carbon pollution from power plants, and I appreciate his desire to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," said Bullitt-Jonas who was arrested and released after paying a fine for taking part in a 2001 interfaith "witness" at the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. against further drilling in the refuge.

On Saturday, 170 countries meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, agreed to cut the use of hydrofluorocarbons that are used in air conditioners and refrigerators. HFCs gases have a much greater ability than carbon dioxide to trap heat in Earth's atmosphere. The Kigali amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol is legally binding, and its successful negotiated is attributed in part to the efforts of President Obama.



Bullitt-Jonas called Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical, "Laudato Si: On Care For Our Common Home," a "thrilling document."

"It is short, but in its pages Pope Francis gives a wonderfully comprehensive vision of the world. He understands that everything is connected. The same mindset that allows us to dominate and exploit the earth is also the mindset that allows us to dominate and exploit the poor and the vulnerable, including women, people of color, immigrants, and refugees." Bullitt-Jonas said.

"The cry of the earth is inseparable from the cry of the poor. To put it another way, the struggle for a livable world is the same as the struggle for a just and peaceful world."



Bullitt-Jonas said "one of the first things" she did as in the newly created position of missioner for creation care was "to launch a Season of Creation in our diocese, a period of about six weeks that begins on the Feast Day of St. Francis" on Oct. 4. She noted St. Francis is often referred to as the "patron saint of ecologists."

"During this special period, congregations are invited to pay particular attention to our Christian call to honor the Earth. Through sermons, special worship services, and educational experiences, Christians have a chance to renew their relationship with the God who loves and redeems the world and who sends us out to follow Jesus in his mission of justice, mercy, and hope," Bullitt-Jonas said.

She added she keeps a "framed image of St. Francis, painted by the Maine artist, Nancy Earle, in a prominent place in my house" and has been empowered in her own climate activism by the saint's life.

"In the painting, St. Francis is accompanied - even interpenetrated - by other living creatures, such as a wolf and a whale, and by wind, sun, water, and fire. He knows that his boundaries do not stop with his skin. He knows that human beings do not exist in isolation, but only in communion with other creatures and with the Earth upon which all life depends," Bullitt-Jonas said.

She added that she and her husband are currently living in the Berkshires while building an energy efficient home in Northampton.

"I am grateful to be living right now in an old farmhouse beside a pond. Every morning I can step outside and see what God is up to in the wind and trees and water. When I spend time in nature and my mind grows prayerful and quiet, I begin to experience my interconnection with everything that is," Bullitt-Jonas said.

"The prophet Isaiah advises, 'Do not turn your back on your own kin,' and I'm coming to realize that our 'kin' extend way beyond human beings. Several years ago I changed my car's license plate to KINSHP. "
AGAWAM -- With the Halloween season well upon Western Massachusetts, Six Flags is celebrating its annual Fright Fest complete with creepy clowns, weapon-carrying zombies and a cockroach eating contest.

Yes, this week six people got a chance to participate in the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach contest - and contestants had to eat the giant bugs while they were alive. Contestants had a chance to win a season's passes to the park if they could stomach the idea.

Six Flags New England has been holding its Fright Fest for a number of years, to end the amusement park season and have a little Halloween fun. This is the one place where creepy clowns were expected and even welcomed.

Attractions for adventurous thrill seekers included the Wicked Woods, Slasher Circus in 3D, and the all new Forgotten Laboratory. Haunted Zones were scattered throughout the park at locations such as: The Main Street Graveyard, Tombstone Territory, Undead Alley, and the Demon District.

For the mellower crowd, an indoor stage production of the Graveyard Groove: A Monster Revue, was performed under the roof of the former carousel ride where creatures are unleashed from their tombs. Actors, in combination with an exhilarating soundtrack, get the audience's feet stomping and blood pumping.

People photographed themselves with zombies, in coffins and on scary rollercoasters. Here are some of the things people have been Tweeting about the Fright Fest.
Twelve Springfield police officers are under investigation in connection with the beating of a group of men in a parking lot following an argument at Nathan Bill's Bar and Restaurant in April 2015.

Official details of the incident, which until now has not been publicly reported, are sparse. The city's law department confirmed that the internal affairs unit of the Springfield Police Department has compiled a report on the fight and referred the case to the Hampden County District Attorney's Office, which is still investigating.

But for Paul Cumby, who says he was attacked by the off-duty officers that night, the consequences have been clear. According to medical records, Cumby suffered a fractured leg and loosened teeth after being "assaulted by several individuals" - details that did not make an initial police report on the fight, which said he only sustained "minor cuts and scrapes."

"He was clearly beaten to a pulp," Cumby's attorney Michelle Cruz said in an interview.

The city confirmed that 12 officers have received disciplinary letters, including both a group of off-duty officers accused of participating in the fight and responding officers accused of being unsympathetic.

For 18 months, the incident went undisclosed. Reached for comment, the owners of Nathan Bill's declined to speak; Police Commissioner John Barbieri would not confirm specific details; and the city's law office refused to turn over the police department's internal investigations report on the fight, citing the still-pending inquiry by the DA's office. A hearing before the city's Community Police Hearing Board is expected to take place once the DA's office completes its investigation.

"Where so many officers are involved, it is not unusual that investigation process and obtaining records as well as the review as to potential criminal charges can take a long time to sort out," City Solicitor Ed Pikula wrote in a statement. "As to the request to respond to the allegations of the individuals as you present them, the Police Commissioner has informed me that he will be relying on the Community Police Hearing Board to determine the facts of what occurred and whether there is just cause to discipline any of the officers involved."

But in an interview, Cumby said the violence was started by a group of men identified at the scene as off-duty officers, and that first responders underplayed his injuries, misstated his conduct in a police report and sent him driving home with a broken leg and a concussion.

"When they hit me, they jumped me. They stomped me. My four front teeth were knocked loose," Cumby said.

The fight took place 10 months before Springfield Police Det. Gregg Bigda was caught on video threatening to crush the skull of a juvenile suspect and plant drugs on him. But its public disclosure comes as the city is wrestling with the Bigda scandal, with 10 city councilors calling for more transparency and the District Attorney's office referring the case to federal and state authorities.

The fight

The night of April 7, 2015 began uneventfully for Cumby, a 48-year-old worker at a lawn sprinkler company who spoke in a quiet, low voice during an interview at his attorney's office last week.

He had been invited out to the bar by his cousins - the first time he was going out to the bars since his daughter was born two years earlier, he said. The four men - Cumby, his cousins Jackie and Jozelle Ligon and their friend Michael Cintron - arrived at Nathan Bill's Bar and Restaurant and began drinking and talking.

Cumby had about two shots that night, he said; he was driving and did not want to get drunk. His cousin Jozelle had substantially more, and at some point in the night approached a table of off-duty Springfield police officers.

Jozelle whistled, Cumby said, which one of the officers took as a cat-call toward a woman he was with.

"[Jozelle] says he was whistling to the bartender to get another beer. The guy said he was whistling at his girl, and it became an argument," Cumby said. "It escalated and went outside."

Cumby said he tried to defuse the situation, and at that point the dispute did not turn physical. He was then told by an owner of the bar that the group his cousin was feuding with were off-duty police officers.

Cumby's account was echoed by his cousin Jackie Ligon, who said in a separate interview that he tried to buy a drink for the off-duty officers but was rebuffed. Both Ligon and Cumby said that the bar manager invited them back inside to finish their drinks, but that one of the officers barred their re-entry.

It became clear they weren't welcome, Cumby said. One of the off-duty officers asked bar staff to kick them out, and a uniformed officer who arrived at the scene advised them to end their night early.

"The cops said, 'why don't you call it a night.' I said fine," Cumby said. "I said I don't want more trouble. Let's just go."

Cumby left his truck in the Nathan Bill's parking lot and walked with his cousins over to the nearby parking lot outside Rocky's Hardware Store. There, they had a disagreement; his cousins wanted to return to the bar and pick up the truck, while Cumby wanted to avoid the situation, he said.

He separated from the group and took a walk on Allen Street while talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone, he said.

Eventually, around 2 a.m., Cumby began walking back toward the bar; it was closing time, and he figured he would be able to pick up his vehicle without incident.

It did not work out that way.

As Cumby reached Rocky's parking lot, where his cousins and Cintron were still waiting, he saw the group of off-duty officers walking toward them from the direction of Nathan Bill's.

"I heard a whistle and somebody said 'What's up now?' " Cumby said. "When I got to the corner, we saw a mob of people coming from the bar."

The man Jozelle had argued with was at the head of the pack. As Cumby neared the crowd, he saw the man shove his cousin, he said. He tried to separate the men, and said he did not want any trouble, but then someone allegedly struck him from behind.

"They came behind me and hit me upside the head," Cumby said. "I don't know who, I don't know with what, but I was out the rest of the time."

Ligon said when the men hit his brother he swung back. One of the men came beside him, he heard a "pop, pop, pop" and he found himself on the ground unable to move; he believes he was hit with a Taser.

"They knocked [Cumby's] teeth out, they hit him in the back of the head with a baton," Ligon said.

When Cumby came to, he was in bad shape. He was concussed; he had loose teeth; he could not walk. Uniformed officers and EMTs were on the scene.

The barroom at Nathan Bill's Bar and Restaurant in Springfield.

A disputed police report

One of those officers later filed a brief report on what happened next. No charges were filed, no mention was made of the role off-duty officers allegedly played in the fight and Cumby and his cousins were described as non-cooperative with police at the scene.

"All appear to have some type of minor cuts and scrapes about their hands and faces," officer Darren Nguyen's report said. "[They] were offered medical attention. AMR arrived on scene to render services and all refused further medical treatment at the hospital. Mr. Jozelle and others couldn't describe their attackers and was very uncooperative."

But that is not how it happened, according to Cumby and medical records reviewed by MassLive. Rather than "minor cuts and scrapes," Cumby suffered a fractured leg and had teeth knocked loose; he also says he was concussed and is still dealing with mental and physical symptoms. He says that rather than him refusing medical treatment, EMTs at the scene advised him he did not need further care, despite his inability to put weight on his leg.

"They said you should be good, go home and sleep it off," Cumby said.

He also says the claim he did not cooperate with officers is false. Rather, Cumby says, he spoke to a uniformed officer for 15 minutes at the scene, saying he had tried to defuse the situation and was walking back to pick up his truck when he was attacked.

"I didn't want no trouble the whole night," Cumby said. "I was the peacemaker. It didn't work out that way. I told the cops everything that we witnessed, everything that happened."

An unresolved investigation

A year and a half later, Cumby has still not recovered. He is scheduled for surgery on his ankle early next month, and has been unable to work, he said.

And neither has the investigation into his case been completed.

Cumby met again with police in July 2015 to file a supplemental report.

"Mr. Cumby also viewed two groups of photographs and he was not able to make an identification," Capt. Trent Duda wrote in the second report. "The incident report has been changed to reflect the proper charge of A&B serious bodily injury that apply to Mr. Cumby."

The case was referred to the Hampden County District Attorneys' Office, which has not completed its investigation. He also filed a complaint with the city's Community Police Hearing Board - though the department did not make it easy, Cumby alleged.

When Cumby went to the police department to file his complaint, the officers at the front desk had him wait for four hours, he said. It was not until a shift change that a captain was notified that he was there and came out to meet him, according to Cumby.

"They just left us sitting there," Cumby said.

Cumby was eventually able to file the complaint, which he said has led to an apparently extensive investigation. He underwent at least three interviews with an internal affairs investigator, in addition to meetings with First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Fitzgerald, he said.

The internal affairs officers showed Cumby photographs to see if he could identify his attacker. Cumby said he was fairly sure he recognized some of the officers as the men who fought him and his cousins, but that his memory was hazy after being knocked unconscious and concussed.

"I told him I don't want to falsely accuse somebody," Cumby said. "I wasn't 100 percent."

Springfield attorney Joe Smith III, who is representing Jackie Ligon, Jozelle Ligon and Michael Cintron in the case, said the District Attorney's Office asked to meet with his clients and that Jackie Ligon and Cintron went with him to the meeting. The two men, interviewed separately by a prosecutor, gave statements about what happened.

Ligon said he got very emotional at the interview. Smith, who sat in while Ligon talked to the prosecutor, said Ligon "essentially begged them for justice."

Ligon also said he was able to positively identify several of the officers from photographs, but that he has not been given their names.

As to why his clients wanted to come forward publicly now, Smith said, "These gentlemen were assured something was going to be done about this and they wanted to give the authorities time to process this and to do the right thing."

Now, Smith said, they are not confident that authorities will take action.

The results of the internal affairs inquiry are still unknown. The department has not released the results of the investigation to Cumby, Cruz or Smith.

MassLive sent a detailed set of questions to Pikula and Police Commissioner John Barbieri, asking whether the department attempted to secure security footage of the incident, why officer Nguyen's police report did not reflect Cumby's injuries and whether it could confirm or deny Cumby's account of waiting hours in the station to file his complaint.

City Solicitor Ed Pikula said in a statement that the facts of the case will be decided by the Community Police Hearing Board once the DA's inquiry is complete.

Pikula also wrote Massachusetts civil service law prohibits suspending officers for more than five days without a hearing, suggesting that the officers under investigation have not been placed on leave pending the resolution of the case.

Republican reporter Buffy Spencer contributed to this story.
BOSTON -- A Stoughton man who emailed bomb threats to an elementary school in Chicago and schools here in Massachusetts pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court to five counts of sending bomb threats.

Anthony Rae, 25, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani in U.S. District Court in Boston. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

Anthony Rae of Stoughton

Authorities said over a span of nine months, Rae used several different email accounts to send bomb threats to different educational institutions in three different states. The threats began in October 2014 when Rae sent two emails from an account and threatened to bomb an elementary school in Chicago.

Rae also threatened to bomb several public schools in Norwood.

"Subsequently, Rae hacked his mother's Hotmail account and used it to send two separate bomb threats to his own school - ITT Technical Institute in Norwood," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for Rae's home and electronic devices in June 2015.



"The following day, Rae used a computer available to tenants of his apartment complex to continue his bomb threat spree - sending a bomb threat to Rhode Island College in Providence," authorities said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Rae faces a sentence of no more than 10 years in prison, three years of probation and a $250,000 fine.
South African police raided a university student residence in Johannesburg early Sunday, arresting a leader of sometimes violent protests for free education who caused an outcry last year when he declared admiration for Adolf Hitler.

The arrest of Mcebo Dlamini, a former student council president at the University of the Witwatersrand, followed recent clashes between protesters and police that led the university to impose tighter restrictions on access and movement on its campuses at night.

Police confirmed that a 32-year-old man was arrested at a student residence at around 1 a.m. as part of investigations into "recent violence, criminality and acts of intimidation," but declined to reveal his identity pending his appearance in court.

Protests have roiled many South African universities since last month, leading to dozens of arrests, arson and vandalism as well as the suspension of classes at some institutions. While there is widespread support for the idea of free education, the government says it doesn't have the funds and many students would rather study than go along with protesters' calls for disruption.

Still, Dlamini has often delivered fiery speeches to crowds of students who feel the University of the Witwatersrand, a leading university in Africa, is not responsive enough to poor blacks who struggle to pay school bills. They link the problem to the legacy of white minority rule, whose ending in 1994 brought democracy but failed to lift many in the black majority out of poverty.

Echoing similar protests in 2015, student demonstrations started again after the South African government recommended on Sept. 19 that universities raise 2017 fees by no more than eight percent, but said it would cover next year's increases for poor students.

On Sunday, about two dozen protesters danced and chanted outside the police station where Dlamini was being held as police in riot gear guarded the entrance. Two students entered to meet Dlamini, who conveyed a typically inflammatory message through them to the throng outside: "Comrades, continue the revolution."

Dali Mpofu, a lawyer who has assisted student protesters, said on Twitter that he spent an hour with Dlamini at the police station.

Last year, a disciplinary panel at the University of the Witwatersrand found Dlamini guilty of "misconduct" for an unspecified incident in 2014 and he was removed from the Students' Representative Council.

Also in 2015, the university said Dlamini's remarks praising Hitler were abhorrent but were protected under the constitutional right to free speech.

Dlamini had posted "I love Adolf HITLER" on Facebook and compared the Nazi regime to Israel. In interviews, Dlamini praised the Nazi leader's "organizational skills" while also saying there is an "element" of Hitler in white people.

Dlamini was also involved in a fund-raising drive that raised about $140,000 for poor students, South Africa media reported. A recent photograph shows Dlamini at a campus demonstration, wearing a helmet, carrying a plastic shield and brandishing a rock.

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Police lights

(Associated Press)

STORRS, Ct. - A University of Connecticut student was stuck and killed by a campus fire truck while walking early Sunday morning.

The accident happened around 2:48 a.m. on the campus, according to the Hartford Courant.

University of Connecticut Police responded but turned the investigation of the crash over to state officials. The State's Attorney Office and Connecticut State Police Crash Analysis Reconstruction Squad are now examining the cause the accident, according to the Hartford Courant.

The student's identity has not been released until her family can be notified.
Egyptian media is reporting that a high-level Syrian delegation has arrived in Cairo for talks with unnamed senior officials.

The pro-government Sada al-Balad and other news websites, citing unnamed officials, say six Syrians arrived on a private jet Sunday from Damascus for discussions on efforts to reach a political solution to the country's civil war, now in its fifth year.

Calls to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry were not answered.

Earlier this month, Egypt voted for rival French and Russian draft resolutions on Syria at the U.N. Security Council, arguing that both called for a truce and aid for besieged Syrians in the rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo.

The move angered Egypt's major financier Saudi Arabia, which supports rebels fighting against the Moscow-backed government in Syria.

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Turkish-based rebel fighters will advance to Al-Bab after seizing the emblematic northern town of Dabiq from the Islamic State, the Turkish foreign minister said on Sunday.

Turkey in August embarked on an ambitious operation dubbed "Euprates Shield" inside Syria, backing opposition fighters to cleanse its border from the IS group and Syrian Kurdish militia forces.

Rebel fighters on Sunday captured Dabiq in a symbolic setback to jihadists as the town was cited as the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims according to a Sunni prophecy.

The IS defeat in Dabiq comes after rebel fighters captured Jarabulus and Al-Rai from the jihadists in the early weeks of the operation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sunday Dabiq was now "completely" under the control of Syrian opposition, Turkish media reported.

"The next target is of course to move to Al-Bab" south of Jarabulus in northern Syria, he told a joint news conference with his United Arab Emirates counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi branded Pakistan a "mother-ship of terrorism" at a summit of the BRICS nations on Sunday, testing the cohesion of a group whose heavyweight member China is a close ally of India's arch-rival.

Modi's remarks to a meeting of leaders from the BRICS -- which include Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa -- escalated his diplomatic drive to isolate Pakistan, which India accuses of sponsoring cross-border terrorism.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours have been running high since a Sept. 18 attack on an army base in Kashmir, near the disputed frontier with Pakistan, killed 19 Indian soldiers in the worst such assault in 14 years.

India later said it had carried out retaliatory "surgical strikes" across the de facto border that inflicted significant casualties. Pakistan denied any role in the attack on the Uri army base, and said the Indian operation had not even happened, dismissing it as typical cross-border firing.

"In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development," Modi said in remarks to BRICS leaders who met at a resort hotel in the western state of Goa.

"Tragically, the mother-ship of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood," the 66-year-old prime minister said, without directly naming Pakistan, in a series of tweets of his remarks issued by the foreign ministry.

Modi's hostile comments were not, however, reflected in a closing statement he read out to reporters.

"We were unanimous in recognising the threat that terrorism, extremism and radicalisation presents, not just to the regional and global peace, stability and prosperity," he said. "But, also to our society, our way of life and humanity as a whole."

No immediate reaction was available from Pakistan's foreign ministry.

Modi's posturing overshadowed the gathering of a group that was set up to boost economic cooperation, and made it possible for the nationalist leader to present himself at home as tough on national security.

"Modi is aware that such language wouldn't get the consensus necessary to make it into the final communique. Including it in his speech ensures it gets wide circulation anyway," said South Asia expert Shashank Joshi.

The summit achievements were incremental, and included establishing an agricultural research institute and speeding up work on creating a joint credit ratings agency.

Also on Sunday's programme was an outreach session with leaders from a little-known group of countries from the Bay of Bengal region whose key attribute, from India's point of view, is that Pakistan is not a member.

Modi's hard line on Pakistan marks a departure from India's tradition of strategic restraint, and New Delhi has won expressions of support from both the West and Russia over the army base attack.

Yet China, a longstanding ally of Pakistan that plans to build a $46 billion export corridor to the Arabian Sea coast, has been cautious in its comments.

Modi and President Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting on Saturday evening and accounts of their conversation emerging from both sides pointed to clear differences of opinion.

In one remark reported by the state Xinhua news agency, Xi said that China and India should "support each other in participating in regional affairs and enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks".

The dispatch went on to refer to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). This grouping includes Pakistan, which was to have hosted a summit in November that collapsed after India and other members pulled out.

The final summit declaration repeated earlier condemnations of "terrorism in all its forms" and devoted several paragraphs to joint effort to fight terrorism. It did not, however, level any blame over the tensions between India and Pakistan.

"So far, we haven't seen any indication at all that China is softening its public support for Pakistan. India did not expect differently," said Joshi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

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by MaryLeigh Bliss , Columnist, October 14, 2016

At this point, less than one in ten 13-33-year-olds says they are buying newspapers each month, and only 4% are paying for online news site accessbut that doesnt mean they arent interested in the news. Our monthly survey revealed that 69% of 13-33-year-olds follow the news some or all of the timeand the top reason they do is because they like to be informed and in the know.

In fact, there seems to be somewhat of a news rush to provide young consumers with their breaking headlines and news stories. Vice reports that their fastest-growing division is news, and the media brand has struck gold with younger audiences by filling the big white space that co-founder Shane Smith says was created by the perception that Gen Y didnt really care about news, which is obviously not true. Startups like Mic and Vox are creating more competition in the digital news space, using apps and even chatbots to deliver the news to Millennials and teens across the platforms theyre spending time on.

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Clearly, the competition to be Millennials and teens news source is cutthroatand complicated by the fact that they dont want to pay anyone for news. Social media has become the main place they stay up-to-date on whats going on in the world, acting as a news source curator that allows them to passively see trending news content without putting in much effort, clicking the news links that seem most interesting as they browse through other content.

But they still have sources that they rely on to keep informed, and we found out what they are. We asked 1,000 13-33-year-olds to tell us the one source (specific site, newspaper, show, app, etc.) that they turn to for news the most. Here are their top 20 current go-to sources:

CNN Local news channel / site / app Facebook Fox The New York Times Twitter NPR Google News BuzzFeed BBC Yahoo Reddit NBC ABC Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Apple news app Huffington Post The Daily Show with Trevor Noah News app Tumblr / The Washington Post

CNN was the most-mentioned news source for 13-33-year-olds overall. One important note here: for all the cable news sources on the list, a combination of the networks channel, site, and app was usually mentioned. Young consumers are going to a diverse range of places to get their news, with 67% keeping up on their phones regularly, 63% on their computers regularly, and 53% on TV regularly. Any source needs to be living across platforms for them.

Some of the top go-to news sources mentioned might be influenced by young consumers' preference for unbiased news, which they have a hard time finding. Our survey found that 60% of 13-33-year-olds mostly get news from sources that don't have a particular point of view, versus 40% who say they mostly get news from sources that share their points of view. They're hyper-aware of various sources' biases, and resources like Google News, the Apple news app, Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit allow them to see the range of POVs that many sources curated together provide. One respondent explained, "The trick isn't to rely on one site, everyone spins a story; you have to read several sites' take on the same story, and catch the common threads."
DUBLIN

Oct. 16, 2016

October 14-19, 2016

Las Vegas

Susan Lucak

Ireland

/PRNewswire/ -- Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) announced today the formation of the IBS CounSEL, a group of multidisciplinary experts dedicated to improving diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by providing Support, Education and Leadership (SEL) to physicians and allied healthcare professionals. The IBS CounSEL will launch their new website at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting frominLogo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150612/222796LOGOIBS is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder associated with disturbances of intestinal motility, sensation, and secretion, resulting in recurrent abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits.This chronic disorder affects an estimated 35 million Americans and is associated with impaired quality of life, significant disability and emotional distress, and high healthcare costs.The American Gastroenterological Association's recent "IBS in America" survey found that when physicians were asked what is lacking most in the treatment of IBS, the second-most-common answer was communication between doctors and patients. With this in mind, Allergan looked to bring together healthcare professionals to develop practical tools and provide expert guidance for physicians and allied healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of IBS."The IBS CounSEL was created to fill the necessary need for continued informed dialogue between IBS patients and their physicians," said Dr., Chair of The IBS CounSEL. "It's important in any medical discipline that we continue to hone our craft based on the latest information available. The IBS CounSEL is a group of healthcare professionals who are looking to do just that."As part of their commitment to improving IBS education, the organization developed an interactive website. In addition to providing disease-state information, simple downloadable resources are available through diagnosis and management toolkits.The IBS CounSEL will have a booth on-site from October 16 -18 during the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting where the website will be demonstrated.For additional information on IBS and to learn more about the IBS CounSEL, please visit www.ibscounsel.com.Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin,, is a bold, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model  Growth Pharma. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceuticals, devices and biologic products for patients around the world.Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics and dermatology, gastroenterology, women's health, urology and anti-infective therapeutic categories.Allergan is an industry leader in Open Science, the Company's R&D model, which defines our approach to identifying and developing game-changing ideas and innovation for better patient care. This approach has led to Allergan building one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry with 65+ mid-to-late stage pipeline programs in development.Our Company's success is powered by our more than 16,000 global colleagues' commitment to being Bold for Life. Together, we build bridges, power ideas, act fast and drive results for our customers and patients around the world by always doing what is right.With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives.For more information, visit Allergan's website at www.Allergan.com.Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Allergan's current perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan's products; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 (certain of such periodic public filings having been filed under the "Actavis plc" name). Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.Longstreth GF et al. Gastroenterology 2006; 130: 1480-1491.Ford AC et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2014; 109 (Suppl 1): S2-26.Canavan C et al. Clin Epidemiol 2014; 6: 71-80Saito YA et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2002; 97: 1910-1915.Drossman DA et al. Gastroenterology 2002; 123: 2108-2131.Hulisz D. J Manag Care Pharm 2004; 10: 299-309.Fran DeSena (973) 517-3132

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/allergan-demonstrates-ongoing-commitment-to-irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs-with-development-of-ibs-counsel-300345466.html



SOURCE Allergan plc




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"It's a fairly modest correction," said Bevis, the Ohio Eminent Scholar in Geodynamics, professor of earth sciences at Ohio State and leader of GNET, the Greenland GPS Network."It doesn't change our estimates of the total mass loss all over Greenland by that much, but it brings a more significant change to our understanding of where within the ice sheet that loss has happened, and where it is happening now."The Earth's crust in that part of the world is slowly moving northwest, he explained, and 40 million years ago, parts of Greenland passed over an especially hot column of partially molten rock that now lies beneath Iceland. The hotspot softened the rock in its wake, lowering the viscosity of the mantle rocks along a path running deep below the surface of Greenland's east coast.The existence of mantle flow beneath Greenland is not a surprise in itself, Bevis said. When the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites began measuring gravity signals around the world in 2002, scientists knew they would have to separate mass flow beneath the earth's crust from changes in the mass of the overlying ice sheet."GRACE measures mass, period. It cannot tell the difference between ice mass and rock mass. So, inferring the ice mass change from the total mass change requires a model of all the mass flows within the earth. If that model is wrong, so is the ice mass change inferred from GRACE," he explained.Models of this rock flow depend on what researchers can glean about the viscosity of the mantle. The original models assumed a fairly typical mantle viscosity, but Greenland's close encounter with the Iceland hot spot greatly changed the picture.To the GNET team, the 7.6% discrepancy in overall ice loss is overshadowed by the fact that it concealed which parts of the ice sheet are most being affected by climate change. The new results reveal that the pattern of modern ice loss is similar to that which has prevailed since the end of the last ice age."This result is a detail, but it is an important detail," Bevis continued. "By refining the spatial pattern of mass loss in the world's second largest - and most unstable - ice sheet, and learning how that pattern has evolved, we are steadily increasing our understanding of ice loss processes, which will lead to better-informed projections of sea level rise."Computer models can give a good estimate of mantle flow and crustal uplift, he said, and GNET's mission is to make those models better by providing direct observations of present-day crustal motion. That's why the GNET team includes GRACE scientists and earth modelers as well as GPS experts and glaciologists.The team used GPS to measure uplift in the crust all along Greenland's coast. That's when they discovered that two neighboring stations on the east coast were uplifting far more rapidly than standard models had predicted."We did not expect to see the anomalous uplift rates at the two stations that sit on the 'track' of the Iceland hot spot," Bevis said. "We were shocked when we first saw them. Only afterwards did we make the connection."He added that the discovery holds big implications for measuring ice loss elsewhere in the world.For instance, GNET has a sister network, ANET, that spans West Antarctica. It employs roughly similar numbers of GPS stations, but spread out over a vastly larger area. Unless more stations are added to ANET, anomalous rates of uplift may go undetected, Bevis cautioned, and analyses of GRACE data will lead to inaccurate estimates of ice loss in Antarctica.Source: Eurekalert
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It was possible to determine the ancestry for specific physical locations in the genome of the cells. The investigations targeted the genes belonging to the Cytochrome P450 Family (CYP), known for its role in drug metabolism. They found high heterogeneity of ancestry among the hPSC lines.Besides the genomic ancestry analysis, the scientists also evaluated the cell lines pluripotency. They were successfully differentiated in vitro into tissues from the three embryonic germ layers.Response to drugs and mechanisms of diseasesThe response to drugs can vary from population to population and even between specific groups of people, making it very expansive to test a potential new drug among different populations across the world before approving it for use. In the paper, the researchers suggest that "collections of hPSCs with different genetic backgrounds must be used to dissect the molecular basis and to develop cell based assays of differential drug toxicity and efficacy."Lygia da Veiga Pereira, geneticist from the Center for Cell-Based Therapy, professor at University of Sao Paulo and senior-author of the article, points that tests with these cells can be performed before clinical essays and, in some cases, they can even replace animal models in drug development pipelines.Another interesting purpose is to study cellular and molecular process of diseases like mental disorders, coronary heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. The blood samples from the ELSA-Brasil cohort study are connected to the clinical data of the participants. There can be generated cells from specific tissues of patients with diabetes, or even from the 11% drug-resistant patients with hypertension, as examples.Source: Eurekalert
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The researchers analyzed the data from an online survey on empathy completed by more than 104,000 people from around the world. The survey measured people's compassion for others and their tendency to imagine others' point of view. Countries with small sample sizes were excluded (including most nations in Africa). All told, 63 countries were ranked in the study.Ecuador was the most empathetic country, followed in order by Saudi Arabia, Peru, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Korea, the United States, Taiwan, Costa Rica and Kuwait.Chopik said he was surprised that three countries from the Middle East - Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait - ranked so highly in empathy considering the long history of aggression and wars with other countries in the region. That could be because the study did not distinguish between feeling empathy toward people in other countries vs. people in one's own country.The least empathetic country was Lithuania. In fact, seven of the 10 least empathetic countries were in Eastern Europe.The study, published online today in the, was co-authored by Ed O'Brien of the University of Chicago and Sara Konrath of Indiana University.Konrath and O'Brien in 2011 published research suggesting that American college students had become less empathetic over a 20-year span. Potential factors included the explosion of social media; increases in violence and bullying; changing parenting and family practices; and increasing expectations of success.The latest study is the first to look at empathy on a country-by-country level. And while it "only grabbed a snapshot of what empathy looks like at this very moment," Chopik noted that cultures are constantly changing."This is particularly true of the United States, which has experienced really large changes in things like parenting practices and values," Chopik said. "People may portray the United States as this empathetic and generous giant, but that might be changing."Source: Eurekalert
Afghan authorities on Sunday burned around five tonnes of heroin, hashish, drug-making chemicals and alcohol in a show of their commitment to curbing drug trafficking.

Piles of drugs as well as some 100 bottles of alcohol were set alight outside the western city of Herat, seen as of the three main transit routes for narcotics out of Afghanistan.

"This demonstrates our commitment against drug trafficking. We are determined to prevent drug trafficking by all means possible," Herat police chief Ayoub Ansari told reporters.

One tonne of heroin, sold gram by gram, is worth 40 million euros ($44 million) when it reaches European markets, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

There are conflicting accounts of how Afghanistan's war on drugs is going.

Officials stress their efforts in the fight against opium production and trafficking but the country last year produced more than 80 percent of the world's opium.

In addition to channelling hundreds of million of dollars into the Taliban-led insurgency, drug-based corruption also undermines the nation's administration.

Afghans are not only producing record amounts of drugs, they are also consuming them.

Addiction levels have risen sharply -- from almost nothing under the 1996-2001 Taliban regime -- giving rise to a new generation of addicts since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

According to the UN data the national drug use rate stands at 11 percent, one of the highest in the world. Drug use in rural areas is three times higher than in towns and cities.

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Prison authorities in Bangladesh's southern city of Khulna on Sunday executed a senior Islamist extremist whose banned group has been linked to the murder of foreign hostages, police said.

Asadul Islam, 42, a leader of the outlawed Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was hanged for his role in a 2005 blast that killed two judges.

Bangladesh has blamed the JMB for a July 1 attack on an upmarket Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, mostly foreign hostages, were shot and hacked to death.

"He was hanged to death at 10:30 pm (1630 GMT) in Khulna jail," Khulna Police Commissioner Nibhas Chandra Majhi told AFP, adding that there was heavy security around the jail to prevent any violence.

Islam, also known as Arif, was one of seven senior JMB officials, including founding leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, sentenced to death for a bomb attack on a minibus that killed two lower court judges on November 14, 2005.

Six of the men, including Rahman, were executed in March 2007 by a military-backed caretaker government as part of a nationwide crackdown on Islamic extremists.

Arif was sentenced in absentia and was not detained until July 2007. He has been held in Khulna jail ever since. In August the Supreme Court dismissed his final appeal.

His execution comes as Bangladeshi security forces push a deadly new crackdown against Islamist extremists following the cafe attack that has shaken the image of Bangladesh as a moderate Muslim nation.

Since July, police have shot dead nearly 40 suspected extremists including JMB's new leader Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent who allegedly masterminded the cafe carnage.

As part of the crackdown, Bangladesh's courts have also fast-tracked prosecution of Islamist extremists, scores of whom were already facing death sentences and languishing in the country's jails.

Majhi said hundreds of police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion have been deployed in Khulna, the country's third largest city, and key roads leading to the jails had been blocked to prevent any violence.

A prison official told AFP that Arif had refused to seek presidential clemency -- his last chance to stop the hanging -- which prompted the authorities to prepare for his execution.

"His family including his wife, two little daughters, six sisters and several other relatives came to meet him for the last time just hours before the execution," he said.

His body has already sent to his village home in the neighbouring town of Mollarhat in an ambulance which was escorted by a heavy police security detail.

Founded in the late 1990s by Islamists who fought in the Afghan wars alongside the Taliban, the JMB seeks to impose sharia law on Bangladesh, a Muslim majority but officially secular nation of 160 million people.

JMB first shot to prominence in Bangladesh when it conducted a coordinated bombing attack on August 17, 2005, with more than 400 small blasts in 63 of the country's 64 districts.

Many of those bombs targeted secular courts, which the JMB claims are inspired by Satan.

Hundreds of JMB extremists including Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai were subsequently hunted down by security forces in a massive crackdown.

Since December 2013, Bangladesh has also executed five top leaders of the country's largest Islamist party and a senior opposition official for atrocities connected to the country's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.

Their trials and executions have triggered the country's deadliest political violence, with more than 500 people killed in clashes with police and thousands of Islamists arrested.

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Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
The sale of the 4G licences to Egypt's mobile operators has generated around $1.1 billion in addition to EGP 10 billion ($1.1 billion) for the states public treasury, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Yasser Al-Kady said on Sunday.

The hard currency transfers are coming from abroad, which is considered as direct foreign investment that doesnt depend on the Egyptian banks, Al-Kady said, according to state-run news agency MENA.

Egypts mobile operators Vodafone and Etisalat have received 4G licences, which will allow them to increase and improve internet speed and launch virtual fixed lines services, the telecommunication ministry said on its website on Sunday.

According to the website, the states National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) signed on Saturday the 4G licence agreements with Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr for $335 million and $535.5 million respectively.

Orange Egypt, the second-largest mobile operator, was the first mobile company in Egypt to acquire the new 4G licence for $484 million last week.

Each of the three operators also paid $11.3 million to be able to provide landline services.

As of the signing, the total frequencies for Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat Misr are 42.5 MHz and 40 MHz respectively, the ministry said.

On Friday, Orange Egypt stated that NTRA has agreed to provide it with a spectrum of 2x10 MHz, as opposed to the 2x2.5 MHz to 2x5 MHz initially offered.

The three mobile operators declined in September to apply for the 4G licence under the NTRA's previous conditions, after which the national regulator considered offering the licences in international tender.

Telecom Egypt (TE), the countrys sole landline operator, was the first operator to sign the deal with the NTRA in August, buying a 15-year 4G mobile license.

Vodafone Egypt is the leading mobile operator in Egypt with around 40 million subscriptions, Orange is second with 34 million and Etisalat Misr comes third with 22 million, according to the telecommunication ministry's data that was published in July.



Mobile internet subscriptions reached 27.3 million as of July 2016, the ministry said.

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The albums official launch concert took place on 12 October at the Tabernacle in London

I was sitting in Ain Al-Hilweh refugee camp and this lovely refugee woman said, in Arabic, Whats your name, praise be to the prophet? And I said, My name is Reem. And she said, Ah, Ive got a song for you, and I said, Okay mother, lets hear it. And she said,

Oh gazelle of all gazelles

I cried over our parting

And Ill continue to cry over our parting

Ive taken a vow of silence

Ive forbidden myself from dancing the dabke

I dyed my clothes dark, and Ive gone into mourning

And I said, Nice. When do you sing these songs, mother? And she said, Were Palestinian. At weddings, of course. So this is a messed-up, beautiful, crazy Palestinian wedding song.

Thus the London-based Palestinian musician Reem Kelani recalled as she spoke of an encounter that first introduced her to the song Ah! Ya Reem Al-Ghuzlaan (Sprinting Gazelle) before proceeding to perform it at her 2012 concert at the Tabernacle, London. The song was collated from Palestinian musical turath (heritage) and rearranged by Kelani herself.

Accompanying Kelani on stage that night was a jazz rhythm section comprising musicians Bruno Heinen on piano, Ryan Trebilcock on double bass, Antonio Fusco on drums, percussion and bindir, as well as a guest appearance by Palestinian musician Tamer Abu Ghazaleh.

The concert was recorded live and released as a double CD titled 'Reem Kelani: Live at the Tabernacle' last March.

The songs Kelani performed that night spanned some of her musical projects to date, from her decades-old project compiling and revisiting songs from Palestinian turath, to her long-term project on the iconic Egyptian composer Sayyid Darwish. This in addition to a Tunisian track featured on her collaboration album with the Anti-Capitalist Roadshow, as well as the title music Kelani composed for French filmmaker Axel Salvatori-Sinzs 2012 award-winning documentary film Les Chebabs de Yarmouk (The Shebabs of Yarmouk).

The double CD is also complemented by an album booklet in which Kelani contextualises the songs performed that night, providing detailed historical and musicological notes, lyrics and their English translations, as well as a glossary of musical and cultural terms.

The albums official launch concert took place on 12 October at the Tabernacle, London.

Ahram Online recently spoke to Kelani about her new project.

The Palestinian collective and Kelanis relationship with Arabic music

Of the decision to record the live album, Kelani says it was first and foremost inspired by her commitment to the Palestinian collective, as well as encouraged by her ardent fans.

This concept of a collective is perhaps best manifested by a magical moment that unfolded during Kelanis concert at the Tabernacle. An audience member, who later turned out to be a respected Turkish ethnomusicologist and violinist, interrupted Kelani during her performance and was invited by Kelani to join her on stage. Kelani also spotted a Kurdish audience member whom she knew and invited her on stage to sing along with the Turkish violinist.

In most of my concerts theres always a magical moment from the audience that underlines this concept of a collective. That night, it felt as if we were in a Palestinian village celebrating life, Kelani told Ahram Online.

The album comprises five songs from the Palestinian turath. Kelani compiled some of these during visits made to the Levant over the years and recovered others from different literary texts.

Although I was born in England, I spent my formative years in Kuwait then returned to the UK 27 years ago. At that time I was a biologist until I experienced a very seminal moment that changed the course of my life, Kelani explains.

The ethnography department of the British Museum was working on an exhibition of Palestinian costumes, and Kelani was encouraged to join as a music workshop leader. Between 1990-92, she delivered music workshops at the department, which brought her more into contact with her Palestinian heritage.

And so in the 90s, I traveled to Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and amid the Diaspora to meet with Palestinian women and actively sit and record them. Id listen to one song, transcribe it, go through all the different renditions of the same song, then make one version out of these different renditions.

I consider it a personal quest that will never leave me until the day I die, Kelani adds.

But Kelanis infatuation with the folk music of the Levant and Arabic music as a whole was an earlier occurrence, dating back to the early 70s. Kelani, who was only eight at the time, was attending a village wedding in Nazareth when another seminal moment unraveled.

I remember how the bride had to change into at least seven dresses. I remember the women who smelled of a blend of mastic and spices. They sang and danced, and were joined by old men who danced old dabke. And I thought to myself, 'Ah, this is Arabic music then,' she reminisces.

It felt so prehistoric yet so present. Every time I sat with any of the Palestinian women as part of my project, it felt as if I was reenacting and recreating that moment.

Celebrating Palestinian musical heritage

Of the Palestinian songs included in the CD, there is Sprinting Gazelle, whose lyrics open this article. The song was initially included in Kelanis debut album Sprinting Gazelle: Palestinian Songs from the Motherland and the Diaspora (2006).

That day in Ain Al-Hilweh refugee camp, Kelani notated the womens steps as they danced to the song and incorporated this rhythmic pattern in my own reinterpretation of the song.

Another song is Hawwilouna (Let us in!), a traditional Palestinian song usually performed at weddings. Kelani recorded the song during encounters with Palestinian refugee women who originally came from the village of Shaab near Acre.

The CD also includes Tahlileh Jaliliyyeh (Galilean Lullaby) whose lyrics Kelani found in a book on Palestinian popular literature by Nazarene poet Tawfiq Zayyad.

In another live rendition, Kelani juxtaposes two songs  Ya Raayhin el-Nabi and Bahallil Lak  in one medley. Both songs belong to the furaaqqiyyat (Songs of Parting) genre where the protagonist sings about loved ones from whom theyve been separated, Kelani writes in the album booklet.

Ya Raayhin El-Nabi was sung in past times when they wanted to bid farewell to those going to hajj (pilgrimage), Kelani explains. She learnt this song from Inaam Al-Khadra, who was a refugee twice in her life. Al-Khadra originally come from Safad and is now residing in Syria.

Kelani mingled Ya Raayhin El-Nabi with Bahallil Lak, a song performed in celebration of the babys teething. The festivity includes the preparation of the Palestinian snouniyyeh (teething) dessert, made of wheat .. sugar, spices, candied pulses and nuts, Kelani writes.

There is a narrative that I wanted to bring to the songs by juxtaposing them, namely that after 1948, all Palestinian songs, including those that were performed in different social celebrations, became part of Palestinian cultural resistance [against the Israeli occupation].

The same juxtaposition also characterises Il-Hamdillah (Giving Praise) performed during house building and at weddings. The song is juxtaposed with the Imhaaha chant, which was sung mainly by women to herald songs, festivities and social announcements, Kelani writes.

Kelanis revisiting of Palestinian turath is first and foremost a celebration of Palestinian sumoud (steadfastness) in the face of a decades-old settler-colonial state. It is also is an avid celebration of Palestine, its people, music and culture, and an inspiring act of preservation of Palestinian collective memory.

Paying homage to Egypts Sayyid Darwish

Live at the Tabernacle also features three songs from Kelanis ongoing project on Sayyid Darwish, in which she revisits the iconic composers repertoire, boldly experimenting with his songs, and treating them to jazz arrangements.

Kelanis project on Sayyid Darwish is exactly a quest like my quest for Palestinian traditional songs and the reason behind it is twofold. First, it is a revisiting of Darwishs repertoire, which remains with us to this day.

The project also pays homage to many elements that were personified in the music of Darwish, among them the era of Al-Nahdha [renaissance in Arabic music] during which he lived and produced his music.

In the CD, Kelani revisits two songs from Darwishs repertoire: Lahn El-Shayyaalin/Shidd El-Hizaam (The Porters Anthem) and Lahn El-Fuqahaa/Shaykh Quffaaa (The Preachers Anthem), both penned by the iconic Egyptian-Turkish lyricist Badi Khayri and set to music by Darwish.

In Lahn El-Fuqahaa, Darwish employed two different maqams (melodic modes), ajam and sabaa, to depict the struggle between West and East. I put the song into context in my own way by making an arrangement that depicts how this conflict was experienced by Arabs who lived at the time, Kelani asserts.

Kelani retranslated this struggle by interweaving a Western musical style, evocative of the infantry jazz bands during World War II, into the song.

Her reinterpretation is also vivid in how she performs the multilingual references of the song, and especially the closing line, very good. The same audacious reinterpretation is true of Kelanis approach to Lahn El-Shayyaalin, in which Kelani pays proper homage to Darwish, himself the father of experimentation in Arabic music.

The third song, 1932, is a composition by Kelani. The songs title refers to the year in which the Cairo Congress of Arabic Music assembled at the Institute of Oriental Music in Cairo.

The conference reportedly featured points of disagreement about the practice and theory of Arabic music including a controversy [that] ... arose over the consideration of Sayyid Darwishs work by the congress, Kelani writes in the album booklet.

While six of his compositions were included, some researchers are of the opinion that Darwish was not fairly credited by comparison to his contemporaries, Kelani writes.

There was a blackout on his music in general. I wanted to give him his due, and therefore named the composition after the year of the conference, she explains.

I also composed the song for the oud and piano specifically because there were serious discussions in the congress on whether piano should be used in Arabic music or not, she adds.

In her concerts, Kelani accompanies this composition with performance poetry. That night, 22 November 2012, Israel was carrying out an assault on Gaza and so Kelani chose a poem titled Kas al-Khall (The Vinegar Cup), penned by Gaza-born poet Muin Bseiso.

From the Tunisian Revolution to Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp

The CD also includes Kelanis rendition of Babour Zammar (The Ship Sounded its Horn). The song was penned by the Tunisian colloquial poet El-Mouldi Zleilah and set to music by Tunisian composer El-Hedi Guella in the 1970s as a tribute to the student revolution in France.

The song is also known as The Migration Anthem, because its lyrics tug at the fears that underpin the journey taken by North Africans overseas in search of better lives.

Babour Zammar returned to the Tunisian peoples consciousness when their own revolution erupted in December 2010, Kelani writes.

It was late Tunisian poet Mohamed Saghir Ouled Ahmed who introduced Kelani to the song during her 2012 trip to Tunisia. Later that year, Kelani introduced her rearrangement of the song in her collaboration album with the Anti-Capitalist Roadshow.

From Tunisia, we move on to Syria, and specifically the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus whose poignant story is also reflected in Kelanis album.

The story began in 2012 when French filmmaker Axel Salvatori-Sinz. who was working on his documentary Les Chebabs de Yarmouk, wrote to Kelani that hed heard about me from the youth at the camp and that they wanted me to compose the films title music.

Kelani got in touch with her Glasgow-based friend, Palestinian poet Iyad Hayatleh, and asked him to write the lyrics for the song.

The result was Huna Al-Yarmouk (This is Yarmouk), whose opening lyrics proclaim, in Arabic: This is Yarmouk!/O moon/Your light will wipe the darkness of the siege/On your white doorsteps/The childrens smiles will vanquish/The pains of my demise/And the martyrs blood/Will breathe life into me.

In the Tabernacle concert, and because I like to showcase whatever Im working on whenever I perform live, I decided to perform the song, Kelani explains.

A staunch believer in socio-musicology and the inseparability of music and society, Kelani is also an educationalist and activist, having delivered hundreds of workshops and master classes with refugee camps and UK-based community choirs, solidarity groups, school children and universities over the years. That Kelani was able to crowdfund her Live at the Tabernacle album is itself a manifestation of the incredible grassroots support lent to her devoted vocation.

Among the many heartwarming stories that unfolded during the albums crowdfunding campaign is that of a young girl who contributed one British pound to the project. She wrote to Kelani saying that she had only met Kelani once when she went to her school and taught her class songs from Bethlehem.

This anecdote is but one of many that suggest how, in her inspiring musical project and the philosophy that underpins it, Kelani hails as a humanist par excellence. It is Kelani's rich and varied repertoire that leaves one hoping to see her perform in Egypt soon.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Ati Metwaly won the award for her Ahram Weekly 2015 interview with visually-impaired girls and women from Egypt's unique Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra; she was one of 38 finalists from 14 countries

Ati Metwaly, the editor of Ahram Onlines Arts and Culture section, has won this years CNN African Journalist Award in Culture.

The announcement was made on Saturday at the gala award ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Metwaly was shortlisted for the award last July. Ati was the only journalist from Egypt, and one of two journalists from North Africa, to make it to this years list of finalists.

Metwaly won the award for her story Music against all odds, published in Al Ahram Weekly, Ahram Online's sister publication, in November 2015.

The interview gave voice to visually-impaired girls and women from Egypt's unique Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra.

She has been writing about music for Al-Ahram Weekly since 2009.

Metwaly joined Ahram Onlines Arts and Culture section as an editor in May 2010.

Prior to joining Al-Ahram, Metwaly was the editorial director and one of three founders of The Art Review (2005-2008), the first English-language bi-monthly publication about arts in Egypt.

Metwaly embarked on her journalistic vocation during her university years, writing for an array of different local and regional publications including Al-Ahram Hebdo, Community Times magazine, Daily News Egypt, Al Ebdaa quarterly magazine, The Art Review, UAE-based Contemporary Practices magazine, and the UK-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat and the Majalla magazine.

In 2010, Metwaly was awarded the Cultural Leadership International grant from the British Council in Egypt.

Ati was born into an artistic family whose members are engaged in different art mediums.

She graduated from Cairo Universitys Faculty of Arts in 1997, with a degree in French Literature and Language.

Over 1,600 entries from 38 countries across the African continent were submitted to this years edition of the Award in English, French and Portuguese.

Other journalists from Egypt who won the CNN African Journalist Award in previous years include Passant Rabie (Sports Award, Egypt Today, 2013), Manar Attiya (Francophone General News Award, Al Ahram Hebdo, 2012), Lamia Hassan (Environmental Award, 2011), Ethar El-Katatney (Economics and Business Award, 2009) as well as finalist Shahinaz Samir (General News, 2015, Al Ahram Hebdo).

The award was established in 1995 and has since grown to include 14 categories with the objective of reinforc(ing) the importance of the role of journalists in Africa's development and to reward, recognise and encourage journalistic talent across all media disciplines.

The award was founded by Edward Boateng, then Regional Director of Turner Broadcasting (CNN's parent company), Gary Streiker, then CNN Nairobi Bureau Chief, late photographer Mohamed Amin, and late Esom Alintah, then Secretary General of the African Business Roundtable.

Read more of Metwalys articles here.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Johnson & Johnson Indonesia, Patriot Pharmaceuticals LLC, Peninsula Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pharmadirect Ltd., Pharmedica Laboratories (Proprietary) Limited, Princeton Laboratories Inc., Productos de Cuidado Personal y de La Salud de Bolivia S.R.L., Proleader S.A., Pulsar Vascular Inc., Regency Urban Renewal Associates, RespiVert Ltd., RoC International, Royalty A&M LLC, Rutan Realty LLC, SYNTHES Medical Immobilien GmbH, Scios LLC, Sedona Singapore International Pte. Ltd., Sedona Thai International Co. Ltd., Serhum S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Elsker For Mother & Baby Co. Ltd, Shanghai Elsker Mother & Baby Co. Ltd Minghang Branch, Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Sightbox LLC, Sodiac ESV, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Company, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Partnership, SterilMed, SterilMed Inc., Surgical Process Institute Deutschland GmbH, Synthes Costa Rica S.C.R. Limitada, Synthes GmbH, Synthes Holding AG, Synthes Holding Limited, Synthes Inc., Synthes Medical Surgical Equipment & Instruments Trading LLC, Synthes Produktions GmbH, Synthes Proprietary Limited, Synthes S.M.P. S. de R.L. de C.V., Synthes Tuttlingen GmbH, Synthes USA LLC, Synthes USA Products LLC, TARIS Biomedical, TARIS Biomedical LLC, TearScience Inc., The Anspach Effort LLC, The Vision Care Institute LLC, Tibotec LLC, Torax Medical Inc., UAB "Johnson & Johnson", UAB Johnson & Johnson Eesti Filiaal (Estonian Branch), Vania Expansion, Verb Surgical, Verb Surgical Inc., Vision Care Finance Unlimited Company, Vogue International, Vogue International LLC, Vogue International Trading Inc., WH4110 Development Company L.L.C., XO1, XO1 Limited, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Beijing Branch Office, Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd. Shanghai Branch Office, Zarbee's Inc., and Zarbee's Naturals.

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Ahram Online meets one of the leading experts on the making of Swiss chocolate during his visit to Egypt to launch the Swiss Chocolate Festival

"If you ask an Egyptian the first thing that comes to mind when Switzerland is mentioned, the first thing that pops into mind is chocolate!" Swiss Ambassador to Egypt Marcus Leitner stated.

"That is quite understandable, given the popularity of this delicacy. It is said that nine out of every 10 people are in love with chocolate, and the tenth is probably lying," he told an audience treated to fountains of flowing chocolates.





The audience was media personnel and journalists gathered at a press conference Thursday , 13 October, at the Conrad Hotel in Cairo to witness the launch of the first Chocolate Festival, organised by the Swiss Embassy in Egypt.

One visiting guest in particular was celebrated on the occasion: renowned Swiss chocolatier Romain Leemann who is visiting Egypt for the first time to participate in a series of events that aim to make Egyptians more acquainted with aspects of Swiss culture.

Roman Leemann was born in 1981 in Boucherville, Quebec. In 2001, Leemann obtained his degree at the Boulangerie Blanc de Chastel Saint Denis. In 2007, he left for Canada where he had the opportunity to work with Morel, much reputed in Montreal.

In 2008, he was officially declared Canadian champion in the field of pastry and in November 2009 he won a gold medal at the World Chocolate Masters.

Today, Roman, who works in the city of Fribourg in Switzerland, is one of the most famous and esteemed chocolatiers worldwide.

"It is a pleasure to see Egypt for the first time, and I hope it will be the beginning of more visits to come," he said.

Leemann explained that during his one-week stay in Egypt, he will be visiting Cairo and Alexandria to conduct workshops for adults and kids, and to talk about the secrets of the craft of chocolate making to school children.

He also unveiled  as a tribute to Egypt's heritage a hand-carved statue of the sphinx, made by his own hand, in solid pure Swiss chocolate.

"I chose the Sphinx because usually people abroad mention the pyramids in relation to Egypt, and I think the Sphinx is equally enchanting," he said.

The Swiss ambassador explained why chocolate is at the forefront of cultural cooperation between Egypt and Switzerland now.

"Cultural cooperation is a key factor, showcasing deepening bilateral ties between any two countries. Culinary cooperation sends a message of openness and exposure to the world.

"The choice of chocolate was due to its attractiveness to the general audience, and to provide Egyptians with an insight into its unique cuisine."

Leitner added that it is a misconception that Swiss cuisine is merely chocolate and cheese.

"Thanks to combining modernity with traditional methods and a focus on precision, Swiss chocolate enjoys high esteem internationally. We are not solely exporters of chocolate, but rather prime consumers as well. Each Swiss consumes at least 12 kilogrammes of chocolate each year."

The ambassador concluded that many Swiss companies invest in Egypt in many fields, and that Switzerland looks forward to further cooperation and more flows of foreign direct investment from Switzerland to Egypt in the near future.

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Despite Flipping in Surf 4 Times in a Year, Marines Say New ACV Is the Future of Amphibious Warfare

Some Marine veterans familiar with the vehicle and its operations have worried about the reliability of the ACV.
For the third time in seven days, an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer in the Red Sea has been targeted by missiles fired from the coast of Yemen, the Navy's top officer told reporters today.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson offered few details as he answered reporters' questions Saturday at the Baltimore commissioning of the USS Zumwalt, the Navy's first-in-class stealth destroyer.

"There's been recent activity today," he said. "The [USS Mason] appears to have come under attack in the Red Sea again by coastal defense cruise missiles fired from the coast of Yemen. So as you know, this is the third such attack."

Richardson would not say how many missiles were fired, how close they came to the Mason, positioned in the strait of Bab el-Mandeb along with the destroyer Nitze, and how the Navy plans to respond to this most recent attack.

On Wednesday night, the Navy announced it had fired ship-launched missiles from the Nitze and destroyed three radar sites in territory on the Yemeni coast controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Richardson later confirmed that five missiles had been launched, destroying sites believed to be used to target the ships. But the Pentagon has yet to publicly confirm who targeted the Navy ships, with Press Secretary Peter Cook telling reporters Thursday it remained unclear "who was pulling the trigger."

The Mason and another ship, the amphibious transport dock Ponce were apparently targeted twice previously, first with a two-missile assault last weekend, then with a second pair of missiles earlier Wednesday. Navy officials have said the ships will continue to conduct routine operations in the region.

"[The Mason and Nitze] have everything they need to defend themselves from these attacks and respond when needed. So I'm very proud of the crews, they've done a terrific job," Richardson said Saturday.

"It's another thing that just shows you, this is dangerous business," he added. "When we send our sailors overseas, we have got to send them with the absolute very best, because it's dangerous over there."

--Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
Blantyre (Malawi) (AFP) - Malawian President Peter Mutharika returned home Sunday after an unexplained trip to the United States that lasted several weeks, sparking rumours over his health.

Mutharika flew to New York to give a speech at the UN General Assembly on September 25 but there had been no word from him since, prompting speculation online that he was critically ill or even dead.

The government moved to dispel the rumours at the beginning of this week, insisting that the 76-year-old was "enjoying very robust health" and continuing "his functions and duties whilst in the USA".

But the rumours continued with the president's return to Malawi's administrative capital Lilongwe on Sunday.

He made no public remarks at the airport -- and used his left hand to wave to a crowd of supporters and to shake hands with officials, raising more speculation among Malawians who are scrutinising every detail for clues about his health.

It was a "big surprise to see the president using his left hand when we all know he is a right-handed person," political analyst Humphrey Mvula told AFP.

"He has failed to calm down levels of speculation because everybody expected the president to speak to Malawians," Mvula added.

Mutharika inspected a military parade before being whisked into a convoy, saying nothing to reporters or the hundreds of supporters who waited in scorching heat to welcome him.

"We know everybody gets sick, but Mutharika is a president and there is a need for Malawians to know about the health of their president," prominent rights activist Billy Mayaya told AFP, calling for authorities to release a statement on the leader's health.

Mutharika, a former lawyer, was elected in 2014 for a five-year term.
Benaulim (India) (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host leaders of the BRICS emerging powers on Sunday at a summit seeking to boost trade ties and help overcome the bloc's economic woes.

Modi and the other leaders of the BRICS club of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa donned traditional Nehru jackets for a group photograph on Saturday night, before enjoying a closed-door dinner.

But the leaders face the more sombre task of working to reinvigorate their bloc when talks get underway Sunday morning in the Indian tourism state of Goa.

"We hope that when the BRICS discussion happens tomorrow, there will be discussion on how we can increase intra-BRICS trade and cooperation. It is an important issue," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS Summit in Goa on October 15, 2016

BRICS was formed in 2011 with the aim of using its growing economic and political influence to challenge Western hegemony.

The nations, with a joint estimated GDP of $16 trillion, set up their own bank in parallel to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank and hold summits rivalling the G7 forum.

But the countries, accounting for 53 percent of world population, have been hit by falling global demand and lower commodity prices, while several have also been mired in corruption scandals.

Russia and Brazil have fallen into recession recently, South Africa only just managed to avoid the same fate last month while China's economy -- the recent engine of world growth -- has slowed sharply.

India by contrast is now the world's fastest-growing major economy in an otherwise gloomy environment and its GDP is expected to grow 7.6 percent in 2016-17.

Security personnel stand guard outside the Taj Exocita hotel, the venue for the BRICS Summit in Goa, on October 15, 2016

After a flurry of bilateral meetings with BRICs leaders on Saturday, Modi will be seeking the group's cooperation on enhancing trade as well as climate change, while Russia is expecting talks on Syria.

But Modi will also be seeking discussion on regional security, including recent cross-border attacks blamed on militants in Pakistan that have spiked tensions between the neighbours.

Modi is seeking to isolate archrival Pakistan internationally following fury at home over the attacks that have left Indian soldiers dead.

Analysts however are sceptical of India's chances of securing a joint BRICS condemnation given China's strong diplomatic support for Pakistan and Russia's efforts to forge closer defence ties with Islamabad.

Taking place at the same time in Goa is a meeting of heads of a seven-nation grouping called BIMSTEC loosely based around the Bay of Bengal.

Myanmar's Aung Sang Suu Kyi, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as well as the leaders of Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal are set to hold talks focused on trade. Thailand's prime minister is not attending following the death of the nation's king.
The Chairman of the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Constituency of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), Joseph Bernard Eshun, has said that the disqualification of the party's flagbearer from contesting in the upcoming presidential elections is affecting their parliamentary candidates.

According to him, some electorates have the impression that all parliamentary aspirants of the PPP were also disqualified.

Speaking to Citi News, Joseph Eshun said the EC's announcement of the disqualification was not done in a proper manner.

It is a mistake the EC did, it is only the flagbearer [that was disqualified], but through the announcement that was made, they should have mentioned that it is only the flagbearer but not the parliamentary aspirants. It has affected the whole of our aspirants, he said.

He added that we have 170 parliamentary aspirants; so if the news comes out to say that PPP has been disqualified but we know the parliamentary aspirants are still contesting, it is a problem.

He stressed that, the chances of the parliamentary aspirants in the upcoming elections are negatively being affected.

Joseph Eshun further stated that, the embattled flagbearer, whose disqualification is being challenged in court, has assured them of his support going to the polls in December.

Nduom, 12 others disqualified

The Electoral Commission on Monday disqualified thirteen presidential nominees including the Progressive Peoples Partys (PPP), Papa Kwesi Nduom from contesting in the upcoming presidential polls.

The others included Hassan Ayariga of the All People's Congress (APC), the People's National Convention's (PNC) Dr. Edward Mahama and Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP).

According to the Commission Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, those disqualified failed to meet the necessary requirements that makes them eligible to contest.

Parties challenge EC in court

Some political parties whose presidential nominees were disqualified have initiated processes to seek redress in court.

The NDP, GCPP and the PNC have all vowed to drag the EC to court in a bid to have their aspirants reinstated in the race.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
A 48- year farmer, who allegedly shot his girlfriend for denying him sex, has appeared before the Prestea District Magistrate court.

The accused, Kwame Anane, reportedly shot his 46- year-old lover Agyeiwaa Nkrumah, in her left thigh at Abotereye, near Bogoso in the Prestea Huni/Valley district.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge of attempted murder.

The District Police Commander of Prestea Huni/Valley, Superintendent of Police Timothy Dassah, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Prestea.

He said on October 8, around 1930GMT, the victim was in her house at Abotereye when the accused went with a locally manufactured pistol and shot her, after which he drunk a substance suspected to be poison in a bid to commit suicide.

Supt Dassah said a group of youth, who stay closer to Agyeiwaa's house, rushed to the scene at the time of the incident and rescued the two and sent them to Aseda hospital at Bogoso for treatment.

He said Anane was treated and discharged on the same day, but was later arrested for questioning.

The Police commander said even though some of the pallets spread on the victim's thigh they were yet to receive the x-ray report to confirm whether some other parts of her body were affected.


President John Dramani Mahama has urged students of the University of Ghana to vote massively for him in the upcoming elections.

According to him, he has made remarkable progess in transforming Ghana's economy for the better since he assumed office.

Speaking to students of the University of Ghana on Thursday, as part of his Greater Accra regional campaign tour, President Mahama said government has ensured that the business environment in the country is conducive enough to make private enterprises thrive and expand.

He said this was to enable them employ more graduates since the public sector alone, is unable to employ the tens of thousands of students who graduate from the various tertiary institutions yearly.

Many stakeholders have bemoaned the high levels of unemployment in the country, and the prevailing lack of job opportunities.

Some have warned that the failure of government to address the situation may worsen the country's economic fortunes, and lead to an increase in social vices.

But President Mahama said his government is doing its best to arrest the situation.

We are producing nearly 50,000 graduates a year, take that and look at the public sector, definitely the public sector cannot absorb that number a year; so it means that mostly they will be absorbed by the private sector, he said.

He added that so government's first responsibility in job creation is to create a stable economic environment so that that private sector can grow. Government's second responsibility is to make sure that the young people are coming out with the right skills for the world of work.

President Mahama urged the students to assess the job market and acquire skills relevant to the job market; and identify areas where their skills will be needed to guarantee their employment.

Unemployment situation worrying

The New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Presidential candidate, Nana Akufo Addo, has expressed worry over Ghana's soaring rate of youth unemployment.

While admitting that the current situation can be likened to a time bomb waiting to explode, Nana Addo said urgent steps must be taken to address the situation.

Unemployment Ghanas biggest problem

A recent survey conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs, (IEA), identified unemployment as the foremost problem confronting the majority of Ghanaians today.

According to the survey, urban dwellers, females, and the majority of people living in the Western, Eastern and Central regions, identified unemployment as their biggest problem in country.

The respondents identified poverty and unreliable electricity supply respectively, as the two other most important problems confronting Ghana today.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
With barely two months to the December 7 polls, the Catholic Bishops Conference has unequivocally condemned reports of votes buying by some politicians.

The highest decision making body of the Roman Catholic Church considers vote buying as an insult to the integrity of the Ghanaian electorate.

The two main political parties, the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been accused by civil society groups of votes buying.

The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has therefore cautioned desperate power seeking politicians against using money and items to coerce discerning electorate on December 7.

Such practice is an insult to the intelligence and dignity of the unsuspecting voters. We call for a stop to such acts of vote buying and also entreat the electorate to desist from yielding to such needless enticements.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the Catholic Bishops Conference one week Plenary Assembly held in Tamale under the theme: Reconciliation with God, humanity and nature in the year of mercy.

The communique espoused that, Participation in the political life in the light of fundamental moral principles is an essential duty of every Christian and of all people of good will.

We therefore encourage all registered voters to be vigilant as they exercise their franchise. To decide not to vote is to neglect your duty and run the risk of leaving others to decide your future for you, the communique emphasized.

The communique also advised politicians to make realistic promises in their manifestos, and further urged political leaders to be decorous in the mass media and on their campaign platforms.

Politicians should conduct themselves honourably and respect their opponents both in their utterances and actions. Politicians should realize that their political opponents are not their enemies; but neighbours who share different views, the communique underscored.

Electoral Commission

The communique commended the Electoral Commission for the pragmatic measures put in place to ensure peaceful, free, fair and transparent and credible elections.

It however warned the EC to avoid complacency. The integrity and success of the forthcoming elections depend primarily on the Electoral Commission and we call on Ghanaians to repose trust and confidence in the work of the Electoral Commission throughout the period of elections.

The communique reminded parents and guardians of their civic responsibility to discourage minors from voting just as it kicked against aliens' participation in national elections.

In the same vein, we appeal to non-Ghanaians who registered for one reason or the other to refrain from voting.

Media circumspection

The communique implored the mass media to be guided by professional ethics especially on election coverage.

We recommend that news about the elections should not be based on hearsay or prejudice. Information must be verified and the truth professionally ascertained. News stories should not be targeted at causing disgrace or embarrassment to personalities especially where it is clear that such reportage may trigger disaffection or incite violence, it advocated.

Chiefs must be neutral

The communique condemned chiefs open endorsement of Presidential and Parliamentary hopefuls and challenged them to be neutral.

We entreat our kings and chiefs to protect the integrity of their stools and skins by refraining from meddling in partisan politics to the displeasure of their subjects as if to say that the party they associate with or endorse is representative of their subjects' choice as well.

Politicians and traditional leaders must work to foster peace and seek the integral development of Ghanaians rather than to divide them.

Election prophesies must stop



It strongly scolded religious leaders who have openly predicted the outcome of the December 7 polls in favour of their preferred candidates.

Religious leaders must be circumspect in their pronouncements and predictions on the outcome of the elections, the communique opined.

The Catholic Bishops Conference overwhelmingly elected the Archbishop of the Tamale Metropolitan Diocese, Most Reverend Philip Naameh as its new leader.

He succeeded the Bishop of Mampong Diocese, Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu.

The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference is a religious organisation having its legal foundation in the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church respected by all Catholic Churches of the Roman Rite worldwide.

The Bishops Conference, according to the Canon Law of the Catholic Church (Canon 447-459), is the central Body of the Church in Ghana. Its purpose is to deliberate on matters of concern to the Church in Ghana; and to encourage activities in accordance with the needs of the times.



By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
With barely two months to the December 7 polls, the Catholic Bishops Conference has unequivocally condemned reports of votes buying by some politicians.

The highest decision making body of the Roman Catholic Church considers vote buying as an insult to the integrity of the Ghanaian electorate.

The two main political parties, the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been accused by civil society groups of votes buying.

The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has therefore cautioned desperate power seeking politicians against using money and items to coerce discerning electorate on December 7.

Such practice is an insult to the intelligence and dignity of the unsuspecting voters. We call for a stop to such acts of vote buying and also entreat the electorate to desist from yielding to such needless enticements.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the Catholic Bishops Conference one week Plenary Assembly held in Tamale under the theme: Reconciliation with God, humanity and nature in the year of mercy.

The communique espoused that, Participation in the political life in the light of fundamental moral principles is an essential duty of every Christian and of all people of good will.

We therefore encourage all registered voters to be vigilant as they exercise their franchise. To decide not to vote is to neglect your duty and run the risk of leaving others to decide your future for you, the communique emphasized.

The communique also advised politicians to make realistic promises in their manifestos, and further urged political leaders to be decorous in the mass media and on their campaign platforms.

Politicians should conduct themselves honourably and respect their opponents both in their utterances and actions. Politicians should realize that their political opponents are not their enemies; but neighbours who share different views, the communique underscored.

Electoral Commission

The communique commended the Electoral Commission for the pragmatic measures put in place to ensure peaceful, free, fair and transparent and credible elections.

It however warned the EC to avoid complacency. The integrity and success of the forthcoming elections depend primarily on the Electoral Commission and we call on Ghanaians to repose trust and confidence in the work of the Electoral Commission throughout the period of elections.

The communique reminded parents and guardians of their civic responsibility to discourage minors from voting just as it kicked against aliens' participation in national elections.

In the same vein, we appeal to non-Ghanaians who registered for one reason or the other to refrain from voting.

Media circumspection

The communique implored the mass media to be guided by professional ethics especially on election coverage.

We recommend that news about the elections should not be based on hearsay or prejudice. Information must be verified and the truth professionally ascertained. News stories should not be targeted at causing disgrace or embarrassment to personalities especially where it is clear that such reportage may trigger disaffection or incite violence, it advocated.

Chiefs must be neutral

The communique condemned chiefs' open endorsement of Presidential and Parliamentary hopefuls and challenged them to be neutral.

We entreat our kings and chiefs to protect the integrity of their stools and skins by refraining from meddling in partisan politics to the displeasure of their subjects as if to say that the party they associate with or endorse is representative of their subjects' choice as well.

Politicians and traditional leaders must work to foster peace and seek the integral development of Ghanaians rather than to divide them.

Election prophesies must stop

It strongly scolded religious leaders who have openly predicted the outcome of the December 7 polls in favour of their preferred candidates.

Religious leaders must be circumspect in their pronouncements and predictions on the outcome of the elections, the communique opined.

The Catholic Bishops Conference overwhelmingly elected the Archbishop of the Tamale Metropolitan Diocese, Most Reverend Philip Naameh as its new leader.

He succeeded the Bishop of Mampong Diocese, Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu.

The Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference is a religious organisation having its legal foundation in the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church respected by all Catholic Churches of the Roman Rite worldwide.

The Bishops' Conference, according to the Canon Law of the Catholic Church (Canon 447-459), is the central Body of the Church in Ghana. Its purpose is to deliberate on matters of concern to the Church in Ghana; and to encourage activities in accordance with the needs of the times.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has come at President John Mahama again, asking him to fix a collapsed economy and stop punching holes into the New Patriotic Party's 2016 manifesto.

The NPP vice presidential candidate said he finds it amazing that Mahama could have the confidence to claim that the NPP's proposal for the economy will not work.

The NDC and President Mahama are going around saying that these tax reductions as part of our comprehensive programme of economic reform and our manifesto promises will ruin the economy. I am so baffled, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank said.

You are the President and you have presided in eight years over the collapse of our economy. If you knew the plan that could work with the economy and be successful, why haven't you implemented that plan in eight years? he asked while interacting with students of the Nyankpala Campus of the University for Development Studies.

Nana Akufo-Addo's Running Mate advised the President that he should focus on making the economy he has ruined work in the short time he has left and noted that the President's record disqualifies him from becoming a judge on what will work or not work for the Ghanaian economy.

If you know what can work for our economy, why is the economy collapsing in your hands after eight years? You clearly don't understand the economic plans underpinning the NPP manifesto; your task is to make our economy work and is clear you cannot do it so you clearly have no legs to stand on in saying that the NPP plan cannot work because your own plan has collapsed the economy and we are bringing a new plan for the economy and this new plan will work, he stated.

Dr. Bawumia recalled the record of the Kufuor-NPP Administration which reduced Corporate Taxes to stimulate the private sector, create growth and at the same time cause an increase in government revenue and reiterated the pledge by the NPP to introduce more of such policies to create growth and jobs and revive the economy.

We reduced taxes under the NPP  corporate taxes were brought down from 32% to 25% and at the same time we saw a major increase in revenue and so it makes economic sense and we are going to focus on production. The President for now should focus on fixing the collapsed economy, he noted.

Dr. Bawumia has been touring Constituencies in the Northern region since Tuesday. He has so far toured the Nanton, Kumbungu and Tolon Constituencies.

-starrfmonline
Benaulim (India) (AFP) - China's President Xi Jinping warned Sunday that the global economy remained in a precarious condition as leaders of the BRICS group of nations tried to find ways to fire up growth in the troubled bloc.

Speaking at a summit in the Indian state of Goa, Xi told his host Narendra Modi and the leaders of Russia, Brazil and South Africa that the club of emerging powers had been undermined by both domestic and international woes.

But the leader of the world's second largest economy said the long-term forecast for BRICS members was positive as he called for more confidence-building measures.

"The global economy is still going through a treacherous recovery," Xi said in a statement at the summit on India's west coast.

"Because of the impact of both internal and external factors, BRICS countries have somewhat slowed down in economic growth and have faced a number of new challenges in development."

BRICS was formed in 2011 with the aim of using members' growing economic and political influence to challenge Western hegemony.

The nations, with a joint estimated GDP of $16 trillion, set up their own bank in parallel to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank and hold summits rivalling the G7 forum.

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS Summit in Goa on October 15, 2016

But the countries, accounting for 53 percent of world population, have been hit by falling global demand and lower commodity prices, while several have also been mired in corruption scandals.

Russia and Brazil have fallen into recession recently, South Africa only just managed to avoid the same fate last month and China's economy has slowed sharply.

India by contrast is now the world's fastest-growing major economy in an otherwise gloomy environment.

Modi said it was vital that the BRICS nations found ways of increasing their levels of cooperation. He called for the dismantling of trade barriers, promotion of skills and infrastructure development.

"Promoting economic and commercial engagement has been a foundational impulse in creation of BRICS," he said.

Modi, who came to power two years ago, said his government's policy of opening up the Indian economy had achieved results and offered valuable lessons.

"In India, we have undertaken substantial reforms in the last two years to streamline and simplify governance, especially doing business in India," said the Indian prime minister.

Security personnel stand guard outside the Taj Exocita hotel, the venue for the BRICS Summit in Goa, on October 15, 2016

"The results are clearly visible. We have moved up in almost all global indices that measure such performances.

"We have transformed India into one of the most open economies in the world today."

Xi said there was no reason why the bloc's members should not flourish as he called on a group made of business leaders from BRICS nations "to take concrete actions to boost confidence".

"The potential and strength of BRICS countries in terms of resources, market and labour forces have remained unchanged," he said.

"The long term... of BRICS development is still positive."

Modi has also been using the summit to attempt to isolate India's arch-rival Pakistan following a surge in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

'Terrorism mothership'

In a meeting with his fellow leaders, Modi urged them to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

Modi said a country in India's neighbourhood held links to "terror modules" around the world, which BRICS should strongly condemn.

"In our region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development."

"Tragically the mothership of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood," Modi said without naming Pakistan.

Modi wants to isolate Pakistan internationally following fury at home over recent attacks blamed on Pakistan-based groups that have left some 25 Indian soldiers dead.

Analysts however are sceptical of India's chances of securing a joint BRICS condemnation given China's strong diplomatic support for Pakistan and Russia's efforts to forge closer defence ties with Islamabad.

Taking place at the same time in Goa is a meeting of heads of a seven-nation grouping called BIMSTEC loosely based around the Bay of Bengal.

Myanmar's Aung Sang Suu Kyi, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the leaders of Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal are set to hold talks also focused on trade. Thailand's prime minister is not attending.
Violent political clashes have erupted at Ga, a community in the Wa West district of the Upper West region between supporters of the main opposition New Patriotic Party.

The clashes started on Saturday over a press conference that was to be addressed by the suspended constituency chairman of the area, Alhaji Seidu Abdullai popularly known as Alhaji Major.

The chairman who was suspended in November 2015 over his allegiance to their interdicted NPP National Chairman, Paul Afoko and his supporters from across the constituency, had gathered at Ga to address the media when the Upper West regional organizer of the NPP, Issahaku Seidu, a.k.a Alele, allegedly led thugs from the Wa Central branch of the party to disrupt the programme.

The community members watched helplessly while the two factions engaged in a free for all fight.

Others who said the attack was an indictment on the disgruntled chairman joined him in the fight making it difficult for passengers plying the Wa-Ga-Kumasi road to cross.

It took the timely intervention of personnel from the Wa West District Police Command to save the situation.

There were no casualty but some residents of Ga, especially women and children told Citi News they were in a state of fear since they have never witnessed such confusion among same party faithful before.

Alhaji Major , briefing the media after the incident expressed disappointment on the attack.

He said this is to tell you that the NPP is not ready for power. This again is an attack on my person, my supporters and on our entire democracy.

Regional Executives to blame

The chairman blamed the Upper West regional executives of the NPP of masterminding the attack and pledged to lead a crusade that will dwindle the chances of the NPP in the constituency.

I am assuring the NPP that their votes they got in the 2012 elections will be reduced by more than 3000.

Alhaji Abubakar Abdul-Rahaman, Upper West regional chairman of the NPP, told Citi News that he deployed the thugs to the community but said they were not sent to fight but to prevent Alhaji Major from using our polling station executives and our party colours.

He said due procedure was followed before suspending Major and the regional seretary is ready to furnish you with all the correspondence.

Meanwhile, Issahaque Mumuni, Spokesperson for the supporters of the Wa West suspended chairman, called on the party to resolve all issues surrounding the suspension.

He noted that the situation has made our constituency the poorest organized in the country and will possibly lead us recording the lowers electoral figures ever.

The spokesperson gave the NPP a five day ultimatum to reinstate Alhaji Seidu Abdullai as the Wa West NPP chairman or they will advise themselves.



By:Mahama Latif/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Benaulim (India) (AFP) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday a rising tide of protectionism and anti-globalisation was endangering the world economy's still fragile recovery as BRICS leaders vowed to forge closer business and trade ties.

At a summit in the Indian tourist hub of Goa, host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa issued a joint declaration on a range of measures, including the setting-up of a new credit ratings agency and fighting tax evasion.

They also agreed to work together to combat "cross-border" terrorism, but Modi's guests held off from signing up to his fierce condemnation of India's arch-rival Pakistan as the "mothership of terrorism".

BRICS was formed in 2011 with the aim of using members' growing economic and political influence to challenge Western hegemony.

The nations, with a joint estimated GDP of $16 trillion, set up their own bank in parallel to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank and hold summits rivalling the G7 forum.

But the countries, accounting for 53 percent of world population, have been hit by falling global demand and lower commodity prices, while several have also been mired in corruption scandals.

Russia and Brazil have fallen into recession recently, South Africa only just managed to avoid the same fate last month and China's economy has slowed sharply.

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS Summit in Goa on October 15, 2016

Both Xi and Modi said the group must stick together, insisting there was much to remain positive about even though its members have been beset by domestic woes and problems sparked by the 2008 financial crisis.

"At present the deep-seated impact of the international financial crisis is still unfolding. The global economy is still going through a treacherous recovery and deep adjustments," Xi said.

The Chinese president said "deep-seated imbalances that triggered the financial crisis" were far from being resolved.

"Some countries are getting more inward-looking in their policies. Protectionism is rising and forces against globalisation are posing an emerging risk," he added.

While Xi did not single anyone out, Republican candidate Donald Trump has threatened to erect trade barriers to Chinese products if elected US president. Britain's vote to leave the European Union has been interpreted partly as a backlash against globalisation.

While China's economy has been running out of steam of late --although it is still the world's second largest -- India is now the fastest-growing major economy and its GDP is expected to increase 7.6 percent in 2016-17.

'Deeper bonds'

Modi said it was vital the BRICS nations increased cooperation by dismantling trade barriers and developing infrastructure.

Security personnel stand guard outside the Taj Exocita hotel, the venue for the BRICS Summit in Goa, on October 15, 2016

"I think I speak for all when I say that through a common vision and collective action, we will create and sustain deeper bonds among BRICS nations, develop our economies and secure our societies," he said.

"While our achievements have been substantial, we need to sustain the positive direction and strong momentum of intra-BRICS engagement."

Xi said BRICS countries had much to be proud of and had contributed to more than 50 percent of global growth in the last decade.

"The past decade has seen BRICS partnership expanding with win-win results," he said.

"We need to deepen our partnership: we BRICS countries are good friends, brothers and partners that treat each other with sincerity."

Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile called for closer cooperation in areas such as e-commerce and space exploration. Modi confirmed that the leaders had agreed to fast-track setting up a new ratings agency amid accusations from within the bloc that the three traditional agencies -- Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings -- are all Western-based.

"We look forward to translating into reality the idea of a BRICS Credit Rating Agency," he said, without giving details of the much-trailed agency or timeline for its establishment.

Modi, who is pushing to isolate Pakistan following a surge in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, urged his peers to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

But with China reluctant to embarrass its traditional allies in Islamabad, a joint statement at the end of the summit only referred to a vague goal of combating "cross-border terrorism and its supporters".
The Governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has upped its target of votes in the stronghold of bitter rivals, the NPP.

The party now hopes to obtain 1.5 million votes from the Ashanti Region which has traditionally voted the New Patriotic Party.

Since last year and most part of this year, the NDC has been touting governments achievements in the region and vowing to cut the size of the oppositions vote significantly.

NDC leaders and government spokespersons had consistently talked about the NDCs plan to garner a million votes from the second largest region in the country.

But at its campaign launch in the regional capital, Kumasi, the NDC revised its one million vote target to 1.5 million.

In the last elections in 2012, the NDCs John Mahama obtained 612,616 votes representing 28.35% percent of total valid votes cast in the region. His main opponent, Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP garnered 1.531, 152 representing 70.86% of the votes cast.

The NDC now hopes to triple its share of votes which partly the reason for lavish campaign launch in the region Saturday.

National Organiser and Campaign Coordinator of the NDC, Kofi Adams, said the revision was informed results of research conducted by the party in the region.

According to him, the NDC conducted research in all polling stations in the region and is confident it will achieve its target.

Speaking at the mammoth rally, Vice-President Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur touted President John Mahama's government's achievements in the region.

He said purely on the basis of the work done, the president deserved another term.

He referred a market project in the Kumasi metropolis as the largest in Africa and said he hadn't seen a project of such magnitude anywhere else in Africa.

Ashanti Regional Minister, Alexander Ackon, condemned the NPP's promise of one-district, one-factory as impracticable.

He said the NDC's policy of providing for the specific needs of every district was the best way to go.

Story by Ghana I Myjoyonline.com
Barring justice in heaven, judiciary use to be one place in Nigeria where people get relative reprieve. Our lawyers and judges were so well trained locally, most African countries gained from their expertise and training. They were the bastion of integrity and profession of choice for many freedom fighters that brought colonialism to a standstill. A noble profession that has fallen to the same self-destructive infection many in the country now find themselves.

Judges must be held in high esteem and adequately provided for, so that they are not tempted to fall into many social frailties. More is even expected from those that have taken the wow of poverty like our Imams and Revered Fathers. As much as we respect those that have taken on these responsibilities, they should be accorded the benefit of doubt only for so long. As soon as they abuse their oath and the secrecy accorded to them, they should be treated as criminals.

Corruption at an endemic point, is prevailing in most African countries and worse in Nigeria. It can no longer be tolerated just as abuse of children by Revered Fathers has broken solemnity in most religious societies. We do not give more respect to judges than we give men of God. Once our trust in them is shattered, they must bear the consequences.

The notion that due process, rule of law and democracy must shield unbecoming behavior at any level is nothing but sheer hypocrisy. It has never stopped the practice of democracy in their countries of origin from going after terrorism. Indeed, it has overthrown soft governments on terrorism and created xenophobic fears worldwide. Africans that have betrayed our trust and prosper in corruption, when caught in the act, become staunch guidance of the rule of law.

It is only in Nigeria that politicians and judges would be caught with millions in foreign cash and billions in local currency, that they would shout bloody murder hiding behind the rule of law. If Italian Mafias were Nigerians when caught red-handed with cash, they will be in court shouting and calling on United Nation for their rescue from a government that infringe on the rule of law subverting democratic principles.

However, we cannot paint all lawyers and judges with the same brush. Senior or retired judges and lawyers have come out in defense of their noble profession wondering what a seating judge would be doing with such amount of money in their houses. Some of them have never seen so much money in their life. They knew there was corruption but could not believe the crooks would use due process, rule of law and democracy to thwart scrutiny.

Lawyers do not have to be activists to condemn the evil doers among them. Actually they know them and have been complaining for year about it until Buhari had the guts to confront them head-on. It became so difficult to get conviction against politicians that stole enough to get connected lawyers that know the right amount a judge would take from the highest bidder. It has invaded the highest level of the court.

We still remember the saga between the Chief Judge of the Appeals Court Ayo Salami that rejected promotion to the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of Nigeria Aloysius Katsina-Alu. It all started from the election tribunals some considered bought and paid for, to favor certain party and instruction from above to favor another. Of course, it became so messy because parties and their supporters were divided between fake men of integrity and caliber.

Election tribunals or designated courts are established after contentious elections. If the judges appointed for them do not celebrate, their families were not so restrained. They kill cows and goats in anticipation of expected windfall in bribes and kickback from the highest bidders. Here is where election of the duly elected but uncompromising winners are overturned in favor of the highest bidders. Technicalities and fraudulent tactics are rational used for favored rulings.

Those willing to sacrifice the country at the altar of their selfish ends cannot wait to cry bloody murder even as the people burn in corruption. The comfort and the selfish interest of the few privileged vagabonds matter more to them regardless of the sorry state of the nation. For all they care the country can go to blazes as long as they can rescue their loot.

While it is expected that, the Nigerian National Judicial Council would elucidate due process, by which it should discipline an erring judge, once that body has been compromised by its very process; extra-ordinary measures must be taken to rectify the situation before the country that has gone to the dogs catches fire. Separation of power is to prevent interference from one part of government, enforcement of the rule of law can still be implemented by the other arm.

Judiciary has never had the power to enforce and implement its ruling. Here, we have had a glaring abuse of trust and deterioration of integrity for a long time. Indeed, people have become disenchanted with the role of National Judicial Council in cleaning up its own just by retirement. It has been well- known as an uphill battle. Like a doctor that cannot heal himself.

It got to a point when local prosecutors have to go to foreign courts to present the evidence that is ignore locally, to convict Nigerian looters outside. Other governors learned from Ibori and Alamieyeseigha that the worst mistake they made was running outside the country when they could have easily bought justice inside Nigeria! It does not mean that other countries are better than ours, it just means that even in Chicago U.S.A, the law can catch up with corruption.

If Buhari can clean up corruption in the Judiciary and the Police as he had embarked on in the Army as soon as he was elected, we will see more changes (except for Burutai property in Dubai). We do not expect a perfect system but enough to make most promises stick. He was elected knowing his fault and weaknesses, especially regarding some of his appointments. But Nigerians are so sick and tired of corruption, they are willing to ignore some of his blind spots.

If United States was waiting for the Judiciary to clean up corruption of judges in Illinois, Florida, Alabama and other places, they would have to wait until Nigeria became clean.
16.10.2016 LISTEN

I read Reuben Abati's excellent write-up titled "The Spiritual Side Of Aso Villa" and I concur with his submissions.

I worked in the Villa for three years as President Olusegun Obasanjo's spokesman on public affairs and a lot of gery strange things happened there.

Amongst them is the fact that the two people that served as Senior Special Assistant to President Obasanjo on Media and Publicity one after the other, namely the much-loved Mr. Tunji Oseni and then later Mrs. Remi Oyo, both contracted a terrible terminal illness whilst in office and died a few years later.

Apart from that many other aides that worked in the Villa at that time were also afflicted with strange dieseases and a suddem and tragic end.

Amongst them were Col. Solomon Giwa Amu, Obasanjo's hard-working and good-looking ADC and Mr. Stanely Macebuh, his brilliant and cerebal Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications.

I was so moved by Abati's piece that I decided to share the following thoughts about the spiritual challenges that those in power have faced.

When our President can get up and tell the whole world all the way from distant Germany that his wife "belongs to the kitchen, the living room and the other room" simply because she dared to speak her mind to the BBC then you know that he is in the grip of something evil and that demons are speaking through him.

It is all part of the spiritual dimension of living in the Villa that Abati was referring to in his essay. The President's mind has become twisted and he is now posessed by strange and powerful entities. He needs a lot of prayer.

Yet the problem is much bigger and wider than that. When one studies the history of our country critically and takes the time to do the appropriate research, one thing becomes very clear- that, in Nigeria, politics and the power game is a dangerous calling and terrible business which, more often than not, comes with a heavy price tag.

That price tag includes pain, anguish, betrayal, humiliation, persecution, misfortune, hardship, loss, death, strange ailments and tragedy for those who reach the top and their loved ones.

It is rather like playing Russian roulette- there is one live bullet in the six empty chambers of the pistol and one doesnt quite know when that bullet will go off when the trigger is pulled.

The gamble and risks taken are not only compulsive but they are also addictive and at the same time utterly deadly.

Sadly the result is as follows- virtually every single one of our national leaders and those that have ever ruled this country has suffered immeasurably at some point or the other in their lives, whether it be before, during or after they came to power.

They too have shed tears in the loneliness of their closets and have eaten portions of what the Bible describes as the bread of sorrows. Yes, even the rich and powerful cry and even they suffer loss and tragedy.

This is the case for leaders all over the world but in Nigeria it is far more pronounced and common than anywhere else.

Here the angel of death, misfortune and sorrow seem to stalk those that find power and, like an ugly old crow plucks out the pink feathers and precious eyes of a beautiful flamingo, she cuts short and plucks away their lives or the lives of their loved ones.

Like a light bulb attracts a moth and leads it to a sudden end, so power attracts those who seek it with equally tragic consequences. As painful as it is, let us look at the facts.

In the early 60s Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the first Premier of the Western Region, lost his first son and years later his second son and second daughter were cut short in the prime of their lives.

Chief S.L. Akintola, his bitter political rival and the second Premier of the Western Region also lost his first daughter in the early 60s and a few years later lost his third and youngest son. His second son was also cut short in his prime a number of years later.

My father, Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode, the Deputy Premier of the Western Region, who was a close ally and second in command to S.L. Akintola, lost his second son.

Sir Adesoji Aderemi, who was the Ooni of Ife, a close ally of Awolowo and the first ceremonial Governor of the old Western Region, lost his first son. Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Premier of the old Eastern Region and Nigerias first and only ceremonial President, lost his first wife.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigerias second democratically-elected President lost four wives and one son many years ago whilst Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the Northern Region, lost two sons and one daughter. Awolowo and Obasanjo went to jail for three years each whilst Ahmadu Bello went to jail for three months.

S.L. Akintola was killed in the prime of his life just as were Ahmadu Bello and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigerias first democratically-elected leader and Prime Minister.

As a matter of fact they were all killed on the same night- the night of January 15th 1966. President Shehu Shagari, Nigerias second democratically-elected leader and first executive President lost four children whilst he was in power and was locked up for over two years after he was toppled.

Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the June 12th 1993 Presidential election, lost two wives, was locked up for 4 years and was eventually killed.

Chief Bola Ige, the first democratically-elected Governor of Oyo state and the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Federation lost his first son and he himself was later murdered.

Chief Bisi Onabanjo, the first democratically-elected Governor of Ogun state lost his first son. Alhaji Lateef Jakande, the first democratically elected Governor of Lagos state, lost his first daughter.

Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, the second democratically-elected Governor of Oyo state lost his son. Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, the first Minister of Finance of Nigeria was killed.

Chief Alfred Rewane, one of the founding members of the Action Group and a leading figure in NADECO, was killed. The list is endless and I could go on and on.

Alhaji Musa Yaradua was Minister of Lagos Affairs in the First Republic. He was blessed with a long and peaceful life. However two of his sons were not so lucky.

His first son, General Shehu Musa Yaradua, who was number two to General Obasanjo when he was military Head of State and who for many decades was one of the most powerful men in the country, was murdered whilst he was in prison.

His second son, President Umaru Yaradua, was cut short in his prime by a strange and inexplicable ailment after he had been President for only three years.

He was succeeded by his number two, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan lost his brother and his mother-in-law one year after the other after he became President.

Worse still those that he had been deputy to throughout his political life, either as Deputy Governor or Vice President, always suffered one form of misfortune or the other, whether it be death, shame, incarceration or impeachment, and he would end up stepping into their shoes and taking their place.

When it comes to our military rulers the story of consistent tragedy is no different- General Aguiyi-Ironsi, our first military Head of State was killed. General Yakubu Gowon, our second military Head of State, was toppled from power, exiled and lost his brother.

General Murtala Mohammed, our third military Head of State, was killed and lost both his son and son-in-law.

General Olusegun Obasanjo was our fourth military Head of State and we touched on his misfortunes earlier.

General Muhammadu Buhari, our fifth military Head of State, was toppled from power, locked up for a number of years, lost his mother whilst he was in detention and was not allowed to attend her burial, lost his first wife, lost his daughter and now he has publicly described his second wife as nothing more than a "kitchen, living room and 'other room' wife".

His number two, General Tunde idiagbon, was cut short under very strange and suspicious cirumstances.

General Ibrahim Babangida, our sixth military Head of State, was eased out of power and compelled to step aside amidst massive controversy and turmoil and later lost his wife.

His number two, Rear Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, lost his first son, Chief Ernest Shonekan, our first and only Interim Civilian Head of State, was badly humiliated and toppled from power.

General Sani Abacha, our seventh military Head of State, lost his first son, was removed from power and was killed.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar, our eigth military Head of State, as far as I am aware is the only exception and appears to have escaped any misfortune.

Yet the picture is very depressing. This is indeed a catalogue of tragic events. Sorrow and pain just appears to be following sorrow and pain. It is a vicious circle of misfortune and calamity.

Yet the most curious phenomenon and bizarre series of events of all is the fact that every single Head of State or President that has ruled our country from the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock, Abuja for three years or more has either ended up dying whilst there or has lost a spouse before leaving office.

President Jonathan stayed there as President for four years in a stretch but the travails of his wife and her series of illnesses and medical complications which suddenly and miraculously ceased and abated after he conceeded the 2015 election indicates that had he continued in office after 2015 he may have lost her and the demons of Aso Rock Villa would have come for their prey. Thankfully he left before they could lay claim to it and before the curse was activated.

Babangida did not stay in the Villa in Abuja for up to three years so he and his wife escaped what has come to be known as the Villa curse.

It was the same for Chief Ernest Shonekan who, wisely, never stayed at the Villa at all but who chose to preside over the affairs of the nation from Aguda house next door and who remained in power for barely six months. General Abdulsalami Abubakar stayed at the Villa but he remained there for less than a year.

However Abacha, Obasanjo and Yaradua were not so lucky- each of them stayed at the Villa for three years or more and before the end of their tenure they either lost their own life or the life of their spouse whilst there.

The story is that once the three year mark is passed the curse sets in and the clock begins to tick. At the end of the day only one of the two spouses comes out alive.

When one considers all these facts and series of misfortunes that have trailed our leaders in the last 56 years of our existence as an independent nation one cannot but conclude that there has indeed been a harvest of hardship, pain and death attached to the highest, most powerful and most prominent offices in the land and to those that are close to or have occupied it.

The truth is that power comes at a terrible price and those that wield it have, more often than not, experienced terrible pain and anguish in their lives.

That is the price that virtually every single one of them has had to pay. What a tragedy. Yet at the end of the day I wonder whether it is all worth it.

For as the bible says, it is nothing but vanity upon vanity- all is vanity.
16.10.2016 LISTEN

By Kodjo Adams, GNA

Accra, Oct. 16, GNA - The Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons in collaboration with the AO Alliance Foundation, an NGO has launched a project dubbed: 'Paediatric Fracture Solutions for Ghana,' to reduce disability from paediatric musculoskeletal fracture.

The aim of the project is to reduce morbidity and mortality from paediatric fracture through prevention education and by improving the clinical care provided by doctors, nurses, allied healthcare workers and primary caregivers.

The project is also to instil knowledge of trauma prevention strategies among parents and primary caregivers as well as to provide appropriate fracture care education for various traditional and medical providers at the various levels of care referral.

It was funded by UBS Optimus Foundation.

Professor Chris Colton, Former President of AO Foundation said globally, five million people die from injuries every year and a staggering 90 per cent of these deaths occur in low-and middle -income countries.

Prof Colton noted that in Ghana, where a quarter of the population was 10 years or younger, unintentional injury accounted for 37 deaths per 100,000 children under age 14 in 2010.

He said statistics revealed that in Ghana, almost half of families did not seek care for an injured child and that in Kumasi, one third of the injured never receive medical care at a clinic or hospital.

Prof Colton, also a Paediatric Surgeon observed that the role of traditional bonesetters due to accepted traditions and poverty had led to poor outcomes, including paediatric amputations, a devastating but preventable clinical outcome.

He said the Foundation recognised that reducing the burden of paediatric injury and fractures demanded both injury prevention and improvements in trauma and fracture care.

Prof Jacob Plange-Rhule, Rector of Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons said the outcome of the project was to develop the skills and motivation of healthcare workers using available resources for paediatric fracture care.

He said the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital would provide clinical training of healthcare staff in the management of childhood injuries.

A statement on behalf of the Ministry of Health commended the Foundation for the initiative and expressed government commitment to support the project in providing access and quality healthcare for Ghanaians.

GNA
By Iddi Yire, GNA

Accra, Oct. 16, GNA - Hajia Salmat Cecilia Hamza, the Upper West Regional Women Organiser, National Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged the Party's women organisers to carry President John Dramani Mahama to the finish line at the December 7 polls.

She said of all the presidential candidates in this year's general election, President Mahama was the only one with the track record of spearheading Ghana's socio-economic development and sustaining its democratic gains.

Haji Salmat Hamza, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra at the end of a training workshop for NDC Regional Women Organisers, said Ghanaians were discerning and have seen the massive infrastructural development the nation had witnessed under President Mahama and would surely vote to retain him on December 7, to continue his good works.

The workshop was held to energise the women's wing of the NDC for a very vibrant and effective campaign towards the December 7 polls.

Hajia Salmat Hamza charged the Party's women and youth not to rest on their oars, but should rather go out from door to door to market President Mahama for re-election.

She cautioned Party members against any form of electoral violence and rather conduct effective campaign, devoid of violence.

She urged them to emulate the humility and civility with which President Mahama was conducting his campaign.

GNA
Accra, Oct. 16, GNA - Madam Jane Oku, the Chief Executive Officer of Janok Foundation, a community-based organisation at Sabon Zongo in Accra, has donated assorted books to the Accra Wesley Girls' High School in Accra.

The books, mainly on social science, literature, mathematics and English vocabulary skills was estimated at 2,500 dollars.

Madam Oku in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said it was her organisation's social intervention to support girl-child education in the country.

She appealed to individuals and organisations to assist community schools to improve on their standard of education.

She called on parents to send their children to school, especially the girl-child to enable them to acquire skills and knowledge needed for national development.

Mrs Cynthia Essibey Annang, the Head Mistress of the School who received the items told the GNA that the gesture had come at an opportune time and advised the students to continue to be serious with the studies.

'Our mission and vision are to train diligent girls to attain high academic standard to render good services to humanity,' she explained.

Mrs Annang told parents that quality teaching was not the responsibility of teachers alone, but each and everyone in the communities.

'There is therefore the need for the parents to supervise the school work of their children at home and be serious with the provision of their educational and other needs,' she said.

Mrs Annang commended the donor for their commitment to supporting education.

GNA
By Kodjo Adams/Cecilia Diesob/William Fiabu, GNA

Accra, Oct. 16, GNA - Nana Oye-Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection has appealed to fetish priests and priestess to use their influence as spiritual leaders to advocate against child marriage.

Nana Oye Lithur said tradition and culture had been identified as one of the major drivers of child marriage because of some beliefs and practices that condoned child marriage.

She expressed worry that most incidents of child marriage resulted in the termination or delay of education especially for girls, verbal and physical abuse, health complications, and poverty.

The Minister said this in Accra at an engagement with Ga Fetish Priests and Priestesses on ending child marriage in the country.

The engagement provided opportunity to discuss and assess customs and traditions which condoned child marriage and how to eliminate them.

'As custodians of the highest power of the Ga land, you have the opportunity to protect the welfare of all your people, especially girls who are the major victims to child marriage,' she added.

She said the engagement was critical because the priests and priestesses play an important roles in the communities and were great influence in ending child marriage.

Nana Oye Lithur said it was estimated that one third of girls in developing countries were married before the age of 18 and some before 15 years.

The national prevalence of child marriage in the country has not declined since 2011, remaining stable at 21 per cent as at 2014. For girls living in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions this percentage had increased to 34 per cent.

The Minister explained that child marriage increased illiteracy especially among girls who fell victim to poverty, limited human resource, and health risks resulting in serious implications for the growth and development of the country.

'To address the issue of child marriage in Ghana, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection under our Domestic Violence Secretariat set up the Ending Child Marriage Coordinating Unit in 2014'.

She said with support from UNICEF the Ministry had developed a national strategic framework on ending child marriage in the country, conducted a number of sensitisation and awareness programmes to bring on board stakeholders to join the campaign to end child marriage.

Nana Oye-Lithur observed that, some traditions and religions promoted child marriage under the disguise of safeguarding the child against immoral behaviour and avoiding disgrace from teenage pregnancy.

She said another cause of child marriage which was high among traditional households was teenage pregnancy where research showed that Accra recorded more than 10,000 teenage pregnancies.

The fetish priests and priestesses pledged their resolute commitment to speak out against child marriage in the communities to protect their human rights.

GNA
By Stephen Asante, GNA

Kumasi, Oct. 16 GNA - The Jackson Educational Complex (JEC), an educational institution, is to receive the Golden European Award for Quality and Business Prestige for being committed to quality human resource development.

The award, which would be conferred by the World Business Assembly (WBA), an international civic society organisation supporting major development initiatives across the globe, at its Conference of Leaders and Socrates Award Ceremony, is in recognition of JEC's contribution to advancing quality education delivery in Ghanaian rural communities.

A statement signed by Mr Ubeydullah Dalmis, the WBA General Manager, and copied to Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, said the event would be hosted in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and scheduled for November 26.

Professor Ebenezer Jackson, Director of the Jackson College of Education, would receive the award on behalf of the institution, and this brings to four the international awards received by the JEC in the last three years.

The award is targeted at institutions who serve as an inspiration to other businesses with their results, management and understanding.

The statement said the International Aristotle Nomination Committee would be on hand to grace the occasion, which would bring together prominent scientists, politicians, business leaders and experts from different fields of endeavour.

Established in 2009, the College, the teacher training department of the JEC, and an affiliate of the University of Education, Winneba, had graduated about 6000 teacher trainees from its more than 30 centres across the country, and received Diploma in Basic Education by Distance Learning.

Mrs Theodosia Jackson, Principal of the College, in an interview with the GNA, described the award as a motivation to the institution, assuring that the authorities would continue to promote quality human resource development for the benefit of the nation.

She said the school had a mission to help increase access to teacher training facilities nationwide and also improve the level of teaching and learning at the basic school by providing high quality teacher training education.

The College is also structured to offer sound educational background, opportunities and challenges to post senior high school students interested in pursuing the teaching profession as well as untrained teachers who could not join the regular Colleges of Education.

Other awards claimed by the JEC in the last three years include the Business Initiative Directions Award - International Arch of Europe (Gold category), for excellence in quality, innovation and technology, as well as World Confederation of Businesses Award for business excellence.

GNA
16.10.2016 LISTEN

By Lydia Asamoah, GNA

Accra, Oct. 16, GNA - The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has advised the public to buy products based on their quality but not on how low or affordable the price is.

This is to ensure that they get the best product that are safe to their health.

'If we judge things based on the prices they are sold; we will always have health problems. We should rather look at their quality, certification, date and name of manufacturing and manufacturer, and expiry date', Mr Kofi Amponsah-Bediako, Head of Public Relations of the GSA said this at an open day held as part of the 47th World Standard Day activities organised by the Authority for stakeholders.

'Standards are developed to protect health, protect safety and protect the environment we live in,' Mr Amponsah-Bediako explained.

Addressing some students from the Science Laboratory Department of Accra Technical University, formerly Accra Poly, and pupils of University of Ghana (UG) Basic School at the open day, Mr Amponsah-Bediako and Mr Emmanuel Asante, Head of Marketing at GSA both, advised them to make it a habit of looking for proper certification and quality logo on products they buy to consume, especially, canned and foreign goods to avoid consuming expired products that could maim them.

Mr Amponsah-Bediako briefed the students on the importance of standards and how the global body decided to set aside October 14, of every year as World Standards Day.

He said the International Electronic Commission (IEC), International Organisation for Standardisation and International Telecommunications Union all together, mark the Day worldwide, creating the awareness of the importance of standards that ensure the promotion of quality in goods, service and trade.

He said the GSA as the national standard organisation also works with other regulatory institutions like the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Energy Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, National Petroleum Authority, among others to enforce the standards made by GSA and other stakeholders.

Mr Asante said the GSA was hosting a documentation and information centre, where all laws on standards were stored and so people could walk in to learn about the standards, particularly, those who want to embark on businesses.

The students who were taken round the various laboratories at GSA expressed joy for the opportunity to interact with officials at Authority and to learn about standards.

Mr Emmanuel Ohene Ofosu, President of the Science Lab Department said it was a good initiative from GSA for the students, saying: 'It really helpful to students, especially moving to the labs in GSA the students can appreciate what they learn at school and what to expect on the job market'.

Miss Anaglo Sefakor of the UG Basic School said her school should make it part of its excursion programmes.

GNA
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Abidjan (AFP) - A US aid worker kidnapped in Niger is likely being held by jihadists from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao), the country's interior minister said Sunday.

Jeffery Woodke -- the first American to be kidnapped in the west African country - was seized at gunpoint from his home in the central town of Abalak on Friday.

Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum told AFP that Niger's forces had tracked the kidnappers across the border into Mali, towards the region of Menaka which is controlled by the Al-Qaeda linked Mujao.

"He was probably kidnapped by the Mujao or handed over to the Mujao by those who abducted him," said Bazoum by telephone.

"We have had no contact with the Mujao, which is a terrorist organisation," he added.

Bazoum's ministry said earlier that Woodke had been in the Abalak area since 1992 working for JEMED, an aid group helping the local Tuareg community.

A local resident who knew him described him as "perfectly integrated with the population" speaking the Tuaregs' Tamasheq language fluently as well as Fula and Arabic.

"We tried many times to make him leave the area as he was more exposed than ever, but he refused, saying he wasn't afraid," the resident said on condition of anonymity.

Woodke's kidnappers burst into his home at around 9 pm on Friday, killing a bodyguard and a member of the national guard before seizing the aid worker and heading west.

Mujao has abducted several foreigners in the restive region including in Mali and Algeria.

Northern Mali fell under the control of Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist groups in 2012. A French-led military intervention pushed them out, but swathes of the country remain out of government control and awash with armed groups.

Niger's long, porous borders make it occasionally vulnerable to the armed violence in neighbouring countries.

Last week, 22 of Niger's soldiers were killed when armed men who had travelled from Mali launched an attack on a refugee camp in the town of Tazalit.

Niger also faces constant attacks in the southeast from Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram.

The Tahoua region, where Friday's kidnapping took place, neighbours Agadez where the US has a military base which it uses to launch surveillance drones targeting jihadist groups.

A senior security source told AFP the kidnapping came as a surprise, as "the Americans do not pay ransoms".

In January 2011, two young French people were kidnapped from a restaurant in Niamey and were killed shortly afterwards during a rescue attempt.

The previous year, five employees of the French energy firm Areva were kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) from a uranium mine in Arlit, north of the country.

Four men were freed in 2013 after the earlier release of the sole female hostage.
The Member of Parliament for the Madina Constituency, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho has urged his constituents to retain him as their legislator in Parliament on December 7.

According to him his works show he is the best candidate for the job.

He said his hard work had saw the construction of massive projects in the constituency including the ICT cente at Pantang, an 18-unit classroom block, at La-Nkwatanang, the Madina market among others.

Mr. Sorogho while speaking at his campaign rally at the Madina market on Saturday implored his constituents to vote for him massively on the election day.

In Madina today if nothing at all we have well paved grounds to hold community gathering such as this. About 15 years ago we did not have a market like this here. The whole of this place was covered in refuse and was more or less a refuse site.

It was me Alhaji Sorogho who was instrumental in getting this market project done, with the supports of others, Assembly men, chiefs, mallams and pastors of this area. Madina did not even have a good market like this. We need to continue our good works, he added.

Competition from NPP

Amadu Sorogho is facing stiff competition from the New Patriotic Party Partys candidate Boniface Abubakr Saddique.

Though the NPP has never won the Madina seat since the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1992 Abubakr Saddique is hopeful of annexing the constituency for his party.



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Photos by Duke Opoku Mensah
16.10.2016 LISTEN

By Gideon Ahenkorah, GNA

Kasoa, (C/R), Oct.16, GNA - Dr Frederick Yaw Addo-Abedi, the Rector of KAAF University College, said the academic board of the University has initiated a project-based education structure, aimed at bridging the gap between academia and industry.

The education structure, he said would ensure that academic tuition structures and programmes are tailored to industrial requirements to help increase graduate employability opportunities.

Dr Addo- Abedi said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kasoa in the Central Region during the School's fifth Congregation ceremony at the weekend.

The Rector attributed Ghana's graduate unemployment problem to the inability of tertiary institutions to initiate prudent academic projects that could impart into students the requisite skills for the country's industry.

"We at KAAF university would not act like other universities.

"We aim at producing industry-ready graduates through practically-oriented tuition," Dr Addo-Abedi added.

He said the school was yet to introduce a seminar course in entrepreneurship, which would be subscribed by all students.

"Entrepreneurship is another alternative way of tackling graduate unemployment.

'If the jobs are not there for a graduate, the best solution is for him to create one."

The Rector said, the school was yet to organise a debate, which aimed at tabling relevant measures to tackle graduate unemployment.

The debate he said would assemble development think tanks from various institutions who would discuss the main causes of the menace and propose result-oriented solutions.

Dr Esther Ofei- Aboagye, the Deputy Chairperson of the National Development Planning Commission, who spoke as the guest of honour said, Ghana must take advantage of technological advancement as it was an avenue for job creation.

She advised the school to partner other development-oriented institutions so as to contribute to development policy formulation and implementation.

"Ghana as a middle income country needs a quality education, which is responsive to economic development", she observed.

Dr Ofei -Aboagye applauded the school for its constant contributions towards the reduction of graduate unemployment, saying that was the demand of the nation.

"Private Universities have the strength for optimising their available resources through the initiation of competitive, sustainable and efficient projects that can positively communicate their quality to the world.

"KAAF university must vigorously and more rigorously publish well- researched works and excellent academic thesis that can meet international academic standards," she said.

She asked the private universities to embark on projects geared towards developing the private sector so as to make the sector absorb more of private university graduates.

"When the private sector is developed, it would create a win- win results."

The Congregation which was on the theme: "Enhancing graduate employment through quality tertiary education; the role of private university in Ghana", saw 186 students graduated.

The fifth congregation was also graced by Former President Jerry John Rawlings.

GNA
16.10.2016 LISTEN

From Caesar Abagali, GNA

Abuja (Nigeria), Oct. 16, GNA - Science journalists within the ECOWAS region have advised ECOWAS to invest heavily in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), to win the fight against poverty to accelerate development.

The journalists gave the advice in Abuja in an eight- point communiquA at the end of ECOWAS Regional Capacity building Workshop for science journalists from the ECOWAS Anglophone countries.

It was on the theme: 'Making Science and Innovation more Accessible for ECOWAS' Citizens.'

The workshop created the platform for the journalists in the sub-region to improve on the quality of their reportage especially on science and innovation issues.

The communiquA among other things said STI was responsible for sustainable development in many parts of the world, which ECOWAS must embrace to ensure rapid development.

The workshop was organised because sustainable development in the region has to be science led and this has to be driven by an unprecedented transfer and acquisition of technology and knowledge.

This multi-sectorial flow of knowledge in science between the different actors and players, which are end users, policy makers, scientists and innovators, must be catalysed by a robust communication system put in place and animated by the professional journalists in science and technology.

Media in general could play a central and critical role for Africa's socio-economic development.

For instance, in the area of health, the fight against HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, virus such as H5N1 and Ebola, science journalists therefore report in ways that contribute to the prevention and control of these diseases and positively influence the attitudes and behaviours of communities, societies and decision makers.

Participants were drawn from Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia and The Gambia and the topics they treated included ethical issues in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, the Scientists, Journalists and Sustainable Development, Media Policy in Science Reporting in Africa, Communicating on Climate Change, Biodiversity, Biotechnology and Renewable Energy, the role of the media and the overview of the global environment of the Science, Technology and innovation.

The communiquA said Africa was lagging behind considerably in sustainable development because of low scientific activities while weak ECOWAS member states in media relations was one of the biggest problems facing ECOWAS.

It said there was also weak communication gap between scientists and the mellow, low patronage of science issues including climate change and that all many African Universities and other institutions of higher learning had not adopted the UNESCO curriculum for science journalism.

The communiquA recommended among others that quarterly capacity enhancement training in selected countries for science journalists; initiate mentorship programmes for journalists, organise Annual excellence Awards for science journalists, formation of West African Science Journalists Network and active networking between ECOWAS and other AFRO regions on issues of scientific and technological development of the continent.

GNA
16.10.2016 LISTEN

By Francis Ameyibor, GNA

Accra, Oct. 16, GNA - The next government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would establish a new College of Education as an Instructor Training College for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), at Agona Swedru in the Central Region.

It would also complete the establishment of three additional Colleges of Education in the underserved regions of Greater Accra, Central and the Northern Regions.

The NDC stated this its Election 2016 Manifesto, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

It was published as part of the GNA's project: 'GNA Tracks Election 2016,' which seeks to sensitise the electorate on the various issues raised by political parties, elections management body and other governance institutions.

It also seeks to ensure gender and social inclusion in national politics and to provide voice for the youth, vulnerable groups, opinion leaders and the broader spectrum of the society, as well as contribute its quota to the achievement of a peaceful poll on December 7.

Another objective of the project is to create a platform to dissect the manifestoes of all political parties and provide in-depth analysis of each thematic area to the electorate to enable them to make an informed judgment.

The re-elected NDC Government would also complete the University of Environment and Sustainable Development at Somanya and its satellite campus at Donkorkrom in the Eastern Region.

The next NDC government would continue to implement the Transforming Teacher Education and Learning Programme (T-TEL) to cover professional training for 35,000 teachers in all the Colleges of Education.

It would complete the conversion of the ten Polytechnics into Technical Universities and adequately resource them to ensure the provision of advanced technical, vocational and technological training; and support capacity building for Faculty of Technical Universities and the tertiarised Colleges of Education.

The Party would continue to resource the public tertiary institutions to improve quality and expand the intake of qualified applicants; provide additional facilities to augment the operations of the new Medical Schools of the University of Cape Coast, University for Development Studies and the University of Health and Allied Sciences.

The NDC said it would initiate a review of medical training in Ghana with the objective of increasing the number of doctors to address the health needs of unserved and under-served parts of Ghana.

It would create an enabling environment for the increased establishment of high-standard private sector Medical Schools, which are well regulated and properly maintained.

It would continue to make allocations from the GETFUND for the training of faculty members of tertiary institutions and provide scholarships for the training of critical manpower needed to drive Ghana's transformation agenda.

The next President John Dramani Mahama Administration would continue to engage and deepen support to private tertiary institutions to deliver on their mandate; and extend the Student Loan Scheme to students in all accredited Tertiary Institutions.

It would engage private tertiary institutions to focus training on the human resource requirements of the nation; and amend the GETFUND Act to extend support to private tertiary institutions engaged in science and engineering training.

'We propose to continue supporting the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open-Schooling (CENDLOS) to harmonise open and distance learning activities.

'We intend to increase support to, and empower the Non-Formal Education Division (NFED) of the Ministry of Education to enable it make the necessary interventions for life-long education in line with the United Nations Sustainable.'

The Party would support the implementation of the National Literacy Programme.

The NDC would encourage the learning of sign language at various levels of the education system; strengthen the National Teaching Council, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, and the National Inspectorate Board to perform their assigned roles under the Education Act 2008 (Act 778).

'We will provide accommodation for teachers who accept postings to deprived rural schools; re-introduce incremental credit for Science, Mathematics, Technical and Vocational Teachers (TVET).

'Continue to issue financial clearance to employ more graduate teachers as and when appropriate; support teachers in science, mathematics and TVET to upgrade their skills.'

The NDC would introduce new strategies for attaining the national objective of 60:40 admission ratio in tertiary institutions in favour of the Sciences.

'We will establish a unit under the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) to coordinate interventions for linking tertiary education to industry; and continue to promote collaborative programmes between industry and tertiary institutions to increase opportunities for practical training and internship.

Incentives would be provided to industries and businesses that provide more room for internships; and continue to review curriculum development of tertiary institutions to meet the skills and human capital needs of industry.

The Party would support the Ghana Statistical Service to resume the production and publication of the monthly Labour Market Statistics to inform programme choices and accreditation at the tertiary level.

It would make entrepreneurship training a key component of the education system.

GNA
Kumasi, Oct.16, GNA - Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is targeting 1.5 million votes in the Ashanti Region in the December 7, elections.

He said investigations conducted by the Party in the Region indicated that the NDC was likely to secure the 1.5million votes rather than one million votes it initially targeted.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur made this known when he addressed supporters at the launched of the Ashanti Regional Campaign Task Force at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi.

The Task Force, which has Mr Andy Osei Okrah, Deputy Regional Minister as its Coordinator include Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, Member of Parliament for Asawase and Mr Kwame Peprah, former Minister of Finance.

In the 2012 elections, President John Mahama obtained 612,616 votes representing 28.35 per cent of total valid votes cast in the region. His main challenger, Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) garnered 1.531, 152 representing 70.86 per cent of the votes cast.

Vice President Amissah Arthur charged the Party foot soldiers to embark on vigorous campaign in the region for the NDC to even go beyond the vote target.

He said the NDC government's achievements in the region in terms of developmental projects such as roads, Kumasi airport facelift, provision of water was unmatched.

Vice President Amissah Arthur referred to the Kejetia market project in the Kumasi metropolis as the largest in Africa.

Mr Kofi Adams, National Organiser and Campaign Coordinator of the NDC said the Party would achieve the set target.

Mr John Alexander Ackon, Regional Minister stated that the NPP's promise of one-district, one-factory was unrealistic.

He said the NDC's policy of providing for the specific needs of every district was the best way to go.

GNA
16.10.2016 LISTEN

By Joyce Danso, GNA

Accra, Oct. 16, GNA - Emmanuel Worlanyo Agbenu a 41- year teacher who was accused of sexual engagements with his daughter and subjecting her to commit three abortions had appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.

Agbenu charged for incest, unlawful abortion and assault, pleaded not guilty.

The court presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku declined jurisdiction of the case and asked that the docket should be forwarded to the Chief Justice for further action.

Agbenu claimed he had been arrested on a number of occasions and granted bail and was affecting his work and the family. He however prayed the court to admit him to bail.

Prosecuting Deputy Superintendent of Police A. A. Annor said the accused person who is a resident of Papase number two near Kasoa, is a father of three.

Prosecution contended that the accused person had allegedly abused his daughter sexually and made her to conduct three abortions in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

According to prosecution Agbenu on February 17, this year also allegedly assaulted his daughter and as a result she lost her teeth.

GNA
Roughly three weeks before Americans go to the polls, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is telling supporters that the election is "rigged" against him.

"The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary -- but also at many polling places -- SAD," Trump posted on Twitter Sunday.

Should Trump lose to Democrat Hillary Clinton on November 8, it remains to be seen whether he would concede or claim that the election was stolen from him. If he refuses to deliver a concession speech, Trump would break with a time-honored tradition in American politics.

"I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory," said 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney on election night four years ago.

Even in 2000, after the most hotly-contested election result in modern U.S. history, Democrat Al Gore conceded to Republican George W. Bush once the Supreme Court halted vote recounts in Florida, handing Bush a miniscule margin of victory.

"I spoke with George W. Bush and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the United States," Gore said in nationally-televised remarks. "I accept it."

As is also customary, Gore called for national unity after a hard-fought and bruising campaign. "I also accept my responsibility," Gore said, "to honor the new president-elect and do everything possible to help him bring Americans together in fulfillment of the great vision that our Declaration of Independence defines and that our Constitution affirms and defends."
16.10.2016 LISTEN

The article whose headline is captured above, was published on citifmonline.com barely a week ago. The author was, without doubt, incensed by the announcement by the Rector of Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ)  Dr. Wilberforce Dzisah  some weeks ago, that the management of the university was contemplating a ban on mini skirts and shorts on campus. My interest is to look at what she proffered and how well she preached it.

The author set off on an emotional note and ended up putting the wrong foot forward. In the second paragraph, she quoted the Rector; management has raised concerns about an increase in indecent dressing by students. Management has therefore decided on the following and this should not only go to fresh men and women but for the continuing students as well. No shorts or miniskirts are to be worn for lectures. Clothes which expose your vital parts shall not be entertained.

She then went all out to traduce the Rectors pronouncement with an amazing interpretation to satisfy her whims. She wrote; one is shocked by the announcement but not completely surprised by it. GIJ is joining a long list of Ghanaian institutions using Victorian ideas of propriety to control womens bodies for men. Here is my theory. I dont believe that the school authorities meant to ban shorts for men. I think it was added to make the idiotic ban seem fair. I believe what the school truly wanted to ban was miniskirts and whatever else the school administration deems indecent for women to wear

The Rector said management had raised concerns about an increase in indecent dressing among students . He did not single out ladies for special mention. The author had this to say in part; I dont believe that the school authorities meant to ban shorts for men. I think it was added to make the idiotic ban seem fair. Analysis and interpretation is a function of the media, but misrepresentation is the preserve of foot soldiers. If the author had difficulty with the import of the Rectors statement, she could have gone back to him for clarification, rather than engage in such bizarre analysis that only ended up making her piece lose its logical beauty. She opted for selective exposure but failed to realise that, that theory fails the test of fair and balance reportage

The writer accused the universitys Womens Commissioner of sounding illogical and failing to meet up to standard grammar in a statement she issued in support of the Rectors announcement. She however, failed to give us a taste of her impeccable writing skills. A number of sentences also failed to satisfy the demands of logical reasoning which she proffered for GIJ students, and even took on the Womens Commissioner for falling short of. I will give a few examples.

She said in one paragraph; Editors across the country will testify to the syntax/grammar/simple subject-verb agreement challenges of GIJ graduates. The article under review went through the hands of an Editor  who I am convinced, is not scarcely trained  but it came out with all the grammatical flaws and logical absurdities that are being pointed out. What moral qualification does such an editor have to point out my poor writing skills when hes a better representation of same? But hes also part of the Editors the writer talked about. A qualifier like, editors worth their rank would have made the statement more logical.

Besides, a lot of things determine who becomes an editor today so not all of them are worth their weight and accolades. Considerations such as political affiliation, friendship, wealth, closeness to owners/financiers, rather than competence influence the choice of many an editor today. Not all of them command competency-driven respect among colleagues. There are even editors who rely on GIJ interns to get headlines written. Are those also qualified to testify to the communication deficit of GIJ products?

Read again: Editors across the country will testify to the syntax/grammar/simple subject-verb agreement challenges of GIJ graduates. Without evidence, the writer lumps up GIJ graduates  she makes no exception  as having weak writing and/or communication skills. This is groundless, unsupported and logically preposterous. Journalism frowns on unsubstantiated claims. GIJ produces excellent and weak materials in equal measure, just like any other institution. To claim that GIJ graduates  without exception  have communication challenges amounts to downright contempt for that hallowed institution.

The immediate statement after the quote above is; Because while there are some GIJ graduates who do impressive and excellent work, there are many who were failed by the teachers who taught them. The quote you just read, and the one in the preceding paragraph, give us two complete sentences. In the two quotes I have provided, the writer accused GIJ graduates  without exception  of having communication challenges at one point, and went ahead to create an exception in another. Which one do we take? The absolute claim or the exception? Where is the logic?

The same sentence which begins with because, is also grammatically problematic. The Because while combination in the context is improper. The sentence could have been; while there are some GIJ graduates who do impressive and excellent work, there are many who were failed by the teachers who taught them. The logic of the sentence is also difficult to make out. The author talks about the excellent work of some graduates in one part, and the failure of some students in another. Whats the connection? Does she mean those who do excellent work are by default successful in class? The logic is lost on me. One thing I know is, some trainees are classroom-inspired, while others are industry-driven. Between them, there is another group that shines no matter the setting. In our part of the world, there is always a yawning gap between class work and industry realities.

The concluding part of the second quote is also worth paying attention to; ..there are many who were failed by the teachers who taught them. Does she mean some students graduated from GIJ without merit? Any proof? Or is her conclusion also based on their inability to communicate effectively which she attempts to make a meal of but ends up landing in the same soup? Is the sentence not better written as; there are many who failed? Brevity and clarity are inseparable souls in professional journalism.

In a counter article, colleague GIJ Alumnus, Manasseh Azure Awuni, attempted to make a case for the writers ability to write well by making reference to some pieces she had done in the past. What Manasseh failed to realise was that, those write-ups in reference did not touch on this same topic  which calls for a more meticulous approach to writing because of the sensitive nature of the issue, which is language. The writers inability to demonstrate to the world that she was better at what she set out to accuse GIJ graduates of lacking, makes her sermon of little value. The reason is simple, sick doctors hardly earn the trust of patients.

Another quote from the piece; the problem with this ban isnt that it is sexist, and very, very stupid but that instead concerning itself with what is needed to train journalists who tell compelling stories and speak truth to power, the GIJ management is focused on the clothes of students. It is only when one runs out of cogent points to advance an argument that the resort to insults comes in handy. Describing the decision as very stupid, will not change it. Enrich the argument by making your case with a well-researched stance. Journalism is not emotional, its passionate rather.

In the midst of all the song and dance about banning mini skirts or not, is the fact that the media is the conscience of society. This means, the moral stature of the society is a direct reflection of the ethical posturing of its media practitioners. Professional institutions dont just teach to pass exams, they educate to impact lives, and even generations. That is why membership of professional associations is also regulated by codes of conduct.

The author made an attempt at pushing for better language training for student Journalists which is laudable, but failed to be an example of what she set out to preach. Her resort to the use of words like "stupid", daft, and idiotic, also made the piece more emotional than passionate. Trained Journalists worth their calling don't pick their pens in a fit of irritation. It's very dangerous. Her decision to push for top-quality writing and reporting skills should also have made her more meticulous in fine-tuning her piece.
you are here:
Oil & Natural Gas Corp., the largest Indian oil and gas explorer, and Hong Kong-listed United Energy Group Ltd. are among bidders for Bangladesh natural gas assets being sold by Chevron Corp., people with knowledge of the matter said.

United Energy submitted a joint offer with Chinese conglomerate Orient Group Inc., one of the people said. The gas fields, which could fetch as much as $2 billion, have also drawn interest from Brightoil Petroleum Holdings Ltd., the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.
For more than two decades, Susan Graham has made the world her stage, her sumptuous mezzo-soprano and magical presence celebrated at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House in London and the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.

But a piece of her heart never quite left the oil-rich plains of West Texas  not Midland, where she spent her adolescence, or Lubbock, where she attended Texas Tech University. She would send her itinerary to her Friends and Family List, so that if she were singing in Vienna or Sydney or Timbuktu and someone from home happened to be there, they could connect.

Clay Brakeley long held a place of honor on that list. They had met at college in 1983 (she was a graduate student in music; he was an undergraduate in theater  as part of a boisterous social scene that gravitated toward Grahams place, known as the Party Hut.

It was a little three-bedroom rental house near the campus, and we were the repository for lost and wayward souls, she said. You never knew who was going to be sleeping on the couch when you woke up.

Young, brash and prone to roaring around town on a motorcycle, Brakeley first caught her eye and then her ear as she gave him voice lessons. He has a great voice and sang Riff in West Side Story, she said, snapping her fingers and cooing softly. Boy, boy, crazy boy, get cool boy! I taught him that.

Soon they were an item (She chased me till I caught her, is how he likes to put it) in that haphazard way that college couples often are. When in 1985 she moved to New York to attend the Manhattan School of Music, he visited a few times, and their relationship fell back into its carefree rhythms.

But eventually distance and careers divided them, and they sought love in closer proximity.

We both understood that we were moving in different circles at that point, but there was always a little something underneath when we would see each other, Brakeley said.

His own life turned peripatetic when he moved to Los Angeles and began working in lighting and stagecraft for Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, Bon Jovi and the Jacksons (Michael and Janet).

And as Grahams itineraries kept arriving  first as letters, then as emails  their paths would occasionally intersect: Lunch in Chicago. A rock concert in San Francisco. Her stellar performance of a signature role, Octavian in Strauss  Rosenkavalier, at the Met.

And two memorable days in Paris in 1996, when she was singing Dorabella in Mozarts Cosi Fan Tutte at the Palais Garnier for the first time, and he had flown in from touring Ireland with Michael Bolton to see her  and to get his waist-length roadies hair lopped off at a salon. (She requested that he wait a day so she could gaze at his leonine mane a bit longer.)

I was in a relationship with somebody else, and none of those encounters were anything but just friendly, she said. But it was always great to see him and there was always, I think, a little bit of sizzle, a little bit of familiarity and comfort.

In 2000, Brakeley was married. Six years later he and his wife had twins  a son, Finn, and a daughter, Sydney. Meanwhile, Graham, her career soaring, thought that marriage and children were not an option.

It wasnt even a choice, she said. My career was my child. My career took all of my energy and all of my nurturing and all of my love, and it was very fulfilling.

I had some fantastic relationships, and I do not for a minute regret a single one of them or a single minute of my life, she said. But the complexities of dating men not comfortable with her increasing fame won out, and she wondered if perhaps she would grow old, with cats, in her heart home, Santa Fe, New Mexico. (She also has an apartment in New York.)

In February 2010, Brakeley, by now separated and working in production for auto shows, discovered that he and Graham would be in Chicago at the same time. So he called and offered to cook her dinner at the apartment she was staying in while performing with the Lyric Opera.

I knew that his life had sort of been blown apart, she said, and he needed a friend.

She, in turn, invited him to escort her that weekend to the operas gala, with instructions to meet her at the stage door.

He showed up with the hair perfectly done, the tuxedo, the long black cashmere coat, the black leather gloves, looking so sharp, she said. And I thought, Oh, my God, hes got it going on.

Guiding her with his hand on her back, he instinctively understood whom she wanted to talk to and whom they should avoid. And she had forgotten how well he could move until he twirled her across the floor. The after-party, at which the women reclined on sofas while dangling their pumps from their toes and the men loosened their ties and drank Scotch, reminded them of a champagne ad. But mostly they were intoxicated with each other.

I think that cemented a reconnected time, and it has been that way ever since, Brakeley said. She has always been a bright light and a positive individual, and its very easy to fall under that particular spell. (You are scintillating, he wrote in a note to her afterward.)

At four in the morning, he kissed her good night in front of her apartment building, then walked to his hotel across the street. But as the time approached for them to attend a Super Bowl party later that afternoon, Ms. Graham started to worry.

I thought, OK, this is a big decision-making point  because last night was great and do we go forward like were dating? Or do we go forward like were still just buddies and last night didnt really have the import that it might have had? she said.

And I was a little skittish because I thought, you cant screw it up with somebody who has been your friend for 25 years. You dont want to rashly go into something that youre not sure about. But at the same time, how can you be sure at that moment? So we sort of just went forward as if we were pretending we were dating.

By the end of their stay in Chicago, Brakeley was mapping out opportunities to meet months in the future. And I was like, Whoa, hold on, buddy. Im not sure Im willing to commit that far out, Graham said. Because first of all, he was separated for over a year but he wasnt completely divorced yet, and he had two little kids. And I guess I didnt know what it would feel like to be full-stop in a bona fide relationship.

But she also realized that she didnt want to lose him again, and decided to take the leap. With their mutual passion for music and theater, as well as an understanding of the stress that accompanies a major career, they found that their lives blended seamlessly. And on the rare occasion when she acted the diva, he sweetly reminded her that he had worked for Michael Jackson, who was an even bigger star than she was.

Two years later, it was Graham who sought a commitment and Brakeley who was reluctant to give it. But when it became clear that they were going to be together, with or without marriage, she made peace with their arrangement.

I always wanted to get married sometime, but I never was in the right place at the right time with the right person to do it, she said. Once I found him, I thought, this is the right place and the right time and the right person, but he has to want it, too.

On July 23, 2015, Graham, who had been touring Australia, met Brakeley and his twins on Maui. It was her 55th birthday, and at the end of the festivities, he presented her with one last gift: a box holding three diamond bands in white, yellow and rose gold, symbolizing Brakeley and each of his children.

If you take one of us, you get all three of us, he told the stunned Graham as he proposed, with an elated Finn and Sydney, now 10, jumping up and down in the background.

Part of the reason that she is who she is in her career is because of how open and inviting she is, said Brakeley, 51. She has all of these friends in all of these places all over the world. And that is the thing that hasnt changed since she was in college. Underneath it all she is the same person. She just happens to be the same person with this really famous aspect of herself. And I think its wonderful.

Laughing, Graham said, Deep down, Im just a very, very simple girl who has been thrust into an extraordinary life.

On Sept. 17, Graham and Brakeley were married at Las Campanas Country Club in Santa Fe, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains silhouetted in the distance beneath a harvest moon.

Irene Swain, a nondenominational minister, officiated at a ceremony filled with poetry written for the couple by Arnold Adoff and a Native American blessing in honor of the New Mexican landscape (both the bride and groom were born in the state).

Grahams eyes welled up, she later recalled, as Brakeley spoke to her generous spirit and beautiful nature, and she compared him to her deceased father, whom she likened to a towering redwood, during their vows.

You are the only man since my father on whom I know I can rely to be for me and take care of me when I need it, and even when I dont think that I do, she said.

The mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke sang Jake Heggies My True Love Hath My Heart during the ceremony. The soprano Renee Fleming serenaded the couple with a cover of Etta Jamess At Last for their first dance.

It took a long time to get here but it happened  we got it done, said Grahams mother, Betty Graham Webber. She waited a long time, but he would be worth waiting for. Hes a great guy. Im very proud of Suzy.

The couple honeymooned briefly in Santa Fe before heading to performances in Boston, after which Graham headed alone to Toledo, Spain. These were their first journeys in a married life that will find them reconnecting as a family in New York or Burbank, California, where Brakeley lives with his twins (who, to the delight of their new stepmother, are members of the Los Angeles Childrens Chorus and appeared in the Los Angeles Opera production of Puccinis La Boheme last spring).

Marrying Brakeley 33 years after their first encounter was a euphoria beyond anything Ive ever felt on the stage, Graham said after the wedding. It beats the best curtain call Ive ever taken.

ON THIS DAY

When Sept. 17, 2016

Where Las Campanas Country Club in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Texas bride: Graham had put a deposit on a wedding dress in Manhattan but changed her mind. While visiting her 87-year-old mother in Midland, they went to Absolute Bridal, where her mother found a Morilee gown she wanted to buy for her daughter. The store customized it by adding lace sleeves and beading. You can take the girl out of Midland, Graham said, but you cant take Midland out of the girl.

Cake crash: When it came time to cut the wedding cake, Graham noticed that it was three tiers rather than the agreed-on four, slightly lumpy and covered with fresh instead of sugar flowers. I later found out that it had been in a car accident, returned to the bakery, where they hurriedly slapped together a new cake, and the top tiers were not sufficiently supported on the warm bottom tier so that by the time it arrived at the venue, it had collapsed again, she said. It was a hiccup to be sure, but certainly not enough to mar the perfection of the best day ever.
The Saving True Pairs-One Mammogram at a Time Clay Shoot at Jake's Clays was again a success this year as event officials said nearly $100,000 was raised for Pink the Basin's mammogram voucher program. The annual clayshoot has now raised more than $600,000 that stays right here in the Permian Basin to help those people who need it. Congrats to Debbie Bergen, president of the "Saving True Pairs" clay shoot event, and Peggy Floyd, of Jake's Clays for another great event.
Akufo-Addo should have apologised over hardship  ...
Lake County officials found a body in Lake Eustis on Monday afternoon that matches the description of a boater who went missing Saturday.

Husband, wife went for swim off boat in Lake Eustis



Wife was able to swim back to boat, husband didn't return

Officials found body matching man's description Monday

The body was found at about 4 p.m., the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.



"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family tonight as they move forward with their healing," FWC spokesman Greg Workman said in a statement.

Workman said the search for the missing boater has been called off, and family members of the man who went missing were at the scene. The body has been sent to the Medical Examiner's Office, he said.



On Saturday afternoon, a man and his wife were on a 20-foot boat near the Tavares Recreation Park when they jumped in for a swim. Investigators said the couple didn't anchor the boat, and at some point, the man disappeared.

The woman was able to swim back to the boat and call 911. A Sheriff's Office deputy saw her while she was out on the water, and he used another person's boat to drive out and get her off the boat that she was on, according to FWC Officer Chad Weber.

That's when wildlife officers and deputies began their search, using several boats.
A Cheshire company that lists Sikorsky Aircraft on its customer list recently invested $10.5 million in its forging operation and plans to add 30 new jobs over the next few years.



Consolidated Industries Inc.s investment bucked conventional sentiment from state business leaders and lawmakers that the states tax and regulatory policies are unfriendly to business, while the companys management has been able to add young engineering talent to its 80-employee workforce.



The 68-year-old Mixville Road manufacturer supports new technologies and is a supply-chain partner for forged products in applications including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, jet engines, military hardware, power generation, centrifuges and more. It is capable of producing forgings that range in size from one to 200 pounds in low or high volumes.



Plans for the expansion and equipment upgrade began in 2013, well before this months news that Sikorsky Aircraft won a Pentagon contract to build 24 CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters.



We do a significant amount of work with all our customers, said Vice President and General Manager Drew J. Papio. Our intent is to be able to do the work and grow and add 30 people in engineering and manufacturing.



But its not that Papio hasnt heard complaints from other business owners and has likely had a few of his own. He said he gets about eight overtures a year from other states trying to woo Consolidated Industries out of Connecticut. But the benefit of staying in the state outweighs the bad, he said.



People have to understand Connecticut, Papio said. Its a great quality of life, a great education, good standard of living that is achievable. Thats why we provide these types of jobs, so everyone can share in it.



On Tuesday, Consolidated Industries unveiled its new multi-million dollar hydraulic hammer operation in a new assembly room. Moving the equipment from the Port of New Jersey alone cost $1.5 million, but the company will save time, wasted water and energy.



Its more efficient equipment with the latest safety features, Papio said.



Part of the companys expansion included recruiting new talent. Owen Brown, an engineer from Rochester, New York and more recently Cleveland, Ohio, relocated his wife and three children to their new home in Cheshire.



Part of what we have to offer in Connecticut is the caliber of education and success in drawing more people, Papio said.



Brown was hired to be the companys director of product development and plant engineering.



Im from the East Coast and it was a great opportunity to return, Brown said. The community is terrific. Everybody has been very friendly.



Browns other employment options were in Southern California or the Chicago area, so there was no sticker shock when confronted with local housing and tax costs.



I believe Connecticut as a state can be very competitive for top talent, Brown said. The talent is already here. Its something we got going for ourselves as a company and as a community as well.



Papio has worked with U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5th, on a science, technology and mathematics panel informing lawmakers what manufacturers need in terms of skill sets. As the tools change, so must the skillset of the workers and Esty and other lawmakers have been promoting manufacturing at state technical high schools, and state colleges and universities. Papio is also talking to state lawmakers and candidates as well.



Its improving, Papio said about the state and federal manufacturing business climate. Weve been communicating. I see a change. I think theyre committed to it and I see its getting traction.



State Sen. Joe Markley, R-Southington, was the lone vote in the state Senate against a brokered $220 million incentive package with Lockheed Martin, the parent of Sikorsky to build heavy-lift helicopters in the state.



According to the state Department of Economic and Community Development, the helicopter order would infuse an estimated $69.2 billion dollars in the state economy and support 24,601 jobs at Sikorsky and in suppliers shops.



Cheshire has eight supplier companies, as does Meriden. Berlin has five suppliers, and North Haven and Wallingford have between 10 and 14 suppliers, according to information from the DECD.



State leaders, including Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, pushed the deal after Sikorsky representatives told lawmakers the cost to fulfill the Navys order would be $400 million higher in Connecticut than it would be in other states.



Markley, who attended Tuesdays event at Consolidated Industries, said the deal sets a dangerous precedent for other state businesses.



I feel there is a fundamental problem with picking certain businesses to help at the expense of the taxpayer, Markley said. I dont believe it addresses the underlying problem (of the states business climate.) People came to Connecticut because they saw an opportunity. Igor Sikorsky didnt come to Connecticut because someone gave him a deal. He saw an opportunity.



State business owners and Republicans have criticized Democratic lawmakers and Malloy over Connecticuts sluggish economic recovery from the 2008 recession. The states job growth has lagged behind regional and national averages and wages have remained flat. For their part, Democrats have accused the Republicans of seeking negatives in the wake of positive job news.



But its hard to ignore the good news for the states aerospace industry. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-CT, announced Wednesday that Poland will purchase Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters. Lockheed Martin will work with an Italian manufacturer to supply the helicopters, with Sikorsky producing two Black Hawks this year followed by eight more helicopters in 2017 and likely 11 more in 2018.



Several months ago, Electric Boat said it would need to hire thousands for its Groton operation, and last month, Pratt & Whitney announced plans to hire 25,000 workers over the next 10 years.



State manufacturers have struggled in the past two decades to fill their ranks with trained machinists and engineers. Lawmakers in Congress and at the state Capitol have heard the companies concerns and put a premium on precision manufacturing and STEM training at high schools and colleges. According to educators and business owners, the manufacturers of tomorrow are now in middle school.



Certainly the opportunity is expanding rapidly for young people going into manufacturing, said Karen Jarmon of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technologies Inc. This is an exciting time for kids. Were looking at ways to introduce students to high-tech manufacturing and the future of everything being made here.



Forged metal is at the early side of the supply chain, and if Sikorsky left the state, Consolidated Industries would likely be shipping its finished goods to the same tier supplier up the chain.



But according to Papio, what the company would miss is the access and interaction with the Stratford helicopter maker.



The thing we lose is that were able to work well because were near them, Papio said.



Mark A. Labbe, the president and chief operating officer of Cambridge Specialty Co. in Berlin, said his company employs 75 workers who make parts for aerospace companies. Two-thirds of its business comes from Sikorsky.



Its contract with Sikorsky still needs to be negotiated and total dollar value of contract is to be determined, he said.



The value to us is expected to be in the millions of dollars, Labbe said.



As part of its deal, Sikorsky must increase its reliance on Connecticut suppliers through an additional $35 million. Which means more work for Cambridge and Consolidated.



Cambridge is gearing up with renovations to one of its two facilities in Berlin and new computer numerical control (CNC) milling and lathe machinery at its main facility.



We are currently renovating an 8,000-square-foot building which is near completion. This would expand us to a total of 34,000 square feet, Labbe said. We will be moving our tool makers along with manual machines to the newly renovated building.



Labbe estimates the company could expand its workforce by 20 to 25 people over the length of contract.



These are highly skilled CNC machinists able to set up and run small lot sizes of parts. Also Cambridge expects to hire skilled toolmakers to manufacture machining fixtures along with machinists for secondary operations and precision assemblies.



Labbe said despite the good news in the states manufacturing sector Connecticut still has many issues to resolve. Its continuing deficit makes businesses apprehensive to expand and invest here.



We have recently seen a renewed interest and concern for manufacturers in Connecticut and as we move forward to the future, Labbe said. Most of the concerns relate to current state policies and the possibility of increased taxes in the future.



mgodin@record-journal.com (203) 317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz














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Authorities in Sonoma County are hunting for at least one gunman who killed a man and wounded two other victims in a shooting Saturday night in Sebastopol, officials said.

Deputies found the victims after gunfire erupted on the 5000 block of Highway 116 South around 8:15 p.m., Sonoma County Sheriffs officials said.
Often, we'll glamorize the life an entrepreneur, but what we dont do often enough is talk about the challenges -- physical, mental, emotional and psychological -- intimately intertwined with this lifestyle.

Related: 5 Lessons Young Entrepreneurs Mostly Learn the Hard Way

I recently met Robby Berthume, CEO of Winston-Salem based Bull & Beard (which matches brands with agencies) and author of the upcoming Millennial Entrepreneur, and after hearing his story, thought it would resonate. Here is our interview, with key takeaways:

You got started at the tender age of 14, when most of us barely can juggle getting our homework done with an after-school activity. Tell me about your start as an entrepreneur:

I feel like Ive always been an entrepreneur, ready to do business from birth. I guess I got my start selling lemonade and doing yard work, but when I was 14, I started my first business giving computer training, building websites and helping businesses market themselves. Soon enough, I had a bonafide digital agency on my hands.

By the time I graduated from high school at age 16, I had a thriving business and enough funds to get myself into school. This business carried me for the first decade of my career, which is longer than 94 percent of businesses last before failure.

That's an impressive place to find yourself in, in your teens and early 20s. Tell me what this rapid growth period was like:

By 21 I was married, had bought a house, decided to take on a minority business partner and even co-founded a high-end digital shop in Belgrade, Serbia. I was enjoying a lifestyle of freedom after seven years of hustle. I decided to move my focus westward after targeting the California market for several years and achieving top search positions for geographically related keywords.

My team and I literally caravanned out to Los Angeles, selling and giving away what we had before we went. It was early 2008. Four figure deals had turned into five figure deals, which were turning into six figure deals in L.A. Suddenly, seven figures arrived and with it the lifestyle of a successful entrepreneur in LA, driving a 650i Beamer and relishing the glory. At 23, I was named to Los Angeles Business Journals Twenty in their Twenties and was living in a penthouse. I had made it . . . or so I thought.

Youre touching on the conundrum we face of appearing to "have it all" when in actuality, things behind the scenes look entirely different.

In late 2009, I went through a lot of personal turmoil. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and the weight of my anxiety was beginning to take its toll. I spent a lot of money on things, experiences, and gifts to pay myself back for the years of hard work I had already put in. I started to set aside time for cruises, European getaways . . While on the outside, everything seemed under control and put together, I was really suffering.

I remember being in Hawaii at a fancy resort, throwing up in the bathroom because I was so stressed. As an early twenty-something, my business was defining me. I had built my own prison of expectations in many ways. It took more and more to make me happy and I took things for granted. I felt disconnected from my family. By the time the recession hit and my business partner disappeared (leaving collateral damage) I was in existential crisis mode.

Related: How to Be Taken Seriously As a Young Entrepreneur

I know youve risen back up. Tell me about that journey.

I rose back up by embracing my challenges and circumstances, head on. I never once ducked my head in the sand, as much as I wanted to at times. I went through all kinds of personal and business-related drama, from my business partnership crumbling, to tax audits, to losing our biggest clients in the midst of the Great Recession.

And I could have given up (I often wanted to). I had been so arrogant about my success for years and here I was, in need of help. I had to eat humble pie, and it turns out that this pie is what changed my life for the better. I did some consulting and ended up taking the helm of a few ad agencies over a few years and took some time to diversify my experiences, get a broader context of the ad industry and lay the groundwork for my current business.

Ive taken my time this go-round. I dont need to impress anyone or pull all-nighters anymore. When my oldest daughter was born nearly five years ago, it really changed things. My confidence became quieter, but stronger. Through my suffering came a thriving marriage, a new business partnership, new business, and financial restoration. And now I appreciate it. All of it.

6 takeaways from Robby Berthume's journey

There is no standard definition of success, nor a singular path toward it. Success means different things for different people. If you build an empire and lose it, do you suddenly lose your 'success card' or is success something deeper? Through wins and losses, I realized success wasnt a goal post, but instead, the ability to build and create something you love and are passionate about, one brick at a time.

Worry and fear don't have to overtake us. For the longest time, I felt that my anxiety was, in some ways, a competitive edge. I could certainly out-worry my competition. But this behavior left its toll and Ive learned how to become a more free and fearless entrepreneur.

Friends, family and people are more important than anything else. When I was a young entrepreneur, I worked hard and got attention and admiration. But I was so busy working and thinking about work, that I wasnt aware and attentive. My first marriage ended up crumbling and my family and friendships suffered. I had to mature as an entrepreneur and learn how to truly shut the door in a world obsessed with the hustle. I have a wife and three kids and Im not about to prioritize my business over them."

Take nothing for granted. I took my life for granted back in L.A, wearing my obnoxious clothes and taking first class trips. I didnt give enough away. I wasnt rooted. I was working so hard that I felt I needed to spend money on things and experiences to make it worth it. Now, Im the complete opposite."

We can overcome far more than we think. "I never would have predicted my lifes path. Yet I find myself, at the age of 30, looking back over the past 16 years of entrepreneurship and realizing the breadth and depth of my highs and lows. And Im proud. Ive been resilient."

Related: 7 Insanely Productive Habits of Successful Young Entrepreneurs

Life gets easier with age, though the situations and stressors dont. As Im getting older, I am finding entrepreneurship to be more comfortable. I seem to live in the tension better and better. Instead of being in a constant state of fight or flight like when I was younger, Ive learned to not absorb peoples negative energy, to not take things as personally and to not take myself too seriously."

Related:



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
After a 30-year wait, Robert Cialdini has written a sequel to his best-selling classic, Influence. The new book is Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade.

As you might expect after the long wait, Pre-Suasion is packed with new research, tactics and insights. Here are a few of the ones I found most surprising.

1. Unity -- The seventh principle of influence.

Perhaps the biggest shock in Cialdinis Pre-Suasion is that hes finally added a new major principle of influence to his long-standing roster of six. The new principle is unity, which refers to the perception of shared identity. Family is the ultimate shared identity and Cialdini proved its potency with a classroom experiment.

By offering an inconsequential benefit (one point on one test) to students if their parents completed a survey, Cialdini increased participation by those parents fivefold to nearly 100 percent. Invoking familial unity was remarkably persuasive.

Even familial language is persuasive. Cialdini cites Warren Buffets now-classic shareholder letter dealing with the future of Berkshire Hathaway. Instead of simply describing the succession plan, Buffett made his missive more persuasive by saying, I will tell you what I would say to my family today if they asked me about Berkshires future.

Unity can be based on other groups: ethnicity, geography, shared interests and many more. The more the individual identifies as being a member of that group, the more powerful the unity effect will be.

2. Surveys can increase demand.

We know about political push-polls and their effects. A statement like, Have you heard about allegations that Candidate X took bribes from lobbyists? can have a negative impact even if the voter hasnt heard about those allegations or even if they didn't exist.

Related: Ask Not What an Influencer Can Do for You

Cialdini's insight in Pre-Suasion is that simply asking a question in the right way can put customers in the right frame of mind to buy your product. His first example comes from a surprising group: religious cult recruiters. When they recruit new members, they often ask, Are you unhappy? rather than, Are you happy? or the more neutral, Are you happy or unhappy?

The cult recruiters do this because framing the issue with unhappy makes the individual more likely to focus on those things in their life that are making them feel bad.

Research supports this. Cialdini describes a survey in Canada that asked people about their social satisfaction by asking if they whether they were unhappy or happy with their social life. The group asked using the word unhappy were triggered to dwell on their dissatisfactions, and were almost five times as likely to report being unhappy.

This has major implications for business surveys. A software maker could ask, Are you satisfied with your current solution? But, they would be more likely to increase interest in a change by phrasing it, Are you dissatisfied with your current solution? or Are there problems with the product you use now?

3. Where never to sit in a meeting.

If you are heading for an important meeting, you might be inclined to sit next to the key influencer. What better place to exert some influence of your own, right?

Related: The 6 Elements of Persuasion (Infographic)

Cialdini says that would be a mistake because of the next in line effect. If discussion rotates around the table, the VIP you want to sway will be least likely to hear your message if you go just before or after her. If you speak before, shell be rehearsing what she plans to say when you are done. Speak after, and shell be mentally rehashing what she just said.

Instead, sit across from the person you want to influence. Youll be more likely to avoid speaking being just before or after her.

More importantly, youll have better visual prominence. A speaker in full view is assigned more of the responsibility for the outcome of the meeting. Cialdini gives the example of interrogation videos that record police using heavy-handed techniques to elicit a confession, such as providing false information about physical evidence.

Related: An Often-Overlooked Secret to Success

Typically, the suspect is seen facing the camera while the interrogator is viewed from behind. In this situation, viewers are much more likely to say the suspect is fully responsible for his confession than when the two parties are viewed side by side. This is called visual salience -- what you see in front of you is more important.

Cialdini wryly points out that if you actually have nothing useful to contribute at the big meeting, or you expect the meeting to go badly, you might be better off sitting next to the VIP. She wont notice your minimal input due to the next-in-line effect and you wont get blamed if no breakthrough result is reached.

Cialdinis Pre-Suasion is packed with useful nuggets like this. The combination of big-picture insights and actionable tactics make it an instant classic and worthy successor to "Influence."

Related:



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
NORWALK  Democrat Bob Duff says hes optimistic about Connecticuts future and eager to continue his public service by representing the 25th State Senate District.

We still have work to do on a number of fronts but I am very bullish on the state of Connecticut, Duff said. If we continue to stay focused on long-term growth and long-term decisions that will benefit our state over the next generation or two, I know we have the ability to succeed and grow our economy and ensure that there are jobs here for our children and our grandchildren.

Duff, a real estate broker and former state representative, has represented the 25th State Senate District, which includes Norwalk and part of Darien, since 2005. He is running for a seventh term.

I still love the job, said Duff, now Senate majority leader in Hartford. I still have a passion for public service and I feel like theres still a lot more I can do, not only to help Norwalk and Darien, but also move the state of Connecticut forward.

Duff declined to share his thoughts about his Republican challenger, Greg Ehlers of Darien, but did cast Republicans as unreasonably gloomy about the states economic health.

Look at the fact that we have all the development in Norwalk right now, Duff said. Theyre building apartments and theyre renting them as fast as they can build them. There is a culture among some, especially from my friends on the other side of the aisle, that is gloom-and-doom and rooting for failure.

Duff said his top priorities, if re-elected Nov. 8, will be growing jobs in Connecticut and bringing jobs to the state. He counted recent decisions by Electric Boat, Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky to invest in Connecticut as success stories.

Connecticut is in a race to the top, not a race to the bottom, Duff said. And that is very important to me. Connecticut has a skill set and a workforce that is second to none.

He cited Sikorskys recent decision to stay in Connecticut as evidence of the attractiveness of such workers to companies and rejected GEs decision to relocate from Fairfield to Boston as indicative of the states overall economic health.

We need to take everything in context and take it from the viewpoint that we have more companies coming in than leaving, said Duff before addressing GEs departure. I would say that their corporate headquarters left but the majority of employees in Fairfield came to Norwalk.

Duff said his other priorities are improving the states transportation infrastructure, supporting Norwalk Community College and the states university system, closing the education achievement gap, and investing in affordable housing.
The Delta College Presidents Speaker Series will present Rosa Clemente and Ruben Navarette for Election 2016 and the New Generation  diverse voices on the presidential candidates and issues.

Clemente is a hip hop activist and scholar. Navarette, of the Washington Post, is the most widely read Latino columnist in the country.
Police in Santa Cruz shot and killed a 32-year-old man who attacked officers with a metal rake early Sunday, officials said.

The episode started around 3:30 a.m. when a person in a home on the 200 block of Chance Street called 911, reporting that someone was pounding on the front door, said Joyce Blaschke, a Santa Cruz police spokeswoman.

The caller later told dispatchers the man had moved to the back door of the home and was yelling that he wanted to kill everyone inside, Blaschke said.

Officers pulled up to the home near Getchell Street and said they found the man still in the backyard. When they tried to call him out, the man attacked officers with what Blaschke described as a metal bow rake.

The officers told the man to drop the rake and deployed their Tasers, which officials said were not effective in stopping the suspect.

As the man continued the attack, one officer shot and killed him, Blaschke said. The rake-wielding man was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

His name was not immediately released.

The Santa Cruz County District Attorneys Office will investigate the circumstances of the shooting. The officers were placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation, which is standard department policy.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
This article originally published October 15, 2016.

Its an election like no other. As Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton continue to vie for the U.S. presidency, the world is becoming increasingly frightened about what Nov. 8 has in store.

As the big date quickly approaches, fears are heightened. A recent study by Quantum Workplace has taken a deeper look into what employees around the country are thinking about this election.

Almost 80 percent of employed Americans plan to vote this year. Of this number, most employees (40.2 percent) say they plan to vote for Clinton, while a quarter say they will go for Trump.

Regardless of who is sworn in, fears accompany both candidates. If Trump wins, employees are concerned there will be another financial crisis and international business will suffer. If Clinton wins, they fear that they will pay higher taxes and face more government regulations.

To learn more about what employees are thinking about this election, check out the infographic below.

Related:

What Employees Fear Most This Election (Infographic)

7 Tips for Managing a Remote Team (Infographic)

2016's Top Tech Billionaires (Infographic)



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Donald Trump is an "incredible sexual predator" and Hillary Clinton an "economic predator," Jill Stein told supporters at a jam-packed speaking event Saturday at Houston's Last Concert Cafe.

The Green Party presidential nominee laid into her liberal competition, while panning the mainstream media and hitting on all her regular progressive talking points during her sweep across Texas.

"While Donald Trump has been revealed to be the incredible sexual predator that he is, it creates this smoke screen that makes Hillary Clinton look really good," she told the raucous crowd of more than 100 supporters. "The majority of Hillary's voters don't actually support Hillary - they oppose Donald Trump. Democracy is not a question of 'Who do we hate the most?' and 'Who do wear fear the most?' "

She said the GOP is a party of "hate and fear," but said Democrats are "the party of deportation, detention and night raids."

The event kicked off with a DJ, an acoustic guitar player pulled from the audience and a painting activity that allowed supporters to leave their handprints on a Stein portrait.

"This is what democracy looks like," she said, to a chorus of cheers.

She called for higher wage and green energy policies, describing Texas as an environmental "Wild West."

Referencing the state's diverse population, she touched on immigration. "It was the border that crossed the Latino community, the Latino community did not cross that border," she said

Taking the stage after a speaker who extolled the virtues of drug legalization that would make heroin available at the corner store, Stein called for a change in drug policy.

"We need to end this war on drugs that has killed over 100,000 people in Mexico alone," she said, without offering specifics.

The Massachusetts activist-doctor also told supporters that Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has agreed to debate her.

"We live in a democracy, we have more than two deadly choices," she reminded the cafe crowd. "It's time for us to stand up and reject the lesser evil and support the greater good."
Dr. Edward Douglas Doug Hodo Sr. was an educator who worked to ensure quality secondary education for all students, even when it meant stepping into harms way.

Hodo died Oct. 10 from cancer complications. He was 81.

On, Oct. 1, 1962, Hodo was working as a university field representative for the University of Mississippi  Ole Miss  when violent protests broke out in reaction to the enrollment of the institutions first African-American student, James Meredith.

My father and another gentleman guarded Mr. Meredith in the Ole Miss Lyceum, son Edward Doug Hodo Jr. said.

The Lyceum, built in 1848, is the oldest building on the University of Mississippi campus.

By days, end the National Guard was in control; two people lay dead and hundreds were either wounded or arrested.

My father took all of us there seven years ago, kids and grandkids, to tell us the story, his son said.

Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, in a New York Times article, praised Hodo for preserving law and order, and setting a fine example of citizenship.

Hodo, a graduate of the University of Mississippi, first enrolled in 1952. He was drafted into the Army soon after. He returned to graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1956. Three years later he met Sadie Branch, an educator in her own right, at a bridge party, son Patrick Hodo said. It was her laugh that attracted him to my mother, he said. The two were married three months later.

More Information Dr. Edward Douglas "Doug" Hodo, Sr. Born: Nov. 11, 1934 in Amory, Mississippi Died: Oct. 10, 2016, Boerne Preceded by: Parents James Edward Hodo and Allison Cole Hodo Survived by: Wife Sadie Branch Hodo; sons Edward Douglas "Doug" Hodo, Jr. and daughter-in-law Lori, Patrick Gunter Hodo and daughter-in-law Jennifer; daughter Allison Hodo Clements and son-in-law Mike; brother David Gunter Hodo and sister-in-law Mary Nan; 10 grandchildren and numerous friends and family. Services: Held Oct. 13, 2016. See More Collapse

Continuing his education at Ole Miss, Hodo received two masters degrees in 1965, and completed a doctor of philosophy in economics and finance in 1968.

In 1972, he became dean of the College of Business at the University of Texas at San Antonio, working hard to ensure the young colleges accreditation.

Fifteen years later, he became president of Houston Baptist University. The campus grew, and new academic programs were added under his tenure. Dr. Hodo retired in 2006.

My father was a giant among men, Doug Hodo said.

Apart from his career, Hodo taught Bible study classes for the last 60 years and put God and family first.

The value of a great marriage, phenomenal faith and hard work were lessons he taught by example.

As Dad used to say, keep your hand to the plow, Patrick Hodo said.

iwilgen@express-news.net
As deer hunting season takes hold around the country, hunters will again worry about chronic wasting disease, a deer and elk ailment that has been found in 25 states. As states consider regulations to try to stem the spread of CWD, a court ruling in Missouri offers guidance while eliminating some common fears about the disease.

CWD is a yet-incurable disease with a long incubation period, and it was first detected in free-ranging deer 30 years ago in Colorado before popping up across the U.S. and in Canada. People are not affected by CWD, but theres concern that the spread of the disease will ultimately reduce deer populations, which have exploded in the last century.

In Missouri, regulators grappled with how to slow the disease. Officials with the state Department of Conservation opted to target deer farms, facilities where deer can be raised for venison or for private hunting ranches. The move came after much-publicized incidents in which CWD was detected on a farm or ranch.

The Department of Conservation proposed banning the importation of deer and mandating new fencing requirements, purportedly to prevent escapes from deer facilities. Deer farmers sued. Last month, the court ruled against the Department of Conservation, dispelling myths about CWD.

The first issue was whether regulators were right to focus on farmed deer as opposed to free-ranging deer. Here the court noted that a government witness admitted that free-ranging cervids pose a greater risk of spreading CWD-causing prions than enclosed cervids on deer farms. (Cervids are deer or elk.)

The court next looked at the costly new fencing regulations and found them unjustified. The standards were not based on documentation of any existing problems but instead on anecdotal, second-hand reports.

Lastly, the court found that Missouris ban on the importing of deer by farms was arbitrary and hypocritical. Deer farms that want to move deer across state lines must be a part of a federal herd certification program managed by the USDA. That program requires years of CWD testing to be eligible to import deer. While Missouri was essentially banning farmers from using this program, it was actually importing free-ranging elk into the state that were not subject to the strict protocol required by USDA for farmed deer and elk.

Based on the clear evidence of government overreach  and the constitutional right of farmers to farm and ranch  the court ruled that the Missouri regulations didnt pass muster.

What should states do to fight CWD? Focus on free-ranging deer. This is admittedly a tougher problem. While its easy to track and test deer in closed facilities, deer in the wild can move long distances. States currently test hunter-harvested and road-killed deer for CWD. In general, states test less than 1 percent of their deer populations. That figure needs to increase.

Heres why: Earlier this year, CWD was found in Arkansas for the first time. Experts suspect that CWD has been in Arkansas for at least a decade. CWD could have been found earlier if state authorities had been testing more rigorously for it. States also need to ban the movement of whole deer carcasses by hunters, which is another vector for accidental spread of the disease.

The fact that CWD was in Arkansas for years with no apparent effect on the deer population is something to consider. CWD, because it has an incubation period that can stretch for years, isnt likely to be killing deer. In Missouri, the court noted there was no evidence that any deer in the state had died of CWD; animals that tested positive for CWD died of other causes and were later tested. In fact, in states where CWD has been detected, from the Dakotas to Utah, deer populations have been booming.

CWD management has become a political issue, pitting hunters against deer farmers. These groups shouldnt spar; they have a common enemy in the disease. As states look for ways to manage and limit CWD, they should look to build coalitions.

Charly Seale is the Media Review Committee chairman for the American Cervid Alliance.
Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar is not a member of the majority party in the U.S. House. But he is effective.

We recommend Cuellar for re-election to a seventh term.

The other major party candidate is Zeffen Hardin, who has worked in the Eagle Ford Shale oil play. A Green Party candidate, Michael D. Cary, is also in the race.

Cuellar, a former state House member, is effective because he has mastered what eludes so much of Congress  bipartisanship.

He has used an ability to nurture relationships across the aisle to attach measures to legislation to the benefit of the 28th Congressional District and Texas. These include funding for grants to Hispanic-Serving Institutions; money for new immigration judges in a system with a horrendous backlog; funding for new construction at Randolph AFB; and working behind the scenes to secure funding for a vitally important federal courthouse for San Antonio. The existing one is unsafe from a security and health standpoint.

His major party opponent, Hardin, is difficult to contact. Emails to his campaign website have gone unanswered. That website, however, tells a bit about his main issues. But Cuellar, in our estimation, is better on these.

Hardin urges total U.S. energy independence, imperiled, he says, by federal policies and international trade agreements. However, it is hard to find a stronger supporter than Cuellar of Texas oil industry, which, with fracking, has helped the country mightily on energy independence. Cuellar worked for a lifting of the ban on U.S. crude exports. On trade agreements, Cuellar has been for NAFTA and, more recently, for giving the president trade promotion authority and backing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which cant help but aid Texas, the nations largest exporting state.

On immigration, Hardin talks about improperly bringing people in from around the globe hostile to the USA, hostile to Western culture, and hostile toward Christians. This mimics Trumpian xenophobia. On immigration and U.S./Mexico relations, Cuellar has focused on border security but been a more rational and fair-minded voice generally on this issue, co-sponsoring comprehensive immigration reform.

Hardin stands for veterans and their access to services. But, again, its difficult to fault Cuellar on this score. He, too, has been a stalwart supporter of veterans, though the same cant be said of the administrations efforts to fix the veteran health system.

Simply, Cuellars effectiveness for the district and the state has earned him another term.
Given state Sen. Carlos Urestis involvement with FourWinds Logistics, the bankrupt frac-sand company at the center of fraud allegations, we cannot recommend him to voters.

Under the best scenario, Urestis role in FourWinds reflects poor judgment. The FourWinds story is incredibly complicated, and Uresti is but one player. But hes an important player, one whose role as a state senator gave FourWinds a legitimacy it clearly did not deserve.
NORWALK  Police said a Jefferson Street man was intoxicated when he drove away after running into a pickup truck parked in a driveway.

Shortly after midnight Sunday, police were called to an East Robin Square home where the resident reported having video from a surveillance camera showing his Toyota truck being struck.

Police said the video showed a gray car, believed to be an Audi, pull into the driveway, strike the rear of the resident's vehicle, then back out and drive away.

Shortly afterwards, an officer reported stopping a Saab with stolen license plates. The car had fresh damage on its front bumper, he said.

Police said the driver, identified as Luther Atkinson, had slurred speech and glassy eyes. Atkinson allegedly admitted to having had two shots of liquor and conceded he had struck the truck.

He allegedly said he had purchased the Saab a few hours earlier in Westport.

Based on the vehicle identification number, police said the car was last registered in New York.

Atkinson, 44, was charged operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, evading responsibility, unsafe backing, driving with a suspended license, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and two counts of misuse of plates.

He was held on $5,000 bond and given a court date of Oct. 26.
Evacuation orders have been lifted for some, but not all communities, near the Emerald Fire that started after 1:30 a.m. Friday.

Those wanting to return to Cathedral Road, Springs Creeks Tract, Camp Shelly, Camp Concord and Mount Tallac Road were told they could do so at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Cascade Properties and Cascade Lake will be open to residents only.

Highway 89 North from Fallen Leaf Road to Emerald Bay North Gate will remain closed while Caltrans removes debris and checks for hazards.

The Emerald Fire, started on the south side of Lake Tahoe near Cascade Lake and Emerald Bay, burned through 176 acres and was 90 percent contained as of 1 p.m. Sunday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Liberties Utilities restored power to Cascade Properties, Cascade Lake, Camp Shelly, Camp Concord, the Cathedral side of Fallen Leaf Lake, the Taylor Creek Visitors Center, Baldwin Beach and the Taylor Creek STPUD Pump.

Spring Creek Tract and part of Cascade Properties still did not have power midafternoon.

There is some pretty intense weather, even for Lake Tahoe standards, coming across the hill right now, said Brice Bennett, public information officer for Cal Fire.

The cause of fire is still under investigation.

The Emerald Fire was among three sparked near the Sierra Nevada Friday, all of which have since subsided thanks in large part to the weekends rain.

The Little Valley Fire ignited after 1:30 a.m. Friday in Nevadas Washoe Valley, destroying 22 homes and burning through about 3,400 acres, according to Mark Struble, Fire Information Officer with the Sierra Front Wildfire Cooperators.

The blaze stretched from Incline Village to Washoe Lake, Nev., and spread quickly east due to 70 mph winds. Its perimeter was 20 percent contained  meaning dug around and checked for reignition potential  as of 11 a.m. Sunday, when there had been no active flame for 36 hours.

Weve done really well, Struble said. Since we started to get some moisture, we really survived the high winds.

Residents west of Washoe Lake, from the Bowers exit to Franktown Road, were under mandatory evacuation orders Saturday. Those with homes on the lower part of Franktown Road  below address 6190 Franktown Road  and side streets remained closed Sunday.

The Washoe County sheriff asked people to stay out of the area due to road closures, flooding, unstable ground and other safety hazards caused like power outages cause by fallen fire debris.

Most of this is going to be a dirty nasty mop up stage, Struble said. Its less of a fire event than making sure the roads are safe for the residents coming back in.

About 1,007 personnel were dispatched to help fight the fire. Large engines from the Bay Area were sent home Sunday morning to avoid getting stuck up on Donner Pass when the next storm front comes in.

The fires cause is still under investigation.

A fire on Mount Rose near the south end of Reno also burned 15 acres Friday morning but was quickly contained.

Fire season has been over for a month, Struble said. It just goes to show how dry everything is.
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 623 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why were doing this fundraiser, what weve accomplished in the last year, and our third goal, well-deserved bonuses for our guest writers.

By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Readers will recall that we summarized the effects of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed new MACRA rules here:

Crapifying Medicare with the New MACRA Program

MACRAs goal is to revise how doctors are paid for Medicare by incentivizing for quality, replacing the current, fee-for-service system. To that end, HHS proposed to introduce two new payment systems: the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), and Alternative Payment Models (APMs). Most doctors would automatically qualify to be a part of MIPS. The difficulties:

MIPS Cannot Measure What MACRA Purports to Incentivize MIPS really does propose to provide each physician with a composite score between one and 100 for each individual doctor [and then use that score to structure incentives]. But as PNHPs Kip Sullivant writes,] with the exception of a few services, measuring cost and quality accurately at the individual doctor level is not possible.

And:

APMs are Handwaving MACRA does not describe the entities that will qualify as APMs; MACRA sets standards for these entities that cannot be met by the vast majority of conceivable entities, including todays most faddish APMs  ACOs and medical homes; MACRA says APMs must expose doctors to risk above a nominal level, but doesnt say what nominal means; and MACRA says doctors who join APMs will earn a 5 percent bonus on revenues received through APMs, but the law fails to define revenue (options include revenue from Part A, Part B, Part D, all or some of those parts, or revenue received for particular services).

Among many other problems.

Well, HHS was now taken public comments into account and issued the final MACRA rule. Sadly, MACRA remains broken. But first lets see what HHS did. Beckers Hospital Review has a very good summary of the changes between the proposed and final rules:

After a listening tour and nearly 4,000 public comments, CMS released the final rule Friday for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act [MACRA], a landmark payment system for Medicare physician fees that replaces the Sustainable Growth Rate formula.

(Nobodys arguing that the Sustainable Growth Rate formula wasnt broken; it created a large administrative burden and led to payment cuts for physicans. Still, its always possible to make things worse, or bad in new ways!) Here is the official view:

Its time to modernize the Medicare physician payment system to be more streamlined and effective at supporting high-quality patient care. To be successful, we must put patients and clinicians at the center of the Quality Payment Program, CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt said in a statement. A critical feature of the program will be implementing these changes at a pace and with options that clinicians choose. Todays policies are designed to get all eligible clinicians to participate in the program, so they are set up for successful care delivery as the program matures.

(Note the assumption that we can, in fact, measure quality.) Heres what Slavitt[1] means by at a pace and with options (again from Beckers Hospital Review). For MIPS:

Since CMS rolled out the proposed MACRA rule, it has settled on a gradual ramp to full participation, allowing physicians to pick their pace between the following four options in 2017. No participation and an automatic 4 percent negative payment adjustment.

Submission of a minimum amount of data  i.e. one quality measure  and a neutral payment adjustment.

Submission of 90 days of data for a potential small positive payment adjustment or a neutral adjustment.

Submission of a full year of data for the potential to earn a moderate positive payment adjustment.

And for APMs:

The final rule firms up details on what programs will qualify as advanced APMs. First, to qualify, advanced APMs must meet three requirements: Use certified EHR technology, base payments on quality measures comparable to MIPS and require providers to bear more than nominal risk.

If you compare this summary to APMs are Handwaving, above, youll see that, if Becker is correct, only the first item has been addressed.

Summarizing, then: CMS has backed off on draconian measures to force physicians into MIPS pronto, and has addresed one, but not all, of the implementation problems with APMs. (Here is an online tool from the AMA that helps physicians figure out where they fit within these programs. I set up an account and tried the tool, and it reminded me a lot of all those ObamaCare calculators that turned out to have very little to do with how the Exchanges turned out to work, or not work. Your mileage may vary!)

Before turning to the effect of MACRA on rural areas specifically, lets look at a general indictment of the program. Remember the composite scoring concept? The crazypants meritocratic scheme no doubt well-intentioned effort to measure quality by assigning a grade to each individual physician? Niam Yaraghi in Health Affairs Blog gets into the weeds on how the scoring will be done:

MACRA Proposed Rule Creates More Problems Than It Solves [MIPS] assigns a composite performance score for each clinician based on four domains of quality, advancing care information, clinical practice improvement activities, and resource use as shown in Figure 1. [shown here] To calculate this score, only the resource use element is directly measured by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) based on submitted Medicare claims, and the other three elements are self-reported by clinicians. In 2019, clinicians who outperform their peers will receive a 4 percent bonus while those who dont, will face a 4 percent penalty. The bonuses and penalties rise to 5 percent, 7 percent, and 9 percent in the subsequent three years.

Oh. My. God. Self-reporting with financial incentives for good reports. CMS just incentivized accounting control fraud at the doctors office level. And they just turned the Medicare payment system into a phishing equilibrium. Yaraghi continues:

Along with my colleagues, I have conducted empirical studies which confirm The New York Times anecdotal evidence, showing that about 12 percent of nursing homes highly inflate their self-reported measures as a strategy to increase their overall star rating. Note that such manipulations take place even without powerful, direct financial incentives. Compared to nursing homes, clinicians[2] will have significantly stronger financial incentives to exaggerate their self-reported measures, rendering the system ineffective.

And then theres the problem of not knowing what quality means. Yaraghi goes on:

An Unreliable Quality Score The six measures for the quality domain are chosen by physicians from a wide variety of available measures depending on their specialty and preferences. For example, a family physician could choose six measures from the 38 available options. This means that there will be 2,760,681 possible combinations of quality profiles reported by family physicians alone. Each of those possible profiles measures a different aspect of medical quality. This large variation makes it impossible to evaluate physicians and assign a reliable performance score to them. Scoring physicians of identical medical specialty based on different measures is akin to comparing students performance based on different types of questions and exams.

Oh dear. Yaraghi concludes:

While HHS had the best intentions in creating MIPS, the proposed rules are so abundant with flaws and weaknesses that it is very difficult to imagine the program could ever be successfully implemented.

But theyre going ahead with it anyhow, arent they?

Having looked at a general indictment of MACRA, lets look at MACRAs effect on rural practitioners. At the outset, lets note that some of the changes between the proposed and final rules were designed to ease their burden:

The number of measures that must be reported in other categories have been reduced, especially for small and rural providers. Providers must report up to six quality measures, including one outcome measure, and must attest [self-report] to having completed four improvement activities.

And this is meant to reassure:

In creating a clear path for small, independent physicians to embrace the transition to value, CMS makes it possible for leading independent practices to reduce costs, boost outcomes and thrive, said Dr. Farzad Mostashari, former National Coordinator for Health IT who is now chief executive at Aledade.

(Fine example of the revolving door there, eh Farzad?) Note that the transition to value is codswallop, (a) because MIPS self-reporting incentivizes fraud and (b) the quality scores are a steaming load of incommensurate crapola. Its hard to imagine any physician with a functioning bullshit detector (embrace the transition to value, boost outcomes, thrive pin my bogometer) reading Mostashari and not throwing up a little in their mouth.

So, Dr. Jean Antonucci is not re-assured. From HealthCare Finance:

For small practices like those run by Jean Antonucci in Farmington, Maine, succeeding under new MACRA regulations will all boil down to the details. Unfortunately with MACRA, there are just so many she is just one of the many small practitioners dreading the rollout. Thats not surprising given the 4,000-plus comments the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services received on the law. I dont gain anything positive from this that is not financial, and the financial gain is so tiny for the enormous complexity and reporting burden. Its not simple and its not useful, Antonucci said.

Nor is Dr. Lee Gross:

Lee Gross, MD, a primary care physician in a CMS-designated underserved area for primary care in southern Sarasota County, Florida, said his staff includes two physicians and one nurse practitioner. He lists his group as the last independently owned primary care practice in the region. Its just mind blowing how many resources we spend on just compliance, Gross said. We dont have a compliance officer. Who in my practice is responsible for reviewing the legislation and making sure they are doing things right? Gross said.

Take heart, Dr. Gross. The answer is nobody! You can self-report!

And here is the end game (granted, from anecdotal evidence); Antonucci, also quoted in WaPo:

Could Medicares new doctor payment system endanger small and rural practices? I have no idea what Im going to do yet, acknowledged primary-care physician Jean Antonucci, who has a solo practice in Farmington, Maine. Half of her patients are covered by Medicare. If Im going to lose money, Ill have to see what my options are.

As will her patients if she quits or leaves. But lets look on the bright side; theyll get to go shopping!

My recommendation: Put all the health care experts in this country on a garbage scow, tow them far out to sea, and cut the cable. Then hire the Canadians to install their simple, rugged, and proven single payer system here.

NOTES

[1] Poking around for information on Slavitt  the never-formally-held-accountable-for-the-ObamaCare-rollout-debacle Marilyn Taverners successor  I found this little nugget: Pharma industry leaders are aware of the problem with soaring drug costs and symphathize, [Slavitt] said. The solution, Slavitt said needs to include price transparency and clear explanations to patients as to why such drug costs go up. Oh. OK. Apparently, the policy of a single payer to muscle better prices isnt on the table. I wonder why?

[2] I am using doctor and physician interchangeably; Yaraghi uses clinician. Probably OK for a layperson, who goes to see the doctor, but maybe not OK in professional circles. Can a knowledgeable reader clarify?
NASCAR championship contenders have plenty of ARCA Menards Series experience The Championship 4 have been set for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the contenders in each series all have plenty of experience  and in most cases success  within the ARCA Menards Series platform.
Superbug MRSAbacterial staph infectionis immune to nearly all antibiotics

Drug-resistant E. colianother deadly Superbug immune to the antibiotic colistin

Superbugsa bigger risk than terrorism!

(NaturalNews) Do you spray Roundup on the weeds in your yard? Do you get prescribed antibiotics by your medical doctor the second you have symptoms of sickness, like a sore throat, a stuffy nose, or maybe some yellow or green mucus? Do you eat meat that's not labeled organic?In each of these ways, you could be fueling the superbug epidemics that are devastating America, and it could all be backfiring on your own health directly. Thirty years ago, biotechnology firms thought they were geniuses when they're scientists inserted the genes of toxic plants and insects into crops like corn and soy, only to find out that evolution would rear its head and the very insects that the chemical-agriculture companies seek to destroy became immune to the toxic insecticides and are now more prominent than ever. Even the, no matter how much toxic herbicide farmers utilize.Then, there are superbugs in hospitals and CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations). These are the bacteria like MRSA and viruses that are immune to the relentless assault of the overuse of antibiotics meant to quell disease-infested stables and hospital beds across the country. How did it come to this? Are all antibiotics virtually useless now?MRSA, (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), is a form of bacterial "staph" infection that is resistant to nearly all antibiotics, including oxacillin, methicillin, amoxicillin, and even penicillin. This makes things very difficult for doctors attempting to treat an MRSA "superbug" infection. MRSA infections can be fatal. In the US alone, there are about 100,000 invasive MRSA infections diagnosed every year, with nearly one fifth (20,000) of those killing the victims. About half of those infections originate in hospitals, mostly due to invasive health care (surgery, dirty instruments, etc). Staph bacteria, over time, have developed a resistance to penicillin-related antibiotics , including the semi-synthetic methicillin. Thanks to the mass overuse of antibiotics by doctors in America, penicillin is no longer a "wonder drug" for infections.If the overuse and abuse of antibiotics continues, it is estimated that by 2050, superbugs could kill a human every 3 seconds (That's ten million people worldwide, by the way). Now, a long-dreaded superbug strain of E. Coli has made its way to the US. Also called the "nightmare bacteria," Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, was first identified in China, Canada, and Europe, and is part of a deadly family of bacteria that is totally resistant to the antibiotic colistin. Why is this such a shocking revelation? Colistin is known as the "last line of defense" against such superbugs . Not any more. As evolution would have it, CRE is exchanging genes that have built resistance to the vital antibiotic, and according to medical experts and microbiologists, it's quite a disturbing phenomenon. Even the CDC is admitting that CRE germs are difficult to treat, and are killing off half of the infected patients.What can be done? First of all, antibiotics don't impact viruses at all, and many doctors mistake the symptoms of viruses for common colds and bacterial infections, thus misdiagnosing millions of people regularly. On top of that, many medical professionals believe that taking the "full round" of antibiotics, even after they start healing from bacterial infections, is complete overkill.Think the war on terror is expensive? Try the war on superbugs, that could easily cost $100 trillion by 2050. Superbugs aren't limited to MRSA and E. coli either. Scientists have discovered drug-resistant malaria and tuberculosis bugs also, which could turn out to be the biggest challenges of all. One of the major contributing factors to the superbug outbreak in America are confined animal feeding operations used to breed and slaughter cows, pigs, turkeys and chickens. Welcome to an inside look at the merciless world of CAFOsthe mass superbug breeders. Corporate and industrial "efficiency" has become a massively careless, apathetic and pathetic means of profit at all costs, including torturing animals,, and raising medical expenses for those humans infected to astronomical numbers. CAFOs are very similar to the concentration camps of WWII, where animals are confined to highly overcrowded quarters, are fed toxic substances, and where urine and feces are not properly disposed. CAFOs are the mass industrialization of nature and a hidden display of complete ethical madness.Western medicine has called antibiotics the "health care miracle of the last 500 years," but that time has already passed. The rampant overuse by the industrial food and animal production industry has virtually obliterated this "miracle." The fact is that two-thirds of all antibiotic use takes place in CAFOs to contain infections in the animals. Just in the CAFOs in the state of North Carolina, the use of antibiotics exceeds ALL use for human medicine. Each full-grown chicken gets less than one square foot of living spaceimagine thatit would be like a human living in a small closet, locked inside with your own waste. Those same chickens are fed to cows, and the mad-mad cycle of insanity goes round and round. It's time for Americans to wake up, boycott CAFOs and the meat that comes from them, and avoid hospitals at all costs. Eat organic food and consult nutritionists regularly -- end of story.
1. If you eat, this is your fight

2. Farmers need your support

3. A better food system is possible

4. Become part of an amazing movement

5. Protect your children's food

(NaturalNews) A symbolic trial being held in The Hague, Netherlands this week could shape the future of the food we eat. Agrochemical giant, Monsanto, faces people who have suffered from the corporation's approach to agriculture. Communities around the world are lining up to hold Monsanto to account for their alleged atrocities against humanity and the environment.(Article by Angelica Pago, republished from Greenpeace.org Here are five reasons to support the international tribunal against Monsanto [1]:You eat, so you're involved. Hopefully you're eating three square meals a day, but chances are you don't know how, or even where, that food was grown. We have become disconnected from one of the basic necessities of our lives. That's why, on World Food Day (16 October), we're taking back control.As food production becomes more commercialized, we lose touch with what we eat and farmers lose control over what's grown and how. It doesn't have to be this way.Together we can tip the balance of power away from the likes of Monsanto and Bayer  whose merger [2] will create a mega-corporation that will seize more control over the world's food supply.Let's put power back in the hands of the people who grow our food  the farmers who toil every day so that we can all enjoy the food we love.The industrial scale of agriculture today has broken our food system. Giant agri-businesses fail to take into account the health of the environment and the communities who depend on it. Monoculture and dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides are taking its toll on the planet, animals and us.It's time to make the switch to ecological farming  to a system based on innovation and science that not only respects biodiversity, keeps carbon in the ground and rebuilds soil fertility, but also sustains yields and provides a secure livelihood for farming communities. We need a food system that puts people, not corporations, at its heart.The Tribunal brings together people of different nationalities, ages and walks of life to discuss, plan and take action. Doctors from Germany, scientists from India, academics from France, farmers from Mexico and lawyers from across the world are meeting in The Hague, united in determination to reclaim food and farming from corporate control.Are you happy to let the next generation eat unhealthy, chemical loaded, processed food? Or would you rather your child enjoy earth's natural bounties and defend the land that grows them?The future of food depends on the stand we take today. Show your support for the Monsanto Tribunal. Read more at: Greenpeace.org Sources[1] Monsanto-Tribunal.org [2] Reuters.com
(NaturalNews) This year's choice of presidential candidates being offered by the two major political parties could not be more unorthodox, and clearly there are things about both of them not to like.GOP presidential nominee Donald J. Trump is lewd, has no filter whatsoever and prone to saying (and tweeting) whatever immediately comes into his mind. Not a politician, Trump is the last person many Republicans thought they'd see atop their party's ticket in 2016.Then there's Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton , one of the most dishonest, scandal-ridden and unexciting candidates that has ever run for the nation's highest office. But what makes her especially unappealing is her "insider/establishment" pedigree.For instance, in recent days, thanks to data dumps by whistleblower site WikiLeaks, we now know that she has conspired with the power-hungry elite and globalists to produce a "compliant citizenry" that does what they're told, when they're told, and never questions authority.Part of citizen compliance, of course, has to do with "conspiring" with major corporations like Monsanto to poison our food chain, dumb down the people and ensure that any ill-effects from said food chain destruction is kept hidden.As we have reported , and as has been documented in this white paper by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, along with editors of NewsTarget.com, Clinton has longstanding financial ties to Monsanto."Hillary Rodham Clinton's ties to agribusiness giant Monsanto, and her advocacy for the industry's genetically modified crops, have environmentalists in Iowa calling her 'Bride of Frankenfood'" reported thein May 2015. "A large faction of women voiced strong support for Mrs. Clinton's candidacy until the GMO issue came up, prompting them to switch allegiances to Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, a liberal stalwart challenging her for the Democratic nomination."There's more, however. Clinton repeated all of Monsanto's favorite talking points at the 2014 Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) conference. In her speech she said she is in favor of using the company's GMO seeds and other products that have a "proven track record," even though there are no statistics to justify such broad praise. In fact, if anything, Monsanto's Roundup has been associated with the creation of superweeds that are harder to kill and are now encroaching on more crop acreage, forcing agricultural operations to use as much as 10 times the amount of toxic herbicides that would be used otherwise on normal, non-GMO crops AsThere is even more. Clinton hired Jerry Crawford, a prominent long-time Monsanto lobbyist, to run her current presidential campaign. He is reportedly the force behind Monsanto's regular efforts to haul small farmers into court, in order to protect the company's growing monopoly on the world's seed market. Also, Clinton's one-time law office, the Rose Law Firm, represented Monsanto and other agri-business companies.Besides her ties to Monsanto and the influence the corporate giant would wield in a Clinton administration, Hillary is a big believer and pusher of phony climate change/global warming, the narrative of which has changed back and forth from "global cooling" to "global warming" and then to just "climate change" so that she and every other climate hoaxer can claim any severe weather event is due to man-made activity.So while both presidential candidates may have a list of undesirables, one  Trump  at least does not have a political history of selling the country's food supply out to corporate interests who care nothing about clean food.
Tropical rainforests are considered the climax stage of forest and the richest in biodiversity compared to other biomes. These forests are under the many pressures of degradation such as deforestation, and now conversion for agricultural purposes has been inching through.

A journal published in Nature Communications features how transformation of forests into agroecosystems are currently trending especially in the tropical rainforests (TRFs) of the Southeast Asia. According to the findings of the study lead by Lund University, monoculture plantations especially oil palm and rubber have been invading the forests of Sumatra, depreciating the ecosystems services which should have been made available if the conversions were controlled in the first place.

Using Jambi, Sumatra as the place of study, lead author Yann Clough in collaboration with 40 other researches from New Zealand, Indonesia, Switzerland and Germany conducted a biodiversity and ecosystems function assessment with interviews involving 450 local farmers. The former was used by the team to measure and quantitatively compare the differences between the natural forests, agroforests and areas with only monoculture practices.

Read: Land-use choices follow profitability at the expense of ecological functions in Indonesian smallholder landscapes

According to the group's investigation, the study area has already lost 75% of their unprotected forest cover from 1990-2011. The great decrease was attributed to the unprecedented increase in monoculture plantations wherein during the same span of time, rubber plantations were observed to increase by 30%, oil palm plantations by 150% and fallow lands or brush lands awaiting for plantation spiked at 300%.

Monoculture does not only affect the tropical rainforests in terms of deforestation but also causes more damages to the natural ecosystem than what we think. Clough's group has identified as well that the conversion of a lowland forest into oil palm and rubber monoculture plantation eventually decreases the soil organic carbon (SOC) by 50%, which later causes less soil stability leading to erosion. Impacts of net primary productivity due to low organic input retention is also another strand of problem in line with the loss of SOCs. Furthermore, monoculture plantation leads to lower floral diversity, in terms of genetic and taxonomic, with more variable microclimate and simpler vegetation structure that reduces faunal biodiversity.

Another issue tackled by Clough and his colleague's paper was the conflict on the economic and social side of the monoculture industry. "For the great majority of small farmers, chopping down diverse forests and investing in a single species of tree -- monoculture -- is the simplest and quickest path out of poverty. Productivity increases, the financial risk drops and income rises," Yann Clough stated in an article. Their team has further recommended that halting the monoculture practice should be accompanied by financial support to the small-scale farmers, backed up by a strong political will.

"Since the small farmers earn more with monoculture, sustainability aspects and the effects on nature currently are almost entirely unheeded. Changing the production methods of small farmers requires financial incentives along with political will; otherwise there is a risk that rich and productive agricultural land will have disappeared altogether in 20 years," Clough added.
Mothers and families who have lost loved ones to drunk driving gathered for a 5K walk at Liberty Station Saturday in the ongoing fight to prevent deadly DUI crashes.

Tami Riley, who lives in Hawaii, was among the mothers who united for the Walk Like MADD 5K. She lost her son, Lucas Riley, just two months ago to a crash caused by a suspected drunk driver on State Route 67.

I feel like I didnt have an option  I had to come out [to this walk], Tami told NBC 7, fighting back tears. Its still very emotional. Weve all been devastated by this crash. Its necessary to make it public knowledge. As a family, we want to help the problem [of drunk driving] down here.

Tami Riley walks in honor of son, Lucas, killed on SR67 in #Ramona. He was supposed to get married this month #DrunkDrivingEndsHere #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/FVmgY0Z440  Liberty Zabala (@LibertyNBC7SD) October 15, 2016

Lucas died in a fiery three-car crash on SR-67 on Aug. 20 when a truck driven by a DUI suspect veered across the road and struck Lucas Mini Cooper head-on. The impact set the Mini Cooper on fire.

Riley was a recent graduate of San Diegos Point Loma Nazarene University  a talented art major whose work is on display at the Cedar Street Parking Garage in Little Italy. He was also engaged to be married, and his fiancee told NBC 7 he was a loving, caring man. After the crash that claimed Lucas life, his fiancee begged the public: Please dont drink and drive, please.

.@SDSheriff says 18 ppl died in SDSO & CHP jurisdiction this year so far. #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/11RbcikOlc  Liberty Zabala (@LibertyNBC7SD) October 15, 2016

As Tami walked the 5K Saturday, she carried a photo of her son and his hat in his memory, with 17 family members and friend by her side. She said she hoped Lucas story would help others make the right choice when drinking and thinking about getting behind the wheel.

Another team that took part in the Walk Like MADD 5K Saturday was a team from the San Diego County Sheriffs Department (SDSO) and San Diego County District Attorneys office, walking in honor of fallen SDSO Deputy Kenneth James Collier.

Collier was killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver on Feb. 28, 2010. His patrol car crashed off the side of State Route 52 while he was trying to stop a drunk driver who was traveling on the wrong side of the freeway.

Help stop drunk driving & join @SDSheriff at #WalkLikeMADD on October 15 to honor the memory of Deputy Ken Collier. https://t.co/w8QMqV7oNi pic.twitter.com/G68r0AVaLj  San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) October 14, 2016

We walk in honor of Ken, forever keeping his memory alive, and we walk in honor of all of the law enforcement deputies and officer who risk their lives every day so that we are safer, a statement from the SDSO read.

To learn more about Walk Like MADD events across the country, click here.
Bay Area commuters were treated to a peak inside one of the new "Fleet of the Future" BART trains Saturday at the Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre Station.

Aside from a design overhaul, BART says that the new fleet will be quieter, cooler, more comfortable, and easier to enter and exit than the current trains running throughout the Bay Area system. BART has also introduced a mapping feature that will let riders know exactly where they are at any time as well as installing a digital display on each car to signal what station is coming next.

The soon-to-be-introduced trains do have four less seats per car, but more cars will be used on each train, BART said. A grand total of 1,081 cars are set to be unveiled by 2021, which would increase BART's seating capacity by 49 percent.

Once the testing process, which has reached an 82 percent completion mark as of Saturday, is finished and the California Public Utilities Commission has given the green light, BART plans to role out the fleet as soon as possible.

Commuters wishing to see the test train can do so Sunday by visiting the MacArthur Station in Oakland between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. BART is also scheduled to show off the new fleet at the end of the month in Dublin and El Cerrito.
Less than two full days since being injured by San Francisco police after maiming an officer with a gunshot wound to the head, the suspect in Friday night's officer-involved shooting has died, according to NBC Bay Area sources.

The officer remains in critical, but stable condition and has been steadily improving since being shot by a man who opened fire on law enforcement officials in the Lakeshore neighborhood Friday evening, according to the city's police department.

Had the bullet struck the officer in a different location, the story would be much different, Interim Police Chief Toney Chaplin said at a news conference Saturday.

"It was a lot more than" just a minor graze wound, he said. "One centimeter down and this may have been a fatality."

A San Francisco police officer narrowly missed a lethal gunshot wound to the head on Friday night, and is now hospitalized with part of his body paralyzed, according to the citys interim police chief.

The officer, who was shot by a still unidentified suspect who is in custody, has undergone surgery to remove bullet fragments from his brain, Chaplin said. He is also suffering from "partial paralysis on the side of his body from the shot to the head," he said.

Sources close to the investigation told NBC Bay Area that the officer's name is Kevin Downs, but Chaplin declined to identify the officer.

Chaplin shared, however, that the officer has been part of the police department for two years and was assigned to the Taraval District station.

Downs appears to be a Marin County resident who co-founded a nonprofit called Ranchin Vets that helps veterans find work in the agricultural industry. Chaplin said only that the officer is a "good, strong" community member and a "fantastic" policeman.

Those who know the officer say that he and his family promote a legacy of serving others.

"His oldest brother served three tours of duty in the military," Ben Matranga, a family friend, said. "When Kevin came back, he worked with a non-profit that helped veterans with PTSD so very long commitment to public safety."

Officers responded to a report of a person behaving erratically and threatening others at Lakeshore Plaza around 8:15 p.m., officer Carlos Manfredi said.

When they approached him, however, the suspect, who police did not know was armed, turned around and fired several times at the officers. A bullet hit Downs in the head, taking him down near Sloat Boulevard and Everglade Drive, Manfredi said.

Downs' partner began to run in the suspect's direction, only to realize that his colleague had been struck and was lying on the ground. He ran back to help and request backup for Downs, who was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital.

Witnesses recalled hearing three shots and said the officer appeared alert as emergency responders treated him. Manfredi said Downs is "very, very lucky" to be conscious and recovering with his family.

"Half an inch closer and we would be telling a different story right now," he said.

A man suspected of opening fire at a San Francisco police officer on Friday night was taken into custody by a SWAT team, police said. Jean Elle and Cheryl Hurd report.

Meanwhile, police called for citywide assistance and launched a massive manhunt to find and apprehend the suspect, who had taken cover in Sigmund Stern Grove.

San Francisco police and California Highway Patrol officers closed the park, where, Chaplin said, a wedding was underway and guests had to be safeguarded. Officers set up a perimeter when the suspect popped out of bushes and fled on foot. Officers chased and shot at him, said Manfredi, who could not confirm how many rounds had been fired.

The suspect fell onto the ground but continued to move. His handgun was "present" and being held "close to his chest," Manfredi said.

Police tweeted at about 9:30 p.m. that they "had the suspect contained" and had used a flash bang in an attempt to detain him. They followed that with a tweet around 9:45 p.m. saying the suspect had been taken into custody by a SWAT team.

The man refused all commands to give up his weapon and surrender peacefully so police officers were forced to use a distraction tactic to "get close to the suspect and make the arrest and gain compliance," according to Manfredi.

The suspect, who was detained near 28th Avenue and Vicente Street, was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, which was briefly placed on lock down Friday night.

Officers had "no clue" that the man was holding a firearm, Chaplin said, but demonstrated "21st century policing at its best."

"They did everything they could to make sure that at least the subject had a fighting chance," he said.

The department is investigating the encounter and interviewing involved officers. The chief also did not comment on the suspect's criminal history.

The police department will host a town hall meeting next week at which time more details about the shooting will be shared, he said.

According to Chaplin, the suspect's family had "zero to do with this," so he said he is trying to be both transparent and respectful of families on both sides.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who went to the hospital Friday night to thank Downs for his service, released a statement on Saturday.

"Last night I received one of those calls that as a mayor you never want to receive," he said. "The phone call that tells you a police officer has been shot in the line of duty."

Lee said Downs was wounded while chasing an armed man who was a danger to the community, acknowledging the perils police officers encounter daily.

"Each day, the members of San Francisco Police Department face uncertainty and danger with the purpose of protecting our city and its residents," he added.

In the hours after the shooting, police departments, including those in Fremont and Redwood City, tweeted out prayers and support for the San Francisco Police Department.

It has been nearly 10 years since a San Francisco police officer was shot in the line of duty. In Dec. 2006, officer Brian Tuvera was gunned down while trying to arrest a wanted escapee in the Sunset District. The 28-year-old spent just over four years on the force before his death.
A police officer fatally shot a 32-year-old man early Sunday morning after the man allegedly attacked officers while they were responding to a disturbance at a Santa Cruz home.

The incident began around 3:30 a.m., when officers responded to a home in the 200 block of Chace Street, after a resident said a man was "pounding" at his front door, according to police.

While officers were on their way to the home, the resident again called 911 a second time, saying the man was now at the home's backdoor, yelling he was wanted to kill everyone inside, police said.

When officers arrived at the home, they located the suspect in the home's backyard. When they tried to take him into custody, the man attacked officers with a metal bow rake, according to police.

As the suspect attacked the officers, he refused to put down the rake. Officers then deployed a Taser to subdue the man however the Taser was ineffective, police said.

The suspect continued to attack and an officer fired his handgun at the man, according to police.

Officers then rendered aid to the man as emergency crews arrived. The suspect however was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The identity of the man has not been released.

Because of the officer-involved shooting, the county's Critical Incident Protocol was enacted, with the cooperation of the Santa Cruz Police Department, The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office and the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office, according to police.

Per protocol, the decision was made that the District Attorney's Office will be the lead investigative agency. The protocol aims to ensure that the investigation remains independent, police said.

The police department will also conduct a separate administrative investigation. Per policy, the involved officers will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation, according to police.
Former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders returned to the Bay Area Saturday with his intentions set on spurring California voters to support a hotly-debated and spending-soaked proposition on the November ballot.

The U.S. Senator from Vermont hosted a rally in San Francisco and urged Californians to vote "yes" on Proposition 61, which would curb the cost of prescription drugs.

"I think it is high time that the American people starting right here in California stand up to the greed of the pharmaceutical industry, which is charging us by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs while they're making tens of billions in profit every single year," Sanders said. "That's wrong."

If adopted, the proposition would allow prescription drugs to be purchased by state agencies for an amount that would be at or below the price paid by the United State Department of Veterans Affairs, which pays the lowest for prescription drugs than any other federal agency.

Passing such a law would protect those facing serious medical issues and may set precedent for the rest of the country, Sanders said.

"What you do here in California will reverberate all over this country," he said. "I hope that Proposition 61 is passed."

Opponents say the ballot measure is defective and a mistake.

"I understand that people are frustrated and worried about drug pricing, but Proposition 61 isn't the solution," anti-Proposition 61 advocate Kathy Fairbanks said. "It's badly flawed."

Fairbanks added that the proposition is deceptive in that it wouldn't apply to 88 percent of Californians. She also said that the legislation is bad for taxpayers and could harm veterans.

"The United States Department of Veterans Affairs evaluated (Proposition) 61 and they figured that if it passes, they could be on the hook for up to 3.8 billion dollars in higher costs," she said.

Aside from the proposition talk, Sanders took time to talk about the race for the White House and reiterated his confidence in Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton while lambasting Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"I think (Trump is) completely unfit to become the president of the United States," Sanders said.
Somber family members, fellow emergency responders and thankful citizens gathered at the state capital Saturday to pay tribute to those firefighters who have fallen in the line of duty.

During the memorial ceremony, a total of 29 names, including seven with Bay Area ties, were etched into the California Firefighters Memorial, which remembers the men and women who have died while serving the community.

John G. Murphy, Clyde M. Watarai, David Amituanai, Richard B. Faust and Lauifi Seumaala from the San Francisco Fire Department were among those honored in addition to James Martin from the Fremont Fire Department and Robert Alan Lee from Cal Fire.

The names of roughly 1,300 firefighters are forever inscribed in the state memorial.
Police are warning about a string of robberies on Chicago Transit Authority trains on Chicago's West Side in the last month.

Three of four incidents have taken place while riders were on CTA trains during the late evening and early morning hours, authorities said.

In those incidents, a group of men hit the victim with their fists before taking items from their pockets. In a fourth incident, the victim was standing on a CTA platform when the attackers grabbed him and stole items from his pockets.

Police say most of the attacks happened within one week at the following locations:

At 3 a.m. on Sept. 19 in the 500 block of South Pulaski Road

At 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 3 in the 500 block of South Pulaski Road

At 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 7 in the 500 block of South California Avenue

At 5:10 a.m. on Oct. 9 in the 500 block of South Pulaski Road

One of the alleged attackers is described as a man standing 6 feet tall with dreadlocks. Another is believed to be between 30 and 40 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 160-170 pounds. A third man was described as being 6 feet, 2 inches tall, but little else was known.

Anyone with information on the robberies is asked to call Area North Detectives at (312) 744-8263.
SWAT teams were engaged in an hours-long incident on Chicago's Near North Side Sunday afternoon, according to police.

Around 2:39 p.m., officers responded to a call at an apartment building in the 300 block of West Evergreen Ave in the city's Old Town neighborhood, police said.

A 911 caller reported hearing a woman screaming for help, according to police.

Authorities issued a warning to avoid the area, and SWAT was called "out of an abundance of caution" because of the nature of the call and the history at that address, police said.

The occupants of the apartment exited on their own at 8:09 p.m., police said, and the situation was resolved without incident.

No one will be taken into custody and no charges are pending, according to police.
Police in New London are investigating a suspicious death after they were called to a home on Saturday morning.

Police said they were dispatched to the area of 177 Nautilus Drive around 8:30 a.m. to investigate the report of a deceased person.

After officers arrived at the residence and surveyed the scene, the State's Attorney's Office and Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Unit were called in to assist with the investigation, according to authorities.

Police identified the person who died as 33-year-old Joseph Dasilva, of Easton, and said he was staying on Lee Avenue in New London.

At this time, the event is considered an isolated incident with no threat to the public.

Police are asking anyone who may have been in the area during late evening hours on Friday night or early morning hours on Saturday to contact the New London Police Department at (860) 447-1481 or (860) 447-5269.
Neighbors in the Red Bird area of Dallas celebrated six months of hard work on Saturday.

The "Rebirth of Red Bird" as it's known to residents, is a massive effort to improve their community through maintaining their homes; painting and beautifying public spaces, and celebrating community teamwork.

The southern Dallas neighborhood is one of 11 target areas in the city's "Neighborhood Plus Program."

Red Bird is the first target area to complete the six-month process.

"WE want to be able to show people the work and the effort that's been done by the residents who took ownership here in the Red Bird area, said Casey Thomas of Dallas City Council District 3" I'm just excited to be able to say 'I appreciate them, their commitment, and their willingness to take ownership of their own neighborhood.'"

Councilman Thomas said a progress report will be available in the coming weeks as the "Rebirth of Red Bird" continues.
At least one missile was fired on U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason in international waters off Yemens coast, but the ship deployed countermeasures and was not struck, U.S. officials told NBC News Saturday.

The incident, which occurred late Saturday or early Sunday local time, is the latest in a string of recent missile attacks on the destroyer from rebel-held areas of Yemen.

Two attacks earlier in the week prompted the U.S. military to launch cruise missiles, which destroyed three radar sites. A Defense Department official said this week that those who fire on U.S. vessels do so at their peril.

The two-year-long conflict in Yemen has resulted in more than 4,000 civilian deaths, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said Monday.
A 22-year-old man studying to become a mechanical engineer was shot and killed in Exposition Park Sunday morning, and police are searching for the gunman.

Sergio Iraheta was standing near his car on the 1400 block of West 35th Street when he was shot just after 3 a.m. Sunday, said Det. Chris Barling of the Los Angeles Police Department.

"I heard it and I woke up and came outside and I heard everybody like 'Sergio! Sergio!'" said Roger Santana, a friend of the victim. "I ran up to his body and was like 'Sergio get up,' and he was gone."

Responding officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Southwest Division responded and found Iraheta dead in the street, Barling said. Witnesses and neighbors told officers they heard gunshots, and saw a man in his 20s or 30s drive away in a light-colored sedan, headed eastbound on West 35th Street toward Normandie Avenue.

Iraheta lived nearby with his parents on Normandie Avenue. His family members said he was a mechanic with dreams of opening his own shop one day.

His friends and family said he had no enemies.

Barling said detectives were working to determine what led up to the shooting.

Anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or with any information was encouraged to call 800-222-8477.
At least four people were killed and several others were injured Saturday when a truck traveling on the Coronado Bay Bridge in San Diego veered off the road and flew 60 feet off the bridge, landing on a crowd gathered at a park below.

The crash happened just after 3:30 p.m. PT off the bridge and near the 1900 block of Julian Avenue. California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Jake Sanchez said the person behind the wheel of the pickup truck, suspected of driving under the influence, hit a guard rail, rolled and landed on a crowd of people at Chicano Park. The park sits below the entrance of the bridge from Interstate 5, in Barrio Logan.

Among the four people killed were a man, 62, and a woman, 50, from Chandler, Arizona, and a man, 59, and a woman, 49, from Hacienda Heights in Los Angeles County.

Four confirmed dead after truck flies off of Coronado Bridge into Chicano Park. Hear from witness: #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/PCsQtyDeMk  Ashley Matthews (@ashleyNBC7) October 15, 2016

One witness told NBC 7 he heard truck screeching as it plowed into the park below.

I [saw] that truck come flying off the ramp here and onto the people that were underneath them. I was that close to them, he said. Its terrible.

Look at truck that flew off of #Coronado Bridge injuring several, killing four. #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/p912Y923Wv  Ashley Matthews (@ashleyNBC7) October 15, 2016

Another witness, Dolores D'Angelo, was attending the festival at Chicano Park, where she was scheduled to perform with a band. Suddenly, she saw debris and dust flying off the bridge, then saw parts of the car scattered everywhere.

"Pieces of car parts were flying all over the place. When we got up, we turned around, everybody started running over there because we realized, there were people sitting there  there were people sitting right there," D'Angelo described.

"We were trying to get in to see if we could maybe lift up the car, move the car out of the way to see if we could get the people out. There were so many people crowded by then, she added. I was trying to call 911 and I think I called it like four times and I dont know that I ever hit send properly because I got really nervous; I got really scared.

"I saw a car flying through the air, right off the bridge. It looked like -- I couldn't see anybody driving the car. It looked like as if Superman had thrown a car right off the bridge. It was just flying down," D'Angelo added.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) and CHP confirmed that at least four people were killed in the crash. Police said two others suffered major injuries and at least seven other people suffered minor injuries.

The driver, identified as 24-year-old Richard Anthony Sepolio, is alive, police said, but critically injured. He was hospitalized and arrested on suspicion of DUI, Sanchez said. He has been charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI causing injury or death and other charges related to significant injury of others.

According to CHP, Sepolio is an active duty service member with the Navy stationed in Coronado.

As dozens of first responders filled the park, medics began treating those with minor injuries at the scene and rushing those with critical injuries to UC San Diego Medical Center, Scripps Mercy Hospital and Sharp Coronado.

Debris was strewn about the crash site; blood could be seen on the sidewalks.

"It's horrible, it's horrific," said Sanchez, describing the scene. "There's people down below, bodies -- just innocent people that are just down here having a good time and now they're gone. We feel for their families."

Southbound Interstate 5 leading to the Coronado Bridge was shut down to traffic immediately following the deadly crash; both inbound and outbound traffic on the Coronado Bridge was also shut down.

At least 2 rushed to UCSD hospital after car flies off #Coronado bridge injuring several, killing 4. #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/rJQ2EToiu1  Matt Rascon (@MattRasconNews) October 15, 2016

By 4:40 p.m., the Coronado Police Department confirmed that the roads were reopening and traffic was moving once again, slowly.

Police said there were more than 100 people at Chicano Park at the time of the deadly crash, as a festival was taking place.

Chicano Park was celebrating the La Raza Run, a motorcycle festival that had live music, food, art exhibits and a tribute to fallen riders.

Chicano Park is in Barrio Logan, a predominantly Mexican-American community located about 4.5 miles southeast of downtown San Diego. The park is known for its vast collection of colorful outdoor murals and artwork dedicated to the cultural heritage of the community.
A refinery near Denver sent plumes of orange and black smoke into the air Friday after a power failure shut the plant down, leading authorities to tell people within a 1.5 mile radius of the Suncor Energy, Inc. plant to remain indoors.

The company said the plumes, seen from downtown Denver, were "visible emissions" from the refinery in Commerce City which spokeswoman Nicole Fisher described as being from an uncombusted hydrocarbon. However, the Denver Fire Capt. Greg Pixley said Suncor notified authorities that it was releasing sulfur dioxide, a gas created by the burning of sulfur.

The executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Dr. Larry Wolk, said officials don't know enough yet about what was in the smoke to determine if it was hazardous. However, he said authorities are reassured that the release was brief and doesn't appear to pose any immediate threat to people nearby.

Suncor will submit a report to the department about the cause of the malfunction and the emissions, he said.

The Environmental Protection Agency says short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult, especially the young, the elderly and those with asthma.

Fisher said Suncor is monitoring the air around the 98,000-barrel-a-day refinery, which produces gasoline, diesel fuel and asphalt.

Nearby Interstate 270 was temporarily shut down as firefighters responded to the refinery.

The power outage occurred around noon and the smoke dissipated by mid-afternoon.
A report says a former central Florida sheriff tried to profit off a crime-fighting kiosk business, violated several department policies and that the kiosks posed a safety hazard to the public.

The report by the Marion County Sheriff's Office and prosecutors said crimes likely were committed by ex-sheriff Chris Blair and his chief of staff, Fred LaTorre, but they won't be prosecuted.

The Ocala Star-Banner reported Sunday that's because Blair entered a deferred prosecution plea deal last summer to resolve an unrelated perjury charge. As part of the deal, prosecutors are precluded from pursuing other charges related to Blair's tenure as sheriff.

Blair's attorney has denied any wrongdoing.

The investigative report said Blair came up with the idea to have the kiosks displayed in public places, offering crime prevention tips and photos of wanted criminals.

Blair formed a company with officials from a local manufacturer to build the kiosks. The manufacturer, OFAB, and company officials contributed to Blair's re-election campaign, and the campaign paid the manufacturer for storage rental, according to the report.

Blair and his chief of staff then decided to use money from the local Crime Prevention Fund as a funding source for the kiosk project, according to the report.

The Crime Prevention Fund gets its money from court fines and money can only be allocated by the county commission. Once a prototype kiosk was built, Blair went to the county commission and asked it to fund the purchase of 100 kiosks, the report said.

The purchase was approved for the kiosks that would cost $267,000.

``Neither Blair nor LaTorre ever told the (commission,) or anyone else, about their business relationship or their intent to profit from future sales of the kiosks,'' according to the report written by Lt. Donnie Winston. ``The Marion County Crime Prevention Fund was used by Blair and LaTorre to fund their personal startup company. They used the funds to develop the prototype and then purchased 100 of the kiosks. Then, knowing they intended to profit, they used their respective positions with MCSO to market the kiosks to other agencies.''

The first 100 kiosks were electrical shock and fire hazards because monitors had been removed from their housing and mounted inside the kiosks, according to the report.

``Blair and LaTorre displayed a reckless disregard for the safety and well-being, not only to the citizens who could have been shocked by the kiosks, but the business owners who could have suffered tremendous loss, if a fire had started,'' according to Winston's report.

The sheriff's office has concluded the kiosks are a complete loss and is demanding a refund from the manufacturer.

When contacted by the Star-Banner, Blair's attorney, Gilbert Schaffnit, said Blair didn't intend to profit from the kiosks. He said Blair didn't do anything wrong and wasn't interviewed as part of the investigation.
What to Know An Albany man was caught on video crashing his car when he tried to pass a school bus on the right Tuesday

Three children on the bus were taken to the hospital as a precaution

This is the second incident in a month where a New York driver tried to pass a school bus on the right

An upstate New York man crashed into a concrete barrier and turned his car on its side Tuesday after he tried to pass a school bus on the right.

An impatient BMW driver was caught on video trying to pass a school bus at the intersection of Broadway and I-787 in Albany, according to NJ.com. The dash cam of a driver who slowed down to allow the school bus to merge in front of him caught the incident on camera.

In a fit of road rage, the BMW tries to pass the bus, then crashed into an orange barrel and concrete barrier immediately after. The car rests on two wheels against the barrier as the driver exits the vehicle, appearing unharmed, video shows.

"I thought there was another lane!" the driver can be heard saying in frustration.

No serious injuries were reported, though Albany police say three children on the bus were taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The driver received a ticket for unsafe passing.
What to Know A Long Island woman was arrested Saturday in connection to a BB gun pellet shooting

The 24-year-old was charged with attempted murder of a police officer and reckless endangerment

The plainclothes officer was shot while he was driving Wednesday afternoon

A Long Island woman was arrested for allegedly shooting a plainclothes NYPD detective in the head with a BB gun while driving down a Queens street last week, causing substantial bleeding.

Tiara Ferebee was arraigned Sunday on charges of first-degree attempted assault, second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

According to a criminal complaint, detective Adam Jangel was sitting in the driver's seat of an unmarked NYPD vehicle, with his partner in the passenger seat, when they stopped at the intersection of 168th Street and Jamaica Avenue. The two officers heard a pop sound and blood started gushing from Jangel's forehead. Jangel went to a hospital, where doctors determined he had a foreign metal projectile lodged in his forehead between his skin and skull.

Prosecutors say surveillance video showed 24-year-old Ferebee in the back of a Nissan with the window open as it drove east parallel to the driver's side window of the unmarked cop car at the time the detective was hit.

Ferebee is being held on $500,000 cash bail. She is due back in court later this month, and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges.

It wasn't immediately clear if she had an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
A 65-year-old man who was served an eviction notice went on a shooting rampage Tuesday afternoon, wounding a neighbor and opening fire on a Florida deputy, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Larry Dennis Hoad shot and wounded a resident in his St. Petersburg triplex, then fired several gunshots at another neighbor's home, the Sheriff's Office said. The rampage was captured on surveillance video released Friday.

Deputies served Hoad with eviction papers Tuesday morning. A few hours later, the sheriff's office received reports of shots fired in the same area.

A sergeant arrived at the scene and Hoad fired two shots at the sergeant, who returned fire and hit Hoad twice. Hoad was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg with life-threatening injuries. He remains in critical condition.

The injured resident, 30-year-old Shawn Smith, was hospitalized in critical condition for "several" gunshot wounds, the sheriff's office said.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Hoad was on "a violent rampage looking for more victims. We are very fortunate that Hoad did not kill a deputy sheriff."

He faces three counts of attempted murder and two counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.
A former restaurant owner accused of fatally shooting his wife in the head is now facing a murder charge.

Sergio DeRosa initially was charged with manslaughter in the May 2014 death of 57-year-old Lynn DeRosa, whose body was found at their Mullica Hill home. The couple owned the Old Bay Restaurant & Bar in Egg Harbor City.

The murder charge was in a superseding indictment handed up late last month by an Atlantic County grand jury. It was made public on Friday.

DeRosa turned himself in this week on the new charge and is now free on $150,000 bail. A telephone number for him could not be located on Saturday.

Prosecutors did not say what prompted them to seek the new indictment. A motive for the shooting hasn't been disclosed.
A robbery led to a shooting at Lincoln University that injured a security officer.

Police say six to seven suspects in their early to mid 20s approached two 22-year-old men on the north side of Lincoln's campus on 1570 Baltimore Pike in Lower Oxford Township, Chester County around 3 a.m. Sunday.

At least one of the suspects took out a gun and the group began to steal jewelry from the two men. The victims tried to fight off the robbers but were physically assaulted. One of the victims then went into his vehicle and drove into several of the suspects, police said. The suspects then fired three to four shots, striking the victim's vehicle.

At the same time, a 20-year-old security officer from Philadelphia was inside a van that passed the suspects. As the gunfire continued, the officer was struck in the right arm. She was taken to Christiana Hospital where she was treated for her injury, which police say is non-life threatening.

The woman works for Imperial Security, an outside security team that was hired to help with Lincoln University's homecoming which took place this weekend.

Police have not yet revealed the conditions of the two men who were attacked and robbed. They continue to search for the suspects.

A statement from university officials said that no students were hurt or involved in the shooting.

If you have any information on the incident, please call Pennsylvania State Police Avondale at 610-268-2022 or Lincoln University Public Safety at 484-365-8139.
A 26-year-old woman has been charged with arson after she allegedly set her boyfriend's home on fire in West Philadelphia Saturday morning, burning two neighboring homes in the process.

Police say the woman went into her child's father's home on the 4900 block of W. Girard Avenue, poured kerosene on the floor and then lit it on fire. Neither the man nor their child were inside the three-story row home at the time.

Two adjacent houses also caught fire.

The woman suffered burns to her hands during the incident, according to investigators. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

According to investigators, the woman told police she lit the home on fire because her child's father had allegedly stolen $1,000 from her.

A witness told NBC10 she spotted the woman leaving the scene of the fire. According to the witness, the woman said, "I set the house on fire because my boyfriend robbed me."

She was taken into custody and charged with arson, reckless endangerment of another person and risking a catastrophe.
Nine states have marijuana measures on the ballot this November, and chances are good that many will pass  giving pot advocates high hopes that the federal government will eventually lift its nationwide ban, NBC News reported.

In five states  Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada  voters will decide on legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.

In four others  Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota  voters will weigh in on medical marijuana, which is already legal in nearly half the country.
There are artists for public consumers, artists for critics and artists for artists. When these three overlap on a large enough scale, its usually a pretty good indication of iconicism. Take, for example, the Beatles, or for you millenials out there, Radiohead -- yeah yeah, I feel the collective yawn and eye roll from the rabble rousers who would like to deny the importance of those groups, and Im ignoring it. There is a reason (and its not necessarily because they are better than the rest of the artists out there) that groups like the Beatles and Radiohead have reached their iconic stature, and its largely because they have found a way to click -- for whatever lucky reason -- with the three primary audience groups of art consumption -- the public, the critics and fellow artists.

Often, however, an artist will be a critic favorite but not a public favorite, an artist favorite but not a critic favorite or any combination of the three. In the case of Gang of Four, the band is clearly and undeniably an artist favorite. Tom Morello, Kurt Cobain, Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent), Carrie Brownstein and Red Hot Chili Peppers have all cited the group -- specifically guitarist Andy Gills contributions -- as absolutely fundamental to their development as artists.

Falling somewhere between the Clash, Sex Pistols and Talking Heads, Gang of Fours late 70s/early 80s post-punk resonates resoundingly with musicians while being somewhat unfairly backgrounded in other spheres of public and critical influence.

In a phone call with Andy Gill, I asked him whether he understands exactly why he is so influential to such a wide range of artists. His response was, I think its because I have a simple approach to [guitar]. Its a mixture of noise and expressiveness whilst keeping it minimal. A lot of guitarists want to get a lot of technical skill. Whatever technique I have is homegrown.

Perhaps its this humble, intuitive -- almost Zen-like -- approach to his art that has appealed to so many musicians, past and present. I could even hear it (barely, because the connection from England to Boise, Idaho, is apparently not the greatest) in his voice -- hes meditative and deliberate but with an exacting generosity (he was concerned about the bad connection, and I could tell he wanted to make sure I got everything I could out of the interview).

When I was a kid, I was pretty mad [in a good way] about Jimi Hendrix, he said. His other favorite guitarists included Steve Cropper and Wilko Johnson -- talented in their own right, but subdued in public influence (definitely not style), and not as iconic as Hendrix.

Gills interest in music production coheres with the development of his approach to music in general. Having produced the Red Hot Chili Peppers debut album and the Jesus Lizards self-titled EP, he finds that music production affords him the benefit of a different perspective on music.

Music production is yet another way for Gill to lend his monk-like talents to other artists. Its as if hes some beneficent spiritual leader for guitarists, and any musician lucky enough to enter his sphere of influence is graced with some of his humble -- but politically energized -- divinity.

It makes sense, then, that Gang of Fours newest release is a live album called, Live  in the Moment, which Gill engineered and mixed. The record -- its literally a really good record of seeing Gang of Four live, he said -- combines his different musical perspectives (performing and producing) into a coherent effort.

(Although, he joked to me, he didnt really have to do that much tweaking to the recordings other than fixing the pitchiness of his own voice.)

Gill is the only remaining original member of Gang of Four, which is a testament to his cornerstone status in the band. His contributions to contemporary music should be elevated, not just by prominent musicians, but by aspiring musicians, critics and public consumers alike.

He performs with Gang of Four on Oct. 18 at Observatory North Park. The band will share a bill with the Faint, and you can expect a mix of two or three songs from Gang of Fours last album, What Happens Next, and other songs from other times  a mixture of old and new.

Dont expect the politically fraught spectacle of iconicism. Expect the organic expressiveness of one of the most influential musicians in contemporary rock music.

Rutger Rosenborg was almost a Stanford neuroscientist before he formed Ed Ghost Tucker. He is currently on a national tour with the Lulls, and he makes music on his own when he's not writing. Follow his updates on Facebook or contact him directly.
FBI Director James Comey hosted a discussion at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference (IACP) in San Diego.

The conference, which started earlier this week, brings together federal, state, county, local and tribal law enforcement agencies across the country together to discuss educational tools and resources to better serve their communities.
In a time of deep tension and divide between communities and police across the nation, one San Diego officers life continues to serve as an important example of how both sides can unite.

In early August 2011, San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Officer Jeremy Henwood was critically shot while patrolling in City Heights. Dejon Marquee, a 23-year-old man with a death wish, pulled up alongside the officers patrol car and opened fire in the deadly, unprovoked attack.

Moments before Henwood was shot, the officer had stopped to eat at a McDonalds on Fairmount Avenue. There, the officer noticed a boy who was hungry and short on change. In his final act of kindness before his death, Henwood bought cookies for the boy. The two shared a smile and some small talk, and Henwood told the boy to work hard. The tender moment was caught on surveillance tape and is remembered by many San Diegans.

More than five years have passed since Henwood, also a U.S. Marine who completed three tours of service in the Middle East, was killed in the line of duty. If he were alive today, hed be just 42 years old.

On Saturday  in the heart of the community he served  friends, co-workers and even people who never met Henwood gathered to celebrate his life at the 5th Annual Jeremy Henwood Memorial Walk and Run around Chollas Lake.

He cared about the community. He went out there every single day and wanted to make a positive difference, SDPD Lt. Jeff Jordan told NBC 7 on Saturday, remembering his colleague.

Jordan, who responded to the scene of Henwoods shooting that tragic day, said that at a time of heavy scrutiny for police officers around the nation  especially in inner cities  Henwoods legacy, and that act of kindness reflective of how he lived his life, sets the bar.

You know, when we ask our people to exhibit patience and understanding and go out to really make a difference for all those we serve  Jeremy lived that, he epitomized that," said Jordan.

The lieutenant said getting together for the memorial walk for Henwood every year is an important reminder for those in the police department.

He kind of encourages us to go out there, take a moment, pause, engage in dialogue, because the more we know one another, the more we're committed to one another, said Jordan. The more we understand each other, the better we can make this community.

Proceeds from Saturdays event went to the Police Memorial Fund for fallen officers.

Today, a park named after Henwood stands in City Heights, dedicated to the slain officer's life of service.
Donald Trump keeps peddling the notion the vote may be rigged. It's not clear if he does not understand the potential damage of his words  or he simply does not care.

Trump's claim  made without evidence  undercuts the essence of American democracy, the idea that U.S. elections are both free and fair, with the vanquished peacefully stepping aside for the victor. His repeated assertions are sowing suspicion among his most ardent supporters, raising the possibility that millions of people may not accept the results on Nov. 8 if Trump does not win.

The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016

Mike Pence said Sunday he and Donald Trump will abide by "the will of the American people" on Election Day, and suggested that Trump's claim of a 'rigged" election stems from his belief the media is ganging up on him.

"We will absolutely accept the results of the election," Pence said in television interviews. He said Trump's complaint, articulated from the campaign stage and across Twitter but without evidence, reflects fatigue with "the obvious bias in the national media. That's where the sense of a rigged election goes here."

Pence's words were the latest attempt by Trump's surrogates to attempt to explain that some things the GOP presidential nominee has said and tweeted are not what he meant.

It was left to him and another Trump surrogate, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, to explain on national television what their own candidate meant.

"When he talks about a rigged election, he's not talking about the fact that it's going to be rigged at the polls," Giuliani said. "''What he's talking about is that 80 percent to 85 percent of the media is against him."

Pence appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" and "Fox News Sunday." Giuliani was on CNN's "State of the Union."

As Trump's campaign careens from crisis to crisis, he's broadened his unfounded allegations that Clinton, her backers and the media are conspiring to steal the election. He's accused Clinton of meeting with global financial powers to "plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty" and argued his opponent shouldn't have even been allowed to seek the White House.

"Hillary Clinton should have been prosecuted and should be in jail," Trump wrote Saturday morning on Twitter. "Instead she is running for president in what looks like a rigged election."

Trump is referring to Clinton's use of a private email system while serving as secretary of state. Republicans (and some Democrats) have harshly criticized her decision to do so, but the FBI did not recommend anyone face criminal charges for her use of a private email address run on a personal server.

Trump has offered only broad assertions about the potential for voter fraud and the complaints that the several women who have recently alleged he sexually accosted them are part of an effort to smear his campaign.

"It's one big ugly lie, it's one big fix," Trump said at a Friday rally in North Carolina, adding later: "And the only thing I say is hopefully, hopefully, our patriotic movement will overcome this terrible deception."

Trump's supporters appear to be taking his grievances seriously. Only about a third of Republicans said they have a great deal or quite a bit of confidence that votes on Election Day will be counted fairly, according to recent poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Pence, at a campaign event last Tuesday, waved away a woman's call for a revolution if Clinton wins.

There is no evidence voter fraud is a widespread problem in the United States. A study by a Loyola Law School professor found that out of 1 billion votes cast in all American elections between 2000 and 2014, there were only 31 known cases of impersonation fraud.

Trump's motivations for stoking these sentiments seem clear.

One of his last hopes of winning the election is to suppress turnout by making these final weeks so repulsive to voters that some simply stay home. Trump advisers privately say they hope to turn off young people in particular. They lean Democratic but don't have a long history of voting and are already skeptical of Clinton.

Trump is also likely considering how he would spin a loss to Clinton, given that he's spent decades cultivating a brand that's based on success and winning. His years in public life offer few examples where he's owned up to his own failings and plenty where he's tried to pass the blame on to others, as he's now suggesting he would do if he's defeated.

Clinton appears increasingly aware that if she wins, she'd arrive at the White House facing more than the usual political divides. "Damage is being done that we're going to have to repair," she said during a recent campaign stop.

But that task wouldn't be Clinton's alone.

The majority of Trump's supporters are Republicans. If he loses, party leaders will have to reckon with how much credence they give to claims the election was rigged and how closely they can work with a president who at least some of their backers will likely view as illegitimate.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office wouldn't say Saturday whether he agreed with Trump's assertions the election is being rigged. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan said the Wisconsin lawmaker is "fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity."

Republicans have already experienced the paralyzing effect of Trump stirring up questions about a president's legitimacy. He spent years challenging President Barack Obama's citizenship, deepening some GOP voters' insistence that the party block the Democrat at every turn.

Jim Manley, a former adviser to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, recalled the skepticism some Republicans had about Obama. "I'm afraid a President Clinton is going to start off with far too many people raising similar questions," he said.
Two people fighting in the middle of U.S. Route 1 in Jessup, Maryland, were killed late Saturday after they were hit by a car, police say.

Delcy Martinez Hernandez, 18, died after being hit by a car about 11:15 p.m., Howard County police said. Police are asking for help identifying the second person killed.

Hernandez and the other victim, who police believe is a transgender woman, were hit as they were "on the ground in the roadway," police said. A witness told police the pair had been fighting.

They were hit by a Honda Civic traveling southbound on Route 1 approaching Port Capital Drive.

Both people were taken to a trauma center, where they were pronounced dead.

Police said the second victim is in her early to mid 20s with shoulder-length black hair and a tattoo on her wrist that says "Sina." Police believe she may be from the Philadelphia area.

The driver of the car that hit them was not hurt. No charges were filed.

Anyone with information on the identity of the second victim is asked to call police at 410-313-3700.
A resident in Fairfax County, Virginia, has been injured after a burglar entered his apartment Sunday morning, and a gun went off, according to police.

Fairfax County police said they were called to the 3500 block of George Mason Drive for reports of a man running through the hallways of an apartment complex and banging on doors. When they arrived, they found a man, 27, who was suffering from a gunshot wound.

The victim told police someone broke into his apartment shortly before 2 a.m. He said he grabbed a gun to protect himself, and during a struggle with the burglar, he was shot.

The victim said the burglar fled, and he tried to find a neighbor to help him. Police said the man was taken to the hospital, where he is in stable condition.

Investigators are still searching for the burglar.
A new poll taken in Virginia after the second debate and the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape showed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton with a 15 percentage point lead over Republican candidate Donald Trump.

The poll of 809 likely Virginia voters by the Wason Center for Public Policy indicated Clinton leads among men, 37 percent to 32 percent, and military households, 38 percent to 32 percent, for the first time. Womens support of Clinton is nearly double their support for Trump, 50 percent to 26 percent.

A late September poll conducted by the Wason Center had Clintons lead at 7 percentage points.

While Clintons support among Democrats has remained steady, Trumps support among Republicans in Virginia has eroded 10 points, from 78 percent on Sept. 26 to 68 percent on October 16. It would appear those Republican voters are either turning to Clinton, going from 3 percent to 7 percent in the same time frame, or becoming undecided in their choice.

Clinton is also growing among younger voters (18-34), increasing from 34 percent in late September to 45 percent in the latest poll. Trump has declined among those same voters, 23 percent to 18 percent.

The poll was conducted between Oct. 11 and Oct. 14, after the second debate and the release of the Access Hollywood tape. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percent.
A Massachusetts newspaper is reporting that 12 Springfield police officers are being investigated for the beating of several men in a parking lot 18 months ago.

The Republican newspaper of Springfield reports the Hampden County District Attorney's Office is investigating after receiving a report from the internal affairs unit of the Springfield Police Department.

The April 2015 fight happened after a confrontation at a bar between several off-duty officers and four men.

Later, in the parking lot, the men say the off-duty officers badly beat them, including hitting one from behind with a baton and another with a Taser.

One had a broken leg, concussion and teeth knocked out, but a police report described their injuries as "minor cuts and scrapes."

No charges were ever filed.
Police in Boston are searching for the man who shot a toddler in the city's Roxbury neighborhood Saturday afternoon.

According to Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, the two-year-old girl was in the back seat of a vehicle on Degautier Way when a bullet meant for her father, struck her in her hand and leg.

Evans said he visited the girl at Boston Medical Center where she was dropped off. She was alert and is expected to make a full recovery.

The commissioner said he is frustrated that the girl's father is not cooperating with authorities and that he is a known gang member to police.

Everyone should be outraged when we have a young, two-year-old who's going to be fine, but when people aren't stepping up and cooperating including the father, said Evans. Unfortunately, too often we don't get the cooperation that can stop this senseless violence.

Neighbor Dorothy Flemming is also frustrated. Her car window was shot out during the incident.

I can't go to work now so it takes a lot from me now, she said.

Police said they are searching for a man with a beard who was riding a Honda motor scooter up and down Winslow Street at the time of the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to contact Boston Police at 1-800-494-tips.
A second man has been arrested in the 2006 murder of a man found dead in a field in Ledyard.

State police arrested Christopher Vincenti, 32, of New London, on Friday.

He is charged with the decade-old murder of 41-year-old Anthony Hamlin, of Groton.

A driver traveling on Shewville Road in Ledyard called 911 around 8:20 a.m. on Jan. 28, 2006 to report that there was a body in the field next to 448 Shewville Road, according to police. Investigators responded and found Hamlins naked body in a vacant field.

The last time anyone had seen Hamlin alive was around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2006 in the area of the New London Transportation Center, police said.

Hamlin, a father of five and member of the Eastern Pequot Tribe, told his family he was grabbing dinner from Subway before getting on a train to head to Virginia for a new job, but his body was discovered the next morning.

Police said they developed information over the past decade that linked Vincenti and another man, Timothy Johnson, to Hamlin's death.

Johnson was arrested last week.

Vincenti is facing a felony murder charge and is being held on $1 million bond. He is scheduled to be in court on Monday.
Police are investigating a shooting in the college town of Amherst, Massachusetts, that left one man dead and another injured early Saturday morning.

The shooting happened just after midnight at the Southpoint Apartments on East Hadley Road.

Mary Carey, a spokeswoman for the Northwestern district attorney's office, says police do not believe the shooting was random and said members of the public are not at risk.

Area residents said the shooting took them by surprise because the apartment complex is typically very quiet.

"We don't see this too much I would say for myself, six years this would be the first one that I hear about," Myrna Cintron told WWLP-TV.

The man who was injured was taken to UMass Medical Center in Worcester for treatment.

The victims were not immediately identified.

So far, no arrests have been made.
Warning issued from industry body

JOCKEYS and trainers from Lambourn are among those successfully targeted by a fraudster in a major bank scam, the can confirm.

Around 250,000 has reportedly been removed from personal accounts, prompting the Newbury-based Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) to advise those in the horseracing industry to transfer their cash away from the major high street banking chains.

According to PJA chief executive Paul Struthers, the fraud has been ongoing since 2004 but recent events have prompted the association to issue a dire warning.

Mr Struthers said this week: Yes, there have been people in the local area targeted  a few Lambourn jockeys and trainers.

The PJA newsletter claims the main high street banks are unwilling or unable to prevent the activity, despite the culprit being repeatedly caught on CCTV going into branches and withdrawing huge sums from accounts of victims in the horseracing industry.

More than 30 jockeys and trainers have reportedly fallen prey to the scam in which the perpetrator is said to either present fake credentials or to simply pose as an individual using publicly available information, such as addresses and dates of birth, to illegally withdraw huge sums.

The PJA states: What is most scandalous is that on almost every occasion the banks admit to not following their own procedures, handing significant sums of cash over  in some cases several thousands of pounds  despite signatures that dont match those held by the bank and/or warning flags on the account not to issue cash withdrawals following previous frauds.

The PJA goes on to advise: In the light of the significant and ongoing losses... given the ineptitude of the major high street banks in preventing the fraud and their lack of interest in prosecuting it, the only way to prevent the frauds from continuing is to move their current account banking off the high street.

The advice has been backed by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the sports governing body, it added.

Mr Struthers has asked to be kept informed of any new incidents by telephoning (01635) 44102.
By Express News Service

Bengaluru:

A 35-year old BJP party worker was murdered in full public view on Sunday afternoon, right in the heart of Bengaluru city near Commercial Street, in a brazen attack that sent shivers down the spine of onlookers. A couple of hours later, BJP and RSS workers protested in the streets, following which riot control personnel were deployed in the area.

A senior police officer said that the murder took place around 12.30 pm when Rudresh R, after attending an RSS 'patha sanchalana' (route march), was returning home. After the RSS programme at RBANMS Grounds, he went to a tea stall on Kamaraj road with three of his friends Jayakumar, Mohan, Harish.

Rudresh was standing on the roadside near his motorcycle when two men arrived on a Bajaj Pulsar bike and halted near Srinivasa Medical shop. One of the accused, who was wearing a monkey cap, attacked Rudresh with a machete while the other waited on the bike. The assailant then quickly slashed Rudresh's throat and rode off with his accomplice.

Though his friends rushed Rudresh to Bowring Hospital in auto rickshaw, he was declared brought dead.

The slain youth was a resident of Milkman's Layout in Shivaji Nagar and was the BJP secretary for Shivajinagar constituency. He was also the mandal president of the local RSS shakha. A civil contractor by profession, he was involved in real estate and finance business in the area.

Locals who witnessed the attack alerted the police. Cops from the Commercial Street police station rushed to the scene of the crime on Kamaraj street. They had to first calm down the agitated crowd that had gathered there, before beginning their work.

Speaking of possible motives, a senior police officer said, "Rudresh had had a dispute with some people in the area over trivial issues a few years ago. There had also been a recent clash between two groups over the tying of RSS banners in the area. One of the RSS members was attacked by a gang and his left eye was injured. Rudresh had staged a protest along with other RSS activists in the area.

The officer said the police were probing the case from all angles and that the exact motive was yet to be ascertained.

At around 3.15 pm, several members of the BJP and RSS led a protest march to Commercial Street police station, demanding that the police arrest the culprits. The agitated crowd pelted stones at a car, and shops on Commercial Street were forced to down their shutters due to the disturbance in the area.

Police beefed up security on Commercial Street and Shivaji Nagar, while RAF (Rapid Action Force) personnel were deployed on Kamaraj road to prevent a breakout of violence.

Bengaluru: A 35-year old BJP party worker was murdered in full public view on Sunday afternoon, right in the heart of Bengaluru city near Commercial Street, in a brazen attack that sent shivers down the spine of onlookers. A couple of hours later, BJP and RSS workers protested in the streets, following which riot control personnel were deployed in the area. A senior police officer said that the murder took place around 12.30 pm when Rudresh R, after attending an RSS 'patha sanchalana' (route march), was returning home. After the RSS programme at RBANMS Grounds, he went to a tea stall on Kamaraj road with three of his friends Jayakumar, Mohan, Harish. Rudresh was standing on the roadside near his motorcycle when two men arrived on a Bajaj Pulsar bike and halted near Srinivasa Medical shop. One of the accused, who was wearing a monkey cap, attacked Rudresh with a machete while the other waited on the bike. The assailant then quickly slashed Rudresh's throat and rode off with his accomplice. Though his friends rushed Rudresh to Bowring Hospital in auto rickshaw, he was declared brought dead. The slain youth was a resident of Milkman's Layout in Shivaji Nagar and was the BJP secretary for Shivajinagar constituency. He was also the mandal president of the local RSS shakha. A civil contractor by profession, he was involved in real estate and finance business in the area. Locals who witnessed the attack alerted the police. Cops from the Commercial Street police station rushed to the scene of the crime on Kamaraj street. They had to first calm down the agitated crowd that had gathered there, before beginning their work. Speaking of possible motives, a senior police officer said, "Rudresh had had a dispute with some people in the area over trivial issues a few years ago. There had also been a recent clash between two groups over the tying of RSS banners in the area. One of the RSS members was attacked by a gang and his left eye was injured. Rudresh had staged a protest along with other RSS activists in the area. The officer said the police were probing the case from all angles and that the exact motive was yet to be ascertained. At around 3.15 pm, several members of the BJP and RSS led a protest march to Commercial Street police station, demanding that the police arrest the culprits. The agitated crowd pelted stones at a car, and shops on Commercial Street were forced to down their shutters due to the disturbance in the area. Police beefed up security on Commercial Street and Shivaji Nagar, while RAF (Rapid Action Force) personnel were deployed on Kamaraj road to prevent a breakout of violence.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: In an uncanny resemblance to the car accident that killed SRM University students near Chennai early this morning, three engineering students met the same fate in a high-speed car crash that threw their vehicle high in the air and landed them in a roadside ditch.

In a further similarity, they were in a group of friends who had gone to Bhadrachalam to celebrate a friend's birthday on the banks of the serene Krishna and were returning to Hyderabad in the wee hours of the day. The SRM University victims too had returned from a birthday celebration in Pondicherry.

Some 120 kilometres from home on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad highway, near a place called Aitipamula in Nalgonda district of Telangana, the car glanced off the restraining wall of the road and was flung into the air. It landed in a ditch with no one to hear the cries of the injured.

There were six students in the car, including the recent birthday boy, Vinod. Three of them, two girls among them, died upon impact and the three others were grievously injured. They are presently being treated at a corporate hospital in Narketpally in Nalgonda district.

The local police identified the deceased as Ratna Reddy, Shruthi Reddy and Prasanth. They and two of the others had gone to Bharachalam to celebrate Vinod's birthday on Thursday. After the party, Vinod joined them in the Maruti Swift on the drive back to Hyderabad Friday.

"The impact was so severe that of the six youngsters in the car, two died on the spot. Another died while he was being shifted to hospital," police said.

Police suspect the Maruti Swift was being driven at high speed since there is little traffic on the highway at that time of the night. They have registered a case and started the investigation.

HYDERABAD: In an uncanny resemblance to the car accident that killed SRM University students near Chennai early this morning, three engineering students met the same fate in a high-speed car crash that threw their vehicle high in the air and landed them in a roadside ditch. In a further similarity, they were in a group of friends who had gone to Bhadrachalam to celebrate a friend's birthday on the banks of the serene Krishna and were returning to Hyderabad in the wee hours of the day. The SRM University victims too had returned from a birthday celebration in Pondicherry. Some 120 kilometres from home on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad highway, near a place called Aitipamula in Nalgonda district of Telangana, the car glanced off the restraining wall of the road and was flung into the air. It landed in a ditch with no one to hear the cries of the injured. There were six students in the car, including the recent birthday boy, Vinod. Three of them, two girls among them, died upon impact and the three others were grievously injured. They are presently being treated at a corporate hospital in Narketpally in Nalgonda district. The local police identified the deceased as Ratna Reddy, Shruthi Reddy and Prasanth. They and two of the others had gone to Bharachalam to celebrate Vinod's birthday on Thursday. After the party, Vinod joined them in the Maruti Swift on the drive back to Hyderabad Friday. "The impact was so severe that of the six youngsters in the car, two died on the spot. Another died while he was being shifted to hospital," police said. Police suspect the Maruti Swift was being driven at high speed since there is little traffic on the highway at that time of the night. They have registered a case and started the investigation.
T Muruganandham By

Express News Service

Most of the manuscripts & ancient scripts collected by U Ve Swaminatha Iyer, who pulled out rare Tamil literary gems out of oblivion, are confined to his namesake library in Besant Nagar.

CHENNAI: U Ve Swaminatha Iyer, fondly called Thamizh Thatha, spent almost his entire life in the service of Tamil. He measured the entire length and breadth of Tamil Nadu, looking into every nook and cranny searching for manuscripts, which are the repository of ancient Tamil literature. Without him, Tamils today could seldom have boasted of the many epics, puranas and the Sangam age  verily the pillars of Tamil literary pantheon.

The Tamil savant passed away in the second half of 1942 after an illness. Nearly 75 years after his demise, at least 100 palm-leaf manuscripts, which he collected after making strenuous efforts, and many of his paper manuscripts on glossary of difficult Tamil terms used in Thevaram, and in some other ancient texts, lie in the U Ve Swaminatha Iyer Library (UVS) at Kalakshetra complex in Besant Nagar, without seeing the light of the day.

When the World War II was raging, several families in Chennai migrated to nearby rural areas. Swaminatha Iyer too moved to Thirukkazhukundram in the mid-April of 1942, but not without his collections. Iyers student and renowned Tamil scholar recalls in his biography En Aasiriyappiran how Iyer transported the palm-leaf manuscripts and other books to his new residence in 10 bullock carts, as he did not want to part with his invaluable collections.

As a result of his massive efforts, Iyer managed to preserve the palm-leaf manuscripts of all the 10 idylls (Pathupaattu), four of the eight anthologies (Ettuthogai) and three of the five Tamil epics  Cilappathikaram, Manimekalai and Civakacintamani.

The palm-leaf manuscripts collected by Iyer and available in the UVS library are now among the most valuable possessions in the literary heritage of ancient Tamil.Of the 200 palm manuscripts, which are yet to be published in book form, around 100 were collected by Iyer more than 100 years ago. Tholkappiyam (Sollathikaram), an explanatory commentary, which is totally different from the works of Sangam period Tamil savants Ilampooranar, Nachinaarkiniyaar, Kalladanaar and many others, is one of the books yet to see the light of the day.

Iyers glossary for tough words

Explanatory commentary for another Tamil classic, the Thembavani, Gnanapoosakarana Urai, authored by Umapathy Sivachariyar, is yet to be published. While the original text is already out, the commentary, which will be of great help to Tamil students, is yet to get published.

Another important work is Pathipaasapanuval, authored by Maraignana Sambandar and commentary written by Maraignana Desikar. While original text has been published, the commentary is yet to be published. Kaaladam is another work for which both original text and commentary are yet to be published.

Of the 13 puranas, for which manuscripts were collected and published in book form by Iyer, 12 are yet to see reprint. Purapporul Venbamaalai, a grammar text, for which commentary was written by Nannool Mayilainathar, is another important work that is yet to see the printing press.

There are 850 paper manuscripts (rewritten from palm manuscripts) in this library. Of them, Arumpatha agarathi (meaning for difficult words) for Moovar Thevaram and Aganaanutru Sollathikaram are yet to be published.

The UVS Library was established in 1943, after the demise of Swaminatha Iyer, with 939 palm-leaf manuscripts collected by him adorning the shelves. Now, it has 2,170 manuscripts, including some written in Telugu, Malayalam and Grantha script. Later, more manuscripts were collected by Tamil scholars, including M Arunachalam. Among the manuscripts in this library, 61 are of Sangam literature. Manuscripts in other subjects include music, dance and drama (26), logic (5), astrology (23) and medicine (20).

Shelves housing the rare collections at the library

The palm leaves in UVS library are 200 to 300 years old. Of the 96 palm-leaf manuscripts of Sangam literature, 69 are in this library.Of the 47 paper manuscripts available, 21 belong to this library. Of the 120 Tolkappiyam palm-leaf manuscripts conserved in different libraries across the globe, 32 are in this library. Similarly, of the 67 Tolkappiyam paper manuscripts, this library has 16.

Iyer was such a disciplined person that he made diary entries every day for many years. However, only 29 of them are available. The first of these diaries was written in 1893. From these, one can know about the projects he planned and the experts he contacted. The details of persons, from whom he had collected palm-leaf manuscripts, notes about his personal expenses, etc., would be wonderful to read and admire.

Though the government has been extending assistance to this library from time-to-time, it is insufficient to publish new books based on palm-leaf and paper manuscripts. Besides, many books published many years ago, are waiting for reprint due to lack of funds.

At present, the government reimburses the salaries of those working in the library under six posts  pandit, librarian, junior assistant, office assistant, night watchman and attender. The amount is reimbursed on a yearly basis. The employees feel that if the government comes forward to regularise their salary on par with government employees, it would be great help.

The library conducts a 10-day course annually for college students and those who study Siddha medicine. During this period, the students would be given training in reading palm-leaf manuscripts and publishing the books.

Most of the manuscripts & ancient scripts collected by U Ve Swaminatha Iyer, who pulled out rare Tamil literary gems out of oblivion, are confined to his namesake library in Besant Nagar. CHENNAI: U Ve Swaminatha Iyer, fondly called Thamizh Thatha, spent almost his entire life in the service of Tamil. He measured the entire length and breadth of Tamil Nadu, looking into every nook and cranny searching for manuscripts, which are the repository of ancient Tamil literature. Without him, Tamils today could seldom have boasted of the many epics, puranas and the Sangam age  verily the pillars of Tamil literary pantheon. The Tamil savant passed away in the second half of 1942 after an illness. Nearly 75 years after his demise, at least 100 palm-leaf manuscripts, which he collected after making strenuous efforts, and many of his paper manuscripts on glossary of difficult Tamil terms used in Thevaram, and in some other ancient texts, lie in the U Ve Swaminatha Iyer Library (UVS) at Kalakshetra complex in Besant Nagar, without seeing the light of the day. When the World War II was raging, several families in Chennai migrated to nearby rural areas. Swaminatha Iyer too moved to Thirukkazhukundram in the mid-April of 1942, but not without his collections. Iyers student and renowned Tamil scholar recalls in his biography En Aasiriyappiran how Iyer transported the palm-leaf manuscripts and other books to his new residence in 10 bullock carts, as he did not want to part with his invaluable collections. As a result of his massive efforts, Iyer managed to preserve the palm-leaf manuscripts of all the 10 idylls (Pathupaattu), four of the eight anthologies (Ettuthogai) and three of the five Tamil epics  Cilappathikaram, Manimekalai and Civakacintamani. The palm-leaf manuscripts collected by Iyer and available in the UVS library are now among the most valuable possessions in the literary heritage of ancient Tamil.Of the 200 palm manuscripts, which are yet to be published in book form, around 100 were collected by Iyer more than 100 years ago. Tholkappiyam (Sollathikaram), an explanatory commentary, which is totally different from the works of Sangam period Tamil savants Ilampooranar, Nachinaarkiniyaar, Kalladanaar and many others, is one of the books yet to see the light of the day. Iyers glossary for tough wordsExplanatory commentary for another Tamil classic, the Thembavani, Gnanapoosakarana Urai, authored by Umapathy Sivachariyar, is yet to be published. While the original text is already out, the commentary, which will be of great help to Tamil students, is yet to get published. Another important work is Pathipaasapanuval, authored by Maraignana Sambandar and commentary written by Maraignana Desikar. While original text has been published, the commentary is yet to be published. Kaaladam is another work for which both original text and commentary are yet to be published. Of the 13 puranas, for which manuscripts were collected and published in book form by Iyer, 12 are yet to see reprint. Purapporul Venbamaalai, a grammar text, for which commentary was written by Nannool Mayilainathar, is another important work that is yet to see the printing press. There are 850 paper manuscripts (rewritten from palm manuscripts) in this library. Of them, Arumpatha agarathi (meaning for difficult words) for Moovar Thevaram and Aganaanutru Sollathikaram are yet to be published. The UVS Library was established in 1943, after the demise of Swaminatha Iyer, with 939 palm-leaf manuscripts collected by him adorning the shelves. Now, it has 2,170 manuscripts, including some written in Telugu, Malayalam and Grantha script. Later, more manuscripts were collected by Tamil scholars, including M Arunachalam. Among the manuscripts in this library, 61 are of Sangam literature. Manuscripts in other subjects include music, dance and drama (26), logic (5), astrology (23) and medicine (20). Shelves housing the rare collections at the libraryThe palm leaves in UVS library are 200 to 300 years old. Of the 96 palm-leaf manuscripts of Sangam literature, 69 are in this library.Of the 47 paper manuscripts available, 21 belong to this library. Of the 120 Tolkappiyam palm-leaf manuscripts conserved in different libraries across the globe, 32 are in this library. Similarly, of the 67 Tolkappiyam paper manuscripts, this library has 16. Iyer was such a disciplined person that he made diary entries every day for many years. However, only 29 of them are available. The first of these diaries was written in 1893. From these, one can know about the projects he planned and the experts he contacted. The details of persons, from whom he had collected palm-leaf manuscripts, notes about his personal expenses, etc., would be wonderful to read and admire. Though the government has been extending assistance to this library from time-to-time, it is insufficient to publish new books based on palm-leaf and paper manuscripts. Besides, many books published many years ago, are waiting for reprint due to lack of funds. At present, the government reimburses the salaries of those working in the library under six posts  pandit, librarian, junior assistant, office assistant, night watchman and attender. The amount is reimbursed on a yearly basis. The employees feel that if the government comes forward to regularise their salary on par with government employees, it would be great help. The library conducts a 10-day course annually for college students and those who study Siddha medicine. During this period, the students would be given training in reading palm-leaf manuscripts and publishing the books.
Sumit Kumar Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Meat exporter Moin Qureshi was briefly detained at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi on Saturday but was later allowed to fly to Dubai. Interestingly, the immigration authorities blunder led Qureshi to fly to Dubai. The airport authorities based on the lookout circular issued against him on request of Enforcement Directorate in a case of money laundering detained him but when Qureshi showed them court order in an income tax case to immigration officials, they just allowed him to fly.

The immigration department has initiated an inquiry into the blunder done by their official.

H he detained in the afternoon by the immigration department. The immigration officials informed the Enforcement Directorate about his detention. Even before Enforcement Directorate reached at the airport, Qureshi presented a court order in which there was no restriction on his flying abroad. The immigration officer checked for the veracity of the court order and allowed him to fly to Dubai.

But when the ED team reached the airport to take the meat exporter into custody, they were informed that he had been allowed to fly on the basis of a court order.

The immigration officer then found that the order was in connection with an Income Tax case and not in the ED case, prompting the authorities to order an inquiry.

According to airport officials, Qureshi told authorities that he has furnished a bond and got the court's nod to travel abroad even as he got a fax sent in this regard from his legal team to the airport.

We have sought documents from immigration authorities based on which Qureshi was allowed to travel. Our officials were on the spot to take his custody but he was allowed to fly abroad, ED official said.

The agency wanted to question Qureshi and had issued summons to him but could lay its hands on him.

In 2015, the agency had filed a case of money laundering against Qureshi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED had also conducted searches on Qureshis premises last year along with alleging that he has sent huge amount of funds through the hawala route to Dubai, London and other places in Europe.

During the investigation carried out by the Income Tax Department, it was revealed that the controversial meat exporter had links with senior CBI officers including former CBI directors A P Singh and Ranjit Sinha who had exchanged BBM messages with Qureshi.

The ED had earlier been probing this case under forex violation laws after the I-T department first shared documents indicating hawala and alleged contravention of forex laws by the businessman and his business entities based here. It had alleged that Qureshi has sent "huge amount of funds" through the hawala route to Dubai, London and few other overseas destinations in Europe.

The Income Tax department, during its probe, had found Qureshi had 11 bank lockers which were in the names of his employees and associates but the articles belonged to the businessman.

NEW DELHI: Meat exporter Moin Qureshi was briefly detained at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi on Saturday but was later allowed to fly to Dubai. Interestingly, the immigration authorities blunder led Qureshi to fly to Dubai. The airport authorities based on the lookout circular issued against him on request of Enforcement Directorate in a case of money laundering detained him but when Qureshi showed them court order in an income tax case to immigration officials, they just allowed him to fly. The immigration department has initiated an inquiry into the blunder done by their official. H he detained in the afternoon by the immigration department. The immigration officials informed the Enforcement Directorate about his detention. Even before Enforcement Directorate reached at the airport, Qureshi presented a court order in which there was no restriction on his flying abroad. The immigration officer checked for the veracity of the court order and allowed him to fly to Dubai. But when the ED team reached the airport to take the meat exporter into custody, they were informed that he had been allowed to fly on the basis of a court order. The immigration officer then found that the order was in connection with an Income Tax case and not in the ED case, prompting the authorities to order an inquiry. According to airport officials, Qureshi told authorities that he has furnished a bond and got the court's nod to travel abroad even as he got a fax sent in this regard from his legal team to the airport. We have sought documents from immigration authorities based on which Qureshi was allowed to travel. Our officials were on the spot to take his custody but he was allowed to fly abroad, ED official said. The agency wanted to question Qureshi and had issued summons to him but could lay its hands on him. In 2015, the agency had filed a case of money laundering against Qureshi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED had also conducted searches on Qureshis premises last year along with alleging that he has sent huge amount of funds through the hawala route to Dubai, London and other places in Europe. During the investigation carried out by the Income Tax Department, it was revealed that the controversial meat exporter had links with senior CBI officers including former CBI directors A P Singh and Ranjit Sinha who had exchanged BBM messages with Qureshi. The ED had earlier been probing this case under forex violation laws after the I-T department first shared documents indicating hawala and alleged contravention of forex laws by the businessman and his business entities based here. It had alleged that Qureshi has sent "huge amount of funds" through the hawala route to Dubai, London and few other overseas destinations in Europe. The Income Tax department, during its probe, had found Qureshi had 11 bank lockers which were in the names of his employees and associates but the articles belonged to the businessman.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: After commemorating the legacy of B R Ambedkar, BJP, which is trying to woo the Dalits ahead of crucial Uttar Pradesh polls, on Saturday celebrated the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki at an event at the party headquarters where Amit Shah claimed that the top five schemes of each ministry were meant for the welfare of Dalits and the poor. .

The government led by the Prime Minister is one that is working most for the poor and oppressed people. Take any ministry or department, you will see that the first five schemes are dedicated to the poor, Dalits, backwards and the oppressed, Shah said while addressing at a function held to mark Valmiki Jayanti at the BJP headquarters here.

Shah further said the Centre through its various schemes, including the Jan Dhan Yojana and Skill India, was working for the economic empowerment of the poor and weaker sections of society. He added that the government had asked banks to finance schemes for Dalits self-employment. Shah stated that it was a big indication of the change being initiated. The partys Dhamma Chetna Yatra, which was also aimed at connecting with the Dalits in the state, concluded in Kanpur on Friday. Union Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot, BJP general secretary Ram Lal and in-charge of the partys Scheduled Caste Morcha Dushyant Gautam were also present at the function.

NEW DELHI: After commemorating the legacy of B R Ambedkar, BJP, which is trying to woo the Dalits ahead of crucial Uttar Pradesh polls, on Saturday celebrated the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki at an event at the party headquarters where Amit Shah claimed that the top five schemes of each ministry were meant for the welfare of Dalits and the poor. . The government led by the Prime Minister is one that is working most for the poor and oppressed people. Take any ministry or department, you will see that the first five schemes are dedicated to the poor, Dalits, backwards and the oppressed, Shah said while addressing at a function held to mark Valmiki Jayanti at the BJP headquarters here. Shah further said the Centre through its various schemes, including the Jan Dhan Yojana and Skill India, was working for the economic empowerment of the poor and weaker sections of society. He added that the government had asked banks to finance schemes for Dalits self-employment. Shah stated that it was a big indication of the change being initiated. The partys Dhamma Chetna Yatra, which was also aimed at connecting with the Dalits in the state, concluded in Kanpur on Friday. Union Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot, BJP general secretary Ram Lal and in-charge of the partys Scheduled Caste Morcha Dushyant Gautam were also present at the function.
By ANI

SALCETE (Goa): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held bilateral talks with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Summit here.

"Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for first engagement," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.

Prime Minister Modi earlier welcomed the Sri Lankan President on his arrival.

"A friend comes to India...glad to have President @MaithripalaS visit India for the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit," he tweeted soon after Sirisena landed at Dabolim Airport.

Heads of states and governments of the five BRICS nations will meet later in the day on the second day of the BRICS Summit in Goa.

Global economic and political situation, terrorism, climate change, Sustainable Development Goals and increasing people to people contact form the agenda of the Summit.

India is likely to pitch for united fight against terrorism.

Goa Declaration and Goa Action Plan will be adopted at the end of the Summit, which will focus on intra BRICS Trade, finance and industrial cooperation as well as cooperation in education, health, agriculture, energy and disaster management.

Later this evening, Prime Minister Modi will chair the BIMSTEC meeting, which will be followed by the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meeting. The seven-member BIMSTEC bloc consists of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.

SALCETE (Goa): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held bilateral talks with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Summit here. "Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for first engagement," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders. Prime Minister Modi earlier welcomed the Sri Lankan President on his arrival. "A friend comes to India...glad to have President @MaithripalaS visit India for the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit," he tweeted soon after Sirisena landed at Dabolim Airport. Heads of states and governments of the five BRICS nations will meet later in the day on the second day of the BRICS Summit in Goa. Global economic and political situation, terrorism, climate change, Sustainable Development Goals and increasing people to people contact form the agenda of the Summit. India is likely to pitch for united fight against terrorism. Goa Declaration and Goa Action Plan will be adopted at the end of the Summit, which will focus on intra BRICS Trade, finance and industrial cooperation as well as cooperation in education, health, agriculture, energy and disaster management. Later this evening, Prime Minister Modi will chair the BIMSTEC meeting, which will be followed by the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meeting. The seven-member BIMSTEC bloc consists of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
Akhila Naik By

Express News Service

Dinamastre was about to go to his assistant teacher Narahari to enquire whether dalia had already been cooked for the students when S.I.-sir looking up from the register and asked, Mastre, for how many students has dalia been cooked today?

For everyone, sir, Dinamastre answered meekly. What does that mean? Everyone means how many? S.I.-sir asked as if he were conducting a cross-examination. Sir, we have a hundred and twenty-three students, Dinamastres voice was trembling. But your attendance registers say only sixty-three students are present today, said the S.I. getting irritated. He had a blackberry-sized wart between his lip and chin. Perhaps it was due to the weight of his wart that his lower lip drooped. Eating away poor childrens food? Is it your dharma? Who will forgive you? The entry in the attendance register is sixty-three but the stock register says one hundred and twenty-three. Are you fooling me? Thieving  robbery you are teaching this to students? Who really appointed you as a teacher?... Go and beat a drum, S.I.-sir went on rebuking him.

This time too Dinamastre wanted to say something but could not. His eyes became moist and his nose started to run. In his thirty years of service, no one had ever pointed a finger at him and had called him a thief or a robber. For the first time, such words had been flung at him when he was innocent of any crime.

It was true that sixty-three students had come to school today. It was also true that the stock register said one hundred and twenty-three students. But dalia for only sixty-three students had been given to the cook Raghuama to prepare. This did not mean that he, Dinamastre, was stealing the food meant for the children. He was not a thief. The truth was that in order to feed the poor children the government threw a few sacks of dalia. But to cook that dalia from where could the fuel be collected? Would the children fetch the wood missing their classes? Did the government supply the little gur or sugar that was added to the dalia or the fried chillies and onions that were sometimes mixed into the dalia? If he did not sell dalia, was he to buy these things from his own pocket? To get some money, Dinamastre sold as much dalia as was needed to buy the required fuel, gur, oil, onions, chillies, and so on.

Dinamastres anger rose; he was about to break down. He thought of using a few rough words to teach S.I. Panda a lesson, but he did not. He was compelled to remain silent because he knew how Makarand, the school teacher, after retiring from Kenduguda School had been suffering. That helpless old man, otherwise gentle, had been running to the block office every week. His pension papers had not been prepared because, it seems, he had once shouted at a certain S.I. or D.I. on some official matter.

(Excerpted from Bheda by Akhila Naik; Translated from Odiya by Raj Kumar; Publisher: Oxford University Press (forthcoming))

Dinamastre was about to go to his assistant teacher Narahari to enquire whether dalia had already been cooked for the students when S.I.-sir looking up from the register and asked, Mastre, for how many students has dalia been cooked today? For everyone, sir, Dinamastre answered meekly. What does that mean? Everyone means how many? S.I.-sir asked as if he were conducting a cross-examination. Sir, we have a hundred and twenty-three students, Dinamastres voice was trembling. But your attendance registers say only sixty-three students are present today, said the S.I. getting irritated. He had a blackberry-sized wart between his lip and chin. Perhaps it was due to the weight of his wart that his lower lip drooped. Eating away poor childrens food? Is it your dharma? Who will forgive you? The entry in the attendance register is sixty-three but the stock register says one hundred and twenty-three. Are you fooling me? Thieving  robbery you are teaching this to students? Who really appointed you as a teacher?... Go and beat a drum, S.I.-sir went on rebuking him. This time too Dinamastre wanted to say something but could not. His eyes became moist and his nose started to run. In his thirty years of service, no one had ever pointed a finger at him and had called him a thief or a robber. For the first time, such words had been flung at him when he was innocent of any crime. It was true that sixty-three students had come to school today. It was also true that the stock register said one hundred and twenty-three students. But dalia for only sixty-three students had been given to the cook Raghuama to prepare. This did not mean that he, Dinamastre, was stealing the food meant for the children. He was not a thief. The truth was that in order to feed the poor children the government threw a few sacks of dalia. But to cook that dalia from where could the fuel be collected? Would the children fetch the wood missing their classes? Did the government supply the little gur or sugar that was added to the dalia or the fried chillies and onions that were sometimes mixed into the dalia? If he did not sell dalia, was he to buy these things from his own pocket? To get some money, Dinamastre sold as much dalia as was needed to buy the required fuel, gur, oil, onions, chillies, and so on. Dinamastres anger rose; he was about to break down. He thought of using a few rough words to teach S.I. Panda a lesson, but he did not. He was compelled to remain silent because he knew how Makarand, the school teacher, after retiring from Kenduguda School had been suffering. That helpless old man, otherwise gentle, had been running to the block office every week. His pension papers had not been prepared because, it seems, he had once shouted at a certain S.I. or D.I. on some official matter. (Excerpted from Bheda by Akhila Naik; Translated from Odiya by Raj Kumar; Publisher: Oxford University Press (forthcoming))
Ritu Sharma By

Express News Service

New Delhi, October 16: In her first bilateral visit outside Europe, British Prime Minister Theresa May will be visiting India in the first week of November with the goal of post-Brexit trade in mind.

With a high voltage referendum paving way for the UKs exit from the European Union, the British Prime Minister will exploring opportunities to boost trade outside European market. During her visit to India on November 6-8, May will be leading a business delegation of small and medium-size businesses in the run up to the UK leaving the bloc.

Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday said: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May will be visiting India during 6-8 November accompanied by a business delegation. This will be her first bilateral visit outside Europe. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the side-lines of the visit.

During the visit, the Prime Ministers of both the countries will jointly inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in the national capital. The Summit will be an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business to business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, Intellectual Property Rights and higher education. The two sides had agreed to hold the Summit during Prime Ministers visit to the UK in November 2015.

Prime Minister May expressing her intent to give impetus to trade with India, the third largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity, has said in the UK: "As we embark on the trade mission to India we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade." The media in the UK has been reporting that Prime Minister May will bring along representatives of small and medium firms from every region of the country.

New Delhi, October 16: In her first bilateral visit outside Europe, British Prime Minister Theresa May will be visiting India in the first week of November with the goal of post-Brexit trade in mind. With a high voltage referendum paving way for the UKs exit from the European Union, the British Prime Minister will exploring opportunities to boost trade outside European market. During her visit to India on November 6-8, May will be leading a business delegation of small and medium-size businesses in the run up to the UK leaving the bloc. Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday said: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May will be visiting India during 6-8 November accompanied by a business delegation. This will be her first bilateral visit outside Europe. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the side-lines of the visit. During the visit, the Prime Ministers of both the countries will jointly inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in the national capital. The Summit will be an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business to business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, Intellectual Property Rights and higher education. The two sides had agreed to hold the Summit during Prime Ministers visit to the UK in November 2015. Prime Minister May expressing her intent to give impetus to trade with India, the third largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity, has said in the UK: "As we embark on the trade mission to India we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade." The media in the UK has been reporting that Prime Minister May will bring along representatives of small and medium firms from every region of the country.
Ritu Sharma By

Express News Service

New Delhi: Continuing its quest to bring the lawmakers up to speed on the issue of trans-border surgical strikes, the Foreign Secretary and Director General Military Operations (DGMO) along with other top officials will be briefing Parliamentary Panel on External Affairs on October 18. The panel headed by Dr. Shashi Tharoor also has Congress Vice-President and MP Rahul Gandhi in it.

Gandhi scion was caught on the wrong foot when he hurled the accusation of Khoon ki dalali (exploitation of the Indian soldiers sacrifices) against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With impending elections in Uttar Pradesh statements were made from all the political parties to derive mileage out of the maiden announced surgical strikes and demands were made for the proof of the cross border strikes.

A notice regarding the meeting was issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat. "Briefing by the Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, Defence Secretary and Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) on the subject Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC)," the notice said.

After initial secrecy maintained by the government on the strikes conducted on the intervening night of September 28-29, the government had briefed the parliamentary panel on defence. The Indian Army Vice Chief had briefed the panel and the MPs were not allowed any questions on the operation, inviting criticism from the lawmakers. The dastardly attack on the Army base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir and ensuing Governments actions have been under heavy scrutiny both from the public and the opposition parties with calls being made for retribution against Pakistan.

The Narendra Modi-led government did not spell out its options but said it will take action at the time and place of its choosing. In an unprecedented step it decided to announce it to the world to have crossed the Line of Control to neutralise terrroists waiting in their launch pads. In the followed up diplomatic offensive, New Delhi took all the leading countries in its confidence and the success of it was visible in all the member countries pulling out of the SAARC Summit scheduled in Islamabad.

New Delhi: Continuing its quest to bring the lawmakers up to speed on the issue of trans-border surgical strikes, the Foreign Secretary and Director General Military Operations (DGMO) along with other top officials will be briefing Parliamentary Panel on External Affairs on October 18. The panel headed by Dr. Shashi Tharoor also has Congress Vice-President and MP Rahul Gandhi in it. Gandhi scion was caught on the wrong foot when he hurled the accusation of Khoon ki dalali (exploitation of the Indian soldiers sacrifices) against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With impending elections in Uttar Pradesh statements were made from all the political parties to derive mileage out of the maiden announced surgical strikes and demands were made for the proof of the cross border strikes. A notice regarding the meeting was issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat. "Briefing by the Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, Defence Secretary and Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) on the subject Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC)," the notice said. After initial secrecy maintained by the government on the strikes conducted on the intervening night of September 28-29, the government had briefed the parliamentary panel on defence. The Indian Army Vice Chief had briefed the panel and the MPs were not allowed any questions on the operation, inviting criticism from the lawmakers. The dastardly attack on the Army base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir and ensuing Governments actions have been under heavy scrutiny both from the public and the opposition parties with calls being made for retribution against Pakistan. The Narendra Modi-led government did not spell out its options but said it will take action at the time and place of its choosing. In an unprecedented step it decided to announce it to the world to have crossed the Line of Control to neutralise terrroists waiting in their launch pads. In the followed up diplomatic offensive, New Delhi took all the leading countries in its confidence and the success of it was visible in all the member countries pulling out of the SAARC Summit scheduled in Islamabad.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Modi government's plan to set up a Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh has gathered steam with a 25 acre plot having been identified for it some 15 km away from the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex.

Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma is expected to visit Ayodhya on October 18 to inspect the proposed site where the government plans to build the museum, which would be part of Ramayana Circuit, a government source said. Sharma is also expected to hold a meeting with Ramayana Circuit Advisory Board during the visit. The meeting would discuss routes for connecting Ramayana-related sites in Nepal and Sri Lanka with the proposed museum.

Besides, the minister is likely to hold meetings with religious leaders on building the museum which would portray the epic journey of Lord Rama. Sharma would also deliberate on plans for an International Ramayana Conclave, which would be held either in Ayodhya or Chitrakoot district. The conference is likely to be attended by delegates from about 12 countries, sources said.

Though the BJP has been insisting that Ram temple will not be an electoral plank in the UP elections to be held early next year, the proposed Ramayana museum and related activities are being seen as an attempt to keep pro-Hindutva elements in good humour. On Dusshera, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in a departure from tradition, participated in the festivities in Lucknow where he started and concluded his speech with chants of "Jai Shri Ram, Jai Jai Shri Ram".

NEW DELHI: The Modi government's plan to set up a Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh has gathered steam with a 25 acre plot having been identified for it some 15 km away from the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex. Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma is expected to visit Ayodhya on October 18 to inspect the proposed site where the government plans to build the museum, which would be part of Ramayana Circuit, a government source said. Sharma is also expected to hold a meeting with Ramayana Circuit Advisory Board during the visit. The meeting would discuss routes for connecting Ramayana-related sites in Nepal and Sri Lanka with the proposed museum. Besides, the minister is likely to hold meetings with religious leaders on building the museum which would portray the epic journey of Lord Rama. Sharma would also deliberate on plans for an International Ramayana Conclave, which would be held either in Ayodhya or Chitrakoot district. The conference is likely to be attended by delegates from about 12 countries, sources said. Though the BJP has been insisting that Ram temple will not be an electoral plank in the UP elections to be held early next year, the proposed Ramayana museum and related activities are being seen as an attempt to keep pro-Hindutva elements in good humour. On Dusshera, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in a departure from tradition, participated in the festivities in Lucknow where he started and concluded his speech with chants of "Jai Shri Ram, Jai Jai Shri Ram".
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Meat exporter Moin Qureshi was briefly detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Saturday based on a lookout circular issued against him in a money-laundering case, but he was allowed to fly to Dubai thanks to a blunder by the immigration authorities.

The airport authorities detained him based on the lookout circular issued against him on request of the Enforcement Directorate in a case of money laundering, but when Qureshi showed them a court order in an income tax case to immigration officials, they allowed him to fly.

After Qureshis detention in the afternoon, the immigration officials informed the Enforcement Directorate. Even before the ED officials reached the airport, Qureshi presented a court order in which there was no restriction on his flying abroad. The immigration officer checked the veracity of the court order and allowed him to fly to Dubai. But when the Enforcement Directorate team reached the airport to take the meat exporter into custody, they were informed that he had been allowed to fly on the basis of a court order.

The immigration officer then found that the court order was in connection with an income tax case and not in the Enforcement Directorate case, prompting the authorities to order an inquiry into the matter. According to airport officials, Qureshi told authorities that he had furnished a bond and got the courts nod to travel abroad even as he got a fax sent in this regard from his legal team to the airport.

The Enforcement Directorate wanted to question Qureshi and had issued a summons to him. In 2015, the agency filed a case of money laundering against Qureshi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act . The Enforcement Directorate had also conducted searches on Qureshis premises last year alleging that he had sent huge amount of funds through hawala route to Dubai and London and other places in Europe.

During the investigation carried out by the income tax department, it was revealed that the controversial meat exporter had links with senior CBI officers, including former CBI directors A P Singh and Ranjit Sinha who had exchanged Blackberry messages with Qureshi.

The Enforcement Directorate has been probing this case under forex violation laws after the income tax department shared documents indicating hawala transactions and alleged contravention of forex laws by the businessman and his business entities based in India. The department, during its probe, had found that Qureshi had 11 bank lockers which were in the names of his employees and associates, but the articles belonged to the businessman.

NEW DELHI: Meat exporter Moin Qureshi was briefly detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Saturday based on a lookout circular issued against him in a money-laundering case, but he was allowed to fly to Dubai thanks to a blunder by the immigration authorities. The airport authorities detained him based on the lookout circular issued against him on request of the Enforcement Directorate in a case of money laundering, but when Qureshi showed them a court order in an income tax case to immigration officials, they allowed him to fly. After Qureshis detention in the afternoon, the immigration officials informed the Enforcement Directorate. Even before the ED officials reached the airport, Qureshi presented a court order in which there was no restriction on his flying abroad. The immigration officer checked the veracity of the court order and allowed him to fly to Dubai. But when the Enforcement Directorate team reached the airport to take the meat exporter into custody, they were informed that he had been allowed to fly on the basis of a court order. The immigration officer then found that the court order was in connection with an income tax case and not in the Enforcement Directorate case, prompting the authorities to order an inquiry into the matter. According to airport officials, Qureshi told authorities that he had furnished a bond and got the courts nod to travel abroad even as he got a fax sent in this regard from his legal team to the airport. The Enforcement Directorate wanted to question Qureshi and had issued a summons to him. In 2015, the agency filed a case of money laundering against Qureshi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act . The Enforcement Directorate had also conducted searches on Qureshis premises last year alleging that he had sent huge amount of funds through hawala route to Dubai and London and other places in Europe. During the investigation carried out by the income tax department, it was revealed that the controversial meat exporter had links with senior CBI officers, including former CBI directors A P Singh and Ranjit Sinha who had exchanged Blackberry messages with Qureshi. The Enforcement Directorate has been probing this case under forex violation laws after the income tax department shared documents indicating hawala transactions and alleged contravention of forex laws by the businessman and his business entities based in India. The department, during its probe, had found that Qureshi had 11 bank lockers which were in the names of his employees and associates, but the articles belonged to the businessman.
Express News Service

Several major agreements, including three key defence deals worth at least $7 billion sealed; PM Modi says old friend Russia will remain India's major defence partner; terrorism and NSG bid discussed at meeting with China

NEW DELHI: Reiterating that Russia was its major defence partner, India on Saturday announced the procurement of S-400 Triumf air defence systems at a cost of nearly $6 billion. The nations also agreed to set up a joint production facility for making Kamov light utility helicopters and collaborate in the making of four state-of-the art frigates for the Indian Navy.

The decision to buy the much vaunted S-400 air defence guns will be a game changer in the region, say experts. It will also be the second-costliest deal after the purchase of Rafale fighter jets, which was inked with France last month. The Defence Ministry's top acquisition body, headed by Manohar Parrikar, had given the go-ahead for the Russian deal in December last year. The deal was mooted to boost the fledging air defence due to ageing air protection and patchy radar coverage. S-400, according to the IAF, is capable of intercepting and destroying airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 km. The system can also simultaneously engage and defend up to six targets. So far, only US, Russia and China have the capability to engage and neutralise multiple aerial attacks, including ballistic missiles and stealth aircraft from a distance.

The system is capable of firing three types of missiles, thereby creating a layered defence. India and China are the only countries to have procured the S-400 system from Russia. China's deal was pegged to be around $3 billion.

Stealth Frigates: Another important deal signed was the purchase of Admiral Grigorovich-class (Project 11356) guided-missile stealth frigates. Under this deal, two vessels will come from Russia while two others will be built in India with Russian collaboration. Already, between 2003 and 2013, Russia had helped India build six Talwar-class frigates.

Chopper Power: The decision to produce 200 Kamov 226T helicopters domestically with the help of Russia is expected to benefit soldiers deployed in high altitudes. The agreement, costing about $1 billion, will replace the country's ageing Chetak choppers.

In 2012, the Army headquarters had written to the office of the then Defence Minister AK Antony, highlighting issues with the current fleet of helicopters, including low reliability, structural failures and increasing cases of accidents. The Army had gone on to say that Cheetah/Chetak helicopters are akin to "death traps". According to an official, as many as 14 pilots have lost their lives in Cheetah crashes in the recent years. There are about 250 Cheetahs/Chetak with the Army Aviation Corps. Their airframe life is about 4,500 hours, but most have logged over 6,000 flying hours.

India, china discuss nsg bid, terrorism

India and China will soon hold a dialogue on New Delhi's bid for NSG membership to narrow down "differences"

President Xi Jinping told PM Modi that a second round of dialouge would be held soon

India made it clear to China that they cannot afford to have differences on the issue of terrorism

This comes in the backdrop of Beijing blocking UN ban on JeM Chief Masood Azhar

National Security Advisors of both countries are expected to meet soon to review security situation

Indian officials claimed that leaders of both nations agreed that terrorism was a scourge for the region

Several major agreements, including three key defence deals worth at least $7 billion sealed; PM Modi says old friend Russia will remain India's major defence partner; terrorism and NSG bid discussed at meeting with China NEW DELHI: Reiterating that Russia was its major defence partner, India on Saturday announced the procurement of S-400 Triumf air defence systems at a cost of nearly $6 billion. The nations also agreed to set up a joint production facility for making Kamov light utility helicopters and collaborate in the making of four state-of-the art frigates for the Indian Navy. The decision to buy the much vaunted S-400 air defence guns will be a game changer in the region, say experts. It will also be the second-costliest deal after the purchase of Rafale fighter jets, which was inked with France last month. The Defence Ministry's top acquisition body, headed by Manohar Parrikar, had given the go-ahead for the Russian deal in December last year. The deal was mooted to boost the fledging air defence due to ageing air protection and patchy radar coverage. S-400, according to the IAF, is capable of intercepting and destroying airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 km. The system can also simultaneously engage and defend up to six targets. So far, only US, Russia and China have the capability to engage and neutralise multiple aerial attacks, including ballistic missiles and stealth aircraft from a distance. The system is capable of firing three types of missiles, thereby creating a layered defence. India and China are the only countries to have procured the S-400 system from Russia. China's deal was pegged to be around $3 billion. Stealth Frigates: Another important deal signed was the purchase of Admiral Grigorovich-class (Project 11356) guided-missile stealth frigates. Under this deal, two vessels will come from Russia while two others will be built in India with Russian collaboration. Already, between 2003 and 2013, Russia had helped India build six Talwar-class frigates. Chopper Power: The decision to produce 200 Kamov 226T helicopters domestically with the help of Russia is expected to benefit soldiers deployed in high altitudes. The agreement, costing about $1 billion, will replace the country's ageing Chetak choppers. In 2012, the Army headquarters had written to the office of the then Defence Minister AK Antony, highlighting issues with the current fleet of helicopters, including low reliability, structural failures and increasing cases of accidents. The Army had gone on to say that Cheetah/Chetak helicopters are akin to "death traps". According to an official, as many as 14 pilots have lost their lives in Cheetah crashes in the recent years. There are about 250 Cheetahs/Chetak with the Army Aviation Corps. Their airframe life is about 4,500 hours, but most have logged over 6,000 flying hours. India, china discuss nsg bid, terrorism India and China will soon hold a dialogue on New Delhi's bid for NSG membership to narrow down "differences" President Xi Jinping told PM Modi that a second round of dialouge would be held soon India made it clear to China that they cannot afford to have differences on the issue of terrorism This comes in the backdrop of Beijing blocking UN ban on JeM Chief Masood Azhar National Security Advisors of both countries are expected to meet soon to review security situation Indian officials claimed that leaders of both nations agreed that terrorism was a scourge for the region
By PTI

JAMMU: After a week-long lull, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by firing from small arms on forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from Indian troops. "There was unprovoked firing from small arms on forward areas in Naushera sector of Rajouri district along the LoC by Pakistani troops", PRO, Ministry of Defence, Jammu said.

Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in the ceasefire violation. A senior Army officer said there have been over 25 ceasefire violations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes by Army troops in PoK to dismantle terror launching pads. In the firing and shelling, five civilians and four armymen had sustained injuries in Poonch district. Nine Pakistani armymen were injured in retaliatory action by Indian troops along LoC.

On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Pooch district resulting in injuries to one jawan. On October 5, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts. Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shelling and firing with five ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along LoC in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts.

They shelled mortar bombs and opened small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district. Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and restored to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district.

On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling from 1915 hours along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district. On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS amid small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district. On September 30, Pakistani troops restored to small arms firing along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.

JAMMU: After a week-long lull, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by firing from small arms on forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from Indian troops. "There was unprovoked firing from small arms on forward areas in Naushera sector of Rajouri district along the LoC by Pakistani troops", PRO, Ministry of Defence, Jammu said. Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in the ceasefire violation. A senior Army officer said there have been over 25 ceasefire violations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes by Army troops in PoK to dismantle terror launching pads. In the firing and shelling, five civilians and four armymen had sustained injuries in Poonch district. Nine Pakistani armymen were injured in retaliatory action by Indian troops along LoC. On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Pooch district resulting in injuries to one jawan. On October 5, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts. Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shelling and firing with five ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along LoC in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts. They shelled mortar bombs and opened small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district. Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and restored to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district. On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling from 1915 hours along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district. On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS amid small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district. On September 30, Pakistani troops restored to small arms firing along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.
By ANI

SALCETE (Goa): Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay here on Sunday ahead of the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit this evening.

"Always a delight meeting you PM @tsheringtobgay. Glad to have discussed the full spectrum of India-Bhutan ties during our talks," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

More opportunities to strengthen a deep bond with Bhutan. PM @narendramodi meets PM @tsheringtobgay before start of #BRICS events, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.

Heads of states and governments of the five BRICS nations will meet later in the day on the second day of the BRICS Summit in Goa.

Global economic and political situation, terrorism, climate change, Sustainable Development Goals and increasing people to people contact form the agenda of the Summit.

India is likely to pitch for united fight against terrorism.

Goa Declaration and Goa Action Plan will be adopted at the end of the Summit, which will focus on intra BRICS Trade, finance and industrial cooperation as well as cooperation in education, health, agriculture, energy and disaster management.

Later this evening, Prime Minister Modi will chair the BIMSTEC meeting, which will be followed by the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meeting. The seven-member BIMSTEC bloc consists of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.

SALCETE (Goa): Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay here on Sunday ahead of the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit this evening. "Always a delight meeting you PM @tsheringtobgay. Glad to have discussed the full spectrum of India-Bhutan ties during our talks," Prime Minister Modi tweeted. More opportunities to strengthen a deep bond with Bhutan. PM @narendramodi meets PM @tsheringtobgay before start of #BRICS events, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders. Heads of states and governments of the five BRICS nations will meet later in the day on the second day of the BRICS Summit in Goa. Global economic and political situation, terrorism, climate change, Sustainable Development Goals and increasing people to people contact form the agenda of the Summit. India is likely to pitch for united fight against terrorism. Goa Declaration and Goa Action Plan will be adopted at the end of the Summit, which will focus on intra BRICS Trade, finance and industrial cooperation as well as cooperation in education, health, agriculture, energy and disaster management. Later this evening, Prime Minister Modi will chair the BIMSTEC meeting, which will be followed by the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meeting. The seven-member BIMSTEC bloc consists of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chief Justice of India T S Thakur said that incidents of militancy in Kashmir needed to be addressed immediately. Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of C P Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation here on Saturday, Thakur said that the most recent issues such as global terrorism, Maoist insurgency, emergence of a few separatist groups should be urgently addressed with a required political consensus.

Unless these threats are resolved, the progress that India has made so far and its future growth will be hit, he added.

This was Thakurs first visit to the city after taking charge as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Speaking to a packed crowd, Thakur said that alongside economic progress, India also needed to address the issue of poverty as the country houses one-fourth of the undernourished population in the world.

In his 20-minute speech, he also traced how C P Ramaswami, the Diwan of Travancore (1936-47), acted as a forerunner in todays popular government initiatives, including Smart Cities and Right to Education Act.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former Governor of West Bengal, in his presidential address, said how Sir C P Ramaswami had given up the honorific prefix Sir in protest against the incarceration of Mahatma Gandhi, but the title still stuck to him because of the affection people had for him.

CHENNAI: Chief Justice of India T S Thakur said that incidents of militancy in Kashmir needed to be addressed immediately. Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of C P Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation here on Saturday, Thakur said that the most recent issues such as global terrorism, Maoist insurgency, emergence of a few separatist groups should be urgently addressed with a required political consensus. Unless these threats are resolved, the progress that India has made so far and its future growth will be hit, he added. This was Thakurs first visit to the city after taking charge as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Speaking to a packed crowd, Thakur said that alongside economic progress, India also needed to address the issue of poverty as the country houses one-fourth of the undernourished population in the world. In his 20-minute speech, he also traced how C P Ramaswami, the Diwan of Travancore (1936-47), acted as a forerunner in todays popular government initiatives, including Smart Cities and Right to Education Act. Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former Governor of West Bengal, in his presidential address, said how Sir C P Ramaswami had given up the honorific prefix Sir in protest against the incarceration of Mahatma Gandhi, but the title still stuck to him because of the affection people had for him.
Ravi Shankar By

The world is wary of anything it doesnt understand, control or threatens its preeminence. Vladimir Putins Russia is all of that. Hence the strengthening of the Putin-Modi equation will be a source of worry for America and its allies, which have economic and military interests in the AfPak region and are counting on India to be their primary ally, though the US refuses to declare Pakistan a terror state.

Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi (right)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows this too well. Hence, BRICS will be the forum to balance Russo-Indian interests with Americas untrustworthy AfPak policy. India and Russia have a historic past, which the US is aware of. Hence, Modi finds himself in an advantageous position despite China making pro-Pakistan noises for dialogue, which is unlikely to be heeded by South Block. Many diplomats believe that Russias recent joint military exercise with Pakistan is Putins use of maskirovka, the old Russian military strategem of deception to confuse subcontinental politics, since the alchemy of alliances hasnt produced a new philosophers stone yet. Media chatter about a Sino-Russian effort to arm-twist India to talk to Pakistan instead of replying with cross-border strikes looks like Track-II lobby at work.



Russia quickly snubbed Pakistans claim that the exercises took place in PoK. Putin is clear where his interests lie. In the quicksand of regional weddings, he needs to strengthen Russias old ties with India to play

sudoku with both the US and China. Putins reputation has become something like Darth Vadersan invincible jedi who can strike anywhere, anytime. He is suspected of hacking White House computers, leaking emails and interfering with the US presidential campaign in Donald Trumps support. Russia is blamed for shooting down aircraft and blaming the Ukranians for it, and wanting to get control over Crimea. Putin suppresses dissent, subverts elections and jails anyoneoligarch or intellectualwho opposes his agenda. The unpopular truth is that the Russian President disregards world opinion in protecting what he believes is his countrys interests and, of course, his own.World leadership is not a popularity contest, but a pragmatic expression of nationalist doctrine, a maxim Modi realises.



Pakistans crowing apart, Indias best ally in fighting terror is Russia. Putin wiped out Muslim separatists in Chechnya with the same ruthlessness he used against rock bands and bloggers. To the naive horror of Obama & Co, he stands by Russias oldest ally in the Middle Eastthe Assadsbombing IS and al-Qaeda. The US conveniently forgets it authored the Middle East crisis when it invaded Iraq.



The emergence of a strong leader in the European theatre makes Western leaders look like mannequins without a shop window. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a failed madonna of liberal guilt. UK Prime Minister Theresa May looks like a neo-Nazi nintendo wannabe. French President Francois Hollande is more tepid than diluted sauce. The US presidential race is between which candidate is less dislikeable, and not who will be a better president. In Russia, however, the choice is between Putin and Putin.



Russia was once the third largest empire in history. History shows an empire that has fallen is pitied by its neighbours, while an empire that has risen from its own ashes is feared. Modi wants India to be the latter.

Ravi Shankar

ravi@newindianexpress.com

The world is wary of anything it doesnt understand, control or threatens its preeminence. Vladimir Putins Russia is all of that. Hence the strengthening of the Putin-Modi equation will be a source of worry for America and its allies, which have economic and military interests in the AfPak region and are counting on India to be their primary ally, though the US refuses to declare Pakistan a terror state. Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi (right)Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows this too well. Hence, BRICS will be the forum to balance Russo-Indian interests with Americas untrustworthy AfPak policy. India and Russia have a historic past, which the US is aware of. Hence, Modi finds himself in an advantageous position despite China making pro-Pakistan noises for dialogue, which is unlikely to be heeded by South Block. Many diplomats believe that Russias recent joint military exercise with Pakistan is Putins use of maskirovka, the old Russian military strategem of deception to confuse subcontinental politics, since the alchemy of alliances hasnt produced a new philosophers stone yet. Media chatter about a Sino-Russian effort to arm-twist India to talk to Pakistan instead of replying with cross-border strikes looks like Track-II lobby at work. Russia quickly snubbed Pakistans claim that the exercises took place in PoK. Putin is clear where his interests lie. In the quicksand of regional weddings, he needs to strengthen Russias old ties with India to play sudoku with both the US and China. Putins reputation has become something like Darth Vadersan invincible jedi who can strike anywhere, anytime. He is suspected of hacking White House computers, leaking emails and interfering with the US presidential campaign in Donald Trumps support. Russia is blamed for shooting down aircraft and blaming the Ukranians for it, and wanting to get control over Crimea. Putin suppresses dissent, subverts elections and jails anyoneoligarch or intellectualwho opposes his agenda. The unpopular truth is that the Russian President disregards world opinion in protecting what he believes is his countrys interests and, of course, his own.World leadership is not a popularity contest, but a pragmatic expression of nationalist doctrine, a maxim Modi realises. Pakistans crowing apart, Indias best ally in fighting terror is Russia. Putin wiped out Muslim separatists in Chechnya with the same ruthlessness he used against rock bands and bloggers. To the naive horror of Obama & Co, he stands by Russias oldest ally in the Middle Eastthe Assadsbombing IS and al-Qaeda. The US conveniently forgets it authored the Middle East crisis when it invaded Iraq. The emergence of a strong leader in the European theatre makes Western leaders look like mannequins without a shop window. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a failed madonna of liberal guilt. UK Prime Minister Theresa May looks like a neo-Nazi nintendo wannabe. French President Francois Hollande is more tepid than diluted sauce. The US presidential race is between which candidate is less dislikeable, and not who will be a better president. In Russia, however, the choice is between Putin and Putin. Russia was once the third largest empire in history. History shows an empire that has fallen is pitied by its neighbours, while an empire that has risen from its own ashes is feared. Modi wants India to be the latter. Ravi Shankar ravi@newindianexpress.com
Shankkar Aiyar By

Social media is a veritable greenhouse for and of ideas born out of public sentiments. The flavour of the week is boycott of goods made in China. The anger is inescapabledriven by China repeatedly vetoing Indias efforts to designate Masood Azhar a terrorist. The messaging varies from the emotional call to Indian blood to prove itself to clever caricatures. The favoured medium is WhatsAppone popular post warns Indians not to buy Chinese crackers as they will emit fumes that kill.



The call for the boycott of Chinese goods has the romance of the Mahatmas campaign to burn foreign garments during British rule and seemingly the facility of choice. It has captured the minds of the masses, many ministers and Members of Parliament. So how has the call panned out? There is traction in words. Has it impacted consumer choice and consumption? The answer depends on who is telling the story. Anecdotal narrative is stranded between stories of boycott-led slowdown in sales and upsurge of online sales during the October Fest.



The jury is out on ifand how muchChinese exports will be hit. What is clear though is that traders who already paid for and imported goods will be hit first by the boycott. The moot point is whether the boycott will engender a material change in attitude in Beijing. India is part of a globalised inter-dependent economy. Anger and sentiments are but signals, not instruments of state craft. The imperative to secure India demands a sound strategy.



To appreciate the magnitude of the quest, one must look at the footprint of China in Indias economy. One way is to look at the screen shot of the medium and the messagingthe messages are keyed in and viewed on phones/tabs/pads/laptops/desktops, which are wholly made in China or are powered by components produced in China. The bytes are travelling via networks possibly powered by Chinese electronics and the connectivity itself may be via a China-made SIM card or a router made by ZTE or Huawei. Sure, the backlit medium could be from Korea or Japan, but it is worth remembering that between them, Japan and Korea import electronics worth over $70 billion from China.



A more holistic view is provided by data from the Director General of Foreign Trade. In 2015-16, China imported goods worth $9 billion, and India worth $61 billion. India imports more from China than any other country and more than its imports from the next threethe US, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Of course $61 billion is a lot of money, but to get a real assessment of what might make China pay attention, consider the size of its export cake. In 2015, China exported goods worth $2.15 trillion (roughly the size of Indias GDP). India accounts for less than 3 per cent of export earnings for China.



And what does India import from China? Not just toys or crackers or phones. Its top five imports are: Electronics and electricals worth $19.7 billion, nuclear reactors and machinery worth $10.5 billion, organic chemicals worth $6 billion, fertilisers worth $3.2 billion and iron and steel worth $2.3 billion. The top 10 imports account for over $48 billion. Yes, the imports are a tad lower this year, but the dependence is unmistakable. By the way, firecrackers/explosives and combustibles account for just about a fifth of a million dollars.

The question is can India interrupt its nuclear programme and power projectsor disrupt its manufacturing base? Electronic and electricals imports form part of the supply chainvalue addition creates jobs. Organic chemicals are again necessary inputs and import of fertilisers is critical to food security. The import of iron and steel is vital for automobile manufacturing and exports. If WhatsApp wishes were horses, China could abide. Unsurprisingly, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has dubbed ban on Chinese imports not feasible. Clearly Indias response to sentiments will have to be pragmatic. This is not an argument against or a judgement on the expression of anger far from it. The point is expression of anger must be made to matter.



India and China were similarly placed in terms of per capita income in the early Ninetiesboth liberalised the economy around the same time. In 2000, this columnist had written (http://bit.ly/2dDWNSl) that the surge of imports delighted consumers, left industry in panic and the government confused. China entered WTO in 2001, overtook Japan as Asias top exporter by 2004, and surpassed US in 2007 and Germany in 2009 to emerge as the worlds top exporter. Indias share of merchandise trade in 1993 was 0.6 per cent while that of China was 2.1 per cent. By 2015 Indias share grew to 1.7 per cent while that of China to 14.2 per cent. China did what was necessary, India did not.



The anger and calls for a ban must give way to a campaign for substitution. India needs to usher in a strategic replacement programmego beyond the idea of Make in India. India sources components and machinery for nuclear reactors and boilers worth $21 billion from China, the US, Germany, Japan and Koreahalf of it from China. The primary question is: must it import and must it from China? Yes, fertilisers are critical. Why not play cupid between gas-rich Gabon and phosphate-rich Morocco to source it from Africa? Again why not make in India?



The import bill of electronics and electrical equipment is worth over $35 billionagain, over half from China. A big reason is pricingfor producers and consumers. The success of the LED bulbs initiativewhere price was brought down from over `300 to `38 in two yearscould provide some answers. But questions need to be asked. Why is India importing furniture and mattresses worth nearly a billion dollars from China? Or ceramics, glassware, toys, knitted fabrics, toys etc. worth $2 billion? There is no escaping the fact that India needs to open up, incentivise technology induction, and alter procurement, taxation and a host of policies to be competitive.



Moolah power is a reality. Chinas geopolitical status stems from its economic might. India must strive to match italign economic security with national securityif it is serious about its stature.

shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com

Shankkar Aiyar is the Author of Accidental India: A History of the Nations Passage through Crisis and Change

Social media is a veritable greenhouse for and of ideas born out of public sentiments. The flavour of the week is boycott of goods made in China. The anger is inescapabledriven by China repeatedly vetoing Indias efforts to designate Masood Azhar a terrorist. The messaging varies from the emotional call to Indian blood to prove itself to clever caricatures. The favoured medium is WhatsAppone popular post warns Indians not to buy Chinese crackers as they will emit fumes that kill. The call for the boycott of Chinese goods has the romance of the Mahatmas campaign to burn foreign garments during British rule and seemingly the facility of choice. It has captured the minds of the masses, many ministers and Members of Parliament. So how has the call panned out? There is traction in words. Has it impacted consumer choice and consumption? The answer depends on who is telling the story. Anecdotal narrative is stranded between stories of boycott-led slowdown in sales and upsurge of online sales during the October Fest. The jury is out on ifand how muchChinese exports will be hit. What is clear though is that traders who already paid for and imported goods will be hit first by the boycott. The moot point is whether the boycott will engender a material change in attitude in Beijing. India is part of a globalised inter-dependent economy. Anger and sentiments are but signals, not instruments of state craft. The imperative to secure India demands a sound strategy. To appreciate the magnitude of the quest, one must look at the footprint of China in Indias economy. One way is to look at the screen shot of the medium and the messagingthe messages are keyed in and viewed on phones/tabs/pads/laptops/desktops, which are wholly made in China or are powered by components produced in China. The bytes are travelling via networks possibly powered by Chinese electronics and the connectivity itself may be via a China-made SIM card or a router made by ZTE or Huawei. Sure, the backlit medium could be from Korea or Japan, but it is worth remembering that between them, Japan and Korea import electronics worth over $70 billion from China. A more holistic view is provided by data from the Director General of Foreign Trade. In 2015-16, China imported goods worth $9 billion, and India worth $61 billion. India imports more from China than any other country and more than its imports from the next threethe US, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Of course $61 billion is a lot of money, but to get a real assessment of what might make China pay attention, consider the size of its export cake. In 2015, China exported goods worth $2.15 trillion (roughly the size of Indias GDP). India accounts for less than 3 per cent of export earnings for China. And what does India import from China? Not just toys or crackers or phones. Its top five imports are: Electronics and electricals worth $19.7 billion, nuclear reactors and machinery worth $10.5 billion, organic chemicals worth $6 billion, fertilisers worth $3.2 billion and iron and steel worth $2.3 billion. The top 10 imports account for over $48 billion. Yes, the imports are a tad lower this year, but the dependence is unmistakable. By the way, firecrackers/explosives and combustibles account for just about a fifth of a million dollars. The question is can India interrupt its nuclear programme and power projectsor disrupt its manufacturing base? Electronic and electricals imports form part of the supply chainvalue addition creates jobs. Organic chemicals are again necessary inputs and import of fertilisers is critical to food security. The import of iron and steel is vital for automobile manufacturing and exports. If WhatsApp wishes were horses, China could abide. Unsurprisingly, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has dubbed ban on Chinese imports not feasible. Clearly Indias response to sentiments will have to be pragmatic. This is not an argument against or a judgement on the expression of anger far from it. The point is expression of anger must be made to matter. India and China were similarly placed in terms of per capita income in the early Ninetiesboth liberalised the economy around the same time. In 2000, this columnist had written (http://bit.ly/2dDWNSl) that the surge of imports delighted consumers, left industry in panic and the government confused. China entered WTO in 2001, overtook Japan as Asias top exporter by 2004, and surpassed US in 2007 and Germany in 2009 to emerge as the worlds top exporter. Indias share of merchandise trade in 1993 was 0.6 per cent while that of China was 2.1 per cent. By 2015 Indias share grew to 1.7 per cent while that of China to 14.2 per cent. China did what was necessary, India did not. The anger and calls for a ban must give way to a campaign for substitution. India needs to usher in a strategic replacement programmego beyond the idea of Make in India. India sources components and machinery for nuclear reactors and boilers worth $21 billion from China, the US, Germany, Japan and Koreahalf of it from China. The primary question is: must it import and must it from China? Yes, fertilisers are critical. Why not play cupid between gas-rich Gabon and phosphate-rich Morocco to source it from Africa? Again why not make in India? The import bill of electronics and electrical equipment is worth over $35 billionagain, over half from China. A big reason is pricingfor producers and consumers. The success of the LED bulbs initiativewhere price was brought down from over `300 to `38 in two yearscould provide some answers. But questions need to be asked. Why is India importing furniture and mattresses worth nearly a billion dollars from China? Or ceramics, glassware, toys, knitted fabrics, toys etc. worth $2 billion? There is no escaping the fact that India needs to open up, incentivise technology induction, and alter procurement, taxation and a host of policies to be competitive. Moolah power is a reality. Chinas geopolitical status stems from its economic might. India must strive to match italign economic security with national securityif it is serious about its stature.shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com Shankkar Aiyar is the Author of Accidental India: A History of the Nations Passage through Crisis and Change
By PTI

KANNUR: Kerala Director General of Police Lokanath Behara on Sunday said the Police would undertake an impartial investigation into the political murders in Kannur. The recent incidents of a CPM activists murder and a retaliatory attack that claimed the life of a BJP man have caught national attention.

The northern district of Kerala, which has always been known for political violence, has recently seen a spike in homicides as cadres of the CPM and the BJP/RSS have unleashed a new wave of vendetta against each other.



Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who heads a CPM-majority LDF government, hails from Kannur district.

Action will be taken against the culprits irrespective of their political allegiance, said DGP Behra, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the passing-out parade of the Kerala Armed Police and Malabar Special Police at Mangattparamba in Kannur. He said a senior-level police meeting was held on Saturday to expedite investigation into the case, where it was also decided that the intelligence network in the area would be strengthened to prevent such incidents of violence.

To a question whether there was pressure to remove the district police chief, he said there was no political intervention and that he had not received any petition in this regard.

The police are not under any kind of political pressure and we would carry out impartial action against perpetrators of the two murders, Behra added

He also reminded the force that all policemen should uphold the integrity of the uniform and act impartially.

KANNUR: Kerala Director General of Police Lokanath Behara on Sunday said the Police would undertake an impartial investigation into the political murders in Kannur. The recent incidents of a CPM activists murder and a retaliatory attack that claimed the life of a BJP man have caught national attention. The northern district of Kerala, which has always been known for political violence, has recently seen a spike in homicides as cadres of the CPM and the BJP/RSS have unleashed a new wave of vendetta against each other. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who heads a CPM-majority LDF government, hails from Kannur district. Action will be taken against the culprits irrespective of their political allegiance, said DGP Behra, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the passing-out parade of the Kerala Armed Police and Malabar Special Police at Mangattparamba in Kannur. He said a senior-level police meeting was held on Saturday to expedite investigation into the case, where it was also decided that the intelligence network in the area would be strengthened to prevent such incidents of violence. To a question whether there was pressure to remove the district police chief, he said there was no political intervention and that he had not received any petition in this regard. The police are not under any kind of political pressure and we would carry out impartial action against perpetrators of the two murders, Behra added He also reminded the force that all policemen should uphold the integrity of the uniform and act impartially.
By Express News Service

BHAWANIPATNA/SAMBALPUR : AT LEAST 13 migrant labourers from Western Odisha have died in the last two months. A Kalahandi-based labourer, Nilambar Dhangdamajhi whose palms were chopped off by a labour sardar (agent) in 2013 after he refused to accompany him to Chhattisgarh, died last month.

Unofficial reports claim that more than 150 migrant labourers from Kalahandi have died in the last one decade. Yet, the Labour Department does not have a database of the labourers who migrate to other States in search of work and often end up suffering at the hands of their employers or labour sardars.

With the Ministry of Rural Development failing to release funds under MGNREGS for the last three months bringing employment generation to a grinding halt, there is little option left for landless and marginal farmers other than to migrate to sustain their families.

In Kalahandi, 11 deaths of migrant workers have been reported in last two months after the body of Shiba Bhagta Deep of Putigaon under Karlamunda block reached his village on October 12. Shiba died on October 10 after falling off a three-storey building where he was working.

As of now, death of two migrants each has been received from Lanjigarh, Thuamal Rampur, Madanpur Rampur and Narla blocks, besides one each from Koksara and Junagarh and Karlamunda blocks.

Sources said while many died in accidents at work sites, others died of diseases after having to toil for long hours and stay in inhuman conditions. While police in the alien land must be registering cases in their respective police stations, with no information in hand and poor financial condition, family members are unable to follow up the cases to a logical end. The District Labour Office swings into action only after some NGOs rescue the migrants or media rakes up such issues.

The body of Ram Jagat of Nilji village in Sinapali block of Nuapada district reached his home on October 10. It is learnt that he died at Chennai, where he was working, after suffering from fever and gastroenteritis on October 7. Later, the dead body was packed off to his village. Locals said many migrants die at work place and their bodies are disposed locally. They are considered missing by family members, who suffer silently in penury and deprivation.

Similarly in Sambalpur, the body of Gajendra Mahakul of Nuapali under Bamra block reached his village from Surat in Gujarat on October 11. His employer claimed that Ganjendra suffered from colic pain and fever.

In order to avoid payment of compensation for deaths of migrants labourers at work place, labour unrest and law and order situation, employers send dead bodies to families of the deceased with paltry financial assistance.

BHAWANIPATNA/SAMBALPUR : AT LEAST 13 migrant labourers from Western Odisha have died in the last two months. A Kalahandi-based labourer, Nilambar Dhangdamajhi whose palms were chopped off by a labour sardar (agent) in 2013 after he refused to accompany him to Chhattisgarh, died last month. Unofficial reports claim that more than 150 migrant labourers from Kalahandi have died in the last one decade. Yet, the Labour Department does not have a database of the labourers who migrate to other States in search of work and often end up suffering at the hands of their employers or labour sardars. With the Ministry of Rural Development failing to release funds under MGNREGS for the last three months bringing employment generation to a grinding halt, there is little option left for landless and marginal farmers other than to migrate to sustain their families. In Kalahandi, 11 deaths of migrant workers have been reported in last two months after the body of Shiba Bhagta Deep of Putigaon under Karlamunda block reached his village on October 12. Shiba died on October 10 after falling off a three-storey building where he was working. As of now, death of two migrants each has been received from Lanjigarh, Thuamal Rampur, Madanpur Rampur and Narla blocks, besides one each from Koksara and Junagarh and Karlamunda blocks. Sources said while many died in accidents at work sites, others died of diseases after having to toil for long hours and stay in inhuman conditions. While police in the alien land must be registering cases in their respective police stations, with no information in hand and poor financial condition, family members are unable to follow up the cases to a logical end. The District Labour Office swings into action only after some NGOs rescue the migrants or media rakes up such issues. The body of Ram Jagat of Nilji village in Sinapali block of Nuapada district reached his home on October 10. It is learnt that he died at Chennai, where he was working, after suffering from fever and gastroenteritis on October 7. Later, the dead body was packed off to his village. Locals said many migrants die at work place and their bodies are disposed locally. They are considered missing by family members, who suffer silently in penury and deprivation. Similarly in Sambalpur, the body of Gajendra Mahakul of Nuapali under Bamra block reached his village from Surat in Gujarat on October 11. His employer claimed that Ganjendra suffered from colic pain and fever. In order to avoid payment of compensation for deaths of migrants labourers at work place, labour unrest and law and order situation, employers send dead bodies to families of the deceased with paltry financial assistance.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: The website of Banki Autonomous College (www.bankicollege.org) was hacked for some minutes allegedly by a group of suspected Pakistani cyber attackers on Saturday.

The hackers, who identified themselves as 'Patriots of Pakistan' defaced the website by posting a message on Kashmir and the surgical strikes. The hackers accused Indians of killing innocent people in Kashmir and violating the ceasefire by launching surgical strikes.

They also posted a threat to launch a cyber war on the hacked web page. Principal of the college Babaji Satpathy said the website was restored by its developer within 30 minutes and a police complaint will be filed in this regard. "We will seek police help to find out if the hackers were actually from Pakistan or it was an act of mischief," he said. The principal added that there has been no damage or data loss in the website.

Apparently, this is not the first time that the website of an educational institution has been hacked. Earlier this year, the website of Utkal University was hacked twice by hackers who identified themselves as 'Team Pak Cyber Attackers' from Pakistan. Subsequently, the e-admission website of the university was also hacked. A case was then filed with the cyber cell of the Crime Branch.

Prior to that, an engineering student had hacked the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) website.

BHUBANESWAR: The website of Banki Autonomous College (www.bankicollege.org) was hacked for some minutes allegedly by a group of suspected Pakistani cyber attackers on Saturday. The hackers, who identified themselves as 'Patriots of Pakistan' defaced the website by posting a message on Kashmir and the surgical strikes. The hackers accused Indians of killing innocent people in Kashmir and violating the ceasefire by launching surgical strikes. They also posted a threat to launch a cyber war on the hacked web page. Principal of the college Babaji Satpathy said the website was restored by its developer within 30 minutes and a police complaint will be filed in this regard. "We will seek police help to find out if the hackers were actually from Pakistan or it was an act of mischief," he said. The principal added that there has been no damage or data loss in the website. Apparently, this is not the first time that the website of an educational institution has been hacked. Earlier this year, the website of Utkal University was hacked twice by hackers who identified themselves as 'Team Pak Cyber Attackers' from Pakistan. Subsequently, the e-admission website of the university was also hacked. A case was then filed with the cyber cell of the Crime Branch. Prior to that, an engineering student had hacked the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) website.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Congress MLAs, led by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Narasingh Mishra on Saturday met party vice-president Rahul Gandhi at New Delhi over Mahanadi river water dispute and other important issues related to Odisha.

However, Congress MLAs are reported to be unhappy over the meeting with Rahul Gandhi. Some of the MLAs reportedly met separately to decide on further course of action. Sources said appointment has been sought by the party MLAs from Sonia Gandhi.

AICC general secretary in-charge Odisha BK Hariprasad, who was present at the meeting, however, said the CLP leader briefed Rahul Gandhi about the Mahanadi issue and action taken by the Odisha government so far. Gandhi said it is the duty of the Prime Minister to convene a meeting of Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh to resolve the issue, he said.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 30, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had also sought his intervention to resolve the issue. Earlier, the tripartite meeting convened by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti at New Delhi on September 17, which was attended by Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, had failed.

Hariprasad maintained that the dispute can still be resolved through talks and said the Prime Minister should convene a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. He criticised both the BJD and BJP for politicising the issue and said Mahanadi river does not belong to any political party.

Criticising the Odisha Government for its failure to make health services available in all areas, Hariprasad referred to death of children at Nagada due to malnutrition and in Malkangiri district where Japanese Encephalitis (JE) has spread.

A team of the State Congress headed by president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Prasad Harichandan visited tribal villages in Malkangiri district affected by JE. Hariprasad said the OPCC president could not be a part of the Congress team which met Rahul Gandhi as he was in Malkangiri district.

The AICC general secretary, however, said there was no discussion on the ensuing panchayat polls in Odisha with Rahul Gandhi. The party leaders will meet in Bhubaneswar soon to finalise strategy for the panchayat polls scheduled in February, 2017.

Congress MLAs, led by Mishra, had also met President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday at New Delhi and urged him to direct the Centre to constitute a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi river water dispute. Besides, the MLAs had requested him to advise the Centre to direct the Chhattisgarh Government to stop construction on dams and barrages on Mahanadi river till the issue was solved.

BHUBANESWAR: Congress MLAs, led by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Narasingh Mishra on Saturday met party vice-president Rahul Gandhi at New Delhi over Mahanadi river water dispute and other important issues related to Odisha. However, Congress MLAs are reported to be unhappy over the meeting with Rahul Gandhi. Some of the MLAs reportedly met separately to decide on further course of action. Sources said appointment has been sought by the party MLAs from Sonia Gandhi. AICC general secretary in-charge Odisha BK Hariprasad, who was present at the meeting, however, said the CLP leader briefed Rahul Gandhi about the Mahanadi issue and action taken by the Odisha government so far. Gandhi said it is the duty of the Prime Minister to convene a meeting of Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh to resolve the issue, he said. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 30, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had also sought his intervention to resolve the issue. Earlier, the tripartite meeting convened by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti at New Delhi on September 17, which was attended by Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, had failed. Hariprasad maintained that the dispute can still be resolved through talks and said the Prime Minister should convene a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. He criticised both the BJD and BJP for politicising the issue and said Mahanadi river does not belong to any political party. Criticising the Odisha Government for its failure to make health services available in all areas, Hariprasad referred to death of children at Nagada due to malnutrition and in Malkangiri district where Japanese Encephalitis (JE) has spread. A team of the State Congress headed by president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Prasad Harichandan visited tribal villages in Malkangiri district affected by JE. Hariprasad said the OPCC president could not be a part of the Congress team which met Rahul Gandhi as he was in Malkangiri district. The AICC general secretary, however, said there was no discussion on the ensuing panchayat polls in Odisha with Rahul Gandhi. The party leaders will meet in Bhubaneswar soon to finalise strategy for the panchayat polls scheduled in February, 2017. Congress MLAs, led by Mishra, had also met President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday at New Delhi and urged him to direct the Centre to constitute a tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi river water dispute. Besides, the MLAs had requested him to advise the Centre to direct the Chhattisgarh Government to stop construction on dams and barrages on Mahanadi river till the issue was solved.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: While Japanese Encephalitis (JE) stalking children in Malkangiri district on daily basis, the Health Department has issued an advisory to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to keep a close watch on pig population in the Capital City.

Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department Arti Ahuja, in a letter to the BMC, has pointed out the vulnerability of human beings in co-habitation with pigs to the vector-borne disease.The department has directed the civic body to carry out intensive fogging to contain mosquitoes in the slum pockets.

At least two rounds of fogging should be done in slums and other areas where pigs are reared. Water bodies and muddy areas are to be identified and bio-larvicide should be applied to disinfect these, the advisory stated. This apart, the directives also asked to carry out bush cutting on regular intervals in swamps.

The directive put the civic authority on its toes initially with Bhubaneswar North MLA Priyadarshi Mishra and Mayor AN Jena accompanied by City Health officials visiting some areas of Salia Sahi and educating the residents about the disease. But the drive got subdued within a weeks time.

There has been little improvement on the ground and the households which domesticated pigs continue to do so.

Local Corporator Samir Pradhan said unless the inhabitants are aware of the fatalities due to JE and agents causing the deadly disease, they would continue to rear pigs.

The residents rear pigs as livestock and hence, they would not give it up so easily. A conscious effort should be carried out by roping in NGOs working in the sector to curb the menace, he added.

On the other hand, a Corporator of another Ward located close to the slum said the pigs which used to move around in his Ward were shifted to Salia Sahi.

The owners of these pigs, originally from Salia Sahi, had migrated towards the main road, but we have managed to push them back into the slum, he said to this paper.

BHUBANESWAR: While Japanese Encephalitis (JE) stalking children in Malkangiri district on daily basis, the Health Department has issued an advisory to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to keep a close watch on pig population in the Capital City. Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department Arti Ahuja, in a letter to the BMC, has pointed out the vulnerability of human beings in co-habitation with pigs to the vector-borne disease.The department has directed the civic body to carry out intensive fogging to contain mosquitoes in the slum pockets. At least two rounds of fogging should be done in slums and other areas where pigs are reared. Water bodies and muddy areas are to be identified and bio-larvicide should be applied to disinfect these, the advisory stated. This apart, the directives also asked to carry out bush cutting on regular intervals in swamps. The directive put the civic authority on its toes initially with Bhubaneswar North MLA Priyadarshi Mishra and Mayor AN Jena accompanied by City Health officials visiting some areas of Salia Sahi and educating the residents about the disease. But the drive got subdued within a weeks time. There has been little improvement on the ground and the households which domesticated pigs continue to do so. Local Corporator Samir Pradhan said unless the inhabitants are aware of the fatalities due to JE and agents causing the deadly disease, they would continue to rear pigs. The residents rear pigs as livestock and hence, they would not give it up so easily. A conscious effort should be carried out by roping in NGOs working in the sector to curb the menace, he added. On the other hand, a Corporator of another Ward located close to the slum said the pigs which used to move around in his Ward were shifted to Salia Sahi. The owners of these pigs, originally from Salia Sahi, had migrated towards the main road, but we have managed to push them back into the slum, he said to this paper.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: In a straight out of a Bollyowood flick, a youth along with four miscreants plotted the abduction of his father and demanded a ransom of seven lakh through the latter.

The son identified as Abani Behera had reported the matter to police only to be arrested in course of investigation on Saturday. The incident took place in Tangadhuan village under Betanati police limits in Mayurbhanj district.

Sources said Behera had lodged a complaint with the police on October 10 that his father, Bhagabata Chandra Behera who was returning from Baripada a day back, did not turn up at home.

He mentioned about a message from his father's mobile phone that his father has been abducted by a group which was demanding seven lakh for his safe release. Acting on the complaint, Betanati police registered a case under Sections 364 and 365 of the IPC and began investigation. When the victim's phone was tracked, it revealed varied locations like Bhadrak, Nilagiri, Rairangpur and Balasore which indicated that the abductors were moving with the father, a retired teacher.

Later, the miscreants had demanded a cheque for the ransom money. Police tracked down the ATM card of the man from which `80,000 was withdrawn on two occasions, the police said. The police had asked Abani to block the ATM and and the account of his father, however, he did not comply to the instructions. He blocked the ATM card but not the account. The needle of suspicion pointed towards him from that time, IIC Minati Biswal said.

The police, taking a preventive, blocked the bank account of the man at Jharpokharia branch. When the miscreants tried to encash the cheque at Bhadrak, they failed as the account was already blocked following which they came to the Jharpokharia branch on Thursday.

While the man entered the bank premises, Abani had an interaction with the miscreants at the basement which was captured on CCTV camera. Meanwhile, the police had already mounted surveillance on Abani's movements.

The elderly man was rescued and his son revealed his modus operandi during the first round of interrogation. Abani was the only son and had taken up gambling for which he needed money. While his father had saved his retirement benefits for the wedding of his daughters, Abani planned to loot the money by his unholy act, Biswal added.

Police arrested a kidnapper identified as Ajay Kumar Patra on Friday while two others are still on large. Abani and Ajay were produced in the court and remanded in judicial custody on Saturday.

BHUBANESWAR: In a straight out of a Bollyowood flick, a youth along with four miscreants plotted the abduction of his father and demanded a ransom of seven lakh through the latter. The son identified as Abani Behera had reported the matter to police only to be arrested in course of investigation on Saturday. The incident took place in Tangadhuan village under Betanati police limits in Mayurbhanj district. Sources said Behera had lodged a complaint with the police on October 10 that his father, Bhagabata Chandra Behera who was returning from Baripada a day back, did not turn up at home. He mentioned about a message from his father's mobile phone that his father has been abducted by a group which was demanding seven lakh for his safe release. Acting on the complaint, Betanati police registered a case under Sections 364 and 365 of the IPC and began investigation. When the victim's phone was tracked, it revealed varied locations like Bhadrak, Nilagiri, Rairangpur and Balasore which indicated that the abductors were moving with the father, a retired teacher. Later, the miscreants had demanded a cheque for the ransom money. Police tracked down the ATM card of the man from which `80,000 was withdrawn on two occasions, the police said. The police had asked Abani to block the ATM and and the account of his father, however, he did not comply to the instructions. He blocked the ATM card but not the account. The needle of suspicion pointed towards him from that time, IIC Minati Biswal said. The police, taking a preventive, blocked the bank account of the man at Jharpokharia branch. When the miscreants tried to encash the cheque at Bhadrak, they failed as the account was already blocked following which they came to the Jharpokharia branch on Thursday. While the man entered the bank premises, Abani had an interaction with the miscreants at the basement which was captured on CCTV camera. Meanwhile, the police had already mounted surveillance on Abani's movements. The elderly man was rescued and his son revealed his modus operandi during the first round of interrogation. Abani was the only son and had taken up gambling for which he needed money. While his father had saved his retirement benefits for the wedding of his daughters, Abani planned to loot the money by his unholy act, Biswal added. Police arrested a kidnapper identified as Ajay Kumar Patra on Friday while two others are still on large. Abani and Ajay were produced in the court and remanded in judicial custody on Saturday.
By Express News Service

THOOTHUKUDI/COIMBATORE: The cyber crime police have arrested a trainee priest from Manapadu near Thoothukudi on the charge of spreading rumours about the health condition of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Tightening the screws on those spreading rumours, the cyber cell cops picked up Antony Jesuraj, a trainee priest at St Jacobs Church, on Friday. It is said that he had shared unfair comments on his Facebook page. He was taken to Chennai for inquiries.

Antony Jesuraj

In Coimbatore, the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and All India Lawyers Union petitioned Superintendent of Police Ramya Bharathi on Saturday demanding an inquiry into Fridays arrest of two bank employees.

The police have registered a case alleging that the two were spreading rumours about the CMs health. They had actually spoken about the Chief Minister hoping for her recovery and only with the curiosity to know what happened toher, said S Balamurugan, PUCL national executive committee member.

Just speaking about the Chief Minister cannot be considered an offence. Everyone in the State hopes that the Chief Minister would recover soon, Balamurugan added.

THOOTHUKUDI/COIMBATORE: The cyber crime police have arrested a trainee priest from Manapadu near Thoothukudi on the charge of spreading rumours about the health condition of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Tightening the screws on those spreading rumours, the cyber cell cops picked up Antony Jesuraj, a trainee priest at St Jacobs Church, on Friday. It is said that he had shared unfair comments on his Facebook page. He was taken to Chennai for inquiries. Antony JesurajIn Coimbatore, the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and All India Lawyers Union petitioned Superintendent of Police Ramya Bharathi on Saturday demanding an inquiry into Fridays arrest of two bank employees. The police have registered a case alleging that the two were spreading rumours about the CMs health. They had actually spoken about the Chief Minister hoping for her recovery and only with the curiosity to know what happened toher, said S Balamurugan, PUCL national executive committee member. Just speaking about the Chief Minister cannot be considered an offence. Everyone in the State hopes that the Chief Minister would recover soon, Balamurugan added.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: T-Hub, Indias largest start-up ecosystem builder, in partnership with Uber and TiE Silicon Valley, on Saturday announced the launch of T-Bridge, a new programme that will connect Indian start-ups with global market opportunities and help bring global start-ups to the country.

IT and industries minister KT Rama Rao, during his ongoing visit to the United States, inaugurated T-Bridge in association with Uber and TiE Silicon Valley at Ubers headquarters in San Francisco on Saturday.

After launching the T-Bridge, he said it will enable start-up communities in India and around the world to cross-pollinate ideas, innovate and create channels for knowledge transfer. It will also create a network of mentors, VCs, incubators and accelerators that is advantageous to the Indian start-up ecosystem.

Telangana is now recognised as one of the worlds leading destinations for start-ups within India. Hyderabad offers some of Indias best infrastructure, a large and growing technology talent pool and a vibrant, cosmopolitan international community, the minister said. Of particular significance to innovative tech start-ups worldwide is Telanganas great position as a gateway to leveraging Indias massive technology markets, he added.

The minister further said that start-ups can hit the ground running instead of being buried in red tape. T-Bridge will provide a platform for such fast-track tech companies looking to tap into Indias huge consumer market for technology. T-Bridge will help start-ups access UberEXCHANGE, Ubers flagship start-up mentorship programme and TiE Silicon Valleys mentor network. Rama Rao further said, We have a strong vision to make Hyderabad one of the top 10 start-up cities in the world.

T-Bridge is one such move towards opening a channel of investment from the world to the state of Telangana. I am proud to open our first outpost in US in association with Uber and TiE Silicon Valley and believe that this association will forge new partnerships and spur investment and innovation between the two countries.

Ram K Reddy, incoming president of TiE Silicon Valley stated that the Telangana government had been one of Indias most progressive states. TiE Silicon Valley is pleased to host the first T-Bridge outpost in Silicon Valley, he added. Rachel Whetstone, Ubers senior vice-president for policy and communications, said that Telangana was one of the most progressive states in India.

Jay Krishnan, CEO, T-Hub said that since the launch of T-Hub last year, the start-up activity increased threefold in Hyderabad. Hyderabad is abuzz with over 30 incubators and co-working spaces, Jay Krishnan said.

HYDERABAD: T-Hub, Indias largest start-up ecosystem builder, in partnership with Uber and TiE Silicon Valley, on Saturday announced the launch of T-Bridge, a new programme that will connect Indian start-ups with global market opportunities and help bring global start-ups to the country. IT and industries minister KT Rama Rao, during his ongoing visit to the United States, inaugurated T-Bridge in association with Uber and TiE Silicon Valley at Ubers headquarters in San Francisco on Saturday. After launching the T-Bridge, he said it will enable start-up communities in India and around the world to cross-pollinate ideas, innovate and create channels for knowledge transfer. It will also create a network of mentors, VCs, incubators and accelerators that is advantageous to the Indian start-up ecosystem. Telangana is now recognised as one of the worlds leading destinations for start-ups within India. Hyderabad offers some of Indias best infrastructure, a large and growing technology talent pool and a vibrant, cosmopolitan international community, the minister said. Of particular significance to innovative tech start-ups worldwide is Telanganas great position as a gateway to leveraging Indias massive technology markets, he added. The minister further said that start-ups can hit the ground running instead of being buried in red tape. T-Bridge will provide a platform for such fast-track tech companies looking to tap into Indias huge consumer market for technology. T-Bridge will help start-ups access UberEXCHANGE, Ubers flagship start-up mentorship programme and TiE Silicon Valleys mentor network. Rama Rao further said, We have a strong vision to make Hyderabad one of the top 10 start-up cities in the world. T-Bridge is one such move towards opening a channel of investment from the world to the state of Telangana. I am proud to open our first outpost in US in association with Uber and TiE Silicon Valley and believe that this association will forge new partnerships and spur investment and innovation between the two countries. Ram K Reddy, incoming president of TiE Silicon Valley stated that the Telangana government had been one of Indias most progressive states. TiE Silicon Valley is pleased to host the first T-Bridge outpost in Silicon Valley, he added. Rachel Whetstone, Ubers senior vice-president for policy and communications, said that Telangana was one of the most progressive states in India. Jay Krishnan, CEO, T-Hub said that since the launch of T-Hub last year, the start-up activity increased threefold in Hyderabad. Hyderabad is abuzz with over 30 incubators and co-working spaces, Jay Krishnan said.
Sumit kumar singh By

With promotion of around 2,000 head constables to the post of assistant sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors to sub-inspectors at one go, the Delhi Police has partially solved the problem of shortage of investigating officers in the force. At present, there are around 4,000 investigating officers across the 182 police stations to probe over 1.5 lakh cases registered every year but from now on there will be around 6,000 investigating officers.

The lack of investigating officers was leading to shoddy probe into heinous crimes such as rapes and murders and 99 per cent accident cases were not being probed properly.



At present, only 30,891 police personnel are deployed across 182 police stations to protect 1.86 crore residents and probe cases. This led to shoddy investigation as a single investigating officer on average had around 200 cases to look after. The force was in urgent need of investigating officers across all police stations.



In 2014, Sanjay Beniwal the then Joint CP now special CP had carried out a studyManpower assessment in Delhi Policeand found that due to lack of investigating officers, the people of the city are suffering the most. The study also revealed that in Directorate of Enforcement, Investigating Officers on an average probe only 14 cases every year but in case of the Delhi police it was around 200. Its inhumanly that a Delhi Police officer had to investigate 200 cases in 365 days, a senior officer said.



The report suggested that a single investigating officer should investigate 50 cases per year and not more than that. If this happens then the quality of investigation will improve. The study had suggested necessary changes to solve the problem but there was no will in the department to make the promotions, the officer added.

Moreover, due to lack of investigating officers, overload of work and stagnant promotion policy, the morale of the force was going down to a great extent. So to meet the prolonged pending demands for the improvement in their promotional prospects, the Police Headquarters had made 2,000 promotions.



There has been stagnation in the lower ranks for some time and constables and head constables who had put in

over 25 years of service, had not got their due promotion, the officer said. To streamline the scenario and ease workload, Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar Verma promoted the lower rank officials and

added more investigating officers to the force.

With promotion of around 2,000 head constables to the post of assistant sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors to sub-inspectors at one go, the Delhi Police has partially solved the problem of shortage of investigating officers in the force. At present, there are around 4,000 investigating officers across the 182 police stations to probe over 1.5 lakh cases registered every year but from now on there will be around 6,000 investigating officers. The lack of investigating officers was leading to shoddy probe into heinous crimes such as rapes and murders and 99 per cent accident cases were not being probed properly. At present, only 30,891 police personnel are deployed across 182 police stations to protect 1.86 crore residents and probe cases. This led to shoddy investigation as a single investigating officer on average had around 200 cases to look after. The force was in urgent need of investigating officers across all police stations. In 2014, Sanjay Beniwal the then Joint CP now special CP had carried out a studyManpower assessment in Delhi Policeand found that due to lack of investigating officers, the people of the city are suffering the most. The study also revealed that in Directorate of Enforcement, Investigating Officers on an average probe only 14 cases every year but in case of the Delhi police it was around 200. Its inhumanly that a Delhi Police officer had to investigate 200 cases in 365 days, a senior officer said. The report suggested that a single investigating officer should investigate 50 cases per year and not more than that. If this happens then the quality of investigation will improve. The study had suggested necessary changes to solve the problem but there was no will in the department to make the promotions, the officer added. Moreover, due to lack of investigating officers, overload of work and stagnant promotion policy, the morale of the force was going down to a great extent. So to meet the prolonged pending demands for the improvement in their promotional prospects, the Police Headquarters had made 2,000 promotions. There has been stagnation in the lower ranks for some time and constables and head constables who had put in over 25 years of service, had not got their due promotion, the officer said. To streamline the scenario and ease workload, Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar Verma promoted the lower rank officials and added more investigating officers to the force.
Harpreet Bajwa By

CHANDIGARH: Every Sunday, Uncha Samana village, 11 km from Karnal in Haryana, shows the urgency of a cabinet meeting that generally happens in distant Chandigarh or New Delhi. Sarpanch Nishant Rana, all of 28 and a Delhi University BCom graduate, chairs the group of 16 ministers (panches, 11 with portfolios), in true PM/CM style, albeit at a small scale. I have given the panchayat the shape of a cabinet to decentralise power. I got the idea from RSS. In the traditional panchayat, the sarpanch is supreme and exercises all powers, said Rana.

Uncha Samana village on NH 1 near Karnal is perhaps the first of its kind in the country, which works like a state or Union Cabinet: 11 panches have been allotted portfolios by sarpanch Nishant Rana.



At its regular Sunday meetings, issues are discussed and accountability is fixed. Rana has also constituted an 11-member committee to keep a check on the working of the cabinet. Rana was elected in February, months after the Manohar Lal Khattar government enacted a law fixing minimum educational qualification for candidates in panchayat elections.



We have portfolios such as education, health and sanitation, dealing with government departments, purchase, material stock, finance and water works. In the meetings, every department is discussed and the panch takes full responsibility, says Rana.



Every three months, the gram panchayat is convened in which the cabinet presents the details of the development work carried out. It is kind of a white paper on our functioning. Of the annual budget of `2.5 crore, every rupee spent is accounted for. We want to make Uncha Samana a model village, Rana adds. Of the 11 portfolio-holding panches, seven are unmarried. The panchayat, which is also trying to be self-sufficient in power generation and finance, has hired a civil engineer to oversee developmental works.

CHANDIGARH: Every Sunday, Uncha Samana village, 11 km from Karnal in Haryana, shows the urgency of a cabinet meeting that generally happens in distant Chandigarh or New Delhi. Sarpanch Nishant Rana, all of 28 and a Delhi University BCom graduate, chairs the group of 16 ministers (panches, 11 with portfolios), in true PM/CM style, albeit at a small scale. I have given the panchayat the shape of a cabinet to decentralise power. I got the idea from RSS. In the traditional panchayat, the sarpanch is supreme and exercises all powers, said Rana. Uncha Samana village on NH 1 near Karnal is perhaps the first of its kind in the country, which works like a state or Union Cabinet: 11 panches have been allotted portfolios by sarpanch Nishant Rana. At its regular Sunday meetings, issues are discussed and accountability is fixed. Rana has also constituted an 11-member committee to keep a check on the working of the cabinet. Rana was elected in February, months after the Manohar Lal Khattar government enacted a law fixing minimum educational qualification for candidates in panchayat elections. We have portfolios such as education, health and sanitation, dealing with government departments, purchase, material stock, finance and water works. In the meetings, every department is discussed and the panch takes full responsibility, says Rana. Every three months, the gram panchayat is convened in which the cabinet presents the details of the development work carried out. It is kind of a white paper on our functioning. Of the annual budget of `2.5 crore, every rupee spent is accounted for. We want to make Uncha Samana a model village, Rana adds. Of the 11 portfolio-holding panches, seven are unmarried. The panchayat, which is also trying to be self-sufficient in power generation and finance, has hired a civil engineer to oversee developmental works.
Sumit Kumar Singh By

NEW DELHI: The AAP governments food and supplies department has initiated a door-to-door drive to verify the antecedents of about 60,000 fake ration card holders in Delhi. While verifying the antecedents of about 20 lakh ration card holders, the department had tracked 60,000 fake cards. Sources said that the departments decision to cancel fake ration cards was turned down by CM Arvind Kejriwal who directed the officers to carry out a door-to-door verification before taking a final call.



But due to shortage of manpower, the department is finding it difficult to verify the antecedents of each card holder. In Delhi, 72.78 lakh people avail of various benefits through ration cards. Sources said that the AAP governments proposal to increase the ration card beneficiaries from the existing 72.78 lakh to 80 lakh was turned down by the Centre. The Union governments contention was that it was unlikely that the city having 1.25 crore population should provide subsidised items to 80 lakh people.



In a letter to Food and Supplies Minister Imran Hussain, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had said, I would like to inform you that state/UT-wise coverage for receiving subsidised foodgrains was determined by the then Planning Commission (now NITI Ayog), based on household consumption expenditure survey of the National Sample Survey Organisation. Since a uniform methodology has been adopted, it will not be possible to agree to the request.



Paswan said that in addition to the estimated annual foodgrain allocation of 4.55 lakh tonne for the coverage determined for Delhi under the Act, the UT was also eligible to receive tide over allocation of about 1.8 lakh tonne per annum at the existing Above Poverty Line prices.

NEW DELHI: The AAP governments food and supplies department has initiated a door-to-door drive to verify the antecedents of about 60,000 fake ration card holders in Delhi. While verifying the antecedents of about 20 lakh ration card holders, the department had tracked 60,000 fake cards. Sources said that the departments decision to cancel fake ration cards was turned down by CM Arvind Kejriwal who directed the officers to carry out a door-to-door verification before taking a final call. But due to shortage of manpower, the department is finding it difficult to verify the antecedents of each card holder. In Delhi, 72.78 lakh people avail of various benefits through ration cards. Sources said that the AAP governments proposal to increase the ration card beneficiaries from the existing 72.78 lakh to 80 lakh was turned down by the Centre. The Union governments contention was that it was unlikely that the city having 1.25 crore population should provide subsidised items to 80 lakh people. In a letter to Food and Supplies Minister Imran Hussain, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had said, I would like to inform you that state/UT-wise coverage for receiving subsidised foodgrains was determined by the then Planning Commission (now NITI Ayog), based on household consumption expenditure survey of the National Sample Survey Organisation. Since a uniform methodology has been adopted, it will not be possible to agree to the request. Paswan said that in addition to the estimated annual foodgrain allocation of 4.55 lakh tonne for the coverage determined for Delhi under the Act, the UT was also eligible to receive tide over allocation of about 1.8 lakh tonne per annum at the existing Above Poverty Line prices.
Richa Sharma By

NEW DELHI: India has been slow in exploiting hydropower potential in the northeastern region of the country especially on rivers flowing from China but the recent discussion after the Uri attack has forced the government to rethink. It is now contemplating acceleration of the regions hydropower potential, especially Arunachal Pradesh, to establish its right on the waters of the Brahmaputra and have a strong ground against China which recently blocked a small tributary of the Brahmaputra river.

The Union Power, Environment and Water ministries are now working together to kick-start stalled hydropower projects in the Northeast and a report in this regards has already been submitted to the PMO. The government is working on a two-pronged strategy to deal with itease green clearance process and push smaller hydro projects.



Many discussions have taken place after the Uri fiasco. The government has decided to fasten the work on exploiting Indias right over water under the Indus water treaty. Similarly, now when it comes to strategic decisions regarding China, environment may get compromised. The government is now keen to take strategic decisions on Indus Treaty and China, and it can be expected soon, water ministry sources said.



According to the water ministry, monsoon brings 80 per cent water in the region but is only for three months and that needs to be stored in dams. Many hydro-projects are stuck in the Northeast due to environmental concerns but the government feels its time strategic reasons overrode environment concerns. As per government estimates, the region has a potential of hydropower projects worth over 63,000 MW but, at present, less than 5 per cent is being utilised. Of the 63,000 MW, about 50,000 MW is in Arunachal alone which has over 100 planned projects. But with protests by tribes and slow environment and forest clearances, most projects are yet to start.



Lots of projects are stuck in Arunachal Pradesh. We have had several rounds of talks with the power ministry to push it. Large hydropower projects involve environmental and submergence issues. Thus we are planning to divide them into two or three smaller ones. This will help in dealing with displacement issues as most of the land in Arunachal Pradesh are owned by tribes and they dont want to part with the land, the sources added. Official also clarified that China is not controlling the Brahmaputra.



To generate power, China is constructing power houses on the river and the water has to flow down unless they divert that water to China that will require construction of tunnel for about 100 km. We have ways to deal with that as well when it is required. But right now the focus is to do our bit and fully exploit the countrys hydropower potential, sources said.

NEW DELHI: India has been slow in exploiting hydropower potential in the northeastern region of the country especially on rivers flowing from China but the recent discussion after the Uri attack has forced the government to rethink. It is now contemplating acceleration of the regions hydropower potential, especially Arunachal Pradesh, to establish its right on the waters of the Brahmaputra and have a strong ground against China which recently blocked a small tributary of the Brahmaputra river. The Union Power, Environment and Water ministries are now working together to kick-start stalled hydropower projects in the Northeast and a report in this regards has already been submitted to the PMO. The government is working on a two-pronged strategy to deal with itease green clearance process and push smaller hydro projects. Many discussions have taken place after the Uri fiasco. The government has decided to fasten the work on exploiting Indias right over water under the Indus water treaty. Similarly, now when it comes to strategic decisions regarding China, environment may get compromised. The government is now keen to take strategic decisions on Indus Treaty and China, and it can be expected soon, water ministry sources said. According to the water ministry, monsoon brings 80 per cent water in the region but is only for three months and that needs to be stored in dams. Many hydro-projects are stuck in the Northeast due to environmental concerns but the government feels its time strategic reasons overrode environment concerns. As per government estimates, the region has a potential of hydropower projects worth over 63,000 MW but, at present, less than 5 per cent is being utilised. Of the 63,000 MW, about 50,000 MW is in Arunachal alone which has over 100 planned projects. But with protests by tribes and slow environment and forest clearances, most projects are yet to start. Lots of projects are stuck in Arunachal Pradesh. We have had several rounds of talks with the power ministry to push it. Large hydropower projects involve environmental and submergence issues. Thus we are planning to divide them into two or three smaller ones. This will help in dealing with displacement issues as most of the land in Arunachal Pradesh are owned by tribes and they dont want to part with the land, the sources added. Official also clarified that China is not controlling the Brahmaputra. To generate power, China is constructing power houses on the river and the water has to flow down unless they divert that water to China that will require construction of tunnel for about 100 km. We have ways to deal with that as well when it is required. But right now the focus is to do our bit and fully exploit the countrys hydropower potential, sources said.
Ritu Sharma By

NEW DELHI:With the 30-year-old SAARC failing in its objective of integrating South Asia economically, India is seeking to reinvigorate the BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) regional bloc by bringing funds and partnerships to the member-countries through the BRICS platform.



After coming to office in 2014, the Narendra Modi-led government had demonstrated its intent to lean towards BIMSTEC for boosting intra-South Asia trade, especially after Pakistans expected behaviour to put

a spanner in all the India- proposed developmental schemes. As India-Pakistan relations further nosedived, Islamabads obstinacy meant clouds of uncertainty over the SAARC summit; New Delhi decided to focus on BIMSTEC.



The focus would be on trade, investment and trade facilitation. BIMSTEC business community will meet the BRICS business leaders, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Preeti Saran said on the opportunity that congregation of five major global economiesBrazil, Russia, India, China and South Africacan provide to BIMSTEC countries. The seven BIMSTEC members are in Goa to participate in the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit. BIMSTEC can also benefit from the New Development Bank (NDB) set up by the BRICS countries that can provide easy interest loans for infrastructure development in the region.



BIMSTEC has India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand as members and comprises 1.6 billion people (22 per cent of the global population) and a GDP of $2.7 trillion. In Goa, the seven Heads of States are meeting after two years.



The seven countries account for trade worth $1,295 billion. Intra-regional share accounts for a poor 2.8 per cent, making BIMSTEC one of the least economically integrated regional blocs. The poor trade figures indicate the huge potential of growth in trade relations of the countries who are consistently registering a yearly growth of 6 per cent.



India remains one of the biggest exporter and importer in the region and has bilateral Free Trade Agreements with each of the member countries. According to estimates, if the BIMSTEC FTA comes into effect from 2017, it has the potential of creating $43-59 billion trade per annum, and intra-regional trade can rise by as much as 60 per cent.



Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have openly expressed their enthusiasm for BIMSTEC and disappointment over SAARCs inability to make headway. Other smaller countriesBhutan and Nepalhave reposed greater faith in BIMSTEC in close door sessions.

NEW DELHI:With the 30-year-old SAARC failing in its objective of integrating South Asia economically, India is seeking to reinvigorate the BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) regional bloc by bringing funds and partnerships to the member-countries through the BRICS platform. After coming to office in 2014, the Narendra Modi-led government had demonstrated its intent to lean towards BIMSTEC for boosting intra-South Asia trade, especially after Pakistans expected behaviour to put a spanner in all the India- proposed developmental schemes. As India-Pakistan relations further nosedived, Islamabads obstinacy meant clouds of uncertainty over the SAARC summit; New Delhi decided to focus on BIMSTEC. The focus would be on trade, investment and trade facilitation. BIMSTEC business community will meet the BRICS business leaders, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Preeti Saran said on the opportunity that congregation of five major global economiesBrazil, Russia, India, China and South Africacan provide to BIMSTEC countries. The seven BIMSTEC members are in Goa to participate in the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit. BIMSTEC can also benefit from the New Development Bank (NDB) set up by the BRICS countries that can provide easy interest loans for infrastructure development in the region. BIMSTEC has India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand as members and comprises 1.6 billion people (22 per cent of the global population) and a GDP of $2.7 trillion. In Goa, the seven Heads of States are meeting after two years. The seven countries account for trade worth $1,295 billion. Intra-regional share accounts for a poor 2.8 per cent, making BIMSTEC one of the least economically integrated regional blocs. The poor trade figures indicate the huge potential of growth in trade relations of the countries who are consistently registering a yearly growth of 6 per cent. India remains one of the biggest exporter and importer in the region and has bilateral Free Trade Agreements with each of the member countries. According to estimates, if the BIMSTEC FTA comes into effect from 2017, it has the potential of creating $43-59 billion trade per annum, and intra-regional trade can rise by as much as 60 per cent. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have openly expressed their enthusiasm for BIMSTEC and disappointment over SAARCs inability to make headway. Other smaller countriesBhutan and Nepalhave reposed greater faith in BIMSTEC in close door sessions.
Pradip R Sagar By

NEW DELHI: Indias cross-border surgical strikes involved real men and real bullets. In a counter- offensive, Pakistan is using computers and virus-laden emails to attack the Indian Army. Launching a cyber war, Pakistan Army is sending spoofed emails to Indian Army personnel with the subject line Actual story of surgical strike done by Indian Army in PoK. A hacked email address of a key office in the directorate of military intelligence is being used to send and give credibility of the phishing mail.

With a large number of Army personnel reporting the cyber attack in the last 10 days, Army Headquarters has issued an alert to all its units to be cautious.

The content of the email tempts users to trust the legitimacy of the message by indicating that the attached document is an official statement from Indian Army on surgical strike in PoK and subsequent response after Uri attack, a Army Headquarters statement said.

After tracing the spoofed email, the Armys Cyber Group established that the malicious files IP address was linked to a server in Germany, which appears to be fake.

This malware is designed to steal user data and credentials. It also allows the hackers to take remote control of the targeted machine (computer), an Army Cyber Group alert confirmed.

Since the September 29 pre-dawn strike by Indian commandos of the Special Forces, Pakistan has carried out several attacks in the virtual world. At least 50 IT companies in Hyderabad have come under a wave of cyber attacks from Pakistan-based hackers over the past 10 days.

On October 3, the National Green Tribunals website was attacked by a group of Pakistani hackers who posted a message mocking the Indian side over the surgical strikes.

Few months ago, Chinas Western Headquarters, which overseas India, launched a cyber attack on the Indian Army, raising alarms bells.

Recently, a similar cyber attack was launched in the name of the Seventh Central Pay Commission malware, a topic of interest among defence and government officials. In 2013, computer systems of the Defence Research and Development Organisation were breached by Chinese hackers.

NEW DELHI: Indias cross-border surgical strikes involved real men and real bullets. In a counter- offensive, Pakistan is using computers and virus-laden emails to attack the Indian Army. Launching a cyber war, Pakistan Army is sending spoofed emails to Indian Army personnel with the subject line Actual story of surgical strike done by Indian Army in PoK. A hacked email address of a key office in the directorate of military intelligence is being used to send and give credibility of the phishing mail. With a large number of Army personnel reporting the cyber attack in the last 10 days, Army Headquarters has issued an alert to all its units to be cautious. The content of the email tempts users to trust the legitimacy of the message by indicating that the attached document is an official statement from Indian Army on surgical strike in PoK and subsequent response after Uri attack, a Army Headquarters statement said. After tracing the spoofed email, the Armys Cyber Group established that the malicious files IP address was linked to a server in Germany, which appears to be fake. This malware is designed to steal user data and credentials. It also allows the hackers to take remote control of the targeted machine (computer), an Army Cyber Group alert confirmed. Since the September 29 pre-dawn strike by Indian commandos of the Special Forces, Pakistan has carried out several attacks in the virtual world. At least 50 IT companies in Hyderabad have come under a wave of cyber attacks from Pakistan-based hackers over the past 10 days. On October 3, the National Green Tribunals website was attacked by a group of Pakistani hackers who posted a message mocking the Indian side over the surgical strikes. Few months ago, Chinas Western Headquarters, which overseas India, launched a cyber attack on the Indian Army, raising alarms bells. Recently, a similar cyber attack was launched in the name of the Seventh Central Pay Commission malware, a topic of interest among defence and government officials. In 2013, computer systems of the Defence Research and Development Organisation were breached by Chinese hackers.
By Associated Press

MANILA: The Philippine president has acknowledged that he can be impeached if he concedes the country's territorial claims in the South China Sea in upcoming talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders this week in Beijing.

President Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday in a speech before leaving for Brunei and China that while he will not bargain his country's territorial claims, "there will be no hard impositions" as he tries to renew the Philippines' friendship and intensify two-way trade and investment with China. A Supreme Court justice has warned that conceding any part of the Philippine claims is an impeachable offense for the president.

Duterte has had a falling out with President Barack Obama, but has reached out to bolster relations with Chinese and Russian leaders.

MANILA: The Philippine president has acknowledged that he can be impeached if he concedes the country's territorial claims in the South China Sea in upcoming talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders this week in Beijing. President Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday in a speech before leaving for Brunei and China that while he will not bargain his country's territorial claims, "there will be no hard impositions" as he tries to renew the Philippines' friendship and intensify two-way trade and investment with China. A Supreme Court justice has warned that conceding any part of the Philippine claims is an impeachable offense for the president. Duterte has had a falling out with President Barack Obama, but has reached out to bolster relations with Chinese and Russian leaders.
By IANS

CAIRO: At least 100 militants were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Egyptian government against jihadist targets in North Sinai, a security source said.

The Armed Forces said in a televised statement on Saturday it pursued the criminal and terrorist elements who implemented the terrorist attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

The airstrikes targeted the hideouts of the armed extremists involved in Friday's attacks, and all areas that harbour the terrorist elements along with the weapons and ammunition depots were destroyed in the airstrikes, which lasted for three hours and is still ongoing, the statement added.

At least 40 militants were wounded in the air raids, the source added.

He added that the airstrikes have bombed three suspected jihadist bases in Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and Al-Arish cities in Egypt.

The airstrikes were a retaliation to the killing of 12 army personnel on October 14 at a checkpoint.

North Sinai province has been a hub for anti-security attacks that killed hundreds since the army-led ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

A Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for most of attacks, including the October 14 assault.

CAIRO: At least 100 militants were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Egyptian government against jihadist targets in North Sinai, a security source said. The Armed Forces said in a televised statement on Saturday it pursued the criminal and terrorist elements who implemented the terrorist attack, Xinhua news agency reported. The airstrikes targeted the hideouts of the armed extremists involved in Friday's attacks, and all areas that harbour the terrorist elements along with the weapons and ammunition depots were destroyed in the airstrikes, which lasted for three hours and is still ongoing, the statement added. At least 40 militants were wounded in the air raids, the source added. He added that the airstrikes have bombed three suspected jihadist bases in Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and Al-Arish cities in Egypt. The airstrikes were a retaliation to the killing of 12 army personnel on October 14 at a checkpoint. North Sinai province has been a hub for anti-security attacks that killed hundreds since the army-led ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. A Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for most of attacks, including the October 14 assault.
By PTI

BENAULIM: With military deals worth about Rs 60,000 crore signed and sealed with India here, Russia is hopeful that another big ticket agreement on Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft will be inked by year-end.



"The agreement had been completed on our end, we are ready to sign it. It is now down to the Indian side.



"There are some formalities to figure out, but I think it will be signed by the end of this year," Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Rostec State Corporation, a Russian umbrella organisation of 700 hi-tech civilian and military firms, said here.



After a hiatus of nearly a year, India and Russia had in February revived talks on the much delayed FGFA project after a clearance from Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.



Since then, a lot of issues related to work share, IPR and technology transfer among others have been sorted out between the two sides along with the monetary commitments.



Under the new offer, India will have to pay about USD 3.7 billion, instead of USD 6 billion, for the technological know-how and three prototypes of the fighters, defence sources have said.



In 2010, India had agreed to pay USD 295 million towards the preliminary design of the fighter, called in India as Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF).



"The FGFA project will produce a state of the art fighter jet, and it will be the result of the work on Russia's most modern technology done by both Russian and Indian engineers

and constructors," Chemezov said.



"As a Fifth Generation, it means fifth generation speed, ballistics and military equipment, avionics and stealth capabilities among other qualities," he said.



"It shall be on a par with the capabilities of Russia's PAK-FA T-50 aircraft, a Fifth-Generation fighter but as it will be designed in the next few years, it is likely to exceed

it in some specifics.



"Our technology is always developing," the Russia's top defence industry official said.



BENAULIM: With military deals worth about Rs 60,000 crore signed and sealed with India here, Russia is hopeful that another big ticket agreement on Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft will be inked by year-end. "The agreement had been completed on our end, we are ready to sign it. It is now down to the Indian side. "There are some formalities to figure out, but I think it will be signed by the end of this year," Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Rostec State Corporation, a Russian umbrella organisation of 700 hi-tech civilian and military firms, said here. After a hiatus of nearly a year, India and Russia had in February revived talks on the much delayed FGFA project after a clearance from Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Since then, a lot of issues related to work share, IPR and technology transfer among others have been sorted out between the two sides along with the monetary commitments. Under the new offer, India will have to pay about USD 3.7 billion, instead of USD 6 billion, for the technological know-how and three prototypes of the fighters, defence sources have said. In 2010, India had agreed to pay USD 295 million towards the preliminary design of the fighter, called in India as Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF). "The FGFA project will produce a state of the art fighter jet, and it will be the result of the work on Russia's most modern technology done by both Russian and Indian engineers and constructors," Chemezov said. "As a Fifth Generation, it means fifth generation speed, ballistics and military equipment, avionics and stealth capabilities among other qualities," he said. "It shall be on a par with the capabilities of Russia's PAK-FA T-50 aircraft, a Fifth-Generation fighter but as it will be designed in the next few years, it is likely to exceed it in some specifics. "Our technology is always developing," the Russia's top defence industry official said.
By IANS

KIGALI: India knows the subcontinent is vulnerable to climate change but it also wanted a fair deal to phase out gases that are making global warming worse, a deal which also serves Indian development, UN Environment Chief Erik Solheim has said in an interview to IANS in the Rwandan capital.



He believes that US President Barak Obama reaching out to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders has been critical to achieving a landmark deal on Saturday to phase out the heat-trapping organic compounds -- hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) -- and replacing them with climate-friendly alternatives.



"I am so glad! This is such a victory for Mother Earth. Up to half a degree of global warming is avoided and thus less droughts, cyclones and destruction of our beautiful planet," was the first reaction of Solheim after the amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was endorsed in this Rwandan capital.



The amendment is the single largest contribution the world has made towards keeping the rise of global temperature to "well below" two degrees Celsius, a target agreed upon at the Paris climate conference in 2015.



Hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) are widely used in refrigerators, air-conditioners and aerosol sprays.



Following seven years of negotiations, the 197 Montreal Protocol parties reached a compromise, under which developed countries will start phasing down HFCs by 2019, while the developing countries, including India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, will phase them out at a baseline of 2024-2026 and a freeze date of 2028.



The baseline year determines the level at which the HFC consumption in countries are capped.



Solheim said that the UN Environment has worked extremely hard over a number of years for this to happen. "In the beginning it was slow. But this year we all speeded up with the aim of concluding the deal in Kigali. So many people are to be thanked for this great victory."



About India's role in the amendment reached to cut out use of HFCs, he said: "India knows that the subcontinent is more vulnerable to climate change than many other parts of the world. So India has desired to phase out the dangerous climate gases. Understandably, India as a main player in international affairs has also wanted a fair deal, a deal which also serves Indian development. That is exactly what we have got," Solheim told this IANS correspondent.



Solheim -- who said he was inspired by the life and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace and non-violence, in the global fight against climate change -- said the US played an important role in convincing India to go for a freeze date of 2028 -- instead of 2030.



"I want to pay tribute to the leadership provided by President Obama and Foreign Secretary Kerry. The fact that Obama has reached out to Prime Minister Modi and other world leaders has been critical. Negotiators are good and important people, but for deals to happen, the top level of states must be involved."



Regarding the role of China -- the world's largest HFC producer -- during negotiations for an amendment to the Montreal Protocol, he said: "China has been a most constructive player in this process, pushing for urgent and decisive action."



"China is so big both in terms of emissions and in terms of business solutions and technological change, that it is fair to say that without China we could not have reached any agreement in Kigali. China deserves the warmest of thanks."



He candidly admitted that there were differences of opinion among the signatories to the Montreal Protocol over the amendment.



"Indeed. If you read media summaries from 1987, when the Montreal Protocol was agreed, many said it was too weak and full of loopholes. The world has proved otherwise. I am confident that we will achieve the Kigali ambitions well ahead of time."



"When governments send strong signals to the private sector, business will step up and develop new refrigerators and new air-condition systems much faster than we believe. And those who are slow in turning around will lose markets."



Regarding allocation of the Multilateral Fund to the developing countries to help industry successfully phase down HFCs, Solheim said: "One beauty of the Montreal Protocol is that donors have been very responsible and delivered the promised money on time. I am confident that will continue when we are now also stepping up on climate."



At the four-day-long 28th meeting of the Parties to the 1989 Montreal Protocol that ended on Saturday, more than 150 countries also agreed to provide adequate financing for reduction of HFCs, the cost of which is estimated at billions of dollars globally.



The exact amount of additional funding will be agreed at the next Meeting of the Parties in Montreal in 2017, said the UNEP.



Grants for research and development of affordable alternatives to hydrofluorocarbons will be the immediate priority.



The new agreement will see three pathways for different countries.



The A2 (developed) countries have agreed to a baseline of 2011-2013 with cuts in HFCs beginning in 2019. In fact, the US, the European Union and other countries have already started this process.



A5 (developing) countries have agreed to two sub-groups with two different baselines.



A5 Group 2 includes India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq -- with a baseline of 2024-2026 and a freeze date of 2028 (two years earlier than India had originally proposed).



China, Brazil, South Africa, Argentina and more than 100 other developing countries committed to freeze their HFC production and use by 2024.

KIGALI: India knows the subcontinent is vulnerable to climate change but it also wanted a fair deal to phase out gases that are making global warming worse, a deal which also serves Indian development, UN Environment Chief Erik Solheim has said in an interview to IANS in the Rwandan capital. He believes that US President Barak Obama reaching out to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders has been critical to achieving a landmark deal on Saturday to phase out the heat-trapping organic compounds -- hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) -- and replacing them with climate-friendly alternatives. "I am so glad! This is such a victory for Mother Earth. Up to half a degree of global warming is avoided and thus less droughts, cyclones and destruction of our beautiful planet," was the first reaction of Solheim after the amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was endorsed in this Rwandan capital. The amendment is the single largest contribution the world has made towards keeping the rise of global temperature to "well below" two degrees Celsius, a target agreed upon at the Paris climate conference in 2015. Hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) are widely used in refrigerators, air-conditioners and aerosol sprays. Following seven years of negotiations, the 197 Montreal Protocol parties reached a compromise, under which developed countries will start phasing down HFCs by 2019, while the developing countries, including India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, will phase them out at a baseline of 2024-2026 and a freeze date of 2028. The baseline year determines the level at which the HFC consumption in countries are capped. Solheim said that the UN Environment has worked extremely hard over a number of years for this to happen. "In the beginning it was slow. But this year we all speeded up with the aim of concluding the deal in Kigali. So many people are to be thanked for this great victory." About India's role in the amendment reached to cut out use of HFCs, he said: "India knows that the subcontinent is more vulnerable to climate change than many other parts of the world. So India has desired to phase out the dangerous climate gases. Understandably, India as a main player in international affairs has also wanted a fair deal, a deal which also serves Indian development. That is exactly what we have got," Solheim told this IANS correspondent. Solheim -- who said he was inspired by the life and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace and non-violence, in the global fight against climate change -- said the US played an important role in convincing India to go for a freeze date of 2028 -- instead of 2030. "I want to pay tribute to the leadership provided by President Obama and Foreign Secretary Kerry. The fact that Obama has reached out to Prime Minister Modi and other world leaders has been critical. Negotiators are good and important people, but for deals to happen, the top level of states must be involved." Regarding the role of China -- the world's largest HFC producer -- during negotiations for an amendment to the Montreal Protocol, he said: "China has been a most constructive player in this process, pushing for urgent and decisive action." "China is so big both in terms of emissions and in terms of business solutions and technological change, that it is fair to say that without China we could not have reached any agreement in Kigali. China deserves the warmest of thanks." He candidly admitted that there were differences of opinion among the signatories to the Montreal Protocol over the amendment. "Indeed. If you read media summaries from 1987, when the Montreal Protocol was agreed, many said it was too weak and full of loopholes. The world has proved otherwise. I am confident that we will achieve the Kigali ambitions well ahead of time." "When governments send strong signals to the private sector, business will step up and develop new refrigerators and new air-condition systems much faster than we believe. And those who are slow in turning around will lose markets." Regarding allocation of the Multilateral Fund to the developing countries to help industry successfully phase down HFCs, Solheim said: "One beauty of the Montreal Protocol is that donors have been very responsible and delivered the promised money on time. I am confident that will continue when we are now also stepping up on climate." At the four-day-long 28th meeting of the Parties to the 1989 Montreal Protocol that ended on Saturday, more than 150 countries also agreed to provide adequate financing for reduction of HFCs, the cost of which is estimated at billions of dollars globally. The exact amount of additional funding will be agreed at the next Meeting of the Parties in Montreal in 2017, said the UNEP. Grants for research and development of affordable alternatives to hydrofluorocarbons will be the immediate priority. The new agreement will see three pathways for different countries. The A2 (developed) countries have agreed to a baseline of 2011-2013 with cuts in HFCs beginning in 2019. In fact, the US, the European Union and other countries have already started this process. A5 (developing) countries have agreed to two sub-groups with two different baselines. A5 Group 2 includes India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq -- with a baseline of 2024-2026 and a freeze date of 2028 (two years earlier than India had originally proposed). China, Brazil, South Africa, Argentina and more than 100 other developing countries committed to freeze their HFC production and use by 2024.
By PTI

BENAULIM: Seeking to allay India's concern over Russia's growing military ties with Pakistan, a top official and close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin today said there are no talks for sale of military equipment to Pakistan and that the recently held army exercise was directed at countering terrorism and not aimed at India.

Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Rostech State Corporation, an umbrella organisation of 700 hi-tech civilian and military firms, asserted that the military exercise does not show a "significant" change in his country's relations with Pakistan.

"Our relationship with Pakistan has existed for a while. In some areas it has broadened but I will not call it as significant change," Chemezov, who was the KGB station chief in Germany when Putin was a young operative there, told a select group of journalists.

Asked about the recently held army exercise, Chemezov said it was directly connected with modern way of specialised fight against terrorists.

Highlighting terrorism, he said that ISIS was not just an Arab danger but a global one.

"ISIS is a global danger and it not just involves terrorism in the Arab world but does involve terrorists in

Russia, India as well as Pakistan. We feel that joint military exercise in this area are vital for world peace. These exercises are not in any way targeted at anything to do with India or any other country," Chemezov said.

Asked about the sale of Mi 35 attack helicopters to Pakistan, Chemezov said that Russia has "not delivered any modern aircraft or any military aircraft to Pakistan".

"We have made deliveries of helicopters but those are specialised transport helicopters. Delivery has already been made. There is no contract negotiations for any military related equipment to be delivered to Pakistan," he said.

Chemezov said that Russia would be glad to cooperate with India on the issue of terrorism and would be happy to not just provide equipment and weapons but also share best practices of its special forces and increase cooperation.

BENAULIM: Seeking to allay India's concern over Russia's growing military ties with Pakistan, a top official and close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin today said there are no talks for sale of military equipment to Pakistan and that the recently held army exercise was directed at countering terrorism and not aimed at India. Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Rostech State Corporation, an umbrella organisation of 700 hi-tech civilian and military firms, asserted that the military exercise does not show a "significant" change in his country's relations with Pakistan. "Our relationship with Pakistan has existed for a while. In some areas it has broadened but I will not call it as significant change," Chemezov, who was the KGB station chief in Germany when Putin was a young operative there, told a select group of journalists. Asked about the recently held army exercise, Chemezov said it was directly connected with modern way of specialised fight against terrorists. Highlighting terrorism, he said that ISIS was not just an Arab danger but a global one. "ISIS is a global danger and it not just involves terrorism in the Arab world but does involve terrorists in Russia, India as well as Pakistan. We feel that joint military exercise in this area are vital for world peace. These exercises are not in any way targeted at anything to do with India or any other country," Chemezov said. Asked about the sale of Mi 35 attack helicopters to Pakistan, Chemezov said that Russia has "not delivered any modern aircraft or any military aircraft to Pakistan". "We have made deliveries of helicopters but those are specialised transport helicopters. Delivery has already been made. There is no contract negotiations for any military related equipment to be delivered to Pakistan," he said. Chemezov said that Russia would be glad to cooperate with India on the issue of terrorism and would be happy to not just provide equipment and weapons but also share best practices of its special forces and increase cooperation.
By ANI

ISLAMABAD: Launching a fresh attack on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has unveiled his plan to paralyse Islamabad. According to the plan, the party workers will be blocking the roads leading to government offices.

The Dawn quoted Khan saying, Now, Nawaz Sharif will have to either resign or will be held accountable for his proven corruption. He was speaking at a gathering of Insaf Professional Forum.

However, he implied at the possibility of a change in the schedule of the Islamabad lock-down date. Earlier, October 30 was announced as the final showdown date by him.

The PTI chief urged the masses to be ready for a longer showdown in Islamabad and said that the workers would continue occupying roads and entrances of major government offices such as National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency, Federal Board of Revenue and Election Commission of Pakistan.

Asserting that that his struggle was against the corrupt mafia, Khan said that the country could be strengthened if institutions were strengthened.He stated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Police force and hospitals, local government system and bank of Khyber are glaring examples of merit and strength.

Appealing to the masses, Khan said, If you want to see Pakistan in its real vein, come and join the PTI in its decisive sit-in in Islamabad.

Criticising the incumbent PML-N and previous PPP governments for weakening state institutions, he said NAB had failed to act against Nawaz, Shahbaz, Ishaq Dar and Khursheed Shah.

Khan said only Sharifs factories and bank accounts were growing day by day. He also criticised Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal for his statement that the Supreme Court should stay in its limits.



He even did not spared Mariam Nawaz and Hamza Shahbaz for acting as deputy prime minister and deputy chief minister.

Khan said, This is monarchism and rightly highlighted by the Supreme Court judge.

ISLAMABAD: Launching a fresh attack on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has unveiled his plan to paralyse Islamabad. According to the plan, the party workers will be blocking the roads leading to government offices. The Dawn quoted Khan saying, Now, Nawaz Sharif will have to either resign or will be held accountable for his proven corruption. He was speaking at a gathering of Insaf Professional Forum. However, he implied at the possibility of a change in the schedule of the Islamabad lock-down date. Earlier, October 30 was announced as the final showdown date by him. The PTI chief urged the masses to be ready for a longer showdown in Islamabad and said that the workers would continue occupying roads and entrances of major government offices such as National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency, Federal Board of Revenue and Election Commission of Pakistan. Asserting that that his struggle was against the corrupt mafia, Khan said that the country could be strengthened if institutions were strengthened.He stated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Police force and hospitals, local government system and bank of Khyber are glaring examples of merit and strength. Appealing to the masses, Khan said, If you want to see Pakistan in its real vein, come and join the PTI in its decisive sit-in in Islamabad. Criticising the incumbent PML-N and previous PPP governments for weakening state institutions, he said NAB had failed to act against Nawaz, Shahbaz, Ishaq Dar and Khursheed Shah. Khan said only Sharifs factories and bank accounts were growing day by day. He also criticised Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal for his statement that the Supreme Court should stay in its limits. He even did not spared Mariam Nawaz and Hamza Shahbaz for acting as deputy prime minister and deputy chief minister. Khan said, This is monarchism and rightly highlighted by the Supreme Court judge.
By PTI

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Prachanda held a trilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa and pitched Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants, a media report here said today.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit yesterday, first held a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them, The Himalayan Times reported along with a photo of the meeting. The three leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachanda's personal secretary Prakash Dahal was quoted as saying.

During the meeting yesterday, Prachanda was quoted as saying that though Nepal is a small country, it is extremely rich in cultural and religious diversity. He said Pashupatinath, Gautam Buddha and Janaki have connected to the three countries. Albeit, Nepal is located between two giant powers of Asia -- India and China -- a prosperous Nepal is possible with their help and cooperation, Prachanda said.

"We wish to reap benefits of this geographical specialty by working as a dynamic bridge between the two countries," he said. Chinese President Xi agreed with Prachanda stating that geography of any country would not play a decisive role in terms of many things like development, the report said.

He also praised Nepal's role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in the future. "Likewise, Indian PM Modi acknowledged there are geographical, emotional and cultural relations among India, Nepal and China," the report said. Prachanda's spouse Sita Dahal was also present in the meeting.

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Prachanda held a trilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa and pitched Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants, a media report here said today. Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit yesterday, first held a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them, The Himalayan Times reported along with a photo of the meeting. The three leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachanda's personal secretary Prakash Dahal was quoted as saying. During the meeting yesterday, Prachanda was quoted as saying that though Nepal is a small country, it is extremely rich in cultural and religious diversity. He said Pashupatinath, Gautam Buddha and Janaki have connected to the three countries. Albeit, Nepal is located between two giant powers of Asia -- India and China -- a prosperous Nepal is possible with their help and cooperation, Prachanda said. "We wish to reap benefits of this geographical specialty by working as a dynamic bridge between the two countries," he said. Chinese President Xi agreed with Prachanda stating that geography of any country would not play a decisive role in terms of many things like development, the report said. He also praised Nepal's role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in the future. "Likewise, Indian PM Modi acknowledged there are geographical, emotional and cultural relations among India, Nepal and China," the report said. Prachanda's spouse Sita Dahal was also present in the meeting.
PK Balachandran By

Express News Service

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan Muslim women are banking on the framers of the countrys new constitution to raise the minimum age of marriage for Muslim girls to the national statutory level of 18.

Under the existing Muslim Marriage and Divorce (MMDA) Act 1951, there is no minimum age as such, except for the stipulation that, if a girl is below 12, the permission of the Quazi is required, says the Muslim Personal Law Reforms Action Group (PMLRAG). There is also no requirement for the consent of the girl if she is less than 18.

According to PMLRAG, data on registered Muslim marriages from four divisions in two Eastern districts, show over 143 cases of underage marriage in 2014 and over 118 cases for the first few months of 2015.

All this is because Article 16(1) of the present Constitution allows these discrepancies. Art 16 (1) lists laws which cannot change with changes in the constitution, and the MMDA is one of them. The obnoxious thing is that Art 16 (1) supersedes the guarantees of equality and non-discrimination contained in Art 12 .This means that nothing can be done if an aspect of Muslim Personal Law violates a Fundamental Right under Art 12.

Almost all Muslim women who testified before the Public Representations Committee on Constitutional Reforms and the Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights wanted the repeal of Art 16 (1). But Muslim parties have been against it on the plea that non-Muslims cannot dictate terms on such religious matters. All members of the Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights were for a change, except the Muslim member.

According to Shreen Saroor of PMLRAG, Muslim political leaders are willing to change if the Ulemas come out in support of it. But so far, no Muslim religious leader or religious body has voiced an opinion. The multi-ethnic Justice Saleem Marsoof committee, which was set up in 2009 to consider changes in the MMDA, is yet to release a report.

However, M.A.Sumanthiran of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said that in the new constitution, Fundamental Rights cannot be denied to any group.

Laws which were drafted at a different time under different conditions, cannot continue if they violate existing concepts of democracy and fundamental rights, he said. Sumanthiran was confident that this view will ultimately prevail.

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan Muslim women are banking on the framers of the countrys new constitution to raise the minimum age of marriage for Muslim girls to the national statutory level of 18. Under the existing Muslim Marriage and Divorce (MMDA) Act 1951, there is no minimum age as such, except for the stipulation that, if a girl is below 12, the permission of the Quazi is required, says the Muslim Personal Law Reforms Action Group (PMLRAG). There is also no requirement for the consent of the girl if she is less than 18. According to PMLRAG, data on registered Muslim marriages from four divisions in two Eastern districts, show over 143 cases of underage marriage in 2014 and over 118 cases for the first few months of 2015. All this is because Article 16(1) of the present Constitution allows these discrepancies. Art 16 (1) lists laws which cannot change with changes in the constitution, and the MMDA is one of them. The obnoxious thing is that Art 16 (1) supersedes the guarantees of equality and non-discrimination contained in Art 12 .This means that nothing can be done if an aspect of Muslim Personal Law violates a Fundamental Right under Art 12. Almost all Muslim women who testified before the Public Representations Committee on Constitutional Reforms and the Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights wanted the repeal of Art 16 (1). But Muslim parties have been against it on the plea that non-Muslims cannot dictate terms on such religious matters. All members of the Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights were for a change, except the Muslim member. According to Shreen Saroor of PMLRAG, Muslim political leaders are willing to change if the Ulemas come out in support of it. But so far, no Muslim religious leader or religious body has voiced an opinion. The multi-ethnic Justice Saleem Marsoof committee, which was set up in 2009 to consider changes in the MMDA, is yet to release a report. However, M.A.Sumanthiran of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said that in the new constitution, Fundamental Rights cannot be denied to any group. Laws which were drafted at a different time under different conditions, cannot continue if they violate existing concepts of democracy and fundamental rights, he said. Sumanthiran was confident that this view will ultimately prevail.
By Associated Press

ISTANBUL: A suicide bomber blew himself up Sunday during a Turkish police raid against suspected Islamic State members near the Syrian border, killing three police officers and wounding nine other people, an official said.

In a separate explosion, a man suspected of being responsible for an IS suicide bomber cell in Gaziantep blew himself about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away in another district of the city, provincial governor Ali Yerlikaya said in a televised statement. No one else was killed or wounded in the second blast.

Earlier, police received a tip about a group of IS militants hiding in a house in the city's Sahinbey district and launched an operation to apprehend them. A militant blew himself up when he realized he couldn't escape. Three police officers were killed, while five police officers and four civilians were wounded, Yerlikaya said.

News reports initially said that more than one suicide bomber was involved in the first explosion.

The governor said the police raid followed intelligence that the group could be planning an attack on an Alevi cultural association in the city. The Alevis are an offshoot of Shia Islam and are the largest religious group in Turkey after Sunnis. IS regards Alevis as heretics.

Hours later, a man suspected of organizing IS activities in Gaziantep blew himself up in an apartment as Turkish police were about to "neutralize" him, Yerlikaya said. The man was identified by the governor as Mehmet Kadir Cebael. The man's wife and two children were apprehended alive. TV footage showed the fifth floor of the building in which part of the wall was blown away.

The governor said Cebael was the "brain" behind the plan to attack the Alevi cultural association.

Turkey has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks over the past year, carried out by IS or Kurdish militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

In August, 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up during an outdoor wedding celebration in Gaziantep. Authorities said the attack was the work of the IS group.

Following the deadly attack in August, Turkish tanks entered the Syrian town of Jarablus and began its Euphrates Shield operation with Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces to clear its shared border with Syria from IS. The symbolic town of Dabiq in northern Syria was captured Sunday where IS fighters put up "minimal" resistance.

ISTANBUL: A suicide bomber blew himself up Sunday during a Turkish police raid against suspected Islamic State members near the Syrian border, killing three police officers and wounding nine other people, an official said. In a separate explosion, a man suspected of being responsible for an IS suicide bomber cell in Gaziantep blew himself about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away in another district of the city, provincial governor Ali Yerlikaya said in a televised statement. No one else was killed or wounded in the second blast. Earlier, police received a tip about a group of IS militants hiding in a house in the city's Sahinbey district and launched an operation to apprehend them. A militant blew himself up when he realized he couldn't escape. Three police officers were killed, while five police officers and four civilians were wounded, Yerlikaya said. News reports initially said that more than one suicide bomber was involved in the first explosion. The governor said the police raid followed intelligence that the group could be planning an attack on an Alevi cultural association in the city. The Alevis are an offshoot of Shia Islam and are the largest religious group in Turkey after Sunnis. IS regards Alevis as heretics. Hours later, a man suspected of organizing IS activities in Gaziantep blew himself up in an apartment as Turkish police were about to "neutralize" him, Yerlikaya said. The man was identified by the governor as Mehmet Kadir Cebael. The man's wife and two children were apprehended alive. TV footage showed the fifth floor of the building in which part of the wall was blown away. The governor said Cebael was the "brain" behind the plan to attack the Alevi cultural association. Turkey has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks over the past year, carried out by IS or Kurdish militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. In August, 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up during an outdoor wedding celebration in Gaziantep. Authorities said the attack was the work of the IS group. Following the deadly attack in August, Turkish tanks entered the Syrian town of Jarablus and began its Euphrates Shield operation with Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces to clear its shared border with Syria from IS. The symbolic town of Dabiq in northern Syria was captured Sunday where IS fighters put up "minimal" resistance.
P K Balachandran By

Express News Service

Colombo: The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which is highly dissatisfied with the Sri Lankan governments new draft law to replace the existing draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), is confident about getting it modified when it comes before the oversight committees of parliament.

TNA MP M.A.Sumanthiran told Express on Sunday, that he would take it up when it comes before the two relevant Parliamentary Oversight Committees, the one on Justice and the other on National Security, at the end of this month.

I am a member of both and am confident of success, the Supreme Court Senior Counsel turned political leader said. He said he has several Supreme Court observations to back his claim.

The draft law says that a detainee under the new law ( as under the PTA) would not be entitled to legal assistance before or during the recording of the first statement to the police. The detainee can get an attorneys help only 48 hours after a police officer had recorded the first statement or after arrest, which ever occurs first. Secondly any statement made to a police officer not below the rank of a Superintendent of Police is admissible as evidence in a court of law.

But Sumanthiran said that it is well known and well documented that the police resort to torture to extract a confession in the very first statement made to them.

There are innumerable cases in which the Supreme Court has castigated the prosecution for extracting confessions through torture and have asked the police not to repeat it. But this is routinely flouted, the TNA MP pointed out.

He admitted that in several countries the anti-terror law has similar provisions. But added that these are due to social conditions prevailing in those countries. According to him, the Sri Lankan situation has undergone a change after the war ended, and the rules which existed during the war cannot continue to be applied now.

Moreover, Sri Lanka has pledged to the UN Human Rights Council in September October 2015, that it will repeal the PTA and replace it with a law which is in tune with international best practices as regards anti-terror legislation.

Sumanthiran warned that th ehuman rights conscious European Union (EU) will not agree to restore GSP-Plus tariff concessions to Sri Lankan products if the PTA is not substituted by a satisfactory anti-terror law. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is currently in Brussels to urge the EU to restore the concessions.

Moreover, the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Rita Izsak Ndiaye, is currently touring Sri Lanka to report on minority issues. Her report may have adverse observations on this issue.

Sumanthiran pointed out that earlier, when the Law Commission was asked to present a draft law, it had recommended the deletion of the offensive clauses. But when the government put that draft before security officials, they objected to it strongly and forced the government to retain the existing provisions.

Colombo: The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which is highly dissatisfied with the Sri Lankan governments new draft law to replace the existing draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), is confident about getting it modified when it comes before the oversight committees of parliament. TNA MP M.A.Sumanthiran told Express on Sunday, that he would take it up when it comes before the two relevant Parliamentary Oversight Committees, the one on Justice and the other on National Security, at the end of this month. I am a member of both and am confident of success, the Supreme Court Senior Counsel turned political leader said. He said he has several Supreme Court observations to back his claim. The draft law says that a detainee under the new law ( as under the PTA) would not be entitled to legal assistance before or during the recording of the first statement to the police. The detainee can get an attorneys help only 48 hours after a police officer had recorded the first statement or after arrest, which ever occurs first. Secondly any statement made to a police officer not below the rank of a Superintendent of Police is admissible as evidence in a court of law. But Sumanthiran said that it is well known and well documented that the police resort to torture to extract a confession in the very first statement made to them. There are innumerable cases in which the Supreme Court has castigated the prosecution for extracting confessions through torture and have asked the police not to repeat it. But this is routinely flouted, the TNA MP pointed out. He admitted that in several countries the anti-terror law has similar provisions. But added that these are due to social conditions prevailing in those countries. According to him, the Sri Lankan situation has undergone a change after the war ended, and the rules which existed during the war cannot continue to be applied now. Moreover, Sri Lanka has pledged to the UN Human Rights Council in September October 2015, that it will repeal the PTA and replace it with a law which is in tune with international best practices as regards anti-terror legislation. Sumanthiran warned that th ehuman rights conscious European Union (EU) will not agree to restore GSP-Plus tariff concessions to Sri Lankan products if the PTA is not substituted by a satisfactory anti-terror law. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is currently in Brussels to urge the EU to restore the concessions. Moreover, the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Rita Izsak Ndiaye, is currently touring Sri Lanka to report on minority issues. Her report may have adverse observations on this issue. Sumanthiran pointed out that earlier, when the Law Commission was asked to present a draft law, it had recommended the deletion of the offensive clauses. But when the government put that draft before security officials, they objected to it strongly and forced the government to retain the existing provisions.
Twenty20 chief coordinator Sabu M Jacob has said his party is against mixing politics with religion.
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Our County Editor

Dave Hinton is editor of The News-Gazette's Our County section and former editor of the Rantoul Press. He can be reached at dhinton@news-gazette.com.
Conventional medical wisdom has long held that placebo effects depend on patients' belief they are getting pharmacologically active medication. A paper published today in the journal Pain is the first to demonstrate that patients who knowingly took a placebo in conjunction with traditional treatment for lower back pain saw more improvement than those given traditional treatment alone.

"These findings turn our understanding of the placebo effect on its head," said joint senior author Ted Kaptchuk, director of the Program for Placebo Studies and the Therapeutic Encounter at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "This new research demonstrates that the placebo effect is not necessarily elicited by patients' conscious expectation that they are getting an active medicine, as long thought. Taking a pill in the context of a patient-clinician relationship - even if you know it's a placebo - is a ritual that changes symptoms and probably activates regions of the brain that modulate symptoms."

Kaptchuk, with colleagues at Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada (ISPA) in Lisbon, Portugal, studied 97 patients with chronic lower back pain (cLBP), which causes more disability than any other medical condition worldwide. After all participants were screened and examined by a registered nurse practitioner and board certified pain specialist, the researchers gave all patients a 15-minute explanation of the placebo effect. Only then was the group randomized into one of two groups; the treatment-as-usual (TAU) group or the open-label placebo (OLP) group.

The vast majority of participants in both groups (between 85 and 88 percent) were already taking medications - mostly non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) - for their pain. (Patients taking opioid medications were excluded from the trial.) Participants in both the TAU and OLP groups were allowed to continue taking these drugs, but were required not to change dosages or make any other major lifestyle changes, such as starting an exercise plan or new medication, which could impact their pain.

In addition, patients in the OLP group were given a medicine bottle labeled "placebo pills" with directions to take two capsules containing only microcrystalline cellulose and no active medication twice daily.

At the end of their three-week course of pills, the OLP group overall reported 30 percent reductions in both usual pain and maximum pain, compared to 9 percent and 16 percent reductions, respectively, for the TAU group. The group taking placebo pills also saw a 29 percent drop in pain-related disability. Those receiving treatment as usual saw almost no improvement by that measure.

"It's the benefit of being immersed in treatment: interacting with a physician or nurse, taking pills, all the rituals and symbols of our healthcare system," Kaptchuk said. "The body responds to that."

"Our findings demonstrate the placebo effect can be elicited without deception," said lead author, Claudia Carvalho, PhD, of ISPA. "Patients were interested in what would happen and enjoyed this novel approach to their pain. They felt empowered."

Kaptchuk speculates that other conditions with symptoms and complaints that are based on self-observation (like other kinds of pain, fatigue, depression, common digestive or urinary symptoms) may also be modulated by open-label treatment.

"You're never going to shrink a tumor or unclog an artery with placebo intervention," he said. "It's not a cure-all, but it makes people feel better, for sure. Our lab is saying you can't throw the placebo into the trash can. It has clinical meaning, it's statically significant, and it relieves patients. It's essential to what medicine means."

"Taking placebo pills to relieve symptoms without a warm and empathic relationship with a health-care provider relationship probably would not work," noted Carvalho.
BIMSTEC leaders on Sunday called for sustainable development, economic progress, poverty eradication and comprehensive stamping out of terrorism and closer relation with BRICS even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the region faces many challenges but also has many economic opportunities.Speaking at the inauguration of the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit here, Modi said: "Unequal development, food and energy insecurity, poverty eradication, the impact of climate change, and growing threats posed by terrorism and transnational crime define our governance priorities.ALSO READ: Terrorism is Pakistan's Favourite Child, It's Time for Bold Action Now: PM Modi at BRICS-BIMSTEC Summit "But, alongside these challenges, there exists a large basket of economic opportunities. With 1.5 billion people and a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion, the countries of BIMSTEC have shared aspirations for growth, development, commerce, and technology."Modi said the convergence of BRICS and BIMSTEC would provide a perfect opportunity to frame economic and development partnership, shape ties in the fields of energy, agriculture, technology, fisheries, and culture, structure trade, investment and commercial partnerships and resources to fight terrorism and transnational crime.He also said, that in particular, areas of commerce, connectivity, culture, security and disaster management appear promising as far as identifying collaborative possibilities is concerned, adding that India, being a member of both blocs, would be "happy to take a lead in this direction.Following the Uri attack in September, India, as host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, chose to invite countries belonging to the BIMSTEC grouping over those of SAARC.Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.As New Delhi has launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community, the invitation to BIMSTEC countries instead of the SAARC countries is being seen as another step in this direction.Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that are also not members of BIMSTEC.Speaking at the summit, Myanmar's State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi said the BIMSTEC region was confronted with numerous security threats, including rising terrorism, climate change, natural and manmade disasters.Suu Kyi also called for collective stepping up of pressure on human trafficking, which she said was "modern day slavery and "one of the most pervasive human rights violations"."We need to step up to intensity in the global efforts to combat global trafficking in a collective and a concerted manner," she said.Like her, as well as Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, who their speeches collectively expressed solidarity with India, in view of the series of terrorist strikes, Bangladesh Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina also condemned the terror strike and said her country has "zero tolerance to terrorism and violent extremism".Hasina also said the potential and strategic advantage of both the BRICS and BIMSTEC regions was enormous and both needed to mutually take advantage of each other's potential."BRICS has to engage with BIMSTEC. BIMSTEC needs to develop quality infrastructure and attract investment," she said, adding that the new banks floated by the BRICS bloc could help channelize investment in the low income countries in BIMSTEC.Hasina also said a sizeable part of the population in the bloc were grappling with challenges posed by poverty, sanitation, climate change and appealed to BRICS nations to partner with them for collective benefit.Small countries, she said, cannot be left behind, when one speaks of collective development.Prachanda underlined poverty as one of the major issues confronting the BIMSTEC region and said sectors like agriculture, energy, clean development, connectivity, etc."Importance of physical connectivity for landlocked countries is vital. Co-operation in field of energy can be game changer in socio-economic development," he said.
The five-nation powerful grouping of BRICS on Sunday asked all countries to prevent "terrorist actions" from their territories and called for expeditious adoption of an India-backed global convention by the UN to fight the menace effectively.A declaration adopted at the annual summit of grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa called upon all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism, violent extremism, radicalisation, recruitment, movement of terrorists, including foreign terrorists and blocking sources of financing terrorism."We call upon all nations to work together to expedite the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in the UN General Assembly without any further delay," the Goa declaration issued at the end of the Summit said.It also asked the countries to adopt a "holistic" approach in successfully combating terrorism.Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for decisive action to deal with terrorism and described Pakistan as a mothership of global terrorism.The BRICS said sources of terror funding like organised crime by means of money-laundering, drug trafficking, criminal activities, dismantling terrorist bases, and countering misuse of the internet including through social media by terror entities should be focus areas."Successfully combating terrorism requires a holistic approach. All counter-terrorism measures should uphold international law and respect human rights," the declaration said.Stressing UN's central role in coordinating multilateral approaches against terrorism, the BRICS urged all nations to undertake effective implementation of relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and reaffirmed its commitment on increasing the effectiveness of the UN counter terrorism framework.In the declaration, the BRICS said it reaffirmed commitment to the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) international standards on combating money laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation.The FATF is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering. In 2001 the purpose expanded to act on terrorism financing.It also called for swift, effective and universal implementation of FATF on combating terrorist financing, including effective implementation of its operational plan.
Panjim: Day 2 of the eighth BRICS Summit 2016, an association that groups five major emerging economies  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  kicked off in Goa on Sunday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a bilateral meeting with his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay ahead of the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit.

Earlier on Sunday, Modi also met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.

Indias invitation to BIMSTEC countries instead of the SAARC countries is being seen as another step towards cornering Pakistan which also happens to be one of the main agendas of India for the eighth BRICS Summit.

BIMSTEC, known as Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, groups seven countries  Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.

India on Day 2 is geared up to further rally the international community against Pakistan after a series of deadly cross-border attacks.

The second day of the eighth BRICS summit is also expected to produce effective and inclusive common solutions to boost economic growth, trade relations and improve global governance.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Panjim: On day 2 of the eighth BRICS summit that comprises five major emerging national economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a bilateral meeting with his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit during which the two leaders discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations.



"Always a delight meeting you PM @tsheringtobgay. Glad to have discussed the full spectrum of India-Bhutan ties during our talks," Modi stated in a tweet.



Earlier on Sunday, Modi also met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.







India being the host of this year's BRICS Summit chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc, following the cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir in September that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers.



The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step towards cornering Pakistan which also happens to be one of the main agendas of India for the eighth BRICS Summit.



Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Modi also pulled out of this year's Saarc Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistan's state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason. Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan too followed suit citing the same reason while Sri Lanka held that a Saarc summit was not possible in India's absence.



On Day 1 of the Summit , India and Russia signed major defence deals and reiterated that there should be zero tolerance for direct and indirect support of terrorism and that the UN global strategy on counter-terrorism should be applied without any double standards.



The joint statement, signed by the two countries after two hours of talks, had a strongly worded paragraph on terrorism with the stressed on the need to deny safe havens to terrorists, and the importance of counter-terror ideology.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks on Saturday and agreed that terror was a scourge for the region but China steered clear of any commitment on action against Pakistan or terrorist Masood Azhar.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi also told President Xi Jinping that India and China could not afford to have differences on the scourge of terrorism and must look for common ground at the UN 1267 sanctions committee



However, an unmoved Xi didnt change the Chinese position on Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, despite agreeing that terrorism is a key issue.



Amid the ongoing BRICS summit in Goa and bilateral talks between various member countries of the grouping Brazil president Michel Temer said on the first day that the trade between Brazil and India can triple in a few years.



"With agreements, trade between Brazil and India can triple in a few years," Temer tweeted after arriving in Goa.



"My idea is to increase Brazil's relationship with India," he said on Twitter, noting that at present few renowned Brazilian companies have presence in India.



India is all set to further rally the international community against Pakistan after a series of deadly cross-border attacks. Among the major agendas of the eighth BRICS Summit which was set up in 2011 to make emerging economies a global force, is to advance common agenda for peace and stability.




Noida: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested 9 people with suspected Naxal links and recovered weapons from their possession from an apartment in Sector 49.



A Naxalite commander, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh, was also on Saturday arrested along with others, police said on Sunday.



Pradeep Singh Kharwar from Bariyatu village in Jharkhand's Latehar district was arrested during a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and intelligence agencies.







The area commander was hiding in Noida since February 2012. He carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his arrest, they said.



Another Naxal was arrested from Varanasi on nputs from the Noida Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team.



A major attack in Delhi and NCR has been averted with the arrest, police claimed, adding six weapons were seized from their possession.
Kathmandu/Benaulim: Pitching Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between India and China, Prime Minister Prachanda floated a proposal for trilateral strategic ties to Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Nepalese media reported on Sunday.



Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', during the trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit on Saturday, expressed Nepal's desire to act as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants and to reap the benefit of playing such a role.



The "trilateral meeting" was reported by Nepal's The Himalayan Times along with a photo of the leaders.



India, meanwhile, said both Xi and Prachanda were waiting in the leaders' lounge when Prime Minister Modi also reached there as he had to go with all the BRICS leaders for an informal dinner, turning the bilateral into a 'chance trilateral'.



External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup in Goa termed the episode "entirely coincidental".



"It was just entirely coincidental that in the leaders' lounge, all three were present at the same time. The bilateral meeting between China and Nepal had already ended. So, I don't know on what basis people are calling it a trilateral meeting. It is perfectly normal in a multilateral setting for leaders to be together in a lounge or on the sidelines or somewhere else," Swarup said.



The Himalayan Times story, on its part, cited a statement issued by Prachanda's secretariat on the Prime Minister's personal website and said he "floated a proposal for trilateral strategic partnership among the three countries".



Modi and Xi acknowledged as 'significant' and said they were positive towards it, the report said.



The Nepalese premier first held a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them. The leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachanda's personal secretary Prakash Dahal, who is also his son, was quoted as saying.



According to the statement, Prachanda said during the meeting that "we (Nepal) are located between two giant countries. We want to become a dynamic bridge between the two countries and reap the benefit".



"During the meeting, I put forth the issue of strategic partnership with emphasis," Dahal said, adding that "the Indian Prime Minister and Chinese President said Nepal's proposal on strategic partnership is significant and they agreed to it".



Noting that Buddha, Pashupatinath and Janaki connected Nepal, India and China, Prachanda was quoted as saying that Nepal can play a role of a bridge between India and China and help them build good relationship at present also.



He further said Nepal was inching towards the goals of development and wanted to establish a balanced, friendly and strategic relationship with both the neighbours, the report said.



The Nepalese premier also expressed his hope that the trilateral meeting could play a significant role in setting up an "epochal relationship" between Nepal, India and China, it said.



In response, Chinese President Xi was quoted as saying that the size of the country did not bear much significance and Nepal could become a bridge between India and China. He also praised Nepal's role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in the future.



Noting that the three countries shared "geographical, emotional and cultural friendship, Indian Prime Minister Modi said India was positive towards Nepal's proposal on trilateral partnership," the report said.



Prachanda's wife Sita Dahal was also present at the meeting.




Benaulim (Goa): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a bilateral meeting with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit in Goa.



"Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for first engagement," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.



As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.



Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.



Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.



New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.



The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.



Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.



Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pulled out of this year's Saarc Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistan's state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason.



Afghanistan and Bangladesh too followed suit citing the same reason while Sri Lanka held that a Saarc summit was not possible in India's absence.



The BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit will be held here later on Sunday.




Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump on Saturday reached out to the Indian-American community with a speech in New Jersey which was full of praises for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Hindu community.



Trump termed India as a "strategic ally" and promised that India and United states will become "best friends" should he get elected.



Here are the top quotes from the speech.



# "Your great Prime Minister has been a pro-growth leader for India. He has simplified the tax code, cut the taxes and the economy is strong growing at 7 per cent year. Excellent. Our economy is practically not growing at all in the US. It's about zero. We will have a great relationship with India." ( Praising PM Narendra Modi)



# "I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India."



# "If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House." ( wooing Hindu-American community)



# "We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism." ( Appreciating India's role in combatting terror)



# "India is a key, and key strategic ally. And we do not even want to talk about it because it is nothing but a relationship that we will have. I look forward to deepening the diplomatic and military cooperation that is the shared interest of both countries."



# "We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India. We are going to have a phenomenal future together."



# "I have two massive developments in India, very successful, wonderful, wonderful partners, very beautiful, I must say. I have great friends and great confidence in India. Incredible people and an incredible country. I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times."



# "We are going to have great relations with China and Mexico, but we are going to have a great relationship with India."






Edison (New Jersey): Terming India as a "key strategic ally", Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become "best friends" and have a "phenomenal future" together.



"Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends," Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition yesterday.



"We are going to have a phenomenal future together," Trump said as he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming the bureaucracy, which he said is required in the US too.



"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi," he said, adding that the Indian leader is very energetic.



It was for the first time a presidential candidate attended an Indian American event this election season.



"I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big front of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House," Trump said, adding that he has great confidence in Modi and India.



"I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times," he said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.



Trump appreciated India's role in fight against terrorism.



"We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism," he said as he slammed his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for not using this word.



Trump said India had seen brutality of terrorism, including the Mumbai attacks.



"Mumbai, a city, I love. The attack on India was absolutely outrageous," he said while assuring some 5,000 Indian-Americans at the event that if he becomes the president, the US would "share soldier to soldier together" in the fight against terrorism.



"India is key and a key strategic ally," he said, adding that he looks forward to deepening and strengthening military cooperation with India.



In his welcome address, the Republican Hindu Coalition founder and chairman said that this is the first time in the history that a major presidential candidate has addressed Hindu-Americans just three weeks before the election.



He urged Hindus to support and vote for Trump in the upcoming general election and help fight terrorism.
Jammu: A special police officer (SPO) was allegedly stoned to death by two persons in a remote village of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir, police said today.



Hemant Kumar was deployed at Phinter Chowk last night where he had an altercation with the accused who attacked him with stones, a police officer said.



He said that Kumar was left in a pool of blood and when he was shifted to a local hospital doctors declared him brought dead.



He said that the accused have been identified as Naresh Bhadwal and Manveer Lalotra. He said that a case of murder has been registered and one of the accused has been arrested, while efforts were on to arrest the second accused.
Benaulim (Goa): Myanmar's State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, landed in Goa on Sunday ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit and a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



After her party National League of Democracy swept the parliamentary elections and was installed in office earlier this year, this is the Nobel laureate's first visit to India.



Suu Kyi is scheduled to attend a ceremonial lunch hosted by Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar for all participants of Bimstec, after which she will attend the BRICS and Bimstec Outreach Summit later in the evening, with other leaders of the two groupings.



As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.



Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.



Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.



New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the September 18 Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.



The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.



Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.


PM:To those who nurture philosophy of terror & seek to dehumanize mankind,we must send clear msg-mend ways or b isolated in civilized world pic.twitter.com/SDNsR9qt2f  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

In a stinging attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said it "embraces and radiates" the darkness of terrorism which has become its "favourite child" and pitched for decisive action, saying the time for condemning state-sponsored terrorism is long gone.He pressed the member nations of BRICS and BIMSTEC groupings to send a clear message to those who "nurture the philosophy of terror to mend their ways or be isolated in the civilised world."His comments came as he pushed for greater collaboration among BRICS countries, which also include Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa besides India, as well as members of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) grouping, on the issues of terrorism, economy, trade and connectivity."Terrorism, radicalisation, and transnational crimes pose grave threats to each of us," Modi said addressing the first BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Meeting that was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Jacob Zuma and Brazilian President Michel Temer.Among the BIMSTEC leaders present were Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Myanmarese leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tsering Tobgay.Modi underlined that geographical barriers and borders pose no limitations on those who wish to harm societies."They not only threaten the lives of our nationals, they also block our march towards economic prosperity," he said.In South Asia and BIMSTEC, all nation states, barring one, are motivated to pursue a path of peace, development and economic prosperity for its people. Unfortunately, this country in India's neighbourhood embraces and radiates the darkness of terrorism," he said in a clear reference to Pakistan.While slamming Pakistan, Modi said, terrorism has become its favourite child. And, the child in turn has come to define the fundamental character and nature of its parent."Pressing for action, he said, "The time for condemning the state-sponsored terrorism is long gone. It is time to stand up and act, and act decisively It is, therefore, imperative for BRICS and BIMSTEC to create a comprehensive response to secure our societies against the perpetrators of terror."Appealing to the leaders of BRICS and BIMSTEC, Modi said everyone present should send a clear message to those who nurture the philosophy of terror and seek to de-humanize the mankind, to mend their ways or be isolated in the civilised world.
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing debate over 'Triple Talaq', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said the government is of the clear view that personal laws should be constitutionally compliant and in conformity with norms of gender equality and the right to live with dignity.



In a Facebook post titled "Triple Talaq and the Government's Affidavit", he said that governments in the past have shied from taking a categorical stand that personal laws must comply with Fundamental Rights but the present one has taken a clear position on the issue.



"Personal laws have to be constitutionally compliant and the institution of Triple Talaq, therefore, will have to be judged on the yardstick of equality and the Right to Live with Dignity. Needless to say that the same yardstick would be applicable to all other personal laws," he said.



Observing that the constitutional validity of 'Triple Talaq' is distinct from the Uniform Civil Code, he said as of today, the issue before the Supreme Court is only with regard to the constitutional validity of Triple Talaq.



In its affidavit in Supreme Court on October 7, the Law Ministry argued that polygamy and Triple Talaq should be done away with, and said that such practices "cannot be regarded as essential or integral part of the religion".



"The academic debate with regard to the Uniform Civil Code can go on before the Law Commission. The question to be answered is that assuming that each community has its separate personal law, should not those personal laws be constitutionally compliant?" Jaitley said.



He said there is a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals and civil rights.



"Religious functions associated with birth, adoption, succession, marriage, death, can all be conducted through rituals and customs as per existing religious practices.



"Should rights emanating from birth, adoption, succession, marriage, divorce etc. be guided by religion or by constitutional guarantees? Can there be inequality or compromise with human dignity in any of these matters?" Jaitley said.



Some people may hold a conservative, if not obsolete, view that personal laws need not be constitutionally compliant, he said, adding "the Government's view is clear. Personal laws have to be constitutionally compliant."



Jaitley said the constitutional framers had expressed a hope in the Directive Principles of State Policy that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Law and on more than one occasion, the Supreme Court has enquired from the government its stand on the issue.



"Governments have repeatedly told both the Court and Parliament that personal laws are ordinarily amended after detailed consultations with affected stakeholders," he said.



As regards the Uniform Civil Code, the Law Commission has initiated an academic exercise to elicit views of public on the issue.



"This academic exercise by the Law Commission is only a continuation of the debate in this country ever since Constituent Assembly had expressed the hope that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Code," he said.



"Irrespective of whether the Uniform Civil Code is today possible or otherwise, a pertinent question arises with regard to reforms within the personal laws of various communities," he said.



Jaitley said that Jawaharlal Nehru's government had brought about major reforms to the Hindu Personal Laws through legislative changes and more recently Manmohan Singh's government came up with legislative changes with regard to gender equality in the Hindu Undivided Family.



Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, after active consultations with stakeholders, amended the provisions of marriage and divorce relating to the Christian community in order to bring about the gender equality, he added.



"Reforming the personal laws, even if there is no uniformity, is an ongoing process. With passage of time, several provisions became obsolete, archaic and even got rusted. Governments, legislatures and communities have to respond to the need for a change," Jaitley said.



As communities have progressed, there is a greater realisation with regard to gender equality.



"Additionally, all citizens, more particularly women, have a right to live with dignity. Should personal laws which impact the life of every citizen be in conformity with these constitutional values of equality and the Right to Live with dignity?



"A conservative view found judicial support over six decades ago that personal laws could be inconsistent with personal guarantees. Today it may be difficult to sustain

that proposition. The government's affidavit in the triple talaq case recognises this evolution," Jaitley explained.



He said there is a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals and civil rights.



On September 2, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the Supreme Court that personal laws of a community cannot be "re-written" in the name of social reforms

and opposed pleas on issues including alleged gender discrimination faced by Muslim women in divorce cases.



AIMPLB, in its counter affidavit filed in the apex court, had said the contentious issue relating to Muslim practices of polygamy, triple talaq (talaq-e-bidat) and nikah halala are matters of "legislative policy" and cannot be interfered with.



The AIMPLB has also decided to boycott Law Commission's questionnaire on the Uniform Civil Code.




The World must learn from us.. We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it.. #ADHM . With you on this @karanjohar  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 15, 2016

@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why?  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

Btw Bharat Mata ki Jai Sir @narendramodi  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

@narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent??  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

@narendramodi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money,while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

@narendramodi I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don't get it. Sorry if you feel offended..  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise for his trip to Pakistan in December last year.Kashyap vented his frustration following the cinema owners' decision here not to screen movies with Pakistani actors, a move that has hit hard Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which features Pakistani Fawad Khan."We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, with you on this Karan Johar," Kashyap tweeted."Narendra Modi Sir, you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM. It was December 25. Same time KJo was shooting 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'? Why?" Anurag asked."Narendra Modi, why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent? Narendra Modi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money, while the film shot then was on the money on which someone here pays interest."I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don't get it. Sorry if you feel offended," added the director.On his way home from Kabul, Modi halted in Lahore in December last year for a surprise meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.The Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India on Friday said that movies featuring Pakistani actors would not be screened in single screen theatres in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat.The decision came amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions in the wake of a terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Army's surgical strikes on Pakistani territory.Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's Raees is also under the radar for featuring Pakistan actress Mahira Khan.Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt said she felt it is unfair to stall the release of a film. The actress said she has seen bits of the movie and found it beautiful."On a personal level, I found the film very beautiful and I've seen bits of it. It is an emotional film. On the other level, as a proud resident of this country and as a privileged member of the industry, I feel whatever is happening with the film at this point is unfair," she said."Because when the film was shot, a year ago, the climate was nice. The current climate I know how it is, but it was good back then," she told reporters in Mumbai last night.
Mumbai: The team of Bollywood film Force 2 plans to visit the Amar Jawan Jyoti in the national capital soon to pay tribute to the country's unsung heroes. They will also launch a petition requesting the government to recognise the uncelebrated martyrs of the country.



The film's team is keen that the names of these unsung heroes should get recognised. They also plan to take this petition to the President.



Actor John Abraham, who leads the cast of the movie, said in a statement: "Even today, there are many unrecognised and forgotten martyrs from various intelligence agencies who need to gain recognition, if not celebrated."



He said that the film's story is inspired from true life events.



"It's our humble request to the system to recognise those who have sacrificed their lives while serving the nation. It's disheartening that these people put their lives at stake, without giving second thoughts to whether their efforts or sacrifice will ever be recognised.



"We understand that revealing names of people who are currently serving, may lead to political or security issues. However, it's a meek request that the long due pending cases of people get resolved, giving them their needed status and recognition in our society," John added.



The movie's director Abhinay Deo expressed concern for family members of the martyrs.



"Why should they endure pain? As a country we must take care of them, and acknowledge the blood they have shed," Deo said.



Producer Vipul Shah said: "Once these spies are caught and disowned by the government, their family suffers a great deal. Political compulsions may keep us from celebrating such people, but they shouldn't deter us from respecting their work."



Shah also mentioned that the surgical attacks by India on terror camps in Pakistan last month were possible only due to the information provided by intelligence.



Force 2 makers even dedicated a slide in the movie's trailer to salute the unrecognised martyrs.






Mumbai: Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha took inspiration from the works of Pakistani dramatist, playwright and scriptwriter Haseena Moin for his upcoming film Tum Bin 2.



The second installment of the 2001 film Tum Bin franchise is written and directed by Sinha and jointly produced by him and Bhushan Kumar of the T-Series music label.



Sinha says he took some cues from Pakistani dramas for the second part of the film.



"Two of my favourite dramas are 'Ankahi Tanhaiyan' and 'Dhoop Kinare'. A lot of the screenplay in 'Tum Bin' has been inspired by her television serials and a few of the critics and industry members who saw the first instalment were quick to notice this similarity.



"The second installment too is inspired in someway from Pakistani dramas because I feel the way they tell a story is sublime," Sinha said in a statement.



The news comes at a time when there are debates whether Pakistani artistes should be banned from working in India amid tensions between India and Pakistan following the September 18 terror attack which killed 19 Indian soldiers.



Sinha started watching Moin's tele-serials in 1984, and met her in 1996 in Mauritius.



Shot in the aesthetic landscape of Scotland, Tum Bin 2 reunites Sinha with Kumar after a gap of 15 years.



"Tum Bin 2", featuring Neha Sharma, Aditya Seal and Aashim Gulati will hit the screens on November 18.




Surat: Aam Aadmi Party MLA and incharge of Gujarat affairs Gulab Singh Yadav was arrested by Delhi Police on Sunday in connection with an extortion case against his aides after he turned himself in before local police, hours before party national convener Arvind Kejriwal's maiden rally here.



The Delhi Chief Minister, who is on Gujarat tour, described the arrest of the Matiala legislator, facing a non-bailable warrant, as intended to "scuttle" his rally and accused the BJP president Amit Shah of "trying to disrupt the Surat programme".



"Delhi Police had come here with a non-bailable warrant against Gulab Singh Yadav. He learnt about it before hand and came to Urma police station where we handed him over to Delhi Police," Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said. Delhi Police will take Yadav to a court to secure a transit remand.



Before leaving for Umra police station to surrender, Yadav told reporters at the circuit house, "I have learnt that Delhi Police have come to Surat to arrest me. So I am going to Umra police station to court arrest and ask Delhi Police to pick me from there."



"I am in Gujarat since September 6, and was here when the FIR was filed on September 13. Police raided my office and got nothing incriminating. The Centre is directing arrest of AAP MLAs but we are not going to bow, and are ready for any consequences," he alleged.



Last month, two property dealers, Deepak Sharma and Rinku Diwan, had alleged that Satish and Devinder, who work in Gulab Singh's office, and an associate Jagdish were extorting money from them by threatening to get the building from where the property dealers were operating, demolished.



A case under Section 384 (punishment for extortion) of the IPC was registered at Bindapur police station on September 13. Speaking to reporters in Vadodara before leaving for Surat, Kejriwal alleged that Amit Shah was trying to "disrupt" the rally.



"Yadav's arrest is intended to put hurdles in the way of the Surat rally. But we are not afraid of it. We have come to know that Amit Shah and BJP are trying to disrupt our rally. But this is not my rally, it's the rally of people of Gujarat. I request Shah not to disrupt it...You see 13 MLAs (of AAP) have been arrested by Delhi Police on the direction from the BJP," he said.



Kejriwal said, "We have come here to clean up politics in Gujarat and to seek support of agitating Patel community."



The Delhi CM further alleged that Yadav's arrest is indicative of "panic" prevailing in the BJP camp over AAP's "popularity" and its "emergence" as a strong political force in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state.
New Delhi: The widening rift in Mulayam Singh Yadav's family will cost the ruling Samajwadi Party dearly in the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and some of its senior leaders are in touch with Congress to join it, Congress Chief Ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit said on Sunday.



Dikshit, a three-time Chief Minister of Delhi, said the cracks in SP will benefit Congress as those unhappy with goings on in that party do not have much choice but to come to Congress'fold.



Confident of an impressive performance by Congress in the Assembly polls in the politically crucial state where the party has been out of power for 27 years, she said some of the SP MLAs and mid-level leaders were also in touch with Congress.



"There are a lot people wanting to come to the Congress, certainly because they cannot go to BJP or BSP," she told PTI in an interview.



Asked whether some senior leaders of SP are in touch with the Congress, 78-year-old Dikshit said they are a mixture of senior, mid-level and local leaders.



"Those who are disappointed with the reputation that SP has picked up are definitely looking for alternative and the alternative is Congress," she said adding "a lot" of SP MLAs are also trying to get in touch with Congress.



"Many of them are in touch already. Openly they are not doing it now," she said.



The SP has been grappling with internal rift mainly due to differences between party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother Shivpal Yadav and his son, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.



The elections in the state are due early next year, Amid the feud, Mulayam on Friday had said the SP's chief ministerial candidate will be decided by party legislators after the 2017 assembly elections, if the party manages to form government again.



The announcement is seen as a setback to Akhilesh who was recently removed as president of SP's state president.



"Of course it (rift in SP) will help. It will be harmful for them because it is the party in power. All the scandals and differences are not going to help them," said Dikshit.



About Congress' preparations for the polls, the veteran Congress leader said the party has been revived to a great extent across the state and people's expectations from it have now grown significantly.
New Delhi: I dont believe in playing the caste card: This is what Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said just before the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 when reporters asked him for his vision of politics for the party. I want a new Congress which reflects the new India. To me, politics based on caste considerations doesn't make sense. I don't believe in playing the caste card," he had said.



More than two years later, his party has gone back on what Rahul had promised.



At a press conference on Saturday, the partys UP state in-charge, Ghulam Nabi Azad, promised a quota for OBCs if the Congress won the Assembly elections due in the state next year. The press meet was also attended by state Congress chief Raj Babbar.



That the announcement had Rahul's backing is clear by the fact that it was preceded by a meeting of the Congress V-P with a few OBC leaders.



Sitting next to Azad at Saturday's press meet was Ram Pal, a prominent leader belonging to the Backward Caste.



That Rahul's words have been forgotten is clear now especially with the coming in of Prashant Kishor, who has made it clear that the Congress would have to get its caste combinations right to be in the reckoning in the politically significant state.



Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar was chosen as state chief as he belongs to the Sonar community, which is listed among the OBCs in Uttar Pradesh. Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit was made the chief ministerial candidate as she is a Brahmin and Congress wants to woo the upper castes in the state.



In fact, the appointment of Ram Pal, Bhagwati Prasad Chowdhary, Imran Masood and Rajesh Mishra as star deputies is very clearly an attempt to get the caste and religion combinations right.



So where is the development card, especially since the BJP is cleverly talking about development to camouflage its attempts at caste and social engineering.



Azad told News 18 that the call for waiver of farm loans and quota for OBCs points to its development agenda. This is our development card, he said.



As per the 2001 Census, the OBCs account for around 40% of the states vote bank, and the Congress wants a slice of it.



According to sources, a reluctant Rahul Gandhi was convinced at several rounds of strategy meetings that a bit of caste card would have to be played. He was told that unless the Congress improves its performance in UP, any chance of its revival would fade away.



But some within the party feel the Congress shouldn't move too far away from it core belief that it won't play the overt caste card. If it does, it would lose its traditional vote bank as well the targeted ones. Or as they say: Na maya mili, na Ram (Neither found money, nor god).






Edison(New Jersey): It was one of the most simple, direct and normal speeches Donald Trump has given in a while. There was no mimicking, dismissing or insulating. He stuck to message--policy, trade, radical Islam, praise for Hindus, India and a special mention for the energetic Prime Minister Modi. It helped that Mr. Trump was addressing a crowd more invested in the song and dance show than hearing the Republican nominee.



I am a big fan of Hindu. I am a big fan of India, Trump said shortly after lighting a diya mixing the faith and the nation.



The event, titled Hindus United Against Terror was hardly a political stop. Just three weeks before an election, a Presidential nominee spending time in a non-battleground state, among a community that by most data counts leans Democratic is rare. It had all the appearance of a favor returned. Donald Trump made the stop for a man who has been one of the few large contributors to his campaign, the chairman of the Republican Hindu Coalition, Shalabh Kumar, a Chicago based businessman who structured the evening as a nightmarish mishmash of Bollywood-Tollywood spectacle, jihadists attacking dancers on stage only to be saved by Navy Seals and a showcase of his own family.



For Shashikant Mehta, a physician by profession, it was nothing more than a nice thing to do on a Sunday evening. I am clear about my politics, he added. There were families with children and elderly parents in tow and a whole host of young professionals, H1B visa holders who had come eager to hear if the three letters would be mentioned. They werent. Ahead of the Trump address, the RHC Chairman insinuated that Republicans/Trump would help more Indians obtain green cards faster."



Trump stayed away from his familiar scorn against immigrants or Asian countries where cheap labor robs American jobs. Instead he spoke of terror and India being a natural ally.



Mumbai is a place I love. Its a place I understand. The attack on Indian Parliament was just terrible, Trump said referencing the wrong attack.



"We will stand shoulder to shoulder with India in sharing intelligence and keeping our people safe mutually," he said, before blaming his opponent. "This is so important in the age of ISIS, the barbaric threat Hillary Clinton has unleashed on the entire world."



One of the loudest cheers of the evening was when the Republican nominee praised Narendra Modi. Many Trump supporters at the Edison event saw in him the embodiment of the same straight-talking, strongman brand of politics they admire in the Indian Prime Minister.



But it came with its own caveats. Harshad Mehta, occupying one of the front rows at the event reserved his support for Trump, just on policy. I disagree with much of everything else. Mr. Modi said strong sharp things, but he has never been crass.



In a relief of sorts for Mr. Trump, the sexual misconduct allegations that dominated the week never became much of a talking point at Edison. Trump never brought it up in his speech. And for those supporting him, all of it belonged to a bygone era. Amrit Grover, a social worker added, She couldn't judge the nominee for the allegations that have surfaced after all these years. Earlier in the day the RHC chairman told CNN-News18 that he wouldn't think twice about hiring someone caught in a similar locker room banter.



The fawning reception from his small band of supporters may have even surprised even the Trump camp to some extent. As polls indicate that his path to the White House maybe getting tougher the RHC chairman is still not giving up, trying to plan a three week surge of Ab ki baar, Trump sarkar.


London: In an embarrassment to Boris Johnson, a leading daily in the UK on Sunday made public the British Foreign Secretary's previously unpublished column in which he had appealed to Britain to stay in the EU, days before becoming the star campaigner for Brexit.



In the pro-remain column for The Sunday Times, published for the first time today, Johnson wrote that remaining in the European Union would be "a boon for the world and for Europe".



The Sunday Times said he wrote the piece "to clarify his thoughts", before composing a final article arguing the case for Brexit, published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper in

March.



The 52-year-old former London mayor, who led the Brexit campaign before becoming foreign secretary under British Prime Minister Theresa May, declared: "Britain is a great nation, a global force for good. It is surely a boon for the world and for Europe that she should be intimately engaged in the EU."



He also warned that Brexit could lead to an economic shock, Scottish independence and Russian aggression.



"We don't want to do anything to encourage more shirtless swaggering from the Russian leader, not in the Middle East, not anywhere," he said.



"There are some big questions that the 'out' side need to answer," he wrote.



He has previously admitted to writing the piece but its contents had not been known.



The article was revealed in a new book, 'All Out War', by the newspaper's political editor Tim Shipman.



Johnson wrote the column on February 19, just two days before shocking former British Prime Minister David Cameron by opting publicly for the "leave" campaign.



He had already penned one piece arguing the case for "out", then wrote the "remain" article as a way of clarifying his thoughts, before composing a final article backing Brexit for publication.



The book dispels the myth that Johnson's case for "remain" was better than his argument to "leave".



In fact the article was dashed off quickly and seems to be an attempt by Johnson to convince himself the case for staying in was weak. But it nonetheless shows some of the

concerns he had about leaving the EU.



Johnson, now a proponent of a "hard Brexit" that would take Britain out of the European single market, put the opposite argument in his "remain" column.



"This is a market on our doorstep, ready for further exploitation by British firms. The membership fee seems rather small for all that access. Why are we so determined to turn

our back on it?" he wrote.



The book also challenges the idea that Johnson was motivated solely by his ambition to be prime minister.



Johnson's campaign to leave the EU ultimately ended in Britain voting in favour of Brexit by 52 to 48 per cent on June 23.
A proposal to elevate Pakistan's Army chief General Raheel Sharif to the rank of Field Marshal has reached the Islamabad High Court, weeks ahead of his retirement from the powerful post.A lawyer has sought the high court's help to elevate Gen Raheel, 60, to the rank of Field Marshal in the greater national interest by taking into consideration his "exemplary services and sacrifices rendered for the nation," The Express Tribune reported on Sunday.In the appeal submitted on Saturday, Sardar Adnan Saleem, through his counsel, said that such an elevation is an emergent need in the present circumstances.Saleem has made the federation through the cabinet division secretary, the prime minister through the secretary of the PM Secretariat and defence ministry secretary respondents in the petition, the report said.The counsel said that the army chief should be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal for rendering services to protect national security and safeguarding the frontiers of Pakistan in accordance with the National Action Plan (NAP) and for successful completion of the anti-terror campaign 'Zarb-e-Azab' in an effective and efficient manner.Gen Sharif had earlier promised to bow out at the end of his term in November this year.Sharif, currently serving as the 15th Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army, was appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on November 29, 2013 for a three-year term."I don't believe in extension and will retire on the due date," Sharif had said in January this year amidst growing speculation about an extension in his tenure.If Sharif hangs up his boots on November 30, he would be the first army chief to retire on time in two decades. His predecessors Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Gen Pervez Musharraf got extensions, while Gen Jehangir Karamat was sent home prematurely.While calling him a "trailblazer", the petitioner's lawyers said that Gen Raheel provided visionary leadership to the people as well as the security forces."The exemplary, outstanding and professional performance during peace and war time with total dedication and devotion by attaining the highest standards and mastery in battlefield," he said adding that the COAS needs national appreciation, award and recognition.The petition said that the COAS should be elevated to the highest level of military hierarchy for rendering his services for the nation and humanity at a larger scale in an extraordinary, exemplary and selfless manner.The petition has urged the court to direct the respondents to elevate Gen Raheel to the rank of field marshal for leading from the front on different fronts.There has been only one Field Marshal in Pakistan. Former military ruler Ayub Khan, who ruled from 1958 to 1969, appointed himself Field Marshal while serving as president and commander-in-chief.
Lynchburg Grows is launching a new series of events that begin next weekend.

Its part of kind of a remaking of Lynchburg Grows, and we want to kind of renew the farm, says Stuart Overbey, who came on as the nonprofit's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and development manager in August.

The process began last fall, Overbey says, when Farm Manager Shelley Blades started working there and began expanding the farms growing capacity.

Shes got almost all of the beds reclaimed, and its looking great. We have all kinds of things growing, Overbey says. So now were focusing on fixing things up, structure-wise, that had been let go. We just want this place to be more a part of the community in the sense that people come here for things.

The first event, A Greenhouse Dinner, is a four course farm-to-table style dinner that will be held at the farm next Saturday. It begins with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m., followed by dinner, created by local chef Stephanie Fees, at 7 p.m.

The meal includes a beet terrine appetizer with goat cheese and micro-herbs; an autumn greens panzanella salad with local sourdough and crispy Brussels sprouts; a root vegetable savory pie with free-range chicken from Morris Campus Farm at Liberty University or, as a vegetarian option, sherry mushrooms; and, for dessert, poached quince, a fruit similar to a pear, with maple cream and almond tuile. Local beer, wine and cider also will be served.

We wanted it to be things that were sort of familiar to people but would have a certain twist, so [Stephanie] would add to it to make it something new and different, Overbey says.

Beats and herbs and greens, those are the kinds of things we have growing right now. And then any additional things beyond those sort of cool-weather vegetables, shell be sourcing from other local farms.

The goal, she says, was to make it delicious and not too fancy.

Tickets to the dinner are $75, and proceeds will go toward the farms general operations. Overbey says theyll also talk to attendees about more specific projects and funding for them.

[They can] vote with their dollar about whats important to them.

Moving forward, she says they have four events planned for next year: a spring dinner featuring a giant salad bar, a summer music event, the second Greenhouse Dinner next fall and a more formal holiday party at the end of 2017.

For more information, call (434) 846-5665 or visit www.lynchburggrows.org.
Before she took Tim Matthews government class, Lauren Brown wasnt much interested in the workings of the republic.

As the class progressed, the curriculum merged with the E.C. Glass High School seniors personal interest in history exemplified by her reading John F. Kennedys Profiles in Courage and her research into the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. Shes developed an appreciation of how past decisions play into the present.

It made me realize more about whats going on in the world around me and how the policies from things that happened in the past are very significant, Brown said.  Im really starting to see the things Ive learned in U.S. and world history all kind of come together in government.

The class also is giving her and her classmates a role in shaping their own political present by writing questions for the 6th Congressional District debate the high school will host Monday between House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican, and Harrisonburg City Councilman Kai Degner, a Democrat.

The debate is free and open to the public from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m., with doors opening at noon, Matthews said.

Matthews and Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance legislative affairs committee chairman Larry Jackson, Appalachian Power external affairs manager, will screen questions, including those solicited from the audience. Forensics teacher Aaron Reid will moderate, Matthews said.

Gathered around a desk in Matthews classroom where campaign signs from several candidates hang on the walls, a few students talked Thursday about the interest in democracy Matthews helps foment through hands-on lessons.

To prep questions for the Monday debate, students researched each candidate and turned in two questions designed for each. They voted in groups on the best questions before sending them to Matthews, who will make sure the debate is well-rounded.

The debate questions, which are centered around education and workforce readiness but extend into other national and 6th District issues, started with students learning how to ask detailed questions using research and context.

Senior Danny Bass researched Goodlatte by Googling the incumbents 24-year voting record and comparing statements he made to ask why he takes particular stances.

While Degners voting record deals with local issues as a member of Harrisonburg City Council since 2009, student Nuha Reza said Degner was easier to write questions for because he writes a blog.

We got to choose what we wrote about and what we asked, so I felt like that gave us more importance than we thought we had, said Reza, a 17-year-old senior.

Before Monday, the candidates will not have met on stage during the campaign.

Degner threw himself into the race within days of the previous Democratic nominee dropping out and has been campaigning hard up and down the district that stretches from Front Royal to Roanoke and includes Lynchburg, Amherst County and northern Bedford County.

Degner has attacked Goodlatte throughout, saying the 24-year incumbent is out of touch with his constituents and obstructing progress in Congress. Degner promotes a progressive platform in the conservative district, while Goodlatte generally has ignored his opponent.

The 6th District generally is slanted in conservative favor, with Goodlatte soundly defeating Democratic challengers in the past with more than 60 percent of the vote.

Bass said he thinks congressional races are among the most important but finds many people dont know the race is on.

I think its safe to say most adults feel like their representative has no accountability to them personally or even to their region despite the setup of our Congress, said Bass, 18. Its cool to see that hell be here in our school, and we get to ask the things that are going to impact us.
A Lynchburg College student and a security officer were taken to the hospital with minor injuries following a hit-and-run Saturday morning.

Lynchburg Police Officer N.P. Claytor Jr. said the call came in at 1:30 a.m. for a noise complaint on College Street at one college-owned residence.

Claytor said officers spotted a suspicious vehicle. When officers approached the car, Claytor said the driver took off, hitting a college security officer and a female student.

Claytor said the driver tried to drive over a concrete parking barrier but disabled his vehicle. The driver ran away but was caught shortly after.

The student and the officer have both been released from the hospital. The driver, whose name was not available Saturday night, is in custody and faces multiple charges.
With a drill and stepladder in hand, nursing students Hannah Woods, Lauren Richardson and Mandi Grosvenor knocked on the door of a home off Rivermont Avenue.

In the backseat of Richardsons car, boxes of smoke detectors filled the backseat. Between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, they knocked on 10 doors throughout Lynchburg.

The women were three of 14 Liberty University nursing students who teamed up with Meals on Wheels of Greater Lynchburg and the American Red Cross to install smoke detectors in the homes of meal recipients for free.

Ralph Lawson, the Red Cross disaster program manager for the Virginia region, said by the end of the day he estimated volunteers would have installed more than 300 smoke detectors across the Blue Ridge region.

Lawson said the Red Cross began the program in Virginia in October 2014. This year, Lawson said the agency looked for an opportunity to help residents in Lynchburg. Thats where the partnership with Meals on Wheels began.

We did three of the 23 routes. Then the tornado hit in Appomattox, Lawson said, referring to the February tornado that tore a path of destruction 13 miles long through that county.

After taking a break for several months, Lawson said it was time to get back on it.

Lawson said the installation program will continue. Residents who would like their alarms checked can call the main office at (434) 845-1234. Lawson also said they are working to get a team together for future installations.

On Saturday, Lynchburg wasnt the only area where volunteers were out. Lawson said they had volunteers in Pittsylvania, Patrick and Martinsville counties.

We wanted to do something for Fire Prevention Week, Lawson said. Thats why we picked Saturday [to end the week].

Meals on Wheels of Greater Lynchburg Executive Director Kris Shabestar said the partnership was part of her community outreach plan to work with other organizations in the city to help residents.

I think its an amazing program, she said.

Each of the volunteers was trained on how to properly install the detectors and test old ones. Then volunteers talked with residents to make sure they established a plan in case of a fire.

Lauren Richardson, a senior in the program at Liberty, said this was part of their community nursing class.

We got to pick what we wanted to do, she said. A lot of it was blood drives, not that theres anything wrong with that. We just wanted to do something more active.

As the day went on, senior Elizabeth Elliot said the more doors they knocked on, the easier it became to connect with residents.

Patrick Riley was hesitant at first to allow strangers into his home but eventually opened his door wide to let them in.

They were all so pleasant and nice, he said. Thats why I accepted them into our home.

Lawson said he was surprised how many people werent equipped with smoke detectors. When the program jumpstarted in Virginia, Lawson said they started in Danville and Roanoke due to a high number of fire-related deaths. Knowing residents are better equipped has given Lawson peace of mind.

Now we know weve given someone a chance, he said.
Every liberal I know is both horrified that Donald Trump might become president and appalled that so many Americans would even consider voting for such a man.

I share both feelings. But I also think it important that Liberal America recognize its own contribution to this appalling state of affairs.

As one who has followed American politics closely since 1968 and who has lived in both preponderantly Republican and Democratic regions, I would bet the farm on this point: Thirty years ago, when Ronald Reagan was president, Republican voters would never have supported a man like Trump for the presidency  someone so dishonest, so vain, so boorish, so disrespectful of basic American norms.

From that it follows: There has been a major transformation in the thinking and values of Republican voters.

Many of todays older Republicans have changed over these decades, and/or many younger Republicans differ from their parents or grandparents whom theyve replaced in the Republican electorate.

How did this transformation come about? And what were liberals doing while that was happening?

To the second question, the basic answer is: Liberal America mostly just stood by and let it happen.

The answer to the first could begin with two figures who rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 90s: Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich.

Both demonized people on the other side of the political divide, both played fast and loose with the truth, both pandered to peoples prejudices and inflamed their resentments. The minds of millions  Limbaughs dittoheads and Gingrichs followers  were slowly poisoned.

Liberals, meanwhile, did little to fight for the souls of their conservative countrymen.

By the 90s, the GOP was a party that no longer accepted the legitimacy of opponents the American people elected to office. Republicans embarked on a years-long campaign to find something  anything  with which to destroy the presidency of Bill Clinton.

Liberals were weak in calling out this violation of American norms, as the GOP searched in vain for financial scandal, and made up some others. Finally  with a meek assist from liberal justices on the Supreme Court, who could not imagine how a private lawsuit against the president, advanced by well-funded right-wing forces, could impact his presidency  the GOP thought it found its weapon in a stained blue dress, and embarked upon impeachment.

By the time George W. Bush and Bushs Brain, Karl Rove, took the presidency, Republican supporters had already been taught to regard politics purely as warfare.

No president trampled on the Constitution as consistently as Bush, according to conservative Reagan-administration jurist, Bruce Fein (who himself had twice voted for Bush).

But the Democrats  contrary to their oath of office  never stood up to him.

The Bush administrations famous lack of respect for reality-based politics further undermined the Republican electorates connection with truth. And the Bush/Rove divisive political strategies deepened their Us vs. Them mentality.

During the Obama presidency, the GOP has continually misrepresented the truth to gain public support for the Republican strategy of blocking everything the president has tried to do, including insinuating that he is an illegitimate president aligned with the terrorists.

Meanwhile, Obama himself failed to fight back against his being demonized. And he never sought to summon from conservative patriots outrage over the unprecedented Republican strategy to make a presidents failure rather than the nations good their priority.

Why were liberals so passive while the Republican base was degraded by a succession of manipulative liars? First, a fear of combat and, second, a failure to recognize the gathering danger.

Now, as the specter of a Trump presidency has arisen out of the rights darkened political culture, Liberal America apparently sees at last the danger that has been building all along. Trumps more blatant display of the lying, the divisiveness, the preference for conflict over cooperation that have increasingly characterized Republican politics over the past generation has at last roused Democrats to match the intensity of the rights eagerness for battle.

But even if Trump is defeated, no election result will make that dangerous mentality on the right  in which it can seem acceptable to give the power of the presidency to such a terrible man as Donald Trump  automatically disappear. What took years to degrade will take years to restore.

An ounce of prevention would have been worth a pound of cure. But perhaps liberals, who were too passive as the disease developed, can now find some way to help with the cure. Not easy, but necessary: Like it or not, were all in this nation together.

Schmookler  who was the Democratic nominee for Congress in Virginias Sixth District in 2012  is an author and commentator who lives near Harrisonburg. He writes an occasional column for The News & Advance.
FREE AT LAST

The five, ordered to be freed by a Venezuelan judge early yesterday morning without any charge, after being detained for two years and seven months in a high security Venezuelan jail first on suspicions of terrorist activities, then on suspicions of espionage, were thanking Allah for his mercies.

We thank Allah and all of you that made our freedom possible, Wade Charles, one of the five freed men told Sunday Newsday yesterday.

We are overwhelmed with joy. We just happy its all over. Speaking on behalf of the other men - Dominic Petital, Asim Luqman, Andre Battersby and Leslie Daisley - who had been detained since March 19, 2014, Charles said, We got an apology from all of the lawyers on behalf of Venezuela. He said they were taken to court on Thursday, and then again on Friday at 1 pm until 2 am yesterday when they were ordered to be freed. Eight lawyers made submissions before the judge, and after a three-hour break, she ordered the mens release.

They still remain at the Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional (SEBIN) jail - known as a jail for political dissidents - until they go through the immigration process.

After news of the judges order broke in Trinidad, family members, relatives and friends greeted it with tears of joy and thanks to God, the Almighty.

However, some of the men will have to obtain travel documents as passports would have expired during their detention. It is expected that they will return sometime this week.

Sadiquaa Mohammed, wife of Petital, has consistently told Sunday Newsday that until her husband is back in Trinidad, only then she will celebrate. She said her recent experiences has made her forget how to cry, how to be excited, how to be happy. I am just waiting patiently. Petital had been detained in Venezuela four months after Mohammed had given birth to their son. He was previously detained during the 2011 state of emergency in Trinidad on suspicions of being part of an alleged plot to assassinate then Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and some members of her administration. He was never charged.

At a press conference held yesterday at the Highway Masjid, Charlieville, Organisational Head of the Islamic Front, Umar Abdullah asked that the nation welcome the men home while telling the story of conquest of Mecca in which peace and love was the mantra.

This is what you can expect of the Muslim community when they return home, he said. You would not expect anything else coming out of the Muslim community as regard pointing fingers and blaming one another. He also called on Government to put whatever mechanisms were needed in place to make it easy for them to reintegrate back into society. The journey of reintegration was going to be a difficult one, he said, and he called on Muslim, non-Muslims and Government in the future not to allow matters such as these to go on the length of time this one has gone.

The men were detained on March 19, 2014 along with the wives of three of them, eight children and three Imams. They were detained at the Plaza Hotel in Sabana Grande, Caracas where they were staying while awaiting visas to undertake an Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. The wives and children were the first to be allowed to returns to Trinidad. The Imams were freed after 45 days.

Sadiquaa Mohammed, Gloria Charles - mother of Wade - Amina Luqman, wife of Asim Luqman, and Latoya Baptiste, wife of Leslie Daisley could not contain their emotions as they thanked everyone who played a role in the mens freedom. They were all the press conference along with other family members and friends. The scene was an upbeat, yet emotional one.

Baptiste told Sunday Newsday that if her husband could only be back in Trinidad by Friday, that would be her sons best gift for his seventh birthday. A tearful Baptiste said she told her son, Daddy will be coming home. Amina Luqman said when she got the news, she was overwhelmed.

Not one to get her hopes up high, she said, she told her two sons and daughter and they were very excited. Everybody happy, she said. Gloria Charles told Sunday Newsday that her daughterin- law and 10 children were most happy. She said she always trusted in God and knew that he was going to answer their prayers. Even if I cry. I am crying because I am happy, she said declaring that she would be the happiest mother alive to greet her son at Piarco on his return.

Imam Hamzah Mohammed, one of the three Imams who was detained said, It is a feeling you really cant explain, but it is a feeling of joy, happiness. The challenge for the men, he said, would be resettling. Though the incident occurred over two and half years ago, he said, sometimes the sound of a siren triggers bad memories.

He has had no counselling except for talking with some of his imam friends. He hopes that the mens faith would have grown while in prison and they will know how to deal with their issues.

Attorney, Nafeesa Mohammed, who represented the interest of the families at home, said, We knew they have been innocent from the beginning. They are not terrorists. Both Abdullah and Mohammed expressed thanks to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, ministers and officials of the Government, and Venezuelan Ambassador Coromoto Godoy-Calderon, who were working behind the scenes, behind closed doors and in the shadows to achieve the goal of releasing the men. Noting that it was combination of efforts that secured the mens release, she said, there was a combination of legal and judicial efforts and diplomatic efforts and other interventions.

There were times, she said, when the men were not being taken to court for weeks and months, and some pressure had to be applied like recently, when the judge, Maria Eugenia Nunez, took leave of the case without handing down a decision. On another occasion, she said a judge hearing their case was himself, jailed.Nevertheless, Nunez was recalled to the matter after the accused men proceeded on a hunger strike that lasted some 17 days.

During that period one of them collapsed in the prison and had to be hospitalised.
Joel, a good son

According to police, around 9.55 pm, several loud explosions were heard and when residents checked, they found 16-year-old Joel Huggins motionless in a doorway. He had received three bullets to the chest and one to the head. Police recovered four spent shells and two projectiles at the scene.

Joel is the third Success Laventille student to be killed for the year.

In January, Denilson Smith, 17, and Mark Richards, 15, were shot dead by an unknown gunman along Picton Road in broad daylight.

They were still in their uniforms having just finished classes for the day.

Joels mother, Janelle Hutchinson-Huggins, told Sunday Newsday that, at the time of her sons murder she had gone to visit a neighbour a few buildings away. It was then that she heard gunshots. My belly just felt at that moment, that something was wrong and within five minutes I got a phone call that Joel had been shot. I just started running and when I got home he was lying in a pool of blood, she said.

She added that her four-year-old daughter was home at the time and did not see what happened. However, when she heard the gunshots she went outside and seeing her brother on the ground, begged a neighbour to help him.

Hutchinson-Huggins said she was told that someone had called out at the front of the house which worried Joel enough to tell his sister that he was going to a neighbours home to call his mother on her cell phone. He then went out the back door where he was shot. She did not know what he heard to frighten him.

Describing her third child of eight, Hutchinson- Huggins said Joel loved agriculture and animals, could fix almost anything, and hated math. He was a child who was not in anything.

Every stray dog or cat he finds he brings them home to mind. He loves to plant food. He had good aspirations.

As hes in Form Five he would go by his aunt to do his SBAs every Sunday, he stated.

Hutchinson-Huggins admitted that she had an older son who was giving some problems. She was upset that some media outlets stated that Joel was liming with his older brother at the time, and that the brother ran away when he saw the gunman, leaving Joel behind.

Some sources also stated the gunman went to kill the older brother, but killed Joel instead.

However, Hutchinson- Huggins stressed that her older son was not on the compound at the time, as he had moved out over two months ago. In fact, she said she was the one to call her older son to inform him of Joels death.

When I gave him the news he broke down and said he was coming now.

When I saw him later he asked, Mummy this happened because of me? but the truth is we dont know. His brother is totally broken. He messaged me and asked what he should do but I told him to leave justice in Gods hand. Thats how Joel would have wanted it, she said.

She added that earlier that day Joel had an altercation with a neighbour and so could not pinpoint a motive.

Hutchinson-Huggins also said she had received a visit from Laventille East/Morvant MP Adrian Leonce and San Juan West councillor Jodi Johnson, and they offered to do what they could to assist.

This is beyond a sad case because he was a good boy. From the comments of his teachers and peers he was not one to give any kind of trouble. It is unfortunate what happened, Leonce told Sunday Newsday during a telephone interview.

He said he was looking into how he could assist Hutchinson- Huggins through the Ministry of Planning and Development in terms of counselling and funeral arrangements.

He noted that he also contacted Education Minister Anthony Garcia, and they may visit the school tomorrow to speak to the students and teachers and ensure they too received counselling.

This school is going through a lot of trauma. It is not a normal thing to be losing so many of your classmates or students, he said.

He noted that while the Governments School Improvement Programme, which was launched at Success Laventille on October 8, was geared towards the development of students in at-risk areas and their output, the programme also had an aspect of social intervention.

This situation is isolated from the school, not related to school violence or anything like that. However, Joel, being a student, his death would affect his classmates and teachers and the social intervention parts of the programme are geared to improving the impact of social issues.

This would be one of them, he said.
Homeless man gives food for Haiti

Another moving moment for him was the call he got from a visually impaired woman from La Brea who asked that organisers send a volunteer to her home to collect her contribution.

A lot of people have been touched and so instead of saying Haiti I am sorry, we are saying, sorry we cant help more than we are, Baksh added.

On October 23, the first of eight 40 foot containers filled with items including water, toiletries and non perishable items is expected to leave these shores for Haiti. The estimated value of the items stuffed into the containers cost between US$10, 000 to US$15,000, Baksh said. There is an eight day transit time estimated from Trinidad to here to Haiti as the container is transhipped through Jamaica. Each week, he explained, one container is expected to leave Trinidad for the poverty stricken island.

The corporate community has responded well with one hardware dealer promising to fill a container with building material, Baksh went on to say. We are just sending the container to him and he will do the documentation and get it out. One week ago, following the destruction of Haiti by Hurricane Matthew, the charity drive was initiated by San Fernando Mayor Kazim Hosein and the San Fernando City Corporation in conjunction with members of the volunteer network.

Baksh added: The leadership the mayor provided has created a platform for people to show their goodness and we have a lot of good people in Trinidad. Hosein himself has hailed the success of the charity drive and praised Baksh for his volunteerism.

It was his brainchild, he said.

Because of the tremendous response the organising committee has had to set up new donation centres and recruited more volunteers.

Items most needed are non-perishable food items, drinking water, clothing, medical supplies and basic medicines, and building materials.

No cash donations will be accepted and the committee is seeking donors to cover the shipping costs to Haiti which can range between US$1,700 to US$2,300 and can be paid directly to the shipping company when the time comes to send the containers out.
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(Newser)  In the latest quarterly update of the Oxford English Dictionary, there was great rejoicing when, in honor of the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl's birth, words such as "splendiferous" and "human bean" joined the great heap of our language's modern lexicon. More quietly, the Tamil slang word "aiyo" also entered the fray, but the dictionary's description"In southern India and Sri Lanka, expressing distress, regret, or grief; 'Oh no!', 'Oh dear!'" is being taken to task for being "pithy," "emasculating all [the word's] colorful possibilities," "reduc[ing] it to cud," and "suck[ing] the life out of it," at least according to one writer at Quartz. He calls "aiyo" multipurpose in the way the F-bomb is but notes it's so much more, and not a curse word.

Aiyo is common to the major Dravidian languages of southern India: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. It's been connected to the Hindu god Ayyapa and the wife of Hindu god of death Yama. The Indian Express reports that it first reached an English audience in 1886 via Chamber's Journal. But like Quartz, the Express takes issue with the dictionary's description, which "has not fully appreciated the depth, power and dignity of this word, dismissing it as 'of imitative origin.'" Aiyo is instead "fully loaded" and yet "the only broad-spectrum interjection which is not obscene," and with "only a hint of a consonant, it seems to have no content, and yet is capable of expressing the entire condition of the human bean." So use it, and use it splendiferously. (Check out some of the other latest additions.)
(Newser)  US defense agencies detected an attempted missile launch in western North Korea late Friday, near the city of Kusong, Reuters reports. The objectbelieved to be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missilefailed immediately after launch, per South Korea's military. American and South Korean defense agencies declined to provide any further details, but both governments condemned the act as unprovoked aggression. The missile test is the first since North Korea's latest underground nuclear test, which took place on Sept. 9.

While it's murky whether North Korea actually has nuclear warheads, so far it hasn't verifiably demonstrated the technical capability, even if it does have them, to mount those weapons on long-range missiles that could strike the US mainland. The missile launch follows a week of joint US-South Korean war games, which the North has called a dry run for an invasion, Stars and Stripes reports. The presence of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, which arrived in Busan, South Korea, hours before the failed missile launch, lends a further show of muscle to repeated US commitments to defend South Korea against northern aggression. (Read more North Korea stories.)
(Newser)  The RNC might be holding emergency conference calls as Donald Trump's campaign flounders, but the presidential race might as well be non-existent for David and Charles Koch, the GOP mega-donors who announced months ago that they were sitting on their wallets as far as Trump is concerned. They've since focused their considerable energies and dollars on down-ballot races, specifically vulnerable Republicans in the Senate, reports the AP, which notes that the Kochs are on track to spend $250 million in the two years leading up to Nov. 8. Some $42 million of that has gone toward advertising, but with the clock ticking, the Kochs' Americans for Prosperity group has pulled that plug and focused on its ground game: They have 1,200 people on the payroll in 36 states.

The effort is targeted: AFP crunched data to identify 5 million voters in eight states that could tip control of the Senate; 600,000 of those voters are Pennsylvanians, leading to an influx of AFP workers in the Keystone State working to save the seat of Sen. Pat Toomey. That translates to about 11,000 Pennsylvania doors that are knocked on in a given week. North Carolina, Florida, and Ohio are also focal points. Says one voter, "I wasn't going to support (Toomey's opponent) anyway, but" a visit from an AFP worker made it "less" likely he'd vote for her. As far as the presidential race, he adds that no one has come calling to influence his vote, and he's not sure he'll cast a vote either way. "I'm aghast that that's the best we can do, let's put it that way." (Read more David Koch stories.)
(Newser)  Pamela Anderson is better known for PETA ads and sex tapes, but she's apparently branching out to delivering food to house-bound internationally wanted founders of WikiLeaks, reports the Telegraph. In London on Sunday, she tells the British Press Association that she dropped by the Ecuadorian embassy to visit its most famous occupant, Julian Assange, who's been camped out there for four years. "I brought him a nice vegan lunch and some vegan snacks." Apparently the Australian wondered where's the beef, because she jokes: "He said I tortured him with bringing him vegan food." Adds Anderson: "I really believe in him and think he's a good person, and I'm concerned about his health, his family, and I just hope that by some miracle he's set free." (Read more Pamela Anderson stories.)
(Newser)  Dead men may not wear plaid, but they do vote for Hillary Clintonat least according to Rudy Giuliani. Donald Trump is convinced the presidential election is rigged, and the former NYC mayor, one of his top surrogates, think he knows who's coming out of the woodwork to help defeat the GOP nominee. "I'm sorry, dead people generally vote for Democrats," Giuliani told Jake Tapper Sunday morning on CNN's State of the Union, per CNN. Giuliani explained that Democrats "control" polling sites in major inner cities and that illegal voters are transported from polling site to polling site, Politico reports. "What they do is they leave dead people on the rolls and then they pay people to vote [as] those dead people, four, five, six, seven, eight [times]," he says, adding he'd have to be a "moron" to think voting would be on the up and up in cities like Chicago and Philly.

Giuliani conceded, however, that such fraud likely wouldn't have a huge impact in battleground states unless it was a close race. He also used his screen time to seemingly point out Jessica Leedsa woman accusing Trump of sexual assault on an airplane in the '80sis spinning an unbelievable story. "Fifteen minutes of groping in a first-class cabin of an airplane? It doesn't make sense," Giuliani said, without mentioning Leeds by name. "You see everything that goes on in first class." Meanwhile, Trump running mate Mike Pence "delicately broke" with these narratives on Sunday's Meet the Press, noting he'd never "disparage any woman" who made assault claims against Trump, though he says he believes Trump, per the Washington Post. Pence added "the sense" of a rigged election comes from "obvious" media bias, but "we will absolutely accept the result of the election." (Read more Rudy Giuliani stories.)
(Newser)  A local Republican Party office in North Carolina was damaged by fire and someone spray-painted an anti-GOP slogan referring to "Nazi Republicans" on a nearby wall, authorities said Sunday, per the AP. A news release from the town of Hillsborough said someone threw a bottle filled with flammable liquid through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight. The substance ignited and damaged furniture and the interior before burning out. The news release says an adjacent building was spray-painted with the words: "Nazi Republicans leave town or else." State GOP Director Dallas Woodhouse said no one was injured, but a security alert is being sent to party offices around the state. Another business owner discovered the damage Sunday morning. Local police are investigating alongside the ATF.

Woodhouse said that people sometimes work after-hours and that he felt lucky no one was there at the time. "It is a miracle that nobody was killed," he said in a phone interview. Hillary Clinton tweeted Sunday afternoon, "The attack on the Orange County HQ @NCGOP office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe." Democratic Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens condemned the act in a statement, noting, "This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our community's safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation." Hillsborough is the county seat of Orange County, a county in which registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 3-1 margin. (Read more North Carolina stories.)
The latest obituary for the seeming death of the Great Barrier Reef by Outside Online's Rowan Jacobsen is inaccurate. Its viral status is much to the chagrin of actual scientists who claim that while endangered and in trouble, the iconic largest living thing on earth is not wholly dead. This very much goes to show that all viral news, by its very nature, must really be taken with a grain of salt.

The Huffington Post shares comments from the chief of the Coral Reef Ecosystem at NOAA, Russell Brainard. While great in that the news is making more people aware, the actual content of the news makes people give up instead of doing more to protect such sites around the world. Still, the chief comments that, "we're very far from an obituary."

Kim Cobb told LA Times that "It's not too late for the barrier reef..." Coming from Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cobb continues that not a lot of people truly know about coral resilience.

As any living thing, there is a resilience to be seen in the organisms that make up the reef. Brainard backs this thought up and tells Huffington Post that, "These natural systems do have some ability to be resilient and bounce back."

However, the recent climate changes and El Nino do take their toll on the corals in the form of bleachings, an event wherein the coral shakes off its algae. This is done because at such temperatures, the algae itself becomes destructive to the coral.

That said, bleached corals aren't dead corals. Think of them as simply naked. However, the alarming thing is that if the temperature doesn't change back to normal quickly enough, the corals won't be able to feed and they starve, seeing as they rely on the algae for their nutrition.

Cobb, though, is hopeful, citing an event in the Pacific Ocean where even though 85% of the corals they were observing died out they still saw untouched and healthy corals that survived.
Juan Carlos Herrera has claimed his 25-year-old son was murdered and then eaten by a notorious cannibal during a month-long prison siege in Venezuela. Herrera told local media that his son, Juan Carlos Herrera Jr, who was jailed in 2015 for robbery, was beaten, hanged, dismembered and then eaten during the prison mutiny at the Tachira Detention Center.

"My son and two others were taken by 40 people, stabbed, hanged to bleed, and then Dorancel butchered them to feed all detainees," he added, referring to infamous inmate Dorancel "people-eater" Vargas, who is in prison since 1999 for cannibalism. According to news report obtained by Telegraph, Vargas was accused of killing and eating more than 40 people in the South American country before he was captured. Known as "El comegente" (people-eater) and the "Hannibal Lecter of the Andes", he confessed to killing and eating at least 10 men over a period of two years before his arrest in 1999.

His son and another identified inmate Anthony Correa were nowhere to be found. Fox News reported that the shocking claim of cannibalism became public on Oct. 10, when Herrera told the local media he made the gruesome discovery during a regular prison visit. Herrera told local reporters that a fellow inmate of his son saw everything that happened when he was murdered. Herrera declined an interview with Fox News Latino due to safety concerns

However, Minister of Correctional Affairs Iris Varela confirmed the disappearance but denied the cannibalism allegations. Herrera said that the OVP will ask the Attorney's General Office to start an investigation and will submit the case to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

The mutiny at the prison started on September 8 when eight visitors and two guards were taken hostage. Prisoners revolted due to extreme overcrowding in the jail where 350 men were crammed into the prison that has a capacity of 120. It was reported that inmates are starving to death in Venezuelan prisons as the country reels from severe economic depression.
Samsung Electronics said it expected the move to knock about $2.3 billion off its operating profit for the three months to Sept. 30. It forecast a further hit of around $3.1 billion to operating profit for the six months through March 2017 from the fallout of its bungled Galaxy Note 7 recall.

In a worse case scenario, CNN shared Nomura Securities prediction that the decision to ditch the Note 7 would cost Samsung $9.5 billion in lost sales and put a $5.1 billion dent in profit between this month and the end of 2017. The company's stock is down around 8% since October 10.

Samsung is still trying to figure out what caused some Note 7s to burst into flames. The problems with the Galaxy Note 7 began just days after its launch in August. It recalled 2.5 million of the phones in early September, blaming a battery fault. It promised then that replacement devices would be safe. But reports began to emerge of the replacement phones also catching fire, which forced Samsung to give up on the Note 7 product entirely, with one flaming handset leading to the evacuation of a flight in Kentucky minutes before departure, reports CNBC.

Samsung asked carriers and retailers globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Note 7, before announcing that the model was going to be permanently discontinued. The company has been offering customers financial incentives, including $100 credit in the U.S. to trade in their Note 7s for other Samsung phones.

Samsung, which is currently the smartphone market leader by shipment volume, will planned to expand sales of its flagship smartphone models, such as the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge to recover from financial loses. Deutsche Bank analysts said in a Wednesday note that they expected the likes of Apple, LG, Huawei and Sony to benefit in various regions where they compete with Samsung. In China, they expected local high-end Android phones, made by the likes of Huawei, OPPO and vivo, to take "the majority of high-end smartphone share from Samsung."
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 8F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low around -5F. Winds light and variable.
New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday intensified its attack on L-G Najeeb Jung, calling him a spokesperson of BJP after he rejected the Delhi governments advice to dissolve the Shunglu Committee, which is examining 400 files on decisions taken by the Arvind Kejriwal regime.

Senior party leader Ashutosh questioned the legality under which the Shunglu Committee is examining the files on decisions taken by the Delhi government.

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung should stop behaving like a political spokesperson of his latest adopted outfitthe BJP. He is hiding behind the Narendra Modi government to cover-up his unconstitutional and illegal actions, he said.

The Kejriwal government had yesterday advised Jung to dissolve the Shunglu Committee, which is examining 400 files on decisions taken by the AAP regime, but he turned down the request and gave the panel a six-week extension.

Jung had formed the committee chaired by Shunglu on August 30 and ex-chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami and ex-chief vigilance commissioner Pradeep Kumar are also its members.

In a three-page press statement, Jung wondered why the AAP government is afraid of the truth coming out if everything, as claimed by its ministers, is as per rules.

We have made it clear time and again that why cant the L-G wait until the Supreme Court gives its decision. The AAP and the Delhi government cannot be cowed down by the threat of using the CBI for political vendetta against us.

The AAP government is not afraid of Jungs machinery and falsehoods being spread by him, Ashutosh said.

He also questioned whether Jung can cite a single rule under which Delhi government officers are being verbally summoned before the unconstitutional and illegal committee.

Why is the Delhi L-G unable to state under which provision of the Constitution, law or rule has he formed a three-member committee to examine the Delhi government files? he said.

On whose illegal instructions did Jung form this committee, about which he is fumbling for words to explain under which law/rule this committee has been formed? Can he deny that he is violating his oath of office and secrecy by showing official files to outsider individuals? the AAP leader said.

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Edison (New Jersey):

Terming India as a key strategic ally, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become best friends and have a phenomenal future together.



Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends, Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition on Saturday.



We are going to have a phenomenal future together, Trump said as he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming the bureaucracy, which he said is required in the US too.

Read more: Donald Trump's electoral campaign hit by new allegations of sexual misconduct



I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi, he said, adding that the Indian leader is very energetic.



It was for the first time a presidential candidate attended an Indian American event this election season.



I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big front of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House, Trump said, adding that he has great confidence in Modi and India.

#WATCH Donald Trump says, "Im a big fan of Hindus & of India; if elected as President, Indian community will've a true friend in White House pic.twitter.com/hr3maS3Kt6  ANI (@ANI_news) October 16, 2016

#WATCH Donald Trump says, "We will stand shoulder to shoulder with India in sharing intelligence & keeping our people safe mutually." pic.twitter.com/uMQ9V3laQz  ANI (@ANI_news) October 16, 2016

I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times, he said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.



Trump appreciated Indias role in fight against terrorism.

Read more: US first lady Michelle Obama lambasts Donald Trump for obscene comments about women

We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism, he said as he slammed his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for not using this word.

Trump said India had seen brutality of terrorism, including the Mumbai attacks.



Mumbai, a city, I love. The attack on India was absolutely outrageous, he said while assuring some 5,000 Indian-Americans at the event that if he becomes the president, the US would share soldier to soldier together in the fight against terrorism.



India is key and a key strategic ally, he said, adding that he looks forward to deepening and strengthening military cooperation with India.



In his welcome address, the Republican Hindu Coalition founder and chairman said that this is the first time in the history that a major presidential candidate has addressed Hindu-Americans just three weeks before the election.



He urged Hindus to support and vote for Trump in the upcoming general election and help fight terrorism.

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Baunaulim (Goa):

India and China will soon hold a dialogue on New Delhis bid for membership of the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in which it hopes differences will be narrowed down.



President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that a second round of dialogue on the issue of Indias entry into the NSG, over which China has reservations, will be held soon.



This will be helpful. President Xi told PM, MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters after the meeting held on the side-lines of the BRICS summit on Sunday.

Also read: BRICS Summit 2016: 'PM Modi, President Xi discuss Indias NSG bid, terror and Masood Azhar'



The Chinese Presidents word on the issue came after the Prime Minister told him that India was looking forward to working with China on realising its membership of the NSG.



Replying to questions whether China has softened on its stand on Indias membership, Swarup said, This shows there is dialogue, a good strategic dialogue. Of course this will narrow differences.



Asked whether China reiterated the position that membership of the NSG was by consensus among parties, he replied no.



Last month, a Chinese delegation led by Director General of Department of Arms Control Wang Qun had visited India for talks on the issue with Indian officials.



In the June Plenary of NSG in Seoul, despite strong American support, China stonewalled Indias bid to get entry into the group on the grounds that it was a not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

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Washington:

Multiple missiles were fired at three US warships in the Red Sea, though none was hit and there were no casualties, the US military said, amid rising tensions with Yemens Huthi rebels.



A US defence official said the altercation took place starting around 1930 GMT on Saturday. It was unclear how many of the surface-to-surface missiles were fired at the USS Mason, USS Nitze and USS Ponce.



The USS Mason destroyer, which was sailing in international waters off Yemens coast earlier this week, used unspecified countermeasures against the incoming missiles, the official said.



The attempted missile strikes were the most serious escalation yet of Americas involvement in a deadly civil war that has killed more than 6,800 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since a Saudi-led coalition launched military operations last year.



Officials have stressed that Washington wants to avoid getting embroiled in yet another war in an already volatile region where America is to varying degrees waging wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria.



On Thursday, the US Navy launched five Tomahawk cruise missiles at three mobile radar sites in Huthi-controlled territory on Yemens Red Sea coast, after the Iran-backed rebels blasted rockets at the USS Mason twice in four days.



The military insists these moves are taken out of self-defense. The Huthis have denied conducting the attacks.



Though the United States is providing logistical support to a Saudi-led coalition battling the rebels, Thursdays launches marked the first time Washington has taken direct action against the Huthis.



But the US strikes earlier this week did not take out Huthi missiles and, though the radar destruction makes it harder to aim the weapons, officials have warned rebels could still use spotter boats or online ship-tracking websites to find new targets.



The rockets fired at the USS Mason on Sunday and again Wednesday were believed to be the first time since 1987 that a US warship has been targeted by an incoming missile.

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PM: We should set ourselves a target to double intra-BRICS to US Dollars five hundred billion by 2020.  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

PM: We should set ourselves a target to double intra-BRICS to US Dollars five hundred billion by 2020.  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

PM: Second, transform the quantum and quality of trade and investment linkages among BRICS. #5GoalsfromGoa pic.twitter.com/f0xNWsfBLO  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

PM: We look forward to a BRICS Credit Rating Agency, and speeding up Agriculture Research Centre, Railway Research Network, & Sports Council pic.twitter.com/FP1ku6FNqm  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

PM: First, The process of institution building in BRICS must continue to remain a focus area, enabling flexibility & freedom #5GoalsfromGoa  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

#FiveGoalsfromGoa: PM @narendramodi outlines his thoughts for positive direction and strong momentum of intra-BRICS engagement. pic.twitter.com/wUf2GZtsy5  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016



#Terrorists funding, their weapon supply, training and political support must be systematically cut off: PM Modi

#I visited India in 2014, hardworking people and colorful traditions of this great country left me a deep impression: Chinese Pres Xi Jinping

#Selective approaches to terrorists, individuals and organisations will not only be futile but also counter productive: PM Modi

#Terrorism casts a long shadow on our development and economic prosperity, it has grown more lethal: PM Modi

#Our response to terror must be nothing less than comprehensive, we need to act both individually and collectively: PM Modi in Goa

#Security and counter terrorism cooperation is necessary if we have to safeguard the lives of our citizens: PM Modi in Goa

#We look forward to translating into reality the idea of BRICS credit rating agency: PM Narendra Modi in Goa

#BRICS Trade Fair just concluded, it should become a regular platform for business exchanges: PM Modi in Goa

#In a world of uncertainties, BRICS stands as a beacon of peace, potential and promise: PM Modi in Goa

#There is a clear need to build norms, create structure to stop tax invasion, black money and stop corruption: PM Modi in Goa

#We must speed up the work on setting up BRICS agricultural research centre, railway research network and BRICS Sports council: PM Modi

#Goa declaration contains substantive reference on terrorism and responsibilities of state to combat terror: Sources

#We are celebrating 10 years of our partnership under BRICS, it has produced strong benefits of cooperation: PM Modi in Goa.

#Plenary session of BRICS Summit 2016 underway in Goa

#We have transformed India into one of the most open economies in the world today: PM Modi at the BRICS Business Council

PM:Business communities are strongest proponents for closer &faster commercial coop'n.Their p'ships create wealth &value in our societies. pic.twitter.com/8VueGFLHWl  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

#We count on BRICS Business Council to achieve our common goal of strengthening business trade, building investment linkages: PM Modi

#We have taken a number of steps for ease of doing business in country and the results are visible: PM Modi at BRICS Business Council in Goa

#PM Narendra Modi speaking at the BRICS Business Council

#PM concludes by mentioning non-conventional security challenges, from threats on cyberspace and piracy on high seas to human trafficking

#PM: India has recently ratified the Paris Climate Agreement. We are committed to a harmonious balance between development and climate change

#PM: The path laid down by the SDGs or Agenda 2030 is a valuable blueprint of hope. India's own develop't priorities are aligned with them

#PM Modi calls on BRICS country to work together for early adoption of CCIT, step up practical cooperation against

#PM: The most serious direct threat to our eco prosperity is terrorism; Tragically, its mother-ship is a country in India's neighborhood

#PM: If new drivers of growth have to take root, there must be unhindered flow of skilled talent, ideas, technology & capital across borders

#PM speaks of the critical challenges that our world is confronted with, begins w/ the need for a clear roadmap to revive the global economy

#PM: BRICS must play an active role in setting a direction that supports our common aspirations and goals

#PM: We have built new global institutions to complement the existing architecture. The NDB & Contingency Reserve Arrangement stand out

PM @narendramodi welcomes leaders at Restricted meeting, says BRICS nations have been a voice for peace, reform, reason & purposeful action pic.twitter.com/hmqBcJMPiU  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

The circle of power. The @BRICS2016 leaders sit down for the first formal engagement - the Leaders' Restricted Meeting pic.twitter.com/5BUAwcOyBe  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi arrives for BIMSTEC in Goa. pic.twitter.com/0r7rZ1KnYD  ANI (@ANI_news) October 16, 2016

Leaders of the BRICS nations pose for a group photograph in Goa #BRICS2016pic.twitter.com/oWOnJkN1NM  ANI (@ANI_news) October 16, 2016

Formal greetings for the honoured guests. PM @narendramodi welcomes each of the Summit leaders individually at the venue pic.twitter.com/H7OIZKSnrK  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

Welcoming ceremony for BRICS leaders in Goa #BRICS2016pic.twitter.com/PABxuht5z2  ANI (@ANI_news) October 16, 2016

Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina arrives in Goa #BRICS2016 pic.twitter.com/hvJf5sbdoM  ANI (@ANI_news) October 16, 2016

More opportunities to strengthen a deep bond with Bhutan. PM @narendramodi meets PM @tsheringtobgay before start of #BRICS events pic.twitter.com/85Z4C4EU5h  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for 1st engagement pic.twitter.com/2sOpjXC56I  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

#2nd day of BRICS Summit in Goa, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical & Eco Co-o (BIMSTEC) meet to take place
New Delhi:

After a week-long lull, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by firing from small arms on forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from Indian troops.



aThere was unprovoked firing from small arms on forward areas in Naushera sector of Rajouri district along the LoC by Pakistani troopsa, PRO, Ministry of Defence, Jammu said.



Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in the ceasefire violation.



A senior Army officer said there have been over 25 ceasefire violations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes by Army troops in PoK to dismantle terror launching pads.



In the firing and shelling, five civilians and four armymen had sustained injuries in Poonch district. Nine Pakistani armymen were injured in retaliatory action by Indian troops along LoC.



On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Pooch district resulting in injuries to one jawan.



On October 5, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts.



Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shelling and firing with five ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along LoC in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts.



They shelled mortar bombs and opened small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district.



Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and restored to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district.



On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling from 1915 hours along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district.



On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS amid small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district.



On September 30, Pakistani troops restored to small arms firing along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.

Unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pak in Naushera Sector (J&K) (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/uQszgvo4i7 a ANI (@ANI_news) October 16, 2016

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New Delhi:

Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has cancelled some flights from Karachi to New Delhi and Mumbai due to a significant drop in passengers travelling between the major cities of the two countries in the last three to four weeks.

"Very poor" passenger numbers has been cited by Pakistan's national carrier as the reason behind cancelling some flights on these routes. In a statement issued today, PIA said that its flights from Lahore to New Delhi are operating normally. The diplomatic relations between the South Asian neighbors have reached an all time low after the Uri terror attack last month.

"Lahore-New Delhi flights are operating normally, however due to very poor load during last three to four weeks few of the Karachi-New Delhi and Karachi-Mumbai flights have been cancelled," the airline said.

Passengers who had reservations on these cancelled flights have either been accommodated on PIA's subsequent flights or re-routed to Pakistan through other airlines, it added.

Against the backdrop of tensions between the two countries, there have also been reports saying the Indian government might look at airspace restrictions for Pakistan airlines.

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New Delhi:

A senior US diplomat has laid great emphasis on the need for maritime cooperation between South Asian neighbours India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for security of Indian Ocean as the same goes hand in glove with the stability of the global economy.

Manpreet Singh Anand, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian said that the security of Indian Ocean is "inextricably" linked to the stability of global economy.

"Maritime security in the Indian Ocean will depend more and more on the ability of countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh to work with each other, and partners like America, to uphold international norms like freedom of navigation," said Anand.

"You can plainly see how the security of the Indian Ocean is inextricably linked to the stability of the global economy," Anand said in his address to the Pacific Council Members in Los Angeles on Friday.

He said the "stability inland" also depended on how well the above countries can combat piracy and trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people on the high seas.

Anand noted that South Asia had a tremendous growth potential as the region boasts more working-age people than anywhere else in the world with its economies growing at anaverage of over seven per cent.

Noting that over 250 million South Asians will move into cities in the next 15 years, creating strong demand for infrastructure and services, Anand said the World Bank estimates that the region will need about USD 2.5 trillion in infrastructure investment over the next ten years to reach its full economic potential.

"While the countries of South Asia are increasingly trading more around the globe, the region is still one of the least economically-integrated in the world, with less than six per cent of its total trade and less than one per cent of its investment flows occurring from within the region," he rued.

Anand said America's efforts to build prosperity and stability in South Asia are not only about improving trade and connectivity, but also have very strong social andenvironmental components.

"With India, we have increased bilateral trade to over USD 100 billion a year, while launching dozens of programmes to promote women's entrepreneurship and equitable access to healthcare, education, finance, and more," he said.

Anand said countries of the region were taking steps to bilaterally reduce barriers to trade.

"With Sri Lanka, India is pursuing an Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement. India also has older trade agreements with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan that reduced oreliminated tariffs," he said.

"The Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal Motor Vehicles Agreement, or BBIN, has drastically reduced transit times between the four countries and will allow for the faster, cheaper movement of goods and people across borders," Anand said.

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New Delhi:

Hindi film director Anurag Kashyap launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on twitter on Sunday. Targeting the Prime Minister for the anti-Pak actors campaign, Kashyap said that Modi should apologised for his trip to meet Pak PM in December 2015, whilst Karan Johar is facing loss of crores for shooting in Pakistan in October same year.

Udta Punjab producer Kashyap on Saturday came out in support of Karan Johar, whose multi-million project Ae Dil Hai Mushkil has been boycotted from four states after Cinema Owners Association condemned the movie as it stars Pak actor Fawad Khan.

aThe World must learn from us.. We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it.. #ADHM . With you on this @karanjohara

The World must learn from us.. We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it.. #ADHM . With you on this @karanjohar a Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 15, 2016

Further extending his attack on PM, Kashyap tweeted:

a@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why?a

@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why? a Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

@narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent?? a Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

.@anuragkashyap72 KJo was shooting ADHM in Oct 2015. Let me know if you need evidence. Stop spreading rumour. @narendramodi a Chicken Biryanii (@ChickenBiryanii) October 16, 2016

@ChickenBiryanii @narendramodi then that was before he went to Pakistan.. Then, he toh surely must say sorry na.. a Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

Anurag Kashyap, who is famous for his choice of daring topics for movies like Black Friday, further plead that whilst PM trip was paid from tax payersa pocket, Karan Joharas movie was a business investment. A

@narendramodi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money,while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest a Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

@narendramodi I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don't get it. Sorry if you feel offended.. a Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

Btw Bharat Mata ki Jai Sir @narendramodi a Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016A

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New Delhi:

British Prime Minister Theresa May will arrive in New Delhi on November 6 on her first bilateral visit outside Europe. During the visit she will hold talks with herIndian counterpart Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK strategic partnership and boost business ties with India.

The three-day visit was announced by the External Affairs Ministry in the national capital.

"This will be her first bilateral visit outside Europe.She will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the sidelinesof the visit," the Ministry said.

During the visit, Prime Minister May along with Modi will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. "The Summit will be an opportunity for both nations to strengthen business in technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, IPRs and higher education," it said.

May, 60, as the post-Brexit leader of the country, hasoften mentioned India among the priority countries for a freetrade agreement to boost the UK's ties outside the EU.

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New Delhi:



Taking on Pakistan, PM Narendra Modi, from the platform of 8th BRICS Summit in Goa, said "most serious direct threat to regional security was terrorism, whose 'mother-ship' was a country in India's neighbourhood".

The Prime Minister also said that Pakistan support a mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains. Addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Jacob Zuma and South African leader Michel Temer at the BRICS Summit's "restricted" segment, Modi said terror modules around the world are linkedto this "mothership". "In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat topeace, security and development.

Tragically its mothership isa country in India's neighbourhood. Terror modules around theworld are linked to this mothership," he said. "This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures amindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism isjustified for political gains. It is a mindset that westrongly condemn.

Further he added, "And, against which we as BRICS need to stand and act together. BRICS must speak in one voice against this threat," Modi said, without naming Pakistan directly. During his bilateral meet with Russian President Putin and Chinese counterparts Xi Jinping on Saturday, Modi had strongly articulated India's concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

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New Delhi:

Congress Chief Ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit hinted out that some senior leaders from ruling Samajwadi Party may join Congress, amid the growing rift in the Samajwadi Party.

Dikshit on Sunday said, that problems in Yadav's family will cost them dearly in the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and some of its senior leaders are in touch with Congress to join it.

Dikshit, a three-time Chief Minister of Delhi, said the cracks in SP will benefit Congress as those unhappy withgoings on in that party do not have much choice but to come toCongress' fold. Confident of an impressive performance by Congress in theAssembly polls in the politically crucial state where theparty has been out of power for 27 years, she said some of theSP MLAs and mid-level leaders were also in touch withCongress. "There are a lot people wanting to come to the Congress,certainly because they cannot go to BJP or BSP," she said.

Asked whether some senior leaders of SP are in touch withthe Congress, 78-year-old Dikshit said they are a mixture of senior, mid-level and local leaders. "Those who are disappointed with the reputation that SPhas picked up are definitely looking for alternative and thealternative is Congress," she said adding "a lot" of SP MLAsare also trying to get in touch with Congress. "Many of them are in touch already. Openly they are notdoing it now," she said. The SP has been grappling with internal rift mainly dueto differences between party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother Shivpal Yadav and his son, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The elections in the state are due early next year, Amid the feud, Mulayam on Friday had said the SP's chief ministerial candidate will be decided by party legislatorsafter the 2017 assembly elections, if the party manages toform government again. The announcement is seen as a setbackto Akhilesh who was recently removed as president of SP'sstate president. "Of course it (rift in SP) will help. It will be harmfulfor them because it is the party in power. All the scandalsand differences are not going to help them," said Dikshit. About Congress' preparations for the polls, the veteran Congress leader said the party has been revived to a greatextent across the state and people's expectations from ithave now grown significantly.

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New Delhi:

In a move to set up its own permanent space station by 2022, China will launch a manned space mission on Monday to send two astronauts to dock on its second experimental lab orbiting the earth for a month-long stay. With this the communist giant moves closer to realise it goal of setting up its own permanent space station by 2022.

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng, 50, and 37-year-old ChenDong will be blasted into space aboard Shenzhou-11 spacecraftat 7:30 am from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near the Gobi Desert in northern China. The mission will be carried out with a Long March-2Fcarrier rocket, Wu Ping, Deputy Director of China's mannedspace engineering office said.

It will dock with orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 within two days and the astronauts will stay in the lab for 30 days, shewas quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency. China, which conducted its first manned space mission in 2003, is putting in billions into its space programme in a bidto catch up with the US and Europe. It also plans to launchits maiden Mars mission in 2020 to match India and others. China has said its space program is for peaceful purposes,but it has also tested anti-satellite missiles in addition toits civilian aims. The Shenzhou-11 spaceship will return to Earth within aday after docking the two astronauts on Tiangong-2 space laband separating from it, according to Wu. Jing, who has been to space twice before for Shenzhou-7mission in 2008 and Shenzhou-9 mission in 2012, will commandthe mission to the space lab which was launched last month.

With a safe flight record of 1,500 hours as an air forcepilot, Chen became China's second group of astronauts in May2010, and was selected as a crew member of the Shenzhou-11mission in June 2016, Wu said. This will be his first spacemission. The space lab was launched as part China's efforts to setup its own manned space station by 2022, which will make itthe only the country to have such a facility in service as thecurrent in-service International Space Station (ISS) retiresby 2024.

Lei Fanpei, chairman of China Aerospace Science andTechnology Corp (CASC), recently said China plans to launchthe experimental core module of its space station around 2018with a Long March-5 heavy load carrier rocket, and the 20 toncombination space station will be sent into orbit around 2022. The space station has a designed life of 10 years in orbit400 km above the earth surface. With this space station, Chinawill become the second country after Russia to have developeda space station.

China made a three-step strategy in 1992 for its manned space program, the large-scale manned space station being the last step.

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Mumbai:

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap made comments on ban on release of films with Pakistani artistes. He said that when Indian filmmakers are being damned, Prime Minister should also be sorry for his Lahore visit.

Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI)'s decision has put a question mark on the release of Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hain Mushkil', featuring Fawad Khan, by announcing no films with Pakistani actors will be screened in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka in the aftermath of Uri attack.

Kashyap, 44, said that why should only filmmakers, who have completed shoot of their respective films, have to face the situation of a ban.

"@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why?" Kashyap wrote on Twitter.

"@narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent?"

Bringing into focus the money that the producers would lose when a film's release is stalled, the "Bombay Velvet" helmer, said, "@narendramodi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money, while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest."

"@narendramodi I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don't get it. Sorry if you feel offended..

"Btw Bharat Mata ki Jai Sir @narendramodi," Kashyap tweeted.

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Allahabad:

'Life Flows On', a film on mental decacy that affects the old aged people, is set to release on October 21. Set in the backdrop of a remote town in Uttarakhand, the movie is directed by Vishaal Nityanand.

"We rave about having the largest young population in the world but tend to ignore the fact that we also have the most rapidly growing elderly population."

"While there is some semblance of awareness about the physical health needs of the elderly, we do not even wish to talk about their mental health issues," Vishaal said.

According to the director the film attempts to draw the people's attention towards the issue which is still unacknowledged.

The story revolves around the psychological and emotional hardships faced by Emma, a young Anglo-Indian based in Landour, a cantonment town situated close to Mussourie. As she strives to make sense of a life beset by the illness of her mother, who has been diagnosed with the dreaded Alzheimer's disease, she finds succour in the strong family values that her deceased father admired in the Indian society.

British actress Emma Dunn has been cast as the female protagonist, while the role of her mother is played by Astri Ghosh, better known for her accomplishments in Indo-Norwegian literature, which include Hindi translation of the works of legendary playwright Henrik Ibsen.

Vishaal said that Allahabad has been chosen among 27 cities across the country where the film will be released.

A special screening of the film was held at the Jagran Film Festival held in Mumbai earlier.

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Panaji:

All churches in Goa held special prayers on Sunday regarding peace against the backdrop of massive tension between India and Pakistan. The prayers are being held at a time when heads of Brics have decided to tackle cross-border terror and its supporters with utmost zeal.

The prayers were held on the call given by the Catholic Bishops' conference.

The prayers were also attended by people from otherfaiths besides Catholics.

"Recent escalation of tension along our borders has beencausing serious concern to our respective populations and has prompted the President of Catholic Bishops' Conference ofIndia to issue a circular asking that a day October 16 be set aside as a day of prayer for India," Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Filipe Neri Ferrao had stated in a circular issued earlier.

He had also called for "other people of good will" to join in praying for one another and for peace.

At around 27 per cent, the Catholics are an influential community in this erstwhile Portuguese enclave.

"The fragile peace along the Indian border with neighbouring Pakistan is regularly disturbed by exchange of fire and other forms of violence, revealing a simmering state of hostility and suspicion between two countries that otherwise share linguistic, cultural, geographical and even economic links," Ferrao stated. Goa is hosting BRICS summit and BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meeting.

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London:

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that she will visit India in November for her first bilateral visit outside Europe. Further, she will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reviewing various aspects of India-UK strategic partnership post-Brexit.

May, 60, will be in India between November 6 and 8 on the invitation of Modi. She will be accompanied by her international trade minister Liam Fox and a business delegation drawn from regionsacross the UK as "examples of the best of British business".

"The relationships between our two countries are strong,and the Indian diaspora plays a vital role in our nationallife," May said. "In my talks with Prime Minister Modi, I want to build on our relationship for the benefit of both our countries, generating jobs and wealth and maintaining cooperation on defence and security," the Prime Minister said.

"As we leave the European Union, we have the chance to forge a new global role for the UK, to look beyond our continent and towards the economic and diplomaticopportunities in the wider world. I am determined to capitalise on those opportunities and as we embark on the trade mission to India, we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade," May said.

While in India, the British Prime Minister will hold discussions with Modi and a number of commercial deals areexpected to be signed during the visit. The India-UK partnership has moved into a new era, with Britain voting to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum in June and leading to the resignation of then prime minister David Cameron. May will land in New Delhi, where she will inaugurate the India-UK TECH Summit alongside Modi.

The TECH Summit, described as South Asia's largesttechnology conference, will provide a platform for promoting technology-intensive trade between the two countries. Fox will also attend another major international event, the Joint Economic and Trade Committee where UK and Indian leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs will meet to discuss how to take the bilateral partnership to the next level.

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Jammu:

An Indian army jawan was killed as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire twice on Sunday along the LoC in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The ceasefire violations by Pakistan took place on a day when India hosted leaders of a number of countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, for BRICS and BIMSTEC Summits.

There was ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along LoC in Rajouri sector resulting in death of a soldier today, a senior Army officer said about the incident in the evening.

The area in which incident took place falls in Tarkundi belt of Rajouri district.

Earlier in the morning too, there was unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops who used small arms to target Indian forward areas in Naushera sector of the same district along the LoC, Defence PRO said.

Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in that exchange.

A senior Army officer said there have been over 25 ceasefire violations along the LoC since the surgical strikes by Indian Army in PoK on September 29 to dismantle terror launching pads.

In the firing and shelling, five civilians and four armymen have sustained injuries in Poonch district.

Nine Pakistani armymen have been injured in retaliatory action by Indian troops along LoC.

On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Pooch district resulting in injuries to one jawan.

On October 5, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shelling and firing with five ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along LoC in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts.

They fired mortar bombs and used small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district.

Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district.

On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling from 1915 hours along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district.

On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS amid small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district.

On September 30, Pakistani troops restored to small arms firing along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.

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Islamabad:

Strongly reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modis remarks that Pakistan is the mothership of terrorism, Premier Nawaz Sharifs Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Sunday accused the Indian leader of misleading the BRICS countries over the issue.

Accusing India of terror financing, Aziz said India has no moral ground to even talk about counter-terrorism efforts let alone do the finger pointing.

Mr Modi is misleading his BRICS and BIMSTEC colleagues, Aziz said.

He also alleged that the Indian leadership is desperately trying to hide its brutalities in Jammu and Kashmir.



Also read: PM Modi dubs Pakistan as 'mother ship' of global terror

Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said that Aziz reacted strongly to Modis statement during his address at the BRICS summit in Goa in which he called Pakistan a mothership of terrorism world-wide.

Aziz said Pakistan joins all the members of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and BIMSTEC in condemning terrorism and reaffirms its full commitment to fight the menace of terrorism without discrimination, including against the Indian state-sponsored terrorism on Pakistani soil.

Aziz said the UN Human Rights High Commissioner in Geneva and the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have called for sending a fact finding mission to Kashmir.

He said The UN and OIC have rejected Indian attempts to equate Kashmiris movement for self-determination with terrorism.

He said the UN has repeatedly emphasised that people fighting for their self-determination cannot be categorised as terrorists by the occupying state.

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Turkey Hill Dairy of Conestoga, Pa., is recalling select 48 oz. containers of its Dutch Chocolate Premium Ice Cream because the package may contain Rocky Road Premium Ice Cream instead of Dutch Chocolate Premium Ice Cream.

These packages may include undeclared ingredients of almonds and eggs, and could be harmful to consumers with food sensitivity or allergy to these ingredients. The cup of the affected package would read Dutch Chocolate Premium Ice cream and the package lid would read Rocky Road Premium Ice Cream.
Egypt airstrikes kill 100 militants

Egypt,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Sat, 15 Oct 2016 IANS

Cairo, Oct 16 (IANS) At least 100 militants were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Egyptian government against jihadist targets in North Sinai, a security source said.

The Armed Forces said in a televised statement on Saturday it pursued the criminal and terrorist elements who implemented the terrorist attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

The airstrikes targeted the hideouts of the armed extremists involved in Friday's attacks, and all areas that harbour the terrorist elements along with the weapons and ammunition depots were destroyed in the airstrikes, which lasted for three hours and is still ongoing, the statement added.

At least 40 militants were wounded in the air raids, the source added.

He added that the airstrikes have bombed three suspected jihadist bases in Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and Al-Arish cities in Egypt.

The airstrikes were a retaliation to the killing of 12 army personnel on October 14 at a checkpoint.

North Sinai province has been a hub for anti-security attacks that killed hundreds since the army-led ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

A Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for most of attacks, including the October 14 assault.

--IANS

vgu/
North Korea fails in ballistic missile test-launch

South Korea,Defence/Security, Sat, 15 Oct 2016 IANS

Seoul, Oct 16 (IANS) North Korea had test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile, but it ended in a failure, South Korea's military said on Sunday.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement that North Korea fired what is believed to be a Musudan missile at 12.33 p.m. on Saturday near an airport in North Pyongan province, Xinhua news agency reported.

The test-launch, the JCS said, failed as the missile exploded soon after its lift-off.

The failed launch came on the day that the US and South Korea wrapped up their joint naval exercises that had started on Monday in all of the three seas around South Korea.

The US military mobilised its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to participate in the week-long drill, which also involved seven American warships and some 40 South Korean battleships as well as fighter jets, maritime patrol airplanes and helicopters.

On June 22, Pyongyang launched a Musudan medium-range missile, flying some 400 km after reaching as high as 1,413.6 km.

It was seen as a considerable technological advance and the first success by North Korea after several failures.

--IANS

ksk
2 American hostages freed in Yemen

United States,Defence/Security, Sat, 15 Oct 2016 IANS

Washington, Oct 16 (IANS) Two American citizens held by Houthi rebels in Yemen have been released and flown to neighbouring Oman, the US State Department announced.

State Department spokesperson Mark Toner on Saturday said that consular officers from the US Embassy in Muscat, stood ready to provide all possible assistance, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We are deeply grateful to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and the Government of Oman for their assistance in facilitating and supporting the release of our citizens," Toner said, adding "We recognise the humanitarian gesture by the Houthis in releasing these US citizens."

The US calls for the "immediate and unconditional" release of any other American citizens who may still be held, the spokesman added.

A Houthi official said on Saturday that his group released the two US nationals detained in Yemen's capital Sanaa on charges of espionage in a deal meditated by Oman in return for allowing a Houthi delegation to return home.

"We handed over the Americans to Omani authorities on Saturday ... they will be airlifted through the same Omani plane that carried the national (Houthi delegation) and arrived in Sanaa at noon," the official told Xinhua news agency.

He said that one of the Americans is an English teacher who was arrested on September 21.

--IANS

ksk
Modi meets Nepal, Bangladesh PMs

Goa,National,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Diplomacy,Business/Economy, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Benaulim (Goa), Oct 16 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with his Nepal and Bangladesh counterparts, Pushpa Kumar Dahal 'Prachanda' and Sheikh Hasina, respectively following the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit here on Sunday.

"Post dinner, still much work to do! PM @narendramodi meets Prime Minister of Nepal for a bilateral," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with pictures of the two leaders.

"And capping off a busy day, a final bilateral with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina," he said in a separate tweet.

Earlier on Sunday, Modi also held bilateral meetings with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.

As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Jammu and Kashmir's Uri that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community. The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

The BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit was held here after the BRICS Summit.

--IANS

ab/vd
Suu Kyi lands in Goa ahead of BRICS-Bimstec summits

Goa,National,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics,Diplomacy, Sun, 16 Oct 2016 IANS

Benaulim (Goa), Oct 16 (IANS) Myanmar's State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, landed in Goa on Sunday ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit and a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After her party National League of Democracy swept the parliamentary elections and was installed in office earlier this year, this is the Nobel laureate's first visit to India.

Suu Kyi is scheduled to attend a ceremonial lunch hosted by Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar for all participants of Bimstec, after which she will attend the BRICS and Bimstec Outreach Summit later in the evening, with other leaders of the two groupings.

As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the September 18 Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

--IANS

maya/ksk/vt
A two-time veteran astronaut will head Chinas longest manned space mission yet when the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft lifts off on Monday as part of a bigger programme to build a space station.

A Long March-2F rocket would blast off with the spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on the edge of the Gobi Desert at about 7.30am, state-run Xinhua quoted Wu Ping, mission spokeswoman and deputy director of the manned space engineering office, as saying on Sunday.

It is the countrys first manned space mission in more than three years  the Shenzhou-10 was launched in early 2013.

Wu said Major General Jing Haipeng would lead the 33-day mission, and be accompanied by Colonel Chen Dong.

The Tiangong 2 is a prototype for the countrys planned permanent space station, which it hopes to have in orbit in 2022, two years before the International Space Station goes out of service. It would leave China as the only country with a permanent space presence then.

Russia has talked about separating their ISS space modules into a separate smaller space station.

The other ISS modules could stay in orbit until 2028.



SOURCE- South China morning Post
By www.wrc.com 16 October 2016 - 09:39





Sebastien Ogier more than doubled his lead over Dani Sordo in Sunday mornings opening speed tests at RallyRACC Catalunya - Rally de Espana.

The Frenchman, who is on the brink of clinching his fourth consecutive world title later today, was fastest in Pratdip by 2.0sec in his Volkswagen Polo R. He was then second in Duesaigues to stretch his lead from 5.5sec to 12.7sec.

There was a bit of humidity in the first stage and some tricky places. Im happy to be faster than Dani. I was a little but more cautious than normal in the second stage but two more to go and so far everything is looking good, said Ogier, who crashed out of the lead in Duesaigues last year.

Sordo was third in Pratdip and fifth in Duesaigues in his Hyundai i20, but the Spanish hero was frustrated. I had a lot of understeer. I tried really hard to catch Ogier, I tried my best, but it was difficult, he said.

Team-mate Thierry Neuville was fourth in both stages to retain third place. The Belgian also reported understeer in his i20 and conceded time to Hayden Paddon in both tests. The gap between the pair was 13.4sec.

Kris Meekes disappointing weekend came to a premature conclusion when the Ulsterman stopped 7.34km after the start of Pratdip. His Citroen DS 3 suffered engine problems and his demise allowed Mads stberg to climb to fifth in a Ford Fiesta RS.

stberg was one of only two leading drivers to opt for Michelins soft compound tyres and the Norwegian believed that was a mistake as the rubber had overheated by the finish of Duesaigues.

Jari-Matti Latvala made it a Volkswagen double this morning by winning SS17.

Martin Prokop retired after completing Duesaigues with the front right wheel missing from his Ford Fiesta RS after sliding into the scenery.
Britain's Andy Murray beat Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets to win the Shanghai Masters and edge closer to Novak Djokovic in the world rankings.The Scot recovered from a stutter in the first set to win 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 against the Spanish world number 19.Bautista Agut beat Djokovic in the semi-finals, but Murray ultimately eased to his sixth title of the year.Murray, 29, is now 915 points behind the Serb, increasing his chances of finishing 2016 as world number one.It is the third time he has won the Shanghai Masters, which gives him 1,000 ranking points.Murray, who also won the China Open on 9 October, has now won his past 23 sets over the two tournaments and the recent Davis Cup tie with Argentina."In the last few months, I have won a lot of matches and made improvements," Murray told Sky Sports. "I have been moving forward better and changed the direction of the ball better. I have also come up with some bigger serves when I have needed them."My goal wasn't to finish number one at the end of this year but in the early parts of next year there is an opportunity - 900 points doesn't seem like loads."But Novak will win matches. He is the best player in the world. I don't think he has lost an indoor game in a long time."
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has embarked on a more rigorous exploration for oil in the Gongola and other inland b...

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has embarked on a more rigorous exploration for oil in the Gongola and other inland basin using the latest seismic data gathering technology.A statement by NNPCs Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Garba Deen Muhammad, made this known in Abuja on Saturday.The NNPC Group Managing Director, Maikanti Baru, the statement said, made the disclosure when he paid separate visits to the governors of Bauchi and Gombe States.Mr. Baru said the latest technology was similar to the ones used by neighbouring countries to discover oil there.He said the exploration was in strict compliance to President Muhammadu Buharis mandate.NNPC, he said, had therefore commenced activities in the Gongola Basin by awarding the contract for seismic data acquisition of over 500KM2 3D seismic data in the first instance.NNPC is deploying state of the art technology in the present data acquisition and we are confident that these efforts will lead to clearer definition of the prospectively of the basin, he said.He said that the contractors awarded the contract for the seismic data acquisition in the Gongola Basin, was Integrated Data Service Limited (IDSL).Mr. Baru said the contractor was a subsidiary of the NNPC and Bureau for Geophysical Prospecting, a subsidiary of Chinese National Petroleum Corporation (BGP/CNPC) were mobilising to commence the project.The GMD said that the seismic data acquisition activities and exploration well drillings would provide employment opportunities for the youths.Mr. Baru said the multiplier effect of the envisaged employment would contribute to the economic empowerment of the surrounding communities and the nation at large.He said that NNPC was in the process of awarding the Environmental Baseline Studies (EBS) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi and Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola.In their separate remarks, the governors of Bauchi an Gombe, Mohammad Abubakar and Ibrahim Dankwambo, applauded the president for the pragmatic move to rigorously commence exploratory activities in the area.They both stressed that the move would further grow the nations oil and gas reserves.I want to assure you of the unflinching support of Bauchi State and its good people towards this project.We are ready to provide offices and accommodation for all NNPC staff that will work on this project, Abubakar said.Already, we have assigned two ministries that will work with your team on this laudable project.I will work with my colleague Governors in the North- East to galvanize support from our people towards this project, Dankwambo said.Mr. Dankwambo also called on the media to support this renewed oil search in the area.Giving their royal endorsements, the Emirs of Bauchi and Gombe reassured the Federal Government of their readiness to support the project, mobilise their subjects against interrupting the smooth operation of the exploratory activities in their domains.(NAN)
The United Kingdom is preventing a Nigerian woman from going to the aid of her England-based sister now battling leukaemia.

The United Kingdom is preventing a Nigerian woman from going to the aid of her England-based sister now battling leukaemia.Leukaemia is a malignant progressive disease in which the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs produce increased numbers of immature or abnormal leucocytes. These suppress the production of normal blood cells, leading to anaemia and other symptoms.Doctors attending to May Brown, 23,of Weymouth in Dorset, England, at the Kings College Hospital in London have told her that her sister Martha is a 10 out of 10 tissue match.But Martha, a school teacher in Nigeria, has been refused permission to enter the UK to donate bone marrow required by her distraught sister.A charity, African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) said Martha had been refused a visa because her income was too low.The Home Office said immigration rules were applied to all visa applications.Mrs. Browns doctors told her that her only chance of survival is an urgent stem cell transplant.Medical tests identified Martha as a perfect match, the ACLT said, but she was refused a visa because her teachers salary of 222 per month was too low.The charity said Mrs. Brown had offered to cover all of her sisters costs.It has set up an online petition, signed by more than 2,000 people, to reverse the visa decision.The Home Office said it could not comment on individual cases.A spokesman added: We are sensitive to cases with compassionate circumstances but all visa applications must be assessed against the immigration rules.The onus is on the individual to provide the necessary supporting evidence to prove they meet the requirements.
Some of the judges whose homes were raided by operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, last weekend, have opened cans of worm, ...

Some of the judges whose homes were raided by operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, last weekend, have opened cans of worm, with one of them indicting the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.Already, two of them who are currently serving at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, Justices Ademola Adeniyi and Nnamdi Dimgba, have concluded plans to file separate suits against the DSS for violating their constitutional rights.While Justice Ademola was one of the seven superior court judges the DSS arrested and detained between October 8 and 9, Justice Dimgbas home was thoroughly ransacked by the security operatives, though he was not arrested.The duo, in different letters dated October 10 and 11, have applied for permission of the National Judicial Council, NJC, headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, to file actions against the DSS for the enforcement of their fundamental human rights. Remarkably, both Judges had recently made orders the DSS spurned, since it would have led to the release of persons currently under detention.While Justice Ademola ordered release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and also granted bail to the detained former National Security Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki, retd, on self recognition. Justice Dimgba on the other hand, granted bail to a former member of the arms probe panel that was set up by the Federal Government, Air Commodore Umar Mohammed (retd).The DSS ignored the orders and subsequently took the accused persons before Justice John Tsoho of the same court, who though refused Kanu bail, okayed same bail terms earlier given to Mohammed by Dimgba. Meanwhile, Dimgba, in his letter, told the NJC that his court had been under the radar of the DSS since September 16 when his registrar was detained after the Service invited her to its office for a chat. He said the registrar was released but re-invited on September 26, after which her phones were seized by the DSS.According to Justice Dimgba, the DSS, threatened her to provide them with testimonies that could implicate me in the performance of my official duties. He insisted that he was subjected to harassment and intimidation because of rulings he delivered against the DSS, saying his house was invaded by a team of over 20 operatives of the DSS in about five operational vehicles without a search warrant.When I asked, they first presented me with a search warrant for a No. 19 Ogbemudia Crescent, Apo Legislative Quarters, Zone E and which had a John Inyang Okoro as defendant. When I explained to them that my house address was not No. 19 Ogbemudia Crescent, Apo Legislative Quarters, Zone E, and that my name was certainly not John Inyang Okoro, on the search warrant, the DSS team leader explained that there was a mix-up, and then presented me with another search warrant for 30 Ogbemudia Crescent, Apo Legislative Quarters, Zone E, but which had A.F.A Ademola as the defendant.When I also explained that I was not A.F.A Ademola but that my name was Justice Dimgba, the DSS team leader stated that whatever was the case, they (the DSS) were under instructions from above to search Justice Nnamdi Dimgbas house.Thereafter, the DSS operatives turned on my nephew, who resides with me, and my driver, beat them to a pulp with guns, and forced their way into and ransacked the entire house in the course of execution of a non-existent search warrant, he said. He said the DSS operatives eventually went away with his work bag containing a number of case files which I had planned to work on for the weekend in relation to judgments adjourned, the power cable of my laptop and also my copy of the reply dated September 4, 2016, which I had sent to the NJC to the DSS petition against me.Likewise, Justice Ademola who shares a fence with Dimgba, fingered the AGF, Malami, SAN, as the brain behind his ordeal in hands of the DSS. He said that Malami instigated his arrest to take back his pound of flesh owing to a clash they had in the past whilst the AGF was practising as a lawyer in Kano. Ademola who then served as a Judge of the Federal High Court, Kano Division, said he had reported Malami to the NJC for engaging in professional misconduct.He said it took the intervention of Kano branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to save the AGF from being debarred, alleging that Malami got freed using a fake apology letter. What is more intriguing in this whole episode, is that I see it as a vendetta/revenge from the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. While I was in Kano between 2004 and 2007 as a Federal High Court judge, he was involved in a professional misconduct necessitating his arrest and detention by my order.However, with the intervention of the NBA, Kano branch, the allegation of misconduct was later withdrawn by me. Consequently, the NJC referred Abubakar Malami (SAN) to the Nigerian Bar Associations Disciplinary Committee for disciplinary action. On the raid, Ademola denied that huge amount of money was found in his residence, saying he could however not determine how much was actually recovered, since the money was allegedly recovered from his house in his absence. He said the DSS had aside accusing him of granting unconstitutional bail to Kanu and Dasuki, also told him 24 hours after his arrest that allegations for which he was being investigated included a petition by Mr. Jekins Duvie dated April 4, still pending before the NJC.After stating the grounds for the invasion as stated above, they requested explanation of the money found in my apartment, as well as two licensed firearms also found in my apartment. All the allegations that border on judicial decisions were supported with Certified True Copy of Proceedings showing that those applications were not opposed by the counsel representing the Department of State Services of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Judge added. Giving a peep into what transpired that night, Ademola said mistook the the DSS operatives for armed robbers, especially because this was at an ungodly hour of the night.He said the operatives numbering about 45 with all of them masked, storme his official residence at House 30, Ogbemudia Crescent, Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja, on or about 12 am at midnight of the said day, Friday. Ademola said he was awaken by the operatives loud sound of banging, breaking and hitting. They asked me to open the door and I responded, asking them, Who are you? They answered We are officers of the Department of State Services and we are here with a search warrant to search your house.I told them to allow me to call my counsel. At this point, they had already began kicking at my door and after about three kicks, I got up and opened my bedroom door and let them in. To my surprise, I saw about 45 masked officers of the DSS, all heavily armed pointing their guns at me.They flashed a document purported to be a search warrant and ordered me to sign on a document claiming that they had already conducted a search downstairs. They also added that I was totally under their custody as I have always made an order against them (the DSS).I complied and upon signing the document, they told me that I was under arrest and ordered me with guns still pointed at me to move outside. As I was going, they told me they were taking me to their office without showing any warrant of arrest, the letter read. I obeyed them and at about six oclock in the morning, I was whisked away from my residence to the DSS office.From the time of my arrival at the DSS office, at about 6:45am on October 8, I was not told what my crime was for over 24 hours till the evening of October 9. A DSS official finally informed me that the search and my arrest were based on these three allegations: the petition of Hon. Jenkins Duvie dated April 4, 2016 to the National Judicial Council and granting bail to Col. Sambo Dasuki and the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu.




The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has blamed the current spate of corruption in Nigeria on former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.The fiery governor who used to be in close affinity with the former President but strained relationship after accusing the elder statesman of attempting to impeach him in 2006, described Obasanjo as a laughing stock.In an interview with the Punch, the governor alleged that Obasanjo bribed lawmakers with N50m each for his failed third term bid.Wondering if the former President has shame, Fayose alleged that the frequency with which Obasanjo visits the villa, shows that he is trying to cover up something at all cost.Part of the interview reads, That is if he is ready to make up with me.Im not ready to take issues with Obasanjo because if you are talking about corruption today, Obasanjo is the cause. (What about) the N50m Obasanjo (allegedly) gave each lawmaker for his failed third term agenda?" I was an Obasanjo boy. Obasanjo cant be celebrated as a saint in Nigeria. When he talks, I just shake my head. Sometimes, when he goes to the [presidential] Villa, I wonder if he has shame at all. When he was [the president], Buhari was not visiting him regularly. Obasanjo is behaving like somebody who wants to cover [up] something at all cost.I want a former president that will know this nation does not belong to one man. Most of the problems in this country were caused by Obasanjo. The impeachment of a governor by four lawmakers was done during Obasanjos tenure as a president. Tell me where the moral is.We should not deceive ourselves. The fact that he is supporting the government of the day tactically is to protect himself. Sometimes, I ask if he is looking for a political appointment. Have you seen Ernest Shonekan and other former presidents visit Buhari like he does? He is becoming a laughing stock. That is the way I see it.Source: Punch
The 21 freed Chibok Girls said on Sunday in Abuja that for one month and 10 days of their abduction by the Boko Haram insurgents, they stayed without food in the bush.Ms Gloria Dame, one of the rescued girls, narrated this while giving testimony on behalf of her colleaques at a thanks giving service organised for them at a DSS health facility in Abuja.The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Jummai Alhassan, attended the service.The girl, who spoke in Hausa language, said their survival in captivity was an act of God.I did not know that a day like this will come that we will be dancing and giving thanks to God among people.For one month and 10 days we stayed without food. I narrowly escaped bomb blast in the forest.We are praying to God to touch the heart of Boko Haram insurgents to repent and we are calling on Nigerians to pray and fast for the release of our remaining ones in captivity, she said.
Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, yesterday urged Nigerians to unite and collectively evolve solution to the problems.

Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, yesterday urged Nigerians to unite and collectively evolve solution to the problems.Abubakar stated this at the 8th Convocation of Crescent University, Abeokuta.He cautioned political leaders to avoid making frivolous promises to the people in the face of the prevailing difficulties for the credibility of the fledgling democracy.He remarked that fulfilling promises made by political leaders enhanced the credibility of leadership and raised the integrity of leaders.The former head of state maintained that in times of difficulty, leaders would be measured by the promises kept.He admonished the people to be moderate in their expectations, saying that there could be no quick fixes to all national challenges.He explained that challenges were not strange to the country and recalled that collective resolutions to such challenges had seen the nation through in previous times.We must accept that Nigeria has always had social, economic and political problems and it will continue to have them to varying degrees of intensity.The real joy lies for us in our determination to pursue them and solve them as brothers, he said.Abubakar stressed the need for government at all levels to institute monitoring teams on higher institutions in the country in a bid to discourage education tourism of Nigerian students.He explained that the step would also enable Nigeria to return to its lost glory among the comity of nations in the area of education.He called for continued monitoring of academic performances of all tertiary institutions, especially the private ones, in order to improve the quality of education in the country.Abubakar, who bagged Doctor of Science degree (Honoris Causa) in Public Administration of the university, described the award one he and his family would cherish forever.Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who was invested as the Chancellor of the university, was also honoured with Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in Public Administration.Adeyemi expressed gratitude to the management of the university for the honour.The monarch promised to try everything at his disposal to position Crescent University to an enviable height.Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun reaffirmed that his administration would not relent in ensuring that the sector remained accessible and affordable in the state.Announcing automatic employment for the first-class graduating students, the governor advised them to strive to become self-reliant and avoid over-dependence on white collar jobs.The convocation, which produced 28 First Class graduates from the 435 graduating students, saw Miss Rasheedat Modupeola of Accounting Department emerge as the overall best graduating student.
UPDATE, 11:26 a.m.: Route 3 eastbound is back open, according to 511nj.

EAST RUTHERFORD -- One man died and four others suffered injuries in a four-vehicle crash Sunday morning on Route 3 eastbound, police said.

The four vehicles collided at 3:19 a.m. across from MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford Police Chief Larry Minda said.

Police were withholding the identity of the man killed until his family could be notified. Three of the injuries are serious, while another is minor, Minda said.

They were taken to Hackensack University Medical Center. Route 3 eastbound is closed for the investigation, Minda said.

Police are detouring traffic to a service road east of Berry's Creek Bridge. The investigation may take hours, Minda said.

The New York Giants are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens at 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The U.S. Coast Guard, FBI and state police from New Jersey and Delaware will take part in maritime security training exercises at the mouth of the Delaware Bay this week.

The exercises will involve specialized teams using small boats and aircraft, according to an announcement from the Coast Guard.

No live-firing of weapons will take place.

The Coast Guard's Maritime Security Response Team, based in Chesapeake, Virginia, will lead the exercises.

The MSRT is an "advanced law enforcement interdiction team," the Coast Guard said in a statement, that has been deployed for such events as Super Bowls, political conventions and Pope Francis' 2015 visit to the United States.

The training will not interfere with normal recreational and commercial boat traffic on the bay, officials said.

The Coast Guard will use VHF channel 16 to provide safety broadcasts to area vessels during the exercises, which are slated to run Monday through Friday.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
myrtle

A 39-year-old man was shot on Martin Luther King Drive and Myrtle Avenue. Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal

JERSEY CITY -- A 39-year-old man was shot in the groin during a daytime shooting in a Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood, officials said.

The victim, a Grant Avenue resident, was shot at about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday near Martin Luther King Drive and Myrtle Avenue, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.

He was brought to Jersey City Medical Center where he is listed in stable condition. Morrill said the victim was "uncooperative with police."

Multiple shootings have been reported in the Myrtle Avenue neighborhood in recent months, including one on Tuesday. Morrill previously said the stretch of road between Ocean Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive is considered a "hot spot" in the city.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
French Market coffee stand doughnuts were rebranded as beignets in 1958, according to columnist Howard Jacobs.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House Jan. 6 committee plans to unveil "surprising" details at its next public hearing about the 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol. The session Thursday afternoon is likely to be the last public hearing before midterm elections next month. The panel is expected to include new evidence from the U.S. Secret Service about its actions with Donald Trump that day. Ahead of a report later this year, the panel is summing up its findings. The committee says Trump, after he lost the 2020 presidential election, launched an unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory. They say the result was the deadly mob siege of the Capitol.
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Residents of the Victoria Centre flats say evacuation procedures need to change after the second 'bomb scare' at the shopping centre in five months.

Hundreds of shoppers were forced to leave the centre on Saturday, October 15 after a suspicious package was found.

A police cordon was put in place on Upper Parliament Street and Milton Street was closed off.

Army bomb disposal experts were called to the scene and the shopping centre remained closed for almost four hours, but the package was subsequently found to pose no threat to the public.

There was speculation that the package was found in John Lewis.

The store had a police cordon outside its street-side entrance even after others had been taken down.

A spokesperson for the company said that the safety of its customers was paramount but could not provide any more information on the package.

It comes after a similar incident at the end of May, when another 'suspicious package' was found.

People who live in the block of 450 flats - managed by Nottingham City Homes - above the shopping centre were not evacuated during the operation.

The organisation has said it is their policy not to ask residents to leave their homes - but a number of residents have said there was a lack of communication, causing confusion.

Brian Harrison lives on the 19th floor and said he felt he was treated like a "second-class citizen".

(Image: MARK FEAR)

The 46-year-old had just returned home after a night out celebrating his birthday when the evacuation began.

Brian, who works as a staff development manager at Portland College in Mansfield, said: "It feels like [the residents] are second-class citizens. They shut down the shopping centre but we are left completely out of it.

"I think the evacuation policy should be re-assessed. We are told we are safe but we are directly above it and it doesn't feel safe.

"The problem is that when no-one is informing you of anything, we have some people trying to leave and others staying. We don't know what to do.

"The issue is if they need anything communicating with anybody, until the intercom system is installed, how can we be informed?"

Brian added that residents had met with police, Nottingham City Homes and intu - who run he Victoria Shopping Centre - after the incident in May to address concerns.

A new 150,000 intercom system will now be installed in the Victoria Centre flats and work is due to begin at the end of this month.

Sharon Herod lives on the 12th floor and said she felt "drained and tired" after the incident.

"It was disgusting how the situation was handled," said the 43-year-old.

"The residents didn't know anything about the situation until we saw it on Facebook.

"The evacuation policy should be changed.

"We had no phone calls or communication from anyone. No-one knew what was happening."

A spokesperson for Nottingham City Homes said: "We take the safety of all our tenants very seriously.

"Following the incident at the Victoria Centre earlier this year, we held meetings with residents of the flats to discuss our procedures in the case of an emergency, including the Stay Put Policy, which is in line with national guidance.

"We listened to what they had to say, and we then wrote to all Victoria Centre residents with information about what to do in an emergency so that they would be fully informed in the case of future incidents such as the one on Saturday.

"We had a member of staff on site throughout yesterday's incident, and updated residents via social media.

"There were Community Protection Officers in the flats making sure that tenants were safe, and we had a respite centre set up for residents who weren't at home and couldn't get back into the building.

"We are starting the installation of a new intercom system in the Victoria Centre flats later this month. That will have the facility to communicate with all residents at once. This will be operational early next year."

Nottinghamshire Police have thanked people for their patience during the incident.

Chief Inspector Mark Stanley from Nottinghamshire Police said: "We appreciate that evacuating such a prominent area of Nottingham city centre on a busy Saturday afternoon will have caused disruption to a good number of people and we would like to assure those affected that the decision to evacuate such a prominent area of the city is not taken lightly.

"The safety of the public will always be our first priority whenever reports of this nature are received and we would like to thank each and every one of those affected for their patience and cooperation while the relevant authorities worked to bring this incident to a swift and safe conclusion."

Intu has also apologised for the disruption.
Scholarships target wildlife background

Two $2,500 John and Diane Poehling Scholarships are offered to college students with a background in wildlife conservation, hunting and fishing. Applicants must be a college sophomore or higher and have a B grade average or better. Poehling Scholarships may be used at any accredited college or university in Nebraska.

Anyone residing in Nebraska or attending college in Nebraska may apply. Deadline for applications is Nov. 1.

Applications for Poehling Scholarships are available at Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation, 121 N. Dewey St., Suite 112, North Platte, 308-534-3315 or mncf@midnebfoundation.net.

Corn Growers announce new scholarship

The Nebraska Corn Growers Association has formed a new scholarship program for future ag leaders in Nebraska. The Nebraska Corn Growers Association will award up to five $2,000 scholarships to high school seniors in the state of Nebraska. The NeCGA Future Leaders in Ag Scholarship Program is open to high school seniors who will be continuing their education in state and pursuing a degree in an ag-related field.

To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be a member of NeCGA or the child of a NeCGA member. The application for the FLAGship Program must include two letters of recommendation and a current resume, as well as proof that the student is continuing their education. The students are also asked to explain why they are seeking a degree in the agricultural field as well as what issues they see the ag industry facing.

Applications must be postmarked by Dec. 2. Packets can be mailed to 1111 Lincoln Mall, Suite 308, Lincoln, NE 68508 ATTN: Scholarship, or emailed to mwrich@necga.org. Recipients will be notified in February 2017 and scholarships will be distributed in May 2017. For more information about the scholarship and an application, visit necga.org or call 402-438-6459.
Two events last week honored volunteers and business people who have improved our community.

On Thursday night, the North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corporation presented its annual awards to five businesses and businessmen. On Friday, 10 community members were named Women of Achievement for their contributions.

In different ways, those honored demonstrate the impact that a single person can have. Even the businesses accomplishments can be credited to their leaders and employees hard work to achieve their goals.

At the Women of Achievement luncheon, keynote speaker Molly OHolleran described the example set by Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte, a Nebraska native who became the first Native American physician. She became a doctor 31 years before women got the right to vote and 35 years before Native Americans became U.S. citizens. She spent her life serving the people of her tribe, at great sacrifice to herself.

Likewise, the people honored last week have given tirelessly to improve our community: volunteering hundreds of hours with community organizations, providing care and assistance to medical patients, teaching young people, establishing partnerships between schools and businesses, and growing businesses that serve community needs.

The next generation of community leaders was represented as well: two North Platte High School students who have logged hundreds of hours each volunteering while excelling in school and extracurricular activities. They were named Upcoming Women of Achievement.

But the award winners represent just a small portion of the people responsible for improving North Platte and west central Nebraska.

Every woman in this room is a great volunteer, one honoree, Nan Pendleton, demurred as she accepted her award as 2016 Woman of Achievement in the volunteer category. That statement can be expanded to hundreds of women, men and youths whose efforts make a difference here every day.

These are the people who move our community forward. These are the people who inspire the rest of us to do the same.
Hours earlier, he was a happy 4-year-old who loved Iron Man and the Hulk and all the Avengers. Now, as Bryson Mees-Hernandez approached death in a Houston hospital room, his brain swelling through the bullet hole in his face, his mother assured the boy it was OK to die.

When you are on the other side, his mother, Crystal Mees, recalls telling him, you are going to see Mommy cry a lot. Its not because shes mad. Its because she misses you.

And this: Its not your fault.

But whose fault was it?

Bryson shot himself last January with a .22-caliber Derringer his grandmother kept under the bed. It was an accident, but one that could be blamed on many factors, from his grandmothers negligence to the failure of government and industry to find ways to prevent his death and so many others.

The Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network set out to determine just how many others there have been.

The findings: During the first six months of this year, minors died from accidental shootings  at their own hands, or at the hands of other children or adults  at a pace of one every other day, far more than limited federal statistics indicate.

Tragedies like the death of Bryson Mees-Hernandez play out repeatedly across the country. Curious toddlers find unsecured, loaded handguns in their homes and vehicles, and fatally shoot themselves and others. Teenagers, often showing off guns to their friends and siblings, end up shooting them instead.

Using information collected by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan research group, news reports and public sources, the media outlets spent six months analyzing the circumstances of every death and injury from accidental shootings involving children ages 17 and younger from Jan. 1, 2014, to June 30 of this year  more than 1,000 incidents in all.

Indiana ranks 7th overall; 2nd in Midwest

The Hoosier state saw 45 accidental shooting incidents between Jan. 1, 2014, to June 30, 2016, according to data by the Gun Violence Archive and researched by the Associated Press and USA Today.

Indiana ranked seventh among other U.S. states for the number of incidents per 1 million people, with nearly seven shootings per million people, according to the data. Thats twice the national rate of just over 3.4 shootings per one million people, according to the data.

In one case out of Merrillville, Indiana, a 4-year-old boy died May 17, 2014, after accidentally shot himself with a gun he found in his home, according to reporting by The Times.

A family member said at the time that Cash Irby Jr. climbed shelves in his parents bedroom closet to get the gun, which was stored in the back of a top shelf. He went to his room, where the gun discharged a fatal shot to the head, according to police.

His parents were both home at the time. His mother was bathing a sibling and his father was with the baby when he heard the shot, according to family.

While states in the South are among those with the highest per capita rates of accidental shootings involving minors, according to the data, Indiana ranks second among Midwest states behind only South Dakota. Of the 45 incidents in Indiana, 11 were fatal for the minors involved. In five cases in Indiana, children accidentally killed or wounded adults.

Pushed the bad button

Among other findings by the Associated Press and the USA Today:

Deaths and injuries spike for children younger than 5, with 3-year-olds the most common shooters and victims among young children.

Accidental shootings spike again for ages 15 to 17, when victims are most often fatally shot by other children but typically survive self-inflicted gunshots.

States in the South are among those with the highest per capita rates of accidental shootings involving minors.

Another finding: The vast majority of shooters and victims are boys. A shooting last year in Shreveport, Louisiana, is a case in point.

Cameron Price, 4, and his 6-year-old brother, KaDarius, were riding their bikes outside the Levingston Motel, where their family had taken a $30-a-night room.

They decided to go inside, into a room where several adult acquaintances of their parents had been smoking marijuana. A gun was sitting out, and KaDarius thought the chrome and black .40-caliber pistol was a toy.

Then a single shot rang out, and the bullet fatally struck the younger boy.

KaDarius later told police he pushed the bad button and he understood his brother had a hole in his head, was going to the hospital and not coming home.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 74 minors died from accidental discharges of firearms in 2014, the latest year for which comparable data are available. The AP and USA TODAY analysis counted 113 for that year, suggesting the federal government missed a third of the cases.

The city of Gary accounted for five of the seven accidental shootings recorded in the Region between Jan. 1, 2014, and June 30, 2016, but another incident was recorded in LaPorte over that same time period in which a teenage boy was injured by firing a handgun while at the Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area shooting range.

In one case out of Gary, a juvenile was wounded April 12 of this year behind the former Lew Wallace High School, according to reporting by The Times. The child suffered a serious injury that was not life threatening. In November 2015, a 16-year-old from the citys Brunswick section sustained a gunshot wound to the back. Shortly after the shooting, Gary police announced theres a possibility the shooting was accidental.

Preventable injuries and deaths

While accidental shootings account for only a fraction of firearm deaths in the U.S., gun safety advocates have long argued that they are largely preventable.

They demand stricter laws requiring guns to be kept locked up and unloaded. But gun rights supporters argue those measures make guns less useful in emergencies; citing CDC statistics, the National Rifle Association argues in public statements that such deaths have declined significantly in recent decades and that the chance of a child dying in a firearms accident is 1 in 1 million.

Bob Anderson, chief of the mortality statistics branch of the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics, suggested the NRA was citing statistics that underestimate the risk guns represent to children. He said the undercount documented by the AP and USA TODAY Network is significant and important, but not surprising.

The agency has long suspected that its statistics on accidental firearms deaths are too low, he said.

Gun safety advocates have urged a public health approach that includes more government research, more public awareness and stricter state laws.

That is just what Crystal Mees is advocating in Texas after the death of her son at her mothers house.

Mees had given birth months earlier to a baby girl and needed sleep, so she had taken Bryson and his 2-year-old sister there to spend the night.

It began as a typical night. After their baths, Bryson asked if he could hop in bed with his grandfather, who was already asleep. His grandmother, Anna Sperber, said yes, before she fell asleep on the living room couch with the younger girl.

When Sperber got up to get a blanket hours later, she saw Bryson face down on the bedroom floor. She thought he had fallen asleep.

Then she noticed the lump on his head and panicked when she saw the pistol she kept under her bed lying next to him. He had shot himself above the right eye.

Crystal Mees blames her mother for her sons death and no longer talks to her or brings her two children around; she says she had warned her to keep the gun out of childrens reach. She plans to push for a Brysons law in Texas to make it easier for prosecutors to bring charges against adults who allow children access to firearms.

Both women attended the funeral, where relatives dressed up as Brysons beloved Avengers. He was buried with Legos, toy cars and his grandfathers favorite cologne.

Times Reporter Lauren Cross contributed to this report.
GARY  The verdict still stands that he murdered city Police Lt. George Yaros during a bank robbery 35 years ago  a crime punishable by death.

He said he has seen some of his closest friends on Indianas death row marched off to the prison execution chamber.

But Zolo Agona Azania has avoided three of his own death sentences, and on Feb. 8 he is scheduled to be freed. He says he is entering a changed world as a changed man.

I know what suffering is, Azania said in a telephone interview with The Times from the Miami Correctional Facility near Bunker Hill, Indiana, where he is finishing his 35th  and last  year of a 74-year sentence.

He said, Ive learned some things I wouldnt have, if I had not gone through this. Ive seen people just give up on life. I dealt with the situation as it faced me. I never gave up hope. I try my best to be a positive individual, to have something positive to say. Perhaps I can help someone.

To the family and friends of the fallen police officer, he remains Rufus Averhart, the name Gary police knew him as when they were chasing him with guns blazing Aug. 11, 1981, after the 57-year-old police veteran died in the line of duty outside the Gary National Bank branch near 37th and Broadway.

Averhart had the courts change his name to Zolo Agona Azania in 1991.

They are still galled by his public-relations campaign from his death-row cell, in which he has claimed his conviction was a racist conspiracy, and the court decisions that invalidated jury and judicial recommendations that Azania be put to death.

I feel like I failed my dad, Tim Yaros, a son of the fallen officer, said recently. My wife and I and kids have been fighting this for years at his trials and hearings. Now, hes going to walk the streets.

He doesnt deserve to be on the street, Philip Pastoret, a retired 30-year Gary police veteran said.

Azania said, I know Im innocent. He declined to recount the day of the crime or return to his fiery indictment of the criminal justice system that convicted him, simply observing, Human-made laws arent infallible.

His extensive court records begin with a 1972 conviction for the manslaughter of Leonard Wick, 69, of Gary. It was overturned many years later, but he served several years in prison. On his release he graduated at the top of his Martin Luther King Academy class and won a scholarship to Purdue University.

The late Ernie Hernandez, a local reporter, did a feature story on Azanias release from prison and rehabilitation, which was published only days before the fatal bank robbery.

Pastoret, the retired Gary police officer, said the day Lt. Yaros died is imprinted on my mind.

Yaros journey

It was a sunny day. I was working traffic, Pastoret said.

I saw Yaros that morning driving on Ridge Road when an alarm went off at the Gary National Bank. Yaros was about a minute and a half, maybe two minutes, ahead of me. As I turned up at the bank, I could hear gunshots in the back.

Police and prosecutors said the robbers, wearing plastic masks and gloves, disarmed the security officer, looted the teller drawers and were leaving the building when Yaros confronted them about noon that day.

Wally DeRose, another retired Gary police officer, said, I had stopped at a restaurant and was a quarter of a mile away from the bank when I heard the call that there was a chase on and a shooting at the bank.

DeRose, who wasnt an eyewitness but did conduct an initial investigation into the crime, said, The banks alarm went off all the time. But when George got there he called out that it was real this time. He did everything right. He got behind his squad car, they came out and shot through his car and wounded him, and then went over and finished George off.

Pastoret said, I saw the two-tone blue Ford LTD coming out of the drive-up window going the wrong way and drove past me. I took off after them.

He said the high-speed chase continued northwest through Gary. Averhart was wearing a powder blue suit. He and his buddy were leaning out the back windows of the car shooting back at me, Pastoret said.

Because it was a hot summer day and my air conditioner was broke, my windows were down on my car, so I had a chance to fire back at them until my gun was empty. Averhart jumps out of the car and runs. There are two more in the car in the front and the back. I took off after them.

They tried going into the Delaney (Housing) Projects. I came right up onto their rear bumper and floored it and drove us right into a tree and jammed their doors, Pastoret continued.

The driver was trying to climb out the passenger window. I jump out of my car and run around there, pulled him out. He was struggling. I said, you better hold still or Ill blow your brains out. But I didnt have a gun. I handcuffed him.

Little did I know the guy in the back seat was about to shoot me in the back with a .44 magnum, and Officer Ron Flournoy, had seen me chasing them and just like in the movies, puts a gun to that guys head and told him, pull that trigger and you are dead. That is how we got those two.

Pastoret said Officer Chuck Oliver arrested Averhart, who was on foot, about the same time, nearby.

Tim Yaros remembers, I was working at a brick factory on Martin Luther King Drive. It was a hot day. I heard over the intercom, Tim, you have an emergency phone call. My boss handed me the phone. It was my wife, and she said something happened to dad.

He said as he arrived at the old Gary Mercy Hospital, at 5th and Polk Street, I saw all these police cars. A police officer came up to me and said, Tim, I dont think he made it. Sixteen minutes later, they told me he passed away. You could see the powder burns. They shot him at point-blank range.

DeRose said of Yaros, He was in World War II, as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne. He jumped into France on D-Day, he jumped into Holland in August. Then he was in the Battle of the Bulge. He was wounded, and in a field hospital that was captured by the Germans  and then to die in the streets of Gary.

Azanias journey

Azania and two co-defendants were originally charged with murder and murder in the perpetration of a robbery in Lake County Criminal Court in Crown Point. The trial was moved to Fort Waynes Allen County Court after Averharts defense lawyer argued he couldnt get a fair trial in Lake County because of pretrial publicity.

A jury heard seven days of evidence before finding the three men guilty of robbery-murder and recommending Averharts execution on states evidence he shot Yaros at point-blank range.

Former Allen Superior Judge Alfred Moellering imposed the death sentence a month later. The accomplices each received 60-year prison terms, which they completed several years ago.

The Indiana Supreme Court upheld Averharts murder conviction in 1993, but overturned his death sentence on grounds Azanias trial lawyer failed to present compelling testimony or arguments why his clients life should be spared.

The high court also ruled the prosecution withheld from the defense inconclusive gunshot residue tests. The tests showed no residue on Averharts hands. Although Averhart was wearing gloves, the court said residue might have collected on his hands through holes in those gloves.

Three years later, the death penalty phase was retried and the second jury condemned Averhart to death again.

The Indiana Supreme Court overturned the second sentence in 2002, because of a computer glitch in Allen County that caused blacks to be underrepresented on his jury.

Shortly before a third death penalty trial was to begin in 2007, the Yaros family agreed to let the Lake County prosecutor drop the capital punishment request in return for Azania accepting a 74-year sentence the Yaros family had hoped would be tantamount to a life sentence.

The sentence was shortened, because Azania earned credit for the prior years he had served for good behavior in prison.

Azania, now 61, said, I wanted to go back to school, but I need a livelihood to support myself. I want to work with computers. Im in a computer class in career development training. Im learning how to do resumes and job applications on the computers and how to do banking.

Hernandez wrote 35 years ago that Azanias accomplishments were an argument against capital punishment.

They never retracted that, Tim Yaros said.

Ernie Hernandez was right, Azania said.
WASHINGTON  Energy independence has been a goal of every president since Richard Nixon. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have very different ways to achieve it. How energy is produced and where it comes from affects jobs, the economy and the environment.

Where they stand

Hillary Clinton pledges that under her leadership, the U.S. will be able to generate enough renewable energy to power every home in America within 10 years, with 500 million solar panels installed by the end of her first term. She also vows to reduce U.S. oil consumption by one-third through cleaner fuels such as biodiesel and natural gas and more fuel-efficient cars, boilers, ships and trucks. Clinton generally supports oil and gas drilling on federal lands, but would bar drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

After running as a champion of coal in 2008, Clinton now calls for protecting health benefits for coal miners and their families and helping retrain them for new jobs. She offers cautious support for nuclear power.

Donald Trump vows to unleash American energy, allowing unfettered production of oil, coal, natural gas and other sources to push the U.S. toward energy independence and create jobs. Trump would sharply increase oil and gas drilling on federal lands and vows to revive the struggling U.S coal industry. He also would open up offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean and other areas where it is blocked.

Trump calls for rescinding the Clean Power Plan, a key element of President Barack Obamas strategy to fight climate change, as well as a rule to protect small streams and wetlands from development. He also would cancel the 2015 Paris climate agreement and stop U.S. money going to U.N. global warming programs.

Gary Johnson supports the use of fossil fuels, presumably because they would be supported by the free market, according to cleanenergy.org. While Johnson has expressed concern about pollution from fossil fuel combustion, he has also said that he would not want the US to turn their back on these traditional fuels.

Johnson promised to keep an open mind on fracking.

Why it matters

Although energy independence remains elusive, increases in U.S. oil production have lowered reliance on imports. In 2015, the U.S. relied on net imports for about 24 percent of petroleum use, the lowest level since 1970.

Domestic production of all types of energy except coal has boomed in recent years, spurred by improved drilling techniques and discoveries of vast oil supplies in North Dakota and natural gas in states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and West Virginia. Production also is up in traditional energy states such as Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

Natural gas, cleaner than coal, has been embraced by politicians from both parties, including Clinton and Trump. Still, critics worry that popular gas drilling techniques such as hydraulic fracturing  or fracking  and horizontal drilling could be harming air, water and health.

Wind and solar power have grown in recent years, thanks in part to support from Obama, but renewable energy sources accounted for just 10 percent of total U.S. energy consumption in 2015. Renewable energy is generally more expensive to produce and use than fossil fuels. Clouds impair solar energy and calm skies slow wind farms.
MERRILLVILLE  Michelle Larson discovered astronomy in her 20s, when she pointed a pair of binoculars at the moon. The stunning details visible on its craggy surface were a complete surprise, and the experience left her eager to find out what other secrets the sky had to offer.

Earlier this month Larson joined over 140 women at Gamba Ristorante for Legacy Foundations Women in Philanthropy kickoff event to speak about her path to becoming the president and CEO of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

As the first female head of an institution on Chicagos museum campus that includes the Adler, The Field Museum, and the Shedd Aquarium, Larson knows about being a trailblazer. She drove home the message of the event, which asked the women to be leaders, to be hands-on and to get involved with moving communities in Lake County forward through Legacy Foundations Women in Philanthropy group.

This is your opportunity to learn more about the grant-making process, to become a major funder of projects having impact on girls, women and children, and to be engaged with like-minded women who are interested in philanthropy, said Legacy Foundation President Carolyn Saxton.

Legacy Foundation Women in Philanthropy is a womens giving circle that leverages the collective impact of women learning, giving and leading together.

Membership is open to any woman who donates the yearly membership amount to the Womens Philanthropy Fund at Legacy Foundation. The annual deadline to join is Nov. 15. For more information about Legacy Foundation Women in Philanthropy, visit legacyfdn.org/wip.php.
GARY  The Gary Public Library will hold a used computer sale from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Main Library, 220 W. 5th Ave.

The line begins outside the glass sliding doors on the north/parking lot entrance. The sale will be held rain or shine.

The sale will be cash and carry, all items sold as is  no refunds, no exchanges, no returns. No pre-sale viewing or inspection. All computers sold will be pre-wrapped and bundled with a monitor, CPU, keyboard and mouse. Operating system not installed or included.

Computers were manufactured in 2007 and will be priced at $35 a bundle, limit five computer bundles per person. A limited number of computer bundles are available.

A very limited number of computer tables also will be available for $20 each, limit five. All items sold must be removed by 4 p.m.
EAST CHICAGO  Michael Jacobi did not hold back his frustration Saturday with the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to address the most highly lead- and arsenic-contaminated properties this season in the eastern section of the Calumet neighborhood but delay cleanup elsewhere.

As long as they continue to do this, nothing is getting fixed, said Jacobi, 31, who lives within the EPAs USS Lead Superfund site with his newly pregnant wife. The mayor isnt helping. The majority of the government is not helping, and they dont care."

The contamination has been known for decades, he said, yet the thousands of families living in the EPAs USS Lead Superfund site continue to live on toxic land, he said.

His neighbor's yard is being cleaned up this year and EPA officials say his property will have to wait until next year at the earliest, he said. And he's worried lead and arsenic could become airborne or transfer to his property during heavy rains.

EPA began excavation work this month in zone 3, which is the eastern third of the neighborhood. It plans to clean up 18 properties and part of Riley Park this construction season. The agency has said it plans to mitigate the possibility of airborne contaminants.

Jacobis comments came during a public meeting at the East Chicago Public Librarys Pastrick Branch, allowing residents to brainstorm issues to tackle as part of the soon-to-be-formed Community Advisory Group.

Maritza Lopez, a resident on Euclid Avenue in the Superfund zone and a spokesperson for the group, told Jacobi his anger is a perfect example of why the community needs to unify.

Thats what this (Community Advisory Group) is about. This is the opportunity that we have. This all could have been fixed years ago," Lopez said.

She defended the EPA, saying the agency is one of the few that have been responsive to residents this summer.

The CAG's goal is to take issues and concerns to the EPA, said

At Saturday's meeting, residents prioritized the following as key issues: health issues; relocation and housing; soil, groundwater and other testing; future property use; and public outreach.

The EPAs Superfund site is divided into three cleanup zones  bounded by Chicago Avenue to the north, 151st Street and 149th Street to the south, the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal to the west and Parrish Avenue to the east.

At the meeting, residents ultimately voted to name the group 'East Chicago Undivided,' Lopez said.

"We are all one Superfund site ... Keep that in mind. We are fighting this together," Lopez said. "We've all been contaminated, we've all been getting sick. We all have lead. We all have arsenic. We all are going through the same situation and for generations."

The next meeting is set for 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the East Chicago Public Library, 1008 W. Chicago Avenue.
SCHERERVILLE  Two major developments will change the face of Austin Avenue thanks to recent unanimous approvals by the Schererville Plan Commission.

Harvest Ridge Church of the Assemblies of God Inc. plans to build a 3,400-square foot church on a vacant 10.109-acre parcel at the corner of Austin and 77th avenues. The Plan Commission gave primary approval to the plat and site plans presented by Jack Huls of Development Visions Group of Crown Point.

At the Sept. 12 Plan Commission meeting, this church project was put on hold because not all the adjacent neighbors to the vacant land had received notice of the public hearing. Re-advertisement of the public hearing brought several neighbors to the Oct. 3 meeting.

They sought answers to drainage problems in the area and traffic issues on 77th Avenue. Town Manager Robert Volkmann said plans for the church include construction of sewers and drainage of any water would be east into the adjacent wetlands.

Huls said the church is a low-volume facility with just 25 seats. The driveway to the parking lot will be located 283 feet from the center line of Austin and 77th Avenue, which is as far east as we could place it.

In addition Robinson Engineering reviewed the plans on Sept. 30 and found them in substantial compliance, Plan Commission Chairman Tom Anderson said during the public hearing.

The need to re-advertise the public hearing may have pushed us behind this construction season, Huls told the commissioners. Depending on weather and any other approvals required, the churchs construction could begin in mid-November or next spring, he said.

Long-range plans for the site include construction of two other buildings  an expansion of the sanctuary and a future education building.

This is a future dream for sure, Huls said.

Another development  a new Circle K gas station with convenience store and car wash at the northeast corner of Austin Avenue and U.S. 30  came under a lot of scrutiny from the plan commission during a lengthy public hearing on Oct. 3.

Currently this corner is the site of the long-shuttered Alaska Pipeline bar and restaurant and an adjacent former day care center.

Robert Wellert of Wellert Corp. went through step-by-step plans for the petitioner Macs Convenience Stores LLC, doing business as Circle K stores. The project was first introduced to the Schererville Plan Commission in February.

The entrance to the new gas station will be on U.S. 30 with the exit on Austin Avenue, Wellert said. Plans call for construction of a 4,600-square foot building with brick and stone facade to house the convenience store; 10 fueling stations and a car wash built east of the main building with similar facade, he said. Extensive landscaping is also planned.

Wellert said the Indiana Department of Transportation is reviewing the roadway plans for along U.S. 30. We dont anticipate problems, he said.

Residents and commissioners recommended changes they would like to see. Greg Ellis who lives just north of the proposed project said while everything theyve done is top notch, I would prefer a fence to landscaping.

Before signing off on the approval, Commissioner William Jarvis asked Wellert to commit to a vinyl screen fence, and Commissioner Dale Rudd wanted the car wash hours limited from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. rather than 24-hours. Sidewalks and a possible pedestrian crosswalk were also requested during the approval process.

Weller said demolition of the structures on this property could begin in the next 60 to 90 days.
BURNS HARBOR  The Burns Harbor Park Department will host its third annual Fall Fest and Pumpkin 5K Dash from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Lakeland Park.

New this year is the parks support of the Teal Pumpkin Project. The intent is to help make sure all children will come home with something they can enjoy by offering nonfood treats in addition to traditional treats.

The festivities begin with the Pumpkin 5K Dash, a family fun run for ages 5 years and up. The route will take runners through Burns Harbor, starting and finishing at the park. On the final lap around the lake, all runners will carry an 8-inch pumpkin to the finish line.

To sign up for the run, visit runsignup.com/Race/IN/BurnsHarbor/PumpkinDash

Fall Fest will begin immediately following the race. The family friendly event includes food, bounce houses, carnival style games, pumpkin painting, face painting, music and a bonfire and smores.

This event is a fundraiser for the Burns Harbor Parks Department. Food tickets may be purchased for $1 per ticket. Wristbands include unlimited play on the bounce houses with carnival game tickets available for $3.
VALPARAISO  Enoch Powell was born at sea in 1869, somewhere off the coast of South Africa. His father, Charles Powell, a clockmaker from England, was taking his pregnant wife and seven children to Australia where his skills were needed in the young, developing country.

It was Charles Powells captivating story, passed down through the generations that led Bill Powell, 64, of Ballarat, Australia, to research his familys history and meet his distant cousin, Jackie Gray, last week in Valparaiso.

Gray, 64, of Valparaiso, also has been tracing her family history, which includes an Enoch Powell, who turned out to be the uncle of the baby born on the boat.

This tale of two Enochs demonstrates the power of the internet to bring together people from two cities on opposite sides of the globe.

Bill Powell and Gray say their family trees unite at their great-great-grandfather  James Powell, who lived in Birmingham, England.

Among his children were Charles, the clockmaker, and Enoch, who became a Unitarian minister in the United States. It is believed Charles named his eighth child after his brother.

Both Gray and Powell traced their family trees back to James Powell through ancestry.com/" href="http://www.ancestry.com/" target="_blank">ancestry.com.

When Gray discovered who she believed was another living ancestor, she reached out through email to Bill.

Gray said she was reluctant to send that first email and waited about three weeks to send it, but was glad she did when she heard back from Bill Powell.

I was very excited, she said about hearing from him. It took me a while to send that email because youre reaching out to someone on the other side of the world and you dont know what they would be like.

After exchanging information, they realized they are third cousins.

Bill Powell, and his wife, Ros, already had planned a trip to New England, so they added a short side trip to Valparaiso on their return home to meet Gray and members of her family.

Bill Powell said hes fascinated with this familys history, especially the question of why his great-grandfather would leave England with his pregnant wife and children to work on clocks on the other side of the globe.

Gray and Bill Powell visited Valparaisos Maplewood Cemetery, where some of Grays ancestors, including Enoch Powell, the minister, are buried. Gray said the Rev. Enoch Powell moved from England to Boston, where he studied at Harvard Divinity School. His first assignment was in the 1870s in Valparaiso, where he married and had children.

Gary said over the years she tried to do some family research and started from a file full of family papers.

About a year ago she subscribed to ancestry.com, where she was able to find a lot of detailed information, including the information that led her to Bill Powell.

I would encourage anyone with slightest interest in their family to put their effort into it, she said. Do it now to pass it on.
VALPARAISO  The International Festivals & Events Association paid tribute to Valparaiso Events last month during the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Ceremony in Arizona.

Valparaiso Events won Silver Awards in the following categories: Best Organizational Website (ValparaisoEvents.com) and Best Miscellaneous Printed Material (2016 Annual Event Brochure).

The professional competition draws entries from among the worlds top festivals and events.

Awards were handed out in 68 different categories that encompass areas such as: Best TV Promotion, Social Media Site, Commemorative Poster and Overall Sponsorship Program.

We would like to congratulate all of our Pinnacle winners for their outstanding entries into this years competition, said IFEA President and CEO Steven Wood Schmader.

Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, the International Festivals & Events Association calls itself the premiere association supporting and enabling festival and event professionals worldwide.

For a complete list of winners and more information on the IFEA, go to www.ifea.com.

Valparaiso Events hosts more than 95 days of events each year in Valparaiso including the Valparaiso Popcorn Festival, Valpo Brewfest, Summer Rhapsody Music Festival, Valparaiso Market and more. For more information about Valparaiso Events, visit www.valparaisoevents.com.
And then, breaking news! A 2005 video of Trump in lewd banter with Billy Bush during an Access Hollywood outtake broke. Trump talked about making sexual advances on married women and grabbing them by their genitals. And there was this line: When youre a star they let you do it. You can do anything.

While just about everyone else saw this kind of story coming, Pence was shell-shocked in Toledo. Multiple sources described him as under siege.

After he issued a terse statement saying he couldnt condone or defend Trumps remarks, the speculation was he would drop off the ticket. By Saturday, he was back on the campaign trail. On Sunday, Trump threw him under the bus in his second debate with Hillary Clinton. Asked about Pences own debate comments on the potential use of U.S. military force in Syria, Trump icily responded, He and I havent spoken, and I disagree.

Afterward, Pence gleefully tweeted, Congrats to my running mate @realDonaldTrump on a big debate win! Proud to stand with you as we #MAGA.

The very next day, Pence attempted to put to rest reports he was about to bolt.

Its absolutely false to suggest that at any point in time we considered dropping off this ticket, Pence said on CNN. I thought his apology on Friday night was appropriate. Donald Trump made it clear that those were only words. He hadnt engaged in any of that behavior, and I believe him.

By Thursday morning, four women came forward to the New York Times, People Magazine and the Palm Beach Post detailing more groping incidents. A Bill Cosby/Bill Clinton pattern is now emerging. So Pence is likely to be shocked once again.

Trumps Sunday night debate was a surreal event. In the gallery sat former President Bill Clinton, with a Mt. Rushmore of past accusers.

Standing a few yards away was the glamorous Melania Trump, wearing a $1,300 Gucci blouse, a fashion statement of defiance so subtle as to have gone unnoticed on North Meridian Street where Pence watched from the Indiana Governors Residence.

On top of all the sex, lies and videotape, there is the emerging story of the Russian regime of President Vladimir Putin working in tandem with the Trump/Pence campaign in releasing hacked emails from the upper reaches of the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Its kind of a 21st century Watergate.

This juxtaposition of topics associated with the pious, sunny Indiana governor is evidence that were in the midst of an epic, bizarre and post-truth campaign. It has morphed beyond Paddy Chayefskys Network and George Millers Mad Max into something we cannot yet understand because the final chaotic chapters have yet to be played out and written.

Pence, the author of Confessions of a Negative Campaigner now finds himself trolleying with a presidential nominee on the precipice of a down-and-dirty end game that will scorch the earth and the reputations of those who dare give it an imprimatur. It roils in an outright feud between Trump and Pence ally, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Trump biographers, Wayne Barrett, Gwenda Blair, Michael DAntonio, Harry Hurt and Timothy OBrien had ominous insight for Politico. This, they said, is not a show. It is not an act. Donald Trump is profoundly narcissistic, is willing to go to lengths weve never seen before in order to satisfy his ego and a very dangerous man for the next three or four weeks.

Even the most sacred American value, that of a peaceful, harmonious transition of power between political enemies after an election, is now threatened as Trump repeatedly cites a rigged election. On Sunday in a gesture Putin would be proud of, Trump threatened to imprison his opponent.

A growing consensus among the pundit class is that while Trump threw out enough anti-Clinton red meat at Sunday nights debate to keep his base intact, he did little to expand his appeal to independents and moderates.

He has ushered in an outright civil war within the GOP, with USA Today reporting that 26 percent of Republican governors and members of Congress are refusing to endorse Trump, observing, There is no precedent in modern American political history for elected officials of either party to refuse en masse to support their presidential nominee.

Even Pences successor nominee, Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, is taking a nuanced approach.

It is my full intent to support the Republican nominee, but no one should ever take my vote for granted, Holcomb said after expressing disgust over the Trump audio. Over the coming 30 days, Ill evaluate it each day as we go forward.

So in the fourth month of Pences excellent adventure, we find him straddling the coming Republican cataclysm.
Im afraid the vote I cast for president isnt going to count. The same can be said for a lot of folks reading this column.

If Donald Trump carries Indiana  as the polls seem to indicate  the vote of those who cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton wont matter. It will be as if you didnt go to the polls.

Blame it on the Electoral College  an aged institution that should be eliminated.

Each state has a number of electoral votes based on its numbers in Congress. With nine representatives and two senators, Indiana has 11 electors. The person winning the popular vote in the state gets all 11 electoral votes.

Just Maine and Nebraska do it differently. The winner of a congressional district is awarded an electoral vote and the person winning the statewide vote gets the other two.

The Electoral College was formed for a number of reasons  allowing southern states to disenfranchise the former slave population and giving small states more of a voice, to name a few.

Without the Electoral College, George W. Bush  who lost the popular vote in 2000  would not have been president.

Its time we got rid of the Electoral College and elect our president by popular vote or a similar system.

The current system discourages voting and disenfranchises voters.

Dont look for Clinton or Trump to visit Indiana during the rest of the campaign. No, they will spend their time in the so-called swing states of Ohio, Iowa, Colorado, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida. Doesnt the rest of America count?

The money those campaigns spend in those states is tremendous. It wont be doing anything for the Indiana economy.

The 1968 presidential election moved some to advocate eliminating the Electoral College. Richard Nixon had 301 electors to just 191 for Hubert Humphrey. But, in terms of the popular vote, Nixon had less than 1 percent more than Humphrey.

A year later, U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, of Indiana, and a member of the House introduced bills calling for a constitutional amendment to eliminate the Electoral College. It passed the House but failed to get the two-thirds vote needed in the Senate.

Its time to try again.

It doesnt have to be a switch from the electoral vote to a popular vote, although that makes the most sense.

We could do it like Maine and Nebraska and base electors on the winners of congressional districts.

Or we could change to a system where electoral votes were doled out in proportion to a candidates popular vote.

Whatever it is, just do it and bring our presidential election process out of the Dark Ages.
Marc Chase Editor Marc Chase is a veteran investigative reporter, columnist and editor of more than two decades. He currently leads The Times news staff as local news editor. He can be reached at 219-933-3327. Follow Marc Chase Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Its a breakneck political turn, which under normal circumstances would cause many of us to fly right out of our seats.

But theres nothing normal about the 2016 presidential election  and namely the Republican ticket of Donald Trump and our own Hoosier governor and vice presidential candidate Mike Pence.

The unexpected twist comes in the dramatic evolution Pences political career has experienced since Trump named the governor as his running mate in July.

At that time, Pence was fresh off a steady run as one of the most divisive Hoosier governors in recent memory. Since being selected the GOP vice presidential candidate, Pence has miraculously morphed into a voice of reason and morality on a ticket recently characterized by past Trump comments about predatory things he would like to do to women.

What most of the nation doesnt remember, or perhaps never knew, were the controversies of 2014 and 2015, in which Pence was seen by many as leading a divisive charge against gay marriage rights and a perceived promotion of discrimination against gay Hoosier business patrons.

It culminated with the Religious Freedoms Restoration Act in 2015, which the Republican-led Legislature passed and Pence enthusiastically signed into law.

The laws passage was an unnecessary attempt to, in part, assert business owners religious rights to decline business in situations that defy their religious morals, such as a baker refusing to make a cake for a gay wedding on religious grounds.

Most Republicans now admit  privately, if not publicly  that the law was an epic mistake, which soiled Indianas public perception and required an immediate language fix noting businesses cant use religious grounds to discriminate against others.

The RFRA controversy cost the state millions in revenue from cancelled events when some groups and agencies didnt like the heavy social-issues tone Pence and other GOP leaders were weaving into state government fabric.

Many believed it was going to cost Pence his bid for a second gubernatorial term against a Democratic challenger who kept it very close the first time around.

Count me among the many fiscal conservatives confounded, irritated and sometimes even angered by Pences proclivity for placing social issues above more pressing business and treading far too close to regulating the personal lives and choices of people.

Yet in a sharp political twist, also count me among those feeling a measure of pride in the way Pence is now navigating treacherous political waters on the national scene.

Though he remains attached to Trump at the figurative political hip, Pence took the high road recently when asked about the sexist Trump comments, captured following a 2005 interview with NBCs Billy Bush.

As a husband and father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump in the 11-year-old video released yesterday, Pence said earlier this month, on the eve of the second presidential debate. I do not condone his remarks and cannot defend them. I am grateful that he has expressed remorse and apologized to the American people. We pray for his family and look forward to the opportunity he has to show what is in his heart when he goes before the nation tomorrow night.

Of course hes not going to throw his running mate under the bus.

But Pence walked a delicate line of decency in his response to this outrageous revelation.

Hes also been securing rave reviews from political commentators, pundits  and privately even some Lake County Democrats  for his performance in the vice presidential debate earlier this month.

While his Democratic counterpart Tim Kaine buzzed with the interruption and annoyance of a grinning court jester, Pence remained calm.

He countered Kaines arguments with a civil ease of his own positions. Pence is staunchly religious and pro-life. He wears his faith proudly.

During the debate, the issue of abortion surfaced. Rather than going on the attack against Kaine, criticized by many as supporting abortion rights in the face of his Catholic Churchs opposition, Pence countered with respectful disagreement.

He chose to be gentle on the issue, as Pence said, because he knew and respected Kaines devout Christian faith, his pro-choice leanings notwithstanding.

And I have appreciated the fact that youve supported the Hyde amendment, which bans the use of taxpayer funding for abortion, in the past, but thats not Hillary Clintons view, Pence told Kaine during the debate.

We could improve adoption ... Pence said before one of dozens of Kaines interruptions, ... so that families that cant have children can adopt more readily those children from crisis pregnancies, Pence continued, unrattled.

A gentle, moral and gentlemanly side of Pence is emerging on the political scene, and political observers are taking notice.

National Roll Call columnist Patricia Murphy noted Pences debate performance sealed a position as a party favorite to win the 2020 GOP presidential nomination.

Like or dislike, agree or not with the man, Mike Pence is the definitive voice of morality and reason in the knock-down, drag-out, often uncivilly ugly 2016 presidential debate.

Politicos should take note of the way hes transformed his often controversial political career. Hoosiers should be proud of the way Pence is carrying himself.
Its the type of mistake, innocent or not, that paints an undesirable portrait of local government.

Portage Mayor James Snyder and other city officials owe their ratepayers an apology for putting the cart before the public discussion horse while attempting to pay his legal bills following an FBI probe of Snyders practices.

At issue are checks cut from the funds of the Portage Utility Service Board, of which Snyder is chairman, to pay for Snyders legal fees in the long-running federal probe.

On Sept. 26, Snyder directed the boards secretary/treasurer to cut two checks totaling more than $93,000 to two law firms that represented him during the probe.

The mayor did so even though the payments werent discussed, much less voted upon in a public forum, by the Portage Utility Service Board.

In fact, the board didnt vote to approve those payments until Oct. 12  after the law firms already had returned the money, having determined they were improperly paid by a public utility rather than their actual client, Snyder.

Snyder seeking to have the board cover his legal expenses isnt whats wrong in this situation.

State law allows for a government body to cover such expenses if an official involved in a possible criminal probe isnt indicted by a grand jury or if the acts investigated by the grand jury were within the scope of official duties of the officer or employee.

In short, if theres proof the federal probe uncovered no wrongdoing by Snyder, his fees should be covered by the utility board under state law.

However, the public deserved an appropriate procedure to be followed before those checks were cut.

A discussion and vote in a public meeting should have occurred first, and that didnt happen.

Snyder, and any public official, should realize the sacred confidence they must keep with voters regarding fiscal propriety. Northwest Indiana has seen too many cases of abuse over the years, and were frankly sick of flippant handling of public money.

Factor into that history that Snyders checks were cut because of a federal probe into his activities, and its not hard to see why a public discussion and board vote should have occurred prior to release of these payments.

Snyder is now doing the right thing.

Hes asking for the board to consider reimbursing him for legal expenses following a future public discussion and vote.

Its unfortunate a course correction was necessary.
EAST CHICAGO  East Chicago school Superintendent Paige McNulty believes shes making headway in her conversations with legislators across the state regarding the issues surrounding the Carrie Gosch Elementary School building.

Carrie Gosch Elementary, 455 E. 148th St., sits on lead-contaminated soil, and was closed a week before school was scheduled to start this year as a result of the lead problems in the West Calumet Housing Complex.

McNulty said it has created havoc with finances, enrollment and student services.

As of Friday, McNulty said about 335 students are enrolled at the new Carrie Gosch, now in the former West Side Middle School, still about 200 short of the number of Carrie Gosch students who were enrolled last school year. She said the number changes daily as families move out of the area.

McNulty wants the state to hold the district harmless regarding enrollment, which will require legislative action. That means she would like the district to receive state funding as though Carrie Gosch were operating at full enrollment.

She has used a $3 million loan from the State Board of Education for the move from the old building to the new Carrie Gosch and to refresh and update the school for use by elementary-age students.

Working at the state level

Indiana education leader Glenda Ritz visited the new building and toured the old building a couple of weeks ago, where U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials were busy working on their plan of action.

Since my visit to Carrie Gosch a few weeks ago, I have continued to work closely with the local schools and community during this transition, Ritz said.

My outreach team is providing ongoing support and resources to the community, and we continue to evaluate what flexibility may be available to free up additional resources and federal funding for East Chicago Schools. I look forward to working with the General Assembly during the upcoming legislative session to address any financial concerns.

McNulty has been talking to Indiana legislators Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, and Sen. Edward Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, as well as federal leaders.

Randolph said Thursday morning that legislative services is drafting the language for legislation that will be introduced when the new legislative session starts in January, but it isnt ready yet.

Were still working on the language, but it will include waiver language for the school district, he said.

There have been rumors for many years about the lead in the ground there, Randolph said.

I grew up in that neighborhood and probably ought to be tested myself. There were people who were aware of the contamination in the early 1970s, he said. Someone should have told residents about the contamination, and this is going to be the effect on you and your children. There should have been a remedy and compensation for losses.

Despite that, I met a young woman at a meeting just recently who told me she had just moved into the West Calumet complex, and thats after the letters went out about the lead in the soil.

Randolph said when the new Carrie Gosch building was constructed in 1999, there should have been environmental studies done and reports made.

What were the results of those studies done before the school was rebuilt, and what happened to the information that was discovered at that site? he asked.

Kenley said he has had good conversations with McNulty, and she has laid out the situation well.

We have our people digging into the details of the funding formula, and were working with the Department of Education, he said.

This was an unpredictable event that theyre having to deal with. Its a unique problem that we have to pay attention to. Its really unfortunate for East Chicago to have this circumstance. I have a lot of confidence in Paige. She is very prepared and proactive, and that will help us in sorting out what we can contribute.

Status of students

McNulty said some West Calumet families have moved to other communities such as Hammond and Gary, and some families are living with relatives and thus deemed homeless for federal school purposes.

Those homeless students come under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, which provides financial assistance to school districts to ensure immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless children.

We are providing bus transportation to and from school for about a dozen students whose families have moved to other communities, but have maintained their childs enrollment in the East Chicago schools, McNulty said.

Its a strain on our transportation system, but its worth it. Were still in the process of renovating the new Carrie Gosch.

McNulty said the lead problems in East Chicago are similar to the problems in Flint, Michigan, where that community had lead in its drinking water.

The problems in Flint began in April 2014 after the city changed its water source from treated Detroit water, which was sourced from Lake Huron and the Detroit River, to the Flint River, to which officials had failed to apply corrosion inhibitors. Flints drinking water had a series of problems that culminated with lead contamination, creating a serious public health danger.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, children younger than 5 years old, and especially infants and unborn children, bear the greatest risk of deleterious and irreversible health outcomes from lead exposure.

McNulty said she has had several conversations with Flint Community Schools Superintendent Bilal Tawwab, who has been helpful in talking about how that school district met the challenges.

In an emailed response, Tawwab said its unfortunate that another school system is going through a similar situation to what Flint faced.

Tough challenges are great opportunities for those in the community and those with a vested interest in young people to come together for the greater good of educating students, he wrote.

I shared some of the strategies Flint Community Schools has had success with and provided suggestions on ways to keep teachers focused on teaching and students focused on learning.

Resolving lead, arsenic problems

Lead factories in East Chicagos Calumet neighborhood date back to the early 1900s. Aerial photographs show the former Anaconda Lead Products facility still existed in 1959 in the area of the present-day West Calumet Housing Complex, about six blocks south of Carrie Gosch Elementary School on 148th Street.

In May, the EPA told families in the complex that they and their children were living on land severely contaminated by lead and arsenic. Between 2005 and 2015, preliminary tests showed more than 20 percent of children in the census tract that includes the housing complex had elevated blood lead levels, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

The national average during that time period was fewer than 1 percent of children.

This year, more than 300 families have received vouchers to move out of the complex, taking with them hundreds of children who are students in the School City of East Chicago.

McNulty intends to travel to Indianapolis this week to meet with the state legislative finance committee to continue conversations about a one-year hold harmless law, including a step-down for years two and three.

She also is continuing to meet with the EPA, which is renting six classrooms in the old Carrie Gosch building as office space. She said she has been in conversations with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development about declaring the Carrie Gosch land as a brownfield site.

However, McNulty is not in favor of that option, because it would require repurposing the building or putting it up for sale and she is not sure a buyer can be found.

Im fighting very hard for the Carrie Gosch school building to be included in the Superfund site designation, McNulty said. If the building is included in that resolution, it would give her the necessary money to demolish the building and pay off the existing mortgage, she said.

The entire Calumet neighborhood along with the USS Lead facility were listed on the National Superfund Priorities List in April 2009.

McNulty said she and Ritz plan to travel to Washington, D.C., to lobby federal officials regarding the Superfund site resolution.

Its a big process, she said. Weve had meetings with Department of Justice, EPA and HUD every two weeks. They have agreed to amend the Superfund site because the scope of this work is much greater than they had originally anticipated.

East Chicago school board member Jesse Gomez said he believes the trip to Washington will help. We have a good argument for being included in the Superfund resolution, he said.
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One of the city's federal prosecutors is calling on the NYPD to take on a new role in combating drugs.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is asking the police to treat overdose deaths as potential crime scenes.

He wants drug dealers to face federal prosecution if they are linked to fatal overdoses.

Earlier this month, Bharara announced he is joining forces with the Drug Enforcement Agency to host conferences on opioid addiction.

He says the growing opioid epidemic is ravaging communities.

According to the city health department, last year the Bronx led the five boroughs with the highest number of heroin overdoses at 146.
Sam Sifton emails readers of Cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes. That email also appears here. To receive it in your inbox, register here.

Good morning. Tejal Rao has a beautiful article in todays Times Magazine about the culinary legacy of the cook, writer, anthropologist and radio commentator Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor, who died last month at 79. Read it and then go cook her recipe for onion pie, either for dinner tonight or to take to work for lunch tomorrow. Its luscious and, as Tejal suggests, important.

For dessert, make the $250 cookie recipe from Neiman Marcus. Culture has many levels. (And its a really good recipe.) You could make roast pork in milk for supper if youre saving the onion pie for lunch.

Then, tomorrow night, how about a dinner of Moroccan-style pumpkin with lentils, which you can make vegetarian by substituting more pumpkin for the lamb called for in the list of ingredients.
Arpita Mazumdar, the daughter of Sipra Mazumdar and Asim K. Mazumdar of Glen Oaks, N.Y., is to be married Oct. 16 to Donatus Obinna Anusionwu Jr., a son of Justina Anusionwu and Dr. Anusionwu of the Bronx. The Rev. Aniceto America, a minister ordained by the Sanctuary of the Beloved, is to officiate at the Thayer Hotel in West Point, N.Y.

The couple also celebrated their marriage with a ceremony Oct. 15 at the Hindu Temple Society of North America in Flushing, Queens, that was led by Pandit Praveen Kumar.

Ms. Mazumdar, 38, will keep her name. She works in the securities division of Goldman Sachs in New York, where she is a vice president and the chief of staff for the divisions management and strategy team. She graduated from the State University of New York, Albany.

Her father retired as a civil engineer in the Manhattan office of Aecom, an engineering, design and construction management firm. Her mother retired as an assistant teacher at YOM Childcare in Levittown, N.Y.
Elizabeth Hope Drumm, a daughter of Jean M. Drumm and Gerard T. Drumm of Westbury, N.Y, was married Oct. 15 to Maxwell Mitchell Kurz, a son of Sandy Mitchell Kurz and Mitchell H. Kurz of Manhattan. Rabbi Paul Swerdlow led the interfaith ceremony with the Rev. John S. Malone, a Roman Catholic priest, taking part, at Weylin B. Seymours, an event space in Brooklyn.

The couple met at Princeton, from which they graduated, he cum laude.

Mrs. Kurz, 27, is a vice president on the portfolio management team of a real estate fund at BlackRock, the investment management firm in Manhattan.

Her mother is a school nurse at Chaminade High School in Mineola, N.Y. Her father is the chief financial officer of the Brookhaven Rail Terminal, an industrial and commercial park in Yaphank, N.Y.

Mr. Kurz, 28, is a senior associate of a division of Citigroup that originates bond offerings for companies in the technology, media and telecommunications industries.
Dr. Flonza Isa and Daniel Ryan Kinney were married Oct. 14 at the Topping Rose House, a hotel in Bridgehampton, N.Y. The grooms father, a retired Wisconsin judge, officiated.

Dr. Isa, 34, will keep her name. She is an instructor in infectious diseases at Weill Cornell Medical College in Manhattan, and conducts clinical research on tuberculosis. She graduated magna cum laude and received a medical degree from N.Y.U.

She is a daughter of Midzaret Demko Isovski and Remzi Isovski of the New Springville neighborhood of Staten Island. Her father is a building superintendent at ABM, a facility-services company in Manhattan.

Mr. Kinney, 32, is a talent agent in the branding and digital practice at Agency for the Performing Arts in Manhattan. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin and received a certificate in publishing from N.Y.U.
Howli Jean Ledbetter and Dan Pfeiffer were married Oct. 15 in Palm Springs, Calif. Robert Renn Pfeiffer, the grooms brother, who was ordained by the First Nation Ministry for the occasion, officiated at the Avalon Hotel.

The bride, 33, is taking her husbands name. She works at Rally, a communications firm in San Francisco specializing in social and political issues. She is a director who develops communications and media-relations strategies for clients and also recruits new business. She graduated from California State University, Chico.

She is the daughter of Barbara J. Ledbetter and Howdy Ledbetter of Linden, Calif. The brides parents own a classic car and interior restoration business there.

The groom, 40, is the vice president for communications and policy at GoFundMe, a crowdsourcing and fund-raising website based in Redwood City, Calif. He graduated from Georgetown.
Jessica Tang Tom and David Brown were married Oct. 15 at Paxson Hill Farm in New Hope, Pa. Claire M. Nasuti, a friend of the couple who was ordained by American Marriage Ministries for the event, officiated.

The bride, 32, will continue to use her name professionally. She is the author of Food Whore: A Novel of Dining and Deceit. She graduated from Yale.

She is the daughter of Bernadette Tang Tom and Lipton L. Tom of Pleasantville, N.Y. The brides mother is a statistical data analyst at Eliassen Group, an information technology staffing, recruiting and consulting company in Manhattan. Her father retired as a pension analyst at Macys in Manhattan.

The groom, 43, is the chief technology officer in Manhattan for Dia & Co., an online retailer of womens clothing. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he also received a masters in information technology.
Laura Anne Lachman, the daughter of Jane P. Lachman and Dr. Barry S. Lachman of Dallas, is to be married Oct. 16 to Michael Chaim Lavey, a son of Marcia L. Goodman-Lavey and Dr. Elliott B. Lavey of Walnut Creek, Calif. Rabbi Jayne Simon is to officiate at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum.

The bride, 39, is a marketing and events manager for Karma Automotive in Costa Mesa, Calif., an electric-car company owned by the Wanxiang Group, an automotive conglomerate based in Hangzhou, China. She graduated from the University of Vermont.

Her father, a pediatrician, is the medical director of Parkland Memorial Hospitals Community Health Plan in Dallas and the head of Dallas Area Interfaith, a nonprofit that helps residents negotiate civic matters with government and private institutions. Her mother, a licensed social worker, is a part-time home health care worker in Dallas.

The groom, 37, works in Beverly Hills, Calif., managing West Coast sales for SnapStream Media, a Houston company that creates software to help businesses monitor and search television programs. He graduated from Tufts.
SAN FRANCISCO  Peter Thiel, true to his reputation as the most contrarian soul in Silicon Valley, is doubling down on Donald J. Trump.

The only prominent supporter of the Republican candidate in the high-tech community, Mr. Thiel is making his first donation in support of Mr. Trumps election. He will give $1.25 million through a combination of super PAC donations and funds given directly to the campaign, a person close to the investor said on Saturday.

The donation puts the billionaire investor high on a very short list of big Trump contributors. One of the biggest donors is Robert Mercer of the hedge fund Renaissance Technologies. He and his daughter Rebekah Mercer have given $15.5 million in support of the Republican candidates election, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Geoffrey Palmer, a Los Angeles developer, has donated $2 million.

Mr. Thiel, who spoke at the Republican National Convention, apparently is unfazed by the storm around the candidate in the last week following the broadcasting of lewd conversations recorded by the syndicated program Access Hollywood. The source, who requested anonymity, said the investor feels the country needs fixing, and Mr. Trump can do it.
Donald J. Trump entered the homestretch of the campaign at a pronounced financial disadvantage to Hillary Clinton, according to figures Mr. Trumps team released on Saturday, and far below the self-funding goal he set for himself earlier in the race.

After raising $100 million in partnership with Republican Party organizations in September, Mr. Trump and committees linked to his campaign began October with $75 million in cash on hand. Mrs. Clinton raised $154 million in September and began October with roughly $150 million in the bank, her campaign said, twice as much as Mr. Trump.

Many of the Republican Partys leading contributors have stayed away from his campaign, judging from financial disclosures filed by Mr. Trump and his party on Saturday, signaling his difficulties in persuading party elites to back him.

One exception was Peter Thiel, the billionaire Silicon Valley investor who spoke in support of Mr. Trump at the Republican convention in July. A person close to Mr. Thiel said on Saturday that the investor was putting $1.25 million behind Mr. Trumps campaign.
EDISON, N.J.  Donald J. Trump declared himself a big fan of Hindu and praised Indias nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, at an Indian-American charity event on Saturday.

Mr. Trump spoke at a benefit put on by the Republican Hindu Coalition at a convention center in Edison, N.J., a non-battleground stop that is hardly typical for a presidential nominee three weeks before an election.

Still, Mr. Trump seemed thrilled to be there.

I am a big fan of Hindu, and I am a big fan of India, Mr. Trump said, seeming to entangle the faith with the nation. Big, big fan.

While polls show that Hillary Clinton draws far more backing from Indian-Americans than Mr. Trump does, his anti-bureaucracy and country-first language closely tracks that of Mr. Modi, who has tapped into the disgust that Indias Hindu majority feels toward its government.
WASHINGTON  The Obama administration has intensified a clandestine war in Somalia over the past year, using Special Operations troops, airstrikes, private contractors and African allies in an escalating campaign against Islamist militants in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation.

Hundreds of American troops now rotate through makeshift bases in Somalia, the largest military presence since the United States pulled out of the country after the Black Hawk Down battle in 1993.

The Somalia campaign, as it is described by American and African officials and international monitors of the Somali conflict, is partly designed to avoid repeating that debacle, which led to the deaths of 18 American soldiers. But it carries enormous risks  including more American casualties, botched airstrikes that kill civilians and the potential for the United States to be drawn even more deeply into a troubled country that so far has stymied all efforts to fix it.

The Somalia campaign is a blueprint for warfare that President Obama has embraced and will pass along to his successor. It is a model the United States now employs across the Middle East and North Africa  from Syria to Libya  despite the presidents stated aversion to American boots on the ground in the worlds war zones. This year alone, the United States has carried out airstrikes in seven countries and conducted Special Operations missions in many more.
Republicans also control two-thirds of the 50 state legislatures, allowing them to shape laws on issues at the heart of Americas culture wars: guns, abortion and marijuana.

But when a recording emerged of Mr. Trump boasting about groping women, it struck at the core of a party that prides itself on values, and Republican leaders could no longer look the other way.

How Times reporters cover politics. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause. Learn more about our process.

Some Republican politicians who expressed revulsion at Mr. Trumps comments might have been acting out of cold political calculation. On Nov. 8, Americans will vote not only to elect a president but also to fill all 435 House seats and 34 of the Senates 100 seats. Analysts predict that a crushing defeat for Mr. Trump could cost Republicans their advantage in the Senate and even their control of the House  a prospect that until recently was considered a distant possibility.

It is easy to forget that the Republican Party, now known as an anti-abortion and pro-gun stalwart, originated as the progressive face of American politics.

Founded in 1854 on a platform of opposition to slavery, the party was initially dominated by Northern states, which were more industrial. The first Republican president, Lincoln, held the Union together through the Civil War, during which he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which led to the abolition of slavery. The partys nickname, the Grand Old Party, dates from that period, as does its mascot, the elephant, which first appeared in 1874 as a political cartoon in Harpers Weekly.

In the years before and during the Civil War, the Democratic Party, which dominated the agrarian South, supported slavery. But the tables turned in the 1960s, when the Democratic Party championed an end to segregation and Southern states swung to the Republicans, increasingly the party of conservatism.

Mr. Trumps campaign has ushered in a new chapter of the conservative story, building a coalition of disaffected voters motivated as much by their anger at government and establishment politics as by any policy issue.
AUBERVILLIERS, France  A Chinese tailor, Zhang Chaolin, emigrated to France with his wife and two sons in 2006 in search of a better life. They settled in Aubervilliers, a working-class suburb of Paris, where a decade of striving finally put that life within reach.

His sons, now in their 20s, work and have their own families. Last year, the younger son had his first child, making Mr. Zhang a grandfather.

But those dreams of stability came to an abrupt end this year under a pleasant August sun. A group of young men, barely old enough to drive, assaulted Mr. Zhang, who was 49, as he walked in Aubervilliers with two friends he had known since childhood.

Shouting racist slurs, the youths took a small bag from one of the men, and savagely beat them, leaving Mr. Zhang and his friends crumpled and bloodied on the sidewalk. The bag contained only candy and cigarettes. Mr. Zhang died five days later.
The Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker has always been known for her sensitivity to music, visualizing sound in ways both mathematical and mystical. But in her 2013 Vortex Temporum, she delves more deeply than ever into the relationship between music and movement, musician and dancer.

An interpretation of Gerard Griseys score of the same name, Vortex Temporum brings together seven dancers of her company, Rosas, and seven members of the contemporary music ensemble Ictus, setting them all in motion (even the grand piano dances) on a stripped-down stage. This intimate conversation between choreographer and composer seemed to merit a conversation between critics versed in different ways of listening and looking.

Siobhan Burke, a dance critic, and Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, a music critic, saw the United States premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Friday and discussed it afterward. Here are edited excerpts from their conversation.

SIOBHAN BURKE I wasnt too familiar with Grisey before this show. Had you heard Vortex Temporum?

CORINNA DA FONSECA-WOLLHEIM I had, but in this kind of spectral music, a recording often fails to render the textural richness of the music. On Friday, I found the Ictus performance incredibly sensual and, near the end, profoundly moving.
Sheena Wagstaff, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts modern and contemporary art department, was relatively new on the job in 2013 when Pamela J. Joyner, a prolific art collector and supporter of artists of African descent, invited her on a trip to Washington to visit the studio of the Color Field painter Sam Gilliam. They looked at Mr. Gilliams in-progress pieces, a series of striking works with a thin stream of paint poured on board.

Ms. Wagstaff knew the Met owned a Gilliam work, Leahs Renoir (1979), somewhere in its collection, and the visit prompted me to take a second look at it. Later, Ms. Joyner donated money to buy another Gilliam, Whirlirama (1970), and next year there are plans to exhibit both when the Met reinstalls its modern collection. Pamela is such an informed champion of her artists, Ms. Wagstaff said.

That trip to Washington was one of the many ways that Ms. Joyner, 58, exerts her power as an art-world influence behind the scenes. She has relinquished a successful business career to become what she calls a full-time mission-driven collector of a very specific niche: Abstract art by African-Americans and members of the global African diaspora. Now she leverages her relationships with the Met in New York, the Tate in London, the Art Institute in Chicago and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to help these artists gain traction in the wider world.

Its no less ambitious than an effort to reframe art history, said Ms. Joyner, who sees herself as righting a wrong. First, to include more broadly those who have been overlooked  and, for those with visibility, to steward and contextualize those careers.
It was 15 years ago on a bus ride between Elyria, Ohio, and Chicago  probably somewhere near Gary, Ind., she thinks  that the flutist Claire Chase decided to found the International Contemporary Ensemble, known as ICE. Quite a lot has happened since then.

The ensemble has performed hundreds of new works, staking a strong claim as the nations pre-eminent new-music group in the process. Its annual budget has grown from $603  her holiday catering tips underwrote that first year  to north of $2 million. Ms. Chase won a MacArthur Foundation fellowship. And ICE now moves seamlessly among small nightclubs, schools and some of the nations premier stages, performing at Lincoln Centers Mostly Mozart Festival, at the Ojai Music Festival in California and, on Nov. 1, at Carnegie Hall.

The group is about to embark on one of its biggest transitions yet: Ms. Chase is stepping down from her leadership position there to become, in her words, a member of the band, and to be able to devote more time to her blossoming career as a soloist.

Its been an aspiration of the group since the very beginning to evolve into being an artists collective, Ms. Chase said in an interview. And after 15 years I think we can say that weve achieved that  and that its time to not be founder-led. Its time for me to be a member of the band, and a supporter and cheerleader and advocate for the groups work.
Election season is an odd time  or is it an oddly appropriate one?  to flood the concert scene with conductorless ensembles. On Saturday the 92nd Street Y opened its season with an inspired performance by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, which offered thrilling renditions of music by Mozart, Schubert and George Tsontakis. On Tuesday, a concert by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will include a Haydn symphony. And next week Carnegie Hall hosts the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble that perhaps more than any other has shown how much a player-run group can achieve without the interference of someone gesticulating at them from a podium.

The beauty, joy and freshness of the Saint Paul players music-making on Saturday didnt just breathe life into well-worn standards of the repertory. To me, it was also a reassurance that, in certain quarters, participatory democracy is alive and well.

The concert opened with the New York premiere of O Mikros, O Megas (This Tiny World, This Enormous World) by Mr. Tsontakis, who has a fruitful history of collaborating with the orchestra. A retrospective wistfulness clings to its four movements, whether in the Old World elegance of the opening, Footprints, which seemed to invite dancing in swooshing skirts, or the Coplandian fiddle strains of Orbiting (Heart and Soul).

Scored for strings only, O Mikros, O Megas provided an introduction to the refined sound of the musicians. In the subtle gradations from robust dense tone to smoky layers, their playing often resembled that of a first-rate string quartet.
That was when, according to family lore that would persist for an entire century, that very bad man came along. And when he left Truevine, the boys left with him. He had stolen them! And dusty, poky Truevine was so isolated that nobody ever heard what became of them, though they became famous. The bad man had spirited them off to a circus freak show, where they developed long white dreadlocks and were treated as virtual slaves. They worked for different circuses, including that of the Ringling brothers. And they traveled around the world. Newspaper coverage of circus freaks was condescending and shameful. But nobody ever recorded how the brothers felt about their treatment during these years.

Because George and Willie had developed permanent squints in an effort to protect their eyes and were shy by nature, they were treated as simpletons for much of their early lives. And they had been thrown into an atmosphere in which some blacks were forced to go along with being presented as the missing links between man and monkey; the consequences of fighting back  unemployment, bullying, bigotry  could be far worse. Ms. Macys backdrop for Truevine is an America of lynchings, of the Ku Klux Klan marching proudly down Pennsylvania Avenue to Calvin Coolidges White House, of racism so endemic that even parrots could cast slurs. One Roanoke bird in particular liked to coarsely announce the presence of blacks coming down the street.

Image Beth Macy Credit... Erica Yoon/The Roanoke Times, via Associated Press

Ms. Macy gives herself several objectives for the strange story told in Truevine. First and foremost, she wants to examine the story that members of the Muse family believed for 100 years, even though Ms. Macy could quickly tell that it couldnt withstand scrutiny. Second, at a time when Roanoke remains a city that demographers still consider among the most segregated in the South and racial tensions have been aroused throughout the nation, she means to provide an eerily resonant vision of the past.

And last, though hardly least, she wants to try to understand what happened to the Muses. Precious few records exist, but the familys longevity is amazing. Ms. Macy found a number of octogenarian and nonagenarian members with long and excellent memories. Willie himself lived to 108.
Chinas space program calls for a permanent space station by 2018, an unmanned rover to Mars in 2020 and an astronaut to the moon in 2025.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his closing remarks to a summit meeting of BRICS in India over the weekend, said their emerging economies should focus on increased trade and fighting terrorism. He called Pakistan, Indias bitter rival, the mother ship of terrorism.

The BRICS nations  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  pledged to reform the global financial and economic system, and to create a credit-rating agency for developing countries.

 Silicon Valley is taking sides in the U.S. presidential race, abandoning its ethos of relying on engineering rather than politics to solve problems. Much of the sentiment being openly expressed is in opposition to Donald J. Trump, but Peter Thiel, a tech billionaire, is giving $1.25 million to support his candidacy.

At an Indian-American event over the weekend, Mr. Trump declared: I am a big fan of Hindu, and I am a big fan of India. Big, big fan.
Ashley Paige White-Stern, a daughter of Dr. Andrea E. Stern and the Rev. Dr. Ronald B. White of Boston, was married Oct. 15 to Jonathan Douglass Oliver, a son of Louisa S. Oliver and Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

The grooms father, the chief judge of Federal District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, officiated at the Manny Cantor Center of the Educational Alliance in New York, with the brides father, the senior pastor of the First Church of Roxbury, a Unitarian-Universalist church, leading Jewish elements of the wedding, including the seven blessings, the breaking of the glass, an invocation and the blessing of the wine. The couple also followed the African-American wedding tradition of jumping the broom.

Ms. White-Stern, 34, is keeping her name. She is a third-year medical student at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. She graduated from the University of Chicago and received a masters in film studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Her father, an internist and a psychiatrist, retired as the director of the Martha Eliot Health Center in Boston. Her mother is a childrens psychiatrist at Carney Hospital in Boston, and has a practice in Brookline, Mass.
Lauren Elizabeth Gaba, a daughter of Carole A. Gaba of Los Angeles and the late Harold E. Gaba, was married Oct. 15 to Brian Wansley Flanagan, a son of Lynn W. Flanagan and Stephen J. Flanagan of Washington. Gregg Field, a friend of the brides family who became a Universal Life minister for the event, officiated at the summer home of the brides family in Montecito, Calif.

Mrs. Flanagan, 26, is the creative coordinator in the marketing division of the Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles, where she helps create branded content for corporate clients including film, music, live experiences, and marketing campaigns. She graduated from Emerson College.

Her father, who worked in Los Angeles, was a chairman of Village Roadshow Pictures, an Australian producer and financier of Hollywood movies. He was also a chairman of the Concord Music Group in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Mr. Flanagan, 34, is a Los Angeles-based financier of films and television programs who most recently was an executive producer of The Night Manager, a television series that was shown on AMC earlier this year. He graduated cum laude from Harvard.
Tali Mae Jang and Ajmal Arshan Asver were married Oct. 15. Ali Wiezbowski, a friend of the couple who became a Universal Life minister to preside at this event, officiated at the de Young fine-arts museum in San Francisco.

Ms. Jang, 30, will keep her name. She is in charge of strategy and operations for the consumer-marketing team at Google in Mountain View, Calif. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.

She is the daughter of Mia Jang and Michael P. Jang, both of San Francisco. The brides father is a fine-art photographer whose work was featured most recently last summer at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in an exhibition entitled California and the West. Her mother is a pianist and composer whose most recent album is Water Circles, which was released in 2000 on the Narada label. The brides stepfather, Alan T. Rath, is a sculptor who works with electronics and robotics and whose work is in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and other art institutions.

Mr. Asver, also 30, is known as AJ. He is a founder and a chief executive of Twoniverse, a start-up developer of software tools for D.J.s in San Francisco. He graduated from Oxford University in England.
Once, in a TV studio near Delhi almost eight years ago, I tried to stop a war between India and Pakistan and left thinking: Let them fight. Its never a good idea to join a TV debate when those two are on the brink of yet another war.

I was visiting Delhi just after the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, and my publisher persuaded me to accept an invitation to discuss Indo-Pak relations. I was the only Pakistani among the half dozen panelists, mostly Indian ex-generals and defense experts, all apparently trying to start and win a war with outrageous sound bites.

As the panelists made their case, a map flashed on a studio screen, and crude animated Indian missiles blew up one Pakistani city after another. The panelists called these cities targets. There was a live poll during the program. It asked viewers a simple question: Should India carry out targeted strikes in Pakistan? Suddenly, it was my duty to convince millions of Indians that attacking my country wasnt such a good idea.

I was scared, but I tried. I mumbled something about the fact that the cities being annihilated on the shows virtual map were not terrorist training camps but regular places with ordinary folk. Yes, there were terrorists in Pakistan, but I didnt have their addresses. I pleaded peace. For the first time I realized how some words, like some countries, are stronger than others. The phrases my co-panelists were using  surgical strikes, hot pursuit, psy-ops, befitting reply  had power, immediacy, significance. They sounded like calls to action  like jumping in a raging sea to save your baby from drowning, like rushing with a bucket of water toward a house on fire.
PALO ALTO, Calif.  After years of scorning the political process, Silicon Valley has leapt into the fray. The prospect of a President Donald J. Trump is pushing the tech community to move beyond its traditional role as donors and to embrace a new existence as agitators and activists.

A distinguished venture capital firm emblazoned on its corporate home page an earthy anti-Trump epithet. One prominent tech chieftain says the consequences of Mr. Trumps election would range between disastrous and terrible. Another compares him to a dictator. And nearly 150 tech leaders signed an open letter decrying Mr. Trump and his campaign of anger and bigotry.

Not quite all the action is anti-Trump. Peter Thiel, a founder of PayPal and Palantir who was the first outside investor in Facebook, spoke at the Republican convention in July. The New York Times reported on Saturday that Mr. Thiel is giving $1.25 million to support Mr. Trumps candidacy even as other supporters flee. (He also recently gave $1 million to a super PAC that supports Senator Rob Portman, the Republican freshman running for re-election in Ohio.)

Getting involved in politics used to be seen as clashing with Silicon Valleys value system: You transform the world by making problems obsolete, not solving them through Washington. Nor did entrepreneurs want to alienate whatever segment of customers did not agree with them politically.
Pity the playwrights. Many of them make so little money, they cant afford tickets to plays.

Now some of the nations leading regional theaters, saying it is essential to the art form that writers see work by their colleagues and predecessors, have a solution: They will offer free last-minute seats to their shows.

Theaters from Atlanta to Seattle have signed on, agreeing to make unsold tickets available, on the day of a performance, to student and professional writers who belong to the Dramatists Guild, a national association of about 7,000 playwrights, composers and lyricists.

The initiative, which is underway at some theaters and is being announced this week, was organized by two Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights  Marsha Norman, co-director of the playwrights program at the Juilliard School, and Doug Wright, president of the Dramatists Guild of America  and Bruce Lazarus, executive director of Samuel French, a leading publisher of play scripts.

Its a perverse irony in our field that most working playwrights cant afford to actually go to the theater, and you cant expect a generation of artists to master the craft if they cant keep current, Mr. Wright said. Ticket prices have made it, regrettably, a rather rarefied art form, but we need artists from all socioeconomic groups weighing in on the American experience.
As chief of staff and counselor to Hillary Clinton at the State Department, Cheryl D. Mills worked ceaselessly to help a South Korean garment maker open a factory in Haiti, the centerpiece of United States government efforts to jump-start the island nations economy after the 2010 earthquake.

Ms. Mills took the lead on smoothing the way for the company, Sae-A Trading, which secured millions of dollars in incentives to make its Haiti investment more attractive, despite criticism of its labor record elsewhere. When she presided over the projects unveiling in September 2010, she introduced Sae-As chairman, Woong-ki Kim, as the most important person at the ceremony, which included Mrs. Clinton and the Haitian prime minister.

Mr. Kim would later become important to Ms. Mills in a far more personal way  as a financial backer of a company she started after leaving the State Department in 2013. The company, BlackIvy Group, is pursuing infrastructure projects in Tanzania and Ghana, the only African nations in the Partnership for Growth, an Obama administration initiative that Mrs. Clinton helped introduce that promotes investment in developing countries.

The partnership with Mr. Kim sheds light on the business activities of Ms. Mills  a longtime Clinton loyalist who is likely to play a significant role in any future Clinton White House  as well as the interlocking public and private relationships that have long characterized the Clintons inner circle. A lawyer, Ms. Mills has been a target of Republican critics for her central role in determining which emails from Mrs. Clintons private server would be publicly disclosed, and for sharing information about Africa  later designated as classified  with the Clinton Foundation while working at the State Department.


On Sunday, the Hillsborough police said the fire had been caused by a firebomb thrown through a window of the office, which is in a shopping center about 14 miles outside Durham.

The damage was not noticed until Sunday, when a business owner called the authorities around 9 a.m., the police said. Gov. Pat McCrory said in a statement that no one had been injured.

This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our communitys safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation, Mayor Tom Stevens of Hillsborough said in a statement. Our law enforcement officials are responding quickly and thoroughly to investigate this reprehensible act and prosecute the perpetrators.

The Hillsborough police said they were investigating the attack along with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Mr. Trumps words, though, appear to be having an effect on his supporters, and are setting off deep concern among civil rights groups. According to an Associated Press poll last month, only one-third of Republicans said they had a great deal of confidence their votes would be counted fairly. And election officials are worried that Mr. Trumps continued pressing of the issue could dampen turnout or cause his supporters to deny the legitimacy of the results if he loses.

Last week, Mr. Trump called the presidential election one big fix and one big, ugly lie.

Jon A. Husted, the secretary of state of Ohio, said it was wrong and engaging in irresponsible rhetoric for any candidate to question the integrity of elections without evidence. Mr. Husted, a Republican, said he would have no reason to hesitate to certify the results of the election.

We have made it easy to vote and hard to cheat, Mr. Husted said Sunday in an interview. We are going to run a good, clean election in Ohio, like we always do.

American elections are, unlike those in many democracies, largely decentralized, rendering the possibility of large-scale fraud extraordinarily unlikely. Further, the balloting in many of the hardest-fought states will be overseen by Republican officials, individuals who would be highly unlikely to consent to helping Mrs. Clinton rig the vote.

Chris Ashby, a Republican election lawyer, said Mr. Trumps attacks on the electoral process were unprecedented and risked creating a fiasco on Election Day. Mr. Ashby also said that Mr. Trump was destabilizing the election by encouraging his supporters to deputize themselves as amateur poll monitors, outside the bounds of the law.
BEIJING  In the latest move in its ambitious space program, China launched a manned spacecraft from the Gobi Desert on Monday morning.

Images broadcast on CCTV showed the astronauts giving a salute seconds before launch, and 15 minutes later they could be seen on the live feed clasping their gloved hands, apparently a sign of a successful launch.

The spacecraft, called Shenzhou-11, is to dock with an orbiting space laboratory launched last month.

The astronauts are expected to stay in the Tiangong-2 lab for 30 days before returning to Earth, the deputy director of Chinas Manned Space Agency, Wu Ping, said before the launch.
ERBIL, Iraq  Mosuls residents are hoarding food and furtively scrawling resistance slogans on walls, while the citys Islamic State rulers have feverishly expanded their underground tunnel network and tried to dodge American drones.

After months of maneuvering, the Iraqi governments battle to reclaim Mosul, the sprawling city whose million-plus population lent the most credence to the Islamic States claim to rule a fledgling nation, has finally begun. In the early hours Monday, an announcement by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of the campaigns opening was accompanied by artillery barrages and a rush of armored vehicles toward the front a few miles from the citys limits.

Those forces will fight to enter a city where for weeks the harsh authoritarian rule of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh, has sought to crack down on a population eager to either escape or rebel, according to interviews with roughly three dozen people from Mosul. Among them were refugees who managed to sneak out in recent weeks and residents reached by contraband cellphones in the city.
JERUSALEM  Israels long-smoldering debate over Jewish settlement in the West Bank reignited on Sunday with a fierce exchange between the government and a human rights organization that touched on broader arguments over definitions of patriotism and the very character of the country.

The latest cross-fire of accusations began after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Saturday that he would push for legislation to bar Israelis from volunteering for national service with BTselem, an organization that focuses on allegations of human rights violations against Palestinians in Israeli-occupied territories.

On Friday, Hagai El-Ad, the executive director of BTselem, addressed a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council devoted to a discussion titled The Settlements as the Obstacle to Peace and the Two-State Solution, referring to the internationally endorsed goal of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The session was initiated by the Palestinians and requested by five countries, including Egypt, a regional ally with which Israel signed a peace treaty in the late 1970s.
Devastating flood ravages central Vietnam

Torrential rains persisting from October 14 have devastated the central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, causing heavy losses in both human and property.









Many sections of the North-South railway have ben afected by flood







In Nghe An, flood water swept away a 13-year-old student in Nam Dan district on October 15, while blocking many important transportation routes and kept thousands of school students in Vinh city and Hung Nguyen district home.



As many as 815 hectares of rice and over 5,200 hectares of crop have been submerged in flood.



Local authorities have been keeping a close eye on areas with high risk of landslide and are ready for search and rescue as well as evacuation of locals if necessary.



In Ha Tinh province reported one death of a 26-year-old local in Can Loc district.



Rising water levels in Ngan Sau and Ngan Pho rivers and flood from hydropower reservoirs caused high risk of sweeping flood and landslide in many districts, including Huong Khe, Huong Son, Vu Quang, Thach Ha, Cam Xuyen, Ky Anh and Ha Tinh city. Natural disaster alert level 2-3 was issued.



The flood has also isolated two communes of Ky Thuong and Ky Lac in Ky Anh district, while more than 1,000 houses across the province were inundated.



Meanwhile in Quang Binh, two deaths were reported, together with eight injured and five missing.



Sudden flood in Roon river in Quang Trach district plunged at least six fishing boats, while sweeping away three and leaving nine others aground and one vessel missing. Rescue forces are working hard to help local fishermen savage their boats.



As of October 15, 26,920 houses have been flooded, while 56 others were uproofed, and a large area of crop was destroyed, mostly in Ba Don, Minh Hoa, and Quang Trach districts.



Evacuation is being stepped up, while local authorities have made efforts to ensure safety for locals and their property.



At the same time, the Quang Binh Railway Company in Quang Binh is working hard to repair sections of the North-South railway which led to the suspension of many trains from October 14. Over 350 people have been joining the efforts.



As of October 14, devastating flood also caused blew away 87 houses in Thua Thien Hue province and left 2,000 hectares of cassava under the water and destroyed 26 hectares of vegetable.



Authorities in Quang Tri province reported that 180 houses roofs were blown off and five dishing boats wrecked because of strong winds. Large plots of rubber and black pepper were devastated.



According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting, heavy rains will continue hitting central provinces until October 17.

Whirlwinds uproot trees, collapse houses in central region

Torrential rains and whirlwinds taking place on October 13 and 14 have caused severe damage for residents and production in the central provinces of Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

On October 14, the dreadful weather blew up roofs and made nearly 100 residential houses completely collapsed in Quang Tris Trieu Phong district within an hour. It also ruined plants and killed animals on local farms. Many residents had to flee their homes seeking for shelters.

The same day, Chairman of the Quang Tri Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chinh arrived on the scene to examine damage and visit affected households.

Rains and whirlwinds hit Thua Thien-Hue on October 13 and 14, uprooting trees and causing serious flooding.

A woman in Phu Vang district was reportedly missing, 87 roofs of houses in Phu Vang and Phong Dien districts were blew up, and more than 2,000 hectares of cassava in Phong Dien flooded.

In Hue City, water flooded over 20 roads, while trees fell over in major streets. The condition is blocking traffic in several parts of the city.

Hues relevant agencies are making efforts to clear streets and ensure electrical safety. Local students are allowed to skip school due to safety reasons.

On that context, the national steering committee on natural disaster prevention held an online conference with the central provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Quang Ngai and Quang Binh.

These localities were tasked with closely monitoring the situation, setting up response teams in vulnerable areas and spreading storm updates and warnings to remote areas.

VNA
Orange Countys economy is growing, but danger signs are mounting.

Jobs are expanding at a healthy clip, but many of the new positions pay poverty-level wages.

Home values are surging, but an extreme shortage of affordable residences is driving young families and working-age adults out of the county.

And as business leaders scramble to attract well-paid technology jobs, too few local workers may have the skills to fill them.

Those are among the stark conclusions in the latest comprehensive assessment of the local economy and job landscape prepared jointly by the Orange County Development Board, a government agency, and the Orange County Business Council, a trade group for 250 big companies.

The labor market is in the midst of disruptive change like never before, warned the Orange County Workforce Indicators Report, presented last week at a Hotel Irvine conference of business executives and government officials.

Wallace Walrod, the business councils chief economist, told the gathering that surveys show local businesses and consumers remain optimistic about the countys economy, which boasts a 4.4 percent unemployment rate, the lowest in Southern California.

But he also pointed to clouds on the horizon, as he narrated a slide show of data highlighting worrisome trends.

DEMOGRAPHICS

They say demographics are destiny, Walrod told the conference. It is imperative that everyone in this room understand the consequences of pending demographic shifts.

The national trend of aging baby boomers moving into retirement, he said, is magnified and exacerbated in Orange County, where the over-65 population is on track to nearly double by 2060 to a staggering 26.2 percent.

Unlike California as a whole, every age cohort other than seniors is shrinking in Orange County, where the median age has risen from 33 to 38 since 2000.

Most worrying, the prime working-age population  25-to 64-year-olds  is expected to dip by 1 percent by 2060, even as overall population grows by 15 percent.

By contrast, working-age groups in Riverside and San Bernardino counties are on track to grow by 61 percent and 47 percent, respectively.

We are losing not only our 25 to 34 year-old workforce  millennials  but also losing K-12 and the college-age cohort as well, Walrod said.

The trend, he warned, could devastate O.C.s pool of workers, creating talent gaps as large swaths of the workforce retires, leaving open positions that will likely go unfilled.

A DIRE HOUSING SHORTAGE

The principal cause of the demographic disconnect isnt a mystery.

A severe housing shortage has turned Orange County into one of the most expensive markets in the nation, with median home prices exceeding $650,000 and average monthly rents at about $1,900. Higher-density developments that could alleviate the shortfall are often opposed by current homeowners.

Rising values are good news for current homeowners, but bad news for those looking to afford to relocate to O.C. or to buy a house and stay here, especially millennials, Walrod said.

As a result, he added, domestic outmigration has been accelerating.

The report projects that new job creation will significantly outpace projected new housing units over the next two and half decades, resulting in a housing shortfall that will grow from a current reading of 50,000-62,000 units to a staggering 100,000 units by 2040.

Many workers are being forced into neighboring counties to find more affordable housing, increasing their commute and complicating their work-life balance.

Robert Bunyan, chairman of the Orange County Development Board, cited the example of his daughter, who graduated from college in 2010. She moved to Texas after failing to find a job in Orange County that paid enough to afford local rents, he said.

If workers with skills cant find housing, theyll go to other places like Texas and Arizona, he added.

Low-income families are doubling up in units designed for one family, Bunyan said, while entry-level workers cant afford to move out of their parents homes.

According to the report, it takes an hourly wage of $32.15 to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Orange County, putting it out of reach for minimum-wage workers in the countys fast-growing service sector, given the current California wage floor of $10 an hour.

SKILLS GAP?

College degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics awarded in Orange County have been growing by about 7 percent a year, according to the report, reaching an all-time high last year of 1,204, a jump of 22.5 percent over 2014.

And technology companies such as Microsemi, Edwards Lifesciences, Masimo Corp. and Universal Electronics are among Orange Countys fastest growing businesses.

Nonetheless, the report contends that the countys prosperity is threatened by a growing and persistent skills gap  Even as unemployment rates continue to drop, employers face rising difficulties in filling positions with skilled, educated workers.

According to the report, applicants lack skills in health care IT, IT security, coding and programming, mobile app development, cybersecurity, robotics, data analytics and quality control.

Moreover, it adds, many applicants that do have technical skills lack soft skills  skills such as project management, teamwork and team management, and critical thinking skills such as process improvement and problem solving.

However, the reports evidence is anecdotal, based on focus groups of anonymous employers brought together by the business council.

In recent years, such skills gap reports have been questioned as companies such as Southern California Edison and Disney have laid off U.S. technology workers, replacing them with lower-paid immigrants from India and other foreign nations on temporary visas. Businesses say they need the flexibility to hire specialists from around the world.

Moreover, since the 1990s, employment at computer and electronic firms has dropped by more than 40 percent, according to the U.S. Labor Department. And technology companies have come under fire for discriminating against older workers, with more than 200 complaints lodged with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and a class action lawsuit pending against Google.

The report does not address the contention of some economists that companies can resolve perceived skills gaps by raising salaries to recruit the workers they need and as Applied Medical, a Rancho Santa Margarita surgical device company, has successfully shown  by ramping up employee- training programs.

LOW-WAGE JOB BOOM

What the reports data do reveal is that the largest categories of jobs that Orange County is creating are not sophisticated programming or engineering positions, but low-wage, low-skill jobs  jobs filled by workers who can no longer afford to live in the county.

Employers may have to increase their compensation packages, the report suggests, but it falls short of recommending any local hike in the minimum wage, as cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego have enacted.

According to Wanted Analytics, a data firm that tracks real-time employment information, Orange County recently had some 42,500 job openings.

The largest categories of openings? Customer service representatives, who earn an average of $40,000 a year, and administrative assistants, who are paid an average of $33,000.

None of the top 10 occupations with the most job openings include technology positions, although several, such as project manager and senior accountant, require traditional professional skills.

In the past three years, categories adding the most positions in Orange County have been food preparation and serving workers, personal-care aides, laborers and movers, general managers and waiters and waitresses.

Many of the occupations with the most number of job openings are entry-level positions which do not require significant training or educational backgrounds, the report noted.

Excluding General and Operations Managers, the majority of these occupations pay near the $20,000 level, well below the average Orange County salary.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, which uses census data to calculate poverty at the county level, the poverty threshold for a family of one adult and one child renting a home in Orange County is $23,097. For a family of two adults and two children, it is $33,025.

Californias Employment Development Department, however, predicts that two technology jobs will be among the fastest growing categories by 2022. Biomedical engineers, with average salaries of $125,000, are in third place after brick masons ($51,440) and personal- care aides ($22,000).

And information analysts ($97,520) are in fifth place, following skin-care specialists ($34,490).

AN AUTOMATED FUTURE

The jobs picture is further complicated by the growing automation of some of Orange Countys largest employment sectors, such as retail sales and customer service.

Businesses are using automated message services instead of actual people to handle customer questions and complaints, the report notes. And retail sales employment has contracted as online shopping has exploded.

We are in a structural change like we have never seen before, Walrod told the conference, showing a slide titled The Demise of the Routine, The Rise of the Non-Routine Work. Routine jobs have plummeted since 2001.

Machine learning, miniaturization, computers are fundamentally changing the nature of work, he said. The looming threat of automation hangs over lower skilled workers.

It really is a brave new world.

Contact the writer: mroosevelt@ocregister.com; Twitter @MargotRoosevelt
Prop. 57 allows earlier release from prison and from parole for violent felons. Proponents deceptively claim the proposition only applies to non-violent criminals. The truth could not be further from the lie. California has created a system in our criminal justice system to give harsher sentences to the worst of the worst criminals. That is what our Three Strikes law is all about. Prop. 57 would eviscerate one-half of the Three Strikes law and reduce the sentencing for felonies like rape of an unconscious or intoxicated victim, manslaughter, battery causing serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, shooting a firearm at a residence, vehicle or aircraft, arson of a structure, residential burglary, exploding destructive devices and others. Those are violent felonies in any persons vocabulary. Violent in the Penal Code is a term of art and has legal significance. Prop. 57 could dupe voters into releasing violent criminals back to our streets. Vote no.

Prop. 62 would eliminate the death penalty. Proponents claim the system is broken and elimination will save boats of money. We should have learned by now that saving money is never a good reason to mess with our criminal justice system. AB109 and Prop. 47 have flushed serious career criminals from the prison system into our county jails and onto our streets. The result is an uptick in crime and homelessness, with the attendant clean-up costs increasing by a thousand percent since Prop. 47 went into effect two years ago. Vote no.

Prop. 66 is the companion alternative to Prop. 62, so Ill skip to it now. Our state death penalty system is broken but victims and their families have rights too. Opponents claim Prop. 66 will vastly increase costs to Californians. Again, deception is the hallmark of the opponents. Prop. 66 requires appeals to be heard within five years and requires early appointment of appellate lawyers to allow courts to have more confidence in the evidence they receive. Victims families should not die off while their childs or spouses murderer languishes in prison. Vote yes.

Prop. 63 makes it harder to purchase ammunition, criminalizes high-capacity magazines and requires reporting of lost or stolen firearms. Prop. 63 puts new restrictions on law-abiding gun owners that would have no effect on criminals or terrorists. Many of the provisions in Prop. 63 became law when Gov. Brown signed several bills in July. The only difference between that legislation and Prop. 63 is the requirement to report lost or stolen firearms. Gov. Brown vetoed a similar bill. In other words, Prop. 63 is a huge waste of time and money. Vote no.

Prop. 64 would legalize recreational marijuana use, cultivation and possession. Prop. 64 creates a new massive bureaucracy to monitor, tax and regulate. We are already seeing a huge upturn in vehicular deaths from drugged driving. Do we really want to make things worse on our highways and also further encourage our children to accept drug use as normal? Vote no.

In attempts to save money, all public safety propositions, except Prop. 66, will cost the state, and especially local communities, much more through excessive governmental costs, and the personal and emotional costs from increased crime.

 Todd Spitzer, Orange, Supervisor, Third District

Happy National Manufacturing Day

National Manufacturing Day was Oct. 7. I spent the day with the metals industry trade association, California Metals Coalition, at Amada America in Buena Park learning more about metal punch presses, laser cutting machines and sheet metal stamping machines. More importantly, I spoke with the workers and small business owners who compete in this global market.

I heard from a California metal worker who contributed to the aluminum wheels used on the Mars Rover Curiosity. I learned from a California metal company who utilizes 3D printing prototypes to design and manufacturer automotive parts for Tesla. And numerous California metal companies enlightened me on the metal instruments they are producing for advanced medical research.

But even more impressive than space travel, 3D printing, electric cars and medical advances were the middle-class workers supported by California metal manufacturers.

For Californias metalworking industry, eight of 10 workers are ethnic minorities or reside in impoverished regions or low-income communities. This demographic has been hit the hardest with Californias loss of middle-class job opportunities and struggles with a service economy that offers minimum wage, little or no health care, and weak retirement options.

So when I listen to workers from my district making $45,000-$70,000 a year in metal manufacturing, I get encouraged. But to learn that several achieved this with only a high school diploma, I then worry how many of these good job opportunities are truly left.

Good pay and benefits are not just for those with a university degree. California must make sure this opportunity is available to everyone in our state, especially those who reside in our communities of concern.

But these trees of opportunity only bear fruit in the fields of manufacturing. And unfortunately, California has not been proactive in protecting these trees.

Orange County may have recovered the jobs we lost during the recession, and unemployment in the state is around 5.5 percent. But losing $25-$30 an hour manufacturing jobs, and replacing them with $10-$15 per hour service jobs is not progress. Government statisticians may tally these jobs as being equal, but ask a parent with small children what the loss of a middle-class manufacturing wage means to their family.

The rungs on the economic ladder are spreading farther apart. The rise of inequality on Californias working middle-class is a major societal problem. But the antidote for this crisis is not a mystery. It was crystal clear on National Manufacturing Day.

 Ling-Ling Chang, Diamond Bar, Assemblywoman, District 55

Dear Mr. Trump

Please ask yourself what is at stake for Americans and our country if Hillary Clinton wins. What happens to your brave supporters? Some may think you were cheated from winning but we will all have you to thank for liberal-socialist policies and a Supreme Court that affect all of our lives for years to come. It is clear now that you will not win. So, do you want your legacy to be one of selfish hanging on to a hopeless cause whereby you make all sorts of claims of unfairness or do you prefer to be considered a real hero who understood the forces against you and opted to step aside in the interests of the country so that someone other than Hillary Clinton can win? If you step aside now and throw your support behind Mike Pence, you will still be the spokesman for a large number of Americans and can exert great influence on our countrys policies. If you lose and expect that you can form your own political party with you at the helm, you will certainly elect Democrats for years to come. A persons greatness shines through when he or she lets go of something truly coveted for the good of something greater than him or herself. You would be remembered for putting your love of our country above your personal ambition.

You know what is at stake  a trend towards socialism that could ruin our economy. The Supreme Court could become ever more aggressive in overstepping its Constitutional boundaries. Higher taxes will cut back the wealth of ordinary middle class Americans, some who dont realize that the wealthy do, indeed, contribute jobs. An over-reaching regulatory apparatus will stifle growth and control every aspect of our lives  not what our Founding Fathers intended. We will have you to thank for this.

You have run against Hilary Clinton because you believe that the policies she represents are wrong. You opted to run as a Republican because you understand capitalism, our financial system and the benefits business brings to each individual in the United States. You have fought a good fight and inspired many to vote who have been disenchanted with the political process. You chose an excellent running mate. Please be a hero and think of your country.

 Susanne Campbell, Lake Forest

If only the Left cared for all lives

Re: Eliminate the death penalty in California [Opinion, Oct. 14]: When Erwin Chemerinsky says, eliminate the death penalty, he should be writing about the thousands of innocent children executed without judge, jury or trial through abortion.

 Terry McDermott, Rancho Santa Margarita
Sen. Alan Cranstons 1980 re-election campaign is remembered today  mainly by pop music trivia buffs  as the precipitating event in the breakup of The Eagles. The rock n roll group headlined a Democratic Party fundraiser in Long Beach, where a spat broke out on stage among the band members after guitarist Don Felder showed his disdain for politics.

Its tempting, amid the sludge of the current presidential campaign, to pronounce the Eagles lead guitarist ahead of his time. But whats really intriguing about that long-ago campaign, and its relevance to 2016, is how California voters behaved when Election Day arrived.

Alan Cranston, a progressive Democrat, was running against an underfunded novice, Republican tax protester Paul Gann. Cranston demolished Gann, winning by more than 1.6 million votes. Yet this was hardly part of a liberal revolution. On the same day, in the same state, on the same ballot, Californians gave Ronald Reagan a landslide victory in his race against Jimmy Carter. Because of the presence of third-party candidate John Anderson, we cant know precisely how many people marked their ballots for the very liberal Cranston and the very conservative Reagan. But its probably in the neighborhood of a million voters.

Such ticket-splitting was once commonplace in this country, although as the two major political parties became polarized ideologically it has become much less frequent. With Donald Trump steadily losing ground to Hillary Clinton, however, Republican hopes of retaining the Senate  and perhaps the House  rest on Americans rediscovering their willingness to eschew straight-party voting. Whether they will is a crucial question. Of the 34 Senate seats up for re-election this year, 24 are held by Republicans. Democrats need five net pickups to win a majority  four with a Clinton victory because tie votes in the Senate would be broken by Hillarys running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine.

So how do those 34 races look?

Nothing to see here, folks

Lets start with races that pollsters and political professionals do not expect to be close. Twenty of the 34 seem safe for the incumbent party. Eight are in Democrats hands: California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, and Maryland. Two of those  California and Maryland  are open seats, but Republicans are competitive in neither.

In California, that is literally true: The Nov. 8 contest to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer features two Democrats: Attorney General Kamala Harris, the favorite, and intrepid Orange County moderate Loretta Sanchez, who finished second in the states top-two primary. The winner will be the first woman of color ever to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.

Meanwhile, a dozen Republican senators seem set for re-election. They hail from South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, Utah and Arizona. But Arizona is an example of how Trumps candidacy is causing trouble for his party, even if the incumbent isnt in danger.

That incumbent is none other than GOP icon and 2008 presidential nominee John McCain, who is seeking his sixth term. Arizona shouldnt be a battleground for Republicans, and the polls show it isnt this year: McCain leads Democratic challenger Ann Kirkpatrick by 16 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics poll average, while the New York Times data journalists estimate McCains odds of winning at an astronomical 97 percent. Yet, Trump seems hell-bent on making McCain miserable while making the Senate race interesting.

After the audio recording surfaced of Trump making lewd remarks about women, McCain rescinded his endorsement of the nominee, which had been given tepidly in the first place. This wasnt a mystery, considering that Trump besmirched McCains military service, opining during the primary season that the worlds most famous POW wasnt really a war hero because hed been captured. McCain swallowed his pride and endorsed Trump anyway. McCain backed away from that support after the Access Hollywood recording went viral. This sent Trump into a rage. He issued praise for McCains vanquished Republican primary opponent and began taking new potshots at the senator, starting with this tweet:

The very foul mouthed Sen. John McCain begged for my support during his primary (I gave, he won) then dropped me over locker room remarks!

Appearing on Fox News, Trump also took aim at House Speaker Paul Ryan. I wouldnt want to be in a foxhole with these people, he said, including Ryan  especially Ryan. Paul Ryan has a safe election in three weeks; McCain apparently does, too. The question is whether Trumps feud with his own partys leaders hurts other GOP candidates.

Open Senate seats

There are two states where the incumbent is not running for re-election that are in play: Nevada, where Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid is stepping down; and Indiana, where well-funded former Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh is attempting to make a comeback.

Nevada is an interesting test case. Trump carried it in the Republican primary, and exits polls there showed him winning a large plurality of Latino votes. Trump took this ball and ran with it. The Hispanics love me! he said afterward. That theory is no longer academic: Nevada Republican Rep. Joe Heck is running in the Senate race against a Democrat who is not only Mexican-American, but female. That race is close, and Trump has emerged as a factor.

After Trumps Access Hollywood adventure, Heck followed John McCains lead and unendorsed Trump. Hecks opponent, Catherine Cortez Masto, promptly released a poll purporting to show that reversing field hurt Heck. This is part of the Democrats strategy of tying Trump around Republicans necks, but then egging on Trump loyalists if the Republican wavers. Nevada Republicans countered with a poll of their own showing that Heck leads Masto, 47 percent-44 percent, while Trump trails Clinton, 45 percent-39 percent.

At this point, that would be a pretty good result for the GOP. Meanwhile, things are messy in Indiana, too, where Evan Bayh, the scion of Democratic icon Birch Bayh, is running neck and neck with Republican Rep. Todd Young, who has reluctantly remained aligned with Trump.

Sensing an opportunity, Bayh issued a statement calling Trumps behavior horrifying and bashing Young for his continued support of a candidate so flagrantly in opposition to our values. This led, but only in a handful of conservative news outlets, to stories asking whether Bayh still stands by his father, who was accused earlier this year of similar behavior. Isnt that just like 2016?

The rest of the field

For those of you handicapping at home, four other categories remain on most Senate maps: likely Democratic, leaning Democratic, leaning Republican and, finally, true toss-ups. Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois is being written off by most Washington Republicans. Sens. Ron Johnson (Wisconsin) and Roy Blunt (Missouri) seem to be in some trouble. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet seems pretty safe, as do Republican senators in Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky and Louisiana.

This leaves the following four states as the other battlegrounds that will determine whether Kentuckys Mitch McConnell remains as Senate majority leader or that title will devolve to New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Florida.

The Sunshine State provides a perfect backdrop for this weird and vulgar political cycle. When Trump last interacted with Miami-born Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, he was insulting Little Marco right out of the presidential race. Rubio, who had earlier announced his resignation from the Senate, had hoped to reclaim his footing in Florida. Instead, after a week in which Little Marco and The Donald insulted each others manhood in language fit for a middle school playground, Rubio lost the primary and gave a nostalgic farewell speech. Weeks later, he had a change of heart, and got back in the Senate race. He now holds a narrow but steady lead.

It would be ironic if Rubio gave Trump enough cred with Hispanic voters to pull Trump by his small hands across the finish line. What seems more likely is that Floridians will do what so many Americans did for years and split their tickets.

Compared to the invective that has characterized this race, the 1980 quarrel among the Eagles was exceedingly mild. Don Felder, upon meeting Alan Cranstons wife backstage, said it was nice to meet her, adding diffidently, I guess.

Although this would hardly qualify as rude behavior today, it set bandmate Glenn Frey off. But heres the moral of the story: Alan Cranston and Ronald Reagan didnt like each other and didnt see eye to eye on very much. But they both won in landslides, and both served in Washington at the same time, meaning that Californians of almost every conceivable persuasion were represented in Washington. If Republicans want to remain relevant in the nations capital next year, that is the argument they will have to sell to voters on Nov. 8.

Prominent conservatives who dislike Trump have turned themselves into human pretzels rationalizing why they have to vote for him. Their main battle cry is Remember the Supreme Court! Fair enough, but those nominations must pass through the Senate, which may be the better venue for Republicans to make their stand.

Carl M. Cannon is executive editor and Washington Bureau chief of RealClearPolitics.
Over the past five years, California has worked to curb the excesses of a tough on crime approach that overemphasized punishment to the detriment of rehabilitation and public safety.

In 2011, overcrowded prisons prompted the U.S. Supreme Court to order California to ease overcrowding. This led to the states realignment strategy, shifting responsibility for non-violent, non-serious and non-sexual offenders to counties. Voters followed up realignment with Proposition 36, three strikes reform, in 2012, and Proposition 47, which reduced a handful of low-level crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, in 2014.

Despite all of this, the prison population is projected to continue growing to the point where the federal courts would be well within their right to order the release of prisoners.

Gov. Jerry Brown sees Prop. 57 as a responsible way of not only avoiding mass releases, but encouraging those in prison to better themselves by participating in evidence-based rehabilitative programs. We agree.

Prop. 57 makes eligible for parole those convicted of nonviolent felonies earlier than they currently are, on average after serving one and a half years rather than the current average of two years. Those convicted of violent felonies are not affected.

Parole boards, which consider a litany of factors on a case-by-case basis before submitting their recommendation to the governor, are a much better filter for letting offenders out than the prospect of court-ordered mass releases.

Opponents of the initiative are appropriately worried about the idea of allowing felons to be released earlier than they currently are, particularly during a time when crime appears to be on the rise.

First, it is important to keep in mind that crime increases observed in 2015 are only relative to 2014, when crime levels in California actually reached record lows not seen since 1976 for violent crime and even for property crimes. California must remain realistic and objective about crime, public safety and what actually makes us safer.

Second, public safety is not served by releasing inmates who havent received sufficient rehabilitative programming. Those impacted by Prop. 57 will someday be released back into our communities. Setting up prisoners to fail and re-offend benefits no one. Prop. 57 gives prisoners an added reason to participate in programs meant to improve their odds of successfully reintegrating into society.

Third, Prop. 57 is certainly not the complete solution to our problems, but it is a step in the right direction, enabling California to avoid federal court-ordered releases as we continue to find the right balance between incarceration, rehabilitation and crime prevention.

Moving forward, the state must ensure rehabilitative programs are adequately funded and actually work. Gradually shifting funding from our bloated prison budget to support public safety and crime prevention efforts locally is also likely to yield tangible benefits.

With this in mind, our Editorial Board recommends a Yes on 57.
Politicians, housing advocates, planners and developers often blame the NIMBY  not in my backyard  lobby for the states housing crisis. And its true that some locals overreact with unrealistic growth limits that cut off any new housing supply and have blocked reasonable ways to boost supply.

But the biggest impediment to solving our housing crisis lies not principally with neighbors protecting their local neighborhoods, but rather with central governments determined to limit, and make ever more expensive, single-family housing. Economist Issi Romem notes that, based on the past, failing to expand cities [to allow sprawl] will come at a cost to the housing market.

A density-only policy tends to raise prices, turning California into the burial ground for the aspirations of the young and minorities. This reflects an utter disregard for most peoples preferences for a single-family home  including millennials, particularly as they enter their 30s.

In California, these policies are pushed as penance for climate change, although analyses from McKinsey & Company and others suggest that the connection between sprawl and global warming is dubious at best, and could be could be mitigated much more cost-effectively through increased work at home, tough fuel standards and the dispersion of employment.

Of course, cities and regions should be able to produce high-density housing which appeals to many younger people, particularly before they get married or have children. The small minority who prefer to live that way later in life should be accommodated on a market basis.

But density is not an effective way to reduce housing costs in a metropolitan area. Multifamily urban housing, notes Portland State University economist Gerard Mildner, costs far more to build than single-family homes. For example, the median cost for a room in major metropolitan areas is more than $100 more expensive near the urban core than it is on the periphery.

The case for NIMBYism

When people move to a neighborhood, they essentially make assumptions about its future shape. This can be achieved by zoning, albeit sometimes too strictly, but also in Houstons more market-oriented system, which allows for neighborhood covenants and has spawned migration to a plethora of planned communities.

This is not a petty concern. For most people, their house remains their most critical asset. Yet, our clerical government pays little attention to the concerns of the middle class, and is all too happy to undermine long-standing local democratic processes on these issues.

Some density advocates suggest that their assault on zoning reflects market-oriented principles but rarely extend this laissez-faire approach to peripheral development, the most effective path to lower land and house prices. Under current circumstances, such limited libertarianism leaves middle-income people no protection against either Gov. Jerry Browns coercive state or their speculator allies.

In my old neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, few locals looked upon the creation of ever larger apartments in the area a boon, but rather as a source of increased congestion that strained sewers, water mains, roads and other infrastructure. Yet, in Los Angeles, where infill developers tend to also fill the coffers of politicians, our neighborhood did not stand a chance of opposing densification schemes.

NIMBYs are generally stronger in wealthy (and often bluish) places such as Beverly Hills, Palo Alto, Davis, Napa and San Rafael. The anti-forced-density campaign is also getting stronger in already dense places like San Francisco and has engendered an anti-density initiative on the ballot next spring in Los Angeles.

What kind of California do we want?

Ultimately, the question remains over what urban form we wish to bequeath to future generations. Ours is increasingly dominated by renters shoved into smaller spaces and paying ever more for less. California now has the lowest homeownership rate among the top 10 states for people between the ages of 25 and 34. Not surprisingly, the group leaving the state most is those between 35 and 44, a period that coincides with both family formation and home buying.

Forced densification, and the ban on peripheral building, is particularly harmful to the prospects for minorities. Metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have rates of homeownership among Latinos and African Americans well below the national average, even further below such liberally oriented places as Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Atlanta.

So why only two cheers for NIMBYs? Anti-density activists still need to come up with an alternative housing agenda. You just cant say no to everything. Communities should embrace some new alternatives, both on the periphery and by building appropriately dense housing in redundant office parks, warehouses and, most particularly, the growing number of semi-abandoned, older malls. These areas can provide housing without overstressing the roads and other infrastructure.

NIMBYs are not the biggest threat to the California dream. That honor goes to planners and speculators seeking to reshape our state and limit the opportunities for single-family and other family-friendly housing. Until the state Legislature recovers some respect for peoples preferences, NIMBYs remain among the last, if imperfect, bulwarks against a system determined to weaken our future middle class, leaving ample housing the province only of those with similarly ample means.

Joel Kotkin is the R.C. Hobbs Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University in Orange and executive director of the Houston-based Center for Opportunity Urbanism (www.opportunityurbanism.org).
Not too long ago, the modern kitchen was a place of dusky hues, dramatic statements and co-opted architectural styles from the Old World. Granite countertops that mixed chocolate with deep caramel; dark oak cabinets and floors; oversized Tuscan and Moorish touches; bric-a-brac that looked like it was stolen from a monastery in the mountains of Spain or Italy  these were the features of the au courant kitchen.

Then suddenly the design slate was wiped clean, literally. White was the go-to color, complemented by light tints of gray, beige and straw. Heavy architectural elements were banished. So were bright colors, save for an artfully placed bowl of apples or lemons.

Thank (or blame) Hollywood.

I think the iconic movie kitchen I get asked the most about is the Somethings Gotta Give kitchen, said Robin Strickler, founder of Design Works in Irvine. Featured prominently in the 2003 Diane Keaton-Jack Nicholson romantic comedy, its a timeless-looking Hamptons kitchen with white cabinets and black countertops. The only color is provided by bowls of fruit and vases of cut flowers.

Three years later another film, The Holiday, took the look even further in the direction of elegant sophistication. Cameron Diazs character lived in a California classic: a Wallace Neff-designed San Marino house. The kitchen (actually a set) was a deft combination of modernism and tradition, and its colors were light and cool without seeming forbidding. Strickler and other Orange County interior designers have heard about that one from their clients too.

Movies are definitely a factor, said Linda Biermann, a designer with Preferred Kitchen & Bath in Lake Forest. But there are additional draws to a white kitchen, according to Biermann: Its a timeless look; it makes the kitchen seem bigger and more open. And its like a blank canvas that you can do anything with.

The white look has gradually morphed since it became trendy almost a decade ago. More colors and textures are creeping in, Strickler thinks.

There might be a white waterfall island where the slab goes over the side of the counter and the perimeter is navy blue. It gives the counter a nice definition and pop. Im also seeing glazed grays.

Following the movies lead, kitchens are more open now, too, and more connected to the rest of the house. The island has replaced the breakfast nook as the domestic gathering place, and its usually the only division between the kitchen space and the rest of the principal living area.

Kitchens that meld into the larger living space are what everyone wants right now, Biermann said. Everyone congregates in the kitchen. Having it open up onto the seating area with an island is really practical.

My client likes to cook and entertain, so the island I designed is used a lot for presenting food to guests, said Brenda Eastman, who redesigned a Corona del Mar kitchen with a magnificent ocean panorama. She didnt want to obstruct that view.

Other kitchen trends are less visible but nonetheless serve a crucial function. Smart spaces are a must-have now  spots where you can plug in to the internet, charge your phone, or put a flat-screen TV or computer monitor.

Other new technology has found its way into the kitchen too.

My clients like a lot of the new gadgets, like ovens installed in drawers, Eastman said. Some people are even doing two fridges of equal size in the kitchen  ones a freezer  or two dishwashers. And, of course, some people love a warming drawer.

Midcentury modernism is still a significant influence, even though the revival has been around for decades by now. (Some designers trace its rediscovery to Cara Greenbergs seminal 1985 book, Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s. )

I think you see the influence not only in the furniture, but in the clean lines and black-and-white aesthetic, Strickler said. This is a very pared-down look, which works well with midcentury modern. (See interiors by Strickler in this months Home Tour feature, Page 18)

Its in the occasional bright accents too, although Biermann noted that pops of color are being confined to objects that are easily replaceable. Some of my clients like being able to quickly change the accent colors. Thats why they work best in pillows, vases and things like that.

The new honesty about materials extends to appliances and other utilitarian areas of the kitchen, Eastman said. It used to be that people wanted a wood frame to cover the fan hood. Well, a lot of people are now using stainless steel hoods. People are more comfortable with a fan looking like a fan now.

Granite, a mainstay of the modern kitchen, is being pushed aside by other materials. Caesarstone, an engineered quartz, is popular. So is quartzite. Its a natural stone, Biermann explained. It has that marble look, but with more durability than granite.

People are into less fussy textures for their countertops now, Eastman added. White and light colors are popular; so is black.

One area where drama still holds sway is lighting fixtures.

Those little pendant lights are still popular, but not as much as they used to be, Eastman said. And people are asking more for lighting under the cabinets and even inside cabinets that have glass fronts.

I like large pendant lights or chandeliers over the island, Biermann said. It really sets the stage for your kichen. Thats the one place where you can be very dramatic.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@scng.com
SAN FRANCISCO  A San Francisco police officer was critically injured after being shot in the head while responding to reports of a mentally disturbed person. The officer is expected to survive.

San Francisco Police spokeswoman Officer Giselle Talkoff says officers were responding Friday night to the Lakeshore Shopping Center on a call about a man causing a disturbance and threatening people.

Talkoff says that when the officers made contact with the suspect he fired multiple shots, striking the officer in the head.

She says officers fired shots at the suspect as he fled. He went down but wouldnt drop the gun and refused to surrender. Police distracted him with flash-bang grenades and were able to arrest him. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Talkoff says the wounded officer, who was not identified, is in critical condition. He is conscious and with his family members.
Laguna Beach residents are being asked to raise the hotel tax from 10 percent to 12 percent. Measure LL, as its known, has no formal opposition, perhaps because tourists dont have advocates. As we believe taxation should always be a measure of last resort, regardless of how small it may seem, we recommend a no vote on LL.

Proponents of the measure, including the police and fire chiefs and the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, argue that tourists should pay their fair share, as they argue in the official ballot argument.

If passed, Measure LL would raise $2 million for the city. Laurence Nokes from the citys chamber of commerce told us hed like to see undergrounding of utility poles and funding for public safety.

Arguably, the city could have provided taxpayers some certainty that the funds would be used for such things by making the tax a special tax allocating the funds toward such services. As a general tax, the city is free to spend however it likes.

Additionally, the citys finances are already in good shape.

The general fund is doing well and the city finds itself in a relatively healthy position with many of the citys revenues meeting or exceeding levels experienced prior to the recession, the citys budget reports.

Laguna Beach, which projects continued revenue growth, seems capable of paying for what it needs. If it wants more, it should pursue a special tax. Residents who value accountability should vote no on this measure.
Tustin is in an enviable position: It has a good combination of the old and the new, is in a strong financial position (with general fund reserves of roughly 40 percent of the annual budget), public safety is a high priority and crime is not a serious problem, the city has a good business climate, and while there have been some issues with unauthorized converted garages and additional housing units built behind main residences, code enforcement handles such issues without being overly heavy-handed.

Given this state of affairs, we see no reason not to return incumbents Charles E. Chuck Puckett and Allan Bernstein for another term. Bernstein, a physician, is seeking his second term, after being elected in 2012, and Puckett is seeking his third  and, he insists, his final  term, including a stint from 1990-1994.

That leaves one spot for the two newcomer candidates, Austin Lumbard and Letitia Clark. While we were impressed by the experience and genuine concern for the citys well-being from both candidates, we think Austin Lumbard is better suited to serve on the council at this time.

As chairman of the Planning Commission, Lumbard knows the inner workings of city government, and his work as an attorney used to negotiating contracts would be an added asset.

While the city is fiscally healthy, it takes a lot of work to keep it that way, Lumbard told us, and reiterated his devotion to fiscal responsibility and not dipping too much into the citys flush reserves. The city should have an open discussion about shifting to a more affordable employee retirement system to avoid the problems of other cities, he said, and while Tustin should work to maintain a good business climate, it should not just give away money to attract certain companies.

Tustin is headed in a good direction, and Puckett, Bernstein and Lumbard are best equipped to keep it that way.

The Editorial Board recommends votes for Chuck Puckett, Allan Bernstein and Austin Lumbard on Nov. 8.
Four Orange County senior living communities have been sold, part of a $1.15 billion deal brokered by CBRE Capital Markets in Los Angeles. The 19-property senior housing portfolio was sold to Welltower Inc., a real estate investment trust based in Toledo, Ohio. The sale price represented roughly $445,000 per unit. The 2,590-unit senior housing portfolio includes assisted living, independent living and memory care units. Eighteen of the communities are in California; one community is in Tacoma, Wash. The Orange County properties include: Bradford Square in Placentia; Las Palmas and The Regency in Laguna Woods; and Vintage Mission Viejo.

Irvine-based Shopoff Realty Investments has acquired a 624-unit apartment community in northwest Las Vegas for $72.6 million. The property, Sky Pointe Landing Apartments, was built in 1996. David Placek, executive vice president of Shopoff, said in a statement the company would spend at least $6 million to update the complex to suit the growing demand for rentals in Las Vegas.

Bascom Group, an Irvine-based apartment investor, has sold the Breakers Resort apartment community in Denver for $350 million, according to the Denver Business Journal. The Breakers encompasses nearly 190 acres and includes 1,523 units among six villages.

Texas-based builder JPI has again partnered with Grand China Fund, the Beijing-based private equity real estate fund developing Anaheims Platinum Triangle, in a $255 million venture to build 747 luxury apartment homes and a 1-acre city park within the Jefferson Stadium Park. The 17.6-acre master-planned development will be part of Platinum Triangle. This is the second project for JPI in Platinum Triangle. The company is building the $180 million Jefferson Platinum Triangle, a 400-unit luxury apartment community near the intersection of State College Boulevard and Katella Avenue, scheduled for occupancy in late November.

Daniel Tyner and Scott Hook of CBC Advisors Orange County arranged the sale of the former Big Lots building in La Habra. The 22,459-square-foot building sold for $4.6 million to a local private investor. Tyner and Hook represented the buyer in this transaction while Jones Real Estate represented the seller.

NGKF Capital Markets has completed the sale of a five-story, Class A, 103,620-square-foot office property at 17911 Von Karman in Irvine. Terms were not disclosed. The property is in Irvine Concourse, a 48-acre, master-planned office park within Orange Countys airport submarket. Kevin Shannon, Paul Jones, Blake Bokosky, and Robert Griffith of NGKF, represented the institutional seller, as well as the buyer, Manulife Financial.

Avison Young, a real estate firm based in Toronto, has negotiated three new leases with 15-year terms on behalf of 24 Hour Fitness. Avison Young principal Keith Kropfl and associate Michael Ganz, based in the companys Irvine office, represented 24 Hour Fitness in all three transactions. Those properties include:

Santa Ana: 1350 W. Edinger at Plaza Edinger. The new 24 Hour Fitness location will open in the first quarter of 2017 and will be the anchor tenant at the property, which includes Smart & Final and Factory-4-U. The space was formerly an OReilly Auto Parts Super Store. Kropfl and Ganz also represented the landlord, Plaza Edinger LLC.

1350 W. Edinger at Plaza Edinger. The new 24 Hour Fitness location will open in the first quarter of 2017 and will be the anchor tenant at the property, which includes Smart & Final and Factory-4-U. The space was formerly an OReilly Auto Parts Super Store. Kropfl and Ganz also represented the landlord, Plaza Edinger LLC. Huntington Beach: 9051 Atlanta Ave. at Huntington South Center. The gym will open in the first quarter of 2017 and will occupy a space that was previously an Albertsons. Other tenants within the center include H&R Block, Juice It Up!, Subway and Starbucks. The landlord, Huntington South Center LLC was represented by CBRE.

9051 Atlanta Ave. at Huntington South Center. The gym will open in the first quarter of 2017 and will occupy a space that was previously an Albertsons. Other tenants within the center include H&R Block, Juice It Up!, Subway and Starbucks. The landlord, Huntington South Center LLC was represented by CBRE. Fullerton: 130 E. Imperial Highway. The new 24 Hour Fitness will open in the second quarter of 2017 in a space formerly occupied by Office Depot. Other tenants at the center include Best Buy and Floor and Decor. The landlord, Fiesta Distribution LLC, was represented by CBRE.

ON THE MOVE

Conrad Andersen has joined Cushman & Wakefield as an executive director in Irvine. Andersen specializes in capital markets solutions and corporate real estate and will concentrate his efforts on clients located in the U.S. and overseas. Andersen previously was an executive managing director at Colliers International. His clients include Sterns Bank, Chinatrust, Citibank, Bank of the West, Gateway, Swedbank, Wells Fargo, Union Bank, Lloyds Bank and Bank of America.

Nicholas Ilagan has joined CapRock Partners in Irvine as regional property manager. Ilagan began work with CapRock Partners as a strategic consultant in 2015. Previously he served as national director and product council chair for the property and asset management division of Sperry Van Ness International. At CapRock, Ilagan assumes the role previously held by Jake Loughridge, who departs the firm to join private equity investment firm Belay Investment Group in Los Angeles, where he will invest capital in strategic real estate joint ventures.

COMING UP

The Buildings Maintenance & Management Expo (BMME) will be held Oct. 25 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Building management, sustainability and operations seminars will be presented on topics such as microgrids, energy storage, seismic retrofits, security, compliance and smart building systems. There also will be presentations by utility, energy and industry experts, and the Orange County Sheriffs Department will hold a special active shooter and crisis management clinic. Admission is free. For preregistration and more information, go to buildingsexpos.com.

The Risk Management Association, Orange County Chapter will host Real Estate & Construction Lending: Industry Trends and How to Get It Done, a panel discussion, from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 26 at The Pacific Club, 4110 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach. Panelists will include Greg Peterson, senior vice president and regional CRE manager of Mutual of Omaha; John Houten, executive vice president of Sunwest Bank; and Tim Cody, senior vice president and director of construction lending and commercial real estate at Pacific Premier Bank. The cost to attend is $45 for non-members and $40 for RMA members. Wine and hors doeuvres will be served. Register online at rmaoc.org or call Vicki Phillipy at 714-267-5281.
#nuclear power plant S. Korea, Poland sign MOU on nuclear power plant project South Korea and Poland signed an agreement Monday to jointly push for a plan to build a nuclear power plant in the European nation, raising hopes for Seoul's first nuclear power pl...

#KBO Battle of homegrown aces set in Korean Series opener Two of the best homegrown pitchers in South Korean baseball this season will go head-to-head to open the championship series Tuesday. The SSG Landers will host the Kiwoom Heroes...
LAUSANNE, Switzerland  The United States, Russia and seven other would-be Syria mediators ended a 41/2-hour meeting Saturday without agreement or concrete steps to match what Americas top diplomat described as the urgent crisis in the city of Aleppo. Instead, the envoys said only that new ideas were proposed and more discussions planned.

The lackluster result from the gathering in Switzerland highlighted the worlds inability to find a peaceful path out of a conflict that has killed as many as a half-million people, contributed to Europes worst refugee crisis since World War II and created a vast space of instability that the Islamic State group has exploited.

With the Syrian and Russian governments pressing an offensive against rebel-held parts of Aleppo, no one predicted a breakthrough. Yet after last months collapse of a cease-fire and even U.S. charges of Russian war crimes, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerrys portrayal of the result as exactly what we wanted sounded unconvincing.

Nobody wants to do this in a sloppy way, Kerry said of his new diplomatic effort, no longer between just Washington and Moscow but designed to include all the major international players in Syrias civil war. Saturdays talks included top envoys from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan.

Kerry said the discussion was driven by the urgency of Aleppo, the urgency of trying to find something that works other than military action. Ministers offered suggestions that really might be able to shape some different approaches, he said, without going into detail.

No official news conference or joint statement followed the meeting. Kerry said contacts, but not necessarily a meeting, would start anew next week.

Days of deadly airstrikes in Aleppo prompted Kerry last month to end bilateral U.S.-Russian engagement on Syria, including discussions over a proposed military alliance against IS and al-Qaida-linked militants in Syria. Last week he accused Russia of war crimes for targeting hospitals and civilian infrastructure in Syria.

Nevertheless, Kerry reunited with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the lakeside Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, speaking with the Russian for almost 40 minutes before the larger gathering. For all the talk in Washington about a possible Plan B, U.S. hopes for diplomatic progress appeared to rest squarely on Russias cooperation.

There are a few ideas we discussed today in this circle of countries that can influence the situation, Lavrov told Russian news agencies. We agreed to continue contacts in the next few days aiming at agreements that could advance the settlement. We spoke clearly in favor of a quick launch of a political process.

Residents of opposition-held eastern Aleppo have faced daily violence as Syrian President Bashar Assads government seeks to take full control of the countrys largest city.

On Saturday, Syrian and Russian airstrikes hit several rebel-held neighborhoods amid clashes on the front lines in Syrias largest city and onetime commercial center, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective. Also, opposition fighters backed by Turkish airstrikes launched an offensive to try to capture Dabiq from Islamic State, which confers special status to the northern Syrian town in its ideology and propaganda.
BAGHDAD  A suicide bomber struck a funeral gathering in Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 60, Iraqi police and hospital officials said.

The attack in the Shaab neighborhood occurred around lunchtime, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. Islamic State claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency.

Hussein Khazem, the owner of a nearby clothing warehouse, said the bomber detonated his payload inside a funeral tent, causing a big explosion.

He saw a large number of killed and wounded people, many burning cars and major damage to the local market. The dead included elderly people, children, and some women. He said he closed his shop to help evacuate the wounded and remove the bodies.

The security situation is not good at all, he said. These big incidents are happening again, especially in the poorer residential neighborhoods.

Iraq has seen several bombings in recent months, though most have had lower death tolls than Saturdays attack. In July, a massive car bomb in central Baghdads popular shopping district of Karradah killed about 300 people and forced the resignation of the interior minister.

The U.S. State Department condemned Saturdays barbaric attack, calling it yet another sign of Islamic States cowardice and contempt for human life and their attempt to sow sectarian discord among the people of Iraq.

Saturdays attack comes as Iraqi security forces are preparing for an operation to retake the militant-held northern city of Mosul, the countrys second largest, from IS.

All the troops are ready, now they are just waiting for the order from the prime minister, said Maj. Gen. Najim al-Jobori, the head of Nineveh operations command and one of the top Iraqi generals overseeing the Mosul operation.

The head of the snake is Mosul, he said. I think ISIS knows this is the end of ISIS in Iraq, he added, referring to Islamic State by an acronym.

The Mosul operation is expected to be the most complex yet for Iraqs military, which is still rebuilding from the humiliating defeat it suffered when the city fell to Islamic State more than two years ago. Some 30,000 troops are expected to take part in the battle.
BEIRUT  Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces have captured the symbolically significant town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, the factions said Sunday morning.

A commander of the Syrian opposition Hamza Brigade said Islamic State fighters put up minimal resistance to defend the northern Syrian town before withdrawing in the direction of the much larger IS-held town of al-Bab to the south.

Saif Abu Bakr said some 2,000 opposition fighters pushed into Dabiq with tank and artillery support from the Turkish army. The commander said the extremists left the town heavily mined.

Both Turkish and international coalition warplanes conducted airstrikes on Dabiq and nearby Arshak, the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The Islamic State group took control of the town, which had a prewar population of about 3,000 people, in August 2014. The groups propaganda had boasted of the fight for the northern Syrian town, citing Islamic lore that it would be the scene of a major battle between crusaders and army of the Muslim caliphate that would herald Doomsday. The groups English language magazine, Dabiq, is named after the town, and in 2014 they said they had buried the American captive Peter Abdul-Rahman Kassig there.

The Turkish military intervened in the Syrian war in August this year under orders from Ankara to clear the border area from the Islamic State group and from U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces linked Turkeys own outlawed Kurdish insurgency. The Turkish government describes both groups as terrorists.

Syrian opposition forces backed by Turkish ground and air forces have since expelled Islamic State militants from their last positions along the Syrian-Turkish frontier and are closing in on Al-Bab, one of the last remaining IS strongholds in Syrias contested Aleppo province.

Turkey has bused thousands of opposition fighters from other fronts in northern Syria to the frontier as part of operation Euphrates Shield, named after the vital river that runs through the region.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group, which monitors the conflict through a network of local contacts, said the extremist group had sent over 1,000 fighters to defend Dabiq last week before withdrawing hurriedly.
Donald Trump entered the homestretch of the presidential campaign at a pronounced financial disadvantage to Hillary Clinton, according to figures Trumps team released Saturday, and far below the self-funding goal he had set for himself earlier in the race.

After raising $100 million in partnership with Republican Party organizations in September, Trump and committees linked to his campaign began October with $75 million in cash on hand. Clinton raised $154 million in September and began October with roughly $150 million in the bank, her campaign said, twice as much as Trump.

Many of the Republican Partys leading contributors have stayed away from his campaign, judging from financial disclosures filed by Trump and his party Saturday, signaling his difficulties in persuading party elites to back him.

One exception was Peter Thiel, the billionaire Silicon Valley investor who spoke in support of Trump at the Republican convention in July. A person close to Thiel said on Saturday that the investor was putting $1.25 million behind Trumps campaign.

Still, Clinton will have a huge war chest for last-minute advertising and organizing at a time when she has regained her lead in public opinion polls and Trump is openly feuding with his party and mired in accusations that he groped women.

The monthly figure was a record for Trump and provided evidence of his powerful appeal among grass-roots donors: The campaign estimates that 2.6 million people have given to his campaign. But it was only a small improvement over his fundraising in July and August, suggesting he might have peaked.

Moreover, Trump has so far not followed through on promises to spend $100 million of his own fortune on the campaign. In September, he contributed $2 million, his usual amount since he became the Republican nominee, leaving him roughly $44 million short of his goal.

Trump also said he would blitz Clinton with $100 million in advertising, but he has spent about $32 million, according to two Republican media buyers, although they have reserved substantial additional advertising in swing states.

Our ad spending strategy has not changed, Hope Hicks, a Trump spokeswoman, wrote in an email. Mr. Trump continues to make significant contributions to his campaign.

Trump is not starved for cash and could still make additional investments in television and turnout to increase his chances Nov. 8. But his campaign has been marred by disagreements with Republican organizations in some key states.

On Saturday, Trumps campaign cut ties with Matt Borges, the chairman of the Republican Party in Ohio, a pivotal swing state. A Trump aide accused Borges of publicly undermining Trump to promote his own ambitions to run for chairman of the Republican National Committee.

In a letter to other Ohio Republicans, the aide, Robert Paduchik, said Borges had spent the past week on a self-promotional media tour with state and national outlets to criticize our partys nominee.

Still, Paduchik added that he expected the Ohio Republican Party to keep covering payroll costs that it had been paying on behalf of Trumps campaign.

Some leading Republican donors have tried an awkward straddle, providing money to a super PAC that is focused on attacking Clinton but is said to be aiming its fire to achieve maximum benefit for Republican House and Senate candidates endangered by Trumps slide.

That group, called Future45, received $5 million from casino magnate Sheldon Adelson in September and the same amount from his wife, Miriam. An additional $2.3 million came from Joe Ricketts, the TD Ameritrade founder, and other donors, including coal magnate Joe Craft.

But disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission on Saturday hinted at fragmentation and disarray among outside groups that support Trump and have competed with one another for dollars and turf.

While Trumps sons and advisers have appeared at fundraisers for two groups  Great America PAC and Rebuilding America Now  at least three additional super PACs have organized in apparent support of him.

One, called Save America From Its Government, was founded by Andrew Beal, a banker and real estate investor who is a member of Trumps economic advisory team. According to disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission, Beal gave $2 million to the group in September, nearly all of the money it reported raising.

A fourth group, a committee called American Horizons, was attacked by the Trump campaign this summer for promoting a Dinner With Donald contest that Trump had neither authorized nor agreed to. The complaints do not appear to have affected fundraising: American Horizons raised $750,000 from July to September, a third of it from donors giving hundreds of dollars each.

The committee has spent just $12,000 on expenditures backing Trump. But the biggest chunk of spending, about $400,000, went to fees to a consulting firm owned by the PACs treasurer.
My favorite headline in the tax flap involving Warren Buffett and Donald Trump comes from The Nation of Thailand:

Buffett fires back at real estate mogul.

In case you missed it, Republican presidential nominee Trump said during last Sundays debate with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton that many of her supporters used the same sorts of tax deductions that he did in his business.

Trump said Buffett, the chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., took a massive deduction, which prompted Buffett to issue a press release the next day saying he hadnt.

Since then, tax policy has been getting a thorough discussion, with partisan viewpoints ruling many of the comments.

Marty Davis, CEO of Cambria Holdings and Sun Country Airlines, said on talk show host Laura Ingrahams program, broadcast on Omahas KOIL radio station, among others, that Buffett is a tax avoider because he donates untaxed stock gains to charities, does not pay taxable dividends to shareholders and plans to leave almost his entire estate to nonprofit foundations.

Its fine to use legal tax policy to reduce your taxes, Davis said, but then you cant brag about how much tax you pay, while arguing that rich people should pay more taxes.

When Berkshire buys a company, Davis said, any taxable dividend that company had been paying goes directly to Berkshire and is no longer subject to taxes.

Although Im not a tax expert, it seems to me that any money that goes to Berkshire  whether its profits from Geico or the price of a Dilly Bar  contributes to Berkshires profits and is taxable.

Berkshire paid $10.5 billion in income taxes last year. Forbes magazine ranked Berkshire as the eighth-largest corporate taxpayer in the country. Next month well find out if Berkshire is on track for another year of $20 billion-plus in taxable profits.

Washington Post columnist Allan Sloan, who has criticized Trumps business practices in earlier columns, estimated that Berkshire avoided $2.5 billion in capital gains taxes through complicated cash-rich split-off transactions involving Phillips 66, the Post and Procter & Gamble.

The IRS treated the transaction as tax-free trades rather than sales, and theyre not illegal or unethical, Sloan wrote.

While Buffetts personal tax practices qualify him for sainthood, Sloan wrote, Buffett the CEOs tax practices qualify him  to be a CEO, trying to maximize profits for his shareholders.

His behavior is much better than Trumps, because Berkshire is highly profitable and pays substantial income taxes. But Buffett the CEO is no saint  and its a mistake to think of him as one.

In Forbes magazine, tax CPA Peter J. Reilly wrote that Buffetts 2015 charitable contributions, $2.85 billion, far exceed the allowable charitable deductions he could take for hundreds of years, even if the law didnt say that type of deduction expires after five years.

Those who make charitable contributions certainly think about deductions but also want their money to accomplish something. The wise use of charitable money can ease the burden on taxpayers by doing things that the government cant or wont.

Expanding in the food industry?

Berkshires sale of its minority interest in Wrigley to Mars Inc. could mean job cuts for the chewing gum company while freeing up money for Buffett to invest in, for example, the food industry.

Thats the view of analyst Dean Best, writing for industry website just-food.com.

Eight years ago Berkshire put up $4.4 billion toward Mars $23 billion purchase of Wrigley and paid $2.1 billion for its share of Wrigley when the sale closed.

This month Mars said it had bought Berkshires share of Wrigley and would integrate the two companies into Mars Wrigley Confectionery, with brands like Orbit gum and Snickers candy bars.

The company said some jobs will go, especially at the senior leadership and management levels, Best wrote, emphasizing the goal is growth and not saving money.

The combination looks set to allow the privately owned business a greater ability to use its scale, making what is already the worlds largest candy maker an even more formidable competitor, Best wrote.

Buffett may be interested in expanding in the food industry, the story said, citing continuing speculation that a possible target is Mondelez International.

Mondelezs products include chocolates, gum, candy, beverages, cheese, grocery items and biscuits, which we would generally call cookies and crackers such as Oreo and Nabisco.

Mondelez, based in Deerfield, Illinois, took that name in 2011 when Kraft Foods split into two companies. The grocery division ended up merging with H.J. Heinz as Kraft Heinz, now partly owned by Berkshire.

Mondelezs publicly traded stock is worth about $65 billion.

Still not on the Harvard list

Luckily, Buffett didnt make the Harvard Business Reviews latest list of the 100 best-performing CEOs in the world.

That would have broken a string of snubs that dates to 1950, when a Harvard admissions interviewer rejected Buffetts application for graduate school.

The school was looking for leaders, not financial geniuses, as biographer Alice Schroeder wrote. Buffett has joked that the Harvard alumni office may regret that decision these days.

For this years rankings, the Review calculated the financial success of 895 CEOs from 32 countries over the past decade, plus the Environmental, Social and Governance performances of their companies, resulting in an ESG ranking by the Sustainalytics consulting firm.

Last year Buffett also failed to make the list, and the Review noted that Berkshires meager ESG disclosures doomed his chances of a high total ranking.

Annual reports of European business, especially, spend considerable space reporting on their companies social and environmental policies, while U.S. corporations tend to focus just on the money.

No. 1 on this years list is Lars Robien Sorensen of the Danish health care firm Novo Nordisk. The only American in the top 10 was Jen Hsun Huang of Nvidia, a Santa Clara, California, computer graphics company.

In an August round-table discussion with others on the list, Sorensen said:

To be honest, I think were highly overrated. At least in my business, success is far more of a team effort than the public would like to believe, especially in America.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. owns the Omaha World-Herald.

Find more of The World-Herald's coverage of Warren Buffett here.
SEATTLE (AP)  In this city where residents can get practically anything delivered to their doorsteps  often within hours  trucks, bikes, cars and buses regularly jostle for space on Seattles streets.

The rise in e-commerce and on-demand delivery has put increasing pressure on fast-growing cities like Seattle to rethink how they manage traffic congestion, as well as curbs, sidewalks, parking and other infrastructure.

On Wednesday, the City of Seattle teamed up with the University of Washington to improve how goods are delivered in the city  solutions they hope can be used in other cities across the country.

Seattle pledged $285,000 over the next three years to the universitys new Urban Freight Lab, which will test more efficient methods to deliver goods that are ordered online and delivered to large residential or retail and commercial buildings. Costco, Nordstrom and UPS are also founding members.

Researchers will examine possible strategies, such as centralized drop-off lockers or managing curb space with different pricing or restrictions.

Metropolitan areas across the globe have been testing other ideas, such as using three-wheeled cargo bicycles or electric vans or setting time restrictions for commercial deliveries. In New York, a pilot project studying off-hour freight deliveries paid dozens of grocery stores and retailers to take deliveries between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. instead of normal business hours.

Were a growing city, so as we get denser, the congestion increases, said Scott Kubly, Seattles transportation director. Theres been so much change in the last 10 years in how goods move and how people shop that its really creating a level of urgency around this.

About 170,000 truck trips are taken on the citys road network every day, according to city officials.

Weve had this concentrated population growth in urban areas at the same time that people have been doing an increasing percentage of their shopping online, and getting more goods delivered to their home, said Anne Goodchild, the UW professor of civil and environmental engineering who directs the Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center. This has made urban delivery a more pressing problem.

Driver Jim Jackola, who delivers to bars and restaurants in Seattle, said he often must double park or park in the streets center-turn lane when he cant find curb parking in certain dense neighborhoods. Hed like the city to consider designating curb parking solely for freight deliveries.

Its more and more challenging, Jackola said.

Meanwhile, companies are trying out their own strategies to improve urban delivery.

UPS Inc. been trying out alternative methods in Europe, including using bikes in Brussels or tricycles and electric vehicles that make deliveries from four containers parked in Hamburgs city center. In the United States, UPS has signed up thousands of neighborhood stores to serve as secure drop-off or pickup locations. The service is designed to cut down on delivery trips, as well as potential package thefts.

On a recent afternoon, a UPS truck pulled up to Eat Local, a store that sells gourmet frozen meals, and delivered 15 packages that couldnt be delivered to customers homes. Store employees scan the packages, which are stacked along the staircase for UPS customers to pick up.

Greg Conner, Eat Locals founder, said he agreed to be a UPS access point to provide a convenience to the neighborhood while also introducing new people to his store. Some absolutely love it. Others are like, Why isnt this sent to my house?  he said of the service.

Others companies are enlisting the help of cargo bicycles to get food or other products around Seattles urban core.

If youre trying to get a product to market in a truck or van, its a challenge both to fight traffic to get to a location or find a place to park, said Dan Kohler, CEO and owner of Freewheel Cargo. He said his cyclists increasingly deliver wholesale products such as coffee and produce to businesses that want a more efficient and pollution-free way to do it.

While freight carriers and others can come up with their own strategies for operations, they cant control city streets or other public spaces, UWs Goodchild said. The Urban Freight Lab is unique because it brings together public and private sectors to find solutions, she said.

Copyright 2016 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Voters will consider a historic ballot measure next month to restore Nebraska's death penalty after the Legislature repealed it in 2015. The World-Herald is exploring several aspects of capital punishment, which will be on the Nov. 8 ballot. Today: the evolution of the death penalty.

* * * * *

LINCOLN  Iowa eliminated its death penalty during the last wave of opposition to capital punishment across the United States.

It was 1965. Democrats had gained control of the State Legislature. Gov. Harold Hughes, a fervent death penalty opponent, had handily won re-election.

A majority of Iowans had come around to his view, with polls that year showing 57 percent favored repeal.

Soon after convening for the year, lawmakers of both parties voted for the repeal, and Hughes quickly signed it into law.

A half century later, Iowa remains without a death penalty, and despite occasional debates, lawmakers say it's generally considered a settled issue.

Iowans have grown up without the death penalty, said State Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids. "We know that its not needed.

Now, Nebraskans are deciding whether to revive their state's death penalty as a new wave of opposition to capital punishment builds across the nation.

The vote will join other milestones in the history of the death penalty in the United States.

Its a history older than the country itself and one marked by the periodic rise and fall of opposition. Its also a history in which the overarching trend has been away from state-sponsored execution.

Currently the number of states without a death penalty stands at an all-time high, the number of executions is approaching a 25-year low, and polls are finding support for the ultimate punishment slipping for both pragmatic and moral reasons.

The death penalty is not dead, however. It remains the law in the majority of states, the latest poll shows more support than opposition, and religious institutions remain divided over its morality.

Opponents cite the actions of a conservative Nebraska Legislature as evidence that momentum is in their favor.

State lawmakers last year overrode a veto by Gov. Pete Ricketts to repeal the death penalty. Ricketts and other capital punishment supporters responded with a referendum petition.

The petitions success put the issue on the Nov. 8 ballot, meaning voters will decide whether to let the repeal stand or to undo it and put the death penalty back on the books.

Nebraska is one of 20 states that have done away with their death penalties. Eight have done so in the past decade alone.

That marks a major shift for a punishment that has been part of the United States since the early days of European settlement.

Punishment for murder, arson, horse-stealing

In 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, all 13 colonies had the death penalty.

Most prescribed death for murder, arson, piracy, treason, sodomy, burglary, robbery, rape, horse-stealing, slave rebellion and sometimes counterfeiting.

Some states developed longer lists of capital crimes, especially related to slavery.

In 1837 in North Carolina, for example, people could be executed for slave-stealing, hiding a slave with intent to free him, inciting slaves to rebel and circulating seditious literature among slaves.

In both Nebraska and Iowa, the death penalty dates to their pre-statehood days.

In Nebraska, the punishment was carried out by individual counties until the turn of the century.

The cases include the 1887 hanging of Jack Marion in Gage County. He was executed for the 1872 murder of John Cameron, his former traveling companion.

Marion maintained his innocence throughout two trials and an appeal. It turned out he was telling the truth.

Four years after the hanging, Cameron was found alive and well in Kansas City, Missouri.

Iowa ended its death penalty in 1872, only to see mobs take matters into their own hands. The death penalty was reinstated in 1879, in part to prevent vigilante lynchings.

Scope of death penalty limited

Opposition to capital punishment has had almost as long a history in the U.S. as the death penalty itself.

The essay On Crime and Punishment by Italian jurist Cesare Beccaria was especially influential. It was published in English in 1767.

In it, Beccaria argued for abolishing capital punishment. He said the sole justification for state-sponsored execution would be the rare case in which no other means could ensure the security of a nation. He also argued that capital punishment was ineffective in deterring evil-doing.

Reformers made some inroads during the nations first century. Several states narrowed the list of capital crimes. Many also passed laws barring public executions.

Michigan became the first state to do away with the death penalty, in 1846. The number of other states without capital punishment rose and fell during the years that followed.

Eleven had abolished it by 1916, but only four were without it from 1939 through 1956.

Meanwhile, the number of executions in the U.S. reached an all-time high during the Great Depression. There were 197 executions in 1935 and 196 the following year.

Historian William McFeely noted the increase in executions during the 1930s came as mob lynchings of African-American men almost ceased.

Legal executions of African-Americans continued at disproportionate rates. From 1900 through 2002, 4,122 African-Americans were executed in the U.S., compared with 3,625 whites.

African-Americans never accounted for more than 12.3 percent of the general population during those years, according to census figures.

A new wave of opposition to the death penalty arose during the 1960s, along with the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War protests.

Iowa was among the states that did away with their death penalty during that turbulent decade. Although 40 states maintained their laws, the number of executions fell to zero by 1968.

Polls showed that public support for the death penalty had dropped to 42 percent in 1966, while opposition was at 47 percent.

The wave culminated in 1972 with the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in a Georgia case involving an African-American defendant, William Henry Furman. The court ruled that the death penalty, as applied in most states, was unconstitutionally arbitrary and discriminatory.

The ruling effectively suspended the death penalty by overturning state laws, including Nebraskas law. Hundreds of death sentences nationwide were commuted to life imprisonment in the wake of the decision.

Country turns more conservative

But support for the death penalty rebounded strongly following the ruling, as the country turned more conservative.

States quickly revised their laws to comply with the court ruling and reinstate capital punishment. Nebraska did so in 1973. The 1976 Supreme Court, ruling in another Georgia case, gave the constitutional stamp of approval to the revisions.

The new laws required a balancing of aggravating and mitigating factors and required the sentencing phase of a death penalty case to be separated from the guilt or innocence phase.

Thirty-five states revived their death penalties by 1979, with another three doing so by 1995.

Iowa lawmakers debated reinstatement multiple times in the 1990s, but the proposals all failed, as did a bill introduced last year by Sen. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull.

It would have allowed executions in cases where a child was kidnapped, raped and murdered. Feenstra said he offered the proposal because of a pair of heinous murders of young girls, although he knew there was not support for changing the law.

It was more of a conversation with other legislators and a conversation with society, he said.

By 1994, polls showed that 80 percent of Americans backed the death penalty while only 16 percent opposed it.

The support was spurred in part by a steep increase in crime during the preceding two decades.

But that represented the peak year of support for capital punishment, dating back to 1936, when the polling firm Gallup began asking about the issue.

The tide has been turning away ever since, with support for the death penalty dropping along with murder rates.

The most recent national poll, released at the end of September, showed that 49 percent of Americans favored the death penalty and 42 percent opposed it.

Backing for the death penalty appears higher in Nebraska, however.

More than 143,000 registered voters signed the referendum petition in 2015, enough to put the issue before voters and to keep the repeal law from taking effect before the vote.

An August survey of likely voters, commissioned by a pro-death penalty group, showed that 58 percent would vote to keep the death penalty and 30 percent would vote for the law repealing it. Opponents criticized the survey because it did not tell people that the death penalty would be replaced with life in prison.

Declining national support has been followed by an increase in the number of states eliminating the death penalty.

At the same time, those with capital punishment are sending fewer and fewer people to death row. Last year, 49 people were sentenced to death nationally, compared with 295 in 1998.

Executions also are dropping off. There have been 16 so far this year  the fewest since 1991, when 14 people were put to death. Eleven states with the death penalty have not executed anyone in at least 10 years. Nebraskas last execution was in 1997.

Few death sentences carried out

State and national observers say several factors are contributing to the most recent wave of opposition.

One is the number of death row inmates who have been exonerated: 156 nationally since the death penalty was revived in 1973.

Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said the growing power of DNA testing has proven some inmates innocent.

Their cases, in turn, have called into question other evidence prosecutors used to win convictions, from coerced confessions to prison informants who give false testimony.

Nebraska has had its own experiences with exonerations, including the six people wrongly convicted of a 1985 slaying in Beatrice, and the case of Darrel Parker, who was wrongly convicted in the 1955 rape and murder of his wife in Lincoln. None of the seven were on death row, although the Beatrice Six were threatened with the death penalty.

Dunham said there is strong evidence that innocent people have been executed in recent decades, although there are not formal exonerations of those people. Courts generally do not consider claims of innocence regarding people who are dead.

We now know, and the American people accept, that there is a risk innocent people can be executed, he said.

A 2015 poll by the Pew Research Center found that 71 percent of Americans believe there is some risk an innocent person will be put to death. Even among people who favor the death penalty, 63 percent believe there is a risk.

But William Otis, an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University and special counsel to President George H.W. Bush, said there are areas in which society is willing to risk innocent lives for a larger goal.

Higher speed limits, for example, get people to their destinations faster but mean more fatal accidents. The nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed more than 200,000 people but likely speeded up the end of World War II.

For some crimes it is worth it even though it has high costs, he said.

Another factor has been the emergence of conservative opponents basing their positions on pragmatic arguments.

Eric Berger, a law professor at the University of Nebraska, said such state senators played a critical role in the Nebraska repeal.

He said they may support capital punishment in theory but argue that in practice it has become a failed government program, one that costs too much and doesnt achieve its goals.

Death penalty cases cost more than those involving life imprisonment, according to numerous national studies.

A recent analysis by Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss concluded that having the death penalty costs Nebraska an average of $14.6 million annually. Death penalty supporters contested his conclusions, saying the difference in costs is minimal.

Meanwhile, the long, cumbersome appeals process and the difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs have meant that few death sentences are ever carried out.

No more than 2 percent of death row inmates have been executed in any of the past 15 years.

If we really care about the sanctity of life and about the victims of all those crimes, couldnt we put all that money to better use? Berger asked.

Supporters of capital punishment, however, argue that getting justice for murder victims and their families is worth the costs and obstacles.

I support it because some murders are so grotesque that prison is not enough, Otis said. That is the reason I think the death penalty has continued to enjoy popularity.

Polls show that, by far, the top reason people back the death penalty is their belief that the punishment fits the crime. More than half gave that reason for their support in both 1991 and 2011 polls.

Other arguments have lost favor. Six percent of supporters in the more recent poll said the death penalty deters crime, down from 13 percent in 1991.

Many supporters believe the death penalty is needed for the worst of the worst, said Lisa Kort-Butler, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

There seems to be a symbolic argument that this is something we have to have to say that were tough on crime, she said.

Evolving religious views

Another factor has been the evolution of religious positions.

While the Catholic Church previously taught that the death penalty was acceptable as a means to defend society, the church now is working to end capital punishment.

Pope John Paul II declared in a 1995 encyclical that modern society can protect itself from criminals without denying them the dignity of human life and the possibility of reform.

This summer, the current pontiff, Pope Francis, called for a world free of the death penalty. Church leaders have been integral to the repeal effort in Nebraska.

A Pew poll this year found support for the death penalty had fallen to 43 percent among Catholics, while it was at 69 percent among white evangelical Protestants.

But even among evangelicals, attitudes are changing. A year ago the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents nearly 40 evangelical Christian denominations, revised its position statement on the death penalty to acknowledge differing views on the issue. The groups previous statement supported capital punishment.

The past few decades also have seen the United States become increasingly isolated in its use of the death penalty.

According to Amnesty International, an average of three countries have renounced the death penalty each year since 1990.

As of June, 103 countries had no death penalty, including Canada, Australia and almost all of Europe and Latin America. Six countries allow it for exceptional circumstances only, and 31 have it but have a practice of not using it.

The 58 countries with the death penalty, however, include some of the worlds largest: China, Russia, India, Japan and the United States.

They also include almost all of the Muslim majority countries. Islam accepts capital punishment for murder and crimes that harm or threaten the state.

Kort-Butler, the sociologist, and Otis, the Georgetown law professor, questioned whether Americans are influenced much by the international trends. He noted that the U.S. has a different history, culture, law and demographics.

I think the death penalty is symbolic, Otis said. For opponents, it is a symbol that the state is not going to go forward with killing out of principle. For supporters, it says we should have the moral confidence to say no and mean it.
A shooting Saturday night and a stabbing early Sunday are under investigation by the Omaha Police Department as felony assaults.

Both injured parties are expected to survive, said Officer Michael Pecha, a police spokesman.

Officers were called to 84th and G Streets about 7 p.m. Saturday to investigate reports of gunfire. Police learned that Bailey Scruggs, 20, of Omaha went to Immanuel Medical Center.

Investigators determined that Scruggs was at a convenience store when he became involved in a disturbance with someone in a white Nissan. As Scruggs left in a silver vehicle he was hit by a bullet allegedly fired by someone in the Nissan.

About 2:30 a.m., officers were called to the Nebraska Medical Center to investigate a cutting, Pecha said. Gustavo Ramirez, 49, of Omaha said he was at a party near 60th Street and Ames Avenue when he was assaulted by two people.

One of the two allegedly stabbed Ramirez. Police have not announced arrests in either assault.

Anyone with information about the incidents is urged to contact Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP or at www.omahacrimestoppers.org.
WASHINGTON  Whether those in the country illegally should have a path to citizenship is at the heart of the debate over immigration  and its a question that divides the two congressional candidates in Nebraskas 2nd District.

Rep. Brad Ashford, the Democrat, favors such a pathway on economic and humanitarian grounds, while GOP challenger Don Bacon said it simply wouldnt be fair to those who have played by the rules.

In a debate last week and in interviews, the two candidates outlined their approaches.

Ashford said the path to citizenship should be coupled with increased border security. Those receiving citizenship, he said, should have to meet various requirements, including paying taxes and fees, as well as keeping a clean criminal record.

We need more border security people, Ashford said. We need more technology on the border. We dont need a wall. But we need a pathway to citizenship with clear rules.

Bacon has described himself as more moderate on the issue than many of his fellow Republicans who would prefer to see no path to legalization whatsoever.

He said he favors providing legal status for at least some who are in the country illegally if it comes along with stepped-up border security and employer enforcement. But he said he cant get behind full citizenship.

I oppose pathway to citizenship for those who come here illegally because people have been waiting for 10 years to do it right, Bacon said.

In response, Ashford cited the case of someone who was brought into the country illegally as a child and has grown up to be a productive member of the community.

Why on earth can that young person not have an opportunity to earn citizenship? Ashford said.

Immigration is a potent issue that could help determine who represents the Omaha-based district for the next two years. The contest is considered one of the most competitive in the country.

And immigration is a topic that inspires fierce passions, particularly in a presidential election year where Republican nominee Donald Trump has made it a centerpiece of his campaign. Trump has talked about the need for a wall along the southern border and a deportation force to remove the millions in the country illegally.

Ashford and Bacon both have cited the need to improve border security, but Ashford dismisses the idea of a wall. Asked in an interview about Trumps proposed wall, Bacon said it is not my emphasis.

I would rather let the experts figure out Hey, where do you need a physical barrier?  Bacon said.

Bacon has criticized President Barack Obamas immigration policies, particularly his use of executive orders aimed at expanding a program that benefits people brought into the country illegally as children, or protecting from deportation the parents of children who are in the country illegally. The administration retains a lot of discretion to set priorities for deportation, but Obamas effort to allow certain illegal immigrants the ability to legally work in the country was dealt a serious blow when the U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked over his actions.

Bacon said in the debate, which was co-sponsored by The World-Herald, that Ashford has voted both for and against those executive orders.

When an executive order comes out that breaks the law, the Congress has to take a hard line because the separation of powers demands it, Bacon said. And Brad caved on this to the president.

The votes in question were related to a spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security. Ashford voted for a Republican version of the spending bill that would have rolled back Obamas immigration-related orders.

Later, he supported a version of the same legislation that did not roll back those actions.

Ashford made clear at the time that he had promised not to vote against legislation needed to keep any part of the government open. If that bill hadnt passed it would have resulted in a partial shutdown. When Republicans eventually backed down and brought up a version of the legislation without the rollback of Obamas orders, Ashford supported it as well.

Asked specifically about Obamas executive orders, Ashford said such orders are never the preferred way to make policy but that the president has taken those steps in the face of congressional inaction on immigration.

While favoring legalization for some who are in the country illegally, Bacon says others have to leave.

Those who are bad or have had crimes, who are not supporting themselves  then we need to ask them to go back home, Bacon said.

Ashford also said that criminals in the country illegally should be prosecuted and ultimately deported. He pointed to legislation called Sarahs Law that he has introduced with Rep. David Young, R-Iowa, that would require federal officials to take custody of anyone in the country illegally who is charged with a crime resulting in death or serious injury. The bill is named for a Council Bluffs woman, Sarah Root, who was killed in Omaha by a man in the country illegally.

Bacon has gone after Ashford for voting against cutting off federal funds for cities with sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants. National Republicans have run television ads attacking Ashford on the issue.

Ashford has said that he certainly opposes cities protecting criminals from deportation, but that the answer is not to cut law enforcement funding. He also said the legislation wasnt clear on what constitutes a sanctuary city; Douglas and Sarpy Counties have policies that have landed them on some lists of sanctuary communities, notwithstanding the objections of local officials.

Bacon said he has spoken with local officials and they dont think the legislation would have resulted in any loss of funding for them.

Bacon also noted that 16 Nebraska sheriffs, including those of Sarpy and Douglas Counties, have endorsed him.

Hes trying to explain away his vote on sanctuary cities, Bacon said of Ashford. Hes wrong on the issue and he knows it.
LINCOLN  Two Republicans seeking to represent the states wide-open Sand Hills in the State Legislature differ on everything from raising gas taxes to granting drivers licenses to immigrants  as well as whether either truly resides in the rural, ranching district.

Incumbent State Sen. Al Davis is squaring off with retired Army Col. Tom Brewer to represent District 43. It is the states largest district geographically, including all or part of 13 counties. It is also heavily Republican, by a ratio of more than 3-to-1.

So far much of the battle has been about who really lives in the district. And both candidates say theyre victims of mudslinging.

Brewer, 58, has a home in Murdock, near Lincoln, but claims as his official residence a Gordon machine shed in which hes created three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a kitchen.

Davis, 64, rents out his ranchland north of Hyannis in District 43 and still maintains a home there, but after being elected in 2012, he purchased a second house outside of Lincoln.

Brewer switched his voter registration to Gordon prior to an unsuccessful run for Congress in 2014. He said that Davis spends most of his time in Lincoln and doesnt reflect the conservative views of his district.

Hes seen as someone who comes back as needed, Brewer said. Al Davis would be a great representative for Omaha or Lincoln, but not for the 43rd District.

Davis rejects that contention. He said he spends most of his time in Hyannis and is not unlike other outstate senators who have second residences in Lincoln. Davis cited work on legislation to maintain two-man crews on trains and to obtain a plane to battle wildfires in his district as examples of his accomplishments.

Ive got guts, I work hard, I think Im respected at the Capitol, Davis said. And I have a lot of expertise and knowledge that a new senator wont have.

Last week a formal complaint was filed with the Sheridan County assessor asking that Brewer be required to pay back taxes and penalties owed on the improvements made to the shed since 2011. The complaint cited a state law requiring a property owner to report improvements of more than $2,500 by the end of the year in which they were done.

Davis said Brewer looks like a tax dodger to me because he has been paying taxes on a machine shed rather than the higher taxes that would be levied on a residence.

Sheridan County Assessor Amanda Lane said Thursday that she hadnt had a chance to look at the complaint. Ive got more important things to do, she said.

Earlier, former State Sen. LeRoy Louden contested Brewers residency in Gordon. But the Nebraska secretary of state ruled that the complaint had been filed too late.

Brewer said that hes talked with the Sheridan County assessor since the machine shed issue first arose and that the improvements will be part of his tax bill next year.

Its water under the bridge, Brewer said, adding that the controversy was an attempt by Davis supporters to poke me in the eye.

Jordan McGrain, former state Republican Party executive director, an adviser to Brewer, said the criticism was part of a campaign to smear a veteran who served six combat tours of duty in Afghanistan and earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.

McGrain leveled his own accusation: that Davis is getting lots of support from Democrats, such as a July fundraiser in Omaha co-sponsored by several Democrats, including former Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey.

Davis said that Fahey shares his commitment to lowering property taxes and providing adequate state aid to schools.

Brewer is also getting help from outside the district. A new group called Your Vote Matters PAC sent out a postcard to District 43 constituents accusing Davis and his wife, Dottie, of living in Lincoln now. The card was mailed from the Crete, Nebraska, home of Matt Innis, the former chair of the Lancaster County Republican Party.

Americans for Prosperity, an anti-tax group, attacked Davis in a recent mailing, criticizing his support for an increase of 6 cents per gallon in the state gas tax to fund new highway construction.

Davis, who switched his registration from Democratic to Republican 19 years ago, said the mailings are part of a campaign to deflect attention away from Brewers machine-shed controversy.

Davis has some ground to make up. Brewer out-polled him by 800 votes in the primary, even though Davis has a long list of groups endorsing him, including the Nebraska State Education Association, Nebraska Right to Life, the Nebraska Federation of Independent Business and the Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Brewer said he better reflects the core values of the district. He cited his support of the death penalty and opposition to granting drivers licenses to young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children as part of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

People are angry at a national level and theyre angry at a state level because they dont feel that their elected representatives are listening to them, Brewer said. To address that concern, Brewer rode a mule for 19 days and 500 miles across his district, talking to people along the way  an effort Davis labeled a publicity stunt.

Davis defended his vote for the gas-tax increase, saying projects across the state such as the Heartland Expressway in his district were not going to be completed without it.

He said he voted to allow DACA participants to get drivers licenses because Nebraska was the only state that forbade it. He added that he opposed giving DACA participants professional and commercial licenses, such as those given to nurses and truck drivers.

His vote to repeal the death penalty, Davis said, reflected his pro-life views as a Catholic and was the product of a tremendous amount of study, including looking at cases of wrongful convictions.

I hope people have done their research, he said. Ill be surprised if the death penalty is ever used.

Davis, according to state campaign reports, had outspent Brewer $114,288 to $29,269 through early October.

Davis has loaned his campaign about $14,600. His top contributors are Associated General Contractors ($10,000) and the state teachers union ($6,300).

Brewer has spent $4,600 of his own money on the campaign. His biggest donor is A.C. Musgrave, a Dallas, Texas, chemical company owner, who gave $15,000.

One other controversy has emerged in the campaign: Brewers involvement in a flap surrounding a Montana-based group that offers horseback rides as therapy for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The matter, involving the nonprofit group Heroes and Horses, prompted the Montana Attorney Generals Office to investigate.

One major donor to the group, Rod Fraser, a steel company executive from Minnesota, accused Brewer, a member of the groups board, of trying to steal the organization from its founder and executive director, Micah Fink, and of holding secret meetings without notifying Fink.

Fraser, who declined an interview request, expressed concerns to the attorney general in a letter that his donations to Heroes and Horses were being wasted.

In a 12-page report issued in June, the Attorney Generals Office concluded that board members, including Brewer, had breached their duty of care in operating the nonprofit group. Brewer disputed the allegations, saying that he just didnt see eye to eye with Fink and the roles of those in Heroes and Horses needed to be more clearly defined.

The matter was resolved when the Attorney Generals Office approved a settlement creating a second nonprofit group, headed by Brewer, called NewCo and transferring $140,000 to it.

Brewer said hes still looking for a ranch to host a therapeutic equine program. Meanwhile, Heroes and Horses hosted 14 veterans this summer under new leadership.

Davis has had his own controversy.

In June he was fined $500 by the state sunshine commission for failing to disclose an investment in a Canadian mining company, NioCorp, that plans to mine rare-earth minerals in southeast Nebraska.

Davis introduced a bill to impose a severance tax on such mining but failed to disclose that he had purchased stock in NioCorp. He has said that he did not intend to violate the reporting requirement.

************

Al Davis

Age: 64

Party: Republican

Home: Hyannis

Occupation: Rancher

Public offices held: Nebraska state senator, 2013-present; Hyannis school board, 1996-2000, 2004-2012; Redmill school board, past member; Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska, treasurer

Education: bachelors degree, history and economics, Denver University; postgraduate studies in international marketing at Creighton University and in theater at American Academy of Dramatic Arts

Family: Married

Faith: Catholic

Tom Brewer

Age: 58

Party: Republican

Home: Gordon

Occupation: Retired Army colonel

Public offices held: None

Education: Doane College, history/management degree; Army Senior College; Army War College

Family: married; two adult children

Faith: Christian
The author, the Republican governor of Ohio, wrote this for the Washington Post.

Does the United States still have the ability  or the will  to be the undisputed global leader, a role it has held since World War II? Its a question to be answered soon by members of Congress as they approve or reject an initiative to give the United States expanded access to 11 countries that represent more than a quarter of the worlds trade, while leveling the playing field for U.S. workers and businesses.

How they vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership will affect the course of U.S. security, prosperity and global influence for the rest of the 21st century and determine whether we retreat from our leadership role at a time of worldwide turmoil and uncertainty.

For me, the only common-

sense direction is forward, because trade is the foundation of peace. Not only will the TPP promote peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, but it also will help maintain the United States essential strength in that hemisphere at a time of increased Chinese and Russian assertiveness.

Since World War II, the United States has maintained its global leadership by building alliances that helped us fulfill our most important responsibility  protecting Americans militarily and economically  and then sharing those responsibilities and protections with our allied democracies.

Thats why congressional approval of the TPP agreement is so essential to the United States continued leadership across the world, as well as to its security at home.

Dont be fooled by divisive talk in the presidential campaign that the TPP is only a debate about trade. This agreement is about making sure the United States continues to strengthen its essential alliances and is willing to sustain its standing as the global leader.

While China and Russia  and dangerous client states such as North Korea and Iran  jockey to outmaneuver everyone else and gain a dominant hand, there are fast-growing, independent nations looking to partner with the U.S. and bring their strategic, economic and political values into alignment with ours. That list begins with the initial TPP partners, but as many as 10 additional Asia-Pacific economies have expressed interest in joining.

The last thing we need is for these thriving markets to believe they cant count on U.S. support, pushing them instead into economic and geopolitical relationships with China or Russia. In the event of our inaction and loss of resolve, the U.S. will surrender global leadership to our most aggressive rivals: Vladimir Putin, Russias latter-day Stalin, and Xi Jinping, the most repressive Communist Chinese leader since Mao.

Thats why the TPP agreement enjoys bipartisan support from Americas most respected national security leaders. They echo the stance of former President Ronald Reagan, who said, the freer the flow of world trade, the stronger the tides of human progress and peace among nations. Reagan knew that when people trade together, it binds them together and promotes peace.

As a governor and former member of Congress who served for 18 years on the House Armed Services Committee, I am convinced that TPP will strengthen those alliances, helping attain the peace and progress Reagan spoke of and achieved through his own insistence on U.S. leadership and resolve.

We cannot turn our backs on that legacy or abandon this opportunity, because expanding trade is about more than growing our economy; its also about ensuring our national security and asserting the United States willingness to stand tall against those who wish us ill.

Its been more than 250 days since these 11 countries came together to sign the TPP agreement. As each new day passes, we should be concerned that the worlds doubts grow stronger about the United States willingness and ability to continue its historic role. Its time for members of Congress to put aside partisan politics, resolve their differences and ratify the deal. Their vote will send a message to the world that we are the global leader, today and forever.
The writer, a distinguished scholar at the Indiana University School of Global and International Studies, represented Indiana in the U.S. House for 34 years.

Were in the middle of the presidential debates, and not surprisingly, theyre drawing viewers in great numbers. The contest is close, and the chance to watch the two candidates spar face to face makes for entertaining television.

This is hardly a bad thing. Overall, presidential debates are a plus for the public dialogue. They get tremendous coverage throughout the media universe, both while theyre taking place and in the days that follow. They let the voters see the candidates under pressure and gauge their performance.

As scripted as they can sometimes seem, they still let us watch the candidates think on their feet. Theyre serious events and are certainly more substantive than campaign speeches and television commercials.

Its true that they dont usually change the trajectory of a race  although we wont know until election night whether this years debates played a role in the outcome.

They can reinforce enthusiasm, but its rare that they create it from scratch.

Yet I think our focus on debates  at least in the form they currently take  is misplaced. Its not so much that they reward one-upmanship, a quick wit and clever zingers  although they do. Rather, I think they dont actually help us make a good choice.

Over my years in Congress and afterward, Ive sat in on a lot of meetings at the White House where foreign and domestic policy were discussed. For the most part, I came away impressed by the process by which presidents make tough decisions.

They go around the room, asking each guest, What do I do now? They ask participants to define the issue, lay out the options, identify American interests at stake and make recommendations.

Its usually a sustained, unhurried process, with very little fancy oratory. Instead, Ive heard sharp debate and thorough discussion characterized by forceful, reasoned, fact-based and responsible arguments.

Presidents pay close attention and sometimes take notes. They want to hear different opinions, seek advice and then go off and make a decision.

You have to remember that the choices a president has to make are complicated and often very difficult  almost by definition, an issue doesnt get to that level unless its a tough one.

Ive sat in on meetings with both Democratic and Republican presidents, and one of the things that has often impressed me is that ideology has played a smaller role than youd imagine. The conversations are quite pragmatic.

What all this means is that the real quality youre looking for in a president is judgment: the ability to consider issues from all angles, weigh options carefully and then choose the wisest course  sometimes from among a tangle of unpalatable alternatives.

That is what presidents do. But the qualities necessary to do this do not come through in the debates, which tell us very little about how candidates would do at exercising judgment in the fog of policy-making.

A campaign event that calls for impassioned oratory, a quick wit, one-liners and sharp digs is not especially helpful for helping us choose who is going to make the best decisions.

I think we can do better. Selecting a president is serious business. We want to put control of the process on the voters side and not let the candidates get away with fluff.

How do we do this? We change the nature of the debates.

To begin with, I believe there should be a series of them, each focused on a single issue  education, say, or national security.

Candidates should face a panel of questioners asking them to address the toughest questions on those matters  people who are sharp and incisive and are prepared to follow up and press candidates when they spout mush.

Ideally, the candidates should face this panel one at a time, rotating who goes first, and with other rules to assure fairness.

The point is, we want voters to go to the polls not just with a good idea of where the candidates want to take us and how theyre going to get there.

We also want voters to have a clear sense of how sound the candidates judgment is because thats ultimately what will make or break their presidency.
Ken Bird will never forget traveling with his high school classmates to visit an Iowa school for children with disabilities.

Bird was only 16, but remembers being struck by the difference the schools teachers were making in the lives of the students and how the students were striving to do their best.

The impact on me was that everyone can make a difference in their lives and the lives of others, he said. Everyone has something to offer.

That inspiring visit would lead Bird to a career in education that has spanned more than four decades and has included positions ranging from teacher to superintendent and his current role as CEO and president of Avenue Scholars Foundation. The nonprofit group is aimed at helping young people from low-income families advance their education and find and succeed in careers.

Birds accomplishments in education and community leadership led to his crowning Saturday night as the 120th king of Aksarben.

His wife, Annie, also dedicated her career to education, and each has served the community through work on boards and other volunteer service.

Ken Bird, 68, was born and raised in Omaha and said his parents taught him the importance of hard work and giving back to others.

His father was a sheet metal worker and did handyman work on the side to earn extra money for the family, though he often fixed storm windows or did similar work for free as favors to friends and neighbors. He said his mother found ways to help the family earn money, whether it was working as a grocery store clerk or folding clothes at a laundry.

They were remarkable role models, he said.

His father didnt finish high school and neither parent attended college, but they told Bird that a college degree was essential to his future.

His family lived in north Omaha when he was a child but his parents scraped their money together to buy a modest home in the Westside School District to provide what they thought was the best education possible.

Bird graduated from Westside High School in 1966 and enrolled at Omaha University, majoring in special education.

While attending UNO, he worked full time as a welder with his dad at Eaton Metal Products. Bird said he began thinking that maybe welding would be his career until he was severely injured in an accident on the job that left his leg hanging by tendons and muscle.

During the year he spent recuperating, he realized education was his calling. After completing his college degree, he joined the Westside district as a special education teacher.

His career later included posts with the Nebraska Department of Education and then a return to the Westside district for administrative positions, leading to his selection as superintendent in 1992.

During his 16-year tenure in the top spot, he earned great respect within the Westside schools community and was known as an innovator and strong leader in the district and beyond.

He was not only a leader of (Westside) but also in education throughout the Omaha community, said David Woodke, former Westside board president.

After retiring from Westside in 2008, he founded the Avenue Scholars Foundation.

Wally Weitz, a member of the Avenue Scholars board of directors, said Birds decades in education have made him just the right person to help the foundation achieve its goals.

Weitz said Bird understands and takes a practical approach to the real-life obstacles that students can face, such as a broken car that makes them late for class.

The Avenue Scholars program has produced promising results, Weitz said, with its students having higher high school graduation and college entry rates and staying in college at greater rates than other students locally and nationally from similar backgrounds.

Weitz called Bird the driving force in that success.

Birds wife, Annie, shares his passion for education. The couple met in 1975 while both were working for the Nebraska Department of Education.

She had a 40-year career in speech pathology, mostly with the Department of Education. She finished her career at the Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

The couple have played big roles in community service.

Bird is currently chairman of the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission, and serves on the boards of such organizations as the Autism Action Partnership, Childrens Scholarship Fund of Omaha and Westside Community Schools Foundation.

Annies volunteer efforts have included Project Harmony Community Advisory Committee and the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission.

The Birds are also the current chairs of the United Way of the Midlands campaign.

The couple is committed to their family, which includes three sons and six grandchildren. Spending time with their grandchildren, whether its boating, fishing or other activities, is the best part of life, Annie said.

The Birds also share a strong appreciation for the scholarship programs run by the Knights of Aksarben.

We are so blessed to have Aksarben providing access to education in the community, he said. Its a difference-maker.
Surat Model of natural farming can become a model for entire country: PM Modi

7 arrested for lynching ragpicker on suspicion of being thief

AAP MLA arrested in Surat ahead of Arvind Kejriwal rally

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Surat, Oct 16 Gulab Singh, an AAP MLA from Delhi and the party in-charge in Gujarat, was arrested here on Sunday, hours before a rally by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

A Delhi Police team which had flown from the national capital made the arrest after Gulab Singh, who has been in and out of Gujarat for months, made himself available at the Umra police station.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders confirmed Gulab Singh's arrest. He becomes the 14th AAP legislator in Delhi to be arrested.

Earlier, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Gulab Singh for failing to join an investigation in Delhi in an extortion case involving his associates.

Kejriwal had then asked in a tweet if Gulab Singh would be arrested ahead of his Surat rally.

Gulab Singh's driver was arrested last month along with an associate in Delhi.

Delhi Tourism Minister and AAP leader Kapil Mishra accompanied Gulab Singh when the latter reached the Umra police station shouting "Inquilab Zindabad" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai" on Sunday.

Mishra later tweeted that the Delhi Police, which was in a hurry to arrest Gulab Singh before Kejriwal's rally, had now told the legislator that they would return to Delhi by train when tickets were available.

IANS
BRICS must live up to commitments to sovereign equality and territorial integrity: Jaishankar

Indian economy expected to grow by 7.5 per cent this year: PM Modi at BRICS Business Forum

At BRICS summit, Putin slams 'thoughtless and selfish actions' of certain states that hurt global economy

BRICS makes a case for strong quota-based and resourced IMF

India

oi-PTI

Benaulim, Oct 16: BRICS nations including India today sought a strong, quota-based and adequately resourced IMF to bridge the financing gap in infrastructure development to push economic growth in developing nations.

"We reaffirm our commitment to a strong, quota based and adequately resourced International Monetary Fund (IMF). Borrowed resources by the IMF should be on a temporary basis," stated Goa Declaration on 8th BRICS Summit concluded here.

Highlighting the importance of public and private investments in infrastructure, including connectivity, to ensure sustained long-term growth, the leaders of the five nation grouping called for approaches to bridge the financing gap in infrastructure including through enhanced involvement of Multilateral Development Banks.

The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa strongly committed to support the coordinated effort by the emerging economies to ensure that the new quota formula will be finalised within the agreed timelines.

This, they said will ensure that the increased voice of the dynamic emerging and developing economies reflects their relative contributions to the world economy, while protecting the voices of least developed countries (LDCs), poor countries and regions. BRICS nations welcomed the inclusion of the RMB (Chinese currency) into the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) currency basket on October 1, 2016.

They called for the advanced European economies to meet their commitment to cede two chairs on the Executive Board of the IMF. They said,"The reform of the IMF should strengthen the voice and representation of the poorest members of the IMF, including Sub-Saharan Africa."

Sharing the concerns regarding the challenges of sovereign debt restructuring, BRICS nations noted that timely and successful debt restructuring is key for ensuring access to international capital markets, and hence economic growth, for countries with high debt levels.

They welcomed the current discussions to improve the debt restructuring process,and on the revised collective action clauses (CACs).

"We reiterate our support for the multilateral trading system and the centrality of the WTO as the cornerstone of a rule based, open, transparent, non-discriminatory and inclusive multilateral trading system with development at the core of its agenda," the declaration said.

Noting the increasing number of bilateral, regional, and plurilateral trade agreements, they said that these should be complementary to the multilateral trading system and encourage the parties there on to align their work in consolidating the multilateral trading system under the WTO in accordance with the principles of transparency, inclusiveness, and compatibility with the WTO rules.

PTI
RTI reply reveals AAP govt has given Rs 101 crore to Delhi Waqf board since 2015

Even a Muslim nation has Lord Ganesha's pic on notes: Kejriwal writes to PM Modi

Second time lucky? AAP conducts Punjab-like 'Who should be CM' survey in Gujarat

Why is BJP not bringing Uniform Civil Code across the country: Kejriwal in Gujarat

Arvind Kejriwal urges Amit Shah not to scuttle his rally

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Surat, Oct 16: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged BJP President Amit Shah not to disrupt his rally due here on Sunday evening.

"I have learnt that Amit Shah is trying various methods to scuttle the rally," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader told the media here.

"He is sending his people to different places (where I go) to stage protests," Kejriwal added.

"I appeal to Amit Shah that today's rally is not my rally. It is a rally of the Gujarat people and I request him not to put any impediments."

Asked about the arrival of a Delhi Police team here to arrest Delhi legislator Gulab Singh, the party in-charge of Gujarat, Kejriwal said it showed the BJP was scared of the AAP.

He said Delhi Police had arrested 13 AAP legislators in the national capital so far on various charges.

Meanwhile, AAP legislator Gulab Singh reached a police station here to offer himself for arrest.

Kejriwal is due to address an AAP rally in Surat along with party leader Kumar Vishwas.

IANS


An AAP resurrection: How Chandra Mohan Sharma came back to life

Watch: MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouan gives his spin to 'pawri ho rahi hai' with take on 'scared' land mafia

Land mafias attend investors' meet to grab govt land: Cong

India

oi-PTI

Indore, Oct 16: Days ahead of Global Investors' Summit (GIS) to be held here, opposition Congress today alleged that land mafias attend such events under the guise of investors to grab government land at subsidised rates.

"In the guise of investors, members of land mafias come solely to grab government lands at low prices in such summits," Madhya Pradesh unit Congress chief Arun Yadav told reporters here.

Global Investors Summit or GIS is a biennial event organised by Madhya Pradesh government in state's commercial capital at Indore. The two-day event will be held on October 22-23.

"The state government should come out with details of the investments and the number of employment generated by conducting GIS earlier, in which crores of rupees were spent," Yadav demanded. He also accused the government of adopting "double standards" on Chinese goods.

"On one hand, the BJP leaders are doing a 'nautanki' (drama) by protesting against Chinese products, while on the other, the ruling BJP government is rolling out a red carpet to Chinese investors at GIS," Yadav claimed.

He said the government machinery was being "misused" and officers transferred in the view of upcoming bypoll to Shahdol Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh.

The bylection, whose schedule is yet to be announced, is necessitated due to demise of sitting BJP MP Dalpat Singh Paraste.

PTI
DU's second list of seat allocation for UG courses out

When is Dev Diwali 2022? November 7th or November 8th? Know timings, significance and more

Instagram is down: No, your account isn't actually suspended

Yogendra Yadav led Swaraj India to contest Delhi civic polls next year

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Oct 16: Swaraj India, led by former AAP leader Yogendra Yadav, on Sunday said it will contest the municipal corporation elections in Delhi in April next year.

In a press statement here, it said an eight-member Delhi election team under the leadership of Swaraj India General Secretary Ajit Jha has been set up.

The first meeting of the party's presidium, its highest decision-making body, was held in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh on October 14 and 15.

Speaking on the occasion, Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav said: "The government of Delhi, the Lt. Governor and the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi are playing political games in the national capital, for which the people of Delhi are paying the price."

"The people of Delhi want representatives who can serve them with dedication. Swaraj India will contest these elections to provide Delhi with a meaningful alternative," he added.

The 'Delhi election team' has since initiated the process to select candidates, the statement added.

Swaraj India was formed on October 2.

IANS


US Coast Guard ship in Chennai to mark India ties

Poland chooses US firm to build first nuclear power plant

Move over sex, drugs make its entry into the US presidential election

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

We have had enough of sex talk ahead of the US presidential election, scheduled on November 8.

Let's talk about drugs for a change. In fact, Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, mooted the idea of bringing "drug" issue at the centre stage, this election season.

Hillary Clinton under the influence of drugs?

Donald Trump on Saturday made another wild claim, without providing any evidence, that his rival, Hillary Clinton, has been "getting pumped up" with performance-enhancing drugs.

He wants Clinton to undergo a drug test, as reported by the CNN. "We should take a drug test before debate," Trump said.

Hillary Clinton should have been prosecuted and should be in jail. Instead she is running for president in what looks like a rigged election  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2016

OneIndia News
Accept mistake thats the only way: Prachanda faction to Oli

My party-BJP have different ideologies but common aim of uplifting poor: Nepal ex-PM Prachanda

Prachanda, Narendra Modi, Xi hold trilateral meeting in Goa: report

International

oi-PTI

Kathmandu, Oct 16 Prime Minister Prachanda held a trilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa and pitched Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants, a media report here said today.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit yesterday, first held a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them, The Himalayan Times reported along with a photo of the meeting.

The three leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachanda's personal secretary Prakash Dahal was quoted as saying.

During the meeting yesterday, Prachanda was quoted as saying that though Nepal is a small country, it is extremely rich in cultural and religious diversity.

He said Pashupatinath, Gautam Buddha and Janaki have connected to the three countries. Albeit, Nepal is located between two giant powers of Asia -- India and China -- a prosperous Nepal is possible with their help and cooperation, Prachanda said.

"We wish to reap benefits of this geographical specialty by working as a dynamic bridge between the two countries," he said.

Chinese President Xi agreed with Prachanda stating that geography of any country would not play a decisive role in terms of many things like development, the report said.

He also praised Nepal's role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in the future.

"Likewise, Indian PM Modi acknowledged there are geographical, emotional and cultural relations among India, Nepal and China," the report said. Prachanda's spouse Sita Dahal was also present in the meeting.

PTI
Islamic State bomber detained in Russia for attempting attack in India was recruited through Telegram

Why India should get access to Islamic State bomber detained in Russia

Prosecutions story may be attractive but should be backed by evidence

Syria rebels capture emblematic IS stronghold Dabiq

International

oi-PTI

Beirut, Oct 16: Turkish-backed rebels today captured the emblematic northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, dealing a major symbolic blow to the jihadists.

The defeat for IS came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet European allies in London as part of a new diplomatic push to end Syria's conflict, which has left more than 300,000 people dead since 2011.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition forces backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery had seized control of Dabiq today. The town, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo, is of little strategic value. But Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS and its followers because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an apocalyptic battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group, said rebel forces "captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area". The Fastaqim Union, an Ankara-backed rebel faction involved in the battle, said Dabiq had fallen "after fierce clashes".

The Observatory said fighters also captured the nearby town of Sawran. Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency also said the rebels had taken control of Dabiq and Sawran and were working to dismantle explosives laid by retreating IS fighters.

It said nine rebels were killed and 28 wounded during clashes yesterday. Dabiq has become a byword among IS supporters for a struggle against the West, with Washington and its allies bombing jihadists portrayed as modern-day Crusaders.

Earlier this week, IS downplayed the importance of the rebel advance on the town. "These hit-and-run battles in Dabiq and its outskirts -- the lesser Dabiq battle -- will end in the greater Dabiq epic," the group said in a pamphlet published online Thursday.

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, helping Syrian rebels to rid its frontier of IS jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would push further south to create a 5,000-square-kilometre (1,900 square-mile) safe zone in Syria.

The border area has become deeply unstable and today Turkish state media reported that suicide bombers blew themselves up when police raided their sleeper cell in the city of Gaziantep. Media reports spoke of casualties without providing precise numbers.

AFP
Laptop Ban: Turkish Airlines CEO says US to lift restrictions on July 5

Turkey-backed Syria rebels capture Dabiq from IS: monitor

International

oi-PTI

Beirut, Oct 16 Turkish-backed rebel fighters today captured the northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State jihadist group, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels "captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area".

Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

AFP
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The Ability of People With Pre-Existing Conditions And their Families to Purchase Health Care In the Non-Group Market, as well as All The Other Positive Changes Since 1998 (all of Obamacare's Good Parts) As Well As Our Nation's Ability To Choose What Kind of Heallthcare We Have In Any Election, (Blocking Single Payer, and Virtually Any Other Cost Saving Measure, Unless Its More Profitable) IS IN DANGER, All New Regulations Since 1998 Could Be Reversed And Regulations of Health Insurance "Rolled Back" to 1998 Levels. (Or eliminated by requiring global changes that could have a great many unanticipated effects- such as making it so poor people with chronic illnesses had to leave the country to get affordable care, at a time when many jobs will be going away, for good.)



How?

As far as rolling back new regulations, this is how- See where it says "Standstill" - start reading there. The document below freezes regulations that don't conform at their levels on February 26, 1998. Thats simple to understand. Later than February 26,1998, potentially voidable. Pre-existing, less so. (but still subject to MANY gotchas, as we discovered in 1998 with the Glass-Steagall Act which allegedly "had to" be repealed - and cannot be redone, because of other provisions in GATS) For the best overview of the healthcare situation, read this.





Understanding on Committments in Financial Services

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In the Presidential debate recently, when asked what he would do to improve healthcare, Donald Trump's first response, was the suggestion that we allow the sale of one health care policy in all 50 states. Unfortunately that would lead to a major disaster in health care in the US, one which would be totally irreversible since we signed the GATS agreement as part of our entry into the WTO in 1995. A signing of the pending TISA agreement, whose negotiations are almost completed in Geneva, might also have the same effect.

The expensive portions of the ACA may be seen as WTO-illegal, because for example, they are new regulations on financial services, when the stanstill was supposed to limit nonconforming regulations to ones that already existed on that date. And you will see below, and dont forget it, the WTO is above all national bodies. (Obama was lying to Elizabeth Warren, because its embarassing to admit that you are not top dog any more, it seems every year some new trade agreement comes out (this year it seems we're getting five or six) But this is one we already have thats been there since 1995, but parts - for example, the specifics of what services the countries plan to trade, and how the various rules will apply to them "disciplines on domestic regulation" just are not finished yet. But many many rules exist- and are binding and have been since the 1990s. Gradually a body of new law is being created. And its not exaggerating to say that this agreement is a uniquely horrid one for people. Its arguably caused 20 years of health care dysfunction, which we have been lied to about, and also quite arguably (experts say this) indirectly caused a huge financial crisis that effected the whole world and cost American families trillions of dollars, by forcing the repeal of the "Glass-Steagall Act" a body of financial rules that protected the US taxpayer from irresponsible banking practices that GATS was claimed to require the repeal of..)

Regulations must also be eliminated if they are "more burdensome than necessary to ensure the quality of the service" (for example, poorer patients could be sent elsewhere - say Mexico or India, for care cheaper, availing themselves of the services of our trading partners, instead of forcing US insurers to cover them-thats a much more trade restrictive approach than the least burdensome one necessary to insure the quality of the service. (perhaps shipping patients overseas for care, or caring for them here with foreign doctors, who arent necessarily worse doctors, just less independent, US doctors often will discuss things with insurance challenged patients that insurers dont want to pay for, without getting the insurers permission in advance, and delisting isnt always enough of a threat to make them toe the line. This will fix that) . GATS and TISA change everything involving services, from ones where the government is involved to market based solutions. And the market when the government is involved may not discriminate in favor of a US or local provider if there is better value elsewhere.

The wage situation in countries like the US is seen as a trade barrier, if foreign firms must obey it. Therefore TISA's goal like GATS before it, is also to "harmonize" US and other developed countries regulations, food regulations, chemical and endocrine disruptor, pesticides, safety, etc. finding the lowest common denominators and nailing rules there. Once wages here are the same as they are elsewhere, the problem of illegal immigration will cease in an inward direction.

The reasons this health care capture disaster would happen are detailed in four easy to download documents. I suggest that you download them so you can refer to them as we go along. Basically, the roots of the problem go back more than 20 years to the Glinton Administration and the first few years of our entry into the WTO.



click here (Nicholas Skala's 2009 paper in the International Journal of Health Services is the only one on the subject, and if you read it, by the time you are 2/3 done you'll likely be amazed at how much we have never been told. As you can see the entire debate has been misleading as to the real causes of health care gridlock, at best, If we followed Trump and the GOP's suggestions, due to GATS we would swiftly lose our health policy freedom to a trap created during the former Clinton Administration,

If petitioned, the WTO could and would roll back "nonconforming" domestic financial services regulation after 1998, which includes Obamacare, for reasons which are enumerated best in the Skala paper, which include one catch all clause, something called a standstill, which basically is a freeze.. leaving a significant portion of the country - the families who have at least one member with a chronic health condition- with no affordable way to buy even high deductible health insurance. )

BUT, SINGLE PAYER will have been stopped for good, forever, unless we subsequently buy our freedom at tremendous cost, (via the intentionally expensive GATS Article XXI manumission procedure) so I am sure they will be congratulating one another.

And not a peep in the media.

www.maine.gov/legis/opla/ctpchlthcaresub.pdf (This shows the problem a state, Maine ran into when they tried to offer health insurance to their poorer residents, they concluded that it exposed them to suits under the WTO GATS agreement, and that TISA would make the situation substantially worse)



Canada's Approach To Keeping Their Single Payer System is Keeping health care Completely Free of Money. But that has worked in part because Canada's single payer system was already pre-existing when GATS was signed in 1994. The Dates these horrible things are signed (This applies to the Pending 3Ts,and others like the newly proposed TFS too) has special significance because they give corporations rights to ownership of policy that effectively begin and often, give them a legal ownership to view as sort of a ceiling, the state of regulation at that time. Regulations subsequently, can only be reduced, never increased.

(The only way Canada has avoided a similar fate is to have instituted their single payer health system decades before the WTO agreement was signed, allowing it to be grandfathered in, and also by keeping it completely free, avoiding the pitfall of Article I:3(b) and (c)



There is a bunch of additional background info at



www.citizen.org/documents/PresidentialWTOreport.pdf (This is also quite informative and the references are invaluable)

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After a three-year investigation by authorities in California, assisted by authorities in Texas, the US Immigration and Customs Service, and the US Senate, Carl Ferrer, the CEO of Backpage, was arrested this month on charges of pimping, operating a brothel, and sex trafficking minors.



Prostitute

(Image by Porco-Rosso) Details DMCA



Problem is, Mr. Ferrer is not a pimp, brothel owner, or sex trafficker. He only operates an online classified ad service.

True, Backpage caters to adult ads, many of which are thinly-veiled offers of prostitution, illegal in many jurisdictions and unsavory in most. True too, every once in awhile an ad is placed on Backpage by a pimp, an underage provider, and even a sex trafficker.

However, if Mr. Ferrer can be charged with the sex crimes committed by his customers, virtually every newspaper with a classified ad section can be charged too. So also could most truck stops, many bars, the Republican and Democratic conventions, sporting events, business trade shows, etc., since they too facilitate prostitution, pimping, and sex trafficking.

If the authorities were genuinely concerned about the victims of pimps and sex traffickers, they would welcome the existence of Backpage, since on it are excellent leads to help them catch the predators and rescue the victims. Although very little pimping or sex trafficking can be found on Backpage--the vast majority of ads are placed voluntarily by independent adults--scouring the ads looking for the suspicious ones would help authorities combat the crimes they say that they want to combat.

Anyone who cares about the wellbeing of prostitutes and sexual minorities should also celebrate, not condemn, Backpage.

Prostitutes benefit enormously from being able to advertise online. This frees them from having to work as streetwalkers or in brothels, as well as from dependence on pimps. This also allows them to screen clients before meeting them, and thereby reduce their risks of violent victimization.

But conventional prostitutes aren't the only ones who benefit from the ability to advertise online. The transgender community, for example, is another beneficiary. The risks of harassment and violence to members of this community when venturing out in public is huge. It is much safer for them to have an online meeting place.

Ordinary people with minority but acceptable sexual tastes also benefit from Backpage. Got a foot fetish? How about a few shades of gray? You can place and answer ads on Backpage to meet a partner, and not always one who charges a fee.

Importantly, Backpage doesn't actively promote any given sexual lifestyle. This frankly puts it in a different class from even Larry Flynt, Playboy, and the Advocate, which do promote their preferred sexual lifestyles. All Backpage does is make it easier and safer for people to pursue the sexual lifestyles they already want.

Granted, Mr. Ferrer is not a fellow most of us would want to invite over for dinner, unless our dinner guests also include pawn shop owners, the proprietors of payday loan operations, and others whose legitimate business activities have an unsavory scent. However, Mr. Ferrer is not only innocent of the crimes he's accused of, he is also providing a helpful public service.

When law enforcement resources of this magnitude are devoted to apprehending and prosecuting Mr. Ferrer, we unfortunately realize how beholden we all are to plain prudery, how quick we are to trample on the civil rights of sexual minorities, and how claims of concern for the victims of sexual violence and oppression are really just whitewash over a witch hunt.
The most prestigious newspaper in Peru is no more than another mouthpiece for power. But this shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with mainstream media and its propagandistic role in our society.

Sadly, most people remain unaware of this reality and still approach this kind of media for understanding on the appalling problems of contemporary life. For them they are real news: you will find no such understanding in El Comercio.

We will consider the Syrian conflict because it's an ongoing issue with massive coverage to analyze. The fact that mainstream media (MSM) in Peru, as elsewhere, imports its articles from Big Media and their agencies around the world does not, of course, release them of the responsibility to verify everything they publish and therefore endorse.

Let's imagine ourselves taking half an hour of our busy lives to seek information in MSM regarding Syria, in order to learn what's been happening there for the last five years. What could be better than an article titled: "Seven questions to understand what is happening in Syria"? (elcomercio.pe, 09/24/16) [1] .

The answer could easily be anything, because the supposed facts being paraded in this article imported from the BBC are misleading, fallacious or wrong. And any reader searching for truth or an honest interpretation based on facts regarding this conflict may find itself more confused or even worse, completely deceived about its nature. This analysis targets a narrative common to most Western MSM. Its Peruvian counterpart is particularly shallow and disaffected, and rarely redact their own articles on foreign conflicts, importing them, for an even more homogenized massive world coverage.

These sorts of articles aimed at understanding something in a set of simple and clear steps are getting more popular as more and more people seem to drift away from questioning and thinking, researching, or going into contemporary subjects with any kind of depth.

The first subtitle in the article reads: (all quotes from El Comercio in italics)

"What started as a peaceful uprising against the Syrian president, turned into a bloody civil war."

This is a statement of two of the most important points in the Western narrative regarding not only Syria, but many other past conflicts, as this article will argue.

So let's proceed and debunk this set of lies repeated by the MSM ad-nauseam to advance the interests of empire.

1. "What was the situation in Syria before the war begun?"

2. "How did the war start?"

This two first questions need a wide and historic point of view that the MSM can't entertain in its pages and television airwaves because of the simplified nature of its narrative and the limited space they devote to foreign conflicts. The only paragraph dedicated to the situation in Syria before the war (question 1) states:

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The Clinton campaign, Hillary, John Podesta, etc. are saying that Wikileaks releases are comparable to the Watergate break-in, that Wikileaks is helping Russia provide propaganda to influence this election.

CNN reports, in an article, US finds growing evidence Russia feeding emails to WikiLeaks, that the US government is saying Russia is behind the recent Wikileak releases of Clinton campaign emails:

"On Friday, former Acting CIA Director Mike Morrell said on a conference call organized by the Clinton campaign that it was 'absolutely clear ... WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2 are working with the Russians on this.'"

"The Director of National Intelligence -- representing 19 US intelligence agencies -- and the Department of Homeland Security leveled unambiguous charges against Russia on Friday. And the comments from Moscow did little to quell the growing criticism of Russia Wednesday from the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton's campaign. "The kinds of disclosures that we've seen, including at WikiLeaks, of stolen e-mails from people who play an important role in our political process is consistent with Russian- directed efforts," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday. Podesta, whose emails are being published by WikiLeaks, also pointed the finger at Russia. 'Work of the Russian government' "It is now clear that the illegal hack of my personal email account was -- just like the other recent, election-related hacks -- the work of the Russian government," Podesta said in a statement. "This level of meddling by a foreign power can only be aimed at boosting Donald Trump and should send chills down the spine of all Americans, regardless of political party.""

The Wall Street Journal also has an article reporting Russian involvement in the hacking,

But I found one of the comments after the article more meaningful.

We face a very dangerous time where the Clinton/Obama Democratic party has returned to McCarthyistic red-baiting as an attempt to obscure and seal the multi-leaking narrative of lies, abuses of our justice and legal system (not prosecuting Hillary) and deceptions it has perpetrated.

The Democratic party with it's criminal leaders-- Clinton and Obama has become a major threat to world peace and to the future of the free world.

It is clear that if Hillary Clinton is elected president the future of whistleblowers and leaking of information will be even more threatened and endangered. There is little doubt that Hillary will even more aggressively go after, with the aim of murdering or lifetime imprisoning Julian Assange and Ed Snowden.

The threat a Hillary Clinton presidency portends has just, since it has fabricated a Russian connection for Wikileaks, become far more dangerous-- to whistleblowers, protesters and the future of Democracy and freedom of the press.

This should not come as a surprise. This is part of an ongoing pattern. The neoliberal Democrats have been trying to sell Russia as the bad guy in the Ukraine, where Obama's attempted to install a dictator, and in Syria, where Obama has allied with ISIS to take down Assad, accusing Russia of bad actions when it is the US policy that is allowing ISIS.

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See original here

By Jim Naureckas



Amy Goodman reporting on the Dakota Access Pipeline.

(Image by Democracy Now!) Details DMCA



North Dakota State's Attorney Ladd Erickson has dropped criminal trespassing charges against Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman -- and is instead seeking to charge her with participating in a riot, Democracy Now!(10/15/16) reported today.

Both sets of charges relate to Goodman's coverage of protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline project, which is opposed by a Native American-led coalition that is concerned about its threat to sacred and historic sites, North Dakota's water resources and the planet's climate. While accusing a journalist of trespassing for covering a breaking story of vital public interest is a clear threat to freedom of the press (FAIR.org, 9/15/16). A riot charge would be even worse, because it would attempt to criminalize Goodman's point of view as a reporter.

In emails to Goodman's lawyer quoted by Democracy Now!, Erickson acknowledged that it would be difficult to convict Goodman of trespassing because of "legal issues with proving the notice of trespassing requirements in the statute." But Erickson suggested that Goodman could be charged with rioting because she "was not acting as a journalist" while documenting security guards using pepper spray and siccing attack dogs on protesters. Erickson asserted to the Bismarck Tribune (10/11/16) that Goodman was "a protester, basically. Everything she reported on was from the position of justifying the protest actions."

Erickson's professors at law school no doubt explained to him that the First Amendment does not permit prosecutors to charge people with crimes based on their point of view. Whether Goodman was covering the story because she thought it was important news or because she sympathized with the protesters -- or simply because she's doing the job she's paid to do -- does not affect the fact that she was acting as a reporter.

Under Erickson's legal theory, reporters covering Birmingham's protests in the 1960s would have been stripped of the protection of the Bill of Rights if it could be proved that they intended to show that Bull Connor's treatment of civil rights marchers was unjust. This kind of interrogation of journalists' motives needs to be rejected, and hopefully will be when Erickson's request to charge Goodman goes before a District Judge John Grinsteiner on Monday, October 17.

As the Center for Constitutional Rights' Katherine Franke said in response to Erickson's prosecutorial threat:

"Filming Native Americans being violently attacked as they defend their land is not rioting, it's called journalism, it is protected by the First Amendment, and indeed, it is an essential function in a democratic society."

Meanwhile, documentary filmmaker Deia Schlosberg has been charged in North Dakota's Pembina County with three felony counts in connection with her filming Dakota Access protests: conspiracy to theft of property, conspiracy to theft of services and conspiracy to tampering with or damaging a public service (Huffington Post, 10/14/16).

These charges, too, appear to be based on prosecutors' presumption that Schlosberg was sympathetic to the protest, which State's Attorney Ryan Bialas deemed to be "not a protest" but "a criminal action." It seems it's illegal for journalists to have political opinions in North Dakota.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall gives readers an important wake up call to the bottom up power that they have to protect their rights, powers, and freedoms. His advice applies to all aspects of life, including politics, economics, journalism, entertainment, and psychology and wellness. Kall's book explains the differences between the top-down leadership approach of dominating, fear based, disconnected authoritarianism and the bottom-up connection consciousness that emphasizes values, justice, fairness, equity, and kindness. This book helps readers see the whole elephant as opposed to the disconnected parts. Kall gives great advice as to intensifying, expanding, prolonging, and deepening connections. With his professional background, Rob Kall is the perfect person to write this book. This is a very well-researched book that includes dozens of insightful interviews with top-notch experts. Kall shows how bottom-up small acts can produce massive results. He emphasizes that since we cant avoid this emerging bottom-up connection revolution, we need to learn how to navigate and embrace it. This bottom-up leadership will result in power to the people. This is a fascinating and insightful book, especially in this new era of digital hunting and gathering."



Larry Atkins, author of Skewed: A Critical Thinker's Guide to Media Bias
Fellow revolutionaries,



This blast has two purposes: 1) to ramp up support for Jill Stein in the next three weeks and 2) to make you aware of the March to Take Back Democracy on Oct. 23rd.



1) We built the Bernie or bust movement online having volunteers, who took the Bernie or bust pledge, step up and post URLs to our website on Bernie Facebook pages and groups and by asking everyone to prioritize their activities and recruit just two more people to take the pledge. We have three weeks to demonstrate Jill Stein has much more support than the polls indicate she does. How?



If you go to our Facebook page, you'll see a video pinned to the top explaining how the power of two works. 2X2X2X2X2...pledges to vote for Dr. Stein for the next three weeks will demonstrate a huge following for Jill Stein's candidacy. If you do don't use Facebook, the explanation is simple. Take the pledge to vote for Jill Stein and get just two more people to take the pledge today or tomorrow at the latest. Use Facebook, Twitter or emails to ask people to take the pledge and be relentless until two people you know have taken the pledge. So long as everyone taking the pledge recruits just two more people to do the same, the doubling effect quickly gets "YUGE." You can take the pledge here: http://www.jill2016.com/vote_pledge




From Telesur



U.S. army special forces in Syria

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What's happening in Syria has been going on for over five years and it's not a civil war.

U.S. imperialism has been exporting disaster around the world for over a century now, but not since the "Cuban" missile crisis in 1962, has the U.S. put the world on the brink of such a disaster as we are witnessing today.

What's happening in Syria has been going on for over five years and it's not a civil war. The conflict began as a U.S.-funded effort to depose President Bashar Assad and install a puppet government in Damascus friendly to U.S. interests. I am sure there are some legitimate forces in Syria who oppose the government of Assad, but the U.S. does not care about democracy -- after-all, Assad was elected by his people.

Also in Syria, approximately one dozen militias are not only trying to overthrow the Assad government but they are also fighting among themselves. The ranking Democrat on the U.S. Congressional House Intelligence Committee, uber-Zionist Adam Schiff of California, said of the phenomena of CIA-funded militias fighting in places like Aleppo, "It's part of the three-dimensional chess game." This chess game, played by empires for millennia, profit the wealthy and as always, the people pay the heavy price.

Today we learned that China is contemplating joining Russia and Syria in their alliance to protect the sovereignty of Syria and for stabilization in the Middle East.

The U.S. has long invaded and provoked weaker countries like Afghanistan and Iraq which have little hope of retaliating but nonetheless use what resources they have to fight off U.S. imperialism. However, provoking Russia in places like Syria and Ukraine seems to be the height of arrogance and stupidity on the part of the U.S.

For many years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been the rational actor in this insane U.S. provocation, but Russia is getting ready to fight back -- reportedly holding civil defense drills, warning Russians abroad, and even testing nuclear missiles.

Even though Russia has been invited into Syria by the government -- as rational people who are filled with apprehension over the reality of this danger -- we should be calling on all world leaders to pause in their rush to war. Some of us see no hope for the mis-leaders here in the U.S. to provide some sanity in its foreign policy. In the last U.S. presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the war criminal Clinton reaffirmed her hardcore stance to go to war with Russia, through Syria, if necessary. Clinton also declared her support for a "no fly zone" over Syria, which the chair of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford said would require 70,000 U.S. troops to maintain and would definitely mean war with Russia.

But the only thing that can really stop imperialist carnage is an international working-class force, refusing to be used as cannon-fodder for capitalism, and instead fighting for socialism.

Our very survival as a species depends on international solidarity.
At first glance, Hillary Clinton's speeches to Goldman Sachs, which she refused to show us but WikiLeaks claims to have now produced the texts of, reveal less blatant hypocrisy or abuse than do the texts of various emails also recently revealed. But take a closer look.

Clinton has famously said that she believes in maintaining a public position on each issue that differs from her private position. Which did she provide to Goldman Sachs?

Yes, Clinton does profess her loyalty to corporate trade agreements, but at the time of her remarks she hadn't yet started (publicly) claiming otherwise.

I think, in fact, that Clinton maintains numerous positions on various issues, and that those she provided to Goldman Sachs were in part her public stances, in part her confidences to co-conspirators, and in part her partisan Democratic case to a room of Republicans as to why they should donate more to her and less to the GOP. This was not the sort of talk she'd have given to labor union executives or human rights professionals or Bernie Sanders delegates. She has a position for every audience.

In the speech transcripts from June 4, 2013, October 29, 2013, and October 19, 2015, Clinton was apparently paid sufficiently to do something she denies most audiences. That is, she took questions that it appears likely she was not secretly briefed on or engaged in negotiations over ahead of time. In part this appears to be the case because some of the questions were lengthy speeches, and in part because her answers were not all the sort of meaningless platitudes that she produces if given time to prepare.

Copyrighted Image? DMCA

Copyrighted Image? DMCA

Much of the content of these speeches to U.S. bankers dealt with foreign policy, and virtually all of that with warfare, potential warfare, and opportunities for military-led domination of various regions of the globe. This stuff is more interesting and less insultingly presented than the idiocies spewed out at the public presidential debates. But it also fits an image of U.S. policy that Clinton might have preferred to keep private. Just as nobody advertised that, as emails now show, Wall Street bankers helped pick President Obama's cabinet, we're generally discouraged from thinking that wars and foreign bases are intended as services to financial overlords. "I'm representing all of you," Clinton says to the bankers in reference to her efforts at a meeting in Asia. Sub-Saharan Africa has great potential for U.S. "businesses and entrepreneurs," she says in reference to U.S. militarism there.

Yet, in these speeches, Clinton projects exactly that approach, accurately or not, on other nations and accuses China of just the sort of thing that her "far left" critics accuse her of all the time, albeit outside the censorship of U.S. corporate media. China, Clinton says, may use hatred of Japan as a means of distracting Chinese people from unpopular and harmful economic policies. China, Clinton says, struggles to maintain civilian control over its military. Hmm. Where else have we seen these problems?

"We're going to ring China with missile 'defense,'" Clinton tells Goldman Sachs. "We're going to put more of our fleet in the area."

On Syria, Clinton says it's hard to figure out whom to arm -- completely oblivious to any options other than arming somebody. It's hard, she says, to predict at all what will happen. So, her advice, which she blurts out to a room of bankers, is to wage war in Syria very "covertly."

In public debates, Clinton demands a "no fly zone" or "no bombing zone" or "safe zone" in Syria, from which to organize a war to overthrow the government. In a speech to Goldman Sachs, however, she blurts out that creating such a zone would require bombing a lot more populated areas than was required in Libya. "You're going to kill a lot of Syrians," she admits. She even tries to distance herself from the proposal by referring to "this intervention that people talk about so glibly" -- although she, before and at the time of that speech and ever since has been the leading such person.

Clinton also makes clear that Syrian "jihadists" are being funded by Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar. In October 2013, as the U.S. public had rejected bombing Syria, Blankfein asked if the public was now opposed to "interventions" -- that clearly being understood as a hurdle to be overcome. Clinton said not to fear. "We're in a time in Syria," she said, "where they're not finished killing each other . . . and maybe you just have to wait and watch it."

That's the view of many ill-meaning and many well-meaning people who have been persuaded that the only two choices in foreign policy are bombing people and doing nothing. That clearly is the understanding of the former Secretary of State, whose positions were more hawkish than those of her counterpart at the Pentagon. It's also reminiscent of Harry Truman's comment that if the Germans were winning you should help the Russians and vice versa, so that more people would die. That's not exactly what Clinton said here, but it's pretty close, and it's something she would not say in a scripted joint-media-appearance masquerading as a debate. The possibility of disarmament, nonviolent peacework, actual aid on a massive scale, and respectful diplomacy that leaves U.S. influence out of the resulting states is just not on Clinton's radar no matter who is in her audience.

On Iran, Clinton repeatedly hypes false claims about nuclear weapons and terrorism, even while admitting far more openly than we're used to that Iran's religious leader denounces and opposes nuclear weapons. She also admits that Saudi Arabia is already pursuing nuclear weapons and that UAE and Egypt are likely to do so, at least if Iran does. She also admits that the Saudi government is far from stable.

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein asks Clinton at one point how a good war against Iran might go -- he suggesting that an occupation (yes, they use that forbidden word) might not be the best move. Clinton replies that Iran can just be bombed. Blankfein, rather shockingly, appeals to reality -- something Clinton goes on at obnoxious length about elsewhere in these speeches. Has bombing a population into submission ever worked, Blankfein asks. Clinton admits that it has not but suggests that it just might work on Iranians because they are not democratic.

Regarding Egypt, Clinton makes clear her opposition to popular change.

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From Reader Supported News



President Bashar al-Assad

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One major complaint I had about the George W. Bush administration when I was a CIA officer was that I had never seen a president work so hard to not talk to other countries. Don't like Iraq? Don't talk to Saddam Hussein; just invade. Don't like the political positions of western European countries? Insult them as "old Europe" and court eastern European countries in their place.

When Washington has poor relations with other countries, that makes the CIA's job of collecting intelligence to inform policy harder. And, frankly, the CIA is not as good as it likes to think it is at getting the lay of the land in countries around the world in the first place. That failure to collect intelligence leads to poor analysis, which leads to poor policy decisions at the State Department and the White House. And then the circle repeats itself.

I thought that would change when Barack Obama was elected president. After all, he had already won the Nobel Peace Prize. But under the leadership of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, the State Department and American diplomatic policy have proven to be little more than extensions of what we had under George W. Bush. This is most clearly exemplified in U.S. policy toward Syria.

To put things simply, here's Obama's Syria policy: The Islamic State is bad. Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is bad. Moderate Syrian rebels are good. In a perfect world, that would indeed be the case. But it's not a perfect world, and that's not the reality of today's Syria.

We can all agree that the Islamic State is a dangerous terrorist group with a bankrupt, extreme, pseudo-religious, neo-Baathist ideology, and that it must be stopped before it wreaks its murderous havoc over what's left of the Syrian and Iraqi populations. But at what cost? Why is it up to the United States to send troops to fight in a foreign civil war? We've been at war for the past 14 years. Isn't it past time to stop fighting?

And what about Assad? He's a ruthless dictator, certainly. And the civil war he helped set in motion already has claimed the lives of something like 220,000 Syrians and has forced nearly 12 million more to flee their homes as refugees or internally displaced people.

With that said, he's also the only one protecting religious minorities like Alawites, Druze, and Christians in Syria, the latter of whom make up about 10 percent of the population, including notable minorities in both the Syrian parliament and cabinet. Unlike many people elsewhere in the region, Syrians of all religious traditions were generally free to practice their faith before the war began.

This also used to be the case in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, despite his own ruthlessness. By now most Iraqi Christians have fled the country. Church leaders have been kidnapped and murdered. And you're more likely to meet an Iraqi Christian in Detroit than in Baghdad.

And what about those "moderate" Syrian rebels, the ones John Kerry seems to be so fond of? There might be a handful of freedom-loving secularists in Syria. But most are hardcore Islamists like the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, a group rumored to be armed and supported by the CIA. They aren't any more interested in democracy than Assad or the Islamic State.

There is, however, a solution. And it doesn't involve killing more people, stumbling into other countries' civil wars, sending troops, or initiating no-fly zones. It's called diplomacy.

The United States has national security interests in Syria. We want to stop the Islamic State. The Russians and Iranians have interests there, too. They want to support and defend their friend Assad, who, by the way, is the internationally-recognized head of state, whether or not we like his politics. The Turks, too, have an interest in protecting their border. The Jordanians have an interest in resettling Syrian refugees back in Syria.

Doesn't it make sense, then, to work toward peace talks that would include Moscow, Damascus, Ankara, Amman, and other regional capitals? Doesn't it make sense to support a policy that doesn't demand the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, a move that would certainly lead to the kind of long-term chaos we've seen in the wake of Washington's failed policies in Iraq and Libya? Doesn't it make sense for the international community to work together to bring peace and stability to the region?

Assad is not a choirboy. But we should be talking to him, too, and we should reopen our embassy in Damascus. There's no way to defeat the Islamic State while this war is still underway.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
Just a geography question. Or maybe it's a different sort of question.

Do a web search for "USS Mason" and you will find countless "news" reports about how this poor innocent U.S. ship has been fired upon, and fired upon again, and how it has fired back "countermeasures" in self-defense.

But you might stumble onto one article from CNN (don't watch the totally misleading video posted just above the text) that says:

"Officials Saturday night were uncertain about what exactly happened, if there were multiple incoming missiles or if there was a malfunction with the radar detection system on the destroyer."

So, was the poor wittle innocent destroyer fired at or not?

The simple but apparently impossible point to grasp is that it does not matter. The United States destabilized Yemen with a massive killing spree known as a "drone war." The United States armed Saudi Arabia to bomb Yemen with jets, supplied the jets, supplied the bombs (and cluster bombs), refueled the jets midair, provided the targeting information, provided the cover at the United Nations, and deployed its ships to the coast of Yemen as part of its effort to achieve U.S./Saudi power in Yemen through mass murder and devastation. If one group or another or nobody in Yemen fired some harmless shots at a U.S. ship the outcome is the same: zero legal or moral or practical justification to continue or escalate the killing, and zero logic in calling such escalation "defensive."

Likewise, speculation -- including in the CNN video posted just above its article -- that Iran was behind the possibly fictional attacks on the U.S. ship does not matter. The conclusions that can be drawn are identical whether or not such baseless and wishful theories are true.

This is the point of my use of examples of past similar (non)-incidents like the Gulf of Tonkin Non-Incident in my book War Is A Lie. The point is not that because the U.S. military lied about Tonkin it's likely to be lying again next time (though that's a fair conclusion). The point is actually completely different. The point is that when you put U.S. ships on the coast of Vietnam and use them to fire on Vietnam, the question of whether anyone ever fires back is not a question of aggression against the United States of America.

Let's recall what (didn't) happen on August 4, 1964. U.S. war ships were on the coast of North Vietnam and were engaged in military actions against North Vietnam. So President Lyndon Johnson knew he was lying when he claimed the August 4 (non)-attack was unprovoked. And any ordinary person could have known he was lying without awaiting any classified leaks. One simply had to check to see which coast of the United States the Gulf of Tonkin was on. (Same with the Red Sea.)

Had the Gulf of Tonkin Incident happened, it could not have been unprovoked. The same ship that was supposedly attacked on August 4 had damaged three North Vietnamese boats and killed four North Vietnamese sailors two days earlier, in an action where the evidence suggests the United States fired first, although the opposite was claimed. In fact, in a separate operation days earlier, the United States had begun shelling the mainland of North Vietnam.

But the supposed attack on August 4 was actually, at most, a misreading of U.S. sonar. The ship's commander cabled the Pentagon claiming to be under attack, and then immediately cabled to say his earlier belief was in doubt and no North Vietnamese ships could be confirmed in the area. President Johnson was not sure there had been any attack when he told the American public there had been. Months later he admitted privately: "For all I know, our navy was just shooting at whales out there." But by then Johnson had the authorization from Congress for the war he'd wanted. There the parallel breaks down, of course, as President Barack Constitutional Scholar Obama cannot be bothered with Congressional authorizations. Yet he still requires a certain level of public tolerance.

In a 2003 documentary called The Fog of War, Robert McNamara, who had been Secretary of "Defense" at the time of the Tonkin lies, admitted that the August 4 attack did not happen and that there had been serious doubts at the time. He did not mention that on August 6 he had testified in a joint closed session of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees along with Gen. Earl Wheeler. Before the two committees, both men claimed with absolute certainty that the North Vietnamese had attacked on August 4.

McNamara also did not mention that just days after the Tonkin Gulf non-Incident, he had asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff to provide him with a list of further U.S. actions that might provoke North Vietnam. He obtained the list and advocated for those provocations in meetings prior to Johnson's ordering such actions on September 10. These actions included resuming the same ship patrols and increasing covert operations, and by October ordering ship-to-shore bombardment of radar sites (exactly what the U.S. just did in Yemen).

A 2000-2001 National Security Agency (NSA) report concluded there had been no attack at Tonkin on August 4 and that the NSA had deliberately lied. The Bush Administration did not allow the report to be published until 2005, due to concern that it might interfere with lies being told to get the Afghanistan and Iraq wars started.

On March 8, 1999, Newsweek had published the mother of all lies: "America has not started a war in this century." No doubt Team Bush thought it best to leave that pretense undisturbed.

When the United States was lied more deeply into the Vietnam War, all but two senators voted for the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. One of the two, Wayne Morse (D-OR), told other senators that he had been told by the Pentagon that the alleged attack by the North Vietnamese had been provoked. Obviously any attack would have been provoked. But the attack itself was fictional, and that's the point people seem to latch onto, missing the more important understanding that it does not matter.

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"The Drowning Girls" isn't a jump into the deep end.

It's more of a slow wade toward submersion.

The Bag & Baggage production is based on the crimes of serial killer and bigamist George Joseph Smith, who murdered three wives in three years from 1912 to 1914. He was hanged for his crimes in 1915.

Smith preyed on lonely, vulnerable women desperate for love in a time when a woman's worth was closely tied to her ability to serve as a wife and mother. In each case, Smith had the woman transfer her money to him, take out an insurance policy on her own life and name him the sole beneficiary of her will.

In each case the wife died mysteriously in a bathtub.

The play explains how Smith drowned each of his wives without them making a sound. When I saw this explained onstage I thought, "Surely, there's no way you can drown like that." I'll save you the online searching time after the show: It's true. Detectives really did test their theories of the drownings on female swimmers. They really did discover the killer's method, and the Smith case really was significant in the establishment of forensic science.

But "The Drowning Girls" isn't a procedural about Smith. He never makes an appearance except as a looming outline projected behind the women.

This abstract play focuses on giving voice to his victims: Bessie Mundy (played by Jessi Walters), Alice Burnham (played by Autumn Buck) and Margaret Lofty (played by Jessica Geffen).

When we meet "the girls," they've already drowned, and they're in their own tubs and their own worlds.

At the onset, it's unclear who these women are (and one suspects they don't know who they are themselves). The three actresses, who make up the entire cast, portray dozens of characters, so the start of the show is disorienting.

But Buck, Walters and Geffen slide into the different personas with precision - particularly when they become their killer - and after the first 15 minutes or so, audiences will have no trouble keeping things straight.

Slowly, the women realize who they are and we learn what happened to them. The story builds to a crescendo and ends like a splash of cold water to the face.

One leaves with the sense that we end exactly where we began.

Strengths: The set and lighting design, by Megan Wilerson and Jim Ricks-White, immerse the audience in the women's watery purgatory. Sheets of paper dangling across the stage dance in the light like falling rain or rippling water. And they remind the audience of the real-life court transcripts, letters and wills that form the basis of the tale.

Weaknesses: This play is slow to start. Literally. I suspected there were some technical difficulties that delayed things in the opening, but director Scott Palmer told me after the show it's all intentional. He wants the audience a little uncomfortable from the start. Mission accomplished, there.

There are a few points where the script fails to deliver a compelling narrative. The strongest moments are when one woman is recalling her life and the other two actresses play auxiliary roles. But there are times when all three actresses aren't their main characters, and it provides a muddy story line. What's the perspective in this purgatory?



Memorable quote: "I am amazed at the effect a wedding ring had on my entire existence," Bessie says. What an understatement, not just foreshadowing her death, but also expressing how necessary a marriage -- any marriage -- was to the validity of a woman's life a hundred years ago.

Takeaway: Go see it. It's weird, well-acted theater that will make you think. This isn't a date-night movie. You will be uncomfortable. You will want to mull over your observations on sexism, femininity and the afterlife over a glass of red wine. If you're brave, you might want to soothe your post-play self with a warm bath.

***

"The Drowning Girls," Bag & Baggage

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 31

Where: The Venetian Theatre, 253 E. Main St., Hillsboro

Tickets: $20-$30
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Complaints filed by parents have forced Portland Public Schools to admit that officials appeared to have wrongly relied on children's disabilities when denying them entry into the district's gifted program.

The district also acknowledged the programs admissions process isn't transparent. As a result, the district is looking to overhaul it. And the three families who complained their children had been excluded have been granted entry to the district's Access Academy, an alternative program for high-aptitude students.

One complaint, filed by three families, accused the district of discriminating against special education students. A second complaint, with five families signed on, accused the district of running an opaque application process.

Access has long been plagued by its exclusivity. Every year it turns away qualified students due to space issues. For this school year, Access received 177 applications for 76 spots in first through eighth grade. Seventy-one applicants were waitlisted.

"I'm really sorry the parents felt like they had to do a complaint for action to be taken," said Karl Logan, the senior administrator who reviewed the complaints. "And I definitely empathize with them. I could see how much this has impacted them when I met with them."

A letter sent to parents in the special education complaint noted the "appearance of an impermissible reliance on consideration of a disabling condition." Although Logan said in the letter he did not believe discrimination took place.

Logan also told the parents that the district, out of an abundance of caution, would review all special education applicants for the current school year who were wait listed. But as it turned out, of only four students admitted after the review, three were from the families who complained.

In an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive, Logan said he didn't think discrimination had occurred because Access' rate of admitting special education students has been as good as or slightly better than the district average.

But the parents who complained say that just because Access has previously accommodated other special education students doesn't mean the district didn't violate federal discrimination law by denying their children. Documents, which the parents obtained through a public records request, implied the district had decided that accepting the complainants' children would strain resources.

The federal Americans With Disabilities Act forbids setting eligibility criteria that "tend to screen out an individual with a disability."

The families who complained say the district's response -- and proposed changes -- have left them confused and cautious.

For one, the families who complained of discrimination find it suspicious that they account for the bulk of the reversals.

And even one of those admissions is conditional -- because of the child's disability. Natalie Hval said she was told her child will be admitted to Access if the district can sort out how to accommodate his need for a behavior room.

"My understanding is that's against the law," Hval said. "It's really crazy-making because nothing makes any sense. You're supposed to tie yourself in knots trying to make it make sense, and they never even explain it."

Logan said parents had not received any special treatment because they complained.

Asked by the The Oregonian/OregonLive to explain the district's review of wait-listed special education students, however, Logan gave inconsistent answers. In total, 17 students applications were reviewed and all had been in the third grade, he said.

The Oregonian/OregonLive, however, spoke to a parent whose autistic fifth grader was on the Access wait-list and thus should have been included if the district was reviewing all special education children who were wait listed. Also, Hval's child, who was on the wait list and accepted, is in the fourth grade.

Logan did not respond to emails and phone calls asking for clarification.

As for making the admissions process more transparent, Logan submitted a recommendation to the superintendent asking that disability identifiers be stripped from applications, that the district's headquarters help in handling admissions, and that a lottery be implemented to pick among qualified students.

Logan discussed the complaint with parents at a Parent Teacher Association meeting at Access last week. Many parents complained about the school's size constraints.

Logan told the parents that schools are not equitable when it comes to gifted services.

Parents often seek out Access to make up for the talented and gifted support their neighborhood schools cannot provide. That's the case even though state law requires the district to identify gifted students and provide support.

-- Bethany Barnes
THE ECONOMICS OF 'RENT STABILIZATION': Regarding "Oregon's housing crisis too big to ignore," (Oct. 7): Rents follow the price of home ownership. If housing prices increase, rents increase and vice versa. Tina Kotek says that "Next session, rent stabilization will be on the docket." I hope she does her homework on this because, as Paul Krugman wrote in The New York Times in 2000, rent control is "among the best-understood issues in all of economics, and -- among economists, anyway -- one of the least controversial." It just doesn't produce the desired result of more affordable housing. In fact, it does just the opposite. Builders would have less incentive to build, so fewer properties would be available. Landlords would have less incentive to maintain their properties. Tenants who secure a rent-controlled apartment would tend to stay put, thereby reducing normal turnover.

I agree that the high cost of housing has become a problem, but it can be better addressed by giving incentives to developers to build more affordable housing and by providing rent assistance to more needy families.

Philip Rothrock, Northeast Portland

*

KOTEK'S REMEDIES WILL REDUCE AFFORDABLE HOUSING: House Speaker Tina Kotek is concerned about the lack of affordable housing in Oregon, particularly in Portland, Bend and Eugene ("Oregon's housing crisis too big to ignore," (Oct. 7). She wants to preserve the affordable housing we have now and increase it in the near future. Unfortunately, the legislative remedies she proposes almost certainly will reduce the supply of affordable housing.

In the next session of the Legislature, she proposes laws to permit only "just cause" evictions and restrictions of rent increases. How these will preserve the existing supply of affordable housing, much less increase it, is unclear. Why invest in property if the state is going to dictate what is "just cause" and a "reasonable percentage" increase in rent?

Speaker Kotek would justify these laws with what she says is a universal human right to safe, affordable housing. The basis for such a human right surely must rest on a consensus in the community that such a right exists. It isn't clear to me that such a consensus exists in Oregon, or even in Portland, for tax-supported safe housing for everyone. Speaker Kotek's proposal implies that the cities and communities are either unable or unwilling to enact the laws necessary to implement whatever social/economic benefits they might agree on, so the state will do it for them. Even if most of the citizens in a political jurisdiction agree on a universal right for affordable, safe housing, there are better ways to proceed than those advocated by the speaker.

Allan Halderman, Southeast Portland
PRESIDENT OBAMA AND SYRIA: Press reports indicate that President Obama is considering attacks against Syrian government forces. He does not have the constitutional authority to order such attacks without prior congressional approval. The apparently unauthorized and allegedly mistaken attack on Syrian forces a week ago has already led directly to the rupture of a painstakingly negotiated truce and a re-escalation of Russia's military involvement in Syria's civil war. If the president believes that going to war against a key Russian ally is a good idea, let him argue in favor of such a war before the Congress. Congressional passivity on this matter must not be interpreted as tacit approval of whatever plans the administration is considering in secret.

Laird Wheeler Hastay, Forest Grove
PORTLAND LIGHT RAIL: I would respond to Dennis E. Larson (Letters to the Editor, Oct. 7) that since the MAX train started running in 1986 there have indeed been many cars taken off the highway. Perhaps we should all consider that since this system was conceived and built, the city and its population have changed considerably. I went online and found the population of Portland in 1986 was about 375,000; in 2010, it was about 600,000. I suggest that those 225,000-plus people brought some cars with them. And now we have grown for another 6 years.

I think that TriMet could be faster in some ways. I agree it seems to take a while to get places on TriMet and perhaps if ridership was higher the schedule could be increased to every 7 or 8 minutes. It is a level grade railway and it cannot build up speed like a true subway. I also miss the express buses but they would have to fit on now much busier highways as well. This progress costs money and lags behind need, but infrastructure needs to be maintained and expanded to meet the growth of the city and the outlying areas.

Larson's friend may indeed have a long commute, but without MAX it could be much worse. That said, TriMet should do a better job of communicating their challenges and solutions so we know that we are not forgotten in the equation of better service.

Wayne Brooks, Northwest Portland
Dennis Tang, Clint Berggren, and Calli Masters

As high school students, we can say that we're lucky and have never feared for our safety when going to school. But recent tragedies on the news are a constant reminder that many other students across the country aren't so fortunate. School shootings have changed the atmosphere of schools nationwide, making many students aware of the violence that can exist in an educational environment.

Within the last five years, our district has introduced mandatory "lockdown" drills to prepare us for a dangerous person entering our school with a weapon. We have witnessed the toll a tragic death had on a family in our community. It not only scars the family, who will feel its effects forever, but also cracks the facade of safety within a community and leaves us to wonder "what if it was me?" Shootings have changed the atmosphere of schools, as it is impossible to know when the next blow will be delivered. Students, teachers and parents alike have developed a growing awareness of the risks, but we never know when violence will break out until it does.

The issue of gun violence has occupied the thoughts of our nation for decades, especially considering that around half of American households have firearms. With about 11,000 people killed by firearms every year in the United States, we need to stop acting like children and solve our problems. Postponing the creation of an effective -- though potentially controversial -- solution will only delay the end to the violence. Whether you believe that guns kill people or that people kill people, lives are being ended either way.

Action needs to be taken to lower the firearm mortality rate. The debate to be had is how our nation goes about finding an answer.

A solution can be found by looking to Australia, which has instituted a radical gun ban. It's time for us to do the same.

The effectiveness of the ban is astonishing. Twenty years prior to the law, 104 people were killed in a series of 13 mass shootings. In the following two decades, not a single large-scale homicide has occurred. Australia's government buyback program provided more than 650,000 people with compensation at full price.

To start somewhere, the U.S. could offer an optional buyback of any firearms. That would retain our Second Amendment right while decreasing the sheer number of guns in circulation. This could stop the bleeding before we need to operate.

Or we could ban automatic and semi-automatic rifles, along with pump-action shotguns. It would be a drastic improvement if the 372 mass shootings that took place last year in the U.S. were reduced by even a quarter. If the 18th Amendment that banned alcohol can be changed, so can the Second Amendment.

The tragic shooting at Umpqua Community College should force us to realize that sacrificing our want of firearms is an obvious choice if it means saving the lives of our fellow citizens. The right to live should far outweigh the right to own a shotgun.

Dennis Tang, Clint Berggren and Calli Masters are all sophomores at West Linn High School.
Description

On Sunday, Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Chipotle Mexican Grill will host a fundraiser in support of The American Cancer Societys Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk across all NYC Metro, NJ, Long Island, Hudson Valley and Westchester Area Chipotle locations. Following the event, when walk participants head into any of these locations and mention the fundraiser at the register, Chipotle will donate 50 percent of the proceeds to ACSs Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.
Earlier this month I raised the question of Donald Trumps fitness to be president of the United States (see Midland Daily News, Oct. 2, 2016, or my website). It is only fair I ask the same question of Hillary Clinton. In Trumps case, I based my comments on his self-serving use of words, his inability to focus on a subject for more than a few minutes and his worldview based on power. I concluded that Trump is not fit to be president.

Using the same criteria, Clinton uses and chooses words well in coherent and logical thought. She is able to focus on a subject for longer than a few minutes as her testimony for more than nine hours before a Congressional subcommittee attests, and her worldview is one of inclusion and the common good. Compared to Trump she is eminently fit to be president.

Trustworthiness

A different character trait must be used in discussing Clinton, however. Many people think she cannot be trusted. Gov. Chris Christie at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland spoke to the heart of this distrust. Unfortunately, that speech was more bravado than substance. The convention goers were quick to yell guilty and lock her up but this is totally contrary to our justice system which says a person is innocent until proven guilty. On the other hand, there appears to be an element of secrecy and therefore suspicious dishonesty in keeping with the old saying, where theres smoke, theres fire. Lets take a look at four areas of concern.

Whitewater

The Whitewater Development Corp. was a failed real estate venture by Bill and Hillary Clinton and Jim and Susan McDougal in the 1970s and 1980s. The McDougals were the owners of the failed Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan. When the investigator of the failed S&L learned that the Clintons were in partnership with the McDougals, the Clintons came under investigation also. The Clintons themselves were never prosecuted after three separate inquiries found insufficient evidence linking them with the criminal conduct of others related to Whitewater.

Wall Street speeches

Clinton gave 91 private talks from April 2013 to March 2015. Fourteen were delivered directly to financial-sector interests, including Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Goldman. Her fees from these speeches were $3 million of her total $21.7 million for all 91 speeches.

Her critics suggested she was too close to Wall Street and that she had something to hide by not releasing the transcripts of those conversations but Clinton has every right to give speeches to whatever group she wishes.

Private email server

While Secretary of State Clinton used her private family email server for official communications, some experts, officials and members of Congress have contended that her use of private messaging system software and a private server violated State Department protocols and procedures, as well as federal laws and regulations governing recordkeeping.

On July 5, 2016, the FBI stated that Clinton was extremely careless in handling her email system but recommended that no charges be filed against her. And none were.

Clinton in her defense claimed that her immediate predecessors, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, also conducted official business by means of private email, but, as Bill Bloom, a lawyer and retired judge, wrote, neither went so far as to set up their own personal internet systems in their homes, free from government oversight and beyond the reach of the Freedom of Information Act. Heres another case of innocent until proven guilty.

The Benghazi attack

On Sept. 11, 2012, members of Ansar al-Sharia attacked the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, resulting in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and others. Critics claim that Secretary of State Clinton acted improperly in not preventing this attack. After five hearings in the House and two in the Senate, none found overt wrongdoing.

Amy Davidson in an article in the New Yorker about the hearings concluded that Clinton came across not only as a grownup, as her supporters had hoped, but as the most normal person in the room.

Conclusion

Hillary Clinton has been in the public eye for over 30 years. This means that the public has had many opportunities to see, investigate and judge her performance. The four situations above exemplify that scrutiny. Like the rest of us, who do not live in the public eye, she has made some mistakes, but she was not found guilty of any wrongdoing. I believe the decision to vote or not to vote for Clinton should not be based on the fact she made some mistakes.

With her experience in public service in Arkansas, New York and Washington, she has much to offer as our leader. She has a vision for the country and the world. I concede you may not agree entirely with her vision, nor do I, but Congress will temper that vision. And she will be a far greater president than Trump.

It will be tempting for some not to vote or to vote for a third party candidate but in both cases you are letting others make your decision as to who will be our next president. I think Clinton is a good choice for president.

Norbert Bufka of Midland is an occasional contributor to the Midland Daily News. He can be reached at norbert609@sbcglobal.net and citations for references can be found in the digital version on his website: http://www.thisonly.org/
BLOOMINGTON  Counselors will be at the Bloomington High School this week, assisting students and staff, after a BHS teacher was charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of her husband.

Sarah Mellor, 30, a BHS Spanish/language teacher, is accused of stabbing her husband, Mark, 31, following an argument late Saturday night at a campground near Carlock. Mark Mellor died at 12:15 a.m. Sunday at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center.

The steps that we have taken are really focused on the needs of our staff and our students, District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly said Tuesday. We have made counseling available for both.

Sarah Mellor, a Bloomington native, has been featured in several Pantagraph stories, most recently in July relating to her role as co-coordinator of the Raiders 101 program, a two-week high school acclimation program hosted by District 87 to get freshmen started on the right foot. In November 2015, she was recognized by the District 87 school board for her work in obtaining grant money for the program. She's been teaching eight years.

According to her online biography page, she enjoys living and working in the Twin Cities and traveling. She also is an avid runner, finishing sixth in the womens division of the Evergreen Lake Ultras, a 17-mile race at Hudson.

Friends and family members did not respond to requests for comment, but obituary information given to The Pantagraph states that Mark Mellor loved nature, fishing, hunting, plants and wildlife. He enjoyed spending time on the banks of the Mackinaw River.

Obviously this is really shocking and sad news, Reilly said. We are all shocked and sad. It is something that obviously is unexpected. We prepare for all kinds of situations, but this is beyond anything we have experienced before. Regardless, we will address the needs of our kids and staff because we know this is going to be on their minds. Its public. Its out there. We need to be responsive to that.

District 87 officials informed parents with a letter noting that incident did not occur on school grounds and that the allegations do not in any way relate to Bloomington students or other staff. In addition, the letter stated that the administration is monitoring the situation and will cooperate with law enforcement authorities, if requested to do so.

The Bloomington couple married on Nov. 11, 2013, and shared a love for nature and the outdoors, but police say something went wrong on the weekend camping trip that led to the argument.

Few details have been released, but Woodford County States Attorney Greg Minter said family members transported the victim to the Advocate BroMenn, arriving at 12:08 a.m. Sunday. He was pronounced dead seven minutes later; McLean County Coroner Kathy Davis ruled his death was due to a stab wound to the chest.

Sarah Mellor was arrested by Woodford County Sheriffs deputies early Sunday and on Monday, was formally charged with first-degree murder. Bond was set at $1 million and she remains in the Woodford County Jail, awaiting a Nov. 3 court appearance.
For Pantagraph reporter Wilma Tolley, the Illinois Terminal Railroad in 1950 was the last of its kind  a railroad that served small towns and rural folk in a neighborly fashion.

The Illinois Terminal, which ran out of Bloomington south to Decatur and west and north to Peoria, wasnt a vestige of the steam era and its hulking locomotives. Neither was it a newly dieselized line with its boxy, utilitarian engines. Rather, it was a light-rail, electrified system of elegant interurban cars that connected a half-dozen Central Illinois cities  Bloomington, Peoria, Decatur, Champaign, Danville and Springfield  with St. Louis.

In the fall of 1950, the intrepid Tolley, armed with a camera and notebook, boarded the 4:30 a.m. out of Bloomington to East Peoria, returning home on the same line three hours later. Along the way she observed the pastoral sights and sounds, and measured pace of life and work, on this rural traction system (traction being another term for light-rail).

On Sunday, Oct. 1, The Pantagraph devoted a full page to Tolleys early morning jaunt through the Corn Belt countryside and the Mackinaw River valley, calling it Traction Trains Make Neighborly Run. Accompanying the article were 13 photographs she took during the trip.

Traction service reached Bloomington in late 1906 with the completion of the Bloomington-to-Decatur line. Some six months later, in April 1907, the Illinois Traction System (as it was known in its early years) added a Bloomington-to-Peoria connection.

Interurban cars northbound into Bloomington (that is, coming from Decatur) turned west onto Lincoln Street, trundling passed the south end of whats now Evergreen Memorial Cemetery. After crossing Main and Center streets and turning north onto Madison Street, the cars passed through a residential stretch of the German South Hill neighborhood. Continuing north on Madison, they then halted at the Illinois Terminal station in the warehouse district south of downtown.

From the warehouse district the cars continued north on Madison through downtown Bloomington. By the late 1940s, automobile congestion had pushed interurban traffic away from the downtowns of most cities. One prominent exception was Bloomington, which into the 1950s featured the anachronistic sight of interurban cars navigating a still-vibrant downtown of tight turns, double-parked autos, delivery trucks and darting pedestrians. At Market Street these long-distance trolley cars turned west and headed out of town.

The rather ruthless mogul behind this interurban enterprise was William B. McKinley, a cousin to the more famous President William McKinley. By the early 1910s, the McKinley System boasted a 644-mile rail network and a daily schedule of 165 trains. In a later reorganization, the Illinois Traction System became the Illinois Terminal Railroad.

Although electrified light rail cars lacked the motive power of steam and diesel locomotives, they were quieter, soot-free, and could stop and start much easier, the latter feature well-suited to the countryside, as passengers ranging from farmers to schoolchildren  were spread thinly along the lines.

A timetable effective Nov. 7, 1948, shows six trains daily between Bloomington and Mackinaw Junction (this junction was where the Bloomington-Peoria line met the systems Peoria-Springfield-St. Louis mainline). In addition to 10 stations along the way (though only the larger communities had anything resembling a depot), there were nearly five times as many stops. Most of these stops were marked with no more than a sign board, though a few, such as Lilly in Tazewell County, featured a tiny, one-room, wood-frame shelter.

Tolley counted no less than 49 stations and stops along the 36 miles from Bloomington to East Peoria. They stop for passengers at crossroads, village stations and wherever they are flagged, Tolley reported of the Illinois Terminal train crew. If the conductor called stops, hed be breathless before he reached Danvers.

As Tolley traveled down the lonely line in a fog-shrouded September morning her thoughts turned wistful. The Illinois Terminals days as a passenger carrier were coming to an end, as the railroad could not overcome larger social and economic changes sweeping the Corn Belt, mainly those involving the intertwined issues of depopulation, school consolidation and the rise of the automobile. Tolley knew this, as did the train crew and most passengers.

The impressions came one after another, she observed, the lonely sight of an early morning passenger flagging violently in the foggy roadside  two cows being switched across the tracks far ahead  a delayed start out of Danvers because the motorman had to call off a dog that flushed a rabbit and caught it beside the train  the smell of warm egg sandwiches as workmen stood silently waiting to dismount at East Peoria.

Tolleys car also carried U.S. mail. In Allentown, a tiny community between Mackinaw and Morton, she watched a neat, gray-haired woman, the village postmistress, catch the mail sack as it was tossed out to her. At one point the conductor stoked a fire in the potbelly stove in the rear of the car. To take the chill off the air, he said.

As they came into Bloomington, motorman Clarence Perdue slowed to a halt at West Market Street so men could finish unloading a truck rudely parked upon the tracks. Thats Bloomington alright, called out Perdue, who found himself blocked by trucks several more times before making it though downtown and to the Madison Street station in the warehouse district. This building, which later served as a Capodice Produce warehouse, was torn down in late 2014.

The railroad, though, could not forestall the inevitable in the face of plummeting ridership levels, declining revenue and mounting operating losses. On Oct. 12, 1950, less than two weeks after publication of Tolleys feature, the Illinois Commerce Commission granted the Illinois Terminal Railroad permission to eliminate four trains originating out of Bloomingtontwo regularly scheduled for Decatur and two for Peoria.

On Feb. 23, 1953, Bloomington lost its remaining interurban service for good when the Illinois Terminal abandoned the 67 miles of track from Mackinaw Junction to Forsyth, a community just north of Decatur. Passenger service continued on the Springfield-to-St. Louis mainline until March 1956. The company, though, eventually dieselized its entire engine roster and remained in the freight business into the early 1980s.

Vestiges of the old interurban survive today. Much of the railroad right of way west and south of Bloomington, for instance, is distinctly visible via Google Earth. Theres also the Interurban Branch of Constitution Trail on Bloomingtons far west side, so called because the section running from the West Illinois 9 trail wayside to roughly the Interstate 55/74 underpass closely follows the old Illinois Terminal roadbed.

Although Bloomingtons interurban station was lost to the wrecking ball (as was an earlier one on the 200 block of North Madison Street), a few survive. In Danvers, for instance, the handsome old brick station is now a handsome family residence. And in Mackinaw, the restored station (which is on the National Register of Historic Places) is home to the mannerly Tea Room at the Depot.

Cant make it out of the Twin Cities? No worries. South of downtown, along South Madison Street in the warehouse district, one can still see rails from the gone-but-not-forgotten age of interurban travel.
NORMAL  Desmond Held knows what its like to live without the essentials, like a bed.

So on Saturday, the 15-year-old volunteered with his brother CJ, 7, and their adoptive father, Andrew Held of Bloomington, to assemble bed frames for local children in need.

I like to help people out, said Desmond. At one point, I didnt have anything and I was in the same experience as some of these kids. It feels good to help people sleep somewhere other than the floor.

Andrew Held is a youth pastor at Victory Christian Center in Bloomington and offers outreach to troubled youth on the city's west side.

As a family, we wanted to help the community, said Held. We know there is a need and hopefully this will fill some of the quota in the community.

Nearly 150 people volunteered through The Tool Library to build 40 bed frames at YouthBuild McLean County Charter School, 360 Wylie Drive, Suite 305, Normal.

The Tool Library, 801 W. Washington St., Bloomington, loans tools to those completing home improvement projects and offers free project workshops.

We like to meet the needs in the community through volunteer projects like this, said Ryan Heeren, Tool Library director. We heard there was a large number of kids in the community with no beds, so we thought, Well, we have the tools and volunteers, so lets build some beds.

The Tool Library reached out to Twin City schools and agencies and asked them to find families in need. The response was larger than expected, so the group plans to turn the project into an annual event.

Along with a bed frame, children also will receive a mattress, sheet set, pillow, hygiene kit, handmade quilt and books.

A bed is a really personal thing for a child. Its their own space in a home where they can cozy up and unwind. Plus, with a good nights sleep, they can achieve more at school, said Heeren.

After moving into an apartment with little furniture, LoChaka Wise of Bloomington submitted an application for three beds.

I was trying to save money to buy beds for my children. This came at just the right time, said Wise as she helped assemble beds with her family.

Most nights, she said, her children will sleep in her bed or on the living room floor.

It means a great deal to me to get these beds for them. Now they can have their own space and I can have my own space, said Wise.

A group of graduate sociology students from Illinois State University put the homework aside for a few hours to team up.

"I got this group together because I just wanted to help. I shared a bed with my sister until I was 13, said Rachel Wimberly of Detroit, Mich. Having your own bed is a sign of independence. You can be your own person and have your own space separate from your siblings.

Bloomington-Normal Jaycees, YouthBuild, Shermans furniture store and New Covenant Community Church, all in Normal, and Scribbles Center for Learning and Carls Pro Band, both in Bloomington, sponsored the project with numerous individual donors.
Donald Trump should not be elected president of the United States.

Before the Illinois primary election in March, we urged citizens to vote against Trump. But he won the Republican nomination and is now in a surreal battle with Democrat Hillary Clinton for the right and privilege of sitting in the Oval Office.

Our position has not changed. In fact, we're even more adamant that Trump should not lead our country. Clinton is the better choice.

Our continued opposition to Trump isn't because of his sexually offensive comments that brought about the most recent national outcry; rather, it is because of a culmination of offensive behavior  racist, sexist, and religious insults against a large swath of the electorate  and a lack of clear-cut policies on a number of subjects.

Usually, we endorse candidates we want voters to support. And except for Barack Obama in 2008, our presidential endorsements have gone to Republicans. But this election pales in comparison to anything in our nation's history.

Simply put, Trump lacks the temperament, maturity and depth of knowledge required to be commander in chief.

That leaves Clinton. There are things we don't like about the former secretary of state: the email scandal (though she was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing); the continued murkiness over Benghazi; and the perception among many that she tells voters what they want to hear, when she believes something else, are among them.

But she is stable. She is knowledgeable and she understands what it means to lead the country. Her years as first lady, her work in the U.S. Senate and as secretary of state under Obama  while you may question her record  have given her the credentials and experience to be president.

She also would be able to work with Congress more successfully than Trump, who has lost support from a number of GOP congressmen and senators, including area Reps. Rodney Davis and Adam Kinzinger and Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk.

Trump is used to running his own show and getting his way as a businessman and celebrity. Clinton, on the other hand, understands that there has to be give-and-take  political compromise  to get anything done.

Trump is a bully, a trait that if it's not tolerated on the playground, should not be tolerated in the Oval Office.

Yes, there are a lot of people  a lot  who dislike Hillary Clinton. Trump captured the anger and frustration of many voters who rail against the status quo, the "establishment" that Clinton represents  and, more importantly, for what they feel is an unjust system that keeps them from getting a decent job, affordable health care, lower taxes and the ability to buy and use the guns they want.

But this election is not a case of choosing the lesser of two evils. There is a system of checks and balances that every president must work within. Clinton can do that and has done it. Trump has proven at every turn that he would not.

His renegade persona, taken to the extreme, only proves he is incapable of compromise, reason and diplomacy  all traits essential to be an effective president in a divided Congress, and country.

Choosing libertarian Gary Johnson as a "protest" vote against Trump or Clinton isn't the answer, either.

There is a lot to do to get this country back on track. Clinton is the candidate best equipped to do that. She should be elected the president on Nov. 8.
A huge part of people's wellbeing depends on how they brought up of their kids is going. Whether it's too hard or it is easy. This subject hardly gets much coverage in the American politics but is seen to be relatively active when even Donald Trump claims that he believes that women should have better work-life balance.

There's a mutual understanding emerging among the voters that the American government pays little attention and almost zero support for childcare. And the stress brought on the local parents due to this isn't normal when compared with other economically successful countries.

Most rich countries offer parents support in their children's early years whereas Americans get nothing. According to a blog in New York Times, the largest "happiness gap" among 22 countries is witnessed in America, as put forward in the study in The American Journal of Sociology. It is observed that parents in America are 12 percent less happy than non-parents.

According to the New York Times, the main causes of this unhappiness is the lack of paid vacations, sick leaves and high costs of childcare. When compared with France - where parents are happier than non-parents- parenting is consuming but not overwhelming. The government is supporting in numerous ways.

First, they offer high quality daycare, billed on a sliding scale. Second, free preschooler for children aged 3 and above. For older kids they've chipped in for after school activities and summer camps. Above all college costs less than $500 a year.

Countries such as Europe and Canada, the governments are way more giving than in America. Even in Ukraine, the government offers paid maternity leave, practically free preschool and per-baby payments equivalent to eight months of an average salary.

American parenting traditions, however, are quite a shock for foreigners. A normal C-section in America can cost up to $46,000 whereas in a public hospital in London, a woman can give birth practically at no charge.

Even though Britain is considered less generous by rich countries standards, it still offers paid parental leave, 15 hours a week of free preschool. On the contrary, American government offers nothing to children under age five.

The sad part is that most Americans consider this normal and blame themselves when they can't make this back-breaking routine work. They don't realize how terribly they are being treated. All over Europe, except in Sweden and Britain, taxes are slightly higher than in America but they get much more in return.

Things, however, may take a U-turn after the upcoming American elections as both candidates, Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, are discussing parenting issues in their election campaigns. According to The Big Story, Trump is in need of female votes and proposes to put forward a plan for six weeks of paid leave for mothers and tax credits for parents.

Trump also proposed to reduce regulations on childcare "to allow the market to work." Hillary Clinton's proposals, on the other hand, included 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for man and women, reduction of childcare costs and higher wages for childcare workers who are currently paid less than janitors!

Clinton recently named Heather Boushey, who specializes in the issues of working families, as her chief economist of her transition team. It is widely known among prominent educated people that Mrs. Hilary Clinton knows these matters better than any other set of issues. Mrs. Clinton also helped found in 2013, an organization to support of children 5 and under.

She also formed national childcare strategy-addressing cost, quality and access. Dr. Jane Waldfogel of the Columbia University of Social Work has predicted that Mrs. Clinton could "work with a Republican Congress to find some middle ground and get this stuff done." With that said, it's safe to assume that voting for Hilary Clinton make actually make America great at least make it a little more like the rest of the world.
Kate Middleton and husband Prince William recently had their first family trip to Canada. They received warm welcome there, but during the Duchess of Cambridge's solo trip to The Netherlands, the welcome was not as warm as expected.

Kate Middleton was received coldly in The Netherlands, as if saying that people were not excited to see her, according to Celeb Dirty Laundry. The Duchess was there for a meeting discussing mental health.

Days before, Kate Middleton was accompanied by Prince William as they attend events during the World Mental Health Day. Citizens were cheering and seemed attentive to Prince William more than Kate Middleton.

According to the report, Kate Middleton wants to be loved as much as how Princess Diana is loved and admired. Kate Middleton was even tagged as the Most Influential Style Icon in the United Kingdom, according to a Parent Herald report.

Apparently, Kate Middleton is more popular in her territory. A study showed that 29 percent of women in the United Kingdom want her style more than any other fashion gurus and icons.

Kate Middleton has also been supporting homegrown talents. She wears clothes made by unpopular people and she also wears clothes from luxury brands.

Kate Middleton and Prince William are blessed with two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Their recent trip to Canada was a vacation and at the same time was an official trip.

In another Parent Herald report, Kate Middleton was lambasted by Greek Princess Maria-Olympis. The latter said she was more experimental in fashion choices as she was younger than the Duchess of Cambridge.

The 20-year-old princess is social media active and has been taking classes in New York. She is studying at Parsons School of Design.

Princess Maria-Olympia was also rumored to be dating Prince Harry. Prince Harry is the brother of Prince William, husband of Kate Middleton.

Kate Middleton visits the Netherlands on her first solo trip as a royal https://t.co/PI0osDtvGm  TIME (@TIME) October 11, 2016




Dyslexia is not uncommon but the exact number of individuals who has this is yet to be determined. Therefore, don't be so quick to judge that a child is dumb just because he or she is having a hard time in learning how to read or write. Who knows, he or she may have the disorder.

Dyslexia is commonly associated with problems in reading, hence, the term reading disability or reading disorder. However, writing, spelling and speaking can also be affected.

The youngest daughter of Missi Joplin from Missouri has dyslexia and she said that she didn't like to color because she thought the lines were moving whenever she looks at them, Four States Home Page learned. Despite the struggle, she knew she wasn't dumb.

Marla McKan, a tutor at the Springfield Center for Dyslexia and Learning, said that a lot of parents had become frustrated because they know that their child is smart and willing to learn. But they just can't.

People with dyslexia may also have a hard time expressing themselves, according to Understood for Learning and Attention Issues. Others, on the other hand, may have difficulty in distinguishing right from left.

Other children affected by dyslexia may not struggle with reading and writing at an early stage. However, later on, they may encounter difficulty with complex language skills like grammar, reading comprehension and in-depth writing.

There are still other signs and symptoms of dyslexia that parents need to watch out for. This is a need-to-know information because they differ from person-to-person.

Lessie Patterson, a certified therapist in academic language and at the same time, a licensed therapist for dyslexia at Griffis Elementary School in Caddo Mills, developed a way to make use of technology in helping her students with dyslexia in reading. With Bookshare, she is helping her students access books they can read by listening and seeing the highlighted text, Dallas News reported.

Patterson explained that this method would allow the children with dyslexia to learn because not only do they see the words, they could also hear how it is being pronounced. Children will eventually learn the words because they'd get to practice seeing and hearing them correctly.
It's being reported in Bahrain that Cisco and Gulf Business Machines (GBM) will jointly showcase its solutions built around the Apple enterprise product portfolio at GITEX Technology Week 2016, being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from October 16-20.

As Cisco's exclusive channel sponsor at GITEX, GBM will educate visitors on how Apple's business strategy, consultancy and implementation services can help regional businesses improve mobile productivity, enhance mobile efficiency and be responsive to customer interactions.

Frida Kleimert, Head of Channel and Commercial Sales, Cisco UAE stated that "Businesses everywhere and in every category are reinventing themselves. They are becoming digital, software-driven and mobile-centric. Apple and Cisco are responding to this need by creating the very best app and voice experience for iPhone and iPad on corporate networks. With new features in iOS 10 and the latest network software and hardware from Cisco, businesses can leverage their infrastructure to deliver a great user experience."

As part of their GITEX plans, Cisco and GBM are focusing on three areas for Apple solutions: networking, voice, and collaboration. The first set of offerings include optimizing Wi-Fi connectivity, prioritizing business apps and integrating voice and collaboration with Cisco Spark.

GBM has been incorporating Apple products into its solutions, with a view to providing large enterprises and corporate customers with integrated mobility solutions. GBM can offer products from the Apple enterprise solution that includes the full suite of hardware, software, services and support to bolster the mobility capabilities of organizations. GBM was appointed as the first Apple Authorized Systems Integrator in UAE in May this year.

Hani Nofal, Vice President, Intelligent Network Solutions, Security and Mobility, GBM explained that "In the current environment of relentless transformation around business models and enabling technologies, enterprises want a much broader choice of solutions and platforms, where the mobile customer interface needs to be more versatile and adaptable for business needs. This was a key reason why GBM aligned with Apple enterprise solutions and mobility platforms to provide its enterprise customer base, the choice of which mobile platform to build their business models upon."

The five-day event, which was inaugurated by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, is showcasing live demonstrations of next-generation technology solutions from governments and international companies that will transform Middle East businesses.

Across a space of over one million square feet, organizers expect over 100,000 visitors from 150 countries to take part, apart from 4,000 exhibiting companies and 230 speakers.

The five-day event, taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from October 16, under the theme "Reimagining Realities", will redefine how technology can transform businesses through cutting-edge showcases, international keynotes and dignitaries from around the globe in attendance.

For the record, the Apple-Cisco partnership was announced on August 31, 2015.





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Saturday Link Love is a new feature where I collect and post links to various articles Ive come upon over the past week. Feel free to share any interesting articles youve come along as well! The more the merrier.

Full disclosure, though. This month is being really hard for me. I cant be the only one constantly refreshing google news watching for the next scandal or revelation. I cant be the only one with 538 permanently open so I can follow changing predictions. I cant be the only one whose Facebook news feed is full of nothing but Trump. I cant be the only one who is so ready for November 8th to come and end all of this. So, to that end, Ive tried to keep the number of Trump articles included here to a minimum (focusing only on ones that add something specific).

Study Theology, Even If You Dont Believe in God, on The AtlanticWhen I first told my mothera liberal, secular New Yorkerthat I wanted to cross an ocean to study for a bachelors degree in theology, she was equal parts aghast and concerned.

An Evangelical Deal with the Devil, by Steve HackmanSatan looked around at the other evangelical leaders to make sure they were out of earshot, Truth be told, he whispered again into Dobsons ear, I really believe marriage is God ordained.

American Girl, on BuzzFeedPuberty was just around the corner, and nobody knew exactly what it would bring for this sweet, lanky, and rapidly growing child who loved to sing.

The Clintons Marriage: The staggering evangelical hypocrisy over Hillarys refusal to divorce Bill, on SalonDuring our marriage counseling, I confessed that I didnt know if I would stay together with my future husband if he cheated. Our pastor frowned . . . Marriage, he said, is forever.

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Patna: While Nitish Kumar has personally ordered the arrest of those found to be consuming, selling, or transporting alcoholic drinks and their family members, it will be interesting to see how the police treats the arrest of Vicki Manjhi, the maternal grandson of former Chief Minister of Bihar Jitan Ram Manjhi who was caught hauling liquor bottles in Gaya on Friday.

As reported, Vicki was returning to Gaya in his car from Chatra in Jharkhand where he had gone to buy liquor since Bihar is a dry state. During a routine roadblock, the police found a dozen bottles of beer and a bottle of whisky in his car.

Vicki and his friend were taken into custody and later sent to jail.

Incidentally, this is the same Vicki who is out on bail on charges of killing his wife Soni Kumari last January. Her body was cremated hastily even before police or her parents could be notified.

Her parents had accused Manjhi's daughter and her son Vicki of killing their daughter because of their dowry demands.

The President of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), talking to reporters in Patna on Saturday, said that it was a conspiracy to malign his name but he had trust in the judiciary that would do the right thing by exonerating his grandson.
Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar arrived in Rajgir on Saturday to take part in the 3-day Janata Dal  U convention that serves as a brainstorming session to devise political strategies to keep the party strong and to review progress in various projects initiated by him.

Nalanda District Magistrate T S Mohanram, realizing the Chief Minister's expectation from senior bureaucrats during his stay at his favorite resort, has ordered all government offices to remain open on Sunday so they could be summoned anytime to enquire about any ongoing project.

Kumar will address the convention on Monday that would be attended by more than 1200 delegates from Bihar and over 300 from other states. Senior leaders including Sharad Yadav and K C Tyagi will also be present on the occasion.

On the second day of the convention, the Chief Minister will meet with 'Jeevika' workers and thank them for inspiring him to impose prohibition in Bihar.
Iran's Navy fleet sets sail for Baku, Azerbaijan with message of peace and friendship

10/16/16

Source: Press TV; photos by Islamic Republic News Agency

A senior Iranian Navy official says a fleet, comprising a domestically-built destroyer and a missile-launching warship, has departed for Azerbaijan's port city of Baku on the Caspian Sea coast. Rear Admiral Afshin Rezaei Haddad told reporters on Sunday that Damavand destroyer and Joshan missile vessel with 200 navy forces on board headed to Baku in a 3-day operation.





The dispatch was aimed at conveying the message of peace and friendship from the Islamic Republic in the high seas, said the military official, stressing that Iran has sent several fleets with the same mission from the country's north and south to the high seas.







"The dispatch of the fleet is meant to demonstrate that the Islamic Republic of Iran is making efforts with all might to enhance security in the Caspian Sea," Rezaei Haddad stated.

He also noted that Iran plans similar missions in the next six months, while foreign fleets are also due off Iranian coasts in the future.







Iran has invariably asserted that it only uses its naval might for defensive purposes and to send across the Islamic Republic's message of security to other nations.
A 20-year-old Hemet man was arrested late Saturday, Oct. 15, after police say he used a metal chain to vandalize cars and houses, and then to assault a 77-year-old man who came out to see what was happening.

Orion Isaiah Heil was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and both felony and misdemeanor vandalism, jail records show. Bail was set at $25,000.

About 9:45 p.m., Hemet police receive several reports of someone going on a vandalism spree with a chain in the 700 block West Whitter Avenue, officials said in a news release. Before police arrived, a senior citizen who came outside was assaulted, the release said. It did not describe the extent of his injuries.

Officers located and detained Heil, who matched the description of the suspect, in the area of 1400 W. Whitter Ave. They suspected him of being under the influence of drugs, the release said, but that was not among his jail booking charges.
The dynamic that pitted Bernie Sanders against Hillary Clinton continues in Californias 47th Assembly District.

Like Clinton, Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-San Bernardino, has the support of the Democratic establishment. In the rogue spirit of Sanders, Browns challenger, Grand Terrace Democrat Eloise Reyes, is backed by a more liberal wing thats angry with moderate Assembly Democrats such as Brown.

Brown and Reyes are on the Nov. 8 ballot in the 47th Assembly District, which includes part of the city of San Bernardino as well as Colton, Grand Terrace, Rialto and Fontana. In the June 7 primary, Brown and Reyes finished first and second, respectively, in a three-candidate field that included Republican Aissa Chanel Sanchez.

The race has captured Sacramentos attention and money. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has been in the district campaigning for Brown, while a coalition of labor and environmental groups launched a Chevron Cheryl media blitz to portray the assemblywoman as a puppet of the oil and gas industry.

Liberal anger toward Brown stems partly from a 2015 climate change bill that would have mandated reductions in petroleum use by motor vehicles. Brown and other moderate Democrats said that provision, which was struck from the final bill, would have hurt their constituents, many of whom drive long distances to work.

Brown, an assemblywoman since 2012, is a former San Bernardino County NAACP president and TV talk show host who served on the county and San Bernardino city planning commissions and founded the Black Voice News. She has portrayed herself as an advocate for working class constituents who cant afford an agenda driven by out-of-district interests who back Reyes.

Reyes, an attorney and daughter of immigrants who grew up in Colton and picked onions and grapes to pay for school, maintains shes a better representative for district constituents threatened by gun violence and poor air quality. She has said that Brown puts special interests and big business needs first.

Thus far, the total amount spent by independent expenditure committees in the race exceeds $3.7 million, more than whats been spent in any other Assembly or state Senate race, said Rob Pyers, research director with the California Target Book, which studies legislative races.

Reyes ran for the 31st Congressional District seat in 2014, bucking the Democratic establishments backing of Pete Aguilar and winning the endorsement of prominent Democrats like Rep. Xavier Becerra. She raised more than $1 million for campaign, but finished fourth out of seven candidates.

While Reyes finished the congressional race tops among voters who also live in the 47th Assembly District, and more than half of the 47ths voters are Latino, Im inclined to think that Browns moderate voting record is more closely aligned with the districts sensibilities, Pyers said.

Given the 64 percent who voted for either Brown or the Republican in the primary, Im not seeing a lot of growth opportunity for Reyes in the general election.

CHERYL BROWN

Brown, 72, said by telephone that she wants to return to Sacramento to continue her work on behalf of the district. Her priorities include increasing Social Security Insurance/State Supplemental Payments, boosting career technical education efforts, helping family caregivers and a legislative remedy to improve Department of Motor Vehicles service.

Regarding the Chevron Cheryl attacks, Brown said: Im beholden to the families and small businesses of the 47th  We dont have any oil wells here.

Reyes wants to make it harder for workers to go to work, Brown said. She wants to raise taxes.

Fostering a business-friendly climate is important to bring jobs to the district, Brown said. If you dont have businesses, you dont have jobs and therein lies the biggest problem with the Inland Empire, she said.

Brown also cited her experience as an asset. I have the experience now that its going to take someone else another four years to catch up with, especially with someone who has never had any experience in government, she said.

ELOISE REYES

Reyes, 59, said the 47th Districts voters have a clear choice.

Voters can choose me, someone who has fought her entire career for workers, literally protecting them and advocating for them every single day, Reyes wrote in response to emailed questions.

Or, voters can chose the incumbent, Cheryl Brown, who has spent her time in the Legislature focused on doing the bidding of the big corporations in exchange for large lobbyist contributions and a multi-million dollar Super PAC funded by the big corporations, such as Chevron.

Reyes criticized a number of Browns votes, from going against the states new vaccine law to legislation that would have required toy guns to have neon bands to avoid confusion with real firearms.

Our community deserves a leader who will listen to them, who will attend community forums, who will ask the residents of her district what they want, Reyes said.

I will spend time in our district with my ears to the ground taking, direction from the community, instead of expensive trips to Maui and other exotic places to hear what special interest Sacramento has to say.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@scng.com
Away from the big stage at the Desert Trip at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, theres a 35,000-square foot tent that tells the stories of the greatest era of rock n roll through the lenses of people who were on the front lines and behind the amplifiers.

The Desert Trip Photography Experience features more than 200 photos of the six Desert Trip artists: Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, The Who and Roger Waters.

Related: What happened when Neil Young played Desert Trip under a Hunters Moon

The photographers, including Bob Gruen, Henry Diltz, Denis ORegan, Terry ONeill and more, had unfettered access in an age before everyone had a camera in their pocket and before celebrity was a 24-hour news event.

Many of the photos are as moving as the musica behind the scenes shot of late legend Jimi Hendrix backstage with Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones; friends David Bowie and Mick Jagger laughing together at Bill Stickers club after Bowies 1987 Glass Spiders show at Wembley Stadium in London; a food fight between the Stones Charlie Watts, Jones and Bill Wyman at the Gore Hotel in London in 1968 during a banquet for the launch of Beggars Banquet.

Related: From the art to the venue, how Desert Trip differs from Coachella, Stagecoach

Here are some of the amazing details of rock history, as told by the people who were there.

 Lynn Goldsmith had been assigned a cover story on Levon Helm of The Band. In New York in 1983. Dylan was using her piano and wanted to come along. Goldsmith declined because she knew the friends would just chat. Dylan eventually convinced her to let him go by promising he wouldnt talk and she agreed if he took the light readings. Eventually, Dylan grabbed a guitar and jumped into a photo.

 David Montgomery shot promo photos to accompany the Stones iconic Sticky Fingers album with the band members posing with it. Two of the photos in the exhibit featured Jagger and Keith Richards dropping trou with the album acting as a censor bar. In the notes with the photos, Montgomery noted Jaggers charisma and a telling detail about the shoot: Mick wore underwear to his shoot; Keith didnt.

Photos of Neil Youngs Weekend 2 Desert Trip set

 Terry ONeill captured a photo of the Stones ex-bassist Bill Wyman, guitarist Ronnie Wood and David Bowie, the latter holding a saxophone, at actor Peter Sellers 50th birthday party in Los Angeles as part of the impromptu group Trading Faces.

I was invited to Peter Sellers 50th birthday party in LA, and David Bowie got a few guys together to jam. What an incredible moment, the notes next to the photo read.

 One of my favorite photos in the whole exhibit was a rare color shot of Pete Townshend and Jagger, the latter wearing a long-sleeved Polo shirt with horizontal blue, green, orange and pink wide horizontal stripes, stage side at JFK Stadium on Sept. 25, 1982, as The Clash played.

Related: The Desert Trip campgrounds are the backyard barbeque of your dreams

Micks daughter Jade wanted to see The Clash when they opened for The Who, so Mick brought her to the show, Gruens notes next to the photo read.

 Henry Diltz has an incredible collection of shots of Neil Young in the early 1970s at Youngs ranch in Redwood City. One shows Young with his ranch foreman, Louis Avila, talking on the porch of a cabin.

Neil wrote the song Old Man about him. They were a lot alike, Diltz notes next to the photo read.
As we crossed the mountainous border into southeastern Colorado, our rented Mitsubishi Mirage didnt descend into a cloud of smoke.

But the first business my husband and I saw when we exited I-25 in the small town of Trinidad was CannaCo, a recreational pot shop and cultivation facility that sits next door to a Wal-Mart.

Coloradans voted to legalize marijuana for adults in 2012 under Amendment 64.

Washington also approved recreational pot that year, with Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., soon to follow. Colorado was the first state to open shops in January 2014, though, making it ground zero for the nations growing legal cannabis movement.

Related: Is pot the next Big Tobacco?

Its early for definitive answers on how legalizing marijuana impacts serious issues such as teen use and drugged driving. For now, most studies suggest little change. But with California weeks from voting on a similar marijuana legalization measure, coincidentally called Proposition 64, my husband and I dedicated a portion of our anniversary road trip to surveying life in a state with legal weed.

We found that marijuana is now part of the Rocky Mountain landscape, with shops, grow sites and tours scattered throughout the state. But it also isnt as prevalent as we expected, with public consumption illegal and alcohol still the more common intoxicant of choice.

We heard how legalization has boosted tax revenues and breathed life into struggling areas, with polls showing the majority of Coloradans viewing the change as mostly positive.

Related: Polls show support growing for legalized pot

But legal marijuana is an ever-evolving experiment. New regulations kicked in even in the days before we arrived. And, four years into their experiment, some Colorado communities remain conflicted over the controversial plant.

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EVIDENT, BUT NOT EVERYWHERE

The fact that we were about to visit a legal weed state was evident before we left California in late September.

As we searched for accommodations, some Colorado spots stated they dont allow smoking of any kind. Others labeled themselves as a bud and breakfast, the accepted term for cannabis-friendly lodging.

Just as Prop. 64 proposes, Colorados law allows local cities to choose whether to welcome shops. So we toured a few dry communities, such as Colorado Springs. Then we stayed in Durango, where we heard a radio ad for an area pot shop, and Denver, where its easy to find the trademark green crosses as soon as you look for them.

Related: Will San Jacinto voters agree to tax pot growers?

We popped into downtown Denvers Cannabis Station, one of eight shops in the Rocky Mountain High Dispensary chain. After flashing our drivers licenses to a receptionist, we were greeted by two budtenders who said they believe legal weed has made Denver a happier, friendlier place to be.

Carrie Griffo, 22, moved to town from upstate New York to attend college and be part of the legal pot industry. Meghann St. Nolde, 29, came from Wisconsin in search of cannabis freedom.

Its like were living history every day, St. Nolde said.

Their shop is in the shadow of Coors Field, where the Rockies play baseball, but in an area that St. Nolde said tourists wouldnt have visited a few years ago. Now, roughly 98 percent of their customers are tourists, she said, with large numbers of shoppers from Florida, Texas and Illinois.

Related: What happens if pot is legal? Riverside County wants to know

Many customers buy cannabis-infused foods, she said. Its trickier for newbies to regulate their intake with edibles, which take effect more slowly than smoking. But tourists often have no choice, since smoking is banned in public and in most hotels, while state law doesnt allow for Amsterdam-style weed clubs (though theres an initiative on the ballot to change that).

People dont have a place to smoke, Griffo said. I dont think it makes any sense.

We were offered edibles along with wine during a private dinner party. But we never encountered anyone smoking pot on the streets.

We did smell marijuana a couple of times during a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater, just outside Denver. But that happens at many California concerts. What was unusual was the reminder, on an on-stage screen, that public consumption of pot remains illegal.

We saw harsher admonishments as we drove into Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado, eager to check out the ancient cliff dwellings.

Related: If pot is legal, where would $1 million in revenue go?

A sign near the parks entrance cautioned visitors that marijuana possession is prohibited on federal land. It can result in a fine of up to $5,000 or six months in jail, highlighting Colorados ongoing conflict with federal law  a conflict California might face if voters approve Prop. 64.

IN FLUX

Four years after Colorados historic vote, state and local marijuana laws are still evolving.

On Oct. 1, the state began requiring that all edibles be stamped with THC, the main compound in marijuana that makes consumers high. The goals, lawmakers say, are to ensure consumers know what theyre getting and to keep edibles out of the hands of kids.

Rocky Mountain High Dispensary had a license to make edibles, but St. Nolde said the company couldnt afford the equipment it would need to stamp the THC label and comply with the new law. Now, theyre relying on outside vendors.

An estimated 30 percent of the states supply of marijuana is grown in Pueblo County. The area, in southeastern Colorado, once was known for its production of steel.

The county made headlines last November when it opted to use marijuana taxes to help fund college scholarships. But as we drove through, we heard a radio ad about a local ballot measure that aims to shut down all recreational marijuana businesses in the county by Halloween 2017.

The measure is backed by a group called Citizens for a Healthy Pueblo, which points to the countys crime rates and homeless issues. But it faces an uphill battle against the better-funded group Growing Pueblos Future, which says some 1,300 jobs and $3 million in tax revenue would evaporate if pot businesses were banned.

UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCES

As in California, medical marijuana was legal in Colorado for many years before the vote on recreational use.

Denver native Alex Torres has been a medical marijuana patient since 2009, using the plant to stimulate his appetite as he battles stage 4 cirrhosis.

Torres, 59, walks his dog, Spencer, to keep up his strength. But hes made plans for his budtender, Brittany, to care for Spencer when hes gone.

Legalizing recreational marijuana has had little impact on his routine, Torres said. The main difference is that pot is cheaper, which he said is helpful since he survives on Social Security and cash from selling his artwork and handmade burritos.

But the building hes lived in for years just banned smoking. While he can still use edibles, he said thats a struggle for people who rely on marijuana to make food palatable.

What am I supposed to do? he asked. How can they just disregard us?

Over breakfast burritos in Colorado Springs, our friend Papi Sorrels explained he supports peoples right to use marijuana.

But hes concerned about how tourists who come to get high dont respect the land the way locals do. And he said property values have skyrocketed as people have flooded the state  good news for owners, but bad news for renters increasingly priced out of communities.

Hes one of several people we spoke to who hopes California passes Prop. 64 if for no other reason than to take pressure off Colorado as the weed capital of the nation.

Once its legal more places, he said, it wont be such a big deal.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7963 or bstaggs@ocregister.comTwitter: @JournoBrooke
California has the strictest gun laws in the nation, but that hasnt quelled our state politicians need to do something. In this election, Proposition 63 seeks to add yet another layer of rules, especially on the purchase of ammunition, on top of already stringent gun laws.

On the surface, Prop. 63 is largely duplicative of a raft of gun bills passed by the state Legislature earlier this year  overriding some, while also imposing a few extra burdens on law-abiding gun owners.

Thats a problem. As the California Police Chiefs Association said in a letter opposing Prop. 63, the proposition reverses many of the exemptions that allow officers and police departments to continue purchasing ammunition freely for on-duty purposes, and creates a duplicative database that will be a costly and less effective way to monitor ammunition purchases.

Essentially, Proposition 63 complicates current law with one that is costlier and seriously flawed, the chiefs continued. And this is not the only existing law this initiative complicates.

That is likely why, despite being named the Safety for All Act, the proposition is not supported by any major law enforcement organization.

Meanwhile, it is opposed by not just the California Police Chiefs Association, but the California State Sheriffs Association, Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles County, California Correctional Peace Officers Association, California Fish & Game Wardens Association, California Reserve Peace Officers Association, Western State Sheriffs Association, Law Enforcement Action Network, San Francisco Veteran Police Officers Association and the Law Enforcement Alliance of America.

A common refrain in letters of opposition from law enforcement is that Prop. 63 will do little to nothing to combat gun crime and unnecessarily burden the law-abiding.

This measure would do little to prevent the criminal element from acquiring guns and ammunition via the black market or through theft, the California State Sheriffs Association wrote. Instead, it would place additional restrictions on law-abiding citizens who wish to purchase ammunition for sporting or hunting use, retain guns and magazines that are currently legal for them to possess and pass historical or family heirloom guns down to their next generation.

Effectively, this measure will create a new class of criminals out of those that already comply with common-sense practices that now exist.

The editorial board recommends a no vote on Proposition 63.
Vote no on Proposition 64

In its editorial, No on proposition 56 [Opinion, Oct. 11], the Press-Enterprise concedes that smoking tobacco is harmful. In a previous column, Opinion Editor Brian Calle [Prop. 64 will bring marijuana sales out of the shadows, Opinion, Oct. 9] writes in support of Proposition 64, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. The Press-Enterprises position supporting the substitution of one harmful weed for another defies logic.

On that same opinion page, writer John Berry [Evidence against legalizing marijuana overwhelming, June 17] cites Colorados dismal experience with legal marijuana. Supporters of Proposition 64 cite the tax benefits of its passage. Tax profits will never be enough to offset the damage that approving this gateway drug will cause. Californians should reject this reckless idea and set about enforcing the law prohibiting the use of this socially debilitating drug. They owe it to their children.

 Ken Cable, Canyon Lake

Vote for Pete Aguilar for Congress on Nov. 8

Hats off for endorsing Pete Aguilar for Congress! As a senior pushing 65, I know that many seniors agree that Aguilar has been a great advocate for us during his first two years as our congressman.

I recently attended a senior fair in Rancho Cucamonga sponsored by Aguilars office. The event included a variety of informational venues related to health, legal, financial and insurance needs of seniors.

A venue most helpful to me offered crucial information on the different parts of Medicare which Ill need to purchase as well as supplemental health insurance.

Aguilar has always fought to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. His opponent, Paul Chabot, supports a plan that would privatize Social Security where seniors benefits would be invested in the stock market  not safe and risky for seniors who rely on those benefits.

Furthermore, Chabot supports Trump for president, unlike many in his party whove had the decency to disavow the worst candidate in American history.

Vote Pete Aguilar for Congress on Nov. 8.

 David Salvaggio, Redlands

Dont lose voting rights, vote no on Measure L

Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez and suffragettes suffered for equal voting rights. They stood up for all people. Entrenched professional politicians with deep pockets fought them all the way.

Once again in the city of San Bernardino, politicians want to take away our vote. Yes on Measure L means losing our right to vote for the city attorney, city clerk and city treasurer. These three are watchdogs for the people. If appointed, these three will not answer to the people.

Professional politicians tell us to trust that we will be taken care of if we just give up our vote. Vote no on Measure L. Dont lose your right to vote. Dont let newspapers, preachers, academia and politicians tell you that its OK to give up your vote.

Also, remember Beaumont, Bell, Moreno Valley, San Jacinto? Wild corruption because of appointed positions.

 Joe Ortiz, San Bernardino

Ignore the background noise

Re: Has Donald Trump lost women? [Opinion, Oct. 11]: No thinking person would support Donald Trumps alleged and actual negative comments and acts towards women. However, those things are just background noise intended to divert attention from better solutions for serious and very real issues this country faces.

I would urge women, and men for that matter, including women who would vote for Hillary Clinton only because she is a woman to consider that with Hillary, the country is likely to experience the same level of tax increases, more regulation and more government expansion over our lives as we have with the Obama administration.

Nothing in the Trump-Pence programs are anti-woman. Their programs actually support women (and men) through tax reform including the lowering of taxes for both individuals and business, making the Affordable Care Act actually affordable, meaningful immigration reform, and numerous other programs not the least of which is nominating Supreme Court justices and federal judges who will support the Constitution.

Having a woman in the White House at some future point would be very good, just not the candidate who should really be under federal indictment for the various infractions involving her emails and the Clinton Foundation.

 Mark Bayer, Moreno Valley

I am a woman who is voting for Trump

I am a woman and I will be voting for Trump, although I dont know how useful that is in California. I pondered the assertion that many women would vote for Hilary  just because she is also a woman. It worked for President Obama with the black population. My first thought is that is so high school. I understand there are differences between males and females  which the politically correct folks try to disprove and change  but the reality is there is also much cross-over between the sexes.

Do masses of women believe a woman president will improve their lives? Did having a black president improve the lives in the minority neighborhoods and are race relations better now? I did not vote for Obama, but I did believe he would help improve the lives of black folks in America  he did not, and that is so sad. I am very concerned with economic issues in America  fewer people of working age are working, and many are working at jobs below their skill level. Over-regulation and jobs leaving our shores have caused economic woes and Trump knows that, as the national debt grows.

Any shake-up to the way the government runs is scary. Trump is expected to shake things up while Hillary will not. I believe things need to change  and that is why I will vote for Donald J. Trump in November. I do not like all things he has said, but I believe in much he wants to do. And I am not on board with things Clinton has said, or how I believe she would run the country I love.

 Beverly A. Bayer, Moreno Valley

Officers death a result of early release of prisoners

Re: Sheriffs sergeant dies after being shot in Lancaster; suspect in custody [News, Oct. 6]: As a retired law enforcement officer, I am outraged by the execution of Los Angeles County sheriffs Sgt. Steve Owen by a career criminal who should not have been out of prison.

Indeed, it is obvious and frightening that President Obama and Gov. Jerry Brown are responsible for the executioners heinous act because of Obamas war against the police and Browns turning violent criminals loose to prey upon Californians and the American people.

Clearly, Sgt. Owens blood is on their reckless hands, and those are crimes against society and the people. Worse, the assassination of many police officers throughout the country has been brought on by the aggressive Black Lives Matter movement.

It doesnt matter to Obama or Brown that the police are the first line of defense against terrorists, invaders and criminals in America. Of course, the reasons for increased crime is because of Obamas edicts to release violent federal prisoners.

Likewise, Gov. Browns Assembly Bill 109 and related legislation  Proposition 47 and the current ballot initiative, Proposition 57  have and will release thousands of state prisoners convicted of felonies. Indeed, the public and police are being placed at ever-increasing risk.

Surely, both President Obama and Gov. Brown must be replaced by responsible people of real character and integrity  federal and state guardians and patriots.

 Daniel B. Jeffs, Apple Valley

Fair, balanced coverage?

Donald Trumps filthy mouth, front page story. Hillary Clintons treasonous emails buried in the back pages. Gee, is there some kind of pattern here?

 Greg Roberg, Highland

Trump unfit for president

Donald Trump is unfit to be president. We have the opportunity to win equal pay, paid leave, fair scheduling and higher wages. These are just some of the reasons why Trump is the wrong choice for America.

 Janice Arteche, Highland

The choice we have this election

Our only choices for president have been narrowed down to: A man on the make, or a woman on the take!

 Eugene Butts, Corona
A San Bernardino man was arrested Saturday, Oct. 15, on suspicion of possession of a stolen Honda Accord, according to a San Bernardino County sheriffs news release.

Deputies from the sheriffs Central Station found Andrew Morales, 27, in possession of the car, which had been stolen from the Redlands area more than a week ago. Morales is on probation for felony burglary, according to the release.

The vehicle, found in the 6900 block of Dwight Way, was in the process of being stripped for parts, the release stated. Remaining parts were recovered at the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Central Station at 909-387-3545. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go to www.wetip.com.
A deputy was hurt Saturday while apprehending a suspect accused of stabbing a man in a motorhome parked outside a Hesperia Walmart, authorities said.

The stabbing victim was hospitalized and in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries Saturday evening, according to a San Bernardino County sheriffs news release. The deputy was hospitalized with minor injuries, the release states.

The stabbing was reported at 1:51 p.m., according to the release. The suspect was taken into custody after the skirmish with the deputy.

An 8-year-old boy related to the suspect was found inside the Walmart and deputies are awaiting personnel from Children and Family Services to take custody of the child, the news release states.

The Walmart was evacuated for an unspecified amount of time during the incident, but has since reopened, according to the release.
One of the lawyers of 'Montie 3', lawyer Edudzi Tamakoe says the flagbeaerer of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), Paa Kwesi Nduom would not have been disqualified had he not been demanding for the autopsy report of the late President, John Evans Atta-Mills.

























if you didnt kill Mills and if you are not happy Mills died, produce the autopsy report. We are challenging John Mahama to produce the autopsy report of [late] President Mills. The Central Region people here, I want you to listen to me: if John Mahama comes to your region, tell him to produce the autopsy report."











The PPP Flagbearer who was one of 13 Presidential aspirants who were disqualified by the Electoral Commission had said







Lawyer Tamakloe contributing to a panel discussion on Radio Gold, Saturday said I believe Papa Kwesi Nduom failed to fill his forms well and was disqualified from the race because he was chasing Mills autopsy report. What would have an autopsy report done to you if you had better things such as filling your forms very well without any unreasonable mistake to finish? He is just ridiculous



You have no moral to say Mahama is incompetent because not filling your forms well with that unnecessary errors means you are indeed incompetent and ought to be prosecuted immediately because you (Papa Kwesi) have engaged in serious fraud he added.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Sydney is in the Top 10 list of Airbnb cities globally, with more than 15,000 listings in the CBD and surrounds, although the rapid growth of the accommodation-sharing service has been met with a confusing response by local and state legislators.

In 2014, for example, the citys local government authority was forced to explain itself when it simultaneously threatened Airbnb operators with $1 million fines, while spruiking the sites cheap accommodation in a guide for international students.

This week, the legality of Airbnb and similar services in New South Wales may become clearer, with a report, prepared for the Baird government after an 18-month parliamentary inquiry, set to be handed in.

Liberal MP Mark Coure, the chairman of the NSW parliaments Environment and Planning Committee, said that the report gives the green light to home-sharing operators. He said in a statement to media:

The sharing economy is booming in NSW as more people are finding creative ways to turn unused things into income. This report is about giving certainty. Not everyone is a winner, but we have tried to get the balance right for consumers, home owners and the wider community.

The report will recommend that hosts renting out their principle place of residence will not need to seek council approval, although those wishing to rent out an empty property for short stays will need to abide by a code of conduct and seek council approval.

Such properties will need to seek government approval as complying developments, the specifics details of which can be found in the states Electronic Housing Code.

Airbnbs Australian country manager Sam McDonagh welcomed the news in a statement to Pedestrian.TV earlier today, saying:

This is great news for the thousands of everyday people making a little extra income opening their homes to travellers across New South Wales. We welcome this news. It is a massive step in the right direction and we applaud Mark Coure and the committee members for showing theyre serious about embracing home sharing, and growing the visitor economy. We look forward to continuing to work with the government to implement fair home sharing rules that allow more people to monetise their extra space.

The report will be tabled to the NSW parliament on Wednesday, paving the way for it to be adopted, allowing home sharing to be regulated for the first time in the state.

Source: Fairfax / Airbnb.

Photo: Airbnb.
Eight people  including three children  have been killed and many others remain injured after a tragic bridge collapse in Indonesia.

The most recent report (BBC) says that 30 people have been injured, but earlier reports (News Corp) state that 42 people were injured, so figures are currently unclear.

The suspension bridge, which acted as a connector of two islands, collapsed without warning while a large number of local people were travelling across it to take part in a religious ceremony.

The bridge connects the islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, which lie off the south-east coast of Bali.

Photo: BBC.

The bridge, which collapsed at around 6:30pm local time (approximately 9:30pm AEDT), was carrying motorbikes and pedestrians, who were on their way to a Hindu ceremony at a local temple.

Witnesses have said that while the water below wasnt deep, but the fatalities and injuries were caused by victims being crushed by debris.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a disaster agency spokesman, told AFP,

Before the bridge collapsed it was already shaking. Some motorcyclists and people fell into the sea, and people in the area immediately tried to save them.

A British tour operator, Andrew Sutherland, told the BBC that it was the only bridge connecting the islands:

Its been there for about 30 years and it is quite a rickety bridge. Its only used for a few people to cross at the same time, normally motorbikes, nothing more than that. Unfortunately today was a very large ceremony for the local population and a large amount of people were crossing the bridge when it did collapse.

The deceased and injured are all reported to be locals, and officials say searches are still ongoing.

Source: BBC.

Photo: Twitter / @WartaBali.
Gold Coast Police are yet to determine the exact drug believed to be responsible for sixteen hospitalisations in the region this weekend.

Yesterday, five people were taken to Gold Coast University Hospital after experiencing severe hallucinations at a party in Mermaid Waters. Later, three others were hospitalised in a similar condition after falling ill at a Surfers Paradise hotel.

Early this morning, a cluster of people were hospitalised around the Cavill Avenue and Orchid Avenue precinct, some of whom had to be sedated after demonstrating extreme aggression. Another man in nearby Labrador was also taken to hospital.

Two of those victims have been placed in induced comas.

Facing the media earlier today, Superintendent Michelle Stenner said were still running investigations as to what it actually was that these persons have taken.

Supt. Stenner told reporters the hospitalised individuals chose to take these substances, not knowing where theyre made from, not knowing whos providing it to them, not knowing what the consequences are.



Queensland Ambulance Services operations supervisor Stephen Burns explained those consequences, saying they were conscious and alert, but they were just doing abnormal things and were really a danger to themselves and others.

According to him, the sheer density of overdoses is the worst hes seen in his career.

There is some speculation the drug in question is flakka, more commonly referred to as bath salts. Regardless of its exact make-up, there are serious fears this batch will still be around when Schoolies kicks off next month.

Well update this story as it develops. Stay safe out there, yeah?



Source: Channel 9 / MyGC.

Photo: Queensland Ambulance Service / Facebook.
Welp, that took longer than expected.

Donald Trump has finally had a go at Saturday Night Live and its new Trump impersonator Alec Baldwin, and the Republican presidential candidate has gone as far as labelling the whole thing part of a media cabal:

Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me.Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016

Although Baldwin has donned the Don wig for a fair few weeks now, it looks like the shows take on that utter nightmare of a second debate was enough to get Trump all a-Tweetin.

TBH, were not entirely sure what Trump thinks is so onerous about the latest skit. SNLs take on Trump merely expounds upon his objectively rank comments and actions, and last nights episode was no different. The skit riffed on the slew of sexual assault allegations laid against him and his leering stage-presence, both of which are fair game for criticism.

Perhaps the harshest moment was when Baldwin-as-Trump said Hillary Clinton has committed so many crimes, shes basically a black. But, when you consider the real Trumps insistence that five men of colour be held accountable for a crime they were exonerated of via DNA evidence, its not really too far off, hey?

Of course, this take on SNL seems to be a new one for Trump, considering he was all a-bloody-bout it during his November 2015 hosting gig. Regardless, catch the whole deal here, and decide for yourself if its worth a 7am local time rage-Tweet from an actual presidential nominee:



Source: Donald Trump / Twitter.

Photo: Saturday Night Live / NBC / Donald Trump / Twitter.
While the internet disgorged its fair share of snark after Kim Kardashian was literally bound, gagged and robbed in her Paris hotel, some media sources took the story a step further, and suggested that the entire robbery was actually staged.

On Tuesday of this week, a furious Kim K brought a libel suit against one of these publications, gossip blog MediaTakeOut, who ran no fewer than three articles suggesting that the heist was an inside job, for insurance money.

MediaTakeOut has since scrubbed the articles in question from the site, but founder Fred Mwangaguhunga, perhaps realising that he is in moderate to deep shit, issued an apology and admitted that they were wrong to publish these accusations in the first place.

In an interview with CNN Money, Mwangaguhunga said that he believes the suit will be resolved soon, and that he feels bad for placing Kim at the centre of a false story:

Kim Kardashian is not just a celebrity, she is a human being. She is a mother, she is a wife and she was a victim of a violent crime. She definitely did not deserve it and she deserved to be believed.

Admitting that the publication may well have misled readers, he said:

Our number one goal is to produce the most accurate information as quickly as possible and we did that But now, looking back at it, you have a chance often times to look back and reflect on what it is that happened. Its now clear that she was robbed. Its clear that the reporting that we did hurt her, and we certainly dont want that to be what we do.

He also spoke about the somewhat fraught relationship between celebrities and the tabloid media, saying:

As with most celebrities, there is often a love hate relationship with MediaTakeOut. Sometimes, you are writing stories about people that are incredibly flattering and I think celebrities love to hear that. And often times, you are writing stories about celebrities that are not often flattering  and those days  they dont really like it. I suspect that the Kardashians and Kanye fall into that.

Source: CNN Money.

Photo: Stephane Carindale / Corbis / Getty.
Sukkot

(Shutterstock.com)

On Tuesday, those who follow the Jewish religion marked Yom Kippur, the most holy of the high holy days, the day of atonement. It followed the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashana.

Those holidays are now followed by a joyful, weeklong holiday of Sukkot, which celebrates togetherness and unity.

What is Sukkot?

The Jewish people traversed the Sinai Desert after the Exodus from Egypt, and "clouds of glory" surrounded them, shielding them from danger and discomfort. Sukkot is a celebration thanking God for his kindness and reaffirming trust in his providence.

When is it celebrated?

The holiday begins the evening of Sunday, October 16, and concludes Sunday, October 23.

What are the traditions?

Meals take place in special, temporary huts called "sukkot."

There is also the taking of the

Sukkot is followed by two days of joyful celebration know as "Simchat Torah," which marks the end (and therefore beginning) of a Torah-reading cycle.

You can learn more about Sukkot here.
Rolling Stone Lawsuit

FILE- In this Jan. 15, 2015 file photo shows students participate in rush pass by the Phi Kappa Psi house at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. The house was depicted in a debunked Rolling Stone story as the site of a rape in September of 2012.

(AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

RICHMOND, Va. -- For the first time since Rolling Stone magazine's shocking story about a brutal gang rape at the University of Virginia hit shelves two years ago, the public may hear from the young woman at the center of the now discredited article "A Rape on Campus."

A defamation trial against the magazine is set to begin on Monday over the November 2014 article about the woman identified only as "Jackie" and her harrowing account about being gang raped in a fraternity initiation. University administrator Nicole Eramo, who counseled Jackie and claims the story cast her as its "chief villain," is seeking $7.85 million.

Jackie was forced to answer questions about the case in April, but her comments have been kept under wraps. Now, Eramo's attorneys have said they intend to call Jackie as a witness at trial, although it's possible the jury will watch a video of her deposition instead of hearing from her in person. An attorney for Jackie declined to comment.

The story described in alarming detail Jackie's account of being raped by seven men at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house in September 2012. Eramo's attorneys claim the article portrayed her as indifferent to Jackie's plight and only interested in protecting the university's reputation. After it was published, Eramo, who then served as associate dean of students, received hundreds of emails and letters calling her a "wretched rape apologist" and "disgusting, worthless piece of trash." Eramo still works for the university, now in a different administrative role.

An investigation by Charlottesville police found no evidence to back up Jackie's claims and details in the lengthy narrative did not hold up under scrutiny by other media organizations. Rolling Stone officially retracted the story in April 2015. Since then, three lawsuits have been filed against the magazine. A judge earlier this year threw out one case brought by three fraternity members, but a $25 million lawsuit filed by the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at UVa is scheduled to go to trial late next year.

Eramo's trial will focus heavily on whether Rolling Stone editors and the article's author, Sabrina Erdely, acted with "actual malice," meaning that they knew what they were writing about Eramo was false or at least should have known it wasn't true. U.S. District Judge Glen Conrad ruled in September that Eramo should be considered a public figure, which means she must prove actual malice in order to get certain monetary damages.

"A lot of this case is already decided," said Lee Berlik, a Virginia libel attorney. "The big unknown really is how much damage did Ms. Eramo suffer to her reputation, what is that worth and I guess, most importantly, did Rolling Stone know what it was writing was untrue or should it have known?"

Eramo's attorneys claim Erdely purposely avoided information she feared might ruin her preconceived narrative about how schools treat sexual violence victims while ignoring numerous red flags about Jackie's credibility. Among other things, Jackie didn't provide Erdely with the full names of the men she claimed attacked her and they were never interviewed for the story.

"Ms. Eramo's legal team is looking forward to presenting the overwhelming evidence showing that Sabrina Erdely and Rolling Stone knew that what they published about Ms. Eramo was false and defamatory," Libby Locke, an attorney for Eramo, said in an email. Locke said Eramo was not available for an interview.

Rolling Stone's lawyers counter that Erdely had no reason not to trust Jackie, but stress that the young woman's credibility isn't the issue in the case. Rolling Stone attorneys argue in court documents that they still believe their reporting about Eramo and the university's handling of sexual assault reports is "accurate and well substantiated." Rolling Stone points to a U.S. Department of Education investigation that found last year that that UVa failed to promptly respond to some sexual assault complaints and created a "hostile environment" for victims.

"Dean Eramo's lawyers are attempting to shift the focus of her lawsuit in the media to Rolling Stone's reporting errors surrounding Jackie," Rolling Stone spokeswoman Kathryn Brenner said in an email. "The depiction of Dean Eramo in the article was balanced and described the challenges of her role. We now look forward to the jury's decision in this case," she said.

The jury is expected to view hundreds of pages of documents, including Erdely's reporting notes, emails between Erdely and her sources and audio recordings of Erdely's interviews with Jackie. The judge recently ruled that Eramo's attorneys won't be able to show the jury a video of Erdely's deposition because they violated court rules by leaking it to ABC's "20/20."

In giving the green light last month for the case to proceed to trial, Judge Conrad said he believes a jury could reasonably conclude based on the evidence presented thus far that the magazine acted out of actual malice. He noted that the evidence suggests that several people told Erdely her portrayal of Eramo wasn't accurate and that Erdely had reasons to question Jackie's credibility.

Among other things, the judge pointed to Erdely's apparent disbelief when Jackie told her that two other women were gang raped at the same fraternity. Erdely told Jackie that was "shocking," according to her reporting notes.

"I don't know the stats on gang rape but I can't imagine it's all that common? So the idea that three women were gang raped at the same fraternity seems like too much of a coincidence," Erdely wrote.

"It happens a lot more often than people might think," Jackie replied.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A motorist, apparently rushing to a Philadelphia hospital to see his injured father, ran a red light, was hit by an SUV and crashed into a utility pole, resulting in the deaths of his two passengers, authorities say.

The 18-year-old driver, who was not identified, also was injured in the Friday morning crash and treated for minor injuries, as was the unnamed driver of the sport utility vehicle, police said.

The two killed were identified by authorities as 17-year-old Maggie Lynn Goloff and 19-year-old Osman Zeylnov.

Police said the motorist was apparently rushing to Temple Medical Center to see his father who, hours earlier, had been robbed and assaulted while making a food delivery. The 48-year-old father was delivering pizza to an address in the Nicetown neighborhood of northwest Philadelphia shortly before midnight Thursday when he was flagged down by two men who said they had ordered the food, police said.

One man threatened him with a gun and demanded the food and his belongings and, during a struggle for the gun, the victim was struck on the side of the head with the gun before the suspects fled as a police car drove down the street, police said.

Friends of the crash victims mourned their loss.

"Just a beautiful person inside and out," Jamie O'Connor, a friend of Goloff's, told news reporters. "She always had everybody's back, even if they were in the wrong situation."

Another friend, Hayley Visalli, said Goloff "was gonna graduate, she couldn't wait to get a car, she couldn't wait to get her own place, she just got a new kitten."

Hassan Yaghnam, a friend and co-worker of Zeylnov's, said Zeylnov was a hard worker who had just gone back to school to get an education.

"He's a really good person, and he got a good heart," Yaghnam said. "And his parents raised him right. That's the best person you could find, he's one in a million."
Glazer-woolly worm.jpg

The expression on Mike Glazer's face shows what he thinks of the severe winter predicted by the woolly worms in Lewisburg Saturday,

(John Beauge, for PennLive)

LEWISBURG -- It was a winter forecast that brought a roar of approval from youngsters at the 20th annual Woolly Worm Festival.

"It's going to be terrible," event founder Mike Glazer said under his breath Saturday as he looked at the information provided him by the eight judges who examined four caterpillars.

He then read the winter forecast to a crowd in Hufnagle Park in downtown Lewisburg:

"The winter will come on slowly," he said. December will not be bad but "once January and February hit its going to be severe.

"We actually are going to get some nice snow storms this year. With the snow storms I can guarantee you schools will be closed a few days this year."

The woolly worms and AccuWeather agree this winter will be worse than last year's. The National Weather Service has not issued its winter forecast for Pennsylvania.

AccuWeather is predicting above normal snowfall across this part of the country.

Glazer brags the woolly worms are right 108 percent of the time. Last year they predicted a mild winter, which it was, but a couple good snows they forecast did not materialize.

The role of the judges, garbed in white lab coats, is to examine with the help of magnifying glasses and measuring devices the size of the caterpillars' black and brown rings plus the plushness of their fur.

Each judge, using calculators, come up with numbers that are combined and interpreted by Glazer.

A concern of Glazer's is the lack of caterpillars to examine. This year only four were found and last year two, he said.

"For some reason, and I don't know what it is, it is getting tougher and tougher to find woolly worms," he said.

Some years there has been as many as 30 to judge, he said. "We'll see what happens next year," he said.

The judging is part of a daylong festival sponsored by the Buffalo Valley Kiwanis Club AM.
By Christine Flowers

I'm Christine, I am a Catholic, and I vote.

Christine M. Flowers (PennLive file)

I've often seen bumper stickers that say, "I'm Pro Gun and I Vote," "I'm Pro Choice and I Vote," "I'm Dead and I Still Vote (In Philadelphia)."

I'm embarrassed to say that I regarded them with some elitist disdain, confident that I was a better-educated, more open-minded citizen because I couldn't be a one-issue voter. I've come close when that issue is abortion, and I can count on two fingers the pro-choice candidates I've supported in 37 years of voting.



But it was only this past week, when I read the emails that were leaked by Julian Assange, or Vlad of the impeccable pectorals, that flurry of exchanges between John Podesta and other Clinton intimates, that I realized I am a one-issue voter.



And that issue is my faith.



There was such disdain for Catholics in those emails, such pre-packaged vitriol, such high school bathroom mocking that I thought they were parodies of real conversations.

It didn't occur to me that people who were that close to a candidate who has always touted the importance of tolerance would, themselves, be avatars of bigotry.



I don't have the stomach to reproduce the emails in detail, but here is an excerpt from a three-way discussion among Podesta, John Halpin and Jen Palmieri, all close associates of Clinton:



"Many of the most powerful elements of the conservative movement are all Catholic (many converts) from the (Supreme Court) and think tanks to the media and social groups. It's an amazing bastardization of the faith. They must be attracted to the systematic thought and severely backwards gender relations and must be totally unaware of Christian democracy."



Yes, we all know there are far too many Catholics on the Supreme Court. They're going to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Just give them another 43 years and you know they'll finally do it, one of these days. Those sneaky papists, they lull you into a sense of security and then, wham!, back to the coat hanger.



Excuse my digression. The fact is, the emails were indicative of some very vile biases on the left that have been allowed to fester in the darkness, because bringing them into the open would lose the Democrats some key votes.

Not the vote of Grandma Elsie, who was a political lemming, but the support of those Catholics on the fence who were blue-collar, simple folk who loved both the social safety net and unborn babies.



Now, all bets are off.



Unless Clinton disavows the sentiment behind those emails, she is showing very clearly how much value she places on Catholic dignity: none.





I'm waiting for the Clinton commercial that shows a Catholic in a pew, head bowed as these words appear onscreen over the visual:

"There needs to be a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a Middle Ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic Church." And then the voiceover, "I'm Hillary Clinton, and I approve this message."



I reached out to some of my local Catholic legislators and candidates to see what they had to say about the emails, and only two responded.

Interestingly enough, they were Republicans, because I'm guessing Democratic Rep. Bob Brady and Democratic Senate hopeful McGinty had better things to do than justify bigotry from their side of the aisle.



From Rep. Pat Meehan:

"The thoughts expressed in these e-mails are an affront to millions of American Catholics and evangelical Christians. Middle-class Americans are sick and tired of their faith and their values being demeaned and mocked by the media and political elites. They're fed up with Christians of all kinds being regarded as backwards and bigoted. Hillary Clinton owes all people of faith an apology, but what's really needed is more than that: a genuine change of attitude and a real respect for all Americans of faith."



And this, from Sen. Pat Toomey:

"This presidential campaign has been filled with way too much bigotry on all sides. I've condemned it from Donald Trump, and I condemn it from Hillary Clinton and their teams. It's a sorry spectacle from our country."



At the risk of being mocked as "gender-backwards" or supporter of a "Middle Ages dictatorship," all I can say to that is "Amen."



Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. Her work appears on Sundays on PennLive. Readers may email her at cflowers1961@gmail.com.
Downtown Petoskey celebrates Halloween in style with annual parade

The sun was shining on Saturday morning as hundreds of trick-or-treaters took to the streets of downtown Petoskey for the annual Halloween Parade.
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Donald Trump, having claimed to resolve President Obamas birther problem (a problem Trump himself was responsible for), now seems to have jumped on the birther wagon again. Speaking at a rally in Bangor, Maine, Saturday, Trump claimed, in speaking of Hillary Clinton,

And she wants 550 percent more coming from Syria than the thousands and thousands that our president, quote president, has coming in.

Trump even made air quotes around the word president.

Trump has grown ever more desperate as his presidential hopes crumble, sounding more erratic, if not unhinged, with each passing day. It is, of course, possible that Trump is hinting that perhaps Obama is not legitimately president for some other reason. After all, the Republican-controlled Congress seems never to have recognized Barack Obama as president, despite two wins.

However, given the increasingly erratic nature of Trumps rhetoric, it is not outside the realm of possibility that, faced with imminent defeat, Trump has decided to play the birther card once again.

Image: Screen capture
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Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid applauded the Department of Justices plan, announced on Thursday, to address police brutality. Also, Reid reminded us that Republicans continue to close their eyes to this deadly issue.

During this election, the Republicans Presidential candidate made pretending the issue doesnt exist look good compared to his calls for less transparency and more stop and frisk.

In a statement Reid said:

This announcement shows the Department of Justice is serious about addressing this national crisis, and I applaud Attorney General Loretta Lynch for taking such an important step. This initiative will help hold law enforcement accountable and provide police with the information they need to better respond to the communities they serve. But we must do more.



Americans are rightly outraged by the epidemic of police brutality that has long plagued our nation. Far too many people  especially people of color  have died during encounters with police. The evidence is heartbreaking and indisputable, yet, under Republican leadership in Congress, nothing is being done to stop it. This initiative should be the first of many steps to address the root causes of this senseless violence and rebuild the broken bonds of trust between communities and their police departments.

As Reid said, police brutality is a long-term epidemic with deadly consequences especially for people of color.

The Department of Justice recognizes it is important to collect data on police use of force and deaths in police custody. But its as important to make that data transparent if we are to have meaningful discussion and find effective solutions. Also, this is how you take the first steps toward rebuilding trust between communities and law enforcement.

As I write, The Counteds database shows that of the 849 people killed by police in the United States so far this year 36 of them were unarmed.

Their data also shows a disproportionate number of the people killed were African American and Hispanic or Latino. Its little wonder that minorities perceive their relationship with the police vastly differently than white people do.

If youre white, your life is assumed to matter. If youre a person of color, it takes a group like Black Lives Matter to make the same statement.

If youre a white parent you dont need to have the talk with your child about how to survive an encounter with the police.

If youre a white woman, you dont have to remain calm and livestream after police kill your boyfriend before your (and your childs) eyes, as Lavish Reynolds did. You dont need to document it with video because odds are highly against it happening.

Its so much easier to close your eyes to this deadly reality when the odds of it happening to you or someone you love is virtually non-existent. But closing your eyes harms all of us.
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Donald Trump is claiming that the dozens of women who have come forward to accuse him of sexual assault are part of a Hillary Clinton plot to steal the election.

Trump tweeted:

Nothing ever happened with any of these women. Totally made up nonsense to steal the election. Nobody has more respect for women than me!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2016

A couple of reality points need to be made. First, Trump was losing the election before the sexual assault allegations surfaced. Secondly, it was Trumps own words on a hot Access Hollywood mic that launched this scandal.

The Republican nominees tweet came on the heels of his call for Hillary Clinton to be drug tested before the next presidential debate.

This isnt a plot to take the election away from Donald Trump. What voters are witnessing is what happens when a nominee refuses to let his campaign or his own party do opposition research and deal with all of the skeletons in his closet.

Donald Trump cant handle the fact that he is losing the election, so he is trying to undermine the nations democratic process with allegations that are nothing more than the temper tantrums of a whiny rich boy who for the first time in his life has to face the reality that he is a loser.
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CNNs Jake Tapper laid to waste a Trump surrogates inaccurate attempt to dismiss the allegations of sexual assault against the Republican nominee with one factual correction.

Video:

https://youtu.be/5WWWnIKNzMo

Transcript via CNNs State Of The Union:

TAPPER: Donald Trump saying at least one of the women coming out against him isnt attractive enough for him to have groped on an airplane. Nine women have now accused the Republican nominee of unwanted touching or kissing since a leaked tape revealed him talking about grabbing women. Are more to come? Does it matter to voters?

Joining me now Paul Begala, CNN commentator and senior adviser to Hillary Clinton, pro-Clinton super PAC. Republican Congresswoman Renee Ellmers of North Carolina. Alice Stewart, CNN political commentator and former communications director for Senator Ted Cruz. And Bakari Sellers, CNN political commentator and Hillary Clinton supporter.

Let me start with you, congresswoman. I guess the point of saying that these women are not telling the truth and these charges are false is one thing. Saying, look at her. Theres no way I would ever grope someone that looked like that. I mean Im guessing that thats not what you would recommend to him.

REP. RENEE ELLMERS (R), NORTH CAROLINA: No, absolutely not. And, you know, first Ill just say tissue of groping when were talking about this issue, this is sexual assault. So were accusing a man of sexual assault here. And Im not going to debate who is telling the truth but it is a she said/he said situation. What I will say is 

TAPPER: Just to correct you. She said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said situation.

It most definitely not a she said/he said situation. It is dozens of women all telling similar stories about how the Republican nominee for president sexually assaulted them, and one man calling them all liars. Many of the accusations against Trump have been confirmed by witnesses.

Donald Trump has yet to produce a single credible witness to prove his claim that all of his accusers are lying.

Jake Tapper wouldnt let a false and inaccurate characterization slide. Trump is attempting to blame the media for rigging the election, when the truth is that members of the press are doing their jobs and reporting Trumps history of behavior.

The facts matter and Jake Tapper made sure that Rep. Ellmers did not get away with distorting the facts.
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Donald Trump is threatening the safety of US voters, and attempting to instigate violence and conflict on election day by claiming that polling places are rigged for Hillary Clinton.

On Sunday afternoon Trump tweeted:

The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary  but also at many polling places  SAD  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016

Trump has already claimed that African-Americans are trying to steal the election, and urged his supporters to go to polling places outside of their own to watch. The Republican nominee has also encouraged his supporters to sign up to work the polls, in what appears to be a separate attempt to intimidate Clinton voters.

Beyond delegitimizing the democratic process, Trump is advancing another goal. He is creating the perfect climate for conflict and violence at polling places on election day.

Trump is injecting doubt and hostility into an American institution that could easily manifest itself in violent behavior on November 8.

There is a candidate in this race that is trying to fix this election, but it is not Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump is demonstrating that there is no low that he wont stoop to in his relentless effort to bully his way into the White House.

Trump is playing with fire, and hopefully, it isnt innocent Americans who will be trying to exercise their right to vote who will get burned on election day.
Corn and soybean farmers are on track to produce a bin-buster harvest, but that won't translate into increased income for growers.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Minnesota corn production is forecast at 1.49 billion bushels. If realized, the production would be a record high, breaking the previous record of 1.43 billion bushels set in 2015.

Based on conditions as of Oct. 1, yields are expected to average 186 bushels per acre, up 2 bushels from September but a decrease of 2 bushels per acre from last year. The yield will be second highest on record, behind last year's record yield.

Acres harvested for grain remain unchanged at 8 million acres. Soybean production is forecast at 370 million bushels, down 2 percent from last year.

Nationally, corn farmers are projected to harvest 15.05 billion bushels for grain, up from 13.6 billion bushels in 2015. Average yield per acre is forecast at 173.4 bushels per acre, up from 168.4 bushels per acre in 2015.

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The nation's soybean producers are forecast to harvest 4.3 billion bushels, up from 3.9 billion bushels in 2015.

"We have a monstrous crop against monstrous demand," said Don Roose, of U.S. Commodities in West Des Moines, Iowa. "We're going to see if the government is right.  People are afraid that the domestic soybean crush rate is overstated, and that the feed use could be overstated."

Roose said the USDA's forecast of net farm income falling about 11.5 percent in 2016 is looking very likely, given the large crops expected in the United States and a record harvest predicted in South America.

"We're looking at a record harvest of 102 million metric tons of soybeans in Brazil and they will start their early harvest in January," Roose said. "South America had a very short corn crop last year in Brazil. It looks like that crop is going to bounce back about 30 percent.

"The strong exports that we've had to China and the rest of the world will run into fierce competition if South America gets a big crop sometime in the middle to late winter."
Congressional candidate Jim Moylan will not let truth or distortions stop him from saying anything to get elected. It is up to political analy Read morePolitical ploys at the last part of election?
This is just too much funa chance for a Civil War on the Left and a Green Weenie Award post at the same time. The rainforest people are mad at Leo DiCaprio. From the Hollywood Reporter:

Leonardo DiCaprio Urged to Step Down From UN Climate Change Role

By Alex Ritman

In perhaps the biggest attack on Leonardo DiCaprios environmental credibility, a rainforest charity on Friday called on the actor to give up his title as UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change.

At a press conference in London, the Bruno Manser Funds offered DiCaprio an ultimatum: either he renounce his connections to the politically exposed persons at the center of the multi-billion dollar 1MDB Malaysian corruption scandal now being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department and return corrupt money he allegedly received or resign from the position he was given by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon in 2014.

If DiCaprio is unwilling to come clean, we ask him to step down as UN Messenger for Peace for climate change, because he simply lacks the credibility for such an important role, said Lukas Straumann, director of the Switzerland-based charity, which has a particular focus on deforestation in Malaysia. . .

We cant save the environment if we fail to stop corruption, said Straumann, who called DiCaprios criticism of deforestation in the Indonesia-controlled parts of Borneo, cynical hypocrisy.

He needs to become part of the solution, he added. But today he is part of the problem.
John has written about how Clinton operatives attributed Chief Justice Roberts vote to uphold Obamacares individual mandate to political pressure spearheaded by President Obama. The claim appears in WikiLeaks documents.

There is little reason to believe that pressure exerted by Obama and his friends had anything to do with the Chief Justices vote. Roberts decision not to strike down Obamacares key provision was consistent with his long held preference for judicial modesty and his desire to protect the Supreme Courts image.

Roberts did not need Democratic politicians and their pals in the media to explain to him the political implications of a Supreme Court decision killing Obamacare and the anti-Court backlash it would create (albeit mostly on the left; Obamacare was, and remains, unpopular with the public as a whole). This would have been evident to a person of considerably less intelligence than the Chief Justice.

Nor should WikiLeaks evidence that Team Obama (and later Team Clinton in the second big Obamacare case) attempted to influence members of the Court come as a surprise. The existence of the pressure was evident to us and to just about everyone else who was paying attention.

Still, the admission by key operatives that the president and others exerted pressure may make such pressure more routine and more intense. And even if Im right that Chief Justice Roberts was not influenced, we cannot assume that such pressure will never work.

Pressure from the left is most likely to work on liberal judges. Assuming that Hillary Clinton wins this election, the Court soon will have at least five liberal (or worse) members. The key to transforming America by judicial fiat will then be to keep the liberal members in line.

I doubt that this will prove difficult. Ive seen almost nothing that indicates an inclination by the four liberals now on the Court to stray from the reservation.

Justice Ginsburg provides a mini-illustration of whats likely to happen in the event of straying. Recently, she said in a television interview that athletes who dont respect the National Anthem are being dumb. When she came in for harsh criticism from left-wingers, she backed down.

Conservatives and Republicans can be expected to follow the Obama-Clinton model when it comes to trying to influence Supreme Court members. Fifty years ago, they achieved political gain at the expense of the leftist Warren Court. I dont know that they expected the Court to moderate; those Justices probably were not for turning. In fact, some conservatives and Republicans may have preferred continuing to obtain political mileage from aggressively leftist decisions.

Going forward, I think conservatives certainly will want to influence Justices via pressure in big cases. This will be far more difficult for conservatives to achieve because the mainstream media will lionize Justices who do not bow to the far right.

However, one can imagine Justices being influenced by pressure from conservatives in, say, litigation involving national security. Justices concerned about their legacy and/or the Courts standing will not want to be blamed for major terrorist attacks. It was one thing to grant victories to left-wing civil libertarians when the terrorist threat was receding under President Bush. It would be quite another to do so in a panicked America.

So far in this post, I have taken no position on whether trying to exert political pressure on Justices is a desirable practice. It seems clear that judges who adjudicate facts should be insulated from political and other pressure. When it comes to Supreme Court Justices telling us what the law is in cases of great import, I dont see much of a problem with politicians speaking up about whats at stake  including politically  in these cases.

Like Don Barzini, though, most Justices will know without being told.
President Obama has two signature accomplishments: Obamacare and the Iran nuclear deal. It will be a good while before we see the main consequences of the deal with Iran, though John Podestas assessment that it may well lead to nuclear war and represents the biggest appeasement since Munich seems sound.

As for Obamacare, Podestas pal Bill Clintons assesses it as the craziest thing in the world. But we need not rely on Slick Willys view because Obamacare seems to be melting down before our eyes. Indeed, Rick Moran at PJ Media argues that the meltdown is worse than commonly understood.

Citing a Bloomberg report, Moran notes that 1.4 million Americans are expected to lose their plans this coming year because so many big insurance companies have dropped out of the exchanges. Aetna Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc., and some state or regional insurers are exiting the Obamacare market for individual coverage.

With insurers leaving the market, we can expect fewer plans, which will mean a decrease in the number of doctors and hospitals available to consumers. It will also mean rising premiums.

It may also mean that the number of people covered may actually shrink next year. Moran cites a report by S&P Global Ratings predicting that enrollment next year will range between a 4 percent increase and an 8 percent decline.

Five states  Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming  will be down to only one insurer in the Obamacare exchange. They may soon be joined by Kansas and North Carolina. And in Florida and Mississippi, the vast majority of counties will have just one Obamacare insurer.

Moran concludes:

The overall picture leaves little doubt that it will be a very difficult for Obamacare to survive another year. A few of those one insurance-carrier states that lose that last company will be left with no options. From there, the cascade failure of Obamacare will unfold.

Morans assessment may be too pessimistic (or optimistic, depending on how one wants to look at this). But it seems clear that Obamacare is in serious trouble.
Deola Ojo is an acknowledged advocate of haute couture and one of Nigerias most prominent fashion designers. The first child of the chairman of Toyota Nigeria, Michael Ade-Ojo, she owns the eponymous label, House of Deola.

In this exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the talented designer, who has been plying her trade for almost three decades, speaks about her craft and passion for fashion.

PT: What is the secret behind your longevity in the very unpredictable Nigerian fashion industry?

Deola Ojo: Well, if I knew exactly what the secret is, if there is a secret at all, then Id package it and sell it! Im grateful for my achievements and my continuing relevance and growth in fashion as I close in on 30 years in the business. Over that time I have produced a lot of fashion, and God knows how many dresses.

I think it has to do with intention and purpose. I never was about just the glitz and glam of fashion  I always had a love and respect for craft and expertise. I also never trust anything that comes too easy  which Ive learned is what some people actually want out of life  the quick and easy thing. I always plan and execute things with as much attention to detail and care as possible.

PT: What vision did you have for your brand from the outset?

Deola Ojo: I wanted my fashion to be about a new kind of woman, an African contemporary woman, who is a citizen of the world, a person that reflects their culture but is also part of the ever-developing world and society. At the time I started in this business, I didnt like the feeling that somebody was dictating my fashion options from another part of the world. I wanted something that reflected my background and perspective. Also sometimes I would see design that was in some way sort of apologising for being Nigerian. I didnt like that. I wanted to celebrate my heritage. Coco Channel was never apologetic for being French so why should I be apologetic for being Nigerian.

Im not really about chasing trends, more defining a fashion idea or vision. It does sound rather grand but chasing these ideals is at the heart of what I do and maybe why my brand continues to have relevance. Im about fashion not about trends.

PT: You have no doubt revolutionised the Iro and Buba

Deola Ojo: I should make it clear that Iro and Buba was never a stagnant mode of attire. We must learn to appreciate our own heritages genius. It isnt correct to think that Iro and Buba does not renew itself and even in revolutionary ways sometimes. This is a living culture so it ebbs and flows. What has been the biggest gift for me has been to realise just how versatile Aso Oke is at its core. Anything you truly love you make an effort to know and understand deeply. As my understanding and knowledge of this wonderful material has grown so has my ability to apply different influences and ideas in the creation of my fashion.

PT: What inspired the Komole Kandids series for instance?

Deola Ojo: Komole Kandids is like the tip of an iceberg. I already have a personal history with the development of Komole fabric that spans about 13 years. Komole Kandids is just a part along the continuum of styles and fashion ideas, like the way a chapter tells part of a story.

PT: What major lessons have you imbibed from your experiences especially overseas and how have they shaped your brand?

Deola Ojo: Fashion is a universal language and fashion that works, works multi-dimensionally. That means fashion that works crosses boundaries. I was lucky that I was received very pleasantly abroad from my earliest days as a designer, but I was never too convinced of my own brilliance, so I was able to learn, observe and adapt. I learned a lot about how people come to appreciate a new thing, or how far they want to be pulled into something new or not familiar to them. I have learned a lot about pure business from my experiences abroad. I have also learned that unless you love who you are and what makes you, you, youre going to have a difficult time getting anyone to like you or value you.

PT: How have you also managed low moments in your career?

Deola Ojo: Thank you for reminding me that I have had some low moments! Yes, there have been obstacles that I have faced, and I should point out that many were faced completely alone, but as I sit here today I see that it has all been part of a rich tapestry of experience, which itself is a source of inspiration.

Thank God there has always been a release valve for me when times got tough. Im like that lady in the film Gone with the wind, Scarlet O Hara. When things got really bad for her, she would say, After all, tomorrow is another day!- And sometimes it has to be that simple, especially when things start looking overwhelming.

PT: Can you share some of these experiences with us?

Deola Ojo: I have had situations with workers playing tricks, or being used by others to play tricks on me; or contemporaries who for some reason felt that in order for them to go up I would have to be put down. Thats one I have always found strange, that someone elses success needs to be maligned in order to make your own success greater  pure rubbish if you ask me!

PT: You played a cameo yet significant role as the late iconic Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti in Kunle Afolayans October 1. Is acting something you would love to explore further?

Deola Ojo: That experience was quite something. As an actor you have to be like a river. Things must flow through you, even faster than in real life when you have the opportunity to consider what to say or how to react. It is like you are living in a heightened moment. It can be quite nerve racking but Kunle is the consummate professional and he is very technical about all elements, so you can put your ego aside and join in contributing to his vision. Im a designer not an actor but I never say never. If the right project comes along then you might well see Deola the actress again.

PT: At what point in your life did you begin to realise the global appeal of African style, and your flair for it?

Deola Ojo: African style is world style. So much of what we see everywhere has been influenced by Africa in one form or the other. Perhaps the biggest issue is that we Africans as a people and the whole continent have not been very good at acknowledging our own brilliance in modern history.

This is changing slowly and now we are getting closer to the crux, which is how we sell and proliferate our ideas. Intellectual property is hugely important so we must respect it and become conductors of this domain. An idea is all it takes to launch a thousand ships!

PT: In what ways can Nigeria encourage her creative industry?

Deola Ojo: So especially in Nigeria, we must grow up about this and give people their due recognition if they originate something or create something new. Also as a nation we must protect those amongst us who are the creators and generators because they are the ones shaping tomorrow, for the good of us all.

PT: Do you also work with Nigerian tailors considering the fact that your team comprises of cutters and seamstresses from Korea?

Deola Ojo: I work with anybody of any race, gender or age to fulfill any project that I am interested in. My only prejudice is that you are talented and take your work seriously. As I mentioned we are closing in on 30 years of business so if I track every nationality of persons that I have worked with over the years then it would certainly be very revealing. Nigerian tailors are amongst the best in the world and very innovative. Right now my team consists of Nigerians, Europeans and Asians, and I would say it is a good squad, expertise and flavour wise. Along the continuum of my brands development this represents a fraction of the time, so I am an inclusive and not an exclusive type of person.

PT: Your bespoke outfits can be likened to a typical cosmetic surgery. Kindly take us through the thought process?

Deola Ojo: I think you must mean that the form of some of the bespoke outfits that we produce can be transformative when put unto the body. Unlike cosmetic surgery I am not trying to make anybody look or seem like somebody else or somebody they are not, but yes, some designs do accentuate, or withhold depending on what we are trying to achieve.

PT: Can you elucidate further?

Deola Ojo: For instance, if we are making a wedding dress for someone it is a very unique experience because that dress has to be about the woman in it  but that woman on her best day. We essentially sculpt the dress around her frame and translate her personality into the form of the dress.

PT: What do you consider to be the future of fashion designing in Nigeria?

Deola Ojo: The future for Nigeria is bright, and the future for Nigerian fashion is bright. One thing we know for sure is that Nigerians, are not lazy and we also have a strong point of view, both of which are requisites for renewing the fashion bloodline. No one said it was going to be easy but there are enough new minds out there to keep the ball rolling.

PT: Are you looking to retire soon and what are your plans in this regard? Are you thinking of succession?

Deola Ojo: Succession planning is what any true business owner should be giving thought to. Considering how to navigate into the future is a prerequisite for managing change. But retirement is far from my mind as there is still a long way to go before handing over the reins.

PT: How do you unwind?

Deola Ojo: I dance and I thoroughly advise it to everybody. Shaking your tail feathers does wonders for lightening your mood!
President Muhammadu Buhari has maintained that his wife, Aisha, wife belongs in the kitchen, saying she should stay out of politics.

The president held his ground when he was asked to clarify his earlier comments by German broadcaster, Deutsche Welle.

I am sure you have a house. You know where your kitchen is. You know where your living room is. And I believe your wife looks after all that even if shes working, Mr. Buhari said when the interviewer, Phil Gayle, asked him to clarify his controversial comments.

The presidents comment counters the previous explanation by his media aide, Garba Shehu, who tried to play down the remarks.

Mr. Shehu had, hours after Mr. Buhari made the statement at a press briefing in Berlin, said the president was only joking.

My friends, cant a leader get a sense (of) humour anymore? Mr. President laughed before that statement was made, Mr. Shehu said as the comments drew worldwide condemnation. He was obviously throwing a banter.

But when Mr. Gayle asked Mr. Buhari if that is your wifes function?

The president answered: Yes, to look after me.

Mr. Buhari said I think so when asked if his wife should desist from talking about politics.

Mr. Buhari has been roundly criticised for his comments, which he made in response to his wifes criticism of his cabinet composition.

Mrs. Buhari threatened to withdraw her support for the president should he decide to run for reelection.

This is the second time Mr. Buhari will contradict his media assistants in recent months.

In April, when former British Prime Minister David Cameron said Nigeria was fantastically corrupt , Mr. Shehu pushed back against the comments on behalf of his principal, saying Mr. Buhari was embarrassed by it.

The next day, Mr. Buhari said in at least two different occasions that he agreed with Mr. Cameron that Nigeria was indeed a fantastically corrupt country.
The registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede, has said that the board will discontinue the use of scratch cards for any of its services and rather use an online platform of pin vending.

This, he said, was as a result of the fraud associated with use of scratch cards.

Mr. Oloyede said this while delivering a paper at a meeting of the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian universities, AVCNU, in Abuja over the weekend.

He said scrapping the scratch cards was sequel to the boards drive to promote accountability in line with Nigerian governments zero tolerance for corruption.

The JAMBs boss said the organisation will now only use Web payment, ATM issued cards, online quickteller, ATM payment, quickteller mobile application and Bank Branch case /card.

Mr. Oloyede said the National Assembly was in the process of amending the Boards Act.

He, however, said an appeal was made to the National Assembly when he visited the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education last week to suspend the process of the amendment of the Act.

He said there was the need to allow the board and all tertiary institutions including the Ministry of Education and other necessary organs to go back to the round table for discussion at a very conducive atmosphere as all have agreed to work together for the benefit of the Nigerian child.

He said the content of the bill as it is presently with the National Assembly will be counter productive, if passed.

The Jamb Registrar also appealed to the federal government of Nigeria to revert to the former system where serving Vice Chancellors of Universities were made chairmen of the governing board of JAMB.

He said the reversal was for a harmonious relationship with the universities.

He explained that for almost two decades of the Board, from 1977 to 1993, only serving vice-chancellors were made chairmen of the Board.

He recalled those who headed the Board to include from Prof. Oladipo O. Akinkugbe, VC University of Ilorin; Prof. Donald Ekong, VC University of Port Harcourt; Prof. Adamu Baike, VC universities of Benin; Prof. Mahdi Adamu, VC University of Sokoto and Prof. Isa Mohammed, VC University of Abuja.

Mr. Oloyede said the practice promoted harmony and quality inputs on the Boards matriculation activities, which has since been scrapped.

The registrar said the appointment of the chairman of the Board could be restricted to only heads of tertiary institutions in Nigeria perhaps on rotational basis among the vice-chancellors of universities, rectors of polytechnics and monotechnics and provosts of Colleges of Education.

The registrar also charged heads of tertiary institutions to participate in the supervision of the boards matriculation examinations particularly in the centres within their institutions and the neighbourhood with a view to improving the sanctity of the examination.
Boko Haram has expressed its willingness to negotiate the release 83 more Chibok girls, presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said Sunday, days after the release of 21 abducted girls.

In an interview with Reuters Foundation, Mr. Shehu said leaders of the Islamic State-affiliated group released 21 girls on Thursday to assure the Buhari administration their faction held the girls.

These 21 released girls are supposed to be tale bearers to tell the Nigerian government that this faction of Boko Haram has 83 more Chibok girls, Mr. Shehu said. The faction said it is ready to negotiate if the government is willing to sit down with them.

Nearly 300 Chibok school girls were abducted by the sect in April 2014.

President Buhari has repeatedly said he would be willing to negotiate with the group if its genuine leaders are identified.

The Boko Haram faction said the remaining kidnapped Chibok girls were with another faction of the sect controlled Abubakar Shekau, Reuters Foundation quoted Mr. Shehu as saying.

Boko Haram has apparently split into at least two factions.

One is believed to be controlled by the elusive leader, Mr. Shekau, and another by Musab al-Barnawi, who is said to be the son of the groups founder, Mohammed Yusuf.

The conditions for the release of the 21 girls on Thursday are not yet clear.

The Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, on Thursday, denied reports that the government had swapped captured Boko Haram fighters for their release and said he was not aware if any ransom had been paid.

President Muhammadu Buhari said in Germany he was not informed of what the government traded for the girls.

He said he would receive full briefing after arriving in Nigeria this week.
President Buhari has denied knowledge of what his government exchanged with Boko Haram for the 21 abducted Chibok girls, saying he would need to return from Germany to be fully briefed.

This is what I dont know until I go back. I said the release is on the morning I left and this is not something we will discuss on the telephone, Mr. Buhari said in the interview with German broadcaster, Deutsche Welle.

Twenty Chibok girls were released on Thursday and some government officials said the administration did not give Boko Haram anything in return.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, denied a report that the government released Boko Haram detainees for the girls.

Please note that this is not a swap. It is a release, Mr. Mohammed told reporters Thursday.

Mr. Mohammed said President Buhari assigned the State Security Service to proceed with the negotiation and credited the release to painstaking negotiations and trust on both sides.

During the exchange with Mr. Buhari, Deutsche Welles Phil Gayle asked the president if he was aware of an exchange of Boko Haram commanders for the girls as widely reported in the media.

Until I go back, I will receive a formal briefing on how the negotiations went, Mr. Buhari said. As soon as I go back home I will find out the written confirmation of how it all went.

The president had stated his readiness to negotiate with the terrorists but only after their genuine leaders are identified.

Mr. Buhari traveled to Germany on Thursday for talks with that countrys leader, Angela Merkel.

He returned to Abuja on Saturday.
The Jigawa Government has empowered 200 women with 600 goats in Buji Local Government Area of the state.

Ali Safiyanu, the Information Officer of Buji LGA, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Dutse.

The goats were distributed to the beneficiaries in the 11 wards of the local government under the Goat Rearing/Breeding Loan Scheme introduced to empower women in the state.

The beneficiaries would pay back the revolving loan in 18 months.

Mr. Safiyanu said the states APC Women Leader, Binta Shuaibu, distributed the goats to the beneficiaries on Oct. 14, in Buji town.

He said that the women were given two she-goats and one he-goat to rear, adding that the breeds would give birth twice a year.

According to him, the women would pay back the loan with three goats.

The spokesperson quoted the APC women leader as explaining that the decision to give the beneficiaries goats was because of its economic value and simplicity in rearing.

The government decided to give the women goats because of its economic values; both the goats meat and its skin are needed.

Since most of the beneficiaries are rural dwellers, to feed the animals will not be hard for them because of the availability of the animal feeds in their villages, he quoted Binta as saying.

Mr. Safiyanu further told NAN that while commenting, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the council, Hashim Ahmad, said the state government also distributed 20,000 improved fuel economy stoves for free to local food vendors in the local government.

The stoves were distributed under the state governments Women Food Vendors Support Programme, he said.

(NAN)
President Buharis infamous slapdown of his wife, Aisha, is the latest manifestation of some demonic powers far beyond the presidents understanding, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, said on Friday.

Mr. Fani-Kayode said demons were speaking through the president, as he could not have uttered such remarks on his own.

Mr. Fani-Kayodes diagnosis was contained in a Facebook post he made to support a recent column by Reuben Abati, a former presidential aide.

I am ordinarily not a superstitious person, but working in the Villa, I eventually became convinced that there must be something supernatural about power and closeness to it, Mr. Abati had earlier written.

Mr. Abati said the demons were so ruthless that some married men were deprived of the ability to exercise their social status, leaving their wives little choice but to seek alternative means of satisfying their sexual cravings.

Mr. Abati, who served as a spokesman to President Goodluck Jonathan, said his suspicion that evil spirits cohabit with officials in the presidential villa was the primary reason he declined to pack into an apartment provided for his family there.

Mr. Fani-Kayode in a lengthy statement posted on his Facebook page agreed with Mr. Abati.

The former minister said Mr. Abatis column reminded him of unusual events that happened when he was serving in the State House as a media aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

I worked in the Villa for three years as President Olusegun Obasanjos spokesman on public affairs and a lot of very strange things happened there, Mr. Fani-Kayode said. Amongst them is the fact that the two people that served as Senior Special Assistant to President Obasanjo on Media and Publicity one after the other, namely the much-loved Mr. Tunji Oseni and then later Mrs. Remi Oyo, both contracted a terrible terminal illness whilst in office and died a few years later.

Besides those, Mr. Fani-Kayode said a number of administration officials suffered varying degrees of misfortunes.

Amongst them were Col. Solomon Giwa Amu, Obasanjos hard-working and good-looking ADC and Mr. Stanley Macebuh, his brilliant and cerebral Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Mr. Fani-Kayode said.

Mr. Fani-Kayode, therefore, said he couldnt but agree with the theories in Mr. Abatis column, especially as it coincided with Mr. Buharis comments that had been deemed largely distasteful.

When our president can get up and tell the whole world all the way from distant Germany that his wife belongs to the kitchen, the living room and the other room simply because she dared to speak her mind to the BBC, then you know that he is in the grip of something evil and that demons are speaking through him.

It is all part of the spiritual dimension of living in the Villa that Abati was referring to in his essay.

The Presidents mind has become twisted and he is now possessed by strange and powerful entities. He needs a lot of prayers.

Mr. Buhari has remained under intense public criticism for the comments.

To further buttress his point, Mr. Fani-Kayode made allusions to a series of events since Nigerias independence in 1960 that he believed were not normal.

Those events included the passing or illness of historic figures and their relatives.

Mr. Fani-Kayode highlighted them as follows:

When it comes to our military rulers the story of consistent tragedy is no different- General Aguiyi-Ironsi, our first military Head of State was killed.

General Yakubu Gowon, our second military Head of State, was toppled from power, exiled and lost his brother.

General Murtala Mohammed, our third military Head of State, was killed and lost both his son and son-in-law.

General Olusegun Obasanjo was our fourth military Head of State and we touched on his misfortunes earlier.

General Muhammadu Buhari, our fifth military Head of State, was toppled from power, locked up for a number of years, lost his mother whilst he was in detention and was not allowed to attend her burial, lost his first wife, lost his daughter and now he has publicly described his second wife as nothing more than a kitchen, living room and other room wife.

His number two, General Tunde Idiagbon, was cut short under very strange and suspicious circumstances.

General Ibrahim Babangida, our sixth military Head of State, was eased out of power and compelled to step aside amidst massive controversy and turmoil and later lost his wife.

His number two, Rear Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, lost his first son, Chief Ernest Shonekan, our first and only Interim Civilian Head of State, was badly humiliated and toppled from power.

General Sani Abacha, our seventh military Head of State, lost his first son, was removed from power and was killed.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar, our eighth military Head of State, as far as I am aware is the only exception and appears to have escaped any misfortune.

Yet the picture is very depressing. This is indeed a catalogue of tragic events. Sorrow and pain just appear to be following sorrow and pain. It is a vicious circle of misfortune and calamity.

Yet the most curious phenomenon and bizarre series of events of all is the fact that every single Head of State or President that has ruled our country from the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock, Abuja for three years or more has either ended up dying whilst there or has lost a spouse before leaving office.

President Jonathan stayed there as President for four years in a stretch but the travails of his wife and her series of illnesses and medical complications which suddenly and miraculously ceased and abated after he conceded the 2015 election indicates that had he continued in office after 2015 he may have lost her and the demons of Aso Rock Villa would have come for their prey.

Thankfully he left before they could lay claim to it and before the curse was activated.

Babangida did not stay in the Villa in Abuja for up to three years so he and his wife escaped what has come to be known as the Villa curse.

It was the same for Chief Ernest Shonekan who, wisely, never stayed at the Villa at all but who chose to preside over the affairs of the nation from Aguda house next door and who remained in power for barely six months. General Abdulsalami Abubakar stayed at the Villa but he remained there for less than a year.

However, Abacha, Obasanjo and YarAdua were not so lucky each of them stayed at the Villa for three years or more and before the end of their tenure they either lost their own life or the life of their spouse whilst there.

The story is that once the three-year mark is passed the curse sets in and the clock begins to tick. At the end of the day only one of the two spouses come out alive, Mr. Fani-Kayode said.

Both Mr. Fani-Kayode and Mr. Abati have been mocked on the internet for failing to fathom the unique reasons behind each of the deaths and illness they cited.

The critics also said the two were hampering on conspiracy theories as a way of deflecting responsibility for their alleged ineptitude while in office.
The governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello, has sacked the chairman of the States Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board, Sadiq Rabiu.

The spokesperson of the governor, Kingsley Fanwo, said Mr. Sadiq was sacked over allegations of fraud and dehumanizing treatment of pilgrims from the state to this years Hajj.

In an interview with journalists in Lokoja, Sunday, Mr. Fanwo said the governor set up an investigative panel to probe the activities of the Muslim Pilgrims Board Chairman after receiving complaints from the pilgrims.

It would be recalled that the Governor made adequate provision for Pilgrims, who performed this years Hajj in the Holy Land of Mecca. But to his surprise, contingents from Kogi State were subjected to dehumanising conditions.

Consequent upon receipt of various complaints of fraud against the Chairman, Governor Yahaya Bello set up an investigative panel to probe into the activities of the Board in relation to this years Hajj exercise. Startling revelations have come out.

It has been established that Pilgrims from the State were kept in substandard hotels in Mecca, prompting many of them to sleep outside the hotel. Also, many of the Pilgrims were shortchanged by the Chairman of the Board, he said.

The former chairman was also accused of discreetly including his relations and friends on the pilgrimage while hiding same from government.

Mr. Fanwo said the action of Mr. Sadiq was at variance to the policy of the present administration in the state, which places emphasis on accountability, probity and transparency.

He also said the suspended chairman has been handed over to security agencies.

In view of this and the determination not to protect any office holder who soiled his or her hand in corruption, the Governor has directed for the immediate suspension of the Chairman and he has been handed over to operatives of the Directorate of State Security Service for further investigations and possible prosecution if enough grounds are found for that.

Mr. Fanwo said the administration of Mr. Bello was poised to address the issue of corruption with absolute seriousness in order to checkmate the effect of corruption on the development of the State, insisting that the fight against corruption is by all for all.

Corruption is corruption no matter who is involved or when it was perpetrated.

The decision of the Governor to set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the finances and administration of the past shows the readiness of government to fight corruption to a standstill in the State.

Allegations of witch-hunt will now be silenced by the Governors action of investigating even his own appointees.

I urge the people of the State to cooperate with the present administration to fix the state. The Governor has also restated his commitment to developing the State through heavy investment on infrastructure while overhead cost will soon be drastically slashed, Mr. Fanwo said.
Some of the Chibok school girls recently released from Boko Haram captivity attended a special Church thanksgiving service on Sunday in Abuja.

The girls danced and greeted their families during the service.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, attended the service.

Anne Okorafor, Director Medical Services of the State Security Service, SSS, was also in attendance.
The Ebonyi Police Command has confirmed the clash between its officers and soldiers from the Nigerian Army Cantonment, Nkwagu, near Abakaliki, on Saturday evening.

DSP George Okafor, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abakaliki.

However, Mr. Okafor said that the matter had been resolved amicably.

According to him, the clash is unfortunate and efforts have been made by the two agencies to forestall such occurrences in future.

The matter has been peacefully resolved and we urge the public not to panic over the development but be assured of their safety at all times, he said.

Mr. Okafor, who declined further comments on the issue, also failed to confirm whether police officers involved in the clash sustained injuries.

A witness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told NAN that the incident occurred at No. 1, Water Works road, Abakaliki.

Trouble started when a police patrol team on road check requested for the identity cards and vehicle particulars of army officers from the Nkwagu military cantonment.

The soldiers rode a tinted Toyota Camry car with registration number BWR 886 AE and a black Toyota Jeep with the inscription of Bride used to convey a newly wedded couple.

The soldiers, who were in their uniforms except one personnel, told the police team they were returning from a wedding and felt embarrassed by their request for the documents.

At this point, one of the police officers stopped the soldiers from passing and the latter angrily fired sporadically into the air, he said.

According to the witness, who is a security agent, the police officers called the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) on phone and immediately they stormed the scene, one of them slapped a soldier.

The clash subsequently ensued and the police who had the upper hand, took some of the soldiers to the commands headquarters while confiscating their rifles.

The soldiers who escaped from the scene, rushed to the cantonment and on their way, allegedly attacked some policemen near the cantonment and held them hostage, the security agent told NAN.

The witness also said one of the police officers held by the soldiers was released and he quickly rushed to the command to report that some officers were being held at the cantonment.

This development almost affected the peace moves made by both security agencies but the situation eventually normalised following intervention by top echelon of both agencies, the source added.

The army authorities were yet to react to NAN enquiries or make public their reaction over the development.

(NAN)
MIPJunior ends today, Sunday 15, healthier and larger than its previous editions. With good business traffic and sessions at the Martinez Hotel, it lets glimpse at the dynamism of an industry that is growing and changing constantly regardless of the content world.

One of the most important changes nowadays is audience, both in terms of how they watch content, and their new role as an active player. According to Deirdre Brennan, Corus TV (Canada), Netflix and Amazon have shown that is possible to break standards and get out of the 11 series. Its not shaped to the demands of our audiences. Now we can see a big opportunity driven by a big change in society. The gap has disappeared and parents and children have a more inclusive relationship. Kids want to share their experiences.

But these changes are reflected not just in producing content, but also in distribution. Two years ago we were looking for shows of 13, 26 or 30 minutes, with exclusive rights for linear TV. Today, if a distributor or producer comes to us, it must have rights for all platforms, a buyer told Prensario. According to some distributors, this forces them to choose more carefully which titles to represent, and to ensure all the rights, instead a bunch of them with just lineal options.

In terms of content, each platform seems to have found the genre that fits best to it. Tara Sorensen, head of kid programming at Amazon Studios: Even when we are open to anything unique that hasnt been done before, right now we are looking to fill the pipeline in animation. Broadcasters such as Canal+ (France) are looking for more cultural shows and live action, according to Laurence Blaevoet, head of children programmes and channels. Regarding Pay-TV, creativity and strong characters that can give and identity to a channel are still on top for Marc Buhaj, SVP and general manager of Disney XD, but he remarks: The thing that still eludes us when looking for gripping stories and great characters that you want to spend time with, is how that truly works as a digital property.

Regarding the trade show, the World Premiere TV Screening of Jim Hensons new series Splash and Bubbles; the MIPJr. International Pitch were among thehighlights of the first day. At the opening party, the French production company Millimages celebrated its 25th anniversary. Today, it stands as a Snack and See of Ben 10 series, a keynote of Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, COO, Mattel, and the world premiere of Grizzy and the Lemmings (Hari International).

Regarding MIPCOM, which starts tomorrow, expectations are high. Reed Midem forecasts 13,700 participants and close to 4,800 buyers, including 1,600 buyers from VOD and digital platforms. The highlights include the Personality of the Year award to producer Shonda Rhimes; mastermind keynotes from Ben Sherwood, co-chair, Disney Media Networks; David Linde, CEO, Participant Media; Kazuo Hirai, CEO and president, Sony Corporation (Japan), Sean Cohan, president international and digital media, A+E Networks, and Kiefer Sutherland (24).

Nicolas Smirnoff, Fabricio Ferrara & Rodrigo Cantisano
WHO ARE THEY: Chicago was formed in the late 1960s in the city that bears their name. The goal of the musicians was to blend classical, jazz, R&B, pop and rock, and they managed to do so incredibly successfully. The groups first album Chicago Transit Authority was released in April 1969 and went on to sell over two million copies.

Earth, Wind & Fire became one of the most critically acclaimed and successful funk bands, incorporating elements of jazz, smooth soul, gospel, pop, rock, blues, folk and disco. Some of the groups biggest hits include Shining Star, Sing a Song, Fantasy, Best of My Love and Serpentine Fire. Earth, Wind & Fire racked up eight double-platinum albums, two platinum albums and three gold albums during the course of their illustrious career.

WHAT TO EXPECT: A pair of 1970s hit-making groups, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire come to Atlantic City on Friday for a performance at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa. With their romantic lyrics, slick production, pop sensibilities and mainstream appeal, Chicago was practically tailor-made for adult contemporary and soft rock stations across America. Fans can expect to hear hits such as Make me Smile, Saturday in the Park, Hard Habit to Break, Youre the Inspiration and Look Away, as well as newer tracks like Feel and Love Will Come Back. Meanwhile, Earth, Wind & Fire have been known for their tremendous live shows, which are often laden with special effects to go along with the smooth melodies and sweet harmonies. Fans can expect to hear hits such as Sing a Song, Got to Get You Into My Life, Serpentine Fire, Best of My Love and Fantasy.
Nothing beats a good glass of wine with friends. But its also fun to have something to do together. So somewhere between the need for a relaxing night in and a fun group activity, paint nights were born.

Paint nights, in which friends gather to sip an alcoholic beverage or two while painting pictures, have been gaining momentum since 2014, and theyve found their way to South Jersey.

In her day job, Juliana Jost teaches art to ninth- and 10th-grade students at Vineland High School. But she also leads art parties at the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities in Cape May. She recently expanded her classes to area country clubs, private homes and her own home.

I wanted to be able to teach everybody. I kind of do my own thing. Theres no administration or discipline involved, said Jost, of Vineland.

The classes are two hours, which allows for enough time to laugh with friends, complete the project and sip some wine. The events have become a popular backdrop for bachelorette parties, baby showers and birthdays, although no celebration is required for friends and family to gather over a beverage and an easel.

Josts classes are a little different than other paint nights. The painting is often done on pieces of wood that are distressed, measured and cut by Jost before each class. The wood plaques and door hangers, she said, are more likely to be put to use in a home long after the wine is gone. Participants can go online and pick which subjects they would like to learn to paint.

Im getting deeper into woodworking, where I teach you how to distress the wood and how to make really nice prints on it, Jost said. People will pay $80 for these things, and you can custom make it yourself with a name on it. The possibilities are endless.

Jost said one reason the activity has gained popularity is because participants dont need previous knowledge to come in and create a successful painting.

Theres no skill level needed. None at all. I walk you through everything, Jost said. Its a step-by-step instruction. Its a breeze. At first, people can be a little intimidated and say, Oh, I cant do that. But when they realize its a step-by-step, and it gets broken down, theyre all very satisfied when they walk out, which is gratifying for everybody.

Valerie Kizner, of Vineland, attended her first paint party with Jost in 2015. She agreed that anyone can attend the events and walk out of the door with a great painting, no artistic talent required.

Kizner said she has been to many of Josts events and has created scenes of winter woods, a beach scene, a lighthouse, a fish made with her sons handprint, painted wine glasses and a Halloween sign made on distressed wood.

I love that Juliana is a great instructor. She makes painting so fun and easy. I also like that her classes offer more than just painting, Kizner said. The distressed wooden signs she is offering recently are really nice to hang in your home. I was able to make a painting even with my 6-month-old.

Bernadette Erb, of Villas, said she had attended paint party events with friends in Philadelphia and thought there should be similar events in Cape May County. She put thought to action and decided to teach the classes herself.

We have BYOB adult classes in the evenings and wanted to bring something to do here, said Erb of her studio, Artist On the Rocks, which opened in North Cape May in summer 2014.

Youre in there; youre laughing with your girlfriends. Its more of a party scene rather than an art class, Erb said.

Erb said she also brings the party to bars, campgrounds and other spots. Participants can help choose the painting they want to do on a certain date by giving their input online.

We have people that have been there upward of 20 times. We have very regular customers Ive come to know who are now friends and almost family.

Erb said five instructors work regularly for Artist On the Rocks to assist in creating the masterpiece of the week.

Winter is actually our busy season. We get more locals than tourists, and its busy because there arent that many things to do inside in this area in the winter, Erb said. We have a lot of holiday paintings that people give as gifts. Some nights, it could be a slow night and others its a full house of upwards of 40.

Another reason groups gather for the paint-and-sip events is to support a cause. The events are popular fundraisers. One led by Erb involved teaching 120 guests with the help of two artists and an assistant.

And rather than simply paying a bar tab at the end of the night, participants get to bring home the fruits of their labor and maybe even some painting techniques to try at home.

I teach technique, how to lay the brush on your canvas, long strokes, things you wouldnt have thought of unless an artist told you that, Jost said.

There may be a few people per class that are there just to drink wine and dont really care, but for the most part everyones really into what theyre doing, and theyre having a blast at the same time, she said.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  Steven P. Perskie, author of the Casino Control Act that brought casino gambling to Atlantic City and former chairman of the Casino Control Commission, will discuss the potential impact of casinos in North Jersey during an event Tuesday at The Village Grande at English Mill.

The 60-minute forum, which is open to residents of the over-55 community, will start at 6:30 p.m. at the clubhouse. The forum is sponsored by the Government Liaison Committee of Village Grande at English Mill.

Voters will decide whether to approve as many as two casinos in North Jersey during the Nov. 8 election. The ballot question states the new casinos must be in separate counties and at least 72 miles from Atlantic City, where four casinos closed in 2014 and another, Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, closed Oct. 10. Deutsche Bank said last year North Jersey casinos could generate $500 million in gambling revenue.

Opponents and even some supporters of the referendum said there werent enough details, such as exact locations and tax rates.

A recent poll by Stockton Universitys William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy found 68 percent of those surveyed oppose the plan to allow two casinos in northern New Jersey, while 27 percent support expansion beyond Atlantic City.
Not only will New Jersey voters be selecting the next president and several local representatives on Nov. 8, but they will also be asked to decide on expanding casino gaming into North Jersey.

Casino gaming is a 1970s economic development strategy that has run its course. To expand casino gaming in the most saturated market in the country makes absolutely no public policy sense. Only in New Jersey could the answer to too many casinos be more casinos.

Lets get real. Expansion of casino gaming into North Jersey is not on the ballot because it reflects the will of the people; it is on the ballot because of the ability of two billionaires to influence elected officials in Trenton.

Think about it. Two extremely wealthy individuals can get a constitutional amendment on the ballot that will, according to one independent study, cause nearly 30,000 people to lose their jobs and devastate the economy of an entire region. Yet they expect the people to support their sham by promising what amounts to a welfare check of $200 million a year to rebuild the economy of Atlantic City. How they arrived at this number is unknown since they have produced no documentation to support their claim.

The fact that a majority of voters appear to be opposed to an expansion of casino gaming shows they have more common sense than many elected officials. They recognize the limitations of casino gaming and dont buy the ridiculous, unsubstantiated promises made by supporters of North Jersey casinos.

No one can say how much revenue North Jersey casinos will generate without knowing the rate these casinos will be taxed. Assemblyman Ralph Caputos recently proposed resolution to the Nov. 8 referendum still fails to identify a specific tax rate. Nor do we know what social costs North Jersey casinos would impose or where they would be located. It is no accident that the details, where the devil resides, have been conveniently omitted. Why would any reasonable individual support the amendment without the terms and conditions clearly stated?

South Jersey is currently challenged by high unemployment and the highest home foreclosure rate in the country. North Jersey casinos will assuredly make these problems worse.

Unfortunately some politicians prefer to count on this pipe dream of easy money from a declining number of gamblers rather than rolling up their sleeves to develop sound budgets and sustainable economic policies. Sadly, the citizens of New Jersey will pay a high price for such stupidity.

Dennis Levinson, of Linwood, is the Atlantic County executive.
Public engagement is especially strong in the presidential campaign. Partisans seem more determined than usual  almost desperate  to persuade others to vote for or against a particular candidate. For nearly two years, long for a presidential race, theyve tried to influence the media in favor of their preferred candidate.

This is a good time to offer our views on newspaper endorsements of political candidates.

Newspapers have been backing public office hopefuls since the nations beginning. Once the Constitution guaranteed freedom of the press, political parties published newspapers to advance their interests, quickly building up a sector that had largely been a sideline for printers. By the end of the 19th century, the industry had transitioned to serving the general interest with less obviously partisan publications. Many continued to endorse candidates for office.

The competing general interest media that arose in the 20th century didnt follow suit. The news departments of broadcast and cable television networks dont endorse. Radio stations and networks dont endorse.

That alone undermines one frequent rationale for newspaper endorsements, that the editorial board members making the choice are thoughtful, smart and well-informed, as one columnist put it recently. More so than their counterparts at ABC or CNN?

And even though we might agree that journalists in general are more politically aware than the general public, we dont see evidence that their political judgments are better. The views of the common citizen are as legitimate as those of the most elite journalists.

The Press of Atlantic City and its staff take very seriously their responsibility to inform readers about candidates and issues, provide a wide variety perspectives in election-related commentaries, and allow readers to express their views in letters to the editor. We feel confident these provide the basis for making informed choices on Election Day.

Telling readers how to vote, however, is contrary to the mission of newspapers and other media, which is to extend the publics experience and perspectives. Newsgathering organizations give the public eyes, ears and memory beyond the capability of an individual. People want them to be reliable and credible. When the media start making judgments, their audiences wonder if theyre altering their content to support that judgment too.

This distinction also should be clear in a newspapers editorials. The Press editorial board, like many others, routinely examines issues and offers its analysis and suggestions for a path forward. Our views have no greater legitimacy than those expressed in letters to the editor or commentaries. We contribute to the marketplace of civic ideas like everyone else. Whatever authority anyones views have should derive only from the soundness of the awareness, reasoning and compassion that formed them.

Voting for one candidate rather than another is different  the most personal, complex, essential and by law private element of democracy. It is not an issue, although a voter may wish to decide based on a single issue. Voting as freely and fairly as possible is the very basis for America.

Elections are also important expressions of public sentiment and indicators of where the American people are and what direction they would like the nation to go. Suggesting to people how they should feel and what they should hope seems not only presumptuous, but disrespectful of this important function of democracy.

We think its more important to attend to whats needed for the health and future of American democracy  an engaged and informed citizenry capable of considering many views, seeing from many perspectives, giving voice to its condition and making its own judgments. Power ultimately resides in all of the people in a democracy. The advance of society depends on their growing ability to use that power wisely.
U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo has been South Jerseys congressman since 1995 and says he can point with pride to always putting the 2nd Congressional District first.

The Republican incumbent cited improvements at the Northfield Department of Veterans Affairs clinic, progress at the long-stalled Stockton Aviation Research and Technology Park and grants that benefited Atlantic City as examples of his success during a recent meeting with The Press of Atlantic Citys editorial board.

LoBiondo, 70, is running for his 12th term in Congress against Democratic challenger Dave Cole. He said he has a record of making constituent services a top priority and occasionally bucking the party to do whats best for the district.

Theres an awful lot of what we do where people call and theyre really at the end of the line, and we have an opportunity to solve problems for them, he said.

Democrat Cole takes techie's approach to nation's needs Dave Cole thinks a Democrat can win in the 2nd Congressional District, even though that hasnt happened in 22 years.

Asked about times he disagreed with his fellow Republicans, LoBiondo listed his support of the federal food-stamp program when members of his party wanted to eliminate it. He was against privatizing Social Security when former President George W. Bush was for it.

But his most recent example of bucking the party  announcing he wont vote for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump  is a very challenging situation, he said.

LoBiondo said he would write in Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence after a 2005 video surfaced showing Trump making lewd comments about women. LoBiondo called the video the breaking point after a series of controversial comments from Trump.

There are people who are very angry with me, and I expected that. I understand it, LoBiondo said. Hillary Clinton is totally unacceptable. So those who are saying my write-in of Pence is just the same as voting for Hillary, I disagree with because part of the strategy right now is to deny Mrs. Clinton the 270 (electoral) votes.

LoBiondo and other lawmakers announced reforms to South Jerseys veterans clinics earlier this year to address long wait times and staffing issues at area facilities. Part of the reforms included hiring four additional behavioral-health staff members and six additional medical staff members at the Northfield clinic.

LoBiondo said there has been a tremendous amount of progress on the VA but called it the mission that will never end.

Democratic candidate Dave Cole blasts LoBiondo's Trump ties ATLANTIC CITY  Democratic congressional nominee for New Jerseys 2nd District Dave Cole att

When men and women raise their hand to serve our country, theyre doing it because of love of country, and theres an expectation the country will keep its promise. The country has not, he said.

LoBiondo said jobs and the economy are the top issues. Because of the work of Atlantic County government, we are finally getting untangled with the planned Stockton aviation park in Egg Harbor Township, he said.

It had a tremendous legal entanglement that lasted for years, he said. Most of the obstacles are removed now. The bids have gone out. Were waiting for them to come in, and we think the infrastructure portion of this could move along pretty quickly.

Atlantic County's future depends on technology, education Colorful graphics spill across the pages of the Angelou Report, while oversized text trumpet

LoBiondo said the federal governments role in helping Atlantic City is in supplying grants, such as the {span class=st}Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response{/span} grant he helped the city receive. That grant helped the city keep 85 firefighters on the payroll.
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




ABU DHABI and DUBAI, UAE, October 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

First-of-a-kind solutions establish DarkMatter as the region ' s pioneer in blockchain technology

Solutions align with the UAE's vision to foster the innovation and adoption of smart government infrastructure and development of smart technologies

DarkMatter, an international cyber security firm headquartered in the UAE, has announced the launch of its blockchain advisory services and forthcoming blockchain Software Development Kit (SDK).

These first-of-a-kind, enterprise-ready blockchain offerings are designed for smart cities and other smart systems, and industries such as financial services, financial technology, and healthcare where secure real-time data transactions are mission critical.

DarkMatter is bringing its expertise in advanced cryptographic research and development to help governments and large enterprises implement blockchain solutions that incorporate critically important elements such as authentication and confidentiality, which are necessary to unlock blockchain's full potential.

Blockchain is drawing increasing interest from a range of industries that see the technology providing a platform to simplify and speed all types of transactions, improve the mechanisms to exchange information or things of value, and deliver an always-updated, indisputable and definitive record of almost any type of data.

However, to be truly useful, blockchain technology must enable trust among the parties involved. DarkMatter's SDK provides this through multi-layered cryptography that includes proper authentication, provably secure crypto, integrity checks, cryptographic digital signatures, and flexible consensus scheme alternatives.

The DarkMatter SDK delivers this secure and comprehensive blockchain solution through a simple software plug-in that can be integrated into almost any existing network. The SDK incorporates DarkMatter's trusted encryption and authentication algorithms and also includes customised design and provisioning of the architecture for the entire blockchain-enabled solution.

Commenting on the development of blockchain solutions, Faisal Al Bannai, Chief Executive Officer of DarkMatter, said, "Blockchain is a disruptive technology with the potential to deliver enormous benefits to governments, companies and individuals. As an innovator in the field of cyber security and a pioneer in the regional blockchain environment, DarkMatter is uniquely positioned to develop new blockchain solutions that combine state-of-the-art security with advanced user-focused deployments."

Faisal Al Bannai added: "The launch of DarkMatter's blockchain offerings aligns with the UAE's vision to create a resilient, dynamic and knowledge-based economy, with smart cities and advanced government services that leverage cutting-edge technologies to benefit citizens, enterprises and visitors."

DarkMatter's blockchain advisory team works with governments and enterprises to identify opportunities and use-case scenarios for the implementation of this technology. As a regional pioneer in the blockchain space, DarkMatter can help organisations cut through the growing noise surrounding the technology to identify the hidden opportunities it offers.

The DarkMatter Blockchain SDK can be integrated into an organisation's systems to provide a secure and seamless exchange of information across distributed networks and users. DarkMatter complements its SDK solutions with in-house design, procurement and implemental services in associated infrastructure, hardware and software.

About DarkMatter

DarkMatter is transforming the cyber security landscape. Headquartered in the UAE and operating globally, we're the region's first and only fully integrated digital defence and cyber security consultancy and implementation firm. Our elite team of global experts deliver advanced, next-generation solutions to governments and enterprises across the cyber security spectrum.

We help clients simplify the enormous complexity of today's ever-evolving cyber threats. Our vision is to secure the future by protecting its technologies

Our products extend to Secure Communications, Public Key Infrastructure, Innovation & Research, and Big Data & Analytics.

Our services extend to Governance, Risk & Compliance, Cyber Network Defence,

Managed Security Services, Infrastructure & System Integration, Test & Validation Labs, and Smart Solutions.

For further details, visit http://www.darkmatter.ae

SOURCE DarkMatter
DOHA, Qatar, October 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University's (HBKU) College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) is now accepting submissions for the Eighth Annual International Translation Conference. The two-day event is scheduled to take place from March 27 - 28, 2017 and will be hosted by the college at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) in Doha, Qatar. TII anticipates submissions from academics, practitioners and community members who are invested, through theory or practice, in addressing the theme of this year's conference: "21st Century Demands: Translators and Interpreters toward Human and Social Responsibilities."

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161013/428423 )

The fields of translation and interpretation act as key bridge builders that enable knowledge transfer between strategic players, allowing social development to flourish and paving the way forward for an enriched knowledge-based economy. This year's conference seeks to highlight the crucial role translators and interpreters play in building capacity within contemporary society, with a focus on Qatari society and other societies in the Arab world more broadly.

Dr. Amal Al Malki, Founding Dean of CHSS, noted: "Translators and interpreters are often unsung heroes. Their dedication and professionalism enables, and has historically enabled, people, society and nations to achieve success over the centuries. Only recently have we begun to understand the significance of good translation and interpretation, and this year's conference seeks to highlight the role it plays in preserving knowledge, transferring ideas, shaping historical events and bridging communities in the past, present and future."

The thematic areas for the Eighth Annual International Translation Conference include, but are not limited to, the role of translators and interpreters in the community; achievements in history, linguistic innovation and language policies, and translator and interpreter education and training. Suggested sub-topics to explore include the role of interpreters and translators in conflict zones, political, ethical, and economic facets of narration, community interpreters in healthcare, legal, and activist settings, technology as challenge and opportunity, and assessment of terminology tools such as databases, and AVT and interpreting technology. Papers submitted that highlight the contributions of translators and interpreters in enhancing human and social development in Qatar and the region will be given a special focus, however, submissions that offer reflections or analysis on other regions are also welcome.

Submissions of abstracts should be between 250 to 300 words, in either English or Arabic, the official languages of the conference. Submissions must also include the applicant's institutional affiliation, contact information and a short bio of no more than 100 words. The deadline for submission of papers is October 30th, and applicants will be notified by November 27th. Selected attendees will have an opportunity to present their papers at the conference in the course of 20 minutes, and respond to questions posed by their peers and/or the audience over a 10 minute period.

Those interested in submitting a proposal to the 2017 Conference are encouraged to consult the submission website for further information at http://tii.qa/8th-annual-international-translation-conference .

About Hamad bin Khalifa University

Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, is an emerging research university that is building its foundation upon unique collaborations with local and international partners. Located in Education City, HBKU delivers undergraduate and graduate programs through its College of Science and Engineering, College of Law and Public Policy, College of Public Health, Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, and its College of Humanities and Social Sciences. It also provides unparalleled opportunities for research and scholarship through its research institutes, and its Center of Executive Education delivers customized programs for the business community of Qatar and the region, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.

Adeela Tajdar, Associate Account Manager, T: +974-4042-1797



SOURCE Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU)
DUBLIN, Oct. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) announced today the formation of the IBS CounSEL, a group of multidisciplinary experts dedicated to improving diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by providing Support, Education and Leadership (SEL) to physicians and allied healthcare professionals. The IBS CounSEL will launch their new website at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting from October 14-19, 2016 in Las Vegas.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150612/222796LOGO

IBS is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder associated with disturbances of intestinal motility, sensation, and secretion, resulting in recurrent abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits.i,ii

This chronic disorder affects an estimated 35 million Americans and is associated with impaired quality of life, significant disability and emotional distress, and high healthcare costs.iii,iv,v,vi

The American Gastroenterological Association's recent "IBS in America" survey found that when physicians were asked what is lacking most in the treatment of IBS, the second-most-common answer was communication between doctors and patients. With this in mind, Allergan looked to bring together healthcare professionals to develop practical tools and provide expert guidance for physicians and allied healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of IBS.

"The IBS CounSEL was created to fill the necessary need for continued informed dialogue between IBS patients and their physicians," said Dr. Susan Lucak, Chair of The IBS CounSEL. "It's important in any medical discipline that we continue to hone our craft based on the latest information available. The IBS CounSEL is a group of healthcare professionals who are looking to do just that."

As part of their commitment to improving IBS education, the organization developed an interactive website. In addition to providing disease-state information, simple downloadable resources are available through diagnosis and management toolkits.

The IBS CounSEL will have a booth on-site from October 16 -18 during the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting where the website will be demonstrated.

For additional information on IBS and to learn more about the IBS CounSEL, please visit www.ibscounsel.com.

About Allergan plc

Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a bold, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model  Growth Pharma. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceuticals, devices and biologic products for patients around the world.

Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics and dermatology, gastroenterology, women's health, urology and anti-infective therapeutic categories.

Allergan is an industry leader in Open Science, the Company's R&D model, which defines our approach to identifying and developing game-changing ideas and innovation for better patient care. This approach has led to Allergan building one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry with 65+ mid-to-late stage pipeline programs in development.

Our Company's success is powered by our more than 16,000 global colleagues' commitment to being Bold for Life. Together, we build bridges, power ideas, act fast and drive results for our customers and patients around the world by always doing what is right.

With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives.

For more information, visit Allergan's website at www.Allergan.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Allergan's current perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan's products; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 (certain of such periodic public filings having been filed under the "Actavis plc" name). Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

i Longstreth GF et al. Gastroenterology 2006; 130: 1480-1491.

ii Ford AC et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2014; 109 (Suppl 1): S2-26.

iii Canavan C et al. Clin Epidemiol 2014; 6: 71-80

iv Saito YA et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2002; 97: 1910-1915.

v Drossman DA et al. Gastroenterology 2002; 123: 2108-2131.

vi Hulisz D. J Manag Care Pharm 2004; 10: 299-309.

CONTACT: Media:

Fran DeSena

(973) 517-3132

SOURCE Allergan plc

Related Links

http://www.allergan.com


LAS VEGAS, Oct. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) today announced that Rebecca Parker, MD, FACEP, from Park Ridge, Ill., assumed the presidency during the organization's annual meeting in Las Vegas. She was elected in 2015 by ACEP's Council to serve a 1-year term.

Dr. Parker is senior vice president of practice and payment integration for Envision Healthcare and an emergency physician for Vista Health in Waukegan, Ill. In addition, she is president of Team Parker LLC, a consulting group.

"As president I intend to do all I can to make sure that patients have access to emergency care when they need it," said Dr. Parker. "Insurance companies are misleading people by offering so-called 'affordable' premiums, only to find out their policies cover very little. They are trying to ban balance billing without having to pay fairly for EMTALA related care. Payments for emergency visits must be based on a reasonable percentile of charges, rather than arbitrary rates that don't even cover costs of care. We must fight the insurance industry for fair payment and for fair coverage for our patients."

Dr. Parker also has made the issue of diversity and inclusion as a cornerstone of her plans for her one-year tenure as President.

"The specialty of emergency medicine can be made stronger by increasing our diversity and inclusion by generation, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation," she said. "To accomplish this, I have created a Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion to strengthen emergency medicine and position it to meet the needs of our ever-changing society. We need to support our diverse physicians and our diverse patients to deliver the best care while take care of each other."

Dr. Parker has been active with ACEP on both the state and national levels. She has been a member of both the Illinois Chapter and the Texas Chapter Board of Directors and chaired both Chapters' education committees. She has served in a variety of leadership positions on the Illinois ACEP Board, including president-elect, when she was elected to the national ACEP Board of Directors for the first time in 2009.

For national ACEP, Dr. Parker has served as chair of the Coding and Nomenclature Advisory Committee, chair of the Young Physicians Section, board liaison to the Clinical Emergency Medicine Data Registry (CEDR) subcommittee, and chair-elect of the ACEP Foundation. Prior to becoming President-elect, Dr. Parker served as chair of ACEP's Board of Directors.

Dr. Parker has received many awards for her leadership roles, including the AMA's Foundation Leadership Award and the AMA's Women's Physician Congress Mentor Award. She also received the Bill B. Smiley Meritorious Service Award, the Illinois Chapter of ACEP's highest honor.

Dr. Parker was elected to ACEP's Board of Directors in 2009. She earned her medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School and completed her internship and residency in emergency medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, Texas. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine.

ACEP is the national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100616/DC22034LOGO-d

SOURCE American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

Related Links

http://www.acep.org


Rod Jimenez, CEO for SHR, commented: "This is an important milestone for SHR and it represents our commitment to providing excellent service and support to our clients in this region."

Along with the opening of the Singapore location, SHR has made staff appointments and have begun moving into their new office. "SHR is rapidly expanding globally. As part of this expansion, having an office in Singapore is key to our ability to be successful, not just with new client acquisition but ongoing client support," says Drew Rosser, VP of Sales at SHR.

About SHR

SHR provides hotels sophisticated tools and services that help execute their distribution strategy while optimizing the profitability of their room inventory. The company serves thousands of properties around the globe on its reservation and distribution platform, WindsurferCRS and its Internet Booking Engine (IBE), TopSail. Additionally, the company offers its clients custom website design and Revenue Management for Hire services. SHR is a nimble organization, willing to customize technology for its clients, serving them with a high degree of intelligent support from a staff of industry experts and experienced hoteliers. Additional information about SHR may be found at the company's website: www.shr.global.

SHR is the trade name for Sceptre Hospitality Resources, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company

Contact: Jason Emanis

SHR

[email protected]

713.333.9944 ext 124

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161011/427397

SOURCE SHR

Related Links

http://www.shr.global


If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Kigali (Rwanda), Oct 13 : United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Erik Solheim on Thursday went the Gandhian way, asking the global community to take a pledge to phase out the heat-trapping organic compounds -- hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) -- and emulate the lifestyle of the Mahatma.

Making a passionate appeal to emulate Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy in the global fight against climate change, he favoured negotiating an agreement to eliminate planet-warming HFCs in the next 30-40 years.

In his opening ministerial remarks, Solheim, who took over as Executive Director of the UNEP in May last, said the world needed to draw inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, "the greatest Indian of modern times", in its fight against the climate change.

In his extempore speech lasting nearly 25 minutes, he also talked about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi many a time.

"Recently, I was in India when Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change. Modi has sent a message to all of us. He had said India will ratify the Paris Agreement on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Maybe we all need to emulate the lifestyle of this greatest Indian (Mahatma Gandhi) of modern times," he said.

"We all need to allow ourselves to be inspired by Gandhi. We need to remind ourselves of what he achieved. He stood up against the greatest power of that time, through non-violence and determination and achieved his goal (of getting India freed from the British India)," he said.

"We are facing similar challenges (on climate change). If we draw inspiration from him, we can also be victorious as he was."

"Let's take that as the motto for this conference. Let's all become the change that we would like to see. Can we do that? Another slogan from a different country says, 'Yes, we can. For sure, we can'," Solheim added.

At present, the 28th meeting of the Parties to the 1989 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is underway in the Rwandan capital till October 14 to freeze an agreement as early as possible to eventually eliminate the use of HFCs.

One group of countries, including China, seems to favour average HFC consumption during 2020-22 as the baseline.

Another group, that includes India, seems to opt for average HFC consumption during 2024-26 as the baseline, said an official.

In a landmark decision in November last, the 197 Parties of the Montreal Protocol agreed to the "Dubai Pathway on HFCs" which commits the 197 Parties to "work within the Montreal Protocol to an HFC amendment in 2016 by first resolving challenges by generating solutions in the contact group on the feasibility and ways of managing HFCs".

(Vishal Gulati is in Kigali in Rwanda to cover the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. He can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
Kathmandu, Oct 15 : Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" on Saturday left for Goa to participate in the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit to be held from October 15-16.

This is Prachanda's second visit to India after becoming the Prime Minister on August 4 this year. He had visited New Delhi in September at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Heads of state and government of five BRICS nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- are meeting in Goa for their eighth annual gathering, after India assumed the chair of the bloc early this year.

India will also host leaders of neighbouring Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand for the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit.
Benaulim (Goa), Oct 15 : Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay arrived in Goa on Saturday ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit to be held here.

"Another set of honoured guests begin to gather. PM of Bhutan and Nepal also arrive ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit ," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted after the two leaders landed on separate flights at Dabolim Airport.

As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pulled out of this year's Saarc Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistan's state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason.

Afghanistan and Bangladesh too followed suit citing the same reason.

The BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit will be held here on Sunday.
Paris, Oct 16 : French President Francois Hollande presided over a national ceremony paying homage to the 86 victims in the July 14 truck attack in Nice, calling for unity to combat terrorism.

The ceremony took place in Nice on Saturday in the presence of the victims' families, injured people, the country's main political leaders and Nice local officials.

The names of the 86 victims were read out and one white rose was placed for each of them during the ceremony.

"What has been struck on July 14 is national unity, unleash violence to unborn division, spark fear to fuel stigma. No, this evil business will fail," Xinhua news agency quoted Hollande as saying.

Meanwhile, the French president warned that the "war (against terrorism) will be long" and "the threat remains high, more than ever."

On July 14, 2016, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian-born delivery man with his truck careered around 2 km through the crowd before being shot dead by police units. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Benaulim (Goa), Oct 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a bilateral meeting with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit here.

"Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for first engagement," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.

As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pulled out of this year's Saarc Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistan's state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason.

Afghanistan and Bangladesh too followed suit citing the same reason while Sri Lanka held that a Saarc summit was not possible in India's absence.

The BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit will be held here later on Sunday.
Mumbai, Oct 16 : The ongoing quarterly results season, coupled with the direction of foreign fund flows and global trends are expected to guide the Indian equity markets during the upcoming week.

"Firm close on Friday gives hopes that the recovery of Indian stocks will continue into the next week, but broad-based moves shall wait until more Q2 numbers pour in," Anand James, Chief Market Strategist at Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, told IANS.

The second quarter results season started on October 7. Last week IT majors such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys announced their Q2 results. However, the lower earnings' guidance from the two IT majors had dampened investors' sentiments.

Major firms like Reliance Industries, Wipro, UltraTech Cement, ACC and Cairn India are expected to come out with their Q2 results during the coming week.

"In absence of any major trigger, Q2FY17 corporate earning of top blue-chip companies will dictate the market trend in the coming week," said Vijay Singhania, Founder-Director of Trade Smart Online.

Apart from the quarterly results, the minutes of the first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be a major theme for the upcoming week.

"RBI minutes should throw insight into what transpired in the first rate setting meeting of the new governor, and could shape rate further cut expectations especially in the light of CPI (Consumer Price Index) hovering near the 4 per cent mark," James said.

On October 4, 2016, the MPC reduced a key lending rate by 25 basis points, bringing in much relief to commercial banks and India Inc.

All six members of the panel, chaired by RBI Governor Urjit Patel, voted in favour of the monetary policy decisions -- the minutes of which will be released on October 18.

On the global front, European Central Bank's and Bank of Japan's rate setting meetings will set the trend for foreign fund inflows into India.

Last week's trade saw a massive outflow of foreign funds which led to the key indices to tumble by more than 1.30 per cent each.

"Investors will closely follow the pace of FIIs fund inflows into the Indian equity markets and key indices' strength to recover from lower levels," Dhruv Desai, Director and Chief Operating Officer of Tradebulls, told IANS.

The Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) during the week ended October 14 were drawn away from India-based equity markets on the back of heightened chances of a US rate hike in December.

In terms of investments, provisional figures from the stock exchanges showed that the week witnessed a massive outflow of Rs 2,405.21 crore in foreign funds.

Figures from the National Securities Depository (NSDL) disclosed that FPIs were net sellers of equities worth Rs 1,265.1 crore, or $189.54 million from October 10-14.

According to Desai, the equity markets are likely to experience volatile trade due to short covering at lower levels in the coming sessions.

"Auto and oil-gas stocks are likely to witness healthy buying support next week on strong fundamentals," Desai added.

For the week ended October 14, heightened chances of a US rate hike and disappointing factory output data, plunged the Indian equity markets.

Besides, lower earnings' guidance from IT majors, massive outflows of foreign funds and renewed fears of an early exit of Britain from the European Union (Brexit), too, dragged the key indices to end lower.

On a weekly basis, the barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE receded by 387.54 points or 1.38 per cent to 27,673.60 points.

The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) edged lower by 114.2 points or 1.31 per cent to 8,583.40 points.

(Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in)
Benaulim (Goa), Oct 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a bilateral meeting with his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit during which the two leaders discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations.

"Always a delight meeting you PM @tsheringtobgay. Glad to have discussed the full spectrum of India-Bhutan ties during our talks," Modi stated in a tweet.

Earlier on Sunday, Modi also met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena.

As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Modi also pulled out of this year's Saarc Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistan's state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason. Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan too followed suit citing the same reason while Sri Lanka held that a Saarc summit was not possible in India's absence.

The BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit will be held here later on Sunday.
Kannur (Kerala) : Kannur (Kerala) Oct 16 (IANS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in Kerala on Sunday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention for peace in the Kannur district.

"The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is being guided by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah and hence Prime Minister Modi has to intervene to bring an end to the violence in the district," said state CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Interacting with the media here, Balakrishnan said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was willing to call a peace meeting, if the RSS requested for it.

Since the Vijayan government assumed office in May, seven murders have taken place in this district -- of four BJP activists and three CPI-M workers.

Last week alone, two killings took place.

"Vijayan is the Chief Minister of the state and it is he who has the authority and powers and should take the lead calling for a meeting that could bring about peace in the district," said senior BJP leader M.T. Ramesh.

"We have time and again said that we will certainly do our role if such talks are initiated," he told reporters, reacting to Balakrishnan's statement.

Meanwhile, Loknath Behra, Kerala Police chief, said that investigations into the killings and violence are going on.
Edison, New Jersey, Oct 16 : Declaring he will be a "true friend of the Indian and Hindu community", Republican Party's presidential candidate Donald Trump contrasted the growth rates of India and the US and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "pro-growth leader" with whom he will like to work.

Speaking at the "Humanity United Against Terror" rally organized by the Republican Hindu Coalition on Saturday, Trump said: "I'm a big fan of Hindu(s) and a big fan of India -- big, big fan. Let me start by stating right up front that if I'm elected president, the Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House. That, I can guarantee you."

He added that if he becomes President, India and the US would be the best of friends and have a phenomenal future together.

"India is the world's largest democracy," he said. "And is a natural ally of the US."

Trump contrasted the growth of India under Modi with that of the US, saying: "I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi, a pro-growth leader. India's economy is growing seven percent a year and we're not growing at all. We'll grow again, very fast, adding 25 million new jobs over the next decade."

Trump, given a warm introduction to the substantial Hindu community in central New Jersey, responded with one of the most straightforward platform speeches of his campaign for election as US President.

Trump highlighted cutting taxes and government waste, identifying and eliminating job-killing regulation, and restoring economic growth and physical security, especially against Islamist terrorism.

Trump told the audience of about 8,000 ranging in age from toddlers to seniors: "We will beat Islamic terrorism," and also mentioned the Uri terror attack linked to terrorists from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. But he avoided any specific mention of Pakistan in this context.

He did crticized China on economic grounds. He won applause with a promise of fairer trade rules and remediation of intellectual property (IP) theft by China. He placed the value of IP theft losses at $360 million a year.

Trump participated in lighting a traditional Indian lamp before his speech.

The event's main organizer, Shalabh Kumar, introduced Trump, highlighting Hinduism.

"Hindu values are all conservative," Kumar said. "Modi understands that conservative values create freedom and opportunity. Wouldn't it be great if we had that in America?

"I was a Democrat once," Kumar said. "I had pictures of JFK. Then in 1979, I had a chance meeting with Ronald Reagan, and life changed. He spoke in bold bright terms of winning the Cold War and restoring the shining city on the hill. He made me want to preserve the ideals that brought me to the US in the first place.

"Highly skilled workers have to wait for 15 years to emigrate legally," he said. "Now (Barack) Obama wants to give in to Pakistan. These are reasons I decided to form the (Republican Hindu) Coalition."

An Amritsar-born technology entrepreneur, Kumar, who co-founded the Republican Hindu Coalition, is a member of a committee set up by Trump for outreach to the Asian community.

Outside the venue, protesters held up signs denouncing Trump and Democratic Party politicians held a press conference to condemn what they said was his divisiveness.

Indian Americans, according to a series of opinion polls, are staunchly pro-Democrat and Trump's support has been slipping.

Indian Americans, according to a series of opinion polls by the National Asian American Survey, showed that Trump's support among registered Indian American voters slipped from 11 percent in May to seven percent this month, while his Democratic Party opponent Hillary Clinton held steady at 71 percent.

Organisers sought to address this by appealing to Indian Americans by combining the Trump appearance with a rally against terrorism, an issue about which Indians are deeply concerned.

The Trump event was precisely targeted. Edison and surrounding Middlesex County make up the third largest concentration of Indian Americans in the US, at 115,000 in 2014.

Many residents of the area also are staunch supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi.

Attendees at the event, which was also a fundraiser, according to the organisers, for Hindu victims of Islamist terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and Bangladesh, though, expressed support for Trump.

"He said what he would do for this country, what his programme was, and he did it without much bashing of his opposition," Peter Mehta of New York told IANS. "It was a good speech overall."

Raj Puri of Hillsborough, New Jersey, said he thought Trump made a good assessment of his audience.

"He spoke to what people have been asking about," said Puri. "Not too much, not too little."

Trump in his speech also homed in on another of Kumar's themes, that Indians in the US have the highest rates of education and entrepreneurship in the country, to make his case for universal school choice:

"Just imagine if each student in the (nation's) school systems was given a scholarship for the amount of money budgeted for them - allowing them and their family to choose the public or private school of their choice. Not only would this empower families, but it would create a massive education market that is competitive and produces better outcomes."
Islamabad, Oct 16 : A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court seeking the status of Field Marshal for Pakistan Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif.

The petition was filed by two lawyers, Raja Samiul Haq Satti and Sardar Saleem Khan, and cites the Prime Minister and the Secretaries of defence and cabinet division as respondents, Dawn reported on Sunday.

The petition gave details about Gen Sharif and his family, including that his elder brother, Major Shabbir Sharif, was killed during the 1971 war with India.

According to the petition, Gen Sharif, whose three-year term will be up on November 27, had launched the Zarb-e-Azab operation, which had countered the plans of terrorists and that the operation was still on.

The petition said that Gen Sharif had also monitored the ongoing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

The petition argued that it was a universal and divine law that whosoever rendered services for the nation and humanity "in an extraordinary, exemplary and selfless manner" shall be elevated to the highest level of military hierarchy.

It requested the court to direct the respondents to elevate Gen Sharif to the rank of Field Marshal.
New York, Oct 16 : In the wake of the spillover of recent tensions between India and Pakistan on Bollywood, actress Priyanka Chopra says as a "patriot", she would go along with whatever the government decides on the issue. But why only actors are singled out in these discussions, she has asked.

Talking about the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, Priyanka, whose late father Ashok Chopra was an army officer, told NDTV: "I have read about it. It's tricky because first of all artistes and actors are always held responsible for every bigger political agenda that happens in the country."

"Why not business(men), politicians, doctors and why not anyone else except for public people, who are not actors in the movie industry?"

Priyanka, currently seen in the lead role in the popular American TV series "Quantico", said: "I am extremely patriotic. So, whatever my government decides is important to keep the country safe. I go with that, but at the same time, I don't believe that artistes are a representation of -- at least there hasn't been an actor who has done something which has harmed someone's life out of malice or anything."

She thinks that "if someone needs to be hung, the one person that's picked up is an artiste or a public person from the movie business. That to me, is not fair".

India-Pakistan tensions got heightened following a terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 19 soldiers were killed, last month. The Indian Army then carried out surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control.

"I am appalled by what happened in Uri and we need to stand up and protect our country. We have been an extremely peaceful nation for so many centuries. We have never been those who go out and fight. We are from the land of (Mahatma) Gandhi. We are all about non-violence," Priyanka said.

"There are so many different people with so many different opinions and belonging to so many different religions. They have had different sort of upbringing. It's (India is) a difficult country to govern, yet we have managed so well," she added.

Priyanka stated that we should be more concerned about the safety of Indian soldiers and their families.

"We should be concerned about keeping the rest of our sons and the rest of our soldiers safe and that needs to be the focus. We always lose our focus and comment on something else because that's what that makes noise and because people talk about it and media carries it," she said.

Following the September 18 terrorist attack, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes to leave India and said the party would not let their movies release in India.

The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association passed a resolution banning Pakistanis from working in films being made in India. In retaliation, some Pakistani theatre chain owners banned the screening of Indian films.

On Friday, the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India said that movies featuring Pakistani actors would not be screened in single screen theatres in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat.

Latest updates on Gandhi Jayanti 2019
Patna, Oct 16 : A two-day National Council meeting of Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) began on Sunday at Rajgir in Nalanda district.

The JD-U is likely to chalk out its strategy to play a major role to unite non-BJP regional parties at the national level ahead of the 2019 general election.

It will also formally project Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the Prime Ministerial candidate of like-minded parties.

The party will also anoint Nitish Kumar as its President. Nitish Kumar was elected to the post in April.

The meeting started with the hoisting of the party flag by Nitish Kumar along with former JD-U President Sharad Yadav in the presence of hundreds of leaders and workers.

State JD-U President Vashisht Narain Singh said over 1,200 party leaders from 24 states, including 170 elected delegates, were participating in the meeting.

He said: "The party will discuss and deliberate alternate national policies and leadership."

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha chief Babulal Marandi will attend the meeting on the concluding day on Monday.

Rajgir is a historic place in Nalanda, the home district of Nitish Kumar and about 100 km from Patna.
Kolkata, Oct 16 : Two persons were killed when a speeding light commercial vehicle hit them at Strand Road near the Calcutta High Court on Sunday, the city police said.

"At about 7.30 a.m., a Tata 407 mini-truck hit two persons -- a male, 19, and a female, 42 -- at Strand Road near the High Court and ran away. The victims were walking through when the vehicle hit them," said an officer of Kolkata police Traffic control.

The victims were rushed to the SSKM Hospital where they were declared brought dead. Their identities are yet to be established.

"It seemed the victims were relatives. The hunt for the vehicle and the accused is still on," the police officer said.

Most of the recent accidents took place in the city due to reckless driving during late night and morning hours, according to the police.
Jodhpur, Oct 16 : Scotland-based saxophonist and composer Brian Molley, who has collaborated with Rajasthani folk artistes for a yet-to-be titled music album, feels there is a huge market for music in India.

"I hope that this album is liked by the Indian audience as much as we enjoyed making it. I got a great response from the audience when I performed (with his band Brian Molley Quartet) at RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival) 2016 on Friday... which is great and positive. There is an enormous market for music in India."

"From classical, folk to even Bollywood, everything is a big part of the culture here. I am just trying to be open minded as I can when I make music here. It's a vital thing to be a musician and be open minded as there are many things that you can learn," he told IANS on the sidelines of the festival that is currently taking place at Mehrangarh Fort here.

The album, which he made with Rajasthani folk artistes, comprises jazz, world music and Rajasthani folk and it has been tentatively titled "Journeys in Hand", personifying the collaboration of the musicians from the two countries. The album will release next year.

Talking about his experience working with these musicians, he said: "The one thing I really like about folk musicians whom I met is that they are very open minded, which is really great, especially when you are from different music backgrounds. Rajasthani folk music is great, it's such an incredible form of music."

Molley also says he is trying to bring possibility of wider things that one can do with these art forms to preserve them for future.

"We try and develop the possibility of that music with these collaborations and to preserve it. We are looking forward to come up with more ideas on how we can mix it well with many other associations," he said.

Since 2012, Molley is performing with his band members -- Tom Gibbs on piano, Mario Caribe on bass and Stuart Brown on drums. In spring 2013, the band recorded their debut album "CLOCK (BGMM)", which released to critical acclaim in October that year.

In 2014, the quartet made appearances at Glasgow and Manchester Jazz Festivals and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the prestigious Creative Scotland curated 'Made in Scotland' programme, in addition to an extensive Britain tour in autumn.

Brian Molley Quartet performed at RIFF for the first time in October 2015.

"We did perform at RIFF last year and that was the time we took a short tour of India as a band. This was the time when we learnt some of their (folk artistes) music in the practical sense. There are specific things about Rajasthani music and rhythmic structure, which is amazing," he said.

"We were very clear of making things open enough and bring some sort of elements of harmony and development through this album," he said.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of RIFF organisers. Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)
Benaulim (Goa), Oct 16 : India on Sunday denied that the "chance" meeting of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nepal' Premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Chinese President Xi Jinping was a trilateral exchange between the three leaders.

Addressing a press conference, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that the meeting between the trio was a chance encounter in the leaders' lounge, while they were heading for an informal dinner which was organised at a resort in this south Goa town.

"It was just entirely coincidental that in the leaders' lounge, all three were present at the same time. The bilateral between Nepal and China had already ended, so I don't know on what basis people are calling it a trilateral and all that. It is perfectly normal in a multilateral setting for leaders to be together in a lounge on the sidelines somewhere else. So I don't think you need to read too much into that," he said.

Swarup also said that President Xi was already at the lounge, when Prachanda, who was waiting for his turn to head for his own hotel in a designated convoy, entered and the two got talking.

"PM Modi also happened to be there because he was to go with the leaders and they were all to walk together towards the dome. So it was just entirely coincidental that in the leaders' lounge, all three were present at the same time. The bilateral between Nepal and China had already ended," he said.

The meeting of the trio, photos of which were uploaded to Facebook by Prachanda's son Prakash Dahal, had given rise to speculation in the media that there was a trilateral meeting between the three heads of state.

Nepal, however, said that India and China seemed positive on trilateral cooperation, a proposal forwarded by Prachanda in a "trilateral meeting" with Modi and Xi Jinping during the sidelines of ongoing BRICS Summit.

Prachanda had officially proposed trilateral cooperation between Nepal, India and China during the meeting on Saturday evening, said a statement issued by Prachanda's secretariat in Kathmandu.

The proposal was welcomed by both India and China, it claimed.

During the "trilateral meeting", Prachanda reminded that during his previous tenure, he had emphasised on the need of trilateral strategic partnership among Nepal, India and China.

"Nepal lies in between two giant neighbours- India and China. We wish to reap benefits of this geographical specialty by working as a dynamic bridge between the two countries," the Prime Minister said, according to the statement. It also claimed that the Indian and Chinese leaders "welcomed the proposal floated by Nepal and gave their consent to it".

It cited President Xi as saying that Nepal could serve as a bridge between India and China, and that geography of any country would not play a decisive role in terms of many things like development.

He also expressed belief, it said, that the relations between the three neighbours would be strengthened in the future.

Likewise, Modi acknowledged there are geographical, emotional and cultural relations between India, Nepal and China while welcoming the idea of trilateral cooperation, it said.
Surat, Oct 16 : A Delhi Police team arrested AAP Delhi MLA and Gujarat in-charge Gulab Singh here on Sunday, hours before a rally to be addressed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Gulab Singh, who had been camping for a week in Gujarat, was taken into custody and produced before a magistrate to obtain a transit remand.

He is the 14th Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Delhi to be arrested.

Anticipating his arrest, Gulab Singh had presented himself before new Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma while the Delhi Police team flew into the city armed with a non-bailable arrest warrant.

The warrant was issued two days back in connection with an extortion case after he had failed to turn up for interrogation.

Ahead of the arrest, Kejriwal, on his third and last day of Gujarat tour, accused BJP President Amit Shah of going out of his way to disrupt the AAP rally in Surat.

He had made the same allegation when he left Delhi on Thursday night.

"The warrant was issued two days before the rally and today a Delhi Police team has arrived to arrest Gulab Singh, who is Gujarat in-charge," Kejriwal told journalists.

"This shows the BJP is nervous. Amit Shah has also tried to organise protests against my visit. I appeal to him to not to disrupt the rally as it is not an AAP rally but a rally of Gujarat's people."

Before presenting himself to the Surat police commissioner, Gulab Singh told reporters that the charges against him were baseless.

"I am in Surat for the last six days. It is on the day of the rally that Delhi Police has arrived in Surat to arrest me. I am not in touch with those arrested in connection with the case," he said.

Gulab Singh's driver was arrested last month along with an associate in Delhi.

Delhi Tourism Minister and AAP leader Kapil Mishra accompanied Gulab Singh when the latter reached the Umra police station shouting slogans like "Bharat Mata ki Jai".

Mishra later tweeted that the Delhi Police, which was in a hurry to arrest Gulab Singh before Kejriwal's rally, had now told the legislator that they would return to Delhi by train when tickets were available.

Kejriwal, who met families who lost their sons to police firing on Patidar protesters last year, is set to address the party's first rally in Varachha, which has a sizeable population of Patidars and has been a hotspot of the Patel agitation.

A major Patel rally in honour of Amit Shah, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and state BJP President Jitu Vaghani in Surat was disrupted last month by the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) activists.

Delhi Police's Joint Commissioner of Police (South Western Range) Dependra Pathak told IANS that Singh was the 'kingpin' of an extortion gang, which used to extort money from builders after threatening them to demolish their buildings and under-construction projects falling in his constituency.

Police said an extortion case was registered against him and his associates in Bindapur Police Station on September 13, on a complaint from local property dealers that they were being threatened by four persons at gun point. Police reached the spot and arrested three of them, while one managed to escape.

"They were later identified as Satish and Jagdish Chander who work in Singh's office and Devender who is his personal driver. They all confessed to working for Singh. Chander used a pistol to extort money on gun point, while Devender used Singh's personal vehicle which has a MLA numberplate," said a senior police officer.
Surat, Oct 16 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that the AAP will contest the next assembly election in Gujarat and asked the people to "throw out (BJP President) Amit Shah" who he said was running the state by proxy.

"Amit Shah has thrown an open challenge to the people of Gujarat that he will run the state whichever way he wants and no one can do anything about it," Kejriwal thundered at a huge rally at Yogi Chowk.

Using the phrase "aam aadmi" (common man) for the Aam Aadmi Party, Kejriwal said that the "aam aadmi" would take on both the Congress and the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) next year.

Alleging that Gujarat was being run by Amit Shah, a former Gujarat Home Minister and a confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he appealed to the people to "oust" the BJP chief.

"Are you ready to fight the elections, win and throw out Amit Shah? The next Gujarat election will not be an election but a revolution," he added to wild cheers. "It will be Amit Shah versus the people of Gujarat."

A few protesters grouped under Brahma Samaj and self-proclaimed Patidar activists tried to raise slogans against the AAP chief but they hardly numbered 25 to 30. They were rounded by the police.

Police sources in Surat said Kejriwal's rally drew a good response because of the backing of Hardik Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and its activists.

The same PAAS had disrupted a rally of Amit Shah in the same Patel-dominated area of Surat last month, forcing him to wind up his speech in just four minutes.

The AAP leader said the Surat gathering reminded him of the Anna Hazare movement of 2011 when the the "whole nation" had come out on the streets.

Taking up cudgels for the agitating Patidars, Kejriwal said the Gujarat government was trying to suppress them "in the same way it crushes all those who raise their voice".

The Delhi Chief Minister said the BJP government claimed there was liquor prohibition in the state but pointed out that 19 people lost their lives recently in Surat after consuming hooch.

He also quoted OBC leader Alpesh Thakor, who runs a campaign against illicit liquor in Gujarat, as saying that every year 10,000-15,000 people died after consuming illicit liquor in the state.

Kejriwal described Patidar leader Hardik Patel as a "patriot", came out in support of the Dalits in Gujarat and referred to Amit Shah as "General Dyer".

Referring to the police firing on Patidar protests last year, he said the Patel youths were not extremists. "They are our citizens... Those who ordered the firing will be punished."

He mockingly described the BJP and the Congress as "husband and wife" and pointed out that the Narendra Modi had so far arrested 14 AAP MLAs in Delhi but not a single Congress legislator.

He claimed the BJP was hand in glove with the Congress. "Have you seen any protests by the BJP against Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat?"

Kejriwal also made fun of the BJP's assertion that it was a pro-Hindu party. "But weren't the Patidars Hindus? Weren't the Dalits Hindus? Then why did this government punish them?"

Earlier, Delhi Police arrested AAP Delhi MLA and Gujarat in-charge Gulab Singh here, just hours before Kejriwal's rally, on charges of involvement in an extortion racket. Gulab Singh has denied the charge.

Gulab Singh offered himself for arrest at a police station to prevent the police from reaching the rally venue.

Sunday's rally was the high point of Kejriwal's four-day visit to Gujarat. The AAP leader is expected to return to Delhi early on Monday.
Chandigarh, Oct 16 : The Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday said it has recovered 3.75 kg of heroin, valued at over Rs 18.75 crore in the international market, along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab.

The seizure was made in the area of Border Out Post (BoP) Pulmoran of Amritsar sector by a BSF patrol party deployed ahead of the border fence close to the border on Sunday morning, said BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) R.S. Kataria.

The heroin was packed in seven packets and was hidden in an agricultural field under straw.

The BSF has seized over 201 kg of the narcotic drug, valued at over Rs 1,005 crore in the international market, along the 553-km-long India-Pakistan border in Punjab this year.
Benaulim (Goa), Oct 16 : Bimstec leaders on Sunday called for sustainable development, economic progress, poverty eradication and comprehensive stamping out of terrorism and closer relation with BRICS even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the region faces many challenges but also has many economic opportunities.

Speaking at the inauguration of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit here, he said: "Unequal development, food and energy insecurity, poverty eradication, the impact of climate change, and growing threats posed by terrorism and transnational crime define our governance priorities.

"But, alongside these challenges, there exists a large basket of economic opportunities. With 1.5 billion people and a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion, the countries of Bimstec have shared aspirations for growth, development, commerce, and technology."

Modi said that the convergence of BRICS and Bimstec would provide a perfect opportunity to frame economic and development partnership, shape ties in the fields of energy, agriculture, technology, fisheries, and culture, structure trade, investment and commercial partnerships and resources to fight terrorism and transnational crime.

He also said, that in particular, areas of commerce, connectivity, culture, security and disaster management appear promising as far as identifying collaborative possibilities is concerned, adding that India, being a member of both blocs, would be "happy to take a lead in this directiona.

Following the Uri attack in September, India, as host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

As New Delhi has launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community, the invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Speaking at the summit, Myanmar's State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi said that the Bimstec region was confronted with numerous security threats, including rising terrorism, climate change, natural and manmade disasters.

Suu Kyi also called for collective stepping up of pressure on human trafficking, which she said was "modern day slaverya and "one of the most pervasive human rights violations".

"We need to step up to intensity in the global efforts to combat global trafficking in a collective and a concerted manner," she said.

Like her, as well as Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, who their speeches collectively expressed solidarity with India, in view of the series of terrorist strikes, Bangladesh Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina also condemned the terror strike and said that her country has "zero tolerance to terrorism and violent extremism".

Hasina also said that the potential and strategic advantage of both the BRICS and Bimstec regions was enormous and both needed to mutually take advantage of each other's potential.

"BRICS has to engage with Bimstec. Bimstec needs to develop quality infrastructure and attract investment," she said, adding that the new banks floated by the BRICS bloc could help channelize investment in the low income countries in Bimstec.

Hasina also said that a sizeable part of the population in the bloc were grappling with challenges posed by poverty, sanitation, climate change and appealed to BRICS nations to partner with them for collective benefit.

Small countries, she said, cannot be left behind, when one speaks of collective development.

Prachanda underlined poverty as one of the major issues confronting the Bimstec region and said sectors like agriculture, energy, clean development, connectivity, etc.

"Importance of physical connectivity for landlocked countries is vitala ACo-operation in field of energy can be game changer in socio-economic development," he said.
Agartala, Oct 16 : Tripura's opposition Congress on Sunday accused the Union and Tripura governments of inaction even as unauthorised Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and chit fund companies siphoned off crores of rupees from gullible depositors.

"According to information provided by the state government, Rs 1,172 crore was taken away by illegal NBFCs and chit fund organisations. However, the actual amount must be several times more," Tripura Congress chief Birajit Sinha told reporters here.

He said that the hard-earned money of over 14 lakh depositors in Tripura was looted by these companies but the state's Left Front government did little to tackle the problem.

"Even the central government led by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is reluctant to ask the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the fraudulent acts."

Sinha, a former minister, said the newly-constituted Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) will meet soon to chalk out an agitational programme against the "misrule of the Left government".

"Corruption, financial irregularities, unemployment and miss-governance are rampant in Left-ruled Tripura and these are increasing with each passing day," he claimed.

Newly-appointed state Congress Vice-President Tapas Dey said: "The Tripura High Court earlier asked the CBI to inquire into the activities of illegal NBFCs and chit fund groups, but the central agency, at the instance of the Centre, refused to do so."

Denying the Congress charge, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) State Secretary Bijan Dhar said the state government had taken steps to protect the interests of depositors and investors.

Dhar said the Tripura government is the first among those in the states to have enacted law to deal with illegal chit fund and NBFC companies and had asked the CBI to probe illegal collection of money from thousands of people.
Chennai, Oct 16 : As suspense continued about the health condition of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa admitted to Apollo Hospitals last month, there was no medical bulletin about her health from the hospital for sixth consecutive day.

Apollo Hospitals, in its last bulletin issued on October 10, said Jayalalithaa is under constantly monitored by intensivists and other consultants.

Meanwhile Tamil movie actor Rajinikanth on Sunday visited Apollo Hospitals to enquire about Jayalalithaa's health.

In the October 10 bulletin, the hospital said: "Necessary respiratory support, antibiotics, nutrition, supportive therapy and passive physiotherapy are being given."

The 68-year-old Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital on September 22 for fever and dehydration.

The doctors later said she needed a longer stay at the hospital as she was suffering from infection and put her on respiratory support.
Benaulim (Goa), Oct 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with his Nepal and Bangladesh counterparts, Pushpa Kumar Dahal 'Prachanda' and Sheikh Hasina, respectively following the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit here on Sunday.

"Post dinner, still much work to do! PM @narendramodi meets Prime Minister of Nepal for a bilateral," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with pictures of the two leaders.

"And capping off a busy day, a final bilateral with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina," he said in a separate tweet.

Earlier on Sunday, Modi also held bilateral meetings with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.

As host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Jammu and Kashmir's Uri that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community. The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

The BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit was held here after the BRICS Summit.
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BANGKOK (AP) -- Cat cafes where customers sip lattes while petting resident kitties are just opening their doors around the U.S. and Europe. But in Asia, where the first one opened more than a decade ago, the concept has moved well beyond felines.

At Tokyo's Snake Center, visitors pay about $11 for a cup of coffee and a slithery friend to wind around their arm; a plate of curry bread snacks or a really big snake cost extra.

At We Are The Furballs in Singapore, Mochi and her puppy pals yap at ankles and occupy guests' laps for peaceful dognaps.

And at Little Zoo Cafe in Bangkok, meerkats, raccoons and little foxes with the softest ears imaginable can be cuddled near plates of crepes and french fries.

Some sell the animals or offer them for adoption. Others invite customers to bring their pets or just offer encounters with creatures -- from penguins to hedgehogs.

"I wanted there to be a place where people can come learn about the animals," said Wachiraporn Arampibulphol, who opened an exotic-animal cafe in Bangkok a year ago after visiting an owl cafe in Tokyo.

Snuggling Jelly, a blond fox, Wachiraporn said she used to import chinchillas, meerkats and other exotic pets but worried that owners bought them impulsively and then abused them or let them collapse and die in Thailand's heat.

She said customers at her Little Zoo Cafe get a reality check when they're so close to the animals; she's only sold a half dozen this year.

"When you see pictures and photos of these animals, you see their cuteness," she said. "But people don't think about what the animal would smell like or how actually raising one would be."

Indeed, a musky odor floated above two red foxes -- Mocha and Cappuccino -- as they boisterously wrestled and skittered around customers' legs.

Nearby, Nuttida Chaloembun, 23, from Bangkok, watched a waitress grapple with Cracker, a 25-pound raccoon, who chattered and swatted her away with little hand-like paws.

"It's fat and really adorable, but it won't let me touch it," laughed Nuttida.

Shirley Chaifong came to the Little Zoo Cafe all the way from Malaysia after seeing photos of meerkats on Instagram. But it was the tail-wagging corgi, an uncommon dog breed in Asia, she fell for.

"It's a great way to see the animals," she said, her hands running through his fur.

After a cat cafe opened in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2014, the concept quickly spread to more than 20 American cities, from New York to Los Angeles, and many more are planned. They're also popular in Europe, with recent openings in Netherlands, Finland and Italy.

The Cat Flower Cafe in Taipei, Taiwan, took credit as the first-ever cat cafe when it opened in 1998, although some aficionados say cats meandered through a Viennese cafe almost a century earlier. The real boom began in 2005 in Japan, where few apartments allow pets. There are now more than 100 cat cafes listed in Japan, 50 in Tokyo alone. But new goat-, rabbit- and bird-themed eateries now offer competition.

American and European cat cafes have stringent health and safety regulations that sometimes ban actually petting animals or require cats to remain well separated from food. Most are affiliated with local humane societies or rescue shelters.

In many Asian countries, where there are fewer hygiene rules in restaurants and pets can be bought in street markets, animal-rights activists say the cafes are cruel.

"These animals often become despondent and develop neurotic and self-destructive behavior," said Jason Baker at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' international campaigns office. "I don't know why anyone would want to eat a meal surrounded by animals who are imprisoned in cages and pens that are tiny fractions of the size of their homes in the wild."

But cafe owners say they're trying to help the animals by allowing people to safely and compassionately interact.

Tokyo Snake Center cafe manager Hisamitsu Kaneko said visitors can gain new appreciation of their oft-maligned reptiles.

"People have biases, or preconceptions about snakes, that they're disgusting or scary," said Kaneko, whose customers choose from about 60 snakes. "I think there are no animals as beautiful."

At Bangkok's TrueLove @ Neverland cafe, more than a dozen imported and bred huskies were panting -- if calm -- as they lounged for an hour outside on a humid 95-degree day, chewing ice cubes and carrots while visitors marveled at their thick fur.

At the end of a one-hour dog encounter, customers peeled off plastic foot covers, sanitized their hands, checked their husky-selfies and climbed into waiting tuk-tuk rickshaws. Barking and yipping, the dogs dashed en masse into their air-conditioned quarters to rest up and eat before meeting their next human visitors.
DAVENPORT -- Two men reportedly were injured in a shooting early Sunday morning.

According to Davenport Police, officers responded at about 4:14 a.m. Sunday to 5400 Division Street in reference to a shooting. Police said two adult males suffered non-life threatening gunshot wounds.

Romance Armstrong, 29, of Davenport, was treated and released for his injury. He was subsequently charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, intimidation with a dangerous weapon and possession of a controlled substance.

On Sunday afternoon, Mr. Armstrong was being held in the Scott County Jail.

Police have not released the name of a second man who was taken to a hospital by a private vehicle and has been admitted for treatment. Detectives currently are conducting follow-up on the incident, police said.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Davenport Police at 563-326-6125 or submit an anonymous tip via the mobile app, CityConnect Davenport, IA."
With the retirement of long-serving state Rep. Donald Moffitt, R-Gilson, voters in the 74th District have a choice between Republican Dan Swanson, a Henry County farmer, and Democrat Bill Butts, a Galesburg lawyer.

The 74th District takes in all of Mercer County and most of Henry, as well as parts of Knox, Bureau and Lee counties. Rep. Moffitt has served the district since 1992.

In addition to operating a multi-generational family farm, Mr. Swanson, of Alpha, served 23 years in the Army, including a year in Iraq where he led a team organizing talks between Iraqi and Kurdish forces in Kurdistan. In conversation on issues facing the state, he refers at times to his Army experience, particularly as it involved teamwork.

Mr. Butts, an attorney for 37 years with his own practice, draws on his legal experience and studies in economics in discussing state issues. His conversation is peppered with references to Benjamin Franklin and Jean-Jacques Rousseau to make historical political references he believes are still pertinent today.

This race is attracting less financing than neighboring House district races. According to the State Board of Elections website, Mr. Swanson has received $67,436 in cash, in-kind contributions and loans through this week, while Mr. Butts has received $6,000 in contributions of more than $1,000, all since July.

Candidates for the nearby 71st District seat -- incumbent state Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, and challenger Tony McCombie, R-Savanna -- have taken in more than $2 million between them.

Following are excerpts from the candidates on some of the issues facing the state, taken from separate interviews with the editorial board of the The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus.

Taxes

Mr. Butts: There are several issues he believes could be helped by changing income taxes from a flat tax to a progressive tax, in which low earners would pay less and high earners more.

"We need to get a graduated, progressive income tax in as soon as we can, so that we can take the pressure off of business taxes and property taxes and make education uniform in spending" between rural areas and wealthy Chicago-area collar counties, Mr. Butts said. He said a progressive tax would ease the burdens on business and property taxes, helping to retain businesses and farmers, and provide more revenue to ease the state's budget crisis while funding education more equally and funding other other initiatives. He listed mental health and fixing infrastructure among his priorities. Borrowing for infrastructure improvements, he said, would be helped by the improved credit rating a balanced budget would bring.

"One of the biggest problems we have now is mental illness on the street," Mr. Butts said. "Certainly, mentally ill people having weapons is a problem. We have to do more to help these people, and I realize the funds haven't been there."

Mr. Swanson:

Mr. Swanson opposes switching Illinois to a progressive income tax.

"People at the federal level scream and scream for a flat-line tax. We kind of have that in Illinois," he said. "If we go to a progressive income tax, how much is that going to increase the manpower in Springfield to manage a new (tax system) program? Look how big the IRS is. I'm about smaller government."

Mr. Swanson said rising equalized assessed valuations through a healthier, more business-friendly economy would enhance property tax revenue, over which local governments have more control than state funds. He cited costly state education mandates that he saw as an AlWood School Board member, including staff training costs.

"It's kind of been my battle cry: Let the educators educate, let the legislators legislate," Mr. Swanson said. "Let's not legislate education from Springfield."

State budget

Mr. Butts: "We have to start working across the aisle for one thing," he said. "To blame one sector of the economy for all our ills is wrong.

"We need to start looking at this from a purely technical, economic point of view and try to get the politics out of it right now as much as we can. ... As Benjamin Franklin said, we have to consult with each other and not contest each other.

"Let's take the unions and the whole Turnaround Agenda out of the picture. How are we going to deal with this from a revenue-raising standpoint? What are we going to do different? What are we going to try?"

Mr. Swanson: "We have to come to an agreement to pass one. As I understand right now -- talking with (Republican House) leader (Jim) Durkin and Rep. Moffitt -- the governor is willing to sit down and compromise, but he can't get everyone at the table. That's shameful.

"All the years in the military I was on a team ... the team of a unit or command of a team. When I'm out talking to folks, I'm pushing for the team to get (Republican House candidates) Brandi (McGuire) and Tony (McCombie) in, so we have a voice in Springfield as a Republican Party."

Redistricting

Mr. Butts: "We need to change the districting. ... I think that's the only way we're going to get trust back in the state government," he said.

"(House Speaker Michael) Madigan is just not doing the job by blocking this," Mr. Butts said. "The average person, they know there's a problem. By blocking (the Independent Maps proposal) through legal suits is doing nothing but festering the distrust that people have."

Mr. Swanson: He also supports the Independent Mapping proposal, with districts drawn by an independent commission. Taking redistricting away from political parties would result in more competitive districts, he said, and lessen a perceived need by many for term limits. The Illinois Supreme Court prevented the redistricting plan from appearing on the Nov. 8 ballot, citing constitutional grounds.

"When you have two people compete (for a district seat) on an equal field, I think that would help with some of the 30-year, 40-year politicians," Mr. Swanson said.
STERLING, Ill. (AP)  Officials in the Sterling-Rock Falls area are pushing to keep a homeless shelter open year-round.

The (Sterling) Daily Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/2e7z2Dz ) that advocates say homelessness in the two cities and in Dixon is growing. They say there has to be more help from the Sterling-based Twin Cities PADS Homeless Shelter.

Rock Falls Police Chief Tammy Nelson, Sterling Police Chief Tim Morgan and Whiteside County Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi have been discussing the situation. Nelson recently learned that other shelters in Sterling and Dixon are regularly full.

Twin Cities PADS board members put together a subcommittee last spring to study year-round operations. The shelter is open from Oct. 1 to May 1.

The 16-bed Dixon PADS shelter is open all year.
ROCK ISLAND -- Rock Island Ald. Chuck Austin, 7th Ward, is holding a public ward meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the community room of the new Rock Island Police Station, 1212 5th Ave.

Mayor Dennis Pauley and interim city manager Randy Tweet, along with other city department heads, are scheduled to attend. Ald. Austin said there also will be 45-minute tours of the police station at 5:30 p.m. and after the meeting, around 8 p.m.

Ald. Austin said the meeting is open to people living outside the 7th Ward. The community room is adjacent to the police station's lobby. Parking is available in the building's front lot and on 5th Avenue.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Green Party candidate Jill Stein wasted no time trying to swoop in on Bernie Sanders' political revolution.

Little more than a blip on the radar screen for a dozen years, Stein saw a fresh opportunity to woo progressives, climate activists and young radicals when Sanders left the race and threw his support behind Hillary Clinton. She's worked to build on that momentum since, but has been largely unable to draw crowds quite matching the throngs of angry voters that flocked to her outside the Democratic National Convention.

"Democracy needs a moral compass. It needs our vision, it needs our values  it doesn't need our silence and our fear," she said to a rally of several hundred last week in California.

Stein is, in many ways, further left than Sanders. She's pledging to wipe out student debt entirely and to create a wartime mobilization of resources to move the United States toward 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. But Stein has no experience in elected office and downplays the difficulty of working with an entity like Congress to pass her dramatic policy initiatives.

Stein, 66, is a doctor by training who has only ever been elected as a town meeting member in Lexington, Massachusetts  a position requiring a few hundred votes. She lost races for Massachusetts governor in 2002 and 2010, state representative in 2004 and Massachusetts secretary of state in 2006. In her 2012 presidential bid, she couldn't crack 500,000 votes.

Stein acknowledges she's not really hoping for a win. Instead, she wants to continue to build the legitimacy of the Green Party. If she wins enough votes, she can help keep the party on state ballots. If she manages to crack 5 percent, a tall task at this point, the party will be available for more public funding.

"The more powerful we are in this election, the more votes we get, the greater the chances of averting this catastrophic future that is being pursued by the both the Democratic and Republican Party," Stein told The Associated Press.

Not all self-proclaimed progressives support her approach. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania mayor who unsuccessfully ran for the state's Democratic Senate nomination on a Sanders-like platform, said Trump is too dangerous  and Stein too inexperienced  to vote for anyone other than Clinton.

"She has run a sad campaign," Fetterman said of Stein. "If you're going to wade in in the public interest, or at least under that auspice, it's at least incumbent on you to have experience, competence and an actual path."

Stein was a practicing doctor, focusing on internal medicine in young adults, before she began her foray into activism. Born in Illinois, Stein stayed in Massachusetts after graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1979. Her husband, Richard Rohrer, is also a doctor, and they have two sons, ages 30 and 33.

In the 1990s, Stein joined the movements to regulate Massachusetts' "Filthy Five" coal plants and reduce mercury exposure in the food supply. Activists in the movement say Stein's medical background was critical as she testified before legislative panels on the damage of mercury and other pollutants to child brain development.

"She was a known expert on the scene and also very concerned about these issues, and so she was very eager to help make the health case for reducing pollution," said Cindy Luppi, New England director of the Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund and someone who worked with Stein in the 1990s.

Stein's activism eventually led Massachusetts' Green-Rainbow Party to tap her to run for governor in 2002. Stein, who long viewed politics as a corrupt business, took the offer, realizing that gaining political stature could be an effective way to mount change. At the time, Stein was also fighting for campaign finance reform and single-payer health care.

"There was just this feeling that, as advocates, we were being blocked at every juncture," Stein said. "I said, everything else is failing, might as well try electoral politics."

Not everyone in the environmental movement agreed with Stein's approach. Lynn Nadeau, a fellow anti-coal activist, said she felt Stein's idealism sometimes got in the way of achieving practical goals.

"By the time she ran (for governor) in 2010, I was disgusted with her lack of insights and groundedness in practical reality," Nadeau said in an email. "Obviously she didn't listen to me and continues in her quixotic venture."

But more than a decade after her first run, Stein and her supporters see her continued pursuit as necessary in the face of dire times. She's offering an urgently pessimistic view of America's future, warning that a Clinton presidency could lead the nation into nuclear war and that the looming dangers of climate change are worse than World War II.

"There is not a future here for our younger generation  nor for the rest of us," Stein said. "We need to stand up and fight with every ounce of our energy."

Yet she also seems to believe that being president would not be that hard, telling The Washington Post recently that the job isn't "rocket science." She's largely failed to acknowledge the difficulty of pushing through some of her programs.

But to Stein and her backers, the practicality of the ideas may not be the point. Right now, it's more about spreading a message.

"Jill's attitude is that the real wisdom in this country and the real integrity doesn't lie inside the halls of the politicians elected with dirty money," said John Andrews, a Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party member who has been with Stein since 2002. "It is out in the streets, it is out with people who know that the system is rotten, know that it's rigged."
WASHINGTON (AP)  There's nothing like a presidential campaign to shine a bright light into the nooks, crannies and back alleys of a candidate's life. And there's nothing like Donald Trump in the annals of U.S. politics.

Some of what's been revealed about Trump's predatory personal interactions, business dealings, legal tactics and management style would come as no surprise to those who've made a career out of following the billionaire's rise to prominence. But ordinary Americans who began the 2016 campaign with a passing impression of Trump as the outspoken mogul of "Apprentice" fame now have far more information to draw upon as Election Day nears.

Despite his curated image as the businessman with the golden touch, Trump's track record in business isn't as magical as he would have people think. Yes, he is rich. Yes, he has had his share of success. But he's also kept company with any number of questionable business associates, had quite a share of projects go bust, left a string of contractors in the lurch, exaggerated his wealth and bragged of using his star power to impose himself sexually on women.

Another thing people discovered about Trump this year is all the things they still don't know. He hasn't released his tax returns, records of charitable giving, detailed medical records, immigration files for his wife and more. That penchant for secrecy is coupled with an aggressive strategy to muzzle business and campaign employees by requiring them to sign nondisclosure agreements.

A look at some of what's been learned about Trump during the campaign:

 TAX TURMOIL. Trump is the first presidential nominee in four decades to refuse to release his tax returns. The secrecy has spawned speculation that Trump doesn't pay federal income taxes, isn't as wealthy as he claims or is hiding something else about his business entanglements. The intrigue deepened when The New York Times reported that Trump lost so much in one year that he could have avoided federal income taxes for as many as 18 years. Trump subsequently admitted that he had paid no federal income taxes for many years.

 TV TURMOIL. From the outside, NBC's "The Apprentice" was an instant hit that helped turn Trump into a household name, even if its ratings did slip over time. Insiders told AP that Trump repeatedly demeaned female crew and contestants over the years, rating women by the size of their breasts and talking about which ones he'd like to have sex with. None of that made it into the show, of course. But the revelations added to persistent questions about Trump's behavior toward women.

 BEYOND BANTER. Days after "The Apprentice" revelations, The Washington Post came out with a 2005 video in which Trump is captured bragging about kissing women at will, groping their genitals and trying to have sex with them. Trump dismissed the explosive video as nothing more than locker-room banter and said he'd never done the things he talked about in the video. But it caused a number of top GOP officials to call for Trump to step down from the ticket and prompted a number of women, outraged by his denials, to step forward to say they had been targets of his lechery.

 CHARITABLE GIVING. Trump claims he's given millions to charity. But there's a big question mark about that. An AP investigation found that the overwhelming majority of recent gifts distributed by the Trump Foundation had been made with other people's money, not contributions from the candidate. And it turns out Trump has used his foundation's money to pay legal settlements for his for-profit businesses, The Washington Post reported. The New York attorney general's office this month ordered Trump's foundation to stop fundraising immediately in the state, saying it isn't registered to do so.

 SHADY CHARACTERS. For all Trump's talk about seeking out the best people, his business associates over the years have included a significant number of questionable characters . He partnered with the son of an Azerbaijani government minister suspected by U.S. diplomats of laundering money for Iran's military. He named a Mafia-linked government informant as a senior adviser and supported a convicted cocaine dealer in a letter to a federal judge. He hired a convicted felon to be the superintendent of Trump Tower. On two development deals, he partnered with convicted criminals, one convicted in a Mafia-linked stock fraud scheme. More recently, Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort resigned after AP reported that he had helped a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party secretly route at least $2.2 million to two prominent Washington lobbying firms in 2012, doing so in a way that effectively obscured the party's efforts to influence U.S. policy.

 CASINO WOES. Trump's six corporate bankruptcies after his big gamble on three Atlantic City casinos were no secret when he began his campaign, but the circumstances have come into sharper focus over the past year. Trump continues to blame his casinos' troubles on an economic downturn that walloped the whole industry. But in fact, two of his casinos' bankruptcies occurred in years when overall Atlantic City gambling revenue was rising.

 UNPAID BILLS. Multiple reports over the past year have documented Trump's refusal to pay various contractors who worked for him. USA Today found at least 60 lawsuits, as well as hundreds of liens, judgments and other government filings that document people who accused Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them. The Wall Street Journal, likewise, documented hardball tactics that shortchanged Trump's suppliers. During the bankruptcy of the Taj Mahal Casino in the early 1990s, some contractors who'd helped Trump build the property went under because Trump's company didn't pay what it owed them  millions of dollars in some cases. Trump refused to pay in full 253 contractors who had helped build the Taj. Trump's bankers gave him a $450,000 monthly allowance while his debts were renegotiated.

 HEAD START. Trump perpetuates a self-made-man persona, stressing that he started out with a "small" $1 million loan from his father that he later repaid. He doesn't mention that he also received loan guarantees, bailouts and a drawdown from his future inheritance. Reporter Tim O'Brien noted in a 2005 book that Trump drew $10 million from his future inheritance during hard times, and inherited a share of his father's real estate holdings, which were worth hundreds of millions when they were eventually sold off.

 BRANDING. In recent years, Trump has been known more for licensing use of his name than for building things. Not all those branding deals have been seamless. Condo buyers at failed Trump-named properties in Fort Lauderdale, Florida , Tampa, Florida , and Baja, Mexico , have claimed in lawsuits that the billionaire misled them into believing he was more involved in the projects than just lending his name. Trump won the Fort Lauderdale case and settled those in Baja and Tampa.

 TRUMP UNIVERSITY. Trump faces class-action lawsuits in California and New York alleging that his Trump University, which offered real estate seminars and classes around the country, pressed students to pay up to $35,000 for mentorships and failed at its promise to teach success in the business. While marketing materials said that Trump had "handpicked" employees for the operation, in court testimony he acknowledged that he couldn't recall names of his employees. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued Trump University in 2013 alleging it had committed fraud and fleeced 5,000 people out of millions of dollars.

 LEGAL TACTICS. Trump caused a firestorm when he complained in February that Gonzalo Curiel, the judge handling the California Trump University class-action lawsuit, couldn't be fair, citing the judge's Mexican heritage. Trump also tried to get a judge pulled off a New York case in 2011, and he called the judge on a 2009 case biased.

 MODELS-IMMIGRATION. Cracking down on illegal immigration has been a huge part of Trump's campaign pitch, but his own modeling agency has come under scrutiny for its use of foreign models who came to the U.S. on tourist visas that did not allow them to work in the country. Mother Jones reported that Trump Model Management profited from work by models who didn't have work visas.

 BUSINESS DEBT. Trump's substantial real estate holdings also represent a substantial pile of debt. The New York Times reported that while Trump promotes himself as beholden to no one, his companies have at least $650 million in debt. It also reported that much of his wealth is tied up in passive partnerships that owe an additional $2 billion to various lenders.

 WHAT TRUMP SAID. BuzzFeed listened to dozens of Trump appearances on "The Howard Stern Show" from the late 1990s through the 2000s. Its headline pretty well summed up the results: "Donald Trump said a lot of gross things about women on 'Howard Stern.'"

 MADE IN AMERICA? For all of Trump's emphasis on keeping jobs in the U.S., it turns out Trump's private companies and the clothing line run by his daughter Ivanka routinely sell clothes and other products made in China and other Asian countries.

 ZIP IT. The say-anything candidate has a thing against loose lips. In both his businesses and his presidential campaign, Trump requires nearly everyone to sign legally binding nondisclosure agreements that keep them from releasing any confidential or disparaging information about Trump, his family or his companies. He's not afraid to sue those he thinks violate the confidentiality agreements.

 LAWSUITS GALORE. When Trump isn't happy with his business partners or patrons, he's not afraid to sue. On the flip side, his businesses have attracted an outsized share of lawsuits over the years. A USA Today investigation found that Trump and his businesses have been involved in thousands of suits over the past 30 years. Nearly half the suits were related to his casinos, and most of those involved suits against gamblers who failed to pay their debts. In the first presidential debate, Hillary Clinton highlighted a discrimination case from 1973, when the Justice Department sued Trump and his father for refusing to rent apartments at one of their developments to blacks. Trump said the suit was settled without an admission of guilt. The government said in the settlement that Trump and his father had "failed and neglected" to comply with the Fair Housing Act.
My dad is a Marine veteran who retired from the factory floor at John Deere after a lifetime of hard work.

He taught me the blue-collar values that I try to pass along to my two boys -- hard work, fair play, honesty, responsibility, and compassion for others.

Those are the values that my mentor Lane Evans taught me, those are the values Ive been fighting for as your representative in Springfield, and I believe those are the values that our state budget needs to reflect.

A budget is more than just numbers on a spreadsheet or dollars in a bank account. A budget is a written declaration of our values.

Our states lack of budget is a disaster. Vital nonprofits that serve kids, veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities are closing their doors because the state isnt paying its bills. Our transportation and utility infrastructure needs to be upgraded and repaired. We have colleges and universities struggling to keep the lights on and all the while Illinois families are still struggling to make ends meet.

This situation is a failure of our governor and our Legislature to work together and will only get worse if we dont act fast.

Contrary to what some have claimed, I did not vote for or support Speaker Michael Madigans budget. It simply doesnt represent the values that I went to Springfield to fight for.

My mission is simple: to make Springfield work for the families in my district. I fought for school bus funding in rural districts because I know how hard it can be to get kids from the farm to school in the morning with two working parents.

I fought for veterans who were being denied adequate health care because I respect the duty theyve upheld and the sacrifices that they have made. I fought for more education funding in downstate school districts because I believe that our kids should get the same opportunities in western Illinois that kids in Chicago or wealthy suburbs get.

When my wife, Deb, was diagnosed with breast cancer, I knew that I had to do three things. I had to get her the best medical care possible, I had to make sure my boys were OK, and I had to make sure that other people struggling through that devastating illness could take care of their families, too.

Thats why I sponsored landmark breast cancer screening and prevention legislation that expanded womens access to diagnostic screening and treatment throughout Illinois -- and saved lives in the process.

I recognize as well as anyone that we cant simply spend our way out of this problem. Illinois needs to tighten its belt, but we cant balance our budget on the backs of seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and children. Instead, we need to make smart, strategic spending cuts that prioritize the folks that need and deserve it most.

Thats why I am working to eliminate Central Management Services (CMS), a redundant state agency that costs taxpayers millions every year.

Thats also why I support eliminating per diem and mileage reimbursements for legislators. Working families in my district have to pay for their own gas to get to work and legislators shouldnt get any special deals.

And as my dad used to say, Dont believe everything you see on TV.

As a voter, I urge you to ignore the negative ads being thrown around and do your homework  voting records dont lie.

Top 3 Priorities

1. I believe that myself and Springfield should only have one priority and that is ensuring our state has a budget.
I love Illinois. My family has been here for generations. We work here. We attended school here. We go to church here.

This is my home. I am the local candidate.

So believe me when I say this -- it is beyond frustrating to watch bumbling politicians in Springfield run our great state into the ground.

I was spurred to run for political office because my family was being ignored by a government that didnt seem to care about my daughters civil right to an education. Ultimately, my family took on the board of education -- and we won. I also founded a non-profit, Ribbons For Kellsey, to help people like my daughter with epilepsy because that is what we should do  help people.

Unfortunately, the state of Illinois is helping no one. Government in Illinois is too big and too unresponsive to its citizens and taxpayers.

Our state is facing a severe and historic financial crisis. We are suffering from a laundry list of problems that have been ignored for decades but must now be fixed by our legislators and governor. Taxing our way out of these problems has not worked in the past and will not work now.

We need a balanced budget. I agree with Comptroller Leslie Munger that legislators should not get paid until a balanced budget is passed. We need to prioritize our spending and the top priority should be to fully fund our schools. The Illinois Constitution mandates this and every parent demands this.

Taxing pensions is just wrong, and is not a solution. We need to fix our pension system which is currently $111 billion in debt.

A promise made is a promise kept. Those that earned a pension deserve to receive that pension in full, but moving forward we need an alternative for new state employees similar to 401(k) plans. If we want our pension recipients to get their deserved pensions in full, we must fix the current system.

Our children are our future, yet our schools are failing. Why are we allowing this to happen? Our schools are only funded by the state at 27 percent, while our neighbor Iowa funds their schools at 60 percent.

We need to let our teachers teach and our administrators administrate. There is far too much emphasis on standardized testing, which serves no purpose for students, and not enough emphasis on learning.

We need to fully fund our schools, ease restrictions on teachers and administrators, and offer school choice to families and voucher programs for those with disabilities.

Here in Rock Island County we are feeling what I call the Illinois Squeeze. Our residents and businesses are overtaxed. Our farmers and business owners are over-regulated.

There is a segment of our district that is often ignored and those are our veterans, seniors and people with disabilities. I signed a contract with our district where I pledged to be a strong advocate for those unheard, those without a voice, and those that live here -- my home.

I am the local citizen candidate who is not afraid of those that strangle us with the status quo. I am not afraid of big government. I believe legislators are first and foremost public servants, and right now, more than ever, the public needs a fighter. I hope youll give me a chance to fight for you in Springfield.

Top 3 priorities:

1. Balanced Budget which fully funds schools, provides for most vulnerable and doesnt spend more than we take in. Increasing taxes is not a solution.

2. Pension Reform: Taxing pensions is not a solution. We need immediate, fair reforms to ensure pensions are secure for current and future retirees.

3. Education: Our children are our future and hope. We owe to them, and dedicated teachers and administrators all the resources they need to succeed.
I am the mayor of Savanna and I also work in several areas of the real estate industry. As a business owner, I understand what it means to work hard and sacrifice in order to build strong foundations.

I often wear many hats and I am successful because of the support of the people around me. I have been married for 10 years to my strongest and most patient supporter, Curt. He helps me shine and works alongside me to advocate for others. Curt is a volunteer fireman and we are both very active with our families and several civic organizations.

As mayor, I work closely and respectfully with the council to find ways to successfully solve problems. I will work to reach fiscally responsible compromises that will get Illinois on the track towards prosperity. My diverse experience has molded me into a qualified leader who will not become a career politician in Springfield.

Our state faces serious issues. Our economic situation continues to get steadily worse instead of better. With some compromise and hard work, we can reverse the trend.

First and foremost we have to create jobs. We cannot do that if we do not reform spending and pass a balanced budget. We also cannot do that if we dont find ways to partner with labor to make sure that workers are being treated fairly.

We have great opportunities to develop our economy but the financial issues Illinois faces continue to threaten the stability of our business climate. Businesses are leaving the state and choosing to grow elsewhere. When we get our finances under control and begin to show simple signs of stability we can begin to reverse negative trends, which will in turn stimulate growth and create jobs. Creating jobs grows our tax base instead of growing our tax rate.

I will focus on local issues and work with area employers to not only help them stay, but also grow in our region. Being raised in small communities, I understand the importance of creativity in building and promoting small businesses.

I know that if we keep families working in Illinois they will stay in Illinois.

Due to a lack of leadership in Springfield over the past few decades, Illinois families have been forced to abandon their homes to seek employment and a better future for their children in neighboring states. Educators and parents have lost trust and have given up in believing that Illinois will provide opportunities for the next generation. We currently rely on an outdated funding formula that fails to reflect the current needs of our students. While evaluating the formula we must also stand by our promise to fully fund all levels of education.

In addition to funding we need to provide a high-quality and competitive education to keep our future from leaving the state.

I am running for state representative because I was raised to take action when I see an opportunity to make things better. When I ran for Mayor of Savanna I saw opportunities to streamline government in a way that would make Savanna an even better place to live, work, and raise a family. We have to work together to make sure we were using our resources wisely and the results will speak for themselves.

Im asking you to send me to Springfield to represent our district. We deserve representation that is not tied to insiders and special interests.

As your representative I will stand up to both parties when theyre wrong, and do whats right for you!

Top 3 Priorities

1. Passing a balanced budget: Its a constitutional duty of legislators. We have to get our finances in order.

2. Funding education: Fully fund schools and reevaluate the formula so it makes sense for schools, students.

3. Creating jobs: If people are working in Illinois, they will stay in Illinois.
UFA Fiction in co-operation with Amazon, FremantleMedia International and UFA Distribution, has revealed that it is to begin work in 2017 on a sequel to its multi-national hit Deutschland83.

The series has won a number of international and national awards and is currently nominated for the International Emmy Awards 2016 in the Best Drama Series categories.Created once more by Anna Winger and Jorg Winger, Deutschland86 is set three years later and picks up the story of East German Agent Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) and his compatriots in the Stasi Foreign Intelligence in 1986. Martin has been banished to Africa until Aunt Lenora recruits him to fight again for communism in the Global Cold War. Set against the backdrop of real events during the last Summer of Anxiety, when terrorism raged across Western Europe, the mission takes Martin to Johannesburg, Tripoli, Paris, West Berlin and finally back to East Berlin, where he is forced to face new realities at home.In the UK, Deutschland83 premiered on Channel 4 to celebrate the launch of Walter Presents, the free foreign-language on-demand service available exclusively in the UK via Channel 4s digital hub All 4. On its UK premiere in January 2016, Deutschland83 became the highest-rated foreign language drama launch in UK TV history.Deutschland86 has again been acquired by Walter Presents. It will premiere on Channel 4 following which the episodes will be available exclusively on Walter Presents.Speaking about the sequel, curator Walter Iuzzolino said: We are proud be the UK home of this extraordinary blockbuster series. Deutschland83 marked a defining moment in the history of subtitled drama, becoming a cultural phenomenon and a much loved title for millions of British fans. We are delighted to continue our partnership with the creative team for the second season.
Belgium, unlike most other countries, does not have a capital gains tax and the proposal exposed sharp differences within the coalition government Michel has led since 2014 (AFP Photo/Dominique Faget)

Brussels (AFP) - Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on Sunday defended his budget and vision for the future after tensions within the fractious coalition government nearly sank his programme earlier in the week.

Michel had been due to deliver his annual state of the union address on Tuesday but spending cuts, notably in health, plus a controversial capital gains tax exposed sharp differences which the premier only papered over after "intense" crisis talks.

He told parliament, summoned especially for a very unusual Sunday session, that he was determined to press ahead with economic and social reforms to promote jobs and growth.

"It is always the weakest who pay first when the economy falters," he said, arguing that Belgium was leading the way in changing how people work and employers manage their business.

Labour market reforms include greater flexibility in working hours sought by management but they are opposed by many as leaving workers more vulnerable.

Michel insisted that change was imperative to modernise the economy and make it more competitive.

In the budget accord reached after lengthy talks late Friday, the government agreed overall savings of three billion euros ($3.4 billion) but left the capital gains tax to be considered further.

Michel's address will be debated and put to a confidence vote on Tuesday -- when he also faces a potentially embarrassing problem over Belgium's role in endorsing a landmark free trade deal between the European Union and Canada.

On Friday, lawmakers in the small region of Wallonia voted to block what is known as the CETA agreement, due to be approved on Tuesday by all EU trade ministers and then signed by leaders the following week.

Paul Magnette, socialist head of the Wallonia regional administration, said the vote was not meant to sink the accord but it was a demand to reopen negotiations so as to ensure local interests were not harmed.

The Belga news agency reported later Sunday that Wallonia officials had met with the European Commission and members of Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders's office to discuss the issue.

A Wallonia spokesman was cited as saying that the "technical" meeting allowed the region to once again make its case over CETA but there were no negotiations.
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Tamara Bloemendaal talks about the death of her son, Senquez Jackson, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 21, 2016. The 15-year old was killed earlier in the year when a gun a friend was playing with accidentally discharged. Jolted awake by her older son, she recalls helping Senquez out of the recliner and watching him collapse on the floor in a pool of blood. She rode in the ambulance with the boy she called aChunksa as a baby. Within hours, he was dead. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

SHARE This Oct. 2016 photo shows Ruthie Price in Shreveport, La. In 2015, her 4-year-old son, Cameron, and his 6-year-old brother, KaaDarius, went into a room where several adult acquaintances of their parents had been smoking marijuana. A gun was sitting out, and Ka'Darius thought the chrome and black .40-caliber pistol was a toy. A single shot rang out. Robert Price found his younger son slumped over on the arm of a couch when he entered after hearing a loud apopa while in the bathroom of an adjacent room. He cradled the toddler before being whisked to a hospital, where he died. KaaDarius later told police he apushed the bad buttona and he understood his brother ahad a hole in his head,a was going to the hospital and not coming home. (Henrietta Wildsmith/The Shreveport Times - shreveporttimes.com via AP)

By Ryan J. Foley, Larry Fenn and Nick Penzenstadler, Associated Press and USA TODAY Network

Hours earlier, he was a happy 4-year-old who loved Ironman and the Hulk and all the Avengers. Now, as Bryson Mees-Hernandez approached death in a Houston hospital room, his brain swelling through the bullet hole in his face, his mother assured the boy it was OK to die.

When you are on the other side, his mother, Crystal Mees, recalls telling him, you are going to see Mommy cry a lot. Its not because shes mad. Its because she misses you.

And this: Its not your fault.

But whose fault was it?

Bryson shot himself last January with a .22-caliber Derringer his grandmother kept under the bed. It was an accident, but one that could be blamed on many factors, from his grandmothers negligence to the failure of government and industry to find ways to prevent his death and so many others.

The Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network set out to determine just how many others there have been.

The findings: During the first six months of this year, minors died from accidental shootings  at their own hands, or at the hands of other children or adults  at a pace of one every other day, far more than limited federal statistics indicate.

Tragedies like the death of Bryson Mees-Hernandez play out repeatedly across the country. Curious toddlers find unsecured, loaded handguns in their homes and vehicles, and fatally shoot themselves and others. Teenagers, often showing off guns to their friends and siblings, end up shooting them instead.

Using information collected by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan research group, news reports and public sources, the media outlets spent six months analyzing the circumstances of every death and injury from accidental shootings involving children ages 17 and younger from Jan. 1, 2014, to June 30 of this year  more than 1,000 incidents in all.

In all, more than 320 minors age 17 and under and more than 30 adults were killed in accidental shootings involving minors. Nearly 700 other children and 78 adults were injured.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 74 minors died from accidental discharges of firearms in 2014, the latest year for which comparable data are available. The AP and USA TODAY analysis counted 113 for that year, suggesting the federal government missed a third of the cases.

While accidental shootings account for only a fraction of firearm deaths in the U.S., gun safety advocates have long argued that they are largely preventable and thus prefer to call them unintentional shootings, rather than accidental.

The extent of the problem is a little bit shocking. The extent of the undercount is a little bit shocking, said Lindsay Nichols, an attorney at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in San Francisco. A lot of it provides further evidence that this is such a horrible pattern that continues and that more action is needed.

Gun control advocates demand stricter laws requiring guns to be kept locked up and unloaded. But gun rights supporters argue those measures make guns less useful in emergencies; citing CDC statistics, the National Rifle Association argues in public statements that such deaths have declined significantly in recent decades and that the chance of a child dying in a firearms accident is one in one million.

Bob Anderson, chief of the mortality statistics branch of the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics, suggested the NRA was citing statistics that underestimate the risk guns represent to American children.

He would not, he said, put money on that interpretation.

* * *

Bryson and his 2-year-old sister were staying with their grandparents in January to give their mother a break. She had given birth months earlier to a baby girl and needed sleep.

It was a typical night. After their baths, Bryson asked if he could hop in bed with his grandfather, who was already asleep. His grandmother, Anna Sperber, said yes, before she fell asleep on the living room couch with the younger girl.

When Sperber got up to get a blanket hours later, she saw Bryson face down on the bedroom floor. She thought he had fallen asleep.

Then she noticed the lump on his head and panicked when she saw the pistol she kept under her bed lying next to him. He had shot himself above the right eye.

Brysons grandfather, who used a noisy breathing machine, had slept through the gunshot. After a frantic 911 call, emergency responders would take Bryson to a hospital by helicopter as his sister watched. Soon, a neurosurgeon would tell his mother it was only a matter of time before the boy would be dead. The bullet had gone straight to the back of his brain and shattered.

Tamara Bloemendaal talks about the death of her son, Senquez Jackson, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 21, 2016. The 15-year old was killed earlier in the year when a gun a friend was playing with accidentally discharged. Jolted awake by her older son, she recalls helping Senquez out of the recliner and watching him collapse on the floor in a pool of blood. She rode in the ambulance with the boy she called CAiChunksCu as a baby. Within hours, he was dead. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

* * *

The undercount documented by the AP and USA TODAY Network is significant and important, but not surprising, said the CDCs Anderson.

He said the agency has long suspected that its statistics on accidental firearms deaths are too low; the agency tracks deaths from accidental discharges of firearms but tallies only those that are officially classified that way by coroners on death certificates. Coroners categorize many such deaths as homicides because they can fit the definition of being killed by another. They also can classify them as undetermined, if the cause is unclear.

The AP and USA TODAY Network did not rely on coroners findings, but rather counted those shootings that were declared accidental or unintentional by investigating agencies. They were tallied primarily from the Gun Violence Archive, where researchers track media, government and commercial sources to compile a comprehensive database of gun incidents. The review also uncovered a handful of shootings that had not previously been made public.

The findings were in line with prior research done by Everytown for Gun Safety, the advocacy group founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, which keeps a running database of such shootings. The group says that up to 70 percent of accidental shootings could be prevented if parents kept their guns locked and separated from ammunition, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Since the start of 2014, more than 80 children age 4 and under have fatally shot themselves.

That 3- to 5-year-old age group, they are going to be looking at the gun when they shoot it. They point the gun barrel at themselves and put their thumbs on the trigger, said Sheriff David McKnight of Marion County, Texas, who is investigating the death of a 3-year-old who killed himself with his fathers gun in July.

But children of every age, and especially boys, seem drawn to guns.

Last year, 4-year-old Cameron Price and his 6-year-old brother, KaDarius, were riding their bikes outside the Levingston Motel in Shreveport, Louisiana, where their family had taken a $30-a-night room  all they could afford, their mother would later say.

They decided to go inside, into a room where several adult acquaintances of their parents had been smoking marijuana.

A gun was sitting out, and KaDarius thought the chrome and black .40-caliber pistol was a toy.

A single shot rang out. Robert Price found his younger son slumped over on the arm of a couch when he entered after hearing a loud pop while in the bathroom of an adjacent room. He cradled the toddler as he took his final breaths before being whisked to a hospital, where he died.

KaDarius later told police he pushed the bad button and he understood his brother had a hole in his head, was going to the hospital and not coming home.

The Caddo Parish district attorneys office charged two people in the room with weapons and drug charges. Both pleaded down to attempted possession of a firearm by a felon. In August, a judge sentenced them to four years with credit for time served.

* * *

Gun safety advocates have urged a public health approach that includes more research by the federal government, more public awareness and stricter state laws. But the problem of lax gun storage is difficult to address in part because its hard to quantify, and the federal government stopped trying 12 years ago.

The CDC had asked Americans about whether they kept loaded, unlocked guns in their homes as part of an annual telephone survey that asked 400,000 adults about various health risks. Using that data, researchers estimated that 1.5 million children lived in such homes  and the results varied greatly by state based on gun ownership levels.

But the CDC scrapped that line of questioning in 2004. State public health officials voted this year not to reintroduce the questions in next years survey, in part because of the political sensitivity around asking about gun ownership, which some see as an invasion of privacy.

Some states did not think they would be allowed to ask such questions by their governor, said Donald Shepherd, the survey coordinator for Iowa.

Gun control advocates say Child Access Prevention laws  on the books in about two dozen states  act as a deterrent. In general, those laws allow prosecutors to charge parents when children obtain their guns and use them to harm themselves or others.

Supporters say a study of a Florida law suggests they can save lives if implemented correctly. And the concept enjoys wide public approval: Two-thirds of Americans support laws making adults criminally liable for gun safety lapses that endanger children, according to an AP-GfK Poll in July.

But efforts to expand those laws have stalled in the face of opposition from the NRA and other gun rights supporters. Bills in several states, including Missouri and Tennessee, to create similar laws were introduced this year and died without action.

The NRA argues that more education and training should be the solution, not more laws and prosecutions. The NRA takes credit for improving safety through its Eddie Eagle Gun Safe program, which warns children not to touch any firearms they come across and to tell adults.

* * *

Bryson Mees-Hernandezs grandfather had bought the gun and another firearm from his own father the year before, in California. The boys grandmother kept them under her side of the bed because she was often home alone, struggled with mobility due to back problems and was concerned for her safety after reading about local break-ins on Facebook.

The guns were kept in a case that had been used to transport them on an airplane back to Texas, and Anna Sperber believed that would keep them away from children. But Bryson was able to open the side of the case, reach in and grab the gun.

I thought it was secure, but I was wrong. My grandbabys gone. And it happened while I was watching him and I failed him, Sperber said, through tears. I dont want anyone to ever, ever go through this. Its so horrible.

A grand jury declined to bring charges against Sperber, but Crystal Mees blames her mother for the boys death and no longer talks to her or brings her two children around; she says she had warned her to keep the gun out of childrens reach. She plans to push for a Brysons law in Texas to make it easier for prosecutors to bring charges against adults who allow children access to firearms.

Both women attended the funeral, where relatives dressed up as Brysons beloved Avengers, and his casket had an Ironman theme. He was buried with Legos, toy cars and his grandfathers favorite cologne.

KEY FINDINGS OF INVESTIGATION

the Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network combined forces to investigate accidental shootings involving children, researching more than 1,000 incidents over a 2-year span. In all, those shootings claimed the lives of more than 320 minors and more than 30 adults.

The investigation used information collected by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan research group, news reports and public sources. It analyzed the circumstances of every death and injury from accidental shootings involving children ages 17 and younger from Jan. 1, 2014, to June 30 of this year  more than 1,000 incidents in all.

Among the findings:

Fatal accidental shootings occur more often than the federal government tracks. In 2014, the last year for which statistics were available, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 74 unintentional firearms deaths of children. The AP and USA Today Network found 113 such deaths the same year, suggesting the federal government missed a third of the cases.

Deaths and injuries spike for children under age 5, with 3-year-olds the most common shooters and victims among young children. Nearly 90 3-year-olds were killed or injured in the shootings, the vast majority of which were self-inflicted.

Accidental shootings spike again at ages 15-17, when victims are most often fatally shot by other children but typically survive self-inflicted gunshots.

The shootings most often happen at the childrens homes with handguns legally owned by adults for self-protection; hunting accidents are far less common.

The shootings are more likely to occur on weekends or around holidays such as Christmas.
Courtesy of California Fire Foundation

Cheryl Herzberg, wife of fallen Redding firefighter Harvey Dean Herzberg, receives a U.S. flag from Redding firefighter Matthew Oliphant during the California Firefighters Memorial ceremony in Sacramento on Saturday.

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Harvey Dean Herzberg, a fire inspector for the Redding Fire Department who died Aug. 25, 2015, was among 29 firefighters whose names were added to the California Firefighters Memorial in Sacramento on Saturday.

The ceremony featured a solemn uniformed firefighter procession, flag presentations to families of the honorees and the traditional Last Alarm bell-ringing ceremony.

Herberg, known to everyone as Dean, started his career as a seasonal firefighter with the Redding department in 1976 before being hired full time in 1986. He was promoted to engineer in 1990 and became a fire inspector in the Redding Fire Prevention Bureau in 1998. He retired in 2013 and died two years later following a 10-month battle with job-related cancer.
SHARE Mary Rickert Pam Giacomini Bill Schappell Steve Morgan

By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight

Whoever is elected into a Shasta County supervisor's seat after the November elections will have to grapple with what direction the county will take in providing homeless services and what agencies need to be involved in the conversation.

In August, county and city of Redding officials said they would initiate an overhaul of the local Homeless Continuum of Care, a loosely affiliated county-administered body that oversees homeless services. This sidestepped a plan from Redding City Councilwoman Kristen Schreder, who raised money for a nonprofit to analyze the current scope and work of local homeless services.

Supervisor candidates vary in how they see services change or what solutions should look like in the long run.

The county does plenty in providing services for the homeless and the mentally ill, said Supervisor Pam Giacomini. Her main concern is how other costs can be paid for and what other partners can be included in that conversation  like hospitals.

Candidate Steve Morgan would explore rehabilitating old motels to house and treat substance abusers in the city of Redding, while incumbent Bill Schappell sees the issue connected to crime and a weak local economy. Schappell thinks the Adult Rehabilitation Center, a 64-bed rehabilitation center to be built as part of the Shasta County jail, will provide support for those who are homeless as well as criminals.

Candidate Mary Rickert said the broad approach can't work indefinitely and treating the mentally ill, who are often homeless would have to start with providing house and then following up with case workers, which is not always an option for housing programs in the county.

Mary Rickert, District 3 candidate

"Not all homeless are mentally ill, but I'd say a high percentage, a significant percentage have issues that are connected to issues where those people self-medicate. Then there are those who are down on their luck and can't find work. It's a complicated issue.

"I definitely think we need to give people the option of a roof over their head. They're going to need a lot of support from there, like case workers. That's the thing about mental illness, is if there are family members who are supporting them then they do much better (in recovery).

"Rehabilitation is where the county steps in. There is a certain level of accountability and responsibility in turn from the individuals and they would have to be willing to turn their lives around. I do think often times when people are stabilized they can become productive members of society.

"The type of person to lead this would have to understand the complexities and overlap of these issues.

"We need to understand that we need to approach it from a holistic manner. I do believe that a good part of this is substance abuse. I do see a lot of things happening and I think the conversations are moving in the right direction. But talk is just that."

Pam Giacomini, District 3 Supervisor

"As the board of supervisors, we have to step up the coordination, which I believe we are doing, making sure the county and cities work together. There are so many resources being spent on the issue, and various programs and agencies working already. We can funnel them in the right direction to make sure we're coordinating better.

"I would like the hospitals, who bear the burden of having their beds tied up with people in critical situations  perhaps they could save some money being involved in the conversation about homeless and mental health (services).

"We as a county learned that mental issues are a huge part of being homeless. If we can make sure to pool our resources and point them to helping people off the streets, then we would keep our communities safer. It's also a matter of spending our funding wisely and that could be the start to that solution.

Bill Schappell, District 4 Supervisor

"You have a variety of people who make up the homeless in Shasta County. There are the drug addicts and then there are those who are caught up with the economic downturns.

"The people we can help are the ones we need to address and I'm hoping it's going to materialize through what we're doing, like with the Adult Rehabilitation Center. The ARC will be in the middle of our solutions, while a crisis mental health center and the sobering center will sober up those people and maybe they will leave with some counseling to get them started.

"For me, I taught in the juvenile justice system those who were not always from good homes. I didn't treat them like kids, but I treated them like human beings. Let's say you're always nice, but they could take that as being weak. You have to show strength. Do you want us as the government to appear weak, you see what I'm saying? You have to have stopping places in place. The homeless and the mentally ill can get help, but the others will be stopped and that's what I expect."

Steve Morgan, District 4 candidate

"The board has to act and they have to be the people who press to have this Continuum of Care changed. We have to try and make a dent with the local homeless problem. Kristen (Schreder's) plans are a good place to start, but the cities and county are going to have to pony up the money to get the administration together.

"You have to start out small and see how it works. There's an old hotel off Highway 44  the one by the Sundial Bridge. I've seen other places that could be rehabilitated in the county. I think that you have to start some place with service providers and if you've already got a place built, why let it go to waste? Let them provide housing or at least get people off the streets. It's so simple, but it's not always popular.

"Whether they are alcoholics or drug addicts, the answers to these people's problems have to be simple and straightforward. The proposed sobering center through the half-cent sales tax is a good place to start. I think once the (homeless) sober up, maybe they can get into housing. It's important to make these people a member of society again.

"You can go out for grants for all of our new homeless programs, but you have to make sure you don't have someone outside (the community) who is dictating what you do with the money and services. The federal government has a habit of that. But I think there is enough (money) here, such as the McConnell Foundation, and other big charity groups that could lend the money to that to get things started.

"I think that the generosity of the community would dictate part of that."
SHARE Jessica Lynn Hardy Date of birth: Dec. 27, 1976 Vitals: 5 feet, 6 inches; 140 pounds; brown hair, brown eyes Charge: Spousal abuse Elizabeth Anne Roberson Date of birth: Dec. 26, 1978 Vitals: 5 feet, 6 inches; 190 pounds; brown hair, blue eyes Charge: Failure to appear in court Brett Anthony Crosslin Date of birth: Oct. 13, 1984 Vitals: 5 feet, 11 inches; 165 pounds; brown hair, blue eyes Charge: Burglary Fahm Pou Saelor (Lisa) Date of birth: Jan. 5, 1979 Vitals: 5 feet, 2 inches; 124 pounds; black hair, brown eyes Charge: Money laundering connected to drug crimes

By Staff Reports

Shasta's Most Wanted, featured in the Record Searchlight in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, targets people who have failed to show up in court for sentencing after being convicted.

As of Friday, a total of 709 arrests had been made through the Most Wanted program since it began in September 2013. Authorities say they have seen an increase in criminals failing to appear in court since the onset of Assembly Bill 109. Also known as prison realignment, the state program shifted certain state prison inmates to county supervision.

Redding Police Chief Robert Paoletti said court appearances have gone up since the rollout.

Five new people are added each week. Those caught will be held until at least their next court appearances. Shasta County Secret Witness is offering a reward of up to $250 for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be provided anonymously at 530-243-2319 or at www.scsecretwitness.com/home/submit-a-tip.

Anyone with information also can call SHASCOM at 245-6540. The feature appears Sundays in the Record Searchlight's Northern California section and on Redding.com.
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One hundred state legislative seats will be filled four weeks hence, and the Capitol will see a final wave of newcomers as 20 legislators depart under the state's old term-limit law.

Under revised term limits enacted in 2012, legislators may remain in one house for up to 12 years, dampening the forced turnover that had seen about a third of the 120 seats change occupants every two years.

After this year, for instance, no Assembly member will be forced to leave until 2024. Thus, this could be the last election until then for interest groups to have a major effect on the Legislature's partisan makeup and the tenor of its Democratic majority.

This could be a very rough year for Republicans as California turns ever bluer. The GOP's share of registered voters has dipped to scarcely a quarter while those of Democrats and declined-to-state voters continue to swell, with the latter now just three percentage points behind Republicans.

Moreover, it's a presidential year, which means a higher voter turnout that favors Democrats, especially as they gleefully use Donald Trump as a club to batter GOP legislative and congressional candidates.

Democrats gained two-thirds supermajorities in both legislative houses in 2012, but lost them two years ago, when voter turnout plunged to a record low. They need two more Assembly seats and one more in the Senate to regain their supermajorities, and there are enough shaky GOP-held districts to make it possible in at least one house.

Four first-term Republican Assembly members who grabbed seats two years ago, all in districts with Democratic registration pluralities, are under siege  David Hadley, Young Kim and Marc Steinorth in Southern California and Catharine Baker in Contra Costa County.

Two open Senate seats in Southern California that had been held by Republicans also could change partisan hands this year.

That said, even if Democrats regain supermajorities, it may not mean much in policy terms, given the substantial number of moderate Democrats who are unlikely to support such liberal goals as tax increases.

Therefore, the real legislative election issue this year is what kind of Democrats fill the seats that they either regain from Republicans or are vacant due to term limits.

Thanks to the "top-two primary," another recent change in election law, there are 11 Assembly districts and five Senate districts that have Democrat-vs.-Democrat runoffs, and several of them are clearly contests between moderate and liberal Democrats.

The most significant is Eloise Reyes' challenge, backed by unions and other liberal groups, to San Bernardino Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, who belongs to the Assembly's moderate bloc. Brown is receiving heavy support from business interests, which have counted on the bloc for support on key issues such as reducing carbon emissions.

Interestingly, all of the Senate's Democrat-on-Democrat duels, and several of those in the Assembly, including the Brown-Reyes runoff, are also contests between candidates of different ethnic backgrounds, reflecting intraparty rivalries of another kind.

Email Dan Walters at dwalters@sacbee.com.
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Redding risks earning a reputation as a city that dithers and debates until people get tired, give up and go away.

The latest example comes from a local company that builds greenhouses and forward-thinking structures used at festivals and events around the nation. Local folks may have seen one of its geodesic creations at the recent Redding Beer & Wine Festival.

Emerald Kingdom Greenhouse started in Weaverville, moved to Redding and now wants to expand its operations into Stillwater Industrial Park. That park of dreams  and the millions taxpayers have invested  once was billed as producing between 2,500 and 3,500 jobs. It's fair to say expectations have come down a few notches.

Emerald Kingdom envisions building an iconic building  out of the same stuff as Teflon, of all things  and employing 30 people at $15 to $30 an hour, design engineer Jamie Kerr told us. (For the record, Emerald Kingdom's Jamie Kerr is not the Jamie Kerr who runs the 530 Collective in Shasta Lake  not even related.)

Emerald Kingdom CEO Jeff Lloyd approached the city in June about purchasing lot 5 in Stillwater.

City Councilman Brent Weaver summed up the city's hesitation.

"We have to be cautious about what we want to create at Stillwater," Weaver said. "In my opinion this is in no way a value judgment on Emerald Kingdom and the validity of their business as much as we have to find the right fit for Stillwater Business Park."

So what would be a right fit? A tech company or high-end manufacturer that will "elevate the middle class."

We agree.

The problem is, those companies aren't exactly knocking down the city's door, competing for space at Stillwater  or anywhere else in the county for that matter.

This is a case of hoping for perfection and getting nothing in the meantime. It's the whole two birds in the bush problem.

The first company to successfully purchase land in Stillwater was Lassen Canyon Nursery, which grows berries for distribution around the nation. It hasn't started building yet, so Stillwater remains empty as the city leases it for cattle grazing.

Weaver believes the city compromised its vision in allowing Lassen Canyon Nursery to move into the park, and he now believes there's a better chance than ever to attract the kind of high-tech tenant the park was originally built to house. We just need to hang on a little longer, he urges.

It's a tough sell. This is a rural part of the state, born of lumber, cattle and mining. We are more than 150 miles from any other major metro area. Yes, we straddle Interstate 5 and a railroad cuts through our county, but the distance makes it challenging to feed off economic and technical synergies of the Bay Area or even Sacramento.

What we do have are companies innovating in the agricultural industry  which is becoming increasingly high-tech. Imagine Stillwater becoming a hub of companies who develop GPS farming devices; test new ways to grow food more efficiently; construct futuristic greenhouses; create harvesting robots or software and apps useful for those who grow our food. Imagine partnerships with UC Davis' School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences using space at Stillwater.

The original idea of Stillwater as a hub for high-tech companies, medical product manufacturers and customer service centers hasn't panned out. It's been seeking businesses for over a decade, and officially opened for business six years ago.

Perhaps we're on the verge of a reversal of fortunes, but we've also heard before that things were heating up  and then nothing happened.

Redding is not the only game in town, and Stillwater isn't the only industrial space in need of tenants.

Anderson has a ready-to-go park. Shasta Lake has industrial space as well. Both are on I-5, and both have that same train track.

Weaver said the city wants to keep Emerald Kingdom in Redding, but not in Stillwater. That doesn't exactly roll out the welcome mat.

He's right that Emerald Kingdom isn't the big win city leaders once envisioned. But are we going to deal with that disappointment and move on, or will we keep waiting for those two birds in the bush to hop out and give us a high-tech campus?
Asserting that results of the reforms undertaken by his government were visible, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the country has transformed into one of the most open economies in the world with a strong growth rate.

We have undertaken substantial reforms in the past two years to streamline and simplify governance, especially in doing business. The results are clearly visible, Modi told the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa Business Council as part of the eighth summit of the five-nation grouping in Goa.

We have moved up in almost all global indices that measure such performances. We have transformed India into one of the most open economies in the world today. Growth is strong and we are taking steps to keep the momentum going, the prime minister said.

The Modi government has undertaken a slew of reforms like passing the indirect taxation legislation on goods and services tax which seeks to make the country a single market, passing the Bankruptcy Code which will help troubled/failed companies find an exit, and through flagship programmes on the administrative front like the Make in India and the Digital India initiatives.

All this has had Indias ranking in ease of doing business go up by multiple notches in a year to 39 as per the latest ranking by the World Bank.

The government has also been consistently raising caps on foreign holding in domestic companies in a slew of sensitive sectors like defence insurance and defence.

According to the Union finance ministry, as many as 90 per cent of the key economic sectors where foreign direct investment is allowed are on the automatic route, which help foreign companies save lots of time to start their operations.

Even though the June quarter growth slowed to 7.1 per cent from 7.6 per cent in the previous quarter, Asias third largest economy continues to be the fastest growing one in the world and policymakers are expecting the gross domestic product expansion for the current fiscal year to come in at 7.6 per cent and accelerate further in coming years to 8 per cent going forward.

Modi said there were a slew of matching priorities between the business council and that of his administration, including dismantling trade barriers, promoting skills development, establishing manufacturing supply chains and infrastructure development.

Infrastructure has been a key focus of the government and investment of an estimated $1 trillion (Rs 67 lakh crore) has been made to build roads/highways, airports and seaports over the next decade.

Modi also acknowledged the progress achieved by the BRICS Business Council over the last three years, since the idea was first mooted at the Durban summit.

He said the Council represents the economic strength and the diversity of the five-nation grouping of the worlds fastest emerging economies.

Modi also underlined the need for promoting economic and commercial ties and described this as a foundational impulse of the idea of BRICS, and added that partnerships create wealth and value in societies.

The prime minister also applauded the work done by New Development Bank over the last year and asked the lender to work closely with the BRICS Business Council for identifying and implementing large infra projects which can help transform the economies and the lives of the poor.

The Shanghai-headquartered NDB has a book of $911 million (Rs 6,077 crore) and plans to close 2016 with a book of $1 billion (Rs 6,700 crore), which will be raised up to $2.5 billion (Rs 16,750 crore) by end of 2017.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the BRICS Business Council in Goa on Sunday. Photograph: PIB India
Top officials, including the foreign secretary and the director general of military operations, are scheduled to brief a panel of members of Parliament, including congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, on the surgical strikes conducted by the army across the Line of Control on September 28.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, is scheduled to meet on Tuesday when it will be briefed on Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to recent surgical strikes.

Briefing by the foreign secretary, the home secretary, the defence secretary and the DGMO on the subject Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to surgical strikes across the Line of Control, a notice regarding the October 18 meeting issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat says.

The meeting assumes significance as the governemt had earlier expressed reservations over briefing on the same topic to the Parliamentary Committee on Defence.

However, after initial reluctance, the parliamentary panel on Defence headed by Bharatiya Janata Party MP B C Khanduri was briefed by Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat on the surgical strikes.

IMAGE: DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA and Gujarat affairs in-charge Gulab Singh on Sunday surrendered before Surat Police and was arrested by Delhi Police after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him in connection with an extortion case.

Singhs arrest has come hours ahead of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwals public rally in the city.

Delhi Police had come here with a non-bailable warrant against Gulab Singh. He learnt about it before hand and came to Urma police station where we handed him over to Delhi Police, Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said.

The Delhi Police will take Yadav to a court to secure a transit remand.

Before leaving for Umra police station to surrender, Yadav told reporters at the circuit house, I have learnt that Delhi Police have come to Surat to arrest me. So I am going to Umra police station to court arrest and ask Delhi Police to pick me from there.

I am in Gujarat since September 6 and I was here when the FIR was filed on September 13. Police raided my office and got nothing incriminating. The Centre is directing arrest of AAP MLAs but we are not going to bow and are ready for any consequences, he alleged.

Last month, two property dealers, Deepak Sharma and Rinku Diwan, had alleged that Satish and Devinder, who work in Yadavs office, and an associate Jagdish, were extorting money from them by threatening to get demolished the building from where they were operating.

A case under Section 384 (punishment for extortion) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at Bindapur police station on September 13.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal, who is on a four-day visit to Gujarat, alleged while talking to reporters in Vadodara before leaving for Surat that Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah was trying to affect the rally.

I appeal to Amit Shah ji that this is not my rally but that of the public ... You see 13 MLAs have been arrested by Delhi Police on the direction from the BJP, he said.

Confirming the MLA's arrest, Joint Commissioner of Police, South West Delhi, Deependra Pathak said, He will be brought back to Delhi today to join the probe in the FIR of extortion in which he has also been named.

The non-bailable warrant was issued against Singh, who is MLA from Delhis Matiala, on October 14 for allegedly not joining probe in the case.

Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who is attending the AAP rally in Surat, said Singh's arrest was a turning point in Gujrat politics.

Gulab singh arrested hours before historical rally in Surat, he tweeted.

This was done to prevent Gulab Singh from reaching the rally. The politics of Gujrat will change for ever from today, he said in a note posted on Twitter.

Singhs alleged associates Satish, Devinder and Jagdish were arrested and a probe was taken up in the matter which revealed that the organised extortion racket had been operating with the knowledge of the MLA, police claimed.

Following the investigation, Singh was named in the FIR and issued notices to join the investigation but he did not turn up for questioning, they said.

Meanwhile, confirming the MLAs arrest, Joint Commissioner of Police, South West Delhi, Deependra Pathak said, He will be brought back to Delhi on transit remand to join the probe in the FIR of extortion in which his name is also included.

The Delhi Police team was in Gujarat looking to arrest the MLA but he was running away, he said.

Our team was in Surat for two days. He was running away and hiding. He was served several notices but he avoided investigation on one or other pretext, he alleged.

The NBW was issued against Singh, who is MLA from Delhis Matiala, on October 14 for allegedly not joining probe in the case.

The MLA has been arrested under charge of running an extortion racket. There were concrete evidences against him for his arrest, the officer said.

One of the arrested men worked at office of the MLA. His driver who was driving his personal car with sticker of the legislator was arrested later on the night of September 13 in connection with the extortion, he said.

The officer said that investigation and statements by the arrested accused have revealed that it was an organised extortion syndicate with links to Singh.

Investigation so far reveals that he was Sutradhar (kingpin) of the entire exercise of extortion and its management, he said.
donald trump

Donald Trump alleged in recent days that the election is being "rigged" against him as part of a coordinated effort among national media outlets, the political establishment, and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

"The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," Trump tweeted Sunday.

And many of his surrogates have taken the rhetoric even further, even as critics say their charges could be dangerous and leave lasting damage to the electorate's faith in the voting process.

Introducing Trump at a rally in New Hampshire on Saturday, Sen. Jeff Sessions, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told a New Hampshire crowd that Trump's opponents were "attempting to rig the election."

Many of his top campaign allies, meanwhile, fanned out across cable news on Sunday to explain and support Trump's doubts about the legitimacy of the election.

In a Sunday interview on ABC's "This Week," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich asserted that media outlets were "attempting to rig the election," quoting a conservative blogger who described the election as a "coup d'etat."

"This is not about election officials at the precinct level. This is about last Friday, when the networks spent 23 minutes on the Trump tape, and less than one minute on Hillary's speeches revealed in WikiLeaks," Gingrich said, referring to alleged transcripts of Clinton's speeches to Goldman Sachs that appeared in the organization's release of campaign emails.

Still, Gingrich supported Trump's request for supporters to monitor polling places. He cited a suggestion myth based on inconclusive evidence that local officials in Chicago and Texas tipped the 1960 presidential election in then-Sen. John F. Kennedy's favor.

"You look at Philadelphia, you look at St. Louis, you look at Chicago. I'm old enough to remember when Richard Nixon had the election stolen in 1960, and no serious historian doubts that Illinois and Texas were stolen. So to suggest that you don't have theft in Philadelphia is to deny reality," Gingrich said.

Story continues

When host Martha Raddatz confronted Gingrich with House Speaker Paul Ryan's assurance of the election's legitimacy, Gingrich dismissed the current speaker's claims. He said Ryan was from Wisconsin, where "they actually have honest elections."

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani delivers remarks before Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump rallies with supporters in Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S. September 28, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Yet former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani also laid out the case for potential election fraud in Democratic-controlled urban areas, saying that "if it's a 1-to-2-point race, it could make a difference in a few places."

"There are few places  and not many in the swing states  there are a few places where they are notorious for stealing votes," Giuliani said. "Pennsylvania, Chicago  there are places where a lot of cheating has gone on over the years," Giuliani alleged.

He added: "If you want to tell me that I think that the elections in Philadelphia and Chicago are going to be fair, I'd have to be a moron to believe that."

Giuliani also argued that Democrats in "inner cities" voted in place of deceased voters, claiming that "dead people generally vote for Democrats, not Republicans."

"They control the polling places in these areas. There are no Republicans. It is very hard to get people there who will challenge votes. So what they do is leave dead people on the rolls, and then they pay people to vote [as] those dead people."

"I've found very few situations where Republicans cheat," he added. "They don't control the inner-cities like Democrats do."

Recent studies have yielded few instances of modern voter fraud in the US.

A 2014 investigation by Loyola Law School professor Justin Levitt found just 31 cases of voter impersonation. Levitt also authored a 2007 report that found using death rolls to inflate votes on a broad scale was not a common practice in modern US elections, and indeed many investigations into alleged cases have exposed clerical errors rather than purposeful misconduct.

Not every prominent member of the Trump campaign was ready to chalk up a potential loss to election fraud.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Trump's running mate, said on Sunday's "Meet The Press" that though he believed that the election was "being rigged by the national media," the campaign will "absolutely accept" the election results.

"The American people will speak in an election that will culminate on November the 8th. But the American people are tired of the obvious bias in the national media. That's where the sense of a rigged election goes here," Pence said.

Trump is no stranger to public doubts about electoral legitimacy. In the immediate aftermath of President Barack Obama's reelection in 2012, he vented in a lengthy Twitter session and called for a "revolution" amid what he called a "total sham and a travesty."

For its part, Clinton's campaign has condemned Trump's comments.

In a statement Saturday, campaign manager Robby Mook dismissed Trump's assertions as "shameful attempts to undermine an election weeks before it happens."

"Campaigns should be hard-fought and elections hard-won, but what is fundamental about the American electoral system is that it is free, fair and open to the people. Participation in the systemand particularly votingshould be encouraged, not dismissed or undermined because a candidate is afraid hes going to lose," Mook said.

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The Jammu and Kashmir government has distributed 14 lakh quintals of foodgrain to people of the state during the last three months of ongoing turmoil in the Kashmir Valley.

State Minister for food and civil supplies Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali told this to Union Minister for food and public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan during their meeting in Jammu on Saturday.

The department has distributed 14 lakh quintals of foodgrain to the consumers of the state during the last three months of the ongoing turmoil in the Valley, Ali told Paswan.

He said the officials of his department, despite facing various hardships due to the unrest in the Valley, worked day and night to provide foodgrain to the consumers.

He projected the demand for procurement of maize from local farmers through food corporation of India on market rates and disbursing it to consumers on payment of Re 1 per kg.

Stating that a large number of farmers in the state are maize producers but a lack of proper market is discouraging them, Ali stressed the need for encouraging them by providing a platform for marketing their produce.

In response to the demand, Paswan instructed officers of his department and FCI to coordinate with the J and K government to start procurement of maize.

During the meeting, Ali also took up the issue of food godowns of state that are presently under FCI for many decades and sought rent of these godowns from the corporation.

The Union minister said they have already handed over Nagrota godown to the J and K government and are in process of handing over the remaining godowns at Lethpura and Gulab Bagh to the state soon.

Paswan asked the state government to provide them alternative land for construction of FCI godowns so that they can expedite the process of vacating the state godowns.

Taking up the matter of funding for e-Public Distribution System, Ali projected 90:10 ratio and said the Centre is already providing 90 per cent funding to northeastern states and should do the same for J and K.

J and K has already projected this demand in National Consultation Meeting of Ministers twice, the minister said.

The Union minister assured proper action in this regard.
Averting a major Naxal attack in the national capital and its neighbourhood, the Uttar Pradesh Police has busted a gang of ultras by arresting 10 of them, including a self-styled area commander, and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

The left-wing extremists were adept at making bombs and were planning some incidents in the Delhi-NCR, Inspector General (UP Special Task Force) Aseem Arun said at a hurriedly convened press conference in Noida.

In the night-long raids that went on till the wee hours, nine Naxals were arrested from Noida, on the outskirts of Delhi. Of the nine, six were picked up on Saturday night and three on Sunday morning. Another was arrested from Chandauli, adjoining Bihar, he said.

Self-styled area commander Pradeep Singh Kharwar, from Bariatu village in Jharkhands Latehar district, was hiding in Noida since February, 2012 and carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh, he said.

Another prized catch was Ranjit Paswan, a former self-styled area commander of erstwhile People's War Group, who was active in Naxal-hit Sasaram district of Bihar. He was arrested from Chandauli, adjoining Bihar, he said.

Others arrested include Pawan Jharkhand of Madhubani in Bihar, Sachin Kumar of Dankaur in Greater Noida, Krishna Kumar Ram from Sasaram in Bihar, and Suraj, a resident of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. Suraj was the groups local contact for conducting operations in the Delhi-NCR area.

The Special Task Force officer said acting on a tip off, a raid was conducted in an apartment in Sector 49 Hindon Vihar in Noida.

550 live cartridges, an INSAS assault rifle, two other rifles and three self-loading rifle magazines were seized along with a huge quantity of explosives and detonators.

He said it is suspected that the INSAS rifle was looted from a security personnel as the weapon is used by them against the ultras, he said.

INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) is a family of infantry arms consisting of an assault rifle and a light machine gun.

The arrested Naxals were active in eastern UP and adjoining parts of Bihar and had made Noida their base. They had rented two flats and posed as property dealers, Arun said.

The IG said the crackdown on the left-wing extremists would continue and more arrests were likely.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had recently asserted the governments resolve to bring an end to Naxalism, militancy and terrorism, and said the Maoists' morale at present is at its lowest.

According to a senior police official involved in anti-Naxal operations, There has been a massive and sustained operation against the Maoists which has put them on the back foot.

As per ministry of home affairs data, they remain confined mainly to Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.

IMAGE: Suspected Naxals who were arrested from Hindon Vihar area in Noida on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
IMAGE: Indian army soldiers take position near the Line of Control in Nowshera sector Distt Rajouri near Jammu. Photographs: PTI Photo

After a week-long lull, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire twice on Sunday by firing on forward posts along the Line of Control in Rajouri district in which one Indian soldier was killed. Indian troops retaliated to the firing.

There was unprovoked firing from small arms on forward areas in Naushera sector of Rajouri district along the LoC by Pakistani troops, PRO, Ministry of Defence, Jammu said.

Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said.

In a ceasefire violation in the morning, no one was injured. However, the evening firing claimed life of one Indian soldier.

A senior Army officer said there have been over 25 ceasefire violations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes by Army troops in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to dismantle terror launching pads.

In the firing and shelling, five civilians and four armymen had sustained injuries in Poonch district. Nine Pakistani armymen were injured in retaliatory action by Indian troops along LoC.

On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar Krishnagati sector in Pooch district resulting in injuries to one jawan.

On October 5, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shelling and firing with five ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along LoC in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts.

They shelled mortar bombs and opened small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district.

Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and restored to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district.

On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling from 1915 hours along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district.

On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS amid small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district.

On September 30, Pakistani troops restored to small arms firing along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BIMSTEC leaders in Goa on Sunday . Photograph: PIB India.

In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Islamabad embraces and radiates the darkness of terrorism and terrorism has become its favourite child.

Addressing the BRICS-BIMSTEC (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa- Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) outreach summit, Prime Minister Modi said that terrorism, radicalisation and transnational crimes, pose grave threats to all the countries of the group.

Geographical barriers and borders pose no limitations on those who wish to harm our societies. In South Asia and BIMSTEC, all nation states barring one are motivated to pursue a path of peace, development and economic prosperity for its people. Unfortunately, this country in India's neighbourhood embraces and radiates the darkness of terrorism, the prime minister said.

Terrorism has become its favourite child and the child in turn has come to define the essential character and nature of its parents. The time for condemning the state sponsored terrorism is long gone, he added.

The prime minister called on the member states and the world community to stand up and act boldly against terrorism and those who nurture it.

To those who nurture the philosophy of terror and seek to de-moralise mankind, we must send a clear message to mend their ways or be isolated in the civilised world, he said.

The PM also said that the BRICS and BIMSTEC have been shaped by different context.

Together we represent almost two thirds of humanity. But we are joined by common vision and peace, stability and development. We are also united by similar challenges and concerns that shape our domestic choices and international partnership, he said.

Other world leaders too voiced concern against terrorism and vowed to fight it collectively.

IMAGE: PM addresses BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit in Goa. Photograph: PIB India

Addressing the meet, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina said, "We all must join hands to deal with terrorism, violent extremism."

Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said, "Terrorism remains a grave threat to global peace, security and stability."

"We are here at a time when our host India has over the past several months suffered frequent terror attacks. Bhutan strongly condemns these terror attacks, and stand in solidarity with India and like minded countries in fight against terror," Tobgay said.

"Rising terrorism has become a source of common concern. We need to stand together against all forms of violent extremism. We wholly sympathise with people of India with regard to terror attack in Uri not so long ago," said Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi.

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, addressing the summit, said that 'we must collectively condemn, fight against threat of terrorism in all forms and manifestations'.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "We want to fight terrorism together, we all will collectively work on it."

The PM also asserted that the BIMSTEC region is prone to natural disasters.

Environmental protection and disaster management are areas where BRICS- BIMSTEC partnership will benefit millions. We share equally in problems and solutions of interconnected world. A spirit of cooperation and collaboration between us can be a powerful change agent, he said.

The BIMSTEC is an international organisation involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia. These countries are Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
However, a 'consensus could not be reached' on naming Pak-based terror groups in the declaration.

IMAGE: From left, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Jacob Zuma at the BRICS Summit 2016 in Benaulim, Goa on Sunday. Photograph: PIB India.

Strongly condemning the recent terror attacks in India and other nations, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa on Sunday asked all countries to prevent terrorist actions from their soil and called for expeditious adoption of an India-backed global convention by the United Nations to fight the menace effectively.

A declaration adopted at the annual summit of BRICS called upon all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism, violent extremism, radicalisation, recruitment, movement of terrorists including foreign terrorists and blocking sources of financing terrorism.

It asked all nations to work together to expedite the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN General Assembly without any further delay.

We strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some BRICS countries, including that in India. We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other reasons.

We agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating international terrorism both at the bilateral level and at international fora, the Goa declaration issued at the end of the Summit said.

It also asked the countries to adopt a holistic approach in successfully combating terrorism.

The BRICS said sources of terror funding like organised crime by means of money laundering, drug trafficking, criminal activities, dismantling terrorist bases, and countering misuse of the internet including through social media by terror entities should be focus areas.

Successfully combating terrorism requires a holistic approach. All counter-terrorism measures should uphold international law and respect human rights, the declaration said.

Stressing UN's central role in coordinating multilateral approaches against terrorism, the BRICS urged all nations to undertake effective implementation of relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and reaffirmed its commitment on increasing the effectiveness of the UN counter terrorism framework.

In the declaration, the BRICS said it reaffirmed commitment to the Financial Action Task Force international standards on combating money laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation.

The FATF is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering. In 2001 the purpose expanded to act on terrorism financing.

It also called for swift, effective and universal implementation of FATF on combating terrorist financing, including effective implementation of its operational plan.

The BRICS said, We seek to intensify our cooperation in FATF and FATF-style regional bodies.

In the declaration, the bloc also called for strengthening of international and regional cooperation and coordination to counter the global threat caused by the illicit production and trafficking of drugs, especially opiates.

We note with deep concern the increasing links between drug trafficking and terrorism, money laundering and organised crime, it said, adding there was agreement on strengthening efforts to enhance security in the use of information and communication technology.

The declaration said the bloc agreed that emerging challenges to global peace and security and to sustainable development require further enhancing of its collective efforts.

We note the global character of current security challenges and threats confronting the international community.

We reiterate our view that international efforts to address these challenges, the establishment of sustainable peace as well as the transition to a more just, equitable and democratic multi-polar international order requires a comprehensive, concerted and determined approach, based on spirit of solidarity, mutual trust and benefit, equity and cooperation, it said.

IMAGE: PM Modi with other BRICS leaders. Photograph: PIB India

It said, We express our concern that political and security instability continues to loom in a number of countries that is exacerbated by terrorism and extremism. We call upon the international community through the United Nations, African Union and regional and international partners to continue their support in addressing these challenges, including post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts.

In reference to tax system, it reaffirmed commitment towards a globally fair and modern tax system and welcomed the progress made on effective and widespread implementation of the internationally agreed standards.

We support the strengthening of international cooperation against corruption, including through the BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group, as well as on matters related to asset recovery and persons sought for corruption.

We acknowledge that corruption including illicit money and financial flows, and ill gotten wealth stashed in foreign jurisdictions is a global challenge which may impact negatively on economic growth and sustainable development.

We will strive to coordinate our approach in this regard and encourage a stronger global commitment to prevent and combat corruption on the basis of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and other relevant international legal instruments, it said.

Addressing a press conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the agreement between the BRICS countries under the Goa Declaration were unanimous in recognising the threat of terrorism, extremism and radicalisation.

In his concluding remarks at the BRICS summit, Modi said it was agreed at the summit that those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as terrorists themselves and efforts must be speeded up to deal with the menace.

This is seen as a boost to India's stand on the issue as it has been pitching for isolation of Pakistan for its terror export.

Modi said the leaders were unanimous in recognising the threat that terror, extremism and radicalisation present to regional and global peace, stability and economic prosperity.

We underscored the need for close coordination on tracking sources of terrorist financing and target the hardware of terrorism, including weapons supplies, ammunition, equipment and training, he said.

We underscored the need for close coordination on tracking sources of terrorist financing, he said.

On key agenda of the grouping, Modi said putting the global economy back on track was another focus point of the deliberations, adding the discussions at the summit were detailed, substantive and productive.

The prime minister said there were deliberations on possibility of setting up an independent BRICS Rating Agency based on market-oriented principles, in order to further strengthen the global governance architecture.

Modi said the Goa declaration lays a comprehensive vision for cooperation within BRICS and international issues.

The prime minister said there was also a clear need to build norms, create structures and pool capacities to stop tax evasion, and fight against black money and corruption.

Asked why the declaration, which names Islamic State, does not mention Pakistan-based terror groups, especially Jaish-e-Mohammed which the United Nations has proscribed, Amar Sinha, Secretary (Economic relations), said a consensus could not be evolved.

He also pointed out India is the victim of the actions of Pakistani terror groups, and not other BRICS nations.

I guess it does not concern them mainly, BRICS. It affects us. Because Pakistan-based outfits are also focused on India in terms of activities. So since...(it does not affect them), I guess we could not get an consensus on actually including both.

But if you see, it says ISIS and various other affiliated organisations. and I think there is a reference of terrorists organisations which are designated by the UN, he said.\

He said the fact remains that Pakistani terror groups have not yet reached South Africa and Brazil. They may one day, we dont know, he said.

In reply to a series of questions on the issue of terror at a press briefing later, he said the multilateral summit should not be reduced to just the issue terrorism.

He defended the non-inclusion of the word cross-border terrorism in the Goa declaration saying that focus should be on idea.

He said it was important that India was able to bring everyone onboard with its ideas.

Sinha explained that the declaration accepts that there cannot be a political justification of terror and asks countries to take comprehensive steps against terror.

I think the message is very clear and you dont have to spell out everything. You have to see what is the underlying thrust, he said.

Asked about Chinese President Xi Jingpings speech in which he talked about the need to focus on the root causes, Sinha said he does not know what he meant by root causes.

He said China has always said one needs to sit down and that he does not don't think they were referring to root causes of terrorism.

If that were the case, they would not support the CCIT, he said.

The senior diplomat underlined that India was satisfied with the Goa declaration.

Each country in such negotiations that we have done starts from the national position and then it all gets negotiated over long session until you reach a conclusion that is acceptable to everyone.

We are obviously not looking...that our national position needs to be sort of signed on dotted lines by other countries, he said.

He pointed out that the declaration mentions terrorism as unprecedented global threat to peace and security. These are strong words. I don't think they are underplaying, he said.

We are quite happy with it, he said, adding this is not the last summit and the one of the National Security Advisors is coming up.
By Aleksandar Vasovic PODGORICA (Reuters) - The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) was in the lead in Montenegro's parliamentary vote on Sunday but looked short of winning a majority, leaving pro-Western Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic needing a coalition to extend his 24 years in power. Djukanovic said the election was a historic choice between closer ties with NATO or with Russia, but voters were divided according to a partial count suggesting he would win 36 seats in the 81-seat parliament, five short of a majority. Montenegrins turned out in record numbers to vote on Sunday amidst allegations of media and party websites being hacked, polling station violence and the arrest of a group of Serbs accused of plotting armed attacks on state institutions and officials. With tensions already high, the likely outcome leaves Montenegro, a former Yugoslav republic of 620,000 people, deeply divided, with its long-serving leader scrambling to build a majority in a fractious parliament. The authorities said 20 people, all citizens of neighbouring Serbia, were arrested overnight, accused of entering Montenegro intending to pick up a cache of automatic firearms with a view to attacking state institutions and officials. With 72 percent of votes counted, pollsters CEMI forecast that the Democratic Forum (DF), an opposition alliance of pro-Western parties and others that want stronger ties with traditional allies in Serbia and Russia, would have 17 seats. Together with other opposition parties and alliances, it could have as many as 42 seats. Party officials from both the DPS and the opposition claimed victory, though DPS looked better-placed to form a government. Djukanovic has said Russia sees the vote as an opportunity to derail the Balkan region's rush towards joining NATO and the European Union, while opposition parties have denied his allegations that they receive Russian funding and have accused him of running Montenegro as a corrupt personal fiefdom. ECONOMY FACES EAST AND WEST Authorities blocked access to mobile messaging services for much of the day amid reports of messages circulating calling on opposition supporters to vote. Media and party websites were also knocked offline by attacks. "Montenegro will continue its stable movement towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration," Djukanovic, 54, said after casting his vote in the capital Podgorica. Supporters say membership will bring peace and prosperity, but the issue is divisive. NATO bombed Montenegro in 1999, when it intervened to stop ethnic killings in Kosovo by Serbia, with which Montenegro was in a state union. Western analysts have long viewed with concern signs of growing Russian influence in Montenegro, with which it shares Orthodox Christian ties. Some diplomats say last year's invitation to join NATO was designed to counter this. But the economy needs close ties to both east and west. It has grown at 3.2 percent a year over the past decade, as foreign investors, especially from Russia, China and Italy poured money into energy, mining and tourism in a country famed for its spectacular mountains and sea coast. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told reporters earlier on Sunday he had no information about the arrests in Montenegro and declined to comment, the Serbian news agency Tanjug said. (Editing by Thomas Escritt, Greg Mahlich)
Halloween is here! Find out when Trick-or-Treat is happening in Martinsville.

The leaves are changing, the evenings are getting cooler and excitement is building as Halloween draws closer.
First Financial Bank announcements

The First Financial Bank, N.A., board of directors recently announced the promotion of Ryan Parrish to senior vice president and consumer loan officer, as well as the election of Dayton Borger to assistant vice president and commercial loan officer and Barbara Golson to assistant vice president and consumer loan officer.

Parrish, who joined First Financial in 2012, has more than eight years of experience in the financial services industry.

He holds a bachelor of business administration degree in finance from Hardin-Simmons University.

Borger joined First Financial in 2011, and holds a bachelor of business administration degree in financial management from Abilene Christian University.

Golson joined First Financial in 2010, and attended Texas State University and Angelo State University.

Business workshop

Texas Tech Small Business Development Center Abilene will conduct a workshop, 'Are You Positioned to Win a Government Contract,' Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. in the Texas Tech Training Center, 749 Gateway St., Suite 301. To make a reservation, call 325-670-0300.
Hurricane Matthew and the resulting flooding in the Carolinas have been in the news. It is one of a series of weather disasters in the past few weeks. When a new one hits, it's easy to forget about the ones that came first  for instance, the severe flooding in Louisiana a few weeks ago.

Several 4-H members around Texas already have a project in motion, initiated by requests for aid from fellow 4-H'ers in Louisiana.

Children in that state were having difficulty obtaining basic school supplies to get the year started. Their families had other, more pressing needs.

Texas 4-H'ers answered the call, including several counties in the Big Country. Over the past couple of weeks, they have completed their collections, which were boxed up and shipped to Louisiana to be distributed.

Hannah Hammond, a member of the Taylor County 4-H Horse Club and a sophomore at Wylie High School, spearheaded a drive involving friends in 4-H and school. They responded by bringing donations to their school, the county Extension office or other collection points. Sixty-seven pounds of school supplies were recently sent off.

'We just want to show the community what 4-H is about,' said Stacy Hammond, Hannah's mother, referring to the aim of teaching members to share with others in need.

Jones and Haskell County 4-H'ers helped with the same project. Darlene Hopkins, Extension agent in Haskell County, reports they received three huge boxes of donations from Haskell schools and one each from Paint Creek and Rule schools.

'They're just trying to get their lives straightened out,' Hopkins said of the people who need the help.

Jones County officials did not have an accurate count on items, but estimated they had nearly 200 items, including at least 50 spiral notebooks along with erasers, notebook paper, crayons and other basic supplies.

These 'all right' kids were involved in other things as well, as part of the 'One Day 4-H' service project.

In Shackelford County, members will prepare a food item to go out to clients of Vittles by Vehicle, similar to Abilene's Meals on Wheels-Plus program. They will prepare the food one evening in the Vittles kitchen and it will go out with the next day's meal.

Coleman County 4-H'ers collected dog food for the Humane Society kennel, then 13 of them visited the kennel one Saturday to deliver the bags and socialize with the dogs being kept there.

Runnels County members collected food for pantries in Ballinger and Miles. They will also be cooking for the Hunters Appreciation Dinner sponsored by the Ballinger Chamber of Commerce next month.

Taylor County youths also helped with the Disabilities Resources Inc. Pumpkin Patch, and later will purchase Christmas gifts for less fortunate families. The gifts, and the cost of sending supplies to Louisiana, will be paid for through money raised at the 4-H petting zoo at the West Texas Fair & Rodeo.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Haunted Forest, Friday-Sunday, Camp Tonkawa. $10 per Boy Scout or adult, $23 per Cub Scout or family member. Register at www.texastrailsbsa.com.

Tot Spot, for children ages 3-5 (and an adult), 9:30 or 11 a.m. first Thursday and Friday of each month, The Grace Museum, 102 Cypress St. (Check at thegracemuseum.org under 'Upcoming events' for holiday scheduling.) Free for museum members, $5 for nonmembers. Reservations required; 325-673-4587 or online.

National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, 102 Cedar St. (325-673-4586), offers art activities each Saturday from 1-4 p.m. at no charge.

Contact Carl Kieke at 325-673-3552; kiekec@suddenlink.net; or mail to Carl Kieke, 1417 N. 7th St. No. 2, Abilene TX 79601-4948. Deadline is Tuesday for publication the following Monday.
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Is Lubbock-Cooper High School named after the same person as Abilene Cooper High School?

The short answer is no.

But, you know me, so here comes the long answer.

Our Cooper High School was named after Oscar Henry Cooper (1852-1932). The Yale graduate's career in education included serving as superintendent of public instruction for Texas from 1886 to 1890 and superintendent of the Galveston schools, the highest paying educational position in the state, from 1890 to 1896, according to the Handbook of Texas Online.

Cooper came to Abilene in 1902 after serving three years as president of Baylor University. In Abilene, he was president of Simmons College from 1902 to 1909, during which time the school's enrollment doubled, the website says.

He then established Cooper's Boys School in Abilene, which he headed until 1915, when he went back to Simmons as a faculty member. He died in Abilene in 1932.

The other Cooper is named for George C. Cooper, a Lubbock County school board member. Not just the high school, but an entire district was named in his honor. The Cooper Rural School District was created in 1936 with the consolidation of the Slide, Barton, Woodrow, New Hope and Union schools south of Lubbock, according to the Lubbock-Cooper ISD's website. Cooper, a strong advocate of education for all students, had died the year before, the Lubbock Avalanche Journal reported in a story marking the 75th anniversary of the district.

Growth in the 1960s brought about "the need for a more distinguishable title for the district, which led to the transition from Cooper School to Lubbock-Cooper," the L-CISD website states.

Plus, it wanted to be distinguished from the Cooper ISD in the East Texas town of Cooper, the newspaper reported.

If you ask me, the hyphen adds distinction.
If you have a need for firewood, get it now while you can
All of Abilene has a stake in the future of the city's downtown, the chairwoman of a Chamber of Commerce task force says.

And on Wednesday, anyone who would like to voice their vision for downtown may do so in a public workshop.

Laura Moore, chairwoman of the task force which was formed last fall, said the meeting is 'to contemplate issues and dreams people would like to address about downtown.'

The workshop is scheduled from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Abilene Civic Center Exhibit Hall.

Moore, executive director of The Grace Museum, said all Abilenians are 'stakeholders' in downtown.

The Gossman Group, urban planners based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been working with the task force gathering input on what the community wants its downtown to be.

'This is our final push to gather as a large group in a big room and ask 'what do you think?'' Moore said.

In previous trips to Abilene, the urban planners have met with focus groups representing various segments of the community, Moore said.

The task force has been seeking input from all age groups, she said, and has been especially cognizant of young people's opinions in hopes of attracting more young families to Abilene and retaining people who grow up or go to college here.

An exciting part of the process, Moore said, has been gathering information from high school students. More than 500 completed surveys on downtown, she said.

The Gossman Group is nationally renowned for its work in urban planning and revitalization across the United States, said Doug Peters, chamber president & CEO.

The downtown growth and development planning effort is being supported by the Dodge Jones Foundation and the Dian Graves Owen Foundation along with the city and the chamber and Abilene Industrial Foundation, he said.

The Gossman Group has assisted the city and AIF with assessing and preparing the recent request for proposals for a downtown convention center hotel.

The planners will present their recommendations to the roughly 30-member task force, Moore said, and then it will be up to the community to implement the vision for downtown.
The frustration is mounting.

It was not a good week for Donald Trump, following the release of a tape on which he uses crude language to describe lewd, uninvited encounters with women. Then, during the second presidential debate, he threatened his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, with jail time, if he's elected.

Momentum toward the Nov. 8 election shifted dramatically again, to Clinton. Republicans are facing the reality that eight years may become 12 years with a Democrat in the Oval Office should Clinton be elected, and polls show we're headed that way.

The fingers of blame are being pointed, as always. It's the influence of the liberal media, many believe.

At the local level, the media usually escape the storm. But not this year. The Reporter-News has come under fire for publishing anti-Trump pieces on its op-ed pages, though those by far are the most prevalent. The attacks on Clinton have waned under the avalanche of opinion against Trump, even from those columnists who have targeted Clinton's honesty and policies. Trump, at best, is the alternative but on his way he is generating little, if any, support.

We did a little looking around this week and came upon a Wikipedia list of daily newspapers that support a candidates. Of 135 newspapers listed, zero endorse Trump.

That's newspapers in all parts of the country, not just the so-called left-leaning East Coast or the accused crazies on the West Coast. The count reads 110 for Clinton, 10 that will not make an endorsement, nine that did not support Clinton but firmly stated a 'Not Trump' opinion and six for Libertarian Gary Johnson.

That's an unheard tally, and underscores the historic strangeness of this election. Trump has voter support and stampeded his way to the Republican nomination. Yet, from his own party leadership especially to the media, and most points in between, he is universally disliked. And that's putting it mildly, in most cases.

A further study showed only one publication in support of Trump  an online weekly in Las Vegas. Take that however you might.

The dailies include newspapers that supported Mitt Romney in 2012 (from the Houston Chronicle to the Tulsa World to the Birmingham News to the New York Daily News), and newspapers that always go Republican, or have for decades.

Those include:

The Dallas Morning News: First Democrat endorsed in 75 years.

Union Leader (Manchester, New Hampshire): Johnson, first non-Republican in 100 years.

Arizona Republic: First Democrat endorsed in 126 years.

Columbus Dispatch and Cincinnati Enquirer: First Democrat endorsed in 100 years.

Detroit Free Press: Johnson, its first non-Republican in 143 years

Our sister newspaper now, USA Today, historically has stayed away from making a political stand. But not this year. It went the Not Trump route.

Weeklies, magazines and campus newspapers: Clinton or Not Trump.

The Reporter-News traditionally has focused recommendations to voters on races closest to residents of the Big Country. And these made after meeting with the candidates, when we can size them up in person and beyond the printed materials sent in the mail or time bought in the newspaper or on TV, or rehearsed public speeches.

We plan to discuss the House District 71, Senate District 24 and 19th Congressional District races next Sunday.

As for tawdry Trump vs. crooked Clinton, or the alternatives, it would seem by now voters know which buttons they'll push in the voting booth. Will there be more straight-party Republican votes this time, a way to support the party and down-ballot candidates without actually pulling the trigger for Trump? That may well be the case.

Texas is one of 10 states with the straight-party option this election.

A woman who was displeased with the anti-Trump pieces that she has read on our pages ended her phone conversation by saying she still one more option: Praying about what will happen Nov. 8.

That's probably something those on either side of this election can agree on.
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Russia's announcement that it is suspending its participation in a Black Sea grain export deal requires a strong international response from the United Nations and the Group of 20 (G20) major economies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on October 29.

"This is a completely transparent attempt by Russia to return to the threat of large-scale famine for Africa, for Asia," Zelenskiy said in a video address, adding that Russia should be kicked out of the G20.



"Why can a handful of people somewhere in the Kremlin decide whether there will be food on the tables of people in Egypt or Bangladesh?" Zelenskiy asked. "Russian terror and blackmail must lose. Humanity must win."

Russia told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a letter that it was suspending the deal for an "indefinite term" because it could not "guarantee safety of civilian ships" traveling under the pact, Reuters reported.

U.S. President Joe Biden denounced the move as "purely outrageous" and said it would increase starvation.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

"There's no merit to what they're doing. The UN negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it," Biden told reporters.

The United Nations urged Russia not to withdraw from the deal, and deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said negotiations with Russia were ongoing.

"It is vitally important that all parties refrain from any actions that could jeopardize the Black Sea Grain Initiative," Haq said, using the formal name for the deal.

The European Union said it supported UN-led efforts to keep the Ukraine grain deal alive.

Nabila Massrali, spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy at the European Commission, said the EU stressed that "all parties must refrain from any unilateral action that would imperil the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is a critical humanitarian effort that is clearly having a positive impact on access to food for millions of people around the world."

Russia also asked the UN Security Council to meet on October 31 to discuss an alleged attack on its Black Sea Fleet, Russian Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said.

It said some of the ships attacked in Sevastopol in the early hours of October 29 were civilian vessels involved in ensuring the security of the grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that in light of the attack, which it said Ukraine carried out "with the participation of British experts," Russia "suspends participation in the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports."

The ministry said earlier that drones were used in the attack and that they were all destroyed. Only one Russian ship, a minesweeper, sustained minor damage, it said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said earlier on Twitter that Ukraine had previously warned that Russia planned to "ruin" the grain-export deal.

Kuleba called on "all states to demand Russia to stop its hunger games and recommit to its obligations."

The grain export deal between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations allowed a resumption of grain exports. Under the July 22 agreement, Ukraine was able to restart its Black Sea grain and fertilizer exports, and some Russian fertilizer exports also resumed.

The agreement was set to last 120 days with the option for renewal on November 19 "if no party objects," a UN spokesman said on October 28.

Russia had threatened to pull out of the agreement on grounds that the grain was not being sent to poorer countries, which at the time the deal was signed desperately needed the grain to ensure their populations did not starve.

Analysts have pointed out that Moscows withdrawal from the deal would deprive Ukraine of a major part of its hard-currency revenues and at the same time would drive up global food prices and inflation in Europe.

Photo Gallery: Ukrainian Farmers Risk Their Lives As Global Food Crisis Looms The inability of Ukraine to transport millions of tons of grain and other agricultural products amid Russia's invasion has aggravated a global food crisis. The country is a major exporter of seed oils, corn, and wheat, but the war and Russia's blockade of Ukraine's ports have effectively stopped a significant amount of that flow. While Ukraine's leaders seek ways to export the country's agricultural output, its farmers face perilous conditions as a result of the ongoing conflict. Share on Facebook

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The United Nations on October 28 had urged parties to the Black Sea Grain Initiative to renew it.

"We underline the urgency of doing so to contribute to food security across the world, and to cushion the suffering that this global cost-of-living crisis is inflicting on billions of people," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

The agreement freed up exports from three of Ukraine's ports -- Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne -- which had been blockaded since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February.

The deal set up a corridor that is exclusively humanitarian, the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure said.

The ministry says that since the first ship left the port in Odesa on August 1, Ukraine has exported more than 9 million tons of food, of which more than 5 million tons went to countries in Africa and Asia.

At the same time, 190,000 tons of wheat were sent to countries on the brink of famine within the framework of the UN World Food Program, the ministry said.

"Ukraine remains a reliable partner for the civilized world and is ready to continue promptly collecting and shipping agricultural products to ensure global food security," the ministry added.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
Mohammad Nayeb-Zehi was among the hundreds of worshippers who gathered on September 30 at the Great Mosalla, a religious site in Iran's southeastern city of Zahedan, for Friday Prayers.

Just hours later, the 16-year-old's family learned he was dead.

Nayeb-Zehi was among the scores of people gunned down by security forces in a brutal crackdown following anti-government protests in Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchistan Province, which is home to the country's Baluch minority.

"He was a simple laborer and not political," Nayeb-Zehi's brother, Ahmad, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda in a telephone interview from Zahedan, adding that his sibling had been shot in the heart. "We're in pain, and we cannot accept it."

The crackdown in Zahedan came amid weeks-long nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died on September 16, days after she was detained by Iran's morality police.

In Sistan-Baluchistan, public anger at the authorities escalated amid reports that a 15-year-old Baluch girl had been raped by a police official in the province's southern port city of Chabahar.

The violence erupted soon after protesters gathered outside a police station near the central mosque in Zahedan. Members of the crowd chanted anti-government slogans, and some threw rocks. Security forces responded with deadly force by firing on the crowd from the station, according to witnesses.

Security forces also raided the central mosque and the nearby Great Mosalla and opened fire on worshippers using live ammunition, rights groups said, adding that many were shot in the head, heart, neck, or torso, revealing a clear intent to kill or seriously wound.

At least 94 people were killed and 350 wounded on that day, referred to as "Bloody Friday," according to the U.S.-based Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. At least 13 minors were among those killed, including Nayeb-Zehi.

The victims were overwhelmingly Baluch -- a mostly Sunni ethnic group that has long faced disproportionate discrimination at the hands of the Iranian authorities.

"He was martyred inside the Mosalla while holding his prayer mat," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi.

Nayeb-Zehi's family first visited Zahedan's Khatam al-Anbia hospital, hoping he was among the wounded. They later found his body in a seminary at the Great Mosalla.

"We entered a room there and saw about 10 bodies," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi. "[Mohammad] was among them."

He said the authorities prevented the family from filming the scene. "I told them this has to be documented, it has to be published by international media," he said, adding that footage later emerged on social media showing the gruesome scene at the seminary.

The family refused to send Nayeb-Zehi's body to the morgue. Instead, his body lay in the living room for around 24 hours before he was buried.

"We said he was martyred and there was no need for an autopsy," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi.

The authorities accused Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group, of attacking the police station. The group is recognized as a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States and has previously claimed deadly attacks in Sistan-Baluchistan targeting Iranian security forces.

But local and independent sources have rejected the authorities' claims.

The authorities have also reported a much lower number of fatalities, announcing that only 19 people, including several members of the security forces, were killed.

Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi said the authorities were "rubbing salt into the wounds of the people" by claiming "terrorists" were involved.

He said he witnessed a military helicopter shooting at civilians near the Great Mosalla. "I haven't even seen such scenes in Hollywood movies," he said. "A helicopter was shooting at people. A lady was shot in front of my eyes."

RFE/RL could not verify his account. But activists have accused security forces of shooting at protestors from helicopters.

"I don't know what the intention of this crime was," he said. "Our only demand from the establishment is for the murderers of our [family members] to be punished."

The killings have led to widespread anger in Sistan-Baluchistan, one of Iran's poorest provinces.

Anti-establishment protests have been reported in Zahedan since the crackdown, including on October 14 and October 21, when protesters took to the streets after Friday Prayers and chanted "Death to the dictator."

During his Friday Prayers sermon on October 21, influential Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi said senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were "responsible" for the September 30 killings.

"We are surprised by the silence of the high-ranking officials," he said in his sermon, which was posted on his website.

"Scores were killed here without any reason. I don't have the exact number. Some have reported 90, some say less, some say more," Ismaeelzahi added.

He also said people will not be satisfied until "those who killed the people" are brought to justice.

The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center said the events of September 30 amounted to "a massacre of protesters by security forces."

"The government's total denial of responsibility for the massacring of citizens by its security apparatus is consistent with similar past denials and is evidence that internal calls for investigation of such crimes are insufficient," said the rights group, which documents human rights violations in Iran.
Voters in Podgorica headed to the polls on October 16 in a parliamentary election that is being billed as a choice between Russia and the West. The long-ruling Democratic Party of Socialists is facing pro-Russian and pro-Serbian opposition groups that strongly oppose the country's NATO bid and path toward joining the European Union. Amid rising tensions in the tiny Balkan nation, police say they have arrested 20 Serbian nationals suspected of planning armed attacks after voting closes. (RFE/RL's Balkan Service)
Montenegro's political opposition says it it will not recognize the results of parliamentary elections because of the influence of an alleged antiterrorist raid carried out by police.

The daily newspaper Vijesti reported online late on October 17 that the four opposition parties will not acknowledge the result because of what they called massive abuses -- including a police statement that 20 Serbian nationals were arrested for plotting terrorist attacks to destabilize the country during the October 16 vote.

National police director Slavko Stojanovic said on October 16 that the 20 Serbs were arrested late on October 15 after revelations that the group planned to "pick up automatic weapons" to attack state institutions, police, and possibly state officials.

He did not provide further details.

Montenegro's combined opposition is partly pro-Russian and has long opposed the countrys path toward NATO and EU membership set by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and his Democratic Party of Socialists.

Djukanovics party declared victory after preliminary results showed them winning 41 percent of the vote, enough for at least 35 of the 81 seats in parliament.

The four parties in opposition are thought to have won 39 or 40 seats.

Official results from the state election authority were expected within the coming days.

The preliminary results suggest Djukanovic, who has led Montenegro as president or prime minister for more than 25 years, must scramble to build a majority in a deeply divided parliament.

Djukanovic said early on October 17 that he would seek a coalition with parties of national minorities, Bosniaks, Croats, and Albanians and the Social Democracy party to secure enough seats to form a coalition.

"Immediately after the announcement of the official vote count, we will start negotiations ... we will form the government," Djukanovic told his supporters in the capital, Podgorica.

"Montenegro is continuing towards its European future. We will ratify NATO membership and complete EU accession talks by the end of the [fresh] mandate. We will bring new investments, improve living standards," Djukanovic said.

WATCH: Montenegrins Go To The Polls

Voters turned out in record numbers, driving turnout to 73 percent, according to the Center for Democratic Transitions.

Montenegro's 530,000 registered voters voted for 17 lists, including a total of 34 parties.

But the opposition accused Djukanovic of trying to scare voters by suggesting that chaos will prevail if his party loses the elections.

"The only chaos will be within Djukanovic's cabinet," said Andrija Mandic, leader of the pro-Russian Democratic Front, after he cast his ballot on October 16.

"I have no doubt that the opposition will show its strength and that the Democratic Front will become the future framework of the Montenegro government," Mandic added.

Montenegro is deeply divided between those who favor and oppose integration with the West. After seceding from Serbia in 2006, the country, which had been an ally of Russia, has taken a strong turn toward Euro-Atlantic integration.

The Democratic Front organized huge and at times violent anti-NATO protests late last year, calling for unrest if the government joins NATO without a referendum.

Strahinja Bulajic, a leading Democratic Front official, told AFP that if his party won the elections we will abolish sanctions against Russia and develop the closest economic and political ties [with Moscow].

Relations between Russia and Montenegro cooled in March 2014 when Montenegro joined the EU sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.

Its relationship with Moscow took another turn for the worse in May when Montenegro signed an accession agreement with NATO to become its 29th member in the coming months. The government and other member states have yet to ratify the agreement.

The opposition has demanded a referendum on the divisive issue. Opinion polls show that less than 40 percent of Montenegrins want to join the military alliance.

Analysts say the election campaign had focused less on the programs the parties had to offer and more on whether Djukanovic should stay or go.

The opposition accuses Djukanovic of corruption, nepotism, and economic mismanagement.

In 2003, Djukanovic was named a suspect in an Italian cigarette trafficking inquiry dating back to the 1990s. He denied the allegations and the Italian court dropped the case in 2009 because of his diplomatic immunity.

Djukanovics political ideology has undergone several transformations over the last two and a half decades in power. He first shed his communist, then nationalist, past to become a leading voice for EU and NATO integration.

Djukanovic had also accused the Kremlin of meddling in the election campaign by secretly financing the opposition parties in order to keep Montenegro from joining NATO.

With reporting by dpa, AP, AFP, Vijesti, Deutsche Welle, Balkan Insight, and Reuters
Montenegrin police say they have arrested 20 people suspected of planning armed attacks after voting closes in parliamentary elections.



National police director Slavko Stojanovic said on October 16 that those arrested late on October 15 came from neighboring Serbia.



Stojanovic said the group planned to "pick up automatic weapons" to attack state institutions, police, and possibly state officials.



He did not provide further details.



Voters in the tiny Balkan nation are voting on October 16 in parliamentary elections that are being billed as a choice between Russia and the West.



The long-ruling Democratic Party of Socialists is facing pro-Russian and pro-Serbian opposition groups that strongly oppose the country's NATO bid and path toward joining the European Union.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa
MOSCOW -- As ties between Moscow and Washington plunge to new lows over the conflict in Syria, official rhetoric and Russian media reports suggest the Kremlin is busily working behind the scenes to ramp up its global reach with military bases from the Caribbean to Southeast Asia.



On October 7, Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov told parliament that Moscow is calmly taking a new look at its decision to close Soviet-era bases in Vietnam and Cuba in 2002.

As far as our presence in distant areas is concerned, we are dealing with this, he said.



On October 10, citing unnamed Russian sources, the pro-Kremlin daily Izvestia reported that Moscow and Cairo are in secret talks for Russia to reclaim a Soviet-era air base at Sidi-Barrani by 2019 -- a move that would give the Russian military a permanent presence in North Africa.



The statements and reports came as parliament was ratifying legislation supporting an open-ended military deployment in Syria, where Russia has established an air base to aid its role backing President Bashar al-Assad in a brutal civil war and is planning to bolster its existing naval facility at Tartus.



Moves to expand Russias global military footprint would be in keeping with President Vladimir Putins efforts to portray the country as a resurgent power. Putin restarted long-distance voyages by Russian warships several years ago, and opening bases in Cuba, Vietnam, and Egypt would be a giant step to reverse the post-Soviet retreat of its military.



It would also be a big challenge to the United States, whose military has been dominant since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It was Putin who decided to shut the bases in 2002 -- pragmatic moves that he is widely believed to have made in part to please Washington during his first term, at a time when relations were much warmer than they are now.



But analysts doubt that the expansive talk presages the actual establishment of major bases, particularly in Vietnam and Cuba, seeing the rhetoric instead as a salvo in mutual recriminations and warning signals between Washington and Moscow.



I think its all talk, says Fyodor Lukyanov, a Moscow-based foreign policy expert and editor in chief of the journal Russia In Global Affairs. "We are back to confrontation mode. Both sides. And now everyone will say a lot of interesting things just to, so to say, impress the other side."



Harmless Exotica



He and others said that in regions that are not crucial to current Kremlin foreign policy, ambitions for foreign bases will be restrained by the recession that has gripped Russia for nearly two years, prompting the Finance Ministry to aim to cut military spending by 6 percent over the next three years.



Syria is outside this calculus, analysts said, because Russia is using bases there rent-free -- and because the Middle Eastern nation is a key component of the Kremlins foreign policy agenda and a central battleground in its confrontation with the West.

But in a column published by the news site slon.ru, Russian foreign policy analyst Vladimir Frolov described plans to reestablish bases in Cuba and Vietnam -- thousands of kilometers from foreign policy focuses Syria and Ukraine -- as harmless exotica.



The Soviet Union established a major listening post around 250 kilometers from the U.S. coast at Lourdes in Cuba in 1962 -- the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis -- and the base remained there until Putin shut it in 2002.



There have been numerous rumors of Russian plans to return to the Caribbean as relations with the United States have worsened. In February 2014, as ties frayed badly amid Ukraines Euromaidan protests against a Moscow-backed president, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia was actively seeking to expand its military presence and named Cuba, among others, as a possible venue.



In Havana a few months later, however, Putin seemed to dismiss the plans by saying that Russia is capable of resolving tasks in the area of defense without this component."



Later that year, Washington and Havana embarked on a major thaw that has seen Washington ease trade restrictions on Cuba and open an embassy in the communist country after decades of distrust. Analysts doubt that Cuba would risk forsaking this normalization of relations -- and huge potential trade revenue -- by offering the Kremlin a major base on its territory.



I am skeptical about Cuba, Frolov tells RFE/RL. There has been talk about this intelligence base, relaunching the base. Perhaps there might be some modest installations and some resupply point for the Russian Navy and Russian Air Force. But not anything on the scale that the Soviets had in Cuba.



Despite the rising strategic importance of the Indian and Pacific oceans, analysts express doubt that Russia would try to stage a return to its naval base in Vietnam -- in part because such a move would be opposed by China.



The Soviet Union obtained its naval base at Cam Ranh Bay in 1979, after the brief Sino-Vietnamese War, when it was seen in Vietnam as helping to contain China. The base was downsized after the Soviet collapse, and Moscow withdrew entirely in 2002. Since late 2013, Russia has signed several agreements with Vietnam allowing Russian ships and submarines to refuel, resupply, and carry out maintenance at the site.
Russia has criticized the United States for what it has described as "unprecedented" threats over alleged cyberattacks.

Moscow's objections came after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on October 14 that a "message" would be sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged Russian cyberattacks on American political institutions.

"The threats directed against Moscow and our state's leadership are unprecedented because they are voiced at the level of the U.S. vice president," RIA Novosti quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on October 15.

"To the backdrop of this aggressive, unpredictable line, we must take measures to protect [our] interests, to hedge risks," Peskov also said.

In an interview with NBC News released on October 14, Biden was asked why the United States has not retaliated against Russia for meddling in the U.S. election by leaking the e-mails of top Democratic party officials and through other breaches.

"We're sending a message" and Putin will get it, Biden said. "We have the capacity to do it and the message will be sent. He'll know it, and it will be at the time of our choosing and under the circumstances that have the greatest impact."

NBC reported that the U.S. government was preparing a possible cyberattack against Moscow in response to Russias alleged attempts to interfere in the U.S. election.

The American broadcaster, citing unnamed U.S. intelligence officials, reported on October 14 that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was preparing options for President Barack Obama for a "clandestine" operation to "embarrass" Moscow.

The sources did not provide details about the measures the CIA was considering but said the agency had selected targets and was making other preparations for an operation.

NBC News reported that the agency had gathered documents "that could expose unsavory tactics by Putin.

Biden said that in retaliating, U.S. actions will be "proportional" to the impact from leaks of documents hacked by Russia in recent months.

At the same time, he questioned whether the Russian hacks have had "the capacity to fundamentally alter the election" on November 8.

Biden indicated that the U.S. response to Russia will be clandestine, saying he "hopes" the public will not know about it.

With reporting by NBC News, AFP, and dpa
Members of an initiative called Free Women Of Aleppo took to the streets in the besieged eastern part of the Syrian city of Aleppo to protest against ongoing Russian air strikes. Participants in the rally held on October 15 also carried banners thanking those who had joined a human chain held the day before in the German city of Munich outside the general consulates of Russia and the United States to highlight the plight of Syrian civilians. (RFE/RL's Radio Farda)
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All the candidates for mayor in Richmond have pledged to make fixing the citys troubled school system a priority, but so far, theyve laid out very different approaches to the most contentious aspect of such a turnaround: paying for it.

Former Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, who has led recent polls, proposes dedicating 40 to 44 cents of the citys $1.20 real estate tax rate to schools. He said the money would go into a lock box, and only the school system would be able to touch it.

Former Venture Richmond director Jack Berry, who has placed second behind Morrissey in polling, said he supports dedicated funding for schools, but said its irresponsible to commit to a number until hes elected and can meet with the superintendent to create a five-year plan.

Former Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney, who recently pulled into third in the seven-way race, said he, too, would begin by working with schools to develop a five- to 10-year plan, but emphasized seeking increased state and federal funding as critical to moving the district forward.

The two council members running  Council President Michelle Mosby and Councilman Jonathan T. Baliles  are split over a proposal to put a dedicated funding plan in place before the end of the election. Baliles, who has spearheaded the proposal, calls it critical. Mosby, meanwhile, said shes open to the idea but doesnt believe it needs to be rushed.

Trailing the field with less than 1 percent of the vote each, architect Lawrence Williams and retired real estate consultant Bobby Junes have floated their own proposals.

None of the candidates interviewed cited tax increases as an avenue they would pursue.

What follows are excerpts from interviews on the issue with the leading candidates.

Baliles

As a councilman, Baliles has led the push to come up with a formula that would lock the school systems annual budget to a set percentage of local tax revenues.

The idea has alternately earned him kudos from some of his opponents, namely Berry and Morrissey, who have adopted their own version of the idea, and criticism from others  namely Stoney  who call it an election-year ploy. You cant have a fourth-year religious conversion when it comes to public education, Stoney said, questioning why it took Baliles four years of being on council to suggest the idea.

Baliles responded that he proposed the idea at the request of school officials, who, indeed, have said they support the idea.

I put this paper forward because school administration came to me and said, after the disastrous budget public hearing, this cant continue, Baliles said. And I said, I agree. And they said, well here are some suggestions from around the state. You know, we continued it through the summer not for political reasons but because its hard to get people to focus on education and parents to attend these meetings. And not to mention, we did discover in looking at this stuff and talking to people ... and that led to more research which led to discovering the Roanoke model.

As a starting point, Baliles said hed like to automatically dedicate 40 percent of local tax revenues to schools  like the city of Roanoke has done. But he said hes open to discussions to fine tune the number.

Its worked in other cities and we need to finally make funding our schools a priority because we cant afford to keep having these budget squabbles every year, he said. Lets commit to an amount that everybody can agree on and move the focus to accountability and achievement instead of money.

Baliles said hes hoping for action by the city council on his proposals before he leaves office, and whether that happens or not, credits his legislation with starting the conversation in earnest.

The whole point was, lets get people to the table to talk about it, he said.

Berry

Like Baliles, Berry favors adopting a funding formula, but rather than propose a specific number now, he said he wants to work it out upon taking office as part of a five-year plan hes pledged to develop in cooperation with the superintendent.

Dr. (Dana) Bedden and I will sit down and hammer out a five-year plan that works for both the city and school sides of the budget, Berry, who before working at Venture Richmond served as the Hanover County Administrator, said. There will be no public budget battle because Dr. Bedden and I will operate as a team. If we dont agree, well keep working until we do agree. Thats what I did in Hanover.

It would be irresponsible for an incoming mayor to commit to a dollar amount before his team has analyzed the situation. But Im going to assemble the best municipal finance experts in the region, and Im certain were going to come up with a plan that works.

How does Berry hope to overcome current city administrators concerns that school funding cant be increased without harming the citys ability to fulfill other core services, such as leaf collection and snow removal?

Berry said hes asking voters to look at his municipal experience and trust he can make it work.

Past performance is a pretty good indicator of abilities to succeed in the future, he said.

Ive been really successful at balancing general government and school needs in the past and I dont see any reason why that cant be done in Richmond. Why are we so different? Im not saying Im going to give Bedden everything he wants. But were going to operate as a team. Thats whats missing now. Hes going to understand my constraints and Im going to understand his needs, and reasonable people are going to figure out a solution.

Junes

Junes said he would emphasize a change to state funding formulas, which he says disadvantage school districts with high poverty rates such as in Richmond.

He said he would harness the energy of this years Save our Schools movement in pushing for such a change.

I would take any rally or protest from City Hall and take it directly across the street to the state Capitol, he said.

And if such an effort should fail?

I would really look at what other cities have done and, many of them have either consolidated the schools and renovated what theyve got, he said. Ive got to look at A and Ive got to look at B to tell you which of those two roads  if I would choose A over B.

But my premise is to go to the state for funding, though that doesnt mean its going to happen.

Morrissey

Morrissey offered two approaches to funding school operations: dedicating 44 cents of the citys residential real estate tax rate to schools and instituting a tax on tobacco products, the proceeds of which he would give to the school system.

On dedicating real estate tax funding, Morrissey said he chose the figure because it equates to about 40 percent of the citys real estate tax revenue, which he had heard others suggest as a reasonable start. Just talking to people, they felt that 40 to 44 cents would be sufficient, he said.

On the tobacco tax, he did not cite a per-pack tax rate, but said school districts in other localities have raised as much as $40 million annually for their school districts by taxing tobacco products. Richmond is one of the only cities in the state that does not currently assess such a tax. (During the last budget season, City Council staffers estimated that a 60-cent-per-pack cigarette tax would generate about $6 million in revenue annually.)

Morrissey said he would also pursue a change to laws governing federal historic tax credits so they could be applied to school buildings.

Were going to use historic tax credits, federal and state, to renovate these schools, just like they renovated downtown, Manchester and Scotts Addition, he said. If you can sell those historic tax credits on the open market, then the developers come in. They then have to worry about leasing the building. Here, its even more attractive to them, because they already have a built-in tenant, RPS. That could be $300 million not coming out of the city coffers, but investors.

Asked how likely he thinks it is that the city would win a victory like that at the federal level, Morrissey said hes optimistic.

I met with a gentleman yesterday for lunch who characterized it as a no-brainer, he said. Paul Goldman, who has done a lot of the heavy lifting on this, described it as absolutely doable. In his meetings with both U.S. senators, they said Yes, we want to do this. Now one of those U.S. senators may be a vice president. He lives in Richmond. He knows how important that is. So I dont think it would be a difficult task.

Mosby

Mosby has promised to replicate an approach to school funding pursued in Baltimore, which, like Richmond, was grappling with decrepit schools and limited funding.

Officials there worked with community groups to press for additional funding at the state and local level: passing a local 5 cent tax on bottled beverages and eventually winning millions in state funding.

Mosby said that, as City Council president, shes already begun working with officials in Baltimore and people in the local business and nonprofit community to see how such an approach might be replicated here.

I think this is where the uniqueness of being on council and being president separates me, she said. Ive already begun to lobby for dollars  Ive talked about a five- to 10-year plan thats sort of a replica of what was done in Baltimore. And with that, Ive had real conversations with public-private partnerships, introduced those partnerships to the schools.

Her emphasis on Baltimore has been questioned by some of her opponents, who say its far from likely that Richmond would convince the state to help pay to rehab its school buildings.

Mosby responds that even if state funding doesnt come through, other elements of the plan could work. She specifically emphasizes partnerships with the business community.

While Mosby has emphasized potential solutions to the schools capital needs, she said she has questions about her opponents emphasis on funding formulas to address operating shortfalls  particularly the model implemented by Roanoke.

I think when we look at different plans, we have to make sure its a plan that works for our city, Mosby said. Were looking at a plan in Roanoke, which is a rural place, versus a plan that meets the needs of an inner-city place, which is Richmond.

I just want to make sure were not doing things in haste. I want to make sure were doing things that make sense.

Stoney

Like Berry, Stoney says he will begin his term by working with the School Board, superintendent and City Council to establish a long-term plan, which he calls his education compact.

And like many of the other candidates, he said that will likely include a funding formula. But unlike his opponents, Stoney said he favors dedicating funding on a per-pupil basis rather than as a percentage of the entire budget.

While his promise to come up with a plan upon taking office leaves many of the specifics of his approach up in the air, Stoney has pledged to make replacing Armstrong High School a priority of his first term. He said hes targeting the project because hes heard from voters that its an urgent need for students living in the citys East End.

He estimated the project would cost at least $50 million and acknowledged the citys limited debt capacity. I know this isnt something we can do when we first walk in the door, but we can begin planning for it, Stoney said.

Stoney said he would stress pursuing an increase in state funding for the district through a change in Virginias local composite index.

We all know that this formula disadvantages Richmond over localities like Henrico and Chesterfield, he said. The fact that Loudoun County, one of the richest counties in all of America, receives more dollars for all their schools than Richmond citys children do is shameful.

Stoneys opponents have criticized him for putting too much emphasis on change at the state level, something they have said isnt immediately realistic. But Stoney said he believes he has the skill set to succeed in an area others have been unsuccessful.

I believe the Richmond Education Association has endorsed my candidacy because my ability to navigate the halls of the General Assembly, whether that means Republicans in the House of Delegates or in the state Senate, or friends in the executive branch  I know how to walk across the street and knock on the doors necessary to find the additional funding, he said.

Williams

Williams is the only candidate who pledged to dramatically increase the schools budget, proposing an increase from $280 million this year to $400 million after he takes office.

Its unlikely his proposal could realistically be implemented: This year city officials struggled to find an additional $5 million for schools and all parties agree that even minor changes at the state level would be hard fought.

Williams, however, said he believes he has the right skill set and personality to win over state lawmakers. On the local side, he said he would simply make cuts to other city departments. He said the remainder would come from federal grants, businesses and nonprofits.
Two juveniles were shot Saturday night while standing outside in Richmonds Mosby Court, caught in a crossfire but not the intended targets of the gunfire, according to police.

Police were called to Coalter and Redd streets for a shooting shortly after 8 p.m. and found the two juveniles with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Richmond police Capt. Gary Ladin. Both victims were hospitalized.

Police found a white car believed to be involved in the incident but were still searching for two suspects, both black males, as of press time.

The shootings come about a week after a 57-year-old woman was killed by random gunfire while visiting friends during the day at nearby Gilpin Court.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
A two-alarm fire damaged a number of apartments Sunday in the Cabin Creek complex in western Henrico County.

Fire was coming from the roof of one of the complexs buildings when crews arrived around 3:45 p.m., said Capt. Taylor Goodman of the Henrico Division of Fire. The apartments are in the 12000 block of Gaskins Road.

No one was injured, but more than 25 people were displaced and being assisted by the American Red Cross, Goodman said.

More than 15 trucks and 40 firefighters fought the blaze, which took more than two hours to bring under control, he said.

Determining the cause of the fire will take some time because of the extensive damage to the building, Goodman said.

Victoria Tucker, a resident of the affected building, said the fire appeared to be coming from above the kitchen of one of the third-story apartments.

When we came out, the roof was on fire, she said.

Tucker moved to the Cabin Creek Apartments about three months ago, she said.

Her previous apartment, in the Cardinal Forest complex off Broad Street, also caught fire.

The people below me had an electrical fire, and my apartment exploded, she said of her previous residence

In addition to the Cabin Creek Apartments blaze, Henrico firefighters also responded to two more fires Sunday.

 Crews were called about 3 p.m. to the 3700 block of Whitlock Avenue, where a caller said there was fire in the walls of a house under renovation. The fire was brought under control in about 30 minutes and was contained to the walls of the home, Goodman said.
Jeff Gregson, a Republican operative-turned-lobbyist, remembers heading to the coalfields of Southwest Virginia with the regions longtime GOP congressman, Bill Wampler, during the 1977 campaign for governor to mine votes for the partys nominee, John Dalton.

Southwest Virginia was a hotbed of two-party competition, not reflexively Republican as it is now. Democrats and Republicans battled for every vote, sometimes employing questionable, if not illegal, practices. During that journey to the Fightin 9th District, someone asked Wampler how to end the mountainous regions seamy tradition.

His response was, Pave over the cemeteries, Gregson said.

Thirty-nine years later, even as Democrats appear poised to carry Virginia for the presidency for the third consecutive time, Republicans control the General Assembly, relying in part on hyperpartisan gerrymandering to create legislative districts that would vote for a Republican if you dug one up and stuffed him.

And Republicans have an insurance policy. New laws  they recall the race-based restrictions enacted by segregationist Democrats  that could keep hostile voters from the polls. This includes a photo-ID requirement that, Democrats say, disproportionately affects their voters: minorities, the poor, seniors and students. Republicans say their interest isnt suppressing votes; its preserving the integrity of the election.

That was the purported reason for a joint meeting this past Thursday of the House of Delegates and Virginia Senate Privileges and Elections committees.

Called less than a month before an election that could prove embarrassing for Republicans  their likely presidential defeat in Virginia could be compounded by greater-than-anticipated congressional losses  the session seemed more a partisan show trial than a precis of election safeguards.

Democrats, notably Sen. Donald McEachin of Henrico, the heavy favorite for a freshly redrawn, Richmond-anchored congressional seat, accused Republicans of advancing a Trump-like theme: Claiming deliberate porousness in Virginias electoral process to instill doubts about the legitimacy of the Nov. 8 outcome.

Republicans didnt help themselves when the leader of the House GOP caucus, Del. Tim Hugo, of Fairfax, demanded the firing of the Democrat who runs the state election agency, Edgardo Cortes. Citing concerns of local registrars, Hugo blamed Cortes for diminished confidence in the voting system.

Democrats and Republicans have been trading potshots over matters electoral since April, when Gov. Terry McAuliffe attempted to restore en masse the voting rights of 206,000 felons. He was blocked in July by the Republican-controlled Virginia Supreme Court, ruling in a lawsuit by Speaker Bill Howell, of Stafford, and Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment, of James City.

In September, Republicans welcomed a police and FBI investigation into allegations that 19 voter applications in Harrisonburg were turned in under the names of dead people, including the father of a retired circuit judge, Richard Claybrook. In an earlier incarnation, the younger Claybrook worked with Gregson on the Dalton campaign.

Feeding red meat to both parties tried and true is standard operating procedure in the run-up to an election. But this year in this state, both parties are to blame for gaps in the electoral process. Thats because both parties have failed to properly finance the Virginia Department of Elections.

The agency, which annually spends $16 million, has been shorted $7.1 million in the second half of the current two-year spending cycle, one beset by a downturn in tax revenues thats blown a $1.4 billion hole in the state budget. Cortes asked for the money  it would make up for federal funds that run out next year  but, from all indications, was turned down by the McAuliffe administration.

Two Republican legislators  Sen. Jill Vogel, of Fauquier, chairwoman of the Senate elections committee and a candidate for the 2017 nomination for lieutenant governor, and Del. Peter Farrell, of Henrico  introduced budget amendments to close the gap in the department budget. They got nowhere with the GOP-run Senate Finance and House Appropriations committees.

The issue recalls a pricier one: McAuliffes proposed Medicaid-financed expansion of Obamacare. Republicans have said no three times  and are likely to do so again next year  because they say Virginia will get stuck with the bill if federal funds disappear. Thats exactly whats happening with the elections department.

There are individuals in there who pay attention to us, Chesterfield County registrar Larry Haake said of the legislature. But by in large, the General Assembly doesnt listen to us.

As for the hearing the other day, Haake, a former president of the Voter Registrars Association of Virginia, said, This was an opportunity to tell them some of the things weve tried to bring to their attention.

Money, or lack thereof, complicates problems for Cortes agency.

For example, the computer system that supports the courthouse-to-statehouse electoral network does not properly mesh with the larger state government info-tech maze managed by two entities that famously dont get along, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency and Northrop Grumman.

This means registrars cant speedily turn around queries on a voters status. Another headache: voter access to such online features as change of address forms bogs down an already-balky system.

Like many state agencies, the elections department must make do with less. But it generates more attention, particularly from politicians at all levels in Virginia, because it is the administrator and arbiter of the process by which they achieve and maintain power. Difficulty is  and the hearing demonstrated  the pols may know how to run campaigns but dont know how to run elections.

Elevating the sensitivities of members of the elective class: The departments chief is appointed by the governor. And because he or she is of the governors party, he or she is automatically suspect among members of the other party.

In the free-fire zone that is Richmond these days, that suspicion can feed political psychopathy. That McAuliffe cant stand the General Assemblys Republican leaders and they happily return the compliment is proof  with apologies to Henry Kissinger  even paranoids can have enemies.

Next year, Virginians choose their governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and delegates, guaranteeing that candidates for all of those offices will be extra-mindful of the elections agency. Putting money where their mouths are could be daunting, given that budget-cutting will be the first order of business when the General Assembly convenes in January.

Conspicuous by his absence from that joint meeting was one of the few legislators who might steer, a bit, the contentious conversation about the electoral bureaucracy away from politics and toward policy: Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk.

Jones is a member of the House elections committee. He also drew the redistricting plan that locked in the House Republican majority in 2011 but could be reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a comparative centrist in a caucus that is lopsidedly conservative. And hes chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Jones acknowledged that the elections department got the short shrift. Despite the bleak fiscal picture, hes prepared to fix the agencys budget.

My focus is going to be on the process and do we have in place the systems that are necessary and the people who are needed ... for the Department of Elections to function efficiently, Jones said.

Perhaps its a promise Jones will run on.
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Democrat Hillary Clinton has opened a 15-point lead over Republican Donald Trump in Virginia among likely voters following release of the 2005 tape in which Trump bragged about groping women, according to a new tracking survey by Christopher Newport University.

In a CNU survey out Sunday, Clinton leads statewide among likely voters with 44 percent to 29 percent for Trump, 11 percent for Libertarian Gary Johnson, 3 percent for independent Evan McMullin and 2 percent for Green Party nominee Jill Stein.

Clinton has more than doubled her advantage in Virginia since CNU released its first tracking poll on Sept. 26.

Its crystal clear why the Trump campaign pulled staff out of Virginia this week, said Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center for Public Policy at CNU.

The Access Hollywood tape, along with Trumps second debate performance and the turmoil that followed, has fundamentally made Virginia impossible for him to win.

Clinton leads among women by 50 percent to 26 percent. For the first time, she also leads among men, by 37 percent to 32 percent.

Clinton has built huge leads in the states population centers. She leads Trump in Northern Virginia by 55 percent to 21 percent. Her support in Northern Virginia has jumped from 45 percent on Sept. 26 to 55 percent in the survey out Sunday.

In the Richmond area, Clinton now leads Trump by 20 percentage points  47 percent to 27 percent. In CNUs Oct. 3 poll, Clinton had a six-point edge in the Richmond area.

In Hampton Roads, Clinton is up by 17 percentage points  42 percent to 25 percent. Clinton also had led in Hampton Roads by six points in CNUs Oct 3 survey.

Trump continues to hold a big lead in Southwest Virginia, with 48 percent to Clintons 27 percent.

Clintons strong showing in Northern Virginia and her 24-point lead statewide among women block any path Trump might have to win in Virginia, said Rachel Bitecofer, assistant director of the Wason Center.

Of particular concern for Trump is that his support among Republicans is ebbing in the state  from 78 percent in CNUs Sept. 26 tracking poll, to 73 percent on Oct. 3, to 68 percent in the poll out today. Trumps support among men in Virginia dropped 10 percentage points in two weeks  from 42 percent in CNUs Oct. 3 poll to 32 percent in the survey out today.

Clinton also is benefiting from a drop in support for Libertarian Johnson, whose backing has fallen from 15 percent on Sept. 26 to 11 percent on Oct. 16. His support among independents in CNU surveys dropped from 31 percent on Sept. 26 to 18 percent in the poll released Sunday.

A key question is whether a surge in voting for Clinton  or against Trump  will affect Virginias congressional races. An anti-Trump tsunami in Northern Virginia is a concern for Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-10th, who is trying to hold off Democrat LuAnn Bennett.

Comstock has sought for months to distance herself from Trump. Following release of the tape, Comstock called for Trump to drop out of the race and let Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Trumps running mate, serve as the partys standard bearer.

The CNU survey was conducted Oct. 11-14 among 809 likely voters in Virginia. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

The poll was in the field after both the release of the Trump tape on Oct. 7 and the second presidential debate, on Oct. 9. The third and final presidential debate is this Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

By way of comparison, a Roanoke College Poll, released Tuesday, was completed after the first debate but just before the Access Hollywood tape and found Clinton with a 9-point lead in Virginia.

Days after the national Trump campaign fired his Virginia chairman, Corey Stewart, for holding an unauthorized rally at the Republican National Committee, the campaign is trying to knock down reports that Trump is abandoning efforts to carry Virginias 13 electoral votes.

John Fredericks, acting chairman of Trumps Virginia campaign, said Friday that the campaign staff had dropped from 40 to 25, but resources will be in place to replenish the 15 positions by Monday.

Trump has made it clear to his campaign hes not done in Virginia, Fredericks said, and the campaign believes it has an outside shot at winning.

Mr. Trump said that he wanted them to schedule him three times in Virginia between now and Nov. 8, Fredericks said.
Lloyd Russell Cannaday, 65, passed away on Thursday, October 6, 2016 at Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C. after a five-year battle with cancer. Lloyd was raised on a farm in Floyd County. He had a wonderful sense of humor and would often introduce himself to new acquaintances including when he first met his wife as "Lloyd from Floyd". Lloyd earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He retired from Patrick Henry Community College in 2014 after a stellar career doing what he loved which was teaching. He was especially proud of the accomplishments of his students, and their success was his utmost priority and joy. In 2005, Lloyd was presented a national teaching award, the David R. Pierce Faculty Technology Award, at a ceremony in Boston, Mass. The award is given for outstanding leadership and student inspiration leveraging the innovative use of information technology. Lloyd was an expert woodworker, avid reader, astronomer, photographer, lifelong learner, and extraordinary friend. Lloyd was the oldest of three sons born to Treva H. Cannaday and the late Warren G. Cannaday and the beloved husband of Cindy Cannaday. In addition to his wife and mother, Lloyd is survived by his two brothers and sisters-in-law, Calvin and Diane Cannaday of Pilot, and David and Carol Cannaday of Clemmons, N.C.; four nephews and their families; two stepsons, their wives, and children which he considered his own; and other countless friends and family who he cherished. Lloyd always made time to help out family and friends. His kindness and generosity also extended to animals. He rescued many stray dogs and either kept them or found good homes for them; he stopped his car numerous times to save turtles sitting in the road, and once he spent the entire night caring for an injured bird until he could seek medical attention for it the following morning. Lloyd's dogs Nippy, Lady, and Penny will especially miss him.A celebration of life service is being held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 23, 2016 at Norris Funeral Services, Martinsville Chapel.The family asks that in lieu of flowers or other gifts, donations be made to the Martinsville Henry County SPCA. Donations may be mailed to 132 Joseph Martin Hwy., Martinsville, VA. 24112 or made online at www.spcamhc.org.Norris Funeral Services Inc. and Crematory Martinsville, Va. is serving the Cannaday family.Online condolences may be made at www.norrisfuneral.com.
The Moscow Kremlin Museums hosted an exhibition displaying a unique collection of the Art Deco era - women's clothing from the Kyoto Costume Institute, adornments dating back to 1910-1930 produced by famous jewelry houses Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, as well as original sketches and photographs from the archives.

The era of Art Deco is a bright cultural phenomenon of the 20th century combining the features of the European classic design and modernism, Asian cultures and ancient civilizations, folk traditions and technical progress, which has kept its uniqueness and relevance of being a truly golden age in the history of fashion, the last great European style.

The exhibition named Elegance and Splendour of Art Deco. The Kyoto Costume Institute, Jewelry Houses Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels includes 119 items of clothing, 60 jewelry pieces and 20 original sketches and photographs. The Kyoto Costume Institute, which granted a collection of clothes, is one of the four best fashion museums in the world. These exhibits have never left Japan and have been specially restored for this project featuring evening, cocktail and dance dresses and coats, as well as accessories related to the era familiar to a wide audience from such film adaptations as "The Great Gatsby" and TV series "Downton Abbey."

The Japanese are well-known aesthetes, and in their Kyoto they gathered a rare collection of feminine dresses and accessories from European houses of haute couture and famous designers, such as Chanel, Poiret, Lanven, Fortuny and others.

Elegant ladies' dresses are presented in a single ensemble with luxurious jewelry from the jewelry houses of Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels  many samples made in the early Art Deco style, as well as extravagant adornments of a later period.

Jewelry exhibitions in the Moscow Kremlin Museums are rare, but always to the point, and as usual, not just demonstrating status and prestige, but also presenting a high aesthetic value.

One can see there a vivid image of the Art Deco era, which is the diadem-bandeau (a jeweled hair bandage) by Cartier graced with pearls and diamonds of the old cut, harmoniously complementing the black dress of valuable charmeuse introduced by Coco Chanel into fashion.

"Now it seems that there is nothing more natural than to exhibit dresses and jewelry together. Meanwhile, a hundred years ago, such an approach could be viewed as almost revolutionary by organizers," Elena Gagarina, Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums said.

"Art Deco became a revolution. It was freedom itself, a flight of fancy, but at the same time this style was the evidence of emerging interest towards folk costumes and ancient traditions, Naoko Tsutsui, Associate Curator of the Kyoto Costume Institute said.

"The finest dresses are only seemingly so vulnerable, Larisa Peshekhonova, the curator of the exhibition said. These weightless fabrics would not crinkle under the weight of huge, like the shield of Achilles, 40-centimeter wide brooches set with diamonds and emeralds."

Larisa Peshekhonova, a renowned art historian and keeper of the jewelry art collection of the 20th-21st centuries at the Moscow Kremlin Museums, looks enthusiastic as she tells about the era of Art Deco and the exhibition featuring this period:

"Art Deco is closely related to our time. This is an extremely modern style, which has not lost its relevance and charm. Its influence can be seen in many contemporary design works. New technologies and the invention of new forms played a huge role in the development of this style. It was then that cooperation of artists from different fields of decorative art began to take its shape. Louis Cartier was the first jeweler to show jewelry pieces produced by his house along with clothes made by famous fashion designers in the Elegance Pavilion with the support of Jeanne Lanvin. Before that, the world of fine jewelry was closed and followed its own narrow, respectable and rather conservative path, and only in the era of Art Deco jewelers began to "keep up with the times." That period gave birth to common stylistic devices and decorative motifs inspired by the famous Russian Seasons in clothing and jewelry. Many of the ideas set forth by Louis Cartier came out from Diaghilevs Russian Ballets and costumes by Leon Bakst. In the early twentieth century the Jewelry House of Cartier started to use unusual combinations of contrasting stones - green and blue, purple and bright green - and put together gems and non-precious stones, such as ruby and onyx or diamond and coral. Later, in the 1920s, Cartiers innovations turned to be extremely popular. At that time, Cartier created a clip, which could be functionally and smartly used with any elements of the garment, fixing underwear under an evening dress, decorating a hat or using it as a clasp for bags. Popularity was won by clips shaped as a diamond jewelry piece - they were used to decorate ones face and hair, and sometimes several of such clips were attached at the edge of the hair on ones forehead or temple or even eyebrows. Many jewelry companies - including Van Cleef & Arpels - began to use this new kind of adornment."

The sphere of fine jewelry has always been conservative and experiments were risky - but the famous Louis Cartier allowed himself many things in jewelry and did a lot for its subsequent development.

Whereas the Cartier Company was founded in 1847, Van Cleef & Arpels is much younger: they opened their boutique on the Place Vendome only in 1906. Van Cleef & Arpels had a large number of celebrities among their regular customers, including Florence Jay Gould, the daughter-in-law of a railroad magnate and socialite, whose literary salon was frequented by Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Cocteau and Dali. In 1920-1930, Van Cleef & Arpels produced many jewelry pieces in the modernist style.

Visitors to Elegance and Splendour of Art Deco are greatly attracted by the items that belonged to celebrities. Thus, one of the exhibits displays a handbag of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis graced with a fastener in the form of a coral cylinder and diamond "roses" and emeralds made by Cartier in 1930.

The magnificent collaret belonging to Egyptian princess Faiz looks typical of Art Deco  it is decorated with ten Colombian pear-shaped emeralds in suspensions weighing 165 carats and diamonds of the most unusual shapes.

One of Cartiers cigarette cases dating back to 1924 was bought by Hugh Grosvenor, the second Duke of Westminster, who gave it Coco Chanel as a gift.

The "Blue Train" powder case with emeralds, sapphires and diamonds ordered from Van Cleef & Arpels for the wife of famous car racer Woolf Barnato is a reminder of one wager, which he won. The multimillionaire and heir to the gold and diamond mines in Africa, who became the head of the Bentley Group in 1931, Barnato, driving his green Bentley, was four minutes ahead of the Blue Train, which ferried between Cannes and Paris. A blue sapphire train and a green emerald car on the platinum powder case are rushing in the same direction. This charming story is typical of the Art Deco era, which saw the rise of cars and cinema, airplane flights, the age of jazz and Charleston, free cut, short hair, bright make-up and thin cigarettes held in luxurious long mouthpieces.

There is an item in this exposition belonging to the Moscow Kremlin Museums. It is small, but unique - a brooch called "Double Curl" dating back to 1930 and donated by Cartier after the Kremlin Exhibition in 2007.

Galina Semyonova for Rough&Polished




A new Namibian state-owned diamond company, Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia), which is set to sell rough stones worth more than $150 million per annum, quietly commenced operations last April, according to local media reports.

Mines minister Obeth Kandjoze was quoted by the Namibian newspaper as saying that Namdia started operating on 18 April 2016, with Kennedy Hamutenya, the current diamond commissioner for Namibia, as acting chief executive officer.

Namdia, which was wholly-owned by the government, came about following an agreement between Windhoek and De Beers signed earlier this year.

The company would serve as a diamond sales and marketing arm of the state.

Meanwhile, Kandjoze said Hamutenya had experience in the diamond industry and served as the chairperson of the government negotiating team with De Beers for the decade-long diamond deal.

Given the above, the line minister then seconded Hamutenya in an acting capacity to further the objectives of Namdia, while the board is putting together the recruitment framework for a more permanent CEO to be appointed, Kandjoze said.

He said Namdia received its first purchase entitlement from the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) in September.

the company sold the entire diamonds received from NDTC, he said

According to the 10-year sales and marketing agreement between De Beers and Windhoek, NDTC would channel 15 percent of stones produced by Namdeb Holdings to Namdia.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




DiamondCorp has revised production ramp up at Lace diamond mine, in South Africa due to tonnage constraints encountered last month, which are now likely to continue until at least the end of the year.

Mining of trough tonnage from draw points on the 310m production level in an around the initial slot breaking point were constrained by large pieces of kimberlite falling into the drawpoint from hanging wall conditions made friable by the presence of old development workings, it said.

Production was also hampered by the safety concerns for injury to workers or damage to the company's longhole drill rig from such falls of ground.

It said the tonnage for the months of September to December would be restricted to an average of 14-15,000 tonnes per month and commencement of full commercial mine production of 30,000 tonnes per month was now expected to be delayed until February 2017.

Importantly, grade which (as previously announced) was negatively impacted in July and August with the presence of low grade K8 and K6 kimberlite, recovered during September with only a small amount of low grade kimberlite ingressing into the run of mine feed, said DiamondCorp.

Diamond recoveries averaged 25 cpht for the month against a budget of 29 cpht. Stones recovered have been up to 19.4 carats in size, with a pleasing number of gems larger than 8 cts, including a 10.6 ct clear gem.

Meanwhile, DiamondCorp said it was at an advanced stage of finalising a convertible debt facility of about 500,000 required for immediate financial commitments in order to continue trading as a going concern in the very near term.

The company was looking to raise additional equity and/or debt from one or more parties of between 2.5 million and 3.0 million in the near term to cover the anticipated cash required to fund operations through to commercial production and positive cashflow from operations.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




A study commissioned by the Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation of India (MMTC) Ltd and the World Gold Council (WGC) says that Indian consumers have indicated a clear preference for an Indian Gold Coin over regular, unbranded coins that were more commonly available, as it is backed by the government and is a quality product. The coin has been released by the Indian government as one of its initiatives under the gold monetisation programme.

The Indian Gold Coin is of 24 karat purity and 999 fineness. It is currently available in denominations of 5 and 10 grams as well as a 20 grams bar. Pricing is transparent and competitive, and with BIS hallmarked gold, tamperproof packaging and advanced anti-counterfeit features.

Ved Prakash, CMD, MMTC said, Apart from MMTC outlets, the Indian Gold Coin is currently available at four banks  Indian Overseas Bank, Federal Bank, Vijaya Bank and Yes Bank.

Somasundaram PR, Managing Director, India, World Gold Council said As distribution expands, the Indian Gold Coin will emerge as the preferred form of investment gold in India as well as for purchases during festivals and for gifting on special occasions. The Indian Gold Coin also fills a gap in the international basket of national gold coins.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




Japan will on Monday release final August figures for industrial production, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.

Little change is expected from the previous reading that suggested an increase of 1.5 percent on month and 4.6 percent on year, while the capacity utilization added 0.6 percent.

Singapore will provide September figures for imports, exports and trade balance. In August, imports were worth SGD33.12 billion and exports were at SGD38.41 billion for a trade surplus of SGD5.29 billion.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

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SPC president receives UN officials



SANAA, Oct. 16 (Saba)  President of the Supreme Political Council Saleh Al-Sammad received on Sunday the UN Resident Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick and Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) George Khoury.



During the meeting, they discussed efforts and initiatives to treat the wounded of the grand hall massacre in Sanaa committed by the Saudi-American warplanes on October 8th which claimed the lives of 150 people and wounded 640 others.



The SPC President affirmed the importance of the UN initiative to help and rescue the lives of hundreds of wounded people as health situation in the country is deteriorating due to the ongoing siege on Yemen.



He re-affirmed the importance that the humanitarian work should always be away from any political manipulation, valuing the UN efforts and its team in Yemen, in addition to its positive stances, lately in the massacre of the grand hall and its humanitarian interaction in this regard.



For his part, the UN official, McGoldrick, expressed his condolences to SPC President and the Yemeni people for this massacre.



He reviewed efforts done by the UN to treat the grand halls wounded people and the provision of medical and humanitarian services.



McGoldrick talked about the outcomes of the visit of the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, Stephen OBrien, to Yemen recently and the subsequent positive works and coordination promoting the humanitarian work of the UN programs in Yemen under the current situations.







AM



Saba

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[17/October/2016]
By SA Commercial Prop News

This development is a continuation of a very successful working relationship between Nedbank and the Rawson Group, says Richard Thomas, regional executive at Nedbank Corporate Property Finance



Following the finalisation of a R55-million finance deal through Nedbank Corporate Property Finance, Phase III of the immensely popular Rondebosch Oaks sectional title development is underway.

This development is a continuation of a very successful working relationship between Nedbank and the Rawson Group, both for this residential property, as well as a number of other residential developments, says Richard Thomas, regional executive at Nedbank Corporate Property Finance, Cape.

In October 2006, we approved funding for the purchase of the land and top structure for Phase I and II of the Rondebosch Oaks development, comprising 150 apartments, all of which were sold in record time.

Now, Nedbank will again back this well-known and respected property group as Phase III of the development is undertaken, demonstrating the efficacy of Nedbanks hands-on approach to providing financial solutions that anticipate and fulfil our clients requirements for growth and expansion.

Contemporary suburban living is an apt description of this development situated on Rouwkoop Road in Rondebosch, one of the most sought-after suburbs in Cape Town. Located in a prime position close to the University of Cape Town and a number of good schools, the property is also within easy walking distance of the Rondebosch station from where the UCT Jammie Shuttle operates.

The location of the development, as well as the sophisticated yet affordable lifestyle it offers, has resulted in a significant demand, particularly as an investment opportunity for parents who have children at the university. In fact, at the launch of Phase II, 71 units were sold within six days.

To satisfy this demand, the development will be extended to include another 106 two-bedroomed apartments of 48  50m as well as133 parking bays. The units will comprise a total of eight freestanding or semi-detached buildings with either two or three storeys to be constructed on the available 8 000m land.

The property will be developed by Gromat (PTY) LTD, the main operating company of the Rawson Group. Anchored by well-known property industry figure, Bill Rawson, the company has completed a number of successful developments over the last 10 years, all project managed by Carl Nortje and Paul Henry.

The group is currently busy with the following developments: Grassy Park, comprising of 70 affordable housing units in Olive Grove; Rondebosch: Rivers Edge, featuring 84 apartments close to Liesbeeck River; and The Rondebosch which will comprise of 166 one and two bedroom apartments.

Prior to these developments, the Rawson Group developed in Durbanville, comprising of 12 apartments known as Village Walk; and Tokai, comprising of 55 town houses known as High Grove and 16 town houses known as High Trees. They were also highly active in the burgeoning Parklands/Table View area, completing numerous sectional title developments comprising of a couple of hundred apartments.

The highly experienced professional team for the development of Phase III at Rondebosch Oaks includes Rawson Developers & Homebuilders as the project manager, Rawson Home Builders as the contractor, Urban Dynamics as the town planners, as well as Gordon Hart Architects.

Thomas confirms that the marketing of Phase III at Rondebosch Oaks commenced at the end of last year, directed mainly at the investor market. There is little doubt that the additional 106 units will enjoy the same demand as Phase I and Phase II of this popular development did, he concludes.
By SA Commercial Prop News

There has been significant progress in the construction of the 140m Nelson Mandela Legacy Bridge over the Mbashe River in the Eastern Cape, says the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.

The Mvezo bridge project also involves the building of a new 10km tar road that will link Mvezo with the N2, reducing the distance to East London, Mthatha and Idutywa by at least 50km.

Currently, when Mvezo residents travel to Idutywa they have to go via Qunu Village. This is an 86km journey, which will be significantly shortened once the bridge is completed.

It is also envisaged that Mvezo will be developed as a tourist attraction and the project will fast track economic development.

The Mvezo and Dondolo villages are expected to reap the rewards of the R123 million infrastructure project, which will result in jobs for a number of residents.

The department is working with other departments such as Public Works, Transport and Water Affairs on this project.

Environmental impact assessments were conducted in the area with ecological specialists looking at important animal and vegetative species, to ensure that those in danger of extinction are not removed.

Aquatic specialists have observed the quality of the water in Mbhashe River, while heritage experts assessed the potential impact on heritage value and attributes of cultural or historical significance in close proximity to the study area.
In the last 24 hours, India reported 1,326 new Covid-19 cases and eight cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. ...


Several local companies successful in Best of the Best awards

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The girl who claims to be carrying the marks of Jesus Christs suffering is on her way to Rome. Toaipuapuaga Patrick is travelling with her father, Reverend Opapo Oeti and her husband Patrick Ah Chong.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi confirmed the delegation is accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao.

Tuilaepa said Laaulis trip to Rome is to attend an Agriculture meeting held there and it coincides with Toaipuapuagas trip. Laauli is taking part in the Seventh International Conference on Agricultural Statistics organised by the Food and Agriculture Organistion (F.A.O.).

There is a big meeting in Rome that the Minister of Agriculture will attend, said Tuilaepa. It coincides with this meeting so they will be going together and help is given where needed.

Tuilaepa did not elaborate.

When Toa was asked for a comment, she declined.

I think the Prime Minister will announce that tonight in his programme with the 2AP, she said. I dont think I can comment on that anymore.

Last week, Toa said she has been told to go to Rome because more messages are waiting for her there.

Toa said she had already written 41 messages in the Hebrew language which she will take with her to Rome to be published on 18 December 2016.

The messages are not only for Samoa, it is for the whole world, she told the Samoa Observer.

The trip follows Toas decision to covert to Catholicism.

The spokesperson for the Catholic Church of Samoa, Father Fereti Tautunu, told the Sunday Samoan the church has nothing to do with Toas trip in terms of finances.

Weve havent spent a penny on her trip but I cant say whos funding her trip to Rome, said Fr. Fereti. But the position of the church is that we are in support of her."

So on behalf of his Grace Archbishop Alapati Lui Mateliga and the Catholic church of Samoa, I would like to wish Toa and her traveling party a safe trip.

Fr. Fereti said he is not aware of Toas programme in Rome.

He confirmed that there would be Samoan Catholics waiting for them. They are Samoan Priests and Nuns working in the Vatican.

We believe in the messages she preaches and the signs on her body, said Fr. Fereti. From the start the Archbishop has supported her.

Stigmata cases in the Catholic Church are not new, according to Fr. Fereti.

The common problem with us is that instead of looking at the message they judge the messenger.

He said that is why the church continues to celebrate the passion of Christ because it believes his work continues. Fr Fereti also elaborated on Toas conversion to the Catholic faith. He said the church is always open to anyone.

That was her own decision to make, but the Catholic Church and our members welcome her to our faith.

As for the signs of the Stigmata, he said they are for a lifetime.

Its a permanent message to a person and it is the persons choice whether to accept it or not, its for life, said Fr. Fereti.

Once you are called, its not a part time job, or a contract, its a life time commitment to be a missionary.
Taking care of large Samoan families is a tough task on its own but when you are a single father taking on both parental roles, then thats a different story.

Taualeoo Latu, from the village of Lalomauga, the recent passing of his wife has proven difficult for him but he remains strong for his children.

Aged 70, Taualeoo makes an effort to teach his children as much as possible so that they may pass down the lessons to their children.

My wife has passed and I am still keeping the family together, he told the Village Voice.

She passed just recently and now its just me and the children here at home. I make sure we have enough to survive on a daily basis.

My children have become accustomed with the words I always tell them. I try and teach them as much as I can because I am a single parent.

No matter what work they do, I try and teach them to work hard and honest.

Taualeoo explains that despite the work load of being a single father, life is still great for him.

Everything is fine with my family, he said.

As the father of the house, theres not much for me to worry about. One thing I can tell you is that the grandchildren is where most of the familys prioritys lie.

Three of my children are currently working and helping out with everything and one of them have already started sending their children to school.

As many people complain about how village and church obligations are problematic, Taualeoo says that it isnt and is a vital part of life.

We dont have much to do right now, he said.

I have a few obligations such as church and village commitments which I spend much of my time catering to.

People complain that these sorts of obligations are a pain and are a cause for many problems. But if you look at it a little closer then you will notice that its not an everyday thing.

We dont have obligations all the time; for my village, there will be long gaps as much as a month before we have something to do in the village.

The same can be said with the church obligations as well. You work to your hearts content. Its up to each person how much they want to give in; the pastor doesnt force you to do anything.

Taualeoo is also adamant that if the obligations are treated properly, then the blessings towards the family will come.

If we serve well in the church and the village then you will be blessed, he said.

Take my family for example; my children are blessed which is a result of the serving their parents did. I know for a fact that when you serve then your family will all be blessed.
Dear Editor

Re: Customary land consultations in Savaii

To review all laws affecting customary land in Samoa and make recommendations to Cabinet for changes to such laws where such are necessary for the facilitation, encouragement and promotion of the economic use of customary land;

(ALL LAWS affecting customary land in Samoa.)

(for CHANGES to such LAWS.)

Dont do it.

The benefits for customary land owners can be highlighted by the former Warwick Lease in Vavau. The customary land owners received about 87 thousand tala a year for the land alone.

A certain percentage amounting to about 8 thousand a year was allocated to the villages collective fund to be used for the maintenance of Churches, and schools buildings and other activities.

$87k a year to be divided by how many land owners? and 8k a year for a villages collective fund? who manages the village fund?. Im presuming that this villages collective fund will be handled by a government department where the villages will have to go through trails of paper work to withdraw a certain amount allowable for each village at a certain time, or are there any criteria to be met for it to be withdrawn?

The Benefits shown by this document appears set, means probably no negotiation of leases contracts. With possible changes made to ALL LAWS affecting customary land, Say bye bye to your land forever. And what a nice added enticing claws to add a villages collective fund, so that the whole village can pressure another family to lease their land, which should be the majority using corrupt and coercive ways to pressure a land owner to lease their family land.

With this Villages collective fund is a One World Order model.

Galufatioo Tautuailevao
Meet Faamoe Faasootauloa, a 58-year-old mother from the village of Saleaula Savaii.

She is a school teacher, and although she has retired, she is still offering her services helping out with educating the children of Saleaula.

She was born and raised in Savaii and now resides with her husband and six children there.

When she was asked about how life is in Savaii for her, she replied that life in Savaii is very nice and easy.

We are used to living here in Savaii because I grew up here as did my family.

It is where our hearts belong. And every time I go to a different place for a visit, like Upolu or overseas, I always get homesick because I always miss Savaii and my family.

She went on to say that life in Savaii is different from the life in Upolu.

And thats a fact.

Its also true that there are so many job opportunities in Apia compared to Savaii, and thats why most people move to Apia.

But we prefer staying in Savaii because all our families are here, and we have our own lands here and most importantly, we grew up here.

However, Faamoe is also grateful to all the new resorts in Savaii which opens up a door for the people of Savaii for employment opportunities.

We now have a lot of resorts and hotels in Savaii. And thats great for our youth in Savaii.

But I also think that we should develop Savaii more.

This can help prevent our people from migrating to Upolu and leaving some of our lands uncultivated.

We also have some developments in Salelologa, but still that is far for us who live in the rural areas.

It is also costly if we travel all the way to Salelologa for work.

Other than that, she still believes that life in Savaii is better for her and her family.

I love it here because it is where my heart is.

We dont do much, we just do our usual chores at home and for those of us who have jobs, we do chores when we finish work.

I have been a teacher for 38 years now and I am still willing to use what God instilled in me to help the children of my village.

Lastly, Faamoe truly believes in the saying that it takes a whole village to raise a child.

As an educator, she thinks that everyone has a role to play.

We all know that children are the future of our families, villages and country.

If we all work together we can help make them better and well prepared for the future. We dont know whats going to happen in the future, but its always best to be prepared.

Thats why I truly believe that if we educate them well as a community; a bright future for our children will be outcome.
Ali Foai is a Pacific mix from Niue, Tokelau, Tuvalu and American Samoa.

Last week the busy actor flew in from New Zealand to appear in a play, aloFA written and directed by Fiona Collins and showing in Apia this month.

Im very excited at the opportunity to be in Samoa as part of this exciting and important piece of theatre, aloFA by Fiona Collins, he said after days and evenings of hectic rehearsals.

Foai is currently completing a Masters in Scriptwriting at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.

In an informal snapshot, Foai shared these words about himself with his fellow M.A. Scriptwriting students in Wellington earlier this year.

Raised in Westy Aukilani suburbia not too far from the black beaches and jungley foothills of the Waitaks.

Performer, playwright and avid traveler of the world.

Can also make the killer Chop Suey.

Pursuing an inherent interest in indigenous storytelling and love for good stories.

Here to learn to spin a good yarn cinematically brilliant and beautiful.

New to the capital.

Holla.

His journey from attending school in Auckland to appearing on stage and screen was not without its challenges.

In an interview a few years ago in an Auckland newspaper, Foa'i said his parents had had very specific dreams for their eldest son when he was about to kleave school.

They were horrified when they learned he wanted to go to drama school.

"They wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer," Foa'i said.

"Drama was good for a hobby but they said they didn't want me to throw my life away. They didn't want me to struggle," he says.

When your parents have migrated from another country to give their children a better life Foa'i understands the battle that can ensue when ideas clash.

But as the years have gone by, his parents have got used to the idea of their son being an actor.

They became more supportive as they saw the travel and job opportunities Foa'i has had since then.

After graduating from UNITECs Performing Arts School as an actor in 2006,

Foai appeared in the drama series Ride with the Devil.

His screen credits include Diplomatic Immunity and Shortland Street.

Foai made his professional stage debut in 2008 at the Pacific Arts Festival in Pago Pago, Amerika Samoa, in Dianna Fuemanas play Falemalama. He then toured with the work in Auckland, Niue and Toronto.

Foa'i performed Fuemana's play Birds in Auckland and festivals in Niue and the Solomon Islands. He most recently appeared in Thirsty, a one-man show he wrote that premiered at Bats Theatre, Wellington in August this year.

aloFA will be open to the public each evening from Saturday October 22-29 at the Maliu Mai Bar and Grill in Fugalei with tickets available from McKenzies store in Pesega, Legends Cafe in Moataa or by ringing Filoi at 7200069 or Fiona at 7683486.
A number of women have come forward recently to say they were assaulted, groped or kissed without consent by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Several have said they were moved to go public after listening to Trump boast about such behavior in a 2005 video, in which he bragged about using his fame to force himself on women.

Trump has denied the accusations of sexual misconduct and said the women are liars. He has apologized for his comments on the video, which was disclosed this month, but also dismissed them as "locker-room talk" and a distraction from the campaign.

A look at the women and their allegations:

Summer Zervos, 41, says Trump made aggressive, unwanted sexual advances in a Beverly Hills, California, hotel room in 2007. A former contestant on "The Apprentice," Zervos says she contacted Trump to ask for a job. He later invited her to dinner, and when she met him at his hotel, Zervos said, Trump almost immediately began kissing her and placed his hand on her breasts.

Kristin Anderson, 46, told The Washington Post that she was sitting on a couch with friends at a New York nightclub in the early 1990s when someone reached up her skirt and touched her through her underwear. Anderson, then in her early 20s, said she pushed the hand away, turned around and recognized Trump as the man who had groped her.

Jessica Leeds, 74, told The New York Times that Trump groped her on an airplane more than three decades ago. Leeds says the two were seated next to each other when Trump lifted the armrest separating them and began to touch her, grabbing her breasts and trying to put his hand up her skirt. Leeds called the incident an "assault."

Mindy McGillivray, 36, of Palm Springs, Florida, says Trump groped her after she attended a Ray Charles concert at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in 2003. McGillivray told The Palm Beach Post she was standing with a group of people after the show and Trump came up behind her and grabbed her buttocks.

Natasha Stoynoff, a reporter for People magazine, says Trump forced himself on her in 2005, when she was interviewing him for a feature on the one-year anniversary of his marriage to Melania Trump. Stoynoff wrote in an article published on the magazine's website that Trump was giving her a tour of his Mar-a-Lago mansion when he said he wanted to show her a special room. He shut the door "and within seconds, he was pushing me against the wall, and forcing his tongue down my throat."

Rachel Crooks says Trump kissed her without invitation in 2006 when she was a 22-year-old receptionist for a real estate firm located at Trump Tower. Crooks told the Times she was meeting Trump for the first time when he took her hand to shake it and would not let go. He began kissing her cheeks and then kissed her on the mouth, she told the paper.

Temple Taggart, a former Miss Utah, says Trump kissed her on the mouth more than once when she was a 21-year-old contestant in his Miss USA beauty pageant. Taggart initially told her story to the Times in May. She said she was struck by how Trump's comments from the 2005 video mirrored her experience.

Jill Harth, a former business associate, told the Times that Trump put his hands under her skirt during a business dinner in 1992 and, on another occasion, tried to force himself on her. Harth sued Trump accusing him of sexual harassment in 1997. She dropped the lawsuit Trump after he settled a separate breach of contract suit.

Cathy Heller told The Guardian newspaper that Trump tried to kiss her on the mouth when he was introduced to her along with other guests at a Mother's Day brunch at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, some 20 years ago. She said she extended her hand and that he took it, then grabbed her and "went for the lips." She leaned backward and almost lost her balance, she says, and turned her head at the last minute, and he kissed her on the side of her mouth. She was left "angry and shaken," she said.

More than 20 former crew members, editors and contestants on Trump's "Apprentice" reality show described a pattern of crass behavior and demeaning comments on the set. Trump repeatedly addressed women with sexist language, rated female contestants by the size of their breasts and talked about which ones he'd like to have sex with, the people told The Associated Press.
Big data can be good for your health  and it could also be good for your career.

Although some people see data as just numbers and figures, it actually is yielding new insights in both the pharmaceutical and health-care industries.

In fact, UC San Diego Extension, in partnership with industry group PharmaSUG, will host a one-day event on Oct. 21 at the UC San Diego campus, looking at how data is changing the pharmaceutical industry. The event, which focuses on Statistical Analysis System, a business analytics software also known as SAS, will attract the best data analysts from across the country and will allow participants  both professionals and students  to learn from industry experts on clinical analytic and health outcomes.

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Rob Howard, CEO of Veridical Solutions and an executive committee member of PharmaSUG, an industry SAS users group, said San Diego is a prime location for this discussion because of its position as a leader in the health care and pharmaceutical industries.

PharmaSUG wants to target hot areas of industry like the research triangle in North Carolina and here in San Diego because of its large presence in the pharmaceutical industry, said Howard, also a UC San Diego Extension instructor.

But SAS skills are not just for health care. The data analytics system has earned itself a top spot on the must have list of skills for jobs across several fields, which translates into a high demand for SAS-trained professionals.

UC San Diego Extension offers certificates in SAS programming and biostatistics, two fields in which statistical analysis is imperative to professional success. The SAS Programming certificate provides training for those who want a deep understanding of the inner workings of this in-demand statistical language, and the industry-neutral curriculum allows for students to apply knowledge to their field of interest. In addition, Extensions Biostatistics certificate emphasizes the application of statistical techniques to the analysis of clinical data, which is important in such fields as medical imaging, ecological forecasting and statistical genetics  all growing sectors.

SAS has a global reach with broad applications, and this event will give students good exposure to the industry by interacting with sponsors and vendors, Howard said.

Cindy Hanson, associate director of strategic initiatives and outreach for UC San Diego Extension, shows how it partners with industry leaders to provide cutting-edge curriculum.

Many of our academic advisory board members and instructors are key players in this community, thereby reinforcing the need for Extension to provide a platform for this event, she said. We are honored that we could join forces with PharmaSUG by opening our campus for this worthwhile event.

You can find out more about the event at pharmasug.org/sde/sd2016.html.

Jennifer Davies is the assistant dean of external affairs for UCSD Extension. She can be reached at jadavies@ucsd.edu.
A San Francisco police officer was in critical condition after being shot in the head while responding to reports of a mentally disturbed person. The officer is expected to survive.

San Francisco Police spokeswoman Officer Giselle Talkoff said officers responded Friday night to a call about a man causing a disturbance and threatening people at the Lakeshore Shopping Center.

Talkoff said that when the officers made contact with the suspect he fired multiple shots, striking the officer in the head.

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She said officers fired at the suspect as he fled. He went down but wouldnt drop the gun and refused to surrender. Police distracted him with flash-bang grenades and were able to arrest him. He was taken to a hospital.

Talkoff said the wounded officer, who was not identified, is is conscious and with family members.

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They say in fashion, whats old is new again. And thats hardly been truer than with Dame Zandra Rhodes latest collection.

The fuscia-haired London and Del Mar-based designer has recreated some of her most iconic looks for a line called the Archive Collection.

The dresses, worn by celebrities from Donna Summer to Lauren Bacall and Diana Ross, will be on display Oct. 25 at Rhodes annual fashion show and luncheon at The Westgate Hotel.

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Dubbed The Princess of Punk, Rhodes is credited with helping put London on the fashion map in the 70s. But the acclaimed textile designer remains on the cutting edge of fashion in 2016. She just returned from Fashion Week in Paris, where her intricately painted fabrics were used in Pierpaolo Picciolis debut solo collection for Valentino.

Rhodes special Archive capsule collection was created exclusively for the London shop Matches and is available only online at matchesfashion.com.

As in past years, the fashion event at The Westgate begins with a champagne reception and features a three-course lunch menu created by local cooking queen  and Rhodes longtime friend  Jeanne Jones.

Zandra Rhodes: The Archive Collection

When: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 11:30 a.m-4 p.m.

Where: Versailles Ballroom, The Westgate Hotel, 1055 2nd Ave., downtown San Diego; (619) 238-1818; westgatehotel.com

Tickets: $85, plus tax, tip and ticketing fee

Online: tickets.sandiegouniontribune.com/e/zandrarhodesfashion

Twitter: @sdeditgirl

michele.parente@sduniontribune.com
Dozens of mourners gathered in Chicano Park Sunday to lay flowers, light candles and say prayers to mark a tragedy that hit too close to home for many of them.

Some had trouble sleeping because they grew up playing in the park where a pickup truck driven by a suspected drunken driver came flying off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge Saturday afternoon, landing in the park and killing four people. At least nine others were injured.

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Tina Camarillo was in tears as she recounted how she and her daughter were close to where the pickup came to rest. The two were in a booth for the Chicano Park Steering Committee, directly next to the one that was hit.

To see such tragedy in an instant . . . , she said trailing off. (The truck) fell and all I saw was darkness, the glass blew, the canopy fell on my head. My daughter was running to get my mom. It was horrible.

Camarillo said she would like to see barriers installed on the bridge to prevent a similar incident in the future.

The driver was identified as Richard Anthony Sepolio, 25, a Navy man stationed in Coronado. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner said the people who were killed were Cruz Elias Contreras, 52, and Annamarie Contreras, 50, of Chandler, Ariz.; and Andre Christopher Banks, 49 and Francine Denise Jimenez, 46, of Hacienda Heights.

Banks, who was a biker, had gone to Chicano Park to enjoy the festival, said long-time friend David Sloane of Sacramento. He said Banks was a member of the Life Support Alliance, a group of former life-term prisoners who have been granted parole.

He made a mistake in life. It was a serious mistake that landed him in prison, said Sloane. But in the time he was incarcerated, he was able to turn his life around.

Banks worked as a hazardous materials laborer. He was paroled about seven years ago after more than two decades behind bars, Sloane said.

A life-term prisoner doesnt just get out of prison, Sloane said. We have to earn our way out. He proved that he had changed before the board of parole... He came out and was working, paying taxes and living his life.

1 / 11 Gloria Delgado burns copal incense at the memorial site in Chicano Park. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 11 On Sunday Rosa Navarro burned copal incense around the memorial site in Chicano Park. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 11 Vanessa Page (left) and Maribel Herrera stopped at Chicano Park to place fresh flowers at the memorial site. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 11 Christian Ramirez and his son Diego, placed flowers at the memorial site at chicano Park for the four individuals that were killed Saturday. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 11 A group arrived with flowers and candles, then gathered in a circle at the memorial site at Chicano Park. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 11 Christian Ramirez and his son Diego, placed flowers at the memorial site at chicano Park for the four individuals that were killed Saturday. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 11 A group arrived with flowers and candles, then gathered in a circle at the memorial at Chicano Park. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 11 The community arrived throughout the day bringing flowers and candles to the memorial site at Chicano Park in Barrio Logan. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 11 Gloria Delgado burns copal incense at the memorial site in Chicano Park. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 11 A group arrived with flowers and candles, then gathered in a circle at the memorial at Chicano Park. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 11 Rosa Navarro burns copal incense around the memorial site in Chicano Park. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)

The deaths in the park hit community members hard.

Clutching a handkerchief and crying, Char Mason, of Webster, said she didnt know any of the victims but wanted to visit the site.

I just wanted to come pray. Leave a spiritual footprint, she said. Life is short. People need to not drink and drive. You have to be mindful.

Fernando Lucero, 20, recalled how he felt a breeze as the airborne pickup rocketed past his right shoulder Saturday afternoon. It sounded like a bomb, or a torpedo hitting the water, Lucero said.

He said his first move was to run over to protect his 10-year-old brother, Reyes, who was playing with a friend about 15 feet from where the truck landed. He said he was afraid the truck would explode.

Many witnesses said they were counting their blessings, in addition to mourning for the dead.

The public arrived throughout the day to bring flowers and candles to the memorial at Chicano Park in Barrio Logan. (Nelvin Cepeda/San Diego Union-Tribune )

Were here to honor the people that passed away. To show their families we feel for them, we support them and we love them, Camarillo said. She said she believes she was saved by a higher power.

I know the Lord saved us. I felt it and I knew it, she said.

By coincidence, San Diegos Rock Church was holding its first, small church service Sunday under the bridge for newly-released inmates. Zebulon Hill, associate campus pastor, invited witnesses and mourners to join the service.

The most important thing at the moment is for us to listen to them, he said. There is going to be genuine mourning and pain. Theres nothing that we can that will take that pain away. But, we want to be here to be that shoulder to cry on, that ear to listen.

Many of the people who gathered Sunday were still processing what happened.

Victoria Harris, of Eastlake, said she was with her boyfriend eating tacos near National Avenue, about 35 feet from where the truck landed, when she heard a loud boom. At first, she thought the truck had just backed into a vendor.

She said her boyfriend, joined what seemed like 100 other men, running to lift the truck off the victims. They were both motorcyclists in the La Raza Run, the group holding an event in the park.

All the guys just ran over there and pushed the truck on the side, Harris said.

Carlos Olvera, of Los Angeles, said he was about 40 feet from where the truck landed on Logan Avenue. We heard the wreck  bam!  he hits the wall. So, we look up. I just thought it was going to park up there, he said. Then, we see it go over the top.

Breaking News

phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar
The opening next year of the new Superior Court building in downtown San Diego has been delayed, court officials said.

The $555 million, 22-story building at the corner of Union and C streets was to be completed at the end of this year. Construction began in February 2014.

In January and February, judges and court workers were supposed to begin moving in, and some hearings had already been scheduled for the new courthouse.

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But Presiding Judge Jeffrey Barton sent an email on Sept. 20 to judges and other court personnel saying the move was on hold. He did not give a new date to move in, writing only that the time for moving in has been pushed back a few months.

The memo didnt explain the reasons for the delay. Peter Allen, a spokesman for the state Judicial Council, which is overseeing the construction, said that unexpected problems at the start of construction as well as time needed to test emergency systems in the new building led to the delay.

When construction began in spring 2014 with demolition of existing buildings at the site, San Diego Gas & Electric had to redesign how power was being distributed to other buildings in the area, Allen said.

After that was ironed out, contractors found more contaminated soil than initially anticipated when excavating the site for the building construction. Handling and removing that additional soil took more time than anticipated.

At that time, the state quietly extended the target completion date for this year from the end of October until the end of December. It was not publicized because managers thought they could make up the time lost at the beginning as the construction continued.

State officials, however, recently realized that the added time would not allow for all work to be completed. This added duration will provide the contractors enough time to test and verify life and safety, security, and other court building systems and equipment, Allen said in a statement.

The new buildings extensive systems include 1,936 fire alarms, 1,270 smoke detectors, 488 surveillance cameras, 11,700 network connections and 205 wireless access points, Allen said.

The new opening date will be determined in the next few weeks, Allen said.

In his Sept. 30 email, Barton said that a few hearings had been scheduled for the new courthouse under the assumption the building would be ready to occupy. He said judges and court administration are now figuring out how to reschedule those hearings and ordered no new hearings be set for the new building until further notice.

The new courthouse will have 71 courtrooms handling criminal, civil and family court matters under one roof. The delay wont add additional costs to the project, Allen said.

Twitter: @gregmoran

greg.moran@sduniontribune.com
A 23-year-old Linda Vista resident was gunned down on Comstock Street and later died on Saturday, San Diego police said.

Police identified the victim as 23-year-old Jordy Ramon Lopez of Linda Vista.

He was walking down the street, near Linda Vista Drive, when someone in a passing vehicle threw a beer bottle at him. Someone in the same vehicle then shot Lopez in the torso, police said.

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The sound of gunshots was reported to police about 4:10 a.m. The caller said someone was lying on the ground, homicide unit Lt. Manny Del Toro said.

Lopez was conscious when officers and medics reached him. He was taken to a hospital with a wound initially described as serious but not life-threatening.

Detectives talked to nearby neighbors and witnesses. They were notified by the hospital shortly before 8 a.m. that Lopez had died.

Homicide investigators then were called in.

UPDATES:

This article was updated with the correct name of the victim.
What started as an annual Los Angeles-to-San Diego biker run turned into an unthinkable tragedy Saturday as a pickup swerved over a San Diego-Coronado Bridge retaining wall and plunged 60 or more feet onto vendors sales booths during a festival in Chicano Park.

Four people were killed almost instantly and nine others were injured, authorities said. Two of the injured victims suffered major trauma.

The driver, who was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, was in shock within seconds of the crash and asked witnesses who rushed to his aid to please contact his commander at a nearby military base.

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Authorities identified him as Richard Anthony Sepolio, 25, a Navy man stationed in Coronado.

The names of those who died were not released. The California Highway Patrol said they were a man, 62, and a woman, 50, from Chandler, Ariz., and a man 59 and a woman, 49, from Hacienda Heights.

Some witnesses said two were motorcyclists in La Raza Run and two were tending a booth, selling T-shirts at the Barrio Logan event.

Iris Jimenez, 29, of La Puente, said she was friends with the two riders, and described them as very nice people.

I saw the truck coming at me, and if I hadnt run, Id be dead, Jimenez said. Her companion, Pedro Sanchez, was one of several men who rushed to lift the pickup off the dead victims.

Its horrible. Its horrific, said Officer Jake Sanchez of the California Highway Patrol, one of several agencies that responded to the emergency call. Innocent people were down here having a good time.

Police and paramedics swarmed to the busy park when officers reported multiple casualties among the visitors. They credited bystanders with shoving the overturned pickup upright, offering first aid within seconds of the crash, and for helping emergency crews close the roads beneath the bridge.

One woman was reported to have a suffered a compound fracture, with the bone showing, and a man had an injured leg, police said.

The injured were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital, UC San Diego Medical Center and Sharp Coronado Hospital. Most of them were described as having moderate injuries and were expected to survive.

Its a miracle there werent more people hurt, said San Diego police Capt. Chuck Kaye. He said several officers who had stopped by to check on the crowd saw the pickup fly off the freeway. They immediately went to aid the injured.

The driver was traveling from a northbound lane on Interstate 5 west onto the bridge when he lost control of his GMC pickup about 3:45 p.m. The tan truck with Texas license plates landed steps away from a stage, where the Los Angeles blues-roots band The 44s was in the middle of its performance, witnesses said.

A CHP spokesman said no police officers were pursuing the pickup before it crashed.

Stunned bystanders watched as what had been a sun-soaked afternoon of music and entertainment turned into a deathly emergency scene. One witness said it was instant chaos and panic.

The CHP immediately closed the I-5 north access to the bridge so investigators could do their work. The eastbound lanes remained open, and the westbound side remained closed until about 11 p.m.

San Diego, Coronado and Harbor police assisted victims, strung barrier tape around part of the park and ushered motorcycle riders out of the way of arriving fire engines and ambulances.

Several thousand people were gathered in the Barrio Logan park for what is known as the La Raza Run.

One attendee said up to 2,000 bikers left downtown Los Angeles on Saturday morning headed for San Diego, with a stop at a Lake Elsinore casino, then the Chicano Park festival of music and food capping off the run. An after-party was held in National City. Up to 1,000 others, including families and children, were from the different neighborhoods in San Diego.

People who witnessed the crash said they were stunned at what they were seeing.

I saw a truck come right off the freeway. It was going so fast it flew over the stage and landed in front of the stage on a tent, a booth that was set up, said Chase Dameron, who was about 30 feet away.

He said four people in the booth were crushed by the pickup. Debris from the crash was scattered onto a neighboring vendors booth.

It was like a movie. It was like in slow motion, Dameron said. Where it hit, there was dust and debris and instant chaos and panic. People running crazy.

Isaac Cardoza of Los Angeles was selling hats at a nearby booth when the pickup came hurtling from the bridge. He said at first he thought it was a big piece of cardboard, but that didnt make any sense.

He said the truck crushed one booth staffed with people selling T-shirts from the Wagon Wheel bar in Pico Rivera, and a second booth for a charity organization. Many witnesses whipped out cellphones to document what they were seeing, he said.

A lot of people were holding their phones in the air, trying to record everything, Cardoza said.

Paul Gomez, a musician with the band Generations Boulevard, said his group had finished its set before the crash.

I was sitting on the steps of the stage and the truck came over my head, said Gomez, who lives in the L.A. suburb of Covina. It hit the front end, bounced and landed on its side.

Karen Hoffman, a flight nurse who is married to Gomez, said she scrambled to the crash site, but there was little to do for the people who had been in the booth. She said she tried to comfort the driver as paramedics and investigators made their way to the scene.

Another witness who identified himself only as James said he and his girlfriend were struck by some of the metal, wood and other materials that went flying once the truck nose-dived into the booth.

We cheated death today, said James, who said he pushed his girlfriend to safety when he realized what was happening.

By nightfall, people were creating a memorial to the dead with candles and flowers.

None of the victims was immediately identified. In a tweet, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said: Praying for victims & families affected by the tragedy in Chicano Park. Devastated this occurred in one of our communitys most beloved places.

Staff writer Paul Sisson contributed to this report.

1 / 11 Police cover the bodies of people that were killed when a pickup truck landed on them after it flew off a ramp to the San Diego Coronado Bridge at Chicano Park. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 11 Police cover the bodies of people that were killed when a pickup truck landed on them after it flew off a ramp to the San Diego Coronado Bridge as paramedics prepare to put an injured man on a gurney, background. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 11 Police stand near the pickup truck that landed at Chicano Park after it flew off a ramp to the San Diego Coronado Bridge. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 11 Pedro Sanchez hugs Iris Jimenez, who said she was friends with two of the four people killed by a pickup truck that landed on top of them at Chicano Park. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 11 Paramedics take a man injured when a pickup truck flew off a ramp above Chicano Park. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 11 Two police officers stand at the perimeter of the taped off crime scene where a pickup truck, background, landed on a crowd of people gathered at Chicano Park. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 11 The pickup truck that landed at Chicano Park after it flew off a ramp to the San Diego Coronado Bridge killing four people. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 11 Police investigators point to the ramp above Chicano Park where a pickup truck, foreground, flew off the ramp landing on a crowd of people attending an event at Chicano Park. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 11 A CHP officer looks into the pickup truck that landed at Chicano Park after it flew off a ramp to the San Diego Coronado Bridge killing four people. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 11 A man and a police officer talk as they look at the pickup truck that flew off a ramp and landed at Chicano Park killing four people. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 11 People look at the scene where a pickup truck, foreground, flew off the ramp landing on a crowd of people gathered at Chicano Park killing four, whose bodies are under a yellow tarp in the foreground. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)
As California faces the daunting prospect of its sixth straight year of drought, regulators are preparing to roll out the states first-ever permanent water budgets aimed at slashing consumption on a district-by-district basis.

The idea is to determine each water districts allowable supply by establishing customized targets for indoor use and outdoor landscaping, along with adjustments for weather differences in various parts of the state and between coastal versus inland communities.

The state is going to come up with permanent requirements for water-use efficiency across all these districts, said Max Gomberg, climate and conservation manager at the State Water Resources Control Board.

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Were not saying everyone everywhere has to eliminate all turf, but if you live anywhere south of Eureka, that shouldnt be the dominant plant material of your landscaping, he added.

Since Gov. Jerry Browns mandated, emergency drought restrictions were widely rolled back in June, conservation has continued among urban residents and businesses  but not with the same level of zeal.

Nearly all water districts in San Diego County and many across the state have made conservation a voluntary goal again. For example, these districts no longer limit outdoor irrigation to certain days and hours of the week.

More than 62 percent of California remains in severe to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

While many residents have continued to conserve aggressively, some have responded to the looser standards by watering their ailing trees, browning lawns and other vegetation. State officials recently announced that August was the third consecutive month of significant increases in water use.

Ive seen it right away, said Robert Graham, who lives in the North County community of Hidden Meadows. I see it on the lawn, and I see it on the sidewalk and the streets. You can tell theyre watering, but I havent actually seen it running down the street  overwatering.

The 93-year-old said he and his wife have kept up their conservation intensity even though it hurts to see their fir trees suffer. We havent gone back to twice a week yet, but I do a little hand-watering for the trees that need it, he said.

Water consumption jumped sharply in recent months in places like Rancho Santa Fe, where multi-acre homes typically feature lush landscapes.

Residents there used more than 524 gallons a day per person in August  the highest per-capita consumption in the state, and up from 339 gallons in the same month last year. By comparison, average daily water use per person for the coastal portion of Southern California was 103.9 gallons.

Consumption in the Santa Fe Irrigation District, which also encompasses Solana Beach, decreased somewhat in September, according to numbers the agency gave early to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Californias relaxed water-use standards may be only temporary for homeowners who have continued to maintain lawns, which in some cases suck up hundreds of gallons per day on a single property.

Were not saying everyone everywhere has to eliminate all turf, but if you live anywhere south of Eureka, that shouldnt be the dominant plant material ...  Max Gomberg, climate and conservation manager at the State Water Resources Control Board.

In January, the state water board plans to complete a framework for implementing its permanent water-use budgets for Californias 411 urban districts. Those budgets would then be phased in during coming years.

Regulators said once a budget has taken effect, the state may adjust each districts target depending on whether its been a wet or dry year, if theres protracted drought and other factors.

For the time being, the board has lifted mandatory conservation thresholds on about 84 percent of water districts in California, including all suppliers in San Diego County. Before returning to voluntary conservation, each water agency was required to show it had enough water to meet demand amid three years of continued drought.

In August, the average water conservation rate in California was about 17 percent  down from 27 percent for the same month last year. Savings rates are derived from a comparison with corresponding months in 2013, the benchmark year that Brown set for his emergency drought order.

From June through August, residents and businesses in San Diego County used about 18 percent less water compared to the same period in 2013. But during the same three months last year, the combined savings rate was roughly 27 percent.

This August was the starkest month yet for waning conservation in the region, with local residents using significantly more water than a year ago  most notably in the Rainbow Municipal Water District, Olivenhain Municipal Water District and Santa Fe Irrigation District.

Still, while some people have ramped up water use of late, conservation clearly remains in vogue for many San Diegans. Local water officials are quick to point out that even without mandatory restrictions, people have continued to limit their outdoor watering and reap the benefits of newly installed, water-efficient appliances.

The message is out and people are living it now, said Jeff Stephenson, principal water resources specialist at the San Diego County Water Authority.

Indeed, the Oceanside, Poway and Valley Center districts achieved robust conservation numbers this past summer, likely in part because of turf-replacement programs that have helped thousands of homeowners rip out grass and install artificial turf or other drought-tolerant landscapes.

In Fallbrook, residents actually improved their water savings in August by a significant margin, with daily residential use falling to 70 gallons per person  down from 148 gallons in the same month last year.

Truly, since our cutback order has been removed, our customers have continued to conserve ... said Noelle Denke, spokeswoman for the Fallbrook Public Utility District. Its just in their heads. I think habits are changing, evolving. Their minds are on conserving.

In Rancho Santa Fe, Holly Manions family has cut its water use by more than 20 percent after removing most of the lawn on its three-acre property in 2014 and letting several palm trees die.

Today, the front yard bursts with artfully arranged succulents, which she collected for free from other peoples yard waste around the neighborhood.

I hardly have any water at all going on in this, said Manion, 63, a lifelong resident of the community. Whats nice is the marine layer also helps because it gets moister in the morning. So this winter, Ill be completely able to turn the water off.

Another Rancho Santa Fe resident, Danielle Balest, said she has eucalyptus trees instead of grass on her three-acre property, which she has been watering sparsely.

The trees are suffering slightly, said Balest, 48. I have been told by two arborists that they could use more water, but Im just hoping for a lot of rain this winter.

She added: I dont know anyone whos not concerned about the drought.

Its unclear whether those good intentions will be enough to meet the states forthcoming expectations.

State regulators have praised a handful of districts that have encouraged water conservation through aggressive pricing models that also balance the need to cover expenses related to pipes and other infrastructure. Such approaches carefully track indoor and outdoor consumption and then harshly penalize any use thats considered excessive.

Water suppliers with allocation-based rate structures do a good job at promoting conservation while stabilizing revenue, said Gomberg with the water board. There are about 15 of them, including Irvine Ranch Water District, Moulton Niguel Water District, Western Municipal Water District, Eastern Municipal Water District.

Urban water pricing is calculated through the combination of a fixed rate and a charge based on volume consumed. The more water someone uses, the higher his or her bill.

If the fixed rate is too high, then the pricing structure may not send a strong enough conservation signal. If the fixed rate is too low, then conservation in times of drought could undermine a districts financial stability.

Most water suppliers go beyond this basic pricing structure by imposing tiers with progressively higher rates. So if a resident uses more than a certain amount, the cost rises per standard unit of 100 cubic feet, or 748 gallons.

Pricing can vary significantly based on a number of factors, from local politics to the size of the water system.

In the city of San Diego, residents living in single-family homes can use up to four standard units at $4.50 per unit before getting bumped up into the next pricing tier. In Rancho Santa Fe, the first tier extends to 15 units at the rate of $2.12.

In places like the Eastern Municipal Water District, which services parts of Riverside County, tiers for single-family residential homes are more dynamic, fluctuating with weather conditions. If water consumption exceeds whats deemed appropriate for indoor and outdoor use, the rates more than triple in a tier thats explicitly labeled wasteful.

This kind of close accounting, with highly nuanced and customized factors for each water district, is at the heart of the states developing protocol.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
A small team of federal officials is scheduled to visit San Diego next month to investigate why so many bank branches are closing along the international border and how thats affecting businesses, consumers and the overall economy.

The team will also explore how the increasing reluctance of banks to work with wire transfer companies is affecting the ability of people near the border to send money to family members in Mexico and elsewhere.

The team will subsequently visit cities in Arizona and Texas and then create a lengthy report that may include recommendations for policy changes or new federal legislation that could help solve the problems.

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Roughly half the bank branches in many border towns, including San Ysidro, have closed in recent years, creating headaches for small businesses and forcing some residents to go without bank accounts.

Many say the closures are stifling business along the border, where cash remains crucial to commerce, and threatening long-term prosperity by leaving a trail of empty storefronts and making loans harder to secure.

In addition, many small businesses need banks to get change, to get cash for supplies and to make nightly deposits for security purposes.

Meanwhile, stiffer money laundering penalties faced by banks have made them less cooperative with wire transfer companies and more inclined to close the accounts of people who appear to be making suspicious transactions.

We will interview local banks and hold discussion groups with businesses and consumers to get after this as rigorously as possible, said Lawrance Evans, a financial markets director for the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Wed like to get a sense of the extent to which the problem actually exists and then go forward with any solutions we might uncover.

Banking industry officials have acknowledged the rash of closures along the border in recent years, but say there are no simple explanations.

They say its likely a combination of underperforming branches in those locations, increased competition and more people banking online, which reduces the need for brick-and-mortar branches.

What it often boils down to is economics, said Rob Rowe, senior counsel for the American Bankers Association. For some reason or other a branch no longer is profitable, either because of the needs for staffing or the market area may have changed.

Some have questioned whether banks are closing branches on the border because they are typically less lucrative based on relatively low-income demographics nearby.

Rowe said its not that simple.

There is no one cause and effect, he said. They go through a lot to open a branch, so closing a branch is not something they do lightly. They dont say theres all low-income people and we just dont want to be here -- thats not the way banks operate.

Rowe said the banking industry is upbeat about the federal team visiting border towns to investigate the problem.

We would welcome that kind of information, he said. It would help everyone get a better feel for whats actually happening. We hear anecdotal evidence, but thats it.

The investigation was spurred by federal lawmakers from both parties, including Rep. Juan Vargas, a Democrat whose district includes San Diegos South Bay.

Evans, the GAO official, said the lawmakers have made it clear that exploring the situation is a priority.

People are very concerned about access to critical financial services and the unintended consequences of bank secrecy and money laundering regulations, Evans said. The problem could rise to the level of needing a legislative solution.

San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez met last month with federal officials in Washington, D.C., and said last week that he came away pleased with their approach.

It was very encouraging to me that theres interest in this topic on a bipartisan level, said Alvarez, whose district includes San Ysidro and Otay Mesa. They will be talking to not only businesses but customers who might be impacted by the closure of banks.

He said the branch closures have been particularly hard on small businesses, forcing some to travel many miles to conduct rudimentary transactions.

A national corporate entity can probably deal with a lack of banks a lot easier, but a small mom-and-pop shop needs to have access to a local bank to prosper, Alvarez said.

In addition, transactions at businesses along the border are more likely to be cash-based, making banks more crucial to commerce than in other neighborhoods.

Ironically, its all that use of cash that may be prompting branches to close because of a recent federal crackdown on money laundering from drug dealing and possible terrorism.

Alvarez said hell be particularly interested to see the proposed solutions, which are expected to be unveiled next summer, and whether they modify laws against money-laundering.

Maybe if theres some loosening of those rules, we can have some more community-focused banking geared to the type of activity that occurs along the border, he said. This kind of economic activity is so vital to the communities of San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.

Rowe, the banking official, said he doubts money laundering is leading to branch closures.

Clearly the enforcement action and the attention thats being paid to money laundering issues is something that banks are sensitive to, and its a cost they have to take into account, he said. But bankers have told me its not affecting branch closures. It may be affecting account closures, but now whole branches.

But he said even account closures arent taken lightly, and typically happen only when there are strong reasons to be suspicious.

If a customer is being evasive about direct questions, you start to think twice, Rowe said. If the bank asks why are all these wires being sent to Saudi Arabia and the customer wont answer.

The investigators will also explore banks becoming more reluctant to handle transactions requested by small wire transfer companies, and how thats affecting the ability of people working near the border to send money home.

Rowe said new federal regulations for wire transfers have made them harder for banks.

We have to know where the money is going and we have to know everything about the customer, he said. The banks have to be sure it doesnt get into the hands of terrorists. If there is a lack of transparency, they feel uncomfortable with the transaction because they are held responsible.

In addition to changes on money-laundering, potential solutions could include incentives for banks to open branches near the border, Evans said.

Rowe said that could be a viable option, noting that New York City successfully used that approach to spur the opening of branches in blighted neighborhoods.

It would be the kind of thing theyd have to explore, but I think the banks would be open to it, Rowe said.

Evans said his team would include financial analysts and other officials.

I wouldnt expect to see a heavy presence, but a handful of folks who are highly competent, he said.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
He was a lawyer, a military veteran and a political unknown. He probably seemed the longest of long shots when he challenged an entrenched congressman who had never broken a sweat during numerous re-election campaigns.

The party registration in the district favored the incumbent, who had gained national attention as he addressed big federal issues in Washington.

The challenger worked retail politics hard in the district and focused on what he perceived to be the weakness of the incumbent, who didnt seem to have many.

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But the newcomer was lifted by a rising political tide that turned into a tidal wave because of a presidential candidate who promised to Make America Great Again.

This was San Diego in 1980. The presidential candidate was Ronald Reagan and the unheralded challenger was Duncan Hunter, father of the current congressman. Hunter went on to narrowly upset 18-year incumbent Democrat Lionel Van Deerlin in one of the great political shockers the region has ever seen.

There are several similarities to the current predicament confronting Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista, who is facing the political challenge of his life from Democrat Doug Applegate, a lawyer and retired Marine colonel.

 The incumbent was deeply involved in national issues, perhaps at the expense of tending to the home fires.

 The incumbent never faced a tough re-election and was caught off-guard.

 Much of public wasnt happy with the state of the country and was distrustful of its institutions, particularly Congress.

 A long-shot challenger who almost certainly never would have won if not for a presidential election that upended the nations political order.

The differences are striking, however. Candidates and voters increasingly were attracted to Reagan while current GOP nominee Donald Trump, who appropriated the Gippers slogan, sheds and repulses many of them.

Reagan was the happy warrior with a clear philosophy on moving the country forward, whether you agreed with it or not. Trump espouses an apocalyptic view and the notion that he alone can change it, while offering little in the way of how.

Also, back then there were separate partisan primaries, so Van Deerlin didnt see it coming until well into the fall, when he was unprepared and it was too late. Issa got a wake-up call in June, narrowly finishing ahead of Applegate in all-in-one primary where the top two vote-getters advance to November.

Different as those circumstances are, a common theme is the presidential election as a determining factor in the two House races. Hunter and Issa hitched their wagon to their partys candidate, for good and ill. That move launched the long political career of one and could end it for the other.

Reagan promised to make the country strong, with a special focus on rebuilding the military which he said had become weak under the Democrats and President Jimmy Carter.

That resonated in Van Deerlins Democratic district in central-southern San Diego, home to military and defense industry installations. Hunter was a Bronze Star recipient who as an Army Ranger fought in Vietnam.

He depicted Van Deerlin as soft on defense and worked the shipyards, passing out pamphlets to workers as they finished their shifts.

Hunter was also something of a storefront lawyer and was known in the community for providing legal assistance to low-income residents.

Van Deerlin was well-liked and a pillar of the community, two things that didnt change after he was ousted from Congress. A journalist before he entered Congress, afterward he wrote a regular column for the San Diego Tribune and later the Union-Tribune. At San Diego State University, theres the Lionel Van Deerlin Endowed Chair in Communications.

In Congress, he was chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications where his work helped shaped todays world of communications. He advocated for competition and was involved in the legislation that led to the break up of AT&T.

(Issa gained national prominence for his critical examination of Obama administration policies as chairman of the House government oversight committee.)

Hunter, who served in Congress until 2009, also eventually became prominent on national issues as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. He ran for president in 2008 and did not run for re-election to Congress.

None of that likely would have happened had he not got caught up in the Reagan Revolution.

The only poll that counts, Pt. 2

A new poll released by the Issa campaign shows the GOP incumbent leading Applegate by nine points, 48 percent to 39 percent.

Polls released by partisans should always be viewed skeptically. That of course goes for a Democratic poll released in late September that showed Applegate with a small lead, 46 percent to 42 percent.

Still, it seems safe to conclude things have at least tightened, even from the Issa perspective. Issa led by 12 points in a poll his campaign put out in early September.

Then theres this: The Cook Political Report just moved the race to its Toss Up column for the first time since Issa was elected in 2000.

San Diego imitates life

The news was eerily familiar. Crude, abusive behavior in private revealed publicly. A video-taped attempt at an apology. Woman after woman coming forward relating their experiences of being groped, having kisses forced upon them and other unwanted sexual contact.

Even Gloria Allred got involved, pushing for the release of more damaging information and representing at least one of the women.

The behavior Trump is being accused of matches, almost point by point, the behavior that forced a previous San Diego mayor from office.

Tweet of the Week

Goes to Stephanie Thompson (@Stefaniya), publicist and writer.

Hey, Rest of America: Please Google Bob Filner. Sincerely, San Diego
Members of the Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church congregation continue their study of the Anatomy of a Disciple this month before moving into their fall stewardship program, The Treasure Principle.

The congregations theme in the coming year will be Gods Work, Our Hands.

With that theme in mind, congregants will participate in an outward mission in the community on Sunday, Oct. 23.

Ministry tasks will include: Childrens group art and letters to go with donations to first responders; weeding, cleanup and shed repair at Ramona Elementary School; painting, drywall repair and caulking at Ramona Pregnancy Care Clinic; planting and general cleanup at Busy Bee Day Care; quilt tying at the church; trimming, weed abatement, carpentry work and general cleanup at Cornerstone Therapeutic Riding Center; trash pickup from the churchs current location at 1735 Main St. to the church property off state Route 67 and Highland Valley Road; cleanup, pruning and trimming trees at Ramona Senior Center/Community Center; baking and delivering baked goods to first responders; and financial donations.

Each task and location will have a leader who will help to coordinate the days task at that location. Congregants will decide where they will work.

This is truly a first in Ramona, for a church, on a Sunday  to be out into the community doing great things, said Pastor Dan Erlenbusch. Our life together is an exciting one.

As the congregation continues its ministry at its Main Street location, we are preparing to build on our property, said Erlenbusch. You have once again noticed bulldozers and dirt being hauled in to our site. We are getting ready to grade the property and move forward with building construction. This will take each of us as we pray for Gods continued guidance and blessing on our construction, and as we offer ourselves in the building process.

Spirit of Joy is doing Gods work in full swing and has a twofold emphasis this month: inward spiritual growth and outward mission, said Erlenbusch.

One of the great encouragements in our faith is to be part of a worshipping community, he said.
Le Thi Diem Thuy came to San Diego from Vietnam when she was 6, grew up in Linda Vista, and went to San Diego High, where writing helped her make sense of the world. Her 2003 novel, The Gangster We Are All Looking For, drew praise from the New York Times as a brilliant evocation of human sorrow and desire and became a One Book, One San Diego selection in 2011. The novel, set in Linda Vista, is about a refugee family dealing with the Vietnam Wars aftermath. War has no beginning and no end, she writes. It crosses oceans like a splintered boat filled with people singing a sad song.

One Book, One San Diego 10th anniversary event: Le Thi Diem Thuy at San Diego States Love Library, Wednesday, 7 p.m. Free.
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More than two-dozen complete fossils of Africa's earliest known coelacanth, a new species named Serenichthys kowiensis, have been found. The specimens, 30 in total, were discovered near Grahamstown, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, in what was once an estuary 360 million years ago. Paleontologist Robert Gess, of the University of the Witwatersrand, and Michael Coates, from the University of Chicago, worked together to describe the new species from the fossils, which were found by Gess. 'Living Fossil' Coelacanth Has An Obsolete Lung "Remarkably," said Gess, in a press release, "all of the delicate whole fish impressions represent juveniles. This suggests that Serenichthys was using a shallow, waterweed-filled embayment of the estuary as a nursery, as many fish do today." "This glimpse into the early life history of ancient coelacanths raises further questions about the life history of the modern coelacanth, Latimeria, which is known to bear live young, but whether they, too, are clustered in nurseries remains unknown," added Coates. Living Fossils: Animals From Another Time: Photos The coelacanth is believed to date to the Devonian Period, more than 400 million years ago. But only five species from that far back have ever been described, and none from Africa. Analysis of the new species, however, has helped fill in a bit more of the murky picture of the creature's evolution, the scientists say. "According to our evolutionary analysis, it is the Devonian species that most closely resembles the line leading to modern coelacanths," said Gess. Fittingly enough, the new species remains were found only about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the mouth of the Chalumna River, where the first modern, but still quite mysterious, coelacanth (a fish long thought extinct) was caught in 1938. Gess and Coates's work is published in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society of London.

Shown is a

Aug. 30, 2011 -- Evolution and natural selection have played a role in the ever-changing landscape of plants, animals, bacteria and fungi. Although species evolve as they find their niche and adapt to new opportunities, some animals have remained relatively unchanged over the course of history. These animals are known as living fossils. Compared to the animals on this list, humans are relative newcomers to this planet. Homo sapiens emerged out of Africa a mere 200,000 years ago. Many living fossils are considerably older than humans and other mammals; some have even outlasted the dinosaurs. In this slideshow, take an up-close look at animals that have persevered virtually unchanged through the ages and continue to thrive today. We begin with the platypus, an unusual egg-laying animal with fur, a bill and a venomous bite. Charles Darwin himself coined the term "living fossil" while observing the platypus. Native to eastern Australia, the animal is the only surviving example of its family, Ornithorhynchidae. This group of animals is believed to have split from mammals some 166 million years ago.

The horseshoe crab could hold the distinction of being the oldest animal species still in existence. Dating back to the Paleozoic era, the horseshoe crab existed on Earth before the dinosaurs and soldiered on through several mass extinction events. In 2008, a horseshoe crab fossil, the oldest in existence found so far, dated back to around 445 million years ago, according to a report by LiveScience.

The tadpole shrimp, Triops cancriformis, is another contender for the title of oldest living animal species. This shrimp is related to the horseshoe crab so its longevity should come as no surprise. According to a report by The Telegraph, the tadpole shrimp as it appears today is virtually identical to a fossil of a specimen that lived some 200 million years ago just as dinosaurs rose to prominence. Despite the animal's remarkable endurance, the tadpole shrimp is currently listed as an endangered species.

Once thought to be extinct in the same event that killed off the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago, the coelacanth is a lobe-finned fish that sparked a debate over whether this species represented a missing link between aquatic animals and four-legged terrestrial creatures, according to National Geographic. The animal was rediscovered in 1938 and only two species of coelacanth still exist today. In 2007, a fossilized coelacanth fin was found dating back roughly 400 million years.

Snapping turtles as we know them first walked the earth some 40 million years ago, but they have been virtually unchanged over the past 215 million years of their evolution, according to Tortoise Trust. Although not among the most endangered tortoises and turtles according to the Turtle Conservation Coalition, the snapping turtle is listed as threatened.

The more than 20 species of alligators and crocodiles living today have evolved beyond their more primitive ancestors. But the basic physical design of these reptiles has remained essentially the same for the past 320 million years or so. Alligators and crocodiles share a common ancestry, though the two groups separated from each other some 60 million years ago.

The nautilus is the most primitive cephalopod in existence, a group that includes the most complex squid and octopus. Dating back to more than half a billion years ago, the nautilus reached the high point in its evolution during the Paleozoic era about 505 million to 408 million years ago. Several species of nautilus still survive today -- relatively unchanged from their ancestral counterparts.

Goblin sharks are rare, deep-sea dwellers with a unique elongated nose that distinguishes them from other sharks. They're also ancient, and are between 112 million to 124 million years old as a species. Around 2,000 different species of fossil sharks have been discovered, according to the ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research. The earliest sharks predate the dinosaurs by more than 200 million years.

The cockroach is famous for being a survivor. These insects can survive for weeks without their heads and even withstand the fallout following a nuclear blast. Cockroaches are also an especially long-surviving animal. Roaches have thrived on Earth for some 320 million years, with an estimated 5 million to 10 million individual species ranging in shape, size and habitat. This photo shows Blaberus giganteus, one of the largest species of cockroach on Earth.

Hagfish may have had to endure a less-than-flattering name since scientists first described them in the 18th century. However, these famously ugly marine animals have existed for about half a billion years. The hagfish also represents an important evolutionary step in the development of vision. These ancient fish may have been among the earliest animals to evolve more complex, camera-like eyes as opposed to the strictly photosensitive vision possessed by more primitive species. As such, the hagfish represents a kind of missing link in the evolution of the eye.
There's only one place in the world to escape bat-catching spiders: Antarctica. These arachnids ensnare and pounce on bats everywhere else in the world, researchers say.

Bats rank among the most successful groups of mammals, with the more than 1,200 species of bats comprising about one-fifth of all mammal species. Other than owls, hawks and snakes, bats have few natural enemies.

Still, invertebrates - creatures without backbones - have been known to dine on bats. For instance, giant centipedes in a cave in Venezuela were seen killing and eating bats, and the arachnids known as whip spiders were spotted feeding on dead bats in caves of the Caribbean. Cockroaches have been observed feeding on bat pups that have fallen to the floor of caves.

Spider-eat-bat world

Accidental deaths of bats in spiderwebs were known as well, but were thought to happen very rarely. Still, spiders are known to occasionally dine on a variety of vertebrates - creatures with backbones. For instance, fishing spiders capture and devour fish and frogs; some species of wolf spiders, huntsman spiders, tarantulas and related spiders have been seen killing and eating frogs and lizards; and tarantulas and comb-footed spiders have apparently fed on snakes and mice. There are also numerous reports of spiders killing other flying vertebrates, snagging birds with large orb webs.

Recent studies of a web-building spider species (Argiope savignyi) and a tarantula species (Poecilotheria rufilata) both killing small bats led researchers to suggest that bat captures and kills due to spiders might be more frequent than previously thought. So they analyzed 100 years' worth of scientific reports, interviews of bat and spider researchers and the staff of bat hospitals, and scans of image and video sites. The search revealed 52 cases of bat-catching spiders worldwide. (See Photos of Bat-Eating Spiders in Action)

Giant webs

Approximately 90 percent of known bat-catching spiders live in the warmer areas of the globe, in the third of the Earth surrounding the equator. About 40 percent live in the neotropics - the whole of South America, and the tropical regions of North America - while nearly a third live in Asia and more than a sixth live in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Eighty-eight percent of the reported cases of bat catches were due to web-building spiders, with giant tropical orb-weaving spiders with a leg-span of 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) seen catching bats in huge, strong orb-webs up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide.

In instances seen in Costa Rica and Panama, the spiders had built their webs near buildings inhabited by bat colonies. Bat-catching via spiderwebs was also witnessed particularly often in the parks and forests of the greater Hong Kong area. Future research may investigate whether the huge webs that sometimes block the entrances of tropical bat caves in east and southeast Asia and the neotropics may occasionally snag any members of the giant swarms of bats that emerge from the caves at night. (Photos: Creepy, Crawly & Incredible Spiders)
The Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt, has long been rumored to contain hidden passageways leading to secret chambers. Now a team of researchers has confirmed the 4,500-year-old pharaonic mausoleum contains two unknown cavities, possibly hiding a corridor-like structure and more mysterious features.

The announcement by the ScanPyramids project comes at the end of a year-long effort to use various scanning technology on Old Kingdom pyramids, including the Great Pyramid, Khafre or Chephren at Giza, the Bent pyramid and the Red pyramid at Dahshur.

Carried out by a team from Cairo University's Faculty of Engineering and the Paris-based non-profit organization Heritage, Innovation and Preservation (HIP Institute) under the authority of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, the ScanPyramids project used three innovative techniques - muography, thermography and 3-D simulation - to deeply investigate the Great Pyramid of Giza.

An unknown cavity was detected at a height of about 345 feet from the ground on the northeastern edge of the monument, while a "void" was found behind the northern side at the upper part of the entrance gate.

"Such void is shaped like a corridor and could go up inside the pyramid," Mehdi Tayoubi, founder of the Paris-based Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute, told Seeker.

He added that no link can be made between the two cavities at the moment.

RELATED: Pyramid-Exploring Robot Reveals Hidden Hieroglyphs

Built for the pharaoh Cheops, also known as Khufu, the Great Pyramid is the largest of a family of three pyramids on the Giza plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo. It's the last remaining wonder of the ancient world.

A striking thermal anomaly was detected in November 2015 by French infrared specialist Jean-Claude Barre on the northern side of the monument, right where four chevrons - blocks placed according to an inverted V-shaped pattern - overhang the descending corridor.

When the pyramid was finished some 4,500 years ago, the chevrons were not visible in that area, but were hidden under casing stones that were dismantled over the centuries.

"Today we still see the remains of those chevrons and oblique stones which most probably are parts of propped missing chevrons covering a kind of void that might have existed before stones were dismantled," the researchers wrote in a statement.

In the construction of the pyramid, chevrons were not used for decoration, but to protect a void and prevent the roof from collapsing.



"Why many chevrons are put to protect such a small area at the beginning of the descending corridor?" the researchers wondered.

WATCH VIDEO: We Finally Know How the Pyramids Were Made
The most exciting thing about astronomy is peering into the unknown and discovering something new in the deep cosmic abyss. But when there's hints of that "something new" on our cosmic doorstep, the global excitement becomes tangible.

I am, of course, referring to "Planet Nine", a hypothetical world that seems to be causing a gravitational stir in our outer solar system's frozen badlands way beyond the orbit of Pluto.

Top 10 Astronomical Discoveries Of All Time

In January, Caltech astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin announced their discovery of a group of objects in the Kuiper belt - beyond the orbit of Pluto - had a strange orbit. The Kuiper belt and strangeness often go hand-in-hand, but on this occasion, the motion of these small objects hinted at another mysterious object even further away that may be gravitationally tugging on these KBOs, creating their strange synchronicity.

The search for planets in the outer solar system is a tricky affair. Although we have extremely powerful observatories that can see the fine details in galaxies millions of light-years away and survey telescopes that can pinpoint small asteroids as they dash through the inner solar system, the outer solar system remains one of the most exciting, yet largely unexplored regions in the local cosmos. Should a modestly-sized planet be orbiting far enough away from the sun, it could still be too small and too cold to be noticed by surveys. If it can't be detected by surveys, more powerful telescopes won't know where to look to zoom in on the world - but even then these distant planets would be little more than dots in an ocean of stars. Space, after all, is big and planetary discoveries require a combination of skill, precise instrumentation and luck.

In the case of Planet Nine, its presence hasn't been directly observed yet; like the discovery of Neptune in 1846 it's the motions of other solar system objects that may be signalling its gravitational dominance in the region. Now astronomers are getting even more creative and studying the trajectory of NASA's New Horizons mission in the hope of seeing any unaccounted-for drift off its planned path through the Kuiper belt that may also signal evidence of Planet Nine's gravity.

NEWS: 9th Planet May Lurk in the Outer Solar System

In the meantime, scientists at the University of Bern, Switzerland, have jumped one step ahead of these exciting early hints of a new planet and put some limits on how big and how "warm" this thing could actually be. Their study has been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

From Brown and Batygin's models, Planet Nine should have a highly elliptical orbit, coming no closer than 200 AU (that's 200 times the Earth-sun distance, over 4 times the Pluto-sun distance) and extending to 1,200 AU at its farthest. In short, this would be an extreme world, well beyond the boundary of our "classical" solar system and even beyond the most distant solar system object known to date, the dwarf planet Eris (at nearly 100 AU). Eris was also discovered by Brown in 2005, a discovery that ultimately led to the re-classification of Pluto.

Having not obviously popped up in any infrared surveys, Bern astronomers Christoph Mordasini and Ph.D. student Esther Linder set out to decipher a few more characteristics about Planet Nine by using known planetary evolution models they've applied to the formation of planets orbiting other stars - worlds known as exoplanets. This modeling effort could then be used to sift through survey data, perhaps revealing an object that has gone unnoticed in the night sky.

Brown and Batygin have been able to estimate Planet Nine's mass, based on the gravitational influence it seems to exert. It is likely a significantly-sized planet, around 10 times the mass of Earth, possibly making it "mini-Uranus"-like world - a place with a solid core and a cold, dense layer of gas.

ANALYSIS: Could Planet X' Cause Comet Catastrophes on Earth?

Knowing that Planet Nine has yet to be seen by infrared surveys (such as NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, mission), the researchers already had an upper limit on Planet Nine's physical size and knowing the its approximate mass, distance from the sun and applying planetary formation models, Mordasini and Linder were able to form an idea as to the planet's temperature and size.

By their reckoning, Planet Nine should have a radius 3.7 times that of Earth and an upper atmosphere temperature of -226 degrees Celsius (or 47 Kelvin). They arrived at these numbers by considering Planet Nine's predicted orbit around the sun and the age of our solar system; the hypothetical world would have formed from our sun's protoplanetary disk that began to condense into planets some 4.6 billion years ago.

At these staggering distances from the sun, it may not come as a surprise that Planet Nine's predicted temperature would be extremely cold, but it is still warmer than what would be predicted from being heated by sunlight alone. As planets form, the gravitational energy in their cores can keep their interiors molten hot for billions of years. This heat, however, is slowly dissipated and may be observed by highly sensitive infrared telescopes.

Therefore, Planet Nine's temperature of 47 Kelvin "means that the planet's emission is dominated by the cooling of its core, otherwise the temperature would only be 10 Kelvin," said Linder in a press release. "Its intrinsic power is about 1000 times bigger than its absorbed power." This means that the reflected sunlight would be minuscule compared to the internal heat the world is currently generating, making its infrared signal vastly more powerful than looking for reflected sunlight in optical wavelengths. This may seem like an obvious conclusion to astronomers when seeking out icy objects far from the sun, but it's still a staggering thought that Planet Nine is the hottest thing in the solar system's hinterland despite being only 47 degrees above absolute zero. In astronomy, "heat" is a very relative term.

ANALYSIS: Does a Massive Planet Lurk in the Outer Solar System?

Knowing just a few clues about the nature of Planet Nine, it's interesting to see this hypothetical world take shape. "With our study, candidate Planet 9 is now more than a simple point mass, it takes shape having physical properties," said Mordasini.

Currently, astronomers are using Brown and Batygin's observations and models to track down the possible location of Planet Nine, but spotting the world is going to be difficult with the infrared data we currently have available to us.

So what will Planet Nine look like? We'll probably have to wait until the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope near Cerro Tololo in Chile is constructed before we see its faint signal. Only then will we be able to decisively prove that the world is out there and begin to understand whether it's actually a small gaseous planet or something a bit different. In the mean time, theoretical studies such as these help us not only track down the location of Planet Nine, they give us a tantalizing look at what Planet Nine may look like and what it's made of.

NOTE: As mentioned in the comments below, this research is only applicable to a hypothetical planet that formed from our sun's protoplanetary disk, with the same material that formed the rest of the planets. There's the possibility that Planet Nine could be a captured world from another star system (a scenario that may explain the high eccentricity of its predicted orbit). Until we actually observe this planet, whether or not Planet Nine was born in the solar system remains to be seen, but this research should help us understand its origins.

Source: University of Bern
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Taipei, Oct. 16 (CNA) Vice President Chen Chien-jen () said Sunday at an ward ceremony for the top 10 outstanding ethnic Chinese businesswomen around the world that he hoped these women could use their strengths in the economic and trade areas to help the government promote exchanges with other countries.
Press Release

October 15, 2016 A Forum on Women's Life, Dignity, and Democracy

Miriam College

Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City

October 14, 2016 Silent No More Message by

Leila M. de Lima

Senator Thank you so much Miriam College, particularly the organizer, the WAGI, Miriam College Women and Gender Institute; concerned women's CSOs and activists. Thank you, of course, to Ms. Lynda Garcia, for her very kind and gracious words in her introduction; to Ms. Melanie Reyes, very powerful opening remarks; and of course to my dear, favourite, best professor during my La Salle days, Dr. Professor Soc Reyes, the ever sharp and energetic professor, now my number one fan; other professors here in Miriam College; Dr. Marge Acosta, Jerry Jurisprudencia; Atty. Cristine Lao; Prof. Lynda Garcia; Dr. Loreta Castro; Ms. Valerie Buenaventura--wow, ang sarap pa lang maging professor dito. Or is it because it's an exam week? Is it an exam week? (Laughter) Yun pala. Now I know. Sino pa ba, baka may mga nakakalimutan ako? Who? Jonas David; where are you? Hi Jonas. I understand. Dr. Parayno. Where's Dr. Parayno? Hi. I understand these are predominantly Psychology students and International Studies students, also Mass Communications. I was sitting with a pretty lady here, and she told me she is a Masscom student, and I told her I'm sure you'll become a woman anchor in any of our networks. Thank you so much, maraming, maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat sa napakamainit na pagbati, pag-welcome sa akin. This is such a respite, a welcome break for me. You know when I wake up in the morning, I would not know what kind of day I'll be facing. You know I live by the day. Hindi ko talaga alam kung ano na naman ang mga maririnig ko, makikita ko sa diyaryo, makikita sa social media, although, I avoid going over my Facebook nowadays. Let me start by making this clear--lest some of you, or many of you have started to believe, or are in fact, believing everything that they see on television, on the social media--those hearings in the House of Representatives, I am not the bad and evil woman, or slut that they are trying to portary in the past few weeks. I have not partied or slept with any drug convict. I have not received anything from a drug convict or a drug lord, or anyone else. I have not received P2 million in one meeting with one of those convicts at the office of a former director. I have not received P3 million a week, a month--I think that's what they said--since 2012. I did not receive P10 million from anyone, let alone from a drug convict. I did not receive P5 million in two or three occasions in my house from a former official of BuCor. I have not benefited from the drug trade. I am not the Queen of the Drug Trade of the Bilibid. I am not the mother of these drug lords. And I am not one who won as a member of the Senate and has turned this country into a narco-state, because in the first place, our country is far from being a narco-state. And yes, as a human being, as a woman, I have frailties, I have weaknesses, I have certain flaws as a woman, I've made mistakes in my personal life, and I've always considered my personal life as a private matter. It's a sacred thing to me. But now, they've been intruding and encroaching into my privacy. Yes, I made mistakes, and when I do make mistakes in my personal life, I pick up the pieces and move on. But never did I betray my country. I want that made clear because that's what I fear that some of you may have started to believe the relentless, vicious attacks being launched and led by the most powerful man in this country. With that note, allow me please to now give you my core messages for today's forum. And I thank the organizers of this forum, the women's groups, particularly the group of Prof. Soc because we've been doing this precisely to generate much awareness among the populace, especially you, young people, young students, beautiful students of Miriam. We need to raise awareness on our fight for the truth, fight for justice, fight for human rights, women's rights, and democracy. Human rights because of the spate of extrajudicial killings we are seeing on a daily basis. Women's rights because of the slut-shaming that I'm being subjected to for being a poster girl, allegedly a poster girl. And democracy because of the muzzling of dissent. I'm Exhibit A simply because I'm a vocal critic of the anti-human rights policies of this presidency, of this administration, particularly extrajudicial killings. I'm being subjected to these unprecedented attacks on my person, on my character, and on my credibility. Their whole agenda is to crush and break my spirit so that no one would listen to me anymore. Our democracy is in peril. And that's why I'm doing this. Halos walang nakikinig sa akin sa Senado so I might as well get out of the Senate halls and reach out to you, in the hope that you would listen and open your minds. So a good Friday morning to everyone. Good morning. It's quite an honor and pleasure to be here as a guest speaker in today's Buhay at Dignidad Forum, more so these days because this has been very trying times for me, a very difficult, very challenging times. It is a period in my life when finding a role to fill--other than that of a woman who has fallen victim to a constant barrage of attacks from no less than the most powerful man in the land and those who share his vengeful passion--has become of utmost importance in order to hold on to some vestige of personal dignity, and hope for the future of our country. Even my time in the office is not much of a respite from the stress of unmitigated attacks, which is why times like this--when I get to go out and meet with people, especially the young, face-to-face, see the faces of the people I am fighting for--are even more precious to me than they have ever been before. So thank you. Thank you for the organizers, thank you for media by the way, for those who are around. They've been following me and I don't mind. (Laughter) And in doing so, giving this woman enough strength to fight another day. Indeed, at a time when sexism has once again reared its ugly and despicable head in the form of a President who thinks nothing of telling a woman to kill herself--all for the sin of daring to stand up against men on the issue of the spate of extrajudicial killings--the fight to protect the sanctity of human life, and to retain some level of dignity in the face of oppression and inhumanity, has been a daily struggle. But, let me tell you: it does not surprise me--not even a little bit--that the most immediate and most vocal support I have received are from women. My detractors may hide behind the power of their office, or in the anonymity of the internet or of unrecorded cellphone numbers in order to hurl insults, misinformation, outright lies and even death threats against me. There are also many who have sent their support, but more discreetly in order not to draw attention to themselves. These are well meaning, and much appreciated supporters, but they are nothing like the people--most of them women, and some notable men--who have spoken out publicly in my defense or, more to the point, against behavior that alternates between vile maliciousness, playground bullying, and professional trolling. I will admit that there was a moment in the last three months when I began to doubt whether I will ever be vindicated, whether in this lifetime or beyond. Yes, I must admit that this human rights advocate and former Secretary of Justice was made to doubt if justice will ever be served. Look at all those complaints, why file those complaints to the DOJ when the master of the fakery is now the head of that institution. They must file it directly with the Office of the Ombudsman. But I have people like the women and the few men present here for restoring my faith in mankind. And speaking of mankind, let's take a bit of a break from the daytime soap opera-esque turn that might life has taken, and venture a bit into non-Rodrigo Duterte and EJKs territory. No, I can't even talk about one of the most internationally-relevant event that is about to happen outside the Philippines in the next few weeks because, then, I would be venturing into Trump territory. God forbid there's another mysoginistic leader emerging in the world because this would just be trading one chauvinistic mammal for another. No, let's step even farther. Back in 1950s, Italian physicist Enrico Fermi--I don't know if there are students of Physics here--posed a question that has become known as the so-called "Fermi Paradox". Simple lang ang tanong niya: sa dinamirami ng mga bituin sa buong kalawakan na katulad ng ating araw, kung saan marami sa kanila ay mas matanda pa kaysa sa ating araw; at sa taas ng probabilidad na ilan sa mga bituing iyon ay may kahit isang kasamang planeta na katulad ng ating mundo, na marahil ay may sibilisasyon na natuto nang makapaglalakbay sa kalawakan--bakit hindi pa nila tayo nabibisita? That's the Fermi Paradox. Basically, Fermi was wondering, with such a high probability of alien life capable of interstellar travel: where is everybody? A few days ago, it was reported that another physicist, Brian Cox, has proposed an answer to the "paradox", but his answer is more from the field of political science than physics, and it paints a grim picture for humanity. He said that "One solution to the Fermi paradox is that it is not possible to run a world that has the power to destroy itself and that needs global collaborative solutions to prevent that."[1] In other words, he's saying that civilizations politically implode and exterminate themselves before they can achieve interstellar travel because their members are far too often more prepared to kill each other rather than help and cooperate with each other. Part of his hypothesis is to suggest that maybe the fields of science and engineering inevitably develop faster than our political expertise, which will lead us to disaster. Basically, saying that we gain the ability to make weapons of mass destruction--and eventually, weapons of mass extinction--faster than our ability to gain the enlightenment and wisdom not to use it on each other. He then warned that--I'm talking about Brian Cox--"It may be that the growth of science and engineering inevitably outstrips the development of political expertise, leading to disaster. We could be approaching that position." Yes, it's just a hypothesis, but, you must admit, it's an interesting food for thought, at the very least, and perhaps a cause for alarm if we bother to read the signs of the times. It can't be a coincidence that Cox made public his hypothesis in the year 2016, the year when the next space race was declared by the CEO of Boeing, the airlines, the company which "once helped the US beat the Soviet Union in the race to the moon,"[2] by challenging the billionaire-engineer/investor Elon Musk, the man behind SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and SolarCity, to a race to bring human beings to Mars; which is also the year when the world seems to have been turned upside politically--with misogynistic, and narcissistic authoritarians, so-called populist leaders finding their way back to power, ironically, on the back of the masses through so-called democratic processes, by capitalizing on the terror being wreaked by extremist groups. Let's all think about that. The signs are telling us to brace for a rough ride. For 2016 is definitely the year we start truly feeling insecure in the possibility of nuclear codes falling into, if not already in the hands of dictatorial sociopaths with itchy fingers, short tempers, and no impulse control. And why do I bring these up here, in this forum on Women's Life, Dignity and Democracy? Because 2016 is also the year when there has been an unacceptable resurgence in sexist behavior that is not just a sign of political immaturity, but is actually intentionally meant to undermine the role and influence of women in society--which could very well be what will ultimately give free reign to the destructive forces in our midst to completely destroy our political structure and our very humanity. Kapag mga babae na kasi, iba. 'Di ba, at least ang mga babae ang puwedeng mag-isip at gumawa ng paraan para hindi mangyayari ang mga ganyang kadiliman. Just last year, an audience in this very academic institution hosted a forum--I don't know if you were there. I think some or many of you were here--where the key guest was Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who "acknowledged the Philippine progress and efforts to recognize women's roles in the creation of a just, peaceful, and prosperous society despite them being silenced and overshadowed by men." She even went on to say that "[t]here is no doubt about the role played by the women of the Katipunan in 1896, and the contribution of the Katipuneras of Miriam College in the fight against the Marcos dictatorship." And she lauded our nation's progress as "the only Asian country that has been able to completely close the gender gap in education and health, and is the only one placed in the top 10 of the [Global Gender Gap Report 2014]."[3] Because we are supposed to be number 7 as the most gender-equal nation in the world, and number one in Asia, and even in Asia-Pacific. Ironic. I, myself, a year ago would have said that, in spite of the gaps that still need to be closed, especially in terms of those created by poverty, Filipino women are in a globally enviable position because of all the factors that could hinder our personal growth and inhibit our potential for achieving our goals, gender is probably near the bottom of the list. I would have said that women are seen as every bit as important as men in this country. I would have said that. I could have said the same thing just three months ago--after all, I was elected into office, just like many of my fellow female elected officials. And, to a large extent, I would still say that this holds true even today. The only difference is that the few who still maintain backwards thinking--including a President who unapologetically catcalls female members of the press and then blames them for not accepting the "gesture" as a compliment, the same President who makes jokes about it being a pity that a beautiful missionary woman was raped and killed without the Mayor having a go at her first, and other "boys' locker room" jokes about no one listening to a female President[4]--are so powerful and so prominently featured in the media that these little toxic drops of poison are threatening to compromise the integrity of the whole well. That is the challenge we face today. It's not that we're facing full-blown social marginalization--it is that this fast-growing and spreading brand of old school misogyny is the type of creeping marginalization and sexism that could very well overwhelm us before we know it. There was a recently published article that questions the validity of my alleged status as a so-called "poster child" of victims of misogyny, saying that I am going through my travails in the last few months, not because I am a woman, but because I am getting payback--according to that journalist--for the offenses I have allegedly committed against others. First of all, does that make my situation any better? That I am being publicly shamed and politically persecuted because for the last eight years I tried to do my job the best I could? If I truly stepped on the toes of some people, and they are seeking their vindication, is slut-shaming me really the way to exact justice in this country? I would hope not. Secondly, yes, it is true. I have been very lucky in my life up to this point. True, I have held very powerful posts. I must point out, however, that my post as a Senator today, though it is still a position of influence, it not truly a position of great power though, as many of you may have seen, judging by how my efforts have been so readily shot down by some of my colleagues in the Senate. But, more importantly, to become a victim of misogyny, the reason for the attacks need not be because of gender, if the manner in which one is attacked is tantamount to getting stabbed over and over with the dagger of sexism. The fallacy in the reasoning is no different from what is truly getting in the way of understanding the problem of EJKs. In determining whether or not a particular case is an EJK, it does not matter whatsoever that the person killed was truly a drug suspect, or a drug user, or a drug lord. The identity of the victim or the motive for the killing are not elements of the crime of murder. They are irrelevant to the question of whether he or she was the victim of EJK. What matters is whether the person was killed--for lack of a better word--"lawfully" in the absence of death penalty, an acceptable reason for killing a drug suspect is self-defense. And, under our laws, self-defense, please no make mistake about that, self-defense is a very exacting grounds to prove: there must be aggression on the part of the victim, reasonable necessity of the means employed to prevent or repel it, and lack of sufficient provocation on the part of the person defending himself. Those are the only questions that need to be asked. In the case of misogyny, while being discriminated against or treated unfairly or disrespectfully simply by reason of one's gender is itself misogyny, unfortunately, that is not the only way by which misogyny can rear its ugly head. The manner and not just the motive or reason could also make malicious and unfair treatment a case of misogyny. In my case, obviously I owe my predicament, not to my gender, but my sheer audacity to do my job, first as Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights and thereafter, as Secretary of Justice. True, it is perfectly understandable that there are people who will hold a grudge against me--especially powerful people who were the subject of investigations into various high profile cases, who are now, apparently, out to "get me". But it is not the motive for trying to destroy me that makes the issue of sexism and misogyny relevant. It is the manner by which they set out to destroy me--with no less than their revered leader calling me an immoral woman, a woman of the world, who should be ashamed of myself and therefore, should go hang myself, while he, himself is a self-confessed unfaithful womanizer. Proud womanizer. If that is not sexism, what is? If so-called journalists cannot follow the logic, how can we expect the general public? How can we make our children understand what is wrong with that scenario? How can we hope that our young students, our daughters will not fall victim to the same situations will know how to recognize those situations and, should they be unfortunate enough to encounter it, be able to adequately defend themselves from it? How do we teach our sons to be better than their President or their congressmen? We can do that by not being cowed into silence. Sabi nga ho ni Fr. Robert Reyes doon sa kanyang homily noong isang linggo, doon sa Misa Para sa Katotohanan at Katurangan, it's not only the evil of the killings and the abuse of power that we're seing now, but there's also the evil of silence. We cannot be cowed into silence. By making sure that our voices and views are heard that this so-called democracy, at least, still has some hope for succeeding, and not disintegrating into the rule of an angry, unthinking mob. They will call us shrill. They will label us as naggers. As irrational women who have to be told to "calm down" even while they themselves are melting down after their masculinity is questioned. But that is part of the battle we have to fight. Remember, the fight is not just for women. It is for our collective humanity. That maybe, maybe, we really could achieve political maturity that will help prevent us from killing each other, more than we already currently are. I know it's a cliche, but I also know that there is truth to the role of women as nurturers. We need to nurture our own dignity, in order to win back our true democracy. What we have now is mob rule and madness, if we go by the sheer inability of people to see what the problem is. It is not true democracy, for genuine democracy presupposes that we actually have the mental capacity and the will to make informed decisions by actually first understanding the issues. That is another thing that physicist Cox missed. Our problem is not so much that our capacity for scientific learning outstrips our capacity for political learning. It is only that we keep forgetting what we learn, ang bilis kasi nating makalimot, and the new generation has to learn them again and again--often the hard way. There is a difference between how we pass on scientific knowledge, or how such knowledge retain their integrity; and how we pass on political wisdom, which is always the subject of doubt and skepticism. I don't know if we do have political wisdom. Perhaps it is time that we find innovative ways to teach our young people, our children the lessons of the past, so that they don't have to re-learn them by making the same mistakes that we did. Look at all the historical revisionism that is being foisted on us on the issue of the Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. That's the life of a woman: while men seem to think of only the here and now, with little regard for the chain of intended and unintended consequences, we, as nurturers, always have to think ahead and think deeply. That's why we have intuition, woman's intuition. Tayo lang po meron niyan. Wala sila niyan. Let's use it intelligently. That is why we cannot afford to be silenced. Let's put a stop to the evil of silence. We must speak, and we must speak, not just as human beings, but specifically as women. While I never asked to be the poster child for any sort of victimization--Hindi ko talaga na-imagine sa buong buhay ko na magiging biktima rin pala ako ng human rights violation. Akala ko tagapagtanggol lang ako ng mga nabibiktima ng human rights violations. Because you know, my role is that of an advocate being so much more safe and comfortable a role than as a victim--I am not one to let a good opportunity to be an agent of positive change go to waste. And therefore, I thank all of you again for this opportunity. It has been a welcome break from the daily grind I have been going through, while at the same time, affording me the chance to turn lemons into lemonade by seeing the upside of my situation. Hangga't kaya ko, kakayanin ko. Hangga't kaya ko, lalaban po ako. Maraming salamat po. ____________________________ [1] http://www.iflscience.com/space/brian-cox-explains-why-we-havent-seen-aliens-yet-and-it-isnt-pretty/ [2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-04/boeing-ceo-vows-to-beat-musk-to-mars-as-new-space-race-beckons [3] http://www.interaksyon.com/lifestyle/chiles-president-michelle-bachelet-to-filipino-women-women-can. [4] http://preen.inquirer.net/30493/president-rodrigo-duterte-thinks-no-one-will-follow-a-female-president.
Hontiveros visits Zika epicenter, pushes barangay-led prevention measures

ILOILO CITY - In Barangay Benedicto, Iloilo City where four cases of Zika virus have been reported, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros' visit on Saturday served as a positive challenge to push for barangay-led prevention measures.

"Sa barangay nangyari, sa barangay ang solusyon", urged Hontiveros. In a meeting with local leaders and residents, the neophyte Senator explained that the frontline of health systems is at the barangay level and should be harnessed in matters of public health.

Yesterday, the Department of Health also reported Zika cases in Makati and Mandaluyong. These bring the number of Zika cases in the Philippines to 17. The senator urged the public to stay calm and asked the government to heighten its response.

"The best response to the Zika virus is education and prevention. We must strengthen our information, detection and monitoring drive to prevent the further spread of the disease, and to provide immediate care to those infected with the virus," Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, also distributed in Iloilo City 'anti-Zika packets' that contained commodities against mosquito-borne infections like Zika. The packets included mosquito nets, education materials and others.

The Akbayan Senator said the activity is part of the health promotion and disease prevention strategies that she wants all barangay health units to implement to reduce the public's risk of contracting the virus.

"Coming here is a gesture: the message is that fear should not cloud our action towards preventing the spread of Zika", Hontiveros said.
Press Release

October 15, 2016 Legarda Pushes for PhilHealth Coverage for all Filipinos,

Other Healthcare Advocacies Senate Committee on Finance Chairperson Senator Loren Legarda has pushed for PhilHealth coverage of all Filipinos by next year as she augmented the budget of the Department of Health (DOH) to achieve said target. According to the DOH, there are about eight million Filipinos still not covered by PhilHealth. Legarda, principal author of the Mandatory Universal Healthcare Coverage Act, said that the health of the public deserves to be on top of the priorities of government. "It is our duty, in serving the public, to extend basic healthcare protection to all our citizens." "In the 2017 budget, we will cover all Filipinos under PhilHealth, and for indigent patients, they will not pay for anything in government hospitals under the No Balance Billing (NBB)," she said. Meanwhile, Legarda also expressed support to other priority programs of the DOH. Legarda welcomed the anticipated issuance of an Executive Order banning smoking in closed public areas and designating smoking areas in public open spaces. Based on the Tobacco Atlas of the World Lung Foundation and American Cancer Society, at least 71,850 deaths in the Philippines every year are attributed to tobacco-related diseases. Moreover, second-hand smoking (SHS) increases the risks of contracting lung cancer by 30 percent and coronary heart disease by 25 percent. The 2011 Global Youth Tobacco Survey further notes that, among 13-15 year old Filipinos, at least two out of five are exposed to second-hand smoking at home, while three out of five are exposed to it outside the home. "The ill effects of cigarette smoking to both smokers and second-hand smokers remain a serious threat to the health of Filipinos and, thus, must be addressed," the Senator explained. Legarda said she will include a special provision under the 2017 national budget mandating the conduct of information and education campaign in schools and communities on the evils of cigarettes, alcohol and illegal drugs. The Senator likewise aired her concern over the DOH report which revealed that a Filipino child born to the poorest family is three times more likely not to reach his 5th birthday compared to one born to the richest family. Research shows that the first 1,000 days of a child's life--which covers the nine months of a mother's pregnancy until a child's second birthday--is critical in the child's development. In line with this, Legarda expressed her support for the immediate passage of the proposed First 1,000 Days Act, which will establish a nutrition and healthcare program for pregnant and lactating women and their babies in all barangays. Finally, Legarda asked the DOH to address the issue of open defecation, stressing that it is a national sanitation and health issue. According to the DOH, eight percent of the population still has no access to sanitary facilities. Under their 2017 proposed budget, the DOH will provide toilet bowls and the LGUs will do the construction. Legarda said the DOH should meet with LGUs to determine informal settler areas that must be prioritized in the provision of improved sanitary facilities using the Sarangani Province model, which has zero open defecation.
Press Release

October 15, 2016 Senate proud to turn 100, will work harder to serve Filipinos - Pimentel As the Senate of the Philippines officially turns 100 years old, Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III vowed that members of the institution will continue to pursue the chamber's proud tradition of making laws aimed at improving the lives of Filipinos. Pimentel said the anniversary was a "historic occasion" and that the Senate had much to celebrate in its 100th year of existence since it was established in October 16, 1916 during the American colonial period. "This milestone commemorates a rich past of meaningful legislative accomplishments with the ultimate aspiration of refining the lives of Filipino people," he said. Pimentel pointed to the many successes of the Senate throughout the decades as a democratic institution in enacting laws that cover every aspect of Filipino life, checking abuses in government, concurring or rejecting international treaties, and serving as an impeachment court as part of the country's system of check and balances. "The achievements of the 22 distinguished Senate Presidents before me and their respective colleagues have shown their profound passion to governance by imparting their expertise and their patriotic service to our citizens," he said. Pimentel is the country's 23rd Senate President, and the second Mindanaoan to hold the position. His father, former Senator Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr., served as Senate President from 2000 to 2001. "As Senate President, it is an honor on my part to humbly carry the torch that was handed to me across the century, and I pledge to remain vigilant in facing the challenges ahead," he then said. Pimentel vowed that the institution would continue "to work hard in bringing about essential reforms beneficial to the public and to the society." "The performance of the Senate in the 16th Congress speaks well of its eternal commitment to public service by ratifying 243 laws focused on the economy, justice, agriculture, workers welfare, health and education. I assure you this kind of passionate dedication to work will continue on to the 17th Congress with the objective of improving the lives of our generation and the generations to come," he said. Pimentel said he envisioned a Senate "that is guided by truth, reason, justice and fairness with the new composition of seasoned members working together for the common good to bring about the necessary transformation in keeping attuned with the times." "Our success as an institution will be measured on the impact of the laws we have enacted to the lives of the people for which they were created for," he concluded. Since it was established, the Philippine Senate has produced many of the country's most distinguished and influential leaders, such as Jovito Salonga, Jose Diokno, Benigno Aquino Jr., and Lorenzo Tanada, Sr. At least 10 of the country's 16 presidents have served at the Senate - from Presidents Manuel L. Quezon, Jose P. Laurel, Sergio Osmena, Manuel A. Roxas, Elpidio R. Quirino, Carlos P. Garcia, Ferdinand E. Marcos, Joseph E. Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to Benigno C. Aquino III.
Press Release

October 16, 2016 Senate finance heads seek increase in budget for scholarship programs

ANGARA: EVERY FILIPINO FAMILY MUST HAVE A COLLEGE GRADUATE The Senate finance committee chairperson, Sen. Loren Legarda, and the vice chairperson handling the budget for tertiary education, Sen. Sonny Angara, have called for higher budget allocation for the government's scholarship program to give free college education to more poor and disadvantaged students in the country. Under the 2017 budget proposal, P5.6 billion of the total P13.4-billion budget for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is allotted for its scholarship programs. The proposed funding increased by P3.4 billion from this year's allocation. With the budget hike, CHED Chairperson Patricia Licuanan said the number of scholarship beneficiaries will rise to 437,522 in 2017 from 271,209 slots this year. Senators Legarda and Angara asked the CHED how much it would cost to give free college education for all students enrolled in state universities and colleges (SUCs). Licuanan said the price tag would be P258 billion a year, taking into consideration the increase in enrolment in SUCs with students migrating from private schools. Currently, approximately 4.1 million students are enrolled in higher education institutions--1.9 million of which are enrolled in public schools while 2.2 million are in private schools. Given that the sum of free college education for all would to be too hefty for the government to shoulder, the senators said the government should first prioritize the poorest of the poor in providing free education. Of the current enrolment in SUCs, Licuanan noted that only eight percent come from the bottom socio-economic class. "Despite the great efforts of the government to widen the access to education, the reality is that majority of our poor families are still unable to send their kids to school. Our challenge now is to ensure that every Filipino family will be given the opportunity to have at least one college graduate who will help them rise from poverty," Angara said. Thus, he has filed Senate Bill 133 or the "One Family, One Graduate Act" that entitles poor but deserving students, giving priority to beneficiaries of the government's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), to a free college education until they graduate. The proposed measure institutionalizes the CHED's Expanded Student Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA), which awards student-grantees under 4Ps a maximum of P60,000 per academic year to cover the cost for tuition and other school fees. At present, only up to 40,000 students can avail of the grants-in-aid of the total 4.4 million household-beneficiaries of 4Ps. "Aside from tuition, poor families are also burdened by the costs of dorm, fare, food, books and other basic school supplies. It's great that this grant includes stipend to further assist the parents with the expenses," Angara said. Meanwhile, Legarda urged the CHED to prioritize science, technology, engineering, agri-fisheries, and mathematics (STEAM) courses in the grant of scholarships. Both senators said they support higher education's proposed budget with recommendation to increase the allocation for the scholarship programs.
Steven Highway Green doesnt know much about Proposition Q on San Franciscos Nov. 8 ballot. He has no intention of voting, and all hes heard is that the measure is aimed at kicking homeless tent encampments like his off the street in exchange for housing or shelter.

That exchange sounds great to Green, if its done right. Which could be a stretch.

I want nothing more than to move off this damn street, get rid of this damn tent and get my life together with a real home, Green, 54, said the other day on Shotwell Street in the Mission District, as customers of a nearby grocery store strolled by and tried to avoid eye contact. Look, a couple of people got shot over the weekend right near me. I want to do better with my rehab. Its hell out here.

They want to clear us out and give us a place to stay? Hell yeah. I want that.

But, as with many details carrying devils, this proposition has one crucial provision that opponents  and even the measures author, Supervisor Mark Farrell  say will be tough to carry through. Thats the housing or shelter part.

Although Prop. Q does indeed mandate that anyone cleared off the street be offered a shelter bed or housing, thats virtually impossible to supply quickly, citywide. And quick is what the measure intends, requiring only a 24-hour notice before a camp is swept out.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

For people like Green, thats the sticky part. He said he wouldnt mind a 24-hour notice if he had a real roof waiting. But if all he gets is a one-night shelter bed, hed rather just pick up and move a few blocks  which would give relief to one neighborhood but create a new tent scene for another.

Make that offer of housing real, and wed all be happy, he said.

Theres little chance that San Francisco will soon be able to supply long-term places to live for everyone in the 75 or so tent camps dotting the city.

There are usually about 800 people on the waiting list for the citys 1,300 shelter beds. About 3,500 people were listed as unsheltered in the most recent tally of San Franciscos 6,700-person homeless population, an estimate based on a one-night count in January 2015.

The citys stock of 6,000-plus units of supportive housing  living space where homeless people are offered such things as substance-abuse services and job counseling  is more per capita than in any other city in the nation. But there are only 300 to 600 new units planned for the coming year.

Farrell said he doesnt see the numbers as being as daunting as the problem hes trying to ease with his proposition.

Police already have the authority to clear out camps, but theres no 24-hour mandate. They generally try to coordinate sweeps with street counselors.

Farrell contends that a voter-approved requirement would bring more structure to the tent-camp problem  something thats needed, he says, given an ever-more-visible homeless population and residents rising unhappiness about it. Last month, he issued figures from a Police Department analysis showing there had been 13 reported rapes in tent camps since January 2015.

Tent encampments on the street are inherently dangerous and unhealthy places for people to live in, and we have to be creative in San Francisco about addressing that, Farrell said. The bottom line is that nobody is getting better living in a tent, let alone standing up on their own two feet and getting their lives together.

Farrell says he has faith that housing and shelter capacity will improve through a combination of $50 million in new homeless funding and affordable-housing increases on the ballot, and $48 million in new city money committed to addressing homelessness during the coming year. With a third Navigation Center scheduled to open next year in the Dogpatch neighborhood, he said, San Francisco will have the potential of helping more than 1,500 people off the streets each year.

Farrells proposition was put on the ballot by a moderate majority of the board this summer after a legislative tussle with progressive Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Jane Kim, who were floating more lenient proposals for clearing camps. Peskin withdrew his, saying the board should defer to the new Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.

The agencys director, Jeff Kositsky, has taken no official stance on Prop. Q. He says he has his own plans and would prefer it if camp-clearance policy were not politicized.

One of Kositskys first actions upon assuming his post this summer was to create a special tent clearance team. It is now methodically clearing encampments in the Mission District.

Kim, meanwhile, said her proposed tent ordinance is on hold until after the election, because it would be superseded by Farrells proposition if it passes. Her plan would give homeless campers at least five days notice before being evicted, and require that they be given services and shelter for at least 90 days.

If youve ever spent time in an encampment, youll know that 24 hours is not enough time to prepare people to leave, Kim said. You need to build trust and take time to connect people to housing and services. And Supervisor Farrells plan gives no number of days required for shelter.

The San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness says Prop. Q is cruel. The city should instead be supplying portable toilets and other services to tent sprawls to make life more livable until campers can be helped into permanent housing, the activist group says.

The proposition was not well thought out, Scott Nelson, who is on the coalitions Housing Not Q Committee, said as he visited a camp of wooden shanties and tents on Seventh Street. There arent enough shelter beds or housing units for everyone, so really, where are people going to go?

And when they talk about criminal behavior in tent camps, like the rapes, its not the homeless who are the problem  its the homeless who are the victims, Nelson said. We need more help, not more laws just telling us to get off the streets.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Carl Petersen, an architect who lives and works near Steven Greens Mission District camp, said he sympathizes with those living in tents, but calls the current situation intolerable. Just the other day, he said, a homeless man with a swastika tattoo beat up another camper near his office, and a week before that a camper died on the street near Petersens house.

I understand how difficult living on the street is, and Im not saying everyones no good on the street, but it is a mess, Petersen said. Proposition Q is great, giving someone an option thats not just moving them along.

Farrell said he has great faith in Kositsky and his staff, and is only trying to support their goals and be compassionate. And he said mandating that camps be left alone for at least five days, as Kim proposes, would lock in a hands-off policy of letting homeless people stay on the street, moving periodically to beat deadlines.

The fundamental purpose of Proposition Q is that housing in any shape or form is better than sleeping on the street, Farrell said. Standing idly by is tantamount to sticking our heads in the sand.

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron

What Proposition Q does

Requires 24-hour notice be given to homeless tent campers before city workers can clear away their tents.

Shelter, housing or a ticket out of town to be reunited with family or friends must be offered to campers being cleared.

Personal property seized during the clearance must be stored by the city for at least 90 days.

Volunteer guide

The Chronicle and other media partners of the SF Homeless Project are compiling a guide on how residents can volunteer or donate items to help people experiencing homelessness.

If your nonprofit organization would like to be included in this guide, we want to hear from you. Please email KShaw-Krivosh@sfchronicle.com with the name of your organization, contact information and the type of volunteers or items you accept.
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Multimillionaire philanthropist and San Francisco culture queen Dede Wilsey can add a new crown to her collection: Princess of Politics.

According to campaign reports, Wilsey has contributed $291,000 to local candidates, political action committees and ballot measures in 2016. Most of the candidates and measures are backed by Mayor Ed Lee and his allies in business and labor.

Such generosity is nothing new  Wilsey has been spreading the cash around since Willie Brown was mayor. In recent years, progressives such as Public Defender Jeff Adachi, former state Sen. Carol Migden and former state Assemblyman Tom Ammiano have received donations from Wilsey, as have Board of Supervisors President London Breed and City Attorney Dennis Herrera.

The big money from Wilsey, however, usually goes to moderates such as Lee and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. For example, she has dropped $110,000 into the campaign for Proposition 63, Newsoms statewide ammunition control initiative.

This year  counting what she has given to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Senate candidate Kamala Harris  Wilsey has directed a total of $417,000 to San Francisco-based Democrats.

Not bad for a registered Republican.

Most recently, Wilsey donated $100,000 to fight measures aimed at reducing the power of the mayor  after she had a private sit-down with Lee.

Wilsey, of course, just came through a fight in which she held onto a large measure of power at the publicly financed Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, where she had faced a revolt over her heavy-handed management style and a big payout of museum money to a former employee.

There is no question that political donations were key on her being able to hang onto her seat, said progressive activist Jon Golinger, who is running the campaign to create a public advocate job in San Francisco  one of the measures Wilsey is trying to defeat.

She is sending the message that she is still in power, Golinger said.

Wilsey declined to comment on her political prowess, but her spokesman Nathan Ballard said, Mrs. Wilseys opponents should be careful about underestimating her. She has long and deep relationships in politics at all points of the spectrum, and she is a force to be reckoned with.

No doubt.

Rolling in her grave: Just days before she died, Chinatown power broker Rose Pak slipped us a copy of the resume of the man she was pushing for chief of police: her longtime protege, Deputy Chief Garret Tom.

Tom was among a dozen or so applicants interviewed by the Police Commission for the chiefs job  but hes now out of the running.

No regrets, Tom told us when we called to confirm the news. Its been a great 35 years and a great career, and Im seriously thinking of retiring.

As for whos still a contender?

Josh Edelson/JOSH EDELSON / SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Word is that acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin is one of the finalists from inside the department, with three outsiders still in the mix.

And with a new U.S. Justice Department report calling for the Police Department to make 272 reforms in the aftermath of several fatal shootings that have inflamed minority communities, the betting around the Hall of Justice is that the next chief is almost sure to be African American.

However, with so much at stake on the November ballot, speculation is that Mayor Ed Lee wont make the appointment until after the election to limit any potential political fallout.

On the money: Nancy Pelosi  the Energizer Bunny of Democratic politics  continues to show why she is a good bet to win back her job as speaker if her party recaptures the House next month.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

In the past three months alone, Pelosi has hosted 324 fundraising events in 50 cities  raising $127.7 million, including $105.9 million for Democratic congressional campaigns.

Pelosi has now broken her election cycle fundraising record, surpassing the $101.3 million she raised in the 2014 cycle, her office declared in a news release.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Clinton calling: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton had a good reason to stop by her San Francisco campaign headquarters on her way to a fundraising rally at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium the other day.

In addition to handing out signs, her HQ in the former KRON studios houses a call operation that has dialed up 600,000 voters in California and swing states since she landed the nomination.

You cant pay people for the kind of commitment we are getting out of the volunteers here, said campaign volunteer Christine Pelosi, daughter of Nancy.

And saying thanks goes a long way toward ensuring theyll keep it up until election day.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Sometimes, it seems there are two Brenda Ways afoot in the Bay Area.

The first Brenda Way is a founding dancer-choreographer and now artistic director of ODC Dance (formerly Oberlin Dance Collective), an organization that arrived from Ohio in 1976 in a yellow school bus, rented a Mississippi Street studio for $200 a month and danced its way into our cultural history.

The second Brenda Way is, by her own admission, an impresario at heart, a seeker, nurturer and underwriter of emerging talent that has brightened our artistic life in three venues over the past four decades. San Francisco received a major dance education on Mississippi Street, later at the New Performance Gallery and at its 17th Street successor, the ODC Theater.

It is that Brenda Way whose accomplishment will be celebrated this month during Welcome Home @ 40, a 13-day potpourri of performances, exhibitions and parties, arranged by Christy Bolingbroke, ODC Theater former deputy director. There is much to celebrate.

Sitting in her airy ODC Commons office surrounded by baskets of scrapbooks (our past, she observes with a sweep of her arm), Way says she was always keen on keeping up with what other choreographers were doing, and she remains proud that at Oberlin, she launched an inter-arts program that brought Twyla Tharp and Trisha Brown to the campus. One of the studios on Mississippi Street was a performance space, and it was soon buzzing with activity.

All the collective members spread out all over town, seeing everything they could see, recalls Way, and then we got together and decided what artists were the most interesting, and we booked them. We had a different performance every month.

The collective had a school with a small, but interdisciplinary curriculum. We had an aesthetic seminar that first year and 28 people turned up, and we had great arguments about art.

Because Way believed that dance would stand up to intellectual scrutiny, she formed a serious journal, the quarterly New Performance, which endured for four action-packed years.

In 1979, the eviction ax fell on Mississippi, and Way found what had been a hardware store and barn on 17th Street. This time, the collective decided to buy ($211,000 in those days).

From the beginning, we had not just a dance focus, and that was something that really came from Oberlin. But when we moved to the new building, says Way, and this was an important change, we basically separated the dancing into the company and took all the arts focus into the theater. The company was no longer a collective; we adapted a more hierarchical structure.

The first booked performance in 1980 was the Jazz Tap Ensemble, which danced on a half-completed dance floor. Soon, the brick-walled New Performance Gallery became a magnet for audiences seeking new and original fare in contemporary art. The talent list was unique, says Way.

We had Bill Irwin in his first performances. We had the puppeteer Bruce Schwartz, we had vocalist Diamanda Galas of Wild Women With Steak Knives fame. We had Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane in their first performance out here. And we had Eiko and Koma in their first performance in this country, and they danced to the Beatles.

Anything could happen at NPG. Nobody has forgotten the evening when Margaret Jenkins Company member Joe Goode stood up in his tighty whities and orated about the state of the world; the pathways to fame are many.

Way also cites now-famous dance artists like Sarah Michelson, Faye Driscoll and Nora Chipaumire who emerged from the theaters Pilot program and now are forging prominent careers. The 2010 remodeling and renaming of ODC Theater saw a wave of major debuting artists, including Body Traffic and John Heginbotham (as entries in the Bolingbroke-instituted Walking Distance Dance Festival) and Herve Koubis all-male company. Julie Potter succeeded Bolingbroke as theater director this fall.

Weve been a nurturing center for a lot of important work, and it will continue, says Way.

The festival should both prompt the memory of its patrons and point the way to future. The emphasis during the fortnight will not be on premieres, but on works in progress and deconstruction.

To my surprise, I find that general dance audiences are increasingly interested in process, in the mechanics of dance, says Way. Im still one of those people who prefer to see it all tied up in a bow.

Way has certainly tied up the future. Our commitment was always to no debt; we only built what we raised money for, and that was wiser than even I imagined. ODC Theater is mortgage-free.

I want to leave this place with an endowment, so that the overhead is taken care of in perpetuity, so that the next generation of curators and dance companies can just worry about making the art and not worry about paying the electric bills.

Allan Ulrich is The San Francisco Chronicles dance correspondent.

Welcome Home @40: Tuesday, Oct 18-Oct. 30. ODC Theater, 3153 17th St., San S.F. (415) 863-9834. www.odcdance.org/welcomehome

To see Savion Glover perform at ODC Theater: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCJUDu0HEx4
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Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was back on the political stump in California on Saturday, firing up volunteers for state Senate candidate Jane Kim and pushing for passage of Proposition 61, which would set a cap on state costs for prescription drugs.

If voters can elect Jane Kim, pass Proposition 61 and the other good measures on the ballot, California will continue its place in America as a good, progressive state whose ideas will transform America, Sanders told the crowd at Kims Civic Center headquarters.

Kim, who is battling fellow Supervisor Scott Wiener for the seat now held by termed-out state Sen. Mark Leno, has a history with Sanders, who provided former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a much stronger than expected challenge in the Democratic presidential primary.

In May, Kim became one of the first state Legislature candidates in the nation to be endorsed by Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who said he was looking to back candidates who could bring his progressive priorities into their states.

Sanders support  and an email blast asking his backers to send money to Kim  gave her campaign an instant financial boost and probably helped her to a narrow and unexpected first-place finish in the June primary.

Kim repaid Sanders by joining him at various Bay Area campaign events, including a walk through Chinatown the day before the state primary.

She stumbled a bit Saturday, drawing laughs when she accidentally said she was endorsing Sanders rather than introducing the senator, but that didnt make any difference to the joyfully partisan crowd in the packed campaign headquarters, where chants of Bernie, Bernie, Bernie were broken by the occasional shout of We love you, Bernie!

Kim credited Sanders call for eliminating all tuition at public colleges and universities with inspiring her to help design the citys Prop. W, a measure on the November ballot that would boost the property transfer tax on properties valued at more than $5 million and use some of the anticipated $44 million in new revenue to eliminate tuition at San Francisco City College.

W is polling way better than me, Kim said with a laugh, so Ill have one victory on the ballot.

In his 10-minute talk, Sanders painted Kim as someone who will carry his progressive political platform to Sacramento. Free college tuition, more low-cost housing, a single-payer health care system and support for alternative forms of energy are positions backed by mainstream America, he said.

We want government that works for everyone and not just the 1 percent, Sanders said, referring to the financial elite. There is nothing radical or fringe about the positions he and Kim hold, he added.

When we stand together, Sanders told the cheering crowd, there is nothing we cant change.

Sanders argued that Kim is not running a complicated campaign.

Here is someone who has been progressive her whole life, he said. Someone who believes people are entitled to affordable prescription drugs ... entitled to housing we can afford ... Jane understands.

He also gave a pitch to the volunteers waiting to go out after the event to knock on doors for Kim and other progressive city candidates.

While Wiener, whom neither Kim nor Sanders mentioned by name, is raising much more money, we can beat that, Sanders said.

Instead of relying on big contributions from well-heeled donors and pricey TV ads, theres a different way to do politics, the senator said. We can mobilize people to go out and knock on doors and talk to their neighbors.

Kim wasnt the only reason Sanders was in San Francisco on Saturday. After finishing his talk, he jumped into a car that took him to the Marriott Marquis Hotel at Third and Mission streets for a Prop. 61 rally.

Sanders already has made a mark in that contest, holding a rally Friday in Hollywood and cutting a TV spot thats running across the state.

The price cap on prescription drugs purchased by the state for groups like retired public employees and Medi-Cal recipients is long overdue, Sanders said in the ad.

The ballot measure will be a real blow against this greedy (pharmaceutical) industry that will reverberate all over America, he added.

With his visit and support for Kim, Sanders found himself up against Clinton in California once again.

At a San Francisco campaign event last week, Clinton went out of her way to praise Wiener by name for his work on providing family leave in San Francisco.

Although Clinton hasnt endorsed Wiener, that didnt stop him from using the shout-out to boost his campaign.

Its a huge honor that Secretary Clinton recognized my efforts to help working families, he said. I couldnt be more proud to stand by her side on these issues.
Supermodels Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington mimic the see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil monkeys. Yves Saint Laurent recoils ever so slightly from an avid, animated Diana Vreeland, his fingers curled like shy flower petals away from her splayed, pointed tips. Flip sides of Andy Warhol  deliriously giddy and dead serious  are captured in a single photo.

These are just a few of the images that seem to leap from the portfolio of Roxanne Lowit  photographs of icons at play and writ large, vibrant, alive and revealing.

Lowits latest project feels like a perfect fit: a series of photos of intriguing women with major personalities, like Alba Clemente, Bellamy Young and Cyndi Lauper, all wearing MaxMaras recently relaunched wool and cashmere 101801 coat, created in 1981. The oversize shape, length and cut are all having a moment once again, thanks to designers like Marc Jacobs and Isabel Marant.

Lowit knows all about moments: Its the title of the 1990 book by the photographer, who has contributed to publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and W and has exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Its also not hard to see why so many glittering names have let their masks drop, if only for a moment, for the photographer. Speaking from her NYC home, the garrulous Lowit happily slings anecdotes like the confidante youd want to cozy up to at a packed party.

Q: How did you get involved in the MaxMara campaign?

A: Well, first of all, I very much like the people at MaxMara, and Ive worked with them for a long time and known them forever, it seems. They do great things and are open to projects that are interesting. The project was a challenge to get the personality of the person in the coat. Alba Clemente (pictured above) wore the coat just over a bathing suit  it was in the winter, and she remembers it being cold. I wish I had legs like that. The whole body, actually.

Q: Describe your process.

A: Im inspired by the moment, and the people inspire me. Its fun to do, and I love taking photographs, and I love photographing people the way they like to be taken and the way they think they appear. Thats how I like to capture them  the real self, the real soul, the real energy. The reality of who they are.

Q: How did you first get into fashion?

A: I went to FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) for textile design because I like to paint and I wanted to be an artist. I worked for a hand-silkscreen operation. Photographers would come to the showroom and an editor would say, Shoot that, and the photographer would shoot it, and the editor would feel the garment and so on. It was a different time. The editor I was working with saw my pictures. I was taking pictures with a 110 Instamatic, and she said, I love your pictures. Youre going to Paris, right? If you take pictures, Ill use them, but you need a real camera. So on the way to Paris, I learned how to load a 35mm camera. If you dont know how to do anything wrong, you have no fear. So at the end of my first show, I ended up at the top of the Eiffel Tower with Yves Saint Laurent, Andy Warhol and Antonio Lopez. I thought, I can do this.

Q: How did you start to shoot backstage?

A: Shooting backstage was much more interesting to me. You can see the hair, makeup and the designers fixing them. It was much more real to me. It wasnt fake. The models had personalities  drinking, smoking, laughing and dancing.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Q: Have times changed?

A: Its too controlled now. There are too many people backstage. Everybody is anxious. Press people saying who can go in and cant. If you have your picture, they say, You can go now. Its much different, and everybody has a camera or a phone, so everybody is a photographer.

Kimberly Chun is an East Bay freelance writer. Email: style@sfchronicle.com

See Roxanne Lowits Project 101801 on display Oct. 22-28. MaxMara, 175 Post St., S.F. (415) 981-0900. us.maxmara.com.
Colin Kaepernick has reported receiving death threats since he began his national anthem protest. Now, someone in Buffalo is taking threats to another level: merchandising.

Sports Illustrated writer Robert Klemko found one vendor outside of Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday morning selling shirts that depict Kaepernick in a gun sight with the caption: "Wanted: notorious disgrace to America." Another shirt reads "Shut up and stand up!"
If I were a betting woman, Id put money on jianbing becoming the next big food trend. The eggy northern Chinese crepe has recently taken New York by storm and is now making inroads in the Bay Area. You can find them in a few places around San Francisco, the East Bay and the Peninsula, but some of the best and most consistent can be found at a pop-up called Tai Chi Jianbing, where Cheng Hu is making organic versions of the street food he grew up with.

Jianbing was once described to me as a Chinese Crunchwrap, which is as neat an explanation as any for the savory snack, which gets its crispiness from fried wonton wrappers. They start with a ladle of thin batter made from mung bean, soy bean and all-purpose flours, spread thinly onto a circular griddle in the manner of a dosa or French crepe.

When the dough has set a bit, Hu cracks two free-range eggs on top and scrambles them slightly, then sprinkles them with chopped green onions, cilantro, cumin, red pepper flakes and black and white sesame seeds. The crepe is then flipped over, and Hu applies chile-garlic and thick soy sauces as well as the fried wonton squares, and toppings like frankfurters, dried tuna and barbecued pork.

Finally, Hu folds the crepe around the fillings, making for a neat little packet that displays the scrambled eggs, herbs and spices on the outside, and inside contains all the meaty, saucy bits between crisp wonton layers. One is enough for a breakfast or lunch, or a hearty snack shared between two people.

Hu, 29, started making jianbing because he couldnt find any restaurant in the Bay Area that was serving them to his satisfaction. He grew up in the city of Shenyang in northeastern China, near the Korean border, and went to college in Indiana before following his girlfriend to San Francisco.

But he didnt lose his taste for dishes like jianbing, which are a daily part of life on the streets of northern Chinese cities like Shenyang and Beijing. Hu started making them and other elusive native dishes at home; then his girlfriend encouraged him to try a pop-up.

He consulted with a jianbing master in Beijing and launched his pop-up, Tai Chi Jianbing, in June on Noriega in the Outer Sunset. In September, he moved the pop-up to its current location, at Nabe, a popular hot pot restaurant at Ninth and Irving in the Inner Sunset. There, Hu sets up his crepe stand nearly every morning, right in front of Nabes floor-to-ceiling front windows, and hopes that curious passersby in the busy corridor will give the unfamiliar food a try.

First-timers should start with the traditional crepe, just egg and fried wonton; its a medley of soft and crunchy textures with subtle flavors from the spices, herbs and sauces. Those with heartier appetites, or who are willing to deviate from tradition, should opt for the tuna or pulled pork varieties. Both proteins are done in the dry, Chinese tradition, and with filling added, its more like a meal than a street snack, especially when its warm off the griddle.

Currently the menu of crepes is supplemented with only marbled, marinated tea eggs and warm doujiang (a GMO-free soy milk). But Chen hopes to soon start offering more northern snacks like Chinese hamburgers  marinated meat in a crisp, flat bun  and steamed buns similar to xiao long bao. He also hopes to increase a South Bay following at his pop-ups second outpost, on Tuesdays at Inteanet in Cupertinos new Main Street development.

Mostly, hes happy to bring local eaters a new food to obsess over. I think people in San Francisco really like new things, he says. Im really trying to give the American customer a new image of Chinese food.

Anna Roth is a freelance writer in San Francisco. Email: food@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annaroth

What: Traditional crepe ($8.50), tuna rousong crepe ($10), warm soy milk ($3.50)

Where: Tai Chi Jianbing at Nabe Restaurant, 1325 Ninth Ave. (at Irving Street), San Francisco, (415) 215-9385. www.taichijianbing.com

When: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday
1 Restaurant shootout: An argument at a Los Angeles restaurant early Saturday apparently initiated a gunbattle that left three people dead and 12 wounded, authorities said. Police found shell casings and blood throughout the restaurant, located west of downtown. Two possible suspects were being questioned. Officer Mike Lopez said a party was under way at 12:30 a.m. when an argument started. A man and woman left the building, then returned and the restaurant erupted in gunfire. Three people died at the scene, and 12 others were transported to local hospitals. Their conditions ranged from critical to stable. Police did not disclose the names of the fatalities. The Los Angeles Times described the restaurant as a popular Jamaican eatery that features a DJ on Friday night.

2 Deadly wreck: A motorist, apparently rushing to a Philadelphia hospital to see his injured father, ran a red light, was hit by a sport utility vehicle and crashed into a utility pole, resulting in the deaths of his two passengers. The 18-year-old driver, who was not identified, also was injured in the crash Friday, as was the unnamed driver of the sport utility vehicle, police said. The two killed were identified as Maggie Lynn Goloff, 17, and Osman Zeylnov, 19. Police said the motorist was apparently rushing to see his father who, hours earlier, had been robbed and assaulted while making a food delivery.
A man suspected of shooting a San Francisco police officer died at San Francisco General Hospital on Sunday, said hospital spokesman Brent Andrew.

The man, who has not been identified, was shot Friday night by police officers who were responding to calls about a person threatening others at the Lakeshore Plaza Shopping Center.

Police confronted the man on Everglade Drive. He opened fire on officers, police said, hitting Officer Kevin Downs in the head before fleeing across Sloat Boulevard toward Stern Grove.

The man eventually came out of bushes at 28th Avenue and Vicente Street and tried to run. Officers shot him during a confrontation and took the armed man into custody after a standoff.

Downs remained hospitalized Sunday but continued to recover, officials said. He is in his early 20s and has been on the force for two years. Along with being an officer, Downs co-founded Ranchin Vets, an organization that helps veterans transition from military to civilian life.

Both Downs and the gunman were taken to San Francisco General Hospital Friday night.

Downs underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments from his brain. Officials said he is partially paralyzed on one side of his body, but they would not elaborate on his prognosis or recovery process.

The gunshot was nearly fatal, interim Police Chief Toney Chaplin said Saturday. At a news conference, he said the outcome would be different had the bullet been one centimeter down.

Neither hospital officials nor police elaborated on the suspects gunshot wounds, with police saying Sunday in a statement only that the suspect in this incident had passed due to his injuries.

Evan Sernoffsky and Lizzie Johnson are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com, ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky, @LizzieJohnsonnn
Their public conference had been interrupted by a demonstration march and a bomb threat, so the white nationalists decided to meet secretly instead. They slipped past police officers and protesters into a hotel in downtown Memphis. The country had elected its first black president just a few days earlier, and now in November 2008, dozens of the world's most prominent racists wanted to strategize for the years ahead.

"The fight to restore White America begins now," their agenda read

The room was filled in part by former heads of the Ku Klux Klan and prominent neo-Nazis, but one of the keynote speeches had been reserved for a Florida community college student who had just turned 19. Derek Black was already hosting his own radio show. He had launched a white nationalist website for children and won a local political election in Florida. "The leading light of our movement," was how the conference organizer introduced him, and then Derek stepped to the lectern.

"The way ahead is through politics," he said. "We can infiltrate. We can take the country back."

More for you And then the presidential race really got weird

Years before Donald Trump launched a presidential campaign based in part on the politics of race and division, a group of avowed white nationalists was working to make his rise possible by pushing its ideology from the radical fringes ever closer to the far conservative right. Many attendees in Memphis had transformed over their careers from Klansmen to white supremacists to self-described "racial realists," and Derek Black represented another step in that evolution.

He never used racial slurs. He didn't advocate violence or lawbreaking. He had won a Republican committee seat in Palm Beach County, Florida, where Trump also had a home, without ever mentioning white nationalism, talking instead about the ravages of political correctness, affirmative action and unchecked Hispanic immigration.

He was not only a leader of racial politics but also a product of them. His father, Don Black, had created Stormfront, the Internet's first and largest white nationalist site, with 300,000 users and counting. His mother, Chloe, had once been married to David Duke, one of the country's most infamous racial zealots, and Duke had become Derek's godfather. They had raised Derek at the forefront of the movement, and some white nationalists had begun calling him "the heir."

Now Derek spoke in Memphis about the future of their ideology. "The Republican Party has to be either demolished or taken over," he said. "I'm kind of banking on the Republicans staking their claim as the white party."

A few people in the audience started to clap, and then a few more began to whistle, and before long the whole group was applauding. "Our moment," Derek said, because at least in this room there was consensus. They believed white nationalism was about to drive a political revolution. They believed, at least for the moment, that Derek would help lead it.

"Years from now, we will look back on this," he said. "The great intellectual move to save white people started today."

- - -

Eight years later, that future they envisioned in Memphis was finally being realized in the presidential election of 2016. Donald Trump was retweeting white supremacists. Hillary Clinton was making speeches about the rise of white hate and quoting David Duke, who had launched his own campaign for the U.S. Senate.

White nationalism had bullied its way toward the very center of American politics, and yet, one of the people who knew the ideology best was no longer anywhere near that center. Derek had just turned 27, and instead of leading the movement, he was trying to untangle himself not only from the national moment but also from a life he no longer understood.

From the very beginning, that life had taken place within the insular world of white nationalism, where there was never any doubt about what whiteness could mean in the United States. Derek had been taught that America was intended as a place for white Europeans and that everyone else would eventually have to leave. He was told to be suspicious of other races, of the U.S. government, of tap water and of pop culture. His parents pulled him out of public school in West Palm Beach at the end of third grade, when they heard his black teacher say the word "ain't." By then, Derek was one of only a few white students in a class of mostly Hispanics and Haitians, and his parents decided he would be better off at home.

"It is a shame how many White minds are wasted in that system," Derek wrote shortly thereafter, on the Stormfront children's website he built at age 10. "I am no longer attacked by gangs of non whites. I am learning pride in myself, my family and my people."

Because he was home-schooled, white nationalism could become a focus of his education. It also meant he had the freedom to begin traveling with his father, who left for several weeks each year to speak at white nationalist conferences in the Deep South. Don Black had grown up in Alabama, where in the 1970s, he joined a group called the White Youth Alliance, led by David Duke, who at the time was married to Chloe. That relationship eventually dissolved, and years later, Don and Chloe reconnected, married and had Derek in 1989. They moved into Chloe's childhood home in West Palm Beach to raise Derek along with Chloe's two young daughters. There were Guatemalan immigrants living down the block and Jewish retirees moving into a condo nearby. "Usurpers," Don sometimes called them, but Chloe didn't want to move away from her aging mother in Florida, so Don settled for taking long road trips to the whitest parts of the South.

Don and Derek always stayed on those trips with Don's friends from the white power movement, and soon Derek had heard many of their stories. There was the time his father, then 16, was shot in the chest while working on a segregationist campaign in Georgia. There was the day in 1981 when he and eight other extremists made plans to board a boat stocked with dynamite, automatic weapons and a Nazi flag. Their plan, called Operation Red Dog, was to take over the tiny Caribbean island nation of Dominica, but instead Don had been caught, arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. He learned some computer programming in federal prison and eventually launched Stormfront in 1995 under the motto: "White Pride World Wide."

Over the years, his website attracted all kinds of extremists: skinheads, militia groups, terrorists and Holocaust deniers. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate-watch group, a handful of the people who posted on Stormfront had gone on to commit hate crimes, including killings. One message board user shot and wounded three children at a Jewish day-care center in Los Angeles in 1999. Another killed his Jewish neighbor in 2000 in a town near Pittsburgh. "We attract too many sociopaths," Don posted, and he decided that more moderation would give Stormfront greater mainstream credibility.

By then Stormfront had become his full-time job, even though he wasn't making much money and the family was getting by on Chloe's salary as an executive assistant. Each morning, she would go to work, and Don would go to his crowded desk in their single-story house, where he recruited authors and academics from the alternative right to post on his site.

In 2008, he banned slurs, Nazi symbols and threats of violence, even as other parts of his own language remained unchanged. He didn't have friends so much as "comrades." Everyone was either "with us" or "against us," "sympathetic" or an "enemy," so Derek strengthened his relationship with his father by becoming his greatest ideological ally.

Derek learned Web coding and designed the Stormfront site for children. He was interviewed about hate speech on Nickelodeon, daytime talk shows, HBO and in USA Today. "The devil child," was how Don sometimes referred to him, with pride and affection.

But Don also read through nasty emails his son received from strangers who were offended by the Stormfront children's page, and he began to worry about a 13-year-old who was becoming so familiar with the two-way transaction of prejudice and hate.

"You will rot in hell," read one email, in 2002.

"I WISH you were in the same room as me right now," read another. "You would have to eat through a straw, you low life scumbag."

Don told Derek to stop checking his messages. He would later remember wondering: "Did I foist this onto him? Is he just doing this for me?" He asked Derek whether he wanted to shut down the children's page, but Derek said the emails didn't bother him. That was the enemy. Who cared what they thought?

- - -

After that, Don began to see something different when he looked at his son: not just a child born into the movement but also an emerging leader, with drive and conviction that seemed entirely his own. Don had spent more than four decades waiting for whites to have a racial awakening in America, and now he began to think that the teenager living in his house could be a potential catalyst.

"All of my strengths without any of my weaknesses," Don would later say about Derek back then. "He was smarter than me. He had more insight. He never held himself back."

So many others in white nationalism had come to their conclusions out of anger and fear, but Derek tended to like most people he met, regardless of race. Instead, he sought out logic and science to confirm his worldview, reading studies from conservative think tanks about biological differences between races, IQ disparities and rates of violent crime committed by blacks against whites. He launched a daily radio show to share his views, and Don paid $275 each week to have it broadcast on the AM station in nearby Lake Worth. On the air, Derek helped popularize the idea of a white genocide, that whites were losing their culture and traditions to massive, nonwhite immigration. "If we say it a thousand times - 'White genocide! We are losing control of our country!' - politicians are going to start saying it, too," he said. He repeated the idea in interviews, Stormfront posts and during his speech at the conference in Memphis, when he was at his most certain.

Derek finished high school, enrolled in community college and ran for a seat on the Republican committee, beating an incumbent with 60 percent of the vote. He decided he wanted to study medieval European history, so he applied to New College of Florida, a top-ranked liberal arts school with a strong history program.

"We want you to make history, not just study it," Don and Chloe sometimes reminded him.

New College ranked as one of the most liberal schools in the state - "most pot-friendly, most gay-friendly," Don explained on the radio - and to some white nationalists, it seemed a bizarre choice. Once, on the air, a friend asked Don whether he worried about sending his son to a "hotbed of multiculturalism," and Don started to laugh.

"If anyone is going to be influenced here, it will be them," he said. "Soon enough, the whole faculty and student body are going to know who they have in their midst."

- - -

At first they knew nothing about him, and Derek tried to keep it that way. New College was in Sarasota, three hours across the state, and it was the first time Derek had lived away from home. He attended an introductory college meeting about diversity and concluded that the quickest way to be ostracized was to proclaim himself a racist. He decided not to mention white nationalism on campus, at least until he had made some friends.

Most of the other students in his dorm were college freshmen, and as a 21-year-old transfer student, Derek already had a car and a legal ID to buy beer. The qualities that had once made him seem quirky - shoulder-length red hair, the cowboy hat he wore, a passion for medieval re-enactment - made him a good fit for New College, where many of the 800 students were a little bit weird. He forged his own armor and dressed as a knight for Halloween. He watched zombie movies with students from his dorm, a group that included a Peruvian immigrant and an Orthodox Jew.

Maybe they were usurpers, as his father had said, but Derek also kind of liked them, and gradually he went from keeping his convictions quiet to actively disguising them. When another student mentioned that he had been reading about the racist implications of "Lord of the Rings" on a website called Stormfront, Derek pretended he had never heard of it.

Meanwhile, early each weekday morning, he would go outside and call in to his radio show. He told friends these were regular calls home to his parents, and in a way, that was true. Every morning, it was Derek and his father, cued in by music from Merle Haggard's "I'm a White Boy." Derek often repeated his belief that whites were being wiped out - "a genocide in our own country," he said. He told listeners the problem was "massive, nonwhite immigration." He said [President Barack] Obama was an "anti-white radical." He said white voters were "just waiting for a politician who actually talks about all the ways whites are being stepped on." He said it was the "critical fight of our lifetime." Then he hung up and went back to the dorm to play Taylor Swift songs on his guitar or to take one of the college's sailboats onto Sarasota Bay.

He left after one semester to study abroad in Germany, because he wanted to learn the language. He kept in touch with New College partly through a student message board, known as the forum, whose updates were automatically sent to his email.

One night in April 2011, Derek noticed a message posted to all students at 1:56 a.m. It was written by someone Derek didn't know - an upperclassman who had been researching terrorist groups online when he stumbled across a familiar face.

"Have you seen this man?" the message read, and beneath those words was a picture that was unmistakable. The red hair. The cowboy hat.

"Derek black: white supremacist, radio host. . .new college student???" the post read. "How do we as a community respond?"

- - -

By the time Derek returned to campus for the next semester, more than a thousand responses had been written to that post. It was the biggest message thread in the history of a school that Derek now wanted badly to avoid. He returned to Sarasota, applied for permission to live outside of required student housing and rented a room a few miles away.

A few of his friends from the previous year emailed to say they felt betrayed, and strangers sometimes flipped him off from a safe distance on campus. But, for the most part, Derek avoided public spaces, and other students mostly stared or left him alone, even as their speculation about him continued on the forum.

"Maybe he's trying to get away from a life he didn't choose."

"He chooses to be a racist public figure. We choose to call him a racist in public."

"I just want this guy to die a painful death along with his entire family. Is that too much to ask?"

"I'd like to see Derek Black respond to all of this. . . ."

Instead of replying, Derek read the forum and used it as motivation to plan a conference for white nationalists in East Tennessee. "Victory through Argumentation: Verbal tactics for anyone white and normal," he wrote in the invitation. He had spoken at several conferences, including the one in Memphis, but only now did he feel compelled to create another event as white nationalism continued to spread. The white genocide idea he had been championing had finally become a fixture of conservative radio. David Duke had started trying to build a relationship with "our friends and allies in the tea party." Donald Trump had riveted the alt-right with his investigation into Obama's birth certificate, and one Gallup poll suggested that only 38 percent of Americans "definitely" believed Obama was born in the United States.

"A critical juncture to keep increasing the profile of our movement," Derek said on the radio, so he registered 150 attendees and scheduled speeches by his father, Duke and other separatist icons.

Another New College student learned about the conference and posted details on the forum, where gradually a new way of thinking had begun to emerge.

"Ostracizing Derek won't accomplish anything," one student wrote.

"We have a chance to be real activists and actually affect one of the leaders of white supremacy in America. This is not an exaggeration. It would be a victory for civil rights."

"Who's clever enough to think of something we can do to change this guy's mind?"

One of Derek's acquaintances from that first semester decided he might have an idea. He started reading Stormfront and listening to Derek's radio show. Then, in late September, he sent Derek a text message.

"What are you doing Friday night?" he wrote.

- - -

Matthew Stevenson had started hosting weekly Shabbat dinners at his campus apartment shortly after enrolling in New College in 2010. He was the only Orthodox Jew at a school with little Jewish infrastructure, so he began cooking for a small group of students at his apartment each Friday night. Matthew always drank from a kiddush cup and said the traditional prayers, but most of his guests were Christian, atheist, black or Hispanic - anyone open-minded enough to listen to a few blessings in Hebrew. Now, in the fall of 2011, Matthew invited Derek to join them.

Matthew had spent a few weeks debating whether it was a good idea. He and Derek had lived near each other in the dorm, but they hadn't spoken since Derek was exposed on the forum. Matthew, who almost always wore a yarmulke, had experienced enough anti-Semitism in his life to be familiar with the KKK, David Duke and Stormfront. He went back and read some of Derek's posts on the site from 2007 and 2008: "Jews are NOT white." "Jews worm their way into power over our society." "They must go."

Matthew decided his best chance to affect Derek's thinking was not to ignore him or confront him, but simply to include him. "Maybe he'd never spent time with a Jewish person before," Matthew remembered thinking.

It was the only social invitation Derek had received since returning to campus, so he agreed to go. The Shabbat meals had sometimes included eight or 10 students, but this time only a few showed up. "Let's try to treat him like anyone else," Matthew remembered instructing them.

Derek arrived with a bottle of wine. Nobody mentioned white nationalism or the forum, out of respect for Matthew. Derek was quiet and polite, and he came back the next week and then the next, until after a few months, nobody felt all that threatened, and the Shabbat group grew back to its original size.

On the rare occasions when Derek directed conversation during those dinners, it was about the particulars of Arabic grammar, or marine aquatics, or the roots of Christianity in medieval times. He came across as smart and curious, and mostly he listened. He heard a Peruvian immigrant tell stories about attending a high school that was 90 percent Hispanic. He asked Matthew about his opinions on Israel and Palestine. They were both still wary of each other: Derek wondered whether Matthew was trying to get him drunk so he would say offensive things that would appear on the forum; Matthew wondered whether Derek was trying to cultivate a Jewish friend to protect himself against charges of anti-Semitism. But they also liked each other, and they started playing pool at a bar near campus.

Some members of the Shabbat group gradually began to ask Derek about his views, and he occasionally clarified in conversations and emails throughout 2011 and 2012. He said he was pro-choice on abortion. He said he was against the death penalty. He said he didn't believe in violence or the KKK or Nazism or even white supremacy, which he insisted was different from white nationalism. He wrote in an email that his only concern was that "massive immigration and forced integration" was going to result in a white genocide. He said he believed in the rights of all races but thought each was better off in its own homeland, living separately.

"You have never clarified, Derek," one of his Shabbat friends wrote to him. "You've never said, 'Hey all, this is what I do believe and this is what I don't. It's not the job of someone who's potentially scared/intimidated by someone else to approach that person to see if they are in fact scary/intimidating."

"I guess I only value the opinions of people I know," Derek wrote back, and now he was beginning to count his Shabbat friends among those he knew and respected. "You're naturally right that I deemphasize my own role," he wrote to them.

He decided early in his final year at New College to finally respond on the forum. He wanted his friends on campus to feel comfortable, even if he still believed some of their homelands were elsewhere. He sat at a coffee shop and began writing his post, softening his ideology with each successive draft. He no longer thought the endpoint of white nationalism was forced deportation for nonwhites, but gradual self-deportation, in which nonwhites would leave on their own. He didn't believe in self-deportation right now, at least not for his friends, but just eventually, in concept.

"It's been brought to my attention that people might be scared or intimidated or even feel unsafe here because of things said about me," he began. "I wanted to try to address these concerns publicly, as they absolutely should not exist. I do not support oppression of anyone because of his or her race, creed, religion, gender, socioeconomic status or anything similar."

The forum post, intended only for the college, was leaked to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which kept a public "Intelligence File" on Derek and other racist leaders, and the group emailed Derek for clarification. Was he disavowing white nationalism? "Your views are now quite different from what many people thought," the email read.

Derek received the message while vacationing in Europe during winter break. He was staying with Duke, who had started broadcasting his radio show from a part of Europe with lenient free-speech laws. "The tea party is taking some of these ideas mainstream," Duke said on a broadcast one morning. "Whites are finally coming around to my point of view," he said another day, and even if Derek now thought some of what Duke said sounded exaggerated or even alarming, the man was still his godfather. Derek wrote back to the SPLC from Duke's couch.

"Everything I said (on the forum) is true," he wrote. "I also believe in White Nationalism. My post and my racial ideology are not mutually exclusive concepts."

- - -

But the unstated truth was that Derek was becoming more and more confused about exactly what he believed. Sometimes he looked through posts on Stormfront, hoping to reaffirm his ideology, but now the message threads about Obama's birth certificate or DNA tests for citizenship just seemed bizarre and conspiratorial. He stopped posting on Stormfront. He began inventing excuses to get out of his radio show, leaving his father alone on the air each morning to explain why Derek wouldn't be calling in. He was preparing for a test. He was giving those liberal professors hell. Except sometimes what Derek was really doing was taking his kayak to the beach, so he could be alone to think.

He had always based his opinions on fact, and lately his logic was being dismantled by emails from his Shabbat friends. They sent him links to studies showing that racial disparities in IQ could largely be explained by extenuating factors like prenatal nutrition and educational opportunities. They gave him scientific papers about the effects of discrimination on blood pressure, job performance and mental health. He read articles about white privilege and the unfair representation of minorities on television news. One friend emailed: "The geNOcide against whites is incredibly, horribly insulting and degrading to real, actual, lived and experienced genocides against Jews, against Rwandans, against Armenians, etc."

"I don't hate anyone because of race or religion," Derek clarified on the forum.

"I am not a white supremacist," he wrote.

"I don't believe people of any race, religion or otherwise should have to leave their homes or be segregated or lose any freedom."

"Derek," a friend responded. "I feel like you are a representative of a movement you barely buy into. You need to identify with more than 1/50th of a belief system to consider it your belief system."

He was taking classes in Jewish scripture and German multiculturalism during his last year at New College, but most of his research was focused on medieval Europe. He learned that Western Europe had begun not as a great society of genetically superior people but as a technologically backward place that lagged behind Islamic culture. He studied the 8th century to the 12th century, trying to trace back the modern concepts of race and whiteness, but he couldn't find them anywhere. "We basically just invented it," he concluded.

"Get out of this," one of his Shabbat friends emailed a few weeks after Derek's graduation in May 2013, urging Derek to publicly disavow white nationalism. "Get out before it ruins some part of your future more than it already irreparably has."

Derek stayed near campus to housesit for a professor after graduation, and he began to consider making a public statement. He knew he no longer believed in white nationalism, and he had made plans to distance himself from his past by changing part of his name and moving across the country for graduate school. His instinct was to slip away quietly, but his advocacy had always been public - a legacy of radio shows, Internet posts, TV appearances, and an annual conference on racial tactics.

He was still considering what to do when he returned home to visit his parents later that summer. His father was tracking the rise of white nationalism on cable TV, and his parents were talking about "enemies" and "comrades" in the "ongoing war," but now it sounded ridiculous to Derek. He spent the day rebuilding windows with them, which was one of Derek's quirky hobbies that his parents had always supported. They had bought his guitar and joined in his medieval re-enactments. They had paid his tuition at the liberal arts college where he had Shabbat dinners. They had taught him, most of all, to be independent and ideological, and to speak his beliefs even when doing so resulted in backlash.

He left the house that night and went to a bar. He took out his computer and began writing a statement.

"A large section of the community I grew up in believes strongly in white nationalism, and members of my family whom I respect greatly, particularly my father, have long been resolute advocates for that cause. I was not prepared to risk driving a wedge in those relationships.

"After a great deal of thought since then, I have resolved that it is in the best interests of everyone involved to be honest about my slow but steady disaffiliation from white nationalism. I can't support a movement that tells me I can't be a friend to whomever I wish or that other people's races require me to think of them in a certain way or be suspicious at their advancements.

"The things I have said as well as my actions have been harmful to people of color, people of Jewish descent, activists striving for opportunity and fairness for all. I am sorry for the damage done."

He continued to write for several more paragraphs before addressing an email to the SPLC, the group his father had considered a primary adversary for 40 years.

"Publish in full," Derek instructed. Then he attached the letter and hit "send."

- - -

Don was at the computer the next afternoon searching Google when Derek's name popped up in a headline on his screen. For a decade, Don had been typing "Stormfront" and "Derek Black" into the search bar a few times each week to track his son's public rise in white nationalism. This particular story had been published by the SPLC, which Don had always referred to as the "Poverty Palace."

"Activist Son of Key Racist Leader Renounces White Nationalism," it read, and Don began to read the letter. It had phrases like "structural oppression," "privilege," "limited opportunity," and "marginalized groups" - the kind of liberal-apologist language Don and Derek had often made fun of on the radio.

"You got hacked," Don remembered telling Derek, once he reached him on the phone.

"It's real," Derek said, and then he heard the sound of his father hanging up.

For the next few hours, Don was in disbelief. Maybe Derek was pulling a prank on him. Maybe he still believed in white nationalism but just wanted an easier life.

Derek called back, and this time his mother answered. She said that she didn't want to speak to him. She handed the phone to Don, and his voice was shaky and tearful. Derek had never heard him that way. "I can't talk," Don said, and he hung up again.

Later that night, Don logged on to the Stormfront message board. "I'm sure this will be all over the Net and our local media, so I'll start here," he wrote, posting a link to Derek's letter. "I don't want to talk to him. He says he doesn't understand why we'd feel betrayed just because he announced his 'personal beliefs' to our worst enemies."

For the next several days, Don couldn't bring himself to post anything more. "I was a little depressed anyway, but at that point I wanted to quit everything," he said later, remembering that time. "What's the point? I didn't do much of anything for probably 10 days. It was the worst event of my adult life."

He logged back onto Stormfront a week later. "After a miserable seven days, I feel the need to vent," he wrote. "I only know what Derek tells me, which has been baffling. I've decided he really believes this crap. Derek repeated his belief that family ties are separate from politics. I said that obviously wasn't true with a family centered around political activism."

Hundreds of posts quickly followed. Some offered Don condolences. Others said that Derek was a traitor or that Don could no longer be trusted, either. Don wrote a few posts in response, sometimes defending Derek and other times distancing himself, until after a few weeks it all hurt too much.

"I'm closing this thread," Don wrote, finally, describing it as an "open wound."

- - -

Derek returned home a few weeks later for his father's birthday, even though his mother and his half-sisters had asked him not to come. "I think I might be getting disowned," Derek had written to one college friend. But he was about to leave Florida for graduate school, and he wanted to say goodbye.

He arrived at his grandmother's house for the party, and he would later remember how strange it felt when his half-sisters would barely acknowledge him. His mother was polite but cold. Don tried to invite Derek inside, but the rest of the family wanted him to leave. "I got uninvited to my own party," Don later remembered. "They said if I wanted to see him, we both had to go."

They left and went for a drive, first to the beach and then to a restaurant, where they sat at a booth near the back. Derek still had his dry sense of humor. He still made smart observations about politics and history. "Same old Derek," Don concluded, after a few hours, and that fact surprised him. His grief had been so profound that he'd expected some physical manifestation of the loss. Instead, he found himself forgetting for several minutes at a time that Derek was now "living on the other side."

Don asked Derek about the theories that had emerged on the Stormfront message thread. Was he just faking a change to have an easier career? Was this his way of rebelling?

When Derek denied those things, Don mentioned the theory he himself had come to believe - the one David Duke had posited in the first hours after Derek's letter went public: Stockholm syndrome. Derek had become a hostage to liberal academia and then experienced empathy for his captors.

"That's so patronizing," Derek remembered saying. "How can I prove this is what I really believe?"

He tried to convince Don for a few hours at the restaurant. He told him about white privilege and repeated the scientific studies about institutionalized racism. He mentioned the great Islamic societies that had developed algebra and predicted a lunar eclipse. He said that now, as he recognized strains of white nationalism spreading into mainstream politics, he felt accountable. "It's not just that I was wrong. It's that it caused real damage," he remembered saying.

"I can't believe I'm arguing with you, of all people, about racial realities," Don remembered telling him.

The restaurant was closing, and they were no closer to an understanding. Derek went to sleep at his grandmother's house. Then he woke up early and started driving across the country alone.

- - -

Every day since then, Derek had been working to put distance between himself and his past. He was still living across the country after finishing his master's degree, and he was starting to learn Arabic to be able to study the history of early Islam. He hadn't spoken to anyone in white nationalism since his defection, aside from occasional calls home to his parents. Instead, he'd spent his time catching up on aspects of pop culture he'd once been taught to discredit: liberal newspaper columns, rap music and Hollywood movies. He'd come to admire President Obama. He decided to trust the U.S. government. He started drinking tap water. He had taken budget trips to Barcelona, Paris, Dublin, Nicaragua and Morocco, immersing himself in as many cultures as he could.

He joined a new online message group, this one for couch surfers, and he opened up his one-bedroom apartment to strangers looking for a temporary place to stay. It felt increasingly good to trust people - to try to interact without prejudice or judgment - and after a while, Derek began to feel detached from the person he had been.

But then came the election campaign of 2016, and suddenly the white nationalism Derek had been trying to unlearn was the unavoidable subtext to national debates over refugees, immigration, Black Lives Matter and the election itself. Late in August, Derek watched in his apartment as Hillary Clinton gave a major speech about the rise of racism. She explained how white supremacists had rebranded themselves as white nationalists. She referenced Duke and mentioned the concept of a "white genocide," which Derek had once helped popularize. She talked about how Trump had hired a campaign manager with ties to the alt-right. She said: "A fringe movement has essentially taken over the Republican Party."

It was the very same point Derek had spent so much of his life believing in, but now it made him feel both fearful for the country and implicated. "It's scary to know that I helped spread this stuff, and now it's out there," he told one of his Shabbat friends.

He also wondered whether he would ever be able to completely detach himself from his past, when so much about it remained public. He was still occasionally recognized as a former racist in graduate school; still written into the will of a man he had befriended through white nationalism; still the godson of Duke; still the son of Chloe and Don.

Late this summer, for the first time in years, he traveled to Florida to see them. At a time of increasingly contentious rhetoric, he wanted to hear what his father had to say. They sat in the house and talked about graduate school and Don's new German shepherd. But after a while, their conversation turned back to ideology, the topic they had always preferred.

Don, who usually didn't vote, said he was going to support Trump.

Derek said he had taken an online political quiz, and his views aligned 97 percent with Hillary Clinton's.

Don said immigration restrictions sounded like a good start.

Derek said he actually believed in more immigration, because he had been studying the social and economic benefits of diversity.

Don thought that would result in a white genocide.

Derek thought race was a false concept anyway.

They sat across from each other, searching for ways to bridge the divide. The bay was one block away. Just across from there was Mar-a-Lago, where Trump had lived and vacationed for so many years, once installing an 80-foot pole for a gigantic American flag.

"Who would have thought he'd be the one to take it mainstream?" Don said, and in a moment of so much division, it was the one point on which they agreed.

Eli Saslow is a reporter at the Washington Post, where he covered the 2008 presidential campaign and has chronicled the president's life inside the White House. He won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for his year-long series about food stamps in America.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

BERKELEY (BCN)



A man who was shot just south of the University of California at Berkeley campus Saturday night is in serious condition, Berkeley police said.



The shooting was reported at about 11:10 p.m. at Haste and Dana streets, according to Berkeley police Lt. Alyson Hart. The victim is being treated for his injuries in the hospital.



The shooter is still at large, and no suspect description was immediately available.
















Welcome to followthemedia.com The article or material you have chosen...

Michael Hedges October 17, 2016 -

That the news media rides on the coat-tails of startling headlines and sound bites is far from a revelation. Social media throws little snippets of color onto a revolving pallet, often revolting. Managing all this, for one purpose or another, occupies the most sacred of democratic processes, elections. Facts are transient, spin normal. To deny, disclaim, has become high art. Election Campaign Antics Cross Borders, For What It's WorthMichael Hedges October 17, 2016 - Follow on Twitter That the news media rides on the coat-tails of startling headlines and sound bites is far from a revelation. Social media throws little snippets of color onto a revolving pallet, often revolting. Managing all this, for one purpose or another, occupies the most sacred of democratic processes, elections. Facts are transient, spin normal. To deny, disclaim, has become high art. ...is available for restricted access. You may access this specific article or material for 4 If you are an ftm Member, please go to the home page HERE and log in ftm Members can access all site material at no additional charge. You can JOIN ftm here The ftm newsletter available at no charge to all with registration To register click here.
You know here in Canada, if you rape, molest a child, or beat your family you might get, oh I don't know, 7 years or so. First offenses often shorter. That's ridiculous, these are individuals that are proven dangerous. Sane, rational people often look at this and ask "Do we have to wait until they kill someone?". Now I'm not the 'throw the book at them' type, I don't advocate shoving people into prison for every little thing, just the brutual violent stuff and keep them in there. Not just as punishment/consequence but also to simply protect the public.But then we venture south of the border and yes, I know, very high incarceration rate. But still, down in the U.S. we get sentences like this one.This would be the guy that shot the congresswoman in Arizona and killed six people, one a little girl if I remember correctly. So yes, he should be in jail for the rest of his life. But seven consecutive life sentences. Seven.I know, it makes a statement. Part of that statement has to be the inability of the legal system to understand the lifespan of a human being surely.I look at these two radical extremes and just wonder if there is any sense left anywhere.
When the Dallas Hilton Inn opened in 1967, it quickly became synonymous with the high life. Home to a swanky private club and a happening Trader Vics, the high-rise hotel attracted a glittery clientele, but by the late 80s had fallen into disfavor and disrepair. The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi bought it in 1993, with hopes of turning it into a center for a different kind of high life  transcendental meditation  but that too stayed earthbound. After a few more twists of fate, the renamed Highland Dallas has returned to the Hilton fold as the inaugural member of its Curio Collection, with a new celebrity chef and a renewed, cheerfully eccentric sense of style.

Setting: Across the Central Expressway from ever-expanding Southern Methodist University, and across the street from Mockingbird Station, a light-rail transit hub with arthouse cinema, restaurants and shops, the hotel is just outside the residential upscale enclave of Highland Park and close to the young-and-trendy Lower Greenville neighborhood.
1 Deadly stampede: At least 24 people were killed and 20 others injured in a stampede that occurred as they were crossing a crowded bridge to reach a Hindu religious ceremony in northern India on Saturday, police said. The stampede took place on the outskirts of Varanasi, a city in Uttar Pradesh state known for its temples. Organizers were expecting 3,000 devotees at the ceremony, but more than 70,000 thronged the ashram of a local Hindu leader, said police officer S.K. Bhagat. The stampede happened as police started turning back people from the overcrowded bridge, the Press Trust of India cited Raj Bahadur, a spokesman for the organizers, as saying. That triggered a rumor the bridge had collapsed, and people started running, he said.

2 American kidnapped: Gunmen stormed the house of a longtime American aid worker in Niger, killing two people before fleeing with the man toward the border with Mali, authorities said Saturday. It is believed to be the first time an American citizen has been abducted in the vast Sahel region, where al Qaeda and criminal gangs have targeted French nationals and other Europeans for more than a decade, demanding ransoms for their release. The U.S. Embassy in Niger issued an emergency message for U.S. citizens Saturday, warning that the threat of kidnapping and hostage taking continues to be very high. The government of Niger said in a news release that the American had lived there since 1992. He was not identified. The abduction took place in Abalak, in the Tahoua region of Niger.
ABUJA, Nigeria  Joy, jubilation and dancing erupted Sunday when a group of Nigerian parents were reunited with 21 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram more than two years ago and freed in the first negotiated release organized by the government and the Islamic extremist group.

The girls were hugged and embraced by their parents when they were presented by the government, according to video obtained by the Associated Press.
CALAIS, France  Inside the Kids Cafe, a ramshackle refuge in a sprawling migrant slum in Calais, a mobile phone rings.

Afghan teenager Wasaal takes the call. A friend of his has managed to hide inside a truck and hopes he will soon be on the other side of the English Channel.

The problem is that he does not have GPS on his mobile. He does not know if the truck is moving in the right direction, the 14-year-old said.

In fact, few in this muddy, violent camp in the northern French city know where they are going, but dreams abound of a life in Britain, just 21 miles across the sea.

The French government has announced plans to shut down the camp that has become a demoralizing symbol of Europes migrant crisis by the end of the year. That means 6,000 to 10,000 migrants will need to be relocated, including up to 1,300 minors, according to different estimates from charities operating in the camp.

Many refugee children in Calais claim to have family ties in the U.K. and dont even consider building their future in France. Jonny Willis, a volunteer from the French refugee and youth service, says the camps appalling living conditions and poor hygiene have been a strong deterrent.

They went through a terrible experience here, said Willis. They have been treated so badly by police. This camp lacks basic services, in addition there is no security.

Wasaal himself has stopped trying to sneak onto trucks to Britain. Instead hes had his fingerprints taken as part of his request for asylum.

I tried it more than 10 times over the past seven months, he said. But Im not doing it anymore. Im in the process of being reunited with my uncle and cousins. I don't how long it will take, its for the Home Office to decide.

Britains Home Office says small groups of refugee children have been coming in a weekly basis for the last few months and hundreds are now expected to cross the Channel legally before the Calais camp is removed.

Inside the Kids Cafe, a place where teenagers can relax and enjoy a free meal, Wasaal and a dozen of other boys are listening to music while playing pool. The sofas are worn out, but a poster of a red British double-decker bus reminds everyone that London is just a few miles away.

After a perilous three-month journey across countries including Syria, Turkey, and Serbia, Wasaal cant wait for his British dream to come true.

I left because my family was in danger, said the teenager, who fled Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan where Taliban militants are conducting repeated raids. Wasaal has lost touch with his parents, who also fled the violence.

Aid groups agree the Calais slum must be shut down, but are urging authorities to take their time. The refugee youth service has handed mobile phones to hundreds of children and collected information to make sure they wont go missing when the camp is dismantled.

Tensions have been growing amid the looming uncertainty. Its only a matter of weeks before all the Calais migrants will be deported, transferred to England or relocated to more than 160 centers around France.

But new migrants are still arriving.

On Thursday at the Calais-Frethun train station, a young boy stepped out of the express train from Paris and was immediately arrested by French police.

We checked his ID, hes a 17-year-old from Somalia, one officer said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. He wants to go to England. Every day, its the same story. They keep on coming.
NICOLAS AGUILERA/AFP/Getty Images

VATICAN CITY  Pope Francis canonized Argentinas gaucho priest Sunday, bestowing sainthood on the poncho-wearing pastor with whom the first Argentine pope shares many similarities, from a taste for mate tea to a dedication to bringing the ministry to the most isolated people.

Francis honored Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero along with six others in a Mass before a crowd of 80,000 in St. Peters Square, saying the new saints, thanks to prayer, had generous and steadfast hearts.
Weight survey for Pago Pago fliers prompts airline actionJennifer Sinco Kelleher, THE ASSOCIATED PRESSFirst posted: Friday, October 14, 2016 07:56 AM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 14, 2016 08:10 AM EDTHONOLULU  Hawaiian Airlines executives had a dilemma: Their planes were burning more fuel than projected on their regular 2,600-mile route between Honolulu and American Samoa.Various factors for increased fuel use, like winds, were ruled out. So the carrier asked passengers on the twice weekly flights if they wouldnt mind being weighed before boarding.The results of Hawaiian Airlines six-month voluntary survey found that on average the passengers and their carry-on bags were 30 pounds heavier than anticipated, and its prompted a new policy: Passengers are no longer allowed to pre-select their own seats on flights between Hawaii and the U.S. territory.Instead, they are assigned seats when they check in for their flights at the Honolulu and Pago Pago airports to ensure that weight is evenly distributed around the jets cabins.But the new policy has prompted complaints to federal transportation officials and claims that people from American Samoa are being targeted because of their weight.What theyre saying is Samoans are obese, said Atimua Migi, who was seeing off his father, Mua Migi, at Honolulu International Airport Monday for the nearly six-hour flight to Pago Pago, American Samoas territorial capital.Thats an entirely incorrect assumption, responded Jon Snook, Hawaiians chief operating officer.Snook said he was surprised to see headlines worldwide about the issue, and said many media reports were inaccurate in saying that the airline was assigning seats based on passenger weight.The row design of the Boeing 767 jets used for the flight has two seats on each side of the plane, three seats in the middle and two aisles.Using the results of the survey, airline officials found that if adults all sat in one row of the plane, the combined weight of those passengers might exceed load limitations in crash-landing situations, Snook said.Officials are now trying to keep one seat per row open, or at least fill those seats with children who weigh less than adults.San Francisco-based travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said the move by Hawaiian Airlines was unusual, saying he had never heard of any other U.S. airline doing this on any other route that it operates.But Snook said other carriers have and that the Federal Aviation Administration establishes average weights of passengers with their carry-on luggage for carriers. The airline in an online Q&A about the seating policy said airlines may choose to conduct their own survey in markets in which they believe weights differ materially from FAA averages.The airline chose to manage distribution of passengers instead of limiting how many seats could be sold, which would have driven up ticket prices, Snook added.Daniel King, who filed one of six complaints sent to the U.S. Transportation Department between Sept. 29 and Oct. 10, called the new policy discriminatory because it only applies to the Pago Pago flight.Most passengers on the flights are of Samoan descent, which also begs the question of discrimination, said King, an American Samoa businessman.But the department decided that Hawaiian Airlines policy of not offering pre-assigned seats on certain flights is not on its face discriminatory, Transportation Department spokeswoman Caitlin Harvey in an email.What theyre doing is logistically the most sensible thing under unique circumstances, said Gary Leff, who writes the viewfromthewing.com travel blog.Snook said Hawaiian has conducted similar weight studies for its Asian markets, where the average weight calculated ended up being lower than previously projected, and no policy change was enacted as a result.No complaints were lodged during the Honolulu-Pago Pago weight survey, which ended in August, said Hawaiian Airlines spokesman Alex Da Silva.Other passengers on Mondays flight had not heard about the new policy or were not bothered by it.Im cool with it, I dont mind, said Jake Brown, headed to American Samoa for the first time, after receiving a seat assignment in the back of the plane, his preference.
Street co-named for Mark Herman, long-time Democratic leader

To commemorate his life, the intersection of Oxford Place and Forest Avenue was formally co-named "Mark B. Herman Way." Councilwoman Debi Rose (center) holds the street sign with Herman's family members. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Crosby)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Friends and family gathered together to remember the life of Mark B. Herman -- longtime Community Board 1 member and founder of the Staten Island Democratic Association -- who died earlier this year.

The intersection of Oxford Place and Forest Avenue in Silver Lake was formally co-named "Mark B. Herman Way" on Oct. 15.

"Mark was a good friend of mine," said Councilwoman Debi Rose. "In our years serving together on Community Board 1, we could always count on him to defend a person or a cause relentlessly. He enriched the lives of all who had the good fortune to know him, and I am proud to honor the life and memory of this great New Yorker with this street renaming."

Herman, 82, of Silver Lake, worked for 50 years as one of the leaders of the progressive wing of the borough's Democratic Party. He was the longest-serving Democratic County Committee person in New York State history and was the last surviving founder of the Staten Island Democratic Association.

He was appointed a New York City Commissioner of Elections representing Staten Island in 2000 and held that post for several years.

Herman served on Staten Island Community Board 1 for 23 years where he served several terms as vice chair.

He was a Little League manager and was president of the Silver Lake Civic Association for more than a decade. He volunteered as a mediator/arbitrator for the New York State court system and a docent with the National Park Service at Fort Wadsworth for more than 20 years.

Herman was born in 1933 and graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1955. He then served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War where he was stationed in England and where he met his wide Ann Herman.

After his honorable discharge in 1957, he returned to New York where he worked as a stockbroker while earning his MBA from Baruch College. He worked on Wall Street for over 12 years until he left to work at the former Off-Track Betting where he worked as a branch manager until his retirement in 1995.
Donald Trump

Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at, Friday, Oct. 14, in Greensboro, N.C. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Alicia Colon

Commentary by columnist Alicia Colon

Many of the Republicans who will be voting for Donald Trump next month do not like him but they despise Hillary Clinton even more. He certainly wasn't my first choice. I wanted Rick Perry and when he dropped out, I was sure the winner would be either Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio. But as the primary process continued and polling became the operative tool, I began to suspect that the whole thing was rigged. When Gov. John Kasich came in as a late candidate that pushed Perry into the second tier debate group, my suspicions were confirmed that the media was promoting Donald Trump for the GOP nomination.

I still thought Trump as president was a horrible joke and it wasn't until I heard from my brother Joe, who is battling fourth stage cancer, that I started opening my mind to the possibility that Trump was somehow meant to be.

Joe is a former Marine being treated at a Veteran's Hospital in the state of Washington. He spoke passionately to me about how Trump was talking about every thing that needed to be said: Obamacare, the VA scandal, IRS corruption, criminal illegals, a corrupt DOJ and FBI covering up for Obama and Hillary. The Democrats and our president were afraid to use the word Islamic jihadists when naming terrorists; and he liked the fact that Donald Trump said that global warming is a hoax while Obama was claiming this was a bigger threat than terrorism. Mexico has a wall yet only Trump insists that we have one too, Joe continued. I had to beg him to slow down and take a deep breath because it was affecting his chemo and heart rate.

So even though I was reluctantly committed to voting for Trump, that didn't mean I was happy about doing so. It was clear that the media that had pushed him to the top of the GOP heap was now ready to savage him and since this onslaught had kept the GOP base home before, I was expecting the same result.

After I began a column in the Advance in 1998, I discovered that my conservatism was at odds with over 80 percent of the media. I had also found that a good portion of the electorate had only been exposed to a media that was both hostile and biased towards the right wing and thus getting the whole story out was quite a challenge. Few of these low-info voters understand the significance of Clinton's email scandal and Benghazi. She is ultimately responsible for the Libyan crisis because she backed the anti-Qaddafi rebels that led to his death and the destabilization of Libya. Everything that Hillary did as Secretary of State was totally self-serving and earned the Clintons millions of dollars for their Foundation. If she wins, the Supreme Court Justices she nominates will be dismantling the Bill of Rights and the progressive tyranny of the minority will reign.

With Donald Trump as the GOP candidate, the mainstream media was not only energized to defeat him they were getting funding from billionaires like George Soros and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Mr. Bezos bought the Washington Post and hired 20 extra reporters to dig up dirt on Trump. Predictably, negative Trump reports are coming out daily from the NY Times, ABC, CBS, NBC, and the mainstream media. They are all in the tank for Hillary and have abandoned any journalistic ethics.

But Donald Trump is neither a Mitt Romney nor any of the other genteel Republicans who refused to get down and dirty with the opposition and ended up losing the battle. He is a New Yorker and sometimes crude, crass and politically incorrect. What he is not is a racist or a homophobe. All one has to do is visit his establishments and see what he did when he took over the old Commodore Hotel and turned it into the Grand Hyatt. Most of the staff there are blacks, Hispanics, Asians, legal immigrants and gays making a very good living. Has anybody bothered asking Hillary how on earth she became a millionaire working for the government?

So when the media twists his words into something he never said and debate moderators are shills for Hillary, he stands and fights and punches back hard. That's what I've come to like about him and why he is drawing thousands to his rallies. We are sick and tired of mealy mouth politicians who betray us once we put them in office. So come Nov. 8th, I'll have no problem voting for him.

Abraham Lincoln was told by A. K. McClure, a Pennsylvania politician that he should get rid of General Grant. Lincoln took a long time before he answered, "I can't spare this man. He fights." If there's one thing this country needs in this very sick world, it's a leader who will fight. Go Trump.

Alicia Colon is a Stapleton resident and political columnist. Her weekly column appeared in the Advance from 1998-2001; New York Sun, 2002-2008; Irish Examiner USA, 2008-2011 and the Jewish World Review, 2011-present. A mother of six, and grandmother of 13, she loves Staten Island, moving here from Manhattan in 1978.
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The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the military believes the North unsuccessfully attempted to fire a mid-range Musudan missile. It said the failed launch was made near an airport in the North's North Pyongan province. South Korea strongly condemns the launch because it violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that bans any ballistic activities by North Korea, the statement said.
Today: Rain. Very high (90 per cent) chance of rain, most likely in the morning and early afternoon. Winds north to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h, becoming light in the evening. Min 9, max 15.

Tuesday: Possible shower. Mostly sunny morning. Medium (40 per cent) chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Winds northwesterly 25 to 40 km/h tending westerly 20 to 30 km/h during the afternoon then becoming light during the evening. Min 6, max 16.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Light winds. Min 3, max 16.






A fire in a Macgregor home has caused more than $150,000 damage, the ACT Emergency Services Agency says.

Residents of the home were able to evacuate themselves from the burning building uninjured, according to ACT Fire and Rescue.

ACT Fire and Rescue attended a house fire at Macgregor on Sunday night. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to one bedroom of the Berne Crescent house after being alerted to the blaze about 6pm on Sunday.

"A bedroom has sustained fire, smoke and water damage while the remainder of the home has been heavily smoke damaged," the agency said in a statement.
Nathan Brown will play for St Kilda next year, after Collingwood chose not to make a free agency offer for the key defender.

Brown's departure has placed the Magpies' defensive stocks under pressure, with less than five days remaining in the trade period.

Jack Frost has requested a trade to Brisbane, while Jonathon Marsh has returned to his home state of Western Australia.

The Frost trade may be difficult given the Lions do not currently hold a draft pick between 21 and 78, though one may come in for defender Pearce Hanley should be be traded as expected to Gold Coast.
Venture capital groups warned the planned $500 million to be invested via the federal government's Biotech Translation fund may be too much cash chasing too few deals while pushing for money to be invested beyond the main research centres in Sydney and Melbourne in the search for the next big thing.

The government is in the final stages of choosing the managers for as much as $250 million of government funds which has been earmarked for early stage investment in the biotech sector, which is to be matched dollar-for-dollar by private investment funds.

There are concerns the $500m Biotech Translation Fund may miss the mark. Credit:Erin Jonasson

It is believed Canberra has whittled down to four the number of fund managers likely to be awarded funds to manage, with the expectation among some venture capital financiers that one manager could end up with a significantly larger slice of the funds than the others.

Government support for start-ups has had a poor record with broad criticism of the outcomes from the earlier Innovation Investment Fund.
At the start of the year, Australia's No. 2 supermarket Coles slashed the price of a roast chicken to $8, from $11. Its bigger rival Woolworths quickly followed suit, cutting prices to $7.90.

Investment bank Morgan Stanley said the roast chook blitz was designed to attack German discounter Aldi, and has been good news for Ingham's, Australia's biggest chicken producer which is soon to deliver the year's biggest sharemarket float.

"Fresh categories, such as fruit and vegetables, meat, bakery and deli, are a key differentiator for Woolworths and Coles versus [German discounter] Aldi, and a large driver of foot traffic," Morgan Stanley said in its report on Ingham's.

"Aldi's chicken range is far more limited than that of both the majors at present; its focus on a narrow range and very low costs preclude it, for example, from offering customers ready-to-eat BBQ chickens. It does not operate a deli in store, given the high associated cost.
Whitehaven Coal expects the coal price to remain strong through the December quarter following recent settlements in Asian markets, which is helping it to reduce borrowings.

The market price for so-called "semi-soft" coking coal, has risen a strong 86 per cent to $US130 a tonne, it said in its latest quarterly report filed with the ASX Monday morning.

Despite the opposition, Whitehaven Coal is profiting handsomely from the resurgent coal price.

The rise for this quality of coal follows the surge in the price being paid for premium coking coal of $US200 a tonne following recent contract settlements.

In the September quarter, Whitehaven received $US70 a tonne for sales of semi-soft coking coal and $US64 a tonne for sales of steaming coal, it said. Coking coal is primarily used when making steel, with steaming coal mostly used in electricity generation, with the benefit of the higher price to flow through to shipments this quarter.
Here's a thought experiment: how would the anti-American left feel had it emerged that the US was committing war crimes in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo? What if it were US warplanes that dropped napalm, phosphorus and bunker-buster bombs on Sunni Muslim hospitals, aid convoys and civilian neighbourhoods across rebel-held areas in Syria?

Imagine the outrage! The Greens would support parliamentary petitions against Uncle Sam; peace activists would besiege the US embassy in Canberra; and the rebel rousers who recently targeted John Howard as a "war criminal" would burn American flags and effigies of Barack Obama.

And yet here are the Russian and Syrian warplanes inflicting carnage on trapped and petrified Sunni Muslim civilians in the world's most ancient trading centre and nary a voice is raised in protest. The leftie pundits, with rare exceptions, don't want to touch the subject.

There are those, such as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Sydney academic Tim Anderson, who would say that it is entirely desirable that Vladimir Putin is helping Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Leaving aside the indiscriminate bombing, they have a point.
Cabinet secretary Arthur Sinodinos has launched an attack on Labor's choice of former union official Kimberley Kitching to replace Stephen Conroy in the Senate, saying she had been referred for "further investigation" by the Heydon royal commission into union misconduct.

Signalling that Ms Kitching could become cannon fodder in the government's push to get its Registered Organisations bill back before Parliament this week, Senator Sinodinos linked her ascent to the Senate with fresh rhetoric on the need for union reform and holding union officials accountable.

Ms Kitching was "someone who is clearly close to Mr Shorten and one of the reasons Mr Shorten is supporting her for the Senate is because she would be a vote for him in the party room", Senator Sinodinos said in Sydney on Sunday.

"Mr Shorten knows that the longer the Coalition stays in power, the more tenuous his position is and that is another indication that he wants [an extra] vote in the party room to buttress him against the claims of [potential leadership rival] Mr Albanese."
A Donald Trump presidency would be "dangerous", Labor's deputy leader Tanya Plibersek says, as the opposition continues to speak out against the Republican Party's candidate.

Ms Plibersek said Mr Trump's latest comments, in which he suggested the November 8 election was being "rigged" by a corrupt media, should free MPs from the usual convention of not commenting on the domestic politics of other countries.

"He's broken so many conventions I think it's fair enough for us as Australians to say we are deeply concerned about the security concerns his candidacy raises," Ms Plibersek told Sky News on Sunday morning.

Ms Plibersek, who was Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman until the July 2 election, said Mr Trump's "cosying up to Russia" as well as his inability to act "as a unifying force for the United States" made him an unacceptable candidate.
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek says the opposition could push Malcolm Turnbull to breaking point over action on same-sex marriage, even if it costs him the prime ministership.

With the government's planned legislation for a plebiscite on the issue set to be killed off in the Senate, Ms Plibersek said gay and lesbian families and advocates had told Labor they were prepared to wait in order to avoid a divisive public debate on the issue.

Tanya Plibersek urged Coalition MPs to back Malcolm Turnbull's own previous position of support for a free vote on gay marriage Credit:Andrew Meares

Ms Plibersek said Labor accepted the full moral and political consequences of the delay and called on Coalition MPs to back Mr Turnbull's own previous position of support for a free vote in Parliament on gay marriage.

The comments come as conservative backbenchers say they will abandon Mr Turnbull if he moves to allow a free vote, an apparent breach of the secret Liberal-Nationals Coalition agreement.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been drawn into a deepening row between the country's two most senior lawyers after he was asked to confirm the government's chief legal adviser ticked off on a controversial bill allowing terrorists to be held in jail beyond their sentence.

Labor wrote to Mr Turnbull late on Sunday seeking his assurance the opinion of Solicitor-General Justin Gleeson, SC, was sought on the bill, which the government had hoped to pass through Parliament before the end of the year.

Mr Gleeson is locked in a public brawl with Attorney-General George Brandis over a legally binding directive Senator Brandis issued before the July 2 election, which prevents ministers seeking Mr Gleeson's advice without the written approval of the Attorney-General.

Legal experts have expressed concern the directive may result in the Solicitor-General, who provides independent advice, being "frozen out" of advising the government and allow the Attorney-General to "shop around" for opinions regarded as politically convenient.
Pauline Hanson's One Nation party has quadrupled its primary vote since the July election, a new poll suggests, with their support in Queensland reaching 10 per cent.

According to the Newspoll, One Nation's support as Senator Hanson establishes her voice in Parliament is now at 6 per cent nationwide, up from 1.3 per cent four months ago.

In New South Wales, the poll shows a boost from 0.6 per cent at the election to 6 per cent.

As the right-wing party has increased in popularity, votes have bled from the Coalition and other minor parties and independents.
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After a controversial few years, things are starting to look up for Hollywood A-lister-turned-persona non grata, Mel Gibson.

The 60-year-old is excitedly expecting his ninth child with partner of two years Rosalind Ross, 26, while his directorial return, Hacksaw Ridge, is receiving rave reviews despite his 10-year hiatus.

Ross, a former equestrian vaulter and scriptwriter, made her Australian red carpet debut on Sunday evening at the State Theatre in Sydney, where Gibson opened up about the American's 25-week pregnancy.

"New people coming, someone I'll get to meet," the American-Australian actor beamed when speaking with Fairfax Media.
For those getting ready to retire, have you considered a career in modelling?

If so, Australia now has an agency dedicated to the Gen Xers and Baby Boomers who are keen to strike a pose on a runway or awkwardly lean like their Instagram star successors.

Jacky O'Shaughnessy walked the runway at the TOME fashion show during New York Fashion Week in September. Credit:Victor Virgile

Grey hair, wrinkles and a strong sense of individual style are what one must possess in order to be represented by Silverfox Management, an agency founded by a number of "silent investors" and headed up by former model Brigitte Warne.

"When consumers are presented with models or people they see as similar to them it increases their intent to purchase 170 per cent," Warne said, citing a recent study sponsored by Cambridge University.
"Who the hell does ACMA think they are?" said an angry John Singleton after the government regulatory body announced late on Friday afternoon it was effectively forcing the sale of radio station 2CH.

In March 2015, Macquarie Radio Network, in which adman Singleton was the largest shareholder, merged with rival Fairfax Radio, which owned talk station 2UE.

The merger meant the new entity, Macquarie Media Ltd, was immediately in breach of government regulations, which stipulate a single operator cannot own more than two commercial licences in any metropolitan market.

With Macquarie Media now owning both leading AM stations in 2GB and 2UE, the orphan is Macquarie Radio's 2CH.
A baby has been flown to hospital in Sydney after she was found critically injured at a house in the NSW Central Tablelands overnight, police say.

The 11-month-old girl was unconscious when police and paramedics arrived at the home on Landa Street in Lithgow about 8.50pm on Sunday.

The baby was taken to Lithgow Hospital, before she was flown to The Children's Hospital in Westmead in a critical condition. It is understood she was undergoing surgery early on Monday morning.

Police were told that the baby was injured when she fell from a cot at the house.
Whether it was driving to university or down the road with his wife, odds were Youseff Hamze was about to be pulled over.

The sports science graduate lost count of the amount of times his car was searched during the several months he was subject to a wrongfully-issued firearms prohibition order (FPO).

"Where ever I would go, I would be pulled over," said the 26-year-old, whose relatives included members of the now-defunct Brothers for Life gang.

"They searched my car and the family in my car. Even if I was driving with my friends and they knew I had the FPO they would search me.
Facing a life ban from running licensed premises in NSW after a drug raid at his former Kings Cross strip club Dreamgirls, Michael Amante decided to take matters into his own hands.

The son of Kings Cross identity Frank "Ashtray" Amante took the unusual step of emailing the NSW liquor authority in May to explain "a little bit about myself and try to defend myself". For some reason, it didn't have the desired effect.

Closed down: DreamGirls in Kings Cross. Credit:Kate Geraghty

As an opening gambit, Mr Amante told the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority he wanted to clarify "my criminal history, which sounds terrible but is no where near as bad as it sounds".

Yes, there were the two drink driving charges  one high range  but one of them was 20 years ago.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance says it is too early to detail how exactly the government intends to fund the proposed Parramatta light rail line because the total cost of the project is yet to be finalised.

The Herald revealed at the weekend that "cabinet-in-confidence" documents show the cost of the Baird government's signature transport promise for western Sydney is estimated to be more than $3.5 billion.

The government has committed $1 billion in funding for the 22-kilometre line stretching from Westmead to Strathfield via Parramatta and incorporating Carlingford, Camellia and Olympic Park. But it has yet to decide on the rest of what is expected to be a mix of so-called value capture and additional contributions from the public purse to pay for the new line.

Defending the benefits of the proposed light rail line, Mr Constance said he would not pre-empt the means of funding the project until the final cost was determined next year.
The bitter dispute between the Parramatta Eels rugby league club and its former major sponsor Dyldam will be played out in court after the club launched legal action in the District Court over Dyldam's alleged failure to meet its financial commitments.

The controversial developer, recently announced as a major sponsor of the Central Coast Mariners, is being pursued by the Australian Taxation Office after investigations by insolvency expert Stephen Hathway found what he told Fairfax Media was an attempt to mislead the ATO by deliberately misstating the true nature of financial dealings within the Dyldam empire.

Dyldam does not want to pay their Parramatta contract because of bad headlines. Credit:Getty Images

Dyldam, one of the country's largest privately owned residential developers, has splashed out close to a billion dollars on property acquisitions over the past two years.

Only recently the developer paid an estimated $70 million buying the Thomson Ford site in Parramatta from Roosters' supremo Nick Politis, and in July it paid $175 million for a St Leonards development site.
The jury in Gable Tostee's murder trial is set to begin deliberations.

The 30-year-old is on trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to the murder of New Zealand tourist Warriena Wright, who fell to her death in the early hours of August 8, 2014.

It is not alleged Tostee threw or pushed Ms Wright but that he intimidated her so greatly, she felt the only way to escape was to climb down from the balcony of his 14th floor Surfers Paradise apartment.

The court has heard the 26-year-old attacked Tostee with rocks in his own home, where they had spent the past few hours drinking and having sex after meeting on dating app Tinder.
Two men are on the run after a shooting south of Brisbane that left a man fighting for life in hospital.

Police said the men drove to the Sunnybank Hills Caravan Park about 4.40am and entered a residence where another two men were sleeping.

Resident Wayne Dean, 54, was shot in the side and rushed to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in a serious condition.

Regional duty officer Acting Inspector Tom Armitt said Mr Dean suffered very serious internal injuries and was believed to be in a life-threatening condition.
As National Carers Week kicked off on Sunday, a new report has revealed just how much of a challenge unpaid Queensland carers face every week.

Carers Queensland's Quality of Life report takes an annual snapshot of the lives of those caring for loved ones who have disabilities, illnesses, chronic conditions or who are frail aged.

Carers Queensland's Quality of Life report highlighted the amount of strain unpaid carers are under, as National Carers Week kicked-off on Sunday.

Of the 494 respondents, 80 per cent of unpaid family carers said they were working more hours per week than an average full-time worker.

Almost half of unpaid Queensland carers said they worked 120 hours or more per week providing care for their loved one.
The number of assaults on Queensland prison staff has nearly doubled in the first six months of 2016 compared to last year, according to figures from Queensland Corrective Services.

The number of incidents of staff being pushed, spat on or assaulted leading to minor medical attention jumped from 73 between January and June 2015 to 133 in the same period this year.

Assaults on prison staff are on the rise in Queensland.

In an answer to a question on notice this week, Corrective Services Minister Bill Byrne said there had been no serious assaults - incidents that required hospitalisation - on staff in the 2016 period compared to three last year.

Mr Byrne said the change to serious assault statistics was "very encouraging" but the government had no tolerance for violence towards prison staff.
If you're building Iron Man's virtual assistant, who better to help than Iron Man himself?

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who's been working on a virtual assistant as part of his New Year's resolution from earlier this year, posted on his social network that he was looking for someone to voice his latest creation.

Mark Zuckerberg needs a voice for his AI assistant. Credit:Bloomberg

Robert Downey Jr., who famously plays Iron Man in the Marvel Studios franchise, jumped at the chance to contribute. In a response to the Facebook founder, Downey Jr. said he'd "do it in a heartbeat" if the fees go to Paul Bettany, the voice of Iron Man's virtual assistant Jarvis in the hit movies.

Not forgoing a chance to further publicise the Marvel universe, Downey Jr. continued saying that Bettany would then have to donate the funds to a charity "of Cumberbatch's choosing."
Crown Resorts employees including three top Australian executives have been held incommunicado since Chinese police executed a series of late-night raids at their homes across several mainland cities on Thursday.

The company, consular officials and distraught families have been unable to establish contact with the group.

Shanghai-based Crown employee Jiang Ling answered her door at midnight on Thursday to find five plain-clothed police officers outside her apartment.

"I kept saying ... 'Why are you here?'. They kept repeating 'Oh, your wife knows' and she didn't obviously they finally said 'gambling'," Ms Jiang's husband, American expatriate Jeff Sikkema told Fairfax Media.
Liberal lord mayor Robert Doyle has struck a deal with some of the nation's toughest union bosses to stop a so-called "green ban" derailing a $250 million overhaul of Queen Victoria Market.

The contentious proposal to give the 130-year old market a facelift has become a key issue in the city council election battle, with critics claiming it would ruin the heritage "vibe" of the site and leave stallholders with little certainty over leases.

Concern about the impact has been so palpable that union bosses have threatened to impose work bans to prevent the project, similar to the green bans of the 1970s and '80s credited with saving heritage sites across Melbourne and Sydney.

But in an unusual deal to head off any industrial unrest, Mr Doyle met on October 7 with high-profile union figures, including the boss of the Victorian branch of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union John Setka, Electrical Trades Union Victorian secretary Troy Gray, and Plumbers Union boss Earl Setches.
"The worst thing about dementia is that you progressively lose the person that you love," says Anne Tudor, and she knows it first hand.

Her partner, Edie Mayhew, 65, was diagnosed six years ago with early onset Alzheimer's disease. The Ballarat couple try to stay positive, and travel interstate and overseas giving talks on healthy living.

Edie Mayhew, right, who has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease and her partner and carer Anne Tudor are considering the experimental drug trial. Credit:Arsineh Houspian

But Ms Tudor has watched as Ms Mayhew, a former driving instructor, has lost the ability to cook a meal, choose clothes and remember conversations.

They welcomed the news that human trials will begin in Melbourne on Monday for a new drug that has been shown to halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease in mice and to reverse memory loss.
Young people come to Australia in droves, seduced by the idea of a better life, says Dr Howe. Credit:File image According to Justice Jeremy Allanson, who sentenced her to seven and a half years' prison in the WA Supreme Court in August, she was recruited into a $29 million money laundering scheme between March and December last year. The money was deposited into bank accounts of 12 Australian-based companies whose directors were Hong Kong nationals, then transferred to Sydney-based money remitters. A man collecting money from Perth criminals drove Kong late last year to different banks where she made deposits totalling nearly $2.5 million, being paid $200-$300 for each of nine days' work. In October, Border Force officers intercepted a parcel intended for her at Perth Airport, tins of Chinese tea containing methamphetamine, and arrested her after a complex sting in which Kong called the dealer to confirm their arrival and then destroyed her SIM card.

The data shows they do mainly hospitality, retail and cleaning, and these sectors are routinely defying regulations and paying below the minimum wage, less than Australian workers would accept. Dr Joanna Howe, School of Law, University of Adelaide "You admitted to the police that you suspected the consignment contained drugs. You were to be paid for your role," the judge told her. He noted the 28-year-old had to quit school in Hong Kong at age 16 and worked all her adult life, becoming an accredited personal trainer. She came to Australia in 2013 with limited English and had to take low-paid jobs until getting a student visa to study the language. "You had to pay full fees as an international student and you had significant financial hardship," the judge said.

"At times, you had to borrow. "Your financial hardship was the main cause of your offending. You have no known criminal history, you have no physical or mental health problems and, as I understand it, you do not use illicit drugs ... the present offences are out of character. "You needed money and you allowed yourself to be used." The judge gave a seven-and-a-half year sentence, saying he had to indicate that those who join in these activities risked severe punishment. "I do not believe that you could have thought that what you were doing was normal business," he said.

Ms Kong paid just over $8000 for her English tuition over 2015 and 2016, documentation shows. While each student cannot be said to be in the same situation, many such students struggle in the Australian labour market, said South Australian migration expert Joanna Howe, leader of a research project on the topic. Dr Howe, senior lecturer at the University of Adelaide's School of Law, said while parents at home often helped with course fees, most international students in Australia needed to work to cover living costs, higher in Australia than the US or UK. They faced serious challenges finding work, including language difficulty and lack of local work experience and support networks. "Their visa allows 40 hours work a fortnight and the data shows they do mainly hospitality, retail and cleaning, and these sectors are routinely defying regulations and paying below the minimum wage, less than Australian workers would accept," she said.

"They are much less likely to complain to the Fair Work Ombudsman. "They often have this desire for residency, and whenever you have a market with a desire, you have a vulnerability." She said international students were often young, inexperienced and in a foreign country with less support, factors that could lead to out-of-character behaviour. She said it did not surprise her some turned to crime. "Australia actively markets itself as a destination for education. Our government for a long time has promoted education as a growth industry so we invite people to come here to study," she said. "In this global era, young people all over the world are cognisant of a better standard of living elsewhere."

She said the waiting list for residency was huge and the government policy had created a nexus between study and residency. Study led to employment, then potential employer sponsorship for residency. "We have this migration pathway people know about all of the world, so partly we have created this structure," she said. "We also have a responsibility to make sure we are not setting people up for failure." AICT chief executive Hong Fu said the organisation had been operating for many years and did not condone illegal activity. He said many international students were referred to AICT by education immigration agents who arranged visas and other requirements.
A 13-year-old boy has been bitten in the face by a police dog while trying to evade police on Saturday night.

The boy was allegedly part of a group of four youths, three aged 13 and one aged 10, attempting to break into a Target store around 11pm.

A 13-year-old boy was bitten in the face while trying to hide from police following an alleged attempted burglary. Credit:Senior Constable Dan Hayward

He was taken to Kalgoorlie Hospital for treatment after being bit in the face and buttock.

A police spokesman said two police dogs were deployed to find two of the boys after they climbed the shop's roof and fled to a nearby construction site.
Bangkok: The coronation of Thailand's Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn will be delayed more than a year as Thais mourn the death of their long-reigning king, Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The 64-year-old Crown Prince will ascend to the throne after funeral rites for his father have been completed, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has announced. Mr Prayuth has declared a one-year mourning period.

The royal succession had been expected to be immediate when the king died after a long illness on Thursday. Bhumibol ascended to the throne the same day in 1946 that his older brother, King Ananda Mahidol, died from a gunshot wound.

But Vijiralongkorn, who was designated heir by his father in 1972, asked not to be immediately declared king, saying he wanted to grieve along with the country, officials said.
Vatican City: Pope Francis declared two martyrs, four priests and a mystic nun saints of the Catholic church on Sunday, saying they all had a "generous and steadfast heart".

Tapestry portraits of the seven saints, hung from the facade of St Peter's Basilica, rippled in the breeze above the main square at the Vatican where Francis led the ceremony.

The tapestries of seven new saints hang from the facade of St Peter's Basilica during a Canonisation Mass by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square on Sunday. Credit:AP

Assembled pilgrims applauded as he read out the names of the new saints, defined by the church as having been so holy in life they are now in Heaven and can intercede with God to perform miracles - two of which are needed to declare sainthood.

President Mauricio Macri of the Pope's native Argentina attended the ceremony, during which Francis elevated Argentine pastoral priest Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero.
The 134m superyacht Serene is pictured berthed at Auckland's Wynyard Wharf in 2015. Soon after it was purchased by Prince Mohammed in an impulse buy for $720 million. Credit:Getty Images/Phil Walter This has left officials in Washington hedging their bets by building relationships with both men, unsure who will end up on top. The White House got an early sign of the ascent of the young prince in late 2015, when - breaking protocol - Mohammed bin Salman delivered a soliloquy about the failures of US foreign policy during a meeting between his father, King Salman, and US President Barack Obama. Many young Saudis admire him as an energetic representative of their generation who has addressed some of the country's problems with uncommon bluntness. The kingdom's media have built his image as a hardworking, businesslike leader less concerned than his predecessors with the trappings of royalty. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, hold a bilateral meeting before the start of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China. Credit:AP Others see him as a power-hungry upstart who is risking instability by changing too much, too fast.

Months of interviews with Saudi and US officials, members of the royal family and their associates, and diplomats focused on Saudi affairs reveal a portrait of a prince in a hurry to prove that he can transform Saudi Arabia. Mohammed bin Salman declined multiple interview requests for this article. Among the powerful: Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Credit:Getty But the question many raise - and cannot yet answer - is whether the energetic leader will succeed in charting a new path for the kingdom, or whether his impulsiveness and inexperience will destabilise the Arab world's largest economy at a time of turbulence in the Middle East. Tension at the top Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the opening ceremony of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China. Credit:Getty

Early this year, Mohammed bin Nayef left the kingdom for his family's villa in Algeria, a sprawling compound an hour's drive north of Algiers. Although he has long taken annual hunting vacations there, many who know him said this year was different. He stayed away for weeks, largely incommunicado and often refusing to respond to messages from Saudi officials and close associates in Washington. Even John Brennan, the CIA director, whom he has known for decades, had difficulty reaching him. The crown prince has diabetes, and suffers from the lingering effects of an assassination attempt in 2009 by a jihadist who detonated a bomb he had hidden in his rectum. Mohammed bin Nayef. Credit:AP But his lengthy absence at a time of low oil prices, turmoil in the Middle East and a foundering Saudi-led war in Yemen led several US officials to conclude that the crown prince was fleeing frictions with his younger cousin and that the prince was worried his chance to ascend to the throne was in jeopardy. Since King Salman ascended to the throne in January 2015, new powers had been flowing to his son, some of them undermining the authority of the crown prince. King Salman collapsed the crown prince's court into his own, giving Mohammed bin Salman control over access to the king. Mohammed bin Salman also hastily announced the formation of a military alliance of Islamic countries to fight terrorism. Counterterrorism had long been the domain of Mohammed bin Nayef, but the new plan gave no role to him or his powerful Interior Ministry.

He gets around. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Credit:Getty The exact personal relationship between the two men is unclear, fuelling discussion in Saudi Arabia and foreign capitals about who is ascendant. Obscuring the picture are the stark differences in the men's public profiles. Mohammed bin Nayef has largely stayed in the shadows, although he did visit New York last month to address the UN General Assembly before heading to Turkey for a state visit. His younger cousin, meanwhile, has worked to remain in the spotlight, touring world capitals, speaking with foreign journalists, being photographed with Facebook chairman Mark Zuckerberg and presenting himself as a face of a new Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Hangzhou, China, for the G20 summit. Credit:Getty "There is no topic that is more important than succession matters, especially now," said Joseph Kechichian, a senior fellow at the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, who has extensive contacts in the Saudi royal family. "This matters for monarchy, for the regional allies and for the kingdom's international partners."

Among the most concrete initiatives of Mohammed bin Salman, who is defence minister, is the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which since it was begun last year has failed to dislodge the Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies from the Yemeni capital. The war has driven much of Yemen toward famine and killed thousands of civilians while costing the Saudi government tens of billions of dollars. The prosecution of the war by a prince with no military experience has exacerbated tensions between him and his older cousins, according to US officials and members of the royal family. Three of Saudi Arabia's main security services are run by princes. Although all agreed that the kingdom had to respond when the Houthis seized the Yemeni capital and forced the government into exile, Mohammed bin Salman took the lead, launching the war in March 2015 without full coordination across the security services. The head of the national guard, Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, had not been informed and was out of the country when the first strikes were carried out, according to a senior national guard officer. The national guard is now holding much of the Yemeni border. US officials, too, were put off when, just as the Yemen campaign was escalating, Mohammed bin Salman took a vacation in the Maldives, the island archipelago off the coast of India. Several US officials said Defence Secretary Ash Carter had trouble reaching him for days during one part of the trip.

The prolonged war has also heightened tensions between Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Nayef, who won the respect of Saudis and US officials for dismantling al-Qaeda in the kingdom nearly a decade ago and now sees it taking advantage of chaos in Yemen, according to several US officials and analysts. "If Mohammed bin Nayef wanted to be seen as a big supporter of this war, he's had a year and a half to do it," said Bruce Riedel, a former Middle East analyst at the CIA and a fellow at the Brookings Institution. Near the start of the war, Mohammed bin Salman was a forceful public advocate for the campaign and was often photographed visiting troops and meeting with military leaders. But as the campaign has stalemated, such appearances have grown rare. The war underlines the plans of Mohammed bin Salman for a brawny foreign policy for the kingdom, one less reliant on Western powers like the United States for its security. He has criticised the thawing of America's relations with Iran and comments by Obama during an interview this year that Saudi Arabia must "share the neighbourhood" with Iran. This is part of what analysts say is Mohammed bin Salman's attempt to foster a sense of Saudi national identity that has not existed since the kingdom's founding in 1932.

"There has been a surge of Saudi nationalism since the campaign in Yemen began, with the sense that Saudi Arabia is taking independent collective action," said Andrew Bowen, a Saudi expert at the Wilson Centre in Washington. Still, Bowen said support among younger Saudis could diminish the longer the conflict dragged on. Diplomats say the death toll for Saudi troops is higher than the government has publicly acknowledged, and a recent deadly airstrike on a funeral in the Yemeni capital has renewed calls by human rights groups and some US lawmakers to block or delay weapons sales to the kingdom. People who have met Mohammed bin Salman said he insisted that Saudi Arabia must be more assertive in shaping events in the Middle East and confronting Iran's influence in the region - whether in Yemen, Syria, Iraq or Lebanon. Brian Katulis, a Middle East expert at the Centre for American Progress in Washington, who met the deputy crown prince this year in Riyadh, said his agenda was clear. Loading
We interrupt this report on a hard-nut Milwaukee sheriff declaring "it's pitchforks and torches time", and grassroots calls for a coup should Hillary Clinton win the US election, to bring news of a secondary implosion within the imploding Trump campaign.

A majority of Americans reject Donald Trump's blanket denial that he is a sexual predator. But on Sunday, the Republican candidate's two most ardent surrogates fell out awkwardly on morning TV - former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani stands by his man; but former House speaker Newt Gingrich thinks Trump and his response to the myriad accusations are "stupid".

Giuliani dissembled, lamely attempting to leapfrog an issue that has become a cathartic moment for Americans: "Should we be beyond that now? Should we be beyond Hillary Clinton's past, Donald Trump's past?"

But Gingrich's frustration was evident as he spoke of the "big Trump", whom he hailed as a historic figure, and of the "little Trump", who he seemed to concede has lost the election.
Washington: Republican vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence contradicted running mate Donald Trump on Sunday by saying evidence points to Russian involvement in email hacks tied to the US election and that Moscow should face "severe consequences" if it has compromised US email security.

Pence, appearing in television interviews, also said he and Trump would respect the outcome of the November 8 election. But later the same day Trump stuck by his contention that the race is being "rigged" by the media and at voting locations.

"The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
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' Watch Dogs ' was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and released in May 2014. It was set in a near-future Chicago under the thrall of "big data", a term for corporations that quietly gather information on the electronic footprints of citizens and then hand it over to the government or other unscrupulous bodies. Sales were good enough for Ubisoft to work on a sequel, and now we have 'Watch Dogs 2' for PC, PS4, and XB1, this time set in San Francisco and a decidedly different game from its predecessor.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

The hero of 'Watch Dogs 2' is Marcus, a young hacker who wants to prove himself to the hacktivist collective DedSec. He physically infiltrates a Blume server facility to hack ctOS 2.0, the citywide digital infrastructure that connects nearly everything with a computer chip. He discovers that his ctOS profile paints him as a dangerous, antisocial criminal, and also that Blume is using data against people. He deletes the profile, fabricates a false one in its place, and leaves a backdoor so he can remotely access the OS later. His actions are celebrated by DedSec and he is initiated into the group. Their first order of business is to gain a huge amount of online followers, which will somehow help them to expose Blume and cripple ctOS.

There are only a few holdovers from 'Watch Dogs', like DedSec and the basic process of smartphone hacking. Otherwise, Ubisoft went back to the well to develop an experience that is a marked departure. The dark, almost dystopian atmosphere of the first game has been replaced with a more vibrant and campy tone. It's kind of similar to how 'Saint's Row' went from a 'GTA' clone to the wacky, crass experience we have today, and like that franchise I think that the tonal shift works for 'Watch Dogs 2' more often than not. It doesn't get bogged down in trying to be gritty or emotionally deep. It's focused more on fun and in adapting contemporary online culture into a quasi-revolutionary force, or if not that then at least something you can make a video game about. It sounds silly to talk about and it is quite silly - collecting social media followers to force a digital revolt, a hipster hacker who is adept in the use of any gun and frequently beats up hardened gang members, hacktivist clubhouses in the basements of hobby gaming stores, etc. It doesn't take itself seriously and doesn't ask its players to, and yet despite all of the silliness (or probably because of it) it's a blast to play.

Progress has also been made in how the game actually plays. Driving has been overhauled and while I expected a standard open world offering, 'Watch Dogs 2' actually has a driving system that is very well done. Cars are fast and responsive, with even cheap wagons and SUVs often handling excellently, letting me zip around San Francisco with reckless abandon. Nicer cars are even better, and thankfully are quite commonly parked around the city just waiting to be stolen and driven into oblivion. Likewise, stealth was given an upgrade and for the most part is an extremely effective system. There are moments when it stumbles, like enemies being able to see through corners or other little glitches, but by and large it is far better than the stealth found in most sandbox games.

Hacking is the game's most important feature and has been bundled with an ergonomic interface and an understandable skill tree. Marcus can take control of just about any electronic device with a few presses of his smartphone, fitting seamlessly into combat, driving, and stealth. He can set up traps with junction boxes and air conditioning units, and even possess people's phones to knock them out with overcharged batteries. He can glean personal details about random passersby and swipe their bank accounts or use their conversations to fuel side missions. Early on in the game he can use the magical DedSec 3D printer to make an RC car and flying drone, which are very useful for getting into places under a low profile and reaching vantage points for remote hacking.

Instead of locking open world content away behind a series of missions, the "campaign" vanished right away and left me to my own devices in San Francisco. Marcus only needs to amass followers to progress through the critical path, and this can be done from almost any activity. The city is rife with things to do, and instead of being simple checklist items, they are typically enjoyable. Not being a fan of social media or selfies in real life, I surprised myself by discovering that I love driving around digital San Francisco and taking pictures of myself at tourist traps. It adds a few followers each time but more importantly teaches me fun facts about the real life city. Have you heard of the San Francisco bush man? He's a busker who hides in a bush and startles tourists walking nearby; that's his entire act. He's been doing it since 1980 and can clear $60,000 a year in tips. It's interesting little nuggets like these that make exploration in 'Watch Dogs 2' so compelling, and of course it's nice that I can shake up my sightseeing by cruising around in hijacked muscle cars and stealing the personal details of unaware locals.

Marcus and his DedSec buddies serve as video game embodiments of online pop culture. They geek about B-movie trailers, share memes and pixel art, and reminisce about historical hacking escapades they're too young to remember. For some of them it's the only thing that makes them interesting, but others like Marcus have at least a little bit of charm. Fans of the previous game will find a lot of Easter eggs scattered about, even a subplot concerning Aiden Pearce.
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Orbital ATK's first Antares rocket since a 2014 accident stands atop its Pad-0A launchpad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on Oct. 15.

Update for Oct. 17 at 8:30 p.m. EDT: Orbital ATK's upgraded Antares rocket has successfully launched its Cygnus cargo ship into orbit. Read the full story: Orbital ATK's Antares Rocket Returns to Flight with Gorgeous Night Cargo Launch

Nearly two years after a privately built Antares rocket crashed and exploded, the booster's builder Orbital ATK is ready to return to flight. Tonight (Oct. 16), an upgraded version of the Antares rocket will soar into the sky above Virginia's Eastern Shore, a nightttime launch that could be visible to potentially millions of observers up and down the U.S. East Coast, weather permitting.

The Antares rocket will launch Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft on a NASA cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is set for 8:03 p.m. EDT (0003 Oct. 17 GMT) from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.

Because of its nighttime timing, the Antares rocket launch may be visible to observers on the U.S. East Coast (from as far north as Boston; as far south as the upper coast of South Carolina; and as far inland as Charleston, West Virginia) as it launches to the southeast out over the Atlantic Ocean. Read our complete viewing guide for the launch here for tips on how and when to see the rocket from your area. So far, there is a promising forecast for the liftoff, with NASA officials saying there is a 95-percent chance of good launch weather.

This map shows the regions of visibility for Orbital ATK's Antares rocket nighttime launch scheduled for 8:03 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016 from Wallops Island, Virginia. The launch may be visible from a wide region of the U.S. East Coast. Color bands denote the time after launch (in seconds) the rocket's plume may be visible. (Image credit: Orbital ATK)

The Antares mission, called OA-5, is a major milestone for Orbital ATK, which has had to fly two Cygnus cargo missions for NASA on Atlas V rockets provided by a competitor, the United Launch Alliance, in the wake of the Oct. 28, 2014 rocket explosion that put Antares flights on hold and caused $15 million in damage to its launchpad.

During that 2014 accident, the Antares booster's first stage suffered a failure in one of its two Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 engines, refurbished versions of engines originally built for the Soviet-era N-1 moon rocket. Over the last two years, Orbital ATK replaced the engines with Russian-built RD-181 engines, a swap that also included some structural and avionics upgrades to the booster, company representatives said.

"It was a very detailed and meticulous process," Mike Pinkston, Antares program vice president and general manager at Orbital ATK, told reporters in a press conference late Saturday (Oct. 15). Pinkston added that the upgraded booster has already passed a static fire test. "We got it right and we're ready to go tomorrow."

The unmanned Cygnus spacecraft launching aboard Antares tonight is packed with 5,100 lbs. (2,313 kilograms) of science experiments, harware and supplies for astronauts on the International Space Station. Frank Culbertson, Space Systems Group President for Orbital ATK, added that the station's crew might find some goodies onboard when they start unpacking the spacecraft.

"Every cargo mission is like Christmas, right?" Culbertson said. "And they never know what they're going to find when they open the hatch."

Orbital ATK named the OA-5 Cygnus the S.S. Alan Poindexter in honor of the late NASA astronaut Alan Poindexter, a veteran space shuttle commander who died in an accident in 2012. If all goes well, Cygnus will arrive at the International Space Station on Wednesday morning (Oct. 19) and be captured by astronauts using a robotic arm. It should arrive just hours after three new space station crewmembers launch to the orbiting lab from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Soyuz vehicle, NASA officials said.

The Cygnus spacecraft will remain docked to the space station until November, when it is due to be detached by robotic arm and be disposed of by burning up in Earth's atmosphere. Before its fiery demise, however, Cygnus will raise its orbit up to 450 kilometers (nearly 280 miles), which is higher than the International Space Station's orbit, to deploy four Lemur cubesats for the San Francisco-based company Spire, which is developing a constellation of small satellites to track ships and weather.

NASA scientists plan to intentionally ignite a fire inside Cygnus before it falls back to Earth. The experiment, called Saffire-II, is the second in a series of studies to study how fires behave and grow in weightless conditions.

Editor's note: If you capture an amazing photo of the Antares launch and would like to share it Space.com for a story or gallery, send comments and images in to spacephotos@space.com.

Visit Space.com tonight to follow the Orbital ATK Antares launch and Cygnus' OA-5 mission to the International Space Station.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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Lome (Togo), October 16, 2016 (SPS) The President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, had talks Saturday with heads of state and government and delegations, on the sidelines of the AU Extraordinary Summit, held in Lome under the theme of maritime security and development in Africa.

In this context, the President of the Republic met with his counterparts of Chad, Togo, Mauritania, Mali, Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana.

The talks focused on the latest developments of the Saharawi question in the light of the recent resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations, after the Moroccan violations of the cease-fire in Elguergarat (south west of Western Sahara).

President Brahim Ghali also received at his residence, the President of AU Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, congratulating the success of the Extraordinary Summit. (SPS)

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Dakhla October 16, 2016 (SPS) Prime Minister Abdelkader Taleb Omar called Saturday on France to adopt a "positive" stand on the question of Western Sahara, urging it to stop supporting Morocco's colonial theses in Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa, subject of an unfinished process of decolonization.

The head of Saharawi Government, who was speaking during the closing of the 13th International Film Festival in Western Sahara (Fisahara), stressed that France is called upon to stop its support for the illegal occupation of Morocco in Western Sahara, urging Spain to assume the historical and ethical responsibilities towards the Saharawi people, as the administering power of the territory under international law.

This edition, he said, organized in a particular context, especially after the recent escalation of intransigence of Morocco and its repeated violations of the cease-fire agreement signed in 1991 between the parties to the conflict ( the Polisario Front and Morocco) in the liberated zone of Elguergarat south west of Western Sahara.

"We call on the UN Security Council to act to stop the tension and provocation and put pressure on Morocco to bring it to respect international legitimacy, to prevent a return to hostilities in the region" he warned.

The Prime Minister paid tribute to the peaceful resistance led by the Saharawi population in the occupied territories of Western Sahara and reiterated the determination of the Saharawi people to continue their legitimate struggle to achieve their legitimate rights in freedom and independence on the entire territory of the Saharawi Republic. (SPS)

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By Owei Lakemfa / Oct 14, 2016

Africa, beloved of God has many sons and daughters. Some of them in ancient Egypt gave the world its modern civilization. It also gave Greece its philosophy which became the basis of Western thought and philosophy. However, a different race whom our Seers had warned us against, swooped and enslaved almost all of Africas children. In pain and in tears, through our sweat and blood we struggled for freedom. That was years before the whole humanity agreed that the right of a people to self-determination is non-negotiable.

Even at the dawn of freedom, Africas children were like sheep without Shepard as the former slave masters sought to continue our enslavement, this time, indirectly. Then we coalesced into two broad groups. Some met in Casablanca, Moroccco and became the Casablanca Group; the other became the Monrovia Group. Africas far sighted leaders met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and on May 25, 1963, gave birth to one united movement of the African people called the Organisation of African Unity. We vowed that never again will Africans be enslaved and that those still in bondage like South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Guinea Bissau and Western Sahara shall be free. Indeed, despite the efforts of enslavers, they became free. All African children became free but we did not envisage that one of our prominent sons would collaborate with the foreign slave masters to deprive one of us her freedom.

Mother Africa has been generous by providing for us all; big and small, we have our own inheritance. But our brother Morocco decided in addition, to seize the inheritance and wealth of small Western Sahara. First it connived with the Spanish slave masters to deprive Western Sahara, its independence. Then it got the latter to hand over the riches of Western Sahara to him and Brother Mauritania; both proceeded to share it as a booty. Mauritania was to rethink and wash its hands off its share of the loot which greedy Morocco seized and added to its share.

However, Africa will not have such covetousness and decided to call Brother Morocco to order reminding him that the African peoples are one and that our ancestors forbid stealing. But stubborn Morocco would not agree, and when the rest of Africa welcomed our Saharawi brothers and sisters to our common home, the African Union, Morocco would have none of it. It decided to leave home and go hunting with the old slave masters. A few brothers walked out with him, but when they got to the gate, turned back to join the rest of the family. Morocco, backed by the former slave owners, went looting the fishes, phosphate and the riches of the Saharawi. It brutalized the Saharawi, detained some, destroyed their homes, forced some into refugee camps, built a wall dividing the territory, and forced the rest under its jackboots. It paid no heed to the international community, refused to allow the referendum the rest of the world directed should be conducted to allow the Western Sahara decide freely whether it wants to be free or be part of big brother Morocco. In one of the most ridiculous cases of thuggery, Morocco seized one our Saharawi sisters, Aminatu Haider and exiled her to the territory of the former slave master. If indeed the Saharawi is Moroccan, how would you exile your citizen to a foreign territory?

After thirty two years of wandering in the desert and keeping bad company, prodigal Morocco decided to return home to the African Union. He must have realized that he is a nobody outside the homestead; that his foreign friends will never threat him as an equal, that is if in the first place, they regard him as a human being. Our brother, King Mohammed VI of Morocco who was born three months after the Union was founded, wrote a rambling and insulting 2,144-word letter announcing Morocco is willing to return. Nobody will stop such a return because Morocco is a long lost son and our home is a common patrimony. It is like a long lost sheep; why wont motherly Africa rejoice that her prodigal son has decided to retrace his steps and return home? But while the Biblical prodigal son was remorseful, full of regrets and begged for forgiveness, the Moroccan prodigal is unrepentant, arrogant and exhibiting the traits of a street thug.

In the letter announcing his decision to return home, he referred to his brother Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, SADR (Western Sahara) as a phantom state His illogical argument is that the SADR which is a biological son of Africa, is not a member of the United Nations (UN). So what? How is being a member of the UN the criteria for statehood? For decades, Switzerland, one of the oldest republics of the world, was not a member of the UN. In any case, do we need the certification of the UN to determine that the Saharawi is a full blooded African?

Morocco indulged in falsehood when he claimed it left the homestead because he does not want to create a division. The truth is that it left when it could not create a division. It wants to adopt the same tactics by trying to induce other Africans with economic and monetary baits to expel or suspend Western Sahara from our common home. Morocco can swallow its pride and return to the African fold, but the Saharawi will never be expelled from the home of his father. Africa belongs to all Africans and no African is superior to the other. Any African leader who backs Morocco whether for a mess of porridge or due to pressures from the former slave masters to expel or suspend Western Sahara from the African House, should know he is trying to break and destroy the union of the African peoples. Such people will be the enemies of the African people and foes of social justice. We cannot allow the rule of might over right in our continent. All those sharing in the loot of Western Sahara be they foreigners or Africans will ultimately have to account for their greed.

When leaders like President Muhammadu Buhari and Dr. Julius Nyerere (who presided) sat in the African Union thirty two years and decided to admit the SADR into the Union, it was in the fundamental interest of Africa. To seek to take a different action today, is to betray these leaders, endanger the health of mother Africa and mortgage the future of our continent and children. If the prodigal son will not abide by the basic principles and the brotherly love that bind all of Africa, it is free to continue wandering in the desert. Prodigal Morocco cannot give Africa conditions to return home. (SPS)

http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2016/10/morocco-a-prodigal-son-gives-condit...

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STAMFORD  Creating Stamford Hospitals new building required far more than steel and glass.

The $450 million complex that opened late last month involved not only three years of construction, but also the hiring of scores of new employees and hundreds of thousands of hours of employee training. Hospital officials see the new building not only as a necessary capital investment, but as a boon to their efforts in hiring and keeping top talent.

It is a setting that is very attractive to someone to perform their craft, said Elaine Guglielmo, Stamford Hospitals vice president of human resources and organization development. I think it speaks to commitment to patient and community, that mission is very important to someone in where they do their work.

A new era

The 650,000-square-foot structure significantly expands the hospitals operating capacity. Stamford Hospitals new Emergency Department can accommodate more than 100,000 visits per year, compared with about 54,000 visits in the old complex. The hospitals total number of beds will remain at 305, with about 180 in the new structure.

To support the new complex, the hospital expects to hire 80 to 100 additional employees by the end of 2017. The new hires will bring the headcount of the Stamford Health system that includes the hospital to approximately 2,500. The system employed about 2,300 in 2014.

Clinical staff such as nurses and physicians assistants would constitute the majority of the hires. The hospital also plans to bolster the ranks of other departments including facilities management, security and environmental services, which includes housekeeping staff.

As we look at the setting of the new hospital with all private rooms, we wanted to enhance the patient experience, Guglielmo said. We want to ensure the setting remains home-like and free of infections. Those were principles that led to increased staffing.

Nurses account for about 650 of the hospitals employees, with roughly 50 supporting the Emergency Department. About 120 employees work in the environmental services and patient transport department. The facilities management team counts about 30.

To prepare for the transition to the new center, hospital employees have cumulatively undergone some 200,000 hours of training in the past four months. New employees have participated in three-day orientations.

Its important to have staff who are good in a number of areas, and a big part of what we look for is competency in customer service, Guglielmo said. Our housekeeping staff, for instance, dont just go in and pick up the trash in the rooms. They go in and engage with patients and staff.

The opening of the new building has also affected hiring decisions and even decisions about business openings by independent business owners in the West Side neighborhood surrounding the hospital.

I moved here (in 2013) because I knew what was going on, John Ciuffo, owner and pharmacy manager of Cornerstone Pharmacy on Stillwater Avenue, said in a recent interview. I moved in when the whole thing was starting. I liked that relationship of being close to a medical center.

Many local business leaders see the new building generating an economic boost beyond its surrounding neighborhood.

Theres a rippling effect, said Jack Condlin, president and CEO of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce. More doctors offices will move in, and theyll need staff. And theyll be fitting up their spaces, which will help the construction industry. The impact of this new building will be felt for the next 10 to 20 years.

Recruiting tool

As they plan to hire dozens of new employees in the coming months, Stamford Hospital officials are expecting their new building to boost their recruiting prospects.

Its a competitive environment where were looking in some cases for the same talent, Guglielmo said. The building is a highly important tool for us. It will help us to attract high quality and talented staff. The ability to perform ones duties in a beautiful facility, I think, is attractive.

But Guglielmo said that Stamford Hospital does not see other area hospitals as rivals. Executives from the Yale-New Haven Health System, which includes Greenwich Hospital and Bridgeport Hospital, similarly described dynamics among the regional hospitals as more complementary than competitive.

Even though we are different organizations, we want to make sure patients are taken care of, whether theyre taken to White Plains, Stamford or Greenwich, said Susan Brown, executive vice president of operations and patient care and chief nursing officer at Greenwich Hospital. Were all working towards patient care, and were all proud of the work we do every day.

Officials from the Western Connecticut Health Network, which includes Norwalk Hospital and Danbury Hospital, were not immediately available to comment.

The move to the new complex, however, will not affect employees salaries and benefits packages, Guglielmo said. (Stamford Hospital does not have any unionized staff).

Hospital officials said that employee retention also represents a top concern. Stamford Hospital conducts periodic employee engagement surveys that include questions about the physical workplace. Survey results are not released publicly, but Guglielmo said that staffers generally give their working environs high marks.

The last survey was conducted this past spring, and another one will probably follow within the next 12 to 18 months.

Stamford Hospitals expansion comprises a promising part of the states workforce, said Pete Gioia, chief economist for the Connecticut Business & Industry Assocation.

Health care, including hospitals, is an important and growing sector in the state, Gioia said. Its a sector that produces a lot of very high-paying jobs, including doctors, skilled nurses, hospital administrators.  You dont build a 650,000-square-foot facility if you dont think theres going to be a return on the investment.
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Despite constant bickering in the United Nations Security Council over every conceivable issue, its 15 members have unanimously selected Antonio Guterres of Portugal as the ninth secretary-general of the United Nations.

In keeping with its tradition, the 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the UNSC decision enabling Guterres to replace Ban Ki Moon on Jan. 1, 2017.

Guterres, a member of Portugals Socialist Party, former Prime Minister of Portugal (1995 to 2002) and UN high commissioner for Refugees (2005 to 2015), was elected on merit at a time when the Security Council is sharply divided over Syria, Yemen, Ukraine and North Korea.

Having had the privilege, since 1973, to personally observe the complex and secretive process of appointing a UN secretary-general, I can say that this is the first time that the United Nations had a widely open and transparent selection process.

His appointment is even more significant considering there was overwhelming support to appoint a first woman secretary-general or someone from Eastern Europe. There were seven highly qualified female contenders vying for the prestigious position.

Accordingly, Guterres, 67, is the fourth UNSG from Western Europe  beginning with Trygve Lie of Norway (1946-1953), Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden (1953-1961) and Kurt Waldheim of Austria (1972-1981).

Ramesh Jaura, the editor of UN-affiliated In-Depth-News, pointed out that Guterres as president of the Socialist International (a global social democratic organization) played a significant role at the height of the Cold War and in the Middle East under the stewardship of the late Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky and Nobel Laureate and (West) German Chancellor Willy Brandt.

Guterres takes over from Ban Ki Moon at a crucial time when the UN is beset with many critical problems, including the devastating five-year civil war in Syria, hundreds of civilian killings in Yemen, South Sudan, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, the unceasing Ukrainian crisis, and the saber-rattling by defiant North Korea that continues to test nuclear weapons.

Any of these situations  if unresolved  have the potential to trigger a nuclear war.

However, we should not forget that the secretary-general is only a facilitator with limited powers while the UN Security Council is the arbiter on world affairs.

Therefore, we can hold our breath until the UNSC veto powers especially the United States and Russia come to their senses, shed their hidden agendas and genuinely open their hearts to find ways to alleviate the man-made suffering around the world.

In his opening speech at the United Nations on Thursday, Guterres vowed to help overcome divisions over ending the war in Syria. He said, We must make sure that we are able to break these alliances between all those terrorist groups or violent extremists on one side and the expression of populism and xenophobia on the other side. We must be able to fight both of them with determination.

Complementing him as a superb choice Ban Ki Moon said Guterres has already pledged to serve the victims of conflicts, of terrorism, human rights violations, poverty and injustices of this world.

Somar Wijayadasa, a resident of Stamford, was a UNESCO delegate to the UN General Assembly from 1985-1995, and was representative of UNAIDS at the United Nations from 1995-2000.
Now is the time to repeal a 40-year-old law that perpetuates inequality among women.

The Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds to pay for abortions except in certain circumstances, is unfair. The amendment targets women who rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage. According to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, roughly two out of three adult women enrolled in Medicaid are between ages 19 and 44  the reproductive years.

Abortions can run upward of $1,000, which places the (legal) procedure out of reach for most women living in poverty. Women in poverty rely on Medicaid for their health needs. Vasectomies are covered. Tubal ligations are covered. Abortions are not. When is it ever a good idea to limit health coverage?

For the first time ever, repealing the Hyde Amendment is part of the Democratic Party Platform, with the support of the Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton though her running mate, Tim Kaine, is not on board with repeal.

Kaines stance is unusual among Democrats. Last month, on the 40th anniversary of the amendment, Connecticuts Rep. Rosa DeLauro issued a statement that said, in part: We should never have to acknowledge another anniversary of the Hyde Amendment. She supports repealing the amendment.

Whether a woman has private or government-funded health insurance, every family should be able to make their own decisions about reproductive health, DeLauro said.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy also has said he doesnt like the amendment, and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal has sponsored bills that seek to counter states, such as Texas and Wisconsin, when they attempt to restrict womens access to abortion. Both are Democrats.

The amendment says that unless the pregnant woman is the victim of incest or rape, or her life is in danger, her Medicaid will not cover an abortion. This was not always the case. In the days immediately following Roe v. Wade, Medicaid covered abortions. And then Henry Hyde entered the picture.

Hyde was staunchly anti-abortion, an Illinois Republican, and author of the bill that bears his name. Hyde, who died in 2007, said that he would have preferred preventing all women, no matter their economic status, from having abortions, but unfortunately, the only vehicle available was his bill.

Early arguments against the amendment are the same arguments against it now: It unfairly singles out women living in poverty, and puts a legal medical procedure outside their insurance coverage.

In 1980 the legislation survived a Supreme Court challenge. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote in his dissent that the amendment was designed to deprive poor and minority women of the constitutional right to choose abortion.

An August Pew Research Center poll said 56 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in at least some circumstances. A quarter said abortion should be legal in all cases. That figure has held fairly steady over the past several years. This while individual states  Connecticut is not among them  have increased restrictions on abortion. This past summer, the Supreme Court struck down a strict Texas law that required abortion clinics to upgrade their facilities to hospital-like standards. Opponents of this law and others have called them clinic-shutdown laws.

In 2015 legislators introduced the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage Health Insurance Act, or EACH Woman Act. The act, which has 124 sponsors, provides abortion coverage through Medicaid and would essentially repeal Hyde.

Guttmacher Institute says roughly half of all U.S. pregnancies are unintended. According to the National Health Statistics Reports, women who are poor and lack an education are more likely to have unintended pregnancies than women with more resources. Hyde places the biggest burden on women who can least afford it. If abortions are legal in this country  and they are  then they should be legal and accessible to all.

Susan Campbell is a distinguished lecturer at the University of New Haven. She can be reached at slcampbell417@gmail.com. This column was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org).
DES MOINES | Is Iowa turning red?

In recent elections, the state has been perennially politically purple. It has voted for Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican Gov. Terry Branstad. For years, its congressional delegation was divided equally by Democrats and Republicans. It has a Republican-controlled state House and Democratic-controlled state Senate.

But Republicans in Iowa have been making gains lately.

In 2014, the GOP flipped a pair of congressional seats, putting Republicans in five of six of the states federal offices. And since the 2012 election, Republicans have taken  and steadily built upon  a lead over Democrats in active registered voters in the state.

It is possible, based on polling more than three weeks from the 2016 election, that Republicans could maintain their 5-1 advantage at the U.S. Capitol, flip control of the Iowa Senate to give the GOP full control of the Iowa Capitol and be one of the few swing states to go for controversial Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

So is this a short-term bump for Republicans in Iowa or a long-term trend?

Opinions vary, including among political analysts in the state.

The short answer is yes, I think Iowa is in the midst of a transition from purple to red. This might be the last election where Iowa is not classified as leaning Republican, said David Andersen, a political science professor at Iowa State University. It has been a long time since a Democrat has done well in one of the more prominent state-level races, it looks like the Republican party is poised to capture the state Senate this year  as well as continuing to hold the governors office and (state House)  and likely hold on to two congressional seats that were very at-risk. ...

Iowa is defying the trend of most other battleground states and is becoming more Republican.

Other analysts said that even if Iowa has a second election that favors Republicans, its not necessarily an indicator of a long-term trend.

Basically, I do not think the state is shifting from purple to red. After all, part of being a swing state is that you swing from side to side on occasion, said John Epperson, a political science professor at Simpson College. I still think that Iowa may go for (Democratic presidential candidate Hillary) Clinton, but whether that happens or not, it will be a close outcome.

The demographics of the state are favorable to Trump, so that is a factor in this election cycle. But long-term, I think there are trends which tilt to Democrats  increase in minorities, especially Hispanics, the fact that Democrats are more attractive to younger voters, etc.

Here is what the data say:

 From 2007 to the present, Iowas congressional delegation went from four Democrats and three Republicans to one Democrat and five Republicans.

The turning point was 2014, when Republicans won two open-seat races created by longtime Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Harkins retirement. The GOP won Harkins old seat and a U.S. House seat in heavily Democratic eastern Iowa. The state also lost a House seat after the 2010 U.S. census.

Although the election is still weeks away, polling suggests that one-to-five ratio very well could hold.

 Republicans surpassed Democrats in active registered voters in the state shortly after the 2012 presidential election. Since then, the GOP has steadily increased that advantage. As of Oct. 1, there were 33,760 more actively voting registered Republicans than Democrats.

 Iowa could go to Trump in this election, which would break trends for the state and nationally.

Iowa went for Obama in both 2008 and 2012 and to the Democratic candidate in six of the past seven presidential elections. So, going for Trump would be a change of pace.

It would also buck a national swing-state trend in this election. Clinton leads Trump in most of the perennial toss-up states, but not in Iowa.

Polling in Iowa has shown a close race between Trump and Clinton, with more recent polls showing Trump ahead.

But there has not yet been a poll published that surveyed voters in Iowa after news broke of a 2005 video on which Trump can be heard making lewd comments about using his celebrity status to grope women and multiple women coming forward in the days that followed claiming Trump touched or kissed them inappropriately.

Republicans, naturally, think momentum continues to build after their big victories in Iowa in 2014.

Its safe to say the leaves arent the only thing turning red here in Iowa this November, said Lindsay Jancek, a spokeswoman for the national Republican Party.

Voter registration numbers also point to a shift in more conservative-leaning voters as well as absentee requests, proving enthusiasm to elect Republicans up and down the ticket in November is alive and well in Iowa.

State Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said he is encouraged and hopeful but also slightly guarded in his hopes that a long-term trend is developing.

It feels like a long-term trend, to be as subjective as I can about this question. No one ever knows if any trend is going to last from one election cycle to another election cycle, Kaufmann said. Im not going to break out any wine bottles yet.

Democrats are not conceding anything in the 2016 election. They think Clinton can defeat Trump in Iowa, especially in the wake of the video and allegations of inappropriate contact, and that Democrats can retake some of those congressional seats.

They point to early voting numbers: As of Friday, Democrats had cast more than 78,000 early votes, while Republicans had cast more than 43,000.

Early-voting results show Iowans are overwhelmingly rejecting Donald Trump and supporting Hillary Clinton and Democrats up and down the ticket, state Democratic Party chairwoman Andy McGuire said.

Trump continues to hemorrhage support from Republicans  especially women  who are outraged by his admission of sexual assault and his increasingly dark campaign. Democrats, on the other hand, are united and voting early in droves for Hillary Clinton and Democrats who believe that we are stronger together and must work with each other to solve our biggest problems.

Come what may in 2016, Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford said the election results will not necessarily reflect greater trends.

If the Republicans do reasonably well this year, yeah, we may be somewhat less purple or a little more red. But that doesnt say anything itself about the presidential race, Goldford said.

Iowa could well go for Trump. But is that because of the highly peculiar nature of the race this year or the start of a trend? We wont know until 2020 (and the next presidential election).

Donna Hoffman, who heads the political science department at the University of Northern Iowa, said regardless of whether Iowa looks purple, red or blue at any given time, whats noteworthy is the states typically competitive elections. Hoffman said thats what truly makes Iowa a toss-up or swing state.

And thats not likely to change, Hoffman said, regardless of what happens in November.

She said one way to look at it is Iowas Democratic lean in recent presidential elections does not necessarily make Iowa a blue state, because the races have been competitive.

So, we see lots of action in terms of the general election in presidential years because our voters are up for grabs, Hoffman said.

Even though we only have six electoral votes, in the current state of Electoral College math, even the smaller states can be significant in getting to 270.
A woman has died after falling from a window in east London this afternoon.

Police, fire engines and ambulances were called to Westgate Street, near Mare Street, in Hackney at just after 4pm today.

A spokesman for the Met Police told the Standard a woman fell from a window at a house and was pronounced dead at the scene.

An air ambulance was seen in the area and the road was closed as emergency officials dealt with the incident.

Alan told the Standard: "I saw at least two fire engines, a few police cars and at least two ambulances."

Police said no arrests have yet been made and inquiries into what happened are ongoing.

It is not yet known whether the death was suspicious or not, police said.

The road has been shut and is expected to stay closed this evening.
L ondoners waste more than 100 hours sat in traffic every year, according to a new study.

The capital has been named as the worst area in the UK for congestion, with drivers spending more than 12 working days sitting in stationary traffic last year.

In a study for the Sunday Times, traffic information company Inrix also revealed that congestion has increased by 40 per cent in London in the last four years.

Figures from TfL added that some central London buses were travelling at an average of 3.8mph, which is slower than a horse and cart.

A five mile journey in the congestion charge zone last year took 25 minutes, which is almost five minutes longer than in 2012.

The average speed of any vehicle travelling through central London last year was 8.3mph, down half a mph from 8.8mph in 2002, the year before the introduction of the congestion charge.

Inrix chief economist Graham Cookson told the Sunday Times that congestion in London has grown more in the last four years than the company believed it would grow in the 17 years between 2013 and 2030.

The gridlock has been blamed on the rise of internet shopping being delivered by white vans, segregated cycle lanes and an increase in the number of mini-cabs.

Data from Inrix, taken from 18 urban areas in the UK over four years, showed that building the cycle superhighway at Elephant and Castle had caused average speeds on nearby roads to slow by more than two mph.

Garrett Emmerson, TfLs Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport, said: There are a number of factors behind the levels of congestion. Londons success means that we are seeing rising levels of construction traffic, private hire vehicles and internet deliveries, alongside the essential work to improve the safety of our roads.

We are making the most efficient use of our limited space by encouraging walking, cycling, public transport and essential traffic, and will continue to do this to ensure our roads benefit all Londoners."


A beloved walking bear who warmed the hearts of animal lovers across the globe is feared to have been shot and killed by hunters.

Pedals the bear became an internet superstar after videos of him walking upright on two legs went viral.

New Jersey residents who saw the bear strolling around the suburbs remarked that he looked like a character from a Hanna-Barbera cartoon - or a human wearing a bear suit.

But Pedals' official Facebook page has claimed that the black bear had been slaughtered in the past week.

The statement read: The hunter who has wanted him dead for nearly three years had the satisfaction of putting an arrow through him, bragging at the station.

For the hundreds and thousands of animal lovers who were following this story, I am sorry we have this sad news to bring you.

Upright: Pedals walked on two feet like a human / Facebook

Pedals is at peace now because his beautiful soul left his body when he was killed."

It is unknown if Pedals walked upright because of an injury to his paws or if he had picked up the behaviour from humans.

The page claims that Pedals was killed during the black bear hunting season in New Jersey.

From Monday to Friday, hunters were allowed to kill black bears with a bow and arrow for the first time since the 1960s.

About 487 bears were killed by hunters in New Jersey last week.

But a statement from Department of Environmental Protection said they had received the body of an injured bear but could not confirm it was Pedals.

The statement read: The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife has received multiple requests for information regarding the status of an upright bear, based on hearsay accounts recently posted on social media.

While the Division appreciates the concern for the bear, it has no way of verifying the identity of any bear that has not been previously tagged or had a DNA sample previously taken.

Without any prior scientific data taken from a bear, it is not possible to verify the identity of a bear that has been harvested.

The Department of Environmental Protection added that pictures of the dead bear would be released shortly.
MASON CITY  Everyone in Iowa, it sometimes seems, has a Chuck Grassley story.

They met him at a town hall meeting. Or at a charity event. Or when he visited their workplace. They tell him these stories when they run into him.

I met you when you came to ...

For 36 years, Chuck Grassley has represented the state of Iowa in the U.S. Senate. In every one of those years, he has visited each of the states 99 counties.

Grassley has become a fixture in Iowa politics, having tapped into the states penchant for incumbent loyalty. He has won re-election five times, never by fewer than 30 percentage points while each time garnering at least 60 percent of the vote.

Hes been very, very good at crafting an image, said John Epperson, a political science professor in his 40th year at Simpson College in Indianola.

And I dont mean to suggest thats a false image, but hes very, very good at crafting an image of a guy who works hard, whos an Iowan we can all sort of identify with  the Butler County farmer, that sort of thing, who works hard, whos honest, straightforward.

Theres also a kind of aw-shucks demeanor to him, Epperson said. He doesnt look or sound like a politician. Theres a certain un-slickness, if thats a word, to him. And hes been very good at, very careful at, projecting that persona. And thats appealing to Republicans, certainly, and its appealing to independents and Democrats.

In seeking a seventh six-year term in the U.S. Senate, Grassley, now 83, is being challenged by Democrat Patty Judge, who like Grassley got her political start in the Iowa Legislature.

Grassleys role in the U.S. Senate changed during his current term, and it put him at the forefront of a political firestorm that led Democrats to think they could finally mount a serious challenge to his re-election.

When Republicans took control of the Senate in the 2014 elections, Grassley went from the minority partys leader on the Senates Judiciary Committee to its chairman.

One of the more prominent roles of the Judiciary Committee is to hold hearings on the presidents nominations to courts, including the Supreme Court.

But when President Barack Obama in March nominated Merrick Garland to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Republican leaders said they would not hold any hearings until after the November election, effectively blocking any of Obamas nominations to the high court.

Grassley stood with Republican leadership, and the opposition roared.

Democrats and liberal advocacy groups accused Grassley and his fellow Republican leaders of playing politics with the Supreme Court. The issue is initially what prompted Judge to get in the race.

But Republicans have cheered Grassleys decision, and the issue has not appeared to move independent voters like Democrats had hoped.

The race with Judge may be the closest of Grassleys career, but he still holds a comfortable lead, according to polls. An Iowa Poll published last week by The Des Moines Register showed Grassley leading Judge by 17 percentage points.

Grassley described the Judiciary Committee as filled with some of the Senates most liberal Democrats and most conservative Republicans, but despite that, the Supreme Court issue is the only one that has been controversial, he said.

Grassley said he is proud of the 13 bills approved by the committee that have been signed into law by Obama, including measures that address human trafficking and opioid addiction and legislation designed to provide assistance for victims of sexual assault.

If you have a knack for working across party lines, it can be done, Grassley said, adding that he thinks he has a good working relationship with U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the top Democrat on the committee.

If re-elected, Grassley said among the bills he would like to continue to work on in the committee involve reforming sentencing and patent laws.

Unfinished business is one of the things that keeps Grassley going back to the Senate, he said.

Grassley said he also was motivated, at age 83, to run for another six-year term in part because of the 2014 retirement of former fellow longtime U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin.

Should Grassley not be sent back to Washington, the state for four years will have two freshmen senators.

Although he would be 89 at the end of his next term if re-elected, Grassley appears to be in remarkable physical shape for his age. Thanks to an exercise regimen he started just 18 years ago, he runs three miles four times a week. During a visit to a Des Moines television studio this fall he spontaneously did 22 pushups.

The Energizer bunny from New Hartford, said Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. I dont know that I could keep up with him. I know that I couldnt jog with him.

Kaufmann said he is impressed by more than Grassleys physical stamina. Kaufmann said that when he spent a day with Grassley at the U.S. Capitol, he was struck by how Grassley did not, like other senators, have staff members plugging him with talking points before media interviews.
F our people have been killed after a balcony collapsed during a student housewarming party in western France.

Authorities in the region of Maine-et-Loire said the third floor balcony of the apartment block in the centre of Angers collapsed late last night.

An Angers University Hospital spokesman said four people had been killed and 10 were being treated, one of whom was in a serious condition.

An initial investigation has found that there were 15 people on the balcony when it collapsed around 11pm.

It is believed that the balcony collapsed under the feet of the students during the party, causing them to fall 50 feet onto the street below.

The incident also caused two balconies below to fall to the ground.

Neighbours reported hearing a large thud and then several loud screams as emergency services scrambled to the scene.

Hospital duty manager Michael Pichon told France Info radio that all of the victims of the accident were about 20-years-old, certainly students.

The Ouest France news site reported that people on the balcony were attending a student housewarming party.

It has also stated that the victims are believed to be three men and one woman, who pronounced dead after being pulled from the rubble.

According to 24 Matins, the building is believed to be new and was constructed after 2000.

An emergency psychological response team has been deployed to help victims and witnesses suffering from shock.

A support centre has also been set up at the hospital and the Red Cross is also assisting the families involved.

This page is being updated.
T he worlds oldest giant panda living in captivity has died aged 38 at an animal theme park in Hong Kong.

Jia Jia was put to sleep by vets on Sunday after a short illness and deteriorating health, Ocean Park theme park said.

The panda had been recognised by the Guiness World Records as the oldest to live in captivity and was around 114 in human years when she died.

The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years but in captivity this number rises to 30 years, according to Guinness.

World record: Jia Jia lived to 38, making her the oldest giant panda ever kept in captivity. / AFP/Getty Images

Born in the wild, Jia Jia was taken to live at a breeding centre in China's Sichuan province in 1980, when she was around two years old.

She and another panda were given to Hong Kong as a gift from Beijing in 1999, two years after China took control of the city from Britain.

Happier times: Jia Jia eats bamboo. / AP

Jia Jia, whose name means good, had been said to have lost her appetite before she died. She had been eaten just 3kg of food per day, down from her usual 10kg with her weight dropping from 71kg to 67kg.

A Hong Kong government spokesman said it was saddened by the news.
A fter eight weeks of lavish sets and cut-glass accents, ITVs Poldark rival Victoria has ended her reign of the Sunday night schedules.

But if you need another period drama to tune in to before the working week begins again, the channel are launching a totally different one.

Tutankhamun follows the greatest archaeological discovery of all time  with a top cast and some stunning locations.

Heres what you need to know.

1) It stars Jurassic Parks Sam Neill

Fact: Sam Neill improves anything he appears in. Fresh from his role in Taika Waititis genius comedy-drama Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the Jurassic Park legend is back on the small screen for Tutankhamun.

He plays Lord Carnarvon, an eccentric British aristocrat who takes a chance on budding archaeologist Howard Carter by funding his dig in Egypt.

[Carnarvon] found himself in Egypt with no particular interest in archaeology, but then became increasingly intrigued by what was going on because it was all the rage at that time, Neill explains.

Everyone was looking for tombs and he got himself caught up in it. As you do.

ITV

Taking on the role of Howard is Max Irons, of The Riot Club and The White Queen fame.

It really is an astonishing story, he says. An incredible adventure. Pure and simple. A story of discovery and imagination, and I think thats what people will enjoy about it.

2) Its got an awkward hero at its centre

Hes gone down in history as an archaeological legend, but Carter was a notoriously unconventional character.

Howard was a different breed of a man. When you hear peoples opinions on Howard Carter it ranges. Some people put him firmly on the autistic spectrum. Other people say, No, he wasnt. He was just very single-minded, explains Irons.

Howard didnt have some of the airs and graces and social platitudes that were needed. He was a one-off. He was said to prefer the company of dead people, thousands of years old, to the living.

Tutankhamun- ITV trailer

3) They recreated Tutankhamuns golden tomb as a physical set

The moment where  historical spoiler alert  Carter finally cracks his way into the gold-filled tomb is set to be visually spectacular.

Usually you cheat these things. But they built the whole tomb, reveals Irons. So when we were poking a little stick with a candle attached to it through the tiny hole in the outer part of the tomb we could see all the recreations of the gold and the jewels inside.

It was pretty special.

4) Its from the director of Girl With A Pearl Earring

While Tutankhamun is a four-hour series, its the same writer and director on each.

The show has been scripted by Guy Burt, who has written for the likes of The Borgias and The Bletchley Circle.

Its directed by Peter Webber, who helmed the 2003 big-screen adaptation of Girl With A Pearl Earring starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth.

ITV

5) It was filmed in South Africa

The show depicts Egypt in the early 1900s, but the show was shot in the deserts of South Africa, near Namibia.

Neill described it as an incredible landscape, but it sounds like it was sometimes tough to shoot in.

It was hot and windy. Wed get back from work, red-eyed with tears streaming down our faces from the dust, he said. Max Irons took the brunt of it. He really took a beating.

ITV, Sunday, 9pm
IOWA CITY  Albia Democrat Patty Judge recently stood on an outdoor veranda at the newly opened Hancher Auditorium on the banks of the Iowa River and took a moment to admire the fruits of her labors.

Not far to the south was the old site of the University of Iowas venerable performing arts venue. Its a place the former Iowa lieutenant governor in Gov. Chet Culvers administration visited numerous times in her role as the states homeland security advisor during the darkest days of Iowas historic 2008 floods.

This was a real struggle. I was here when the water was up and the old building was full of muck and was deemed un-savable, she said.

But eight years and countless discussions later, Judge was able to see that the time she spent battling nature, bureaucracy and obstacles had a long-term payback as she toured the reopened building.

This is an unbelievably beautiful building. Its great that its back, said Judge. People ask me: what is the thing that you remember most or are proudest of in 20 years? That has to be it. It was also the most challenging and the one that just makes you want to pull your hair out.

Being no stranger to struggles has come in handy for Judge in her return to Iowas campaign trail after a six-year hiatus. She is facing another seemingly insurmountable challenge in seeking to unseat GOP icon Chuck Grassley, a six-term U.S. senator who is making another bid for re-election on Nov. 8.

It was her can-do attitude that prompted her to jump into the political arena in 1992. She did it while raising three sons with her husband at their Monroe County cow/calf operation, after working as a registered nurse, running a real-estate business and mediating disputes between farmers and lenders during the depths of Iowas farm-debt crisis of the 1980s.

Like Grassley, Judge got her start in the Iowa Legislature, serving in the Iowa Senate before taking the nontraditional path of parlaying her farm background into her first statewide political bid as a candidate for secretary of agriculture.

I know a little about firsts, folks, Judge recently told an Iowa rally for Hillary Clinton, a Democrat seeking to become Americas first female president.

I was the first woman elected as secretary of agriculture in Iowa. Im going to be the first person to beat Chuck Grassley in 42 years, Judge predicted.

Its that fighting spirit  be it for working families, rural communities, the underprivileged or the disadvantaged in Iowa  that drew pediatric nurse practitioner Pat Clinton to Judge.

She credited Judge with taking on powerful medical interests as a state senator to enact one of the strongest bills in America to add full prescriptive authority to nurses scope of practice  a health-care change that was especially beneficial for rural Iowa.

If it wouldnt have been for Patty, that wouldnt have happened, Clinton said. Patty was just incredible for pushing that legislation through. Thats why Ive been a huge supporter.

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said Judge impressed him as a tough, hard-working advocate for rural Iowa during the years he sat next to her in the Iowa Senate and later when she served as state ag secretary during his eight years as governor.

She knows how to work in a bipartisan way, which I think we need more of, said Vilsack, who now serves as U.S. secretary of agriculture. Shes a hard worker. She cares deeply about folks in rural Iowa and has dedicated her life to keeping small family farms viable.

Some of that experience for Judge has been a baptism by fire: farming and mediating through the debt crisis of the 1980s, being the first female ag secretary in a male-dominated industry, being second in command of state government during a time when the country was hit hard by economic calamity.

Her latest challenge has been wrestling with the decision whether to challenge Grassley or devote her nursing skills to caring for her granddaughter, Millie, who has faced health issues.

In the end, it was her son, Joe, who told her You need to go run this race because youre the one person who can take on Chuck Grassley. You can stand up to him and we will take care of Millie.

Not everyone has been on board with Judges return to Iowa politics, including labor groups displeased with Culver administration decisions and progressive farm groups who feel she was too close to corporate interests during her stint as ag secretary.

Chris Petersen of Clear Lake, a longtime Democrat and former head of the Iowa Farmers Union, said he wont be voting for Judge or Grassley in Iowas 2016 U.S. Senate race.

Im going to write in another Democrat because I think shes too close to industrial ag and entities like that, Petersen said. I understand the Supreme Court stuff and all that, but I just cant vote for her. I just cant.

Vilsack said he hoped Iowa voters, especially Democrats, would take a longer view of the 2016 race.

At the end of the day, Patty is going to be more sympathetic and more understanding of the struggling small farmer on issues involving the environment, on issues involving regulations, on issues involving markets and that kind of thing than Chuck is, Vilsack said.

For progressives, thats the choice you have, Vilsack said. You dont want the perfect to be the enemy of the good.
SIOUX CITY  The sole primetime televised debate between the two U.S. Senate candidates takes place Wednesday in Sioux City, when incumbent U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley faces Democratic opponent Patty Judge.

It could make for an interesting night of politics for Iowa viewers, since the senatorial debate will precede the third and final presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in Las Vegas. The Grassley-Judge debate will begin at 7 p.m. from Morningside Colleges Eppley Auditorium and broadcast live by KTIV in Sioux City and three other Quincy Media Group stations including KTTC, channel 10 or 810 on Mediacom cable.

Iowa State University Political Science Professor Steffen Schmidt said the U.S. Senate debate is low in anticipation, since the Trump-Clinton battle has taken over the fall spotlight.

The atonal Ick Campaign has sucked all the oxygen out of local political races for now, Schmidt said.

Schmidt said he expects few verbal fireworks, predicting Grassley, a Republican, will be farmer Grassley and be very focused on his hard work, 99-counties visits and be a gentleman with Judge.

Buena Vista University Political Science Professor Bradley Best said an expected debate topic will be the refusal by Grassley, as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to hold hearings to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court until after a new president is inaugurated in January.

Judge is likely to use Grassleys most powerful asset  his 36 years in the Senate  against him by insisting that being electorally safe for more than three decades led Senator Grassley away from the common sense pragmatism Iowans expect from their elected officials, Best said.

Just agreeing to debates has been a hard road. In the first week of October Judge accused Grassley of telling a downright lie in blaming her for the cancellation of a planned televised debate that would have aired statewide on Iowa Public Television on Oct. 20.

Judge said she initially wanted the IPTV debate to originate in Davenport, so every part of the state got a chance to see the candidates. When the statewide station said the event would take place at its Johnston studio in suburban Des Moines, Judge agreed to accept conditions that she said Grassley already had approved.

IPTV officials announced they had cancelled the debate after Grassley rescinded his acceptance of IPTVs invitation. IPTV Executive Director and General Manager Molly Phillips expressed disappointment, saying Judge had accepted an invitation on Sept. 23 and Grassleys campaign issued an Aug. 5 release announcing his participation.

Judges campaign points out that a large segment of viewers will not have a chance to watch Wednesdays debate on television. Besides KTIV, KWWL in Waterloo is the only participating station based in Iowa. But KTTC, in Rochester, Minnesota, reaches into North Iowa, while WGEM, in Quincy, Illinois, reaches into southeast Iowa.

Grassley holds a commanding lead in the polls over Judge, a former Iowa lieutenant governor and secretary of agriculture. An Iowa Poll released this week showed the incumbent senator with a 17-point advantage.

Schmidt said he doubts Judge can use the debate to propel herself to a win.

Best said Judge faces a steep climb to win in November, so she needs to do well in the Sioux City event.

This race is perceived to be  and is in fact  more competitive than is usually the case when Grassley seeks re-election, Best said.
OSAGE  Chaos erupted in a Mitchell County courtroom Friday evening after a jury found Nicholas Lenz guilty of first-degree kidnapping and willful injury causing serious injury.

After the verdict was read and the jury was being polled, Lenz yelled and swore at the victim, who was also in the courtroom, and at law enforcement.

F--- you! F--- the police! he yelled.

His mother cried and repeatedly screamed, No!

Deputies escorted Lenz, 23, out of the courtroom before the polling of the jury continued.

Lenz will be sentenced at 9 a.m. Dec. 20. First-degree kidnapping carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Mitchell man admits in taped interview to beating, briefly restraining woman OSAGE | Nicholas Lenz told a Mitchell County deputy during a recorded interview that he repe

Woman testifies at Mitchell kidnapping trial that defendant threatened to kill her OSAGE  The woman Nicholas Lenz of Mitchell is accused of confining and beating over two day

Lenz beat a woman cruelly over the course of two days in March and succeeded in his goal of forcing her to stay with him, according to the prosecutor in the case.

The jury got the case at 5 p.m. and reached a verdict about 2 hours later.

The victim, who was romantically involved with the 23-year-old Lenz, told him she wanted him out of her home, said Assistant Iowa Attorney General Coleman McAllister during his closing argument Friday afternoon.

But the defendant had other ideas, he said.

Lenz held the woman captive in her own home, where he hit her and kicked her, threatened her with a gun, threatened to hog-tie her with a rope and confined her to a chair with packing tape, according to McAllister.

When she ran out of the house to escape, Lenz hit and kicked her and dragged her back into the house by her hair, according to McAllister.

Lenz then took her to a cold, unheated camper in the middle of nowhere, tied her up with zip ties and left her there, McAllister said.

When Lenz came back he drove her around and finally brought her back to her house, according to McAllister. He said Lenz then allowed her to go to sleep in her own bed because he had succeeded in beating her into submission.

She knew what would happen if she tried to escape, he said.

Defense attorney Letitia Turner argued that although her client admitted assaulting the woman, that didnt mean he was guilty of kidnapping her.

Turner said the woman claimed she screamed in broad daylight but no one heard a thing, even though she had neighbors right next door.

She also said the womans hands were free while she was in the camper, but she never tried to remove the zip ties.

Lenz said intent to inflict serious injury and actually causing serious injury are both required to prove first-degree kidnapping, and neither was true in this case.

She said under the law a serious injury is defined as one that either creates a risk of death or one that leaves permanent effects.

Although Lenz broke the womans jaw, that was not a serious injury because the surgeon who treated her expected her to heal as long as she followed his instructions, including not to smoke and to contact a doctor if she had any problems, according to Turner.

She said the woman continued to smoke and did not see a doctor at any time after her surgery, even though she claimed her jaw was popping and her teeth were not aligned properly.

Although the woman testified she talks differently since her jaw was broken, Turner said defense witnesses who have known her a long time  including her brother  testified her speech had been slurred since a head injury and broken neck from years ago.

Turner also said the woman said things while testifying that she never brought up to law enforcement or during her deposition, such as Lenz strangling her.

It just does not add up, Turner said.

Turner also suggested a motive for the woman to lie about being kidnapped, saying she knew Lenz was wanted on a warrant and she did not want to appear to have been with him voluntarily.

McAllister denied any major inconsistencies in the womans statements..

He also noted the womans father testified she spoke differently after her jaw was broken than she did before.

He also asked the jury to recall an audio recording of law enforcement interviewing Lenz after being taken into custody.

It was chilling, McAllister said, noting Lenz admitted that he beat her cruelly.

McAllister said nearly all the details in Lenzs confession matched what the victim said on the stand.

On Friday morning the defense asked for a mistrial because Lenz reported one of the jurors saw him being brought into the courthouse from the jail in the street clothes he wears to court but still in shackles.

Turner said this would be prejudicial to her client, who is not shackled in the courtroom. She said a pre-trial motion states the jury is not to see Lenz in shackles.

Although Lenz was able to identify the female juror who saw him once the jury came into the courtroom, Judge Christopher Foy said the most he would probably do is talk to the juror and possibly dismiss her and replace her with one of the alternate jurors, not declare a mistrial.

He ended up allowing the juror to remain.
The fireplace will be lit and a deer hanging outside the council house next Sunday for the first of three deer-processing classes at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park.

Chad Lebo of Cure Cooking and his buddy John Kriener will delve into the field dressing, skinning and butchering of the animal.

Were going to try to start with a freshly harvested deer we can demonstrate on, and well work with it through the class, Lebo said.

Kriener, an experienced big game hunter, will share his field dressing techniques. Once mastered, its a skill that can take as little as an hour.

Students will also learn some basic curing methods so they can make jerky and dried deer meat.

The second class in the series, on Dec. 4, will focus on sausage making. Fresh venison cooking will be the topic on Dec. 11. Each class costs $35 or $90 for all three.

Go to CureCooking.com/deerclasses to register.

When making sausage, Lebo said many hunters just buy a premade seasoning mix and add venison. He plans to teach them how to do it from scratch.

Its just knowing the right technique and knowing the right kind of percentages of salt so its safe and tasty every time, Lebo said. There is some important techniques that can make a difference between good sausage with good texture and flavor.

The series will finish with classic and modern ways to prepare fresh venison, from slow-cooked roasts to the trendy sous vide technique. Hell also cover sauces that are good with all kinds of game.

What we are teaching is truly from scratch from traditional techniques, Lebo said. Learning how to make everything from scratch so you dont have to buy a thing.

Lebo grew up in a hunting family in Pennsylvania. He began cooking everything from scratch when he and his wife, Cynthia Frasier, lived in Madagascar for six years. Frasier does lemur research for the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium and still travels to Africa often.

When she returns home at the end of the month, shell bring spices from Madagascar that will be used in the classes.

Part of what she is bringing back is really good black pepper and cinnamon, Lebo said. Its wild black pepper. They forage it from the wild. We use it in sausage and to finish sauces. Its a good flavor for game.

Lebo opened his butcher shop, which focuses on heritage breed and sustainable meats, three years ago in Fort Calhoun. But a large share of the former educators business is teaching both public and private cooking classes, which can be done in the customers own kitchens.

Most people, and even many farmers, are two generations removed from butchering their own food. Its much easier to take meat to the butcher if you havent learned how to process it from an older relative.

Thats kind of the point of all the classes we teach is trying to keep these traditional foods alive, Lebo said. Even making bread and making cheese.

Lebo and his sidekick Puce, a street dog he and his wife adopted in Madagascar, wont just be sharing recipes at the classes. Lebo will also be explaining the science behind each procedure. Things like the minimum requirement for salt so that the venison is safe but not overly salty.

Its not at all intimidating, Lebo said, even for the most inexperienced cooks.

Come and join us, other hunters and cooks to learn the techniques and recipes to help you take your next deer all the way from field to table yourself, Lebo said.

Lebos recipe for Jagerschnitzel

Means nothing more than hunters cutlet in German and takes all of 15 minutes to make. Traditionally prepared with venison or wild boar, it is now commonly made with pork or beef. Hunters will find this a wonderful dish with pheasant, goose or duck breast.

Ingredients

1 pound of venison backstrap (loin) cut into 4 to 6 steaks

1 pound mushrooms, finely sliced

1 bunch scallions, finely minced

2 tablespoons bacon grease or lard

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons red wine

12 cup stock

14 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon thyme

Flour for dusting

Vegetable oil for frying

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Sauce

1. To medium hot frying pan, add bacon grease, scallions, thyme, and mushrooms. Saute and stir until mushrooms are soft and lightly browned, 3-4 minutes.

2. Add red wine and saute until barely thickened, 1-2 minutes.

3. Remove mushroom mixture. Lower heat and melt butter in pan.

4. Add flour and stir to make lightly browned paste (roux).

5. Slowly add stock and stir until gravy is thickened.

6. Turn to low and add cream and mushroom scallion mixture. Stir until well mixed.

7. Add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Cutlets

1. Hammer out steaks until about doubled in size, but not torn to shreds.

2. Sprinkle with salt and dust with flour. Shake off excess. These are NOT breaded cutlets.

3. Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil on high in frying pan.

4. Over high heat, fry the cutlets one at a time, flipping frequently. Edges should be crispy, but inside of cutlet should be medium-rare. If overcooked, meat can be tough and dry. Each cutlet will cook in just 60 to 90 seconds.

5. Best served with the sauce while cutlets are still warm and crispy.
We all have been thirsty to some degree at some time in our life.

Water is a necessity of our lives, our animals, our plants, our land.

The question is: Is there enough water to meet all of our needs, or wishes, and those of our environment?

These and other issues are topics of discussion in Thirsty Land, a documentary produced and directed by Conrad Weaver, who produced The Great American Wheat harvest in 2014.

That film first stirred his interest in our worlds water, and took him to places that made him more aware of its importance in our lives. His mission, to document our water situation in the western United States, is the result of his wifes insistence, following a 2014 rain event at Dodge City, Kan.

It opened my eyes to the broader issues of water, Weaver said prior to the Oct. 7 free showing of Thirsty Land at the Midwest Theater.

Thirsty Land is the story of extreme drought, agriculture, and the water crisis in the western United States, and how the challenges impact farmers, communities, and the environment.

He consequently interviewed water users from California to Kansas, including Nebraska and Colorado, to understand and record the emotional impact water has on our daily lives.

Weaver interviewed Colorado ranchers, a Nebraska farmer, California almond producers, Kansas Governor Brownback, and California residents whose water is hauled in and stored in large holding tanks.

He also investigated aspects of climate change on the environment and our water supply. In one case, he was told the snowpack was the reservoir. That it held the water that was released when it melted in the summer. But that reservoir no longer existed. There was no snowpack, so here was no summer snowmelt for the crops.

In Kansas he visited farmers who are managing their water in a way that will impact the Ogallala Aquifer as little as possible.

A Coloradan said water is the lubricant of the entire economy, and cant be managed for just one segment.

Another Colorado resident suggested that what man thought he had conquered, had conquered us.

Urban growth and its threat to agricultural land where food is produced, also was a concern, with one person expressing, The more valuable the land, the sooner it gets built on.

One Kansas resident had some hope, and said there is a solution, that as long as there is give and take, not all is lost.

Following the movie, a panel of area water experts took questions from the audience. Panel members were John Berge, general manager of the North Platte Natural Resources District; Owen Palm, president and CEO of 21st Century Holdings; Dennis Strauch, general manager of Pathfinder Irrigation District; Pete Lapaseotes, NPNRD board member, and irrigator, cattle feeder and agribusiness owner; and Steve Sibray, UNL geoscientist. Panel moderator was Jeff Bradshaw, entomologist at the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center.

One of the questions addressed by the panel was the potential for a cap and trade program for water. Berge said he doesnt believe it would work here. Although a lot of work is being put into conservation efforts of varying degrees, I dont think were there yet, he said.

Another question asked who gets the water when supplies are low.

Conrad said the value of water will change, and that will be a big determining factor. He noted that the U.S. has been spoiled with cheap water, but water rates will have to go up to influence use. He said de-salinization plants are not necessarily the answer. They are very expensive for their minimal results.

Addressing the most effective and efficient use of water, Lapaseotes said genetic seed and drip irrigation, as well as different crops and tillage practices will play a big role.

Regarding a question as to why area farmers and ranchers just dont change from water intensive practices to less needy crops like fruits and vegetables, several panelists offered opinions. Most addressed the problem of establishing markets for products that can be grown here, and determining what other crops could prosper in this dry climate. They emphasized it is not just a matter of changing out over night, or over one season.

Berge offered that traditionally, agriculture evolves because of local resources. He said that doesnt mean we shouldnt change, and cited the introduction of field peas as an example.

Other suggestions from the audience included finding unconventional ways of making more water.

In response to another comment that using corn to produce ethanol is not a good way to use water, a member of the audience explained that everyone has a right to grow what they want, and that corn grows well here, it is fed to cattle, and when the ethanol is extracted, the distillers grains are fed to livestock. She drew applause for her comments, which included the fact that 2 percent of the U.S. population provides food for the rest of us, and they are conscientious about how they use their water in the process.

Thirsty Land doesnt have all the answers, but it provides plenty of food for thought.

More information on the movie can be found at the website www.thirstylandmovie.com
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When Whitney Gilbert and Shadese (DeeDee) Griffith began dating more than a year ago, neither could have expected that they and their family w
MASON CITY | Each year since Allyson Eisentrager lost her twin boys, memorializing them each year has helped her find some peace.

In 2012, while 19 weeks pregnant, her cervix opened too soon. She was forced to deliver her first children, twin sons  Emmett and Elliott.

They lived for about three hours before they were gone, said Eisentrager, now 26.

In a few precious hours, she bounded with her children.

Emmett, actually before he passed away, kinda squeezed my finger, she said. So, it was kinda like he was telling me, It's ok. I'm going to be fine.

For a young mother, the shift from joy to grief moved fast: My mom had to call the funeral homes when I was still in the hospital, she said.

Since then, she and her husband still mark their birthdays. She has given birth to another son.

But she feels a need to attend a memorial service each year held by Mercy-North Iowa staff at the Fullerton Funeral Home on Oct. 15  Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day  to mark their short lives and share their grief with other families.

Its anything to say, yes I do have these kids and Im doing something for them, she said.

My husband and I talk to each other about them, but its hard to talk to people who havent been through that, because they dont understand, she said. It's, 'OK, theyre not here anymore why do you care?

Nearly two dozen people came to the dedication ceremony at Elmwood Cemetery on Saturday, including Mercy Chaplain Ross Erickson who shared how he and his wife, Paula, whose son Bryce James was stillborn 17 years ago.

In a small ceremony held at Fullerton Funeral Home prior to the Lullaby Lane dedication, he walked parents through the stages of some of his own grief.

"I still don't have the answers today," he said, "and I was encouraged not to" look for them.

Well-meaning people saying it was part of God's will was not helpful, Erickson said.

"That's not very comforting and it's not true," he said. "I truly believe God's is the first heart to break."

"You are all at different places in your journey," Erickson said. "There comes a time when you re-invest yourselves in life again."

This year, if they choose, grieving parents have a new way to honor their child at Lullaby Lane.

Parents who lost children to miscarriage under 20 weeks will have the option of having their childs name and date of loss engraved on a paver in a new path called Lullaby Lane.

The Lullaby Lane path was completed last month as part of a Leadership North Iowa service project.

The leadership class  an initiative the Mason City Chamber of Commerce began in 1983  provides leadership training for up-and-coming business people in North Iowa.

Lullaby Lane will lead up to the headstone engraved with an angel and the words We Remember located in the middle of Lullaby Land.

At least a dozen people have requested one, Mercy Foundation Development Specialist Jill Dean said in an email. Each one costs $100.

At the dedication ceremony, attendees who lost a child wrote messages and the names on white balloons and released them in their memory.

Dr. Jonna Quinn of the Mercy Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic  a member of the 2016 Leadership North Iowa class as well as the Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa Fetal and Infant Loss Bereavement Committee  suggested the idea for the project.

I think its more beautiful than we ever expected, Quinn said during the Lullaby Lane dedication on Saturday evening. We do want to offer you that little peace. We hope that you can all use it as a part of your journey.

Organizers raised nearly $16,000 for the project, said Allyson Krull, marketing and leadership development director at the Mason City Chamber of Commerce.

Every year theres new people here, which sucks, said Eisentrager. I dont get all sad and mopey. I just find my inner peace.
People who have set ideas about what happened in Ferguson in 2014 may not care for Until the Flood, the play that the Repertory Theatre commissioned from writer/performer Dael Orlandersmith.

But everybody else may find someone to identify with  and other people to understand  in her short, emotional drama. It opened on Friday night.

Subtly directed by Neel Keller, Orlandersmith delivers a fast-paced, wide-ranging series of character sketches. These characters  all composites, drawn from people Orlandersmith spoke with here as well as from her own imagination  consider Michael Browns death from their own points of view.

On a nearly bare stage that scenic designer Takeshi Kata has ringed with candles, posters and stuffed animals  the all-too-familiar accoutrements of street memorials  Orlandersmith relies on simple costume pieces and props to evoke different characters.

A colorful shawl over her shoulders turns her into a retired teacher, concerned both about Brown and the young police officer who shot him. Later that same piece of fabric, draped around her neck, becomes a stole that makes Orlandersmith into a minister, plowing through Ferguson demonstrations to pray for police officers and National Guard members.

The teacher and the minister are both African-American women, like Orlandersmith. But she plays men, too: a self-possessed black barber, broom in hand, and a retired, white police officer in a Cardinals jacket. They dont see things the same way. Theyre both men who merit respect, however; youd love to introduce them to each other. But Until the Flood doesnt permit that flight of fancy.

The drama takes a sharp, imaginative turn when she plays a Ferguson landlord. As a white man in a camouflage jacket, Orlandersmith defies the limitations of gender and race to portray a man who would be willing  maybe even eager  to shoot somebody like Michael Brown.

But she also shows the man, called Dougray, as a loving father, justifiably proud of his own triumph over a ghastly early life. An extremely versatile stage artist, Orlandersmith gives this man a vivid incarnation  arms jutting, legs spread for balance  thats beyond venom and ultimately beyond criticism. He is who he is, and her play incorporates Dougray into the Ferguson story without diminution.

Orlandersmith also plays two young black men  Michael Browns contemporaries  in especially effective scenes. One of them, a good student who wants to study art history, fears that hell be killed before he gets to college. The other, a tough kid in a hoodie (like Trayvon Martin), is torn between come-and-kill-me fury and little-boy longing for a good dad (like his history teacher, a black, married man who lives in Clayton).
Patricia Barnes

SHEFFIELD  Patricia Pat Barnes, 93, formerly of Sheffield, died Friday, Oct. 14, 2016, at the Rockwell Community Nursing Home.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rockwell. Interment will be at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Rockwell.

Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Retz Funeral Home in Sheffield.

Arrangements are with Retz Funeral Home in Sheffield.
NATICK, Mass.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared it a date which will live in infamy  and three-quarters of a century later, relics from that audacious attack still conjure strong emotions.

A new exhibition commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack that drew the United States into World War II is opening at a private, nonprofit museum west of Boston thats open to the public by appointment.

The Natick-based Museum of World War IIs Why We Still Remember display chronicles the mood in the U.S. and Japan leading up to and after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack by Japan.

Museum founder Kenneth Rendell suggests the themes  including the rising nationalism in Japan and the complacency in the U.S. to the growing threat  should resonate today in the times of Islamic State and other foes.

We underestimated the Japanese terribly. Everyone was paying attention to Europe, no one was paying attention to Asia, he says. It explains a lot about why we were caught flat-footed. Thats the importance of learning from history. Its having respect for the enemy.

The exhibition, which opened Oct. 8 and runs through Jan. 7, 2017, features artifacts evoking the imperialistic ambitions of Japan in the years leading up to the attack, when Japanese news accounts and propaganda celebrated victories over China in the two nations battles in the 1930s.

Those pieces are contrasted with the island paradise of hula girls and sandy beaches captured in photographs taken by U.S. servicemen stationed at Pearl Harbor, which is located just west of Honolulu, Hawaii, and is the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet.

Then there is the attack itself. It involved more than 300 Japanese fighter planes and bombers and killed more than 2,000 Americans, wounded more than 1,000 others, and destroyed or damaged scores of U.S. warships and aircraft.

A glass display holds a small piece of a Japanese plane shot down in the battle, as well as a copy of the first hastily typed distress message sent out from the naval base.

AIRRAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NO DRILL, it reads.

Other items on display include a large pair of binoculars from the bridge of the battleship Arizona. The bombed-out battleship sank in the attack, killing more than 1,000 officers and crew members.

On the exhibition walls, the outrage and sorrow of U.S. newspaper headlines is contrasted with the euphoria and exultation expressed in Japanese postcards, photos and newspapers at the time.

The exhibition also reflects on the heightened fear and anger over Japanese living in the U.S., and the experiences of Japanese families forced into internment camps.

Through photos, letters and other personal effects, it spotlights the story of Tom Kasai, a Los Angeles-area resident who served in the U.S. Army while his wife and parents were relocated to a camp in Arizona.

Kasai was wounded serving in France and awarded the Purple Heart, which is included in the display along with his uniform and other medals.

As visitors complete the exhibition, theyre confronted with an assortment of buttons, pins, stamps and other keepsakes produced in the wake of the attack.
In the interest of fairness, I wish to raise an issue on which Donald Trump has been consistently and resoundingly right: The Republican Party is utterly pathetic.

During a decade of commentary, and in a career of government service before that, I have often argued that the GOP is better than its liberal stereotypes. It is a case I can no longer make, at least when it comes to presidential politics.

The Trump ascendency is the triumph of anti-reason  of birtherism, of vaccine denialism, of suggestions that Justice Antonin Scalia was smothered with a pillow and that Hillary Clinton may have been involved in the death of Vince Foster. It is the triumph of nativism  of a political appeal based on hatred against migrants and Muslims. It is the triumph of white nationalism, which has moved inward from the fringes of Republican politics. It is the triumph of misogyny, demonstrated with words that require a disinfectant shower after hearing. It is the triumph of authoritarian impulses. Since the Constitution is broken, argues Maine Gov. Paul LePage, we need a Donald Trump to show some authoritarian power in our country.

Trump has made the party a laughingstock among the young, a toxic brand among minorities, an offense to many women, a source of worry among American allies and alarm among national security professionals. And this was before Trump pronounced himself unshackled from the style-cramping expectations of his establishment Republican captors. The main use of his newly found freedom has been to attack GOP leaders. Speaker Paul Ryan has authored bad budgets. In what way? They were very, very bad budgets, Trump elucidated. He wouldnt want to be in a foxhole with Sen. John McCain  which presumably was the point of his five Vietnam deferments.

Steve Bannon, the CEO of Trumps campaign, once said, What we need to do is bitch-slap the Republican Party. The lift, it might be said, of a driving dream. And how has the object of this contempt responded? It is supine. It is docile. It licks the hand that beats it.

Trump can hardly maintain, for even five minutes, the pose of apology for predatory and abusive language against women before dismissing it as salty language or the equivalent of a sneeze. Yet Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus calls his apology heartfelt, a description he must know to be false. And running-mate Mike Pence goes further, urging evangelicals to accept Trumps apology because they are required to believe in grace and forgiveness. Pence is seeking theological cover for cruelty and political cynicism. This is nigh to blasphemy.

There is also a group of Republicans who unendorsed Trump after the most recent taped evidence of misogyny, only to withdraw their unendorsements under pressure. It is hard to secure scientific proof of a politician betraying his or her conscience for political reasons, but this comes pretty close. And the position of Ryan  refusing to defend Trump any damn longer but not unendorsing him  is not much better. His transparent disgust for Trump has become a self-indictment.

This much is clear: Republican leaders offered no effective resistance to the ideological and political demolition of their party. Which may, in the worst case, give George W. Bush the distinction of being the last Republican president.

Trump, it appears, has ceased to seriously pursue that office, using American democracy to work out his inner demons or perhaps to position his brand. And he  employing conspiracy theories and rented spokesmen  may well take the country down a post-election rabbit hole by questioning the legitimacy of what he is already calling a rigged system and a total fix job.

But assuming Trump is one of American historys biggest losers  his direction, though not yet his destiny  it will be more difficult for him to make the charge of loserhood against others. And his conspiratorial, self-serving attacks on our constitutional order may seem like spraying graffiti on the Lincoln Memorial. Massive electoral repudiation might speak a language that Republican leaders finally understand, after proving themselves unable to learn the strange tongues of conviction and courage. Maybe they will even be ashamed of themselves, as they should be.

This would set the stage for the recovery of a hopeful center-right conservatism that sees politics as something nobler than scalp-hunting  a politics that begins with gratitude for our national blessings and views Americas flaws and failures as occasions for common purpose. This task, however, will start from scratch. A building on a ruin.

Michael Gerson

Copyright The Washington Post
So my question is, if the department is defunded, and low pay continues, what will happen the next time the police are desperately needed and only a handful of them are available?
NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Signet Jewelers Ltd. (Signet or the Company) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Southern District of New York, and docketed under 16-cv-06861, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired Signet securities between January 7, 2016 and June 3, 2016 both dates inclusive (the Class Period). This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act).



If you are a shareholder who purchased Signet securities during the Class Period, you have until October 24, 2016 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

Signet purports to be the worlds largest retailer of diamond jewelry. The Company claims to operate thousands of stores in North America, and some in the United Kingdom, through well-known brand names such as Kay, Jared, Zales, and Peoples Jewelers.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Company was experiencing difficulty ensuring the safety of customers jewelry while in the custody of Signets brands; (ii) employees at stores under at least one of Signets brands (Kay) were swapping customers stones for less valuable stones; (iii) the Company was experiencing a drop-off in customer confidence; (iv) the Company was facing increasing competitive pressures; (v) as result of the foregoing, the Companys financial performance was being negatively impacted; and (vi) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants positive statements about Signets business, operations, and prospects, were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

On May 25, 2016, BuzzFeed News reported on the seemingly wide-spread occurrences of diamond swapping in connection with the Companys Kay stores. The news report recounted the stories of multiple Kay customers whose diamonds were swapped out for considerably less expensive stones while the customers jewelry was in the custody of Kay, typically for repair.

On May 26, 2016, the Company issued a press release announcing its first quarter fiscal year 2017 financial results. Therein, the Company disclosed that its same store sales for the period increased by only 2.4%, falling below the Companys previously issued first quarter 2017 guidance of 3% to 4%. The Company also disclosed that it was lowering its fiscal year 2017 same store sales growth guidance from 3.0%  4.5% down to 2.0%  3.5%.

On this news, Signets stock price fell $11.37 per share, or 10.5%, to close at $97.00 per share on May 26, 2016, on unusually heavy trading volume.

On June 3, 2016, the Company issued a press release entitled Signet Jewelers Issues Statement Regarding Its Longstanding Commitment to Superior Customer Service and Rigorous Product Quality Procedures. Therein, the Company appeared to confirm the occurrence of instances of diamond swapping at the Companys stores, though it denied that this was systematic.

On this news, Signets stock price fell $4.04 per share, or 4.3%, to close at $88.19 per share on June 3, 2016.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.
A controversial plan to move Stratfords Farmers Market from Rother Street to Henley Street has been rejected by traders following a meeting last week.

However the farmers market will be rebranded as the Stratford Produce Market and a new accreditation scheme launched in a bid to revitalise the twice monthly event.

The rebranded market will be promoted with the strapline Sourced for Stratford.

The plans were presented to traders at a meeting of the Stratford Market Forum last Thursday with many expressing their opposition to any relocation to Henley Street.

Following the meeting the market forum has now dropped any plans to move the market in the near future along with their proposal to hold the market just once a month.

Pat Matjaszek, Business Enterprise & Tourism Officer at Stratford District Council and one of the officers on the Stratford Market Forum, said: We decided to consult with traders about moving the farmers market to Henley Street, but the majority of responses we received were negative about the idea. We offered traders this option because some of them are unhappy about the positioning of the farmers market in what they feel is not a prominent spot. The contractor has decided to place more of the craft type stalls near the American fountain because they want the market to remain visible for the whole day. They have moved the farmers market further along because these traders leave the site at around 2pm.

The proposed accreditation scheme was well received. We will be putting the market contract out to tender and we will work with the current market operator Geraud and whoever wins the next contract, to promote the farmers market.

Explaining his opposition to the plan to move the farmers market, regular trader Paul Whitehead said: Moving the Market from its present location in Rother Street to Henley Street would be a disaster because although footfall could be higher, more of the shoppers there are tourists and less likely to purchase farmers market produce like eggs, meat, preserves, cheese and bread.

The market has been located in its current position for hundreds of years and surely this should be taken into consideration.

Access for the traders and the customers vehicles collecting their purchases would be a nightmare as the area proposed is mainly a pedestrian area and in my opinion it would be dangerous, especially as the numbers of tourists increase in the summer period.

Fellow stallholder Pete Drinkwater added: I think moving it to Henley Street just wouldnt work. It is the busiest street in Stratford, can you imagine us bringing our big lorries down to pack up with a thousand people on the street, the health and safety implications would be horrendous. Many of our customers have said that if it happened, they wouldnt come to the farmers market.

I have got nothing against the accreditation scheme, but what we cant do is limit the market to just once a month, it would kill it. People wouldnt know when it was on and would just go to the supermarket instead.

What we need to make the farmers market more successful is better advertising and to move the stalls next to the American fountain, not have everyone down the other end on a bit of a limb. The farmers market is still profitable for us, it shows what we offer as a business, but footfall has gone down. Maybe bringing in some new blood would help the market too.

Stratford Farmers Market started 17 years ago and at one point was named as one of the top five farmers markets in the country by BBC Good Food Magazine.

However in recent years footfall has fallen dramatically with some criticism levelled at market operator Geraud for not promoting the farmers market enough.

Shelagh Hamer, a regular customer of the farmers market said: They did try putting the market and the Christmas market in Henley Street a couple of years ago but they found that it lost its atmosphere. In my opinion, I dont think the tourists on Henley Street would be bothered about buying produce from the farmers market.

For the farmers market to be successful again it needs to return to its original principles of offering only local produce, and for it to be marketed better. I think that would bring back some of the producers who have left.

I know that the tender for the next market operator is due to go out and maybe it would be better if another operator came in who would promote it better.
Sea cadets from all over Warwickshire including those from Stratford's TS Gurkha marched through Stratford. Photo: Mark Williamson

SEA CADETS from around the county marched through Stratford-upon-Avon town centre this afternoon as part of the Warwickshire and District Trafalgar Day Parade. The Mayor of Stratford Cllr Juliet Short alongside other dignitaries watched from the balcony of the town hall as the parade marched up Sheep Street.

The salute was later taken as the parade of sea cadets marched along Waterside. Trafalgar Day is the celebration of the victory won by the Royal Navy over the Spanish and French fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21st October 1805.
BREAKING NEWS: The 'Bernie for President' grassroots movement formed to help Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential candidacy is not happy with the outcome following its launch since this time two years ago

WASHINGTON, DC, Oct. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - New World Order Politics interviews the founder and former chief director Cary Lee Peterson, an American lobbyist about his past works as the treasurer and chief director for Ready for Bernie Sanders 2016 (renamed Americans Socially United due to FEC regulations for presidential candidates) speaks out on the aftermath of his patriotic pursuit to exploit a very seasoned, yet very unpopular senator from New England.

Cary Peterson (36) comments, "Two years ago I was a regional director for National Independent American Party and I believed in Sanders' policy and politics. I went to the mattresses with the executive board over the issue. He seemed like a great candidate for this year's election. As a citizen of the U.S. we're entitled to finding the best prospects for the job. You can't sit and complain about who's in office if you did nothing to help the best candidates come forward. That's our given right as citizens."

Despite his history as a philanthropist and a United Nations supporters for climate change, Peterson was first headlined in the mainstream media by an alleged smear article from an indie news blogger who claimed the 'Sanders PAC conned James Bond' following the leak of a donation made by actor Daniel Craig. Peterson's response to the less-than-positive media exposure while featured on Al Jazeera political talk show was that the journalist's story was "half brilliance and half bullsh*t", stating that some of the content in the article from Beckel about the PAC was relevant but much of the content about Peterson's personal life was an outright lie.

American's Socially United was active from June 2015 through March 2015. They amassed nearly three million members and followers among a social media compilation that provoked millennial voters to gain awareness for Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential candidacy. The organization reported to United States Federal Election Commission that data was stolen and compromised in March 2016, preventing necessary reports to be filed and that they are working with FEC to get up to date as soon as possible.

The statement from the organization filed at FEC by Peterson this month stated that the dispute letter from legal counsel at Bernie 2016, Inc. was addressed and resolved in June 2016, which was nearly four month prior to the alleged media attack from Public Integrity against the PAC about not being pursuant to FEC regulations or the cease and desist letter from Bernie 2016.

New World Order Politics is a webcast that focuses on global political issues that raise the unquestionable and ignored topics that many believe to be conspiracies or cover-ups generated by the evolution for new world order and those trying to stop it.

SOURCE New World Order Politics
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 10/16/16 -- Whether in a new land, or one where our ancestors have lived for generations, we seek a space that welcomes and embraces us warmly. We yearn for home.

This evening, Jewish Canadians come together to celebrate the start of Sukkot, a joyous fall harvest festival that also commemorates the Exodus of the Jewish people from enslavement in ancient Egypt. To recall the 40-year journey through the desert, a temporary hut is built called a sukkah-a symbol for the yearning to be safe, to be home.

In keeping with the joyous and inclusive nature of the holiday, the Jewish community extends hospitality toward others by inviting guests to dine with them in the sukkah.

It reminds me of how Canadians have opened their arms to those fleeing difficult circumstances, in search of a home.As Minister of Canadian Heritage, I wish everyone in the Jewish community a very happy Sukkot.

Chag Sukkot Sameach.

Stay Connected

Follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr.

Contacts: Pierre-Olivier Herbert Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage 819-997-7788

Source: Department of Canadian Heritage
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intellinetics, Inc. , (NYSE American: INLX ), a provider of solutions and services that enable and accelerate digital transformation, is proud to announce its new product launch as a Presenter and Platinum sponsor at the Build Smarter 2022 Conference in Chicago from November 7-9, 2022.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intellinetics, Inc. , (NYSE American: INLX), a provider of solutions and services that enable and accelerate digital transformation, is proud to announce its new product launch as a Presenter and Platinum sponsor at the Build Smarter 2022 Conference in Chicago from November 7-9, 2022.

COLUMBUS, Ga., Oct. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) today reported its third quarter results.

Total revenues were $4.8 billion in the third quarter of 2022, compared with $5.2 billion in the third quarter of 2021. Net earnings were $1.6 billion, or $2.53 per diluted share, compared with $888 million, or $1.32 per diluted share a year ago, reflecting a release of $695 million in deferred taxes in the third quarter.

Net earnings in the third... (continue reading...)
NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against American Renal Associates Holdings, Inc. (American Renal or the Company) (NYSE:ARA) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Southern District of New York, and docketed under 16-cv-06841, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired American Renal securities: (1) pursuant and/or traceable to American Renals false and misleading Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in connection with the Companys initial public offering on or about April 21, 2016 (the IPO or the Offering); and/or (2) on the open market between April 21, 2016 and August 18, 2016, both dates inclusive (the Class Period). This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and the Securities Act of 1933 (the Securities Act).



If you are a shareholder who purchased American Renal securities during the Class Period, you have until October 31, 2016 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

American Renal operates as a dialysis services provider in the United States focused exclusively on joint venture partnerships with physicians. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates kidney dialysis facilities for patients suffering from chronic kidney failure or end stage renal disease (ESRD). As of March 31, 2016, it owned and operated 194 dialysis clinics in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

On or about April 21, 2016, American Renal completed its IPO, issuing 8.625 million shares of common stock and raising net proceeds of approximately $189.75 million.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) American Renal was engaged in a fraudulent scheme to steer patients away from qualified-for Medicare and Medicaid plans into more expensive Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans to obtain greater reimbursement for the Companys dialysis services; (ii) the foregoing scheme was in violation of federal and state laws; and (iii) as a result of the foregoing, American Renals public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On July 1, 2016, three insurance companies filed a lawsuit against American Renal and an affiliated entity in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleging that American Renal was engaged in a fraudulent and illegal scheme that involved persuading patients who qualified for Medicare or Medicaid coverage to enroll in commercial healthcare plans and then putting those patients in touch with an American Renal-patronized charity that would pay the patients insurance premiums in full or in part. As Medicaid and Medicare provide for only predetermined reimbursement rates for dialysis services, the suit alleges that American Renal would thus receive much larger reimbursements from the ACA insurer as a commercial payor than it would have from Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

On news of the lawsuit, American Renals stock price fell $2.82 per share, or 9.88%, to close at $25.71 on July 5, 2016, the next trading day.

On August 18, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (the Agency), a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced that it had sent warning letters to all dialysis centers that participate in the federal Medicare program. The Agency also stated that it is weighing financial penalties on providers found to have directed people eligible for Medicare into ACA plans insteadas American Renal is alleged to have done.

On this news, American Renals share price fell $2.31, or 10.44%, to close at $19.81 on August 19, 2016.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during an interview with Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, in this handout picture provided by SANA on October 14, 2016. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

By Lesley Wroughton

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and the United States said on Sunday they were considering imposing additional sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his supporters for their actions in Syria's war.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking after briefing allies in London on a new diplomatic initiative on Syria, also called on Russia and Iran to agree to a new ceasefire.

The threat of more sanctions on Syria came before a European Union summit on Thursday and Friday to discuss sanctions against Russia.

"There's a lot of measures we're proposing to do with extra sanctions on the Syrian regime and their supporters, measures to bring those responsible for war crimes to the International Criminal Court," Johnson told reporters after talks he convened with his U.S counterpart and allies on Syria.

"These things will eventually come to bite the perpetrators of these crimes and they should think about it now," said Johnson, adding there was no appetite in Europe for going to war in Syria.

He said it was "highly dubious" that Syrian government forces backed by Russia were capable of retaking the city of Aleppo or winning the war, and called on Russia and Iran to show leadership by agreeing to a ceasefire.

"It is up to them to show mercy, show mercy to those people in that city and get the ceasefire going," he added.

He spoke alongside Kerry, who briefed European and other allies on a new diplomatic initiative involving Russia and a group of Middle Eastern nations aimed at ending the fighting in Syria. The first round of talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne failed to agree on a strategy for ending the violence soon.

Kerry confirmed the U.S. was considering additional sanctions over Syria, but did not name Russia as a target.

Western powers have accused Russia and Syria of committing atrocities by bombing hospitals, killing civilians and preventing medical evacuations, as well as targeting an aid convoy with the loss of around 20 lives.

Syria and Russia say they are only targeting militants in Aleppo and accuse the United States of breaking the ceasefire by bombing scores of Syrian troops fighting Islamic State insurgents, over which the United States has expressed regret.

"We are considering additional sanctions and we are also making clear that President (Barack) Obama has not taken any options off the table at this point in time," Kerry said.

Washington suspended bilateral discussions with Moscow over Syria following two attempts at implementing a ceasefire and growing tensions in their relationship.

With the U.S. presidential election less than a month away and Obama unwilling to assume a deeper role in the Syrian war, Kerry is trying to build a broader dialogue involving key regional players in the Syrian conflict.

The U.S. and its allies have urged Moscow to use its influence with the Syrian government to end the bombardment of Aleppo.

"There is some work to be done over the course of the next couple of days which might, or one might hope, open the door of possibility to an actual cessation," Kerry said.

"It's hard, and it's hard because there are still deep beliefs in a lot of people that Russia is simply pursuing a Grozny solution in Aleppo and is not prepared to truly engage in any way."

Moscow all but destroyed Grozny, the capital of Russia's Chechnya region, during its 1999-2000 war against Islamist separatists there.

The United States first imposed sanctions against Syrian government officials in March 2011 shortly after the uprising that led to the civil war.

In 2013, Washington eased some of the restrictions to allow for reconstruction in opposition-held areas.

Both the EU and the United States have already imposed economic and other sanctions on Russia for its seizure of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, and for its support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
ATHENS (Reuters) - A quake of magnitude 5.2 struck northwestern Greece, close to the country's border with Albania, late on Saturday, Athens' Geodynamic Institute reported, causing damage but no casualties.

The quake's epicenter was 12 km (8 miles) northwest of the city of Ioannina, said an official at the Institute.

There was some damage to the mountainous road network in the area due to falling rocks but no casualties, said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The tremor was also felt on the Corfu island in the Ionian Sea, a popular tourist destination, according to the semi-state Athens News Agency.

Greece and the surrounding region is often rattled by earthquakes, mostly at sea which cause no serious damage.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Diane Craft)
DOHA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia on Sunday replaced its envoy to Iraq whose comments about Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs led to diplomatic tension with Baghdad.

Thamer al-Sabhan in 2015 became the first Saudi ambassador to be posted to Iraq since the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait - an appointment which was seen as heralding closer cooperation in the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

But in August Iraq asked Riyadh to replace Sabhan after his comments about Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs and the alleged persecution of Sunni Muslims angered local Shi'ite Muslim politicians and militia leaders.

Sabhan was appointed minister for Arab Gulf Affairs, a newly created position, according to state news agency SPA.

He will be replaced by Abdulaziz al-Shamri, Riyadh's military attache in Germany, who will be appointed as the charge daffaires to the Saudi embassy in Baghdad, Sabhan said on his Twitter account on Friday.

Iraqi Shi'ite politicians and militias had made repeated calls to expel Sabhan, who has been calling on the Iraqi government to exclude Shi'ite paramilitary groups from its military campaign against Islamic State in order to avoid abuses against Sunnis in Iraq.

Baghdad's move underscores the depth of enmity between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim powers as sectarian conflicts rage in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

(Reporting by Mohamed el Sherif Writing by Tom Finn; Editing by Mark Potter)
hfbamafan wrote:

In the English-Speaking world Anton Chekhov is by far better known for his plays than for his short stories, but it was during his lifetime that Chekhov's stories made him popular while his plays were given a more ambivalent reception, even by his fellow writers.

Quote:

A)by far better known for his plays than for his short stories, but it was during his lifetime that

Blah Blah , but during his lifetime chekhov's stories made him popular <> ...

or

Blah Blah , but during his lifetime it was chekhov's stories that made him popular<> ...

Quote:

B)by far better known for his plays than he was for his short stories, but during his lifetime

his plays

his stories

for his play s

for his stories

Quote:

C)Known far better for his plays than he was for his short stories, but during his lifetime

Quote:

D)far better known for his plays than were his short stories, but it was during his lifetime that

it

Quote:

E)far better known for his plays than for his short stories, but during his lifetime

Jyothi hosamani Signature Read More

In my opinion ,* the second half sentence has no working verb . "that" is used incorrectlyit would have made sense to say -the inclusion of "he was" renders the sentence with bad parallelism.Should be - better known forthanor better knownthanBad parallelism - "for his plays" is compared with "he was for his stories"second half of the independent clause has two verbs - "Was" and "made". I dont know if there is term for these kind issues (quiet bad with remembering jargons) , but I know the sentence makes no sense .Usage of "It" is incorrectHad the sentence read - "blah blah , but during his lifetime it was C's stories THAT made him........", would have been correct.meaning issue- says - AC's stories were known for plays . - i.e AC is far better known for his plays than were his short stories (known for his plays) - comparision between "AC known fir his plays" and "his stories known for his plays"Also The second part of the sentence says something like this -was during AC's lifetime , that the stories made him popular ( perhaps as opposed to any other time , may be after his death , or whatever). "IT" is referring to lifetime , instead of "stories" , (is pointing to some period rather than stories. This is not the intended meaning. The sentence intended to say "during his lifetime , IT was his stories and not plays that made him popular".CorrectHTHJyothi_________________
Hello ,



I have been entrenched in the application process for over a year now and had to retake the GMAT. I finally have a score of 720 (Q46|V41) and I don't plan on retaking it.



I am an Indian female, 28. I pursued my undergraduate degree at The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. I chose engineering as my major (a choice I am not so happy about when I think about it today - I am more attracted to the liberal arts/economics etc.). Since it wasn't my calling and ended up with a GPA of 3.0 which was quite damming given I have been fairly good at academics all my life, but I assume not so bad since its engineering. I have always had an entrepreneurial side and returned to the country to work in the start-up space.



I was fortunate enough to be able to tread on a slightly non-traditional career path - I worked with a forward thinking consultancy (start-up) set up by a former Kellogg alumni and my team had a few MBA graduates (My manager etc.) from top MBA schools. Hence, my recommendations are going to hopefully be strong since my colleagues have the background. We were in the business of brand equity analysis and extension through licensing & joint ventures. At an early stage in my career, we faced financial distress and had to shut shop (a great learning experience). I then worked in strategy & insight consulting mostly involving consumer & market research, product/brand positioning & roll out, portfolio optimisation, launched a few digital apps. I have been promoted fast over the past 4.5 years starting at an analyst level and reaching the level of a senior consultant. I am passionate about design-thinking & product innovation and work with a non-profit firm (last 2 years) which uses design-thinking to solve waste management issues in the country. I run a curation blog on sustainable innovation. Besides that, I love to travel and have spent a fair amount of time backpacking across SE Asia, some organic farming, yoga is core to my existence.



My goal is to move towards innovation consulting or social impact consulting/work with start-ups in the sustainable innovation space.



I had applied last year with my GRE score and got accepted to IE. I got a reapplication offer (only 10% candidates get it) from INSEAD - they liked my profile but wanted me to take the GMAT and wanted a 70-75 percentile in quant and verbal. My quant percentile is n the 60's and verbal in 90's. Overall percentile in 90's. I will be sending my scores to INSEAD and hope that they consider me for an interview.



I, however, would like to keep my options open and wondering what shot I have at the following schools. Would be great if we could break it up into very strong, strong, competitive & stretch.



1. LBS

2. Berkeley

3. Stanford (Dream school - I know its tough)

4. NYU

5. UCLA

6. Judge

7. MIT



Any other school you may recommend based on my interest. I am not keen on going to a small city to study.



Thank you so much!
Air New Zealand is issuing a total ban on fire-prone Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on all of its flights from 5am today, Sunday.

The airline strongly advises travellers not to bring the devices to the airport with them, says an airline spokeswoman.

"They cannot be accepted for travel and there is no storage facility available for them at our check in areas," the spokeswoman said on Stuff.

Spark has notified customers of the first reported case of a Samsung Galaxy Note7 exploding in New Zealand.

The Air New Zealand ban takes effect the same time as the US ban. The United States Department of Transportation issued a total ban on passengers and flight crews bringing the phones on airline flights into and out of the United States.

"Air New Zealand apologises to customers for any inconvenience, however, this is an FAA and US DOT safety requirement."

The Civil Aviation Authority this week told airlines they had to ensure passengers turn off any Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices when travelling, but fell short of an outright ban.

This smartphone began smoking inside a Southwest Airlines plane on October 5, 2016. Photo: Supplied.

The US order, which went into effect at 5am today New Zealand time, says the phones may not be carried on board or packed in checked bags on flights to and from the United States or within the country.

The phones also cant be shipped as air cargo. Passengers caught attempting to travel with the phones will have the phones confiscated and may face fines, the department said.

Samsung has recalled more than 2.5 million of the smartphones worldwide, citing a battery manufacturing error, and discontinued the product earlier this week, less than two months after its August release.

In New Zealand, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 buyers will be given $100 compensation  on top of a cash or credit refund  to compensate them for the "stress" and inconvenience of having to return the smartphones.

New Zealand Post has told consumers not to post or courier Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones back to retailers because of the safety risk.

Instead it is telling buyers to return the smartphones to retailers in person.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been nearly 100 reports of batteries in Note 7 phones overheating in the U.S.

One fire erupted on a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this month. In another case, a family in St. Petersburg, Florida, reported a Galaxy Note 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.

The Federal Aviation Administration had previously warned passengers not to pack the phones in their checked bags and to power them off and not charge them while on board planes.

"We recognise that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

"We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk."

The Note 7 isnt the only gadget to catch fire thanks to lithium-battery problems, which have afflicted everything from laptops to Tesla cars to Boeings 787 jetliner.

At least three U.S. airlines are adding new fire-suppression equipment to fleets in case a cellphone or laptop battery overheats, catches on fire and cant be extinguished.

Rechargeable lithium batteries are more susceptible to overheating than other types of batteries if they are exposed to high temperatures, are damaged or have manufacturing flaws.

Once overheating starts, it can lead to "thermal runaway" in which temperatures continue escalating to very high levels. Water can extinguish the flames, but doesnt always halt the thermal runaway.

Flames will often reappear after initially being quenched. Lithium batteries are ubiquitous in consumer electronic devices.

Manufacturers like them because they weigh less and pack considerably more energy into the same space than other types of batteries.

Earlier this year, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a U.N. agency that sets global aviation safety standards, banned bulk shipments of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries as cargo on passenger planes until better packaging can be developed to prevent a fire from spreading and potentially destroying the plane.

No more flying for the Note 7. Photo: Supplied.
The Government is looking at changing tenancy rules following recent court rulings which Housing Minister Nick Smith says have created confusion over how the Residential Tenancy Act (1986) and the Property Law Act (2007) interact.

This is resulting in uncertainty for landlords and tenants, and is affecting the effective functioning of the Tenancy Tribunal.

The issue is tenant damage to a property through carelessness or negligence, says Nick. The latest court rulings mean landlords cannot recover the costs of this damage where they have insurance, including for their costs such as the excess.

The problem with this approach is that it reduces the incentive for tenants to take good care of the property they rent. It also reduces the landlords incentive to have insurance as it lessens tenants responsibilities.

My concern about this new interpretation is that it will add to the overall costs of the residential sector, driving up insurance costs and rents. However, we do not wish to return to the situation where tenants may be sued by their landlords insurance company for hundreds of thousands of dollars, such as with an accidental house fire.

Nick says hes considering a proposal where tenants will be liable for damage caused by carelessness or negligence up to the value of their landlords insurance excess, but not exceeding four weeks rent, which is aligned with the standard tenancy bond.

A different amount could be mutually agreed if specifically provided for in the tenancy agreement and would enable the tenant, if they wished, to take out their own insurance.

The tenant would remain fully liable for damage caused intentionally or caused by a criminal act, with no limitation, says Nick. The landlord would remain liable for fair wear and tear, and any damage caused to the property by an event beyond the tenants control, such as a storm or an earthquake.

Hes asked the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to do targeted consultation with tenant and landlord organisations, and the insurance sector, on possible amendments.

I am particularly interested in views on what is an appropriate limit on tenants liabilities, says Nick.

New Zealand has 450,000 tenanted properties, and both tenants and landlords need certainty about their rights and responsibilities. I am looking for a practical solution that will work for both tenants and landlords.

The issues arose following landmark Court of Appeal decision earlier this year that ruled in favour of a couple who accidently burned down their rental home.

The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the couple who were pursued by their landlords insurer for the cost of the fire, caused by an untended pot on the stove.

The court sided with the couple, Kenji and Tieko Osaki, and now the Tenancy Tribunal has put out a note to help clarify the ruling for landlords and tenants, reports Catherine Harris on Stuff.

It confirms that tenants cannot be held liable for unintentional damage if the landlord is insured.

However, principal tenancy adjudicator Melissa Pooles note says tenants or their guests can be held liable if the landlord has no insurance, or the damage is found to be deliberate.

Landlords are also not allowed to seek the excess on their insurance policies, or use 14-day notices to get tenants to repair damage. Instead they must go through the tribunal.

Insurance Council chief executive Tim Grafton said many people would be "offended by the idea that those who have negligently caused damage dont have to face the consequences of their actions".

However, he noted that those who acted deliberately would remain liable.

Scotney Williams, a director of tenancy services firm Tenancy.co.nz, said it would be interesting to see how the new rules played out, as the tenant had to prove the damage was unintentional and that meant showing up at court.

If this is the case, most disputes would be awarded to the landlord because the majority of tenants fail to turn up to their hearings."

Williams said the Osaki decision had been a radical change from the previous understanding, which was that tenants had to pay for even careless damage.

"This is a get-out of jail free card for tenants."
Spring is known to bring four seasons in one day, and that was certainly the case around New Zealand.

Rain, hail and even lightning was reported across the Bay of Plenty and the upper North Island.

Now the weekend has gone, the MetService expects the weather to settle and temperatures to return to typical spring values.

The snow flurries and hailstorms that New Zealand was caused by a large pocket of cold air in the upper atmosphere.

Flurries of snow down to 400-500m affected Otago, Canterbury and Marlborough, while thunderstorms and hail have had a significant impact on both islands over the last few days, says a statement from the MetService.

On Friday, an extended burst of hail was reported to have damaged new spring crops in Motueka. As is typical for this time of year, the upcoming week will contain a bit of everything.

The good news is we start the week off on the right foot, as the decent weather most people experience on Sunday will persist into Monday, says meteorologist Angus Hines.

That nice start will be rudely interrupted by a front which moves onto New Zealand on Tuesday. Initially the South Island will bear the brunt of the weather, as this front is expected to bring periods of rain to western parts of the island, and strong winds to the east.

MetService has already issued a Severe Weather Watch for northwesterly gales about the lower South Island starting on Monday night.

On the flipside, the North Island will experience a few more predominantly dry days before the front arrives during Wednesday, which will be welcome relief after prolonged wet weather has caused headaches for farmers and outdoor adventurers alike.

A front, with associated wind and rain, moves onto the South Island early on Tuesday. Image from weatherscape at MetService.
When the electronic cards are being thrashed at the rate of 160 transactions a second this Christmas, Tofis Eftpos card will be sitting snug in her wallet.

Alongside her credit card. They will have hardly had an outing.

And when the countrys Christmas spend explodes to more than $6 billion Tofi, as shes popularly known, will have made a minimal contribution to that blowout.

Its not because shes a grinch. Its because we can only just afford the food on our table and the roof over our head.

But the genial Samoan mother-of-four can still manage a chuckle about her predicament. We can laugh even though its a real struggle, even though it put so much stress on us.

Laughter may be a medicine, but its not the cure.

Hers is a story of hardship, but more a story of courage and common sense. And about seeking advice and financial planning. Have a plan and executing it is the cure.

Because if Christmas sneaks up and you havent planned, it becomes even harder, says Rae at Taurangas Budget Advisory Service. The pressure of Christmas can generate reckless spending. Thats when people who cant afford it, resort to the credit card.

And this steward of the purse strings makes her appeal. I implore you now. Dont do that.

Tofi, her kids aged 15, 10, eight and three and Rae, who all wish to remain anonymous, have agreed to share their story to save others from Christmass biggest hangover. Debt, unmanageable debt, the thumping red headache that engulfs so many of us in January and February after a Christmas of excess.

Its about focusing on how much you want to spend at Christmas and how much you should spend, says Rae. And its about financial planning for all eventualities.

Christmas is just another occasion you have to put money away for. Like running your car, the rent, the power, the food.

And thats where Tofis story kicks in. Because she wasnt reckless with money, she wasnt extravagant. Her circumstances changed drastically and tragically and she wasnt prepared.

My husband was working at Tauranga Hospital but he became very ill and had to give up his job. And I had to give up my job as a cleaner to look after him.

One minute it was a comfortable two-income family. We could always afford the shopping and even had holidays.

Then it was scraping by on a benefit topped up by savings. We started getting behind with the rent, school expenses and a lot of bills, says Tofi. But worse was to come.

Tofis husband, Danny, a man whose standing in the Polynesian community was as big as his impressive physique, passed away suddenly.

It was crushing for Tofi. Her husband, her life partner, father of her children gone, aged just 46.

My husband handled all of the familys finances. He did everything. He organised the kids Christmas presents. But Danny was gone.

If the kids wanted something I would have to remind them Dads not here anymore, its just me by myself. Then they stop and look at the situation.

Prayer managed to sustain this devout Christian woman. But she needed some practical solutions too. And with debt rising and savings draining Tofi went to Tauranga Budget Advisory Service.

She just didnt know where she was going next, says Rae.

The budget advisor knew where Tofi was going and immediately applied the handbrake.

We have worked through quite a lot of the debt and Tofis doing a summary instalment order at the moment. The order is a formal arrangement with creditors to settle debt over time, normally three years.

Shes paying her debt that way and we have managed to reduce the debt by going for hardship through one of the banks.

Tofi is learning fast. And so are the kids. But what about Christmas? What about that time of giving and joy?

Its something to look forward for the kids. They wont get whatever they want, they are not expecting flash or expensive, but they will get whatever we can afford. And she is willing them to be happy.

Again, says Rae, its about providing for the eventuality.

Tofi has opened a PaknSave and Warehouse Christmas club accounts.

The kids understand I am trying, I am doing the best I can. They are so amazing. They will appreciate whatever we can manage.

Christmas is still 73 days away but the Tauranga Budget Advisory service message is  plan now to stay out of debt.

Think long and hard about not using credit cards, says Rae. Drip feed money into savings and Christmas clubs. Be prepared. Start discussions with the kids about their expectations. And if you cant afford it before Christmas you wont be able to afford it after Christmas. Dont buy it.

This weekend there will be an unveiling. Tofi will honour the man who set the budgets, paid the bills and bought the kids Christmas presents, the man who handled the familys finances  the responsibilities that now fall on Tofi.

Shes learning, says Rae. And so are the kids.

Now I just willing myself to be happy for kids at Christmas, says Tofi.

And that might just be achievable because Tofi and her four children are in line for a Habitat for Humanity home. Thats the organisation that offers people a chance of a simple decent home. The application is going well.

Theres a tear on Tofis cheek. It arrived when she spoke of Danny. It was joined by another when she talked about how well the kids were doing at school as they faced a second Christmas without dad.

Her 15-year-old, always Daddys girl, told Tofi she just wanted to make her father proud.

A third tear is now fighting with a smile as a grateful Tofi talks kindly about her new friend Rae  the budget advisor who may have salvaged Christmas for this family.

The Weekend Sun will be talking to Tofi again before Christmas to see how their strategy is working.

For further information go to: htp://tgabudget.familybudgeting.org.nz.

Call Tauranga Budget Advice Service on 07 578 0969 or email: info@tgabudget.org.nz
Finance Minister Bill English has presented the Crown accounts for the year to June, showing a surplus of $1.8 billion in 2015/16, up from $414 million in 2014/15.

The Crown accounts show core Crown expenses are under 30 per cent of GDP for the first time since 2006, net debt has stabilised to 24.6 per cent of GDP and net worth has grown to $89.4 billion in 2015/16.

Bill says the $1.8 billion operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) in 2015/16 - compared to a forecast of $176 million in Budget 2015 - is a significant turnaround on the $18.4 billion deficit in 2011 following the Global Financial Crisis and Canterbury earthquakes.

The New Zealand economy has made significant progress over the past eight years, says Bill.

This delivers more jobs and higher incomes for New Zealanders, and also drives a greater tax take to help the Governments books.

The outlook for the economy is positive, the Governments books are in good shape and we are addressing our toughest social problems. However, we also need to bear in mind that there are a lot of risks globally and that is why it is important to get our debt levels down.

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller welcomed the announcement of a surplus.

This is a testament to the hard work occurring across the country, from the smallest home-based businesses through to the largest exporters, says Todd.

We are all doing our part to right the economy, and when you compare New Zealand to the rest of the world the result is quite startling.

Todd cannot praise his colleague enough, describing Bill English as a finance minister of a generation, understated, and relentless in ensuring the $75 billion the government receives in tax is prudently and competently spent on our behalf.
A moving and poignant short film created by a Taupo college student won this years Battle of Passchendaele Multi-Media Competition.

Tauhara College student Mina Bixley, 18, won the annual competition with her animated short film Passchendaele on a Personal Scale which she scripted and animated herself.

The Battle of Passchendaele was one of New Zealands most deadly conflicts during World War I. On just one day October 12, 1917  nearly 850 Kiwi men were killed and more than 2700 wounded.

Minas moving entry illustrates the personal nature of remembrance. It also captures the very essence of the competition  ensuring New Zealands sacrifice on the Western Front is not forgotten, says Veterans Affairs Minister Craig Foss.

As part of her prize package, Minas won a $2000 grant towards her education plus a place as a Youth Ambassador at the Battle of Passchendaele centenary commemorations in Belgium in 2017.

She received her award at a special ceremony marking the 99th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum on Monday, October 12.
and that the government back them judiciously should ensure Italian firms will continue

The combination of technique expertise, commercial enterprise,to growthat the government back them judiciously should ensure Italian firms will continuethe government backing them judiciously should ensure Italian firms of continuingjudicious government backing should ensure that Italian firms will continuethe governments judicious backing should ensure Italian firms that they will continuethe government judiciously backing should ensure Italian firms of being able to continueI don't have OA....if anybody has OA please post it!!!!
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It is never too early!My name is Brad and LBS is my top choice, followed by two US schools. I hope all my fellow 2011 LBS applicants can share their application progress on this thread much like the 2010 LBS thread.I actually attended an MBA fair last fall and spoke with the LBS staff and got the ball rolling then. Over the past 6 months or so it has become apparent that LBS fits what I am hoping to get from an MBA and I'm focusing my efforts accordingly.I checked today and it looks like they've put up the essay questions. I'm on vacation for the next month, so it will give me time to draft a couple first drafts. I've already read a couple MBA Admissions books and have a spreadsheet filled with my brainstorming for the general topics that appear on the essays. I'm still not sure whether I will use a consultant to review my essays or whether I will go the friends, family and colleagues route. Beside the obvious cost of a consultant I feel that drafting and editing myself is almost a matter of pride, ...or maybe hubris. Anyone have any thoughts on this?My info:30 y/o male (American)7 years work experience (real estate finance)710 GMAT (95% V, 75% Q)low undergrad GPABest of luck to everyone and I look forward to possibly sharing a stream with you at LBS!BradLONDON BUSINESS SCHOOLInformation on the school:MBA home page : http://www.london.edu/mba.html Employment report : http://www.london.edu/programmes/mba/be ... mpact.html Social Clubs : http://www.londonsa.org/dynamic/club_list.php 2010 Information Event Schedule: http://www.london.edu/programmes/infoevents/do?progSelect=MBA&locationSelect= Mckinsey recruiting at LBS - http://www.mckinsey.com/careers/lbs/home.aspx Ranked #1 school in the WORLD by FT in 2009. Link - http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolra ... a-rankings LBS 2010 thread can be found here: the-london-business-school-2010-thread-78838.html LBS 2009 thread can be found here: the-london-business-school-2009-thread-70701.html LBS 2008 thread can be found here : lbs-r1-roll-call-54115.html LBS online application can be found here : https://www.london.edu/register/do?actionId=186 Recommendor forms : http://www.london.edu/assets/documents/ ... ctions.pdf Other programs offered:Executive MBA: http://www.london.edu/programmes/executivemba.html Executive MBA-Global: http://www.emba-global.com/ Masters in Finance: http://www.london.edu/programmes/mastersinfinance.html
Lucky2783 wrote:

The United States has relaxed overseas borrowing rules for corporates, as a result US based companies will now find it easier to refinance their dollar loans through overseas debt.



A)The United States has relaxed overseas borrowing rules for corporates, as a result US based companies will now find it easier to refinance their dollar loans through overseas debt.

B) The United States has relaxed overseas borrowing rules for corporates, so US based companies will now find it easier to refinance their dollar loans through overseas debt.

C) The United States has relaxed borrowing rules for overseas corporates, resulting in US based companiesnow finding it easier to refinance their dollar loans through overseas debt.

D) The United States will have relaxed borrowing rules for overseas corporates, so to result in US based companiesnow finding it easier to refinance their dollar loans through overseas debt.

E) The United States had relaxed borrowing rules for overseas corporates, to result in US based companiesnow finding it easier to refinance their dollar loans through overseas debt.



Re-adding the topic .

hi lucky,you have given two choices D and E, which can be rejected without looking twice...C is out because it changes the meaning..Although A and B are also not entirely correct with ambiguous 'it'....there is only one difference in the two 'as a result' vs 'so'....may be B... but ofcourse C , the OA given should not be correct because of change in meaning_________________
Massive investment may turn Newegg into a Chinese subsidiary Let us preface this by saying we're still gathering information, but word on the web is that Newegg is in the process of being owned by a Chinese technology outfit. According to UD News, Hangzhao Liaison Interactive Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Liason Interactive from here on out) is in the process of closing a deal to buy a 55.7 percent stake in Newegg. The deal is estimated to be worth around 17.7 billion yuan (around $2.63 billion), and once finished, the California electronics dealer would effectively become a subsidiary of Liaison Interactive. PC Gamer

Intel will add deep-learning instructions to its processors Some of the latest Intel processors support the AVX-512 family of vector instructions. These instructions operate on blocks of 512 bits (or 64 bytes). The benefit of such wide instructions is that even without increasing the processor clock speed, systems can still process a lot more data. Most code today operators over 64-bit words (8 bytes). In theory, keeping everything else constant, you could go 8 times faster by using AVX-512 instructions instead. Daniel Lemire

Verizon, AT&T Made $600 million in overage fees alone in 2016 A new study claims that Verizon and AT&T made $600 million alone in 2016 just on overage fees. And while both telcos unveiled new plans that let you avoid $15 per gigabyte overages in exchange for just being throttled (Verizon's "safety mode" and AT&T's Mobile Share Advantage) the study by Nerd Wallet found that thanks to buried surcharges and other fees, users on these new plans may not save much money. DSLReports

Microsoft: No more pick-and-choose patching Adobe and Microsoft today each issued updates to fix critical security flaws in their products. Adobe's got fixes for Acrobat and Flash Player ready. Microsoft's patch bundle for October includes fixes for at least five separate "zero-day" vulnerabilities -- dangerous flaws that attackers were already exploiting prior to today's patch release. Also notable this month is that Microsoft is changing how it deploys security updates, removing the ability for Windows users to pick and choose which individual patches to install. Krebs on Security

Bendable electronic paper displays whole color range Less than a micrometre thin, bendable and giving all the colours that a regular LED display does, it still needs ten times less energy than a Kindle tablet. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed the basis for a new electronic "paper". Their results were recently published in the high impact journal Advanced Materials. Phys.org

Kaspersky Lab reveals advanced persistent threat, StrongPity Kaspersky Lab today announced a stealthy threat actor known as StrongPity, a technically capable Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) interested in encrypted data and communications, according to a paper presented at Virus Bulletin by Kaspersky Lab principal security researcher, Kurt Baumgartner. Users in Italy and Belgium were hardest hit, but people in Turkey, North Africa and the Middle East were also affected. Kaspersky

Cutting the cord: 200 channels but only 20 worth watching? We have come a long way from the pay-TV scenario Bruce Springsteen bemoaned in 57 Channels (And Nothin' On). But after a look at the most recent Nielsen TV viewing data you certainly can understand why consumers are crying out for slimmer pay-TV bundles. With more than 200 channels available on their cable, satellite or telco-delivered service, viewers are actually watching, on average, only about 20 channels, according to recent research from Nielsen. USA Today

Ford engineer called MyFord Touch infotainment system 'a polished turd' Documents in a class-action lawsuit against Ford and its original MyFord Touch in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system reveal that the company's engineers and even its top executive were frustrated with the problematic technology. The documents from the 2013 lawsuit show Ford engineers believed the IVI, which was powered by the SYNC operating system launched in 2010, might be "unsaleable" and even described a later upgrade as a "polished turd"... Computerworld

At the world's first Cybathlon, proud cyborg athletes raced for the gold Last Saturday, in a sold-out stadium in Zurich, Switzerland, the world's first cyborg Olympics showed the world a new science-fiction version of sports. At the Cybathlon, people with disabilities used robotic technology to turn themselves into cyborg athletes. They competed for gold and glory in six different events. IEEE Spectrum

Using GPUs to speed through the 1.2B record taxi dataset New York City is special to us. It's not where we started (Boston) or ended up (San Francisco) It is special because, it remains, in terms of America, the center of it all. While not the geographical center of it all, it is the data center for us. When we do demos of the Tweetmap, we end up at the Empire State Building. MapD (more details on the tech...)

Police arrest five in major streaming site crackdown Police in Brazil have carried out the second phase of Operation Blackbeard, a campaign designed to dismantle groups dedicated to online copyright infringement. Search warrants led to five arrests and the seizure of bank accounts connected to three streaming sites with three-quarters of a billion visits per year. TorrentFreak

New record for fusion On Friday, Sept. 30, at 9:25 p.m. EDT, scientists and engineers at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center made a leap forward in the pursuit of clean energy. The team set a new world record for plasma pressure in the Institute's Alcator C-Mod tokamak nuclear fusion reactor. Plasma pressure is the key ingredient to producing energy from nuclear fusion, and MIT's new result achieves over 2 atmospheres of pressure for the first time. MIT (360-degree tour of the facility)

The $100 muon detector When Spencer Axani was an undergraduate physics student, his background in engineering led him to a creative pipe dream: a pocket-sized device that could count short-lived particles called muons all day. Muons, heavier versions of electrons, are around us all the time, a byproduct of the cosmic rays that shoot out from supernovae and other high-energy events in space. When particles from those rays hit Earth's atmosphere, they often decay into muons. Symmetry

Examining Windows 10 Anniversary Update's driver signing enforcement policy Windows 10 Anniversary Update came out at the beginning of August, with plenty of new user-facing features. There were also plenty of changes under the hood as well, including a change in policy regarding how Windows 10 handles device drivers. When the 64-bit versions of Windows launched over a decade ago, as a security measure Microsoft decided to require that all kernel mode drivers must be signed to be loaded. AnandTech (separately, Windows 10's next major update to debut in March)

The surprising backbone of the internet of things At the end of the recently-opened Expo Line in Los Angeles -- and you'll want to take that snazzy light rail, because the I-10 freeway running between downtown and the coast is one of the 10 most-congested roadways in the world -- you're in Santa Monica, California. You're at the Colorado Esplanade stop, a stunning platform of pedestrian- and bike-friendly multi-modality that feels open and available. It's just one of many great things about my hometown. Backchannel

Google's "Director of Engineering" hiring test Recently, I have been interviewed over the phone by a Google recruiter. As I qualified for the (unsolicited) interview but failed to pass the test, this blog post lists the questions and the expected answers. That might be handy if Google calls you one day. For the sake of the discussion, I started coding 37 years ago (I was 11 years old) and never stopped since then. Pierre Gauthier
Samsung will soon be following Google down the high-end Chromebook path with the launch of the Chromebook Pro, a premium portable that's expected to arrive later this month.

The Chromebook Pro was prematurely posted on a couple of retailers' websites and even had its own landing page on Samsung's site before admins became aware of the error. Fortunately, the crew over at Chrome Unboxed managed to get the skinny on the system's specs before those pages disappeared.

Codenamed Kevin, the Chromebook Pro features a 12.3-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,600 (234 PPI, 400 nits, 3:2 ratio) that can also be rotated 360 degrees. It'll be powered by a 2GHz hexa-core ARM processor and 4GB of RAM with 32GB of local flash storage on tap.

The all-aluminum chassis looks absolutely gorgeous with curved edges akin to what you'd find on a flagship smartphone. At just 2.38 pounds and 13.9mm at its thickest point, Samsung's latest is plenty portable. Battery life checks in at up to 10 hours and interestingly enough, the system includes a stylus for taking full advantage of the sea of Android apps out there - an oversized Galaxy Note, if you will.

If leaks prove accurate, Samsung's Chromebook Pro will go on sale October 24 priced at $499. That's a bit more than something like Acer's excellent Chromebook 14 yet far cheaper than Google's overpriced Chromebook Pixel. Given the hardware and aesthetics, it is likely well worth the asking price.
The gaming industry lost one of its own in July 2015 when Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata died as a result of complications following the removal of a tumor a year earlier. Droves of people turned out around the globe to pay their respects to one of the most influential figures the industry has ever known.

Iwata was perhaps best known as the fourth president and chief executive officer of Nintendo but his influence in gaming can be traced back decades earlier as the video game trivia and historians from YouTube channel DidYouKnowGaming? highlight in the feature above.

If you've got 20 minutes or so to spare, I'd highly recommend checking it out as Iwata is a prime example of how hard work and persistence pays dividends.

Found is a TechSpot feature where we share clever, funny or otherwise interesting stuff from around the web.
While most Android devices will soon operate on the upcoming Android 7.1 Nougat, only the new Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones will run the full range of features that the new OS offers.

Even Google's previous line of Nexus devices won't enjoy the upgrade as extensively as the company's new signature models will. And this just serves to heighten the unique appeal of the Pixel line.

Here are the features exclusive to Android 7.1 Nougat for the Google Pixel flagship smartphones:

Google Daydream VR

The Pixel and Pixel XL are, in no small way, "phones built for virtual reality," according to Google. Being the first two to support Google's VR platform Daydream, the flagship devices will allow for an immersive 3D experience of movies, concerts and sporting events as though Pixel users were physically there. Daydream on Android 7.1 Nougat will also let them play games and explore new worlds.

The Pixel phones will work with the Daydream View VR headset.

Google Assistant

Like the voice-activated Google Now, the new Google Assistant uses natural language commands. With an ability to understand nuances in communication, such as followup questions and humorous jabs, however, Google Assistant is touted as smarter and snazzier than Google Now.

The new personal assistant can also make sense of items displayed on-screen to help users sort through their schedule and tasks, and conveniently launch third-party apps.

To use Google Assistant on the Pixel smartphone, simply press down on the Home Button and say "OK Google" and the interface will switch to speech bubbles showing the conversation.

Google Assistant may officially be exclusive to the Pixel smartphones, but that hasn't stopped other developers from editing into non-Pixel phones for these to run Google Assistant too.

Pixel Camera App With Unlimited Photo, Video Storage

One of the highly celebrated features of the Google Pixel flagships is their camera  rated the best smartphone camera in the mobile phone industry thus far. The Pixel phones are equipped with a slew of camera tricks, which are embedded in the Pixel Camera app designed specifically for the devices.

Among the Pixel Camera app features supported on Android 7.1 Nougat are Smart Burst, which is said to use artificial intelligence to choose the best out of a series of shots, and the default HDR+, which promises "zero shutter lag" even when taking rapid fire shots.

The Smart Burst mode is not entirely a novel feature since it was included in the Nexus 6P last year, but Android 7.1 on the Pixel phones will carry the latest and greatest version.

Retaining their original quality, photos and videos taken on Pixel phones will be safely stored on Google Photos without limit.

Smart Storage

Because the Pixel phones do not allow for memory expansion via a microSD card, the system will automatically remove photos and videos already saved in the Google Photos cloud storage.

Pixel Launcher

After having been renamed from Nexus Launcher to Pixel Launcher, the unique homescreen will (for now at least) be exclusive to the eponymous Pixel line. Google may, however, consider eventually porting it to Nexus devices, as some reports suggest.

The main features we know so far: the Pixel Launcher will include new homescreen shortcuts and the circular app icons, and will also have users swiping up to access the app drawer from favorites.

Customer Support 24/7

Google Pixel device owners who may run into a glitch can easily ask for assistance anytime  all thanks to the company's 24/7 customer support. From the Settings app, users can either text or call the help desk, and even share their screen with the customer assistant when walking through processes step by step.

Android 7.1 Nougat Beta Release

The new Android 7.1 Nougat firmware is included in the Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones out of the box when the devices are released starting on Oct. 20. But the latest version of Nougat will also be released in beta for the Nexus line and other Android devices at the end of October.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A more stable, more polished experience is the main draw of Android 7.0 Nougat. For this reason, many Android device owners are anticipating which phones will get the firmware update and when.

Tech Times has put together a list of updates on which devices will receive Android 7.0 Nougat. We've also thrown in some news (others are rumors at this point) surrounding the new OS.

Nexus

We start the list off with the big boys that always get Android updates first: the Nexus family. The over-the-air updates began in August. The important thing to remember, though, is that Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X owners have reported problems after updating to Android 7.0.

Still, Nougat amps up the functionality of Android devices, thanks to upgrades such as the split-screen / multiwindow mode, Quick Reply (which also lets users delete, share or archive a message using the notification itself), multilingual support (which allows for easy switching between languages), and quick app switching, among others.

 Nexus 6P

 Nexus 5X

 Nexus 9

 Nexus 6

 Nexus Player

 Pixel C

 General Mobile 4G (Android One)

Samsung

Before the manufacture and sale of the Galaxy Note 7 were halted worldwide, Samsung had lined up the phablet among devices that would receive Android 7.0 Nougat early on. The list now includes:

 Galaxy S7

 Galaxy S7 edge

 Galaxy Note 5

 Galaxy S6

 Galaxy S6 edge

 Galaxy S6 edge+

Samsung also has a reputation for following a slower pace, compared to rivals like LG, when switching over devices to the latest OS. Tech Times reports the Galaxy Note 4 has only recently received Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on some carriers in the U.S. The said Android OS version could also be the last update scheduled for the Galaxy S5, understandably, because the device is about 2.5 years old now.

A sighting of the Android Nougat-operated Galaxy S7 on GFXBench suggests the OS upgrade is imminent for the flagship, although a more realistic timeline estimates the Android 7.0 Nougat will be released to the device sometime in the first quarter of 2017.

LG

Out of the box, the highly anticipated LG V20 will be powered by Android 7.0 Nougat when the phablet is released on Oct. 28. After that, LG fans can expect the G5, which got a taste of Nougat as early as August thanks to a Preview Program, to officially receive the upgrade most probably by November.

The V10 might receive some Nougat love about five to six months from the OS's initial release. Surprisingly, the 2-year-old G3 might also get the spiffy new OS, as a benchmark test on Geekbench suggests.

 LG V20

 LG V10

 LG G5

 LG G3

Sony

A leaked roadmap in September purports that the following devices from Sony will receive Android 7.0 Nougat in batches, albeit the veracity of the document is still in question:

 Xperia X Performance - October

 Xperia XZ - October

 Xperia X - November

 Xperia X Compact - November

 Xperia Z5 - December

 Xperia Z3+ - December

 Xperia Z4 Tablet - December

 Xperia XA - early 2017

 Xperia Ultra - early 2017

Motorola

While Motorola has the longest list of devices primed for Android 7.0 Nougat, some of its freshest offerings, such as the Moto G (2015) and Moto E3 Power (2016), are noticeably absent. It might be that these newer devices would skip Android 7.0 and head straight for an Android 7.1 update but nothing is solid at this point. Updates to Motorola devices might go full blast this month.

 Moto G (4th Gen)

 Moto G Plus (4th Gen)

 Moto G Play (4th Gen)

 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd Gen)

 Moto X Style

 Moto X Play

 Moto X Force

 Moto Z

 Moto Z Droid

 Moto Z Force Droid

 Moto Z Play

 Moto Z Play Droid

 Droid Maxx 2

 Droid Turbo 2

HTC

HTC Bolt, the company's upcoming midranger, will be the first HTC device to operate on Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. The devices below are expected to receive the OS update in the last quarter of 2016:

 HTC 10

 HTC One M10

 HTC One M9

 HTC One A9

OnePlus

The team from OnePlus are "actively working" on getting Android 7.0 Nougat to the OnePlus 3, although they could not provide a timeline for the release. The 2016 flagship could receive the OS upgrade in the first quarter of 2017 at the latest, followed by the former flagship OnePlus 2 about a couple of months later.

 OnePlus 3

 OnePlus 2

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Apple unveiled a new patent recently, covering a novel wristband mechanism that is capable of detecting wrist gestures and turning them into system controls for its gadgets.

The invention made its way into the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and according to its documentation it factors in wrist articulation movements, which get analyzed and converted into pre-programmed actions that can tinker with a wearable or separate device.

Apple's patent application is dubbed "Wristband device input using wrist movement."

Some illustrations of the patent show that the invention carries sensors that detect when the user changes their wrist position. For instance, force sensors can be coded to acknowledge the wristband's modification that happens when force or pressure is applied.

The input signals that the band detects are crunched and when a certain wrist gesture is determined, it is paired with a library of stored gestures that correspond to a slew of system commands.

To put it simply, the wristband can understand when flexion and extension are taking place. This could help developers code basic gestures, such as when people use their thumb and pinkie to make a "telephone" gesture. Basically, you can program your Apple Watch or iPhone to answer a phone call from afar by enabling this gesture control command.

More variety and complexity can be in store, too.

Combined gestures, such as clenching a fist and varied hand movements can be programmed to tune the music volume up and down, switch between audio tracks or engage in UI navigation for the Apple Watch. What is more, an iPhone could be remotely controlled via gestures, as well.

In the patent document, Apple details which materials would make the best wristbands and goes on to index a myriad of gestures and ideal sensor arrangements.

At the time of the writing, it is unclear if Apple will embed a control system that relies on gestures into its upcoming Apple Watch 3. However, some rumors hinted that the OEM is dabbling into providing active band accessories that link to the device through its diagnostics port.

The wrist gesture patent application comes with an April 2016 filing date and names Anton M. Davydov as its inventor.

Observant techies might see a certain resemblance to the technology of the Myo armband developed by Thalmic Labs. The band monitors electrical signals that go through the user's muscles and detects the specific hand and arm gestures. The wearable shows potential application in flying drones, and Thalmic already inked a deal with French drone manufacturer Parrot to make it happen.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Samsung is rolling out an Always On Display update for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. The Always On Display has not been a strong suit for both the smartphones, because the feature is quite lacking compared to other premium Android smartphones.

However, Samsung is looking to change that and add more flavor to the AOD feature on the premium flagships via an 8 MB update that it is quietly rolling out. One of PhoneArena's readers sent the online news portal details regarding the update (version 1.4.02).

Clock And Image

According to the changelog, the clock, calendar and image setting will be set to the default digital clock. Note that there are several types of clocks available to the AOD: World, Analog and Digital. The update also brings about the Image Clock, which allows any image to be set to AOD. There's also the new Signature clock that allows users to set their own signatures to AOD.

Redesigned Calendar

The update also replaces AOD's previous two types of calendar with a newly designed one. Moreover, the new AOD version now displays information about songs being played through supported music apps. Track information getting displayed on AOD was previously native to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.

Improved Battery Consumption

Samsung also designed the new AOD on both the S7 and S7 edge to support keyboard and S-View covers. Improvements were also made towards battery consumption, which now only eats up less than a percent of the total battery capacity per hour.

"Battery consumption rate is up to Samsung internal measurement and can vary up to the content type," writes Samsung in the new AOD update changelog.

This current update builds on top of the May 2016 AOD update in which Samsung added the option for users to schedule and set specific times, as well as define the duration for when they want the feature to be turned on, which conserves the battery and keeps it from being constantly drained.

The Unaddressed Elephants

While the update certainly is a welcomed one, Samsung is yet to address the biggest handicap of AOD on S7 and S7 edge compared to other Android premium devices.

The S7 and S7 edge's AOD remains constantly on, the AOD on the Moto X will only surface after a simple wave. The Nexus 6P will bring up its AOD after a simple tilt. While an argument can be made for Samsung's interpretation of the AOD, providing options for simple ways of surfacing the display certainly does not hurt.

The interactivity, or lack thereof, is also yet to be updated. Users can tap as much as they want on the AOD's notification icons, but nothing will come of it. To get into the notifications, users will need to press the power switch or the physical home button, which brings the user to the lock screen from which the full notification details can be viewed.

Another problem with the S7 and S7 edge's AOD is that it only supports Samsung's stock apps, such as the dialer and text messaging. There's really no solid support even for popular third-party apps. For instance, after receiving a message on Google Hangouts, the handheld will vibrate but no information will be displayed on AOD.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Amid the political turmoil of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, people are looking for an emotionless medium to find answers, and Google Search seems the right tool for the job.

Taking a peek at recent Google Trends can give pretty good insights into the American ethos before the Nov. 8 elections.

Here is a quick look at people's most searched terms regarding Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

During the past week, users no longer wanted to know about his policies regarding his mysterious anti-ISIS strategy, his claim that he will build a wall along the Mexico-U.S. border and his plans to rejuvenate the economy. Instead, they eyed his demeaning statements regarding women.

Top trending queries show that the public is interested in Natasha Stoynoff and Jessica Leeds, two of the women who spoke out against Trump and accused him of sexual assault.

There is no surprise that their names are trending in Google Searches, as the allegations against Trump are making the headlines during the last few days.

The trending questions about Trump seem to eye the Republican candidate's campaign and his citizen support. Queries such as "Who are Trump's supporters?" and "How many voters does Trump have?" were the top trending question just two days ago.

The trending charts of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton offer a glimpse into a campaign that resembles more an actual political project than a "locker room banter."

Two days ago, the most searched for item related to Clinton's campaign was current first lady Michelle Obama, as her most recent speech went viral. The speech made waves, as it featured a call to action for women who feel disgraced and put down by Trump's misogynistic attitude.

What is slightly more interesting are the questions that users are asking Google about Clinton.

Users asked things such as "Is Megan Kelly a Clinton supporter?" or "Who should I vote for, Trump or Clinton?" or "Why do people dislike Hillary Clinton?"

The search shows that voters are more interested in Clinton as a person than in her faults, a trend that has been reversed in Trump's case after his recent statements came to light.

This does not mean that the public is uninterested in Clinton's skeletons from the closet, namely the Benghazi case, the private email server scandal and debatable actions of her family's charity organization.

However, the general atmosphere on Google Searches seems to show that the public is favorable to Clinton, or at least less hostile as it is to Trump.

For a slightly lighter take on the subject matter, check out this meme recap of the second presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Social media has arguably been a driving force behind the popularity of U.S. President Barack Obama in the past decade.

Now, the Obama administration has once again tapped into the power of the medium to "meet the public where they are"  all with the help of the very first Facebook Messenger bot for the White House.

The president is said to read 10 messages (from snail mail to email to phone calls) from citizens all over the world as part of his everyday routine, something he looks forward to because, "It ends up being a powerful motivator for me," he relates.

Those interested in getting in touch with the leader of the free world can simply slip him a note, provided it doesn't get buried under the mounds of other messages he receives.

Since August, when President Obama set a presidential first by replying in public to a citizen's Facebook message, he has received more than 1.5 million messages over the platform.

Open-Sourcing The White House Chatbot

"We are open-sourcing a Drupal module, complete with easy steps and boiler plate code," writes Jason Goldman, chief digital officer of the White House, in an official blog post. "This will enable Drupal 8 developers to quickly launch a Facebook Messenger bot."

Why is the Obama administration open-sourcing this technology? It aims to encourage other government agencies and developers to open more lines of communication to the public.

The initiative will allow them to "foster similar connections with their citizens  with significantly less upfront investment."

"This new White House module," Goldman adds, "will allow non-developers to create bot interactions (with customized language and workflows)."

Those who wish to tinker with the module can deploy the demo_fb_messenger_bot folder as a starting point and just use their custom workflow to modify the fb_messenger_bot.workflow service.

Goldman's team notes on GitHub that it would like to see someone from the community spiffy up the code. The module currently supports text, button and video messages, following Facebook's API for sending a message.

How To Send A Message To White House With The Facebook Messenger Chatbot

There are six simple steps that message senders need to follow: visit the official Facebook page of the White House, click "Message," then "Let's Go," type the message, supply contact information then send.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Operating a smartwatch, in most cases, requires the use of both hands and can become tedious if one hand is holding an object or occupied with tasks. Researchers from Dartmouth College and the University of Manitoba are looking to address this problem using WristWhirl.

According to the researchers, while there are efforts to develop methods that allow sameside hand (SSH) operation of smartwatches, they are centered on discrete input operations and on commands through finger postures. And while tilting the wrist may be a viable approach, losing sight of the smartwatch's display becomes the consequence.

The WristWhirl Project

The WristWhirl project explores an alternative approach using whirls and continuous wrist movements to operate smartwatches using the same hand.

"When observing the collective range-of-motions of the wrist along each of its axes of movement, the hand can be viewed as a natural joystick," Jun Gong, Xing-Dong Yang and Pourang Irani detail in their paper titled WristWhirl: One-handed Continuous Smartwatch Input using Wrist Gestures. "We explore the ability of the human wrist to perform complex gestures using full wrist motions, or wrist whirls."

WristWhirl Prototype

As a proof-of-concept, the team of three designed and built the WristWhirl prototype, which has a 2-inch TFT display. They augmented the watch strap with a dozen infrared proximity sensors and a Piezo vibration sensor that are connected to an Ardruino DUE microcontroller board. The board then gets hooked to a laptop that reads the sensor data.

Gestures

Once the device is strapped to a wrist, the user has to perform a pinch to mark the start of a gesture. Another pinch is needed to tell the system that the gesture ended. In total, the team studied 8 gestures with four for directional  up, down, left, right  and the other half for free-form: circle, rectangle, and question mark.

Note that respondents only took half a second to perform that directional gestures while it took them a second and a half for a free-form gesture.

To illustrate the potential usage scenarios for the said gestures, the team designed four applications - gesture shortcuts, music player, 2D navigation and game input.

Directional gestures, such as swiping, can be used for navigating content within apps - a music player for instance. They can also be good for map navigation - using swipe to pan a map and double taps for zooming. These gestures are the equivalent of flicking a touch screen.

On the other hand, free-form gestures, which allow for more complex shapes, can be used to launch preassigned apps or to call a number on speed dial. In combination with directional gestures, games such as Tetris and Fruit Ninja can be played.

The paper will be presented next week at the 29th annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan. Below is a video demonstrating how the WristWhirl prototype works.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Environment Minister Eide described Lula's electoral triumph as something good for both Brazil and the whole world. | Read More
By the time the mayoral votes are all counted, Sharon Weston Broome will have been on the campaign trail for more than a year and a half.

The 60-year-old Democrat has been in Louisiana politics for much longer, joining the Metro Council more than a quarter-century ago, then up to the state Legislature and rising to the position of House speaker pro tem. More recently she served in the state Senate, elevating to president pro tem, but had to give up her seat due to term limits.

Broome points to her longevity and leadership roles as part of her appeal, though she's had to fend off attacks that during her time in office portions of her north Baton Rouge district stagnated. At a parish Democratic forum, candidates for other offices pointed out serious concerns in her Senate district, including poor access to healthcare, economic opportunities and nourishing food. One candidate remarked that north Baton Rouge looks "like really dry bones." None laid the blame on any one person, though.

Having claimed the support of many establishment Baton Rouge Democrats, she's been seen as one of the leading contenders to take over when current Mayor-President Kip Holden, also term-limited, leaves office this year. She'll likely have to get her message out with substantially less money than the top fundraiser, though. As of Sept. 29, she had a little less than $100,000 on hand, a quarter of Republican Bodi White's war chest.

+2 Bodi White maintains big mayoral fundraising lead though flooding slows donations Republican State Sen. Bodi White is continuing to raise far more money than his 11 opponents

Broome's campaign faced flood-related setbacks after both her home and campaign office took on water. More than many of her competitors, she has sought to present herself as the flood relief candidate. The timbre of her campaign differs from those of candidates like White. He has emphasized the time he's spent in Washington, D.C., advocating for aid from the federal government, while Broome has more outwardly focused on providing basic information about navigating the system to get assistance and otherwise distributing guidance for individuals who flooded and small-business owners who want to secure post-flood rebuilding contracts.

Broome has advanced several ideas, including starting a city fellowship program in which young college grads would be placed with small-business owners affected by the flood. The goal is twofold  give the mom and pops an extra pair of hands paid by relief funds to get them back on their feet, and introduce them to talented young professionals who could get some experience and maybe eventually land a regular job.

On police reform, she expressed an admiration for the President's Task Force for 21st-Century Policing, which lays out suggestions for alternatives to arrest, dedicating infrastructure and information technology resources to police departments, and better appreciating the relationship between economic development and crime. Baton Rouge has already met some of the recommendations, particularly ones related to officers reaching out to children in their community.

Other causes she has championed include raising the minimum wage. In Louisiana, that's a decision for the state, but Broome said she would advocate for it and work to raise the wages of the lowest-earning city-parish employees and ensure that the government's contractors do the same. She's claimed the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union and held her 60th birthday party fundraiser at the labor union hall on Government Street.

She's also advocated for putting more city-parish financial and public bid information online in an attempt to make it easier for local businesses to apply for public works projects, especially post-flood. She's supportive of the Green Light Plan and its proposed expansion to improve traffic infrastructure but said the city-parish also needs to look at other modes of transportation. She has also backed efforts to improve mental health care and has opposed the proposed incorporation of the city of St. George in the south part of the parish.

On stage and in person, Broome leans heavily on her decades in office.

"I have a track record of public service," she said in her opening statements to the League of Women Voters, and she has repeated the sentiment early in other appearances.

She also told a room full of Democrats that she has demonstrated an ability to reach across the aisle.

"It's no coincidence I was elected (senate pro tem) unanimously by both Democrats and Republicans," she remarked, saying she can lead Baton Rouge from Scotlandville to Southdowns.

State Rep. Ted James, also a Democrat from north Baton Rouge, believes Broome can be the "unifier" the city-parish needs. There's gridlock in Metro Council right now over issues like implementing changes at the Baton Rouge Police Department because there isn't strong leadership, he said. James said Broome can help make decisions because she has experience and is willing to listen to the community, and she has the relationships to put her plans in motion.

"We need someone who's going to push people together, not push them apart," he said.

However, Broome has also faced criticism as a representative of north Baton Rouge during a period when some have argued that the area hasn't kept pace with the progress to the south, including from Republican mayoral candidate John Delgado. He's lobbed this critique at Broome, particularly noting the closure of the public hospital Earl K. Long occurred during her time in the Legislature, a closure she has countered came about when former Gov. Bobby Jindal moved to privatize all of Louisiana's charity hospitals.

"When you look at her record  a lot of stuff happened under her watch," said former planning commissioner Sarah Holliday-James, who had considered a mayoral run. She would have liked to see Broome be more proactive in projects that benefited the community.

Broome defended her record, saying she's worked "tirelessly" for the area, and passed legislation such as the Community Economic Development Act, which sailed easily through the statehouse in 2007. It gave tax breaks to housing corporations that seek to build homes for low-income families. Broome has also been praised as a champion of the local Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation, which helps low-income people find housing and puts on other programming, especially for children.

Broome said that north Baton Rouge has seen wins: an urgent care facility about to transform into a standalone emergency room, the Coke bottling plant, the renovation of blighted property like a large Greenwell Street apartment complex, and the Baton Rouge Community College auto repair school among them. While she wasn't always the lead on those projects, they show signs of progress, she said.

As a legislator, she has also supported some causes that differ from the Democratic party line, such as legislation that generally required doctors to show women an ultrasound of their fetus and play a recording of its heartbeat before providing an abortion, as well as opposing a proposal that would have given job protection to gay and bisexual state workers.

When asked recently, she noted that abortion shouldn't be an issue to voters in local elections because it is a state and federal issue. On LGBT issues like the so-called fairness ordinance the Metro Council has considered to ban housing and job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity  which some mayoral candidates say they support  she has said leaders need to bring all the stakeholders together to work the issue out.

Broome, a member of the Star Hill Baptist Church, said she thinks her religious convictions won't drive away voters; in fact, a love of God and neighbor makes for a good leader.

Broome described her leadership style as collaborative, and she said she isn't a micro-manager and isn't afraid to delegate. When asked who might serve on her staff, she didn't give any particular names but said the mayor's office should be representative of the community, noting there are talented people in the parish from diverse backgrounds.

When asked of any legislation of which she is particularly proud, her mind first turns to the ones designed for children and families.

Her first bill was to create the Saturday Academy, where students could get tutoring help, though it hasn't survived multiple changes in administration, she noted.

Her "signature" bill is probably the one that provided a stipend for grandparents raising their grandchildren, often on a fixed income. And last year she wrote a bill that made it illegal for landlords to evict victims of domestic violence after a loud or violent incident that would have otherwise been grounds for removal.

Broome hopes her record on family issues will appeal to voters of all political stripes.

"It's important that we have someone not just with the experience and the passion, but with the compassion," to lead, she said.
Gov. John Bel Edwards has been under fire recently because of the lawyers he chose to represent the state in a landmark set of lawsuits against the oil and gas industry and for the big payouts those lawyers could receive.

But little public attention has focused on what may be the real jackpot for the attorneys in the litigation.

The big money would almost certainly go to the lawyers representing the parishes that join in the effort to win billions by proving that oil and gas companies contributed to Louisiana's coastal land loss. Should they win their cases in court or through a global settlement, those lawyers could be rewarded with a fee amounting to a percentage of the total damages, whereas the states lawyers, according to the Edwards administration, would be paid only for the hours they work.

The bigger potential payday has set off a scramble to line up those parish contracts. The winner so far is the Talbot, Carmouche & Marcello firm, which has spent the past 20 years suing oil and gas companies, accusing them of polluting water and soil or causing wetlands loss.

The Baton Rouge-based firm -- which spent nearly $2 million to help defeat U.S. Sen. David Vitter in last year's gubernatorial election -- has been hired by Jefferson, Plaquemines, Vermilion, Cameron and St. Bernard parishes. Those are the only parishes to file suits so far.

Don Carmouche said the contracts do not guarantee the lawyer any specific percentage of a settlement, and points to language that says that this contract shall not be construed to create a right in Attorneys to claim as a fee any portion of any cash recovery."

In an interview Sunday, Carmouche added that a judge would decide any money his law firm receives in a settlement, and that the fees awarded would not come out of the money paid to the parishes.

A number of other parishes have not yet filed suits but have hired lawyers, bringing another raft of firms into the potentially lucrative local litigation. Those include three of the four firms that Edwards has selected to represent the state, as well as Connick & Connick, co-owned by Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick.

In all, the 20 parishes across south Louisiana that are considered part of the coastal zone have the authority to hire their own lawyers and file a lawsuit - or presumably, to join in the states suits. On Sept. 21, Edwards wrote officials in the parishes that havent sued, asking them to do so within a month. If they dont file their own suits, the state will, Edwards wrote.

St. Bernard Parish quietly became the latest parish to file a suit on Sept. 29.

'A much better deal'

Working for the parishes is a much better deal for the private lawyers," because there is no state law limiting their fee arrangement, said Donald Price, a veteran trial attorney who now works for the state Department of Natural Resources and is Edwards point man on the litigation.

Price and others, including the governor, have sought to underscore that the lawyers for the state are taking on a big, time-consuming case without the prospect of a huge reward  a point they hoped to clarify by recently reworking the original contract, which Attorney General Jeff Landry had rejected.

The Edwards camp is trying to counter the narrative that oil and gas industry leaders have been pushing: that the litigation is a way for the governor to pay back trial-lawyer friends and generate campaign contributions for his 2019 re-election.

That narrative got a boost when Edwards appointed Taylor Townsend to oversee the team of lawyers working for the state. Townsend is a close Edwards ally and leading fundraiser who also heads his super PAC.

While the governors team hopes the recent revision of the contract will defuse that controversy, not everyone is buying it.

For instance, Melissa Landry, executive director of the Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, a pro-industry group, says that even after the administration reworked the contract, a judge could ultimately award the attorneys any amount he or she sees fit.

The Edwards camp agrees with that, but notes that the Legislature has imposed a cap of $500 per hour for lawyers working for the state. While lawmakers could choose to ignore the cap they themselves set, Price said, there's little reason to expect such an outcome. Legislators would have have to ultimately sign off on any payout, and business-friendly Republicans control the House, meaning the lawyers cannot count on a bonanza.

Its a heckuva risk for the four law firms in going forward with this," said lawyer Bernie Boudreaux, a former executive counsel to Gov. Mike Foster who now works for Jones Swanson, one of the firms representing the state. "The state will benefit if we accomplish something. I think some compensation will be afforded.

Lobbying the voters

As Edwards and Price seek to move ahead with the states contract, energy industry leaders have been working hard to discourage local officials from heeding the governors call to file new suits against oil and gas.

The pro-industry Grow Louisiana Coalition has sent a mailer to households in St. Mary, Lafourche, Terrebonne, Calcasieu and Iberia parishes over the past two weeks asking residents to lobby their local elected officials to oppose parish lawsuits.

The issue has caused a dilemma for many local officials, especially in places where oil and gas production has been economically dominant. The officials dont want to be seen as hostile to a struggling but still vital sector of the economy. Yet it is these same communities that have watched their land erode, and their leaders want to have a say in any settlement to make sure that they receive money to help them rebuild.

Take Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, whose respective parish presidents, Gordie Dove and Jimmy Cantrelle, met with Price and Edwards on Sept. 30 to discuss the litigation.

Dove and Cantrelle both said in recent interviews that they dont plan to heed Edwards request to file suits in the near future. They asked the governor to wait an additional 30 to 45 days before deciding whether to file on their behalf. He agreed to do so, they said. Price confirmed that the governor's timeline is flexible.

Terrebonne Parish is owned over 60 percent by oil companies, Dove said. Lets treat them as good corporate citizens.

Dove said he would prefer to wait to see how the lawsuits filed by other parishes play out in court before filing his own claim.

Cantrelle echoed that view and expressed concern that a lawsuit could leave energy companies and the service companies that support them feeling unwanted.

Were suffering in Lafourche Parish, he said. We dont want to take a chance that the service companies will move."

Pressure on a DA

Under state law, the decision about whom to hire and whether to file suit is up to the parish government if the parish has an approved Coastal Zone Management plan. If it doesnt, those decisions fall to the district attorney.

Thats the situation in the 16th Judicial District, which includes Iberia, St. Mary and St. Martin parishes.

The district attorney there, Bofill Duhe, who was given his first job as a prosecutor by Boudreaux two decades ago, retained Boudreaux's current firm, Jones Swanson, to represent the three parishes in the event he decides to sue. Jones Swanson brought in two of the other firms also hired by the state: Lake Charles-based Veron Bice Palermo & Wilson and New Orleans-based Fishman Haygood.

While hes comfortable with his choice of firms, Duhe said hes less sure about filing a suit.

All I am doing is gathering info and monitoring the situation, Duhe said, adding that he has been getting pressured by local oil and gas interests. In my district, we are economically driven by the oil and gas industry. I support the industry wholeheartedly.

On Wednesday, the question of how the state and the various coastal parishes are prosecuting their claims against oil and gas will get a broader airing.

State Rep. Stuart Bishop, R-Lafayette, is convening a hearing of the Natural Resources and Environment Committee, which he chairs, and is seeking testimony from parish presidents, the public, the governors office and the attorney general.

Bishop was the author of the 2014 legislation capping the hourly fee that outside attorneys can earn working for the state. And he recently wrote the governor on behalf of three dozen other Republican legislators to express concerns about the lawyers contracts in this instance.

I want to make sure everybody has their voice heard to understand where everybody is on coastal lawsuits, Bishop said. Its very fluid. Some are for it. Some are against it.

David Hammer of WWL-TV contributed to this report.

Editor's note: This story was changed Oct. 16 to include remarks from lawyer Don Carmouche clarifying the fee arrangements in his firm's contracts, and to clarify remarks by Donald Price of the state Department of Natural Resources.
The outside political action committee supporting state Treasurer John Kennedy for the U.S. Senate is fiercely attacking his Republican rivals in the primary, with the goal of knocking them out to put Kennedy in the runoff against a Democrat.

The script by the pro-Kennedy super PAC should sound familiar to voters because it replicates the strategy employed by Sen. David Vitter and his political allies during last years governors race.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Kyle Ruckert, who served as Vitters campaign manager, is running the pro-Kennedy super PAC, ESAFund.

The super PAC has been airing negative TV ads hitting Kennedys top two Republican opponents, U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany and U.S. Rep. John Fleming. Spokesman for both the Boustany and Fleming campaigns call the ads misleading and false and say they are airing because Kennedy has dropped in polls.

I believe that Kennedy hopes to push down Boustany and Fleming to the point that neither makes the runoff so he can face a Democrat, said Verne Kennedy, a Florida-based pollster who surveyed the race two weeks ago for a group of 15 or so Louisiana businessmen. Thats what Vitter was doing.

In the 2015 governors race, Vitters own campaign and the super PAC supporting him savagely attacked the other two Republican candidates, Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle and then-Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne.

The ads helped give Vitter the result he wanted. Angelle and Dardenne fell short in the primary, leaving Vitter in the runoff against the candidate he wanted, then-state Rep. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat.

The strategy ultimately backfired as Vitter, weakened from attacks on his character by outside super PACs, Dardenne and Angelle because of a sex scandal, lost badly to the straight-arrow Edwards.

The dynamics are somewhat different in the Senate race because two major Democrats are vying to make the runoff: Public Service Commission member Foster Campbell and New Orleans attorney Caroline Fayard. And the two have begun attacking each other, whereas Edwards emerged nearly unscathed from attacks during last years primary.

Either Democrat faces an uphill battle to win the seat that Vitter is vacating. Vitter won re-election in 2010 with 57 percent of the vote, and Bill Cassidy, a Republican, defeated Democratic incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu two years ago by a 56 percent to 44 percent margin.

Louisiana is fundamentally a Republican state, said Jennifer Duffy, senior editor for The Cook Political Report, a Washington, D.C.-based outfit that rates the seat as solidly Republican.

Verne Kennedy, in his recent poll, found that John Kennedy, no relation, could end up facing Boustany or Fleming in the runoff. To claim a spot, either Fayard or Campbell would have to win about 70 percent of the African-American vote in the primary. If the two split that vote, they could cancel each other out and open the door to an all-Republican runoff.

With less than a month until the Nov. 8 primary, analysts believe Kennedy, Boustany, Fleming, Campbell and Fayard all have a shot at making the two-candidate runoff, which will be held on Dec. 10.

Two other Republicans, retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness and white supremacist David Duke, are long shots to make the runoff. In all, 24 candidates are on the primary ballot.

Kennedy, Boustany, Fleming, Campbell and Fayard will appear in the campaigns first televised debate, Tuesday at 7 p.m., from Louisiana Tech in Ruston. Louisiana Public Broadcasting will air the 90-minute event statewide and stream it on its website.

Under Louisianas open primary system, all of the candidates will appear on the same ballot, with the top two advancing to the runoff, regardless of party. Having multiple major candidates in each party means the three Republicans at Tuesday nights debate  along with touting their own bona fides  will likely attack each other while the two Democrats aim their fire at each other.

Campbell will undoubtedly note that Edwards has endorsed him, while Fayard can point to support from Mary Landrieu and her brother, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

The pro-Kennedy ESAFund has taken the lead in negative attacks in recent days. The super PAC is directly tied to Kennedy because he provided most of its money through an unusual legal move that allowed him to transfer money from his state campaign to the federal entity. The super PAC is not supposed to coordinate its activities with the Kennedy campaign.

Ruckert, who is running the super PAC, did not respond to phone and text messages.

Last year, Vitters own campaign mostly aired positive ads while the allied super PAC hammered Dardenne and Angelle.

The ESAFund is taking a similar approach this year. The Fleming campaign said the super PAC has spent more than $400,000 apiece attacking Fleming and Boustany and another $220,000 promoting Kennedy.

In one spot, a woman watches images of Fleming and Boustany on a giant screen TV and concludes that the two congressmen are Washington insiders getting rich at the expense of taxpayers.

Another spot paints Fleming as a supporter of illegal immigrants by airing a 2008 clip from a candidate forum  a comment that was deceptively edited, according to the Fleming campaign, which said its candidate has been a firm opponent of illegal immigration.

A third pro-Kennedy super PAC ad targets Boustany.

The anti-Boustany ad paints him as soft on terrorism and says that one of his biggest supporters is the CEO of a company that builds weapons for Middle East regimes. The CEO has an Arab-sounding name, and the company is Morgan City-based Swiftships, which makes vessels for the U.S. government and Middle Eastern governments, according to the companys website.

Boustany is airing a response ad in which Calvin LeLeux, Swiftships chairman, says the pro-Kennedy super PAC is impugning his patriotism. Ive switched from John Kennedy, and you should, too, LeLeux tells viewers.

Pollster Kennedy said Boustanys popularity has dropped from 4.2 voters rating him favorably for every one negatively in a late August poll, to a 1.8 to 1 ratio in late September.

Over that month, the pro-Kennedy super PAC attacked Boustany, and a new book, "Murder in the Bayou," reported that Boustany had been a client in Jennings of several prostitutes who were murdered in an unsolved series of homicides. The book provided no hard evidence tying Boustany directly to the women, and the congressman has vehemently disputed the allegation.
Labor's Chris Steel and Bec Cody appeared poised to take seats in the Murrumbidgee electorate as counting continued on Sunday.

Labor's candidates for Murrumbidgee Chris Steel and Bec Cody look likely to nab seats in the ACT Legislative Assembly. Credit:Jay Cronan

But while the final results of the ACT election won't be known until at least next Saturday, already some new faces are looking more likely that others to gain a seat in the Legislative Assembly .

The polls have closed and the corflutes are coming down.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the new faces represented an opportunity for "renewal" in the Assembly.

Canberra Labor party volunteers, candidates and Chief Minister Andrew Barr celebrate their election win at Corroborree Park in Ainslie. Credit:Jay Cronan

He said he would consider leaving a spot vacant in the ministry for a new MLA to take up once he or she had "learnt the ropes".

"We have seven ministers at the moment, Simon Corbell is retiring so there are already vacancies and we can consider the size of the ministry in time over the coming weeks and obviously pending discussions with the Greens as well," Mr Barr said.

"If there's an opportunity now for some new people to learn the ropes in the Assembly I am considering in terms of the number of ministers being able to leave a position vacant and bring someone in later on once they've had that experience so all of those options are available."
I opened by asking if those reports were true, where was the 33 Regiment now? A couple of dozen HQ staff maybe, but 1500 heavily armed men? After looking closely at the plantation bathed in sunlight he agreed they weren't there: even for them, it would be impossible to conceal that many troops. I then remarked that the NVA often hived off their HQ staff from the main body before a major attack in order to deceive the enemy. He agreed but neither of us went on to ask ourselves the obvious question: if this was a deception ploy, where was the main body of the Regiment and where was it going to strike? Twenty-four hours later, D Company had found the rear of 33 Regiment's position all right and was in a fight for its life. Jim Hughes and 120 of his soldiers had no further need of my insights. The 33 Regiment had set a major ambush on Route 2, hoping to lure an Australian reaction force into a deadly trap but with no result. In fact, they were on the point of withdrawing when D Company stumbled upon their rear position and it was then game on, albeit a game that neither side had anticipated. At this point, the reader needs to know a bit about 33 Regiment. This was the NVA unit that gave the Americans their first taste of real battle in the Ia Drang valley in 1966. As the US and South Vietnamese would always have air and artillery superiority, the NVA concentrated on an area where they could be superior: infantry field tactics.

General Giap called this "seizing the enemy's belt", where the NVA engaged the enemy so closely that they dared not use air strikes or artillery for fear of killing their own troops. Thereafter, the Vietnamese believed that their superior infantry skills would do the job. And they were usually right. By late afternoon on September 21, 1971 they pretty well had D Company where they wanted them  almost totally pinned up against an impregnable bunker system with dozens of assault teams streaming into a creek bed behind them to close the nutcracker. One blast from the battlefield director's whistle would launch hundreds of NVA troops into the poorly defended rear of D Company and it would all be over in minutes. But that didn't happen. Kept separated from his charts and radio by the zealous attentions of an NVA machine gunner, the artillery officer (FO) attached to D Company ended up lying face down in the mud in the gathering gloom doing the trigonometry for an artillery strike in his head and then yelling the fire mission coordinates to the radio operator. A minute later, the distant stuttering of guns far to the west told him the shells were on their way, but where would they land and would they be in time? The shells were in time and right on target. While they might not have terrified the assault teams of 33 Regiment, they must have given the Regimental Commander cause to reconsider. Accurate artillery fire and the rapidly falling night were new factors and he would not risk the lives of his men needlessly. Furthermore, the Australians might well have been trapped but they would not go down without a hell of a fight. Shortly afterwards, the assault teams were glimpsed going back out of the creek bed and by morning, the 33 Regiment had disappeared.

So where was Colonel Jim, the armchair strategist might ask? Well, physically he was on top of Courtenay Hill, anguishing about the fate of D Company and watching the dust and smoke billowing up from the battle several kilometres away. But he had already made his most telling contribution during the previous two years with his sunny confidence that their best WAS good enough. The battalion withstood the very best the NVA threw at it, but not with any Hollywood-style antics on his part. He had already said what needed to be said and it was now up to his soldiers to make those words good. And they did. Canberra was obsessed with getting our troops out of Vietnam and the award of medals for courage in this battle was almost flippant. Medals were sprinkled throughout D Company but the FO, the man who saved their lives through the rumble of incoming artillery shells at the very last minute, got nothing. After Vietnam, the promotions and senior jobs in Australia must have been an anti-climax. Jim finished up as the Commander of Logistics Command based in Melbourne and then became the chairman of Legacy and an active member of the Korean War Veterans Association. Was this the best use we could make of such a talented officer?
As the population of Melbourne and Victoria continues to boom, and farms turn to suburbs on the sprawling metropolitan fringe, the state faces big challenges keeping up with infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and transport.

Less obvious is the need to ensure communities new and old and are properly governed. The Age is aware of growing concern about the cavalier attitude of some local councillors to issues of probity, transparency and conflicts of interest.

Wyndham councillor Intaj Khan is under investigation by the Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate. Credit:Jason South

This is especially the case in the fast-growing municipalities on Melbourne's western, northern and south-eastern fringes, where planning decisions daily transform humble cow and crop paddocks into urban gold mines.

The case of Wyndham councillor Intaj Khan is illustrative. As The Age reports today, Cr Khan is under investigation by council watchdog the Local Government Investigations and Compliance inspectorate. The probe followed a Sunday Age story in September revealing his apparent failure to declare property and commercial interests, including large swaths of farmland.
"I hate working for women," said a woman I'd just met at a party, after she'd unleashed about her female boss.

Apparently her boss sends her emails at 9pm and expects an immediate response. She's regularly thrown into situations were she isn't properly briefed and then is blamed when things go wrong. And her boss berates her in front of her colleagues.

Over half of women surveyed said they also prefer a male manager. Credit:Stocksy

Before I could say, "That sounds like Kevin Rudd," the other women in the vicinity rushed to agree that male bosses are much better than female ones. I wanted to immediately down the nearest bottle of wine.

My new acquaintance's charges against her female boss could have just as easily been levelled at a male boss. After all, CEOs (who are predominantly male) are four times more likely to be psychopaths than the rest of the population. But do we use our one or two negative experiences with male bosses to conclude that all male bosses are awful?
COLLECTIVE MADNESS



Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."
At this moment, while writing this article, I'm watching a writer that I respect being attacked on Twitter by a horde of abusive trolls about an article she'd written. This is not a rare occurrence by any means. I've watched people (almost entirely and predominantly women) get attacked for making jokes, for writing articles and even for taking selfies. For some people, especially prominent feminists like Clementine Ford, Van Badham or Roxane Gay, I don't think the trolling ever truly stops on their accounts.

And it's not simply a "healthy debate" or a conflict of positions  if it doesn't start off as a deeply personal attack, it will usually end up with the threat of rape within two or three tweets.

. Credit:Stocksy

It's because of this incredibly common occurrence that people are calling for Twitter to protect their users from abuse, a subject that they as a company have provided very few answers to. The standard advice from Twitter is to block and report the offending user  however, considering a large proportion of Twitter abusers simply go and immediately create a new fake account, blocking and reporting each one ends up being like the world's worst game of whack-a-mole, where the only prize is another torrent of liquid poo.

I can't understand what it's like to have to suffer through this  the few times I've managed to draw the attention of Twitter's dark side, I've found even that level of un-gendered attack to be confronting and overwhelmingly distracting  I was unable to think about anything other than the people publicly yelling at me on the internet. And nobody was even threatening me or my family.
When seniors need to move to aged care, most families want their wellbeing to be the main driver for decision-making. Yet decisions made now can have major financial and legal implications, so it's good to have some ideas about the options in advance.

One common scenario, if the parents' funds are limited, is for children to scrape together extra money to make up the aged care facility's full refundable accommodation deposit (RAD). This seems like a great idea, as it saves the 6.01 per cent that would be charged by the aged care operator on any outstanding balance.

Most families want the wellbeing of their loved one to be paramount when choosing an aged care facility. Credit:Dean Mitchell

Rachel Lane, from Aged Care Gurus, explains: "From a pension perspective, there is no harm in such a strategy  the RAD is an exempt asset for the purposes of calculating the pension. Unfortunately, it is a completely different story from an aged care point of view. The amount someone pays as an RAD is included in the assets test for calculation of the means-tested care fee." This fee is a government charge to offset some (or all) of their funding to the aged care facility.

In calculating the means-tested care fee, the government will levy 50 a $1 of income above $25,711 a year (single) or $25,243 a year for a member of a couple, plus 1 per cent on your assets between $159,423 and $385,270 and 2 per cent on the assets above $385,270. So the unexpected consequence of the children helping their parents is that it increases their means-tested care fee, since the amount lent by the kids is treated as an asset.
Three serious crashes in less than an hour on Sunday morning have claimed one life and left two other people with significant injuries in hospital.

About 11am a motorbike and car collided on the D'Aguilar Highway at Kilcoy, 90 kilometres south-west of the Sunshine Coast.

Police are investigating three separate crashes on Queensland roads. Credit:Rob Gunstone

The crash happened near the intersection with Esk Kilcoy Road and the motorcyclist, a 70-year-old man, died at the scene.

Earlier, a car crashed into a power pole and caught fire at Hamilton Plains, 23 kilometres inland from Airlie Beach.
A wild brawl at a McDonald's outlet in Melbourne's west between two packs of teenage youths was organised beforehand on Facebook, police believe.

Four boys were taken to hospital with various injuries, including stab wounds, after the fight in St Albans just before 6.15pm on Sunday.

The victims, all aged 17, are from Braybrook, North Melbourne, St Albans and Caroline Springs.

Between 20 and 30 people were involved in the all-in brawl, with some carrying knives and baseball bats.
A car has struck a pedestrian before crashing through a fence in Corio, north of Geelong.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said a man in his 40s would be airlifted to hospital with abdominal and pelvic injuries and a laceration to his head.

The man is in a serious but stable condition.

Mr Mullen said emergency services received a call to attend the incident just after 12.30pm.
MasterChef judge Gary Mehigan has settled a bitter legal feud with a builder over a disputed $168,000 debt from the refurbishment of a North Melbourne function room co-owned by the celebrity chef. Gary Mehigan and his business partners had been accused of reneging on $155,942 in unpaid invoices to builder Robert Pavlovic. Credit:Wayne Taylor A writ lodged in the Supreme Court in August last year by builder Robert Pavlovic claimed Mr Mehigan and his business partners had reneged on $155,942 in unpaid invoices and demanded a further $12,000 in interest. According to the writ, Mr Pavlovic entered a verbal agreement with Mr Mehigan and his three partners to carry out construction works at the venue in April 2014.

He claimed to have worked on the project from June to August, before he was underpaid on an August invoice and then a bill of $124,978 was ignored in October. At the time, a spokeswoman for Mr Mehigan claimed Mr Pavlovic's invoices were almost double the agreed budget, and that approval for additional expenditure had never been sought. The venue was spruiked as a "warehouse inspired event space located in the urban neighbourhood of North Melbourne", according to the Big Kitchen Events with Gary Mehigan website. The dispute was recently resolved at a private mediation between two parties, who agreed that Mr Mehigan would pay about $110,000 to Mr Pavlovic. Mr Pavlovic said he could not comment when contacted by Fairfax Media.
A rail link to Melbourne Airport should not come at the expense of SkyBus, because there is no guarantee enough passengers would use the train line, according to the head of the express shuttle company.

A few weeks after Infrastructure Victoria recommended a rail line should eventually be built to meet the city's long-term needs, SkyBus has weighed into the debate, saying it already provides a "world class service" in airport transport.

"Just because you build an airport rail, it doesn't mean people want to use it," said Skybus director, Michael Sewards. Credit:Roy Chu

"The reality is, just because you build an airport rail, it doesn't mean people want to use it," said the company's director, Michael Sewards.

"Yes, let's plan for the next 15 or 30 years, but let's also be somewhat sensible in this conversation by recognising we've had a service for over 38 years, which over 50 million passengers have used. We think we can co-exist with rail and provide a very competitive offering."
"[Spiteri's] been in possession of three pistols in 18 months. Come on  He's a danger to the community, that's what he is... And I reckon the chance of him not reoffending is close to zero... How many chances are you entitled to have?" he said. Justice Coghlan's warnings proved prescient. Just three months after this damning assessment, Spiteri allegedly stormed a home in Deer Park with an associate and shot a man multiple times in the leg. It is the fifth time in two years the 25-year-old has been charged or convicted for committing a serious offence while on bail or serving a community corrections order, nearly all of which involved firearms. Courts have been granting bail to offenders accused of serious weapons offences, some of whom have re-armed themselves and committed other violent crimes while awaiting trial. There is also mounting frustration at the perceived lenient penalties being handed out to those who are being convicted.

In the Magistrates Court of Victoria, less than a quarter of offenders convicted of carrying a prohibited weapon between 2011 and 2014 received a custodial sentence. For "prohibited persons" - those who have previous convictions for gun or violence offences - less than half were sent to prison after being found guilty of possessing an unregistered firearm. In February, Spiteri and two accomplices were allegedly caught raiding a marijuana grow house in Truganina. When confronted, Spiteri allegedly pointed a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that was "ready to be fired" at police, dropping the weapon when the officer charged at him. Spiteri applied for bail in March before Magistrate Aumair, a former Bendigo solicitor who had been appointed to the bench in late 2015. Magistrate Aumair had already granted bail to Spiteri's two co-accused despite both men having a string of gun and violence convictions, including possession of a sawn-off shotgun, attempting to pervert the course of justice and drug trafficking.

While noting the seriousness of the charges, Magistrate Aumair released Spiteri on bail because of his young age, strong family support, the potential for a lengthy delay before coming to trial, and the fact that his co-accused had already been bailed. "Your father came to court today to give very, very impressive evidence and you need to be very grateful for that," she said. "I consider you to be a risk, Mr Spiteri, but with strict conditions I will concede that the risk is acceptable, but you need to show the court and the community that the faith I'm going to [indistinct] is well founded." The decision was immediately appealed by the Director of Public Prosecutions amid outrage from police officers involved in the case. At the appeal hearing in late March, Supreme Court Justice Coghlan blasted Magistrate Aumair's handling of the case but ultimately decided not to revoke Spiteri's bail despite expressing grave concerns about the risk he posed to the community.

In the courtroom, he noted that Magistrate Aumair had apparently failed to follow basic procedures and placed undue emphasis on testimony from Spiteri's father that he would be able to control his son's behaviour, alleging the magistrate's "inexperience" had been exploited. But in his published judgment, Justice Coghlan was far more reserved, dismissing the DPP's application to revoke Spiteri's bail while simultaneously noting he "doubted" he would have granted bail to him in the first place. "Her Honour [Magistrate Aumair] was entitled to come to the conclusion that the risks which [Spiteri] represented could be sufficiently ameliorated by the imposition of strict conditions," he decided. After the alleged shooting in Deer Park in July, Spiteri was arrested and charged with 10 new offences by the Armed Crime Squad.
A fighting fund for legal action against the controversial Perth Freight Link has been boosted, with a local council pledging $25,000.

Save Beeliar Wetlands raised $50,000 in one month to pay for its High Court challenge to the WA government's environmental approval for the Roe 8 highway extension, which is the most contentious part of the $1.9 billion project.

The Perth Freight Link project is a topic of hot debate. Credit:Brendan Foster

The protest group expects to find out in about five weeks whether it has been granted leave to appeal in the High Court, and if proceedings progress to a full hearing, the City of Cockburn has promised to contribute a further $25,000.

The group was outraged last week when the state government signed a $450 million construction contract for Roe 8.
Beirut: Syrian rebels said they captured the village of Dabiq from Islamic State on Sunday, forcing the jihadist group from a stronghold where it had promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West.

The rebels, backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, also took neighbouring Soran, said Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the clashes on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

"The Daesh myth of their great battle in Dabiq is finished," he told Reuters, using a pejorative name for Islamic State.

An Islamic prophesy names Dabiq as the site of a battle between Muslims and infidels that will presage doomsday, a message used extensively in Islamic State's propaganda. The group also named a publication after the northwest village.
In the past week, as a swirl of sexual assault accusations against Donald Trump has prompted a loud national discussion about male power and women's rights, the first woman to be a major party's presidential nominee was barely heard from.

Though Hillary Clinton has stood at the centre of feminist debates for more than two decades, she has at times been an imperfect messenger for the cause. That has never been more apparent than now, as her old missteps and her husband's history have effectively paralysed her during a moment of widespread outrage.

The most impassioned speeches on the topic have come not from her, but from the first lady, Michelle Obama, who said Trump's words had "shaken me to my core," and from President Barack Obama and others. When Clinton herself spoke, she quickly changed the subject to other groups of people Trump had insulted, and she tried to lighten the mood with a joke about watching cat videos.

"It makes you want to turn off the news. It makes you want to unplug the internet or just look at cat GIFs," Clinton told donors in San Francisco on Thursday, making her first remarks on Trump's treatment of women since several came forward to accuse him.
Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi...
GameStop Corp. is a specialty retailer founded in 1999 and headquartered in Grapevine, Texas. The company was originally known as GSC Holdings Corp. but later changed its name following its IPO. Originally a brand of then dominant Babbages, Gamestop altered the way video games were distributed and it is now the world's largest retailer of video games and video game accessories. The company went public in 2004 and operated 4,573 stores at the start of 2022. Brands under the company umbrella include Gamestop, EB Games, and Micromania as well as 50 pop-culture-themed Zing Pop locations.

Gamestop Corp. provides video games and entertainment products through its global network of e-commerce properties and stores. The company sells new and pre-owned gaming platforms and accessories like controllers, headsets, memory cards, and gaming software as well as in-game products like digital currency, downloadable content, and games. The company also sells new and used memorabilia and collectibles. Genres include TV, movie, comic book, and game characters as well as many other items from pop culture. GameStop Corp. also operates Game Informer, a magazine and website dedicated to the gaming industry including reviews, updates, and new developments in technologies.

Game enthusiasts enjoy two primary benefits of using Gamestop. The first is access to the full range of games and gaming accessories. The second is the ability to sell or trade their old equipment and games for fair prices. All old equipment is refurbished to a like-new state before resale.

In 2021 Gamestop announced it was entering the world of cryptocurrency. The company revealed plans to build an NFT (non-fungible token) platform for listing, selling, and holding digital or digitized artwork and collectibles. The beta version launched in 2022 and has so far seen great success with an average daily volume exceeding $1 million. The NFT marketplace also featured Web3.0 games in which characters and in-game items are held forever on the blockchain. As of September 2022, the most successful retailer on the NFT marketplace was Gamestop Presents, a collaboration of cover art from Game Informer Magazine. Sales at the time were just under 168 ETH or about $221,500.00.

GameStop began a slide in 2016 following a series of bad investments that included a foray into the world of mobile phones. The slide came to an end in late 2021 when shareholders using the Reddit thread Wallstreet Bets orchestrated a short-squeeze and brought on the age of meme stocks.
The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen France SAS, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Suzhou Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel Ireland Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Brooks Instrument Shanghai Co. Ltd, Buell Industries Inc., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS Australia Pty Limited, CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures Australasia S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Coeur, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Coeur Shanghai Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Denison Mayes Group Limited, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., E2M Production B.V.., E2M Technologies B.V.., E2M Technologies Inc.., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO Holding AG, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, Exhibit 21, FEG Investments L.L.C., Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Filtertek SAS, GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech Taicang Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Belgium B.V., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart International Singapore Pte. Ltd., Hobart Japan K.K., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components Chongqing Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components Langfang Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium B.V., ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS UK Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW China Investment Company Limited, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Construction Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Services Manila Inc., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Contamination Control Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Deutschland GmbH, ITW Diagraph GmbH, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW EU Holdings Ltd., ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.L., ITW European Finance Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance III Co. Ltd., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Thailand Ltd., ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France Luxembourg S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW Materials Technology Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Ningbo Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology China Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion Shenzhen Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. 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In the fall of 1968, when I was a newly arrived exchange student in Poland, I went to a screening of Andrzej Wajdas Ashes and Diamonds in my dormitory at the university in Krakow. This was shortly after Warsaw Pact tanks had crushed the Prague Spring, Czechoslovakias attempt to experiment with socialism with a human face, and the brutal suppression of Polish student protests a few months earlier. The Iron Curtain of the Soviet Empire was drawing closed once again.

The mood was grim. But my fellow students took heart from this somber tale of a young former resistance fighter who assassinates a Communist Party official after World War IIand then is shot by Polish soldiers. The final scene shows him succumbing to his wounds on a garbage heap, a seemingly ignoble death.

This was classic Wajda: pushing the limits of dissent while ostensibly genuflecting to communist dogma. The Polish students understood immediately the real message of the film.

As Wajda explained to me much later, the antihero, as played by the strikingly handsome star Zbigniew Cybulski, aroused the sympathy of viewers. (He was the James Dean of the Polish cinema who, like Dean, also died young.) The censors loved the final scene, but viewers like my fellow students asked themselves: What kind of a system is this that forces such a sympathetic lad to die on a garbage heap?

Wajda, who lived until he was 90, working constantly almost up to his death earlier this month, was not only a politically inventive director in even the darkest periods of Communist rule in his native Poland, he was also a true master of the art of cinema. His films won every possible major European awardthe Golden Palm of Cannes, the Silver Bear of Berlin, the Golden Lion of Veniceand an Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2000. Well before his passing, he had joined the pantheon of great directors whose accomplishments both reflected their times and transcended them.

The son of a Polish cavalry officer, Wajda was 13 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west on September 1, 1939 and the Soviet Union attacked from the east on September 17. His father was one of 4,421 Polish POWs who were shot by Soviet NKVD executioners in the infamous Katyn Forest massacre of 1940. Altogether, 21,857 Polish POWs and officials were murdered in similar fashion that year. The younger Wajda joined the Polish resistance to the Nazis later in the war, although he always dismissed his role as inconsequential.

After graduating from the newly formed Film School in Lodz, Wajda directed a trio of movies in the 1950s that chronicled the wartime experiences of his countrymen: A Generation, Canal, and then Ashes and Diamonds.

All focused on the bitter ordeals of resistance fighters, and won him a growing legion of admirers at home and abroad. He also directed an astonishing number of films and TV productions dealing with a broad array of subjects, but almost always drawing upon his countrys tortured history.

In 1976, he released Man of Marble, and then in 1981, as the Solidarity labor movement was on the rise, Wajda made Man of Iron, chronicling the disillusionment and anger of Polish workers with Communist rule.

Those kinds of films made him a hero not just to the rapidly growing ranks of Solidarity activists but also to dissidents and intellectuals all across the Soviet bloc. With the advent of VCRs that allowed viewers to evade censorship, the tapes of his films were highly prized commodities in cities like Prague, Budapest and Moscow.

Wajda made no apologies for the political content of his work. In a reflective interview in 2000, he expounded on the long and beautiful tradition in Poland that artists have social and political obligations to society.

This is rooted in in the age of romanticism, he told me, when Poland disappeared from the map and the country survived only because our great poets created literary masterpieces that still inspire us today. In certain critical historical moments, the artist has the duty to chronicle what is happeningregardless whether the result will be a great work of art or not.

True to that spirit, Wajda did not hesitate to cross the line from artist to activist as the struggle between Polish workers and the Communist government intensified, leading to the imposition of martial law in 1981 and the outlawing of Solidarity.

He worked with other activists to distribute banned films, decamped abroad for a while, and then returned to join Solidarity leader Lech Walesas team of activists-turned-politicians as the movement swept to victory in June 1989 in the first real elections in postwar Poland. He even won a seat in the first freely elected Senate.

But Wajda only served one term and he never lost his focus on filmmaking, whatever other roles he played.

Ironically, the collapse of Communism both liberated the arts and made it more difficult for even a great artist like Wajda to attract Polish viewers to his films. His 1990 film Korczak, about the legendary Jewish doctor who would not abandon his orphans in the Warsaw Ghetto and accompanied them to their deaths in Auschwitz, drew only a fraction of his usual audience. The reason: Warsaw and other former Soviet bloc cities were suddenly awash with new Hollywood imports that dazzled the local audiences.

This happened to be the time when I had moved into Wajdas neighborhood in Warsawin fact, only a few houses away from the lovely, art-filled house that he shared with his wife Krystyna Zachwatowicz, a scenographer and costume designer.

During one of my first visits, I expected to encounter resentment of the overwhelming appeal of American mass culture. Wajda immediately proved me wrong. It was only natural that younger Polish viewers were no longer as fixated on the war and its aftermath or even the Solidarity struggle, he noted. The public has changed.

Even more startling was his reaction to films that were so radically different from his own. While other Central European directors were decrying their mass-market vapidity, Wajda told me how impressed he was by the technical wonders of a film like Terminator 2 or the pacing of a movie like Presumed Innocent. Referring to the latter, he said: In this film, theres more artistry than in any European film.

Wajda also discovered in short order that among a new generation of Poles, his own work could compete with Hollywood blockbusters while fulfilling long-held ambitions.

In those early days of newly liberated Poland, Wajda often said that he had long dreamed about making a film about the Katyn Forest massacre that counted his father among the victims. In 2007, Katynwhich was as much about the Soviet cover-up of the crime for decades as about the murders themselvesdrew millions of viewers.

Its final scenes depicting the actual executions is every bit as intense a cinematic experience as the opening sequence of Steven Spielbergs 1998 film Saving Private Ryan, when American troops hit Normandys beaches.

Such comparisons are no accident. When Spielberg was shooting Schindlers List in Krakow in 1993, the famed American director was quick to praise Wajda. He also invited him on the set, and Wajda later told me that he was amazed by the energy the American radiated. I joked that if somebody hooked him up to all those cables, he could light up New York. There are no directors in Europe like that.

In fact, the two giants of their industry were a mutual admiration society. In his letter of support for Wajdas lifetime achievement Oscar in 2000, Spielberg wrote: His films have inspired audiences around the world, giving them an artists view of history, democracy and freedom.

And so it was until the end. Wajda left no doubt about his frustration with the efforts by the right-wing politicians who are now in power to discredit Solidaritys legendary leader Lech Walesa and impose a new national culture.

His 2013 film Walesa: Man of Hope reminded younger viewers that the former shipyard workers accomplishments dwarfed his personal shortcomings. While discussing his final film Afterimage, about an artist dealing with Stalinist repression, Wajda pointedly told the Polish press agency PAP: Artists should do art, not the authorities."

But it would be a mistake to remember Wajda only as a director with powerful messages. Above all, he loved what he did. Cinema may be an art or it may be political or it may carry a moral message, he once told me, but someone who doesnt enjoy moviemaking as the fantastic toy that it is just doesnt understand its essence.

Wajda always understood that, and always relished the gift of his craft.
An Austin, Texas husband called police early Sunday morning to request help from a mental health officer. His wife was armed and acting erratic, he reported. But the mental health call turned deadly after the responding officers arrived on the scene.

911 operators asked the husband to stay on the line while police traveled to the Austin apartment complex. When they arrived, the mans wife emerged from the home, gun in hand, police said in a Sunday press conference. Shoot me, shoot me, kill me, the 26-year-old woman reportedly told officers. They complied, shooting her multiple times while she was standing, and again after she was on the ground. She was dead just over an hour after her husbands call for mental health support.

Anytime that we have a loss of life, its a very, very tragic event, Assistant Police Chief Troy Gay told reportersduring the Sunday morning press conference. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the deceased, as well as the officers and their families.Police said the shooting had no witnesses, other than the two officers involved. The officers reportedly captured audio of the incident, but no video footage. Police did not return The Daily Beasts request for comment on Sunday.

But the scene police described was one of chaos. A two-person crisis response team responded to the distressed husbands mental health call around 3:45 a.m, on a block of two-story apartment buildings across from a middle school. When they arrived, the mans wife allegedly stepped from the porch, pointing a gun at the officers.

Shoot me, shoot me, kill me, Gay described the unnamed womans demands. When the woman allegedly refused requests to drop the gun, officers fired an unknown number of shots. The woman fell to the ground, still moving, and still in possession of the gun, Gay said. The officers fired another series of shots before the gun slipped from the womans hands.

The officers administered first aid and called an ambulance, but it was too late. The woman died within the hour. Neither officer was harmed, Gay said.

Austin Police are currently facing scrutiny for their use of force, particularly against people of color. While the victim of Sundays shooting was white, an October study by the Center for Policing Equity found that Austin Police used force against the citys African American population more often than it did against white or Latino residents. The city saw widespread outcry in February, after police shot and killed an unarmed African American teenager who had been naked and acting erratically. The killing prompted activists to call on police to improve their responses to people exhibiting symptoms of mental illness.

Sundays shooting marked the eighth person killed by Austin Police this year. Among these shootings was that of a knife-wielding man after he allegedly tried to commit so-called suicide by cop in a grocery store parking lot in April.

Sundays shooting victim repeatedly told police to shoot or kill her, Gay said, prompting speculation that the woman may have attempted suicide by cop.

But mental health experts say the phrase is a loaded one, which might understate officers roles the shootings. While police are often the first to respond to mental illness calls, their training often prioritizes issuing commands and showing authority: two techniques that can further aggravate a distressed person.

Traditional law enforcement tactics are rooted in logic, in reasoning  and in issuing commands for someone to comply so that we can make the situation safe right now by taking a person into custody, Douglas County Police Capt. Attila Denes ++told Al Jazeera++ [http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/articles/2014/4/23/how-traditional-policinghurtsaandsometimeskillsathementallyill.html.] But barking orders at a person with serious mental illness doesn't work. A controversial 2009 study by former LAPD psychologist Kris Mohandie suggested that in most suicide by cop incidents, the victim did not plan to die until after police became involved in the situation. Four out of five did not plan theirsuicide for that day, but instead became acutely suicidal in response to circumstances or police intervention, Mohandie wrote.

Both Austin Police officers involved in the Sunday morning shooting have been placed on administrative leave while the department investigates the incident.
There is a fundamental inefficiency at the heart of American business. It is right in front of all of our faces, and yet we fail to recognize it.

Its the fuzzy, terrible writing we slog through every day at work. And its costing American businesses nearly $400 billion every year.

Think about it. You start your day wading through first-draft emails from colleagues who fail to come to the point. You consume reports that dont make clear whats happening or what your management should do about it. The websites, marketing materials, and press releases from your suppliers are filled with jargon and meaningless superlatives. This problem is as common as rust, and just as welcome; in my survey of businesspeople who write at work, 81 percent agreed with the statement: Poorly written material wastes a lot of my time.

Poor writing creates a drag on everything you do. It functions like a tax, sapping your profits, and I can quantify it. American workers spend 22 percent of their work time reading; higher compensated workers read more. According to my analysis, America is spending 6 percent of total wages on time wasted attempting to get meaning out of poorly written material. Every company, every manager, every professional pays this tax, which consumes $396 billion of our national income. Thats more than half of what we pay for Medicarebut the poor writing tax pays for nothing but waste.

Were so immersed in this stuff that we hardly notice it any more. Im talking about job descriptions like this one, from a health care company:

The Area Vice President, Enterprise Customers will develop and manage a sustainable strategic relationship that transforms the current commercial model by creating joint value that results in the ongoing reduction of costs, continuous process improvement, growth and profitability for both partners with the ability to export key learnings.

How much time did the HR department and the job candidates waste trying to figure that out?

How about the lede from ++ Samsungs recent statement ++ [https://news.samsung.com/global/statement-on-galaxy-note7] about its smartphones?

Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue.

Battery cell issue? The phones are catching on firebut youd never know it from the companys statement, which mentions only incidents. Say what you mean.

Of all the serious problems in the American workplace, this one is the most solvable. And we can solve it one company, one culture, one worker at a time.

The first step is to adopt what I call The Iron Imperative in everything you write: treat the readers time as more valuable than your own. To embrace it means that every time you send an email or write a document, you must take a moment to structure it for maximum readability and meaning. We are lazy; wed rather save our own time than someone elses. But writers who adopt The Iron Imperative stand out in the workplace for clarity and efficiency, and are more likely to get ahead. Workplace cultures that adopt it will reduce their poor writing tax.

Recognize that everybody reads on a screen noweither a smartphone or a computer screen. That reduces attention spans and concentration, which in turn demands a radical rethink of the way you communicate in writing. In this environment, brevity must become a core value. Regardless of what you write, the title or subject line and the first two sentences must carry the payload. Unlike Samsung in its press release, you must never bury the lede.

People use jargon to impress other peoplebut for each person you impress, many others are just confused. Clear, plain language communicates better, is easier to consume, and is more likely to get its point across to more people.

A primary cause of incoherent writing is committeespeakdocuments that become a pastiche of contradictory comments inserted based on management reviewers. In my survey, only 32 percent of writers thought that their process for collecting and combining feedback worked well. Along with clarity, brevity, and plain language, a disciplined and coherent review process goes a long way toward improving the quality of the documents were struggling to get meaning from.

Its not that hard to embrace clear, pointed, and direct writing that doesnt waste the readers time. Commit to do that, and to eliminate the poor writing tax at your company. Youll get ahead. And youll make American business a little more efficient while youre at it.

--

Josh Bernoff has been a professional writer for more than 30 years, including two decades as a well-known technology analyst. He is the coauthor of three books on business strategy, and his new book from HarperBusiness is Writing Without Bullshit: Boost Your Career by Saying What You Mean.
With 23 days until Election Day, state and local election officials, as well as the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, are on their highest-ever level of alert for hackers trying to meddle with the vote.

But its not vote rigging or the takeover of electronic voting booths that has officials most concerned. There is no master switch that hackers could use to turn off voting systems in every state. And even in states that use electronic voting booths, paper backups could help combat any malicious tampering with the final count.

Rather, officials are more concerned by the discovery in recent weeks that hackers, including ones believed to be working for the Russian government, are trying to access voter registration files, perhaps to alter or delete them, in more than 20 states. Every state is required to keep a centralizedand computerizedmaster list of who is eligible to vote. If the state cannot verify that someone really is registered, his vote might not count.

"The real concern is not that your vote will be hacked, which is harder to do, its that your voter registration files may be hacked, and as a result, you will be deprived the right to vote, David Heyman, a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, told The Daily Beast.

Registration files are the soft underbelly of election security. On their face, the files themselves may not appear especially valuable. Many states actually make parts of their voter files public. Typically, they contain names and addresses, but sometimes also drivers license and Social Security numbers, which states are supposed to keep separate from any files that are open to the public.

But tampering with those filessay by deleting names from the voter rolls, or changing addresses so that voters suddenly become ineligible to vote in a particular precinctcould wreak havoc with elections, leading to long lines at polling places or rumors that vote counts were also being manipulated.

The emphasis, election experts say, should be on the word could. Theres never been an attack on voter registration files that swayed a national election.

But theres a contagion effect at play this year, particularly because of Republican nominee Donald Trumps repeated insistence that the election system is rigged, and that the only way he would lose in certain swing states is if someone tampered with the vote. In that environment, word of hackers even attempting to get access to voter files could undermine some peoples already shaky confidence in the election's legitimacy and give powerful ammunition to those who would question its results.

Thats one reason why 33 states and 11 county or local governments have asked Homeland Security to help scan their election systems for security weaknesses and signs of suspicious activitylike whether theyve already been hacked. Thats the largest number of states that have ever asked for computer security assistance around an election, and it reflects both the significance of the threat as well as the extent of nation-wide preparations. Usually federal officials tend to keep quiet about their cyber security operations, but this time, theyre advertising them.

We've been out there saying to state election officials, if you need help just ask us for it, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson testified to Congress last month.

This unprecedented focus on election security was prompted both by a suspected Russian campaign to hack emails and documents from U.S. political organizations, as well as the news that, last summer, election systems were compromised by hackers in Arizona and Illinois, where the perpetrators are believed to have absconded with files on 200,000 voters.

When you suddenly had two states with reports of registration breaches, regardless of the effect or the impact, which appear to have been minor, it gave everybody a sense that this isnt necessarily theoretical anymore, Pam Smith, the president of Verified Voting, a nonprofit group that advocates transparency and security in U.S. elections, told The Daily Beast.

With that in mind, elections experts laid out a number of scenarios for how Russia or any other malicious actor might disrupt the vote in November, and what governments would do in response.

Hackers Delete Voters Names

Purely from a computer security standpoint, this is the worst case scenario. In theory, if hackers gained entry to and control over voter registration files, they could strike names from the master list, effectively rendering those voters ineligible.

First, the intruders would have to get into the system. One way to do that could be via websites that states have set up that allow voters to register or check their status. In Illinois, it appears that hackers used this public-facing registration portal to enter the voter files connected to it.

Congress inadvertently helped create this vulnerability when it passed the Help America Vote Act after the 2000 Florida recount debacle. The law requires every state to have a single interactive computerized list of every registered voter in the state. Theres no requirement that such a list be accessible via the Internet, but if they are, either directly or via registration portals, theyre at risk.

The number of potential access points has proliferated. Today, 32 states and the District of Columbia allow online registration; in 2008, only two states did, Arizona and Washington. Elections experts said there is no authoritative count of which of these states voter registration files are accessible via the Internet, either directly or through registration portals.

But theres a contingency plan if the worst should happen. States make backup records of the voter registration file, sometimes at the end of every workday. Even if hackers deleted the files, states could revert to the last backup to check if someone is eligible to vote.

Most states Ive talked to take nightly backups of that data, David Becker, the Executive Director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a nonprofit research center that works to improve the administration of elections in the United States, told The Daily Beast. And whatever the backup media is, its not connected to the Internet. Its on a removable hard drive, for instance.

Ballots Arent Counted on Election Day

If a voter shows up at his polling place to find that hes not listed as eligible, he can still vote. Federal law requires that so-called provisional ballots be issued to any voter who believes hes eligible. Experts advise checking before Election Day whether the state has a voters correct information. But in the event something goes wrong, demand the provisional ballot, they say.

But beware: That ballot might not be counted right away. States use different procedures, and different schedules, for adjudicating which provisional ballots really do belong to eligible voters. So, a voter may still be able to cast a ballot, but it could mean a lot more work for you and the election official to get those provisional ballots adjudicated correctly, Smith said. It could be disruptive in a really bad way for voters if they had to jump through hoops unnecessarily.

Voters might also not be allowed to vote for every race on the ballot. If someone shows up to vote in what she thinks is her home precinct, for example, but her registration file shows she lives somewhere else, she might be permitted only to vote for top-of-the-ticket races like president and senator, but not for her local candidates.

And hackers who alter addresses could cause problems for absentee and early voters. Some states have already begun the early voting process by mail, and ballots are now being sent to military and government personnel living abroad.

If someone changed the address [in a voter file], a ballot could go astray, and you might not realize it until its too late and cant get another one, Smith said.

But here, too, theres a defense mechanism built in. If an unusual number of voters report that they havent received their expected ballots, that will signal to elections officials that something is amiss, Becker said. Wed discover it before Election Day and be able to come up with contingencies.

Similarly, if officials note an unusual number of provisional ballots being issued on Election Day, Thatd be the red flag that something happened, Becker said. In that case, officials would go to the backup files.

Long Lines Form at Polling Places

But fielding reports of irregularities and checking back ups takes time. And people already in a hurry to vote might lose patience. Thus, hacking voter registration files produces the possibility of a snowball effect, said Heyman, the former Homeland Security official. Once something like this is reported and lines begin to form, and rumors begin to spread, it may lead to a form of voter suppression as busy, frustrated voters may simply choose to not even attempt to go to the polls.

If there are backups at the polls, elections officials would move quickly to distribute correct copies of the voter registration files to polling places, Becker said. And if poll workers can verify a voters status, he can avoid casting a provisional ballot.

This might lead to longer lines as officials sort things out, Becker said. A little more delay in the process. Hopefully not chaos.

Rumors Spread That the Vote Count is Being Rigged

Of course, if those rumors spread that more than just voter files have been hacked, or people are being turned away at polling places, officials would have the added challenge of trying to separate fact from fiction. The hackers would have every motivation to persuade voters that isolated problems are actually widespread, or that elections officials were working on behalf of a particular candidate. In the frenzy of Election Day, its not clear how state election officials would combat an active disinformation campaign that spreads through social media.

Indeed, it may have already begun. Last Tuesday, a hacker going by the name Guccifer 2.0a suspected front for the Russian governmentleaked documents purporting to come from the Clinton Foundation but that were actually pieced together from other sources and, in some cases, apparently doctored to make it seem that the foundation was engaging in pay-for-play schemes. Trump, who calls his rival crooked Hillary, has alleged that she has a record of corrupt practices that would mar her presidency.

Dispelling online propaganda is an exceptionally difficult and sometimes futile task, which is another reason security experts say they're moving fast to stop a problem from ever arising.

Asked why this particular election has been the focus of so much attention by hackers, Becker said it was a natural evolution of seeing more and more of our government data being held online. Hackers may have been insatiably drawn to the prospect of meddling in the election regardless of who is running.

Nobody's being blase about this, Smith said. The election officials Ive spoken to are taking extra steps, Smith said, to ensure that there are backups in place and that everyone involved in the election process is watching out for security vulnerabilities and suspicious activity.

2016 will probably be the most secure election from a digital perspective that weve seen, Becker said.
Donald Trumps candidacy hasnt just ripped a gash through the Republican Party; its also deeply divided one of American Evangelical Christianitys most important institutions.

Campus organizers say that 1,100 Liberty University students signed a blistering letter last week criticizing the colleges president, Jerry Falwell Jr., for backing Donald Trump despite the candidates boast in 2005 that he could get away with grabbing womens genitals without their consent. Falwells endorsement of Trump on Jan. 26 of this yearright before the Iowa caucusesplayed an outsize role in helping the mogul court court conservative Christians who were concerned about his moral character.

Falwells blessing was controversial at the time. And his decision to stand by his man is generating even more furor nowand fear.

Dustin Wahl is a spokesperson for the group Liberty United Against Trump, which released the letter on Wednesday ripping Falwell. He said the letter now has 2,500 signatories, but that the names wont be public because students and staff worry they could face retaliation for criticizing the university president.

The letter itself is unflinching.

A recently uncovered tape revealed his comments bragging about sexually assaulting women, it reads. Any faculty or staff member at Liberty would be terminated for such comments, and yet when Donald Trump makes them, President Falwell rushes eagerly to his defense  taking the name Liberty University with him.

In a statement on Thursday, Falwell indicated that students shouldnt worry about any retaliation for criticizing him.

I am proud of these few students for speaking their minds, he said. It is a testament to the fact that Liberty University promotes the free expression of ideas unlike many major universities where political correctness prevents conservative students from speaking out.

But Wahl said Falwell has already punished his top critic at the school. In a March 1 interview, Mark DeMossthen a member of Libertys board of directors, and once a close confidant of Jerry Falwell Sr.told the Washington Post that he strongly disagreed with Falwells Trump endorsement.

Donald Trump is the only candidate who has dealt almost exclusively in the politics of personal insult, he told the paper. The bullying tactics of personal insult have no defenseand certainly not for anyone who claims to be a follower of Christ. Thats whats disturbing to so many people. Its not Christ-like behavior that Liberty has spent 40 years promoting with its students.

DeMosss comments didnt go over well. He resigned from the board two months after the Post story ran, according to Religion News Service, citing concern about a lack of trust.

DeMoss told The Daily Beast that he doesnt know whether students will face retaliation for criticizing Falwell.

I honestly don't know if they should be worried or not, though I think it would be a sad mistake for the school to retaliate, he said. If I had worried about retaliation I would not have voiced my convictions on the matter though.

Wahl said he believes Falwells critics could face pushback.

There is intimidation here, he said.

And he added that DeMosss case made some students nervous about publicly criticizing Falwell.

Its a real instance of how Jerry Falwell Jr. has really thin skin and doesnt like to be disagreed with, he said.

As Christians, were taught that were supposed to hold our Christian leaders accountable, he added. So thats what were trying to do.

There is a tense divide among Evangelical Christians over whether or not to stick with Trump. Some back him because they care deeply about the Supreme Court and abhor Hillary Clinton. But others say Evangelicals embrace of the mogul is hypocritical, given their calls for leaders with good character during Bill Clintons impeachment, and that his erratic personality and sexist comments about women make him fully indefensible. Female Evangelical leaders seem particularly repulsed by Trumps grab em by the pussy comment.

Part of the problem for Falwell is that hes handled this presidential cycle differently than his father did. Jerry Falwell Sr. avoided playing favorites during Republican primaries, and focused primarily on ripping Bill Clinton for his marital infidelities. He was also a loyal Republican. He famously welcomed John McCain back into social conservatives good graces, despite the senator calling them agents of intolerance. And he helped burnish George H. W. Bushs conservative bona fides, even though he had previously supported pro-choice policies. Falwell Sr. liked being close to powerful politicians, and didnt relish intra-party spats.

His son, however, has done the opposite. By endorsing Trump in the primary, he became one of the moguls early adoptersgiving him a boost with Evangelical Christian voters in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses, which they dominate. And one Liberty University insider pointed out that Falwell sometimes sounds more like a Trump surrogate than a university president. He even suggested the release of the Trump 2005 audio was part of a conspiracy among establishment Republicans to undermine Trumpwhich, well, no. And on Thursday, Falwell told CNN Trump told him he has evidence disproving all the sexual misconduct allegations he now faces. Trump has yet to produce that evidence.

So Liberty University, as an institution, has come to embody the crisis facing Evangelical Christian conservatives: Can you still claim to be the Moral Majority when you support a man who has boasted about sexual assault?
When InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA endorsed Black Lives Matter last December, it saw racial reconciliation as an expression of the gospel. The evangelical student outreach, which has 1,011 chapters on 667 campuses, was both criticized and praised.

A recent controversy over the groups position on same-sex relationships and how it affects employees, however, shows that any fears of their impending liberal takeover are greatly exaggerated.

Technically, nothing in InterVarsitys recent statement on same-sex relationships is unusual for a conservative evangelical ministry or InterVarsity itself. In fact, that is only one of several discussionsincluding divorce, pornography, and exploitationthat are included. It is this, however, that is having the most immediate impact given its college campus context. Like any extramarital sex, they say, same-sex sexual activity is outside of Gods will. It is unnatural because it is not consistent with Gods original intent for sexuality.

The statement complicates things for many of InterVarsitys employees who are LGBTQ+ or affirming straight allies. Employees who disagree with the organizations position are asked to tell their supervisors, after which a two-week process of involuntary termination is initiated.

When news of this broke in an earlier report from TIME, it left many who are personally invested in InterVarsity confused, frustrated, and angry.

It makes me feel sick every time I think about it, says Mary, which is not her real name as she asked to remain anonymous. She was a student member of InterVarsity until she graduated in the late 90s and eventually became a staff member.

I also feel deeply sad, as I have given my last 19 years to this organization that I love and was proud to be a part of. I feel mad. I feel confused because I dont understand why InterVarsity is doing this.

Shes not alone.

I have felt so many things: anger, rage, grief, heartache, incredulity, fear, says Karyn (not her real name). Her work with InterVarsity began only two years ago. She didnt arrive at InterVarsity as a student as many do, but she did go to a Christian college and graduate school.

InterVarsity was initially a breath of fresh air: Colleagues had beers together; staff members cussed; people advocated strongly for racial equity! It was amazing.

Two years later and Karyns affirming theology led to a roadblock. As InterVarsity has hardened its policies on affirming LGBTQ relationships, I have felt less at ease and less welcome. The worst part, she says, is feeling like its my own fault that I am losing a job I love (and just a job, period). I keep thinking, could I have done anything else? Was there some way around this?

InterVarsity insists, however, that they are not firing anyone. When TIME described InterVarsity as dismissing and firing employees, InterVarsity insisted this was incorrect. No InterVarsity employee will be fired for their views on gay marriage, they said in a press release.

Our hope through this stage of the process was to give our employees as much agency, control, and space to demonstrate integrity as much as possible, Greg Jao, InterVarsity vice president and director of campus engagement, tells The Daily Beast. Thats why we are not going to our employees to say, do you agree?, sign on this document, or to make some form of verbal affirmation.

We trust your integrity. If you disagree, then were going to ask you to let us know in the time you choose and in the way you choose. We did everything we could to leave employees in control of the process.

Karyn agrees that InterVarsity isnt engaging in a witch hunt, but disagrees on the claim no one is being fired. I met with my supervisors and resigned, but it is counted as an involuntary termination. So I have been terminated. By myself.

Others, however, see this as a cleaning of house of those who do not reflect InterVarsitys theology. Across social media and in a new petition online it is being dubbed as #InterVarsityPurge.

We, the undersigned alumni of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, says the petition, write to express our disappointment and objection to the recently publicized involuntary termination policy for staffers and employeeswe write not as outsiders or enemies seeking to criticize from afar, but as members of the IVCF family who have poured our hearts, minds, souls, and resources--financial and otherwise--into this ministry

Jao doesnt believe that InterVarsitys position on same-sex relationships should be a surprise to anyone. He adds that InterVarsity has always held this view of LGBTQ+ relationships during its 75-year history. (InterVarsity has even faced the prospect of de-recognition by universities previously over requiring its leaders to hold to its beliefs.)

We began an 18 month process for staff to dig into and study what we believe. We created hours of curricula. November 11 represents the end of that period. Our expectation after that date is that we are in alignment. If youre in disagreement, we hope that youll self-disclose.

Many believe that InterVarsity has not been clear enough in their communications with employees.

I am hurt by the policy, and by the way it has been rolled out, says Haley Compean, who joined InterVarsity when she was a Freshman in college and then joined the staff from 2012-2015. She identifies as queer and is promoting the petition on Twitter.

I had moved from another country and felt very alone, she says by email, but InterVarsity quickly became my surrogate family. The policy, though not a primary reason for her leaving InterVarsity, played a role in it. She and others knew something was coming for a while, but says communication was poor and messy.

Many feel the same way, even wondering if InterVarsity is watching what employees like and share on social media. Jao insists that InterVarsity isnt spying on its employees. I really do trust the integrity of people who work on staff, he says. I find it hard to believe that somebody would stay with us in knowing disagreement and would refuse to tell their supervisor.

But there could still be sticking points that require InterVarsity to actively fire an employee.

When asked if he could see how someone would have competing points of integrity, as in paying for a mortgage and buying food for ones family versus telling ones supervisor they are in disagreement over theology, he says he understands the complication. I appreciate where theyre at, he says, I suspect that most would make it a short term thing for them.

And what if staff decided that integrity required them to reform from within by speaking out and affirming same-sex relationships, yet without talking to their supervisor? Wed have to start a Lets talk about employment conversation with them, says Jao, about how it seems that youve come to a decision.

Many of the current staff and student members fear the move will make InterVarsitys campus ministry difficult and ineffective.

Though InterVarsity insists that they are invested in serving the LGBTQI community with greater grace and integrity,  others see the current policy by InterVarsity as one that will inevitably damage their credibility. Jao says that in conversation with students who identify as gay, they tell him that they know where InterVarsity is coming from and still see it as a safe place to wrestle with their identity.

But not all agree.

Intervarsity, says Compean, has not been a safe place to discuss my coming to terms with being queer. But she adds, it has generally at least tried to create an environment of intellectual openness. This policy does not encourage intellectual openness or conversation at all. It creates fear and shame and secrecy.

Erin Kelley, a student leader of Prisma small LGBTQ ministry at UCLA under the InterVarsity Bruins Christian Fellowship umbrellais disheartened that great staff members and personal friendswill very likely be terminated because of this policy.

As someone who affirms queer relationships, I know that I personally cant join InterVarsity staff in the future, which hurts because it feels like an artificial ceiling has been put on where I can develop my faith life.

This move is an end of tolerance for affirming spaces, she says. I think that speaking up in loving opposition to this policy is absolutely necessary, because I believe that InterVarsity USA needs to know how deeply troubling and traumatizing their policy is.

InterVarsitys direction on same-sex relationships definitely does not represent the national trend of millennials, those who are likely to make up the base of colleges and graduate schools.

A 2015 report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) showed that among millennials, seven percent identify either as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). Three percent of millennials refused to identify their sexual orientation. Additionally, a Pew Research study from March shows that 71 percent of millennials favor same sex marriage.

Students, therefore, may not find InterVarsitys position welcoming.

Steve Mion, also a student leader in Prism at UCLA, sees the policy as an injustice. He believes it is important for Christians to speak out, to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Im sad to think that moving forward, LGBTQ people at campuses around the country might find no friendly faces at InterVarsity as they seek a faith home where they will be lifted up as the wonderful children of God that they are, he adds.

Technically, the policy does not bar students from being queer, but I can attest from plenty of personal experience that being openly queer in a religious space, where theres no one to affirm or support you, is almost always a toxic situation. If there is no room for LGBTQ-supportive staff in the process, who is going to lead the queer students?

Some believe there is a silver-lining, however, as InterVarsitys controversy might be providing an opening for new affirming campus outreaches, like Incarnation Ministries, described as a Christ-Centered, Multi-Ethnic, LGBTQ-Inclusive Campus Ministry.

Max Kuecker, co-president of Incarnation Ministries, was a student in InterVarsity for four years before joining the staff of their Chicago Urban Program from 2007-2012. The program trained students on racial reconciliation and social justice. Kueckers current work picks up on what he learned during those years at InterVarsity.

As a growing number of evangelical scholars have presented solid cases for the biblical affirmation of same-sex relationships, using a similar interpretive method as InterVarsity, says Kuecker, I am surprised and disappointed they have chosen to draw the line in the sand on this topic at this time.

With Incarnation Ministries formed in May of this year, it doesnt have the benefits of time and reputation that InterVarsity has, but it does have other advantages.

One thing I have been saying, says Kuecker, is that I wish we didnt have to exist. But, since we do, it has been exciting to re-imagine what campus ministry can look like, especially since we get to build multi-ethnicity and LGBTQ inclusion into the organization from the very beginning.
The film adaptation of Paula Hawkins bestseller, The Girl on the Train, was last weekends top earner, but it opened to mixed reviews.

[Warning: slight spoilers ahead.]

Its told mostly through the bloodshot eyes of Rachel (played by Emily Blunt), whose husband Tom (Justin Theroux) left her after she couldnt conceive a baby for Anna, (Rebecca Ferguson) a pretty blond who could. Rachel, whos lost her job, too, takes a train into Manhattan every day from a town on the Hudson River past her old house, where she often spots Tom, Anna, and their baby. She also sees another house where Megan (Haley Bennett), another pretty blond, lives. Rachel drinksa lotpouring fifths of vodka into a giant plastic gym bottle with a built-in straw, and she tosses back martinis at a bar. Thats a lot of vodka, and Rachel, not surprisingly, hardly remembers how she gets through the day.

One morning after a night of heavy drinking, Rachel wakes up with her hair and clothing plastered with blood. She has no idea what happened. Megan, she later learns, has gone missing, and Rachelalong with her absent memorybecomes embroiled in her mysterious disappearance. Rachel cant recall her actions, but shes ashamed and scared. What happened while she was drunk out of her wits?

Im a journalist whos written about health, especially mental health, for decades. Several years ago I noticed that American women were drinking more than ever before, and it became the basis of a book that also examined evidence-backed ways in which drinkers could get help.

The topic of women and alcohol always draws me, and I was curious how the film would depict blackouts. It wasnt easy, probably because blackouts arent. The plot is convoluted, the narrative switches clumsily from person to person, and the timeline is so confusing that words flash on the screen to tell you where you are: four months ago, two months ago, last weekor maybe not. Its hard to keep up.

This is, apparently, to indicate the difficulty Rachel has in keeping the dates straight because shes so addled by booze. Reviewers call her an alcoholic, a word researchers have rejected for decades. They now use the somewhat clunky phrase alcohol-use disorder, which sensibly, denotes a spectrum, and not the binary you-either-are-or-you-arent alcoholic.

Rachel, who is definitely on the severe end, doesnt feel she has a lot to live for, so she pretty much justdrinks. Because shes a woman, everyone judges her harshly: her nasty ex, the town detective (played by Allison Janney), and certainly her exs new wife. Men who develop alcohol problems tend to get a lot more empathy.

Im not a big drinkerI hate feeling out of control. But I did have whats called a brownout my freshman year of college after polishing off a bottle of Cracklin Rose. I spent most of the night throwing up, which I remember, but theres a photograph of me clutching a box of Tide with glassy eyes that I dont recall anyone ever having taken. It was scary, and my experience with really overdoing it ends there. Still, Im drawn to what pulls people, especially women, to regularly go that far with their drinking.

Blackouts are clearly a thing: in 2015, there was a serious examination of the topic in popular culture. Hawkinss book came out in January, and in July, Sarah Hepola wrote a bestseller called Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget. A few weeks later, Amy Schumers film Trainwreck opened with her waking up in Staten Island next to a guy she doesnt remember meeting.

So: how often do people black out? I spoke to Dr. Aaron White, an expert on blackouts and a senior scientific advisor to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. He had a simple answer to my question. Theyre disturbingly common, he said.

Blackouts occur when a person is drinking, usually, but not always, to excess, because alcohol interferes with the receptors that record new experiences in the hippocampus, the brains memory center. Depending on ones tolerance, how much one has eaten, and how hydrated one is, blackouts can be either fragmentary, sometimes known as brownouts or grayouts, or complete. White calls those en bloc blackouts, when the person who experiences them remembers nothing.

Hepola says theyre terrifying. The blackout drinker lives with terror the moment he or she wakes up, she said. You ask yourself, Am I alone in the bed? How did this pizza box get here? You have to do detective work on your own life.

They are especially alarming for women, White said. Among the college students hes studied for blackout research, he said, responses to them fall across rigid gender lines. Males wanted to know what they did to the world, he said, But women were uneasy, and wanted to know what happened to them. The notion of sex while a woman was too drunk to consent is particularly frightening.

Hepola described coming out of a blackout in a Paris hotel room while she was having sex with a man that she had no memory of meeting. I wasnt asleep, she said. Its sort of like your mind coming back online after its been kicked offline. I came out of this blackout on top of a guy I didnt know, and had no idea how I met, she said. It was the weirdest thing that ever happened to me. She stopped drinking six years ago.

White said this is a common response. Women, he said, are more likely to reduce their drinking because of them, while men often blow them off.

While researchers havent conducted a large-scale study of the prevalence of blackouts in the general population, White, said, his own research among college students finds that they occur frequently. In 2002, White conducted a study of nearly 800 students at Duke University who had drunk alcohol at some point in their lives. Fifty-one percent said theyd had at least one alcohol-induced blackout. Another study he conducted of incoming college freshman found that among those whod drunk booze in the previous two weeks, about 12 percent of women and 12 percent of men said theyd blacked out. Many had gotten behind the wheel, had sex, or had engaged in other risky behaviors during their blackouts. Not surprisingly, blackout drinkers are more likely to sustain alcohol-related injuries.

Dr. Carrie Wilkens, a psychologist who is co-founder of the Centers for Motivation and Change in Manhattan, said that sometimes even the spouses of people who have frequent blackouts have no idea theyre in them. Among couples shes counseled, one spouse might have perfect recall of a vicious argument, while the drinker has no memory of it. One person is very defensive and confused, while the other is resentful and hurt, Wilkens said. Its hard to get them to work it through. Sometimes, she tells one partner: This may never actually get repaired. They may never be able to say theyre sorry or have as much emotion around it because they dont have a memory of it.

Its important to note that not everyone has to be on the severe end of the spectrum for alcohol-use disorder to have blackouts, White says. Until about 20 years ago, scientists believed that blackouts only happened to those who were, but research indicates that they can happen to even occasional drinkers. (Twin studies involving blackouts indicate that some may have a strong genetic vulnerability, since if one twin experienced them, the other was likely to, too.)

But there is a way to avoid them, White said. Eat before you drink, pace yourself, make sure youre hydrated, and limit the amount you drink. While blackouts can happen to anyone, women are at higher risk because they are smaller, have less water, which disperses alcohol, than men, and are more likely than men to skip meals. They also have different drinking habits, he said: Men are more likely to drink beer, while women are more likely to consume wine or spirits, both of which have higher concentration of alcohol than beer.

Girl on the Train, likes Rachels trips to New York, ultimately leads nowhere good. But it does offer a disturbing image of the blacked-out brain. And its nowhere you want to go willingly.
At a time when social mobility, income inequality and joblessness for the under-educated dominate the national discussion, it is notable that our Presidential candidates have largely avoided talking about elementary and secondary education. In America today, a child raised in a family with earnings in the bottom quartile nationally is six times less likely to graduate from college than is a child whose family earns in the top quartile. Important as it is that candidates address the effect of college debt on low-income students, the odds for poor kids will not improve without change in the elementary and secondary schools that equip students for college in the first place.

No issue in school reform has proven more contentious than the nationwide push to improve persistently struggling schools in low-income communities. In cities across the country, attempts to transform hulking high schools into clusters of more nurturing small schools, or to create innovative public charter schools in low-income neighborhoods, have yielded debate and protest.

Last year, heeding calls for local control of education decisions and less invasive interventions in underperforming schools, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, granting states and local school boards, rather than the federal government, broad latitude in determining how to rate the performance of schools and how to intervene when performance lags.

Amidst the search for local solutions and less caustic debates, however, an important question persists: what should be done when year after year schools try to improve but do not?

New research on work done by the Bloomberg administration to improve New York City schools indicates that abandoning calls for dramatic intervention in persistently struggling schools would be a stain on the education legacy of any President and would do unjustifiable harm to millions of American youth growing up in poverty.

The research indicates that, in spite of the controversy they generated in New York at the time, replacing large failing high schools, developing smaller schools in their place, and providing quality charter school options for families, have proved to be greatly beneficial strategies for hundreds of thousands of New York students, with implications for the nation.

One study, conducted by the Research Alliance for New York City Schools at New York University and released in July by the journal Education Next, examined the effort to replace the management and staff of large, underperforming high schools with clusters of smaller schools led by new principals.

The large schools in question were unusually poor performers. Sometimes as few as 30 percent of their students graduated from high school. The overwhelming majority of those students were African-American or Latino, and nearly all were from low-income households.

The study found that replacing these failed large schools with clusters of smaller, innovative schools within the same facility worked exceptionally well. Among 11,000 ninth grade students who would have enrolled in the large schools but enrolled elsewhere because the schools had been replaced, the graduation rate was 15 percentage points higher than it would have been had the large, failing schools remained in operation.

Skeptics may be concerned that in spite of these benefits for freshmen entering high schools, the costs of such interventions for students already enrolled in schools that are being phased out is too great. But the researchers found that for students already enrolled in a school that was later closed, the phase-out process did not have a systematic impact, positive or negative, on their attendance or academic performance.

This research adds to evidence that the strategy to replace large high schools with smaller ones increased student achievement significantly and at great scale. A 2013 study by MDRC found that students attending new small schools in New York graduated at a rate nearly 10 percentage points higher than did citywide peers with comparable backgrounds and learning needs.

Public charter schools, expanded significantly by the Bloomberg administration, also show unambiguous benefits years later. On recent New York State tests, students in city charter schools, serving a population of more than 90 percent African-American and Latino students, exceeded district-wide proficiency rates in math by 13 percentage points and by 5 percent in English. The percentage of African-American students in charters meeting state benchmarks in math more than doubled the rate of African-American students in other schools meeting the mark.

None of this is to say that any parent wants to look far and wide for a quality school or wants neighborhood schools to be replaced. These were not comfortable or convenient strategies, and they had costs.

But amidst the search for a kinder and gentler education politics, research demonstrating the positive effect of these New York City strategies makes the moral case clear for an incoming President and for states and districts rethinking education policies: The American education system presents intolerably long odds to low-income children attending persistently struggling schools, and sometimes the most appropriate response to dramatic failure is dramatic intervention.
As viewers tune in for the pig-wallow witchcraft of American Horror Story: Roanoke, the real Roanoke Island remains a favored haunt of scientists, not spooks. From the beginning, Englands ventures in the New World were largely scientific: scope out the precious metals and botanical treasures, and make a killing for Sir Walter Raleigh and the British Crown. It didnt turn out that way.

Youll remember the gist: In 1587, John White and some 117 brave souls ventured across the Atlantic to build a city on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Their pilot ditched them instead on Roanoke Island, an eight-mile sickle of land behind the storm-lashed Outer Banks of todays North Carolina. White spent six weeks getting the colonists settled, then weighed anchor for England, promising to return with supplies.

Three years later, when he finally made good on that promise, the colonists had vanished, along with Whites granddaughter, Virginia Dare, the first English child born in North America. Taking his cue from the word Croatoan etched in a palisade post, White sailed for Croatoanon todays Hatteras Islandbut a storm forced him out to sea and back to England. The colony hed founded was lost.

And its still lost, but maybe not for long. The mystery of the Lost Colony, insists archeologist Eric Deetz, can be solved. If I didnt think so, I wouldnt spend so much time out in the woods, digging stuff up, he says.

Deetz, a board member with the research-minded First Colony Foundation and a lecturer in anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says the tools of modern science are turning up a trail of new clues. This summer, scouting a Roanoke Island shoreline for the National Park Service, Deetz dug up eight blue-and-white shards of a tin-glazed pottery jar or vial, of a type manufactured for only a few decades around the time of the First Colony. The container almost certainly came ashore with the colonists or another expedition two years earlier, Deetz says, and the jars purpose was probably scientific, not domestic.

These jars or vials were likely used for assaying minerals or looking at botanical itemsthe kind of containers you see in drawings from the period that show doctors or alchemists, Deetz says. So were using modern science to look at Elizabethan science.

Archeologist Ivor Noel Hume drew the same conclusion back in the early 90s, when he uncovered on Roanoke Island what he called a science workshop, including fragments of a crucible and evidence of metalworking. Historical records report that Joachim Gans, a metallurgist, and other scientists set up shop at the site during the first Raleigh-sponsored expedition to the area, in 1585.

Deetz thinks the colonists who arrived on Roanoke Island two years later came with a similar mission. By this time, the Spanish were already hauling shiploads of gold out of South and Central America, Deetz says. England wanted its share, too, and something had to pay for the colony.

Precious metals werent the only treasures at stake. New World plants could be as good as gold. Thomas Hariot, who was one of the brilliant minds of the Elizabethan Age, came here looking at the scientific or medical uses of plants, Deetz says. Sassafras, for example, was a big deal because apparently people believed it cured syphilis.

For todays crop of scientists, the treasure at stake is an answer: what happened to the Lost Colony? Its a mystery that still packs enough suspense to mobilize several teams of archeologists aiming high-tech hardware at the sandy soils of coastal Carolina. Magnetometers alert them to buried metal. Ground-penetrating radar picks up shadowy changes in density where objects are buried or ground has been dug. And when an artifact does turn up, archeologists can summon the magical powers of subatomic physics to pin down its age.

This new tool of physics, Deetz says, sounds like make believe, but it works. Its called optically stimulated luminescence, and it can help date a layer of soil, give or take a year or two, and therefore the artifacts buried within it. A high-tech probe burrowed into the ground sets off a reaction in the quartz and other minerals, releasing trapped electrons and revealing when the soil last saw sunlight.

But even as these powerful tools probe the ground, archeology, always so down-to-earth, has also gone airborne. That svelte little drone cruising just above the forest canopy of Bertie County, N.C., back in July? It was packing Lidar, a radar-like device that uses lasers to peer through vegetation and detect patterns etched in the earth.

And if you have an X-ray eye that even Superman would envy, where do you aim it? At Site X, of course.

Site X occupies a bank of Albemarle Sound, about 50 miles inland from Roanoke Island, near Edenton, N.C., and its added a tantalizing new twist to the mystery. Deetz and his colleagues began exploring the tract after 2012, when spectroscopy of John Whites watercolor map of the region revealed, under a patch in the paper, an enigmatic hidden star, or X, suggesting that White had marked the spot as a possible destination for the colonists.

Did the First Colony pull up stakes and head for Site X? Maybe so. The site has already surrendered several shards of Elizabeth-era pottery, gun parts, a tenterhook, and various other goods of the type Roanoke Island colonists would have used. And Deetz thinks theres more to come.

Meanwhile, a second research team is working the site of another possible refuge, near Cape Creek on Hatteras Island. Mark Horton, an archaeologist at Britains Bristol University, found a trove of Elizabethan-era artifacts, including the hilt of an iron rapier, several other metal objects, and a small piece of slate with a pencil, suggesting that colonists made it to the site and brought their homework.

Both sites are yielding the right stuff from the right era to qualify as Elizabethan. But the Lost Colony, Deetz says, is, for the moment, still lost. The work on Hatteras Island has the same problem we have at Site X. Both teams have found artifacts that are portable. These things could have been picked up by the Algonquians when they were sort of rummaging around Fort Raleigh after it was abandoned. We wont really know that happened until we find an English skeleton buried in an Algonquian village, or the remains of an English-style house.

Or, if another group of sleuths have their way, well find the colonists by detecting their DNA in the living, breathing bodies of their descendants.

Anne Poole and Roberta Estes, who share a lifelong passion for Lost Colony history, have been using a commercial DNA site (FamilyTreeDNA) to gather and analyze cheek swabs from people whose ancestors had surnames listed among those of the first colonists. Theyve also collected oral histories, noting when family lore claimed a link to the colony. Poole is convinced that the Roanoke Island colonists journeyed to Croatoan, now Hatteras Island, and took up with the tribe.

No, we cant prove ityet, says Poole, who directs the Lost Colony Research Group she and Estes established. But weve found a few promising leads.

Some of those leads are turning up among the Lumbee Tribe, which traces some of its ancestral roots back to the Croatoan. We have several Lumbee people who share DNA and have the same surname as one of the colonists, Poole says.

One of the most striking connections so far involves females with shared DNA and the name Berry in their family trees, Poole says. She needs samples from descendants of family members who remained in England, but so far the Brits have said no to the swabs. Its a cultural thing, Poole says. They just dont like the idea of turning over their DNA. But that could change, so well keep trying.

Like Poole, Eric Deetz imagines a mostly peaceful fate for the survivors of the First Colonyprocreation not annihilation. He doubts that some warring tribe massacred the colonists and looted their settlement. Im in the assimilation camp, he says. When I look at the historical record, I dont see evidence for concluding that native people exterminated the colonists.

Deetz finds it more likely that colonists moved to Croatoan, Site X, or both and adopted the ways of their hosts. After all, the lifestyles of the English werent so different from those of the natives, he says. What they ate and how they lived were similar enough that it wouldnt have been a jarring adaptation. And a lot of reports from that period show that the English looked on the Native Americans and their lifestyle with admiration, and didnt think of them as dirty savages.

If Deetz is right, he or one of his colleagues may eventually find the conclusive evidence theyre hunting, in the remains of an English building or in the bones of an English burial ground. Deetz says hell head back to the field in late October, to dig his way through some landscape where Lidar and ground-penetrating radar spotted promising anomalies.

With this scientific approach, and the tools we have today, we can narrow the search, Deetz says. We dont have to dig through hundreds and hundreds of acres, hoping well turn something up.

And who knows? If modern science can find King Richard III under a parking lot, maybe it can find Virginia Dare cradled among the wizened old roots of a spreading live oak.

Neil Caudle is a science writer and novelist who lives near Chapel Hill, N.C.
Americans obviously believe theres something wrong with Washington. But what needs to change? Generalized anger at Washington gets the public nowhere. Candidates have been running against Washington for decades, and have a perfect record of failing to fix it. Its infuriating, like punching a pillow.

Villains include Congress, entrenched bureaucracy, special interests, and campaign finance. But theres something deeper wrong with Washingtonits culture. Spend any time there, and you see a broad acceptance of the ways things work. Lobbyists, lawyers, staffers, civil servants, contractors, journalists and others all seem to accept Washingtons glacial approach to things. Lets have another meeting, or set up a new committee, and try to find the lowest common denominator so that no one is unhappy.

Washington is a place where nothing much changes. Once in a while, with great struggle, theres a new law. But old programs are basically immortalExhibit A is New Deal farm subsidies. Below the high peaks of absurd obsolete programs, there are several thousand invisible programs that are broken and wasteful in various ways. But no one in Washington seriously tries to fix them. Fixing government is not part of the culture. Its just too hard. Fixing things requires offending someone.

Electing a new president cant fix broken government, even with 4,000 new appointees. Good people who are willing to stand up for whats right find themselves outnumbered by people who are used to doing things the old way. The machinery of Washington involves a million or so people who are stakeholders. They cant imagine doing things differently. Civil servants have a phrase for resisting any efforts at change: WEBEHWYGs (pronounced WEE-BEE-WIGs) or Well be here when youre gone.

So what do we do? I once had a fantasy about moving the national capital. It wouldnt matter where, as long as new people were in charge. Most Americans go to work expecting to make things work. They take responsibilityfor results. Americans are willing to make hard choices, because thats their job.

Why wouldnt people in Washington simply move to the new seat of government? In my fantasy, theyre stuck because they cant sell their homes. Who wants to buy a house in a place where all the jobs just disappeared?

I no longer think moving government out of Washington is so fanciful. Ok, its not practical to move the Congress or the White Housethat would require a constitutional amendment. But theres no reason why most agencies cant be spread around the country. The FDA could move to Boston or San Diego, both cities with a cohort of scientists. The IRS could move to Dallas. Some people might move with the agencies, but the goal is to replace a failed culture by reorganizing government with new people willing to take responsibility for results. Experience with federal agencies located outside Washington is generally positive. The Centers for Disease Control (Atlanta) and NASAs ten field centers, for example, seem to get the job done.

I cant be serious, youre probably thinking. Washington can barely give a permit to fix broken infrastructure, much less completely reconstitute agencies. But thats the point. Representative government has become a bad joke. We must remove the wool from our eyes and see Washington for how it actually works, not how it looks in civics books.

The culture of a place determines how it works. Whether people in a place take responsibility, feel free to innovate, speak truth to power, pitch in, help others grow, or do a thousand other things that help a group thrive, is usually fostered by its culture. Conversely, a culture can also lead people to be self-protective, short-sighted, quick to assign blame, and uninterested in joint purpose. A good culture does not guarantee success, but a bad culture, sooner or later, will guarantee failure.

Washington has a bad culture. It always had the venality of capital cities, but it became far worse as a result of institutional design changes after the 1960s, which basically replaced individual responsibility with detailed rules. Human agency disappeared into a huge hairball of bureaucracy.

Ceding authority to mindless rules put the culture in a tailspin. Without any human in charge , there was no way to overcome opposition from any interest groupwhat political scientist Francis Fukuyama calls a vetocracy. Governing became a legal free-for-all among multiple stakeholders. Worse, there was no cost to inaction. When anything goes wrongsay, the President cant rebuild decrepit infrastructure, or doctors spend too much time on paperwork instead of patientsthe answer is always the same: The rule made me do it.

Without human control, the culture of Washington spawned five pathologies, which, together, are probably not fixable:

 Aversion to Responsibility. In Washington, the surest way to get in trouble is to make a decision actually to do something. Far safer to kick the can down the road. Officials taking responsibility is the core idea of democratic government. Washingtons culture is the mirror oppositea place where people flee from responsibility like the plague.

 Fear of Spontaneity. America is a land of plain-speaking. In Washington, candor is like forbidden fruit . People in Washington feel accountable for appearances, not results. Go to any official meeting, and the air is heavy with unspoken fears and feelings. The self-consciousness poisons the spontaneity that is essential to mutual trust.

 Culture without shame. A culture without responsibility quickly spirals into an amoral culture. Doing whats legal, instead of whats right, allows people to justify all kinds of cynical decisions. When no one has authority to keep people tethered to the common good, public policy becomes a transaction using money and power. Just play your cards.

 Culture of phonies. When politicians give up on results, they compete by rhetoric. Instead of sitting down to hammer out tough choices, they incite public emotions by highlighting hot buttons like gun control, abortion and trans-gender bathrooms. Its hard to disguise posturing. People come off as too sanctimonious. When the C-span cameras turn on, Americans get the complete picture of Washington self-righteousness: long-winded pronouncements that feel like cartoons even as they are being delivered.

 Culture Without Common Purpose. Edward Banfields study of a region in southern Italy, The Moral Basis of a Backward Society, demonstrates how a culture balkanized into self-protective groups loses the capacity to fix collective problems. Villagers trusted only their immediate families, and lost the ability even for simple cooperation with neighbors and others. Teaming up to clear a field, or fix a road, was impossiblebecause everyone assumed others would shirk the work.

As in Banfields backward village, people in Washington are atomized into self-protective bubbles. . The White House is notoriously isolated. Members of Congress dont socialize with the other side. Interest groups collectively destroy the commons by overgrazing. Pervasive self-interest infects daily dealings with debilitating distrust Washington is less a bazaar than a no-mans-land. Its every group for itself.

People who posture while extracting public goods for their own benefit reveal something important: They know theyre not doing anything for the public. They personify the broader failure of Washington. Theyre not dealing with the challenges of our time. Theyre just pretending to govern.

The anti-Washington instinct of American voters is correct: The soul of Washington is a big empty hole.

Its almost impossible to fix a bad culture. Even when the writing is on the wall, people cant change. Thats why there are revolutions. Why wait? Move the machinery of government out to places where American values can take charge again.

Philip K. Howard, author and chair of Common Good, is co-chair of a new bipartisan initiative to overhaul Washington. A cartoon video accompanies this essay.
Trump Once Again Asks SCOTUS to Help Shield His Tax Returns

ROUND AND ROUND WE GO

The House Ways and Means Committee has been trying to get its hands on the returns for three years.
A woman doing time for diamond theft in a North Carolina jail is suing her landlord so she can keep her rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan.

Dina R. Garfinkel filed a suit against her management company, Habitat II, for attempting to boot her out of her apartment while she's incarcerated in North Carolina.

Garfinkel was charged with defrauding diamond dealers all over the country, including in New York City. In 2007, she pleaded guilty to grand larceny for scamming a Diamond District jeweler out of $1.2 million while on probation for an earlier case. In 2014, she was sentenced to 41 months in prison on mail fraud charges for defrauding at least 12 jewelers across the country.

She would often use an alias to contact wholesalers located throughout the country and order jewels on consignment. According to court records, Garfinkel would initially make quick payments for the first orders she received, building rapport with the dealers before eventually scamming them out of additional merchandise. When the jewelers did receive payment, it was typically in the form of bad checks.

Garfinkel currently pays $1,599.31 for an apartment in Kips Bay, but the building management claims the 69-year-old woman is illegally subletting the apartment, citing that as grounds for her removal. Garfinkel has maintained that she isn't sublettingshe has a roommate who is living in her apartment during her "'involuntary' absence," the Post reported.

Garfinkel says her landlord wants to throw her out of the building so they can "rent the premises...for double the monthly rent they now receive," court papers say.

"The person she sublet apartment to has been informed he needs to leave," a Habitat II official told the Post, while adding that if she needs to keep paying her rent if she wants to keep the apartment.
The George Bush Presidential Library Center has announced upcoming events for the fall.

The George Bush Presidential Library Foundation

 Wednesday, The George Bush Presidential Library Foundation and the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs will host a forum on intelligence led by Dr. David Priess, author of The President's Book of Secrets: The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to America's Presidents from Kennedy to Obama. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion with several former members of the CIA: James Olson, senior lecturer at the Bush School with more than 25 years experience as directorate of operations for the CIA; Richard Kerr, former CIA deputy director; and Carmen Medina, former CIA deputy director of intelligence. This event will take place at 6 p.m. in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.

Oct. 27, Ambassador Chase Untermeyer will discuss his latest book at the Houstonian Hotel in Houston at 5:30 p.m. as part of the Foundation's Distinguished Author Series. Based on his journals while serving President Bush, his third book Zenith: In the White House with George H.W. Bush begins with President Bush's election and follows his presidency through the eyes of Untermeyer. Shara Fryer, Houston news commentator, will facilitate the conversation.

 Nov. 14, The George Bush Presidential Library Foundation will welcome Lauren Wright, first-time author, for the ConocoPhillips White House Lecture Series to discuss her book On Behalf of the President: Presidential Spouses and White House Communication Strategy Today. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion on the future of this role by moderator Ann Compton, former news reporter; Anita McBride, former chief of staff to Laura Bush; and Wright. This event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.

For more information on Foundation events, please call 979-862-2251 or visit www.Bush41.org/events-listing. RSVPs are required to attend Foundation events. To attend, please respond to bushevents@bush41.org.

The Bush School of Government and Public Service

The Bush School will host the following conferences and speakers throughout the fall semester, spanning domestic and foreign issues. For more information or to register for upcoming Bush School events, please visit bush.tamu.edu/events/.

 Monday-Wednesday, Presidential Transition Conference. Occurring all day. The event will be at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.

 Oct. 24-26, Second Annual Global Pandemic Policy Symposium. The symposium will be at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center and will span throughout the day.

The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum

 Oct. 30, The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum and Bryan Broadcasting will host the annual "Night at the Museum" Children's Costume Contest and Trick-or-Treating Halloween Celebration, including refreshments, bounce houses, face painting, photo ops, carnival games and more. The event will take place from 3-6 pm. For more information, visit bush41.org/events or call 691-4014.

 Oct. 24, the Driven to Drive: Defining Our Identity exhibit, in partnership with the Houston Automobile & Transportation Museum, will highlight cars from the 1970s and beyond, such as the Terrafuggia flying car, 1978 Ford F150, 1983 Dodge Minivan and many more. For more information, visit Bush41.org and click on the exhibits tab.
What are voters to make of the claims by several women that Donald Trump groped them, kissed them against their will and put his hand up their skirt? Who are we to believe?

For his part, Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, denies all of the allegations. A campaign spokeswoman said the women making the claims are "looking to get some free publicity."

Maybe so, but why would a woman acknowledge such a horrible event if it never happened? The vast majority of women in similar circumstances keep it private, not wanting to put their sexual assault in the spotlight.

When similar claims were made against beloved entertainer Bill Cosby, many people said it couldn't happen, that Cosby wouldn't do such a thing. But then another woman came forward and another, and another, and another -- until their claims could not be ignored, could not be denied.

The same could be true in Trump's current situation. So many woman have come forward with explicit details of Trump's past conduct that they are hard to ignore.

The women's allegations come on the heels of a leaked 2005 video in which Trump and Access Hollywood reporter Billy Bush discussed soap opera actress Arianne Zucker, who was Trump's contact for his appearance on Days of Our Lives.

"I've got to use some Tic Tacs," Trump was caught on tape saying, "just in case I start kissing her.

"You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful -- I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait."

Trump then said, "And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything."

Of course men are attracted to women, especially beautiful women. That's an important part of continuing the human race. But while they may look, they don't touch uninvited.

After the video came out, Trump said it was just locker room talk, something guys just naturally do. Sorry, Mr. Trump, but most men, the vast majority of men, don't talk that way in the looker room. They may discuss women -- even coarsely -- but they don't admit or condone sexual assault. They don't talk about walking up to a woman and grabbing her genitals.

Trump accused Hillary Clinton's campaign of releasing the video and putting the women up to claiming sexual assault. There is no evidence that is the case and we certainly hope any candidate for president would stoop so low. It's hard to believe that a woman candidate, the first nominated by a major party, would do so, but, we suppose, it is possible.

The Trump issue comes at a time when more women -- and, yes, some men -- are coming forward to acknowledge they were sexually assaulted. Their attackers probably thought they could get away with it -- and for far too many of them, they have. The standard of keeping silent about sexual assault is crumbling -- not fast enough, to be sure.

Courageous women and men are leading the way to a better understanding about the frequency and the horrors of sexual assault. Americans are becoming aware that sexual assault is not a rare occurrence, that it happens far more than we ever imagined or feared.

Some people quickly and readily believed the women who charged Bill Clinton with sexual abuse some 20 years ago. Why are they loathe today to believe similar allegations against Donald Trump?

As we said, we don't know if the claims made against Donald Trump are true, but the number of women coming forward and the release of his comments to Billy Bush suggest something is there. And if so, why would America want to put another sexual predator in the Oval Office?
Domestic violence cases increase in Des Moines County this year

Advocates say there was a spike in domestic abuse cases in Des Moines County this past year. But not all incidents are being reported to police.
... Since 1950 ...



1951 - July 13 -

FLOOD

In the early morning darkness, the

Kansas River over-tops the flood-walls in both Kansas Citys

May 20

TORNADO

Ruskin Heights is dissected by an F-5 tornado

.

The tornado formed southwest of Ottawa- near Williamsburg, Kansas around 6 pm and by 7:30 pm- the killer vortex had crossed the state line into Missouri.



Most of the unincorporated town of Martin City and nearly half of the homes in the fairly-new Ruskin Heights subdivision were either heavily damaged or destroyed.





Forty-four deaths are officially attributed to the entire tornado's 71-mile path- 39 of those dying in Missouri.





This is the deadliest tornado in Metro KC weather history.









September

FLOOD - FLASH FLOOD

April 12

TORNADO

July

FLASH FLOOD

April 19

TORNADO

May 15

TORNADO

1966

June 8

TORNADO

January 24

TORNADO

June 29

TORNADO

1973

January 3 & 4

ICE STORM

September

FLASH FLOOD













1977 - May 4 - TORNADO - A mini- tornado outbreak affected every part of Metro Kansas City except the northwestern areas.



There were at least 4 separate tornadoes - 3 of them F-3 or stronger.



There are 3 deaths - 2 in Pleasant Hill where an in-session high and elementary school were hit - and one near Odessa, MO..



More than 2 dozen injuries were reported.



It was







1977 - September 12 & 13 - FLASH FLOOD - Kansas City's worst flash flooding in terms of lives lost and damage.



Twenty-five people died.



Up to 16-inches of rain over a 2-day period on the heavily-urbanized Brush Creek watershed culminated on the night of the 13th.



Devastating flooding occurred along Brush Creek from the Kansas suburbs just west of the state line eastward to the Big Blue river.



Several of the Blue's smaller tributaries like Independence's Rock Creek suffered major flooding as well.



Four people in their cars were washed away into Round Grove creek, which was more than 10-feet out of it's banks along Raytown Road as they exited the Truman Sports Complex after the Royals baseball game was cancelled.



Most of the other victims drowned along Brush Creek between State Line and The Paseo.



The scenes I witnessed that night haunt me to this day as much as the Jan. 28, 1978 Coates House fire where 20 died.







1980 - July-August - HEAT WAVE - Kansas City's deadliest weather disaster by far: A prolonged heat wave . Floodwater inundates a mobile home park in Northmoor mobile home park where emergency rescue of residents had to be conducted.- A mini- tornado outbreak affected every part of Metro Kansas City except the northwestern areas.There were at least 4 separate tornadoes - 3 of them F-3 or stronger.There are 3 deaths - 2 in Pleasant Hill where an in-session high and elementary school were hit - and one near Odessa, MO..More than 2 dozen injuries were reported.It was the first time I got on the tail of a twister - following it into Pleasant Hill - Kansas City's worst flash flooding in terms of lives lost and damage.Up to 16-inches of rain over a 2-day period on the heavily-urbanized Brush Creek watershed culminated on the night of the 13th.Devastating flooding occurred along Brush Creek from the Kansas suburbs just west of the state line eastward to the Big Blue river.Several of the Blue's smaller tributaries like Independence's Rock Creek suffered major flooding as well.Four people in their cars were washed away into Round Grove creek, which was more than 10-feet out of it's banks along Raytown Road as they exited the Truman Sports Complex after the Royals baseball game was cancelled.Most of the other victims drowned along Brush Creek between State Line and The Paseo.The scenes I witnessed that night haunt me to this day as much as the Jan. 28, 1978 Coates House fire where 20 died.- Kansas City's deadliest weather disaster by far:



More than 200 people are reported to have died from various heat-related causes from late June through August.



One July day was tinder-dry with Santa-Ana-like conditions.



Grass, brush and other fires citywide had the Fire Department down to a handful of companies in service when a grass fire spread to an apartment complex near 76th St. & Blue Ridge.



Four other fire departments - including Johnson County KS. - had to help what few KC-MO companies that made it there.



No one was injured - but several buildings were damaged.







1982 - August - FLASH FLOOD - Flash flooding strikes southern & southeastern KC-MO..



One fatality was reported.



The not-yet completed Longview Lake saved the Little Blue Valley from major flooding.







1984 - March - ICE STORM - A damaging ice storm affects a wide area of eastern Kansas and western Missouri - including the Kansas City Metro.







1984 - June 8 & 9 - FLASH FLOOD - Severe flash flooding affects Indian Creek from Olathe and Overland Park to it's mouth with the Blue River in KC-MO..



Hundreds of residents along Indian Creek from Olathe, Overland Park into KC, MO.. flee the record flood crests.



No one was reported hurt - but 2 young women were stranded on a traffic island by floodwaters at 103rd St. & Conser in OP-KS for more than 2 hours.



The author's 6-inch rain gauge in Olathe overflowed before it could be emptied and yet another 2.5 inches fell into it by 2 am on the 9th.



Based on this information plus flooding I was both witnessing and listening to in the Indian Creek headwaters and downstream, KCTV-CBS-5's meteorologist Mike Thompson was able to warn those downstream along Indian Creek of the danger via bulletins.







1986 - September - FLASH FLOOD - Flash flooding along Rock Creek in Mission, KS. & Brush Creek sends water again lapping at the curbs in the Plaza.



The Brush Creek flood control project - undertaken in the 1990's - has greatly reduced the flood threat for the Plaza.



However middle portions of the project not yet completed would have fatal effects on Brush Creek 12 years later.







1990 - May 15 - FLOOD - More than 8-inches of rain in 4 hours sends the Big Blue river into a massive flood and- at many points - flood crests exceeded records set during the 1961 flood.



By evening drive - there were only 2 routes open east or west across the Blue unless you lived south of Bannister Road: Independence Avenue ("Armco") viaduct and Interstate-70.



The Blue was channelized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the 1990's and greatly reduced flooding as would be illustrated 8 years later during the 1998 flash floods.







1993 - July 9 - FLASH FLOOD - After a slow-moving thunderstorm complex threatens Lawrence, KS with tornadoes then floods it - the complex moves into northern Johnson County KS..



Flash flooding is by far the worst on Turkey Creek - it's entire floodplain is inundated from Overland Park & Merriam into KC-KS then into Southwest Boulevard and the West Bottoms in KC-MO..



Dozens of residents have to be swiftly evacuated by police & fire departments on both sides of the state line. Several people have to be rescued from rooftops of flooded buildings along Southwest Blvd..



One man is later found dead.



Kemper Arena and the American Royal complex is also flooded and damage figures reach the tens of millions of dollars.



WDAF-NBC4's Mike Thompson stays on the air all night- relaying high water reports I was receiving by radio.



Later that day - the now-swollen Kansas River caused two boats to be torn from their moorings.



One - the sand dredge The General Mitchell - struck 4 bridges and was severely damaged before 2 tugboats could push the Mitchell onto the Missouri River levee east of the Paseo bridge.



Along with post-8 am flooding and the General Mitchell- the author also videotaped the Missouri rising in Parkville, a make-shift levee and a "conga-line" of people heaving sandbags onto an overtopping Line Creek levee in Riverside, MO..







1993 - July 26-27 - FLOOD - Record Missouri River flood crest at Kansas City.



Squeezed into a narrow channel by levees- the Missouri River reaches an all-time highest flood crest of 48.87-feet near Downtown (old Municipal) Airport.





That surpassed the previous record 48-foot crest estimated during the legendary 1844 flood.





Downtown Parkville and most of Riverside are under water.









The water supplier for more than a million residents - the Kansas City Water Works - becomes severely threatened by the flood-swollen Missouri river.

Sandbagging and the additional pumping power of nearly a half-dozen Fire department pumper companies save the city's water supply from contamination.



In KC-KS -residents of the Argentine, Armourdale and the Rosedale neighborhoods - nearly destroyed in the 1951 flood - are evacuated.

The higher levees built after the '51 flood hold.

The flood crest in that flood is now No. 3 at 46.20-feet.



Parts of the Turner area of KC-KS are not so lucky and are flooded.

A mobile home park for about 100 people off K-32 is inundated and eventually abandoned.



At least no one dies in this flood.



1996 - May 26 - TORNADO - Southern Lee's Summit-MO. - what the NWS ultimately determined to be a "micro-burst" struck the Raintree Lake subdivision just after sunset.



There was tornadic circulation in that "micro-burst" - with winds "officially estimated at around 125 m.p.h.."



I saw 2 x 6 lumber driven into the ground at the correct angle & position on the northern edge of the damage path 20 minutes after the strike.



Several people suffered minor injuries and nearly 4-dozen homes received damage varying from slight to major.



Damage was in the $10-million range.







1998 - October 4 & 5 - FLASH FLOOD - It's the deadliest flash-flooding event in the KC Metro since "The Plaza Flood" of 1977.



September 1998 had already been a wet month and the ground across the entire K.C. Metro was saturated.



On Sunday, October 4 - a morning of off and on heavy showers and thunderstorms produced up to 5-inches of rain and flash- flooding in southeastern & eastern parts of the Metro.

Damaging flooding occurred in parts of Lee's Summit and a youth was swept away and drowned in a rain-swollen creek by early afternoon.



By mid-afternoon- the area was under not only under a NWS-issued flash flood watch but also a tornado watch.



Just before sunset- a huge thunderstorm complex formed west of Lawrence, KS. and- after deluging them- the complex moves eastward across northern Johnson County KS. into western and central Jackson County MO..



Over mid-town KC-MO - the storm dropped rain rates of 5-inches per hour during the 7-o'clock hour.

A huge- sudden flood-wave on Brush Creek swept over the top of the old Prospect bridge - sweeping seven people in and on top of their cars downstream.



Despite rescue attempts by by-standers and- eventually- firefighters- all 7 people drown.



(Minutes before this happened- an audio tape has this author pleading with a local TV weatherman over the phone to emphasize the flash flooding- rather than the tornado threat that we also were under.)



There were two other fatalities during the evening deluge - one each in Overland Park at a storm-water culvert that flowed toward I-435 east of Quivira and in Lenexa, KS on Little Mill Creek.



For the first time since the highway was opened around 1970 - both eastbound AND westbound lanes of I-435 just east of Quivira in OP-KS are flooded.



One man is barely saved from his pickup truck when it was washed off the eastbound lanes into the creek the gorged underground culvert was feeding.



Severe flooding again occurs on Turkey Creek - especially in Merriam- a portion of I-35 is closed by flooding for a couple of hours.



Southwest Boulevard is again flooded but water levels are not as high as in 1993.



Millions across America had tuned into the Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks NFL football game on TV and watched as Arrowhead Stadium's walkways turn into waterfalls.

The game was halted and nearly 75000 people were advised to seek cover for nearly an hour during the deluge.





2000 - May 11 - TORNADO - Surprise tornado north of The River.



"The threat of tornadoes in K.C. appears to be over."



That's what at least 2 TV "chief" weatherpersons say over the airwaves 15 to 30 minutes prior to a tornado touching down about 11:25 pm at 40th St. & North Oak in KC-MO..



The tornado destroys a car dealership- then rises to tree-top level for another several miles across heavily-populated KC-MO North towards the Worlds of Fun area.



Fortunately, there were no injuries.







2002 - January 27-30 - ICE STORM - MetroRegion-wide ice storm that persists over 3 days.



Damage to trees and the utility grids was tremendous - at one point more than a million people in the KC MetroRegion lost power.



There were at least 4 fatalities attributed to some aspect of this storm.







2003 - May 4 - TORNADO - First fatality tornado in Metro Kansas City since 1977 - and on the 26th anniversary of the '77 storm .



A tornado touches down in S.E. Leavenworth County about 4 pm in the afternoon and intensifies to F-4 as it moves across I-435 into western & northwestern KC-KS..



Both fatalities occurred in a heavily-devastated area around 91st St. & Leavenworth Road.



The tornado moved across the Missouri river into Riverside & Northmoor, MO.- producing varying degrees of damage.



The now-weakened circulation reorganized about a mile north - then moves from southwestern into eastern Gladstone- causing most of the heavy damage there.



The again F-4 tornado now roars into adjacent KC North subdivisions and on northeastward into Liberty- weakened- yet causing heavy damage on the town square and the nearby William Jewell College campus.



Two die with around a dozen people injured along the total path of the tornado. Damage was in the several tens of millions of dollars.



This outbreak began an almost week stretch of severe weather- culminating with a May 8th tornado in southwestern Lawrence-KS that damaged an apartment complex and nearby homes and caused several injuries..







2008 - May 1 - 2 - TORNADO - Another surprise tornado north of The River.



An intense- but compact storm system produces severe weather around Metro Kansas City starting the evening of May 1 (SEE CaptGSpaulding's video on YouTube).



Just after sunset on May 1- a tornado warning is issued by the NWS when a small tornado touches down in an open field southwest of Belton-MO.. A van-load of us were there to video that which we never actually saw.



Yet no tornado warning is in effect in the early-morning hours of May 2 when an F-4 tornado strikes Gladstone- then an F-3 twister strikes a subdivision in far northeast Kansas City-MO North.



Hurricane force winds also struck other areas- especially portions of Independence- Raytown and eastern KC-MO..



Less than a dozen people suffered minor injuries Metro-wide but daylight on the morning of May 2 reveal a man dead of what were reported as storm-related injuries near M-291 and Gudgell in Independence.



Damages Metro-wide were later estimated in the tens of millions of dollars.





Passage across the Missouri is not possible between Kansas City and St. Joseph.The water supplier for more than a million residents - the Kansas City Water Works - becomes severely threatened by the flood-swollen Missouri river.

-Flash flooding caused by a dying Gulf hurricane caused record floods on the Big and Little Blue rivers and their tributaries.The heavy damage done to one of General Motors' first Chevrolet assembly plant in the Leeds district of KC-MO. helps lead to the plant's closing by the mid 1970's.The flood brings about planning and in the 1980's construction of 2 new flood-control reservoirs - Lake Longview and Lake Blue Springs.This greatly reduces flooding on the Little Blue River - opening up the floodplain to development in southeastern Independence and northern Lee's Summit, MO..Yet land in neighboring Johnson County KS. is too expensive for flood-control projects for the Big Blue River - and continued flooding of the Blue Valley over then next 30 years would help lead to it's industrial-base demise.-It's the first tornado outbreak in the Kansas City MetroRegion for many years.Tornadoes cause damage southwest and west of Lawrence and in Leavenworth County and the city itself.Other supercells produced tornadoes in Cass County MO. and around Pleasant Hill where one fatality occurred.There were dozens of injuries all told in the affected areas with damage in the millions of dollars.- Smithville, MO. is ravaged by a flash flood on the Little Platte River.Tracy - on the Platte River a few miles downstream from the confluence of the Little Platte - also suffers major flooding as the Platte River reaches a record crest that stands early into the 21st Century.- A tornado forms over what was then farmland east of I-35 & 119th Street in Johnson County KS. and moves northeastward.Within 10 minutes - the F-3-rated tornado strikes a new housing subdivision and barely misses an elementary school at West 96th St. & Knox in Overland Park There are several minor injuries and the tornado-bearing storm moves over highly-populated areas of southern K.C. & Independence, MO..The official tornado warning wasn't issued by the National Weather Service or the local broadcast media until after the tornado had touched down - traveled it's roughly 4 to 5-mile-long path and lifted.- A weak "white" tornado touches down near 15th St. & Minnesota in KC-KS.It's only on the ground a few minutes but wreaks F-1 destruction to buildings & car dealerships along Minnesota.A few people suffered minor injuries.- A day of tornado-producing thunderstorm supercells across eastern and northeastern Kansas.One produced an F-3 tornado that struck Manhattan, KS. around 6 pm.Another cell spawns the first U.S. tornado to produce 100-million-dollars worth or more of damage - the devastating F-5 tornado that struck Topeka, KS ..The wedge-shaped, multi-vortex tornado roared over legendary Burnett's Mound just after 7 pm and diagonally sliced through the entire city.Sixteen people were killed and hundreds were injured that Wednesday evening.Around 8:30 pm- a tornado then moved across Leavenworth County and kills one in the tiny town of Jarbalo.- The Orrick, MO. tornado.A rare mid-winter thunderstorm formed on the Kansas side just after noon and became severe over southern KC-MO..Just after 1 pm- a tornado forms southwest of Buckner. MO. - gains F-3 strength after it crosses the Missouri River - and heads for the southwestern Ray County community of Orrick. It strikes the in-session high school on the western side of Orrick - where 2 are killed and more than a dozen are injured inside the shattered school building.- A tornado - rated as strong as F-3 - hits parts of southern Platte County and western Clay county MO..Damage is reported in Riverside and northwestern Gladstone with at least 6 persons injured along the tornado's path.- A massive ice & snowstorm -beginning around noon on the 3rd - hits Metro K.C..Nearly a foot of snow falls on the several inches of freezing rain and sleet.Tens of thousands of residents who lose power suffer sub-zero temperatures following the storm.The tree & power line damage I see far and away exceeds that witnessed in the 1984 and 2002 storms.- Failure of a private lake dam in the upper watershed of Line Creek in KC-MO leads to flash flooding downstream.
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BRIDGEPORT  Despite undergoing extensive makeovers in recent years, many ground-level retail spaces remain vacant in the downtown Arcade mall and a second building several blocks away known as 144 Golden Hill.

In the Arcades case, tenants have come and quickly gone. The building on the corner of Golden Hill and Main streets has not even seen that type of action.

We were wildly optimistic, said Eric Anderson, head of New York-based Urban Green, the developer chosen by the city in 2003 to take on the redevelopment of the buildings. The appraisals were wildly optimistic. (But) theres no market downtown. You need more housing.

Now, those projects and another in the area known as Downtown North are the source of a power struggle between Anderson and New York-based Ginsburg Development Companies. The battle is playing out in two lawsuits filed by Ginsburg, which invested in the downtown projects, against Urban Green and Anderson.

In the lawsuits, filed in New York, Ginsburg accuses Anderson of fraud, mismanaging funds and other actions it says nearly caused the downtown Bridgeport projects to implode. Ginsburg wants Anderson to walk away from the projects, which Ginsburg, whose principal is New Yorker Martin Ginsburg, claims in the lawsuit are in danger of foreclosure.

Jonathan P. Vuotto, a partner at New Jersey-based Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti, which represents Ginsburg, said the lawsuits speak for themselves.

The point that we would like to emphasize is that, when the project was at very serious risk of failure as a result of Mr. Andersons actions, GDC took over as the managing member and is still in the process of turning it around  in the best interests of all parties, especially the city of Bridgeport, he said in an email. GDC was shocked to learn that many of the projects cost issues were not as a result of Mr. Andersons mere mismanagement, but rather appear to be due to his fraudulent activities.

The development companies first joined forces in 2005, two years after Anderson was chosen by the city to redevelop Citytrust, Arcade and 144 Golden Hill, three downtown buildings that had fallen into disuse.

He was chosen near the end of Mayor Joe Ganims first time in office, though Ganim, who went on to serve seven years in prison on corruption charges and was re-elected to his post last year, did not serve on the panel that selected the developer. The mayors office did not respond to requests for comment.

At the time Anderson was chosen, he partnered with Ginsburg in an effort to procure the funding needed to carry out the projects. But Ginsburg claims the partnership went sour soon after.

In one of the lawsuits, the company accuses Anderson of misappropriating more than $10 million of Ginsburgs investment for his own benefit. He is accused of stealing funds from the Bridgeport projects to fund other projects in New York and to pay for expenses and fees Ginsburg said he was not authorized to receive.

He is also accused of giving nearly $86,000 to the Bridgeport-based Kuchma Corp. without justification or explanation.

Ginsburgs lawsuit states the company had no idea of Andersons alleged actions even after he unexpectedly told the company in 2008 there were millions of dollars in unpaid construction costs for Phases I and II, leading to mechanics liens filings and defaults on the parties loans and commitments.

This crisis caused the projects cost to increase by approximately $19 million from the initial estimate, the lawsuits state. Ginsburg said it was forced to bring in its own construction manager and management company to save the projects.

In an interview last week, Anderson refuted the claims against him.

He wants to muddy the waters, Anderson said, of Martin Ginsburg. Theres no foreclosure. ... Theyre making the stuff up.

Anderson said the projects were difficult to pull off, due in part to the Great Recession and separately because it proved more difficult than expected to lease the retail spaces in the second phase.

The troubles led the developers to execute a new agreement in 2014 in which they agreed to part ways by splitting the phases  the Citytrust building project, called Phase I, would go to Ginsburg, and Phase II, the Arcade and 144 Golden Hill buildings, to Anderson.

I worked with him to give him Phase I and now its time for me to get Phase II, Anderson said.

But Ginsburg, in its lawsuit, claims it was unaware of Andersons fraud when it entered into this mutual release. The company states it became suspicious of Anderson after learning of a recent lawsuit in which he is also accused of stealing funds and mismanaging New York projects by his former business associate, James Fendt.

Another point of contention between the two companies is the exit of one of the pairs lenders, U.S. Bank, from the projects. Ginsburg claims Anderson has been unresponsive to efforts to work out a deal with the bank, which Anderson denies.

The parties also disagree over Andersons third phase downtown, the Jayson-Newfield building on Main Street in Downtown North. Former Mayor Bill Finchs administration chose Anderson along with several other developers to take on the group of buildings in the neighborhood.

Finch could not be reached for comment.

Last year, work was halted on that project, with Bridgeport-based Primrose Cos., the projects general contractor, saying it was not being paid by Urban Green. And earlier this year a subcontractor claimed to be owed $145,000 by Urban Green for work performed there.

While a different Downtown North project across the street is ready to accept new tenants, Jayson-Newfield remains far from completion.

ktorres@hearstmediact.com; 203-330-6227
Three years ago this month at the Greenwich Food + Wine Festival, Nick Shields and Dave Holmes thought they might be onto something as health-obsessed Greenwichites  right out of SpikedSeltzer central casting as they envisioned it at the time  stopped by their booth to taste the inaugural batch of their hard seltzer.

It was not until the following summer at a liquor store tasting farther up the Merritt Parkway, however, they knew they had nailed it, when a biker who had pulled over for a couple of six packs grudgingly tried a sip after a bit of cajoling  then promptly swapped his six packs for some SpikedSeltzer.

In a whirlwind two years since then, the South Norwalk-based Boathouse Beverage formed by Shields and Holmes, made a big enough splash with their SpikedSeltzer to attract the notice of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The company paid an undisclosed amount in September to add SpikedSeltzer to its craft brew division.

Shields and Holmes met through their wives, Danielle (Taylor) Holmes and Leila (Jones) Shields, who grew up together in Greenwich and have remained friends. Holmes was raised in nearby Pleasantville, N.Y., the son of a Pace University professor who taught Soviet-American history. He went to Connecticut College in New London and then got an MBA in finance from Columbia University.

Shields own history is rooted in Massachusetts, where he grew up in the North Shore town of Hamilton. His great-great grandfather, Rudolph Frederick Haffenreffer, emigrated to Boston in 1870 and brewed the beer that took his name. The Haffenreffer Brewery would later come up with Bostons iconic Pickwick Ale in the Jamaica Plain section of the city. The old Haffenreffer property is now occupied by Boston Beer Co., brewer of Sam Adams.

Pushing into a new realm

Boathouse Beverages quarters are comparatively modest on South Water Street in Norwalk, where the company has built out its distribution with a staff of eight under its mermaid logo, chosen to evoke an image of sleekness, grace and power.

SpikedSeltzer was hatched amid the ebbing fortunes of Haffenreffer, with Shields having inherited the brand from his grandfather and worked to give it relevance before the idea for a new hard seltzer dawned on him.

As an undergraduate at Yale University, Shields mulled a medical career and was working at a Boston hospital when he instead took a job with Nantucket Nectars, which was bolstering its technical staff. It was acquired in 1997 by Ocean Spray.

The Nantucket Nectars experience prompted Shields to enroll at Cornell University in 2000 to study for a masters in food science, doubling up with studies at the University of California Davis to learn about fermentation. He then joined PepsiCo in Westchester County, N.Y., working on Gatorade flavors, and his path later took him through Dunkin Donuts, where he worked on the Coolata brand, and Cadbury Schweppes in Trumbull, where he worked on drink mixers.

Noting Shields growing expertise, his grandfather asked him to take over the Haffenreffer brand. Shields took over in September 2009, running it for several years prior to 2013, when he hatched the idea for SpikedSeltzer.

I wanted  to push beer into a new realm, try to capture what people love about spirits and wine and follow some of the trends that are growing these days, Shields said. There are so many people switching from soda to carbonated water and seltzers. Could we do that in the beer industry, and make it as clean and light as possible?

He began experimenting with lime-flavored hard seltzers at his Westport home, ultimately brewing 80 batches  no quick feat as he had space and equipment to run only three batches at a time. True to his scientific training, Shields would only alter one variable at a time to determine the optimal recipe.

During that stretch, Shields started querying Holmes during social visits on business aspects like valuations. The more Holmes heard, the more he became interested in leaving behind his career in finance working on distressed debt at Citi and, despite the risks, joining Shields in the new venture.

I was looking for something that was interesting to do that was building, not deconstructing, Holmes said.

The three-sip rule

Having constructed what he thought was a winning formula, Shields and Holmes decided to debut SpikedSeltzer at the October 2013 Greenwich Food + Wine Festival. They got the reaction they were hoping for, while asking people to adhere to a three-sip rule to overcome any surprise after trying it.

Across the board the reaction to tasting SpikedSeltzer was, Wow, I thought this was going to be really like all the sweet drinks that weve tried, like a Smirnoff Ice or a Mikes Hard Lemonade,  Shields recalled samplers saying. But ... its not sweet like those are.

It did not take long for other industry giants to come out with their own concoctions, including Boston Beer with its Truly Spiked & Sparkling and Mikes with White Claw Hard Seltzer. And soon enough, Anheuser Busch-InBev came calling with its buyout offer, along with others whose identities Shields and Holmes wont reveal.

Last week at the SoNo location where it all started, the founders expressed relief at the prospect of being plugged into the powerful Anheuser-Busch InBev distribution machine. The original desks and furniture that Holmes knocked together a few years back are in place in a space that still reeks of the startup ethic, reflecting Shields forays that produced SpikedSeltzer.

Though now part of one of the worlds largest liquor companies, Shields said he is not done tinkering and that more is in store from the small team behind the mermaid sign on South Water Street. The goal is to continue to surprise in the same way he and Holmes sprang SpikedSeltzer on an unsuspecting biker in the summer of 2014, opening their eyes to the possibility that the drink they were hawking might appeal to a far wider audience than they originally thought.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-354-1047; www.twitter.com/casoulman
Norm Bloom is neither boasting nor posing a riddle when he says he operates one of the biggest farms in Connecticut, but you cant see it. Hes simply trying his best to explain how his farm would be cultivated like any other  if it werent underwater.

Bloom is a Norwalk oysterman, one in a long line going back generations. Their methods remain much the same. Instead of tractors, they use boats to tend their crop, moving it from bed to bed until its ready to harvest after two or three or four years. Its almost like were floating in the sky, he says, conjuring what it feels like to peer down from the deck of an oyster boat.

Still, Bloom is making sure his farm keeps up with the times. And the most visible evidence of change is carried by the company vans and trucks, with Connecticut Farm license plates, that make deliveries from its dock in East Norwalk.

Smaller lettering identifies the fleet as belonging to Norm Bloom and Son, a name that can refer to both his own father, another Norm, as well as himself and his son, James. (A daughter, Jeanne, also works for the company.) But the bigger lettering shouts Copps Island Oysters.

Never slurped down a Copps Island oyster at a raw bar? You might have and not known it, because while Copps Island is real  it is one of the smaller oyster-rich Norwalk Islands  Copps Island Oysters are a recent invention, and not the genetically modified kind. Copps Island is the brand name Norm Bloom and Son created to make itself more appealing to oyster lovers who think they should know where their favorite mollusks come from.

Bloom says he got wise to branding a couple of years ago after attending a conference in Seattle, where a bewildering variety of oysters were being promoted. Then, on a trip to Boston he saw his own oysters being sold at a raw bar under a made-up name.

I got mad and I said, Were going to put Copps Island out there. Anyone can take a Connecticut oyster and put a different label on it, he says.

In fact, the Copps Island oyster is a renamed Bluepoint, which may come from any of the thousands of acres of leased beds Norm Bloom and Son either controls outright or by proxy. Were spread out up and down the whole shoreline of Connecticut. I go from Greenwich to Stonington. My business is made up of a lot of families. We work a deal out. I farm it for you, Bloom says.

Up-to-date figures are hard to come by, but Norm Bloom and Son and a competing family company, Hillard Bloom, based in South Norwalk, together are believed to account for about half the total state shellfish sales, estimated at $30 million. Bloom says oysters make up at least 80 percent of his business. Recently, it expanded to include a retail component. The whole farm-to-table thing, that really started to push (oyster demand), he says.

Oysters traditionally have been known by their place of origin, which begs the question: Whats in a name? In actuality only one species, the Eastern or American oyster, can be found from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada. Long Island Sound became famous for its Bluepoints. But as author Rowan Jacobsen writes in The Essential Oyster, one of a pair of new books dedicated to sating the oyster lovers appetite, the Bluepoint name has always been abused. In fact, the town of Blue Point that first lifted the huge, meaty oysters to popularity in the early 1800s is located on Long Islands ocean-facing Great South Bay. Now oysters sold as Bluepoints may not even come from Long Island Sound.

Jacobsen recognizes that by creating the Copps Island brand, Norm Bloom and Son is attempting to guarantee a certain level of quality. Compared to the terroir of wine, he notes, Oysters make wine look like Hawaiian Punch, so much more do oysters taste of the place they grow.

The salinity of the water, the nutrients available to them (oysters are not fed), the nearness of a river all make a difference. But so does the way they are tended. Beds must be kept free of weeds and pests like drills, snails that bore holes in the oyster shells. Of Blooms fleet of 15 boats, only one is actually used to harvest oysters.

Time and temperature control are also important. Oysters are natural hibernators, so if kept cold enough can remain fresh for several days out of the water. On land, Bloom showed off the huge ice tubs his boats carry and the sorting house where workers dress in layers to keep warm in the 40- to 45-degree cold.

Everything we picked today is sold. We dont inventory anything in coolers, he says. Throwbacks, oysters too small to keep, are returned to their beds the same day or the next.

Speed is even more important at raw bars, like the roof top one at the Sign of the Whale restaurant in Stamford overseen by Executive Chef Brian Murphy. Oysters eaten raw arent dead like sushi. They are alive and begin to lose flavor as soon as they are opened. Thats why Murphy says it bothers him to see mounds of shucked oysters at private receptions. And also why he urged quick consumption during a sampling session.

He brought out three kinds: Bluepoints (probably from Bloom), Glidden Points from Maine and Rappahannocks from Chesapeake Bay.

A taster who frequents the Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York City correctly judged the Bluepoint to be true to type, extra salty and juicy. (Jacobsen describes them as the real deal  with lots of earthy Connecticut funk.) But pushed to choose a favorite, she picked the less salty, smaller and meatier Chesapeake oyster.

Sitting down and talking about flavor points is part of the appeal of raw oysters, Murphy says. Once you get turned on to it, you start asking what different ones can I try.

To really appreciate the flavor, he recommends going light on sauces and not swallowing whole. I chomp it against the back of my mouth, he says, demonstrating his technique. I give it a little chew.

Joel Lang is an award-winning Connecticut journalist.
NORWALK  With Election Day barely three weeks away, candidates are finding no shortage of opportunities to opine about the states upcoming replacement of the Walk Bridge over the Norwalk River.

On Thursday, state Rep. Fred Wilms, R-Norwalk, and state Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton, called upon the Connecticut Department of Transportation to be open to thinking outside the box, rather than running on auto-pilot and to engage fully, the team of technical and legal experts so that they can provide the best possible advice to Norwalks decision-makers.

In a statement, the local Republican lawmakers described the DOT as staffed with talented engineers whove demonstrated a desire to reach out to the public about the bridge replacement.

But the DOT is not local, and it is in Norwalks best interests not to accept at face value what the DOT advises is best for the community, Wilms and Lavielle wrote. Thats why its important to have independent experts in an Owners Representative role who can go toe-to-toe with the DOT. The Mayor has taken a good first step by initiating the process for the City to hire such outside experts.

Time to speak up

The lawmakers call for outside help comes during a public-review period on an important report. The DOT last month identified a long-span, vertical-lift bridge as its preferred replacement for the existing bridge and released its Environmental Assessment/Environmental Impact Evaluation outlining the projects potential impacts.

Wilms and Lavielle maintain the DOT prematurely dismissed a low- or mid-level fixed bridge as a replacement alternative.

Both the Low- and Mid-Level alternatives meet nine out of ten project needs, they wrote. The only need they do not meet is marine traffic. This is despite the low-level bridges clearance at 4 feet higher than the current Walk Bridge and the mid-level bridges clearance at 18 feet higher.

Wilms and Lavielle arent the only elected officials to have waded into the Walk Bridge project.

On Tuesday, the Norwalk Common Council authorized the citys law department to hire the law firm of Halloran & Sage LLP. Rilling, a Democrat who isnt up for re-election this year, said the law firms first responsibility will be to review the environmental impact report released by the DOT last month.

They have a person on staff who has expertise in that area, Rilling said after Tuesdays council meeting. Once we get through that we have to determine what our real needs regarding the Walk Bridge project when it comes to dealing with the state of Connecticut and protecting the rights of not only the city of Norwalk property, but protecting the rights of the members of our community.

Rilling said Halloran & Sage will work with the citys engineering staff to review the report and determine where it may be inaccurate or not in the best interests of the city.

DOT grants more time

At the request of state Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and others, the DOT has extended the public comment period on the report until into late November. The Norwalk Democrat also helped secure from the DOT additional time for two East Norwalk businesses that will be displaced by the bridge replacement. Coastwise Boatworks and The Maritime Rowing Club now have until March 31 to vacate 11 Goldstein Place. The original deadline had been the end of this year.

This extension is extremely helpful for the continued success of these businesses and I want to thank the DOT for their ongoing dialogue with me, my office and the affected businesses, Duff said in a statement. I will continue to work with the DOT and area businesses to minimize the impact that the project will have on their operations.

On Oct. 6, the East Norwalk Business Association hosted a Meet the Candidates forum at Harbor Harvest on Cove Avenue. Several people attending the event pressed Congressman Jim Himes, D-4, and his Republican challenger, state Rep. John Shaban of Redding, for their thoughts on the Walk Bridge replacement.

Himes noted that some local residents and businesses would prefer a fixed bridge, which would be possible if Congress were to eliminate the Norwalk Rivers designation as a navigable channel.

If Norwalk decides that thats the right way to go  that would involve buying out all those businesses probably upstream of the bridge  Ill go to work with the Army Corps of Engineers and federal government to take away that navigability if thats the way Norwalk wants to go, Himes said. Im going to listen where the mayor is, where the council is, where the people of Norwalk (are), and when theres a consensus that this is what we should do, I will go to work.

Shaban saw no need for a vertical-lift bridge given the evolution of Norwalk Harbor since the Walk Bridge was built in the late 1890s.

The assumption of navigability assumes tall ships, Shaban said. Navigable waterways, when we ceded that right to the federal government in 1787 was tall ships so you needed a tall ship to go under your bridge. You dont need that anymore  not on all waterways. Some waterways you do but not that one, not that one. I put my sailboat under that thing. You can get under that bridge even if it was fixed.

rkoch@hearstmediact.com
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NORWALK  Brian L. Davis stands outside The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, pointing to places where the IMAX Theater might be rebuilt when the state replaces the nearby Walk Bridge.

Where you see that butterfly area, right on up to the front (north) parking lot, said Davis, Maritime Aquarium president and CEO. If you look at the front parking lot, thats a potential site, also. Depending on where they determine is the actual location, then that would sort of drive the design. We are starting to work with a structural engineer to get an idea of what can be accommodated in all of these areas.

Officials at The Maritime Aquarium, Norwalks biggest tourist attraction, recently learned that the Connecticut Department of Transportation plans to acquire the IMAX Theater portion of the property to facilitate replacement of the 120-year-old railroad bridge over the Norwalk River.

While the bridge replacement poses serious challenges for The Maritime Aquarium, it also provides an opportunity to build a modern, better theater. Aquarium officials plan to seize that opportunity before the state begins the bridgework in mid-2018.

The theater is a little dated but this provides an opportunity for us to explore some digital opportunities and getting a fresher look in the theater experience, Davis said. It could be IMAX, it could be a 4D theater, but they would all be digital.

Maritime Aquarium spokesman Dave Sigworth said the existing theater was the first and largest IMAX theater in Connecticut when it opened alongside the Aquarium in 1988. He describes the roughly 300-seat facility as limited given its reliance upon 70-millimeter film rather than digitally produced movies.

Sully the movie is available in IMAX in digital, Sigworth said. We would not be able to show Sully in our theater. When Star Wars came out last December, there were only 15 prints of it made in film so we had to wait our turn for one.

The Maritime Aquarium also could go with 4D, or so-called four-dimensional technology where theatergoers would feel wind and rain and sense smells. The movie The Polar Express would be an ideal use of such technology, Davis said.

When the young boy is drinking hot chocolate, youd have the smell of hot chocolate moving through the room, Davis said.

At this point, the Aquarium is in the planning stages in terms of locations and technologies for the new theater. Davis said the Aquarium will not be without a theater, which he considers an integral part of the Aquariums mission to educate. He also wants to see construction of the new theater begin before the old one facility is taken out of use.

We cannot afford to have the theater down months upon months or years. Its not even an option for us, Davis said last week.

The Maritime Aquarium draws up to 500,000 visitors annually to views its 34 exhibits featuring more than 1,200 marine animals of 259 species, according to the Aquariums website.

The Aquarium leases its property from the city of Norwalk. Davis said the city and Aquarium will be at the table as discussions move forward with the DOT regarding the theater acquisition. He described the city and Aquarium as partners in South Norwalk.

We all need to play a strong role because the Aquarium by itself is one thing, but the Aquarium as a part of South Norwalk is critical, Davis said. What happens around here is equally as important for us.
The Boothe Park Commission and the Town of Stratford hosted the annual Great Pumpkin Festival on October 15, 2016. Festival goers enjoyed a pumpkin carving contest, a costume parade, games and more. Were you SEEN?
And so it begins...like a car crash that noone wants to look at, but all are irrresistably drawn to, we are all going to be transfixed by th...
WASHINGTON  The second presidential debate  bloody, muddy and raucous  was just enough to save Donald Trumps campaign from extinction, but not enough to restore his chances of winning, barring an act of God (a medical calamity) or of Putin (a cosmically incriminating WikiLeak).

That Trump crashed because of a sex-talk tape is odd. It should have been a surprise to no one. His views on women have been on open display for years. And hed offered a dazzling array of other reasons for disqualification: habitual mendacity, pathological narcissism, profound ignorance and an astonishing dearth of basic human empathy.

To which list Trump added in the second debate, and it had nothing to do with sex. It was his threat, if elected, to put Hillary Clinton in jail.

After appointing a special prosecutor, of course. The niceties must be observed. First, a fair trial, then a proper hanging. The day after the debate at a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump responded to chants of lock her up, with Lock her up is right. Two days later, he told a rally in Lakeland, Fla., She has to go to jail.

Such incendiary talk is an affront to elementary democratic decency and a breach of the boundaries of American political discourse. In democracies, the electoral process is a subtle and elaborate substitute for combat, the age-old way of settling struggles for power. But that sublimation only works if there is mutual agreement to accept both the legitimacy of the result (which Trump keeps undermining with charges that the very process is rigged) and the boundaries of the contest.

The prize for the winner is temporary accession to limited political power, not the satisfaction of vendettas. Vladimir Putin, Hugo Chavez and a cavalcade of two-bit caudillos lock up their opponents. American leaders dont.

One doesnt even talk like this. It takes decades, centuries, to develop ingrained norms of political restraint and self-control. But they can be undone in short order by a demagogue feeding a vengeful populism.

This is not to say that the investigation into the Clinton emails was not itself compromised by politics. FBI director James Comeys recommendation not to pursue charges was both troubling and puzzling. And Barack Obama very improperly tilted the scales by interjecting, while the investigation was still underway, that Clintons emails had not endangered national security.

But the answer is not to start a new process whose outcome is preordained. Conservatives have relentlessly, and correctly, criticized this administration for abusing its power and suborning the civil administration (e.g., the IRS). Is the Republican response to do the same?

Wasnt presidential overreach one of the major charges against Obama by the anti-establishment GOP candidates? Wasnt the animating spirit of the entire tea party movement the restoration of constitutional limits and restraints?

In America, we dont persecute political opponents. Which is why we retroactively honor Gerald Ford for his pardon of Richard Nixon, for which, at the time, Ford was widely reviled. It ultimately cost him the presidency. Nixon might well have been convicted. But Ford understood that jailing a president for actions carried out in the context of his official duties would threaten the very civil nature of democratic governance.

What makes Trumps promise to lock her up all the more alarming is that its not an isolated incident. This is not the first time hes insinuated using the powers of the presidency against political enemies. He has threatened Amazons Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, for using the newspaper as a tool for political power against me and other people. ... We cant let him get away with it.

With exercising free political speech?

Trump has gone after others with equal subtlety. I hear, he tweeted, the Rickets [sic] family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $s against me. They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!

He also promises to open up libel laws to permit easier prosecution of those who attack him unfairly. Has he ever conceded any attack on him to be fair?

This election is not just about placing the nuclear codes in Trumps hands. Its also about handing him the instruments of civilian coercion, such as the IRS, the FBI, the FCC, the SEC. Think of what he could do to enforce the fairness he demands. Imagine giving over the vast power of the modern state to a man who says in advance that he will punish his critics and jail his opponent.
What took them so long?

Since a video surfaced revealing Donald Trumps demeaning and despicable attitudes toward women, a raft of Republicans have abandoned their own nominee. Even Speaker Paul Ryan, a profile in cowardice this whole campaign, said he would no longer defend Trump or campaign with him  although he did not rescind his formal endorsement.

Trump insisted in a video message that the tape gave a false impression of his character: Anyone who knows me knows these words dont reflect who I am.

Hillary Clinton, during her recent debate with Trump, rebutted that assertion: He says the video doesnt represent who he is. But I think its clear to anyone who heard it that it represents exactly who he is.

Exactly right. There is no New Trump. There is no Trump 2.0. There is only one Trump, The Donald, the man on the tape who mocks and menaces just about anyone who crosses him. Not just women, but immigrants, Muslims, persons with disabilities, war heroes, even fellow Republicans. Remember Lyin Ted and Little Marco?

What is truly astounding is how many Republicans chose to ignore this totally obvious character flaw  and still do. When he announced his candidacy 16 months ago, Trump derided immigrants from Mexico this way: Theyre sending people that have lots of problems, and theyre bringing those problems with us. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists.

That tirade, just like the newly released tape, represents exactly who he is. And yet with a few brave exceptions  Mitt Romney, the Bushes  Republican leaders buried their heads, and just about every other body part, deeply in the sand.

They offered all sorts of rationalizations for their self-delusion: Trump won the nomination fair and square. We cannot alienate his voters. If he wins, we can control him. And the worst rationalization of all: Anybody is better than Hillary.

Those arguments have all collapsed. As Clinton opened a steady lead in the polls  up to 6 points in the RealClearPolitics average, which is large, but not unbeatable  Republicans leapt for the lifeboats. Trump denounced the defectors as so many self-righteous hypocrites, and he has a point.

They were hypocrites to support him in the first place. They knew what he was like. They knew he was not remotely qualified. And they have only themselves to blame for the disaster, to use one of Trumps favorite words, now enveloping their party.

Since Day One, Katie Packer, a former Romney adviser, told the Washington Post, I have been waving these giant red flags in front of people saying, No, no, no, dont go down this road because this road leads to our party being very tainted and candidate whos dangerously unfit to be president, but people went storming ahead down that road anyhow.

Most Republican officeholders gritted their teeth and endorsed and even embraced Donald Trump, added John Mac Stipanovich, a GOP lobbyist in Florida. All of those people were collaborators, and all of those people will have to live with their collaboration for the rest of their political lives.

In a curious way, Trumps reasonably effective performance in the second debate could actually hurt the Republican Party. Its now harder for down-ballot candidates to Dump Trump without risking the wrath of his supporters.

As Ross Douthat, the conservative columnist for The New York Times, tweeted: The Republicans get what they deserve: He did well enough that theyre definitely stuck with him.

And theyre not just stuck with him for this election year. Imagine how many Democratic ads in future campaigns will attack Republicans for backing Trump. This is going to last forever, lamented Rick Wilson, a GOP strategist.

Actually, it wont. After huge Republican victories in 1972 and 1980, plenty of obituaries were written for the Democratic Party. And they have won the popular vote in five of the last six elections.

But for the Republican Party to rebound, they have to learn the lesson of 2016. Trump reversed a lot of political rules, but he didnt repeal all of them. Politics is, and always has been, about addition rather than subtraction. You have to add voters, build coalitions, reach beyond your base. And you do that by nominating a candidate who is actually qualified for the office.

Donald Trump did none of that. He narrowed the party base, alienated potential allies, especially women, and demonstrated  over and over again  that he should never be president.

Why did so many Republicans take so long to figure that out?
Montgomery County woman gets prison sentence in Bensalem drug death

Corrine Smith will spend up to 10 years in prison for providing the drugs that killed a man in Bensalem in 2020.
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Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia  Mon, October 17, 2016

The turquoise, nutrient-rich waters off the coast of the Indonesian island of Lombok are perfect for growing pearls. But when pearl farmer Fauzi Se wanted to take advantage of natures bounty and expand production at his jewelry business, he encountered a man-made problem  his workshop didnt have enough electricity to power his machines.

We recently ordered casting equipment to help with our pearl production, Se said. But, after the goods had arrived, it turned out we were not ready on the electricity side.

This is not an unusual problem in Indonesia. The worlds fourth most populous country desperately needs to send more power to its 255 million residents spread across 18,000 islands. The countrys geography creates a special set of challenges, said GE Power President and CEO Steve Bolze during his recent visit to Jakarta. You cant just build big power plants and string wires across the sea.

Instead of building conventional power plants, which can take years, his business recently deployed on Lombok two fast power units. These truck-mounted mobile gas turbine generators can start producing more than 25 megawatts each in less than a month after delivery.

In Lombok, the units sit at the end of a dirt road surrounded by rice fields, a mountain teeming with monkeys and the sea. The site is so remote that GE had to build a temporary jetty on the island and transport the units on barges from Singapore.

President Joko Widodo has made upgrading the power in Lombok, and the rest of Indonesia, a central part of his plan to boost the economy. His ambitious goals include increasing power generation capacity by 70 percent over the next three years and bringing electricity to 98 percent of residents. Experts calculate that each 1 percent rise in economic output in Indonesia increases energy demand by 1.8 percent.

Fewer emissions

To make things even more challenging, Indonesia  which currently uses coal to generate half of its power  also wants to reduce its carbon emissions by 29 percent by 2030. You really need to get smart, Bolze says.

Only 72 percent of Lomboks 3.2 million residents have electricity. Those lucky enough to be on the grid can never be sure when the power is about to go out. In Indonesia, access to reliable electricity is a problem all over the country, said Tony Anthony, a project manager at GE Power.

Even in Jakarta, blackouts occur, and many major hotels have backup generators.

The units arrived on July 2, and when GE Reports visited the site in September, they were already connected to the grid and producing electricity. A team of field engineers working for GE were completing final environmental tests of the units, which can burn both diesel and natural gas. Because of the archipelago, you need to have lots of microgrids, said Matt Patterson, an Australian engineer who spent the summer setting up the units in Lombok. Thats where you see the benefits of fast power.

The units mobility isnt their only unusual feature. The machines, which GE calls TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines, are essentially a ground-based version of GEs popular CF6 jet engine  the same engine that powers many Boeing 747s, including Air Force One. The mobile plants have 50 percent fewer emissions than comparable diesel equipment and can be cranked up to full power in as little as 10 minutes.

In January, Anthonys team also installed four TM2500 sets on the island of Sulawesi, in Gorontalo province, which are now generating 100 megawatts (MW) of power, enough to supply approximately 800,000 Indonesian homes with consistent electricity.

GE will install eight additional mobile power plants in Indonesia. Together they will generate 500 MW of power, enough to supply about four million homes. Our work is part of the presidents goal to electrify all of Indonesia, Anthony said.

As for Se, with enough electricity to power his business, the world will finally be his oyster.
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Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong and Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, October 15 2016

The Attorney Generals Office (AGO) has begun searching for the whereabouts of a fact-finding teams report of the investigation into the murder of human rights defender Munir Said Thalib, which it says is key to reopening the case.

The Central Information Commission (KIP) said on Monday that the report authored by the government-commissioned fact-finding team and submitted to president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonos administration in 2005 was public information and therefore should be disclosed immediately.

The KIP ruled in favor of Munirs widow Suciwati and several human rights watchdogs who demanded that the government reveal the truth behind Munirs death.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, October 15 2016

House of Representatives Speaker Ade Komarudin has been reported to the House of Representatives Ethics Council for allegedly violating Law No. 17/2014 on the legislative institution, also known as the MD3 Law, for abusing his authority as speaker.

A member of the Houses Commission VI overseeing trade, industry and investment, Bowo Sidiq Pangarso, reported Ade to the council after the latter signed an approval letter for organizing a meeting on state capital injection at Commission XI, which oversees finance and banking.

Ade reportedly invited nine state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to attend the meeting despite being partners of Commission VI.

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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam  Sat, October 15 2016

Despite the governments fight against illegal fishing, numerous foreign-flagged ships have been undeterred as they continue to catch fish in Indonesian waters, forcing patrol vessels to take stern actions against the intruders.

The latest incident took place on Thursday when a government patrol ship arrested three Vietnamese vessels found illegally fishing around the waters of Bintan in Riau Islands province.

An official with the Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Ministry, Akhmadon, said the arrests were made when the foreign ships were catching fish with trawls some 35.4 kilometers from Bintan Islands shoreline.

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Linkedin Caleb Jones (Associated Press) Honolulu  Sun, October 16, 2016

A Hawaii agency on Friday denied a petition to change state rules for commercial fishing licenses given to undocumented foreign fishermen.

The petition sought changes in the licensing process that included certifying that the applicants understood what they were signing. Many of the foreign fishermen who work in the fleet do not read, write or understand English.

With no legal standing on U.S. soil, the men are at the mercy of their American captains on American-flagged, American-owned vessels. Since they don't have visas, they are not allowed to set foot on shore, so captains or their agents often prepare their licensing documents for them.

The entire system, which contradicts other state and federal laws, operates with the blessing of high-ranking U.S. lawmakers and officials, an Associated Press investigation published in September found.

A federal loophole allows the foreign men to work but exempts them from most basic labor protections, and some Hawaii residents are concerned that state rules offer little transparency and leave workers in the dark.

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources spokesman Dan Dennison confirmed the board's denial after its meeting on Friday.

"It was predicted but it's nevertheless disappointing," said petitioner Kathryn Xian, who runs the nonprofit Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery. "The DLNR has really shirked its responsibility in doing an easy fix,"

Department officials had no immediate comment on the ruling, but Dennison said they would try to respond to requests later in the day.

Over six months, the AP obtained confidential contracts, reviewed dozens of business records and interviewed boat owners, brokers and more than 50 fishermen in Hawaii, Indonesia and San Francisco. The investigation found men living in squalor on some boats, forced to use buckets instead of toilets, suffering running sores from bed bugs and sometimes lacking sufficient food.

It also revealed instances of human trafficking. The report was part of the AP's ongoing global look at labor abuses in the fishing industry, stretching from Southeast Asia to America's own waters.

The petition in Hawaii also requested that the person translating the documents be identified, that applicants provide documentation for their eligibility to enter the United States, and that vessels provide a list of all licensees under their command.

In a document signed by Bruce Anderson, the administrator for the department that issues fishing licenses, a recommendation was made to deny the rule changes because the petition focused on labor issues that are outside the department's jurisdiction.

"We believe that a requirement that the applicant certify that he or she understands the application ... is unnecessary," the document said.

Anderson said Thursday the agency is concerned about recent media reports regarding working conditions on fishing vessels but its responsibilities currently involve enforcement of existing rules.

State and federal lawmakers promised to improve conditions for the foreign crews, and at least one company stopped buying fish from the boats immediately following the AP investigation. In a press release in September, Suzanne Case, chair the Department of Land and Natural Resources, said "we are certainly very concerned about any human rights violations that are reportedly occurring on the longline fishing fleet, and stand ready to assist in any way possible."

Lance Collins, a Honolulu attorney who argued in favor of the changes at Friday's meeting, said in prepared testimony given to AP in advance that Anderson mischaracterizes the requested rule changes. "Upon reviewing the Petition, I myself am unable to find any 'labor issue' directly addressed in the proposed changes."

"The Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery recognizes the importance of a vibrant economy and fully supports Hawaii's fishing industry, but recognizes strongly that significant steps must be made to reform state licensing rules," Xian said in her testimony.
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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam  Sun, October 16, 2016

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it will support whatever decision the Indonesian government takes concerning refugees and asylum seekers in Batam so long as the policy adheres to human rights principles.

The UNHCR, however, will ask the government to thoroughly consider if they want to place refugees on a single island, as proposed by the Batam administration.

UNHCR senior protection officer Jeffrey Savage told The Jakarta Post in Batam on Friday that he had heard of the idea to move the refugees to an island outside Batam.

"There are suggestions to put the refugees on one island. But the UNHCR asks that the idea be studied more carefully. It could create a lot of problems and conflict. First of all, they are from 48 different nationalities," Savage said after meeting with local government officials in Batam to discuss the issue of refugees.

The Batam administration sent a letter to Jakarta asking the central government to remove refugees from Batam, saying that their presence had created problems such as making public parks in Batam look dirty.

Batam spokesperson Ardiwinata said on Friday that Mayor Muhammad Rudi had suggested placing all the refugees on a single island outside Batam.

We have a success story with Galang Island, where we dealt with Vietnamese refugees. We still have the facilities they used there, he said.



Ardi said placing the refugees on one island would make it easier for the administration to supervise them. The proposal would also, according to Ardi, maintain Batams local wisdom.

We have hundreds of islands here and some are not inhabited, he went on to say. (evi)
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Linkedin ANN Desk (Data Leads/ANN) New Delhi  Sun, October 16, 2016

Placed 29 in a ranking of 118 developing countries, China has the lowest level of hunger in Asia, according to the newly-released Global Hunger Index. Many other Asian countries still stand out for their poor performance in reducing their overall hunger rate.

Besides China, Malaysia and Thailand are the two other countries which have been ranked highest in Asia with regard to keeping levels of hunger low as defined by a number of metrics including child mortality.

Malaysia was ranked 44 and Thailand was ranked 51 in the Global Hunger Index, 2016 which is compiled by the International Food Policy Research Institute, an Washington-DC based research center, with Germany's Welthungerhilfe.

Global Hunger Index 2016.(ANN /DataLeads)



The GHI ranks countries on three equally weighted indicators: the proportion of people who are undernourished, the proportion of children under five who are underweight, and the child mortality rate.

While China has come closest to controlling hunger, its southern neighbours Pakistan and India suffers the greatest level of hunger in the region. India is ranked 97th, behind Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, among others, but ahead of Pakistan and three other Asian countries. Further, over 15% of Indian children aged below five and 10.5% of Pakistani children under five suffer child wasting or acute malnutrition.

Laos, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have also not been able to meet the challenge of eradicating hunger, as all three countries have fared poorly with rankings of 93, 90 and 84 respectively.

Myanmar, Nepal and Indonesia, with rankings of 75, 72 and 72 respectively, have demonstrated a poor record of keeping hunger at bay.

If hunger continues to decrease at the same rate it has been falling since 1992, around 45 countries, including India and Pakistan will remain far short of the United Nations goal to end hunger by that year.

Overall, the report said, South Asia, after sub-Saharan Africa, remains the hungriest region. In contrast, East and Southeast Asia represent low or moderate levels of hunger.
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Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Surakarta, Central Java  Sun, October 16, 2016

President Joko Jokowi Widodo inspected the construction of toll roads connecting Surakarta (Solo) with Kertosono, or Soker, in Waru village, Karanganyar regency, Central Java, over the weekend.

The visit was part of his tour to inspect the progress of toll roads throughout Java.

Im here to see the progress of the trans-Java toll road. Today, Im visiting Semarang-Solo, Solo-Ngawi and Ngawi-Kertosono, Jokowi said.

Ngawi and Kertosono are in East Java.

The President said the progress fell within the planned timeframe and he expected the Soker toll road to be completed in 2018. The toll road will be continued eastward, spanning about 1,200 kilometers, and will be finished in 2019, he went on to say.

Jokowi said the progress of toll roads outside Java such as those in Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi was also running well.

The President is scheduled to spend time in Surakarta, his hometown, until Sunday. The President and First Lady Iriana will spend the weekend with their grandson, Jan Ethes Srinarenndra, the child of Gibran Rakabuming Raka and Selvi Anand.

Jokowi is also scheduled to run during Car Free Day on Jl. Slamet Riyadi and distribute land certificates to farmers in Kota Barat Field. He will also visit the Notohardjo Flea Market in Semanggi. Jokowi relocated street vendors to the flea market in 2006 and the relocation proved to be a success. (evi)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 16, 2016

Kaskus founder Ken Dean Lawadinata has resigned from his position as chairman of PT Darta Media Indonesia, the operator of the Kaskus online community. Ken plans to invest in property and commodities instead of Information Technology (IT).

Ken released his shares in Kaskus to GDP Ventures.

Thats right, I have left Kaskus. I released all my shares to GDP, he said on Saturday as quoted by kompas.com.

Ken was one of the founders of Kaskus and elevated Kaskus to its current status as the biggest online community in Indonesia.

Ken said that after Kaskus, he was not interested in the IT industry anymore. He has his eyes on property and commodity investments such as mining and timber.

He said the IT industry in Indonesia was still growing and demand was healthy and new ideas kept emerging. However, Ken said the risks in IT were now too high.

IT was a sector with low-risk, high-return, but it has now become a high-risk, high-return sector. In this industry, US$10 million is now meaningless, Ken said.

Ken also founded Smartmama, a media company for mothers, and Tororo, an online baby products shop. He plans to hold on to these companies.

In IT, I will focus on Smartmama and Tororo, Ken went on to say.

Another Kaskus founder, Andrew Darwis, who is still chief commercial officer of Kaskus, offered his thanks to Ken for Kens dedication in growing Kaskus. He stated that Kens resignation would not disturb the companys performance.

Kaskus is focusing on its mission to become the biggest social commerce platform in Indonesia, Andrew said as quoted by kompas.com.

Kaskus was founded in 1999 by Andrew, Ken and two other friends. (evi)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, October 16, 2016

National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) called for the public and the media to focus on more important matters like transparency, flood mitigation and forced evictions, rather than talking about Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnamas allegedly blasphemous statement.

It should not be prolonged because the governor has apologized and showed regret before the public, commissioner Muhammad Nurkhoiron said in a statement made available on Saturday.

The Jakarta gubernatorial election should become a stage uniting differences in religion, race [and] ethnicity to allow for a healthy political contest, Nurkhoiron went on.

The Jakarta election has deteriorated into an ugly debate, with violent statements uttered by Islamists against Ahok after he cited a Quranic verse and urged voters not to be deterred from choosing a non-Muslim leader.

Komnas HAM encourages the media to focus on the best ideas from the candidates to improve Jakarta. The media should show how the candidates will propose to build good governance, participatory development and the fulfillment of basic rights like health and education, the statement said.

There are many more important issues than religion, like what is being debated right now, Nurkhoiron said. We want everyone not to exploit religious issues too much. And we call for everyone not to use the blasphemy law, which is often used to criminalize people, Nurkhoiron said.
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Linkedin Nikko Dizon (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) The Hague  Sun, October 16, 2016

President Dutertes war on drugs, which has left more than 3,700 suspects dead, drew the attention of The Hague-based court that tries people accused of crimes against humanity

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday said her office would begin to closely follow developments in the Philippines, raising concern over alleged extrajudicial killings in President Rodrigo Dutertes brutal war on illegal drugs.

More than 3,700 people have been killed by the police and suspected vigilantes since Duterte launched the campaign upon taking office on June 30.

I am deeply concerned about these alleged killings and the fact that public statements from high officials of the . . . Philippines seem to condone such killings, ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement issued in The Hague.

Duterte, who won election in May on a promise to wipe out drugs and crime in six months, has been going around the country encouraging soldiers and the police to shoot to kill drug suspects who would resist arrest.

He has been offering bounties to the police who could kill drug lords and promising them protection from prosecution.

The United Nations, the United States, the European Union and international human rights groups have all raised concerns over the killings.

But the acid-tongued Duterte has rejected the allegations and called the campaign an internal affair of the Philippines.

He has called US President Barack Obama a son of a bitch and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon a fool over their criticism.

Bensouda issued a warning: Let me be clear: Any person in the Philippines who incites or engages in acts of mass violence, including by ordering, requesting, encouraging or contributing, in any other manner, to the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC is potentially liable to prosecution before the court.

She added: My office, in accordance with its mandate under the Rome Statute, will be closely following developments in the Philippines in the weeks to come and record any instance of incitement or resort to violence with a view to assessing whether a preliminary examination into the situation of the Philippines needs to be opened.

Willing to be Investigated

Malacanang said Duterte was open to investigation by the ICC.

In a statement, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the killings were not state sanctioned as many of those who died were killed during legitimate police operations, which are currently undergoing investigation as directed by the President.

Andanar said the Senate committee on justice and human rights had conducted an inquiry into the killings and its chair, Senator Richard Gordon, had found the allegations baseless.

(Gordon) has been quoted as saying that there is no proof that the killings were state-sponsored, Andanar said.

Systematic Attack

In any case, the President has articulated that he is willing to submit himself (to) an investigation (by) anybody, he said.

The Philippines joined the ICC in November 2011. Bensouda said extrajudicial killings could be prosecuted if they were committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population.

Last month, Duterte challenged the United Nations and international human rights experts to come to Manila, both to investigate the killings and to face him in a public debate.

UN Probe

On Wednesday, Malacanang formally issued an invitation to UN special rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard to investigate the killings.

The government had initially rebuffed Callamard when she announced plans to take up Mr. Dutertes challenge.

Callamard has since told Agence France-Presse she would discuss with Manila the date and scope of a fact-finding mission, state guarantees for her freedom of movement and inquiry, and assurances about the safety of mission members and their interview subjects.

Nothing Illegal

Duterte has insisted that he and his police forces have done nothing illegal, and that law enforcers have been forced to shoot and kill after suspects put up a fight.

On Thursday night, Duterte again defended his scorched-earth policy on drugs in a speech to businessmen in Pasay City, saying it is not a crime to threaten criminals with death.

He said he had written to Obama, Ban, US Secretary of State John Kerry, the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Commission and the European Union to explain that it was not a crime to threaten criminals.

Not brighter Than He

He said they cannot be brighter than he, and that he could outsmart them if they came to the Philippines to investigate the killings.

I will toy with you in public. I will ask five questions that will humiliate you and 10 questions where you will agree with me, Duterte said.



Just About to Start

Speaking in Batanes on Friday, Duterte denied the government was involved in the killings.

Who did we kill? We in the government? No one yet. We are just about to start. We are not yet involved in the 3,000, he said.

Duterte said there was no proof that he ordered the killings, insisting that it was not a crime to threaten criminals with death.

There is nothing wrong in threatening criminals with death. By that statement alone: You criminals, I will kill you. Do not fool around. It is a perfect statement, he said.

Describing his critics as fools, Duterte vowed his war on narcotics would continue until there were no more illegal drugs in the Philippines.

I will not stop, be sure of it. You can cast it in whatever stone. I will not stop until the last pusher, until the last drug lord is taken away, he said.
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Linkedin Victoria Brown (The Star/ANN) Petaling Jaya, Malaysia  Sun, October 16, 2016

The Star journalists were harassed after witnessing about 30 anti-Bersih supporters on motorcycles intimidating the Bersih group  a coalition of NGOs  outside a hypermarket in Kuala Selangor.

The men who assaulted journalists from The Star who were covering the Bersih 5.0 convoy on Saturday will be investigated for criminal intimidation.

The police are expected to investigate the case under Section 506 of the Penal Code.

Under the provision, those found guilty of committing the offence face a maximum two-year prison term, or a fine, or both.

The journalists were harassed after witnessing about 30 anti-Bersih supporters on motorcycles intimidating the Bersih group outside a hypermarket in Kuala Selangor.

About five from the anti-Bersih group, some wearing red attire, started to harass two journalists and a videographer from The Star, and tried to stop them from recording and reporting the incident.

One of the journalists was harshly told to delete a video recording of the standoff that took place between supporters of both groups.

When she refused, they grabbed her by the collar of her t-shirt, pushed her, and shouted delete, delete at her.

They were also heard shouting: You dari mana? Malaysiakini! (Where are you from? Malaysiakini!).

She replied she was a reporter with The Star.

The Stars other reporter was also subjected to the same harassment when he tried to defend his colleague from further harassment, as more shouts of "Malaysiakini" were heard.

The reporter was pulled aside by a member of the group and asked if he was a reporter from Malaysiakini.

He too told them that he was from The Star.

The Stars videographer, surrounded by the group, was also forced to delete the visuals he had taken on his smartphone.

The group snatched the phone away from him and took a photo of his media tag.

Several policemen who arrived at the scene managed to control the situation.

The Stars journalists later lodged a report at the Kuala Selangor police headquarters along with several members from Bersih 5.0.
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Linkedin ANN Desk (The Nation/ANN) Bangkok  Sun, October 16, 2016

Crown Prince has told the regent and the prime minister that Thailand must prevent public confusion about the country's administration and succession to the throne as the process is clearly stated in the constitution and the Palace Law.

Regent pro tempore General Prem Tinsulanonda was granted audience with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn at 7 pm Saturday to present an oral report on his responsibility as the regent, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said.

Chan-o-cha went on TV Pool at 11.30 pm Saturday, saying he accompanied Prem when the regent was granted the audience at the Ampor Sathan Hall inside the Dusit Palace.

Chan-o-cha quoted the Crown Prince as telling the regent and him that they must prevent public confusion about the country administration and the succession to the throne because the process is clearly stated in the constitution and the Palace Law.

Regarding to the succession timeframe, the Crown Prince said no action should be made now as it would lead to a feeling that changes had been made to the great protection provided by His Majesty during his reign, according to Chan-o-cha .

The Crown Prince said all people, all sectors and himself are now in great sorrow so all sides must join hands and help one another pass through the great sorrow before any action regarding the succession can be made.

"All should use this moment to preserve the beautiful memory of the 70-year reign," Chan-o-cha quoted the Crown Prince as saying.

The prime minister quoted the Crown Prince as saying that after the religious and funeral rites have passed for a certain period, it should be the timing for taking actions related to the succession.
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Long Live His Love

PHUKET: People of all walks of life this morning joined a public ceremony at Phuket Provincial Hall to honour His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The ceremony will become, even in reflection, a focal point for emotion from across the island. Since the announcement of his death on Thursday, the nation has been deep in mourning for a monarch that they not only revered, but loved.



By The Phuket News

Sunday 16 October 2016, 01:00PM

His Majesty, or Rama IX, was the ninth king of the Chakri dynasty, which has reigned over Thailand since 1782. Until Thursday, he was the longest-reigning monarch in history.

Not only is HM King Bhumibol forever etched into the hearts of the Thai people, but also into the hearts of many foreigners who have lived in Phuket long enough to truly appreciate why his subjects loved him so much.

Grandson of the honoured King Chulalongkorn, His Majesty was born on December 5, 1927, at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States, to HRH Prince Mahidol Adulyadej (the Prince Father) and HRH Princess Srinagarindra (the Princess Mother) while HRH Prince Mahidol was studying at Harvard University.

Later, while finishing his degree in Switzerland, His Majesty frequently visited Paris, where he met Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara, daughter of the Thai ambassador to France and their love blossomed. They were married on April 28, 1950, a week before His Majestys coronation.

HM Bhumibol officially ascended the throne on May 5, 1950 in a grand ceremony at the Royal Palace to the cheers of the people of Thailand, where he pledged that he would reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people. The date is now marked in history as the beginning of the deep reverence Thais have for the beloved King.

His Majesty was an accomplished musician. He wrote 49 compositions, including marches, waltzes and patriotic anthems, and was adept at playing the saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, guitar and piano.

A keen sailor, His Majesty won a gold medal for in 1967 sailing in the Fourth Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, together with his daughter HRH Princess Ubolratana, whom he tied for points.

His Majesty King Bhumibol, however, is likely to be best remembered for the many Royal Projects he initiated, bringing relief to the suffering poor throughout the country.

The Royal Projects range from his ground-breaking move to have hill-tribe farmers in the Far North transform their poppy fields and plant crops that brought dependable household incomes, to his famed Monkey Cheeks reservoirs that officials use today to prevent devastating flooding in the Central Plains, to the Royal Rain-making Project to bring relief from drought, to his renowned Sustainable Sufficiency Economy principles.

In his most recent years, His Majestys concerted efforts to publicly present a united Thailand of all peoples  North, South, Central, and Northeast  brought his nation even closer together.

His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej was father to one son, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, and three daughters  HRH Princess Ubolratana, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and HRH Princess Chulabhorn.

HM King Bhumibol is also grandfather to 12 grandchildren.

May he be forever remembered for the great deeds he accomplished and the love that he inspired from not just Thais, but people from all around the world.

Long live his love.

Rest in Peace, Your Majesty.
Names and faces

First Community Bank announced that Bob Robinson has joined the organization as a residential loan officer based in the Helena office. Robinson is responsible for originating residential loans of all types.

He comes to First Community Bank with more than eight years of lending experience, conventional loan portfolio management, branch management and financial consulting in central Montana.

Robinson may be reached at 449-9300 or at the Helena Branch of First Community Bank, 212 N. Rodney.

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Anderson ZurMuehlen announces the promotion of Dana Cade, CPA, to senior manager. Cades experience includes annual compliance work for U.S. citizens living abroad, compliance with the procedures for nonresident, nonfiler U.S. taxpayers and consulting work for cross-border income tax preparation for individuals, and businesses as well as estate and gift planning. She also consults and prepares tax returns for individuals, partnerships, corporations, nonprofit and other areas for clients located within the U.S. Cade has a Bachelor of Arts in accounting with a minor in business administration from Carroll College and joined the firm in 2006.

Vickie Caldwell, CPA, has been promoted to senior manager. Caldwells experience includes payroll, bookkeeping, financial preparation and individual tax returns. She is a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor and has a Bachelor of Science in accounting from MacMurray College in Illinois and joined the firm in 2001.

Luke Muszkiewicz has been promoted to senior manager. Muszkiewicz oversees business intelligence consulting services and development of ClarifyBI, a business intelligence platform for professional service firms. He has a Bachelor of Arts in computer science from Carroll College and joined the firm in 2003.

Randy Parmer, MCP, VCA-DCV, has been promoted to senior manager. Parmer provides engineering and administration of enterprise network, server and virtualization infrastructures. This includes configurations, automation, performance tuning, security of servers, storage and firewalls. Parmer has an applied science in computer technology/network administration from Helena College-University of Montana and joined the firm in 2005.

Amber Dushin, CPA, has been promoted to manager. Dushin provides business consulting services and performs audits for government agencies, nonprofits and corporate clients. She also consults and prepares tax returns for individuals and businesses. Dushin has a Bachelor of Science in consumer science from Montana State University and joined the firm in 2012.

Anna Horne, CPA, has been promoted to supervisor. Hornes experience includes accounting, financial statement analysis, tax consultation and preparation, and succession planning for corporations, partnerships and individuals, specializing in agriculture and guiding/outfitting based clients. She has a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from Carroll College and joined the firm in 2010.

Laura Gittens, CPA, has been promoted to senior. Gittens experience includes accounting and audit examinations for government agencies, nonprofits and employee benefit clients. She also evaluates internal accounting control systems and tax preparation for individuals and small businesses. She has a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from Carroll College joined the firm in 2010.

Mandy Smith, CPA, has been promoted to staff II. Smiths experience includes payroll, bookkeeping, financial preparation and individual tax returns. She has a Master of Professional Accountancy and a Bachelor of Science in business administration with an accounting option from Montana State University. Smith joined the firm in 2014.

Sherry Smith, CPA, has been promoted to staff II. Smiths experience includes business consulting services including audits for government agencies, nonprofits and corporate clients. She also prepares tax returns for individuals, businesses and nonprofits. Smith has a Bachelor of Science in business with a focus in accounting and business management from Montana Tech of the University of Montana. She joined the firm in 2015.

Jay Olsen, has been promoted to support tech II. Olsen is part of the Information Systems Services team that provides maintenance of computer hardware, software and other systems. He has an associates degree in computer technology from Helena College of the University of Montana and joined the firm in 2015.

Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co., P.C. is the largest Montana-owned CPA firm, they serve clients throughout the United States and have seven office locations. The Helena office is located at 828 Great Northern Blvd., Fourth Floor. For more information, visit azworld.com.

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Employee Benefit Resources announces the promotion of Kapri Byrne, CPA, to senior manager. Byrnes experience includes defined contribution plan design and administration. She has a master of professional accountancy and a Bachelor of Science from Montana State University. Byrne has been with the firm since 2005 and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Montana Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Deb Sjostrom, CPC, QPA, has been promoted to senior manager. She is responsible for compliance and technical services related to all aspects of defined contribution plan administration, including plan design and consulting. Sjostrom has a Bachelor of Science in business administration from University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. She has been with the firm since 1997 and a member of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries since 1993.

Employee Benefit Resources designs, implements and manages retirement plans. Their office is located at 828 Great Northern Blvd. For more information, visit www.ebrworld.com.

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Adam Plate, M.D. completed his emergency medicine residency with the University of New Mexico SOM in Albuquerque serving as Quality Improvement and Clinical Operations Chief Resident. He received his medical doctorate from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colo. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.

Plate is board eligible in emergency medicine with the American Board of Medical Specialties and obtaining his Association of American Medical Colleges Teaching for Quality Conference certification.

***

Ashley Berkram, PA-C has joined the family medicine staff at St. Peters Medical Group North.

Berkram graduated from the Masters of Physician Assistant Program at Rocky Mountain College in Billings. She earned a Bachelors of Biology and Chemistry for the University of Sioux Falls, in Sioux Falls, S.D. She is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. She is a member the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Montana Academy of Physician Assistants.

Prior to joining St. Peters Medical Group North, worked as a physician assistant at Northeast Montana Health Services and Listerud Rural Health Clinic in Wolf Point.

***

Helena attorney Bruce Spencer was installed as president of the State Bar of Montana at the organizations 42nd Annual meeting in September. Spencer was elected president-elect in the Bars 2015 elections. He previously served as the Bars secretary-treasurer (2013-2015).

Spencers practice areas emphasize governmental relations, creditors rights, commercial law, automotive law, insurance law, and health care law. He was first elected to the Bars Board of Trustees in 2007.

He is a 1987 graduate of the University of Montana, receiving a Bachelor of Science in business management. He earned his law degree in 1992 from the University of Oregon School of Law and has been a member of the State Bar of Montana since 1992.

News and notes

GarageExperts opens Helena office

Greg Snortland has opened GarageExperts of Montana, a leading, lifetime warranty, cabinet, floor coating, and organization company serving Helena, Missoula, Bozeman and beyond. Snortland brings with him more than 20 years of professional experience and a passion for creating both attractive and organized garages.

Snortland also spent more than 20 years as an information technology leader and knows what it takes to bring a project in on time, and get it done right.

GarageExperts is a national, vertically integrated provider of quality garage cabinets, epoxy floor coating systems and organizational products. Visit www.garageexperts.com to learn more.

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Disaster preparedness, response training

The Montana State Library is sponsoring a one-day free training, with online follow-up, for libraries and cultural institutions on disaster preparedness and response.

The training is set for Monday, Oct. 24, at the State Library in Helena. It will be conducted by faculty of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine/University of Virginia, which is the agency charged by FEMA to provide education on this important issue.

The outcome of the training and follow-up will be a one-page disaster response plan for the participating institutions that not only mitigates the effect of the disaster on the institution's facilities and staff, but also builds community resilience for preparing, responding to and recovering from disasters.

For more information or to register, contact Joann Flick, CE Coordinator, Montana State Library at jflick@mt.gov or 431-1081.

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Guidelines

The IR welcomes reports of hiring, promotions, awards, recognition, learning opportunities and other news from local companies and nonprofits. We accept press releases and photos (digital images at 300 dpi or more are preferred, but we can also use regular photos; we dont guarantee return of these).

There is no charge for items appearing in the Business Briefcase. Items are run on a space-available basis, and we reserve the right to edit and use information as we see fit.

The deadline is Tuesday at noon to be considered for publication the following Sunday.
While many a Helenan has been awed by the exquisite beauty of Steven Young Lees porcelain pots, it seems were not the only ones.

A room of Lees ceramic vessels and sculptures is featured in Visions and Revisions: Renwick Invitational 2016 -- a highly prestigious exhibition at the branch museum of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.

The four innovative artists featured -- Lee, Kristen Morgin, Jennifer Trask and Norwood Viviano -- all share a fascination with themes of transformation, ruin and rebirth in their artwork, according to the Smithsonian.

The Renwick Invitational, which is held every two years, celebrates "emerging and mid-career artists who deserve national attention.

It definitely was a surprise, said Lee during an interview in his studio last week at the Archie Bray Foundation, where he is resident artist director.

I actually thought it might have been a scam email, he said, when he received the invitation to be in the show. Then he recognized the curators name. I was just floored to be a part of it.

His work had caught the eye of Renwick curator Nora Atkinson back in 2010.

My first encounter with Steven Young Lees work had me entirely taken aback, she writes in a beautiful essay in the exhibit catalog.

She was looking at one of his beautiful Asian-inspired vessels when she glimpsed it had a contented brontosaurus happily chomping on leaves amid a traditional Chinese landscape.

This struck her as one of the rarefied moments of brilliance that keep you guessing with Lees work.

Not only is it his anachronistic surprises a viewer suddenly spots on a traditional vase -- such as wacky Toucan Sam of Fruit Loops fame flying over a Chinese landscape, or perhaps a bison grazing in an East Asian setting -- but also the unique shape of the vessel itself.

In his most recent deconstructed vessels, Lee creates an intricately decorated traditional Asian jar or vase form and then makes a surgically accurate tear or cut in the clay causing the vessel to gracefully collapse, melt or fracture during firing.

The results are startlingly beautiful in their flawed fragility.

Lee described his overall work as a collage of forms and motifs from various origins, in a February IR news story, citing Chinese, Korean, French, Dutch, English and Minoan influences.

Lee, as a Korean American, has particularly delved into his Korean heritage and also into Chinese traditions, which he explored during a yearlong fellowship in China.

Lee learned of the Korean Joseon Period of art, a time when artists allowed porcelain vessels to have distinctive bulges and quirks, giving the pieces their own unique voice, he said. That idea now permeates my work.

I cant think of a more prestigious venue for the vein of work Steves involved with, which is fine crafts, said Josh DeWeese, associate professor of art at Montana State University and former resident artist director at the Bray.

The Renwick is probably the top craft gallery in the country, he said. They have an outstanding collection of the top artists in the field.  Its quite a prestigious honor to be included in that show.

This latest vein of work that hes involved with -- this body of collapsed porcelain pieces ... has really stemmed out of his deep understanding of the original forms, said DeWeese.

Hes a really amazing potter. He has tremendous skill with the material and a really keen ... sense of form. Its really amazing work.

The luminosity and grace of Lees porcelain and the way the sculptures almost radiate make the works all the more beautiful.

In the West, a work that cracks in the kiln is flawed, said DeWeese, and not considered worthy to market.

But in Asia, kiln accidents are celebrated, DeWeese said. They recognize the inherent beauty of it. Hes taken that idea and made it a sculptural statement.

It questions the traditional ceramic arts aesthetics, said Wayne Higby in a Renwick Gallery video. A ceramic artist, he was one of Lees professors at New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. "His work is rather astonishing in its material and its process and certainly intellectually provocative.

Pulling together the exhibition was no small feat or expense. The Renwick used existing works by Lee and contacted all the people who had purchased the pieces now exhibited in the show. They then sent a professional art shipper to each home around the country to pack the artwork, load it in a truck and deliver it to the Smithsonian gallery. A number of Helenans happily loaned their Lee artworks and even came to the art opening in Washington, D.C.

The shows curator, Atkinson, traveled to Helena for several days to interview Lee and visit the Bray in preparation for writing her essay about his work.

The opportunity to show at the Smithsonian is what I feel most honored by. You dont apply for it, said Lee. Thats what makes me feel so proud of it. Three independent curators choose from a national pool of artists and thought enough of my work to include me in it. That makes me feel really honored.

To see all the work in one place, which had been made over a decade in different phases of his artistic life, that was a gift.

I still feel like Im so early in the development of these ideas. Im in such an early phase of the work. Im still thinking so much more of whats going to come in the future.
BILLINGS  The television in the coffee shop where Leanna Hoch works is tuned to news programs in the morning. It spurs folks getting a morning coffee to discuss their political proclivities, something she wont miss after the Nov. 8 election.

And dont even mention the commercials.

The election is 22 days away and voters like Hoch, a 21-year-old Billings resident who works a couple jobs in addition to the coffee shop, are weary. As this long season draws to a close, the margin between the two men vying to be Montanas next governor is razor-thin and could all be decided by who shows up to vote.

A poll conducted last week by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research for Lee Newspapers shows incumbent Democratic Steve Bullock is ahead of Republican challenger Greg Gianforte, a Bozeman tech entrepreneur, 47 to 45 percent. That's within the margin of error and with 6 percent of voters undecided. Libertarian Ted Dunlap was at 2 percent.

Broken down by region, the race is in a virtual tie in Eastern Montana, with Bullock up 45-44 percent. Ten percent of voters, the highest amount in the state, are still undecided there. The race is also tight in the highly contested Great Falls region, where Gianforte was up, but within the margin of error, 48-45.

Around Billings, a right-leaning area Democrats need to do well in to find victory in a presidentially red state like Montana, Gianforte held 52 percent of decided voters to Bullock's 43. As expected, Bullock was up in union-heavy Butte and the state capital of Helena, by 17 points at 55-38.

On paper, poll results for the Missoula area appeared to lean more conservative, with Gianforte leading 46-44, though pollsters lumped together the populated and often Republican-voting Flathead and Ravalli counties, and smaller and conservative Granite, Mineral, Sanders, Lake and Lincoln counties, with the more liberal university town.

In general the governors race is incredibly close," said Lee Banville, a political researcher and journalism professor at the University of Montana. Its going to come down to turnout. Are the Democrats going to get their voters to show up?

Predicting turnout has been unlike any previous election, said Jeremy Johnson, an associate political science professor at Carroll College in Helena. There have never been less popular presidential candidates, which he said could possibly drive down turnout. "If a certain group of voters don't come out to vote, it could affect down-ticket," he said. But presidential elections tend to draw voters and Montana typically has high turnout, he added.

Hoch said she will vote, and that vote will be for Bullock. A high school teacher once told her it doesnt matter who is at the top of the ticket because statewide candidates are the ones who really change what happens in the state.

I hate his commercials, she said about Gianforte. I hate how he keeps telling us people coming over from other countries are dangerous.

Its off-putting, her friend Julie Ruddock, 21, interjected. Also from Billings, Ruddock said she didnt know much about either candidate. She wasnt sure how she would cast her ballot in the governor's race, though her political leanings are Democratic at the top of the ticket.

Less uncertain were companions Sydney Reiter, of Billings and Molly Fedje, originally from Colstrip, both 21, who said they just dont plan to vote. Reiter said shes unimpressed by candidates at the top of the ticket and its turned her off to the entire election, while Fedje favors Clinton but just doesn't know enough about the governor's race.

Those commercials frustrating Hoch are a wise political play for Gianforte, according to Dave Parker, an associate professor of political science at Montana State University. A quarter of people polled said that national security and fighting terrorism were the most important issue to them in this year's election, beating the economy and jobs by 1 percentage point.

"That might demonstrate why the Gianforte campaign is running those advertisements on Syrian refugees," Parker said. "It is about the fear."

Banville agreed, saying voters are making decisions based on anxiety and not a candidate's policies or plans. That could be a trickle-down effect from the presidential race.

It might also help explain why although 48 percent of voters feel Montana is on the right track, which would seem to indicate people are happy with the job the incumbent is doing, Bullock is not polling higher. Thirty-five percent of people polled said they feel the state is on the wrong track, while 17 percent were not sure.

"Gianforte shouldn't be doing so well," Banville said. "To me what this poll is saying is half the voters are scared. ... (Gianforte's) basic message is 'I'm going to protect you from terrorists. I'm going to get you good-paying jobs. I'm going to stand up to the federal government.' That resonates if you're someone who is worried."

At GOP headquarters in Missoula, Lisa Nichols sat making calls as a volunteer. She grew up in Oklahoma and lived briefly in Colorado before recently moving to Montana as part of a promotion for her husband, a regional supervisor for DirectTV. While she waited to start a new job, she decided to help out the party.

Ive always been a strong Republican, she said. Republican values are better for the economy and better for growing jobs for people, and I believe in more local control, not this big nanny state the Democrats kind of push on people.

Pundits expect it could all come down to how independents, 6 percent of whom are undecided, break. Independents were almost evenly split on the direction the state is going, with 44 percent saying Montana is on the right track, 39 percent on the wrong track and 17 percent not sure.

That independent number is whats going to become really important, Banville said. Its really kind of up for grabs. Then it becomes a question of are they concerned about health care or terrorists? Are they concerned about government spending or some other issues that might push them toward Bullock? Outside of turnout they are the most important question."

Parker said independents tend to break for incumbents, which is good news for Bullock.

Montana Democratic Party spokeswoman Nancy Keenan called the poll a "snapshot in time" and said it doesn't determine the outcome of an election.

"I think Steve Bullock is accustomed to tight races," she said. "Montanans are fiercely independent. And they vote for people that represent their values and the people they believe can get the job done. ... It's the individuality of Montanans that should be highlighted here."

Jeff Essmann, chairman of the Montana Republican Party, said the numbers don't look good for the incumbent. "I think that this is a really dim outlook for a sitting governor when less than half of the voters think the state is on the right track."

For Parker, the race reminds him of another close contest, Bullock's first campaign for governor when he beat Republican Rick Hill in 2012. It took more than 17 hours after polls closed to declare the winner.

"This is probably the squeaker of the night," he said.
MISSOULA -- In his new memoir, "The Names of the Stars," Pete Fromm recalls an experience from his childhood in Wisconsin when he, his brother and father launched a multi-stage hobby rocket. The boys chased after, while his father let them run on, straight through a pond where they ended up waist-deep.

Looking back, Fromm believes that nod of encouragement into the unknown is how the native Midwesterner ended up in remote cabin in the Bob Marshall Wilderness at age 45.

Fromm was there at Gates Park area along the North Fork of the Sun River for a month in 2004, on assignment to monitor grayling eggs. It was revisitation of a life-changing adventure of his own. When he was 20, he took a seven-month gig monitoring salmon eggs in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, which he documented in 1993's "Indian Creek Chronicles: A Winter Alone in the Wilderness."

Fromm, a longtime Great Falls resident who now resides in Missoula, didn't plan on being alone this time: He wanted to bring his own kids and share the experience. The National Park Service, though, denied him the chance to show his young sons the wilderness that's shaped his life, citing reasonable safety concerns. This shuttles Fromm away from his kids for the longest time since they were born.

His task requires hiking 10 miles every day through grizzly bear country, which Fromm uses to ruminate on the seemingly small decisions that shaped his life: picking the University of Montana for college, sight unseen. A roommate who got him hooked on mountain-man novels. Playing wingman at a party and meeting his future wife. A drowning as a lifeguard in Nevada that put him on a path to ranger work in Grand Teton National Park, where he met a mentor in the outdoors.

Fromm has plenty of great yarns about the outdoors and is an amiable narrator. It's important to note that he's a self-deprecating storyteller: He has fun looking back at his youthful heedlessness instead of bragging.

As for the present, Fromm's only job is to monitor the grayling eggs at two sites and write notes in a small, waterproof notebook. Like any honest hiker, he admits to getting spooked by the nearby "whoosh" of grouse in the brush, or the way a burned stump could be a threat.

It's a lonely endeavor, and he has fun admitting details. He belts out songs he sang his kids, like "Rock Candy Mountain," to alert any bears. He sleeps every night on a Batman pillow that his son gave him to keep him safe.

The self-professed Hemingway fan writes in a conversational voice with artful fragments of sentences. He loves a three-beat rhythm and uses it well: "The windowpane is a blank, the sky socked in, though I can't hear rain. I click the faint green glow of my watch. Four a.m. Six hours of sleep. In a row. Practically record setting."

In scenes of tension or meditation, he stretches that voice out into long, flowing sentences, a flash of technique that's more effective because he knows when to use it and does so sparingly. (Fromm's the author of several novels, short-story collections and has won a few Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Awards.)

He's an excellent observer of the woods and wildlife around him, but he's perhaps even better at chronicling the feeling of being alone in the wilderness. Instead of a mountain-man book filled with mythical exploits, "The Names of the Stars" is in many ways a meditation on the fragility and durability of life against unlikely odds: those grayling eggs, his children, himself or his friends and parents.

When he first arrives at Gates Park, he admits he's haunted by the loneliness, but when it's time to leave, he "wants it all," the adventure and the commitment of family. His humor and honesty about the push and pull between solitude and togetherness and the mysterious way that both experiences magnify the other, make "Stars" a compelling walk through the woods.
After nearly three decades in banking, Jan Whites experience isnt lost to retirement.

Shes a volunteer with SCORE, an organization once known as Service Corps of Retired Executives, that today, its website said, is a nonprofit partner to the U.S. Small Business Association that provides free and confidential mentoring to entrepreneurs and the owners of small businesses.

Low or no-cost workshops are offered through the organization that in Montana has chapters in Helena, Bozeman and Billings. The Helena chapter has branches in Butte, White Sulphur Springs and Kalispell and is opening others in Missoula and Great Falls.

Being the chairwoman of the Helena chapter is almost like a full-time job, said White who moved to Helena with her husband two years ago from Gillette, Wyoming.

White could have set aside her experience gleaned from 28 years in banking with Wells Fargo, of which 10 years was spent as a bank president. She also considered going into business for herself.

When I retired, I said I really want to be involved in things Im passionate about, she remembered.

White had volunteered for her church and then later in life for organizations through her role as a bank officer. Retirement allows her to devote her time based on personal reasons.

Two days a week, shes among the nearly 100 volunteers who help the Talking Book Library, a program at the state library thats also available in most states, that provides audio books and recorded reading material to people who have either physical impairments or reading disabilities.

Much of what is available comes from the Library of Congress but the state program is also making recordings, she said.

Her time there, she explained, is a way of giving back to the library.

I used SCORE heavily as a lender, she said of how it also became a focus for her energies.

Her choice to be a SCORE volunteer was based both upon doing something she cared passionately about and filling a void left by retirement.

The best part of banking is working with the clients, said White who explained she missed that interaction.

Youre part of their team. You help make their dreams come true.

She remembers a $19,000 loan made to fund the purchase a pickup truck needed for a business venture. Years later she was able to see the outcome of that loan when the business was sold for several million dollars.

Experiences like this, she said, are what made being a banker fun for her.

Plenty of business owners and entrepreneurs have sat across from her desk over the years when she was in commercial lending. Today, she brings her expertise to help them prepare for that meeting with a bank officer and consider the challenges of owning a business such as cash flow and competition.

White was born in Butte but grew up in Billings. She earned a finance degree from Eastern Montana College and an master of business administration from the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Banking and finance came to be her career path after her second child and hopes to become a veterinarian were set aside, she said.

White was the only child of her parents, Sandy and Don Hoffman, who were from Helena. Sandy worked as a church secretary for a while when she was in grade school and could be there when Jan arrived home from school each day.

Don was an engineer at a radio station in Helena before handling production at a Butte television station. His career took the family to Billings when he joined Mountain Bell and managed a telecommunications junction. He would be part of the AT&T Laboratory in New Jersey before retiring from US West in Denver.

Both have since passed but the lessons they taught their only daughter linger.

They always treated everyone with respect, White said.

Family, too, was very important to them, she added.

The importance of being respectful to people was something White was able to pass along to bank employees who have the hardest jobs: tellers and those who open new accounts for customers.

Giving back to communities through volunteer service, she said, is a lesson shes sought to instill in her two adult sons. Volunteer service, I think its extremely important.

Days that she calls really great are the ones that you feel like youve made a difference.

It really comes back to the ability to be able to share your knowledge, experience and see other people put that into action, she said.

SCORE allows her to share the insights from her career and she can see the jobs that result and their contribution to a community.

The 18 SCORE volunteers in the Helena chapter contributed advice and assistance to more than 100 clients last year, she said. Opening offices in Missoula and Great Falls will require adding to that cadre.

Additional volunteers would allow SCORE to serve even more clients and improve the programs effectiveness, she added.

Participants in the SCORE mentoring have told her she made a difference in their businesses and their lives. White sees the volunteers in the Talking Book Library making a difference too, bringing joy to peoples lives.

I have a really strong belief that no matter where you live, what stage you are in your life, you should really give back to your community, she said.
"Glowing orbs would land on the foothills and the summits, bizarre entities had been seen wandering the dust-choked roads, and there appeared to be seasonality to these events, with the months of April and July being the ones in which sightings and landings were more frequent."

To call them ufonauts would evoke unwanted associations with the long-haired, blonde entities of the Adamskian tradition or the Greys that peppered UFO research in the 1990s. In some cases there is no structured craft suggesting an interplanetary origin or even a actinic light that conjures up a paranormal provenance. Things appear to unchain a series of events in unsuspecting communities having absolutely no interest in matters involving ufology or even the human space age, now receding into the past as civilization chooses to journey inward.



Time and distance separate us from some of these events in such a

By Scott Corrales

Inexplicata

10-15-16









way that it is quite understandable how contemporary researchers would feel more comfortable dismissing them as rumor, journalistic exaggeration or outright hoax. Publishing pictures of lights in the sky is far more satisfying, of course.Nevertheless, I feel these cases deserve their day in court, despite the inability to put the events -- or their witnesses -- on the stand.A very important book was lost among the raging storms of UFO controversy in the abductions-or-nothing mid-90s. A distinguished author, Chiles Jorge Anfruns, had published, a compelling summary of his countrys extensive UFO and high strangeness history, told in an engaging first person style. Anfruns did not shy away from the requisite abduction experiences, which were truly mind-bending, but other cases were just as intriguing. In particular, a 1987 visit by the Chilean author to neighboring Bolivia, high up in the Andean Plateau, where he met up with fellow investigator Pedro Araneda, who brought him up to speed on a series of strange events that took place along the border between their respective nations.As it so happened, a luminous object descended out of the dark, starry Andean night while members of the Aymara native community slept. Their uneventful hours of rest were broken by the intensity of the unknown light, and by the more disturbing sight of strange people wandering the streets of their village. Not given to confrontation, the locals decided to bar their doors and wait for daylight before taking action.The morning sun would bring with it the alarming news that the strangers had tried to abduct a teenage shepherdess. Her would-be captors were described as tall, robust individuals with long blond hair clad in glowing outfits. The shock was such that the girl died of a heart attack.Araneda continued with his story. While peaceful, the locals decided that defense against these intruders was of the essence. On successive nights, the unknown characters tried breaking into homes, battering the doors. The locals  who earned their living from mining  had dynamite available and werent afraid to use it. Throwing sticks of explosive (tiros de dinamita, in the original) convinced the attackers that the village was able and willing to defend itself from these attacks, causing them to withdraw.The situation went on for more than a week until the Bolivian press and radio began spreading the word about the strange situation. An Aymara delegation went to La Paz, the nations capital, to press their case, requesting government involvement in the matter.It emerged  writes Anfruns in his book  that the Andean natives had long been aware of these lights and entities. Glowing orbs would land on the foothills and the summits, bizarre entities had been seen wandering the dust-choked roads, and there appeared to be seasonality to these events, with the months of April and July being the ones in which sightings and landings were more frequent.The beings didnt always share the same morphology. When prompted for a description, Araneda told Anfruns: [These beings] are completely different from them [the natives], being thin, small, large-headed, helmeted, with large, shiny, black eyes like plums. People know theres stuff going up there, but Aymaras arent given to talking about them. (, p. 81).Whether the government listened to the native villagers plea for assistance isnt reported. Bolivia has had an extensive history of UFO experiences and the higher echelons of their military probably had a good idea of what it was up against.Communities elsewhere have been besieged by UFOs, much like the Brazilian community of Colhares, a case described in detail in Jacques Valleesand in even more detail inby Daniel Rebisso Giese, books recommended to the interested reader. I will briefly summarize it here: Colhares, near the city of Belem, across from the isle of Marajo, which forms part of the Amazon Delta, found its placid tropical existence shattered by manifestations of still-unexplained, boxlike machines knows as "chupas" firing beams of white light against townspeople. Aside from the corresponding burn, victims of these roving devices would experience lassitude and blackouts. People were afraid to go outdoors after sundown, taking to firing weapons into the air in the vain hope of chasing the intruders away, while the unknown's mantle of fear enshrouded the community. Unlike the Bolivian situation, the Brazilian military responded in force with(Project Saucer)Anfruns moves on to an even more disturbing story which can understandably be dismissed as anecdotal, as no names or dates are given due to the highly sensitive nature of the event. It took place at some point along the Chilean, Bolivian or perhaps Peruvian borders, which I have no intention to recall, he writes.A detachment of police officers on horseback  the only way to get around in the mountainous terrain  was proceeding down the gorge known as Quebrada de las Bandurrias (two different ones appear on the map, the northernmost at 280852S 705952W, but nowhere near the border. Possibly a third gorge of the same name?). The five riders, as tired and thirsty as their mounts, suddenly became aware of something resembling a silvery house farther down the canyon. The lieutenant in charge of the small detachment realized that they must have come across the lair of a notorious band of fur smugglers  dealing in valuable vicuna skins  that operated in the area. He ordered his men to fan out as quietly as possible. One of the policemen dismounted, picked up a rock, and threw it against the silvery structure, causing its occupants to emerge and take up defensive positions. At this point, the lieutenant ordered his men to open fire.This, the author goes on to say, was the start of the most uneven fight of the century.The bullets streaming from the policemens firearms were met with bright beams of cohered light, able to pierce their targets and split them open like cauliflowers (p. 105). The patrols horses made the easiest targets. One of the long-suffering mounts burst from the inside out. A member of the patrol was felled by another such beam, leaving a devastating wound on his chest. Retreat being the only alternative, the lieutenant and the survivors made their way back to headquarters, reaching it two days later and delivering a full report on the situation. A larger, heavily equipped response force subsequently arrived at the Andean gorge, finding no trace of the silvery shack, but ascertaining that traces of horse blood were indeed on the sand. The bodies of the fallen police officers were also gone.Can we believe such a story? Was a simple but tragic encounter between law enforcement and fur smugglers grotesquely embellished with elements worthy of an old pulp magazine? Theres no way of telling.There can be no question, however, that law enforcement comes across bizarre situations, even closer to home than they would like. In August 1995, police officer Jose Collazo became the unwilling protagonist in a highly-dramatic scene involving the enigmatic creature popularly known as the Chupacabras. Collazo spoke at length with Spanish journalist Magdalena del Amo regarding his harrowing experience.According to Collazo, he and his wife were getting ready for bed at around 11:00 p.m. one night when they suddenly heard the alarm on their car go off. Suspecting a thief, Collazo picked up his service revolver and went out to his carport, where he was confronted by a surrealistic scene: his pet Chow dog was engaged in a losing battle with what he first took to be another dog sinking its fangs into the Chow's back. According to Collazo, he soon realized that the intruder was not a dog -- in fact, not even a creature of this world.The officer felt himself engulfed in fear for his own life. He aimed his .357 Magnum against the unknown creature and fired a sure shot at it. The creature "rolled up into a ball," Collazo explained, and bounced off one of the carport walls before disappearing out the back into the warm night air.During the course of an interview with Spanish journalist Magdalena del Amo, the policeman observed that concern for his car kept him from firing further shots at the intruder. Nonetheless, the creature left patches of thick fur on the carport floor and traces of blood on the wall. It also left a noxious odor which persisted for well over a week, resisting all efforts to eliminate through the use of assorted detergents.
Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt says she had a good experience playing a DJ in Karan Johar's upcoming film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

The Udta Punjab star will be seen in a cameo in the romantic-drama. This is the second time she has worked in Johar's directorial project, after her debut film Student of the Year.

When asked about her role, Alia told reporters, "I've already been that (DJ, in the film). I hope it feels better to watch on screen. It was a very nice experience, getting to work second time with Karan. It was really good".

When prodded further, the actress said, "Watch the cameo in the film, it is very good".

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil stars Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma in lead roles. It also features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a special appearance.

Alia was speaking at the Filmfare Glamour and Style awards in Mumbai last night.

The actress said she considers megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Kangana Ranaut to be stylish.

"I think Mr Bachchan is very glamorous. He is very classily glamorous. And I feel Kangana is very glamorous too".

Alia, meanwhile, will be next seen in Dear Zindagi and Badrinath ki Dulhaniya, which stars Varun Dhawan.
History ruled as Vice President Hamid Ansari met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on Sunday, with recollections of the role played by the then Indian envoy to Hungary M.A.Rahman in the 1956 uprising in the central European country being underlined in glowing terms.

Ansari's visit to Hungary comes just days before Hungary commemorates the 60th anniversary of the 1956 revolution, and Orban recalled Rahmans support to the uprising and also the backing provided by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Hungary cannot forget either him or Nehru, who advocated the Hungarian cause in the United Nations. It was a friendly gesture we can never forget, he said.

Orban emphasized Ansaris links to Rahman, calling the latter the vice presidents mentor. Ansari, as a young diplomat, had worked with Rahman.

Rahmans family has been invited to participate in the 60th anniversary celebrations of the uprising, to be held on October 25.

Ansari is visiting Hungary as part of his five-day, two-nation tour. He leaves for Algiers on Monday.
The issue of terrorism resonated in the bilateral talks between India and Hungary on Sunday as Vice President Hamid Ansari held discussions with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest, and the two countries agreed on the need to set up a strong legal framework to fight terrorism.

"There has been a meeting of minds between our two sides that the scourge of terrorism needs to be eliminated and there is a need for a strong global legal framework and concerted action by all in dealing with this threat," said Ansari in his statement after his meeting with Orban.

Ansari had said that he would be discussing the issue of terrorism with the Hungarian leadership during his visit which came in the backdrop of the Uri terror attack and the surgical strikes undertaken by the Indian Army on terrorist camps across the Line of Control.

He said he reiterated Indias appreciation for the support extended by Hungary to Indias membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime and for entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Ansari said his meeting with the prime minister of Hungary gave the two leaders an opportunity to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as share views on global and regional issues.

After the plenary meeting between the two leaders and delegation level talks, the two countries signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of water management. An MoU between the Indian Council for World Affairs and the Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary was also inked.

In his press statement, the Hungarian premier said his country supported Indias aspirations of finding greater say in international politics. He promised Hungarys support to India in getting a representation on the international stage that merits its size.

Referring to Ansaris allusion to the philosophy of peaceful development, Orban said, The world is going through a major transformation, which provides a huge opportunity and at the same time poses significant threat. In this, the philosophy of peaceful development would be important.

Orban said the two countries talked about enhancing cooperation in the field of defence. We are in the process of rebuilding the Hungarian defence industry. In this, Hungary counts on Indias participation, he said.

The Hungarian prime minister announced that the two countries had agreed to set up a working group on technology to enhance cooperation in the field of technology.

Orban commended the Indian industry for investing in Hungary, saying in 2014-15, India was the largest greenfield investor in the central European country.

Ansari is on a five-day, two-nation tour of Hungary and Algeria. He leaves for Algiers on Monday.
A special police officer (SPO) was allegedly stoned to death by two people in a remote village of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Hemant Kumar was deployed at Phinter Chowk where he had an altercation with the accused who attacked him with stones, a police officer said.

He said Kumar was left in a pool of blood and when he was shifted to a local hospital doctors declared him brought dead.

He said the accused have been identified as Naresh Bhadwal and Manveer Lalotra.

He said a case of murder has been registered and one of the accused has been arrested. Efforts were on to arrest the second accused.
Jana Sena party president 'Power Star' Pawan Kalyan (PK) expressed solidarity with the villagers of Tundurru in West Godavari, protesting against an aqua-food processing plant proposed to be set up there. Kalyan said that he would spearhead an agitation if the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu did not intervene in the issue. He further cautioned Naidu not to turn Tundurru into another Nandigram.

The aggressive stance adopted by the actor-turned-politican comes as a surprise, since he and his Jana Sena party are seen as electoral partners to TDP. PK is very popular among the youth, the one single reason why he was roped in by the TDP-BJP combine during the 2014 elections.

The main complaint is that the food park being set up in the Godavari delta area has already polluted a major canal that is a lifeline to lakhs of people, including farmers and fishermen. There are around 50,000 fishermen in these villages. The other complaint was that the factory was being set up without seeking any public opinion. The people of Tundurru, Jonnalagaruvu and Kamsalibethapudi, who feared the effects of pollution from the proposed food park, got an assurance from the star that he would stand by them if their livelihood was ever at stake. According to PK,the fishermen are worried that the food park would pollute the Yenamadarru canal which provides drinking water and is a lifeline to the people.





He said that such factories should be set up in non-agriculture lands and not on fertile crop-yielding ones. This issue of pollution, emerging from the Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park, had been pushed under the carpet for some time. The issue was raked up again, when CPM Politburo member Brinda Karat visited the place recently. The YSRC president Jagan Mohan Reddy is scheduled to visit on Oct. 19.

Let the government withdraw its plans of promoting units that will disrupt the ecological balance. If it is adamant, I will take the help of other political parties, like the CPM, who are already fighting on behalf of people whose livelihoods are in jeopardy," he added.

This is at a time when Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government is looking for ways and means to industrialise these areas and increase employment opportunities.

It remains a fact that PK and Jana Sena need to wake up and make noise every now and then to remain relevant in the political scene, especially since he has announced his decision to quit acting and take to politics from 2019. But comparing this to Nandigram in West Bengal and threatening a similar result seems to be taking the issue too far. But having made all that noise, PK was careful, insisting on mentioning that he is not against industrial progress - adding that the government must shift the food park to a different location.
A beleaguered Donald Trump sought to undermine the legitimacy of the U.S. presidential election on Saturday, pressing unsubstantiated claims the contest is rigged against him, vowing anew to jail Hillary Clinton if hes elected and throwing in a baseless insinuation his rival was on drugs in the last debate.

Not even the countrys more than two centuries of peaceful transitions of political leadership were sacrosanct as Trump accused the media and the Clinton campaign of conspiring against him to undermine a free and fair election.

The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing completely false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect her president, he said. He has denied allegations made against him, calling the women liars.

Earlier Saturday, Trump took to Twitter to warn that 100% fabricated and made-up charges, pushed strongly by the media and the Clinton Campaign, may poison the minds of the American Voter. FIX!

Hillary Clinton should have been prosecuted and should be in jail, he added. Instead she is running for president in what looks like a rigged election.

In a country with a history of peaceful political transition, his challenge to the elections legitimacy  as a way to explain a loss in November, should that happen  was a striking rupture of faith in American democracy. Trump has repeatedly claimed without offering evidence that election fraud is a serious problem and encouraged his largely white supporters to go and watch polling places in certain areas to make sure things are on the up and up.

Peter Kostruba, a Trump supporter who traveled to his Portsmouth rally from Barnet, Vermont, with his 10-year-old son, said hes not expecting riots to break out if Clinton wins, but he sees sharper divisions in the country.

It definitely feels like the odds are stacked, whether its the legal system or the voter system, Kostruba said. I dont think youre going to see all of this group here arm themselves and mobilize, but, you know, were probably not too many years away from that if things keep going the way were going.

On a similar theme, a prominent Trump supporter who spoke at the GOP convention last summer, Sheriff David Clarke Jr. of Wisconsins Milwaukee County, tweeted Saturday: Its incredible that our institutions of gov, WH, Congress, DOJ, and big media are corrupt & all we do is bitch. Pitchforks and torches time. Clarke, an elected Democrat, illustrated his tweet with a photo showing angry people with clubs and torches.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, whose decision not to campaign for Trump angered the GOP nominee, made clear he does not share the candidates concern about the elections legitimacy.

Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity, said AshLee Strong, speaking for him.

It was not the first time Trump has raised the idea the election is unfairly tilted against him, but it has become a resurgent theme for the New York billionaire and many of his supporters in the past several days as hes slipped in preference polls and faced allegations of misconduct.

As well, campaign money is tight, at least in comparison with his rivals resources, according to information that pre-dates the release of an inappropriate 2005 video.

Trump began this month with $75 million in his campaign and joint party accounts, he said Saturday in a statement. Thats exactly half of what the Clinton team said it had on hand  a worrisome financial disadvantage for the Republican side.

There was trouble in Ohio, too, where Trump severed ties with the states Republican Party chairman, Matt Borges, who had become openly critical of the nominee at times. That crack in unity comes in a critical battleground state, where Republican Gov. John Kasich is also not behind Trump.

Trumps tribulations and accusations overshadowed the release Saturday of yet more emails hacked from accounts of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, laying bare aspects of the campaigns internal deliberations.

The latest batch showed the campaign worrying whether Sen. Elizabeth Warren might endorse Bernie Sanders, wrestling with how to respond to revelations about her private email use, and lining up materials to respond to fresh accusations from Juanita Broaddrick, who accused Bill Clinton of assaulting her decades ago. He denied the accusation, which was never adjudicated by a criminal court.

Trump also suggested Saturday that Clinton had been on drugs during the last debate and challenged his rival to a drug test before the final debate Wednesday.

Instead of spending the weekend preparing, he said, I think shes actually getting pumped up, you want to know the truth.

I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate, cause I dont know whats going on with her, he said. But at the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped up at the beginning. And at the end, it was like  she could barely even reach her car.

Trump offered no evidence to support the bizarre claim. Nothing about Clintons demeanor in the debate suggested she was under the influence.

(AP)
Russias U.N. ambassador said that tensions with the United States are probably the worst since the 1973 Mideast war.

But Vitaly Churkin said Friday that Cold War relations between the Soviet Union and Russia more than 40 years ago were different than U.S.-Russia relations today.

The general situation I think is pretty bad at this point, probably the worst  since 1973, he said in an interview with three journalists at Russias U.N. Mission.

But Churkin said that even though we have serious frictions, differences like Syria, we continue to work on other issues  and sometimes quite well.

That wasnt the case generally during the Cold War.

When Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack against Israel on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar in October 1973, the Mideast was thrown into turmoil. And according to historians, the threat of an outbreak of fighting between the Soviet Union, which backed the Arabs, and the United States, Israels closest ally, during the Yom Kippur War was the highest since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

Churkin said there are a string of things that have brought U.S.-Russian relations to their current low point.

Its kind of a fundamental lack of respect and lack of in-depth discussions on political issues, he said.

Churkin pointed to the U.S. and NATO deciding to build their security at the expense of Russia by accepting many East European nations formerly in the Soviet bloc as NATO members, and the United States pullout from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001.

One of the greatest provocations during President George W. Bushs administration was the 2008 NATO summit, which decided that Ukraine and Georgia should become NATO members, he said.

Most important, he said, was the conflict that erupted in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, weeks after a former Moscow-friendly Ukrainian president was chased from power by massive protests. Churkin called it a coup supported by the United States. Soon after, Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula, which has led to Western sanctions against Moscow.

Ties between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated further in the past month after the collapse of a cease-fire in Syria and intensified bombing on Aleppo by Syrian and Russian aircraft, and U.S. accusations that Russia is meddling in the U.S. presidential election next month. But despite the strained relations, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Saturday in Lausanne, Switzerland, in an effort to look at possibilities for restoring a cease-fire.

Churkin also pointed to other positive achievements in U.S.-Russia relations even at this low point. He cited agreements in the U.N. Security Council in recent years supported by Moscow and Washington, even on Syria  allowing cross-border aid deliveries without government approval and establishing a team of experts to determine responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in the country. He also cited council resolutions to combat terrorism.

The United States and Russia were also key players in last years nuclear deal with Iran, and last week they agreed on the Security Councils nomination of former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres as the next U.N. secretary-general, which Churkin said was maybe the best success of the Security Council in the last five years. Guterres was elected by acclamation Thursday by the General Assembly.

Churkin said Russia would like to normalize relations with the United States.

If the change of administration is going to help, thats fine, he said. But even if President Barack Obama stayed for another term, which he is barred from doing, we would be pushed to trying to get back to normal in our relations.

(AP)
After meeting with both Lewis and Clark County Commission candidates and reading their responses to our questionnaire, we dont consider either to be a bad choice.

Democrat Matt Elsaesser and Republican Jim McCormick have both done a lot for our community through their years in local public service; both have the knowledge, skill and abilities to be effective in this position; and we believe both are genuinely interested in doing whats best for the county.

In many areas, the candidates dont differ much. For example, both see the importance of annexation but have concerns about the way it is being done in Helena.

As we reflect on our countys most pressing needs and what each candidate has to offer, however, McCormick stands out as the best fit.

As a sales and marketing development leader for Montana State Fund and a certified insurance counselor, McCormick is in the risk management business. He knows how to forecast financial threats and identify ways to minimize their impact -- which are particularly important skills as county leaders work to address the overcrowding crisis at the detention center.

Though the current ballot initiatives seeking to raise taxes to increase the capacity of the jail have become a point of contention, McCormick emphasized that the cost of doing nothing could lead to litigation that would likely cost taxpayers even more. Even if voters approve the current ballot initiatives, this is just a temporary solution to a very serious problem, and we need county leadership to be able to analyze the intricacies of the situation and give us straight answers about our long-term options.

We also believe McCormicks degree and professional background in business give him an advantage in driving private economic growth, which is the best way to expand the tax base in our countys predominantly government-sustained economy. He said his vision for local economic development is for businesses not only to locate here, but to bring outside revenue to the local economy by exporting at least 51 percent of their products to other areas.

Thats not to say that we agreed with McCormick on every point. And while neither candidate provided a solid plan for how to address long-term rural fire protection as many volunteer firefighters reach retirement age, this is one area where Elsaesser came out stronger.

Elsaesser floated the idea of requiring residents of dense unincorporated neighborhoods near Helena city limits to pay for city fire protection, while McCormick is hoping that spotlighting the efforts of volunteers will keep them in their positions. While Elsaessers idea would be a good start, we believe the county commission is going to have to do a lot more than either candidate is proposing to protect the lives and property of rural residents well into the future.

Overall, however, McCormick is best equipped to meet the countys unique needs at this particular time. And we are happy to announce that he has earned our endorsement for Lewis and Clark County Commission.
Justin Yaakov Ephraim Zemser ZL, the 20-year-old Navy midshipman who was RL tragically killed in last years Amtrak crash in Philadelphia, was honored with a street co-naming outside his high school in Rockaway on Friday.

Friends, family and elected officials gathered outside the Channel View School for Research where Justin Zemser had graduated in 2013 as the class valedictorian.

The NYC Council approved legislation renaming the northwest corner of Seaside Avenue and Beach Channel Drive Midshipman Justin Zemser Way.

The Class of 2013 valedictorian at Channel View School for Research, Zemser was in his second year at the United States Naval Academy when he tragically died in the 2015 Amtrak crash while returning to Rockaway for a weekend.

Zemser was one of eight passengers killed when the speeding train derailed in Philadelphia on May 12, 2015.

As YWN reported at the time, immediately after his petira, under the leadership of Rabbi Yaakov Bender, the office staff at Yeshiva Darchei Torah, undertook to learn mishnayos seder moed in his memory.

A siyum was held on his Shloshim to commemorate the completion of that siyum.

A few months later, Mr. Howard Zemser wrote a moving letter to the community, which was published by YWN.

(Dov Gefen  YWN)
What would motivate Helena City Commissioner Robert Farris-Olsen to propose a City of Helena Resolution supporting the Smith River State Park and expressing concern over proposed mining activities that may adversely impact the health of the river, the quality of life of Helena residents, and Helenas economy?

To begin with, Commissioner Robert Farris-Olsen is a lawyer with Morrison, Sherwood, Wilson, Deola, which is a firm that has represented Montana Environmental Information Center. He is married to Erin Farris-Olsen who holds a Board Member position for the Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC). MEIC aggressively garners public sympathy to solicit funds for its own various environmental causes, including the Smith River.

It is disturbing that Commissioner Farris-Olsen has taken his attention away from Helenas own needs to write a Resolution regarding an issue in another county. This response is not intended to legitimize his effort, but merely to comment on certain points:

In the Resolution, Farris-Olsen states that Montanas Smith River is a national treasure due to its gorgeous canyon scenery, renowned trout fishery, and abundant wildlife. When and by whose authority did the Smith River become listed as a National Treasure? The States website does promote the Smith River as having renowned trout fishing as one of the recreational opportunities available, but does not promote the Smith River as a National Treasure. Citizens should take time to read the Smith River State Park and River Corridor Recreation Management Plan 2009 to begin to understand the background of floating the Smith River and the negative impact floating has on the Smith River. The defecation along the river and pit latrines raise health concerns, disturb the soil and vegetation, has caused improper disposal of trash, and impacted cultural resources. If the latrines have been in operation since the mid-1980s and are required to be dug each year with an average of 42 latrines dug per float season -- thats 1,302 latrine holes polluting the area. The conflict between wildlife and floaters prompted Fish Wildlife and Parks wardens to kill six black bears from 2013 through 2014, with two additional bears being killed by floaters.

In the Resolution, Farris-Olsen states that Whereas, the State of Montana recognized the exceptional environmental, cultural, and economic values of the Smith River with the creation of the Smith River State Park."

The access of the public to the Smith River State Park has itself contributed to the negative impacts to the environment and destruction of archeological remains. According to the Smith River State Park and River Corridor Recreation Management Plan 2009, FWP is not aware of any studies that focused specifically on the economic value of Smith River floating. The majority of floaters arrive fully supplied and head off to Camp Baker instead of spending time exploring White Sulphur Springs. Many floaters have been told that they must spend the night at Camp Baker, which is not only erroneous, but has resulted in a negative economic impact to city in dollars spent for gas, food, and lodging. The expense of road maintenance to Camp Baker is through the Meagher County taxpayers, with no compensation from floaters.

In the Resolution, Farris-Olsen states Whereas, in 2016 approximately 966 residents in the city of Helena applied for a permit to float the Smith, and approximately 100 were successful. Neal Whitney, of the Finance Division of Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks reports that 101 Helena citizens were successful in obtaining a permit to float the Smith River. Now, in comparison, if the reported 16,000 attendees of the 2016 Red Ants Pants Music Festival did not have a substantial economic impact on the businesses of White Sulphur Springs, how would 101 people from Helena?

In the Resolution, Farris-Olsen states Whereas, there is a proposal by Tintina resources of Canada and Sandfire Resources of Australia to develop a copper mine directly adjacent to and underneath Sheep Creek. The residents of Helena should take a tour and see for themselves where the proposed mine is located, instead of relying on Farris-Olsens interpretation of geography.

In the City Resolution, Farris-Olsen states that the Smith River State Park is an important economic driver for Helena. Wheres the data to support this statement? Farris-Olsen demands a 100% certainty that the proposal will not harm the river. Nothing in life is 100%. Park rangers cannot even insure that those permitted floaters follow the rules established to protect the health and safety of floaters, prevent the destruction of archeological remains, and protect the environment.

Helena has nearly 30,000 people. In 2016 only 966 residents applied to float the Smith River. So only 3.22% of Helenas population is even interested in floating the Smith River, yet Commissioner Farris-Olsen has taken the time and the energy to write a Helena City resolution for those few. As stated earlier, the Helena City Resolution appears to be an attempt to garner attention and seek funds for an organization that Farris-Olsens wife represents. Let the process for permitting work as intended.

Mayor and council

City of White Sulphur Springs
Jumps in passenger numbers and freight volumes helped P&O Ferries boost profits tenfold last year, according to its latest accounts.

The company last year saw the departure of its competitor, the Eurotunnel-owned MyFerryLink ferry operator, which was ordered by the Competition and Markets Authority to stop running cross-Channel ferries. It means just P&O and DFDS now operate cross-channel services.

A spokesman for P&O Ferries told The Mail on Sunday: We always said we dont mind competition so long as its fair.

Ship shape: P&O Ferries saw its profits soar to 26.8million

The company  which runs vessels between the UK, Ireland and the Continent as well as transport across Europe in its Ferrymasters logistics division  recorded sales of 936 million in the year to December 31, 2015, down slightly on 943million the previous year.

However, lower costs and expenses meant pre-tax profits soared from 2.2million to 26.8million.

The P&O Ferries spokesman added: The business has really turned around compared with previous years and were very much looking forward to building on that performance this year.

Its route between Tilbury and Zeebrugge proved especially popular last year and the company is currently doubling the capacity of its Zeebrugge terminal.

The expansion was announced several weeks after the referendum vote and is aimed at meeting increased demand from exporters to Britain.

The company, which is ultimately owned by Dubai World Corporation, said the tourist market on the Dover-Calais route suffered from a market contraction, but was able to drive revenue growth through increases in tourist yield. It added that it was seeing strong advance booking on its tourist business in the North Sea.

The sector has also benefited from fuel efficiencies which have driven significant savings in consumption.

The company was founded in the 1960s and is now the largest operator of cross-Channel services, employing 3,700 workers. The highest-paid director  understood to be chief executive Helen Deeble  was paid 521,000 last year, a 20 per cent pay rise.

The Brexit vote was said to have so far had little impact on the company. The P&O Ferries spokesman said they were still waiting to see the effects of the fall in sterling.
Three directors of a company specialising in cranes and lifting equipment have been told they face a 53,000 penalty to break free from their Vodafone contract early  despite reporting a series of service problems to the provider over the past year.

The case is the latest in an ongoing saga that has seen countless Vodafone customers routinely let down by the mobile giant.

The Mail on Sunday has documented the companys fall from grace over the past year and, as a result of its failures, the network is facing a large fine from communications regulator Ofcom. The fine could be imposed as early as this month.

The crane gang: Directors Tony Morgan, left, Andy Cayzer and Phil Goodway are moving premises and want to switch their phone provider

RHC Lifting  based in Yate, Bristol  was set up in 2001 by Tony Morgan, 53, Phil Goodway, 45, and 50-year-old Andy Cayzer.

As the business expanded, the trio wanted to upgrade their mobile and landline phone system, comprising 26 mobile phones.

In the summer of 2015 they agreed a new five-year contract with Vodafones One Net service, designed to link the companys fixed and mobile phone lines. But they say the system has been plagued with faults, including dropped calls, poor line quality and customers struggling to get through.

Tony says: It was sold to us as a flexible and cost-effective solution. Vodafones sales team said there would be cost savings along with improved performance and flexibility.

Sadly, reality has not lived up to the sales pitch. Once the system was installed, Vodafone support disappeared and we were left struggling with a faulty phone system, says Tony.

We have had people call us that were trying to call someone else. Others rang, only to end up with the wrong person.

Let down: Bristol-based RHC Lifting believes it has been treated poorly by Vodafone

We have also suffered from call ghosting issues, where the phone at all extensions rings without anyone being there. Phone lines have gone dead part-way through a conversation while calls have been cut off when someone else rings in.

We even had customers unable to get through because the line went dead. Some wanted to know if we had gone bust.

In addition to the flawed system, the company directors say they have been overcharged on bills by an estimated 5,000.

Vodafone asked the company to log all defects but it was still unable to find out the cause.

CANT BEAR TO STAY

The directors want to move RHC Lifting to bigger premises because the business is expanding. But they cannot bear to take Vodafones One Net service with them.

Yet they resent paying the 53,000 required to ditch the contract. Tony says: We do not want to take the system with us as it has been so problematic and we have no confidence in it.

We asked Vodafone if it was willing to draw a line under the disaster of the past 15 months. We offered to hand back its mobile phones, the One Net system and even allow it to keep our overpayment for mobile data, which we estimated at 5,000.

It refused, would not discuss the matter and wanted more than 53,000 from us to finish the contract early. Its final letter  the only one in 15 months  does not even acknowledge the problems we have had.

Adding salt to the wound, a new customer account manager from Vodafone rang a few weeks ago and was totally oblivious to the service issues.

HOW VODAFONE COMPARES TO RIVALS Between April and June this year, Vodafone continued its shameful record as the most complained about mobile phone provider. Communications regulator Ofcom logged 23 complaints for the network per 100,000 accounts. It is a fall from the peak of 32 in the final quarter of 2015, but is still more than all of the other providers combined. The figure is also more than three times the industry average of seven.

Vodafone maintains it has worked with the company to resolve any technical issues. It has moved RHC Lifting on to a different plan and refunded data charges of more than 4,000.

A spokeswoman says: We are keen to continue to work with the company and would be happy to arrange for a Vodafone specialist to spend a number of days with them to identify whatever faults there may be on the system.

Closing the account early will lead to early termination fees which we are unable to waive.

Phil Goodway says this is not good enough. He says: If working with us to resolve issues is not replying to our emails or letters and us still having the same problems we had since last June, then I guess it is working with us.

'We have been clear in our communications since last August that if the service did not improve and if faults were not fixed in a timely period, we would have to replace the system. Only now have they offered the assistance of a specialist.

The company is in the process of moving its phone system to rival BT.

Failures: Vodafone is facing a large fine from communications regulator Ofcom

THE REGULATORS RULES

Ofcom, which monitors mobile, broadband and pay TV companies in the UK, provides information on the rights of business customers on its website.

It has a list of general conditions that providers should adhere to  such as giving a minimum level of information about the terms of contracts and offering at least one 12-month contract for each service, so businesses are not tied in for too long. Visit ofcom.org.uk/advice-for-businesses for more information.

Small businesses with fewer than ten employees have the right to take an unresolved complaint to an independent mediator, the Communications Ombudsman, just like individual consumers can.

For companies with more than ten staff, the provider and Ombudsman both decide on a case-by-case basis whether a complaint can go to mediation. If it cannot, the only alternative is legal action.

This could be pursued under the Consumer Rights Act, which states that goods should be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose.

In RHC Liftings case, Vodafone has agreed to let the company refer its complaint to the Ombudsman, despite having more staff than would usually be accepted.

Five steps to quit a problem provider 1. List the problems you experience as they occur, with dates and times. 2. Log each fault with your provider and ask for them to be fixed. 3. Keep a record of both the problems and your contact with a provider. Write an email or letter to the network so you have hard evidence to refer to later. Alternatively, record your phone conversations with customer services  which can be done with your mobile. 4. Complain to the network formally, in writing, and explain your reasons for wanting to break a contract early. 5. Escalate your complaint to the Communications Ombudsman if your provider refuses your plea. The Ombudsman will review evidence on both sides and make a decision. If it finds in your favour this is binding on the company. Visit ombudsman-services.org/communications or call 0330 440 1614.




Despite Government promises to make fast broadband a legal right, many families are still waiting weeks for internet access when they move home  or for repairs when there is disruption to their service.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron said last year that access to the internet should be a right absolutely fundamental to life in 21st Century Britain. But despite this pledge, hundreds of people are left waiting for internet access in their homes more than a month after they have requested it.

The delays can be laid at the door of Openreach, a subsidiary of BT which installs new lines for all copper wire-based broadband.

End of the line: BTs Openreach should install broadband in 12 working days

- Recent performance figures show that the average wait time for those needing an engineer to install a broadband line is more than 12 working days  nine days if an engineer is not needed.

- More than one per cent of all new lines requested are still not in place a month after the agreed installation date.

- Delays can lead to homeowners relying on expensive mobile phone broadband and breaches to mobile data limits. It can also cause disruption for those who work from home and rely heavily on the internet.

- Openreach says current delays are a result of higher than expected work levels, severe weather and other local circumstances.

- It argues that its service is on track to meet or exceed the higher service level standards set for us by Ofcom this year which require Openreach to install broadband within 12 working days as a minimum service level target.

Customers facing delays cannot speak to Openreach directly. It refers them back to their internet service provider. This is despite the fact that provider PlusNet admits all companies are wholly reliant on Openreach to install their lines and fix faults in a timely manner.

'We had no internet and no mobile signal  it was like being back in the 90s' Lucy Sims waited seven weeks to have broadband installed in her new home  despite informing provider BT well in advance. She says: The broadband was supposed to be installed the day after we moved in, but the engineer who turned up said we needed someone else to come. Frustration: Lucy Sims alerted BT before moving  but still waited seven weeks After this initial disappointment, Lucy, a part-time art conservator and mother of one-year-old son Leo, was told several dates for connection. On one occasion, an engineer turned up unannounced while she was out. Lucy, 31, from near Farnham in Surrey, and husband Matt, a teacher, were also unable to use their mobiles in the house because they had no coverage. Lucy adds: It was like being back in the 1990s when people had to phone me on the landline. Eventually, the problem was sorted but Lucy says that both she and Matt went over their data limits during the time that they were waiting, which cost them extra money. On Friday, a BT spokesman said: Were sorry for the delay in installing the Sims broadband. This was caused by mistakes we made in their original order and in a replacement order. It also credited them with 30 for a wireless dongle to use while they were waiting for service, gave them two months free broadband and reduced the cost of their broadband to 10 a month for 12 months (from 22).

Ewan Taylor-Gibson, broadband expert at price comparison website uSwitch, says: For those who rely on the internet to work from home, or those who just like to unwind in front of Netflix after a long day, it can feel like an interminable wait for broadband to be installed when youve just moved in.

Providers usually estimate around two weeks from the point of sale to get your broadband up and running. But there are issues that can slow this down  such as if you need a new BT home phone line installed, or if you are signed up to Virgin and your property has yet to be connected to its fibre optic network.

AVOID THE LONG WAIT

There are steps you can take to ensure you are not left unconnected for too long, either when switching provider or moving house.

If you are switching services, but staying in the same property, the transfer should take around two weeks, but there should be only an hour or two of service disruption.

If you are moving home, the disruption may be greater and your new line may require an engineer visit, which is when long delays can occur.

Kate Devine, home services expert at comparison website MoneySupermarket, says that giving a minimum three to four weeks notice of your home move should ensure your provider gets an Openreach engineer to you promptly. She also says that waits can be longer at certain times of year  for example, January and September.

For those who sign up for a particularly good deal, the wait can be longer as well, so it pays to plan for delay.

If you are just switching providers, the worst thing you can do is cancel your current service. If you do this, the line will no longer be active and this could cause extra disconnection and reconnection charges and delays getting your new service up and running.

Even if you are moving home, cancelling your existing service may not be the best policy. In many cases you can port an existing contract to a new home, avoiding cancellation charges and it may also make the transfer smoother.

Short-term alternatives include using your mobile to tether your computer

SURVIVE IN THE INTERIM

Despite taking precautionary steps, many families still find they are left with a period of broadband disconnection following a house move or fault.

Short-term alternatives include using your mobile to tether your computer  which means you use the data on your mobile contract to create a broadband connection to your computer.

Not all contracts allow tethering, and it can quickly use up a data allowance. You could also use a mobile dongle on a one-month contract  if you are just using one computer  or a mobile wi-fi unit (known as MiFi) if you have several devices.

Vodafone currently offers a one- month MiFi contract costing 15 or 20, depending on data usage. There is also a 45 upfront cost and you pay for any extra data you use. These deals can prove expensive for heavy users.

You can also make friends with your neighbour and ask to share their connection if their wi-fi signal is strong enough.

DEAL WITH DELAYS

If the date you are given for broadband installation is weeks away, or an appointment gets cancelled, you should complain to your provider.

Ofcom regulates all providers, as well as Openreach, and requires them to comply with certain standards. It also requires Openreach to hit certain targets for installation times.

The regulator expects all providers to tell you, at the point of sale, the likely date that the service will be provided. If you feel your provider is not playing ball you can make a formal complaint, initially via the companys customer services department.
All eyes were on the headline-grabbing spat between Unilever and Tesco last week, but the car industry has been quietly adding hundreds of pounds to the list price of new vehicles for British drivers.

Major car makers have been hiking prices in recent months and there are fears further rises could follow. Even British manufacturer Vauxhall has raised its prices. This weekend the company defended the increase to The Mail on Sunday saying it faced higher costs even on vehicles made in the UK.

French group PSA, which makes Peugeot and Citroen cars, was the first to act, raising its prices by 2 per cent in August, just two months after the crucial vote.

Driven up: The cost of a new Astra has gone up by 470, with Vauxhall blaming the increase on currency issues

US giant Ford was not far behind, revealing a 1.5 per cent price rise last month. Vauxhall increased its prices by 2.5 per cent from the beginning of October.

Japanese brands Honda and Nissan are hiking prices by an average of 0.9 per cent and 1.5 respectively this month, while Suzuki will bump up the cost of some of its cars by 2 per cent.

In June, The Mail on Sunday reported that the automotive industry had come out overwhelmingly in support of a Remain vote. However, pleas by car bosses failed to be heeded and since then the industry has been counting the cost.

Vauxhalls European parent company Opel has said Brexit has so far cost it 346 million while Nissan has warned that the announced price hikes were just part of a first wave and that more were to follow.

This means some of Britains most popular cars are more expensive by hundreds of pounds. The cost of a Ford Fiesta now starts at 13,545  a rise of 200  while the Vauxhall Astra is 470 more expensive, with prices starting at 15,915.

But some marques are keeping their powder dry. One of the UKs biggest car makers, Jaguar Land Rover, which employs 6,000 staff at its Solihull plant, told The Mail on Sunday it had no planned increases.

Keeping its powder dry: Jaguar Land Rover said it had no planned increases

Similarly BMW, which also owns Rolls-Royce and Mini, which has a plant in Oxford, said it was closely monitoring the situation, but had no plans regarding price hikes. Fiat, which makes the popular Fiat 500, has also not revealed any increase.

Some experts question why UK-based car makers should be raising their prices at all. The Vauxhall Astra and Honda Civic, for example, are built in the UK. But a Vauxhall spokesman told The Mail on Sunday the price rise was justified by the increase in real costs caused by the slump in the pound.

He said: We increased prices by an average of 2.5 per cent on October 1 as a direct result of exchange rates. We buy a lot of components and import much of our range from mainland Europe  only the Astra and the Vivaro van are built here  hence the issue with the euro.

BMW, which also owns Rolls-Royce and Mini said it was closely monitoring the situation

But Prof Garel Rhys, director for automotive industry research at Cardiff Business School, said consumers shouldnt panic about rising prices. He said: List prices may have gone up, but itll be hard for manufacturers to make them stick. The ethos of discounting and haggling on the forecourt is ingrained. Only the most naive pay full price.
Twice a year, every year, you can guarantee that pensions  our pensions  suddenly become a political hot potato. First in the run-up to the Chancellors Budget in March and then in the weeks leading up to the Autumn Statement.

Frustrating? Yes, but a fact of political life, now and forever more unless some radical (and brave) government in the future stops bolstering the contributions we make into pensions with tax relief.

This year is no exception. Rumours were rife earlier in the year that George Osborne was plotting a radical overhaul of pensions  one which would see tax relief on contributions pared back to the bone.

Pension tax overhaul: Under the the 100 minus age system, the tax boost would be age dependent with the youngest benefiting the most

It never quite materialised although the lifetime savings allowance  the maximum amount that can be held inside a pension fund without further tax charges being applied  was (ludicrously and unfairly) scaled back from 1.25million to 1million.

Additional rate taxpayers also saw their ability to fund a pension compromised by a reduction in the annual amount they (and their employers) are permitted to contribute. Again, a bewildering and spiteful move.

We also saw the announcement of the multi-purpose Lifetime Individual Savings Account aimed at encouraging the young to save for a first-time home  and for a far-off retirement.

With a little luck, LISA will hit the streets next April although some companies such as Nationwide Building Society have already said they will not touch it with a bargepole because of the onerous exit penalties that will be applied on early withdrawals.

Tax relief skewed towards the young will turn the hair of administrators Gandalf white...

With the Autumn Statement just over a month away (November 23), the rumours have already started about what the new kid at Number 11  Philip Hammond  has up his pension sleeve.

Over the past few days, we have learnt that a document has been circulating among Government Ministers arguing for a radical overhaul of pension tax breaks.

Out would go the present system that gives the biggest tax breaks to higher and additional rate taxpayers who currently enjoy 40 and 45 per cent tax relief on contributions. In would come a regime where the tax boost would be age dependent with the youngest benefiting the most.

Referred to as the 100 minus age system, savers would get a Government boost of 100 minus their age for every 100 they contributed. For example, a 25-year-old would receive a top-up of 75 for every 100 invested while a 55-year-old would get 45. Annual pension contributions would be capped at 20,000  half those currently permitted  so as to keep a tight lid on the cost of the new regime.

This idea is not without its fans. Tom McPhail, head of retirement policy at Hargreaves Lansdown, believes it would help to engage younger workers with retirement savings. But I think it is barmy  on so many levels.

Policy: Chancellor Philip Hammond should abolish the lifetime savings allowance, says Jeff Prestridge

For a start, auto-enrolment  the railroading of workers into pensions  is already forcing youngsters to engage with long-term savings. Understandably, most are saving the bare minimum because they have other pressures on their finances (debt).

A tax relief framework skewed towards the young will not relieve this pressure  and will not persuade them to save any more.

Its also hardly good politics for the Government to reward all of us on our birthday with a reduction in the amount it is prepared to bolster our pensions with. Ageist or what?

From an administrative point of view, I imagine such a regime would be a nightmare to introduce  turning the hair of pension administrators Gandalf white.

We dont need more pensions tinkering and greater complexity like this. Only last week, the Office for Budget Responsibility said Osbornes relentless assault on pensions had made them less attractive and non-pension savings more attractive.

Surely, a prudent Government wants to encourage us to save long-term so that we do not become a burden on the State in our dotage.

Rather than this hare-brained idea dreamt up by some Treasury flunkey masquerading as the Mad Hatter, I would urge Philip Hammond to unwind some of the bad pensions policy implemented by his predecessor.

For a start, he should abolish the lifetime savings allowance, thereby spurring people into saving as much as possible for their retirement. He should then reverse the decision to reduce the cap on annual contributions for additional rate taxpayers.
Glancing at the menu of prices on Spire Healthcares website is enough to put you off your lunch. But its list of treatments is a sharp reminder of the myriad concerns  both health and cosmetic  that can now be taken care of by writing a cheque.

From breast augmentation (5,100), vasectomy reversal (3,225) and gastric bands (6,350) to eye bag removal (2,600) and hip replacements (13,276), there is a world of opportunity from Spires growing list of off-the-shelf surgery to whet the interest of consumers and investors alike.

Over the past 12 months, Spire has built the list of guide prices from a handful of options to 75 procedures from what some may frankly consider frivolous (facelift at 4,100 and nose job at 4,724) to the more serious.

Choice: Spire Healthcare treats both NHS and private patients

The medical menu now includes prostate laser surgery (4,835) and other procedures that may have more of an impact on your life rather than just helping you to lose a few pounds or make you want to gaze in the mirror more frequently.

Customers pay a 100 consultation fee to have their needs and the guide price discussed and confirmed. Any pressing health issues and lifestyle complications can affect the complexity of the procedure and the final price.

Despite offering only a guide to prices, the companys move is bold, establishing some transparency in a market where opacity puts many off before they have even started.

What we want to provide is certainty, both in terms of the cost and the timing of procedures, and customers are responding to that, says Spire executive chairman Garry Watts, who has been with the company since 2011.

Watts has been quoted saying he would be the last person on the planet to run down the NHS, given the scale and complexity of this vital national resource. But with an aging population and an increasing funding gap, Spires price list clearly shows where it expects to help cut waiting lists.

Spire also belongs to a select group of consumer firms that can directly tap into the over- 50s market. As with other firms marking out those in the throes of retirement planning, pension reforms have opened up a world of opportunities.

Expansion: Garry Watts will spend 175m

A new hip could be a better investment than a cruise round the Caribbean or a new car when your old one still has a few miles left in it. Meanwhile, speculation continues that its 29.9 per cent shareholder, Johannesburgs Mediclinic, might snap up the whole firm.

The shares have fallen from their 400p peak reached on the rumours last month and stand at 379p. But broker Berenberg has a target price of 395p and a buy rating on the shares.

The company was formed when private equity firm Cinven acquired Bupas 25 hospitals in 2007 and merged them with Classic Hospitals and Thames Valley Hospital, and then rebranded them all as Spire. The firm was listed in July 2014.

The number of people paying for operations is accelerating and the proportion of the firms 900million turnover arising from such consumers has doubled to 20 per cent since 2007. But sales are now rising at double-digit rates, Watts says, and business in that area looks set to continue to grow for some time.

Around half the companys business is still from medical insurance clients and about 30 per cent from the NHS. The latter rose at a healthy rate in the first half, boosted by NHS patients choosing to have their operations at Spire hospitals under the eReferral scheme.

Spire runs the UKs second-biggest chain of private health facilities, with 39 hospitals and 13 clinics. It is investing 175million in further capacity, including new hospitals in Manchester and Nottingham in the coming months and about 20 new operating theatres.
Unilever said that increased demand for its Ben & Jerrys ice cream helped summer sales

BUY THIS: Unilever

Unilever was on the buy list at The Share Centre despite a spat with Tesco last week sending shares lower.

Analyst Graham Spooner said sales growth at the consumer goods firm had been better than expected in its third-quarter results, and it is on track to meet its full-year targets.

Unilever said that increased demand for its Ben & Jerrys ice cream helped summer sales.

Spooner said the group offers a diverse range of brands and pays a healthy dividend.

SELL THIS: Hargreaves Lansdown

Analysts at Liberum said it was time to sell shares in the UKs leading stock broking firm.

Last week, a tie-up between two smaller rivals created Interactive Investor, making it the UKs second-largest online broker with more than 300,000 customers and assets of 18billion.
The American-born chief executive of Britains biggest oil company BP is set to take home about 2million more this year even without a pay increase thanks to the nosediving pound.

Bob Dudley lives in the UK but his annual salary and bonuses are paid in US dollars so his income will soar in real terms.

The currency windfall is likely to fuel an already simmering investor revolt over his bumper pay package.

Pay rise: Bob Dudley lives in the UK but his annual salary and bonuses are paid in US dollars

Last year when BP made a $5.2billion loss, Dudley was paid $19.6million in total, which at the exchange rate at BPs year-end in December of $1.48 to 1 equated to 13.2million.

If he is paid a comparable sum this year, the weaker pound  now at $1.22  would mean it is worth 16 million.

This sum includes pension contributions of $6.5million, but even if these are excluded because he is likely to retire to the US, Dudleys pay and bonuses last year added up to $13million, or 8.8million. After the fall in the pound Dudleys remuneration excluding pension contributions would have risen to 10.6million.

Dudley faced a shareholder revolt over his 20 per cent pay rise at the annual meeting earlier this year.

BP is currently consulting major shareholders over future pay plans, but the company said the exchange rate has not been raised as an issue.

The companys dividends are paid in dollars so UK investors would benefit from the fall in the pound.
Ladbrokes and Coral have agreed to sell more than 350 betting shops as part of their 2.3billion merger.

Rivals Betfred will buy 322 shops for 55million and Stan James will purchase 37 sites for 500,000.

The deal comes after the Competition And Markets Authority said the merger between Ladbrokes and Coral could go ahead only if they sold hundreds of sites to ensure the enlarged company does not monopolise local areas.

Stores sale: But Ladbrokes and Coral will still have about 3,700 betting shops

Ladbrokes chief executive Jim Mullen said: The sale of these shops will clear the last significant hurdle to delivering on the merger with Coral and paves the way for our focus on completion and quickly delivering on the opportunities the merger offers.

Ladbrokes and Coral will still have about 3,700 betting shops following the sale of the 359 sites. The 55.5million it will get for them will be used to repay debt.

The merger between Ladbrokes and Coral comes amid a wave of consolidation in the betting industry.

Paddy Power has joined forces with Betfair and William Hill is in talks with Canadian poker firm Amaya to create a 5billion gambling giant.

However, William Hill is now locked in a battle with its largest shareholder, Parvus Asset Management, which said the proposed merger with Amaya had limited strategic logic and would destroy shareholder value.

Ralph Topping, who stepped down in 2014 after eight years as chief executive of William Hill, said he fully supported Parvuss opposition.
The Helena City Commission is slated to consider a resolution on Monday night calling for absolute certainty that a proposed copper mine near White Sulphur Springs wont harm the Smith River.

The resolution is entitled as in support of Smith River State Park and an expression of concern regarding proposed mining that may adversely impact the river, the quality of life of Helenas residents and the Helena economy.

It was proposed by Commissioner Robert Farris-Olsen in September and its formal consideration was endorsed by a majority of the city commission during an administrative meeting at that time.

City commissioners will consider the resolution when they meet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 17 in the commission meeting room on the third floor of the City-County Building.

The Smith River is located in Meagher County and White Sulphur Springs, the nearest town to the proposed mine, is more than 70 miles from Helena.

The Black Butte Copper Project is proposed by Tintina Resources Inc., based in Canada, which is controlled by Australian-based Sandfire Resources. The mine would take place adjacent to and beneath Sheep Creek, which is a tributary of the Smith River.

The resolution has changed since it was first introduced by Farris-Olsen when it called for the mining proposal to be viewed skeptically and should not be permitted unless the applicant can demonstrate with 100 percent certainty that the proposal will not harm the river.

Farris-Olsen is married to Erin Farris-Olsen, a board member of the Montana Environmental Information Center. The Montana Environmental Information Center is one of the leading critics of the mine and in 2014, sued the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Tintina to challenge the companys proposed exploration permit.

Robert Farris-Olsen said he does not see a conflict of interest by proposing the resolution, explaining that the resolution is a policy statement and the city is not actively fighting the mine.

Among language in the resolution is that noting the Smith Rivers economic importance to the states recreational economy although the Meagher County commissioners in an Oct. 4 letter to Robert Farris-Olsen and the Helena commission asked for factual proof of the figures while not disputing them.

The Meagher County commissioners letter also said the resolution suggests the Montana Department of Environmental Quality is an inept agency and that Robert Farris-Olsen would be better qualified to render judgment because of the language calling for the mine proposal to be viewed skeptically.

We are uncertain of your qualifications in making judgment, the Meagher County commissions letter continued and asked for an explanation.

The application for the mine was initially sent back to the company for revision and recently resubmitted for state review and approval.

Mine officials have said after state approval would come a more extensive environmental review with more opportunities for public comment.

Among letters that have since been written to the city regarding the proposed resolution is that by Sue Hawthorne who on Sept. 28 wrote the city commission and Mayor Jim Smith to say she was curious why the city was trying to act on a matter outside its jurisdiction.

I remind you your jurisdiction stops at the city limits or just outside of it not in Meagher County, her letter stated.

An Oct. 12 letter from local business owners said it applauded Robert Farris-Olsens resolution and asked for the commissions full support.

Because of the rivers contribution to Montanas economy, the letter continued, thats why it is completely reasonable, if not necessary, for the city of Helena to make a simple statement that expresses the concerns of Helena citizens and businesses regarding the potential impacts from mining in the Smith River headwaters.
Workload: Ex BHS owner Dominic Chappell

Former BHS owner Dominic Chappell is poised to file amended accounts for his family firm showing 650,000 of loans previously left out of the figures.

Chappell told The Mail on Sunday the existing accounts were inaccurate and needed to be amended. The loans were made by Swiss Rock Ltd, which he jointly owned with his father, at the time he was working on his takeover of BHS.

Chappell acquired BHS for 1 from billionaire Sir Philip Green in March last year, but it went into administration less than a year later leaving 571million of pension liabilities.

Swiss Rock was also liquidated last month owing more than half a million pounds in tax and VAT, according to Revenue & Customs.

Chappell is working with accountant David Rubin & Partners on the accounts.

Were just making sure everything is totally correct and above board, and we will be refiling amended accounts shortly, Chappell said.

He added: I didnt pick it up in the audit. It was right at the time of the acquisition of BHS and I was overwhelmed with the workload and it didnt get the full attention it probably should have done.

My father and I owned the company 100 per cent, so we werent defrauding or misleading shareholders  there were no other shareholders or bank debt.

The new accounts are expected to show the firm was making a loss, rather than the profit recorded in the accounts filed in December last year.

MPs in the Work and Pensions Committee commissioned Prof Prem Sikka of the University of Essexs business school to investigate Chappells finances.
Industry chiefs are piling pressure on ministers to ensure steel produced in the UK is used to build the High Speed 2 rail link.

Liberty House Group and British Steel are pushing to become key suppliers in the scheme linking London with the Midlands and the North.

The 56billion rail link  which will require 2m tons of steel  won Government approval last week, and a guarantee that British-made steel will be used in the project would provide a lifeline for the struggling industry.

'Huge potential': Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman at Liberty House

Higher energy prices and cheap foreign imports have taken their toll in recent years and led to the loss of more than 5,000 jobs. It is feared the Government may use foreign steel to build HS2 after a key contract to supply steel for the next generation of nuclear submarines was awarded to the French earlier this month.

Experts have warned that if British steel is not used in major projects such as Trident and HS2 then the industry will be unable to maintain capacity for the future.

Liberty House and British Steel bought former Tata Steel plants after the Indian-owned company decided to withdraw from the troubled UK steel sector earlier this year.

Liberty House, which already had a steelworks in Newport, stepped in to save sites in Lanarkshire. Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman at Liberty House, told the Daily Mail: This is an exciting project with huge potential for UK-made steel. We would expect the scheme to generate major demand which will include steel plate for bridges, gantries and similar structures as well as the many concrete structures involved. As a British-based steel producer, Liberty would certainly want to be considered.

British Steel was spun off from Tata Steel in April after investment firm Greybull Capital bought the Scunthorpe steelworks for 1, reviving the British Steel brand and saving 4,000 jobs.

Future: A computer generated image of the proposed HS2 station at Euston, London

Peter Smith, managing director for British Steels rail arm, said: HS2 has the potential to make a huge difference to the transport and economy of this country, and we can play a significant role in this.

We have the capacity to make the rail for this project and will also be interested in supplying other steel products into the rest of the project.

The Government has so far failed to guarantee that British-made steel will be used in the project, but it has said steel contracts will not go abroad if the most competitive bid is British.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: We positively encourage bids from British companies to build HS2 and are holding discussions with UK suppliers to make sure they are in the best possible position to win contracts for the steel that will be needed.
A father and son who hope to run the leading online worktop retailer in Europe have secured a 3million investment from the Business Growth Fund to support the expansion of their company, Direct Online Services, in the UK and overseas.

Martyn and Will Rees launched the firms flagship brand, Worktop Express, and opened its first showroom in Gloucester in 2009. It now employs almost 200 people and expects turnover to exceed 25million this year.

Its portfolio includes Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets, deTerra and WEX Trade, and it has nine individually branded websites, four eBay shops and a fleet of vehicles. It also has another five showrooms around the country.

Expansion: Owners Martyn, left, and Will Rees

The company, which operates in Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland, plans to expand its European coverage across Germany and into France, increase its range of products and invest further in marketing.

Martyn Rees said: The business has grown rapidly in the past seven years and we have continued to make investments in our team, infrastructure, operations, sales and marketing.

The investment by BGF will also be used to support expansion across the UK. The group has recently added laminate worktops and new kitchen components, such as sinks and cabinets, to its range.

BGF is the UKs most active provider of growth capital to small and mid-sized firms. The companies it backs are privately owned or listed on AIM, and typically have revenues between 5million and 100million. It makes investments of between 2million and 10million and can provide additional growth funding. The investment provided is typically in return for a minority equity stake.
In the first report into the effect of bank branch closures on small and medium-sized businesses, seen exclusively by The Mail on Sunday, the Federation of Small Businesses has demanded greater communication from banks over reductions in services and protection for the ATM network.

Its report, Locked Out: The Impact Of Bank Branch Closures On Small Businesses, authored by policy adviser Ben Baruch, is to be revealed tomorrow following focus group meetings across the UK between July and September.

FSB policy director Martin McTague said in the study: Our report shows the disproportionate impact branch closures are having in some parts of the UK and particularly in rural areas. This is concerning as evidence strongly suggests that closure programmes are both expanding and accelerating.

Small businesses affected by closures received limited communication from their bank

The report said small businesses affected by closures received limited communication from their bank with regard to support and signposting towards alternative services. It also said awareness of consultation or engagement exercises on behalf of banks is effectively zero amongst the small business community.

In spite of the increasing range of payment methods used by small firms, cash is still vital to the operation of many local economies, the report found.

And the FSB said there were instances of villages and towns literally running out of money. It complained that business banking services at some Post Office branches and franchises were too limited and that the high cost of small electronic transactions was putting some small firms off investing in new payment technology.

Gwyn Evans, chairman of FSB North Wales, said in the report: Unlike in urban areas, if a branch closes in rural Wales, the business owner may face a 20-mile or more round trip to bank cash. Also, when you run a business dealing in cash, you cannot pay in a bag of change over the internet or through a smartphone app  there are limitations to even the most advanced technologies. In addition, online banking is not always easily available in rural areas.

Malcolm Harrison, who runs Crazy Horse Coffee Shop in Invergordon in the Highlands, took part in a focus group and accused Royal Bank of Scotland of leaving the town high and dry after it closed the last bank branch there.

He said: I have not been too badly affected, but I have been here 12-odd years and am part of the furniture. Two or three businesses have closed since RBS went  a jeweller and another coffee shop, and a gift shop moved to another location.

He said a lot of business custom moved to the next town when the branch closed, but added: The biggest problem is where to get change from. Even if I put 100 to one side, it affects cash flow and I can get through that in a couple of hours. I then have to drive to the next town, leaving the shop a person down.

What was particularly upsetting was that the bank put a lot of effort into marketing online banking, and that affected footfall in the Invergordon branch.

We had an idea there was something afoot but the bank denied it was closing it. It has really been underhand in the way it has gone about this.
MISSOULA  The Missoula Festival of the Dead won't offer free face-painting before its procession down Higgins Avenue this year, citing concerns about cultural appropriation.

Organizers want to take time to "reflect on cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation and how we can play a role in the educational component of that," said Kia Liszak, executive director of the Zootown Arts Community Center, which oversees the festival.

The event, now approaching its 23rd year, has always encountered a certain amount of confusion about its purpose.

Organizers have taken pains over the years to underscore that it is not a Halloween party. It's always been held on Nov. 2, the traditional day for Dia De Los Muertos, the Mexican practice that inspired it, but it's not a typical Dia De Los Muertos celebration.

Its official mission statement is "an annual all-inclusive, multicultural event that honors life and death through community involvement in the arts."

The ZACC, a nonprofit arts center, offers free educational classes on sugar skulls, shrine-building and more. There are homespun traditions like oversized roller prints, too, all of which give residents a way to remember loved ones who have died. The weeks of classes, some of which have grief counselors on hand, culminate in a procession down Higgins Avenue with art, costumes and performances from community groups and schools.

Earlier this year, local residents began heated debates on Facebook about whether the festival constitutes cultural appropriation: Should white people wear sugar-skull makeup, a Latin American tradition? Some said they might not attend at all.

Committee members said they hold discussions every year about the festival offerings, and in response to those concerns they canceled the free face painting, an annual offering before the parade, as well as a pre-parade party at Caras Park.

"We've decided to stop doing it this year and take pause," Liszak said.

She emphasized that they're "neither encouraging or discouraging people to paint their faces," nor do they want to tell people what to do. Instead, they "want to communicate and cultivate a level of respect around the subject" through the free art workshops on the meanings behind various traditions.

Last year was the first that they held a pre-parade party, complete with beer specially made by local microbreweries, that they said wasn't well-attended. The cancellation is a way to keep focused on the procession and take "the party atmosphere" out of it, said committee member Nikki Robe.

Regarding the floats and costumes that individuals make, the committee said the procession has few rules, and much like the face-painting, they don't want to control anyone's art.

"We want people to be free to express themselves and experience it in the way that they need to," Liszak said. For some people, their contributions might be a boisterous and celebratory; for others, it's more somber.

"Ultimately, we provide this amazing platform for people to express their individual version of grief, of loss, what death means to them personally," said committee member Tarn Ream, who ran the festival herself for a number of years.

What few rules there are consist of a city prohibition on fire or throwing candy. The festival organizers don't allow motor vehicles and or commercial aspects at the nonprofit event, which costs more than $9,000 for the nonprofit to stage.

Artists Michael deMeng and Bev Beck Glueckert organized the first Missoula Festival of the Dead in 1993 after visiting Mexico during Dia De Los Muertos.

Ahead of the first parade, DeMeng told the Missoulian that "our culture tends to be in denial about death," he said. "We wanted to begin a tradition and ritual to acknowledge people who were important to us.''

The first drew about 150 participants, the third about 500, the fourth about a thousand.

Early articles indicate that any initial questions about the festival didn't concern cultural appropriation, but a lack of knowledge about Dia De Los Muertos, and concerns that the event was morbid.

"Our intent," deMeng said in 1996, "is definitely not macabre. We celebrate the lives of people and address our own mortality. It should be viewed as a joyous event."

Even early on, organizers emphasized that it wasn't a proper Dia De Los Muertos celebration but a particularly local tradition. In 1997, Glueckert said, "We didn't want to replicate the Day of the Dead. We just really wanted to have a Missoula Day of the Dead.''

Ream said "the procession has always represented a lot of different cultures." This year, for instance, instead of face-painting, they'll offer a workshop in making Japanese lanterns that people can hold during the procession.

They're also considering changing the date of next year's procession entirely so that it doesn't fall on Dia De Los Muertos. That would also move it farther on the calendar from Halloween, helping separate it from the days-long revelry that particular holiday generates in Missoula.

A similar event in Tucson, Arizona, schedules its activities after Nov. 2. The All Souls Procession has numerous parallels: It was founded by artists and held at a similar time of year, and also on occasion criticized as a majority-white population appropriating a holiday.

They haven't set a date yet, but Missoula organizers want to hold a facilitated public forum after the procession to get community members' opinions. Liszak said they want to focus on "positive change" moving forward.

"It's stirred up a lot of discussion, and we want to find ways to make that discussion productive," she said.
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This winter, landowners southeast of Red Lodge along the Beartooth Front will have the option of having elk that may be infected with brucellosis shot.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission approved its Brucellosis 2017 Annual Work Plan on Thursday with a newly added focus on trying to keep brucellosis-infected Wyoming elk from spreading the disease over the border into this region of Montana.

The commission, which was meeting in Forsyth, also received an update on FWP plans following this summers closure of the Yellowstone River after a parasite outbreak killed thousands of whitefish.

Brucellosis

According to the brucellosis work plan agenda item provided to the commission, This limited but important expansion (of the brucellosis plan) reflects competing concerns FWP has heard from those anxious that the plan is too ambitious and also from those concerned the plan is not enough.

The refinement approved on Thursday was to provide landowners along the Beartooth Front with the same tools given to landowners within whats known as the Designated Surveillance Area  a region around Yellowstone National Park where FWP and the Montana Department of Livestock cooperate on keeping elk and cattle separate to avoid transference of brucellosis from elk to cattle.

The tools include hazing, limited fencing, limited lethal removal of elk, habitat modifications, and other efforts to adjust elk distribution away from cattle at small scales, the plan stated.

The small scale lethal removals would be no more than 10 elk and would require a commissioners approval.

Lethal removal of elk has been a contested issue, so its been used sparingly. Last year, to keep elk and livestock separated, eight elk were shot by hunters in the Paradise Valley, said Quentin Kujala, FWP Wildlife Management Section chief. No kill permits were issued to landowners. In 2014 there were no elk taken under either scenario.

I think the department has proven again that it can take a reasonable approach, Kujala said.

One of the tactics that wont be available anywhere was a proposal to kill or haze elk that are believed to be infected away from other elk, an idea suggested by FWPs partner agency, the Montana Department of Livestock. The suggestion met with opposition from sporting groups and individuals. Kujala admitted that such a scenario was logistically complicated.

Border war

Collars on Wyoming elk have shown they move as far as 10 to 15 miles north into Montana along the Beartooth Front during the winter.

They move, and in some instances they move great distances, Kujala said.

However, the region southeast of Red Lodge is outside of the Designated Surveillance Area for brucellosis.

Commissioner Matthew Tourtlotte, of Billings, expressed concern that even a pseudo expansion of the DSA is troubling for the repercussions it could have, calling it a slippery slope.

We somewhat share Commissioner Tourtlottes concerns, said Nick Gevock, of the Montana Wildlife Federation, although his group supported the changes to expand services to landowners outside the DSA near Red Lodge.

Kujala said the subject needs more work, but not in the forum of a commission meeting.

Yellowstone River

Moving from wildlife disease to those in fish, the commission was told that FWPs fisheries experts will gather in Bozeman next month to begin reviewing the agencys response to this summers whitefish die-off and start working on a plan for the future, according to Eileen Ryce, FWP Fisheries Bureau chief. The fish kill was caused by a new and previously little known parasite outbreak.

One thing well be talking about is a strategic monitoring plan, Ryce told commissioners.

FWP has tested fish from around the region and found the parasite exists, but is not killing fish.

Trout as far up the Stillwater River as Woodbine Campground, which is close to the boundary of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, were found to have the parasite, according to Ken Frazer, FWPs Region 5 fisheries manager. On the Boulder River, south of Big Timber, no trout above Natural Bridge, a barrier to fish traveling upstream, contained the parasite.

Both streams are tributaries to the Yellowstone River.

Fish in the Bighorn River were also found to contain the parasite. Yet no dead fish were found this summer in the Bighorn, Boulder or Stillwater rivers. Trout as far away as the Jefferson River were also found to have the parasite, Ryce said, which may explain an earlier fish die-off on that stream.

Were looking at other waters that could be impacted to be better prepared, she said.

Some of the fish that were collected are still awaiting laboratory processing.

Even though this summers deadly outbreak in the Yellowstone River has passed, the parasite will survive in fish over the winter, Ryce said. So getting rid of the disease seems improbable.

Future efforts to protect the fishery will have to concentrate on ways to keep the fish from being stressed, which harms their immunity to fight the parasite. Unfortunately, the main stressor on summer fish is low and warm water, two factors that FWP has no control over.

Commission chairman Dan Vermillion, a Livingston fishing outfitter, said it would be helpful if FWP could develop a drought management plan for rivers like the Yellowstone so the public knows heres whats going to trigger a closure.

News of the Yellowstone River closure this summer has already cost his business a few bookings for next year, he said, so he encouraged the department to play a supportive role in bringing anglers back to the region next year. He said a science-based report showing that the trout fishing is still good would be helpful.

Ryce noted that spring fishery surveys will help the department put the summer disease outbreak into better perspective in terms of fish loss.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman as an investment bank catering to institutions and businesses. Among the firm's first products are the revolutionary use of commercial paper for entrepreneurs which opened a new method of finance for business and industry.

The original firm expanded to Goldman Sachs in 1882 with the inclusion of son-in-law Samuel Sachs and again in 1885 with a son and another son-in-law. The firm joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1896 expanding into trading of its own and in 1898 it was worth $1.6 million. The company began its work in the IPO market in 1906 with the initial public offering of Sears, Roebuck & Co., and then moved on to Ford and other prominent names of the time.

The 1930s brings a change of leadership and a new direction for the firm. The company shifted toward a purer play on investment banking and embarks on a campaign of acquisition that lasted until the present day. The company doesnt go public itself until 1999 and from that point on it will change into a bank holding company that not only offers investment banking services but takes deposits too, and in 2016 the company added consumer banking to its list of services.

Today, Goldman Sachs is a financial institution that provides a range of financial services for corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals globally. The company operates through four segments that include Investment Banking, Global Markets, Asset Management, and Consumer & Wealth Management. According to US banking regulations, it is systemically important to the financial health of America.

The company is headquartered in New York, New York, and operates 6 regional headquarters as well. Regional headquarters are located in financial hotspots such as London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangalore, and Warsaw. Among its many prominent CEOs are John Corzine and Hank Paulson who both went on to successful work in government.

The company's Investment Banking segment provides a full range of financial advisory services as well as underwriting for the public markets. The financial advisory services include but are not limited to strategic advisory for mergers and acquisitions, divestiture, restructuring, and spin-offs. This segment is also engaged in middle-market lending and transaction banking. Underwriting services include IPOs, preferred stock, debt instruments, and bridge loans.

Goldman Sachs Global Markets segment facilitates market transactions for institutions, banks, brokerages, corporations, and governments. Services include execution, derivatives, financing, clearing, settlement, and custody.

The Asset Management segment manages client portfolios across the investment spectrum while the Consumer & Wealth Management segment provides advisory and banking services to consumers.
Phoenix New Media Limited provides content on an integrated Internet platform in the People's Republic of China. The company operates through two segments, Net Advertising Services and Paid Services. It offers content and services through PC channel, mobile channel, and telecom operators, as well as transmits content to TV viewers, primarily through Phoenix TV. The company, through its website, ifeng.com, provides various interest-based content verticals, such as news, finance, video, automobiles, technology, entertainment, military, real estate, fashion, and sport; and offers interactive services, including comments posting and user surveys. Its mobile channel consists of ifeng News, a news application that provides newsfeeds and other contents in the form of text, image, live streaming, and video; ifeng Video, a video application, which offers video news, live broadcasting, Phoenix TV programs content, etc.; i.ifeng.com mobile Internet website; and digital reading applications. In addition, Phoenix New Media Limited offers mobile newspaper, mobile video, and mobile game services, as well as wireless value-added services. The company was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. Phoenix New Media Limited is a subsidiary of Phoenix Satellite Television (B.V.I.) Holding Limited.
MISSOULA -- The state paid out at least $63.6 million in 151 tort and negligence settlements under the last two governors. And it's likely that total is higher because about a dozen additional cases are sealed or considered confidential by the state.

The lack of transparency, especially around settlements with state workers, has become an issue in the governor's race.

In May, the Lee State Bureau requested basic details on all settlements handled by the Department of Administrations Risk Management and Tort Defense Division. Nearly all cases about alleged negligence by the state are routed through that division.

The agency identified about 200 such lawsuits between Jan. 1, 2005, and May 31, 2016, and released basic details on 151 cases that were not sealed by court order. The people or agencies involved as well as the value of the remaining settlements remain unknown.

The agency says it is processing the Lee State Bureau public records request, reviewing each case to see what legally can be released based on the settlement agreements, state privacy laws and constitutional requirements for both government transparency and citizen privacy.

Those cases could range from slips on staircases to allegations of abuse by prison guards, based on reports of similar suits in other states.

The biggest settlement listed in the public records release was in 2011. It divided $43 million among more than 1,300 plaintiffs who claimed the state had not done enough to warn workers and area residents about the hazards of asbestos-tainted vermiculite mines in Libby. The second largest was a $3.5 million settlement with Jimmy Ray Bromgard, who alleged violations of his civil rights by state and Yellowstone County employees that led to his wrongful conviction and imprisonment for more than 15 years.

Lawsuits against state governments are common, although whether the results are made public is frequently a matter of dispute.

A handful of Montana's confidential or sealed cases entered the public spotlight this week when a Bozeman Chronicle story suggested the state was violating public records laws by not releasing information about settlements with former state employees. It cited an anonymous source who suggested the state used confidential payments to cover up misdeeds.

The states online checkbook shows payments to at least 42 former state employees totaling more than $745,000. In 2013, at the start of Gov. Steve Bullocks first term, Montana launched a transparency website that included all state payments and employee salaries.

Republicans seized on the Chronicle report to slam Bullock, a Democrat running for re-election. In a news release, challenger Greg Gianforte characterized the settlements as what looks like an attempt to silence whistleblowers.

Like others in his party over the last several months, Gianforte had asked Montana reporters to talk with aggrieved former state employees who he suggested had been retaliated against for highlighting mismanagement in their departments.

Lee Newspapers has previously reported that some of the incidents the GOP referenced were found by legislative auditors to be without merit. Many Republicans continue to insist there was, in fact, wrongdoing while others focus on the failure to release records they consider public.

What do these state employees know that Governor Bullock doesnt want exposed? read one of several tweets Thursday from the Montana GOPs official Twitter account. Another read, A LOT of money has been paid out by Governor Bullock to keep his corruption quiet.

Bullock said insinuations that he had fired and paid off employees who raised concerns about state government were flat wrong. He also argued the settlement figures reported by the Chronicle were presented without context, including that such settlements also have been made under numerous previous governors.

Troy Carter (of the Bozeman Chronicle) wouldnt have even seen the settlements if I hadnt put the states checkbook online, so I hope we see that part of the transparency is good, Bullock said.

In a statement released Thursday, Department of Administration staff wrote that state law expressly prohibits state agencies from releasing private information about state employees, citing a statute that classifies all but a few specific personnel records as confidential.

If any employee sees any inappropriate activity, they are encouraged to blow the whistle to ensure a work environment that respects all employees and taxpayers, Bullock spokeswoman Ronja Abel wrote in a statement. The governor is committed to a fair and inclusive work environment. As Attorney General, the governor requested legislation to strengthen Montanas False Claims Act," which provides some whistleblower protections.

Bullock said Thursday that he was not directly involved in settlement agreements and is only made aware of critical situations. He said he leaves the decisions and details to the relevant agencies.

Settlements dont come up to me as governor, he said. "That sounds like Im passing the buck, but if an employee gets a settlement, its not like Im signing off on it."

Asked where the line should be between public disclosure and confidentiality, Bullock said it would have to vary case-by-case.

Pressed on whether there are alternatives, such as releasing multi-year totals by agency without releasing the names of the recipients, Bullock agreed it might be possible to release more information than has been done in the past.

I think thats something we could certainly be looking at for sure, he said. I think one of the great things about this job is you get to wrestle with this stuff, right? And figure out what the answer is.

If what were doing is just protecting the state, thats one thing, he said. But we also have the privacy interests of those individuals.
BlackRock, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.
ONEOK, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in gathering, processing, storage, and transportation of natural gas in the United States. It operates through Natural Gas Gathering and Processing, Natural Gas Liquids, and Natural Gas Pipelines segments. The company owns natural gas gathering pipelines and processing plants in the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions. It also gathers, treats, fractionates, and transports natural gas liquids (NGL), as well as stores, markets, and distributes NGL products. The company owns NGL gathering and distribution pipelines in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado; terminal and storage facilities in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois; and NGL distribution and refined petroleum products pipelines in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, as well as owns and operates truck- and rail-loading, and -unloading facilities connected to NGL fractionation, storage, and pipeline assets. In addition, it operates regulated interstate and intrastate natural gas transmission pipelines and natural gas storage facilities. Further, the company owns and operates a parking garage in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma; and leases excess office space. It operates 17,500 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines; 1,500 miles of FERC-regulated interstate natural gas pipelines; 5,100 miles of state-regulated intrastate transmission pipeline; six NGL storage facilities; and eight NGL product terminals. It serves integrated and independent exploration and production companies; NGL and natural gas gathering and processing companies; crude oil and natural gas production companies; propane distributors; municipalities; ethanol producers; and petrochemical, refining, and NGL marketing companies, as well as natural gas distribution and electric generation companies, producers, processors, and marketing companies. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
PulteGroup, Inc., through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the homebuilding business in the United States. It acquires and develops land primarily for residential purposes; and constructs housing on such land. The company also offers various home designs, including single-family detached, townhomes, condominiums, and duplexes under the Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes, American West, and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods brand names. As of December 31, 2021, it controlled 228,296 lots, of which 109,078 were owned and 119,218 were under land option agreements. In addition, the company arranges financing through the origination of mortgage loans primarily for homebuyers; sells the servicing rights for the originated loans; and provides title insurance policies, and examination and closing services to homebuyers. PulteGroup, Inc. was formerly known as Pulte Homes, Inc. and changed its name to PulteGroup, Inc. in March 2010. The company was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Navigant Consulting, Inc. provides professional services worldwide. It operates through three segments: Healthcare, Energy, and Financial Services Advisory and Compliance. The Healthcare segment offers consulting and business process management services to healthcare providers, payers, and life sciences companies. This segment helps clients respond to market legislative changes, such as the shift to an outcome and value-based reimbursements model, ongoing industry consolidation and reorganization, Medicaid expansion, the implementation of a electronic health records system, and product planning and commercialization expertise. The Energy segment provides life-cycle solutions that help clients businesses in changing energy environment, manage complexity, accelerate operational performance, and meet compliance requirements, as well as transform its organizations and systems; and various benchmarking, and data and market research services. This segment serves utility and energy companies, government and nongovernmental organizations, large corporations, product manufacturers, and investors. The Financial Services Advisory and Compliance segment provides strategic, operational, valuation, risk management, investigative, and compliance advisory services to financial services industry, including financial and insurance institutions. This segment also offers anti-corruption solutions and anti-money laundering consulting, litigation support, and tax compliance services. Navigant Consulting, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Aetna Inc. operates as a health care benefits company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Health Care, Group Insurance, and Large Case Pensions. The Health Care segment offers medical, pharmacy benefit management service, dental, behavioral health, and vision plans on an insured and employer-funded basis. It also provides point-of-service, preferred provider organization, health maintenance organization, and indemnity benefit plans, as well as health savings accounts and consumer-directed health plans. In addition, this segment offers Medicare and Medicaid products and services, as well as other medical products, such as medical management and data analytics services, medical stop loss insurance, workers' compensation administrative services, and products that provide access to its provider networks in select geographies. The Group Insurance segment offers life insurance products, including group term life insurance, voluntary spouse and dependent term life insurance, group universal life insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; disability insurance products; and long-term care insurance products, which provide the benefits to cover the cost of care in private home settings, adult day care, assisted living, or nursing facilities. The Large Case Pensions segment manages various retirement products comprising pension and annuity products primarily for tax-qualified pension plans. The company provides its products and services to employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups, and expatriates. Aetna Inc. was founded in 1853 and is based in Hartford, Connecticut.
OFG Bancorp, a financial holding company, provides a range of banking and financial services. It operates through three segments: Banking, Wealth Management, and Treasury. The company offers checking and savings accounts, as well as time deposit products; commercial, consumer, auto, and mortgage lending services; financial planning and insurance services; and corporate and individual trust, and retirement services. It also provides securities brokerage and investment advisory services, including various investment alternatives, such as tax-advantaged fixed income securities, mutual funds, stocks, and bonds to retail and institutional clients; and separately-managed accounts and mutual fund asset allocation programs. In addition, the company engages in the insurance agency and reinsurance businesses; administration and servicing of retirement plans; various treasury-related functions with an investment portfolio consisting of mortgage-backed securities, obligations of U.S. government sponsored agencies, and U.S. Treasury securities and money market instruments; and management and participation in public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities. Further, it offers money management and investment banking services; and engages in the asset/liability management activities, such as purchases and sales of investment securities, interest rate risk management, derivatives, and borrowings. The company operates through a network of 50 branches in Puerto Rico and 2 branches in USVI. OFG Bancorp was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. provides home and security products for residential home repair, remodeling, new construction, and security applications. It operates in three segments: Plumbing, Outdoors & Security, and Cabinets. The Plumbing segment manufactures, assembles, and sells faucets, accessories, kitchen sinks, and waste disposals under the Moen, ROHL, Riobel, Victoria+Albert, Perrin & Rowe, and Shaws brands in the United States, China, Canada, Mexico, Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America directly through its own sales force, as well as through independent manufacturers' representatives to wholesalers, home centers, mass merchandisers, and industrial distributors. The Outdoors & Security segment offers fiberglass and steel entry door systems under the Therma-Tru brand; storm, screen, and security doors under the Larson brand; composite decking and railing under the Fiberon brand; and urethane millwork under the Fypon brand. This segment also manufactures, sources, and distributes locks, safety and security devices, and electronic security products under the Master Lock and American Lock brands; and fire resistant safes, security containers, and commercial cabinets under the SentrySafe brand. It serves home centers, hardware and other retailers, millwork building products and wholesale distributors, specialty dealers, and remodeling and renovation markets, as well as locksmiths, industrial and institutional users, and original equipment manufacturers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America, Japan, and Australia. The Cabinets segment manufactures custom, semi-custom, and custom cabinetry, as well as vanities for the kitchen, bath, and other parts of the home directly to kitchen and bath dealers, home centers, wholesalers, and builders in North America under the AOK, Diamond Brands, Homecrest, Kitchen Craft, Omega, and EVE brands. The company was incorporated in 1988 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.
DECATUR -- Theres a large Sycamore tree wrapped in honeysuckle on a hill in the southern portion of Greenwood Cemetery.

The tree is where James Hollingers grave is supposed to be -- he died in 1908 and is buried there according to Greenwood records. Like Hollingers barber shops and Hollinger Bridge, the headstone is gone.

Hollinger moved to Decatur in 1870 determined not to let the color of his skin hold him back -- not an easy task for a black man just five years after slavery had been abolished.

But by the turn of the century, there wasnt a more respected man in Decatur than the businessman turned politician.

Hollinger was originally from Virginia -- any ancestors of his are more likely to be found in Virginia or Pennsylvania. He had no children and there are no photos or records of Hollinger at the Macon County History Museum or the African-American Cultural & Genealogical Society Of Illinois.

But Hollinger had a life worth remembering. And, fortunately, he shared some of it with the Decatur Herald through the years -- enough to paint a picture of a generous, humorous, resourceful pioneer.

In 1880, Hollinger became one of the first black men in Illinois to run for office, and the first in Macon County. He lost, but Hollinger had a taste for politics, and four years later was elected to the Macon County Board of Supervisors -- he served as an Assistant Supervisor for 14 years and was dean of Supervisors at the time of his death in 1908.

But Hollinger would be notable even if hed never ran for office. At a time when Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation, Hollinger owned the most successful barber shop in town and also made additional money in real estate, making him one of the most prominent businessmen in Decatur.

In his time, Hollinger shaved or cut the hair of six Illinois governors, including Richard Oglesby, eight mayors and countless state senators, judges and lawyers. He was THE Decatur barber -- he shaved and cut James Millikin, W.H. Ennis, Samuel Powers and Berry H. Cassell -- all wealthy, influential men during the early 20th century.

Not bad for a man who began his life with papers he clung to declaring him a free man.

Hollingers father James Sr. was also a free man, and when he married James Jr.'s mother Elizabeth, she was given her freedom as well. James Jr. was born on April 16, 1849.

But three years later, a law was passed in Virginia stating all free blacks had two weeks to leave the state, or be sold into slavery. The Hollingers relocated to Pennsylvania, where James grew up.

Hollingers father was a barber and taught him the trade. Soon James Jr. was traveling to different cities in Pennsylvania cutting hair. Hollinger joined the Union Army and helped build fortifications at the Battle of Gettysburg, but didnt stay in the military long. After the war, he decided to try something new. He became a traveling showman, performing a magic lantern act.

Hollingers act came to Decatur in 1869. He liked the city so much he decided to sell his show and relocate to Decatur. In 1870 he began working for Hue Singleton, who ran a barber shop with Thomas Irving in the basement of the Cheap Charley building on 128 E. Main St. (near where Tandoor Indian Restaurant is currently).

Eventually, Hollinger bought the business from Singleton and moved it to 742 E. Eldorado (formerly Redmonds and now a fenced in grass lot just east of G-Bs Books and Records). He settled for good at 141 W. Main (where Pro Max Construction is now), in what was then known as the Chenoweth Building. Hollinger lived in one part of the building and ran his barber shop out of the other.

Hollinger married Cornelia Barbee on Feb. 28, 1871, but the couple didnt have children. His sister Barbara Rhoads also lived in Decatur.

Though his connections as a barber and his involvement in the Republican Party -- he was considered influential with the communitys black voters -- Hollinger was nominated by the party for coroner in 1880. But he was defeated in the election. Hollinger reasoned that younger voters were afraid to cast their ballot for him because a black official was a new thing, but he wasnt discouraged.

Following his lost election, Hollinger served two sessions at $90 a month as policeman of the state senate, and at each session he was relieved of his police duties and set up his barber chair outside chambers. A Jan. 21, 1906 feature on Hollinger said, Practically all the men who served in the senate when Hollinger was in Springfield may have been in his chair.

In 1894 he was elected to the Macon County Board of Supervisors, replacing the retiring Singleton. He won easily in every election to the board after that, and made his mark by establishing tract index books of Macon County, which listed the titles to properties.

After winning in 1903, Hollinger was quoted in the Decatur Herald as saying: Those eyes of mine are a little squinty. That is because I have schemed so much thinking out political plans. We politicians are always trying to get the best of one another.

Hollinger loved to joke about being a politician and was in general a spirited personality. He was described in the Jan. 21, 1906 feature as having a big heart and is full of fun and sympathy, too.

That feature also described Hollingers friendship with A.B. Bunn, better known as Brower Bunn, whom Hollinger called the best criminal lawyer of his day. The story described how Bunn would come to Hollingers shop, suggest closing down for the day and then, the door would be closed, the curtains pulled down and after a certain purchase was made the barber and the lawyer would proceed to enjoy themselves for the rest of the day, and the night, too, perhaps, in a manner as can only two congenial souls who have the same tastes for the best that is made.

But Hollinger had a serious side, too. He was involved in a vicious fight with local criminal Ed Carroll. The story in the June 24, 1889 Decatur Herald is unclear on how the fight started, but it took place in front of a crowd in the slaughter house neighborhood. It began with fists, but ended with the men, clinched, clawed, bit and chewed.

At last Carroll made a mighty bite at Hollingers nose, and Jim fastened his incisors on Carrolls lower lip. Jims nose was badly chewed beneath and a part of Carrolls lip was bit off.

Finally, the crowd interfered to break up the fight. Carroll later sued Hollinger for $3,000, but in the end Carroll pleaded guilty to assault and battery. He was fined $3 and cost.

Hollingers actions, as evidenced by several appearances by Carroll in the Decatur Herald, were likely justified. Carroll was sentenced to four months in prison in 1891 for threatening the lives of his wife and father-in-law and was involved in several other altercations as well. He was also an abusive husband -- he was arrested more than once for assaulting his wife. He smacked his wife in 1888, was jailed, but then broke out and skipped. She divorced him in 1895.

While Hollinger was accepted by white society in Decatur, he didnt shy away from black issues. When a black man was included on a local grand jury in 1886, Hollinger was quoted as saying:

What is the reason they treat us this way, and then talk of their great love for the colored man before each election? They ought to know that we have a little memory and we know that we never have got any recognition. The only offices for colored men have been those of city scavenger and pound master, places that no white man would have. We get nothing but nice talk. We have found out they want our votes, and we are going to make our votes give us recognition.

Hollinger was also generous. He donated $200 toward the building fund for an industrial school in Decatur, promising to give $25 annually if black Decatur graduates were admitted.

Hollinger died of a complication of diseases, according to the Decatur Herald, on June 28, 1908. His funeral was a big occasion, with friends and colleagues filling the Christian Tabernacle Church on North Church Street and a large procession at Greenwood for his burial.

Hollingers obit in the Decatur Herald read: Mr. Hollinger made for himself a record that is creditable and honorable. His business career was most commendable, characterized by fidelity to duty and straightforward dealings. In matters of citizenship he was progressive and public spirited and his labors have been effective in advancing Decaturs welfare.
DECATUR -- Theres a large Sycamore tree wrapped in honeysuckle on a hill in the southern portion of Greenwood Cemetery.

The tree is where James Hollingers grave is supposed to be -- he died in 1908 and is buried there according to Greenwood records. Like Hollingers barber shops and Hollinger Bridge, the headstone is gone.

Hollinger moved to Decatur in 1870 determined not to let the color of his skin hold him back -- not an easy task for a black man just five years after slavery had been abolished.

But by the turn of the century, there wasnt a more respected man in Decatur than the businessman turned politician.

Hollinger was originally from Virginia -- any ancestors of his are more likely to be found in Virginia or Pennsylvania. He had no children and there are no photos or records of Hollinger at the Macon County History Museum or the African-American Cultural & Genealogical Society Of Illinois.

But Hollinger had a life worth remembering. And, fortunately, he shared some of it with the Decatur Herald through the years -- enough to paint a picture of a generous, humorous, resourceful pioneer.

In 1880, Hollinger became one of the first black men in Illinois to run for office, and the first in Macon County. He lost -- Democrat John Dinneen beat him out. But Hollinger had a taste for politics, and four years later was elected to the Macon County Board of Supervisors -- he served as an assistant supervisor for 14 years and was Dean of Supervisors at the time of his death in 1908.

Hollinger loved politics. From campaigning to elections to board meetings, Hollinger loved the excitement. He got his first taste of politics at age 17 while still living in Pennsylvania. He recounted the story in a feature on his life that ran in the April 5, 1903 Decatur Herald.

I joined a society known as the Loyal League, Hollinger recalled. It was an organization of a secret nature which was formed to fight against the Knights of the Golden Circle, a society the purpose of which was to help the south. The initiation I went through on that occasion was so impressive that I was inspired with a feeling of patriotism and wish for the welfare of the country and I was almost by nature, drawn into politics.

But Hollinger would be notable even if hed never ran for office. At a time when Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation, Hollinger owned the most successful barber shop in town and also made additional money in real estate, making him one of the most prominent businessmen in Decatur.

In his time, Hollinger shaved or cut the hair of six Illinois governors, including Richard Oglesby, eight mayors and countless state senators, judges and lawyers. He was THE Decatur barber -- he shaved and cut James Millikin, W.H. Ennis, Samuel Powers and Berry H. Cassell -- all wealthy, influential men during the early 20th century.

Not bad for a man who began his life with papers he clung to declaring him a free man.

Hollingers father was also a free man, though he worked on a big plantation in Virginia owned by wealthy planter T.O.B. Carter. But Hollinger described Carter as a Christian gentleman, and when Hollingers father James Sr. married his mother Elizabeth, she was given her freedom as well. James Jr. was born on April 16, 1849.

But three years later, a law was passed in Virginia stating all free blacks had two weeks to leave the state, or be sold into slavery. The Hollingers relocated to Pennsylvania, where James grew up.

Hollingers father was a barber and taught him the trade. Soon James Jr. was traveling to different cities in Pennsylvania cutting hair. Hollinger joined the Union Army and helped build fortifications at the Battle of Gettysburg, but didnt stay in the military long. After the war he worked on a riverboats, including the well-known Lady Gay that went between St. Louis and New Orleans.

Hollinger liked working on the boat -- it paid well and the high-stakes poker games were fun to watch -- but he didnt like the way black laborers were treated on the boat and decided to try something new. He became a traveling showman, performing a magic lantern act.

Hollingers act came to Decatur in 1869. He liked the city so much he decided to sell his show and relocate to Decatur. In 1870 he began working for Hue Singleton, who ran a barber shop with Thomas Irving in the basement of the Cheap Charley building on 128 E. Main St. (near where Tandoor Indian Restaurant is currently).

Singleton was also a pioneer black businessman and politician -- he was the first black man to win an election in Macon County, and ended up succeeding Hollinger in his position on the Board of Supervisors when Hollinger died.

Eventually, Hollinger bought the business from Singleton and moved it to 742 E. Eldorado (formerly Redmonds and now a fenced in grass lot just east of G-Bs Books and Records). He offered Turkish and Russian baths there -- by appointment because, as his ad in the Decatur Herald said, It takes time to give a Turkish bath and do it right.

Hollinger settled for good at 141 W. Main (where Pro Max Construction is now), in what was then known as the Chenoweth Building. Hollinger lived in one part of the building and ran his barber shop out of the other.

Hollinger married Cornelia Barbee on Feb. 28, 1871, but the couple didnt have children. His sister Barbara Rhoads also lived in Decatur.

Though his connections as a barber and his involvement in the Republican Party -- he was considered influential with the communitys black voters -- Hollinger was nominated by the party for coroner in 1880. But he was defeated by Dineen in the election. Hollinger reasoned that younger voters were afraid to cast their ballot for him because a black official was a new thing, but he wasnt discouraged.

Following his lost election, Hollinger served two sessions at $90 a month as policeman of the state senate, and at each session he was relieved of his police duties and set up his barber chair outside chambers. A Jan. 21, 1906 feature on Hollinger said, Practically all the men who served in the senate when Hollinger was in Springfield may have been in his chair.

In 1894 he was elected to the Macon County Board of Supervisors, replacing the retiring Singleton. He won easily in every election to the board after that, and made his mark by establishing tract index books of Macon County, which listed the titles to properties.

After winning in 1903, Hollinger was quoted in the Decatur Herald as saying: Those eyes of mine are a little squinty. That is because I have schemed so much thinking out political plans. We politicians are always trying to get the best of one another.

Hollinger loved to joke about being a politician and was in general a spirited personality. He was described in the Jan. 21, 1906 feature as having a big heart and is full of fun and sympathy, too.

That feature also described Hollingers friendship with A.B. Bunn, better known as Brower Bunn, whom Hollinger called the best criminal lawyer of his day. The story described how Bunn would come to Hollingers shop, suggest closing down for the day and then, the door would be closed, the curtains pulled down and after a certain purchase was made the barber and the lawyer would proceed to enjoy themselves for the rest of the day, and the night, too, perhaps, in a manner as can only two congenial souls who have the same tastes for the best that is made.

But Hollinger had a serious side, too. He was involved in a vicious fight with local criminal Ed Carroll. The story in the June 24, 1889 Decatur Herald is unclear on how the fight started, but it took place in front of a crowd in the slaughter house neighborhood. It began with fists, but ended with the men, clinched, clawed, bit and chewed.

At last Carroll made a mighty bite at Hollingers nose, and Jim fastened his incisors on Carrolls lower lip. Jims nose was badly chewed beneath and a part of Carrolls lip was bit off.

Finally, the crowd interfered to break up the fight. Carroll later sued Hollinger for $3,000, but in the end Carroll pleaded guilty to assault and battery. He was fined $3 and cost.

Hollingers actions, as evidenced by several appearances by Carroll in the Decatur Herald, were likely justified. Carroll was sentenced to four months in prison in 1891 for threatening the lives of his wife and father-in-law and was involved in other altercations in which he threatened peoples lives, fought them, then later tried to sue them. He was also an abusive husband -- he was arrested more than once for assaulting his wife. He smacked his wife in 1888, was jailed, but then broke out and skipped. She divorced him in 1895.

While Hollinger was accepted by white society in Decatur, he didnt shy away from black issues. When a black man was included on a local grand jury in 1886, Hollinger was quoted as saying:

What is the reason they treat us this way, and then talk of their great love for the colored man before each election? They ought to know that we have a little memory and we know that we never have got any recognition. The only offices for colored men have been those of city scavenger and pound master, places that no white man would have. We get nothing but nice talk. We have found out they they want our votes, and we are going to make our votes give us recognition.

Hollinger was also generous. He donated $200 toward the building fund for an industrial school in Decatur, promising to give $25 annually if black Decatur graduates were admitted.

Hollinger died of a complication of diseases, according to the Decatur Herald, on June 28, 1908. His funeral was a big occasion, with friends and colleagues filling the Christian Tabernacle Church on North Church Street and a large procession at Greenwood for his burial.

Hollingers obit in the Decatur Herald read: Mr. Hollinger made for himself a record that is creditable and honorable. His business career was most commendable, characterized by fidelity to duty and straightforward dealings. In matters of citizenship he was progressive and public spirited and his labors have been effective in advancing Decaturs welfare.
DECATUR  Few in any members of the audience Saturday knew what Heidi Neck was going to have them do as they started folding a piece of paper into a boat.

Before Neck explained what to do, she wanted 100 percent participation from everyone.

She then had them make noises as if a storm was blowing into the room and rip the corners off the folded paper, ending up in the shape of the ship captain's shirt when it was unfolded.

Neck, a professor of entrepreneurial studies at Babson College in Massachusetts, one of the most highly rated entrepreneurship schools in the country, used the exercise in part to show how encouraging play in the classroom can bring a different energy level. She teaches at the MBA and executive levels.

It creates a different culture, Neck said. The boat exercise changes the culture of the course immediately. You have to create a community of learning and collaboration.

Neck was one of the speakers this weekend during the Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education Conference held at Millikin University. The national meeting focused on expanding the voices and perspectives of art, business and other disciplines.

Educators from around the country could see what's being done in Decatur to encourage student-run and other arts-related business ventures in fields such as theater, dance, writing, music and crafts, said Julie Shields, Millikin Center for Entrepreneurship director.

We talk about student run ventures all the time, Shields said. We want to prepare artists to compete in a global economy.

Older buildings, such as Heroic Age Art Center in Mount Zion, can provide a catalyst for new business ventures, Shields said. The group was offered a tour of the art center, which is in an old school building.

They can see the old buildings are a tremendous resource, Shields said.

Learning how to make the most out of those resources starts with education about entrepreneurship. Neck said students should be encouraged to think creatively.

Teaching entrepreneurship requires continuous innovation, fearless experimentation and structured chaos, Neck said. Every day I strive to create a learning laboratory for experimentation and practice.

The goal is for entrepreneurs to identify and capture the right opportunity at the right time for the right reason, Neck said. She wants her students to do their part to change the world.

Entrepreneurs of all kinds impact the world, she said. So entrepreneurship education is a necessary and formidable change agent.

In addition to tours of student run ventures such as Pipe Dreams Studio Theatre and First Step Records, the conference concluded with a tour of the Decatur Arts Council and Blue Connection in downtown Decatur.
Britain and the United States said on Sunday they were considering additional sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his supporters, and called on Russia to help end the Syrian conflict.

"It is vital that we keep that pressure up and there is a lot of measures we\re proposing, to do with extra sanctions on the Syrian regime and their supporters, measures to bring those responsible for war crimes to the International Criminal Court," British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told reporters.

"These things will eventually come to bite the perpetrators of these crimes and they should think about it now," said Johnson, who also said there was no appetite in Europe for "going to war" in Syria.

He said it was "highly dubious" that Assad\s government and its ally Russia were capable of retaking the city of Aleppo or winning the war, calling on Russia and Iran to show leadership to end the conflict.

"It is up to them to show mercy, show mercy to those people in that city and get the ceasefire going," he added.

He was speaking alongside U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who briefed nearly a dozen European and Middle Eastern allies on talks with Russia and a group of Middle Eastern countries that had taken place in Switzerland on Saturday with the aim of ending the fighting.

Kerry confirmed that the United States and its allies were considering additional sanctions over Syria, but did not name Russia as a target.

Western powers have accused Russia and Syria of committing atrocities by bombing hospitals, killing civilians and preventing medical evacuations, as well as targeting an aid convoy with the loss of around 20 lives.

Syria and Russia counter that they are only targeting militants in Aleppo and accuse the United States of breaking the ceasefire by bombing scores of Syrian troops fighting Islamic State insurgents, over which the United States has expressed regret.

"We are considering additional sanctions and we are also making clear that President (Barack) Obama has not taken any options off the table," Kerry said.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Thousands of people in Hungary protested on Sunday against government corruption and to demand the preservation of press freedoms.

A rally called by civic groups and small opposition parties was held on Free Press Road, a traditional location for protests but made more symbolic by last week\s closure of the largest opposition newspaper.

Publishing company Mediaworks said the Nepszabadsag newspaper\s "considerable" losses and falling readership led to its closure. Its journalists are still under contract but there\s little chance that the paper will reopen.

Miklos Hargitai, a Nepszabadsag journalist, said Prime Minister Viktor Orban\s government was the only one since the 1990 end of the communist regime "which doesn\t tolerate any control or criticism, not even questions," noting that Orban hadn\t given an interview to the paper in 10 years.

"We are now contemporaries of a thieving regime, but we don\t have to be its accomplices," Hargitai said. "We always have another choice."

Orban\s Fidesz party insisted that the paper\s closure was a purely financial decision and blamed the Socialist Party, one of whose foundations sold its minority stake to Mediaworks last year, for its demise.

"Contrary to the opposition\s claims, the closure of Nepszabadsag was a market, financial and competence issue," Fidesz press department said in a statement. "The future of Nepszabadsag was stolen by the current and past Socialist Party leadership, who were incompetent not only to govern the country but also to take care of their party\s newspaper."

Leaders of the Together and Dialogue parties also spoke at the rally, where some demonstrators carried issues of Nepszabadsag and said the government\s intention was to ensure that corruption and other issues potentially harmful to the government weren\t covered in the media.

"After they purchase every newspaper, every media outlet, they put their own people everywhere and manipulate the whole thing," protester Lajos Vig said. "It\s impossible to hear anything, to hear a true word from these newspapers."

One protester\s large sign read "Our nation is in the stranglehold of politician criminals. Get out!"

Hungary\s media landscape has changed considerably in the last few years, with many print and online publications as well as radio and television stations coming under the control of Orban\s inner circle and showing an unquestioning pro-government bent.

SOURCE: AP
Q&A with PA-16 candidates Robert Matzie and Rico Elmore

Both Beaver County natives, Matzie and Elmore have expressed their interest in making Beaver County a better place in their own unique ways.
TROY HARVEY/THE STARA car drives over the Wendy Bridge located in Newbury Park Wednesday afternoon. Newbury Park, Ca., 4/3/2014

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By Claire Kowalick of the Times Record News

The city of Wichita Falls continues to discuss the idea of allowing ride-hailing franchises to operate in the city.

On Tuesday, City Council members will address the idea again, with a revised vehicle-for-hire ordinance. No action will be taken at the meeting. The council also addressed the issue in August, offering options for city regulation of the business.

The city wishes to amend the ordinance to allow transportation network companies (such as Uber, Tride, Lyft) to operate in the city. Proposed changes to the ordinance include removal of the requirement for a city chauffeur permit and allows the criminal background check to be conducted by a third-party provider.

Wichita Falls City Attorney Kinley Hegglund said, "The proposed changes create a new Article IV that would authorize transportation network companies, otherwise known as ride-share services, to operate in the city limits. Changes also include a partial deregulation of the taxi industry so as to better ensure a level playing field for all related businesses."

Based upon the public comments and outcome of the Tuesday meeting, the finalized ordinance will be considered for action at a later date.

During the City Council discussion in August, staff presented two options for regulation of ride hailing. One would require local regulation of the business and fingerprinting of drivers. The other would authorize the business without city regulation.

Tride, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company, sent notice in July indicating a desire to begin operations in Wichita Falls before the August Hotter'N Hell weekend.

John Burrus, director of aviation, traffic and transportation for the city, said he is supportive of having another transportation option for people, but changing an ordinance was going to take time. He also wanted to keep discussion open with taxi company owners so a level playing field is maintained for both travel options.

Tride continues to be the most ad in coming to Wichita Falls. Tride says its company and drivers carry high levels of auto insurances coverage; they don't use "surge pricing" or "prime-time pricing." Tride officials said they prefer to conduct their own background check on drivers.

Kevin Callahan, owner of Skylark Van Services Inc., has operated taxi cab and shuttle van services in Wichita Falls for more than 10 years.

Callahan said Skylark has the capacity for application-based scheduling but they continued to pride themselves on personalized service.

Callahan said they have an excellent relationship with Sheppard Air Force Base, and their seasoned drivers know how to conduct themselves on an air base. He said Skylark offers lower rates for Sheppard airmen as well as economically challenged people who otherwise wouldn't have a way to get to work.

"We had a good first meeting with the city and staff," Callahan said. "The attorneys drafted up an excellent ordinance that had both the transportation director's and cab directors' support.

Then something changed.

After that initial meeting, the ordinance was dramatically changed from what was drafted, and Callahan feels it favors certain "special-interest groups."

"After what was originally drafted was shown to us, I'm somewhat perplexed by the changes. The ordinance presented to us is not the same ordinance that was published Wednesday. I'm perplexed and baffled," he said.

One troubling part to Callahan is the doing away with chauffeur permits for ride hailing companies.

"For us, transportation, police can pull a permit and go to the computerized criminal background check. I have concerns that they are willing to give away that local control," he said.

As a taxpayer, he said it also concerns him because taxis and vans can easily be counted on his lot, and he is charged the personal property tax value. For ride-hailing companies, there is no list of cars used for business. The city will be losing that revenue," Callahan said.

For Skylark, Callahan said they expect to lose up to 30 percent of their business if ride hailing companies come to town. He said he may have to let eight drivers go and lose three cars.

"Who's going to replace this money? The city doesn't make any means available," he said.

Callahan also expressed concern over how an influx of drivers could affect Sheppard.

"One group wanted 100 drivers. Now, local taxi drivers know about formation and formation marching. They know the rules. If you don't know rules and you just open it up to anybody (there could be problems). One hundred extras drivers on the base on a Friday? The base is just not designed for that."

Sheppard Air Force Base Public Affairs spokesman George Woodward said he discussed the ride-hailing situation with the base's security forces squadron commander last week.

"Basically, we will work with ride-share companies precisely the same way we work with any other transportation company or business. Drivers will have to prove they are employed/franchised/associated with a legitimate business, and undergo a background check in order to obtain a pass and permission to operate on Sheppard," Woodward said.

The City Council will discuss the ordinance change with staff, taxi company owners and the public. When the ordinance is finalized, it will come before the City Council at a later date for approval.
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Following a brief illness, AJ Beaver went home to be with his Lord and Savior on October 14, 2016, surrounded by his family.

AJ was born November 16, 1927, in Waurika, OK, to Jewel and Grace Beaver. He graduated Sugden High School in 1946 and began working for Halliburton until he was granted military leave in 1951 to serve his beloved country in the Army during the Korean War. In 1952, Sgt. Beaver earned a Bronze Star for performing an act of valor by advancing on foot into enemy fire to repair a severed wire to restore the 955th Field Artillery Battalion's communications during the battle for Sniper Ridge on October 14, 1952. After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1953, he returned to work for Halliburton when his friend Bill King introduced AJ to Yvonna Mae Plant, who turned out to be the love of his life. He married Yvonna on May 7, 1954, and they were blessed with three children: Cathy Denise, Randy Keith and Michael David. In 1959, AJ's family moved to Wichita Falls where he began working for the Texas Department of Transportation as a construction inspector. After retiring with 32 years of TxDOT service, AJ and Yvonna enjoyed traveling with their RV, camping, fishing and attending numerous sporting events of their very active grandchildren. As Yvonna's health has declined, AJ never left her side. His commitment to his wife and his cherished family never faded in his 88 years. He spent every moment possible with Yvonna, feeding her every meal and still holding her hand as he took his last breaths.

AJ's legacy carries on, as he is survived by his wife of 62 years, Yvonna Mae Beaver; his sister, Mary Beaver Ausbrook; the lights of his life, his children and grandchildren: Cathy Patterson, her husband Greg and their children, Collin and Connor; Randy Beaver, his wife Sue and their children, Brooke, Steve, Blake, Connie, Danielle, Jamie and Brandon; and Mike Beaver, his wife Tish and their children, Chris, Aaron, Wil, Grayson and Weston; and his five great-grandchildren: Kynleigh, Austin and Alyvia Duran and Claire and Evan Beaver.

AJ's family will receive visitors on Sunday, October 16th, 4-5 p.m. at Lunn's Colonial Funeral Home, and his funeral will be held Monday, October 17th at 2 p.m. at First Church of the Nazarene with interment in Waurika, OK.

Memorials may be made to AJ's church home, First Church of the Nazarene at www.fallsnaz.org or 1667 Kell E. Blvd, Wichita Falls, TX 76301 or to Hospice of Wichita Falls at www.hospiceofwf.org or 4909 Johnson Road, Wichita Falls, TX 76310.

Condolences to the family may be made online at www.lunnscolonial.com.
CHARLESTON -- While showing grade school kids the Olympic version of competitive walking, and giving them a taste of it as well, Debbi Sullivan also delivered a message about what it takes for a chance to reach the medal podium.

The three-time Olympian told students at Charleston's Carl Sandburg Elementary School on Thursday about the dedication and good choices they need to achieve their dreams, whatever they are.

"Your brain is a superhero," she said. "The more you can put good things in your brain, the better."

Sullivan first used student volunteers to demonstrate what they thought the strides of competitive walkers were like, then explained how it involves stiff knees, moving hips and raised arms.

The noisy, excited students then got their chance to lap the school's gym in competitive walking style, part of her message about the importance of exercise and taking care of yourself.

Sullivan lives in Kenosha, Wis., and now devotes much of her time traveling to schools to deliver presentations about her story and what led to her success.

She was a member of the U.S. track team during the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Her finishes in the walking event included a high of 20th in 1996 and last place, when she was fighting the flu, at her last games.

Sullivan told the students that she first thought about joining her school's track team when she was in third grade. Then, she was "someone who reads all the time" and her friends laughed at the idea of a book worm also being a track star.

"They did not believe in me," Sullivan said. "Believe in yourself. That's what matters."

A knee injury eventually ended her running career but led her to competitive walking in time for her to take part when it became an Olympic sport for women. At one point, she held the women's world record of 5 minutes, 54 seconds in the 1,500 meter event.

But on Thursday, Sullivan used a story from her first Olympics, when she finished third to last, to tell the students about the persistence it takes to achieve what you want.

Despite being well out of medal positions, she still heard chants of "USA! USA!" from the crowd in the stadium in Barcelona, Spain, when she made her final lap.

"If I had quit, I would not remember that wonderful moment," she said. "When you quit, you teach your brain to quit all the time."

Sullivan also urged the students to "keep thinking and focusing on your teachers" because "they're teaching you to be stars." She also asked them to limit video game play to spend more time reading, likening the activity to how athletes visualize success.

"When you read, you can make your imagination do so many things," she said.

Bringing Sullivan to the school to conduct her presentation was part of Carl Sandburg's effort at "stressing more of the school as a community," Assistant Principal Patti Murphy said.

Today will be the end of the first quarter of the school year and school staff wanted to note and celebrate that, Murphy added.
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Jathan Fields, 45, of Wichita Falls, was taken home to Heaven on October 12, 2016, winning his battle with brain cancer.

The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday, October 21, 2016 at Owens & Brumley Funeral Home of Wichita Falls.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, October 22, 2016 in the East Sanctuary at First Baptist Church of Wichita Falls with Dr. Bob McCartney, officiating. A private family burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery under the direction of Owens & Brumley Funeral Home of Wichita Falls.

Jathan was born in Wichita Falls to Joel and Cathey (Lowder) Fields on May 17, 1971. He graduated from Wichita Falls High School in 1989 and attended Midwestern State University on two different occasions in his life. He married Keli Carper on June 22, 1991 in Wichita Falls. He and Keli owned U.S. Lawns for several years until he acquired his Journeyman and Master Plumbing Licenses and went to work with Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 389. He also worked with his parents in the family business, Fields Plumbing Co. He loved large construction jobs and devoted his time and energy to doing the best job possible. He was elected to the post of Business Manager for Local 389 in 2010 and served in that position until his cancer diagnosis in 2012. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Theta Gamma Chapter and considered his fellow fraternity brothers his family. Jathan said there was no better way to make lifelong friends. As a dear son, cherished brother, loving father and committed husband, he saw family second only to his faith. Jathan committed his life to his Savior Jesus in June of 2010 and lived the rest of his days to honor Him.

Jathan is preceded in death by his grandparents, Joel and Etta Belle Fields, and Bill and Luella Lowder; his uncle, Johnnie Fields; "Aunt" Myrtle Casada and dear friend Mark "Ruby" Rosentreter.

Jathan is survived by his wife, Keli; children, Cash, Regan and Alison; sister, Shannah Blankenship and her husband David of Haslett, TX; parents, Joel and Cathey Fields; aunt, Patsy Jackson and husband Chuck; uncle, Tom Lowder and wife Iris of Orlando, FL; aunt, Berniece Fields of Archer City; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Jim and Marilyn Carper; sister-in-law, Jessica Henderson and husband Tyler of Austin, TX; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and tons of dear friends.

Pallbearers will be his closest friends and brothers: Scott Hunter, Phil Thames, Pete Lerma, Chad Brinkman, Charlie Simpson, Jay Teakle, and Blake Laing.

Memorials may be given to Hospice of Wichita Falls, 4909 Johnson Road, Wichita Falls, TX 76310.

The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Marta Penas-Prada, Peg Fields and MeLesa Ritterhouse of MD Anderson; Dr. Robert Parkey, Anne, Raven, Belva and Amanda of Hospice of Wichita Falls and all our friends that have lifted us in prayer for the last 4 years. You all have been such a tangible example of God's love. Thank you. II Corinthians 5:8.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.owensandbrumley.com
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WASHINGTON  Another small step was taken last week on the ascent back to constitutional norms. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the nation's second-most important court, reprimanded Congress for abandoning constitutional propriety.

The court declared unconstitutional the unprecedented independence that Congress conferred on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This legal skirmish about one aspect of this one tentacle of the administrative state may seem recondite and trivial. It concerns, however, two momentous matters. One is the integrity of the federal government's Madisonian architecture. The other is something that not even the prescient James Madison could have anticipated Congress' modern eagerness to diminish itself.

The CFPB is empowered to "regulate the offering and provision of consumer financial products or services." Being able to define financial products, it can regulate almost everything touching finance, from mortgages to financial advisers to retirement plans  even car loans, although expressly forbidden to do so. Acting like a freewheeling little legislature, it concocts laws as it improvises standards. It is authorized to "declare," with scant congressional guidance, certain business practices "abusive," "unfair," "deceptive" or involving "discrimination." It does so by whatever criteria it pleases, and imposes penalties it deems appropriate.

Until the court's decision last week, the CFPB, unlike any federal institution created since 1789, was uniquely sovereign: Its director was appointed by the president for a five-year term  longer than the president's  and the director could be removed by the president only "for cause." That is, only for "inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance," not for reasons of policy.

The court held that the CFPB is "unconstitutionally structured" because of its "novel agency structure." There are several agencies that are controlled by bipartisan commissioners who can only be removed for cause, and they are described as "independent" agencies as a result. But they all have five members, chosen from both parties. The court has just held, however, that as created by Congress in the 2010 slapdash Dodd-Frank legislation, the CFPB's single director "enjoys more unilateral authority than any other officer in any of the three branches of the U.S. government, other than the president."

The court's ruling makes the director subject to presidential control through dismissal. Another important challenge to the CFPB's operations, currently in a federal-district court, concerns Congress' voluntary abandonment of its power of the purse: Dodd-Frank, which was passed with the support of only three House Republicans and three Republican senators, says the CFPB's funding shall be "determined by the director" and shall come not from congressional appropriations but from the Federal Reserve. Small wonder it spends lavishly on itself. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who while at Harvard Law School proposed the CFPB, insists it is "highly accountable" to Congress. The CFPB disagrees, having proclaimed that its funding from outside the appropriations process gives it "full independence" from Congress.

Although Madison assumed that the government's rival institutions would jealously defend their powers, he worried that the legislative branch would threaten the equilibrium of the checks and balances by "drawing all power into its impetuous vortex." Today, however, Congress is centrifugal rather than centripetal, expelling rather than concentrating power.

Democratic candidates, both incumbents and challengers, are fighting ferociously to remain on, or get to, Capitol Hill. One wonders: Why?

Their party is doctrinally devoted to marginalizing the legislative branch to expand the discretion of the administrative state as an instrument of executive power.

And the next president certainly will be impatient with Madison's separation of powers. President Hillary Clinton will be because progressives since Woodrow Wilson have considered this system an anachronistic impediment to energetic government powered by an unconstrained executive. President Donald Trump will be anti-Madisonian because the system of checks and balances will impede the sweep of his unmediated fabulousness.

The CFPB's progressive authoritarianism reflects, in the language of the Hudson Institute's Christopher DeMuth, "regulatory insouciance" made possible by "legislative abnegation." Both will continue until conservatism reappears.

George Will's email address is georgewill@washpost.com.
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By now we are all sick of the presidential election cycle. In fact, I was sick of it a long time ago. I stayed informed, but the depths of the news barrage about lies, hatefulness, and overall ugliness has been overwhelming. But early voting is about to start in our state and around the country, so it's almost over. Some states have already started early voting. So we have to make a decision and certainly go vote.

Our congressman Mac Thornberry is actually on the ballot with a Libertarian and Green party candidates. We do not we have any contested state senate or house races to decide for our area, but there are several state races such as Railroad Commissioner, several judge positions and the Board of Education. The voter's guide available at the League of Women Voters does a very good job of describing these races and the candidates.

It is the local races that we see more closely and actually can have a much bigger impact on our daily lives than any other races. We aren't going to talk to or encounter the winners of national and state races very often, if ever, in our community. Congressman Thornberry, Rep. James Frank and Senator Craig Estes are the exceptions to that statement, who are all very visible and involved in Wichita Falls.

We are going to see, listen to and be able to call our local elected officials. We have a contested mayoral race, two county commissioner races and two WFISD board of trustees' races. On a personal level these are the ones that matter most to our community.

One of the most enjoyable and interesting jobs of being on the TRN Editorial Board is the opportunity we are given during election cycles to sit down with the candidates to listen and ask questions in a small setting.

All of us on the board take it very seriously to attend and listen carefully to the people who will run our local government entities. It is always a learning experience.

This local election cycle is an exciting one because we have some bright, successful and energetic candidates that want to serve. Several are quite young. Depending on the outcome of the mayor's race, we could have one of the youngest city councils in a long time to lead with new ideas for economic growth, who are technologically savvy and have a desire for more communication with other entities that affect the destiny of our city. This is true for the WFISD board of trustee races also. Mixing new young blood with the experience of long term elected officials can be a very good combination. A new perspective should always be welcome.

As a baby boomer I find this development very exciting. Obviously people my age, and older, are still growing and taking on challenges every day in their lives. But I have no resentment or fear in letting the younger generations start taking on these leadership roles. They are ready. And it is only natural that this transition of generations starts happening. I love seeing it in our health care providers, business owners and elected officials.

Wichita Falls and Wichita County are on the cusp of opportunities that we have not had the last few years. We are finally out of the drought and because of remarkable innovation will have a water supply for a very long time. We have a Chamber of Commerce that is focused and energetic. MSU and Vernon continue to expand and pursue new ways to grow their colleges. WFISD is using the bond to renovate schools and build the new tech and career center. Sheppard Air Force Base is solid and will have some growth in the future. United Regional Health Care Center is about to complete the new emergency department that is cutting edge and they continue to recruit and hire new doctors to serve our health care needs. And new retail and private businesses continue to grow. The Lake Wichita Revitalization Project has momentum. Even downtown has new energy and is finally a focus for growth. All of our local media is involved in and promotes our community. And our quality of life is still the best reason to be here.

So maybe the stars are aligned for us to really experience growth that serves us all. We all should be excited for the future. I certainly am. So please go vote, it really does matter.

Be well, pray often and love one another.
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Rotterdam

Leona Wilsey is getting more and more worried about the fate of her missing monkey, Austin, who slipped out of a backyard play enclosure, hopped a four-foot fence and disappeared into the wooded lots and weedy swales of suburbia five weeks ago.

As the first frosts glazed local lawns and overnight temperatures dipped into the 30s, Wilsey feared her beloved black-capped capuchin, a tropical species, could succumb to exposure  or perhaps a predator.

"He's like a child to me and I'm afraid of him not surviving low temperatures," she said. The monkey is native to South and Central America and weighs up to 9 pounds, roughly the size of a house cat.

Austin's escape was a first.

"I was putting him in the backyard enclosure and somehow he got out and just took off. He never did that before," said Wilsey, 70, who had the 11-year-old monkey since it was an infant.

She last saw Austin scampering over her backyard fence. There has not been a confirmed sighting since the primate went on the lam on Sept. 8.

Wilsey has handed out dozens of fliers in her Coldbrook neighborhood and posted them around the nearby commercial corridor of Altamont Avenue.

So far, she's only received erroneous tips and a few prank calls.

"Someone will hear a strange noise, I'll go investigate and it turns out to be a squirrel or an opossum," she said. She said Austin makes vocalizations similar to the shrieks and caws of tropical birds.

Rotterdam police called Wilsey with a few possible sightings reported to them, but those also turned up nothing.

Wilsey's son, friends, neighbors and members of Coldbrook's neighborhood watch have joined the search.

She does not appreciate the phone calls of wiseacres who think they're being funny, especially when they call at 10 or 11 o'clock at night.

"This has been a difficult ordeal," she said. "I'm not getting a lot of sleep."

Wilsey is legally permitted to own the monkey and state Department of Environmental Conservation officials loaned her traps. She also set up night-vision cameras. None have worked, although she has caught and released rodents.

Playing recorded capuchin calls over speakers has yielded nothing either.

Capuchin monkeys are intelligent and highly trainable. Since 1979, Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled has been training capuchin monkeys as special service animals and pairing them with adults who suffered spinal cord injuries and other mobility impairments to help them live more independent lives.

In tropical forests, where they typically live 15 to 25 years, capuchin monkeys feed on insects, vegetables, fruits and nuts. Wilsey feels Austin could forage enough food to survive and at least has a fighting chance in the wilds of suburbia.

"I keep praying there's a good chance he's out there and we'll find him," she said. "I'm just hopeful we'll get a visual on him before the weather turns really cold."

Anyone with information or a monkey sighting can call Wilsey at 577-7965.

pgrondahl@timesunion.com  518-454-5623  @PaulGrondahl
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Troy

All types of tinkering and testing was happening Saturday afternoon at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity.

The center, a so-called "maker space" where would-be inventors go to dabble and make prototypes on Third Street in Troy, was holding its third hackathon of the year.

What's a hackathon? It's when people get together to invent things over a day or two, with prizes awarded at the end.

While hackathons originally were the exclusive realm of computer coders who made software, hackathons are now used for any type of inventing.

And this weekend, the Tech Valley Center of Gravity is holding a 32-hour "clean tech" hackathon focused around new ideas and devices that create clean forms of power or help save energy.

In quiet corners of the center on Saturday afternoon, hackers were working on everything from air ships to a solar electric device that would help power a bicycle up a hill.

A Saturday afternoon, Xavier Quinn of Union College in Schenectady was working away at a bunch of mechanical parts and what looked like tubes. He said he and his team were making a jacket that would make electricity from body heat using thermoelectric peltier chips.

"We came up with the idea two days ago," Quinn said. "It's more of a proof of concept at this point."

Nearby, Mark Ferran of Grafton, an RPI grad who visited the Tech Valley Center of Gravity during homecoming weekend earlier in the month, was building what a sign by his invention indicated was a "pet re-animator" that he said was based on battery experiments by Alessandro Volta and Luigi Galvani in the 1700s using frog legs.

But that was just a diversion, Ferran said, from what he really was creating  an energy conservation device using used fluorescent tube lamps.

This weekend's event, which began Saturday morning and continued until 4 p.m. Sunday, is sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and National Grid. There will be $5,000 in prizes given out to the winners, with 12 judges determining the winners.

Thomas Tongue, executive director of the Tech Valley Center of Gravity, says the two previous hackathons were on the Internet of Things and virtual reality, but the clean tech competition has been the busiest one yet with 80 participants, including sponsor volunteers.

Tongue says that students, entrepreneurs and engineers who want to take a crack at inventing something participate. And those who do take part get a free "super user" membership at the center, which provides 24-hour access to the equipment, including the downstairs machine and wood shops, and usually costs $100. Sponsors also provided food for the contestants.

"It's a fantastic opportunity to build new teams and try things out," Tongue said of the hackathon.

He said that people come from outside the region as well for the events, and many want to stay when they visit.

"It's a great opportunity to show off the region," Tongue said.

lrulison@timesunion.com  518-454-5504  @larryrulison
King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who took the throne of the kingdom once known as Siam shortly after World War II and held it for more than 70 years, establishing himself as a revered personification of Thai nationhood, died on Thursday in Bangkok. He was 88 and one of the longest-reigning monarchs in history.

The royal palace said he died at Siriraj Hospital but gave no further details.

Bhumibol was a unifying figure in a deeply polarized country, and his death cast a pall of uncertainty across Thailand, raising questions about the future of the monarchy itself.

The military junta, which seized power in a coup two years ago, derives its authority from the king. But the king's heir apparent, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, seen by many as a jet-setting playboy, is not held in the same regard as his father.

Bhumibol spent most of his final years in a hospital, ensconced in a special suite. His portrait hung in almost every shop, and as his health declined, billboards proclaimed "Long Live the King," signaling widespread anxiety about a future without him. In response, he openly fretted about the people feeling so insecure.

Thais came to see this Buddhist king as a father figure wholly dedicated to their welfare, and as the embodiment of stability in a country where political leadership rose and fell through decades of military coups.

His death ends a reign of 70 years and 126 days, one that few monarchs have matched for longevity. Queen Elizabeth II, by comparison, has ruled Britain for more than 64 years, having surpassed Queen Victoria's mark in 2015. With Bhumibol's death, she becomes the world's longest-reigning monarch.

Bhumibol (pronounced poo-me-pon) was an accidental monarch, thrust onto the throne at 18 by the violent death of his older brother in 1946. He fully embraced the role of national patriarch, upholding Thailand's traditions of hierarchy, deference and loyalty.

Western stereotypes of his country irked him. He disdained the Broadway musical "The King and I," with its roots in his grandfather's court. And, like a stern father, he was quick to chastise his fellow Thais when he saw the need.

In the king's own book "The Story of Tongdaeng" (2002), about a street dog he had adopted, the message  there was always a message in his writings  was that affluent Thais should stop buying expensive foreign breeds when there were so many local strays to save. The book was a Thai best-seller.

If he was a people's king, Bhumibol was a quiet and somewhat aloof one. He was a man of sober, serious mien, often isolated in his palaces, protected by the most stringent of lese-majeste laws, which effectively prevent almost any public discussion of the royal family.

But he had a worldly bent. Born in Cambridge, Mass., where his father was a student at Harvard, he was educated in Switzerland, spoke impeccable English and French, composed music, played jazz on the clarinet and saxophone, wrote, painted, took up photography, and spent hours in a greenhouse at his Chitrlada Palace in Bangkok.

Once he had returned from Europe, however, he stayed put. Never interested in a jet-set life, he stopped traveling abroad, saying there was too much to do at home. He was content to trudge through croplands in distant provinces in an open-neck shirt and sport coat, tending to the many development projects he encouraged and oversaw: milk-pasteurizing plants, dams that watered rice fields, factories that recycled sugar-cane stalks and water hyacinths into fuel, and countless others.

In a political crisis, Thais admired him for his shrewd sense of when to intervene  sometimes with only a gesture  to defuse it, even though he had only a limited constitutional role and no direct political power.

"We are fighting in our own house," he scolded two warring politicians he had summoned to sit abjectly at his feet in 1992. "It is useless to live on burned ruins."

Eleven years earlier, he had aborted a coup by simply inviting the besieged prime minister, Prem Tinsulanonda, to stay at a royal palace with the king and queen.

Thailand was transformed during his reign, moving from a mostly agricultural economy to a modern one of industry and commerce and a growing middle class. He presided over an expansion of democratic processes, though it was halting. He witnessed a dozen successful military coups and several attempted uprisings, and in his last years, his health failing, he appeared powerless to stem sometimes violent demonstrations, offering only vague appeals for unity and giving royal endorsement to two coups.
If Albany had the choice of a historical redo, it would not have developed over a couple of centuries with a railroad and later a major highway hugging the Hudson River shoreline creating a nearly impenetrable barrier between the city and the river that is its reason for being.

That barrier has stunted the growth of the city and riverfront. But what we have is the reality, and no amount of wishful thinking will move those railroad tracks, or I-787. Former Mayor Jerry Jennings made the most of a bad deal by creating a useful walkway providing at least some pedestrian access to the river. We could use a few more of those, if we can ever afford them.

If Albany could do it over, a major community of low-income housing, the Ezra Prentice Homes, would have been built elsewhere. Not butting up against the fence around the massive Port of Albany, with its around-the-clock noisy industrial activity, dusty, acrid air, heavy truck and rail traffic.

But that is also reality. Nothing fruitful comes from second guessing why the housing was built where it was a half century ago, or by imagining moving the community elsewhere, especially in light of a recent $24 million upgrade. Where it is, is where it stays. The same can be said of the port. It is not an overstatement to suggest that the economic future of Albany, which does not have a lot of options for growth, relies significantly on further developing and expanding the Port of Albany.

All of that said, another reality gaining force in the last six weeks that has struggled to be heard over the din of commercial interests is this: The public health and safety of the residents of Ezra Prentice Homes is nonnegotiable.

What started as a courageous line in the sand drawn by Albany County Executive Dan McCoy three years ago by imposing a moratorium halting a proposed expansion of oil processing at the port by Global Partners over health and safety concerns has finally gotten traction.

At the time, no one gave McCoy much of a chance of making it stick. Global all but dismissed the moratorium, haughtily citing federal preemption: Because interstate rail transportation was involved, in Global's view, localities and the state did not have much say in the matter. In addition, it appeared Global had persuaded the state Department of Environmental Conservation it were right about preemption, so the DEC was timidly going along as a shill for big oil, trying to railroad local officials into signing off on needed state permits for Global to operate and build up to seven boilers that would accept and process tar sands, a riskier, more dangerous form of crude. Global was desperate to avoid a full environmental review, both of the existing operation, and the proposed one, and the DEC seemed inclined to go along with that.

But McCoy wouldn't budge. The county created an expert advisory committee whose recommendations proved prophetic. A team of environmental lawyers from EarthJustice took up the cudgel, suing Global. Ezra Prentice residents kept the pressure on government to give them answers on health and safety concerns. Over time, it became harder and harder for the DEC to justify siding with big oil and giving it a pass on permits.

Around the time the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regional administrator, Judith Enck, announced in August that EPA was citing Global for violations of its clean air permit, and that she was coming to Ezra Prentice Homes to meet with residents, the DEC had a miraculous awakening. In short order, the DEC announced the proposed Pilgrim pipelines from the port down the state Thruway right-of-way to refineries in Linden, N.J., and back again would require a full environmental review, and so would Global's expired air permit and the proposed boiler permit. The sum is a game changer.

Then a few weeks ago, out of the blue, McCoy was vindicated. The federal Surface Transportation Board ruled on an oil storage case involving an oil-by-rail facility in California analogous to what Global is doing, or would be doing, at the Port of Albany. Federal preemption was denied. Local and state governments do have more control over health and safety concerns of the crude once its off the carrier's rails than Global thought, or that the DEC would initially accept.

Why it took the DEC nearly three years to move to the side of the table where the people sit, not the polluting, exploiting corporations, is one of those mysteries of life. But perhaps it's related to this administration's oft-touted view that "New York is open for business." To do the DEC credit, though, it does now seem totally committed to the right course.

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Up to then, Global Partners, and related Buckeye Partners, were assuming as inevitable another looming reality for Albany born of an historic convergence of rail lines. That once the boilers were in place and the pipeline built, Albany would become a major East Coast oil and gas transportation hub, far bigger than before, and there was nothing to stop it. The risk and anxiety would be ours, the profits theirs.

Now, at least, if Global wants that reality, they'll have to pay for it, and make partners out of the residents of Ezra Prentice, and the rest of Albany, instead of defenseless victims.

They'll have to invest in Albany and mitigate all concerns before exploiting it. On balance, progress. Opportunity for Albany instead of a prison sentence.

flebrun@timesunion.com  518-454-5453
If you put pins in a map of the United States to mark the addresses of donors to the major-party contenders in New York's 19th Congressional District, it would look like a porcupine.

Contributors from 40 states and the District of Columbia, plus the United Kingdom, appear in the Federal Election Commission filings for Democrat Zephyr Teachout and Republican John Faso, offering clear evidence of the national significance of the race in a district that forms a fat horseshoe from Sullivan, Ulster and Dutchess counties north into Montgomery, Schoharie, Greene, Columbia and Renssealer counties.

One of them is Eugene Schupp, a Utah State University professor who chipped in $100 for Teachout's campaign in June, making him one of five donors from that state.

"If there's going to be someone in Washington that helps this country on the path that I think it needs to be set on, then I have to support progressives in other places that I never have lived and never will live, because I'm never going to be able to elect someone in Utah who believes as I do," said Schupp last week.

Teachout, a law professor and 2014 gubernatorial candidate, and Faso, a former state assemblyman and 2006 gubernatorial candidate, are vying to replace popular Republican Rep. Chris Gibson, who announced at the outset of his third term in 2015 that he wouldn't seek re-election.

At first, Gibson flirted with a 2018 gubernatorial bid. But to the chagrin of Republicans seeking a "purple" candidate who plays in deep-blue New York, he instead has accepted a teaching position at Williams College in Massachusetts.

Both Teachout, who will turn 45 later this month, and Faso, 64, have sought to tap into Gibson's neighborly persona in an attempt to woo the independent voters  whether they are or are not registered with a party  who seem so prevalent across the district.

The edge in appearing most Gibson-esque goes to Faso, who as the Republican candidate had the inside track on the incumbent's endorsement.

"I believe that when the voters of this district get to know John Faso the way that I've come to know him over the last three decades, they're going to support him," Gibson said earlier this summer outside his Kinderhook home, which happens to be just around the corner from the Faso family home.

Still, Teachout has taken care to praise Gibson where she can, often lauding his leadership on Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

While Gibson voters may well gravitate toward a candidate who most closely mirrors their current representative, there has been no shortage of stark contrast between Teachout and Faso for voters to judge.

Start with Teachout's attempts to present herself as a fresh, clean voice in a grimy political world. A conversation with the Bernie Sanders-style Democrat constantly loops back to antitrust issues related to everything from telecommunications to farming, and the unconscionable amount of fundraising that Washington politicians are engaged in when they should be focused on their districts.

As such, she likes to paint Faso with the black mark of a "career politician," citing his 15 years in the state Assembly and another roughly half-dozen years working for a lobbying firm She points to his work for Financial Service Centers of America, whom Faso represented in 2012 and 2013 when he was working for Manatt Phelps & Phillips, and the Constitution Pipeline, for which Faso did not lobby but did work as a "public outreach consultant," according to Politifact

Faso prefers to discuss his lobbying work for Autism Speaks and his role in pushing for state legislation to expand health care coverage for those with autism. And his legislative experience has lent itself to a signature policy proposal that would require states to shoulder a greater share of Medicaid costs that in New York municipalities are left to deal with, a unique federal idea to help deal with local mandates that are subject to state-level policy.

The Republican's favorite knock on his opponent is that Teachout is a carpetbagger Faso consistently highlights the more than three decades he has lived in Kinderhook, raising his children and getting to know his neighbors. Teachout, he often says, was until recently a Brooklynite.

Indeed, Teachout did live in New York City and fought in court to defend her residency during her 2014 Democratic gubernatorial primary campaign against Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She moved into Dutchess County in March 2015, and often highlights her upbringing in Vermont dairy country as evidence that she understands the plight of the small farmer in upstate New York.

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In the same way that the list of donors to the 19th District race shines a light on the national importance of the race, PAC and super PAC money has poured into the district to fund a fierce ad war. According to ProPublica, nearly $5.8 million worth of independent expenditures has been spent in the 19th District so far in this election cycle. The top spender has been the Congressional Leadership Fund, a pro-GOP super PAC that has shellacked Teachout for her opposition to the state's tax cap  also a favorite Faso target. The Democrat makes no bones about defending her opposition to the cap due to its interference with local budgeting decisions. Instead, she supports a circuit breaker that would constrain the percentage of household income that could be captured by property taxes.

Meanwhile, the End Citizens United PAC has rolled out ads touting Teachout's work fighting corruption and working to reduce the influence of special interests on elections.

The most recent polls in the race have shown a virtual dead heat: Faso led Teachout by a single point (43-42 percent) in a Time Warner Cable News/Siena College poll released at the end of September. While the predictable partisan splits exist in a district with a relatively narrow 2,300-Republican voter enrollment advantage, it's the 114,577 unaffiliated voters that Teachout and Faso must court in the final weeks of the campaign. As with the larger electorate, the candidates were virtually split among those voters (42-41 percent, with Faso ahead) in the September poll.

While Faso has had to navigate Donald Trump's presence at the top of the ticket  he says he remains unsure who he'll vote for, which at the same time saying he supports his party's nominee  he has been able to leverage regional name recognition.

"I've lived and worked in this district for over 33 years," Faso said in a debate broadcast on WMHT Thursday night. "We've raised a family here. I understand the district, and I've laid out a strategy for improving our economy and growing jobs here in the Capital Region."

Teachout's message to independent voters is based on a simple pitch: that she is independent herself.

"I ran against Andrew Cuomo. I have been critical of my own party leaders," said the Democrat, who last year rapped Hillary Clinton for her big-money supporters. " ... When I talk to people throughout this district, there's a deep independent spirit. People are looking for someone who is going to fight for people in this district and not take orders from elsewhere."
Saratoga Springs

Those hoping to walk and bike safely from one end of city to the other will have to wait another two years.

The Downtown Connector, which would link Excelsior Avenue to Saratoga Spa State Park, is being put on hold until 2018. It was removed from the 2017 City Council approved capital budget by Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan who said that she could not justify borrowing $833,000 for the $2.26 million project until the city was assured of a state matching grant.

The money, from the state departments of Environmental Conservation and Transportation, totaling $1.13 million, will not be certain until December. The city is also waiting to hear about a $1.36 million grant from the federal Department of Transportation. The city will be notified of the grant in late winter of 2017. The remainder of the costs will be covered by developers whose projects run along the trail and the city's Recreation Department.

That leaves the $833,000 for a bond. Mayor Joanne Yepsen is concerned, however, that postponing the project  supported by residents, developers and real estate professionals, threatens its life.

"Residents are crying out for a walkable, bike-able city," said Yepsen. "Delaying the project is very concerning to me. We have spent two years getting ready for this. We really need to take advantage of the state and federal grants now. The city needs to show its commitment to the project. Not showing a willingness to bond for it will show we are not ready."

Madigan says that if the grant monies come through, she will reconsider switching the Downtown Connector project, described as a pathway from High Rock Park to Congress Park to Spa State Park, to 2017.

But Yepsen is adamant that the wait-and-see approach is risky and harms the viability of other partnerships. The Capital District Transportation Authority is looking to install a bike share program in Saratoga Springs and it will need locations. Also, the Department of Environmental Conservation, which is working to clean up a National Grid brownfield on Excelsior Avenue that was contaminated with chemicals from old gaslights that once lit the city, would provide more resources.

Even more concerning to Yepsen is that 2018 will be a costly year for Saratoga Springs. Madigan said the state has mandated a second courtroom, estimated to cost $3 million to $6 million. Loughberry Lake, the city's reservoir, needs dam work done, which could cost up to $5 million. She said City Hall needs more restorations, which could cost another $5 million.

"We do need to prioritize and that is what the finance commissioner is charged with doing," said Madigan, whose renovations for her offices, at a cost of $749,104, are preserved in the city's 2017 budget.

As for 2018 expenses, she said she is not worried because the city's fiscal health is sound.

John Witt of Witt Construction wants to see the Downtown Connector. He said it would make his condos, Excelsior Park, more attractive to buyers. He's also willing to donate money, as he did with the Spring Run trail bridge, to see it get done.

"Having a consistent, connecting trails system is part of what makes Saratoga phenomenal," said Witt. "But good things take time. The important thing is they do it."

Douglas Meyer, volunteer chair of the committee for the Saratoga Greenbelt Trail of which the Downtown Connector is a part, said he feels confident that if the grants are awarded the construction of the connector will go forward immediately.

"We've had full support from mayor and all of the commissioners," said Meyer. "We've also gotten full support from the community. It's a matter of economic and quality of life. Hopefully the grant will come through. We will be there to help the city expedite the trails."

Capital expenditures, like the Downtown Connector, are determined by committee. Headed by the mayor, the committee members from each of the five city departments bring forth requests that then are prioritized. Once complete, the capital budget is approved by the City Council and then folded into the overall city budget.

In determining the overall budget, Madigan does have authority to alter the plans put forth in the adopted capital budget. Of the 22 projects in the 2017 capital budget, the Downtown Connector was ranked No. 7. (Madigan's department office was placed at No. 9.) When asked why the highest priority projects are not preserved, Madigan said she there is "no reason" for her to pull from the lower priority items.

Madigan again stressed that she has authority to pick and choose the agreed upon projects in the budget because "I am responsible for putting a balanced comprehensive budget on the table and for proposing the property tax rate. I have certain authority over the budget process, I am the CFO and the budget chair for all requested departmental budgets and the capital budget and the budget process  someone has to review total expenses and total revenues  and under our charter that is the finance commissioner."

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If the council adopts her proposed budget, which only needs three votes, it will go forward. But it can be amended along the way.

Yepsen is putting her hopes in the public to return the Downtown Connector to 2017.

Colin Klepetar, who bikes every day from Saratoga Springs to his job as a teacher at Ballston Spa Middle School, said he too hopes it can be done in 2017, not just for his own enjoyment, but for the community as a whole.

"We want a healthy community," said Klepetar. "The more bike paths and trails we have, the better for residents and families. It will get people outside and exercising."

Madigan said she wants the Downtown Connector, too.

"I am personally supportive of it," she said. "I just don't want the taxpayers to be on the hook for it."

Yepsen said it's about commitment and timing.

"If we want those grants, we have to look strong and postponing to 2018 is not realistic," said Yepsen. "The stars have aligned for 2017. The people want it. Let's get safe, multiuse trails for bikers and pedestrians in place."

wliberatore@timesunion.com  518-454-5445  @wendyliberatore
DECATUR  Bob Fallstrom was the local person to take a ride in the World War II- era biplane, when it first touched down in Decatur three years ago.

He was an amazing man, an amazing representative of the veterans and the community, said Darryl Fisher, president of Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation, of the late Herald & Review community news editor.

Fisher spent his weekend taking military veterans for spins above the city to show his appreciation for them.

Robert J. Delaney came out on his 92nd birthday Saturday to see the plane, a 1944 Boeing Stearman, the same model he piloted while training to be a pilot in the Army Air Corps.

That was the first one I flew, said Delaney, of Decatur, who enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school in 1942.

Delaney was at the airport with his son Kelly, a chief master sergeant in the Illinois Air National Guard. He said his father encouraged him to join the Air Force in 1981. He has been serving since then, with 35 years in the Guard, Air Force Reserve or regular Air Force, during which he served eight overseas deployments, in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His father used to tell him stories of his training at air bases in California during World War II.

He used to tell us how to do a barrel roll in this thing, Kelly Delaney said, as he sat with his father near the bright blue-and-yellow vintage aircraft.

There was plenty of time for veterans to sit around and tell stories, as the biplane was grounded for a few hours, waiting for the cloud cover to dissipate for a legally required 1,000-foot ceiling in the sky.

Fisher presented local first responders with certificates of appreciation during a brief ceremony. A couple of Macon County sheriff's deputies, who were also military veterans, were scheduled to take their turns on the flights.

We are humbled by the police officers and firefighters, who help us with the veterans, Fisher said. The support, the spirit in Decatur is amazing. This is awesome.

Fisher grew up in a family of pilots, who were also involved in the business of senior housing. He began giving free flights to veterans in 2011. The nonprofit organization, staffed entirely by volunteers, has taken 2,000 veterans into the air throughout the nation. The group has three planes and five pilots.

Ron Clanton, a career Air Force veteran who retired in 1974, flew on an Ageless flight last year.

It was a wonderful experience, said Clanton, of Decatur, a mechanic who worked on numerous large aircraft, including C-130 and C-124 transports. I'd never flown in an open cockpit. You get a great view of the city and it kind of takes you back to your old days.

Clanton was present in support of his buddy, Robert Champion, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. Champion, 82, said he was looking forward to flying out in the open.

It will be an experience, he said, adding he still enjoys adventures, including riding his motorcycle. I haven't been in a small plane since 1974, then it was a five- or six-seater.

Champion said he especially enjoyed being around the police officers and firefighters at the event. Several of them shook the hands of veterans and thanked them for their service.

Dick Lacy, who served in the Navy aboard the USS Strickland, a destroyer escort, said he never flew in a small plane.

This will be my first adventure, Lacy said. I'm looking forward to it.

He had plenty of adventures during the war and afterward, as Lacy's ship protected aircraft carriers from submarines in the Pacific Ocean, in the vicinity of Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Tinian and Guam.

One of the most challenging duties was when they encountered Japanese submarines after the war, some of which had crews that had not heard that hostilities had ended.

When you saw them, you didn't depth charge them because the war was over, but you didn't want them shooting at you, Lacy said.

Tyfanni Allen, area manager for Sport Clips, a national men's grooming company, traveled to Decatur from Belleville both days to take part in the events. The company logo is on the plane, because of its sponsorship of Ageless Aviation. Allen said her company supports military veterans.

They did something great for our country, Allen said. Giving back is the least we can do.

Fisher, who has encountered many veterans during his years working with seniors in his management and construction companies, is dedicated to giving something back to them. The plane he flew to Decatur was purchased by his grandfather, a Washington state wheat farmer and entrepreneur, in 1946.

I grew up around seniors and airplanes, Fisher said. It's allowed me to take my passion for airplanes and seniors and put them together.
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Saratoga Springs

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump once took Maureen Lewi, of Saratoga Springs, on an extended private tour below decks of his 281-foot super-yacht the Trump Princess and gushed about the opulent suites, luxurious double beds and hand-carved onyx bathroom fixtures.

But he did not grope her.

"It was just the two of us looking at seven bedrooms and bathrooms and he had every opportunity to grope me," said Lewi, who was 42 years old during the 1989 yacht tour, the same age as Trump at the time. "He was a perfect gentleman."

Lewi, 70, spoke Thursday from her winter home in Naples, Fla., after a fresh round of allegations by numerous women who have come forward in recent weeks to say they were sexually assaulted, groped or subjected to unwanted sexual advances by Trump. Trump campaign officials repeatedly denied the allegations of sexual improprieties. The 70-year-old billionaire developer at a North Carolina rally Friday attacked the women's accusations as "total fiction" and "lies, lies, lies." He went so far as to ridicule their looks and to suggest they were below his amorous standards.

Lewi does not mean to suggest Trump was a choirboy or to excuse his long history of degrading comments about women and tarnished reputation as a philanderer, or worse.

"I just never saw that side of him," said Lewi, who also spent time with Trump in later years at Saratoga parties hosted by Marylou Whitney.

Her late husband Ed Lewi, in his 2014 memoir, "A Wild Ride," wrote of the 1989 yacht encounter: "When he (Trump) greeted us, he gave me a quick handshake and planted a big kiss  that lasted perhaps a moment too long, I felt  on the lips of Maureen and he immediately whisked her off for a private tour of his enormous vessel."

He described Trump as a handsy fellow as he watched him disappear into a stateroom with his wife, feeling a bit uncomfortable "that The Donald had his right arm wrapped firmly around my wife's waist."

Ed Lewi died in 2015 of a heart attack at age 81 after a long struggle with advanced Parkinson's disease.

The Lewis, who owned a local public relations firm and were hired to handle publicity for the Tour de Trump bicycle road race that began and ended in Albany, were invited to a party aboard Trump's yacht in Atlantic City 28 years ago.

They arrived early for the cocktail reception, before 50 or so guests who had made a corporate gift of $15,000 or more to the Tour de Trump.

"He may have kissed me on the mouth. I honestly don't remember. He didn't put a sexual move on me. I would remember that," Lewi said. She noted that her husband, a larger-than-life impresario, had a tendency to embellish his stories.

"I can see how his imagination ran wild because it was little a disconcerting to see your wife take off with Donald Trump to the bedroom area," she said. At the time, Trump was married to Ivana Trump, his first of three wives. She was not at the party on the yacht, Lewi said.

Lewi was agog during the private tour of the mega-yacht  partygoers were confined to the decks, discotheque and living room  which Trump bought at a distressed price of $30 million in 1987 from the Sultan of Brunei. The sultan took the yacht as collateral for a multi-million dollar loan to Adnan Khashoggi, a billionaire Saudi arms dealer who built the yacht in 1980 for a reported $85 million and later ran into money troubles. The yacht features five decks, a helipad, a pool with a water jet, a screening room and 800-film library, sleeping quarters for a crew of 52 and 14 fuel tanks that allow it to travel 8,500 miles without refueling. The Huffington Post and other sources reported Trump was forced to unload the yacht for about $20 million in 1991 to Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal under pressure from creditors when Trump was more than $900 million in debt. Trump and bin Talal have tangled on Twitter in a public feud that began when Trump proposed banning Muslims from entering the United States.

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The yacht was featured in the James Bond movie "Never Say Never Again."

In later years, at Whitney's Saratoga soirees, Lewi and her husband socialized on several occasions with Trump. "I never saw Trump do anything improper with women," she said.

She recalled a National Museum of Dance gala in the mid-1990s that Trump attended in Saratoga with his second wife, Marla Maples. The food was late, the guests sweltered because the air-conditioning was not working and Trump led a celebrity revolt to a nearby fast-food restaurant.

At Trump's urging, Ed Lewi drove the Trumps, Merv Griffin and Eva Gabor to a nearby Boston Market in black tie and formal ball gowns. Autograph-seekers stopped at their table as they dug into roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. The celebrities obliged.

In the book, the couple also concurred in their recollection that Trump drove a hard bargain in negotiations with Ed Lewi.

"I told Ed you've got to be kidding me when he told me the fee he agreed to," Maureen recalled. "We were expected to do far more P.R. work than we were getting paid for and Trump got Ed to sign the deal."

pgrondahl@timesunion.com  518-454-5623  @PaulGrondahl
Designfest Clonmel unveiled their programme for their 2016 event. DesignFest will take place from Thursday 3rd to Tuesday 8th of November in Clonmel. A varied and exciting mix of events has been prepared to suit the general public and families as well as some niche elements geared specifically towards people in the design industry and ancillary sectors.

First up on the morning of Thursday 3rd of November is a Design Thinking workshop with James Bourke, reputed Product Designer and Director of Dolmen Design. The workshop will introduce entrepreneurs and SMEs to Design Thinking and how it can improve their product and make it more successful with customers. For businesses, start-ups, educators and designers, a Design Thinking Seminar chaired by Con Kennedy is a real highlight, complete with case studies by Maple and Spud, Tipperary Boutique Distillery and Triangle Marketing.

Later that day, Design Disrupters, a provocative documentary by InVision, will be screened at Bakers Bar followed by a discussion hosted by some of the Designfest Team. The film charts the trajectory of successful companies using Design as a key ingredient in improving User Experience.

Sheelagh Carew of IBM and Julia Marino from the US will also be hosting Design Thinking Workshops throughout the week aimed at Transition Year Students, Teenagers as well as a taster session for Teachers, Designers and members of the public interested in using the Design Thinking approach in their professional or creative projects.

For artists, there will a Professional Training Day sponsored by the County Arts Office with Australian Artist, Deirdre Feeney titled Looking back to look forward which will explore how the pre-digital era can inform contemporary visual arts practices. Deirdres exquisite work will also be on show during the week in a feature window on Parnell Street.

Other educational opportunities include an Innovation through Design Symposium on Monday, 7th of November with a wide selection of speakers which includes Graphic Designer and Red Lemonade Director John Cleere, multidisciplinary artist Aideen Barry, product designer Trevor Vaugh and Professor Adam De Eyto, UL Head of Design, who will chair the evening. The symposium will offer patrons unique insights into the latest developments in design-led innovation and how the design world is changing the face of industry. Both John Cleere and Aideen Barry will also be hosting separate talks earlier in the day complete with questions & answers sessions.

Finally, a Digital Design Careers Day specifically for 5th & 6th year secondary and Post Leaving Certificate students and teachers will also take place at the Clonmel Campus of LIT on Tuesday 8th of November. The day will include demonstrations, talks and an opportunity to meet with professionals working in the field of Animation, Game Art & Design and Creative Technology to bring another action-packed DesignFest Clonmel programme to a fitting close for 2016. Eamon Dalton, Senior Lecturer at LIT Clonmel said Designfest Clonmel offers something for everyone in terms of helping to develop an understanding and appreciation of the role of Design in many different contexts. Please remember pre-booking is essential for all events even those which are free to attend so for further information or to book please visit www.designfest.ie today.
Quality enthusiasts will be delighted to hear that local company Shanahan's Centra Borrisoleigh was nominated for a prestigious Q Mark Award at this years National Q Mark Awards, held in the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel.

The Q Mark certification is awarded only to companies who achieve the highest standards of quality and excellence, with Q Mark criteria ensuring that clients exceed legal requirements rather than simply adhering to them. This further assures consumers that companies who hold the Q are committed to continuous improvement and best practice.

Its fantastic to see local businesses being nominated for The Q Mark Awards! says Irene Collins, Managing Director, EIQA (Excellence Ireland Quality Association), speaking at the event. To be nominated for The Q Mark Awards is an enormous achievement, particularly as this year has seen the highest number of attendees at the star studded event. she continued; Companies who hold The Q Mark demonstrate to their customers that the highest standards of quality and excellence are at the heart of their business and that is something that is really worth celebrating!

The EIQA offers its programmes across all sectors, with customers in retail, food service, manufacturing, institutions, prison services, government, healthcare, business and professional services, financial institutions, nursing homes, leisure centres and not for profit organisations.
In suburbs, a fight for the soul of local school districts intensifies

Slates of conservative candidates are gunning for the majority on school boards nationwide, with the potential to impact school for thousands of kids.
TARBORO, N.C.  Tiajuana Williams lives in a one-story apartment building in Princeville, N.C., that was flooded by a river bulging with rainwater from Hurricane Matthew. Before driving out of town in her Honda Civic ahead of the storm, she hurriedly packed a bag with little more than a change of clothes.

Now, even while seeking aid to replace her belongings and arrange long-term housing, she has more pressing needs: "I ain't got no clothes. I left my clothes in there!"

If other recent floods in Louisiana and elsewhere are any indication, she could face a long road to recovery. She filled out a FEMA application online and signed paperwork Thursday with an agency representative who met with people in Tarboro, just across the Tar River from Princeville.

But Williams was told that it could take a week or more to get to the next step, which will be a phone call from another representative who will go over her information again. She doesn't have renter's insurance and fears her belonginss has been ruined. Making matters worse, she hasn't been able to get to her job as a home health nurse and doesn't expect a paycheck this week.

"I've had a headache for about four days," the 53-year-old said, taking a drag off a cigarette.

Her stress may not go away anytime soon if other recent flood disasters are a guide. In Louisiana, thousands of displaced families are still waiting for government assistance after the catastrophic deluge there two months ago  from a storm system that didn't even have a name.

Amanda Burge doesn't feel any closer to returning to her home in Denham Springs.

She is struggling just to get her family on the waiting list for a government-issued mobile home, which would allow them to live on their property while they repair damage. Daily phone calls to FEMA haven't yielded any answers for when  or if  they can get one delivered.

"We don't want money in our pockets," said Burge, a married mother of three young sons. "We just want to go home."

Last month, Congress authorized $500 million in flood recovery grants for Louisiana and other states. That was before Matthew churned up the East Coast.

In West Virginia, where 23 people died in June flooding and thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, rental options are scarce and the hilly terrain leaves few flat areas open for new construction. Clay County commissioner Jerry Linkinogger estimates nearly 1,000 people in the central West Virginia county of 8,500 residents applied for FEMA aid. The county has only one small hotel, so some flood victims left the area to find temporary housing.

"For a while, we had people living in tents," he said. "People are just working their way back slowly."

FEMA spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said the federal government has $5 billion in a fund for all FEMA-funded disaster relief work.

"We've known for quite some time that flooding is the most common and costly disaster we see in the U.S.," Lemaitre said. "We're working very hard to make sure impacted areas get the support they need from the federal government."

More than 24,000 survivors in hard-hit North Carolina have applied for federal disaster assistance, and FEMA has approved more than $5.8 million in individual assistance to cover needs including repairs or temporary housing, Lemaitre said Friday.

As of Thursday morning, about 3,400 people were staying in more than 40 shelters in eastern North Carolina. The next step is to move them into hotels or rental properties.

"We want to get these people out of shelters so they have more privacy, so they have more dignity, so they have better care, so they can be with their families and reunited with their pets if possible," Gov. Pat McCrory said.

More permanent housing will be "a major challenge," McCrory said.

In Louisiana, FEMA mobile homes are considered the last resort. The primary vehicle for helping displaced homeowners is the state-run, federally funded "Shelter at Home" grant program, which enables residents to live in their homes while making repairs. It's the first of its kind since Superstorm Sandy in 2012, according to Lemaitre.

The program has received more than 20,000 applications from residents, who are eligible for grants of up to $15,000 if the repairs can get them safely back in their homes. As of Tuesday, work funded by the program has been completed on nearly 2,000 homes and a final inspection was needed on another 3,000 homes.

Many residents and elected officials have criticized the program's pace.

"It's the red tape on top of red tape, which takes up weeks and months," said state Sen. Bodi White, a Republican running for mayor of Baton Rouge.

This week, 466 households in Louisiana and 39 in West Virginia were living in FEMA-provided mobile homes. FEMA also is paying for approximately 2,500 Louisiana families to stay in hotels.

In Lumberton, N.C., residents are only just emerging from the shock of such a large disaster. Floodwaters from the crested Lumber River are still preventing hundreds of residents from getting home.

Janet Meier didn't wait for the waters to recede. The 36-year-old waded into the clear brown water barefoot to retrieve her son's warmest blanket and a laptop on Thursday. While her home is surrounded by flood water, the inside is mostly dry.

Meier doesn't know if she'll be eligible for any federal assistance. She's not sure she will even ask for it.

"I've lost a lot, but it can come back," she said. "It's able to be replaced. I have the most important things."
Halloween is a time that is filled with myth and lore and there are some creepy legends surrounding the spookiest day of the year. In this list, there are some entries that are fictional stories, while others really happened. Can you figure out which ones are true and which ones are merely urban legends?

10. The Ghost Who Solved Her Own Murder

In the winter of 1896, Elva Zona Heaster married blacksmith Erasmus Shue, in Greenbrier, West Virginia. Rumors swirled around Shue, such as he was married twice before and both of his wives had died, perhaps not of natural causes.

A short time after getting married, mysterious bruises started appearing on Heaster, but she claimed it was her own fault. However, it was obvious that Heaster was a victim of spousal abuse. Then three months after the wedding, Heaster became mysteriously ill and no one was really sure what was wrong with her. Because she was sick, she was unable to do things around the house so Shue hired a young boy to do the chores.

Shue told the boy that if no one answered the door, he should just go inside the house. When he did, he found Heaster on the floor. He ran to get Shue, who summoned the physician. When the doctor arrived, he found Shue had put a shirt with a high collar on his wife and wrapped his arms around her neck and wept. The doctor was unable to get the body away from him, but he was able to confirm that Heaster was dead because there was no pulse on her wrist. The doctor initially cited the cause of death as heart failure.

At her funeral, her husband dressed her in a scarf, saying she was very fond of them, but no one remembered Heaster ever wearing one.

Heasters mother was suspicious of the death, but she had nothing to back it up. That was until she washed the sheets that her daughters body had been wrapped in and they turned pink. Later, she was visited by the ghost of her daughter, who stood in the corner of her bedroom wearing the same dress that she was buried in. The ghost said that she had been strangled to death by her husband after an argument because she hadnt cooked meat for dinner.

Heasters mother went to the prosecutor and told him about the ghostly apparition, and amazingly, he believed her. The body was exhumed and Heasters death was ruled a homicide; she had been strangled to death. When Shue went to trial for murder, Heasters mother took the stand and the defense tried to make her look crazy for her story about the ghostly visitation, but she stuck to her story and the jurors liked her honesty. Shue was sentenced to life in prison.

9. The Candyman

On Halloween night 1974, in Houston, Texas, eight-year-old Timothy OBryan was out trick-or-treating with his sister, his father Ronald, and another family. When the group got to a house, Ronald would walk up to the house with the children, while the other father stayed on the sidewalk. When they came to one house where no one answered the door, the kids ran to the next home. Less than a minute later, Ronald caught up with them with five pixie sticks. He said that the person came to the door just a few seconds after the children ran off.

A short time later, it started to rain and everyone went home. An hour after returning home, Ronald called 9-1-1 because there was something wrong with his son Timothy. He was taken to the hospital and he was pronounced dead. It turns out that he had ingested cyanide, and it looked like it was from the candy he ate.

After the police investigated the death, they concluded that Ronald was actually the one who put the cyanide in the Pixy Stix. Ronald, who had a history of insurance fraud, had taken out a $20,000 life insurance policy on both of his children. He poisoned the Pixy Stix to kill both his children for the money, and then, he wanted to poison other children to hide his crimes. He was arrested, convicted, and executed for the murder of his son in March 1984.

8. The Outlaw Who Wouldnt Give Up

In 1976, a television crew arrived at the Nu-Pike Amusement Park in Long Beach, California, to shoot an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man. They were shooting in a funhouse, and when the crew moved a prop of a hanging dead body, the arm fell off. When they looked at the arm, they saw it had a human bone in it.

It turns out that the body was real and his name was Elmer McCurdy. In 1911, he was killed in Oklahoma during a shootout after he robbed a train of $46 and two jugs of whiskey. He was embalmed and the funeral director thought he looked good in death, so he set the dead body up in a chair in the back of his parlor. He then charged people a nickel to see McCurdy, who was labeled The Outlaw Who Wouldnt Give Up. People would put the nickel in McCurdys mouth and the director would get them afterwards.

In 1915, two men who said they were McCurdys brother showed up to claim the body. However, it turned out that they were carnival that wanted to buy the body earlier, but the director had turned down their offer.

McCurdys body travelled with the carnival for a while and then he was passed around for several decades. He was featured at amusement parks, a wax museum, and in a few low-budget films before ending up in the funhouse. When the crew of The Six Million Dollar Man found the body, it had been hanging there for four years.

7. The Masked Killer

It was Halloween 1962, and the small town of Ketchum, Idaho, was throwing their annual Halloween masquerade at the towns community center. The party was more popular than ever this year, with over 200 people attended.

Around 10:00 p.m. the picture above was taken by one of the guests at the dance. Shortly after the picture was taken, the man in the black mask grabbed a knife from the community centers kitchen and began stabbing people at random. This caused a panic and people fled. When the police arrived, no one was inside the hall, except the people who had been stabbed. They also found the mask that the man was wearing. Police said that the killer removed his mask to blend in with the crowd and he got away.

In total, seven people were killed and the masked man was never identified. The murder has haunted the town of Ketchum, because, to this day, they do not know if the murderer was a stranger, or one of their neighbors.

6. The Crying Baby

In 1998, it was getting close to 11:00 p.m. on Halloween night in Gainesville, Florida, and a woman, who lived alone and who was only identified as Rachel, was starting to get ready for bed. Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door and it made her jump. As she neared the front door, she could hear a baby crying. She looked through her peephole, but there was no one outside. She also couldnt hear the baby anymore.

Thinking that this was all too weird and worried for the safety of the baby, Rachel called 9-1-1, and explained that there was a knock at the door, and then the sound of a baby crying. The dispatcher told her to stay in the house with the doors locked and he was sending the police.

Within minutes, two squad cars arrived and the area was canvassed. The police couldnt find a baby, but there was evidence of someone hiding in the bushes outside of Rachels house. Also, two neighbors also said that they heard a crying baby.

The police believe that it was all a trick to lure Rachel out of the house so she could be kidnapped. They also believe that the person who did it used the trick on two other women and sadly, both of those women were murdered.

To this day, the identity of the Babysitter, as he was dubbed in the media, remains a mystery.

5. The Halloween Decoration

In October 2015, in the town of Chillicothe, Ohio, people in one neighborhood noticed a grotesque Halloween decoration hanging from a chain link fence. It looked like the body of a dead woman, but the face was unrecognizable because it was all bloody. Everyone thought it was a sick joke, but no one actually went near it until about 8:30 a.m. on the following day. A construction crew went to move the prop and they discovered that was a real body.

The police were called, and the body was identified as Rebecca Cade, 31. On the day she was killed, Cade had gotten into a fight with her boyfriend, Donnie Cochenour Jr., 27. She tried to run away, but she fell into the fence and Cochenour hit her with a rock. He then proceeded to beat her to death, disfiguring her face enough to make it look like a Halloween prop. Cochenour was arrested and is currently awaiting trial.

4. The Physic and the Sorority Murder

In the late 1980s, Daytime talk shows would often have psychics on the show. Most of them were pretty forgettable. However, one appearance on The Geraldo Show in October 1989 stands out among the rest. Jeanne Dixon, a well-known psychic, said that on Halloween night, there would be a murder on, or near a college campus, somewhere in America.

Well, that prediction turned out to be true. On Halloween Night, someone broke into the Chi Omega sorority at Louisiana State University. Only three girls were home because the rest of the sisters were at a party. Sadly, Susan Prescott, Cheryl Milne, and Rebecca Dion, all 20, were murdered. They had all been stabbed to death. After killing the girl, the killer simply walked off into the night and no one knows his, or her, identity.

The only clue to who killed the three girls is that a witness saw a man wearing a Bo-Peep costume that was covered in blood. However, since it was Halloween, its unclear if the man was the killer or if it was just someone with a strange Halloween costume.

As for the psychic, critics think it was just a lucky guess while believers point to this as proof that some people do have psychic abilities.

3. The Spared Roommate

Sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 2:00 a.m., on Halloween 2004, a woman named Lauren living in Napa, California, saw her security light turn on and heard her dog bark. She just assumed that it was the cat that belonged to her roommate Adriane Insogna and went back to sleep. A short time later, Lauren heard someone come into the house. Lauren assumed it was her other roommates, Leslie Mazzara, boyfriend, and she again fell back asleep.

A blood curdling scream awoke Lauren next. It came from upstairs, where both of her roommates slept. Lauren stepped out of the bedroom and was suddenly frozen with fear. Thats when a man came barreling down the stairs. Lauren ran out the backdoor, but the problem was that the backyard was surrounded by a 6 foot fence and there wasnt any way to get out, so she hid until everything went quiet.

Lauren didnt know if the intruder was in the house or not, but she ventured back in. She tried to use the phone, but found that the line had been cut. She then ventured upstairs and in one of the bedrooms, it looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie. Both bedrooms were covered in blood, and Mazzara was dead, while Insogna was slowly bleeding to death. Lauren called 9-1-1, but sadly, it was too late for Insogna and she died at the hospital.

Eleven months later, the husband of one of Insognas friends, Eric Copple, confessed to the murder. He says that he was drunk when he broke into the house and went into Insognas room. He fell asleep on a pile of clothes, and when she woke up she screamed. So he attacked her with his knife. He then went down the hallway and stabbed Mazzara to death. As for why he didnt kill Lauren, Copple just said that she was lucky.

2. The Cannibal in the Haunted House

In October 2015, visitors at the Fright Night Haunted Dreams attraction in Austin, Texas, got a little more than they were expecting for their $15 admission. A few visitors to the attraction, which is a maze filled with terrifying scenes, came across a scene of a man with face tattoos eating a screaming teenage boy in a bloody bathtub. As they got closer, they realized that it wasnt some skit and the man was eating the teen. They called 9-1-1 as they ran back to the entrance.

When the police arrived on the scene, they had to taze the man. However, it was too late for the victim; 17-year-old Tanner McMillan was pronounced dead at the scene. The cannibal, 27-year-old Phillip Harris, was taken into custody and PCP was found in his blood stream. He was sentenced to life in prison in July 2016.

1. The Trick-or-Treat Murder

It was Halloween night, 1973, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and Arlene Penn had just finished work. After work, she was supposed to go with her boyfriend, Gerald Turner, to her mothers house for dinner. However, when Penn got home, Turner said he wasnt feeling well and that she should go to her mothers without him. Penn drove over and when she got there, she realized that her mother wouldnt be home for another hour, so she returned to her home where she snuggled and watched TV with Turner and then left again for dinner.

Nine months later, Penn was shocked when Turner was arrested for the murder of nine-year-old Lisa French. On Halloween night, while Penn was still at work, Lisa left her home dressed as a hobo. She knocked on Turners door, but instead of giving her candy, Turner somehow lured Lisa into the bedroom he shared with Penn. Once there, he assaulted Lisa before strangling her to death. Her body was found dumped along a roadside three days later.

That means, Turner killed Lisa either before Penn got home from work, or he killed Lisa when she drove over to her mothers house. When she returned home to await her mother, Lisas body would have been in the bedroom on the floor above. Also that night, Penn slept in the same bed where the little girl had died just hours before beside the man who had killed her.

Turner was arrested and given a life sentence

Which ones are true?

10. The Ghost Who Solved Her Own Murder

9. The Candyman

8. The Outlaw Who Wouldnt Give Up

5. The Halloween Decoration

3. The Spared Roommate

1. The Trick-or-Treat Murder

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"We are at a point where things are manageable", noted Alternate Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas referring to the migration and refugees crisis

"We are at a point where things are manageable", noted Alternate Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas referring to the migration and refugees crisis.

Addressing SYRIZA Congress on Saturday, Mouzalas described the unprecedented and extremely difficult situation that experienced the country and the government had to solve.

Two months after the closing of the borders, where 60,000 people were trapped in Greece, we had recorded all those that were on our territory.

1 million people passed from Greece and 60,000 thousand are still here and we did not have a disease outbreak or an epidemic.

We created hosting facilities for 50,000 people, some of them were bad but not all of them, and this has never happen before in such a short time, said Mouzalas and underlined "The children refugees are going to school, 30,000 children are starting to go to school and all of them have been vaccinated, they have food, drink and a place to sleep".

This happened because SYRIZA dealt with the problem in a political way and when a left party deals with a problem politically it does it in a different way than the previous (not left) governments, he said "We have a plan as long as EU-Turkey agreement exists. It is not Mouzalas' agreement as the economic measures are not Tsakalotos' (Euclid, Finance Minister) measures but it was the best we could take. If someone disagrees he should suggest something else" noted Mouzalas.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report




President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, continue on Sunday their meetings in the framework of the new round of UN-led negotiations

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, continue on Sunday their meetings in the framework of the new round of UN-led negotiations with the aim to reunify the country under a federal roof.

Returning to the Presidential Palace after his meeting with Akinci at the old Nicosia Airport area on Friday, President Anastasiades said that an agreement and significant progress was achieved on the issues discussed. He said they had a productive discussion on the effective participation in a federal Cyprus and the decision making process in various committees as well as quotas.

He further said they discussed the issue of an EU Joint Committee and how decisions will be taken "so that the state will function effectively and will be able to take timely decisions with its participation in the EU."

The President said they also discussed matters relating to the composition and the operation of the police force both at the federal and the constituent states level. He clarified that some specific aspects which still remain pending have been forwarded to the negotiators of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities so that an overall agreement is reached.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Peace talks between Anastasiades and Akinci have been underway since May 2015, aiming to reunify the island under a federal roof.

Source: CNA

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
In a year in which immigrants have been dragged through the mud and certain politicians have called on them to be driven from this country, it's ironic (and heartening) that six of this year's Nobel laureates are American immigrants.

Five of them were born in Great Britain, the other in Finland, and all are affiliated with top-tier U.S. universities like Princeton, MIT and Northwestern University.

Sir J. Fraser Stoddart, a Scottish-born researcher at Northwestern who won the prize in chemistry along with French and Dutch researchers, told the political website The Hill: "It's particularly pertinent to have these discussions in view of the political climate on both sides of the pond at the moment." The naturalized U.S. citizen concluded, "I think the United States is what it is today largely because of open borders."

He needn't have equivocated -- that's absolutely historically correct. We can look back through our centuries of welcoming immigrants and it's generally seen as an unqualified good.

The problem is that conflicting political agendas, media accounts and advocacy organizations' casting of immigrants as archetypically good or evil -- unlawfully present drug smugglers and violent criminals or angelically humble, poor, hardworking and striving for the American Dream -- leave out the vast majority of immigrants who don't fit neatly into either stereotype .

Some politicians have convinced large swaths of the American public that immigrants come to the U.S. to take jobs. But, according to New American Economy (NAE), a bipartisan immigration-reform advocacy organization, even when excluding large, publicly traded firms, businesses owned by immigrants employed about 6 million workers in 2007, the most recent year for which figures are available.

In a new report, "Reason for Reform: Entrepreneurship," NAE found that 2.9 million foreign-born entrepreneurs generated $65.5 billion in business income in 2014 alone. In that same year, immigrants made up more than 20 percent of all entrepreneurs in the country, despite representing just 13 percent of the population overall.

Also flipping the script on how we tend to talk about immigrants is NAE's assertion that foreign-born entrepreneurs were instrumental in the country's recovery from the Great Recession. "Between 2007 and 2011, a period when the country struggled to create new jobs, immigrant entrepreneurs played a large role founding new businesses in several key states," said the report. "Foreign-born entrepreneurs started 44.6 percent of new businesses in California during that period, as well as 42 percent of new businesses in New York State."

"The fact is that Americans value immigrants," NAE executive director Jeremy Robbins told me. "We fundamentally know that our great competitive advantage in the world is that we're the place we're the place people want to come to. When you look at the strongest nations in the world, they are aging societies with no great potential for immigration like the U.S. -- it's a strength because, for instance, we don't just need Ph.D.s, highly skilled doctors and surgeons, but also home health aides."

(Another recent NAE publication estimated that by 2022, the need for home health aides will increase by nearly 50 percent. The organization sees young immigrant workers as the answer to addressing the current and future shortage of home health aides, especially in rural communities.)

"Immigration is not a panacea to solve our country's economic woes," Robbins said, "but, when you look at Social Security, Medicaid and other structural programs in this country, immigrants pay way more into those systems than they take out."

There's no question that this is true about legal immigrants.

And though there are competing analyses about whether unlawfully present immigrants contribute more to the economy than they cost in education and health expenses, what cannot be denied is that, according to the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, illegal immigrants contribute more than $11.6 billion to state and local coffers each year and pay an average 8 percent of their incomes in state and local taxes.

The institute estimates that if comprehensive immigration reform were to pass, the combined state and local tax contributions of our 11 million unauthorized immigrants would increase by more than $2 billion.

In this context, the broken immigration system should be seen as a puzzle -- one that, once solved, will reward our country with brains and money.
Following six years of extensive investigations by Greek and British authorities, one of the largest scandals of corruption in the field of the Greek National Health System (ESY) will go before the Athens 3-member Court of Appeals, Monday. The 2,168-page case, compiled by the Appeals Board in its ordinance, involves widespread grafts and bribes by Depuy, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giants Johnson & Johnson, through a network of offshore companies, to Greek doctors in 109 public hospitals who received bribes amounting to 11.6 billion Euros, which lead to millions of Euros in damages to the Greek state. 24 suspects, some of whom are renowned Orthopaedics and executives of Depuy, as well as heads of off-shore companies, will appear before court facing charges that could result in harsh sentences, including in some cases life imprisonment.

The charges include passive and active bribery, fraud, embezzling public money and laundering. The investigations revealed that orthopaedic equipment imported into Greece by Depuy were overpriced by up to 35%, with 20% going to doctors for their preference to the products and 15% to cover expenses to maintain the network of accountants and lawyers who had set up and were operating the 15 off-shore consultant services companies through which the money was funnelled to the end recipients.

For period of six years, between 200 and 2006, 109 pubic hospitals had seen a spike in orthopaedic surgeries, with the doctors performing the operations being the beneficiaries of multiple grafts from the foreign company. According to the court files, doctors at the Thessaloniki Ippokrateio Hospital had received 764,101 Euros in gifts, while 647,665 Euros had gone to doctors at the Kostantinopouleio-Agia Olga Hospital and 544,150 to the Hospital of the Ioannina University. The Greek state will be a plait off in the case, claiming compensation for damages incurred.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report




Airbus has announced the appointment of Patrick de Castelbajac as Company Secretary and Chief of Staff; effective from November 1st. Patrick de Castelbajac is currently Chief Executive Officer of ATR, a joint venture between Airbus Group and Italys Leonardo-Finmeccanica.

As former Head of ATR, Patrick is rejoining Airbus bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience. His appointment will provide valuable expertise to Airbus in the current transformation of our company, says Fabrice Bregier, President and CEO of Airbus. In his new role, Patrick will report to Fabrice Bregier and becomes member of the Airbus Executive Committee.

Patrick de Castelbajac began his career in 1997 in the aeronautical industry at MBDA before spending three years with Baker & McKenzie as a lawyer and member of the Paris Bar. Patrick joined Airbus in 2002 as Vice-President Legal Affairs for Purchasing and Intellectual Property, later being appointed Director of Commercial Contract Negotiations. In June 2014, he was nominated Chief Executive Officer of ATR.

Patrick de Castelbajac formerly was an attorney in front of the Paris Court of Appeal. He has a DESS (advanced post-graduate diploma) in Business and Tax Law from the University of Bordeaux, and a DEA (master's degree) in Comparative Law from the Sorbonne University, Paris II.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report




Some of the banking leaders from Qatar and senior figures from across the globe will provide essential insight into the growth opportunities in the region at the upcoming Euromoney Qatar Conference in Doha.



Held under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar, and co-hosted with the Qatar Central Bank, the fifth edition of the event will take place on December 6 and 7.



This years theme will be Building a new financial ecosystem, looking at the models and policy shifts that will be required to address current issues relating to liquidity, debt and public spending. It will also address major geopolitical factors, such as the new US presidency and the changes taking place in Europe.



Keynote speakers are set to include Ali Shareef Al Emadi, Minister of Finance, State of Qatar; Hafez Ghanem, vice president, Mena, The World Bank; and George Magnus, economist and author.



Victoria Behn, Euromoney Conferences head of Middle East and Africa, said: Were pleased to be returning to Qatar for our fifth year, building on the significant success of earlier Euromoney Conferences. Given the challenges being created by inconsistent growth and low oil prices, this Conference will provide insight and recommendations at a vital time in the regions economic development.



In addition to its focus on the wider economy, the Euromoney Qatar Conference will include sessions on asset and wealth management, the requirements of SMEs, and the growth of Qatars Digital Ecosystem.



Qatar is looking to boost private sector growth through a range of measures, to deliver long-term stability and prosperity for its people.



The Euromoney Qatar Conference 2016 will host delegates from major banking institutions who will discuss how international institutions can become involved in the development of Qatars private sector, and will provide an insight into recent changes in the legal and fiscal environment.  TradeArabia News Service
State-owned Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries (Orpic) will lay the foundation stone for the natural gas liquids extraction station of the $6.5-billion Liwa Plastics Industries Complex in January, a report said.



The Fahud project, which will be implemented by the Korean GS Company and Japanese Mitsui Company, is the third part of Liwa Plastics Industries Complex being built with an investment of $688 million, Musab bin Abdullah Al Mahrouqi, chief executive officer of Orpic, was quoted as saying in the Times of Oman report.



Orpic laid the foundation stone for the two parts I and II of Liwa Plastics Industries Complex in Sohar Industrial Port last week, the report said.



It comprises the steam cracking unit at a cost of $2.8 billion, and the polypropylene and polyethylene production unit at a cost of $888 million. The fourth part includes the 300-km pipeline to transport natural gas liquids from the Fahud station to Sohar Industrial Port at a cost of $112 million, Al Mahrouqi said.



The Indian Punj Lloyd company has started implementing the pipeline, he added.



He explained that the natural gas fluids that will be extracted from the Fahud station will form 60 per cent of the raw material for Liwa Plastics Industries Complex and the starting of operation of the station will coincide with that of the other three parts of Liwa Plastics Industries Complex by 2020.



The company said its profit will double and there will be new commercial opportunities, in addition to many job opportunities. Additionally, the complex will support the development of plastics industry sector in the Sultanate.



The project is expected to increase the volume of plastic products by one million tonnes, which will raise the total plastic production of Orpic to 1.4 million tonnes of polyethylene and polypropylene, the report said.
KBR, a major engineering, procurement and construction company, said its joint venture with top private security firm Triple Canopy, has been awarded a major contract by the US Army for its Kuwait base operations.

It is a firm fixed-price contract for one year with four option years. The total contract for the first year is valued at over $115 million and the full contract is expected to exceed $800 million over the five year life of the contract, said a statement from KBR.



As per the deal, KBR-Triple Canopy JV will provide logistics, engineering services and installation support services including morale, welfare and recreation (MWR); information management; forms and publications, official mail, and reproduction services; postal operations; healthcare support services; operations, security, fire and emergency services, it stated.



The Kuwait Base Operations and Security Support Services (K-BOSSS 2.0) contract will cover the Kuwait Area of Responsibility including: Camp Arifjan, Camp Buehring, Udairi Range Complex, Camp Patriot on the Kuwait Naval Base (KNB), the Aerial Port of Debarkation (APOD) located at the Kuwait City International Airport (KCIA), and Sea Port of Debarkation (SPOD) located at the Kuwait Port of Shuaiba, it added.



On the contract win, Stuart Bradie, the president and chief executive of KBR, said: "We are very pleased about this opportunity, along with Triple Canopy, to provide base operations and security support services for the Army in Kuwait."



"The KBOSSS 2.0 contract, awarded by US Army Contracting Command - Rock Island, provides us the opportunity to continue our long, successful history providing major overseas installation services support solutions for the US Armed Services," stated Bradie.



"This win underscores KBR's reputation as a strategic services integrator providing disciplined delivery, high customer satisfaction and unparalleled performance in austere contingency environments and in their accompanying theater opening locations," he added.



KBR has earlier provided services support solutions for the US joint Armed Services spanning the military operational continuum from contingencies to critical forward locations across the globe and at home, said the statement.



The company provides Base Operations Support Services for the US Navy in Djibouti and Bahrain while simultaneously providing immediate response services support solutions for the US Army in Kuwait, Iraq and much of Europe through the Army's Logistics Civil Augmentation IV contract, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
We live in the information age, which is called that for the same reason the ice age got its name: an overwhelming proliferation of the stuff. We automatically assume that more information is better than less. But as the dinosaurs learned about ice, even something useful can be dangerous in excess.

The lesson is, so far, lost on most lawmakers and regulators. In July, President Barack Obama signed a bill requiring foods containing genetically modified organisms to be labeled as such. It's an outwardly innocuous requirement that is supposed to leave consumers better informed but will actually cause many to be misled.

The implication of the mandate is that there is some important difference between foods that contain GMOs and foods that don't. But there isn't. A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences confirmed that genetically engineered food is safe for humans, animals and the environment.

This scientific reality is at odds with public opinion. A June poll by ABC News showed that only one-third of Americans think genetically modified foods are safe to eat. Federally required labels will encourage them to persist in that delusion.

What's the harm in telling people a simple fact? "A government-mandated label operates as a de facto warning to consumers," writes Case Western Reserve University law professor Jonathan H. Adler in the fall issue of Regulation magazine. "A mandatory label for organic produce that says 'Produced with animal feces' could be literally true, but would also stigmatize the products at issue."

The government says tomato sauce may contain trace amounts of maggots. But it would not make sense to make companies publicize that ingredient, because the disclosure would raise false fears.

There are other ways in which labeling requirements can be harmful. Starting next year, the Food and Drug Administration will require chain restaurants to publish the calorie count of each beer on their menus.

But there's scant evidence this sort of information makes much difference. Julie Downs, a scholar at Carnegie Mellon University, says that "putting calorie labels on menus really has little or no effect on people's ordering behaviors at all."

This rule, however, may have an unintended effect on ordering behaviors -- by taking some beers off the table. The tests needed to provide accurate information entail costs that are trivial to mass-market manufacturers, which can spread across huge volumes, but not to small breweries, which can't.

The expense is even greater, notes Berry College economist E. Frank Stephenson, for breweries "that rotate beers frequently, produce seasonal specialties or occasionally tweak their recipes." Not surprisingly, the big beer-makers are in favor of the rule. The Brewers Association, a trade group for smaller ones, is not so keen on it.

The added cost imposed by the new rule is not likely to yield commensurate benefits. Drinkers who prefer low-calorie beers already know what to order, while craft beer aficionados generally put a priority on flavor over everything else. The consumers who get the least benefit will bear the costs of the mandate, in higher prices or fewer options. (Full disclosure: My stepson works for a craft brewery.)

Beer and food are not the only realms where more data works to the detriment of consumers. Most states issue report cards for hospitals. This may sound like a foolproof way of protecting patients from incompetent providers. The truth is more complicated.

University of Chicago law professor Omri Ben-Shahar tells me that "healthier and wealthier people are disproportionately likely to use the report card." Hospitals that get high marks will attract more of these patients -- and they have an incentive to cater to them, because treating healthier patients leads to higher scores.

But the higher-rated hospitals don't have unlimited capacity. So less educated and sicker patients, who are less likely to pay attention to the report cards, will find them less accessible, diverting them to hospitals that get worse scores. "The most vulnerable patients, including a large, disproportionate share of African-American patients, are the ones most likely to suffer," Ben-Shahar says.

A lot of disclosures are merely useless, because they go unread -- like the "terms and conditions" for iTunes, which run to 6,700 words. But politicians and bureaucrats feel no compunction about generating more and more data that will go unheeded at best and prove harmful at worst.

Mae West said, "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful." If she had lived to read the iTunes user agreement, she might have changed her mind.
University of Sharjah (UoS) said it has signed a co-operation agreement with Instituto Superior Tecnico, the largest school of architecture, engineering, science and technology, in Portugal.



The deal covers joint co-operation in graduate and post graduate programmes, curricula development, exchange of scientific researches and publications and participation in conferences, reported the state news agency Wam.



The agreement was signed by Prof Hamid MK Al Naimiy, the chancellor of UoS, and Prof Arlindo Oliveira, the president of Tecnico, in presence of HH Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah, and the president of the university.



The Tecnico has been involved in some of Portugal's most prestigious research and development and innovation and technology transfer institutions.



The top Portuguese institution offers a vast number of courses in cutting-edge engineering areas, at undergraduate, master and doctoral levels.



Sheikh Sultan and Professor Oliveira later explored ways of boosting academic co-operation between the UoS and Tecnico.
The UAE and Greece promoted the development of bilateral economic and trade relations during a recent event held in Athens, which was attended by a senior UAE delegation.



A senior UAE delegation recently visited Athens, and attended the UAE  Greece Business Forum, as part of its visit, said a statement.



The forum, which was organised by the UAE Ministry of Economy in cooperation with the Greek Ministry of Economy, discussed ways to enhance cooperation in infrastructure, logistics, tourism, agriculture, food industry and energy sectors, with focus on the most prominent offered investment opportunities and the areas available to investors and businessmen so as to develop partnerships that serve the development goals of the two countries, it added.



The UAE delegation headed by Engineer Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy, it said.



Al Mansoori chaired the forum along with George Stathakis, Greek Economy, Development and Shipping Minister; in the presence of Sultan Mohammad Majid Ali, UAE Ambassador to Greece and a high-level group of representatives of government entities and the private sector from both sides, it stated.



The UAE delegation included Engineer Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Economic Affairs; Juma Mohammed Al Kait, UAE assistant undersecretary for Foreign Trade; and Mohammed Nasser Hamdan Al Zaabi, director of the Trade Promotion Department and Investment Department at MoE, said a statement.



The forum was also attended by Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the DP World Group; Marwan Al Serkal, CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development (Sunrise); and Eng Saed Al Awadi, CEO of Dubai Export Development; Khadim Abdullah Darie, vice chairman, agricultural phenomenon Inc; and Khamis Juma Bu Amim, a member of the board of directors and managing director and CEO of the group of Gulf Navigation Holding; Juma Obaid Mubarak, group chief executive of Mubarak Marinel, along with several other representatives of parties and organisations from various economic sectors.



Engineer Al Mansoori stressed the keenness of the UAE to promote economic and trade relations with Greece, especially in light of the historical ties of friendship between the two countries.



He also pointed out to the UAE's commitment to support all forms of cooperation in order to uplift the economic relations and trade exchange with Greece, which accounted $270 million in 2015.



Additionally, Al Mansoori also held a meeting with Yannis Dragasakis, Vice President of Greece, during which the two sides discussed areas for cooperation in the next stage and different ways to deepen economic ties in other sectors of common interest, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Iran is targeting European countries to increase its export of petrochemical products in the post-sanctions era, a senior National Petrochemical Company (NPC) official said in a report.



Ali Mohammad Bosaqzadeh, production control manager, NPC, was quoted as saying in an Iran Daily News report, as saying the country is also looking to expand exports to Latin America and Africa.



He also said that export of petrochemical products to countries including Iran's traditional customers particularly those in South and Southeast Asia are going ahead as per earlier plans.



He added that about 10 million tonnes of petrochemical products were exported during March 20 to September 21.



Bosaqzadeh called on petrochemical complexes to upgrade the quality of their products to enter international markets, added the report.
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a leading international aluminium smelter, has announced the successful closing for its landmark syndicated term-loan facility, the first tranche of the companys funding plan for the Line 6 Project.



Albas original target for the syndicated loan was to raise between $500 million and $750 million. However, due to heavy over subscription, Alba decided to upsize the loan to $1.5 billion making it the largest corporate loan in the history of Bahrain, said a statement from the company.



The $1.5 billion carries an interest margin of 325 basis point per annum over the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor). This facility has a seven-year tenor and the principal amount will be repaid in eight semi-annual instalments and includes a three-year grace period on principal payments to support the Line 6 construction period, it said.



This facility comprises two tranches: a US dollar-denominated senior unsecured conventional term-loan facility (the Conventional Facility) of $882 million and a US dollar-denominated senior Shariah-compliant facility (the Islamic Facility) of $618 million, it added.



Commenting on the successful raising of the loan tranche, Albas chairman Shaikh Daij Bin Salman Bin Daij Al Khalifa said: The success of the Line 6 syndicated loan facility underscores our companys strong business fundamentals and the confidence the financial markets have in the Line 6 Expansion Project.



We look forward to the full execution of the Line 6 project which upon completion will make us the largest single site smelter in the world, he said.



Gulf International Bank, J P Morgan Limited, and National Bank of Bahrain acted as global coordinators to assist Alba in arranging the facilities, said a statement.



The group of mandated lead arrangers and book runners consists of Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, Arab Banking Corporation, ABC Islamic Bank, Gulf International Bank, Ahli United Bank, National Bank of Bahrain, BBK and Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, it said.



The group of lead arrangers consists of The Saudi National Commercial Bank, Riyad Bank, National Bank of Kuwait - Bahrain Branch, Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (Apicorp), Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain) and National Bank of Abu Dhabi (Bahrain Branch), it added.



The group of arrangers consists of Burgan Bank, Noor Bank, Mashreqbank, Bahrain Islamic Bank, Arab Bank  retail branch, Al Baraka Islamic Bank, Bank of Baroda and Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait.



National Bank of Abu Dhabi (Bahrain Branch) acted as the global and conventional agent while Riyad Bank acted as the Islamic agent.



Expected to start metal production in early 2019, Line 6 Expansion Project will boost the per-annum production by 540,000 tonnes upon its full ramp-up, bringing Albas total production capacity to 1,500,000 tonnes per annum to make Alba the worlds largest single-site aluminium smelter, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri), a leader in logistics and transportation, said that it was honoured at the recently concluded All India Maritime and Logistics Awards (Mala) 2016, the leading awards programme for Indias maritime industry.



Bahri was named the Shipping Line of the Year  Break Bulk Operator at the event. The company beat out several domestic and international shipping companies operating in India to claim the coveted honour, said a statement from the company.



Captain Jiten Bhosale, country manager  India, Bahri, received the award at a ceremony held in Mumbai, India, and which was attended by leading officials of the Indian maritime industry as well as key policymakers and regulators, it said.



Hosted by Exim India annually, Mala has emerged as the authoritative recognition of quality service, best practices and innovation in the various segments of the maritime and logistics sector. Winners are selected by a jury comprising experienced industry professionals and thought leaders.



The win represents a major triumph for Bahri India, which is emerging as a player to reckon with in the domestic maritime industry, linking India with key global markets along the Gulf, Red Sea, the Mediterranean and the US via a fast and reliable liner service comprising a fleet of six newly-built RoCon vessels, it added.



The service also helps connect the country to Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean via internationally recognised transhipment hubs, it stated.



Matthew Luckhurst, liner director, Bahri General Cargo, said: The maritime sector in India has vast potential for growth and as far as Bahris involvement is concerned, we believe we are still only scratching the surface on what we can do to accelerate industry growth.



We are very excited about the opportunities arising in the Indian maritime landscape and we look forward to playing a larger role in shaping its future course, he said.



Bhosale added: We are honoured to be recognised as the best-performing break bulk operator in India.



The award is a showcase of our companys commitment to its clients and its ability to deliver consistent high-quality service, which has earned us the trust and confidence of all stakeholders in the maritime industry, he added.



Set up in 2000, Bahri India works with major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) such as Tata, Maruti, Mahindra & Mahindra, Atlas Copco, and JCB for moving cargo exports out of India.



Bahri also works with its partner HoeghAutoliners for shipment of Volkswagen units to Veracruz, Mexico, it stated.



Bahri India is actively involved in the shipment of high and heavy equipment, serving a growing roster of clients that includes General Electric, Crompton Greaves, Larsen & Toubro, Godrej, Siemens, and Thermax, it added.  TradeArabia News Service
Talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Saturday on the crisis in Syria have ended with no apparent breakthrough, a report said.



The meeting only included regional powers, alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, reported CNN.



Kerry said the parties reached a consensus on a "broad agreement" on a number of important points, specifically a "desired outcome on ending conflict," in his remarks to the press.



Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan were among the regional powers represented, according to a statement by the US State Department.



International outcry has mounted over the plight of some quarter of a million civilians trapped in the Syrian city of Aleppo as the Syrian military, backed by Russian warplanes, pounds its streets into rubble, even as Kerry emphasised the delivery of humanitarian aid.



The talks were only the latest in a long series that have done little to alleviate the suffering of those caught up in Syria's civil war of five and a half years.
Royal Dutch Shell plans to invest in Iran's energy and petrochemical projects soon, said the head of the investment department at National Petrochemical Company (NPC).



NPC and Shell recently inked a letter of intent to start discussions on renewal of petrochemical and energy-related activities in the Islamic Republic, reported Iran Daily.



"The deal does not specify any activities so not to limit its range," Hossein Alimorad was quoted as saying in the report, which cited Shana.



Based on the document, the two sides will indicate their willingness to cooperate in any field they are interested in, he added.
UK-based Exova, a global testing, calibration and advisory services provider, said it has been awarded a 500,000 ($655,125) contract by Sepco Arabia Company to support construction on the main gas pipeline across Saudi Arabia.



The project will see Exova testing and validating materials and environments throughout Sepco Arabias construction of a gas compressor station for the second phase of the kingdoms master gas system.



Once the project gets completed in 2018, it will boost the pipeline capacity to 12.5 billion cu ft of gas a day.

As per the contract, Exova will carry out materials testing on fresh and hardened concrete, along with soil classification and compaction tests.



Exova said all tests will be conducted as per ASTM International standards using a nuclear density gauge for rapid determination of the in-situ density and moisture content of soils and compacted materials.



In addition, a concrete compression machine will be employed to determine that the concrete mixture as delivered meets the strength requirements of the job specification.



The global testing company said work will be delivered both onsite and in Exovas Dammam laboratory.



A small on-site lab and a safe storage bunker to house the nuclear density gauge will be constructed at the gas compressor site to handle time critical and frequent tests such as concrete and soil compaction. Other testing such as asphalt and reinforcing steel will be carried out in Exovas main laboratory in Dammam, it added.



On the win, Younes Elkhdari, the general manager for Saudi Arabia at Exova, said: "The equipment and test methodologies we will use in this project are critical to the longevity and safe operation of the finished pipeline. We are making a significant investment to be on site and delivering fast turnaround and real time information to the construction team."



"As a result, Sepco Arabia can have confidence in the materials they are using, and assurance that construction is progressing to pre-set specifications," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The Hyatt Regency brand, a member of the Hyatt Gold Passport family of brands, has brought back its global marketing campaign Make the Most of Being Away to celebrate the ways its hotels and resorts give their guests the fun-filled bold experiences.



Make the Most of Being Away was born from a simple human truth: as much as the guests like to be home, they enjoy the freedom to break from routine while traveling. To bring this insight to life, Hyatt Regency hotels in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are helping guests Make the Most of Being Away through a series of in-hotel activities and events until October-end.



In an effort to actively engage with guests, the Hyatt Regency Dubai ran the Pick a Key, Get a Gift campaign to pamper guests who were presented with four set of keys upon arrival, each with a unique message: energise, connect, relax and socialise. Guests were encouraged to choose a key reflective of the experiences they would like to encounter during their stay. Once selected, they were provided with various additional facilities and amenities such as free upgrades, free access to the Regency Club Lounge, room serviced desserts, and more. Other activities included Bakdash ice cream maker and Dabke Dance troupe to liven up the hotel lobby for guests to enjoy an evening of soft, flavorsome ice cream and melodious music.



Hyatt Regency Dubai offers guests everything they need in one place: a fantastic location, caring staff, and excellent food. Through this campaign, we are simultaneously bringing our purpose and the Hyatt Regency brand to life, said Stephane Blanc, general manager of Hyatt Regency Dubai. It was our pleasure to create energising experiences for our guests at Hyatt Regency Dubai. Simple gestures brought a smile on our guests face. This is how we differentiate ourselves from other brands - we foster connections and help our guests make the most of being away.



Similarly, the Hyatt Regency Creek Heights conducted exhilarating activities for their guests to enjoy. Guests were also given the opportunity to join in the fun #AtHyattRegency as the hotel displayed a deluxe regency bed in the heart of their impressive hotel lobby, piled with falcon soft toys that were gifted to children and travellers returning home. Inspired by the incredible food and drink options at the hotel, and to beat the summer heat, an ice cream counter was set up in the hotel lobby during the afternoon for all guests to relish.



It was great to see how our already energetic lobby and the Hyatt Regency brand were further brought to life through this campaign. We delighted and connected with our guests through a series of activities that foster the care we hold within us, so our guests could make the most of being away said Vipin Khattar, general manager, Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights.



Finally, the Hyatt Regency Makkah Jabal Omar also participated in the campaign and activated its own initiatives to surprise its guests including those who travelled for the Haj by providing guests with specialties from the signature Italian restaurant, making it Good not to be home for its guests. In addition, traditional Arabian coffee and dates were made available to greet guests at the hotel lobby along with water from the well of Zamzam offered after prayers.



During the Haj, the hotel also arranged for Arabic specialty sweets and beverages to be served to guests. The hotel also offered complimentary vouchers to guests over the weekend including amenities such as dessert selection of sweets, tea, coffee and soft beverages.



At Hyatt Regency Makkah Jabal Omar, we help our guests make the most of being away by ensuring they have a comfortable stay with us, while they embark upon their once in a lifetime pilgrimage, said Rady M Rady, general manager, Hyatt Regency Makkah Jabal Omar. - TradeArabia New Service


MURPHYSBORO  Saying the state of Illinois needed to do something better for its newly released prisoners while keeping the community safer, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced that he is closing a controversial part of the Stateville Correctional Facility and reopening and repurposing the Illinois Youth Center in Murphysboro.

The governor, along with state Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, state Rep. Terri Bryant, Illinois Department of Corrections Director John Baldwin, Murphysboro Mayor Will Stephens, former Mayor Chris Grissom and other Corrections representatives, toured the facility, walking through its kitchen area, gym, classrooms, meeting rooms, workshop and out to its greenhouse area and through some of the pods  the facility's dorm space  where about a dozen white sinks line the wall.

The new center, a minimum-security facility, will prepare offenders for a successful transition out of the Corrections system through educational, vocational and life skills training, Rauner said.

Baldwin said the state has a 47.1 percent rate of recidivism, people who re-offend within three years of leaving incarceration.

Illinois recidivism rate is appalling, he said. Almost half the people who serve time in Illinois Department of Corrections comes back to us. Thats fundamentally wrong. We are almost the last state in America to try to improve our recidivism rate. We are going to do more than try  we are going to decrease that dramatically. Why? We need fewer victims, we need fewer victims in this state.

Secondly, the people who leave here deserve a second chance, Baldwin said. They have served their time; they have served their sentence. They need a viable second chance. Its the states responsibility to give them that second chance.

He said it as was the states duty to rehabilitate the states prisoners.

Rauner agreed, saying something needed to be done to give much-needed skills to those offenders returning to the community.

We can keep our communities safe ... if we can give them skills, Rauner said. Weve got to stop the revolving door.

This facility, expected to open in six months, will house about 300 prisoners on the verge of re-entering the community and employ about 120 people, Rauner said. It will be managed under the Pinckneyville facility, which is managed by Warden Jacqueline Lashbrook, who was also at Fridays news conference.

It was built in 1997 and closed in 2011.

This facility should never have been closed, Rauner said, to a spattering of applause from some of those assembled. Weve got budget trouble, but we have to make sure our facilities are run well.

He said this site was chosen over the Hardin County Work Camp, which Democratic Sen. Gary Forby and state Rep. Brandon Phelps called for reopening a few months ago, because this one was much better maintained. The Hardin County site, he said, would cost too much money to repurpose.

At the news conference, the governor did not specifically say where the money would come from to finance the project. Rauners press secretary said later that it would cost $800,000 to reopen and repurpose the facility.

The news was big to some Murphysboro residents, such as Mayor Will Stephens and city Alderwoman Gloria Campos and a former mayor, Chris Grissom.

While Murphysboro wont gain any revenue from property taxes on the facility because it is government entity, it can stand to gain from a possible influx of people and payroll.

Stephens said the facilitys opening would mean new home sales for those employees who decide to live in Murphysboro. He also said the city could benefit from new residents taking their families out to eat, and from more people coming into the city to visit relatives in the facility and staying in the hotel that is planned to be built at the intersection of Illinois 13 and Illinois 127.

Its just extremely positive for the community, Stephens said.
Anand Aras

Have you ever had the experience of visiting your bank to open a simple fixed deposit (FD), but ended up being convinced by the bank officials to invest the money in schemes you had never heard of? This is mainly done under the garb of need-based cross-selling. However, there have been numerous instances where cross-selling has led to mis-selling. Mis-selling can have an adverse impact on how customers perceive the value and trust of their banks long known for their personal service and integrity.

A typical example of mis-selling or bundling of products is when a bank tells a customer that an FD account of an amount more than allowed by the regulator is mandatory for opening a locker; or when a customer is persuaded to buy an insurance policy instead of depositing money in a PPF account, because it fetches higher returns and has better loan terms.

Here, customers would do well to find out whether it is, indeed, compulsory to invest in an FD while opening a locker. Similarly, customers need to be aware that insurance products offered by the banks are voluntary and that they are free to buy insurance cover from a service provider of their choice. Insurance policies need not be compulsorily linked to other bank products.

The Charter of Customer Rights enshrines broad, overarching principles for protection of bank customers and enunciates the Right to Suitability as one of the basic rights of bank customers. The products offered should be appropriate to the needs of the customer and based on an assessment of the customers financial circumstances and understanding.

However, the ground realities tell another story. In order to achieve their sales targets, many of the front office staff or direct sales agents try to bundle their products which run contrary to the objective of safeguarding customers money and helping them achieve their financial goals.

To illustrate the above fact, let us look at the case of a retired senior citizen who was enticed to withdraw money from his fixed deposits and compelled to invest in a scheme that promised 11 per cent annual interest after three years and zero tax. At the end of three years, the customer was shocked when he got a mere 3.5 per cent return, which was much lower than the interest even his savings account would have earned.

Senior citizens are often lured into investing their retirement savings in products that do not meet their financial needs. By the time they realise, they have been misguided. The ensuing redressal process can be tediously protracted and stressful. Hence, it is important that one is aware of all financial risks and other conditions which are associated with an investment/mutual fund product.

Higher incidence in non-metros

With many such instances coming to light, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has warned banks against mis-selling to customers, and reminded the banking sector that the relationship between banks and customers is based on trust and not just financial benefits. The central bank is putting in place a number of checks, including incognito visits to strictly control this avoidable practice.

To protect rights of customers, the Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI)  an independent and autonomous body promoted by the RBI, formulates and prescribes codes for banks. Although member-banks are committed to adhere to these codes, it is the responsibility of customers to understand the same and question their respective banks in the event of non-compliance.

Customers can rightfully request for copies of the codes from their banks, and not necessarily while applying for products. More importantly, customers should read the codes and the product documents carefully before purchasing or availing of products and services. They should learn all about the product or service they wish to avail. In case of any doubt or confusion, customers should not hesitate to approach the bank and seek clarity.

Ombudsman to the rescue

In the event customers are compelled to go in for products they can do without, they should report the matter immediately to the branch manager or senior officials. They can, if they wish, give their banks a chance to set things right, as such products normally have a look-in period. However, if a customer has a genuine grievance, under grievance redressal mechanism, he should lodge a complaint with the bank. In case the bank fails to respond within one month or rejects the complaint, or if the complainant is not satisfied with the action taken by the bank, the customer can approach the Banking Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is a senior official appointed by the RBI to address, and subsequently redress, escalated customer grievances. However, the customer should have enough evidence to prove the same. Also, it is important for customers to note that if they have agreed and signed the relevant terms and conditions, then the sale of the product would be deemed to carry the customers consent.

In conclusion, customers, in their own interest, should be aware of their rights and avoid falling prey to being sold irrelevant products by banks. While banks need to be more ethical while servicing their customers, the latter must have a good grasp of financial products and services offered by their banks  before signing on the dotted line. Well informed is to be empowered.

Remember! the bank-customer relationship works on trust, commitment and communication.

The writer is CEO, Banking Codes and Standards Board of India. The views expressed in this article are his own
Vivek Katju

OCTOBER 7 marked the 15th anniversary of the US military intervention in Afghanistan in the wake of Al-Qaedas heinous terrorist acts on the US mainland on 9/11. It has passed almost unnoticed as the global attention on terrorism has shifted from Afghanistan to the ISIS. However, Afghanistan remains dangerously unsettled as the Taliban insurgency remains strong and the faction-ridden Afghan government continues to be weak and ineffectual in many areas. This has led to continued US military presence in Afghanistan, in what is Americas longest war, and by present indications, there is no end in sight.

The primary US objective of the Afghan war was to ensure that the Al-Qaeda was so decimated that it could never again be able to attack the US mainland. A recent report of the US Special Inspector-General for Afghanistan Reconstruction notes, ...in March 2009, President Obama reiterated that the core goal of the US was to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to prevent their return to either country in the future. That aim has been largely achieved. The Al-Qaeda is a pale shadow of the deadly organisation that it was. Its leader, Osama bin Laden, was killed five years ago and it does not have the space now for major terrorist strikes against US interests. So why are the Americans continuing with their military presence in Afghanistan?

Many reasons can be advanced, but they are all subsumed by this: the global war against terror has mutated but terrorism remains deadly with an expanding reach and an unsettled Afghanistan that is also the worlds largest producer of illicit opium. The US strategy to settle Afghanistan is to co-opt the Taliban within the countrys political system. Many sections of the Afghan people have misgivings about the Taliban but the Afghan authorities have gone along with the approach. At the October 5 Brussels conference on Afghanistan, the joint communique said inter alia, International community welcomes the undeterred willingness of the Afghan government to engage with all armed groups without preconditions. It went to underline though that such a process must lead to the renunciation of violence, the breaking of all ties to international terrorism and respect for the Afghan constitution. The difficulty is that the Taliban, encouraged and controlled in large measure by Pakistan, are simply unwilling to seriously negotiate peace with the Afghan authorities. As long as they succeed in ensuring that the terrorist insurgency can continue, and it is doing so with much violence, they have little incentive to negotiate. And in that respect the key is with Pakistan.

Soon after the Taliban were ousted from Kabul, the US realised that the Al-Qaeda leadership had retreated to Pakistan. It is then that the US made a strategic error that has cost it 2,300 US lives and $800 billion. It struck a Faustian bargain; it agreed that Pakistan could keep the Taliban going and also get rewarded with generous US assistance, provided it handed over Al-Qaeda operatives. Pakistan gave the Taliban sanctuaries and got the cash, but as the Osama bin Laden episode demonstrated it cheated on the Al-Qaeda front by rendering only low-level operatives. The US overlooked Pakistans cheating because of the mistaken view that its goodwill was essential to extricate itself from Afghanistan. This was an error because the US could have used its great leverage to demand Pakistans cooperation in Afghanistan by insisting that it takes deliberate and effective action against the Taliban. It chose not do so.

This decision was at least initially due to the carryover of the 1990s view that the Taliban was an authentic Afghan group that was a factor of stability in the war-ravaged country. That it was only its association with the Al-Qaeda that was the source of all the difficulty. Take away that connection and it would be a legitimate stakeholder in the Afghan political process. Its primitive and violent world view, completely at odds with the aspirations of the progressive sections of Afghan society, was ignored. It became a worthy, though secret, interlocutor of the US in 2008-2009. And Pakistan was courted to nudge it along.

Essentially it is this paradigm that is still being followed to end US involvement. It has become a stalemate and its military costs to the US, both in lives and money, is now low; hence, it does not grab headlines. The political costs have also been contained. No one questions President Obama on his failure to bring all US soldiers back home as he had pledged; nor does any American hold him to account to partially reversing his decision to give US troops in Afghanistan a greater combat role. Afghan narcotics too do not damage the US as they go mainly to Europe. That continent too is the destination of educated Afghan refugees who seem to have lost hope in their country.

For the past year, the Obama administration has been conducting a holding operation in Afghanistan. It took the initiative though to kill Mullah Omars successor, Mullah Akthar Mansour, on Pakistan territory to signal a degree of impatience with Pakistans Afghan approaches. But the Pakistanis have taken Mansours killing in their stride without changing course. They have been unwavering in their aim to dominate Kabuls India policy, despite the downturn in their relations with President Ashraf Ghani. Recently, some Pakistan senators have argued that peace in Kabul is dependent on a resolution of the Kashmir issue. This is an old refrain that seeks to create an India-Pak-Af theme to replace the Pak-Af linkage which Pakistan intensely dislikes.

The Afghanistan issue will not be the main priority of Obamas successor, which short of a major miracle for Donald Trump, will be Hillary Clinton. It is unlikely that she will pressure Pakistan to abandon the Taliban so that their terrorist insurgency can be contained and thereafter eliminated. She will pursue the same policy of seeking to bring them around into a negotiating process with the Afghan authorities. The question is if she will be willing to give Pakistan concessions to get the Taliban to the negotiating table?

The concessions will have to be at the cost of India. This will be in two ways. One, through advice to Ghani to go easy on ties with India. Two, by leaning on India to open a dialogue process with Pakistan, including on Kashmir, so that Pakistans attention is not diverted from the countrys western border to its eastern frontier.

India will have to firmly reject these moves, if they come. The end of Americas Afghan war cannot be at Indias expense in the region.

The writer is a former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs
Vandana Shukla

AN investigation into an incident of sacrilege in which the pages of Guru Granth Sahib were found in a drain led the police to its publisher, who was detained. Who publishes holy books? Who controls the publication of religious texts? Answers vary in different religious traditions. Guru Granth Sahib is published by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee at Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib in Amritsar. This is where the first swaroop or copy of the Adi Granth was handwritten. Now, a modern printing press does the job there. During the printing, rules dictate that the people involved must be baptised Sikhs and must wash their hands before working on each page. Pages earmarked for discarding due to wrong spellings or any printing error, are collected and ardas (prayer) performed, after which they are consigned to the flames. Rules have also been laid down for transporting the scripture. The authority of the SGPC, vested in it by the Akal Takht, was not recognised in 2014, when Guru Granth Sahib, was allegedly published in China, and distributed to other countries. This was seen as an act of sacrilege. While there is a history of private publishers printing the sacred book of the Sikhs, now the SGPC has a monopoly in this matter.

In the revealed religions, where the word holds the sway; the book is found to be the controlling factor. Take the case of the Bible. The printing industry came into being primarily to promote the Bible. The print copies proliferated religious texts limited till then to few beautifully illustrated manuscripts. Johann Gutenberg, invented the printing press in the 1450s, and the first book to ever be printed was a Latin language Bible, printed in Germany. Gutenberg's Bibles were surprisingly beautiful, each printed leaf was later colourfully hand-illuminated.

Much ado about God's word

The first hand-written English language Bible, by an Oxford professor and theologian, John Wycliffe, who opposed the teachings of organised Church, infuriated the Pope so much that he ordered his bones to be exhumed and crushed, 40 years after his death. But several followers of Wycliffe wanted the Bible should be understood in their native language. Among them was John Hus, who defied the Roman church by possessing a non-Latin copy of the Bible. Hus was burnt alive in 1415, with the pages of the English manuscript used to kindle the fire.

However, 100 years later, in 1517, Martin Luther became the first person to translate and publish the Bible in the commonly-spoken dialect of the German people. Many more were burnt alive, before the Bible was printed in English, by the Anglican Church, during the reign of King Henry VIII, who thumbed his nose at the Pope by renouncing the Roman Church; not for the love of God, but for the refusal of the Church to let him marry his mistress. In matters of gospel; change is embraced, for reasons entirely human. The Bible Society of India has been active since 1811. It controls the publication, translation and distribution of the Bible into different Indian languages; from Marathi to Mundari, Boro, Sindhi and Santhali by a battery of expert translators, who work from its many auxiliary units, undertaking 70 translation projects at a time. The story of the translation of the Bible and its publication is also the history of printing in India. Missionary Bartholomew Ziegenbalg, who landed in Tranquebar in the beginning of the 17th century, did the very first translation of the Bible into an Indian language  Tamil. The Serampore Mission Press in Bengal, then a Danish colony, became worlds largest for oriental fonts in many Asiatic languages, including Chinese, Burmese, Javanese and Malay. It produced over two lakh books between 1800 and 1832. The printing that began with God's words, inadvertently, created a battleground for many political wars to be waged; especially for independence. But the control over the Bible outlived these.

Proliferation of the Quran

The story of the sacred book of Islam is quite different. The Quran came to India with Arab traders as early as 7th century AD, to coastal Malabar and the Konkan-Gujarat. In the North, Islam came through Turkish invasions, around 12th century. The printing of the Quran is decentralised. Dr Imam Umer Ahmed Iliyasi, Chief Imam, All India Imam Organisation, a voice of over half a million Imams of India, says, Religion is not for hiding, it is for anyone who loves the Quran to propagate it, they can print it, it's common to keep the Quran in all homes and masjids. From Arabic, it is translated into many languages, all over the world. We don't really call it translation, we call it tafseer, its not anuvad/tarjuma, loosely it can be understood as interpretation. The responsibility for authenticity rests with the publisher and the translator, whose name must be mentioned with the text. We don't impose restrictions; religious books are to be read, not just to be kept as decoration pieces, he adds. The Buddhists too are not too particular about who prints their books. No one has a monopoly on the publishing of Buddhist texts, anyone can translate and publish these. The responsibility rests with the author and publisher. In India, Motilal Banarsidass publish a large number of Buddhist texts and books. Usually, masters of theology, with deep knowledge of Buddhism write the books and articles and those with mastery over languages indulge in translation," informs Ven Nagasena, Secretary, Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre, Leh, follower of the Theravada sect.

Not-so-liberal Hindu text

The Arya Samajis have their Arya Prakashan, publishing the Vedas and their translations, now. They even lay claims to an eLibrary, Chaukhamba Parakashan, Varanasi. A few publishers from Pune publish the sacred Sanskrit texts, the Puranas and the Upanishads, and their authentic translations. But, the most well-known publishers of the sacred books of the Hindus  the Ramayana and the Mahabharata  the Geeta Press, Gorakhpur, came into the publishing business rather late, in 1923. It became big from 1926 onwards, with the publication of their journal Kalyan, which became a vehicle to propagate right-wing Hindu ideology. It moved beyond the moral universe associated with religion to enter the political arena, mingling the two. Their production was cheap and high quality; almost each Hindu household had books published by them. They continue to publish the religious texts translated into 16 to 17 languages, and employ about 300 people, though, the production workers went on strike several times, for getting low wages for doing God's work. We have our translators and scholars, but people are free to translate or interpret the Hindu texts; there is no controlling body, says its head of the translation unit. The statement has to be seen in the context of recent years, when Wendy Doniger's The Hindus: An Alternative History had to be removed from book shelves under right-wing pressure. Theological assertion often results in the circumscription of freedom.

vandanashukla10@gmail.com
BRICS, the five-nation grouping, has been derided as a congregation of disparates. But BRICS managed to deliver on its priority of development at its eighth summit that ended in Goa on Sunday. The BRICS Bank, called the New Development Bank (NDB) with a noted Indian banker as President, disbursed its first loan of $ 1 bn. The eight-summit old BRICS thus stole a march over the Chiang Mai initiative by the more acclaimed 10-nation ASEAN. The 7,000-word Goa Declaration was more about tightening the nuts and bolts of the world economy. It also deliberated on issues that will soon become significant such as the peaceful use of outer space and global governance of Internet.

The partisans who are viewing every international engagement from the lens of terrorism and isolation of Pakistan can draw partial satisfaction. India upheld the BRICS tradition of the host country inviting its neighbours to the party but managed to keep away Pakistan. Instead of inviting SAARC members, India opted for BIMSTEC which does not have Pakistan as a member. However, Indias efforts to isolate Pakistan only went that far. There was little mention of terrorism in the Goa Declaration and none at all about the Uri attack. Even the National Security Adviser Ajit Dovals exhortation to his BRICS counterparts left them unmoved.

Goa was also noticeable because of Indias multi-billion dollar military and oil deals with Russia. The two old allies also transacted sensitive business such as satellite ground stations in each other's territories. But the lack of content in the Modi-Putin joint statement showed the ties remain transactional. India was also game for business with China despite the fault-finding over Hafiz Saeed and the Pakistan China Economic Corridor. The bucket list of contracts indicates that New Delhi will not allow political differences to atrophy business ties with China. BRICS has started delivering on the financial front and has become a useful stopover for bilateral interactions. But it must not dissipate its energy. It currently has over 100 inter-sector dialogue groups. The Goa summit has added two dozen more. It must consolidate and prioritise to retain its focus.
Vishal Joshi



Tribune News Service



Kurukshetra, October 16



Four youngsters roughed up Kurukshetras Member of Parliament Raj Kumar Saini and threw black ink at him at a function in the city on Sunday afternoon.



The assailants asked to be photographed with BJPs Saini while he was leaving the function but attacked him. Saini was not seriously wounded in the incident.

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The attackers claimed to be activists of Azad Kisan Mission and residents of Hisar.



Police found pamphlets at the venue condemning some individuals for being abusive against a caste, but the text neither specified the name of the person nor bore the name of any particular organisation.



It remains unclear if the police found any incriminating material from the suspects' possession.



The suspects accused Saini of fanning communal tension in Haryana. They were beaten before being handed over to the police.



The parliamentarian has called it a calculated attack on the weaker section". "Previously, state Congress president Ashok Tanwar was brutally attacked in Delhi. A section of the society is vengeful towards the socially marginlised communities, he said, adding he felt threatened for having spoken in favour of marginalised sections of the state.



I have never uttered a filthy word against any community. But I will contest any attempt to scuttle constitutional rights of reservation of OBCs, the MP said.



His supporters briefly blocked traffic near Birla Mandir Chowk.



Saini has been very vocal against giving reservation benefits to Jats.












Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, October 16

Only a few of the announcements made by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar have been undertaken on the ground while no headway has been made in a majority of them.

When the government assumed office, residents had a lot of expectations for a positive change.

After getting overwhelming support in all five Assembly seats in the district, including his segment, the Chief Minister showed his gratitude by making more than 100 announcements for the district.

These included an inter-state bus terminus, a local bus stand, a medical university in Kutail, a horticulture university in Anjanthali, two bypasses, an NCC academy in Araipura, a degree college for the deaf and dumb and four-laning of the Karnal-Indri road.

Residents of the city have been lauding the government for providing permanent relief from stagnating rainwater through drainage.

The government had shifted the vegetable market, but after a lull for a few days, encroachment by vendors had become common, leading to traffic chaos.

No work had been done after an announcement was made to shift dairies out of the city. The city bus service remains a distant dream.

For social reform at the panchayat level, the Chief Minister had announced setting up of social audit committees, but no committee had been constituted.

Prof YK Kahl, a retired lecturer, said the Chief Minister should take feedback from citizens about development works. The government had taken several steps to control corruption prevalent in the system.

A BJP worker said on the condition of anonymity that bureaucrats had paid no heed to grievances of workers while turncoats had been enjoying power.

He said the Chief Minister had made efforts to fill the gap between government and workers by reaching out to them at their houses over tea parties and holding dinner parties at his residence in Chandigarh.

Former Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma said no major development or visible change had been seen so far and corruption was rampant in the constituency of the Chief Minister.

He said no major project was announced for Karnal. Due to non-development, Karnal was not in the first 60 smart cities, he said.

Manoj Wadhwa, Deputy Mayor who had contested the elections against Khattar, claimed that no visible change had been witnessed.

He said announcements had been made, but no concrete work was undertaken.

The crime graph in the district had been witnessing a surge and the law and order situation had been deteriorating at an alarming rate, he added.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 16

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today announced development projects worth Rs 125 crore for the Ellenabad segment, represented in the Assembly by Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala.

Addressing a rally, Khattar announced constituting a special committee to prepare a scheme for construction of canals, channels and drains for utilisation of water of the Ghaggar. He said water of the Saraswati would be supplied to the area through the Ghaggar.

Reiterating that his government had been working with a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption, Khattar said several services had been made available online and all services were being linked to Aadhaar.

He said all ration cards in the state would be linked to the biometric system and made online from November 1 to make the public distribution system corruption-free and inject transparency into the system.

Claiming that his government had been carrying out all-round development of the state without any regional bias, he said more than 2,000 announcements had been made at public meetings in 78 constituencies of the state, of which work on 1,200 announcements had been completed or was in progress.

Khattar announced a slew of development projects for the Ellenabad Assembly constituency, including expansion of the Ellenabad anaj mandi, reconstruction of the Jamal distributary at a cost of Rs 34.5 crore, four choes at a cost of Rs 63 lakh, water works, bus stand in Malekan and a solid waste management plant at any place in the district.

Khattar inaugurated two development projects worth Rs 3.22 crore in Sirsa district and laid the foundation stone of a railway underpass in Ellenabad, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

Haryana Seeds Development Corporation Chairman Pawan Beniwal and Political Adviser to Chief Minister Jagdish Chopra also spoke on the occasion.

CM sanctions projects worth Rs 125 crore

Sonepat: Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said projects such as the KMP expressway and the Industrial Model Township near Kharkhoda would help generate employment and ensure development of the region. Addressing a meeting of BJP workers at Kharkhoda today, the CM said party workers played a vital role in fulfilling the state governments commitment to provide good and transparent administration. He also cautioned them against false propaganda by opposition parties. He also sanctioned various projects, including construction of Mini Secretariat, judicial complex to be built at a cost of Rs 125 crore. Social welfare Minister Kavita Jain and Sonepat MP Ramesh Kaushik also addressed the meeting. Chairperson of the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board Krishna Gahawat and chairman of the Haryana Backward Classes Welfare Board Ram Chander Jangra were present. OC
Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 16

Farmers will remind Prime Minister Narendra Modi the promises he had made during the Lok Sabha election rallies he had addressed in Solan and Palampur. Modi had promised to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission which say farmers will get 150 per cent of their cost of production as minimum support price and increase import duty on apple.

But even after two-and-half years in office, the BJP government has not implemented these, they rue.

Raising a pitch ahead of the Prime Ministers first visit to Himachal in Mandi on October 18, the farmers demanded answers to the issues that have made their plight pitiable.

Will the Centre amend the Forest Conservation Act 1980 so that the state government has the authority to allot land to small farmers for tilling? Second, Himachal is losing Rs 1,000 crore in revenue every year as it has banned tree cutting to protect its two-third of the forest cover that serves as a catchment area for the plains of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh. Will the Centre compensate Himachal by announcing some special economic package for 20 years, questioned Dr Kuldip Tanwar, state central committee member of the All-India Kisan Sabha and state president, Kisan Sabha.

On the other hand, the BJP government opened all airports and seaports for liberal import of foreign apple from the US, China, Chile, New Zealand, Italy and Afghanistan that had hit the apple economy as this step had been taken under pressure from the lobby of importers, said Prakash Thakur, vice-chairman, HPMC.

In 2013, the import was 1,96,800 MT that increased to 2,04,000 MT in 2014 and about 70 lakh cartons in 2015 despite the fact that the European Union had banned import of US apple because of high residue of DPA chemicals which also banned in India, the farmers questioned.

People gave all four Lok Sabha seats to the BJP hoping the promises Modi had made would be implemented.

Dr Tanwar said the days were not far when state farmers would commit suicides if the state and Centre remained indifferent to the growing agrarian crisis.

The Kisan Sabha also asked as if the Centre would form policy for construction of habitat link roads for the hilly region and compensate the poor, dalit, small and marginal farmers for the land used for these roads as per rates set under the national highway policy.

The HKS demanded clear cut answers of all questions, including whether or not the Centre would declare wild boars and nilgai as vermin which destroy farmers crop. Would the Modi government provide funds for setting up processing industries in Himachal to provide employment to 10 lakh rural households?, Dr Tanwar asked.
Our Correspondent

KULLU, OCTOBER 16

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally at Mandi will not have any impact on the upcoming Assembly elections in the state next year, as the people have unwavering faith in the policies of the government.

The Congress had a huge mass base and support of the people. Talking with the mediapersons after addressing a public meeting at Bari Padhru village of this district today, he stated that he would welcome the Prime Minister at Mandi but would not attend the rally.

Vibhadra made several announcements, including upgrade of a health sub-centre at Kinza, Chatani Middle School and primary schools at Dhobhi, Tosh and Kalon, opening of new primary school at Halainee, opening of an ayurvedic dispensary at Tarambali and a nature park at Kasol and construction of new road from Barshaini to Rudranag in Parbati valley.

He said Himachal had been selected as the Best Big State in the field of education and the award for which will given in the State of States Award at New Delhi. He claimed that the state has witnessed huge revolution in the field of education and particularly in the field of providing education to the girl child in far flung and remote areas of the state.

The Chief Minister said that as far as drinking water and irrigation facilities were concerned, almost every house has safe drinking tap water and a large number of irrigation schemes were catering to the needs of the farmers of the state.

He stated that crop diversification and protective farming are the thrust areas of the state government, as agriculture provides direct employment to about 60 per cent of total workforce of the state.

Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes said that the state government was spending a sum of Rs 2,292 on Irrigation and drinking water supply schemes in the state.

The Chief Minister, who is on a two-day visit to Kullu on occasion of closing of Kullu Dasehra festival, earlier inaugurated and laid foundation stones of various drinking water and irrigation projects worth Rs 23 crore. He addressed a public meeting at Khalehi during which he announced upgrade of primary school Khalehi to middle school.
Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 16

The identification of land for setting up a trade centre at Chuppan near the international border could finally pave the way for the arrival of traders from China who have never visited India since the trade between Indian and China resumed through Shipki La at Kinnaur in 1992.

A committee constituted under the chairmanship of ADM, Kinnaur, yesterday informed the traders that two bighas had been identified at Chuppan for

the trade centre, which would help boost the cross-border trade. The Industries Department and Customs officials will now undertake the task of setting up the centre with all facilities, including a godown for the traders coming from China.

The centre will also help create a single window where various Indian agencies, including the Customs, Intelligence Bureau (IB), the ITBP and immigration officials, can undertake checking.

This will greatly benefit the traders as their goods will not be scanned at

several points and all

formalities will be completed at the centre.

The trade which officials starts from June 30 and continues till November 30 has so far generated business worth Rs 3.67 crore. While to date goods worth Rs 2.49 crore have been imported, the exports are valued at Rs 1.18 crore. The trade officer has issued trade permits to 93 persons who have made 125 trips since the trade started, this year.

Our demand for a trade centre is finally being met and we hope the facility will come up soon so that traders from Tibet also visit Kinnuar with their goods, said Hishey Negi, president of the Indo-China Traders Association.

Negi said the Chinese Government had set up a Trade Centre at Shipki La, close to the international border where the traders from Kinnaur are provided with various facilities. The Indo-China Traders Association had sought the intervention of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh during his recent visit to Kinnaur for creating better facilities and having a single window for the convenience of the traders.
Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 15

Kashmirs summer has ended, the autumnal cold engulfs the region, but the paralysing impact of the unrest sparked on the evening of July 8 continues. Sunday will mark 100 days of the spiral of violence that has the Valley in its throes.

The statistics are grim: 87 dead, thousands injured, hundreds blinded, and scores of daily arrests. The economic cost has been crippling.

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Fatigue may have set in, the police crackdown may have overwhelmed the protesting crowds, but there is no end to the daily shutdowns. The unrest had its origin in the killing of Burhan Wani, the poster boy of new-age militancy. It sparked demonstrations across Kashmir as protesters clashed with the police and paramilitary forces, and attacked government installations.

During the first two days itself, nearly 30 civilians died. The government approach  lethal and non-lethal munition against protesters and forming a delegation of parliamentarians for political outreach  proved to be insignificant as anger mounted after each killing.

In August, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti accused Pakistan of provoking the youth as the situation continued to remain volatile.

Civilian deaths and injuries were reported from almost every district, be it the frontier Kupwara or the central city of Srinagar, signifying the deep-rooted undercurrent of anger. The unrest also provided a window to the separatist leadership to regain their influence.

This kind of situation has emerged for the third time in the last eight years, a police official said, adding: Every time it cannot be solved as a management problem; there has to be a review and there has to be a political solution.

Noor Mohammad Baba, a former professor of political science, said it was difficult to assess the implications of this unrest. However, it reinforces the alienation. A whole new generation has also got involved into it, he said.
Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 16

Education Minister Naeem Akhter today refuted reports about postponing of Class X and XII exams till March and asked the students to be ready for the exams on the scheduled dates in November.

The reports about the possibility of postponement of exams till March were carried by a section of the local media in the Valley on Saturday.

The Education Minister has called the reports baseless. There is no plan to postpone the Class X and XII exams any further. I have been receiving countless calls from worried parents and children since yesterday after a baseless report was circulated by a news gathering agency and unfortunately picked up by many newspapers, Akhter wrote on his Facebook page.

Due to the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, which marked 100 days on Sunday, the students have not been able to attend classes. They have covered less than 50 per cent of their syllabus, forcing them to take to streets and demand postponement of the exams.

However, despite massive protests, the authorities have said the exams would be held in the second week of November as scheduled.

The minister, in his Facebook post, said he had been receiving requests from students and parents who were insisting that the exams be held in accordance to the published date sheet.

That is the decision of the government as well. Let the students remain focused on their studies and prepare vigorously for the exams on the due date. Best wishes to them, said Akhter.

A senior official of the Board of School Education recently said they were ready to give concessions in the syllabus if the students approached them formally, but the students have refused to budge from their demand of delaying the exams till March.

Students have also threatened to boycott the exams if the government did not delay them.
Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 16

The hundredth day of the unrest on Sunday, a grim milestone in Kashmirs recent history, was marked by a shutdown  which has remained uninterrupted since July 8 evening.

However, the signs of easing of the unrest have begun to emerge as protests subside and increased movement of traffic, mainly private vehicles and auto-rickshaws, dominated the roads in the states summer capital here for the past several days.

The shutdown, called by separatists who had united prior to the unrest to oppose several issues, including construction of a residential colony for retired soldiers, have caused a crippling impact on the regions economy as business activity came to a halt.

On the 100th day of unrest, the region continued to remain in a stalemate with shutdown leading to empty markets and public transport remaining off the roads.

However, recent days have witnessed a significant increase in commercial activity as vendors resumed business here and offices opened.

On Sunday, a shopkeeper along Exhibition Road opened his shop during the day for the first time since the unrest began. I have decided to keep it open today as the situation has calmed down.

As protests subside and unrest shows signs of easing, the separatists have also called for a relaxation in shutdown after 5 pm on all days in their latest weekly calendar, which schedules shutdown and protests till Thursday.

There has been no killing of any civilian for the last one week anywhere in the region, which has also helped in easing the situation.

The unrest began on July 8 when militant commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight in south Kashmirs Anantnag district. His killing sparked protests in Kashmir and more than 80 civilians were killed as police and paramilitary forces attempted to quell the protests. Thousands of civilians were injured.

The police are making arrests on a daily basis as more than 2,000 cases have been registered against protesters. On Saturday evening, the police said curfew had been lifted from across the Valley, including volatile pockets of Srinagar city.

South Kashmir, which emerged as the heartland of protests, has also calmed down with fewer protests taking place in its four districts.

The roads to south Kashmir have also been cleared of roadblocks set up by demonstrators as the police crackdown led to arrest of hundreds of protesters.
Surat, October 16

The police detained several protesters ahead of a rally of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here this evening.

Those detained were protesting against the AAP supremo for his comments seeking proof of the armys surgical strikes on terror launchpads in PoK.

Protesters, waving black flags and breaking black earthen pots, dubbed Kejriwal as pro-Pakistan and asked him to leave Surat.

Kejriwal announced that the Aam Aadmi Party would contest next years assembly elections in Gujarat.

Using the phrase aam aadmi (common man) for the AAP, Kejriwal told a huge rally here that the aam aadmi would take on both the Congress and the states ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Alleging that Gujarat was being run by BJP president Amit Shah, he appealed to the people to oust him.

Amit Shah has thrown an open challenge to the people of Gujarat that he will run the state whichever way he wants and no one can do anything about it, Kejriwal thundered.

The AAP leader said the Surat gathering reminded him of the Anna Hazare movement of 2011 when the whole nation had come out on the streets.

Kejriwal said Amit Shah had today thrown a challenge to the people of Gujarat.

Are you ready to fight the elections, win and throw out Amit Shah? The next Gujarat elections will be a revolution, he said. It will be Amit Shah versus the people of Gujarat.

Members of an organisation, Brahm Padkar Samiti, were detained by the police from outside the Yogi Chowk venue of the rally.

Members of a Patidar group too staged a protest near the venue and were detained. Around 35 protesters were detained and later released, a police officer said.

Ahead of Kejriwals visit and rally here, banners came up at various parts of the city, depicting him as one of the Heroes of Pakistan by putting his photo alongside Osama bin Laden, Burhan Wani and Hafiz Saeed.

Banners about the dubious track record of several ministers of the AAP government in Delhi were also put up.

In some societies in the Patel-dominated Varachha area, posters warning the AAP leader against entering the area had also surfaced a few days back.  Agencies
Bijay Sankar Bora

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that proposes citizenship for migrants from the religious minority (non-Muslim) communities from three countries  Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan  has faced stiff opposition from various quarters in Assam, where unabated illegal migration from Bangladesh has remained a burning problem.

Seeing the belligerent mood of the organisations representing the indigenous communities against the ruling BJP over the proposal to accord citizenship to illegal Bengali-speaking Hindu migrants from Bangladesh, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which is a key partner in the BJP-led coalition government, has stated that citizenship to illegal Hindu migrants would pose a grave threat to the identity of indigenous people and existence of the Assamese language.

The AGP at its 32nd Foundation Day, celebrated a couple of days back, vowed to oppose any move to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshi migrants and demanded that all the illegal migrants from all religions who came to the state after March 25, 1971 must be deported as per the Assam Accord signed on August 15, 1985.

AGP president and Assams Agriculture Minister Atul Bora said, There is no question of the AGP supporting ally BJPs efforts to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis who have been staying illegally in the state, in defiance to popular demand of the people of Assam.

Meanwhile, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) has mobilised leaders of 28 ethnic groups and nine ethnic literary bodies to jointly oppose the Bill. The AASUs stand is that the Bill once passed would open floodgates for more migration to Assam.

It goes against the very spirit of the Assam Accord. It also contradicts the Supreme Courts view that unabated migration from Bangladesh amounted to external aggression of Assam and was the main reason behind internal disturbances, AASUs general secretary Lurin Jyoti Gogoi said.

After the Union Home Minister introduced the Bill in Parliament on July 19, the Opposition compelled the government on August 12 to refer it to the joint standing committee, headed by Dr Satyapal Singh.

The Supreme Court directed the Centre in December 2014 to start a dialogue with Bangladesh to streamline the process of deportation of illegal migrants from Assam, said Kamalakanta Mushahary, general secretary of Bodo Sahitya Sabha.

The BJP in its manifesto for the 2016 Assembly election, as well as in its vision document published before the polls, had promised citizenship to Hindu migrants from Bangladesh staying in Assam to escape persecution in their homeland.

RBS Earth Hero Award

A mother of two, Purnima Devi Barman, who has been leading a continuous crusade along with people from the adjacent villages of Dadara and Pachariya of Kamrup district to save the highly endangered Greater Adjutant Stork, has been conferred with the prestigious Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Earth Hero Award, 2016.

She dedicated the award, presented in Delhi, to the communities of Dadara and Pachariya villages, Kamrup district administration, Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) and colleagues and mentors of Aaranyak, a frontline conservation and research organisation based in Guwahati. Thanks a lot to my mentor from WCS, Cambodia for the nomination, Purnima said.

BJP in Arunachal govt

The BJP has finally joined the Peoples Party of Arunachal Pradesh (PPA) government in the frontier hill state. One of its MLAs, Tamyo Taga (65), was administered oath by Governor V Shanmuganathan in Itanagar on Friday. Till then the BJP with its 11 MLAs was supporting the PPA government headed by Pema Khandu from outside.

Khandu dropped Tapang Taloh, minister for industries and a member of PPA, to accommodate Taga. Khandu on September 16 led the entire Congress legislature party, barring former CM Nabam Tuki, to join the PPA.

Boost for Manipur Cong

All four MLAs of the Trinamool Congress, including state president Thounaojam Shyamkumar, joined the ruling Congress in Manipur recently. The demand for implementation of the Inner Line Permit has been disrupting normal life in Manipur. Ten persons have been killed despite our requests, TMC MPs refused to take up the issue in Parliament, Shyamkumar said.

The decision of the four TMC MLAs to join the Congress comes as a morale booster for the latter, which lost one of its MLAs Yumkham Erabot to the BJP on September 12.
Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, October 16

Raj Kumar Saini, the first-time Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Kurukshetra who has been a vocal critic of reservation for Jats, was allegedly roughed up by four youths in the city this afternoon.

The assailants also threw black ink on the MP, who had come to attend a community function at a dharamshala. Though the MP did not sustain any serious injury, the youths were thrashed by those present before they were handed over to the police.

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Saini was attacked while leaving the venue. He said the security arrangements were inadequate and felt a grave threat for speaking out in favour of members of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The attackers emerged out of the crowd and moved closer to Saini with a plea to have a photograph clicked with him. They claimed themselves to the residents of Hisar and activists of Azad Kisan Mission. The police recovered pamphlets condemning unnamed individuals for being abusive towards a community.

Speaking to the media, the accused charged Saini with fanning communal tension.

The MP, meanwhile, termed it a calculated attack on the weaker sections. Previously state Congress president Ashok Tanwar was brutally attacked in Delhi. A section of the society has a revengeful attitude towards the socially marginalised communities.

Saini said he would continue his battle to protect the rights of the marginalised. I have never uttered a filthy word against any community. But I will contest any attempt to scuttle the rights of reservation of OBCs, said the MP.

Supporters of the MP briefly blocked traffic near Birla Mandir Chowk to register their protest.
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 16

At the conclusion of the BRICS Summit today, which saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi using the forum to hit out at Pakistan, Modi welcomed leaders of the BIMSTEC countries for the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit.

As host of this years BRICS, India enjoys the privilege to invite leaders of neighbouring states for this outreach. Not missing another opportunity to target Pakistan, the PM while addressing the leaders of the BRICS-BIMSTEC (a seven-nation grouping of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar and Nepal) said it was one nation that was spreading terror. To those who nurture the philosophy of terror and seek to demoralise mankind, we must send a clear message to mend ways or be isolated, Modi said.

Making an obvious reference to Pakistan, the PM said: In South Asia and BIMSTEC, all nation states barring one are motivated to pursue a path of peace, development and economic prosperity.

The fact that India chose to invite BIMSTEC nations and not the SAARC grouping points to the clear objective of keeping Pakistan out. After the September 18 Uri terror attack, India has aggressively spoken at various international fora about Pakistans state-sponsorship of terror. India has also adopted an approach to isolate Pakistan globally. The BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit is the perfect example of that policy.

Myanmars State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina along with the PMs of Nepal and Bhutan are attending the summit. The PM will also be having bilateral meetings with some of the leaders tomorrow where the focus will be on ironing out the bilateral issues.
Benaulim (Goa), October 16

Strongly condemning the recent terror attacks in India and other BRICS nations, the five-nation powerful grouping on Sunday asked all countries to prevent "terrorist actions" from their soil and called for expeditious adoption of an India-backed global convention by the UN to fight the menace effectively.

A declaration adopted at the annual summit of grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa called upon all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism, violent extremism, radicalisation, recruitment, movement of terrorists including foreign terrorists and blocking sources of financing terrorism.

It asked all nations to work together to expedite the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in the UN General Assembly without any further delay.

We strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some BRICS countries, including that in India. We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other reasons.

"We agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating international terrorism both at the bilateral level and at international fora," the Goa declaration issued at the end of the Summit said.

It also asked the countries to adopt a "holistic" approach in successfully combating terrorism.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for decisive action to deal with terrorism and described Pakistan as a mothership of global terrorism.

In the declaration, the BRICS said it reaffirmed commitment to the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) international standards on combating money laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation.

The FATF is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering. In 2001 the purpose expanded to act on terrorism financing.

It also called for swift, effective and universal implementation of FATF on combating terrorist financing, including effective implementation of its operational plan.

The BRICS said, "We seek to intensify our cooperation in FATF and FATF-style regional bodies."

'Need to strengthen cooperation on tackling drug trafficking'

In the declaration, the bloc also called for strengthening of international and regional cooperation and coordination to counter the global threat caused by the illicit production and trafficking of drugs, especially opiates.

"We note with deep concern the increasing links between drug trafficking and terrorism, money laundering and organised crime," it said, adding there was agreement on strengthening efforts to enhance security in the use of information and communication technology.

The declaration said the bloc agreed that emerging challenges to global peace and security and to sustainable development require further enhancing of its collective efforts.

"We note the global character of current security challenges and threats confronting the international community.

"We reiterate our view that international efforts to address these challenges, the establishment of sustainable peace as well as the transition to a more just, equitable and democratic multi-polar international order requires a comprehensive, concerted and determined approach, based on spirit of solidarity, mutual trust and benefit, equity and cooperation," it said.

It said, "We express our concern that political and security instability continues to loom in a number of countries that is exacerbated by terrorism and extremism.

"We call upon the international community through the United Nations, African Union and regional and international partners to continue their support in addressing these challenges, including post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts."

In reference to tax system, it reaffirmed commitment towards a globally fair and modern tax system and welcomed the progress made on effective and widespread implementation of the internationally agreed standards.

"We support the strengthening of international cooperation against corruption, including through the BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group, as well as on matters related to asset recovery and persons sought for corruption.

"We acknowledge that corruption, including illicit money and financial flows, and ill-gotten wealth stashed in foreign jurisdictions, is a global challenge which may impact negatively on economic growth and sustainable development.

"We will strive to coordinate our approach in this regard and encourage a stronger global commitment to prevent and combat corruption on the basis of the United Nations Convention

against Corruption and other relevant international legal instruments," it said.

BRICS also welcomed the Paris Climate Agreement and its imminent entry into force on November 4.

"We call on the developed countries to fulfil their responsibility towards providing the necessary financial resources, technology and capacity building assistance to support the developing countries with respect to both mitigation and adaptation for the implementation of the Paris Agreement," it said.  PTI
New Delhi, October 16

British Prime Minister Theresa May will lead a delegation of small and medium-size businesses to India in November as part of efforts to bolster trade with countries outside the European Union as Britain prepares to leave the bloc.

May will arrive here on November 6 on her first bilateral visit outside Europe during which she will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK strategic partnership.

The three-day visit was announced on Sunday by the External Affairs Ministry here.

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This will be her first bilateral visit outside Europe.

She will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit, the Ministry said.

During the visit, Prime Minister May alongside Modi will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

The summit will be an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business to business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, IPRs and higher education, it said.

The two sides had agreed to hold the summit during Prime Minister Modis visit to the UK in November 2015.

The India-UK partnership has since moved into a new era, with Britain voting to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum in June and leading to the resignation of then Prime Minister David Cameron.

May, 60, as the post-Brexit leader of the country, has often mentioned India among the priority countries for a free trade agreement to boost the UKs ties outside the EU.

Countries, including Canada, China, India, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea, have already told us they would welcome talks on future free trade agreements. And we have already agreed to start scoping discussions on trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, she had told the Conservative party conference earlier this month.

Therefore, trade is expected to feature high on the agenda during her India visit.  Agencies
The 160 files related to the Lahore Conspiracy Case of 1929, in which Bhagat Singh and his 15 comrades faced trial, have been lying in oblivion at the Punjab State Archives in Lahores Anarkali Bazaar despite numerous efforts by researchers and martyrs relatives to gain access.

The Tribune, in a four-part series, throws light on these unknown pages of history

Sarika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 16

What did they eat? How did they travel? Where did they stay, or study? Almost every aspect of the revolutionaries life mattered to the police in the British Raj.

More than eight decades after his martyrdom, the 160 files related to Bhagat Singh and his comrades trial may finally see the light of day. A historian has finally managed to access the files in Lahore.

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Though a large part of these files  titled the Lahore Conspiracy Case 1929  like the proceedings of the special tribunal, the exhibits produced in court and the verdict are already in public domain, several unknown aspects of the revolutionary struggle and the lives of the martyrs have come to light.

Dr Aparna Vaidik, an associate professor of history at a private university in Haryana, accessed the files sometime back over two trips to Lahore and is working on a book.

According to the information she shared with Harish Jain, a Chandigarh-based publisher and researcher on Bhagat Singh, some of the files have more than 1,000 pages while a good number are limited to one or a few pages.

Not a single page has been lost and a large portion of the files is laminated as well, which seems like a recent attempt to preserve them.

Some of these files carry day-to-day records of any individual or establishment that had any bearing on or dealing with the revolutionaries. Be it schools, colleges, hostels, libraries, even dhobis, dhabas, milk sellers, halwais, building landlords, railways, post offices or transport companies.

These were seized from Punjab, Delhi, UP, Bihar, Bengal and Maharashtra and were used as evidence in court. These may look like banal details, personal histories of the frugal life they lived and comprise travel and living spaces details, but the files can help paint the martyrs lives and times afresh, says Jain.

Among the files are records like DAV College, Lahores admission register to the cash book and book issuing register of Dwarka Das Library. Going by the index, file number 38 has the cash book of Dwarka Das Library from 1927-29. Then located in Lahore, Bhagat Singh and his comrades would frequent it to get books issued. After Partition, the library was relocated to Sector 15 in Chandigarh.

When the police found that accused Kishori Lal and Prem Dutt had been students of DAV College, they confiscated a large chunk of college records, which form part of files 14 and 39. File 14 contains the record of first-year admissions, file 39 has the lecture register of second-year class of DAV College, 1929. Like Dwarka Das Library, DAV College was relocated to Chandigarh after Partition. Similarly, file 44 has the register of meal, etc, produced by Baboo Ramaish Chander Ch, proprietor of Eastern Home Hotel, Calcutta. Calcutta was one of their major centres of activities.

File 52 has the attendance register of Bombay Cycle and Motor Agency Ltd. Lahore, where they were learning driving. The police were also extensively investigating the places where the revolutionaries stayed. Files 111 to 115, for instance, contain records of hotels in Lahore and Ferozepur. It included Hindu Hotel, Lahore; Sharma Hind Hotel, Ferozepur; Eastern Home Hotel, Lahore, etc. These records can help us locate their secret shelters. It can be a real heritage of Indias revolutionary movement, feels Jain.

When the police found out that the revolutionaries were commonly travelling through train, they confiscated the registers of relevant stations of Eastern Indian Railway (Cawnpur, now Kanpur). That is part of file 53.

The files also give a peak into the frugal lives of the revolutionaries. One evidence of that is that they didnt have even money to buy rice in cash. They were taking rice on credit from one Abdul Jabbar shopkeeper in Lahore. His bahi (ledger), which was produced in court as evidence, is still lying in file 146.

Around 10 files, numbers 146 to 155, contain information from where they purchased chemicals.

An important file (number 154) contains rent receipts of one Master Kanhaya Lal, whose house they had taken on rent. Similarly, rent receipts issued by another house owner Hussain Baksh are also part of the Lahore files.

File 149 contains the laundry book of Kaumi Washing Factory, Gwaal Mandi, Lahore, where revolutionaries were getting their clothes washed. A slip of the laundry company is known to have been found from Kishori Lals pocket. Even the record of a shop from where they were getting milk on credit was presented as an important court evidence. Bahi of Ram Swaroop halwai, Lahore, is part of the record.

Letters to court, police

An important part of the 160 files are the letters written by Bhagat Singh and comrades. One file has almost 150 pages. These letters were written to the court and special tribunal, police, etc. According to historical accounts, the revolutionaries were submitting a letter, application or petition to the court almost every other day; this was besides the communication they were sending to the outside world through the court, which needed to pass orders on each.

Lahore Conspiracy Case 1929

It involved Bhagat Singh and 27 others, who were tried for the murder of police officer John P Saunders, conspiracy to kill the police chief and waging a war against the King. A special tribunal was set up against 18 accused from May 5, 1930 to speed up the trial. The tribunal proved the participation of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru in Saunders murder. Ajoy Ghosh, Jatindra Nath Sanyal and Des Raj were acquitted. Kundan Lal and Prem Dutt received seven and five years imprisonment. Kishori Lal, Mahabir Singh, Bijoy Kumar Sinha, Shiv Verma, Gaya Prashad, Jai Dev and Kamalnath Tewari were awarded life imprisonment. The names of three people, Agya Ram, BK Dutt and Surendra Nath Pandey, were dropped during the trial.
Mumbai, October 16

Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise for his trip to Pakistan in December last year.

Kashyap vented his frustration following the cinema owners decision here not to screen movies with Pakistani actors, a move that has hit hard Karan Johars Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.

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We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, with you on this Karan Johar, Kashyap tweeted.

Narendra Modi Sir, you havent yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM. It was December 25. Same time KJo was shooting Ae Dil Hai Mushkil? Why? Anurag asked.

Narendra Modi, why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent? Narendra Modi and you actually diverted your trip on our tax money, while the film shot then was on money on which someone here pays interest.

I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I dont get it. Sorry if you feel offended, added the director.

On his way home from Kabul, Modi halted in Lahore in December last year for a surprise meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

The Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India on Friday said that movies featuring Pakistani actors would not be screened in single-screen theatres in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat.

The decision came amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions in the wake of a terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Armys surgical strikes in PoK.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khans Raees is also under the radar for featuring Pakistan actress Mahira Khan.  IANS
New Delhi, October 16

The Supreme Court is all set to revisit its two-decade-old Hindutva judgment for an authoritative pronouncement on electoral law categorising misuse of religion for electoral gains as a "corrupt practice".

The seven-Judge Bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justices MB Lokur, SA Bobde, AK Goel, UU Lalit, DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao is likely to begin on Tuesday its crucial hearing in the matter. The SC in February 2014 had decided to refer the matter to a seven-Judge Bench.

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The issue assumes importance as questions were raised on its 1995 verdict which held that vote in the name of Hindutva/ Hinduism did not prejudicially affect any candidate and since then three election petitions are pending on the subject in the SC.

The SCs three-Judge Bench in 1995 had held that Hindutva/Hinduism is a way of life of the people in the sub-continent and is a state of mind.

The judgment was delivered in the case of Manohar Joshi versus NB Patil, which was authored by Justice JS Verma, who found that the statement by Joshi that the first Hindu State will be established in Maharashtra did not amount to appeal on ground of religion.  PTI
Jitendra K Shrivastava

Tribune News Service

Rajgir (Bihar), October 16

On the opening day of the Janata Dal (United)s two-day national council conclave in Rajgir, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was unanimously elected as the partys national president before he was solely authorised to amend the partys constitution suited to national political scenario.

Nitish is now free to set up the national executive committee, state ad hoc committee and another committee advising amendments in the partys constitution and exploring the possibilities of expanding the party at the national level.

The party leaders discussed ways to unite anti-BJP forces and emerge as an alternative to Narendra Modi at the national level. Nitish is competent enough to lead the nation. So he deserves to be the PM, said JD-U national spokesperson KC Tyagi, adding: The Modi government has failed everywhere. He promised 2 crore jobs for the youth but actually polarised society and destroyed social harmony. Intolerance is simmering across the nation.

He said: The JD-U has authorised Nitish to explore the possibilities of forming a grand alliance at the national level. We have already experimented with the idea that was a success in the recently held Bihar assembly election.

Asked if the party faces revolt as it recently expelled state chiefs in four states, Tyagi said: The states where membership target remained low, the chiefs were expelled. The state chiefs of Delhi, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir were expelled after they reportedly questioned Nitishs capabilities as the national chief.

JD-Us national electoral officer Anil Hegde announced that Nitish was elected the president unopposed, while his announcement was ratified by all 23 partys state chiefs with voice votes. Three political proposals were moved by party member Harivansh that was approved by Pawan Verma.
Bhopal, October 16

Nearly 32 years after the Bhopal gas tragedy in which thousands of people were killed, the Madhya Pradesh government on Sunday announced that it would build a memorial of one of the world's worst industrial disaster.

It would come up on the premises of the defunct Union Carbide factory here from where toxic gas spewed out on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, wreaking havoc.

"Like Hiroshima Memorial, a memorial of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy will be built," Minister of State for Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Vishvas Sarang said here after inspecting the defunct factory.

The concept and the plan of the memorial are ready and the work would start in two to three months, he said.

Sarang said 10 tonnes of toxic waste lying in the factory has been disposed of by Ramki Private Limited, Pithampur. "We will request the Central Pollution Control Board to incinerate the remaining waste lying in the factory," he said.

The state government was working hard to ensure that the victims of the gas tragedy got justice, he said.

NGO Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udhyog Sangathan (BGPMUS), which works for the survivors of the tragedy, thanked Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Sarang for announcement of the memorial.

BGPMUS leader Abdul Jabbar said it had been demanding memorial of the tragedy for the last two decades.

The state government should also request the Centre to strongly pursue the curative petition filed in the Supreme Court seeking compensation and medical facilities for the tragedy survivors, he demanded.

The tragedy occurred on the night of December 23, 1984, at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in the city.

In the deadly incident, over five lakh people were exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals.

The toxic substance made its way into and around the shanty towns located near the plant. The initial investigation was conducted entirely by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Central Bureau of Investigation.

As per reports, the official immediate death toll was 2,259 while the government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release.

A government affidavit in 2006 stated that the leak caused 558,125 injuries, including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries whereas others estimate that 8,000 died within two weeks, and another 8,000 or more have since died from gas related diseases. Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) contends water entered the tank through an act of sabotage.  Agencies
Benaulim (Goa), October 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a bilateral meeting with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena ahead of the BRICS- BIMSTEC Outreach Summit during which the two leaders discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations.

Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for first engagement, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.

Later, Modi held a bilateral meeting with his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay.

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Always a delight meeting you PM @tsheringtobgay. Glad to have discussed the full spectrum of India-Bhutan ties during our talks, Modi stated in a tweet.

As host of this years BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last months cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the BIMSTEC grouping over those of SAARC.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to BIMSTEC countries instead of the SAARC countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that are also not members of BIMSTEC.

Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pulled out of this years Saarc Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistans state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason.

Afghanistan and Bangladesh too followed suit citing the same reason while Sri Lanka held that a SAARC summit was not possible in Indias absence.

The BRICS- BIMSTEC Outreach Summit will be held here later on Sunday.  IANS
Panaji (Goa), October 16

The CEO of Russias ROSTEC Corp, Sergey Chemezov, has said that Moscow has not signed any contracts and has no plans for signing any military-related deals with Pakistan.

We are not delivering any modern aircraft and any military aircraft to Pakistan. We have made deliveries of helicopters, but those are specialised in transport and that contract has been completed, said Chemezov.

No contracts or plans for any other military-related equipment to be delivered to Pakistan, he added.

Commenting on Russia- Pakistan joint military exercises, Chemezov said the military exercises held earlier in September this year were directly connected with modernising counter terror operations in Pakistan.

He said that the joint military exercises was important so that the nation could be prepared for fight from organisations like the ISIS, which is a global threat and is involved in spreading terrorism.

ISIS is a global terrorist organisation, it is something that is the global danger and doesnt just involve terrorists in the Middle East but also in Russia, terrorism in India as well as Pakistan, he said.

Therefore, joint military exercises are important but it must be noted that (they) were not in any way targeted at India or at any other conflict in the region, he added.

Chemezov said that Russias relationship with India has always remained very strong and fruitful.

India and Russia on Saturday signed 16 agreements and three announcements in a number of fields including infrastructure, defence, ship building, science and technology and railways.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa.

In a joint statement with Putin, Prime Minister Modi said the agreements on manufacturing of Kamov-226T helicopters, construction of frigates, and acquisition and building of other defence platforms are in synergy with Indias technology and security priorities.  ANI
New Delhi, October 16

Amid the ongoing debate over 'Triple Talaq', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said the government is of the clear view that personal laws should be constitutionally compliant and in conformity with norms of gender equality and the right to live with dignity.

In a Facebook post titled "Triple Talaq and the Government's Affidavit", he said governments in the past have shied from taking a categorical stand that personal laws must comply with Fundamental Rights but the present one has taken a clear position on the issue.

"Personal laws have to be constitutionally compliant and the institution of Triple Talaq, therefore, will have to be judged on the yardstick of equality and the Right to Live with Dignity. Needless to say that the same yardstick would be applicable to all other personal laws," he said.

Observing that the constitutional validity of 'Triple Talaq' is distinct from the Uniform Civil Code, he said as of today, the issue before the Supreme Court is only with regard to the constitutional validity of Triple Talaq.

In its affidavit in Supreme Court on October 7, the Law Ministry argued that polygamy and Triple Talaq should be done away with, and said such practices "cannot be regarded as essential or integral part of the religion".

"The academic debate with regard to the Uniform Civil Code can go on before the Law Commission. The question to be answered is that assuming that each community has its separate personal law, should not those personal laws be constitutionally compliant?" Jaitley said.

He said there is a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals and civil rights.

"Religious functions associated with birth, adoption, succession, marriage, death, can all be conducted through rituals and customs as per existing religious practices.

"Should rights emanating from birth, adoption, succession, marriage, divorce, etc., be guided by religion or by constitutional guarantees? Can there be inequality or compromise with human dignity in any of these matters?" Jaitley said.

Some people may hold a conservative, if not obsolete, view that personal laws need not be constitutionally compliant, he said, adding "the government's view is clear. Personal laws have to be constitutionally compliant...".

Jaitley said the constitutional framers had expressed a hope in the Directive Principles of State Policy that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Law and on more than one occasion, the Supreme Court has enquired from the government its stand on the issue.

"Governments have repeatedly told both the Court and Parliament that personal laws are ordinarily amended after detailed consultations with affected stakeholders," he said.

As regards the Uniform Civil Code, the Law Commission has initiated an academic exercise to elicit views of public on the issue.

"This academic exercise by the Law Commission is only a continuation of the debate in this country ever since Constituent Assembly had expressed the hope that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Code," he said.

"Irrespective of whether the Uniform Civil Code is today possible or otherwise, a pertinent question arises with regard to reforms within the personal laws of various communities," he said.

Cites past precedents

Jaitley said that Jawaharlal Nehru's government had brought about major reforms to the Hindu Personal Laws through legislative changes and more recently Manmohan Singh's government came up with legislative changes with regard to gender equality in the Hindu Undivided Family.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, after active consultations with stakeholders, amended the provisions of marriage and divorce relating to the Christian community in order to bring about the gender equality, he added.

"Reforming the personal laws, even if there is no uniformity, is an ongoing process. With passage of time, several provisions became obsolete, archaic and even got rusted. Governments, legislatures and communities have to respond to the need for a change," Jaitley said.

As communities have progressed, there is a greater realisation with regard to gender equality.

"Additionally, all citizens, more particularly women, have a right to live with dignity. Should personal laws which impact the life of every citizen be in conformity with these constitutional values of equality and the Right to Live with dignity?

"A conservative view found judicial support over six decades ago that personal laws could be inconsistent with personal guarantees. Today it may be difficult to sustain that proposition. The government's affidavit in the triple talaq case recognises this evolution," Jaitley explained.

He said there is a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals and civil rights.

On September 2, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the Supreme Court that personal laws of a community cannot be "re-written" in the name of social reforms and opposed pleas on issues including alleged gender discrimination faced by Muslim women in divorce cases.

AIMPLB, in its counter affidavit filed in the apex court, had said the contentious issue relating to Muslim practices of polygamy, triple talaq (talaq-e-bidat) and nikah halala are matters of "legislative policy" and cannot be interfered with.

The AIMPLB has also decided to boycott of Law Commission's questionnaire on the Uniform Civil Code.  PTI
Kathmandu, October 16

Nepals Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' held a meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa to pitch Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants, a media report said on Sunday.

Prachanda  who arrived in Goa for the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit on Saturday held a separate meeting with Chinese President Xi. The meeting lasted 20 minutes, after which Modi joined them, Nepals The Himalayan Times reported.

The leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachanda's personal secretary Prakash Dahal was quoted as saying.

Prachanda is believed to have told the two Asian nations that Nepal could prosper with their help.

"We wish to reap benefits of this geographical specialty by working as a dynamic bridge between the two countries," he was quoted as saying.

Chinese President Xi is believed to have praised Nepal for keeping up its ties with both India and China and said that the ties between China, Nepal and India would grow.

"Indian PM Modi acknowledged there are geographical, emotional and cultural relations among India, Nepal and China," the report said.  PTI
Kathmandu, October 16

Prime Minister Prachanda held a trilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa and pitched Nepal as a dynamic bridge between the two Asian giants, a media report here said today.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit yesterday, first held a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them, The Himalayan Times reported along with a photo of the meeting.

The three leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachandas personal secretary Prakash Dahal was quoted as saying.

During the meeting yesterday, Prachanda was quoted as saying that though Nepal was a small country, it was extremely rich in cultural and religious diversity.

He said Pashupatinath, Gautam Buddha and Janaki have connected the three countries.

Nepal is located between two giant powers of AsiaIndia and Chinaa its prosperity is possible with their help and cooperation, Prachanda said. We wish to reap benefits of this geographical specialty by working as a dynamic bridge between the two countries, he said.

Chinese President Xi said the size of the country did not bear much significance and Nepal could become a bridge between India and China, the report said.

He praised Nepals role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in future.

Likewise, Indian PM Modi acknowledged there are geographical, emotional and cultural relations among India, Nepal and China, the report said.

Prachandas spouse Sita Dahal was also present in the meeting.  PTI
Chandauli (UP), October 16

The toll in the stampede on an overcrowded bridge on Varanasi-Chandauli border rose to 25 with one more person succumbing to injuries in a hospital on Sunday, even as the Samajwai Party government faced fresh opposition salvos over the incident.

District Magistrate Kumar Prashant told reporters here that the stampede claimed 25 lives. While 24 deaths were reported yesterday, one more died in hospital this morning. Of the deceased, 20 were women, police said.

The incident took place in Ramnagar police station area of Varanasi when thousands of followers of Jai Gurudev were crossing the Rajghat bridge for proceeding towards Domri village in Chandauli for a two-day congregation that concluded today under the shadow of gloom.

President Pranab Mukherjee expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the stampede and called upon the authorities to provide all assistance and help to the victims.

In his message to Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, he said, "I am sad to learn about the stampede in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh in which a number of persons have lost their lives and others are injured. I understand relief and rescue operations are currently underway.

"I call upon the state government and other authorities to provide all possible aid to the bereaved families, who have lost their near and dear ones as well as medical assistance to the injured," he said.

As opposition parties held the state government and local administration "responsible" for the incident, the BJP today fired a fresh salvo with Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya blaming the Akhilesh Yadav government for "failing to take lessons from similar mishaps in the state earlier" and demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.

"The state government has to take complete responsibility for the incident. It is a total failure on its part. The state government has not learned any lessons from the previous stampedes that occurred in 2010 at Pratapgarh in which 63 people died and during 2013 Kumbh Mela in Allahabad which claimed 36 lives," Dattatreya said.

"The state government cannot wash off its hands by suspending few police officials from the duty," he said after meeting the injured in Varanasi.  PTI
Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 16

After its campaign against the alleged political-drug smuggler nexus via billboards and hoardings, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided to make the understanding between PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal a major poll issue.

The party has prepared posters highlighting the understanding between the two top leaders through comical description. In the posters, the two leaders are shown embracing each other expressing gratitude for help in cases. AAP has prepared a couplet, saying both have come together to eat the political cream (malai).

The posters will be displayed across the state, besides their circulation on the social media. Earlier, the party had put up hundreds of posters over the drug issue in the state.

Both Amarinder and Badal are known to be strongly inimical towards each other and had several legal cases against one other.

AAP MP Bhagwant Mann said both Akalis and the Congress had joined hands to defeat AAP. He said the recent closure of a Vigilance case against Amarinder and the friendly dharna staged by the Congress outside the CMs residence were enough to prove their political collusion.

Though Amaridner and Badal spoke against each other even today, AAP aims at spreading the word of their alleged collusion. The enemys enemy is a friend. They have joined hands against AAP as they know that we will expose all their wrongdoings in the state, said Mann.

AAP state convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich said there was no doubt about the political collusion in Punjab. He said no other political party, pressure group, NGO or any other union or association demanding justice had been allowed to go anywhere near CMs residence, while protesting Congress MLAs were not only allowed to sit on a dharna there, but adequate arrangements were also made for their food and night stay.

Waraich alleged that the recent instance of Badals benevolence towards Amarinder was evident from the Amritsar Improvement Trust land scam case which he had quietly decided to withdraw after 10 years that had caused the state exchequer a loss of nearly Rs 360 crore.
If you think youre having trouble making sense of this years presidential election, imagine being a visitor to the United States this fall.

About three dozen people from Germany  members of the federal parliament, business leaders, academics and a few journalists  received a short but intensive course in American politics last week in a tour that passed through Wisconsin.

By the time they reached the end of their journey Thursday, the group had heard enough about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. They wanted to talk about why companies should set up shop in Wisconsin versus the East or West coasts. It was a discussion that touched on some of the states strengths, as well as a few of its enduring challenges.

The group visited as part of a program sponsored by The Congressional Study Group and Atlantik-Brucke e.V., a German association that promotes trans-Atlantic relations. Former U.S. Rep. Tim Petri, R-Wis., was the studys tour host on the American side.

At University Research Park in Madison, the group heard from executives from four tech-based companies on why those firms decided to put down roots and grow in Wisconsin.

For some of the German visitors, it was a surprise to learn that companies with international reach can launch and grow in the nations heartland.

The conversation touched on differences and similarities between the German and U.S. financing systems for early stage companies; a comparison of entrepreneurial cultures; examples of how companies attract and retain workers; and the role of academic institutions and state government in creating a business climate that supports innovation.

In Wisconsin and Madison, in particular, it tends to be a community effort with a lot of different players contributing to the success of startups and emerging companies, said Joe Kremer, chief executive officer of Isomark LLC, a medical device company based in Madison.

We have our drawbacks here  especially when it comes to early stage financing  but its encouraging to see that some people in Germany see trends in Wisconsin worth following, added Kremer, who once worked in Munich and Dusseldorf.

In an election year characterized by disagreements over trade pacts, immigration reform and U.S. relations abroad, its important to remember that Wisconsin and 49 other states function in a global environment.

Wisconsin represents about 2 percent of the Gross National Product and a fraction of the world economy, given the United States produces 17 percent of the Gross World Product. Within those parameters, however, Wisconsin companies must compete to sell goods and services abroad. Exports from Wisconsin have hovered around $23 billion per year of late, a reflection of the fact that the world needs the states agricultural products, manufactured goods and technologies.

A prominent Wisconsin example in biotechnology is Promega, which has about 1,400 employees, 16 branches and 50 distributors serving 100 countries.

Based in Fitchburg, Promega competes in fields such as genomics, genetic identity, protein analysis and drug discovery, the Germans were told by Chief Technology Officer Randall Dimond. Some of the visitors were surprised to learn that about a third of the law enforcement agencies in Germany use Promegas DNA testing tools for human identification.

The economic pathway works both ways. Companies with global ties in University Research Park include Stratatech, which is being acquired by Mallinckrodt; FujiFilm, which acquired Cellular Dynamics International; Roche NimbleGen Inc.; and Kikkoman USA R&D Laboratory.

Across Wisconsin, foreign direct investment in state companies is significant. There are 1,537 foreign-owned establishments in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., and those firms account for 86,440 jobs.

Wisconsin cannot afford to be overlooked in a global economy. National political rhetoric aside, the states economic doors must remain open to a more prosperous future.
Toronto, October 16

A Sikh family-owned motel in Canada has been gutted in a fire that claimed one life while injuring three others as the police discovered racist graffiti on the property, raising suspicions of foul play in the incident.

Neighbours reported hearing an explosion and watched flames destroy the Tiwana family-owned Bashaw Motor Inn in the Canadian province of Alberta.

Residents in the town of 870 people have rallied around the Tiwana family, who lived in and operated the motel. More than $8,000 has been raised over two days in a fundraising campaign for the family.

Faisal Madi, a neighbour, told CBC News that he would never forget the booming sound of the explosion the night of the deadly Bashaw fire last Sunday or the chilling screams that followed.

Living only metres away, he was at the motel in less than a minute where he found the mother and two sons of the Tiwana family outside the front door.

Two of them were laying on the ground. One was standing. I tried to pull them away from the fire, Madi said, explaining that all three appeared to have been badly burned.

Both boys were screaming for their father who they said was still inside, he said. Madi called 911 after ensuring the boys and their mother were safe.

The father could not be located, leading to the belief that the remains of one person found at the site could be his. The results of an autopsy, not yet released, will confirm the identity of the deceased and the cause of death.

The police said there was graffiti damage to property at the scene of the fire. However, police said the investigators had no evidence to suggest that the fire and the graffiti were linked.  PTI
On Sunday, October 8th, writes Mrs. Besant in New India, the editorial staff of her journal was entertained at dinner at Adyar in honour of Mr. Wadias birthday. The dinner passed off, and there were two toasts-both proposed by Mrs. Besant  The King Emperor: God bless him and The guest of the evening, Mr. B.P. Wadia. Mr. Wadia replied and the party adjourned to the verandah for coffee. What followed is thus described by Mrs. Besant: Will it be believed-and I ask the question specially of my readers in England-that a spy of the C.I.D. was lurking all the time in the back verandah, through which the servants brought the food, watching the diners and taking down the brief speeches at the end? We hope next time we may not hear that the police spy was lurking underneath the dining table itself. That is a very clumsy way of getting reports of such social functions.
Mussoorie, October 16

Members of Sadhbhavan, a non-profit organisation held out a rally along Mall Road in Mussoorie against the use of Chinese goods. They appealed to people to shun China-made products.

Meanwhile, homage to martyrs of Baramulla and Uri was also paid on the occasion.

Bhagwati Prasad Kukreti, former president of the organisation, says the purchase of Chinese goods meant strengthening the economy of the neighbouring country that supported Pakistan. Modi has failed to ban the Chinese goods. People should prefer Indian clothes and other goods over China-made items. We have to give clear message to China that its support to terrorists and sale of goods to India cannot go hand in hand, he said.

Kukreti said this Diwali should be celebrated with indigenous goods to teach China a lesson.

Sadhbhavan secretary Sandeep Agarwal, Aditya Sharma, Varun Gupta, Vinay kumar, Ramesh Jaiswal, Harshmani Semwal and others were present on the occasion.TNS
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, October 16

Ritesh Garg, a culture enthusiast and social activist, has highlighted the need of creating a world cultural directory in the wake of vanishing cultures. He addressed the World Cultural Forum 2016 at Bali, Indonesia, organised from October 10 to14. The symposium was held under the aegis of UNESCO in association with Indonesia.

Garg has been working to create awareness about the rich culture and traditions of Uttarakhand. While speaking with The Tribune over phone, he said the theme of the event was Culture for Inclusive and Sustainable Planet. He underlined the need for a world cultural directory to make the coming generations familiar with cultures.

Various events, including a visit to cultural village, knowledge symposium, ministerial meetings, consultation symposium, cultural carnivals, cultural performances and knowledge symposiums on various themes, namely reviving culture for rural sustainability, water for life: reconciling socio-economic growth and environment ethics, interweaving history, urban space and culture movement, culture for new digital world, reconciling state, community and cultural divides and cultural diversity for responsible development, were held.

Fifth Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri inaugurated the event. UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon addressed the forum through a video message.

While addressing the forum, Ritesh Garg suggested to create a mechanism to learn from our past knowledge and laid stress on cultural mapping of the world in the form of a world cultural directory which should have the details of the entire worlds cultures, and it should be accessible to all for free. We need to work on villages to arrest the decline of culture, and work towards promoting local economy which will reduce migration and subsequently the decline of culture, he said.

Garg said he was glad that most of his suggestions were accepted by the forum, which were made part of the Bali declaration.

The Indian Ambassador to Indonesia elaborated about various steps India was taking in this regard. She mentioned about multicultural society, unity in diversity, oneness, herbal practices, ayurveda, yoga, renewable energy and the signing of the Paris declaration.
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 16

The process to nominate trans-boundary landscape of the sacred Kailash region, spread across three countries of India, Nepal and China (Tibet) as a UNESCO heritage site, has begun. A meeting of stakeholders in this regard was held in Pithoragarh district yesterday.

The meeting, which was organised by UNESCO and Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, saw the participation of representatives of several NGOs, government departments concerned and GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Almora.

The results and feedback from todays consultations will be presented before a workshop, to be held from November 22 to 25 at WII in Dehradun, to advance the process of putting the trans-boundary land of Kailash region as a heritage site of UNESCO, said Dr Sonali Ghosh, representative of UNESCO in todays meeting.

She said the objective of the meeting was to undertake stakeholders understanding in identifying the outstanding universal values of the Kailash landscape to become a potential world heritage site, besides gaining their support in the process.

Jyoti Negi, another UNESCO representative, said The final responsibility to provide technical support to declare the site as world heritage lies on UNESCO category 2 centre (C2C) for world natural heritage management and training for Asia and pacific region, made at WII, Dehradun.

The Kailash landscape, spread across three countries of India, China and Nepal, is at present being preserved by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMoD) at Kathmandu. The institute has GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development as its Indian counterpart under its Kailash landscape conservation and development initiative.

The objective of the initiative is to achieve long-term conservation of eco system habitats and biodiversity by developing methods of sustainable development of the region, which is spread in 31,000 square kilometer in the three countries, said Gurmit Roy, a representative of ICIMOD, Kathmandu.
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 16

Chief Minister Harish Rawat today said he would not press for the party ticket for his daughter Anupama Rawat, who is the national secretary of the Women Congress, for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttarakhand.

Rawat was addressing a large gathering of women activists at a convention organised by the Women Congress wing at Jeopata village, 7 km from Haridwar. He said Anupama had been looking after the party affairs in Haridwar district since 2009 when he was elected to Parliament from the constituency.

Its for the party top leadership to decide on candidates for allotment of party ticket for the Assembly elections. Even the party will decide on mine seat and that of state Congress president Kishore Upadhyay. Hence no one can push for anyones candidature in the Congress, added Rawat.

On the partys prospects in the elections, the Chief Minister said the Congress would retain power in the state owing to development works done by the government.

He criticised the BJP for pushing the state into a political turmoil by first supporting dissident Congress legislators and then paving the way for Presidents rule that was later revoked by the Supreme Court. He

lauded the Women Congress office-bearers for the big turnout at the venue. He said the women wing had played a pivotal role in strengthening the party organisation and ensuring electoral success.

Rawat said the Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDF) legislators had been supporting the Congress and their role couldnt be ignored. They always supported the state government whether in government formation in 2012 or during attempts by the BJP to dislodge the government by luring 10 Congress legislators in May this year.

The PDF is an integral part of this coalition government. It will be given due respect and recognition both by the Congress and the government. However, the party top leadership will have the final say on the issue of an electoral alliance or choice of candidates and seats belonging to the PDF.

Later, Rawat attended a mega convention of the Akhil Bharatiya Ravidassia Dharm Sangthan at the Rishikul ground. He said saint Ravidas and Baba Saheb Ambedkar had a vision of a society of equality and communal harmony. Casteism and communalism had weakened India but we have been moving forward owing to the secular credentials of our society.

He announced that a grand temple of Saint Ravidas would be built at Har-ki-Pauri. This would give a good message to the whole country about the religious diversity and mutual harmony in Uttarakhand.

Rawat, while addressing the convention of the Vishwakarma Dhiman Samaj at the Municipal Corporation Town Hall, said Uttarakhand is the lone state to have announced pension for the shilpkar community.

He also announced naming of a bridge in Haridwar after Bhagwan Vishwakarma.
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, October 16

The search and rescue team from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) along with State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) returned empty-handed today without recovering the body of the second Polish mountaineer who died while scaling the difficult Shivling peak in Uttarkashi district.

The joint rescue team of the SDRF and the NIM had on Friday found the body of Polish climber Lucas John (42), who is believed to have gone missing along with his colleague while scaling 6,543 m high Shivling peak. The body was brought for a post-mortem at the district headquarters last night. However, in the absence of the MRI scan facility in Uttarkashi, it was sent to the Doon Government Hospital for MRI scan before handing it over to the Polish authorities.

The NIM authorities say that the hope of recovering the body of 46-year-old mountaineer Greg Michael, was minimum. Both climbers were stuck while attempting to scale the Shivling peak near Gaumukh in Uttarkashi district a few days ago. The two were part of a five-member team from Poland that started from Gangotri on September 22 and without any problem reached the base camp at Tapovan on September 24. The problem arose when the duo tried to scale the summit through the most difficult route, which has not been tried before.

The incident came to light when the three other members of the group returned to Uttarkashi and informed the Polish embassy about the disappearance of two of the team.

Uttarkashi District Magistrate Dipendar Kumar Chaudhry said the team of Polish climbers was on an expedition under the banner of the Indian Mountaineering Federation and had reached the advanced camp on September 26 but after mountaineers George and Lucas fell ill, one member reached Uttarkashi on Tuesday and informed the Polish embassy about the incident.

The SDRF team along with the mountaineers began the search and rescue operation and was able to recover the body of a mountaineer while the other climber, who is believed to have fallen in a 300-metre deep gorge, remained untraceable. The NIM and SDRF team returned today without any success to recover the body of the other climber.

SDRF to trace bodies of 2013 disaster victims

Meanwhile, three teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have reached Kedarnath and adjoining areas to trace bodies of pilgrims who lost their lives during the Kedarnath tragedy in 2013. The team is led by IG (Garhwal) Sanjay Gunjyal.

It may be recalled that a trekking expedition team, under the aegis of Mountaineers and Trekkers Association, Uttarakhand, was sent to Kedarnath-Triyuginarayan trek route on October 2 in Kedarnath, Rudraprayag district. The team that returned on October 8 had apprised the state government of scattered skeletons in the valley.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat had directed the police and officials of Rudraprayag district administration to trace the bodies. Besides, the district administration was instructed to take DNA samples of the bodies and perform the last rites. Sources say there may be around 35 bodies.

IG (Garhwal) Sanjay Gunjyal, who is in Kedarnath, said the number of bodies could be ascertained only after the completion of the search operation. Every nook and corner of the valley would be searched, he added.
London, October 16

British Prime Minister Theresa May today said she will visit India next month for her first bilateral visit outside Europe during which she will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK strategic partnership post-Brexit.

May will be in India between November 6 and 8 on the invitation of Modi. aShe will be accompanied by her international trade minister Liam Fox and a business delegation drawn from regions across the UK as examples of the best of British business.

The relationships between our two countries are strong, and the Indian diaspora plays a vital role in our national life, May said.

In my talks with Prime Minister Modi, I want to build on our relationship for the benefit of both our countries, generating jobs and wealth and maintaining cooperation on defence and security, the Prime Minister said.

While in India, the British Prime Minister will hold discussions with Modi and a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit.

The India-UK partnership has moved into a new era, with Britain voting to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum in June and leading to the resignation of then prime minister David Cameron.  PTI
Islamabad, October 16

A proposal to elevate Pakistans Army chief General Raheel Sharif to the rank of Field Marshal has reached the Islamabad High Court, weeks ahead of his retirement from the powerful post.

A lawyer has sought the high courts help to elevate Gen Raheel, 60, to the rank of Field Marshal in the greater national interest by taking into consideration his exemplary services and sacrifices rendered for the nation, The Express Tribune reported today.

In the appeal submitted yesterday, Sardar Adnan Saleem, through his counsel, said that such an elevation is an emergent need in the present circumstances.

Saleem has made the federation through the cabinet division secretary, the prime minister through the secretary of the PM Secretariat and defence ministry secretary respondents in the petition, the report said.

The counsel said that the army chief should be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal for rendering services to protect national security and safeguarding the frontiers of Pakistan in accordance with the National Action Plan and for successful completion of the anti-terror campaign Zarb-e- Azab in an effective and efficient manner.

Gen Sharif had earlier promised to bow out at the end of his term in November this year. General Sharif, currently serving as the 15th Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army, was appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on November 29, 2013 for a three-year term.  PTI
Edison, October 16

Terming India as a key strategic ally, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become best friends and have a phenomenal future together.

Indias is the worlds largest democracy and is a natural ally of the US. Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends, Trump told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition yesterday.

He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming bureaucracy, saying it was required in the US too.

It was for the first time a US presidential candidate attended an Indian-American event this election season.

I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House, Trump said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.

I have two massive developments in India, very successful, wonderful, wonderful partners, very beautiful, I must say. I have great friends and great confidence in India. Incredible people and an incredible country. I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times, he said.

Trump appreciated Indias role in fight against terrorism.

We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism, he said as he slammed his rival Hillary Clinton for not using this word. Trump said India had experienced firsthand brutality of terror in the past including the mayhem in Mumbai, a place that I love, a place that I understand.

The terrorist attack in Mumbai was absolutely outrageous and terrible, he said. India is a key, and key strategic ally. And we do not even want to talk about it, because it is nothing but a relationship that we will have. I look forward to deepening the diplomatic and military cooperation that is the shared interest of both countries, he said.

Your great Prime Minister has been a pro-growth leader for India. He has simplified the tax code, cut the taxes and the economy is strong growing at 7% year. Excellent.

Our economy is practically not growing at all in the US. Its about zero. We will have a great relationship with India, Trump said.  PTI

Trumpspeak on India, Hindus and Prime Minister Modi

"Indias is the worlds largest democracy and is a natural ally of the US. Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends. We are for free trade. We are going to do a lot of business with India. We are going to have a phenomenal future together.

I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic in reforming the economy and bureaucracy. Great man. I applaud him. I am a big fan of Hindus and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House"
Beirut, October 16

Turkish-backed rebels today captured the emblematic northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, dealing a major symbolic blow to the jihadists.

The defeat for IS came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet European allies in London as part of a new diplomatic push to end Syrias conflict, which has left more than 300,000 people dead since 2011.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition forces backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery had seized control of Dabiq today.

The town, in Syrias northern province of Aleppo, is of little strategic value.

But Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS and its followers because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an apocalyptic battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group, said rebel forces captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area.

The Fastaqim Union, an Ankara-backed rebel faction involved in the battle, said Dabiq had fallen after fierce clashes. The Observatory said fighters also captured the nearby town of Sawran.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency also said the rebels had taken control of Dabiq and Sawran and were working to dismantle explosives laid by retreating IS fighters. It said nine rebels were killed and 28 wounded during clashes yesterday.

Dabiq has become a byword among IS supporters for a struggle against the West, with Washington and its allies bombing jihadists portrayed as modern-day Crusaders.

Earlier this week, IS downplayed the importance of the rebel advance on the town.

These hit-and-run battles in Dabiq and its outskirts-the lesser Dabiq battle-will end in the greater Dabiq epic, the group said in a pamphlet published online Thursday.

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, helping Syrian rebels to rid its frontier of IS jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia.  AFP
United Nations, October 16

Russias UN Ambassador said that tensions with the United States are probably the worst since the 1973 Mideast war.

But Vitaly Churkin said Friday that Cold War relations between the Soviet Union and the US more than 40 years ago were different than US-Russia relations today.

The general situation I think is pretty bad at this point, probably the worst ... since 1973, he said in an interview with three journalists at Russias UN Mission.

But Churkin said that even though we have serious frictions, differences like Syria, we continue to work on other issues ... and sometimes quite well. That wasnt the case generally during the Cold War.

When Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack against Israel on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar in October 1973, the Mideast was thrown into turmoil.

And according to historians, the threat of an outbreak of fighting between the Soviet Union, which backed the Arabs, and the US, Israels closest ally, during the Yom Kippur War was the highest since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

Churkin said there are a string of things that have brought US-Russian relations to their current low point.

Its kind of a fundamental lack of respect and lack of in-depth discussions on political issues, he said.

Churkin pointed to the US and NATO deciding to build their security at the expense of Russia by accepting many East European nations formerly in the Soviet bloc as NATO members, and the US pullout from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001.

One of the greatest provocations during President George W Bushs administration was the 2008 NATO summit, which decided that Ukraine and Georgia should become NATO members, he said.

Most important, he said, was the conflict that erupted in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, weeks after a former Moscow-friendly Ukrainian president was chased from power by massive protests. Churkin called it a coup supported by the United States. Soon after, Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula, which has led to Western sanctions against Moscow.

Ties between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated further in the past month after the collapse of a cease-fire in Syria and intensified bombing on Aleppo by Syrian and Russian aircraft, and US accusations that Russia is meddling in the US presidential election next month.

But despite the strained relations, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Saturday in Lausanne, Switzerland, in an effort to look at possibilities for restoring a cease-fire.  AP
Seattle, October 16

The US Pacific Northwest was pounded by wind and rain as the remnants of a typhoon moved onshore on Saturday, downing trees that crushed property and blocked roads, and cutting power to tens of thousands of electricity customers.

Blistering winds and downpours struck coastal areas from Washington state to northern California as authorities warned of possible flooding, but no injuries were reported as of Saturday evening.

The National Weather Service said winds topping 40 miles per hour (64 kph) were slicing through much of the Puget Sound area, where residents had braced for what some feared could be a historic weekend storm.

We may be past peak as far as winds are concerned, though winds will remain gusty at times along the coast, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jared Guyer. There will still be travel difficulties and periods of heavy rain, and high wind and rain is expected to linger into next week. Images on social media showed downed trees, debris and crushed homes and cars in several communities in western Washington state and Oregon. Transit authorities in Washington state closed roads in several counties because of fallen trees or water.

More than 4,200 customers were without power in the Seattle area, utility Seattle City Light reported. Puget Sound Energy reported more than 16,700 customers without power in western Washington. In northwestern Oregon, more than 20,000 customers were without power, Portland General Electric said.

If you dont need to be out and about during the period of high winds, certainly stay home, said Matthew Cullen, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Portland, Oregon.

Two inches (5 cm) or more of rain was forecast for coastal areas from Washington state to northern California as the remnants of Typhoon Songda came ashore.

Seattle has logged two days of rain totaling 3.11 inches (7.9 cm) from a first round of Songda, exceeding by more than one inch the total for July through September.

Saturdays weather was the second day of fierce storms across the region. On Friday, the Oregon coastal communities of Manzanita and Oceanside were hit by two waterspouts that came ashore as tornadoes.

The Manzanita twister destroyed four buildings and damaged about 120 more, but no injuries were reported, Cullen said. The storm was rated 2 on the five-step Enhanced Fujita scale, with winds of up to 130 mph (210 kph), and there were no reports of damage from the Oceanside tornado.  Reuters
BELMONT  Jeff Adams is trying to build a better bicycle.

Only the design the professional machinist has been tinkering on in his spare time has a four-stroke, 49 cubic centimeter gasoline motor and a patented transmission that allows for multiple gears compared to most other motorized bikes that have only a single speed.

And now after multiple variations, Adams, who has been working out of the neatly organized garage that also houses his 1976 Ford Elite, is about ready to begin taking orders on his Wing Tech Bikes.

Adams, 59, believes his product will be ideal for college students, short-distance commuters, those with physical limitations or who ride on hilly streets and roads much like those that surround his home in this southwestern Wisconsin village of about 1,000 people.

The bike, which includes pedals and a two-thirds of a gallon gas tank, also offers an alternative to electric bikes that have become popular in some parts of the country, including Madison. Adams, who is looking for investors, has spent the last six years fine-tuning his product that has a top speed of 30 mph and can get 150 mpg.

This is the first bike where Ive thought Ive got the right combination of parts where the public would say This is a good product, said Adams, who has built five other bikes prior to finding the current design. The other bikes were two-cycle. Theyre hard to start, loud (and) they drip oil out of the exhaust. I like this one. It rides very smooth.

Motorized bicycles have been around for over a century. In 1901, William S. Harley completed the design of an engine to fit a bicycle. Two years later, Harley and Arthur Davidson began making motorcycles out of a small shop in Milwaukee.

Other manufacturers over the years have included Los Angeles-based Whizzer from the early 1940s to 1965, and, following World War II, Ducati, an Italian manufacturing company, produced over 200,000 motorized bicycles until discontinuing the line in 1958.

More recently, Cheata Bikes in Milwaukee began production earlier this year on three models of bikes that range in price from about $1,600 to $2,995. Both Cheata and Wing Tech source their motors and bicycle frames from China but modify the bikes to their liking.

Madison is also home to a motorized bike company. In 2013, Len Mattioli opened Crazy Lennys E-Bikes at 6107 Odana Road. The business sells a variety of electric bikes from around the world. Most have a top speed of 20 mph and range in price from about $500 to $3,000 with a few high-end models topping out at around $10,000.

Arthur Ross, the city of Madisons pedestrian-bike coordinator since 1987, said state law dictates that electric- and gas-powered bikes with a top speed of 30 mph are treated like a moped in that operators need to have a drivers license. The bikes can use bike paths but only under pedal power.

It used to be fairly rare and Im starting to see them a little bit more often lately, Ross said. I think for some people either gas- or electric-powered motor bikes can be become an alternative to a moped.

Adams grew up south of Platteville on a farm along the Platte River. After high school he attended Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore and later worked in an automotive body shop before working in maintenance, machining and factory automation.

In 1991, he purchased a dilapidated house constructed in 1910 in Belmont and spent years remodeling the structure from top to bottom. He also added a garage where he now has a shop that includes chests filled with tools, shelves lined with parts, a drill press, welding machines and a combination milling machine and lathe built in 1916 that he purchased in 1987 for $800.

Adams buys the bikes and the motors separately and uses a bike frame that can be folded for easy hauling but only slightly modifies the bike.

The changes include the addition of the gas tank that is bolted to the top front cross bar and drilling two holes in the frame in order to mount the motor. Adams uses the bikes original gears for part of the transmission.

He adds a second large sprocket to the opposite side of the original large front sprocket which allows the power from the motor to be transferred to the original bike gears.

That creates a very good transmission where you can have very many gear ratios. Its a big advantage, Adams said. I want to make the most fuel-efficient, gas-powered vehicle ever made. It has that possibility.

The steel-framed bike with magnesium rims weighs in at about 80 pounds when the gas tank is full.

Adams used an 80 cc motor in his first design and then built three other gas bikes in addition to an electric bike before finding the right design in his sixth attempt.

The bike, which will sell for about $2,500, includes brake, blinker and headlights, a digital odometer and speedometer and a pair of side mirrors.

Adams came up with the idea after coming up empty when searching the internet for a motorized bike with different speeds. Now hes looking for a place to build his bikes, preferably in the Madison area. The location would allow for sales and provide a service location for repairs.

Hed also like to expand the offerings to include fat tire bikes and build different versions of his road bike.

Its been a lot of work, Adams said. I enjoy designing stuff but Ive had to learn a lot about patents and starting an LLC. Ive spent a lot time on the internet looking for better parts and better prices so its been very challenging.

Jeff Adams can be reached at wingtechbikes@gmail.com
The Tulsa Police Department accrued $216,000 in overtime costs across 10 days in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher, a third of which came on the Saturday when he was buried and several rallies occurred.

The expenses covered increased staffing of patrols, demonstrations, marches, Crutchers funeral and news conferences by the district attorney and Crutcher family during which the Incident Management Team also had a command post operating.

The Tulsa Police Department released the figures last week in response to a Tulsa World open records request.

Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish on Friday said there was a brief period in which field officers doubled up while responding to calls for service because of multiple threats made against officers.

I think it was extremely important for our department to respond the way we did, Dalgleish said. I think anyone can look at previous incidents across the country and the civil unrest that has followed and see the importance of transparency and established community relationships.

It was also important for the community and those organizing the demonstrations to respond the way they did. I repeatedly heard community leaders, demonstrators and the family of Mr. Crutcher urging peaceful demonstrations.

The Police Department totaled $216,110 for 4,584.25 hours in overtime pay from Sept. 19-28, according to the data. Overtime expenses on the most costly day were $78,350 for 1,474.75 hours, which occurred on Sept. 24  the day of Crutchers funeral and at least two rallies.

Capt. Brett Bailey of the Special Operations Division said that day featured several events, as well as being the first weekend day the command post was activated.

The various events are not tracked separately but for staffing as a whole by day, Bailey explained of the overtime breakdown, which he compiled.

Crutcher was fatally shot by Officer Betty Shelby on Sept. 16 moments after video shows Crutchers hands were raised as he slowly walked away from her toward his SUV. What happened next is disputed  whether Crutchers left hand came down to reach into the drivers-side window or if the window was even open.

Crutcher, a black man, was found to be unarmed, and no weapons were inside the vehicle. Shelby is white.

The shooting took place on a Friday, with the Crutcher family and community leaders given the opportunity to watch the police video over the weekend prior to its release to media on the following Monday.

The second-priciest overtime day after Crutchers killing was Sept. 22. That day Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler announced he was filing first-degree manslaughter charges against Shelby. That total was $27,343 for 520 hours.

The third-most expensive day was Sept. 19, when Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan released publicly the videos of the fatal shooting. That tallied $26,875 for 537.50 hours.

The second-most overtime hours were devoted to the day of the Rev. Al Sharptons visit, which happened Sept. 27. There were 616.75 overtime hours clocked at $13,285 in pay.

The expenditures were necessary to ensure we were properly staffed to handle the logistics of multiple demonstrations and at the same time still provide our core police services to the community, Dalgleish said. Although this incident dominated the headlines, our normal calls for service did not stop.

The City Council approved a $100.238 million operating budget for the Police Department in fiscal year 2017. The $216,000 in overtime costs are about 0.2 percent of the FY 2017 budget.

The budget lists an overtime reduction goal of $949,000 for the department in FY 2017.

It wasnt immediately available how much overtime pay was budgeted this cycle for the Police Department. City finance officials on Wednesday presented a document during a meeting that shows the Police Department is at 43 percent of its allotted overtime budget three months into the fiscal year, which began July 1.

For some general perspective on how much TPD may spend on overtime in a year, the Tulsa World in 2014 analyzed overtime pay for the calendar year 2013. The newspaper identified $5.2 million in overtime expenses.

Dalgleish said it certainly will be a challenge for the department to remain within its overtime budget this fiscal year, but significant incidents can quickly drive up overtime numbers.

Obviously we are looking forward to seeing some relief in the coming years as we add more officers via the Vision funding, but for now our officers are working additional shifts on overtime to ensure we are still providing quality service to our citizens, Dalgleish said.

The Crutcher-related costs spreadsheets also are broken down by division.

The Gilcrease Division, which patrols downtown and north Tulsa, expended $44,494 on overtime. The Riverside and Mingo Valley Divisions spent $21,447 and $18,679, respectively. Riverside covers predominantly midtown and south Tulsa. Mingo Valley largely is east Tulsa, with some of the south side, as well.

A miscellaneous category accounted for the most expenses in the breakdown, with a total cost of $100,249. Miscellaneous covered personnel from all divisions other than Gilcrease, Riverside and Mingo Valley, Bailey said. Miscellaneous includes headquarters, training, special operations, special investigations, detectives, information technology, forensic lab and property divisions, he said.
Tammy Johnson wasnt going to let cancer get the best of her.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago following a routine checkup and vowed to fight it from the beginning.

I didnt cry. I knew I wanted to be a testimony for my family, Johnson said. I told my husband that I have too many nieces and nephews not to be. I told all the kids because I wanted to prove you can fight and win.

On Saturday, Johnson and about 25 friends and family members were among nearly 800 participants in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Mohawk Park.

It feels so good to be a part of this and help fight cancer and increase the number of survivors, she said.

Johnson said the support she received from family and friends was crucial during the past two years. Theres no point in trying to do this alone. Ive known people who try to hide it from their family, and you cant; it eats at you, she said. You need people.

This is the second year for the event, which organizers hope will raise $100,000 to fund breast cancer research and support programs.

Our goal is to honor breast cancer survivors and remember those who have been lost to breast cancer, said Lesa Foster, senior director of community engagement with the American Cancer Society. The theme is Walking Together because we want to make sure no one is walking alone.

In Oklahoma, 2,760 women will be diagnosed this year and 530 will die from breast cancer.

I think events like this help us show unity, Foster said. This helps bring together the breast cancer community, so they can lend help and support each other. When you bring one-year and 20-year survivors together its encouraging for those just starting out with the disease and it gives them confidence.

Since 1993, more than 11 million supporters have raised over $685 million through similar walks across the country.

This gives anyone in the community an opportunity to fight back against a disease that affects so many women and men, Foster said.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.  If I were to distill a recent public discussion about the state of our nation to one word, it would be worried.

Not fearful, not angry, but worried  about the future; about an election season that has made evil-clown sightings seem weirdly apt; but mostly about what will happen after the election. How do we mend the deep divisions that have evolved during this thoroughly nasty  and, at times, X-rated  campaign season? How does the country salve its wounds and reunite in common purpose?

Audience members here at the Poynter Institutes Community Conversation, at which I was invited to speak last Thursday, posed these and other questions. The 150 attendees were a cross-spectrum mix of students, professionals, retirees and a few notables  a diverse group, in other words, with no protesters, rabble rousers or armed combatants in search of a revolution. The latter may have been occupied in nearby Lakeland, where Donald Trump had pronounced a global conspiracy against him the day before.

Clinton supporters at the Poynter event told me privately that they were afraid to put Hillary signs in their yards for fear of retribution, not from roaming vandals but from once-friendly neighbors. My suggestion that this campaign was reminiscent of the run-up to the Iraq War, when politically opposite friends avoided each other, was received with nods of agreement.

Whether for Trump or Clinton, neither side can conceive of what compels the other. In this duplex of horrors, Clinton is a corrupt, lying, hypocritical career politician and Trump is a sleazy, lying, narcissistic, autocratic (alleged) sexual predator. Neer the twain shall meet. Once the votes are counted, who knows whats next? President Obamas final two months may require his coolest touch yet.

Meanwhile, the questions posed here did not readily present answers. Whats needed, I posited half-seriously, is a superhero. Someone to rise from the marshes and cut through the fog of our discontent, someone who can summon our better angels and help restore the countrys self-respect.

At least for now, one is optimistic without reason.

We can know with near certainty that a defeated Donald Trump will unleash the armies of Mordor, comprised of a fan base that will embrace his dark conspiracy theory that the election was rigged. To their minds, his loss couldnt possibly be linked to a very long list of objectionable, as well as dishonest, statements hes made, only one of which is the sex-talk video we neednt view again.

Talking dirty has become the new normal, as anyone walking down a city street can confirm. And the objectification of women isnt remotely limited to Trumps warped view. As disgusting as Trumps verbal (and possibly physical) assaults have been  and, yes, hurtful, too, as Michelle Obama so passionately said last week  a certain contingent of his supporters are reluctantly willing to overlook the nastiness for the sole reason that they dislike Clinton more.

Others aspire to loftier goals, such as preventing a liberal Supreme Court or reducing the tax burden with an eye toward economic growth. These are certainly legitimate reasons. But Trumps willingness to pave the way for a revolution were Clinton to win should be sufficient evidence that this man isnt fit for the office.

To what extent are Trump sympathizers willing to express their disappointment? Well, who knows? But many will have seen the interview with a woman at a Trump rally last week who said she and her comrades are prepared to take their country back, cheerfully reminding the interviewer that youre in the South. Were all Second Amendment pros.

Is she talking about a well-regulated militia, perchance? This is the mindset Trump has nurtured for many months. These are the people he will summon at the end. These are the reasons the less-emotionally taut are so worried.

More worrisome still is the opposite result: What if Trump wins? We can presume Russian President Vladimir Putin will be delighted, his possible WikiLeaks alliance having paid off. North Koreas Kim Jong Un, who has called Trump a wise politician, will order extra platters of chicken wings to celebrate.

As the Japanese proverb goes: When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.

Remember, too, that Trump has vowed as president to make it easier for people to sue the media, which, constitutionally, he cant. But as all authoritarian figures tend to do, Trump has to blame someone else for his failures. The media are handy bait for the credulous and misinformed.

Dont be afraid, but be worried.
Who Do You Think You Are? this week features Shane Jacobson who learns about his own Viking roots.

Shane Jacobsons father, Ron, was born into a family of carnival workers and lived in a tent until he was 21. The Jacobsons know nothing of their ancestry; however Shane is convinced they come from Viking stock. His crusade will take him to Finland where Shanes great grandfather took drastic steps that echo down the Jacobson line. His journey will take Shane to a medieval church where his ancestor was forced to sit on a shaming stool to atone for her sexual crimes. His search for the truth behind his Viking roots is answered, and in a farmhouse Shane finds his extended Finnish family.

7:30pm Tuesday October 18 on SBS.
The next president of the United States will be elected into a chaotic world with a highly competitive global economy that requires new ideas and collaborations. These challenges and opportunities cannot be ignored, minimized or walled off.

The world watches and depends on the pragmatic and inspirational leadership of the United States. That begins with the behavior of the American president.

In a time that requires a new normal of peace and stability, we cannot elect a president who would inflame global conflicts through irresponsible rhetoric. Nor can we elect someone who would fuel strife at home by pitting Americans against one another.

Many foreign policy decisions dont have easy answers. Harm can result regardless of what the United States does. But even in those situations, American leadership can be a force for good if it is dignified, well-informed and smart.

Hillary Clinton  by far  is best prepared to lead our nation toward peace and prosperity. The State Journal endorses the former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady in the Nov. 8 election.

Clinton is disciplined, knowledgeable and experienced. Unlike her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, a wealthy New York businessman and reality television star, Clinton will assemble a strong administration that can work with Congress toward bipartisan solutions.

Trump has shown he cant even work with his own party. Hes tearing the GOP apart.

The last two Republican presidential nominees  Mitt Romney and John McCain  say they wont vote for him. The last two Republican presidents  George W. and George H. W. Bush  refused to attend his nominating convention. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a revered statesman and four-star general for Republican administrations, slammed Trump as a national disgrace and international pariah.

Clinton, a Democrat, worked well with her GOP colleagues in the Senate, sponsoring hundreds of bipartisan bills. She achieved incremental progress on public safety, health, the military and economy. She became friends with many Republicans, some of whom attempted to remove her husband, former President Bill Clinton, from office.

While Congress has resisted many of President Barack Obamas executive appointments, the Senate confirmed Clinton as secretary of state with a 94-2 vote in 2009. Thats impressive and indicates shell have the support to build a better relationship with Congress than Obama.

As a candidate for president, Clinton has had detractors in her party, too. But thats mostly because the far left views her as a moderate. Like most Americans, we consider her centrist instincts to be a positive trait. And we will demand, along with the American people, cooperation with Republicans  including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville  when she is elected.

The Democratic Party has solidified around her following a difficult campaign. Her main challenger for the nomination, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, recently stumped for Clinton in Madison. He has made her a better candidate by forcing her to address the publics frustrations with the establishment in Washington.

Clinton, as secretary of state, traveled nearly a million miles, the equivalent of 38 trips around the globe, to 112 countries. She understands the world and its messy politics far better than Trump.

That doesnt mean she always makes the right decision. Her critics highlight the Syrian war and its ensuing refugee crisis as a major failure. Instability in Libya, after a U.S.-led bombing campaign, is another miscalculation. And the fatal attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi exposed a lack of foresight and transparency. Though she wasnt charged, her use of a private email server in handling highly classified information was extremely careless, said FBI Director James Comey.

Yet Clinton was a key contributor to Obamas pursuit and killing of 9/11 terrorist Osama bin Laden. Clinton organized stiff international sanctions on Iran, which forced it to negotiate. Through her words and actions, Clinton has advanced the cause of freedom for women and children around the globe.

While Trump last week was trying to dismiss his misogynist comments about women  part of a stream of obnoxious behavior  Clinton continued her less-than-flashy yet highly professional bid for the presidency.

Trumps scandal-a-day campaign has shown he would distract, isolate and embarrass our nation. The world doesnt need a United States in retreat, nor a stark reset of Americas politics and international posture.

The world needs a U.S. president who can actually lead. Clinton is that leader, and the world needs America to get this right.
I am Kerry Burgess. This is what I think.
Microsoft is currently on the works for the next major update for Windows 10. Called as Redstone 2, this new update is said to be released on Spring 2017.

There were hints that the Redstone will be released in March 2017 and will focus on productivity improvements for desktop. It will also bring in much-needed features and enhancements menat for Windows 10 Mobile users. Microsoft has stated that they will develop Redstone 2 two months prior to Redstone 1's internal sign off. This method is said to be a standard procedure for Microsoft engineers. This allows them to begin the conceptualizing the features and get to it ahead of time, according to The Sun.

Microsoft claimed that the first few Redstone 2 builds will not have any new features, since they are currently working on refactoring OneCore. This is a subsystem of Windows 10 which will help it scale universally across a lot of devices. The original schedule for the launch of Redstone was supposed to be later this year, Windows Central reported.

It would only contain fewer tweaks as compared to the anniversary update, however due to unavoidable delays and the company's need to wait for new Surface hardware, they have just decided to move the launch to early 2017. Due to this reason, the Anniversary Update was the first update to be launched on its own within a single year.

Since Redstone's lauched was delayed, Microsoft has just decided to make it a bigger update than what was originally plan. This is actually a good news for insiders and consumers who are waiting for new features to come. There will be two major updates that Microsoft will be releasing in 2017.

Windows 10: Redstone 2 in the early part of 2017, and Redstone 3 in the summer/fall of 2017. The Insider Preview for Redstone 2 is still on its way. Therefore, there are still several months left for development before the update will be ready for public use.
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Papillon Group unveiled its Golden Helicopter, also known as Copter 50, in a stunning 5-helicopter formation at Papillons Boulder City Aerocenter on Thursday, April 16 (Photo credit: Isaac Brekken).

Photo credit: Mike Reyno.

The ceremonial formation symbolized five decades of operation as the worlds largest and longest-running helicopter tour company. On board the helicopters were three generations of the Halvorson family, including Elling Halvorson, founder and chairman of the board, Papillon Group. Once the helicopters landed, the Hualapai Nation officially blessed the brand-new Airbus H130T2 helicopter. The event concluded with a Champagne toast.

Photo credit: Isaac Brekken.

More than 250 guests attended, including dignitaries, community leaders and industry influencers, as well as nearly 100 Papillon employees. Guests, employees and dignitaries were dressed in gold and white as part of the festive occasion.

Photo credit: Isaac Brekken.

The companys story began in 1965, thanks to the vision of Elling Halvorson, who was a young contractor at the time charged with building a 13.5-mile-long water pipeline from the North Rim to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. During this project, Halvorson was first introduced to helicopters, which he used to lower sections of pipeline into place. Upon completion of the project, he recognized the incredible opportunity to utilize helicopters for air tours and Grand Canyon Helicopters was born. The company would go on to make history by becoming one of the first aerial sightseeing companies in the world and the first helicopter tour operator to fly the Grand Canyon.

Photo credit: Isaac Brekken.

Halvorsons daughter, Brenda, and son, Lon, both joined the company in the late 80s. Brenda Halvorson has served as president and chief executive officer of Papillon Group for the past two decades while her brother, Lon Halvorson, has served as executive vice president, overseeing fleet acquisition and financing. The company is now welcoming a third generation of family into the business to ensure the legacy continues.
Ive talked before about why New Zealand didnt become a part of Australia despite the two nations sharing a history, and I think few nations could claim to be as close as our two ANZAC cousins. But there are two other Nations that come to mind, who were once part of the British Empire, who share a border, and also didnt integrate on their independence.

These are of cause the United States of America and Canada. So to answer why Canada is not part of the United States, Ive invited Tristan, a Canadian, a historian, and a YouTuber from the channel Step Back History to tell us the story

Hey folks, Why Canada isnt part of America is actually an interesting tale that was on the fence until as recently as the late 19th century.

However, the story must begin somewhere, and first we must set the stage.

In the 1750s, only 20-some years before the American revolution, what would become canada was split between the British Hudsons Bay company, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, and the Majority being part of New France.

What did America look like? Well as we know, they were the 13 colonies, spanning from Maine down to the east coast to the border with New Spain in Florida.

Most of the population was between Massachusetts and Virginia. There was actually quite a bit of uncolonized lands separating these colonists from the English speakers hiding up in what would become Canada, meaning there was less of a shared identity between them.

In 1760, after the famous Seven Years War, or to the Americans the French Indian War, much of that French territory that would become Canada was handed over to the British. Some of the French colonial elite left, but most were actually content to work under British rule as long as they could speak French, and stay Catholic. Though if you are Quebecois, you actually would see this as the beginning of Anglo rule over the French Canadians. Its still quite an issue here.

The British made an agreement with the French Canadians in 1774 called the Quebec act. This allowed: civil code and common law to exist side by side; it entrenched the semi-feudal French seigneurial system; and it legalized the Catholic tithe to Catholics in Quebec.

Importantly for this story, however, is that a lot of land previously allocated to Native Americans, was then shifted to Quebec in an effort to streamline moving furs out of the St. Lawrence river.

The American colonists, who long desired to expand themselves into this territory, got pretty mad about it. If you know a bit of the story of the American Revolution, the Quebec act is one of the quote Insufferable Acts that in part triggered the American Revolution.

What this means though, is that Quebec, the largest colony in modern Canada at the time, was Catholic, and largely did not speak English.

After the Seven Years War, many Americans even considered them rivals, or enemies, and not part of this growing American identity. That being said during the American War of Independence, and before he defected to the British, Benedict Arnold did try to take Quebec. The Americans took Montreal, and tried to siege Quebec City. Then spring came and they gave up on the endeavour.

The Americans allied with France during the war, but neither ally wanted to see the other take Quebec, so the issue was largely dropped.

The war effort to put down the revolution, actually brought a lot of money into Canada, and the tariff protections the New Englanders gave up to fight the war, were quite good for the Canadian economy as well. Business, especially the fur business, was booming with the 13 colonies in rebellion. They saw that their economic future relied on protection, and integration into the British mercantile

empire, and so felt no desire to leave it.

Lastly I must mention that Canada then saw an influx of refugees after the American Revolution. These refugees were mostly the loyalists who did not want to stay in the United States. You can imagine they brought a lot of British patriotism with them.

Canada then soon grew into its own colony, with its own identity. They banned slavery pretty early on, and had a lot of friction with the U.S. over their position as the end of the underground railroad. They quickly established distinct, and different identities.

Many Canadians today speculate that in many ways our cultures defined by how not-America we can be.

One quick footnote. The US did try to conquer Canada once. Amongst a series of other issues, the British Empire found itself rather distracted by the war with Napoleon and the U.S. smelled opportunity. They used a rhetoric of manifest destiny, claiming that Canada was theirs by right. It didnt help that the British were flat out capturing American soldiers into the royal navy and secretly giving weapons to Native American groups resisting U.S. expansion.

In 1812, the U.S. invaded Canada, and after a number of attempts was pushed back by Canadian militias, and blockaded by British fleets. It resulted in a Canadian deployment pushing all the way down to Washington DC. The peace treaty ended the idea of Canada being Americans in waiting basically for the last 200 plus years.

The being said, I do not think that two countries are as close as Canada and the United States.

We maintain the worlds largest undefended border, are each others largest trading partners, and have a pretty long history of peace and prosperity between us. Also we gave the U.S. most of its best musicians and comedians.
Security forces in Afghanistan claim to have pushed the Taliban from parts of a key southern provincial capital and inflicted heavy casualties on the opposition as insurgent hostilities appear to have subsided in other conflict-hit provinces.

The rebel group staged a major assault on Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, a week ago, forcing their way into parts of the nearly besieged city.

Dozens of Afghan troops were killed in the ensuing days of clashes with many more wounded, prompting the U.S. military to conduct airstrikes in support of government forces.

The security forces have retaken some areas they lost to the Taliban with the support of artillery and airpower, the provincial governor told VOA Sunday.

The offensive killed 88 Taliban fighters, including foreigners, while about 90 of them were wounded, claimed Hayatullah Hayat.

A number of explosives-packed vehicle prepared for suicide attacks were also destroyed, the governor asserted.

Security officials say that sporadic clashes were continuing in the area.

Taliban offensive



Some provincial officials told local and foreign media that Afghan forces lost more than 100 personnel since Monday when the Taliban launched its offensive on Lashkar Gah, while dozens more have gone missing. Afghan Defense Ministry officials disputed the figures, but have declined to release a casualty toll.

The government is said to be in full control of only a few of the 14 districts in Helmand, the largest of all 34 Afghan provinces. A Taliban spokesman has denied official claims, saying its fighters have not retreated from their positions and are making further advances in Lashkar Gah.

Commander of the U.S.-led foreign forces, General John Nicholson, said Saturday the Taliban has been attempting to seize control of an Afghan provincial capital before the end of the fighting season.

Since they began their offensive in April they have not accomplished any of their objectives, the general said during a visit to the western province of Farah. He added that attacks on Lashkar Gah, Tarin Kot, the capital of southern Uruzgan province, and the key northern city of Kunduz are all part of the insurgent campaign.

WATCH: General John Nicholson

The Taliban briefly captured Kunduz in the 2015 fighting season, dealing a blow to internationally-trained Afghan security forces. Earlier this month, the insurgents fought their way into the provincial capital and seized ground before they were evicted from Kunduz this past Thursday.

They are frankly trying very hard at the end of the year to try and seize a city before the year is over. But this will fail because it gives us an opportunity to target them in large numbers to defeat them in the vicinity of these cities and to reassure the people of Afghanistan that we are with them, vowed Nicholson.

Intense fighting was reported in the northern Faryab province Sunday, but observers noted an abrupt decline in Taliban attacks particularly in southern and southeastern provinces that are known as their heartlands. The onset of winter and heavy casualties inflicted on Taliban fighters by Afghan forces with the support of U.S. airstrikes are being cited as possible factors for reduction in the hostilities.
Amid fears of threats posed by protectionism, the BRICS countries have vowed to deepen economic engagement, tackle the global economic slowdown, and combat cross border terrorism.

The leaders of the five emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa wrapped up a summit Sunday in Goa, in western India.

Underlining the need for the BRICS countries to find common solutions, Chinas president Xi Jinping warned that some countries are getting more inward-looking in their policies, protectionism is rising and the forces against globalization are posing an emerging risk.

The five countries that make up about half the worlds population and contribute to about 25 percent of global gross domestic product were once seen as a rising economic force. But most of the BRICS nations are wrestling with a slowdown after a spell of torrid growth, raising questions about whether their economic clout is on the wane.

Pointing out the five emerging economies contributed to 50 percent of global growth in the past decade, the Chinese leader asserted the stature of the bloc has been rising.

Indias prime minister, Narendra Modi, called for doubling trade within the BRICS bloc in the next five years to $500 billion, dismantling trade barriers and improving infrastructure.

Modi, who spearheaded a drive to put terrorism at the centerstage of the summit, said the BRICS leaders had been unanimous in recognizing the need to combat terrorism, which poses a global threat.

He said, We agreed that the countries agreed that those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor terror are as much a threat to us as the terrorists themselves.

The Indian Foreign Ministry tweeted that he had told the BRICS leaders that "tragically, the mother-ship of terrorism is a country in India's neighborhood."

Modis reference was to Pakistan, which New Delhi alleges sponsors and supports terror groups that wage militant attacks in India. His emphasis on the issue of terrorism at the BRICS summit is part of a diplomatic offensive he has mounted to bring international attention to Indias concerns.

But Indias differences with China, a close ally of Pakistan, were apparent. New Delhi is upset that Beijing has blocked Indias move at the United Nations to put Pakistan-based leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed, Maulana Masood Azhar, on a terror list.

In what analysts said was a reference to Beijing, Modi said, Selective approaches to terrorists, individuals and organizations will not only be futile, but also counter productive.

In a joint statement, the BRICS nations said they will move quickly to establish a new credit ratings agency. The developing countries complain the existing credit agencies are biased against them, making borrowing more expensive.

They have already set up a development bank of their own as part of their efforts to reform the global financial architecture.
Telecom workers in Burkina Faso were on strike again this month, leading to phone and internet interruptions. The country has only one internet service provider, Onatel, but the days of the telecom monopoly in Africa may ending.

The Burkina Faso telecommunications authority fined Onatel 5 billion CFA francs ($8.5 million U.S.) in response to the strike, which cut internet access across the country for more than a week.

Arouna Ouedraogo, an information technology specialist, said people without access to the internet become desperate. He said he businesspeople rushing to his internet cafe with contracts to sign and documents to send, but he couldn't help them.

"People outside this country just cannot imagine that there is no internet" for such an extended period, he said. Some people were so desperate to get their email, Ouedraogo said, that they flew to Bamako, in neighboring Mali, for internet access.

The problem? Onatel is a monopoly, political researcher Thomas Ouedraogo said.

"This whole country got cut off from the world because one company has management problems and relates badly to its workers," he said. "This cannot continue. What's to be done? Break it up. Open the market."

Burkina Faso is among a handful of African countries that have only one or two ISPs each. The result, Ouedraogo said, is that "we pay too much for our internet connections, and we get very little capacity."

More providers

His solution? Bring in the competition. And it's happening. A French company is laying its own fiber-optic cable. Soon, Burkina Faso's internet agony could be over, Ouedraogo said.

By bringing in more players, which would help bring down costs, Burkina Faso could become like Nigeria, Mauritius or Kenya, the continent's lead performer. Seventy percent of Kenyans have an internet connection, usually with their smartphones, according to Internet World Stats.

Twenty African nations lag behind, with less than 10 percent access. They're either landlocked, have poor infrastructure have or a single ISP. As a result, the Central African Republic, Niger, Malawi, Burkina Faso and others have a tiny customer base. Only big institutions, rich elites and expatriates can afford connections.

But this business model is losing ground, because increased internet capacity is bringing down the price of connections, even in remote areas. Six years ago, only two undersea fiber-optic cables reached an African shore. Now there are more than 10. Internet usage has tripled in the past five years, the African Bureau of the Internet Society said.

Experts say the message to the last remaining Onatels on the continent is twofold: One, get used to competition; two, start responding to consumer demand. Together, they will make or break your business.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced the formal start of a military push to drive Islamic State extremists from the northern stronghold city of Mosul.

The announcement on state television early Monday signals the opening of the largest military operation in that country since U.S. forces left five years ago.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said this is a "decisive moment" in the campaign to defeat Islamic State and pledged support from the U.S.-led coalition.

"We are confident our Iraq partners will prevail against our common enemy and free Mosul and the rest of Iraq from ISIL's hatred and brutality," he said in a statement.



In the hours before the announcement, the Iraqi Air Force dropped thousands of leaflets on Mosul, warning residents of the coming offensive to liberate the city.

The leaflet drop followed hours of an artillery shelling by Iraqi and Kurdish forces, and sparked widespread confusion over whether the full-scale assault on the countrys second largest city had already begun.

For his part, Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani announced the start of the offensive in a statement posted online, saying The preparations for the operation to liberate Mosul have been completed and have paved the way to begin the Mosul operation. He added: It is my sincere hope that this operation will be successful and that we will collectively liberate the people of Mosul from the tyranny of the terrorists of the Islamic State.

The Kurdish leader later tweeted: The time has come to begin the liberation of Mosul.

The confusion over whether the offensive had begun in earnest highlighted the ethnic and religious rivalries of the fragile anti-IS coalition that have plagued the planning for the assault. Some analysts fear those rivalries could undermine the military campaign and prompt infighting later over control of the city and its wider region after IS has been ejected.





For weeks, the assault on Mosul has been expected, but disagreements have flared between coalition allies over how the greater Mosul region of Nineveh will be governed after liberation and who should be involved in the fight to get rid of IS. Kurdish claims earlier this month that any territory the Kurdish peshmerga capture will remain part of Kurdistan have infuriated the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad.

On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rebuffed once again demands by Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi to withdraw about 2,000 Turkish "military advisers" from a base 20 kilometers from Mosul where they have been training local Sunni fighters in a militia called Hashd al-Watani. Erdogan has insisted Mosul should be controlled by Sunni Muslims, and along with local Sunnis he has warned Shiite militias to stay out of Mosul.





West and east Mosul were pummeled by an artillery bombardment Saturday. A round of airstrikes also hit the city as Iraqi special forces deployed in Mosul's suburbs. Analysts and observers on the ground said it looked as if Iraqi forces with the support of Kurdish peshmerga and Shiite militias would strike from three different directions into the city, which IS seized in June 2014 and is now the extremist groups last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

IS posted online Sunday photographs it says showed clashes in the Refaq and al Masarif districts of Mosul.

Some of the bombardment salvos targeting IS positions in the city were fired by the U.S. military, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency claimed. The agency quoted peshmerga commander Omer Huseyin, who said American howitzers based 20 kilometers from Mosul had opened up on IS positions and that U.S. and French warplanes had mounted sorties.





In response, Daesh (IS) terrorists started burning tires to block the view of the warplanes after international coalition forces struck the area, Huseyin said. Daesh terrorists also started burning the petroleum filled in their ditches, which they have dug around the city, he added.

On roads controlled by Iraqi and peshmerga forces leading to Mosul, there were reports Sunday of columns of artillery and heavy weaponry heading to the fronts.

The leaflets dropped by Iraqi planes on the city said the offensive to retake the city was imminent. It's victory time," read one of the leaflets. Time to celebrate a clean Iraq without "Daesh" or any dark belief. Humanitarian workers, though, say it is unclear what Mosul civilians are meant to do. They have criticized war planners for failing to mark out clear escape routes for civilians.

The four-page leaflets urge civilians not to panic, to avoid IS positions and to remain in their homes and seal windows and doors. A phone number to report jihadist activity is included.





The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, has warned of a looming humanitarian disaster and predicts more than one million people could flee Mosul during the battle. So far six refugee camps able to shelter 50,000 people have been built and there are plans to establish another 11.

Mosul residents contacted by phone and Skype say IS fighters, many veterans from battles in neighboring Anbar province, have blocked major roads and bridges in and out of Mosul. The jihadists have fanned out throughout the city and planted mines and explosives and warned civilians not to attempt to leave.
Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have captured the symbolically important northern Syrian village of Dabiq from Islamic State militants.

The seizure of the village, 10 kilometers from the Turkish border, was announced by Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as he met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and other leaders in London as part of talks on the conflict in Syria.

Dabiq holds little tactical value for IS but is of major symbolic importance for the jihadists, according to Turkish leaders and political activists in the war-savaged country.

Dabiq holds religious significance for IS because of an eighth-century, end-of-times Sunni prophecy predicting it will be the site of an apocalyptic showdown between Islam and Christianity. Islamic State propagandists have encouraged supporters to believe doomsday is imminent, naming one of its major online English-language publications, Dabiq.



Every new edition of Dabiq opens with a quote by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the mentor of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, claiming, "The spark has been ignited in Iraq, and its flames will grow until they burn the Crusader armies in Dabiq."



Before the final assault on the town, IS propagandists appeared to had been readying their supporters for a defeat at Dabiq, distancing the fight for Dabiq from the epic doomsday showdown, known as al-Malhamah al-Kubra, they once forecast. Last week, in an online pamphlet, the jihadist propagandists downplayed the current fight for Dabiq.



Anti-IS fighters and their Turkish backers "have amassed in Aleppo, announcing Dabiq as their major goal," the jihadists said, thinking they can score "a great moral victory against the Islamic State."



But "the great epic of Dabiq will be preceded by great events and apocalyptic omens," they added. "These hit-and-run battles in Dabiq and its outskirts -- the lesser Dabiq battle -- will end in the greater Dabiq epic." When that great showdown is likely to come, the propagandists don't explain.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter thanked Turkey for its efforts in the operation to capture Dabiq, and said "its liberation gives the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat new momentum in Syria."





The assault on Dabiq was part of Turkey's wider military intervention aimed at creating "a terror-free safe zone of 5,000 square kilometers" in northern Syria, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said.



Turkey launched the mission called Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24 and its goal is to push well back from the border not only IS jihadists but also the Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG.



Operation Euphrates Shield has dashed the Syrian Kurds' hope of linking all four Kurdish cantons along the frontier, undermining the YPG ambition of carving out an independent state.



Jarabulus and al-Rai became the first two towns to be captured from IS by the Turkish-backed Syrian rebels. "We are now advancing. Where? To Dabiq," Erdogan said in his televised comments Saturday, speaking from the Black Sea province of Rize.



He added that Turkey would like to see some of the 3 million refugees that have fled Syria to Turkey return home. "Let's create space for them," he said. "They can go to their own lands, we can make them live there safely."





Syrian political activists and NGO workers say many refugees would likely return.



"If the Turkish government and its allies can ensure safety in the zone they carve out, many refugees would go back," activist and NGO worker Eyad Kharaba said.



Rebel commanders say after Dabiq, they will target the town of al-Bab, northeast of Aleppo city. That move could lead to a confrontation with the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces. They have also announced their intention of targeting al-Bab.



A European diplomat told VOA last month that he suspected the Turkey-backed forces would also start moving not only south to the strategic town of al-Bab but also west "to the towns of Marea and Tell Rifaat," which is currently occupied by the YPG and adjoins Afrin, a Kurdish enclave the YPG hoped to link with three cantons east of the Euphrates River.



As Turkey expands its buffer zone with FSA boots on the ground, Ankara already is making clear how it intends to administer its northern Syria "protectorate."



Western NGOs have been tipped off by Turkish counterparts that Turkish and Syrian NGOs favored by Erdogan will be key in ruling the protectorate. The Turkish authorities are already in the process of establishing pro-Turkish town councils in the zone.
The number of fighters joining extremist groups in the Middle East from Kosovo, once the highest per capita in Europe, has come to a virtual halt, according to government officials, analysts, and ex-fighters.



The turnabout comes after a government crackdown in Kosovo on extremist recruiting, an increased education campaign to show the ills of radical groups, and a waning appeal of Islamic State militancy, experts say.



Kosovo has done great work in getting local Muslim communities directly involved in efforts to educate their members against the dangers of radicalization, said Sarah Bedenbaugh, a Balkan expert at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.



Kosovo is the smallest country in the Balkan region with a Muslim-majority population. The country gained its independence in 2008 after a long-fought war with Serbia.



The landlocked nation has struggled with increasing radicalization of Muslim youth that increased after the start of the Syrian civil war in 2012. Roughly 93 percent of Kosovo's 1.7 million people are from Muslim family backgrounds. Young people in Kosovo were drawn to jihad as high youth unemployment and poor education left them wanting, analysts say.



According to Kosovar government statistics, 314 Kosovo citizens joined armed groups in Syria including extremist groups such as Islamic State, Fateh al-Sham Front (formerly al-Nusra Front), and Ahrar al-Sham. The government says it has no record of Kosovar foreign fighters leaving for the Middle East this year.



Roughly 75 fighters from Kosovo remain on the frontlines in Syria, Fatos Makolli, director of counterterrorism at the Kosovo police, told VOAs Albanian service. At least 57 Kosovo citizens have died in Mideast conflicts, he said.



But few now are leaving for Syria and at least a third have returned, officials say. At least 110 Kosovar citizens who fought in Syria with different Islamist groups came home, according to authorities.



The cause for which many Kosovars thought they were fighting for did not turn out to be as "ideal" as in the beginning of the conflict when many have joined, said Shpend Kursani, an analyst at the Kosovar Center for Security Studies, a Pristina-based think tank.



Young Kosovars lured to IS by its radical Islamic values were later disappointed because the so-called [IS] Caliphate did not live up to many 'idealists' expectations, he said.



Some former fighters are now helping to deter others from travelling to Syria and joining radical groups.



Albert Berisha, who in 2013 fought with a rebel group in Syrias Idlib province, recently help form a center for de-radicalization that hopes to raise awareness of the ills of extremist groups in the Middle East.



"Our first project is called Foreign Fighters Talk, Berisha said.

Through this project, We encourage foreign fighters to talk [about their] experiences in order to understand the reasons of their disillusionment and their return in Kosovo and to see how much they're ready to be reintegrated in the society and what are their needs, he said.



But returning foreign fighters say they are finding reintegration difficult as many are facing prosecution under a law passed in 2015 that criminalizes fighting in foreign conflicts with prison terms up to 15 years for those convicted.



Berisha said he was sentenced to 42 months in prison. But like many former foreign fighters he has asked an appeals court to reconsider his case. Berisha said the government should encourage their reintegration into the society rather than punish former foreign fighters.



But government officials say their tough stance is working. Stiff sentences send a strong message that fighting with militants in Syria will not be tolerated, they say.



In a visit to Voice of America in March, Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga says her country has increased its efforts to arrest citizens who fought with IS.



Kosovo is the "only country in the region, and even wider," with a very well-organized police operation that has conducted several arrests of foreign fighters in Kosovo who at one time had joined IS, she said.



Kosovo will not be held hostage by a small group of violent religious extremists whose absolutist interpretation of Islam is overwhelmingly at odds with our secular tradition, foreign minister Petrit Selimi wrote in a letter to the New York Times in May .



In a continuing crackdown, the government has recently detained more than 100 people, including several imams, who were attempting to recruit young Kosovars to fight with extremist groups in Syria.



The government has worked hard to shut down illegal mosques and other meeting places for radical imams, said analyst Bedenbaugh.
Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah issued a decree Sunday dissolving the national assembly, the state-run KUNA news agency reported after an emergency government meeting.



The reason cited for such move, which also brings down the government, was a "lack of cooperation'', setting the stage for early elections.



One day earlier, parliament speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem called for snap elections in the face of mounting security and economic challenges.



Under Kuwait's constitution, early elections must be held within two months of the dissolution of the parliament.



Kuwait, a major oil producer and a staunch ally of the United States, held its last parliamentary election in 2013.



Before the 2013 poll, Kuwait faced spilled over unrest from the Arab Spring and voted in a largely pro-government group of lawmakers.



In the coming election, Kuwait is faced with the squeeze of low global oil prices. Government-subsidized gasoline prices have been going up and other benefits have been cut, leading to growing dissent.
A senior official in Mexico says jailed drug trafficker Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman could be extradited to the United States by no later than February.

American authorities want Guzman on drug trafficking and other charges.

It was determined by the foreign affairs secretary, [that] there was an indirect protection put forward against extradition, until the district judge can review it. If asylum is denied, it could take the collegiate tribunal up to three months to resolve it,Renato Sales, Mexican National Security Commissioner, said during an interview to TV network Televisa.

But Guzmans lawyer, Jose Rodriguez, said the extradition will be very difficult for to happen between now and January even though a court could rule on his extradition near the end of the year.

Rodriguez also told Televisa that Guzman will fight to the end and he had a chance to win the case if not handled politically.

"Legally we would have to win the extradition, we have the elements necessary. If we don't do well in Mexico, it would not end there. We are able to go to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights because the United States is not in its jurisdiction, Rodriguez said during the Televisa interview.

The comment was debated by Televisa anchor who asked But the Inter-American Commission is for cases of human rights violations, right?"

El Chapos lawyer said when it comes to an asylum sentence, it is very easy for fundamental rights to be violated. When? When you render a judgment against the law, or you violate due process.

In this case, we bet on due process, Rodriguez added.

Authorities said Guzman is under special surveillance after his two previous prison breaks and is not allowed to mix with the general population.

Hes not in a five-star hotel, Sales said.

The drug trafficker faces charges that include murder and money laundering in Texas and another for drug distribution in California.

Guzman was recaptured in January and initially placed back in the Altiplano prison. Authorities later transferred him to a federal prison in the northern state of Chihuahua.

Guzman is a leader of Mexico's powerful Sinaloa cartel.
A group of Nigerian parents was reunited Sunday with 21 schoolgirls kidnapped by militants more than two years ago.

Nearly 300 girls were taken from their school in 2014 in Chibok in northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram has waged a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state, killing thousands and displacing more than 2 million people.

Last week, the rebels released 21 girls in the first negotiated release brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government.

The girls were released Thursday and flown to Abuja, Nigeria's capital, but it took days for the parents to arrive from their remote region.

One of the freed girls was Rebecca Mallam. "I want to thank everyone for this wonderful thing they have done. I never imagined that I would ever see my parents again, but God has helped me see them so I want to say 'thank you' and may God comfort all of us," she said.

Dozens of schoolgirls escaped in the first few hours after the kidnapping, but after last week's release, 197 remain captive.

The government says negotiations are continuing to win their freedom.

In recent days, the Nigerian military has been carrying out a large-scale offensive in the Sambisa forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram, which last year pledged loyalty to the Islamic State militant group.

Boko Haram controlled a swath of land around the size of Belgium at the start of 2015, but Nigeria's army, aided by troops from neighboring countries, has recaptured most of that territory.
2 Pope Francis celebrates a Mass to canonize seven new saints, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican. Argentine 19th century "gaucho priest" Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, who ministered to the poor in the peripheries and is clearly a model for his papacy, is among the new saints pope is canonizing..
Russian President Vladimir Putin is dismissing the latest U.S. claims that the Kremlin has directed cyberattacks against Washington, as well as scoffing at U.S. threats to retaliate for any Russian attempts to interfere in upcoming U.S. elections.

Putin spoke Sunday in India at a televised news conference, calling the hacking allegations an effort to distract Americans from "lots of problems" facing their country.

Putin's comments come less than two days after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden warned that "we are sending a message" to Putin. He told NBC news on Friday that U.S. retaliation for Russian cyberattacks "will be at the time of our choosing, and under circumstances that will have the greatest impact."

"You can expect anything from our American friends," Putin said Sunday. He also claimed it is already widely known that "official bodies in the United States are spying and eavesdropping on everyone."

Putin's latest comments also follow a joint U.S. statement October 7 in which the U.S. director of National Intelligence and the chief of the Department of Homeland Security formally accused Moscow of hacking U.S. political organizations.

Those accusations referenced hacking into internal email accounts at the Democratic National Committee, and further accused Moscow of orchestrating the release of information in the hacked accounts through the rogue anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

On Sunday, Putin said, "I would like to reassure everyone, including our U.S. partners and friends: We do not intend to influence the U.S. election campaign."

The Kremlin was first linked to U.S. political hacking in July, after the campaign staff of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accused Moscow of hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee.

Many Western analysts and pundits have since accused the Kremlin of favoring Republican candidate Donald Trump in the November elections, and point to Trump's repeated comments praising Putin and calling for closer bilateral ties.
Scientists are studying the skeleton of an ancient sea monster. It was discovered in Scotland 50 years ago, but it wasnt until more recently -- using modern fossil extraction methods  that the bones could be pulled out of hard rock. The previously unknown reptile lived in the oceans during the time of the dinosaurs.



The bones of the sea monster are 170 million years old and were discovered in Scotlands Isle of Skye. Paleontologists are excited by the almost-complete skeleton.

Theres over 100 bones there, so a whole bunch of the skeleton, and now we get to get down to the fun business of actually studying it, figuring out what it is, said Stephen Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh.



What the scientists do know is that the sea monster is more than 4 meters long. It is from a class of ancient marine creatures called ichthyosaurs, which resembled dolphins. The reptile could swim fast, and with its hundreds of cone-shaped teeth, fed on fish and squid.



The scientists hope to gain a better understanding about the creatures ecosystem and more about the Middle Jurassic period that lasted from about 160 to 180 million years ago. Since so few fossils have been discovered from that age, the sea monster is a spectacular find.



"Its one of the only good skeletons of one of these ocean reptiles from the middle part of the Jurassic Period. This was a time that was a really interesting moment in evolution. You had all kinds of new groups of dinosaurs and ocean reptiles getting their start, starting to spread around the world, said Brusatte.



Like other ichthyosaurs, this sea monster faded into extinction 95 million years ago, about 30 million years before the dinosaurs disappeared.



It looks like it was changes in the oceans, in the chemistry and in the ecology of the oceans, and so you had a long-term willowing away of these ichthyosaurs as they became less and less common, less and less diverse, until they trickled away to extinction, and then that is when groups like sharks and ultimately whales and dolphins moved on in," said the paleontologist.



Sea monsters have often captured peoples imaginations. The skeleton of this one will eventually be put on display for the public to see.
Scientists are studying the skeleton of an ancient sea monster. It was discovered in Scotland 50 years ago, but it wasnt until more recently -- using modern fossil extraction methods -- that the bones could be pulled out of hard rock. As we hear from Deborah Block, the previously unknown reptile lived in the oceans during the time of the dinosaurs.
A suicide bomber struck a Shi'ite Muslim religious observance Sunday in Baghdad, killing at least two people and wounding four.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but it is similar to other assaults carried out by the Islamic State.

Another suicide bomber in Baghdad killed more than 35 people and wounded 50 others Monday observing the same Muslim ritual.

A tweet sent in the name of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack, which it said was carried out by "the martyrdom-seeking brother Abu-Fahd al-Iraqi."

Bombing decried



The United States and Iran condemned Saturday's attack and extended condolences to the victims.

A statement issued in Washington denounced "the barbaric terrorist attack" as "yet another sign of [Islamic State's] cowardice and contempt for human life.

U.S. officials said the bombing was an "attempt to sow sectarian discord among the people of Iraq ... [that] only underscores the importance of coalition efforts to support Iraqi security forces."

"The United States remains committed to that goal," they added.

From Tehran, Fars news agency reported the Iranian foreign ministry called on the international community to support the Iraqi government "until the complete failure of the terrorists."

Many people there were commemorating the death of Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, in a seventh-century battle near the Iraqi town of Karbala. Others in the crowd were taking part in a funeral procession for a local resident.

Islamic State, most of whose members are Sunni Muslim extremists, considers Shi'ites to be heretics. Saturday's bombing was the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital since early July, and it also came at a time when Iraqi government forces are making final preparations for a battle to retake the IS-held northern city of Mosul.

Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut, told VOA the battle for Mosul is likely to stir up further sectarian tensions, including more suicide bombings.

"I think that once ISIS is defeated in Mosul, we will see more and more suicide attacks," Khashan said. "Even with the capture of Mosul it will be too early to celebrate victory against Islamic State. ISIS doesnt spare anybody, but needless to say they have a vested interest in targeting Iraqi Shiites.

Complex effort

The coming battle for Mosul is expected to be the most difficult and complex yet in the war against Islamic State. A coalition of diverse and sometimes rival Iraqi forces will have to fight through elaborate IS defenses to reach Mosul, which has a large civilian population.

The prospect of lengthy street fighting between Iraqi forces and die-hard jihadists has led many analysts and aid officials to warn of an expected humanitarian crisis, with up to a million people displaced by the fighting as winter sets in.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, visiting government-held areas near Mosul Saturday, urged Iraqis from all sectarian groups to unite to recapture the city and destroy Islamic State.

In addition to the suicide attack on Shi'ites marking Ashura, separate attacks by militants in two areas north of Baghdad Saturday killed another 12 people.

VOA's Steve Herman contributed to this report.
Secretary of State John Kerry says all options remain open for the U.S. and its allies in Syria, but he admits the United States and Europe have no big appetite for military action, even as Russia refuses to back down.

Kerry held talks in London Sunday with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a day after Kerry met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other top diplomats in Switzerland.

Kerry said no one should be "lighting a fire" under a civil war or pitting two superpowers against each other.

"When a great power is involved in a fight like this, as Russia has chosen to be by going there (Syria) and then putting its missiles in place in order to threaten people against military action, it raises the stakes of confrontation," Kerry said Sunday.

Crimes against humanity

Kerry has shown clear frustration with events in Syria - the refugee crisis, the slaughter of civilians in Aleppo, Russian military action on the side of the Assad regime, truce breakdowns and Washington's limited options to stop the bloodshed.



"It's a humanitarian disaster ... and it could stop tomorrow if Russia and the Assad regime were to behave according to any norm or standard of decency," Kerry said Sunday. "Instead we see what can only be described as crimes against humanity taking place on a daily basis - when a hospital gets bombed, when children are bombed, when gas, which is outlawed by the chemical convention, is used against human beings in Aleppo or elsewhere in the country."

Kerry warned of sanctions against Syria and Russia over the situation in Aleppo.

He also said that Saturday's talks in Switzerland produced "several ideas that need to be quickly followed up." But he gave no details.

Also Sunday, Turkey's foreign minister announced that Turkish-backed Syrian rebels captured the symbolically important northern Syrian town of Dabiq from Islamic State.

Dabiq is 10 kilometers from the Turkish border.
In an understated neighborhood in northern New Jersey, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addressed thousands of Hindus. But, in a country where many people are following Trump's every move, the New York businessman was not quite the spotlight of the show Saturday night.

Women dressed in their best saris asked each other if anyone had confirmed which Bollywood stars would be in attendance. Children chased each other, screaming across the auditorium. Men ate Indian snacks provided at the venue and caught up with friends.

I just came for the Bollywood show, said Nilesh Patel. The evening, a charity event hosted by the Republican Hindu Coalition to give to refugees from Kashmir, had a star-studded list of dance performances.

Nilesh, a New Jersey resident, can't vote, but said he was interested to at least hear Trump speak. Donald Trump is an attraction.... I can't vote, so I don't really have a strong opinion. But I do enjoy... well, both of them are characters.

And Nilesh was far from the only person who couldn't vote. Between those visiting family from out of the country, those awaiting citizenship, and teenagers, many of the attendees weren't voters.



Signature, a dancing duo made famous on the reality show Britain's got Talent, and Malaika Arora Khan, a Bollywood dancer and actress, were among the stars who got the audience up on its feet. Choreographer Prabhu Deva performed just before Donald Trump spoke, and was met with much more applause than the presidential candidate.

Other than a brief and puzzling performance that involved dancers dressed as Navy Seals fighting terrorists before stopping to sing the U.S. national anthem, no reference to politics in the U.S. was made in the two hours of performances.

Loving Hindu

When Trump took the stage, introduced by Shallabh Kumar, head of the Republican Hindu Coalition, the atmosphere of the room changed immediately. The handful of white Americans wearing Make America Great Again hats and shirts moved closer to the stage and those who had been dancing fell quiet.

Trump started by exclaiming that he loved Hindu, and spoke out against terrorism, emphasizing that Indians feel the immediate threat of terrorism, especially remembering attacks in Mumbai that left more than 100 dead in 2008.



But the rest of the rhetoric was familiar: crooked Hillary, I'm going to build the wall, Mexico will pay for it.

His commitment to combat terrorism was not lost, however, on many in attendance. Of the Hindus who wholeheartedly supported Donald Trump, terrorism is their main concern.

I'm a strong supporter of Trump. I'm mainly supporting Trump for his stance against terrorism, Rogi Reddy, a New Jersey resident, said. When asked if he is worried about Trump's harsh comments against minorities and other social policies, Reddy said, Those are all secondary for me.

His son, Ghumi, remained unconvinced ahead of his speech. I align with him fiscally but not socially, so... I'm not sure if anything he will say today will convince me, but I'm hoping to find out, he said.

Anti-Trump rally

A third group of South Asians, those too staunchly against Trump to support an event at which he was speaking, protested outside the convention center earlier that day.



Mohamed Asker, a New Jersey native and college student at Rutgers University, worked with a handful of local politicians, including Congressman Frank Pallone and South Asian members of Edison's city council, to organize a rally outside the hall.

There's no divide between Hindus and Muslims  we're all one minority and an attack against one of us is an attack against all of us, Asker said. That's why we're here today.... I'm a college student, just among other college students who don't believe a candidate who spews hate should be elected.

The divide between Hindus and Muslims, although unspoken, was clear inside the convention center. The Republican Hindu Coalition, clear enough in its name, does not exactly draw other religious minorities in India to its events.

And a few of the Hindus supporting Trump made it clear they wanted to distinguish themselves from the radical Muslims against whom he so vehemently speaks out.

After Donald Trump exited the stage to a cover of You can't always get what you want, about half of the audience slowly left, having seen what they came for.

But the other half, many of whom were filling up on snacks while the political intermission took place, rushed back to watch the next dance.
Roughly three weeks before Americans go to the polls, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is telling supporters that the election is rigged against him.

The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places  SAD, Trump posted on Twitter Sunday.



Should Trump lose to Democrat Hillary Clinton on November 8, it remains to be seen whether he would concede or claim that the election was stolen from him.

If he refuses to deliver a concession speech, Trump would break with a time-honored tradition in American politics.

I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory, said 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney on election night four years ago.

Even in 2000, after the most hotly-contested election result in modern U.S. history, Democrat Al Gore conceded to Republican George W. Bush once the Supreme Court halted vote recounts in Florida, handing Bush a miniscule margin of victory.

I spoke with George W. Bush and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the United States, Gore said in nationally-televised remarks. I accept it.

As is also customary, Gore called for national unity after a hard-fought and bruising campaign.

I also accept my responsibility, Gore said, to honor the new president-elect and do everything possible to help him bring Americans together in fulfillment of the great vision that our Declaration of Independence defines and that our Constitution affirms and defends.

Hardening position

Would Donald Trump be gracious in defeat? Last month, in the first presidential debate, he said he would accept the outcome of the election.

"The answer is, if she wins, I will absolutely support her," Trump said.

His message of recent days has sounded markedly different.

It is a rigged system, folks, Trump said Saturday at a rally in Maine.

Stung by a media firestorm over allegations of sexual misconduct, fueled by his own words as well as those of multiple accusers, Trump cast himself as the victim of a smear campaign to deny him the presidency.

The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect Hillary Clinton president, he said.

In recent weeks, Trump has also issued veiled warnings about fraud at polling places.

Go and vote and then check out areas, he told supporters in Pennsylvania. Because a lot of bad things happen. And we do not want to lose for that reason.

Democrats see a candidate willing to tear at the threads of democracy rather than accept responsibility for his own shortcomings.

He is blaming the media, he is blaming the GOP (Republicans), said Democratic vice presidential nominee and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine on ABCs This Week program. He is saying that America cannot run a fair election. He is swinging at every phantom of his own imagination because he knows he is losing.

Some backers say ready for a revolution

But Trumps backers say he has a point  that the news media have been more focused on controversies surrounding Trump than on wave after wave of revelations from WikiLeaks about Clintons paid speeches to Wall Street and what are believed to be email communications within her campaign.

This election is being rigged by the national media, who are doing everything they can to suppress bad news about Hillary, and everything to maximize bad news about Trump, said former House speaker Newt Gingrich, also on ABC.

Agitation runs high among some of Trumps most ardent supporters, as his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, discovered at a recent campaign stop.

If Hillary Clinton gets in, I myself am ready for a revolution, one rally attendee said in a question-and-answer session with Pence.

No, do not say that, the Republican vice presidential nominee replied.

Some Republican leaders are uncomfortable with Trumps latest line of attack. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan issued a statement saying, Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity.
The United Nations says around 370,000 registered and undocumented Afghan refugees have returned home from neighboring Pakistan this year, with a significant spike seen since mid-July.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Kabul issued the figures Sunday, saying nearly 52,000 Afghans crossed the border into Afghanistan last week alone, the highest single figure recorded in a seven-day period since 2009.



Tougher conditions

It stated that the spike in the number of returnees stems from continued pressure by Pakistani authorities through new visa requirements, shorter extension of proof of registration cards, increased police raids, detentions and deportations, restricted access to livelihoods, health-care and education as well as lack of employment opportunities.



In the past week, an average of 5,200 registered refugees and 2,160 undocumented returnees have crossed the border into Afghanistan from Pakistan each day. Based on current trends, a further 446,000 (both registered and undocumented) are expected to arrive before year-end, according to the OCHA.



It says that UNHCR - with the help of local authorities and partner aid agencies  is providing support to both caseloads amid significant resources shortages.



Aid agencies are in a race against time to provide this assistance before the arrival of the wet and winter seasons in November, warned OCHA.

UNHCR officials in Pakistan acknowledge the exodus of registered Afghan refugees is largely voluntary." They also note that the refugee agencys decision to double the cash grant for voluntary returnees from $200 to $400 per person in mid-June, and a newly-launched campaign by the Afghan government to encourage the displaced families to return to Afghanistan and take part in the nation-building are among major contributing factors for the unusual rise in the number of Afghans choosing repatriation.



Pakistan hosts around 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees while another at least one million are living illegally. Most of the displaced families have fled decades of Afghan hostilities.



Border security measures

Pakistani authorities defend stepped-up border security measures and strict monitoring of refugees movements, saying anti-state militants use them for hiding and plotting terrorist attacks on both sides of the border.





Critics, however, say pressures on Afghan refugees stem from tensions in relations between Islamabad and Kabul over each country's allegations of sponsoring terrorism against the other.

The rise and spread of Taliban-led insurgency across many Afghan provinces since the withdrawal of U.S.-led international combat troops in 2014 had until now significantly slowed the UNHCR-funded voluntary repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran.

The United Nations recently launched a flash appeal of $150 million to meet urgent needs of more than one million Afghans it estimates will be on the move in Afghanistan by the end of 2016 because of continued displacements by the war and the unusually high number of refugees returning home.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Saturday that Hurricane Matthew left Haiti in a "heartbreaking" situation, with devastation across a country that already was extremely impoverished.

Ban toured Haiti's southern coast, which were hit hardest by the Category 4 hurricane's extremely powerful winds and rain.

"I met so many displaced persons, young people, women who were pregnant and sick people. It was heartbreaking," the secretary-general said after visiting an emergency shelter for families whose homes were destroyed less than two weeks ago.

Shortly before Ban's arrival at a U.N. base in Les Cayes, a minor skirmish broke out between residents and U.N. peacekeepers when trucks carrying food aid arrived. The U.N. force fired tear gas to restore order.

A World Health Organization coordinator said two containers loaded with supplies from the World Food Program also were looted outside the U.N. base on Haiti's southern coast.

Over 1 million need help

Hurricane Matthew killed more than 500 people and left more than 1 million in need of emergency assistance when it hit Haiti on October 4. More than 175,000 people lost their homes, and valuable farmland was destroyed.

"We will mobilize all the resources to help you," Ban told hurricane victims at a local school being used as a shelter. "Stay strong."

He departed Haiti for Ecuador's capital, Quito, late Saturday.

Tensions are high in southwest Haiti, where many residents have not yet received emergency food aid and potable water is unavailable.

The nation of 11 million also has been racked by a cholera epidemic that began in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in 2010. The disease has killed more than 10,000 people and sickened more than 800,000 since then, and hundreds of new cases are being reported every week.

'Moral responsibility'

Ban said Saturday that the United Nations has "a moral responsibility" to help Haiti end the cholera outbreak, echoing a statement he made in Haiti more than two years ago. However, he did not change the U.N.'s refusal to admit responsibility for the outbreak.

Scientific evidence and an independent panel of experts convened by the U.N. have strongly suggested that cholera was inadvertently brought to Haiti during the months after the January 2010 earthquake by Nepalese peacekeepers. By refusing to admit responsibility for the cholera outbreak, the United Nations has been able to reject claims for compensation and other legal action brought by victims of the disease and their relatives.

During the hurricane and in its aftermath, heavy rains caused rivers and outdoor latrines to overflow, creating perfect conditions for spreading cholera. The waterborne bacterial disease produces severe diarrhea, which can be fatal to the very young, the elderly and other people weakened by other hardships. It generally is caused by drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food.

Elections set

Haiti announced Friday that its long-delayed presidential and legislative elections would be held November 20, after a delay caused by Hurricane Matthew.

The Provisional Electoral Council said the second round of elections was scheduled for January 29.

Haiti's elections had been scheduled for last week. The country's previous elections, in 2015, were canceled because of violence and fraud, leaving Haiti in political limbo.

The most recent president, Michel Martelly, left office in February and has not been replaced. Parliament elected Jocelerme Privert as interim president, but his 120-day mandate expired in June.
A top U.S. admiral says a U.S. warship has again come under fire in the Red Sea from multiple cruise missiles fired from the coast of Yemen.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said the guided missile destroyer USS Mason deployed electronic countermeasures to foil the attack and was not hit in Saturdays incident --the third such attack on U.S. naval vessels in the area in the past week.

U.S. authorities say neither the Mason nor the amphibious transport USS Ponce was hit in the October 9 attacks, and say the Mason and another U.S. vessel were unscathed by further missile fire on Wednesday.

On Saturday, the website Military.com said Richardson, speaking at a ship commissioning in the port city of Baltimore, offered few details of the latest attack and did not say how many missiles were fired.

The October 9 attack on the Mason and the amphibious transport USS Ponce, and Wednesdays failed attacks prompted a retaliatory barrage of missiles from another warship, the USS Nitze on Thursday. Those U.S. strikes targeted three radar sites in Yemen territory controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

On Thursday, Iran deployed two warships to the Red Sea, but insisted the move was aimed at preventing piracy in the vital shipping lanes.

The U.S. military has been providing intelligence and logistics to Saudi-led coalition warplanes, which began targeting rebel Houthi positions inside Yemen earlier this year.
World Hunger Relief Farm, 356 Spring Lake Road, will have its second Night on the Farm dinner, with sittings available Friday and Saturday.

The event will begin at 5 p.m. each night with sunset tours of the farm, live music and hors doeuvres, followed by a farm-fresh dinner under the stars at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets cost $50. Tables for six are available for $350.

The reservation deadline is Thursday. For tickets and menu information, visit www.worldhungerrelief.org.

For more information, email joel@worldhungerrelief.org or call 799-5611.

Waco Heart Walk

The American Heart Associations annual Waco Heart Walk will be held Saturday at Baylor Universitys McLane Stadium, 1001 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The opening ceremony will begin at 8 a.m., with Sportacus and his sidekick Stephanie, from the kids television series, Lazytown, getting participants jumping, moving, and warmed up for the 3-mile walk. A 1-mile route will also be available.

The walk will start about 8:45 a.m.

The event is free, but participants who raise money may be eligible for prizes.

To register, visit www.WacoHeartWalk.org.

Genealogy brown bag

The Waco-McLennan County Library will present Genealogy 101: Finding Your Hispanic Roots, a brown bag lunch genealogy session from noon to 1 p.m. Monday at the West Waco Library and Genealogy Center, 5301 Bosque Blvd.

Bill Buckner and Hannah Roquemore, from the genealogy center staff, will give a how-to presentation about how to have a successful and memorable family reunion.

Guests will need to provide their own lunch.

For more information, call 750-5945 or visit wacolibrary.org.

Jazz orchestra concert

The Waco Jazz Orchestra will present a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday at McLennan Community Colleges Ball Performing Arts Center.

For more information, call 299-8283.

Ridgecrest celebration

Ridgecrest Retirement and Health Care Community, 1900 W. Highway 6, will have a 30th anniversary celebration from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday.

The event will include food, music and door prizes.

The event is open to the public, but advance registration is requested by Monday.

To register, email Nicole Gray at Ngray@dhcgrp.com.

Quilters guild

The Waco Homespun Quilters Guild will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Lakewood Christian Church, 6509 Bosque Blvd.

Attendees will participate in a community service night.

For more information, visit wacohomespunquiltguild.org.

Submit items for Briefly in printed or typed form to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302; or email to goingson@wacotrib.com at least one week before an event.
The McLennan Community College Foundation honored more than 350 student scholarship recipients and seven major donors at its annual Scholarship, Alumni and Donor Recognition Ceremony in September.

The MCC Foundations Highlander Alumni & Friends Association also presented two prestigious awards  the Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Leader awards.

Mary Perez was named the 2016 Distinguished Alumna. Perez, a 2005 graduate of McLennan Community College, obtained her Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Baylor University in 2007 after transferring from MCC. She is a senior associate at Texas Life Insurance Company in Waco and is heavily engaged in the community of Waco by serving on several local nonprofit committees and boards, including organizations like The Cove, Habitat for Humanity, Communities in Schools and the American Cancer Society.

My education at MCC stemmed well beyond linear algebra, differential equations, coefficients of friction, and electron orbits, Perez said. Wonderful instructors and staff not only prepared me to effortlessly matriculate to Baylor, but they also instilled a deep love and commitment to bettering this wonderful community that MCC serves.

Paul Cornejo Bravo, of Waco, was awarded the 2016 Distinguished Leader Award. Bravo graduated from McLennan Community College in 2016 and is pursuing his Bachelor of Business Administration degree at the University of Texas at Austin.

Bravo came to MCC as a Bernard and Audre Rapoport First Generation Scholar. He immediately engaged on campus and led several efforts including the Up to Us campaign that raised awareness of the national debt. He was a member of the Hispanic Student Association, McLennan Honors College and Phi Theta Kappa during his time at MCC.

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MCC photo

McLennan Community College President Johnette McKown (left) and MCC Foundation Executive Director Harry Harelik (right) stand beside honorees Saul Cornejo Bravo and Mary Perez.
Special Envoy Shaarik Zafar Travels to Nigeria

Washington, DC - Special Representative to Muslim Communities Shaarik Zafar will conduct his first official trip to sub-Saharan Africa from October 17-19, traveling to Kano and Abuja, Nigeria. During his trip, he will meet with government officials and representatives from civil society to underscore shared priorities, including promoting educational and economic opportunities and promoting accountable governance.

While in Kano, Special Representative Zafar will offer opening remarks at an inaugural workshop on anti-corruption tools for religious leaders. The workshop will address how religious communities can work together to combat corruption, promote accountability, and encourage transparency. He will also learn about the cultural and religious history of the region. In Abuja, Special Representative Zafar will meet with religious and community leaders and learn of their current challenges and opportunities.
Premier ER and Urgent Care has opened its second Greater Waco location to provide a range of critical and minor-emergency services, this one near University Parks Drive and the Interstate 35 frontage road, next to the Twisted Root Burger Co. and across the highway from Baylor University.

Premier ER is a privately operated emergency center with capabilities usually found in hospital emergency rooms. The new facility will remain open and staffed with physicians 24 hours a day. Registered nurses, radiology technicians and support staffers also will work at the center.

We specialize in unscheduled care, providing the patients with the full spectrum of urgent care and emergency care, said Dr. John Hamilton, president and chief medical officer of Premier, which opened its first facility at 9110 Jordan Lane in Woodway in August 2014.

The company plans to open another location Oct. 24 to serve the Temple and Belton area.

We are committed to doing what is best and right for the patient, Hamilton said in a statement. We provide economic value to our patients, as they are able to enjoy the benefits of urgent care billing for urgent care needs, but also are able to provide comprehensive emergency care to our patients for more complicated and challenging conditions. We want to eliminate the stress for families when deciding where they need to go for their urgent or emergency needs. We provide both well.

The new Premier ER and Urgent Care location will serve the downtown area that is growing with residential and commercial development.

Never be closed

We will never be closed, Hamilton said. We want to be available for our patients both before and after school or work, so they wont have to miss either, if possible.

Premier can provide laboratory services, in addition to X-rays, CT scans and ultrasounds.

Hamilton said a common misconception is that all patients facing emergency medical situations need to be seen in hospitals.

Statistically, more than 85 percent of all ER visits in this community are sent home and dont require a full hospital system, he said. The hospitals in our community, Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest (Medical Center) and Providence Health Center, provide excellent care and are committed to providing the best service for our communitys sickest patients. We have close relationships with both hospitals and all physicians in the area and are serving to assist in reducing the backlog of the less critical patients.

Premier facilitates the relocation of patients who need surgery or need to be treated in a hospital.

Out patients do not have to go to another ER but right to their hospital bed if needed, Hamilton said in the press release. There are no double ER bills and a faster process.

Premier ER and Urgent Care does not participate in Medicare, Medicaid or Tricare but does accept private insurance and would like to accept the public options in the future, he said.

We promise to work with our patients to make sure their insurances do what they are required by law and contracted to do, he said.

During a phone interview, Hamilton said an investment group that includes physicians owns Premier ER and Urgent Care and that 11 doctors and seven physician assistants, or nurse practitioners, are assigned to the two locations. He said about 115 staffers, not including physicians, are employed at the two facilities.

The Urgent Care team typically sees patients suffering sore throats, coughs, colds and simple lacerations, while the ER sees many suffering severe abdominal pain, chest pain or altered mental states. He said it often is faster to be seen at Premier ER and transferred to a hospital because were very focused on expedited testing and care delivery.

Hamilton said hospitals have admitted 600 patients transferred from Premier ER the past two years, and only two were sent to the hospital ER for further evaluation.

Each Premier ER facility represents an investment of between $6 million and $8 million, including the structure that must be built to higher standards because they are devoted to health care, as well as equipment and diagnostic devices to perform CT scans, X-rays, ultrasounds and laboratory work-ups.

Hamilton, who supervised Providence Health Centers emergency operations for 14 years, said Premier ER is performing well financially.

He said investors will break ground next month on a Premier location in San Marcos and also plan to place an Urgent Care location in China Spring next spring.
It was almost a given that 75-year-old Woodway resident The Rev. John Wells would wind up serving in the U.S. military. Not only did his grandfather and father fight in World War I and II, respectively, but Wells discovered a family history of service dating as far back as the American Revolution.

Growing up in such a family may have been one reason Wells joined the U.S. Army. Commissioned through ROTC in 1964 as a second lieutenant, he served first in Germany and then in Vietnam, where an injury ended his tour in Bien Hoa after 11 months. He quickly recovered.

On Jan. 30, 1968, the Tet Offensive began in Vietnam. One of the largest military campaigns conducted by the enemy, many American soldiers were recalled, including Wells. In January 1969, he joined the 25th Infantry, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry for a second tour in Vietnam.

It would be anything but a smooth ride; it would also be a trip that earned him a Silver Star and a Bronze Star with V device, among other awards. It was also during this tour that he would receive his regular Army commission.

Spending time in the jungle

Wells headquarters was located in Cu Chi, but the troops spent most of their time out in the jungle, where he commanded the A Troop in an armored cavalry unit. Its mission, Wells said, was to search and destroy and respond to ambushes.

It was an active area mostly at night, Wells said.

We would find them in the daytime, and night, they would try and sneak in on us, Wells said. They had contact with the enemy at least once a week, he added.

Captain earns Silver Star

Now a captain, it was during an ambush that his actions as leader earned him a Silver Star for heroism in connection with military operations against hostile forces, the citation states. While on a support mission, A Troop came under intense hostile attack. Captain Wells immediately organized an assault on the enemy fortifications and begin directing his mens fire. With complete disregard for his own safety, Captain Wells exposed himself to the holocaust of exploding projectiles as he placed devastating fire on the insurgents neutralizing several enemy emplacements. His valorous actions contributed immeasurably to the success of the mission and the defeat of the enemy force.

There were plenty more accolades during the 25 years of his service. There were also many exciting adventures, especially after he spent time in a helicopter conducting air operations in Vietnam and decided he needed to learn to fly in the event anything happened to the pilot. When he returned to the States, he took a rotary wing aviator course at the U.S. Army Aviation School in 1970.

Over the life of his career, he would rise through the ranks to eventually become colonel. Just a few of his many assignments included executive officer, Troop D (Air Cavalry), 2nd Squadron, 4th Cavalry of the 4th Armored Division in Katterbach, Germany, followed by operations officer in Schwabach, Germany.

He also worked at the Pentagon in Washington and served in Korea for a number of years, where he met his wife, Su Han. They have now been married 35 years and have four children and three grandchildren.

Wells retired from service in 1989 when he learned he was to be sent back to the Pentagon. I knew Id never see a real soldier again, he said.

Finding happiness in church

Instead, he moved his family to Florida and got into land development, but discovered he wasnt happy unless he was in church. Thats when he started the process for holy orders in the Episcopal Church.

Wells moved to Austin to go to seminary, graduating with his Master of Divinity in 1998. He served in a number of places before returning to Waco, where he was the rector of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit for 10 years, before mandatory retirement at age 72. Today, he stills serves as a volunteer chaplain with the Waco Police Department, which he has done for well over a decade.

In addition to his other medals, Wells earned a Purple Heart, several air medals, the Order of the National Security Merit, Sam-il Medal from the Republic of Korea, and three Cross of Gallantry medals with Palm, Bronze Star and Unit awards in the Republic of Vietnam, among others. He also earned a lifesaving award from the Waco Police Department.

But its not the awards he thinks about.

From a theological perspective, my whole life was in preparation for what I do now, he said.

A mission serving and helping others

And, as experience has shown, his real job has been to serve and help others  a mission you could easily say was well accomplished.

Voices of Valor, featuring stories about Central Texas veterans, publishes every Sunday in the Waco Trib. To suggest a story about a Central Texas veteran, email voicesofvalor@wacotrib.com. Voices of Valor is proudly sponsored by Johnson Roofing.
This months astonishing dustup between Baylor University and departing Title IX coordinator Patty Crawford over book and movie rights is troubling but only a minor distraction from the broader, more relevant scenario at hand. And thats the one concerning Baylors much-touted campaign involving campus teams implementing a Philadelphia law firms 105 recommendations to more decisively address matters of sexual assault while squaring Baylor with the U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights, which oversees such prickly matters.

Irony: However Baylor managed to get crossways with its Title IX coordinator  an individual whom it vigorously touted as critical in turning matters at Baylor around  the conflict was enough for Crawford to resign under pressure, fly to New York and blast Baylor on national TV. Especially damning is her formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights, alleging senior leadership at Baylor marginalized and undercut her through the summer and into the fall, even as she significantly increased the number of complaints involving sexual assault and the like.

Given Baylor has been attacked and vilified by victims rights advocates and the national news media for stifling such matters, one might think Baylor would be proud of Crawfords work.

What happened? Perhaps Crawford let all this hopeful talk about her go to her head and became a loose cannon on campus, trying to dominate in areas that either werent hers to dominate or where others resented her intrusion, justifiable or not. Then again, perhaps others failed to grasp the scope of the problem to the degree she did. As she noted in a lengthy Trib interview two months ago, Crawford was constantly conferring with the Department of Education on murky, ever-shifting and controversial Title IX policy.

In short, theres the possibility she and Baylor higher-ups unwittingly acted out the back-and-forth struggles over Title IX guidance that we now see nationwide. Some university and college presidents and prominent law professors see such department guidance as de facto regulation and executive overreach. Others see this as a legitimate, overdue injection of real justice safeguarding students. All this doesnt get much play by news media, but it does underline the tension not only between the federal government and academia but also between campus authorities and administrators all across America.

Such disputes pivot sharply on the question of whether federal officials have precipitously increased the liability of universities and colleges by making them more responsible for resolving sexual-assault matters, treating them almost as courts of law when, in fact, universities and colleges lack such judicial necessities as the power of subpoena. Yet universities are reluctant to ignore this guidance, given its cited as how such institutions can avoid civil rights investigations regarding the handling of complaints of sexual violence.

Terry W. Hartle, the senior vice president for government relations at the American Council on Education, told Inside Higher Ed (which has done excellent reporting on this subject) that federal officials tend to treat this so-called benign guidance as an absolute mandate when civil rights investigations are conducted: In trying to better deal with allegations of sexual assault on campus, a lot of schools would probably try different approaches and consider different things, but a fear of vague federal mandates limits these efforts. They are hamstrung by uncertainty.

An essay by Peter Lake, former Title IX coordinator at Stetson University, notes the pressures of the job, including the need to focus on departments across the campus: It requires eyes virtually everywhere at all times, which is mostly unrealistic and thus exceedingly stressful. As a Title IX coordinator, you usually dont directly supervise many people, but you need a lot of help and cooperation. He also writes of the rigors of keeping up with Department of Education guidance on Title IX: Every day is a new day in Title IX, where business as usual is business unusual.

Did all this play a role in the split between Baylor leaders and Crawford? Almost certainly. Its further evidence that while the awful scourge of sexual assaults must be strongly addressed and victims sensitively handled, awkward questions remain regarding how proper matters of adjudication actually are for alleged sexual assaults when academic institutions are, whatever else, hardly proper courts of law and inquiry.
Donald Trump never accepted losing in business life. Even when he very clearly lost, he simply declared victory and moved on.

His rhetoric the last 12 days suggests he is preparing to follow that blueprint in November. Over and over again, Trump has indulged in the idea of a broad-scale global conspiracy being organized to keep him from being elected. And he has repeatedly used language describing the election as rigged by a Democratic Party and complicit media playing dirty pool.

At a rally on Friday in Greensboro, N.C., Trump leaned into his rigged premise. Given such rhetoric, its difficult to imagine that, if he comes up short to Hllary Clinton, Trump will honorably concede the election.

Despite hopes of many Republicans, Trump isnt going to simply disappear on Nov. 9. This is someone whose entire life has been in pursuit of an ever-bigger spotlight.

Trump has two options for his future in politics, assuming he loses. The first: He works to keep his bloc of voters together post-election and forms some conservative, alternative third party that aims to bash Republicans and Democrats in roughly equal measure. The other: He starts a conservative media/broadcasting company to monetize the loyalty his supporters have for him and the anti-elites, anti-party message he has been pushing.

Trump has shown hes a master of grievance politics in this race. He now seems to be setting up the greatest grievance of all for voters who support him: that their votes dont matter because Hillary Clinton and all of her media enablers have already determined the outcome of this election.

Is that dangerous for democracy? You bet it is.
If as a population we are pro-life in principle, we must demand that protecting the lives of innocent children continue after theyre brought into this world. Certainly, state leaders should demonstrate as much commitment and passion in overhauling Texas Child Protective Services as they did in passing a statewide anti-abortion law in 2013. Young lives hang in the balance  lives no less important because they are beyond the womb.

We were heartened by last weeks joint letter by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus demanding action from the Department of Family and Protective Services on a number of fronts. Their concerns come amid damning statistics that show many children deemed at risk for physical or sexual abuse can go for months without being checked on by Child Protective Services investigators. At least 1,800 children werent seen promptly even after reports of such abuse had been received.

The Austin American-Statesman, which has reported extensively on systemic CPS failures, last month reported that more than 14,000 children statewide  one third of those with open CPS cases  had not been seen by child-abuse investigators between 24 and 72 hours after a report of abuse, the state-mandated time frame in which caseworkers must see children. In short, state workers charged with protecting imperiled children are not always riding to the rescue  not in time, anyway. The number of child-abuse deaths has risen as a result.

All this figures into the broader picture of a demoralized agency in chaos, replete with numerous cases of child-abuse allegations going unaddressed; a lack of suitable foster-care homes available; crushing caseloads that make smart investigation of individual incidents less likely; worker burnout; high personnel turnover; and what department officials say is a $40 million budget shortfall  and at a time when state leaders want agencies to prune budgets.

Abbott, Patrick and Straus demand recently appointed department Commissioner Hank Whitman address a lengthy list of at-risk children awaiting action by CPS; hire and train caseworkers more promptly; and reduce telling incidents of at-risk children sleeping in CPS offices. Fair enough. But in the end, this agency wont be fixed without ensuring caseworkers and investigators have the right credentials and time to look into cases with complicated, sometimes elusive backgrounds and that they be paid better for their work. This all requires money.

Rescuing at-risk kids in Texas isnt a politically correct cause, but it sure ought to be. State leaders shouldnt let this societal failing stop them from pressing overdue reforms and ensuring sufficient investment in CPS in the 2017 legislative session. Only then can we expect life-saving dividends protecting some of our states most vulnerable.
Malcolm Turnbull dined with Rupert Murdoch's senior Australian editors in Canberra on Sunday as the government pushes ahead with plans to reform national media ownership laws.

Mr Turnbull hosted an informal lunch with News Corp Australia editors at The Lodge in Canberra ahead of the resumption of Parliament on Monday.

The guest list is understood to have included editor of The Australian, Paul Whittaker, Chris Dore from Sydney's Daily Telegraph, the Herald Sun's Damon Johnston, and Courier Mail boss Lachlan Heywood.

It comes weeks after editors from Fairfax Media met with Mr Turnbull at an afternoon tea event in Sydney.
Mathew Carpenter believed that the viral attention being enjoyed by other brands could propel his new online business idea to global stardom.

So, he set out to build a light-hearted business idea as an experiment and see how far he could get news to spread by harnessing the power of the internet.

Mathew Carpenter turned glitter into cash. Credit:Dorota Pankowska

Mr Carpenter launched Ship Your Enemies Glitter in January 2015, which allows people to ship their enemy an envelope full of glitter. But he needed sales, so looked for ways to spread the word that his online store was open for business.

He focused on making the website stand out on content aggregators such as Reddit and Product Hunt, which are both popular content hunting grounds for the media, he says.
Beirut: Syrian rebels say they've captured the village of Dabiq from Islamic State, forcing the jihadist group from a stronghold where it has promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West.

Its defeat at Dabiq on Sunday, which was long a mainstay of Islamic State's propaganda, underscores the group's declining fortunes this year as it suffered battlefield defeats in Syria and Iraq and lost a string of senior leaders in targeted air strikes.

The group, whose lightning advance through swathes of the two countries and declaration that it had established a new caliphate stunned world leaders in 2014, is now girding for an offensive against Iraq's Mosul, its most prized possession.

The rebels, backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, took Dabiq and neighbouring Soran after clashes on Sunday morning, said Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the fighting.
Steve Bannon, right, campaign CEO for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, looks on during a national security meeting with advisers. Credit:AP Stone is a noted conspiracy theorist. You can see his fingerprints in Trump's claims in the dying days of the primary campaign that Ted Cruz's father had a hand in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He has successfully monetised his claims and his notoriety. His Twitter feed is a mix of slander of Trump's opponents and spruiking of his own books, Jeb and the Bush Crime Family and The Clintons' War on Women, from which Trump is now cribbing his attacks on Hillary Clinton for Bill Clinton's alleged rapes. Stone is close to Alex Jones, the gravel voice behind the fringe-right web news outfit Infowars and a nationally syndicated radio show. Jones believes  or at least tells his listeners he believes  that the government conducted the Sandy Hook massacre in order to justify gun confiscations and that the moon landing was faked. A Trump supporter at rally in Florida. Credit:AP He and Stone received an ovation at a fringe event they hosted in Cleveland during the Republican National Convention attended by Fairfax Media. He leapt on stage and began his speech yelling "Hillary for prison". That night the chant "Lock her up" thundered around the convention arena for the first time. This week after the chant broke out at a rally in Florida, Trump snarled into his microphone, "She should be locked up".

Stone was bumped from the campaign after calling a CNN personality a "stupid negro" and a "fat negro", but he remains close to Trump and claims to be the organisation's back channel to WikiLeaks, which is publishing damaging private emails hacked from the Democratic Party. He boasted in a recent interview that his plan for victory was to have Trump win the debates and leave it to WikiLeaks to finish Clinton off. Roger Stone's days in the dark arts of electioneering go back to the Nixon era. Credit:New York Times Trump's first campaign manager was Corey Lewandowski who was also sacked from the campaign, in his case after he was charged with battery after forcefully grabbing a young female reporter who was seeking to ask a question of Trump. (The prosecution did not proceed.) The reporter happened to work for another far-right conspiracy-prone news outfit that backed Trump, Breitbart News, which attracts more than 20 million unique users a month. In a twist of fate  or circumstance  that could only make sense in this election, he was replaced by that reporter's boss, Breitbart News executive chairman Steve Bannon. Many of Bannon's staff were disgusted and some quit, complaining that "Breitbart's unabashed embrace of Mr Trump, particularly at the seeming expense of its own reporter, struck them as a betrayal of its mission,"The New York Times reported. Bannon, who left the navy only to make his fortune as a Goldman Sachs banker, was described in a Bloomberg profile last year as the most dangerous political operative in America. Bannon is an unabashed populist conservative, as mistrustful of establishment Republicans as he is of those in the Democratic Party.

Through Breitbart News, Bannon managed to stir up the Republican insurrection that saw the party's most senior figure, John Boehner, ousted as Speaker of the House of Representatives. It is not hard to see his words in Donald Trump's mouth as Trump attacks the current house speaker, Paul Ryan in his current speeches. According to emails obtained by the Daily Beast, Bannon actively sought to have a grass roots movement take off to destroy the Congressional leadership of the Republican Party in 2014. "Leadership are all c---s," he wrote. "We should just go buck wild." And later, "Let the grassroots turn on the hate because that's the ONLY thing that will make them do their duty." For months now Republican Party elders have struggled to find a way to manage Trump's takeover of their party. it must have dawned on them by now that he is not running what they would recognise as a Republican political campaign. Indeed Trump himself keeps telling his audiences that they are part of a "a movement, a beautiful movement".

Trump's arrival might have appeared sudden, but the party itself prepared the ground for it. For years it pandered to the far right, and it enjoyed the narrative created by conservative media like Fox News that the Obama administration was entirely corrupt, wrong in each of its actions, in thought and deed. It opposed all administration legislation as a matter of strategy. This worked to block a number of President Barack Obama's initiatives, but as Congress ground to a halt it served also to further damage the faith of the American electorate in the political process. Today congressional job approval stands at 14.5 per cent. The general mistrust of politics and politicians that was established by the strategy of obstruction damaged the Republican Party as much or more than it did the Democratic Party, at least at the congressional level. Through the fissures in trust that opened up poured the likes of Donald Trump, along with his advisers and enablers, men like Jones and Lewandowski and Bannon. Over the same period the power of the old media waned, victim not only to its own failings but to changing technology. The new media  outfits like Breitbart News  secured sections of the fragmented audience.

The news they served that audience reinforced a vision of out-of-touch elites working against the interests of everyday Americans, the vision that Trump has so effectively harnessed under the tutelage of Bannon. On Thursday afternoon in Ocala in rural northern Florida, Trump's language took on an even more dark and apocalyptic tone. "This election will determine whether we remain a free country in the truest sense of the word or we become a corrupt banana republic controlled by large donors and foreign governments," he told the crowd. "The election of Hillary Clinton would lead to the destruction of our country." Dark forces, he said, were behind not just claims about his own behaviour, but Clinton's lead in the polls. "There's a whole deal going on there. I mean, you know. There's a whole deal going on and figure it out. I always figure things out. But there's a whole sinister deal going on.

"Crooked Hillary wants to end forever the American independence that our founders gave us. Our great founders are spinning in their graves, our founders are spinning in their graves." After Trump laid out his conspiracy theory to an audience of around 12,000 I asked a woman if she truly believed what she had heard, that every institution from the Commission for Presidential Debates, to the FBI, to Paul Ryan himself, The New York Times, unnamed global financial interests, were somehow out to get Trump because he was the only hope of the common people. "Yes", she said, "the media is all bought and paid for. You don't know what is really going on." The Republican Party is in shock. It is one thing to traduce political enemies, another to disrupt the smooth transfer of power distinctive to advanced Western democracies. Only obscure members of Congress appeared on Thursday and Friday's news programs to defend Trump and his theories.

Some prominent party figures, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have called upon Trump to stop claiming the election was being rigged unless he could provide evidence. "I believe that the country will survive long after I'm gone but the country really is a process and the election process I think we need to respect it rather than create doubt about it. Americans have enough to worry about already," he told CNN last week. "Let's don't suggest the election's rigged." But Trump shows no sign letting up, and nor does his war council. Loading "If you can't have an honest election, nothing else counts," Stone said in an interview with Breitbart News, predicting widespread pro-Trump protests should Clinton win the election.
Brigadier General Paige B. Hunter never expected to soar through the ranks of the military. Once a young second lieutenant in 1983, Hunter is now the commander of the West Virginia.

"When i joined many many moons ago, it wasn't an option. Now as time has passed women have more options," Hunter says.

She is the first female brigadier general in West Virginia. And in her almost 30 years of service, the role of women in the military has very much changed.

Hunter said when she first entered women were focused on nursing and administration, but Hunter did not let that stigma hold her back.

"When I joined, I joined the intelligence field which wasn't the norm back then. But since, I've worked hard and becomes a team member, which is the most important thing," she says.

it was not always easy though. As Hunter mentioned women were once held to a stereotype, but it is not like that any longer.

"Now women hold all kinds of roles and ranks throughout the military," she says.

Hunter dedicates her success to her family who've always supported her, but understand the commitment it takes to serve in the national guard, because they've done it themselves.

"My father was in our unit for 41 years. My husband has served for 36 years. Although my mother never wore a uniform, she's served everyday that we've served because she supports us," she says.

Hunter also had some advice for any young females looking to follow i her footsteps.

"Set your goals and work toward them. You can do anything," Hunter concluded.
VeriFone Systems, Inc. provides payments and commerce solutions at the point of sale (POS) worldwide. It offers countertop solutions that accept payment options, including contactless, NFC, mobile wallets, and EMV; PIN pads that support credit and debit card, EBT, EMV, and other PIN-based transactions; and multilane consumer facing commerce devices. It also provides portable payment devices, including small, portable, and handheld devices that enable merchants to accept electronic payments wherever wireless connectivity is available; and mobile solutions that attach to and interface with iOS or Android based smartphones and tablets. In addition, it offers integrated electronic payment systems that combine electronic payment processing, fuel dispensing, and ECR functions, as well as secure payment systems for integration with petroleum pump controllers; unattended and self-service payment solutions designed to enable payment transactions in self-service, high-transaction volume, and public transportation environments; and network access solutions. Further, it provides installation, deployment, training, and application development and delivery solutions; project management, client education program, and consulting services; helpdesk support, equipment repair and maintenance, and software post-contract support services; and application libraries and development tools. Additionally, it offers omnichannel commerce, terminal management, and security solutions; and cloud-based managed, transaction payment, and other value added services. It sells its products directly; and through third party and channel partners. It serves financial institutions, payment processors, government organizations, and retailers; petroleum, transportation, and healthcare companies; and quick service restaurants. The company was formerly known as VeriFone Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to VeriFone Systems, Inc. in May 2010. VeriFone Systems, Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.
Congressman and Col. Help WSU Mark Veterans Day

November 2, 2015

OGDEN, Utah  Weber State University will hold a series of Veterans Day events Nov. 11 that culminate with a 4:30 p.m. ceremony, A Light to Remember, at the Stewart Bell Tower Plaza.

The evening tribute will feature Rep. Rob Bishop; Col. David Lyons, commander of Hill Air Force Bases 388th Fighter Wing, and WSU President Charles A. Wight. The illumination of a large searchlight will represent the search for veterans who have not returned home and the bright future for veterans at WSU.

Light resembles life, said Dean Austin, Veterans Senator for the WSU Student Association and event organizer. We are still here and we are still living. But at the same time, the military is searching for those who didnt make it back. The light also represents Weber States role in helping military members find their way into the future.

Veterans Day events will begin at WSU with a display of military equipment and Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) tasting from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Shepherd Union Atrium.

Dans Car, a 2005 Subaru Impreza STi with airbrushed paintings honoring U.S. Army Specialist Daniel Dolan, will be displayed in the Stewart Bell Tower Plaza. Dolan was a 19-year-old Ogden native and soldier killed in 2006 during a combat operation in Baghdad, Iraq.

The names of Utahs fallen service members since Sept. 11, 2001 will be read at 11:11 a.m. in the Shepherd Union Atrium. A free buffet in the Hurst Center Dumke Legacy Hall for all veteran students, staff and faculty will follow the reading. A private awards ceremony will honor nine individuals for their military service or veterans advocacy.

The public is invited to the 4:30 p.m. ceremony at the Bell Tower, which also will include choir music, taps, a presentation of the colors and a 21-gun salute performed by a World War II reenactment group.

We are trying to bring in a lot of World War II veterans, Austin said. To be able to sit with these heroes that lived through wars and reflect on freedom is one of the greatest things that we can do.

For a detailed schedule and more information about the WSU Veterans Day events, visit weber.edu/vetaffairs/veteransday.html.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

For high resolution photos, please visit the following link:

wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Student-Affairs-Departments/Student-Life/Veterans-Upward-Bound/Veterans-Awards/n-WSZJx
By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 16, 2016 | 08:11 AM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY, KY

A traffic stop early Saturday led to the arrest of a Paducah man on drug charges.

According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Office, deputies stopped a car for traffic violations at around 1:30 am. Deputies said the driver, 33-year-old Justin Lumbley, was driving without a license.

During a search of the car, deputies found and seized over an ounce of methamphetamine along with a set of digital scales. Lumbley was arrested and charged with trafficking methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and two traffic offenses.

He was lodged in the McCracken County Regional Jail.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 15, 2016 | 11:47 PM | BENTON, KY

A two-vehicle crash Friday morning in Marshall County sent one person to the hospital.

The Marshall County Sheriff's Office says the collision happened at approximately 10:25 am on KY 348, approximately three miles west of Benton. Deputies said 21-year-old Craig A. Madden of Symsonia was traveling east on KY 348 when his vehicle left the right side of the road.

Madden over-corrected and his vehicle crossed into the path of a vehicle driven by 63-year-old Lonnie N. Tynes of Benton. The vehicles collided and left the road.

Tynes was transported by Marshall County EMS to Marshall County Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
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River may fall enough to resume walking to Tower Rock
By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 16, 2016 | 05:24 PM | MAYFIELD, KY

The Mayfield Police Department welcomes its newest member, Officer Zachary Stewart, badge number 540. Stewart graduated on Oct. 7 from the Department of Criminal Justice Training in Richmond.

The primary mission of the Basic Training Branch is providing the foundation for new law enforcement officers. The twenty-two week academy is an intense learning experience for each student. Using adult-learning concepts, the DOCJT provides the foundation for success for an entry-level law enforcement officer.

Law Enforcement Basic Training involves many areas of training in a residential setting. The 928-hour curriculum is a mentally and physically demanding challenge. Using a multi-faceted approach, recruits receiven instruction in law enforcement in a disciplined environment, stressing the Basic Training Creed.

Officer Stewart will be paired with a veteran Officer for an additional two months of field training before being permanently assigned to a patrol shift.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 16/10/2016 (2206 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A massive police presence in the 400 block of College Avenue early Sunday morning saw multiple people taken into custody at a residence just after a robbery occurred in the area, police said.

Cst. Jason Michalyshen said police responded to a call at about 3:20 a.m. with the tactical support and canine units as well as the ARV1 vehicle.

He said the individuals removed from the home are suspects in the incident and are in custody.

BORIS MINKEVICH / FREE PRESS FILES The police tactical support team used their new armoured vehicle to secure the area and escorted several people out of the home

Were talking about a robbery, were talking about the potential of violence, were talking about the potential of weapons and individuals who were potentially held up within that residence, were not taking any chances with respect to public safety and the safety of our own members and we did utilize appropriate resources, Michalyshen said.

He said more information will be available later as the investigation is in its early stages.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 15/10/2016 (2207 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Buskers in Winnipeg say they feel welcome, but more information needs to be available about rules regarding public places.

That was the result of a report presented Friday at the citys committee on protection, community services and parks that stated no busker bylaw is necessary, only the clarification of existing rules.

We dont need to create any more bylaws for busker. We want to encourage buskers to come to our city and continue to make our city lively and vibrant, Coun. Mike Pagtakhan said.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Living statue Cody Creed likes the upbeat atmosphere of The Forks.

To share information about the guidelines in the Neighbourhood Liveability Bylaw, Pagtakhan said the city will create a link on the citys website: winnnipeg.ca.

We just need to know what the rules are, said Brad Atkinson, 44, who was playing his guitar in the food court at The Forks Saturday afternoon.

I absolutely feel welcome in this city.

Atkinson said he busks in some of the downtown skywalks on weekdays and has never had any problems.

People actually enjoy me playing the skywalks, and at the building at the corner of Graham (Avenue) and Fort (Street), the security guard there always brings me coffee or drinks.

He said the owner of the building said, Let this guy play whenever he wants  people enjoy his music, Atkinson said.

Braeden Stawychny, 20, said he had a marble thrown at him once while busking at The Forks, but security staff looked after the situation.

The marble dented my guitar. The security guard went right up to the guy and turned him over to the police. You feel safe here, Stawychny said.

Cody Creed, the golden living statue who was astounding people Saturday outside The Forks main building, said he only busks at The Forks because of the upbeat atmosphere and large amount of foot traffic.

This is my first year being gold, and I love it. I come to The Forks, I wait until I see about 400 people smile, and I go home, said Creed, 38, who has been busking for three years, but is a teacher at Montcalm School when hes not painted gold.

My favourite is when people argue right in front of me whether Im real or not. Thats a big compliment. But if a little kid comes up and wants a high-five, Im totally high-fiving them!

Idrissa Turay, 53, may be the longest-serving busker at The Forks as he is in his seventh year, playing sweet reggae tunes on his guitar near the elevator by the food court.

He said he has played at other public locations but he feels valued at The Forks.

I dont know what they go through downtown, but Ive heard buskers say they have felt a little harassed or ignored but mostly ignored, Turay said.

I choose not to do busking on the streets because here you get the audience who actually listen and pay attention to you. As long as you can captivate the people with your music, Ive never felt ignored.

Bill Derksen, 75, was firing up his fiddle Saturday at The Forks.

We can busk any time we want to, but there are rules here  a half hour at a time, not more than twice a day at one station, and look decent. I do the best I can, laughed the retired music professor.

Pagtakhan said buskers are an important part of a vibrant city where the arts are valued.

As long as theyre not causing any disturbances or safety issues, we welcome buskers, really, anywhere, he said.

City hall, this is a public space and we want to encourage buskers to use the public space here and animate it where possible.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 16/10/2016 (2206 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Supports are severely lacking in Manitoba for abusive partners hoping to change their behaviour, the co-ordinator of Manitobas womens shelter association says.

Statistics Canada has reported 50 per cent of Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since they turned 16. With resources mostly focused on the victim, the abuser is left for the justice system to deal with, said Deena Brock, the provincial co-ordinator for the Manitoba Association of Womens Shelters.

Not a lot of resources are available for the abuser, Brock said.

OJO IMAGES / REX FEATURES Some organizations wont help abusers who are facing charges, and most abusers wont seek help until the justice system is already involved.

It is all handled under the Criminal Code. There are so many issues with domestic violence and the justice system.

Brock said shelters often receive calls from abusers saying they have been ordered by the court to receive counselling. These services range from domestic violence counselling to anger management. Shelters are not allowed to offer private services to the abuser, only the victims, so they often have to turn the abuser away. In rural Manitoba, there are limited resources available.

Its not an easy thing for the abuser to get counselling. To me, thats a crime, Brock said.

All the focus is put on the victim to fix it, and nothing is put on the abuser. Instead of forcing women away from their families, communities, homes, and away from their support systems, which is what we presently do, we should be forcing the abuser out. We should be making him deal with it, not her.

Abusers who are convicted and sentenced to jail time often lead an easier life behind bars than women living in a domestic violence shelter, Brock said. Through government support, a woman in a shelter is provided $1.90 a day for personal use. Her abuser makes $2.20 to $4.70 per day behind bars in a provincial jail.

In a jail, the abuser gets TV, free room and board; he gets education. He gets all those things. A women goes into the shelter and she lives in poverty, Brock said.

She has a community TV. There is no Internet. They have to share a bathroom with other women and children. There is hardly any privacy. They get a room, but thats about it. Compared to a guy in jail, she gets nothing. Id take the jail any day.

Manitobas rates for violence against women were double the national rate in 2011. About 12 per cent of all violent crime arrests in Canada result from domestic violence, Statistics Canada figures show.

The Canadian Womens Foundation says women who leave a partner and raise children on their own are five times more likely to live in poverty than if they had stayed. This is one of the reasons women feel forced to stay in abusive relationships, which disguises the problem, Brock said.

Ive had social workers who work (for) the province of Manitoba tell me, Oh, domestic violence doesnt really happen much anymore, Brock said.

I just look at them with a stunned look and think how wrong they are. There are people who work for government services who believe domestic violence isnt an issue. We need to start there.

  

Couples who are living through domestic violence dont seem to get the help they need, either.

Family counselling can be effective, Brock said, but it is often difficult because it is usually forced on the abuser.

When there is a unequal balance of power, there is no way you can mediate that, she said.

They sometimes force women into mediation with males who are abusive, especially with custody cases, and it is a disaster. Thats the whole issue: quit forcing the women, and make the man step up and get the help, too.

Susan Spindler has been working as a support worker at Nova House Inc. in Selkirk, a shelter for women, since 2009. For a woman to stay at the shelter, she must participate in mandatory group and individual counselling, she said.

These services are not often given to the abusers unless they seek it out or it is mandated by a court. This is especially a problem in remote northern communities in Manitoba.

We have a woman here who came from the north, Spindler said. She had to pay someone $300 one-way to bring her out here to the shelter. She had to leave her community, her support system, and pay someone a lot of money so she could feel safe. The abuser gets to stay right where he is. 

All the focus is put on the victim to fix it, and nothing is put on the abuser Deena Brock, provincial co-ordinator for the Manitoba Association of Womens Shelters

The U.S. passed Americas Violence Against Women Act in 1994, but Canadas Criminal Code doesnt have a specific domestic violence law. Domestic violence can include anything from assault to property damage.

Michael Dyck, a Winnipeg criminal defence lawyer, says once the justice system is involved, the accused abuser may see their charges diverted away from the court system if they attend counselling.

Sometimes, the accused can agree to complete counselling as directed. If they are facing a simple charge on the lower end of the spectrum, and if the Crown attorney makes that determination, they give that option to the accused. The accused has to agree to it, or they can reject it, Dyck said.

Most of the time they agree to it since they wont end up with a criminal record. It wouldnt really make sense not to.

Though there are supports in Winnipeg that offer services to male abusers, such as the Klinic Evolve mens program, Klinic will not work with anyone who faces criminal charges. Typically, abusers wont seek help until the justice system is already involved.

  

Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre in Winnipeg hosts one of the only programs of its kind in Manitoba. It offers a program called Spirit of Peace for those who are living in violent situations. The program encourages healthy relationships free from violence. It has been so successful that courts are referring accused abusers to it.

Joan Prysiazniuk, the womens program facilitator, said the program is usually full and works with men and women separately. The program offers educational advice along with counselling services. The program runs 50 weeks out of the year and focuses on personal development.

A 16-week intensive program that focuses on intense behavioural therapy is also offered. The program provides services for children and focuses on healing each member of the family. They focus on changing the lifestyle rather than just the behaviour.

Even though the program typically services those who are referred by the courts, it is open to everyone. The program is one of the only services offered to abusers in Manitoba before or after the justice system is involved. In most cases, the accused abuser must attend in order to meet court requirements. It is rare for abusers to seek out the program before the courts are involved.

With limited resources available, Brock said public education about the lack of services for abusers needs to be the first step. It should start with education early on in the school system, especially in Manitobas remote communities, she said. Brock said educating children early about abusive behaviour would bring positive change.

You have a high population in Manitoba that live remotely on reserves. The policing is extremely limited (or) non-existent, she said.

A lot of people feel they can do anything they want and get away with it, and they do. I know myself, working in Churchill, there were only four RCMP officers. Police need to do community work and go into the schools and explain what is right and what is wrong. Not just remotely, but in urban areas as well.

Catherine Ryczak is a senior journalism student in the creative communications program at Red River College. This article was the product of a feature-writing assignment.

@catherineryczak
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This article was published 16/10/2016 (2206 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Meeting for makers

Have idle hands? The sixth annual Made by You Makers Event is today from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Holy Cross Gymnasium Hall. Learn up to three new crafts, including needle felting and Metis beadwork. For inspiration, check out the local artists showing off their skills. General admission is $5, and a workshop pass is $25. Tickets can be bought at the venue or online at www.mcml.ca.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Young girls make placards to carry in the Take Back the Night March in September 2013.

Have a gas with Glasswick

Calgarian-turned-Winnipegger Dan Glasswick is at Rumors Restaurant and Comedy Club Tuesday. Described as sarcastic and offbeat, he has performed for the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and Just for Laughs Showcase. Also, Rumors is running a pretty sweet two-for-one deal for $12. The show starts at 8 p.m.

Chew for change

On Wednesday, more than 65 restaurants across Canada will be donating their dinner proceeds in support of healthy food programs. Local participants include Pizzeria Gusto, Enoteca and Deer + Almond. Its recommended you make a reservation, so call in advance. For more information, go to www.restaurantsforchange.ca.

Student screenings

The UWpg Film Fest, a free three-day event, offers a mix of learning and viewing. On Wednesday and Thursday, there will be a workshop and panel, followed by a screening of some short flicks. Friday includes a screening, an awards ceremony and the closing reception. Events start at 7 p.m. nightly at the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film (400 Colony St.).

Night moves

Take Back the Night is a movement to end violence against women, and this years event starts with a rally at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, followed by a march at 7 p.m. The walk will kick off at the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre at 45 Robinson St.

Haunted jaunt

Halloween is creeping closer, and for those looking to celebrate early, Six Pines is offering its spooky attractions all month long. Theres family fun by day and a scary experience at night for those 16 and older. Fear by Night has new themes this year, including a twist on the classic Little Red Riding Hood tale. Six Pines is located just north of the city on Sturgeon Road. The ticket booth opens at 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and admission is $30.

Get physical

Its chilly outside, but theres still time to enjoy the outdoors before the big freeze. FortWhyte Alive is hosting a Nordic walking session  described as a total-body version of walking  Saturday. The group leaves at 10 a.m. for the hour-long walk and a half-walk, which is free with admission.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 16/10/2016 (2206 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Oct. 8 air strike that blasted a funeral in Sanaa did more than kill approximately 140 civilians and wound 500: it drew rare attention to Saudi Arabias 20-month war in Yemen and strained its alliance with the United States, which is reconsidering its military support for the campaign.

Critics say it is time for the West to abandon its embarrassing alliance with Saudi Arabia. How, they ask, can the West denounce the carnage in Syria when its own ally is bombing civilians in Yemen? If the Saudis, with western support, can intervene to defend the government of Yemen, why should Russia not defend President Bashar al-Assads regime in Syria?

Morally and perhaps legally, the U.S. and the United Kingdom are implicated in Saudi actions. They sell warplanes and munitions to the Saudi regime and also provide air-refuelling and help with targeting. What is more, critics say, Saudi Arabia is a woeful ally against jihadism. Indeed, it inflames global extremism through its export of intolerant Wahhabi doctrines.

Hani Mohammed ./ the associated press Tribesmen loyal to Houthi rebels hold guns and chant slogans during a rally in Sanaa aimed at mobilizing more fighters.

These arguments have strength. On balance, though, the West should not forsake the Saudis. Instead, it should seek to restrain the damage of their air campaign and, ultimately, to bring it to an end. Western support cannot be unconditional, however.

Start with the moral balance. The two conflicts are both horrible, but not equally so. About 10,000 people have died in Yemen  too many, but far fewer than the 400,000 or more who have died in Syria.

The Saudi-led coalition has not used poison gas, though it has been careless and probably worse. It has bombed several hospitals. The blockade of Yemen and the damage to its infrastructure are causing dire hardship. Famine looms, with half the country going hungry or malnourished.

The political context is different, too. The Assad dynasty took power in a coup and kept it through brutality. Its crushing of peaceful protests in 2011, and the indiscriminate killing it has carried out since then, removed what speck of legitimacy it still had. By contrast, President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi of Yemen, though weak and flawed, at least presided over a broad coalition established through United Nations-backed negotiations after the resignation of former strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Shia Houthis and Saleh, backed by Iran, overturned that deal by force. They often fire missiles at Saudi cities, which cause limited damage but are indiscriminate.

The West has little reason to join the war, but has much at stake if it goes wrong. Al-Qaidas local arm has been strengthened, and even took over the port of al-Mukalla for a time. The Houthis have started firing missiles at ships in the Bab al-Mandab strait, one of the worlds vital sea lanes. America launched limited cruise-missile strikes against Houthi-controlled radar sites after attempts to attack one of its warships.

The Wests involvement derives from its long alliance with the al-Sauds, which dates back nearly a century, as well as its extensive commercial interests in the Persian Gulf. Through the decades, Saudi monarchs have put up with many American blunders in the Middle East  the 2003 invasion of Iraq, for example. They were shocked by how the West abandoned the former Egyptian dictator, Hosni Mubarak, during the mass protests of 2011. Last years deal between the U.S. and Iran to restrict the latters nuclear program, and U.S. President Barack Obamas offhand tone about the Saudis, deepened their fear of abandonment. Congressional approval for a bill to allow the families of victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia, overriding Obamas veto, is evidence the disenchantment is mutual.

Nonetheless, there are good reasons for the West to maintain ties to Saudi Arabia. The alternative to the al-Sauds is not liberalism but some form of radical Islamism. Saudi Arabia is the worlds biggest oil exporter and also the guardian of Islams two holiest shrines  better these be in the hands of a friendly power than a hostile one. Belatedly, Saudi Arabia has become a vital partner in the fight against jihadists, and it is better placed than the West to challenge their ideology.

The chaos of the Middle East stems at least in part from Sunni Arabs sense of dispossession. The best hope of containing the mess is to work with Sunni powers such as Saudi Arabia.

Hani Mohammed ./ the associated press Members of the Higher Council for Civilian Community Organization inspect a destroyed funeral hall as they protest against last weekends deadly Saudi-led airstrike on a funeral hall in Sanaa, Yemen.

The West should stay close to the Saudis, uncomfortable though this may be. It must encourage them to reform economically and politically, while acknowledging Persian Gulf leaders concerns about the spread of Iranian influence.

Western support cannot be a blank cheque, as America bluntly puts it. The more the West helps Saudi Arabia wage war in Yemen, the more it becomes liable for potential war crimes. If the Saudis want to fight with western weapons, they must respect the laws of war.

Above all, the West should use its influence to help the Saudis end the bloody stalemate. They should promote a reasonable power-sharing settlement that includes the Houthis. That would make Yemen a model for the future of Syria, not a pale copy of it.

 Economist
I will leave public life in January after eight years of serving in the Minnesota Legislature and 15 years in elected office. One of the accomplishments of which I am most proud  and will most miss  is the Purple Caucus.

The Purple Caucus was begun four years ago on a simple premise  that as legislators we are Minnesotans first, and other labels second. These other labels matter  they represent core principles and convictions which motivate each one of us to run for office and represent our constituents.

But our most important label is being Minnesotans. That label compels us once elected to find common ground; to find ways to work together; to find ways to solve the major issues facing Minnesota.

I was so fortunate to find in Sen. Jeremy Miller a willing partner in this work. I am a DFLer from Duluth, he is a Republican from Winona. We represent different political parties, and opposite corners of the state. But we both agreed that the process at the Capitol could work better  that it had to work better.

Over the course of the past few sessions, we have grown a group that comprises nearly one-third of the Minnesota Senate. Tellingly, these members are largely younger, newer, and from nonpartisan backgrounds like school boards and city councils.

I have found Sen. Miller to be thoughtful, hardworking, and willing to listen. All excellent qualities in any elected official. I have enjoyed our time working together and getting to know him better. I consider him a friend. I feel better leaving the Legislature knowing good people like Jeremy are willing to continue serving.

Our most important label is being Minnesotans. That label compels us once elected to find common ground; to find ways to work together; to find ways to solve the major issues facing Minnesota.
The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will once again be stopping in Columbus.

This year, the train will roll into town on Tuesday, Dec. 6, with an expected arrival time of 9:05 p.m. and a show by Kelly Prescott and Colin James scheduled from 9:15 to 9:45 p.m.

The city and Chamber of Commerce are making plans to host additional activities while people await the train. A food drive is also being organized to aid the Crossroads Pantry.
1966

Major H. Jerabek of the U.S. Marine Corps presented Captain Dennis Mietzel of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, with a gold and silver star, for meritorious service while performing combat support missions in South Vietnam.

Pastor Gerhardt Cares has accepted the call extended by Zion Lutheran Church and will be moving here Nov. 2. Pastor Cares has been at a church in Cleveland, Wisconsin. He is 35 years old and he and his wife have two daughters and a son.

1976

The Highway 151 bypass around Columbus will open to traffic on Oct. 15 and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on that date. Selections by the Columbus High School Band will be performed and brief remarks will be made by Gov. Patrick Lucey.

The Columbus Community Hospital will soon have three new doctors on its medical staff. Dr. Craig Campbell will begin his surgical practice and have offices in the Columbus Clinic. The second new physician is Dr. Virgil Sharp and will practice family medicine at the Waterloo Clinic. Dr. John Poser will be assisting his father, Dr. Bob Poser, and his uncle, Dr. Chub Poser, until the end of January 1977.

1986

A Chicago-bound Amtrak train carrying 2,321 passengers derailed at the Main Street intersection in Fall River, killing one crew member. 30 injured passengers were taken to Columbus Community Hospital with four passengers being admitted to the hospital.

The Columbus Antique Mall and Museum will hold a grand opening for its museum area. The museum contains displays of souvenirs from the 1893 Worlds Columbian Exposition held in Chicago and Christopher Columbus souvenirs.

1996

To celebrate 100 years of providing water to the city of Columbus, Columbus Water & Light is giving away 20 trees. Available trees are ash, linden, honey locust and maple.

New officers were installed at a recent Kiwanis meeting. The officers are John Walcott, Dr. Jim Beck, Brian Geiger and Jim Schieble. Also installed was Lt. Gov. Christine Behl. Behl is responsible for eight clubs in Division 14 and is a third generation Kiwanian.
The evening will include a presentation by the lodges 2016 U.N. Pilgrimage delegates and information about applying for the 2017 trip. To be eligible, a student must be at least 16 years old at the time of the trip and have at least one year of high school remaining when they return.
BP, plc, once known as British Petroleum, is one of the worlds 7 oil & gas supermajors with operations spanning the globe. In terms of revenue, it ranks 4th on the list and the company is vertically integrated as well with operations in all segments of the oil and gas sector. Operations are currently underway in 80 countries around the world, the company can produce 3.7 million barrels of oil equivalents per day, and it lays claim to nearly 20 billion barrels in proven reserves. On the retail end of the business, the company operates more than 18,700 fuel stations and its largest segment is in the US.

The company was founded in 1908 with the purpose of exploring for and producing oil in the middle east. The company expanded into Alaska in 1959 and then accelerated its expansion when it merged with Amoco in 1998. Another merger with Burhman Castrol in 2000 created the company that is traded today.

BP, plc rebranded itself in 2000 giving new meaning to its name. The once British Petroleum is now Beyond Petroleum and focused on a major shift in its business. The company is working hard to move away from non-renewable carbon-based energy and into biofuels, solar, and wind. The company hopes to be net-zero in regard to carbon emissions and production by 2050 or earlier and is well on the way to doing so. Among the many avenues of advance are the build-out of solar and wind farms as well as the expansion of a major EV charging network. The network totaled more than 9,000 stations around the middle of 2022 and expansion was ramping in order to meet the goal of 100,000 EV stations before 2050.

BP p.l.c. currently operates through 4 segments including Gas & Low Carbon Energy, Oil Production & Operations, Customers & Products, and Rosneft segments. The company produces and trades in natural gas and oil liquids, offers biofuels, and operates wind and solar power generating facilities. The company also provides de-carbonization solutions and services, such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, as part of its green agenda.

In addition, it produces and refines oil and gas for its downstream operations as well as invests in upstream, downstream, and alternative energy companies including advanced mobility. Advanced mobility is the future of transportation and includes technologies like EV, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cells. To that end, the company is building 7 hydrogen production and storage hubs in key locations around the world. The company aims to produce blue and green hydrogen for the global transportation industry with production beginning in 2027. Blue hydrogen is hydrogen captured from the companys natural gas deposits using a process that captures the waste carbon.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic medicines, specialty medicines, and biopharmaceutical products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company offers sterile products, hormones, high-potency drugs, and cytotoxic substances in various dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, transdermal patches, ointments, and creams. It also develops, manufactures, and sells active pharmaceutical ingredients. In addition, it focuses on the central nervous system, pain, respiratory, and oncology areas. Its products in the central nervous system include Copaxone for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; AJOVY for the preventive treatment of migraine; and AUSTEDO for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia and chorea associated with Huntington disease. The company's products in the respiratory market comprise ProAir, QVAR, ProAir Digihaler, AirDuo Digihaler, and ArmonAir Digihaler, BRALTUS, CINQAIR/CINQAERO, DuoResp Spiromax, and AirDuo RespiClick/ArmonAir RespiClick for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its products in the oncology market include Bendeka, Treanda, Granix, Trisenox, Lonquex, and Tevagrastim/Ratiograstim. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has a collaboration MedinCell for the development and commercialization of multiple long-acting injectable products, a risperidone suspension for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
A report claims that the Great Barrier Reef has officially died, but the scientific community says otherwise, although, the reef is dangerously close to extinction.

The publication, Outside Magazine, published a false report that the Great Barrier Reef was officially consumed by environmental abuse. It was written to draw attention to the climate change debate and was written as an obituary dating its lifespan from 25 million BC to 2016, saying, The Great Barrier Reef of Australia passed away in 2016 after a long illness. It was 25 million years old. The article detailed its crucial role in the ecological cycle, global fame, and its waning health because of coral bleaching.

The Great Barrier Reef is the most expansive coral reef ecosystem covering 300,000 square kilometers with over 3,000 reefs, 600 islands, and 300 coral cays. Its designated as a UNESCO World Heritage landmark.

But scientists and social media users were appalled by the articles ruse. Russell Brainard, chief of the Coral Reef Ecosystem Program at NOAAs Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center informed HuffPost that audiences without context are going to take it at face value that the Great Barrier Reef is dead.

In fact, the writer of the obituary isnt even a scientisthes a food and environment writer. But the article is believed to have credence, as other news outlets are sourcing its claim.

Concerned audiences are using Twitter to express the truth. Cornell Cooperative Extension at Rockland County, which focuses on environmental sustainability, tweeted that the Great Barrier Reef is Dying NOT Dead! The message should be that it isnt too late not we should all give up.'

The Great Barrier Reef is indeed succumbing to hazards. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies reported 93% of the reef is damaged by coral bleaching to the point of possible extinction. Bleaching is a phenomenon caused by drastic changes in temperature, light, or nutrients. Under these conditions, the reef releases symbiotic algae from their tissues, turning them white.

Coral bleaching, mining, fossil fuels, and over-fishing have collectively over decades put the reef at risk. Governments, the scientific community, and charities are teaming up to sustain its lifespan.

Source: CNN
Clown (illustration)

By: Tanya Malhotra

Children in the United Kingdom, were very disappointed when a hospital announced that it was canceling their party.

The announcement came after the hospital learned that they were being targeted by creepy clowns.

The Great North Childrenas Hospital in Newcastle, said that it was forced to postpone its annual clown festival after appearing on a pranksteras hit list.

Medical clowns often visit sick and dying children to cheer them up. However, these children were now left devastated.

Hospital director Martin Wilson said that a website listed the hospitalas party as a target for akillera clowns.

Since their were so many incidence in recent weeks with people dressing up as clowns and scaring everyone, the hospital could not take the chance to have creepy clowns storm the place to scare sick children.
Wesley Ryan Blackburn

By: Mahesh Sarin

(Scroll down for video) A pastor was arrested on a charge of sexual assault after telling his wife that he is in love with a 15-year-old girl and is having a child with her, according to police in Pennsylvania.

New Paris police said that they have arrested 35-year-old Wesley Ryan Blackburn, after being accused of having sex with the 15-year-old girl hundreds of times.

Blackburn was charged with 84 counts of statutory sexual assault, 84 counts of indecent assault and 1 count of corruption of minors.

He was booked into the Bedford County Jail, and his bail has been set at $200,000. According to the police investigation, Blackburn was a youth pastor at the Faith Brethren Bible Church.

On Wednesday night, Blackburn revealed his relationship with the girl to his wife. He told his wife that he no longer loves her and asked for a divorce.

She had refused to sign the divorce papers and notified her pastor.

Pastor James Espenshade confronted Blackburn, and he admitted to having a relationship with the girl, and that the girl was pregnant.

Espenshade immediately fired Blackburn, and he called the police. Blackburn told police that he met the girl 7 years ago, and he grew close to her 2 years ago.

Blackburn said he and the girl developed a physical relationship 6 months ago. When police notified Blackburn that the girl was pregnant, he acknowledged that he was the father of the child.
Lucia Perez

By: Feng Qian

(Scroll down for video) A family is outraged over the torturous death of their daughter.

The student died from internal injuries after she was allegedly drugged, raped and then impaled on a wooden spike by drug traffickers.

Police in Argentina, said that 16-year-old Lucia Perez, was taken from her school outside of Mar del Plata, by a group of men.

She was plied with cocaine and cannabis before being brutally raped by her kidnappers, according to prosecutors.

After the attack, the men killed her by impaling her on a wooden spike. Then they dumped the body outside of a drug rehabilitation clinic.

Staff members assumed that the teenager was suffering from an overdose of cocaine. After an examination, they realized what happened to her and they called police.

Authorities found video of the van that was used to drop the body off at the drug clinic and they arrested Juan Pablo Offidani, 41, and Matias Gabriel Farias, 23, over the incident.

Officer said they found drugs, used condoms, sex toys and gun ammunition in the van.

They are now looking for a third suspect in the case.

The victimas heartbroken father, Guillermo Perez, was joined by many people, who held protests and called for his daughters killers to spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
Public Urged to Nominate Their Local Heroes For National Award

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Oct 16th, 2016

With only one week to go until the close of nominations for the St David Awards, residents are being urged to nominate their local heroes.

Now in their fourth year, the St David Awards acknowledge the achievements of people the length and breadth of Wales. They were created to recognise the great deeds and contributions made by people from across the nation.

The St David Awards categories are Bravery; Culture; Enterprise; Citizenship; Innovation and Technology; International; Sport; Young Person and the First Ministers Special Award.

Wrexham AM Lesley Griffiths is urging residents of Wrexham to nominate their local heroes.

Ms Griffiths said: The St David Awards are the highest accolades the Welsh Government can bestow, with the nine different categories annually celebrating the exceptional achievements of people from all walks of life in Wales.

Wrexham businesses and residents have been recognised in previous years and I hope local success can be repeated once again.

The closing date for nominations in this years awards is midnight on 21 October and further information about the process can be found at www.stdavidawards.org.uk

Winners will be presented with their awards by world-renowned rugby referee and St David Award winner Nigel Owens at a glittering ceremony at the Senedd on 23 March 2017.
TALLAHASSEE, FL. (WTXL)-- A man is in the hospital after crashing his motorcycle Saturday night around 10:44 on Old Bainbridge Road.

According to Tallahassee Police, Kendall Williams was heading north on the street when he came to the Roundabout at Putton Road.

Williams then lost control of the bike and went down. After skidding on the pavement the Motorcycle hit a rock and went airborne, flinging Williams from it.

Williams was then taken to the hospital to be treated for life threatening injuries. TPD is investigating, and there is no word yet on why Williams lost control.
Wind turbines dot the sagebrush-covered ridges near Ellensburg on Wednesday. The newest renewable energy debate facing Kittitas County is whether solar farms should be permitted on irrigated farmland or pushed into undeveloped desert, like the wind farms, and risk displacing native species. (MASON TRINCA/Yakima Herald-Republic)
There seems to be a feeling that the Jewish people like to count, summarize and place a numerical label on the elements surrounding their life. However, demographer Sergio DellaPergola , a person who really devotes his life to Jews and to numbers, doesnt think so.

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I dont believe Jews have a special interest in numbers, he says with a smile on his face. The entirety of humanity loves numbers. Many people want to know, compare and derive trends from the dry numbers. It should be noted, however, that even in the Bible there were already censuses of the people of Israel, and that is likely where the attempt to count the number of Jews in the world began, an attempt which has continued to this very day in different ways.

Prof. Sergio DellaPergola. Hates the term quiet Holocaust (Photo: Hebrew University)

Prof. DellaPergola, 74, of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, is considered the worlds most prominent researcher in the field of Jewish demography. He began studying the subject when the field was considered marginal and lacked any special importance in academia and watched it develop and turn into a key issue with social and geopolitical effects that fascinate many in the world.

The studies he conducts  including the American Jewish Yearbook 2016, which is in the process of publication  are detailed so accurately that they make the readers jaw drop. The information about every country includes numbers, trends, increases and decreases from the past, present and future. Countries from Israel to the United States, France, Britain and Argentina, to tiny countries or countries where peopl would never have imagined that there are active Jewish communities such as the Virgin Islands or Syria.

So how are the Jews of the world counted?

Each country individually. There are complicated cases and there are cases in which its easier to collect the information. In easy cases, there are countries with population censuses like England, Canada or Australia, which include figures that can be used. We take data from the census and start crosschecking with the number of children studying in Jewish schools or with the number of deceased from the community. The last moment in which a Jew remembers his identity is when he selects the cemetery he will be buried in.

From here, we start implementing demographic models in a critical and cautious analysis. We can compare trends and results versus past research. Additionally, there are countries where the Jewish community is a body recognized by the state and it registers the number of Jews, such as in Italy or Switzerland. The community data provide a good infrastructure for research.

US is the toughest case

In order to conduct the research, DellaPergola visited dozens of countries around the world where he proudly says he was called to the Torah in synagogues on every continent. Of all the many countries with at least 10,000 Jews, he has yet to visit only Chile (some 18,000 Jews) and Belarus (about 11,000 Jews).

What do you do in countries with no data infrastructure?

The toughest case is also the most important one  the United States. The community in the US is a dispersed body which reflects the American decentralization perception. The only way to start is through a sample of the entire population. In other words, carrying out broad surveys in an attempt to catch the small fish you are interested in. Its a very expensive tool, because with the size of the population in the US, you need at least 250,000 respondents.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews. The future of the Jewish people depends on them (Photo: EPA)

The Jewish Federations of North America began investing millions of dollars in the surveys in the 1970s, but at some stage they reached the conclusion that it was too expensive and were also concerned by the results, which sparked serious arguments and greatly affected community activity.

What helped Prof. DellaPergola in recent years was an extensive study on the US Jewry conducted by the Pew Research Center in Washington, which was co-funded with a Jewish family from Philadelphia that allotted a considerable sum to the project. The results served as an excellent basis for thorough research and a fertile ground for a public discourse, he added. "The data received were obviously raw, and this is where the work started."

First we take Italy, then we take the world

Sergio DellaPergola was born in Italy in 1942 into World War II. His family was rescued after crossing the border to Switzerland with the help of four Righteous Among the Nations. The family later returned to Italy and settled in Milan. Jewish life resumed after the war and DellaPergola studied in a Jewish school before seeking higher education at the University of Pavia.

While his melodic surname is uncommon, it is not unusual among Italian Jews. Pergola is a town in central Italy, east of Florence and north of the area which was hit by an earthquake this past summer. Jews who left the are in the 16th century, fleeing the popes regime, moved to the nearby and more pleasant Tuscany and took the towns name with them.

The 1940s. Italy after the liberation (Photo: Getty Images)

DellaPergola, who visited Israel several times as a teenager, says he finally fell in love with the country in 1960. It was wonderful. Men would walk around with khaki-colored shorts and there was a feeling of pioneership in the air, he recounts. I said to myself that this is a wonderful place and I knew I would be back.

I made aliyah in December 1966, and luckily received a scholarship from Hebrew University and eligibility to live in the dorms. I began studying as a sort of a protege of Prof. Roberto Bachi, who told me that if I wanted to seriously do what I was doing, research the construction and demography of the Jewish people, I should do it in Jerusalem.

DellaPergola made it his goal to implement social science research methods on the Jewish community in the Diaspora. He began with the community in Italy and later expanded his research to the rest of the world.

I built my academic career on expertise in demographic studies in different countries, he says. We tried to understand processes, trends and dilemmas surrounding the Jewish identity. Over time, we created a factual infrastructure which did not exist in the past and which today allows us to hold thorough discussions on the distribution and future of the Jewish people.

Who did you call Jewish?

The most basic question facing anyone trying to investigate the issue is who is actually a Jew? As every Israeli knows, there are several answers to that question, each concealing the potential for an endless, stormy debate with religious, national and political meanings.

The issue is obviously relevant to the State of Israel, and DellaPergola bases his research on several assumptions, mainly the Brother Daniel High Court ruling, in which a Jewish-born Christian monk sought Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. A majority of four judges versus one decided to reject the petition, ruling that a person who converted to Christianity can no longer be considered Jewish.

In the past, it was easy to determine who is Jewish, DellaPergola sighs. Whoever lived inside the ghetto, spoke a certain language or engaged in professions identified with Jews  was considered Jewish. Today things are much more complicated and are built on different circles. The freedom and the intellectual processes which Europe has undergone in recent centuries created a separation between religion and nationality, and identity has become complicated. A person can say, I am Jewish according to my nationality and Christian according to my religion', or vice versa.

DellaPergola relies on the High Court ruling defining one as a Jew anyone who was born to a Jewish person or converted and has no other religion. From this circle, which is called the core of the Jewish people, emerge additional circles of populations with different affiliations to Judaism. The second circle includes, for example, people who are not Jewish but are part of a Jewish nuclear family. For example, a Jews partner or people living in a household which includes at least one Jew.

So who is a Jew? Prof. DellaPergola relies on a High Court ruling (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

A more distant circle is based on the Law of Return, which goes down to the level of a Jews grandson, he adds. Another circle that has erupted in recent years is the movement of Bnei Anusim or lost tribes, who are not a third generation of Jews, but claim to be of a more distant descent. They have kept a certain identity and feeling of belonging all these years, including Jewish ceremonies and customs, and even circumcision.

In his studies, Prof. DellaPergola publishes the data of all these circles, and the gaps between one and another are dramatic. The core of the Jewish people includes some 14.5 million Jews, but the circle of those who are eligible for citizenship under the Law of Return includes about 9 million non-Jews (in Israel alone there are about 300,000 people in this gap).

There are quite a few disagreements over where we should stop counting.

Each researcher stops at a different place. I am perceived as conservative and I stop at the first and second circle, close to what the High Court ruled - in other words, that there is only one identity. There are researchers who claim there are movements between the circles, that identity is fluid and that one can be both or move from one circle to another. There are even those who argue that a Jew is a person who chooses to be Jewish. Thats a perception which greatly changes the way we count.

Its a catastrophe, something must be done

Delving into the data and different circles, especially in light of the perception that the identity constantly changes, raises the question whether these studies have any practical meaning. In an era in which people feel Jewish one day and not Jewish the other day, is there really any point in counting and dividing?

According to DellaPergola, The different perceptions dont change the fact that the issue is interesting. There is still a concept of a Jewish people which includes quite a few ramifications. I wouldnt rush into a nihilist and rejecting perception. There is no doubt that the Jewish people are still alive and kicking, even if its not always easy to place it in within a framework.

In a wider sense, the global studies show that religion is an extremely strong predicting variable of other phenomena such as economy, education, life expectancy, etc. Moreover, these studies have  not just in regards to Jews  a huge geopolitical importance. For example, the estimation that by 2050 about half the world's population will be Muslim. Such a figure has significant consequences. The question what Europe will look like in 50 years is very important. It has both micro and macro ramifications. The research on Jews is part of the research on global processes, and it is important beyond the State of Israels private interest in it.

Researchers who present such data  all the more so in regards to numbers of Jews and Jewish identity  should be prepared for a strong reaction. Anyone can look at numbers differently, and mainly use them in favor of their own agenda. DellaPergola is used to the variety of responses and divides them into reactions that are either public or research-based. The public reaction ranges from its a catastrophe and we must do something to this is the best era we have ever experienced. A reaction he often gets from leaders of communities abroad is: Dont confuse us with the facts. We already know everything.

I am known as a right-wing and conservative marker, DellaPergola says, but there is no doubt that studies suggest that the core of the Jewish people is shrinking. The fact that the ultra-Orthodox minority is growing stronger may actually help the core grow in the future.

As for the other circles, I am documenting an erosion in Jewish identity, but not a complete disappearance. Although different elements are growing weaker, there are still quite a few people who attend at least one ceremony a year at the synagogue, donate to a Jewish fundraising campaign or have an affiliation or certain feelings towards the State of Israel. A memory is being preserved also in farther circles which are no longer at the core.

What do you feel about the term the quiet Holocaust, which refers to assimilation?

I hate it. I am very hostile towards the use of the term Holocaust in other contexts. The Holocaust was the Holocaust, and here we are talking about complicated processes which do reflect a loss, no doubt, but its something else.

Number of Jews: Its all politics

Throughout the years, his studies were interpreted for political purposes, mainly in the context of the territories and the State of Israels borders. Although his goal is that his study will be as objective as possible, DellaPergola does not evade the conclusions. I have been saying for many years that the Jewish majority in the geophysical unit between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea has been worn out and has even disappeared, all the more so if you only address the halachic definition, thereby removing from the count hundreds of thousands who are in Israel by the power of the Law of Return, but are not Jewish. According to these parameters, there is no Jewish majority in Israel.

This statement is very unpopular in certain circles, and there is a counterattack trying to say that its not true. The responses range from well leave Gaza out of the calculations to well perform a land swap and then the Jewish majority will increase. This is basically a political question, and I believe its an integral issue because I cant investigate the Jewish world without handling this question. If the State of Israel is the core of the Jewish people, the question of the majority and existence of the Jewish state is an essential issue.

"But I dont feel comfortable with the political use of the data. In the past, I advised the Jerusalem Municipality and prime ministers such as Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, and there is contact with the executive system which I believe must know the factual infrastructure. There is, for example, a supposition that we will bring another a million immigrants to Israel. Under the existing conditions, that is completely groundless. Massive aliyah is the result of distress, or a feeling of distress. Today there is not enough strength or a catastrophe to move a large mass of immigrants, like the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Another political supposition asserts that at times of distress, the Jewish world will enlist to help the State of Israel.

The answer is yes and no. The measures of US Jewrys concern towards the State of Israel should be read properly. One-third are greatly in favor of Israel, one-third are somewhere in the middle, and one-third dont care about anything. But the one-third in the middle is not unequivocal. Diaspora Jewry is a complicated body. Its hard to draw a definitive conclusion from it.
PODGORICA- Montenegro's election Sunday will decide whether the small Balkan state continues on a Western course or becomes "a Russian colony," the prime minister said as he faced the toughest challenge yet to his 25-year rule.

Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic told supporters at a pre-election rally that the ballot is his country's most important since its vote for independence from Serbia a decade ago. The outcome could jeopardize NATO and European Union enlargement in southeastern Europe and could prove decisive in Moscow's bid to regain influence in the strategic region.

"Everyone is aware that the fate of the state will be decided ... whether Montenegro will become a member of the EU and NATO, or a Russian colony," Djukanovic said Friday.

The vote pits Djukanovic's long-ruling Democratic Party of Socialists against a cluster of pro-Russian and pro-Serbian opposition groups that staunchly oppose the country's NATO bid.
WARSAW- Hundreds of people protested Saturday in Warsaw against free-trade agreements that the European Union is pursuing with the U.S. and Canada, saying they will hurt Polish farmers and consumers.

The rally was organized by a non-governmental group, Akcja Democracja, with trade unions and several small opposition parties.

The Polish protesters argue that the free trade deals -- called TTIP and CETA -- will allow an influx of food from North America that will destroy local farming, and also hurt consumers by allowing in foods that are genetically modified.

Rallying in front of the Agriculture Ministry ahead of a march to the prime minister's office, they urged the Polish government to reject the deals.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Friday that an highly irregular meteorological conditions in the area have led to the accumulation of unusual levels of pollution in the Haifa Bay. In response, the ministry issued special instructions to all Bazan oil refineries in order to prevent the problem from worsening.

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"The Ministry of Environmental Protection closely monitors the activities of plants all over Haifa Bay, and especially the Bazan complex," the ministry's statement said. "As a result of the conditions (a sharp reversal in temperatures), the proper dispersal of emissions was prevented, and the air remained close to ground. Therefore, and due to the fact that a rise in concentration of pollution in the monitoring stations has been registered, the ministry has instructed the plants to take precautionary and preventative measures."

Special instructions were issued to Bazan plants. (Photo: Elad Gershgorn)

The accumulation of pollution was apparently caused by an environmental phenomena called inversion. It entails air staying near ground level instead of rising, which can cause pollutant materials to improperly disperse, thus keeping them in a relatively small area in high concentration.
A young man in the Ukraine was recorded on CCTV camera removing an Israeli flag waving atop an Israeli restaurant which recently opened in the Ukraine's capital Kiev.

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The main culprit approached the restaurant, climbed up its walls, tore down the flag draped over the entrance and threw it to the ground.

Israeli flag ripped down in Kiev

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Not content with removing the flag, the offender was then joined by a group of collaborators who can be seen aggressively ripping it from a security guard who recovered it from the ground. The group then ran off with the flag, proudly parading the fruits of their vandalism through the streets.

The incident occurred in broad daylight last week just two days after the Jerusalem restaurant was opened on a main road in Kiev.

Seemingly undeterred by, or unaware of, the security cameras, the vandals appear to be entirely unphased by the cars and pedestrians passing by.

These are youngsters who have been swept up by the anti-Israel atmosphere, said the restaurant owner, Sagi Cohen.

CCTV footage of the incident

The worst thing about this, in my eyes, is that this group of youngsters are not necessarily affiliated with any organizations which operates against Israel. They simply passed the street and the Israeli flag aroused their attention and they decided to simply take it and damage it, Cohen lamented.

This is an act which unfortunately is representative of the general atmosphere but we are here and we will continue to be here, he added defiantly. We will not surrender to acts of anti-Semitism.

Security guard calls on the culprit to stop his vandalism

Cohen also suggested that the incident may have come as a result of a speech recently delivered by President Reuven Rivlin to the Ukrainian Parliament.

Perhaps it is connected with the visit of President Reuven Rivlin who delivered a speech in parliament and mentioned the Ukrainian collaboration with the Nazis during the Second World War. In general, as Jews we are not afraid of threats despite incidents which occur from time to time, Cohen concluded.

The local police arrested two men just half an hour after the offense was captured on camera. It is yet to have been reported however, whether their arrests were extended and whether or not they were indicted.
My position regarding the settlement enterprise is more similar to that of B'Tselem than to that of the Israeli government. In fact, it is a position shared by most of Israel's powerful friends in the worldboth Jews and non-Jews. With that in mind, B'Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad's appearance before the UN Security Council was more than disgraceful.

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Why? Because the UNwith all of its different agencieshas become a backward body with a guaranteed majority of non-democratic nations.

Only last week UNESCO, one of the UN's more important agencies, adopted a resolution that will go down in history as disgraceful. The entire world is not against us. None of the Western countries supported the resolution on Jerusalem. But the countries that initiated the discussion the B'Tselem representative participated in all belong to a bloc that regularly votes against Israel.

B'Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad speaking at the UN Security Council.

One of them is Venezuela, still controlled by the successors of the anti-Semite Hugo Chavez, whose citizens are suffering from starvation. Or Malaysia, which for many years was ruled by Mahathir Mohamad, who declared himself a proud anti-Semite. So B'Tselems claims that they are trying to save Israel from itself are becoming absurd. The backward majority at the UN suits them fine, but Israel in their opinion is not democratic. It appears there's no limit to the absurd.

It's the same story in all of the UN's agencies. The UN Human Rights Council ignores 99 percent of human rights violations in the world. The great majority of the council's condemnations are against Israel.

The World Health Organization, in its last meeting, saw fit to adopt only one resolution of condemnation. Not for the millions who suffer and starve in Nigeria, Somalia, Syria and other places because of crimes against humanity perpetrated by global jihad and its proxies. No way. The only resolution adopted was against Israeli control over the Golan Heights.

And all UN institutions put together have adopted more resolutions against Israel than against all other countries in the world combined.

This doesn't justify the settlement enterprise. But cooperating with backward institutions does not help promote peace, reconciliation, or an accord. On the contrary, appearing before a UN forum only serves to encourage the anti-Israel sentiment.

UN Security Council (Photo: AFP)

After all, there is no Palestinian civic body that would appear before the UN and explain, for example, that it's Palestinian intransigence that perpetuates the conflict. And there is no Palestinian body that would talk about how the violations of human rights perpetrated by the Palestinian leadershipboth Hamas and the PAis ten times bigger than what is attributed to Israel. And there is no Palestinian body that would appear there and say that the incitement against Israel and Jews and the encouragement of terrorism push any chances of reconciliation further away.

But there is a representative from B'Tselem to go there and give a shot of encouragement to the backward majority. A representative of Americans for Peace Now, Lara Friedman, presented data on the expansion of the settlements, while expressing concern for the future and prosperity of the State of Israel. Her appearance was reserved. El-Ad, meanwhile, only fueled the poisonous propaganda against Israel.

This wasn't an error or a one-time slip-up. For B'Tselem, much like for Breaking the Silence, this is the way and these are their methods. After all, these organizations cooperated with and provided incriminating information to the UN Human Rights Council. They knew that it was Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Libya who were dictating the line there. They knew they were serving the Hamas propaganda machine. Despite that, they cooperated.

The executive director of B'Tselem does not represent the left wing, and most of the supporters of a more dovish position have reservations against the anti-Israeli activity of this loud section of the left wingbecause this is the way to bolster the right wing, which is turning the binational state vision into reality. This is the way to turn the left wing into a pariah. This is a way that disgraces the Israeli democracy, while relying on the backward majority at the UN.

The B'Tselem representative did nothing to help the fight against the settlements. He only contributed to the propaganda of incitement and hatred against Israel, which has nothing to do with peace.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland  New ideas proposed, more talks prepared and no quick resolution in sight for Syria's agony.

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A US-hosted meeting of major world and regional powers made only piecemeal headway on creating a new, multilateral track for ending the beleaguered country's grinding war.

US Secretary of State John Kerry convened top diplomats from Russia and regional powers like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran on Saturday for a 4-hour meeting in Switzerland. The talks came amid heightened urgency about the city of Aleppo, the latest flashpoint in a war that has killed up to a half-million people, sparked a refugee crisis and offered a territorial base to the radical Islamic State group.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and US Secretary of State John Kerry (Photo: AP)

Kerry's new approach comes after last month's US-Russian bid to end the war collapsed in days as Syrian forces backed by Russian airpower launched an offensive on rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

Ministers put a brave face on the Lausanne meeting, which Kerry said was "exactly what we wanted"  a statement that testified mostly to low expectations. The main result was pledges to resume contact on Monday.

"Nobody wants to do this in a sloppy way," said Kerry, who only recently accused Moscow of war crimes.

Russia has put a priority on separating al-Qaida-linked militants on a UN-designated list of terrorist organizations from "moderate" rebels backed by the United States. For that to happen, Washington says the aerial onslaught in eastern Aleppo must stop.

Neither side has budged in the chicken-and-egg dispute over months of negotiation.

Saturday's talks included top envoys from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan.

Wounded boy in Aleppo (Photo: AFP)

Ministers offered suggestions that "really might be able to shape some different approaches," he said, without elaborating. No official news conference or joint statement followed Saturday's meeting.

The Syrian-Russian offensive in Aleppo prompted the US to end discussions this month over a proposed military alliance against ISIS and al-Qaida-linked militants. Last week, Kerry accused both parties of war crimes for targeting hospitals and civilian infrastructure in the Arab country.

Nevertheless, Kerry reunited with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the lakeside Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, speaking with the Russian for almost 40 minutes before the larger gathering. For all the talk in Washington about a possible Plan B, US hopes for diplomatic progress appeared to rest squarely on Russia's cooperation.





Aleppo (Photo: AP)

"There are a few ideas we discussed today in this circle of countries that can influence the situation," Lavrov told Russian news agencies. "We agreed to continue contacts in the next few days aiming at agreements that could advance the settlement. We spoke clearly in favor of a quick launch of a political process."

On Saturday, Syrian and Russian airstrikes hit several rebel-held Aleppo neighborhoods amid clashes on the front lines in Syria's largest city and onetime commercial center, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective. Also, opposition fighters backed by Turkish airstrikes launched an offensive to try to capture Dabiq from IS, which confers special status to the northern Syrian town in its ideology and propaganda.

In another sign that Turkey and Russia have repaired relations since last year's Turkish downing of a Russian fighter plane, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu appeared to endorse Russia's position on the significance of US and Turkish-backed opposition forces separating themselves from al-Qaida-linked militants.

"There was no resolution on the cease-fire," Cavusoglu acknowledged.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (C) talks with Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (L) and Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh (Photo: AP)

Despite fiercely criticizing Syria and Russia, the United States doesn't seem to have an answer.

President Barack Obama and the Pentagon have made clear their opposition to any US military strikes against Syria President Bashar Assad's military. The US is uneasy with providing more advanced weaponry to the anti-Assad rebels because of their links to extremist groups. And sanctions on Moscow are seen as unlikely step, given their limited impact after Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea territory in 2014 and the weak appetite among America's European partners for such action.

Underscoring the lack of options, Obama directed his national security team on Friday to renew diplomatic efforts to reduce the bloodshed in Syria.

But it's unclear how the larger format for discussions might change Russia's calculus.
Some 16,000 Israeli teachers were shocked to learn earlier this month that hundredsand for some, thousandsof shekels were deducted from their salary.

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An inquiry into the matter found that the Education Ministry docked hundreds of shekels for travel expenses from the salaries of some 14,000 teachers after the Finance Ministry changed the calculation for these payments. This was done without informing the teachers of the move in advance, while the entire sum was deducted in one go, rather than gradually.

Teachers protesting outside the Education Ministry to receive their salary in full and on time (Photo: Yuval Chen)

Some 2,000 additional teachers had thousands of shekels docked from their pay. Among them were some 1,500 teachers on whom the Education Ministry claims school principals failed to report, while the rest had money deducted due to errors.

As a result, the teachers have launched a campaign in protest of what they say is an annual ritual of errors and pay deductionsparticularly in October, around the time of the High Holy Days. The teachers say that during the year itself they also encounter difficulties in dealing with the Education Ministry's Economic and Finance Administration and are not paid in full.

Maya Moshkowitz, a civics teacher at a high school in the Jerusalem area, is at the forefront of the teachers' protest. She was shocked to learn that NIS 4,000 was deducted from her salary.

"When I saw my pay slip, I could not believe my eyes, especially since this is the holiday season and there are a lot of expenses," Moshkowitz said.

"As a civics teacher, I educate my students to be citizens who participate, make a difference, and act when there is injustice. That is why I decided to protest along with my fellow teachers over the deduction of our pay," Moshkowitz explained.

"We decided we will no longer remain silent and that we would take matters into our own hands, because this oversight hurts us every year. We have the right to receive our pay in full and on time," she added.

The pay slip of a teacher who, after having thousands of shekels docked from her salary, got paid less than NIS 100 in September.

Shiri Amir, a special education teacher at a high school in the Jerusalem area, had NIS 800 docked from her salary because of the changes made to the calculation of travel expenses.

"Without telling us in advance and with no consideration, they deducted such a large sum all at once," Amir said. "The problem is not just with travel expenses, because this issue comes up for years... in the past I had to wait for two months to get the pay owed me. We're teachers who love their job and want to get what we deserve... there's a new generation of teachers who are saying, Eenough! We're not willing to remain quiet anymore.'"

Eyal Namar, who teaches tourism and communications, also had thousands of shekels docked from his pay, but that wasn't the end of it.

"Beyond the timingthe High Holy Days and the deadline on my mortgage paymentI read my pay slip closely and noticed that despite the fact I was working 103 percent of a position, I was only paid for 78 percent," he said in anger, adding he also didn't receive the bonuses he deserves for teaching high schoolers for their matriculation exams and for having two degrees.

"I was disappointed and felt like I was being dismissed even though I made sure that all of my information was up-to-date and even though I gave my heart and soul to the school. I care about the children and their education," he added.

Namar noted he faced a similar situation last year. "When this happens repeatedly, it becomes an ongoing salary failure. This isn't a mistake, it's a policy," he determined.

The teachers plan to demonstrate outside the Education Ministry on Wednesday.

The Education Ministry said in response to the teachers' claims, "The decision to cut back on travel expenses was done by the Finance Ministry as part of a reform in public transportation and concerns all state employees. Upon learning of the cuts, the Education Ministry immediately worked to give the teachers advance payments (refunds), even before Rosh Hashanah. It's important to emphasize this issue only concerns teachers who are state employees.

As for the other salary issues: The ministry gave advance payment to every teacher entitled to it. A teacher entitled to advance payment who has yet to receive it is asked to contact the ministry as soon as possible."
Two Palestinians were detained Friday afternoon near Gilad Farm in Samaria after they were seen charging toward Israeli civilians.

One of the civilians called on the two Palestinians to stop. However, after they failed to heed his warnings, the civilian fired warning shots in the air before security forces arrived on the scene and brought them in for questioning.
For many families, the actual construction of their sukkah is not the main event in Sukkot, what Jewish children really love is making decorations.

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This year, the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is encouraging people to get even more creative in this arena, releasing a series of videos that show people how to make origami creations in the shape of two of its flagship creations: The Arrow rocket interceptor missile and the Ofek spy satellite.

The models were designed by origami artist Paul Jackson, and the videos are narrated by Israeli artist Miri Golan. While the videos are in Hebrew, it is still easy to follow the steps even if you don't understand the language.

More model instructions can be found on the IAI Facebook page.

The Arrow missile was developed as part of lessons learned from the first Gulf War, when Israel was bombarded with dozens of Scud missiles from Iraq. It is designed to intercept ballistic missiles in the air and destroy them.

The Ofek series of satellites are equipped with advanced surveillance means that allow Israeli security authorities to closely monitor enemy states and terrorist organizations. Some Ofek satellites have special equipment on them that allows for monitoring of targets 24/7, and in virtually all weather conditions.

Other videos teach how to make origami models of an Israeli Navy Dvora ship and a civilian Gulfstream G280 jet.

Folding a G280 jet.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon distanced himself on Sunday from a recent UNESCO resolution which failed to acknowledge the ties between the Jewish people and the Temple Mount.

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Israel suspended its cooperation with the United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), claiming the draft resolution it adopted on Thursday denies the deep, historic Jewish connection to the holy sites in Jerusalem. The resolution refers to the holiest site in Judaismthe Temple Mountonly by its Muslim nameAl-Haram Al Sharif.

"The Secretary-General reaffirms the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions and stresses the importance of the religious and historical link of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian peoples to the holy site," said a statement read by the UN Spokesperson on behalf of Ban.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Photo: AFP)

"The Al Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram al-Sharif, the sacred shrine of Muslims, is also the Har HaBayitor Temple Mountwhose Western Wall is the holiest place in Judaism, a few steps away from the Saint Sepulcher church and the Mount of Olives, which is revered by Christians," Ban added.

He noted that "any perceived undertaking to repudiate the undeniable common reference for these sites does not serve the interests of peace and will only feed violence and radicalism" and called on all sides "to uphold the status quo in relation to the holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem."

UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova has already distanced herself from the resolution, emphasizing in a letter to Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni, sent in response to a letter Livni had sent, that "such decisions are discussed and taken by the Member States and not by" the director general herself.

She stressed her organization works "to fight intolerance and contemporary forms of anti-Semitism, including those which seek to delegitimize the State of Israel."

Bokova further repeated her statements from April, July and this week that "the Old City of Jerusalem is the sacred city of the three monotheistic religionsJudaism, Christianity and Islam, and that Jewish (sic), Christians and Muslims have a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city."
DUBAI -- The US Navy on Sunday began investigating a possible overnight missile attack from Yemen on a group of American warships in the Red Sea amid uncertainty about what transpired.

The Red Sea and the nearby strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait, a crucial chokepoint for international shipping and crude oil, has been the scene of what the US describes as at least two missile attacks from rebel-held territory in Yemen. American forces have fired back once with Tomahawk missiles, destroying mobile radar positions in the first shots fired by the US in anger in the stalemated conflict.

In the latest incident, a group of American warships in the Red Sea on Saturday night "had indications of a possible inbound missile threat and deployed appropriate defensive measures," said Capt. Paula Dunn, a spokeswoman for US Navy Forces Central Command. She said in a statement that all ships and sailors were safe, without elaborating.
GAZIANTEP -- A suspected suicide bomber killed three police officers and wounded at least nine people in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep on Sunday during a police raid on an alleged ISISsafehouse, a local official and security sources said.

The bomber detonated explosives as police raided the house in the Besyuzevler neighbourhood of the city, some 40 km from the Syrian border, Abdullah Nejat Kocer, a local member of parliament from the ruling AK Party, told reporters.

He said three police officers were killed. Six of the wounded were also police, two of them in a critical condition in hospital. The three other people wounded were Syrian nationals, Kocer told reporters
A man was killed in a Sunday afternoon car bombing on LaGuardia Street in Tel Aviv in what police believes to be an underworld "work accident."

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Police bomb disposal experts had to disperse curious onlookers before examining the wreckage for remnants of explosives. The force of the blast sent body parts and pieces of the vehicle far from the scene of the explosion.

Following an initial investigation, police believe the victim was carrying a bomb intended for another target when it exploded prematurely for unknown reasons.

Scene of the explosion

Photo: Dana Koppel

Photo: Dana Koppel

MDA paramedic David Suissa said, "When we arrived on the scene, we saw a man inside the vehicle and after checking him saw he was unresponsive and severely injured. We pronounced him dead on the scene."

Police believe the bombing to be criminal in nature, but have not yet released details of who the victim was.
In honor of the holiday of Sukkot, many public Sukkot are being erected in towns and cities across Israel. The Sukkot will feature various activities, performers and artists all free of charge to the public.

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Notable performances and activities include Avraham Tal in Rehovot, Omer Adam in Rishon Lezion, Margol and Chaim Moshe in Rosh HaAyin, Dana Berger, Mika Karni and Assaf Amdursky in Haifa and Peer Tasi in Nazareth Illit. In Jerusalem, one can choose between traditional agriculture and nature in the Gazelle Valley or a wine tasting festival in Ein Kerem.

In addition to Peer Tasi, Nazareth Illit will also be hosting chocolate making and three-dimensional drawing tutorials. Similarly, Haifa will also be screening an outdoor movie and having a strong man/woman contest.

Chabad youth will also be setting up hundreds of public Sukkot around the country. Men, women and families are all invited to experience sitting in the Sukkah, waving the traditional four species, and a variety of other activities such as traditional music and dancing for the family, all free of charge.

One of the main attractions during the holiday is the revival of the Jezreel Valley railway, which will be running for the first time in 65 years. Starting Sunday, the train will run and in the first stage, trips between certain stations will be free. Minister of Transportation Israel Katz announced that the historic train will run until Nov. 4th 2016.
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Washington, DC - Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski and Coordinator for Cyber Issues Christopher Painter will travel to Costa Rica October 15 to 18.

Assistant Secretary Malinowski will lead the U.S. delegation to the fifth Freedom Online Coalition Annual Conference in San Jose, where he will deliver remarks during the Conferences opening plenary and participate on a panel discussing this years Internet freedom resolution adopted during the 32nd session of the UN Human Rights Council. Assistant Secretary Malinowski will be joined by Coordinator Painter who will deliver remarks on cybersecurity and Internet freedom; and moderate a panel on Internet shutdowns. They will be joined by other representatives from the Departments of State and Commerce. During the trip, the delegation will meet with representatives from government, business, civil society, and academia.
Even powerful creatures like Alligator Snapping Turtles need a little help sometimes  thats why the Nashville Zoo is headstarting 30 young snappers for eventual release into Tennessees waterways.

The hatchlings came to Nashville from the Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery in Oklahoma and are now being cared for behind-the-scenes at the zoo. The hatchlings will remain at the zoo for three years, after which they will be released into the wild as part of a statewide program to boost populations of Alligator Snapping Turtles.







Photo Credit: Katie Gregory



Headstarting programs like this can help bring species back from the brink. Female Alligator Snapping Turtles dont produce large quantities of eggs, and many eggs laid in the wild are lost to predation. By collecting eggs from wild females, raising hatchlings in a protected environment, and releasing juveniles once they have attained a larger size, biologists can boost the number of surviving young.

With their expertise at caring for animals in aquariums and controlled environments, zoos are recognized as vital partners in the fight to save native species.

After the Turtles release, zoo staff will monitor the young to determine the success of the headstarting program.

Weighing 50-100 pounds as adults, Alligator Snapping Turtles are almost prehistoric in appearance. They spend nearly all of their life in water, feeding on fish and other aquatic animals. To lure prey within striking distance, these Turtles sit with mouths open to reveal a small, pink, worm-like appendage in the back of the mouth. Once the prey swims close enough, the Turtle clamps down on it with powerful jaws.

Once inhabiting most of the rivers in the Mississippi watershed, Alligator Snapping Turtles (not to be confused with Common Snapping Turtles, which are abundant in waterways across the region) were decimated in the 1960s and 70s by commercial harvesting for their meat. Today, habitat loss, egg predation, and the high rate of hatchling predation threaten the species.
District of Columbia: Donald Trump fired off an erratic new broadside at Hillary Clinton on Sunday, making more explosive claims that American media and a conspiracy to commit voter fraud are rigging the presidential election against him.

Amid the latest blast from the Republican White House nominee, his running mate Mike Pence sought to lower tensions by insisting his camp would accept defeat if that`s what voters decide on November 8.

Two polls out on Sunday -- and carried out in time to gauge voter reaction to the slew of sexual misconduct allegations against Trump that emerged last week -- put Clinton ahead.

But they did so by vastly different numbers: an ABC News/Washington Post survey had Clinton four points ahead while an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll put her margin at 11 points.

Trump, in a long string of tweets Sunday, said repeatedly that US media are rigging the election by hammering away at what he calls fabricated accounts that he made unwanted sexual advances against women.

Trump has denied those allegations, which burst into the race last week in a steady, damaging stream.

"Polls close, but can you believe I lost large numbers of women voters based on made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED. Media rigging election!" Trump wrote.In another tweet, he suggested -- without offering any evidence -- that voter fraud will be a problem on election day.

"The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," he said.

Top Trump advisor Rudy Giuliani told CNN on Sunday that Democratic African-American districts are known for counting the votes of dead people.

"You want me to (say) that I think the election in Philadelphia and Chicago is going to be fair? I would have to be a moron to say that," he said, naming two cities with large black populations.

"I`ve found very few situations where Republicans cheat. They don`t control the inner cities the way Democrats do. Maybe if Republicans controlled the inner cities, they`d do as much cheating as Democrats do," Giuliani said.

Trump has been insisting for months that the election is rigged -- and has repeated the charge like a mantra since Clinton started to pull away in the polls a few weeks ago.

"He is swinging at every phantom of his own imagination because he knows he`s losing," Clinton`s running mate Tim Kaine told ABC on Sunday.

Trump`s assertions have been criticized as dangerous as it seems to raise the prospect of his supporters lashing out if he loses.

After the first debate Trump said he would respect the result. But he backtracked in an interview with the New York Times in late September, saying instead "We`re going to see what happens."

Pence tried to put the issue to rest Sunday, saying on CBS News, "We will absolutely accept the results of the election."

He was asked about the comments of a Trump supporter who told a newspaper he planned to go to polling places and make voters "a little bit nervous."

Pence said he did not condone such behavior.

"I don`t think any American should ever attempt to make any other American nervous in the exercise of their, of their franchise to vote," he said, adding that those concerned about voter fraud should volunteer at their local polling stations.The nation`s top elected Republican, House speaker Paul Ryan, who last week declared that he would no longer "defend" the party`s nominee, rebuked Trump over his comments questioning the validity of the election process.

"Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity," his spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in a statement.

As Trump and Clinton get ready for the last of three presidential debates in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Clinton is lying low, with the apparent strategy of letting Trump self-destruct.

But these are also delicate times for Clinton. As sexual misconduct claims against Trump dominate the campaign, is it hard for Clinton to speak out because she stayed beside her husband Bill even as he was mired in the Monica Lewinsky and other sex scandals, humiliating her on his way to being impeached.

But there is no question the race is shifting in her favor.

Another poll out Sunday was perhaps even more discouraging for Trump: the CBS News Battleground Tracker Poll found that, because of surge in support for Clinton among women, she now leads by six points in a dozen crucial swing states.

Trump even took time Sunday to target late night comedy show "Saturday Night Live," which has parodied him mercilessly in recent weeks.

He called the show "boring and unfunny" and said the actor who plays him -- Alec Baldwin -- "stinks. Media rigging election!"

His tweet came after a sketch in which the Trump and Clinton characters, debating each other, are asked what they like about each other, as happened in the actual second debate.

The Clinton character, played by Kate McKinnon, lands a zinger with an allusion to the video released October 7 in which Trump brags that he can get away with grabbing women`s crotches because he is famous.

"Donald Trump and I disagree on just about everything. But I do like how generous he is. Just last Friday, he handed me this election," she says, sliding into a victory dance.
Edison (New Jersey): Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has heaped praise on PM Narendra Modi and his policies for India.

Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast-track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming bureaucracy.

Trump said it was required in the US too.

'Modi is a great man'

"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic in reforming the economy and bureaucracy. Great man. I applaud him," Trump said.

Trump has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become "best friends" and have a "phenomenal future" together.

"India's is the world's largest democracy and is a natural ally of the US. Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends," Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition on Saturday.

"We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India. We are going to have a phenomenal future together," he said.

It was for the first time a US presidential candidate attended an Indian-American event this election season.

'Big fan of Hindus, India'

"I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House," Trump said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.

"I have two massive developments in India, very successful, wonderful, wonderful partners, very beautiful, I must say. I have great friends and great confidence in India. Incredible people and an incredible country. I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times," he said.

Trump appreciated India's role in fight against terrorism.

"We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism," he said as he slammed his rival Hillary Clinton for not using this word.

26/11 Mumbai terror attacks

Trump said India had experienced firsthand "brutality of terror" in the past "including the mayhem in Mumbai, a place that I love, a place that I understand."

The terrorist attack in Mumbai, the attack on Indian Parliament was "absolutely outrageous" and terrible, he said.

"India is a key, and key strategic ally. And we do not even want to talk about it, because it is nothing but a relationship that we will have. I look forward to deepening the diplomatic and military cooperation that is the shared interest of both countries," he said.

"Your great Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has been a pro-growth leader for India. He has simplified the tax code, cut the taxes and the economy is strong growing at 7 per cent year. Excellent. Our economy is practically not growing at all in the US. It's about zero. We will have a great relationship with India," Trump said.
Toronto: A Sikh family-owned motel in Canada has been gutted in a fire that claimed one life while injuring three others as police discovered racist graffiti on the property, raising suspicions of foul play in the incident.

Neighbours reported hearing an explosion and watched flames destroy the Tiwana family-owned Bashaw Motor Inn in the Canadian province of Alberta.

Residents in the town of 870 people have rallied around the Tiwana family, who lived in and operated the motel. More than USD 8,000 has been raised over two days in a fundraising campaign for the family.

Faisal Madi, a neighbour, told CBC News that he will never forget the booming sound of the explosion the night of the deadly Bashaw fire last Sunday or the chilling screams that followed.

Living only metres away, he was at the motel in less than a minute where he found the mother and two sons of the Tiwana family outside the front door.

"Two of them were laying on the ground. One was standing. I tried to pull them away from the fire," Madi said, explaining that all three appeared to have been badly burned.

Both boys were screaming for their father who they said was still inside, he said.

Madi called 911 and after ensuring the boys and their mother were safe.

The father could not be located, leading to the belief that the remains of one person found at the site could be his.

The results of an autopsy, not yet released, will confirm the identity of the deceased and the cause of death.

Police said there was "graffiti damage to property" at the scene of the fire. However, police said investigators have no evidence to suggest the fire and the graffiti are linked.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police later confirmed racist graffiti was found at the property, but have not connected it to the explosion, nor they disclosed what the graffiti said.

The World Sikh Organisation (WSO), Canada, expressed its grave concern over the incident.

The Bashaw Motor Inn is owned and operated by the Tiwana family, who are Punjabi Sikhs. Police have confirmed that a truck near the scene of the fire and a nearby wall were spray painted with racist graffiti, the WSO said in a statement.

WSO Vice President for Alberta Tejinder Singh Sidhu said, "This was a horrific tragedy and we are very concerned by reports that racist graffiti was found on the scene. We have confidence in the RCMP

to fully investigate this matter and ensure that if this was a hate crime those responsible are quickly brought to justice."

The Bashaw Motor Inn is publicly registered to two directors -- Gurprett Tiwana and Barinder Tiwana. A man named Gurjit Dhaliwal sold the property to the Tiwanas in 2010.
Los Angeles: An early morning argument at a Los Angeles restaurant operating out of a converted home apparently triggered gunfire that left three people dead and 12 wounded, two gravely, authorities have said.

The restaurant owner told The Los Angeles Times he runs a Jamaican catering business out of the house and was hosting a birthday celebration when the shooting broke out.

A man who had gone to the house to ask that a car be moved from his brother's driveway told the newspaper there were more than 100 people in the house and yard and that a DJ was playing music.

Shortly after they left, Paul Elen said he heard 15 to 20 shots.

"My brother thought it was fireworks," Elen said. "I said, 'No, ain't no smoke in there. Them ain't fireworks, them gunshots.'"

Police who arrived at the scene in a working class neighborhood dotted by tall palm trees found shell casings and blood throughout the restaurant west of downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called the shooting the latest example of senseless gun violence that has reached epidemic proportions in the country.

"We cannot tolerate these tragedies multiplying in communities across America," Garcetti said in a statement.

Los Angeles Police Department Officer Mike Lopez said investigators were seeking a suspect he described as a black male, possibly accompanied by a woman.

Police earlier questioned two possible suspects, but Lopez said later no one was in custody.

Three people died at the scene, and 12 others were transported to local hospitals.

Lopez said two of the victims were in grave condition. Two of the wounded were released and the others remain hospitalised with wounds are not considered life-threatening. Police did not disclose the names or ages of the victims.

Neighbour Sheryl Cobb said she was awakened by screaming and gunfire, but never left her home for fear of getting caught in a crossfire.

"Bullets don't have names on them," she said.
Washington: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has hinted that his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, took drugs before their second debate last week and asked that the two of them be tested before their third and final debate.

"Athletes, they make them take a drug test. We should take a drug test prior to the debate because I don't know what's going on with her," Trump said on Saturday at a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

"At the beginning of her last debate (October 9 in St. Louis, Missouri), she was all pumped up at the beginning. And at the end...she could barely reach her car," he said, adding that he was "willing" to undergo drug testing before their next debate on October 19 in Las Vegas.

The Republican candidate, who has stoked a number of rumours about Clinton's health and stamina in recent months, criticised his rival for not programming a campaign event for this Saturday, and claimed she is not prepping for their next debate but instead is resting up for the debate even though it's still five days away.

"I said forget debate prep. I mean, give me a break. Do you really think that Hillary Clinton is debate-prepping for three or four days? Hillary Clinton is resting, OK?" the magnate said.

His campaign had said that when the Federal Bureau of Investigation was probing her handling of e-mails when she was secretary of state, "she said 39 times she couldn't remember anything", and maybe that was why she has to prep so much for the debate - she has a bad memory.

The magnate has stepped up his attacks not only against Clinton but also against several Republican leaders for failing to support him and against the media following the release of a 2005 video in which he is heard making sexist remarks, after which a number of woman came forward to accuse Trump of sexually abusing them some years ago.

"The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing completely false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect her president," Trump said with reference to Clinton.

But the Republican candidate vowed to defeat the "rigged" system, while also denying all the accusations of sexual harassment made over the last week by half a dozen women.
Bengaluru: In a heinous incident, an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker was hacked to death with machetes by two motorcyle-borne men on an arterial road in Bengaluru on Sunday.

The brutal incident took place on Kamaraja Road when Rudresh was returning home on a bike after attending a RSS meeting at a nearby area, said police.

The Commercial Street police rushed to the spot and conducted a detailed investigation.

Meanwhile, the BJP Yuva Morcha has called for a state-wide protest condemning the killing of Rudresh.

Rudresh, a realtor, was first knocked down from his bike and then attacked by the duo with a lethal weapon, police said.

The attackers managed to escape despite some members of the public giving chase, they said.

Rudresh was rushed to Bowring Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, police said.

Police said they suspected that personal rivalry could be the reason behind the murder.

However, RSS city spokesperson Rajesh Padmar alleged that it was a continuation of an 'organised elimination' of the organisation's workers.

"This is just continuation of an organised elimination of our workers. Such an attempt was made also against a RSS worker sometime back here. Hence we suspect it is nothing but continuation of killing and targeting our workers," he said.

Padmar said RSS would stage a protest here on Monday against the murder.

Former chief minister and state BJP president BS Yeddyurappa said the incident and the assailants' escape "is a telling comment on the law and order situation in the state."

He said the murder was a litmus test for the government "to demonstrate its seriousness, sincerity and will in nabbing the killers and taking the issue to its logical end."

He alleged that in recent attacks on two RSS workers, the two men arrested were released on bail within a few hours.

"In the earlier two instances, government failed. I demand home minister Dr G Parameshwar come clean on this issue," he added.

He warned that BJP would launch an agitation to mount pressure on the government over the issue of attacks on RSS swayamsevaks and BJP workers.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court's orders notwithstanding, paddy stubble in farmlands across Punjab and Haryana are going up in smoke, triggering a pollution alarm in the national capital.

A glance at NASA's 'Web Fire Mapper' shows that red dots, that denote fire, have increased exponentially over the states of Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh in the last fortnight.

Images show that the red dots were concentrated in areas bordering Pakistan and northern Punjab before October 6. But soon after, fires started dotting the region bordering Delhi, plumes from which may engulf the city soon.

Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain told PTI that this time around the AAP government's focus will be on tackling this annual menace before the winter sowing season.

"I have already written to the neighbouring state governments in this regard. I will also arrange a meeting with them to ensure that corrective steps are taken and things do not remain limited to mere words and letters," Hussain said.

Also, as per data put out by monitoring agencies including the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and SAFAR, Delhi's air quality is slowly plunging from 'moderate' to 'poor' levels.

"The situation will deteriorate as the pollutants enter Delhi in the next three to four days. But again, that depends on wind direction and speed. The air quality has been fluctuating between poor and moderate levels but it will slowly turn poor with falling temperature," a senior weather scientist, not wanting to be named, said.

The recurrence of the annual phenomenon establishes that the warning of authorities, including the Delhi High Court, Delhi government and the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority have fallen on deaf ears.

In fact, stubble-burning seems to have picked despite the Delhi government writing to the neighbouring states and the Union Environment Ministry to take effective steps for prevention of burning of agriculture residue on October 4.

On October 6, a High Court bench made it clear it will hold the Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh responsible if the orders of NGT and the court in this regard were not implemented.

This assumes importance in light of findings that the lion's share of pollutants which engulf the national capital, especially during winter, originates outside the city.

A report, prepared jointly by TERI and the University of California, San Diego, found that in-house sources contribute just about 32 per cent to Delhi's pollution.
Surat: Delhi Police on Sunday arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Gulab Singh from Gujarat in an alleged extortion case involving his associates.

Singh, who is also the AAP's in-charge in Gujarat, had surrendered himself at Umra police station in Surat early today, following which he was arrested by the Delhi Police.

The news of Singh's arrest came on a day when AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to hold a rally in Surat.

Earlier this week, a non-bailable warrant was issued against the AAP MLA for failing to join an investigation in an extortion case involving his associates. Singh's driver was arrested in the same case last month along with an associate.

Delhi CM Kejriwal too questioned the timing of the arrest on Twitter. "Just 2 days before Surat rally, Del police obtains Non-bailable warrant against our Guj prabhari, Gulab Singh in a completely false case. Will Gulab be arrested before the rally?" Kejriwal had tweeted.

On September 13, a case under section 384 (punishment for extortion) had been registered in the matter at the Bindapur police station. The FIR stated that two property dealers, Deepak Sharma and Rinku Diwan, had alleged that Satish and Divender, who work in Singh's office, and an associate, Jagdish, were extorting money from them.

The report further mentioned that the trio had extorted Rs 2 lakh in two attempts, and were making a third attempt and demanded Rs 1.5 lakh. It has been alleged by the complainants that the extortionists came to them in a vehicle with a beacon that suspectedly belongs to Singh.

Following the investigation, Gulab Singh was named in the FIR and sent notices to join the investigation. However, with Gulab Singh 'not cooperating in the investigation', Delhi Police obtained a non-bailable warrant against the AAP MLA from Matiala.

AAP MLA Surender Singh confirmed the reports of Singh's arrest as he tweeted:
New Delhi: A Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student and AISA activist has gone missing under mysterious circumstances, police said on Sunday.

Najeeb Ahmad, pursuing MSc in Biotechnology and resident of room 106 of Mahi/Mandavi hostel, has been missing since yesterday allegedly after an altercation with a few students on Saturday night, they added.

A case under Section 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person) of IPC has been registered at the Vasant Kunj North police station on the basis of a complaint by his parents, police said.

An AISA activist said Najeeb, who joined the hostel a fortnight ago, had an altercation with some ABVP activists on Saturday night when they were holding a door-to-door campaign at the hostel for the mess committee election.

Najeeb allegedly slapped a student following which residents of the hostel asked him to vacate his room.

However, the activist alleged, "It all started with a scuffle between two groups of students, but then an entire group of ABVP activists came to avenge it and beat him up," the activist said.

All those who tried to save him, including the warden, JNUSU president and hostel residents were also beaten up.

There was a protest organised by JNUSU at the university demanding the JNU administration to immediately take up the matter with the police from the university's side, said a student.
Podgorica: Montenegro said it had foiled a plot by a group of Serbs who were planning to seize the prime minister and parliament and proclaim victory for the opposition after Sunday`s tinderbox election.

News of the arrest of 20 Serbs ratcheted up tensions in the small ex-Yugoslav state which were already high over veteran premier Milo Djukanovic`s plans to forge closer ties with the EU and NATO.

The pro-Russian opposition -- which opposes his policies -- branded the announcement of the arrests as propaganda, while Serbia sardonically questioned its timing.

"We suspect that this criminal group was aiming to arrest the prime minister of Montenegro," the prosecutor`s office said in a statement.

"The plan was to attack citizens gathered outside parliament, as well as police, during the announcement of the results, and then take control of parliament and proclaim victory for the opposition," it said.

Montenegro police chief Slavko Stojanovic had said earlier that the suspects were allegedly planning attacks on organs of state, the police, and senior state officials, adding that a 21st suspect was being hunted.

Andrija Mandic, head of the Democratic Front, Montenegro`s main opposition, immediately condemned the announcement as "gross propaganda".

And in neighbouring Serbia, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic questioned the timing of the disclosure of the alleged plot.

"I find it curious that this is happening today, and that`s all I`ll say," Vucic said, according to the Tanjug news agency. "As for the rest, it would be better for me to bite my tongue."

The alleged plot was revealed as the country`s half a million strong electorate voted in a poll pitched by Djukanovic as a choice between closer ties with the West or with longtime ally Russia.

Polls closed at 1800 GMT with authorities putting turnout at 73.2 percent -- a high figure for the region. The first results were expected later Sunday night.

Mobile messaging services including WhatsApp and Viber were briefly down late Sunday at the behest of the authorities.

Interior Minister Goran Danilovic, who belongs to an opposition party, meanwhile urged voters not to head into the streets to celebrate.

Djukanovic, 54, is the only Balkan leader to have held on to power since the collapse of Yugoslavia began in the early 1990s, serving several times as prime minister and once as president in the country.

But analysts say he is now under pressure, with critics accusing his government of cronyism, corruption and links to organised crime.

The latest internal party polls forecast his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) leading with less than 40 percent of the vote, meaning coalition partners would be needed to form a government.

"Even if the DPS could reach with their political allies some tiny majority, that would be unstable," said Zlatko Vujovic, director of the Centre for Monitoring and Research, a watchdog group.

One of the six founding republics of the former Yugoslavia, Montenegro was joined in a loose union with Serbia after the Yugoslav breakup.

The union ended in 2006, when the country narrowly voted in favour of independence, and relations with Serbia have been fraught ever since.

Barricades were put up near parliament, apparently to protect the building against any post-election violence.

Opposition leader Mandic urged his supporters to stay calm.

"Everything has been set in place to defend Milo Djukanovic`s government," he said. "Tonight, massive chaos is expected -- but only in the prime minister`s office, when the results are announced."Djukanovic, who faced large anti-government rallies last year, has accused Russia of funding opposition parties.

"Are we going to be part of developed European society or a Russian colony?" he asked supporters waving national red flags at his final rally in the capital.

Montenegro was invited to join NATO in December, and ratification of the deal will be put to the next parliament.

But the issue profoundly divides the country`s 620,000 people, prompting reminders of the bonds with Russia and the alliance`s 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia.

Moscow, already angered by EU sanctions against it over the Ukraine conflict, has warned of consequences if the Adriatic republic joins the Atlantic alliance.

The Democratic Front opposes membership of either the EU or NATO, and is demanding a referendum on joining the alliance. It staged violent protests on the issue in 2015.

Other opposition groups have more mixed positions -- some are pro-EU but would also like a referendum on NATO -- yet they have spoken of joining forces to oust Djukanovic.
Benaulim: BIMSTEC leaders on Sunday called for sustainable development, economic progress, poverty eradication and comprehensive stamping out of terrorism and closer relation with BRICS even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the region faces many challenges but also has many economic opportunities.

Speaking at the inauguration of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit here, he said, "Unequal development, food and energy insecurity, poverty eradication, the impact of climate change, and growing threats posed by terrorism and transnational crime define our governance priorities. But, alongside these challenges, there exists a large basket of economic opportunities. With 1.5 billion people and a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion, the countries of Bimstec have shared aspirations for growth, development, commerce, and technology."

PM Modi said that the convergence of BRICS and Bimstec would provide a perfect opportunity to frame economic and development partnership, shape ties in the fields of energy, agriculture, technology, fisheries, and culture, structure trade, investment and commercial partnerships and resources to fight terrorism and transnational crime.

He also said, that in particular, areas of commerce, connectivity, culture, security and disaster management appear promising as far as identifying collaborative possibilities is concerned, adding that India, being a member of both blocs, would be "happy to take a lead in this direction".

Following the Uri attack in September, India, as host of this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

As New Delhi has launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community, the invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Speaking at the summit, Myanmar's State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi said that the Bimstec region was confronted with numerous security threats, including rising terrorism, climate change, natural and manmade disasters.

Suu Kyi also called for collective stepping up of pressure on human trafficking, which she said was "modern day slaverya and "one of the most pervasive human rights violations".

"We need to step up to intensity in the global efforts to combat global trafficking in a collective and a concerted manner," she said.

Like her, as well as Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, who their speeches collectively expressed solidarity with India, in view of the series of terrorist strikes, Bangladesh Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina also condemned the terror strike and said that her country has "zero tolerance to terrorism and violent extremism".

Hasina also said that the potential and strategic advantage of both the BRICS and Bimstec regions was enormous and both needed to mutually take advantage of each other's potential.

"BRICS has to engage with Bimstec. Bimstec needs to develop quality infrastructure and attract investment," she said, adding that the new banks floated by the BRICS bloc could help channelize investment in the low income countries in Bimstec.

Hasina also said that a sizeable part of the population in the bloc were grappling with challenges posed by poverty, sanitation, climate change and appealed to BRICS nations to partner with them for collective benefit.

Small countries, she said, cannot be left behind, when one speaks of collective development.

Prachanda underlined poverty as one of the major issues confronting the Bimstec region and said sectors like agriculture, energy, clean development and connectivity.
Vadodara: Family members of a Muslim youth, who was allegedly killed by cow vigilantes on the suspicion of carrying a calf for slaughter, today met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here.

Mhammad Ayyub was beaten on SG Highway on the night of September 13 after his car met with an accident and a calf he was carrying died. Some people allegedly beat him up suspecting he was carrying the calf for slaughter, according to the police.

He died at civil hospital in Ahmedabad three days later.

Mohammad Arif, his brother, today travelled here from Ahmedabad with his two sisters to meet Kejriwal.

"We met Kejriwal at the circuit house and sought his help to get justice for our brother. He assured us that he will help us in getting justice and also took our mobile number and said he will meet us when he is in Ahmedabad next time," Arif said.

"We asked for his help in getting the three main culprits, all cow vigilantes, arrested. Police have arrested (other) eight persons. We also sought his help in getting compensation. Government never cared to contact us to find out about our plight," he said.

After the incident, police had formed a special investigation team which has arrested eight persons so far. But Arif alleged that main culprits, "Janak Mistry, Ajay Rabari and Bharat Rabari, were still at large".
Benaulim: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a bilateral meeting with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit here.

"Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for first engagement," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.

Early morning bilaterals to begin a packed day of diplomacy. PM @narendramodi meets President @MaithripalaS of Sri Lanka for 1st engagement pic.twitter.com/2sOpjXC56I  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2016

As host of this year`s BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, India, as is the practice, can invite neighbouring countries to join in for an outreach summit.

Following last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, India chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of SAARC.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Uri attack and launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community.

The invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the SAARC countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Following the Uri attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pulled out of this year`s SAARC Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November citing Pakistan`s state sponsorship of terrorism as the reason.

Afghanistan and Bangladesh too followed suit citing the same reason while Sri Lanka held that a Saarc summit was not possible in India`s absence.

The BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit will be held here later on Sunday.

(With PTI inputs)
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday a rising tide of protectionism and anti-globalisation was endangering the world economy`s still fragile recovery as BRICS leaders vowed to forge closer business and trade ties.

At a summit in the Indian tourist hub of Goa, host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa issued a joint declaration on a range of measures, including the setting-up of a new credit ratings agency and fighting tax evasion.

They also agreed to work together to combat "cross-border" terrorism, but Modi`s guests held off from signing up to his fierce condemnation of India`s arch-rival Pakistan as the "mothership of terrorism".

BRICS was formed in 2011 with the aim of using members` growing economic and political influence to challenge Western hegemony.

The nations, with a joint estimated GDP of $16 trillion, set up their own bank in parallel to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank and hold summits rivalling the G7 forum.

But the countries, accounting for 53 percent of world population, have been hit by falling global demand and lower commodity prices, while several have also been mired in corruption scandals.

Russia and Brazil have fallen into recession recently, South Africa only just managed to avoid the same fate last month and China`s economy has slowed sharply.

Both Xi and Modi said the group must stick together, insisting there was much to remain positive about even though its members have been beset by domestic woes and problems sparked by the 2008 financial crisis.

"At present the deep-seated impact of the international financial crisis is still unfolding. The global economy is still going through a treacherous recovery and deep adjustments," Xi said.

The Chinese president said "deep-seated imbalances that triggered the financial crisis" were far from being resolved.

"Some countries are getting more inward-looking in their policies. Protectionism is rising and forces against globalisation are posing an emerging risk," he added.

While Xi did not single anyone out, Republican candidate Donald Trump has threatened to erect trade barriers to Chinese products if elected US president. Britain`s vote to leave the European Union has been interpreted partly as a backlash against globalisation.

While China`s economy has been running out of steam of late --although it is still the world`s second largest -- India is now the fastest-growing major economy and its GDP is expected to increase 7.6 percent in 2016-17.

Modi said it was vital the BRICS nations increased cooperation by dismantling trade barriers and developing infrastructure.

"I think I speak for all when I say that through a common vision and collective action, we will create and sustain deeper bonds among BRICS nations, develop our economies and secure our societies," he said.

"While our achievements have been substantial, we need to sustain the positive direction and strong momentum of intra-BRICS engagement."

Xi said BRICS countries had much to be proud of and had contributed to more than 50 percent of global growth in the last decade.

"The past decade has seen BRICS partnership expanding with win-win results," he said.

"We need to deepen our partnership: we BRICS countries are good friends, brothers and partners that treat each other with sincerity."

Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile called for closer cooperation in areas such as e-commerce and space exploration. Modi confirmed that the leaders had agreed to fast-track setting up a new ratings agency amid accusations from within the bloc that the three traditional agencies -- Moody`s, Standard & Poor`s and Fitch Ratings -- are all Western-based.

"We look forward to translating into reality the idea of a BRICS Credit Rating Agency," he said, without giving details of the much-trailed agency or timeline for its establishment.

Modi, who is pushing to isolate Pakistan following a surge in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, urged his peers to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

But with China reluctant to embarrass its traditional allies in Islamabad, a joint statement at the end of the summit only referred to a vague goal of combating "cross-border terrorism and its supporters".
New Delhi: Top officials including Foreign Secretary and DGMO are scheduled to brief a panel of MPs, including congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, on the surgical strikes conducted by the army across the LoC on October 18.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is scheduled to meet on Tuesday when it will be briefed on Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to recent surgical strikes.

"Briefing by the Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, Defence Secretary and Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) on the subject Indo-Pak relations with specific reference to surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) ," a notice regarding the October 18 meeting issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat says.

The meeting assumes significance as the governemt had earlier expressed reservations over briefing on the same topic to the Parliamentary Committee on Defence.

However, after initial reluctance, the parliamentary panel on Defence headed by BJP MP BC Khanduri was briefed by Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Bipin Rawat on the surgical strikes.

The Uri Army base was attacked by heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists on September 18 in which 19 soldiers were killed.

In retaliatory action, the Indian army carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC on the intervening night of September 28 and 29. A political slugfest is on between the ruling and opposition parties ever since.

Rahul Gandhi had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in political exploitation of the sacrifices made by soldiers. His "khoon ki dalali" remark had drawn strong criticism from the government, BJP and some other parties.
New Delhi: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has described the tensions between India and Pakistan as Very hot tinderbox and said that he would love to be a mediator if necessary to lower the hostilities.

He said if the two countries approach him for help he will love to be an arbitrator, the Hindustan Times reported. He made the comments during an address to the Indian-American community on Saturday here.

We will have to be very, very strong with respect to radical Islamic terrorism. Its a tremendous problem. We have a president that doesnt want to use the term, the report quoted Trump as saying.

On being asked what role he would play, he said, Well, I would love to see Pakistan and India get along, because thats a very, very hot tinderbox... That would be a very great thing. I hope they can do it.

Look at the recent problem that you (India) had and other problems that you have had over the years, he added.

Trump said, If it was necessary I would do that. If we could get India and Pakistan getting along, I would be honoured to do that. That would be a tremendous achievement... I think if they wanted me to, I would love to be the mediator or arbitrator.

However, New Delhi opposes any third-party mediation on Kashmir.

Trump also spoke on the issue of H-1B visa, one of the key concerns of the Indian community. He favoured H-1B, but it has some big deficiencies .

We will look at it very carefully and we are going to be studying it over the next coming months. The program has some very big deficiencies but also has some assets, he reportedly said.

Asked about his views on India and China, he said, Well, I am going to be a president that is impartial but I love India.
Panaji: India and Russia have agreed to explore building the world's most expensive pipeline costing close to USD 25 billion to ferry natural gas from Siberia to the world's third biggest energy consuming nation.

The pipeline is to connect Russian gas grid to India through a 4,500 km to 6,000 km pipeline, officials said.

The shortest route will entail bringing the pipeline through Himalayas into Northern India, a route which poses several technical challenges.

Alternately, the pipeline can come via Central Asian nations, Iran and Pakistan into Western India. However, the route will be expensive when compared to the long discussed but shorter and cheaper Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline. Tehran may suggest India take its gas through IPI rather than building such an expensive pipeline, they said.

The third and the longest alternative is to lay a pipeline through China and Myanmar into North East India bypassing Bangladesh.

According to preliminary cost estimate prepared by state-owned Engineers India Ltd, which yesterday signed an agreement with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom for studying the Russia-India pipeline, the longest route of 6,000 km may cost close to USD 25 billion.

The cost of transporting gas may be USD 12 per million British thermal unit, according to EIL.

The MoU signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the India-Russia Annual Summit on sidelines of the 8th BRICS Summit here, also envisages roping in ONGC Videsh Ltd, gas utility GAIL India Ltd and Petronet LNG Ltd for the study.

Sources said natural gas produced in East Siberian fields is to be pumped into Russian gas grid which would be connected to India through the cross-country pipeline network.

While the cost of transporting gas via the long discussed IPI pipeline is less than USD 1 per mmBtu, the same for the Turkeministan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline is around USD 2 per mmBtu.

According to industry experts, a realistic transportation cost would be USD 4 per mmBtu for the Russia-India gas pipeline. This excludes the transit fee to be paid to nations through which the pipeline will pass.

Russia is seeking to expand energy ties in Asia amid tensions with the West sparked by Moscow s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Indian companies have snapped up stakes in production assets in Siberian fields.

The MoU is being seen as an attempt to strengthen ties between the world's largest oil producer and the world's fastest growing fuel consumer.
Noida: A Naxalite commander, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh, has been arrested along with five accomplices from an apartment in Sector 49 here, police said today.

Pradeep Singh Kharwar from Bariyatu village in Jharkhand's Latehar district was last night arrested during a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and intelligence agencies.

The area commander was hiding in Noida since February 2012. He carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his arrest, they said.

A major attack in Delhi and NCR has been averted with the arrest, police claimed, adding six weapons were seized from their possession.
Nagpur: The 8th edition of Agro Vision, which provides platform for farmers and agriculture industry to explore various opportunities, will be organised here on November 11, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced today.

"About 400 stalls of various national and multi-national companies engaged in producing agro products and farming equipment will be put up for the benefits of farmers from across the region, with an idea to educate them on increasing their productivity with the minimum cost of production," Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping said.

Gadkari is also chief promoter of the event to be held at Reshimbaug ground here.

The four-day Agro Vision event is a combination of exhibition, workshops and conference which provides an interface for farmers and the agriculture industry to explore various opportunities.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will inaugurate the event, which will be presided over by Gadkari.

The event will be attended by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, MoS for Foods and Chemicals Ananat Kumar, MoS for Home Hansraj Ahir besides Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, his Assam counterpart Sarbanand Sonowal and state ministers.



Gadkari said Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will inaugurate a workshop in presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Bhai Rupani on November 12.

Top companies including Reliance, ITC, Mahindra to name few, besides National Dairy Development Borad, Horticulture Board and various agencies of state and Central governments will participate in Agro Vision.
Srinagar: The ongoing unrest in Kashmir, triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces, on Sunday completed 100 days even as the Valley remained curfew-free in view of the improvement in the situation.

The unrest, which began a day after Wani was killed in an encounter in south Kashmir on July 8, has left 84 people, including two cops, dead and several thousand injured.

The Valley has witnessed continuous shutdown for the past 100 days with periodic relaxation as announced by the separatists who are spearheading the current agitation.

The strike has crippled normal life in the Valley as shops, business establishments and petrol pumps have remained closed except for the relaxation period.

The shutdown has affected the education of the children as schools, colleges and other educational institutions have been shut in the Valley.

Authorities also imposed curfew and restrictions on most of these 100 days, throwing normal life out of gear in the Valley.

However, there was no curfew anywhere in Kashmir today, a police official said, adding restrictions on the assembly of people under Section 144 CrPc were in force throughout the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.

He said there was improvement in the situation with each passing day as more people were defying the Hurriyat-sponsored strike and coming out to carry their day-to-day activities.

There is increased movement of public transport, except buses, on the days when there are no restrictions.

Some shops also opened in some areas in the civil lines and outskirts of the city, the official said.

He said security forces have been deployed in sensitive areas to maintain law and order as also to instill a sense of security among the people so that they can carry out their day to day activities without fear.

The authorities had on Friday night restored outgoing call facility on prepaid mobile phone connections after three months in view of the improving situation.

However, mobile Internet services continued to remain suspended across Kashmir.
New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said that the government was of the clear view that personal laws should be constitutionally compliant and in conformity with norms of gender equality and the right to live with dignity.

In a Facebook post titled 'Triple talaq and the government's affidavit', he said that governments in the past have shied from taking a categorical stand that personal laws must comply with Fundamental Rights but the present one has taken a clear position on the issue.

Noting that the issue with regard to the constitutional validity of 'triple talaq' was distinct from the Uniform Civil Code, the FM, who has also been one of the leading senior counsel at the Supreme Court, said that the academic debate with regard to the UCC can go on before the Law Commission.

Following is the full text of his post:

The issue with regard to the constitutional validity of Triple Talaq is distinct from the Uniform Civil Code. The constitutional framers had expressed a hope in the Directive Principles of State Policy that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Law.

On more than one occasion, the Supreme Court has enquired from the government its stand on the issue. Governments have repeatedly told both the Court and the Parliament that personal laws are ordinarily amended after detailed consultations with affected stakeholders.

On the issue of the Uniform Civil Code, the Law Commission has initiated an academic exercise once again. This academic exercise by the Law Commission is only a continuation of the debate in this country ever since Constituent Assembly had expressed the hope that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Code.

Irrespective of whether the Uniform Civil Code is today possible or otherwise, a pertinent question arises with regard to reforms within the personal laws of various communities. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehrus Government had brought about major reforms to the Hindu Personal Laws through legislative changes. Dr. Manmohan Singhs Government brought further legislative changes with regard to gender equality in the Hindu Undivided Family. Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayees government, after active consultations with stakeholders, amended the provisions of marriage and divorce relating to the Christian community in order to bring about the gender equality. Reforming the personal laws, even if there is no uniformity, is an ongoing process. With passage of time, several provisions became obsolete, archaic and even got rusted. Governments, legislatures and communities have to respond to the need for a change.

As communities have progressed, there is a greater realisation with regard to gender equality. Additionally, all citizens, more particularly women, have a right to live with dignity. Should personal laws which impact the life of every citizen be in conformity with these constitutional values of equality and the Right to Live with Dignity? A conservative view found judicial support over six decades ago that personal laws could be inconsistent with personal guarantees. Today it may be difficult to sustain that proposition. The Governments affidavit in the triple talaq case recognises this evolution.

There is a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals and civil rights. Religious functions associated with birth, adoption, succession, marriage, death, can all be conducted through rituals and customs as per existing religious practices. Should rights emanating from birth, adoption, succession, marriage, divorce etc. be guided by religion or by constitutional guarantees? Can there be inequality or compromise with human dignity in any of these matters? Some people may hold a conservative, if not obsolete, view that personal laws need not be constitutionally compliant. The Governments view is clear. Personal laws have to be constitutionally compliant and the institution of Triple Talaq, therefore, will have to be judged on the yardstick of equality and the Right to Live with Dignity. Needless to say that the same yardstick would be applicable to all other personal laws.

As of today, the issue before the Supreme Court is only with regard to the constitutional validity of triple talaq. Governments in the past have shied from taking a categorical stand that personal laws must comply with Fundamental Rights. The present Government has taken a clear position. The academic debate with regard to the Uniform Civil Code can go on before the Law Commission. The question to be answered is that assuming that each community has its separate personal law, should not those personal laws be constitutionally compliant?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted leaders of the BRICS emerging powers on Sunday at a summit seeking to strengthen trade ties and help overcome the bloc`s economic woes.



Modi and the leaders of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa smiled and raised locked hands for a group photo in an Indian beachside resort, before holding talks on the tough task of forging stronger economic cooperation.

"I firmly believe that the simultaneous development of Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India is the best bet for global growth and development," Modi told leaders at the summit venue in Benaulim, a town in the western state of Goa.

BRICS was formed in 2011 with the aim of using its growing economic and political influence to challenge Western hegemony.

The nations, with a joint estimated GDP of $16 trillion, set up their own bank in parallel to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank and hold summits rivalling the G7 forum.

But the countries, accounting for 53 percent of world population, have been hit by falling global demand and lower commodity prices, while several have also been mired in corruption scandals.

Russia and Brazil have fallen into recession recently, South Africa only just managed to avoid the same fate last month and China`s economy has slowed sharply, although it is still the world`s second largest.

India by contrast is now the world`s fastest-growing major economy in an otherwise gloomy environment.

Commentators have raised doubts about the bloc`s clout given its economic problems.

A Chinese media website, however, warned against writing off BRICS. It said the club remained an economic force despite slowdowns and differences among its members such as China`s territorial disputes along the border with neighbouring India.

"Western countries have always been sceptical toward non-Western international cooperation, and their opinions on the Goa summit are no different," the Global Times, closely linked to the Chinese Communist Party, said in an editorial.

"Since the establishment of BRICS, speculations of disunity among the countries and decline in their power have emerged one after another.

"Compared with the situation in the West (however), BRICS countries still hold comparative advantages for development."

After a series of bilateral meetings on Saturday that saw Russia and India sign lucrative energy and defence deals, Modi will be seeking BRICS cooperation on enhancing trade and investment, as well as on combating climate change.

Modi is also expected to lead talks on threats to regional and global security, including recent cross-border attacks blamed on militants in India`s arch-rival Pakistan. These have sharply raised tensions between the neighbours.

Modi wants to isolate Pakistan internationally following fury at home over the attacks that have left some 25 Indian soldiers dead.

Analysts however are sceptical of India`s chances of securing a joint BRICS condemnation given China`s strong diplomatic support for Pakistan and Russia`s efforts to forge closer defence ties with Islamabad.

Taking place at the same time in Goa is a meeting of heads of a seven-nation grouping called BIMSTEC loosely based around the Bay of Bengal.

Myanmar`s Aung Sang Suu Kyi, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the leaders of Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal are set to hold talks also focused on trade. Thailand`s prime minister is not attending.
Hyderabad: Police have seized over Rs 1.44 crore, alleged to be hawala money, from a paddy broker, they said today.

Acting on a specific information received regarding hawala transactions, a Special Operation Team of Rachakonda Commissionerate last night caught Dontham Shetty Prasad, who used to collect huge amounts of cash every weekend, alleged to be hawala money, police said.

"Yesterday night, he was intercepted while he was on his way to board a bus at LB Nagar and taken to police station. After verification it was found that he was carrying over Rs 1.44 crore in cash" said Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh Bhagwat.

When interrogated, the person revealed that he is a paddy broker and every weekend he collects cash in the city and would then travel to Nellore by bus.

"He did not produce any documents in support of the transaction and hence, a case has been booked under Section 102 (power of police officer to seize certain property) of CrPC. The case has been forwarded to the IT department," the CP said.

A probe is on in the case.
Jammu: A special police officer (SPO) was allegedly stoned to death by two persons in a remote village of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Saturday.

Hemant Kumar was deployed at Phinter Chowk last night where he had an altercation with the accused who attacked him with stones, a police officer said.

He said that Kumar was left in a pool of blood and when he was shifted to a local hospital doctors declared him brought dead.

He said that the accused have been identified as Naresh Bhadwal and Manveer Lalotra.

He said that a case of murder has been registered and one of the accused has been arrested, while efforts were on to arrest the second accused.
Kathmandu/Benaulim: Pitching Nepal as a 'dynamic bridge' between India and China, Prime Minister Prachanda floated a proposal for trilateral strategic ties to Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Nepalese media reported on Sunday.

Fuelling speculation, the report about the 'trilateral meeeting' was reported by Nepal's The Himalayan Times along with a photo of the leaders.

In a surprise move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a quick chat with Prachanda and Jinping, with media sources saying that the meeting was not a formal trilateral meeting.

It was reported that PM Modi met Jinping and Prachanda in the Leaders Lounge at the venue of the BRICS 2016 summit, Taj Exotica, Goa.

The meeting is said to have lasted for 20 minutes with The Himalayan Times story, citing a statement issued by Prachanda's secretariat on the Prime Minister's personal website, saying that he "floated a proposal for trilateral strategic partnership among the three countries".

PM Modi and Xi acknowledged as 'significant' and said they were positive towards it, the report said.

According to the statement, Prachanda said during the meeting that "we (Nepal) are located between two giant countries. We want to become a dynamic bridge between the two countries and reap the benefit".

Noting that Buddha, Pashupatinath and Janaki connected Nepal, India and China, Prachanda was quoted as saying that Nepal can play a role of a bridge between India and China and help them build good relationship at present also.

He further said Nepal was inching towards the goals of development and wanted to establish a balanced, friendly and strategic relationship with both the neighbours, the report said.

The Nepalese premier also expressed his hope that the trilateral meeting could play a significant role in setting up an "epochal relationship" between Nepal, India and China, it said.

India, meanwhile, said both Xi and Prachanda were waiting in the leaders' lounge when PM Modi also reached there as he had to go with all the BRICS leaders for an informal dinner, turning the bilateral into a 'chance trilateral'.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup in Goa termed the episode "entirely coincidental".

"It was just entirely coincidental that in the leaders' lounge, all three were present at the same time. The bilateral meeting between China and Nepal had already ended. So, I don't know on what basis people are calling it a trilateral meeting. It is perfectly normal in a multilateral setting for leaders to be together in a lounge or on the sidelines or somewhere else," Swarup said, as per PTI.

BRICS nations condemn terror attacks on India

Meanwhile, BRICS nations today unanimously condemned terrorism in all its forms, including the terror attacks on India, as PM Modi called for a comprehensive response to this global scourge.

"We strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some BRICS countries, including that in India," the Goa Declaration adopted at the conclusion of the Eighth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit stated.

"We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stress that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other reasons," it said, as per IANS.

"We agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating international terrorism both at the bilateral level and at international fora."

The statement comes after last month's cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers..

India has blamed the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) for the wanton attack.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: British Prime Minister Theresa May will arrive here on November 6 on her first bilateral visit outside Europe during which she will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK strategic partnership.

The three-day visit was announced today by the External Affairs Ministry here.

"This will be her first bilateral visit outside Europe. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit," the Ministry said.

During the visit, Prime Minister May alongside Modi will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

"The Summit will be an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business to business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, IPRs and higher education," it said.

The two sides had agreed to hold the summit during Prime Minister Modi's visit to the UK in November 2015.

The India-UK partnership has since moved into a new era, with Britain voting to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum in June and leading to the resignation of then Prime Minister David Cameron.

May, 60, as the post-Brexit leader of the country, has often mentioned India among the priority countries for a free trade agreement to boost the UK's ties outside the EU.

"Countries including Canada, China,?India, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea have already told us they would welcome talks on future free trade agreements. And we have already agreed to start scoping discussions on trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand," she had told the Conservative party conference earlier this month.

Therefore, trade is expected to feature high on the agenda during her India visit.
Jammu: A major fire has completely destroyed Sukhnoi village in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, gutting 80 out of a total 84 households, but no one was injured, officials said on Sunday.

"Out of 84 houses, 80 in the Sukhnoi village in the Warwan block of the Kisthwar district were gutted in a fire that broke out late last night," Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kishtwar, Ghulam Nabi Balwan told PTI.

Soon after receiving the information, senior police and district administration officials rushed to the spot.

"The villagers had no option but to stay in the open last night as it is a remote village and tents will not help them due to snowfall in the area during the coming months," the DC said.

He said that the government has already sent free ration for the villagers, who have decided to stay in rented accommodation during the winters.

"As the winters are fast approaching and it would be difficult for the people to reconstruct their houses or stay in the tents, they have decided to stay in rented accommodation during the winter, the government will pay the rent for them," Balwan said.

He said that there was no loss of life or injury in the inferno that destroyed almost the entire village.
Srinagar: Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing at Indian positions near the Line of Control (LoC) on Sunday in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistani forces resorted to unprovoked firing at four Indian positions in Naushera sector of Rajouri district early today. The ceasefire violation started at 5:00 am today.

Unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pak in Naushera Sector (J&K) (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/uQszgvo4i7  ANI (@ANI_news) October 16, 2016

"They used automatics and mortars. Our troops responded effectively using same caliber weapons," a source said.

There was no casualty or damage on the Indian side.

After the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army on 29 September against terrorist launch-pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Pakistan stepped up cross-border firing and violated the Line of Control ceasefire several times.

In the wake of increased ceasefire violation from Pakistan side, the BSF has increased deployment of its troops along the International Border. Locals living in the area near the Line of Control (LoC) have been evacuated and moved to a safer place.

Further details awaited.
Kannur: With political violence claiming two lives in Kannur last week, CPI(M) today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and advise the RSS-BJP against indulging in "violence of politics".

"The RSS-BJP central leadership should intervene to put an end to the attacks against CPI(M) workers by their activists, who are unleashing violence," CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters at Thalassery.

He said if RSS informs Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that they are prepared?for talks, action in this regard would naturally be taken.

To ensure that peace prevails in Kannur, CPI(M) was prepared for talks, Kodiyeri said.

"We have made this clear earlier itself. But RSS was not prepared to accept such a stand," he said after visiting the family of K Mohanan, the CPI(M) Pathiriyad local committee member who was hacked to death allegedly by RSS workers earlier this month.

He claimed that RSS was trying to showcase it as having the best of behaviour.

But on the other hand, they were walking around with bombs and guns and launching attacks on Marxist workers, Kodiyeri alleged.

"CPI(M) has at all times stood for peace. That is why the party, despite being bruised,has maintained self restraint and decided not to be provoked and face the situation calmly," he said.

Kodiyeri claimed that the Marxist party's strongholds, such as Pathiriyad, were being "chosen" for attacks.

"Those who launched the attacks had come from outside. Despite the provocations, we have protested only by assembling the masses. This should not be taken as our weakness," he added.

Kodiyeri said that as the head of the government, the Chief Minister earlier took the initiative for peace and met Union Minister Ananth Kumar at Delhi and had asked him to delegate an RSS leader for talks.

"The CM had also met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and had informed him about this. But nothing happened," he said.

"RSS propagates peace outside but is shying away from taking practical steps towards that direction', he added.

Kodiyeri recalled that when RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat had come to Kochi, he had shown interest for talks. This was openly welcomed by the Chief Minister, he said adding the party later also subscribed to the same view.
New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh anti-terror squad on Sunday arrested three more naxals and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition from their possession in Noida, a police official said.

Speaking to media, State IG ATS said that three more naxals with explosives and detonators were arrested from a residential area at Hindon Vihar area in Noida.

"Pradeep Kumar Singh, suspected area commander of naxal, PWG, Latheaar was also detained," the official added.

The recoveries from naxals include 6 pistols, 50 catridges, 45 Gilletin Rods, 125 detonators, 13 mobiles, two laptops and two cars.

Initial investigation suggests that they were leaving in the area for last 2-3 months.

ATS officials said that the arrested naxals were adept at making bomb making and were reportedly planning to launch an attack in Delhi-NCR.

On Saturday evening, the state police had arrested at least six people suspected to have naxal links and recovered weapons from their possession.

Those arrested have been identified as Pawan Jharkhand of Madhubani in Bihar, Ranjit Paswan of Chandoli in UP, Sachin Kumar of Dankaur in Greater Noida, Krishna Kumar Ram from Sasaram in Bihar, and Suraj, a resident of Bulandshahr in UP. Suraj was the groups local contact for conducting operations in the Delhi-NCR area, said sources.
Baghpat: A village head in Chandinagar area here has been booked for allegedly raping a teenage girl, police said on Sunday.

Nirdosh Kumar (38) raped the girl six months ago and threatened her of dire consequences if she informed about it to anyone, they said.

The matter came to light on October 10 when the girl was admitted to a hospital after some illness and doctors informed her parents that she was pregnant. The girl then narrated the entire incident to her family members, police said.

A FIR was lodged in this connection yesterday. So far no arrests have been made, police said, adding they were still probing the matter.
Ballia: A day after senior party leader Ramgopal Yadav suggested Akhilesh Yadav be made the chief ministerial candidate, Samajwadi Party state president on Sunday said he will himself propose Akhilesh's name for the post of chief minister if the party is voted to power again.

"Ramgopal is party's national general secretary. He can write to party national president and give him advice. There is nothing wrong in it. I will myself propose name of Akhilesh as CM, if party is voted to power in 2017," Shivpal told reporters here.

Ramgopal, in a letter to Mulayam, yesterday said he would be held responsible if the party's fortunes plunged in the forthcoming assembly elections.

"Akhilesh is undoubtedly the most popular leader of the state and under him Uttar Pradesh has seen unprecedented development works. If SP has to win the elections, Akhilesh must be made its CM face," the letter said.

"You can take any decision, but if SP's tally fell below 100, you alone would be held responsible. The same people who worship you for raising Samajwadi Party and would hold you responsible for its decline also.

"History is ruthless. It spares no one," Ramgopal said in the letter while taking pot shots on his "advisors" stating that "they had no value in the eyes of people".

Shivpal was here to attend a workers meet in which leaders of Quami Ekta Dal also addressed the gathering.

In his address Shivpal came down heavily on bureaucrats alleging that after taking all the facilities they also take "commissions" for executing works.

"They (bureaucrats) use all their knowledge in sitting on files and delaying works," he said.

Asking party workers to remain prepared for polls, Shivpal said that "a notification regarding elections could be issued any time (by Election Commission)".
Edison (New Jersey): Asserting that Americans have had enough of the Clintons over the past few decades, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed that the US citizens will say "enough is enough" to them in the upcoming general election.

"Americans have had it with the years, the decades, of Clinton Corruption. They get rich stealing your jobs and shipping them to other countries. This will finally be the year the American people say: Enough is Enough," Trump, 70, said at an election rally in New Hampshire yesterday.

He alleged that Hillary Clinton had spoken in secret to a foreign bank that her dream was totally "open trade and open borders".

"By 'open trade' she means foreign countries can cheat us out of millions of jobs and trillions of dollars. By 'open borders' she means totally unlimited immigration," he alleged.

"When she thought no one was listening, Hillary Clinton was plotting to destroy the sovereignty of the United States. Either we win the election, or we lose the country. A Trump administration will secure and defend our borders. And yes, we will build a wall," he said.

Announcing his action plan to handle drug menace in the country, Trump said he will dismantle the illegal immigrant cartels and violent gangs and send them swiftly out of the country.

"We will aggressively prosecute traffickers of illegal drugs, and provide law enforcement and prosecutors with the resources and support they need to do their jobs," he said.

"We will close the shipping loopholes that China and others are exploiting to send dangerous drugs across our borders in the hands of our own postal service. These traffickers use loopholes in the Postal Service to mail fentanyl and other drugs to users and dealers in the US," he claimed.

He said a Trump administration will crack down on the abuse and give law enforcement the tools they need to accomplish this mission.

"We will fix the misguided rules and regulations that have made this problem worse," Trump said.

Alleging that since China's entry in the World Trade Organization, 70,000 factories have shut down or left the US, Trump said the country was living through the greatest jobs theft in the history of the world.

"If I win, day one, we are going to announce our plans to renegotiate NAFTA. If we don't get the deal we want, we'll leave NAFTA and start over to get a much better deal," he said.

Trump also said as part of his plan to bring back jobs, his administration will lower business tax from 35 per cent to 15 per cent.

"We will have a 10 per cent tax on money parked overseas, bringing trillions in wealth back into our country," he said.

"We will become the great jobs magnet of the world. Wages will rise, jobs will return, and factories will come rushing onto our shores," he said.

"We are going to have the biggest tax cut since Ronald Reagan; eliminate every unnecessary regulation; defend religious liberty; reduce the cost of tuition; rebuild our depleted military and take care of our vets," he said.
Niigata (Japan): An anti-nuclear candidate won an upset victory in a Japanese regional election on Sunday, a blow to Tokyo Electric Power's attempts to restart the world's biggest atomic power station and a challenge to the government's energy policy.

Ryuichi Yoneyama, 49, a doctor-lawyer who has never held office and is backed mostly by left-wing parties, won the race for governor of Niigata north of Tokyo, Japanese media projected, in a vote dominated by concerns over the future of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power station and nuclear safety more than five years after the Fukushima catastrophe of March 2011.

"As I have promised all of you, under current circumstances where we can`t protect your lives and your way of life, I declare clearly that I can`t approve a restart," Yoneyama told supporters at his campaign headquarters.

Cheers of "Banzai!" erupted as media began projecting him the winner over former mayor Tamio Mori, 67, backed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe`s pro-nuclear Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and initially favoured for an easy victory.

Yoneyama had more than 500,000 votes to about 430,000 for Mori with 93 percent of the vote counted in the region on the Japan Sea coast, public broadcaster NHK said.

Mori, a former construction ministry bureaucrat, apologised to his supporters for failing to win the election.

Yoneyama, who had run unsuccessfully for office four times, promised to continue the policy of the outgoing governor who had long thwarted the ambitions of Tepco, as the company supplying about a third of Japan`s electricity is known, to restart the plant.

Reviving the seven-reactor giant, with capacity of 8 gigawatts, is key to saving the utility, which was brought low by the Fukushima explosions and meltdowns, and then the repeated admissions of cover-ups and safety lapses after the world`s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

Tepco, put under government control in 2012, is vital to Abe`s energy policy, which relies on rebooting more of the reactors that once met about 30 percent of the nation`s needs.

As the race tightened, the election became a litmus test for nuclear safety and put Abe`s energy policy and Tepco`s handling of Fukushima back under the spotlight.

"The talk was of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, but I think the result will affect nuclear restarts across the country," said Shigeaki Koga, a former trade and industry ministry official turned critic of nuclear restarts and the Abe administration.

Koga told Reuters it was important that Yoneyama join forces with another newly elected governor sceptical of nuclear restarts, Satoshi Mitazono of Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan. "Without strong support from others, it won`t be easy to take on Tepco," he said.

TROUBLES

Tepco spokesman Tatsuhiro Yamagishi said the company couldn`t comment on the choice of Niigata governor but respected the vote and would strive to apply the lessons of the Fukushima disaster to its management of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa.

The government wants to restart units that pass safety checks, also promoting renewables and burning more coal and natural gas.

Only two of Japan`s 42 reactors are running more than five years after Fukushima, but the Niigata plant`s troubles go back further.

Several reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa have been out of action since an earthquake in 2007 caused radiation leaks and fires in a disaster that prefigured the Fukushima calamity and Tepco`s bungled response.

Niigata voters opposed restarting the plant by 73 percent to 27 percent, according to an NHK exit poll.

Yoneyama, who has worked as a radiological researcher, said on the campaign trail that Tepco didn`t have the means to prevent Niigata children from getting thyroid cancer in a nuclear accident, as he said had happened in Fukushima. He said the company didn`t have a solid evacuation plan.

The LDP`s Mori, meanwhile, was forced to tone down his support for restarting the plant as the race tightened, media said, insisting safety was the top priority for Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, while promoting the use of natural gas and solar power in Niigata.
Moscow: President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called on the US-led coalition to avoid civilian casualties in the battle to recapture the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group.

"We hope that our American partners, and in this case our French partners as well, will act selectively and do everything to minimise -- and even better, to rule out -- civilian casualties," Putin said in a televised news conference on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India.

"We of course are not going to fan hysteria over this matter, like our partners in the West do, because we understand that we need to fight terrorism, and that there is no other way apart from active fighting," he added.

IS seized Mosul along with other areas of Iraq in June 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained significant ground from the jihadists and -- backed by a US-led coalition that includes France -- are preparing for an assault to retake the city.

Meanwhile in neighbouring Syria, Russian airpower is currently backing up an offensive by regime forces on rebel-held eastern Aleppo that has sparked accusations of potential war crimes from the West.

More than 370 people, including nearly 70 children, have been killed in regime and Russian bombardment of east Aleppo since the regime's assault began on September 22, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said this week.

The launch of the operation to recapture Mosul is expected to be announced soon.
Dhaka Division: Prison authorities in Bangladesh`s southern city of Khulna on Sunday executed a senior Islamist extremist whose banned group has been linked to the murder of foreign hostages, police said.

Asadul Islam, 42, a leader of the outlawed Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was hanged for his role in a 2005 blast that killed two judges.

Bangladesh has blamed the JMB for a July 1 attack on an upmarket Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, mostly foreign hostages, were shot and hacked to death.

"He was hanged to death at 10:30 pm (1630 GMT) in Khulna jail," Khulna Police Commissioner Nibhas Chandra Majhi told AFP, adding that there was heavy security around the jail to prevent any violence.

Islam, also known as Arif, was one of seven senior JMB officials, including founding leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, sentenced to death for a bomb attack on a minibus that killed two lower court judges on November 14, 2005.

Six of the men, including Rahman, were executed in March 2007 by a military-backed caretaker government as part of a nationwide crackdown on Islamic extremists.

Arif was sentenced in absentia and was not detained until July 2007. He has been held in Khulna jail ever since. In August the Supreme Court dismissed his final appeal.

His execution comes as Bangladeshi security forces push a deadly new crackdown against Islamist extremists following the cafe attack that has shaken the image of Bangladesh as a moderate Muslim nation.

Since July, police have shot dead nearly 40 suspected extremists including JMB`s new leader Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent who allegedly masterminded the cafe carnage.

As part of the crackdown, Bangladesh`s courts have also fast-tracked prosecution of Islamist extremists, scores of whom were already facing death sentences and languishing in the country`s jails.

Majhi said hundreds of police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion have been deployed in Khulna, the country`s third largest city, and key roads leading to the jails had been blocked to prevent any violence.A prison official told AFP that Arif had refused to seek presidential clemency -- his last chance to stop the hanging -- which prompted the authorities to prepare for his execution.

"His family including his wife, two little daughters, six sisters and several other relatives came to meet him for the last time just hours before the execution," he said.

His body has already sent to his village home in the neighbouring town of Mollarhat in an ambulance which was escorted by a heavy police security detail.

Founded in the late 1990s by Islamists who fought in the Afghan wars alongside the Taliban, the JMB seeks to impose sharia law on Bangladesh, a Muslim majority but officially secular nation of 160 million people.

JMB first shot to prominence in Bangladesh when it conducted a coordinated bombing attack on August 17, 2005, with more than 400 small blasts in 63 of the country`s 64 districts.

Many of those bombs targeted secular courts, which the JMB claims are inspired by Satan.

Hundreds of JMB extremists including Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai were subsequently hunted down by security forces in a massive crackdown.

Since December 2013, Bangladesh has also executed five top leaders of the country`s largest Islamist party and a senior opposition official for atrocities connected to the country`s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.

Their trials and executions have triggered the country`s deadliest political violence, with more than 500 people killed in clashes with police and thousands of Islamists arrested.
Cairo: At least 100 militants were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Egyptian government against jihadist targets in North Sinai, a security source said.

The Armed Forces said in a televised statement on Saturday it pursued the criminal and terrorist elements who implemented the terrorist attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

The airstrikes targeted the hideouts of the armed extremists involved in Friday's attacks, and all areas that harbour the terrorist elements along with the weapons and ammunition depots were destroyed in the airstrikes, which lasted for three hours and is still ongoing, the statement added.

At least 40 militants were wounded in the air raids, the source added.

He added that the airstrikes have bombed three suspected jihadist bases in Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and Al-Arish cities in Egypt.

The airstrikes were a retaliation to the killing of 12 army personnel on October 14 at a checkpoint.

North Sinai province has been a hub for anti-security attacks that killed hundreds since the army-led ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

A Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for most of attacks, including the October 14 assault.
Paris: French President Francois Hollande presided over a national ceremony paying homage to the 86 victims in the July 14 truck attack in Nice, calling for unity to combat terrorism.

The ceremony took place in Nice on Saturday in the presence of the victims' families, injured people, the country's main political leaders and Nice local officials.

The names of the 86 victims were read out and one white rose was placed for each of them during the ceremony.

"What has been struck on July 14 is national unity, unleash violence to unborn division, spark fear to fuel stigma. No, this evil business will fail," Xinhua news agency quoted Hollande as saying.

Meanwhile, the French president warned that the "war (against terrorism) will be long" and "the threat remains high, more than ever."

On July 14, 2016, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian-born delivery man with his truck careered around 2 km through the crowd before being shot dead by police units. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Edison (New Jersey): Terming India as a "key strategic ally", Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become "best friends" and have a "phenomenal future" together.

"India's is the world's largest democracy and is a natural ally of the US. Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends," Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition yesterday.

"We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India. We are going to have a phenomenal future together," he said.

He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming bureaucracy, saying it was required in the US too.

"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic in reforming the economy and bureaucracy. Great man. I applaud him," Trump said.

It was for the first time a US presidential candidate attended an Indian-American event this election season.

"I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House," Trump said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.

"I have two massive developments in India, very successful, wonderful, wonderful partners, very beautiful, I must say. I have great friends and great confidence in India. Incredible people and an incredible country. I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times," he said.

Trump appreciated India's role in fight against terrorism.

"We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism," he said as he slammed his rival Hillary Clinton for not using this word.

Trump said India had experienced firsthand "brutality of terror" in the past "including the mayhem in Mumbai, a place that I love, a place that I understand."

The terrorist attack in Mumbai, the attack on Indian Parliament was "absolutely outrageous" and terrible, he said.

"India is a key, and key strategic ally. And we do not even want to talk about it, because it is nothing but a relationship that we will have. I look forward to deepening the diplomatic and military cooperation that is the shared interest of both countries," he said.

"Your great Prime Minister has been a pro-growth leader for India. He has simplified the tax code, cut the taxes and the economy is strong growing at 7 per cent year. Excellent. Our economy is practically not growing at all in the US. It's about zero. We will have a great relationship with India," Trump said.
Podgorica: Montenegro`s ruling party faced a tough test in national elections on Sunday, hoping its promise to bring the country into NATO and closer to the European Union will outweigh opposition allegations of corruption.

Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, 54, has presented the vote as a choice between continuing Western integration under his Democratic Party of Socialists or being reduced to a "Russian colony" under the opposition.

But the opposition say his regular accusations that they are funded by Moscow are false and a smokescreen to cover for the culture of cronyism and organised crime that they say he has allowed to flourish over his quarter-century of dominance.

NATO invited the tiny Balkan country of 620,000 to join last year, partly out of concern at Russian influence in Montenegro, which has strong cultural and commercial links to its traditional Orthodox Christian ally.

Supporters of the move say it will bring greater security and prosperity. But it remains divisive - NATO bombed Montenegro when the alliance intervened in 1999 to end a campaign of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo by Serbia, with which Montenegro was then in a state union.

A lack of reliable polls makes the election hard to call, but long-term allies have deserted Djukanovic, suggesting that the message from opposition parties may have traction.

Voter Vojislav Grujovic, a stocky manual labourer in his 50s, declined to say who he had chosen on Sunday. "I have voted without worries, because everyone pledged a better life and prosperity ... We can`t lose," he joked.

The former Yugoslav republic`s economy has grown at a brisk 3.2 percent a year for the past decade, thanks mainly to foreign investment, much of it from Russia as well as China and Italy, targeting energy, mining and tourism in a country famed for its spectacular mountains and sea coast.

At an opposition rally in the capital Podgorica on Saturday, hundreds of backers of the Democratic Front (DF), an alliance of pro-Serb and pro-Western parties, waved Serb, Russian and Montenegrin flags, chanting their campaign slogan "Us or Him".

"Djukanovic, step down peacefully on Sunday if you love Montenegro?," said Nebojsa Medojevic, a pro-Western politician and one of the DF`s leaders.

Polling stations close at 1800 GMT, with first partial results expected an hour later.
Kathmandu: Pitching Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between India and China, Prime Minister Prachanda floated a proposal for a trilateral strategic partnership during a meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a media report here said today.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' during the trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit yesterday expressed Nepal's desire to act as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants and to reap the benefit of playing such a role, The Himalayan Times reported along with a photo of the meeting.

Prachanda "floated a proposal for trilateral strategic partnership among the three countries", which Modi and Xi acknowledged as 'significant' and said they were positive towards it, the report said, citing a statement issued by his secretariat on the Prime Minister's personal website.

The Nepalese premier, who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit yesterday, first held a one-on- one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them. The leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachanda's personal secretary Prakash Dahal, who is also his son, was quoted as saying.

According to the statement, Prachanda said during the meeting that "we (Nepal) are located between two giant countries. We want to become a dynamic bridge between the two countries and reap the benefit".

"During the meeting, I put forth the issue of strategic partnership with emphasis," Dahal said, adding that "the Indian Prime Minister and Chinese President said Nepal's proposal on strategic partnership is significant and they agreed to it".

Noting that Buddha, Pashupatinath and Janaki connected Nepal, India and China, Prachanda was quoted as saying that Nepal can play a role of a bridge between India and China and help them build good relationship at present also.

He further said Nepal was inching towards the goals of development and wanted to establish a balanced, friendly and strategic relationship with both the neighbours, the report said.

The Nepalese premier also expressed his hope that the trilateral meeting could play a significant role in setting up an "epochal relationship" between Nepal, India and China, it said.

In response, Chinese President Xi was quoted as saying that the size of the country did not bear much significance and Nepal could become a bridge between India and China.

He also praised Nepal's role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in the future.

Noting that the three countries shared "geographical, emotional and cultural friendship, Indian Prime Minister Modi said India was positive towards Nepal's proposal on trilateral partnership," the report said.

Prachanda's spouse Sita Dahal was also present at the meeting.
Seoul: North Korea had test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile, but it ended in a failure, South Korea`s military said on Sunday.

South Korea`s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement that North Korea fired what is believed to be a Musudan missile at 12.33 p.m. on Saturday near an airport in North Pyongan province, Xinhua news agency reported.

The test-launch, the JCS said, failed as the missile exploded soon after its lift-off.

The failed launch came on the day that the US and South Korea wrapped up their joint naval exercises that had started on Monday in all of the three seas around South Korea.

The US military mobilised its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to participate in the week-long drill, which also involved seven American warships and some 40 South Korean battleships as well as fighter jets, maritime patrol airplanes and helicopters.

On June 22, Pyongyang launched a Musudan medium-range missile, flying some 400 km after reaching as high as 1,413.6 km. Musudan medium-range missile, flying some 400 km after reaching as high as 1,413.6 km.

It was seen as a considerable technological advance and the first success by North Korea after several failures.
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia says it has reassigned its ambassador to Iraq, months after he claimed that Iranian-backed Shiite militias were plotting to assassinate him.

A royal decree issued early today from King Salman announced Thamer al-Sabhan would be a minister of state for the Gulf region.

The decree and a brief story on the state-run Saudi Press Agency did not elaborate on the reason for his reassignment.

However, it comes after Iraq asked Saudi Arabia in August to replace al-Sabhan as it said the ambassador's allegations were without evidence and harmed relations between the two countries.

Iranian-backed Shiite militias have fought against the Islamic State group in Iraq, raising worries in the Sunni-ruled kingdom about Iranian influence there.

Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations with Iran in January.
Lahore: Six Taliban militants who were plotting to attack offices of Pakistani law enforcement agencies were today killed by security forces in Sheikhupura district of Pakistan's Punjab province.

A team of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) along with police raided the hideout of terrorists in Sheikhupura, about 50 km from here, early this morning after intelligence reports that about 10 terrorists were planning to attack the offices of law enforcement agencies in Shiekhupura and Lahore.

"During the raid, the terrorists opened fire and the security forces retaliated. Six terrorists were killed in the firing," the CTD said.

Three terrorists managed to escape from the spot, the CTD said, adding that the militants were members of the banned Tahreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Explosives, three AK-47 rifles, three pistols and two motorcycles were recovered from the hideout.
Beirut: Turkish-backed rebels on Sunday captured the emblematic northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, dealing a major symbolic blow to the jihadists.

The defeat for IS came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet European allies in London as part of a new diplomatic push to end Syria's conflict, which has left more than 300,000 people dead since 2011.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition forces backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery had seized control of Dabiq today.

The town, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo, is of little strategic value.

But Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS and its followers because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an apocalyptic battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group, said rebel forces "captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area".

The Fastaqim Union, an Ankara-backed rebel faction involved in the battle, said Dabiq had fallen "after fierce clashes".

The Observatory said fighters also captured the nearby town of Sawran.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency also said the rebels had taken control of Dabiq and Sawran and were working to dismantle explosives laid by retreating IS fighters.

It said nine rebels were killed and 28 wounded during clashes yesterday.

Dabiq has become a byword among IS supporters for a struggle against the West, with Washington and its allies bombing jihadists portrayed as modern-day Crusaders.

Earlier this week, IS downplayed the importance of the rebel advance on the town.

"These hit-and-run battles in Dabiq and its outskirts -- the lesser Dabiq battle -- will end in the greater Dabiq epic," the group said in a pamphlet published online Thursday.

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, helping Syrian rebels to rid its frontier of IS jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would push further south to create a 5,000-square-kilometre (1,900 square-mile) safe zone in Syria.

The border area has become deeply unstable and today Turkish state media reported that suicide bombers blew themselves up when police raided their sleeper cell in the city of Gaziantep.

Media reports spoke of casualties without providing precise numbers.
Bangkok: Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has tried to dispel concerns over his surprise decision to delay coronation and asked the public "not to be confused or feel concerned" as he wants to join the citizens in mourning the demise of his father.

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-O-Cha said the Crown Prince wanted people to take this time to keep to themselves fine memories of the past 70 years - during which the revered king Bhumibol Adulyadej ruled the politically volatile nation - before accepting the invitation to become the new king.

King Bhumibol, the world's longest ruling monarch, passed away on Thursday at the age of 88, leaving a void in the deeply polarised country of figures like him seen as unifying force.

The coronation could take place some time after the royal cremation. Prayut said in his address to the nation late last night.

The Crown Prince wanted the people "not to be confused or feel concerned over the succession to the Throne because this matter is clearly stated in the Constitution, the Palace Law and traditions," the Bangkok Post quoted him as saying.

Prayut and Gen Prem Tinsulanonda, in his capacity as the Regent, were granted an audience with the 64-year-old Crown Prince Maha at the Dusit Palace yesterday evening.

Prayut said the Crown Prince expressed concern for the Thai people as some were still suffering from flooding while the country was overwhelmed with grief over the passing of King Bhumibol.

Meanwhile, deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said Privy Council, the royal advisory board, will choose a new president among themselves now that their chief, Prem, has become the regent.

"When the regent is relieved of duty, he will be reinstated as president of the Privy Council automatically without the need for a royal appointment," Wissanu explained.

He said late King Bhumibol already appointed his heir on December 28, 1972 so there was no question as to who is going to be the new king.

The steps to be taken are just a formality to fulfill the late king's wish, the Post quoted Wissanu as saying.
Lahore: A prominent Pakistani journalist, who was briefly barred from travelling abroad over reporting a rift between the civilian and military leaderships, today stuck to his story, saying he had "triple-checked" the facts.

"Because nothing of the reaction had been unanticipated, nothing had been left to chance before the story was put out in print," Cyril Almeida, a columnist and reporter for the Dawn, said in his column 'A week to remember' published in today's edition of the newspaper.

He wrote: "The story had arrived fairly quickly after the fateful meeting on October 3, but it was only published on October 6. The gap was all about verifying, double- and triple-sourcing and seeking official comment.

In his story 'Act against militants or face international isolation', Almeida reported that the civilian government has warned the military leadership of a growing international isolation of Pakistan and sought action against banned terror groups, like Hafiz Saeed's LeT, Masood Azhar's JeM and the Haqqani network, or face international isolation.

The Nawaz Sharif government denied the facts of the story and subsequently placed Almeida's name on the Exit Control List (ECL), barring him from leaving the country. However, under media pressure, the government on Friday removed his name from the list but constituted a committee to probe the matter.

The development was followed by a Corps Commanders' Conference last week presided over by army chief Gen Raheel Sharif in which concerns were raised on feeding "story that was a breach of security".

In his comments today, Almeida further said: "For me, and for the paper, there were only two questions that mattered. Did the meeting take place? Could I verify through multiple channels what was said? Yes, the heart races a bit faster when you do something out of the ordinary. Yes, there is always some concern for the self.

"The second part is trickier than it would appear, but it is also not as hard as it is made out to be. Stick around long enough and you get a sense of how this place works. And the place gets a sense of you.

You know the camps, you know the divisions and splits, and you know at any given time who may be interested in selling what. They exist in civilian as much as they do in military."

He added that with a meeting like this and a story like that, "you sniff around until you get a bunch of overlapping facts from camps that have no obvious reason to overlap".
Washington: The US Navy has commissioned its largest, most expensive and technologically advanced destroyer, prompting a top admiral to say, "If Batman had a ship, it would be the USS Zumwalt".

The Zumwalt, costing nearly USD 4.4 billion, is striking in appearance, with sharp angles and weaponry concealed behind flat surfaces, a design that makes it many times more difficult to spot on radar than conventional destroyers.

"If Batman had a ship, it would be the USS Zumwalt," Admiral Harry B Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, where the ship will be assigned.

The 610-foot-long ship, commissioned in Baltimore yesterday, also has an advanced power plant and weapon systems that can move the Navy into the future, said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.

"It doesn't look like other ships and it does things other ships cannot do," Mabus said.

The ship is named after Adm. Elmo R "Bud" Zumwalt, a Bronze Star winner from World War II who went on to serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars and as chief of naval operations from 1970 to 1974.

"The Navy and the nation are better because of Admiral Zumwalt," Mabus was quoted as saying by CNN.

A Navy news release raves about the Zumwalt and its two sister ships, the Michael Mansoor and the Lyndon B. Johnson, both under construction at Bath Iron Works in Maine.

Among the things that set the Zumwalt apart from its predecessors in the Arleigh Burke-class of destroyers:

-- A larger flight deck that enables operations with new F-35 fighters and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft;

-- Larger vertical launch missile tubes that can fire larger and more advanced land attack and anti-ship missiles;

-- An electrical power system that generates almost as much electricity as the nuclear power plants on aircraft carriers.

"The ship can operate all of its systems and still generate enough electricity to power a small town," the Navy said.

It has the ability, with that extra power, to accommodate weapons of the future, such as electronic rail guns and laser.

But for all that, the Navy plans to buy only the three Zumwalt-class destroyers it has on order, down from 32 originally envisioned early in the programme, the report said.

The Navy is now focusing on an updated version of the current -- and more conventional -- Arleigh Burke class.
Washington: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump addressed the India-American community at a fund-raiser on Saturday night as he enters the final lap of the campaign for the White House.

In his keynote address, Trump focused on the relationship with India.

The following are the top 10 quotes from his speech:

1. I have great respect for Hindus. I have many Hindu friends and Hindus are amazing entrepreneurs.

2. I have great respect for India. Its an amazing country. I have jobs going up in India right now.

3. (India-Pakistan conflict) is one of the great conflicts in the world right now. Hopefully everything will work out.

4. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic. Great man! I applaud him for doing so.

5. I am a big fan of Hindu. I am a big fan of India.

6. If Im elected President, the Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House. That I can guarantee you.

7. Im involved in two massive developments in Indiaand that is because I have great confidence in India.

8. Generations of Indian and Hindu Americans have strengthened our countryyour values of hard work, education and enterprise have truly enriched our nation.
Samsung has halted production of the Note 7 smartphone in the wake of reports of exploding batteries and fires

Australian and New Zealand airlines barred the recalled Samsung Note 7 from all planes starting Sunday citing its "potential fire risk", after a similar ban was imposed by US officials.

Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, has halted production of its latest flagship mobile device and recalled all Note 7 phones and replacements following reports of exploding batteries and fires.

"(The ban) is due to concerns regarding potential fire risk from the device's battery after a number of incidents worldwide and follows a ban put in place by regulators overseas," Qantas and its discount carrier Jetstar said in a statement late Saturday.

"The ban applies to devices being carried onto the aircraft, in carry-on baggage as well as check-in luggage."

Virgin Australia, Tigerair Australia and Air New Zealand issued similar announcements.

Virgin and Air New Zealand "strongly advised" passengers not to bring the Note 7 phone to airports.

"They cannot be accepted for travel and there is no storage facility available for them at our check-in areas," Air New Zealand added.

The Australian carriers previously told customers not to use or charge the smartphone if they were carrying it onboard flights, after Samsung's initial recall of the "phablet" last month.

US officials Friday barred all Note 7s from airplanes and said anyone attempting to travel with the recalled handsets may face fines and have the devices confiscated.

The Note 7 crisis is set to cost the South Korean electronics giant billions in lost profits, and is a blow to a firm that prides itself on the quality production of cutting-edge technology.
Kuwait's current parliament is considered pro-government but lawmakers have been angered by the cabinet's unilateral decision to raise petrol prices by between 40 to 80%

Kuwait's parliament speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem has called for snap elections in the face of mounting security and economic challenges in the oil-rich Gulf emirate.

Ghanem's remarks came after lawmakers filed three requests to grill ministers over a decision to hike petrol prices and alleged financial and administrative violations.

More such requests are expected before parliament on Tuesday starts the final year of its four-year term.

In an interview with Al-Rai television late Saturday, Ghanem said Kuwait was facing a "delicate and exceptional period... with regional security, economic and domestic and external challenges."

"We cannot overcome this period if we don't have a new government team... and go back to the ballot boxes," the speaker said.

This view, he said, was shared by Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, a senior member of Kuwait's ruling family, along with many lawmakers.

"I have informed the political leadership (emir) of this personal view and he has the ultimate decision."

Under the constitution, only Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah has the power to dissolve parliament and call early elections.

The current parliament is considered pro-government but lawmakers have been angered by the cabinet's unilateral decision to raise petrol prices by between 40 to 80 percent.

The OPEC member pumps about 3.0 million barrels of oil per day.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday a rising tide of protectionism and anti-globalisation was endangering the world economy's still fragile recovery as BRICS leaders vowed to forge closer business and trade ties.

At a summit in the Indian tourist hub of Goa, host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa issued a joint declaration on a range of measures, including the setting-up of a new credit ratings agency and fighting tax evasion.

They also agreed to work together to combat "cross-border" terrorism, but Modi's guests held off from signing up to his fierce condemnation of India's arch-rival Pakistan as the "mothership of terrorism".

BRICS was formed in 2011 with the aim of using members' growing economic and political influence to challenge Western hegemony.

The nations, with a joint estimated GDP of $16 trillion, set up their own bank in parallel to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank and hold summits rivalling the G7 forum.

But the countries, accounting for 53 percent of world population, have been hit by falling global demand and lower commodity prices, while several have also been mired in corruption scandals.

Russia and Brazil have fallen into recession recently, South Africa only just managed to avoid the same fate last month and China's economy has slowed sharply.

Both Xi and Modi said the group must stick together, insisting there was much to remain positive about even though its members have been beset by domestic woes and problems sparked by the 2008 financial crisis.

"At present the deep-seated impact of the international financial crisis is still unfolding. The global economy is still going through a treacherous recovery and deep adjustments," Xi said.

The Chinese president said "deep-seated imbalances that triggered the financial crisis" were far from being resolved.

"Some countries are getting more inward-looking in their policies. Protectionism is rising and forces against globalisation are posing an emerging risk," he added.

Story continues

While Xi did not single anyone out, Republican candidate Donald Trump has threatened to erect trade barriers to Chinese products if elected US president. Britain's vote to leave the European Union has been interpreted partly as a backlash against globalisation.

While China's economy has been running out of steam of late --although it is still the world's second largest -- India is now the fastest-growing major economy and its GDP is expected to increase 7.6 percent in 2016?17.

- 'Deeper bonds' -

Modi said it was vital the BRICS nations increased cooperation by dismantling trade barriers and developing infrastructure.

"I think I speak for all when I say that through a common vision and collective action, we will create and sustain deeper bonds among BRICS nations, develop our economies and secure our societies," he said.

"While our achievements have been substantial, we need to sustain the positive direction and strong momentum of intra-BRICS engagement."

Xi said BRICS countries had much to be proud of and had contributed to more than 50 percent of global growth in the last decade.

"The past decade has seen BRICS partnership expanding with win-win results," he said.

"We need to deepen our partnership: we BRICS countries are good friends, brothers and partners that treat each other with sincerity."

Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile called for closer cooperation in areas such as e-commerce and space exploration. Modi confirmed that the leaders had agreed to fast-track setting up a new ratings agency amid accusations from within the bloc that the three traditional agencies -- Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings -- are all Western-based.

"We look forward to translating into reality the idea of a BRICS Credit Rating Agency," he said, without giving details of the much-trailed agency or timeline for its establishment.

Modi, who is pushing to isolate Pakistan following a surge in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, urged his peers to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

But with China reluctant to embarrass its traditional allies in Islamabad, a joint statement at the end of the summit only referred to a vague goal of combating "cross-border terrorism and its supporters".
Forests provide multiple social and environmental benefits and play a key role in bioeconomy particularly in the Nordic countries. For example, the Finnish bioeconomy strategy aims to considerably increase the use of forest-based biomasses and forest harvesting by 2025. However, new research shows that there are strong conflicts between intensive timber harvesting and the provision of other benefits or the maintenance of biodiversity. The results are part of a research project lead by Professor Mikko Monkkonen and funded by the Academy of Finland and Kone foundation. The project aims at identifying conflicts and synergies between ecosystem services and biodiversity at forest landscape scale.

Combining forest growth simulations with multiobjective optimisation, the researchers found that it was not possible to achieve high levels of environmental benefits (such as climate regulation through carbon storage) or biodiversity if the objective of forest management was to maximise timber harvest revenues. However, with small reductions of timber revenues it was possible to greatly increase the multifunctionality of the landscape, especially the biodiversity indicators.

"Forest management actions alternative to the recommended intensive management, such as reducing thinnings, extending the rotation period and increasing the amount of area set-aside from forestry, may be necessary to safeguard biodiversity and other benefits provided by boreal forests in Fennoscandia," says Maria Trivino, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Jyvaskyla.

The results of the project show that no forest management type alone is able to maximise timber revenues, carbon storage and biodiversity individually or simultaneously, and that a combination of different regimes is needed to resolve the conflicts among these objectives.

"We conclude that it's possible to reduce the trade-offs between different objectives by applying diversified forest management planning at the boreal landscape-level, and that we need to give up the all-encompassing objective of very intensive timber production, which is prevailing particularly in Fennoscandian countries," says Mikko Monkkonen.

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Article: Trivino, M., Pohjanmies, T., Mazziotta, A., Juutinen, A., Podkopaev, D., Le Tortorec, E. & Monkkonen, M. (DOI 10.1111/1365-2664.12790, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12790/full) Optimizing management to enhance multifunctionality in a boreal forest landscape. Journal of Applied Ecology.

More information:

- Postdoctoral researcher Maria Trivino, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland

phone: +358 408054735, e-mail: maria.trivino(at)jyu.fi

- Professor Mikko Monkkonen, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland

phone: +358 50 4413682, e-mail: mikko.monkkone(at)jyu.fi

-http://bit.ly/B_E_R_G

Academy of Finland Communications

Communications Specialist Leena Vahakyla

tel. +358 295 335 139
A new study chronicles how central Asia dried out over the last 23 million years into one of the most arid regions on the planet. The findings illustrate the dramatic climatic shifts wrought by the ponderous rise of new mountain ranges over geologic time.

Researchers have long cited the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayan Mountains around 50 million years ago for blocking rain clouds' entry into central Asia from the south, killing off much of the region's plant life.

The new study, published online in the journal Geology, paints a more nuanced picture of Central Asia's desertification. It suggests that the relatively recent rise of lesser-known mountain ranges, such as the Tian Shan and the Altai, further sealed off moisture from the west and north. As a result, great stretches of what we now consider western China, southwestern Mongolia and eastern Tajikistan became barren earth or laced by sand dunes.

"While Central Asia was probably never lush and verdant, it was certainly greener 23 million years ago and probably even greener in the more distant past," said Jeremy Kesner Caves, the lead author of the study and a doctoral student at Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.

"One way to think about this change is that when viewed from space today, Central Asia appears very brown because of its expansive deserts," Caves said. "If viewed from space 23 million years ago, though, Central Asia would have looked somewhat darker, simply due to there being considerably more leaves and vegetation."

Reading carbon

Caves and his co-authors arrived at their conclusions after measuring the carbon isotope values in buried, ancient soil samples. A particular isotope, or version, of carbon found in the samples speaks to the dryness of conditions at the time of the soil's deposition. Wetter, rainier conditions allow for greater numbers of organisms, including plants and soil-dwelling bacteria, to thrive and pull carbon out of their surroundings to fuel their growth and metabolism, leaving telltale carbon isotopes in their environment.

Previously, scientists had relied on these sorts of soil sample measurements primarily to study plant types and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Caves and colleagues instead looked at samples over extensive geographic and temporal spans in order to draw a fuller portrait of the climatic changes influencing soil composition.

"Our paper is the first-ever attempt to present maps of carbon isotopes over a geologic time frame of more than a million years," Caves said.

He and several co-authors traveled to Mongolia, eastern Kazakhstan and northern China to collect the bulk of 171 new soil samples, while Russian co-authors collected samples near Lake Baikal. The new specimens were considered alongside more than 2,200 previously collected samples. Because most of those existing samples originated from the Tibetan Plateau, the research team plugged a gap in the geographical coverage by going to little-studied northern central Asia.

The samples themselves "are honestly pretty boring," Caves admitted. "Basically, they look and feel like dirt." But the rocky outcrops exposing the old, hardened soil chunks can dazzle. "The outcrops are striped deep purple, red and green, and they often erode in crazy patterns," Caves said. "Imagine Badlands National Park in South Dakota or the Painted Desert in Arizona."

Asia's de-greening

Overall, the samples were well-distributed from 23 million to 2.6 million years ago during a geological period known as the Neogene. The Earth's climate cooled off substantially as the Neogene wore on, setting the stage for an Ice Age when glaciers crept from polar regions into lower latitudes.

Upon analysis, the samples' carbon isotope values revealed an exceptionally arid region deep in Asia's interior going back 23 million years, initially ringed by areas of higher rainfall. Starting about five million years ago, however, that dry region expanded to the north and west, as new mountain ranges reached heights sufficient to block westerly winds from delivering moisture.

The findings will help researchers disentangle how much of Central Asia's de-greening occurred in response to localized geological changes versus global shifts happening during the Neogene.

Investigating North America

With this compelling demonstration of using ancient soil samples as proxies for regional climate in Asia, Caves now plans to extend his investigations elsewhere on the globe. "I hope to be able to apply this method to other continents, such as North America, where there are large datasets of carbon isotopes," Caves said.

Doing so could illuminate impacts on western North America's climate due to the uplift of the Sierra Nevada in eastern California, as well as the Rocky Mountains further east, which reached near their present elevations around 40 million and 50 million years ago, respectively.

"Only by making these continental-scale maps, like Jeremy has done for Central Asia, can you further understand how the uplift of mountain ranges controlled rainfall patterns against this backdrop of global cooling in the Neogene," said Page Chamberlain, co-author of the study and a professor of Earth system science at Stanford. "North America is really ripe for this kind of research."

###

Other Stanford co-authors on the study include graduate student Daniel Ibarra. Page Chamberlain is also a member of Stanford Bio-X and an affiliate of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Other co-authors are from Dartmouth College, the Institute of Zoology in Kazakhstan, the China University of Geosciences, Northwestern University, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan, and the Institute of the Earth's Crust in Russia.

Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation, the Stanford University McGee Grants, the Geological Society of America, and the National Basic Research Program of China.
'Law and order' tough talk has been a central theme in Donald Trump's presidential campaign (AFP Photo/Spencer Platt)

Chicago (AFP) - "Law and order" has been a central theme in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. But the term has deep-rooted racial connotations in the United States that give many African Americans pause.

In pledging to get tough on crime, the Republican nominee has invoked Chicago, the third largest US city, which is blighted by a seemingly out-of-control epidemic of gun violence.

There have been 579 murders in the city so far this year -- more than New York and Los Angeles combined -- and 3,413 shooting victims, according to the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

Trump's tough-on-crime stance includes employing the controversial "stop and frisk" tactic in Chicago, in which police officers can stop anyone and search them, whether or not they are suspected of committing a crime or infraction.

"You have to do something. It can't continue the way it's going," Trump argued last month in support of the practice.

But those comments have been met with sharp rebukes in Chicago, where "stop and frisk" has been tried before -- and was found to disproportionately target black people.

"We are not interested in any strategy that involves compromising the civil rights of citizens," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in a statement.

"It's also not very effective," added Robin Robinson, a community relations advisor to the police department. "It would effectively drive black people and people of law enforcement further apart," said Robinson, who is black.

Jedidiah Brown, a Chicago community activist also believes the strategy would be counterproductive.

"In order for you to solve crimes," Brown said, "You have to have relationships, people willing to talk to you, trust you, and tell you who the perpetrators are."

Trump has credited "stop and frisk" with reducing crime in New York. But a federal judge ruled that New York's policy was unconstitutional and a new mayor, Bill de Blasio, ended it.

Story continues

In Chicago, as recently as 2014, police stopped 250,000 people who were not charged with any crime or given a ticket, according to Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

A vast majority of them were black.

The ACLU reached agreement last year with Chicago police to end the practice.

"The notion that to go back to the old system that you simply stop people for being present in their neighborhoods, is going backwards," said Ed Yohnka, an ACLU spokesman.

- 'Chiraq' -

Still, many African-Americans in Chicago want improved policing to combat rising crime.

While some Chicagoans have criticized Trump for comparing the city's violence to that of war-torn countries, its own youth have dubbed it "Chiraq," an amalgamation of Chicago and Iraq.

"Whole communities are like third-world countries," said Michael Pfleger, a longtime pastor of a church in one of the most violence-plagued areas of Chicago.

"The despair and the anger, I've never seen it as bad as it is right now. You have whole communities held hostage by fear."

So what to make, then, of the fact that just four percent of African Americans nationally support Trump, according to a Los Angeles Times/USC tracking poll.

Trump even polls higher among Latinos -- currently around 20 percent -- despite his anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Khalil Muhammad of Harvard University said that to understand Trump's lack of support among African Americans, look no further than his use of the term "law and order."

The phrase carries echoes of the late-1960s backlash against the American civil rights movement, he said.

"Much of the civil rights activism that took place in the 1950s... the southern criminal justice system used the rhetoric of 'law and order' to delegitimize activism on the ground," Muhammad said.

Richard Nixon successfully took up that mantra to win the 1968 presidential race. Trump has reportedly studied Nixon's campaign as a lesson for his own.

- Black Lives Matter -

On top of that, Trump has been critical of the nascent Black Lives Matter movement, which sprung up to demand change in policing across the country, after a string of high-profile police shootings of black citizens.

A series of graphic videos of police shootings this summer inflamed racial tensions. Officers were killed by gunmen in Dallas, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in apparent retribution.

Donald Trump has blamed Black Lives Matter activists -- mostly young people who have protested in marches and rallies -- for hampering law enforcement. He has described the movement as a "threat" and said its rhetoric may have instigated violence against police.

But failure to address the issues raised by Black Lives Matter activists is a losing strategy for Trump, said Michael Kazin, a professor of history at Georgetown University and author of "America Divided," a book examining 1960s US history.

He said the movement is taking up unresolved grievances from the civil rights era, when the Black Panthers employed armed citizen patrols to monitor police interactions with black citizens.

African Americans today want reform in the criminal justice system -- such as changes to drug sentencing laws -- where they make up a third of the prison population but only 12 percent of the total US population.

Trump, he said, "is not trying to talk to African Americans in a way that could conceivably win their votes."
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Iraq could not deal alone with driving Islamic State from the city of Mosul and that the presence of Turkish forces in a nearby military camp was an insurance against attacks on Turkey. Turkey has been locked in a row with Iraq's central government about the presence of Turkish troops at the Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq, and over who should take part in the planned U.S.-backed assault on Mosul. "We won't let Mosul be given to Daesh (Islamic State) or any other terrorist organisation. They say Iraq's central government needs to approve this but the Iraqi central government should first deal with their own problems," Erdogan said. "Why did you let Daesh enter Iraq? Why did you let Daesh enter Mosul? They were almost going to come to Baghdad. Where are you, the central government of Iraq?" he said in a speech at a ceremony in the Black Sea town of Rize, broadcast live on TV. Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi reiterated on Saturday that the Turkish troops have deployed in Iraq without the authorization of the government. "I won't allow the Turkish forces to take part in the operations to liberate Mosul in any possible way," he added in comments aired on Iraqi state TV. Turkey fears that Shi'ite militias, which the Iraqi army has relied on in the past, will be used in the planned Mosul offensive, expected to start this month, stoking sectarian unrest and triggering an exodus of refugees. Turkish soldiers have been training Sunni Muslim and allied Kurdish peshmerga units at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul, and want them to be involved in the assault. "Nobody should talk about our Bashiqa base. We will stay there. Bashiqa is our insurance against any kind of terrorist activities in Turkey," Erdogan said. The United States has said any foreign forces in Iraq should have the approval of Baghdad. (Reporting by Nick Tattersall in Istanbul and Maher Chmaytelli in Baghdad; Editing by Andrew Bolton and Hugh Lawson)
STUART, Fla., Oct. 13, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Over the past four days residents of Stuart, Florida and its neighboring cities in, a massive hurricane relief drive, provided nearly 100,000 pounds of items for The Bahamas' hurricane victims in Grand Bahama and Andros.



On Thursday, October 6th Hurricane Matthew plowed across the northern part of The Bahamas, as a category four storm, packing winds of up to 140 miles per hour. Although Bahamians had heeded warnings and prepared for the force of the storm, while sparing lives, Hurricane Matthew caused major damage and destruction to buildings, homes, electrical and communications infrastructure throughout New Providence, Grand Bahama and Andros Island.



Grand Bahama was one of the hardest hit and, with utility poles down, much of the island continues to be without power. It has been predicted that power may not be restored for weeks.



Against this background the residents of Stuart, Florida rallied to assist The Bahamas and donations have been pouring in. Private pilots have been using their time, fuel and planes to drop off a wide array of relief items from tarp and generators to food, water and basic personal items.



The massive operation out of Stuart Jet Center is the brainchild of Joseph Rieger, the owner of Blue Marlin Cove in Grand Bahama. Mr. Rieger orchestrated the outreach through his many contacts in the area and the owners/operators of the Jet Center, Jeff Cappen and his brothers, donated one of their hangers for the staging of the relief efforts.



On Wednesday Bahamas Minister of Tourism, and Member of Parliament for West End and Bimini, Obie Wilchcombe, released a formal statement expressing gratitude to Mr. Rieger and the people of Stuart for all that they are doing.



"It is with profound gratitude and appreciation, as the Member of Parliament for West Grand Bahama and Bimini, that I extend my appreciation and gratitude on behalf of the constituents to Mr. Joe Rieger of Blue Marlin Cove in Bootle Bay," he said.



"Mr. Rieger has tirelessly led a relief effort to assist the people by coordinating the collection of supplies, transportation and distribution to the community. Because of his efforts, a relief kitchen has been organized in West End. His efforts have also resulted in the preparation and distribution of relief packages. I am most grateful to him and his staff who have diligently, and with integrity, managed the process."



Patrick Aldrich, one of the lead organizers on the ground at the Jet Center, said that when the project began organizers thought that they would only be sending out a few planes to assist. Mr. Aldrich said he never imagined that the operation would grow to such a large undertaking where planes are flying out throughout the day with supplies and donations are pouring in rapidly.



He said that the efforts began on social media and went viral. "It just got blown up," he said. "People just kept sharing the information and even the media found out about it."



Dozens of volunteers are being used to assist in the efforts, from school children to church organizations and others who simply want to just lend a hand. The volunteers include persons from as far north as St. Augustine, which was also hit by Hurricane Matthew last week.



Jeff Capen shared why he was so happy to assist with the relief effort for The Bahamas. "I travel to The Bahamas and vacation there. I have friends there, wanted to help as soon as possible, and I wanted to be sure that the people who were affected by the storm were taken care of," he said.



The volunteers over the past few days have included students from Treasure Coast High School Junior Air Force ROTC. The students have been helping with the unloading of donations as they arrive, packing items and loading them onto planes for delivery.



Another group of volunteers assisting is from Empowered Masters Commission, a Bible College in Lake Wales, FL.



The operation at the Jet Center in Florida will continue through Friday, when remaining items will be taken down to South Florida to SEACOR Island Lines, where vessels there will ship the supplies to the islands.



SEACOR Island Lines is a shipping company that transports cargo to all of The Bahamas. Mike LaFleur, CEO of the company, said that they are working with private enterprises, foundations and individuals to ship relief cargo to the islands especially Andros and Freeport.



Of the massive operation in Stuart, Florida, he said "we are really hoping to replicate this effort down south." He added that his company would be assisting in relief efforts as long as needed because it has been operating in The Bahamas for years. "We are a part of the community and we want to help our friends, our colleagues, and the businesses."



When the relief operations in Stuart end on Friday, donations will continue to be collected at SEACOR Island Lines, 1300 Eller Drive, Fort Lauderdale tel 954-929-9292.



The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone. Each island has its own personality and attractions for a variety of vacation styles with some of the world's best scuba diving, fishing, sailing, boating, as well as, shopping and dining. The destination offers an easily accessible tropical getaway and provides convenience for travelers with preclearance through U.S. customs and immigration, and the Bahamian dollar is on par with the U.S. dollar. Do everything or do nothing, just remember It's Better in The Bahamas. For travel packages, activities and accommodations information, call 1-800-Bahamas or visit www.Bahamas.com. Look for The Bahamas on the web on Facebook Twitter and YouTube

Photos accompanying this release are available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=41670

http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=41671

CONTACT:Jeannie Gibson jgibson@bahamas.com (954) 236-9292
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Prison authorities in Bangladesh's southern city of Khulna on Sunday executed a senior Islamist extremist whose banned group has been linked to the murder of foreign hostages, police said. Asadul Islam, 42, a leader of the outlawed Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), was hanged for his role in a 2005 blast that killed two judges. Bangladesh has blamed the JMB for a July 1 attack on an upmarket Dhaka cafe in which 22 people, mostly foreign hostages, were shot and hacked to death. "He was hanged to death at 10:30 pm (1630 GMT) in Khulna jail," Khulna Police Commissioner Nibhas Chandra Majhi told AFP, adding that there was heavy security around the jail to prevent any violence. Islam, also known as Arif, was one of seven senior JMB officials, including founding leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, sentenced to death for a bomb attack on a minibus that killed two lower court judges on November 14, 2005. Six of the men, including Rahman, were executed in March 2007 by a military-backed caretaker government as part of a nationwide crackdown on Islamic extremists. Arif was sentenced in absentia and was not detained until July 2007. He has been held in Khulna jail ever since. In August the Supreme Court dismissed his final appeal. His execution comes as Bangladeshi security forces push a deadly new crackdown against Islamist extremists following the cafe attack that has shaken the image of Bangladesh as a moderate Muslim nation. Since July, police have shot dead nearly 40 suspected extremists including JMB's new leader Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent who allegedly masterminded the cafe carnage. As part of the crackdown, Bangladesh's courts have also fast-tracked prosecution of Islamist extremists, scores of whom were already facing death sentences and languishing in the country's jails. Majhi said hundreds of police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion have been deployed in Khulna, the country's third largest city, and key roads leading to the jails had been blocked to prevent any violence. -- Final family visit -- A prison official told AFP that Arif had refused to seek presidential clemency -- his last chance to stop the hanging -- which prompted the authorities to prepare for his execution. "His family including his wife, two little daughters, six sisters and several other relatives came to meet him for the last time just hours before the execution," he said. His body has already sent to his village home in the neighbouring town of Mollarhat in an ambulance which was escorted by a heavy police security detail. Founded in the late 1990s by Islamists who fought in the Afghan wars alongside the Taliban, the JMB seeks to impose sharia law on Bangladesh, a Muslim majority but officially secular nation of 160 million people. JMB first shot to prominence in Bangladesh when it conducted a coordinated bombing attack on August 17, 2005, with more than 400 small blasts in 63 of the country's 64 districts. Many of those bombs targeted secular courts, which the JMB claims are inspired by Satan. Hundreds of JMB extremists including Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai were subsequently hunted down by security forces in a massive crackdown. Since December 2013, Bangladesh has also executed five top leaders of the country's largest Islamist party and a senior opposition official for atrocities connected to the country's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971. Their trials and executions have triggered the country's deadliest political violence, with more than 500 people killed in clashes with police and thousands of Islamists arrested.
US Secretary of State John Kerry was trying to build momentum behind a new drive to end the Syrian civil war Sunday after high-level talks with Russia and the country's neighbours. Kerry was due to fly to London to brief Washington's European allies after "brainstorming" talks in Lausanne with the main players in Syria's bloody five-year-old conflict. The Swiss meeting did not produce a concrete plan to restore the truce that collapsed last month amid bitter recriminations between Washington and Moscow and new fighting on the ground. But Kerry insisted the new, leaner contact group had come up with some plausible ideas that would be fleshed out in the coming days and might lead to a new, stronger ceasefire. "The way it wrapped up was to have several ideas that need to be quickly followed up," he said after talks with Russia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. "The next contact on trying to follow up on this is going to be immediately, because this is urgent, and we're not letting any grass grow under our feet." But he said it was too early to reveal what the ideas were, and that high-level contacts -- but not a ministerial-level meeting -- would continue on Monday to develop them. He was expected, however, to raise the issues with Britain's Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and senior European colleagues, after flying to London later on Sunday. Britain, France, Germany and Italy are members of the International Syria Support Group and have met before with other countries interested in resolving the Syrian crisis. But US officials now say the full group is too unwieldy to make rapid decisions, and that Saturday's Lausanne meeting was more productive for being focused on the main regional players. The US envoy's tone was upbeat, but diplomats from all sides warned against hopes of a rapid ceasefire. - Divided city - And away from the talks, Moscow's actions showed no sign that it might be softening its strong support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his campaign against US-backed rebels. Fierce fighting was also continuing elsewhere in the multi-front conflict, with Turkish-backed fighters closing in on Dabiq, a symbolic stronghold of the Islamic State group. And in Aleppo, Assad's Russian-backed government forces intensified their bombardment of the rebel-held east of the city, further damaging any prospect of a renewed ceasefire. Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, once joint sponsors of international peace efforts, met ahead of the broader talks, but US officials insisted that their "bilateral track" remained dead. Lavrov joined Kerry in welcoming the idea of bringing other powers into the mix saying, "we must prolong our contacts over the coming days". President Barack Obama has been adamant that US forces will not become caught up in the war and Kerry was hoping that talks with Russia and regional powers may yield new ideas. The talks come as Moscow faces growing criticism over its backing for Assad's assault in divided Aleppo. Air strikes hit rebel-held parts of Aleppo again Saturday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based watchdog with a network of sources on the ground. Against this bloody backdrop, a leading opposition group slammed the talks, saying they would not stop the killing. Abdal Ahad Stefo, deputy head of the Istanbul-based National Coalition, told AFP the negotiations "will only lead to wasting more time... and the shedding of more Syrian blood". - Opposition forces - Aleppo has been engulfed by some of the worst violence of the conflict since the collapse of last month's truce deal. Kerry and Lavrov were joined by UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, as well as top diplomats from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- all nations that back Syrian opposition forces. Iran, a key Assad supporter, was being represented by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who sat opposite Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir of Saudi Arabia, Tehran's foe.
Hurricane Matthew killed four people, including three children, when it slammed into the Dominican Republic, officials said Tuesday, bringing the total death toll from the storm to at least seven. Two children were killed when their home collapsed on them in the poor hillside neighborhood of Capotillo, in the capital Santo Domingo, said an AFP reporter at the scene. Another died in similar circumstances in the nearby neighborhood of Puya, while a man was killed when a wall fell and crushed him in a district of the capital known as Manoguayabo. The Category Four hurricane barreled into the island of Hispaniola, which the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti, shortly after daybreak Tuesday, packing maximum sustained winds of around 230 kilometers (145 miles) per hour. At least three people have been reported killed in Haiti. In both countries, the victims lost their lives as gale-force winds and rain lashed the island overnight, even before Matthew made landfall. Officials warned the death toll could still rise. Dominican officials said they had been forced to evacuate some 800 people. Nearly 18,000 others are sheltering with family or friends. The country's Center for Emergency Operations said the storm damaged nearly 200 homes and cut off 31 towns. It declared a red alert in 19 provinces, including along the Haitian border. Dominican officials warned that heavy rains and winds of up to 60 kilometers an hour "could last for several hours" around the capital.
You can have all the free coffee in the world, but if you arent offering the types of benefits employees are really looking for, you will lose them to the competition quickly. Thats why we asked 11 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:

Whats one company perk or benefit you are offering that has actually been influential to attract top talent and is the reason why recent hires chose your offer over another?

Heres what YEC community members had to say:

1. Remote Work Environment

Using a combination of cloud-collaborative tools, our employees can work from any place in the world. A combination of Podio, Skype, Join.me, Google Drive and Hangouts allows us to organize project and task management, while everyone can work from the comfort of home. Sporadic team meetings solidify the team environment and collaborative aspect. Freedom and flexibility are great perks! ~ Marcela DeVivo, National Debt Relief

2. Paid Health Insurance For Employees and Their Loved Ones

We not only offer health insurance, but pay for the health insurance of our employees and their families. A recent hire said that it gave her piece of mind and meant a great deal that we not only said that her health is important, but put our money where our heart is by making sure she and those she cares about are covered. ~ Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC

3. Meaningful Projects

We are focused on making an impact. We choose customers that we can help in the biggest way and take it very seriously. We work on internal projects that could help find a cure for cancer. Our recent hires want to be a part of that type of culture. ~ Thomas Cullen, LaunchPad Lab

4. Coolness Factor

In a less-competitive business locale, people are happy to work for a cool and growing business, especially when they feel as if they are part of a group really making a difference in the world. We receive numerous awards and land major press. AcousticSheep employees are able to routinely brag to family and friends about their really great company, especially when they show up on TV. ~ Wei-Shin Lai, AcousticSheep LLC

5. Reimbursement for Professional Events

If you want to attend a conference or join a networking group, well reimburse you. We respect people who want to enhance their skills and realize that it gives our employee and company a competitive edge. ~ Shalyn Dever, Chatter Buzz Media

6. Work Abroad Days and Travel Assistance

My company offers five work abroad days every year, which means that the employee can do their work from anywhere in the world. In addition to that, we offer to pay 25 percent of their airfare for international travel. This is really appealing to go-getters who want to explore the world, and those are the type of people I want at my company. ~ Cassie Petrey, Crowd Surf

7. Effective and Fun Training

We have a very strong training program that is both very effective and fun for new hires. We offer one week of classroom training, followed by shadowing with the top recruiter. ~ Nicole Smartt, Star Staffing

8. Ability to Have an Impactful Voice

Employees at goBRANDgo! are given lots of perks (unlimited PTO, flex time, retreats, catered lunches, etc.), but none of them are as valuable as the ability to influence positive change on how their role and the company as a whole is executed. The promise of autonomy and having an impactful voice is a magnet for employees who are entrepreneurially-minded. ~ Derek Weber, goBRANDgo!

9. Flexibility and Food

We provide a flexible setting as we know our hires are highly motivated and self-driven and dont need constraints such as a 9-to-5 workweek to produce quality work. Additionally, the great location in San Francisco and free lunches are certainly added benefits that the employees thoroughly enjoy. ~ Sathvik Tantry, FormSwift

10 . An Excellent Company Culture

Besides traditional benefits and perks, a big reason employees chose my company is because of our culture. I make sure to let potential employees know that we will value them for their diversity and individuality, and prize them for their unique skills while allowing them to flourish. This attracts happy and motivated employees who are interested in more than a paycheck. ~ Elle Kaplan, LexION Capital

11. An All-Star Social Committee

Despite being a relatively small team, we have formed a social committee to organize company wide events. These have included sporting events, BBQs, axe-throwing, scavenger hunts and charitable events. The fact that a group is organizing these events demonstrates our commitment to extracurricular activities which is reassuring to a candidate. ~ David Ciccarelli, Voices.com
World affairs have suddenly got rather alarming - with tensions rising between Russia and America simmering as the two nations clash over Syria.

Former leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned this week that the world had reached a dangerous threshold.

Against this background, hacktivist collective Anonymous has posted a series of alarming videos and news reports - with one suggesting that World War III is imminent.



But dont grab your gas mask and head for your doomsday bunker quite yet - the Anon HQ reports reference to the Pentagon believing that war is imminent isnt quite as alarming as it sounds.



Its a - fairly doom-laden - take on this Yahoo story in fact, and it doesnt mean that nuclear war is about to begin right now.



Anonymous says, When you have a government that operates without limits, when you have a government that militarises the police, a government that views you, the people as the enemy, when you have a government that lies to you
News

Microsoft Releases Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016

System Center Configuration Manager also gets an update.

Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016 are on the runway and cleared for takeoff.

Both critical products have reached general availability (GA) status, Microsoft announced.

GA means that the products can be purchased and used in production environments. Both are now licensed on a per-core basis, instead of the earlier per-processor approach. In addition, today's GA milestone means that that Microsoft's service provider partners can now begin testing Windows Server 2016 in their datacenters.

In late September, both products were at the earlier "release-to-manufacturing" stage. They got a small bit of stage time during Microsoft's Ignite keynote product "launch" back then.

Microsoft seems to have reserved Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016 product details for its Ignite session attendees. Many of those sessions are currently available on demand via the Ignite 2016 Channel 9 portal. The agenda for Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016 sessions at Ignite can be found at this page.

Also, Microsoft announced this week that it will broadcast a Windows Server 2016 Webcast on Oct. 13, starting at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The Webcast will feature talks by Microsoft luminaries such as Jeffrey Snover, Jeff Woolsey and Erin Chapple.

Windows Server 2016 Highlights

Microsoft is marketing Windows Server 2016 as another advance in its "hybrid cloud" approach. The "hybrid" part means that the traditional customer-maintained server model can work with the services delivered from Microsoft's datacenters, such as Microsoft Azure services and Office 365 services.

Windows Server 2016 was "forged in our own Azure datacenters," Microsoft stressed in its announcement. The new server also has software-defined capabilities that come from Microsoft's experience in running Azure datacenters. Microsoft also had previously announced that the Docker Engine was added to Windows Server 2016 at "no additional cost" to customers. It facilitates running applications without conflict by using either Windows Server Containers or Hyper-V Containers, which both tap Docker Engine technology.

Microsoft lists its application server product support on Windows Server 2016 in this TechNet publication. The main Microsoft application server products that aren't yet supported on the new Windows Server 2016 product include Skype for Business Server 2015, BizTalk Server 2016, Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 15 and Host Integration Server 2016. They will get supported eventually, though, a Microsoft spokesperson indicated.

IT pros looking for hardware recommendations for Windows Server 2016 might take a look at this list compiled by Thomas Maurer, a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional. He's also compiled other useful links on "deployment, upgrading and certification" in this blog post.

Microsoft is touting access to its new server technology via a relatively new licensing portability option. It's for current Windows Server users that have Software Assurance coverage. Under this "Azure Hybrid Use Benefit" option, if an organization has Windows Server products installed on premises that are covered by the Software Assurance annuity program, then it's possible to move that licensing from an organization's infrastructure and use Windows Server virtual machines on Microsoft Azure datacenter infrastructure.

Windows Server 2016 currently can be downloaded. It's available via the MSDN subscriber portal and the TechNet Evaluation Center (a free 180-day trial copy).

System Center 2016 Highlights

The GA announcement of Microsoft's System Center 2016 suite of products means that all of its components are now available, including Virtual Machine Manager, Operations Manager, Orchestrator and Service Management Automation, Service Manager, Data Protection Manager and Configuration Manager. A 180-day trial edition is available for download at Microsoft's evaluation portal here.

Instead of listing the exhaustive feature details, Microsoft broadly listed the following highlights of the System Center 2016 suite:

Faster time to value with simple installation, in-place upgrades, and automated workflows.

Efficient operations with improvements in performance and usability of all System Center components.

Greater heterogeneity and cloud management with broader support for LAMP stack and VMware, including monitoring resources and services in Azure and Amazon Web Services.

There's also a Microsoft white paper listing the System Center 2016 highlights (PDF).

Microsoft is also touting an option to license System Center 2016 components via its Operations Management Suite (OMS) subscriptions. OMS is Microsoft's solution for managing public cloud workloads. There are four service options available to OMS subscribers, namely Insights & Analytics, Automation & Control, Security & Compliance, and Protection & Recovery. They are priced per node.

Various System Center 2016 components come with each of those OMS service options. For instance, Configuration Manager use rights come with an Automation & Control OMS subscription. It's also possible to "attach OMS services to your existing System Center license," which Microsoft calls the "OMS Add-on for System Center." It requires having Software Assurance coverage on System Center to use this add-on option. More details about these System Center-OMS licensing options can be found in Microsoft's OMS "Pricing and Licensing Datasheet" (PDF).

SCCM Current Branch vs. LTSB

Today's System Center 2016 GA announcement also was accompanied by news that System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) now has reached release version 1606, per a Configuration Manager team blog post. Typically, a new version release will show up in SCCM's Update and Servicing node when it's available. Version 1606 also can be downloaded at this MSDN subscription page.

Unlike the rest of the System Center 2016 components, the SCCM component was released last year to keep pace with the Windows 10 client operating system's faster update cycle. Microsoft's first SCCM release was version 1511 back in December, for instance. Microsoft now updates SCCM two to three times per year in a Windows 10-like servicing model, although each of those updates is described as a new "current branch" release for the SCCM product.

The Configuration Manager component in the newly released System Center 2016 product suite is at the same version as the SCCM current branch product, namely version 1606, Microsoft's team blog clarified. That detail has been ambiguous until now.

One big distinction to note, though, is that the Configuration Manager component in the System Center 2016 product suite can be considered to be the "long-term servicing branch" (LTSB) component. Unlike the "current branch" SCCM product, Configuration Manager LTSB has a 10-year traditional product lifecycle. The LTSB servicing model is designed for organizations requiring infrequent Windows 10 client updating, such as for organizations with medical devices to update, rather than for business organizations, according to Microsoft's past servicing model descriptions.

Microsoft recently explained, in an oblique way, that the SCCM current branch product follows a new "Modern Lifecycle Policy" support model. Organizations get frequent product updates under this new model, but they also just get a one-year advance notice should Microsoft plan to discontinue a product under this new policy.
Scott Floersheim, a CPA and financial planner in Albuquerque, has an elderly client whose disease is robbing him of good sense and leaving him with diminishing capacity.

The man kept falling for schemes, the most recent being a bogus oil-related investment that required him to open an account in Costa Rica, said Floersheim, who owns Meridian Wealth Advisors.

Floersheim, who has a fiduciary responsibility to protect his clients interests, told the client and his wife he wanted them to come to his office to talk about how to stem their financial losses, which had reached thousands of dollars.

The couple apparently discussed it among themselves and determined it wasnt going to happen anymore, Floersheim said. And so far, it hasnt.

Floersheim told his story at a recent session held by the state Securities Division as part of its new Senior$afe program. The idea is to train bankers, financial advisers and others who deal with the elderly on how to tell when a client is in danger of being conned and how to report the suspicious behavior.

After Floersheim described his experience, division compliance analyst Kristi Montano jumped in and asked whether the elderly client was accomplished, once really intelligent and the patriarch of the family.

She was correct in every respect, and she said that was because the man fit a common profile in which victims dont report what happened because they are ashamed.

Theyre not used to making mistakes, Montano said. Theyre not used to being had.

It can be difficult, she said, to weigh an advisers concern about client confidentiality with fiduciary responsibilities.

One recommended practice, used by many larger firms, is to have older clients sign a trusted contact form. The contact is someone the person trusts to make decisions in their best interests if that becomes necessary.

While most often, it is an adult child, some individuals will choose a family friend, neighbor, or outside representation to remain neutral, and make decisions that are in line with (the) investors original intent, said Bernice Geiger, Securities Division marketing director.

According to the Senior$afe program, here are some red flags when dealing with the financial affairs of seniors:

A new caretaker, relative or friend suddenly begins conducting financial transactions on behalf of an elderly person without proper documentation or through a sudden change of power of attorney.

Abrupt changes to financial documents, such as power of attorney, account beneficiaries, wills, trusts, property titles and deeds. Also, suspicious signatures.

Uncharacteristic nonpayment for services, which may indicate a loss of funds or access to funds.

Change in banking or financial habits, such as frequent large withdrawals or inconsistent transactions.

Change of address on accounts to new recipients address, especially when distant from the elders home.

Large withdrawals from a previously inactive account or a new joint account or a sudden appearance of credit-card balances.

If these or other questionable behaviors cause suspicion, advisers are encouraged to talk to their clients and check the documentation of any third party who has gotten involved. Those who work for a company should contact their firms compliance department.

Those who believe a senior is in imminent danger should, again, contact their compliance department, call 911, and report the situation to the states Adult Protective Services at 1-866-654-3219.

Ellen Marks is assistant business editor at the Albuquerque Journal.
It was the spring of 1976 when Greg MacAleese, who had just become a detective with the Albuquerque Police Departments violent crimes unit, sat down during one of his shifts and started typing up some of his random thoughts.

He said eventually he wrote something along the lines of Why dont people come forward with information they have about crimes?

I started focusing on why we have so much unsolved crime, he said. I realized its citizens who control the crime rate in any city. We dont. We just react to it and most crime is solved with their help.

The next logical question, he said, was how do we get people to help us solve more crimes.

They were afraid of retaliation or becoming a target of that criminal, he said. I thought if we allow them to remain anonymous they could tell us what they knew.

And so was the beginning of Crime Stoppers, which now exists in every major city in the United States, Canada and countless countries around the world. MacAleese has released a book, co-written by Cal Millar, a former reporter and founding member of Toronto Crime Stoppers.

The book, called Crime Stoppers: The Inside Story, celebrates the 40th anniversary of the program by exploring crimes APD solved with Crime Stopper tips. The book is available on Amazon.

The program has become an irreplaceable tool in solving crimes for law enforcement officers and according to the book, a major crime is solved every 14 minutes because of Crime Stoppers tips. Police have recovered $2 billion in stolen property, seized $10 billion worth of drugs, and made more than a million arrests.

The second part of this was there is a lot of apathy, he said. I knew money talked out on the street so I wanted to include a reward.

An independent board of citizens was created to raise money for the rewards. MacAleese said initially he received some resistance in the department, with one of his superiors questioning why people should be paid to do their civic duty.

I told him You have a point,' he said. But the fact is they arent.'

The third and final component of the program, he said, was partnering with local newspapers and television stations to pass along information about unsolved crimes to the public.

Jim Busse was a captain with the police department when MacAleese started floating around the idea of the program. He said Albuquerque was still a sleepy little town in many ways but had its share of big-city crime. He said there was some cynicism about the program but that all disappeared when crimes started getting solved.

It took off very quickly, he said. Not everybody believed it would work. We had seen many programs come and go only to be reinstated with a new administration.

A crime in July 1976 would give MacAleese the opportunity to launch his program and test its merit. Michael Carmen was a 20-year-old college student working at a gas station in the Southeast Heights in the early morning hours of July 25.

Armed robbers shot Carmen at close range with a .12-gauge shotgun. MacAleese believed they were worried that Carmen could identify them so he was killed to be eliminated as a witness.

But initially the police had no leads. The department put together a re-enactment of the crime that KOAT broadcast on Sept. 8, 1976. The clip included a hotline number with a promise that all tipsters would stay anonymous.

The phone started ringing immediately, he said. The second call was about a gang rape that happened a month before that we hadnt been able to solve.

The caller turned out to be a relative of one of the offenders and the information he gave led to the arrest of the three assailants, who had offered the young woman a ride after her car broke down in Downtown Albuquerque.

The sixth call, MacAleese said, broke open the Carmen case. A man who happened to live in the area said he recognized the car used in the crime and it belonged to a man in the neighborhood. Officers asked him to call back with an address.

A few hours later he did and after some surveillance police arrested Thomas Charles Boone and Lawrence Edward Tate. Boone was acquitted but Tate was found guilty and sentenced to prison for killing Carmen.

MacAleese, 69, now lives in the Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines, where he is an associate pastor. A widower, he traveled there years ago and met the woman who would become his second wife. He and his second wife have two sons, 5 and 7 years old.

What happened when my wife told me she was pregnant is that I realized it was a tremendous blessing, he said. I made a deal with God, even though thats not what you are supposed to do, and I said If you provide me with a healthy baby, Im yours.'

His first son was healthy and MacAleese dedicated himself to helping others by becoming a pastor.

He came to Albuquerque in September to attend a Crime Stoppers conference and visit with friends.

APD, he said, solved almost 300 crimes the first year with the help of Crime Stoppers tipsters. Word spread and other police departments across the state and the country started establishing similar programs.

You know we had success instantly, he said. They (other officers) would joke about my Crime Stoppers program but after that first broadcast, the guys started coming forward to me with their unsolved cases.
When Sergei Rachmaninov wrote his Piano Concerto No. 3, he imbued it with all the passion and longing he felt for Mother Russia.

The pianist and composer premiered the work with the New York Symphony on his first U.S. concert tour in 1909. The composer fled his homeland after the Leninist regime seized his estate in 1917. He arrived in New York via Oslo, Norway, in 1918.

Considered one of the greatest and most notoriously difficult piano concertos, its powerful chordal writing, complex textures and unusual length make it daunting enough that Rachmaninov authorized four cuts and recorded the piece in this abbreviated form.

New Mexico regular Olga Kern will perform this masterwork at the Lensic Performing Arts Center with the Santa Fe Symphony today.

Kern won the gold medal at the Van Cliburn Competition playing the Rachmaninov in 2001. She was the first woman to win the contest in its 30 years of existence.

This concerto is really special in my life, she said in a telephone interview from her New York home.  You can feel every note that he incorporated so much love for his country, she continued. Definitely, he was homesick. He had a wonderful house. The nature in Russia is so unique. I know because my grandparents had a smaller house there (outside St. Petersburg)  the fields, the rivers and the forest  the smell of that area was so special.

Rachmaninov eventually settled in Beverly Hills, Calif.

He was so homesick, Kern added. He was helping the Russians during the second world war.

Because he had immigrated to the United States, Rachmaninov was considered a traitor by the Soviet Union.

My grandfather had to hide his Rachmaninov scores, Kern said.

The composer also was known as an exemplary pianist.

There is so much technical ability he had, Kern said. All these huge chords and octaves; all the double notes. If you look at the score, its black. For someone who looks at the score for the first time, its scary.

Kern has been a regular performer in New Mexico, whether in Santa Fe or Albuquerque. She recently launched the Olga Kern Piano Competition in Albuquerque.

I love the area there. I love the people there, she said. Its a very special place.

Born in Russia, Kern recently became an American citizen.

If you go

WHAT: The Santa Fe Symphony presents Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov & Sibelius with pianist OIga Kern

WHEN: 4 today

WHERE: Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe

HOW MUCH: $22-$80. Half-price tickets for children 6-14 with adult. Call 505-983-1414 or 1-800-480-1319 or the Lensic Box Office at 505-988-1234.
Bryan Cranston, left, and John Leguizamo appear in The Infiltrator. (Liam Daniel/Broad Green Pictures via AP) Bryan Cranston appeared in the Emmy-nominated film All the Way, in which he portrayed Lyndon B. Johnson. (Courtesy of HBO/Hilary Bronwyn Gayle) Bryan Cranston poses for a portrait in promotion of his role in "Trumbo" at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 13, 2015 in Toronto. (Victoria Will/Invision/AP) Bryan Cranstons book, A Life in Parts. Bryan Cranston received an Oscar nomination for his role in Trumbo. Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston in a scene from Breaking Bad, which was based and filmed in Albuquerque. (Courtesy of AMC/Ursula Coyote) Prev 1 of 6 Next

In six years, a family was built in New Mexico.

A strong, dedicated film family on the set of Breaking Bad.

During that same time, Bryan Cranston became an international star because of the award-winning TV series about an Albuquerque high school science teacher turned meth king.

But the 60-year-old Emmy Award-winning actor will be quick to tell you that those six years were all part of a journey.

And that is the inspiration behind his book, A Life in Parts.

Nobody realizes that I didnt get Malcolm in the Middle until I was almost 40. Then I got Walter White at 50, he says. Ive been a journeyman actor my whole life. I like to tell my story to young and old. It helps give them hope and never give up.

The book follows Cranstons life beginning at the age of 7 in a United Way commercial, where he was cast by his father.

The memoir maps his zigzag journey from abandoned son to beloved star by recalling many odd parts hes played in real life  paperboy, farmhand, security guard, dating consultant, murder suspect, dock loader, lover, husband, father.

Cranston will be joined by Bob Odenkirk for a special sold-out talk at the KiMo Theatre, 423. W. Central Ave., on Tuesday, Oct. 18.

The talk is part of the series A Word With Writers, which benefits Albuquerque public libraries. The series has raised about $10,000 for the library foundation.The event is being presented by Bookworks.

It took Cranston just over a year to complete his book.

While some would see the writing process as daunting, he welcomed the challenge.

Because it is in the short story form, it wasnt a daunting task, he says. Ive told these stories in my life. It wasnt like I was looking at a blank page. It was never a 300-page-long story. I would sit down on a plane and tell one story. It didnt consume me. It was done in parts, just like the title suggests.

Though Cranston hasnt been back to New Mexico in almost three years, he has been involved with the community.

He recently lent his voice to a New Mexico Tourism Department ad.

The (tourism) board asked me if I would do it and then told me what they had budgeted for it, he says. I told them to not fret about the money. I wanted them to send it to YDI (Youth Development Inc.) in Downtown and also to a veterans group. I dont want the money. I want to lend my voice so more people can see the beauty of New Mexico as I did. And its not just for the sights, but the people as well.

Cranston hopes to join a project that will again film in New Mexico. Hes filmed in Louisiana, New York, Vancouver and Los Angeles with his recent projects.

Two of those  Trumbo, about black-listed writer Dalton Trumbo, and All the Way, a TV movie about Lyndon B. Johnson  were filmed by Albuquerque native Jay Roach.

Roach says Cranston was already signed on to All the Way just before production for Trumbo started.

Working with Bryan was a dream come true, he says. Hes the kind of actor that a director searches for. Hes always willing to try something different.

And different is just what Cranston is doing.

His next film is called Why Him? and he co-stars with James Franco.

I wanted to do this film, he says. Its a risk. I wanted to go back into comedy and break up the image that people have set for me. I needed to step away from Walter White. I had to allow Walter to die. This is why I went to Trumbo and then played Lyndon Johnson. With the comedy, it allows me to change things up and just have fun.
The commentary Picking right Medicare plan in the Oct. 10 Journal provided important information. However, there is additional information that is important, especially for New Mexico residents.

Medicare plans can change coverage, providers, co-pays and benefits each year. Even if one is happy with ones present Medicare and prescription drug plans, it is important to review the plans during the Open Enrollment Period from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7; something might change that could affect your coverage, benefits and/or costs next year.

If the present plans are still good for next year, you need do nothing and will remain on the plans. If not, you can change to a more suitable plan during the OEP.

Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) offer lower costs and additional benefits. The plan steps between Medicare and the beneficiary; Medicare pays the plan a fixed amount for each beneficiary. The plan makes money by keeping its beneficiaries healthy.

However, except in emergencies, plan members must use providers  doctors, hospitals and services  that are affiliated with the plan. Hence the importance of verifying that your doctors and hospitals are affiliated with the plan.

If you go to a provider outside the plan, except in an emergency or with prior plan authorization, neither Medicare nor the plan will cover the cost.

Medicare Supplement Plans, also known as Medigap Plans, generally pay the costs that Medicare approves but doesnt pay, such as doctor and hospital co-pays.

Medigap plans have a monthly premium, are significantly more expensive than Advantage plans, but allow you to use any doctor, hospital or service that accepts Medicare, anywhere.

You can do all this using the Plan Finder at Medicare.gov. However, checking all this can be daunting for most people.

In addition to the assistance resources listed in the commentary, New Mexico residents can get assistance by phone from counselors at the New Mexico Aging & Disability Resource Center. The phone number is 1-800-432-2080, option 2.

Those living in or near Santa Fe can, if they prefer, make an appointment to meet with a counselor for in-person assistance at the Resource Center.

In addition, ADRC counselors will hold enrollment events around the state during the Open Enrollment Period. For a list of dates, times and locations, go to the ADRC web site, www.nmaging.state.nm.us, click on Special Events, then click on List of enrollment dates.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

LAS CRUCES  Southern New Mexico Republicans who played a key role in a historic GOP takeover of the House two years ago are now defending their seats against challenges from Democrats who want to retake control.

At least three races for southern New Mexico House districts are being watched closely by political insiders, along with a hotly contested Senate race in Las Cruces between Republican Lee Cotter and Democrat Jeff Steinborn, who is leaving his House seat to run for the Senate.

Theres also an element of familiarity as candidates in at least two races are going head to head for the third time.

Democrats say they believe the higher voter turnout typically generated during a presidential election year will benefit their side.

The electorate that will vote in this 2016 presidential election year will look different than in 2014, said Steinborn, who is challenging Cotter in Senate District 36. I think we will see turnout that will help Democratic candidates.

However, Republicans say their bid to finish work begun after they won a majority of seats in the House in 2014  for the first time in 60 years  is resonating with voters.

The failed policies of the Democrats is why we are in the shape that we are in in this state today, said Rep. John Zimmerman, R-Las Cruces, who is trying to win re-election to the House District 39 seat he took from Democratic challenger Rodolpho Rudy Martinez of Bayard in 2014.

Were not going to correct it in two years, Zimmerman added. They continue to fight us tooth and nail. We passed a few (reforms), but we havent gone far enough.

Candidates for both political parties largely agree on the top issues for voters in southern New Mexico: the economy and education.

But Democrats and Republicans in the region disagree on how best to foment economic development and reform the states struggling schools.

New Mexico has one of the nations highest unemployment rates and has struggled to keep up with neighboring states in terms of job creation.

And in response to a precipitous revenue downturn caused by falling oil and natural gas prices, legislators adopted a $371 million budget-balancing package that relies on spending cuts and one-time fixes during a contentious seven-day special session that ended Oct. 6.

Although crime-related issues have dominated the headlines in Albuquerque recently, especially the rape and killing of 10-year-old Victoria Martens, southern New Mexico candidates on both sides of the political spectrum emphasized that they believe voters are more likely to hang the election on concerns about the economy and education.

Heres a look at key southern New Mexico races:

House District 39

Republican Zimmerman won House District 39 from Martinez, the former mayor of Bayard who held the seat for eight years through 2014. District 39 encompasses Silver City, a large swath of mining and ranching country in Grant County, and a slice of Las Cruces.

To stimulate economic growth, Zimmerman said he supports so-called right-to-work legislation that would mean non-union employees would not have to pay union fees as a condition of employment. Though union membership cannot be required under federal law, such fees can be mandated under contracts in unionized workplaces.

He also wants to end social promotion of third-graders who cant read at grade level, instead holding some of them back a year, and to reduce state environmental regulations.

Martinez cited excessive testing of students as one problem to fix in New Mexicos school system, and said he wants to see increased support for small business and investment in renewable energy industries to increase economic development.

Certainly, we recognize that our education system right now is not making any gains as far as outcomes, such as graduation rates, Martinez said. As I go door to door, that seems to be the top issue that comes up. That, and jobs and the economy. If we dont create jobs, then the economy suffers. Those are things that people are concerned about, especially those that are unemployed.

House District 36

Former Las Cruces City Councilor Nathan Small is taking on Hatch Mayor Andy Nunez for the House District 36 seat Nunez has held for more than 12 years  over two separate stints.

Nunez, a Republican who previously served in the House as both a Democrat and an independent, is a retired New Mexico State University educator and a pecan farmer; Small, a Democrat, acts as wilderness protection organizer for the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.

House District 39 includes an urban patch of Las Cruces, but consists mostly of the rural area between the city and small farming town of Hatch, encompassing much of New Mexicos green chile- and pecan-growing country. I tell everybody Ive been in this business a long time, Nunez said. The big thing is our water problems. If we dont have our water problems resolved, we wont have development. If you dont have water, you cant have agriculture.

To boost economic development, Small said he wants to end some special interest tax breaks and handouts at the top, and propose greater investments in workforce training, tax fairness and support for small business.

On education, Small said, Whether its third-grade flunking, singling out teachers or school personnel for blame, that system is hurting students success.

House District 37

For a third consecutive general election, Democrat Joanne Ferrary of Las Cruces is running against Terry McMillan, a Republican. Ferrary came up short in her first two bids; McMillan won by only eight votes in 2012 after a vote recount was conducted.

McMillans website says that the state cannot sustain a regulatory and tax environment that strangles business and entrepreneurship, and that taxes must be low and simple as possible while generating only the amount of revenue the state needs to provide critical government services and operations.

On the economy, Ferrary said in a Journal questionnaire that she would prioritize our tax dollars being used effectively and efficiently by reserving a greater percentage of our permanent funds for investments that would grow our tax base and investing in high-value growing industries such as film, health care and renewable energy.

Senate District 36

Jeff Steinborn, the southern New Mexico director for the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, is challenging Republican incumbent Lee Cotter in Senate District 36.

Cotter is a local builder and was elected to the Senate in 2012. He did not respond to Journal requests for an interview, nor did he respond to a Journal questionnaire sent to legislative candidates. Regarding the economy, Cotter says on his website that he is for lowering taxes, simplifying the tax code and passing right-to-work legislation.

The seat was previously held by Mary Jane Garcia, a former Senate Majority whip, for nearly 20 years.

Its a Democratic-leaning seat, said Steinborn, who has served four two-year terms in the House. It was made slightly less Democratic in the last redistricting. All things being equal, there is an advantage in this race for the Democrat.

The highest priority in our community is jobs, and what were doing to create better economic development and whats going on with education is a huge level of interest, Steinborn said.

Steinborns proposals to improve the states economy are to strengthen and improve our education system and to focus on industries and jobs that play to New Mexicos strengths, he said in response to the candidate questionnaire.

Journal Capitol Bureau chief Dan Boyd contributed to this report.

ONLINE

Editors note: This is part of a series of stories about New Mexico election races.
Several hundred people dressed in black, many with their mouths taped shut, marched silently on the sidewalks along Central Avenue near the University of New Mexico on Saturday morning to draw awareness to human trafficking.

A21, a global organization seeking to end human trafficking in the 21st century, organized the event, which brought people from several New Mexico communities to Albuquerque.

A fair amount of people only think its an international problem. They think because Albuquerque is smaller it doesnt happen here, said Shelley Repp, a member of the New Mexico Human Trafficking Task Force and a marcher.

But Repp said there are women who have been trafficked into Albuquerque to work in the sex trade. They can be seen prostituting themselves on street corners or at truck stops, she said, or selling massages on the internet and at hole-in-the-wall massage parlors.

If you use those (websites and establishments), you are involved in human trafficking. You are a John,  Repp said. Lets stop the demand.

She said that, despite misconceptions, many victims of human trafficking are American. She said the most vulnerable are women who were raped or molested as children, grew up in broken homes and have other struggles, such as poverty or substance abuse.

Jayne Sugg, a spokeswoman for A21 in New Mexico, said several churches, community organizations and student groups came together for Saturdays march. Organizers raised about $2,500 by selling black shirts with A21 written on the front to raise money for victims of human trafficking.

The group marched about two miles up and down Centrals sidewalks in the University and Nob Hill areas.

Similar marches took place in other states and countries throughout the world on Saturday.

Chana Siegler, a volunteer at Freedom House of New Mexico, which assists victims of human trafficking, marched along with her boyfriend, George Nave, a member of the U.S. Air Force.

Siegler said she was marching to raise awareness that women are trafficked into New Mexico.

And its about freedom, Nave said. Im all about that.
Exceptional community service again highlights the stellar resumes of the diverse group named as 2016 winners of the New Mexico Distinguished Public Service Awards.

None represent those attributes more so than the couple and family  the Di Gregorios of McKinley County  the winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Joe Di Gregorio, his wife Christine and family are longtime supermarket entrepreneurs. They founded an organization to find jobs for developmentally disabled and created a graduation and citizenship program for local high school students among many endeavors. They started and funded Gallup Reads. Joe and Christine have four sons and nine grandchildren.

Geographically speaking, this years winners hail from Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Roy, Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, Lea County, McKinley County, Silver City and Albuquerque. The list includes a pair of law enforcement officers plus the youngest ever recipient of this award.

All will be celebrated at a banquet Nov. 16 at the Marriott Pyramid North in Albuquerque. Tickets are $75 each or $750 for a table of 10. Call JoLou Ottino at 505-344-6177 for more information. Albuquerque Journal editorial cartoonist John Trever will deliver the keynote address on his unique vision and perspective on the Land of Enchantment.

This years winners with a sampling of their work are:

Dr. John Andazola is credited with a variety of successful childrens and adult health initiatives in Dona Ana County, including developing the statewide model for the Healthy Kids New Mexico program that creates healthy environments and programs to give kids what they need to play well, eat well, learn well, and live healthy and full lives.

Patsy Cline, who died in April at 86, was a tireless community health advocate and founder of Faith in Action in Lea County. She has been credited with helping more than 10,000 individuals especially senior citizens to obtain and afford their prescriptions over the decades.

William and Aileen Garcia are a Santa Fe couple tied to numerous successes in economic development and improving education over the decades in Sandoval County and around New Mexico including the Santa Teresa border crossing and innovative teaching programs.

Priscilla Gonzales, originally from Roy, is considered a key advocate for the poor and under privileged in the South Valley, and credited with creating a sliding scale payment system for medical services at First Choice Clinic in the Albuquerque area. She is a cofounder of the decades-old South Valley Health Center.

Robin Hopkins, a retired Bernalillo County Sheriffs deputy, was critically wounded in 2013 when a suspect shot her with an AK47, shattering her left femur and damaging her femoral artery. She gives candid talks on life changing events, the painful recovery process, including depression and PTSD to help others through similar challenges.

Ron Lovato, former governor of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, has been a key mover in diversifying the tribes economic development. The Silver City native and New Mexico State grad grew up in San Juan Pueblo, eventually working 14 years in a variety of roles at the Santa Fe Indian School. He would become CEO of his tribes Tsay Corporation development business.

Jim Ogle of Albuquerque last year received the National Alliance on Mental Illness Richard T. Greer Advocacy Award for his lifelong advocacy on behalf of the mentally ill. The local NAMI chapter calls him a hero who has worked at all levels in his advocacy and volunteered his time to countless committees and project.

Mary Ellen Pellington of Gallup was instrumental in earning that citys Otavia Fellin Library a national medal of excellence  a New Mexico first  presented at the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama. Pellington, the library director, is credited with expanding services throughout the community and mentoring staff to continue their education, and also establishing a Navajo Language Room and strong Native American film and music collection.

Donovan Smith, 13, for the last two years has made and donated more than 10,000 soaps, delivered food and raised money for the Albuquerque area homeless community including veterans after nearly being nearly homeless himself. His story has spread throughout the world. His motto is: Do what you can.

Jeremy Vaughan, a State Police agent who lives in Edgewood was among a group of officers lauded for their volunteer work and mentorship of young people attending Project Safe Neighborhoods Camp Triumph. Active in Covenant of Grace Bible Church in Edgewood, he ministers to a retirement community in Albuquerque each week and volunteers at a nonprofit that raises money to support missionaries in Cameroon, West Africa and China.

Developed by Dr. Albert Rosenthal, UNM professor and director emeritus in public administration, the program has raised thousands of dollars in scholarships at three New Mexico universities. This year the program will deliver a total of more than $60,000 to the states three research universities.

The program is chaired by Sherman McCorkle and Gov. Susana Martinez.
The two women leaned over a gurney set up in the small kitchen of a woman who had attempted suicide.

Albuquerque police officer Regina Sanchez wanted the woman to stop kicking and punching.

Paramedic Christine Stump wanted the patients handcuffs off and for Sanchez to back off and stop agitating the patient.

Sanchez instead pushed the patients hand, face and arm into the gurney.

Stump grabbed the police officers arm and pulled it away from the woman, and Sanchez stumbled.

Let go of my patient, Stump, who was working for Presbyterians ambulance company, said to Sanchez, according to a police report.

Dont you ever pull me down or touch me, Sanchez replied.

This is my scene, the two yelled at each other.

Neither woman was injured, though Sanchez said she was upset. The scene that November 2008 night was cleared, and everyone went about the rest of the often intersecting shift.

But the next day, a team of police arrested Stump at her home on a charge of battery on a police officer. The then-40-year-old was booked into jail.

The case ran the risk of pitting the two agencies against each other, and Stump was calling foul over what she felt was an unjust arrest that would affect her future.

The city quickly pulled the case out of court and into mediation, where attorneys for police, Stump and Presbyterian agreed to dismiss it  accompanied with the citys promise to support Stumps effort to expunge the incident from any database.

Eight years later, she is still fighting to get the incident wiped from her record and to keep it out of any public database or background search.

A district judge ruled there was no authority in state law allowing the arrest record to be expunged, pointing out that the records are a trail of accusations against government employees as well as a record of alleged conduct and are thus important for public access.

Stump appealed, and the city has now said it doesnt support expungement in any case, even though it doesnt oppose it in this particular instance.

The case, which last month was taken up by the Supreme Court, has grown into a fight larger than the scuffle that started it.

When  if ever  can a New Mexico court erase court and arrest records?

How can the public scrutinize government or prospective employees if incidents can just be erased?

And should an individual like Stump have to bear for life the social stigma and economic impact of a criminal record?

New Mexicos law

Legislators have tried to answer these questions at least 11 times since 2005, succeeding four times to pass a bill only to have Gov. Bill Richardson veto two and Gov. Susana Martinez veto the others, according to the Court of Appeals opinion in the case.

Richardson acknowledged the burden of an arrest record but said there is a more important public interest in arrest and conviction information.

For example, an employer who hires a driver should be able to compile a full, clear picture of a prospective employees driving record, including whether that person has a history of DWI or other vehicular crimes, he wrote at the time.

And Martinez at the time noted that she opposed a bill that would censor access to public records. A former district attorney, she pointed out that crimes such as sexual assault and domestic violence are very difficult to prosecute, despite the guilt of the party, because the assailant pressures the victim and convictions arent secured.

It would be bad policy if those arrests could simply be made to disappear.

The vetoes leave New Mexico as one of nine states without a broad expungement law, though the New Mexico law has some exceptions.

State law allows a minors first drug offense to be expunged, as well as records wrongly attached to the names of victims of identity theft.

DNA samples taken by law after a felony arrest can be removed from the system if the case is dismissed.

And the state Supreme Court authorized a singular case of expungement for a group of 32 people charged with contempt of court by a Taos judge in the heat of anger. In that case, often referred to as the Concha case, the Supreme Court felt it had the authority to expunge the records, because they were created by the court and the case was an extraordinary exception.

But Stump is asking the court to expunge a record created by a separate agency, the Albuquerque Police Department.

Stumps plea

Stumps first attempt to get her record expunged came before 2nd Judicial District Judge Clay Campbell.

In a back-and-forth between Campbells court and the Court of Appeals, Campbell finally ruled in 2015.

He said in his ruling that he was sympathetic to Stumps case, especially because there was an agreement that the charges be erased, but that he believed judges lacked the authority to expunge records.

He did attempt to give Stump some relief by ordering any agency that holds a record of the incident to attach his ruling so future employers could know the circumstances surrounding the charge.

The Journal pulled Stumps arrest record with the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center and Metropolitan Court and none of the records includes attachments per Campbells order.

No party involved could explain why the attachments are missing, and Campbell could not comment because the case is pending.

Stump has since left her job as a paramedic and teaches yoga in Albuquerque.

Sanchez remains at the Police Department, where she was found to have violated federal policy in using a police database for personal reasons and then lied about it.

Stump did not return calls seeking comment, and her attorneys, Jocelyn Drennan and Edward Ricco, refused multiple requests for comment.

But they are continuing her fight.

In early 2014, they appealed Campbells ruling to the Court of Appeals. The city then met that appeal with a filing, saying the city never promised Stump that her case would be expunged, only that it supported her attempt, and that the citys view is that courts dont have the power to expunge.

The Appeals Court sent the case straight to the state Supreme Court, asking justices to give a clear answer.

Sides in the case

Stumps attorneys say in court records that she deserves to have her records erased because as a private citizen she shouldnt have to carry along an unjust arrest record that could hurt her employability. They also argue that New Mexico judges do seem to have power to expunge as they did in the Concha case from Taos.

They say this isnt a case of public safety or concern; they say its a private citizen with an unjust arrest record.

The city says it agrees that Stumps case is innocuous from a public safety standpoint but that doesnt matter, because the broader issue of expunging public records is potentially dangerous.

City Attorney Jessica Hernandez, who was not with the city when the mediation settled, says that the case poses significant questions of law and that if a court were to grant Stumps request, it would be creating a power for judges that legislators and a governor have not agreed to create.

Public access to felony arrest records is an important issue with significant public policy implications. Current New Mexico law does not allow expungement of the arrest record in this case. Any change in that law should not happen through the courts, but should go through the full legislative process to ensure public input and careful consideration, Hernandez said in a written statement to the Journal .

Advocates for open government are also weighing in.

The Foundation for Open Government, which opposed all legislative attempts to expand the states expungement law, was cleared on Wednesday by the Supreme Court to submit a friend-of-the-court brief, a document submitted by people not a party to the case that provides analysis and opinions about an issue the court can use to make a decision.

Greg Williams, lead attorney for FOG, said that, although he sympathized with Stump and says he can understand if she feels she got a raw deal, the consequences of the case are too great to ignore.

FOGs position is that courts dont have the power to order other governmental entities to destroy public records, and even if they did have that power, its not in the publics interest to destroy public records, Williams said.

In this case, Ms. Stump made some serious allegations about supposed wrongdoing by an APD officer, and its not appropriate for public records that have allegations about law enforcement to be deleted as if they never existed in the first place.
Of the unusually high number of New Mexico voters paying attention to the race for state Supreme Court, few will appear before it.

But that hasnt stopped the oft-ignored race from taking on a rare competitiveness between Republican Judith Nakamura, who currently sits as an appointee on the court, and Democrat Michael Vigil, who is the chief judge of the state Court of Appeals.

The two legal heavyweights both have decades of experience as attorneys and judges, albeit slightly different.

Both are esteemed among colleagues, and both say they are the best candidate for the position.

So how can non-lawyer voters tell the difference?

For starters, they say, dont rely on political party.

The two lament that judicial races in the state are run as partisan elections. Party positions on issues, they both say, dont  and shouldnt  affect them because their job as a justice is or would be to apply the law.

Heres how the two explain their political and legal paths:

Nakamura, 55, remembers being somewhat recruited into the Republican Party after high school by party members looking to mentor civic-minded youth. From there she learned about government processes and started working on campaigns, even thinking she would like to make campaign management her career.

Mentors persuaded her to go to law school instead.

She speaks with surprise and humility about her path since then  from private attorney to 17 years as Metro Court judge, with 11 of them as peer-elected chief judge, to almost two years as special appointed judge at 2nd Judicial District Court, to her appointed seat now on the Supreme Court. Gov. Susana Martinez appointed her in December.

Never in my life did I ever dream I would be in this position. As a lawyer, I never thought I would be on the courts at all, but I (initially) ran because I wasnt happy with what I was seeing in the performance of judges as a lawyer, Nakamura said.

Judges then, she said, werent always fair with lawyers and clients, didnt treat people with respect or always consider the needs of the community and people involved.

In the years Ive served judiciary, I have created programs which have been credited with improving community safety, she said. I was always straight with the public and always spoke with the media when they contacted me.

So straight that in 2014 when she presided over the special calendar at District Court, including complicated, difficult cases that had lingered in the system for years, defense attorneys requested in 47 cases to have her disqualified so they could get a different judge.

Nakamura says she was also tough on crime and DWI at Metro Court. While there, she was selected as Judge of the Year by Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 2006.

Im very proud of that, she said.

And shes proud of the lives she has touched as a judge.

Being on the campaign trail, you would not believe how many people I encounter that somehow say I touched their lives or helped someone out, she said. I had a lady  say, We were really angry with you. You threw my son in jail, and you told us you were going to make him get treatment, and you told him when you sit there, think if you want to spend the rest of your life this way, and I want you to know hes clean and hes sober and you gave him the smack he needed. Thank you. It happens all the time.

Nakamura said she wants voters to know she is already on the court and they have someone doing the job, doing a good job.

I want them to remember they have someone on the bench in me doing the job now who has not only been committed to improving the judicial process for those within the system but those who use the system, she said. Journal pollster Brian Sanderoff of Research & Polling Inc. said voters do remember Nakamura and said her time at Metro and District courts has given Nakamura high name recognition in the Albuquerque area. And thats likely a reason she is polling in a dead heat with Vigil in a race that is usually a given for the Democratic candidate, he said.

Vigils career

Vigil, 65, is also well-known in the state.

He has had his eyes set on the Supreme Court since he first got out of law school in 1976.

By then a firm Democrat, he says because the party expressed his values of helping people and protecting their constitutional rights, Vigil went to work at the Court of Appeals, which is in the building in Santa Fe that also houses the Supreme Court.

Literally, I was in awe of what that building represented, the work that was being done in that building, Vigil said. The justices were in heaven, so to speak, on the third floor.  Its something you always kind of have in your mind as a student.

In the 40 years since then, he has spent 24 in private practice in nearly every specialty field of law but with a focus on personal injury and medical malpractice, and about 14 years on the Court of Appeals and as chief judge there since 2015.

Reaching the Supreme Court would bring him full circle, but more important, he said, it would allow him to help people.

Its the last chance you have or anyone has to get things right, to make things right in a case which in turns means making things right for the people of the state of New Mexico, he said.

He says his understanding of how law affects individuals and his very, very unique and broad experiences make him different from Nakamura.

I have sat with hundreds of cases with a person sitting next to me who depended on me for custody of their kids, property in a divorce, economic recovery from a bad business deal, he said. So my heart is with them in terms of knowing and feeling and understanding and seeing and experiencing that what Im doing affects their lives.

And that, he said, is different than sitting behind the bench.

He wants voters to know that he wants to be the judge of the people, a phrase he also uses in his Spanish-language television ads.

Given the scope of my experience, I have a feel for how those decisions will affect other areas of the law. You always have in the back of your mind that this is affecting lives, that this is affecting people, Vigil said. I have the experience and perspective and heart. I have the heart. Justice isnt only about laws, its about lives.

Campaigns

Both candidates received public funding for their campaigns, which is distributed to candidates based on voter registration in each party. Vigil has received $218,822; Nakamura has received $205,180.

Each was early to hit the airwaves. The Brennan Center for Justices Fair Courts Project tracked Vigils ad spending at $117,472 and Nakamuras at $90,460.

Each campaign also contracted with strategists. Vigils campaign is coordinated by Morris Strategies for New Mexico, which is also handling the campaign of Julie Vargas for the Court of Appeals. Nakamuras campaign is coordinated by McCleskey Media Strategy, the firm associated with Jay McCleskey, a Republican public strategist who works closely with Gov. Susana Martinez during her elections and governance.

Like all judges running for election or retention in the state, the two have been evaluated by the states Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, which surveys people who encounter the judge, attorneys, staff, and jurors if a trial judge, and peer judges for the Supreme and Appeals courts, to generate approval scores.

In 2010, when Nakamura was up for a retention vote to remain at Metro Court, 97 percent of court staff reported she exhibited integrity, while 82 percent of attorneys reported the same. Of attorneys, including criminal defense attorneys who regularly asked for cases to be transferred out of her court, 73 percent said Nakamura was fair and impartial.

Nakamuras categories include jurors, whereas Vigils includes his peer appeals judges.

Vigils most recent JPEC report from 2012 when he was on the Court of Appeals includes 85 percent of court staff reporting he exhibited integrity. Of his peer judges, 77 percent reported him as fair and impartial and 83 percent reported him exhibiting integrity.

Save
After missing her due date by a week, after she had spent those unexpected extra days staring stonily across the room at her mother, doctors induced labor to coax out the infant she would never get to hold.

He was born, finally, Aug. 30, 1971, at a hefty 8 pounds, 4 ounces. They told her he was a very big baby for a very little girl. They told her he was healthy. They told her she shouldnt see him. She stole a glimpse anyway in the nursery at what was then Bataan Memorial Methodist Hospital in Albuquerque.

He had red hair.

The adoption papers were signed, her mother took her home to California as if she had never been pregnant, as if she could just go back to being 16 again.

And so she tried.

I blocked out a lot of that stuff, Janet Fjeldstad said. But I held on to the idea that I had given a happy, healthy baby to someone who really wanted one.

Life, though, hadnt worked out that way.

The baby was named Michael, and maybe those early months were as full of love as Fjeldstad liked to imagine.

But what can be gathered from records is that eight months after Michael was born, he was no longer a healthy baby and that something had happened that forced him to be removed from or relinquished by his adoptive home.

A diagnosis had been made of cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder caused by damage to the brain while it is still developing. The disorder had twisted and stunted his body and left him unable to walk, talk clearly or control anything but the fingers of his right hand.

But it had not dimmed his bright mind or his smile.

For the next four years, he was shuffled off to 14 different foster homes. He was 5 when the principal at Mark Twain Elementary School learned he was about to be moved again.

So she called Carmen Brown, a health aide who helped disabled children on and off the bus.

She knew we couldnt have children, so she asks me if I might be interested in fostering and maybe adopting a child, and I say, Which one?  Brown recalled. And she says its Michael, and I knew he was the little boy with the red hair and freckles and a smile from ear to ear. And I said, of course.

That was just fine with husband Jay Brown.

I like to say hes the little boy who came to lunch and stayed the rest of his life, he said. He became our world.

It was a good world, filled with love and enough support to encourage Michael to believe he was not so much disabled but differently abled.

We tried to make him think he could do anything he put his mind to, Jay Brown said. Sometimes, I think we overdid the independence thing.

Caretakers

By 19, Michael was ready to strike out on his own. He moved into an assisted living home and worked different jobs, usually at retail stores where he stocked shelves or greeted customers. He traveled in an electric wheelchair and bought a handicapped-equipped minivan that his caretakers could use to drive him around.

He didnt want to live on disability and just sit around, Carmen Brown said. He didnt see himself that way.

But not all his caretakers over the years were caring. The Browns say he suffered abuse and neglect, had his minivan stolen and wrecked. Some nights, he was left alone for hours in his wheelchair, unfed, unable to use the toilet, unable to get himself to bed. The Browns, both in their 70s and in poor health, could do little to help him. Michael kept much of what was happening a secret from them to spare them his pain.

Instead, he called Cheree Bloom, his weekend health aide. Earlier this year, he asked if he could live with her.

And I said, of course, she said.

So did her fiance.

God brought him into our lives, and we are blessed by that, Brian Crockett said. He is like family now.

But for Michael, someone was still missing.

Hidden pregnancy

Which brings us back to 1971, when a shy 16-year-old California girl found out that her occasional use of protection with her boyfriend, Bill Borges, had been too occasional.

By the time I realized I was pregnant, Bill had moved on to be an adventurer in the world as many young men do, Fjeldstad said. But I had a plan.

She wanted to keep the baby on her own. That meant keeping the pregnancy hidden past the point that abortion was an option.

In my 16-year-old mind, it seemed the noble thing, she said. It seemed right.

When school let out for the summer and she had let out her peasant blouses as much as they could go, she told her mom about her plan to keep the baby.

But her mother had a different plan.

Fjeldstad was quietly shipped off to Albuquerque, a place she had never been, to live with people she had never met to wait out the pregnancy and put the baby up for adoption.

I knew I had lost control of the situation, she said. I was no longer a part of the discussion.

After she relinquished the baby and returned to California, it didnt take long for the rumors to reach Borges.

He saw me walking home, she said. He just put his arms around me, and we just stood there and hugged for 20 minutes. We didnt say anything. There was nothing to say.

They didnt say anything to each other again for 45 years.

Life went on. Fjeldstad married, divorced, married again, divorced again and had two daughters in between. She listed herself on adoption registries and websites in case her son might be looking for her. Every Aug. 30, she hiked into the hills near her home in Marin County to celebrate the boy with the red hair.

I imagined what his life was like, she said. I imagined him as an astronaut or neuroscientist.

Borges moved about 75 miles away, married and divorced and raised three sons. He told people he had four sons but one was missing.

In June, two deaths in the Borges family caused alarm that he could be a carrier of a fatal gene and that his sons could be carriers, too  including the missing one.

With the urging of one of his sons, he found Fjeldstad on Facebook. He found Ann House of New Mexico Adoption Search, who has helped thousands of adoptees and birth parents reconnect.

And then they found Michael.

We were warned he had some sort of health issue, said Borges, who turned out not to be a carrier of a deadly gene. That didnt matter. We were in this 100 percent.

Reconnecting

A certified letter written by Fjeldstad arrived at the Brown home in August.

Jay Brown said he did not want to accept the letter at first. He did not want to accept the news he feared the letter had brought.

I was worried that if Michael found his birth parents, he would disown us, he said, his voice breaking. That he was going to forget about us.

It had happened before. After Michael, the Browns had adopted two brothers. When their sons found their birth families, the boys walked out the door and never came back.

The Browns couldnt lose Michael, too.

But Jay Brown said he knew this was what his son had hoped for. He gave the letter to Michael. Both men cried.

Michael texted: Dad. Ive already told you several times you are still my parents and you will always be my parents.

There is no limit on how many people can love you.

So there they all were together Thursday, the people who had come into one anothers lives for the love of a boy with red hair. They met in the spacious West Side home Michael shares with Bloom and Crockett and their children, hours after Fjeldstad and Borges had flown in from California to meet Michael and to thank the heroes who had cared for their son when they could not.

It was a day of laughter and tears, pizza and photographs and many Michael stories told by those who know him best and those who hope to know him more. It was a day when plans and promises were made to stay in touch, to visit when possible, to keep texting one another every day just as they have since the letter first arrived. It was a day that reminded them that even when life does not work out the way it was planned, it works out the way it needs to.

They are a family now, they said.

You know, this is a miracle, Carmen Brown said, smiling.

Of course.

UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
By Maggie Shepard / Journal Staff Writer

Two Albuquerque attorneys are facing off to win a seat on the Court of Appeals.

Stephen French, a Republican, has been on the court since he was appointed in February. Before that, he spent nearly 35 years in lead roles in private and government practice with a focus on civil rights law.

Julie Vargas, a Democrat, has for 22 years been a private attorney active in the State Bar of New Mexicos Ethics Advisory Committee, the Supreme Courts Disciplinary Board and a professor of ethics at the University of New Mexico.

If elected, Vargas, 48, would become the third woman on the 10-person court that is the first stop for most appeals in the state.

Vargas said in an interview that being a judge has always been a goal for her, and the Court of Appeals is ideal because it requires extensive writing of opinions. She excitedly calls it the pure writing judgeship.

Its something Ive wanted to do for a long time.  My dad was a lawyer, and when I would go places with him people would stop him and say thank you for getting me out of this mess, Vargas said. You could just see the relief on their faces. So the only thing I can think of better than being a lawyer is being a judge where its your job to make sure everybody is treated fairly and is heard.

She said her whole career has been dedicated to improving the community and how law happens in the state.

French, 64, was appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Cynthia Fry.

He said that before his appointment, he found great satisfaction in being a mediator for cases before the court.

I consider it the ultimate compliment that the very people I was litigating against, some of the finest lawyers in the state, they would ask me if I would mediate (a) case for them, French said.

Like Vargas, he always knew he wanted to wanted to be an attorney.

I just believe in the Constitution, and I believe everybody should be treated equally and should have a lawyer and their day in court, French said of his time as a defense lawyer and his values.

In 2014 he won the New Mexico Defense Lawyers Associations award for Outstanding Civil Defense Lawyer.

I believe I bring an extremely broad base of experience to the Court of Appeals.  I never find arguing the law or analyzing the law with the facts as boring, he said.
By PTI: Surat/New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) AAP MLA and partys Gujarat affairs in-charge Gulab Singh today surrendered before Surat Police and was arrested by Delhi Police after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him in connection with an extortion case.

Singhs arrest has come hours ahead of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwals public rally in the city.

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"Delhi Police had come here with a non-bailable warrant against Gulab Singh. He learnt about it before hand and came to Urma police station where we handed him over to Delhi Police," Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said.

The Delhi Police will take Yadav to a court to secure a transit remand.

Before leaving for Umra police station to surrender, Yadav told reporters at the circuit house, "I have learnt that Delhi Police have come to Surat to arrest me. So I am going to Umra police station to court arrest and ask Delhi Police to pick me from there."

"I am in Gujarat since September 6 and I was here when the FIR was filed on September 13. Police raided my office and got nothing incriminating. The Centre is directing arrest of AAP MLAs but we are not going to bow and are ready for any consequences," he alleged.

Last month, two property dealers, Deepak Sharma and Rinku Diwan, had alleged that Satish and Devinder, who work in Yadavs office, and an associate Jagdish, were extorting money from them by threatening to get demolished the building from where they were operating.

A case under section 384 (punishment for extortion) IPC was registered at Bindapur police station on September 13.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal, who is on a four-day visit to Gujarat, alleged while talking to reporters in Vadodara before leaving for Surat that BJP president Amit Shah was trying to affect the rally.

"I appeal to Amit Shah ji that this is not my rally but that of the public ... You see 13 MLAs have been arrested by Delhi Police on the direction from the BJP," he said.

Confirming the MLAs arrest, Joint Commissioner of Police, South West Delhi, Deependra Pathak said, "He will be brought back to Delhi today to join the probe in the FIR of extortion in which he has also been named."

The non-bailable warrant (NBW) was issued against Singh, who is MLA from Delhis Matiala, on October 14 for allegedly not joining probe in the case.

Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who is attending the AAP rally in Surat, said Singhs arrest was a turning point in Gujrat politics.

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"Gulab singh arrested hours before historical rally in Surat," he tweeted.

"This was done to prevent Gulab Singh from reaching the rally. The politics of Gujrat will change for ever from today," he said in a note posted on Twitter.

Singhs alleged associates Satish, Devinder and Jagdish were arrested and a probe was taken up in the matter which revealed that the "organised extortion racket" had been operating with the knowledge of the MLA, police claimed.

Following the investigation, Singh was named in the FIR and issued notices to join the investigation but he did not turn up for questioning, they said. PTI CORR/VIT/SLB KA PD GK KIS

--- ENDS ---
A new imaging technique is under development with the aim of detecting and characterizing early cancerous changes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract

(Vienna, October 17, 2016) A new imaging technique is under development with the aim of detecting and characterising early cancerous changes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

The technique, which is today being presented at UEG Week Vienna 2016, involves using a standard endoscopy system with a novel set of camera filters, increasing the number of colours that can be visualised during endoscopy and potentially improving the ability to detect abnormal cells in the lining of the gut.

Dr Sarah Bohndiek, from the University of Cambridge, UK, who is leading on the development, explains the new technique. "In traditional endoscopy, we use white light and detectors that replicate our eyes, which detect light in red, green and blue colour channels. We are now developing an approach called 'hyperspectral imaging', which will increase the number of colour channels that can be visualised from three to over 50."

"Since cell changes associated with the development of cancer lead to colour changes in the tissues, we believe that hyperspectral imaging could help us to improve the specificity of lesion identification because we can use these colours to identify abnormal tissues", added Dr Bohndiek.

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) collects and processes information from across the electromagnetic spectrum. In contrast to the human eye, which sees colour primarily in three bands (red, green and blue), spectral imaging divides the colour spectrum into many more bands and can be extended beyond the visible range of light. The images obtained by HSI can provide information about the physiology and chemical composition of human tissues, and the technique is emerging as having great potential for non-invasive diagnosis and image-guided surgery.

"Hyperspectral imaging is a powerful tool that can reveal the chemical composition of human tissues and together with different fluorescent dyes, can identify a range of biological processes," said Dr Bohndiek. "The technique has many potential applications within cancer diagnostics, with exciting developments already reported in the detection of Barrett's oesophagus, which is a precancerous condition in some people."

Dr Bohndiek and colleagues from Cambridge University have been working to overcome some of the limitations of currently-available instruments used for HSI, which are complex, bulky and expensive, and are not suitable for widespread clinical use. The team have developed a small, low-cost and robust fluorescence HSI system that has already been used to image a range of dyes in realistic tissue backgrounds.

"We believe our new fluorescence HSI system, which could be readily incorporated into standard clinical endoscopies, brings the diagnostic power of hyperspectral imaging one step closer to being used for the rapid detection of early cancerous changes within the GI tract."

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References

1. Lu G, Fei B. Medical hyperspectral imaging: a review. J Biomed Opt 2014;19(1):10901.

2. Luthman AS, Dumitru S, Quiros-Gonzalez I et al. Wide field fluorescence hyperspectral imaging (fHSI) for biomedical applications. Manuscript in submission.

Notes to Editors

For further information, or to arrange an interview with Dr Sarah Bohndiek, please contact Luke Paskins on +44 (0)1444 811099 or media@ueg.eu

About Dr Sarah Bohndiek

Dr Bohndiek is a University Lecturer in Biomedical Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK. She is the Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute. Dr Bohndiek is presenting her findings during the Opening Plenary Session at UEG Week Vienna 2016.

About Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald (UEG Spokesperson)

Professor Fitzgerald is a member of the UEG Scientific Committee and a consultant physician at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.

About UEG Week

UEG Week is the largest and most prestigious gastroenterology meeting in Europe and has developed into a global congress. It attracts over 14,000 participants each year, from more than 120 countries, and numbers are steadily rising. UEG Week provides a forum for basic and clinical scientists from across the globe to present their latest research in digestive and liver diseases, and also features a two-day postgraduate course that brings together top lecturers in their fields for a weekend of interactive learning.

About UEG

UEG, or United European Gastroenterology, is a professional non-profit organisation combining all the leading European societies concerned with digestive diseases. Together, its member societies represent over 22,000 specialists, working across medicine, surgery, paediatrics, gastrointestinal oncology and endoscopy. This makes UEG the most comprehensive organisation of its kind in the world, and a unique platform for collaboration and the exchange of knowledge.

To advance standards of gastroenterological care and knowledge across Europe and the world, UEG offers numerous activities and initiatives, including:

UEG Week, the biggest congress of its kind in Europe, and one of the two largest in the world.

UEG Education, the universal source of knowledge in gastroenterology, providing online and classroom courses, a huge online library and delivering the latest GI news, fostering debate and discussion

Training Support, funding for innovative training and educational programmes, as well as international scientific and professional co-operations

UEG Journal, published bi-monthly, covering translational and clinical studies from all areas of gastroenterology

EU Affairs, promoting research, prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of digestive diseases, and helping develop an effective health policy for Europe

Find out more about UEG's work by visiting http://www.ueg.eu or contact: Luke Paskins on +44 (0)1444 811099 or media@ueg.eu
A new study suggests that the 'neighbourhood effect' of slums could help to alleviate some of their associated health problems.

A team of academics led by Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick have conducted a review of international slum research, which is being published in The Lancet.

They concluded that the one issue associated with the problems caused by living in a slum - people living in very close proximity to one another - could be the answer to some of their problems.

The study coincides with the UN's conference Habitat III to be held in Quito, Ecuador (17-20th Oct).

According to Improving the Health and Welfare of People who Live in Slums residents are exposed to what the authors call the neighbourhood effect - that is many people are affected by one factor because they live in close proximity to one another. However the authors argue that this can be a benefit because a single intervention can simultaneously improve many lives in one densely packed community.

Massive slums have become major features of cities in many low- and middle-income countries. The nearly one billion people who live in slums are a marginalised group facing unique health issues. The study was led by Professor Richard Lilford who along with colleague, Oyinlola Oyebode, is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) West Midlands initiative. He said: "The neighbourhood effect in slums is both a problem and an opportunity. It is a problem because it is likely to amplify health hazards. However this effect is likely to offer economies of scale and increasing returns on investments to create a healthy environment. A historical example of this can be found in Victorian London when a water pump was shut down which averted a cholera epidemic.

"In addition our research highlighted that higher population density allows more people to be treated by clinic staff in less time; another potential example of increased economies to scale when intervening at the neighbourhood level in slums."

The academics argue that all slums should be included in censuses. Although slums are easily identifiable physically in many cities, statistics about them are often non-existent. Slums are rarely identified in national censuses, which form the sampling frames for national surveys. The team recommend that all censuses include identification for slum and non-slum clusters for all urban areas. They believe this will encourage better recording of information about health indicators for slum and non-slum areas both for research purposes and to identify local priorities for action for instance determining where disease outbreaks are most prevalent.

The report's authors argue that the topic of slum health should become a standalone academic disciple to help understand and improve conditions in slums. Fellow author, Dr Oyinlola Oyebode, Associate Professor, Warwick Medical School said: "To tackle the issue of slums we need to start looking at them in a different way. After all not all people living in slums fall below the poverty line, with anecdotal reports that there are even millionaires living in some slums. Poverty isn't the only cause of ill health in slums, the neighbourhoods themselves as 'spaces' need attention."

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The paper Improving the Health and Welfare of People who Live in Slums is the second of a two part series of papers by the team called 'The health of people who live in slums' to be published in The Lancet on Sunday 16 October 11.30pm (BST)

For further details please contact the press office at the University of Warwick: Tom Frew a.t.frew@warwick.ac.uk +44(0)7785433155 or Nicola Jones +44 (0) 7920531221 or N.Jones.1@warwick.ac.uk

Notes to editors

The health of people who live in slums 2; Improving the health and welfare of people who live in slums, The Lancet published 16 October 2016

Published Online October 16, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/PII

List of authors

Prof Richard J Lilford, DSc (Hons) Warwick Centre for Applied Health Research and Delivery, University of Warwick;

Dr Oyinlola Oyebode, PhD Warwick Centre for Applied Health Research and Delivery,

Dr David Satterthwaite, PhD International Institute for Environment and Development, London;

Dr GJ Melendez-Torres, PhD Warwick Centre for Applied Health Research and Delivery, University of Warwick; School of Medicine,

Dr Yen-Fu Chen, PhD Warwick Centre for Applied Health Research and Delivery, University of Warwick;

Dr Blessing Mberu, PhD African Population and Health Research Centre, Manga Cl, Nairobi, Kenya;

Dr Samuel I Watson, PhD Warwick Centre for Applied Health Research and Delivery, University of Warwick

Jo Sartori, BA (Hons) Warwick Centre for Applied Health Research and Delivery, University of Warwick

Dr Robert Ndugwa, PhD Global Urban Observatory, Research and Capacity Development Branch United 24 Nations Human Settlements Programme

Prof Waleska Caiaffa, PhD School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Dr Tilahun Haregu, PhD African Population and Health Research Centre, Manga Cl, Nairobi, Kenya

Prof Anthony Capon, PhD United Nations University, Kuala Lumpur

Dr Ruhi Saith, Oxford Policy Management, New Delhi

Dr Alex Ezeh, PhD , African Population and Health Research Centre, Manga Cl, Nairobi, Kenya; School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funded by the Department of Health to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. The NIHR is the research arm of the NHS. Since its establishment in April 2006, the NIHR has transformed research in the NHS. It has increased the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, driven faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the economy, and developed and supported the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. The NIHR plays a key role in the Government's strategy for economic growth, attracting investment by the life-sciences industries through its world-class infrastructure for health research. Together, the NIHR people, programmes, centres of excellence and systems represent the most integrated health research system in the world. For further information, visit the NIHR website (http://www.nihr.ac.uk).

NIHR CLAHRC West Midlands is a five-year initiative funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and matched funds provided by local health and social services. The initiative builds on the successful CLAHRC for Birmingham and Black Country pilot with a mission to create lasting and effective partnerships across health and social care organisations, universities (Birmingham, Keele and Warwick) to improve the services we can deliver for patient benefit.

Funding acknowledgements

Richard Lilford and Oyinlola Oyebode are supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) West Midlands initiative. Waleska Caiaffa is supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). The African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) team are supported in part from core support grants from the Hewlett Foundation, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and an anonymous funder. The paper presents independent research and the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funding sources, the National Health Service (NHS), or the UK Department of Health.
We're in the thick of election season folks. In just over three weeks, Americans from across our great country will be heading to the polls to decide who'll become our 45th president of the United States. No matter who wins, it'll be sure to make history, with either our first female president, or our first president with no prior political or military background, ascending to the Oval Office.

As we near the election date, we're also beginning to see the candidates hammer down their policies on how they'd get the U.S. economy growing again. GDP growth in recent quarters has been subpar by most measures, with the Federal Reserve targeting GDP growth of 2% or higher. Whoever steps into the Oval Office following President Barack Obama is going to need to have a plan to reignite the U.S. economy.

Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump believes he has the answer. With that being said, we're going to take a just-the-facts look at 10 ways Donald Trump plans to grow the U.S. economy if elected president.

1. Lower ordinary income taxes

To begin with, Trump is aiming to put more money in the pockets of American workers and families by simplifying the ordinary income tax brackets. Below you can see the current progressive tax schedule from the IRS in 2016:

Now here is what Trump would aim to do with ordinary income taxes:

As you can see, Trump's vision would reduce a seven-tier ordinary income tax schedule down to just three brackets, with taxpayers paying a lower ordinary income tax rate than under the current system. Trump firmly believes that putting more money back into the pockets of Americans will be good for our consumer-driven economy.

2. Corporate income tax reform

Perhaps the linchpin of Trump's tax reform proposals is his aim to reduce the corporate income tax rate from 35%, which is one of the highest in the world, to just 15%. At 15% the U.S. corporate income tax rate would be one of the lowest among developed countries in the world. Putting more money into the pockets of businesses could incite those businesses to hire more workers, reinvest in themselves, acquire other businesses, and it may even encourage foreign investment.

Further, Trump would grant a special tax rate of 10% on corporate earnings held overseas if they're repatriated back into the United States. With more than $2 trillion in corporate profits being held in overseas markets, repatriation of some of this cash could make waves in the U.S. economy.

3. Provide tax deductions for working Americans and parents

In addition to lowering ordinary income taxes, Trump would more than double the standard deduction for taxpayers from $6,300 for individuals and $12,600 for couples in 2016 to $15,000 and $30,000, respectively.

Parents could also be entitled to a number of child care expense tax breaks, including above-the-line deductions on child care expenses for children under the age of 13. Trump also mentions utilizing the Earned Income Tax Credit to doll out rebates for single filers and married filers with earnings up to $31,200 and $62,400, respectively. Presumably, putting more money into the pockets of American families could lead to increased spending, which is great news for an economy where approximately 70% of GDP is consumption-based.

4. Reform healthcare

Fourth, Trump wants to completely revamp healthcare in the United States. His seven-point plan involves repealing Obamacare, allowing consumers to shop for health insurance across state lines to improve the competitive pricing of policies, and removing the barriers to entry for overseas drugmakers into the United States. By allowing consumers to shop for medicine in trusted overseas markets, such as Canada, better prices could be achieved that result in substantial healthcare savings.

On top of the aforementioned points, Trump would block grant Medicaid to the states, encourage the use of Health Savings Accounts, require better price transparency from insurers, and give taxpayers the ability to act like corporations and write off the full amount of healthcare premiums paid when filing their federal income taxes.

5. Make America energy independent

Trump is also planning to grow the U.S. economy by focusing on energy forms. Specifically he aims to make the U.S. energy independent, which he proposes doing by encouraging the use of natural gas, opening onshore and offshore leasing of federal lands for exploratory purposes, eliminating the moratorium on coal leasing, and unleashing "America's $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, plus hundreds of years in clean coal reserves." Trump believes that by internalizing energy reliance, jobs will be created and energy costs could actually fall over the long-term.

6. Invest in the military

As is a common theme among most Republican presidential candidates, Trump is aiming to grow the size of the U.S. military. As mentioned in his national defense plan, Trump wants to grow the U.S. Army to 540,000 active duty soldiers, increase the number of Air Force fighter aircraft to 1,200, expand the Navy's ship total to 350, and enlarge the Marine Corps to 36 battalions. Also, Trump would invest in a strategic defense system for Navy ships.

Trump believes this investment in the military, which could be a boon to the industrial sector of the economy, can largely be paid for by auditing the Pentagon and eliminating wasteful spending programs in Washington.

7. Reduce federal regulatory oversight

Speaking of reducing wasteful spending, part of Trump's U.S. economic growth proposals includes reducing regulatory oversight that he believes is hindering businesses. Trump plans to end the Waters of the U.S. Rule, which covers which rivers, streams, lakes, and marshes fall under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency, and he'd "scrap" the EPA's Clean Power Plan to save more than $7 billion annually.

Aside from eliminating these oversights, Trump would introduce a moratorium on new agency regulations, too.

8. Reform U.S. immigration policies

Eighth, Trump is looking to reform a number of immigration policies that he believes will open jobs for American workers and boost wages. Trump has advocated keeping immigration levels at historic norms, but basing the entrance of immigrants on their likelihood of success in the U.S. and ability to be financially self-sufficient. He'd suspend visas to countries where adequate screening isn't occurring, and "turn off the jobs and benefits magnet." In simpler terms, this would eliminate the allure for businesses to hire illegal immigrants.

9. Renegotiate trade terms

Another key component of Trump's U.S. economic growth plans entails renegotiating (or ending) a number of trade deals. Trump would advocate withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership as well as aim to renegotiate its NAFTA trade terms with its partners to more favorably benefit American workers. Trump makes specific mention of Mexico's value-added taxes and China's subsidies which make fair trade in select industries very difficult for American workers. Trump anticipates that implementing these fair trade deals would put American workers on more solid footing.

10. Invest in education

Finally, Trump wants to make education more affordable for children coming from lower-income families. He plans to reprioritize $20 billion in federal funds and put it toward school choice. Trump's website predicts that if the 50 states added another $110 billion on top of the $20 billion contributed by the federal government, every one of the 11 million K-12 students living in poverty today could have $12,000 provided in school choice funds. Trump would also work with Congress to ensure that universities are doing their part to make a college education affordable.

Would it work?

Of course, the big question is whether or not these 10 proposals will jump-start the U.S. economy.

On one hand, tax breaks for working families and corporate income tax cuts should put more money back into the pockets of families and businesses, which may indeed be a positive as Trump has portended. Furthermore, if Trump can successfully renegotiate trade terms and eliminate a number of perceived-to-be wasteful programs, Washington's federal budget would look a lot leaner.

On the other hand, Trump's tax cuts could exacerbate an already ballooning level of national debt, and they don't really address the growing concern of income inequality in America with some of the biggest tax breaks going to the wealthy. Attempting to renegotiate trade terms may also backfire for Trump, leading to retaliatory tariffs from other countries.

Deciding whether these policies will be good for the U.S. economy is really up to you and the nearly 219 million registered voters slated to head to the polls in a little more than three weeks.
10/20 SF UPWA Forum Taxes, Public Transit, Labor And Our Unions-WHO SHOULD PAY?Should Working People and the Public Support SF Prop K and BART Prop RR Tax Increases?UPWA Forum And DiscussionTaxes, Public Transit, Labor And Our UnionsShould Workers And The Public Pay Billions Of Dollars In New Taxes For BART and The SF MTA Instead Of Taxing The Billionaires And Corporations?Why Our Public Transit System Is In A Crisis and How We Should Solve ItThursday October 20, 2016 6:00 PMSan Francisco Main Public LibraryLatino Room B-Lower Level100 Larkin St.San FranciscoRegressive tax initiatives for SF MTA through Prop K and BART Prop RR are on the 2016 ballot. Should working people support these tax increases and why are the billionaires and mega corporations, property speculators not be forced to pay for our public transportation? Why are the riders and working people subsidizing the billionaires for public transportation to take workers to their jobs? Shouldn't public transit be free? These are the questions that will be addressed at this forum as well as the ongoing attack on public transit workers from the BART workers to SF MTA transit operators. SF MTA TWU 250 A leadership negotiated a two tier wage that is hurting the new drivers who have to wait years to reach the top salary. They also face increased pension costs.Transit workers and public transit advocates will discuss the crisis and what a working class solution is to the growing crisis including the massive traffic jams in San Francisco and the bay area by UBER, Lyft and other unregulated taxi services. These companies are able to bring tens of thousands of drivers into our cities and communities with absolutely no control or regulation. These drivers face dire conditions in the Gig economy and need a second and third job to survive in the bay area's "new economy".At the same time Europe and Japan have a high quality public transportation system with high speed rail yet San Francisco and the bay area transit system is breaking down and in chaos. The property speculators and banks will tremendously benefit from new stations but shouldn't the increase of value go to the workers and public instead of a regressive tax.It's time for action Now to build a real public transportation system and make the billionaires pay for it.Sponsored by United Public Workers For Action415-282-1908
Stephen Lendman has the latest insanity from the White House: On Friday, NBC News reported (t)he Obama administration is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the American presidential election

From:Obama Preparing for Hillary to Wage War on Russia? posted 10/15/16:Provocative US actions against Russia seem heading inevitably toward open conflict, madness if initiated.Anything willful or accidental could spark devastating war, unlike anything experienced earlier - todays super-weapons able to turn cities to smoldering rubble, millions perishing in the onslaught.Longstanding US plans call for regime change in Russia, partitioning the country for easier control, looting its resources, exploiting its people, eliminating Washingtons main challenger for global dominance along with China. Similar designs against its government are planned.Syria is the worlds leading hot spot - Washington and Moscow with polar opposite objectives. John Kerry lied, saying (w)e are not giving up on the Syrian people, and we are not abandoning the pursuit of peace.War rages. Washington wants regime change, Syrian sovereignty destroyed, puppet governance it controls replacing it, intending endless conflict in pursuit of its objectives.On Friday, Obama and his national security staff discussed escalating aggression in Syria, including possible airstrikes on its military bases, munitions depots and ground defense systems - risking direct confrontation with Russia if initiated.Unilaterally imposing a no-fly zone is being considered, a virtual declaration of war on Moscow if ordered. Hostile anti-Russian accusations persist - including unfounded claims about interfering with Americas electoral process despite no evidence suggesting it.On Friday, NBC News reported (t)he Obama administration is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the American presidential electionCurrent and former officials with direct knowledge of the situation say the CIA has been asked to deliver options to the White House for a wide-ranging clandestine cyber operation designed to harass and embarrass the Kremlin leadership.Unnamed sources told NBC News that the agency began selecting targets, preparing for cyberattacking Russia if ordered. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cia-prepping-possible-cyber-strike-against-russia-n666636 On Friday, Joe Biden said were sending a message to Putin(I)t will be at the time of our choosing and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact.Unnamed officials told NBC News about divergent administration positions on whether to initiate this type provocation, surely to get an appropriate counter-response, further escalating tensions.Persistent allegations of Russian interference in Novembers presidential election, war crimes in Syria, aggression in Ukraine, and other hostile accusations are entirely baseless - diverting attention from Americas imperial agenda, giving the Clinton campaign manufactured red meat to use advantageously.Shell likely succeed Obama next year. US political bosses and monied interests chose her before campaigning began last year.Scoundrel media crucifixion of Trump paved the way for her ascension to power. Her anti-Russia militancy and rage for endless wars risk more explosive global conflicts than already - including the insanity of possible nuclear war on Russia.All bets are off with her as commander-in-chief of Americas military, a terrifying prospect.A Final CommentKremlin aide Yuri Ushakov commented on reports about possible CIA cyberattacks on Russia, saying (c)ertainly we will (respond). This is already on the edge of rudeness.Putin press secretary Dmitry Peskov explained Russia intends taking precautionary measures against potential US cyberattacks, sharply adding:US unpredictability and aggression keep growing, and such threats against Moscow and our countrys leadership are unprecedented, because the threat is being announced at the level of the US Vice President.(G)iven such an aggressive, unpredictable line, we have to take measures to protect our interests, somehow hedge the risks. Such unpredictability is dangerous for the whole world.Make no mistake. Moscow will respond appropriately to any aggressive US actions._________________We have 2 peace parties on the California ballot: Peace & Freedom Party and the Green Party. You can still register to vote this week at your County Registrar. See http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices/ For more information on these 2 peace parties, see:
KPFK has called on Pacifica to build support of arrested journalists including Amy Goodman, Deia Schlosberg, and Shailene Woodley who have been arrested for covering the Dakota Access Pipeline

Pacifica KPFK Motion To Protest The Arrest Of Journalists Covering The Dakota Access PipelineCOVERING THE PROTESTS TO THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINEAmy Goodman, Deia Schlosberg, and Shailene Woodley are among the journalists who have been arrested while covering demonstrations against the Dakota Access Pipeline.The Arrest of Journalists and Filmmakers Covering the Dakota Pipeline Is a violation of the First Amendment, the Constitution, is a threat to the media, Democracyand the Planet.Therefore the KPFK LSB goes on record opposing such arrests and in support of journalists who have been arrested in Dakota and North Dakota, and call on the prosecutors of said cases to immediately drop said charges. Furthermore we call upon the arresting authorities to cease the harrassment and and seizure of materials and film of journalists covering the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.+++++++The KPFK Board Secretary is requested to forward this motion to the above arresting and prosecuting agencies.The KPFK LSB requests the Program Director and General Manager cover these issues on the air on an ongoing basis.Filmmaker Faces 45 Years in Prison for Reporting on Dakota Access ProtestsOctober 15, 2016byCommon DreamsFilmmaker Faces 45 Years in Prison for Reporting on Dakota Access Protests"They threw the book at Deia for being a journalist."byNika Knight, staff writerDeia Schlosberg accepting an Emmy for the 2010 documentary series Gasland, which exposed the devastating impacts of the fracking industry on communities in the U.S. (Photo: Danny Moloshok/AP)In an ominous sign for press freedom, documentary filmmaker and journalist Deia Schlosberg was arrested and charged with felonies carrying a whopping maximum sentence of up to 45 years in prisonsimply for reporting on the ongoing Indigenous protests against fossil fuel infrastructure.Schlosberg was arrested in Walhalla, North Dakota on Tuesday for filming activists shutting down a tar sands pipeline, part of a nationwide solidarity action organized on behalf of those battling the Dakota Access Pipeline."The actions of the North Dakota Police force are not just a violation of the climate, but a violation of the constitution."Josh Fox, Gasland filmmakerThe filmmaker was held without access to a lawyer for 48 hours, her colleague Josh Fox wrote in the Nation, and her footage was confiscated by the police.Schlosberg was then charged Friday with three felonies, the Huffington Post reported: "conspiracy to theft of property, conspiracy to theft of services and conspiracy to tampering with or damaging a public service. Together, the charges carry 45 years in maximum prison sentences.""They have in my view violated the First Amendment," Fox told the Huffington Post, referring to the state's Pembina County Sheriff's Department. Its fucking scary, it knocks the wind of your sails, it throws you for a loop. They threw the book at Deia for being a journalist."NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden observed that Schlosberg faces more years in prison than he does for leaking secret documents about the NSA's mass surveillance program in 2013:"Deia isn't alone," observed Fox in an op-ed in the Nation. "The arrest of journalists, filmmakers, and others witnessing and reporting on citizen protests against fossil-fuel infrastructure amid climate change is part of a worrisome and growing pattern."Indeed, the news of Schlosberg's arrest followed Democracy Now's Amy Goodman announcement earlier this week that she will return to North Dakota to combat charges she faces as a result of reporting on the Dakota Access Pipeline protest last month."Goodman, whose camera crew filmed a private security team attacking peaceful Native American protesters with dogs and pepper spray, faces charges of criminal trespassingwhich many have said amounts to an assault on press freedom," as Common Dreams reported.It also emerged late Saturday that a North Dakota state prosecutor has dropped the trespassing charge and is seeking instead to charge Goodman with participating in a "riot," Democracy Now reported."I came back to North Dakota to fight a trespass charge. They saw that they could never make that charge stick, so now they want to charge me with rioting," said Goodman. "I wasn't trespassing, I wasn't engaging in a riot, I was doing my job as a journalist by covering a violent attack on Native American protesters."A warrant for Goodman's arrest was issued September 8.Meanwhile, actor Shailene Woodley was arrested Monday while live-streaming a prayer action at a Dakota Access construction site. "She was singled out, the police told her, because she was well-known and had 40,000 people watching live on her Facebook page," Fox wrote. "Other filmmakers shooting protest actions along the pipeline have also been arrested.""Journalism is not a crime; it is a responsibility," Fox said in a press statement about this pattern of arrests. "The actions of the North Dakota Police force are not just a violation of the climate, but a violation of the constitution."Supporters have created a petition calling on the authorities in North Dakota to drop charges against Schlosberg, Goodman, and other journalists arrested for doing their work and reporting on the protests against Dakota Access.Neil Young, Mark Ruffalo, Daryl Hannah, and other celebrities have also signed an open letter to President Barack Obama and North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple, calling on the leaders to intervene and for Schlosberg's charges to be dropped. The charges were "unfair, unjust, and illegal," the letter said, according to Reuters."This is not only about reporting on the climate-change movement," Fox argued in the Nation. "Journalists have also been arrested reporting on Black Lives Matter, the movement for Native rights, and many other important movements the corporate media fails to cover. The First Amendment and the Constitution are at stake in this case. If we lose it, we lose America too."Passed unanimously by the KPFK LSB on 10/16/16The Arrest of Journalists and Filmmakers Covering the Dakota Pipeline Is a Threat to Democracyand the PlanetDeia Schlosberg, Amy Goodman, and Shailene Woodley are among those who have been arrested while covering demonstrations against the Dakota Access Pipeline. https://www.thenation.com/ /the-arrest-of-journalists-and-/By Josh FoxTwitterYESTERDAY 4:06 PMShailene Woodley was arrested while broadcasting a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline on October 11, 2016. (Morton County Sheriff's Department)On October 11, Deia Schlosberg, the producer of my new film, How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Cant Change, was arrested in Walhalla, North Dakota, while reporting on a climate-change protest. She was held for 48 hours before being allowed to speak to a lawyer. The authorities confiscated her footage. She is now charged with three counts of felony conspiracy and faces a possible sentence of up to 45 years.For being a journalist.The First Amendment and the Constitution are at stake in this case. If we lose it, we lose America too.Deia isnt alone. The arrest of journalists, filmmakers, and others witnessing and reporting on citizen protests against fossil-fuel infrastructure amid climate change is part of a worrisome and growing pattern. Last month in North Dakota, a warrant was issued to arrest Amy Goodman, award-winning host of Democracy Now!, after she covered Native Americanled protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Her footage of security guards attacking peaceful protesters with bloody-snouted dogs was viewed over 14 million times. She elected to go back to North Dakota this week to face the charges. Actor Shailene Woodley was arrested and jailed this week while leaving a protest at a construction site for the Dakota Access Pipeline. She was singled out, the police told her, because she was well-known and had 40,000 people watching live on her Facebook page. Other filmmakers shooting protest actions along the pipeline have also been arrested.All this should send chills down the spine of every documentary filmmaker and journalist.Although the national media paid little attention to the climate-change protest that Deia and others attempted to report on, it was remarkable. A small group of activists in four states shut down all the pipelines carrying tar-sands oil from Alberta, Canada, into the United States. The protest responded to a call from the Standing Rock Sioux for international prayer and action on the growing climate emergency. Activists shut off emergency valves along the pipeline, their message being, We are in a climate emergency now.If it were up to the mainstream media we wouldnt know about this. I know, because I broke the story of fracking. It had been a crisis for years, but the media were ignoring it, which is why I decided to make my film Gasland.As a relative newcomer to documentary filmmaking I am in awe of the bravery of documentarians. Doc filmmakers often break important stories and risk their lives and safety doing it. Laura Poitrass reporting on Edward Snowden in Citizen Four, Joshua Oppenheimers The Act of Killing, Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetheringtons Restrepo, Alexandria Bombachs Frame by Frame are just a few examples.Deia Schlosberg at the 35th College Television Awards (Danny Moloshok / Invision)Deias brave reporting on oil contamination in the Amazon and on fracking and tar sands falls in that category. But how she and others reporting on these issues have been treated by the media and law enforcement shows that the oil-and-gas industry is contaminating them, too. Our government has also been fracked, and is serving fossil-fuel interests. Asked about the pipeline protests this week, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest sounded an ominous warning: I can tell you that both the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation are investigating these reports and trying to get to the bottom of what exactly happened and what potential steps could be taken to ensure the safety and security of our energy infrastructure.Ive got some news for Barack Obama and his administration. Its our current energy infrastructure and the fossil-fuel interests that profit from it that are threatening the safety and security of our country. They are the ones continuing to develop new sources of tar sands oil, one the most greenhouse gasintensive fossil fuels, in the middle of a climate crisis. The implications are dizzying. If we continue to allow the fossil-fuel industry to ship millions of gallon of tar sands oil across our border, we will rocket past any safe level of global warming. We will plunge our major cities underwater. The American Petroleum Institute is calling activists trying to prevent this extremists. But the extremists, as Bill McKibben likes to say, work at the oil companies.Documentary journalism can show the activists as what they really are: sympathetic human beings who are doing something necessary and vital, real people who are sacrificing real freedom to stop the oil-industry extremists before it is too late. In fact, doc filmmaking may be the only thing that can do that. That is why Ive written a letter calling on members of the media, Governor of North Dakota Jack Dalrymple, United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota Chris Myers, and President Obama to stand up for press freedom and independent journalism on climate change, and call for all charges to be dropped against Deia. This is not only about reporting on the climate-change movement. Journalists have also been arrested reporting on Black Lives Matter, the movement for Native rights, and many other important movements the corporate media fails to cover. The First Amendment and the Constitution are at stake in this case. If we lose it, we lose America too.You can sign on to our letter of support for Deia at our Web site: http://www.howtoletgomovie.com Labor Mobilization In Support Of Standing Rock, First Nations, In Opposition To The Dakota Access Pipeline"We at Oceti Sakowin Camp welcome any and all support from our Union brothers and sisters. This camp stands to protect our sacred water and support a new energy paradigm, jobs and work in green energy fields. We welcome your support in any ways you feel appropriate, join us in paving a new road to a sustainable future for many future generations." --Message from Standing Rock Council to Labor for Standing Rock, 10/13/26.In response to calls from Standing Rock, please join a coordinated labor mobilization on the weekend of October 29-30!Further information is below.======The First Nations courageous fight taking place against the Dakota Access Pipeline has ignited a worlds attention. This struggle has become most focused at the water protectors camp located within the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. It contrasts an inherently dangerous project of the fossil fuel industry with the protection of the local and global environment, Native American sovereignty, and the necessity of a sustainable world.For our sisters and brothers within the unions and the entire working class, the conflict becomes one of dangerous, fleeting employment that will inevitably destroy our planet, and the possibility of full employment to build safe energy and prosperity for all.With this is mind we recognize that the recent resolution of the AFL-CIO leadership in support of the Dakota Access pipeline is inherently misguided, and in conflict with First Nations, our common environment, and the interests of people worldwide. In addition, the use of force against the people at Standing Rock mirrors the very attacks we have endured through our own history of building our unions.At the same time, solidarity with Standing Rock has been voiced by growing number of labor bodies, including:Amalgamated Transit UnionAmerican Federation of Teachers Local 2121 -- City College of San Francisco Faculty UnionBorder Agricultural WorkersCalifornia Faculty AssociationCommunications Workers of AmericaIndustrial Workers of the WorldIWW Environmental Unionism CaucusLabor Coalition for Community Action (A. Phillip Randolph Institute, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, and Pride at Work)Labor for PalestineNational Nurses UnitedNew York State Nurses AssociationNational Writers Union/UAW Local 1981Service Employees International UnionUnited Electrical WorkersSEIU 503 OPEUTo escalate this growing solidarity, we call on workers everywhere join us for actions on the weekend of October 29-30, 2016, including the following activities:At Standing Rock: Assemble at Standing Rock camp for a labor procession and entrance Saturday, October 22, 10am Mid-day lunch gathering to share information on the status and location of pipeline work Afternoon actions (picket lines, flyering of pipeline workers etc.) Rally back to Standing Rock camp Saturday night for music, discussion, and cultural exchange Sunday, October 23  Possible morning actions, people depart during the day to make it home for Monday workElsewhere: Post individual or group solidarity selfies of picket signs with labor affiliation, location, and common tagline: #LaborForStandingRock Hold local labor solidarity eventsWith the future of the environment, the rights of First Nations, and the health of the working class at stake, these subsequent actions will help regenerate a labor movement based on the vision of a just, sustainable, and prosperous world for all.Please join us.#LaborForStandingRock#StandWithStandingRock#No DAPL#MniWiconi#SolidarityForever#greenuninonism
Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis speaks with The Korea Times at Millennium Seoul Hilton in central Seoul, Oct. 12. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



Free trade negotiations with S. Korea expected to be wrapped up in weeks



By Yi Whan-woo

Costa Rica plays a leading role in Central America in carrying out U.N. Security Council sanctions aimed at discouraging North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis said in Seoul last week.

"We, on a national basis, have been very strong condemning North Korea both because of nuclear tests as well as development of nuclear capacity on the Korean Peninsula," Solis told The Korea Times at Millennium Seoul Hilton in Jung-gu, Wednesday.

"And clearly Costa Rica is at the forefront of denuclearization processes in the world because of our commitment to what we hope will be finding an instrument to eliminate nuclear weapons in a gradual process in a few years.

"This is something that we have sponsored and will continue to support, and to that regard, I offer my support to President Park Geun-hye in bilateral discussions with North Korea."

Solis was on an official visit to South Korea for four days until Friday. He held a summit with President Park and also met government officials, scholars and entrepreneurs to discuss bolstering economic and other co-operation.

During the summit earlier on Wednesday, Solis promised to address North Korea's nuclear threats and its violations of human rights with other member states of SICA, the Spanish acronym for a group of Central American countries aimed at enhancing political and economic relations.

Costa Rica will serve as SICA rotating chair in the first half of 2017.

Regarding an agreement with Park to speed up talks over South Korea's free trade agreement (FTA) with six Central American countries, Solis said his country had been working hard to ensure that the talks would be completed "within the next few weeks."

The six countries are Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

Their trade volume with South Korea has been declining from a peak $6.5 billion in 2009, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

No Asian countries have signed an FTA with them yet and South Korea is expected to gain an advantage over China and Japan if the free trade deal is struck.

Seoul exports mainly cars and synthetic resins and imports coffee, sugar, fruits and minerals.

"The process entails not only regional, but also bi-national negotiations, and this is something that will happen as the negotiations draw to close," Solis said. "So our expectations are that within a few weeks ... there will be time for Costa Rica and other countries to negotiate with Korea each country's more-sensitive issues."

He added he looked forward to drawing investment from South Korea, pointing out that Costa Rica's population of 4.8 million could offer new business opportunities.

"We're looking at a very wide variety of businesses," he said. "Obviously we're paying our visits to Korean giants Samsung and Hyundai. But it's a matter of looking at the Korean market in general in what we're interested in, particularly because we have ample offerings to provide ... we would like to see this as a more dynamic relationship."

Solis said running businesses in Costa Rica requires corporate responsibility for environmental protection.

According to the Costa Rican Embassy in Seoul, the country has been capitalizing on rainfall and rivers in providing electricity to its 50,100 square meters of land.

It produced electricity using only renewable energies, including hydroelectric power, for 299 days in 2015 and for 150 days from January to August this year.

"We're trying to diversify the matrix more," he said.

"Instead of having what we do now, 90 percent of the electricity being part of a hydro complex, we'd like to bring it down a bit, not to be as vulnerable to climate change.

"So we want us to have the matrix that remains preferentially hydro but with a growing contribution of geothermal energies and sun and wind.

"The matrix is going to be solidly sustainable. And this is obviously an added value that companies in Costa Rica or established in Costa Rica have because with this kind of energy matrix they can claim that their product is produced using 100 percent renewable energy."

Solis, a history professor- turned-politicitan, said he was "privileged" to have an academic career in carrying out the jobs as head of state.

"It provides me with an ample, very broad perspective of social phenomena in my country," he said.

"I have the capacity to understand better some of the present conditions by understanding what happened in the past.

"Secondly, not being a professional politician and being able to look at politics from a distance, has allowed me to have a better perspective of the Costa Rican agenda. Thirdly, it has given me the opportunity to call in colleagues to understand the perspective of the common man in the street."

The trip to South Korea was Solis' first since he took office in May 2014.
By PTI: Nepal wants to become dynamic bridge between India, China

Kathmandu/Benaulim, Oct 16 (PTI) Pitching Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between India and China, Prime Minister Prachanda floated a proposal for trilateral strategic ties to Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Nepalese media reported today.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda during the trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit yesterday expressed Nepals desire to act as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants and to reap the benefit of playing such a role.

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The report about the "trilateral meeeting" was reported by Nepals The Himalayan Times along with a photo of the leaders.

India, meanwhile, said both Xi and Prachanda were waiting in the leaders lounge when Prime Minister Modi also reached there as he had to go with all the BRICS leaders for an informal dinner, turning the bilateral into a chance trilateral.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup in Goa termed the episode "entirely coincidental".

"It was just entirely coincidental that in the leaders lounge, all three were present at the same time. The bilateral meeting between China and Nepal had already ended. So, I dont know on what basis people are calling it a trilateral meeting. It is perfectly normal in a multilateral setting for leaders to be together in a lounge or on the sidelines or somewhere else," Swarup said.

The Himalayan Times story, on its part, cited a statement issued by Prachandas secretariat on the Prime Ministers personal website and said he "floated a proposal for trilateral strategic partnership among the three countries".

Modi and Xi acknowledged as significant and said they were positive towards it, the report said.

The Nepalese premier, who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit yesterday, first held a one-on- one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them. The leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachandas personal secretary Prakash Dahal, who is also his son, was quoted as saying.

According to the statement, Prachanda said during the meeting that "we (Nepal) are located between two giant countries. We want to become a dynamic bridge between the two countries and reap the benefit".

"During the meeting, I put forth the issue of strategic partnership with emphasis," Dahal said, adding that "the Indian Prime Minister and Chinese President said Nepals proposal on strategic partnership is significant and they agreed to it". (MORE) PTI ASK/PYK SAI AKJ SAI

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Orban said Hungary has set up a working group on

Orban said Hungary has set up a working group on technology to explore the possibilities of bilateral ties in various areas, including defence production for mutual benefits.

The Hungarian Prime Minister recalled the contribution of Indias the then Ambassador to Hungary, M A Rahman, who played a key role in Hungarys historical uprising in 1956, saying former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru too had supported the peoples struggle in Hungary.

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Hungary has also invited Rahmans family to participate in the 60th anniversary of its national day to be celebrated on October 26.

Ansari, who arrived here in the Hungarian capital yesterday, had said that the issue of cross-border terrorism, which has badly affected India, will be raised with the top leadership of Hungary and Algeria during his five-day trip, in the wake of the terror attack in Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed.

The MoU in the field of water management was signed on Indias behalf by Indian Ambassador to Hungary Rahul Chabra while the other agreement between Indian Council for World Affairs and Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary was signed by Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sujata Mehta.

Ansari had yesterday said that Hungary has immense experience in cleaning river as well as making it navigational and the MoU on river management could help India get expertise in cleaning Ganga and other rivers.

Ansaris visit to Hungary comes over two decades after then President Shankar Dayal Sharma had visited the central European country in 1993. PTI ACB PMS AKJ PMS

--- ENDS ---
Anurag Kashyap hit out at PM Modi in a series of tweets in a show of support for Karan Johar.

By India Today Web Desk: Anurag Kashyap has come out in support of director Karan Johar whose film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is facing trouble for featuring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.



The World must learn from us.. We solve all our problems by blaming it on movies and banning it.. #ADHM . With you on this @karanjohar Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 15, 2016

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ALSO READ | Ban on Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: How much will producers lose if the film does not release?

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Kashyap launched an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not saying sorry for going to Lahore to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as 'bhakts' demanded that Karan Johar apologise for casting Fawad.

In a series of tweets, Kashyap hit out at Narendra Modi for "being silent" while the film industry faces threats for featuring Pakistani artistes.

@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why? Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

@narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent?? Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016





@narendramodi I am just trying to understand the situation because I am actually dumb and I don't get it. Sorry if you feel offended.. Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

Btw Bharat Mata ki Jai Sir @narendramodi Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

Kashyap ended his rant with a sarcastic Bharat Mata Ki Jai, taking a dig at 'bhakts' who equate patriotism with jingoism.

--- ENDS ---
- The predictions that the prices of goods in the market would drop before the end of the year may have been wrongly done

- A survey conducted by Legit.ng shows the persistent price increase of some food items like rice, vegetable oil, palm-oil, perishable items and wares in Ojodu Retail market, Berger & Jakande market, Ikosi, Ketu

- Consumers, traders have therefore pleaded for government's intervention

- Legit.ng presents a table showing the prices of the goods before and now

Market men and women have continued to cry out over the unending crisis rocking the citizens following the consistent increase in prices of goods in the market.

The recent drop in the value of the naira and the ban placed on some imported food items have been identified as some of the reasons for the untold hardship Nigerians have been exposed to in recent months as people can no longer afford the goods in the market.

A visit to Ojodu retail market and Jakande market by Legit.ng shows an increase in the price of some goods and food items that are imported and a sharp increase of other local food items that are brought into the market.

According to those who spoke with our correspondent, the present economic crisis the country is experiencing is also a reason for the unprecedented challenges rocking the common man.

Insecurity and foreign exchange rate may have forced the prices of tomatoes, fresh pepper, onion and other food items to rise by about 20 percent.

At Ojodu market, the prices of the various brands of rice, which previously sold at N12, 500 now sells for N16, 000 upwards.

Mrs Chinyere, a trader who sells ingredients like tomato paste, sauce, spices, maggi cubes, said the rise in dollar led to the increase in the price of the items.

"The price of tomato paste has increased lately. A carton of Gino tomato paste before was sold for N2,800 but now sells for N3,200 while a carton of Tastytom that cost N2,650 before now sells for N3,000. A sachet that was sold for N50 has increased to N70.

Also, the materials used in preserving tomato paste and other ingredients imported into the country, are very expensive now. We are managing; buyers no longer buy as usual. We beg them to buy from us because of the hike in the price of the items they demand sometimes," she groaned.

One of the stands at the Ojodu retail market in Lagos where traders lamented badly about the prices of goods. Photo: Esther Odili

Another trader identified as Iya Memunat, who sells jewelry, purse, nail polish, and beauty products laments on low patronage.

She said: "Things are very expensive now. The amount we use to purchase these products has gone so high that we no longer make profits as usual. We record low sales now. And this has restricted us to buying few products, thereby making us loose customers who come and do not get what they demand.

"The higher the price of the product, the lower the profit we make. Presently, we are suffering. Government should do something fast."

The increase in the price of livestock, according to Baba Blessing, a butcher in the market, is down to the insecurity in the north-east and cost of transporting cows from other parts of the country to Lagos state.

"The attack by the terrorist group (Boko Haram), the cost of transporting the cows not only from the northern part of the country, but from neighbouring countries to Nigeria, led to the increase in the purchase of cow (meat/beef).

The stall where groundnut and palm oil are being sold inside the market. Photo: Esther Odili

"There is no fixed price of cow now. But often times we buy it is expensive which makes us record low profit after sales. Sometimes we end up in debt. The price now ranges from N80,000, N100,000 and N150,000 upwards. We just hope things will not continue like this, because we sell to customers at a price that is not favourable to us, so we will not lose completely, he told our correspondent.

A basket of fresh pepper now sells from N4000 - N7,000, N8, 000 and above, a basket of tomato is sold from N8,000, while a bag of dry onion costs N35,000 and new onion costs N24,000 as observed in Jakande Market.

A bag of rice, which sold for N15,000 before now sells for N19,000; 25 litres of vegetable oil and palm-oil, which were sold for 12,000, N12,500, N13,500, now sell for 14,000 or even more as observed in the market.

A trader in Ojodu retail market identified as Anselm also lamented over the increased prices of items in the market.

According to him: People no longer demand as usual. The current economic crisis Nigeria is experiencing, has affected the price of these items. A bag of rice now costs N16,500, N18,500 and N19,000. A small bag of beans (Oloyin) costs N18,000, a small bag of (drum) beans costs 17,500. While a bag of red garri costs N9,000 and a big bag of white garri costs N10,500.

Agnes Njoku, a book retailer, also attributed the rise in the price of books and writing materials to the devaluation of naira and the rise in dollar.

"The buyers are complaining. We open our stalls in the morning, and by the end of the day, we record low sales because some people cannot afford to buy what they demand for.

The rise in dollar has affected the price of books lately. Even though they are manufactured in Nigeria, the materials used to make them are sourced abroad. This then makes it more expensive. The production process is carried out here in Nigeria but the materials are bought abroad.

Other foodstuff being displayed by traders at the Ojodu retail market in Lagos during the market survey. Photo: Esther Odili

For exercise books, a dozen of 40leaves costs N 350 but now costs N700 while 60leaves costs N950. A pack of Pen (Biro) before costs N 700 but now it costs N850 upwards. This depends on the manufacturer, the location of the markets and the brand itself, she explained.

Meanwhile the price of dairy milk, beverages, detergents, cereals, corn-flakes, morning oats, toothpaste and soft drinks have also increased significantly.

According to Innocent, one of those who sell these products, the price of these provisional items have gone high because some are imported into the country, adding that some of the price rose a bit and are affordable.

"A roll of Dano milk costs N160 before but now it costs N200. A 400g Dano milk powder now costs N700. A roll of powder peak milk before was sold for N350 but now costs N450. For liquid milk, a dozen of three crown milk now costs N 1,500 while that of liquid peak milk now costs N1,800 upwards.

2kg of Sunlight costs N750 while 1kg costs N 450. A roll of good mama costs N100 before, but now it costs N140. This is applicable to other brands as well. Close-up toothpaste that was sold for N 180 before now costs N220 upwards. 500g of Golden Morn that sells for at N450 before is now sold at N700.

For soft drinks, the price has increased by 20%. And it fluctuates as well. The amount you buy today might not be the same you get tomorrow. A pack of Amstel Malta now costs N2, 700 while a pack of orijin drink costs N2,200. The price fluctuates. The amount you buy today might not be the same you get tomorrow, he added.

Sunny, who sells wares at the market, says the recent economic situation is not affecting the purchasing power of buyers, adding that people must wear clothes.

He said: People must look good even in the recession period. So sales have been on the rise lately. The price of the wares is affected by the rise in dollar majorly, because some of the wares are bought outside Nigeria.

The wares are not too expensive but the quality of the materials and the brand influence the price. For casual ware, before it costs N2,500 but now it ranges from N2,500- N3,000. Office wares that costs N 3,500 now costs N5,000 upward."

Meanwhile face caps and jeans are expensive because people demand for quality rather than quantity. So face cap without design costs N1,500 now, while caps with design costs N2,000 and above. For jeans and leggings the price ranges from N1,500 upwards. Depending on the style, materials and the size, he concluded.

Table: Before Now

Exercise books:

A dozen of 40leaves N350 N700

A dozen of 60leaves N 450 N950

80leaves (5pieces) N450 N950

Pen (50pieces):

A pack of Leo Smart N700 N850

A pack of Lucky power N700 N800

A pack of Schneider N900 N2000

Envelopes:

Original envelope A4 N300 N450

Local envelope A4 N100 N250

Quotor envelope N70 N150

Detergent/powder milk

2kg of sunlight N600 N750

1kg of sunlight N350 N450

A row of Good mama N100 N140

Morning oats N 350 N500

Good morning flakes N450 N750

500g of golden morn N450 N700

A row of peak milk N350 N450

A row of Dano milk N180 N200

Close- up toothpaste N180 N220

Soft Drinks/ Table water:

A pack of Amstel malta(can) N2500 N2700

A pack of Fanta Orange N1,100 N1,200

A pack of Five alive(40cl) N1,450 N1,500

A pack of Coca-cola (50cl) N1,100 N1,200

A pack of Chapman N1,100 N1,300

A pack of Koowo (water) N350 N500

A pack of Malta Guiness N2,500 N2,650

A pack of Orijin drink N2,100 N2,200

Food Items

Rice:

Special rice N18,000 N19,000

Aroso rice N17,500 N18,500

Agric rice N15,500 N16,500

Beans (Small bag):

Oloyin beans N17,000 N18,000

Drum beans N16,500 N17,500

Garri:

Red garri N7,500 N9,000

White garri N9,000 N10,500

Oil:

25-litre of Groundnut-oil N13,500 N14,000

25-litre of red-oil N12,500 N14,000

A plastic (paint) of Egusi N900 N1,100

A plastic (paint) of Ogbono N4,500 N7,500

Onion:

A bag of dry onion 40,000 N35,000

A bag of new onion 25,000 N24,000

Tomato paste (sachet):

A carton of Gino N2,800 N3,200

A carton of Tasty tom N2,650 N3,000

A carton of power oil N3,400 N3,600

Devon veg-oil(3litres) N13,000 N13,300

Clothes:

Casual wear N2,500 N3,000

Office wear N3,500 N5,000

Jeans (Trouser) N1,500` N2,500

Leggings N1,000 N1,500

Face cap N1,500 N2,000

Source: Legit.ng
The first method I use to confirm that the man sitting on the East Village bench is David Harbour is a quick glance at his legs. The walking boot on his left one gives me the answer I need. Scarcely a week after Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in July, he tore his Achilles tendon in a performance of Troilus and Cressida at New Yorks Shakespeare in the Park. Ironically, he was playing Achilles.

It was a very physical play, and I dont think I was warming up, or stretching, or doing anything like that, he tells me sheepishly, while sipping coffee. I thought I could handle it, but I guess I cant. When you get into your 40s, its like your body starts to say fuck you occasionally. Fortunately, its looking like his recovery will be complete by the time Stranger Things Season 2 starts filming next month.

Harbour is 41. Hes been acting all his life, but until he landed the role of Hopper, he had never really been given the spotlight. His resume is peppered with supporting parts in various films and television showsJack Twists brief tryst in Brokeback Mountain, a recurring role on The Newsroom as anchor Elliot Hirsch, a whole lot of bad guys. He was nominated for a Tony Award for a production of Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 2005, but that was about it for outward recognition until now. David is one of those actors actors, Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer told Paste via email, and hes been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time.

The decades of grinding have lent a sort of weight to Harbour, a knowledge of the hardships that come with the single-minded pursuit of passion. You can see it in other late-blooming stars like Morgan Freeman, the physical manifestations of years of struggle. For Freeman, its reflected in eyes that shine brightly from sockets slightly sunken by frustrated ambitions of the past; for Harbour, its reflected in powerful shoulders that sag a little, but are on their way back up to forming a right angle with the neck. Maybe thats one of the reasons why he was the Duffers first choice to play Hopper, a tortured man who, during our interview, gains the moniker the Atlas of Hawkins. The locus of the character is his shoulders, Harbour says: He carries a lot of weight on himself, a lot of self-imposed guilt. After all, this is a lawman who not only sold out Eleven to save Will Byers, but also will never fully recover from his daughters death. In myriad other interviews hes done throughout the hubbub surrounding Stranger Things, Harbour has hinted that Hoppers relationship with his daughter will be explored more thoroughly in Season 2.

Of course, Harbour and his now-iconic police chief are distinct entities, men who have gone through very different kinds of struggles (Harbour declines to discuss his own in detail), but its hard not to see the similarities. Hopper was a real throwback leading man, in the words of the Duffers. Antiheroes have been commonplace in television since the heyday of Tony Soprano, and every good superhero movie since Tim Burtons Batman has granted its protagonist some modicum of darkness. But Hopper feels rougher around the edges, less polished by the gleam of modern filmmaking, more in the vein of the Jack Nicholson and Gene Hackman roles of which Harbour lovingly speaks. He doesnt go to the movies much nowadaysI tend to find that movies have become so slick that I have trouble identifying with the characters, he remarkspreferring instead to return to classics like Five Easy Pieces and The French Connection.

Harbour rolls his own cigarettestwo of them, to be exact, over the course of our conversation. He has no air of pretension. Hes just a man doing his job, well at ease now, but still bearing his past struggles, a balance that keeps him human even as he becomes iconic, a balance that Hopper must strike in Season 2 of Stranger Things, now that hes done the impossible and brought Will Byers back from the Upside Down. The aura Harbour exudes is as vintage as the show thats made him famous.

Its funny; sometimes, it seems like hes thinking through Hoppers mind as we talk, so closely united are the two. Nothing pumps him up more than talking about the Hopper punch, the police chiefs go-to finishing move. There are certain things I love about him that are iconic things that have come out like, I made sure to ask the Duffers that we have a couple good punches, he says of Season 2 of Stranger Things. I do know that we have one really epic punch for him, we dont know how were gonna top this one.

Indiana Jones had his bullwhip, wielded masterfully by Harrison Ford. Chief Hopper has only his bare right fist. The spirits the same, though. Indeed, Indy is one of Harbours favorite film characters of all time.

I saw that one 13 times in the theaterI paid for the goddamn movie 13 times, he tells me. I was just blown away. When he was cast by the Duffers in Stranger Things, Harbour was the one who came up with the idea of Chief Hopper wearing a hat.

According to his co-stars and other witnesses to the filming of Stranger Things, his performance captured that old-time leading man feel, the gravitas and complexity of the characters Harbour idolizes. We remember the first scene our boys filmed with himthe interrogation scene in the middle school, recall the Duffer Brothers. They all thought he was the best actor they had ever seen! In their own words, the boys seem to have been a little bit in awe of his skill.

Finn Wolfhard, who played Mike Wheeler, describes him as an urban legend, because they usually shot their scenes at different times. When we did work together, Wolfhard explains, he was always so patient and prepared. He just makes you more pro by being there. If youre in a scene with him, you see his eyes and he is really living in that scene, and the time in it. It all comes together and you just get sucked into it.

Caleb McLaughlin, who played Lucas, adds that Harbour was a true professional who taught [him] to stay in character at all times while filming. Probably the most telling thing about the e-mailed statement McLaughlin sends, though, is that he refers to Harbour as Mr. David. Its a title that conveys an interesting mixture of respect and friendship.

For his part, Harbour says that he loved working with the kids at least, most of the time. Its kinda horrible and its kinda great, he admits. Among the greatest relative hardships, he says, was the relative lack of other adults to hang out with in Atlanta during filming, and occasionally hed get a little bit frustratedthough that actually proved productive in at least one instance.

Theres that one scene where the kids are all hiding on the bus, and I kick these guys asses and come in and tell them, Lets go, Harbour says. I remember they were farting in the bus, they were being kinda rowdy and unruly that day. And so I came in, and I was like, Come on, lets go, and then theres another take, Im like, LETS GO! That annoyance and frustration was just somethingI just let that rip and that was improvd. In hindsight, of course Hopper would be exasperated; and of course he would hide his affection for the kids behind a gruff, irascible exterior.

Harbour tells me that he tries to remain somewhat distant from the boys when theyre off set, so that he can still be intimidating if the script calls for Hopper to be intimidating. But that doesnt mean there havent been any memorable or light-hearted moments. Wolfhard recalls a time from the first episode when McLaughlin, impersonating Gaten Matarazzos Dustin, actually cracked Harbours straight face. Caleb was really funny and I could see off camera that David was starting to lose it, and when the scene ended we all laughed so hard, he says. Super funny. When Season 2 is over, someone should really put Harbour in a straight up comedy. For his part, McLaughlin seems to take great pride in being the only one who could make Harbour laugh.

He does a good deal of laughing in our interview tooperhaps the most important reminder that Im not actually talking to Chief Hopper, a man whose death mission, as Harbour puts it, pretty much precludes humor. One admission that gets us both cracking up: he hasnt seen Suicide Squad, despite playing a minor role in the film. Even if it werent bad, though, the film probably wouldnt have lured him to the theater. Rather, hes attracted to the work of auteur directors, citing Christopher Nolan, Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, the upcoming La La Land) and documentarian Matt Fuller as some of his favorites working today. The Duffer Brothers, too, make that list. One of the things Im really proud of with [Stranger Things] is that the Duffers voice as directors really comes through, he says. It couldnt be directed by Scorsese or these other people. They have such a unique voice.

Beyond distinctive film, Harbour has a real passion for Shakespeare, which takes us off on a long and informative tangent. When I was in 8th grade, I saw Branaghs Henry V in the Paris Theater, and it changed my life, he recounts. I feel like Shakespeare is so epic, in a way that sci-fi genre stuff is epic, it transcends the mundane and it takes you to this place of real passion and real beauty. I ask him to name his favorite work of the Bard, and he responds with one of Shakespeares more obscure works: Coriolanus, a tragedy about a contemptuous Roman general who, after being banished from his own city after a military victory, returns with a vengeance. He also tells me that hed love to play the titular role in Richard II someday.

That is, once his Achilles heals, and once Stranger Things Season 2 wraps. But given the shows success, its probably to be expected that Harbour will be playing more leading men, carrying on the legacy of Nicholson and Hackman and Ford in bringing old-fashioned grit back to the screen. Chief Hopper showcased the nostalgia strain that runs strongly through todays cultural fabric, and Harbours been waiting a long time for that stage to be set.



Zach Blumenfeld enjoyed procrastinating on his law school readings to write this piece. Follow him on Twitter.
Researchers for the first time have documented the killing of millions of animals in Brazil's Amazon Basin for their hides following the collapse of the Rubber Boom in the 20th century, causing the collapse of some aquatic species.

Yet despite the harvest of many terrestrial animals, most land-based species appear to have survived the carnage.

Results of the study are being published this week in the journal Science Advances.

"There was a massive international trade in furs and skins taken from the Amazon in Brazil during much of the 20th century, yet surprisingly no previous studies documented the exploitation of the animals or the resilience of the ecosystem," said Taal Levi, a wildlife ecologist at Oregon State University and co-author on the study.

Beginning in the late 19th century, roughly half a million colonists entered the Amazon region to extract rubber across all the major river basins. An immense fleet of steamships was built for transport and trade and a network of river merchants purchased forest products from extraction industries. When rubber prices collapsed in 1912 because of competition from Malaysian plantations, the enterprises that did not go bankrupt sought other products.

Thus began the international trade in Amazonian animal hides, which persisted for decades until protective laws were established.

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The researchers, including by lead author Andre Pinassi Antunes of Brazil's Wildlife Conservation Society, examined cargo manifests of the steamships, port registries, and other documents that reported actual hide export data. The research team estimates that between 1904 and 1969, at least 23 million animals representing 20 species of mammals and reptiles were hunted for hide exports and registered through these records.

"These figures, no doubt, vastly underrepresent the total number of animals killed since many were hidden to avoid taxes and others were wounded or killed and never made it to the steamships," Levi said. "Other animals were killed as part of subsistence hunting to support the colonists and the extraction industries."

Using export data, the researchers documented the greatest losses to aquatic species. The hunting caused the widespread collapse of giant river otter, black caiman, and manatee populations.

"The aquatic animals were more vulnerable because rivers were easily accessible and the animals were in essence trapped there," Levi said. "There wasn't as much effort spent hunting animals on land, thus the terrestrial species -- in general -- were affected less by commercial hunting."

Among the researchers estimates for the period of 1904-69:

More than 4.4 million black caimans were killed, with the harvest during the last five years dwindling by 92 percent from the peak;

110,504 manatees were killed, reducing the harvest by 91 percent from the peak;

386,491 giant otters were killed, reducing the harvest by 88 percent from the peak;

793,133 capybaras were killed, reducing the harvest by 75 percent from the peak.

Although many terrestrial species also were taken for their hides, the impact wasn't as great, the researchers note. For example, 5,443,795 collared peccary -- a species of pig -- were killed but the harvest was actually higher during the last five years than earlier in the century, indicating more resilience of the ecosystem to support the species. Likewise, 4,152,218 red brocket deer were killed with the harvest increasing 16 percent during the peak.

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However, more than 3.1 million white-lipped peccary were reported in the export data and many more may have been killed, Antunes noted.

"It is a vital species for ecosystem function, but also one of the most impacted terrestrial species," Antunes said. "They live in large herds and have been one of the most prized species by subsistence hunters in Amazonia." The harvest of white-lipped peccary was reduced by 67 percent from the peak.

Other terrestrial species also declined, including ocelot (804,080 killed, and a 13 percent decline) and jaguar (182,564 killed and 30 percent decline).

"The international trade in hides peaked during World War II, when the United States sought Amazonian rubber to replace the rubber from Malaysia that the Japanese had captured," said Levi, who is on faculty of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences. "A second peak of animal hide exports came in the 1960s when exotic furs became fashionable."

In 1967, Brazil passed a faunal protection law that severely restricted hunting for many of the affected species, and in 1975 the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was ratified, vastly reducing the trade of hides from the Amazon.

The researchers say the baseline data in their study will help resource managers develop sound policies to protect Amazon species.

"Research by other ecologists is showing that some of these species are beginning to recover, including the black caiman, which is the second largest crocodilian species in the world," Levi said. "They can grow up to 20 feet long. But prior to this, we've never been sure just how resilient animals were to high harvests in the past."
A series of tweets by director Anurag Kashyap backing the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Pakistan has Twitterati and politicians divided.

By Saurabh Vaktania: Controversies surrounding Pakistani artists and films in which they have worked are far from over.

Today morning, director Anurag Kashyap created fresh controversy by targeting Prime Minister Modi on Twitter on the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil release. Karan Johar's film apparently won't be allowed to release in India as it has Pakistani actor, Fawad Khan, in it.

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In no time, there were several reactions from people as well as politicians. And like earlier, people and Bollywood was divided on the issue.

Also Read| ADHM ban: Anurag Kashyap backs KJo, says PM Modi hasn't apologised for Pakistan trip



'KASHYAP SHOULD GO TO PAKISTAN'

While Congress supported Anurag Kashyap's tweet, BJP top leaders came down heavily on Kashyap.

Interestingly, President of Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA), T.P Aggarwal, spoke openly against Kashyap and said that Kashyap should go to Pakistan and make films there.

Aggarwal said, "If such are the tweets of Anurag, I will ask him to go to Pakistan and make films there with Pakistani artists. He will than understand the reality how things are different here and there. He should go to Pakistan. I take his comment as anti national for which he may be in trouble and face from Indian film industry and people."

In the aftermath of the Uri attack that killed 18 Indian soldiers, MNS threatened all the Pakistani artists working in India to leave the country.

Recently, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) announced that they would not screen Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbuir Kapoor and Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in four states- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa.

The fact that there would be heavy loss of COEAI did not change its decision.

Also Read| Ban on Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: How much will producers lose if the film does not release?

WHAT DID KASHYAP TWEET?

Today morning, Anurag Kashyap, in a series of tweets, asked PM Modi apologise for his meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2015 when Johar was shooting for his film.



@narendramodi Sir you haven't yet said sorry for your trip to meet the Pakistani PM.. It was dec 25th. Same time KJo was shooting ADHM? Why?; Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016



@narendramodi why is it that we have to face it while you can be silent??; Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) October 16, 2016

"Btw Bharat Mata ki Jai Sir @narendramodi," Kashyap finally said.

Twitterati, on the other hand, came down very heavily on Kashyap.



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'ANURAG KASHYAP IS FILMI KHATMAL'



BJP's Ram Kadam said, "Anurag is Filmy Khatmal. He does not have any sense and does not know anything. He is also looking for his films. We are safe here because of our soldiers and they are getting killed. Anurag should one day go to border and spend time with soldiers, then he will understand things."

Some of the people even said that Kashyap must be drunk and that's why the tweets.

Kashyap, however, reappeared on Twitter in the afternoon and said he stands by what he tweeted, clarifying that he was not drunk.

It will be interesting to see how things unfold on Monday, as many political parties are thinking of protesting against Anurag Kashyao, while he stands by what he said.

Also Read:

ADHM ban: Madhur Bhandarkar slams Anurag Kashyap for attacking PM Modi



Ae Dil Hai Mushkil vs Shivaay: Ajay Devgn the winner in this clash of titans?



--- ENDS ---
The man found the civet cat on his rubber plantation in North Sumatra, Indonesia. He captured the civet and shoved her inside a mesh cage. He'd sell her at the wildlife markets in the city - someone might buy her as a pet, or use her on their coffee plantation.

Ecoproject

Civet cats aren't cats at all - they're mammals who belong to the Viverridae family. In Indonesia, they live in the jungle and feeds on fruits and seeds, and occasionally coffee berries. When people discovered that civets will eat coffee berries, they started exploiting them in an unusual way - by force-feeding them coffee berries, and using the partially digested berries in their feces to produce a specialty coffee called kopi luwak.

PETA Asia

Kopi luwak is big business. It's often revered for its smooth, aromatic taste. A single cup of kopi luwak can sell for $30 to $100 in the United States. With this comes a high price in animal welfare. Tourists are often led to believe that the production of kopi luwak doesn't harm civet cats, and that the plantation workers simply collect the scat of civets who naturally feast on coffee berries. The reality, however, is much grimmer.

Dodo Shows Foster Diaries Scared Pittie Gets So Happy When He Meets This Guy And His Pack Of Dogs

PETA Asia

In 2013, PETA Asia investigated coffee farms in Indonesia and the Philippines, two of the world's biggest producers of kopi luwak. "[Civets] were confined to filthy, barren cages," Jason Baker, PETA Asia's vice president of international campaigns, said in a statement. "Undercover video footage shows how the civets also exhibit neurotic behavior such as incessant pacing, spinning, bar-biting and head-bobbing - indications that the wild-caught animals are going insane from boredom and depression."

PETA Asia

After about three years in captivity, civet cats become too sick and malnourished to process any more coffee berries, according to PETA investigators; the farmers will then release them back into the wild, but they rarely survive.

PETA Asia

The rubber plantation owner gazed at the civet cat inside the cage. She trembled behind the mesh, and stared out at him with wide brown eyes ...

Ecoproject

... and something changed in the man. Instead of selling the civet cat at the market, the man phoned Bobi Handoko, who runs an animal liberation and environmental group called Ecoproject in Bukit Lawang, Indonesia. He told Handoko about the civet cat, and asked to meet him at a friend's house. "We went there and sat and talked together," Handoko told The Dodo. "I explained the mission of Ecoproject and how we love to save and take care of animals. The owner of the civet felt bad after that, and he sincerely handed over his civet to Ecoproject." The civet cat was understandably scared - she hissed at Handoko and crouched into a defensive position. Not wanting to stress the civet more than necessary, Handoko kept her in the mesh cage as he transported her to his property. It was there that the civet met Dalih, Bobi's house cat. "Dalih was a bit scared," said Handoko. "He seemed to have no idea what the civet cat was!"

Ecoproject

When night fell, Handoko and his Ecoproject team took the civet into the forest to an area where other civets lived. They opened the cage ...

Ecoproject

... and the civet scurried out.

Ecoproject

The civet cat actually stayed in Handoko's yard for about four days before she disappeared into the jungle.

Ecoproject
CHICAGOTaco Bell, which is making a return to China this year, is betting that the country wants quesadillas and tacos made with warm nacho-cheese sauce.

The chain is adjusting its menu to meet local tastes, and that includes having the food be hotter when it arrives, said Shivram Vaideeswaran, the brands global marketing and innovation director. Americans are more forgiving than the Chinese about the temperature of their food, and the warm nacho-cheese approach hasnt been tried before, he said. In the U.S., crunchy tacos are made with cheddar cheese  typically room-temperature  while quesadillas have a three-cheese blend.

Having food thats incredibly wasrm is very important in Chinese culture, Vaideeswaran said in an interview on Thursday. Its warm, its melty and its really good.

Taco Bells latest push into the Asian country should come in late December, Vaideeswaran said, making it an early test of the companys plan to split off its Chinese operations. But the opening could slip until next year, he said.

Taco Bells owner, Yum! Brands Inc., expects to complete the spinoff of its business in China by the end of this month. The new company, Yum China Holdings Inc., will pay a licensing fee to operate KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in the nation.

Unlike Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut are already well-established in the country. Yum China plans to expand by ramping up delivery and trying to entice more consumers to join loyalty programs.

For Taco Bell, going big overseas is a more recent phenomenon  but the chain is committed to expanding quickly. Earlier this week, Yum executives said that the Mexican-themed chain can have $15 billion in system-wide sales by 2022, up from more than $9 billion currently. The chain is adding stores in Brazil, Colombia, Spain, India and Canada as well.

This isnt Taco Bells first push into China. The chain opened locations in the country in 2003, but that expansion didnt take off. The company hopes the latest attempt is different. The new restaurant will be located in Shanghai, the countrys largest city.

Ivan Feinseth, partner and chief investment officer at Tigress Financial Partners LLC, also sees Yum having more success this time around.

The company is getting brand acceptance with the help of social media, he said. Also, the menu is more geared to the Chinese consumer. We are very bullish on Yum.

Nacho cheese, of course, isnt part of Chinese culture. But the Tex-Mex favourite was seen as a way to make Taco Bell more palatable to locals, Vaideeswaran said. The approach was honed through focus groups in the country, he said.

A tepid taco  which might be fine for Taco Bells American clientele  wouldnt fly in China.

A lot of food is not really served cold, he said. The warm nacho cheese is a way to layer in that local relevance.

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You know when you see a stranger on the subway immersed in a book and youre just dying to know what theyre reading?

Robert Aubow, 21, student and entrepreneur

Book: Business is Art by Jon Umstead

Stop: Queens Park

Aubow is developing a mobile app, but is keeping the details of his business idea under wraps for now. For help turning the idea into reality, he turned to Business is ART by Jon Umstead, a business consultant in Urbana, Ohio. It teaches you that you need to have a vision, build towards it and break it up into smaller projects, Aubow said.

Megan McGowan, 22, student

Book: Cry of the Kalahari by Mark and Delia Owens

Stop: St. Andrew

Over the summer, McGowan celebrated her parents 50th birthdays in Botswana as a family. They filled two 32-gigabyte memory cards with pictures of giraffes, lions, hyenas, elephants and rhinos.

Many years ago, American zoologists Mark and Cordelia Owens observed lions and hyenas in the same area. They reportedly met as grad students at the University of Georgia and auctioned off their possessions to buy one-way tickets to Africa, recording their experience in Cry of the Kalahari.

Mike Mondoux, 29, ESL teacher

Book: Invasion: The Alternate History of the German Invasion of England, July 1940 by Kenneth Macksey

Stop: Dundas

In this alternative history, Kenneth Macksey, a veteran and historian of the Second World War, speculates about what might have happened if Nazi Germany had invaded England. Mondoux found the book among his late grandfathers collection. His grandfather was Scottish and loved to read about Winston Churchill and the war, Mondoux said.

Mackseys historical fiction is depressing actually, but interesting nonetheless. Maybe a little unrealistic, he said. He kind of shows the Nazis as invincible, but I read a little history into this and most generals at the time considered the invasion to be impossible.

Linda Lin, 33, nurse

Book: Ru by Kim Thuy

Stop: College

Lin favours books that have a quality of redemption, she said, something that gives you hope and makes you feel better. When interviewed for Word Under the Street, she was reading Kim Thuys debut novel, Ru.

The author was born in Saigon and fled Vietnam as a 10 year old with her family, eventually settling in Montreal. Ru (Vietnamese for lullaby) is a memoir with some fictional elements that traces a young girls journey from Saigon to Quebec. The books success  it won the Governor Generals Literary Award for French-language Fiction in 2010  exceeded Thuys expectations. Asked in by the Stars Greg Quill why the novel had received such a warm reception, she said: I dont know! I wish someone would tell me . . . It surprised me that what I was writing became a book in the first place. It was a bigger surprise when it got published.

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My plans to launch the worlds first Engelbert Humperdinck radio station appear to have hit a snag.

For a channel to go on 24/7, we need a catalogue of 400 songs, notes Jeff Leake, music programming director at Sirius XM Canada.

If its just Engelbert Humperdinck, what 400 songs?

Let me think: there was Release Me in 67, After the Lovin in 76, and uh . . . oh forget it.

Two months into my free trial of Sirius Satellite Radio, Im surprised at my lack of enthusiasm for its robotically curated genre stations (70s on 7, 60s on 6) and tiring personality channels (The Garth Channel, Willies Roadhouse).

Come on, an entire channel devoted to the music of Barbra Streisand?

Not to disparage her talent, but unless its being used in public spaces to deter criminal activity, I fail to see the point.

And Jimmy Buffetts Radio Margaritaville?

Parrothead or not, how many songs about sponge cake and sun bakes can one hear before the urge to smash something overrides all reason?

Even artists Im fond of  Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Grateful Dead  are wearing me out with round the clock programming focused entirely on their own work.

Oh great: another alternate bootleg of Thunder Road, not to be confused with the half-dozen that came before.

And why does Elvis Radio arbitrarily cut off its playlist at 1970, as if the last seven years of the Kings life never happened?

In for a dime, in for a dollar, I say.

We always want to program channels we know will get the maximum audience, says Leake, noting that 90 per cent of Sirius channels are imported from outside Canada.

Leake is a nice guy who seems genuinely helpful, but when I outline plans for a Countrypolitan channel featuring 60s crossover stars like Glen Campbell, Tammy Wynette and the woman who sang Ode to Billie Joe, his reception is decidedly cool.

Theres market research behind this stuff, it turns out: realms of technical data that indicate Sirius listeners want Steely Dans Deacon Blues playing on five different channels four times a day and the Bay City Rollers M.I.A. for all eternity.

How about a station devoted to early 70s bubble gum? I suggest, anticipating (though not entirely) an enthusiastic response. The Archies, Partridge Family, 1910 Fruitgum Company?

Nope.

The Bayou, a swamp rock repository for artists like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jerry Reed and the guy who sang Spiders and Snakes?

Nope.

Lip Sync Central, with Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson and Milli Vanilli?

Am I joking?

How about 1971, a channel devoted exclusively to the year I turned 11, which happened to boast a delightfully discordant mix of music genres coexisting peacefully on the charts? John Denver, Rod Stewart, the Temptations, Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones.

Ahem, no.

The problem, of course, is that while Im as musically obsessive as every other Sirius listener, my eclectic tastes dont translate into big ratings numbers, like say, the people who dote on Garth Brooks.

Theres only so much room in satellite, points out Leake delicately. We have 140 channels. If we put in a new one, something else has to go.

They tried it once, when the easy listening Escape  which plays schmaltzy lounge instrumentals geared for dentists offices and underwater synchro competitions  was turned into an Internet-only channel.

Guess what? There was a huge outcry: people crawling out of the woodwork, pleading. Please, please, bring back Chris Botti and his magical trumpet. My life is over!

It forced its way back, says Leake, surprised by the response.

The superfans also like Liquid Metal, a channel Sirius at one point tried to fold into Ozzys Boneyard only to find itself besieged with angry letters, tweets and emails.

We made a mistake, concedes Leake sheepishly. We had to bring it back.

The more Leake talks, the more I envision Sirius listeners as a gang of frenzied junkies, feeding their addictions to Elvis, Pearl Jam and 70s pop hits with the services all-you-can-eat broadcast formula.

Its a far cry from the Top 40 stations of my childhood, big tent, one-size-fits-all behemoths that embraced every musical genre without regard for style, tempo or lyrical concerns.

That was then. In the years since the digital revolution brought the hammer down to create an On Demand paradigm, fans have been free to pursue musical niches unfettered by exposure to things they may not like.

Nirvana fans cant stand Kings of Leon, points out Leake, when I suggest dumping all the hard rock into one garbage repository and letting them slug it out. And Led Zeppelin fans dont like Nirvana.

Sirius  with channels devoted to 70s disco, big band classics, road trip anthems and yacht rock  knows its a tricky balance between niche and mainstream, between the overfamiliarity that plagues terrestrial radio and nudging people, with nonhit album tracks, toward an expanded playlist they wont get tired of.

The reason why you hear those particular cuts is because they were part of albums that were played back to front at gatherings and social events, explains Leake when I posit that playing songs that never received airplay seems a dubious proposition.

These songs managed to gain familiarity without radio support. No CDs on random, no iPods on genius. We used to buy albums and listen to them front to back.

The problem for people like me, who find the prospect of nothing but Bruce Springsteen music oppressive, is that its hard to settle on just one station. Or two. Or three.

So I find myself artificially recreating the radio stations of my youth, sans commercials, hunting and pecking, hunting and pecking between 18 or 20 channels as I barrel down the highway, trying to approximate a playlist I can live with while veering between tractor trailers.

Tammy Wynette on Willies Roadhouse; Will Smith Gettin Jiggy Wit It on 90s on 9; Steve Earle extending his middle finger on Outlaw Country; Kelly Clarkson blasting old boyfriends on Pop2K; U2 pumping out power chords on 1st Wave; the Hues Corporation rocking the boat on 70s on 7.

Its the culture of never enough and Im as susceptible as the next person.

Forget Engelbert, I posit, determined to reconfigure my pitch as a marketers dream.

How about Joels Lounge Lizards, featuring everyone from Sammy Davis Jr. to Tom Jones, Neil Diamond, Julio Iglesias and Engelbert in an arresting cornucopia of heart-tugging 70s schmaltz?

Anything is possible, notes Leake, again hesitant to hurt my feelings.

And I know our staff are always trying to bring the best programming to the platform. These channels take a considerable amount of effort to produce.

We agree that future channels devoted to the music of Taylor Swift and Adele are inevitable.

But the one idea that really grabs his attention is my proposed compendium of pre-millennial boy bands  Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, New Kids on the Block  that would stoke marketable 90s nostalgia.

Im going to write that down, he says, which prompts my final question: will he cut me in for a percentage of the profits?

When his email response comes bouncing back, Im on the edge of my seat: Since Im not in charge. YES!

It may not be my first choice for a new Sirius channel, but if Boyz II Men can open the door for 1910 Fruitgum Company and the Archies, I can live with it.

Joel Rubinoff writes for the Waterloo Region Record. Email him at jrubinoff@therecord.com

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Syria, anyone can tell you, is in tatters, a complex fabric of peoples and cultures torn open at the seams. Since the civil war began in 2011, almost half a million people have died, according to the Syrian Centre for Policy Research, an independent non-profit policy group.

Earlier this year, the United Nations estimated that some 13.5 million Syrians were in need of humanitarian aid within the tangled disaster of the country itself, with another 5 million now roaming the far corners of the globe as refugees. Nothing about the conflict seems to suggest it getting better: with near-intractable pockets of ISIS infecting wounds all over the country torn open by ongoing clashes between various rebel factions and the Syrian government  or, increasingly, its Russian allies  the divisions grow deeper by the day.

What kind of backdrop all this makes for an exhibition of Syrian art and antiquities back here on safer ground is a hard question, but its one from which the Aga Khan Museum, to its credit, hasnt shrunk. When the museum opened its doors here in 2014, it made its mission clear: to put on view the best, most broad-minded and inclusive face of Islamic culture, buttressed by the remarkable collection of Islamic art bestowed by its patron, the Aga Khan.

That this happened amid perhaps the darkest moment the Islamic world has known is no coincidence, and the museum claims the high ground that radical jihadists the world over ceded in favour of depravity and mayhem.

With its Syrian exhibition, that mandate is steadfast, and with it, the museum looks to extract a tenuous hope. The title alone tells part of the story: Syria: A Living History, its called, and even that much seems quiet defiance for a country easily left for dead.

For me, it was the right moment, says Filiz Cakir Phillip, the museums co-curator of the exhibition. Early on, Phillip and her collaborator, Nasser Rabbat, a professor of Islamic art and architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, chose to draw on ancient and current culture both.

I would never say it was meant to be comprehensive, Phillip said, but it was important to organize it with a certain continuity, so we can talk about art and try to find new hope for the future of this place.

Hope, of course, is wherever you can find it, but the show excavates a truth fast disappearing under the rubble piles of the countrys daily disasters. It reminds us that this battle ground of depravity was once a formative cradle of civilization itself, a crossroads between Byzantium and Mesopotamia, and a source from which the earliest ancient cultures sprung.

The exhibition space, with its blue-black walls filled with shadows, is sparse and ominous  fitting, perhaps, given its subject  and at times can seem cold and funereal. But it finds its feet with pieces spanning 5,000 years that make plain the cross-fertilization of the Assyrian civilization, forerunner to contemporary Syria.

The show tells its tale largely in objects, many of them exquisite, several of them borrowed from the matchless collections of the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum in New York (with a crosstown helping hand from the Royal Ontario Museum).

Here, the broken country is a unified sum of many parts. Christian, Islamic and Semitic motifs overlap and intermingle, with each culture coalescing into the greater whole without submerging entirely (Syria, a helpful text tells us, is actually Greek, replacing Assyria in the 4th century, B.C. on the arrival of Alexander the Great).

The curators dont mind a little esthetic literalism to support their claims, which is a good thing. Several objects from as long ago as the 8th century BC have clear affinities with Egyptian decorative traditions, while others, like a remarkable 5,000-year-old alabaster vase, reveals the connections of the Roman empire to the ancient Assyrian crossroads.

Christian iconography overlaps with Islamic in art and architecture both, echoing crossover parables between the Bibles Old Testament and the Koran, and further establishing the cosmopolitan, tolerant, hybrid culture Syria had always been.

How we got from there to here is a matter of opinion, but catastrophe is a relatively recent phenomenon. To put a fine point on it, Nasser and Phillip chose to include works from as recently as last year. Tammam Azzam, a Syrian painter in exile, contributes a work from his Storeys series.

It is, to put it mildly, not an image of hope: a big, fractured canvas of a burnt-out neighbourhood, depeopled and in ruins. Its not the only contemporary work here, but it speaks most loudly about the persistence of creation amid even the most apocalyptic of destruction.

The work is borrowed not from the Louvre or the Met but from the Atassi Foundation, a non-profit organization for Syrian contemporary art that grew out of necessity from the countrys top commercial gallery. Necessity, of course, because the war forced it to flee its toney digs in central Damascus, a sophisticated cultural centre both contemporary and ancient, in 2012. In exile it persists, Phillip says, because this is how they have chosen to resist. We can always talk about the past, and its significant, but in this context its important to talk about the future as well.

Here, the shows title comes fully to bear. Syrias culture is alive, but it cant be well. The show serves as an advocacy piece for an ancient culture of tolerance and diversity now amputated from its gruesome present; but it also reminds us how all that is solid crumbles all too easily to dust.

It will take more than an exhibition to ensure something other than ruins to sift, a fate Syria creeps closer to every day. But by looking a what once was, we can see the faintest glimmer of what might again be.

Syria: A Living History opens Oct. 15 and continues to Feb. 26, 2017 at the Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Dr. See https://www.agakhanmuseum.org/syria-living-history agakhanmuseum.org END for information.

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VIENNA, AUSTRIAThis may be a city crammed with beautiful historical buildings, but its also a place where people love a new take on an old formula.

Take the Ugly Vienna tour, for example.

Eugene Quinn, a Brit who moved here to raise a family with his Austrian wife, runs the tours. Hes a firm believer that theres more to Vienna than the UNESCO-listed city centre.

Related story:6 more things to do in Vienna

In a peaceful riverside park, Quinn points to anti-aircraft towers in the distance. The structures, built by the Nazis during WWII, are enormous, circular monstrosities built from stained, cracked concrete.

He sees them as an important reminder of the darker periods in Viennas history and one which is often airbrushed from view.

While Quinn believes the historic buildings in the city centre hog an unfair share of the limelight, he also feels their beauty should be protected.

In Karmelitermarkt, a bustling marketplace, he points to a pretty, pastel-hued townhouse thats part of a bizarre renovation. A hideous penthouse is being built on its roof. The metal and glass structure includes an enormous golden sculpture which resembles a two-legged dog.

Quinns tours are popular now, but success came slowly because the government initially banned them. After numerous meetings, Quinn was allowed to offer tours if he wore orange pants to distinguish himself from official guides and was deliberately provocative.

Now, people are delighted to become Ugly Vienna tour spots.

When a hotel manager found out that her hotel  a sprawling, clumsy attempt at art-deco, complete with a plastic rockery in the lobby  was a highlight, she invited Quinn for coffee and told him that she was honoured that her workplace had made the cut.

Proof that beauty can be found in the strangest of subjects comes next at the Funeral Museum in Viennas Central Cemetery.

More than 250 exhibits explore the Austrians approach to death. Theyre all truly weird and wonderful, and include a rescue alarm that could be attached to the bodies of those who feared being buried alive.

Theres a foldaway coffin dating back to 1784 and an ornate horse-drawn funeral carriage from the 1900s, as well as an electronic jukebox full of popular funeral songs.

The Vollpension cafe is another must-do in Vienna.

The brainchild of two designers (Mike Lanner and Moriz Piffl) who love cakes baked by their grannies, the Vollpension started as a pop-up to help seniors top up their pensions while providing a place where they could socialize.

Twenty-two of the 32 staff are grannies or granddads, managing director Hannah Lux reveals over tea and cake. We always have two grannies baking and one serving customers.

The place is cosy with fantastically garish ornaments shoehorned into every nook and cranny.

There are vintage magazines to read and the walls heave with kitsch family photos. The furniture and wall art come from flea markets and kind-hearted locals.

One of Luxs favourite grannies hosts erotic fairy tale readings here in between baking her cakes.

The Vollpensions regular drag act apparently goes down especially well with regulars. So do parties. Today, a DJ will entertain the guests, which include a group celebrating a 25th birthday party.

Over at the Magdas Hotel, theres a good reason why the rooms dont have telephones.

We want guests to interact with staff as much as possible, explains hotel manager Natalia Pszczolkowska.

The stylist, 88-room hotel was set up in 2015 by the charity Caritas to help refugees integrate into society. Twenty out of the 30 staff are former asylum seekers. They span 16 nationalities and speak more than 20 languages.

The hotel can only employ people with permission to work.

We recently employed one former asylum seeker from Africa whod waited 13 years for her working papers to come through, reveals Pszczolkowska. She wouldnt tell us what she did during that time, which means she probably worked in the sex trade.

Another of the hotels employees walked for six months to escape the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Their stories are stark reminders why the world needs more places like the Magdas Hotel  and why its wonderful that Vienna is increasingly keen to push its lesser-known attractions.

Tamara Hinsons trip was sponsored by the Magdas Hotel and the Vienna Tourist Board, which didnt review or approve this story.

When you go:

When to go: Summers in Vienna are hot and sunny. Winters are beautiful but cold.

Where to stay: The Magdas Hotel (magdas-hotel.at).

Do your research: wien.info

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LAC LA RONGE, SASK.Aboriginal leaders and the prime minister say a crisis is unfolding in northern Saskatchewan, after three young girls took their own lives and there are fears more young people are at risk.

After two girls from Stanley Mission committed suicide last week and a third girl from La Ronge, who had been in hospital after an attempt to kill herself, died in recent days, Health Canada is committing to send three mental-health therapists weekly to assist the northern communities.

All of the girls were between the ages of 12 and 14.

The department will help fund therapy and travel costs for three therapists to provide counselling to at-risk youth on Fridays and Saturdays, until the end of December, Health Canada said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the issue of youth suicides on reserves has gone on for far too long.

We are working together with the government of Saskatchewan and others to ensure that we can put an end to the tragedy of young people taking their lives, Trudeau said Friday while in Medicine Hat, Alta. Its something that has to stop.

The communities are part of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, where Chief Tammy Cook-Searson called the deaths heartbreaking.

I think everyone is on edge right now, not knowing when you are going to get the call, she told MBC News.

The parents are worried because we have a number of youth who have been identified as high risk  not just in Stanley Mission, but in other communities.

Cook-Searson said there have also been nine suicide attempts in the past week and more than 20 youths are considered at risk.

The provincial government said some of the higher-risk youth were sent to Prince Albert to be assessed by a psychiatrist, while the others were sent home with a safety plan and appropriate supports after they were assessed by a health professional.

Greg Ottenbreit, Saskatchewans minister of rural and remote health, said its a tragic situation and helping the community is a priority.

Everybody is very attentive to the situation and supporting them as best as we can, he said.

Ottenbreit also said the health board chair has told him that the community is in touch with parents because of speculation of a suicide pact.

Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde, who is from Saskatchewan, said suicides are happening far too often in northern communities.

The aboriginal youth suicide rate is five times the national average, said Bellegarde. Earlier this year, a string of suicide attempts garnered international media attention in Attawapiskat in northern Ontario.

Theres a sense of hopelessness, thats whats going on, Bellegarde said from Vancouver.

He questioned where wellness and recreation supports are for those communities.

Obviously not enough hope is being provided for our young ones if theyre looking at taking their lives. So its a crisis.

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan, said Health Canada should have had extra supports in place a long time ago.

But the point is, were here now and what do we do now in this present day and age? vice-chief Bob Merasty told CJWW.

Merasty said support for youth contemplating suicide has to be more than just the clinical help they are currently receiving.

The focus has to change to being proactive, affirming youth of their value and building up their confidence so they walk proudly and embrace their culture and spirituality, he said.

With files from the Stars Jennifer Pagliaro.

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MISTAKEN POINT, N.L.Researchers in Newfoundland and Labrador say they may have unlocked a 575-million-year-old enigma embedded in the sea floor at the southeast tip of the Avalon Peninsula.

The fossils at Mistaken Point, so named for its disorienting fog, are some of the oldest-known evidence of early multicellular creatures as well as one of paleontologys great mysteries.

Scientists have long speculated about the fossils known as the Ediacara biota, primarily, about what kind of life they were. The ancient sea creatures have been labelled everything from giant single-celled organisms, fungi, relatives of the jellyfish and even an extinct voluntarily experiment that was neither plant nor animal.

Two professors at Newfoundland and Labradors Memorial University have proposed a new explanation for this evolutionary riddle, and in doing so, may reinvigorate a debate about what the scientific definition of an animal is.

People have been looking at modern organisms and comparing these weird, sort of fractal Ediacaran things, paleontologist Dr. Duncan McIlroy said in a phone interview. What we tried to do was imagine life as an Ediacaran organism.

In a paper published by The Geological Society of the U.K., McIlroy and Dr. Suzanne Dufour, a biologist at the university, took a new approach to interpreting the fossils, tubular, mostly immobile organisms that could reach one metre in length.

They considered the challenges this organism may have faced and have concluded the fossils should be classified as animal.

We know they were lying flat on the sea floor. They werent moving around much, Dufour said in a phone interview. One of the problems with that mode of life is that sulphide builds up underneath them ... If thats something thats toxic to you, then youre kind of in trouble.

Dufour says modern clams solve this problem by teaming up with bacteria. Ediacaran organisms may have had similar symbiotic relationships, she says. The bacteria would have used oxygen and the toxic hydrogen sulphide as a source of energy, which would detoxify the waters around the organism and allow it to survive.

Animals have evolved in a world where bacteria were really dominant. Theyd already been on this planet for millions of years before animals started to evolve, says Dufour. It makes sense that they would find ways to interact with them and get some benefits from them ... And thats how I think animals really got their start.

McIlory anticipates treating fossils as animals could foster some debate in scientific circles about what it means to be an animal. According to some definitions, an organism has to move for it to be an animal, but McIlroy contends that this is an anachronistic view.

If youre a biologist in the Ediacaran (era), what would you call an animal? he says. We tend to look at it from a modern perspective and we say, They all move. ... We would say an animal doesnt need to move, but some people may be unwilling to let go of that concept.

Mistaken Point has been declared a world heritage site by the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture.

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OTTAWAA group of powerful Chinese business leaders set off on an eight-day Canadian tour Sunday that will connect them with Canadas corporate and political elite, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

This will be the first visit to Canada by the exclusive China Entrepreneur Club  often referred to as the billionaires club. Its made up of 50 top Chinese firms that earn a combined $585 billion of annual gross income.

The groups swing across Canada comes as the bilateral relationship steams ahead at an increasing rate, with help from a Trudeau government that has shown more openness to the Asian superpower.

The tour will take place only a few weeks after an exchange of high-level official visits  Trudeaus recent trip to China which was followed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs stay in Canada.

During those meetings, Trudeau promoted his governments goal of broadening Canadas economic links with the Asian superpower. He made commitments that included the launch of exploratory talks on free trade with the worlds second-biggest economy.

At the same time, Trudeau brought up Canadas concerns with Chinese leaders about their governments approach to human rights, rule of law, governance and corruption.

The China Entrepreneur Club is now hoping to deepen ties with Canada even further. Canadas relationship with its second-largest trading partner was considered inconsistent under the previous Conservative government.

Maggie Cheng, the clubs secretary-general, said the visit comes at a time of growing opportunities for both countries.

We have a large population and we are in a very long process of urbanization. And the consumer market is growing as well, and it will grow for a very long time, Cheng said in a phone interview through an interpreter.

I think the private companies in China have now grown into a (size) that can use a larger resource partner to further improve the Chinese market.

China is increasingly interested in Canadas agriculture, energy and fisheries industries, she said.

Cheng also believes the recent visit by the youthful Trudeau caught the attention of Chinas younger generation, which she says is a large market with considerable buying power.

Canadas business community is set to roll out a red carpet for the visiting club members, according to a program of the visit prepared by the group.

During stops in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, the delegation will have audiences with a whos who of Canadian leaders, in addition to Trudeau.

The list includes chief executives of some of Canadas biggest banks as well as former prime minister Jean Chretien, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, Andre Desmarais of Power Corp., Alain Bellemare of Bombardier, Cirque du Soleils Daniel Lamarre, Mark Machin of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz.

In September, Trudeau kicked off his first official trip to China by appearing at a Beijing event hosted by the club. Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba and the clubs chair, led a question-and-answer session with Trudeau.

Ma will not join the Chinese delegation on its cross-Canada trip. But the tour will include a dozen club members, including president Ma Weihua, Tsinghua Holdings Co. chair Xu Jinghong, Far East Holding Group Co. chair Jiang Xipei and Central China Real Estate Ltd. chair Frank Wu.

Delegations from the club have already visited the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Singapore, Australia, Germany and Italy.

Sarah Kutulakos, executive director of the Canada China Business Council, hopes the visit will show Canadians who may have suspicions about Chinese companies that these entrepreneurs are similar to others around the world.

She said in an interview that there were strict criteria to join the club and firms had to meet a certain standard in several areas, including corporate social responsibility and philanthropy.

The visit will not only widen channels for business opportunities; its also expected to provide learning experiences for both sides, Kutulakos said.

Theyre really the vanguard of where the Chinese economy is going, said Kutulakos.

But one expert in Canadas ties to China said there are likely deep links between many of these entrepreneurs and the Chinese leadership.

In China, its really very difficult to achieve great wealth unless you have a strongly collaborative, mutually beneficial relationship with the Chinese Communist Partys decision makers, said Charles Burton, a former diplomat who is now a political scientist at Brock University.

Burton said the club may try to create a subtle lobby within Canada that encourages Canadian business leaders to press their government to make economics the priority in the relationship, rather than concerns over sensitive issues like human rights and cybersecurity.

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AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal promised action against those, who acted against Patidar protesters and Dalits in Una, at an election rally in Surat, Gujarat.

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal lashed out at BJP during an election rally at Surat on Sunday.

By Vidya : Lashing out at the BJP and Modi government, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal tried to woo the Patidar and dalit voters in Gujarat during his Surat rally on Sunday.



Kejriwal accused the BJP government of the state and the Centre of muzzling the voice of opposition. He said that the BJP tried to suppress the Patidar movement earlier and replicated similar tactics against the Aam Aadmi Party now.



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'BJP MUZZLES OPPOSITION'



Arvind Kejriwal claimed that ever since the Surat rally was planned, the state government tried to threaten those supporting us. "They got calls from the government that the businessmen, supporting the AAP, would face raids."



He said that the government refused permission to hold a rally in Surat. "It was the Gujarat High Court, which granted us the permission to organise a rally here," Kejriwal said.



'I CRIED FOR PATIDARS'



Kejriwal extended full support to the Patidar movement and its leader Hardik Patel, whom he described as 'the biggest patriot'. More than ten people died in the clashes with security forces during the Patidar agitation led by Patel, who was arrested under charges of sedition.



On Sunday, Kejriwal said, "I almost cried when I heard the stories of all those who died in firing by the security forces on the Patidar workers."



"Our boys were not terrorists. They are the citizens of this country. Now, families want those who ordered firing to be brought to justice," the AAP convener said.



"Kis neta ne adesh diya tha? Us neta ko saza dilwa ke rahenge warna un ladko ki atma ko shanti nahi milegi (Which leader ordered firing? We will bring that leader to justice else the souls of those boys will not rest in peace)," Kejriwal told the gathering.



'BJP IS ANTI-DALIT'



As the Gujarat government is trying to shrug away the tag of being anti-Dalit in the aftermath of Una incident, Kejriwal hit BJP where it hurts the most these days.



Kejriwal said, "Una Dalits were beaten up by BJP workers. The police was asked not to take any step against the attackers."



He said that in Gujarat the orders come from Delhi. "We know (BJP president) Amit Shah is running Gujarat. Anandiben Patel did not follow him. So, she was replaced with Vijay Rupani, who obeys all of his instructions."



"Next assembly elections will be a revolution. Amit Shah is one side while the aam aadmi is on the other. This aam aadmi is poverty stricken and looks pitiable, but when he stands up, Shah would lose power," Kejriwal told the crowd.

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ALSO READ | Surat: Gulab Singh Yadav arrested hours before Kejriwal's show of strength





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Brock, a young and colourful cockatiel, was near death when he was found crammed inside a plastic takeout container, starving and bleeding, with a handful of seeds.

But with the help of a network of animal lovers, Brock is now recovering in a loving new home.

The fact that hes still alive is a miracle, said Bev Penny, one of many who had a hand in saving Brock.

An unknown person found the then-unnamed cockatiel in a garbage bin near Bloor St. and Brock Ave., near Dufferin St., in September. Unable to care for him or pay for veterinary bills, the bird was brought to Earth Echoes Reptile Centre, a nearby pet shop.

According to owner Paul Collier, Brock was in bad shape.

The bird had a broken wing, bloody patches with feathers missing and was covered in dirt. He was also starving and dehydrated, suggesting he may have spent an extended period of time outside.

A vet later found that Brock was also blind, and his injuries appeared intentional  as if someone had either punctured his eyes or poured something into them. A chest bone had also been previously broken, and had not healed properly.

Staff tended to the birds initial needs and cared for him for two weeks, said Catherine Becket, a volunteer at Earth Echoes.

Hes just the sweetest little bird, she said.

After all that was done to him  he sat on my hand and was chirping and singing at me a little bit. Not very loud because hes not in good shape, but he was still trying. Were all crying about him, because he hasnt lost his faith in people.

Becket sent a message and photos to a bird-loving friend, who forwarded it on. Soon, the story arrived in a Facebook group called Crazy Canadian Bird Ladies.

That little bird has been through a lot, said Penny, who founded the Bird Ladies group.

Within a day of the community getting involved, Penny said theyd raised more than $1,000  enough to cover everything the bird would need.

Brock has been recovering well, but will need special care for the rest of his life.

Thanks to the group, he appears to have it, having found a new home.

Animal people help each other out, Becket said. There was never any excuse for dumping him outside.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA.The International Space Station is about to get its first delivery from Virginia in two years.

Orbital ATK, one of NASAs shippers, aims to launch its own cargo ship Sunday night from Wallops Island. The companys retooled Antares rocket will do the honours.

Company officials were ecstatic on Saturday night, the eve of the launch.

Welcome back to Wallops, beamed Frank Culbertson, Orbital ATKs space systems president.

An Antares promptly exploded the last time one took off, on a space station supply run for NASA on Oct. 28, 2014. Orbital ATK spent the past two years redesigning the unmanned rocket  replacing the old-time Russian engines with newer ones, among other things  and rebuilding the launch pad. It also made good on two station deliveries using another companys rockets in Florida.

This is a very exciting time for us at Orbital ATK, Culbertson said. A lot of hard work has gone into this.

The deputy manager of NASAs space station program, Joel Montalbano, couldnt help but get personal.

Weve missed these guys and weve missed seeing launches from here, he told reporters.

More than 130 VIPs were expected from Capitol Hill for the launch at 8:03 p.m. on Sunday. In fact, sky gazers along much of the East Coast  Washington and New York included  were in for a treat. Weather permitting, the launch should be visible as far south as Charleston, South Carolina; as far north as Boston; and as far west as Pittsburgh.

Were very excited ... to have the biggest show back in town, said Sarah Daugherty, test director at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility.

The Antares will carry up a Cygnus cargo carrier, named after the swan constellation. Altogether, five Cygnus ships have delivered food, clothes, equipment and science experiments to the space station since 2013.

Every cargo mission is like Christmas, right, and they never know what theyre going to find when they open the hatch, said Culbertson, a former astronaut who lived on the space station more than a decade ago.

The latest Cygnus is packed with more than 5,000 pounds of goods, including presents for the space station astronauts. The current crew of three will double in size with the launch of three more astronauts from Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Culbertson and others acknowledged they were nervous going into Sundays launch, but stressed their confidence in the changes to the Antares. Everything seemed to be going well at the pad over the weekend, following a succession of rocket tests in recent weeks and months. Even better, forecasters were calling for a 95 per cent chance of good flying weather  this after Hurricanes Matthew and Nicole caused a slight flight delay.

Matthew held up work at the Virginia pad a week ago, while this week Nicole threatened a tracking station in Bermuda thats necessary for the launch. Fortunately, the station was not damaged.

As it turns out, now NASAs other supplier, SpaceX, is grounded. During a test last month at Cape Canaveral, a SpaceX rocket exploded on the pad; the company is still trying to figure out exactly what happened.

NASA hired the private companies to keep the space station stocked following the shuttles retirement in 2011. The space agency instead is focusing on getting astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. Mars is the prime target.

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What a pitiful, pathetic, poisonous week it has been in American politics.

Never have we seen a presidential candidate trash talk women before and rarely have we witnessed such a public display of foul mouthed language. Never have we seen one presidential candidate attack another because of her husbands infidelities. Never have we seen female political pundits scorch the airwaves with pointed barbs at each other. Never have we seen such an overt display of unfettered misogyny. Never have we seen a Twitter hash tag which reads Repeal the 19th, a reference to the 19th amendment to the American Constitution that provides men and women with equal voting rights. No, never have we seen politics through such a brutal and shocking gender lens.

However, while we are all fixated on and horrified by one boorish, immature, narcissistic loudmouth, Canadians would do well to reflect upon some deep-rooted sexist challenges of our own.

We should be equally horrified by recent revelations from a highly revered institution, the RCMP. The disclosures have led to the federal governments offer of an unprecedented compensation package of potentially $100 million of taxpayers money, to an estimated 1,000 female Mounties, who allegedly faced incidents of bullying, harassment and discrimination dating back to 1974.

The RCMPs website proudly describes Sept. 16, 1974, when 32 women across Canada simultaneously took the oath to become police officers, fundamentally changing the RCMP forever. One of those women was Bev Busson, a highly respected officer, who became the first female commissioner in 2006. But other female officers did not have a similar trajectory of success.

Instead, hundreds of women who had chosen to devote their careers to the safety of others were forced to deal with their own safety. Every person who has ever been harassed, whether once, or in a pattern, knows the sick feeling that accompanies the harassment.

Living on a knifes edge, the victim faces tough questions. Will the harasser will try again? If so, when and how? Should the abuse be reported? To whom? Could such a report impact future promotions? And, if female officers were treated with harassment and disdain by some male colleagues, what might have happened to female prisoners? Exactly, how far did the rot spread?

We may never know all the answers. RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson, in a tearful, historic apology, described the failure of the RCMP and the hurt caused to their officers, but in an effort to avoid two class-action law suits, a former Supreme Court Justice will now independently and confidentially examine the various allegations.

While the confidential nature of the process is understandable to avoid financial consequences and stress to the victims (and to the legal system), there remains the question of accountability. Will anyone be punished? And most importantly, how do we make sure this never happens again?

The RCMP has already made several systemic changes but it will require more than updated legislation and new codes of conduct. Sensitive leadership, strong vigilance, robust oversight coupled with equally robust internal controls, transparency and individual courage, will all need to be integrated into a new and improved RCMP. There is one word that cant be mandated or forced. That word is respect.

Recall that 87 years ago, five Canadian women fought against the odds for the right to legally be named as persons and therefore eligible for a Senate appointment. The Famous Five were successful, opening up a political path to Canadian women. Yet, years later we are left to wonder how much further we have to go. When it comes to respect and dignity, we still struggle. Sick misogyny is apparently alive and well.

Respect is elusive, in part, because of popular culture, where women are often glorified as sexual objects. To counter that perspective, we need smart sex education in schools, skilful gender training in workplaces and strong legal tools.

Tomorrow is Persons Day in Canada. Celebratory events and speeches will take place across the country. A panel of stellar women will speak in Ottawa, including Ontarios premier, Kathleen Wynne. Women make up one third of the Senate and more female appointments are no doubt on their way. Its all good, positive and hopeful.

But on the way to improved statistics, electoral success, and high-profile appointments, we need to continually find our resolve and determination, just as the Famous Five did. We need to burrow down into our culture, to expose any rot and to demand and expect respect, not only as women, but as persons. Weve earned it  over 87 years.

Penny Collenette is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Ottawa and was a senior director of the Prime Ministers Office for Jean Chretien.

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Theres good news and a healthy dose of bad news for the rest of Canada in the selection of Jean-Francois Lisee as the new leader of the Parti Quebecois.

The very good news is that Lisee has promised that if his party manages to win Quebecs next election in two years it wont hold another referendum on sovereignty until at least 2022.

Thats a big turnabout for a party founded on the principle of making Quebec independent, and anyone who cares about the unity of Canada should give at least two hearty cheers. The cynics, who know Lisee as a man of highly flexible principles, think hell junk his promise if he thinks he can get away with it. But as a starting point, its excellent for federalists.

At the same time, though, under its new leader the PQ is moving firmly to embrace the dark world of identity politics. Having conceded for the moment at least that independence is a no-go, Lisee is repositioning his party as defenders of traditional Quebec values against the perceived threat of immigration, Muslims and the other.

Why should anyone outside Quebec care? After all, the PQ is just a provincial opposition party that has lurched from one fiasco to another over the past dozen years.

It matters because by pushing hard on the fears of francophone Quebecers the party can do a lot to set the tone of public discussion in the countrys second-biggest province. No one  Quebecers first among them  wins if a significant part of the country retreats into a suspicious, defensive crouch.

Thats the risk of Lisees latest gambit. Even though he posed as a moderate when the ill-fated Marois government proposed its infamous Charter of Quebec Values in 2013, Lisee did not hesitate to reverse field and use a thinly disguised appeal to anti-Muslim fears in order to elbow aside a younger rival and win the PQ leadership.

He has mused about forbidding women to wear burkas and niqabs in public, using the bizarre argument that theyve been used by terrorists in Africa to conceal AK-47s. He warns about the dangers of immigration and says perfect immigration involves bringing in French-speaking Europeans, i.e. people who will pose as little cultural challenge to Quebec as possible.

If Lisees ideas gain traction, and its quite possible they will, they will put pressure on the provinces Liberal government to go down a similar path, if only to protect its political flank in the run-up to the next election in 2018.

The acrimonious debate over Marois values charter did a lot of damage to cultural relations in Quebec three years ago. Another round of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim paranoia would be even worse. Quebec, and Canada, will flourish if they turn an open face to the world, not retreat into Trump-style defensiveness.

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Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) announced on Friday that it would sell its onshore California oil and gas properties to private equity-backed Sentinel Peak Resources California for up to $742 million.

Sentinel Peak will pay Freeport $592 million in cash on the closing of the transaction, plus an additional $50 million per year in 2018, 2019 and 2020 if the price of Brent crude oil averaged at least $70 per barrel that year. Sentinel Peak also will assume abandonment obligations for the properties.

The properties to be sold had a book value of $100 million as of June 30, with net daily sales volume of 28,600 barrels of oil per day over the past 12 months, revenue of $400 million, cash production costs before general and administrative expenses of $300 million and capital expenditures of $40 million.

"Considering just the $592M in up-front cash, the transaction value for FCX looks OK to us," Barclays analyst Matthew Korn wrote in a note. He calculated a trailing 12-month earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization multiple of just under 6, which, he wrote, "implies an appropriate discount rate considering California's shallow decline profile. Our colleagues in midcap [exploration and production] research have pointed out that the number of potential buyers in a high-cost, fairly heavy-regulation region like California is small."

Korn added that the sale "marks progress" toward Freeport's stated goal "to refocus the company on its top mining assets and strengthen the balance sheet."

Freeport has a portfolio of mineral assets and says it is the largest publicly traded copper producer.

BMO Capital Markets analyst David Gagliano, meanwhile, assumed the assets generated trailing 12-month Ebitda of about $75 million, implying a 7.9 times multiple. Ebitda in 2017, he estimated, will come in between $100 million and $150 million, for an Ebitda multiple of 4 to 5.9 times.

"Valuation math for this transaction appears relatively reasonable," he wrote, but he said the deal "does not help the most relevant bigger-picture [challenge] facing FCX, which is the sharp decline in gold and copper volumes in 2018."

The California sale comes a month after debt-laden Freeport agreed to sell its deepwater Gulf of Mexico properties to Anadarko Petroleum (APC) for $2 billion and up to $150 million in contingency payments. Freeport CEO Richard Adkerson said in a statement at the time that the sale would bring the Phoenix company's total 2016 divestitures to more than $6 billion.

The Anadarko sale recently hit a snag, however, with a group holding more than $1.1 billion in Freeport bonds arguing the deal failed to adequately compensate the bondholders. In a Sept. 19 letter obtained by The Deal, the bondholder group, represented by Lawrence G. Wee of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, accused Freeport of not adequately disclosing the changes the consent solicitation would bring about and offering a "grossly inadequate" consideration to participating investors.

Freeport announced on Sept. 28 that it hadn't received the requisite threshold of bondholder support to carry out covenant amendments it had proposed related to the deal and could not pay out the offered consent fee of 25 basis points. Instead, it said it would merge the subsidiary that issued the $2.3 billion of bonds in question, Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas, into the parent company before the Anadarko sale closed.

Activist shareholder Carl Icahn, who pressured the company to pay down debt, applauded the Anadarko sale as "a classic example of activists working constructively with an existing board and management" that he "completely endorse[d]." Icahn pressured Freeport to sell its oil and gas unit, and shortly after he joined its board the company retained Lazard's J. David Cecil, JPMorgan Chase's Laurence Whittimore and Davis Polk & Wardwell to advise on up to $10 billion in divestitures.

Following the close of the California sale, Freeport's remaining oil and gas assets will produce an average of 8,600 barrels of oil and natural gas liquids per day and 78 cubic feet of natural gas per day.

Sentinel Peak was formed by energy-focused private equity firm Quantum Energy Partners, which announced on April 17 that it had provided more than $300 million to the company along with its management. The Englewood, Colo., company focuses on heavy oil development in California's San Joaquin Basin and plans to open offices in Los Angeles and Bakersfield.

Michael Duginski, former COO of Berry Petroleum, is Sentinel Peak's president and CEO. Two of his Berry colleagues, George Ciotti and Timothy Crawford, are Sentinel Peak's CFO and COO, respectively. George Paspalof is executive vice president of Los Angeles Basin operations. The company said it would hire Freeport-McMoRan staff as well as workers from outside the company.

Freeport said in a statement that it will use the cash proceeds of the transaction to pay down debt. The company expected the sale, which has an effective date of July 1, to close next quarter.

Freeport shares added 2 cents on Friday to $9.66.

Freeport and Sentinel Peak did not respond to requests for comment.

This article was originally published by The Deal, a sister publication of TheStreet that offers sophisticated insight and analysis on all types of deals, from inception to integration. Click here for a free trial.
Attorney Marc Kasowitz, shown in 2005, last week sent the New York Times a letter demanding a full and immediate retraction for stories about women accusing Donald Trump of sexual misconduct. (Keith Bedford/Reuters)

When Donald Trump has needed a legal brawler, he has often turned to Marc Kasowitz, a hard-edged Manhattan attorney whose website cites a description of him as one of the most feared lawyers in the United States.

Kasowitz fits into the long-running pattern of Trump pursuing confrontational legal strategies and embracing tough allies, including the late attorney Roy Cohn, who Trump said earlier this year could be a nasty guy as he helped the businessmans real estate empire grow in Manhattan.

Last week, when the New York Times wrote about womens claims of sexual assault by Trump, Kasowitz sent a letter demanding a full and immediate retraction and apology.

Two weeks earlier, when the Times released three pages of Trumps 1995 income tax returns, Kasowitz sent a letter threatening prompt initiation of appropriate legal action.

Years before that, Kasowitz helped lead Trumps losing battle against an author who cited sources claiming Trump was not a billionaire.

Its a trench fight with them. Its just brutal stuff, said Roddy Boyd, a former New York Post and Fortune reporter who covered Kasowitzs cases a decade ago. Boyd says he personally was threatened by Kasowitz with a suit over his reporting on two companies the attorney represented. Kasowitzs firm also subpoenaed Boyd to obtain his hard drive and notes he had taken while reporting on a third company, Boyd said, adding the subpoena was rejected in court in 2011.

Kasowitz did not respond to requests for comment, and Trump was not made available for comment. In 2004, Trump told the magazine the American Lawyer that members of Kasowitzs law firm were not good lawyers, theyre phenomenal lawyers.

Kasowitz is not primarily a First Amendment or media attorney, and his wide-ranging practice has focused mostly on representing banks, insurers and other business clients. The most prominent of Kasowitzs tussles with the media have been on behalf of Trump.

Alan Garten, general counsel for the Trump Organization, described Kasowitz as a strategic lawyer and Trumps go-to guy . . . when really urgent, sensitive, complex issues come up.

Hes incredibly smart, very measured . . . (but) that doesnt mean hes not tough, Garten said. Who doesnt want a strong litigator?

The claim that Kasowitz or Trump seeks to intimidate journalists, Garten added, is the dumbest thing Ive ever heard.

Mr. Trump is someone who stands up for what he believes in, he said. This is not an effort to intimidate. This is an effort to exercise and enforce rights he is entitled to exercise.

Kasowitz graduated from Yale University and Cornell Law School and, in 1993, founded Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman. The firm now employs hundreds of attorneys, including former Democratic and independent senator Joe Lieberman (Conn.). It has offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.

A New York Law Journal survey in July of the states 100 biggest law firms said the Kasowitz firm saw the states sharpest drop in its workforce last year, losing 18 percent of its attorneys, or 51 lawyers, amid a series of layoffs and departures.

Its unclear why the firm lost so many lawyers so quickly, though the journal survey noted that some firms had reported declining legal demand. Kasowitz told the journal that the firm had taken smart actions . . . to adapt to an evolving and volatile litigation market.

Kasowitz and his wife, Lori, have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump and to Republican committees in recent years, data from the Center for Responsive Politics shows. The couple have also donated thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates, including Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) and Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.).

Kasowitz has taken on several high-profile cases, including defending the Liggett Group, one of Americas biggest cigarette conglomerates, in tobacco lawsuits. He also represented the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in a suit that claimed officials had ignored warnings before the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

Kasowitz seems to cherish his hard-edged reputation: His biography on the firms website lists media publications that called him an uberlitigator and the toughest lawyer on Wall Street.

David Brooks, general counsel for one of Kasowitzs clients, Fortress Investment Group, told the New York Law Journal in 2010, When theres a tough, call it rough-and-tumble kind of litigation, those are the guys I would go to. He added, Theyre not afraid to get their hands dirty.

Kasowitz has represented Trump for at least 15 years, including during the restructuring of more than $1 billion in debt for Trumps Atlantic City casinos. The firm also represented Trump when media giants, including the Times, sought to unseal documents from Trumps 1990 divorce with Ivana Trump. A Manhattan Supreme Court judge rejected that request last month.

Kasowitz also represented Trump during his lawsuit against Timothy L. OBrien, whose 2005 biography, TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald, cited unnamed sources claiming Trump was worth far less than he said publicly.

In 2006, Trump said OBriens terribly written book had defamed him, and he demanded $5 billion in damages. Earlier this year, Trump told The Post he had not read the book but filed the suit because he wanted to cost OBrien, who he called a low-life sleazebag, a lot of money.

Before the case, Kasowitz appeared at one of the authors book readings to tell me, with a grin, that he was a writer, too, OBrien wrote in a Bloomberg View column last week.

Recording the reading with a video camera, OBrien said, representatives of Trumps legal team also attempted to goad the author into saying something damaging, asking questions such as, Didnt you write this book to hurt Trump because you dont like him?

Trump sat for a two-day deposition for the case in 2007, during which he made a series of false statements. In connection with the suit, he was also forced to reveal sensitive internal documents like tax returns. A New Jersey appeals court ruled in OBriens favor in 2011.

In the presidential campaign, Trump has said he wants to open up libel laws and threatened to sue news reporters and organizations at least 11 times, according to the Columbia Journalism Review. In an interview during the reporting for The Posts biography, Trump Revealed, Trump told The Post: I will be bringing more libel suits as people  maybe against you folks. I dont want to threaten, but I find that the press is unbelievably dishonest.

Trump, however, has not sued a newspaper for libel since 1984, a Reuters review of court records found.

Kasowitz will now be consulting Trump closely on whether to follow through on his most recent threats.

Trump has always favored scrappy lawyers and street fighters, OBrien said. Marc Kasowitz fits that profile.

Alice Crites contributed to this report.
The publicity sheet for Martin Cruz Smiths engaging new novel boasts that the author does extensive research for all of his books, including in this case four trips to Italy. Extensive but not always freewheeling. At the outset of his career, Smith dazzled Sovietologists by parlaying his background reading and one brief visit to Russia into Gorky Park (1981), which was praised for its accurate insights into the heart of the Soviet police state.

The author Martin Cruz Smith (Doug Menuez)

Smith has since written seven more novels featuring the hero of Gorky Park, Arkady Renko, a Russian cop with a conscience. The Girl From Venice, however, is a non-Renko tale with a Western European setting. Two aspects of the new novel obviously drew upon Smiths dogged research: the life of a fisherman in the Venetian backwaters; and conditions in Italy generally during early 1945, when Benito Mussolini continued to strut and declaim in the northern Italian town of Salo, headquarters of the Nazi puppet state that was all that remained of Il Duces empire.

[Review: Martin Cruz Smiths Tatiana]

Smith conjures the time and place with a generous dose of what the novelist Evan Connell called luminous details. The ubiquity of polenta, for one. Today its become something of a delicacy, at least in the United States, but during the war it was an all-too-familiar Italian staple. We learn how fascist propagandists try to poison Italian minds against invading soldiers: through posters of lecherous Americans with virginal Italian women. And Smith sketches the sociological complexity of Venice and its environs: She was from Venice and he was from Pellestrina, which was like saying they were not only from opposite sides of the lagoon but from different worlds. When she spoke she had an elegantly lazy Venetian accent. When he spoke, consonants disappeared.

She is Giulia Silber, a young Jewish woman whom our fisherman, Cenzo (short for Innocenzo) Vianello, pulls out of the water while plying his trade one night. At first she seems to have drowned, but he soon discovers that she is very much alive. Her wealthy and well-connected father  no Jews were more assimilated into Italian society than the Silbers  had saved himself and his family by cooperating with the fascists. At this point in the war, with the Allies inexorably seizing Italian territory, the Silbers should have been safe, especially since theyd gone into hiding. But someone betrayed them, Giulia alone has survived, and Cenzo decides to protect her. You wont be surprised when the consonant-dropping fisherman and the heiress with the lazy accent fall in love along the way.

The Girl from Venice," by Martin Cruz Smith (Simon & Schuster)

Cenzos task is complicated by the enraging presence of his brother Giorgio, a war hero turned movie star turned fascist spokesman. More to the point, Giorgio recently made Cenzo a cuckold, stealing Cenzos wife by promising to make her a movie star  a betrayal that led to the smitten womans death. The brothers rivalry forms a skillfully interwoven subplot to the main action.

Some of the novels most piquant scenes center on the behavior of Mussolini and his hangers-on as their world collapses. Pretense, denial, wishful thinking  these are among the stages in the downfall of a duce. Smith tantalizes us with brief glimpses of Mussolini himself, who among other last-minute vexations must choose what to take with him in the small plane dispatched to spirit him away from hemmed-in Salo: his wife, his mistress or a stack of gold bars.

[Best thrillers and mysteries of 2016  so far]

Smith can write evocatively, as in this description of one of his Nazi villains: There was no avoiding the colonels gaze. One side of the mans face was ruined and gray and his ear was cut to a stub, but his eyes were bright blue and the impression he gave was of a noble bust that had fallen and been chipped but was still imposing.

At times, though, Smith seems to let up on the pedal when he should be pressing down  Mussolinis ignominious death, for example, takes place offstage. Go ahead and manipulate me a bit more, this reader wanted to signal the author.

For the most part, though, Smith makes fine use of his material, including the fishing lore, which Cenzo puts to memorable use at the novels climax. The Girl From Venice may not be the most heart-pounding thriller of the year, but its vivid treatments of a timeless trade and certain little-known aspects of World War II make it well worth your time.

Dennis Drabelle is a former mysteries editor of Book World.
1 of 19 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  See highlights from Jacob Lawrences Migration Series View Photos In his early 20s in 1940-1941, Jacob Lawrence researched and painted the 60 panels of his Migration Series documenting the exodus of African Americans from the South to the North on 12x18-inch rectangles of hardboard. The work was an immediate success and was promptly bought by New Yorks Museum of Modern Art in New York and Washingtons Phillips Collection, which split the series down the middle; it is temporarily reunited in a show at the Phillips. Caption In his early 20s in 1940-1941, Jacob Lawrence researched and painted the 60 panels of his Migration Series documenting the exodus of African Americans from the South to the North on 12x18-inch rectangles of hardboard. The work was an immediate success and was promptly bought by New Yorks Museum of Modern Art in New York and Washingtons Phillips Collection, which split the series down the middle; it is temporarily reunited in a show at the Phillips. Panel No. 1: During World War I there was a great migration north by southern African Americans. Lawrence revised the original captions in 1993; the 1941 caption referred to southern Negroes. Jacob Lawrence/The Phillips Collection/Copyright The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation/Artists Rights Society Wait 1 second to continue.

Jacob Lawrences Migration Series, unfolding across 60 painted panels each less than a foot square, is often compared to a film. Its more like a musical score. It takes several clear themes  recurring subject matter; a unified color palette, and a visual vocabulary of vertiginously tilted planes and angles and snaky organic curves  and works a sequence of variations on them. During World War I there was a great migration north by southern African Americans, runs the caption to the first panel, which shows an interlocking jumble of bodies, like a jigsaw, in simple flat planes of unmixed color. And, interspersed with panels showing drought and race riots, tenements and prison time, the theme of the migrants returns, and returns, all the way through to No. 60: And the migrants kept coming.



"The Migration Series, Panel No. 60: And the migrants kept coming." 1940-41. (The Museum of Modern Art/Copyright the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society)

The Migration Series retains legendary status. Documenting the move of hundreds of thousands of African Americans from the South to the North in the first half of the 20th century, it was an immediate and explosive success for Lawrence, who was 23 when he painted it in 1941; 26 of its panels were reproduced over four double-pages in Fortune magazine before the series was even shown in a gallery. There was tremendous interest from collectors, though Lawrence didnt want to break up the series, which he had painted as a unit, spreading all 60 panels out and applying the same unmixed colors  forest green, cornflower blue, rich yellow and a cool variant of burnt sienna  across them all, one color at a time. In the end, the series was split between the Museum of Modern Art, which got the even-numbered works, and the Phillips Collection, which got the odd ones, so that each collection at least traced the overall narrative arc. The series has now been reunited for a traveling exhibition, which was shown last year at MoMA and has now come to the Phillips.

[More from the Phillips Collection: Whitfield Lovell's 'Kin']



"The Migration Series, Panel No. 31: The migrants found improved housing when they arrived north." 1940-41. Casein tempera on hardboard. (Copyright the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation/Artists Rights Society)

Its pointless to wring ones hands over the fact that the series is usually divided  not least because this was vastly preferable to scattering it among 60 eager collectors, though any one of these jewel-like panels would be a treasure. Seeing it together, though, highlights the force of Lawrences deliberately and deceptively pseudo-primitive visual language, in which juxtapositions between adjacent images  the horizontal orientation of the bare-board Southern shack in Panel 30 against the vertical, luminous, Mondrianesque apartment buildings of Panel 31  strengthen the cumulative effect.



"The Migration Series, Panel No. 50: Race riots were numerous. White workers were hostile toward the migrant who had been hired to break strikes." (The Museum of Modern Art /Copyright the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation/Artists Rights Society )

"The Migration Series, Panel No. 42: To make it difficult for the migrants to leave, they were arrested en masse. They often missed their trains." (The Museum of Modern Art/Copyright the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation/Artists Rights Society )

Also striking is the way that Lawrence tells a story without the kind of characterization we tend to expect in narrative. The premium is not on individuality, but humanity. There are few clear faces in this series, and the clearest of them are white: less portraits than masks, be it of the doltish equipment operator in Panel 2 or the grimace of evil on a man splayed across an image of a race riot in Panel 50. Theres more characterization, though, in peoples postures and backs: in the contrast between a man in blue overalls, bent over his newspaper in Panel 34, and a policeman in a shirt of the same color, blocking peoples egress from a paddy wagon in Panel 42, an image with the crisp elegance of an illuminated manuscript.

And the empty airlessness of the tempera-paint surfaces gives eloquent expression to the pain of suffering. In Panel 10, They were very poor, two figures sit bowed under the weight of the sheer emptiness of the blue wall behind them. Even more lyrically and painfully, in There were lynchings (Panel 15), a figure is huddled in seemingly headless, limbless misery under a streaky pale sky, beneath the spike of a tree branch bearing an empty, dangling noose.

The show includes a third room with a few additional works by Lawrence and other African American artists active around the same period, including two beautiful little bronzes from 1929 and the early 1930s by Augusta Savage, one of Lawrences mentors (Gamin, a childs portrait head), and by Richmond Barthe, whose Blackberry Woman strides calmly forward, balancing a basket on her head with one arm. Lawrences Vaudeville, from 1951, extends his involvement with surfaces, its ornate, decorative walls and clothes and colors evoking an American version of Gustav Klimt. The Travelers, from 1961, shows a visually fragmented family in a train station  continuing a theme from The Migration Series, which remained, throughout his long prolific life, his masterpiece.

READ MORE:

An artist refashions the past: Whitfield Lovells Kin

People on the Move: Beauty and Struggle in Jacob Lawrences Migration Series remains on display at the Phillips Collection through Jan. 8. It will continue on to Seattle, where Lawrence spent the last years of his life.


Cocktail writer Robert Simonson on the rise of the globetrotting celebrity bartender: When the career of being a bartender removes you from the bar, Im not sure how good a thing that is. (Daniel Krieger)

The substantial body of writing  perhaps half of it by David Wondrich  about the early history of the cocktail helped lay the foundation for its rebirth. In the dozen or so years since that revival began, bartenders have plowed through the literature and old recipe books, revamped old drinks and put them back on menus, and reveled in the return of once-vanished ingredients. At the same time they were rediscovering, they were inventing, stepping from the solid bedrock of Manhattans and martinis to create new drinks.

Until now, no book has explored that more-recent history, the bartender-driven Revolution of the Bibulous that has occurred in the bars all around us. If youve wondered what happened to your drink in the past decade, how you went from drinking crappy commercial sour mix leaded with vodka to some delicious and expensive concoction traced with European liqueurs and chilled with perfectly clear artisanal ice, youll enjoy some time with Robert O. Simonsons latest book, A Proper Drink: The Untold Story of How a Band of Bartenders Saved the Civilized Drinking World.

Im not one for envying other writers; were all being ground up by the same publishing mill unless were Stephen King, which, last time I checked, only one of us is. But Ill admit: Sometimes Im jealous of Simonson. Partly because he can pull off a dapper fedora, but mainly because he lives in Brooklyn and therefore has regular access to many of the bars that formed the epicenter of the cocktail earthquake. Dont get me wrong: Theres plenty for a cocktail geek here in the District; we have our own core of heavy hitters. But Washington doesnt offer the density of the East Village, where you cant swing a subway rat without hitting a cocktail den. Simonsons book ranges the globe in its reporting, but New York is the perfect vantage point from which to cover the scene.



Paper Plane. (Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post)

[Make the recipe: Paper Plane]

Its somewhat ironic that a man who has spent the past decade seeking out and writing about elegant depressants stumbled onto the topic while on the hunt for stimulants. In 2006, Simonson was a theater writer trying to break into wine writing, and he had gone out to report on a combination coffee pop-up/theater experience in Soho (of course) when the PR rep for the event mentioned a little cocktail festival she was putting on in New Orleans, and suggested he come down. Simonson, excited to check out a city hed never been to, took her up on the idea.

That PR rep was Ann Rogers, now Ann Tuennerman; 10 years on, her conference, Tales of the Cocktail, can hardly be described as little. I can only imagine encountering New Orleans for the first time through Tales, a swelter of Louisiana heat and drinking that  while highly educational  can feel like the citys bon temps have roulezed you, along with your overtaxed brain, sweat glands and liver, right into the Mississippi. Simonson was so smitten that he tumbled down the rabbit hole and has been sending up boozy dispatches from Wonderland ever since, most notably in the New York Times.

[In New Orleans, terrific cocktails never went out of fashion]

When I talked to Simonson about how he got started, I got deja vu as he described an early meeting to test gin and tonics with Wondrich, mixologist Julie Reiner and bartender-writer St. John Frizell, all well-established figures in the cocktail scene by then. They were such big deals. I was terrified of them, he says. (How the student becomes the master, grasshopper: That nervousness over meeting people who have vast expertise in a subject youre just getting into more deeply? Exactly how I felt when I first met Simonson.)

(Ten Speed Press)

Simonson is such a fixture in the cocktail writing world that it was startling to be reminded that he hasnt always been doing it. Thus I read with another weird whiff of deja vu  or whatever you call it when an experience is so well described that it causes an intense sense memory of your own  about his first encounter with a Sazerac: The edges of my vision blurred and my focus trained on the glass in front of me. I was simultaneously tasting three things I never had before: rye whiskey, spicy and bright; Herbsaint, as herbal as the name hinted; and Peychauds bitters, which  well, what the hell were they anyway, and what did they do?

A broader version of that question drives A Proper Drink: What is the cocktail renaissance, anyway, and what has it done to the way we drink today?

Simonson captures the re-ascendance of bartending as a career and clarifies how drinks crossed various ponds, who took them there, how the word spread. He talked to hundreds of sources  bartenders and distillers and brand ambassadors and importers from around the world  to clarify who kicked it off, who influenced whom, how did particular drinks travel from one market to the next, what are the new classics? He leaves no coaster unturned.

At times, I was cast back to studies of various literary movements  the Romantics, the Beat poets  whose work was driven forward by conversations and rebuttals and examinations of one anothers output. Your patience for the books deep dive may depend in part on how inclined you are to see the cocktail as a work of, if not art, then at least popular culture; to believe that exploring its influences and origins is a worthwhile task. But if you just want recipes, the books got those, too, both rediscovered oldies and those modern classics (such as the Paper Plane) that cropped up during the past decade or so. My favorite is the Laphraoig Project, which appears in a section of should-be classics. Its a Last Word-esque concoction, butched up with Scotch, one of those mystifying why does this work? type of drinks whose contents seem as if theyll be at war and yet somehow form an amazing sip.



The Laphraoig Project. (Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post)

[Make the recipe: Laphraoig Project]

The sips, though, are only part of what has made the cocktail renaissance what it is, and when I asked Simonson for some of his likes and dislikes about the scene, he homed in on the social element, the thing people have enjoyed since the beginning of time about bars: having that third place, this place of conviviality where if youve had a bad day you can have a better one. And he notes his pleasure in the way bars allow you to develop a relationship with the person making your drink, which is not something you can usually enjoy at a restaurant with the chef.

In that vein, he notes that the rise of celebrity bartenders, globetrotting competitors whose bars have become so famous that theyre rarely in them anymore, may be the worst thing that has ever happened to bartending. This may sound ungenerous, because for so long bartenders didnt have much of a career . . . but now I think careerism is in overdrive. When the career of being a bartender removes you from the bar, Im not sure how good a thing that is. . . . Its supposed to be about hospitality, and wheres the hospitality if youre not even there?

If I had a bar, he says  one of those daydreams that, from my experience, every booze writer entertains from time to time  I think Id be the kind of bar owner who was always at my bar.

We may never see what a Robert Simonson joint would look like, but if it replicated this books smarts, attention to detail and appreciation for people, Id probably be there a lot, too. Maybe even if he opens it in Brooklyn.

Allan is a Hyattsville, Md., writer and editor. Follow her on Twitter: @Carrie_the_Red.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally in Portsmouth, N.H. The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement that said a Trump presidency represents a threat to press freedom. (Evan Vucci/AP)

For decades, Sandra Mims Rowe was a rigorous newspaper editor who demanded deep reporting from the journalists she led. Her newsrooms in cities including Norfolk and Portland, Ore., won awards  and respect  because she pushed for greater truths.

So its not surprising that Rowe would do the same when an idea surfaced at the Committee to Protect Journalists, where she has been board chairwoman for five years.

The idea: CPJ would make a strong statement against Donald Trump on First Amendment grounds  the kind of thing the organization had never done before. CPJs global mission is to try to keep journalists from being jailed or killed; but it hasnt been involved before in politics.

What was the evidence that Trump was a threat to press freedom? she wanted to know. The evidence, delivered in a staff memo, was overwhelming. It made the case that Trump not only despises journalists  scum, he calls them, and corrupt  but also that he has no understanding or respect for the role they play in our democracy. He has repeatedly stated that he wants to change the laws that allow journalists to do their jobs.

And so, after a board vote, CPJs unprecedented statement went public last week.

Measured and restrained, it builds to a powerful conclusion: This is not about picking sides in an election. This is recognizing that a Trump presidency represents a threat to press freedom unknown in modern history.

In an interview, Rowe said that Trump thinks the media exists only to satisfy his needs and give him publicity. When journalists hold him accountable or report negative facts, it must be a coordinated attack on him.

What finally pushed CPJ to approve a resolution and issue the statement, she said, was the realization that the organization owed this not just to American journalists and citizens but to those around the world.

We at CPJ use the United States as an example, a beacon to the world, she said. With Trumps rhetoric, it would embolden despots and dictators who are looking for an excuse to restrict press rights or endanger journalism.

The statement gives an example: When MSNBCs Joe Scarborough asked him in December if his admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin was at all tempered by the countrys history of critical journalists being killed, his response was: Hes running his country, and at least hes a leader, unlike what we have in this country.

CPJs statement wasnt the only strong defense of the First Amendment to be published last week. After Trumps attorney demanded that the New York Times retract an article  one that quoted, by name, two women who said that Trump had groped them without their consent  the Timess newsroom attorney, David McCraw, made a response for the ages.

In equally measured, and equally pointed, terms, he said the paper would do no such thing: We did what the law allows: We published newsworthy information about a subject of deep public concern. If Mr. Trump disagrees, if he believes that American citizens had no right to hear what these women had to say and that the law of this country forces us and those who would dare to criticize him to stand silent or be punished, we welcome the opportunity to have a court set him straight.

The letter, despite the lawyerly language, had a certain Dirty Harry feel to it. That last line, less elegantly rendered might be: Go ahead. Make my day. After all, Trump surely does not want to endure the discovery phase that such a trial would bring. (He should have learned that years ago when he sued Timothy L. OBrien, then a reporter at the Times, for libel. OBriens lowballing of his wealth in the book TrumpNation caused $5 billion in damage, Trump claimed. A New Jersey judge threw out the case.)

Statements such as CPJs and McCraws, eloquent as they are, certainly wont change the minds of Trumps ardent supporters or of the candidate himself.

Still, their words  and the defense of the First Amendment that underpins them  make a difference. They remind journalists, and I hope citizens, that what we do is important, and that it is worth protecting.

And it lets them know that there are people and institutions willing to stand up to a bully and say, No, you cant. Not in America.



For more by Margaret Sullivan,

go to wapo.st/sullivan.
Baloch Republican Army reportedly attacked a convoy of Chinese exploitive company near Ormara area of Gwadar in Balochistan.

By Anil Kumar: Baloch Republican Army fighters attacked a convoy of the Chinese exploitive company with remote controlled explosives in Ormara area of Gwadar, a vehicle was completely destroyed killing all the four personnel, Pakistani and Chinese, inside the vehicle, according to spokesman of the Bloch Liberation Army organisation.

"We will defend each and every inch of our motherland, Balochistan," said Baloch Republican Army.

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Occupational Pakistan and China's exploitive projects and imperialist designs are against the Baloch will, they shall rather quit these projects and withdraw from Balochistan or face consequences.

These projects and personnel working on them will be under our attacks - Sarbaz Baloch, spokesman for the Baloch Republican Army.

Also read:

Pakistan human rights watchdog warns army over Baloch protests in Quetta and Karachi

Baloch activist Naela Qadri Baloch in Delhi to form government-in-exile



Baloch Liberation Army accepts attack on Rawalpindi bound Pakistan train in Mach



Balochistan liberation voices raised in Quetta

--- ENDS ---
Two men were killed Saturday in the Potomac River south of Washington when their high-powered racing boat flipped over and ejected them as they were taking part in a time trial.

James A. Melley, Jr., 49, of Buford, Ga., was operating the 36-foot offshore racing vessel in the river off Fairview Beach, Va., in Charles County, Md. waters, said Candy Thomson, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police. The other man killed was Garth Thomas Tagge, 61, of Atlanta, Thomson said.

Late Saturday morning the vessel was nearing a trial point on the river at very high speed when the bow lifted. The boat rose from the water, and the men were thrown out, Thomson said. A Charles County Fire and Rescue boat, brought them on board and began CPR.

Resuscitation efforts were unavailing, and both men died about 12:40 p.m., Thomson said.

The men were taking part in an annual event called the Potomac River Radar Run, said Guy Booth, part owner of Tims II restaurant, which is near the time trial site.

Boats run a mile-long course, one by one, to be clocked by radar to determine which is fastest, Booth said. Speeds Saturday reached as high as 170 mph, he said.

Participants know the dangers, he said. It wasnt done for money, he said, but for pride.
In this file photo from 2013, the Watkins family meets with Stanton Elementary teachers, Samantha Antunez,, middle right, and Melissa Bryant, right, in Washington, D.C. (Amanda Voisard/For The Washington Post)

Dear new D.C. Public Schools chancellor:

You have not been named yet, but I am told your appointment is coming soon. Whoever you are, I hope you will take this message seriously. I am not asking you to do anything new; I am simply requesting that you preserve two vulnerable D.C. initiatives with great potential for good.

First, I want you to protect the Family Engagement Partnership. (My second suggestion comes next week.) Among other things, the partnership has D.C. teachers visiting students neighborhoods to talk with their parents and guardians. Almost no other school districts do this. The vast majority fear that teachers dont have time for it and that it would cost too much and be too risky.

Lets put aside for a moment the appalling and untested assumption that teachers arent safe in students neighborhoods. Whats important is that D.C. schools have been doing this for five years. Struggling urban school systems rarely get credit for their successes. Home visits in the District are a prime example of that.

[From the archives: District officials turn to home visits to boost schools]

There were 848 visits in the 2011-2012 school year. Last years number was about 14 times greater  12,095 visits. This school year, the program is working in 31 schools and is expected to have at least 12,000 home visits, and probably more.

Teachers in the program have been smart and careful. With financial support from the D.C. Public Schools and the Flamboyan Foundation, they use methods developed by educators in Sacramento, home of the nonprofit Parent Teacher Home Visits network.

The D.C. teachers get parents permission to visit homes. They dont take notes. They visit the homes of all kinds of students, from best to worst. They mostly listen. They come in pairs after school or on weekends, each being paid $34 per visit, with some extra for teacher leaders at each school. One teacher told me she offers to meet the parents at the local Starbucks or Panera Bread if they like.

This is a rare feat. Carrie Rose, executive director of Parent Teacher Home Visits, said that about 40 school districts in the country are training and conducting visits using this model. There were 30,000 home visits in 17 states and the District in the 2014-2015 year, but the portion of districts involved is just about three-tenths of 1 percent. Although a few other places do visits, it is unlikely the total is more than 1 percent of all districts.

[An urban school serving needy kids posted big test gains. How did they do it?]

According to Rose, time and fear inhibit such initiatives. We all know that parents and teachers are often in survival mode, with day-to-day responsibilities and curriculum mandates, she said. Finding time to do a visit and then to reflect on the experience can be very challenging.

More disturbing is the role of unexamined bias. Rose said the first question she gets from school district administrators is, How can we guarantee safety? Rose notes that in public education today most teachers are white and most students and their families are not. Often, she said, teachers do not live in the neighborhoods where they teach . . . [but] when teachers and parents meet in person outside of the institutional setting, they let go of previous assumptions about each other.

The D.C. program has handled the security issue by sending teachers in pairs and setting up visits in advance. The impact on schooling has been impressive. A Johns Hopkins University study found that D.C. students who had a home visit had 24 percent fewer absences and were 1.5 times more likely to read at or above grade level. Ninety-six percent of parents visited said the experience was beneficial to their relationship with the school, and 91 percent said it helped them feel more confident about supporting their children academically.

Doesnt that seem worth saving? Next week, Ill discuss the Districts equally daring efforts to cooperate with charter schools.

Sincerely,

Jay Mathews
Gov. Larry Hogan talks to the press in June. Most Marylanders support the Republicans move toward longer academic summers. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

When Gov. Larry Hogan shocked parents and school administrators this summer by extending summer break through Labor Day, he said school systems that did not want to change their calendars could seek waivers.

That is the way it works in neighboring Virginia, where a growing number of counties, including the states largest jurisdiction, Fairfax County, have received permission to start before Labor Day beginning next year.

But Hogan (R) last week amended his post-Labor Day executive order to make clear that in Maryland, only a handful of charter and other specialty schools and school districts that traditionally have a lot of weather-related closings will be eligible for calendar waivers.

His action triggered a potential battle with his own state Board of Education and left conservative policy experts as well as local school officials accusing the popular governor of imposing a mandate that may help tourism on the Eastern Shore but might not be in the best interest of students.

I understand the spirit in which the governor issued his executive order, but I wish the consideration was more on the educational and social impacts on children, said Patricia ONeill, a member of the Montgomery County Board of Education.

A midday scene from a summer past along the beach in Ocean City. (Jeffrey MacMillan/The Washington Post)

[Montgomery superintendent: Narrowing the achievement gap is a moral imperative]

The Montgomery board voted this past Monday night to seek a waiver from the mandate, noting the academic ground students lose during long summer breaks. But under the new rules, which were released late Tuesday, the states largest school system and nearly all others throughout the state would not be eligible for a waiver.

Hogan said the Montgomery school board made a big mistake in thinking that a waiver would have been granted to the states largest district.

The first order was very clear that it had to be extenuating circumstances, Hogan said. They had to show why they could not comply with the law, not just that they didnt feel like following the law.

In past years, local school districts have set their own calendars. State law mandates certain holidays, including Christmas, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day and Memorial Day.

Although a bipartisan task force appointed by Hogans predecessor, Gov. Martin OMalley (D), recommended a post-Labor Day start, legislation never moved forward in Annapolis. Worcester County, home to the beach resort town of Ocean City, is the only one of the states 24 school districts to structure its calendar that way.

But Hogan insists that starting school after Labor Day worked for him and for generations of other adults and remains a popular idea with a large majority of state residents. A recent Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found that almost three-quarters of Marylanders approve of the governors mandate, and support remained strong even when respondents were told the change could require some districts to trim other days off.

Im the first one to follow through on something that somewhere between 70 and 90 percent of the state wants, including a majority of teachers, parents and students, Hogan said. And it amazes me that a handful of people are saying we couldnt care less what a supermajority of 70, 80, 90 percent of the people want.

[Marylanders support longer summers and legal marijuana]

Under Hogans original order, school districts that had a compelling justification to continue classes past June 15 or resume them before Labor Day could receive a waiver from the state Board of Education. The board, which indicated last month that it would probably grant waivers to districts that applied, was in the process of creating guidelines for the waivers.

But in a surprise move last week, Hogan amended the order and spelled out specific, narrow criteria that must be met for school districts to receive waivers, effectively taking the state Board of Education out of the decision-making process.

Peter Hamm, a spokesman for state Comptroller Peter Franchot (D), said Franchot supports Hogans amendment, which establishes reasonable accommodations for communities with legitimate issues but . . . circumvents efforts to take advantage of the waiver process.

State education board member Chester E. Finn Jr., who was appointed by Hogan, said the governors most recent action raises questions about whether he has the authority to insert himself into the management of schools.

The state attorney generals office issued an opinion last month saying Hogan may have exceeded his authority with his initial post-Labor Day start order. Several Democratic lawmakers had sought the legal advice, but they have not said whether they will attempt to pass a law blocking the mandate during the coming legislative session.

House Majority Leader Anne Kaiser (D-Montgomery) said there are good reasons that proposals to require a post-Labor Day start have failed in the General Assembly before.

Each time the bill has come before the Ways and Means Committee, she said, she has asked the same question: What does this policy do to help students?

I wouldnt hear anything, no real answer, Kaiser said, adding that she is concerned about the impact of summer learning loss. The critics have pointed out the downside . . . and we know about the food insecurity issues that some kids have. And not everyone with an extra week is taking an extra vacation; they are paying for more child care.

[Staving off the summer slide: High-quality summer programs for the poor]

School districts across the state are racing to adopt their 2017-2018 calenders and are scrambling to see whether they will have to reduce spring breaks to adhere to the mandate.

Some officials said their biggest challenge may not come this year but will happen in subsequent years when Christmas or certain Jewish holidays do not fall on weekends.

Right now we are simply trying to navigate this sea of uncertainty and unrest, to try to create the best instructional calendar that we can create for our students next year, said Bob Mosier, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County School District.

Finn called Hogans recent action very bad education policy in a blog post for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative think tank where he serves as president emeritus.

He said students have too little learning time already. If we only did what people want, wed listen to kids who say, Id rather go to school one day a week,  Finn said. Well, thats not whats good for them.

Hogan, who is highly popular in heavily Democratic Maryland, appeared unfazed by the criticism during an appearance in Hagerstown last week. In an interview, he almost seemed to dare his detractors to go against the order.

You can disagree with a policy, and I think the state board members . . . have every right to disagree with me. Montgomery County Board of Education can think its a terrible idea, but they cannot ignore or violate the law, Hogan said. The law says they have to follow this school mandate.


Tammie Hagen rests after working to register voters at the Third Street Bethel A.M.E. Church while the church was providing free lunches. (Timothy C. Wright/For The Washington Post)



Tammie Hagen, an ex-felon who registers other ex-felons to vote, was fighting an uphill battle during a rough week.

Her 44-year-old brother, a longtime drug user, was in intensive care with liver and kidney problems. She was trying to convince her mother to show her brother some tough love about his addiction, but her mother is suffering from Stage 4 breast cancer. And Hagen was still shaken by a shooting she witnessed a few days earlier while trying to register voters in a Richmond housing project.

Days before Virginias Oct. 17 registration deadline, she was working the crowd outside the Third Street Bethel A.M.E. Church south of downtown, where men and women  many of whom are homeless and have criminal records  line up for a weekly free lunch.

Does anyone need to check to see if their rights have been restored? Hagen shouts.

Hagen said Virginia hasnt made her job easy. Theres confusion among ex-offenders after Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) announced in April that he planned to restore voting rights to more than 200,000 felons  only to have his order invalidated by the states Supreme Court in July.



Tammie Hagen helps Eugene Coles Jr. register to vote as he waits in a line in Richmond. (Timothy C. Wright/For The Washington Post)

The Third Street Bethel AME church in Richmond. (Timothy C. Wright/For The Washington Post)

That decision forced the governor to do the job on a case-by-case basis, instead of en masse. He has restored the rights of more than 85,000 Virginians since he took office, including more than 67,000 since the court decision, a spokesman for the governors office said.

[Virginias McAuliffe to announce restoration of voting rights to 13,000 felons]

Hagen said she has helped a couple hundred people win back their right to vote and has registered 900 new voters. But many people she works with have bigger problems than getting to the polls.

Various obstacles to voting

Those gathering to eat at Third Street Bethel are poor. Some are addicted to drugs. They might have physical or mental disabilities. They might live on the streets, with no permanent address to receive mail. Many dont want to talk about their past.

Such obstacles dont make paperwork easy. People with felony convictions in Virginia need to petition the state to get their voting rights back. Then, they need to register to vote. To vote, they need photo ID. And they need to know where to cast their ballots.

Hagen, a $15-per-hour employee of the nonpartisan, nonprofit New Virginia Majority, is not deterred. Since her car died earlier this year, she has been riding a bike with a Question Authority sticker, endlessly asking: Are you registered to vote?

At Third Street Bethel, Hagen, 52, is a familiar face. She approaches Maurice Williams, who lost his right to vote in 1986, when he was convicted of a felony that he wouldnt discuss.

I just hope they give it back, Williams, 52, said as Hagen used her phone to check his status in Virginias online database. I just want to vote. I would like to have the privilege.



Hagen speaks as James Barrett, 62, listens while they stand outside the Third Street Bethel A.M.E. Church. (Timothy C. Wright/For The Washington Post)

Hagen puts her hand on James Barrett's hand as she speaks with him about his voting status. He says the last time he voted was when Clinton was in office. (Timothy C. Wright/For The Washington Post)

Another man  James Barrett, 62, who said he lives in a warehouse nearby  pulls Hagen out of the line for food. Although he successfully petitioned to get his rights back, he couldnt register because, for reasons neither he or Hagen fully understand, the state wont recognize his address as valid.

I care about whos going to be in the White House, Barrett said. The last time I voted was when Clinton was in office.

A tough childhood

Hagen was born and raised in Richmonds Oak Grove neighborhood. She was a half-Cherokee girl with curly hair who was looked down upon in a tough neighborhood where men carried knives in their boots.

At 5, my ambition was to be a gangster, she said.

She landed in juvenile detention at age 9 after running away. Then, at 13, she again ran away and landed in Florida, where she was picked up by a biker while hitchhiking. That biker sold her, she said, to a high-ranking member of a motorcycle gang for $2,000 and a diamond ring.

Hagen married the motorcycle gang member, going on the run with him until the early 1980s, when she came home to Richmond. She said she sold drugs, and abused them. She ran a heavy metal bar, the Hungry Fox, on the citys south side. She also had three children.

Then, in the early 1990s, Hagen was sent to prison for drug possession, among other charges, after what she said was a six-month binge. She lost custody of her kids, spent much of the 1990s behind bars in Virginia and was released in 2000.



Hagen walks past a line of people outside the Third Street Bethel A.M.E. Church waiting for the doors to open. Hagen was born and raised in Richmonds Oak Grove neighborhood. (Timothy C. Wright/For The Washington Post)

While incarcerated, Hagen said she started to think of herself differently.

I always thought I was a bad person and needed to get good, she said. I didnt realize that substance abuse disorder was an illness. I had no idea.

She also began to see the criminal justice system and poverty in a new way.

[Virginia suspends drivers licenses in unconstitutional scheme, class action says ]

The whole thing is set up to fail, Hagen said. Its set up to keep people who are down down. And quiet. Because if you are busy spending your whole fricking day figuring out how to keep a roof over your head, you have no time to do anything else.

Inspired by the example of former congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, a son of the late senator Edward M. Kennedy, who is open about his mental-health problems and struggles with addiction, she also became more politically active. She fought against food deserts in her neighborhood, and she joined the national fight for a $15 minimum wage. Richmond Magazine, not to mention the New York Times, wrote about her.

When she learned that other states let people with felony convictions vote and, in Maine and Vermont, felons can vote while incarcerated, registering those around her just made sense.

I was a political kindergartner then, she said.  . . . I didnt really know that I deserved anything better than what I had.



Former D.C. resident Glenn Artis stands outside his new Richmond apartment with Hagen. Virginias registration deadline is Oct. 17. (Timothy C. Wright/For The Washington Post)

A blessing

After two hours at the church, Hagen gets a call from Glenn Artis, a homeless man who recently found a way off the street.

Artis is in an unusual position. Convicted of a felony in D.C. that he wont discuss, he was in federal prison from 2001 to 2008. When he was released, he was able to vote in Washington but lost his voting rights when he moved to Richmond to spend time with his ailing father.

Hagen helped Artis win back his rights. He had just moved into a two-bedroom apartment his sister rented for him and is eager to show it off. His belongings are still in garbage bags.

This right here is a blessing, he said as Hagen prepares a voter registration form with his new address. Hes so new to the place that he has to check the front door for his apartment number.

Hagen lingers outside the church for almost two hours, even after the crowd moves inside when lunch is served. Shell talk to anyone  criminal record or not  including people at nursing homes or at a Richmond bus transfer station.

They dont think Im looking down my nose at them, she said. They dont think Im trying to do them a favor. People get a sense that I understand where they are, because Ive been there.

Former felons in Virginia face so many battles, Hagen said, that letting them vote shouldnt be another one.

Nothing can stand in the way of this mission, she said. This is about democracy.
Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey (D) said she wants to discuss raising  and possibly doubling  pay for elected board members, because the job requires more than full time hours.

Garvey said in an interview that she would support something on the order of matching board pay more closely to the median family income in the county, which is $110,900. Board members are currently paid $51,480, and the chairman receives $56,629 per year; the board last raised its own pay in 2012.

This is more than a full-time job, with more than one event practically every night, board meetings that go late into the night and weekend appearances, said Garvey, who manages real estate part time and has become known on the board for questioning major capital spending. If people are working 21/2 full-time jobs and worried about paying the mortgage and having a family, I dont think they can do that.

[Antidote to apathy; rush of write-in candidates for Manassas Park council]

Three of the five elected board members have separate full-time jobs. John Vihstadt (I) is a partner with the law firm Krooth & Altman in Washington; Christian Dorsey (D) is director of external and government affairs for the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank; and Katie Cristol (D) is an education-policy adviser with Education First, a policy and strategy organization. Only Garvey and Jay Fisette (D) are primarily employed as board members.

Fisette said a 100 percent pay boost sounds too high, sounds unrealistic.

Vihstadt said he does not favor a pay raise, either, although he has cut back on his practice hours and given up some income since he was elected to the board in 2014.

I think an outside job helps ground us and serves to remind us this is how the rest of the community lives all the time, he said. A lot of people already treat this as a full-time job, and if you can afford to do that, you can, but it insulates you and stifles your creativity.

Both Cristol and Dorsey, who were elected 11 months ago, said they have had to cut back on their main employment to handle the government positions. They said they would welcome a public discussion about whether the board is paid adequately.

Dorsey said that between County Board responsibilities and his appointment to represent Arlington on the Metro Board of Directors, his work at the Economic Policy Institute has become part time. He quickly added that he knew what he was getting into when he ran for office, although most people cant believe we do this for part-time pay.

[After feuding with his city council, this mayor recruited a new one]

Salaries for elected officials in the greater Washington area range widely among jurisdictions, with the bigger cities and counties paying its leaders more.

Arlington County has about 225,000 residents, according to U.S. Census reports, about one-third as many as the District and less than a quarter of the population of Fairfax or Montgomery counties.

Washington, which acts as both a city and state, pays full-time council members $134,852 per year; the council chair makes $190,000. Fairfax County, the biggest local government by population, pays its board chair $100,000 and board members $95,000. Montgomery County pays council members $128,519 and the council president about $141,000.

The city of Alexandria, with about 150,000 residents, pays its part-time council members $27,500 and its mayor $30,500. The Alexandria City Council dropped an effort to raise its pay 10 months ago after running into public resistance and running out of time to act.

Garvey, who is heavily favored to win a second full term Nov. 8, said she is unlikely to propose a pay raise this year. She said she wanted to raise the idea now to give the public time to respond and to figure out how to calculate a fair salary.

In any case, the Arlington County Board could not legally pass a pay raise until 2019, because under Virginia law, the vote has to occur in a year in which at least 40 percent of its seats are up for election. Because Arlington has staggered terms, thats three years away.

Any pay increase would not take effect until January 2020, said Arlington County Attorney Stephen MacIsaac.

Montgomery Countys council in 2013 approved an increase for its members after the 2014 elections, then tied annual adjustments to the regions consumer price index. That will bring the council compensation to a projected $136,258 by 2017.
North Carolina

Local GOP office struck by molotov cocktail

A local Republican Party office in North Carolina was damaged by fire and someone spray-painted an anti-GOP slogan referring to Nazi Republicans on a nearby wall, authorities said Sunday.

A news release from the town of Hillsborough said someone threw a bottle filled with flammable liquid through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight. The substance ignited and damaged furniture and the interior before burning out.

The news release said an adjacent building was spray-painted with the words: Nazi Republicans leave town or else.

State GOP director Dallas Woodhouse said no one was injured, but a security alert is being sent to party offices statewide.

Another business owner discovered the damage Sunday morning. Local police are investigating alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Woodhouse said the interior of the office had extensive damage. He said that people sometimes work after hours but that no one was there at the time.

Tom Stevens (D), the mayor of the town about 40 miles northwest of Raleigh, condemned the act in a statement.

This highly disturbing act goes far beyond vandalizing property; it willfully threatens our communitys safety via fire, and its hateful message undermines decency, respect and integrity in civic participation, he said in a news release.

 Associated Press

California

New bridge officers will aim to stop suicides

Five new officers will be hired to patrol the Golden Gate Bridge specifically to search for people looking to jump to their death.

The bridge board last week approved adding the new bridge officers to the patrol, bringing the total to 22. They are expected to be working on the span in about two months, the Marin Independent Journal reported.

Between 2000 and 2005, bridge officers were able to stop an average of 52 people a year from jumping from the span. In 2016, there have been 138 successful interventions and the number is projected to exceed 200 by the end of the year.

The increase in successful interventions is directly related to having more officers patrolling the bridges sidewalks, said Capt. Lisa Locati, the spans top law enforcement official.

In August, bridge officials announced a partnership with Crisis Text Line, which allows people in crisis to text GGB to 741741 and almost immediately have access to a counselor. Bridge security is also notified. Signs referring people to the service are now on the span.

In June 2014, the bridge board unanimously agreed to build a suicide barrier, expected to be completed by 2020.

More than 1,400 people have jumped to their deaths since the bridge opened in 1937.

 Associated Press

Vote on tax hike to hit local ballots: California is booming, yet many of its cities arent feeling it. From Yreka, near the Oregon border, to El Centro, just north of Mexico, more than 80 local governments will ask voters next month to approve sales-tax increases, the most on record. Although some aim to boost spending on roads or other projects, most measures would just provide extra cash. In Ridgecrest, Fairfax, and Fountain Valley, officials say the revenue would eliminate budget deficits or prevent cuts to police and fire departments. The governments revenue isnt keeping up with rising expenses, including for employee pensions, despite the thriving technology industry, home-price gains and rapid economic growth in much of the state. Thats due in part to the landmark property-tax limits California voters approved almost four decades ago that have prevented municipalities from reaping windfalls as the housing market rebounded from last decades crash.

 Bloomberg News
Pakistani Hindu student from Balochistan has approached the external affairs ministry to help him with his education that has been affected by the ongoing crisis.

By Mustafa Shaikh: In 2012, Pakistani Hindu student Sagar Udassi (20) and his family moved to India along with his family. He was hoping for a brighter future and an escape from religious persecution in Balochistan.

But due to issues related to bureaucracy, he was forced to wait for three years to clear his HSC exams. It did not end there, till he secured his HSC results, option for NRI's was struck down from All India pre-medical test (AIPMT) -- There is option for Oversees Citizen of India (OCI) which excludes Pakistan and Bangladesh-- and now Sagar (24) has exceeded the age limit.

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Also read: Pakistan human rights watchdog warns army over Baloch protests in Quetta and Karachi



"I did my HSC in 2013 from a college in Ulhasnagar but Maharashtra State Board refused to give the mark sheet (copy of hall ticket is with India Today) asking for a certification from Pakistan and attestation on the forms of Maharashtra Education Board. The board gave me a deadline of one month which got over till the time I understood the procedure. I started from scratch then it took me two years to get my attestation from Karachi Embassy. I went to Pakistan in 2015 for a month and got the relevant certificates, but the authorities in Karachi refused to stamp forms given by Maharashtra Education board. This doomed my chances of studies in Maharastra," said Sagar.

Also read: Sushma Swaraj meets Pakistani refugee Madhu, helps her get admission into school

SELF STUDY AMID CRISIS

During his visit to Pakistan Embassy in Delhi, Sagar met a Baloch native who now resides in Indore. He told them that Madhya Pardesh government has eased the process of college admission for Pakistani Hindus. After which he took an admission in MP and passed HSC with 62 per cent. Although it was difficult to appear from a different, he managed to clear the exams with his self study.

Also read: Baloch activist Naela Qadri Baloch in Delhi to form government-in-exile



"We are not allowed to move out of Thane. I had to study on my own and then take permissions from Thane police to visit MP to appear for the exams," he said.

Udassi family is staying in India for the last five years. They will have to wait for two more years after which they can apply for Indian citizenship. Till then studies of Sagar is in turmoil because he cannot appear for AIPMT as he has exceeded the age limit. Sagar has pleaded to Prime Minister and Eternal Affairs Minister through Twitter for help. He is yet to receive a reply.



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"I have approached different government medical colleges they said that if government can make exceptions. Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj has helped students like me in the past. If she can make help me it will be a great help. But the years wasted waiting for my mark sheet has cost me dear. My uncle and nephews are doctors hence I too wanted to be pursue the same career," said Sagar.

Also read: Baloch Liberation Army accepts attack on Rawalpindi bound Pakistan train in Mach



BALOCHISTAN CONTINUES TO HAUNT



Sagar still remembers the horrors they have to face in Balochistan where kidnapping, forced conversions, blast and murders are an everyday affair. His cousin Rakesh was abducted and killed in Lahore as he refused to convert to Islam.



A doctor friend of Rakesh was let off as he accepted conversion he informed Udassi family about atrocities on Rakesh. This is when Sagar's father thought of leaving the country.



"When I visited Karachi in 2015 our auto rickshaw was approached by two assailants on a motorbike who pointed a gun at me and asked for all my belongings. We were fortunate that the rickshaw driver was a native and he threatened to inform the army. As a child I and my family have seen a blast at a dargah in Fatehpur, Balochistan. We come from a place where people don't venture out of home after 7 pm, here at least we can move about freely," said Sagar.

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Also read: Balochistan liberation voices raised in Quetta



--- ENDS ---


Derek Black, 27, was following in his fathers footsteps as a white nationalist leader until he began to question the movements ideology. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Their public conference had been interrupted by a demonstration march and a bomb threat, so the white nationalists decided to meet secretly instead. They slipped past police officers and protesters into a hotel in downtown Memphis. The country had elected its first black president just a few days earlier, and now in November 2008, dozens of the worlds most prominent racists wanted to strategize for the years ahead.

The fight to restore White America begins now, their agenda read.

The room was filled in part by former heads of the Ku Klux Klan and prominent neo-Nazis, but one of the keynote speeches had been reserved for a Florida community college student who had just turned 19. Derek Black was already hosting his own radio show. He had launched a white nationalist website for children and won a local political election in Florida. The leading light of our movement, was how the conference organizer introduced him, and then Derek stepped to the lectern.

The way ahead is through politics, he said. We can infiltrate. We can take the country back.

Years before Donald Trump launched a presidential campaign based in part on the politics of race and division, a group of avowed white nationalists was working to make his rise possible by pushing its ideology from the radical fringes ever closer to the far conservative right. Many attendees in Memphis had transformed over their careers from Klansmen to white supremacists to self-described racial realists, and Derek Black represented another step in that evolution.

He never used racial slurs. He didnt advocate violence or lawbreaking. He had won a Republican committee seat in Palm Beach County, Fla., where Trump also had a home, without ever mentioning white nationalism, talking instead about the ravages of political correctness, affirmative action and unchecked Hispanic immigration.

He was not only a leader of racial politics but also a product of them. His father, Don Black, had created Stormfront, the Internets first and largest white nationalist site, with 300,000 users and counting. His mother, Chloe, had once been married to David Duke, one of the countrys most infamous racial zealots, and Duke had become Dereks godfather. They had raised Derek at the forefront of the movement, and some white nationalists had begun calling him the heir.

Now Derek spoke in Memphis about the future of their ideology. The Republican Party has to be either demolished or taken over, he said. Im kind of banking on the Republicans staking their claim as the white party.

A few people in the audience started to clap, and then a few more began to whistle, and before long the whole group was applauding. Our moment, Derek said, because at least in this room there was consensus. They believed white nationalism was about to drive a political revolution. They believed, at least for the moment, that Derek would help lead it.

Years from now, we will look back on this, he said. The great intellectual move to save white people started today.

***



Don Black poses for a portrait earlier this month in Crossville, Tenn. Black established the white nationalist website Stormfront, which has grown to more than 300,000 users. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Eight years later, that future they envisioned in Memphis was finally being realized in the presidential election of 2016. Donald Trump was retweeting white supremacists. Hillary Clinton was making speeches about the rise of white hate and quoting David Duke, who had launched his own campaign for the U.S. Senate.

White nationalism had bullied its way toward the very center of American politics, and yet, one of the people who knew the ideology best was no longer anywhere near that center. Derek had just turned 27, and instead of leading the movement, he was trying to untangle himself not only from the national moment but also from a life he no longer understood.

From the very beginning, that life had taken place within the insular world of white nationalism, where there was never any doubt about what whiteness could mean in the United States. Derek had been taught that America was intended as a place for white Europeans and that everyone else would eventually have to leave. He was told to be suspicious of other races, of the U.S. government, of tap water and of pop culture. His parents pulled him out of public school in West Palm Beach at the end of third grade, when they heard his black teacher say the word aint. By then, Derek was one of only a few white students in a class of mostly Hispanics and Haitians, and his parents decided he would be better off at home.

It is a shame how many White minds are wasted in that system, Derek wrote shortly thereafter, on the Stormfront childrens website he built at age 10. I am no longer attacked by gangs of non whites. I am learning pride in myself, my family and my people.



Derek Black, at age 9, at a gathering in Jackson, Miss., of the white nationalist Council of Conservative Citizens. He is pictured with then-Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice. (Courtesy of Derek Black)

Because he was home-schooled, white nationalism could become a focus of his education. It also meant he had the freedom to begin traveling with his father, who left for several weeks each year to speak at white nationalist conferences in the Deep South. Don Black had grown up in Alabama, where in the 1970s, he joined a group called the White Youth Alliance, led by David Duke, who at the time was married to Chloe. That relationship eventually dissolved, and years later, Don and Chloe reconnected, married and had Derek in 1989. They moved into Chloes childhood home in West Palm Beach to raise Derek along with Chloes two young daughters. There were Guatemalan immigrants living down the block and Jewish retirees moving into a condo nearby. Usurpers, Don sometimes called them, but Chloe didnt want to move away from her aging mother in Florida, so Don settled for taking long road trips to the whitest parts of the South.

Don and Derek always stayed on those trips with Dons friends from the white power movement, and soon Derek had heard many of their stories. There was the time his father, then 16, was shot in the chest while working on a segregationist campaign in Georgia. There was the day in 1981 when he and eight other extremists made plans to board a boat stocked with dynamite, automatic weapons and a Nazi flag. Their plan, called Operation Red Dog, was to take over the tiny Caribbean island nation of Dominica, but instead Don had been caught, arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. He learned some computer programming in federal prison and eventually launched Stormfront in 1995 under the motto: White Pride World Wide.

Over the years, his website attracted all kinds of extremists: skinheads, militia groups, terrorists and Holocaust deniers. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate-watch group, a handful of the people who posted on Stormfront had gone on to commit hate crimes, including killings. One message board user shot and wounded three children at a Jewish day-care center in Los Angeles in 1999. Another killed his Jewish neighbor in 2000 in a town near Pittsburgh. We attract too many sociopaths, Don posted, and he decided that more moderation would give Stormfront greater mainstream credibility.

By then Stormfront had become his full-time job, even though he wasnt making much money and the family was getting by on Chloes salary as an executive assistant. Each morning, she would go to work, and Don would go to his crowded desk in their single-story house, where he recruited authors and academics from the alternative right to post on his site.

In 2008, he banned slurs, Nazi symbols and threats of violence, even as other parts of his own language remained unchanged. He didnt have friends so much as comrades. Everyone was either with us or against us, sympathetic or an enemy, so Derek strengthened his relationship with his father by becoming his greatest ideological ally.

Derek learned Web coding and designed the Stormfront site for children. He was interviewed about hate speech on Nickelodeon, daytime talk shows, HBO and in USA Today. The devil child, was how Don sometimes referred to him, with pride and affection.

But Don also read through nasty emails his son received from strangers who were offended by the Stormfront childrens page, and he began to worry about a 13-year-old who was becoming so familiar with the two-way transaction of prejudice and hate.

You will rot in hell, read one email, in 2002.

I WISH you were in the same room as me right now, read another. You would have to eat through a straw, you low life scumbag.

Don told Derek to stop checking his messages. He would later remember wondering: Did I foist this onto him? Is he just doing this for me? He asked Derek whether he wanted to shut down the childrens page, but Derek said the emails didnt bother him. That was the enemy. Who cared what they thought?

***



Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Don Black, center, at the cross-burning climax of a Klan recruitment rally in 1982. Black would later leave the Klan and begin describing himself as a white civil rights advocate or a racial realist. (Bettmann Archive)

After that, Don began to see something different when he looked at his son: not just a child born into the movement but also an emerging leader, with drive and conviction that seemed entirely his own. Don had spent more than four decades waiting for whites to have a racial awakening in America, and now he began to think that the teenager living in his house could be a potential catalyst.

All of my strengths without any of my weaknesses, Don would later say about Derek back then. He was smarter than me. He had more insight. He never held himself back.

So many others in white nationalism had come to their conclusions out of anger and fear, but Derek tended to like most people he met, regardless of race. Instead, he sought out logic and science to confirm his worldview, reading studies from conservative think tanks about biological differences between races, IQ disparities and rates of violent crime committed by blacks against whites. He launched a daily radio show to share his views, and Don paid $275 each week to have it broadcast on the AM station in nearby Lake Worth. On the air, Derek helped popularize the idea of a white genocide, that whites were losing their culture and traditions to massive, nonwhite immigration. If we say it a thousand times  White genocide! We are losing control of our country!  politicians are going to start saying it, too, he said. He repeated the idea in interviews, Stormfront posts and during his speech at the conference in Memphis, when he was at his most certain.

Derek finished high school, enrolled in community college and ran for a seat on the Republican committee, beating an incumbent with 60 percent of the vote. He decided he wanted to study medieval European history, so he applied to New College of Florida, a top-ranked liberal arts school with a strong history program.

We want you to make history, not just study it, Don and Chloe sometimes reminded him.

New College ranked as one of the most liberal schools in the state  most pot-friendly, most gay-friendly, Don explained on the radio  and to some white nationalists, it seemed a bizarre choice. Once, on the air, a friend asked Don whether he worried about sending his son to a hotbed of multiculturalism, and Don started to laugh.

If anyone is going to be influenced here, it will be them, he said. Soon enough, the whole faculty and student body are going to know who they have in their midst.

***

At first they knew nothing about him, and Derek tried to keep it that way. New College was in Sarasota, three hours across the state, and it was the first time Derek had lived away from home. He attended an introductory college meeting about diversity and concluded that the quickest way to be ostracized was to proclaim himself a racist. He decided not to mention white nationalism on campus, at least until he had made some friends.

Most of the other students in his dorm were college freshmen, and as a 21-year-old transfer student, Derek already had a car and a legal ID to buy beer. The qualities that had once made him seem quirky  shoulder-length red hair, the cowboy hat he wore, a passion for medieval re-enactment  made him a good fit for New College, where many of the 800 students were a little bit weird. He forged his own armor and dressed as a knight for Halloween. He watched zombie movies with students from his dorm, a group that included a Peruvian immigrant and an Orthodox Jew.

Maybe they were usurpers, as his father had said, but Derek also kind of liked them, and gradually he went from keeping his convictions quiet to actively disguising them. When another student mentioned that he had been reading about the racist implications of Lord of the Rings on a website called Stormfront, Derek pretended he had never heard of it.

Meanwhile, early each weekday morning, he would go outside and call in to his radio show. He told friends these were regular calls home to his parents, and in a way, that was true. Every morning, it was Derek and his father, cued in by music from Merle Haggards Im a White Boy. Derek often repeated his belief that whites were being wiped out  a genocide in our own country, he said. He told listeners the problem was massive, nonwhite immigration. He said Obama was an anti-white radical. He said white voters were just waiting for a politician who actually talks about all the ways whites are being stepped on. He said it was the critical fight of our lifetime. Then he hung up and went back to the dorm to play Taylor Swift songs on his guitar or to take one of the colleges sailboats onto Sarasota Bay.

He left after one semester to study abroad in Germany, because he wanted to learn the language. He kept in touch with New College partly through a student message board, known as the forum, whose updates were automatically sent to his email.

One night in April 2011, Derek noticed a message posted to all students at 1:56 a.m. It was written by someone Derek didnt know  an upperclassman who had been researching terrorist groups online when he stumbled across a familiar face.

Have you seen this man? the message read, and beneath those words was a picture that was unmistakable. The red hair. The cowboy hat.

Derek black: white supremacist, radio hostnew college student??? the post read. How do we as a community respond?

***



Derek Black speaks shortly after his election to the Republican Partys executive committee in Palm Beach County, Fla. (Richard Graulich/The Palm Beach Post)

By the time Derek returned to campus for the next semester, more than a thousand responses had been written to that post. It was the biggest message thread in the history of a school that Derek now wanted badly to avoid. He returned to Sarasota, applied for permission to live outside of required student housing and rented a room a few miles away.

A few of his friends from the previous year emailed to say they felt betrayed, and strangers sometimes flipped him off from a safe distance on campus. But, for the most part, Derek avoided public spaces, and other students mostly stared or left him alone, even as their speculation about him continued on the forum.

Maybe hes trying to get away from a life he didnt choose.

He chooses to be a racist public figure. We choose to call him a racist in public.

I just want this guy to die a painful death along with his entire family. Is that too much to ask?

Id like to see Derek Black respond to all of this. 

Instead of replying, Derek read the forum and used it as motivation to plan a conference for white nationalists in East Tennessee. Victory through Argumentation: Verbal tactics for anyone white and normal, he wrote in the invitation. He had spoken at several conferences, including the one in Memphis, but only now did he feel compelled to create another event as white nationalism continued to spread. The white genocide idea he had been championing had finally become a fixture of conservative radio. David Duke had started trying to build a relationship with our friends and allies in the tea party. Donald Trump had riveted the alt-right with his investigation into Obamas birth certificate, and one Gallup poll suggested that only 38 percent of Americans definitely believed Obama was born in the United States.

A critical juncture to keep increasing the profile of our movement, Derek said on the radio, so he registered 150 attendees and scheduled speeches by his father, Duke and other separatist icons.

Another New College student learned about the conference and posted details on the forum, where gradually a new way of thinking had begun to emerge.

Ostracizing Derek wont accomplish anything, one student wrote.

We have a chance to be real activists and actually affect one of the leaders of white supremacy in America. This is not an exaggeration. It would be a victory for civil rights.

Whos clever enough to think of something we can do to change this guys mind?

One of Dereks acquaintances from that first semester decided he might have an idea. He started reading Stormfront and listening to Dereks radio show. Then, in late September, he sent Derek a text message.

What are you doing Friday night? he wrote.

***

Matthew Stevenson had started hosting weekly Shabbat dinners at his campus apartment shortly after enrolling in New College in 2010. He was the only Orthodox Jew at a school with little Jewish infrastructure, so he began cooking for a small group of students at his apartment each Friday night. Matthew always drank from a kiddush cup and said the traditional prayers, but most of his guests were Christian, atheist, black or Hispanic  anyone open-minded enough to listen to a few blessings in Hebrew. Now, in the fall of 2011, Matthew invited Derek to join them.

Matthew had spent a few weeks debating whether it was a good idea. He and Derek had lived near each other in the dorm, but they hadnt spoken since Derek was exposed on the forum. Matthew, who almost always wore a yarmulke, had experienced enough anti-Semitism in his life to be familiar with the KKK, David Duke and Stormfront. He went back and read some of Dereks posts on the site from 2007 and 2008: Jews are NOT white. Jews worm their way into power over our society. They must go.

Matthew decided his best chance to affect Dereks thinking was not to ignore him or confront him, but simply to include him. Maybe hed never spent time with a Jewish person before, Matthew remembered thinking.

It was the only social invitation Derek had received since returning to campus, so he agreed to go. The Shabbat meals had sometimes included eight or 10 students, but this time only a few showed up. Lets try to treat him like anyone else, Matthew remembered instructing them.

Derek arrived with a bottle of wine. Nobody mentioned white nationalism or the forum, out of respect for Matthew. Derek was quiet and polite, and he came back the next week and then the next, until after a few months, nobody felt all that threatened, and the Shabbat group grew back to its original size.

Matthew Stevenson, left, and Derek Black met at New College, in Sarasota, Fla. Stevenson eventually invited Black to join a diverse group for Shabbat dinners. (Matthew Stevenson photo)

On the rare occasions when Derek directed conversation during those dinners, it was about the particulars of Arabic grammar, or marine aquatics, or the roots of Christianity in medieval times. He came across as smart and curious, and mostly he listened. He heard a Peruvian immigrant tell stories about attending a high school that was 90 percent Hispanic. He asked Matthew about his opinions on Israel and Palestine. They were both still wary of each other: Derek wondered whether Matthew was trying to get him drunk so he would say offensive things that would appear on the forum; Matthew wondered whether Derek was trying to cultivate a Jewish friend to protect himself against charges of anti-Semitism. But they also liked each other, and they started playing pool at a bar near campus.

Some members of the Shabbat group gradually began to ask Derek about his views, and he occasionally clarified them in conversations and emails throughout 2011 and 2012. He said he was pro-choice on abortion. He said he was against the death penalty. He said he didnt believe in violence or the KKK or Nazism or even white supremacy, which he insisted was different from white nationalism. He wrote in an email that his only concern was that massive immigration and forced integration was going to result in a white genocide. He said he believed in the rights of all races but thought each was better off in its own homeland, living separately.

You have never clarified, Derek, one of his Shabbat friends wrote to him. Youve never said, Hey all, this is what I do believe and this is what I dont. Its not the job of someone whos potentially scared/intimidated by someone else to approach that person to see if they are in fact scary/intimidating.

I guess I only value the opinions of people I know, Derek wrote back, and now he was beginning to count his Shabbat friends among those he knew and respected. Youre naturally right that I deemphasize my own role, he wrote to them.

He decided early in his final year at New College to finally respond on the forum. He wanted his friends on campus to feel comfortable, even if he still believed some of their homelands were elsewhere. He sat at a coffee shop and began writing his post, softening his ideology with each successive draft. He no longer thought the endpoint of white nationalism was forced deportation for nonwhites, but gradual self-deportation, in which nonwhites would leave on their own. He didnt believe in self-deportation right now, at least not for his friends, but just eventually, in concept.

Its been brought to my attention that people might be scared or intimidated or even feel unsafe here because of things said about me, he began. I wanted to try to address these concerns publicly, as they absolutely should not exist. I do not support oppression of anyone because of his or her race, creed, religion, gender, socioeconomic status or anything similar.

The forum post, intended only for the college, was leaked to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which kept a public Intelligence File on Derek and other racist leaders, and the group emailed Derek for clarification. Was he disavowing white nationalism? Your views are now quite different from what many people thought, the email read.

Derek received the message while vacationing in Europe during winter break. He was staying with Duke, who had started broadcasting his radio show from a part of Europe with lenient free-speech laws. The tea party is taking some of these ideas mainstream, Duke said on a broadcast one morning. Whites are finally coming around to my point of view, he said another day, and even if Derek now thought some of what Duke said sounded exaggerated or even alarming, the man was still his godfather. Derek wrote back to the SPLC from Dukes couch.

Everything I said (on the forum) is true, he wrote. I also believe in White Nationalism. My post and my racial ideology are not mutually exclusive concepts.

***



Former Ku Klux Klan leader and current U.S. Senate candidate David Duke campaigns in Louisiana. Duke acted as a godfather and a mentor to Derek Black during his rise in white nationalism. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

But the unstated truth was that Derek was becoming more and more confused about exactly what he believed. Sometimes he looked through posts on Stormfront, hoping to reaffirm his ideology, but now the message threads about Obamas birth certificate or DNA tests for citizenship just seemed bizarre and conspiratorial. He stopped posting on Stormfront. He began inventing excuses to get out of his radio show, leaving his father alone on the air each morning to explain why Derek wouldnt be calling in. He was preparing for a test. He was giving those liberal professors hell. Except sometimes what Derek was really doing was taking his kayak to the beach, so he could be alone to think.

He had always based his opinions on fact, and lately his logic was being dismantled by emails from his Shabbat friends. They sent him links to studies showing that racial disparities in IQ could largely be explained by extenuating factors like prenatal nutrition and educational opportunities. They gave him scientific papers about the effects of discrimination on blood pressure, job performance and mental health. He read articles about white privilege and the unfair representation of minorities on television news. One friend emailed: The geNOcide against whites is incredibly, horribly insulting and degrading to real, actual, lived and experienced genocides against Jews, against Rwandans, against Armenians, etc.

I dont hate anyone because of race or religion, Derek clarified on the forum.

I am not a white supremacist, he wrote.

I dont believe people of any race, religion or otherwise should have to leave their homes or be segregated or lose any freedom.

Derek, a friend responded. I feel like you are a representative of a movement you barely buy into. You need to identify with more than 1/50th of a belief system to consider it your belief system.

He was taking classes in Jewish scripture and German multiculturalism during his last year at New College, but most of his research was focused on medieval Europe. He learned that Western Europe had begun not as a great society of genetically superior people but as a technologically backward place that lagged behind Islamic culture. He studied the 8th century to the 12th century, trying to trace back the modern concepts of race and whiteness, but he couldnt find them anywhere. We basically just invented it, he concluded.

Get out of this, one of his Shabbat friends emailed a few weeks after Dereks graduation in May 2013, urging Derek to publicly disavow white nationalism. Get out before it ruins some part of your future more than it already irreparably has.

Derek stayed near campus to housesit for a professor after graduation, and he began to consider making a public statement. He knew he no longer believed in white nationalism, and he had made plans to distance himself from his past by changing part of his name and moving across the country for graduate school. His instinct was to slip away quietly, but his advocacy had always been public  a legacy of radio shows, Internet posts, TV appearances, and an annual conference on racial tactics.

He was still considering what to do when he returned home to visit his parents later that summer. His father was tracking the rise of white nationalism on cable TV, and his parents were talking about enemies and comrades in the ongoing war, but now it sounded ridiculous to Derek. He spent the day rebuilding windows with them, which was one of Dereks quirky hobbies that his parents had always supported. They had bought his guitar and joined in his medieval re-enactments. They had paid his tuition at the liberal arts college where he had Shabbat dinners. They had taught him, most of all, to be independent and ideological, and to speak his beliefs even when doing so resulted in backlash.

He left the house that night and went to a bar. He took out his computer and began writing a statement.

A large section of the community I grew up in believes strongly in white nationalism, and members of my family whom I respect greatly, particularly my father, have long been resolute advocates for that cause. I was not prepared to risk driving a wedge in those relationships.

After a great deal of thought since then, I have resolved that it is in the best interests of everyone involved to be honest about my slow but steady disaffiliation from white nationalism. I cant support a movement that tells me I cant be a friend to whomever I wish or that other peoples races require me to think of them in a certain way or be suspicious at their advancements.

The things I have said as well as my actions have been harmful to people of color, people of Jewish descent, activists striving for opportunity and fairness for all. I am sorry for the damage done.

He continued to write for several more paragraphs before addressing an email to the SPLC, the group his father had considered a primary adversary for 40 years.

Publish in full, Derek instructed. Then he attached the letter and hit send.

***



Don Black poses for a portrait at a park Oct. 2, 2016, in Crossville, Tenn. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Don was at the computer the next afternoon searching Google when Dereks name popped up in a headline on his screen. For a decade, Don had been typing Stormfront and Derek Black into the search bar a few times each week to track his sons public rise in white nationalism. This particular story had been published by the SPLC, which Don had always referred to as the Poverty Palace.

Activist Son of Key Racist Leader Renounces White Nationalism, it read, and Don began to read the letter. It had phrases like structural oppression, privilege, limited opportunity, and marginalized groups  the kind of liberal-apologist language Don and Derek had often made fun of on the radio.

You got hacked, Don remembered telling Derek, once he reached him on the phone.

Its real, Derek said, and then he heard the sound of his father hanging up.

For the next few hours, Don was in disbelief. Maybe Derek was pulling a prank on him. Maybe he still believed in white nationalism but just wanted an easier life.

Derek called back, and this time his mother answered. She said that she didnt want to speak to him. She handed the phone to Don, and his voice was shaky and tearful. Derek had never heard him that way. I cant talk, Don said, and he hung up again.

Later that night, Don logged on to the Stormfront message board. Im sure this will be all over the Net and our local media, so Ill start here, he wrote, posting a link to Dereks letter. I dont want to talk to him. He says he doesnt understand why wed feel betrayed just because he announced his personal beliefs to our worst enemies.

For the next several days, Don couldnt bring himself to post anything more. I was a little depressed anyway, but at that point I wanted to quit everything, he said later, remembering that time. Whats the point? I didnt do much of anything for probably 10 days. It was the worst event of my adult life.

He logged back onto Stormfront a week later. After a miserable seven days, I feel the need to vent, he wrote. I only know what Derek tells me, which has been baffling. Ive decided he really believes this crap. Derek repeated his belief that family ties are separate from politics. I said that obviously wasnt true with a family centered around political activism.

Hundreds of posts quickly followed. Some offered Don condolences. Others said that Derek was a traitor or that Don could no longer be trusted, either. Don wrote a few posts in response, sometimes defending Derek and other times distancing himself, until after a few weeks it all hurt too much.

Im closing this thread, Don wrote, finally, describing it as an open wound.

***

Derek returned home a few weeks later for his fathers birthday, even though his mother and his half-sisters had asked him not to come. I think I might be getting disowned, Derek had written to one college friend. But he was about to leave Florida for graduate school, and he wanted to say goodbye.

He arrived at his grandmothers house for the party, and he would later remember how strange it felt when his half-sisters would barely acknowledge him. His mother was polite but cold. Don tried to invite Derek inside, but the rest of the family wanted him to leave. I got uninvited to my own party, Don later remembered. They said if I wanted to see him, we both had to go.

They left and went for a drive, first to the beach and then to a restaurant, where they sat at a booth near the back. Derek still had his dry sense of humor. He still made smart observations about politics and history. Same old Derek, Don concluded, after a few hours, and that fact surprised him. His grief had been so profound that hed expected some physical manifestation of the loss. Instead, he found himself forgetting for several minutes at a time that Derek was now living on the other side.

Don asked Derek about the theories that had emerged on the Stormfront message thread. Was he just faking a change to have an easier career? Was this his way of rebelling?

When Derek denied those things, Don mentioned the theory he himself had come to believe  the one David Duke had posited in the first hours after Dereks letter went public: Stockholm syndrome. Derek had become a hostage to liberal academia and then experienced empathy for his captors.

Thats so patronizing, Derek remembered saying. How can I prove this is what I really believe?

He tried to convince Don for a few hours at the restaurant. He told him about white privilege and repeated the scientific studies about institutionalized racism. He mentioned the great Islamic societies that had developed algebra and predicted a lunar eclipse. He said that now, as he recognized strains of white nationalism spreading into mainstream politics, he felt accountable. Its not just that I was wrong. Its that it caused real damage, he remembered saying.

I cant believe Im arguing with you, of all people, about racial realities, Don remembered telling him.

The restaurant was closing, and they were no closer to an understanding. Derek went to sleep at his grandmothers house. Then he woke up early and started driving across the country alone.

***



Derek Black is pictured Sept. 25, 2016. Its scary to know that I helped spread this stuff, and now its out there, he told a friend, alluding to the ideology he once promoted. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Every day since then, Derek had been working to put distance between himself and his past. He was still living across the country after finishing his masters degree, and he was starting to learn Arabic to be able to study the history of early Islam. He hadnt spoken to anyone in white nationalism since his defection, aside from occasional calls home to his parents. Instead, hed spent his time catching up on aspects of pop culture hed once been taught to discredit: liberal newspaper columns, rap music and Hollywood movies. Hed come to admire President Obama. He decided to trust the U.S. government. He started drinking tap water. He had taken budget trips to Barcelona, Paris, Dublin, Nicaragua and Morocco, immersing himself in as many cultures as he could.

He joined a new online message group, this one for couch surfers, and he opened up his one-bedroom apartment to strangers looking for a temporary place to stay. It felt increasingly good to trust people  to try to interact without prejudice or judgment  and after a while, Derek began to feel detached from the person he had been.

But then came the election campaign of 2016, and suddenly the white nationalism Derek had been trying to unlearn was the unavoidable subtext to national debates over refugees, immigration, Black Lives Matter and the election itself. Late in August, Derek watched in his apartment as Hillary Clinton gave a major speech about the rise of racism. She explained how white supremacists had rebranded themselves as white nationalists. She referenced Duke and mentioned the concept of a white genocide, which Derek had once helped popularize. She talked about how Trump had hired a campaign manager with ties to the alt-right. She said: A fringe movement has essentially taken over the Republican Party.

It was the very same point Derek had spent so much of his life believing in, but now it made him feel both fearful for the country and implicated. Its scary to know that I helped spread this stuff, and now its out there, he told one of his Shabbat friends.

He also wondered whether he would ever be able to completely detach himself from his past, when so much about it remained public. He was still occasionally recognized as a former racist in graduate school; still written into the will of a man he had befriended through white nationalism; still the godson of Duke; still the son of Chloe and Don.

Late this summer, for the first time in years, he traveled to Florida to see them. At a time of increasingly contentious rhetoric, he wanted to hear what his father had to say. They sat in the house and talked about graduate school and Dons new German shepherd. But after a while, their conversation turned back to ideology, the topic they had always preferred.

Don, who usually didnt vote, said he was going to support Trump.

Derek said he had taken an online political quiz, and his views aligned 97 percent with Hillary Clintons.

Don said immigration restrictions sounded like a good start.

Derek said he actually believed in more immigration, because he had been studying the social and economic benefits of diversity.

Don thought that would result in a white genocide.

Derek thought race was a false concept anyway.

They sat across from each other, searching for ways to bridge the divide. The bay was one block away. Just across from there was Mar-a-Lago, where Trump had lived and vacationed for so many years, once installing an 80-foot pole for a gigantic American flag.

Who would have thought hed be the one to take it mainstream? Don said, and in a moment of so much division, it was the one point on which they agreed.
Thein Htun, 23-year-old Buddhist Rakhine teacher, recovers from a gunshot wound in the abdomen at a hospital in Maung Daw located in Rakhine State on October 15, 2016 after he was shot by unknown gunmen in his village in Kan Thar Yar. (Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images)

SYRIA

Turkish-backed forces cut off stronghold

Syrian opposition fighters backed by Turkish airstrikes launched an offensive Saturday to try to capture Dabiq from the Islamic State group, which assigns special status to the northern Syrian town in its ideology and propaganda.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack was preceded by intense shelling. It said that Turkey-backed opposition fighters captured three nearby villages, encircling Dabiq and cutting off all supply routes.

Turkey sent troops and tanks into northern Syria in August to help opposition forces recapture Islamic State strongholds and curb the advance of a U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia, which Ankara views as an extension of Turkeys outlawed Kurdish separatists.

The town of Dabiq is central to Islamic State propaganda. The extremists, citing ancient prophecy, believe Dabiq will be the scene of an apocalyptic battle between Christianity and Islam. The group named its online magazine after the town, which it has occupied since August 2014.

To the west, a suspected Syrian or Russian air raid on the northern village of Termanin killed at least eight people and wounded dozens more.

In the northern city of Aleppo, Syrian and Russian airstrikes hit several rebel-held eastern neighborhoods amid front-line clashes, according to the Observatory and the Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective.

 Associated Press

NORTH KOREA

Missile launch fails, U.S. military says

South Korea and the United States said Sunday that the latest missile launch by North Korea ended in a failure when the projectile exploded soon after liftoff.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the military believes the North unsuccessfully attempted to fire a midrange Musudan missile. It said the failed launch was made near an airport in the Norths North Pyongan province.

South Korea strongly condemns the launch because it violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic activities by North Korea, the statement said.

The U.S. military first reported that the launch was attempted at 12:03 p.m. Saturday and that the missile didnt pose a threat to North America. The action brought harsh criticism from the United States.

We strongly condemn this and North Koreas other recent missile tests, which violate U.N. Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Koreas launches using ballistic-missile technology, said Cmdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman.

He said the United States would raise concerns at the United Nations.

North Korea has claimed technical breakthroughs toward its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. South Korean defense officials have said the North doesnt yet have such a weapon.

 Associated Press

GERMANY

Merkel urges ouster of unqualied migrants

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that Germany needs to make an effort to deport migrants who do not have the right to stay in the country.

After an influx of almost 900,000 migrants last year, some Germans fear that their country is being overrun by foreigners. Merkel has attracted criticism for her migrant policy, and her conservatives have lost some support to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany.

In the past, when smaller numbers of migrants arrived, those who were not granted the right to stay were not deported rigorously enough, Merkel said.

We need a national push to deport those who are rejected, Merkel told a conference of her partys youth wing in Paderborn. Were working hard on that.

 Reuters

Missiles from Yemen target U.S. ship: Multiple missiles were fired again from a Houthi-controlled region in Yemen targeting an American warship in the Red Sea, a U.S. admiral said Saturday. No hits were reported. Later, U.S. officials said the initial reports as described by Adm. John Richardson, the top Navy officer, were being reassessed, and they declined to provide full details of what happened. If confirmed, the missile launches would be the third attack in about a week targeting the destroyer USS Mason and other U.S. ships.

Deadly stampede marks packed Indian festival: At least 24 people were killed and 20 others injured in a stampede Saturday that occurred as they were crossing a crowded bridge to reach a Hindu religious ceremony in northern India, police said. The stampede took place on the outskirts of Varanasi, a city in Uttar Pradesh state known for its temples. Organizers were expecting 3,000 devotees at the ceremony, but more than 70,000 thronged the ashram of a local Hindu leader on the banks of the Ganges River, police said. The stampede happened when police started turning back people from the overcrowded bridge, organizers said. That triggered a rumor that the bridge had collapsed, and devotees started running for safety.

 From news services
Donald Trump is not really running a campaign for president anymore. Instead, he is involved in an extended revenge plot or is simply following the politics of grievance to a natural, unseemly end.

See, campaigns have a message. They have strategy and tactics. They show restraint and coordination.

Trump, in the 10 days since the release of a hot-mic tape of him making lewd and sexually suggestive comments about women, has done none of those things. Literally none.

The Washington Posts Jose Del Real counted more than 20 different messages from Trump during a five-minute span of a speech the Republican presidential nominee delivered in North Carolina last week. That was the same speech in which Trump took apart his teleprompters onstage  one was malfunctioning  and insisted that he would not pay the company that provided them. (This all happened on Earth in the year 2016.)

Then there was the way in which Trump reacted to the women  nine as of Sunday morning  who alleged that he had groped or kissed them at some point over the past three decades. Trump insisted that the allegations were untrue but then repeatedly noted that the women making the allegations were not attractive enough for anyone to take seriously their charges that he harassed them. Um, what?

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump mocked Jessica Leeds, who accused Trump of putting his hand up her skirt on an airplane decades ago, during a rally in Greensboro, N.C. (The Washington Post)

[The Trump hot-mic tape pushed wavering voters away  but brought his base even closer]

But, wait, theres more. Much, much more. Trump last week began to talk seriously about a global conspiracy aimed at keeping him from the White House. This is a conspiracy against you, the American people, and we cannot let this happen or continue, Trump said during a Thursday rally in West Palm Beach, Fla.

He has repeatedly used  in his speeches and on his evermore active and inflammatory Twitter account  the word rigged to describe the election, an attempt to discredit and disqualify the results even before Election Day. (His running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, said Sunday during an interview on Meet the Press that the election was being rigged, but he insisted that the handing over of power  no matter who wins  will be peaceful.)

And, finally, there is the way Trump has talked about Hillary Clinton over the past week. He has called her a liar. He has said she should be locked up. (In the second presidential debate last Sunday, Trump said he would appoint a special prosecutor to look into Clintons tenure at the State Department if he is elected president.) He has told a crowd that he was not impressed when Clinton walked by him on the debate stage. And then, on Saturday night in New Hampshire, Trump insinuated that Clinton might have been on drugs before their second debate and that both candidates should be drug-tested before the final debate this Wednesday in Las Vegas.

[Trump declares war on GOP, says the shackles have been taken off]

What you will notice about all of those attacks, explanations, denials and, well, just talking, is that they lack any sort of coherent or cohesive message. Trump insists that the media should focus on the WikiLeaks hack of the emails of top Clinton advisers, but he seems incapable of doing so himself for more than 30 seconds.

This is end-stage Trumpism. He has proclaimed that the shackles holding him back earlier in the campaign are now off. Those shackles, of course, were the attempts by political professionals to transform the rebellion he led during the Republican primary fight into something resembling an actual campaign.

When some in the crowd at a Donald Trump rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., started chanting Lock her up! about Hillary Clinton on Oct. 10, the Republican presidential nominee replied: Lock her up is right. (The Washington Post)

That hope  if ever it truly existed  is gone forever. It appears as though Trumps minders have effectively given up, allowing the candidate to pursue his own score-settling and airing of grievances in these final weeks of the campaign. Taking that road may bring some satisfaction to Trump. But it has the potential to do catastrophic damage to the party he ostensibly leads as the GOP tries to hold its Senate and House majorities amid declining enthusiasm within its own ranks for its presidential nominee.

To care about that effect would mean that Trump was running a real campaign that grasped the idea that its about more than just the whims of a single candidate. He simply is not doing that.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton faces a striking choice in the final three weeks of the campaign: to expand her efforts to states that Democrats havent won in a generation, or to stay a current course that, if conditions hold, would deliver her a resounding electoral college victory.

After two tumultuous weeks focused on Donald Trumps behavior toward women, Clinton is ahead in nearly all of the key battleground states where her campaign has directed the most resources, according to many recent polls. But some once-solidly Republican states  notably Arizona, Georgia and Utah  now also appear to be in play.

Clinton aides said they see advantages to running up the score in the electoral college, where 270 votes wins the White House. Victories in unexpected places could boost that total, handing her more of a mandate come January and decreasing the potency of Trumps complaints of a rigged election.

But victories in core battleground states such as Pennsylvania and New Hampshire would almost assuredly cut off Trumps path as well. Those states are also home to key down-ballot races that will determine control of the Senate, an important factor in how much support Clinton would have while launching an agenda in January.

Its true more and more states are emerging as truly competitive, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said. We are closely following the situations in those states even as we refuse to take anything for granted in the core battlegrounds, which also happen to be the sites of some of the biggest Senate races.

The newest Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Democratic presidential Hillary Clinton with a 4-percentage-point lead over Republican nominee Donald Trump among likely voters. Respondents were also asked about Donald Trump's lewd comments about women, and how locked-in their votes are. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

The issue is predominantly about resources. Clinton and the Democratic Party entered October with twice as much money in the bank as Trump and the Republicans, but some in Clintons camp have cautioned against any late moves that could jeopardize a victory in states she appears to have nailed down.

Weve got to get our win, said a senior Clinton aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the campaigns strategy. We have to make sure we focus on keeping the pressure on and doing the things we need to build up as many electoral votes as we can.

The campaign is expected to decide in the coming days whether to make a more aggressive play for states such as Georgia, which is being eyed as one of the more promising opportunities for Clinton, and Arizona, where a couple of high-profile surrogates are being deployed this week: Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) on Tuesday and Chelsea Clinton on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is not willing to concede publicly that any states on the map are lost, maintaining that Clintons low favorability ratings and Trumps anti-establishment message will push undecided voters and independents to break for Trump in the final leg of the campaign.

Were seeing a much more competitive contest than youre analyzing them to be. Were still playing a very active role in these states and obviously making as big of a play as possible, said Trump spokesman Jason Miller. There isnt anything thats not a priority. We dont want to isolate it and say, everything comes down to these states.

Added Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway: Every time they get overconfident, we snap back.

Conway said there may be a need to reallocate resources in the remaining weeks, but she noted that its a little premature to announce when or where that might happen.

As the presidential race tightens, Democrats are going after voters in the Republican stronghold of Georgia. In Gwinnett County, a rising number of minorities could be changing the political landscape. (Alice Li/The Washington Post)

Theres no shame in saying were going to reallocate our resources, dollars, personnel, data operation, ground game, candidate time, both [Indiana Gov. Mike] Pences and Trumps time, in places where were more competitive, she said.

The shifting poll numbers come amid the nastiest stretch of this years campaign, in which a videotape emerged showing Trump bragging in lewd terms about forcing himself on women sexually. Following the videos publication in The Washington Post on Oct. 7, multiple women have accused Trump of kissing or groping them without their consent.

[The growing list of women who have stepped forward to accuse Trump of touching them inappropriately]

Both Trump and his running mate, Pence, have hinted that they recognize the shift. Trump has stepped up his disparagement of a rigged election at campaign stops across the country and on social media, urging his supporters to monitor polling places closely on Nov. 8.

On Sunday, Trump noted on Twitter that there are national polls showing him within striking distance of Clinton despite the intense media focus on the accusations against him.

Polls close, but can you believe I lost large numbers of women voters based on made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED. Media rigging election! Trump tweeted.

Pence sought to play down Trumps rhetoric, saying, We will absolutely accept the result of the election, during an appearance Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. But he also appeared to embrace, at least partly, the notion of a rigged election.

The American people are tired of the obvious bias in the national media,Pence said. Thats where the sense of a rigged election goes here.

Even as some polls have shown Clinton with only a modest lead nationally  one published Sunday by The Washington Post had her up four points over Trump  her advantage on the electoral map appears sizable.

[Clinton holds four-point lead in aftermath of release of Trump tape]

One such tally, maintained by The Posts blog The Fix, projects that Clinton would win 341 electoral votes to Trumps 197 if the election were held today.

[The 2016 electoral map is collapsing around Donald Trump]

Several states that Trump initially sought to contest, including Colorado and Virginia, have now seemingly slipped out of reach. Clinton was up by 15 points in Virginia, according to a poll released Sunday by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. And Trump has pulled resources from Virginia.

Trumps failure to perform in such states, Clinton aides said, will allow her campaign to shift attention even more to North Carolina and Florida  two must-win states for Trump  to choke his path to 270 electoral votes.

Clinton is running television ads tailored to seven states: Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio and Iowa. Because they cost millions of dollars to sustain, such ad purchases are the clearest clue about which states are a campaigns top priority.

The vast majority of Clintons campaign appearances and those of her running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, have been concentrated in those states, and most of the high-profile surrogates dispatched by the campaign have focused their efforts there as well.

Trumps campaign now appears intent on remaining competitive in four battleground states: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

He has maintained a far busier travel schedule than Clinton, hitting all four of those states last week, as well as New Hampshire and Maine. Trump appeared in Florida on three consecutive days last week, underscoring how crucial the state is to his strategy.

Trump will spend the early part of this week in Wisconsin and Colorado before heading to Nevada for Wednesdays debate. His campaign operations in key battlegrounds continue to suffer from ongoing tensions with both state and national GOP establishments and a dearth of on-the-ground investments.

Last week, the campaign fired Trumps state co-chairman in Virginia, Corey Stewart, after he took part in a protest against the Republican National Committee.

In Ohio, where Trump has fallen behind in the polls, the campaign severed ties with Matt Borges, the chairman of the state Republican Party. In a scathing letter, Trumps Ohio state director, Robert Paduchik, accused Borges of going on a self-promotional media tour with state and national outlets to criticize our partys nominee.

While the Clinton campaign has begun exploring new opportunities, it has also redoubled its efforts in some of its strongest states. The campaign increased investments recently in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Nevada, according to a Democrat who was familiar with the strategy but was not authorized to speak publicly.

The planned visits to Arizona this week by Sanders and Chelsea Clinton, meanwhile, mark what some Democrats see as a longer-term shift in the states electoral politics.

Only one Democrat  Bill Clinton  has carried Arizona since 1948. Bill Clinton lost the state in 1992 but narrowly prevailed in 1996.

Alexis Tameron, the states Democratic party chairwoman, said the demographics of the state are trending in the right direction for Democrats, and the states voting patterns could resemble Colorado within a few cycles.

Even as it weighs whether to invest heavily in new states, the Clinton campaign is increasingly reaching out to voters in those places through local media, an effort to maintain a presence without reallocating resources to the state.

Kaine spoke to a Salt Lake City television station remotely from New York on Thursday, relaying that the Clinton campaign wants to step up its focus on the state, which Democrats have not won since 1964.

Hopefully well even have candidates or spouses or high-profile surrogates visit, Kaine told KTVX. Were 3 1/2 weeks out in a state that we didnt think was in play. Now it is.

In Georgia, where the last Democrat to carry the state was Bill Clinton in 1992, theres a clear sense that the contest is more meaningful than in recent cycles, said Michael Smith, communications director for the Georgia Democratic Party.

Instead of using Georgia to mobilize people to go to North Carolina, theyre staying in our state. Its night and day, Smith said.

Democrats are running coordinated campaigns in the battleground states, meaning money is being to spent to promote the entire ticket, not just Clinton.

That stands to benefit Democratic Senate candidates, including Katie McGinty in Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire, Deborah Ross in North Carolina and Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada  all of whom are in competitive races.

Priorities USA Action, the pro-Clinton super PAC, is considering devoting television air time to Senate races in four states: Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, according to a person familiar with the discussions. A decision is expected to be made by the middle of the week.

In an effort to help down-ballot candidates across the country, Clinton and her surrogates, especially President Obama, have stepped up their case against Republicans in general, seeking to steer voters away from giving congressional candidates a pass for enabling Trump.

I mean, I know some of them now are walking away, but why did it take you this long? Obama said at a campaign stop for Clinton in Cleveland on Friday.
From left, John D. Podesta, founder of the Center for American Progress; Neera Tanden, the groups president; and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton at CAPs 10th anniversary policy forum in Washington in 2013. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

It was early June 2015, and the political world was bracing for the Supreme Court to hand down a ruling on a key aspect of the Affordable Care Act.

Neera Tanden, president of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, emailed top Hillary Clinton campaign officials with an idea about how to influence the decision: have the candidate and activists start talking about making the court an election issue so that the justices would understand the political consequences at stake.

At CAP Action, we can get that story started, she offered, referring to the groups political advocacy arm. But kinda rests on you guys to make it stick. What do you think? If you want to proceed, we should move soon.

The episode, detailed in hacked emails posted by WikiLeaks, spotlights how CAP officials have played prominent behind-the-scenes roles assisting Clintons campaign since the former secretary of state launched her 2016 run. While Tanden, a former Clinton aide, is a well-known surrogate and adviser to the candidate, the emails show that she also offered the resources of her organization as she helped stamp out political fires and shape the debate around issues.

And her input was usually well-received, the emails suggest.

The Posts John Wagner breaks down some of the consequences of the release by WikiLeaks of hacked emails from Hillary Clintons campaign. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Not sure how in depth you are suggesting but seems like this should be manageable, Jennifer Palmieri, Clintons communications director and a former CAP Action president, wrote in response to Tandens idea about the court, adding that the candidate had already been hammering on the election stakes for the Supreme Court.

In an interview, Tanden said that she advises the campaign in her personal capacity and that CAP Action weighed in only to promote a liberal policy agenda. She noted that she uses a personal email address to communicate with Clinton staffers, usually after hours.

CAP Action can work with campaigns to push progressive ideas, Tanden said.

The cache of correspondence offers a look at how CAP, which can accept unlimited donations and does not have to reveal the names of its contributors, would serve as a dominant idea factory and outside war room for a Clinton White House  potentially even more than it has for President Obama.

Much of Clintons current political brain trust is connected to the group, including John D. Podesta, who was White House chief of staff under former president Bill Clinton and now serves as her unpaid campaign chairman. Podesta founded CAP in 2003 as a response to GOP powerhouse think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation. While he has no daily oversight role now, he still serves on the board, and he regularly discussed campaign strategy with Tanden, the emails show.

In mid-February 2016, as the Democratic primaries were underway, Podesta wrote to Tanden suggesting edits to an op-ed she had written on Hillary and family friendly policy. Among his suggestions: that Tanden add the line, I know people dont feel like they really know whats in Hillarys heart; well, this is what I know.

[Trump refusal to accept government assessments on Russian hacks dismays former officials]

The Clinton campaign has refused to confirm the authenticity of any of the emails posted by WikiLeaks, but campaign officials have noted that government officials are investigating whether Russian intelligence services are behind the hack. The Obama administration has already officially accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the U.S. election, including through a previous hack into the computers of the Democratic National Committee.

Campaign officials declined to comment on how Podesta balances his positions at the campaign and CAP, but an official noted that he plays no role in CAPs day-to-day activities, has no staff and does not receive any payment from the group.

CAP, which is set up under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, cannot engage in political activity. But its sister advocacy group, CAP Action, which is a 501(c)(4), can do a limited amount of political work and communicate with the campaign  as long as the campaign is not directing its activities, legal experts said.

Kenneth Gross, a former associate general counsel at the Federal Election Commission, said that independent groups have leeway to interact with candidates and campaigns, but they cannot use information from those discussions in a paid advertising campaign or provide in-kind services such as polling.

Tanden said that CAP Action did not take sides in the Democratic primaries and engaged with all the campaigns on policy issues.

If Clinton becomes president and the ideas that we put forward get adopted, that would be a great sign of our influence, she added. I think that CAPs whole role from the beginning, and its part of our mission, has been to shift the debate in a more progressive direction.

Still, the leaked emails show that Tanden was a central player in Clintons second presidential run from the early planning stages. She was among the invitees to a small November 2014 meeting at the former secretary of states personal office in New York to discuss policy proposals, including the possibility of offering a significant middle-class tax cut.

Among the questions on the agenda for the meeting: Are there a few bold policy proposals that could . . . serve as signature pillars of a future progressive agenda?

Other invitees included Podesta, longtime Clinton aide Cheryl Mills, senior policy adviser Ann OLeary, economist Gene Sperling and former State Department adviser Tom Nides.

In January 2015, Tanden emailed Podesta to express concern about the makeup of Clintons campaign team.

Im not the diversity police but there is grumbling on the 4 white boys running the next presidential cycle, she wrote. So I recommend rolling out some people who look like the rest of America soon!

CAP was also home to supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, including senior fellow Lawrence Korb, who advised him on foreign policy. And CAP Actions blog, ThinkProgress, published numerous flattering pieces about Sanders as his campaign gained steam.

[U.S. government officially accuses Russia of hacking campaign to interfere with elections]

But the emails show that Clinton had influential allies in Tanden and other top CAP officials.

After Clinton launched her bid, Tanden emailed the candidate directly with ideas on how to address rising economic populism. She back-channeled political intelligence to Podesta, including the fact that former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg would be interested in being secretary of state in a Clinton administration.

She also regularly sought to help quell controversies, including in July 2015, when she wrote to Podesta under the subject line assistance.

let me know if theres anything I or we [thru c4?] can do to help, Tanden wrote about an unidentified media furor, adding: I wont do anything unless you tell me it helps.

A month later, she offered suggestions on how Clinton should handle the controversy over her use of a private email server.

Why doesnt she just turn the server over to a third party at this point? Tanden wrote. Isnt it going to leak out of the FBI anyway?

Done so think about something else, Podesta replied.

In early 2016, three days before the Illinois Democratic primary, Tanden brainstormed how to get President Obama to indicate support for his former secretary of state.

Can Obama even hint of support of Hillary before Tuesday? she asked Podesta, who had served as a top Obama adviser. Really, just a directional nod would be helpful. Like if he just asked a question or tweets an innuendo  how did he vote in the primary?

Podesta responded: Why dont you push Valerie a little bit, a reference to Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama.

Clinton also got a boost from Judd Legum, the editor of ThinkProgress, who emailed Podesta several times with tips, using his personal email account.

Not enough people were paying attention to your tweet that mentioned climate change, Legum wrote to Podesta in April 2015, . . . so I wrote a post about it. Looks like its going to be popular.

He passed along a story titled, This is The Most Important Tweet About Hillarys Announcement And Everyone Pretty Much Ignored It.

In February 2016, he emailed Podesta with the subject line Major error by Bernie. Legum noted that Sanders had said he had never tried to use his gender to rally support.

Needless to say, he doesnt say that because he doesnt have to, Legum added.

A month later came another flag from Legum to Podesta with the subject line potential opportunity. He shared a breaking story on ThinkProgress about an incident in which Trumps campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, had physically yanked a reporter. Could be an opportunity for HRC to weigh in on Twitter, think it would go over well online, he wrote.

Legum, who at one time was Podestas research assistant and was a Clinton campaign staffer in 2008, said that he was careful not to let his personal history shape ThinkProgresss coverage.

The correspondence between me and Podesta simply reflects me giving him advice in my personal capacity, in private, he said. The advice was not a reflection of ThinkProgresss editorial approach to the campaign or candidates.

Katie Zezima contributed to this report.
One local cameraman was waiting when Chris Koster stepped out of his car. The attorney general of Missouri, now the Democrats candidate for governor, was getting a quick, friendly tour of a new 911 call center. The small Mississippi River city had really needed it, and after scoping out the space where more phones would go, Koster made a few remarks about why New Madrid could trust him.

I dont want to be partisan, Koster said, but when Im down here, and I talk to conservative Republican farmers, the first question theyve got is, Youre not going to raise our taxes, right? No, I was in favor of the tax cut of 2014. They ask, Youre not going to take our guns, right? No, Im the candidate in this race who was endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

Not many Democrats are endorsed by the NRA  not in 2016. The Democrats presidential ticket, which trails in every Missouri poll, is being buffeted by NRA ads that warn of a Clinton presidency that would yank guns from defenseless people. But down the ticket, theres Koster. And in the race for Senate, theres Secretary of State Jason Kander, an Army veteran who blunted NRA attack ads by assembling an AR-15, blindfolded, for his own 30-second spot.

Democrats no longer need Missouri to win the presidency, but they need states like Missouri to have any hope of winning Congress and state houses. And the surprisingly buoyant campaigns of Koster and Kander suggest how Democrats can compete in red America  and how a few lucky breaks may have given them a reprieve.

The 111th Congress, which convened at the start of President Obamas first term and passed the most progressive legislation since the 1970s, included 12 Democratic senators from red states won by either John McCain or Mitt Romney.

Today, those states send only five Democrats to the Senate. The picture is grimmer in House districts and state legislatures gerrymandered after the 2010 Republican wave  especially in Missouri, where Republicans command a supermajority.

Even before Donald Trumps polling swoon, the Democratic theory of 2016 relied on a new America replacing the old. Obama won while badly losing the white vote; Hillary Clinton would improve on that as white voters fell to around 70 percent of the electorate. The new battlegrounds would be fast-growing, diverse states like Arizona and North Carolina; they would be won with progressive policies on immigration reform, gay rights and gun control.

States like Missouri  mostly white, mostly rural and hardly growing at all  were left behind. Koster, who had been a moderate Republican legislator until 2007, was running as a conservative Democrat, not a moderate Democrat, who worried what politics would look like if the two parties settled into concrete on the right and left.

I do have a real concern that the national Democratic Party is leaving states like Missouri on the other side of the blue wall, said Koster in an interview during the New Madrid visit. If presidential politics is driving the Democratic agenda, I fear that people who make those decisions are just forgetting about people in Missouri. It just is a much more conservative state.

In interviews, Missouri Republicans admitted that the two Democrats were running strong, but they pointed out that neither had to face a primary. Hillary Clinton narrowly bested Bernie Sanders in the states primary, by moving to the left. Kander and Koster didnt have to explain themselves to progressives at all. In Kosters case, he never had to answer for the votes he cast  pro-gun, anti-Medicaid expansion  as a Republican state senator.

He only has a voting record as a Republican, said Rep. Jason T. Smith (R-Mo.), who represents the southeast Missouri district that covers New Madrid. Thats how he got the NRA endorsement, and thats how he got the farm endorsements.

Those endorsements have helped Koster run ahead of Eric Greitens, an ex-Navy SEAL and philanthropist who scored an upset win in the states Republican primary. The messiness of that primary, in which Greitens stood out with an ad that largely consisted of him shooting a gun, was another factor helping Koster. Trump has consistently led in polls, while a Monmouth University poll released last week found Koster clinging to a 3-point lead over Greitens.

That represented an improvement for Greitens, and from a quick glance, no one would guess that he was trailing. Having rebuffed an effort  by Democrats  to draft him into a congressional race, Greitens is running as a conservative outsider, inspired at last to enter public service because of incumbent Gov. Jay Nixons (D) meandering response to the unrest in Ferguson.

On Saturday, days before the end of voter registration, Greitens crossed the state for five town-hall meetings. At afternoon stops in the Ozarks, he matter-of-factly offered up the sort of biography that a campaign might want to grow in a lab  war stories, the founding of The Mission Continues charity for veterans, a spot on Times 100 Most Influential People in the World.

I was in the SEAL team training on 9/11, he said. That obviously changed all of our roles.

Greitenss campaign against Koster is simple. Koster is a Clinton voter; Greitens is not. Koster is a politician  a corrupt politician, Greitens always says  while his opponent is a citizen. Koster has tried to separate the race from the top of the ballot, running on a pledge to raise the minimum wage and increase funding for education. Hes tried to hold Greitens down by demanding the release of his taxes, with one ad now on the air attacking the Republican for the six-figure salary his charity paid out.

In Greitenss latest ad, a succession of voters promise not to vote for corruption as usual and big spending liberals, or for Hillarys Obamacare expansion  a way to toxify Kosters support of the Medicaid money offered by the Affordable Care Act.

At a town-hall meeting in Lebanon, Greitens rattled off his conservative platform to applause and took questions about whether he could move further to the right. Tom Rhoadlander, 62, asked if Greitens believed in God. (He is Jewish.) Kay Harvey, 71, asked if he would oppose Sharia law coming to Missouri. (He would.)

Harvey said shed been won over by Greitens. Sporting a Make America Great Again pin, just a day after Republicans began abandoning Donald Trumps campaign for president, she said she was resolute.

She just wasnt ready to back Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the incumbent who has held office in Missouri since Ronald Reagan was president. Blunt doesnt represent me, Harvey explained. His hands are just as filthy as the rest of them.

The same polls that show Trump and Koster winning have Blunt just narrowly ahead of Kander. The Democrat, who jumped into the race in March 2015, when it looked unwinnable, has pulled in some anti-everything voters who simply want Blunt gone.

Donald Trumps entire candidacy is predicated on the idea that people like Sen. Blunt are the problem, Kander said in an interview near his Columbia campaign office. Weve had rallies where you walk out and theres a loud argument between Trump and Clinton supporters  but they were both just inside our rallies!

Blunt, meanwhile, is in the most precarious position of any 2016 candidate  the Republican who has won elections and done his job, only to embody the nebulous establishment. In an interview last week, after running through the mental health and child abuse bills hed work with Democrats to pass, Blunt suggested that Kander was benefiting from ignorance about what the Senate actually did.

Hes not really running for anything, said Blunt. Ive gotten things done in an atmosphere where people dont get things done. The dispersed media, the diminished role that local news has played over the last few years, make it hard to keep track of what a senators doing.

The Trump campaign, which has redefined what Republicans stand for, is the X-factor. Careening from gaffe to gaffe, Trump has found that populism, and a sense that a broken system has to be brought down, are more powerful than most issues  or most political accomplishments.

I guess Sen. Blunt thinks what hes doing is pandering to the people who gravitate to a candidate because that candidate represents shaking up the conversation, Kander said. But when he does that, voters do not admire somebody who puts their party before their country. Even people who might ultimately vote for Donald Trump are not going to be swayed.
The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail

What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail

He is preaching to the converted. He is lashing out at anyone who is not completely loyal. He is detaching himself from and delegitimizing the institutions of American political life. And he is proclaiming conspiracies everywhere  in polls (rigged), in debate moderators (biased) and in the election itself (soon to be stolen).

In the presidential campaigns home stretch, Donald Trump is fully inhabiting his own echo chamber. The Republican nominee has turned inward, increasingly isolated from the countrys mainstream and leaders of his own party, and determined to rouse his most fervent supporters with dire warnings that their populist movement could fall prey to dark and collusive forces.

This is a campaign right out of Breitbart, the incendiary conservative website run until recently by Stephen K. Bannon, now the Trump campaigns chief executive  and it is an act of retaliation.

A turbulent few weeks punctuated by allegations of sexual harassment have left Trump trailing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in nearly every swing state. Trumps gamble is that igniting his army of working-class whites could do more to put him in contention than any sort of broad, tempered appeal to undecided voters.

The execution has been volatile. Since announcing last week that the shackles have been taken off me, Trump, bolstered by allies on talk radio and social media, has been creating an alternate reality  one full of innuendo about Clinton, tirades about the unfair news media and prophecies of Trumps imminent triumph.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump believes there's a global conspiracy to stop him from becoming president  but it's not the first time he's pushed unfounded theories. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

The candidate once omnipresent across the mainstream media these days largely limits his interviews to the safe harbor of the opinion shows on Fox News, and most of them are with Sean Hannity, a Trump supporter and informal counselor.

[Trump says groping allegations are part of a global conspiracy to help Clinton]

Many Republicans see the Trump campaigns latest incarnation as a mirror into the psyche of their partys restive base: pulsating with grievance and vitriol, unmoored from conservative orthodoxy, and deeply suspicious of the fast-changing culture and the consequences of globalization.

I think Trump is right: The shackles have been released, but they were the shackles of reality, said Mike Murphy, a veteran GOP strategist. Trump has now shifted to a mode of complete egomaniacal self-indulgence. If hes going to go off with these merry alt-right pranksters and only talk to people who vote Republican no matter what, hes going to lose the election substantially.

Even retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a Trump supporter and adviser, acknowledged the difficulties for Trump. He said the nominees understanding of what motivates his base is what got him through the primaries. The problem for him is that you have to expand that in order to win a general election. Whats out there is powerful, but not enough.

For Bannon and legions of Trump fans, Trumps approach is not only a relished escalation of his combativeness, but also a chance to reshape the GOP in Trumps hard-line nationalist image.

This is a hostile takeover, said former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R), a Trump ally. They believe the media is their mortal enemy and the country is in mortal danger, that Hillary Clinton would end America as we know it.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps surrogates on Oct. 16 accused the media of ignoring the release of hacked emails from Hillary Clintons campaign by WikiLeaks. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Gingrich continued: This is not only about beating Hillary Clinton. Its about breaking the elite media, which has become the phalanx of the establishment.

Trumps strategy was crystallized by his defiant speech Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla., in which he brazenly argued that the women who have accused him of unwanted kissing and groping were complicit in a global conspiracy of political, business and media elites to slander him and extinguish his outsider campaign.

Its a global power structure, he said. Trump went on to describe himself as a populist martyr  I take all of these slings and arrows gladly for you  and posited: This is not simply another four-year election. This is a crossroads in the history of our civilization that will determine whether or not we the people reclaim control over our government.

Two days earlier, Trump was in Panama City Beach on Floridas culturally conservative panhandle sketching out his universe. His rally was outdoors after sunset. The amphitheaters capacity was 7,500, and there were large pockets of empty space, but a man came on the loudspeakers with an announcement: This was a record crowd of 10,000 people, with an additional 10,000 outside the perimeter.

When Trump strode out, he one-upped his announcer. I guess we have 11,200 here, and outside we have over 10,000 people!

So it went for the next 50 minutes as Trump told a patchwork of exaggerations and falsehoods about what he deemed his criminal opponent and the libelous news media conspiring to elect her.

The election of Hillary Clinton will lead to the destruction of our country, Trump said. Believe me.

One of his believers was Chris Ricker, 49, an electrician. Trumps slogans are his slogans  Rickers T-shirt read: Hillary Clinton for Prison  and Trumps enemies are his enemies. I watch Fox News 100 percent, but can you put down that I hate Megyn Kelly? he asked.

Pointing at the crowd, Ricker said: See this right here? This is a revolution.



Ricker got to talking about Clinton and her secret microphone at the first debate. He was indignant when a reporter stated that Clinton had no such device: Dude, where are you at? You havent seen the videos? There was somebody sitting backstage giving her answers. Its all corrupt.

By weeks end, a new conspiracy was born. Trump insinuated during a rally Saturday in Portsmouth, N.H., that Clinton may be taking drugs.

We should take a drug test prior [to the next debate], because I dont know whats going on with her, Trump said. At the beginning of her last debate she was all pumped up at the beginning, and at the end it was like, Oh, take me down. 

[Trump claims election is rigged and calls for pre-debate drug tests]

The impact of Trumps provocations could extend beyond Election Day. Again and again, Trump has ominously predicted a stolen election. In Pennsylvania, for instance, he has instructed his rural white supporters to go to Philadelphia, a city with a large black population, to stand watch for voter fraud.

On Friday in Charlotte, another diverse city, Trump said: The election is rigged. Its rigged to like you have never seen before. Theyre rigging the system.

Departing from the norms of American democracy, Trump appears to be laying the foundation to contest the results, should he lose, and delegitimize a Clinton presidency in the minds of his followers.

Trumps echo chamber is not altogether new. It is a more nationalistic and racially charged strain of the one most elected Republicans have inhabited for two decades. Conservative talk radio and Fox News, which rose to prominence in the late 1990s, became for party leaders a retreat and a source of power.

But in recent years this echo chamber has evolved from being an arm of the party into an unpredictable and sprawling orbit of the American right. Starting with the tea party movement in the early years of Barack Obamas presidency, fury over what activists saw as a capitulating GOP establishment created a vacuum for someone or something to take hold.

Enter Trump, who promised total disruption and whose movement has been fueled not only by talk radio and television personalities, but also by a galaxy of blogs, websites and super PACs that saw money to be made and influence to be gained. Together they fed on false theories such as challenging President Obamas birthplace in Hawaii, and the connective tissue for their working-class rage has been the threat of illegal immigration.

Obama described this world as a swamp of crazy that has been fed over and over and over and over again.

Donald Trump, as hes prone to do, he didnt build the building himself, but he just slapped his name on it and took credit for it, Obama said Thursday in a speech in Columbus, Ohio.

Trumps worldview extends beyond what is published on Breitbart, which specializes in turbocharged coverage of illegal immigration and unproved theories about Obama and Clinton. Still, Bannon, who has been traveling with Trump daily, shares with him the latest Breitbart material and helps him hone lines slamming the Clintons. He tells Trump that he is the American incarnation of populist movements rising in capitals around the world, such as Brexit in Britain.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)  who has excoriated the masters of the universe obsessed with open borders  is another conduit and confidant, as is Trumps policy maven and speechwriter, Stephen Miller, a former Sessions adviser.

Then there is Roger Stone, Trumps longtime adviser and provocateur who has published conspiratorial writings about the Clintons. From Stone one can trace Trumps political bloodline to Alex Jones, who runs the website Infowars.com, which has trafficked in stories about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks being a tyrannical government conspiracy.

Trump sat for an interview with Jones in late 2015 in which Jones spoke about the United States becoming a third-world nation and globalists that want to have a world government. Trump nodded along.

Jones more recently has called Obama and Clinton demon possessed, smelling of sulfur and attracting flies. At the second debate, Trump picked up on that characterization, labeling Clinton the devil. And it was Stone, in a recent interview with Infowars, who introduced the unfounded theory advanced on the stump by Trump that Clinton was jacked up on something in the second debate.

[A generation of GOP stars may be diminished: Everything Trump touches dies]

Clinton has admonished Trump for taking what she calls a radical fringe into the political mainstream, and her advisers have watched with disgust as Trump has crafted a closing message rooted in dark conspiracies.

It would be laughable that a Republican nominee for president would have allowed his campaign to be overtaken by Breitbart and Infowars, except that it is a very dangerous and cynical thing to do to try to convince voters of these lies, said Jennifer Palmieri, the Clinton campaigns communications director.

Trump may not be a fleeting example of how an outsider will use this alt-right ecosystem to build a base of national support from outside of the Republican mainstream. Carson said he saw firsthand how these forces could propel a political outsider to the top tier of the presidential nominating contest.

There were a lot of people who supported me who recognized that the Democrats and the Republicans were often one and the same, Carson said. They saw them as one establishment, and they put the media together with it.
By PTI: Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said terrorism

Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said terrorism remains a great threat to human peace.

"Our host India has in the recent past suffered several terror attacks. Bhutan is behind India in fight against terror," he said.

He rued that even though BIMSTEC turns 20 next year, its full potential remains untapped.

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"Together, BRICS and BIMSTEC are home to half of humanity. Thesynergiesof our groups have the potential to impact the whole world," he said.

Tobgay also complimented the leadership shown by India, China and Brazil to ratify the Paris climate change accord.

"Countries can work together to address climate change," he said, adding BRICS can inspire and motivate countries to fight climate change.

Sri Lankas President Maithripala Sirisena said the centre of global power is shifting to Asia.

Peace and stability in the region is an essential element of economic prosperity, he said.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Thailand said BRICS and BIMSTEC are a new force in global arena.

He thanked the leaders gathered in Goa for their tributes to the late Thai king. PTI VT SAP SMN

--- ENDS ---
The newest Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Democratic presidential Hillary Clinton with a 4-percentage-point lead over Republican nominee Donald Trump among likely voters. Respondents were also asked about Donald Trump's lewd comments about women, and how locked-in their votes are. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

With three weeks until Election Day, Hillary Clinton holds a four-point lead over Donald Trump in the race for the White House, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, with the Republican nominee hobbled by persistent perceptions that he is not qualified to be president.

The poll was conducted during one of the most tumultuous periods of Trumps candidacy, after the release of a video in which he spoke about taking sexual advantage of women and during a time when numerous women have accused him of sexual misconduct.

Nearly 7 in 10 respondents believe Trump probably made unwanted sexual advances, and a majority say his apology for boasts about forcing himself on women on a hot-mic videotape was insincere. Nonetheless, the controversy appeared to have had only a minimal impact on his overall support.

Overall, Clinton leads Trump by 47-43 percent among likely voters, a slight edge given the surveys four-percentage-point error margin. Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson has the support of 5 percent, and Green Party nominee Jill Stein is at 2 percent. Among registered voters, the poll shows a similar four-point margin, with Clinton at 44, Trump at 40, Johnson at 6 and Stein at 3. In a two-way matchup, Clinton leads Trump by 50-46 percent among likely voters and by 50-44 percent among registered voters.





The current findings show only slight changes from the last Post-ABC survey, which was taken on the eve of the first presidential debate. At that time, Clinton held an insignificant two-point edge over Trump among likely voters. The findings are somewhat better for Trump than other polls taken since the video, but if Clinton were to maintain such an advantage until Election Day, that could translate into a sizable electoral college majority.

Supporters of both candidates are locked in, with 88 percent of Trump supporters and 89 percent of Clinton backers saying they will definitely support their current preference.

The survey also underscored the hardening of the lines between those supporting Trump and those who are not. One question in particular highlighted this divide. Asked whether it was appropriate for Trump to say that, if he were in charge of law enforcement in this country, his opponent would be in jail for her use of a private email server, about 4 in 10 likely voters said yes, compared with 57 percent who said no. More than 7 in 10 Republicans and more than 8 in 10 Trump supporters called the language appropriate.

There is clearly less enthusiasm on the part of Clintons and Trumps supporters than previous nominees have enjoyed at this stage of the campaign. Fully 83 percent of Clintons backers and 79 percent of Trumps supporters say they are very or somewhat enthusiastic about their candidate. Four years ago at this time, more than 90 percent of both President Obamas and Republican nominee Mitt Romneys supporters described themselves as enthusiastic.

Meanwhile, antipathy toward the other side is at extremely high levels, as 87 percent of likely voters supporting Trump have a strongly unfavorable view of Clinton, and 90 percent of Clinton backers have a strong negative view of Trump.

The Oct. 7 release of the 11-year-old Access Hollywood video, which captured Trump on a hot mic speaking in crude and degrading ways about women, brought a torrent of criticism on Trump and caused significant defections among Republican elected officials.

Trump issued a series of statements apologizing for what he said on the video, but nearly 6 in 10 likely voters say they do not think the apology was sincere, including more than one-fifth of Republicans and more than 6 in 10 independents. The poll also finds that slightly more than a third of all likely voters say the video will make them less likely to vote for him, including 13 percent of Republicans.





Trump denied during the second presidential debate that he had ever engaged in the kind of behavior he talked about in the video. He held that position when confronted days later by accusations from multiple women who said he had groped them.

The Post-ABC poll indicates that an overwhelming majority of likely voters doubt those denials, with 68 percent saying Trump probably has made unwanted sexual advances on women and 14 percent saying he probably has not. Almost half of Republicans think he has probably engaged in such behavior, while 22 percent say he has not, and the rest have no opinion.





Trump repeatedly tried to brush aside his comments as locker room banter. Asked whether his comments are typical of locker room talk among men, just more than 4 in 10 likely voters said yes, while 52 percent said it was beyond how men typically talk.

There was little difference in the way men and women answered this question: About 4 in 10 men and 4 in 10 women say this is typical locker room talk. There was a significant variance among white voters based on levels of education, however, with 53 percent of whites without college degrees calling it typical and 55 percent of whites with college degrees saying it went beyond typical conversation among men.





As he has come under criticism on the issue of his treatment of women, Trump has countered by pointing to Bill Clinton, saying that what the former president did and has been accused of doing regarding women is far worse. Trump also has accused Hillary Clinton of intimidating her husbands accusers.

This line of attack finds support among only a minority of voters. When asked to compare the two issues  Trumps vs. Bill Clintons treatment of women or what Hillary Clinton did on behalf of her husband  there is no equivalence. While 55 percent say the issue of Trumps treatment of women is a legitimate issue in the campaign, 62 percent say what Hillary Clinton may have done is not a legitimate issue, and 67 percent say Bill Clintons treatment is not a legitimate issue.

Both Clinton and Trump are viewed unfavorably by majorities of Americans. Clintons current net negative is 14 points (42 percent favorable and 56 percent unfavorable), while Trumps is 25 points (37 percent favorable and 62 percent unfavorable).

At the same time, neither is viewed as honest and trustworthy, with 60 percent of likely voters saying Clinton is not and 62 percent saying Trump is not.

A slight majority (52 percent) say Clinton does not have strong moral character, and a much larger 66 percent say Trump does not have it. On these questions, there are significant and predictable partisan differences in perceptions of the candidates, yet 30 percent of likely voters who support Trump say he doesnt have a strong moral character. Three times as many of his supporters say Clinton lacks it.

On two other attributes, however, Clinton is viewed positively and Trump is viewed negatively, and these help to highlight the obstacles that remain in Trumps path as he attempts to make up ground lost over the past month.

Six in 10 say Clinton is qualified to be president, consistent with views of her readiness over many months. Meanwhile, almost 6 in 10 (57 percent) of likely voters say Trump is not qualified, also a level that has moved little through the course of the general election.

On the question of fitness  who has the kind of personality and temperament to serve as president  there is a similar mismatch between the candidates. Almost 6 in 10 likely voters say Clinton has the right temperament, while 62 percent say Trump does not.

Trump also has no advantage in trust to handle a series of major campaign issues. He is roughly even with Clinton in trust to handle the economy, terrorism and immigration, but he trails on handling ethics in government and by large margins on dealing with an international crisis, advocating womens rights and looking out for the middle class.

Perceptions of Trump on these issues and attributes have changed only a little in the aftermath of the Access Hollywood video, in part perhaps because he was judged so negatively before the video became public. Taken together, the findings on these questions point to what could be a hard ceiling in Trumps support, which he so far has been unable to change. Republicans have urged him for months to become more disciplined and to demonstrate greater stability as a candidacy.

His last big opportunity to do so will come on Wednesday when he and Clinton meet in Las Vegas for their final debate. Many Republicans said after the second debate that Trump had done well in making his arguments as a change candidate while portraying Clinton as part of a failed status quo. But at 45 percent to 33 percent, more likely voters say Clinton prevailed in the town hall debate in St. Louis.

The Post-ABC poll was conducted Oct. 10-13 among a random national sample of 1,152 adults reached on cellular and landline phones. The margin of sampling error for overall results is plus or minus three percentage points; the margin of error is 3.5 points among the sample of 920 registered voters and four points among the sample of 740 likely voters.

Emily Guskin contributed to this report.
On an ordinary Saturday night, the Soi Cowboy red-light district in Bangkok is ablaze with neon lights as skimpily clad women in go-go boots chat up tourists and twirl seductively around poles.

But the decadent flesh parade came to an abrupt halt Thursday when soldiers marched in and shut the dance bars down. It was a gesture of respect for the countrys long-ruling monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died Thursday afternoon after a long illness and 70 years on the throne.

Soon, word came down from the countrys prime minister and head of its military: Thailand would be in mourning for a year, flags would be at half-staff and joyful events should be avoided for 30 days.

Although the government made it clear that visitors should continue with their travel plans  as long as they try to dress and act respectfully  bars and restaurants have since been closed, loud music avoided and alcohol sometimes difficult to come by. All of this has put a damper on one of the worlds most popular party spots.

About 30 million visitors came to Thailand last year, a number that is expected to reach a record high this year because of an influx from China. Tourism contributed $81 billion to the countrys gross domestic product in 2015, nearly 21 percent, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

1 of 8 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Thai red light districts are unusually quiet, out of respect, after kings death View Photos See how empty they are. Caption See how empty they are. Oct. 14, 2016 Women sit inside a bar in a red-light district in Bangkok. Issei Kato/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

Workers worry about lost wages and tour companies and airlines about declining business  although most experts think the impact on tourism will be modest in the long term.

The V8 Diner in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok was closed for two days and reopened Sunday, for example, losing about $2,800 of business in the process.

We didnt feel like working anyway in this kind of mood, said Bam, the manager. Everybody was crying. Like most of those interviewed for this article, she declined to give her full name because of concern about Thailands strict laws against defaming the king.

Nobody was really sure when the night clubs  especially the fleshy ones  would reopen. On Monday, one sex worker said hopefully. In a week, said Maya, the manager of Bangkok Bunnies A Go Go, who also did not feel comfortable giving her last name. Many of her dancers have left the city to return to their home villages to wait out the break, she said.

One Australian bar owner in the bustling Khaosan Road area, which is popular with backpackers, gave his customers paper cups to discreetly sip their beer in case police were watching.

On the Soi Cowboy strip Saturday night, the lane of about 40 night clubs was eerily silent and dark except for the occasional bright light of a street vendor passing through with a rattling cart.

As near as anybody could remember, the place had been open nightly since a retired U.S. airman named T.G. Cowboy Edwards, who was partial to a straw boater, opened up the first bar there in 1977.

Even through military coups.

This is incredible, said Fabrice, an Air France flight attendant who came Saturday night to take in the historic shuttering. But we know how the king is in the heart of the Thai people. We understand that and appreciate that. Its something weve lost in Europe.

Although the go-go bars were closed, the worlds oldest profession continued apace on Bangkoks streets. Many of the sex workers wore black clothes in honor of the late monarch, as their countrymen had been asked to do.

One, Chanhom Srikaew, 40, said that many foreign travelers had left Bangkok after the go-go bars were shut and headed to the beach or other Southeast Asian countries.

Theyre waiting for the good times to come back, Chanhom said. Another sex worker plying her trade on the same street Sunday said she had doubled her business to more than $200 a day because the men had nowhere else to go.

Hugo, a semiretired carpet joiner from Sydney, said that on Saturday he had become a bit morose sitting in a deserted pub among other middle-aged men with only their mobile phones for company. He had to stay in the city because of a medical appointment, he said, but wished he could have left.

If I wasnt already committed Friday night I would have picked up and gone to Laos or Cambodia. If I had known it was going to be like this, he said, waving his arm at the empty street.

On Saturday, the Tourism Authority of Thailand reiterated that the country was in a period of national mourning and advised travelers that thousands of mourners are continuing to gather around the Grand Palace in Bangkok for the royal religious rites and to pay respects to the king.

Several major festivals and events have been canceled or postponed, including the debauched full moon parties that attract hundreds of tourists to Thailands shimmering beaches.

Daniel Fraser, managing director of the Bangkok-based tour company Smiling Albino, said that his group had not received any cancellations yet for upcoming trips but that he expects that things will be quieter than normal for the next few weeks before picking up again during the holiday season.

Thailand and Thais are incredibly resilient, Fraser said. Having lived here for over 16 years, I have seen a number of dramatic events, including royal deaths, natural disasters and epidemics. In each case, Thai pragmatism, and sense of duty, prevails, and the nation normalizes very quickly.

David Scowsill, president and chief operating officer of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said the succession of the kings heir, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, will bring a calm transition to the country.

The prince is not likely to be crowned until after his fathers grand cremation ceremony, a year away.
He is straight out of Shakespeare, driven by the desire to recapture the throne and, at the very least, his dignity.

After a humiliating defeat in 2012, Nicolas Sarkozy  a very French blend of tabloid celebrity and professional tough guy  wants to be president again. In a France plagued by economic malaise and an unprecedented security threat, the nominally center-right politician has launched a campaign that is a textbook example of an increasingly global phenomenon: mainstream politicians pushed to the right to court voters from powerful populist fringes.

As conservative contenders for Frances top job went live in their first primary debate Thursday night, the country found itself in the throes of a contest that already resembles the American election. While Republicans are pressed to defend Donald Trumps endless controversial comments, Sarkozy, 61, has started parroting Marine Le Pen, saying things that, before 2016, only the leaders of her extremist National Front ever dared to utter.

[France to open first of 12 deradicalization centers for at-risk youths]

Radical rhetoric is now as much a reality in France as it is in the United States.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy delivers a speech during a campaign rally in Chaumont in the Haute-Marne region of France on Oct. 14. (Francois Nascimbeni/AFP/Getty Images)

Nowhere is this clearer than in the former presidents frequent proclamations against Muslims. Frances largest religious minority, Sarkozy would have his followers believe, is at the root of the countrys recent string of terrorist attacks as well as its apparent crisis in national identity.

With a stagnant French economy and the country situated in an increasingly troubled euro zone, Sarkozy has chosen national identity as the central theme of his presidential campaign. His goal, as he explained in a blockbuster book released in January, is the restoration of the nation. But his definition of that restoration seems to require the explicit stigmatization of French Muslims.

It is not with religions that the Republic has difficulties today, but with one of them that has not done the work, necessary as well as inevitable, to integrate, he wrote.

Across the spectrum of French politics, this is rapidly becoming a consensus in the wake of terrorist attacks linked to or inspired by the Islamic State. Even Francois Hollande, Frances Socialist president, has conceded that France has a problem with Islam.

But only Le Pen has ever said anything as direct. No other religion is causing problems, she declared during the social drama of the burkini, the bathing suit that shook the foundations of Frances secular values in late August.

In that affair, too, Sarkozy projected the image of a conservative largely in line with the National Front. When observers around the world recoiled in horror over the widely disseminated images of armed French police officers forcing a Muslim woman to undress on a beach near Nice, he emerged as the most stalwart defender of the controversial burkini ban.

[Frances burkini debate: About a bathing suit and a countrys peculiar secularism]

Even after Frances highest court ruled in favor of a womans right to dress modestly on a beach, Sarkozy called the burkini a provocation and promised that, as president, he would extend the ban even further, from a few districts to the entire nation.

I refuse to let the burkini impose itself in French beaches and swimming pools. . . . There must be a law to ban it throughout the Republics territory, he said at a rally in late August. But he went further, painting the swimsuit as a broader threat to the French nation: Our identity is under threat when we accept an immigration policy that makes no sense.

Again, his principal political ally was the National Front  a party he claimed to have eradicated altogether when he won the presidency in 2007.

Analysts explain Sarkozys recent turn toward the far right as the last resort of a politician trailing the conservative front-runner, the more moderate Alain Juppe. Juppe is leading Sarkozy by 8 to 14 points in the most recent polls taken after Thursdays debate.

More than a month before the primary, Sarkozy is already in crisis mode. Once loathed for what the French still call his bling-bling lifestyle and his pursuit while in office of the supermodel Carla Bruni, who is now his third wife, he is currently facing allegations of major accounting fraud in his last campaign.

In Thursdays debate, he was on the defensive, twitching on camera and fending off attacks from the other contenders, four of whom had served as ministers in his own cabinet.

Some say Sarkozys embrace of more-extreme positions illustrates the rising power of a political faction that is no longer fringe.

The National Front has become a force to be reckoned with in French politics, said Bruno Cautres, a political scientist at Sciences Po in Paris. In any number of democracies around the world, we are seeing a rejection of globalization, which in France has opened up so many divides inside. The message of the National Front is that its possible to live against forces of globalization and modernization.

To French Muslims, the former president has begun to seem like a French version of Donald Trump, a candidate behind in the polls who, in their eyes, has opened up a Pandoras box of harsh rhetoric that will survive even if his candidacy does not.

Imagine that Donald Trump loses the election, said Marwan Muhammad, the director of the Collective Against Islamophobia in France. You cannot take away the reality that this person has been occupying all this media attention and destroying something we share together.

In France, he added, these debates have been so toxic that it will have a lasting effect. There is no coming back from it.

Read more

French Jews: The first victims in a France where everyone is now in the crosshairs

A sleepy French city has benefited big time from the E.U.  but wants to leave it

France and Britain just beat Donald Trump to building a border wall

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
India will strongly pitch for intensified efforts to tackle terrorism including action against countries providing safe havens to terrorists and arming them.

By Press Trust of India: Countering the threat of terrorism and strengthening security cooperation will be high on the agenda at the BRICS Summit with India set to forcefully articulate the dangers posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan and push for a comprehensive global convention to tackle the menace.

The Summit is being attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Michel Temer and Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa.

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INDIA TO PITCH FOR EFFORTS TO TACKLE TERRORISM



With the Summit taking place within weeks of the Uri terror strike by Pak-based terrorists, India will strongly pitch for intensified efforts to tackle terrorism including action against countries providing safe havens to terrorists and arming them.

Modi has already held bilateral talks with Putin and Xi yesterday where talked about Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism.

The five BRICS countries represent over 3.6 billion people, or half of the world's population and they have a combined nominal GDP of USD 16.6 trillion.

Also read:

China statement skips terror, NSG; calls to improve trust

Terror tops Modi-Jinping bilateral talks on sidelines of BRICS summit

Exclusive: Arm-twisting by China leads to cancellation of BRICS fair trade session



At the Summit, India is likely to push for unity among the five-nation BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) grouping to remove the logjam at the UN on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) for effectively dealing with terror.

Apart from the heads of governments of BRICS attending the Summit, Prime Ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar (State Counsellor) will be here to participate in the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet.

The BRICS Summit started with a 'family photo' followed by restricted talks between the leaders and later a meeting of business captains from the member-countries. In the second half, after the speech of the leaders, there will be BRICS and BIMSTEC retreat.

New Delhi will also make all out efforts to revive Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) when Prime Ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar (State Counsellor) attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach meet.

This also assumes significance given the collapse of the recent SAARC Summit after four countries apart from India pulled out of the meet to be hosted by Pakistan over the issue of cross-border terrorism, maintaining that environment was not conducive to hold such an event.

Watch the video



OTHER KEY ISSUES



The other key issues to be taken up during the meet include cooperation in areas of economy, tourism, connectivity, cultural, education and sports.

Three MoUs including those on cooperation in the area of environment and customs have been agreed upon by the BRICS countries. The pact pertaining to customs will help in breaking the trade barriers between these countries.

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Security situation in Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan is also expected to be discussed when the BRICS leaders take up important regional and international issues.

--- ENDS ---
The tiny Syrian village of Dabiq was to have been the site of an apocalyptic showdown between Christian and Muslim armies, an Islamic version of the battle of Armageddon that would herald the end of the world, according to ancient prophecies embraced and trumpeted by the Islamic State.

Instead of waging an epic battle, however, the last Islamic State fighters defending Dabiq fled Sunday without a fight in the face of an advance by a small force of Free Syrian Army rebels, backed by Turkey and by U.S. airstrikes.

The loss of Dabiq was of more symbolic than strategic importance to the wider war, a fresh humiliation for the Islamic State, which lured volunteer fighters from around the world with promises of building a mighty Islamist empire.

It also offered further evidence of the Islamic States rapidly diminishing capabilities ahead of the imminent offensive targeting the city of Mosul in neighboring Iraq.

[Islamic States ambitions and allure grow as territory shrinks]

The battle for Mosul, expected in the coming days, promises to be the most consequential yet of the two-year-old campaign against the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS and ISIL. Mosul is the biggest of the cities controlled by the Islamic State, one of the two capitals of the groups self-proclaimed caliphate, and its supporters are expected to put up a tough fight, said Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad.

Daesh has been in Mosul for two years, and theyve had the chance to build some pretty elaborate defenses, Dorrian said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. Weve prepared the Iraqis for a tough fight.

[Mosul offensive poses key test for U.S. strategy against Islamic State]

Coming on the eve of the Mosul battle, the defeat at Dabiq serves as a further blow to the militants morale, a reminder that they are continuing to lose ground across their rapidly shrinking territory in Iraq and Syria, he said.

Daesh said there was going to be an apocalyptic battle here. That has not proven to be the case, and now Dabiq is Daesh-free, Dorrian said.

The ease with which the opposition force overran Dabiq surprised even the rebels, who have been steadily advancing through villages controlled by the militant group in the countryside of northern Aleppo province in the weeks since Turkish troops intervened to support them in the fight.

A few dozen U.S. Special Operations forces also are in northern Syria assisting the rebels. Dorrian declined to say whether they had played any direct role in the Dabiq conquest, citing operational security.

The plan had been to lay siege to the village, where the rebels had expected the militants to put up at least a token defense, given its symbolic value, according to Abu Jalal, a commander with the U.S.-supported al-Hamza Division, one of half a dozen groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army that took part in the offensive.

[Flow of foreign fighters plummets as Islamic State loses its edge]

But as the rebels moved Sunday to capture the last road leading south out of Dabiq, the remaining 100 or so Islamic State fighters there ran away, Abu Jalal said. They were pursued by U.S. warplanes, which struck them in at least two locations, he said.

Islamic State commanders repeatedly promised their fighters in Dabiq that reinforcements were on the way, Abu Jalal said, but none arrived.

This shows that the illusion ISIS planted in its supporters minds was just an illusion. They retreated without a fight, he said. It proves that ISIS is one big lie and that they could be finished in all of the region soon.

Even ISIS members no longer believe their commanders because they realize everything they tell them is a lie. ISIS is now in a very weak position, and their morale is low.

The villages significance dates to a seventh-century saying, or hadith, of the prophet Muhammad, who had reputedly predicted that Dabiq would be the site of an epic showdown between Muslims and Christians, the equivalent of the biblical battle of Armageddon. The confrontation would herald the advance of Muslim armies toward Constantinople and eventually to Rome, before culminating in the end of the world.

The Islamic State had put this prophecy at the center of its propaganda, naming its monthly magazine Dabiq and choosing the village as the site of the execution of one of its most prominent American hostages, aid worker Peter Kassig.

Few Muslims outside extremist circles attach any particular significance to the village, one of dozens of nondescript settlements across the rolling farmland of northern Syria. For us, Dabiq is just like any another village, any other battle in any area, Abu Jalal said.

The Islamic State appeared recently to have foreseen its demise in the village. Without explanation or announcement, last month it quietly renamed its flagship magazine Rumiyah  an ancient term for Rome, now an even more distant prospect than ever.

Zakaria reported from Istanbul.

Read more

Signs of panic and rebellion in the heart of Islamic States self-proclaimed caliphate

Islamic State, losing fighters and territory, increasingly turns to child bombers

People are fleeing ISIS rule. Syrian rebels appear to be jailing some of them.

The Islamic States suspected inroads into America

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Iraq announced the beginning of its offensive for the northern city of Mosul on Monday, embarking on the countrys biggest fight against Islamic State militants so far.

In an early-morning televised address, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi pledged to raise the Iraqi flag over the city once more, calling on residents to cooperate with the advancing forces.

The operation aims to push the militant group out of its de facto capital in Iraq, the most populous city it controls. More than 1 million civilians are thought to be trapped in the city.

Tens of thousands of Iraqi troops from an array of the countrys forces have been drawn together to achieve that feat: Kurdish peshmerga soldiers, Sunni tribal fighters, army troops, police officers, Shiite militias and elite counterterrorism units. From the sky and on the ground comes close support from the U.S.-led coalition.

Despite sometimes competing agendas, they have united  at least for now  to take back the Islamic States most prized remaining territory in the country.





Mosul, about 250 miles north of Baghdad, is the Islamic States last major stronghold in Iraq, and the city has come to symbolize the groups rise here. It was in Mosuls Great Mosque that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced his self-proclaimed caliphate more than two years ago.

But since then, the groups grip has slowly crumbled. Tikrit, Ramadi and Fallujah have been clawed back by Iraqi forces, albeit with a heavy reliance on U.S.-led airstrikes.

Its only a matter of time before Mosul is recaptured, too, Abadi said.

We will soon meet in Mosul to celebrate in liberation and your salvation, he said, addressing the people of the city. We will rebuild what has been destroyed by this criminal gang.

Early Monday, U.S.-led coalition artillery and airstrikes bombed areas where ground troops were expected to advance after sunrise, said one military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation.

Dozens of ambulances were lined up at checkpoints on the edges of Iraqs northern region of Kurdistan, ready to ferry out casualties. Thousands of Iraqi troops have moved into position for the battle in recent weeks, as new military staging areas have sprung up along front lines.

More than 80,000 troops are involved, including engineers and logistical support, said Maj. Salam Jassim, a commander with Iraqs elite special forces.

At a staging area in a hamlet near Khazir, east of Mosul, Jassim and his men were waiting for the order for zero hour. In houses emptied by fighting, soldiers entertained themselves with games of cards and dominoes. Battle plans were drawn out in black marker on walls and plastic tables.

Well take it, Jassim said, sipping on a can of Tiger Energy Drink, a favorite of Iraqi forces. Theres no doubt.

As well as here to the east of the city, Iraqi army and police forces are also moving in from Qayyarah air base, about 35 miles south, pushing up the main highway from the capital Baghdad, 250 miles away.

Trucks packed with Iraqi soldiers and military vehicles have clogged the roads as forces have moved into place. Tanks, armored vehicles and weaponry have been hauled from the capital.

Initially, the offensive on the eastern front will be led by Kurdish forces known as peshmerga, Iraqi military officers said. They are expected to advance to the edges of territory over which they have long disputed control with Baghdad, before stopping.

Well start after them and move after them to support them, said Brig. Gen. Haider Obaidi, another commander with Iraqs special forces.

Shiite militia forces are also expected to play a role. But they are not part of the force thats authorized to enter the city, in light of fears about sectarian abuses in the majority Sunni city and how their advance would be perceived.

The military official said that a planned simultaneous offensive from the north would not go ahead on Monday, although he said he wasnt aware why.

On Sunday night, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said in a statement that the United States and the rest of the international coalition stand ready to support the effort, and he added that we are confident our Iraqi partners will prevail against our common enemy and free Mosul and the rest of Iraq from ISILs hatred and brutality.

Opinions are split on just how long and grinding the battle will be. Abadi has pledged to have the city back under Iraqi government control by the end of the year.

But Jassim is not sure thats possible, with booby traps and explosive devices expected to slow the way. The Islamic State has fortified its defenses of the city in recent months, erecting concrete blast walls and digging trenches.

Civilians, too, will complicate the battle. Between 1.2 million and 1.8 million are still in the city, he said.

To avoid a humanitarian crisis, the Iraqi government has asked civilians to stay in their homes, complicating air support and clearing operations to clear neighborhoods of militants.

The operation will take much longer because of this, Obaidi said. For their safety, but it also means each neighborhood needs to be surrounded and searched as we clear it.

Still, the U.S.-led coalition will give closer support than in any other operation, he said, and Apache helicopters probably will be used. On Sunday night, preparatory airstrikes rattled windows in the special forces base near Khazir.

The coalition has requested that the airspace be cleared of Iraqi jets, whose air support will be limited to the areas where Shiite militias are on the ground, Obaidi said.

All the sky will be for the coalition, he added. The western side of the city will be left largely open, which may make for a less protracted fight inside than if it was besieged. Well try to give them an escape to run to Syria, Jassim said of the militants.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul, a spokesman for the Iraqi military, said that even if the western side is left open, it doesnt mean a safe escape for the Islamic State. If we do that, then this area will become a killing zone as we target them with our aircraft, he said.

Missy Ryan in Washington contributed to this report.
PM Modi strongly condemned the mindset proclaiming justification of terror for political gains at the BRICS Summit in Goa today.

By India Today Web Desk: In a scathing attack, PM Narendra Modi used the platform of BRICS Summit to condemn the acts of terror and growing violence brewing in India's neighbourhood.

"The most serious direct threat to our eco-prosperity is from terrorism," Modi said. He said that tragically its mother-ship is a country in India's neighbourhood, hinting directly at Pakistan without any mention.

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PAK'S ROLE IN TERROR

Highlighting Pakistan's role apart from sponsoring terror, Modi said, "Terror modules around the world are linked to this mother-ship. This country not just shelters terrorists. It nurtures a mindset."

READ| China statement skips terror, NSG; calls to improve trust

Talking about the threat caused by terror, PM Modi said that the growing arc of terrorism today threatens Middle East, West Asia, Europe and South Asia.

CALL FOR CONDEMNATION



Renouncing mindset advocating use of terrorism for political benefits, PM Modi said, "This country nurtures a mindset which loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains. It's a mindset that we strongly condemn."

Calling for action against such a mindset, Modi said, "We as BRICS need to stand and act together."

"BRICS country must work together for early adoption of CCIT and step up practical cooperation against terrorism," Modi said.



READ| BRICS Summit: Countering terror, strengthening security cooperation on agenda

Exclusive: Arm-twisting by China leads to cancellation of BRICS fair trade session



--- ENDS ---
By Michelle Martin BERLIN (Reuters) - A Syrian refugee arrested on suspicion of planning a major attack in Berlin spoke to a member of Islamic State in Syria by telephone about a possible target a day before German police discovered explosives in his apartment, a newspaper reported on Saturday. Jaber Albakr was detained on Monday, two days after police discovered about 1.5 kg of explosives in his apartment. He was found dead in prison on Wednesday. Authorities said he had committed suicide. Germany's Welt am Sonntag (WamS) cited investigation sources as saying U.S. intelligence had provided a tip-off about Albakr after tapping several phone calls between him and an Islamic State member in Syria. During the calls, 22-year-old Albakr spoke about his attack plans, the newspaper said. In a call on Oct. 7, Albakr told his contact that 2 kg of explosives were ready and he named a possible target, saying a "big airport in Berlin" was "better than trains", WamS reported. In July, the militant group claimed responsibility for two attacks in the German state of Bavaria - one on a train near Wuerzburg and the other at a music festival in Ansbach that wounded 20 people. WamS said federal prosecutors investigating the case assumed that Albakr wanted to make a vest packed with explosives for an attack. The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV) has said Albakr was building a bomb and probably planned to attack one of the airports in Berlin. Investigators said on Monday they believed Albakr was close to staging an attack comparable to those that killed 130 people in Paris last November and 32 in Belgium in March. They suspect he was inspired by the Islamic State militant group. Albakr arrived in Germany in February 2015 during a migrant influx into the country and was granted temporary asylum four months later. The man who rented the flat in the eastern city of Chemnitz in which Albakr last lived - a 33-year-old Syrian who WamS named as Khalil A. - is in custody and is being investigated on suspicion of helping Albakr, the newspaper said. Separately, German broadcaster ARD said Tegel airport in Berlin was possibly Albakr's attack target. Without naming its sources, ARD said Albakr went to Berlin one weekend in the second half of September to spy out Tegel. Bus tickets, among other things, proved that, the broadcaster said. The Berliner Morgenpost newspaper and the regional broadcaster rbb cited federal security sources as saying Albakr met a contact in Berlin while he was in the capital. The newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (F.A.S.) said train tickets that investigators found in Albakr's possessions were key to uncovering the Berlin trip. The federal prosecutor's office declined to comment on media reports when contacted by Reuters. F.A.S. cited a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office as saying there were not yet "enough links to IS that could be used in court". German security sources told Reuters that Albakr had traveled to Turkey after receiving asylum in Germany and spent several months there this summer. F.A.S. said Albakr landed in the eastern German city of Leipzig at the end of August on his return from Turkey. The newspaper cited investigators as saying Albakr had already planned an attack at that point. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Andrew Bolton and Mary Milliken)
A Delta flight crew couldnt believe Ashley Denmark was a physician. (Photo: Courtesy of Ashley Denmark)

Dr. Ashley Denmark, D.O., who hails from South Carolina, was on a flight from Seattle to Hawaii. The trip, to attend a good friends wedding, was intended as a bit of a rest and relaxation period for the busy doctor, wife, and mother of two. As soon as she heard there was a traveler in need of medical assistance, though, Denmark got up and made her presence known. Thats when everything went awry. Denmark shared her story on her website:

As I settled in to watch a movie and read a book, about 1 hour into our flight over the intercom, a flight attendant requested a doctor or nurse to report to front of cabin to assist a passenger. When duty calls it calls  even if you are 30,000 feet in air

And she continued on social media:The flight attendant didnt believe I was a doctor and told me to have a seat while 2 nurses provided medical care to the passenger.

It was merely a few days ago when Tamika Cross, MD, another young, black physician described a very similar situation happening on a different Delta flight. In Crosss situation, the passenger was unresponsive, a seemingly life-threatening situation in which every second counted.

What exactly is it that inspires seemingly normal people to prevent qualified individuals from offering their professional assistance? In life-or-death situations, do we really have time to be prejudiced?

A report by the Washington Post, points to the phenomenon of implicit bias as the culprit. Overt bias certainly exists, but there is also a growing body of scientific literature thats revealing an even more uncomfortable truth, according to the article. Deep-seated unconscious biases help steer our thinking and behavior  even when we dont realize it.

One can only hope that by sharing their stories, women like Cross and Denmark can begin to receive the respect that others  particularly older, white men  enjoy without needing to jump through hoops to prove themselves.

Denmark reiterated this hope, telling Yahoo Beauty that she hopes her story raises awareness to the fact that the face of medicine is changing. Doctors can be young, female, or come from different ethnic backgrounds, she says. My hope is that Delta takes into account my unfortunate experience and prevents a similar occurrence from happening again. Despite this experience, I have remained focused and will continue to do so, striving to be the best physician, mother, and wife I can be.

And to those last words, were happy to give her more than the benefit of the doubt.

Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
CAIRO (Reuters) - A Cairo court sentenced 18 defendants on Sunday to two years in prison for insulting the judiciary, after the defendants cheered inside the cage when one of them threw his shoe at the judge, security sources and a lawyer said. Amar El Shahat, a 19-year-old student, turned around and aimed his shoe at the head of the court as he was being sent back to the cage after being questioned before the court for making noise inside the cage, a police official who was in the courtroom said. El-shahat is being tried along with 22 others on terrorism charges and possessing weapons, with five being tried in absentia. The trial that began in 2015 was taking place in the police academy. Sunday's sentence was for a separate charge of insulting the judiciary during a court hearing. A policeman who was standing behind the Mohammed Shereen Fahmy, the judge, caught the shoe just before it could hit Fahmy's head, said Khaled el Masry, a lawyer representing three of the defendants, who was in the courtroom. The rest of the defendants supported their colleague, which is what led the court to move a criminal case against them, and accuse them of insulting the judiciary, the police official said. They were all sentenced to two years in prison after a representative of the general prosecution in court called for them to be handed the maximum sentence, the police official added. The defendants have the right to appeal against the decision, but El Masry said they had been handed two years in prison in a previous court session but didn't appeal. "They do not recognize the court as a valid judicial body that could try them," el Masry said. The army forced Mursi, the country's first freely-elected president from power in 2013 following mass protests against his rule. It then launched a crackdown against his organization, arresting thousands on accusations of violence and terrorism. The Muslim Brotherhood was labeled a terrorist organization last year and most of its senior leaders are in prison awaiting trial on charges relating to violence and terrorism. (Reporting by Haitham Ahmed and Amina Ismail; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
The Daily Beast

STRINGER/ReutersVideo footage shows pedestrians attempting to sway an Indian suspension bridge in the moments before it catastrophically collapsed, leaving at least 141 people dead as of Monday.Rescuers expect the death toll to continue to rise after the bridge fell apart in the western state of Gujarat on Sunday. The majority of those killed were women, children, or elderly people, a local official told the BBC. Almost 180 people were successfully rescued, however, in an overnight operation inv
Gavin DeGraw honored his mother, Lynne, with an a capella version of the Sam Cooke classic, "You Were Made for Me" at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City Thursday night (Oct. 13).

"I love you mom," he said as he waved to his mother in the balcony.

Earlier in the evening, the New York native performed "You Make My Heart Sing Louder" -- his mom's favorite song off the new record, Something Worth Saving. In a sweet moment, explaining the band doesn't perform it often, but did it because she was in attendance.

DeGraw's heartfelt performance of the lyrics "as sure as there are stars above/you were made for me" -- was a touching tribute, and got us thinking of all of the times DeGraw interpreted the music of others. Here are five examples:

"You Were Made For Me," Sam Cooke

"You could have made this a Netflix night," DeGraw humbly tells the audience after this performance at the Santander Performing Arts Center in Reading, Pa. Why would anyone do that when he's in town?

"Let it Go," James Bay

DeGraw really is having a nice moment on this tour, covering another musician who is quite fond of hats -- James Bay -- before sliding into "Soldier," from his 2011 album, Sweeter. Here he is in Nashville, honoring soldiers and their service during a brief musical break.

"Walking in Memphis," Marc Cohn

Even when he doesn't know the whole song, DeGraw pulls it off with those soulful vocals, as he did in this Belgium show.

"Tracks of My Tears," Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

This performance on NBC's Last Call is DeGraw at his finest. Seated at a piano, he delivers the ache of the song in this stripped down moment.

"She's Always a Woman," Billy Joel

It was something special when DeGraw opened for Billy Joel, so naturally this talented New Yorker did the Piano Man with this lovely version of "She's Always a Woman."

Gavin DeGraw is currently on tour with Andy Grammer and Wrabel. The tour lands at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, N.J., on Monday (Oct. 17).
Director Gavin OConnors The Accountant follows the adventures  or misadventures  of an autistic math savant (Ben Affleck) who, using the cover of an unassuming small town CPA, earns a living as a forensic accountant for some of the worlds most dangerous criminals. And also happens to be a brutally efficient trained killer whose skill with numbers is matched only by his skill at dispatching enemies. Currently winning the weekend with a projected three day cume of $25 million and an A Cinemascore, The Accountant is a fascinating take on its genre, providing not just thrilling violence but a sincere look at how a character finds a way to thrive with his condition through complex calculations, be they mathematical or simply how many bullets to put in someone.

The Accountant

That dichotomy is supported by the haunting, minimalist and at times, positively anxiety-inducing score by composer Mark Isham, a sample of which you can listen to above. A prolific film scorer whose credits include Reversal of Fortune, Point Break, From the Earth to the Moon, Crash, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and ABCs American Crime, The Accountant is Ishams fourth collaboration with OConnor, following 2004s Miracle, 2008s Pride and Glory, and 2011s Warrior. With The Accountant now in theaters, Isham spoke to Deadline about his relationship with OConnor, how the films main character informed his score, the math behind his music, and more.

Deadline: Your score is understated at times and other times incredibly unnerving  in a good way. How did you settle on that tone?

Isham: I think the thing thats really unique about this film is the character. Hes got what could arguably be described as two sides to him that evolved very naturally  his experience and his life. They are part and parcel to how he views life, he has a very clear sense of his moral code, and hes used to dealing with people with, shall we say, very questionable moral codes. He has typical responses for them, and holds himself to a very high standard of morality and ethics. So it contributes to this fascinating character.

Story continues

So I chose this because there is a beauty in his mind with mathematics and patterns that hes always experienced, and its plagued him as a problem. And when he embraces it, its true beauty for him. So there is a great deal of the score that embraces the beauty of mathematics, and of course theres a great deal of mathematics in music itself. So some of the more electronic elements of the score really try in a non-intrusive way to make the mathematical beauty of patterns part of the fabric of the sound.

Deadline: About that mathematical element, were you thinking about your score in that Pythagorean way, mathematically derived harmonies for instance? How do you incorporate math into your music?

Isham: I dont dwell on it 90% of the time. Obviously theres a music thats evolved over the last 30, 40 years, minimalism, and a lot of it comes from early sequencers developed in the 60s, and the classical guys who got ahold of those concepts and played around with them. Theres a great deal of pure math in rhythm, so when Im dealing in that style, I do absolutely think of the math of it. And in this particular case I did. I actually worked out various patterns. Once Ive done that, I try it, and then see if its a pleasing effect  the aesthetic choice is always the final choice. I dont drive it with pure math all the time, the math has to come from a place of oh my goodness, that has that effect, cool. I like that, I want to use that.

Those are sort of the simple concepts I used to build the texture behind the score. But having said that, there is a huge emotional component to this story. The real part of the story is the heart of it. And that is what Gavin Oconner is so brilliant at. one of the greatest directors I think at really building to such a heartfelt climax with his characters. He did it in warrior, and I think hes done it here equally as well perhaps better.

And consequently you have to drop the patterns and all the intellectual gobbledegook and you have to read into your roots as a composer of pure, heart-driven emotion, find whatever those things are. To me thats really based on harmony, understanding how harmony can draw you to an emotional climax, and then find the type of melody that a film like this will support.

Deadline: What did you use to score The Accountant?

Isham: Organically, we used orchestra, solo cello, choir, percussion. I think thats it in the acoustic realm. Then theres a lot of electric piano, and a tremendous amount of sampled sounds, so theres a great organic quality to the electronic sounds. There was a very specific point where I wanted sounds that were obviously electronic as well, to blend into the score. Some of that came off the back wall  my collection. My old Moog 15, my Arp 2600. The problem for this is in film the new cut comes in and suddenly a piece has to be 10 seconds shorter or 15 seconds longer, so it becomes a little easier to stay in the computer environment.

Deadline: There has been a lot of discussion about the main character, that hes someone on the Autism spectrum. Did knowing that this character is somewhere on that spectrum influence the way you approached your score?

accountant

Isham: Theres no comment in the score about that condition as a social phenomenon, I kept it related to his emotions. The comment the score makes is that when [the main character] is accounting something that is truly challenging, he is in heaven. The beauty of that abstractness enchants him, hes literally the happiest he could be. When he feels something for someone, its genuine, his heart is genuinely touched. He also deals with difficulty in verbal communication. That difficulty is nothing that any teenager hasnt experienced [though]: you want to talk to the girl, you want to talk to the boy, somebody that youre uncomfortable talking to. These are very universal emotions.

Deadline: Youve worked with Gavin four times now. Can you talk about how that relationship has developed over the years?

Isham: I consider Gavin a good friend. We hit it off obviously on our first meeting, and stayed good friends and collaborators since. I think its because we share a lot of the same interests in life, we both know what those family moments are, the value of that, and stories about that are meaningful for both of us. I think we sort of cut our teeth together, [Miracle] was his first large feature, and a large orchestral score which for me is always a challenge. Not that I hadnt touched on a film like that before but every film is unique. We went through a learning process together. Any time you come out of the trenches with someone so to speak with someone who you really respect and get a real love for, it builds a relationship you want to keep going with.

Deadline: How soon into production were you able to begin creating your score?

Isham: The beauty of working with someone on a regular basis is that you do get an early start. Gavin and I met up when the script was greenlit to talk about the character. He also said I have no idea what the music should be and so we had a long time to germinate on this. And quite frankly of the four films weve done, this was the hardest in that respect, I dont think either one of us had a clear idea of what the music could and should and would be, and so the temp process was helpful.

Deadline: Theres been a lot of discussion this year about the increasing use of temp scores and how they impact new music for film. Do you feel temp scores are helpful, or is it something youd prefer not to use?

Isham: Temps are interesting because theyre just a vehicle for that first preview, [but] they can really help you find where you can go. In this case, I wrote a lot of music that didnt see the light of day because it was wrong, but I could do that for a lifetime probably if we hadnt also been temping.

Ive had an evolving relationship with temp scores. I think a lot of it has to do with the directors confidence in music. Certainly some directors just want to learn themselves what the score is through the temp score, and I understand that. The key there though is that theyre able to divorce themselves from the specifics of the temp as the score emerges. But over the decades what Ive learned is how to help a director do that. That transition can be seamless, and part of the great thing about technology these days the demos [for the original work] can be very high quality. So Ill make my demos at the quality they can go into the preliminary screenings.

Deadline: How did that work with The Accountant?

the-accountant-600x315

I think the first Accountant preview, it was mostly all temp, because of the nature of still exploring where we were going. But by the second preview it was 60% me. You can start to see, to learn to love the approach that the producers and directors are helping to find with me. You just have to work as a group to achieve that, and it takes some communication. And thats one thing I love about working with Gavin, hes a great communicator. If theres anything on his mind its out in the open, and we sort it out.

So I think temp scores are helpful, certainly on films trying to be more adventuresome, musically, and not just cutting in the latest trend. So I find ultimately I would rather have a temp than no temp. Having said that, there are definitely times when I sit down to watch a movie with no music at all, and let it get in my head and just say ok what would happen if?

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBbK-6yhMz8&w=605&h=340]

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By PTI: Thane, Oct 14 (PTI) An FBI officer today met Thane Police officials and gathered and shared details about the probe into a multi-crore call centre scam, whose victims were US citizens who lost millions of dollars amid signs that the magnitude of the racket may be bigger than estimated initially.

Sohel Daud, a senior agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who arrived here this morning, met senior officers, including Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, at the Police headquarters here.

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The American security and crime-fighting agency came into picture after it emerged that the victims of the call centre racket were US citizens.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Singh said exchange of information between the Thane Police and the US agency would help in identifying those behind the racket in which lakhs of American citizens had been duped.

The fraud is of a big magnitude which cannot be estimated at this stage, he said.

"We will verify the information which the FBI has shared with us. It will help in our investigation. The FBI team also appreciated our efforts (in uncovering the scam)," Joint Commissioner of Police Ashutosh Dumbre told PTI.

The FBI officer will be in the city for a few more days and question those arrested in connection with the scam, police sources said.

Police have issued a Look out circular (LOC) to nab Sagar Dharmesh Thakkar, the alleged mastermind of the scam, which operated out of nearly a dozen call centres, whose associates posed as US tax officers and extorted money from American residents by threatening raids.

Crime Branch teams are also looking for Thakkar and authorities at the international borders, airports and sea ports have been alerted to thwart his attempt to leave the country, Dumbre said.

Police unearthed the scam, involving more than Rs 500 crore, last week after raiding seven call centres in Mira Road locality. The racket had been going on for a few months, he added.

The daily transactions of the seven call centres stood at around Rs 1.5 crore. After the raids, police shut down four more call centres in Thane where the daily transaction was about Rs 50 lakh, the Joint Commissioner of Police said.

Police have so far arrested 71 people in connection with the case. Some of the call centres involved in the racket were run illegally from the premises of Hari Om IT Park, Universal Outsourcing Services and Oswal House on Mira Road.

The callers used to seek financial and bank details of US citizens and if the victims refused to disclose the information, they would even allegedly threaten them with dire consequences, including legal action and penalties. PTI DC/COR RSY DIP

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Lashkar Gah (Afghanistan) (AFP) - Bruised and frightened, three-year-old Fatima flinches as the thunderous boom of Taliban rockets rolls across the capital of Helmand, an opium-ravaged province that epitomises the biggest failure of the 15-year US-led war in Afghanistan.

For years Helmand was the centerpiece of the Western military intervention in Afghanistan only for it to slip deeper into a quagmire of instability, with almost the entire southern province teetering on the verge of collapse.

Intensified fighting has killed hundreds and forced thousands to flee to besieged capital Lashkar Gah, sparking a humanitarian crisis as the city -- one of the last government-held enclaves -- risks falling to the Taliban's repeated ferocious assaults.

Bearing the brunt of the Taliban upsurge are ordinary civilians such as Bismillah, who lost everything when an artillery shell landed on his house in the volatile district of Nad Ali.

"My house was on the frontline," said the father-of-eight, holding his daughter Fatima in his arms, a plaster cast on her tiny leg.

"Cattle were getting shot, humans were getting killed, everyone was running for their lives," he told AFP at Lashkar Gah's Italian-run Emergency hospital, as bursts of rocket fire echo outside.

The packed surgical centre last month received 216 war-wounded over a two-week period, the highest number ever.

"Bullet, mine, shrapnel, bullet, amputation," said Vesna Nestorovic, Emergency's medical coordinator, pointing out injuries from bed to bed.

"And there are lots of children."

Some 5,000 war-displaced families have streamed into Lashkar Gah in recent months, fleeing in pickup trucks with jerry cans, mattresses, firewood and farm animals.

"My children have not eaten bread for two months," said one woman in a sky-blue burqa begging for assistance outside a relief agency's office.

The desperate new arrivals, many uprooted from once-peaceful districts, are sheltering in the mud-walled homes of locals -- often dozens to a house.

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Lashkar Gah's burial sites also are ever expanding, with graves now encroaching onto thoroughfares.

- 'Political failure' -

Helmand, a mosaic of mountain-fringed flatlands criss-crossed by the Helmand river, is the heart of the multi-billion dollar opium trade and long a coveted prize by the Taliban.

The province, Afghanistan's largest, also offers safe exit routes to the insurgents across the border to Pakistan or to neighbouring Iran.

But how a few hundred Taliban fighters took swathes of Helmand from tens of thousands of Western-trained army and police still beggars belief, highlighting the failures of the US invasion of October 7, 2001, observers say.

"Helmand most of all epitomises not a military failure but a political failure," said Stephen Grey, author of "Operation Snakebite", a book about Western military deployment in Helmand.

"By failing to understand the province's tribal dynamics, we consistently ended up fighting with the wrong side, allying ourselves with interests regarded with contempt by many ordinary Helmandis."

The rapid fall of districts has raised concerns about the capacity of Afghan forces, beset by unprecedented casualties and blamed for corruption, desertion and "ghost soldiers" who do not exist on the payroll but whose salaries are usurped by fraudulent commanders.

Fears that ammunition is being sold to the Taliban has prompted the government to issue a new edict: new ammunition will be issued only upon receipt of expended bullets.

- 'Strategic retreat' -

Helmand Governor Hayatullah Hayat has sought to downplay fears of the fall of Lashkar Gah.

He has pulled hundreds of troops from far-flung districts in a controversial "strategic retreat", redeploying them to bolster Lashkar Gah as the US steps up air support.

But nerves are worn in the city, with Hayat fielding frequent requests from civil society groups for emergency evacuation to Camp Shorabak, a fortified military camp, if the Taliban breach the city gates.

"The government is in control," Hayat said.

But his assertion is challenged by who controls the airwaves.

As the fighting has intensified the Taliban recently ordered private telecom operators to shut down mobile signals to prevent spying on insurgent positions.

It is an open secret that telecom operators are forced to comply in the face of insurgent threats.

And for those displaced by the fighting, like 40-year-old farmer Hamidullah, the irony is unmistakable: most peaceful areas of Helmand are under Taliban control.

"My relatives in Nawa district say: 'Come here, there's no fighting, no insecurity, no robbery, no one asks for a bribe, he said.

"If things get worse I will take my wife and children there."
Johannesburg (AFP) - A South African opposition party on Sunday filed a criminal complaint against the controversial Gupta brothers who stand accused of wielding undue influence over President Jacob Zuma.

The complaint, alleging graft against the brothers who made their fortune in South Africa after emigrating from India in the early 1990s, also names one of Zuma's sons, Duduzane, a former Gupta business partner, and Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane.

"Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) opened a criminal case against the Gupta-led criminal syndicate at the Rosebank Police Station on the 16th of October," a statement by the radical leftist party said.

"The case relates to instances of corruption, theft, fraud, money laundering, racketeering and various offences under the Income Tax Act, Financial Intelligence Centre Act and the Currency Laws of the Republic of South Africa," it said.

The party had also submitted a sworn statement from Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan "as a basis of proof that there is a prima facie case against the Gupta criminal syndicate", the statement said.

Zuma has been under increasing pressure over persistent allegations the powerful family held undue political sway over him to the extent it could even nominate a cabinet minister.

But he has denied any abuse of influence emanating from his links to the family -- who preside over a business empire with interests in mining, transportation, technology and media -- to whom he admits he is close.

The complaint, which names a total of 13 people and businesss, was filed just days after Gordhan filed court papers containing details of exchanges he had with South Africa's Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) regarding "suspicious" transactions made by firms linked to the Guptas over the past four years.

In his deposition, which was seen by AFP on Saturday, Gordhan said that several banks had informed the FIC about more than 70 suspect transactions totalling some 6.8 billion rand ($500 million/440 million euros).

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Gordan, who has been a vocal opponent of corruption and excessive government spending and has repeatedly clashed with Zuma loyalists, has himself been summoned to court on fraud charges.

He says the case against him is politically motivated.

- Report delayed -

Sunday's criminal complaint was filed two days after South Africa's Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had been due to release a potentially-explosive report into allegations that Zuma allowed the Guptas to have undue influence over the government.

But at the last minute, the report's release was postponed following court action by both Zuma and another minister implicated in the investigation.

Madonsela's seven-year term in office as South Africa's anti-corruption watchdog ended on Saturday and the delayed report will now only be released on November 1 by new Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

The Gupta brothers, Atul, Ajay and Rajesh, have over the years been embroiled in scandals, but the alleged extent of their political influence only came to light early this year after a deputy minister said they offered him the post of finance minister before Zuma had removed the incumbent.
Saturday Night Live wasted no time diving into the latest presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and of course, the latest allegations against Trump. The show even got the attention of Trump, who tweeted on Sunday that he's not too impressed with Alec Baldwin's impression of him.

Appearing once again as Trump, Baldwin took the stage with Anderson Cooper (new castmember Alex Moffat) and Martha Raddatz (Cecily Strong), who started the evening by saying, "Welcome to the second and worst-ever presidential debate."

Trump himself may have been watching the episode since he later tweeted, "Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me. Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!" Baldwin even retweeted the tweet on his feed.

Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me.Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016

In the sketch, Strong as Raddatz decided to "get this nightmare started."

Baldwin as Trump and Kate McKinnon as Clinton faked out a handshake as they waved to the voters in the audience, whom Strong called "undecided, uncommitted and not remotely camera-ready."

When asked if he thinks he's exhibiting proper behavior for today's youth, Trump answered quickly, "No. Next."

"I love kids, I love kids so much I'd marry them," he continued. "I helped a kid, Kevin McCallister, find the hotel lobby. You might remember the documentary, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York."

He noted that though he is innocent of the allegations of groping and inappropriate touching made against him he wanted to commend Bill Clinton's accusers for coming forward. "Their voices need to be heard." As for the women accusing him of sexual misconduct: "They need to shut the hell up."

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On Friday, former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos said Trump kissed and groped her at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2007. Zervos is the latest of several women to come forward accusing Trump of sexual misconduct, including two women who told their stories to The New York Times and a former People reporter, all of whom recall Trump inappropriately touching or kissing them without their consent.

Echoing his behavior during the real debate, as Clinton answered a question about health care, Trump appeared to stalk her and walked back and forth directly behind her, at one point yelling "wrong!" as she spoke.

Dun dun...

Dun dun...#SNL pic.twitter.com/FIn4CswJl8- Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) October 16, 2016

Read more: Danny Elfman on His Funny or Die Video and Donald Trump: He's a "Cornered Animal"

Calling one voter "Denzel" (Michael Che), he took the opportunity to switch the topic to the inner cities, even though that's not what the audience member had asked about, earning a loud "boo" from the crowd.

Finally, the moderators announced it was "time for a special treat" since everyone had been so good during the debate. And so debate favorite Ken Bone (Bobby Moynihan) showed up in his red sweater to dance. "I needed that," said Moffat's Anderson Cooper.

Just as in the real debate, a voter made the final request, which was for each of them to name what they liked about each other.

"I do like how generous he is," said Clinton. "Just last Friday he handed me this election."

Trump encouraged his supporters to get out there against Crooked Hillary: "I need all my voters to get out there and vote. Mark your calendars, it's Nov. 35." (Recently, the real Trump told supporters at a rally in Florida to get out to vote on Nov. 28.)

It's time for a special treat...#SNL pic.twitter.com/Ypg4xdhyFR

- Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) October 16, 2016

Last week, Baldwin appeared as Trump to address the Access Hollywood tapes, asking "Are you not entertained?" When asked why he would say such offensive things, he said he was "trying to look cool." "I mean what normal, red-blooded American doesn't want to impress THE Billy Bush?" He later added that he was a "childish, 59-year-old man."

Girl on the Train star Emily Blunt hosted the Oct. 15 episode with musical guest Bruno Mars, who makes his fourth appearance on SNL. His third album, 24K, will be released in November. Tom Hanks will host for a ninth time Oct. 22, with Lady Gaga, who is getting ready for the release of her new studio album, Joanne.

Read more: Alec Baldwin's Trump Addresses Tape Controversy on 'SNL': "Are You Not Entertained?"
After bowing Sunday with Finding Altamira, Hugh Hudsons 19th-century period drama starring Antonio Banderas, Turkeys oldest film fest turns its attention to the national competition, where a crop of familiar faces and newcomers are in the running for this years Golden Orange at the 53rd Antalya Intl. Film Festival, which runs Oct. 16-23.

The varied slate highlights the emergence of a number of dynamic new voices in Turkish cinema, with eight of the 12 films in competition marking the feature-length debuts of their directors.

Among them are a biting satire about middle-class morality, a documentary about young wrestlers at an elite boarding school, and a coming-of-age drama set against the backdrop of the ongoing Turkish-Kurdish conflict.

Its a very diverse film program right now, says fest director Elif Dagdeviren.

Antalya holds a special place in the hearts of many Turkish filmmakers, including Soner Caner and Bars Kaya, whose feature debut, Rauf, will take part in the national competition after a world premiere in the Berlinales Generation Kplus section.

While in post-production last year, Rauf won the Work in Progress award at the Antalya Film Forum  a vote of confidence that Kaya says encouraged he and his co-director to believe [in] what we do.

Its really meaningful to come back to Antalya, he says. We feel like we returned back home.

Newcomer Mehmet Can Mertoglu, whose feature debut, Album (Album), arrives on the heels of a Cannes Critics Week premiere, first came to Antalya in 2007, before hed even shot his first short film.

Returning often in the years since, he chose the city as one of the principal locations for his movie. The helmer says hes grateful for the opportunities hes had in Antalya through the years to hear from such masters as Abbas Kiarostami, Jia Zhangke, and Francis Ford Coppola, who have all attended the festival as guests.

I have lots of good memories in Antalya, he says.

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The curtain rises on the festival this year in the wake of wider political uncertainty in Turkey, just months after a failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July, which led to a broad government crackdown.

Privately some say that the festival itself was tarnished two years ago by the controversy over Reyan Tuvis Love Will Change the Earth, a documentary about Turkeys widespread 2013 protests, which was removed from competition because of legal issues before being hastily returned to the line-up. Amid cries of censorship, 11 of 15 docs withdrew from the festival that year, along with the entire documentary jury.

As the government continues to clamp down in the wake of Julys coup attempt, drawing condemnation from some quarters and silence from others, many bizzers suggest that the politically charged climate in Turkey today has created a bitter rift in the film community.

Still, the industry appears to be drawing strength from such challenges, as a strong crop of films in this years national competition can attest.

According to Zeynep Atakan, who produced Nuri Bilge Ceylans Palme dOr-winning Winter Sleep, Turkey has been going through a very difficult time, butwe will continue to make good films, because we always think art is the only solution.

Ten fiction features and two documentaries will take place in this years national competition:

First-time helmer Mehmet Can Mertoglu arrives in Antalya with Album (Album), a dark satire about a respectable middle-class family who doctor a photo to hide their adopted childs identity. Mertoglus debut had its world premiere in Cannes Critics Week.

Babamn Kanatlar (My Fathers Wings), director Kvanc Sezers first feature, is a dark tale of a fathers desperation in the face of institutional corruption. The film had its world premiere in competition at Karlovy Vary.

Ayhan Salar and Erkan Tahhusoglus Esik (Verge) examines the lives of two women dealing with separation, isolation and loss. Making its Turkish premiere, it also bowed in Karlovy Vary.

Directed by Mete Gumurhan, Genc Pehlivanlar (Young Wrestlers) tells the story of 26 students at an elite boarding school hoping to find glory on the wrestling mat. One of two documentaries in competition, it had its world premiere in the Berlinales Generation Kplus section.

Umit Korekens feature debut Mavi Bisiklet (Blue Bicycle), which also bowed in Berlin, tells the story of a 13-year-old boy whose hard-earned savings for the films eponymous bike have to be used instead to support his sisters election campaign for class president.

Turkish leading man Rza Sonmez makes his directorial debut with Orhan Pamuka Soylemeyin Karsta Cektigim Filmde Kar Roman da Var (Do Not Tell Orhan Pamuk That the Movie I Directed in Kars Features the Novel Snow), a humorous docu-drama about life in a city characterized by the Nobel Prize-winning Pamuk.

Soner Caner and Bars Kayas feature debut, Rauf, is a tender coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the ongoing Turkish-Kurdish conflict. It had its world premiere in Berlins Generation Kplus section.

One of Turkish cinemas leading figures, Dervis Zaim arrives in Antalya this year with Ruya (Dream), the tale of an architect forced to make difficult choices in order to remain relevant in a changing Istanbul.

Seren Yuce will hope to replicate the success of his debut feature Cogunluk (Majority), which won the Lion of the Future award at the Venice Film Festival in 2010 before earning best picture, best director and best actor nods in Antalya. His sophomore effort, The Swaying Waterlily, examines the complicated friendship between two families from different classes.

In Siyah Karga (Black Crow), M. Tayfur Aydn tells the story of a young woman who fled Iran to pursue an acting career in France, only to return at great peril in order to see her dying father.

Acclaimed helmer Yesim Ustaoglu returns to Antalya with Tereddut (Clair-Obscur), a portrait of two women from radically different worlds who are both forced to confront the limitations imposed on women in Turkey today. Ustaoglus sixth feature film, it had its world premiere in Toronto.

Gozde Kural daring debut, Toz (Dust), was lensed in Afghanistan, and had its world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival. It traces the journey of an Afghan woman from Istanbul who returns to her ancestral homeland, only to get embroiled in the secrets of her familys past.

Related stories

Antalya: Turkey's Oldest Festival Celebrates New Talent

Antalya: Turkish Drama 'Rauf' Explores Local Conflict

Antalya: Film Forum Offers Platform for Turkish Films
According to a Japanese website, Apple Inc. (AAPL) will add all models of its iPhone 4 and other old products to its vintage and obsolete product lists beginning October 31.

According to Apple's support page, vintage products have not been manufactured for more than 5 and less than 7 years. Obsolete products were discontinued more than 7 years. There are some exceptions that are listed on the support page. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201624

MacRumors noted that the products listed at the Mac Otakara website specifically addresses Apple's vintage and obsolete products in Japan. However these additions to the list will likely extend to the United States, Australia, Canada, and the rest of the Asia-Pacific and Europe regions.

ALSO READ: The Richest Town in Every State

Other products included on the Japan list are the late-2010 13-inch MacBook Air, the third-generation AirPort Extreme, and the mid-2009 Airport Time Capsule.

The CDMA versions of the iPhone 4 were declared obsolete last month and Apple has also recently made other products obsolete, including the mid-2009 iMac, the 2010 Mac mini, and the mid-2010 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro.

Here's more on obsolete Apple products, including non-Apple versions of the Beats headphones:

Monster-branded Beats products are considered obsolete regardless of when they were purchased. Apple has discontinued all hardware service for obsolete products with no exceptions. Service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products. All Apple Retail Stores and the Canadian, European, Latin American, and Asia-Pacific operating regions follow the U.S. product list, but make no distinction between vintage and obsolete. When applied to Apple Retail Stores and these operating regions, products on the U.S. vintage list (all models) are considered obsolete.

Related Articles
Sydney (AFP) - Australian and New Zealand airlines barred the recalled Samsung Note 7 from all planes starting Sunday citing its "potential fire risk", after a similar ban was imposed by US officials.

Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, has halted production of its latest flagship mobile device and recalled all Note 7 phones and replacements following reports of exploding batteries and fires.

"(The ban) is due to concerns regarding potential fire risk from the device's battery after a number of incidents worldwide and follows a ban put in place by regulators overseas," Qantas and its discount carrier Jetstar said in a statement late Saturday.

"The ban applies to devices being carried onto the aircraft, in carry-on baggage as well as check-in luggage."

Virgin Australia, Tigerair Australia and Air New Zealand issued similar announcements.

Virgin and Air New Zealand "strongly advised" passengers not to bring the Note 7 phone to airports.

"They cannot be accepted for travel and there is no storage facility available for them at our check-in areas," Air New Zealand added.

The Australian carriers previously told customers not to use or charge the smartphone if they were carrying it onboard flights, after Samsung's initial recall of the "phablet" last month.

US officials Friday barred all Note 7s from airplanes and said anyone attempting to travel with the recalled handsets may face fines and have the devices confiscated.

The Note 7 crisis is set to cost the South Korean electronics giant billions in lost profits, and is a blow to a firm that prides itself on the quality production of cutting-edge technology.
iStock/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- Police said a house party in the West Adams area of South Los Angeles turned deadly early Saturday after shots were fired at a makeshift restaurant.

The shooting left at least three people dead and 12 others injured, the Los Angeles Police Department said according to ABC News affiliate KABC-TV.

Police said 12 people were hospitalized, KABC-TV reports, and at least three of the wounded were listed in critical condition.

When police arrived at the scene, Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Frank Preciado said it was "chaos," with about 50 people running away.

"When they came into the crime scene - very horrific. We have evidence all over the place...," he said according to KABC-TV.

Police said the homeowner did not have the proper permits to operate the residence as a restaurant, but was cooperating with authorities, according to KABC-TV. Witnesses told police it was a popular reggae spot.

"We cannot tolerate these tragedies multiplying in communities across America," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
By PTI: Tiruchirappalli, Oct 15 (PTI) With the Cauvery issue continuing to hold political centre-stage, former Union minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram today sought to know if the BJP-led Centre was "tilting" towards Karnataka to capture power in that state.

He said if the Central government, "which is required to be neutral", was "tilting" towards Karnataka, it showed its hankering and "hope" for power in the neighbouring state.

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"They (BJP) believe that they will be able to capture power in Karnataka in the next election (2018 Assembly polls)," he said at a gathering of party workers and supporters who were on a fast, protesting against the Centres stand on formation of Cauvery Management Board.

He said though it was usual for one state to accuse another "the question is if the Centre is carrying out its responsibility or not. The Centre is skirting its responsibility."

The former Union minister said that by doing so, the BJP-led government was trying to get "political mileage".

Attacking the Tamil Nadu BJP, he said it would not be able to capture power in the state.

Besides Chidambaram, other Congress leaders present were former Union minister Dhanushkodi Adithan, former TNCC presidents K V Thangkabalu, Kumari Ananthan and Congress leaders Karate Thyagarajan, former party MPs and MLAs.

TNCC president S Tirunavukarasar, who spoke on the occasion, said the Centre should act effectively on the Cauvery water dispute and form Cauvery Water Management Board.

Steps should be taken to provide relief to farmers affected by lack of water for their crops, he said. PTI VGN SSN APR TVS APR TIR

--- ENDS ---
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Crown Resorts Ltd, Australia's biggest casino company, on Monday said 18 of its employees including its head of VIP gambling have been detained by Chinese authorities, as its shares dived 11 percent on fears for its Asia strategy. Sydney-listed Crown said it was working with the Australian foreign ministry to make contact with its employees, but it had not been able to speak them and had no explanation for their detention. The Crown staff were held following police raids last week, Australian media reported on the weekend. Analysts linked the raids to a broader Chinese government crackdown on corruption which has hit Macau gaming revenues. Crown shares fell 11 percent in early trading, reflecting concerns about the Melbourne-based company's ability to continue to attract wealthy Chinese gamblers to its casinos in Australia. Shares in Australian No. 2 casino company Star Entertainment Group Ltd fell as much as 6 percent. On top of casinos in the cities of Melbourne and Perth, Crown is planning a A$2 billion ($1.52 billion) casino resort on the Sydney waterfront, targeted largely at Chinese tourists. "The inferred underlying meaning is that the crackdown on Chinese gambling is only likely to increase," said Evan Lucas, a strategist at IG Markets. "It's getting harder and harder to see how you continue to do business in that space when regulatory increases are clearly the highest risk factor." Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said it was aware of reports that a group of Crown employees, including three Australians, had been detained in China overnight from Oct. 13 to Oct. 14. "Chinese authorities have three days in which to notify of the detention of Australians according to the terms of a bilateral consular treaty," DFAT said in an email. Australian consular officials would try to offer assistance to the detained Australians. ($1 = 1.3187 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Sandra Maler and Stephen Coates)
Security was tightened in a Bangladesh southern city Sunday ahead of the expected execution of a senior Islamist extremist whose group has been linked to the murder of foreign hostages, police said.

Asadul Islam, a leader of the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who is also known as Arif, is due to hang in Khulna after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in August for blasts that killed two lower court judges in 2005.

Bangladesh has blamed the JMB for the July 1 attack on an upmarket Dhaka restaurant in which 22 people, mostly foreign hostages, were killed.

Security forces have since launched a deadly crackdown against extremists linked to the attack, shooting dead nearly 40 people including its new leader Tamim Chowdhury, a Canadian citizen of Bangladesh descent.

After the attacks, courts have also fast-tracked prosecution of the Islamists. Scores of them were already facing death sentences.

"The tentative time of his hanging is 10.30 pm (1630 GMT). We've stepped up security all over the city," Khulna Police Commissioner Nibhas Chandra Majhi told AFP.

Majihi said hundreds of police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion have been deployed in Khulna, the country's third largest city, to prevent any violence.

In August, just weeks after the cafe attack, Bangladesh's highest court led by the chief justice dismissed Arif's final appeal, clearing the way for his execution.

Arif later refused to seek presidential clemency, paving the way for his hanging later on Sunday, said a prison official of the jail where the Islamist was set to be executed.

Six other top officials of the JMB, including its founding leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman, had already been executed in March 2007 for the same case.

Founded in the late 1990s by Islamists who fought in the Afghan wars along with the Mujahideens and the Taliban, the JMB has sought to impose sharia law in the Muslim majority but secular nation of 160 million people.

On August 17, 2005, the group conducted more than 400 small blasts in 63 of the country's 64 districts. Many of these bombs targeted secular courts.

Hundreds of JMB extremists including Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, were later hunted down by security forces in a massive Islamist crackdown.
In from Berlin, Brooklyn, Bristol and beyond, we've banished anything that resembles average to bring you our latest selects for the Best New Mixes Streaming Right Now.

Spanning from some truly smooth sets that are perfectly suited for a Sunday snooze and/or snuggle, to mixes that'll singe your eyebrows if you play them loud enough, we've got the goods and everything in-between.

So whether you're starting your week gently or you're still going from Friday, we're sure you'll find something that fits!

Lean Low: ILL MIX for Discobelle

Between running a label, promoting nights, and producing as Lean Low (and formerly as Darkstorm), we asked the man also known as Abdullah Al-wali to help us understand what qualified as "ill" when making the following mix for Discobelle.

"Its hard to give my music a definitive genre because Im influenced by so many different styles. A recent review of my latest EP Zeldas Werkout described it as Gamers techno! That made me laugh and was definitely a first, but I listen to a lot of hip-hop, UK Garage, grime, dancehall, UK funky and Jersey club so you can expect my music to have a blend of those vibes. This mix reflects that and also gives you an idea of where my head is at right now."

Grab a thermometer, because you'll probably run a temperature for this one.

Maeco: Astrocast #55

This mix from Montreal-based DJ and artist Maeco aka Mike Clay is introduced by the guys at Astro Nautico as "a non-stop glide through laid-back funk, soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop and bubbling beats perfect for an afternoon session." And you certainly can't fault them for false advertising.

Running at 80 minutes, prepare to have your mind turned to mush. And we mean that as a good thing. Also, can other DJs please take note of Maeco's tact when he introduces his mix? Thanks in advance.

DJ Khalil and Pauli the PSM: Back To Life i-DJ Mix

A huge back-to-back session for the first year celebrations at New York's premiere London-centric clubnight Back To Life, hosts DJ Khalil (of London's Livin' Proof crew) and Pauli The PSM were joined by friends Just Blaze, Kindness, Jasmine Solano, and DJ Moma to make it a proper birthday party.

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Reflecting on the night's highlights with i-D, Khalil explained, "It's been a crazy year to be honest, so many moments have felt pretty surreal. I think having Daniel Beddingfield partying with us and then jumping on the mic to perform "Gotta Get Thru This" was a beautiful moment. Having Idris Elba come through to DJ on the same night as Just Blaze was pretty memorable. I just love how it's turned into a bit of a community and how everyone who's in town from London passes through and parties with us!"

Eden Hagos: 11

With a Soulection seal of approval, this mix from San Diego-based selector Eden Hagos is so on point.

The tracklist features Spooky Black, Bok Bok, SchoolBoy Q, and naturally some choice records from the Soulection back catalog; there's very little else we have to add other than to say it's a treat. And maybe that we look forward to hearing at least another 89 mixes like this one.

Andwot: 'Rise N Shine' Mixtape for gal-dem

If nothing else, the pace of this mix from Andwot is spot on in terms of mirroring that very human condition of waking up, wiping sleep from your eye, and easing your way into the day.

"For the early risers, the late dozers and the Sunday morning snoozers. Wherever you want to listen to it, this mix was made for those times snuggled in or slowly escaping your duvet".

DJ Goldkey: 'The Shark of the Ocean' Mix for Section 808

Looking to test out the speakers in your new Lamborghini? The latest from Dallas' DJ Goldkey might be a suitable candidate for your subwoofering needs.

Nothing but hip-hop heaters that'll upset neighbors guaranteed. Crank up the AC if it all gets too much.

Pinch: Mix for Tropical Waste's 5th Anniversary on NTS Radio

Whereas our fifth birthdays generally featured fancy dress, singing happy birthday, and sponge cake, Tropical Waste went ahead and asked Tectonic boss Pinch to perform for theirs, and his session for their celebration really packs a punch.

Weird noises and hypnotic bass both feature throughout.

Will Buck: HOMAGE Mix

"Start as you mean to go on" is sage piece of advice; advice clearly heeded by the guys at Homage NY when they asked Will Buck to bring it for the inaugural mix in their new series.

Rare cuts in various denominations of funk, soul, disco all showcased in their dusty glory.

Tessela: Live at The Island, Bristol

Recorded live at Timedance at The Island in Bristol last month, Tessela took no prisoners in delivering a belter of a set which was recently shared on Soundcloud.

Whilst unable to see the sweat dripping from the walls, whoops and cheers from the crowd enjoying the unrelenting mix first-hand are audible throughout.

Not Monday morning friendly.

Dengue Dengue Dengue: XLR8R Podcast 458

Put together for XLR8R's mix series, Peruvian duo Dengue Dengue Dengue take a long walk into the depths of the figurative forest to rustle up a session that feels hand-carved.

"This was recorded in August while we were in Berlin, where we stay while we are touring..It's an afro-oriented music selection. This mix reflects the sound we are adding to our DJ sets lately. In a mixtape like this one, we focus on creating a mood: something you can listen at home while relaxing or in the car".

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You're in good hands when Beyonce and Nicki Minaj are around to perform, tell you what to do and even bleed rather than interrupt the show. Name a more iconic duo.

Minaj and Bey returned for the second annual Tidal X concert Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn along with Blood Orange, Alicia Keys and Tip (T.I.), among other performers.

SEE ALSO: Solange Knowles' new album is a meditative exploration on being black in America

The event, which first kicked off last year, brings Jay Z-approved acts together in partnership to raise money for the non-profit organization Robin Hood to help fund music education in New York City.

Here are eight of the most unforgettable moments from Tidal X: 1015 (as it was officially called), including a dangerous wardrobe malfunction and some strong words about the threat of a Trump administration.

1. Prince Royce's aggressive charm

Prince Royce repped the Bronx with his Latin R&B. After performing his cover of "Stand by Me," he actually passed out a dozen red roses to the crowd, because he wants nothing more than to make you swoon.

2. Beyonce's braid

Bey's Rapunzel braid is perfect for twirling on haters. It's also, as we will find, actually a dangerous weapon.

3. Confirming what you already knew: a little blood does not stop Beyonce

Bey came on surprisingly early, which, of course, meant she had more in store. She (and hologram Beyonce, because one is more than we deserve but still never enough) opened with a killer performance of "Six Inch," strutting around the stage. Then Bey made the surprising switch to "Haunted" off her 2014 self-titled album, which is clear foreshadowing of Lemonade now.

At one point, Beyonce's all-powerful braid tore out her ornate earring. Bey briefly acknowledged the injury, glanced at the blood on her fingertips, and moved on, because she's Beyonce and she had a show to do.

Story continues

Sharing the stage with Beyonce, or worse, following Beyonce is no easy task. But Tidal makes a point to promote up-and-coming artists while they have your attention, so the big headliners are interspersed with their Tidal Rising acts. If that means Robin Thicke opens the show to a mostly empty stage, so be it.

Sir the Baptist cut straight to the point, saying, "I don't look like you're favorite rapper, because I'm not." His live show got a boost from a lively dance crew, some wearing monk-like robes. At the end of the set, he asked a dancer to grab a discarded jacket, and he obliged  performing a backflip as part of the simple task.

4. Common

Tidal: 1015 is a concert, but it's also a call to action, and no one does a better job and blending the two than Common. He rapped "Go" over the beat to Kanye West's "Fade" and his freestyle on the American Black Film Festival and Black Lives Matter particularly struck a chord with the audience.

5. DNCE's infectious energy

Image: brad barket/getty images for tidal

There are a lot of ways to shed your boy band past, many of which involve brooding in a bid to come off as mature, but Joe Jonas and the motley crew that make up DNCE aren't about that. In a move that's so obvious it's brilliant, they just want to bring a party to their audience. Bassist Cole Whittle humps the stage, Joe Jonas enters the crowd  anything's on the table as long as it gets the people dancing.

Their ambitious cover of Prince's "Kiss" could have gone horribly awry (Prince was supposed to perform at last year's Tidal X, but dropped out), but the band sold it by going all in.

6. Nicki Minaj came for Trump and weak men everywhere

Minaj's show-stealing feature in Kanye West's "Monster" is one of the most iconic verses of the decade, and it set the tone for her ferocious set.

How many times can Nicki Minaj shout out to the bad bitches in the audience in a 10-minute period? Never enough. Minaj stressed the importance of strong women keeping men in line throughout her set, and fired shots at the possibility of Donald and Melania Trump in the White House.

Its o-motherfucking-k. Cause Barack needed a Michelle, bitch. And Bill needed a motherfucking Hillary, bitch. You better pray to God you dont get stuck with a motherfucking Melania," she told the crowd. "You n*ggas want brainless bitches to stroke your motherfucking ego. Fuck you n*gga.

Image: larry busaca/getty images for tidal

When Nicki adjusted her vinyl trench coat, the crowd roared thrilled at the possibility she might lose it altogether and reveal the lacy bodysuit beneath the flashy outerwear. So Nicki did one of the things she did best and scolded an arena full of people, "Y'all are nasty! Ain't no one doing that at the Tidal charity concert." A few minutes later, she took off the jacket and Fetty Wap showed up unannounced to serenade her with "Trap Queen."

7. Lauryn Hill came through for Nicki and all of us

When Lauryn Hill is listed on a bill, it doesn't necessarily mean Lauryn Hill will actually play that show, but she did, and it was phenomenal. When Hill peformed "Ex Factor," the crowd lost their minds.

But the person who was most excited to see Hill was Nicki Minaj, who quoted Hill in her high school year book and had the opportunity to meet her for the first time last night. Minaj bowed down in her presence and kindly captured the adorable moment on Instagram to melt our hearts.

Hill just released an updated version of her song I Find It Hard To Say (Rebel) from MTV's Unplugged 2.0 back in 2002, which reflected the racial climate at the time. "Old tune, new version, same context, even more relevant now: sick and tired of being sick and tired," she wrote, explaining her decision to rerelease the track.

8. Vote, because you can't let Beyonce down

Bey came back in a commanding metallic suit to close the show with a full band and powerful rendition of "All My Life." After she completed the ballad about coming back from her marital struggles stronger, she had an important message for the crowd: "Doing nothing is not an option right now."

She encouraged anyone who thinks things can't get worse than they are now to have a conversation with their grandparents for a refresher on how far things have come, noting that Barack Obama is in the White House. "We did that," beamed Bey before exiting the stage while the screen above her flashed the message, "Vote."
This black and white tattoo feed is all of the edgy inspo weve ever needed

If you totally dig blackwork, hand poked tattoos, get ready to fall head over heels. Meet Lara Maju, a hand poke tattoo artist based in Hamburg, Germany. Laras dainty tattoos are SO BEAUTIFUL, and the artists 33k followers are clearly in agreement. Theres something so delicate about these tattoos, and our nature-loving souls are totally into the stunning floral designs. And the way theyre presented on Laras black and white tattoo feed is truly something out of our edgiest dreams.

Like, how beautiful are these?

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Literally *so* dreamy. Were black and white tattoo ~dreaming~!

So much floral excellence.

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And so clean.

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For your dainty-loving needs.

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Because hand poked tattoos just have their own sort of elegance about them. So unique, and seriously so, so gorgeous. Maybe well give hand poked tattoos a try for our next piece of ink!

The post This black and white tattoo feed is all of the edgy inspo weve ever needed appeared first on HelloGiggles.
China's statement has not mentioned or offered any commitments concerning terrorism or the Nuclear Suppliers Group, two issues prominently flagged by India.

By Ananth Krishnan: China's statement on yesterday's meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Goa has called for both countries to "improve trust".

It did not however mention or offer any commitments either terrorism or the Nuclear Suppliers Group, two issues prominently flagged by India.

Modi told Xi that both sides needed to increase coordination especially on the issue of India's bid to sanction Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar at the UN Security Council 1267 sanctions committee.

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READ| Ahead of Xi Jinping's visit to India, China says UNSC still divided on Masood Azhar



A STEP TOWARDS ENRICHING INDO-CHINA PARTNERSHIP



China's statement only said both "exchanged views on enriching their countries' partnership and enhancing cooperation within multilateral frameworks."



Xi called for both countries "to support each other in participating in regional affairs and enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the East Asia Summit".

READ| Pakistan daily asks how action against Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar is danger to national security

NO WORD ON TERROR



The statement did not offer any commitment on terror; in fact no reference to the issue found mention in the statement.

It quoted Modi as saying it was in the region's interest to "maintain frequent high-level exchanges and strategic communication" and that both "have the responsibility to join hands and turn the 21st century into an Asian century."

READ| Terror tops Modi-Jinping bilateral talks on sidelines of BRICS summit



The statement, put out by the official Xinhua news agency, quoted Xi as saying "China and India should constantly enrich their strategic cooperative partnership and chart the course of bilateral ties in line with the fundamental interests of their peoples".

RAILWAYS AND PARKS

Xi also voiced interest in working with India on railways and industrial parks.

READ| As Xi arrives in India, China appoints 'firefighter' envoy Luo Zhaohui to ease tensions



"The two countries should maintain high-level communication and dialogue at all levels so as to expand consensus, improve mutual trust and deepen cooperation," he said, and that both sides "should also raise the level of cooperation in various fields and continue to push forward cooperation on major projects such as railway and industrial parks."

It said the momentum in ties "is encouraging" and "a healthy and stable China-India relationship is conducive not only to both countries' development, but to safeguarding the developing countries' reasonable interests in global governance and international systems."

Also Read: PM Modi to meet Xi Jinping, NSG bid and ban on Masood Azhar on top agenda

READ| China shields Masood Azhar at UN second time; issue may dominate Modi-Jinping BRICS talks



--- ENDS ---

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By Carolyn Cohn and Sinead Cruise

LONDON (Reuters) - Commercial property auctions are proving an unlikely bright spot in Britain's real estate market where a steep drop in sterling has attracted overseas buyers and local investors are as yet unfazed by potential fallout from Brexit.

Britain's 900 billion pound commercial real estate market was an early victim of the financial market turmoil that followed Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union.

Retail investors quickly pulled money out of commercial property funds just after the vote, causing a temporary freeze on 18 billion pounds ($22.38 billion) in assets.

In July, British commercial property values fell by 2.8 percent, according to the IPD real estate index compiled by MSCI (MSCI.N), the biggest fall since March 2009, highlighting a sharp drop in investor confidence.

Average commercial property values have fallen around 3.5 percent since the June 23 vote and year-to-date returns tracked by the IPD index are hovering below zero.

But for commercial property auctioneers who focus on smaller properties rather than trophy assets like London's skyscrapers or regional shopping malls, it is a different story.

Allsop, Britain's biggest auctioneer, achieved its biggest sale volume in a decade at a sale on Oct. 10. Rival Acuitus on Oct. 13 recorded its largest-ever auction since spinning out of Jones Lang LaSalle in 2010.

Average rental yields at both sales fell sharply compared with July. A fall in yield - the ratio of the annual rent to the purchase price - shows demand is on the rise.

Around 500 people attended the Allsop sale at The Berkeley, a luxury hotel near London's Hyde Park, while a further 6,000-odd investors were plugged in by phone or internet, including overseas buyers, the company said.

One hundred and fifty-four shops, offices and industrial properties went under the hammer in less than seven hours, and 11 lots sold in the hours after the public event. Some properties in the 231-lot catalogue sold ahead of the auction.

Story continues

The Allsop sale, its second since the referendum, fetched more than 115 million pounds ($143.00 million). The average yield of property sold was 7.1 percent, down from 8.1 percent in July, despite uncertainty over the impact of Brexit on the wider economy in Britain.

Allsop has raised 480 million pounds from five sales this year, nearly 25 percent more than over the same period in 2015.

Acuitus sold 70.6 million pounds of property at an average yield of 8.75 percent, down from 9.56 percent in July. Its event took place in the heart of London's West End.

It has raised more than 310 million pounds so far this year and is on course for a second consecutive record-breaking year.

"People have asked whether the market might be approaching a peak, but sales like these show we are only just getting out of the blocks", Auctioneer Richard Auterac said, pointing to a steady shift in private investor interest from buy-to-let to commercial real estate.

BUMPER BIDDING

George Walker, who has been an auctioneer at Allsop for 19 years, said he was convinced of a bumper sale from the first lot, when more than 90 bidders competed to buy a 518 square foot (48.15 square metre) hair salon let on a lease with just a year to run in London's affluent St. John's Wood neighbourhood.

"When there's 94 bidders going for a single lot, that means that there's 93 people in the room who are disappointed. Those people are poised to buy, and more often than not, they bid for something else instead," he said.

The salon sold for 545,000 pounds, more than 50 percent above its minimum guide price, representing a yield of 2.48 percent. It was the lowest yield at the auction, and compares with yields on 10-year UK government bonds of 1.1 percent .

Most bidders present were UK based "regulars", Walker said, describing the long-established private investors managing portfolios worth scores of millions, who buy and sell at almost every event.

"Brexit? It hasn't affected me at all. It's more an issue for the resi[dential] guys," said one veteran investor, who bid for several lots in Allsop's session but was outbid on all.

The auctioneers said the pound's slump has attracted more opportunistic overseas buyers, with investors from Hong Kong, China and South Africa taking the place of Greeks and Italians who bought UK real estate during the euro zone crisis four years ago.

Some bidders were spurred on by the pound's fall of around 19 percent against the Hong Kong dollar (GBPHKD=R) and the rand (GBPZAR=R) since the referendum, including 3-4 percent falls in the week running up to the sales.

"Given the week sterling has had, we just had to see more international interest," Walker said.

But Auterac said he expected domestic buyers to continue to outnumber international bidders as banks increase lending support for UK private investor borrowers.

"The same old faces are here, as they have been for years," the auction investor said. "The auctions are as busy as they have ever been."

($1 = 0.8042 pounds)

(Editing by Jane Merriman)
By Carolyn Cohn and Sinead Cruise LONDON (Reuters) - Commercial property auctions are proving an unlikely bright spot in Britain's real estate market where a steep drop in sterling has attracted overseas buyers and local investors are as yet unfazed by potential fallout from Brexit. Britain's 900 billion pound commercial real estate market was an early victim of the financial market turmoil that followed Britain's vote in June to leave the European Union. Retail investors quickly pulled money out of commercial property funds just after the vote, causing a temporary freeze on 18 billion pounds ($22.38 billion) in assets. In July, British commercial property values fell by 2.8 percent, according to the IPD real estate index compiled by MSCI , the biggest fall since March 2009, highlighting a sharp drop in investor confidence. Average commercial property values have fallen around 3.5 percent since the June 23 vote and year-to-date returns tracked by the IPD index are hovering below zero. But for commercial property auctioneers who focus on smaller properties rather than trophy assets like London's skyscrapers or regional shopping malls, it is a different story. Allsop, Britain's biggest auctioneer, achieved its biggest sale volume in a decade at a sale on Oct. 10. Rival Acuitus on Oct. 13 recorded its largest-ever auction since spinning out of Jones Lang LaSalle in 2010. Average rental yields at both sales fell sharply compared with July. A fall in yield - the ratio of the annual rent to the purchase price - shows demand is on the rise. Around 500 people attended the Allsop sale at The Berkeley, a luxury hotel near London's Hyde Park, while a further 6,000-odd investors were plugged in by phone or internet, including overseas buyers, the company said. One hundred and fifty-four shops, offices and industrial properties went under the hammer in less than seven hours, and 11 lots sold in the hours after the public event. Some properties in the 231-lot catalogue sold ahead of the auction. The Allsop sale, its second since the referendum, fetched more than 115 million pounds ($143.00 million). The average yield of property sold was 7.1 percent, down from 8.1 percent in July, despite uncertainty over the impact of Brexit on the wider economy in Britain. Allsop has raised 480 million pounds from five sales this year, nearly 25 percent more than over the same period in 2015. Acuitus sold 70.6 million pounds of property at an average yield of 8.75 percent, down from 9.56 percent in July. Its event took place in the heart of London's West End. It has raised more than 310 million pounds so far this year and is on course for a second consecutive record-breaking year. "People have asked whether the market might be approaching a peak, but sales like these show we are only just getting out of the blocks", Auctioneer Richard Auterac said, pointing to a steady shift in private investor interest from buy-to-let to commercial real estate. BUMPER BIDDING George Walker, who has been an auctioneer at Allsop for 19 years, said he was convinced of a bumper sale from the first lot, when more than 90 bidders competed to buy a 518 square foot (48.15 square metre) hair salon let on a lease with just a year to run in London's affluent St. John's Wood neighbourhood. "When there's 94 bidders going for a single lot, that means that there's 93 people in the room who are disappointed. Those people are poised to buy, and more often than not, they bid for something else instead," he said. The salon sold for 545,000 pounds, more than 50 percent above its minimum guide price, representing a yield of 2.48 percent. It was the lowest yield at the auction, and compares with yields on 10-year UK government bonds of 1.1 percent . Most bidders present were UK based "regulars", Walker said, describing the long-established private investors managing portfolios worth scores of millions, who buy and sell at almost every event. "Brexit? It hasn't affected me at all. It's more an issue for the resi[dential] guys," said one veteran investor, who bid for several lots in Allsop's session but was outbid on all. The auctioneers said the pound's slump has attracted more opportunistic overseas buyers, with investors from Hong Kong, China and South Africa taking the place of Greeks and Italians who bought UK real estate during the euro zone crisis four years ago. Some bidders were spurred on by the pound's fall of around 19 percent against the Hong Kong dollar and the rand since the referendum, including 3-4 percent falls in the week running up to the sales. "Given the week sterling has had, we just had to see more international interest," Walker said. But Auterac said he expected domestic buyers to continue to outnumber international bidders as banks increase lending support for UK private investor borrowers. "The same old faces are here, as they have been for years," the auction investor said. "The auctions are as busy as they have ever been." ($1 = 0.8042 pounds) (Editing by Jane Merriman)
By Douglas Busvine

GOA, India, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The development bank set up by the BRICS group of emerging economies will ramp up lending to $2.5 billion next year after making its first loans to back green projects, its president KV Kamath told Reuters.

The BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - agreed to create the New Development Bank (NDB) in July 2014 with initial authorised capital of $100 billion. The lender was officially launched a year later.

"The second year is scaling up, concentrating on people, getting all the skillsets in," said Kamath, a veteran Indian banker appointed as the first head of the Shanghai-based NDB.

He was speaking on the fringes of a weekend BRICS summit hosted in the Indian resort of Goa by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The gathering seeks to add substance to the group that grew out of an acronym devised by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill back in 2003 that projected a long-term boom and global power shift in their favour.

With Russia, Brazil and South Africa on the economic skids and China slowing, the initial euphoria has faded, yet Kamath said the BRICS had much to gain by deepening their cooperation.

"The fact is that these countries, collectively, have for the last few years contributed to more than 50 percent of incremental economic wealth that has been generated globally," said Kamath. "I don't see that changing."

The NDB, headquartered in Shanghai, will expand its staff to 300 over the next three years but run a tight operation that seeks to take quick decisions and transfer experience across all five BRICS member states.

It has already approved loans totalling $900 million to green projects in each member state. It has also started a renminbi-denominated borrowing programme, issuing a 3 billion yuan ($450 million) bond.

Kamath, 68, said there was plenty of room for new lenders like the NDB and the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in addition to established institutions like the World Bank.

Story continues

"Infrastructure alone has needs globally of $1-1.5 trillion a year - all the multilateral banks put together can do maybe 15 percent of this," said Kamath, who ran India's ICICI Bank Ltd from 1996 until 2009.

"The phrase I would like to use is cooperate and work together, rather than compete. I don't see competition as a key challenge in this context."

($1 = 6.6685 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Douglas Busvine)
By Lesley Wroughton LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and the United States said on Sunday they were considering imposing additional sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his supporters for their actions in Syria's war. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking after briefing allies in London on a new diplomatic initiative on Syria, also called on Russia and Iran to agree to a new ceasefire. The threat of more sanctions on Syria came before a European Union summit on Thursday and Friday to discuss sanctions against Russia. "There's a lot of measures we're proposing to do with extra sanctions on the Syrian regime and their supporters, measures to bring those responsible for war crimes to the International Criminal Court," Johnson told reporters after talks he convened with his U.S counterpart and allies on Syria. "These things will eventually come to bite the perpetrators of these crimes and they should think about it now," said Johnson, adding there was no appetite in Europe for going to war in Syria. He said it was "highly dubious" that Syrian government forces backed by Russia were capable of retaking the city of Aleppo or winning the war, and called on Russia and Iran to show leadership by agreeing to a ceasefire. "It is up to them to show mercy, show mercy to those people in that city and get the ceasefire going," he added. He spoke alongside Kerry, who briefed European and other allies on a new diplomatic initiative involving Russia and a group of Middle Eastern nations aimed at ending the fighting in Syria. The first round of talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne failed to agree on a strategy for ending the violence soon. Kerry confirmed the U.S. was considering additional sanctions over Syria, but did not name Russia as a target. Western powers have accused Russia and Syria of committing atrocities by bombing hospitals, killing civilians and preventing medical evacuations, as well as targeting an aid convoy with the loss of around 20 lives. Syria and Russia say they are only targeting militants in Aleppo and accuse the United States of breaking the ceasefire by bombing scores of Syrian troops fighting Islamic State insurgents, over which the United States has expressed regret. "We are considering additional sanctions and we are also making clear that President (Barack) Obama has not taken any options off the table at this point in time," Kerry said. Washington suspended bilateral discussions with Moscow over Syria following two attempts at implementing a ceasefire and growing tensions in their relationship. With the U.S. presidential election less than a month away and Obama unwilling to assume a deeper role in the Syrian war, Kerry is trying to build a broader dialogue involving key regional players in the Syrian conflict. The U.S. and its allies have urged Moscow to use its influence with the Syrian government to end the bombardment of Aleppo. "There is some work to be done over the course of the next couple of days which might, or one might hope, open the door of possibility to an actual cessation," Kerry said. "It's hard, and it's hard because there are still deep beliefs in a lot of people that Russia is simply pursuing a Grozny solution in Aleppo and is not prepared to truly engage in any way." Moscow all but destroyed Grozny, the capital of Russia's Chechnya region, during its 1999-2000 war against Islamist separatists there. The United States first imposed sanctions against Syrian government officials in March 2011 shortly after the uprising that led to the civil war. In 2013, Washington eased some of the restrictions to allow for reconstruction in opposition-held areas. Both the EU and the United States have already imposed economic and other sanctions on Russia for its seizure of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, and for its support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Ouagadougou (AFP) - Eight opposition groups including the party of Burkina Faso's ousted strongman Blaise Compaore formed a "reconciliation coalition" on Sunday and accused authorities in the west African nation of treating rivals as pariahs.

Meeting in the capital Ouagadougou almost two years to the day since the fall of Compaore, who was driven from power in a popular uprising after 27 years, the grouping said it sought dialogue and better social cohesion a year after an abortive coup.

The "Coalition for Democracy and National Reconciliation" (CODER), groups a number of political groupings including Compaore's Congress for Democracy and Progress.

CODER "is not just a framework for dialogue, consultation and political action but also seeks to achieve cohesion, unity and national reconciliation," spokesman Ablasse Ouedraogo said.

In its launch manifesto, CODER blasted social and economic problems and attacked the judicial system, which it accused of being "almost exclusively concerned with punishing former allies (who) today are declared to be pariahs of the republic."

CODER also urged President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, elected last November, to open an "inclusive national dialogue, the only path which leads to peace and national unity."

Some of the coalition groups have ties with politicians who were involved in last year's putsch attempt.
Ottawa (AFP) - The phenomenon that is Justin Trudeau continues to soar one year after his landslide election.

On the eve of this anniversary, the Canadian prime minister's approval rating reached 65 percent (compared with the previous Tory administration, which peaked at 42 percent), while his celebrity and policies have molded him into the new liberal standard-bearer on the world stage.

Early on in his mandate, the son of former prime minister and liberal lion Pierre Trudeau staked out deficit spending and open border policies, rejecting the divisive politics of his predecessor Stephen Harper.

The former teacher and amateur boxer has earned praise for moves like budgeting billions in spending to bolster a fragile economy, promoting feminism and handing out parkas to Syrian refugees -- bucking the rise globally of the ultra-right.

His fans include United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US President Barack Obama and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

Trudeau's impressive rise -- defeating a sitting government with a third-placed party -- is largely attributed to his outreach to Millennials.

He has tapped into a generational shift in values and the way people increasingly use social media to communicate, while using his famous name to his advantage.

"He has very strategically promoted his and his spouse's celebrity, knowing that you reach a broader number of voters when you do that," said Duff Conacher, co-founder of advocacy group Democracy Watch.

"And they will continue to do that because people who don't pay a lot of attention to politics, if they do vote, will make decisions based on who they like."

- Born to be liberal -

Trudeau grew up in the spotlight under the wing of his father, who is considered the father of modern Canada.

He is comfortable jumping into crowds to glad-hand and pose for selfies. Using social media, he reaches out directly to citizens at home and abroad.

Meanwhile, the good looks of Trudeau and his family -- wife Sophie, a former TV host, and their three young children -- have been splashed across the pages of fashion magazines and newspapers, and even a comic book.

Story continues

"People are connecting with this government and its style," said P.G. Forest, director of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.

"His value set is also very much what people want of politicians at the moment," he said, adding that Trudeau also has "what I call 'the Hollywood factor.' After a few minutes the whole room revolves around him."

The downside of celebrity culture in politics, observers agreed, is that style trumps substance.

"The more we talk about the way they look and their personal habits, the less we talk about public policy," said Alex Marland, a politics professor at Newfoundland's Memorial University.

- 'Canada is back' -

The opposition is rudderless with both the Tories and New Democrats due to pick new leaders next year.

As the government makes good on more of its 300-plus campaign promises, which may require compromises, some backers will inevitably be disappointed by the outcomes.

So far, Trudeau has championed the landmark Paris climate accord, aboriginal reconciliation, feminism, and is expected to make Canada the first G7 nation to legalize marijuana in 2017.

He also exploded on the world stage, following the previous administration's retreat, declaring: "Canada is back!"

This has meant a shift toward multilateralism, including more peacekeeping missions and increased foreign aid.

"He is the lone liberal on the global stage," said Conacher, citing Trudeau's promotion of "tolerance" and the challenge of growing anti-immigration and anti-globalization in Europe and the United States.

Notably Trudeau has reversed many of his predecessor's policies. "So when he goes out and speaks on the international scene, it has greater resonance and newsworthiness because it comes after 10 years of policies that are the complete opposite (of those) under the Conservatives," Conacher said.

Some argue that the current competition to be the world's leading liberal voice is lackluster.

"It's difficult to find Francois Hollande very inspiring, or (Mariano) Rajoy Brey in Spain, or Theresa May or even Hillary Clinton. Obama is on his way out and people soon won't be able to name an inspiring leader on the world scene at this moment," said Forest.

"So the world needs Trudeau to be a strong liberal voice and a counterbalance to the rising right."
These cartoon-style tattoos are seriously an edgy dream come true

We seriously adore tattoos of all types. Though we sometimes prefer more delicate and dainty tattoos, we also have so much love for the bold, bright, and beautiful. After all, whats edgier than a tattoo with unapologetically thick lines and vivid colors? This Seoul-based artist creates super fun tattoos thatll have you cheering, and theyre 100% rad AF. If you dig hearts, cats, and adorableness, get ready to fall in love with these cartoonish tats.

Like, look at these beauties.

A photo posted by W LVES YOU (@woo_loves_you) on Oct 9, 2016 at 2:58am PDT

A photo posted by W LVES YOU (@woo_loves_you) on Oct 10, 2016 at 10:39am PDT

A photo posted by W LVES YOU (@woo_loves_you) on Oct 8, 2016 at 12:43pm PDT

Seriously so bold, and so stunning! We want at least one!

The lines are so clean, and so lovely.

A photo posted by W LVES YOU (@woo_loves_you) on Oct 7, 2016 at 12:18pm PDT

A photo posted by W LVES YOU (@woo_loves_you) on Oct 5, 2016 at 8:46am PDT

A photo posted by W LVES YOU (@woo_loves_you) on Oct 2, 2016 at 8:57am PDT

Not a smudge or mistake in sight. Serious talent over here, you guys.

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A photo posted by W LVES YOU (@woo_loves_you) on Oct 15, 2016 at 11:45am PDT

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A photo posted by W LVES YOU (@woo_loves_you) on Sep 29, 2016 at 7:11pm PDT

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A photo posted by W LVES YOU (@woo_loves_you) on Sep 25, 2016 at 9:04am PDT

These unique tattoo designs make us so, so happy. Time to start planning our next piece of ink!

The post These cartoon-style tattoos are seriously an edgy dream come true appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Beijing (AFP) - China will launch a manned space mission on Monday, official media said, as the Asian giant works towards setting up its own space station.

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong will be on board the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft as it blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert, the official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.

They will arrive at China's orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 within two days and stay for 30 more before returning to earth, according to the report.

Jing, a 50-year-old astronaut who has already been to space twice, will command the mission to the lab, which was launched in September.

He and Chen will carry out research projects related to in-orbit equipment repairs, aerospace medicine, space physics and biology, atomic space clocks and solar storm research, Xinhua reported earlier.

Beijing is pouring billions into its space programme in a bid to catch up with the US and Europe.

It announced in April that it aims to send a spacecraft "around 2020" to orbit Mars, land and deploy a rover to explore the Red Planet's surface.

Beijing sees the military-run programme as a symbol of China's progress and a marker of its rising global stature.

The nation's first lunar rover was launched in late 2013, and while it was beset by mechanical troubles it far outlived its expected lifespan, finally shutting down only last month.

But so far China has largely replicated activities that the US and Soviet Union pioneered decades ago.

It intends to set up its own manned space station by 2022, and eventually put one of its citizens on the surface of the moon.
Science

China to blast 2 astronauts into space on Monday

Chinese officials unveiled plans for Mondays launch of the countrys latest space mission in which two astronauts will be blasted into space and will dock with an orbiting space lab. Astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong will be on board the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft as it blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert, the official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday. They will arrive at Chinas orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 within two days and stay for 30 more before returning to earth. China says its space program is for peaceful purposes, but the U.S. Defense Department has highlighted its increasing capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed to prevent adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis.

Were very excitedto have the biggest show back in town. Sarah Daugherty, test director at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility

Orbital ATK, one of NASAs shippers, aims to launch its own cargo ship Sunday night from Wallops Island to the International Space Station. The companys retooled Antares rocket will do the honors. An Antares promptly exploded the last time one took off, on a space station supply run for NASA on Oct. 28, 2014. Orbital ATK spent the past two years redesigning the unmanned rocket and rebuilding the launch pad.
By PTI: Cavelossim (Goa), Oct 16 (PTI) India today received strong support from Bhutan over cross-border terrorism with the Himalayan nation terming it as the "worst form of terrorism".

This view was expressed by Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay during a bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporterson the sidelines of theBRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit at Cavelossim, 50 km from Panaji.

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"The Bhutan PM said the people and government of Bhutan were deeply concerned over the deteriorating security situation in the region, caused entirely on account of terrorism.

"He (Tobgay) said that terrorism in all its forms was unacceptable, but cross-border terrorism - he specifically used the word - is truly the worst form of terrorism," Swarup told reporters.

"He said the whole region and the international community had stood with India in the aftermath of the Uri terrorist attack and that Bhutan stands shoulder to shoulder with India," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson said.

"In particular, he praised the PMs leadership on this issue, both diplomatically and on the ground," Swarup said, without specifically mentioning if the Bhutanese leader was lauding Modi for the surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across LoC.

"He then conveyed his appreciation for the government of Indias assistance, which is touching the lives of every Bhutanese. He referred to the 84 big projects that are being implemented with Indian assistance and the 595 small development projects, which he said, had reached every small village and town of Bhutan," Swarup said.

The Bhutan PM fondly recalled Modis visit to their country and said the people of Bhutan were deeply touched that Modi had chosen Bhutan to be the first country for his foreign trip after becoming the PM.

"He also spoke of the three mega power projects, with a combined capacity of 3000 MW, which are being implemented in Bhutan."

Modi thanked Tobgay for the "very strong support" that Bhutan gave after the Uri terror attacks and also the solidarity shown in relation to the SAARC summit.

"Tobgay said the bilateral cooperation in hydel power sector was significant as it was contributing to offsetting the carbon emissions," according to Swarup.

There was also a discussion on the upcoming 50th year of bilateral ties between India and Bhutan, due in 2018, he said.

Tobgay sought Modis advice on how both countries could celebrate the occasion in abefittingmanner.

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"Modi said Goa is not new for Tobgay as he had been here last November. Modi conveyed his greetings to the royal family of Bhutan," Swarup said. PTI VT SAP AA PYK SMN

--- ENDS ---
With growing signs that she will prevail over Republican nominee Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 election, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton vowed Friday evening that as chief executive she would not add a penny to the gross national debt, which currently stands at an historic $19.7 trillion level.

Speaking at a campaign event in Seattle, the former secretary of state described her tax and spending proposals, including a major tax incsrease on wealthy Americans and high income earners to pay for a plethora of new programs. She compared her plan to Trumps, which experts say would add trillions of dollars to the long term debt because of massive tax cuts and increased defense spending and border security.

Related: How Americas $19.6 Trillion Debt Would Rise or Fall Under Trump and Clinton

When people ask me, So how are you going to pay for infrastructure jobs and paid family leave? I say, Well, Im telling you how Im paying for everything, she said, as reported by the Washington Examiner. I am not going to add a penny to the national debt. Were going to go where the money is. Were going to make the wealthy pay their fair share, and were finally going to close those corporate loopholes.

While the long-term debt has received relatively scant attention in a presidential campaign that has become consumed by scathing personal attacks, government watchdog groups and policy analysts say that neither candidate can afford to ignore it any longer.

On Friday, the Obama administration confirmed that for the first time since the aftermath of the Great Recession six years ago, the annual budget deficit rose slightly in fiscal 2016 to $587 billion. The increase was due in part to tax breaks for businesses and individuals that Congress extended in December, according to The New York Times, as well as the Treasurys decision to speed up the payment of government obligations.

Related: Clinton, Trump Clash Over Spending and Taxes but Ignore Nearly $20 Trillion Debt

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The financial statement issued jointly by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and White House budget director Shaun Donovan also showed increases in spending for veterans benefits, Medicare and Medicaid and interest on the burgeoning national debt. The $587 billion deficit for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 is equal to 3.2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, compared with the previous years deficit of $438 billion or 2.5 percent of the overall economy.

A New Era of Mega Deficits

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which foreshadowed the rise in the deficit in a report last week, has repeatedly warned that the U.S. is headed for deficits of as much as $1 trillion a year in the coming decade. That dire forecast could be averted if dramatic changes in spending policy along with entitlement reform are implemented.

Analysts have warned that the persistent disconnect between rising spending and languishing revenues cannot be sustained indefinitely, as an aging population has begun to drive up demands for Socials Security and Medicare  among the largest obligations in the federal budget -- while interest on a growing debt will drain more and more government resources.

The era of declining deficits is officially over, with this years $587 billion deficit representing almost a 35 percent increase from last year, Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in a statement Friday. Now that deficits are back on the rise, its hard to imagine a more compelling reason for demanding significant reforms to our long-term trajectory.

Both Clinton and Trump have acknowledged the threat of a return to an era of runaway deficits and debt while promoting nearly diametrically opposite tax and spending policies to spur the economy.

Related: Trump Is Trouncing Clinton When It Comes to Running Up the Debt

Trump, the billionaire real estate developer, has proposed slashing taxes on individuals and businesses by $6.2 trillion over the next ten years, according to a new analysis by the Tax Policy Center, while boosting spending on defense, border security, infrastructure and paid family leave.

Trumps advisers, using dynamic scoring techniques, argue that the tax cuts would practically pay for themselves by encouraging economic growth over the coming decade, and that other savings could be achieved by repealing the Affordable Care Act. However, a recent report by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projected that Trumps policies would add $5.3 trillion net to the debt in the coming decade.

Clinton, by contrast, would boost taxes by a net $1.4 trillion over the coming decade, with the top one percent of taxpayers bearing the brunt of the overall increase. She would use the new tax revenue to underwrite the cost of her liberal social agenda, including free college tuition, expanded health benefits, paid family leave, a child care tax credit for low-income parents, and highway and bridge construction to assist the middle class and create additional jobs.

Clinton has repeatedly said that she would offset the cost of her ambitious spending policies by going where the money is and taxing the super wealthy. Her tax plan would target the top 1 percent of taxpayers to pay over 90 percent of the net tax increase.

Related: Fiscal Hawks: Why Is No One Talking About the Deficit?

However, even if Clinton were able to persuade Congress to approve her tax plan, she would still come up short by $200 billion over the coming decade that would be added to the debt, according to the CRFB analysis.

Under Clintons approach, the debt would increase from 77 percent of the GDP now to more than 86 percent of the economy by 2026, according to CRFB calculations, while Trumps would grow the debt to 105 percent of GDP over that same period.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Aaron Ross NAIROBI (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's ruling coalition and other smaller parties have agreed to delay next month's elections to April 2018 - a move that will anger opposition groups who have accused the president of trying to cling onto power. Congo's main opposition bloc was not immediately available for comment but has already called a general strike for Wednesday to press President Joseph Kabila to leave at the end of his mandate in December. Last month dozens died in two days of protests in the capital Kinshasa against planned delays to the vote due to what authorities said were logistical problems registering millions of voters in the massive and impoverished country. . Parties agreed in talks on Saturday to give more time for voter registration and keep Kabila in office until the delayed vote, said one organization in the discussions, the Union for the Congolese Nation. Delegates at the talks would likely ratify the decision on Monday, the statement said. UNC president Vital Kamerhe is widely expected to become prime minister as part of the power-sharing government ushered in under the talks. Kabila, who came to power in 2001 when his father was assassinated, says he will respect the constitution but has yet to rule out attempting to change the country's laws to enable him to run for a fresh term. The presidents of neighboring Rwanda and Congo Republic changed their constitutions last year to allow themselves to stand for a third term, and Kabila's opponents say they fear he will do the same. Hundreds of people have also died since last year in neighboring Burundi after its president Pierre Nkurunziza pursued and won a third term in office that his opponents say is unconstitutional. The head of the U.N. mission in Congo warned last week that the political impasse poses an "extreme risk" to stability. Millions died in regional conflicts between 1996 and 2003 and Congo has never experience a peaceful transition of power. (Additional reporting by Amedee Mwarabu Kiboko in Kinshasa; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
By Aaron Ross NAIROBI (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's ruling coalition and other smaller parties have agreed to delay next month's elections to April 2018 - a move that will anger opposition groups who have accused the president of trying to cling onto power. Congo's main opposition bloc was not immediately available for comment but has already called a general strike for Wednesday to press President Joseph Kabila to leave at the end of his mandate in December. Last month dozens died in two days of protests in the capital Kinshasa against planned delays to the vote due to what authorities said were logistical problems registering millions of voters in the massive and impoverished country. . Parties agreed in talks on Saturday to give more time for voter registration and keep Kabila in office until the delayed vote, said one organisation in the discussions, the Union for the Congolese Nation. Delegates at the talks would likely ratify the decision on Monday, the statement said. UNC president Vital Kamerhe is widely expected to become prime minister as part of the power-sharing government ushered in under the talks. Kabila, who came to power in 2001 when his father was assassinated, says he will respect the constitution but has yet to rule out attempting to change the country's laws to enable him to run for a fresh term. The presidents of neighbouring Rwanda and Congo Republic changed their constitutions last year to allow themselves to stand for a third term, and Kabila's opponents say they fear he will do the same. Hundreds of people have also died since last year in neighbouring Burundi after its president Pierre Nkurunziza pursued and won a third term in office that his opponents say is unconstitutional. The head of the U.N. mission in Congo warned last week that the political impasse poses an "extreme risk" to stability. Millions died in regional conflicts between 1996 and 2003 and Congo has never experience a peaceful transition of power. (Additional reporting by Amedee Mwarabu Kiboko in Kinshasa; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
A striking bird with monochrome plumage and a formidable "beak", the helmeted hornbill is being hunted to extinction, one of the latest victims of a thriving global trade in exotic wildlife.

For decades poachers in Borneo's western forests focused on capturing orangutans and sun bears, but in the past few years a surge in demand for hornbill "ivory" has pushed the avian species to the brink.

The product has become so popular in China, where wealthy collectors are keen to show off their status by acquiring rare or unusual animals, that it is fetching up to five times the price of elephant tusk on the black market.

"The demand for these luxury items is just going through the roof," Chris Shepherd, from wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC, told AFP.

"In Asia, it's really at a scale where species like the helmeted hornbill are just being completely decimated."

Poachers aren't interested in their brilliant plumage or large bills, but a helmet-like block of reddish-gold keratin at the front of the skulls known as a casque.

It's this soft, ivory-like substance that's carved by craftsmen in China into luxury ornaments, statues and jewellery -- trendy top-shelf trinkets that have soared in value as so-called "red ivory" has grown more prestigious.

Experts say a single casque can fetch up to $1000, eclipsing the average black market price of traditional "white" ivory sourced from elephant tusk several times over.

- 'Systematic slaughter' -

Researchers say thousands of these majestic birds have been killed in half a decade alone as demand for red ivory has taken off.

Yokyok Hadiprakarsa, a leading expert in helmeted hornbills, estimates as many as 500 were killed every month in 2013 -- or 6,000 annually -- just in West Kalimantan, a jungle-clad province in Indonesia's half of Borneo.

Helmeted hornbills had been traditionally hunted in the past by Borneo's indigenous tribes, but never at levels that posed any conservation risk.

Story continues

This "complete, systematic slaughter of the species" came virtually out of nowhere, Shepherd said. It wasn't until 2011 that red ivory first began showing up on websites catering to Chinese buyers and at high-end wildlife markets along the country's borders, such as in Myanmar and Laos.

Hunting rapidly intensified, especially among trafficking networks already well entrenched in West Kalimantan, a key wildlife smuggling hub with an international airport in the capital Pontianak.

By the close of 2015, the species had progressed from vulnerable to critically endangered -- leapfrogging two threat levels to the highest possible risk category on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "red list".

Now the elite rangers of the government's Forest Police Rapid Reaction Unit (SPORC) rarely spot these distinctive birds during jungle patrols, SPORC commander David Muhammad told AFP in Pontianak.

Instead, they're uncovering just the skulls during raids on smuggler hideouts, the decapitated corpses dumped unceremoniously elsewhere.

"There is a high value placed on the heads by hunters and collectors," said Muhammad.

"That's the only thing they want. The rest has no value."

- 'Gangster activity' -

The commercial trade of helmeted hornbills is prohibited by law in China and across its habitat zones in Southeast Asia: Thailand and Myanmar, as well as Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia -- the three countries that share Borneo island.

But the rate of seizures -- a "tip of the iceberg" indicator of the trade, said Shepherd -- suggests business is booming. In the 18 months to August 2014, nearly 2,200 casques were confiscated by law enforcement in China and Indonesia, around a third just in West Kalimantan.

In one case, SPORC units intercepted four Chinese nationals at Pontianak's international airport with nearly 250 casques stashed in their luggage.

Adam Miller, of Pontianak-based conservation group Planet Indonesia, said the smuggling of hornbill ivory bore many similarities to the elephant ivory trade in its scale, criminality and sophistication.

"There's a lot less people doing it just to survive. It's very much a gangster activity," he told AFP.

Many traffickers are caught not just with hornbill ivory but a host of other exotic specimens. A man arrested in Hong Kong in May was carrying more than $1 million worth of ivory and hornbill casques, while two Malaysians detained in the United States in December were smuggling both hornbill and orangutan skulls.

Shepherd said this reflected a growing trend as collectors seek ever-rarer and more exotic wildlife not for use in traditional medicine but purely as status symbols.

"People want to have illegal animals, people want to have rare animals, people want to have expensive animals, just to show off their status and their wealth," he said.

There was a glimmer of hope for the hornbill this month when governments vowed to step up protection efforts during a meeting of The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the global conference that governs wildlife trade.

In West Kalimantan, the extinction of this iconic bird would also have far-reaching cultural ramifications. The helmeted hornbill is revered by ancient forest-dwelling Dayak communities, and its image adorns flags and sigils across the province.

"It's a symbol of our customs, and we must protect it," Sustiyo Iriono, the head of the government's conservation agency in Pontianak, told AFP.
By Katharine Houreld

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Loss-making national carrier Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR) cancelled several flights on Sunday after some crew members failed to turn up for work, the latest blow as the airline struggles to avert a strike called by its pilots.

"Some of our outsourced staff, including cabin crew, have stayed away from work from Friday and we are working with their employer to resolve any issues they may have," the airline said in a statement.

Flights to the Kenyan city of Mombasa, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Juba in South Sudan, Lusaka in Zambia, Harare in Zimbabwe and Maputo in Mozambique were cancelled because there were not enough crew members to fly safely.

Kenya Airways later said that normal service had resumed but offered no further details.

Pilots union KALPA has called an indefinite strike, scheduled to start on Tuesday, to protest against the management of the airline, which is part owned by the government and Air France KLM (AIRF.PA).

The union said its members had lost confidence in the ability of the airline's chief executive and chairman to end years of losses.

On Friday, a court ruled the strike was illegal and the government had said it would be "economic sabotage".

On Thursday, the airline said it had halved its pre-tax loss to 5 billion shillings ($49.4 million) in the past six months thanks to a recovery in passenger numbers.

(Reporting by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Keith Weir)
Utah police are investigating the case of a man who reportedly left his 5-year-old daughter in the parking lot of a college in the middle of the night last Sunday.

The video, which was captured by Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College surveillance cameras, shows the man leaving the young girl, dressed in her pajamas, with only some blankets.

Read: Dad Tells Son His Mom Died From Heroin Overdose in Harrowing Video Posted to Facebook

It was 39 degrees out.

A college security guard found the girl hours later at 7:30 a.m. police said.

Police said they are not releasing the video because they are investigating the case.

She was told to stay put, Lt. Tim Scott told InsideEdition.com. The campus security located her out on the ground.

Police said that they have preliminary reports from the little girls family that the dad has been exhibiting erratic behavior and may suffer from a drug problem.

Scott said that there was a daycare on the campus near where she was left but she was not registered there and that the father has no affiliation with the school.

The girls mother was contacted and her daughter was later released to her.

Her mom told Fox13 that her daughter was traumatized.

Read: Police Find Mom Passed Out from Heroin With Baby in the Back Seat: Reports

She said she got scared, the girls mother told the station. She was yelling, Daddy! but no one was there.

Police said charges will possibly come later after they interview the girl on Monday.

Watch: Mom Shares Video Of Late Son Overdosing After Pharmacy Gave Wrong Prescription

Related Articles:
By George Thande VICTORIA (Reuters) - Danny Faure was sworn in as the new president of Seychelles on Sunday, after thousands marched through the capital of the East African island nation to support him after the previous president resigned. Former vice-president Faure, 54, will complete the five-year term of outgoing President James Michel, who announced his resignation last month amid growing public frustration over economic inequality. Michel gave no reason for his resignation, but it followed parliamentary elections where the opposition coalition Linyon Demokratik (LDS) took control of the legislature from the ruling Peoples Progressive Front, called Parti Lepep, for the first time in the country's history. Faure, a former finance minister in the Seychelles, is a governor of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the African Development Bank, a statement from State House said. As a minister, he oversaw the implementation of the first generation of International Monetary Fund-led reforms under the macro economic reform program, which started in October 2008. He continues to direct the second generation of IMF reforms. Mr. Faure has been my vice president since July 2010. Together we have won two elections. He has experience in government, after serving in various capacities, including working with the youth, and as a minister in the key portfolios of education and finance, Michel told the media ahead of the inauguration. Born to Seychellois parents in Uganda, Faure went to university in Cuba where he graduated with a degree in political science. He has four children and divorced his wife earlier this week, a statement from State House said. He succeeds Michel in line with the Seychelles constitution, which also limits Faure to another single term if he runs again. The tiny nation of 115 islands and 93,000 people mostly relies on tourism for revenues. Recently it has tried to promote itself as a financial services hub by offering a low-tax environment for companies registered on its territory. (Editing by Greg Mahlich)
By Nidhi Verma and Promit Mukherjee

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The $12.9 billion sale of India's Essar Oil to a group led by Russia's Rosneft (ROSN.MM) does not run foul of U.S. sanctions imposed against the majority state-owned Russian energy firm, parent Essar Group's CEO said on Sunday.

The sale, which was signed on Saturday. It is the biggest foreign acquisition ever in India and Russia's largest outbound deal.

The deal that will give Rosneft (ROSN.MM), commodities trading house Trafigura and private investment group United Capital Partners a 98 percent stake in Essar's oil arm is "US-sanctions compliant," said Essar Group's chief executive, Prashant Ruia.

He said the deal did not violate the economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. government on Russian entities over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis. "The way it is structured, it is fully compliant. We are well within the rules that govern Russian companies."

Essar, controlled by the billionaire Ruia brothers, has interests in oil and gas, steel, ports and power, and has been under pressure from its lenders to reduce debts.

"It was an emotional decision, it was a very tough decision. It was difficult decision for people involved in the company and those who were involved in the business and building it," said Ruia in an interview with Reuters on Sunday.

"We felt all in all, we were getting attractive valuations and we decided to sell."

DEBT REDUCTION

Essar plans to use proceeds from the sale to offset some 50 percent of the debt on its group companies after the deal is completed.

Ruia said the parent company's debt would be cut by some $5 billion and a further $5 billion would go toward trimming debt at the operating company level.

Some of the proceeds from the transaction will be pumped into existing businesses, said Ruia, adding that the group does not have any plans to sell any of its other businesses in the future or any plans to de-list them to gain more control.

Debt-laden Essar Steel, which owns a 10 million tonne steel plant in the western state Gujarat, carries debt of over $5 billion and had been seeking to restructure its debt.

Ruia said Essar is working closely with the banks to work out a restructuring plan and some of the funds raised via the sale of Essar Oil would go into restructuring the operations of Essar Steel.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma and Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Euan Rocha, Greg Mahlich)
The database would list all commercial truck drivers who failed a drug or alcohol test and would also include drivers who refused to take these tests.

Dallas, TX / ACCESSWIRE / October 16, 2016 / For years, government officials in charge of providing road safety have been attempting to create a database of commercial truck drivers who have failed drug and alcohol tests. And despite strong opposition from truck drivers, that database will soon go live.



The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has been researching this issue for a long time, and in May, finally sent the new proposal to the White House for President Obamas final approval.



Groups such as the Truck Safety Coalition and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) support the proposal.



Drivers who have previously violated drug and alcohol testing, and especially those who are repeat violators, pose a significant risk to the driving public, stated the Truck Safety Coalition in a statement sent to USDOT.



MADD also believes that the database would make roads safer, because it would prevent dangerous drivers who have been previously fired for substance abuse, from signing on with another truck company.



The database would list all commercial truck drivers who failed a drug or alcohol test, but would also include drivers who refused to take these tests.



The USDOT said that the database would also help truck company owners conduct background checks.



The issue you have is that truck carriers dont always have the complete information about a prospective employee, stated Amy Witherite, partner at Eberstein & Witherite, which has offices in Texas and in Atlanta, Georgia. So this database could simplify the process of hiring, because truck company owners can use it as another tool to determine if a full background check is needed on a prospective hire.



Truck carriers have backed the idea of a national database, because it would likely lower the number of truck accidents  which costs them money  and protect them from the liability that results when one of their drivers causes a wreck due to drug or alcohol use.



Rob Abbott, Vice President of Safety Policy at the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the leading truck industry member organization, echoes this sentiment.



Motor carriers support it, because they want to hire safe, qualified drivers, and they need full and complete histories of prospective drivers to do that, Abbott stated.



Opposition From Truck Drivers



But not everyone is on board with this new database, as the people who would most be affected are pushing back at the imminent change.

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An issue for many truck drivers is the fact that truck company owners could use the information on the database in a punitive way.



The Owner-Operated Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), a member organization that represents the interests of more than 150,000 commercial truck drivers in the U.S., has come out in strong opposition to the database.



The OOIDA issued a report to the U.S. Treasure Department, that stated in part, The report of a bad drug test can be the end of a drivers employability.



The group also believes that truck company owners could falsely report a positive drug or alcohol test as a way to punish or retaliate against drivers.



Whats interesting is that truck drivers are already required by law to report failed drug tests to their employers, or to prospective employers when they interview for driving jobs.



Safety advocates argue that these self-reporting regulations are no different than a national database that would provide the same information, which would not be accessible by the public.



Repeat Offenders



And there is a bigger issue that truck drivers have not addressed, according to highway safety experts.



Hundreds of commercial truck drivers who are terminated from a job due to drug or alcohol abuse, often find another driving job by simply lying on their next application.



Many independent truck carriers dont have the time or money to conduct background checks on every driver they interview for work.

That leaves huge gaps in the information that these truck company owners possess about their employees.



It also allows repeat offenders who have been fired from multiple driving jobs for drug and alcohol offenses, to continue working in the trucking industry, even though they pose a clear and present danger to other motorists.



Unless a history of drug and alcohol violations are voluntarily supplied, the employers lack adequate information to avoid hiring these dangerous drivers, stated a spokesperson for the Truck Safety Coalition.



Another problem is that truck carriers dont always share information about drivers who have failed drug and alcohol tests.



A national database would resolve that problem by giving every truck company owner access to the same information.



In the interest of safety, the clearinghouse should immediately notify all of a drivers employers when the driver is to be removed from a safety sensitive position, read a statement from the ATA.



The Scary Stats Regarding Impaired Driving



Unfortunately, the debate over the implementation of the database obscures the real issue, which are the dangers posed by commercial drivers who are impaired by drugs and alcohol.



The latest statistics regarding alcohol and driving are staggering.



In 2013, nearly 10 million people said that they had driven under the influence of drugs in that year, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.



The USDOT reported that 33 percent of all drivers who are arrested or convicted of a DUI are repeat offenders, and that 50 percent of all drivers who died in an accident and tested positive for drugs, also had alcohol in their system.



Furthermore, an astounding 50 to 75 percent of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive, even on a suspended license.



And according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), 10,265 people were killed in DUI accidents in 2015, which equates to one person dying every 51 minutes.



In 2013  the last year for which statistics are available  Texas led the nation in the most DUI fatalities with 1,337.

This represented a whopping 39.5 percent of total traffic fatalities in the state for that year, and was a 3.6 percent increase from 2012.

Recent Commercial Truck Driver DUI Case

The dangers of commercial drivers and impaired driving were highlighted by a recent incident in the Dallas area.

Dallas, TX  In June, the driver of a semi-truck was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Dallas police said that the commercial truck was traveling west in the eastbound lanes of the C.F. Hawn Freeway for several miles.

The incident occurred at about 2:45 a.m., and witnesses told police that they saw the driver weaving across the road as his truck headed the wrong way on the freeway.

It was only by luck that the commercial truck did not cause a serious multi-vehicle accident, but the fact that the incident took place so late at night, meant that there was very little freeway traffic.

When police found the truck, it had exited at Buckner Boulevard, and was in a parking lot.

Authorities cited the driver for DUI and for driving the wrong way.

Measures To Stop Impaired Driving

Although DUI is a problem throughout the U.S., the fact that Texas leads the nation in accident-related fatalities is troubling to many.

Harris County is known as the drunk driving capital of the nation, stated Kendall Collette of the Houston office of MADD. There are more drunk-driving fatalities in Harris County than anywhere in the country, and its not the largest county in the nation.

MADD was one of the organizations that pushed for mandatory interlock devices for all drivers convicted of DUI, a measure that passed in the state legislature in 2015.

Interlock devices require drivers to blow into a sensor so that their blood-alcohol content (BAC) is measured to determine if it is legal for them to operate a motor vehicle.

If the device registers a BAC that exceeds a preset limit, it will lock the engine to prevent operation of the vehicle.

But a spokesperson for RID-USA, another advocacy group, wants the legal BAC lowered from .08 to .05, which is in line with what the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended.

When youre looking at the magnitude of what the NTSB study suggests, that it would save 800 lives annually, thats a pretty good reason to change the law, stated William Aiken, Vice President of RID-USA. Unfortunately, this has had a lot of resistance, such as the alcohol industry and the restaurant and bar associations.

The maximum legal limit for commercial truck drivers is a BAC of .04, which is lower than the .08 limit for drivers with standard drivers licenses.

Well the .04 BAC is a sound decision, added Amy Witherite. When you consider that its half the limit of what drivers with standard licenses are given, you have some confidence that its right where it should be in terms of establishing a higher standard for commercial vehicle drivers.

Justice For Victims

Commercial truck wrecks dont just harm vehicles and bodies, they assault the spirit of those who were injured. If you need an advocate to obtain justice after an truck accident, contact 1-800-Truck-Wreck and speak to one of our lawyers at Eberstein & Witherite, LLP. Let us take care of the legal issues, so you can focus on healing and recovery.



Contact

Lucy Tiseo

Eberstein & Witherite, LLP

Phone: 800-878-2597

Email: lucy.tiseo@ewlawyers.com

www.1800truckwreck.com

Connect with Eberstein & Witherite on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter



Source: Eberstein & Witherite LLP
Dawn journalist Cyril Almeida who was briefly barred from travelling abroad on Sunday said that he had triple-checked facts on his civilian-army rift story.

By Press Trust of India: A prominent Pakistani journalist, who was briefly barred from travelling abroad over reporting a rift between the civilian and military leaderships, on Sunday stuck to his story, saying he had "triple-checked" the facts.

"Because nothing of the reaction had been unanticipated, nothing had been left to chance before the story was put out in print," Cyril Almeida, a columnist and reporter for the Dawn, said in his column 'A week to remember' published in Sunday's edition of the newspaper.

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He wrote: "The story had arrived fairly quickly after the fateful meeting on October 3, but it was only published on October 6. The gap was all about verifying, double- and triple-sourcing and seeking official comment.

In his story 'Act against militants or face international isolation', Almeida reported that the civilian government has warned the military leadership of a growing international isolation of Pakistan and sought action against banned terror groups, like Hafiz Saeed's LeT, Masood Azhar's JeM and the Haqqani network, or face international isolation.

The Nawaz Sharif government denied the facts of the story and subsequently placed Almeida's name on the Exit Control List (ECL), barring him from leaving the country. However, under media pressure, the government on Friday removed his name from the list but constituted a committee to probe the matter.

Also read: Pakistan lifts foreign travel ban on Dawn journalist Cyril Almeida after criticism



The development was followed by a Corps Commanders' Conference last week presided over by army chief Gen Raheel Sharif in which concerns were raised on feeding "story that was a breach of security".

In his comments on Sunday, Almeida further said: "For me, and for the paper, there were only two questions that mattered. Did the meeting take place? Could I verify through multiple channels what was said? Yes, the heart races a bit faster when you do something out of the ordinary. Yes, there is always some concern for the self.

"The second part is trickier than it would appear, but it is also not as hard as it is made out to be. Stick around long enough and you get a sense of how this place works. And the place gets a sense of you. You know the camps, you know the divisions and splits, and you know at any given time who may be interested in selling what. They exist in civilian as much as they do in military."

He added that with a meeting like this and a story like that, "you sniff around until you get a bunch of overlapping facts from camps that have no obvious reason to overlap".

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Almeida said there was one underestimation on his part.

"In writing the story, I was aware that a grenade was being dropped in the news cycle. It has since turned out to be a surgical strike followed by a nuclear attack. I do not regret doing this story. In a place like this, that is a two- way street: in return for not exposing your sources, you get a fair reading of the land," he added.

Almeida said global coverage of his name placing on the ECL has rescued him.

"A combination of two things rescued me. First, the global coverage, the system here ultimately responds to local concerns. Second, the wider media, battered and fractured by violent convulsions of its own in recent years, mostly united perhaps as much out of self-preservation than indignation," he said.

Also read: US concerned over journalist situation in Pakistan, refrains from commenting on Cyril Almeida travel ban





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Dianna Agron just got married in a super romantic destination wedding, and were so happy for her!

Its official! Glee alum Dianna Agron and her longtime love Mumford and Sons banjoist Winston Marshall have tied the knot. The couple set off to Morocco for a super romantic destination wedding, and although pictures from their Saturday nuptuals havent been released, it sounds like it was stunning.

I mean, just look at how beautiful Morocco is in general.

After the Sunset

After dating for about a year, Dianna Agron and Marshall got engaged in December 2015, according to Us Weekly. Neither of them ever publicly confirmed their engagement, but since they just got married, were pretty certain they were also engaged.

And now theyre obviously the most perfect little musical family.

He is the nicest guy and treats her like a princess, a source told Us. .He is also so good to her friends.

Marshall sounds like such a gentleman, and it doesnt hurt that he kills it on the banjo.

Agron seems to have brought her best gals along to Morocco. Six days ago, she posted an adorable picture on Instagram of her and her friends, and they were all wearing matching robes and turquoise rain boots, while riding turquoise beach cruisers.

My GALS, she captioned the photo.

A photo posted by Dianna Agron (@diannaagron) on Oct 10, 2016 at 3:45am PDT

Destination weddings always seem like the best time, but a destination wedding in MOROCCO is probably absolutely incredible. Who wouldnt want to live out their very own magical wedding story in such a gorgeous location?

We cant wait to see photos of the bride and groom, as well as of their fairytale wedding location. Were sure the couple has probably been pretty busy, you know, being in love and married and stuff, but whenever they want to throw up an Instagram pic of the setting  were ready!

The post Dianna Agron just got married in a super romantic destination wedding, and were so happy for her! appeared first on HelloGiggles.
With the recent release of Skeleton Tree, the first studio album by The Bad Seeds since 2013, Nick Cave is set to re release, One More Time With Feeling to cinemas come December 1st.

Australian natives, The Bad Seeds were formed in 1983, by Nick Cave after the prior demise of his band Birthday Party. The band comprised of Blixa Bargeld, Mick Harvey and Cave. The alternative band manifested themselves in Melbourne, before setting sail and landing upon the shores of the United Kingdom. A series of disputes met with relentless studio recording would ultimately provide crucial grounding for The Bad Seeds.

Several years of touring would ensue, following the release of their debut album, From Her to Eternity. The Bad Seeds would tour and release new material until 1997, the band were to release one more album, The Boatmans Call, before Cave would postpone further musical involvement and recoil into a 4 year hiatus.

Entering the 00s, The Bad Seeds would reform with a fresh set of songs, and an entirely new perspective on music, to cement the resurrection of the band, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds released No More Shall We Part, followed by Nocturama(2003), Abbatoir Blues minus Blixa Bargeld (2005), Dig Lazarus Dig!!! (2008), Push The Sky Away (2013), and finally, Skeleton Tree (2016).

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds have created an entire legacy, built on lament and sorrow. Each song penned by Cave has a tinge of melancholy, met with synth and guitar, with lyrics inspired by Sigmund Freud and Nina Simone, Cave writes in a manner that de-constructs his personal life, capitalising on his own vulnerability and sorrow.

Sounds like; The Smiths, The Cramps.

https://open.spotify.com/user/1110871727/playlist/1lEg4vX1l0Zc34kZY3X8XW
The Tea Party protests of 1773 were undoubtedly a turning point in American history, but does Philadelphia have a rightful claim on being the starting point of the colonial movement?

Dr. Benjamin Rush

On October 16, 1773, a group of Philadelphia patriots decided to tell the British crown that it would mount a boycott of tea, months before a similar act in Boston. The violent protests in Boston Harbor were met with a direct response from Great Britain, while a Philadelphia non-violent protest sent a British tea ship away without direct retribution.

The publication of a document called Philadelphia Resolutions triggered public protests in the two cities, and the protests would lead to the eventual armed clash between colonists and the British government forces, and the American War of Independence.

In later years, Dr. Benjamin Rush, who helped draft the Philadelphia Resolutions, reminded John Adams that Adams himself has said the revolution had its origins in actions taken by Philadelphians.

I once heard you say [that] the active business of the American Revolution began in Philadelphia in the act of her citizens sending back the tea ship, and that Massachusetts would have received her portion of the tea had not our example encouraged her to expect union and support in destroying, Rush told Adams in a letter. The flame kindled on that Day [October 16, 1773] soon extended to Boston and gradually spread throughout the whole continent.

Rushs chronology would be appeared to be confused, since the Boston Tea Party occurred before Philadelphia turned back a much-bigger tea shipment, but the impact of the Philadelphia Resolutions cant be discounted.

The Philadelphia Resolutions appeared in Benjamin Franklins Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper several days after the October 16 meeting at the Pennsylvania State House, which is today known as Independence Hall. It was a list of eight grievances against the British government. (Franklin was still in England, but he was also actively criticizing the British crackdown on the rights of its subjects in America.)

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Link: Read The Philadelphia Resolutions

A group of men was associated with the Sons of Liberty drew up the list. The Sons of Liberty started nearly a decade earlier in Boston when it opposed attempts by the crown to tax colonists without representation in Parliament .

The Philadelphia group included prominent leaders such Rush, William Bradford, Thomas Mifflin and Dr. William Cadwalader. For years, Americans refused to buy British tea because it included a tax levied on drinkers, a thought that repulsed colonists who didnt believe they should be taxed without a representative sitting in the British parliament to voice their concerns.

Instead, Americans bought tea smuggled into the colonies. But in May 1773, Parliament gave the East India Company a tea monopoly that also made British tea much cheaper than smuggled tea.

The claim of parliament to tax America, is, in other words, a claim of right to levy contributions on us at pleasure, the Resolutions said. The duty, imposed by parliament upon tea landed in America, is a tax on the Americans, or levying contributions on them, without their consent.

The Resolutions also made it clear that the group thought the money raised by the tea tax through the Townshend Acts would be used by the crown to eliminate local governments run by the colonies, and the group called on Americans to prevent a violent attack upon the liberties of America by stopping the unloading of tea shipments and any tea sales.

Three weeks later, a similar group met at Faneuil Hall in Boston and it adopted the Philadelphia Resolutions.

That the sense of this town cannot be better expressed than in the words of certain judicious resolves, lately entered into by our worthy brethren, the citizens of Philadelphia, the Boston group said.

In late December 1773, as seven ships laden with tea started to arrive in the colonies, one ship with 698 cases of tea attempted to land in Philadelphia but was turned back. A group of 6,000 Philadelphians met at the State House to discuss the situation, in what was the largest mass gathering in the colonies.

The group told the ships captain he would be tarred and feathered if he tried to deliver the tea; the ship was allowed to get supplies for a return voyage and sent on its way.

Up in Boston, a similar large gathering had turned violent two weeks earlier, when three ships arrived with 342 chests of tea. In what became known as the Boston Tea Party, a party of men dressed as Indians dumped the tea chests contents into Boston Harbor.

In April 1774, the British Parliament passed the Coercive (or Intolerable) Acts, which punished Massachusetts for the Tea Party incident. But other colonists, including Philadelphians, saw the acts as a punishment targeted at all the colonies.

At the same time, Franklin wrote a public letter in London, under an assumed name, that made it clear how he felt about Parliament, who appear to be no better acquainted with their History or Constitution than they are with the Inhabitants of the Moon.

The Flame of Liberty in North America shall not be extinguished. Cruelty and Oppression and Revenge shall only serve as Oil to increase the Fire, Franklin added.
Donald Trump refuses to back down from his claim, which has been made without specific evidence, that the upcoming election results will be rigged at polling places.

The Republican nominee for President tweeted on Sunday that the election was being rigged at polling places, just hours after his running mate, Governor Mike Pence, told Chuck Todd on NBCs Meet the Press that he will accept Election Day results.

The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary  but also at many polling places  SAD  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan on Saturday criticized Trump for questioning the validity of the electoral process.

Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the Speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity, Ryan spokesperson AshLee Strong said.

Trump returned to his theme Monday morning, tweeting that large scale voter fraud is endemic and that naive Republican leaders needed to recognize it:

Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2016

Other party supporters have stood by Trumps claims, which have emerged in recent days as the candidate illustrated far-fetched imagined plots to defeat him to explain his sinking poll numbers.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on ABCs This Week, blaming the unending one-sided assault of the news media for the election being rigged. Gingrich said the rigging is not happening at the local level, though he encouraged voters to monitor polling places.

Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani said on Sunday that Democrats could steal an extremely close election by having supposedly dead people vote in inner cities.

Im sorry, dead people generally vote for Democrats rather than Republicans, Giuliani said on CNNs State of the Union. You want me to [say] that I think the election in Philadelphia and Chicago is going to be fair? I would have to be a moron to say that.
Donald Trump

During this election cycle, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that Syrian President Bashar Assad and his allies are fighting terrorism in Syria.

"I don't like Assad at all, but Assad is killing ISIS," Trump said during the second presidential debate.

It's exactly what Assad wants everyone to think  but experts say it's not true.

"The Assad government strategy has long been to present the world a binary choice: either the Assad government, which is in some ways secular, or the extremist Islamists and force the world to choose between them," Robert Ford, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute who was the US ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014, told Business Insider.

He added: "The Russians have already made their choice."

Russia is one of Assad's main allies in the Syrian civil war that has dragged on for more than five years. President Vladimir Putin has authorized Russian military strikes in Syria in support of Assad's government. And while Putin claims to be fighting terrorism in Syria, his military has targeted mostly more moderate opposition forces that oppose Assad's regime.

There are multiple fronts in the Syrian conflict  terrorist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda-linked factions are fighting for territory, as are moderate rebel groups. But Assad's primary goal so far has been to wipe out the moderate opposition to make his regime look more legitimate in comparison.

"That's why these groups are not their main target," Ford said. "So they have spent almost all their time trying to eliminate the moderate opposition because they want to boil it down to a choice between the extremists and Assad."

Analysis of Russian airstrikes from September 2015, when Russian involvement in Syria started, and September 2016 showed that "Russia's claims of striking 'terrorists' were clearly not accurate as they repeatedly attacked mainstream opposition groups, particularly those working with the West," according to the Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War.

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While Russia has struck some terrorist targets, they have not been its main focus.

ISW Syria map

"Since it intervened militarily in Syria over a year ago to save Assad, Russia has concentrated its firepower almost exclusively against Syrian civilians and Syrian nationalist opponents of Assad: people who are on ISIS' bullseye as well," Fred Hof, a former special adviser for transition in Syria under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who is now the director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council, told Business Insider in an email.

"ISIS, Assad, Russia, and Iran each share the same objective: to have ISIS and Assad be the last parties left standing in Syria."

But Hof said he didn't think Trump was purposely boosting Assad's narrative of being the last bulwark against a terrorist takeover of Syria.

"I'm willing to assume that Mr. Trump is not consciously pushing the Moscow-Tehran-Assad line," Hof said. "Unlike his running mate, who has called for the defense of Aleppo against unmerciful regime and Russian attacks, he seems not to have studied the issue in any depth. This he can correct if he wishes."

Ford made a similar assessment.

"With all due respect to Mr. Trump, he doesn't know what he's talking about," he said, adding that he didn't "think Donald Trump understands that the problem of the Islamic State is essentially a political problem, not a military problem and that it cannot be resolved be a purely military approach."

Experts contend that terrorism in Syria is a political problem because as long Assad continues to hold power and relentlessly attack civilians with barrel bombs and chemical weapons, using air power that the rebels don't have, people will be persuaded to join terrorist groups that are better equipped than the rebels to fight his regime.

Assad's forces have killed far more civilians in Syria than any terrorist group, so he's the main enemy of most people who remain in the war-torn country.

"Including Bashar al-Assad as part of the solution when Bashar al-Assad's government is the origin of the political problem makes no sense," Ford said. "It just makes no sense to me. And if anything, it might make the problem worse rather than better in terms of aiding jihadi recruitment."

NOW WATCH: Here's how Paul Ryan can become the next president





More From Business Insider


To hide Pakistan Army atrocities in Balochistan, Sartaj Aziz tried to rise the Kashmir issue and called upon the international community and especially the BRICS leaders to interfere in solving the Kashmir issue.

By Maha Siddiqui: Minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed Pakistan as "mothership of terrorism" and urged BRICS countries to work together to tackle the menace and step up practical cooperation against terrorism, Pakistan reacted to Modi's statement today.

In a press release, Sartaj Aziz, adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on foreign affairs, said Pakistan's is unified in its fight against terrorism.

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"Modi is misleading his BRICS and BIMSTEC colleagues. The Indian leadership is desperately trying to hide its brutalities in Jammu and Kashmir, an internationally recognised dispute on the UNSC agenda, where innocent people are being killed and injured by the occupation forces daily with impunity," he said.

ALSO READ: No chance of breakthrough in India-Pakistan ties under Modi, says Sartaj Aziz



To hide Pakistan Army atrocities in Balochistan, Sartaj Aziz even tried to rise the Kashmir issue. Aziz called upon the international community and especially the BRICS leaders to interfere in solving the Kashmir issue.

"Pakistan joins all the members of BRICS and BIMSTEC in condemning terrorism and reaffirms its full commitment to fight the menace of terrorism without discrimination, including against terrorism on Pakistani soil. Pakistan's sacrifices in the war against terrorism are well acknowledged and repeatedly appreciated by the leadership of most countries in the world," he added.

ALSO READ:

BRICS summit: PM Modi slams Pakistan, calls it mothership of terror



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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte vowed Sunday he will not "barter" away territory and economic rights ahead of a visit to Beijing, where he hopes to mend ties frayed by a row over the South China Sea.

Duterte will head to Beijing on Tuesday -- after a state visit to Brunei that kicks off late Sunday -- and will be bringing along a large business delegation in a bid to secure Chinese investment as relations sour between Manila and its traditional ally the United States.

Duterte Sunday said he would also raise with Chinese President Xi Jinping a ruling by an international tribunal that outlawed Beijing's claim to most of the South China Sea, including waters close to the Philippine coast.

China, which rejected the ruling, claims nearly all of the strategically vital waters and has in recent years built artificial islands in the disputed areas that are capable of hosting military bases.

Duterte had earlier vowed not to "taunt or flaunt" the July ruling as he aims to improve trade and investment ties, which some critics warned could entail surrendering exclusive economic rights to the sea to Manila's powerful neighbour.

"I will be very careful not to bargain anything (away) for after all I cannot give what is not mine and which I am not empowered to do by any stretch of imagination," he told reporters in Davao city.

"The international tribunal's decision will be taken up, but there will be no hard impositions. We will talk and we will maybe paraphrase everything in the judgment and set the limits of our territories and (exclusive) economic zones."

During the election campaign, Duterte said he was willing to "set aside" the sea dispute in return for China building a railway through the impoverished southern Philippine region of Mindanao.

His willingness to launch negotiations with China over the dispute has been welcomed by Beijing.

On Sunday Duterte said he agreed with senior Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio that the president could be impeached and removed from office if he gave away Scarborough Shoal, a fishing ground within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone that China seized in 2012.

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"He is correct. I would be impeached. It's an impeachable offence. I don't fight with that statement. It's all correct it's all legal and so I agree with him," Duterte said.

"It belongs to the Filipino people. I cannot be the sole authorised agent, for that is not allowed under the constitution."

Since coming to power in May, Duterte's push to restore ties with China has been accompanied by fiery rhetoric against the United States.

He scrapped a series of annual war games and joint South China Sea patrols with the US military after President Barack Obama criticised Manila's brutal war on drug crime which has left more than 3,000 people dead.
Emojis are officially working their ways into court cases.

Emojis represent a specialized dialect that many English speakers struggle with. The same can also be said of legalese. So when the two intersect, things can get complicated, and fast.

The array of symbols that we increasingly rely on for our messaging and social media are already starting to play a role in court cases. As I learned at a recent meetup of the DC Legal Hackers group (yes, such a thing exists), the odds are pretty good that this post-literate language wont just be used to illustrate a court ruling but will show up in one soon.

As Susan Brenner, a law professor at the University of Dayton, observed in an (emoji-free!) email: There are a lot of permutations that COULD come up in US court cases.

I was only joking, your honor!

When youre presenting an email or a text message to a jury, do you read aloud the colon-parenthesis representing a smiley face that ends a sentence, or do you skip over reading it as you would any other kind of punctuation? That came up during the 2015 trial of Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road online drug marketplace.

The answer in that case: Yes, you note the presence of that emoticon and also show the text to the jury. Said judge Katherine B. Forrest at the time: That is part of the evidence of the document.

The guilty verdict for Ulbricht, first known only by his online pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts, didnt hinge on those emojis. But in other cases, these symbols have helped tilt a verdict one way or another.

Consider the smiley-face emoticon that began life as a colon and a parenthesis and its winky-face semicolon-parenthesis cousin. They can mean a lot of things: this is funny, Im kidding, I like you, and so on. How should a judge or a jury read one at the end of a sentence that may or may not be incriminating?

In Lenz v. Universal Music Groupthe 2010 dancing baby case, in which UMG claimed copyright infringement over Princes Lets Go Crazy playing in the background of a 29-second YouTube clip of Stephanie Lenz kid dancinga ;-) in an email ended up helping out Lenz.

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The judge said that the winking emoticon was Lenz being sarcastic about the stilted language of lawyers, not her admission that she wasnt injured substantially and irreparably by UMG forcing YouTube to remove a video shed uploaded to amuse friends and family.

But in cases like Elonis v. United States, appending cheerful emojis to threatening language specifically, following up a remark about putting a friends spouses head on a stick with the playful sticking-your-tongue-out emoticondidnt fool anybody.

On the other hand, in February of 2015 a grand jury in Brooklyn declined to indict 17-year-old Osiris Aristy for posting an emoji of a police officer surrounded by handgun emojis  because the jurors didnt consider that Facebook post a direct threat of violence.

You say squirt gun, I say handgun

Those last two cases didnt require that much interpretation. But the increasing range of emojis  and their varying appearance in different operating systems  look sure to complicate life for judges and juries for some point.

Depending on what version of Windows or iOS you and your friend use, a handgun emoji can appear as a kids squirt gun or a toy ray gunimagine how Aristys Facebook post could have looked with those substitutions. If you send a smiley-face emoticon in Microsoft Outlook, that image will show up as a J on devices not running Windows.

And even emojis that look the same everywhere can acquire other meanings. In practice, an eggplant has little to do with vegetables.

Benner sketched out one possible scenario: Terrorists or other bad actors are using emoji, probably a specifically created type of emoji, as a way to communicate.

Theres already a market for software to pick out these inconsistencies  a Washington data-analytics firm called Boxer Analytics makes software to find and parse these symbols during the discovery phase of a case.

Gabriella E. Ziccarelli, an associate with Blank Rome LLP who gave a presentation on legal emojis at the Legal Hackers meetup, said that lawyers will want to test the emoji literacy of potential jurors. She suggested a possible screening technique: Show a selection of emojis along with some questions to assess any biases.

So far, it appears that only one court ruling has featured actual emojis  a British high-court ruling from February in which Justice Peter Jackson rejected a police contention that a smiley-face on a note was sarcastic.

But thats bound to happen somewhere in the United States. Boxer Analytics CEO Joe Sremack, another presenter at the meetup, predicted in an email that virtually every case involving digital communications will feature evidence that includes emojis within three years  including those at the Supreme Court level.

So when will an emoji show up in a Supreme Court opinion? Within 10 years, but likely less, is Ziccarellis guess.

And what will that first SCOTUS-worthy emoji be? Sremack had his own predictions:

It probably wont be a happy emoji. The gun emoji is my guess, with the bomb and knife emojis following close behind.

More from Rob:

Email Rob at rob@robpegoraro.com; follow him on Twitter at @robpegoraro.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A Mars lander left its mothership on Sunday after a seven-month journey from Earth and headed towards the red planet's surface to test technologies for Europe's planned first Mars rover, which will search for signs of past and present life. The disc-shaped 577-kilogramme (1,272 lb) Schiaparelli lander separated from spacecraft Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) at 1442 GMT as expected, starting a three-day descent to the surface. But in a setback, signals received from TGO, which is to orbit Mars and sniff out gases around the planet, did not contain data on the lander's onboard status, raising . "We have to receive and process this telemetry (data) first and after that we can say what has happened. But on the side of (Schiaparelli) I would say that the separation was a success," Paolo Ferri, head of mission operations at ESA, told Reuters TV at ESA's Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. Schiaparelli, part of the European-Russian ExoMars programme, represents only the second European attempt to land a craft on Mars, after a failed mission by Britain's Beagle 2 in 2003. Landing on Mars, Earth's neighbour some 35 million miles (56 million km) away, is a notoriously difficult task that has bedevilled most Russian efforts and given NASA trouble as well. The United States currently has two operational rovers on Mars, Curiosity and Opportunity. But a seemingly hostile environment has not detracted from the allure of Mars, with U.S. President Barack Obama recently highlighting his pledge to send people to the planet by the 2030s. Elon Musk's SpaceX is developing a massive rocket and capsule to transport large numbers of people and cargo to Mars with the ultimate goal of colonizing the planet, with Musk saying he would like to launch the first crew as early as 2024. The primary goal of ExoMars is to find out whether life has ever existed on Mars. The current spacecraft, TGO, carries an atmospheric probe to study trace gases such as methane around the planet. Scientists believe that methane, a chemical that on Earth is strongly tied to life, could stem from micro-organisms that either became extinct millions of years ago and left gas frozen below the planet's surface, or that some methane-producing organisms still survive. The second part of the ExoMars mission, delayed to 2020 from 2018, will deliver a European rover to the surface of Mars. It will be the first with the ability to both move across the planet's surface and drill into the ground to collect and analyse samples. The ExoMars 2016 mission is led by the European Space Agency (ESA), with Russia's Roscosmos supplying the launcher and two of the four scientific instruments on the trace gas orbiter. The prime contractor is Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales and Finmeccanica. The cost of the ExoMars mission to ESA, including the second part due in 2020, is expected to be about 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion). Russia's contribution comes on top of that. ($1 = 0.9060 euros) (Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Dominic Evans, Greg Mahlich)
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f248059%2fbillybush

Billy Bush, Donald Trump's sidekick in the now notorious 2005 tape leaked to the Washington Post, is reportedly receiving a healthy payout from NBC, and the internet knows just what to do with it.

The Today Show anchor was suspended by NBC "pending further review" after he appeared in the clip alongside the Republican presidential candidate, talking explicitly about women. Now Page Six is reporting Bush may get a $10 million settlement from the network.

SEE ALSO: Muslims throw Trumps' answer back in his face in the most clever way

NBC and Bush's attorney Marshall Grossman have been contacted for comment.

So, what is a Bush cousin to do with all that hypothetical cash? Patrick Monahan and Twitter user @DucanIdunno had a brilliant idea Saturday night: What if he donated the whole whopping amount to women's charities?

If you see Billy Bush on the street, try to throw up on him or something pic.twitter.com/ge9OpucWPG  Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) October 15, 2016

@Bro_Pair @pattymo nah, Billy Bush is going to donate it all to women's charities  Duncan Idunno (@DuncanIdunno) October 15, 2016

In an epic troll during the trolliest of elections, #ThanksBilly began trending on Twitter as everyone rushed to thank the man for doing something he probably hasn't done.

Maybe if we all post about how Billy Bush is donating his $10M NBC payout to women's charities, it'll get picked up as news https://t.co/FumZKoZLj1  Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) October 16, 2016

The generous yet fake move gained traction as comedians like Nick Offerman and David Cross commended Bush for his act of giving.

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What a great save. Really the only decent thing to do. #ThanksBilly !! https://t.co/4eE0VHytFy  Nick Offerman (@Nick_Offerman) October 16, 2016

I have to commend Billy Bush. Doing the right thing donating his undeserved 10 mill payout all to women's charities. #doingtherightthing  David Cross (@davidcrosss) October 16, 2016

Wow #ThanksBilly for donating $10 million to women's charities. Who knew you could be a Bush and a hero at the same time?  Ziwe (@ziwe) October 16, 2016

Monahan told Mashable the idea came to him as he was reading the story about Bush's potential $10 million buyout. He started thinking about the backlash that would come from the confirmation of such a large settlement, and what it might take for Bush to undo it.

"I did not expect it to get so big, not at all," Monahan said about the hashtag. "I think it's really strange that people are willing to believe things without any sourcing. And that putting a quote over an image somehow makes it more believable to people."

When asked why the hashtag had proved so appealing, he pointed out there hasn't been any good news relating to either of the presidential candidates in a long time. At this point in a bitterly acrimonious election cycle, people might be in need of some light relief.

"I guess 2016 has broken everyone's brains," he added.

Wow. This #ThanksBilly hashtag is so genius. Also v moved that Billy Bush will donate his $10 million settlement to women's charities.  Kate Beckman (@Kate_Beckman) October 16, 2016

Amazing! The one good thing that could possibly come from Billy Bush getting $10 million dollars is if he donated it to charity #thanksbilly  jomny sun (@jonnysun) October 16, 2016

floored by billy bush's compassion in donating his entire nbc severance to women's charities... #thanksbilly, the healing begins now :)  died in a corn maze (@amfmpm) October 16, 2016

Billy Bush, I am blown away by this. You have truly impressed me with this gesture. #thanksbilly https://t.co/Pcc03uA9Ir  Josh Gad (@joshgad) October 16, 2016

Bush has since apologised for his comments in the video, saying in a statement he was "embarrassed and ashamed."

"It's no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago  I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along," he said.

And in case it wasn't clear  please, please know this is all a joke.
By Denis Dumo JUBA (Reuters) - Heavy fighting around the town of Malakal in South Sudan killed dozens of people over the weekend, a military spokesman said on Sunday, after rebels said they would try to seize control of the town. The rebels had attacked government positions on Friday night but the military had held their ground, army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said. "Our forces were able to successfully drive them back with heavy casualties. Over 56 rebels were killed," he told a group of journalists whom the government had flown to Malakal on Sunday to see the situation. "We came here ... to let the people of South Sudan, and in particular the region, know that Malakal was not captured by the rebels as reported over the weekend." It was not possible to independently verify the reported casualty figures, but a Reuters photographer who flew to Lalo, a camp near Malakal, with the military saw 15 bodies nearby, a burned building within the base, and bodies scattered in other positions. Soldiers said they were expecting another attack. On Friday, the rebels said they had captured Lalo and the nearby location of Wajwok, and planned to seize Malakal. "We want to make sure that the government are dislodged from the town and we take control," deputy rebel spokesperson Dickson Gatluak told Reuters by phone from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Oil-rich South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013 when a row between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar ended with fighting that often occurred along ethnic fault lines. Both sides have targeted civilians, human rights groups say. The fighting initially ended with a peace deal signed in 2015, but violations have been frequent, and heavy fighting broke out again in July. Machar fled the country and is now in South Africa for medical treatment. Gatluak said the international community's failure to enforce the 2015 agreement was a major reason for renewed hostilities. "We realized that there is not any political space, there is not any political settlement in (the capital) Juba. The international community and the IGAD itself have failed us ... they failed to keep that fragile peace agreement," he said, referring to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a political bloc of East African countries. Last week, violence in South Sudan killed at least 60 people, the military said. The United Nations said it had reports of civilians being burned alive in buses. (Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Passengers on India's vast railway network have long complained of the terrible meals on offer to sustain them on long journeys, but a slew of new services bringing fast food to their seats is changing the way they dine.

From Kentucky Fried Chicken to Domino's pizza and a host of local delicacies, today's train passengers have access to a vast array of hot dishes, all at the click of a smartphone app.

For passenger Amit V, who has ordered a vegetarian curry dish to be delivered to his seat, the new services are a godsend after years of buying railway food that he says was often inedible.

"This food is 100 times better than the railways food," the mathematics teacher told AFP as he prepared to board a train for the 19-hour journey from Mathura, a major rail hub in northern India, to his home town in the west of the country.

It is all a far cry from what was on offer just a few years ago, when there were reports of cockroaches being found in dishes, and a leaked internal report said food was cooked in "dirty, smelly and waterlogged pantry cars".

In one case, the samosas -- a popular snack -- were kept in a basket with cleaning mops.

There is demand too for a greater variety of options, with customers craving international cuisine, fast food, as well as local fare.

The new services are part of the process of modernising India's state-owned railway network, which carries around 23 million passengers a day.

Asia's oldest rail network is a lifeline for India's 1.2 billion people, but is creaking from decades of neglect and chronic underinvestment.

Last year the government announced a $137-billion five-year modernisation plan that includes introducing free wifi in some stations in partnership with Google.

Google says the service will cover 100 stations by the end of this year, with an eventual target of 400 -- a further boost to online food delivery services.

- Kitchens at stations -

Last year Indian Railways invited major chains such as KFC to sign up to its e-catering service, which allows passengers to pre-order online or by phone for delivery at major stations.

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The next step will be to set up "base kitchens" in major stations to allow companies to prepare freshly cooked food for delivery on the trains, railway ministry spokesman Anil Kumar Saxena told AFP.

A host of private entrepreneurs are also trying to tap the market, among them Pushpinder Singh, who founded TravelKhana (Travel Food) with his wife in 2012.

The company signs up individual restaurants close to stations on busy routes, providing a delivery service for a fee.

"There are around 5,000 long distance trains with an average journey of around 770 kilometres (480 miles), but only six percent of them have a proper food service," Singh told AFP.

"This is the section we are targeting."

The key to success is speed -- delivery services have just a few minutes to track down their customers before the train leaves the station.

At Mathura station, deliveryman Aman Singh Badhorie takes it all in his stride.

Within two minutes he pushed his way through an overcrowded carriage to locate his customer's seat, delivered his order and taken payment, leaving him a full 60 seconds to disembark before the train pulls away.
New York Times published a story of two women who claimed that they were assaulted by Donald Trump and soon Trump responded with a threat to sue the publication for libel.

By India Today Web Desk: US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called a New York Times story about him a "total fabrication" and threatened to sue the publication for libel.

Responding to Trump's lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, New York Times lawyer David McCraw refused to take down the story or apologise. His letter was shared on social media and has been retweeted more than 10,000 times.

David McCraw, NYT lawyer, responds to Trumps letter. pic.twitter.com/ziPBCIjkvP Sydney Ember (@melbournecoal) October 13, 2016

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It was on October 12 that New York Times published a story of two women who claimed that they were assaulted by Donald Trump.

74-year-old Jessica Leeds, one of the two women, told NYT that more than three decades ago when she was traveling in the first-class cabin of a flight to New York Trump touched her inappropriately.

Jessica said that 45 minutes after take off Trump lifted the armrest and grabbed her breasts and tried to put his hand up her skirt. "It was an assault", she told NYT.

Ohio's Rachel Crooks went through something similar. In 2005, then 22-year-old Rachel was a receptionist at Bayrock Group, a real estate investment and development company in Trump Tower, and once met Trump outside an elevator.

She introduced herself as her company did business with Trump and when the two shook hands Trump did not let go and began kissing her on the cheeks and later kissed directly on the mouth.

"It didn't feel like an accident. It felt like a violation. I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that", she Crooks said.

In a letter addressed to Trump's lawyer, McCraw said that Trump himself "bragged about his non-consensual sexual touching of women" and created a reputation through his words and actions. He argued that Trump has no libel claim as their article did not have any effect on his reputation.



He ended the letter by making it clear that the article will not retracted and if Trump believed that "American citizens had no right to hear what these women had to say and that the law of this country forces us and those who would dare to criticize him to stand silent or be punished, we welcome the opportunity to have a court set him straight".

--- ENDS ---
Angers (France) (AFP) - Four young people died after a balcony collapsed at a newly-built block of flats in France while they were celebrating a house-warming, authorities said Sunday.

What started as an ordinary Saturday night for a group of young friends ended in disaster when the third-floor apartment balcony in the western city of Angers broke away from the wall.

"We suddenly heard a noise -- which was the collapse -- then we heard the cries," a neighbour who lives on the floor below, still visibly in shock, told AFP.

The crash left 14 other party-goers injured, four of them severely, a source close to the inquiry said.

"Many of the others are in psychological shock," the source added.

The accident happened at around 11pm. The balcony brought down the two others directly below as it crashed, but there was no one on the lower floors at the time.

- 'How could it happen?' -

The city's mayor Christophe Bechu raised the possibility that a construction fault was to blame.

"If there was no defect, how can we understand how such a tragedy could happen?" he asked.

"The size of the balcony did not suggest that it was unable to accommodate 15 people under normal conditions."

The victims were three men aged 21, 23 and 25, and an 18-year-old woman.

The apartment's two young female flatmates had invited around 30 friends -- most of them law students -- to celebrate their housewarming after recently moving in.

They were not among the victims, and city authorities have moved them to different accommodation as a police investigation for manslaughter and involuntary injury gets under way.

The probe will seek to determine "how the incident happened and the cause of the collapse," the local prosecution service said.

"A legal expert specialising in construction is on the scene."

Experts were examining what was left of the balcony, which snapped cleanly away from the apartment block's exterior wall looking over a courtyard. Residents have been evacuated from the block.

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"All evidence suggests that the cause of this tragic incident was accidental," a source close to the inquiry said.

This is not the first accident of its kind to happen in France.

In 2013 a woman in her 80s was killed when a balcony collapsed during a family gathering at a chalet in the village of Mandray in the northeastern Vosges mountains.

And in 2007, two women were seriously injured in a similar collapse in the Parisian suburb of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's anti-Islam PEGIDA movement drew thousands of supporters to Dresden city center on Sunday to celebrate its second anniversary, though numbers were subdued compared with crowds of about 25,000 at rallies in the city in early 2015. PEGIDA, which stands for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West, made its mark on the political agenda with its first anti-Islam march in the eastern German city in October 2014 and then spread to other cities. About 900,000 migrants, mostly Muslims, entered Germany in 2015, prompting public concern over the country's ability to cope with the influx. More than 200,000 migrants have arrived this year. Police did not give any estimate on the number of rally participants but issued a statement saying they had deployed about 1,700 officers in Dresden and that the demonstrations had passed peacefully, though criminal proceedings were instigated over bodily harm in one case. Crowd-counting group Durchgezaehlt, run by a statistician at Leipzig University, said on Twitter that between 6,500 and 8,500 people attended Sunday's rally. Though the numbers were down on the levels of some of PEGIDA's 2015 demonstrations, support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has surged as migrants continue to arrive. An Emnid poll published in Sunday's Bild am Sonntag showed that 13 percent of respondents would vote AfD if a federal election were to be held next week. That would comfortably exceed the 5 percent threshold parties must reach to enter the Bundestag lower house of parliament. Germany's next general election is in September 2017. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, who lives in Dresden, told Bild am Sonntag that he hoped the second anniversary of PEGIDA would be its last and that the city remains cosmopolitan and tolerant despite PEGIDA's existence. Iris Gleicke, the federal government's commissioner for eastern German affairs, told Saturday's Die Welt newspaper that people who market Dresden to tourists had told her that fewer visitors were coming because of "a kind of PEGIDA effect". She said people had written to her saying they loved Dresden but did not want to go there at the moment. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by David Goodman)
larry page sundar pichai

By just about any measure, Google is one of the best companies a software programmer can work for, between its high pay, free food, playground of a campus, and the interesting tech it creates.

But in one important way, the company may have shot itself in the foot: its legendarily difficult interview process.

Google is right now being sued on allegations of age discrimination by a couple of job candidates who didn't get offered a job there. Google is fighting the suit and calls the allegations "without merit."

The suit may very well be without merit, but some programmers believe the company has designed its tough recruitment process to heavily favor those fresh from school with less real-world experience.

In fact, that notorious interview process caused freelance programmer Michael Geary simply not to apply for a full-time job at Google even after he had worked as a contract programmer for the company for five years, he told Business Insider.

Google knows he's a Google Maps expert

Back in late 2007, Geary had been working at a startup called Zvents, a company which created local event calendars (it was later acquired by StubHub).

Michael Geary.JPG

His job was to build maps to events, so he had become an expert with programming using Google Maps.

As a friendly, helpful fellow, he spent a lot of time on the Google Maps mailing list helping other programmers with their questions.

Google took notice and hired him to help it build an election map for the 2oo8 presidential election.

Although he lives near the Googleplex in Mountain View, he was attached to a team working in Washington, D.C.

They liked his work and he enjoyed working with them, so he continued on a contract basis for another five years. At that point, Google pulled the project in-house.

He faced a choice: apply to join Google, either with this team or another, or move on to another contract job.

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He opted to move on.

"I heard about this interview process," Geary said, "It seemed fine-tuned for people just out of college. When you are just out college, there's a lot of algorithms, and data structures and fast-thinking on a whiteboard, like you do in school. As opposed to real software engineering, there's a lot of other stuff that goes into that. In my real work, in 20 years, I've never used a whiteboard. I use my computer. But in job interviews they do it all the time."

He said he feared the process would be "quizzes about algorithmic minutiae and having to code a red-black tree on the spot on a whiteboard  all things that favor recent CS grads."

He's not alone in this attitude

Earlier this week, a blog post went viral on Hacker News, a site where programmers chat about news of interest to them, from Pierre Gauthier, a man with 37 years of coding experience and 24 years of R&D director experience.

Attendees wait for the program to begin during the presentation of new Google hardware in San Francisco, California, U.S. October 4, 2016. REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach

Gauthier, founder and CEO of TWD Industries, wrote that he never applied to Google but was called and asked to apply for a director of engineering job. So he agreed to a phone interview.

He posted the questions he was asked in the interview and the recruiter's reply, coupled with his inner monologue about it all.

Basically, the recruiter was asking a list of technical questions and believed that there was only one "right" answer, he said. According to the blog post:

"Google's representative stated that both management and up-to-date coding skills were required (a rare mix). But having exercised the former for more than 2 decades and the latter for almost 4 decades was not enough: I failed to give the 'right answers.'"

His inner monologue basically shredded the recruiter's "right" answer to pieces, pointing out other technical solutions that were better.

But perhaps the most famous story is how Google rejected a programmer named Max Howell in 2015. Howell is well known for creating a popular programming tool called Homebrew. Howell vented his frustration in a tweet that went viral.

The tweet said, "Google: 90% of our engineers use the software you wrote (Homebrew), but you cant invert a binary tree on a whiteboard so f*&k off." He later explained in another tweet, "I was rejected this morning. But it was a flippant tweet."

Howell told Business Insider, "For me the situation was: Google really needed a plumber, so I turned up with 20 years of experience and all the right tools (some of which I'd developed myself), but then they insisted on quizzing me on fluid dynamics before they'd let me fix their leak."

Happy endings

Ironically, after Geary talked about not applying in a post on Hacker News last week, a product manager for the mapping team replied and told him that he did want to hire him and tried to get Google to fund the position, but got turned down.

Geary says that not applying to Google back then, "could have been a mistake on my part," although he still has no intention of applying now.

Meanwhile, Max Howell landed at Apple.

And Gauthier updated his blog post to say that after the post went viral, he received an outpouring of job offers (that he didn't need) and resumes of people wanting to come work for him.

"Google cold-called me - I was not seeking a job. I founded TWD 18 years ago," he told us, adding that he believes his company's "'post-quantum' security technology is way ahead of today's academic R&D."

When we asked Google to respond to criticism that its interview process favors new college grads, a spokesperson told us:

"From hundreds of thousands of interviews, we hire thousands of engineers every year -- from new college grads to people with decades of experience. The process is well known to be rigorous, but we get consistently positive feedback from interviewees. Of course, with that many interviews taking place, there are some candidates who come away unhappy. We want more great people from a range of backgrounds and ages to apply to work here, so are very grateful for their feedback."

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Athens (AFP) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was reconfirmed as leader of his leftist Syriza party on Sunday, boosting his approval rates amongst grassroots members in the process.

Tsipras renewed his tenure with 93.54 percent of the vote among over 2,700 electors at a party congress, Syriza said.

The 42-year-old engineer had picked up 74 percent of party votes at a 2013 congress.

Tsipras has shrugged off criticism that he abandoned Syriza's radical left-wing principles when he signed Greece up for a multi-billion EU austerity bailout last year.

He is now fighting to persuade Greece's creditors to approve a fresh round of debt relief by the end of the year.

On Saturday he said his administration intends to swiftly conclude the bailout's second scheduled audit, which according to government daily Avgi begins on Tuesday.

"We intend to conclude the second review immediately," Tsipras said.

Greece is eager to complete the second review by the end of the year, which would then ostensibly trigger talks on reducing the country's huge debt load.

The debt issue has divided the country's international creditors for months.

Germany, which holds elections next year, opposes debt relief as unnecessary, but tackling the problem is a firm demand of the International Monetary Fund.

Tsipras on Saturday said Greece was fulfilling its promises and demands the same of its creditors.

"Delays, stalling tactics and postponements cannot and will not be accepted," he told his party.

"We claim all that was foreseen in the agreement, immediately," he said, referring to a May deal by eurozone finance ministers promising debt relief measures to be "phased in progressively" by 2018.
fisker karma

Henrik Fisker's first stab at an electric car went up in flames, literally.

His company Fisker Automotive was the force behind an electric hybrid called the Fisker Karma in 2012. The $100,000 car had a host of battery issues that caused the automaker and its battery supplier, A123 Systems, to recall more than 600 Karmas, Wired reported at the time.

Separately, the Karma was known to burst into flames, which was said to be caused by the engine compartment rather than the battery. Fisker Automotive went bankrupt in 2011.

But, as first reported by Bloomberg earlier this month, Fisker is back and working on an electric car under the newly minted Fisker Inc. that will be revealed in 2017. Fisker is producing his supercar, the Force 1, through VLF Automotive. He is best known as the automotive designer behind iconic cars like the BMW Z8 and the Aston Martin DB9.

Fisker has promised his new electric car will have a range exceeding 400 miles  which would be huge, considering the longest range offered today belongs to the high-end version of Tesla's Model S, which gets 315 miles on a single charge.

We took a closer look at the battery technology Fisker is promising to use, which he refers to as "the major leap, the next big step."

A Nobel Prize-winning material

2012 Karma Shadow with Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler

Rather than working with conventional lithium-ion batteries, Fisker is turning to graphene supercapacitors.

Graphene is both the thinnest and strongest material discovered so far.

The energy applications of graphene have been known for quite some time. In 2010, the Nobel Prize in physics went to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for pioneering research on graphene that opened the door for scientists to study its many applications, like its potential as a battery that can conduct energy better and charge faster.

"Graphene shows a higher electron mobility, meaning that electrons can move faster through it. This will, e.g. charge a battery much faster," Lucia Gauchia, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and energy storage systems at Michigan Technological University, told Business Insider. "Graphene is also lighter and it can present a higher active surface, so that more charge can be stored."

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But its real-world application so far has been limited by the high cost associated with producing it.

"The reason we are not using it yet, even though the material is not a new one, is that there is no mass production for it yet that can show reasonable cost and scalability," Gauchia explained.

But Fisker told Business Insider that his battery division, Fisker Nanotech, was patenting a machine that he said could produce as much as 1,000 kilograms of graphene at a cost of just 10 cents a kilogram.

Jack Kavanaugh, the head of Fisker Nanotech, also told Business Insider the machine could feasibly produce 1,000 kilograms of graphene.

The 'super battery'

Jack Kavanaugh headshot

Kavanaugh hails from Nanotech Energy, a research group composed of UCLA researchers who specialize in the graphene supercapacitor Fisker plans to use in his car.

Supercapacitors also store energy like batteries, but the way they do so allows them to have faster charge times. Supercapacitors don't typically hold as much of a charge as lithium-ion batteries, however, because they have lower energy densities.

"The challenge with using graphene in a supercapacitor in the past has been that you don't have the same density and ability to store as much energy," Kavanaugh said. "Well we have solved that issue with technology we are working on."

Kavanaugh said altering the structure of the graphene had allowed researchers to improve the supercapacitor's energy density, but he didn't elaborate further, calling the technology "unique and proprietary." He added that the patent for the machine was pending.

hybrid supercapacitor

Overall, Kavanaugh is promising a product that not only holds more charge and charges faster than lithium-ion batteries, but that also has a better cycle life. Improving the cycle life means you don't have to swap out the battery for a new one as frequently as you need to for lithium-ion batteries.

"This particular technology that we're working on and are using for Fisker Nanotech is a hybrid," Kavanaugh told Business Insider. "We have been able to take the best of what supercapacitors can do and the best of what batteries can do and are calling it a super battery."

Fisker refers to the company's new battery tech as a breakthrough.

"Our battery technology is so much better than anything out there," Fisker told Business Insider. "Our battery technology is the first battery technology that has taken the major leap, the next big step."

UCLA researchers like Maher El-Kady and Richard Kaner hold several patent applications related to graphene supercapacitors. Both Kaner and El-Kady work for Nanotech Energy.

Kavanaugh said prototypes of the "super battery" have already been made, with new versions of the prototype coming in a few weeks. He said the plant intended to actually produce the battery would most likely open in January and in northern California.

It's worth noting that Tesla CEO Elon Musk actually came to Silicon Valley to earn a Ph.D. working on supercapacitors, and he has been on record saying that supercapacitors, not batteries, will be the big breakthrough for electric vehicles.

Cheaper than the Chevy Bolt?

Chevy Bolt

Fisker said he planned to reveal the electric car in the latter half of 2017.

Fisker told Business Insider that he first planned to roll out a luxury vehicle that would most likely be built at VLF Automotive, the car company Fisker joined in January. That first luxury electric car will have a limited production run.

"I don't want to say what kind of car, but it won't be a supercar," he said. "It will probably be in the price range of the higher end of the Model S."

Fisker said he would then produce a consumer-friendly electric car that would be in "an even lower cost segment of both the [Chevy] Bolt and the Model 3."

"We will have the lowest-cost electric vehicle in the world," he said.

Fisker said the initial luxury car would boast a range greater than 400 miles.

But competition in electric vehicles is mounting. By the time Fisker unveils his electric car, Tesla may have already beaten the 315-mile range of its Model S or gotten closer to doing so.

Additionally, the Chevy Bolt is expected to be the first consumer-friendly electric car, with a competitive range of 238 miles, scheduled to hit dealerships by the end of this year. Like Tesla, Chevy will be looking to improve its range.

And that only touches the surface of the competition out there. Electric-car startups like Faraday Future and Atieva are looking for a piece of the pie. Big-name brands like Mercedes and Volkswagen are also looking to roll out electric vehicles within the next three to five years.

It's also hard to put too much faith in Fisker's claims without seeing the patent application for the technology that can produce graphene in large scale and improve the energy density of supercapacitors.

But Fisker said it was clear who his biggest competitor would be.

"I think it's pretty clear when you look at the market, when you look at the premium market, there's really only one company that is out there," he said, "and it's Tesla."

Correction: A previous version of this article said Maher El-Kady and Richard Kaner hold patents instead of patent applications.

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PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande has said he does not plan to ease the pressure on Russia over its support for the Syrian government in its fight against rebels, but that he remains ready to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war, a regional French newspaper reported on Sunday. Putin canceled an Oct. 19 visit to Paris after Hollande said he would see him only to talk about Syria. "Vladimir Putin does not want to seriously discuss Syria. I am ready at any time, but I will not ease the pressure," Hollande said in the interview, published on Sunday evening. He added that the absolute priorities were a cessation of bombing, a ceasefire, humanitarian aid and the opening of negotiations. (Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
The airstrikes targeted the hideouts of the armed extremists involved in Friday's attacks.

By Indo-Asian News Service: At least 100 militants were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Egyptian government against jihadist targets in North Sinai, a security source said.

The Armed Forces said in a televised statement on Saturday it pursued the criminal and terrorist elements who implemented the terrorist attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

AIRSTRIKES TARGETED HIDEOUTS OF ARMED EXTREMISTS

The airstrikes targeted the hideouts of the armed extremists involved in Friday's attacks, and all areas that harbour the terrorist elements along with the weapons and ammunition depots were destroyed in the airstrikes, which lasted for three hours and is still ongoing, the statement added.

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At least 40 militants were wounded in the air raids, the source added.

He added that the airstrikes have bombed three suspected jihadist bases in Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and Al-Arish cities in Egypt.

The airstrikes were a retaliation to the killing of 12 army personnel on October 14 at a checkpoint.

Also read:

Yemen airstrike: Death toll crosses 150, Saudi-led coalition denies involvement

US-led airstrikes kill 60 Syrian soldiers, prompting emergency UN meeting



North Sinai province has been a hub for anti-security attacks that killed hundreds since the army-led ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

A Sinai-based militant group loyal to the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for most of attacks, including the October 14 assault.

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(Repeat story) MELBOURNE, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A top official in Australia's premier thoroughbred racing state of Victoria has stepped aside pending an integrity probe, rocking the industry in the leadup to the A$6.2 million ($4.70 million) Melbourne Cup. Racing Victoria (RV) said its chairman David Moodie had stood aside pending an investigation by Racing Integrity Commissioner Sal Perna. The governing body said in a statement that the probe related to "a matter" that had been reported to Perna by the body's independent Integrity Council but provided no further details. Local media reported Moodie was being investigated over allegations of impropriety relating to inappropriate disclosures of information. Moodie took over as chairman in May last year after predecessor Robert Roulston's sudden resignation in the wake of an internal audit. Moodie could not be reached for comment by Reuters. Australian horse racing has been blighted by a string of doping and corruption crises that have tarnished the image of the multi-billion dollar industry in recent years. Several leading trainers were handed lengthy suspensions last year after their horses failed drug tests for cobalt, a naturally occurring element in horses that can be performance-enhancing at elevated levels. The Melbourne Cup, the world's richest two-mile handicap, has not been immune to the scandals, with controversial local jockey Damien Oliver permitted to ride in the 2012 race on Americain despite a media storm over his complicity in an illegal betting scandal. The 156th running of the Melbourne Cup is on Nov. 1. ($1 = 1.3187 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
Budapest (AFP) - Hungarian journalist Gabor Bordas thought he had seen it all. Over the past two years he had walked away from two top online news sites in protest over political interference.

But with no advance warning given to its staff of 90, Bordas called the sudden shutdown last week of Hungary's top-selling political daily Nepszabadsag the most "brutal" of all his experiences.

"It was humiliating and aggressive," he told AFP in a Budapest cafe, still shaken by the closure.

It treated "the readers and the public as if they were stupid," he added.

His travails in three different news outlets reflect the upheaval in Hungarian media since Prime Minister Viktor Orban began a strongarm realignment of the sector since taking power in 2010.

Nepszabadsag's publisher since 2014 Mediaworks, owned by Austrian magnate Heinrich Pecina, has said the paper's financial losses over the last decade were behind the drastic move.

And in extracts of an interview published online on Saturday Pecina defended the decision saying it had been governed by economics not politics.

"There is a mutual respect between me and Viktor Orban, but no form of dependence," he told the Austrian weekly Profil.

But for Borbas and others the explanation doesn't fit.

"If you want to improve a newspaper why shut it down, damage the brand, delete the online archive, and lose your subscribers," he told AFP.

On October 8, the 38-year-old editor in charge of the paper's website, noticed that the site was down but presumed it was a technical fault.

Answering the doorbell minutes later, he was handed a letter from Mediaworks informing him of the paper's suspension. It also stated that all email accounts had been blocked and that staff were not permitted to enter the premises.

Bordas only joined Nepszabadsag in July after quitting up-and-coming news site VS.hu when it emerged that it was financed by a foundation close to a key Orban ally.

Story continues

"How could I send journalists to press conferences to hold a minister to account knowing how we were funded," he said.

In 2014, at the leading news portal Origo.hu, Bordas had joined a staff walkout when their editor was sacked soon after it published articles investigating a senior minister's travel expenses.

- 'Political challenge' to Orban -

Orban's ruling right-wing Fidesz party called the Mediaworks move "a rational economic decision", but many were unconvinced.

"Nepszabadsag is a political challenge to the power of Orban and everyone knows that," its deputy editor-in-chief Marton Gergely told foreign reporters last week.

As the leading opposition paper, Nepszabadsag had several news scoops that embarrassed officials before the recent referendum that Orban called to "send a No message" to the European Union over its mandatory migrant relocation plan.

The 53-year-old premier's crusade to restrict critical voices in the media began soon after he won a supermajority at the 2010 election.

A media regulator was set up to monitor the "balance" of the reporting, while state television and radio were overhauled and exhibit a pro-government bias, for example 95 percent of their airtime on the recent referendum endorsed the government's position according to the research group Democracy Reporting International.

Advertising by state-owned companies has been syphoned from outlets not toeing the government line like Nepszabadsag and the broadcaster Klubradio.

Then in 2015, Orban was forced, partly due to EU criticism, to withdraw a tough tax on advertisements seen as targeting German media giant Bertelsmann's RTL television channel whose popular news programmes were often critical of the Hungarian leader.

- 'Constant fear in newsrooms' -

As independent media have gradually been bought by government-friendly oligarchs, a fate widely expected for Nepszabadsag too, American journalist and longtime Budapest resident Tom Popper calls the internet "the last free frontier".

"But the government has more and more control there too, look at Origo now," Popper told AFP, citing the portal which now strictly follows a pro-Orban editorial line.

Until last month Popper was editor-in-chief at the English-language Budapest Business Journal but resigned after he said he was "ordered" by the publishers to avoid politics.

"Fidesz can now expect criticism of its government to drop by about 1,200 words a month," Popper wrote afterwards on a media watchdog website, accusing the party of "bullying tactics and intimidation".

"There is a constant fear in newsrooms that if you tick someone off there will be trouble," he told AFP.

Although Nepszabadsag -- meaning "Freedom of the People" -- was set up by the Communist Party in the aftermath of Hungary's failed anti-Soviet uprising in 1956, in recent years it had gained a reputation for quality reporting.

Expressions of solidarity for the paper even came from moderate rightwing media outlets, rare non-partisan gestures in Hungary's bitterly divided political landscape.

While its staff frantically seek ways to continue publishing, even visiting Vienna on Friday to demand answers at the headquarters of Pecina's firm, there's a press release still on the Mediaworks website.

Dated July 5 it announces the arrival of Gabor Bordas as part of Nepszabadsag's "innovation strategy leading up to 2020".

By now though Bordas says he has learned a hard lesson: "You cannot plan for the long-term in Hungarian media, anything can happen at anytime".
By Douglas Busvine and Denis Pinchuk GOA, India (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi branded Pakistan a "mother-ship of terrorism" at a summit of the BRICS nations on Sunday, testing the cohesion of a group whose heavyweight member China is a close ally of India's arch-rival. Modi's remarks to a meeting of leaders from the BRICS - which include Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa - escalated his diplomatic drive to isolate Pakistan, which India accuses of sponsoring cross-border terrorism. Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have been running high since a Sept. 18 attack on an army base in Kashmir, near the disputed frontier with Pakistan, killed 19 Indian soldiers in the worst such assault in 14 years. India later said it had carried out retaliatory "surgical strikes" across the de facto border that inflicted significant casualties. Pakistan denied any role in the attack on the Uri army base, and said the Indian operation had not even happened, dismissing it as typical cross-border firing. "In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development," Modi said in remarks to BRICS leaders who met at a resort hotel in the western state of Goa. "Tragically, the mother-ship of terrorism is a country in India's neighborhood," the 66-year-old prime minister said, without directly naming Pakistan, in a series of tweets of his remarks issued by the foreign ministry. Pakistan accused Modi of misleading his summit partners and of seeking to conceal what it alleged was India's own brutality in the part of Kashmir that it rules, where dozens have died since separatist protests broke out in July. "The people of Indian Occupied Kashmir are being subjected to genocide by India for demanding their fundamental right to self determination," said Sartaj Aziz, foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Modi's hostile comments were not reflected in the closing summit statement he made to reporters, but still made it possible for him to present himself at home as being tough on national security. "Modi is aware that such language wouldn't get the consensus necessary to make it into the final communique. Including it in his speech ensures it gets wide circulation anyway," said South Asia expert Shashank Joshi. The summit achievements were incremental, and included establishing an agricultural research institute and speeding up work on creating a joint credit ratings agency. Also on Sunday's program was an outreach session with leaders from a little-known group of countries from the Bay of Bengal region whose key attribute, from India's point of view, is that Pakistan is not a member. LACK OF STRATEGIC RESTRAINT Modi's hard line on Pakistan marks a departure from India's tradition of strategic restraint, and New Delhi has won expressions of support from both the West and Russia over the army base attack. Yet China, a longstanding ally of Pakistan that plans to build a $46 billion export corridor to the Arabian Sea coast, has been cautious in its comments. Modi and President Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting on Saturday evening and accounts of their conversation emerging from both sides pointed to clear differences of opinion. In one remark reported by the state Xinhua news agency, Xi said that China and India should "support each other in participating in regional affairs and enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks". The dispatch went on to refer to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). This grouping includes Pakistan, which was to have hosted a summit in November that collapsed after India and other members pulled out. The final summit declaration repeated earlier condemnations of "terrorism in all its forms" and devoted several paragraphs to joint effort to fight terrorism. It did not, however, level any blame over the tensions between India and Pakistan. "So far, we haven't seen any indication at all that China is softening its public support for Pakistan. India did not expect differently," said Joshi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. (Additional reporting by Drazen Jorgic in Islamabad; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Keith Weir, Greg Mahlich)
Tehran (AFP) - A group of Iranian lawmakers has written an open letter to the head of the judiciary calling for the release of Narges Mohammadi, an activist sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Mohammadi, 44, has campaigned against the death penalty and was awarded the City of Paris medal earlier this year for her work on women's rights.

Arrested in May last year, the mother-of-two was sentenced in April to a total of 16 years in prison on various charges, including "forming and managing an illegal group".

In the letter published by Iranian media on Sunday, the lawmakers call on Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, "to apply the clemency and mercy of the Islamic republic" and reunite her with her children.

They also highlight Mohammadi's medical problems including "muscular paralysis".

Among the signatories were parliamentary vice president Ali Motahari and several female MPs.

Mohammadi, who was also spokeswoman for Iran's Centre for Human Rights Defenders, went on hunger strike in June after being denied phone contact with her children, who live with their father in France. The authorities relented after 20 days of the hunger strike.

Under a law passed last year, she should only serve the sentence linked to the most important charge -- in this case 10 years for forming the "illegal group" Legam which pressed for an end to capital punishment.

Amnesty International says Iran executed 977 people last year, mostly on drug trafficking charges.
Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi aircraft dropped "tens of thousands" of leaflets, some bearing safety instructions for Mosul residents, ahead of an operation to retake the city from jihadists, the military said.

Iraq has dropped leaflets over Mosul before, and has also done so as part of operations to retake other cities seized by the Islamic State group in 2014 and 2015.

Aircraft dropped "tens of thousands of newspapers and magazines on the centre of the city of Mosul carrying important news... to inform them of updates and facts and victories," said Iraq's Joint Operations Command, which distributed images of some of the leaflets.

One image showed a leaflet containing safety instructions for Mosul residents, urging them to tape over windows to prevent the glass from shattering, to avoid the sites of air strikes for at least an hour after a place is bombed, and saying they should not drive if possible.

The launch of the operation is expected to be announced soon, but it will mark only the start of a battle that is likely to be the most difficult and complex yet in the war against IS.

A coalition of heterogenous and sometimes rival Iraqi forces will have to fight their way through IS defences to reach the city, in some cases over distances of dozens of kilometres (miles).

Then they will likely seek to surround the city before launching an assault, marking the start of deadly street fighting with die-hard jihadists in a city with a large civilian population.

The battle may spark a humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations warning that up to one million people may be displaced by the fighting as winter sets in.

Even the recapture of Mosul will not mark the end of the war against IS, which still holds other territory in Iraq and is likely to turn increasingly to insurgent tactics such as bombings and hit-and-run attacks as it loses more ground.
By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi army dropped tens of thousands of leaflets over Mosul before dawn on Sunday, warning residents an offensive to recapture the city from Islamic State was in its final stages of preparation, according to a military statement in Baghdad. The leaflets carried several messages, one of them assuring the population that advancing army units and air strikes "will not target civilians" and another telling them to avoid known locations of Islamic State militants. The assault on Mosul, the last city still under control of the ultra-hardline Islamic State in Iraq, could begin this month with the support of a U.S.-led coalition, according to Iraqi government and military officials. Islamic State fighters are dug in and are expected to fight hard. They have forced civilians to stay in harm's way during previous battles to defend territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday he hoped the United States and its allies would do their best to avoid civilian casualties in an attack on Mosul. Reflecting the authorities' concerns over a mass exodus that would complicate the offensive, the leaflets told residents "to stay at home and not to believe rumors spread by Daesh" to cause panic, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym. With a pre-war population of around 2 million, Mosul is around 4-5 times the size of any other city recaptured so far from the militants, who swept through northern Iraq in 2014 and also hold a swathe of Syria. The U.N. last week said it was bracing for the world's biggest and most complex humanitarian effort in the battle for the city, which could make up to 1 million people homeless and see civilians used as human shields or even gassed. "Keep calm and tell your children that it is only a game or thunder before the rain," a leaflet said. "Women should not scream or shout, to preserve the children's spirit." "If you see an army unit, stay at least 25 meters away and avoid any sudden movements," another said. Iraq earlier this month launched a radio station to help Mosul residents stay safe during the offensive. The radio is broadcasting from Qayyara, a town 60 kilometers (about 40 miles) south of Mosul, where the army is massing forces ahead of the offensive. Qayyara has also an airfield that will be used as a hub by the U.S.-led coalition to support the offensive in which Kurdish Peshmerga and Sunni tribal fighters are expected to take part. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has not yet made it clear whether Iranian-backed Shi'ite paramilitary units will participate in the offensive on the mainly Sunni city. Local Sunni politicians and regional Sunni-majority states including Turkey and Saudi Arabia have cautioned that letting Shi'ite militias take part in assault could lead to sectarian bloodletting. (Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Tony Woods London-based Buccaneer Media is teaming with Irvine Welsh on the adaptation of the Scottish novelists Crime. This will be the first time that Welsh adapts one of his own books for television. Dougray Scott is attached to star in and exec produce the six-part drama. Buccaneer, maker of ITV and Netflix crime series Marcella, will produce, and is launching the project at Mipcom this week.

Crime is the sequel to Welshs 1998 novel Filth, which was made into a 2013 movie starring James McAvoy. The series will be set in the present day with Scott as Detective Inspector Ray Lennox. The action takes place predominantly in Miami and will be intercut with flashbacks to Lennoxs previous case in Edinburgh. In the book, Lennox becomes embroiled in a case involving a ring of pedophiles.

Welshs longtime screenwriting partner Dean Cavanagh will co-script Crime. Exec producing with Scott are Buccaneers Nicola Larder, co-creator of Marcella, and Wood.

Welsh says he and Cavanagh have been interested in adapting the story for some time. He calls it a classic journey from darkness into light, and despite the troubling subject matter, I think an uplifting one.

The movie sequel to Welshs Trainspotting, which reunites director Danny Boyle and stars Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Ewen Bremner, is due for domestic release via Tristar on February 3 next year.

Scott is repped by WME and Tavistock Wood.

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By PTI: officers

Hyderabad, Oct 15 (PTI) Noting that the towns which are the headquarters of the newly-created districts would soon witness rapid development, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today asked the officials to ensure planned development in these places.

Rao, who held a review of administration after 21 new districts came into existence from Vijaya Dasami (Dussehra) this month, directed officials to prepare action plan to ensure that growth and development take place in a planned way and not in a haphazard manner, a release from his office said tonight.

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As many as 21 new districts have been created in Telangana, taking the total number of districts in the state to 31.

Observing that urban population presently stood at 45 per cent in Telangana, Rao felt it would increase further with the headquarters of newly formed districts witnessing growth.

Plans should be put in place for developing outer ring roads around the district headquarters towns and for establishing government offices, industry, etc., he said.

Steps should be taken to see to it that urban areas do not get crowded as is the case with Hyderabad now, he said. PTI SJR KRK DIP BAS

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jake tapper

CNN host Jake Tapper offered a brutal correction Sunday to a Donald Trump surrogate attempting to discredit allegations of sexual misconduct against the Republican presidential nominee.

On Sunday's "State of the Union" panel discussion, Tapper broke in when Rep. Renee Ellmers described the allegations as a "she said, he said situation."

"This is sexual assault. So we're accusing a man of sexual assault here. And I'm not going to debate who is telling the truth, but this is a 'she said, he said' situation," Ellmers said.

Tapper said: "Just to correct you, it's a she said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said situation."

The congresswoman argued that the allegations against Trump were similar to decades-old allegations of infidelity and sexual assault against former President Bill Clinton.

"Let's be fair. We have the same situation with the Clintons, both with Bill Clinton, of course, and with Hillary Clinton defending and attacking those women as well," Ellmers said.

Over the past week, nine women have come forward in published accounts and alleged that Trump made unwanted sexual advances toward them.

Watch the clip below, via CNN:

NOW WATCH: Trump had a great response when he was asked to name one thing he liked about Clinton





More From Business Insider


By Kentaro Hamada NIIGATA, Japan (Reuters) - An anti-nuclear candidate won an upset victory in a Japanese regional election on Sunday, a blow to Tokyo Electric Power's <9501.T> attempts to restart the world's biggest atomic power station and a challenge to the government's energy policy. Ryuichi Yoneyama, 49, a doctor-lawyer who has never held office and is backed mostly by left-wing parties, won the race for governor of Niigata north of Tokyo, Japanese media projected, in a vote dominated by concerns over the future of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power station and nuclear safety more than five years after the Fukushima catastrophe of March 2011. "As I have promised all of you, under current circumstances where we can't protect your lives and your way of life, I declare clearly that I can't approve a restart," Yoneyama told supporters at his campaign headquarters. Cheers of "Banzai!" erupted as media began projecting him the winner over former mayor Tamio Mori, 67, backed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pro-nuclear Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and initially favored for an easy victory. Yoneyama had more than 500,000 votes to about 430,000 for Mori with 93 percent of the vote counted in the region on the Japan Sea coast, public broadcaster NHK said. Mori, a former construction ministry bureaucrat, apologized to his supporters for failing to win the election. Yoneyama, who had run unsuccessfully for office four times, promised to continue the policy of the outgoing governor who had long thwarted the ambitions of Tepco, as the company supplying about a third of Japan's electricity is known, to restart the plant. Reviving the seven-reactor giant, with capacity of 8 gigawatts, is key to saving the utility, which was brought low by the Fukushima explosions and meltdowns, and then the repeated admissions of cover-ups and safety lapses after the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Tepco, put under government control in 2012, is vital to Abe's energy policy, which relies on rebooting more of the reactors that once met about 30 percent of the nation's needs. As the race tightened, the election became a litmus test for nuclear safety and put Abe's energy policy and Tepco's handling of Fukushima back under the spotlight. "The talk was of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, but I think the result will affect nuclear restarts across the country," said Shigeaki Koga, a former trade and industry ministry official turned critic of nuclear restarts and the Abe administration. Koga told Reuters it was important that Yoneyama join forces with another newly elected governor skeptical of nuclear restarts, Satoshi Mitazono of Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan. "Without strong support from others, it won't be easy to take on Tepco," he said. TROUBLES Tepco spokesman Tatsuhiro Yamagishi said the company couldn't comment on the choice of Niigata governor but respected the vote and would strive to apply the lessons of the Fukushima disaster to its management of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. The government wants to restart units that pass safety checks, also promoting renewables and burning more coal and natural gas. Only two of Japan's 42 reactors are running more than five years after Fukushima, but the Niigata plant's troubles go back further. Several reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa have been out of action since an earthquake in 2007 caused radiation leaks and fires in a disaster that prefigured the Fukushima calamity and Tepco's bungled response. Niigata voters opposed restarting the plant by 73 percent to 27 percent, according to an NHK exit poll. Yoneyama, who has worked as a radiological researcher, said on the campaign trail that Tepco didn't have the means to prevent Niigata children from getting thyroid cancer in a nuclear accident, as he said had happened in Fukushima. He said the company didn't have a solid evacuation plan. The LDP's Mori, meanwhile, was forced to tone down his support for restarting the plant as the race tightened, media said, insisting safety was the top priority for Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, while promoting the use of natural gas and solar power in Niigata. (Reporting by Kentaro Hamada; Writing by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by William Mallard and Ros Russell)
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine for war dead on Monday to mark the annual autumn festival of the shrine, Kyodo News said. The shrine is seen in China and the two Koreas as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. Past visits by Japanese leaders to Yasukuni have outraged Beijing and Seoul because it honors 14 Japanese leaders convicted by an Allied tribunal as war criminals, along with war dead. Abe has only visited the shrine in person once, in December 2013, since becoming premier the previous year. Keen to improve ties with China and South Korea, strained by territorial disputes, Abe has instead opted to send ritual offerings on several occasions. Attention is focused on whether Defence Minister Tomomi Inada, who has been accused by China of recklessly misrepresenting wartime history, will visit or make an offering at the shrine. On the previous occasion for high-profile Yasukuni visits, the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender, the newly appointed Inada was visiting troops in Djibouti and unable to go to the shrine. (Writing by Linda Sieg; Editing by William Mallard and Michael Perry)
Amman (AFP) - Two Jordanian brothers were charged with murdering their two sisters in apparent "honour killings", a court official said Sunday.

The men, aged 22 and 24, were charged with murdering their sisters on Thursday evening in Naur, 20 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of Jordan's capital Amman.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the brothers claimed they had killed the women, aged 20 and 34, "to defend the family's honour".

"The two brothers were looking for their older sister, who had been away from the family home," he said.

"They found her in the house of the younger sister, who had married without the knowledge or consent of the family."

They shot the younger sister twice and the older one five times, including once to the head, the official said.

The younger sister's husband, who informed the brothers where the women were, was also arrested.

"The public prosecutor charged all three of the arrested men with murder," said the official.

Another source familiar with the investigation said the two brothers had "claimed during questioning that they had carried out the crime for honour".

Murder is punishable by death by hanging in Jordan, but courts usually commute or reduce sentences in so-called cases of "honour killings," particularly if the victim's family urges leniency.

Jordan sees around 15-20 cases of so-called honour killings a year.
Cannes (France) (AFP) - Hollywood legend Julie Andrews is making her first television series in more than a decade to teach children how to put on a show, its producers said Sunday.

The Oscar and Grammy winner is working with the creators of the Muppets on "Julie's Greenroom", a series which will air first on online streaming service Netflix.

The British actress will play Ms Julie, a kind of Mary Poppins character who helps a group of puppet children created by the Jim Henson Creature Shop -- known as the "Greenies" -- to try mime, music, dance, improvisation and circus skills.

The 81-year-old star, who heads her own Wellspring Center for the Performing Arts, has roped in other big names including Alec Baldwin and "Frozen" and "Wicked" actress Idina Menzel to pass on their secrets.

Lisa Henson, the daughter of the Sesame Street creator who now runs his Hollywood production company, told the MIPJUNIOR conference in the French resort of Cannes that she was thrilled Andrews had agreed to do the series, which comes out next year.

"There is no one quite like her. She is just wonderful. We are really excited about what she and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton are doing," she added.

Andrews, who was born into a theatre family in Britain, is best known for her role as Maria the sparky nun-turned-governess in the classic 1965 musical "The Sound of Music".
A Kurdish military convoy headed to Mosul on Saturday, October 15, ahead of a major offensive against the Islamic State stronghold, according to reports. The Iraqi Ministry of Defense said that brigade nine was traveling to Mosul to take part in the offensive.

The United Nations warned of an impending humanitarian crisis as military action turns towards retaking Mosul. UNHCR said that they stepped up efforts to assist hundreds of thousands of people displaced from what is Iraqs second largest city.

This video was shared by a local news agency from Mosul and is described as showing Peshmerga brigades arriving to the Khazer area in preparation for the operation. Credit: Facebook/ALMawsleya
Kuwait City (AFP) - Kuwait's parliament speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem has called for snap elections in the face of mounting security and economic challenges in the oil-rich Gulf emirate.

Ghanem's remarks came after lawmakers filed three requests to grill ministers over a decision to hike petrol prices and alleged financial and administrative violations.

More such requests are expected before parliament on Tuesday starts the final year of its four-year term.

In an interview with Al-Rai television late Saturday, Ghanem said Kuwait was facing a "delicate and exceptional period... with regional security, economic and domestic and external challenges."

"We cannot overcome this period if we don't have a new government team... and go back to the ballot boxes," the speaker said.

This view, he said, was shared by Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, a senior member of Kuwait's ruling family, along with many lawmakers.

"I have informed the political leadership (emir) of this personal view and he has the ultimate decision."

Under the constitution, only Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah has the power to dissolve parliament and call early elections.

The current parliament is considered pro-government but lawmakers have been angered by the cabinet's unilateral decision to raise petrol prices by between 40 to 80 percent.

The OPEC member pumps about 3.0 million barrels of oil per day.
This Lemonade spoof from SNL with Emily Blunt and the Trump family is essential comic relief

Six months ago, Beyonce released her stunning visual album Lemonade and the world found its new favorite thing to parody. Its been parodied by seemingly everyone, so at this point, the idea should be getting a little tired. Leave it to Saturday Night Live to give it the perfect twist to make it relevant again.

Last night, SNL took the political scrutiny Melania Trump has been facing in the recent Trump scandals and rolled it all up into a soon to be iconic sketch, Melanianade. Doing a near-perfect recreation of the Beyonce masterpiece, Melania tells Trump everything she wishes she could say to him.

Check out Emily Blunt and many of the ladies of

SNL the hilarious sketch below:

The spoof, which covers Beyonces Sorry, features the ladies in Trumps life lamenting about their struggles in standing by him. Picking up on her comments on MSNBC after the second Presidential Debate last week, Kate McKinnon as Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, ominously sang about sticking with Trump unless, throwing the New York Daily News behind her.

Ivanka Trump, played by host Emily Blunt mourns the loss of her friendship with Chelsea Clinton. She sings, There goes my friendship with Chelsea Clinton. Call me Chelsea!

Meanwhile Vanessa Bayer and Sasheer Zamata, as Tiffany Trump and Omarosa respectively, comment on being mostly forgotten and taken advantage of in their minor roles.

Its Strong as Melania who steals the show, changing the famous line,You can call Becky, with the good hair to Youll just be the guy with the weird hair.



NBCUniversal / Giphy.com



Even Mike Pence got in on the action after having a tough week as the Republican Vice-Presidential Nominee. From being publicly called out by running mate Trump for having an opposing view on Russia to being inconsolable after the Billy Bush tapes went live, Pence had some thoughts for Trump. Played by Beck Bennett, Pence, sitting on the floor sings, You only want me when Im not there.

Story continues

The sketch is perfect to anyone who has been following this mess of an election. Perfect for anyone, except Donald Trump, apparently. This morning Trump tweeted that he had seen the episode and was unimpressed by their hit job on him.

Check out his review of the show below:

Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me.Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016

Sorry (not sorry) Donald, but we absolutely love this sketch and cant wait to see what the SNL ladies do next.

The post This Lemonade spoof from SNL with Emily Blunt and the Trump family is essential comic relief appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By PTI: Islamabad, Oct 16 (PTI) A proposal to elevate Pakistans Army chief General Raheel Sharif to the rank of Field Marshal has reached the Islamabad High Court, weeks ahead of his retirement from the powerful post.

A lawyer has sought the high courts help to elevate Gen Raheel, 60, to the rank of Field Marshal in the greater national interest by taking into consideration his "exemplary services and sacrifices rendered for the nation," The Express Tribune reported today.

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In the appeal submitted yesterday, Sardar Adnan Saleem, through his counsel, said that such an elevation is an emergent need in the present circumstances.

Saleem has made the federation through the cabinet division secretary, the prime minister through the secretary of the PM Secretariat and defence ministry secretary respondents in the petition, the report said.

The counsel said that the army chief should be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal for rendering services to protect national security and safeguarding the frontiers of Pakistan in accordance with the National Action Plan (NAP) and for successful completion of the anti-terror campaign Zarb-e- Azab in an effective and efficient manner.

Gen Sharif had earlier promised to bow out at the end of his term in November this year.

Sharif, currently serving as the 15th Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army, was appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on November 29, 2013 for a three-year term.

"I dont believe in extension and will retire on the due date," Sharif had said in January this year amidst growing speculation about an extension in his tenure.

If Sharif hangs up his boots on November 30, he would be the first army chief to retire on time in two decades. His predecessors Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Gen Pervez Musharraf got extensions, while Gen Jehangir Karamat was sent home prematurely.

While calling him a "trailblazer", the petitioners lawyers said that Gen Raheel provided visionary leadership to the people as well as the security forces.

"The exemplary, outstanding and professional performance during peace and war time with total dedication and devotion by attaining the highest standards and mastery in battlefield," he said adding that the COAS needs national appreciation, award and recognition.

The petition said that the COAS should be elevated to the highest level of military hierarchy for rendering his services for the nation and humanity at a larger scale in an extraordinary, exemplary and selfless manner.

The petition has urged the court to direct the respondents to elevate Gen Raheel to the rank of field marshal for leading from the front on different fronts. PTI AKJ AKJ

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By Makini Brice LES CAYES (Reuters) - Haitians desperate for relief from hunger and sickness in the wake of Hurricane Matthew looted United Nations trucks on Saturday during a short visit to a hard-hit port town by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who promised more aid. The Category 4 hurricane tore through Haiti on Oct. 4, killing about 1,000 people and leaving more than 1.4 million in need of humanitarian aid, including 175,000 made homeless. Flooding has triggered a new wave of cholera infections, a disease introduced to Haiti by U.N. peacekeepers a few months after the country's last major humanitarian crisis, a destructive 2010 earthquake. "We are going to mobilize as many resources and as much medical support as we can to first of all stop the cholera epidemic and second support the families of the victims," Ban said at a news conference. He promised a new trustee fund to tackle cholera. The storm also disrupted power, communications and transport links. Essential relief such as roofing, food and medicines has been slow to reach many areas, prompting locals to blockade roads to try to stop passing trucks, and some cases of looting. "I firmly condemn all attacks against humanitarian convoys. Today I personally witnessed a WFP (World Food Program) truck being attacked," Ban said during his one-day stop in Haiti, saying such incidents hurt those most in need. A coordinator for the American wing of the World Health Organization said the U.N. base in Les Cayes that Ban arrived at was shut down after looting of two World Food Programme food containers outside the base on Saturday. The coordinator requested anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media. "We understand the impatience and the anger of the population who are waiting for emergency relief. We are doing all we can to facilitate the arrival of the assistance soon as possible," Ban said. He visited a school housing hurricane victims, promising to help them and urging them to "stay strong." As he approached his car to leave the school amid heavy security, locals shouted, "Our houses were destroyed. ... Help us!" Ban's visit was an opportunity for the South Korean to burnish his legacy at the world body before his final term expires at year end. Ban's tenure has coincided with rape allegations in Central African Republic and a cholera epidemic in Haiti, both blamed on U.N. peacekeepers. Cholera has stalked the regions of Haiti affected by the hurricane, as towns dotting the coastline - many of which had not had the disease in months - have reported spikes in the number of cases and deaths. Many Haitians lack access to drinkable water after the storm. Haiti had no documented cholera cases until 2010, months after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake leveled much of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Multiple scientific studies have traced the outbreak to a base in Mirebalais used by Nepalese peacekeepers, about an hour outside of the capital, and the strain of cholera is virtually identical to one endemic in Nepal. (Additional reporting by Joseph Guy Delva; Writing by Alexandra Alper and Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Richard Chang)
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) Concerned over misleading ads, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said the government will bring a new Consumer Protection law in the upcoming Parliament session that will have strong provisions against celebrities endorsing such advertisements as well as adulteration.

A group of ministers, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, will soon meet to finalise the amendments to the new Consumer Protection Bill, 2015, based on the recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, he added.

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The GoM had in late August, asked the Consumer Affairs Ministry to look at laws of other countries related to misleading ads by celebrities before finalising the Bill.

"For celebrities endorsing misleading ads, Parliamentary Standing Committee has made strong recommendations for provisions of penalty and jail. There should be some action on misleading celebrities," Paswan said on the sidelines of an event here.

He said there also could be a ban on celebrities from endorsements if found guilty of misleading advertisements.

"A group of ministers will soon meet to finalise the Consumer Protection Bill. We will then take this Bill to Cabinet for approval. We hope to pass this law in the upcoming session," he added.

Asked whether there will be provision of jail term for celebrities, Paswan said: "We cannot say anything now. The Group of Ministers will decide on that. I would not like to comment. If there is a ban on celebrities for 5 years or life time ban, that is also a big thing". Earlier addressing the conference on food fortification, Paswan spoke about misleading ads and cited several examples of health supplements endorsed by celebrities for money. He also expressed concerns on misleading ads related to weight gain and loss placed on public transport like three-wheelers.

The Centre in August last year had introduced the Consumer Protection Bill 2015, in Lok Sabha, to repeal the 30 -year-old Consumer Protection Act. A Parliamentary Standing Committee submitted its recommendations in April.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry had proposed stringent provisions to tackle misleading advertisements as well as to fix liability on endorsers/celebrities.

For the first time offence, a fine of Rs 10 lakh and jail term of up to two years, while for second and subsequent offenses, a fine of Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment of five years has been proposed for brand ambassadors.

The ministry proposed similar penalty and jail term for adulteration, besides license suspension and cancellation. PTI MJH MR

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How to do a Marie Antoinette costume for Halloween and finally look like the queen you are

Theres really no questioning why doing a Marie Antoinette costume for Halloween is a perennial go-to. She is, after all, one of the most famous women in history, and her life was seemingly a pretty wild ride. Originally from Vienna, Austria, she married the future king of France, Louis XVI, when she was 15 years old. Before long, the couple basically embodied all the over-indulgences and life of excess that you would imagine royals enjoy except they were living super well while the rest of the country was basically starving. (Remember the let them eat cake, line? Yeah, this is where that is from.) The French Revolution broke out and Louis XVI was executed, with Marie Antoinette facing the guillotine shortly thereafter.

SO, she had a pretty complicated and intense life, full of ups and downs. As we all know, dressing up as someone from the 1700s is no small feat, but her looks were so glamorous its definitely worth the effort. We pulled some of our favorite YouTube tutorials to help you get started!

Marie Antoinette Classic Makeup

Want to go for the classic Marie Antoinette look? Start here.

Zombie Marie Antoinette Makeup Tutorial

Who doesnt like to merge classic, gorgeous periods of history with blood sucking zombies?

Marie Antoinette Costume Party Tutorial

Want to go for a really clean, chic look that is appropriate for a high-end Halloween party? Definitely check this tutorial out first!

Haunted Marie Antoinette Tutorial

This look is a nice mix of classic and Halloween-y, leaving you looking both unsettling and glamorous. And who isnt aiming for that?

Dead or Alive Marie Antoinette Tutorial

This look is super cool because it involves some knowledge of history  Marie Antoinette ultimately faced the guillotine, so the bloody neck makeup makes a lot of (sad) sense! This look is a nice in-between if you dont want to go full zombie-gore, but you want something a little spooky.

Happy Halloween, everybody! And let them eat cake  or candy!

The post How to do a Marie Antoinette costume for Halloween and finally look like the queen you are appeared first on HelloGiggles.
After his running mate said the election would be rigged, Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican vice presidential nominee, said his ticket would accept the elections results and defended Donald Trump against the numerous sexual assault allegations that emerged over the last week.

During an appearance on Sundays Meet the Press, Pence told Chuck Todd that media focus on the claims against Trump is leading Americans to feel the election is rigged.

The national media is ignoring an avalanche of real hard corruption during the years of the Clinton administration, Pence said, before citing a New York Times report on ethical issues the Clinton Foundation faced.

Pence said he would stand shoulder to shoulder with Trump until the election, again blaming the media for forcing daily attacks against the Republican presidential nominee.

Despite backing Trumps mounting claims that the election is rigged, Pence said he would accept the will of the American people.

We will absolutely accept the result of the election, Pence said.
Sydney Gallonde, the French producer of Harlan Coben-penned No Second Chance, is launching Make it Happen Studio, a Paris-based independent production outfit.

Financially backed by Alliance Entreprendre, a private equity subsidiary of Natixis group, Make it Happen Studio will be dedicated to producing premium drama for French and international audiences.

Gallonde, whose credits include No Second Chance, the TV drama adaptation of Cobens bestseller whose ratings broke a ten-year record on TF1, is reteaming with Coben and TF1 on Just One Look.

Another adaptation of a Coben bestseller, Just One Look will start shooting in August with French actress Virginie Ledoyen. Rolling off the success of No Second Chance, Frances leading commercial broadcaster TF1 picked up the show while its sales arm, TF1 International, is handling worldwide distribution rights.

Gallondes first foray into drama production, No Second Chance was scooped by Netflix and got sold to 64 countries, on top of winning the best series award at last years La Rochelle festival, and another award at Shanghai Television Festival.

Thanks to my financial partners, I am able to start this new adventure with the necessary resources to support my ambitions, said Gallonde, who described himself as an avid viewer of TV drama.

I want to be able to express myself creatively to make content that I know viewers across the globe will want to watch, added Gallonde.

Antoine Bodet, partner at Alliance Entreprendre, pointed out, European channels and platforms require exclusive and premium content  Sydneys talent and past achievements have convinced us that he is the man to develop and create premium series and projects on an international scale.

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Washington (AFP) - Three US warships in the Red Sea detected what may have been missiles fired at them on Saturday but none hit, the US military said, amid rising tensions with Yemen's Huthi rebels.

US officials initially said that surface-to-surface missiles had been fired at the USS Mason, USS Nitze and USS Ponce off the coast of Yemen starting around 1930 GMT, though it was unclear how many.

They later backtracked, saying that the ships detected what may have been missiles.

"A US Strike Group transiting international waters in the Red Sea detected possible inbound missile threats and deployed appropriate defensive measures," a US defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"Post event assessment is ongoing. All US warships and vessels in the area are safe."

The USS Mason destroyer, which was sailing in international waters off Yemen's coast earlier this week, used unspecified countermeasures against the incoming missiles, a military official said.

If confirmed, the attempted missile strikes would be the most serious escalation yet of the US involvement in a deadly civil war that has killed more than 6,800 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since a Saudi-led coalition launched military operations last year.

Officials have stressed that Washington wants to avoid getting embroiled in yet another war in an already volatile region.

On Thursday, the US Navy launched five Tomahawk cruise missiles at three mobile radar sites in Huthi-controlled territory on Yemen's Red Sea coast, after the Iran-backed rebels blasted rockets at the USS Mason twice in four days.

The military insists these moves are taken out of self-defense. The Huthis have denied conducting the attacks.

Though the United States is providing logistical support to a Saudi-led coalition battling the rebels, Thursday's launches marked the first time Washington has taken direct action against the Huthis.

But the US strikes earlier this week did not take out Huthi missiles and, though the radar destruction makes it harder to aim the weapons, officials have warned rebels could still use spotter boats or online ship-tracking websites to find new targets.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged BRICS leaders Sunday to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

Modi said a country in India's neighbourhood had links to "terror modules" around the world, which the emerging nations club of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa should strongly condemn.

"In our region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development," Modi told leaders at the BRICS summit in the tourist state of Goa.

"Tragically the mothership of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood," Modi said without naming Pakistan.

"Terror modules around the world are linked to this mothership. This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains."

"It is a mindset we strongly condemn. And against which we as BRICS need to stand and act together. BRICS must speak in one voice against this threat," he said.

The Hindu nationalist leader has been moving to isolate India's arch-rival and fellow nuclear power following a raid last month on an Indian army base that killed 19 soldiers.

New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack, which triggered calls at home for an aggressive response.

India said its troops later hit militants across the border in Pakistan, sparking fury from Islamabad which denied that strikes had taken place.

In their joint statement later Sunday, the BRICS leaders condemned recent attacks against some of its members "including that in India" but made no mention of Pakistan.

"We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism, whether based upon ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other reasons," the statement said.

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China enjoys strong relations with Pakistan where it is pursuing a series of infrastructure projects, while Russia is pushing to forge closer defence ties with Islamabad.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made no commitments on terrorism during a bilateral meeting with Modi on Saturday before the BRICS summit, although an Indian official said they agreed to cooperate on preventing terrorism.

China this year blocked India's request to add a Pakistani militant group chief to a UN sanctions blacklist, sparking frustration in Delhi.
Benaulim (India) (AFP) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday a rising tide of protectionism and anti-globalisation was endangering the world economy's still fragile recovery as BRICS leaders vowed to forge closer business and trade ties.

At a summit in the Indian tourist hub of Goa, host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa issued a joint declaration on a range of measures, including the setting-up of a new credit ratings agency and fighting tax evasion.

They also agreed to work together to combat "cross-border" terrorism, but Modi's guests held off from signing up to his fierce condemnation of India's arch-rival Pakistan as the "mothership of terrorism".

BRICS was formed in 2011 with the aim of using members' growing economic and political influence to challenge Western hegemony.

The nations, with a joint estimated GDP of $16 trillion, set up their own bank in parallel to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund and World Bank and hold summits rivalling the G7 forum.

But the countries, accounting for 53 percent of world population, have been hit by falling global demand and lower commodity prices, while several have also been mired in corruption scandals.

Russia and Brazil have fallen into recession recently, South Africa only just managed to avoid the same fate last month and China's economy has slowed sharply.

Both Xi and Modi said the group must stick together, insisting there was much to remain positive about even though its members have been beset by domestic woes and problems sparked by the 2008 financial crisis.

"At present the deep-seated impact of the international financial crisis is still unfolding. The global economy is still going through a treacherous recovery and deep adjustments," Xi said.

The Chinese president said "deep-seated imbalances that triggered the financial crisis" were far from being resolved.

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"Some countries are getting more inward-looking in their policies. Protectionism is rising and forces against globalisation are posing an emerging risk," he added.

While Xi did not single anyone out, Republican candidate Donald Trump has threatened to erect trade barriers to Chinese products if elected US president. Britain's vote to leave the European Union has been interpreted partly as a backlash against globalisation.

While China's economy has been running out of steam of late --although it is still the world's second largest -- India is now the fastest-growing major economy and its GDP is expected to increase 7.6 percent in 201617.

- 'Deeper bonds' -

Modi said it was vital the BRICS nations increased cooperation by dismantling trade barriers and developing infrastructure.

"I think I speak for all when I say that through a common vision and collective action, we will create and sustain deeper bonds among BRICS nations, develop our economies and secure our societies," he said.

"While our achievements have been substantial, we need to sustain the positive direction and strong momentum of intra-BRICS engagement."

Xi said BRICS countries had much to be proud of and had contributed to more than 50 percent of global growth in the last decade.

"The past decade has seen BRICS partnership expanding with win-win results," he said.

"We need to deepen our partnership: we BRICS countries are good friends, brothers and partners that treat each other with sincerity."

Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile called for closer cooperation in areas such as e-commerce and space exploration. Modi confirmed that the leaders had agreed to fast-track setting up a new ratings agency amid accusations from within the bloc that the three traditional agencies -- Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings -- are all Western-based.

"We look forward to translating into reality the idea of a BRICS Credit Rating Agency," he said, without giving details of the much-trailed agency or timeline for its establishment.

Modi, who is pushing to isolate Pakistan following a surge in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, urged his peers to take a strong united stand against the "mothership of terrorism" in the South Asian region, in a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

But with China reluctant to embarrass its traditional allies in Islamabad, a joint statement at the end of the summit only referred to a vague goal of combating "cross-border terrorism and its supporters".
Podgorica (Montenegro) (AFP) - Montenegro's premier Milo Djukanovic appeared likely to extend his long term in office Monday after coming first in elections marred by the arrest of 20 Serbs accused of planning attacks.

With virtually all votes counted, the veteran leader's Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) had won more than 40 percent -- more than double that of the main opposition Democratic Front.

However, Djukanovic fell short of an overall majority meaning he will have to begin long coalition negotiations, sparking fears of political instability in the ex-Yugoslav country of 620,000 people.

Two other parties, Kljuc (Key) and the Democrats of Montenegro, won ten percent each, according to the results of a vote that was seen as a choice between closer ties with the West or with long-time ally Russia.

Tensions were already running high over Djukanovic's plans to forge closer ties with the EU and NATO and were further inflamed after the dramatic arrest of the 20 Serbs.

Six of the suspects have since been released, prosecutors said Monday, adding they are trying to "identify other people shown to belong to this group in order to arrest them."

Authorities said the Serbs -- with retired police chief Bratislav Dikic allegedly at the helm -- plotted to seize the prime minister and parliament and proclaim victory for the opposition.

"We suspect that this criminal group was aiming to arrest the prime minister of Montenegro," the prosecutor's office said.

"The plan was to attack citizens gathered outside parliament, as well as police, during the announcement of the results, and then take control of parliament and proclaim victory for the opposition," it said.

- 'Not linked to Serbia' -

One of the six founding republics of the former Yugoslavia, Montenegro joined a loose union with neighbouring Serbia after the Yugoslav breakup.

This ended in 2006, when the country narrowly voted in favour of independence, and relations with Serbia have been fraught ever since.

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The pro-Russian opposition branded the arrests as propaganda, while Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said he "personally did not believe" in the plot.

"I would like to see and hear serious information that he (Dikic) was planning terrorist acts," Vucic said, according to the Tanjug news agency.

Vucic had previously questioned the timing of the arrests.

"I find it curious that this is happening today, and that's all I'll say... As for the rest, it would be better for me to bite my tongue."

Montenegro's deputy prime minister Dusko Markovic earlier defended the arrests, saying they were "performed in a professional and legal way."

He added the suspects are "not linked with Serbian authorities, nor its officials or any other institution."

Djukanovic, 54, is the only Balkan leader to have held onto power since the collapse of Yugoslavia began in the early 1990s, serving several times as prime minister and once as president in the country.

But analysts say he is now under pressure, with critics accusing his government of cronyism, corruption and links to organised crime.

His win without a majority will likely usher in a lengthy period of negotiation and a "period of instability", said political analyst Srdjan Vukadinovic.

The results should hand Djukanovic 36 seats in the 81-seat parliament, meaning he will have to court parties representing Croatian, Bosnian and Albanian minorities.

- Opposition urged to stay calm -

Turnout was around 72 percent and international observers said fundamental freedoms were largely respected, but added that there were areas of concern.

"Allegations of corruption, foreign funding, political tension and inconsistencies in the legal framework tainted the electoral environment. Despite this, the verdict of our observers is that the elections represented the will of the people," said Aleksander Pociej of the Parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe's observation mission.

Barricades have been erected near parliament, apparently to protect the building against any post-election violence.

Opposition leader Andrija Mandic urged his supporters to stay calm and Interior Minister Goran Danilovic, who also belongs to an opposition party, urged pro-government voters not to head into the streets to celebrate.

Montenegro was invited to join NATO in December, and ratification of the deal will be put to the next parliament.

But the issue profoundly divides the country, prompting reminders of the bonds with Russia and the alliance's 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia.

Moscow, already angered by EU sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, has warned of consequences if the Adriatic republic joins NATO.
Podgorica (Montenegro) (AFP) - Montenegro began voting in parliamentary elections Sunday with opposition groups hoping to end the quarter-century rule of pro-Western premier Milo Djukanovic, who warns that his rivals would derail imminent NATO accession.

Djukanovic, who led the small Balkan nation to independence from Serbia in 2006, has forged closer ties with Western countries, pursuing membership of both NATO and the European Union.

But analysts say the prime minister -- accused by critics of cronyism, corruption and links to organised crime -- faces a tough challenge to form a stable government after Sunday's election.

Just over half a million citizens are eligible to vote at polling stations, which opened at 7am (0500 GMT) and were due to close at 8pm (1800 GMT).

Djukanovic, who faced large anti-government rallies last year, has pitched the vote as a choice between ties with the West or with traditional Slavic ally Russia, whom he accuses of funding opposition parties.

"Are we going to be part of developed European society or a Russian colony?" he asked supporters waving national red flags at his final rally in the capital.

The latest private survey seen by AFP forecasts his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) leading with less than 40 percent of the vote, a result that would mean coalition partners were needed to form a government.

"Even if the DPS could reach with their political allies some tiny majority, that would be unstable," said Zlatko Vujovic, director of the Centre for Monitoring and Research, which is observing the election.

- NATO or not -

Montenegro was invited to join NATO in December, a decision yet to be ratified by Podgorica and existing member-states.

Moscow has warned of consequences if the Adriatic republic joins the alliance, already angered by its decision to join the EU's policy of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

The Democratic Front, Montenegro's main opposition bloc, calls for closer ties with Russia and is against membership of either the EU or NATO, demanding a referendum on joining military alliance.

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"The outcome of the election will definitely decide: is Montenegro joining NATO... because one part of the opposition is clearly insisting on stopping that process," said Vujovic.

Other opposition groups have more mixed positions -- some are pro-EU but would also like a referendum on NATO -- yet they have spoken of joining forces despite their differences to oust Djukanovic.

The issue of NATO accession divides the country's 620,000 people, who remember the alliance's 1999 bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, of which Montenegro was then part.

But Ljubo Filipovic, a civic activist and former deputy mayor in the coastal town of Budva, said most citizens were more concerned with the economy, which has seen soaring public debt.

He suggested Djukanovic had long exploited geopolitical rivalries as a way to distract from domestic problems.

"That's how we've been stuck with him for 27 years," Filipovic told AFP.

The 54-year-old is the only Balkan leader to have held on to power since the collapse of Yugoslavia began in the early 1990s, serving several times as prime minister and once as president.

Above the main Republic Square in Podgorica, a city laden with communist-era architecture, a campaign video showed the smiling premier in Montenegrin vineyards and by construction projects.

"We are here to mark an end to Djukanovic's gang of thieves," thundered Predrag Bulatovic, a Democratic Front leader, to a cheering crowd in the square on Friday night.
Relatives of those who died in the fire at Hotel City Kinara in Kural last year carried out a candle march today seeking justice for the deceased.

Candle march in the memory of those who were killed in the Hotel Kinara fire in Kurla.

By Saurabh Vaktania: On this day, a year ago, seven young students and an engineer died after an eatery caught fire in Kurla, Mumbai due to an electric short circuit.

Today parents, relatives, college friends and members of various NGO'S had a silent candle protest March starting from Hotel City Kinara (where incident took place) to Gates of Don Bosco College of Engineering, Kurla where all students studied. The march witnessed participation of over 100 people.

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The main agenda of the candle light protest march was to demand justice for the youth who died due to the negligence of the officials. The activist now demand a CBI probe in the incident.

On October 16, 2016, the youths were trapped after the stairs leading up to the room was destroyed by the fire. The youths were and charred beyond recognition.

Five of the students were from a Don Bosco Technology Institute, two were media students from a college on the same campus, and the eighth was a 31-year-old design engineer from Virar employed with a private firm.

The engineer is survived by his family, including two school-going children. Following the incident most of the hotels in Mumbai were made fire compliant.

The students, all from the Don Bosco Institute of Technology campus, were identified as Sharjeel Shaikh, Akash Thappar, Taha Shaikh, Brian Fernandes, Sajid Choudhary, Erwin D'Souza and Bernadetta D'Souza.



The two groups of students had gone for lunch after appearing for their cultural exam. Also, present in the air-conditioned room was Arvind Kanojia, who worked for Sterling Engineering Consultancy Services.

"The real culprits are still at large. Even after meeting the CM till date not a single penny paid in compensation. Our demand is to hand over probe to CBI," said activist Godfrey Pimenta.

"Our future lost lives in the most tragic incident. It is because of the fault of the officials and all roaming free. Even after year justice is far and we demand justice so that such things won't repeat again and young soles and future is not lost," said another activist Nicholas Almieda.

Also read:

8 killed in cylinder blast at Mumbai hotel







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LONDON (Reuters) - British MPs from across the political spectrum will press their bid to force Prime Minister Theresa May to give parliament a vote on her negotiating strategy for leaving the European Union, saying she had no mandate for a "hard Brexit". As Britain embarks on some of its most complex diplomatic negotiations since World War Two, Nick Clegg, former deputy prime minister, said May's plan to invoke Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty by the end of March - triggering the formal Brexit procedure - would hand power to the other 27 EU members. "Whilst the government has a mandate to pull us out of the European Union they don't have a mandate how to do that," Clegg told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme on Sunday. "That is why it is important that the government strengthens its own hand and also just subjects its own ideas to the sort of scrutiny of the parliament before they go to the negotiations elsewhere in Europe." MPs from the ruling Conservative Party, Labour Party and Clegg's Lib Dems said they accepted Britain had voted to leave, but have called for a debate and vote in parliament to try to influence the terms of the divorce. May, who was appointed prime minister shortly after the June referendum, last week said parliament would have every opportunity to debate plans to leave the European Union, but ruled out letting it vote on triggering Article 50. Clegg said he backed a "soft Brexit" in which Britain stays in or close to the EU's lucrative single market, and urged May to try to "square the circle" over whether Britain will have to sacrifice full participation in the single market to restore control over immigration. May has said she will deliver Britain's vote in the referendum to reduce the numbers of EU migrants arriving in the country and restore British sovereignty, but she has also been careful to say she wants the "best deal" for business. Uncertainty over what kind of deal Britain will pursue has unsettled investors and markets. The British currency is particularly sensitive to any suggestion that the country might be heading towards a "hard Brexit", or a clean break from the EU's single market of 500 million consumers. Priti Patel, the minister for international development who campaigned to leave the EU, said parliament already had the opportunity to debate and discuss Britain's divorce from the EU. "The job of government is to deliver the result of the referendum," she also told the BBC. "This is not about using parliament as a vehicle to subvert the democratic will of the British public." (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Ros Russell)
Any journalist who has covered NBC News for a while knows employees there leak more than a boat built out of Swiss cheese. Yet even the most veteran observer was surprised by what recently escaped the NBCUniversal-owned units grasp.

NBCUniversal had been sitting on the scoop of a decade: Donald Trump, a presidential candidate whose temperament for the White House has been called into question hundreds of times, was caught on a 2005 outtake from NBCUs Access Hollywood bragging to correspondent Billy Bush about sexually assaulting and harassing women. As NBC started to vet the information, it lost control of it. Someonecould it not be an employee within NBCUniversal?sent a copy to The Washington Post, which made it available to the public within hours.

My gut would have been to put that story on the air as soon as possible, said Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide (and the former CEO of NBCU), speaking at Harvard University Friday afternoon. The Washington Post, he added, deserves a tremendous amount of credit.

Its credit that could have been sorely used by NBCU, which has been badly bruised during one of the craziest election cycles in decades. Many of the companys most popular assets  Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Fallon, Matt Lauer and CNBC  have come under fire for their handling of appearances by Trump or their moderating of a forum or debate involving the candidate.

And so, theres a mystery at hand that would likely take the combined talents of NBC detectives like Columbo, McCloud, Frank Pembleton and Father Dowling to solve: Why hasnt the parent corporation publicly sought to identify the leak and prevent a similar one from taking place in the future?

Disclosure of the tape has, after all, left NBC News reeling, forced to cast off a new Today host who might have been groomed for bigger things. Billy Bush has, since he joined Today in August, seemed about as welcome there as Carlo Rizzi among the Corleones (Al Rokers recent on-air schooling of Bush on being a reporter after he flubbed an interview with Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte offers ample proof that NBCs morning-show crew had yet to gel with their new addition). Now Bush and NBCU are expected to come to terms on an exit agreement early this week after his appearance with Trump sparked outrage from staffers at the morning franchise.

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Besides, one can argue the leak has caused millions of dollars in damage  a back-of-the-envelope calculation of the money to be lost in settling with Bush, the potential damage to the companys vaunted Today, which will have to rejigger hosts again at 9 a.m., and, to some degree, the loss of ownership that would have come had NBC broken the tale of the tape that rested within its archives for more than a decade.

And yet, the corporation seems relatively sanguine about the whole thing.

Spokespersons for NBCUniversal, NBC News and Access Hollywood all declined to offer specifics on how the company was reacting to the episode. Much of the Bush matter is being handled by executives at NBC News, who are keeping corporate executives informed, according to a person familiar with the situation.

To be sure, NBCUniversal was able to get the story on MSNBC after the Post usurped control of it  making it the first TV network to tout the story. Executives at the company might argue that endless shots on cable-news outlets of an Access Hollywood bus containing Trump and Bush provided ample credit for the outtakes origins.

But theres past precedent for internal investigation of wrongdoing at the companyand passing along information and details of a content in development is at many organizations a serious offense. The comparison here is weak, but imagine what Walt Disney Co. might do if someone emailed secret scenes from the coming sequel to Frozen to a rival outlet after the film clips had been scheduled to be revealed on Good Morning America.

When former NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams in February of 2015 made false statements during a Nightly broadcast about his time aboard a Chinook helicopter during a 2003 reporting trip to Iraq, NBC News and its parent set up a months-long internal probe, led by Richard Esposito, a senior executive producer who has since left the company.

Comparing the two episodes may seem silly. Leak of the Trump tape didnt misinform the companys viewers. Indeed, it informed them, and Bushs appearance on it is hardeven impossibleto dismiss. Both incidents, however, caused NBCU material damage. The Williams debacle resulted in weeks of ratings issues at NBC Nightly News, while release of the Trump outtake has led to havoc at Today, a major generator of ad dollars for NBC and its parent.

When unauthorized information about a company surfaces in places it isnt supposed to, the first question many ask is Who benefits? Did someone at NBCU feel releasing the tape of Trump and Bush was in the public interest? Was there concern NBC News and Access Hollywood were dragging their feet on revealing a major news development? Or did someone just have it out for Billy Bush?

In an era of hacks and corporate espionage perpetrated upon entities ranging from Sony to the Democratic National Committee, youd think executives across the units of NBCUniversal, including chief Steve Burke, would want to know. For now, passing along stories in progress at NBC News and Access Hollywood seems like a pardonable offense at NBCUniversal. One wonders what future leak will be sizable enough to draw the CEOs full gaze.

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NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises Launches Telemundo International Studios (EXCLUSIVE)

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CANNES, France  Comcasts NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises has created a new production unit, Telemundo International Studios.

NBCUniversals Telemundo is already the No. 1 Spanish-language content producer in the U.S., and Telemundo International is the second-biggest production, financing, and sales company of content in the Spanish-speaking world, trailing only Televisa.

But as an increasing number of consumers in Latin America, Spain, and the rest of the world watch content online, the creation of Telemundo International Studios marks a move by one of the biggest Latino players to meet the growing demand in international markets and from emerging platforms for high-end short-format scripted series.

In a first phase, series will not run to more than 10-15 episodes, in line with U.S. series, said Marcos Santana, president of Telemundo International, who will lead the new business unit.

Each high-high quality series will topline award-winning crossover Hispanic talent who work or have worked in Hollywood, he added, saying that Telemundo International Studios is looking to work with directors and top production companies, including those in the film sector, in Spain and throughout Latin America  in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia  in order to produce the series.

Also headed by Santana, Telemundo International will handle the world sales on productions from TIS, which will be based out of Miami.

Telemundo International Studios will tap into an international growth opportunity at a time when Telemundo has established itself as the No. 1 Spanish-language broadcast network in prime time in the U.S., said Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal International Group and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.

TIS marks a second production innovation after Telemundo launched its Super Series reset of traditional telenovelas, reducing its duration to 60-80 episodes and designing them to be renewable over multiple seasons.

The fourth season of Telemundos flagship Super Series, El Senor de los Cielos (Lord of the Skies), bowed to 2.8 million total viewers, a Telemundo ratings record.

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Now TIS will capitalize on Telemundos extensive experience and content production know-how, some of the most exciting and innovative Spanish-language short-format content in the world, said a press statement.

The launch comes as online platforms represent the fastest-growing acquisition and production TV type for TV drama. In the U.S. alone, their number of scripted series has skyrocketed from 13 in 2013 to 57 series to date this year, according to a new IHS Technology report, World TV Production Report 2016. Growth of demand, production and acquisition for online original scripted series in less mature markets such as Latin America may be even more dramatic in upcoming years. Much of the key talent for the first season of Narcos, one of Netflix most successful series around the globe, was Latin American, including its Brazilian directors Jose Padilha and Fernando Coimbra and lead Mauro Wagner, who plays Pablo Escobar.

That said, Telemundo International Studios aims to deliver series which can travel across all platforms, including broadcast, cable and digital media, its press statement said.

Series will primarily be in Spanish. If the story takes place in the U.S., characters could have a conversation in English; if in Italy, there will be people who speak in Italian, according to Santana.

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Photo: Getty Images

A long-standing high school tradition came under fire this week when a New Jersey superintendent canceled homecoming king and queen voting at a local school.

According to WABC-TV, parents of students at Rumson-Fair Haven High School caught wind that some students were planning a prank that involved picking an unlikely pair as homecoming king and queen and then making fun of them at Friday nights homecoming game.

Photo: abc7NY

Many students decried the superintendents decision. One student said, I think its really unfair. Not everyone was involved. Meanwhile, some parents described the whole situation as sad and the discovered plot as mean-spirited.

While the phrase This is why we cant have nice things comes squarely to mind, one hopes this proves to be a lesson for the mean-spirited few who spoiled the celebration for many.

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Abidjan (AFP) - A US aid worker kidnapped in Niger is likely being held by jihadists from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao), the country's interior minister said Sunday.

Jeffery Woodke -- the first American to be kidnapped in the west African country - was seized at gunpoint from his home in the central town of Abalak on Friday.

Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum told AFP that Niger's forces had tracked the kidnappers across the border into Mali, towards the region of Menaka which is controlled by the Al-Qaeda linked Mujao.

"He was probably kidnapped by the Mujao or handed over to the Mujao by those who abducted him," said Bazoum by telephone.

"We have had no contact with the Mujao, which is a terrorist organisation," he added.

Bazoum's ministry said earlier that Woodke had been in the Abalak area since 1992 working for JEMED, an aid group helping the local Tuareg community.

A local resident who knew him described him as "perfectly integrated with the population" speaking the Tuaregs' Tamasheq language fluently as well as Fula and Arabic.

"We tried many times to make him leave the area as he was more exposed than ever, but he refused, saying he wasn't afraid," the resident said on condition of anonymity.

Woodke's kidnappers burst into his home at around 9 pm on Friday, killing a bodyguard and a member of the national guard before seizing the aid worker and heading west.

Mujao has abducted several foreigners in the restive region including in Mali and Algeria.

Northern Mali fell under the control of Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist groups in 2012. A French-led military intervention pushed them out, but swathes of the country remain out of government control and awash with armed groups.

Niger's long, porous borders make it occasionally vulnerable to the armed violence in neighbouring countries.

Last week, 22 of Niger's soldiers were killed when armed men who had travelled from Mali launched an attack on a refugee camp in the town of Tazalit.

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Niger also faces constant attacks in the southeast from Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram.

The Tahoua region, where Friday's kidnapping took place, neighbours Agadez where the US has a military base which it uses to launch surveillance drones targeting jihadist groups.

A senior security source told AFP the kidnapping came as a surprise, as "the Americans do not pay ransoms".

In January 2011, two young French people were kidnapped from a restaurant in Niamey and were killed shortly afterwards during a rescue attempt.

The previous year, five employees of the French energy firm Areva were kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) from a uranium mine in Arlit, north of the country.

Four men were freed in 2013 after the earlier release of the sole female hostage.
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) A committee set up the HRD Ministry has found activist Teesta Setalvad culpable for "hatred-filled, disharmony-spreading, ill-will generating, enmity-creating explosive writings".

The then HRD Minister Smriti Irani had in 2015 formed a three-member panel comprising Supreme Court lawyer Abhijit Bhattacharjee, Gujarat Central University Vice Chancellor S A Bari and a ministry official Gaya Prasad to look into allegations against NGO Sabrang Trust, based on a complaint.

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The panel has submitted its report to the current HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar.

According to sources, the committee has recommended in its report that that there is compelling evidence to book Teesta under sections 153-A and 153-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), both pertaining to hate speeches.

Any person booked under the said sections can be punished with jail terms and fine.

The panel is also believed to have raised questions over the manner in which the amount was allocated to the trust "Sarva Siksha Abhiyan" by the previous UPA government.

It is learnt that the NCERT, which was the appraiser of the particular project, had raised some objections yet the ministry sanctioned Rs 3 crore for the project.

Sources said while the committee has not found any misappropriation of the funds, it has blamed the ministry for the manner in which the amount was sanctioned in the previous dispensation and if the panels recommendations are accepted, the officials then involved in the process can also face action.

Setalvad, when contacted claimed the allegations of misappropriation of funds could not be proved and to counter that charges of spreading hatred have been levelled.

"In typical proto fascist style allegations have covered the infamous misappropriation of funds to now spreading hatred. Creating hatred... against whom? The RSS? The charge of misappropriation obviously could not be proven and so it is now down to this," she told PTI in an email response.

While HRD ministry officials did not comment on the contents of the report, they confirmed its submission.

HRD ministry had also sought an opinion from the Law Ministry over the issue and is awaiting a response following which a final decision will be taken by Javadekar in this regard.

In June, the Ministry of Home Affairs had cancelled the licence of the NGO under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010.

The trust also faces the allegation of using Ford grant to identify and lobby with media persons to "address communalism and caste-based discrimination in India". PTI GJS ZMN UZM

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Police officials are investigating damage described as arson, vandalism, and a firebomb at the Orange County office of the North Carolina Republican Party on Saturday night. Last night Republican Party of Orange County NC fell victim to a vicious hate crime when their headquarters was fire bombed," said a statement on the partys Facebook page, where a Facebook Live stream late Sunday afternoon showed the damage.

Graffiti left behind said Nazi Republicans leave town or else.

In this video, Orange County GOP chairman Daniel Ashley says a Molotov cocktail was thrown through the window, and that ensuing damage was caused by significant heat. He also said he and others would stay through the night Sunday so that the building will be ready for early voting later in the week. Credit: Facebook/North Carolina GOP
By Karolin Schaps and Jessica Jaganathan

LONDON/OSLO (Reuters) - Oil majors including Statoil, Shell and Chevron are experimenting with various technologies, from drones and drill design to data management, to drive down costs and weather a deep downturn.

Crude prices have more than halved since mid-2014, forcing companies to cut billions of dollars in costs. Determined to shield dividends and preserve the infrastructure that will allow them to compete and grow if the market recovers, they are increasingly looking to smarter tech and design to make savings.

French oil and gas major Total said it was now using drones to carry out detailed inspections on some of its oil fields following a trial at one of its Elgin/Franklin platforms in the North Sea.

Cyberhawk, the drone company that led the trial, said this kind of work was previously carried out by engineers who suspended themselves from ropes at dizzying heights. It said the manned inspection used to take seven separate two-week trips with a 12-man team that had to be flown in and accommodated on site.

The drones do the work in two days and at about a tenth of the cost, according to the Britain-based firm's founder Malcolm Connolly, who said it had also worked with ExxonMobil, Shell, ConocoPhillips and BP.

Total declined to comment on how long the manned or drone inspections took, or specify how much money was saved.

Statoil's giant Johan Sverdrup field, the largest North Sea oil find in three decades which is due to start production in 2019, is a leading industry case study for cutting costs in the era of cheap oil.

The Norwegian company has cut its development costs for the first stage of the project by a fifth compared with estimates given in early 2015, to 99 billion crowns ($12.2 billion).

The savings have largely been made by focusing on the most efficient technology and designs from the beginning, Statoil's head of technology Margareth Oevrum told Reuters in an interview.

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Executives say the growing attention on technologies that have been around for some time shows how wasteful the global industry had been in the years before the downturn when - with crude at above $100 a barrel delivering bumper profits - oil companies' had little incentive to develop fields efficiently.

For example, simply finding a more efficient route for the oil pipeline that would carry the crude from the Sverdrup field to the onshore refinery cut 1 billion crowns, Statoil said.

ROBOTS, FOAM

Statoil has also developed a drilling "template" that is acting as a guide for the first eight wells to be drilled at the field. It said it had reduced the overall drilling time by more than 50 days, saving about 150 million crowns per production well compared with what it would have cost with 2013 techniques.

"By far the biggest driver (of savings) has been simplification," said Oevrum. "To think much simpler and start from the bottom, or the bare bone, and then rather add to that, instead of starting very big."

The company could not give a figure for its group savings made from improved technology and design. But it said that, partly because of such innovations, projects set to start production by 2022 would be able to make a profit with an oil price at $41 a barrel, down from $70 in 2013.

Global upstream - exploration and production - oil and gas spending has fallen by more than $300 billion across the industry in 2015-16, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), roughly equivalent to the annual GDP of South Africa. Around two-thirds comes from cost cuts, rather than cancelling or shelving projects, it said.

Shell, for example, has developed a new type of pipe, called a steel lazy wave riser, to carry oil and gas from its deepwater Stones field in the Gulf of Mexico for processing. It bends to absorb the motion of the sea and the floating platform, which the company says boosts production at extreme depths.

The Anglo-Dutch major could not say how much the pipes contributed to increased efficiency, but said innovations at Stones had played a significant part in cost savings of $1.8 billion in its projects and technology division last year - equivalent to the 2015 core profits in its upstream division.

The fall in oil prices has led to the introduction of other new engineering and maintenance techniques.

Chevron is using a robotic device to clean and check the inside of pipelines on their Erskine field in the North Sea more quickly. The improvement has helped raise the field's daily production rate to the highest in two years.

Oil services firm Amec Foster Wheeler, working for BG Group which is now part of Shell, has applied a new technique to remove the pillars of an old platform, a procedure that is often dangerous because corroded elements can slip off.

It pumped in expanding foam to hold the pillar's elements together, allowing workers to safely cut the metal away. This work took just over seven weeks instead of the 22 weeks typically needed using traditional methods.

Alex Brooks, oil and gas equity analyst at Canaccord Genuity, said tech innovation in the industry was about "100 tiny things", adding: "The bottom line is you end up with a much lower cost."

The downturn has presented opportunities for some services firms that can offer cost-saving innovations. Inspection drone firm Cyberhawk, for instance, said its revenue from oil and gas had doubled from mid-2014 to mid-2016, while the wider inspection market had shrunk.

Graphic on industry investment: http://tmsnrt.rs/2cG4Dj9

VAST DATA

Another way oil companies are looking to cut costs is by using their vast amounts of data to better predict their needs.

Since the price slump, companies including Shell, ExxonMobil and Statoil have started using software that can better manage their data to cut wastage in the ordering of construction materials.

Stuck with excess material, some companies suffered huge losses because the resale value was much lower and in some cases they even took to burying unwanted material, according to Intergraph, a unit of Swedish tech firm Hexagon that develops such systems for oil industry clients.

"Previously, it was industry standard to order 3-5 percent more materials than needed, which in a billion-dollar project is a lot of money," said Patrick Holcomb, executive vice president at Intergraph.

Better managing data has helped oil firms understand exactly how much material is needed and when it will be delivered, cutting excess to one or two tenths of a percent, he added.

Gunnar Presthus, Nordic energy lead at consultancy Accenture, who advises oil majors and national oil companies, said the downturn had led to the industry waking up to the potential of the data they store.

"The oil industry, to some extent, is one of the most digitalised industries," he said. "Companies are now able to use this wealth of data to make changes that will save money."

($1 = 8.0919 Norwegian crowns)

(Additional reporting by Stine Jacobsen and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; Writing by Karolin Schaps and Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Pravin Char)
The 15-year-old daughter of American, Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay was fatally shot at a Kentucky restaurant early Sunday morning, according to reports.

Police reportedly responded to the Lexington restaurant on a call of shots fired at around 4.a.m, police said.

Read: 'Tragic Loss': Marlins Star Pitcher Jose Fernandez Killed In Boat Crash, Along with Two Others

Tysons daughter, Trinity Gay, was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck and later died.

She didn't make it. I'm so confused. She was just here last week for fall break. It's so crazy. I have no idea what happened, Tyson told Lex 18.

Police said that two cars exchanged gunfire and they dont believe Trinity was an intended target.

Lexington police are still investigating the case and said they are questioning people of interest, according to reports.

Trinity, like her father, was a track star at her Kentucky high school. She was a state runner-up in the 100 meters in middle school. She also was the Region 6AAA champion in the 200 meters last spring.

Read: Dad Tells Son His Mom Died From Heroin Overdose in Harrowing Video Posted to Facebook

Celebrities have started sharing their condolences in the aftermath of the tragedy.

My deepest prayers and condolences goes out to Tyson Gay and his family at this time.  Bobby BP Portis (@BPortistime) October 16, 2016

My prayers & condolences to Tyson Gay & the rest of the Gay family, may God give you strength in this time of need.  Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) October 16, 2016

Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Emmanuel Caulk also released a statement regarding Trinity's death.

"Our hearts are broken this morning over the loss of Trinity to this tragic and senseless act of violence," said Caulk. Please join us in keeping the Gay family close in thought and prayer and supporting the students, staff, and families at Lafayette High during this unspeakably difficult time."

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Watch: David Gest, Reality Star and Ex-Husband of Liza Minnelli Found Dead In Hotel

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By Emily Stephenson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence contradicted running mate Donald Trump on Sunday by saying evidence points to Russian involvement in email hacks tied to the U.S. election and that Moscow should face "severe consequences" if it has compromised U.S. email security. Pence, appearing in television interviews, also said he and Trump would respect the outcome of the Nov. 8 election. But later the same day Trump stuck by his contention that the race is being "rigged" by the media and at voting locations. "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday. U.S. intelligence officials believe Russia is behind recent email hacks targeting Democratic Party officials, including the continuing dumps by Wikileaks of documents stolen from the email account of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta. "I think there's no question that the evidence continues to point in that direction," Pence said. "There should be severe consequences to Russia or any sovereign nation that is compromising the privacy or the security of the United States of America." U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview that aired on Sunday that the United States would respond but he gave no details. "We're sending a message," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Russian President Vladimir Putin this week said his country was not involved in trying to influence the U.S. election. Trump, who has been criticized for appearing too close to Russia after he publicly praised Putin's strong governing style, has questioned the reports of Moscow's involvement. "Maybe there is no hacking," he said during last week's second debate with Clinton. Trump also broke with Pence on Russia during that debate. Pence had said the United States should use military force in Syria if Russia continued airstrikes to prop up President Bashar al-Assad, but Trump said he disagreed. "RIGGED" ELECTION Trump this week has said the election is being rigged against him by the Clinton campaign and the media, raising questions from both Republicans and Democrats about whether he would accept the outcome should he lose to Clinton. Trump, a New York developer in his first political race, often has said the electoral process is skewed against him, including in the primaries, when he disputed the method for winning delegates to the Republican National Convention. His current complaint of media bias stems from reports of allegations by women that he groped them or made other unwanted sexual advances, after a 2005 video became public in which Trump was recorded bragging about such behavior. He apologized for the video but has denied each of the accusations. "Election is being rigged by the media, in a coordinated effort with the Clinton campaign, by putting stories that never happened into news!" Trump tweeted on Sunday, a sentiment he also expressed in posts and during rallies in Maine and New Hampshire on Saturday. Trump said after the first presidential debate in September that he would "absolutely" accept the election outcome. But he later revised himself, telling the New York Times, "We're going to see what happens." He has also urged his supporters to keep an eye on voting locations to prevent a "stolen" election, which some critics interpreted as encouraging them to intimidate voters. On Sunday, Pence said on CBS's "Face the Nation" Republicans would accept the election result. "We'll respect the outcome of this election," he said. "Donald Trump said in the first debate that we'll respect the will of the American people in this election. The peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of American history." The third and final debate between Trump and Clinton will be on Wednesday in Las Vegas. (Reporting by Emily Stephenson; Additional reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Bill Trott)
By PTI: From Achinta Borah

Budapest, Oct 16 (PTI) Hungary today sought Indias help in reviving its defence industry, saying it has set up a joint working group of technology to explore possible cooperation between the two nations.

Defence is a sensitive area where Budapest was looking for Indian investment in reviving the defence Industry, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at a joint press conference with visiting Vice President Hamid Ansari.

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"We are looking for rebuilding Hungarian defence Industry with Indias participation," he said.

Orban said Hungary has set up a joint working group of technology to explore possible cooperation between the two nations.

Meanwhile, referring to Indias film industry, the Prime Minister said Hungary was also looking for Bollywoods help in revamping Hungarian film industry.

He said a Hungarian delegation will soon visit India to explore film industry cooperation between the two countries.

Referring to the Apollo Tyres Euro 475 million investment in a green field project, Orban said it is one of the largest foreign investments in Hungary.

Ansaris three-day visit to Hungary comes over two decades after then President Shankar Dayal Sharma had visited the central European country in 1993. PTI ACB CPS AKJ CPS

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It was a scary moment for flight bound for Lanzarote. The Jet2 plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Manchester Airport on October 2 when it ran into mechanical issues shortly after take off. The aircraft circled the airport for 40-minutes before landing and was met by fire crews on the run way.

This was the third time in four weeks that the 29 year old boeing 757 was forced to return to the airport, shortly after take off, for similar issues. A replacement aircraft was brought and the flight departed later that afternoon. Credit: YouTube/MT Aviation
Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis proclaimed seven new saints on Sunday, including the Argentine "gaucho priest" who served as an inspiration for the pontiff, and two people who were slain for their Catholic faith.

Portraits of the new saints hung high among the columns of Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, where the pontiff blessed seven relics of the saints at a solemn open-air ceremony attended by some 80,000 faithful.

Many among the crowds were Argentines, some clutching little statues of poncho-wearing Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero.

Born in 1840 in the province of Cordoba, Brochero spent his days ministering to the poor and the sick, travelling the region on muleback and building church schools.

Francis has praised Brochero as having had the "smell of his sheep" on him, a phrase he has used in the past to describe the best pastors -- those who mingle with their flock and share their troubles.

Brochero cared for the sick during a cholera epidemic in 1867 and would go on to contract leprosy, reportedly after sharing with a sufferer a gourd of the herbal tea mate -- a drink Francis often sips when offered to him by pilgrims in the crowds.

In Argentina, tens of thousands of pilgrims defied lightning and heavy rain for an overnight outdoor vigil in Villa Cura Brochero, where the "gaucho priest" once lived. They followed the Vatican ceremony on giant television screens.

- 'Cry out day and night' -

The pontiff said the saints were those who could help people in difficulty, for they too had suffered, but triumphed in their faith.

"The saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer. They struggle to the very end, with all their strength, and they triumph," he said.

"May we cry out day and night to God, without losing heart," he urged.

The youngest of the new saints is Jose Sanchez del Rio, a 14-year-old who was killed in 1928 in Mexico after refusing to renounce his faith during the "Cristero" struggle between Catholics and the anti-clerical Mexican government.

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Salomone Leclercq also died defending his faith. Born in 1745 in France to a family of merchants, he entered the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools -- known as the "De La Salle Brothers" -- where he served as a teacher.

He was run through with a sword during the French Revolution after refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the new French government, and his murder, along with that of dozens of other religious figures, was seen as driven by a "hatred of the faith".

- 1,000 times a priest -

France's second new saint is the mystic Elizabeth of the Trinity, who died aged just 26 of Addison's disease in 1906.

A gifted pianist, Elizabeth reportedly refused several offers of marriage to join the Barefoot Carmelites near her house and undertake a life of contemplation where she dedicated herself to prayer and spiritual writings.

She is joined by Italian Alfonso Maria Fusco, a priest from the southern city of Salerno, who was born to a farmer in 1839 and went on to found the "Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist", known as Baptistine Sisters.

Fellow Italian Lodovico Pavoni from Brescia founded the religious congregation "Sons of Mary Immaculate" and taught the poor and downtrodden trades to help them put bread on the table and faith to help them enter heaven.

And Spain's Bishop of Palencia Manuel Gonzalez Garcia, born in 1877, founded the "Congregation of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth" as well as the "Disciples of Saint John" and the "Children of Reparation".

He enlisted in the seminary of Seville at the tender age of 12, and it was there that he wrote: "If I would be born a thousand times; a thousand times I would be a priest".
By Denis Pinchuk GOA, India (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday shrugged off new U.S. threats to retaliate against alleged Russian hackers, saying such statements only confirmed that Washington used cyber attacks for political ends. Speaking after a summit of developing economies in India Putin also said he believed that the hacking allegations were mainly election campaign rhetoric by the White House, and that he hoped bilateral ties could improve after the U.S. elections. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told NBC News television on Friday that "we are sending a message" to Putin, and that retaliation for Russia's hacking attacks "will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact". The U.S. government this month formally accused Russia for the first time of a campaign of cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election. "You can expect anything from our American friends. But what did he say that was new? Don't we know that official bodies of the United States are spying and eavesdropping on everyone?" Putin told reporters after the summit of leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. "The only new thing is that for the first time the United States has recognised at the highest level ... that they themselves do it (cyber attacks)." Putin said that by "playing the Russian card" in the current election campaign, the outgoing U.S. administration sought to distract voter attention from its failures, which include huge state debt, weak diplomacy in the Middle East and strained relations with its allies in that region. "I would like to reassure everyone, including our U.S. partners and friends - we do not intend to influence the U.S. election campaign," he said. Putin said he would work with any U.S. leader willing to work with Russia. "If someone wants confrontation, this is not our choice," he said. "On the contrary, we would like to find common ground and cooperate in solving the global problems that confront both Russia and the United States." On Thursday, Russia's Foreign Ministry accused the Obama administration of destroying bilateral relations in the run-up to the elections, saying that "the level of Russophobic propaganda coming from the very top is now starting to go off the scale". (Reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov and Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
GOA, India (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday the nation's top oil producer Rosneft could buy back its own shares slated for privatisation if enough buyers do not step up this year to purchase them.

Moscow hopes to raise around 700 billion roubles ($11.25 billion) from the sale of a 19.5 percent stake in Rosneft to plug holes in the state budget hit by low world oil prices and Russia's economic stagnation.

Putin said last week that Rosneft's stake could be sold to private investors. He added on Sunday that the company could buy its shares from the government and resell them to private investors in future if demand proves weak now.

Speaking after a summit of the so-called BRICS states Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in the Indian resort of Goa, he agreed with a reporter that such a buyback would fall short of a full privatisation.

"If it takes place, it will serve just as an interim step to make another one, towards its real privatisation, including by attracting strategic investors, possibly foreign ones, under state control," he said.

If investors later bought the stake, this would be "a step towards real big privatisation of large-scale state property" in Russia. "We are not going to build state capitalism, we will follow the path of true privatisation," Putin said.

"This year, this way or another, the budget should receive money, and I think this is a very cautious, if not a fine-tuned plan approved by the government."

Last week the government completed the sale of a 50.08 percent stake in mid-sized oil producer Bashneft to Rosneft, raising 329.69 billion roubles for the budget.

Several Russian government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, had said earlier that they opposed plans by Rosneft Chief Executive Igor Sechin to expand further.

One state-controlled company buying another could hardly be called a proper privatisation, they said.

($1 = 62.2255 roubles)

(Reporting by Denis Pinchuk, additional reporting by Katya Golubkova in Moscow; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov and Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Not everyone, it seems, is allowed to hear Leonardo DiCaprio's message about climate change.

At the European premiere of the star's environmental documentary Before the Flood on Saturday night in London, two execs from a rainforest charity were barred entry to the film by security guards working at the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square.

Lukas Straumann, executive director of the Bruno Manser Funds charity, which fights against deforestation in Malaysia, alongside the organization's campaign manager Johanna Michel, were both prevented from entering the theater, despite having tickets. The two had previously unfurled a large banner on barriers outside the cinema that called on DiCaprio to return money he allegedly received connected to a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal in Malaysia.

"This is outrageous and unheard of, as we had done nothing apart from exerting our right to the freedom of opinion in a public space," said Straumann.

At an event on Friday, the charity made a direct link between the corruption scandal, now the focus of a major Justice Department criminal investigation, and environmental issues such as deforestation in Malaysia. It urged DiCaprio to either return the money he received - both for his role as star and producer of The Wolf of Wall Street, alleged by the DOJ to have been financed via laundered Malaysian money, and to his environmental foundation - or step down as the UN's Messenger for Peace with a special focus on climate change.

As for DiCaprio, the newly minted Oscar winner arrived in London on Saturday to give a brief introduction to the film onstage with director Fisher Stevens. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that security was tighter than usual inside the Odeon.

The London Film Festival, which was showing Before the Flood as part of its program, and DiCaprio's reps did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Read more: Leonardo DiCaprio Urged to Step Down From UN Climate Change Role
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said all participants in talks in Lausanne had agreed Syrians should decide their own future through inclusive dialogue and that the country should remain whole and secular, after the meeting ended without a breakthrough. Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that in order for a U.S.-Russian ceasefire agreement to succeed and to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries, Syria's moderate opposition must separate from Jabhat Fatah al Sham, previously known as the Nusra Front, and other "terrorist groups" affiliated with it. "At the same time, it should be understood that operations against terrorists of Islamic State and the Nusra Front will be continued," the ministry said. Saturday's talks, convened by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the Swiss city, failed to agree on a common strategy with Russia to end the conflict in Syria, now in its sixth year. Kerry hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and seven foreign ministers from the region - from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt - weeks after the collapse of a painstakingly crafted U.S.-Russian ceasefire plan that many saw as the last hope for peace this year. Western powers have accused Russia and Syria of committing atrocities by bombing hospitals, killing civilians and preventing medical evacuations in Syria's largest city Aleppo, as well as targeting an aid convoy with the loss of around 20 lives. Syria and Russia say they are only targeting militants. Europe was not represented at the Lausanne meeting. But France's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Kerry and foreign ministers of like-minded nations planned to meet in London on Sunday to discuss Syria. A source in the German Foreign Ministry said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke to Kerry on Sunday about the results of talks in Lausanne as well as the next steps that need to be taken. The source said both ministers agreed that despite the tough initial situation, every effort must continue to be made to bring about a new humanitarian ceasefire, to get aid supplies safely to eastern Aleppo and to create the conditions for a new ceasefire. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; additional reporting by Michelle Martin in Berlin; Editing by Keith Weir and Mark Potter)
Moscow (AFP) - A dissertation council reviewing work on the mediaeval era is not normally national news, but Russia was abuzz this month when historians convened to pass judgement: was the culture minister a fraud?

Vladimir Medinsky's history dissertation focusing on foreign opinions about mediaeval Russia had long irritated local historians.

They insisted it was a botched job with no academic merit and should never have been approved. This year they finally lodged a request to have his degree revoked.

The scandal over the minister's dissertation is just the latest example of Russian intellectuals fighting back against what they see as rampant fraud in academia and the devaluing of serious research under President Vladimir Putin's conservative rule.

"Medinsky's dissertation is scandalous, a real parody," said Ivan Babitsky, an activist with Dissernet, a group of researchers exposing dissertation fraud who helped two history professors lodge a formal complaint.

The complaint, which said that Medinsky's work "cannot in principle be considered historical research" prompted the education minister to send the dissertation for review.

Among the glaring errors in the work, Medinsky -- who states up front that the merit of a historical fact should be determined by whether it is in Russian national interests -- implies that Catholicism is not a part of Christianity and does not appear to know that Denmark is in Scandinavia.

Prior to his 2011 dissertation, the 46-year-old minister, who also holds a PhD in political science, did not publish academic articles on other historical subjects, nor has he published anything since, Babitsky said.

Appointed in 2012, Medinsky has supported a singularly nationalist view of Russian history that chimes with the mood being fostered under Putin.

He clashed with the chief of the Russian State Archive last year to defend a World War II story about the Panfilov 28, a legendary regiment defending Moscow, which the archive exposed as a Soviet propagandist myth invented by reporters.

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That battle ended with the archive chief Pyotr Mironenko stepping down from his post. Medinsky has called people who question the Panfilov 28 story "scum".

Medinsky has so far come out on top in the dissertation debacle: the review of the work was first delayed, then put on hold by the government's degree verification committee.

- 'Mirror of our reality' -

Historians in Russia fed up with "politically-motivated attacks" and "incorrect and downright obscurantist publications" established in 2014 the Free History Society to build solidarity among professionals.

Dissernet co-founder Andrei Rostovtsev said researchers from different fields are also coming together to fight dissertation plagiarism, a phenomenon eroding the social sciences on a massive scale.

Fake dissertations, produced by copy-pasting existing texts and merely switching a few introductory pages, are common, with hundreds of people receiving doctoral degrees from corrupt dissertation councils and then taking posts in their respective fields.

Areas particularly tarnished by fraudulent dissertations are economics, education, medicine and law -- and the problem is widespread among officials who look to bolster their credentials with degrees.

"The fake dissertation picture is a mirror of our reality," Rostovtsev said, referring to broader widespread corruption in society that haunts Russia.

A randomly-selected economics dissertation has a five percent chance of being copy-pasted work, according to Dissernet research. Among lawmakers in the Russian Duma, the likelihood is 41 percent.

Fake dissertations are not an exclusively Russian problem, but "what matters is how the system reacts," Rostovtsev said.

"The production of fake academics that are ready to work for hire, this falsehood-producing mechanism, it's something the government institutionally supports," he said. "It's not some black market."

Fighting back against this system can be risky -- which is why academics have stayed quiet for so long.

"People are afraid of repression because it's a criminal business," he said.

In April, Rostovtsev found a bullet hole in his kitchen window. "It's on the ninth floor and the perimeter is guarded, so somebody was aiming from far away," he said. He didn't go to the police, considering it a waste of time.

- 'Russia is losing brains' -

Dissernet has seen tacit support from some officials, including a former education minister who closed many corrupt dissertation councils known for handing out degrees for entirely plagiarised texts - or did not demand any dissertation at all.

How the current minister will behave is not yet clear, Rostovtsev said. One thing that is certain however is that money for academic research will dwindle as the government is struggling to downsize its spending amid an economic crisis.

Cuts pushed employees in the Russian Academy of Sciences to stage week-long protests in September.

"Funding for science is constantly falling," said geneticist Svetlana Borinskaya, who works in the laboratory for genome analysis in the Institute of Genetics but is also involved in popular science projects that aim to fight obscurantism.

"It's hard for scientists to fight politicised pseudo-science, whether together or individually," she said.

"Russia is losing brains," she added, referring to the drain of young qualified scientists. "The process has sped up this year."

"It seems that the government is not interested in fundamental research, and even in applied research, this interest is not entirely clear."
By PTI: By Shubha Dubey

New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) Actress Soha Ali Khan says she takes success and failures with equal dignity and believes in staying strong.

The actress feels facing difficult times gives better understanding of life and makes one treasure happy moments.

"I am one to confront and accept reality how bitter it may be. I feel it is not right to turn your face from something you dont like. Be it success or failure I take it all with equal strength and dignity. Every bitter experience teaches you a lesson," Soha told PTI.

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The 38-year-old actress, who has been particular about her choice of roles, says she never wants to be a big star and earn a lot of money.

"I have always wanted to have a healthy work life balance. I dont want to be number one or make lots of money and I dont want to be very famous. I want little bit of all of that. I want a lot of happiness in my life.

"There are lots of things I like doing and I wanted time for them. Be it spending time with my family, traveling, going to Pataudi, play badminton or yoga, writing and reading. You live one life and its short and I want to live it to the fullest."

Soha will next be seen in "31st October," and the actress says she gave her nod to th film as her role was well written.

"For me, the most important thing is the role. I like picking up roles which are meaty and author-backed. But I understand that it is a real life subject, it is a historical incident and has many sides attached to it, so it was important for me to read the script and understand the message of the film. I wanted to make sure that it is a responsible film."

The movie, also starring Vir Das, is based on 1984 riots that took place after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The project, which is scheduled to release on October 21, has been facing issues with censor board and various other authorities, but Soha hopes the film will get into theatres as planned. (MORE) PTI SHD PSH

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The last week was arguably the worst of the campaign for Donald Trump, yet the Republican presidential nominee trails Hillary Clinton by just four points in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted Oct. 10-13.

Republican and Democratic voters heavily discount Trumps denial during last Sundays second presidential debate that he ever made unwanted sexual advances to women despite being caught on an Access Hollywood video 11 years ago boasting of doing just that. Some 68 percent of voters interviewed in the Washington Post-ABC poll said Trump probably has made unwanted sexual advances on women while 14 percent said he probably hasnt. Yet the controversy has had only minimal impact on the course of the campaign, according to a Washington Post analysis of the results.

Related: If Trump Loses, Will He Keep the Nation Divided?

Overall, Clinton leads Trump by 47 percent to 43 percent among likely voters, while Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson received 5 percent and Green Party nominee Jill Stein garnered 2 percent. In a two-way race, Clinton leads Trump, 50 percent to 46 percent.

The latest findings  essentially a statistical tie when accounting for the polls margin of error  are at odds with other fresh polling. A newly released Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll shows Clinton with an 11-point lead over Trump, 48 percent to 37 percent, while Johnson, the former New Mexico governor, picked up seven points and Stein received just two points.

The latest Real Clear Politics cumulative national average has Clinton leading Trump by 5.5 percentage points. More importantly, however, Clinton has begun to pick up steam in key battleground states, including Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and has begun to surge past Trump in the all-important race for the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidential election.

On the key question of whether the Oct. 7 revelation of the Access Hollywood video would affect voters attitudes, 35 percent said it would make them less likely to vote for Trump while 64 percent said it wont make any difference, according to the Post-ABC News poll.

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Related: Trump to Add NY Times Backer Carlos Slim to His Conspirators List

Since last Sunday nights debate, when Trump sought to showcase the sexual misconduct of former President Bill Clinton and flatly denied that he had ever engaged in the crude behavior he talked about in the video  including grabbing women by their genitals, nine women have come forward with stories about how they had been sexually assaulted and humiliated by Trump. The GOP nominee has flatly denied all of those allegations and sought to portray them as part of a conspiracy involving the Clinton campaign and the mainstream media to discredit him.

Mike Pence, the Indiana governor and Republican vice presidential nominee, today joined Trump in casting doubt on the allegations of incidents that in some cases date back decades.

Frankly, the timing of these unsubstantiated claims that have been coming forward, all of which Donald Trump has categorically denied, is I think deeply troubling to millions of Americans," Pence told Fox News Sunday host Bret Baier.

Later, in an interview on CBSs Face the Nation, Pence doubled down on Trumps contention that the news media is conspiring with the Clinton campaign to try to destroy the Republicans candidacy with unfounded allegations of sexual misconduct.

Related: At This Point, Women Are Lining Up to Accuse Trump of Sexual Assault

Look, Donald Trump has made it very clear that he deeply regrets those words that he used 11 years ago, that they dont represent who he is, and then he has categorically denied these unsubstantiated allegations, Pence told John Dickerson, the program host. Whats really remarkable though, John, is that in a week where you have this series of unsubstantiated allegations  and of course there is competing evidence that is coming regarding these particular incidents  we have an avalanche of hard evidence ... about Hillary Clintons years as secretary of state and the Clinton Foundation.

ABC News reported last week that during the hours after the massive 2010 Haiti earthquake, a senior aide to then Secretary Clinton signaled to department officials in an email that they should give special attention to FOBs or friends of Bill Clinton and the Clinton Family Foundation in the awarding of billions of dollars of reconstruction contracts.

Clintons campaign insists that no donors or supporters of the foundation ever received special treatment with regards to those contracts. However, the Republican National Committee obtained dozens of emails between State Department and foundation officials through a Freedom of Information request suggesting such an arrangement, and then provided those to ABC News.

We found out this week because of another networks efforts that while she was secretary of state Hillary Clinton actually  her team directed contracts to the reconstruction of Haiti after the earthquake to friends of the Clintons, Pence said today. This is exactly the kind of political favoritism that she said wasnt happening that has largely been ignored by this network and largely ignored by the mainstream national media. Frankly the American people see right through it.

Related: The Value of Donald Trumps Brand Is Taking a Beating

Clinton has been reeling from the release of a steady stream of emails stemming from Freedom of Information requests, the now completed federal probe of her improper use of a private email server during her four years at the State Department, as well as a massive cache of emails written by officials of her campaign and the Democratic National Committee that were released by WikiLeaks, the international whistleblower organization. The Obama administration has officially accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the U.S. elections by taking part in the hacking of the DNC emails, and there are suspicions the Russians were involved in the hacking of Clinton campaign emails, including those of John D. Podesta, the former White House chief of staff under Bill Clinton and now the unpaid chairman of Hillary Clintons campaign.

Many of those internal emails show, among other things, Clintons cozy relationship with Wall Street bankers even while she publicly assumed tough stands against Wall Street, and sharp differences among campaign officials over how best to respond to the State Department email scandal and to sharpen Clintons campaign message. One exchange among campaign staffers seemed to be critical of Catholics and Evangelicals.

While not totally dismissing the authenticity of many of the leaked emails, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, today said that we just have got to be a little careful in taking them at face value, especially with strong evidence that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Russian operatives are working to undercut Clintons campaign and help elect Trump.

When a foreign government tries to do this, there has to be a consequence ... but you cant let it go unchallenged, because if you do, it could just encourage more of it, Kaine said on Face the Nation.

Kaine blamed Trump for earlier encouraging Russian hackers to unearth evidence against Clinton  comments Trump later dismissed as a fit of sarcasm  and cautioned that some of the documents posted by WikiLeaks may have been doctored.

Related: Clinton Camp Emails: Needy Latinos and Catholic Backwardness

Not only are these emails an effort by WikiLeaks and Russia to try to destabilize our election, Kaine said, but second, you cant assume theyre all accurate. One of the emails that came out this week referred to me. It was completely inaccurate.

And I dont know if it was inaccurate because the sender didnt know what he or she was talking about or it had been doctored, Kaine added. But anybody who is going to try to cyber attack and then try to destabilize an election, you cant trust that theyre going to maintain scrupulous honesty about the content of what theyre dumping out for the world to see.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Tom Bergin

LONDON (Reuters) - The widow of a Nigerian activist is planning to sue Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) in the Dutch courts alleging the oil company was complicit in the execution of her husband by the Nigerian military in 1995, court documents filed in the United States last week show.

Esther Kiobel has filed an application in New York to secure documents from Shells U.S. lawyers, which she could use in the Dutch action.

The filings with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District Court of New York said she planned to begin that action before the end of the year.

Ms. Kiobel will demonstrate that Shell encouraged, facilitated, and conspired with the Nigerian government to commit human rights violations against the Ogoni people, a memorandum in the application filed last week said.

A Shell spokesman said on Sunday: Shell remains firmly committed to supporting fundamental human rights in line with the legitimate role of business. We have always denied, in the strongest possible terms, the allegations made by the plaintiffs in this tragic case."

Kiobel previously took her lawsuit to the United States but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the case could not be heard because the alleged activities took place outside the country.

In 2009 prior to that ruling Shell had agreed in the United States to pay $15.5 million to settle lawsuits related to other activists executed at the same time as Barinem Kiobel, including author and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Kiobels lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

John Donovan, who runs the royaldutchshellplc.com protest website, and who has advised Kiobel on the case said: Shes going after Shell in their home country, the Netherlands.

The Nigerian military cracked down heavily on local opposition to oil production by a Shell joint venture in the Niger Delta in the early 1990s. Kiobel alleges that Shell provided support to the military in its crackdown.

A Dutch court ruled in December that Shell may be sued in the Netherlands for oil spills at its subsidiary in Nigeria, although it did not say Shell was responsible.

(Editing by Greg Mahlich)
By Tom Bergin

LONDON (Reuters) - The widow of a Nigerian activist is planning to sue Royal Dutch Shell in the Dutch courts alleging the oil company was complicit in the execution of her husband by the Nigerian military in 1995, court documents filed in the United States last week show.

Esther Kiobel has filed an application in New York to secure documents from Shells U.S. lawyers, which she could use in the Dutch action.

The filings with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District Court of New York said she planned to begin that action before the end of the year.

Ms. Kiobel will demonstrate that Shell encouraged, facilitated, and conspired with the Nigerian government to commit human rights violations against the Ogoni people, a memorandum in the application filed last week said.

A Shell spokesman said on Sunday: Shell remains firmly committed to supporting fundamental human rights in line with the legitimate role of business. We have always denied, in the strongest possible terms, the allegations made by the plaintiffs in this tragic case."

Kiobel previously took her lawsuit to the United States but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the case could not be heard because the alleged activities took place outside the country.

In 2009 prior to that ruling Shell had agreed in the United States to pay $15.5 million to settle lawsuits related to other activists executed at the same time as Barinem Kiobel, including author and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Kiobels lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

John Donovan, who runs the royaldutchshellplc.com protest website, and who has advised Kiobel on the case said: Shes going after Shell in their home country, the Netherlands.

The Nigerian military cracked down heavily on local opposition to oil production by a Shell joint venture in the Niger Delta in the early 1990s. Kiobel alleges that Shell provided support to the military in its crackdown.

A Dutch court ruled in December that Shell may be sued in the Netherlands for oil spills at its subsidiary in Nigeria, although it did not say Shell was responsible.

(Editing by Greg Mahlich)
Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnons satire of the presidential election continued on this weeks Saturday Night Live with a parody of Sundays town hall debate, featuring Trump antics, Clinton zingers, and of course, Ken Bone.

The SNL cold open, which you can watch in the clip above, began with Martha Raddatz (Cecily Strong) and Anderson Cooper (Alex Moffat) welcoming us to the second and worst debate before getting ready by downing a shot of liquor.

Lets get this nightmare started, groaned Raddatz. Please help us welcome the candidates. Republican nominee Donald Trump and  can we say this yet?  President Hillary Clinton

Also Read: Watch 'SNL' Ruin Kellyanne Conway's Day Off (Video)

Baldwin and McKinnon then entered to O Fortuna, where they did a riff on the candidates refusal to shake hands before the debate started.

The two took questions from the audience, including one voter who warned Ive got a boring one before asking how Clinton planned to make Obamacare more affordable. Clinton tried to answer it seriously, but was interrupted by Trump doing his best Jaws impression.

Also Read: 'SNL' Turns Beyonce's 'Lemonade' Into Melania Trump's 'Melanianade'

Then, when an African-American man asked Trump about how he could be a devoted president to all citizens, Trump turned it into a chance to talk about inner city violence.

The inner cities are a mess, okay? Just last month I was in Detroit and everywhere I looked, there were violent crazy people and a lot of them had guns, and they were screaming horrible things like Trump for President.'

I think you were at one of your own rallies, the voter replied.

Story continues

Also Read: 'SNL': Latest Melania Moment Has Melania Trump Ponder Switching Places With the Maid

Martha, this black man is attacking me, retaliated Trump. Also, speaking of black men, do you know who else should be put in jail? Hillary Clinton. Shes committed so many crimes, shes basically a black.

We also got a gag involving Trumps.odd wandering around the stage while Hillary answered a question, as youll see below:

Then Ken Bone showed up for his mandatory song-and-dance routine, though when Raddatz asked Youre not gonna turn out to be a little creep or something, are you? he responded, Maaaaaybe?

For the final question, Clinton was asked if there was anything she liked about Trump. I do like how generous he is, she replied. Just last Friday he handed me this election.

SNL was hosted this week by Emily Blunt with musical guest Bruno Mars. Tom Hanks will host next weeks show with Lady Gaga performing.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'SNL' Dives Into Biggest Mystery of 'Stranger Things' With Season 2 Gag (Video)

'SNL' Brings Us Another 'Melania Moment'

Watch 'SNL' Ruin Kellyanne Conway's Day Off (Video)
snl second debate nbc

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" mocked the highs and lows of last Sunday's presidential debate on this weekend's episode.

At the top of the sketch that opened Saturday's episode, moderator Martha Raddatz (played by Cecily Strong) welcomed the viewing audience to "the second and worst ever presidential debate." Before starting, she and Anderson Cooper (Alex Moffat) took shots.

"Now let's get this nightmare started," "Raddatz" said.

Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon  in the roles of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, respectively  took the stage and circled each other in a sort of war dance.

Of course, Trump would have to answer to the vulgar tape leaked from a 2005 appearance on "Access Hollywood." But as we all know, he had a trick up his sleeve.

"Listen, what I said is nothing compared to Bill Clinton has done, OK. He has abused women," he answered. "Anderson, Martha, hold on to your nips and your nuts, because four of them are here tonight."

In response, "Clinton" feigned sadness before saying, "Get real. I'm made of steel, this is nothing. Hi girls!"

"Trump" then jumped in and accused his opponent of trying to silence the women. But when asked about the women who are accusing him of sexual misconduct, he answered, "They need to shut the hell up."

The rest of the debate captured Trump's stalking of Clinton around the stage, and the surprise star from the audience, Ken Bone.

Watch the sketch below:

NOW WATCH: A former contestant on 'The Apprentice' alleges Trump accosted her





More From Business Insider


Nairobi (AFP) - Kenya Airways, already facing financial difficulties and a threatened pilots' strike, cancelled five flights on Sunday after outsourced cabin crew walked off the job.

While the stoppage only involved a small number of workers, it coincides with a deep malaise at the airline, which in July posted a net annual loss of 26.22 billion shillings ($250 million/230 million euros) -- the worst ever since its privatisation in 1995.

The losses follow a series of disastrous strategic decisions touching on maintenance costs, a hedge on fuel prices and rising dollar-denominated loans.

"Some of our outsourced staff including cabin crew have stayed away from work from Friday and we are working with their employer to resolve any issues they may have," Kenya Airways said in a statement on Twitter.

"As per the safety regulations that the airline abides to, minimum number of cabin staff per aircraft type is required and on some of our flights we are unable reach these levels," it said.

The dispute forced the carrier to scrap flights to the Kenyan city of Mombasa, Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Juba (South Sudan), Maputo (Mozambique), and a further flight to Harare, Zimbabwe, via Lusaka, Zambia. No intercontinental flights were affected.

On Friday, some 700 outsourced workers employed by Career Directions Limited complained they had spent six years being retained on one-year contracts and demanded their wages be aligned with those of Kenya Airways' staff.

Kenya Airways faces a strike on Tuesday by disgruntled pilots who have for months been expressing a lack of confidence in the managerial team.

The pilots' union KALPA said last week they would stop work for a week if management did not step down.

The airline, which later this month will release half-year results, responded by obtaining a court order to bar industrial action.

On Thursday, Transport Minister James Macharia said a strike would amount to "national sabotage."
By PTI: From Achinta Borah

Budapest, Oct 16 (PTI) India and Hungary today pitched for setting up a strong global legal framework and sustained international action to eliminate the scourge of terrorism.

"There has been a meeting of minds between our two sides that the scourge of terrorism needs to be eliminated and there is a need for a strong global legal framework and concerted action by all in dealing with this threat," Vice President Hamid Ansari said at a joint press conference with Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban after the two countries signed two MoUs, including one on water management.

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Ansari is on a three-day visit to Hungary as part of his two-nation five-day trip to central Europe and North Africa.

However, the Hungarian Prime Minister did not refer the issue of terrorism directly but said Budapest favours peaceful resolution of international political issues.

Without referring to any specifics, Orban expressed Hungarys full support to Indias "international aspirations".

Ansari expressed Indias appreciation for the support extended by Hungary to Indias membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime and for the entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The Vice-President said relations between India and Hungary are friendly, multi-faceted and have a cultural resonance besides both the countries being thriving democracies and dynamic economies.

"I had an excellent meeting with the Prime Minister of Hungary. We had an opportunity to review the entire gamut of our bilateral relations as well as share views on global and regional issues," he said. (MORE) PTI ACB PMS AKJ PMS

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Istanbul (AFP) - A suspected Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up during an anti-terror raid in the Turkish city of Gaziantep on Sunday, killing three police officers, officials said.

A few hours later, a second suicide bomber -- identified as the chief of IS group "bomb cells" in the city near the Syrian border -- detonated his explosives, killing himself but without causing any further fatalities.

The blasts took place shortly after Turkish-backed rebels captured the northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the IS group, dealing a major symbolic blow to the jihadists.

In the first attack in Gaziantep, the bomber set off his explosives to avoid being captured by Turkish police, local governor Ali Yerlikaya said in televised comments.

Turkish media had initially spoken of more than one attacker but the governor and the local prosecutor's office said the body of just one bomber was found at the scene.

The governor said five police and four Syrians were also injured.

Acting on a tip-off, special police used armoured vehicles to block the road where the suspected jihadists were holed up in a house, the state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

Witnesses told private NTV television they heard sound of gunfire and clashes in the area, which is mostly populated by university students.

- 'Suspected sleeper cells' -

Video footage released by the private Dogan news agency showed several suspects with their hands tied behind their backs as they were taken to a police car.

Yerlikaya said the raid took place after Turkish authorities gathered intelligence about a possible suicide bomb attack by a suspected IS sleeper cell in Gaziantep against an Alevi cultural association.

Police confiscated computers and hard disks from the house.

A second suicide bomber blew himself up as police hunted for suspects who fled after the first blast, Yelikaya said.

He was identified as Mehmet Kadir Cabael, chief of the IS group's "bomb cells" in the Gaziantep region and who was believed to be supplying logistical support to the organisation, according to the governor.

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He said the second bombing caused no further casualties, adding that the suspect's wife and children who were in the apartment building at the time did not suffer any injuries.

Turkish police have detained 19 suspects for alleged links to IS group, the governor said.

Gaziantep, a major city lying just 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of the Syrian border, has become a hub for Syrians fleeing the civil war.

- 'Continue anti-terror fight' -

Since the summer of 2015, Turkey has suffered a string of attacks in Gaziantep and elsewhere blamed on IS jihadists and Kurdish militants.

In August, a suicide bombing at a Kurdish wedding in the city killed 57 people, 34 of them children. The attack was blamed on IS jihadists.

In September, the United States warned of the risk of a terror attack in Gaziantep on businesses frequented by Westerners, including the popular coffee chain Starbucks.

At the time, the US embassy in Ankara warned its citizens that Turkish police were investigating a possible "terror cell" in Gaziantep.

Turkish authorities acknowledge that IS jihadists have built up a presence in the southeastern city with the aim of staging attacks, and Sunday's raid was part of a wider crackdown on sleeper cells across the country.

Yerlikaya said Turkey "will continue its fight against all terror groups including Daesh", using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, backing up opposition fighters, with the ultimate goal of cleansing its border of IS jihadists and stopping the advance of Syrian Kurdish militia forces which Ankara vehemently opposes.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also voiced Turkey's willingness to become involved in a coalition operation to recapture the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from IS.

Turkey is still reeling from an attempted July 15 coup blamed on US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen that has been followed by a relentless purge of his supporters from all state institutions.

Kurdish militants have also staged a number of attacks.

Adherents of the Alevi branch of Islam are known for their hardline opposition to the Islamic-rooted ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) co-founded by Erdogan.
Patrick J. Adams is saying goodbye to his days as a single man with a little help from some famous friends!

The 35-year-old actor, who will soon say "I do" to Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario, gathered a few pals together for a week-long bachelor party, documenting the whole thing on social media.

RELATED: Troian Bellisario Celebrates Her Bachelorette Party in Europe With 'Pretty Little Liars' Co-Stars!

The group -- which included Chris Pine and Lie to Me actor Brendan Hines -- began their adventure on a huge tour bus. Throughout the week, the guys stopped at the Austin City Limits Festival in Texas, took a hot air balloon ride over New Mexico, and went kayaking and hiking through the Grand Canyon.

Santa Fe, New Mexico #manfestofdestiny A photo posted by Patrick Adams (@halfadams) on Oct 10, 2016 at 9:48pm PDT

World Balloon on FB: Hollywood "A" list flight! I had the privilege of flying a couple of Hollywood's big stars, Chris Pine of Star Trek and Patrick J Adams, Star of the hit series 'Suits' They brought a rowdy and really fun group of their friends for the flight. #ChrisPine #PatrickAdams #manfestofdestiny A photo posted by Christopher Whitelaw Pine (@christopher.whitelaw.pine.ig) on Oct 13, 2016 at 10:53am PDT

Hump day. #manfestofdestiny A photo posted by Patrick Adams (@halfadams) on Oct 12, 2016 at 7:08am PDT

Cave dwellers ... #manfestofdestiny A photo posted by babarpeerzada (@babarpeerzada) on Oct 12, 2016 at 2:27pm PDT

On route home from Vegas and an unparalleled week long adventure and coast to coast send off with these gentlemen. #manfestofdestiny will never forget this one. A photo posted by Josh Close (@jclosefaction) on Oct 14, 2016 at 7:17pm PDT

RELATED: Troian Bellisario Is Back on 'Suits'! The 'PLL' Star and Patrick J. Adams on What We Can Expect From Her Big Return

The Suits star and his crew wrapped up their week of fun in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, where they enjoyed the music of resident DJ Calvin Harris at the OMNIA nightclub inside Caesars Palace.

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Aaron Garcia

While Adams and Bellisario plan to keep their wedding date a secret, it's only a matter of time before they finally walk down the aisle, and they couldn't be more excited about it.

WATCH: EXCLUSIVE: The 'Pretty Little Liars' Plan Their Ultimate Dream Weddings for Ezria, Haleb, Spoby and More!

"We're going to make sure that everyone finds out about that long after it happens," Adams told ET in August. "That's kind of our game plan but obviously we're both incredibly excited. Once it does, we'll make sure that the world knows."

Find out more in the video below.

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- A swimmer drowned in Hong Kong and another was left in critical condition as they took part in the city's annual cross-harbour swim, which attracts world-class international competitors. Local media said the man who died was rushed to hospital after being pulled unconscious from the water by a rescue boat. He was reported to be in his forties. A woman thought to be in her 60s was separately pulled unconscious from the water and is reported to be in intensive care in hospital. The 1500-metre race saw around 3,000 people swim between two piers on opposite sides of Hong Kong's famous harbour -- 500 up from the previous year, according to reports.

AFP
Turkish-backed rebels captured the strategic town of Dabiq from Islamic State on October 16, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Islamic State withdrew from Dabiq and other surrounding towns after rebels launched a major offensive in the area, the Observatory said.

Dabiq is central to an apocalyptic prophecy ingrained in the Islamic State militant groups ideology.

This video was shared by a pro-opposition media group and is described as showing armed opposition capturing Dabiq in the countryside of north Aleppo. Credit: Qasioun Agency
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Syrian village of Dabiq is under the full control of Turkish-backed rebels after being captured from Islamic State, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday. At a news conference with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Cavusoglu also said that a planned operation to drive the jihadists out of the Iraqi city of Mosul should begin with the Iraqi army and local forces, not Shi'ite militias. He said Turkey reserved the right to defend itself against any threats to its security emanating from the operation. (Reporting by Nick Tattersall and Yesim Dikmen)


Credit: James Devaney/GC Images

Gang's all here!

Last night Taylor Swift was spotted while out having dinner with her gal pals Dakota Johnson and Cara Delevingne, but it looks as if those three beauties weren't the only ones along for their star-studded night on the town. Suki Waterhouse took to Instagram today to share an epic photo from their Thursday evening adventures in New York City, and it shows the British model crammed in an elevator alongside Swift, Johnson, Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Serena Williams, Martha Hunt, Lily Donaldson, Zo? Kravitz, Karl Glusman, and more.

"Babesplosion," Waterhouse simply captioned the celeb-filled 'gram along with a lightning bolt emoji.

Babesplosion  A photo posted by Suki Waterhouse (@sukiwaterhouse) on Oct 14, 2016 at 3:40pm PDT

But that wasn't the first sighting of the famous group of friends this week. On Tuesday night, Swift, Delevingne, Donaldson, Hunt, and Waterhouse were snapped heading to a Kings of Leon concert in the Big Apple where they all color coordinated in stylish black outfits and later took a photo backstage with Lily Aldridge and Lorde.

I'm the jumper gnome among the gazelles A photo posted by Suki Waterhouse (@sukiwaterhouse) on Oct 13, 2016 at 5:03pm PDT

RELATED: Taylor Swift Flashes a Hint of Her Abs in an Orange Cropped Sweater

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VIDEO: Favorite Taylor Swift Beauty Moments

You can never have too many BFFs.
By Malathi Nayak

NEW YORK, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Silicon Valley heavyweight Peter Thiel will give $1.25 million as his first donation in support of Donald Trump's campaign after endorsing the U.S. Republican presidential candidate earlier this year, a spokesman for the investor said on Sunday.

The donation will be made through a combination of political action committee donations and money directly to the campaign, the spokesman said. So far, billionaire Thiel has been the most prominent supporter of Trump from the country's technology hub.

The New York Times first reported news of Thiel's donation.

A co-founder of PayPal and an early investor in Facebook Inc who sits on that company's board of directors, Thiel offered a full endorsement of Trump while speaking at the Republic National Convention in July.

Thiel has not made any donations to the campaign of Trump's opponent in the Nov. 8 election, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, the spokesman said.

(Reporting by Malathi Nayak; Editing by Alan Crosby)
The Kamov-226T, a twin-engine helicopter, born out of Russian engineering and French engine power, is the chosen platform. The project, said to cost nearly $1 billion will be the first major defence venture under government's 'Make in India' programme.

By Jugal R Purohit: In what is being seen as an important milestone in addressing a long-awaited requirement of the armed forces, India and Russia inked a joint venture to manufacture 200 helicopters in India for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF). This was done on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Goa where India and Russia held their annual, bilateral summit.

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KAMOV 226T PART OF MAKE IN INDIA

The Kamov-226T, a twin-engine helicopter, born out of Russian engineering and French engine power, is the chosen platform. The project, said to cost nearly $1 billion will be the first major defence venture under government's 'Make in India' programme. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and senior ministry officials were present.

Following up on an inter-government agreement on 'Cooperation in the field of Helicopter Engineering' signed in Moscow during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit last December, a firm 'Indo-Russian Helicopters Private Limited' will be created to execute the task. The firm will see the Russian governmentowned Rostec corporation having a 49.5 per cent stake and Defence Ministry's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with a 50.5 per cent stake.

Also Read: BRICS business leaders seek angel investor network



MANUFACTURING TO TAKE PLACE AT TUMKUR

"The manufacturing will take place either at HAL's helicopter complex in Bengaluru or the upcoming facility near Bengaluru at a place called Tumkuru," said an official. While about 40 helicopters will be procured "off the shelf" from the original maker of the Kamov-226T, Russian Helicopters, the remaining will be made in India over a period of eight to 10 years. "Apart from production, the plan also includes setting up repair and maintenance facilities to provide faster support to the armed forces," said an official.

It isn't unusual for the armed forces to red-flag the poor maintenance support extended by their Russian suppliers



REQUIREMENT: 400 HELICOPTERS

Explaining the origin of the deal, Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), himself an accomplished helicopter pilot, said: "Among the three defence services and the Coast Guard, there is a requirement of about 400 helicopters. That initial procurement of 400 choppers has now been broken up into two wherein we induct 200 Kamov-226Ts and 200 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) which the HAL is designing and building."

Also Read: India, Russia commit to boost bilateral trade



CHEETAH, CHETAK TO BE REPLACED

Over the next decade, it is expected that the Kamov-226T and LUH will together replace the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters which are of French origin but were subsequently made in India by the HAL. The Cheetah and Chetak are used not for combat role but logistics, evacuation and related tasks especially at high-altitude locations. Interestingly, even though Indian armed forces operate hundreds of Russian helicopters like the Mi8, Mi17 1V, Mi17 V5, Kamov 28, Kamov 31, never have the Russians allowed their manufacturing in India. "This is the first time that is taking place. We will have to see how this move pans out and what benefits accrue to us. We have had a long association with the French helicopters. However, this choice of the Kamov-226T represents to me a larger strategic choice India has made to balance our ties with Russia," said Bahadur.

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Also Read: Russia, India sign defence deals worth Rs 43,000 crore

--- ENDS ---
spacex elon musk mars colonization

In just a few months, Tesla has gone from being an upstart Silicon Valley car company on the verge of becoming a major automotive player with the introduction of it's $30,000, mass-market Model 3 and its 373,000 pre-orders to being a budding conglomerate that's about to acquire a struggling solar-panel leasing company to the tune of $2.6 billion.

The SolarCity deal, set to be voted on by shareholders next month, will also entail the absorption of $2.5 billion in debt, weighing down Tesla's balance sheet at exactly the wrong time.

Make no mistake, this is a SolarCity bailout, and the deal is complicated by the fact that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the largest shareholder of both companies  and that Musk's cousin is SolarCity's CEO. Since the beginning of the year, SolarCity shares have plummeted by more than 50%, and the solar-panel leasing-and-installing has over a billion in debt payments due by the end of 2016.

The Master Plan

SCTY Chart 10/14/16

For Musk, SolarCity is a critical piece of his Master Plan to accelerate humanity's departure from the fossil-fuels era, debt be damned.

Tesla vehicles produce no carbon emissions, although much of the electricity that powers them comes from burning coal. Solar is the fix on that front: clean energy drawn from Musk's favorite source, that giant fusion reactor in the sky, the Sun.

As an aside to this discussion, Musk's third company, SpaceX, will provide the escape hatch if everything goes horribly wrong: we'll use Mars colonies to "back up the biosphere," as he puts it, and SpaceX rockets will get us there.

It all fits together beautifully, and in fact I think Musk should step down as Tesla CEO so that he can devote himself entirely to SpaceX.

But unfortunately, if the car industry is tough and getting people to Mars currently insurmountable, then the solar business is really just terrible. Yes, it has been improving steadily for a decade, and SolarCity's leasing model is innovative.

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However, the industry repels technical innovation  controversial and failed Solyndra had a breakthrough technology that was completely overwhelmed by the commodity nature of solar-panel manufacturing when China flooded the market in 2011, sending Solyndra into bankruptcy. And customers need to sign on to an abstract, environment-saving agenda that may not have much impact on their household bottom lines for years.

Now Musk wants to yoke electric cars, solar power, energy storage, and possibly ride sharing into one big Tesla party, all while keeping SpaceX on pace to send humans to Mars in a decade.

FILE PHOTO -- Elon Musk, Chairman of SolarCity and CEO of Tesla Motors, speaks at SolarCity?s Inside Energy Summit in Manhattan, New York October 2, 2015. REUTERS/Rashid Umar Abbasi/File Photo

Tesla and SpaceX win while SolarCity loses

As someone who often looks at the Sun and looks at his roof and considers the energy cost-savings possibilities, I'm naturally sympathetic with Musk's ambitions. But where Tesla and SpaceX are concerned, now isn't the time for the art of the possible. SolarCity is going to be a huge drag on Tesla ability to push electric vehicles past a tipping point: if Tesla can hit Musk's targets, it will be selling more EVs every year by 2018 than are currently on US roads in total.

SolarCity has clearly become a capital-destroying machine. It's market cap is worth less than its debt, and Tesla is paying a half a billion premium to assume those liabilities. Even the most swashbuckling private-equity buccaneer would conclude this deal looks pretty lousy.

It's also one of the largest deals being done right now by an automaker. General Motors and Ford have been buying companies. But they haven't come anywhere near what Tesla will be coughing up for the right to inhale SolarCity. Their acquisitions also seem strategic  GM buying Cruise Automation for self-driving tech, while Ford bought Chariot, a Bay Area bus service that's a big buyer of Ford vans. They aren't fooling around with purchasing oil exploration or gas-refining operations.

Of course, it's Musk's job to think far, far ahead, and we should commend him for it. There's not more visionary figure in American business at the moment  and there may never have been, in US history. But that doesn't mean he's incapable of presiding over a merger that could do horrible damage to Tesla, setting the automaker back years and putting and end to its impressive run.

I don't know if Tesla can call off the SolarCity deal before it's too late. But if it can, it should.

NOW WATCH: A 13-year-old kid explains why Tesla is the best car





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By Patpicha Tanakasempipat BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's main mobile telecoms operators instructed customers on Sunday to report "inappropriate content about the royal institution", as the government steps up scrutiny for material deemed insulting to the monarchy. King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on Thursday after seven decades on the throne. His son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is due to become the next king after a period of mourning. Thailand has a tough law against lese majeste, or insulting the monarchy. Convictions have become more frequent, and punishments more severe, under a military government that seized power in 2014. Mobile operators Advanced Info Service Pcl (AIS) , Total Access Communication Pcl and True Move, a unit of True Corp, posted instructions on a messaging app and on their Facebook pages, for how to report Facebook posts and Youtube videos. True said it was following a request from the broadcasting regulator, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). "The NBTC has asked all mobile operators to send the instruction to our clients," Pimolpan Siriwongwan-ngam, True's head of public relations, told Reuters. "Were only acting as channels to spread the message." Spokeswomen for AIS and Total Access confirmed they had followed the NBTC guideline. The operators said people should send URLs or screenshots of websites deemed offensive to the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and the NBTC. On Friday, the NBTC said it had asked internet service providers to monitor content and block anything inappropriate. Operators must also inform platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and messaging apps, to block such content. The failure of internet providers to block inappropriate content when it is found would be considered a crime, NBCT secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said in a statement. Information ministry spokesman Chatchai Khunpitiluck said some content hurt the feelings of people grieving for the revered king. "Many heartbroken Thais are quite sensitive. When they see illegal content that offends them, they'll be more stressed," he said. "We have to let them know about channels to report content to relieve their sense of helplessness." Chatchai said more people had come across content they deemed inappropriate, partly because more people were going online to read about the king since his death. Police and the MICT declined to say how many complaints they had received. The government had a hotline for reporting content, Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana, minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, told Reuters. Police said they were intensifying monitoring the internet. (Additional reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak and Aukkarapon Niyomyat; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by John Chalmers)
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain would finally get a stable government led by the center-right People's Party (PP) if it held its third national election in a year, a poll suggested in Sunday. Two inconclusive votes have left Spain in political limbo since December - and parties are still trying to cobble together a workable coalition after the last election in June. But a Metroscopia survey in El Pais newspaper suggested that PP, led by caretaker Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, would get 37.8 percent in a new vote - more than the 33 percent it got last time and potentially enough to let it lead a coalition. The closely-watched monthly poll did not spell out how many parliamentary seats PP would be able to take with that proportion of votes. But the rise in its support suggested it would have a better chance of forming a government with liberal newcomer Ciudadanos. The two parties together are currently just seven seats below the 176 mark needed for an absolute majority. Other alliances are also possible. The Socialist party, which has until now rejected voting in favor of the PP or even abstaining in a confidence vote to allow a minority administration of the conservative party, is planning a meeting of its senior members to review its position. The meeting is likely to take place on October 23, before an October 31 deadline to form a government or trigger the new election. Some Socialist members argue that allowing a PP government would place them in the same situation as Greece's long-established center-left party PASOK which joined a conservative-led government in 2012 only to be wiped out by the rise to power of the far-left Syriza party. But others say that facing another election could be just as disastrous when the party is in such disarray. The Metroscopia poll showed 56 percent of Socialist voters would prefer the party to allow a PP government while 37 percent would chose to stick to their opposition to Rajoy. The poll suggested that the leftist alliance of Unidos Podemos would come in second with 22.1 percent in a new vote, up from 21.1 percent in June. The Socialists would fall to third place, with 18 percent compared to 22.7 percent the last time. And Ciudadanos would stay in fourth place with 11.6 percent, down from 13.1 percent. (Reporting by Julien Toyer; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Manila (AFP) - Typhoon Sarika lashed the main Philippine island of Luzon on Sunday, flattening homes and toppling trees and power pylons as more than 12,000 people fled to safer ground, officials said.

Minor landslides and flooding were also reported a day after the cyclone brushed past the remote eastern island of Catanduanes and left one person drowned and three others missing there.

"We were told roofs were ripped off houses and there were fallen trees but that's about the extent of damage that we know of," Ricardo Jalad, head of the government's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, told reporters.

Nelianto Bihasa, the mayor of the town of Baler where Sarika made landfall before dawn, told ABS-CBN network the typhoon destroyed at least 20 houses and left one person injured there.

"Many trees and power pylons were toppled," Bihasa said, adding the coastal town of 36,000 people some 145 kilometres (90 miles) northeast of Manila was without electricity.

"This was no ordinary typhoon," Bihasa added.

Government crews and utility workers immediately went to work clearing roads blocked by landslides, toppled trees and posts and other debris. Some towns began sending people in shelters back to their homes as the danger passed.

Sarika swept out into the South China Sea in the early afternoon after dumping heavy rain across a broad section of Luzon island.

However, the weather service warned the nation to brace for a second storm, with Typhoon Haima expected to strike the same area as early as Thursday.

The disaster agency said nearly 12,500 people had left their homes shortly before Sarika struck, seeking refuge in government-run shelters and relatives' homes.

Eleven people were rescued after a boat capsized off the eastern island of Samar on Friday, while about 1,000 boats and 6,500 passengers were stranded in ports as the coast guard barred smaller vessels from putting to sea.

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Local officials reported two other deaths in Catanduanes and the nearby province of Camarines Sur. But Jalad, the disaster agency chief, said the national authorities could not yet determine whether these had anything to do with the storm.

The disaster agency said 290 commercial flights, including 63 to international destinations, were cancelled.

Eighty-four climbers were rescued from three Philippine mountains in the typhoon's path, it added.

The Philippine islands are often the first major landmass to be hit by storms that generate over the Pacific Ocean. The Southeast Asian archipelago endures about 20 major storms each year, many of them deadly.

Haiyan, the strongest typhoon ever recorded to hit land, smashed into the central Philippines on November 8, 2013, leaving 7,350 people dead or missing.
Berlin (AFP) - Thousands of protesters massed in the eastern German city of Dresden on Sunday to mark the second anniversary of the anti-migrant and Islamophobic movement Pegida.

Carrying flags bearing slogans like "Refugees not welcome", the crowd chanted "Merkel must go" as they railed against the almost 900,000 asylum seekers who arrived in Germany last year.

No violence had broken out so far at the rally, police said, while independent research group Durchgezaehlt estimated turnout at between 6,500 and 8,500 people -- far less than the 20,000 who joined the anniversary rally a year ago.

Pegida was forced to hold its anniversary gathering this year on Sunday rather than Monday -- when it usually holds its rallies, because two public events aimed at countering the Islamophobia group had already reserved the space in Dresden's old town.

City authorities were to hold a festival for residents tomorrow, while an anti-Pegida group had also called a rally at the same time to "send a sign against the hate" spouted by Pegida.

Short for "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident", Pegida was born in October 2014 with xenophobic marches every Monday evening.

At its peak the group attracted 25,000 to its protests in January last year before waning as its founder Lutz Bachmann was caught making overtly racist comments and as "selfies" of him sporting a Hitler-style moustache and hairstyle surfaced.

Bachmann was in May convicted of inciting racial hatred and fined nearly 10,000 euros for branding refugees "cattle" and "scum" on social media.

In early October, Pegida supporters sparked outrage when they heckled Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck during German reunification celebrations in Dresden.
Comoros: the land of rare bats and even rarer lemurs. Its a tiny African country, sandwiched between Madagascar and Mozambique in the Mozambique Channel, known primarily for its wildlife and unstable politics. You can tell its been mismanaged from an agricultural perspective, a business perspective and a political perspective, says Leslie Labruto, director of the Clinton Foundations Islands Energy Program. Fewer than 7 percent of its scant 700,000 citizens have internet access, according to the United Nations. But it still manages to tweet like a boss.

Comoros had the highest number of tweets per capita in all of Africa in 2015.

Thats more tweets than Barack Obama, Narendra Modi, David Cameron, Vladimir Putin, Francois Hollande and Justin Bieber combined.

This is most definitely not the Silicon Valley of Africa. But Comoros had a tweets-per-capita rate of 0.77, according to the continent-wide survey How Africa Tweets, published this year by Portland Communications. Thats much higher than 0.29 in South Africa, a country thats far more connected to the web and 529 times more populous. Curiouser and curiouser. Then theres the content. The 2015 tweets overwhelmingly promoted blockbuster-worthy conspiracy theories about government meddling and cyberstalking. The most popular hashtags focused on cyberwarfare, gangs and Raytheon, a major defense contractor. And heres the kicker: They were largely in Japanese.

Map

Hey, Comoros

Source CC

Could Comoros be a secret hub of cybercrime? Not that we know of. It definitely isnt a military base. And as of now, the nation isnt home to a single Japanese expat. So whos to blame? Turns out the real culprit is a disgruntled ex-employee in Japan, who did not return multiple requests for comment. The Japanese man had been laid off from his job and took to the web to air his grievances. He tweeted nearly 200,000 times in a year, around half of those tweets geolocated in Comoros  targeted precisely because its online space was so unused. Squatting on an otherwise unused Twittersphere might seem as futile as raging against the corporate machine. But his strategy ultimately did garner him international attention and nearly 30,000 views on his Google+ profile. All the while, he had fewer than 600 followers on Twitter. Did it get him his job back? He did not respond to OZYs request for comment, so we may never know. The Embassy of the Comoros to the U.S. said it was unaware of the situation and declined to comment further. (It did, however, seem amused.)

What we do know is, Tweeter X isnt the only one scoping out vacant web spaces and taking them as a pulpit. The Portland Communications researchers found a surprisingly high number of Turkish, Korean, Chinese and Japanese tweets in the inactive Twitterverse of several African countries with little internet connectivity, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. In Guinea-Bissau, for example, they found a slew of Japanese tweets promoting clubs in Hong Kong. That was puzzling, because youd think if you want people to go to your nightclub, youd try and target people in the vicinity, says Mae Dobbs, a researcher on the study. Her guess is that these accounts may have been banned as spam in their original countries, so they set up virtual private networks in countries where they could not only operate, but also try to be the No. 1 spammer. The picture isnt limited to online trolls, though. In some instances, like for many of the Turkish tweets, the users appear to be real humans, as opposed to bots or spammers, who are suffering from a crackdown on social media and political dissent in their home countries and are forced to get creative to circumvent their governments reach.

But the prevalence of so-called Twitter-jacking in Africa doesnt give a clear picture of how Africa really tweets. In 2015, there were 1.6 billion geolocated tweets in Africa. Every single country had at least double-digit growth rates in how many people were tweeting compared to the previous study in 2012, says Dobbs. And despite the spam-tastic tweets in Comoros, Africans were five times as likely as Americans and Brits to tweet political content in the same year.
Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump fired off an erratic new broadside at Hillary Clinton on Sunday, making more explosive claims that American media and a conspiracy to commit voter fraud are rigging the presidential election against him.

Amid the latest Twitter blasts from the Republican White House nominee, his running mate Mike Pence sought to lower tensions by insisting his camp would accept defeat if that's what voters decide on November 8.

Two polls out on Sunday -- and carried out in time to gauge voter reaction to the slew of sexual misconduct allegations against Trump that emerged last week -- put Clinton ahead.

But they did so by vastly different numbers: an ABC News/Washington Post survey had Clinton four points ahead while an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll put her margin at 11 points.

Trump, in a long stream of tweets on Sunday, said repeatedly that US media are rigging the election by hammering away at what he calls fabricated accounts of him making unwanted sexual advances on women.

Trump has denied those allegations, which burst into the race last week in a steady, damaging stream.

"Polls close, but can you believe I lost large numbers of women voters based on made up events THAT NEVER HAPPENED. Media rigging election!" Trump wrote.

- Dead voters -

In another tweet, he suggested -- without offering evidence -- that voter fraud will be a problem on election day.

"The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD," he said.

Top Trump advisor Rudy Giuliani told CNN on Sunday that Democratic districts are known for counting the votes of dead people.

"You want me to (say) that I think the election in Philadelphia and Chicago is going to be fair? I would have to be a moron to say that," he said.

"I've found very few situations where Republicans cheat. They don't control the inner cities the way Democrats do. Maybe if Republicans controlled the inner cities, they'd do as much cheating as Democrats do," Giuliani said.

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Trump has been insisting for months that the election is rigged -- and has repeated the charge like a mantra since Clinton started to pull away in the polls a few weeks ago.

"He is swinging at every phantom of his own imagination because he knows he's losing," Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine told ABC on Sunday.

Trump's assertions have been criticized as dangerous as it seems to raise the prospect of his supporters lashing out if he loses.

After the first debate Trump said he would respect the election result. But he backtracked in an interview with the New York Times last month, saying, "We're going to see what happens."

Pence tried to put the issue to rest Sunday, telling CBS News, "We will absolutely accept the results of the election."

Pence was asked about a Trump supporter who told a newspaper he planned to go to polling places and make voters "a little bit nervous."

Pence said he did not condone such behavior.

"I don't think any American should ever attempt to make any other American nervous in the exercise of their, of their franchise to vote," he said, adding that those concerned about voter fraud should volunteer at their local polling stations.

- 'Handed me' the election -

The nation's top elected Republican, House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has declared that he would no longer "defend" the party's nominee, rebuked Trump over his comments questioning the validity of the election process.

"Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity," his spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in a statement.

Trump lashed out at Ryan on Sunday evening, saying "The Democrats have a corrupt political machine pushing crooked Hillary Clinton. We have Paul Ryan, always fighting the Republican nominee!"

"Paul Ryan, a man who doesn't know how to win (including failed run four years ago), must start focusing on the budget, military, vets etc."

As Trump and Clinton prepare for their third and last debate on Wednesday, Clinton is lying low, with the apparent strategy of letting Trump self-destruct.

But these are also delicate times for Clinton. As sexual misconduct claims against Trump dominate the campaign, is it hard for Clinton to speak out because she stayed beside her husband Bill even as he was mired in the Monica Lewinsky and other sex scandals, humiliating her on his way to being impeached.

But there is no question the race is shifting in her favor.

The CBS News Battleground Tracker Poll out Sunday found that, because of a surge in support for Clinton among women, she now leads by six points in a dozen crucial swing states.

Underscoring the campaign's divisiveness, a Republican Party office in the southern state of North Carolina was firebombed overnight Sunday, with the message "Nazi Republicans leave town or else" sprayed on an adjacent building. No one was hurt in the attack.

Trump even took time Sunday to target late night comedy show "Saturday Night Live," which has parodied him mercilessly in recent weeks.

He called the show "boring and unfunny" and said the actor who plays him -- Alec Baldwin -- "stinks."

"Media rigging election!" he added.
Donald Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition yesterday, that if he was elected as president, India and US would have a phenomenal future together.

By Press Trust of India: Terming India as a "key strategic ally", Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become "best friends" and have a "phenomenal future" together.

"Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends," Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition yesterday.

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"We are going to have a phenomenal future together," Trump said as he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming the bureaucracy, which he said is required in the US too.

"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi," he said, adding that the Indian leader is very energetic.

ALSO READ: Donald Trump rakes up H-1B visa again, says 'will protect jobs for Americans'



It was for the first time a presidential candidate attended an Indian American event this election season.

"I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big front of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House," Trump said, adding that he has great confidence in Modi and India.

"I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times," he said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.

Trump appreciated India's role in fight against terrorism.

"We appreciate the great friend India has been to the US in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism," he said as he slammed his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for not using this word.

ALSO READ: Divine intervention? Hindus in India ask gods to help Donald Trump



Trump said India had seen brutality of terrorism, including the Mumbai attacks.

"Mumbai, a city, I love. The attack on India was absolutely outrageous," he said while assuring some 5,000 Indian-Americans at the event that if he becomes the president, the US would "share soldier to soldier together" in the fight against terrorism.

"India is key and a key strategic ally," he said, adding that he looks forward to deepening and strengthening military cooperation with India.

In his welcome address, the Republican Hindu Coalition founder and chairman said that this is the first time in the history that a major presidential candidate has addressed Hindu-Americans just three weeks before the election.

He urged Hindus to support and vote for Trump in the upcoming general election and help fight terrorism.

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When they meet for their third and final presidential debate Wednesday night, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton may be more inclined to exchange blows than to shake hands.

With less than a month before the election, the campaign atmosphere has become so toxic with dueling allegations of sexual misconduct, political and business corruption, voter fraud and international intrigue and conspiracies that its hard to imagine either one acknowledging the legitimacy of the other after the November 8 election.

Related: Donald Trump: A Global Conspiracy Is Out to Get Me

Voters on both sides of the aisle appear uneasy about rejecting the next president, whoever that may be. Trump has threatened to investigate and jail Clinton for alleged corrupt activities in destroying government emails and exploiting her position as secretary of state to raise money for her familys global foundation, while Clinton has denounced Trump as unfit to serve as commander in chief and have his hand on the nuclear codes.

With growing signs in the polls that Clinton will prevail in the election, it seems almost inconceivable that Trump would acknowledge the legitimacy of the next president  just as he spent years fueling a birther movement questioning whether President Obama was born in Hawaii and was entitled to sit in the White House.

Yeah, a concession is hard to imagine, said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginias Center for Politics. Trump has already lined up his bad guys: crooked Hillary, globalists, the media except for Sean Hannity, voter fraud, and so on. His base won't accept his loss either. The Republic will survive, but we won't come together after the election.

Ron Bonjean, a Washington policy adviser and former Republican congressional spokesman, had this to say: It does seem that Trump will not concede the election to Clinton if she were to win in November because it would be outside of his character. Its unclear what the fallout would be for the election process because he is viewed as a political disruptor who rails against all institutions in general. If he were to concede, it would disappoint the strongest of his supporters who he will likely tap into for future endeavors.

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Related: Trump to Add NY Times Backer Carlos Slim to His Conspirators List

This weekend, in fact, Trump moved from making suggestions that the election might be rigged to an outright assertion, both on Twitter and in an appearance in New Hampshire that the election is being illegitimately handed to Clinton. He was joined by Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, who agreed, They are attempting to rig this election.

A new survey by the Pew Research Center shows that Americans on both sides of the aisle are uneasy about this question, and feel strongly that the loser must concede to the winner.

The survey was conducted online from September 27 to October 10 among 4,132 adults, including 3,616 registered voters. About six in ten voters think Clinton will win the election while only 34 percent expect that the billionaire real estate businessman will win.

At the conclusion of the election, voters say that it is either very important (53%) or somewhat important (24%) for the losing candidate to acknowledge the winner as the legitimate president of the country, according to the Pew study. Just about one in five, or 22 percent, say a public concession by the losing candidate is not too or not at all important.

Related: This Dreadful Election Is Taking a Toll on Consumer Confidence

Clinton supporters (60%) are more likely than Trump supporters (51%) to view a concession as very important, according to Pew. Only about one in five of each candidates supporters (21% of Trump backers, 16% of Clinton backers) say this is not important. By contrast, roughly twice as many Johnson and Stein supporters (41%) think it is not too or not at all important that the losing candidate publicly acknowledge the winner as the legitimate president.

Ross Baker, a Rutgers University political scientist, said, I think its enormously important that the loser concede and I think it would be unrealistic to think that hes going to concede that way. I think he [Trump] will continue to say that the process is rigged and it will damage the country considerably. And I think it will leave a substantial portion of the population  if they follow his example  to deny the legitimacy of the election of Hillary Clinton, which is very dangerous. I think to admit that the election is over and that it was a fair fight is to admit that hes a loser. He cant admit hes a loser by the very definition of what he stands for.

I think that if a substantial number of Americans feel that somehow Donald Trump was done out of this by some kind of skullduggery, both on the part of Hillary Clinton and the media, I think that this anger will continue, he added. And I think this anger leads to desperate acts, and thats what Im afraid of.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Chicago (AFP) - "Law and order" has been a central theme in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. But the term has deep-rooted racial connotations in the United States that give many African Americans pause.

In pledging to get tough on crime, the Republican nominee has invoked Chicago, the third largest US city, which is blighted by a seemingly out-of-control epidemic of gun violence.

There have been 579 murders in the city so far this year -- more than New York and Los Angeles combined -- and 3,413 shooting victims, according to the Chicago Tribune newspaper.

Trump's tough-on-crime stance includes employing the controversial "stop and frisk" tactic in Chicago, in which police officers can stop anyone and search them, whether or not they are suspected of committing a crime or infraction.

"You have to do something. It can't continue the way it's going," Trump argued last month in support of the practice.

But those comments have been met with sharp rebukes in Chicago, where "stop and frisk" has been tried before -- and was found to disproportionately target black people.

"We are not interested in any strategy that involves compromising the civil rights of citizens," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in a statement.

"It's also not very effective," added Robin Robinson, a community relations advisor to the police department. "It would effectively drive black people and people of law enforcement further apart," said Robinson, who is black.

Jedidiah Brown, a Chicago community activist also believes the strategy would be counterproductive.

"In order for you to solve crimes," Brown said, "You have to have relationships, people willing to talk to you, trust you, and tell you who the perpetrators are."

Trump has credited "stop and frisk" with reducing crime in New York. But a federal judge ruled that New York's policy was unconstitutional and a new mayor, Bill de Blasio, ended it.

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In Chicago, as recently as 2014, police stopped 250,000 people who were not charged with any crime or given a ticket, according to Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

A vast majority of them were black.

The ACLU reached agreement last year with Chicago police to end the practice.

"The notion that to go back to the old system that you simply stop people for being present in their neighborhoods, is going backwards," said Ed Yohnka, an ACLU spokesman.

- 'Chiraq' -

Still, many African-Americans in Chicago want improved policing to combat rising crime.

While some Chicagoans have criticized Trump for comparing the city's violence to that of war-torn countries, its own youth have dubbed it "Chiraq," an amalgamation of Chicago and Iraq.

"Whole communities are like third-world countries," said Michael Pfleger, a longtime pastor of a church in one of the most violence-plagued areas of Chicago.

"The despair and the anger, I've never seen it as bad as it is right now. You have whole communities held hostage by fear."

So what to make, then, of the fact that just four percent of African Americans nationally support Trump, according to a Los Angeles Times/USC tracking poll.

Trump even polls higher among Latinos -- currently around 20 percent -- despite his anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Khalil Muhammad of Harvard University said that to understand Trump's lack of support among African Americans, look no further than his use of the term "law and order."

The phrase carries echoes of the late-1960s backlash against the American civil rights movement, he said.

"Much of the civil rights activism that took place in the 1950s... the southern criminal justice system used the rhetoric of 'law and order' to delegitimize activism on the ground," Muhammad said.

Richard Nixon successfully took up that mantra to win the 1968 presidential race. Trump has reportedly studied Nixon's campaign as a lesson for his own.

- Black Lives Matter -

On top of that, Trump has been critical of the nascent Black Lives Matter movement, which sprung up to demand change in policing across the country, after a string of high-profile police shootings of black citizens.

A series of graphic videos of police shootings this summer inflamed racial tensions. Officers were killed by gunmen in Dallas, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in apparent retribution.

Donald Trump has blamed Black Lives Matter activists -- mostly young people who have protested in marches and rallies -- for hampering law enforcement. He has described the movement as a "threat" and said its rhetoric may have instigated violence against police.

But failure to address the issues raised by Black Lives Matter activists is a losing strategy for Trump, said Michael Kazin, a professor of history at Georgetown University and author of "America Divided," a book examining 1960s US history.

He said the movement is taking up unresolved grievances from the civil rights era, when the Black Panthers employed armed citizen patrols to monitor police interactions with black citizens.

African Americans today want reform in the criminal justice system -- such as changes to drug sentencing laws -- where they make up a third of the prison population but only 12 percent of the total US population.

Trump, he said, "is not trying to talk to African Americans in a way that could conceivably win their votes."
Beirut (AFP) - Syrian rebels dealt a major symbolic blow to the Islamic State group on Sunday by capturing the town of Dabiq where the jihadists had promised an apocalyptic battle.

The defeat for IS came as the United States and Britain warned they were considering imposing sanctions against economic targets in Syria and Russia, which is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, over the government-imposed siege of second city Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Turkish state media and a rebel faction said opposition fighters backed by Turkish warplanes and artillery seized control of Dabiq.

The town, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo, is of little strategic value. But Dabiq holds crucial ideological importance for IS and its followers because of a Sunni prophecy that states it will be the site of an end-of-times battle between Christian forces and Muslims.

US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said Dabiq's "liberation gives the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat new momentum in Syria."

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group, said rebel forces "captured Dabiq after IS members withdrew from the area".

The Fastaqim Union, an Ankara-backed rebel faction involved in the battle, said Dabiq had fallen "after fierce clashes".

Fastaqim said rebels then went on to seize several nearby towns, including Sawran, Ihtimaylat, and Salihiyah.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said nine rebels were killed and 28 wounded during fighting to capture the towns.

Rebel commander Haitham Ibrahim Afassi told AFP: "I thank God for giving us victory. The heros of the Free Syrian Army have liberated the region."

Video footage showed the streets of the town virtually deserted, with black IS flags painted on the facades of buildings as well as jihadist graffiti.

Dabiq has become a byword among IS supporters for a struggle against the West, with Washington and its allies who are bombing the jihadists portrayed as modern-day Crusaders.

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IS, which seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq in mid-2014 and declared an Islamic "caliphate", has been dealt a series of military defeats this year and is bracing for an assault on its key Iraqi stronghold Mosul.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sunday that Turkish-backed rebels would now focus on taking the jihadist-held town of Al-Bab in Aleppo province.

- 'Crimes against humanity' -

Turkey launched an unprecedented operation inside Syria on August 24, helping Syrian rebels to rid its frontier of IS jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkey would push further south to create a 5,000-square-kilometre (1,900 square-mile) safe zone in Syria.

Clashes took place in Aleppo's northern and southern outskirts on Sunday, as well as in the city centre, the Observatory said.

Air strikes on rebel-held eastern areas killed 31 people, including 15 civilians who died in Russian raids, it added.

An AFP correspondent said two buildings had been destroyed and reported nearly non-stop air raids on the opposition-held half of the city since midnight.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, in London Sunday for talks on Syria with his British and French counterparts, branded the bombardment of civilians in Aleppo "crimes against humanity".

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned of possible sanctions.

"There are a lot of measures that we're proposing including extra measures on the regime and their supporters," Johnson said.

"These things will eventually come to bite the perpetrators of these crimes, and they should think about it now," he warned.

Rebel fire on government-controlled districts of Aleppo left three people dead and more than two dozen wounded, Syrian state news agency SANA said.

- 'No appetite for war' -

Fighting has surged in the city following the collapse last month of a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia, raising deep international concern.

Kerry was in London to brief Washington's European allies after "brainstorming" talks in Lausanne with the main players in Syria's conflict, but hopes for a breakthrough in the conflict that has killed more than 300,000 people since 2011 remained dim.

Saturday's meeting in Lausanne did not produce a concrete plan to restore the truce that collapsed amid bitter recriminations between Washington and Moscow.

Kerry warned Sunday that US President Barack Obama had not taken any option off the table in trying to stop the killing, but downplayed the possibility of increased military action in Syria.

"We are discussing every mechanism available to us but I haven't seen a big appetite from anyone in Europe to go to war," he said.
Tyson Gays daughter Trinity died early Sunday morning. (Getty)

Trinity Gay, a high school sprinter and daughter of Olympian Tyson Gay, has died after shots were fired early Sunday morning at a Lexington, Kentucky restaurant.

Two cars were involved in a shootout at the Cook Out restaurant near the University of Kentucky campus. Trinity Gay, 15, who was reportedly not in either car, was hit in the neck and pronounced dead at 4:41 a.m. Sunday. Police are seeking the drivers of the cars based on descriptions.

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She didnt make it, Tyson Gay said. Im so confused. She was just here last week for fall break. Its so crazy. I have no idea what happened.

Trinity Gay was a promising sprinter who was a state champion for her region in the 200m event, and placed fourth in the state at the 100m distance.

Condolences for the Gay family began flowing in on Sunday morning via Twitter and press release. Our hearts are broken this morning over the loss of Trinity to this tragic and senseless act of violence, Fayette County (Ky.) Superintendent Manny Caulk said in a statement. Please join us in keeping the Gay family close in thought and prayer and supporting the students, staff, and families at Lafayette High during this unspeakably difficult time.

____

Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
By Lesley Wroughton LONDON (Reuters) - The United States and Britain called on Sunday for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Yemen to end violence between Iran-backed Houthis and the government, which is supported by Gulf states. A Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under heavy criticism since an air strike on a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 140 people according to a United Nations' estimate and 82 according to the Houthis. On Saturday, a U.S. admiral said a destroyer had again been targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said if Yemen's opposing sides accepted the ceasefire then the special envoy to the U.N., Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect. "This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," Kerry told reporters. "We cannot emphasize enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen," he said after meeting British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, and other officials in London. Kerry said they were calling for the implementation of the ceasefire "as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday". The UN's special envoy said he had been in contact with the Houthi's lead negotiator and the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. He also said he hoped for "clearer plans" for a ceasefire in the coming days Johnson said the conflict in Yemen was "causing increasing international concern; the fatalities that we're seeing there are unacceptable". "There should be a ceasefire and the U.N. should lead the way in calling for that ceasefire." Their call came after meetings in London with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and senior UAE officials. Kerry met Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Saturday in Switzerland on the sidelines of Syria talks. "It is a crisis now of enormous proportions with an increasing economic, increasing humanitarian and health crisis, and obviously the military components are troubling to everybody," Kerry said. He added that the release of two American prisoners by Yemen's Houthi and the evacuation of Yemeni civilians wounded in a Saudi airstrike were "an important humanitarian gesture by the Saudis to address the humanitarian concern". (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton, Writing by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Mark Potter, Greg Mahlich)
By Idrees Ali and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy destroyer was targeted on Saturday in a failed missile attack from territory in Yemen controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, the third such incident in the past week, U.S. officials said. Multiple surface-to-surface missiles were fired at the USS Mason sailing in international waters in the Red Sea but the warship used on-board countermeasures to defend itself and was not hit, one defense official said, citing initial information. The latest attack could provoke further retaliation by the U.S. military, which launched cruise missiles on Thursday against three coastal radar sites in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen in response to the two previous failed missile firings against the Mason. "The Mason once again appears to have come under attack in the Red Sea, again from coastal defense cruise missiles fired from the coast of Yemen," Admiral John Richardson, U.S. chief of naval operations, said during a ship christening in Baltimore on Saturday. Another U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: We are assessing the situation. All of our ships and crews are safe and unharmed. Thursdays U.S. counter-strikes, authorized by President Barack Obama, marked Washington's first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict and raised questions about the potential for further escalation. The Houthi movement earlier this week denied responsibility for the missile attacks on the Mason and warned that it too would defend itself. The Pentagon on Thursday stressed the limited nature of the strikes, aimed at radar that it suspected enabled the launch of at least three missiles against the Mason on Sunday and Wednesday. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said at the time that the U.S. counter-strikes were not connected to the broader civil war in Yemen, which has unleashed famine and killed more than 10,000 people since March 2015 in the Arab world's poorest country. The United States, a longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, has provided aerial refueling of warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition striking Yemen and it supplies U.S. weapons to the kingdom. Iran, which supports the Houthi group, said last week it had deployed two warships to the Gulf of Aden, to protect ship lanes from piracy. (Reporting By Idrees Ali and Matt Spetalnick; editing by Diane Craft)
By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has not done enough to stamp out anti-Jewish sentiment in his party, a prominent parliamentary committee said on Sunday. Lawmakers on the multi-party Home Affairs Committee said the veteran socialist had a proud record fighting racism but his lack of command on the issue had created a safe space in Labour ranks "for those with vile attitudes towards Jewish people". "The failure of the Labour Party to deal consistently and effectively with anti-Semitic incidents in recent years risks lending force to allegations that elements of the Labour movement are institutionally anti-Semitic," the report said. "The result is that the Labour Party, with its proud history of fighting racism and promoting equal rights, is seen by some as an unwelcoming place for Jewish members and activists." In a lengthy response, Corbyn said the lawmakers had ignored anti-Semitism in other parties, had heard evidence from too narrow a pool of opinion and had criticized individuals without giving them a right to be heard. "Under my leadership, Labour has taken greater action against anti-Semitism than any other party," said Corbyn, who was unexpectedly elected leader last year after three decades on the left-wing fringes of the party. Reports of anti-Semitic incidents in Britain, which has the fifth largest Jewish population in the world with about 270,000 Jews, have surged over the last two years, a factor which prompted the lawmakers' inquiry. Police figures showed an increase of more than 60 percent in anti-Semitic hate crimes in London last year, while the number of incidents recorded by the Community Security Trust, which provides security advice to Britain's Jews, rose by 11 percent in the first six months of this year. "APPALLING ABUSE" Against this backdrop, a number of rows have erupted over comments by Labour members and activists that were widely seen as anti-Semitic. The party suspended several people, including one of its lawmakers and former London mayor Ken Livingstone. Some Corbyn supporters say the claims against Labour, which is bogged down in internal strife between those who back the leader and those who think he is making the party unelectable, are being used to smear him. They say some people who merely express legitimate concerns about Israel are labeled anti-Semitic. An internal party inquiry in June cleared Labour of having a problem with anti-Semitism, but the committee said its findings had been thrown into question after its chair, Shami Chakrabarti, was subsequently nominated for a peerage by Corbyn. Corbyn said the report unfairly criticized Chakrabarti, who he said had only been offered the appointment to the House of Lords after completion of her report. But the committee's lawmakers said they were "not persuaded that Corbyn fully appreciates the distinct nature of post-Second World War anti-Semitism". "Jewish Labour MPs have been subject to appalling levels of abuse, including anti-Semitic death threats from individuals purporting to be supporters of Mr Corbyn," the report said. It also criticized Twitter, saying it was shocked by the volume and nature of the anti-Semitic tweets aimed at lawmakers and that the social media giant could and should do much more to address the problem. "In the context of global revenue of $2.2 billion, it is deplorable that Twitter continues to act as an inert host for vast swathes of anti-Semitic hate speech and abuse," the report said. A spokesman for Twitter said hateful conduct had no place on the social media platform and the company would "continue to tackle this issue head on alongside our partners in industry and civil society". (Editing by Estelle Shirbon)
Port-au-Prince (AFP) - The United Nations is concerned at the rise in looting and attacks targeting emergency aid deliveries in hurricane-ravaged Haiti, a UN official told AFP on Sunday.

Food, medicine and other essential aid has been slow to reach many hard-hit areas. Some desperate Haitians have taken to blocking parts of the road crossing the southern peninsula to intercept humanitarian convoys, in some cases looting them.

"It's obviously a concern for the coordination and delivery of aid," said Mourad Wahba, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Haiti. "But the response must focus on more than security."

"People are hungry and we must successfully unblock the roads to help them."

On Saturday, a World Food Program truck with relief supplies was looted at the entrance to the UN base in the port city Les Cayes, one of the worst affected by Hurricane Matthew which crashed ashore on October 4 with winds of 145 miles (230 kilometers) per hour.

In one violent scene -- which occurred shortly before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived at the base via helicopter -- Senegalese UN peacekeepers used tear gas to disperse the crowd, which responded by throwing rocks, Wahba said.

"Any attack on a humanitarian convoy is an attack on those who are suffering, on those who are most in need," said Ban on his return to Port-au-Prince.

"When trucks with medicine are attacked and looted, when food and water are looted, this only increases the distress and discourages international aid," he said.

The UN estimates at least 1.4 million people of the impoverished nation's more than 10 million residents need urgent assistance, after towns and villages were almost wiped off the map.

At least 546 people were killed, and more than 175,000 people have lost their homes.

The international body has launched a flash appeal for $120 million to help Haiti -- the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere -- cope with its worst humanitarian crisis since a devastating 2010 earthquake.

So far, only about 13 percent of the needed funds has been raised to help stave off famine and serious health crises, including cholera.
London (AFP) - The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy to Yemen on Sunday urged the warring parties in the country's civil war to declare a ceasefire they said could start within days.

The United Nations envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said: "We are here to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, which will be declared in the next few hours."

Cheikh Ahmed said he had been in contact with the rebel Huthi militia's lead negotiator and with Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government.

But he also warned that he hoped for "clearer plans" for a ceasefire in coming days.

US Secretary of State John Kerry would not predict whether Yemen's government or rebel forces had accepted the demand, but said the diplomats were not operating "in a vacuum."

"This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," Kerry told reporters.

Kerry was speaking after meeting Cheikh Ahmed and his opposite numbers from Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at talks hosted by Britain in London.

Washington's top diplomat said he, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Cheikh Ahmed are calling for the ceasefire to begin "as rapidly as possible, meaning Monday, Tuesday".

The senior envoys, he said, had been in touch with Hadi's Saudi-backed government and with the Iranian-sponsored Huthi rebels who drove him from the country to push for peace.

"We cannot emphasise enough today the urgency of ending the violence in Yemen," Kerry said.

Johnson agreed, saying: "The fatalities that we're seeing there are unacceptable. There should be a ceasefire and the UN should lead the way in calling for that ceasefire."

The diplomatic push came amid signs that a renewed peace process may be at hand.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of Hadi's internationally-recognised government after it was forced to flee as Shiite Huthi rebels seized the capital.

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The coalition has carried out hundreds of air strikes and provided ground troops to support Hadi's forces.

But it has failed to dislodge the Huthi rebels, who are allied with forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, from key areas including the capital Sanaa.

The rebels still control large parts of the north, their historic stronghold areas, and other regions of western and central Yemen.

Government forces have recaptured the south and east but failed to make any significant advances.

The conflict has killed almost 6,900 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million since March last year, according to the United Nations.

Civilians have paid the heaviest price in an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis.

One of the deadliest coalition attacks came on October 8 when an air raid on a funeral ceremony killed 140 people and wounded 525 others.

Washington, which along with Britain provides logistical support to Saudi-led efforts, was angry at its ally's blunder and renewed calls for a truce.
By PTI: From Youssra El-Sharkawy

Cairo, Oct 16 (PTI) The first Indian Chair in the Arab world at a top Egyptian university, which was operationalised last month, will benefit both countries as it facilitates exchange of top academics, an Indian professor here has said.

The MoU to establish the Indian Chair was signed between Cairos Ain Shams University and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in March and was operationalised last month.

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The Indian Chair will be for a period of one semester at a time for three years and will be extended on mutual agreement.

Naidu Subbarao, who teaches bioinformatics at the varsity and is the first Indian Chair in the Arab World, expressed his excitement to have an opportunity to share his knowledge with Egyptian students.

Bioinformatics is the application of computer technology to the management of biological information. Computers gather, analyse and integrate biological and genetic information, that can be applied to gene-based drug discovery and development.

There are high expectations for bioinformatics to lend to drug discovery.

"It is a new field (which became popular) in the past 20 years only. The biological data is coming up and it combines biology with computer science so it is important to focus on it. Now, any biologist without computers they cant do well anymore," said Subbarao.

His course explores issues faced during drug discovery and development and thus he has to finalise the curriculum in consultation with the university to meet local requirements and to impart knowledge on Indias technological advancements.

"I want to teach the students here so they have a broader idea about what is going at the moment and what is the future of bioinformatics," he said Subbarao.

The professor, who completed his PhD from IIT Kanpur and was Jawaharlal Nehru Centenary Commonwealth Postdoctoral Fellow at UKs University of Leeds, faced few challenges while teaching Egyptian students, one of them was the language.

"The first challenge, I think, was language. I still have some communication problems, but I try to go slow so that the students can understand me and I am trying to learn Arabic and have already picked up a few words," he said with excitement.

"So far the interaction with the students have been very good. They are very helpful and cooperative," he said.

According to him, one of the major problems facing higher education is funding. "Also, we need to have good teachers in different fields and students should be willing to learn."

Subbarao is also eager to explore Egypt and its culture.

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"I particularly want to visit the pyramids, and the beautiful Nile River," he said.

Last month, Indias Ambassador here Sanjay Bhattacharyya said that by establishing the Indian Chair, both countries have entered a "new era" in academic cooperation.

Ain Shams University, a beacon of high quality education in Egypt, is the third largest Egyptian university, founded in July 1950. Known for its leading role in developing cultural ethos, ASU inculcates scientific temperament, enriches human knowledge and promotes political participation among youth.

Recently, ASU commenced the teaching of Hindi and use of Devanagari script in its Faculty of Languages. PTI YES ABH

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USS Zumwalt 1

The largest destroyer ever built for the US Navy, the USS Zumwalt, was commissioned on Saturday in Baltimore, Maryland.

The 600-foot guided missile destroyer was named after legendary naval officer Admiral Elmo Russell "Bud" Zumwalt. His daughters, Ann Zumwalt and Mouzetta Zumwalt-Weatherly, joined commanding officer Captain James A. Kirk for the ceremony.

"Zumwalt is today a technological marvel. When deployed, our Navy and nation will have ... a multi-mission destroyer with the stealth survivability and combat power to take on our most challenging missions," Kirk said.

"If Batman had a ship, it would be the USS Zumwalt," Adm. Harry B. Harris, Jr., commander of the US Pacific Command, told CNN.

The USS Zumwalt has a sleek, streamlined appearance and will be fitted with some of the military's most advanced weapon systems. The Zumwalt sports an advanced power plant that Navy planners hope to use to support next generation weapons like railguns or laser systems.

Additionally, the Zumwalt has a large flight deck that may one day accommodate the Marine Corps variant of the F-35B.

As the Zumwalt was being commissioned, another US Navy destroyer was targeted in a failed missile attack from territory in Yemen controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, the third such incident in the past week, US officials said.

NOW WATCH: The US struck radar sites in Yemen after rebels tried to attack a Navy ship with missiles





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CAIRO (Reuters) - Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat have signed 4G licence agreements with the telecoms regulator, an official from the regulator told Reuters. The official did not give details on the terms of the licences. Egypt is selling four 4G licences as part of a long-awaited plan to reform the telecoms sector and raise money for stretched government finances. The country's three existing mobile phone operators - Orange, Vodafone and Etisalat - initially all turned down the 4G licences saying the amount of spectrum on offer was not sufficient to allow them to offer the service efficiently. (Reporting by Ehab Farouk; Writing by Asma Alsharif; Editing by Mark Potter)
Cannes (France) (AFP) - Coral reefs may be dying off at an alarming rate and pollution and overfishing emptying the seas. But fear not. Help is at hand in the form of a new wave of cartoon superheroes determined to save the oceans.

While Disney blockbusters "Finding Nemo" and "Finding Dory" have been attacked for sparking a spike in the poaching of tropical fish, Muppets creators the Jim Henson Company said Sunday that their new animated children's series "Splash and Bubbles" would help mobilise a new generation to save the undersea world.

The big-budget 40-episode series, which will screen on PBS in the United States next year, aims to "turn the tide of our world to save the planet".

Boss Lisa Henson, daughter of Jim Henson, the puppetry genius behind "The Muppets" and "Sesame Street", said the series, which was premiered at the MIPJUNIOR festival in the French resort of Cannes, comes at a vital time.

While four to seven-year-olds may not be able to do much now to tackle the millions of tonnes of plastic waste that have created the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", she said it is "their generation who will be left to solve" such problems.

The series comes in the wake of the huge success of "The Octonauts", the most watched cartoon by pre-school children in Britain, Ireland and Australia.

- 'Star Trek' meets Jacques Cousteau -

The "edutainment" show has a team of animated animals rescuing sea creatures from their base in the Octopod.

With its catchphrase slogans of "Explore! Rescue! Protect!" it has been described as "Star Trek" meets Jacques Cousteau.

And now film-makers are working with the Monaco oceanographic museum which the legendary French marine explorer ran for decades to create another series about child heroes fighting for marine conservation.

"Pirates of the Abyss" will feature four friends who go off on aquatic adventures in an old submarine to right the wrongs of pollution and the overexploitation of the oceans.

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Producer Aymeric Castaing told AFP that the series -- aimed at slightly older kids -- would tap into their anger and impotence at what is happening to the environment.

"The world we live in will soon be in the hands of these kids. It is they who will have to save the oceans," he added.

Castaing said the children begin their quest after chancing upon on a laboratory left behind by "some of the greatest brains of the past" including Jules Verne, the inventor Nikola Tesla, Gustave Eiffel and Prince Albert I of Monaco, an early marine researcher.

"These geniuses from the past are in a way helping them save the future," said Castaing, co-founder of the Bordeaux-based I Can Fly studio.

- 'Good values' -

Henson said like "Sesame Street", "Splash and Bubbles" was also all about teaching children good values in a fun way.

"You would not believe how diverse the ocean floor is... There are seahorse single dads with 499 children," she joked. "And it is the seahorse dads who give birth. There is so much weird stuff there."

She said although the show took its mission to education seriously, with "today's Jacques Cousteau marine biologist Dr Sylvia Earle" among its advisors, she insisted it was "not preachy".

"We are opening up the weird and wonderful world" of marine science and conservation through fun adventures and music.

"And we are showing the oceans amazing diversity and interconnectedness," she added.

Nevertheless, each 11-minute episode will be cut with a humorous documentary segment called "Get Your Feet Wet", where children will "find out for instance that octopuses have no bones".

Henson's distribution boss Richard Goldsmith said it was in the "studio's DNA" to promote "good and solid values" and that "Jim Henson was thinking about ecology and diversity long before it was cool".

Far from overwhelming children with the planet's problems, he said the show's purpose was to empower them to confront them.

"One of (lead character) Splash's favourite sayings is, 'There is only one way to get over the fear of the unknown and that is to go there and find out about it'," Goldsmith added.
Donald Trump

The most important thing we have learned this year is that when the Republican Party was hijacked by a dangerous fascist who threatens to destroy the institutions that make America great and free, most Republicans up and down the organizational chart stood behind him and insisted he ought to be president.

Some did this because they are fools who do not understand why Trump is dangerous.

Some did it because they were naive enough to believe he could be controlled and manipulated into implementing a normal Republican agenda.

Of course, there were the minority of Republicans who did what was right and withheld their support from Trump: people like Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Hewlett-Packard CEO and megadonor Meg Whitman, with her calling Trump "a threat to the survival of the republic."

I want to focus on a fourth group: Republican politicians who understand exactly how dangerous Donald Trump is but who have chosen to support him anyway for reasons of strategy, careerism, or cowardice.

Cowards and scoundrels

I am talking, for example, about Sen. Marco Rubio, who in the primary called Trump an "erratic individual" who must not be trusted with nuclear weapons  and then endorsed him for president.

I am talking about Sen. Ted Cruz, who called Trump a "pathological liar" and "utterly amoral"  and then endorsed him for president, even though Trump never apologized for threatening to "spill the beans" on Cruz's wife and suggesting Cruz's father was involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Most of all, I'm talking about House Speaker Paul Ryan, a man whose pained, blue eyes suggest he desperately wants to cry for help. He's a man who runs around the country pathetically trying to pretend that Trump does not exist and that the key issue is his congressional caucus' "Better Way" agenda. And he's a man who, of his own free will, seeks to help Donald Trump become president.

These men are not fools like Ben Carson.

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U.S. Senator Marco Rubio looks on during an official photo with Honduran Attorney General Oscar Chinchilla (not pictured) at the attorney's facilities in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on May 31, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera/File Photo

To borrow a phrase from Rubio, they know exactly what they are doing: They are taking an action that risks the destruction of the American republic to advance their personal interests.

They know what Whitman knows about the risks Trump poses to America. Rubio himself warned specifically of the risk of Trump starting a nuclear war! But they do not care.

I can conclude from the available evidence only that they love their careers more than they love America. And they are why I quit the Republican Party this week.

Why I was a Republican

I'm not a conservative. I know a lot of you already thought my Republican affiliation was a trolling exercise, and honestly, my registration change was probably overdue.

I became a Republican as a teenager because of my upbringing in Massachusetts, a state where the GOP has produced five good governors in my lifetime, from Bill Weld (now the Libertarian Party's vice-presidential nominee) to Charlie Baker. I worked for Mitt Romney when he ran for governor, and while I did not like his presidential campaigns, I think he has a record in Massachusetts he can be proud of.

All four living current and former Republican governors of Massachusetts oppose Trump.

I stayed a Republican because of my background working in state and local government finance, a policy area where a well-functioning Republican Party can bring important restraint. I have voted Republican, for example, in each of the past three New York City mayoral races.

I don't think it was ridiculous to be in a party that I disagreed with on a lot of national issues. Change is made through party coalitions, and I thought the Republican Party was where I was more likely to be able to improve ideas at the margin in the long run. Being a member of a party does not obligate you to vote for its bad candidates in the meantime.

But what this election has made clear is that policy is not the most important problem with the Republican Party.

ben sasse

The GOP was vulnerable to hacking

The Republican Party had a fundamental vulnerability: Because of the fact-free environment so many of its voters live in, and because of the anti-Democrat hysteria that had been willfully whipped up by so many of its politicians, it was possible for the party to be taken over by a fascist promising revenge.

And because there are only two major parties in the United States, and either of the parties' nominees can become president, such vulnerability in the Republican Party constitutes vulnerability in our democracy.

I can't be a part of an organization that creates that kind of risk.

What parties are for

My editor asked why I became a Democrat instead of an independent. I did that because I believe political parties are key vehicles for policymaking, and choosing not to join one is choosing to give up influence.

I agree with Sasse, the senator from Nebraska, that parties exist in service of policy ends and that loyalty to the party should be contingent on whether loyalty serves those ends. Because of this, it is worth joining a party even if you do not intend to be a partisan, and even if you will often oppose what the party does.

Sasse was one of the earliest and loudest voices of resistance to Trump in the Republican Party, and after the intra-GOP civil war that is sure to ensue from Trump's loss, I wonder whether he will decide remaining in the GOP does a service to the ends he cares about.

Sasse is a lot more conservative than I am, so I don't expect him to become a Democrat. It makes sense for people like him and Kasich to try, after the election, to wrest control of the party away from the conspiracy nuts and proto-fascists.

But I believe they will fail. And I'm not going to stick around to watch.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said Ted Cruz had called Donald Trump a "con artist." It was Marco Rubio who called him that. It's become difficult to keep track of which Trump endorsers said which things about Trump's manifest unfitness to be president.





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By India Today Web Desk: Karan Johar's debut film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai released exactly 18 years ago, today. And we thought of giving you some random trivia about the film. Not ABOUT the film, but related to this award show, of when Karan Johar won his first Zee Cine Award in 1998.

ALSO READ: Karan Johar talks about Alia Bhatt's cameo in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil



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ALSO READ: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai completes 18 years, here are 5 things we bet you didn't know



Can you guess who gives Karan Johar his first Zee Cine Award? It's someone who everyone is well familiar with today. A small hint is who she is accompanying - Shatrughan Sinha and famous director Subhash Ghai. She even goes on to say a few words and doesn't stay *khamosh* during the whole presentation.

So here is our presenter today:

She was none other than Sonakshi Sinha!

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Sanaa (AFP) - Yemen's Shiite Huthi rebels Sunday demanded an international probe into an air strike that killed more than 140 people at a funeral, after a Saudi-led Arab coalition admitted "wrongly" hitting it.

The October 8 raid, condemned by Human Rights Watch as an "apparent war crime", was one of the deadliest since the pro-government coalition launched an air campaign against the rebels and their allies in March 2015.

The coalition's acknowledgement that it wrongly hit the funeral "does not clear its leadership of violating international humanitarian law and all humanitarian norms and conventions", said the rebel-controlled foreign ministry.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon "should form an independent and international investigation committee headed by a high-profile, neutral and international personality as soon as possible to probe war crimes committed by the coalition in Yemen", it said in a statement.

The Riyadh-based coalition acknowledged on Saturday that the air strike in which more than 525 people were also wounded was based on "incorrect information".

It pledged "appropriate action" against those responsible and compensation for families of the victims.

The air strike prompted an international outcry and strong criticism, including from Saudi Arabia's closest Western allies.

Yemen's conflict has killed nearly 6,900 people, more than half of them civilians, since the coalition launched its operations, according to the United Nations.
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A mom in Southern California made sure her son's costume had legs.

Mary Chu constructed her son's gorgeous, blue-ringed octopus costume by hand, and shared the beautiful photos on her blog, The Parker Project.

At first glance, it looks like a cartoon octopus come to life and just chillin' on a gorgeous beach.

Image: Tuan Nguyen/the parker project

But it's actually 3-year-old Parker and the result of hours of hard work.

"[Parker] learned from a YouTube video that blue ringed octopus are one of the deadliest animals in the ocean and he thought that was cool," Chu wrote to Mashable. "He also likes the color blue."

SEE ALSO: Family's Halloween costume game is inspirational, a little creepy

Image: TUAN NGUYEN/the parker project

With such a specific request, Chu turned to a Martha Stewart octopus costume tutorial. But she made it her own by turning the design into a blue-ringed octopus, as per her son's request.

Can we talk about how awesome blue-ringed octopuses are?

A blue-ringed octopus

Image: WIKIPEDIA

Since sharing the photo, Chu has received support both online and in person.

"We've gotten a lot of positive feedback about the costume on social media. The folks that saw us taking pictures at the beach had a lot of compliments as well," she told Mashable. "I'm now being followed by octopus groups on Instagram. Haha!"

A photo posted by Mary Chu (@parkerproject) on Oct 12, 2016 at 12:57pm PDT

Chu's husband, Tuan Nguyen, took the stunning photos.

"I was so happy with how the costume turned out that I made Parker and Tuan go down to La Jolla Shores to snap some photos," Chu wrote on her blog.

"We arrived as the sun was setting and the tide was low. It was perfect and Tuan did a fantastic job capturing the essence of the costume."

Mary, Tuan and Parker are clearly all ready for Halloween.

A photo posted by Mary Chu (@parkerproject) on Oct 1, 2016 at 10:56am PDT

"Halloween is serious business in my family," Chu told Mashable.

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"I'm glad I was able to make Parker a unique costume that reflects his interest in sea life."

BONUS: Stranger Things with Hamsters
A virtual nurse called Cora could help save peoples lives by preventing heart attacks, according to new research.

Cora, an interactive avatar on call on smartphones or tablets, could help patients who have suffered a heart attack and are at high risk of another to spot symptoms and take the right action - potentially saving their life.

The virtual nurse, developed at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, gives advice on the warning signs of a heart attack and explains what to do in the event of a repeat attack.

A study found that Cora improved the ability of 10 heart attack survivors to recognise symptoms by 24% and their knowledge of what to do by 15%.

Fun - Cora is less intimidating than a doctor (Picture: PA)

Professor Robyn Clark, a member of the team from Flinders University, said: We have found in patient education that cartoon like characters are less intimidating than a video with a doctor in a white coat giving a lecture on what to do.

"Cora is engaging, fun, and gives good feedback. Patients of any age can answer her questions by pressing yes/no on the screen.

MORE: 5 household products that you didnt know had expiry dates

MORE: Spiders just got a little bit more scary - they can actually hear your voice from across a room

Ms Jintana Tongpeth, from the universitys School of Nursing and Midwifery, who presented the findings at the Acute Cardiovascular Care 2016 meeting of heart experts in Lisbon, Portugal, said Cora was popular with the patients.

They enjoyed using it and said it had helped them to be more confident about recognising and managing heart attack symptom in the future, she added.

To make Cora suitable for patients around the world, the app is being given the ability to speak 144 different languages.

(Top picture: Rex)
Workplace by Facebook, a version of the social network designed for business collaboration, now claims some two million paying customers (AFP Photo/Justin TALLIS)

Washington (AFP) - Looking to break out of a "messy" email situation, the nonprofit group dosomething.org recently switched over to a new way of communicating among its far-flung teams.

Moving most internal communications to the messaging application Slack with its "channels" for various teams made it easier to coordinate the group's social change projects across 131 countries, said software engineer Joe Kent.

"All the teams have their channels and anyone can jump in and see what the others are doing," Kent told AFP. "You can follow the conversation a lot more quickly."

Slack, created in 2013, has become a leader in a crowded field of new applications aimed at helping workplaces move away from email.

Facebook this month jumped headlong into this segment with its Workplace application, aiming to leverage the popularity of the leading social network used by some 1.7 billion people.

Facebook is among an array of competitors vying for a slice of this market, including several startups and Microsoft.

San Francisco-based Slack has raised some $500 million at a reported valuation of some $4 billion, making it one of the most prominent venture-funded tech "unicorns" worth over $1 billion.

With some three million active users, including nearly one million paying for "premium" service, Slack has become one of the fastest-growing business applications.

Craig Le Clair of Forrester Research said these services are growing because younger "millennials" have different ways of working.

"They want to work when they want to, they want chat sessions that better integrate with their social media lives," Le Clair said.

Le Clair said many workplaces are facing "information overload" due to the volume of emails that need to be sorted and prioritized.

"The goal is to get out of email hell," he said.

- 'Just sign up' -

Small- and medium-sized businesses find Slack especially appealing because of its ease of use on both mobile and desktop devices, says Mark Beccue, an analyst who researched the market for Compass Intelligence.

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"There's no friction. Companies don't have to go through a major software license process, you just sign up," Beccue said. "It's the consumerization of an enterprise product."

The global enterprise chat and messaging market is set to reach $1.9 billion by 2019, according to Beccue's report.

Slack came at the right time for companies seeking new ways to improve workplace efficiency, Beccue said.

"I think they are major driver of innovation for business productivity," he said.

Slack and rivals like Atlassian's HipChat and Microsoft's Yammer offer social media-style interfaces for messages, and some integrate with business applications to enable voice calls, video and other services.

Slack recently teamed with cloud computing group Salesforce to broaden its offerings in services such as customer relations management.

Slack also allows organizations to create channels for communicating outside the enterprise, powered by artificial intelligence "bots."

"Slack is moving away from just being a messaging tool, they want to be the home base for enterprise applications, and that's a different ballgame," said Raul Castanon-Martinez, an analyst at 451 Research.

Castanon-Martinez said that "Slack's success took a lot of people by surprise" but that it may be difficult to sustain momentum in the face of deep-pocketed rivals like Facebook and Microsoft.

Microsoft earlier this year announced that its Yammer messaging platform would integrate with its Office 365 groups, while also offering easy connections to Outlook email and Skype, aiming for a broad set of business tools under its umbrella.

"Microsoft hasn't made a lot of noise, but they have been aggressive in remaining the dominant place in productivity applications," Castanon-Martinez said.

Aggressive pricing is also being used as a way to woo businesses away from Slack. Microsoft offers its suite of services for $2 to $4 per user, and Facebook $1 to $3 per user compared with Slack's standard $6.67 per user.

- The Facebook model -

Facebook meanwhile is seeking to use its advantage as "the social media world that millennials grew up with," Le Clair said.

But the analyst said it is not clear if companies and network managers will move to the Facebook platform.

"Most of the employers and managers didn't grow up in that world," he said.

"They associate Facebook with something their kids are doing, it's not associated with productivity and getting work done. Some companies even restrict the use of Facebook in the workplace."

Analysts point out that Slack and similar platforms may increase the burden on employees, becoming an additional "feed" to manage, and that email is still necessary for external contacts and other functions.

Le Clair said artificial intelligence may be the tool that helps sift through messages to stay on track.

"You're going to need emerging analytics to go through those streams," he said.

"Facebook has done a lot of investment in AI so they could be well-placed to do that."
BJP Yuva Morcha has called for a state-wide protest to condemn the brutal killing of RSS worker Rudresh.

By Rohini Swamy: The BJP Yuva Morcha has called for a state-wide protest condemning the killing of Rudresh and the failure of the government in maintaining law and order in the state.

The statement issued by Lok Sabha MP and BJP Yuva Morcha State President Prathap Simha said that Rudresh's murder was not the first of its kind in the city.

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He said that a similar attack had taken place on October 8 where an RSS member Dileep was attacked by eight persons in Muthyala Nagar. After an FIR was filed in Yesvanthapur Police Station, two of the attackers identified as Rafiq and Jaffer were arrested but released on bail. Six others involved in the attack are still absconding.

In another incident, another RSS worker, Phanindra, was attacked with swords in Vidyaranyapura. Despite registering a police complaint, the attackers are still at large, stated Simha.

The BJP Yuva Morcha has filed a petition with the Police Department to arrest the attackers and stop the "repeated and systematic attacks on RSS Swayamsevaks".

Also read:

Bengaluru: RSS volunteer hacked to death, probe on

Kerala: BJP worker hacked to death, his father was killed in 2002

Tamil Nadu: BJP youth wing leader hacked to death in broad daylight

DMK councillor hacked to death inside church, prior to local body elections



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The 62-year-old former forest watcher's journey of atonement started on June 3, 2015, when he told a group of officials how he was part of the gang that killed over 20 elephants in two years.

The worst is over, feels Kunjumon Devasey. Out on bail on August 25, after a year in judicial custody and jail, the whistleblower in what was Kerala's, perhaps India's, biggest elephant poaching case, is trying to lead a quiet life in his remote village, Kalarikudi, bordering the Idamalayar forests in Ernakulam district. He's still an accused in 16 poaching cases, his wife is mentally not all there, but the man has no regrets about exposing the poaching syndicate. "I've no future but my conscience was killing me. It had to be done," he says.

The 62-year-old former forest watcher's journey of atonement started on June 3, 2015, when he walked into the Karimbani range office (under Ernakulam district's Malayatoor forest division) and told a group of stunned officials how he had, on various occasions, accompanied a group of poachers, headed by 'Ikkara' Vasu, and killed over 20 elephants in Vazhachal, Thundathil, Munnar and Parambikulam wildlife sanctuaries in a span of two years.

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Kunjumon, right, with Aandikunju (third from right), at the DFO office, malayatoor

Deputy range officer K.P. Sunil Kumar thought the man had gone crazy in his old age and even advised him to "go and see a psychiatrist". But Kunjumon stuck to his guns, and the names and mobile numbers he came up with were of known offenders in the area (though most were thought to be 'inactive'). However, Sunil Kumar decided against ordering a basic investigation or recording Kunjumon's statement. When the latter insisted, the forester had him arrested and framed in a case of killing an elephant calf, ironically, the reason why he'd fallen out (well, that and money) with the poachers in the first place.

Fortunately, Kunjumon insisted his statement be put on record, and after news leaked that local foresters were hushing up a poaching case, the then state forest minister, Thiruvanchiyur Radhakrishnan, ordered a probe. Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Surendra Kumar, who led the investigation, says, "His confessions were an eye-opener. It was the first time a poacher was making voluntary revelations about his own gang, and with specific information. More than revenge, it was 'wildlife justice'. If Kunjumon hadn't talked about the ring operating in Kerala's forests, nobody would have noticed the extent of the elephant poaching going on."

Currently director of the Institute of Wood Science and Technology in Bengaluru, Kumar's team tracked down the hunters, carriers, primary collectors and sponsors of poaching, spread across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi and Bengal and in a matter of months arrested 74 people involved in the ivory trade. The team tracked their mobile numbers, raided hideouts, even froze bank accounts.

Today, it's listed as the biggest case in the history of elephant poaching in India. "We started from nowhere but built a clear case through team work. A hundred-odd officials were involved," recalls Kumar. "In the process, we profiled a massive network operating in India and abroad."

What the investigation has unearthed so far What the investigation has unearthed so far

But after the initial hurrahs, he was under pressure to go slow. The investigation continued, sometimes, with "active opposition" from the Kerala forest force chief, Dr B.S. Corrie, alleges Kumar. "He tried to demoralise officers by making false accusations of rights violations. Unfortunately, he took the stand that our investigations were headed in the wrong direction. This, despite the team cracking the case in record time," he says. When contacted, Corrie denied the allegations, and said his office was "doing its best to speedily conclude the probe".

Despite all the hurdles, the IFS officer says "his only regret is not arresting Aykkaramattom Vasu. If we had got him alive, a lot more details of the network would have come out". Vasu, the kingpin, was found mysteriously dead on July 21, 2015, an apparent suicide, at a farmhouse in Dodamarg in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra where he was hiding.

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Vasu aka 'Vadattupara Veerappan' as he sometimes figures in the forest crime records, took to poaching at an early age. His attention turned to elephants in the late '90s after a local ivory artefacts dealer put him in touch with one Aji Bright. "He was ruthless, known for his sharpshooting skills. Vasu was also the pointsperson for ivory dealers. Our investigations revealed that he was offered advances for operations, money was even wire-transferred to his accounts," says K. Vijayanand, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Malayatoor division, Ernakulam district. Kunjumon himself attests to the gang's bloody nature. "Once we were returning from the forest and we saw an elephant calf, less than six months old. It had very small tusks but Aandikunju (the Vasu gang's No. 2) shot the calf for fun. When I objected, it led to an argument and he roughed me up. I couldn't sleep for days after as the calf's screams haunted me," he says. (The calf was to come back to haunt Kunjumon later too, when he was arrested for its killing.)

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Vasu's village and the remote tribal hamlet, Kuttampuzha, once a favourite camping site of celebrated ornithologist, the late Salim Ali, has itself gained a dubious reputation of sorts. The sleepy village bordering the Idamalayar forest is on the list of most dangerous places for wildlife and elephants, according to Wildlife Census, 2012. Around 14 people from Kuttampuzha have been arrested since August 2015 in some 18 elephant poaching cases. Shantry Tom, Range Officer, Karimbani, says several gangs from the village started operating in the nearby forests. "They found that elephant poaching was highly lucrative after seeing the Vasu gang in action. His lifestyle changed after he teamed up with Bright's network." Forest officials say a pair of tusks (average weight 20 kg) sold in the local market for around Rs 7 lakh. By the time it reached Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi, it was Rs 35 lakh.

The network operated on many levels. "People like Vasu supply the tusks to agents like Aji Bright, who procure material for artefact manufacturers like Preston Silva in Thiruvananthapuram. Silva, in turn, supplied to ivory dealers like Umesh Agarwal and exporters like Eagle Rajan. Poachers only knew the next link, though Vasu was an exception," says DFO Vijayanand.

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The investigation team tracked the bank details of Bright (September 2013 to June 2015), which revealed he had received Rs 19.31 lakh during the period. Amounts were credited from places as far as Delhi, Bengaluru, Mysuru and Trichy. The transaction details trapped the ivory traders in the investigation net. Agarwal's arrest, in particular, from Laxmi Nagar in Delhi, yielded a rich haul of information. Not only was 415 kg of ivory recovered from his city godown in Jaffrabad, he provided the links that helped piece together the poaching network in South India.

But it was when Kumar started targeting the ivory dealers that the investigation ran into trouble. "There was a move to freeze the probe, and some members of the team were transferred out. Top officials in the state department were not happy with the raids and arrests in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Kumar was under tremendous pressure. Finally, he applied for central deputation and moved to Bengaluru," a senior forest official, who preferred to stay anonymous, said in Kochi.

The investigation was also stymied by the strange refusal of the CBI to take over. The Kerala government had wanted the agency to probe the international ivory trade network operating in the Western Ghats and the mysterious suicide of Vasu. Though it had a clear case, the bureau turned down the request, citing shortage of manpower. "A CBI investigation could have exposed the international syndicate and nailed them. But unfortunately the agency showed no interest," says a senior bureaucrat in Kerala. In between, the Kerala Human Rights Commission too got into the act, filing a case against forest officials. The investigation still continues in spurts. As recently as October 4, a member of Vasu's gang was arrested.

Dr P.S. Easa, Elephant Task Force member and Senior Director, Wildlife Trust of India, says the way forward is for the forest department to have an exclusive cell to investigate cases of poaching. "If elephants are not safe in Kerala's forests, no animal is," he says. Incidentally, some of the initial faces in the investigation, range officer Sunil Kumar and Kunjumon, also had tumultuous years. Sunil and five other officers have rejoined duty after a six-month suspension for dereliction of duty. Kunjumon marks time waiting for his day in court. Justice served, in some sense.



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The restaurant owner told The Los Angeles Times he runs a Jamaican catering business out of the house and was hosting a birthday celebration when the shooting broke out.

Los Angeles police investigators work the scene of a fatal shooting in the Crenshaw District neighborhood of Los Angeles on October 15, 2016. Photo: AP

By AP: An early morning argument at a Los Angeles restaurant operating out of a converted home apparently triggered gunfire that left three people dead and 12 wounded, two gravely, authorities said Saturday.

The restaurant owner told The Los Angeles Times he runs a Jamaican catering business out of the house and was hosting a birthday celebration when the shooting broke out. A man who had gone to the house to ask that a car be moved from his brother's driveway told the newspaper there were more than 100 people in the house and yard and that a DJ was playing music.

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Shortly after they left, Paul Elen said he heard 15 to 20 shots.

"My brother thought it was fireworks," Elen said. "I said, 'No, ain't no smoke in there. Them ain't fireworks, them gunshots.'"

Police who arrived at the scene in a working class neighborhood dotted by tall palm trees found shell casings and blood throughout the restaurant west of downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called the shooting the latest example of senseless gun violence that has reached epidemic proportions in the country.

"We cannot tolerate these tragedies multiplying in communities across America," Garcetti said in a statement.

Los Angeles Police Department Officer Mike Lopez said investigators were seeking a suspect he described as a black male, possibly accompanied by a woman.

Police earlier questioned two possible suspects, but Lopez said later no one was in custody.

Three people died at the scene, and 12 others were transported to local hospitals.

Lopez said two of the victims were in grave condition. Two of the wounded were released and the others remain hospitalized with wounds are not considered life-threatening.

Police did not disclose the names or ages of the victims.

Neighbor Sheryl Cobb said she was awakened by screaming and gunfire, but never left her home for fear of getting caught in a crossfire.

"Bullets don't have names on them," she said.

According to a preliminary investigation, a party was underway in the restaurant at 12:30 a.m. Saturday when an argument started.

A man and woman left, then returned, and the restaurant erupted in gunfire.

The shooting occurred in a residential area of modest homes. Investigators were snapping photographs and scouring the ground in an area around the site.

"There was some type of party there," Lopez said. After the couple left the restaurant and returned "that's when the shooting occurred."

LAPD Sgt. Frank Preciado told the Times that the restaurant was "a bloody scene with shell casings everywhere."

One firearm was recovered.

Garcetti said he was confident police would unravel questions surrounding the shooting, and expressed sympathy for victims' families.

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The Fashion director said that the attack was misdirected, as the BJP or the government had not banned Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

By India Today Web Desk: The war of words has begun. According to a report in the Indian Express, after Anurag Kashyap's show of support to Karan Johar where he launched an attack of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Madhur Bhandarkar has hit out at the Bombay Velvet director for his protest.

ALSO READ | ADHM ban: Anurag Kashyap backs KJo, says PM Modi hasn't apologised for Pakistan trip

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Kashyap had, in a series of tweets, demanded an apology from Modi for visiting Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore. He said that only filmmakers were suffering because the PM was silent on the issue. Kashyap has been against the ban on the release of Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which is facing trouble for featuring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.

Bhandarkar slammed Kashyap saying, "Whatever Anurag Kashyap said is wrong. Neither the BJP nor the government has issued any ban. It has become a trend to protest against Modi Ji."

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The NGO called Sangharsh has threatened to stall the screening if organisers do not pay heed to their 'request'.

By India Today Web Desk: An NGO called Sangharsh has slammed organisers of MAMI 2016 for hurting Indian nationalist sentiments and screening a Pakistani film Jaago Hua Savera, in spite of the unrest on the Indo-Pak border following the Uri attack. The organisation's president Prithvi Mhaske has sought police permission to protest against the organisers for the same.



ALSO READ: Pak film Jaago Hua Savera to be screened at MAMI 2016

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A letter addressed to the film festival organisers includes the following threats, "The organisers of this event are more likely to flare the outrage among people by screening this Pakistani film in their film festival. This will just not be acceptable as it will give rise to more tension and outrage among the people."

The letter continued, "Moreover, IMPAA has also decided to ban Pakistani actors from working in Bollywood and also almost all single screen theatres have decided to ban movies of Pakistani actors. So, why the organisers of MAMI Mumbai Festival are pouring so much love towards the Pakistani actors."

The film is getting screened in the restored classic section of the festival, which is chaired by superstar Aamir Khans director wife Kiran Rao. Mhaske has threatened the organisers, "If the organisers do not stop screening the film, my workers would stall the screening of the film.??



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Ranked in stoic, disapproving silence, hundreds of thousands of Marathas have been taking to the streets for weeks now in protest at what they see to be government indifference to their plight, to the diminishing of their once considerable political and financial influence. These rallies and shows of solidarity were catalysed by the rape and murder in July of a teenage Maratha girl in Kopardi village, in Ahmednagar district. Three young Dalit boys were arrested in connection with it, but the cracks in an already complicated caste relationship had been ripped open. The breach may have become a chasm with the latest incident of attempted rape at Talegaon near Nashik on October 7. The Maratha community torched several trucks and blocked the Nashik-Mumbai highway for six hours after police arrested a teenage Dalit boy for the attempted rape of a five-year-old Maratha girl.

Considered dominant within Maharashtra, the Marathas now argue that for too long the success of a limited number of families was taken to represent the success of the entire community. Two years ago, a committee headed by Narayan Rane, Congress leader and former Shiv Sena chief minister, submitted a report providing evidence of the Marathas' problems. Marathas make up some 34 per cent of the state's population but account for only 15 per cent of government employees. Only 12 per cent of those enrolled in higher education and in technical institutes are Maratha, but 36 per cent of farmers who have committed suicide are from the community.

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"I have found," says Rane, a Maratha himself, "that Marathas are mostly farmers and labourers who work on the employment guarantee scheme. Their economic condition is pathetic. Maratha students are poor and often don't have the money to complete their education and, in the absence of good qualifications, struggle to get good jobs." The Rane committee recommended that the Marathas receive 16 per cent reservation in education and in government jobs. In July 2014, a Congress-NCP government had put such a reservation policy into motion only for the Bombay High Court to stay the order in November. The Marathas, the court suggested, were a socially advanced and prestigious community that had no need for reservations. Devendra Fadnavis, of the BJP, had just taken office as the state's new chief minister then. The issue of Maratha reservations became his headache.

OBC violence in Nashik over the Chhagan Bhujbal arrest

The court based its observations on reports of three commissions (1990 to 2008), that confirmed that the Marathas could not be considered backward. In December 2014, the Fadnavis government passed a bill granting Marathas reservations which was again stayed by the HC in April 2015, on the grounds that the state could not exceed the Supreme Court-mandated cap of 50 per cent. This is a 1992 decision that certain states, including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra itself, do not follow, devoting larger chunks of the pie to reservations. Petitions continue to be heard, with the HC encouraging submission of arguments by October 13.

Many in the Maratha community are suspicious of the CM's intent too. Some even allege that Fadnavis, a Brahmin, is displaying his own caste biases. Rane suggests that constitutional amendments could allow Maharashtra to exceed the 50 per cent cap. "If Tamil Nadu can have 68 per cent reservation," he asks, "why not Maharashtra?" The answer, he suggests, lies in a lack of political will: "The HC stayed the order because the government did not submit my committee's findings before them. The government doesn't really want reservations for the Marathas."

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State minister for higher education Vinod Tawde, who heads the Maratha reservations committee, says Rane should blame the Congress-NCP ("his own government") for not submitting his findings in court. "Our government," Tawde insists, "is working hard to prove that Marathas are socially and economically backward." Politicians such as Tawde and Rane, though, have been caught flatfooted by the strength of the Maratha protests.

The huge turnouts have been widely touted as leaderless, and the main parties are scrambling to appear onside. Recently, Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena president and editor of party mouthpiece Saamna, apologised for a cartoon that appeared in the paper mocking the protests. The apology was unprecedented, and an indication of the strength of feeling created by the movement, the so-called Maratha Kranti Morcha. Some of the Sena's own Maratha leaders considered resigning in protest, while isolated stone-pelting attacks were launched at the paper's press and offices.

Reservations are not the only demand of the marchers. Many also want the so-called 'Atrocities Act', the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, scrapped. The allegation is that Dalits and OBCs are using the act to get Marathas falsely arrested. Purushottam Khedekar, founder of organisations like the Maratha Seva Sangh, claims that "almost 90 per cent of those booked under the Act are Maratha. It has become a tool for revenge". Nanabhau Patole, a BJP MP from Bhadara-Gondiya, says he has "statistics from the Union home ministry that show that 95 per cent of cases registered under the Atrocities Act are with mala fide intent".

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If these seem like outlandish claims, it is because they stand with figures showing that only one per cent of all FIRs are filed by Dalits and OBCs, who make up 27 per cent of the population. Further, only 40 per cent of those claims were registered under the Atrocities Act and the fact that hardly any convictions are achieved could be attributed to investigative apathy as easily as to the filing of false claims. Dalit leaders, including Ramdas Athawale, the Union minister of state for social justice, have come out against any amendments to the act. Indeed, Maratha mobilisation may be inspiring Dalits and OBCs to mobilise themselves. Recently, in Nashik, some four lakh supporters of disgraced OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal-in jail since March on a money-laundering charge-turned out to protest his being held without bail. As much as it was a show of Bhujbal's enduring popularity, observers said it was a show of OBC willingness to defend their interests in the face of Maratha demands.

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Still, the state is listening to Maratha complaints. The Maharashtra government has proposed a number of changes in procedure once a charge has been made under the Atrocities Act. Now, a person booked under it for severe crimes like molestation is required to approach the high court to secure bail, a process that often drags for over two months. The state government wants bail hearings in the district court so that the process is quicker, and for relatively minor crimes, such as abuse, the state suggests bail be secured within a week. Many within the government believe shortening the time spent in jail by individuals newly accused of crimes under the Atrocities Act will help soothe Maratha anger.

Animosity over the Atrocities Act or towards high-caste leaders cannot mask the disgust Marathas feel towards their own leaders. The community traditionally controlled the cooperative sugar mills, milk federations, ginning mills, rural banks and market yards, allowing them to reign over Maharashtra's rural economy. It was the basis for much of the community's economic confidence. But the rural economy has been suffering for a decade, the cooperative sector is collapsing, many of the mills are running losses and the banks are unable to compete with the private ones opening branches in the hinterlands.

A standard complaint is that Maratha leaders looked after themselves but failed the community. In Latur, for instance, when the city faced unparalleled water shortages, the powerful Deshmukh family appeared more interested in using large quantities of water to keep their sugar mills running than in ensuring people had enough to drink. The already low levels of groundwater dipped even further. Dileep Deshmukh, brother of the late Vilasrao Deshmukh, an ex-CM, argues that the sugar mills keep the economy alive: "They generate an economy of Rs 1,700 crore a year in the district. We could not afford to lose that business and help only the farmers."

Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and a former MP, also holds the Maratha leaders responsible. "The benefits of power were not shared. Some 169 families controlled the cooperative sectors, and while they became rich, everyone else suffered." Prakash Pawar, a political science professor at Kolhapur University, says much the same. "It is true, the vast numbers turning out for the rallies indicate just how much they feel let down by their own establishment," he says.

Maratha strongman and NCP president Sharad Pawar is the target of many complaints. Farmer suicides were at their highest in a decade when Pawar was Union agriculture minister. On an average, 3,600 farmers killed themselves in the state every year between 2004 and 2013. And while the NCP heaps praise on Pawar for waiving farmers' debts to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore, only farmers with big holdings benefitted. "Pawar gives the impression that he knows all the answers," says MNS chief Raj Thackeray, "so then why did he not take appropriate action when farmers were killing themselves?"

The Maratha agitation, coupled with the effects it could have on Dalits and OBCs, not to mention the chronic anti-Brahmin sentiment in the region, could set the stage for considerable caste conflict. The OBCs worry that the government might cut their share to accommodate the Maratha demands, while the Brahmins, who make up only three per cent of the population, are already wary. Maratha organisations are often accused of harbouring anti-Brahmin sentiments. Last year, the state's highest civilian award- Maharashtra Bhushan-was conferred on nonagenarian Brahmin writer Babasaheb Purandare. Maratha organisations opposed this, with some even alleging he was to blame for US scholar James Laine's book on Shivaji, which was banned in the state in the wake of violent protests.

"Giving the Maharashtra Bhushan to Purandare was like rubbing salt on our wounds," says Sudhir Dhone, Congress leader and a founder member of the Maratha Seva Sangh. "We are not against Brahmins. In the last 15 years, some seven Brahmins have received this award, but we are against conferring prestige on the wrong person", he says. Khedekar, though, is a known provocateur, arguing in his book, Shivrayanchya Badnamichi Kendre (The Centres Who Defamed Shivaji), that Brahmins are the only enemies of the non-Brahmin. He has written that the country can only prosper when Brahmins are killed off. Given his prominence in the agitation, the Brahmins too feel insecure, so much so they have a conclave of their own scheduled for November.

Fadnavis, whose future depends on how he handles this crisis, is scrambling to contain the damage. He has announced aid of Rs 200 crore to the Annasaheb Patil Arthik Vikas Mahamandal, a body which works to uplift mathadi (head-load) workers, most of whom are Marathas. Fadnavis is also reviewing the progress of a proposed memorial to Shivaji's mother in her birthplace, Sindkhedraja, in the Buldhana district. Khedekar has been appointed head of the committee.

But when a movement is spontaneous and leaderless, and suspicious of politicians, it may take more than political tactics and gestures to contain it. If Fadnavis fails to cool Maratha tempers, the failure of his tenure will be the least of Maharashtra's concerns.

"Fadnavis is too casual on the Maratha issue"

Maharashtra Congress president and ex-Cm Ashok Chavan is leading the Opposition attack on the BJP government over the Maratha issue. Excerpts from an interview:

Why are you backing the Maratha agitation?

The community's poorer sections are in crisis. Back-to-back droughts and the resultant farm losses have made their life miserable. There are no job opportunities for them. There is no industrialisation outside Mumbai and Pune. The Maratha youth are out on the street because there's a sense of uncertainty to their life today.

The HC has struck down quotas for the Marathas. Why are you blaming the government for this?

The government can give reservations, although within the legal frame it will need amendments to the Constitution. But if they can do it for clearing the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Bill, they can do it for this cause too. If there are legal hurdles, they should be removed. The government should take everyone into confidence.

Could Fadnavis have handled the issue better?

This government is too casual, they are not sensitive to the issue. They don't listen, even to the Opposition.

What are your problems with the government's functioning?

They have released almost Rs 4,000 crore as aid to the farmers. Instead of that, if they had written off the farmers' loan (estimated Rs 25,000 crore) it would have benefitted the farmers more. The government is paying off the moneylenders to make farmers debt-free but not taking into account their real woes.

Do you support the demand for abolishing the Atrocities Act?

We are not demanding that it be abolished, but we are against its misuse. There should be stringent checks on any atrocities being committed, but the act should not be misused.

The BJP too has backed the marches. Do you think it will work in its favour?

The BJP is in power now, they should act instead of joining the marches. They are just trying to save their skin. The CM is there to work, not to make emotional appeals. Why does he want sympathy?

What would be a logical end to the agitation?

A decision on their demands is the only logical end.

Follow the writer on Twitter @kirantare



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The Delhi High Court, however, held that the demand for privacy by the wife cannot be termed as cruelty.

By Mail Today Bureau: Demand for privacy by a married woman cannot be dubbed as cruelty towards the husband and be sufficient ground for divorce, the Delhi High Court has held.

"Privacy is a fundamental human right. The Oxford dictionary defines privacy as 'a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people'. So when a woman enters into matrimony, it is the duty of the family members to provide her privacy," observed Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice Deepa Sharma.

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The observation was made while dismissing a husband's plea that challenged a 2010 trial court order dismissing his petition seeking dissolution of marriage on the grounds of cruelty.

IRRETRIEVABLE BREAKDOWN OF MARRIAGE

Besides cruelty, the husband also raised the ground of irretrievable breakdown of marriage by narrating that their wedlock has virtually lost its meaning as they were living separately for 12 years and had reached a point of no return.

However, the bench said that though the Supreme Court had recommended to the Centre in 2006 an amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act to incorporate irretrievable breakdown as a ground for divorce, it is yet to be done till date.

The court, however, held that the demand for privacy by the wife cannot be termed as cruelty. The bench noted the trial court's observation that a wife's demand to set up a separate home was not unreasonable.

The bench said, "There is no evidential backing by the husband or his family members showing that they had provided requisite privacy to the wife. "The family court was therefore correct in holding that such a demand was not unreasonable and as such did not constitute cruelty."

The man, who had married in September 2003, had filed for divorce before the trial court alleging that his wife had treated him cruelly and pressured him to set up a separate home as she did not want to live in a joint family.

FINANCIAL RESTRAINTS

The husband claimed that due to financial restraints, it was not possible for him to set up a separate independent household due to which his wife had started misbehaving not only with him but other family members as well.

While dismissing the husband's appeal, the high court said that he did not bring on record any proof to substantiate his allegation that the wife's behaviour had caused mental cruelty.

"While disputes and arguments are normal in a marriage, in order to constitute cruelty, the conduct of the spouse should be something more serious than the ordinary 'wear and tear' of a marital life," the bench noted.

ALSO READ:

Pakistan govt may table Hindu Marriage bill in Parliament

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Triple talaq case: Muslim activists snub clerics on Uniform Civil Code



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By PTI: Bhopal, Oct 16 (PTI) Nearly thirty-two years after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in which thousands of people were killed, Madhya Pradesh government today announced that it would build a memorial of one of the worlds worst industrial disaster.

It would come up on the premises of the defunct Union Carbide factory here from where toxic gas spewed out on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, wreaking havoc.

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"Like Hiroshima Memorial, a memorial of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy will be built," Minister of State for Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Vishvas Sarang said here after inspecting the defunct factory.

The concept and the plan of the memorial are ready and the work would start in two to three months, he said.

Sarang said 10 tonnes of toxic waste lying in the factory has been disposed of by Ramki Private Limited, Pithampur. "We will request the Central Pollution Control Board to incinerate the remaining waste lying in the factory," he said.

The state government was working hard to ensure that the victims of the gas tragedy got justice, he said.

NGO Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udhyog Sangathan (BGPMUS), which works for the survivors of the tragedy, thanked Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Sarang for announcement of the memorial.

BGPMUS leader Abdul Jabbar said it had been demanding memorial of the tragedy for the last two decades.

The state government should also request the Centre to strongly pursue the curative petition filed in the Supreme Court seeking compensation and medical facilities for the tragedy survivors, he demanded. PTI LAL KRK KIS RDS

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By Saurabh Vaktania: A sixty-one-year-old businessman and RTI activist was found murdered at his home in Kalina, Santacruz east of Mumbai on Saturday late night.

One round was fired on his temple which killed him there on the spot. The local cops and crime branch have started their investigations in the matter but still not arrest is made. The cops said they have some leads in the case. Over four people are detained by the cops.

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The deceased identified as Bhupendra Veera resided with his wife near Kalina Masjid in Santacruz east. Some people had come to meet Bhupendra and his wife was in another room on Saturday late night. Later the people went and when his wife went to see him, Bhupendra was found in a pool of blood sitting on the chair. She immediately informed her neigbours and took Bhupendra to local VN Desai Hospital where he was declared dead.

PRE-PLANNED MURDER, ACCUSED USED SILENCER



According to police officials, it was pre-planned murder and the accused may have used silencer for killing Bhupendra. Speaking to India Today, senior police officer investigating the case said, "The murder is committed by someone who is known to Bhupendra. We also highly suspect that the accused may have used silencer in the pistol so that sound did not come out and nobody knew that bullet was fired and the accused escaped easily". The officer added, "One round was fired on the temple of Bhupendra which killed him on the spot. There are not CCTV cameras in the area."

ROLE OF LOCAL LAND-GRABBER SUSPECTED



According to police sources, Bhupendra had filed several RTI applications and complaint against one local land-grabber and his sons. Bhupendra had even gone to the Lokayukt in the matter and brought orders to seize some of the land of the local land mafia which irked him badly. The land mafia and his four sons are detained by the cops in the case. The cops, however, feel there can be something more to the case.

Bhupendra's daughter said, "We know who has committed murder. We have told cops everything about it." She further refused to comment on the matter.

AAP members have strongly condemned the case and asked the cops to nab the accused soon. Bhupendra even worked for the party.

ALSO READ:

Kannur crime: 3 murders in 4 days, Governor apprised of situation



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A social media campaign forced police to act in a case of mysterious death of a Jadavpur University scholar, Mita, whose friends and family refused to believe that she committed suicide within six months of her wedding.

By Manogya Loiwal : In today's digital era that can take an issue from a remote village to the entire world of internet connectivity, seeking justice for women continues to be a never ending fight. It is a reality that injustice against women never tends to seize.

Though numerous initiatives have been taken to put an end on the prejudices against women, it is yet to pull curtains on their sufferings. The irony is that social media, simultaneously, carries instances of "More Power to Women" messages and "Seek Justice for Women" posts.

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A recent case of alleged murder of married woman Mita in Bengal has yet again drawn light to this bitter reality. Mita, a scholar from Jadavpur University, got married on April, 22 this year.

READ: Any person can now be tried under Domestic Violence Act: SC

On 11th October, her husband Rana informed her parents that their daughter had committed suicide by hanging herself. The incident took place under Uluberia police station in Howrah district.

SUICIDE OR MURDER?

Mita's family, however, did not believe Rana's version of the incident. They alleged that their daughter had been tortured and brutally murdered by her in-laws.

Mita's unresponsive body apparently substantiated their claim. Besides strangulation marks around her neck, several scratches and bruises were found on her hands and shoulders.

One of her ear lobes had torn out and blood congealed in her hair. It is being suggested that her ear and nose bled profusely.

READ: Bengal: Woman kills brother after suspecting him of doing black magic

All this raised doubts about the suicide theory given by her husband and his family. The family suspected that Mita was physically abused before being strangulated to death.

POSSIBLE DOWRY ANGLE

The bereaved family talked about another reason to dismiss the suicide theory. According to Mita's brother, the ceiling of her bedroom is too low to successfully commit suicide.

During her last visit to her parents' house, Mita demanded Rs one lakh on the pretext of pursuing BEd. One of her friends, on the condition of anonymity stated that Mita had recently aborted her child due to pressure from unwanted quarters.

Connecting the dots, her family and friends suspect that Mita had been a victim of domestic violence including dowry demands.

READ: AIIMS doctor commits suicide, dowry angle suspected

AUTOPSY REPORT WAS DOCTORED?

The family also alleged foul play by Sanjiban Hospital which filed the death report. According to the family members, the doctors mentioned only the strangulation marks round her neck ignoring other brutal injury marks.

Mita's husband, Rana works with the same hospital as a technician and her family suspect that he influenced the autopsy report.

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READ: Rajasthan woman gangraped by husband, in-laws; tattooed with profanities over dowry

HOPE HINGES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

This incident was brought to light through the social media. One of Mita's friends began a campaign on Facebook seeking justice for her. Now the hashtags #justiceformita and #stopdomesticviolence are trending on twitter as well.

With clamour for justice growing louder, police registered an FIR in this connection. Rana and his father were arrested under various sections of IPC and domestic violence laws. Mita's brother-in-law and mother-in-law, considered to be party to the alleged crime, were absconding.

As the accused seem to be financially powerful people, those raising their voice fear some kind of retribution. But, the fight through social media and public support, thus generated, has given the bereaved family the impetus to fight for Mita.





ALSO READ:

Survivors: 10 celebrities who were victims of domestic violence



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By PTI: Kathmandu, Oct 16 (PTI) Pitching Nepal as a "dynamic bridge" between India and China, Prime Minister Prachanda floated a proposal for a trilateral strategic partnership during a meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a media report here said today.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda during the trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit yesterday expressed Nepals desire to act as a "dynamic bridge" between the two Asian giants and to reap the benefit of playing such a role, The Himalayan Times reported along with a photo of the meeting.

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Prachanda "floated a proposal for trilateral strategic partnership among the three countries", which Modi and Xi acknowledged as significant and said they were positive towards it, the report said, citing a statement issued by his secretariat on the Prime Ministers personal website.

The Nepalese premier, who reached India to attend the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit yesterday, first held a one-on- one meeting with Chinese President Xi which lasted for around 20 minutes and later Modi joined them. The leaders discussed issues of common interests, Prachandas personal secretary Prakash Dahal, who is also his son, was quoted as saying.

According to the statement, Prachanda said during the meeting that "we (Nepal) are located between two giant countries. We want to become a dynamic bridge between the two countries and reap the benefit".

"During the meeting, I put forth the issue of strategic partnership with emphasis," Dahal said, adding that "the Indian Prime Minister and Chinese President said Nepals proposal on strategic partnership is significant and they agreed to it".

Noting that Buddha, Pashupatinath and Janaki connected Nepal, India and China, Prachanda was quoted as saying that Nepal can play a role of a bridge between India and China and help them build good relationship at present also.

He further said Nepal was inching towards the goals of development and wanted to establish a balanced, friendly and strategic relationship with both the neighbours, the report said.

The Nepalese premier also expressed his hope that the trilateral meeting could play a significant role in setting up an "epochal relationship" between Nepal, India and China, it said.

In response, Chinese President Xi was quoted as saying that the size of the country did not bear much significance and Nepal could become a bridge between India and China.

He also praised Nepals role in keeping an equidistant relationship with China and India while expressing belief that the relations between the three countries would strengthen in the future.

Noting that the three countries shared "geographical, emotional and cultural friendship, Indian Prime Minister Modi said India was positive towards Nepals proposal on trilateral partnership," the report said.

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Prachandas spouse Sita Dahal was also present at the meeting. PTI ASK AKJ SAI

--- ENDS ---
It was celebration time for Pranav and Navya of Springdales School, who were given the certificate by Chairman of India Today Group, Aroon Purie.

By India Today Web Desk: The grand finale of India's first ever news-based quiz show on TV -- News Wiz - was a rousing affair that saw Delhi's Springdales School from Dhaula Kuan come back from behind to win the title and cap a four-month battle that saw some brilliant contests between school teams from across the country.

The finale began on high-octane note when two of the finalists, from Bhubaneshwar and Chennai, bagged bonus points to leave the team from Delhi, who also answered all questions correctly, in third place.

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The three teams in the hunt for the Tata Tiago car and a scholarship of Rs 10 lakh at Lovely Professional University by winning the nation's first and biggest news quiz were Springdales School, Delhi - Pranav and Navya; Sai International School, Bhubaneshwar - Chinmay and Suswet and Chettinad Vidyashram, Chennai- Omkar and Siddharth.

At the end of the round one - In The News leading to News Clusters - Sai International and Chettinad Vidyashram were tied at 400 points with Springdales School at 300 points.

The second round was bumper round for the Chennai boys, who took a giant leap by securing 700 points while the other two teams could earn only 200 points. The second round -- Top Story -- was a tricky one comprising questions about 12 newsmakers.

At the end of the round two, Chettinad Vidyashram looked head and shoulders ahead of others with 1100 points. Springdales and Sai International were now tied at 600 points.

While this gap did not reduce in the third round called Match Time, the other teams earned the same number of points as the Chennai boys.

At the end of the Match Time, Chettinad Vidyashram were still comfortable with 1450 points. Teams from Bhubaneshwar and Delhi remained tied at 950 points each. The lead of 500 points for the Chennai team looked almost unassailable.

Watch the video

Now, all eyes were glued to News Buzz, the fourth round of News Wiz hosted by renowned journalist Rajdeep Sardesai on India Today Television as the two guests- celebrated author Chetan Bhagat and Managing Editor Rahul Kanwal - looked mesmerised by the brilliance of the participants at such a young age.



News Buzz however, sprang a total surprise. A team that looked out of sorts in the grand finale, suddenly got a spring in their step. Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan, turned the final into a nail-biting T20 match, hitting the right shots just when it mattered the most to emerge as the champions of the first edition of News Wiz.

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Sai International School from Bhubaneshwar gave a good fight till the end, but at the end of the day there could be only one winner. But, Chettinad Vidyashram, which once looked set to go all the way missed out with two wrong answers in the final round.

When the Chennai boys answered the last question incorrectly, it was celebration time for Pranav and Navya, who were given the certificate by Chairman of India Today Group, Aroon Purie.

--- ENDS ---
The Uttar Pradesh ATS and Noida Police arrested ten Naxals from Noida on Saturday evening who, the cops claimed, were planning an attack in Delhi-NCR. However, the police changed its statement today and said that the arrested Maoists had no plan to carry out any attack.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: While the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrism Squad (ATS) today claimed that they had arrested ten Naxals from Noida's Hindon Vihar apartment in Sector 49, just on the outskirts of Delhi on Saturday evening, many questions remain unanswered.

While the Noida cops earlier claimed that the Naxals were apparently planning some attack as weapons were recovered; in a twist, the cops now allege that the Naxals had no plan to attack.

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The Inspector General of Police, Aseem Arun, had told India Today, "At least three of the ten men have direct Naxal link. They are adept at making bombs and were planning some incident in the Delhi-NCR region."

Also Read: Noida: UP ATS arrests 6 Maoists from Sector 49, huge cache of weapons seized

NAXALS PLANNING TO LOOT ATM AND BANK?

However, the UP cops are now saying that the Naxals were only planning to join hands with local criminals, with the intent of either looting an ATM, or robbing a bank, or indulging in contract killing.

There seems to be a loopholes in this claim as well.

Many feel that the modus operandi of the Naxals do not match with the cops' claim that the suspects were planning to loot an ATM or rob a bank. Some are saying that Naxals do not indulge in contract killing for money.

Also Read: 10 Naxals including area commander held in major crackdown

IF SUSPECTS WERE ON SURVEILLANCE, WHY DIDN'T THE CRACKDOWN HAPPEN EARLIER?

The arrests had come after a tip-off from a local about suspicious activity in the apartment, which was on rent for 11 months. The UP cops claimed they had intercepts to nail the Naxals and that the suspects had been on technical surveillance for the past few days.

Some are also questioning this. If the suspects were on surveillance, then why was no action taken earlier?

The cops recovered an Insas rifle, which they suspect was looted from state police or paramilitary deployed in the Naxal region. Two other rifles and 550 cartridges were also recovered from the mastermind, Sunil Ravi Das.

The cops claimed to have recovered huge amount of explosives, including six pistols, 50 cartridges, three cars, 125 detonators and two laptops, and 13 mobile phones.

In another contention, the landlord of the apartment where the suspects were staying said that he had got the police verification done of these suspects. The Noida police, however, remain clueless about this.

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By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 16 (PTI) Passengers flying in and out of the nations financial capital should brace for long delays from Tuesday till the end of November as the only runway of the nations second busiest airport will be shut for five hours for repair work.

Last time the airport, operated by the GVK Group, was shut for similar repair work in November 2010. Months after the spanking new terminal-T2 over Rs 12,000-crore was opened in February.

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Operations will be partly hit between October 18 and 31 for four hours between 1200 hrs and 1600 hrs for seven days on alternate days, as the main runway (Runway No 09-27) will be closed for surface repair. But the secondary runway (14-32) will be open during these hours, a MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Ltd) official told PTI.

But operations will be completely shut for five hours from 1200 hrs to 1700 hrs in the second phase beginning October 31 through November 28 as both the main and the secondary runways will be closed, the official said, adding this is needed as the repair work involves inter-section work.

In total between October 31 and November 28, both the runways will be closed for five hours on Mondays and Thursdays, while in the first phase the main runway will be closed for four hours on seven days, the official said.

In total, the impact will be for nine days in November in the second phase of closure.

Notably, the second busiest airport in the country, Mumbai International Airport has only one runway (as one-third of the airport land is occupied by slum squatters), yet it manages around 50 flights during peak hours, making it one of the most efficient airports in the world in terms of aircraft handling.

On an average, the city airport handles over 800 flights a day. Against this the Delhi airport, with three runways handles around 78 flights during peak hours.

"The runways--09-27 main and 14-32--will remain closed between 1200 hrs and 1700 hrs on Mondays and Thursdays till November 28, to conduct preventive runway surface work, a technology to fill in gaps on the runway," MIAL had said in an earlier statement last month wherein it advised airlines to reschedule their operations. (MORE) PTI BEN ARS AMS

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By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 16 (PTI) Passengers flying in and out of the nations financial capital should brace for long delays from Tuesday till the end of November as the only runway of the nations second busiest airport will be shut for five hours for repair work.

Last time the airport, operated by the GVK Group, was shut for similar repair work in November 2010. Months after the spanking new terminal-T2 over Rs 12,000-crore was opened in February.

advertisement

Operations will be partly hit between October 18 and 31 for four hours between 1200 hrs and 1600 hrs for seven days on alternate days, as the main runway (Runway No 09-27) will be closed for surface repair. But the secondary runway (14-32) will be open during these hours, a MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Ltd) official told PTI.

But operations will be completely shut for five hours from 1200 hrs to 1700 hrs in the second phase beginning October 31 through November 28 as both the main and the secondary runways will be closed, the official said, adding this is needed as the repair work involves inter-section work.

In total between October 31 and November 28, both the runways will be closed for five hours on Mondays and Thursdays, while in the first phase the main runway will be closed for four hours on seven days, the official said.

In total, the impact will be for nine days in November in the second phase of closure.

Notably, the second busiest airport in the country, Mumbai International Airport has only one runway (as one-third of the airport land is occupied by slum squatters), yet it manages around 50 flights during peak hours, making it one of the most efficient airports in the world in terms of aircraft handling.

On an average, the city airport handles over 800 flights a day. Against this the Delhi airport, with three runways handles around 78 flights during peak hours.

"The runways--09-27 main and 14-32--will remain closed between 1200 hrs and 1700 hrs on Mondays and Thursdays till November 28, to conduct preventive runway surface work, a technology to fill in gaps on the runway," MIAL had said in an earlier statement last month wherein it advised airlines to reschedule their operations. (MORE) PTI BEN ARS AMS SRE

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By PTI: Hyderabad, Oct 16 (PTI) Police have seized over Rs 1.44 crore, alleged to be hawala money, from a paddy broker, they said today.

Acting on a specific information received regarding hawala transactions, a Special Operation Team of Rachakonda Commissionerate last night caught Dontham Shetty Prasad, who used to collect huge amounts of cash every weekend, alleged to be hawala money, police said.

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"Yesterday night, he was intercepted while he was on his way to board a bus at LB Nagar and taken to police station. After verification it was found that he was carrying over Rs 1.44 crore in cash" said Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh Bhagwat.

When interrogated, the person revealed that he is a paddy broker and every weekend he collects cash in the city and would then travel to Nellore by bus.

"He did not produce any documents in support of the transaction and hence, a case has been booked under Section 102 (power of police officer to seize certain property) of CrPC. The case has been forwarded to the IT department," the CP said.

A probe is on in the case. PTI VVK GK RB

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By PTI: From M Zulqernain

Lahore, Oct 16 (PTI) A group of private schools in Pakistan owned by former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri has banned Punjabi within and outside the campus after terming it a "foul language", drawing flak from millions of people.

The Beaconhouse School System (BSS) has recently issued a notification to parents, declaring Punjabi a foul language for the children as well as parents.

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"Foul language is not allowed within and outside the school premises, in the morning, during the school hours, and after home time," the fifth point of the notification reads.

The notice explains the definition of foul language as, "Foul language includes taunts, abuses, Punjabi and the hate speech".

A number of parents, prominent Punjabi language activists and literary organisations have demanded the school administration to immediately withdraw the notification and tender apology to those having Punjabi their mother language.

Punjabi scholar and columnist Mushtaq Soofi said he had seen the notification on social media and found it "disgracing to millions of Punjabis who are living in Pakistan and Indian Punjab and also the Punjabi diaspora living across the globe".

Professor Dr Saeed Bhutta of the Punjab Universitys Oriental College said, "The Punjabi language has an age-old history starting off from Baba Farid to Khwaja Farid. The school administrations step is a disgrace and ignorance of a certain class towards Punjabi heritage".

"Speaking the mother language is a guaranteed constitutional right. The 1973 Constitution allows the federating units to impart formal primary learning in mother tongue," Bhutta said.

Some parents said the government should take notice of demeaning a language which has been used by the saints over the last many centuries.

"This means that our children should not speak to their grandparents only because their language is Punjabi," says Haleema whose daughter is studying in Grade-II in Beacon House School in Lahore.

Owned by Kasuri, BSS is a group of private academic institutions located in 30 cities in Pakistan. PTI MZ CPS AKJ CPS

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Sepoy Sudhees Kumar (24) was martyred when Pakistani soldiers initiated indiscriminate and unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts along the Line of Control in Rajauri sector on Sunday.

Sepoy Sudhees Kumar is survived by his wife.

By Press Trust of India: Pakistani troops today violated ceasefire along the LoC in Rajouri district killing an Indian soldier.

Sepoy Sudhees Kumar (24) was martyred when Pakistani soldiers initiated indiscriminate and unprovoked firing on Indian Army posts along the Line of Control (LC) in Rajauri sector today.

The Indian Army responded appropriately to the unprovoked firing by the Pakistan Army. Sepoy Sudhees Kumar is survived by his wife. The soldier hailed from Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh.



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Ministry of Defence confirmed the ceasefire violation which drew retaliation from Indian troops.

ALSO READ | SSB jawan killed, 8 others injured in terrorist attack on patrolling party on outskirts of Srinagar



"There was unprovoked firing from small arms on forward areas in Naushera sector of Rajouri district along the LoC by Pakistani troops", PRO, Ministry of Defence, Jammu said.

Indian troops guarding the LoC retaliated, he said, adding no one was injured in the ceasefire violation.

A senior Army officer said there have been over 25 ceasefire violations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes by Army troops in PoK to dismantle terror launching pads.

SEVERAL INJURED



In the firing and shelling, five civilians and four armymen had sustained injuries in Poonch district. Nine Pakistani armymen were injured in retaliatory action by Indian troops along LoC.

Also read: Pakistan targets 4 Indian posts in Naushera sector of Kashmir



On October 8, Pakistani troops had fired on forward Indian posts along Mendhar-Krishnagati sector in Pooch district resulting in injuries to one jawan.

On October 5, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire thrice and resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling targeting several Indian posts and civilian areas in three sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Pakistani troops had on October 4 targeted 10 forward areas with mortar shelling and firing with five ceasefire violations on Indian posts and civilian areas along LoC in four areas of Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Also read: How to punish Pakistan when a war is ruled out

They shelled mortar bombs and opened small and automatic weapons in Jhangar, Kalsian, Makri in Noushera sector of Rajouri district and Gigriyal, Platan, Damanu, Channi and Palanwala areas of Pallanwala sector of Jammu district and Balnoi, Krishnagati in Poonch district.

MULTIPLE VIOLATIONS



Pakistani troops had on October 3 violated the ceasefire four times and restored to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Saujian, Shahpur-Kerni, Mandi and KG sectors in Poonch district.

On October 2, Pakistan resorted to firing and shelling from 1915 hours along LoC in forward areas in Pallanwala belt of Jammu district.

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On October 1, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts and civilian areas with mortar bombs, RPGS and HMGS amid small arms firing along LoC in Pallanwala sector in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district.

On September 30, Pakistani troops restored to small arms firing along the LoC in Pallanwala, Chaprial, Samnam areas of Akhnoor sector of Jammu district.

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A circular from a Pakistani school is going viral on social media and is being slammed for advising students to not speak in Punjabi.

By India Today Web Desk: A controversial circular from Pakistan's Beaconhouse School System has been doing the rounds of social media lately as it bans Punjabi language and labels it as 'foul'.

Beaconhouse School System in Sahiwal, Punjab, sent out a circular to parents informing about the disciplinary policy of the school. One of the instructions was about the ban on foul language in school and home.

Photo: Twitter/@TarekFatah

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"Foul language is not allowed within and outside the school premises, in the morning, during the school hours and after home time. Foul language includes taunts, abuse, Punjabi and hate speech".

The school's circular received flak from social media users, campaigners and Punjabi activists for advising students to not speak Punjabi.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today targeted Pakistan in his concluding speech at the BRICS summit in Goa.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing at the Press Statement during BRICS Summit in Benaulim, Goa, on Sunday. (PTI Photo)

By Gaurav C Sawant: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hit out at Pakistan calling it the mother ship of terrorism. "In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development. Tragically, the mother ship of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood," Modi said at the BRICS summit here in Goa.

Modi was unsparing in his attack on a state sponsor of terror saying: "Terror modules around the world are linked to this mother-ship. This country shelters not just terrorists, it nurtures a mindset, that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains." Modi asked all BRICS member countries to speak in one voice against this threat (terrorism emanating from Pakistan).

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Also read: BRICS wasn't a washout: India needn't worry about China supporting Pakistan



INDIA CALLS UPON BRICS NATIONS TO ADOPT CCIT



India called upon other members of BRICS - Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa - to work towards early adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) under which countries would be duty bound to either prosecute to extradite terrorists on its soil. Hitting out at Islamabad's continued support to terror aimed not just at India but the world Modi said there was a need for close coordination on tracking sources of terrorist financing and targeting of hardware of terrorism including weapon supplies, ammunition, equipment and training.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Myanmar's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina, Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay during the opening ceremony of the BIMSTEC Summit in Mobor, Goa on Sunday. (PTI Photo)

Seeking practical cooperation against terrorism Modi suggested solutions to combat the menace that was hampering economic growth and development. "We were unanimous in recognising the threat that terrorism, extremism and radicalisation present. There is a need for close coordination on tracking sources of terror financing. We agreed those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor forces of terror are as much a threat to us as terrorists themselves," Modi said after a restricted meeting with other heads of state.



ON PATHANKOT TERROR ATTACK MASTERMIND MASOOD AZHAR



In the backdrop of China's continuous support to Pakistan including blocking India's attempts to have JeM chief Pathankot terror attack mastermind Maulana Masood Azhar designated by the UN as a global terrorist, PM Modi said: "We are united in our belief that terrorism and its supporters have to be punished, not rewarded."

In his address, the prime minister also focused on non-conventional security challenges including threats on cyber space, piracy on high seas and human trafficking. The joint statement all condemned terrorism in all its forms and stressed there can be no justification for any acts of terrorism. Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay in his bilateral meeting with Modi said Bhutan stands by India. "The PM of Bhutan also said cross border terrorism is the worst form of terror," Vikas Swaroop, Spokesperson and Additional Secretary, MEA, told journalists after the meeting.

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ALSO READ | Defiant Pakistan says Modi is misleading BRICS, BIMSTEC colleagues



Asked if India was disappointed with terror 'underplayed' in the Joint Declaration, Swaroop insisted BRICS cooperation was not restricted just to references of terror and disagreed with the contention that it underplayed India's concerns.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BIMSTEC leaders during the opening ceremony of the BIMSTEC Summit in Mobor, Goa, on Sunday. (PTI Photo)

Modi stated that BRICS is committed to strengthen consultations and cooperation on peace and security matters.



Early adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism will be an expression of our resolve to fight this menace: PM In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development. Tragically, its mothership is a country in India's neighbourhood. Terror modules around the world are linked to this mothership: PM This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset. A mindset that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains: PM Response to terrorism must be nothing less than comprehensive and that countries must act both "individually and collectively": PM Criminality should be the only basis for punitive action against the individuals and organisations responsible for carrying out terrorist acts: PM Terrorist funding, their weapons supply, training and political support must be systematically cut off. In this respect, we need to deepen the security cooperation between our National Security Advisors: PM Selective approaches to terrorist individuals and organizations will not only be futile but also "counter-productive". There must be no distinction based on "artificial and self-serving grounds": PM Agreed that those who nurture, shelter, support and sponsor such forces of violence and terror are as much a threat to us as the terrorists themselves: PM The growing arc of terrorism today threatens Middle East, West Asia, Europe and South Asia. Terrorism casts a long shadow on our development and economic prosperity. Our response to terrorism must, therefore, be nothing less than comprehensive: PM The scope of our partnership today stretches from agriculture to industry and innovation; trade to tourism; environment to energy; films to football; skill development to smart cities; and from fighting corruption and money laundering to securing our societies: PM In a world of new security challenges and continuing economic uncertainties, BRICS stands as a beacon of peace potential and promise: PM The institutions that we build must support the development of our countries and regions. They should enable greater flexibility and freedom, and offer wider choices in responding to our developmental priorities: PM We look forward to translating into reality the idea of a BRICS Credit Rating Agency: PM Our agencies must also build mechanisms of information sharing to bring to justice the tax offenders and money launderers. BRICS should push for empowering the global governance institutions to reflect today's reality: PM In 2015, intra-BRICS trade stood at about USD 250 billion. We should set ourselves a target to double this number to USD five hundred billion by 2020: PM Security and counter terrorism cooperation is necessary if we have to safeguard the lives of our citizens: PM

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Also read:

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BRICS Summit: PM Modi calls Pakistan a 'mothership of terror' nurturing terrorists

China statement skips terror, NSG; calls to improve trust



BRICS Summit: Countering terror, strengthening security cooperation on agenda

Exclusive: Arm-twisting by China leads to cancellation of BRICS fair trade session







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Khushwnt Singh's son and organiser Rahul Singh said it is the first time during the past five years when not even a single Pakistani writer reached Kasauli.

By Manjeet Sehgal: After the demand to impose a ban Pakistan actors, now the Pakistani writers are facing opposition in India. The side effects of strained India-Pakistan relations were clearly visible in Kasauli during the lit-fest organised by the family of late Khushwant Singh who was born in Pakistan.

The organisers of the literary festival said they did not invite Pakistani writers this year due to security concerns. Khushwant Singh's son and organiser Rahul Singh said it is the first time during the past five years when not even a single Pakistani writer reached Kasauli.

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Kasauli Lit Fest is very popular among the writers of India and Pakistan. The festival was started in the memory of late Khushwant Singh. The organisers said similar lit fest is organised in Pakistan for which no Indian writer was invited this year.



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The pigeons were said to have special magnetic rings attached to their claws.

By India Today Web Desk: Jammu and Kashmir police has seized more than 150 pigeons allegedly being smuggled for the purpose of espionage.

It was on October 5 that 150 pigeons were found in banana boxes and three people were booked under Section 144 cruelty to Animals Act in Jammu. SAVE (Save Animals Value Environment), an NGO, was given the responsibility of the birds.

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Also read: Music, pigeons, balloons, hackers: Pakistan's bizarre new propaganda game



However, the chairman of the NGO wrote to deputy commissioner informing him about certain suspicious things he noticed. A probe has been ordered to find out if the pigeons were used for spying activities.

The pigeons were said to have some rings in their claws and special magnetic rings attached to them as reported by TOI .

Photo: ANI

Earlier, BSF personnel had spotted and arrested a grey pigeon carrying a message in Urdu. "Modi Ji, do not consider us same people as we were during 1971 (Indo-Pak war). Now each and every child is ready to fight against India", read the message written on the piece of paper.

Also read: BSF arrests another Pakistani pigeon carrying hate message for PM Modi

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By India Today Web Desk: Priyanka Chopra has finally expressed her thoughts on the ongoing controversy surrounding the ban of Pakistani artistes. And according to recent reports the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India ruled that Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Fawad Khan would not be screened in single screens in Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat. This is after the Motion Pictures Producers Association banned Pakistani actors from working in Indian films.

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ALSO SEE: Priyanka Chopra slammed for controversial magazine cover



ALSO WATCH: Priyanka Chopra's maiden Marathi production Ventilator stars Ashutosh Gowariker



Priyanka has a simple question, why does the acting profession have to face the sword before anyone else? Because they are public personalities? "Why not business(men), politicians, doctors and why not anyone else except for public people, who are not actors in the movie industry?" she asks.

She also goes on to add, "I am extremely patriotic. So, whatever my government decides is important to keep the country safe. I don't believe that artistes are a representation of -- at least there hasn't been an actor who has done something which has harmed someone's life out of malice or anything. If someone needs to be hung, the one person that's picked up is an artiste or a public person from the movie business. That to me, is not fair."

She went on to even say, "We should be concerned about keeping the rest of our sons and the rest of our soldiers safe and that needs to be the focus. We always lose our focus and comment on something else because that's what that makes noise and because people talk about it and media carries it."



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By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 16 (PTI) A city-based social organisation is irked with MAMI Mumbai Film Festival organisers for selecting a Pakistani film to be showcased at the upcoming event, and plans to protest the same for which it has sought police permission.

The outfit, Sangharsh, has accused the organisers of playing with the nationalist sentiments of people of India, at a time of tension with Pakistan after the Uri terror attack.

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"The organisers of this event are more likely to flare the outrage among people by screening this Pakistani film in their film festival. This will just not be acceptable as it will give rise to more tension and outrage among the people," read the letter written by the organisations president Prithvi Mhaske to Amboli police here.

"Moreover, IMPAA has also decided to ban Pakistani actors from working in Bollywood and also almost all single screen theatres have decided to ban movies of Pakistani actors. So, why the organisers of MAMI Mumbai Festival are pouring so much love towards the Pakistani actors," the letter read.

The 18th edition of the festival will be held from October 20-27 in which over 180 films from 54 countries would be screened at several spots across the city.

Mhaske told PTI, "If the organisers do not stop screening the film, my workers would stall the screening of the film."

When contacted, Ambolis Senior Police Inspector Bharat Gaikwad said, "Yes, I have received an application in this regard and I have summoned both the parties tomorrow to go into the merits of the application."

"Jago Hua Savera" is a 1958 Pakistani drama film, directed by AJ Kardar. It was selected as the entry from Pakistan for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 32nd Academy Awards in 1960.

The film was co-produced during the days of undivided Pakistan (now independent Pakistan and Bangladesh) and shot in Dhaka. It tells the tale of life in a small fishing village where everyone dreams of owning their own boat.

The film is set to be screened in the restored classic section of the festival, which is chaired by superstar Aamir Khans director wife Kiran Rao. PTI APM JUR GK PSH

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Locals said the protesters, who were chanting slogans, had inscribed a message on one of the flags that sought help from China.

By Ashraf Wani: Protesters in Kashmir waved China and Pakistan flags. They took to the streets after prayers in Baramulla.

Waving of Chinese flags by protesters is something that Kashmir has not witnessed earlier.

Soon after the prayers ended at the eidgah in Baramulla, a demonstration was staged and the flags were waved. Locals said the protesters, who were chanting slogans, had inscribed a message on one of the flags that sought help from China.

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"Four or five Chinese flags were displayed by youths who had masked their faces during the protest that began soon after the Friday prayers," a Baramulla resident said.

Police used tear smoke shells to disperse the protesters after they began hurling stones at policemen on duty.

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Rajinikanth visited the hospital around 6.15 pm on Sunday and left the hospital around 6.40 am. He was accompanied by his daughter Aishwarya Dhanush.

Rajinikanth was accompanied by his daughter Aishwarya Dhanush.

By Pramod Madhav: Tamil superstar Rajinikanth today visited Apollo Hospital in Chennai to enquire about the health of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital on 22nd September following high fever and dehydration.

Doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital, London, are assisting with her recovery.

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Rajinikanth visited the hospital around 6.15 pm on Sunday and left the hospital around 6.40 am. He was accompanied by his daughter Aishwarya Dhanush.

On 24th September, Thalaivar had tweeted wishing Jayalalithaa to get well soon.

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Karunanidhi's wife visits Apollo Hospitals to enquire about Jayalalithaa's health



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By PTI: Bengaluru, Oct 16 (PTI) An RSS worker was hacked to death today by two motorcyle-borne men on an arterial road here, police said. The incident took place on Kamaraja Road when Rudresh was returning home on a bike after attending a RSS meeting at a nearby area, they said. Rudresh, a realtor, was first knocked down from his bike and then attacked by the duo with a lethal weapon,police said. The attackers managed to escape despite some members of the public giving chase, they said Rudresh was rushed to Bowring Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, police said. Police said they suspected that personal rivalry could be the reason behind the murder. However, RSS city spokesperson Rajesh Padmar alleged that it was a continuation of an organised elimination of the organisations workers.

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"This is just continuation of an organised elimination of our workers. Such an attempt was made also against a RSS worker sometime back here. Hence we suspect it is nothing but continuation of killing and targeting our workers," he said. Padmar said RSS would stage a protest here tomorrow against the murder. Former Chief Minister and State BJP President B S Yeddyurappa said the incident and the assailants escape "is a telling comment on the law and order situation in the state." He said the murder was a litmus test for the government "to demonstrate its seriousness, sincerity and will in nabbing the killers and taking the issue to its logical end."

He alleged that in recent attacks on two RSS workers, the two men arrested were released on bail within a few hours.

"In the earlier two instances, government failed.I demand home minister Dr G Parameshwar come clean on this issue," he added.

He warned that BJP would launch an agitation to mount pressure on the government over the issue of attacks on RSS swayamsevaks and BJP workers. PTI BDN APR RCJ

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By Gaurav C Sawant: An old friend is better than two new," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin as the two met in picturesque South Goa for the 17th India-Russia Summit ahead of the BRICS & BIMSTEC meet.

India and Russia inked 16 agreements signalling strong intent to procure S-400 Triumf long range anti missile defence systems, manufacture 200 Ka-226 T Kamov helicopters in India and move ahead with the construction of Talwar Class stealth frigates for the Indian Navy.

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ALSO READ: LIVE: Russia backs India's stand of zero tolerance on terror, says Modi in Goa



Russia assured India it stood by New Delhi in the wake of the Uri terror attacks and gave India unequivocal support to deal with cross-border terror. Russia also indicated its support to India in its effort to isolate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terror.

OLD FRIEND BETTER THAN TWO NEW

The procurement of the S-400 Triumf missile system is seen as a game-changer as it has a capabilities to destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) up to a distance of approximately 400 kilometres. The Triumf can fire multiple projectiles creating a layered defence shield and can simultaneously engage 36 targets. India will be the second country in the region after China to acquire the system.

The India Navy has been keenly eyeing the procurement of Project 11356 guided missile stealth frigates. While two frigates will be procured from Russia, two others are to be made in India.

The intent to buy 200 Kamov helicopters and manufacture the rest in India is a shot in the arm for the Indian armed forces as a replacement for the ageing Chetak and Cheetah fleet. To take the military-to-military relations to the next level, India and Russia will also hold an annual military-industrial conference.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Russian President Putin for his personal leadership in stabilising the relationship. "Russia's clear stand on the need to combat terrorism mirrors our own.

We deeply appreciate Russia's understanding and support of our actions to fight cross-border terrorism that threatens our entire region," Modi said. "We both affirmed the need for zero tolerance in dealing with terrorists and their supporters," he added.



RUSSIAN WINTER ENDS

India had expressed concern with Russian Army carrying out a joint military exercise with the Pakistan Army and sources say India hoped its concerns had been addressed by Russia. India has also proposed eight new nuclear reactors from Russia.

Earlier in the day, both the leaders pressed a button to signal the starting of work on Unit 3 & 4 of the Kudankulam project.

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Both India and Russia spoke of constituting an 'energy bridge' between the two countries working on long-term LNG sourcing, hydrocarbon energy pipeline and renewable energy cooperation. Apart from signing agreements on smart city projects in Andhra Pradeh and Haryana, India and Russia also inked an agreement on highspeed trains between Secundarabad and Hyderabad.

Amid reports of the relationship being adrift, India insisted that India and Russia were not only special and privileged strategic partners but also very close friends who were deepening their military, economic and energy partnership. India and Russia are also working together on cyber security and information technology.

ALSO READ:

Russia plans USD 1 billion India joint fund; to pump USD 500 million in NIIF

India, Russia ink deal to jointly produce 200 Kamov 226T helicopters; all you need to know



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: A three-judge bench on April 16, 1992 had referred

A three-judge bench on April 16, 1992 had referred Singhs appeal in which the same question and interpretation of sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the Act was raised to a five-judge Constitution Bench.

While the five-judge bench was hearing this matter on January 30, 2014 it was informed that an identical issue was raised in the election petition filed by one Narayan Singh against BJP leader Sunderlal Patwa and the apex courts another Constitution Bench of five Judges has referred it to a larger bench of seven Judges.

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Thereafter, the five-judge bench had referred Singhs matter also to the Chief Justice for placing it before a seven-judge bench.

The January 30, 2014, order said, "Be that as it may, since one of the questions involved in the present appeal is already referred to a larger bench of seven judges, we think it appropriate to refer this appeal to a limited extent regarding interpretation of sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the 1951 Act to a larger bench of seven judges.

"The Registry will place the matter before the Chief Justice for constitution of a bench of seven judges. The matter may be listed subject to the order of the Chief Justice."

The apex court had also noted, "In the course of arguments, our attention has been invited to the order of this court dated August 20, 2002 in Narayan Singh vs. Sunderlal Patwa. By this order, a Constitution Bench of five judges has referred the question regarding the scope of corrupt practice mentioned in sub-section (3) of Section 123 of the 1951 Act to a larger bench of seven judges.

"This became necessary in view of the earlier decision of a Constitution Bench of this court in Kultar Singh vs. Mukhtiar Singh," the court had said. PTI MNL RKS HMP RT

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By PTI: Vilas Tokale

Cavelossim (Goa), Oct 16 (PTI)Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find a "firm" solution to the "thorny" fishermen issue.

The Lankan President made the demand during a meeting with Modi where the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation in a whole host of areas, including energy and health.

There was a discussion on the thorny issue of fishermen. President Sirisena said he wanted a firm solution on the issue. Modi agreed with him and said "we must find a proper solution to this long festering issue,"MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said here after the meeting held ahead of the BRICS-Bimstec Outreach Summit here, 50 km from Panaji.

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"As you know we have invited the Sri Lankan fisheries minister to India and we hope at that time, the discussions would lead to some kind of mutually acceptable outcome," Swarup said.

"The PM briefed Sirisena on the Uri terror attack.

"He noted the support Sri Lanka had provided to India, and expressed his gratitude to people and government of Sri Lanka," he said.

"Modi said that as a result of the solidarity that the countries of the region had shown after the Uri terror attacks, a message had gone across that people in our region want peace and they recognise that the biggest challenge to peace and prosperity is terrorism," Swarup said.

Sirisena said Sri Lanka opposed all forms and manifestations of terrorism, he said.

The two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation in a whole host of areas like energy and health.

"Modi welcomed Sirisena to India and thanked him for accepting the invitation to participate in the Summit," he said.

Sirisena said "this is another occasion when the bonds between Sri Lanka and India are further strengthened".

"He also alluded to the long standing relations between the two countries," Swarup added.

The two leaders reviewed the development cooperation and partnership between India and Sri Lanka, Swarup said.

The Lankan leader thanked Modi for gifting ambulances to western and southern provinces and hoped this will be extended to other areas as well, Swarup said.

"He briefed Modi on progress in rehabilitation projects in the northern province," he said.

Modi later met the Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay, the MEA spokesperson said. PTI VT SAP RT

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By Radhika Bhalla/Mail Today: Summer isn't necessarily imagined as light and breezy by all, and many designers who showcased on Day 2 of the ongoing Amazon India Fashion eek spring/summer 2016 were testimony to the idea of crossseasonal dressing.

Delhi's master of handloom fabrics, Gaurav Jai Gupta of label Akaaro brought in a cool molten metal appeal to his range, with metallic thread woven into silk and cotton ensembles. Deconstructed and flowing silhouettes were seen with his characteristic androgynous feel in the dresses, shirts and skirts. Earthy pinks, orange, grey and yellow added the lightness that the warm season demands, but on the whole, Gupta's collection was perfect for an artistic evening out.

Works of Gaurav Jai Gupta. Picture courtesy: Mail Today

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The sensibility was reflected in Abraham & Thakore's muchawaited collection too. The show began with a golden khadi sari worn with a matching, three fourthsleeve blouse. The range was both a celebration of textile and statement labels/gimmicks, as models sashayed down the ramp in gorgeous patterned saris in black and gold on the one hand, and in dresses with the abbreviations of major fashion houses like 'LV' and 'CC' printed in gold in Hindi on the other.

Deep shades dominated the show, like black, gold and brown that were off-set with cream. Meanwhile, tailored favourites were evident in Rajesh Pratap Singh's collection, where models wore monochrome separates in checks and dots patterned across the handwoven fabric. A special mention must be made of the make-up during the show, with white stripes running across the face of the models.

Yet suited essentials were not only for the boys - designer Ashish N Soni packed in a punch by dressing eight beautiful models in stylish tuxedos. The key pieces were the 'Puddle Pants' worn by them, which is the adaptation of flared pants that were usually worn by men. Crisp white shirts flaunted ruffles and wide belts, closed necks and bow ties.

As for the men, they were treated to their share of suits and deconstructed separates as well.

Tisca goes Turkish

Tisca Chopra. Picture courtesy: Mail Today

For Kavita Bhartia's show that was inspired by 15th century Iznic pottery from Turkey, actress Tisca Chopra walked in a black and red ensemble. A plain black lehenga with an embroidered red border was matched with a red dupatta and black gilet. The actress look simple and sweet, contrary to the over-glam showstoppers seen in most other shows. Other pieces from the show included long skirts, flowey blouses and kurtis in earthy hues of blue and cream.



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The Aam Admi Party workers blamed BJP for pressurising the shop owners to oust them from their office at Yogi Chowk ahead of Sunday's rally.

By Vidya : Through their twitter handles @surat_aap and @AAPGujarat, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) workers in Surat are blaming the BJP and the authorities in Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) for creating obstructions to spoil their mega rally at Yogi Cowk.

The AAP workers allege the authorities in the civic body are cooperating with the BJP to carry out its plan.

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WHAT WENT WRONG



The AAP has a few offices across Surat for party work but for the purpose of Sunday's rally they had set up an office at Yogi Chowk as well. The party workers blamed BJP for pressurising the shop owners to oust them from their office. Apart from this, they also alleged that when the volunteers were preparing the Yogi Chowk area for rally then the street lights in the area were switched off so that the preparations could not be undertaken.

They put up pictures and videos on the social media to support their claim. They even claimed that the posters put up by them along with decorative strings between poles and flags on the footpaths and dividers were being removed while the Surat Municipal Corporations does not do the same when BJP or Congress hold their rallies in city.

BJP, SMC REFUTED ALLEGATIONS



On the other hand, BJP and the municipal corporation both refuted the allegations. Harsh Sanghvi, MLA from Majura said, "BJP has no reason to oppose AAP. The people of Surat are opposing them. The way they oppose BJP it seems even if they have stomach ache, they will blame Narendra Modi for it. Kejriwal has lost his mental balance."

Some of the complaining tweets are as follows.

ALSO READ:

AAP vs LG: Jung is acting as Viceroy of Delhi, is tainted by scam, says Ashutosh

Surat: Gulab Singh Yadav arrested hours before Kejriwal's show of strength



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Yadav has been in Gujarat mobilising volunteers to join AAP and ensure that the rally at Yogi chowk sees a good footfall of supporters to listen to Arvind Kejriwal.

By Vidya : Delhi Aam Aadmi Party MLA and Gujarat in-charge Gulab Singh Yadav was arrested by Delhi Police team. The police team reached Surat minutes before Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. AAP has been playing the victim card since the time non-bailable warrant was issued against Yadav by Delhi Court.

Yadav claimed that it was a false case and a non-bailable warrant was issued only so that the Surat rally could be disrupted. He claims that the party workers had been preparing for the rally. Kejriwal had previously hinted it is a way of BJP's protesting AAP's achievements in Gujarat. Yadav held a press conference where he told the reporters that he was not even in Delhi when the alleged incident of money transaction took place.

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YADAV RULES OUT CONSPIRACY



Yadav and Yadav's driver have been booked by the Delhi police. He said, "I have been calling up the investigating officer and have also written to the police that after the surat rally, I would have gone to the police station myself to give my statement. However, they got the non-bailable warrant issued and all this points to the conspiracy behind this."

Yadav went to the Umra police station in Surat immediately after the court arrest. He told the station house officer at the police station that they should contact Delhi Police immediately and inform them of him being there.

SURAT RALLY



Yadav has been in Gujarat mobilising volunteers to join AAP and ensure that the rally at Yogi chowk sees a good footfall of supporters to listen to Kejriwal.

His colleagues and supporters stood outside the police station even as Delhi Police completed the procedures inside the police station.

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With just a few days to go, preparations are in full swing to converge tribal representatives from across the length and breadth of the country.

By Manogya Loiwal : India is all set to host its first tribal carnival, a celebration of the rights, achievements and legacy of the tribal population of the country. The grand carnival will take place from 25th to 28th October in Delhi this year. The event will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25th October at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium at 4pm.

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PREPARATIONS

Around 2000 tribals will be trained to specially perform to highlight the culture and traditions of the their region in presence of Prime Minister. With just a few days to go, preparations are in full swing to converge tribal representatives from across the length and breadth of the country.

Union Tribal Minister, Jual Oram confirmed that the four day event will be the first of its kind extravaganza with more than 40000 tribals from across the country. India has more than 10 Crore tribals population spread from Arunachal to Ahmedabad and Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

UPLIFTMENT OF TRIBALS

Jual Oram explains, "This is an effort of the Central Government to weave various tribes in the country into one beautiful thread. There will not only be cultural exchanges but also brain storming sessions to identify the drawbacks they face at the grass root level. Prime Minister's presence in an event such as this will set a new precedent and ensure that confidence is instilled among the tribal population that government is serious about taking steps to facilitate their development."

SCHEDULE

On the 26th of October, there will be discussions on the Panchayat Raj's Extension to Scheduled Area Act, 1996 in Pragati Maidan and Shankhadwani from 4pm to 8pm.

On the 27th, there will exchange of ideas on Forest Right Act, 2006 from 10am to 6pm.

On the 28th, the Carnival will witness a closing ceremony with mega cultural celebrations.

Interestingly, even discussions for promoting tourism with focus on international tourists to propagate the tribal culture is also on the cards.

ALSO READ:

Tribal pupils in Maha getting secondary treatment in schools

Modi celebrates birthday with tribals





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By Brijesh Pandey: Days after slamming Congress over its stand on the Uniform Civil Code and stating that religion cannot dictate upon the rights of Individual , Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday shared his views on triple talaq in a post on his Facebook account.

Jaitley had earlier stated that personal law cannot practise, propagate discrimination and cannot allow a compromise with human dignity. He had emphasised that religion cannot dictate upon rights of individuals.

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Here is Jaitley's post:

The issue with regard to the constitutional validity of 'Triple Talaq' is distinct from the Uniform Civil Code. The constitutional framers had expressed a hope in the Directive Principles of State Policy that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Law.

On more than one occasion, the Supreme Court has enquired from the Government its' stand on the issue. Governments have repeatedly told both the Court and the Parliament that personal laws are ordinarily amended after detailed consultations with affected stakeholders.

Also read: Banning the abhorrent triple talaq needs no debate



Also read: SC decision on triple talaq must be acceptable to all stakeholders: NCP MP Tariq Anwar



On the issue of the Uniform Civil Code, the Law Commission has initiated an academic exercise once again. This academic exercise by the Law Commission is only a continuation of the debate in this country ever since Constituent Assembly had expressed the hope that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Code.

REFORMS WITHIN THE PERSONAL LAWS



Irrespective of whether the Uniform Civil Code is today possible or otherwise, a pertinent question arises with regard to reforms within the personal laws of various communities. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru's Government had brought about major reforms to the Hindu Personal Laws through legislative changes. Dr. Manmohan Singh's Government brought further legislative changes with regard to gender equality in the Hindu Undivided Family.

Also read: Triple talaq: Muslim personal law board to boycott law panel, irks BJP



Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Government, after active consultations with stakeholders, amended the provisions of marriage and divorce relating to the Christian community in order to bring about the gender equality. Reforming the personal laws, even if there is no uniformity, is an ongoing process. With passage of time, several provisions became obsolete, archaic and even got rusted. Governments, legislatures and communities have to respond to the need for a change.

As communities have progressed, there is a greater realisation with regard to gender equality. Additionally, all citizens, more particularly women, have a right to live with dignity. Should personal laws which impact the life of every citizen be in conformity with these constitutional values of equality and the Right to Live with Dignity?

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Also read: Agra Muslims slam Modi government's stand on triple talaq

A conservative view found judicial support over six decades ago that personal laws could be inconsistent with personal guarantees. Today it may be difficult to sustain that proposition. The Government's affidavit in the triple talaq case recognises this evolution.

DISTINCTION BETWEEN RITUALS AND CIVIL RIGHTS



There is a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals and civil rights. Religious functions associated with birth, adoption, succession, marriage, death, can all be conducted through rituals and customs as per existing religious practices.

Also read: If Islamic nations can regulate triple talaq, why can't India: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Should rights emanating from birth, adoption, succession, marriage, divorce etc. be guided by religion or by constitutional guarantees? Can there be inequality or compromise with human dignity in any of these matters? Some people may hold a conservative, if not obsolete, view that personal laws need not be constitutionally compliant.

The Government's view is clear. Personal laws have to be constitutionally compliant and the institution of Triple Talaq, therefore, will have to be judged on the yardstick of equality and the Right to Live with Dignity. Needless to say that the same yardstick would be applicable to all other personal laws.

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Also read: Reforms in Muslim marriage laws is an idea whose time has come



As of today, the issue before the Supreme Court is only with regard to the constitutional validity of triple talaq. Governments in the past have shied from taking a categorical stand that personal laws must comply with Fundamental Rights.

The present Government has taken a clear position. The academic debate with regard to the Uniform Civil Code can go on before the Law Commission. The question to be answered is that assuming that each community has its separate personal law, should not those personal laws be constitutionally compliant?

Also read: Triple talaq case: Muslim activists snub clerics on Uniform Civil Code



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By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) British Prime Minister Theresa May will arrive here on November 6 on her first bilateral visit outside Europe during which she will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and review all aspects of the India-UK strategic partnership.

The three-day visit was announced today by the External Affairs Ministry here.

"This will be her first bilateral visit outside Europe. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi and review all aspects of India-UK Strategic Partnership. The Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting will be held on the sidelines of the visit," the Ministry said.

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During the visit, Prime Minister May alongside Modi will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi jointly hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

"The Summit will be an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen business to business engagement in the areas of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, design, IPRs and higher education," it said.

The two sides had agreed to hold the summit during Prime Minister Modis visit to the UK in November 2015.

The India-UK partnership has since moved into a new era, with Britain voting to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum in June and leading to the resignation of then Prime Minister David Cameron.

May, 60, as the post-Brexit leader of the country, has often mentioned India among the priority countries for a free trade agreement to boost the UKs ties outside the EU.

"Countries including Canada, China,India, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea have already told us they would welcome talks on future free trade agreements. And we have already agreed to start scoping discussions on trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand," she had told the Conservative party conference earlier this month.

Therefore, trade is expected to feature high on the agenda during her India visit. PTI PYK ASK ASK

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By PTI: Srinagar, Oct 16 (PTI) The ongoing unrest in Kashmir, triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces, today completed 100 days even as the Valley remained curfew-free in view of the improvement in the situation.

The unrest, which began a day after Wani was killed in an encounter in south Kashmir on July 8, has left 84 people, including two cops, dead and several thousand injured.

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The Valley has witnessed continuous shutdown for the past 100 days with periodic relaxation as announced by the separatists who are spearheading the current agitation.

The strike has crippled normal life in the Valley as shops, business establishments and petrol pumps have remained closed except for the relaxation period.

The shutdown has affected the education of the children as schools, colleges and other educational institutions have been shut in the Valley.

Authorities also imposed curfew and restrictions on most of these 100 days, throwing normal life out of gear in the Valley.

However, there was no curfew anywhere in Kashmir today, a police official said, adding restrictions on the assembly of people under Section 144 CrPc were in force throughout the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.

He said there was improvement in the situation with each passing day as more people were defying the Hurriyat-sponsored strike and coming out to carry their day-to-day activities.

There is increased movement of public transport, except buses, on the days when there are no restrictions.

Some shops also opened in some areas in the civil lines and outskirts of the city, the official said.

He said security forces have been deployed in sensitive areas to maintain law and order as also to instill a sense of security among the people so that they can carry out their day to day activities without fear.

The authorities had on Friday night restored outgoing call facility on prepaid mobile phone connections after three months in view of the improving situation.

However, mobile Internet services continued to remain suspended across Kashmir. PTI SSB MIJ DV

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UP government had issued a helpline number immediately after the stampede. However, several people looking for their loved ones complained of not getting any help from the number.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: In the tragic stampede incident that took place at Rajghat bridge in Varanasi, 24 lives were lost and more than three dozen people were injured. However, there are still many persons who are missing after the stampede incident and their loved ones are hunting from one hospital to another to get information about them.

In order to facilitate the harassed people, UP government had issued a helpline number immediately after the incident. The helpline number is 0542-2668003. However, several people looking for their loved ones complained of not getting any help from the number.

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"My uncle Nakul Prasad is missing after the stampede but I cannot find him anywhere. I have also called the on the helpline number but to no avail", said Deepak Kumar, a resident of Varanasi.

India Today in order to get a reality check called on the helpline number and despite the phone ringing, no one picked up the phone to provide any help.



Also read:

24 dead, 20 injured in stampede over bridge collapse rumour at Varanasi

Varanasi stampede: Uttar Pradesh DGP Javeed Ahmed suspends 5 police officers

Varanasi stampede: 24 killed, CM Akhilesh Yadav orders high-level probe



This kind of lackadaisical approach to a tragic incident is extremely shocking. Even the opposition BJP in the state has slammed the UP government for this.

"I have met injured at the hospital and they have not been provided breakfast. The helpline number is also not working. There is complete chaos in UP", said Laxman Acharya, Regional President, Kashi BJP.

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By PTI: CM

Shimla, Oct 15 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the state government would consider transferring land of the Krishnanagar Maharshi Valmiki temple to the Valmiki community here.

"The state government would consider transferring the land of the Maharshi Valmiki temple in Krishnanagar (Shimla) to the Valmiki community," he said at the Prakat Utsava here.

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The Chief Minister asked the Valmiki Sabha to submit all related documents for the transfer of the temples land to it.

Expressing concern over delay in construction of a housing colony in the Krishnanagar ward, he said, "The concerned authorities would be directed to accelerate the pace of work and make proper provision for basic amenities and beautification of the area."

He assured the community members would not be asked to vacate their Dharas (sheds) till they get their own houses.

The state government has already restored water and electricity connections to people living in dharas and will make efforts to rehabilitate them, he said.

Mentioning contributions of Dr B

R Ambedkar, he said, "He was not only the architect of the constitution but also a great economist, politician and social reformer."

His efforts to eradicate social evils like untouchability and caste restrictions were remarkable, Singh said.

"The unity and integrity of the nation could be maintained only if people of all religions and sects live in harmony. Unfortunately, few forces always try to disturb the harmony and we should work together against them," he added. PTI PCL ANB DIP

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The Israel actress said that the film, however, does not explore Wonder Woman's sexuality.

By India Today Web Desk: Actress Gal Gadot spoke about playing Wonder Woman in her upcoming film and said that it was possible that the superhero was bisexual.

In an interview to Variety, she said, "When you talk theoretically about all the women on Themyscira and how many years she was there, then (it) makes sense." She added, "She's a woman who loves people for who they are. She can be bisexual."

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ALSO READ: Gal Gadot wraps up shooting for Wonder Woman

However, she said that Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman does not explore the superhero's sexuality. The film is set to release in June 2017.

Wonder Woman comic book writer Greg Rucka first floated the idea that Wonder Woman was bisexual last month and said that she has had relationships with other women on the female-dominated island of Themyscira.



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Cindy Lange-Kubick Columnist Cindy Lange-Kubick has loved writing columns about life in her hometown since 1994. She had hoped to become a people person by now, nonetheless she would love to hear your tales of fascinating neighbors and interesting places. Follow Cindy Lange-Kubick Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

If the passengers at Gate E33 in Atlanta Wednesday night were anything like you and me, they were anxious to be buckled in, shot into the air and back on the ground in Lincoln ASAP.

Their plane was there, but Delta Flight 5282 wasnt taking off at 8:05 as scheduled.

Heidi and Tom Piccini got word of the 90-minute delay while they were scouting supper, and the Lincoln couple was as ready as anyone to get home. But what could they do?

Not a thing.

So the punctual pair enjoyed their dinner and returned to the gate with plenty of time to spare.

Where they found a party just beginning.

First, there was this cart of free food, Heidi says. Every kind of chip, granola bars, M&Ms, those cheese and cracker things, Sprite, Coke, water.

And better than that, the star of the delay: The Gate Agent from Broadway.

Heidi doesnt remember her name, but she remembers her moves.

The first thing she said was, I think Im going to sing.

The attendant belted out a few bars, getting the attention of the waiting passengers, before asking for requests.

Believe it or not, someone shouted one out. Play a happy song!

The gate agent nestled her phone up to the microphone, and it began blaring Pharrell Williams hit Happy.

Once she got the music going, she got these other people up to dance, and it got everyone talking, Heidi says. We could have sat their bitching about being late and being tired, but she got this whole crowd having fun.

Song requests? Dancing? At an airport?

Think about your last visit to the Unhappiest Place on Earth.

The long lines. The shoes off. The laptops out. The bottled liquids in clear baggies and the machines X-raying your insides, the whole affair feeling like a root canal without the Novocaine.

The anonymous masses of bedraggled humanity pulling overloaded carry-ons, scouting the nearest bathroom, scanning the departure boards while avoiding eye contact, wanting to be anywhere but here.

All that changed at Gate E33 Wednesday.

Elvis sang. Whitney sang. Passengers clapped along. A few got up to learn the salsa. A few learned the names of their fellow travelers.

Heidi met Betty Hansen, whose brother-in-law lives in Mullen, where Heidi grew up.

She met a woman from Burwell and a French woman on her way to the International Quilt Museum to give a lecture.

Jacqueline Jacque was tired from traveling all day, but when the gate attendant asked for requests, she had one. Play some jazz!

I was asking, yes, she said Friday, taking a break at the quilt museum on Holdrege Street. (After they couldnt agree on an Aretha Franklin song, she ended up getting the attendant to play Whitney Houston singing I Will Always Love You, which worked out just fine.)

Jacqueline did not dance. But those who did? "It was very funny to watch.

Heidi and Tom were among those who took the floor -- She shamed us into it -- and Heidi took pictures and video on her phone.

She even caught Betty busting a move or two.

"I love to dance, are you kidding?" said Betty, who had been visiting her daughter in Georgia. "Man, it was a good time."

She did the twist and the jerk and the swim as phones flashed around her, and the gate agent followed along.

"Here this lady was making an effort to entertain us," Betty said. "Oh, she was fabulous."

Flight 5282 to Lincoln ended up with its wheels up before those extra 90 minutes expired. But before it did, the friendly attendant offered everyone blankets in case they were cold. (The sweaty dancers declined.) When the new crew arrived, she announced them like they were stars on the red carpet.

And when the time for boarding arrived, she handed out hugs as they left the terminal.

Delta didnt get back to me on Friday with the name of that Atlanta agent, but Heidi has a message for the airline: I think she should be training all gate agents.

Heidi and Tom had traveled to Europe with their son earlier this year (on another airline) and ended up stuck in Chicago when their flight was canceled.

The difference in customer service was unbelievable.

The Piccinis were safe and sound in Lincoln before midnight Wednesday and tired but happy Thursday, thinking of their time at an airport in Georgia.

It was a scream," Heidi said. "Best flight delay ever.
A delegation from the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will meet with Mayor Chris Beutler to express their disappointment in the Children's Zoo expansion plans and their displeasure at being left out of the decision-making process.

The most recent zoo expansion plans do not include the boards previous recommendations for a wide green buffer, board members said at a Thursday meeting.

The Lincoln Children's Zoo is planning to expand at its current location in the triangle-shaped area bounded by A and 27th streets and Capitol Parkway.

As part of what the board members considered a compromise, the advisory board had earlier recommended there be at least 75 feet of green buffer space along 27th Street and A Street, an attempt to keep the park-like feel of the area.

And they had asked that use of the park headquarters building at 2740 A St. by the zoo be considered only as a last resort.

However, the plans unveiled in mid-September show a 50-foot buffer along 27th Street and a 15-foot berm along A Street. The department will also lose its headquarters building and move to the third floor of the Health Department, 3140 N St.

Advisory board members, who had discussed and approved two previous sets of zoo expansion plans, were displeased they were not consulted on the most recent plans. And they were galled by the decision to move the parks department offices to the top floor of another agencys building.

This new plan is disturbing to me, said Peter Levitov, former board chair. After considering two previous master plans, all of a sudden out of the blue, there is this announcement ... about the new master plan." And it is "radically different" than what the board had previously seen, he said.

Along the way the board agreed to compromises, said Anne Pagel, board chairwoman. But those things the board felt most strongly about -- specifically the larger buffer area -- were lost, she said.

The mayor received input from several different groups before making the decision on the final plans, said Nicole Fleck-Tooze, parks and recreation staff member. A proposed pedestrian bridge to connect the zoo with a proposed parking lot south of A Street had serious logistical and cost issues, she said.

The parking lot and bridge are not in the current plans, but the new plan has expanded parking north of A Street.

The mayor "felt like he had gotten significant input and the zoo feels like it is under significant pressure (to move ahead), said Lynn Johnson, Parks and Recreation Department director.

Beutler said he will meet with board representatives but defended his decision in an email statement.

"The zoos expansion is an enormous opportunity for Lincoln, securing the zoos long-term financial future and infusing millions of new dollars into our local economy," he wrote.

"The boards concerns had to be balanced with the needs of the zoo, the neighborhood and the other stakeholders for the project to succeed," he said.

Putting the larger parking area north of A and moving the Parks and Recreation Department building, "are efficient and cost-effective alternatives that allow the zoo project to move forward, a win for everyone," Beutler said.

Members of the advisory board also plan to talk with the mayor about a better location for the parks department headquarters, Levitov said.

The new headquarters "is to be in someone elses building, on the third floor, not visible from the street," Levitov said.

Levitov and other board members suggested the board will have to represent itself because Johnson is a mayors appointee and cannot disagree with his boss publicly.

He cant serve as an advocate for the board in this case, Levitov said.

One big change in the zoo's latest plans is elimination of a large parking lot south of A Street, with an overpass to carry pedestrians to the zoo.

But a smaller parking lot south of A remains in the plans and crossing A Street "is going to be more dangerous in the years to come," said Larry Hudkins, a Lancaster County commissioner who serves on the parks advisory board.

Board members also indicated that compensation from the zoo, $1.25 million for the headquarters building and land, is not enough.
Like any good church gathering, theres always food.

This week its dolma, a pan-fried grape leaf stuffed with meat and rice and rolled into something resembling an egg roll, and, like all good potlucks, left warm in a Tupperware container to be dished onto paper plates.

Over the past few months, the aromas of traditional Yazidi fare have been a familiar scent wafting down the hallways of a Christian church in Lincoln.

St. Matthews Episcopal, tucked away at 2325 S. 24th St. in the Country Club neighborhood, has hosted Yazidi women and youth for English and dance classes four days a week.

The classes are designed to connect the religious minority targeted by Islamic State extremists in Iraq both to their heritage and culture as well as their new lives in Lincoln.

This helps them feel home, said Gulie Khalaf, who through the advocacy group Yezidis International has organized the classes with volunteers from the church.

The home they used to know is literally in pieces, she said. Now this is their home, and its a place they can call their home and truly feel it.

On Wednesdays, as many as eight Yazidi women, some recent arrivals after fleeing the self-declared Islamic State in Iraq, learn English, poring over workbooks with the help of a few dedicated tutors.

The classes start with taking attendance and progress through a warm-up activity led by Tim Sandberg, an education coordinator and senior programs manager at Lincolns Asian Community and Cultural Center. Then, the Yazidi women break into groups based on their level of fluency.

After a break during which students and teachers alike enjoy the dolma, one group works to master the basics of English -- the ABCs, the sounds each letter makes and how to string them together into basic words -- while another practices reading fluency and comprehension.

Ultimately, the class aims to give the women tools to navigate their new world, Khalaf said.

They hope to learn little things like recognizing a childs name on a letter sent home from school or being able to give out an address or phone number and tougher skills like scanning grocery ads.

We feel like we are mute, said one woman who asked to be called Laylo for this story. We cannot communicate with anyone around us.

Very few Yazidi women went to school in Iraq, making the prospects for getting an education -- especially for those who are now in their 60s and 70s -- intimidating, the women said.

The cultural barrier still exists, but it is being dismantled by their motivation to be independent in a new country, speak to their doctors individually, ask for directions.

Another woman who asked to be referred to as Zaray said being able to say hi to neighbors or respond would help her life.

Their progress has been evident, Khalaf said.

When they first came, they were almost frightened, she said. Now its like they own the place. They are smiling and talking to each other and asking the mentors how they are doing.

The teachers who volunteer have seen each womans confidence grow, too.

They take a lot of pride in completing their work, said Linda Rabbe, a volunteer and parish member at St. Matthew's. We introduced writing to them just as a kind of happenstance and they absolutely love it.

Papers with letters scrawled across them litter notebooks, while pages of activities are filled with answers.

Khalaf said the Grandma Project, as it's called, was originally slated to span eight weeks, but after six months shows no signs of slowing down.

It just kept going, and its part of the week now, said Meredith McGowan, a retired librarian who volunteers at the church. Its something we look forward to and they look forward to.

Cathy Mueller, a retired English-language learner teacher for Lincoln Public Schools, teaches one group of the women, while Sawsan Elias, a Yazidi nursing student at Southeast Community College, quizzes them on their English while she drives them to class.

Shes also trying to recruit more women into the Grandma Project.

Its really fun to work with the grandmas, she said. Im looking for more grandmas so we can have a bigger class.

There are other programs in the Yazidi community and more to come.

On Thursday nights and Saturday mornings, Yazidi kids 6 to 13 have been working on a dance routine in the church basement that reflects Yazidi culture and heritage, Khalaf said.

They are learning to express themselves and who they are through dance, she said.

Yezidis International is working on a video for the groups website.

The unofficial Yazidi headquarters in Lincoln -- St. Matthews -- has been happy to oblige the blossoming community in Lincoln, which Khalaf estimated at nearly 1,300 people.

Associate Pastor Steve Lahey said the church recognized an opportunity to fulfill its mission of helping those in need by lending time and talent after nearly a century of keeping to itself.

Whats the purpose of having a church with gifts if you dont share them? he asked.

Lahey said the church is open to the Yazidis to use as they will, including everything from the education and dance classes to worship if they so choose.

The church remains sensitive to the Yazidis, who practice a religion that was 1,000 years old when Jesus walked the earth, Lahey said.

To push them into something they are not ready for is just wrong, Lahey said. All we want to do is allow them to move from within, but the end goal is to have them interested in using our space for worship.

As more arrive -- Khalaf estimates as many as 3,000 could call Nebraska home in the next few years -- the need for teachers and volunteers will grow, especially for those who have worked with English-language learners or in special education.

We are really hoping to empower the Yazidis here in the community through education, college prep courses and getting their drivers licenses, she said.

One Yazidi woman, a friend of the students studying English at the church, recently passed the Nebraskas driver license exam, Khalaf said.

She was the talk of the community.
WASHINGTON -- Another small step was taken last week on the steep and winding ascent back to constitutional norms. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the nation's second-most important court, did its judicial duty by reprimanding Congress for abandoning constitutional propriety.

The court declared unconstitutional the unprecedented independence that Congress conferred on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This legal skirmish about one aspect of this one tentacle of the administrative state may seem recondite and trivial. It concerns, however, two momentous matters. One is the integrity of the federal government's Madisonian architecture. The other is something that not even the prescient James Madison could have anticipated -- Congress' modern eagerness to diminish itself.

The CFPB is empowered to "regulate the offering and provision of consumer financial products or services." Being able to define financial products, it can regulate almost everything touching finance, from mortgages to financial advisers to retirement plans -- even car loans, although expressly forbidden to do so. Acting like a freewheeling little legislature, it concocts laws as it improvises standards. It is authorized to "declare," with scant congressional guidance, certain business practices "abusive," "unfair," "deceptive" or involving "discrimination." It does so by whatever criteria it pleases, and imposes penalties it deems appropriate.

Until the court's decision last week, the CFPB, unlike any federal institution created since 1789, was uniquely sovereign: Its director was appointed by the president for a five-year term -- longer than the president's -- and the director could be removed by the president only "for cause." That is, only for "inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance," not for reasons of policy.

The court held that the CFPB is "unconstitutionally structured" because of its "novel agency structure." There are several agencies that are controlled by bipartisan commissioners who can only be removed for cause, and they are described as "independent" agencies as a result. But they all have five members, chosen from both parties. The court has just held, however, that as created by Congress in the 2010 slapdash Dodd-Frank legislation, the CFPB's single director "enjoys more unilateral authority than any other officer in any of the three branches of the U.S. government, other than the president."

The court's ruling makes the director subject to presidential control through dismissal. Another important challenge to the CFPB's operations, currently in a federal district court, concerns Congress' voluntary abandonment of its power of the purse: Dodd-Frank, which was passed with the support of only three House Republicans and three Republican senators, says the CFPB's funding shall be "determined by the director" and shall come not from congressional appropriations but from the Federal Reserve. Small wonder it spends lavishly on itself. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who while at Harvard Law School proposed the CFPB, insists it is "highly accountable" to Congress. The CFPB disagrees, having proclaimed that its funding from outside the appropriations process gives it "full independence" from Congress. When a member of the House Financial Services Committee asked CFPB Director Richard Cordray about his agency spending $215 million refurbishing a building with an assessed valuation of $150 million, he, oozing disdain, dismissed the question: "Why does that matter to you?" Perhaps he should be forgiven for assuming that CFPB spending government money is none of Congress' business, given that Congress has effectively said exactly that.

Although Madison assumed that the government's rival institutions would jealously defend their powers, he worried that the legislative branch would threaten the equilibrium of the checks and balances by "drawing all power into its impetuous vortex." Today, however, Congress is centrifugal rather than centripetal, expelling rather than concentrating power.

And the next president certainly will be impatient with Madison's separation of powers. President Hillary Clinton will be because progressives since Woodrow Wilson have considered this system an anachronistic impediment to energetic government powered by an unconstrained executive. President Donald Trump will be anti-Madisonian because the system of checks and balances will impede the sweep of his unmediated fabulousness.

The CFPB's progressive authoritarianism reflects, in the language of the Hudson Institute's Christopher DeMuth, "regulatory insouciance" made possible by "legislative abnegation." Both will continue until conservatism reappears.
In a speech not long before she launched her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton made a stunning declaration of war on religious Americans. Speaking to the 2015 Women in the World Summit, Clinton declared that "deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed."

Religious beliefs have to be changed? This is perhaps the most radical statement against religious liberty ever uttered by someone seeking the presidency. It is also deeply revealing. Clinton believes that, as president, it is her job not to respect the views of religious conservatives but to force them to change their beliefs and bend to her radical agenda favoring taxpayer-funded abortion on demand.

This is the context in which we must read a recently released trove of emails - which, according to WikiLeaks, come from the accounts of Clinton staff - showing the rampant anti-Catholic bigotry that permeates Clinton World.

In a 2012 email that WikiLeaks says was sent to John Podesta, now chairman of the Clinton campaign, Voices for Progress president Sandy Newman writes that "there needs to be a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a middle ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic church" and proposed that the Clinton team "plant the seeds of the revolution" to change Catholic teaching. Podesta replies, "We created Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good to organize for a moment like this . . . Likewise Catholics United." He adds, "I'll discuss with Tara. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is the other person to consult."

So members of the Clinton's inner circle created front groups to foment a "Catholic Spring" - because, as their dear leader had announced, "deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed."

That's not all. In another email exchange with the subject line "Conservative Catholicism," Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri and Podesta co-author John Halpin appear to mock Catholics and evangelical Christians for their "backwards" views. Halpin ridicules Fox News chairman Rupert Murdoch for raising his kids Catholic, declaring "Friggin' Murdoch baptized his kids in Jordan where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Many of the most powerful elements of the conservative movement are all Catholic (many converts) from the SC and think tanks to the media and social groups. It's an amazing bastardization of the faith. They must be attracted to the systematic thought and severely backwards gender relations and must be totally unaware of Christian democracy."

Palmieri responds that Catholicism "is the most socially acceptable politically conservative religion. Their rich friends wouldn't understand if they became evangelicals." "Excellent point," Halpin responds, adding that "they can throw around 'Thomistic' thought and 'subsidiarity' and sound sophisticated because no one knows what the hell they're talking about." Podesta is included on both emails.

The hostility to people of faith here is simply breathtaking. Apparently when Clinton aides speak in private, their basket of "deplorables" includes faithful Catholics and evangelicals who believe in the sanctity of human life. If they had made such comments about any other group, they would be politically excommunicated.

Yet the mainstream media has, for the most part, ignored these revelations of anti-religious bias.

If Clinton is elected, she could be the most consequential president in history in terms of reshaping the nation's highest court. Does anyone imagine that Clinton and her team will pick justices who respect religious liberty? Not a chance.

The Clinton campaign emails have thus put the stakes of this election in sharp relief not only for Americans of faith but also for all those who care about human dignity. Clinton's presidency would be a threat to the religious freedom of all Americans. Let's see if all those on the left who have complained about bigotry this election season call out Clinton and her team- or give her a pass.

---

Thiessen, a fellow with the American Enterprise Institute and former chief speechwriter to President George W. Bush, writes a weekly online column for The Washington Post.

clinton-religion-comment

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Keywords: Marc Thiessen, john podesta, hillary clinton catholics, hillary clinton wikileaks, hillary clinton catholicism
The bottom line on the death penalty deserves to be at the top of any discussion of the death penalty, so here it is:

To support the death penalty, you must be willing to take the chance that the state will execute an innocent person.

The development of DNA technology proved how often the criminal justice system can go awry. Scores of death row inmates have been released after they were cleared by DNA evidence.

One of them was Ray Krone, who spent 10 years in prison, including three years on death row for a murder he did not commit. At least one of the votes in the Legislature to repeal the death penalty came after the senator talked with Krone.

If it happened to Krone, a former Air Force sergeant with no criminal record, It can happen to anybody, Krone says.

Could you sit across a desk from Krone and tell him you dont care if the occasional innocent person is executed?

Nebraskans know how fallible the criminal system can be. The Beatrice 6 were railroaded into prison for a murder they did not commit. Finally DNA showed someone else committed the crime. Now Gage County is on the hook for $28.1 million in damages. It has been described as the largest false confession case in American history.

Jerry Givens executed 62 people in Virgina. He was within days of executing No. 63, but before he pulled the switch on the electric chair one more time, the inmate won a reprieve. Ultimately the inmate was exonerated and given a full pardon on the basis of DNA evidence.

Now Givens opposes the death penalty. If I execute an innocent person, Im no better than the people on death row, he said.

Most of the errors in the criminal justice system are made by well-meaning people who simply make mistakes.

Theres another way that the justice system can miscarry. Sometimes people act with actual malice. They try to take the law into their own hands. The former head of the Crime Investigation Unit in Omaha was sentenced to prison for planting evidence that led to the wrongful arrest of two men for the murder of Wayne and Sharmon Stock, found shot to death in their farm house near Murdock in 2006. Two other people were convicted for the crime.

Experts have been working for hundreds of years to rid death penalty system of the possibility of error. All they have done is add seemingly endless routes of appeal that make the death penalty horrendously expensive.

A better option than risking the possibility of executing an innocent person is replacing the death penalty with life in prison. Thats why we urge Nebraskans to retain the repeal voted into law by 32 state senators.

This is the first of two editorials on Referendum No. 426 on the Nov. 8 ballot. Tomorrows editorial lays out the conservative argument for replacing the death penalty with life in prison.
Boy, do we have a mess in America. We have two people running for president that most of us wouldn't even invite to a backyard party. Donald Trump is a bully and somewhat of a thug but is still better than Hillary Clinton. We are condemning Trump on the language he uses and what he says about people and seem to be ready to let Clinton off the hook on things she has actually done. The illegal things she has done are endless and most everyone has heard about them endlessly, so I won't go into them now.

Trump is a dog and I wish we had Mike Pence at the top of the ticket but we don't. If you look at Clinton's record, you would have to be a left-winger to vote for her and left-wing ideology has gotten us in the mess we're in. What I really wonder about is, what does Clinton and Barrack Obama have on each other that would make Obama say she is the most qualified person to ever run for President ever. Thats the politics we have in this country that most of us would like to see disappear.

Elect Clinton and most people can say goodbye to America. We know she will do anything and say anything to be president. Trump is a bully and outsider but he would never stoop to the levels Clinton already has. Clinton has the main stream newspapers and television, plus the Oval Office, the Attorney General and the FBI protecting her, so I doubt there's any way to stop her. Please God, bless America.

Wes Hager Lincoln
The most newsworthy portions of Donna Brazile's speech at UNL touched on her observations about this year's Wild West presidential battle, but she also had other messages to deliver.

"People of color feel as if the police don't respect our lives," Brazile said.

"We're not there yet in terms of diversity in the modern media," she said.

"How diverse is our media?" Brazile asked. "And how is the media dealing with diversity?"

Those messages were more targeted to the College of Journalism and Mass Communications event. Brazile brought with her the experience of being a longtime political commentator on television as well as her years as a political strategist.

"The media bears responsibility for a lot of the division in society," she said.

Brazile made no excuses for broaching tough topics and issuing challenges.

"If you don't push buttons," she said, "you don't get change."

* * *

Showtime!

Rep. Brad Ashford and Republican challenger Don Bacon will hold their third and final debate on Wednesday at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

Voters in the 2nd Congressional District have a good opportunity to understand the differences between the two congressional candidates if they are listening.

But if they're basing their judgments on the flood of TV campaign ads, they're going to have a distorted view of each of these men.

Thirty-second campaign ads -- at least those that are not simply biographical -- are almost always misleading if they are targeted at the opponent.

Half-truths, at best.

* * *

The Omaha World-Herald's endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president this weekend was both noticeable and newsworthy.

It was the first time the newspaper has endorsed a Democratic presidential nominee since 1932, when Franklin D. Roosevelt sought his first term. That's a long time ago.

The only exception to a Republican presidential endorsement since then occurred in 1964, when the newspaper did not endorse either Democratic President Lyndon Johnson or Republican nominee Barry Goldwater.

And that's a reminder of the fascinating story Frank Morrison told me decades later.

Morrison, who was governor at the time, received a phone call from the White House asking him to arrange for the president to meet with Omaha construction magnate Peter Kiewit when Johnson came to Omaha to make a speech in 1964.

Kiewit, a large government contractor, owned the newspaper at the time.

When the president and Kiewit sat down, Morrison was the third person in the room.

Johnson, according to Morrison, strongly suggested that the newspaper not support Goldwater.

Morrison's 2003 recollection of Kiewit's response to Johnson: "Mr. President, I have never interfered with the editorial policy of the newspaper, but I'll be glad to speak to the boys."

That was a classic private demonstration of Lyndon Johnson's legendary application of pressure politics 52 years ago.

But there is every reason to believe the World-Herald's assertion that current owner Warren Buffett had absolutely nothing to do with this year's presidential endorsement even though Buffett strongly supports Clinton.

No doubt about it.

* * *

Here are the latest projections from Nate Silver's presidential election survey on FiveThirtyEight:

* Hillary Clinton's chances of winning Nebraska: 4.6 percent.

* Clinton's chances of winning western and central Nebraska's 3rd District, 1.2 percent, the lowest odds in any district in the country.

* Clinton's chances in metropolitan Omaha's hotly contested 2nd District: 49.4 percent, almost dead even.

* Clinton's chances in the 1st District, which includes Lincoln: 15 percent.

* * *

Finishing up:

* Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley has contributed to the campaigns of embattled Sens. Jerry Johnson, Les Seiler and Al Davis, according to a brief survey of recent campaign finance reports.

* Sen. Jim Smith contributed to Johnson.

* Ben Nelson has become an active participant in Hillary Clinton's campaign to win Nebraska's 2nd District electoral vote.

* Get your body armor and crash helmets before Wednesday night's final presidential scrum. Viewer discretion advised. Hide the children.

* Probably safe to assume 7-0 (and 10-1 in the last 11 games) before heading into the meat grinder. Something's going on here.
MOUNT PLEASANT  When Dave Brown took a job in a carpet warehouse as a teenager, he unknowingly found a career that led to majority ownership of a business with four stores and 54 full-time employees.

Brown, president of Carpetland USA Flooring Center, was named this years Business Person of the Year by Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce. Hell be honored at the annual banquet Wednesday evening.

Its a great honor, Brown, 47, said Friday. It gave me an opportunity to reflect back over the last 20 years  how I got here and who helped me get here.

The Racine natives entry to the carpet and flooring business came when, at 15, Brown went to work for Mrazek-Rudan Carpets. He worked there through his Case High School years and while earning a bachelor of science degree in marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater: One weekend a month, hed do the inventory, and he worked there all summer.

With the degree he received in 1991, Brown said, I had no intention of staying in the flooring business; I thought Id be a stockbroker, but that didnt work out.

The country was in recession then, Brown said, and college grads were turning to insurance sales or whatever other work they could find. But Mike Rudan of Mrazek-Rudan Carpets offered Brown a full-time job in contract sales: calling on companies, builders and so on.

He eventually became manager of that store.

When the Chicago chain Carpetland USA came to this area in 1995 and built the present store at 6051 Regency West Drive to be run by the late Jeff Bernstein, he recruited Brown to run the contract department.

Three years later, Bernstein gave Brown a chance to buy into the business as minority owner, with his wife.

We signed our names to a bunch of promissory notes and bought in, Brown said.

Expansion

In 2000, Brown and Bernstein added a second store, in West Allis.

When Bernstein got sick, stopped working in 2010 and died in 2013, Brown was Carpetlands president and majority owner.

Today the local Carpetland USA is independent, and Brown owns the name for this entire corner of Wisconsin. He also has stores in Glendale and Pewaukee and a warehouse at 9620 Michigan St. in Sturtevant.

Following the Great Recession, which gouged sales by 50 to 60 percent, Carpetlands business has steadily improved during the last five years, Brown said. Besides his 54 direct employees, the business keeps 100 subcontracted installers working.

Brown shares his success with the community as a member of the Racine Founders Rotary Club. And along with the Racine Kenosha Builders Association, Carpetland holds an annual bowl-a-thon fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Racine and Kenosha Counties. Brown said last years event raised more than $21,000 for the organization.
3 more bodies recovered, toll reaches 8

Three more bodies have been recovered from the Maikhola river, taking the toll from a boat capsize in Mahamai, Ilam, to eight.
A peep into public relations

Politicians should be careful not to undermine their public image, which takes years to build
Bagmati clean-up continues

Volunteers came together on the final day of Dashain on Saturday to clean up the Pashupatinath temple premises as they marked the 179th week of the Clean Bagmati campaign.
Change of govt puts plans on back burner

The planned petroleum exploration at Sirsthan-Navisthan in Dailekh initiated by the previous government has been put on the back burner.
China pledges support in NA's capacity enhancement

China has pledged to support the Nepal Army in enhancing its capacity in disaster management efforts.
Chitwan Park breeding centre sees increase in elephant population

Number of elephants in the Khorsor Elephant Breeding Centre in Sauraha, Chitwan, has significantly increased, according officials.
Pandey is a graduate of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
Govt to withdraw cases in 2 phases

The government has refused to drop criminal charges against protesters allegedly involved in the Kailali carnage and the killing of an assistant police inspector in Mahottari last year before final court hearing while agreeing to immediately withdraw charges against others arrested during the five-month long protest.
India, China welcome Nepal's proposal on tri-party understanding

A proposal by Nepal for a trilateral meeting among Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping has received a positive response.
ABC/Ida Mae Astute(MILWAUKEE) -- Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr., a prominent Trump supporter and vocal critic of Black Lives Matter who spoke at the Republican National Convention this year, tweeted Saturday that instead of just complaining about corruption in the White House, other federal institutions and the media, it's "pitchforks and torches time."

Clarke, who regularly appears on cable news shows, posted what appeared to be a stock photo of men and women brandishing torches, pitchforks and clubs, and wrote, "It's incredible that our institutions of gov, WH, Congress, DOJ, and big media are corrupt & all we do is bitch. Pitchforks and torches time."

It's incredible that our institutions of gov, WH, Congress, DOJ, and big media are corrupt & all we do is bitch. Pitchforks and torches time pic.twitter.com/8G5G0daGVN  David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) October 15, 2016

ABC News reached out to Sheriff Clarke but did not immediately receive a response.



Some Twitter users responded to the sheriff that he was inciting violence, while others defended Clarke's comment.



Clarke has criticized the Black Lives Matter movement for fomenting "social upheaval" and "chaos."



"People have to find a more socially acceptable way to deal with their frustration, their anger and resentment," Clarke said in August when protesters in Milwaukee clashed with police in reaction to the officer-involved shooting death of 23-year-old Sylville Smith. "We cannot have the social upheaval -- the chaos that we saw [during the protest] frightens good, law-abiding people in those neighborhoods."



Clarke's office has come under scrutiny recently over a 38-year-old man dying of thirst in the county jail.



Terrill Thomas, 38, was found dead in his jail cell in April, nine days after he was arrested in connection with a shooting. The death was ruled a homicide, with dehydration the primary cause, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.



Clarke has not commented on Thomas' death, and issued a press release in September citing an internal investigation of the case as the reason why.



Clarke is a strong supporter of GOP nominee Donald Trump and his tweet Saturday seemed to echo the Republican candidate's recent pronouncements that the election is "rigged" in favor of his rival Hillary Clinton. Trump, facing accusations of sexual assault by a growing number of women, is blaming the media for giving a platform to what he says are false claims.



Its one big fix. This whole election is being rigged," Trump said at a rally in North Carolina yesterday.



Clarke, who is promoting a book called "Cop Under Fire," also criticized the media Saturday, tweeting: "To all [Trump] supporters, Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled (John:14 1-3) Big media knows that our day is coming. Stay strong."

To all @realDonaldTrump supporters, Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled (John:14 1-3) Big media knows that our day is coming. Stay strong. pic.twitter.com/IBSX9E8llo  David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) October 15, 2016

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
John Kerry to visit London for Syria talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry is to attend a meeting in London on the ongoing civil war in Syria.
Madhes leaders join UMLs tea party

Leaders of the Tarai-based parties, who had frosty relations with the CPN-UML over the Madhes issues, attended the latters tea reception organised on Saturday on the occasion of Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals.
Man killed in police action was involved in Kedia abduction

An Indian national, who was killed in police action a week ago in Birgunj, was involved in the abduction of businessman Suresh Kedia, claimed police.
Govt lifts ban on foreign employment in Afghanistan

The government has lifted the restriction on Nepali workers from working in Afghanistan. The erstwhile KP Oli government had imposed the ban on Nepali migrants from going to Afghanistan as work destination following a deadly blast in a bus in Kabul on June 20 in which 13 Nepali workers lost their lives.
Nepal requests Sri Lanka to reconsider death penalty to Nepali citizen

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is presently in Goa in course of attending the BRICS- BIMSTEC Outreach Summit, called on Sri Lankan President Maithiripala Sirisena on Sunday.
Trump challenges Clinton to drug test before next debate

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has accused rival Hillary Clinton of being "pumped up" during their last debate, saying they should both be tested for drugs before the next one.
Xi says will visit Nepal at earliest convenience

Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed his readiness to visit Nepal at his earliest convenience, Nepali officials said on Saturday.
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The issue of North Korea's overseas workers, who are believed to work in dismal conditions, might be included in a human rights resolution by the United Nations in December for the first time, sources said Sunday.

South Korea, the United States and Japan are said to be working together to mention in the resolution their dire working conditions, such as long working hours and restrictions on their physical movement.

On top of human rights violations, another concern is that part of the money they send back home is suspected to flow into the regime to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD), including its nuclear program.

Last month, Willy Fautre from Human Rights Without Borders estimated around 50,000 North Koreans work in 16 countries that annually send US$1.2-2.3 billion back home. Another estimate said there are more than 100,000 North Koreans working overseas.

"Issues related to North Korea's overseas workers will be extensively discussed in many international forums. ... You will see the discussion (take place) in the near future," said Foreign Affairs Minister Yun Byung-se at a regular parliamentary audit session Thursday.

Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. special rapporteur on North Korean human rights, has recently submitted a report on North Korea's human rights conditions to the General Assembly's Third Committee.

The U.N. General Assembly has been condemning the regime's horrible human rights violations by annually adopting a resolution since the 2000s. (Yonhap)
ap

In this Sept. 2015 photo provided by Erin X. Smithers, Michael Templeton poses with his dog in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Templeton, 38, said he was fired from his job as music director at the Church of St. Mary in Providence, a post he held for five years, after marrying his same-sex partner. An ideological tug of war over his firing illustrates the confusion in some U.S. Roman Catholic parishes over Pope Francis words on homosexuality. The popes declaration Who am I to judge? in 2013 energized Catholics who had pushed the church to accept gays and lesbians. Three years later, some gay Catholics and supporters who had hoped for rapid acceptance find themselves stymied by many bishops and pastors.
PITTSBURGH  High school students have become so mindful of financial planning for college in recent years that many who are academically eligible to attend a traditional four-year college are choosing to minimize their cost by enrolling in two-year community colleges instead.

Ive been a guidance counselor for 12 years now and there is absolutely a growing trend where students are much more financially responsible, said Matt Anselmino, a guidance counselor at Shaler Area High School in Pittsburgh. Students are asking themselves if the investment in a traditional four-year education is going to outweigh the debt they incur.

For last years graduating class at Shaler, the most popular choice for higher education among its 380 grads was an area community college, Anselmino said.

With Americans owing $1.3 trillion in student loan debt spread out among 43 million borrowers, the issue of reducing college-related debt became a lightning rod topic early in this election cycle that helped drive Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders popularity among millennial voters.

The rising cost of college and the likelihood of being burdened with debt is causing more students to take a closer look at how they could benefit from community college or a trade school education, according to a report by the Washington, D.C.-based College Savings Foundation.

Nearly one third  28 percent  of parents interviewed by the foundation earlier this year said their high school children had considered not attending college, with the leading reason being that they did not want student debt.

In 2015, 17 percent of parents had said their students were shying away from four-year colleges.

Interestingly, parents and students are looking at alternative strategies to simply attending a single four-year institution straight out of high school, said Mary Morris, chairman of the College Savings Foundation and CEO of Virginia 529 in Richmond, Va. The CSF is a nonprofit organization that helps families reach their education savings goals by working with policymakers and financial services executives to support education saving programs.

We find more people are focused on lifelong learning, not just earning a four-year degree, Morris said. They want a high-quality certificate, such as a six-month training course right out of college that allows them to do some type of technical job in fields like optics or computers.

Morris said community colleges are driving innovation in higher education because they are in contact with employers in their areas and developing programs that meet industry needs.

According to the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, the projected cost of attending college for one year in the year 2030 will be $40,000 to $60,000 for a four year public college and $92,000 to $130,000 for a private college. According to the College Board, the average cost of a community college in 2016 is $3,440 compared with attending a four-year private college this year, which averages $32,410.

However, the payoff for a college education has historically been worth the trouble of attaining it. The U.S. Department of Education reports the median earnings of a bachelors degree holder is $56,700 a year or $2.3 million over a lifetime, which is 31 percent higher than workers will earn with an associates degree and 74 percent higher than those with just a high school diploma.

The College Savings Foundation found top ranked strategies that families plan to use to help reduce the cost of higher education were to attend community college and then transfer to a four-year college, and to attend a state school rather than a private college. Among students who had to change their higher education choice due to costs, 65 percent are choosing community college and 21 percent are choosing a vocational or career school.

Maureen Shaw, a middle and high school counselor in the Clairton School District outside Pittsburgh, said the cost is always a factor in the decision-making of the students she works with.

A four-year college degree seems to have always been the prize students shoot for. However, we are trying to present the students with other options to show that attending a four-year institution isnt the only path for them to succeed in life, said Shaw, who was recently named high school counselor of the year for the state of Pennsylvania.

We have them look at projected job outlook and we are finding there is a huge need for occupations that only require a two-year degree or certification, such as physical therapy assistant, engineering technician or radiology technician, she said.

We want students to look at where their strengths lie, job availability factors, living wages and consider all those things in their career development path.

Maureen Shaw, high school counselor of the year for Pennsylvania
Serves You Right, a catering business that was the first tenant for the Coulee Region Business Centers shared-use commercial kitchen in 1999, has graduated from that facility and plans to continue growing at its new location at 705 Rose St.

Nancy Davenport started Serves You Right a year after she resigned in 1998 as director of patient financial services at Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, where she had worked for 21 years.

I was burned out, and as a single mother wanted to spend more time with her then-teenage twins, Travis and Teresa, she said of her decision to switch careers.

Nancy started Serves You Right as a part-time business, selling lunch to employees at The Company Store telephone call center. A couple months later, she also was selling lunch to employees at the APAC Customer Services Inc. telephone call center.

A few years later, Davenport recalled, someone asked her if she could cater an event. I said I suppose I could, she said, so expanded into catering events.

By the time it was 5 years old, Serves You Right was exclusively a full-service catering business and was no longer selling lunch at the two telephone call centers.

Nancys son Travis, who now is a partner in the business, began working part time at Serves You Right about 12 years ago, and became full time there in 2010. Travis said he began his cooking career as a teenager at Edwardos restaurant.

Nancy and Travis moved the business on Sept. 10 from the Coulee Region Business Center (also known as the small business incubator) at 1100 Kane St. to a recently renovated commercial kitchen at 705 Rose St. The Davenports lease the new space and own some of the kitchen equipment in it; their landlord owns the rest.

We were encouraged (by the incubator staff) to move on to their own space, Nancy said, as Serves You Right had operated from there for 17 years and the incubators mission is to assist new or expanding businesses in the region.

The Davenports are grateful for the help Serves You Right received at the incubator, but are happy about their move.

At the time (1999), it was the only way to start my business, Nancy said of the incubator, which offers below-market lease rates. And I couldnt find any other available kitchens at that time.

But the new location has its advantages.

There was no room for us to grow there, Travis said of the incubators shared-use kitchen. Serves You Right has more storage space at its new location, and its more convenient to have its own kitchen, which isnt being used by another business. Also, the new facility was laid out exactly the way the Davenports wanted.

Its sort of hard to cook for a 400-person wedding when someone else is baking in a shared-use kitchen, Nancy said. I think this is going to work well for us, she said of the catering firms new location.

Since Travis began working there full time in 2010, Serves You Right has expanded into catering larger events, including weddings, conventions and corporate events.

It caters for 20 to more than 800 people. Weve had several weddings in the 400-some-people range, Nancy said.

We have four or five core employees, she said. Another eight to 10 part-time workers can be called to help as needed. Several of them have been working for us for 10 years, Nancy said.

Serves You Right has been catering events within an approximately 90-minute drive from La Crosse.

Nancy said it offers made-from-scratch meals and homemade desserts, with lots of creativity and attention to detail, and fair prices.

We work with customers to come up with a menu that they want, Nancy said.

Some of the catering services most popular entrees include chicken cordon bleu, tomato basil chicken, stuffed chicken, tacos, lasagna and a pasta bar.

Some of its most popular desserts include mint brownies, peanut butter brownies, apple cake and cheesecake.

In the summer months, Serves You Right is busiest with weekend events such as weddings. From fall through spring, its busy catering corporate events that are held throughout the week. Businesses tend to hold fewer events in the summer months, Nancy said.

Both Nancy and Travis said they enjoy cooking and visiting with customers and people who attend the events theyre catering.

They also appreciate the fact that most events they cater are happy occasions such as weddings and corporate parties.

Even receptions after funerals are often happy events, Nancy said, as they bring together relatives who might not have seen each other for years.
In 2014, Onalaska residents established their support for local education by voting for a five-year referendum to assist the school district. Now, moving three years in to that referendum, its the school districts turn to give back.

Despite having an opportunity to borrow state money, exceed their revenue limit and pursue energy projects, the school board on Monday instead chose to decrease the local tax levy by 2.63 percent and save the taxpayer 60 cents on every $1,000 of taxable property compared to last year.

Borrowing state money would have indebted the district and kept the tax levy near where it was last year  $18.56 million or $10.55 per every $1,000 of property value.

Wed rather the community have those savings for as long as we can give them because they were willing to come to the mat and give us that support three years ago, Superintendent Fran Finco said.

The taxpayers can get a break largely because of an $874,000 increase in state aid from last year. More state aid means less money taxpayers need to chip in to keep their school district meeting its revenue limits.

Last year, state aid covered 41 percent of the districts revenue limit, while the taxpayers covered 50 percent. This year, however, is more balanced: state aid will cover 43.4 percent of total district revenues, and the local levy will cover just under 48 percent. Federal funding accounted for 1.2 percent, and the rest came from open enrollment students.

This is the first time since 2012 that the School District of Onalaska has had an increase in state aid.

The upswing occurred because, for the second year in a row, the district saw an increase in resident students. Last year, the school district added 39 resident students, and this year, they added another 17. The state uses a rolling average formula based on the number of students a district either gains or loses every three years to determine state aid, so two straight years of increased students fares well.

Finco said the trend of increasing students has been because, People see a community thats supportive of education. Theyve been good to us.

On top of the 17 resident students the district gained this year, they also had 405 students who open-enrolled from other school districts and 177 students opt out of their district to go elsewhere. This net gain of 228 students plays a significant role, as it accounted for roughly 7.5 percent of the districts general fund revenue.

On being a school of choice in the area, Finco again gave credit to the community.

We have good schools all around us, he said, but our community, in passing the referendum a couple years ago, took one more opportunity to say, We want a little bit better than a revenue-limited school district.

Moving forward, Finco said hes comfortable that the district can continue operating at the level it currently is at. But, he assured, the goal is to always improve.

Our job is to educate every student at a high level. In order to do that, we have to make sure that we get better every year, he said. If our bag of tricks doesnt enable us to get to 100 percent of the students in terms of reading ability, math or science, then we have to get better at what we do in order to reach the kids who were not reaching.

Budget approved despite directors protest

Board director Jake Speed, in his sixth month on the job, used the adoption of the 2016-17 budget to address some lingering concerns he had about last years budget during a five-minute comment Monday night.

He began by expressing his disapproval of money the district spent on legal fees 10 months ago (the same legal fees he disputed during Aprils election), moved on to mentioning overall incompetence from the rest of the board and then accused board members of violating state statutes.

When asked by Kent Ellickson, the districts director of finance and business services, which specific statutes he was referring to, Speed replied: I dont have the statute number.

Speeds diatribe escalated into him accusing the board of creating a pay-for-play scheme out of the district. Board director Tim Smaby, perplexed, asked Speed to repeat what he said, stating that its not in Speeds rights to accuse other board members of crimes in a public meeting such as a school board. Speed replied: I said what I said.

While board members could be seen shaking their heads, Speed went back and forth with multiple members before finally asking board president Ann Garrity, Why should I listen to your advice?

Garrity then called the question and recommended a roll-call vote on the budget. And despite his dispute, Speed voted in approval of the budget.
Lonny John Mahlum passed away Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016, at his summer home overlooking Newton Valley, midway between Viroqua and Genoa. Lonny loved the view of the beautiful rolling hills and farmlands.

He was born March 19, 1946, in La Crosse, to Russell and Mildred (Musser) Mahlum.

Lonny grew up in the La Crosse region during his elementary school years and enjoyed the company of numerous Mahlum and Musser aunts, uncles, and cousins. Some of his fondest memories were with family members at family events and celebrations.

He attended Wisconsin Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist secondary boarding school in Columbus, Wis., where he developed with his classmates the most meaningful life-long relationships that were maintained up to his death. After high school, Lonny started college at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, then he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served two years. Lonny served his military time in Korea as a medic attending wounded in the field. Awaiting release from the Army, Lonny spent a short stay in Japan teaching English for several months before returning to the states. Lonny attended Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Mich., where he earned his Bachelors of Arts. He earned his Masters from UW-La Crosse and started working in the La Crosse region in several public school districts as a school psychologist and special education director.

Besides serving communities for his entire career, a few of his highlights include the facilitation of adoption of his sister from a Korean orphanage while stationed in Asia, and the building of his own home on Lake Neshonic, West Salem. A talent that Lonny shared with the Seventh-day Adventist church congregation and the community was his beautiful singing voice. One of his favorite places abroad was Costa Rica, where he for a time owned property and a cabin. He developed a positive presence of friends and family in Costa Rica and certainly enjoyed the warm winters. The greatest pride and joy of his life had been the opportunity to travel, live and learn with his son, Logan Jared Mahlum.

Lonny was preceded in death by his sister, Kathy Mahlum; mother, Mildred (Musser) Mahlum; father, Russell Mahlum.

Lonny is survived by son, Logan Jared Mahlum; brother, Larry Mahlum (Carmen) and his sons, Chad (Tinamarie) Mahlum, and their children, Aidan and Celia; Trevor (Keri) Mahlum, and their children Morgan and Madison; Christopher Mahlum, and Mathias Mahlum; sister, La Lana Roupas (Mark) and their children, Steven and Caitlin; and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

A memorial service will be at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at La Crosse Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2117 La Crosse St., La Crosse.

Condolences may be sent to Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2117 La Crosse St., La Crosse, WI 54601.
Residents across La Crosse County will be able to drop by their local municipal clerks office to cast a ballot in the 2016 fall general election starting Monday  though it will be easier in some places than others.

Early voting, known officially as in-person absentee voting, will begin across the county this week, three weeks before Election Day, after each of the countys municipalities agreed to opening it up.

State law leaves early voting up to the discretion of each municipal clerk; however, La Crosse County Clerk Ginny Dankmeyer facilitated a date for the whole county to make it less confusing for county voters.

Three weeks prior to the election is later than elsewhere around the state  for example, Milwaukees in-person absentee voting period began Sept. 26  but Dankmeyer called the date a happy medium.

Two weeks before the election is tight considering how many people want to vote early, but at the same time we dont need a month and a half either, Dankmeyer said.

Clerks offices with regular office hours will accept in-person absentee ballots during those hours only. Those without office hours will be available by appointment.

City of La Crosse Clerk Teri Lehrke has set up stations throughout the lobby of La Crosse City Hall and brought in extra staff members for three weeks to accommodate early voters.

While she plans to close each day at her offices usual time of 5 p.m., Lehrke pointed out that people will be able to mail in absentee ballots through Nov. 8 if they cant make it to City Hall before it closes.

If they cant vote in-person during those absentee voting hours, they could submit a written request asking we mail an absentee ballot to them, Lehrke said. Weve been mailing absentee ballots since Sept. 22.

Clerks in the four municipalities without office hours will make themselves available for appointments, with town of Burns Clerk Jane Esser saying it works pretty well to have people call her directly.

I sometimes can meet people within 15 minutes if it works. Otherwise itll be a day or two, Esser. I try to be pretty accommodating.

Its Essers first presidential election as clerk, but she said she hasnt had many requests.

Town of Washington Clerk Barb Muenzenberger doesnt have an office in the town hall, so shes accustomed to doing early voting by appointment.

It works well. Weve done it several years, Muenzenberger said.

Muenzenberger is pretty flexible and has already started setting up appointments to get people their ballots.

Id go up there every day and meet people if I have to, Muenzenberger said.

In general, she gets true absentee voters, people who are out of town on Nov. 8, rather than people who prefer to avoid lines.

People like showing up on Election Day. Its kind of a tradition, she said. Its an event. Its a public activity.

The town had 80 percent turnout for the 2012 presidential election, but with only 345 registered voters, Washington doesnt have long lines at its single polling place  the town hall  even at peak voting times.

This election will mark the first presidential election to require Wisconsin voters to show a photo ID to cast a ballot, a rule that applies both to in-person and mailed ballots.

Lehrke emphasized the importance of bringing an accepted ID  such as a drivers license, passport, state ID or military ID  and being properly registered.

If they have moved since they last voted, they would need to re-register, Lehrke said.

Time is running out to register by mail. Any mailed registration forms need to be postmarked no later than Wednesday. In-person registration will continue until Friday, Nov. 4. Same-day registration on Election Day will still be available.

For more information on your registration status and casting a ballot, visit myvote.wi.gov or call your municipal clerk.
MINNEAPOLIS  Even as filming continues in the Twin Cities for the controversial HBO series Mogadishu, Minnesota, a much smaller film about the Cedar Riverside neighborhood opens in Minneapolis this weekend.

A Stray is about a Somali refugee whose life changes, not always for the better, when he befriends a dog.

A Stray is the story of Adan. Hes a good kid who tries to follow the rules. But hes alienated his family by pawning his mothers jewelry, and hes irritated his friends, who are tired of his mooching.

A man he meets at the mosque gives him a job at a local restaurant. Then things take a turn for the worse when he sets off in his bosss car to deliver some food.

Hes driving and talking on his phone when he hears a bump and slams on the brakes. The food goes flying.

He climbs out and looks around.

You just hit something, says a young woman standing nearby with her bike.

He looks under the car, and sees a small white mutt.

Pick him up, the woman says. You cant just leave him there.

Adan takes the dog to the vet and learns its not hurt. But the vet says he cant leave the dog there; Adan needs to take it away. This is a problem, and one that writer-director Musa Syeed knew would be good to explore.

Because the man-and-dog story is such a sort of archetypal American/Western story, he said. And I thought that, given Muslim sensitivities towards dogs, it could be an interesting take on that story.

Under Muslim law, dogs are considered haram, or forbidden. Theyre seen as dirty.

What was interesting to me about a Muslim kid and a dog was that these are two entities that seemingly are not able to reconcile, or that are so different, Syeed said. And I think thats the way that maybe a lot of people see, you know, Muslims in America ... there is some inherent tension or something like that.

In the film, Adan feels sorry and responsible for the dog, even though it makes him flinch. But hes lonely, and talks to the animal, complaining about his lot in life. At one point, a non-Muslim friend offers to buy the dog some food, and presents Adan with a bag of dried pigs ears. Adan is nonplussed, and then turns to the dog.

Pig ears? Are you allowed to eat this? Are you Muslim?

The dog stares back enigmatically in reply.

Adan is played by actor Barkhad Abdirahman, no stranger to film work. He was one of the Twin Cities performers chosen to portray Somali pirates in the Tom Hanks film Captain Phillips. That film shot his friend Barkhad Abdi to fame. Abdirahman still lives in Cedar Riverside. Like many Somali-Americans, he came to the United States through Kenya. Minneapolis has been his home for a decade.

Musa Syeed, who lives in New York, came to Minneapolis to scout the city and to spend time with Abdirahman long before he ever rolled a camera. Syeed wrote much of the dialog based on how the actor spoke and what hed seen in his life.

He brought a lot of his personal experience to the role, as a young man experiencing that transition of moving to America and being in a new place, Syeed said. He had some of the same struggles as the character Adan in the film.

Syeed says he also spent time learning about the community, getting to know people in Cedar Riverside. He also got to know Minneapolis.

We really wanted the city to be a character, in a way, he said.

The result is a deft portrait of Minneapolis, with its river, parks and big buildings, weaving in the restaurants, mosques and homes of the Somali community. Syeed takes a simple, gentle story, places it in a specific community in a particular city, and creates something much larger about the times in which we live.

Syeed will introduce several screenings of the movie Saturday at the Film Society of Minneapolis and St Paul.

Film has that immersive quality, and so I wanted to bring audiences into these worlds that maybe they dont feel comfortable entering, he said. You know, we dont often get to experience that everyday quality of Muslim life in America.

He hopes that through this story of a man and his forbidden dog there is room for compassion, understanding and a connection.
Ewoks, Super Woman and Donald Trump may not have much in common, but come Halloween the trio will be impersonated by canines across the country as the nations dog costumes of choice.

While the classic hot dog and devil suits are sure to be seen again this year, pet costume sales on Amazon.com are trending toward Star Wars, superhero and presidential themes. While the tailored navy suit and side-swept blonde wig (sold separately) would indisputably look better on a bulldog than the presidential candidate, I prefer to spare my dogs, Picasso and Dexter, the debate of a controversial costume.

Luckily, a search for dog costumes yields over 65,000 options on Amazon, great news for the 16 percent of Americans in search of festive canine finery tailored to their tastes.

Of course, fit is also a consideration, as many costumes cater to the sample size dog, with highly unreliable XS-XL categories and few options for pooches on the border. Chunkier chihuahuas may find the forgiving structure of a pumpkin costume most flattering, while a fur-hugging bat-dog suit highlights a Purina Fit n Trim figure.

Dexters long and chesty physique has proven difficult to accommodate over the years, with the Velcro straps of a sailor suit straining to meet in the center and a fleecy elf-eared pullover stopping at crop-top length. Countless costume changes have proven a corduroy banana suit to be his best option, which conveniently highlights his monkey-like appearance. I have yet to find a buttoned red coat and bellhop cap to transform him into a Wizard of Oz flying monkey, his true spirit costume.

Picassos more compact pug-terrier form is a match for many options, much to both my delight and the detriment of my wallet. At $26, his red raptor costume was a splurge, but the superfluous T-Rex arms protruding from the front and the fully stuffed tail extending at the rear have proven invaluable for photos. I like to think he was able to live vicariously through his unauthorized NASA spacesuit and experience a taste of the woodlands in his belted gnome ensemble, complete with pointy hat and luxurious white beard.

Picasso has always had a head for hats, nicely domed at the crown, and the extra adornment draws attention to his expressive eyes. He has mastered the earflap winter hat and pinstriped bonnet, and has a banana cap similar to Dexters but with an ice cream-themed bodice. Decadent scoops of ice cream topped with crimson cherries provide a padded layer of plumpness and extra warmth for the chilly fall weather.

(Lest you think Im subjecting my doggy duo to public humiliation, rest assured the costumes come off after a brief photo shoot and are replaced by less cumbersome sweaters, of which they have many.)

Having also covered cows, ladybugs and hipsters in prior years, I find myself leaning toward a canine couples costume for 2016: Ketchup and mustard? Frog and Toad? Good and Plenty? Really, thats all I want for my dogs on Halloween: good costumes and plenty of options.
TOMAH  Clean water was the topic of discussion at a Tomah Middle School assembly Tuesday, and Jenny Parker of the Remembering Jesse Parker charity and Mike Thompson, news anchor for WKBT-TV, in La Crosse were the messengers.

The presentation goes along with the middle schools project for the year  fundraising to help drill a well in Uganda.

Principal Steve Buss said the project will kick off with the presentation of the the middle school musical, The Lion King Jr.

The idea of combining awareness of the need for clean water and the musical came from director Lisa McCormick, Buss said.

She has not only a fantastic idea of having that for our musical but also to make it bigger  not just the musical, but to make our awareness of clean water bigger because of an earlier project that was done with the same musical, he said.

Clean water, Buss told the students, is not an acute issue in Tomah and the United States, but it is in other parts of the world.

(Water) is something that you guys could pick up anywhere you want to  whether its at Walmart or somewhere else or at home. In the hallways we can take our water bottles and refill them very easily and enjoy clean water every day, he said. In many parts of the world ... thats not the case.

Water is the key to life.

Water is really what drives everything  the basic piece of life is you have to have, is water, he said.

Parker is thrilled with the schools decision to help build a well.

I think its inspiring. I think most important is to get the kids aware of global issues and get them connected with kids in Uganda, she said. Just the thought that they are connecting and seeing those needs and wanting to be part of it I find completely inspiring.

Parker and Thompson got involved with clean water awareness and the building of wells in memory of Parkers eldest son, Jesse, who died in a 2009 traffic crash. His dream was to build clean water wells in Africa, so to remember him, his friends, family and classmates began the Jesse Parker Run to raise money to build a well.

Since then multiple wells have been drilled due to the Remembering Jesse Parker charity, area organizations and individuals.

The lack of clean water, Parker said, is something that can be fixed.

It just requires effort, she said.

Thompson said the middle schools efforts are commendable.

I think it can be hard to get through to middle school kids sometimes, but if you can let them realize that they are making a difference and there is that connection between them and a community thousands of miles away, I think that they can find that connection.

Theyre going to be raising money and funds for the communities over in Uganda to help them. So I think that thats another way they can find that connection, he said.

The goal, Thompson said, is obtainable.

It costs about $10,000 to build a well  so its not cheap, but its definitely obtainable for a community to come together and fund something like that, he said.

Buss said the project will go on for about a year, but the bigger picture is not only to build a well but also to teach the students and the community about the needs of others.

Any funds that we raise through small fundraisers ... is fantastic, but the bigger piece is in Tomah we have things very, very good  we do have many individuals who have their own concerns, but we dont have the same concerns as they have in Africa  clean water, he said. So raising awareness that its not this way everywhere in the world ... is just a great (thing) to do so.
UW-Madison spent $23.6 million in the latest fiscal year to keep about 200 faculty members on campus after other universities ramped up their efforts to recruit professors away in the wake of budget cuts and controversial changes to tenure policies, officials said Friday.

Despite those efforts, 34 professors left UW-Madison for other universities during the 2016 fiscal year.

Between 2010 and 2015 the university on average had 100 retention cases as a result of outside interest in faculty members, and lost an average of 21. But in the latest fiscal year, 144 professors were actively recruited by other universities, 29 of whom turned down UW-Madisons counter-offer and chose to leave, according to an annual retention report released Friday.

Five more professors left UW without considering a counter-offer, although officials said that number could be higher, since it is not centrally reported.

UW also offered preemptive retention packages to hold on to 87 professors with a high likelihood of being recruited away, according to the report.

Meanwhile, tight budgets brought about by slashed state funding for the university have also driven down how many professors UW can try to bring in, reducing the number of new faculty hires by 30 percent.

Officials say the surge of outside interest in UW professors illustrates how a $250 million cut to higher education funding in the 2015-17 state budget and a move by lawmakers to weaken faculty tenure protections have affected the universitys standing in the highly competitive academic job market.

Were going to try to raid Wisconsin, was how Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf described the attitude she heard from colleagues around the country after those changes brought national attention to Wisconsin.

And while Mangelsdorf sought to downplay the extent to which UW professors have been more inclined to go elsewhere, several have said the states political climate played a major role in their decision to leave.

The most important reason was the low morale that came from feeling like our jobs were under political attack constantly, said professor Caroline Levine, who was chairwoman of the English department at UW before she left for Cornell this summer. It has been a relief to go to a different atmosphere where I am really appreciated.

Retention rate stays high

Mangelsdorf noted that the campus retention rate  the percentage of faculty members who accepted a counter-offer from UW and stayed here  remained high despite the increase in outside offers.

Keeping professors on campus carries a price, however: UW spent $1.9 million on salary increases and another $21.7 million on one-time funding for professors research as part of retention packages.

Money for those packages came from several sources, including state funding, gifts and funding from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which increased its contribution to UW last year, officials said.

Wed like to think that we really made a strong statement, that we will fight to keep our faculty, Mangelsdorf said.

Its not yet clear whether the push to recruit UW faculty is over, Mangelsdorf said, or if outside recruitment efforts will stay high this fiscal year.

We would like to hope that this was sort of a one-time bulge, but we really dont know, she said.

Political climate led some to leave

The most common reason professors cited for considering offers from other universities was better pay, according to the retention report, and Mangelsdorf described the number who ultimately departed because of the political climate as a very small percentage.

She acknowledged, though, that professors dont take part in exit interviews when they leave UW-Madison.

Levine said her salary wasnt what led her to leave  she is making about 50 percent more at Cornell, but UW officials offered to match that salary to keep her here.

Instead, Levine said, it was her perception that lawmakers did not value the university and would weaken academic freedom that played a bigger role in her decision.

Some campus officials have said the budget cuts and tenure changes in Wisconsin have made professors more open to outside job offers because other states are increasing their higher education funding.

Levine said she never seriously considered leaving UW in her 14 years at the university. But by the time Cornell contacted her last summer, she said, I was ready.

UW recruitment faltering, too

As a greater number of faculty left the university last year, UW was not able to hire professors to replace them.

Constrained by state budget cuts, Mangelsdorf said, the university could only extend job offers to 99 tenured and tenure-track faculty in the 2016 fiscal year, after averaging 142 offers in the previous five years. Sixty-nine professors accepted UWs offer.

The university loses approximately 100 faculty members per year, officials said; along with the professors who left for other jobs, 64 retired in the latest fiscal year.

Mangelsdorf said its not yet clear if that shortfall has led to negative consequences for students, but she is concerned it could.

Officials now hope lawmakers will approve the University of Wisconsin Systems request for $42.5 million in new funding in the next state budget, which Mangelsdorf said could allow UW-Madison to hire more professors.

Any new money we would get from the state would be very helpful, she said.
In 1980, the U.S. Census revealed a number of remarkable things about La Crosse. With a 99 percent white population, it was the fifth whitest metropolitan area in the United States. That year, La Crosse was a city of 48,350 people, only 180 of whom were black.

Historically, La Crosse was one of the largest cities in Wisconsin, and its residents were proud that it served as a gateway to the rest of the state because of its position along the Mississippi River. Many immigrants to Wisconsin passed through that gateway by river and rail. What, then, made it a place with an overwhelmingly white demographic? Why was La Crosse, until very recently, one of the whitest cities in the nation, and what does this mean for todays community?

Robbie Moss was one of few black La Crosse residents through the 20th century. She first moved here in the 1940s from Mississippi. In an interview, Moss explained, I find that the people are nice when you get to know them, but you could die in between time. She went on to recount that despite her assimilation into the community, she continued to feel uncomfortable: I still felt that I was being looked down on or looked at too much ... I thought they were just looking at me, staring at me because I was black.

Moss memories reflect what it was like for a black person in an overwhelmingly white La Crosse in the mid-20th century. The 1950 Census listed La Crosse as 0.0006 percent black. Research about Hmong and Cuban immigrant assimilation to La Crosse in the 1980s found similar results: Many minority groups express a feeling that because La Crosse has had so few minority residents, those who are here are particularly visible and aware of standing out. They are viewed as outsiders who dont really belong here.

Why does this history matter today? Because in the 21st century, minority residents still feel this history. According to 2011-12 national arrest rate data, the city of La Crosse arrests black Americans at a rate eight times higher than people who are not black. On this topic of sharing injustices, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse graduate Kalon Bell commented, The black experience in America is real, it is not fabricated. He asks the La Crosse community to come together: In order to solve problems, we have to solve them in our own neighborhoods first.

The voices, opinions and experiences of current minority residents matter. Today, La Crosse is 89.8 percent white and 2.3 percent black, which is still an overwhelming disparity. La Crosses racial climate cant move forward from its history  and current reality  of white dominance if we as a larger community dont listen and change both our attitudes and behaviors to make it a community of equity, a community for everyone.

To learn more, I encourage you to attend a program from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Common Council Chambers at La Crosse City Hall, 400 La Crosse St. James Loewen will speak about U.S. cities that purposely excluded people of color in an attempt to be all-white.

Loewen, author of Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism, will present his ongoing work in relation to my own local research, which indicates La Crosse could be classified as a sundown town. The program will invite audience members  and especially community leaders  to consider ways in which La Crosse can acknowledge and then work to challenge this crucial aspect of our history and character.
Please join us in voting for Tim Guth for judge in the 3rd Judicial District to preside in Houston County.

As a Caledonia, Minn., native and resident, Guth is the only truly local person on the ballot. He understands and has a solution on how to save taxpayer money by avoiding the unnecessary cost that occurs in the court system when time is spent by court administrators, jurors, witnesses and police officers waiting for cases that are eventually settled out of court.

Guth has 28 years legal experience, including 68 jury trials. With his work as both a prosecuting and defense attorney, he has gained insight into the problems that drugs are causing in our communities. Lets let him introduce a drug court to our county.

With Guths background as a veteran, having served our country as a Green Beret, he is the best candidate to help our veterans in need. He plans to introduce a veterans court to assist war veterans dealing with PTSD, drug and alcohol issues.

Vote for Tim Guth on Nov. 8.

Paul and Rose Weichert,

Caledonia, Minn.
Hello and welcome to Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.

On this program we explain how to use common expressions in American English. We also explore the origins of these expressions. Where do they come from?

Today we are talking about expressions related to numbers. Why? Well, you do the math! VOA does a lot of programs, and sooner or later we were going to get to this one.

The verbal phrase do the math means to examine the facts and figures to reach a conclusion, especially when the answer is very clear.

For example, lets say I love animals. I spend all my savings on caring for stray cats and dogs. When my friend asks why I never go on vacation, I can simply point to my seven cats and five dogs and say, Money for vacations? You do the math!

Of course, before children can do even basic math they must learn to count.

But counting numbers is not the only meaning of the word count. Consider a famous quote by the scientist Albert Einstein. He reportedly said, "Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts."

This quote is a pun, a play on words. It plays with two meanings of the word count. Count means to determine the total number of something. It also means to have value or importance. Things that matter, things that are important ... count.

Lets hear count used in a dialogue. These two friends are talking about an upcoming U.S. election. Take note that a third definition of count -- meaning depend -- is used.

A: Are you voting in November?

B: Why should I? My vote doesnt count.

A: What do you mean it doesnt count?! After they close the polls workers count all the votes!

A: What I mean is that voters in D.C. dont have representatives in Congress. So, even though my vote for president is officially counted, my opinion about what should happen in my own neighborhood doesnt count. And many people in D.C. are sick of it. You can count on that.

B: Oh, thats right. I didnt count that fact. I live in Maryland and have 10 representatives in Congress. So, my voice does count more than yours.

A: Hm-mm.

That is a lot of counting!

After counting, many children learn to solve simple addition problems. They learn that 1+1=2 and 2+2=4 and so on and so on.

However, as we get older we learn that things often dont add up so simply. Things that should make sense sometimes dont, as in this example:

A: Hi!

B: Hey! Welcome to another Monday at work!

A: Yeah, thanks. Hey, why is Marissas purse on her desk? I thought she started her vacation today.

B: Maybe its her second purse. Women do carry more than one purse, you know.

A: I know that. Its just odd. She never leaves her purse.

B: Hey, what are doing? Its rude to go through someones purse.

A: I know. But I have a bad feeling. Look. Here are her house keys, her wallet, even her plane ticket. It says shes flying out today!

B: Youre right. That doesnt add up. Something might be wrong. Why dont you go to her apartment and Ill call her boyfriend.

A: I hope Marissa is okay.

B: I know.

Addition and subtraction are both part of math equations. For example, 8 + 4 = 12 or 2x  3 = 9. In those equations, the number 4 is a factor of both 8 and 12. And the letter x is a variable that stands in for the number 6.

The words equation, factor and variable are all very common in both casual and formal conversations. So, you could say getting students to finish all their homework and chores can be difficult when playing video games is part of the equation. Playing video games is a factor or variable that makes the situation difficult.

Or, lets say I volunteer to help organize the holiday party at my office. But I did not count on how complicated it would be!

There were so many factors to add to the equation. I had to get permission to rent extra tables and chairs. I had to decorate the conference room but I couldnt start until everyone finished their meetings. And I had to decide whether to hire a D.J. or have live music.

Also, there were so many variables I didnt know. For example, how many people would bring guests? Did my colleagues expect to eat dinner or just snacks?

In the end, the party turned out great. But the process was awful. Ill never volunteer again!

Planning a party can be complicated. And as math becomes more complex so do the expressions.

The lowest common denominator, for example, is the smallest number that can be divided evenly into a set of fractions.

In conversation, the lowest common denominator refers to the lowest level of taste. Some television shows in the United States appeal to the lowest common denominator. They take advantage of everyones natural interest in gossip, violence and romance. These types of program are often vulgar, tasteless and base.

We here at Voice of America dont worry about that. If we tried to appeal to the lowest common denominator by broadcasting tasteless programs, we would lose all of our listeners.

Im Anna Matteo.

Anna Matteo wrote this Words and Their Stories for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

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Words in This Story

pun  n. a humorous way of using a word or phrase so that more than one meaning is suggested

vulgar  adj. not having or showing good manners, good taste, or politeness

base  adj. of low value and not very good in some ways
The major U.S. presidential candidates have very different ideas about foreign policy.

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump have proposed to take American foreign policy in very different directions if elected.

The two presidential candidates disagree about what U.S. policies should be toward Russia, Iran, Iraq, China and Syria.

They also offer different opinions on how to deal with Islamic State militants.

Trump has called U.S. foreign policy weak. He blames decisions made by President Barack Obama and Clinton who served as secretary of state during Obamas first term.

Clinton has said the United States remains the nation other nations depend on to help solve the worlds toughest problems.

Trump Wants Other Nations to Pay More

Trump questions why the United States should continue to defend nations that, he says, do not pay their fair share of the costs.

Were losing a fortune. Thats why were losing -- were losing -- we lose on everything, Trump said last month at the first of three presidential debates.

Clinton says Trumps Proposals Frighten Allies

Clinton said that Trumps statements raised concern among nations that depend on U.S. promises to help them if they are attacked.

Words matter when you run for president, Clinton said. And they really matter when you are president.

On fighting Islamic State militants, Trump has said he would order more aggressive bombing of ISIS, another name for the group. He said that President Obama and Clinton, when she was secretary of state, unleashed ISIS with weak policies.

Clinton has said she opposes sending American ground troops to Syria. Instead, Clinton said she would work with allies to force ISIS out of Iraq and Syria.

Donald said he knows more about ISIS than the generalsNo, he doesn't, she said.

Trump Disagrees with his VP Candidate

Trumps vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, said the United States should respond to Russian aggression in Syria with military force, if necessary. Trump said he disagrees.

He and I haven't spoken, and he and I disagree," Trump said.

On Iran, Clinton praised an agreement with the Middle Eastern nation to remove important materials it would need to build a nuclear bomb. She said the agreement was possible because of sanctions she helped put in place as U.S. secretary of state.

Clinton said the Iran nuclear deal stopped Irans nuclear program without firing a single shot.

Trump said the deal is good for Iran. It released $150 billion in Iranian money frozen by the U.S. The deal also permits Iran to resume its nuclear program in 10 to 15 years, and provides the nation money to continue its support of terrorism, he said.

Relationship with Putin

There are other major differences between the two candidates.

Trump has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a strong leader. He and Putin could work together to reduce terrorism under a Trump presidency, Trump said.

Clinton calls Putin a dictator. I know that hes someone that you have to continually stand up to because, like many bullies, he is somebody who takes as much as he possibly can unless you do, she said.

On immigration, Trump had called for banning all Muslim immigrants to combat the threat of terrorism. He later changed his position, saying he now supports extreme vetting to make sure dangerous people are not allowed into the United States.

Clinton said that Trumps tough language about Muslims can be used by Islamic State militants to bring in new supporters. She has proposed accepting several times more refugees escaping the Syrian civil war than are currently entering the U.S.

I will not let anyone into our country that I think poses a risk to us, Clinton said at the second presidential debate. But she said there are children suffering in this catastrophic war, largely, I believe, because of Russian aggression. And we need to do our part.

Campaign Draws Attention of International Leaders

Foreign policy issues during the Trump/Clinton campaign have drawn unusual attention internationally.

French President Francois Hollande said Trumps election would complicate relations between Europe and the United States."

Zeid Ra-Ad Al-Hussein is the United Nations human rights rights chief. He criticized Trumps statements about torture and Muslims, calling them dangerous from an international point of view.

Trump said this about waterboarding: I like it a lot. I don't think it's tough enough."

Foreign Policy a Concern to Voters

As in recent elections, the economy remains the most important issue for most voters. But voters also seem to be paying attention to foreign affairs, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

Voters in modern U.S. history have chosen candidates with backgrounds as elected governors or senators. Those candidates, however, have not had much direct experience with foreign policy.

Henry Brands is a professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin. He said American politics is usually concerned most with domestic policies, not policies toward the rest of the world.

Brands said that changes during war. But he said neither candidate has managed to gain ground against the other by saying, Youre soft on terrorists.

Im Bruce Alpert.

Bruce Alpert reported this story for VOA Learning English based, in part, on stories from the Voice of Americas Margaret Besheer and Masood Farivar. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page.

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Words in this Story

fortune -- n. a very large amount of money

unleash -- v. to allow or cause something to happen

sanctions -- n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country

bully -- n. someone who frightens, hurts, or threatens smaller or weaker people

extreme vetting -- n doing extensive checks on a persons background

poses -- v. to be or create a possible threat

catastrophic -- adj. a terrible disaster

waterboarding -- v. pouring water over someone to make them think they are drowning. The U.S. government stopped the practice in 2006 after officials determined it was torture.

domestic -- adj. relating to your own country
Several cities in China have announced new rules for ride-sharing services that critics say may put the companies out of business.

Chinas ride-sharing industry has been growing fast in recent years. The largest service there is Didi Chuxing.

Uber, the American-based service, was Didis main competitor until August, when it signed a deal to sell its Chinese operations to Didi. The deal is worth about $35 billion.

China officially legalized car-sharing services in July. At that time, the Ministry of Transport established rules for such services. Those rules are set to take effect in November.

Now, local governments in a number of Chinese cities have begun proposing their own rules. The proposals would set restrictions on the kinds of vehicles that can be used and who can drive them.

The main requirement is that drivers of ride-sharing services and their vehicles be registered. In big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, this means drivers will need to have a permanent household registration. In other cities, such as Shenzhen and Hangzhou, drivers will be required to have a temporary home. In addition, the registered vehicles would have to be sedan models with larger-than-average space inside.

Didi criticized the local rules in a recent statement. The company said they would force the vast majority of its drivers and cars off the road.

Millions of online ride-sharing drivers may be about to lose their jobs and paychecks, which would mean millions of families may lose an important income source, the statement said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

All in all, the local restrictions would be a lot like those for taxi drivers.

Zhao Zhanling is a researcher at the Intellectual Property Center of China University of Political Science and Law. He told VOA the new rules could make all the countrys ride-sharing services fail. He said the vehicle size requirements alone could put 80 to 90 percent of drivers out of business.

According to Didi, less than 10,000 of its 410,000 drivers in Shanghai would meet the permanent household requirement.

One Uber driver told VOA the way the new laws are set up will make it impossible for me to stay in business. The drivers hometown is near Beijing, in Hebei province. He now works in the Chinese capital during the day and drives for Uber at night.

Zhao Zhanling called the permanent household requirement unconstitutional and in violation of the nations employment policy.

Didi has said ride-sharing services are still new technological creations that need to be nurtured.

The company called on Chinese officials to give local and non-local residence-holders equal rights to work. It said this will be the only way to provide citizens a more convenient, effective and free transportation system.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Joyce Huang and William Ide wrote this story for VOANew.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. What do you think of ride-sharing services? Do you use them? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

sedan  n. car with four doors that can carry multiple passengers

vast  adj. great in size, extremely large

income  n. money earned by working or producing goods

impossible  adj. not able to be done or happen

nurture  v. care for something while it grows or develops

convenient  adj. easy to do or use
Chennai: Superstar Rajinikanth along with his daughter Aishwarya Dhanush visited Apollo Hospitals in Chennai on Sunday where Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is undergoing treatment, to enquire about her current health condition.

According to a source, the actor spent nearly 25 minutes in the premises.

"He (Rajinikanth) was not allowed to visit the CM's ward. He enquired about her health condition and prayed for her speedy recovery," the source told IANS.

The 68-year-old politician was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals on 22 September for fever and dehydration.

In its last medical bulletin, which was released on 10 October, it was revealed Jayalalithaa is making slow progress but did not say for how long she may have to stay in the hospital.
If you think that everything is going smooth with the passage of the Goods and Services Tax in the upcoming parliament session is concerned, think again. All India Confederation of Commercial Taxes Association (AICCTA) will be holding a mass protest against the central government on Monday at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, for 'depriving' the states of the power to enforce and collect taxes on goods and services.

Passing of GST bill  the much publicised grand move of the ruling NDA to reform the countrys indirect taxes system  faces the protest from the tax officials of various state governments.

Rajnikanta Sharma, general secretary of AICCTA  a body of tax officials of the state commercial tax departments  tells Firstpost, "We agree that the GST is the best move to reform indirect taxes among those have been implemented till now. But it frustrates the very motto of co-operative federalism espoused by the central government, by curtailing the powers of the states to collect tax."

He said that the new tax regime aims to make the commercial taxes departments under the state governments' subordinate branches of the central government.

"In the upcoming regime, the Centre is planning to confer rights to the states to enforce and collect tax up to a turnover of Rs 1.5 crore on goods but not on services. After the 1.5-crore mark, the new regime espouses the rule of equal jurisdiction between the state and the Centre," he explains.

Why can't the commercial taxes departments of various state governments have equal power on both goods and services up to the 1.5 crore mark? Since the new tax regime embraces both goods and services, the states should be given equal powers to enforce and collect tax on both, he adds.

Another tax official, on condition of anonymity, says that the Centre is planning to deprive the states of the right to impose tax on both goods and services on the pretext that the states do not have the experience of collecting service tax, as this is being done by the Centre all along.

"But even the Centre does not have the experience of enforcing and collecting tax on goods, still it takes the equal rights as the state governments to do the same on both goods and services above the 1.5-crore turnover mark. How can this be justified?" he asks.

Rajnikanta Sharma further says, "We are neither opposing the central government nor the new tax regime. We are fighting for the causes of our states.The states must continue to have the powers that they have now."

Two of the important demands raised by the association is allowing the states to enforce and collect tax on both goods and services up to the 1.5-crore turnover mark and letting the states administer IGST (earlier known as CST) as it is doing now.

The association has already started its agitational program in various states. The tax officers association of various states have already staged protests in separate programs in the respective states.

On 18 and 19 October, a meeting of the GST council is likely to take place and AICCTA will be organising its protest a day ahead of this meeting. A nationwide mass casual leave program by the commercial tax officials will also be scheduled on that very day.
Benaulim: Bimstec leaders on Sunday called for sustainable development, economic progress, poverty eradication and comprehensive stamping out of terrorism and closer relation with Brics even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the region faces many challenges but also has many economic opportunities.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Brics-Bimstec Outreach Summit, he said: "Unequal development, food and energy insecurity, poverty eradication, the impact of climate change, and growing threats posed by terrorism and transnational crime define our governance priorities.

"But, alongside these challenges, there exists a large basket of economic opportunities. With 1.5 billion people and a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion, the countries of Bimstec have shared aspirations for growth, development, commerce, and technology."

Modi said that the convergence of Brics and Bimstec would provide a perfect opportunity to frame economic and development partnership, shape ties in the fields of energy, agriculture, technology, fisheries, and culture, structure trade, investment and commercial partnerships and resources to fight terrorism and transnational crime.

He also said, that in particular, areas of commerce, connectivity, culture, security and disaster management appear promising as far as identifying collaborative possibilities is concerned, adding that India, being a member of both blocs, would be "happy to take a lead in this direction".

Following the Uri attack in September, India, as host of this year's Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit, chose to invite countries belonging to the Bimstec grouping over those of Saarc.

Countries belonging to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

As New Delhi has launched a diplomatic blitz to isolate Islamabad in the international community, the invitation to Bimstec countries instead of the Saarc countries is being seen as another step in this direction.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are the members of the South Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that are also not members of Bimstec.

Speaking at the summit, Myanmar's State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi said that the Bimstec region was confronted with numerous security threats, including rising terrorism, climate change, natural and manmade disasters.

Suu Kyi also called for collective stepping up of pressure on human trafficking, which she said was "modern day slavery and "one of the most pervasive human rights violations".

"We need to step up to intensity in the global efforts to combat global trafficking in a collective and a concerted manner," she said.

Like her, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, who in their speeches collectively expressed solidarity with India, in view of the series of terrorist strikes, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also condemned the terror strike and said that her country has "zero tolerance to terrorism and violent extremism".

Hasina also said that the potential and strategic advantage of both the Brics and Bimstec regions was enormous and both needed to mutually take advantage of each other's potential.

"Brics has to engage with Bimstec. Bimstec needs to develop quality infrastructure and attract investment," she said, adding that the new banks floated by the Brics bloc could help channelise investment in the low income countries in Bimstec.

Hasina also said that a sizable part of the population in the bloc were grappling with challenges posed by poverty, sanitation, climate change and appealed to Brics nations to partner with them for collective benefit.

Small countries, she said, cannot be left behind, when one speaks of collective development.

Prachanda underlined poverty as one of the major issues confronting the Bimstec region and said sectors like agriculture, energy, clean development, connectivity, etc.

"Importance of physical connectivity for landlocked countries is vital and cooperation in field of energy can be game changer in socio-economic development," he said.
Jammu: An Indian soldier was on Sunday killed in Pakistani firing across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, police said.

The soldier identified as Sudesh Kumar of 6 Rajput Regiment was killed in sniper firing on the LoC in Tarkundi area of Rajouri on Sunday evening, police said.

The Pakistani Army had earlier on Sunday opened unprovoked firing at Indian positions on the LoC in Rajouri district in the morning.

"Pakistan Army violated ceasefi re in Naushera sector of the LoC using small arms. Our troops have responded befittingly using same calibre weapons," said defence spokesman, Lt Col Manish Mehta.

"Firing exchanges stopped at 8 am," he added
Surat: The city police detained several protesters ahead of a rally of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal this evening. Those detained were protesting against the AAP supremo for his comments "seeking proof" of the army's surgical strikes on terror launchpads in PoK.

Protesters, waving black flags and breaking black earthen pots, dubbed Kejriwal as "pro-Pakistan" and asked him to leave Surat.

Members of an organisation, 'Brahm Padkar Samiti', were detained by the police from outside the Yogi Chowk venue of the rally.

Members of a Patidar group too staged a protest near the venue and were detained. "Around 35 protesters were detained and later released," a police officer said.

Ahead of Kejriwal's visit and rally here, banners came up at various parts of the city, depicting him as one of the "Heroes of Pakistan" by putting his photo alongside Osama bin Laden, Burhan Wani and Hafiz Saeed.

Banners about the "dubious" track record of several ministers of the AAP government in Delhi were also put up.

In some societies in the Patel-dominated Varachha area, posters warning the AAP leader against entering the area had also surfaced a few days back.
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing debate over 'Triple Talaq', Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the government is of the clear view that personal laws should be constitutionally compliant and in conformity with norms of gender equality and the right to live with dignity.

In a Facebook post titled "Triple Talaq and the Governments Affidavit", he said that governments in the past have shied from taking a categorical stand that personal laws must comply with Fundamental Rights but the present one has taken a clear position on the issue.

"Personal laws have to be constitutionally compliant and the institution of Triple Talaq, therefore, will have to be judged on the yardstick of equality and the Right to Live with Dignity. Needless to say that the same yardstick would be applicable to all other personal laws," he said.

Observing that the constitutional validity of 'Triple Talaq' is distinct from the Uniform Civil Code, he said as of today, the issue before the Supreme Court is only with regard to the constitutional validity of Triple Talaq.

In its affidavit in Supreme Court on 7 October, the Law Ministry argued that polygamy and Triple Talaq should be done away with, and said that such practices "cannot be regarded as essential or integral part of the religion".

"The academic debate with regard to the Uniform Civil Code can go on before the Law Commission. The question to be answered is that assuming that each community has its separate personal law, should not those personal laws be constitutionally compliant?" Jaitley said.

He said there is a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals and civil rights.

"Religious functions associated with birth, adoption, succession, marriage, death, can all be conducted through rituals and customs as per existing religious practices.

"Should rights emanating from birth, adoption, succession, marriage, divorce etc. be guided by religion or by constitutional guarantees? Can there be inequality or compromise with human dignity in any of these matters?" Jaitley said.

Some people may hold a conservative, if not obsolete, view that personal laws need not be constitutionally compliant, he said, adding "the Government's view is clear. Personal laws have to be constitutionally compliant...".

Jaitley said the constitutional framers had expressed a hope in the Directive Principles of State Policy that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Law and on more than one occasion, the Supreme Court has enquired from the government its stand on the issue.

"Governments have repeatedly told both the Court and Parliament that personal laws are ordinarily amended after detailed consultations with affected stakeholders," he said.

As regards the Uniform Civil Code, the Law Commission has initiated an academic exercise to elicit views of public on the issue.

"This academic exercise by the Law Commission is only a continuation of the debate in this country ever since Constituent Assembly had expressed the hope that the State would endeavour to have a Uniform Civil Code," he said.

"Irrespective of whether the Uniform Civil Code is today possible or otherwise, a pertinent question arises with regard to reforms within the personal laws of various communities," he said.

Jaitley said that Jawaharlal Nehru's government had brought about major reforms to the Hindu Personal Laws through legislative changes and more recently Manmohan Singh's government came up with legislative changes with regard to gender equality in the Hindu Undivided Family.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, after active consultations with stakeholders, amended the provisions of marriage and divorce relating to the Christian community in order to bring about the gender equality, he added.

"Reforming the personal laws, even if there is no uniformity, is an ongoing process. With passage of time, several provisions became obsolete, archaic and even got rusted. Governments, legislatures and communities have to respond to the need for a change," Jaitley said.

As communities have progressed, there is a greater realisation with regard to gender equality.

"Additionally, all citizens, more particularly women, have a right to live with dignity. Should personal laws which impact the life of every citizen be in conformity with these constitutional values of equality and the Right to Live with dignity?

"A conservative view found judicial support over six decades ago that personal laws could be inconsistent with personal guarantees. Today it may be difficult to sustain that proposition. The government's affidavit in the triple talaq case recognises this evolution," Jaitley explained.

He said there is a fundamental distinction between religious practices, rituals and civil rights.

On 2 September, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the Supreme Court that personal laws of a community cannot be "re-written" in the name of social reforms and opposed pleas on issues including alleged gender discrimination faced by Muslim women in divorce cases.

AIMPLB, in its counter affidavit filed in the apex court, had said the contentious issue relating to Muslim practices of polygamy, triple talaq (talaq-e-bidat) and nikah halala are matters of "legislative policy" and cannot be interfered with.

The AIMPLB has also decided to boycott of Law Commission's questionnaire on the Uniform Civil Code.
LONDON British Prime Minister Theresa May will lead a delegation of small and medium-size businesses to India in November as part of efforts to bolster trade with countries outside the European Union as Britain prepares to leave the bloc.The Nov. 6-8 trip, May's first bilateral visit to a country outside Europe since she took office in July, will be in pursuit of her ambition of forging a new global role for Britain after it leaves the European Union, May's Downing Street office said in a statement.The European Commission is responsible for trade negotiations for the EU and some countries have said they will not negotiate a new deal for Britain until it has actually left the bloc."As we embark on the trade mission to India we will send the message that the UK will be the most passionate, most consistent, and most convincing advocate for free trade," May was quoted as saying.

She said past trade missions had focused on big business, but she wanted to adopt a new approach and would take small and medium companies from every region of the United Kingdom.Among them will be Geolang, a cyber security company based in Cardiff in Wales, Torftech, a biomass energy company based in southeast England, and Telensa, a company focused on high-tech wireless street lighting systems, based in Cambridge.

May will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her visit, and the two heads of government will together inaugurate a tech summit in New Delhi.

Liam Fox, Britain's secretary of state for international trade, will join the visit, during which a number of commercial deals are expected to be signed. (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Portsmouth: Donald Trump on Saturday challenged his rival Hillary Clinton to a drug test before their next debate, suggesting the Democrat was "pumped up" on performance-enhancing drugs in a stunning new twist to the brutal White House race.

The unsubstantiated attack from the Republican nominee came as he accused "corrupt" media of seeking to rig November's vote in Clinton's favor, by reporting snowballing claims of sexual misconduct that have thrown his presidential campaign into chaos.

Trump has trampled all conventions in his treatment of his opponent, vowing if elected to jail her over her email practices as secretary of state  and making "Lock Her Up" a rallying cry for his fired-up supporters.

His campaign has actively fueled right-wing conspiracy theories about Clinton's health, seizing on her bout of pneumonia last month to suggest she is concealing a major health problem, and is unfit for office.

In a bizarre new attack, leveled without proof, he suggested she had taken drugs during their last debate, and called for her to be tested ahead of their final duel Wednesday in Las Vegas.

"I don't know what is going on with her," the 70-year-old told a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

"At the beginning of her last debate, she was all pumped up at the beginning. At the end, it was like, 'Take me down,' she could barely reach her car."

"Athletes, they make them take a drug test. I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate. Why don't we do that?" Trump said.

Saturday's broadside against his Democratic rival marked yet another escalation of Trump's scorched-earth electoral strategy heading into the final weeks of a race that has defied all political norms.

'Steal the election'

As the Manhattan billionaire tanks in the polls  abandoned by part of his own camp  he has spent the week claiming the media and a "global elite" are working against him, alleging that Clinton plotted to destroy the sovereignty of the United States.

"Hillary is running for president in what looks like a rigged election," he charged in New Hampshire.

"The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing completely false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect her president."

Ten women have now come forward to say they were the victim of unwanted advances by the real estate mogul.

President Barack Obama  who along with First Lady Michelle Obama stepped up this week as a heavy-hitting surrogate for Clinton  echoed those concerns at a rally Friday, warning democracy itself was at stake in next month's vote

Trump's latest accuser, 63-year-old Cathy Heller, told The Guardian that he had grabbed and kissed her against her wishes during their first and only meeting 20 years ago.

Trump staunchly denies the women's allegations, insisting in one of a barrage of tweets to his 12 million followers: "Nothing ever happened with any of these women. Totally made up nonsense to steal the election. Nobody has more respect for women than me!"

A confident Clinton has meanwhile scaled back her campaign commitments, keeping a low profile as her rival battles the incendiary allegations, triggered by the release last week of a video of him bragging about groping women.

But the Clinton camp issued a swift response to Trump's latest comments on the election, accusing him of seeking to erode public faith in the vote.

"This election will have record turnout, because voters see through Donald Trump's shameful attempts to undermine an election weeks before it happens," her campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement.

The nation's top elected Republican, House speaker Paul Ryan, who last week declared that he would no longer "defend" the party's shoot-from-the-hip nominee, also rebuked Trump over his comments questioning the validity of the election process.

"Our democracy relies on confidence in election results, and the speaker is fully confident the states will carry out this election with integrity," said a statement issued late Saturday by Ryan's spokeswoman AshLee Strong.

The virulence of Trump's attacks on the Clinton camp has raised concerns about whether the real estate mogul would even acknowledge a defeat, and how his legions of supporters would react should he lose.

President Barack Obama  who along with First Lady Michelle Obama stepped up this week as a heavy-hitting surrogate for Clinton  echoed those concerns at a rally Friday, warning democracy itself was at stake in next month's vote.

"This is somebody who... is now suggesting that if the election doesn't go his way, it's not because of all the stuff he's said, but it's because it's rigged and it's a fraud," said the US leader, whose second term ends 20 January.

"In a democracy, you have a contest, but if you lose then you say congratulations and you move on."
PARIS French President Francois Hollande has said he does not plan to ease the pressure on Russia over its support for the Syrian government in its fight against rebels, but that he remains ready to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war, a regional French newspaper reported on Sunday.Putin cancelled an Oct. 19 visit to Paris after Hollande said he would see him only to talk about Syria."Vladimir Putin does not want to seriously discuss Syria. I am ready at any time, but I will not ease the pressure," Hollande said in the interview, published on Sunday evening.

He added that the absolute priorities were a cessation of bombing, a ceasefire, humanitarian aid and the opening of negotiations.

(Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
BEIRUT Syrian rebels said they captured the village of Dabiq from Islamic State on Sunday, forcing the jihadist group from a stronghold where it had promised to fight a final, apocalyptic battle with the West.The rebels, backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, also took neighbouring Soran, said Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the clashes on Saturday night and Sunday morning. "The Daesh myth of their great battle in Dabiq is finished," he told Reuters, using a pejorative name for Islamic State. An Islamic prophesy names Dabiq as the site of a battle between Muslims and infidels that will presage doomsday, a message used extensively in Islamic State's propaganda. The group also named a publication after the northwest village.

However, the jihadist group has appeared to back away from Dabiq's symbolism more recently after advances by Turkey-backed rebels put the village at risk of capture, saying this battle was not the one described in the prophesy. "It seems like Daesh has mostly left the area," said a Turkish military source, but warning that the FSA groups still needed to clear landmines from the village.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, had said Islamic State brought 1,200 fighters to defend Dabiq. Turkey launched the Euphrates Shield operation, bringing rebels backed by its own armour and air force into action against Islamic State, in August, aiming to clear the group from its border and stop Kurdish fighters gaining ground in that area.

Islamic State is also facing an expected offensive soon against its most important Iraqi possession, the city of Mosul, while the U.S.-backed, Kurd-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces also threaten to advance on its Syrian capital of Raqqa. (Reporting by Angus McDowall and Tom Perry; Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun in Ankara; Editing by Mark Potter and Andrew Heavens)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Matt Spetalnick

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON The U.S. military detected a failed North Korean test launch of an intermediate ballistic missile, the Pentagon said on Saturday.The test-firing was the latest in a series conducted by North Korea in violation of United Nations resolutions, drawing a fresh U.S. vow to take its concerns to the world body and seek to hold North Korea "accountable for these actions."The U.S. Strategic Command's systems detected that the Musudan missile failed in a launch conducted near North Korea's northwestern city of Kusong, the Pentagon said in a statement. It provided no details on what went wrong but said the launch never posed a threat to North America."We strongly condemn this and North Korea's other recent missile tests," said U.S. Navy Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman. "Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, is ironclad. We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation.

South Korea's military said early on Sunday that North Korea fired what it believed was a Musudan missile at 0333 GMT on Saturday but it failed immediately after launch. It did not elaborate on the reason for the failure."The North's ballistic missile launch is a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and we strongly condemn the North's illegal act of provocation," the South's office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Ross said the United States called on North Korea to "refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region."The top U.S. diplomat for East Asia said late last month that Washington would speed up deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to South Korea given the pace of North Korea's missile tests, and it would be stationed there "as soon as possible."South Korea and the United States have agreed to deploy the anti-missile system in the South to counter the North's threat. China, the North's main diplomatic ally, has opposed the move saying it would destabilize regional security balance, but Washington has said the system was not aimed at China.

Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asia, also told a congressional hearing the United States was in discussions with international partners, including the European Union, to deny North Korea access to international banking infrastructure after its recent nuclear and missile tests.Pyongyang is already under heavy international sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests. North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear blast on Sept. 9. (Additional reporting by Ju-min Park and Jack Kim in Seoul; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Richard Chang)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Idrees Ali and Matt Spetalnick

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON A U.S. Navy destroyer was targeted on Saturday in a failed missile attack from territory in Yemen controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, the third such incident in the past week, U.S. officials said.Multiple surface-to-surface missiles were fired at the USS Mason sailing in international waters in the Red Sea but the warship used on-board countermeasures to defend itself and was not hit, one defense official said, citing initial information.The latest attack could provoke further retaliation by the U.S. military, which launched cruise missiles on Thursday against three coastal radar sites in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen in response to the two previous failed missile firings against the Mason. "The Mason once again appears to have come under attack in the Red Sea, again from coastal defense cruise missiles fired from the coast of Yemen," Admiral John Richardson, U.S. chief of naval operations, said during a ship christening in Baltimore on Saturday.

Another U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: We are assessing the situation. All of our ships and crews are safe and unharmed.Thursdays U.S. counter-strikes, authorized by President Barack Obama, marked Washington's first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict and raised questions about the potential for further escalation. The Houthi movement earlier this week denied responsibility for the missile attacks on the Mason and warned that it too would defend itself.

The Pentagon on Thursday stressed the limited nature of the strikes, aimed at radar that it suspected enabled the launch of at least three missiles against the Mason on Sunday and Wednesday.Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said at the time that the U.S. counter-strikes were not connected to the broader civil war in Yemen, which has unleashed famine and killed more than 10,000 people since March 2015 in the Arab world's poorest country.

The United States, a longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, has provided aerial refueling of warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition striking Yemen and it supplies U.S. weapons to the kingdom.Iran, which supports the Houthi group, said last week it had deployed two warships to the Gulf of Aden, to protect ship lanes from piracy. (Reporting By Idrees Ali and Matt Spetalnick; editing by Diane Craft)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.


BRICS Expectations were high when five big, developing nations in 2009 joined as the so-called BRICS. The cooperation of the fast-rising economies driving world growth seemed to herald a new era. But at a summit in Goa this weekend, their leaders will be struggling to temper their tendency to compete, rather than collaborate.

CAMBODIA-CHINA Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a two-day state visit to strong ally Cambodia during which he will strengthen their already firm relationship and witness the signing of nearly 30 agreements.



PHILIPPINES Police say the bodies of three foreigners with gunshots to their heads have been found in a sugar cane field, and South Koreas Foreign Ministry identifies them as its nationals.

PAKISTAN A Spanish diplomat is found dead in his Islamabad home in what authorities suspect is a suicide. The 60-year-old man was found in his bedroom by a domestic servant with a revolver by his side, police said. There was no immediate reaction from the Spanish embassy.



AUSTRALIA A state Parliament in Australia unanimously passes a motion that describes U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump as a revolting slug unfit for public office.

SOUTH KOREA Samsung Electronics says it has expanded its recall of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in the U.S. to include all replacement devices the company offered as a presumed safe alternative after the original Note 7s were found prone to catch fire.

NIGERIA 21 of Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram more than two years ago have been freed in a swap for detained leaders of the Islamic extremist group, the government and military said yesterday. Some 197 girls remain captive, though it is not known how many of them may have died.
Malawian President Peter Mutharika addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters, in New York, Sept. 20, 2016.

Malawis government has announced that President Arthur Peter Mutharika will return to the country Sunday  weeks after attending the U.N. General Assembly meeting of heads of state and government in New York last month.

A cross-section of Malawians have demanded information regarding the whereabouts of the president after the meeting. This, after expressing concern the administration in Lilongwe has refused to inform the public about the whereabouts of the president. They contend that all the world leaders who participated in the U.N. meeting have returned to their respective countries and wonder why Mutharika has yet to do so.

Khumbo Soko, the general-secretary of the Malawi Law Society, says public demands for information about the presidents whereabouts are legitimate.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The battle to free the Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIS is imminent and will undoubtedly end in victory for the countrys forces, but it will be a fierce fight, U.S. Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus said.



Iraqi forces will soon launch a strategic offense "orders of magnitude larger than any fight that the Iraqis, with our assistance and coalition support" have taken on in the fight against ISIS in that country, Petraeus told ABC News' Martha Raddatz on "This Week."



He said ISIS will fight hard to maintain its last stronghold in Iraq, which it has controlled for more than two years.



"There will be a ring of fire. They have already lit it supposedly," said Petraeus, who commanded U.S. forces during the Iraq War and drove al-Qaeda out of that country. "There will be dug-in troops, there will tunnels. There will be suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices."



"At the end of the day the Iraqi forces, with our assistance, are going to prevail," he said. "There's no question about the outcome of the fight. The challenge here is actually after the fight, it's governance."



After ISIS is defeated in Mosul, the work will be to re-establish Iraqi governance in the city, he said.



The retired general said forces backed by powerful American airpower and artillery are amassing on the outskirts of Mosul in preparation for the battle. He said U.S. military officials are not releasing a timeline for the attack on the city, but that it is no secret the fight is about to happen.



"The Islamic State fighters in Mosul are dead men walking, and I think they increasingly know it," Petraeus said. "They're even trying to desert and they're being executed."



The fight to free the city of Mosul from the control of ISIS is imminent and will undoubtedly end in victory for Iraqi forces but it will be a fiery battle, U.S. Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus said.



The Iraqi Army, with direction from U.S. advisers, will soon launch a strategic offense "orders of magnitude larger than any fight that the Iraqis, with our assistance and coalition support" have taken on in the fight against ISIS, Petraeus told ABC News' Martha Raddatz on "This Week."



He said ISIS will fight hard to maintain its last stronghold in Iraq, which it has controlled for two years.



"There will be a ring of fire. They have already lit it supposedly," said Petraeus, who commanded U.S. forces in Iraq against al-Qaeda. "There will be dug-in troops; there will tunnels; there will be suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices."



"At the end of the day the Iraqi forces, with our assistance, are going to prevail," and there "is no question about" that, he said. "There's no question about the outcome of the fight. The challenge here is actually after the fight, it's governance."



The challenge will be to re-establish Iraqi governance in Mosul after ISIS is defeated there, he said.



If the Iraqis are unable to establish a government in the city, a new terror threat could emerge, Petraeus said.



"Governance is going to have to emerge, or else you'll start preparing fields for the planting of the seeds of Islamic State 3.0," he said.



The retired general said forces backed by powerful American airpower and artillery are amassing on the outskirts of Mosul in preparation for the battle. He said U.S. military officials are not releasing a timeline for the attack on the city, but that it is no secret the fight is about to happen.



"The Islamic State fighters in Mosul are dead men walking, and I think they increasingly know it," Petraeus said. "They're even trying to desert and they're being executed."



About the ongoing Syrian civil war and the intensifying battle for the city of Aleppo, Petraeus said fighting there is even more complex than in Iraq. And he seemed to criticize the current U.S. administration for a hollow response that is being taken advantage of by the Syrian regime and its ally Russia.



"It's often said that there is no military solution to the challenges of Syria," he said. "I'm not sure that Putin and [Syrian President] Bashar Al-Assad got that memo because they seem to think they can, indeed, have a military solution and they're trying to do that to 275,000 people trapped in Aleppo right now as an example."



Petraeus continued that "You may buy that there's no military solution, but absolutely if you do not change the military context on that battlefield, there's not going to be any meaningful diplomacy. And that's the situation we're in now."



While critical of the current situation, Petraeus was quick to salute Secretary of State John Kerry's work toward a diplomatic solution to end the violence in Syria.



But he said "the way to change the context is to give additional weapons, to give anti-tank guided missiles and indeed some anti-aircraft missiles to the opposition" fighting the Al-Assad's forces.



The retired military leader also brought up the possibility of a "safe zone" or no-fly zone in Syria and said it is time to consider such possibilities without antagonizing Russia, which is backing the Al-Assad regime.



"I think it is time that we undertake these without being absolutely provocative in what we do to Russia, but be firm," Petraeus said.



As to Russia's larger objectives in the world, Petraeus said Russian President Vladimir Putin "wants to recreate as much of the Soviet Union as he can through a variety of different means. He's invaded parts of Georgia, took Crimea, southeastern Ukraine, bases in other countries."



Pressed on whether the U.S. is in danger of conflict with Russia, Petraeus said, "We have to show a degree of firmness that is going to be unmistakable to [Putin], and by the way, in cyberspace as well."



Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
TWIN FALLS  The Twin Falls School District hid its decision to give one of its top administrators a $94,108.26 payout this summer as part of a highly unusual separation agreement.

The district wrote a check June 27 to director of support services Clara Allred, payroll documents show. She announced her retirement a week later, and it was accepted by the school board during a meeting on the Fourth of July.

The reason for the massive payout and the cause of Allreds departure remains unclear, even after the Times-News sued the district to obtain a copy of the separation agreement. Its also still unclear why the district agreed to a clause that bars it from talking about the deal  an arrangement so unusual, district officials said they cant remember ever signing something similar.

Im sorry that it is of the confidential nature it is and we cant comment, Superintendent Wiley Dobbs said in one of two meetings Monday with the newspaper. After consulting with district attorneys, Dobbs later added that deals like this sometimes come about after doing a cost-benefit analysis.

An employment attorney not connected to the deal said districts will sometimes pay an employee to go away rather than battle the person in court. But its not clear if thats what happened in Allreds case. Her attorney, Shelly Cozakos, wouldnt answer questions for this story, instead issuing a statement that read:

Clara Allred served the special needs children in the Twin Falls School District for 15 years, both as a teacher and the Director of the Special Needs program. She even continued serving the kids while undergoing treatment for breast cancer, with the full support of the District. Clara made the difficult decision to retire from the District and has no ill will for the District of any of its employees, and wishes them well. She desires to move on and help special needs children in a different capacity.

The agreement

Allred oversaw many of the districts education programs, including special education, gifted and talented education, paraprofessionals, school counseling, and services for students such as mental health services, psychology, audiology, speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy. She made $101,464 under her contract for the 2015-16 schoolyear.

The day after its July 4 meeting, the district announced Allred submitted a letter of retirement effective June 30, the day before the start of a new fiscal year. School boards rarely meet on federal holidays. And typically, trustees approve employee retirements in batches, not one at a time as it did for Allred.

The school district issued a brief statement July 5 about Allreds departure: The board wishes to thank Allred for her dedicated years of service to the District.

Dobbs told the Times-News last week the board met on the holiday not to secretly approve the agreement but because he was leaving on vacation and the timing was also best for school trustees. But if I could do it over, I would, he said about the meeting date.

Citing the confidentiality clause in the agreement, the superintendent declined to answer specific questions about the deal. But Allreds departure, he said, isnt connected to any malfeasance or underlying problems in the district. And he noted: She did retire.

As part of the payout, Allred received $81,500 from the school district, plus $12,228.26  the cash value of 242 accumulated hours of vacation leave. She will also receive post-employment group health insurance coverage.

The district also agreed not to take any civil action directly against Allred and will forgo any further process relating to concerns that Allred has not fully or properly performed her duties with the District.

If the district faces any audit activities by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Department of Education or other government agency related to the district or Allreds handling of special population students, she agreed to make herself available to inquiries. Officials from those agencies said they cant confirm or deny whether an investigation has been opened.

Dobbs told the Times-News there havent been recent or upcoming audits related to special population students. And he said there arent any allegations regarding Allreds conduct toward students.

The separation agreement states the school district would release an announcement about Allreds retirement and open the search for a new director. The language in the announcement would reflect she chose to retire for personal reasons and through the use of the Joint Statement, according to the agreement, and no further comments would be issued to reporters.

Allred is allowed to seek letters of recommendation from coworkers. Shes prohibited from disparaging the district or employees, but will respond to any subpoena or investigation by any agency in a truthful manner.

The agreement states the district and school board wont state or in any manner imply that there was any form of a pay-off in order to obtain Allreds retirement.

The lawsuit

After Allreds departure, the Times-News immediately sought to obtain a copy of the separation agreement under Idahos open records laws. The district turned over a heavily redacted copy of the document, and the newspaper sued to obtain a complete copy. In court, district lawyers said the district was reluctant to turn over an unredacted copy of the agreement because it feared it would be sued by Allred for disclosing the arrangement.

In Twin Falls County Fifth District Court, Judge Randy Stoker ruled Sept. 14 the district had to turn over an unredacted agreement, with the exception of one paragraph and one attachment he said were related to Allreds job performance. The portions still available to the newspaper did not specify why Allred was retiring or why the district was paying such a hefty sum to a retiring employee.

Even after the suit, district spokeswoman Eva Craner said the district is bound by legal constraints in what it can say about the case. In the separation agreement with Allred, the district agreed not to speak about the arrangement, and it is still under a legal obligation not to discuss the case.

The fallout

Since Allred left the job, the school district has made changes in the support services department. In addition to hiring new director Mike Gemar, it bid out services for special population students.

Services were previously contracted with a company called SMB Center, a company Allred contracted early in her tenure to provide special services to disabled and other special students in the district.

Through that process, other companies were selected for this year, Dobbs said.

Just before cutting ties with the company, in July school trustees approved an approximately $30,000 contract extension with SMB Center from Aug. 1-11.

It set the companys pay at $32 per hour for individual students and $8 per hour for group services. A representative from the company signed the agreement June 28, the day after the school district wrote the payout check to Allred.

During a September meeting, trustees approved contracts with a handful of private service providers for this school year. SMB Center wasnt included.

Dobbs said the school district has a positive relationship with the company. Again, he said, weve had audits and those have come up clean.

The district paid nearly $2.1 million to SMB Center in 2015, tax documents show. SMB Center doesnt have a website or listed business phone number.

On Saturday, the district sought to preempt concern about this report by issuing a statement to other media and district staff about the Allred case.

We want to make you aware of an article the Times-News plans to publish in their Sunday edition this weekend, the statement read. This article focuses on a personnel matter within the Twin Falls School District. As you may know, personnel matters are confidential in nature so that staff members have a reasonable right to privacy within their work environment. As always, we strive for transparency with our stakeholders and community. However, the TFSD is limited by legal constraints regarding personnel decisions.

The district continued: Districts often work with personnel and legal counsel to enter into various types of agreements after undergoing a cost-benefit analysis that takes into account all factors and possible outcomes of a specific circumstance including the consideration of student needs and interests.

In the statement, the district confirmed that it had bid out services previously controlled by Allred and apologized for the vagueness surrounding this matter.
TWIN FALLS  Producing a film from a screenplay takes time and money, but it has to start somewhere.

Thats why Los Angeles actor Ray Chao decided to bring actors and screenwriters together during the Twin Falls SANDWICHES Film Festival. The group met late Saturday morning at Twin Beans Coffee Co. to read and listen to excerpts of screenplays while the cafe downstairs was abuzz with activity.

In organizing the film festival, Chao didnt want to overlook screenwriters in the film industry.

A lot of times the screenwriters arent as highlighted as much as the film, he said. This is where it starts.

From coast to coast, and even from overseas, screenwriters gathered to hear their scripts read out loud by local actors and volunteers.

Rebecca Kluken, of Melbourne, Australia, said it was her first trip overseas, as she dislikes flying.

I just did a Google search and I found it, Kluken said.

She enjoyed hearing her comedy screenplay, Brightside read aloud by American actors.

Its the first script that Ive ever written, she said. I normally write childrens books.

She said there are differences in the Australian and American sense of humor.

And thats not all shes discovered since coming to Twin Falls. Kluken was initially confused about the amount of water in U.S. toilets, and during one excursion thought they were all broken. While as a whole, the U.S. isnt too different from Australia, Kluken said, the small differences add up.

Closer to home, Scott Ennis of Ocean Shores, Washington, was interested in hearing his sci-fi screenplay The Outside Curtains read aloud.

Just hearing actors do it is beneficial, he said. I can say Oh that doesnt work or That does work.

The readings allow the writers to hear individual voices aloud, Chao said, instead of inside their heads. Its the first step toward production, he said.

Local actor Aiden Dopson, 13, was among those reading parts from the scripts. Hes been acting in school and at the Orpheum Theater.

I just like performing in front of people, he said. Im more on the comedic side.

Dopson read alongside other members of his theater family, Rebecca Ellis and Brendan Rowlands.

Based on the reading from The Outside Curtains, I already know where Im going to do some rewriting, Ennis said.

He wasnt there only for the reading, however.

If you become an award-winning screenwriter, then the producers want to make your movies, he said.

His screenplay Feed My Sheep won an award at a festival last year, he said.

The SANDWICHES Film Festival would present two screenplay awards Saturday night  one for best screenplay for a movie, and another for best written screenplay. The Ileen Fogarty Sullivan Award for Excellence in Screenwriting came with a $500 prize. The Best Screenplay of a Film award winner would receive a digital download of Final Draft 9 screenwriting software.
HAILEY  With nobody sure how a contentious presidential race between two relatively unpopular major party nominees is going to affect turnout and down-ballot voting this November, legislative candidates from both parties in one of Idahos few purple districts have been urging people to vote on local races and issues.

My concern across the district is people are so aggravated with this presidential race, Im afraid a lot of them arent going to go to the polls, said Rep. Steve Miller, R-Fairfield, running for re-election to represent District 26 against Democrat Kathleen Eder.

Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, also running for another term representing Blaine, Camas, Gooding and Lincoln counties, said this year is unusual in our lifetimes in terms of how unhappy many voters are with their choices for president: Hillary Clinton for the Democrats and Donald Trump for the Republicans.

They dont feel like anyone is representing them, Stennett said.

Stennett said she has been encouraging people to vote on their down-ballot races, even if they dont want to vote for president, because lawmakers like her are the ones whose decisions have a greater effect on their lives.

Were the ones that actually impact them day to day, she said.

Dale Ewersen, the Bellevue Republican running against Stennett, shares some of the same concerns and has been making a similar pitch to voters. Ewersen said he worries turnout will be low and hopes people arent discouraged by the rhetoric on the national level. Many of the people he has talked to, he said, have been turned off by the incivility of the presidential race.

Vote locally, Ewersen said. Thats where they can make a difference. Thats my statement to them.

Rep. Stephen Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, supports Trump and said he expects Trump to win big in his 24th Legislative District, but he does think the national election will be close. He said the unknown, nationally, is how much of a hidden Trump vote there is  that is, people who will vote for Trump but dont want to tell pollsters.

I think itll be a squeaker election, probably no more than 20, 25 electoral votes either way, Hartgen said.

Sen. Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, plans to vote for Trump but said John Kasich or someone else with governing experience would have been his first choice for the nomination. In his answers to the Times-News election questionnaire, Heider cited the national debt as his reason.

Twenty trillion dollars sounds like bankruptcy to me, he wrote. I pray our country, the greatest on earth, will rise to the occasion to keep us from the slavery of debt.

Poll after poll has shown a majority of Americans view both Clinton and Trump unfavorably. In Idaho, both lost badly in their parties caucus and primary, respectively, with Bernie Sanders winning on the Democratic side and Ted Cruz for the Republicans.

However, Trump is still expected to carry Idaho easily. The last three polls done in the state have shown Trump getting 40-something percent of the vote and Clinton in the low-to-mid 20s, with high numbers of voters either undecided or saying they plan to vote for a third-party candidate. Libertarian Gary Johnson was averaging 16 percent in August polling, with Green Party candidate Jill Stein averaging 4.5 percent.

Since 2000, voter turnout in Idaho, as a percentage of voting-age adults, has ranged from the high 50s to the low 60s in presidential years and from the high 30s to low 40s in off years.

Sally Toone, the Democratic candidate for the House seat Democrat Donna Pence is vacating, tells people dissatisfied with their presidential choices to pay attention to their local races.

Irregardless of what happens on that end, we need to make sure Idahoans are taken care of, she said.

Alex Sutter, the Republican running for Pences seat, said that while frustration with the choices for president could drive down turnout, Trumps Blaine County victory in the primary could help Republicans running in the district. He said social issues havent been big in the presidential election this year. That could help Trump in his district, he said, because many of the independents there are socially liberal but fiscally conservative.

The majority of the independents I have talked to would rather (have) Trump than Hillary, he said.

Sutter said he has been telling people to vote in down-ballot races and to remember that the races for Senate and president are also about who the next president will appoint to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Miller said thats why hes voting for Trump.

People get all tangled up in the emotional, Miller said. The Supreme Courts 20, 25, 30, 35 years  its crucial.

At the same time, Miller said, he understands people who dont want to vote for either of the major-party candidates, and he has been telling them to vote in the state races.

Weve really been pushing absentee ballots, he said. We think thats important. Weve been helping people register.

Not everyone fears low turnout.

Idaho GOP Executive Director David Johnston predicted the presidential race will actually boost turnout and help his party. He and party Chairman Steve Yates have been knocking on doors in competitive legislative districts, Johnston said, and there is a lot of enthusiasm on the ground for Trump.

People are excited for change, especially at the national level, he said. They are sick and tired of the liberal Obama policies that have been going on for the past eight years.

And, Johnston said, voters are not interested in a third-term Obama in the form of Hillary Clinton. Frankly, she is the epitome of what both parties have been railing against for the past ever.

Idaho Democratic Party spokesman Dean Ferguson said the state party is focusing on Idaho elections and issues and letting the national candidates run their own races.

We dont have any legislative candidate in the state whos running against Donald Trump, Ferguson said. You might see some Republican legislative candidates running against Hillary Clinton. The distinction being, thats ridiculous, right? The Legislature is just in charge of something completely different. Thats something thats been a successful distraction for Republican candidates for about 20 years. Thats shifting.

Ferguson expects a lot of people to turn out to vote against both Clinton and Trump. He hopes this will help Democrats if people are less satisfied with voting for a partisan brand over a good public servant and evaluate their views on more Idaho-specific issues.

The Republican candidate is so divisive, so controversial, that really helps us, he said. It encourages voters to stop and look at the candidate, not the party.
BOISE  The Republican legislative incumbents in Twin Falls have so far maintained their campaign finance leads, although two of the three Democrats challenging them have amassed sizable war chests of their own.

Meanwhile, some local lawmakers in uncontested races are using what they have to help their colleagues  notably House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, who gave $20,250 to fellow Idaho Republican House members and candidates from May 28 to Sept. 30. And some Democratic lawmakers have been helping to finance the campaigns of fellow Democrats in the Magic and Wood River valleys.

Incumbents Rep. Stephen Hartgen and Sen. Lee Heider, both R-Twin Falls, had about $16,000 and $33,000 cash on hand Sept. 30, respectively, compared with almost $10,000 for Hartgens challenger, Catherine Talkington, and $22,000 for Heiders challenger, Deborah Silver, according to the latest campaign finance filings.

Rep. Lance Clow, R-Twin Falls, had about $7,500, while Democratic opponent Dale Varney reported no financial activity.

In District 26, which covers Blaine, Lincoln, Gooding and Camas counties, incumbent Rep. Steve Miller, R-Fairfield, has a slight financial edge on his Democratic challenger, Kathleen Eder, and incumbent Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, has a bigger one on her Republican opponent, Dale Ewersen. Miller had about $23,363 when the filing period closed, with $18,281 for Eder, $23,652 for Stennett and $5,890 in Ewersens campaign coffers.

The other House seat is held by Rep. Donna Pence, D-Gooding, who is not running for re-election. Republican candidate Alex Sutter had about $10,000 at the close of the filing period, and Democratic candidate Sally Toone had almost $13,000.

Democrat Scott McClure, running against Sen. Jim Patrick, R-Filer, in the only contested race in District 25, had $529 when the books closed Sept. 30, compared with $12,500 for Patrick.

Bedke spread his contributions around the state, locally giving $1,000 each to Miller and Sutter and $500 each to Clow and Hartgen. Other local lawmakers with no opponents also supported some of the local Republican candidates. Rep. Clark Kauffman, R-Filer, running for re-election unopposed, gave $500 to Miller and $300 each to Ewersen, Sutter, Hartgen and Patrick, the senator for his district, plus $100 each to Clow and Heider. And Kauffmans seatmate, Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, gave $250 to Millers campaign and $150 each to Sutter and Ewersen.

Democratic lawmakers also have been trying to help their colleagues in local races. Toone got a combined $2,700 from Democratic incumbents during the last filing period, of which $1,000 came from Pence, her campaigns treasurer. Eder got $800, Silver got $775 and Talkington got $650.

Assistant Minority Leader Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, tops the list, giving a combined $2,450 to the four Democrats during the last filing period.
TWIN FALLS  The Democrats running for Twin Falls state legislative seats started hitting the pavement hard early this year, and they plan to keep campaigning until Election Day, hoping to make gains in a region that traditionally has been pretty staunchly Republican.

One Saturday in early October, about a half-dozen volunteers plus the three candidates  Catherine Talkington and Dale Varney, running for the House, and Deborah Silver, running for the Senate  met at the Second Avenue North headquarters the party rented for the election season. Theyd prepare for an afternoon of campaigning, including helping people register to vote.

Stacks of lawn signs for U.S. Senate candidate Jerry Sturgill and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were piled in one corner of the room. A couple of red, white and blue flags with the Democratic donkey on it hung on the walls, along with a map of Twin Falls with streets highlighted in yellow to indicate ones they had already hit.

Jessi Boyer, field organizer for the Twin Falls Democrats, passed out scripts to the volunteers and gave them tips about how to talk to people. Even if people are disillusioned with the presidential race and considering not voting in it, Boyer said, she hopes they still might vote for Democrats down-ballot.

Our candidates are passionate about the community, Boyer said. They care about these issues that voters care about.

Talkington made vigorous door-to-door politicking one of her signatures when she first ran for this seat in 2014, knocking on more than 8,000 doors during that campaign. She got 46.5 percent of the vote in her run against incumbent Rep. Steve Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, better than any Democrat who has run for the Legislature in the past 22 years in this district.

As the volunteers got ready to head out, Talkington reflected on some of the people she has met. She recounted a conversation with a woman whose husband had died just two days before. Another time, she was talking to a young man when a sheriffs deputy came over; the man was being evicted.

You get an intimate view of your community by meeting people at their doors, she said.

Silvers first stop that day was at Brookdale, an assisted living facility for seniors on Locust Street. She went out with Linda Brugger, a former chairwoman of the county Democratic Party. The staff told her she couldnt go door-to-door in the building but said she could leave campaign materials.

Silver stopped to talk to a couple of women sitting in the lobby, introducing herself as a certified public accountant who grew up in Jerome and mentioning that her opponent, state Sen. Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, has served several terms. She handed them her and Talkingtons mailers.

Ive knocked on over 4,000 doors this summer, and the main thing people talk to me about is education, she said.

Outside, Silver went up to a group of women sitting on a bench near the door, waiting for a bus. Again, Silver emphasized education, telling the women that the Republicans favored cutting income taxes and that this would lead to less money for schools.

Theyre starving education, and we have a shortage of teachers, she said.

One woman asked Silver about Social Security. Silver replied that this was a federal issue that she wouldnt have much influence on in the state Legislature, then switched to criticizing the Republicans for voting during this years session to set the maximum homeowners property tax exemption at $100,000 and simultaneously stop indexing it.

That makes it harder, because your property taxes rise, she said.

As Silver made her pitch, a resident sitting on a bench on the other side of the door asked a reporter who she was. The man said he had only one question for Silver: Who do you support for president?

If shes voting for Hillary, Im not voting for her, he said.

Silvers next stop was at the Devon apartments, around the corner on North College Road. She went door-to-door there, again emphasizing education funding and that Heider has been in the Legislature for a while.

Too long, said one woman.

Its your turn, I believe you, agreed another.

Talkington, meanwhile, was knocking on doors in a Falls Avenue apartment building. The resident of the first apartment she tried was polite but unreceptive to her politics.

Im a very conservative Christian Republican, he said.

Talkington knocked on a few more doors. Like Silver, she stressed her interest in education and the several terms Hartgen has spent in the Legislature.

Im running because I am interested in education, she said to the man who answered the next door; he, like the first, said he was a Republican. Im a teacher. I know how important it is.

On the way out, Talkington met Jarelie Espinoza and Miguel Rangel in the parking lot, bringing in their groceries. They had recently moved to Twin Falls and had not yet registered to vote here. Talkington gave them the forms and explained how to register, then made the case for herself.

Im running against an incumbent whos been there nine years, and I think its time for change, she said.

Talkington told them she is talking to so many people because she believes the ideas should come from the voters. It shouldnt be about a party platform.
TWIN FALLS  At a late-September campaign event, Twin Falls three Republican state legislators told the crowd about their work in Boise and cast themselves as practical conservatives.

We dont all agree on everything, but we sure think alike as far as getting to the solutions of problems, Rep. Lance Clow told their supporters at a meet-and-greet at Canyon Crest Dining and Event Center.

Sen. Lee Heider talked about his familys roots in Twin Falls and how he and his wife chose to come back to raise their family here after he got out of the U.S. Air Force. Heider has six children and 27 grandchildren.

I want to see the very best for all those kids, Heider said.

While people often call a presidential election year the most important election of our lifetimes, Rep. Steve Hartgen said, this one really is because it will determine who appoints the next U.S. Supreme Court justices, who helps to set the tone for the country and how the Constitution is interpreted for years to come.

Mr. Trump was not my first choice, but I think hell make an excellent president, Hartgen said.

Clow is running for re-election against Democrat Dale Varney, Heider against Deborah Silver and Hartgen against Cathy Talkington.

All three Republicans talked a bit about their work in Boise, where Hartgen is chairman of the House Commerce and Human Resources Committee and Heider chairs Senate Health and Welfare, which he called probably one of the most criticized committees due to controversy over Medicaid expansion.

Quite frankly, thats not a conservative idea, Heider told the crowd.

Idaho, like many other Republican-run states, has not expanded Medicaid coverage as the Affordable Care Act originally envisioned. For the past few years, the states Democrats have advocated for Medicaid expansion and the GOP has been split, with some opposed completely and others open to getting a waiver for the state to accept the federal money and design its own system.

Last years session ended with the Senate passing a bill authorizing the state to apply for a waiver and then adjourning. The House voted to kill it the next day, after the Senate left town. A work group of lawmakers is studying the issue over the interim.

Clow talked about his work on the House Education Committee, another focus of attention as the state has raised education spending for the past two sessions trying to make up for cuts during the recession. The state also is implementing recommendations of the governors education task force.

Education, including both K-12 and higher education, makes up about 60 percent of the states budget. Clow said lawmakers were committed to continuing to fund the career ladder, a plan to raise teachers pay that was passed in 2015 to be phased in over five years.

Brad Wills, a local developer, asked the candidates about passing a local option tax, or an additional sales tax that voters could approve to raise money for their local governments. Currently, only a handful of resort areas are allowed to levy local option taxes. Some Twin Falls city officials have argued they should have the option too, pointing to the burden on city services created by the many residents of the surrounding area who come into Twin Falls to work and shop.

If a local option sales tax is ever to become law, Heider said, it will be a proposal similar to the one Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, has advocated. That proposal would allow cities to levy a local option tax to pay for specific projects.

If ones going to fly, it would be that type of solution, Heider said.

Hartgen said some lawmakers view a local option tax a form of taxation without representation, because people who live in surrounding areas but shop and spend money in a city that levies one dont have any say in the tax. Also, he said, some lawmakers worry about it creating a disparity between prices in different communities.

There are a lot of people who are leery of the idea of raising taxes at the local level, Hartgen said.

He said he would listen to the arguments if someone were to bring a bill creating a local option tax, but he said the House Revenue and Taxation Committee is split at least 2-1 against the idea.

I think we should always be leery of raising taxes on people of any kind, Hartgen said.

The crowd, which included several Twin Falls-area elected officials, was mostly friendly, with a few people thanking the lawmakers for their work and their responsiveness to people who have concerns. House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, who stopped by for a bit, praised their contributions to the Legislature.

Theyre well respected statewide, he said.
WASHINGTON  The second presidential debate  bloody, muddy and raucous  was just enough to save Donald Trumps campaign from extinction, but not enough to restore his chances of winning, barring an act of God (a medical calamity) or of Putin (a cosmically incriminating WikiLeak).

That Trump crashed because of a sex-talk tape is odd. It should have been a surprise to no one. His views on women have been on open display for years. And hed offered a dazzling array of other reasons for disqualification: habitual mendacity, pathological narcissism, profound ignorance and an astonishing dearth of basic human empathy.

To which list Trump added in the second debate, and it had nothing to do with sex. It was his threat, if elected, to put Hillary Clinton in jail.

After appointing a special prosecutor, of course. The niceties must be observed. First, a fair trial, then a proper hanging. The day after the debate at a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump responded to chants of lock her up, with Lock her up is right. Two days later, he told a rally in Lakeland, Florida, She has to go to jail.

Such incendiary talk is an affront to elementary democratic decency and a breach of the boundaries of American political discourse. In democracies, the electoral process is a subtle and elaborate substitute for combat, the age-old way of settling struggles for power. But that sublimation only works if there is mutual agreement to accept both the legitimacy of the result (which Trump keeps undermining with charges that the very process is rigged) and the boundaries of the contest.

The prize for the winner is temporary accession to limited political power, not the satisfaction of vendettas. Vladimir Putin, Hugo Chavez and a cavalcade of two-bit caudillos lock up their opponents. American leaders dont.

One doesnt even talk like this. It takes decades, centuries, to develop ingrained norms of political restraint and self-control. But they can be undone in short order by a demagogue feeding a vengeful populism.

This is not to say that the investigation into the Clinton emails was not itself compromised by politics. FBI director James Comeys recommendation not to pursue charges was both troubling and puzzling. And Barack Obama very improperly tilted the scales by interjecting, while the investigation was still underway, that Clintons emails had not endangered national security.

But the answer is not to start a new process whose outcome is preordained. Conservatives have relentlessly, and correctly, criticized this administration for abusing its power and suborning the civil administration (e.g., the IRS). Is the Republican response to do the same?

Wasnt presidential overreach one of the major charges against Obama by the anti-establishment GOP candidates? Wasnt the animating spirit of the entire tea party movement the restoration of constitutional limits and restraints?

In America, we dont persecute political opponents. Which is why we retroactively honor Gerald Ford for his pardon of Richard Nixon, for which, at the time, Ford was widely reviled. It ultimately cost him the presidency. Nixon might well have been convicted. But Ford understood that jailing a president for actions carried out in the context of his official duties would threaten the very civil nature of democratic governance.

What makes Trumps promise to lock her up all the more alarming is that its not an isolated incident. This is not the first time hes insinuated using the powers of the presidency against political enemies. He has threatened Amazons Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, for using the newspaper as a tool for political power against me and other people. ... We cant let him get away with it.

With exercising free political speech?

Trump has gone after others with equal subtlety. I hear, he tweeted, the Rickets [sic] family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $s against me. They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!

He also promises to open up libel laws to permit easier prosecution of those who attack him unfairly. Has he ever conceded any attack on him to be fair?

This election is not just about placing the nuclear codes in Trumps hands. Its also about handing him the instruments of civilian coercion, such as the IRS, the FBI, the FCC, the SEC. Think of what he could do to enforce the fairness he demands. Imagine giving over the vast power of the modern state to a man who says in advance that he will punish his critics and jail his opponent.
It is not true that the 2016 presidential election is being rigged in any meaningful sense of that word. If you extend a definition of rigged to include such loose concepts as members of the political establishment hoping outsiders are unsuccessful or campaign operatives using common political practices to improve the chances of electoral success, then, maybe. But thats not the way that Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, means it.

In Trumps estimation, the campaign is rigged in the traditional sense of the expression: nefarious forces are seeking to commit voter fraud in Pennsylvania, the media is conspiring with a wealthy Mexican to make up lies about him, Hillary Clinton is doing the bidding of a cabal of international bankers. On Saturday, he implied that Clinton had been given the questions during the first debate, a laughable conspiracy theory that flourished briefly in the wake of her strong performance on the stage that night. But for Trump, sinking in the polls faster than Clinton is rising, any conspiracy theory that undercuts his opponent is one worth sharing.

His allies and supporters  like Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and David Clarke, a member of law enforcement in Wisconsinagree.

The accusations are false. In-person voter fraud is essentially nonexistent; the idea that New York Times reporters are acting at the behest of a partial stakeholder in their employer is ridiculous; accusations that Clinton is seeking to undermine the United States to the benefit of international bankers is a strain of thought evolved from the worst anti-Semitic claims.

But many Trump supporters think Im wrong  or intentionally lying as part of that same conspiracy. The beauty of a conspiracy theory is precisely that everything proves it: evidence and the lack of evidence, the latter proving the coverup. At a rally in Cincinnati, Trump fans told reporters from the Boston Globe that they were willing to stake out polling places to root out fraud, that the media was rotten, that the election was rigged.

Its unclear whether Trump is reinforcing existing skepticism about institutions such as the media and the government or whether hes creating new strains. Its probably both. As The Washington Posts Chris Ingraham noted Saturday, the lack of confidence in traditional institutions has spiked since 2008  at least among Republicans.

Trump has repeatedly argued that facets of those institutions, like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve, are part of the same broad-ranging effort to cause him to lose the election. A new survey from Marketplace and Edison Research indicates that a quarter of Americans agree with him. Thats split heavily along political lines, though. Only about 1 in 20 Clinton supporters distrust economic data such as unemployment rates and jobs numbers. Almost half of Trump supporters distrust that data.

That dichotomy suggests that Americans live in worlds rooted in different core truths  and thats what Americans believe is happening. Pew Research asked Clinton and Trump supporters whether they thought that the two political sides agreed generally on basic facts, disagreeing only on how to address the countrys problems, or whether each side relied on different basic facts entirely.

More than 80 percent of respondents said it was the latter.

Thats the gulf that Trump is both widening and exploiting. Its not hard to figure out why hes happily passing around bad information at this point: The media is reporting on a number of accusations that his 2005 hot-mic comments about groping women were a reflection of what he actually did and not just locker room talk. The best way to get people to ignore those accusations is to double-down on their existing skepticism about the media and, ideally, to loop his opponent into that same grand conspiracy. Its not clear how this is a scenario that will propel him to victory in November, but it is clearly a strategy that might, at least, allow him to save face.

The rift in the electorate, though, may end up being a much harder problem to plaster over.
A Wall Street executive offered advice on how to deflect criticism for taking money from Wall Street. There was an invitation to spend a weekend at George Soros's Southampton estate. These and many other tidbits are in the leaked emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta.

Guess what else? It turns out that politics influences the Democratic nominee's positions on financial and regulatory policy.

Yes, I'm sure you're shocked that Clinton's aides would worry about how Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren might react to a Wall Street regulatory plan, or whether Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders would accuse their candidate of copying his idea for a financial-transactions tax, or if reporters would say she flip-flopped on trade. But rarely are such calculations laid bare, as they are in more than 9,000 messages to and from Podesta, speechwriters, spokespeople, pollsters, policy gurus and others.

The Clinton campaign hasn't verified the emails, made available on the WikiLeaks website, as Podesta's, yet it hasn't denied their authenticity either, allowing only that, according to the FBI, they were the result of a Russian-government hack.

With this caveat in mind and the caution that they don't reflect the whole story by any means and can be misleading, the emails have important insights. How, for instance, did Clinton settle on a risk fee in her package on Wall Street regulatory reforms?

One big clue is in a February 2016 email from Gene Sperling, formerly an economic adviser to President Bill Clinton and a National Economic Council director under President Barack Obama. He wrote to Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, which Podesta once led and which consults with Clinton's staff, that he had been working on a plan to tax financial transactions. It would be a "major Wall Street pays for Main Street proposal," Sperling wrote. But, he worried, "we may look like we are just copying Bernie." He urged the campaign to instead "consider details to what is clearly our proposal -- Wall Street Risk fee."

The risk fee, which Clinton eventually adopted, is essentially a surtax on banks with more than $50 billion in assets. The purpose is to make too-big-to-fail banks think twice about conditions like what triggered the 2008 financial crisis, such as borrowing heavily and selling derivatives.

The problem is that the annual fee would come out of a bank's capital (money raised from the sale of stock and retained profits), and regulators should want banks to have as much capital as possible to absorb losses, in the way that a homeowner with 20 percent equity in a house wouldn't be under water if the home's market value suddenly declined by 10 percent.

Most big banks today don't have even that 10 percent buffer. The eight largest U.S. banks, in fact, have borrowed on average 94 cents for each dollar they've lent out.

If Clinton really wanted to make the financial system safer and to see banks lend more, she would require them to have more capital, making failure less likely in the first place. Instead, a bank could interpret payment of its risk fee as a license to behave in an even riskier manner. But a call for higher capital standards wouldn't pack the same "Wall Street pays for Main Street" punch as a demand for a risk fee would.

How to look tough on Wall Street was the subject of never-ending internal debate, the emails reveal. Mandy Grunwald , a longtime Clinton adviser, urged campaign officials to support reviving Glass-Steagall, the 1930s law that separated commercial from investment banking. This was not because it might have prevented the financial meltdown (it wouldn't have, as I've written here and here), but because it might head off a Warren endorsement of Sanders (both of whom favor bringing back the law).

"I am still worried that we will antagonize and activate Elizabeth Warren by opposing a new Glass Steagall," Grunwald wrote when asked to weigh in on a draft op-ed on Wall Street reform. "I worry about defending the banks in the debate. We are not including Elizabeth's core point about this -- that the 5 biggest banks are now 30% bigger than they were five years ago."

What Grunwald misses is that the five biggest banks got bigger because, during the crisis, Treasury and Federal Reserve officials forcefully merged sick banks with healthy ones. Clinton ultimately backed "a new Glass-Steagall," which is largely window-dressing. It wouldn't force big banks to get smaller but would let regulators break up large, failing banks -- authority they already have under the Dodd-Frank law.

References to Warren are sprinkled throughout the messages. Clinton and Warren met in early 2015, prompting this revealing email from Dan Schwerin, who oversees Clinton's speechwriting, to Podesta and several other top aides, on Warren's influence over Clinton's personnel choices:

"I spent about an hour and twenty minutes this afternoon with Dan Geldon, a longtime advisor to the Senator. He was intently focused on personnel issues, laid out a detailed case against the Bob Rubin school of Democratic policy makers, was very critical of the Obama administration's choices, and explained at length the opposition to Antonio Weiss. We then carefully went through a list of people they do like, which EW sent over to HRC earlier. We have already been in touch with a number of them and I asked if he would be comfortable introducing me to the others, to which he seemed reasonably amenable. We spent less time on specific policies, because he seemed less interested in that."

Antonio Weiss is the former investment banker at Lazard nominated to be deputy Treasury secretary and who was successfully blocked by Warren.

In another exchange, Schwerin suggested to Brian Fallon, Clinton's spokesman, that the campaign release excerpts from a paid speech Clinton delivered to Deutsche Bank. "I wrote her a long riff about economic fairness and how the financial industry has lost its way, precisely for the purpose of having something we could show people if ever asked what she was saying behind closed doors for two years to all those fat cats," Schwerin said. The toughest part of her message, though, is a rather anodyne warning that "if there's wrongdoing, people have to be held accountable and we have to try to deter future bad behavior."

The emails also show that Clinton's staff agonized over whether to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-nation free-trade deal negotiated by Obama that Congress hasn't yet considered. An October 2015 email seems to indicate that Clinton's opposition to the deal is lukewarm, at best. Schwerin wrote: "We don't want to invite mockery for being too enthusiastically opposed to a deal she once championed, or over-claiming how bad it is, since it's a very close call on the merits."

At the start of the primary season, her advisers seemed more concerned about the reaction of organized labor, which opposed the agreement, than on whether she had the right policy. Clinton soon came out against the Trans-Pacific deal, having championed it as secretary of State.

Courting the unions caused hand-wringing in other instances, too, the emails disclose. Clinton's advisers spent hours trying to fashion a tweet to recognize a union-organized day of protests in support of a $15 minimum wage, but without actually endorsing that demand. (Clinton at first backed a $12 minimum but ultimately said she'd sign legislation raising it to $15, should Congress pass it.)

The roots of this debate go back to studies by economist Alan Krueger, a Clinton adviser who argues that a $15 national minimum could result in job losses. Interestingly, as Clinton's campaign tried to have it both ways -- looking as if it was siding with labor without agreeing to a specific demand -- the dispute was one of the few times the emails show any consideration of academic research.
Were down to the homestretch in the election cycle. Early voting starts Monday in several Magic Valley counties.

If youre not registered to vote, thats OK. In Idaho, you can register on Election Day at the polls with a photo ID with a current address or a photo ID and a utility bill or paystub that shows your current address.

Election officials are expecting a heavy turnout, judging by how many people have registered early. In Twin Falls County, 181 new voters have registered since Oct. 5.

It tells you people are interested and they want to vote, said Twin Falls County Clerk Kristina Glascock. Some people who never voted and decided this is the election theyre going to vote in.

High interest in the presidential election is fueling the registration rush, Glascock speculated, but as weve said before, its perhaps even more important to be informed about the down-ballot races  the campaigns for U.S. Senate and House, the state legislative races and county offices. All politics is local, as they say, and its these lower offices that often have a more direct effect on your lives.

To that end, the Times-News is publishing a voters guide in next Sundays edition, featuring candidate questionnaires, candidate biographies and breakdowns of other issues voters can expect to see on their ballots.

The newspaper is also hosting two candidate forums this week. At 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Magic Valley Arts Council, local candidates seeking Idaho Senate seats will face off. Deborah Silver is challenging Lee Heider, and Scott McClure is challenging Jim Patrick. The House races follow at 7 p.m., with Catherine Talkington facing Steven Hartgen and Dale Varney facing Lance Clow.

At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, also at the Arts Council, voters will hear from Twin Falls County Commission candidates Tony Bohrn, Jack Johnson and Jill Skeem.

Both debates will be moderated by Times-News Editor Matt Christensen, who will pose questions from the audience. Whether you have a question for the candidates or not, we encourage you to attend the forum to learn more about your next elected leaders.

Were proud to cover these races and hold these forums as part of our mission to inform and engage the public. We hope youll do your part by checking out our voter guide and attending a forum. And, of course, voting on Nov. 8.
Deborah Silver is the clear choice for the District 24 Idaho Senate seat. She is an experienced certified public accountant and a champion of education with deep roots in Idaho.

She is one of the most caring, intelligent, hard-working and committed people I know, and she would put her education, experience and commitment to work for the people of District 24 and the state of Idaho. She is a leader and leadership is what we need.

Take this past session, the Republican-controlled Legislature again failed to come up with a measure to extend health coverage to 78,000 Idaho residents falling into the gap between Medicaid and the state health-insurance exchange subsidies. Without such Medicaid expansion, the death rate in Idaho is 320 per 100,000 residents, according to statistics brought out during discussions. That means lives potentially lost, and all because Republicans dont want to appear to support the Affordable Care Act of Democratic President Obama.

As Senate Health and Welfare Committee chairman, Silvers opponent Lee Heider voted the party line in March against bringing out of committee for more debate a bill to implement an expansion plan that Otters Medicaid Redesign Workgroup had recommended in 2014. That left last-minute scrambling on an issue that was been around for more than two years. In the end, nothing was passed by Republicans, leaving more people in danger.

Where was the leadership?

Deborah will vote for the good of the people. She will put the constituents first and not march blindly in step behind a party banner.

Deborah Silver will do what is right. She deserves your vote.

Pat Marcantonio

Twin Falls
Not as a Democrat, nor as a Republican, but as a mother, a small-business entrepreneur, a former refugee and mostly as a K-12 education supporter, I wholeheartedly endorse Catherine Talkington, confident in the productive, local representation our future District 24B legislator Talkington will deliver to the State Capitol.

Decades of historic defunding of Idaho's education, family health services, mega flushing of tax payer monies with wasteful lawsuits, has produced this current reality in Idaho; a statewide brain drain, a shortage of teachers, a crisis of childhood obesity and a neglected, struggling middle "working poor" class of families. Education is the main lifeline for Idaho's survival in a 21st century marketplace of talent, innovation. Getting back to family values means truly supporting the family unit, children and the economic tools parents need to navigate toward economic, upward mobility. Not just words, but legislative actions, funding and votes which prove to prioritize Idaho's families, elders and future citizens via investment in K-12 education.

Our future legislator Talkington is a champion for families, education and health, knocking on doors, meeting local families, listening to understand the key obstacles they continue to face legislative session after session. Candidate Talkington already defends our natural resources and the sacred nature we are blessed with in Idaho. Talkington promotes healthy living, addressing childhood obesity and health issues many adult Idahoans are facing.

We pride our self in Idaho on our traditional, conservative values  nothing is more traditional than the backbone of America  the family unit, healthy children, quality education and the ability to work toward one American Dream. Invest in Idaho's future. Invest in Idaho's future, in Idaho's children, in Idaho's education, in Idaho's families. Invest your vote this election in District 24 legislator Catherine Talkington. Education is everything.

Liyah Babayan

Twin Falls
Ten people have been sentenced altogether to 32 years in prison for terrorism related acts, and apology for terrorist organizations by the court of Criminal Appeal of the city of Sale, reports say.

A total of 13 cases were tackled by the court on Thursday during a trial which lasted four hours, local media Al Akhbar reports.

Three defendants have been cleared and ordered free the media further reports.

Among the 10, the judge condemned a head of family, in his forties, to five years in prison for trying to join the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria. He was arrested in Turkey while on his way to Syria and deported to Morocco. He was charged in line with anti-terrorism law.

Another head of family and his son have been handed respectively five and one year jail sentences after being charged for threatening to kill an imam on social media. They have been also sentenced to pay a fine of more than 10,000 Dirhams.

The court also found them guilty of apology for terrorism, terrorism-related acts as well as of persuading and forcing someone to commit terror acts.

Three other people charged for apology for terrorism and for persuading and forcing someone to commit terror acts have been sentenced to four years in prison each. Another trio has been condemned to two years in prison for related charges. Two of them were fined 10,000 Dirhams.

The prosecutor requested application of condemnations spelled out by the penal code for the offence but the defense called for reduction of the sentences arguing that the charges pressed against them have no legal basis, Al Akhbar further says.

Morocco has seen a spike in the number of citizens falling prey to IS which has ticked the North African country on its target list. Around 500 local IS sympathizers are moving around in the kingdom. An estimate of 1,500 Moroccans are fighting for terrorist IS in hotbed conflict zones, according to experts.


@PatriciaMazzei

Foreign policy isn't an issue for the Florida state Senate. Yet Cuba came up anyway Sunday in a Spanish-language debate between Republican state Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and Democratic state Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez.

Ambrosio Hernandez, host of Univision 23's "Al Punto Florida," asked if they'd be willing to increase state commerce ties with Cuba, given President Barack Obama's renewed diplomatic relationship with the island's communist regime. Both candidates are Cuban American.

No, said Diaz de la Portilla. "There's political prisoners. There's human-rights violations," he said. "It's like doing business with the Mafia."

Rodriguez called the topic "painful" for children of exiles like himself. "I support the measures the president has taken because after 50 years without results, we needed to change, he said.

And then, Rodriguez invoked Donald Trump's reported violation of the Cuban trade embargo in 1998.

"We must be strongly against what Trump did," he said. "My opponent has not said anything, has stayed silent on the deception that Trump engaged in about doing business in Cuba, hiding it and lying to this community."

"I criticize anybody who breaks the law of this country, being Trump or [Hillary] Clinton," Diaz de la Portilla responded. Then, turning to Rodriguez, he added: "I don't know where he's been, because I've criticized [Trump] a lot for this hypocrisy."

Diaz de la Portilla has said he isn't voting for Trump or Clinton.


via @harrisalexc

Tim Kaine wanted Floridians to know that in the election chess game, the Sunshine State could choose the winner.

If [Trump] loses Florida, its checkmate, he said. Lets do some checkmate and win.

The Democratic vice presidential candidate, in town for a private fundraiser at the home of Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Jean Monestime, stopped by Liberty City for a block party with fellow Virginian Pusha T, a rapper. Pusha T did not perform but introduced Kaine and echoed his message on the importance of voting.

Kaine climbed into the bed of an F-350 pickup truck, its windows soaped with his running mates logo, and encouraged a crowd of around 200 people to vote. Dressed in jeans and sporting sunglasses, his main message was to get as many people to the polls as possible. Floridas voter registration ends Oct. 18 after a last-minute extension by a federal judge. Early voting starts Oct. 24 in Miami-Dade and Broward, and Election Day is Nov. 8.

His visit to the predominantly black community of Liberty City, part of the Hillary Clinton campaigns outreach to black voters, is his fifth stop in South Florida. Previously, Clinton and President Barack Obama have done call-in interviews and advertised with local radio stations with largely black audiences.

More here.

Photo credit: Pedro Portal, Miami Herald staff


via @WilliamEMarch

TAMPA  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio followed vice presidential nominee Mike Pence to the podium in a Tampa hotel ballroom full of enthusiastic Republicans on Saturday, praised Pence and other GOP leaders and then gave his usual rousing stump pitch.

But he did it all, speaking 34 minutes, without once mentioning the name of Pence's running mate, the presidential nominee the Republicans were there to support, Donald Trump.

Rubio this week maintained his tepid support for Trump for president after eight days of scurrilous revelations and accusations of Trump's abusive attitudes toward women.

But if anything, Rubio's speech Saturday night suggests he hopes to put even more distance between himself and Trump.

Rubio emphasized the key role the Senate will play in the next four years, but spoke almost dismissively of the presidential contest.

"I want to talk about the importance of the Senate race," he said. "We all know the importance of the presidential race."

He cited the coming U.S. Supreme Court vacancies, often referenced by reluctant Republicans as a reason to stick by Trump despite the past week's revelations.

"The next president and the next U.S. Senate will probably nominate and confirm up to three Supreme Court justices," who will serve up to 25 years  "the equivalent of three two-term presidencies," he said.
@NewsbySmiley

Fighting to win South Florida's redrawn Senate District 37, incumbent Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and challenger Jose Javier Rodriguez played nice for much of a televised appearance Sunday morning on NBC's Impact with Jackie Nespral. But the final quarter of the 12-minute segment featured a barrage of attacks that highlighted the bitterness of the campaign, with Rodriguez attacking the Republican's record on gun control and Diaz de la Portilla blasting the Democrat for being "ineffective."

The tension began around the 9-minute mark, when Rodriguez, a Democrat and state representative, said Diaz de la Portilla "does not have a perfect record on gun safety," an issue taking on heightened importance in a district that leans a little to the left and features a large bloc of independent voters.

Diaz de la Portilla has won high-praise from gun-control activists for blocking so-called "open carry" and "campus carry" bills through his role as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Last week, Everytown, a gun-control group backed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced it would pay for ads supporting the incumbent.

But Rodriguez noted in the taped interview that Diaz de la Portilla has supported controversial bills, including a bill that allowed Gov. Rick Scott to remove local elected officials who tried to preempt state gun laws and the "Docs vs. Glocks" legislation in 2011, plus a failed 2016 effort to overhaul a key provision of Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law that would have placed the burden of disproving immunity on the prosecution.
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New associates

Steven Clark has joined the staff of Morgenroth Music Center as a band instrument repair technician. Clark is a graduate of Minnesota State College Southeast in Redwing, Minnesota, in band instrument repair. Clark joins seasoned repair technician Jim Knauer. They both repair band instruments as well as full chemical cleans for brasswind, de-denting, repads and overhauls for woodwinds, and most routine maintenance for your band instrument.

Lisa Tate has joined the National Museum of Forest Service History as the Museums new executive director. Tate has worked in nonprofit management, board development, and fundraising for 30 years. Her work has primarily focused on conservation, animal welfare, the arts, and nature based nonprofit organizations. In addition to her career, she has served as the board president of a national nonprofit organization for eight years. She has served on several nonprofit boards and as a trustee on two charitable foundations. She recently moved back to Missoula from Fargo, North Dakota, where she was the executive director of the Red River Zoological Society. In 2016, she was named Woman of the Year in Fargo, nominated for her work in the arts and conservation.

Don Rasmussen has joined Karl Tyler Missoula Volkswagen's Service Department as the new service manager.

L. Scott Mills has returned to the University of Montana to serve as associate vice president of research for global change and sustainability in the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship. From 1995 to 2013, Mills was a professor in UMs Wildlife Biology Program. In 2013, he was recruited to North Carolina State University to coordinate a cross-campus initiative on global environmental change and human well-being. Now back at UM, Mills will continue his research program in applied population ecology and global environmental change. Mills will work on projects that bridge UM departments and colleges, as well as government and nonprofit collaborators, by leveraging the world-class strengths of UM in multifaceted scientific, cultural and societal aspects of global change and sustainability. As an applied wildlife population biologist, Mills integrates field studies, DNA-based genetic analyses and computer models in his research to understand how wild animal populations and their associated ecosystems respond to human-caused global changes. Mills received a National Science Foundation Early Career Award and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for his work building wildlife conservation science in Bhutan. He has been continuously funded by NSF for the past 18 years, mentored 24 graduate student and published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Mills also wrote an applied population ecology textbook used in more than 150 classrooms worldwide.

New owner

Garrett Courtney is the new owner of Erbert & Gerberts Sandwich Shop. Courtney has been the general manager with the store since it opened. Erbert & Gerberts is located at 617 S. Higgins Ave. and is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. It also delivers and you can order online at ErbertAndGerberts.com.

New partnership

Ray Round and Sydney Carlino, two longtime financial professionals, have formed a business partnership in the Missoula branch of D.A. Davidson and Co. to better serve their clients. The pair have formed the Round and Carlino Investment Planning Group, a member of D.A. Davidson & Co. The partnership structure better allows Round and Carlino to continue enhancing the service they provide, offer a broader spectrum of expertise and ensure client needs are met at all times. The team also includes Susan Zins, senior registered associate, and Marla Cassidy, registered client associate, each focused on serving as key client contacts and supporting Round and Carlino in their work with clients.

Round, senior vice president and financial adviser, joined D.A. Davidson in 1995 after prior work with a Spokane investment firm. He holds three professional designations: the Certified Financial Planner designation, Certified Wealth Strategist designation and Accredited Investment Fiduciary  and is a graduate of Gonzaga University. Round is a past director of both the D.A. Davidson Companies board and the board of one of D.A. Davidsons sister companies, Davidson Investment Advisors, and is a member of the D.A. Davidson Managed Assets Investment Committee. Additionally, he has been active with local nonprofit organizations.

Carlino, associate vice president and financial adviser, has been with D.A. Davidson since 2008. She launched her financial services career with another firm in 2005 after previously serving as a mechanical engineer. Carlino has earned the Certified Financial Planner designation and the Certified Wealth Strategist designation and also is a graduate of Wright State University and Sinclair College, both in Dayton, Ohio. Away from work, she serves as an active community volunteer.

Promotions

Dacia Closson was promoted to computer aided dispatch test lead at Logistics Systems Inc. She started her career with Logistic Systems Inc. as a software tester. Closson manages the testing group, and is responsible for releasing 911 dispatch software while ensuring a balance between functionality and user friendliness. Before joining Logistic Systems Inc. she worked in the web development industry at a private local business, and at the University of Montana College of Arts and Sciences. She used her time in college to study computer science and developed a small on campus web business which transformed into a thriving business, both on and off campus. Dacia has shown herself to be a vital asset to our organization.

Jill Galle, certified public accountant, was promoted to shareholder at Anderson ZurMuehlen. Galles experience includes accounting, review of internal controls and financial statement preparation and analysis. She also performs audits for nonprofits, employee benefit plans, financial institutions, government entities, and for-profit companies. Galle has a Master of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Accounting from the University of Montana and joined the firm in 2008.

Megan Adams, certified public accountant, has been promoted to staff II at Anderson ZurMuehlen. Adams experience includes accounting, financial statement analysis, tax consultation and preparation for corporations, partnerships and individuals, specializing in captive insurance clients. She has a Master of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Montana and joined the firm in 2015.

Appointed

Chris Dulaney has been appointed board member for the Hospice Care Foundation. Dulaney graduated from the University of Montana with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2006 and has worked in the banking industry for seven years. He is currently employed as a commercial credit analyst at US Bank.

Elected

Soroptimist International of Missoula has elected Cher Shermer as its 2016-2017 president. Shermer is the owner of Stream Advertising. SI Missoula also elected Chris Kelly of HDR Engineering as vice president; Lyn Badger of Badger Accounting as treasurer, and Kari Marrero of Centennial Homes as secretary.

Recognition

Carrie Brushia was the top salesperson for September at EXIT Realty Missoula. Brushia has been a full-time licensed agent since 2014 and specializes in residential, land and multifamily real estate. She can be reached at 531-5691.

The ERA Lambros top producers for September were Adam Hertz for commercial; Tory Dailey for residential; Cheryl Smith for the Hamilton office; Cora Gilmore Nelson for the Libby office, and Tono Lippy for the Florence office.

Jani Summer was the top producing agent for the month of September at EXIT Realty Bitterroot Valley.

Missoula Brewing Company earned a gold medal in the Irish-Style Red Ale category at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival competition.

KettleHouse Brewing Co. has been recognized with the second annual NBWA Brewer Partner Sales Execution Award by the National Beer Wholesalers Association. The awards recognize the brewers who do the best job in the marketplace producing great beer; building strong partnerships; providing valuable education; and offering support to their distributor customers in order to bring their beers to market. KettleHouse Brewing Co. was founded in 1995 by Tim OLeary and Suzy Rizza and produced 15,000 barrels of beer in 2015.
The workings of memory are something that every writer thinks a lot about, and in this poem Peter Everwine, a California poet we've featured before, looks very closely into those workings. His most recent book is Listening Long and Late from the University of Pittsburgh Press. This poem is from the distinguished quarterly journal Five Points.

A Small Story

When Mrs. McCausland comes to mind

she slips through a small gap in oblivion

and walks down her front steps, in her hand

a small red velvet pillow she tucks

under the head of Old Jim Schreiber,

who is lying dead-drunk against the curb

of busy Market Street. Then she turns,

labors up the steps and is gone 

***

A small story. Or rather, the memory

of a story I heard as a boy. The witnesses

are not to be found, the steps lead nowhere,

the pillow has collapsed into a thread of dust 

Do the dead come back only to remind us

they, too, were once among the living,

and that the story we make of our lives

is a mystery of luminous, but uncertain moments,

a shuffle of images we carry toward sleep 

Mrs. McCausland with her velvet pillow,

Old Jim at peace  a story, like a small

clearing in the woods at night, seen

from the windows of a passing train.
In Allen Eskens novels, Minnesota is a dark, violent place. His recurring characters routinely wrestle with loss, loneliness and loathing as they work their way through the carefully plotted mayhem imagined by the lawyer turned mystery writer.

Eskens third book, The Heavens May Fall, is not exactly part of a trilogy, but it does follow a familiar pattern with familiar names. Minneapolis detective Max Rupert, who appeared as a stoic hero in Eskens first two offerings, tries to solve a grisly murder in a Kenwood mansion. He continues to grieve guiltily for not protecting his wife, killed in an unsolved hit-and-run four years before. Ruperts brother, a fellow cop, has also died, and his best friend, lawyer Boady Sanden, has betrayed him by ably defending the prime suspect in the Kenwood case. Lila Nash, a young law student whose life Rupert once saved, is helping Sanden.

Everyone is sort of damaged goods. Rupert drifts toward self-destructive isolation. Sanden has quit practicing law because he screwed up the case of an innocent young man who then was murdered in prison. Lila, featured in Eskens first novel, The Life We Bury, bears physical scars from a savage beating where she was nearly raped and murdered.

Even surrounded by those who care, members of an Eskens cast seem emotionally numb, as if they have turned the old Minnesota ice cliche on themselves.

Some readers may crave more character development and depth. Eskens most fascinating fictive creation, Joe Talbert, the young hero of his first novel, merits only a passing reference here. Now engaged to Lila, Talbert has parlayed a journalism degree from the University of Minnesota into a job with the Associated Press and has taken in his developmentally disabled brother, all while supporting Lilas dream of becoming an attorney.

Still, Eskens has established himself as a master of show-dont-tell. Images reveal character. Ruperts visits to his wifes grave on the anniversaries of her death are futile forays against silent suffering suffused in alcohol. Sandens regrets play out as he swims into the wall of a pool while thinking about his dead client during a workout.

The best part The Heavens May Fall is Eskens ability for most of the book to keep readers guessing what will come next and, of course, who did it. Those are hallmarks of great mystery writers. His spare prose drives readers through a nicely constructed narrative that twists and turns without much distraction.

The worst part of the novel is its too quick, too tidy and too predictable conclusion. It parrots the endings of Eskens first two books. What seems clear is that Eskens structured The Heavens May Fall to offer a path to a fourth novel. For those who enjoy solid mystery writing that leads to happy endings for sad players, this comes as good news.
A new anti-poaching program developed in Missoula will use the system hunters rely on to gauge trophy animals as a way to improve enforcement of hunting laws throughout the nation.

All poaching is illegal and all poachers should be punished, said Tony Schoonen, chief of staff for the Boone and Crockett Club in Missoula. But poaching trophies is a special sin because it is driven by greed and potential profit. When it comes to the poaching of trophy-class animals, one of the tools we have available to us is the clubs big-game scoring system.

Boone and Crockett developed the industry-standard measuring system for describing the size and significance of big-game animal antlers and horns. Former Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist Vickie Edwards has been using the system to catalog the racks seized in poaching cases and determine whether state game wardens are applying harsher penalties for trophy kills.

Schoonen said many states dont differentiate between average and trophy animals in poaching cases. The result is an incentive to break the law in pursuit of more charismatic big game because the potential fine is relatively small.

A nationwide survey conducted by the club in 2015 found that almost nine out of 10 hunters support higher fines for those convicted of poaching trophy-class animals. And 92.6 percent approve of generally increasing fines for all poaching cases.

To date, states using the Boone and Crockett scoring system as a way to tabulate more appropriate and severe poaching fines include Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Texas.

For far too long, being convicted of poaching a deer or another big-game animal has been akin to getting a speeding ticket in terms of the severity of punishment, Schoonen said. Hunters tell us they want a set of uniform guidelines to ensure punishments are equal to the value we place on our wildlife resources. The Boone and Crockett Club's scoring system provides a respected, definitive and consistent criteria for defining a trophy animal and is not subject to the legal obfuscation employed by those desperate to avoid criminal conviction.

FWP deploys 72 game wardens throughout the state. Each covers an average 2,000 square miles of territory  roughly the size of Delaware. Theyre backed up by citizen whistle-blowers who make between 1,700 and 2,000 calls a year to the FWP anti-poaching hotline, TIP-MONT. The anonymous evidence-gathering program has paid out more than $15,000 a year in rewards for information leading to convictions each year.

One case near Missoula is already underway. On Oct. 7, game wardens found a bull moose that was shot and left to waste on the Warnken Ranch Block Management Area northwest of Superior. The yearling bull was abandoned near the shore of Bouchard Lake.

Montanans observing poaching incidents can anonymously report their findings to the FWP TIP-MONT hotline, 800-847-6668, or online at fwp.mt.gov/enforcement/tipmont.
A court order to do more work on protecting Canadian lynx in Rocky Mountain forests could become a late-season battleground for congressional action this winter.

Last week, the Supreme Court let stand a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the U.S. Forest Service has to take a big-picture look at how it protects critical lynx habitat across 12 million acres touching 11 national forests. While wildlife advocates claimed a major win for the Endangered Species Act, timber industry supporters vowed to rewrite laws to speed up logging projects.

Its now known as the Cottonwood decision, and it affects pretty much the whole Northwest, said Julia Altemus of the Montana Wood Products Association. Im hoping we can find a path forward, either legally or by a congressional path.

Altemus referred to Cottonwood Environmental Law Center, whose Bozeman attorney John Meyer argued the Cottonwood vs. U.S. Forest Service case.

Its our job to ensure the Forest Service is doing its job, Meyer said. Were not looking to stop every timber sale. Were trying to ensure we have communities that can log legally.

The case dredges up the long history of lynx protection over the past 16 years. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared Canada lynx a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 2000. It wrote management guidelines affecting snowmobiling, wildland firefighting, logging and thinning projects and other forest activity.

In 2006, FWS mapped out lynx critical habitat in National Park Service lands, but left out national forests. The next year, FWS consulted with the Forest Service and concluded that its national forest standards and guidelines wouldnt hurt the wild cat. The Endangered Species Act requires any federal agency whose actions might affect a threatened species to consult with FWS to avoid harming the species.

But an investigation into the critical habitat maps found that former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior Julie MacDonald improperly excluded millions of acres of federal, state and private lands. MacDonald resigned and FWS redid its lynx habitat analysis, increasing the cats critical territory from 1,841 square miles to about 39,000 square miles.

However, the Forest Service didnt restart its consultation process with its sister agency on its own lynx standards and guidelines. Cottonwood Law and others sued the Forest Service over that omission and won at both the U.S. District Court and U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Forest Service asked for a rehearing before the full 9th Circuit, but the appeals court declined. The agency then appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Last week, the high court declined to hear the case. That makes the 9th Circuit decision the law of the land.

Im very disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear this case, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, wrote on Tuesday. Allowing the 9th Circuits disastrous ruling to stand will greatly increase needless paperwork on the Forest Service and further delay much-needed restorative management work. This development makes it especially critical that Congress act to explicitly remove this crippling regulatory burden, and I will continue to fight toward that end.

In a letter to the congressional conference committee leaders reviewing the Energy Policy Modernization Act, Daines asked for a new law stating that "federal agencies are not required to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service at a programmatic level when new critical habitat is designated or a new species is listed." The energy bill is an expected "must-pass" piece of legislation that may include many changes to forest policy and management when it's voted on this winter.

Altemus said the Forest Service was doing an effective job applying lynx standards on a project-by-project basis. But forcing a region-wide review would kill progress in the woods.

The court said the Forest Service has to do changes at the programmatic level rather than the project level, Altemus said. When the first ruling came out, it shut down the (Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest) program for two years. All sales had to be stopped. Nobody can afford to not have any fiber moving for that long. If this stands on the lynx, it could be applied on other species as well. We cant keep fixing the forest plan every time something happens.

However, the 9th Circuit judges noted the Forest Service already lost that argument. While the agency did study the lynx impacts of individual projects, the judges found that overlooks a significant aspect of the consultation process. To analyze lynx impact, the Forest Service looks at the Fish and Wildlife Services 2007 lynx guidelines that were completed before critical habitat was designated on National Forest land, the judges wrote.

Here FWS discovered that its decision on critical habitat had been tainted by an ethical lapse in its own administrative ranks, the judges wrote. Re-evaluation of the data generated a drastically different result that justified vast designation of previously unprotected critical habitat. These new protections triggered new obligations. The Forest Service cannot evade its obligations by relying on an analysis it completed before the protections were put in place.

They added that just because the Forest Service had incorporated the 2007 FWS lynx amendments in its plans, that didnt mean the job was done. As long as the agency had jurisdiction over Canada lynx and its habitat, it was obligated to consider new information that could change management needs.

Meyer said that was particularly important because of the nature of the lynxs threatened status itself.

The Canada lynx wasnt listed because of the effects of any one timber sale, Meyer said. The single reason why they were listed was the forest plans  they werent protecting Canada lynx. The Fish and Wildlife Service said the Forest Service needs to provide programmatic management direction  thats why we list them.

And the listing occurred before climate change was a major factor in the debate, Meyer added. Canada lynx almost exclusively eat snowshoe hares, and theyve evolved to hunt the rabbits in deep snow when other predators like bobcats and mountain lions are at a disadvantage. As mountain snowpacks diminish, Canada lynx may find it harder to compete with those other predators if their critical habitat gets degraded by human development.

The judges emphasized the unique nature of the Endangered Species Act in such situations.

Our opinion does nothing to disturb the Supreme Courts holding  that when evaluating a request for injunctive relief to remedy an ESA procedural violation, the equities and public interest factors always tip in favor of the protected species, the judges wrote. As the Court made unmistakably clear: Congress has spoken in the plainest of words, making it abundantly clear that the balance has been struck in favor of affording endangered species the highest of priorities, thereby adopting a policy which it described as institutionalized caution.

That could be where Sen. Daines focuses his efforts in Congress. In his email, Daines noted that the 9th Circuit has 11 pending lawsuits and 26 pending Notices of Intent to Sue over Endangered Species Act consultations regarding lynx or bull trout (another threatened species). Several bills are jockeying for attention in the final months of this congressional session, including a variety of potential amendments to the Endangered Species Act or the National Environmental Policy Act.

On the other hand, Meyer said the problem could be solved if Congress would provide the Forest Service with the funds to do its own lynx homework and follow the existing laws. Part of the current delay, Meyer said, was because of political interference in biological research processes.

If they want to talk about using their old plan, or take the Fish and Wildlife Services advice, thats up to the Forest Service, Meyer said. Whatever they come up with, well look at. We want to partner with the Forest Service. We dont want to put small family operations out of business.
A trumpeter swan was killed Saturday on the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigator.

Stressing hes in the middle of the investigation and hasnt had time to look into it yet, Clay Ronish, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service federal zone officer, could only confirm the swan had been killed.

I just got the call yesterday and spoke briefly with the state warden, he said.

The refuge outside Stevensville provides a resting habitat for trumpeter swans, primarily during migration, according to refuge website. Hunting swans is prohibited on the refuge.

Trumpeter swans can weigh up to 30 pounds, with wingspans of around eight feet. They arent on Montanas endangered or threatened species lists.

In 2014, a trumpeter swan was shot and killed on the Salish-Kootenai Reservation, on the Flathead River. Two Polson men were fined and had their hunting licenses suspended after one confessed to shooting the bird while the two were firing their rifles at a campground.
STEVENSVILLE  Casey Ryan and Gary Three Woodcocks held the leader staff high as they walked past St. Marys Church in Stevensville, past dozens of ornate, personalized headstones and toward a large wooden cross that read INDIAN GRAVES" in bold white letters.

As the men propped the staff against the cross, dozens gathered around, many dressed in traditional Salish regalia, and awaited a prayer. Some cried while others laughed and cheered. The group couldnt hold back their emotions, and they wouldnt, because after 125 years, they were finally home.

Ryan and Three Woodcocks were just two of the dozens of Salish people who hiked the same 51 miles their ancestors walked when they were forcibly relocated from the Bitterroot Valley to the Flathead Indian Reservation 125 years ago.

Although the U.S. government forced many Salish people to leave the Bitterroot Valley between 1873 and 1891 in an effort to open tribal lands to non-Native American settlement, the majority of the tribe refused to leave. But when Gen. Henry Carrington ordered the final eviction in 1891, the Salish, led by Chief Charlo, walked from the Bitterroot Valley to the Jocko Church on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

For the past three days, the present-day Salish people have been reversing the direction of their ancestors path, calling it a Return to the Homeland.

While many people hitched rides for part of the trail or only participated in one leg of the hike, Ryan and Three Woodcocks were among a small group who walked the entire way.

Ryan said he and Three Woodcocks traded off holding the leader staff throughout the entire hike, so they thought it was only fair to share the staff for the last mile of the hike through Stevensville.

Ryan said about 50 people walked, rode horses or drove with the group all three days. He said about 100 participated in at least one stretch of the walk. Even more helped with the event by providing food and drink, or a place to rest.

Its an honor and its in remembrance of what our ancestors endured 125 years ago, so its been a very emotional and powerful experience, Ryan said. Ive been touched by all the kindness our neighbors have showed us. I think our ancestors would be happy to see what weve done here.

The group met at Jocko Church on Thursday and started their journey from there, according to Willie Stevens, who helped organize the event. The group stayed at a KOA campground in Missoula that night, and then at Chief Looking Glass Campground in Florence the next. On Saturday, the walkers arrived at Bitterroot River Park outside of Stevensville where lunch was waiting.

Stevens said the idea for the hike came about nearly two years ago when he and some friends were planning to drive to the Bitterroot and thought it might be better to walk the 51 miles  55 if you count the hikes in and out of the campgrounds.

Stevens said at lunch the turnout was bigger than expected, and although not everyone walked, it took the whole tribe to make it happen.

Everyone pitched in because were just like one big family. There is a mobile support team, camp setup team, cooks and nurses, Stevens said. Were coming home to teach our young ones what happened to our ancestors so they can understand and take over when were gone. Hopefully, theyll do this again at 150 years.

As some people grabbed water, sandwiches and handfuls of trail mix in the park, others changed into regalia and braided each others hair. Even the few horses who made the walk had their manes and tails braided for the last mile.

Gene Sorrell, who was in charge of camp setup, said the walk was a moving experience.

It feels tremendous. When we left Jocko, it was emotional. You just couldnt hold it back, Sorrell said, minutes before everyone rallied to leave the park and hike the last mile to St. Marys Church. Now that were here Im just elated. Were here with our elders and you cant help but wonder what our ancestors would think of us coming home."

Before leaving the park, Jennifer Finley and 9-year-old Maurita Voice were given traditional shawls for walking nearly all 51 miles. While Finley made it the whole way, Voice only came up a couple miles short.

At St. Marys, people were waiting with smiles and signs that read, Welcome home Salish.

Once everyone gathered around that single cross, representing the deaths of many, Tony Incashola, director of the Salish and Pend dOreille Culture Committee, stood to lead a prayer.
Our individual votes on Nov. 8 will not directly determine who gets to live in the White House. Our U.S. Constitution designates that 538 electors from the 50 states and the District of Columbia cast their ballots at their state capitals in December to select the next U.S. president and vice president. States with larger populations have more electors (ballots) than less populated states like Montana (we have three electoral votes while California has 55).

Many questions can be raised about the mysterious Electoral College. Why did our founders cement it in the Constitution? Is it an archaic and unnecessary structure, or a final and crucial step in the race? How is it that a candidate can capture the presidency by winning the majority of the electoral votes while also losing the popular vote? What happens if no candidate wins a majority of the Electoral College votes? Is the Electoral College simply a rubber stamp for state numerical outcomes or do electors have options? Is there a way to retain the Electoral College but allow for the primacy of the popular vote in determining the U.S. president and vice president (making it unnecessary to change the U.S. Constitution)?

These questions and others will be addressed at a free public forum hosted by the Missoula League of Women Voters on Tuesday, Oct. 18, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Missoula Public Library. University of Montana Political Science Professor Christopher Muste will address some of the core issues. Missoulas Thelma Baker will share her experience as a current Montana elector who has cast an electoral vote in three consecutive presidential elections. Nancy Leifer, Missoula LWV co-president, will outline the leagues position on abolishing the Electoral College, and supporting something called the National Popular Vote Compact as an interim step.

The U.S. Constitution lets each state legislature determine how they choose their electors. Montana, like 47 other states, has opted to designate that all of its "electoral votes" will go to the presidential candidate who gets the most votes from Montana citizens. This winner-take-all method of awarding electoral votes is not mandated. Its not always been the national trend. The current use of winner-take-all by 48 states is seen by many as a way for major political parties to monopolize, to maximize their political influence and minimize that of minor political parties.

It is important to point out that Montana always has the option of changing its state law, to adopt something other than the coarse winner-take-all method for choosing electors. Will members of our state legislature take on this issue this coming session? Is there Montana support for the National Popular Vote Compact that has been passed in nearly a dozen other state legislatures? Or would Montanans be interested in adopting a method akin to what Maine and Nebraska have devised to better reflect the will of their citizens? These states allot two electoral votes to the candidate who wins the statewide popular vote; remaining electors are allocated based on the popular vote by congressional district. As a result, support for minor parties and their less well known candidates can be reflected in the outcome of an election directly, rather than just indirectly by tipping the results to one of the two major party candidates.

The national League of Women Voters believes strongly that the Electoral College should be abolished and not merely reformed. The league specifically rejects voting by electors based on proportional representation in lieu of the present winner-takes-all method. Instead of making the Electoral College more representative, such proportional voting would increase the chance that no candidate would receive a majority in the Electoral College, thereby sending the election of the president to the House of Representatives. Election of the president by the House further removes the decision from the people and is contrary to the one person, one vote principle.

This is a good time for Montanans to consider the ins and outs of the Electoral College and to consider changing our method for selecting our three electors. Join us on Oct. 18 for an informative and lively discussion!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.7 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury each year. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 1 in 4 American adults suffer from mental illness. Meanwhile, the number of adults diagnosed each year with a chronic brain disease or disorder such as Alzheimers or dementia has already topped 1 million and is only expected to increase as the population ages.

These troubling statistics demand a response. And Montanans share an interest with all Americans  indeed, with the entire international community  in developing effective therapies and cures for these medical conditions.

However, Initiative 181 proposes that Montana taxpayers take a larger role in funding brain research  to the tune of $20 million a year in bond debt for a period of 10 years. Thats $200 million dollars Montana taxpayers would be obligated to repay, not including tens of millions of dollars more in debt service costs and other expenses. And what will Montanans get for their investment?

Maybe nothing. At best, the initiative would result in treatments or medicines that would be shared or sold with the rest of the world  treatments and medicines Montanans would then have to pay for like anyone else.

I-181 proposes to create a Montana Biomedical Research Authority charged with distributing grants to a handful of institutions involved in brain treatment or research: Montanas universities, hospitals and nonprofits like the McLaughlin Research Institute in Great Falls. Proponents of the initiative hope the grants would encourage start-ups to set up shop in Montana as well.

The grants could be used in a wide variety of ways, from covering the costs of peer-reviewed research and development to recruiting scientists and students and acquiring innovative technologies, according to the initiative language. The grants would be sifted by an independent panel whose decisions would have the power to give one institution a major edge over their competitors in Montana.

At the same time, its unlikely this initiative provide Montana any special competitive edge.

The National Institutes of Health invests nearly $32.3 billion a year in medical research, some 80 percent of which is spent on competitive grants  and that almost 50,000 of these grants are awarded to more than 300,000 researchers at more than 2,500 universities, medical schools, and other research institutions in every state and around the world, according to the NIH.

Montana may hope to supplement such dollars, but its difficult to argue the initiative would provide Montana any exclusive advantage over states like California, where voters have approved billions of dollars in bonds to support medical research.

For all this spending, there is no way to guarantee results. Indeed, medical research is prone to failure by its very nature. For example, opponents of the initiative point out that in the last 10 years, drug trials for Alzheimers have failed more than 99 percent of the time. Should a new medicine prove viable, there is no guarantee Montana would receive any share of any royalties, licenses or patents.

There is not even any guarantee that the money would be spent in Montana; the grants may be awarded to Montana-based enterprises, but those enterprises may then use the money to purchase tools and technologies from out-of-state  even out-of-country.

Nevertheless, we are willing to bet that Montanas researchers and institutions rank among the very best. However, the appropriate way to determine if this conviction is true is for them to prevail in a nationwide competitive process.

Nobody is proposing to neglect the needs of patients with brain injury or disease, not in Montana and not anywhere else. It is the difficult job of our elected representatives to balance these important needs with others, and allocate funding accordingly. I-181 would essentially tie legislators hands in tasking them to come up with a way to cover the costs.

Meanwhile, the states borrowing capacity would be substantially reduced for other projects and priorities.

If Montana voters feel that brain research is in fact priority for our state, they should let their legislators know that they would like to see more support and funding dedicated to such endeavors. In the meantime, they should vote no on I-181.
In their Sept. 26 opinion, state Senate President Debby Barrett and House Speaker Austin Knudsen mischaracterized the function of Montanas State Auditors Office and failed to correctly address state auditor candidate Jesse Laslovichs work within the State Auditors office.

As a member of the House Business and Labor Committee during the 2015 legislative session, I had the opportunity to watch Laslovichs work. Many of our bills dealt with various insurance and financial securities issues and since the State Auditors Office works primarily on insurance and securities fraud issues, Laslovich would stand before our committee and testify on behalf of the Auditors Office concerning various aspects of these bills. His testimony would be very informative and he worked well with members of both parties. In his testimonies, he was a staunch advocate for Montana insurance consumers and worked to pass legislation to protect Montanans from securities fraud.

One example of Laslovich's advocacy for Montanans concerned the overly expensive charges made by air ambulances carrying patients to a hospital. He came to the committee with a proposal to involve insurance companies in this issue. Although the bill didnt become law, Laslovich persisted and this summer a legislative interim committee, by a unanimous bipartisan vote, agreed to have two bills drafted for the 2017 legislative session.

As a prosecutor in the State Auditors office, Laslovich has launched charges against several Ponzi schemes and fraudulent securities scams. Laslovich has forced insurance companies to pay policyholders claims owed to the policyholders.

As a result of his work for Montana companies and individuals, the Montana Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Laslovich's candidacy. Laslovich is the only candidate for state auditor who has worked for Montanans in that office and will work to protect Montana companies and individuals from securities fraud and insurance scams. Please join me in voting for Jesse Laslovich for state auditor.

Rep. Willis Curdy,

House District 98,

Montana Legislature,

Missoula
The Oct. 7 headline story was about Greg Gianfortes continued efforts at instilling fear among Montanans for the refugees from Syria.

I have listened to Gianforte, Donald Trump and Ryan Zinke spreading their story of fear of these vulnerable victims of the continued war and violence in the middle east. I have also listened to them all claim to be Christian. Clearly they are two things.

One, they are not Christians. Jesus Christ continually exhorted his followers to see to the needy, the poor, the weak and the victims. Basically saying that to turn one's back on them was to turn one's back on God.

Two, they are cowardly bullies. You read that right. In my opinion, these men are cowardly bullies. They think that everyone seeking help is a terrorist in waiting. People will even call me a liar for saying Zinke is a coward. I assert that whatever bravery he had in war has been replaced by a cowardice.

We, in starting the war in Iraq, uncorked the genie of violence and hatred that grips the Middle East. As the wealthiest most powerful nation on earth, it is our responsibility, our duty to look out for the victims. That is the American way, the way of bravery, the way of love and the way of supporting the rights of our fellow humans. Not the cowardly weakness and fear promulgated by the Republican Party.

As Francis of Assisi said, Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.

Russ Malahowski,

Missoula
Welcome, refugees!

Some people are troubled about a small number of refugees settling in Missoula, and unhappily, they have become punching balls in todays political campaigns; all of which puzzles me. America is a nation of immigrants; its original settlers were refugees, and for 200 years successive waves of newcomers have made the United States what it is today, the strongest nation on earth and an envy around the globe.

Immigrants, including refugees, rather than being a fiscal burden, contribute immeasurably to the economic and cultural wealth of our country; they are not a drag on the public purse. Refugees receive only a small, one-time federal grant on arrival, and within a few years they have paid it back in taxes and are self-sustaining. Immigrants and refugees by and large are industrious and entrepreneurial; they have revived blighted areas in numerous cities like Buffalo, Baltimore and Detroit.

Of course, the fear of terrorism is understandable given the news from around the world. Yet to become a candidate for refugee status you have to live in a refugee camp, and only 1 percent of those who apply make it to the exhaustive vetting process. Half of those end up cleared to come to the U.S., a three-year process. Rather than waiting years in a camp for a 0.005 chance and risk painstaking scrutiny, it makes much more sense for a terrorist to melt into the 6 million annual visitors to the U.S. with a forged passport. Our real risk is home-grown terrorism.

We need to remember our countrys proud history of generosity and hospitality as inscribed on the Statue of Liberty: Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I am proud that Missoula is one of those golden doors.

Klaus von Stutterheim,

Seeley Lake
One candidate for Montana Supreme Court is well-qualified. The other is not suited.

District Judge Dirk Sandefur of Great Falls has all the right stuff. He served as a police officer, a public defender and a deputy county attorney before building a 14-year record of competence, fairness and impartiality as a district judge in one of Montanas busiest districts. He is the only candidate who has extensive relevant experience in handling the wide variety of serious and complex civil and criminal cases  the kind of cases that ultimately come before the state Supreme Court. There is no substitute for this kind of experience. Because of his experience, his competence and his trustworthiness, Sandefur is endorsed and supported by all of Montanas retired Supreme Court justices, as well as by district judges, prosecutors and law-enforcement officers.

In contrast, Kristen Juras has a lack of serious trial-court experience. She has worked as a transactions lawyer handling wills and contracts. More important, she has been an outspoken activist on several divisive religious and social issues. She also has advocated against Montanas cherished stream-access laws at the behest of special interests. She has described our states stream-access law as a monumental erosion of property rights.

Juras once proposed to censor the University of Montana student newspaper for publishing a column about sex. She lost that battle. She also served as the faculty advisor for the Christian Legal Society, a group of UM law students who were required, as a condition of membership, to sign a pledge to oppose gay rights, extramarital sex and a womans right to choose.

Without question, Judge Dirk Sandefur is well prepared to do the job as a Supreme Court justice. Equally important, he wont be bringing with him an inappropriate agenda.

Frank and Maggie Allen,

Missoula
My friend Shelly changes her fentanyl patches every two days. It used to be a single patch every three days. Now it's two patches every other  for a combined 62.5 mcg. Diagnosed one year ago with a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, she's in a club she never asked to join. Cancer her entry ticket, she can fill her prescriptions without question. But when she uses morphine and Dilaudid and lorazepam for breakthrough pain and anxiety, "All I can do is sleep," she says. "That's not living."

Her medical marijuana card used to offer an alternative. "Mentally, physically, spiritually, psychologically ... with the pot, I am living."

I met Shell's providers in early August when I took her to the pot shop, and I was impressed with their professionalism, knowledge, concern for Shelly and array of products. They applauded testing, taxation and regulations, but were frustrated with Montana's forthcoming legislation. When it took effect Aug. 31 and limited providers to only three patients, they couldn't afford to stay in business.

Shell has been receiving in-home hospice care since spring. Marijuana enabled her to make memories with her family: taking road trips to Yellowstone National Park and to Colorado, enjoying movie nights and family dinners, and dancing at her daughter's wedding. She stocked up on enough pot "to last through September" but now it's October and her pain has worsened. She is without a provider, as are 11,849 other registered medical marijuana patients.

In 2014, there were more than 14,000 U.S. deaths involving prescription opioids. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, "No death from overdose of marijuana has been reported." Montanans voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2004, and it has been used to treat patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, epilepsy and more. Please vote for Initiative 182. Thank you.

Karen Buley,

Missoula
HAMILTON  A judges ruling in the case of a Florence-Carlton High School student cited for marijuana possession could have major ramifications for how drug searches are done on school property in Montana.

The students case was set to go before a judge this past week. But on Oct. 6 Ravalli County District Court Judge James Haynes issued an order granting requests from his attorney that tossed out the searches that found the drugs leading to his citations, and dismissed the court case.

On Dec. 17, 2015, Florence-Carlton High School hired a private canine drug detection company called Interquest Detection Canines, which conducted a sweep of the schools parking lot. The dog alerted on the student's vehicle and he was brought outside by the principal.

When asked, the student  then 16  allowed a search of his car, which found plastic bags of marijuana and two pipes as well as cigarillos and an e-cigarette that were inside a hat underneath his drivers seat, according to court documents. The drugs were turned over to a sheriffs deputy and the youth was cited.

Prosecutors said the search was allowed in part because of the schools drug-free policy. Deputy County Attorney Meghann Paddock also cited a U.S. Supreme Court case, New Jersey v. T.L.O., that said a school search can be deemed constitutional by "its reasonableness in light of the circumstances."

"Here, the search was initiated by school officials attempting to enforce a weapon and drug-free learning environment, and the scope was justified by the circumstances," Paddock wrote.

However, the case she cited was about a search of the possessions of a student found smoking a cigarette, and also stated the school had to have a reasonable suspicion to initiate a search.

In his order, Haynes said the search of the vehicle was unlawful, adding that to conduct such a search the school would have needed either particular information that the student had drugs, or that there was a significant problem with drugs at the school that needed the search with the dog.

Unfortunately, there exists no evidence in the record in this case before the Court that the school districts formal search policy is anything other than a pro-active good idea, Haynes wrote.

In a motion to have the evidence suppressed, the students attorney Minot Maser took issue both with the broad nature of the drug sweep as well as the contention that his clients consent to the vehicle search was voluntary, saying school policy holds that he could have been punished for disobeying an instruction from a staff member.

Maser said the school board had considered the drug sweeps as a preventive measure or deterrence, rather than regularly being successful in finding drugs.

I know we want drug-free school environments, but were going out into the parking lot, some of these cars belong to the parents, he said Friday. You cant just do dragnet searches without an individual cause or a bigger drug issue.

Maser said the Montana Supreme Court hasnt specifically taken up the issue of school searches, and that this would be a case of first impression if the Ravalli County Attorneys Office chooses to appeal Haynes ruling. Ravalli County Attorney Bill Fulbright did not respond to a request for comment.

Maser noted in his court filing that the man who owns the drug dog search company used in Florence is also hired by 106 school districts across the state for similar searches.

Missoula attorney Elizabeth Kaleva, who represents school districts across the state, said she will be keeping tabs on what happens with the students case, and that Florence-Carlton School District might submit an amicus brief if it is appealed.

With only Haynes order, the restrictions on school searches are only binding in Ravalli County, and Kaleva said she has sent a memo out to the school districts there that she works for.

What the court is saying is you need reasonable suspicion to even use the dog, she said. Ive told them I dont believe its right to continue to use them at this time.

Kaleva said she would also be talking to school districts around Montana about the possible ramifications of the case next week during a pair of statewide education conferences.

In his order, Haynes similarly suppressed drug evidence collected just over a week before the search at the school that the student had also been cited for. On Dec. 7, 2015, a sheriffs deputy saw him sitting in his car in a cul-de-sac in Florence late at night, according to documents filed in the case. The deputy, who reported thinking the vehicle looked out of place, parked his patrol car nearby and shone a spotlight on the student, then got out and walked toward the vehicle. The student opened his door, and the deputy smelled marijuana coming from inside, according to the documents.

The officer eventually seized two jars containing the drug and issued a misdemeanor citation.

Maser asserted the marijuana was found during an illegal seizure, where his client was stopped with no reason to believe he had committed a crime.

Prosecutors countered, citing a Montana Supreme Court opinion from another case that held an officer stopping and shining light on a vehicle did not mean the person wasnt free to drive away because it was not an actual police stop. Maser said the situation was different because the deputy got out and walked up to the vehicle.

It would be nuts to fire up your engine and leave, he said Friday.

Haynes' order said the deputy had stopped the student without reasonable suspicion, and that any evidence seized as a result could not be used to convict him.

The student's "person and vehicle, at that point, was effectively stopped from leaving and deemed seized, he wrote. The facts fail to establish any suspicion (the student) had committed, was committing, or was about to commit a crime.
GREAT FALLS (AP)  "Crisis line. How may I help you?" asks Jackie Fitzgerald when she answers the phone for Voices of Hope, a suicide hotline.

On a recent day, she received two calls in a matter of minutes.

Both were fairly routine, but for some callers, her warm, compassionate voice might be the first ray of hope they have heard in a long, long time, reported the Great Falls Tribune.

Fitzgerald started working for Voices of Hope as a volunteer on the hotline's database 14 years ago and is now the executive director.

It is incredibly rewarding, Fitzgerald said, remembering the times when she got off the phone knowing that she saved a life.

"If it only happens once, it's something that can never be taken away," she said. "And it happens on a daily basis. We do sometimes get calls thanking us. I wish it happened more often because it brings the morale of my staff up."

Over the last 30 years, Montana has ranked in the top four states for the highest rate of suicides. Among Montana teenagers, suicide is a leading cause of mortality, second only to vehicle crashes, according to a media release from United Way Cascade County, which helps fund the hotline with a $24,000 grant.

Every hour of every day, people in crisis have someone they can call for help thanks to Voices of Hope. The Cascade County nonprofit provides a 24-hour crisis line to anyone who calls 1-800-274-TALK or 453-HELP (453-4357.)

Voices of Hope has four full-time and four part-time employees and a team of volunteers, who all go under rigorous training to handle very stressful jobs. About 1,000 calls come in each month, but the load varies.

Poor weather and the holiday seasons can see a sharp uptick.

"Holidays are busy, but it's often the days after the holidays," Fitzgerald said. "Because even though we don't like crazy Aunt Martha, we're still going to invite her to Christmas, but then she goes home. And she's alone again."

And holidays don't always show up on calendars and have greeting cards. They can be the date of a divorce or the anniversary of a spouse's death.

"I know on certain dates, I'll hear from certain people," she said.

Beyond recruiting and training volunteers and answering phones, Voices of Hope does community outreach to both prevent suicide and help the victims of sexual violence. The nonprofit provides educational services to staff members and students at Great Falls Public Schools, to service members and civilian family members at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

Fitzgerald said a big part of her job is to cut down on the stigma associated with mental illness and depression.

"It used to be the word sex," she said of a topic that once was taboo. "In my day and age, my father probably had a heart attack the first time I said it. Now? It's not a big deal. Has it stopped teenage pregnancies? No, but it has reduced them."

She believes that taking away the stigma of talking about it will help cut into the number of suicides. She has hopes to get Montana out of the top 10 and then top 20, but she knows it will take time.

The state's long winters, relative lack of wealth and the fact that it's so rural, all make it hard to move the needle.

Fitzgerald also mentioned Montanans willingness to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs, and then guns.

"And I'm not in any shape or form trying to take our guns away," she said. "I'm a hunter. I have ranch animals."

But she said that when she talks to students, she challenges them and asks how many could get a gun and bring it back within an hour.

"Ninety-eight percent say they can," she said. "Should they have the access? If they are trained, yes."

But it gives Fitzgerald pause since guns are, Fitzgerald points out, the most lethal form of suicide.

Women attempt suicide at a much higher rate than men (in fact, they make up the majority of callers), but men are more successful because men use guns.

Voices of Hope also is part of this collaborative effort that works specifically with Native American youth throughout Montana to help prevent suicide.

The crisis response team coordinates services to help develop a plan to manage and treat the mentally ill persons in crisis. Voice of Hope also can connect sexual assault victims with a survivor advocate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"The services that Voices of Hope provides our community are critical to advance two of United Way's health goals," United Way President Gary Owen said. "The Crisis Line service helps vulnerable people make it through times of personal crises in their lives. People have shared stories of times when they or a family member were contemplating suicide who called the Crisis Line and were able to reach a stable point and get further assistance for their lives."

Fitzgerald remembers one high school girl who called the line five or six years ago.

The memory still brings chills up and down her spine.

The young lady said she was going to keep the conversation short since she knew it was being traced. In that conversation, she laid out a detailed plan to kill herself and told Fitzgerald, "'If I hear sirens, I'm just going to do it.' That young lady called me more choice names."

Fitzgerald only reports calls to authorities if she feels the caller is in imminent danger, such as in this case. They came without sirens and when the police broke into the area of the girl's home, "She was mad at me, mad at the line for breaking her confidence. She called me names I didn't know the meaning of. But I knew I had saved her life."

The girl was institutionalized.

Fitzgerald said she got a letter from the young lady a short time later, and she was still mad.

"I had a hard time with that," she said. "But I could understand why she was mad: I broke her trust."

Months later, the girl wrote again and thanked Voices for saving her life. She was on medication and getting counseling and had plans to attend college.

Not every call ends so well.

It can be stressful, Fitzgerald said, but her staff band together to support one another.

There is no script or one-size-fits-all manual. Instead, everyone answering calls handles them to the best of their abilities.

"The one thing we can do wrong is do nothing," she said.

Beyond people in crisis, Voices of Hope also provides people with a starting place of contact if they are looking for specialized community services. They keep an updated list of services available to people in need and people can simply dial 2-1-1 with their questions. This line helps keep emergency dispatch lines free for people in crisis.

To complement this service, Voices of Hope publishes an annually updated Community Resource Directory for community members and agencies to help provide quick and easy access to all human service agencies.

Money raised in United Way's annual campaign addresses human service needs in Cascade County. Any local nonprofit can apply for grants. United Way volunteers decide funding considering the community's needs and the programs' effectiveness. This year, 31 local programs receive United Way grants.

Many people give through an employee campaign, which runs through the end of the year. People also may give by sending contributions directly to United Way at PO Box 1343, Great Falls, MT 59403 or donating online via their secure website at uwccmt.org.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Head of the National Defense Research University, Member of the CSTO Academic-Expert Council, Doctor of Political Science, Professor, Lieutenant-General Hayk Kotanjian delivered a report during the CSTO Conference on information security issues. Armenpress presents the full report of Hayk Kotanjian.

COMPLEMENTARITY IN DEVELOPING THE NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY STRATEGY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA: RELEVANCE OF A STRATEGIC FORUM ON COOPERATION IN CYBERSPACE

Dear colleagues!

I have the honor to greet you on behalf of our Institute for National Strategic Studies of the National Defense Research University (INSS, NDRU), which in June 2013, at its international academic Strategic Forum facilitated the development of strategic guidelines for the Collective Security of the CSTO. The Forum was organized with participation of the CSTO Secretary General Mr. Nikolay Bordyuzha, allies from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, partners from the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair states  the U.S. and France, as well as other Member States of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program.

Remarkable that todays conference is held under the auspices of the CSTO Collective Security Councils session convened to come up with a decision on the approval of The CSTO Collective Security Strategy for the period up to 2025 developed based on academic-expert recommendations of the mentioned Strategic Forum of our Institute.

This session of the CSTO Conference on information security issues is the logical continuation of the quest for intersection of political and technological aspects of our states strategic interests in cyber security in the context of external security complementarity policy of the Republic of Armenia regarding both allies and Member States of the CSTO and partners from the NATO Partnership for Peace Program. It should be stressed that our Institute, while studying cyber security problems, does not deal with elements of information security content associated with propagandistic aspects of state institutions and NGO activities.

It is important to note that today with certain parity of varying degrees in the use of conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction among the militarily and economically leading world states and with the international law setting out the main principles of relations between them within such spaces as the land, sea, air, and space, the question of interstate parity and relations in cyberspace at the moment largely remains uncertain and open.

As we know, in the formation process of the global cyberspace, convergence of military and civilian computer technologies takes place, new tools and methods of active influence on the information infrastructure of potential adversaries are intensively developed, various specialized public institutions, cyber think-tanks, and business organizations are established in leading foreign countries.

From this point of view, the global informatization and the formation of the supranational cyberspace  a sovereignty over which is not established by agreed rules of conventional international law delineating the boundaries of the nation-states  determine the directions of the quest for international legal tools that would regulate cyber security at the level of the UN international consultations. In this sense the exchange of ideas among professionals at academic and expert fora, like our Conference, becomes important.

Adhering to the principle of conducting a multi-vector foreign policy reflecting the realities of the Republic of Armenias geostrategic position, the Institute for National Strategic Studies of the National Defense Research University continues its academic-expert cooperation with advanced academic centers of the U.S. such as the Information Resources Management College (iCollege) of the National Defense University and the Program Cybersecurity: The Intersection of Policy and Technology.

Under the known political-diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and the Russian Federation, whenever possible, our organization figures as one of academic platforms in organizing strategic fora in an academic-expert format for the discussion of the most pressing problems of security dynamics in our explosive region.

These quests for regulators have fundamentally changed the essence of ensuring the cyber security due to new challenges and modern military-political and strategic threats that do not face sovereign states and the international community, but require considerable responses. The information sphere as a backbone for governing the state and society actively influences the state of political, economic, defense and other fields in the Republic of Armenia. The active cooperation of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia with the CSTO, which has a mission to participate in ensuring stability and security in the region, is noteworthy in the process of parrying the abovementioned challenges.

With the expansion of capabilities of cyber infrastructure, difficulties are increasing in various sectors of the public life, associated with the provision of critical infrastructures safe operation, cryptographic protection of information, promotion of international parity in this area, as well as the threats such as computer or cyber terrorism that aims to damage information and digital systems.

In recent years, important changes are taking place in the UN: in August 2016, the Report following the Meeting of the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on international information security recognized that the international law is applicable to the field of ICT use, though it can be developed, if necessary, including through the adoption of new norms, including rules and principles concerning responsible behavior of states in the information space. The GGE composed of representatives from 25 countries, including the U.S., Russia, China, among others. It thoroughly and constructively discusses the questions of adapting, based on a consensus, the norms of international law in the cyberspace to national legislations  in order to develop rules of conduct for states and establish confidence-building measures.

Together with the mentioned facts, the availability of such a cyber infrastructure in any state necessitates the development of a national strategy and establishment of mechanisms for policy implementation that will reflect special regulations of procedures carried out by competent authorities and concerned actors to ensure cyber security. However, due to the wide use of information and communication technologies in the life of states and societies, the formation of e-society and the construction of e-government becomes reality. Such changes require coordinated organizational and technological measures and concerted actions of public authorities in the framework of a common state policy to shape a system of a unified cyber platform at the national level.

In this context, the close cooperation of Armenia  with separate states and international organizations that promote security in the South Caucasus region through exchange of information, knowledge, and experience in the field of cybersecurity at interstate and interagency levels  is particularly important.

Given the increasing threats and challenges associated with the radical spread of ICT, in recent years Armenia has taken effective steps for the development of this sector at the national level; at the same time cooperating with international partners, the country is involving in the global information community. A good example of this is the fact that the next World Congress on Information Technology of 2019 will be held in Armenia. It should be noted that in close cooperation with the US National Defense University and Harvard University and based on the study of foreign countries experience the National Defense Research University of the Republic of Armenia developed a Draft of the National Cyber security Strategy of the Republic of Armenia to create a backbone for ensuring the republics cyber security. Academic consultations held between the Political Science Associations of Armenia and Russia play an important role in comprehending the limits of the multi-vector cooperation.

Cybersecurity is currently gaining significance as a new branch of our military-industrial complex, designed to ensure the ultimate goal  the defense security of our country. The attitude towards its development should not acquire departmental, but national character. In other words, cooperation between relevant agencies, academia, and private business becomes a security imperative. In this sense, the timely planning and coordination of cyber security provision and information warfare at the global and regional levels become one of high-priority directions in the national security system of the Republic of Armenia and should have a significant impact on its progressive development.

The question of the need for a code of conduct in cyberspace around the global, regional, and national infrastructure of the Internet is actively discussed within expert and technical communities of the Republic of Armenia. Recently, our Institute spoke at the Yerevan International Scientific Forum on Internet Governance with proposals to address this integration problem on the basis of creating a consolidated system of cooperation between government agencies, as well as international and national private business organizations.

Based on the recommendations of the Harvard Program Cyber security: The Intersection of Policy and Technology, as well as on the results of cooperation with the Information Resources Management College of the partner U.S. National Defense University, the INSS-NDRU of Armenia finalized the Draft of the National Cyber security Strategy. In cooperation with its partners, our organization, following the principles of complementarity, works in favor of Armenias integration into the dynamic formation process of a unified control system for cyber security dynamics at international, national, and corporate and private levels of dialogue, and cooperation with its allies and partners.

This approach is consistent with national interests of the Republic of Armenia and can become a step forward in its international cooperation in the field of cyber security with its allies from the CSTO and partners from the NATO Partnership for Peace Program.

Our Institute has the honor to propose to devote the International Strategic Forum of 2017 of the National Defense Research of University of Armenia to the PROSPECTS FOR DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION IN THE FORMATION OF CYBERSECURITY SYSTEM: THE INTERSECTION OF POLICY AND TECHNOLOGY. Having experience in using this academic platform for the discussion of topical issues concerning security dynamics of the region not solely in political, but in academically-mediated, academic and expert format, we are ready to address a proposal to the United Nations, to our esteemed partner think-tanks of the CSTO and NATO states for the joint organization of the Forum.
Teens with an interest in entrepreneurship can show off their business skills through a statewide competition geared toward youth.

One Montana  a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Bozeman recently opened applications for Montana Teenpreneur Challenge: a competition that rewards promising high-school entrepreneurs and celebrates their business-development, problem-solving and persuasive-communication skills.

Judging the competition will be a volunteer team made up of entrepreneurs from throughout the state. A purse of $2,500 will be awarded to individuals or teams who submit the most innovative ideas for new businesses or for businesses they already run. Teachers and adult sponsors of winning entries will also receive prizes.

The goal of Montana Teenpreneur Challenge is to shine a spotlight on all the good work being done in schools, by organizations and by independent teens across Montana, said Bill Bryan, One Montana's founder and president. The Challenge will seek out and reward the most innovative, entrepreneurial high school problem-solvers throughout Big Sky Country."

According to a One Montana news release, approximately 50 percent of Montana businesses employ fewer than 100 people and when combined, the states small businesses employ 67 percent of the private workforce.

High school students, parents, teachers and youth leaders can learn more at onemontana.org. The deadline for applications is Dec. 1.
Lumber producers in Montana dont expect big changes after midnight Wednesday, when the U.S.-Canadian Softwood Lumber Agreement expires without a replacement.

But that doesnt mean little ripples wont turn into waves later on as loggers on both sides of the border try to meet American housing market demand for 2x4s. A weak Canadian dollar, increased pace of construction, shifting Asian export demands and a U.S. presidential campaign targeting international trade deals all stir a pot previously covered by the softwood treaty.

If theres less lumber coming from Canada, thats good news for the American sawmills, said Hakan Ekstrom, president of Wood Resources International, a Seattle-based timber market consulting firm. But that also means with less competition, lumber prices go higher, which is a negative to the consumer going to Home Depot to buy lumber. We expect lumber demand will continue to go up as we see more housing starts in the next three to four years.

To get a taste of the current complexity of international politics, look at a stack of 2x4s. Seven of every 10 boards was cut and planed in the United States. Virtually all of the remaining three boards came from Canada.

That number might be higher, except that Canadians have been shipping a lot of lumber to China in the past decade. However, those ships have grown fewer in the past two years. Part of that stems from the cooling of the Chinese construction boom, which many consider an unstable bubble economy.

But the Chinese also arent buying as much Canadian wood because they can get it even cheaper from next-door Russia. Loggers in the Russian forests can truck their boards to China. And they get paid in Russian rubles, which were worth about 35 U.S. cents in 2012 but now bring about 16 cents apiece since Russias military interference with Ukraine triggered international financial sanctions.

Meanwhile, the U.S. housing construction market has recovered from the standstill of the Great Recession. But the 2x4s supporting that market boost havent all come from the United States, according to Todd Morgan at the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

U.S. lumber production hasnt gone up the way Canadian has, Morgan said. U.S. production only went up 2 percent while Canadian production went up 25 percent now that the agreement isnt there to slow them down. Plus, the U.S. dollar is stronger than the Canadian dollar. Both those things make a difference in giving the Canadians a trade advantage.

The 10-year Softwood Lumber Agreement expired on Oct. 12, 2015, but had a years stand-still period while the two nations renegotiated. U.S. timber interests claim Canadian firms take advantage of government subsidies to develop public timber lands and dump their finished lumber on the American market at unfairly low prices. Canadians claim Americans place expensive duty fees on imported lumber in violation of free-trade agreements  cases theyve generally won in international tribunals.

President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met on June 29, and produced a joint statement calling for Canada to restrict shipments to levels at or below an agreed-upon quota of the market. But their joint statement noted significant differences remain regarding the parameters of the key features.

That may reflect disagreements within the Canadian parties, according to Zoltan van Heyningen, executive director of the U.S. Lumber Coalition.

Our government has been working very hard to shape the framework of such an approach that addresses all Canadian concerns, van Heyningen said Wednesday. Canada on the other hand, despite commitment of their leader, has continued to insist on a framework that would allow West Coast producers to ship beyond a certain market-share level.

Van Heyningen said that could reflect British Columbias disproportionate supplies of raw logs, which might allow it to absorb export duties more economically than other Canadian lumber producers. Meanwhile, in the stand-still year Canada has increased its exports from 28 percent of the U.S. market to around 33 percent.

In a commodities market, thats huge, van Heyningen said. That is why youre seeing some difficult times for U.S. producers. To be blunt about it, it comes down to jobs. Do you allow the Canadian system of subsidizing their industry to eliminate U.S. jobs?

North of the border, Canadian chief negotiator Martin Moen told Canadian media no deal is better than a bad deal, although he held out hope that an agreement might be reached. But with trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Act and the Trans-Pacific Partnership being negative campaign issues in the U.S. presidential race, pushing for a new lumber deal couldnt have worse timing.

In Montana, local mill owners said they didnt expect much impact, good or bad, after the agreement disappears on Wednesday night. However, they are closely watching the congressional delegation of Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke, who are all involved in the negotiations.

The Montana industry appreciates the efforts of the Montana Congressional delegation and U.S. trade negotiators in working for a new softwood lumber agreement, Montana Wood Products Association President Paul McKenzie of F.W. Stoltze Land and Lumber said in an email. Canadian lumber imports continue to seriously harm Montana lumber companies, workers, and their communities. This is why we need an agreement that is effective and sustainable. Alternatively, we need our government to fully enforce the U.S. trade laws against unfair Canadian trade practices.

That enforcement could come soon. Van Heyningen said the industry intended to demand import duties on Canadian softwood at the earliest possible period that would result in the most effective trade cases.

But were also working with the Montana delegation and negotiators trying to get a new agreement, van Heyningen said. Even if we do end up filing, the governments will continue to negotiate.
This month Buttes past is coming back to haunt us at the World Museum of Mining.

The good, the bad and the ugly  men and women of long ago  have converged in conjunction with Halloween, all disguised as scarecrows.

Jeannette Kopf, executive director at the World Museum, said approximately half the scarecrows were designed by Chris Fisks history class at Butte High School; the others were made by local groups and businesses.

We have some really interesting scarecrows, said Kopf. The project was a lot of fun.

General admission to the museum is required to view the scarecrows, and participants are encouraged to vote for their favorite. The cost is $8.50 for adults, $7.50 for seniors, and $5 for youth (5 to 17 years old).

Once the votes are added up, the king or queen of the scarecrows will be crowned on Oct. 29.

About the scarecrow characters:

PATRICK MEALEY

This years royalty includes longtime fireman Patrick Mealey. Apparently, more than 100 years ago, if you were a fireman and wanted to take time off, you had to find your own replacement. It was Mealeys lucky day in July 1907 as an unidentified fireman picked the 20-year-old right off the street and asked him if he would fill in for a short time. The young man agreed. The fireman never returned to his job, and Mealey remained with the fire department for nearly 50 years.

ANDREW JACKSON DAVIS

You may not be able to get a loan at the museum, but you certainly can shake hands (carefully though, he is made of straw) with Andrew Jackson Davis, early-day businessman and financier. Davis made his fortune as a mine operator and co-founder of the First National Bank.

MIKE HEALY

Visitors are not allowed to belly up to the bar, either. What you can do is meet County Cork native Mike Healy, who was the longtime proprietor of the Radio Bar, 219 N. Main St. Booze was Healys business, even during the many years of Prohibition. According to his granddaughter, Debbie Shea of Butte, the Irishman made his living as a bootlegger, with stills in the Nine Mile area.

DR. CAROLINE MCGILL

A doctor is in the house at the museum as well. Dr. Caroline McGill returned to Butte in 1914, with a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. Her patients ranged from Buttes nobility to the denizens of the Red light district. McGill served her patients well until retiring in 1956.

CARRIE NATION, MAY MALOY

Scarecrows can be scary and so was prohibitionist Carrie Nation, who was on a mission when she came to Butte in 1910. The Mining City needed saving and the hatchet-wielding woman felt she was up to the task. Her visit was a dismal failure. Thanks, in part, to a formidable opponent, Butte madam May Maloy, who literally butted heads with Nation at the Irish World, a brothel in Buttes tenderloin district. Maloys patience had definitely waned with the Bible-thumper and she threw her out of her house of ill repute.

RUTH CLIFFORD, BERTHA LESLIE, JOSEPH NADEAU

Maloy is in good company as three scarecrows represent Butte madams, Ruth Clifford and Bertha Leslie, and "real estate'' man Joseph Nadeau, all of whom, at one time, owned much of the land in Buttes Red Light District.

ESO NARANCHE

War hero and athlete extraordinaire Eso Naranche is featured. The Butte High graduate was killed by a sniper in North Africa during World War II and was so beloved by his hometown that, by wars end, the stadium at the high school was renamed Naranche Stadium.

OTHER HEROES

Other heroes represented include men of the 1917 Granite Mountain-Speculator fire  victims, J.D. Moore and Manus Duggan, and Elmer Miller, who was one of the last miners to come out alive.

TONY VETTERE

If Naranche was a Butte hero, Tony Vettere was anything but. The man killed three Meaderville residents, Joseph Ciccarelli, Antonio Favero and John Deriani, on Nov. 24, 1925. Ten months later he was executed for his crimes. His execution was the last one to take place in Butte, but not before putting up a hell of a fight. Policemen literally had to drag Vettere kicking and screaming to the gallows.

MILES FULLER

Another man who met his fate at the gallows was Miles Fuller, a prospector, who was executed in 1906. Through the years, there have been questions about his guilt, and stories have cropped up now and then of his ghostly figure haunting the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse. For the time being, though, Fuller has taken on the persona of a scarecrow and is hanging out at the museum.
Elling Elves need ornament help

VIRGINIA CITY  The Elling House Arts and Humanities Center invites all to assist the Elling Elves in creating unique handmade ornaments from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at 404 E. Idaho in Virginia City.

These ornaments are given to the guests at this year's Splendid Feast. Each participant is provided lunch and will also be able to take one of the wonderful ornaments home to adorn their own tree.

Materials are provided; however, please bring a hot glue gun and glue stick refills. Please make a reservation by calling 406-843-5454 or 406-843-5507.

Christian Orthodoxy focus of class

People of all or no religious faith are welcome to an informal class introducing Christian Orthodoxy at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, 2100 Continental Dr.

History, traditions, spirituality, and other aspects of the Church founded by Jesus Christ and His Holy Apostles 2,000 years ago will be explored in a series of classes over several months. Details: 406-723-7889.

Quilt show coming to Boulder

BOULDER  The Boulder Quilt Show and Fiber Festival is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Boulder Elementary School gym.

Presented by the Boulder River Quilt Guild and the Boulder Elementary After-School Program, the event includes quilts, sewing, knitting, and all other fiber arts. Entries are welcome.

Details: Nancy Alley, 406-225-9570 or nalley@q.com.

Potato talk, bar featured Oct. 23

DILLON  The Beaverhead County Board of Trustees will host a program by Steve Cottom at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, in the Old Depot Theater in Dillon. Cottom will be talking about the Generations of Potatoes, a history of potato farming in Beaverhead County.

Following the program, a baked potato bar will be served in the Bird and the Lewis and Clark Diorama rooms. The potato bar will feature all the trimmings, drinks, and dessert. Tickets are $15 and are available at the Beaverhead County Museum and at the door. Proceeds will go to support operations at the museum.

All about pumpkins at library

Story time at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway St., starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, in the children's room.

The subject is pumpkins, and kids will listen to some books, sing songs, and do an activity. All ages are welcome. Details: Cathy, 406-723-3361.

Survivors Day event at Tech

Montana Tech will host a Survivors Day event from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 19, in the Kelley Steward room in the Student Union Building.

The days program includes the screening of an American Foundation for Suicide Prevention-produced documentary that will explore the grief and healing journey after a suicide from the perspective of a group of long-term loss survivors. Additional details about the event will be posted on afsp.org/SurvivorDay.

Details: Joyce ONeill, 406-496-4429 or joneill@mtech.edu.

Marko Lucich fundraiser Saturday

A medical fundraiser for Marko Lucich, former director of the Butte Chamber of Commerce, is planned Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Maroon Activities Center, 600 W. Mercury St., hosted by friends of Lucich.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Proceeds will help defray medical expenses that Lucich has incurred over the last eight months.

Dillon library resumes regular hours

DILLON  The Dillon Public Library will resume regular hours beginning Monday, Oct. 24. Regular library hours Monday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, noon to 7 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The library was open limited hours due to a staff vacancy but is now fully staffed.
Contested races in Montana for local or state judge often go relatively unnoticed. The one for State Supreme Court justice, this year, is consequential and worthy of our careful attention.

Cascade County District Court Judge Dirk Sandefur is going up against University of Montana law professor Kristen Juras. Judge Sandefur has 14 years of experience as a judge, and previously he served as a police officer and a prosecuting attorney. Professor Juras has practiced law internationally and more recently in Great Falls.

There is no comparison in terms of the breadth of experience of these two candidates. Judge Sandefur is clearly the stronger candidate, with a proven track record of fairness and impartiality. For that reason alone, he should be elected.

But I write for an additional reason, one that is deeply personal and influenced by my beloved partners painful death from Lou Gehrigs disease and my parents painful deaths from cancer. Professor Juras serves on the board of Montanans Against Assisted Suicide. She has actively worked to deny terminally ill Montana adults our State Constitutional right to choose physician aid-in-dying.

In the last Montana Legislative session, Juras and her fellow board members pushed a bill that would have criminalized Montana doctors who compassionately help their dying patients experience a peaceful and pain-free passing. Fortunately this bill was defeated, and we Montanans continue to have the right to choose a variety of end-of-life options.

I cannot support a person such as Juras for any public office. Please join me in voting for Judge Dirk Sandefur.

-- Doris Fischer, Sheridan
GREAT FALLS  "Crisis line. How may I help you?" asks Jackie Fitzgerald when she answers the phone for Voices of Hope, a suicide hotline.

On a recent day, she received two calls in a matter of minutes.

Both were fairly routine, but for some callers, her warm, compassionate voice might be the first ray of hope they have heard in a long, long time.

Fitzgerald started working for Voices of Hope as a volunteer on the hotline's database 14 years ago and is now the executive director.

It is incredibly rewarding, Fitzgerald said, remembering the times when she got off the phone knowing that she saved a life.

"If it only happens once, it's something that can never be taken away," she said. "And it happens on a daily basis. We do sometimes get calls thanking us. I wish it happened more often because it brings the morale of my staff up."

Over the last 30 years, Montana has ranked in the top four states for the highest rate of suicides. Among Montana teenagers, suicide is a leading cause of mortality, second only to vehicle crashes, according to a media release from United Way Cascade County, which helps fund the hotline with a $24,000 grant.

Every hour of every day, people in crisis have someone they can call for help thanks to Voices of Hope. The Cascade County nonprofit provides a 24-hour crisis line to anyone who calls 1-800-274-TALK or 453-HELP (453-4357.)

Voices of Hope has four full-time and four part-time employees and a team of volunteers, who all go under rigorous training to handle very stressful jobs. About 1,000 calls come in each month, but the load varies.

Poor weather and the holiday seasons can see a sharp uptick.

"Holidays are busy, but it's often the days after the holidays," Fitzgerald said. "Because even though we don't like crazy Aunt Martha, we're still going to invite her to Christmas, but then she goes home. And she's alone again."

And holidays don't always show up on calendars and have greeting cards. They can be the date of a divorce or the anniversary of a spouse's death.

"I know on certain dates, I'll hear from certain people," she said.

Beyond recruiting and training volunteers and answering phones, Voices of Hope does community outreach to both prevent suicide and help the victims of sexual violence. The nonprofit provides educational services to staff members and students at Great Falls Public Schools, to service members and civilian family members at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

Fitzgerald said a big part of her job is to cut down on the stigma associated with mental illness and depression.

"It used to be the word sex," she said of a topic that once was taboo. "In my day and age, my father probably had a heart attack the first time I said it. Now? It's not a big deal. Has it stopped teenage pregnancies? No, but it has reduced them."

She believes that taking away the stigma of talking about it will help cut into the number of suicides. She has hopes to get Montana out of the top 10 and then top 20, but she knows it will take time.

The state's long winters, relative lack of wealth and the fact that it's so rural, all make it hard to move the needle.

Fitzgerald also mentioned Montanans willingness to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs, and then guns.

"And I'm not in any shape or form trying to take our guns away," she said. "I'm a hunter. I have ranch animals."

But she said that when she talks to students, she challenges them and asks how many could get a gun and bring it back within an hour.

"Ninety-eight percent say they can," she said. "Should they have the access? If they are trained, yes."

But it gives Fitzgerald pause since guns are, Fitzgerald points out, the most lethal form of suicide.

Women attempt suicide at a much higher rate than men (in fact, they make up the majority of callers), but men are more successful because men use guns.

Voices of Hope also is part of this collaborative effort that works specifically with Native American youth throughout Montana to help prevent suicide.

The crisis response team coordinates services to help develop a plan to manage and treat the mentally ill persons in crisis. Voice of Hope also can connect sexual assault victims with a survivor advocate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"The services that Voices of Hope provides our community are critical to advance two of United Way's health goals," United Way President Gary Owen said. "The Crisis Line service helps vulnerable people make it through times of personal crises in their lives. People have shared stories of times when they or a family member were contemplating suicide who called the Crisis Line and were able to reach a stable point and get further assistance for their lives."

Fitzgerald remembers one high school girl who called the line five or six years ago.

The memory still brings chills up and down her spine.

The young lady said she was going to keep the conversation short since she knew it was being traced. In that conversation, she laid out a detailed plan to kill herself and told Fitzgerald, "'If I hear sirens, I'm just going to do it.' That young lady called me more choice names."

Fitzgerald only reports calls to authorities if she feels the caller is in imminent danger, such as in this case. They came without sirens and when the police broke into the area of the girl's home, "She was mad at me, mad at the line for breaking her confidence. She called me names I didn't know the meaning of. But I knew I had saved her life."

The girl was institutionalized.

Fitzgerald said she got a letter from the young lady a short time later, and she was still mad.

"I had a hard time with that," she said. "But I could understand why she was mad: I broke her trust."

Months later, the girl wrote again and thanked Voices for saving her life. She was on medication and getting counseling and had plans to attend college.

Not every call ends so well.

It can be stressful, Fitzgerald said, but her staff band together to support one another.

There is no script or one-size-fits-all manual. Instead, everyone answering calls handles them to the best of their abilities.

"The one thing we can do wrong is do nothing," she said.

Beyond people in crisis, Voices of Hope also provides people with a starting place of contact if they are looking for specialized community services. They keep an updated list of services available to people in need and people can simply dial 2-1-1 with their questions. This line helps keep emergency dispatch lines free for people in crisis.

To complement this service, Voices of Hope publishes an annually updated Community Resource Directory for community members and agencies to help provide quick and easy access to all human service agencies.

Money raised in United Way's annual campaign addresses human service needs in Cascade County. Any local nonprofit can apply for grants. United Way volunteers decide funding considering the community's needs and the programs' effectiveness. This year, 31 local programs receive United Way grants.

Many people give through an employee campaign, which runs through the end of the year. People also may give by sending contributions directly to United Way at P.O. Box 1343, Great Falls, MT 59403 or donating online via their secure website at uwccmt.org.
MATHIAS KIN

I understand that Mathias is contemplating standing for parliament in next years national election. Along with Governor Gary Juffa (and his Take Back PNG campaign), Planning Minister Charles Abel, Jeffrey Febi, Justin Parker, Sam Basil, Kerenga Kua, Dr Allan Marat, Timothy Masiu, Ken Fairweather and other likely candidates yet to be revealed to me, Mathias represents a new breed of Papua New Guinean politician determined to change the country for the better  KJ

I HAVE never heard of a born again politician in Papua New Guineas parliament. All the seemingly good guys join the crowd of no goods, except for a very few like Governor Garry Juffa.

In the highlands we have a phenomenon that comes around every election time. In the south Simbu tokples Its called Nere Tere which means "I eat, then I vote for you".



It's a misapplication of the traditional highlands bigman ways of handling power.
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MUSCATINE, Iowa  Community policing took the form of gift giving at Ripley's Housing on Saturday morning.

Sgt. Chad Said, of the Muscatine Police Department, is the community policing officer for Ripley's, and said he works to build a relationship with the families living in the area.

"I'm trying to get folks more comfortable and familiar with me, so I'm out here for an hour or so trying to make contact with folks that I see out and about," Said said.

Said contacted management at Ripley's, and proposed a bicycle giveaway and safety lesson as a way to meet children in the community.

"To let them get to know police officers so they're not afraid of us, and we can build a rapport with them," he said.

Families could sign their children up with the office at Ripley's for the safety talk and to possibly receive a bicycle. What they did not know, Said said before the program began, was that due to the generosity of local businesses, a new bicycle was available for each child attending the event.

Said asked the children questions and discussed what side of the road to ride on, what kind of hand signals to use, and the importance of stopping at stop signs.

"Even though you're riding a bike, you have to stop," he said.

Then the bicycles were given to the children. When Said announced that there were more bicycles, one for everyone there, their faces brightened.

Reba and David Ripley, the owners of Ripley's Housing, also provided new helmets for the children, as well as snacks and drinks.

"We are thrilled that the Police Department was willing to do this and Officer Said has organized this, and we couldn't be happier," Reba Ripley said.

Five-year-old Bryson Edwards said he was excited about his new bike, and his mom, Stephanie Edwards, said she was glad Sgt. Said talked about safety, because her son had a friend who was hit by a car while riding a bike. While his friend recovered, she said she still worries, and hopes her son learned more about being safe while riding.

"I think it's wonderful," she said.

Amy Wilson said she was surprised that her daughter, five-year-old Journey Wilson, was given a bike.

"I still wanted to bring her just so she could learn more information, and the fact that she got a new bike out of it was a shock, but it's great to just bring kids in to learn more about biking and safety," she said.

Journey was anxious to ride her bike.

"I'm so excited," she said.

With a chorus of "Mom, look!" the six children who received their new bicycles on Saturday took off in the grass, and practiced their hand signals and stopping at stop signs.

Said said he hopes this will be the first of many bicycle safety events.
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
Sean Lattimore wouldn't be faulted for being nervous about how del Lago Resort & Casino, a $440 million project in Tyre, Seneca County, will affect his business in neighboring Cayuga County.

But Lattimore, who owns Springside Inn in Fleming and is planning to build a new hotel near Owasco Lake, isn't worried.

"I think it's wonderful. I'm excited for it," he said. "I think it's going to be a great development and provide a wonderful place for employment. It's going to bring more awareness to our area and I think it's going to have a positive impact on the surrounding regions.

"Even though Auburn is 20 minutes away or 30 minutes away (from the casino), I think it's going to have a positive impact on our businesses."

The casino, which is slated to open in February, is currently being constructed near exit 41 of the New York State Thruway. The facility will have 1,800 employees  1,500 in the casino and an additional 300 in the hotel.

With del Lago opening in less than four months, Cayuga County officials are beginning to think about what impact  if any  the resort will have on the county's economy.

TOURISM

It's a 20-minute drive from del Lago to downtown Auburn. It's a shorter commute from the casino to Aurelius, Montezuma and other towns in western Cayuga County.

With del Lago expecting to draw 3 million visitors annually, county officials are hoping to capture at least a small portion of that crowd.

Meg Vanek, executive director of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism, said the agency is already thinking of ways to market the casino to visitors.

For those who are coming to the county, Vanek said they will promote del Lago as a potential day trip for tourists.

"Much like when people come here and stay at the Hilton or the Holiday Inn and they go shopping for a day at (Waterloo Premium Outlets) and maybe another day they go to (Destiny USA)," she said. "But if they stay here, which is our main focus and they have some meals here and such, (the casino) could be just another attraction that actually could add to what we already have."

The challenge, though, will be attracting visitors who will stay at del Lago.

Jeff Babinski, executive vice president and general manager of del Lago, said they will encourage visitors to venture out and visit other sites in the region.

While some casino-goers may remain in del Lago's general vicinity, Babinski thinks others will want to explore the Finger Lakes. And that includes Cayuga County.

"I think there's so much this region has to offer," he said. "You hope that our guests and we'll be pushing for our guests to make it a multiple trip stay. I'm hoping that they stay at least a couple of nights. There's only so much gambling and eating you can do."

Babinski said they're planning to offer passenger van rentals to VIPs at the casino. The rentals will give visitors the opportunity to see the area, including historic sites, restaurants and wineries.

One advantage Cayuga County has over del Lago, Vanek said, is the lakefront. Del Lago, which is Italian for "of the lake," sits on land adjacent to the Thruway. For casino visitors that want to check out the Finger Lakes, they will need to leave the property.

"If you're coming to the Finger Lakes, you're going to want to have some kind of a lake experience," Vanek said. "And that's where we come in is that we have that lake experience."

One potential negative impact, at least in terms of tourism, is how the casino's 205-room hotel will affect Cayuga County. With the hotel opening later than the casino  the hotel is expected to open next summer  the county's hotels could take advantage of that and encourage casino-goers to stay here.

When the hotel opens, however, that will most certainly change.

"That may have more impact on us because there are certain types of clients that just want to stay at a casino property and probably right now they're staying at Turning Stone or another property, and that's something that we can't offer," Vanek said.

There are some unknowns about how the casino will impact tourism, but Vanek sees opportunities and benefits for all involved.

"I think there's room for both of us," she said.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Cayuga County finds itself in a unique situation as it relates to the push to bring casinos to upstate New York.

The county's proximity to del Lago will generate some sort of impact. It remains to be seen what that is.

There's also this: Cayuga County is within the Oneida Indian Nation's exclusive gaming zone that was established in an agreement between the tribe and the state. As a result, the county receives a share of the Oneidas' gaming revenues.

According to the state comptroller's office, the county's cut was $460,161.96 in 2015. So far in 2016, the county has received three payments totaling $395,434.28.

Cayuga County Administrator Suzanne Sinclair explained that the county uses the funding to support economic development efforts. A portion of the money aids the Cayuga Economic Development Agency and the remainder is set aside in an economic development fund.

Since the county isn't in the gaming region which includes del Lago, it won't receive any direct payments from the casino. But Sinclair thinks there will be benefits, mainly due to the location of the county in relation to the casino.

"I've heard pros and cons. Some people feel that it will draw business away from Cayuga County," she said. "I'm actually more optimistic. I'm hoping that it will draw some business here because we have an attractive county, we have an attractive city that has lots of interesting things in it. The scenery here is gorgeous and I just feel that if people come to the area they will eventually discover Cayuga County."

With the potential of more visitors comes the possibility that sales tax revenue will receive a boost. Sinclair is hopeful that will happen, but added that it's hard to tell at the moment because the casino hasn't opened. It will depend on various factors, including where the visitors are coming from.

Overall, there are a lot of unanswered questions about how del Lago will affect Cayuga County's economy.

Cayuga Strategic Solutions Executive Director Tracy Verrier, who oversees the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce and CEDA, expects some sort of impact from the casino. Since del Lago isn't open yet, it's difficult to say what that impact will be.

One positive she highlighted was the recent announcement that MacKenzie-Childs, an Aurora-based company, will open a retail outlet inside del Lago.

"That's a great opportunity for MacKenzie-Childs," Verrier said. "Whatever they sell there that money is coming back to Cayuga County."

Verrier also expects Cayuga County residents will take advantage of employment opportunities available at del Lago. The casino held a job fair in Auburn last month.

Of the thousands of applications del Lago has received for its open positions, Babinski said approximately 10 percent have been submitted by Cayuga County residents.

"We're close enough that people who live here can work there," Verrier said. "It's not the easiest commute or the shortest commute, but it's doable for people here to be employed and continued to live here."

Many of those unanswered questions that Verrier and others have won't be addressed until after del Lago commences operations in February.

"There will be a spending effect, but I don't know which way," she said. "It could be beneficial or it could end up having a negative impact on our tourism spending. It's hard to tell until it's open."
Democratic congressional candidate Colleen Deacon had quite a haul in the third fundraising quarter of 2016.

Deacon, D-Syracuse, raised $582,378, most of which came from individual donors. She also received significant support from members of the House Democratic Conference and other notable members of her party.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi once again showed her support for Deacon's campaign. Pelosi's campaign committee and political action committee donated a total of $7,000 to support the Syracuse Democrat's bid to unseat U.S. Rep. John Katko, a freshman Republican, in the 24th Congressional District race.

Pelosi's campaign and PAC provided the same level of support during the Democratic primary. Deacon won the Democratic nomination over Eric Kingson and Steve Williams on June 28.

Other House Democrats backed Deacon, according to her most recent financial filing. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's campaign donated $2,000 and her Democrats Win Seats PAC gave $5,000 to Deacon's campaign.

Wasserman Schultz is the former chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Another top House Democrat, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, showed his support for Deacon's campaign. His BRIDGE PAC donated $5,000 and his campaign committee contributed $2,000.

Deacon also received funding from two prominent Senate Democrats. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer's leadership PAC, IMPACT, donated $5,000. U.S. Sen. Al Franken's Midwest Values PAC also gave $5,000.

Other notable contributors to Deacon's campaign include:

 New Cuba PAC, a group supporting the end of the trade embargo, contributed $10,000. The PAC is one of the largest donors to Deacon's campaign.

 Unions showed support for Deacon during the most recent fundraising quarter. The American Federation of Teachers, SEIU's political action committee and the United Food and Commercial Workers union each donated $5,000.

 The End Citizens United PAC contributed $5,000 to support Deacon's congressional campaign. Deacon has talked about campaign finance reform frequently on the campaign trail.

 The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund chipped in $4,900. The national environmental group endorsed Deacon in the 24th District race.

 Members of New York's House delegation supported Deacon's campaign. U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter's PAC gave $1,000. U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko's campaign donated $1,000. Tonko visited Cayuga County last week to campaign with Deacon.

 Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC, a pro-gun safety group co-founded by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, donated $2,500. Americans for Responsible Solutions endorsed Deacon in September.

 A few pro-choice groups backed Deacon's campaign. New York Choice PAC II and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund each contributed $2,500. NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC donated $1,000.

 Batman is supporting Deacon. Cayuga County Legislature Chairman Keith Batman gave $250.